#hes so special to me i love how oda writes characters so much

[niishi]

u r the only person who is ever right abt zoro and u put it into WORDS that i wanna hand out in flyers ,,. perfect, man

God you're so right you're like the smartest anon I've ever gotten... I'm always right about him bc were married irl and he tells me everything.

[despairots]

#A NIGHT TO REMEMBER, o. dazai!

a special oneshot!

description, it’s special to know how the other feels. to communicate is the best, though, dazai isn’t one for words but it’s fine, you’re the same. neither of you can put the feelings you have into words.

— story contains, angst, established relationship, swearing, suicide mentions, depressing talks, “no longer human” connections i think?, r! psychoanalysis’s i guess?, mental health, trauma talking, character deaths, if i missed anything let me know! gender neutral! reader.

“why are you writing this?” bc dazai is one of the characters i heavily relate to on another level. hes so much different from mizuki akiyama and satoru gojo. and this is just me talking a lot about dazai’s character and analyzing him… btw, r! wears a black blazer (or leather jacket) white button up with a black waist coat, either brown shorts or pants (maybe black of u want), underneath the shorts or pants are like black tights and slip on penny loafers.

long before you started dating dazai, there was an obvious connection that you only saw and felt. obviously, you were friends during those time periods because you worked in the same place, everyone there were friends.

though, the friendship you two had were entirely different from the rest, had the same humour but showing it differently. you wouldn’t lie and say that dazai flirting with you just to ask for a double suicide didn’t concern you, because it did. there’s no doubt that he’ll try and eventually succeed (although, death doesn’t accept him).

there’s nothing that can kill this man, no matter how hard he tries. you picked that up during one of his failed attempts, it almost succeeded if kunikida wasn’t there, you thanked him a ton. all he said in response is that; “i have to look over that idiot one way or another.” no matter how much dazai annoys his coworkers, they still care.

when dazai tries to commit and somewhat fails, it’s almost like he’s punishing himself for still being alive. you know his past, after all, you were in port mafia with him, even though you two didn’t work together or how he didn’t know you during that time, you sure knew him.

he was surrounded by death, in the port mafia and the ada, it follows him yet never accepts it’s his time to come to the afterlife. he makes these plans that somewhat end up succeeding though he hurts himself in the process, always worrying you. what if eventually death actually accepts him at some point?

dazai has been extraordinarily smart every since he was a kid to the point where he’s been dehumanized by dubbing him; “the demon prodigy”. you didn’t know anything about his parents, you did know what drove him to be tired of living. he’s tired living, bored by life and the people around him, to him, they are easily predictable and manipulated that nothing can surprise him.

he can’t find sense to the world but most importantly, he doesn’t find sense in life, he ends up reverting to extensional depression, continuing the cycle he lives in.

dazai has been exploited ever since he was 14 and taken into the port mafia by mori. he was kept alive by mori, by chuuya, by everyone. he was used until there was nothing left. he never had any love nor hope (that he’d ever have someone to understand him) until a friend he later brought up to you, oda.

he truly believed he deserved everything that happened to him in the port mafia.

you believe that younger dazai never believed that he could be better, but if he’s changing now than he always had the ability to change, just never tried. he was sure the mafia was the only fate he had and the only place to escape of living.

then oda died. dazai was free, with ango’s help of wiping his criminal records. without ango’s help, he would’ve never been free from mafia, though he knows his past will always haunt him, he’s accepted that. he also knows that his indebted to ango, he knows he owes him.

since oda’s death, dazai’s trust had ran thin and he’s always on guard, his ability to open up to anyone had been cut off because he can not lose anyone again. the things he cares about and didn’t wanna lose, is lost the moment he gains it.

his plans always evolve other people, rather to manipulate or exploit. you don’t blame him, if it meant surviving, you would do it too.

he is someone who jokes but never opens up nor can be his true self. he’s a wreck who will drag anyone else down with him, that was a price you had to pay for dating him. he repulsed the idea of love and being in a relationship with you because of how he’ll be afraid of losing you.

dazai dated you as a joke, to see how thing will end, until he realized that you were somewhat different. you were always one step of ahead, had almost the same ability that involved contact, and you had this missing glint in your eyes. that’s just the surface though.

dazai knows there’s more to you— he doesn’t know about your connections to the port mafia though— but he doesn’t bother bringing the topic up to you though nor does he like talking about it.

at nights like this, where he’s staring aimlessly somewhere and devoid of emotion, he’s completely vulnerable in your shared dorm. sitting on the couch, cheek on the palm of his hand as the other searches the cold touch of your hand, seeking for some company.

—and you’re there. sitting on the couch with him and a book discarded in your lap, only staring at dazai with a look of curiosity and content, he looks peaceful despite the war going on in his head.

(you were memorized by the destruction he creates and has, it was peaceful to know what beautiful destruction that dazai carries with him).

when dazai feels the cold skin of your hand, he could feel his ability cancelling yours out as your hand covers his, holding it tightly yet so soft that he wonders if you’re even there. dazai finally looks at you, face still devoid of emotion, watching you reopen your book.

“morning, sleeping beauty.” you hummed softly, an amused tone with your words. dazai groaned and knocked your book off your lap, kicking his legs up into your lap and laying down, now staring up at the ceiling.

hearing dazai go silent wasn’t rare, it was rather common when you two are in your shared dorm, but not hearing him say something stupid back confused you.

you turned your head to dazai, taking notice of his eyes that threatened to pour tears in front of you, “you okay, ‘samu?” knowing him for a while now, he wouldn’t open up and talk about his feelings. it’s fine though, you’re like that too, and you wouldn’t mind waiting forever even if it didn’t come.

dazai didn’t respond.

he never did.

he closed his eyes and if you listened closer, you could hear the shaky breath that he exhaled. taking his hand in yours, you placed a chaste kiss to his palm, the contact making dazai open his eyes slowly and sit up on his elbows.

“when are you gonna leave?” he’s says stupid shit all the time, it doesn’t effect you, none of his words effect you. it should’ve effected you but it didn’t, and dazai could tell by the unamused look on your face, “when are you gonna take your life seriously?” you lightly jabbed at him, hearing him scoff and mutter ‘hypocrite’ underneath his breath.

dazai sat up properly, scooting closer to you and grabbing your hand, setting his head on your shoulder. dazai’s touch starved but refuses any contact that doesn’t involve him initiating it, you’re an expectation, you’ve always been every since the relationship started.

silence took over you, the fan in the background aswell as dazai’s calming breath stirring you into a tired state, laying your head on dazai’s head (knowing the neck pain wouldn’t be worth it tomorrow).

“y’know i’d wait, right?” dazai hums underneath his breath as a response, “how do i know you’re not lying?” and you scoff. rolling your tired eyes, for a guy like him to ask you that question is amusing. “we’ve been lying to eachother for a while but i’m not lying about this, ‘samu.”

the former executive makes himself more comfortable in the crook of your neck, forcing you to lay down and keep him close, “i know.” the words came out muffled, and alas, his eyes are shut again and his sleeping in your arms that are now warm.

with him being asleep, you could pick out the smallest details about the boy in your arms. in your arms, he isn’t the former demon prodigy, in your arms, he isn’t a former port mafia member, in your arms, he isn’t a dehumanized person.

he’s just a boy.

osamu dazai isn’t one for words, but it’s okay, because you’re not one for words either. it’s gonna be like that for awhile, or forever, only time could tell. dazai knows this; you know this. and since dazai’s betrayal to the port mafia, he’s changing, but if he’s changing now, he was always capable of changing, he just never cared enough to try.

osamu dazai isn’t one for words, neither are you.

tick.

[sanigopiece]

why uta is a well-written character

reposted from twitter since i saw uta get a lot of hate on there. a lot of people seem to not get her character so i am writing this post in hopes of getting people to see the light. anyways here we go,

1. her motivations are well supported by her backstory. it all began in the tragedy in elegia years prior where shanks took the blame for the destruction of the city and left uta in the care of gordon. this led uta to being forced into a life of loneliness and isolation for the rest of her growing up years.

these feelings accumulate while she studies music until she eventually finds a den den mushi to livestream her performance. here she learns of the harshness of pirates in the outside world and coupled with her resentment towards the red haired pirates for leaving her motivates her to revisit her old dream of starting a new genesis. this is a solid way of story cohesion between uta's backstory and her actions in the present. everything ties in very nicely & its easy to understand & empathize with.

2) i've seen some complain about how uta saying that she knew all along that she had caused the destruction of elegia & called it bad writing. this was actually her way of coping with the years of isolation but also her grief in shanks leaving her.

i speculate that uta realized she caused the destruction of elegia when she learned about tot musica and when faced with this, she chooses to find someone else to blame because guilt ate away at her so she chose to continue believing the lie that shanks did it. so it isnt bad writing because we are given more context on her mental state at the time and it is meant to be a gateway for viewers to empathize with her more but i guess people missed that.

3. she is not entirely evil. yes she is a villain because she believes she is doing whats right in order to achieve her goal however she still has goodness in her heart. she could've easily kept people trapped in the song world after tot musica was defeated.

but she didnt because she realized that what she did was wrong and she changed for the better. yes there's moments in the film where she does upsetting things like tearing shanks's hat but these were done in her mentally unstable state so it is unfair to entirely fault her for her actions. she is merely a misguided and misunderstood lonely girl with a dream so dont be so hard on her. she is good deep down.

4. her character is unique. already a given since we dont have that many music centric characters except maybe brook but even brook's powers aren't linked to music so uta is really special. also her songs carry so much meaning and not only does it set the mood for most scenes but it also adds to the story. i highly recommend checking out the lyrics of each uta song because they really tie in to the events of the story and you might just enjoy her character more.

5. her canonity adds more flare to the story. oda recently confirmed uta to be canon and this means a lot to both shanks and luffy's backstory. it does not detract from their backstories but rather it gives more context like how we understand a lot more about luffy's dream and why he wants a musician in his crew thanks to uta.

as for shanks, he now has more reason of being and we also got some clues to his lineage in the movie. this is really nice since most shoe horned characters have issues when they're added to canon.

alright so thats all. its been quite the long thread but i love uta and i want more people to appreciate her instead of hating or mischaracterizing her. if i missed anything do let me know. thanks and have a nice day <3

[wavytam]

nowadays I wish Oda would stop Sanji's Nami mania if he doesn't want them to be canon. In the beginning his simping scenes were funny but the manga ends soon and this ship still just a joke. tbh I don't understand why Oda so afraid of romance. SaNa remind me Sango and Miroku from Inuyasha. he was a big playboy but in the end he only loved Sango. Shonen and couples totally normal.

Hello, anon, I feel you. SaNami holds a very special place in my heart and I think they have great potential as a couple (they will always be my number one ship) but sometimes I try to understand what exactly Oda is doing with them.

We can clearly see that Sanji does see Nami differently, like Miroku did with Sango (I also watched Inuyasha, and I loved them together).

The major problem will always be how Oda stated he does not want romance amongst the crew - which to some extent I understand, he does not want to shift the dynamic amongst the Strawhats (romance always makes people focus on the couple rather than the rest of the group) - but it annoys me to no end how, even if he says all of that, Oda still makes Sanji walk an extra mile for Nami.

If he intends to make another ship with them canon in the end, why write Sanji's interaction towards Nami the way he does?

Don't get me wrong, I love it when Sanji defends Nami, cares about her, and is really kind to her (she deserves that) - but if Oda is making all of this, because he wants Sanji to go through some type of heartbreak (or because he thinks it's funny, even after all these years) I think it would be better if he just stopped with Sanji's favoritism over Nami and make the cook move on, for his own good and hers too.

Obviously, Oda doesn't need to make Sanji stop being kind to her - I doubt he cares for Nami expecting something in return (see Pudding, for example, who he didn't stop being kind towards even after everything she said about him) - but Sanji can threat Nami well and still be with someone who loves him as much as he would love that someone (and doesn't humiliate him like other characters already did).

So, yeah, anon, I get you, and I am also tired. I will continue to ship them because I do think this ship has potential, and I think that both characters would be extremely happy with the other, but if Oda does not want them to be together at the end, I say: just make Sanji move on from Nami and make them end up with good love interests.

Sanji can still treat Nami well, with love and affection, just like he does with every woman, and still have a happy ending with a loving partner.

[panda-puma]

oh, I've had a hunch that Sanji got... cranked up to 11 in the anime. after OPLA I became manga-only reader, as I wanted the rawest possible OP experience and also bcuz reading is quicker than watching the anime 😅 (I'm still not even halfway through -- recently started Impel Down -- but it is such a great story, I already love it so much!!!) but I also started dipping my toes into the fandom. and I saw people hating Sanji for being a gross pervert. but while reading the manga, this man gave me more of a love-sick puppy vibes??? all the swooning and fussing over Nami and Robin seemed almost sweet (him running towards them with flowers in Skypiea or cotton candy in Long Ring Island? c'mon, that was adorable) he has his moments but they aren't even that bad, tbh. I wondered that maybe it was a misguided hate towards his special treatment for women (chivalry?????) rankling feminists, tired of men treating women like wilting flowers in constant need of man-help but no, people seemed very dead-set on him being a straight up pervert and I realised... oh, those are anime fans... oh, no... what happened here, and I got discouraged from trying to watch the anime, since if it changed Sanji, one of the main characters, it was very likely to change other things, especially given how old the anime is. and then I realised that it already changed things even in the first episode and I kind of... stuck to the manga for now. maybe I will watch some movies just to see the One Piece world prettily animated 🤔

(Long post) First of all, some recommendations for you so you can enjoy the animation ^^ If you want to enjoy One Piece animated with an "Oda feel", watch the movie "Strong World". The script is written by Oda and you can watch it after finishing Thriller Bark. Like with the rest of the movies, the content is not Canon content, so what you see on them doesn't really happen in the real One Piece story (even if some of the enemies pasts are canon), but this one is the best and more on character we can probably see.

