takibikaen

[takibikaen]

When starbucks is higher on your priority list than taking over the world

[takibikaen]

Gifts Exchanged, One Sternritter to Another

Author’s Notes: Merry Christmas guys, I wrote up this little Bleach Christmas one-shot last year and thought it would be fitting to post it this time of the year. While watching the TYBW anime, many Quincy characters had quirks and traits I was invested and wanted to explore in a non-battle setting, thus a Christmas gift exchange!

Ao3 link - The fic is also on Ao3 and has a list of references from TYBW that I enjoyed adding to the story!

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Bambietta Basterbine peeked through the window of the ice-covered Quincy-building in apprehension. "Is he gone?" She asked hopefully to Askin Nakk Le Vaar who was looking through his binoculars nonchalantly without a care in the world.

"Seems so, Bambi-chan."

"Good, that damn Grandmaster ruined my hopes of getting a bonus last year for the New Year. This year, this Christmas party we're doing will make up for it!" Bambietta huffed sourly.

"What were you even going to spend the bonus on?" Askin's mouth contorted into a lazy smirk, his stylized eyebrows raised in a mildly curious manner.

"Hmph, I haven't really thought of what to buy, but that bonus would still have been nice considering how all we do is training or fighting with each other in the Wandenreich."

Sitting on a chair with the other Femritter, Giselle giggled loudly while wearing a red-white Christmas hat instead of her Sternritter cap. "Bambi-chan can be so dumb sometimes hehe."

That earned the annoyance of the self-proclaimed leader of the Femritter as she started firing back insults at the Zombie Sternritter.

Askin took a sip of his cafe au lait, wondering why he even went along with this semi-entertaining idea in the first place. It had been a breather from the repetitive training and fighting with the other colorful personalties of his fellow Sternritter, yet considering how the Wandenreich Quincy's only goal was to fight for his Majesty and completely decimate the Soul Society....this Christmas party was just unfit for their lot.

A tap on Askin's shoulder shook him out of his desolate thoughts. A giant mouth was in front of him, looking hungry. "Liltotto-chan, that appetite of yours never ceases to amuse me." chuckled the easy-going Quincy sardonically. He handed over a cup of his cafe au lait to Sternritter G, watching the short blond Quincy consume the steamed liquid.

"Their bickering was making me hungry....anyways, the gift exchange is about to start. I'm heading for Gremmy's cell, you guys can waste your time with this holiday idiocy." Liltotto said apathetically.

"What a shame, you didn't put your name in the gift exchange name bowl? Your friends will be so disappointed." Askin remarked, despite inwardly agreeing with her on the pointlessness of it all.

Besides that, mentioning that monster Gremmy filled Askin with a fatal sensation, more effective than whatever mental horrors As Nodt could conceive. "Still, it's none of my business concerning Liltotto and what she sees in Gremmy to ever spend time with him willingly."

Then, Bazz-B walked in as he held a white-green box in his hands softly, before seeing what was going on. "Oi, oi, oi! What's with this ugly red-green shit all over Silbern? Even the Soldat are wearing this crap!" He shouted, looking bewildered and annoyed with the sudden change to the Wandenreich's bland look.

"They're doing a Christmas party, rooster head. Exchanging gifts and other human customs." snarked Liltotto as she left the room before Bazz-B could shoot a fire blast at her.

"Jugo really signed off on this crap? Also, are you mocking my awesome mohawk, bitch?!"

Meninas wrapped up her gift before answering. "He doesn't know about what we're doing. There's some sort of Quincy ritual involving his Majesty so his successor left with him."

"Hmph, bastard always follows his Majesty..."

A gloved hand gripped Bazz-B's shoulder with a tight grip, earning the fiery-mannered Quincy's ire before seeing who gripped his shoulder.

"An irritating, garden-variety gnat like you should learn a valuable lesson from his Majesty's successor." Sternritter X, known as Lille Barro calmly stated heavily, accompanied by his overwhelming Reiatsu that effectively made Bazz-B back down and leave the room with his green-white box.

