Bleach 499

[sincere]

I had to share this with my journal as well as my plurk. Orihime has become so badass. I am absolutely in love with her character development. And now I shall talk about it.


What I love the most about this character evolution is that she's not changing as a person. We don't see Orihime becoming less Orihime because "Orihime" doesn't match our shounen ideals of strength or coolness. She still loves Ichigo quietly. She's still a huge derp. She still flails geekily and imagines things in her head.

I think a lot of people started thinking that in order for Orihime to "grow up" she had to stop being Orihime. She had to become serious or angsty or consumed with self-loathing [more than she was BEFORE and DURING the Hueco Mundo arc, which was already a lot]. But this is so much better.

She's gained a ton of confidence in her abilities. She doesn't flinch from conflict; she isn't scared of getting hurt, or getting other people hurt, or hurting others herself, to the point of inaction and paralysis. She's still the same girl who will heal and protect her enemies, but she won't run from a fight anymore, and she won't take shit. If you threaten her friends, if you threaten her, she will very gently but firmly put you down.

And I love that her new technique is a combination of a technique she was already very good at and a technique she was afraid to use, because she was really scared of hurting someone. So she never used it; and when she did it was half-hearted, and everyone knew it.

So instead of futilely trying to become a standard Action Girl and kick ass, she refined her barrier technique to incorporate her attack technique. And now she's not afraid to use it because the only time it's going to hurt people is when it HAS to. When they're attacking her, or someone she's trying to protect. A powerful deterrent rather than aggression.

She's playing to her strengths instead of trying to be someone she's not. I love it. ;;


On a related note, I love that she's formed this bond with Chad to compensate for their past ugly experiences with feeling useless; I love that they came together because they don't want to burden Ichigo. I always liked Chad/Orihime but now I liiiike it. :D

And I want to canon update her in Marina, but baww, there are still so many unanswered questions, and she's physically changed the most of all of them, so it'll be ages before she has as many beautiful icons as she does with her Soul Society/Hueco Mundo look. ;;;; And I'm so fussy about icons. Bawww.

Comments

[starsinyourwake]

So I know it's been forever and five years (I wouldn't be surprised if it's actually been five years, too), but I have been thinking about you for god only knows why, so I figured, hey, it can't hurt to bounce over to Kay's journal and say hi, right? So hiii, it's Alex from your senior year at UA. How are you? I miss you. Sometimes I miss you so much it's painful. I hope you're doing well. ♥ ♥ ♥

*/completely OT comment*

[sincere]

Aleeeex! /attaches to

I'm so excited to hear from you again! I haven't been journaling much (distracted by plurking) but I was thinking of you recently too. ♥ I've been doing really great lately. How are you??

[starsinyourwake]

*snuggles!*

Surviving, to say the least! I graduated from library school, couldn't find work, and have decided to suck it up and go into accounting in the interest of continuing to survive. XD I've stopped journaling almost altogether in the interest of not appearing perpetually sad. I have picked up Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (I'm very late to this party -- ILOVEITALLSOMUCH T_T *fangasm*), and I poke at a few original ideas every now and again. But I miss youuu. I miss you and the others from that suite. Lots and lots. You were all wonderful to me. *cuddles tight*

I hope to be a bit better about keeping in touch. It's been a rough past few years, all said. :/

[sincere]

I'm sorry to hear that, baww. It was like that for me too. But I hope it's getting / will get better now the way it has been from me! I have a job for the first time in years. But I really like it! I'm temping for the city of Boulder right now in their records department.

358/2 Days is gooood. I actually just started playing Re:Coded, the most recent release, like yesterday. I'm happy to play more KH, even if it's weird, minigamey KH. XD You should share all your 358/2 Days adventuressss

[starsinyourwake]

I have good friends in the accounting world, so I've got high hopes. It's two more years of school, but it'll be worth it when I get my first paycheck, I hope! I'm glad to hear you have a job you enjoy! I'm doing cataloguing at the UA library as a student assistant until I go home for the summer. It's been a sweet deal. I was taking classes part-time and working part-time last spring, so it worked out perfectly.

Iamsoinlovewiththisgame! A friend of mine is re-playing KHII, and I went over and helped her beat a boss or two (even though I'd never played II before, haha), one of whom was Demyx. Three hours of trying to beat him later, I won... and had fallen in love. *facepalm* So I went and got 358/2 Days and am now also in love with Axel, and I want to cuddle Roxas, and and and :DD I had to go read the game script for Chain of Memories because I never finished it, and people go off to Castle Oblivion to participate in it. ("THAT'S THAT GAME I NEVER FINISHED. Aw, damn, I'm never finishing it in time.") I've watched tons of cutscenes on YouTube now, so I basically love everyone. *wibble* But I can't play as much as I want to because *shakes fist* my summer class is annoying, and when I get home from work, I'm exhausted. :/ */boring*

...butilovethemallohmygod. I need to watch Naminé's scenes, actually. I've only seen what happens to her in Chain of Memories. Poor kid.

[sincere]

/pompoms!! Good luck with all of that, I am rooting for you. ;;;

Days is really good! I will eagerly await your reports on it if you care to keep me updated. X3 I love Chain of Memories, but it's not everyone's cup of tea since the battle system is so weird. And I love Namine and Roxas and. /gathers everyone up

I'm roleplaying Roxas in Marina right now and he is in like, the worst conceivable place possible, emotionally at the end of 358/2 Days only more aware of all the crappy things that happen in the future and with his castmate relationships crashing and burning. So, uh, hooray.

[starsinyourwake]

:D

Chain of Memories is tough, but I'll finish it... someday. ^^;

omgpoorbaby! *cuddles him~~~~* ): ): I haven't even gotten there yet, but still-- *cuddles him* (And I keep imagining Axel being distressed also, sigh. :/) These games. ;_;

How is Re:Coded, by the way?

[starsinyourwake]

I finished Days today.

;___;

I don't know who I feel worst for: Roxas for feeling so alone in the end (and ending up as he did), Axel for losing the people he cared for, or Xion for her sacrifice (and final scene *sob*). Even Riku, to some extent.

...now I wish I had a PSP so I could pick up Birth by Sleep. Alas, I'll have to find a Let's Play or the game script.

[sincere]

*holds* I wish I could send you my....... PSP and copy of BBS. Alas.

But the secret ending video in BBS, ahhh, my heart. It makes me think everything might turn out okay, even for the characters for whom it obviously has not turned out okay, like Xion.

[starsinyourwake]

The sentiment is appreciated! Maybe someone has done a Let's Play I can watch. *makes note to go in search of*

By the byyyy, happy birthday! *hugs* I hope it's amazing for you. :D