Updates and a very long rant
Okay. A quickie update:
Moved in, a month and a half ago. Started school. Still working. Currently doing a floor set, which is slightly awesome, but almost always exhausting. I would much rather do mannequins in tiny bursts rather than for four straight days -- by the end of it I'm always being kind of lazy in a desperate attempt to get it all done on time.
Finished Tales of the Abyss. Started playing Tales of Symphonia. Started over again in an attempt to get the Zelos ending, even though we haven't quite finished our first game.
Started up a lovely creepy Bleach RPG: k_a_r_a_k_u_r_a Which is essentially Bleach + the ubiquitous vengeful ghost + freaky "stuck in time" setting. Like Bleach meets Fatal Frame by way of a dark alley in Silent Hill. Everyone should go app, even though every new person means yet more work for me. X3
May have SECRETLY started up ANOTHER game for ANOTHER fandom. A secret fandom.
But in the meantime: a rant.
In all my time in Bleach fandom, I have met exactly one (1) Ichigo/Rukia shipper who wasn't totally crazy and delusional. She expressed surprise at that, so I expect there are more of them out there -- but I haven't seen any. And the ones I have seen have gone from "What...?" to "*eye roll*" to "Excuse me?"
This isn't because I think that Ichigo/Rukia is a stupid thing to ship. It may admittedly be a little bit because they tend to think Ichigo/Orihime is a stupid thing to ship (and also unhealthy, and also spiritually incestuous?!, and never going to happen, etc. etc.).
These guys think that canon is on their side. At their most polite, they are of the condescending opinion that the idea of Ichigo/Orihime occurring in canon is hilarious and that anyone who thinks so is cute, in a retarded puppy dog kind of way.
They think that Kubo Tite is setting Orihime up for a fall. They don't see any sign that Ichigo might return her feelings. They insist instead that Ichigo is obviously in love with Rukia. And I mean, obviously.
I... I don't understand that. So, like the mad scientist seeking to better understand human life by cutting open one of his children, let's dissect their argument and see if we can't get to the meat of something.
1. Rukia is more of a partner for Ichigo. Orihime will always be this pitiful damsel-in-distress figure, and we likes our women ass-kicking.
We do likes our women ass-kicking. I love Rukia. She is competent.
She is not, however, on Ichigo's level in terms of power. She is, in fact, nowhere near it. Please remember: although Rukia's gigai claimed that she would be a seated officer if not for her brother's edict, that is not the same thing as being on Ichigo's level. She could be as high as seventh-seat -- but she does not have the power of a lieutenant, let alone a captain, and Ichigo is, it's been stated several times, captain-level. Now that he's also a vizard, which Aizen has said essentially "breaks" the limit of shinigami power, Ichigo has the potential to become much, much stronger than any other captain.
Rukia can handle herself in a fight, but she is not really a partner for him. No one is.
And perhaps more damningly, Ichigo doesn't see her as his partner, either. He has repeatedly doubted her abilities and attempted to protect her, to the point where Renji had to point out that that was KIND OF INSULTING.
The point: Ichigo sees her as a damsel. He is no more content to let her watch his back than he is to let Orihime do it. If you want to think that makes him a jerk, go ahead and think it, but it's not like he doesn't have reason for feeling that way. It's affection for both girls that makes him want to keep them away from the battlefield, and part of his fundamental, slightly-traumatized nature that he wants to protect anyone weaker than him.
(Renji sees her as a partner. If you want a 'ship of equals, you should go over there.)
In fact, as a side note, it's interesting that Rukia doesn't seem hurt by this dismissal of her. She's visibly annoyed and frustrated about it, but not hurt, the way that Chad was, and the way that Orihime was. It's almost like she doesn't care as much-- *shot*
So, there you have it. If we're agreed that, while Ichigo might be drawn to people he could protect, he would be healthier in a relationship with an equal, Rukia is no better for him than Orihime.
(And, given that last manga chapter, Orihime's powers may actually be evolving into something that would make her his equal, or at least much nearer to it. Interesting~.)