"Quite the harsh words to say to our inferiors, eh Barro? Your commitment to his Majesty is endless even towards these little children like them!" guffawed Sternritter M, known as Gerald Valkyrie boisterously, the volume of the massive Schutzstaffel member's voice made the nearby Sternritter wince in annoyance.

Their hooded comrade of the Schutzstaffel, Sternritter C, named Pernida Parnkgjas made a sound of incoherence.

"Agreed, Pernida. We only have a year left until his Majesty is back to full strength. Getting these Sternritter prepared for their duties towards his Majesty's dream is what's expected of us." nodded Barro stoically.

While those three were secluded from the other Sternritter, Bambietta pinched her forehead in frustration and checked with Meninas, Candice, and Askin to make sure things went smoothly. In the background, Giselle kept trying to convince Mask De Masculine's #1 fan, James, to be part of her zombie entourage.

"PePe is still incapacitated by your death-dealing, Nakk Le Vaar?"

Askin yawned as he nodded, it was a simple increasing the lethal amount of oxygen in Sternritter L's respiratory system to the point of being unable to move.

"Driscoll and Quilge are still entangled in a super-long fight ordered by his Majesty?"

Candice rolled her eyes at how serious Bambietta was taking this whole thing, yet still gave the confirmation that she tricked the two Sternritter into a fight outside of the Wandenreich buildings. It was easy to arrange, involving Quilge's stringent, orderly demeanor and Driscoll's bloodthirsty, violent personality.

"Sternritter Q and Sternritter R...I don't bother to know their names but they're taken care of?"

Meninas didn't remember their names either, although it was grating to everyone's ears whenever Sternritter Q started questioning everything, leading to her knocking him out for their semi-sane peace of mind. She had also challenged Sternritter R to an arm-wrestling contest, knocking him out too after she won before he could pull off a mind-scrambling roar.

"Good, most of the problematic idiots and weirdos can't ruin this party now." sighed Bambietta in relief.

"Talk about a lack of self-awareness. Still, I preferably don't want to be on the receiving end of her explosions." To call Bambietta out on her compulsive behavior of killing numerous soldiers she slept with, was begging for retribution, Askin always had a fatal feeling from her despite how intriguing he found her compared to the other Sternritter.

For the gift exchange, most of them placed their names randomly in a Reishi bowl and had gotten a partner to get a gift for.

"Gigi, you're one of the most irritating Quincy I ever met, considering how much you mock me and Candi. Always whining to us about how you don't have enough zombies, therefore I got you these so you can shut up for once." stated Bambietta as Giselle unwrapped a bag full of dead corpses of guys Bambietta slept with.

"Awww, Bambi-chan!! You do care about me, only you could give me a perfect gift! I'll put off turning you into a zombie for later!"

The violet-haired Sternritter blinked in confusion at Giselle's foreboding words, only to be enraged at her subordinate suddenly leaving the party to go 'play' with her new playtoys. "Wait, you're supposed to give me a gift as well, Gigi! You didn't bother to get me one?!"

Next, it was Meninas and Candice's turn to exchange gifts that were normal this time, to the relief of the two Sternritter ladies.

".....What is this exactly?" Candice held a device that had a cord, while reading the packaging.

"You get up before everyone to do your hair and get mad when it gets ruined. I decided to get you this hair styling tool from the human world. You can power it with your electricity....I think" Meninas explained simply.

"Thanks Meni, this is gonna save me a lot of grief and time! I also got you something from the human world! Your ridiculous Volstandig gave me the inspiration for your gift." Candice's words piqued the pink-haired Sternritter as she took out a dumb-bell set weighing hundreds of pounds.

Near the two, BG9 observed them through his sensors, being confused about the usefulness of the gifts given. "Quite senseless....how would these items given benefit them in combat, Sternritter P's calculated physical strength from her last fight greatly exceeds the combined weight in that dumb-bell set."

Cang Du stoically handed a martial arts book to the android Quincy. "Don't waste your time trying to understand them. Here. This book has detailed breakdowns of the various marital arts that would likely be used by that Squad 2 shinigami captain, her Bankai won't be her only asset."