After that, Oda was executive producer in "Film Z" (supposed to be after FishMan Island Arc, but preferably after Punk Hazard Arc to avoid spoilers) and "Gold" (watch after Dressrosa Arc). His involvement with these movies is not so big, tho, so watch them with that in mind. (For example, in "Gold" Oda only rewrote the script of the climax of the story, because he was specially unsatisfied with how that part was done. They had to redraw the last 10min of the movie OvOu)

Also he was a producer in "Red" (watch after Wano Arc), and he made a lot of interesting comics and things that are canon pre-Movie... but the Movie on itself is weird. They changed many things of his initial notes and the characters are very "out of character" in my opinion. It has very good music and animation, tho! But yeah... watch with caution ^^U

(I was not gonna mention it at first, but why not... there is also "Stampede", but "Oda stated that he would not have allowed the movie's story to be produced if it was not a commemoration of the anime's 20th anniversary." So... I wouldn't watch it if you expect anything that makes sense in his world or characters xDU)

(You also have the OVA "One Piece - Defeat Him! The Pirate Ganzack", which pre-dates Toei's Anime adaptation. Oda took a lot of interest in this OVA, and he praised it a lot when it came out in 1998) ----------- And second, in my opinion, you made the right decision going to the Manga! As you say, it is the best way to get the rawest version of the story. And also way faster to read it than to watch it xD

I'm glad you love it so much! ❤️ It is really an amazing story, and I hope you keep enjoying it ^^

And now, oh boy, about Sanji... (this is gonna be a very reduced and fast thing I'm gonna write, but I plan on analyze the differences between the Manga and Anime in this other tumblr, if you want to see more eventually):

Your hunch is completely correct. Sadly Sanji's character is completely obliterated in the Anime ^^U

He is reduced to his perverted side (and very veery amped up), or to being mean and fighting all the time. He has nothing of the kindness he shows in the Manga, only the things they can not exclude for the story to make sense. The many fillers also show a different Sanji than the one shown in the Manga. The Anime also shows Nami completely disgusted by him very often, which influences the way we see him as viewers. She just treats him like a slave when she is being "nice". (Nami is also very different in the Anime. They all are different people in the Anime, honestly u_uUU)

So yes, I think most of people who hate him for being gross and a pervert mainly have their first and only contact being the Anime. And it is understandable feeling like that, because it is seriously a bad representation of the character. He is not himself at all.

The Anime reaches an even more unpalatable degree after the time-skip. ---- [((Little Spoiler of right After Time-Skip: Sanji comes back more sensitive to pretty women in the Manga, which translates into many nosebleeds until he recovers. But in the Anime they had always shown him in that level of pervert, or even worse! So they had to amp it even MORE and show him harassing random women and everyone being disgusted around him... something that doesn't happen in the Manga! It makes the character really stand out in grossness))] ----

As you say, Sanji in the Manga is a sweet guy, and only shows as a real pervert sometimes... but it is shown in a funny way. And Nami and Robin react in a non-negative way, mostly just amused that he is such a dummy. But everyone knows he is just harmless.

He totally acts like a love-sick puppy and has those sweet romantic outburst, but he can be a normal human being. And most importantly, treats them mainly as friends and human beings. Anime Sanji could never xDU

Please, feel free to make more asks ^^

[animeboye]

Remembering Akira Toriyama

On March 1st, 2024, legendary mangaka Akira Toriyama passed away due to acute subdural hematoma. He was just sixty-eight years old. His most famous creation, Dragon Ball, has had a profound effect on the anime and manga industry as a whole. Without it, we wouldn't have had series such as Yu Yu Hakusho, Naruto, One Piece, or many others. On top of how inspirational as a series Dragon Ball has been, it's shaped the childhoods of many kids all over the world, me being one such kid.

Toriyama is one of the few famous deaths that has actually brought me to tears, the only others being Satoshi Kon and Satoru Iwata. Losing Toriyama, for me, was such a sudden and devastating revelation and if I had never gotten into Dragon Ball Z when I was a kid, I don't know if I ever would have become an artist or writer. While I have had many inspirations for becoming an artist/writer, such as Yoshihiro Togashi, creator of Yu Yu Hakusho and Hunter X Hunter, Masashi Kishimoto, creator of Naruto, and Eiichiro Oda, creator of One Piece, it was Toriyama and Dragon Ball which really helped to show me the path I wanted my life to go on. While writing Dragon's World, I've gotten comments from readers who've told me that there were moments where they were reminded of Dragon Ball and with Dragon Ball being one of, if not my biggest inspiration for becoming both a writer and an artist, those comments, to me, are not just some of my favorites that I've ever received, I find them to be some of the highest praise I've gotten.

Alongside Dragon Ball, Toriyama's other works such as Sand Land, which has both a game and an anime series coming out, and Dr. Slump show just how funny and imaginative Toriyama was. His paneling was always so clean and any action scenes were always easy to read and his characters, while not always the deepest, were always full of life and made the series they starred in so much fun to read.

Like many other kids who grew up on DBZ, I also tried on so many occasions to do a Kamehameha or go Super Saiyan. I remember when I saw the episode where Gohan was teaching Videl how to fly and she was focusing her energy into her palms, I tried to do the same, thinking it would help me to fly, too. When a new VHS (yes, we are going back that far) and later, DVD of DBZ would be released, I would beg my grandma or my mom to buy it for me. The same way true for when new Dragon Ball Z action figures would come out. I had to have them all, and I think I actually did have most of them. Then, at fifteen, I sold them because I thought, "I'm going into high school. I need to be a big boy and big boys don't have toys". Heh. Funny how well that thought process aged. Especially since now, I'm trying to find those same figures from my childhood so I can buy them again.

I would often recreate the fights and adventures Goku and his friends went on with these figures I bought, and sometimes, I would make up my own stories. One that I can always immediately recall was Goku and the gang fighting a group that used a seal similar to The Seal of Orichalcos from Yu-Gi-Oh! (also, RIP to Takahashi-senpai) and just like the Seal of Orichalcos, whoever lost that fight would lose their soul, too. Granted, the stories I came up with back then weren't good (I mean, they came from the mind of a little kid, so please be a bit gentle on me), but when you're an Elementary schooler/early middle schooler, they feel like something incredible. It's like you're getting to contribute to this world you've come to know and love and yet, you're the only one who truly knows about said contribution. In a way, it's a really special feeling.

Call me a weeb if you want for saying this, but to me, Toriyama wasn't just another creator. He wasn't just another storyteller. He was my sensei. He was my biggest inspiration and the person who got me to realize where I wanted my life to go. That I wanted to be a writer and an artist. That I had stories I wanted to share with others. Toriyama was someone I always wanted to meet and, I guess now I'll have to wait until I get to Other World myself to get that chance.

Thank you for everything, Akira Toriyama. Thank you for showing me who I was meant to be. Thank you for Dragon Ball and for allowing it to be such a staple of my childhood. I'll be hoping your family is doing well and are remaining strong in these times. May you rest in peace.

[a-force-dyad-in-space]

I'm still not allowing myself to be excited for the One Piece live action but after having seen the trailer a few more times I'll say that as long as the pacing is good (bad pacing trips me up so hard) and the show captures the essence and spirit of the story, I won't hate it.

I just hope the rest of the writing is better than that "Not a crew" scene, I'm still not very happy with that. Sure, a lot of the comedy from the manga and the anime doesn't translate very well into live action but they can still bring out the silly parts without relying on the same kind of 0815 quips that are used by every action adventure movie since the beginning of the MCU.

Something I didn't learn until today is that Oda himself was heavily involved in the adaptation, including greenlighting the cast, which I guess gives me a little more confidence that the show won't be a trashfire.

I really like the cast (and now that I know Oda gave his okay for Nami's and Sanji's actors I'm putting my earlier reservations to the side), I like their energy, I highly appreciate their love for the One Piece universe, so I have a feeling they may be my favorite part of the adaptation.

Something that's also been pointed out is that the characters are wearing a lot of outfits from color spreads from the manga, which is really cool, I like that a lot, it gives them realistic costume changes while still staying true to their designs.

As for some of the criticism I've seen float around the tag:

"WHY ISN'T LUFFY WEARING FLIP FLOPS????" I was a little put off by that at first, too, but I honestly doubt that we'll pay a whole lot of attention to his feet when we watch the actual show (and who knows, maybe they'll show up at some point)

"WHERE IS SANJI'S CURLY BROW??????" This is probably completely a Me thing but when I watched the trailer for the first time I didn't even notice that because I was honestly much more worried about his hair before the trailer was released; I totally get that him not having the curly brow is a little disappointing and leaves out some of the greatest bickering between him and Zoro, but it's still possible that they'll bring it into the show some other way, even if he doesn't have it all the time; same goes for the smoking (which, given that it's an American production that is aimed at kids, isn't really surprising, since smoking/tobacco is its own content warning on American TV), we might see him light a cigarette here and there but we were never gonna see him chainsmoke the way he does in the manga/anime

"WHAT ABOUT USOPP'S NOSE????" Okay, let's be real here, had they given Usopp his Pinocchio nose through either CGI or VFX make-up, everyone probably would have complained how stupid and cringe it looks translated into live action; Jacob has a very expressive face that more than makes up for the lack of the Pinocchio nose in my opinion, but maybe that's just me (Jacob was also the first cast member I was fully on board with from the start, so maybe I'm biased, but that's how I feel)

"BUGGY LOOKS TOO SCARY" Guys, we only got one shot of him and we don't know the context for it; maybe this is his introductory shot, maybe this is a special dramatic shot, maybe this is how other people describe him, we just don't know; just wait until the show is out

"THE FOOTAGE IS TOO YELLOW" While it is likely that this is the final color grading, it's also possible that the final color grading wasn't done by the time they put the trailer together (like, some of the shots look like the yellow isn't as strong), they still have more than two months until release, they could still be doing final tweaks until then; and maybe they wanted to emphasize Luffy's sunny personality, who knows, the cinematography probably looks different in emotional scenes

Also, and this is only of interest to my fellow Germans, the German anime voice cast is dubbing the show, so I might actually watch it both in the original version and with the German voices because the nostalgia is reaaaaaaaallll

Be still, my heart, so you won't be disappointed, but be hopeful, be so so hopeful 🥲

[crying-over-spilled-feels]

A Sky Full of Stars

Disclaimer: These characters belong to Eiichiro Oda, and the Funimation English Dub series. Also, I just wanted it to be known that I watch the show in the English dub, so those are the voices I imagine for the characters. No monetary gain is being made from this drabble. Set during the part of Ending 9 where Robin wakes the crew up to look at the shooting stars with her.

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           One night aboard the Going Merry, Robin is sitting in the crow’s nest for her shift of night watch when the sky opens up above her. Stars begin falling through the sky, shooting through the inky blackness and lighting up the deck of the Going Merry. As much as Nico Robin enjoys her moments of solitude, she knows and feels strongly that such a moment this special deserves to be shared with her crewmates. Using her Flower-Flower fruit skills, Robin utilizes her crafted hands to wake her fellow crew member and Captain sleeping below deck. Grumbling, yawns, and a few muffled curses (from Zoro and Sanji) come from the Straw Hat Pirates as they are aroused from their sleep.

 ----------------------

           Nami is the first Straw Hat to appear above deck and the navigator’s face lights up instantly to see so many shooting stars falling at once. She nearly immediately takes out paper to sketch on and to add to her ever-growing map of the world. Chopper and Luffy are the next to emerge from below deck, the reindeer doctor and Captain excitedly bursting onto the deck to view the wonders of astronomy. Usopp and Sanji wait on the stairs under the deck, content to watch the stars above but have the ability to sit down if they desire. Zoro, being the deep sleeper that he is and with one more prompting from Robin, grumbles and emerges from the boys’ sleeping quarters but is not quite sure why the archaeologist is as fascinated by the stars as she is. He’d much rather be back sleeping in his hammock before his shift of watch, thank you very much.

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           Luffy runs excitedly around the deck, Chopper close on his heels. As the boyish Captain of the Straw Hats gazes in wonder at the shooting stars, Nami comes up to the deck at Ronin’s insistence to come sit in the crow’s nest with her.

-----------------------

“Zoro! Sanji! Usopp!” Luffy shouts, so much happiness in his voice. “Get up here and look at the stars! You’re missing all the fun!” he continues, making Robin smile widely at her new crew.

Author’s Note: I wrote this little drabble today while I was waiting for the next speaker to come into a work meeting that I had today, and I am rather pleased with how it turned out! I love the little scenes in the intros and outros where the crew are hanging out and enjoying one another, so thus, this drabble was born! Expect plenty more One Piece drabbles from me, as I already have quite a few written that I haven’t posted. I really enjoy the Straw Hat Pirates and especially writing about them as a found family! (I had about 42 total drabbles for different fandoms handwritten in a spiral notebook at the start of the year for my A Drabble a Day series, but due to my hectic work schedule and the amount of errands I’ve been having to run for my wedding on March 11th, 2023, my time to type them up and post them has been minimal.) Thus, I plan on posting them and dating them for the appropriate day I would have posted them on. Any comments or kudos would be greatly appreciated on this work! Until next time, dear readers! Have a wonderful day, afternoon, or evening!

[sunflowersred]

do ya have an specific type of dynamic for shankslu? like a simplified version of how they should act with eachother (and then intricate it depending on events and such) or just work with the flow?

I never think in terms of “should” when considering ship dynamics. I’ve developed this attitude for two reasons.

first, let me try to explain how this relates to shankslu specifically. for me, part of the fun of shipping shankslu right now in this very moment is because they have not yet met again. so, we don’t know precisely what their relationship will be like when they do. to me, that makes this ship a sandbox where I can imagine and create whatever I want. it’s a very unique ship, in that sense, and I just love it.

I’m still working with the sand Oda has put in the box and the little buckets and shovels he’s given me, but even so the nature of their relationship and their bond in the canon, and how important they are to each other, lends to so many possibilities. Shanks is very special to Luffy, and when writing this ship it’s with Shanks that I personally find I can explore emotions with Luffy that we don’t usually see much from him, like shyness (as is (and will be) the case with my fic “for i am love-sick” sigh). on the other hand, at this moment Shanks is still quite mysterious, which makes him a very flexible character to work with. I find write explore possible dynamics with them to my hearts content—because shanks and luffy haven’t met yet, anything is possible! so:

🌈✨imagination✨🌈

to explain it a little more broadly: whenever I am creating, when I start thinking in terms of “should,” I find it mostly stifling. I write fanfiction to explore themes and emotions, and when I think in terms of “could” instead of “should” it frees me up to, basically, do whatever I want! as a fanfiction writer, while a lot of what I write about stems from moments in the canon, or are expansions of themes and emotions that are already there, as a creator I very purposefully don’t let my own love for the material I’m working with hold me back. I am already being irreverent toward the source material by making Mr. Oda’s protagonist and his self-insert smooch, etc. why then would I not push myself to my own creative limits and write something, say, like “heart shaped bed”?

as for the other reason: having this attitude helps me be a good member of my fan community. there is a long and repetitive history in fandom writ large of shippers who even ship the same ship arguing over “right” and “wrong” interpretations and ship dynamics, how ships and characters “should” and “shouldn’t” be written. frankly, I hate that shit. I hate how I’ve seen it tear shipping communities and whole fandoms apart. I love shipping shankslu! when I started shipping shankslu, it felt like I was the only one in the world who shipped them. now, three years later, there are more shankslu shippers than ever—I just hit 400 followers on Twitter, which I’m not saying as a brag, I’m saying as in, I never imagined there would be that many people interested in shankslu. we have the server, I get to chat with other shippers—it’s more than I ever dreamed. each one of them are different and they each create their own works with their own visions and interpretations.

