new fandom + the quincy key

[retro_eidas]

Just when I can't possibly be barraged with yet another fandom... another comes along of course. Within a few months, "Firefly" infected me like the plague. Then SGA came along. The newest edition to obsessive-compulsive speculating insanity? Bleach. For the non-otaku and/or minus a DLing fetish, you might not be familiar with this slice of fanon and thus this entry will mean absolutely nothing. However, it's the current hot item in anime... and my soul is all but it's bitch at the moment.

Also special thanks to new friends _debbiechan_ and mrs_urahara that propagate the :cough:hot Quincy:cough: speculating madness. Since I can't seem to join a fandom without being able to nerdily speculate about it ad infinitum, I'm not sure these poor folks realize what they've gotten themselves into. If either of you bother to read this, I apologize. A lot of it will be retread from bits of our "Significant Filler" discussion over at soul_society.

"The person who will protect this era... A Quincy is this key person." (not verbatim)
Oh the ridiculous amount of questions that statement has made for me... but it makes the sad, sad fangirl tingly in more naughty parts than I'd care to admit.

What exactly did Yoshino mean by a Quincy being "the key to save this era"? How do the Bound know this piece of information? Sounds like the makings of an impending prophecy reveal to me. Ishida part of some massive Bound prophecy... or just a prophecy in general? Something not necessarily limited to the Bound? Ryuuken? Souken? The Quincy (at least prior their genocide)? Perhaps more importantly (and scarily), the Shinigami?

Entirely hypotheticaly speaking... if the (or some... I'd say, Aizen and probably some or all of deceased Central 46) of the Shinigami are aware of this speculated prophecy regarding the Quincy and if the nature of the prophecy were threatening/apocalyptic/universe-altering/etc etc enough... What kind of precautions might they have taken? We already know now what they're capable of regarding those damn obstinate Quincy, so stubborn and proud to the point of imbalancing and threatening the end of the world they had to be permanently removed from the equation (or so we're told)... could they be capable of much more? Taking a look at Aizen, Gin and Mayuri... or hell, even those with 'good' intentions as Tousen, Yamamoto, Hinamori, Urahara and Byakuya... I'm truthfully afraid of the full extent of things they're capable of (whether it's willfully or unintentionally... by duty, honor, curiosity, misplaced justice or manipulation). Whatever their intentions. Who watches the Watchmen, indeed.

Was Mayuri purely satisfying his own insatiably sick curiousity regarding all his (apparently, mass amounts of) Quincy experiments? Or was there something more to it than that? Was he also going by orders? Orders from whom?

Was the Quincy Extermination of 200 years ago really unavoidable? Furthermore, if the extermination was such a "hard" decision as Rukia was told (via Urahara presumedly)... why or how did Mayuri get access to desecrate so many (I believe the number ranged around 1600+) Quincy for the sake of his experiments? Was he just that sly he could abscond with that many souls and go unnoticed? He doesn't seem to take much tact in keeping the Quincy experiments a secret if they're supposed to be secret (hell, he apparently carried around a memento on his person of at least one of the his favorite test subjects... Uryuu's grandfather/sensei, Souken) and he was talking about said experiments openly in Soul Society. Cpt. Kyouraku's departing comments to him in ep71 would also make me lean towards Mayuri's hobbies not necessarily secrets (and what does Kyouraku and possibly the other Shinigami know exactly about those hobbies?). I do unfortunately find it hard to believe the Shinigami didn't have some general idea what was happening to those Quincy. If Ryuuken has any kind of fuel in reigniting Uryuu's hatred of the Death Gods, this probably would be his coup de grace.

In regards to the above paragraph... one could speculate every action Ryuuken has taken was in part of some greater purpose, one that he believes (as did Souken?) is destined for Uryuu.

What exactly did Urahara do that was so bad that led to his exile from Soul Society? Particularly considering some of Mengele-taicho's hobbies (and he isn't only still partaking in said hobbies, but is the current 12th Division Captain. The frickin' promoted him. Jesus). What did he do that was so much worse than what Mayuri has done/is doing? Sure the Hogyoku could be bad enough. However... I do wonder if Mayuri has friends in very high places. He may not have ascended into HellHeaven a la Aizen, but another compadre perhaps?