"Sternritter I, this information will prove very useful to me in the coming battle. It'll absolutely be utilized to the fullest extent. In return, I procured this skin ointment for you to assist with your uncomfortableness with your Schrift's effect-"

A Reishi claw was placed near BG9's throat to make it clear about stoping that sentence. "I told you not to mention it near the other Sternritter. They'll doubt my combat ability against the Shinigami." Cang Du reminded while he grabbed the ointment, desiring to hide the unsettling sensation of cold iron whenever he used his Schrift to coat his body in iron.

The pairs of Sternritter exchanging gifts with one another, whether they were of utility, enjoyment, or indicative of what could pass off as camaraderie. To the experienced eyes of Sternritter N, known as Robert Accutrone, it was the frivolous use of the precious time they had left before Yhwach deem the majority of them fuel for the Auswählen.

"Aren't they having a joyous time?" spoke Askin who noticed Robert's grim demeanor beneath his usual stoic composure.

"Hmph, the fact that this is being done instead of training or anything productive is quite defiant of his Majesty's wishes." Robert's words contradicted the gift picnic basket that was given to Askin.

"Yet you still decided to get me this picnic basket as a gift. Our upcoming invasion of the Soul Society will provide an ample opportunity for me to make use of it."

Robert clicked his tongue in disapproval, showing how he currently felt, even if it looked like Askin's words had caused that reaction. "Geez, this spectacled old man is tough and fun-hating as he looks. Too bad he isn't easy to set off or distract with jokes like the others are...."Askin then cut to what was bothering Robert.

"I say you do care about us in some less-than enthusiastic way, old man. Especially the newbies who recently joined. Most of them won't be chosen, but at least they served his Majesty well considering how devoted you are to the guy."

A long silence followed with no signs of Robert change his mind or discussing the matter further

Askin gave up on trying to continue the conversation, finding it tedious and simply handed Robert a bottle of glasses cleaning fluid. A good marksman needed a clear vision in order to get they wanted after all.

*In Gremmy's cell under the Wandenreich*

"I'm hungry....Bambi and the others kept pestering me to help out with their Christmas party setup that I only got to have some of Nakk Le Vaar's drink before I came down here."

Sternritter V's tranquil voice rang out throughout his heavily confined and fortified cell. "You're always hungry just as I always imagine you to be whenever you come here."

Liltotto wondered if Gremmy was being honest about his claims in accordance to what he imagines. Yhwach's Reika Garasu cell (Soul-Made Glass) had incantations to limit the effect of Gremmy's power, also depriving Gremmy of any freedom for an unknown amount of years.

"How about you imagine some more cookies and a Popsicle for me? You're the Strongest Quincy, aren't you?"

The treats appeared on command in Liltotto's hands to her satisfaction, making sure to share some with Gremmy. Even if these creations of Gremmy’s restrained imagination would stop existing after some time, the two Quincy still found them to be a respite from the bleakness of their world in the shadows of the Soul Society.

"You said the other Sternritter were doing a gift exchange with each other.....I can't really imagine what you would give me if I was freed and took part in it. It would just be a product of my own will, not yours." Gremmy said with a tone of pride yet it sounded like it wasn't something he could truly enjoy.

Liltotto shrugged, not giving any notions that she could fathom a gift for the Sternritter who commanded Imagination like it was a toy.

"Still....what we're doing right now....that you decided to spend time with me and continue to do so.....it makes me feel something I have a hard time....imagining."

The two blond child-like Quincy continued chatting like this until Liltotto brought up the plans for their invasion of the Soul Society.

"I don't know how shinigami taste like but it'll probably be gross either way with how much fighting and the zombies that Giselle will gain from that..."

"Perhaps, your favorite foods can make it more bearable for you when you're at the Soul Society?" To the diminutive girl's surprise, Gremmy created a whole variety of snacks and treats ranging from burgers, cookies, popcorn, cookies, and bread. “These will last a lot longer than the previous ones I imagined.”

