rate_review Reviews

@Chapter 97: With my work schedule, the timing of the updates has left me as one of the last people to post a review of the chapters as they come out, and I can't help but feel a bit down by the fact that I'm again late in responding. I was really on a role there, but I guess it was just a matter of time until it became impossible for me to keep getting my reviews posted like that... *sigh* Oh well. But then, I suppose there's something to be said for quality over speed, better to do it right than do it first.

Any way, enough of my nonsense, time for the actual review: Well, you got me, I never would have guessed that Yuzu was the one who fired the shot, but I guess it's a nice coda, that she would be the one to finish him off. It's fitting that the sweetest and most unassuming person should be the one to finally shut Aizen up once and for all. Though, I personally thought his death was way too quick. I would have preferred something much slower and agonizing, like something you'd see out of a 'Hellraiser' film, with lots of screaming and gore. Still, I guess the important thing is that the fucker is gone, and no one has to live under his insane tyranny any more. It was nice to finally get a reunion between Ichigo and Karin after everything that's happened. And it was also nice that Grimmjow can finally let go of some of the guilt he's been lugging around.

However, the sudden revelation that Karin can just break claims didn't sit quite right with me... I'm not sure why, but everyone seems to be treating it like it's a done deal. I mean, the way they're talking about it- saying that they'll just round up the Arrancar and remove their claims, like it's nothing- struck me as strange, and a little contrary to the rest of the story. I'm sorry, but it's far too neat and tidy for me. Oh well. Again, everyone seems to expect the Numeros will calmly accept having their power and prestige taken away. I always had the impression that we were being encouraged to view things from their point of view, but now the story seems to be implying that the Shinigami are going to effortlessly retake power. If you were always going to just pull the rug out from under the Arrancar, then why did you go to so much trouble to make us relate to Nnoitra (or Sementall)?

With the way the characters are talking, it seems like all the post-rebellion conflict and tension is gone. I'm kind of shocked by how totally unconcerned Stark and Ulquiorra are about this, considering that other characters seem to making up lists of who they're going to execute- and this is disturbing, given that I've become somewhat sympathetic toward them... I mean, everyone seems totally unconcerned by the fact that Gin appears to have wondered off with the intent of murdering Nnoitra! What about the other vendettas? I recall that Marenoshin seems intent on killing Sementall. Are they just gonna let him try and kill the father of Mareyo's unborn child? Because and the vibe I'm getting from everyone is that they couldn't be bothered to give a sh*t that there's now a bunch of vengeance-fixated people moving around unchecked... I don't know what I'd do if something happened to Franque, not after all the joy and laughter have provided us with. Now that I think about, I think I need to do some fan-art of Franque and Kimiko Lloydt, along with the other pics I have in the works. I'll send you the links when I have something posted.

Moving on... I am so glad that Yammy is gone. This guy has been darkening everyone's doorstep for ages. And it was extra-satisfying that Rukia was the one to kill the bastard. She literally 'iced' the mother-f*er! Now I'm wondering where the hell Ggio is, since he was clearly present when the attack began, since he was the one that gave Byakuya his haori to wear. I guess we'll find out next chapter.

Anyway, at some point, I'm hoping to have a bunch of pieces of fan art to show you, including a 'cover' I've been working on.

Yeah, like I said before, I took another look at the last couple of paragraphs of the last chapter, and it suddenly hit me you didn't actually say who the Quincy was that shot the SOB, add in Szayel's reaction, and I just sort of made a leap. As to this chapter, huzzah! Byakuya's free, and Yammy's gone! Though I think Ajuga's gonna be upset about not getting to help with that(I can hear her whining about it now, hehe). So, I believe that just leaves Barragan, unless you also mean to dice Nnoitra, though I kinda espect he'll fold once he hears Aizen's history. Providing, of course, Gin's even willing to let him walk at all. Ah, well. Until next chapter then! Laters!

Fret not Darkstar, for I'm super late myself. And the chapter went up on my day off so I have no tangible excuse. Granted, I walked for hours and am in pain, but still. Sorry Nova. I wrestled with if I should show my sorry hide in a review or not but I know I must.

I'm so very glad that Gin still has the will and drive to go after Nnoitra, but I'm worried cuz once he sees Kenpachi there, shit could go very south. Plus I'm not sure what Tesla is up to so I'm very worried on his behalf too.

