💝How long until they feel secure and comfortable in a relationship?
Despite Renji’s friendly and outgoing nature, and his tendency to make friends without much effort, this doesn’t mean that he’s one to open up easily to others. On the surface, he’s a happy go lucky guy without much troubles, but one has to remember that he too is a warrior. One that has been through countless battles and has experienced a lot of trauma.
Perhaps compared to some of his fellow shinigami officers, he has healthier and better coping mechanisms but there are still things that haunt him at night. For him to feel at ease with his partner, it would really depend on how long they’ve known each other before they’ve decided to get into a relationship.
If he’s in a relationship with someone who has known him for a long time, it might be fair to say that he will feel more at ease with them and open up in a relatively shorter time. If it’s with someone he hasn’t known for too long, it might take more time. But fret not, he isn’t the type enter a relationship with someone that he doesn’t trust. In due time, he will become more comfortable.
🔮Do they believe in soul mates?
No. Simply because he doesn’t believe in fate. To him, soulmates is a concept that ties strongly with destiny - the fact that somebody was already chosen for him out of his own will, that they were ‘meant to be’. It’s not a fact that he will accept so easily.
To him, his life is strongly determined by his actions. Whether the consequences are good or bad, he chooses his own path for himself. And this applies to romance too.
For a realist to him, the concept of soulmates is too idealistic. Growing up in the Rukongai, it’s definitely impacted his perspective of 'love’ to say the least. It’s skewed his outlook on romance, and what he can expect from a relationship. Empty lies, broken promises, cheating, abuse... he’s seen it all.
That doesn’t mean that he doesn’t believe in love. He does. Yet he doesn’t believe it will come easy. He believes that there is someone out there who will be a good fit for him. Someone who he likes and they like him back in return. It’s just not someone that he’s ‘destined’ to be with.
😘Does their demeanor change when in a relationship?
Relationship HCs
😘Does their demeanor change when in a relationship?
For the most part, not really. Renji isn’t the type to go changing his root/core personality and behaviors drastically for another person. He believes that if someone truly likes him, then they would like him as he is, and not want him to change into an entirely different person.
However, if there are certain actions or behaviors that his partner might not like, he will do his best to not do them. For example, he has a tendency to speak his mind sometimes and is rather blunt. If his partner doesn’t quite like this, he will try to change. Because he knows the detriments that particular behavior can bring.
If someone asked him to ditch his training, or not to focus so much on work, then that’s not something that he can accept. As those two things are such a core part of his life, and his reason for being, he would not accept such a request. He can dedicate a bit more time to his partner if they feel they are being neglected, but in the end it just boils to effective communication between the two.
He believes that a relationship should not be one sided and that both parties should compromise and come to a middle ground if they can’t agree on something.
In summary - it depends aha.
Have a contemplative Renji for your viewing pleasure
Despite how Renji is normally portrayed as a klutz and an idiot, he’s actually pretty adept when it comes to his work. I think that people forget that there’s an actually an exam to become a lieutenant and if Renji didn’t at least show some potential, he would have never been chosen to become one. Especially under Byakuya’s supervision; a man who’s well known to be a stickler for the rules and laws.
Even though he hates doing his paperwork, and it isn’t his strong suit, he still gets them done. His favorite are the accounting budget spreadsheets because they don’t require much penmanship - something that Byakuya often scolds and lectures him on.
send 💩 for a ridiculous headcanon
Even though everyone shits on the Kuchiki siblings “art” sense, Renji actually thinks that they’re pretty cute! You never seem him in the series saying that they’re ugly or dissing Rukia’s infamous Chappy art.
He’s always on the lookout for new Chappy products or if he ever gifts something for Byakuya, he tries to make it resemble his captain’s beloved seaweed mascot.
The next put under a read more for some triggers and length
send 🐢 for a mental health headcanon
Growing up in the Rukongai and then subsequently becoming shinigami, there were countless traumas that Renji faced throughout his life. HIs life had never been easy, and although being a lieutenant in the Gotei 13 now has made life much easier compared to his childhood days, there’s still the very real issue of dying while in the line of duty.