I'm also wondering if Urahara's exile was so involuntary as it sounds. The word "exile" tends to exclaim 'involuntary', of course and I don't doubt it was completely serious and all forcible on the part of Shinigami's ruling body ... but I can't help but wonder just a little 'self-imposed' might factor in as well? Ditto Tessai (who I'd bet anything was Urahara's koutaicho), Yoriuchi and Isshin. I mean to say, Urahara might not have completely regretted leaving. Urahara, possibly Tessai, Yoriuchi and Isshin... all were in *high* positions of power. Until they were just... not anymore. Could it be they may have learned some very dirty and very ugly secrets about SS and wanted to leave (in utter moral disagreement and possibly in fear of their lives. Loose lips sink hellheaven-bound ships, after all)? Yoruichi took it all a step further and was apparently all but *dead* to the Shinigami for a CENTURY. Since I don't follow the manga as closely as I probably should... I'd guess Isshin also possibly faked his death (my guess? Kenpachi believes he'd killed him. Isshin just screams former 11th Division taicho to me).

And on an entirely unrelated venue... what the hell is Cpt. Komamura? Unfortunate recipient of a high level demon spell gone bad? Youkai? Possibly more likely, a hanyou (he seems to have a similar sort of shame/angst as young Inuyasha did. Consequence of a taboo youkai/human union... and made to feel that way most of his life, up until meeting Commander Yamamoto and Tousen)?

Comments

[mrs-urahara.livejournal.com]

"Masaki is also one of my favorite mystery topics to dissect. I have a habit of adding a whole bunch of random crazy spec with little to no canon basis. ;) Everything from her being a natural Hogyoku (and I'll never know how to spell that I think)"
--boy..we should just start a Masaki speculation thread! heh-heh.
sooo interesting about the notion of her being a natural Hyugouku. Which would explain why Ichigo is half. BUt, what about the Karin and yuzu? We see Karin's ability awakening..and, a part of me is apt to feel that the emergence of the other Kurosaki kids will also give us MORE clues as to Masakai's "powers" and isshin & Masaki's love..neh? A bit of me has this romeo & juliet kind of scenario between the two, but not as tragic. ..well, Masaki dies..but..you know what i mean.

"If Masaki were special, that would pile more layers onto what _debbiechan_ was speccing above. Isshin and Ryuuken might have both been drawn to her, not only due to her beauty and the romance... but perhaps both had some inherent need to protect her."
---This MAY explain why Isshin said, when he was with Ichigo at her grave, "She thought i looked cool when i smoked. You know something, that was the only time your mother ever told me i looked cool". WHich makes me think that maybe MAYBE Masaki in some way married him out of what he did for her? despite his "goofy" disposition (which we see in his interaction with the children). In that pic, when he says that about masaki, you can see that Isshin maybe loved masaki MORE than she loved him. not saying that she did not love Isshin. I think she totally did. BUT< if you are going on the hypothesis that Isshin and Uryuu were head-over-heels in Love with Masaki. It really would have been her choice.

The Isshin vs. Uryuu also MAY explain the fact why Ishida's grandfather bears NO grudge against the SHinigami. and, as we know, Uryuu does. Like father like son? to throw another of carck theory layer on all this. Early on, Kubo-san talked about the importance of Inuoe's character later in the manga, now...here is the crack theory. . i am wondering if, IF, perhaps, Inuoe will play out that same triangle with Ishida and Kurosaki. As we know, though, Inuoe is in love with Kurosaki, kurosaki is clueless (probably the way masaki was with isshin). Now, we know that Ishida has the HIGHEST regard for Inuoe and would protect her to the end (i wish HE would profess his feelings for her...please kubo!!), perhaps there will be a "union" again where Ishida and Ichigo will be able to heal the quincy/shinigami division..AND more importantly, heal whatever MAY be between Uryuu and Isshin. Crack for you. Heat it up and smoke it. ^____^

"(in that, in theory, she was entirely unaware of her supernatural 'specialness', thus wasn't protected and the dark forces out there could so easily find her and harm her. Unfortunately, the Grand Fisher eventually got her"
---Yeh, you definitely have found the gem of truth there. Also, The whole grand fisher is what TOTALLY opens this can of worms regarding who Masaki really was. It's just NOT plausible that Masaki was a normal woman...ORRRRR, if she was..I feel there could be TWO reasons why the Grand fisher "targeted" her. 1. the grand fisher has some other history with Isshin and used his family as a way to get back to him for some past grudge? And, seeing as Isshin relenquished his shinigami powers when he met Masaki, he would not know of the danger that awaited his family. Perhaps he hoped, that by "hiding" his shinigami past and living a "normal" life, it would take him off the radar of potential hollows looking for revenge from comrades. 2. If maskai did have spirital powers that were hidden from her, but known of by Isshin and Uryuu, Kubo-san does an INGENIOUS way of confusing us with that. When Masaki runs after Ichigo, down by the river bank: Is she running to him, because she see the hollow girl and wants to stop him?? Or does she think that Little Ichigo is going to end up in the river and runs to stop him?

oh....what wonderful ebs we are weaving....intricate and beautiful.

more crack for our pot. ;P