I’m not gonna turn around and say to any one of them, “no, you’re doing it wrong. this is how it should be.” you know? like. imagine if I did that.

(and to go back to not letting anything hold me back, whenever other fans try to push their “should” on me, I block them, simple as that.)

it’s not to say I don’t have my preferences while writing and dreaming over shankslu; I personally tend toward headcanons and I usually write fic where they are the type of tender for each other bards have been singing of for centuries, of all the facets of his character I often focus most on Luffy’s emotional intelligence, and whenever I’m writing Shanks I usually write him as a good man or at least a man who wants to and/or is trying to be good. that is just what speaks to me. but I know there are fans out there who are, for example, more into a version of Shanks where he is a bad man, and does not feel bad about not being good, and that’s fine! I live by “lushanks agenda” and some shippers I chat with see Luffy as a fixed bottom, and that’s fine! I often read those works, and whether or not the interpretation is something I would write, I still talk to the fans who make those works about their thoughts and interpretations, and as a fellow fan I support and encourage their creativity. my version of these characters and what I’m writing is not any more important or valid than that which anyone else has.

so yes, to answer your question! I just go with the flow—both when writing out my own works and ideas, and when talking to other shippers about theirs. while i certainly have preferences and enjoy some things over others and have themes and dynamics and characterizations I return to, I leave “should” out of it. and I think I’m a more neighborly fan and a happier and better creator for it.

[starlight-time-machine]

Week in Review

03/02/2024 – 03/09/2024

Sunday

Week 4 of missing Cipher Academy.

So they’ve gone the realistic route with Girl Meets Rock, huh? I can dig it – as a female tenor I can relate to Hatocchi having a more unique voice. I imagine they’ll grab guitar guy to complete their band, which would be interesting because I’ve never really seen a co-ed band for this kind of story. There’s also the possibility that guitar guy will dump the girl he’s currently dating and she’ll quit his band and join this one as some way of getting revenge on him, but I don’t remember what instrument she plays so who knows. Her design was just too distinct to not take note of.

Undead Unluck is peak as always, and I’m excited to see what new developments can come out of this revelation. It’s cute that Top’s new outfit looks so tokusatsu.

It’s so wonderful to see RuriDragon return. Like everyone else, I was compelled by its down-to-earth writing and lovely dimensional inking, so I’ve been patiently waiting for its return for almost two years now. I’m glad to hear that the mangaka is doing better, and that Jump is giving them the space to do things at their own pace. Story-wise, it still feels like we’re just building up to something, so I don’t have much to say yet.

It’s kind of hilarious watching everyone freak out over Oshi no Ko. Personally, I really don’t think they’ll go there, as Oshi no Ko has the tendency to pull its punches when it counts (having Ruby and Kana resolve their fight almost right away, having the guy taking Kana to his apartment be an actually decent person, undercutting most serious moments with a comedic turn, etc), but it’d be funny and interesting if it does.

Dandadan 142: God I love Mai’s stupid big head turtle design so much, and seeing her fight with Turbo Granny is hilarious.

Magilumiere fine.

Chainsaw Man pretty crazy.

One Piece also getting pretty crazy. It’s nice seeing some old friends again, and Luffy’s Looney Tunes antics are fun. I really hope nothing stops Vegapunk’s message, but I wouldn’t put it past Oda to give us something tantalizing before cutting it off prematurely.

Awww it’s so cute to get a prom chapter from SpyFam. I love seeing everyone in formal wear, and it seems we’re about to get some more Damian/Anya development, which I’m always excited for. Also nice to see that Anya does have other boys interested in her as well.

I did some more reading today, and watched Aqours’ Dreamy Concert as I did so. It was pretty cute but nothing special, just them going through the group number hits. There was a funny moment with Aikyan and Rikako in there, though.

Monday

I read Briar’s Book by Tamora Pierce this morning, and was crying by the end of it. The Circle of Magic series is hands down one of my favourite book series of all time, ever since I first picked it up from my local library as a kid. I love the world and its characters with my entire heart, and it’s been such a balm for the soul to revisit the books over the past year. I’d put off reading Briar’s Book, as it was the last in the quartet where the four kids are still together and I couldn’t bear that time coming to an end, but I’ve been craving something good to read so I finally pulled it off my shelf. Even as a kid this was my favourite book, as it featured my favourite character and the interesting challenge of an epidemic (not so interesting now, due to recent years…parts of the books definitely gave me flashbacks). But I loved reading about how Emelan deals with the crisis, especially in the latter half where Briar and Tris work under Crane (it was so cathartic to see Crane begrudgingly admit their usefulness). And the final scene showcasing the strength of the love between the kids and their mentors was the one that made me cry. There’s just so much warmth and love woven into the very foundations of this book series, and I love love love it. The only downside was how the kids were mostly off doing their own thing in this book – I was hoping for some more cute found family scenes of them all together before they go off on their own adventures in the next books, but I guess seeing them on the roof together one last time was enough.

In another “finally finishing the last instalment of a series” moment, I’ve finished watching Kizumonogatari: Reiketsu. It was pretty good – the fight was fantastic and super kinetic, of course, but I also liked Hanekawa trying to pull Araragi back from the brink and Araragi interrogating his own naivety and contradictions. There’s also something there about how relationships form out of hurting one another, and Kiss-shot’s motivations feel complex and understandable. After everything they’ve gone through together, it’s really hard not to ship Araragi and Hanekawa, but I’m also looking forward to seeing Senjougahara and the others again now that I can continue with the anime series. I hate that Kizumonogatari is split up into three parts because giving each part its own rating feels like splitting hairs (which I’ll have to do for Letterboxd…sigh) but as a whole I’d say I’d give Kizumonogatari a 7/10.

Tuesday

Today’s reading is The Fairy-Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley, yet another series from my childhood that I’m revisiting. It has a strong premise – it’s inherently fun to see familiar fairy tale characters in a modern context, and I think the central conflict that the Everafters have with the Grimms is something that is rife for drama and story. The three main kids all have strong personalities that work well off of each other, and I love how Peter Ferguson’s illustrations evoke that classic fairy tale style while also making everyone look slightly unhinged. This first book’s central mystery was simple but effective, with some twists in there to keep things from being too straightforward. I feel like the action scenes needed some work, though, as well as some of the dialogue (“I did that. And then this. Do you understand? So there.”), but it was a decent read. Not as good as something like The Mysterious Benedict Society, but not as rough as The Century Series either.

I watched Aqours’ 6th Live as I read, and watching it so soon after the Dreamy Concert really hammered home how they kind of stopped dropping new singles for the group (until Genjitsu no Yohane…but we’ll get there when we get there). I don’t know, I like their music, but did we really need to hear Koi ni Naritai Aquarium for the fiftieth time… I didn’t expect them to pull out the winter duo trio songs again, though, I’ll give them that. Misty Frosty Love makes me emotional every time…the way that their gazes never line up…the lyrics hinting at a bittersweet regret and inability to be honest with one’s feelings…the YouRiko of it all… At least we got some solo songs for the other legs of this tour, and Aqours Pirates Desire is always hype (the way Shuka looks in that outfit and with that flag…), but man Aqours needs some new songs (and more subunits songs please). OH MY GOD COTTON CANDY EI  EI OH IS SO SDJFKSLDFJKLDSF I love Dia being the doting older sister/manager/back-up dancer in the background, that’s so cute and funny.

Wednesday

Ah

Thursday

Made instant ramen again for DunMesh Thursday, but only because there’s literally nothing left in the house (we’ll go grocery shopping tomorrow). I did add an egg though, because I realized that if I just crack it in and not stir the pot at all, the broth won’t get gloopy. The episode was pretty solid, with another cool moment for my boy Chilchuck, and it was fun to eat ramen while the gang ate pasta. After that was mostly set-up for the upcoming fight, but I like how it feels like a DND party preparing for a boss battle. Kui’s love for Western RPGs is so palpable in this series (unlike the slew of isekai operating on their vague ideas of fantasy, which boil down to “European town with monsters”). It looks like next episode will be the fight, and then episode 12 will be the aftermath, and I appreciate that they’ve lined things up so that the first half of the cour can actually have a climax and denouement.

Finished the last leg of Aqours’ 6th live tour today, and I wasn’t all that enthused. The solo songs were definitely the highlights: MOTTO-ZUTTO be with you was genuinely beautiful, Paradise Chime was so cute and fun (Shuka’s charisma is unmatched), and Meimei Tantei Yohane was INSAAAAAAAAAAAANE AIKYAN IS SOOOOO GOOD it was a good choice for her to become a center for Genjitsu no Yohane…her ability to go from typical anime girl sopranos to a deep dark alto is genuinely insane, she’s such an amazing performer.

Friday

What an absolutely nothing episode of Drag Race. None of the verses were particularly good to me, the Mhi’ya and Morphine beef just feels off-putting to watch, and I couldn’t make myself care about the lead up to the performance. And then the cherry on top was Plane Jane giving her potion to Nymphia in a move that feels like she’s just trying to buy likeability from the audience, only for it to literally not even matter??? At least the stupid chocolate twist had an actual pay-off at the end – in this season, both potions literally ended up being utterly inconsequential. This was such a weird bad episode, and the preview of next week’s challenge doesn’t give me much hope either.

Saturday

Didn’t do much today, but I want to give a shoutout to harmoe announcing their second album because it makes me so excited that I want to explode.

[mtwiind]

@hxzelwallflower asked: from hows my portrayal?

KICKS DOWN YOUR DOOR We follow each other on some of your other OP muses, and you write Kaku true to his character so much that you're practically THE Kaku in this community. Your writing in general is a pleasure to read, and I absalouty adore the verse you have with him being part of Luffy's crew!! <3 It's so rare to see other OP muses, specially those from CP9 being written and I heavily support your silly giraffe man.

exCUSE ME but THE kaku of the community ?? don't you're going to make me blush over here !! i just think that kaku is a neat character and i will pluck him from oda's hands to give him the love and appriciation he needs ! i just never got how he went back to the wg after enies lobby so i decided to take matters into my own hands !

i love kaku being part of the straw hats so much ! he needs the chaos in his life and to learn to unwind and have a GOOD LIFE !!

[ryuuaka713]

Bungou Stray Dogs Dead Apple: “You used corruption, believing in me? How Beautiful.” A “DISSECTION” OF THE SCENE

I mentioned before in one of the posts by @nataliaphantomhivesblog​, where we were discussing about the corruption scenes in BSD, that the scene in Dead Apple is my favorite. So, I decided (like any SKK trash) to make an “analysis” of that scene, just to make a point why I like it the most compared to the other corruption scenes (as if this post is the definition of being productive like I’ll just wasting my time rambling here LOL)

I divided this post into two parts. Part 1 is the more difficult one where I am attempting to write some “character analysis”. While Part 2 is more about how the scene is composed (it’s pretty boring. I’m sorry)

I will NOT include the infamous Lap scene (I know. I know. We all love that moment. But I would rather focus on the scenes before that).

Side note: I do not specialize in film or literary critique, so really this whole post is just for fun. Thus, why I put quotes on the analysis. Take this is as my personal opinion where I’m attempting to make sense by making it sound “fancy”.

But anyway. Here it goes:

In every Corruption scene, the thematic notion is always Trust—as in Chuuya trusts Dazai well enough to use his ability so long as he is present to nullify it. It is a very life-threatening process, especially for Chuuya since Corruption, despite being one of the most powerful abilities, can cause self-destruction the longer he uses it. So, Dazai should keep a close watch on him at all times, and then even giving him a sense of comfort to compensate to Chuuya’s worn-out body and for his efforts. This is the same trajectory in all 5 episodes of Corruption, but out of all of them, what stood out the most (for me) is the scene from Dead Apple. 

This scene has amazed me ever since I first watched the movie. And while it just shows their infinite trust, the whole execution of this scene evokes more than just that thematic concept. What I see in this scene is something that all of us have already witnessed, but there is something unique in the way Dazai nullifies Chuuya’s corruption, and their dialogue may be just them bantering and yet, their tonality is different. It is as if, we just touched a moment that is reserved only for these two and we just happened to have the privilege to witness it. In other words, there is a sort of familiarity (or intimacy) and gentleness going on at this very moment—it is cathartic. This is what I want to look into—like how did we come to this?

PART 1: His Proper Partner.

In the Japanese version, ever since the episode where Chuuya made his first debut, they call themselves “aibou” (相棒), referring to a one-on-one partnership. While “nakama” (仲間)can also refer to a partner, it has a different connotation in which the closest English equivalent of that term would be “comrade” or “acquaintance”. The closest English equivalent of “aibou” is, to no one’s surprise, “partner” (or “pal”). And it makes sense, considering that the first kanji (相) can mean “mutual”, “together”, or “each other”. So, to have Dazai and Chuuya referring to themselves as that, it just manifests their familiarity on each other.

And in their case, their “familiarity” is both their advantage and disadvantage. It is a “disadvantage” because they use it to get on each other’s nerves (both in comedic and serious situations).

However, it also serves to their advantage, especially when they have to cooperate in the battlefield. This comes into light in the Lovecraft Episode where they executed Operation Shame and Toad—Chuuya acknowledges Dazai’s tactical mentality, whereas Dazai (as he referenced Chuuya’s mastery in martial arts) let’s his partner do the grunt work. Interesting enough, this is the same episode we first see Chuuya’s Corruption (but not the first time he uses it).

Using Corruption stipulates that “familiarity”, especially in Dazai’s part who has to be present to monitor Chuuya’s physical state, therefore he is aware, not just the consequence in using Corruption, but also of Chuuya’s limit. This explains why Dazai declares that he is aware of Chuuya’s moves and “breathing pattern”, otherwise, as what he himself says, he “won’t be a proper partner”.

What is witnessed in the Lovecraft Episode is the standard protocol that Soukoku uses when they are at their last resort. So, it is not a surprise that we get to witness Chuuya using Corruption, again, when he saves Dazai in Dead Apple, except it is done differently.