Compared to some of his fellow shinigami, Renji’s mental health is, in a sense better. The first step that he had to overcome was realizing that he suffers from trauma that affects how he acts and thinks, and slowly coming to embrace it. He doesn’t internalize and bottle up his feelings until they explode - he’s someone who has no shame in opening up about what he’s feeling to his friends and closed ones, and I think this helps him a lot in facing a lot of his issues.
That doesn’t mean that he is free of his ghosts, as he does get the occasional nightmares. The hauntings of his squad mates getting killed during missions, his friends dying in the Rukongai in his arms, having to bury them - the memories sometimes are still so fresh and raw, plaguing his mind. He knows that he has to get used to people in his life dying all around him due to the nature of their career... but how does one just so easily get used to things like that?
Training is perhaps the one most singular thing that he uses as an outlet to get rid of thoughts and to clear his head. It’s something that he’s good at, and it helps him get stronger as well. In a way, it’s his coping mechanism, and one that won’t ruin him in the long run.
Relationship HCs
(under a read more because of course you would send me so many, Starry lmao)
🤗Are they physically affectionate?
Yes! Naturally, Renji is a very handsy person, even to those who he isn’t in an intimate relationship with. Ruffles to the hair, a pat on the back for a job well done, a quick hug in greeting.
He’s someone who likes physical touches - it’s reassuring to feel someone’s warmth against his own. A reminder that they’re there and won’t disappear on him. Towards his partners, he will always reach out his hands, even sometimes unconsciously.
Just cup his cheek with your palm and he will absolutely melt. He will gladly nuzzle his face into your palm, turning his head to press soft kisses against the skin.
🏷️Do they give their partners cute nicknames?
Generally, no. He will most likely call them by their given name, to show the intimacy between the two. Babe/baby/love is rarely used, but if his partner is very distressed and he’s comforting them, he will use those endearing thems.
However, sometimes when he’s feeling playful or if he wants to tease his partner he will assign them a nickname. For example - using his own name, it will become something like Ren-chan, Ren-tan, Ren-chi. The formula is usually shortening the given name and then adding a cutesy suffix to it. This way it’s really embarrassing for his partner, and he gets a kick out seeing their reaction. Just for shits and giggles, really.
💋Are they more sensual or sexual?
Hmm... this might depend heavily on his partner and the situation. If his partner is someone who craves sensual touches more than intimate sexual ones, then he will do just that. And in turn, if his partner is someone who craves more intimate touches, and wants something more sexual in nature, then that is what he will do.
There are a couple of situations in which he will refuse sex. That is if his partner isn’t in the right mindset. Whether it be that they’re drunk and intoxicated, on some sort of drugs, or highly emotional. Those are situations in which Renji will give a hard no for sexual contact. Comforting and intimate, yes. But definitely not sexual.
🛏What is their favorite bedroom activity to do with their partner?
Highly dependent on what their partner likes! Renji is someone who is pretty flexible in the bedroom. Dominant or submissive, he can take either role and is quite open to things he hasn’t tried out yet.
This has to do with the fact that by the time that he and his partner are ready to be intimate, he wholeheartedly trusts his partner. Knowing that the other wouldn’t hurt him and also would respect his decisions to turn down something if he isn’t comfortable with it.
With that being said. More than anything, he loves cuddling in bed. No sexual activity. Just being close, tangled within each other’s arms. Feeling each other’s warmth through skin to skin contact.
💚Are they prone to jealousy?
If Renji said that he doesn’t get jealous, then that would be a lie. However, he isn’t the type to get jealous easily. He realizes that his partner needs their own space, and needs to spend time with their friends (if they have separate friend groups).
He trusts his partner not to cheat, even if someone does show interest in them. But that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t get jealous. It’s only natural to feel so, he tells himself and tries not to feel bad about it.