2. Orihime reminds Ichigo of his mom. EW!
If Rukia doesn't remind Ichigo of Karin, his tiny angry sister, she really should. The two talk to Ichigo in a very similar manner, and Rukia can fit into her clothes.
Additionally, Orihime shouldn't remind Ichigo of his mom, unless every girl who's nice to him does. We don't know much about Masaki, but we know she wasn't some sweet-natured ditz; remember, the only time Isshin ever talked seriously about her, he related the story of how the only compliment she ever gave him was when they first met and she said he looked kind of cool with his cigarette.
Go ahead, try and imagine Orihime doing that. Within five seconds of meeting her (in the manga, at least), she had already established that she loved everything about Ichigo. The association just isn't there. Compared with Karin, who we know looks and acts very much like Rukia, it's nothing to get excited about.
(Plus, heh, Kaien. 'Nuff said.)
3. Orihime's feelings for Ichigo are one of those dumb little-girl crushes. She'll grow out of them.
This was true, at the beginning of the series. But a dumb, little-girl crush is what happens when you don't really know someone -- it fades as you get closer to them. Orihime's feelings have done the exact opposite. She has gone from worshiping the shape of his ears to really loving who he is as a person.
Also, it's a testament to KT's skill with realistically characterizing relationships and people that what should have been damning -- Orihime's more-than-once acknowledgment that Rukia would make a good girlfriend for Ichigo and deserves him -- instead only strengthened the 'ship. She could have given up on him, sacrificed her own chance at happiness, and become one of those way-too-nice girls that we can never empathize with --
-- but instead she begins to cry because even though she wants to be happy for them, even though she wants to admire Rukia for being such a great girlfriend and would like to wish the best for them -- she can't, it makes her ache and want to die, and that makes her feel like a terrible person. She reaffirmed her humanity, and the validity and reality of her feelings for Ichigo. She has that drop of selfishness, of possessiveness, that makes a Relationship instead of just a Friendship.
(Compare this to Orihime/Ishida -- Orihime was far too willing to shove Ishida in Rukia's direction for her to really have any interest in Ishida herself. It's just... human nature.)
My favorite part about the scene in the bathroom is, actually, that Rangiku more or less told Orihime she was too young to be in Forever Love. That was awesome. I wish more shoujo were as good about romance as this shounen. So maybe Orihime and Ichigo won't wind up married. OH NO, you mean love at age sixteen doesn't determine the rest of your life?!
4. He cares about Rukia! And he barely knows Orihime exists!
Yep. This doesn't help you as much as you think it does.
Ichigo does love Rukia. He loves her the same way that he loves Chad and Ishida and Renji. He loves her a little more intensely, the way that he loves his sisters. She is a part of his family. She lived in his closet for months, and don't wink and nudge me, because that's exactly the point -- nothing happened. And you all seem to agree that, with a girl he's "obviously" attracted to living in his closet, something should.
Emotionally, Ichigo is something of a brick wall. He doesn't recognize or react to feelings very well, and his reaction to beautiful girls baring their breasts has invariably been a kind of (titillated!) panic.
But in spite of this, he expresses what he feels for Rukia very well. He tells her when he's worried about her getting hurt in battle, and so on. He has never seemed the least bit nervous around her, but he obviously notices her, and all the parts that make her up. When she's in danger, he keeps his head. She's a very good friend, but he has never had an interaction with her that he couldn't have had, just as easily, and with exactly the same facial expression, as with any of his other friends.
In the beginning of the manga, Ichigo didn't really know Orihime existed. She was there -- she was one of Tatsuki's friends -- but she wasn't really a part of his circle, and the few times she flusters at him, he seems to kind of blink. She has breasts, and so he should be nervous around her, the way that he's nervous around other Girls With Breasts, but Ichigo doesn't seem to notice them, either. Not in the right way.
