I would love to see more of this story if you ever feel inspired!

I love this story and all the prequels of it

Interesting. Any more at some point?

Well. Um. First things first: Holy shit this is amazing. I... I think I'm in love. Just... god. I think my favorite part was when Yamamoto explained his thoughts on why the Shinigami needed to learn to fight. It just sort of came out of the blue for me, but thinking back it made perfect sense. And it was so in character for him to not realize that no one else had thought of that as well.

I loved this series!

Actually, cathedrals aren't limited to the Middle Ages. Check out la Sagrada Familia, a cathedral in Barcelona, Spain. Construction started in 1882 and is still ongoing. There's a documentary about it on Netflix that I would recommend, if you have access to it.

The entire AU is amazing
I can see tons of ways this could led into the book era but I am also interested in the current storyline
You're my favorite author ever

Please publish the List of Things Not to do With Grim Squeakers

Just wondering if you got the last two reviews I wrote for you on this wild, but /interesting/ [in the old Chinese curse sense of the word], universe. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more in it since I just got hooked on it last week. Seriously thought-provoking as well as keeping me on the hop with secondary research so I can follow what you're talking about.

Keep up the tasty, and hilarious!, writing. I can't wait to read more in my favorite series by you.

Ooh boy! A ninja plot hare who's had paratrooper training just dropped in on my head yesterday with an.. /interesting/.. idea. It's an AU of your 'Tatterdemalion' universe where Yamamoto Does grab the teleport circuitry and leave the Shinigami to be wiped out with the Hollows. Bad Idea, eventually. Mass transport does become common, but.. there's a Hollow outbreak that manages to get loose and start mass-infecting the planets a few years later.

Here's a few snapshots of events during the Hollow Massacre: the Satrapy: wiped out, no survivors. The Confederacy: mostly gone, a few thousand survivors. The Republic: a few more survivors than most, with a shattered but still viable [barely] science/R&D group scattered in some highly inhospitable areas and some military/paramilitary groups fighting back. The Quincies: wiped out defending others; but stress ended up with them developing a few new kinetic tricks that the Hollows simply couldn't use. Dozens to hundreds of planets burned off-literally. A science group figured out how to literally turn a planet's atmosphere to fire; if there's air, it's on fire..even underground. The few surviving humans, between five to ten thousand all up, are all nervously settled on below-arctic freezing winter temperatures. Another science group was going over the long-dead Urahara's notes and and realized that some of the equations implied the possibility of /Time Travel/! Realizing the implications of that, they follow it up and develop a theoretical prototype, but also realize that they're not the ones who could best use it. They send the data to the only remaining group that has the scientific skills as well as the combat skills/knowledge/pre-Massacre rank to make the changes needed and is ruthless enough to do so: Yamamoto's group.

After some of the group's surviving science/techs review the data and declare it viable, then comes the scramble to build it ASAP. Lead by a still-surviving Kaien, it's built. But there's the sober realization that without any massive energy source and the slap-dash way it's been cobbled together with less than ideal parts means that only one person can use it before it self-destructs... and it's a one-way trip for whoever does. Yamamoto ends up being the one shoved in the machine because, as it's rather acidly pointed out, he's the ONLY one still alive and presently available with the needed rank back then and the knowledge NOW to salvage everything. After saying farewell to his people, he goes on his one-way trip to save the future.

This is getting a little long, would you like to hear more later?

Got any more stories in this universe [plus a few others]? I only just started reading, and snitching, in this one last week and I'm thoroughly hooked! Granted, I have some minor problems with the gore and the idea of *rat* bites... /shudder/. Not something I like. But the humor is flat out hilarious and I still get toothy grins on some of it; especially the 'Grim Squeakers' (snicker), the play hunts and tag, the more playful conversations, all the purring.. and drunk on honeywater!? It's wild, it's weird and I honestly want to read more.

As for Yamamoto? Sting, smack or shred are something I can certainly sympathize with. But in lieu of that I'd settle for forcing him into a major wake-up call and reality check. He may be tough enough to survive, but from what I've seen so far, he's also got a bad case of narrow-minded greed that can't see people as just that: /people/. Any sort of true military leadership would be a Bad Idea in this case. From what I can tell, he's showing the same flaw that upper military ranks have always shown: they give orders and expect to be obeyed. In effect, hive/drone behavior with themselves as queen bee. Not A Good Thing when dealing with highly intelligent people, scientists and Shinigami. Not being honest, or forthcoming, with information is also going to add up to cooperation problems in the long run. Yamamoto had better realize this in a hurry or he'll find himself in a major mess of his own making.

I was just reading up on oxytocin, and it looks like that alien variant of it is a stronger component in the Shinigami's biochemical makeup than I'd suspected. If you haven't read it yet, check out the Wiki entry on it. My eyebrows were going more Vulcan the more I read up on it.

On the subject of it being an alien-created virus? I have to agree with the general arguments on it (even if I can't follow all the scientific terms), but I was wondering if the alien species in question was even still in existence? As in, the virus is a leftover from a now-extinct race. I've been thinking about it and I've run up at least a rough sketch out of what could have happened. Interested?

Just occurred to me. I hope you aren't planning on killing off Masaki and Kaien. I happen to like them. And are you planning on adding on any of the other canon Bleach characters? If so, how? I've already got an idea for Renji and possibly Rikichi, plus Byakuya and Soujun. Whether Ginrei decides to become a more visible presence?... no clue. As for our resident Quincy[ies], any chance they'll be developing their bows? I'd really love to see her taking out Hollows with one. Not to mention Ryuken! The parents who lost their children? I've got an idea for them, but I'm not sure if it would work out. It might be interesting if it did, though.

Hoping to find myself reading some more of your tasty, and highly snitchable, stories in the near future.

Definitely a fun one. Can't wait for the sequel to this one! :)

every time i read this au all i can think of is 'jesus christ vampire hunter but how much MORE messed up will Ichigo be?'
after i stop trying to visualize that i visualize canon ichigo having to deal with furry tentacles.

Oh I love this series. Just powered through it and damn, I like your imagination.
When I first read your description of the shinigami I thought 'What the hell?', but I got to say the idea grew on me. I like how you managed to weave scientific stuff and jargon with fiction so amazing you get humans with tentacles that don't sound utterly awkward.
Also love the psychological parts. It is great to see how everyone reacts differently to the changes and what they entail. And the civilian-vs-scientist-vs-soldier mindsets are great too.
Your hollows are damn scary, but probably the least original part, but maybe I've heard too many zombie-movie scenario's recently.
I hope you'll find the time and inspiration to continue this interesting AU some day. I'd really like to read it. Thank you for writing!

i love this story! when i write i personally have the hardest time successfully meshing aspects of modern life and times with sci-fi. so the fact that this fanfic managed to do that; connecting with modern day humans and introducing new concepts is wonderful.

i hope that you continue to write in the AU world, i would love to see what plot twists would come up next...a second meteor/Hollow infection on the same planet or another one, perhaps more insight into the remaining human-esque people in the non-Shinigami camp?
i just can't stop imagining what the main crew of canon Bleach would look like and act like in this world, i mean come on...Ichigo with orange hair/tentacles and Zangetsu in his head?

Q: what about the Visored? do they not exist in this world? are they also in the Shinigami's heads as a by-product of the vaccine or are they merely in the next generation born? you know like alter-ego's or some such like?

imagine a crossover or this story and Upon A Fiery Steed, or this one and Bleach canon, and last but not least this one and Embers! dragons, pack mentality, Katara's views on Fire Nation instincts, yeah i can see that going over well

keep writing and have fun
Alpha C.