Because he is so trusting of his partner, he will expect his partner to do the same for him. Give him space when he needs it, as spending time together 24/7 can be quite suffocating for Renji who is a free spirit.
👫Do they display affection in public? What about in private?
Renji isn’t opposed to showing affection in public, but he’d rather save it for when he’s in the confines of his own home or somewhere more private. The extent that he will go is holding his partner’s hand, a hug, or a soft peck on the lips/cheek. Nothing more than that.
More than the fact that he’s abashed or not willing to show affection in public, it’s the fact that he realizes these sort of actions might make others around him feel uncomfortable. (Let’s admit it, we’ve all been there. Where we’ve seen a couple making out fervently in public. While not offensive, it’s uncomfortable).
So to save his fellow shinigami second hand embarrassment, he will keep the PDA on the down low.
🐶Are they a cuddler?
Yes! Renji is definitely a cuddler. In general, he’s someone who really craves physical touch, and not necessarily from those he’s in a romantic relationship with. There’s something very comforting about embracing his partner in his arms, and feeling their heat against his own skin.
Given any opportunity to do so, Renji will gladly press himself up against his partner, or initiate touch. For example if they’re sitting on the couch together, Renji probably will swing his feet up into the other’s lap, or tuck it underneath their thighs if he’s cold.
💭 Do they tend to sleep better when in bed with their partner?
While Renji has no problem sleeping by himself, he much prefers sleeping with someone else. The feeling of another’s body heat nearby is familiar. In the Rukongai, when winters came, all of their friends huddled together to sleep, in an attempt to block out the cold. Their flimsy thin yukata did nothing to keep them warm, and they never really had enough wood to start a fire. It didn’t do much, but it was better than nothing.
He is a restless sleeper though, often tossing and turning in his sleep. He has probably smacked his partner by accident as he changing positions. So this really comes down to whether or not his partner is willing to share the bed with him.
051. If they knew they would die tomorrow, what would they do today?
About the Pineapple
051. If they knew they would die tomorrow, what would they do today?
Perhaps hold a gathering with his closest friends and just have a fun day. There are probably many other things that he would want to do, but at the end of the day, he wants to celebrate his life with those he cherishes.
But he wouldn’t tell them that he was gonna die; he doesn’t want that to ruin the mood of the party. At least, that way, he can die having been surrounded by those who really matter in his life.
bold if it’s ever happened
italicize if you want it to happen
cross out if it will never happen
been cheated on | been bullied | told a horrible lie | stolen something of value | overdosed on drugs | been drunk | cheated | bullied someone | punched someone in the face | been beaten up | broken a bone | been admitted to a hospital | had a near - death experience / died | been drugged | done drugs | smoked | kissed someone you weren’t attracted to | bled severely | killed someone | had an attempt on your life | made an attempt on your own life | lost someone | loved someone | gone without food for over three days | gone without sleep for over three days | been tortured | been slapped by a parent or higher up | been abused by someone who should have loved/ appreciated/ valued you | had a panic attack | been in a car accident | had sex | had sex with a stranger | passed out from pain | cried yourself to sleep | spent a whole day in bed | hurt yourself | taken your anger out on yourself | taken your anger out on someone you love | been used | felt used | used someone | been terrified | played a cruel game on someone | been dominant | been submissive | been forced to smile | felt too many things at once | laughed when you felt like crying
favorite activity(ies) : training, cooking, drinking coffee, spending time with his buddies
favorite flower(s) : plum blossoms, magnolia, water lilies
favorite season(s) : summer
favorite insect(s) : dragonflies (his favorite glasses store name!) Please watch this Bleach omake where Renji is the only one with a braincell. It brings me great happiness.
favorite animal(s) : he likes them all. but he does have an affinity for larger felines. Perhaps leopards?
favorite gem(s) : none in particular.
favorite time of day : sunrise
tagged by @auburniivenus thank you <3
tagging: @adelha-mathilde @rangikuxmatsumoto @semplicementerojuro @mcmcntomorii @nnoitra-jiruga and if you like pineapples, do it!