"Are your powers getting stronger or....the cell you're in...the security measures on it must be getting weak." Liltotto then deduced "Thus, allowing your power of imagination to last longer with it's creations, even when you're locked up.....well you won't be locked up anymore once the invasion plan starts being executed."

"I see....you don't plan on telling his Majesty . I'm glad I imagined....someone like you for someone like me to know."

*As the gift exchange neared it's end*

"You missed out on a lot of stuff, Lil." scowled Bambietta as she saw Liltotto return to the main room.

"Huh, the room isn't wrecked or completely destroyed. Guess you and the others really pulled it off....who grew new brain cells for this? I already know it wouldn't be you."

Bambietta grunted in frustration, having enough of the disrespect by her own subordinates and going to her room to drag some unfortunate Quincy soldier to a sensual, but fatal end.

In the middle of the room, Liltotto saw Sternritter W, known as Nianzol Weizol licking a tub of ice cream with his two tongues. Next to him was Sternritter U, known as NaNaNa Najahkoop who was playing around some new bracelets on his wrists.

"Huh....that ice cream looks good, if I ignore the saliva and drool all over it...."

Her thoughts were interrupted by Mask De Masculine's exuberant shouts of zealous urging towards As Nodt to accept his gift. "Why won't you take a superstar's present?! How will you be a hero against the villainous shinigami without it?" Mask's little helper, James, also cheered on Mask in this pointless endeavor.

"I don't require anything, especially a purposeless luchador mask from a thoughtless oaf. Go read the copy of his Majesty's Daten I sent you unless you prefer to be introduced to your true fear as a present." As Nodt's raspy voice sent chills down everyone's spines, refusal to change his spiked mask for one of Mask's.

All of these clashes of personalities made Liltotto sigh as she helped take down the Christmas decorations of the room by eating them even with the taste of them. "Whatever the Wandenreich is with these morons and freaks, it's unsuited for this."

"Agreed. Probably, the most mundane gift exchange of all was the Lloyd brothers giving each other the same book. Still....even his Majesty's Royal Guard were participating in this. The big Nordic one was fulfilling our desires randomly while the mute, hooded figure had compressed any stains into nothing on the huge rifle belonging to his Majesty's most ardent devotee." Askin narrated this to no end which made Liltotto narrow her bright yellow eyes at what Askin was getting at.

"Why are you telling me all of this? A recap of what transpired here isn't what I'm interested in." This made the eccentric Sternritter shake his head in disappointment.

"Out of all of the Bambis, you're the smartest one, Liltotto but then again, intelligence often brings about a bland streak of realism in one's demeanor. Quite pessimistic." Liltotto scoffed at that as she ate a popsicle.

She brought up how he wasn't one to talk with how wary he was with most of the Sternritter and accepted his current position of where they stood. What Askin said next made her current emotions come to a halt.

"The world that his Majesty Yhwach wants to make is supposed to be a better world than what we currently have. I'm interested to see what he'll create. " Askin alluded to their ultimate goal before chasing his tone to a more curious inflection. "Whatever happened here today....perhaps a miracle or rare desire for these guys to act like comrades outside of fighting for his Majesty. Usually, I feel it's fatal to do these things considering what we signed up for, why go through the heartbreak? Is it so valuable they did this outside what his Majesty wishes for?"

".....and now he walks away after saying that treasonous crap....what a misfit in this group. First, he goes along with what Bambi wants cowardly and then says that?....Today's events don't change anything at all or our goals." Liltotto shook off the seeds of what Askin implied, making plans for training with the other Bambis.

*In Bazz-B's quarters*

Squinting his green eyes at the white-light green box that he found this morning in his room, Bazz-B scowled deeply, feeling mixed emotions that he tried to push away. "Jugo...you...of all the Sternritter...after all this time that I kept goading and taunting you."

He decided to get it over with and opened the gift from Jugram.

It was a pair of black armbands with skull and crossbones designs on them.

