#in fact give him a PIRATE to show him they're not all evil and want to hurt him

[idolpyre]

⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀just off of the pacific, lurking in the depths and hiding in coral caves — legend tells tale of a pod of sirens promised to protect, instead of bringing death and carnage. these creatures were lethal as they were beautiful, just as the folklores painted them to be, but they lived in harmony with humans instead of hunting them mercilessly, like so many people believed. rarely were they ever actually seen by the townsfolk, but they kept the waters surrounding the island safe from pirates and pillagers, bringing the village good fortune and good health.

⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀minjun has been taught these values ever since he was a young fry, that the humans inhabiting his island were to be protected. they cannot have one without the other ; a unity between man and myth. but we cannot be seen by them, no matter what. you must not show yourself unless they are in peril. and you must not ever leave this island, do you understand ? don't stray too far, minjun, they are not as kind to us elsewhere. and never, ever, ever trust a pirate — they will always lie and hurt us for their own gain.

⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀and so minjun would stay tucked below the roiling waves, always curious of what mankind had to offer, but too scared to act upon his desires. his mother would teach him to hunt fish, and eventually bigger game too — and when his sisters had been born, minjun had taught them everything he knew.

⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀it must've been just past his twentieth sun when minjun's curiosity finally got the best of him. he had spent so long watching humans below the surface, and when a pirate washed up on the lagoon that minjun frequented — he couldn't help but show himself to the pirate, to offer his song to heal the buccaneer's wounds. once the pirate's crew had found their lost sailor, they took one look at minjun and realized they had struck gold. the iridescent scales of the siren's tail was a rarity, believed to be worth thousands, if you could live to sell it that was. they had beached the siren, plucked his scales and when he had tried to cry, to sing for his sisters to come and find him, they had slit his throat and left him with nothing.

⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀when his sister's had found him near dead, they had pulled him back into the deep and healed his wounds, but minjun couldn't ignore the immense disappointment that leaked off of his mother's very being. she had warned him, and now minjun had paid the price. because of the scar on his throat, minjun cannot sing his song anymore, and everyday he can feel his magic slipping further away from his grasp, lost like grains of sand slipping through his claws.

[dgaftilwedie]

SCOTT PILGRIM TAKES OFF WAS FUCKING NUTS AND I WANNA BE ANNOYING N TALK ABT IT BC I LOVE SCOTT PILGRIM SO MUCH!!!!!!!!

SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT OBVS XD

OKAY SO??? THE FACT THAT THEY LITERALLY SET UP THE FIRST EPISODE LIKE IT WAS GONNA BE JUST LIKE THE COMICS N THEN SCOTT "DIED"????? literally had me questioning fucking EVERYTHING i was watching that episode with the most quizzical look on my face?? also the fucking funeral scene was hysterical bc the way rammy n knives were abt to have a verbal face-off n envy's bitchass shows up n steals the whole show?? i have such a love-hate relationship with her.............

also lucas lee is fucking adorable and i love him :33 rammy becoming friends with roxie n making up with her after everything was something i really needed to see. cuz like for as much as i loved the movie n the comics, i feel like they could've done their relationship so much better. like seeing ramona take responsibility for hurting roxie made me so happy and im so glad they got a redemption arc.

ROXIE IS LITERALLY ME BTW??? her whole interaction with ramona n kim at the end kf the episodr was so silly N THE LEG LOCK HELLO????? also the way she walked off singing the HAMSTER DANXE SONG I LOCE HER

the toddlace thing was also so unexpected but holy shit?? i loved it. bi todd has been my fav headcanon for YEARSSSS and seeing jt happen right in front of my eyes?? WATCHING THAT EPISODE WAS SUCH A TRIP THO I CAN'T STOP QUOTING WALLACE'S "LINES? TRAILER?" BITS BC THEY'RE SO FUNNY

uhmmmmm what elseeeee OH YEAH young neil is a fucking goof n i love him, i really like that gideon (gordon ig 🙄) became like this not evil guy who just lived with julie n kicked it with lucas. the old scott stuff kinds fricked with me but i think it's cool that he became chill with the twins

