I bring you my very own OTP meme. Because I’m bored.
1. What is your OTP? And from what series?
My Bleach OTP is Byakuya/Yoruichi.
2. Why do you ship them?
(Dear lord excuse my fangirling, prepare for a total essay).
I ship them for a number of reasons. The first being I think they have great dynamics. Byakuya is the more serious of the two, while Yoruichi is more easygoing, though she has her serious moments, too. I think Yoruichi’s betrayal has a lot to do with who Byakuya is now; aside from Hisana’s death and becoming head of the Kuchiki clan, I think Yoruichi leaving him at such a tumultuous time really changed his outlook. He went from a hotheaded brat to a very cold and distant person. I think her leaving him broke whatever trust and bond he had formed with her, and it’s likely she was the closest thing to a friend he had in his childhood. I also find it likely that she was his first childhood crush.
Another reason is the conflict, and the tragic aspect of their relationship. I say “relationship” loosely, as, sadly, they’ve had a whopping two scenes together in the entire manga. However, I do see potential there, despite them not having much interaction. I think they would have a lot of talking to do; Byakuya would want to understand why she left him, why Kisuke was so important to leave everything behind, why HE wasn’t important enough to make her stay. He would want an apology, which I doubt he’d ever get. Yoruichi was only doing what she thought was right, and I think she’d stand by that. I think he’d respect her for doing so, for breaking the laws for someone she cared about, which is something he wasn’t able to do himself, in the case of Rukia.
As for the tragedy: Byakuya is a widower, which in and of itself lends to a tragic aspect, but furthermore, I think that, if Yoruichi stayed, they could have formed a good relationship. They possibly could have married. Imagine being in Byakuya’s place, with no one but a grandfather he rarely sees, no friends to speak of (because being the next head of the Kuchiki clan HAD to be ostracizing) and only one other person who bothered with him at all, who ended up not only breaking the law, but leaving altogether, and for a criminal at that.
I think she deeply wounded him, even at such a young age, he could still understand betrayal and abandonment. I think that resulted in him being so wary about others and to distance himself from everyone around him; why get close to someone when, in the past, they either left you or died?
I don’t think Byakuya hates her, he hates what she did, and feels resentful. She hurt him.
On Yoruichi’s side: I have no doubt that Yoruichi was close to Byakuya in their younger days, they possibly grew up together (she a little older) so I think she was very close to him. Yoruichi doesn’t seem like the person who bothers with just about anyone; we’ve only seen her with three close relationships in the series: Kisuke, Soifon, and Byakuya. I think she has a close friendship with Kisuke and Soifon, but it’s only with Byakuya do I see any romantic potential. So many people argue that she’s “too old” for him, but I disagree; they’re adults now, and Shinigami at that, so I highly doubt a few years means much to them.
She has a past with all of them, but I think her potential with Byakuya is more “realistic,” because there’s actual conflict and an emotional bond; she gets along with Kisuke too well, and there hasn’t been anything to suggest they’re romantically involved. As for Soifon, I think she loves her as a sister, and may or may not be oblivious to Soifon’s feelings.
I guess I’ll wrap this up by saying, in conclusion, I like my OTP because I see a lot of potential that’s begging to be explored. I just hope Kubo does so.
3. What are 3 things you like about your OTP?
1: I think their relationship is more realistic than others I’ve seen them paired with.
2. Conflict is always interesting, and these two have a lot of it.
3. As shallow as it sounds, they look good together, too.
4. Is there a song, book, or other pairing that reminds you of your OTP? (pick one, or all three)
The first time I saw Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, I saw a lot of similarities between Davy Jones’ and Tia Dalma’s relationship. She broke his heart by leaving him, but even after ten years, he held on to their past relationship and questioned why she left. Tia Dalma’s answer reminded me so much of Yoruichi: “It’s my nature. Would you love me if I was anything but what I am?” To which Davy replied, “I do not love you.” But the ending of that scene completely contradicted that. THIS is actually the relationship I “build” Byakuya and Yoruich’s upon. I sometimes watch that scene for inspiration.
5. Pick a flower that you think represents your OTP the best. Why this flower?
I’m going to cheat a little and pick two: First being the spider lily, which in Japanese hanakotoba, means “abandonment.” The other being the white camellia, which represents “waiting”, and is also the 6th division flower. I picked these two because of how accurately it represents their past, although it’s more on Byakuya’s side than Yoruichi’s. I would also pick the carnation (fascination/distinction/love).
6. Do you think your OTP gets enough love from the fandom?
Hell no. I seem to be the only hardcore ByaYoru shipper in the entire freaking fandom, though recently I’ve “converted” a few on my f-list. However, compared to pairings like IchiRuki and IchiHime, my pairing hardly gets ANY fanworks of any sort, including fanart, fic, and doujinshi. I always seem to see Yoruichi paired with the most random-ass people, from Ishida to Mayuri, but the only common Byakuya pairing I see is ByaRen, and well, everyone should know my views on yaoi by now!
7. If your OTP isn’t considered “canon” what would you do if it were ever made canon?
Oh wow, I don’t even know. Somewhere, deep in my little fangirl heart, I’m hoping Kubo will see the potential that I do, or at LEAST have them reconcile. I’d be happy with an on-screen reconciliation scene, but if it were ever made canon….I’d flip my shit and plaster it all over my LJ. And rub it in the UraYoru and ByaRen fan’s faces.
8. Do you see your OTP having a happy ending, or a sad one?
I’d like to think they’d have a happy ending, which they both, Byakuya in particular, really deserve. I think Byakuya having Rukia, and Yoruichi having Kisuke (as a friend) is good, but I don’t exactly consider that as having a happy ending.
9. If your OTP has had any moments, which is your favorite?
Manga: Their reunion on the bridge in volume 14. Anime: Although it was filler, my favorite scene was near the end of the Reigai arc, when Byakuya saved Yoruichi from an attack. I didn’t buy the “he was just gauging the enemy’s tactics” excuse the anime team threw out for one second.
10. When did you start shipping your OTP?
The moment I saw the reunion scene in the anime. I instantly thought “They’ve got potential, just look at how they act toward one another!”
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