#bastrbine

@bastrbine​​ said:

stabs.

16.  the tower  : what event drastically changed your muse’s life ? do they resent that event or are they glad of it ?

there are only a handful of events that really shaped szayelaporro.  but mainly three of them stand out, as each one has changed him on a fundamental level.

the first turning point in szayelaporro’s life was when he became a vasto lorde. he was able to connect with a small fragment of his heart and ascend to the next level. though it was not tremendous power that interested him, to the contrary, he went through great lengths to hide his increased reiatsu. as he regained aspects of his humanity, his priorities changed from the primal, instinctive drive to survive ( through both deception and cunning and brute force ), to understanding and reflection. his methods, however, remained as gruesome as ever.  you cannot fully comprehend something until you RIP IT APART after all, and analyze every disgusting detail. 

the second event was his ascension into an ARRANCAR at aizen’s behest, and his subsequent split.  szayelaporro was not content with his role as ESPADA 0. in truth, he was not fond of his newfound position of authority. his best work is done behind the scenes. and, after all, brutality is not elegant. it was then that he understood that to maximize his results, he had to part with the more brutish aspects of himself-- to truly take the first step towards perfection-- he required the precision of a SURGEON, not the crudeness of a BUTCHER. and as we know, the result of his separation would be yylfordt granz, a manifestation of his power... and all of his perceived flaws. 

and, the third and most recent addition... would be his defeat at the hands of mayuri. a fall so steep and humiliating that szayelaporro has yet to fully recover, mentally or emotionally - even PHYSICALLY. it was a single event that undid years of build up and truth searching. it was crushing. yet it was a reality he had to face, if he truly wished to improve himself. as degrading as it was, and as bitter and HATE FILLED as szayelaporro is about it, he knows better than to throw away such a crucial opportunity to learn. he was proven wrong then, but there is no other way for him but forward. 

@bastrbine​ said:

“... ‘mmkay, I’ll give you one- ONE chance to change my mind. You got ten seconds until I blow this place up!”

“Wait, wait, wait! Just a second, Miss Quincy! Look-!”

With the obvious threat revealing her explosive penchant, there was no doubt about it in his mind as to who she was. Even if the shorter hair threw him off, even if it had been a little over a decade, there was no way Kōtarō couldn’t recognize her after all that chaos in the Soul Society.

Still, he can’t blame her for feeling on edge at the sight of a shihakushō. The lieutenant was only in the area because he heard an interesting rumour from the locals on his patrol—word of booming crashes from the old, abandoned quarry on the far side of town, sounding off every other night with no discernible cause. Here Kōtarō thought it was the work of a Hollow... but he didn’t expect to run into The Explode herself! 

With his insistence giving her pause, he immediately tried to jog her memory with palms glowing a blinding green, ready to administer the healing power of Kaidō. He even made sure to call her ‘Miss Quincy’ like he did then! Surely she didn’t forget him...?

“Take a good look—don’t you recognize me at all? R-Ryōhei Kōtarō, that 4th Seat from back then...?” he went on, in his attempt to make her remember.