regasssa | Applications and stuff!

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Applications and stuff!

I have - this afternoon - finished the two apps I've been working on. I'm pretty sure role playing samples shouldn't be between 1-1.5k, though... But even though I've gone over it several times, I cannot whittle it down. I just don't think that the character is convincingly enough them if I start trimming bits out, especially given the prompt. Does that mean I don't have the characters down well enough, or that I'm trying too hard? I think I really want to play this game, for sure; that might be all there is to it.

Anyway, I will beta them properly before I send them, and catch up on my tags. Hum!

MY INTERNET BROKE FOR LIKE 3 HOURS EARLIER. It destroyed my evening, seriously. I had to go do housework instead. Now I'm sulking.

What else~ Er...the weather is truly horrible, and has been for the last four days. There is wind and rain pounding at my windows again, and you can get tired of the weather being like this. *sigh*

Ooh. Shiny episode of shiny. Maybe I'll watch it now.

That reminds me; I finally watched Diamond Dust Rebellion the other day ~~because I realised when I started rping Toushirou with SeeMe that I didn't understand much about his character at all.~~ Now I have absolutely no idea what is real and what isn't, and it's bothering me. Does DDR count as canon? A lot of the content actually disturbed me, because I remembered some of the terrible things Central 46 has decreed etc. Of that, what happened in the film is probably the worst thing, and that really, really bothers me. That they don't listen. That they judge without evidence, or don't want to see the evidence. Guilty until proven innocent, and nothing but tools to be used. And they picked on Hitsugaya, which is unforgiveable. *sniffle*

So...what? Disregard? Or is it as canon as Isshin's 'Good Morning Ichigo!' pleasedon'tletitbeIwouldcry

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Ah, the pain of apps, I'm feeling it RIGHT NOW! |D
...I think it really depends on what you app for. The game I play in asks not to write too much, the one I'm apping for asks to write a lot, so uh... Do they say anywhere what are they looking for?

Mmm, I tend to consider canon only the manga. BUT I do keep in mind the anime- even the omake, the movies and everything, because it gives me more details about my character, or new ideas to help me develop her personality better.

They have an entrance scenario, ne? I think you probably know what I'm apping for, anyway. But what I've ended up with is long. Maybe not so long that it will kill them, since I reread it. But still long. I do feel, though, that to cut it down too much might be detrimental. I want to make sure they know that I know the characters, and that I'm going to be fun to play with, and such. So it's...yeah. I think it's alright. They don't have a word limit, but they have a word minimum. I don't think it's too surprising that I exceeded it, considering.

I think what you consider with canon and everything else is about how I feel -- if I say I'm manga canon in my fics, and take out anything that develops a character I'm using, then I can use it without really stepping away from the manga, I guess. But if I used a lot of it, I'd probably warn that it included extra-canon, or something, just so I didn't leave my readers confused. I think sticking to the manga to the best of my ability is the best thing; but with Hitsugaya, where there is a great stretch of his Academy life that is unexplained, that he had a friend at all is quite a striking fact. If I include it, I have to include all of his angst about it as well. But if I don't include it, and were to craft it from scratch, are people going to read it and think 'But that's not right, he had a friend at the Academy...' I think they would.

Hahah - not that I'm writing Hitsugaya right now. Although I did mention writing something about him that was meant to make everyone love him who read it XD It's quite a challenge, so I think maybe I'm still up for it.

YAY FOR NO MORE BROKEN INTERNETS.

And more yay for finishing apps~

YAY INDEED.

I will be out until this evening, though, but I'll get on AIM later. Just answering my journal emails, because if people are generous enough to respond to my questions, the least I can do is answer~

Part of me wants to think that all of the Bleach movies are canon because they don't really reference the events or characters in the actual series.
But at the same time, it's fun to think that they're not canon, just to make life easier.

There are bits I love and bits I really hate. And while I like to think it'd make it easier, cause it really would -- at the same time I worry that I'd be denying myself something as an author too. The more I watch and read, the more I'm reminded of how messed up a place Soul Society is... But at the same time, I can't just pick and choose what bits of filler I like! I can't, say, keep the whole corrupt, murderous Central 46, but throw away the twin zanpukuto. But if I keep the twin zanpukuto, I also keep the ludicrous idea from the omake that Mayuri can change their gender. And if I keep that, then I should probably keep the three new mod-souls, too, and I hate them.