Even though Dazai is ten steps ahead of the enemy, the situation is still risky and even more complicated in Chuuya’s part since he is using his ability WITHOUT Dazai present. And that he has to save Dazai first before he can get it nullified. With that being said, it requires a careful approach, one in which they know the other’s moves—Dazai knows too well how Chuuya would react. For instance, the manga version of Dead Apple demonstrates how Soukoku communicates in their operation using “codes”. As such when Dazai got himself kidnapped, no one knew about his whereabouts until Hirotsu mentions about Dazai buying a microscope (to which it leads them to a dead end). However, Chuuya—upon remembering that Dazai teases that he needs a microscope in order to see him—demands to see that microscope, breaks it, and finds the transmitter. It is a well-planned strategy in Dazai’s part where all it takes is to leave helpful clues for Chuuya to pick up and catalyze the operation. In the Dead Apple movie, he does it again:

Indeed, for the audience, it is not new to see Dazai planning ahead and having ulterior motives behind his actions. It is not new to see Chuuya executing his plans and understands his motives either. But seeing these two working together despite those four years of absence, and without physically communicating is beyond human comprehension. Almost like the microscope scene, Dazai is not there to directly tell him about his plan. Chuuya doesn’t know about the antidote until that punch as his only “clue” is that Dazai is working alone, so he sees that something is amiss.

Seeing the critical state of Yokohama, Chuuya knows that he will use Corruption, but seeing Dazai’s corpse, it gives this uncertainty on whether they can make it out alive or not. And yet, what did Chuuya do? He jumped off the plane and activates his ability, knowing that there is “no time to chicken out” or else Dazai’s plan won’t work, and they’ll end up dead. Even if it means doing the job to protect the city, it still takes guts for Chuuya to work and place his life on someone he “hates”. Despite those 4 years of absence, the scene in Dead Apple just manifests that they never doubt each other’s capabilities. And to further validate this, let’s check out their dialogue:

           Dazai: You used Corruption, believing in me? How beautiful.

           Chuuya: Yeah I did. I believe in your disgusting vitality and craftiness.

           Dazai: That was a somewhat violent way to wake up Snow White.

           Chuuya: Tch. You’re the one who hid an antidote your mouth knowing I would punch you.          

Not only does this scene perfectly parallels to the Lovecraft episode where we see Soukoku bantering while still in a critical situation, it also emphasizes the degree of their trust and how that trust has taken root from their familiarity.

Dazai: You used Corruption, believing in me? How beautiful.

Chuuya: Yeah I did. I believe in your disgusting vitality and craftiness.

Dazai’s first line is the main idea of their partnership, echoing Chuuya’s quote from the Lovecraft episode: “I used Corruption because I trust you”. This is a vital aspect in their relationship since it has been stated before in Fifteen and Stormbringer that “no one has trusted Dazai”… until Chuuya comes into the picture. Ever since their first teamwork against Rimbaud, Dazai finally has someone he can rely on both in strength and assurance, even smiling at the fact that Chuuya doesn’t even deny his proposal but merely asks for his reason.

With that being said, then it is appropriate for Dazai to say that line, touched by the idea that Chuuya still constantly trusts him. It just reminisced so much from what they have as children that it seems to this day, they never forgotten about it.

On the other hand, in Chuuya’s end, he confirms that trust and provides a reason, which is appropriate since Chuuya is Dazai’s “reason-living” like in Fifteen:

Chuuya’s line—“I believe in your disgusting vitality and craftiness”—is very similar in the excerpt from Fifteen, and this just shows how that line from the movie indicates his familiarity to Dazai. By “familiarity”, I mean that he knows his partner’s mental process and motives (as I have mentioned above). In this case, it seems like Chuuya has seen something that he and Dazai have in common: the desire to live. Of course, the latter always craves for death, but with his new viewpoint on Death, his mission in fulfilling Oda’s wish, and the fact that he is tethered to someone who wished to live, Dazai just couldn’t die. And Chuuya, being his constant companion, knows this. This is why Chuuya “believes” that whatever plan Dazai has on mind, it will always work, and in the scenario in Dead Apple it starts by taking a leap into Corruption—which is ironically, the very thing that could kill Chuuya, and by extent, would cause Dazai’s death if the plan is not well-thought or if they don’t work together. By referring to his “vitality and craftiness”, Chuuya is acknowledging his familiarity on Dazai, admitting their “rotten relationship”, and justifying his trust on him.

Dazai: That was a somewhat violent way to wake up Snow White.

Chuuya: Tch. You’re the one who hid an antidote your mouth knowing I would punch you.

Another interesting thing I find in the dialogue is Dazai’s line: “That was a somewhat violent way to wake up Snow White”. Fans think that this is Dazai flirting, where he is implying that he wants to be kissed by Chuuya the same way the prince does to Snow White. For me, I think this little dialogue is more than just fanservice since it makes sense, not only in the context of the movie containing motifs of a “poisoned” apple. I think the reference of the fairytale in this dialogue not only foreshadows his “death”, but it also highlights their dynamic whenever they work together with Dazai acting childish and Chuuya knowing that he is actually being serious (or the fact that he cracks some jokes in most Post-Corruption scenes). This is still related to the whole “familiarity” theme that I have been rambling about; as mentioned before, Dazai and Chuuya would use whatever they know about each other just to rile each other up. These moments are generally meant for comedic effect, but these teasing and bickering can serve as their advantage.

Similar to the microscope scene I have mentioned, Dazai makes that microscope comment seem like a childish joke on the surface, however, Chuuya picks this up as a clue and sees his real motive. This kind of synergy is seen again in the prologue of the movie where Dazai jokes about Chuuya getting hit by bullets when he is in close range of the enemy, and yet, the latter takes it as a warning that an ability-user is nearby. We really don’t know if Dazai leaves a Snow White-related clue for Chuuya before the events in Dead Apple (it would have been pretty cool tho), but that dynamic in the microscope incident and prologue is very similar to that dialogue we see in the movie: Dazai is being playful, but Chuuya sees and calls out his ulterior motives. This is how Soukoku works!

PART 2: The Art of Catharsis

The relationship of Soukoku in the battlefield is one of the best teamwork we have seen in the anime. Both parties are synchronized in the way that Dazai’s brains and No Longer Human, and Chuuya’s fighting skills and Corruption perfectly compliment each other. Moreover, we also see the basis of that partnership, and this is something that the creators want to highlight in this scene (in other words, how did the animators deliver this dynamic?)

In my opinion, I think the words “gentleness” and “cathartic” fit in this scene. To start off, before this moment takes place, we have witnessed Chuuya fighting the Dragon.

That scene was intense! Chuuya activates Corruption, generates into pure destruction with him yelling Dazai’s name (despite the fact that he is not supposed to be in a proper mindset). The way this scene plays out is interesting; in the shot, we see the two main figures (the Dragon and Chuuya) mostly in red—which is a very vibrant color—in contrast to the blue and green background. By using the color that pops out, the attention is on them, and it is topped with the amount of action in that moment. Not to mention, the background music, containing a rock music and a rap, elevates that energy. It is a scene that heightens the adrenaline, so the audience can empathize with Chuuya—understanding him as a character that is full of life, and also his hastiness to kill it before he runs out of time.

When that fight is over, we notice that the music alters into a string orchestra. This is a very good change because the tempo is slower—a direct contrast to the rap music—as if it is slowly bringing the audience down from the hype in the fighting scene the same way Chuuya slowly goes down and hovers Dazai’s body. The music immediately stops right on cue when the punch happens, then the audience is left in silence. Usually in films, silence is used for the purpose of anticipation. In this case, the anticipation is placed on whether Chuuya’s punch and/or the pill worked and saved Dazai.

The transition from the white background into a blue background should indicate that Dazai is alive. And yet, the animators did this subtly rather than showing Dazai’s face (like in Season 1 episode 1), just so the audience is still in the state of anticipation (add that with the white noise in the background). Furthermore, there is a fairytale quality in that shot, like this is similar to when Sleeping Beauty (in this case “Snow White”) wakes up, that’s when the colors in the castle come back.

Getting close to that iconic shot, I love how the animators keep the “camera” in the same place (Chuuya’s face), that way we can further empathize with Chuuya by seeing a close shot of his state: he was at his limit! But as soon as the blood starts moving away from the screen, we can see a bandaged hand moving to his face. And then, finally!

Words cannot describe how much I appreciate the details of that scene, especially on Dazai’s gesture. He moves his hand slowly but quick enough to nullify him right on time. Not to mention, he does not just touch his cheek but rather cups it (look at the shape of his hand!). One can say that the gentleness in Dazai’s gesture is the exact opposite to Chuuya’s punch, and this sort of contrast further highlights the catharsis in this scene. In other words, after all of that intensity with the fight and seeing Chuuya’s bloody state, it is relieving to see that familiar hand touching him, indicating that Chuuya can rest. And seeing that we witnessed and empathize with him, we know what it feels like.

With that being said, that’s why the third shot above where the hand is fully placed on his cheek and he made a short gasp is my personal favorite. It is the contrast in Chuuya’s face where we can still see “Corruption”, and Dazai’s hand to which he activates “No Longer Human”. I have seen some people complaining about how they want to see Dazai’s face in this scene; personally, I think this scene is animated brilliantly as it is. It is only fair to see a close up of Dazai’s hand to indicate that he is nullifying “Corruption”, after all, “No Longer Human” is works through touch. To top it off, the beauty in “not seeing the face” is more powerful because it leaves more to the imagination—we don’t know specifically what kind of face Dazai is making, but the way that hand moves alone is enough to tell us what he is thinking at that moment. And finally, upon contact, we see Chuuya making a slight twitch—this is when Corruption recognizes No Longer Human and deactivates. This is when Chuuya recognizes that familiar touch and knows that his partner is finally awake, so he can finally rest.

Then we have that iconic shot! Like the one I mentioned above, the camera stays in one place, only this time, it is a long shot, so the focus is on them (thus they are on the middle). Interesting enough, there is no background music in this scene, and we can’t see their expressions. Usually, in this anime, when a character is seen faceless, in order to determine what they are thinking are feeling, the animators would usually make them do a gesture or a dialogue.

In this scene, where everything is silent and their faces “unseen”, our focus goes to their exchanges. Both Mamoru and Taniyama use their “bedroom voices”, and I think it is appropriate considering that their dialogue contains a deeper meaning in regards of their relationship. In other words, as mentioned before, it may seem like another day of bantering, but with their tone, there is something sincere and intimate in what they are saying. Also, the playfulness in Dazai’s comment and Chuuya’s response hits different compared to their other moments of constant yelling. You really don’t need the close up of their faces in order to see that they are at peace in each other’s company.

In addition, the color scheme of the scene is predominantly blue, which makes sense, not just because of Dazai’s ability, but also because it highlights the serenity in the scene. The blue color, the orb, and the bandages that glide silently are animated in a way that they buffer out the red that we have seen back with Corruption, and also indicates a sense of “protection” (which is later seen in the lap scene when Dazai has to protect Chuuya from the fog). In short, the ambiance perfectly fits with how Dazai is there to give Chuuya a sense of comfort in Post-Corruption, letting him rest so that he can compensate for all that he did.

**********

The scene in Dead Apple is something that lies in between of the familiar and the new—we have seen Dazai and Chuuya in this situation before, we know how they function as a team, and we know the level of risk they are taking. But this is something that we have never seen before; like subtleness in his gestures, the softness in their tones, and the fact that these two are in a position where they are saving each other, which becomes part of their instincts. They show how much they trust each other by knowing how much they knew of each other. They acknowledge the fact that their fates are tethered regardless of the years of absence. And finally, it is not just the Prince saving Snow White, but rather: the Prince saves Snow White and Snow White saving him in return.

OK, I just literally fried my brain. If you’ve read this far, I thank you so much for your time! I am so sorry if this is too long. I welcome for any critiques or discussions. So yeah, that’s my ted-talk

[nashibirne]

I know...I posted chapter 1 just a few days ago, but when the writing flows, it flows and so I guess it can't hurt to post the next part already. There's not much action in this one and a lot of inner monologues and talking but I hope you still like this and my vision of Lancelot. Let me know what you think! 💜

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From Ashes to Fire - 2

Pairing: Lancelot/The Weeping Monk x ofc (Oda)

Words: ~ 3.7 k

Summary: Lancelot and Squirrel are in need of help because the boy is very sick. They find shelter at a farm and Oda, the woman who lives there, awakens feelings in the Weeping Monk he hasn't known before. (Okay... this summary sucks... it's basically a slow burn with a lot a mutual pining and angst of two characters who know nothing about love...yet)

Chapter 1

My masterlist

Warnings: none, just a little angst, still 18 + for smut in upcoming chapters

UNBETA'ED! English is not my mother tongue, so expect bad grammar, wrong spelling, chaotic punctuation and clumsy language. All mistakes are mine…

Disclaimer/Credits: I don't own anything related to Cursed, pics for the moodboard from Pinterest

So... let's see what Lancelot, Squirrel and Oda are up to...

****************

2

"This is delicious, Oda." Lancelot smiled at her and the compliment seemed to be genuine.

"Thanks. I'm afraid it's not much, just eggs and fried tomatoes…,"

"No, it's perfect. Really."

The way he looked at her made her feel comfortable and uncomfortable at the same time. His eyes had something about them that was special. It wasn't only that they were beautiful, the clear blue of his pupils a stark contrast to the rust-brown shimmering, ashy marks around his lids. It was his gaze that was so intense, giving her the feeling that he wasn't just looking at her but right into her.

When he had entered the house again after his bath just before breakfast, his sight had knocked the wind out of her for a second.

He hadn't worn his cloak anymore, holding it in his hands instead, just the dark grey, suede long-tunic and the black pair of leather trousers, a fact that allowed her to take a closer look at his body. He was tall and slender, his hips narrow, his shoulders broad, but he wasn't beefy. He was not a bull, like many of the men Oda knew - the black smith, the carpenter, the butcher- he was nothing like them, he was more like a muscly, elegant stallion, smooth and wild with a hint of timidity.

His dirty-blonde hair with the pretty ginger strands in it, that had been a mess before, looking like something the cat dragged in, was wet and tied up in a neat bun. Some of his curls hadn't been willing to get tamed, so they were framing his face. And what a gorgeous face it was. Now that it was freed from dirt and dust, she realized how good he looked, how handsome. Way too good for a servant of this strict, merciless Christian God he had prayed to all night long.

"Are you a monk?" Oda asked him now, pointing at his monk's cowl.

