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

[http://users.livejournal.com/_debbiechan_/]

> I do think it's telling the IchiRuki comm understandably has about 600 members as does it's fanlisting... and the IchiOri contingent still can't vaguely touch those numbers. Sure it's the internetz and everything here is madness, but ... I don't think those numbers are some fluke. <

The Japanese standard manga coupling is submissive girlie and brash boy. But the girls who buy the manga (and there are more and more of them) love Rukia with Ichigo, yes. Orihime appeals to boys. Yes, ick. I do think that a young hip manga-ka has caught on to what GIRLS are becoming and that's why I think he (or his editor) changed his original pairing (so obviously IchiOri in the Bleach manga pilot) and left the universe of possibe pairings wide open--keeps the readers turning the pages and buying the merchandise.

I just adore Orihime, though. The fact that she cooks freaky food (a girl living on her own learns to do that), the fact that she envisions herself as a fire-blasting tank in some mecha future, that she can switch her fantasies from running into a prince's arms to running track and field--she's a modern girl as well as a Magical Girl. And I don't want her with anyone but my Uryuu (after I've finished with him, first, of course. ~.^)

[eido.livejournal.com]

The Japanese standard manga coupling is submissive girlie and brash boy.

:cringes: Don't I know it. There are far too many Hitomi/Van's in otaku land and not enough San/Ashitaka's. However, with the enormous popularity - despite my opinion of how it ended - of "Inuyasha" (and that main couple as antagonistic as a primary couple can get... hell, not even Kikyou - the other woman of the story - was a fangirl by any stretch of the imagination)... I'd really rather hope things are changing from the sad, boring, stereotypical norms. I'd be so disappointed in "Bleach" if it fell in line with the atypical Girly-Girl Fangirl/Loud Shounen Asshole Hero relationship.

I do think that a young hip manga-ka has caught on to what GIRLS are becoming and that's why I think he (or his editor) changed his original pairing (so obviously IchiOri in the Bleach manga pilot)

I heard about the initial IchiOri thing (which is partly why I haven't read the pilot). I really, really hope Kubo has ultimately discarded that notion (I probably should read the pilot anyway just to know what it's about... but if Ori was something originally like a combo of Ori *and* Rukia, but then Rukia became her own character and it was the Rukia element always meant to draw in Ichigo... that I would be fine with).

left the universe of possibe pairings wide open--keeps the readers turning the pages and buying the merchandise.

And Kubo is an evil genius for it. I suppose it still could go IchiOri, not that I'd like it, but it could easily go that way (and if I were more of a yaoi fan than I am I'd be even more irritated at the IchiOri possibility. How much more interested I am in IchiRenji or IchiIshi dynamics than I am IchiOri! I can't even describe) ... or it could go TatsuHime... or IshiHime (go Ishida!)... or ChadHime.

And I don't want her with anyone but my Uryuu (after I've finished with him, first, of course. ~.^)

Oh dude... so much ITA with this. She becomes so much more palatable and interesting to me when she's interacting with Ishida (and not sending Kurosaki withering looks/thoughts) than almost anyone. He's so serious and reasoned and lithe ... she's bubbly and bizarre and curvy. He catches her when she falls and her odd way of seeing things has rubbed off on him in SS and he only looks at her so concerned while Ichi is off fighting/nearly dying for Rukia. Hell... I'd even think IshiHime uberangst would be vastly more interesting than Ori's tiring unrequitted crushing on protagonist brazen superboy.

Picture it... Ishi probably coming back in a blaze of glory - saving a group of nuns from a gaggle of Hollows or something with his restored, massive Quincy powers c/o hot, bastard Quincy Papa - but at school ignoring or being cruel to everyone, namely Inoue (who'd probably be so happy to see him, since she's happy to see any of her friends, especially the estranged ones... but Ishi immediately shutting her down, knowing if he doesn't she'll go on and on). Inoue confused as to why he's acting so cruel and maybe, just maybe, getting somewhat distracted from being Kurosaki junkie for a few seconds because of Ishi's behavior. Dude. That would so rock, even if Ishi acts too much like Ishi the Older. More if we see how it's hurting him to be so ungentlemanly to Inoue or his friends, but feels it has to be. Uryuu, where for art thou?!

the fact that she envisions herself as a fire-blasting tank in some mecha future

Ok, well maybe she's a little like Napoleon Dynamite meets Dawn Weiner meets Playboy Playmate... but she hasn't had her solo Jamiroquai dance yet. She needs her dance (and the tetherball with Ishida by the end damn it!).

[http://users.livejournal.com/_debbiechan_/]

*melts at mention of Napoleon Dynamite and tetherball interaction*

My dorks Hime and Ishi are my number one pairing, always.