So it's more along the lines of -- going only from manga canon, or including everything and seeing where it takes me. Cherrypicking from one or the other isn't fair of me, as an author, since I'd just end up leaving my readers confused as to where I'm coming from.

That's very true, and I completely understand.

I suppose your latter choice would be an interesting one, but it may drive you insane too, like the whole chain to the mod souls thing (which I also hate, too).

Bleach movies are just like the filler. Does anyone consider that canon? I haven't seen that one yet. I did read

dougras' report on it at CL_B though. Glowing, fiery crotches, amrite?

I don't see anyone including filler as canon, no. I don't, personally. Characters like Ishida, who got dramatically altered during the Bount arc, are suddenly better off not having been involved in it at all.

But at the same time, there's bits I love about filler, too. Karakura Riser, the Forest of the Menos, Kira's character development that occured during the Replacement 3rd Captain arc, even if I didn't like other bits of the arc so much. I suppose it's more 'pick and choose'.

I guess I'm just bothered by how much I'm reminded that Soul Society is corrupt, you know? It's really, really bad. Cover ups, hidden documents, guilty until proven innocent, punished without evidence, objections overruled, slashy stabby funtime with thousands of Quincy without anyone stepping in to question it, destruction of any 'mistakes' rather than admitting them. It is a messed up place.

Save them from themselves, Aizen?

I watched the whole Bount arc when I first got into Bleach and I remember feeling very wibbly and sorry for Ishida. I hadn't read the manga yet, so I thought it was canon and I was upset Ishida's love interest got killed off. But yeah, that was a long time ago and I hardly feel the same way now. I definitely agree that most characters (in this case, Ishida) are better off without. I didn't bother watching the other filler. After seeing that guy's zanpakutou was a tuning fork, it was just too ridiculous for me.

My favorite piece of filler is simply the snake Bount guy + Ishida. Because snakes are just poor man's tentacles to me. Though I did like the Menos forest too. I guess I consider that part canon? It seems plausible. That must be it. Whatever is plausible = canon. Oh Hell, idk.

You've just named the reason I'm on Aizen's side (besides him being awesome and all that). I've felt that way for a long time. He is actually the protagonist, the hero of Bleach IMO. It's my pet theory, but I forsee a twist at the end which reveals this. He definitely did Soul Society a favor by killing off the Central 46. And the Maggot's Nest? Reminds me of the Nazi secret police. ZOMG, you're different? Let me detain you for this and no other reason. I made a comparative list a long time ago. I think it pretty much sums things up Y/Y

Ignore DDR, it adds nothing to the main story, and confuses the whole zanpakuto issue. I'll admit I haven't seen it yet, because I loathe Hitsugaya, but I did make a point of reading up on the plot. None of the films make much sense! :P

I'll admit that I do kind of want to see Fade to Black though, despite all the IchiRukiness. I just want to see Ichigo going Bankai on top of Hihio Zabimaru. XD

I really liked Hitsugaya in it, actually, since it gives him a bit of compassion as a character that he lacks otherwise. I felt um...as though I knew him better, even if I didn't like the role that the Gotei 13 as an organisation played in it -- even if I felt like beating the hell out of several of the characters there...

Oddly, that did include Soi-Fon, who I am not at all pleased with right now. Seriously...I am loving Hitsugaya much more than her. *pulls her hair, spitefully*

Fade to Black looks damned awesome. I am bouncing in my seat waiting for the DVD release so we can get it subbed~

I'd say take it as you will.

Central 46 was a horrible organization anyway, this just gives more fire to that. (Fascists, the lot of them. Even though what Aizen's doing now isn't righteous, I feel he was very good in his action of massacring them. Think about things like the Maggot's Nest--"Oh, you've not done anything yet, but we think you will. We're going to lock you away.")

Kubo has a hand in all the movies, as well--and has stated that movie characters (and some of the filler characters, like Ashido from the Forest of the Menos) are characters he wished to have in canon, but didn't have time in the normal story. (Where he stated this about Ashido is here. (http://www.onemanga.com/Bleach/261.5/06/)

Also, I like the zanpakutou thing--I thought it was kind of neat; and I thought it gave a lot to Hitsugaya's character: Hyourinmaru chose him because he was the noble one, ready to give up his power just to save his friend--he saw that of the two of them, Hitsugaya had the better soul.

