I didn't even have to look that title up on the handy "Wiki list of Bleach chapters". I'm reminded every time I go get a title of my friend once saying, "You don't Google anime. You Google porn. You Wiki anime." But anyway, I didn't have to look it up. I've had it in my head (along with a few others) for quite a while. Because I knew I would need it one day. Because, really, when the outer edges crumble, what's left to protect the inside? Nothing. And it can't last if it's left unprotected, if those inside it aren't vigilant.
"I said my confidence, it gets stronger when you're next to me"
Of course, it's not the title that relates to this picture. This chapter comes much later, but it was part of what made me fall in love with Bleach all over again once I got to Japan. This title page was made into a poster which I immediately bought after having saved the scanlated version, emailed it to my phone, & ripped the original out of JUMP. It says good things. Amusingly, at the time I thought Rukia was Mizuiro-kun, making it a picture of 1 girl and 3 boys. It fit ok that way. Then later, I realized how that was kind of stupid because of course, she's a main character so why wouldn't she be on it? So it was actually 2 boys and 2 girls. And it fits better that way.
Last Halloween Sarah & I wanted to cosplay as Orihime and Rukia. That still might be kinda cool to do if we have the money. I noticed the "save Orihime" arc is taking a lot longer than the "save Rukia" one did. To be fair, Rukia's imprisonment was just set up. It was in order to reveal the true villain who coaxed Orihime away. And of course she went. To protect them. Silently. As it's the only thing she thinks she can do. They fight and they fight and still she doubts. Doubts their feelings, doubts their motives, doubts their strength, doubts her own worth more than anything else. And I keep waiting for her to get up and fight. And she doesn't. She just stands there silently, indecisively, watching everyone else suffer. And it makes me hate her. Much as I want to like her and be able to defend her to those fans who call her a useless bitch, I can't.
I took a test on the 7 deadly sins the other day. One of those lame, "which one are you?" things. I thought for sure I'd be Wrath, or maybe Pride, but no. I got Sloth. Fucking Sloth?!? Yeah. But I can't even begin to count the number of things, people, experiences, that I've let go by out of "laziness". So maybe it's accurate after all. Because I'm Orihime. Some of the time.
Good thing Kubo Tite isn't writing my life for me and I can do what she can't.
"please take the message that I'm picking up my chin at last"