I'm so glad you're so sneaky with this undoing Claims thing! Instead of Ggio and Soifon fighting each other, I'm hoping this means they can team up. I want it so badly. But now I worry about Yumichika since he isn't near enough to be freed. Though now I get why you sent Yumi out but not Ggio. Clever, sly fox you truly are. I'm so ready for this nightmare to be put to rest, holy sprink. It is all I've wanted since I rediscovered this series months ago.

But now I'm also curious how Barragan got separated from Hammy because they were together and now the hunt for that old fossil is underway. Please, no more travesties. I'm begging here too.

@DarkStar84

Please don't take this the wrong way as I respect your views immensely, but what is it about the arrancar exactly that makes you sympathetic to them? This is coming from someone who is quite pleased with the developments and is perhaps blinded by deep seated dislike so I am just a little perplexed on the downside to breaking the claims and rounding up the numeros. They haven't said anything about executing them ALL and breaking the claims insures that none of the shinigami can be used against them "if" a fight breaks out. They can also then determine who deserves to be taken out by asking the newly freed shinigami and who doesn't. As for the people going out to exact vengeance.........can you really blame them? Nnoitora has honestly done jack shit to redeem himself, and "not beating or raping rangiku" does not make him sympathetic, hell the only reason he probably hasn't harmed her again is because she is

A)pregnant

B)debasing herself to him.

C)She walks on eggshells to not piss him off

She wants to be free and it is doubtful that he would grant her that freedom regardless of whether Aizen was dead or not. Remember that Gin planned for close to 100 years a severe revenge gambit against Aizen for harming Rangiku, Nnoitora has done more and worse over a longer period of time so can you imagine the hell Gin could bring on him? The arrancar made the choice to 'claim' there slaves, the only thing Aizen did was put a limit to how many they could have. A harsh back story of living in a brutal world does make someone sympathetic BUT it does not excuse their actions not give them a karma houdini pass. The arrancar came and conquered and now this is simply them being out-conquered, if anything they should not raze a tizzy over this given their ideology. If they get pissed that their "might makes right" way of living gets turned against them, then they are nothing more than hypocrites of the worst kind. I don't believe I have ever once in all parts of this story ever felt encouraged to view things from there point of view. I can 'understand' their point of view, to a point, but could never see it as the RIGHT point of view. Ya feel what I am saying? The shinigami were forced to adapt to them so now if the shoe is going to be on the other foot why shouldn't they be forced to adapt to the shinigami/human view of things?

Now on to Sementall........now given that we have seen very little of him throughout the story and he seems to honestly care for Mareyo, his situation is a little more grey, a 'little'. The hollow still killed the rest of her family save her father and while she might have grown to care for him regardless of that, Marenoshin is within his rights to exact vengeance. The fact that Sementall is the father of his granchild doesn't count for much. A baby is a baby, not a 'get out of jail/execution/ass-kicking free card'. Speaking from personal experience a kid CAN be raised without a father, and Mareyo is a noble and will not want for comforts and aid with her kid.

Now about the lack of reaction from Ulq and Starrk, honestly why would they care about anyone outside of their own 'packs'? Neither one gives a shit about Nnoitora and as long as no one comes looking to harm them or a member of their group, what reason would they have to interfere in matters of vengeance? Neither one of them is an idiot and know that their are people who are going to justifiably hold a grudge. I am much more sympathetic towards the Shinigami and if I was in their shoes for the past fifteen years, regardless of how much a master changed in there treatment of their slaves I would be hard pressed to feel anything but antipathy towards them.........it's still a master and slave relationship and their is nothing right about that.

Hope none of this offended you, I am just curious and have a tendency to be long winded.

For some reason, I expected it to be Uryuu. Glad it was Yuzu, though. And also glad that she and Karin finally got to see each other.

Honestly, I don't know if I really want Nnoitra to die. It seems like he's gotten a liiiittle bit nicer to Rangiku since she got pregnant. But I can see why Gin and Ran would want him gone. Question though. What about her twins? Would she keep and raise them or foster them out?

Anyways, awesome chapter. Can't wait for the next one!