Honestly, I wish at least one of the movies were canon--I absolutely adored Memories of Nobody, even if I'm by myself on that. I loved Senna, and I loved the concept of what she was as well. I think it would be interesting if DDR was canon, also, just because it adds another facet to Hitsugaya's character.

Admittedly, I really only want to see Fade to Black because I think Dark Rukia looks kind of bad ass. I know I'll eventually see it anyway, due to the fact that my best friend and flatmate is an IchiRuki shipper.

I knew that about Ashido, and I really, really liked that part of the series. It didn't let up on the action, and it made it more believable somehow; that they weren't just dropped in and managed to more or less get straight to the action unhindered. I mean...it's Aizen, right?

Plus it explains where all the normal hollows are, which I was having trouble with otherwise...

Anyway! The thing is only that I've been having a harder and harder time...well...wanting to be on the Shinigami's side. Aizen is a cold bastard too, and Urahara is a pitiful beast -- rewatching the end of the SS arc where he apologises to them, I'm almost certain he didn't apologise enough. I mean -- what kind of coward sends kids to fix his mistakes? And then Central 46 is wickedly corrupt, and Yamamoto constantly ceases to amaze me in how much of a bastard and an idiot he is despite being thousands of years old. Um...

So yeah. It's just another arrow to add to the quiver of 'Well maybe Aizen's not doing a bad thing trying to clean this place up', and then you remember that he wants to kill hundreds of thousands of people...

Soul Society is clearly not a nice kind of place. It's amazing Ukitake can still smile like he does at all. I think they must have him on happy pills.

It's just...ah, I don't know. I guess when you explain it like that about Hyourinmaru, then it's fine. But I don't see why the loser, a loyal Shinigami, even if his way of achieving it might at some point have been questionable, has to be murdered... There's a lot in Bleach about following rules without question, or without consulting your moral compass; Byakuya is like that, too.

And then, hahah, I watched the new episode, and I genuinely, genuinely felt sorry for the Arrancar in it. Might have been the music, though. It was cold, if you know what I mean. Businesslike. Kenpachi even gave Nnoitra a chance...but clearly not all Shinigami are like that. ~~Can you tell that I am not sure I like Soi-Fon so much any more?~~

Honestly, I agree with you whole-heartedly.

That's something I've always enjoyed about Bleach--the "good guys" aren't really that good. If anything, I think they're more like the lesser of two evils--Hueco Mundo is the more 'primal' side of it, and Soul Society is the more 'calculated' side.

I've never really fully agreed with what kind of society they have--if they're supposed to defend souls, and send them to a peaceful place, why is Rukongai in the shape that it is? Rukongai is anything but peaceful when you get past the first few districts that border Seireitei.

And I also agree with the statement about Kusaka. Why did he have to die? Hyourinmaru may have chosen Hitsugaya for his spirit, yes, but just because Kusaka didn't receive it doesn't mean he should perish for it. But, it brings me back to what Kisuke said in the Maggot's Nest--the Gotei 13 are an elite organization--and once a person has qualified to be a member, incompatibility and non-conformance are impermissible." Part of me thinks this is what happened to Kusaka, but on a grander scale.

To keep up their ruse of infallibility, they had to take an element like him out--even though he was a loyal shinigami--they couldn't have something that even slightly went out of the realm of 'tradition'. It's a terrible state of affairs. The following of the rules blindly goes along with this too--it's as if people are too afraid of the 46 making a mistake to question their rulings; that Seireitei and all of Soul Society will fall apart if they do. I feel like Yamamoto, sadly, is just a product of this--he's too set in his ways--and by the same token, their ways--to remember how to think for himself.

Oh, I thought it was neat a zanpakutou could choose two wielders is what I meant by 'I thought that was neat'--not the fact that Kusaka had to die, because that wasn't cool at all.

And about the episode--I feel badly for the Arrancar, and even the Hollow to a degree as well. Hollows act upon instinct, and if you remember what Zommari said in chapter 302: The Shinigami feel it's their righteous duty, spoken by providence, to levy judgment on the hollows and arrancar.

Some of them seem so smug, almost happy to do it--like Soi Fon with Ggio--it's almost as if she feels she's so much above him, just due to the fact that he's got the blood of a hollow, and she thinks nothing of slaughtering him. This may be a war--but the Arrancar at least have tried to, in some ways, be sporting--while the Shinigami are killing with cold, emotionless intent. It's actually seemed that way to me throughout the entirety of the dealings between the Arrancar and Shinigami--the latter seem a lot more pompous in some of the fights than the former.