His eyes followed her finger and he frowned as if he had to think about it.

"Not anymore," he finally answered.

"But you are Fey. Ash Folk, right?"

Lancelot stared at her. "How do you know that?"

"The marks around your eyes," she shrugged. "When I was a child our father used to tell us tales about the Fey kind. He was a balneator, a healer, and he had all different kinds of patients so he had a lot of stories to tell. I was taught that your people were exterminated."

"Not quite," Lancelot said with a sigh. "We've always been on the edge of extinction but there are still a few of us left."

"I see." Oda smiled at him. "What about Squirrel? He's Fey, too?"

"Sky Folk", he nodded.

"And where are you from? Where are you going?"

"We're from the south and we're going...nowhere actually." He avoided looking at her and it was obvious that he was walking on eggshells, trying to say not too much and not too little.

"You're trying to escape the Red Paladins."

It was a statement, not a question and her eyes turned dark with anger and something else. Bitterness? Sadness?

"Well, you should be safe here. They haven't dared to ply their dreadful, murderous trade in Scotland yet. Our king wouldn't let them anyway."

"You've heard of them? Up here?" Lancelot asked, surprised. He just hoped she hadn't heard of their cold blooded assassin yet. Then again, if she'd know about the Weeping Monk, she would have figured out by now it was him. She was a smart woman, not easy to lead on, he was sure of that.

"Of course I have. Everyone has heard about them and their barbaric deeds in the name of their…," Oda bit her tongue. "I'm sorry. He's your God, too, I assume."

Lancelot cocked his head, giving her a glance she couldn't read but he didn't say anything.

"Your prayers last night," she tried to explain herself, "they were Christian, weren't they?"

He just nodded.

"A Christian Fey?" She shook her head in disbelief, the question mark visible in her moss green eyes.

"I wasn't raised by my own kind. Their God is the only God I know," he shrugged.

"That's a shame."

"Yeah, I guess it is."

An uncomfortable silence unfolded between them and they both ate their breakfast, feeling awkward, staring at their plates. When they were done, Oda cleared the table before putting on her working boots.

"I have to do my chores. Feed the animals, water the plants…"

"Let me help you."

Lancelot got up so fast he banged his knee on the table, swearing internally at his clumsiness.

"No," Oda rejected categorically, shaking her head. "You stay with the boy. Try to get some sleep, you've been awake all night. The bed is big enough for the two of you, at least for a few hours."

"What about you? You need to rest, too." Lancelot looked at her with a frown.

"I'm fine. Just take care of him till I'm back," she said, giving him a nod before stepping outside, leaving him feeling helpless, useless and strangely lonesome.

***

When Lancelot woke up a few hours later, it was already getting dark. He shook his head in confusion and disorientation, wondering where he was, but he soon remembered, when he saw Squirrel sleeping peacefully right beside him. He touched the boy's cheek carefully. It felt hot. Not as hot as yesterday but definitely much warmer than in the morning. He got up slowly, trying not to wake the child and looked around. There was no sign of Oda. The fire in the fireplace was burnt down almost completely, only a small glimmer left, and the air was getting chill.

Where is she? He wondered, worried. He grabbed his cloak and wrapped it around his shoulders before he left the house. When he stepped outside it was raining heavily, big drops falling on the ground, accompanied by a pretty strong wind. He raised his head, looking up into the grey, overcast sky and covered his head with his hood. He turned around to the outbuildings and decided to look for Oda in the stables, maybe she was milking the cows. Unfortunately the only ones looking at him expectantly inside of the little wooden hut were a good dozen of hens, a proud rooster, a chubby goat, a giant carthorse and a pretty cow, that was lying in the straw, ruminating peacefully.

So the barn was his next stop.

He opened the door slowly and it welcomed him with a screeching sound. Inside of the building it was pitch black and it took his eyes a while to get used to the darkness. He took a deep breath, enjoying the herbal scent of fresh hay, before he looked around. He discovered her quickly. Oda was lying on the ground, fast asleep, covered with a thin, olive green, moth-eaten cloth that only covered her upper body because it was so short.

He couldn't help but smile when he saw her, although it made him feel terrible that she had to sleep in the barn instead of her bed just because of him.

Lancelot kneeled down beside her, touching her shoulder to shake her awake gently.

"Oda," he whispered.

When she opened her eyes, she got up with a jolt, backing away from him with extended arms, obviously terrified by the situation.

"Oda," Lancelot repeated, "it's me. It's okay."

It took her just seconds to regain her composure.

"Lancelot," she said with a sigh of relief, "you scared me."

"I'm sorry."

"It's alright, I'm just not used to having anyone around."

She gave him a smile that turned into a shocked expression soon.

"What time is it?"

"Getting dark, almost evening."

"Heavens, I just wanted to take a little nap, I must have slept for hours. I'm so sorry! I have to milk the cow and cook dinner... and what about Squirrel? Is he alright?"

Oda seemed to be all worked up about herself and Lancelot stepped closer to calm her down.

"Hey, hey, just breathe, alright? Everything is fine. Me and the boy spent the day sleeping, too." He touched her arm with a helpless gesture. It was a weak attempt to have a soothing effect on her while giving the impression of confidence at the same time.

In fact he had no idea what to do. He was anything but a comforter and on top of that he absolutely wasn't used to dealing with women. The nuns in the convent didn't really count because they had always been unimportant and kind of asexual to him. Just random sisters, looking all the same in their habits. Oda however was not asexual at all, on the contrary, she was the epitome of femininity, at least in his inexperienced eyes.

"Yeah, you're right. Thanks," she said, briefly covering his hand with hers, giving him the hint of a sensation that felt incredibly good in his guts while his mind told him it was terribly bad.

"So the boy's fine?"

"I think so, but the temperature is rising again. His skin felt hotter than this morning."

"Okay, that's not unusual, I guess," Oda said, tucking a strand of her honey blonde hair behind her ear. "I'm going to take care of the cow quickly and then I'll treat him."

"Will you allow me to help you? Or will you just make me watch you work again, giving me the feeling of being a completely useless nuisance?" Lancelot grinned at her which caused Oda to let out one of her lovely, sparkling laughs.

"You can muck out the stable," she said, returning the grin, slipping a pitchfork into the hand of the baffled, handsome stranger.

***

It took him pretty long to return to the house. Oda had already taken care of Squirrel by changing his sweaty clothes and the compresses, rubbing some more thyme oil onto his meager chest and feeding him a big cup of lime blossom tea and bread with strawberry jam. He hated the former and loved the latter. Now he was sleeping again, which was a good thing because his body needed much rest to heal and deal with the fever.

Oda gave the rabbit stew that was simmering on the fire a stir, completely lost in thought. It was the first moment of quiet since Lancelot and Percival had arrived and she was wondering what to expect from the new situation.

Squirrel would need time to recover. Time and a safe place, it was out of the question that he was ready to travel again anytime soon and of course she would offer him and his friend shelter but she wondered how to do it. The boy needed a bed and there was only one in the house. Maybe she could build sort of a resting place for herself in the attic, but what about the Ash man?

In the long run the bed was too small for him and Squirrel, but she could hardly have him sleep with her in the attic, could she? That would be quite indecent and inappropriate. On the other hand she couldn't make him camp in the barn, it was way too cold at this time of the year, or force him to sleep on the floor in the kitchen or something. He was her guest after all, so this would be very rude and not a bit hospitable. She sighed and decided to shelve the decision for the moment, unable to think straight, which was very unusual for her.

She was just about to go looking for Lancelot, who still hadn't returned, when the door opened and he entered the room.

"What took you so long," she asked, pretending to be annoyed, just a tiny smile playing on her lips.

"Well, there was a lot of muck. I worked as fast as I could," he said defensively, not getting that she was just teasing him.

She raised her eyebrows with a frown, regretting her words and the stupid joke immediately.

"I'm just kidding you...sorry...," she said humbly, offering him a sheepish smile.

"Oh. Yes. Of course...."

Lancelot gave her a nod before taking off his cape, feeling like an idiot.

The fire in the fireplace was burning again and the room was very warm now. Still heated up from the physical work, he started to sweat right away, beads of perspiration appearing on his forehead and of course Oda noticed it.

"It's hot in here, isn't it? Do you want to change? That tunic you're wearing seems to be a little too warm…"

"I don't have anything to change in."

She cocked her head, eying him up and down, seemingly thinking about a solution.

"Wait," she said, leaving the stew, crossing the room to kneel down in front of a large trunk with iron fittings that was standing beside the armchair. She opened the chest, rummaging for something.

"Ha!" She said triumphantly, turning around, showing him a stack of clothes. She got up and placed it on the table in front of him, returning to the stove.

Lancelot took a closer look, unfolding the items one after the other. He found two thin, white linen tunics, two thick, dark brown woolen tunics, undergarments, a pair of trousers and knitted hosiery. He couldn't help but wonder who the things belonged to. Was it possible that she was married? Or a widow, maybe?

As if she was able to read his mind she turned to him. "The clothing belonged to my brother. He left years ago, he won't need it anymore."

"Where is he now."

"I don't know. Somewhere in England I guess."

Lancelot gave her a nod and friendly smile. He would have loved to learn more about her and her family but he really wasn't good at having a conversation like that, always lacking the right questions and answers.

"I'm going to change in the barn," he suggested but Oda stopped him with a wave of her hand.

"You can change in the attic," she said, pointing at a ladder that was leaning against the wall.

"Fine. Thanks."

"Just hurry, dinner's ready."

He turned around to leave but stopped in his tracks then.

"Is Squirrel alright?"

"He is, he ate and drank and asked where you were. He even laughed when he heard what you were doing." Oda flashed him a grin.

"Of course he did. Cheeky little rascal," Lancelot chuckled and it was the first time his face lit up, giving Oda the impression that he was finally starting to relax.

When he climbed up the ladder, her eyes remained on his body and she couldn't help but notice his agility and suppleness.

Oda heard him tinker around above her head while she was serving the stew, which filled the hut with a delicious smell, and she wasn't able to stop her thoughts from wandering out of the kitchen and into the attic. The image of Lancelot slipping off his clothes, revealing his naked, sweaty body was dancing in front of her inner eye although she didn't want it to. Unfortunately it was out of her control and she wondered what the heck was wrong with her.

She never had impure thoughts, not since she'd decided to live her life without a man by her side, as an unmarried woman. Well, hardly ever.

When the blacksmith came to shoe Tiny every few months, she sometimes had very sinful dreams after secretly watching him do his work, half naked, sweating, muscles bulging and flexing in his arms and his back, his big hands swinging the heavy hammer with ease. Those dreams weren't really explicit, it never happened more than touching and kissing. Ridiculously innocent kissing, because she simply didn't know what else could happen. Of course she had seen animals mate but a man and a woman? She wasn't imaginative enough to figure out how that worked in detail. Her imagination was enough to think about the naked Ash man, though.

Blushing, she turned around with vim to put the pot back on the stove, almost dropping it, when she found Lancelot standing right behind her in her brother's linen tunic and the dark grey woolen slacks, so close their bodies were almost touching. Startled, he took a step back, lowering his gaze.

"I'm sorry, Oda. I didn't mean to give you a fright... again..." He took the kettle from her hands prudently, placing it above the fire.

"You didn't," Oda replied, a little embarrassed. "I was just lost in thoughts. Sit down," she ordered and Lancelot obeyed, glancing at his filled bowl hungrily.

"This smells heavenly." He inhaled deeply through the nose, closing his eyes with a sigh. He hadn't had a proper meal since their stop at the Inn almost a week ago.

"Well, eat then," she encouraged him, "before it gets cold."

They enjoyed their meal in silence for a while, exchanging shy glances, both not really sure what to say or talk about, although they were full of questions. It was Lancelot who finally made an attempt to start a conversation.

"This is a really nice house."

"Thank you."

"Pretty big, with the stable and the barn and the garden…"

"Well, I only have a few animals and no fields to cultivate, so it's manageable."

"Yes, of course."

Oda looked at him, taking her courage in both hands to say what she wanted to say.

"Listen, Lancelot, let's not beat around the bush any longer. If you're just half as curious as me, you have a thousand questions and so do I." Oda hesitated briefly before she went on. "So why not speak frankly and just ask what we want to know?"

He frowned, staring at his stew. She was right, he had many questions and he was dying to learn more about her. But he also knew that she'd probably ask him questions he wouldn't want to answer. Questions that would make him tell her lies or at least not the whole truth. While he was still considering his decision, Oda misinterpreted his silence as agreement.

"Fine, I'll start," she beamed at him, looking very pretty in the soft candlelight.

"Why does a former monk wear a sword and why are you not a monk anymore?"

That caught him off guard. He involuntarily glanced at his weapon, which had been standing in the corner behind the door since they'd arrived 24 hours ago, thoroughly choosing his words.

"I had to fight in some battles and I like being able to defend myself."

"Battles? In the name of your God?"

"Yes," Lancelot confirmed, "and somehow in one of those battles I lost my faith."

"I see," Oda mumbled. "Your turn."

"Why do you live here all on your own?"

"Well, because nobody's left. I used to live here with my father and my brother. My brother left, my father died."

"What about your mother?"

"She died when I was a little girl."

"And you're not married or something?"

"Or something?" Oda echoed amused.

"You know, engaged or widowed…"

"No, I'm not."

"So you run the farm all alone?"

"No, I keep a farmhand hidden in the barn. The lad does all the work and serves me as a secret lover." Oda said in deadly earnest.

Lancelot stared at her, shocked and at a loss for words.

"Oh," was all he was able to utter, staring at his hands that were fumbling with a piece of bread. The pictures that his rotten mind produced immediately, pictures of her and a man united in sin, naked, dirty, the lucky guy's hands on her lush curves, in her beautiful hair, made his whole body tingle although he knew it was wrong. It was really strange but Oda stroke a chord with him, that was completely new, confusing him in a way he liked and detested just as much.

The warm sound of Oda's laughter made him look up again. She was cackling, holding her belly, tears of laughter visible in her eyes. She had obviously pulled his leg and Lancelot couldn't help but grin, half amused by her joke, half embarrassed about his own gullibility.

"Very funny," he chuckled with a frown, trying to pretend a bit of irritation.

"Indeed," Oda answered out of breath, still roaring with laughter, unaware that the bubbly sound resonated deep within the monk's belly. "You should see your face. You really believed me?"

He grinned, shaking his head with a laugh.

"I don't know much about heathen women from the north and what they're capable of, so yes, I didn't rule out the possibility that you'd do something like this."