*"The Great Bazz needs the final touch to show all of the other Quincies whose the Ultimate Quincy! I need something that shows how dangerous and subtlely awesome I am!" exclaimed a young Bazz-B as he put on his helmet and gloves while he and Jugram were hunting near Bazz's village 1000 years ago.*

*"Maybe.....I could find an accessory that you like....would it really make that happy, Bazz?" A young Jugram unsurely asked as he wrapped up the rabbit they hunted. Bazz-B's cheeks had a tint of red at hearing that.*

*"I-I don't need it that badly! It's just those stupid grown-ups are blind to my prodigious awesomeness, sometimes what we have on the outside is what matters usually....Jugo, just focus on what you have to do alright?" *

Bazz-B grabbed the black armbands with the imposing design, and wore them around his biceps. "You bastard...damnit....you still remember that crap...you won't fight me no matter what but instead you do this?”

[takibikaen]

Welcome to the squad Bazz B

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Ise Clan

I thought Shinken Hakkyōken was a cool reveal and I wished we got more backstory to it and I'm hoping we might get some in the anime and/or hell arc.

I always thought it was a failsafe in case the Soul King broke free. When the seals on him were removed his powers did attack the Sereitei and the Shinigami.

My guess is that it was specifically designed by Oetsu to combat the Soul King. Oetsu's bodyguards are examples of zanpakuto with built in powers.

It was revealed that the Ise Clan suffers from a curse that kills all men that marry into the family and also that they only birth daughters.

Nanao's mother speculated that it was Shinken Hakkyōken's doing.

It made me think about the incorrect relationships between Shinigami and zanpakuto that could develop which were mentioned by Oetsu.

I also thought of Oetsu having a harem of female zanpakuto spirits to serve him. I think maybe Shinken Hakkyōken has a similar mindset as his creator and sees the Ise Clan as his wives and him as their true husband.

Oetsu regulates male zanpakuto to working behind the scenes. But I think Shinken Hakkyōken is more extreme so kills off their husbands and ensures they only have daughters.

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I don’t know what made me want to do this. It just seemed adorable in my head.

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Harribel Hollow Queen Outfit

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the return of the sass master

[read from right to left]

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new art by animator leo kawamoto

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naruto x bleach au

[takibikaen]

By サファイア

[takibikaen]

⏰ 🚨 attention please🙏🚨

Dear friends and compassionate supporters,

This is Eman Zaqout, from Occupied Gaza, Palestine. I am a Biotechnologist 🩸💉, and scientific researcher👩‍⚕️ contacting you at a really desperate moment.🍉

I am seeking your assistance to raise funds for saving our lives, facing the starvation in Gaza and help me achieve my doctoral degree dream after being awarded OWSD PhD Fellowship for inspirational women👩‍🎓

Just like any motivated and loving life woman, and for years, I poured my heart and soul into my work at Al-Shifa Hospital and Turkish Palestinian Friendship Hospital, as Biotechnology Specialist serving cancer patients with compassion and skill 💪✌

 (photos of Al-Shifa Hospital before and after the IDF destruction)

 (photos of Turkish Palestinian Friendship Hospital before and after the IDF destruction)

I also gave medical lectures to students at different universities and training centers in Gaza👇

As a result of my outstanding grades in my study and the excellent performance in my job, I have been a holder of different scholarship and I am active participant in many research visits and scientific missions👩‍🔬. The last scholarship as at McGill University in Canada three months ago before the starting of the genocide in Gaza💔

However,😥

My life changed dramatically when Israeli military launched a sweeping war against Gaza. My home and our neighborhood in the North have been destroyed along with our belongings and precious memories early in this crisis😫

My job and my husband's job are gone 💔.Israeli military forced us to evacuate from the north Gaza to the south where they claimed it would be the safe zone but it is not at all😭

Forced to flee with nothing but the clothes on our backs, today, we find ourselves sheltering in a displacement camp lacking access to sanitation, medical supplies, food and drinkable water. I will not talk a lot about the dire and unbearable life we have to go through, as no word can express it fairly🥺😣

The good news in the midst of this tragedy, that I am one of the 22 women from the developing world who have been awarded OWSD- PhD fellowship to pursue my PhD study in Malaysia💪. But now I am stuck in Gaza unable to achieve my dream because Israeli army has occupied and closed all the border crossings😢

Meet 22 women who have been awarded the OWSD PhD Fellowship.