@Kain

Hmm, that's a lot to cover, where do I start... First off, when I say I'm sympathetic to the Arrancar, what I should say is that I'm sympathetic to their perspective, *not* their actions.

Further, if I gave the impression that I was defending Nnoitra, then I'm sorry. I will admit that some small part of me found his unapologetic chauvinism darkly funny, and perhaps there were times when I 'liked' him. But, ultimately, I can't forgive him for everything he did to Rangiku (who has always been a favorite of mine). Now, with that in mind, do I think she should be taken away from him? Hell yes I do! The problem is that Gin is in no condition to be wondering around armed and unattended. I like Gin and all, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if he has a death wish. Combine that with his sudden freedom and desire for revenge. TBH, Gin isn't the master manipulator he was once was, he's a pretty broken guy. And while I'm sure he's no less dangerous, he's not mentally fit to left to his own. My dad is a psychologist, and he worked some pretty disturbed people at the Texas State Mental Hospital for nearly 20 years. Not to sound crude, but Gin being loose is akin to allowing one of those patients I mentioned to wonder around with a pair of scissors.

As to the larger points you called me out on... First, I want to make clear that I think breaking the claims is a GOOD thing. However, recall that both Grimmjow and Szayel both stated (to Karin) that the least likely concession they would get from the Arrancar was the release of all the claimed. I'm not saying that they *shouldn't* be released- especially the ones in horrible situations- but I got the impression from the story that any attempt to force them to release them would be akin to the whole 'burning down the forest' analogy from "The Dark Knight". I saw it a major source of tension, as something that couldn't be imposed on them, meaning that they would have to negotiate some kind of compromise (regardless of how much that might suck). But then, Stark walks up in the eleventh hour and suddenly makes that whole plot point moot. I've been writing for twelve years, including trying to get an actual novel finished, so when it comes to storytelling, this is a serious volte-face.

In regard to Ulquiorra and Stark total 'not giving a shit' reaction... I will concede the point. You're dead-on about them. And if I think about it, you were the one who kept pointing out their selfish insular thinking. So, honestly, I shouldn't be surprised they wouldn't care about anyone outside of their own packs. I don't know why I expected more from them- even from Stark. And course the Shinigami have every right to hold grudges after what they were forced to endure- I'm not denying that. The problem is when moral superiority is broadly assigned to one side in a conflict. And while they suffered most from the fallout of the war, they're also partially to blame for it...

Soul Society are hardly saints, considering that they were totally fine with Mayuri as a Captain, even though everyone pretty much knew the guy was a monster. They might as well have been attending those meeting with Josef Mengele! I'm sorry, but one of my own rage buttons is hypocrisy, and Mayuri's continued presence pisses me off. And it drives me crazy that such a preachy organization as Soul Society held up Aizen- the incarnation of evil- as some kind of exemplar of everything good and just and what a Shinigami should be!

Well, now that the proverbial bucket of ice water has been dumped on me, leaving me to mull things over, I might as well clear the air on a couple of matters you brought up... Again, I find myself having to clarify something I said- namely my remarks about Sementall. Listen, he's a bastard, I'm not denying that. However, whether by circumstance or from need, Mareyo has grown attached to him. And while some would be clamoring to have her taken from him, it's not that simple. Not everyone sits around plotting for their revenge, some people (sadly) form bonds to survive. And given whatever degree of 'calm' they've settled into over the years, it could be extremely traumatic for her if he was just killed. Since that would be tantamount to destroying the life she's come to know for- a *second* time. I don't know what else to say, other than nothing is ever as simple as we might wish it was. I am NOT saying the fact that he sired a child with her excuses what he's done.

Since we're 'talking', as it were, I'd like to address something... Is your dislike of the Arrancar limited to this story, or do you simply hate them on a fundamental level regardless of how they're portrayed? Granted, POV portrays them in a much more villainous light, but if you look to the original material, they're as much victims of Aizen's schemes as the Shinigami. He 'uplifted' the Hollows, he made them Arrancar, empowered them, and gave them a false sense of identity and purpose, when he basically created them provide disposable cannon fodder for his attack. I can't help shake the thought that (for the most part) they're only living up to what Aizen created to be- a force to spread mayhem and violence.