"But you know much about Christian women?" She gave him a wink, feeling a little giddy all of the sudden.

"Not really," he admitted, averting his eyes.

The sheepish look on his face and the shy blush that coloured his cheeks light pink did strange things to Oda, arousing feelings she'd never felt before. She cleared her throat, irritated by the sensation, self-consciousness getting the better of her.

"Any other questions?" Oda wanted to know, her sudden insecurity showing in her voice.

Lancelot leaned back, looking at her narrowly. He wasn't willing to leave the impression that he was an insecure fool because he wasn't. He was feared, he was powerful, he was confident and he really had no clue why he acted like a shy, clumsy puppy in Oda's presence again and again. He had to steer this conversation in the right direction to get back on to harmless ground. Think, he told himself. Think of a good question, make her sweat a little. Show her that you have the upper hand.

"Will you hide me in the barn, letting me sleep in the cold, making me your...lad and secret lover?" He gave her a smirk and her reaction was pretty much what he'd hoped for. She cringed, the color draining from her face before she blushed furiously.

"Of course not...I told you I was just joking…I'd never, I mean you wouldn't...," Oda stammered, unsettled and embarrassed, but she recovered quickly, trying to answer his impudent question with as much dignity as possible.

"You are free to go whenever you want but as long as you stay you can sleep in the attic and you can be sure I won't pester you."

"Alright, that's good to know. The attic looked quite cozy, so thanks, I guess." Lancelot grinned. "Your turn."

Oda looked him right in the eyes now, jutting her chin defiantly, standing her ground. He might have irritated her but he was not going to make her back down.

"How did you meet Squirrel? What is he to you?"

Lancelot opened his mouth to answer her, but before he was able to say something, a hoarse voice came from the bed, interrupting him.

"He saved my life," Percival said, nodding determinedly, leaning over the edge of the bed to look at them. "Lancelot fought the Trinity guard for me, he almost died. He's a hero and I'm his squire."

*********

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[sanjiafsincedayone]

Why SaNa over other ships?

Now, this is not to hate on other ships or downplay them, because what shipping really comes down to is often simply preference. What characters or dynamics you enjoy and what reasons you might have for liking different things. 

No, this is simply my own reasons for why I like SaNa and also why I think they could make sense and thirdly why it’s possible Oda could be setting it up to actually happen in canon. It’s all just my views and I apologize if I forget a moment or add something that is more head canon, but again, this is my reasons and they will always be partially biased. (And there are too many to remember them all properly, so if you want to add feel welcome to do so.)

I think Sanji and Nami is a lovely ship even based just on fan content and the community. But we also get some great moments in the manga, and I personally think there is potential for Oda to make an actual romance work between them.

1. Why I like Sanji and Nami

I personally fell in love with Sanji before I even started to watch or read One Piece, simply based on his voice actor (Hiroaki Hirata), his design and his fighting style. So obviously I already have a bias towards Sanji (SanjiAFsincedayone having a bias towards Sanji? Who knew?). I didn’t ship Sanji with Nami from the start and even now I am a multi shipper who enjoys fan content with Sanji as a main part of several pairs, most prominently ZoSan.

So, when did I fall for SaNa then? Well, I have talked about it in various posts before which you can find in my Masterpost - SanjiAFsincedayone, but for me shipping Sanji and Nami more seriously didn’t start until Thriller Bark. 

Sanji took a knife in the back for her as she is dressed in a wedding dress, even this one scene is enough to explain why someone might like to ship them together.

I for sure saw many SaNa moments before that, and felt Nami seemed special to Sanji, but I didn’t think it would have a big chance of happening and I preferred other ships above it when consuming fan material. Again, shipping is after all mostly fantasy and wanting more of something in a romantic/sexual way. Thriller Bark was when Sanji and Nami’s interactions caught my attention properly and I started to look a bit closer and actually note the way Oda wrote them and their moments. Going back after and rereading I think there is a lot of interesting things even before that. But the wedding theme and bridal carry and how Oda showed them in Thriller Bark was just too on the nose to ignore.

What got me into shipping Sanji with Nami were mainly three things. 

1. Their dynamics getting more interesting over time and Sanji and Nami being two of the most well written and interesting characters in One Piece. 2. Sanji consistently seeming to have a preference for Nami in combination with my belief that he is after true love and isn’t just a pervert forever doomed to be alone. 3.  The manga showing the potential of it actually happening and them finally catching my attention in Thriller Bark. Basically there are moments to follow and look at in the actual story as well, which in turn also leads to more fan content and material for shippers.

So point 1 and 2 really is mostly about my preference and how much I enjoy watching them together and how well I imagine they would fit together. I think their personalities and desires overlap well with them being able to understand and compromise for each other while aslo being on a similar level of intelligence and communication. They also have their kindness and empathy as a highlighted shared theme for their characters.

Them talking about the Children in Punk Hazard or Sanji helping Nami turn in the argument between both Luffy and Vivi and Luffy and Usopp are some examples. Or Nami letting Sanji smoke in her body because she knows how hard it is for him. Small gestures like this show both understanding and a willingness to compromise.

I think they are fun and have a relationship that right now might need working on, but it’s clear how much they care for each other and how they actually appriciate each other a lot.

Simply put I think they are interesting together and I think they could work as a romantic couple in the future, where their dreams and family oriented views migh allign. Again, from how I view them as characters and interpret their wants and possible futures I think Sanji and Nami is a good match. They can have a restaurant either traveling the world or docked close to both Cocoyashi and Zeff, Nami can tend to her mikans together with Sanji and they can manage a restaurant for a living. I also think they are the most parental members in the crew and has shown some possible signs of wanting to settle down with families. This would also work well as a final contrast to their less than happy childhoods (You might also want to check out my post (Part 3) Sanji x Nami hints - Thematic parallels).

There is a lot of potential in their dynamics and how different they seem while they also seem willing to adapt and try to understand each other that make them interesting as characters of romantic plots. At the same time they have enough in common to relate to each other and work well together. Again, as a fictional ship within the fandom there is a lot of great artists, writers etc. that truly explore them and make Sanji and Nami a great and fun ship with an active fandom to engage with.

Of course there are more shallow reasons like them matching in age and being good-looking but really I could ship Sanji with almost any woman if it was only about the looks. I mean, Purin is basically made to be a perfect match for Sanji, but I personally find his dynamic with Nami much more interesting and his dedication to Nami is of course unpraralleled thanks to the time Oda has spent on them over many years.

I love Sanji and Nami as individual characters and with the amount of moments between them there is also a lot to explore and enjoy in the manga. It makes them interesting in a third aspect for me, which is of course analysis and the potential of them actually ending up together and looking closer at the way Oda writes them from a story perspective. For me what we have gotten from Oda in terms of Sanji x Nami moments is very interesting and I see potential there even though it would need more development to truly work for the current story.

But, again shipping doesn’t have to mean anything for the actual story... There are crack ships or slash ships that surely will never happen but that could still be great and fun to explore for the fans. Honestly, everyone is free to ship whatever they want. We all have different taste after all.

So, what about the manga then? 

2. Why do I think they could make sense as a romantic couple even in canon?

First, my own view is that Sanji is someone who seeks true love, and as briefly shown with both Violet and Purin it seems like he would take an actual relationship seriously if given the chance. I also think it would make him happy and thus as Oda might want to create happy resolutions for the strawhats I think Sanji ending up with someone has quite a big chance of happening. This is combination with his preference for Nami and in turn Nami truly caring for him (though not yet in a romantic way) is something that makes me think it could happen. Other ships have potential too depending on how Oda decides to develop them, but considering how he keeps adding moments for SaNa in the way he does as of now I still think SaNa is the most likely ship for Sanji.

As I mentioned earlier I also think Nami has shown some possible inclinations for wanting a family (or at least being a great mother if we look at her with children in many arc, not the least Punk Hazard) and maybe even getting married eventually. 

If she ends up with someone we will need to see a more obvious attraction and want for romance from her no matter what ship we might consider. She has at this point not shown a lot, but I do think the thematic parallels she shares with Sanji in combination with how their moments are written has the potential to grow into something more. 

As a romantic pair I think Sanji and Nami would be happy, he would adore her and take care of her and both of them would probably find that ideal. In fact it’s already a big part of their dynamics and seem to make them both happy. They also seem to try to understand and show interest in knowing each other as seen with several scenes and general attention towards each other’s backstories. They also challange each other in different ways and we have seen them compromise a few times. I think compared to many other relationship in the manga Oda has shown more personal moments between them. So a romantic additional aspect is not too far off. Not that Oda would make it happen now, but that he would lay down the groundwork for it to work by the end of the series.

In short I think they would make each other happy, but also challange and grow thanks to the other. I think their dreams of traveling the world with Nami drawing her map and Sanji cooking on all the seas and finding All Blue and then settiling down together close to both their “homes” in East Blue with a restaurant and family seems to fit them both. It wouldn’t always be easy, but I think they would actually enjoy their dynamics with Nami bossing Sanji around most of the time.

Now this all sounds nice and all, but it’s of course just my imagination based on biased interpretations of the manga. So where do I get it from?

3. The way SaNa is portrayed by Oda

Now this is really the biggest point... Because again, I can ship whatever characters I want and it is just for fun. It doesn’t have to happen for me to enjoy it or I wouldn’t ship Sanji with Zoro. But with Sanji and Nami there are legit reasons in addition to my preference that makes me think it could happen in the manga.

It might take years to actually go through it all in order with my additional interpretations, but I will try to go through the basics themes and moments that to me could indicate SaNa over any other Sanji or Namji ship.

I think the obvious thing to talk about first is simply how Sanji definitely has a romantic (and sexual) interest in Nami. No matter what other character you might see with either of them, this has been shown consistantly over the whole manga. You may argue that Sanji might be interested in others equally, and though I wouldn’t agree it’s a fair point. However from a story perspective it would still need to be resolved. It’s highly unlikely for Nami to end up with anyone unless Sanji ends up with someone else and gets a happy ending too.

As for Sanji’s interest in Nami I personally think Oda has paid a lot of attention to it in a way that makes it the most likely ship for Sanji. He might yet add moments between other ships and develop them (most notably San/Pu of course), but in my opinion the way Oda has added Nami in other potential romantic moments with Sanji it seems Nami is above every other woman so far.

Most importantly I think we have seen: 

Sanji leave Violet who actually seemed to show interest in him to run off to save Nami (and the crew, but the point is that Oda chose to highlight and add this moment with focus on Nami to begin with).

Sanji being more focused on Nami even when Vivi and Robin has been on the ship or at the same place. Oda definitely puts Sanji with Nami above other women at least in amount of moments and involvment.

Sanji being very concerned with Nami in front of Purin and being shown happy with her (the bridal carry for example) and saying he loves her right in front of Purin.

Sanji having stronger reactions to Nami than other women. This could just be my way of seeing it, but I do think we have seen the strongest reactions from Sanji when it comes to Nami. Not the least with turning into a literal devil when he heard she was kidnapped by Absalom. For example compare Sanji rushing after Nami in both Skypiea and Thriller Bark even to him going after Robin. Or his reaction to Nami getting sick in Drum. We simply have a lot of strong reactions from Sanji towards Nami in different ways and more importantly Oda seeming to add focus on them. 

We also have him reacting to things like “women’s tears” or calls but only indicating Nami might be calling him personally. For example Sanji hearing Tashigi cry or saying he trusts Violet or Robin even though they are lying but for Nami adding things like “I think I heard Nami call out for me” or moments like “I leave my Nami to you”. Basically the way Oda writes it there often seems to be added a more personal stake in Sanji’s reactions and moments with Nami compared to with other women.

So from Sanji’s point of view, and the way Oda has written them so far, I think he puts Nami above every other woman. But more importantly, Oda shows us moments between them that he doesn’t add for other ships as consistantly or in romantic looking ways. Keep in mind that both Nami and Sanji are main characters, but they are not Luffy. Oda choosing to not use Luffy (who will obviously have strong moments with all of his nakama, like how he had his own time with Sanji both in Baratie and WCI) for some of these moments but rather insert Sanji or Nami instead for each other’s stories makes it more relevant. Because it’s not an obvious choice in the same way. It’s a choice based on their characters and dynamics within the world, not because of their roles as main hero or heroine. Here are some examples.

1. Their first meeting. Sanji is for the first time seen in love cook mode and he basically seem ready to leave everything behind for Nami. Right away his reaction to Nami is stronger than what we have seen from him and it seems to hold true even with time.

2. SaNa having interest and plot relevance to each other’s back stories. Sanji getting involved with hearing Nami’s back story and saving his sister.  Also, calling her “sister” which indicates a platonic familiarity where he puts Nami above Nojiko romantically (yes, despite flirting some with her). Nami in turn also getting involved and showing interest in Sanji’s backstory, pushing to go with Luffy to save Sanji and being the one to remind us of Sanji’s past and character traits.

3. Sanji getting personally tantalized by using Nami. This has happened several times, the first with Kuroobi in Arlong Park, but also with Mr. 2 in Alabasta, Absalom in Thriller Bark and then in Fishman Island (Zou too, but that wasn’t just Nami) and on Zou. You can check my post (thought not updated fully) Sanji and Nami – Fights and danger for a more detailed view. (Even in movies like Strong World Sanji has a direct talk with Shiki about Nami and it seems most people are aware of Sanji being extra sensitive to Nami.)

4. Sanji asking Nami if she is jealous or if she loves him, indicating again that he is interested to know is she is interested in him. Once even responding “I love you too”. In general Nami responding in these situations in a more “positive way” or Oda showing Sanji interpreting her actions as more romantic. For example the “proposal” or the hug in WCI.

5. Romantic looking moments or themes. Now this is of couse not something that has been done mutually between them and thus aren’t actually romantic scenes. But the tropes and common use for many of the things that Oda has chosen to use for Sanji and Nami are romantic in nature. Of course the two forced marriages are the strongest examples with them rescuing each other from getting married to someone else. But we also have the switch body trope, the slap and of course smaller gestures like the bridal carries or the way Oda drew the hug between them in WCI. I am not saying that SaNa is the only ship with romantic looking moments, because San/Pu And San/Violet obviously has some as well. However, considering the amount SaNa moments and the fact that he has left Violet and Purin in particular for Nami seems to make the SaNa moments trump any other ship. At least for me personally SaNa as it is now and as Oda has portrayed it in comparison to other Sanji ships gets in the way of Sanji ending up with someone else unless Oda starts to make some changes.