LMFAOAO THAT SCENE AT THE END WHERE SCOTT'S TRTING TK FIGJRE OIT WHY HE CAN'T KISS RAMONA N HE TRIES TO FIGHT THE TWINS AND THEY'RE LIKE "our robot says we become bros in the future, so we have no intention of fighting you. see ya bro ;)" WAS SO SILLY

obligatory matt mention i love him he's so dumb i love that he took over gideon's entire empire only to turn around and change his mind :3 glad he got his broadway moment....... silly pirate headass

knives n stephen becoming the best brother/sister duo ever was so dope bc like. knives had someone to look up to n make music with n they had a lot of chemistry both personality wise n musically wise

my only critique is that i wanted more lisa ;^; i know she probably would've been out of place but it would've been cool if kim mentioned her to ramona and ramona interviewed her just like she did with her exes yknow :P she was one of my fav characters in the comics n she wasn't in the movie AT ALL so i was hoping she would've appeared in the anime, but alas 😞😞 i also kinda wanted to see where kim's love life went...... i know she's not the focus but she had undeniable chemistry with knives and that moment with roxie... i love that she's totally very queer and open to the idea of experimenting with girls n i wish that would've been expanded upon like how todd n wallace had their moment :33

other than that, i LOVED the anime. i love how we got baited into thinking it was just like the comics and i love what was done with it :3 it was such a goofy show and a lot of it was so jaw-droppingly surprising that i couldn't believe it, but it also had some really sweet, serious, n heart-warming moments which is something i really appreciate in a show :33 it's hard to keep watching something for so long but i binged the show in one day xD i'd give it a solid 9/10 (deducting points just for the sake of what i think was missing and how i don't recommend it for like "beginner" fans)

oki rant concluded!!!!!!! ^___^ there's so much more i wanna say but this is already sooooooo long as it is xD

[christmasbeetlecringe]

assorted paani n kwazii hcs

(not explicit / weird, just cute platonic / wholesome stuff that's sometimes hinted at in a&b and i've hyperfixated on it and other stuff i've just completely made up)

sometimes just for no reason whatever or just because it's easier or Kwazii loses his, he'll just use Paani's octowatch, kinda like in the alligator shark showdown.

BANTER. I WILL NOT ELABORATE. there's enough in the first ep of A&B to mull over.

their tails just sometimes entangle with each others, kinda like holding hands

chaotic evil meets chaotic good. you can figure out who

as alluded to in the alligator shark showdown, sometimes kwazii just uses paani's octowatch cause its closer. my hc is that he often loses his / breaks it so comes to rely on paani's octowatch.

sometimes paani's 'spontaneous and aYO dive right into danger and action without assistance' personality genuinely concerns him, which makes him reflect on his own spontaneous-ity . (first hinted at in the skeleton coast- kwazii: "you ! could've- asked for help ! >:0" paani: "¯\_(ツ)_/¯ i didn't think i'd need it :3"

i think that offscreen / later on in it'll shift from lighthearted / offhanded comments to serious discussions about how they octonauts rely and need eachother. maybe kwazii even projects a little bit and gets frustrated and kinda comes to like a full self realization.

they are t4t

in the beginning of the alligator / shark showdown, kwazii is just bumming around with paani in the gup k as paani does his nerdy hydrology logs. whenever kwazii isn't busy, he gets dashi to drop him to wheverever paani is and they just coincidentally bump into eachother and he tags along as paani just bumbles around like an idiot and nerds out about water.

similarly, kwazii approaches tweak about making the gup b a two seater. he's sometimes related to the other octonauts' spontaniety and energy but never, ever has he wanted to spend all his time, even when he's doing nothing, with someone else. he pitches it to tweak as just 'wanting to show paani the rush and speed and fun of deep sea speed' and tweak susses him out (gay, part 2)

both kwazii and paani get super competitive about their pilot skills after the first ep, and now both play multiplayer flight sims online, but they don't realize that they're actually playing together .