This genocide has been 11 months of hell and horror. We have reached a point where there is no hope left for us here in Gaza, where we are unfortunately just waiting for our turn to die.💔💔

Nevertheless,

I refuse to succumb to despair, holding on to the belief that brighter days lie ahead 🖤🤍💚💖

With your kindness and generosity🥺, I hope to survive the genocide and reclaim the path to achieving my doctorate 💉🩸

Your compassionate aid would mean the world to me and my family.🥺🙏🍉✌

Note, my previous account has been terminated for unknown reasons, but I had meaningful interactions with many of you ✔✔. I have always found the Tumblr community to be incredibly supportive and helpful, so your continued support of our campaign until we reach our goal would be deeply appreciated.💪💕

The pervious blogs have been vetted

by @90-ghost here

by @dlxxv-vetted-donations here

by @northgazaupdates2 here

by @aces-and-angels here

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Aizen's Bankai

Did we see it?

Really. Could it be possible that his bankai was actually stealth shown in the manga but, in pure Aizen fashion, no one noticed?

First: his shikai.

We know pretty well how that works. Kyouka Suigetsu is the most powerful illusion-type zanpakutou in the same manner Hyorinmaru is the most powerful Ice-type and Ryuujinjakka is the most powerful fire-type. Unmatched and insurpassable in power, versatility and sheer excellence by any other of that type.

He's able to cast illusions on people that control all of their senses and make people see and hear and taste and smell and feel what he wants them to.

His most common use of it as we see it to make one person seem like another. Those random shinigami to appear to be him so he can be off doing other things and no one is the wiser. Hinamori during that Fake Karakura battle.

He can also make people deaf and blind to things. None of the captains an lieutenants were able to hear the screaming, pleading and defensive actions Hinamori and Ichigo certainly made as they brutalized her thinking she was Aizen. He hid all evidence of his own movements and the swap with Hinamori and made himself seem like he was Hinamori so he could stand back and watch, which naturally requires hiding his reiatsu.

Through that whole fight he coordinated the illusion among dozens of people to make that work. It's horrible what he did, but also and impressively tricky bit of choreography and precision skill. Cruel but brilliant.

So, in specific, he can think of an illusion he wants people to percieve as reality, or of a certain bit of reality he wants them to not notice, and anyone who has been brought under it's power by witnessing the shikai release (the main achilles heel to it - the fact that it needs that prerequisite to have any effect at all) is completely helpless to resist or see through it unless he releases them or they find the trick of touching Kyoka Suigetsu's blade.

All evidence indicates he is 100% in control of and cognizant of exactly what illusion he is making and what the person sees.

So then, how the hell does this panel make sense:

He had no idea what Ywach was seeing until he said it.

That doesn't make sense with what was previously established.

Not unless Aizen is using his bankai and his zanpakutou is a more pure expression of the philosophy of shikai and bankai like Rukia's.

Rukia's cold freezes herself in shikai and she's able to send blasts of it out through the tip of her blade. In bankai she throws that cold out into a large sphere around her, freezing everything along with herself.

If Aizen's shikai is him internally crafting illusions and putting them in peoples heads, then perhaps his bankai sends his power out and lets the target mind create the illusion itself. Maybe it works more like the Mandela effect - giving a vague suggestion of Aizen's chosing, and then the mind fills in the details and certainty.

Having the call come from inside the house would definitely make a more unquestioned illusion - one that could even trick and blind a man/monster able to look into the future. Ywach, after all, is looking for actions the people he's fighting are going to take in the future. He's there for an epic battle with himself as the hero and about to smite the foolhardy, and especially the one he's deemed the pinnacle of the resistance - Ichigo. He's never said to be able to see the consequences of his own actions - or if he can then he doesn't. He just uses the Almighty to learn what his opponent is going to do and then counteract it - he never actually looks forward at his own actions to see which will succeed or fail.