At this point, Ichigo/Rukia shippers probably think I'm making their point for them, but they could not be more wrong. The fact is, Ichigo has had every opportunity to make his feelings for Rukia more obvious -- he has had multiple chances to tell her how worried he was when he realized she was going to be executed, or to tell her he just can't bear the thought of her getting hurt again as they head off to Hueco Mundo. He has feelings for her -- they just aren't the right kind. And in her role as bittersweet narrator, Orihime unintentionally gave us the innocent explanation for how close they are -- that Rukia is the girl who changed his world.
(She was not rationalizing, she was not making excuses for why she might still have a chance with Ichigo -- she was stating a fact, and she felt sad about it. It's just lucky for her that the fact doesn't mean what she thinks it does.)
Basically, I kind of think that if Ichigo really liked Rukia as more than a friend, he would have said something by now. Or at least done something.
Meanwhile, Ichigo has never expressed any feelings towards Orihime -- nothing outwardly visible. She has continued to make her crush plain, and he has continued to beam at her and not really notice. But this makes their relationship more primed for romantic development. Because Ichigo has never spent much time dwelling on Orihime, KT left himself all the room in the world to fill in that empty space.
And in recent chapters, he has been. For the first time, Ichigo has been given both reason and opportunity to demonstrate his feelings for Orihime. And oh boy, what those feelings seem to be.
a.) Shinji. Declaring her his (fifth? tenth?) first love, Shinji made overtures to Orihime, and not even necessarily romantic ones -- just, very familiar ones, touching her and asserting their close friendship.
First we get reactions from Keigo -- and Chizuru, who is canonically in love with Orihime. They're very upset.
Then we get a reaction from Ichigo, which Chizuru out-and-out SAYS is even more extreme than her reaction. He drags Shinji out into the hallway and physically assaults him, demanding an apology.
And yes, Ichigo/Rukia 'shippers; Ichigo does claim, when Shinji enquires, that it has nothing to do with being Orihime's boyfriend. He seems to think that he would do the same no matter which of his friends was being hit on. I beg to differ.
b.) "Sorry, I'm not allowed to get hurt any more." Rukia tops Ichigo so hard? Take a number and get in line, honey. Orihime gets to tell him when to take damage. (It's an odd little coincidence that right before this chapter came out an Ichigo/Rukia fic appeared making the exact same claim in reverse. Err, oops.)
c.) Oh, yes. The infamous moment when Ichigo is about to head off to rescue Rukia, and Ulquiorra stops him cold by saying, "I'm the one who brought [Orihime] here."
Now, I don't for a minute believe that this was a rational, thought-out decision on Ichigo's part -- sacrifice Rukia's life to beat up the guy who kidnapped Orihime but otherwise didn't actually hurt her in any way and who, ostensibly, was only acting on orders from someone else anyway. It doesn't make sense, and as the type of character who loves all his friends, Ichigo shouldn't have made this decision so easily -- he shouldn't, in fact, have made it at all.
Instead, what we have is a moment of pure insanity. Hearing those words made Ichigo snap, and he forgot all about Rukia and her death. He forgot about everything. He lunged at Ulquiorra in a wild move, devoid of any real skill, against an opponent he thought he had very little chance of beating, when he was already injured. He flung himself into the lion's mouth at the mere mention of Orihime's name.
And if Yoruichi had appeared to smack him and tell him he had to wait three days because he didn't stand a chance against this opponent, I kind of think Ichigo would have attacked her, too. It was that much blindness in the face of his gut reaction -- in the face of what his heart wanted him to do.
(Ichigo/Rukia 'shippers, you have no counter for this one. KT isn't going down your street. I'm sorry.)
My posit: Ichigo is head-over-heels for Orihime. He just doesn't know it yet. He hasn't really thought about his feelings, and he is still convinced that he likes Orihime only as much as he likes any of his other friends. But he is wrong, obviously wrong, and later chapters will probably tend towards this.
Anyone who honestly believes anything else... well, I don't think they're really paying attention.
It will not break me if Ichigo/Orihime doesn't wind up being canon, though. I try not to get desperately attached to any 'ship being canon, or really any event happening, because that can only lead to disappointment.
And for what it's worth? I didn't really see Ichigo/Orihime as being credible until just recently.