in the octonauts and the antartica rescue, where kwazii is trying to volunteer himself for the mission "you'd need someone who's agile as a cat, fearless as a pirate, and knows a lot about water💅", he's more upset about the fact that he wasn't able to go on the mission with paani, than the fact that barnacles thought he was talking about paani instead of himself.

sometiems they accidently pick up eachother's sayings, like in a mission without paani, kwazii just says 'hello h20 >:))" and tweak just silently susses him out (gay solidarity).

vice versa, there's tiems where paani will be on his board and just yoOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWW

i think that's it !!! thanks for making it this far !!! give me some of ur kwazii n paani hcs !!!!!!!!! rahHH !!!!!!!

[steveshairychest]

personally i think steve initially acted like he couldn't sword fight so that he could get eddie to be overconfident about dueling him. build him up and make him think it'll be the easiest win he ever bags. then immediately disarm him without batting an eye.

it's cognitive warfare. get your enemy to underestimate you.

but then he realizes he kind of likes letting eddie show him how to fight; the hands on his hips to adjust his stance, the feeling of eddie's cold rings as he wraps his fingers around steve's hand to "show him how to hold the sword properly".

so he just... keeps up the act. lets eddie believe he's just no good at this fighting stuff. just a prince who lived a cushy life where he never had to learn how to defend himself because people were always there to do it for him... yeah, right.

but then. THEN. one day eddie steps out onto the deck and sees almost the entire crew gathered in a circle watching something. they're cheering and oohing and ahhing and he's thinking "god what the fuck happened this time?" as he pushes his way to the center.

there, in the middle of the circle, he sees none other than steve harrington sword fighting three of his men with one hand tied behind his back. he hasn't even broken a sweat yet.

steve's focused. he's parrying, blocking, ducking beneath blade after blade as the pirates give their all to try and best him. they've been at this for at least at an hour now. it started with one of them challenging him after seeing how 'bad' he was at dueling eddie. steve had quickly dropped the act, seeing as the captain was nowhere around, and quickly defeated his foe, much to the dismay of everyone on deck.

the fact that this boy took half a second to disarm one of them and looked bored while doing it sends the crew into a frenzy. they start testing him like he's a shiny new toy, throwing their best fighters at him, tying his hand behind his back, adding an extra enemy when one, then two proved to be too easy. they're having way too much fun.

then steve catches a glimpse of eddie who has the most bewildered look on his face as he watches this go down and it catches steve off guard. he wasn't expecting to see the captain — to be caught red handed in his lie. the distraction slips him up and one of the crew gets a swipe in, slicing a thin, shallow line across his cheek. steve hisses in pain at the sting of the cut, hand coming up to touch his face.

"i got him!" the pirate yells ecstatically, throwing his arms up in victory. this starts an uproar from the crowd, half of them cheering for him, the other half arguing loudly that it didn't count because steve got distracted.

as they fight amongst themselves, eddie grabs steve by the arm and pulls him below deck, not a soul noticing as the pirates yell over each other.

"why did you do it?" eddie asks after he pulls steve into his office. he doesn't sound hurt or betrayed, just... curious. confused.

steve doesn't know how to answer so he stands there in silence. the truth sounds too stupid, too weird, and the pain of his cheek is too distracting for him to come up with a lie on the spot.

"i mean..." eddie continues, leaning back against the front of his desk, his arms crossed over his chest as he examines the prince before him. "i imagine you'd take great satisfaction in beating me in a duel. the evil pirate who kidnapped you. you could probably kill me and escape if you wanted to."

steve has to laugh at that. it's half hearted and it comes out as more of a scoff, but eddie's heart still stutters at the sound of it. there's a stupid smile on the captain's face, half impressed and half something else that he doesn't want to put a name to.