I want to make some emphasis on how Nami and Sanji seem to get some “bigger” moments between them in almost every arc. Again, compare this to Sanji with other women, or even Nami with other crew members.

Baratie - Their first meeting and Sanji’s reaction to Nami and interest gets focus. Arlong Park - Sanji shows interest in Nami’s past and Kuroobi mocks Sanji by specfically mentioning Nami. ( Loguetown Arc, Reverse Mountain Arc, Whiskey Peak Arc and Little Garden mostly have small moments, like Sanji asking if Nami is jealous or Sanji giving Nami his jacket.) Drum Island - Nami is sick and we see Sanji worry and care for her and in the end even sacrificing himself for her. Nami worries about him too. Alabasta - Sanji fighting Mr. 2 looking like Nami and lots of small moments like Sanji asking Nami if she loves him.

Jaya - Nami showing interest in Sanji’s back story. Small things like Nami hiding for the bugs behind Sanji or Sanji. Skypiea - Sanji being hell-bent of saving Nami and making the others look for her. Then him saving Nami and Usopp from Enel and Nami being worried in return. (Both times Sanji gets hit by Enel Nami is there and worries.) Then a lot of small moments like him giving her a flower and Nami pulling Sanji’s ear for flirting with Conis. Long Ring Long Land - Nami encourage Sanji be the ball and win, but mostly small moments like Sanji getting annoyed with Aokiji for flirting with Nami or him sitting next to her and trying to kiss her. Water 7 - Sanji leaving his love letter to Nami and Nami being worried for (and impressed with) Sanji. Enies Lobby - Sanji losing against a woman, Nami being understanding and then stepping in to basically revenge him. Also Sanji hearing it as Nami loving him and then him showing up to save Nami and Usopp from Jyabura.

Post-Enies Lobby - Not much, but Sanji stepping in to make Nami and Zoro stop fighting and make Nami understand Zoro’s pov. Thriller Bark - Sanji just being extremely focused on Nami and worried about her throughout the whole arc. Also him getting specifically selected by Luffy to save Nami. Of course the wedding theme with the bridal carry and Sanji’s reaction to Nami. Also Sanji’s Zombie protecting Nami (and later kicking Robin) and his “obsession with Nami” being mentioned. Sabaody Archipelago - Another smaller arc, but we do get Nami worried about Sanji possibly drowning. And smaller moments like Sanji being angry for Nami being put in danger by the Fishman Riders or him telling Franky to take care of Nami as he runs to protect Zoro. When they return we of course also get the nosebleeds, and Sanji daydreaming about Nami’s development.

Fishman Island - Sanji’s reaction to Jinbei and Arlong. Also the fishmen pointing out that Nami might be their weakness due to Sanji’s “over reaction“ to her falling. Punk Hazard - The body swtich, Sanji’s body saving Nami and Sanji being careful with not hurting her etc. Also them working together to save the children, Sanji listening to Nami’s request and saying he loves her more because of her kindness. Also small things like Sanji giving his jacket to Nami again. Dressrosa - Sanji leaving Violet behind to save Nami, insisting that he should be the one to save her and then him getting attacked by Doflamingo and Nami getting worried and not wanting to leave him. Sanji basically tries to sacrifice himself for Nami for the 4th time (Drum, Skypiea x2, also maybe in Thriller Bark). Zou - We get a lot of focus on Nami and Sanji together, and then of course when Sanji is gone Nami is the driving force for his plot. Once again Nami is also used to taunt Sanji (inside Capone). Then Nami is both the one to mention Sanji being from North Blue and to listen to Pekom’s talk about his family. Not to mention her insisting on going with Luffy to WCI and having a fight with Zoro as she defends Sanji. Whole Cake Island - The way she pushes for them to find Sanji, her hapiness when they find him and her hurt and the slap. We even get something like Nami being tantalized with Sanji by both Purin and Brulee. The only strawhat besides Luffy who gets a personal story thread with Sanji and a personal resolution for their conflict is Nami. The tension seems personal and combined with Sanji having another love interest but choosing Nami above her it does seem like Nami is the more natural choice both for Sanji and for Oda. 

There is also a distinct increase in romantic-looking moments between them, with them touching more than ever before.

Wano - Even after WCI it doesn’t seem like Oda is stopping the SaNa moments. Sanji manages to save and carry Nami three times in the beginning of Wano. On top of that we have the bath scene and of course a lot of small moments and mentions between them like Sanji asking Usopp to take care of “My Nami-san” or Sanji jumping in abobe Nami to save her from arrows. 

How many times have we had Sanji be the one to go after Nami or save her? By his own choice, by being the one present or even by Luffy asking Sanji to go. Oda puts Sanji next to Nami a lot, and I think it’s possible he might be doing it for a reason.

Who knows what we might get, but the fact that we have as much as we do really seems to show Oda having a preference to put them together in various ways.

The point is they have a lot of time and moments dedicated to them from Oda despite them both being secondary characters. At this point it’s possible Sanji is the person Nami has moments with the most in the story besides Luffy (and perhaps Usopp) as they often end up together. Of course this is including them thinking about and talking about each other as well, and not just direct interacting. For example counting the body switch and Nami being worried and focused on Sanji while on Zou. Oda doesn’t have to, but he has chosen to write it like this. On top of that he adds romantic interest from Sanji and romantic looking moments between them.

I could go on, and there are plenty of moments and examples to find between Nami and Sanji that are interesting to look a bit deeper at. You can check out my Masterpost - SanjiAFsincedayone for some of them. But as it is now here are the main points for why I think SaNa at least has a bigger chance to happen than other ships with the two of them as it is now.

One-sided attraction and romantic interest from Sanji’s side that needs to be resolved in one way or another.

Nami seems special to Sanji. Even small things like only using -san for her and -chan for others is a detail that makes her stand out to him.

Great involvement in each other’s stories. Oda likes adding Sanji and Nami in moments together both for interaction and explenation about each other. For example Sanji is also often used to save Nami.

Interactions of understanding and changing dynamics between the two, like them compromising for each other or wanting to know about the other’s past. Matching personalities and a possible future.

Romantic themes and moments, mainly the weddings, but also the amount of times Sanji has saved Nami and things like the hug being drawn in a very romantic looking way with Nami being more focused on.

Tension and urgency. This is basically Sanji and Nami having a lot of focus on each other in dire situations and Oda showing it with specific mentions.

So, to summarize, I like Sanji and Nami both as indvidual characters and together. I enjoy them as a ship and to explore their dynamics in a romantic way no matter what they might end up as in the story. Anyone should be able to respect that people have different preferences. Additionally I think and speculate that they would work well and could happen in the manga as well. This is obviously a biased interpretation and opinion. 

I might be wrong, but you should be able to respect that too as we have yet to get anything objectivly confirming any ship. We don’t know if any ship with end up canon at all. Maybe Sanji and Nami will remain a ship that never becomes canon, but even so they are a ship that is definitely worth enjoying.

I hope you found this post interesting and can enjoy your own ship and fandom while also seeing that it’s ok for others to like something different than you. Thanks for reading.

[kaizokuou-ni-naru]

The Voyage So Far: East Blue (Part One)

east blue (1 | 2) || alabasta (1 | 2) || skypiea || water 7 || enies lobby  || thriller bark || paramount war (1 | 2) || fishman island || punk hazard || dressrosa (1 | 2) || whole cake island || wano (1 | 2)

so!! hey folks. as i’ve mentioned before, to mark the upcoming chapter 1000 (holy shit!!) as well as my blog’s first anniversary this december, i decided it would be a good time to go back and put together some highlight reel posts of my favorite panels/moments/scenes from each saga and some commentary about what i think the best parts of each arc and the series as a whole are and why, as a celebration of just how far one piece has come and how many fantastic moments we've had so far! 

this will be quite a series of rather long posts- they’ll all be tagged #the voyage so far, if you’d like to avoid this messy retrospective. i'll be posting one saga a day each day until chapter 1000's official release on january 3rd!

honestly, i’m opening with this panel because it has a special place in my heart: i’m pretty sure it was the first time that one piece ever made me laugh. 

the entire prologue does a really good job of setting up the tone for the entire rest of the story. i think i haven’t really written much about it before, but i really love romance dawn. it hits the exact mix of humorous and serious that’s practically one piece’s trademark tone, and introduces us to some of the main themes of the series: inherited will especially, and the theme of freedom, and the idea of betting your life for what you love. 

technically this isn’t the first time we see luffy as an adult- he punches out the sea king before this- but it is his formal introduction, as well as (in the chapter title) the first time he’s referred to as strawhat luffy/mugiwara no luffy. 

i really like a lot of these very early panels of luffy, really. i’m a writing person, not an art person, so i can’t really explain why, but there’s something about how he’s drawn that i think is just delightful for some reason. i like the earlier one piece art a whole lot in general, even though it’s often much less intricate and more simple than the current artstyle (which is not by any means bad either!! it’s just different). i think it fits the atmosphere of the start of the story very well- a journey just starting out. 

he’s going to be pirate king!!

i’ve complained before about how zoro’s backstory doesn’t really hit the way a lot of the others do, mostly because it goes so fast, and kuina’s death is unfortunately the closest the series comes to fridging, but- that said, i do really like the core of it. i really like zoro being motivated by a promise to the one friend and rival he could never beat, and i love how this moment is what he cites later on while facing mihawk: a promise to a friend. 

i love all the strawhats and their dynamics, and seeing the crew grow and develop and become a family over the course of hundreds of chapters is one of the great joys of one piece, but i think i’ll always have a soft spot for luffy and zoro’s relationship. there’s never really any conflict between them after their very first meeting; there’s loyalty and dedication and understanding there that starts from this moment and never really wavers.

it makes me grin to see the two of them, here at the start of it all. they don’t have a flag or a ship or a destination, yet, but this is the start of the strawhat pirates.

this series will probably reveal that i have a great weakness for group shots, and i think oda is particularly good at them- especially in these earlier arcs, you can usually see every character’s personality and feelings coming through in how they’re placed and what they’re doing. 

i had actually forgotten that usopp did this, and while i know kuro was egging him on on purpose, i feel like he doesn’t get enough credit for being a reckless idiot sometimes. there’s a reason he fits in as a strawhat, after all, even if he himself isn’t always aware of it. 

this is a lovely panel just on its own, but i think it (and all the other appearances of sunrise and dawn in the story) hits different now, with all the 'coming dawn’ theming that’s been established in recent arcs. 

oda often absolutely nails his use of negative space to emphasize heavy little moments like this, and i for one absolutely love it. this one in particular gets me in the heart. 

i like how you can reread some of these early arcs and see nami’s affection for the crew growing in little moments like these, and it’s very sweet, but there’s also a quiet kind of sadness in knowing she’s spending the whole time knowing she’s going to have to betray and leave them eventually. 

i LOVE the new crewmate toasts. they all always look so happy.

also, in my opinion, this is the first time the strawhat pirates feel like a proper crew. they have a SHIP now! and just after this, they get their jolly roger to seal the deal. 

it is my opinion that sanji has one of the best character introductions i’ve ever seen. in just a few chapters we know just about everything we need to know about him: he's not to be fucked with, he has extremely high respect for food and absolutely none for morons, and the first genuine smile we see from him is when he gives a free meal to a starving man. 

i think about this moment a lot, really. luffy knows almost nothing about sanji at this point. he hasn’t tasted his food- he doesn’t even know his name. but he’s seen sanji give free food to gin for no other reason than that he’s hungry and it’s right, and that’s all it takes for luffy to decide that sanji is gonna be his cook. 

baratie is mostly a serious arc (and leads into the even more serious arlong park), but it has some really good funny moments towards the start and this is one of them. you know they’re friends because they all just start roasting luffy without sympathy or hesitation. 

i’ve mentioned before that the zoro and mihawk fight was one of the big things that hooked me on one piece (the other being sanji’s backstory), but the way it ends, especially, is one of my favorite moments in the whole series. i love,, strawhat loyalty moments. carve “any complaints, pirate king?” on my fucking grave. 

sanji has a lot of really great action panels in this arc, but this is one of my favorites mostly because his combat abilities are being revealed to the audience at the same time they’re revealed to a lot of the characters watching. i can’t remember who pointed it out but sanji’s character design (especially pre-timeskip) just really looks like he’s designed for kicking- shiny black shoes, about 70% leg- and it really shows in panels like this. 

sanji and zeff’s chronic inability to communicate is kind of the emotional core of baratie, and i think sanji calling the restaurant zeff’s treasure sums up the entire conflict between them very neatly. of course zeff values sanji way more than the restaurant, but zeff will never tell that to his face and sanji has negative zero self-worth so he’s never going to figure it out on his own. so they’re basically in a stalemate. 

sanji’s backstory is absolutely brutal. we spend a truly agonizing amount of time literally just watching him slowly starve to death. it’s no secret that oda is really amazing at backstories, but i think sanji’s is probably one of the most effective at driving home exactly where his very specific mindset as an adult comes from. it’s hard to even read this section and not come away with at least a little more appreciation for food. 

(to be continued in east blue part two!)

[muselexum]

I’ve been sitting with these thoughts for close to a week now and I’ve not been able to reconcile the recent issues I’ve been having with the manga. I want to preface this by saying that I truly love One Piece and want to keep loving One Piece, and considering how much of my life I’ve invested into it I will most likely see it through to the end regardless of what happens. I also want to say that if readers love these plot developments then more power to you! I’m not saying any of this in an attempt to change your mind or anything. I’m happy that people can love and find joy in this. I wish I could!

I’m not looking for an argument, rather I’ve had these thoughts in my head and I wanted to write them out so I could better understand why these recent developments haven’t sat right with me. I also want to place a disclaimer that my thoughts aren’t necessarily “correct” and it could be completely on me for interpreting the themes and values the story was presenting wrong.

The core of the issue for me comes down to trying to sell the idea that Luffy can both be free and have free will, but also be the central hero to a destiny that was laid out for him before he was even born. His destiny began 800 years ago, and “evaded the government” for all those years, until it landed right in front of him in the form of a devil fruit that chose him when he was a child.

There is more than enough contextual evidence in the manga to say that Luffy was/would be inheriting Joyboy’s will. I never had a problem with this concept in and of itself. Inherited will is a beautiful concept and one of my favourite ideas presented in the manga. What I loved most about it was that anyone could inherit a will if they chose to do so. Confusing inherited will, which requires the autonomy and desire to do so, with a fated life path is a mistake in my opinion. They are not the same thing. You can’t say that Luffy is doing things of his own choice while also having his character fall in line with a destiny he had no part in, right down to his straw hat, his devil fruit, and his core reason for living (freedom). Can you really be free, if your destiny is freedom? If Oda explores and acknowledges this paradox he’s presenting, then I think I could accept it as an interesting concept rather than a thematic flaw he’s created.