Moved in, a month and a half ago. Started school. Still working. Currently doing a floor set, which is slightly awesome, but almost always exhausting. I would much rather do mannequins in tiny bursts rather than for four straight days -- by the end of it I'm always being kind of lazy in a desperate attempt to get it all done on time.
Finished Tales of the Abyss. Started playing Tales of Symphonia. Started over again in an attempt to get the Zelos ending, even though we haven't quite finished our first game.
Started up a lovely creepy Bleach RPG: k_a_r_a_k_u_r_a Which is essentially Bleach + the ubiquitous vengeful ghost + freaky "stuck in time" setting. Like Bleach meets Fatal Frame by way of a dark alley in Silent Hill. Everyone should go app, even though every new person means yet more work for me. X3
May have SECRETLY started up ANOTHER game for ANOTHER fandom. A secret fandom.
But in the meantime: a rant.
In all my time in Bleach fandom, I have met exactly one (1) Ichigo/Rukia shipper who wasn't totally crazy and delusional. She expressed surprise at that, so I expect there are more of them out there -- but I haven't seen any. And the ones I have seen have gone from "What...?" to "*eye roll*" to "Excuse me?"
This isn't because I think that Ichigo/Rukia is a stupid thing to ship. It may admittedly be a little bit because they tend to think Ichigo/Orihime is a stupid thing to ship (and also unhealthy, and also spiritually incestuous?!, and never going to happen, etc. etc.).
These guys think that canon is on their side. At their most polite, they are of the condescending opinion that the idea of Ichigo/Orihime occurring in canon is hilarious and that anyone who thinks so is cute, in a retarded puppy dog kind of way.
They think that Kubo Tite is setting Orihime up for a fall. They don't see any sign that Ichigo might return her feelings. They insist instead that Ichigo is obviously in love with Rukia. And I mean, obviously.
I... I don't understand that. So, like the mad scientist seeking to better understand human life by cutting open one of his children, let's dissect their argument and see if we can't get to the meat of something.
1. Rukia is more of a partner for Ichigo. Orihime will always be this pitiful damsel-in-distress figure, and we likes our women ass-kicking.
We do likes our women ass-kicking. I love Rukia. She is competent.
She is not, however, on Ichigo's level in terms of power. She is, in fact, nowhere near it. Please remember: although Rukia's gigai claimed that she would be a seated officer if not for her brother's edict, that is not the same thing as being on Ichigo's level. She could be as high as seventh-seat -- but she does not have the power of a lieutenant, let alone a captain, and Ichigo is, it's been stated several times, captain-level. Now that he's also a vizard, which Aizen has said essentially "breaks" the limit of shinigami power, Ichigo has the potential to become much, much stronger than any other captain.
Rukia can handle herself in a fight, but she is not really a partner for him. No one is.
And perhaps more damningly, Ichigo doesn't see her as his partner, either. He has repeatedly doubted her abilities and attempted to protect her, to the point where Renji had to point out that that was KIND OF INSULTING.
The point: Ichigo sees her as a damsel. He is no more content to let her watch his back than he is to let Orihime do it. If you want to think that makes him a jerk, go ahead and think it, but it's not like he doesn't have reason for feeling that way. It's affection for both girls that makes him want to keep them away from the battlefield, and part of his fundamental, slightly-traumatized nature that he wants to protect anyone weaker than him.
(Renji sees her as a partner. If you want a 'ship of equals, you should go over there.)
In fact, as a side note, it's interesting that Rukia doesn't seem hurt by this dismissal of her. She's visibly annoyed and frustrated about it, but not hurt, the way that Chad was, and the way that Orihime was. It's almost like she doesn't care as much-- *shot*
So, there you have it. If we're agreed that, while Ichigo might be drawn to people he could protect, he would be healthier in a relationship with an equal, Rukia is no better for him than Orihime.
(And, given that last manga chapter, Orihime's powers may actually be evolving into something that would make her his equal, or at least much nearer to it. Interesting~.)
