#bleach 616

[siovon]

the dearest idiot is back. rejoice.

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[lilacsquid]

Of course Aizen's hair is still on point.

[nishi-line]

Bleach ~ 616-617

Kyoraku & Aizen

[secretchordstyx]

I mean, Aizen aint shit (let's be real here, we love him, but we know he aint shit for some of the stunts he pulled and the people he fucked up), BUT HE WAS RIGHT IN HIS UNDERSTANDING. I am so glad that I lived to see the day (I've been following this shit for eight years, and I regret so many of the decisions I've made in regards to it) where the #downwithSS movement gained enough traction (and evidence) to actually fucking pull Aizen out of hell. 

Five years, ever since the moment we found out at the end of Deicide that he was immortal, five fucking years of building up a story where the villain ends up being Soul Society, despite the fact that the proposed antagonists are the race they seemingly exterminated. Five fucking years of:

Good ass foreshadowing and intricate details woven together to paint a picture of a corrupt system enamored with conditioning its victims (Ichigo being the posterboy example of the hell the system can create by just wheedling him with the right indirect incentives).

Five years (and I know that even before the five year gap, between the end of Deicide and now, people were picking up on some of the crazy shit SS was into) to highlight a system so flawed that people like Ginjou happened. Fullbringer arc bored the fuck outta my soul, but DAMN if it didn't teach a bitch that Eviltake was, in fact, a very real thing. I aint even mad he deadt now, because fuck it, he had that comin.

It's a system so damn dirty that you can't even fathom how it managed to exist, but the proof is RIGHT THERE, with all these coverups, the quiet dissemination of dangerous criminals into the police force. Mayuri is the obvious example, but also note Gin's induction into Aizen's division, the murder of Tousen's friend, Hanataro's supposedly fucked up older brother, etc. Convicted, alleged, all evidence of an otherwise unjust afterlife.

Only to lead to release of the one man who promised to tear it all down to build it anew because HE WAS RIGHT. How desperate does a dying king have to be to beg help from his greatest enemy? That is the fucking paradox, because we all know Johann Bach aint finna win SHIT if he has to match toe-to-toe with an immortal who has illusory powers without even brandishing his fucking zanpkuto. It's amazing to think that despite being the main antagonist in two of the best arcs in Bleach history (my biased ass is lookin straight at End of Hypnosis and Deicide), he's now gonna be the fucking antihero. AND I AM NOT MAD, BECAUSE A VILLAIN HE WAS NOT. Antagonist, yes. Unethical, yes. Murderer, yes. Manipulator, yes. But villain? Bruh, if these last five years didn't tell you that Aizen Sousuke is also product of all the corruption, silence, and overall shitastic system, then I don't know what to tell you, but know that I will pray for your soul to every pantheon I currently know of.

I just want the #downwithSS movement to join hands with the pro-Aizen squad (and also the pro-Aizen defense squad), because y'all know we in this together. Bleach has maybe three to five years left. Right now, it looks like the ending might actually be as meaningful as some of the intricacies Kubo's incorporates into his writing (like y'all know his volume poems are fucking gorgeous). I aint shit fer spewing this so soon after Eviltake's death, BUT Y'ALL KNEW HE HAD IT COMIN. I also aint shit fer spewin this a few days before the future king's return (provided Kubo doesn't Kubo and decide he wants to give us actual Aizen in three months instead of three days), but people are finally seeing the light and it makes me HAPPY. 

I leave the floor open for all other anti-SS discourse, and I know people out here are so much more eloquent than I am, so I invite y'all to talk as much shit as y'all can, BECAUSE IT NEEDS TO BE SAID. IT NEEDS TO BE SAID THAT PEOPLE LIKE GIN, TOUSEN, AIZEN, URAHARA, AND KUROTSUCHI, IDEALS LIKE THE KENPACHI COMPLEX, THE RUKONGAI RING SET-UP, AND THE VICTIMIZATION OF CHILDREN LIKE ICHIGO, AND FINALLY, THE STRAIGHT-UP HYPOCRISY OF THIS SHITTY ASS FUCKED UP SYSTEM THAT WAS GONNA BURN A TEENAGE GIRL AT THE STAKE FOR BREAKING A LAW TO HELP AN INNOCENT- THESE ARE THE REASONS WHY SOUL SOCIETY NEEDED TO BURN FIRST BEFORE IT COULD BE REBUILT.

i am in tears bc the world finally gets it, and all it took was one dead god, and the blood of a corrupt official with a cute face and stark white hair. and bitch, i aint even mad, cause if gin had to die for naught, then so can yer ass.

[nya-nya-world]

Yo despues del manga de Bleach

[saranel]

The Five Noble Clans (Bleach)

After the latest chapter where Ukitake's secret was revealed, we learned exactly how his family was upgraded (for lack of a better word) from one of commoners to minor nobility.  I confess, I'm surprised the heir of a family with such an important role to play in the protection of Soul Society is only considered minor nobility.  While it's never explicitly said, I think we'd have heard the Ukitake name as part of the Big Five if that was the case.