The following changes to the story, the World Government, Joyboy, and Luffy’s devil fruit all occur during Wano. Before Wano, there was no indication that a change to these things was on the horizon. The earliest you could place some of these foundations could be the Dressrosa arc, possibly. I am willing to believe that Imu was a concept since then, and that was the secret Doflamingo had over the WG and would also tie into his knowledge of the eternal life surgery. The Straw Hat:

What was once a special item on it’s own, for some reason had to be tied to Joyboy and the Void Century. The Straw Hat was no longer a simple, but special token of inherited will from Roger, to Shanks, to Luffy, but now a hidden symbol from the Void Century. What was once a reminder of Luffy’s drive to become Pirate King (HIS dream) is now a part of some greater Straw hat-wearing-Joyboy conspiracy against the World Government.

This next part is speculative but I still want to explain the potential issues I’m seeing. I will talk about the Nika fruit more in another section, but how these recent changes retroactively effect the meaning behind Shanks’ actions is sad. Yes, Shanks cared about Luffy, but now there is a certain undertone to his actions rather than just truly believing in a kid he stumbled across. Luffy needed to be saved. Luffy needed to be bet on. It is being presented that Shanks targeted and stole that fruit specifically. We don’t know his exact reasons yet, but he was raised on Roger’s ship, is probably very aware of what’s on Laughtale and the lost history, and now with all of this coming together we can assume Roger’s parting words with him was related to the actions he’s been taking the past couple of decades. Shanks went out of his way to steal this fruit, most likely due to its importance in the greater plan, and as it’s presented right now, probably wanted to find where Ace was in Goa Kingdom so he could feed it to him.

And then Luffy ate it. So then, well shit. He’s still got the D. initial though, so betting on him could still work! Here kid, take this hat. You’re not Roger’s kid, but you said the same thing as Roger which is close enough I think. See you in twelve years! That’s the logic I’m seeing now.  

The World Government:

I’ve not been a fan of Imu being added into the story so late into the game. I know people hate Naruto comparisons, but it truly gives me Kaguya flashbacks. She is a mysterious figure who has been pulling the strings ~all along~. She is being set up to be a figure from the Void Century that has lived almost a thousand years due to the eternal life surgery. The true bad guy of the world was someone no one’s ever known about!

Up until the Reverie, The World Government was a collection of both corrupted and good individuals, all with their own motives for being a part of a system with a dark underbelly, but now we have Imu. Of course you can say that the presence of Imu doesn’t take away from the heinous crimes of the WG as a collective, but when you put a singular figure at the top of the pyramid(one they likely created themselves 800 years ago) that is responsible for all the actions underneath, I think it takes away from the message. The message as I interpreted it before was that government, by nature, leads to corruption. If enforcing authority over humans is the antithesis to their innate desire for freedom, government in itself is the issue.

Imu is a way to simplify what would have been a complex theme (and enemy) to tackle. Corruption is an invisible enemy that you can’t kick the ass of. Every human is capable of it and it will always show up again, especially when the opportunity to have power is involved. You can’t punch a concept, but you can definitely punch Imu. I could be very, very wrong about Imu entirely and I’ll eat my words if that’s the case, however from the set up we’ve been given, Imu is a cop-out enemy because this is a shonen. In shonen we need to punch the bad guy, and the propensity for corruption in humanity isn’t something you can punch.

On another note, now with the most recent chapter, we have what I think has to be the biggest blow to how the WG have been portrayed all throughout the manga. The Elders, and Imu especially if she’s existed in the story the whole time, have been trying to get their hands on the Nika fruit for 800 years! This fruit, the fruit that Joyboy himself had, is a massive threat to their authority. There is simply no way to explain the government’s incompetence in killing Luffy up until this point. Not only their incompetence, but their complete lack of active desire to do so. While Luffy has been a thorn in their side, they’ve not gone after him any differently than they would another super rookie pirate. Not once throughout the manga has any high-ranking marine or government figure said that Luffy is a problem because of his devil fruit. Luffy was a problem because he was Luffy, but now he’s a problem because of his fruit. Hell they even put more value on capturing and killing Robin. Imu is really stupid, no?

The same government that committed genocide on Ohara. The same ones that gave a child a bounty and tried to assassinate her for her ability to read a dead language. The same ones that murdered infants in South Blue. The same ones that either killed pregnant women or forced abortions on them(unclear which one) just because of a potential connection to Roger.

Now they (and especially Imu) who always knew of the true significance of the gomu gomu, didn’t send a CP0 agent to assassinate Luffy in the East Blue the moment news of a rubber pirate began to spread? I find it too hard to believe and why I think this change to his devil fruit wasn’t planned from the start. I am not against improvising or retconning in storytelling. Miss Wednesday gave us Vivi, Sabaody gave us the Supernovas, and post-timeskip gave us a very structured haki system. I don’t have problems with retcons if they aren’t story-breaking, or they just break minor things that can be ignored. I just can’t help but feel that such a major change as it relates to the main character has never been done before.

Joyboy+Nika+Mythical Zoan stuff:

Luffy liberating people is not a new thing. He’s been liberating people since he met Coby. What was always special about it was that the liberation came as a side effect to Luffy’s personal goal to become Pirate King. He beat Arlong because he wanted Nami to be his navigator, he beat Crocodile because he was a competitor for Pirate King and was messing with his friend Vivi, he declared war on the Government because they took his friend etc. Liberation following Luffy wherever he went was even presented in a negative way, like when he freed some of the most vile criminals from Impel Down for his own purposes. How many innocent civilians have been effected by Luffy’s decision to let those criminals go? I loved it. It kept his character morally gray and as Luffy likes to say, not a hero.

Luffy’s comparison to Joyboy is not a new thing either. As I said before, I am aware he was being set up to finish what the first Joyboy wanted to do. Inherited Will is a consistent concept within the manga.

The sun being a symbol for freedom isn’t a new thing. From the Sunny Go, to the Sun Pirates, a radiant and warm sun has been a symbol of joy and freedom. 

However, the Sun God (unnamed and referenced once on Skypiea) being called Nika is new. That Sun God, called Nika, being worshiped as a liberator is new. Nika having any significance to the Sun Pirates even though Fisher Tiger didn’t mention him once, is new. The Sun God Nika having any connection to Joyboy, down to being the fruit he used, is new. *Luffy having any connection to Joyboy beyond shared values and an Inherited Will of freedom is new. The implication that a specific fruit had always been a requirement to become the Joyboy is new.

If the Sun God Warrior Mythology -> Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit User -> Joyboy -> Luffy pipeline was planned from the very start, I have to wonder why there weren’t proper foundations set up for this beyond an exposition dump starting 30 chapters ago. If the main character’s devil fruit played a core part in his destiny as Joyboy, and going beyond that with it secretly being a mythical zoan, there was not nearly enough significant attention given to it narratively prior to Onigashima. While Who’s-Who’s exposition helps try to make sense of things in order to set up the mythical zoan/Joyboy reveal, it was done retroactively which in my opinion, is not sufficient. The feeling that all these changes were done retroactively gets even stronger when you return to the fact that the WG did not put any significance on Luffy’s devil fruit or try to kill him because of it.

I know this is speculative, but do we know how much Luffy’s joy and desire for freedom is his own? We know that zoans have effects on a user’s personality, for example carnivorous zoans making people more vicious and Chopper’s makes him human-minded. With Luffy’s awakening making him so joyous that he can’t control his laughter, then the implication is that laughter and joy is an effect of his devil fruit. We’ve also seen devil fruit’s like Belo Betty’s influencing people’s emotions. So I ask this: if Joyboy’s ability to bring smiles and laughter to the world was possible due to the devil fruit back then, has Luffy made allies because of who he is, or because he’s been influencing people without knowing it? Is this why he is able to make allies out of enemies? During Marineford Mihawk was able to identify Luffy’s power to bring people onto his side. What was presented as a heart warming ability to win people over with a natural, bright spirit, might actually very well be a devil fruit power drawing people to Luffy. I’m sorry to say this, but to me that seems dark and creepy.

Luffy Zoan:

Luffy=zoan inconsistency in general. All zoans have normal, hybrid, and full forms. Even the Hito Hito classification has this. Chopper has his normal form (we never really see it), his hybrid form, and his full form (the bigger anthropomorphic version). Sengoku has his normal form, a hybrid form we’ve not seen yet, and his full buddha form. What the heck is going on with Luffy his entire life then? If his Gears, or specifically Gear 4, is his hybrid form, why did it require two years of training? Why does his full form require an awakening? This is wildly inconsistent to how zoans function. The shifting between forms is intuitive that even a child can switch between them. I suppose you can pin it on Luffy being an absolute shit devil fruit user, but that feels like a bad retroactive excuse since he’s shown to be very competent with it… when it was a pure rubber paramecia that is.

So Luffy’s forms are:

-Base form. Being rubber in base form is okay cause it seems like permanent effect on the body, like Chopper’s enlightenment/human intelligence.

-Hybrid form -???? Gear 4 possibly, but seems very weird. Form shifting is basic and simple for zoan users and Gear 4 seems to take a serious toll on him

-Full form is what we’re seeing now, but again it isn’t consistent with what how zoans should operate. You shouldn’t need to awaken to use a full form.

-The rest of his gears could be compared to Chopper’s point forms, however it is strange that Chopper had to do drug experiments on himself to unlock this while Luffy just did them? Whenever a zoan does not follow the normal/hybrid/full structure, it is due to drug modification. Even Black Maria who had an unconventional hybrid form was said to have done drug alterations. 

If Luffy was always a zoan, he should have been able to shift between forms without issue from the beginning. His full form only being able to unlock after awakening the DF would be an entirely unique rule invented for Luffy.

*Circling back to the devil fruit and becoming Pirate King/Joyboy:

While there were always things that made it more likely for one person to become Pirate King than the other, from the D. initial, to conqueror’s haki, to the Voice of All Things, none of these have ever been exclusive to one person. There was still this idea that while some had more likelihood than others, there was still a decent sized pool of people that could technically rise up and fulfill the role.

Now we’re being told that a specific fruit was always needed in order to become Joyboy. No one ever stood a chance. It was always going to be Luffy. The devil fruit that would determine the fate of the world evaded government capture for 800 years until it picked Luffy, just in time to line up with the prophecy of the sea kings. He didn’t forge his own destiny. It picked him. In fact, he is part of two prophecies if you include Toki.

Yes, I know Luffy worked very hard to be where he is now, but it cheapens the experience to know that he was the only one who could ever be ‘the winner’ in the first place because he ate the fruit required to ‘win’. Not only that, but his success in fulfilling the role was preordained before he was even born. He was always going to be Joyboy. The devil fruit would have always found him. The Straw hat would have always found him. All of these things would have always had happened, because they needed to in order for a prophecy to be fulfilled. 

So after writing all of this out I think I found what saddens me. Luffy had always been an active participant in his own journey. He had a dream to become the Pirate King, the most free person in the world, and he lived his life accordingly in order to achieve that. What he thought, and what I thought, where his own choices shaping his own destiny, was actually a fated life path he was always meant to fulfill. 

So I’m unsatisfied, but how would I have wanted it to go?

Just keep the fruit a rubber paramecia. Not everything about Luffy needs to be significant. It doesn’t need to be special. What was gained by turning it into a mythical zoan? Not only a mythical zoan, but the most coveted one of all? Could the majority of his awakening powers not be achieved if it remained a rubber paramecia? If the fruit must be adjusted to be connected to Joyboy, rather than saying Luffy is actually a mythical zoan, would it not be less world breaking to just say Joyboy once had the rubber paramecia?

What is the case here? Personally if I had to answer I think it’s just that Oda loves Luffy, his OC, and for a lack of better wording, he can’t help himself. Luffy is the hero, but not the hero. He’s the child of destiny, but he’s totally worked his way up the ladder too. The Straw hat that was significant enough on its own because it belonged to Roger, is now also a symbol from the void century. Now his devil fruit, that for let’s say at least 900 chapters, was just a normal paramecia, had to become a mythical zoan. Not just a mythical zoan, but the one that poses the biggest threat to the World Government and they’ve been chasing it for 800 years.

Luffy was always special sure, but now he’s super duper ultra special beyond anyone else. 

Of course I could never say for sure, but I truly do think that up until Wano Luffy’s connection to Joyboy was always meant to be symbolic and inherited will. Whatever story changes Oda has done lore wise, has been done very recently in comparison to the length of the manga. Yes we were told about the Sun God briefly in Skypiea, yes Oda made a point to say a panel of Luffy dancing on Skypiea was his favourite, yes we could have expected that these things would eventually have greater symbolic meaning. However to say that Luffy having the mythical zoan Hito hito no mi: Sun God Nika was planned from the start and it has been adequately alluded to before Onigashima is.... A stretch. ;)

Final thoughts… One Piece is a very long running manga and while I think Oda has general ideas that were planned from the start, his story has expanded far beyond he ever thought it would. I think it’s disingenuous to assume he has everything figured out when even just recently he admitted he didn’t know how he could beat Kaido when readers wouldn’t be satisfied with ‘just a punch’. He built up an enemy in Kaido that was far too powerful to be defeated, and so to validate his defeat to people that might argue it, the regular old paramecia fruit had to be trashed for a mythical zoan with Joyboy significance to make Luffy’s victory feel more ‘valid’. 

As I said, I do love One Piece and I’m going to see it to the end. None of this is me hating Oda or trying to get others to not enjoy the new developments. I just expected something different from this manga, and that’s my fault. I will still continue to enjoy certain parts of the story, even if I don’t agree with everything. The inclusion of prophecies in Roger’s flashback with the Sea Kings (who did not acknowledge a prophecy about ‘two kings’ on Fishman Island when both Shirahoshi and Luffy were present), Roger saying he was ‘too early’ implying things can only occur at a fated time, and Toki’s prophecy for Wano... Is my issue here time-sensitivity then? From the Bird Cage, to Onigashima falling, to the Sea King Prophecy, to Roger being too early, to Toki for whatever reason knowing Dawn would for sure come in twenty years. Maybe putting everything on a timer is what’s bothers me. The characters are being pushed and pulled by either time related tasks, or time related prophecies.

I could also talk about the shift of significance moving from Roger to Joyboy for Luffy’s character lately, but this is already super long :’)