2. Orihime reminds Ichigo of his mom. EW!
If Rukia doesn't remind Ichigo of Karin, his tiny angry sister, she really should. The two talk to Ichigo in a very similar manner, and Rukia can fit into her clothes.
Additionally, Orihime shouldn't remind Ichigo of his mom, unless every girl who's nice to him does. We don't know much about Masaki, but we know she wasn't some sweet-natured ditz; remember, the only time Isshin ever talked seriously about her, he related the story of how the only compliment she ever gave him was when they first met and she said he looked kind of cool with his cigarette.
Go ahead, try and imagine Orihime doing that. Within five seconds of meeting her (in the manga, at least), she had already established that she loved everything about Ichigo. The association just isn't there. Compared with Karin, who we know looks and acts very much like Rukia, it's nothing to get excited about.
(Plus, heh, Kaien. 'Nuff said.)
3. Orihime's feelings for Ichigo are one of those dumb little-girl crushes. She'll grow out of them.
This was true, at the beginning of the series. But a dumb, little-girl crush is what happens when you don't really know someone -- it fades as you get closer to them. Orihime's feelings have done the exact opposite. She has gone from worshiping the shape of his ears to really loving who he is as a person.
Also, it's a testament to KT's skill with realistically characterizing relationships and people that what should have been damning -- Orihime's more-than-once acknowledgment that Rukia would make a good girlfriend for Ichigo and deserves him -- instead only strengthened the 'ship. She could have given up on him, sacrificed her own chance at happiness, and become one of those way-too-nice girls that we can never empathize with --
-- but instead she begins to cry because even though she wants to be happy for them, even though she wants to admire Rukia for being such a great girlfriend and would like to wish the best for them -- she can't, it makes her ache and want to die, and that makes her feel like a terrible person. She reaffirmed her humanity, and the validity and reality of her feelings for Ichigo. She has that drop of selfishness, of possessiveness, that makes a Relationship instead of just a Friendship.
(Compare this to Orihime/Ishida -- Orihime was far too willing to shove Ishida in Rukia's direction for her to really have any interest in Ishida herself. It's just... human nature.)
My favorite part about the scene in the bathroom is, actually, that Rangiku more or less told Orihime she was too young to be in Forever Love. That was awesome. I wish more shoujo were as good about romance as this shounen. So maybe Orihime and Ichigo won't wind up married. OH NO, you mean love at age sixteen doesn't determine the rest of your life?!
4. He cares about Rukia! And he barely knows Orihime exists!
Yep. This doesn't help you as much as you think it does.
Ichigo does love Rukia. He loves her the same way that he loves Chad and Ishida and Renji. He loves her a little more intensely, the way that he loves his sisters. She is a part of his family. She lived in his closet for months, and don't wink and nudge me, because that's exactly the point -- nothing happened. And you all seem to agree that, with a girl he's "obviously" attracted to living in his closet, something should.
Emotionally, Ichigo is something of a brick wall. He doesn't recognize or react to feelings very well, and his reaction to beautiful girls baring their breasts has invariably been a kind of (titillated!) panic.
But in spite of this, he expresses what he feels for Rukia very well. He tells her when he's worried about her getting hurt in battle, and so on. He has never seemed the least bit nervous around her, but he obviously notices her, and all the parts that make her up. When she's in danger, he keeps his head. She's a very good friend, but he has never had an interaction with her that he couldn't have had, just as easily, and with exactly the same facial expression, as with any of his other friends.
In the beginning of the manga, Ichigo didn't really know Orihime existed. She was there -- she was one of Tatsuki's friends -- but she wasn't really a part of his circle, and the few times she flusters at him, he seems to kind of blink. She has breasts, and so he should be nervous around her, the way that he's nervous around other Girls With Breasts, but Ichigo doesn't seem to notice them, either. Not in the right way.