I think Ichigo and Kenpachi are the only ones who have really seen the arrancar on common ground, as another combatant, and not a monster needing to be slaughtered.

There is wind and rain pounding at my windows again, and you can get tired of the weather being like this. *sigh*

Well, in Poland is really hot now. I would like to get some rain here XD Would you borrow me some rain? XD

I will send you our rain -- actually it's kinda gone. But you can have the wind too, if you like~

I already shared my thoughts with you last night on Central 46 and Yamamoto. Aizen did Soul Society a favor by offing the whole lot. I have a niggling suspicion that it was an act of revenge almost - the whole deal screams of a crime of passion: brutally slaughtered and left to rot in their grand chamber. He could've easily used his power to manipulate them without killing them and thus prevented the unraveling of his plans that happened when Hitsugaya busted in.

One of the things that really makes me love Bleach is that Kubo really swings for the fences with the moral ambiguity. Most series make half-hearted attempts at it: a villain might have a secret love or have a case for righteous vengeance, but rarely do authors try to pull down the good side and bring up the bad side to near even grounds.

At the beginning of the series, the examples of Hollowdom we're presented fall in line with the stark good/evil dichotomy that Rukia presents. Screecher especially is an evil, sadistic bastard that deserves his stay in Hell. But post Rukia Rescue Arc, the Arrancar show up. I think its important that its Yammi and Ulquiorra we meet first - the two opposite ends of the spectrum both in emotion and thought. Right away, we're given a clear view that these are not simply mindless, instinctual killing machines. Further on, we meet Grimmjow and his strange but straight forward sense of honor, Ulquiorra's fascination with the heart is so very poignant, almost childlike in its curiosity. Nel's Warrior/Philosopher stance (Kubo's tribute to the myth of Charon, most definitely) is what you would expect out of the shinigami rather than the Arrancar. Then there's the incredible loyalty and devotion of the Fraccion to their Espada, Halibel's protectiveness towards her own Amazon Trio, Stark's relationship with Lillinette. We start to see incredibly redeemable qualities in the Arrancar as we progress further along, twisting the lines further.

The lines blur even more with the Szayel/Mayuri and Kenpachi/Nnoitra fights. Kubo deliberately sets up these two - arguably the least admirable of the captains - against their direct parallels. While I personally don't rank Kenpachi anywhere NEAR a thug like Nnoitra (he's closer to Grimmjow really), its the Szayel/Mayuri fight thats the important one. Its one disgusting, depraved exchange of warped science and absence of morality after another, two monsters trying to out squick each other. Kubo really made it clear with that fight that neither side can claim the moral high ground - both allow monsters to walk unchecked among them.

As for Seireitei, it - and here's where I show my Poli Sci stripes - seems to parallel modern day China in their subtle and ingenious brand of brainwashing and subtle control. Its so insidious because its so well-meaning. The Shinigami are taught from day one that they protect the human world and the balance of souls. The grand machine and its continued functioning is whats important, not the individual cogs. Its a very Asian mentality - as compared to the individualism that marks the American/European culture. Perhaps Japanese fans dont regard these issues the same way we do.

But the real backbone of the brainwashing, conformist structure is even more subtle and usually passes under people's radar. Its the fact that shinigami see themselves as something completely different and better than human souls. When, really, it makes no sense. What really separates a shinigami from a human? Training? Knowledge? Zanpakutou? Ichigo's easy transformation from one to the other proves that there is little that actually divides the two. All shinigami are originally human souls that possessed spiritual power enough to learn skills like Kidou or Shunpo. You dont drink some magic potion and - tada! - you're magically different now. In fact, the most glaring example of this is Hachigen and Orihime. When Hachi summons her to him to inspect her power, he's utterly floored that she has so much power as a human and that her barrettes function remarkably like zanpakutou.

The shinigami are an example of cultural entitlement and peer pressure that creates a world view that sets themselves up as the dutiful shepherds of all existence. They operate under a cloak of self-righteousness, backed by iron-fisted dogma that is further reinforced by the government they serve. Because they separate themselves from humanity so, by living in their beautiful city in its pretty white walls as opposed to the slums where the "humans" live, they also separate themselves from such ideals as fair trials, evidence and innocent till proven guilty. They are the guardians of the universe, of COURSE they know better! They're shinigami.

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Applications and stuff!

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Essay Incoming

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