If Aizen quietly activated bankai previously, without it being noticed (and he of all people could definitely do that, even with an all-seeing god) and implanted a suggestion like don't see Ichigo or to swap the face of whoever is fighting him with someone else, and therefore made Ywach's own mind create a narrative he's expecting to see (the narrative of fighting and defeating Ichigo, the only man with the power to kill him once-and-for-all, and damn but that makes him sound like Voldemort) well...then there's nothing for him to see but his own reflected thoughts bouncing back from the future instead of the truth (that Ichigo is sneaking up behind him), is there?

So: in conclusion, I suggest Aizen did use his bankai and that his bankai throws a general shape of the illusion Aizen wants to cast/the effect he wants to have, but instead of him crafting the details it forces the victims mind to warp and create the illusion itself, making it more completely entrenched - possibly something with permanent effects that makes the person unable to accept any reality but that even after Aizen withdraws his influence.

[takibikaen]

BLEACH /  群青爱兰

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Hello, thank you for the likes and your kindness. ^^

You're welcome! The same goes for you, thanks for liking my old posts!

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Opinion on the 12th division?

Current 12th division? Eh, my opinion on them as a division is mixed like I have a distaste for some of their actions and yet I'm mainly invested in certain characters of that division. If characters like Akon, Nemu, and Mayuri weren't in it, then 12th division wouldn't be as noteworthy to me despite how essential they are to the Seireitei.

The first scene of the 12th division reacting to Rukia's gigai (ew) and even before that where it's likely that they were behind Project Spearhead to use dead bodies doesn't exactly endear me with them lol. I will say that the designs of the individual members in their manga debut fit well with how they work compared to your normal, everyday shinigami, love that aspect of them.

It says a lot that this division's officers were behind it which I feel uncomfortable with. However, I do feel a little sorry for the unassuming shinigami in Squad 12 that are just there like Mayuri being their captain, potentially getting turned into living bombs without consent (who even consents to that?!) no thanks, bro.

However, I'll admit that they're important in creating the Soul Society tech that I enjoyed seeing in the early arcs. Watching them in the TYBW anime somewhat helps in viewing them in different scenarios outside their comfort zone, especially Akon and Mayuri. Akon adds so much personality and quirks to the division's scenes, despite being a non-combative side character who does his job no matter what (dude needs a vacation plz).

Besides that, there are details about this division that do interest me like how they'll create stuff for Squad 11, like Kenpachi's eyepatch and Ikkaku's teeth, like are they open to requests? Also, Hikifune and Senjumaru hail from 12th division before Urahara set up the SRDI makes me wonder what previous purpose 12th division was meant to represent.

Thanks for the ask, anon!

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+ bonus

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Ichigo’s stance on the SS’s morality is definitely one where I also wondered how he act in response to it as a whole. He mainly is protecting those he cares including his friends in the SS, but on the other matters like the Quincy genocide or the falsity of the Soul King, he seems to be neutral, mainly focusing on the present, not the past actions that fuel who he's fighting. Like you said, his action to move forward with others towards a future for everyone is the antithesis to his opposition.

Him being a human also factors into the one time he’s been critically against SS was in the FB arc where he’s bold enough to ask for Ginjo’s body from them so he can bury it in the WOTL, despite Ginjo’s crimes against the SS. Like he still decided to trust them considering what they did to Ginjo, but that moment is segmented after his past actions that overturned the SS's rigid law that's lasted for thousands of years.

At the end of the day, Ichigo isn't the lonely teen he used to be with how he's developed and has let other people into his life opposed to Aizen. I say he would decide to leave the internal affairs of the Shinigami to those he trusts instead of taking things into his own hands like Aizen, and be his own figure that has Urahara's influence.

