I don't know how many Bleach fans are here and how many people hate Bleach, but for either or, THIS ISN'T BLEACH, just an Idea of a more modern version of it.
you might say it is my interpretation of the anime :)
Setting: 2015! :D
just a quick summary of the idea: (I will write a more organised summary if there is interest, below is what I wrote in 5 min)
There is an invisible force that's connecting the soul to the body, even when the soul leaves, the connection can remain. to those gifted individuals who can see souls, can also see the form of light string attaching the soul to its body, however when someone dies, the string rips leaving the soul wondering. Usually souls just go to see their loved ones, to make sure they're safe and then the souls move on from this realm, but some souls, who have some sort of an unfinished business will not be able to leave this realm on their own, even if they wanted to, until they finished what they needed to. That causes an imbalance between our realm and the underworld, and also puts the living in danger, because when a soul's string is ripped, it is exposed to the darkness that will slowly consume it. The Darkness is an intelligent self aware force that in time corrupts souls, which either creates vengeful spirit, or a certain kind of a curse. For that reason the Master of the Underworld created the Reapers, Doomed souls with a chance to redeem themselves after reaping 1000 corrupt souls. They are called Reapers because souls are attached to our realm, and Reapers literally have to reap them.
Once upon a time, John Spark, a Reaper, witnessed the beauty of a living woman named Leah. He realized that as a Reaper he could be disguised as a living man as well, and lured her into bed, unknowingly creating something unexpected. Nine months later, Leah gave birth to the first living Soul Reaper. After John, three more Reapers followed his foot steps giving birth to more living Reapers, until the Master finally found out. The master was so angry he cursed all humans, that if they be kissed by a Reaper, their soul shall be reaped regardless of them being alive - killing them.
ok that was the summary, you're probably confused about a few terms so let me explain, and go into detail below
String of Life:
refering to the string attaching the soul to the body, Reapers get a fake body when in the living realm, attached by a String of Death instea.
Souls and Spirits:
yes there is a difference... Souls are powerless, while spirits aren't. Spirits can be seen by the living if they wanted to, they can become energies of the four elements, or they can possess buildings and people. Spirits in most cases cannot control themselves but instead are controlled by some sort of meaning, or by the Darkness.
The Darkness:
It is a self aware source of energy, although it doesn't have a shape or form, it can see and hear through the souls it corrupted. it can talk through the spirits and is mostly just interested in destroying the forces of the living. The Master says that the Darkness was once his friend, but they disagreed on how they should handle the living, which leads many to think that the Darkness has a motive, but what is unknown.
The Master of the Underworld:
mostly referred to as the Master, he is the deity of death. he appears in a form of a well dressed business man, his personality is kind and forgiving, but when he needs to be cruel, he has no boundaries. He has never stepped into the realm of the living.
Realms:
There are three Realms, and three deities, Realm of the living, the Underworld, and The Scintillate Dominion.
Gifted:
Humans who are able to see souls. sometimes are gifted with a special ability.
Soul Reapers:
Doomed souls given a chance to redeem themselves to the Master. The Master takes the memory of their sins, and gives them a fake body to carry in the living realm, after reaping 1000 corrupt souls, the Reaper can leave into the Scintillate Dominion. Soul Reapers wear and look like this
or woman: http://digiitalarchfab.com/portal/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/woman-in-suit.jpg
Soul Reapers can summon a small blade, they refer to it simply by "Blade" ("I will use my Blade") and each Reaper's blade has a special property to it, for example John's Blade could freeze everything it touched.
every blade has a unique appearance.
Living Reapers:
Individuals growing up thinking they are simply Gifted, until, very rarely they find out they can summon their own blade, and they can reap souls.
Anyway I think this could be really fun. Please guys consider this I think this is a great idea.
where will the story kick off if we play you ask? well everyone can pick their own beginning, as long as we all stay in the same city or at least area so we can all roleplay together. I do have a bigger story in mind but I feel it would be too early to reveal it before we even have any character development going on.