At this point, Ichigo/Rukia shippers probably think I'm making their point for them, but they could not be more wrong. The fact is, Ichigo has had every opportunity to make his feelings for Rukia more obvious -- he has had multiple chances to tell her how worried he was when he realized she was going to be executed, or to tell her he just can't bear the thought of her getting hurt again as they head off to Hueco Mundo. He has feelings for her -- they just aren't the right kind. And in her role as bittersweet narrator, Orihime unintentionally gave us the innocent explanation for how close they are -- that Rukia is the girl who changed his world.
(She was not rationalizing, she was not making excuses for why she might still have a chance with Ichigo -- she was stating a fact, and she felt sad about it. It's just lucky for her that the fact doesn't mean what she thinks it does.)
Basically, I kind of think that if Ichigo really liked Rukia as more than a friend, he would have said something by now. Or at least done something.
Meanwhile, Ichigo has never expressed any feelings towards Orihime -- nothing outwardly visible. She has continued to make her crush plain, and he has continued to beam at her and not really notice. But this makes their relationship more primed for romantic development. Because Ichigo has never spent much time dwelling on Orihime, KT left himself all the room in the world to fill in that empty space.
And in recent chapters, he has been. For the first time, Ichigo has been given both reason and opportunity to demonstrate his feelings for Orihime. And oh boy, what those feelings seem to be.
a.) Shinji. Declaring her his (fifth? tenth?) first love, Shinji made overtures to Orihime, and not even necessarily romantic ones -- just, very familiar ones, touching her and asserting their close friendship.
First we get reactions from Keigo -- and Chizuru, who is canonically in love with Orihime. They're very upset.
Then we get a reaction from Ichigo, which Chizuru out-and-out SAYS is even more extreme than her reaction. He drags Shinji out into the hallway and physically assaults him, demanding an apology.
And yes, Ichigo/Rukia 'shippers; Ichigo does claim, when Shinji enquires, that it has nothing to do with being Orihime's boyfriend. He seems to think that he would do the same no matter which of his friends was being hit on. I beg to differ.
b.) "Sorry, I'm not allowed to get hurt any more." Rukia tops Ichigo so hard? Take a number and get in line, honey. Orihime gets to tell him when to take damage. (It's an odd little coincidence that right before this chapter came out an Ichigo/Rukia fic appeared making the exact same claim in reverse. Err, oops.)
c.) Oh, yes. The infamous moment when Ichigo is about to head off to rescue Rukia, and Ulquiorra stops him cold by saying, "I'm the one who brought [Orihime] here."
Now, I don't for a minute believe that this was a rational, thought-out decision on Ichigo's part -- sacrifice Rukia's life to beat up the guy who kidnapped Orihime but otherwise didn't actually hurt her in any way and who, ostensibly, was only acting on orders from someone else anyway. It doesn't make sense, and as the type of character who loves all his friends, Ichigo shouldn't have made this decision so easily -- he shouldn't, in fact, have made it at all.
Instead, what we have is a moment of pure insanity. Hearing those words made Ichigo snap, and he forgot all about Rukia and her death. He forgot about everything. He lunged at Ulquiorra in a wild move, devoid of any real skill, against an opponent he thought he had very little chance of beating, when he was already injured. He flung himself into the lion's mouth at the mere mention of Orihime's name.
And if Yoruichi had appeared to smack him and tell him he had to wait three days because he didn't stand a chance against this opponent, I kind of think Ichigo would have attacked her, too. It was that much blindness in the face of his gut reaction -- in the face of what his heart wanted him to do.
(Ichigo/Rukia 'shippers, you have no counter for this one. KT isn't going down your street. I'm sorry.)
My posit: Ichigo is head-over-heels for Orihime. He just doesn't know it yet. He hasn't really thought about his feelings, and he is still convinced that he likes Orihime only as much as he likes any of his other friends. But he is wrong, obviously wrong, and later chapters will probably tend towards this.
Anyone who honestly believes anything else... well, I don't think they're really paying attention.
It will not break me if Ichigo/Orihime doesn't wind up being canon, though. I try not to get desperately attached to any 'ship being canon, or really any event happening, because that can only lead to disappointment.
And for what it's worth? I didn't really see Ichigo/Orihime as being credible until just recently.