Still, with all the talk about the role of nobility in Soul Society and their ties to the Royal Family, I have been thinking about the Big Five lately.  Shihouin, Kuchiki and Shiba are the ones we know of so far.  

Nobility in general:

While we don't know a lot about the precise mechanics of social status or the nobility hierarchy (other than the fact that there are five important clans) of Soul Society, we do know that the Gotei 13 ranks are littered with nobility.  Ukitake, Kyouraku, Oumaeda, Feng, Kuckiki, Shihouin, and Shiba are all nobles. We are also told noble families boast a far greater spiritual power than a run-of-the-mill commoner.

I think we can safely assume most (if not all) members of Central 46 are also nobles.

So, in short, both judicial and military power in Soul Society belongs to nobility, with the occasional commoner being lucky enough to be born with great spiritual power and maybe, just maaaaybe, managing to elevate their family's status a little if they're willing to wade through the swamp of nepotism.  Nice.    

Shiba Clan:

The fallen house of the Big Five.  Though it's not clear why they're no longer considered a major noble clan, we know it happened after Kaien's death. It's possible Kuukau and Ganju simply wanted nothing to do with Shinigami and nobility after their brother's death, but it wouldn't surprise me if there was more to the story than we've been told. Their ties to the Royal Family are, however, known: the Shibas operate the canon transporting passengers to the Royal Realm, and even their fall from grace wasn't enough to cut said ties. Kuchiki Clan:

They call themselves the 'true first' noble clan.  Known for those weird headdress thingies, an eternal contract with L'Oréal, and being in charge of Division 6, because Kuchiki. Ties to Royal Realm unknown.

Shihouin Clan:

The Big One. Master armorers,  leaders of the Onmitsukidou, de facto heads of Division 2 for every heir who comes of age and reaches captainhood.  Pretty sweet gig. As for their ties to the Royal Family, while not fully outlined yet, we do know their clan is called by many names including: the House of Godly Gears, Guardians of the Imperial Soldier Garments, and Caretakers of the Treasured Tools and Armaments, that are said to be bestowed upon them by the gods. Yowza.  That whole 'gods' part sure sounds like the Royal Family to me.   Yes, we do know now that 'gods' exist in the Bleach universe, but was Kubo being literal?  Are they true gods, or beings so powerful (ie Soul King)they are worshipped as gods by the common people? I'm leaning toward the second option.  I suppose there is little difference between a trancendent being and an actual god, but when I say god, I'm mostly talking about the traditional 'creator' figure.

The other two Clans:      

Now here's where things get interesting.  There are two more clans we know nothing about.  Not their name, nor their role in Soul Society.  While there's a possibility they could just be two random noble families, I find it hard to believe.  Kubo could have simply picked two family names, make them known to the audience at some point and leave it at that if they weren't important. Instead, he hasn't ever said anything about them (that I know of).

Over the years, I've thought about who those families could be and whether we've met any of their heirs.  Certain names are easy to jump to, like Aizen or Kisuke, mostly because of how powerful they are and because we know so very little about their past. And yet they seem to know a lot about the Royal Realm when regular Shinigami don't; apparently details on the Royal Family are not common knowledge.  The fact that they are also so well-spoken, while not a definite indication, could also be a small hint.  The problem is that no-one in the story ever acknowledges them as such, while Byakuya and Yoruichi have been openly declared to be nobility. Kisuke and Tessai's heritage in particular has bugged me ever since we found out they actually LIVED in the Shihouin mansion.  Are they minor nobility?  Was the Shihouin mansion like a royal court of sorts, where the Lord's subjects reside with their families to provide counsel/services, perhaps? The latter is what I've gone with in my story, as it makes the most sense to me, given what we know. Unless Yoruichi's dad was also in the business of taking in random talented commoner kids as part of his Shihouin Scholarship Program or something.

But today, I had a small epiphany: WHAT IF THEY CHANGED THEIR NAMES??? It's a silly trope, I know, the long-lost heir to a noble/royal family, but don't tell me Kubo is above such a thing when a Shiba clan member and former captain had been hiding in the human world for years (not to mention that Ichigo turns out to belong in Soul Society by blood, after all).  It's a classic for a reason: it combines the very human desire to be special, the mystery of an unrevealed past and whatever tragedy befell said family for them to lose their precious heir.  It's Drama 101.  

[caoticdragonv-blog]

I don't know if Kubo had thought that far ahead, but I like this scene a lot more than before. Here is the man who wishes to become a god talking down to the man who harbours a god.

[xoxomyseriesxoxo]

Aizen's master plan: the new Spirit King and his right arm ?