Guys, regarding things like the Soul Society Arc, Hollow Forms, Urahara, etc., are not set in stone at this moment.
At this time I have an idea of what I would like to do, as well as some things that I would probably want to keep the same or similar, but I have not put any of it to pen or given any detailed thought as of yet. I really would like to get through this first book first before I worry about when shit begins to hit the fan in Book II.
Things like Hichigo, a character that I personally like, I would like to keep, but how to go about it may end up being different this time around. Hell, he may arise but succumb to Ichigo's divine side due to it being stronger in the end. I'm not sure yet.
Even things like Renji and Byakuya coming to take Rukia may end up playing out differently and not go exactly the same, if the same at all as in the OTL.
There are still things and high points from OTL that I want to try to keep similar when I come to it, but how it will play out is something that has not gone into detail yet. At this point, in Book I, things like the Shinigami won't come to fore until much later.
Also keep in mind this is an alternate universe as well, so obviously some things are going to turn out differently, be it events, powers, strength, etc.
I will say though that the talk on this has given me some ideas for later, one of which I had a thought of but now with a new angle I had not considered previously that could be very useful.
Andy, Bell having Ichigo and his sisters as such are due to the wish, that being that if they, meaning he and his sisters, could have a mother like her, would include them. Therefore they were brought over. Keiichi is the wild card. But, they *are* her blood (Yuzu has her eyes, for example).
Also, Genocideheart pretty much hits why Ichigo would keep the wish. Also keep in mind that his recinding the wish would also erase his brother. Not only would he lose what he has now, Masaki and Keiichi would be gone forever. Secondly, Ichigo has the emotions and memories of the version of himself that grew up here. He has to contend with those feelings as well. He can access some of them, but the vast amount is images and sensations that he would have to put real thought to to bring them up. After all, can any one of us pull up all the memories of our lives in a single instance when we want it? There are going to be triggers every so often (moreso now), but that will give way as time goes by.
Also keep in mind, is that I did write this with every intention of keeping the timeline as it is now. Ichigo's currently trying to rediscover his place in it. I also wrote this, because I always did like Ichigo's emphasis on family, and I can be such a sap when it comes to that stuff. When the idea of the mother/son dynamic came up, using Bell and Ichigo, it got me thinking to the point of finally throwing my hat in the ring and actually writing.
Darkforce, Ichigo's not angry at his father for that(also, Isshin can't remember someone he's never met), he's pissed off because he doesn't understand why he's getting in trouble in the first place. He's doing what he normally does, but for the rest of them, this is a bit different from what they know (as well as the first time they had to drag the aftermath of his fight to Isshin's clinic).
As for an update. Chapter 4 is essentially finished. It is currently in beta and I am waiting to talk to Ghostface later on today on anything I need to revise or rewrite. I am somewhat concerned as it has nearly been a year since the last chapter came out, and I hope that it does meet with everyone's expectations. A lot of what was once fresh in my mind for when I wrote the outline was long gone when I finally was able to start writing, so hopefully it still goes well, as I know that what I was originally thinking for chapter 4 came out a little differently than when I wrote the outline last May.