Tbh there's something about the way Ichigo, Kisuke, and Sōsuke are all reflecting off of each other in canon

Like this is sooooo influenced by my random uraichizen thoughts but

Like, considering Kisuke's Boddhisatva allegory with Guanyin/Kannon and his knowledge of the world, the idea that he preserves the status quo of the worlds by not actively doing anything in comparison to Sōsuke (from what we can see). He is a Boddhisattva in this sense. He's seen the truth, he teaches others the truth or hints at it because true Enlightenment can only be with the self. But.

Then there's the actual consequence of SS and what shinigami have to do to maintain the balance. Kisuke opposes Sōsuke and his views not because he believes it's right, but because he believes that the destruction of the worlds is not acceptable. It's a necessary evil.

Sōsuke has an ego with him wanting to become God, but there's also something almost tragic about his arc with reframing it from his perspective of Soul Society.

Soul Society is not a good place. Honestly horrible to live in. Especially when we find out that they sacrifice souls to hollows and vice versa in the name of balance.

Tbh, I ended up asking myself, from this viewpoint, is the Soul Society really worth protecting? Because it's goal is not about protecting people, but protecting the balance. Can the shinigami claim ignorance? Should they even be allowed to when they are complicit in destruction of lives? What would 'life' actually be considered in this universe? Do hollows deserve life as humans do? Except the SS ultimately sees both as a means to an end, hollows are just more of an obstacle.

Effwctively, shinigami are content sleeping on a bed of ground bones. I can see Sōsuke thinking this from a biased perspective.

But he's also not some savior either. He's arrogant and has a callousness to him that conflicts with this more sympathetic view of him.

His anger at Kisuke for knowing the truth of the world and not trying to change it seems genuine. There's an air of hypocrisy to his character I can't shake and it makes me wanna know more about why. Like the question of the greater evil vs the lesser evil.

Except Ichigo. He steps forward, finally knowing himself in full, to defeat Sōsuke, to defeat Yhwach, yet I can't help but feel like he's still so ignorant of the world he lives in. If he learned about their horrors, could he truly stand by in shadows waiting as Kisuke does, or would he become like another Sōsuke, for whatever reason. Or would he become a different path?

Sōsuke is also related to illusion and water, a reflection. We never see his bankai and I would even go so far as to think that he own powers don't work as they do in canon. There's still too many unknowns about him for me to be confident in them. But Ichigo’s own insights about Sōsuke's loneliness is just... it's so tempting to build off of that.

Because those feelings are likely a reflection of Ichigo from when he was a young age and his own confusing powers may have brought only more loneliness instead of understanding or connection.

I can't help but think that Kisuke represents Stagnation and Sōsuke represents Progess. Except poth come with an unsavory taste in the mouth. Kisuke waits, likely works towards a goal, bit it's far too slow for the people that have already suffered because of the world. Sōsuke steps forward, also hiding until he's sure of his strike, and he probably would have won if not for Ichigo. What is Ichigo then?

The only part of the Soul King that's named is his heart, which can bring about miracles, things unexplained due to emotions and desires. It acts similar to the Hōgyoku. Ichigo speculates that Sōsuke may have actually wanted to lose to him and that's... also a lot of implication about Sōsuke's character. There's also the idea that Sōsuke may have built Ichigo up. To what? Defeat him? Stand by his side? To make him less lonely? Or are these Ichigo’s unreliable feelings, are they simply Ichigo’s own reflected onto Sōsuke?

Both of Kisuke and Sōsuke's plans and views come with a price. And Ichigo remains ignorant, but he stills fights for everyone to not pay that price, even his enemies.

In a way, it's like Sōsuke decided to pay a huge price upfront to pay back later, Kisuke is frugal and making sure to balance everything while moving forward but that means people can't attain true wealth within their lifetime. Yhwach decided to destroy the concept itself despite that it means everyone will then have to pay that price.

Ichigo, is just, bursting through all of that. But he's also only one person. And idk, that feels important to how change must be made collectively when it's about a whole society. All Ichigo does is step forward, with other people, like the beginning of a wave.

Like, this is the end of the post but SŌSUKE AND KANAME??????? That alone needs a whole thesis and how it informs both of their characters since the only person Sōsuke actually trusts out of everyone is Kaname