With that in mind, there are a lot of stories to enjoy where the Arrancar are written much more human and not as a rampaging mob of boogiemen. Hell, I've seen/read several fics and fancomics where Las Noches is portrayed in a comedic light (and it makes sense). I don't know about you, but I think both of us both need to find something a little lighter to read in the meantime.

You know what, I'm gonna go find some Ggio/Soifon fics to read.

@DarkStar84

I apologize if what I typed made it seem like I was calling you out, I truly wasn't. I try to keep confrontation out of my discussions.

Well thank you for clarifying your points for me. Looking back I totally see your point about Gin. I also agree on the assessment of mayuri, I have always felt that kubo handled that mans continued existence terribly. Uryu has countless reasons to want this man dead and yet there interactions after there fight are treated as a joke. One of my hopes is that in this final arc, what mayuri did to the quincy's is brought up and someone in the vandenreich, I don't care who puts him down. I mean for an arc about Quincy's, mayuri's torture of them is a massive elephant in the room.

Now about aizen, in the Soul Societies defense when he was being propped up as the pillar of what a shinigami should be, he was playing them all for saps and prior to the reveal acted like the pinnacle of morality whenever around them.

And about the tension being taken away due to Karin's little trick, I feel that things wont go as smoothly as they think and have absolute faith in how Nova and blackfox handle things. So as far as tension goes I am not worried.

Now to the meat of the matter. Allow me to clarify something in regards to my dislike of the arrancar. In the canon material, I think they are the baddest son's of bitches kubo ever created, I love em, and I was vexed that kubo had their top fighters get taken out in pitiful ways. Their whole concept was awesome and they were essentially the dark mirror image to the shinigami. I can't wait for Harribel to bust out of wherever Ywach has her and cut loose. And I have read MANY stories, a couple of them were even by Nova where I enjoyed the Arrancars. Honestly my dislike of them is mostly centered on this fic ONLY because of the things they did and how at times it feels like they are being too easily forgiven and no one blames them for anything. Many of them in this fic embody many of my berserk buttons as well.

-Double standards

-hypocrisy

-There views of claiming and domination as being different from rape really vexed me. To THEM it might be different but to the other vastly far more populated species it is rape.

I honestly wouldn't have pushed for death so many times if they had only suffered some type of misfortunes in this story that would have helped make me more sympathetic towards them but aside from a few, the majority are left unscathed with their earlier actions being chalked up to instinct. It also did not help that quite a few of the main pov characters seemed to lean more towards the Arrancar's ideology and would give bias assessments of them and their actions. To cut a lot of what I want to say down, I dislike them in this fic, because many of the characters don't justifiably hate them enough in my eyes.

This is the curse of getting really invested in a good story, fictional characters actually start to matter to you lol.

I hope I got what I wanted to say across. I tend to ramble on and lose whatever point I am trying to make.

Totally wasn't expecting that little plot twist about Yuzu delivering the final blow. xD Oh wow, totally threw me and my sis for a loop! Great chapter to wake up to :3

I must confess that for a second it did cross my mind that it was not Ryuuken, and a part of me, a tiny part hoped for some miracle that it would be Uryuu, but I knew that would be impossible, and since I didn't know of any other Quincy, I settled for Ryuuken.

I'm glad that bastard Yammy is dead. Oh, how I longed for this moment! I wish he would've suffered more, but I see how it would've been impossible to do that to someone like him. Just too freakin' big!

-slow clap-

-steadily builds up until-

http://i.imgur.com/JSBTl.gif

then

http://replygif.net/i/911.gif

Marvelous, simply marvelous.

-Yuzu getting the kill-shot was excellent. I will admit I was wrong in thinking it was Ryuuken.

-the Reunions were amazing and heartwarming.

-CAN'T WAIT for Gin to roll up on Nnoitora and get some retribution for Rangiku. You mess with her and this man will throw himself into devising a way to end you.

-Rukia ending yammy with her Bankai had me jumping out of my chair and fist-pumping. It's been a long time coming and I am so glad that monster is dead.

-Massive points to Karin for breaking claims left and right and still being able to keep moving despite what she has endured in the last couple of hours.

-Have I ever mentioned how much I love your dialogue? Renji in particular had some good lines against Yammy

Absolutely perfect chapter

-waits patiently for the next one-