"and then what?" steve asks. crimson blood drips down steve's cheek, obscuring some of the moles there, much to eddie's dismay. "jump off the ship and swim home? and that's if your crew even lets me live."

the smirk on eddie's face widens. god, he likes this boy. too much. he's too damn smart for his own good; has the foresight that so many others lack.

"come," he says. "sit."

eddie proceeds to clean the cut on steve's cheek, all the while questioning him about his background in sword fighting. he gets steve to promise to duel him — for real this time.

the cut on his cheek leaves a thin, pale scar for the rest of his life. most of the time you have to squint to see it. it's the first of many more to come, but it's always eddie's favorite. years down the line, when they lie in bed together, eddie loves to trace over it with his fingers; feel the raised flesh beneath his calloused fingertips.

it's a good reminder. a reminder that steve didn't run.

I literally just woke up but now I am running laps around the house bcs omg omg omg you have done it again!!! YOU SHOULD TURN THIS INTO A WHOLE FIC I WOULD READ THE FUCK OUT OF IT YOU WRITE SO WELL YOU GOT ME DOING JUMPING JACKS AND SCREAMING !!!

the only thing I wanna add is my little headcanon that pirate Eddie was actually a noble before he became a pirate. He hardly remembers that life though, as his father took him away from it when he was young, but him and little prince Steve used to actually have sword fighting lessons together when they were 7. Eddie doesn't remember this at all but Steve does. Eddie was the young royal's only friend until he was taken away to live on the sea by his estranged father. Eddie's mother told everyone he drowned, told poor little Steve that his only friend was dead bcs she was too afraid to admit that she had had an affair with a pirate and that he came to claim his heir.

[headspacedad]

One Piece: Ep.2 - spoilers

so I'm not going to play by play this, just gonna summarize each episode as I go. Under a cut of course because its going to naturally have spoilers

Second episode wasn't as much fun as the first but it was still a really great story with good set up and building. The world fleshed out a bit as well in a 'well, THAT;S very Mad Max kind of way which honestly? I appreciate. Pirates are so popular in media right now that its nice to see the 'no, no - they're horrible' and this episode managed to do that in a way that was creepy, brutal, desperate and yet totally manga so not as bad as you know it would have been in a different type of media. All the elements were there, enough to give you plenty to think about if you wanted to look at what was circling under the water but the story only needed to hint to get to its point so it didn't deep dive and I can respect that. That's what fanfiction would be for.

Anyway, pirate clown showed up earlier in the show than I expected him to given the bump in the end of the first episode and the fact Netflix was making him a selling point. I'm going to assume he shows up later? or they just didn't want to spoil and so chose an early minor boss for their spread. I'm going to vote for a later revival and showing but we'll see.

As far as the pirate clown went he was a lot scarier than I expected him to be but that was all on the actor and the delivery. Scary pirate clown is pretty one note and flat but the actor made his facial expressions and body language much more threatening than it should have been and I appreciate that. Plus he tries to play psychological games and that was a nice touch. He really did feel like a Bad Guy, especially the way he used the villagers and the way those actors responded to him. Really all the acting on here so far is pretty top notch even from extras and its making this show.

I'd be more concerned about Luffy's connection to his hat but I seem to remember seeing manga covers for years where he still had it so unless he loses it in the final episode of this first season I think we're pretty safe. It's like a comfort stuffed animal and a promise ring all rolled into one for him and I also worry about people that let a vulnerable part of their heart be something so easy to have taken away. It's hard enough to invest that into a pet, much less an inanimate object no one else is going to value enough.

Nami is being set up for double trouble but that was pretty clear from the start and I'm looking forward to how it plays out. She's very sneaky and self-saving but not enough to make her stupid or making her give away what's working for her just to have the story make a point or be dramatic. Which also brings up how utterly bizarre some of the 'tech' elements of the show are to me. I'm totally digging it! It just adds another layer to the 'not the world you know' world building but so much of it seems sensible and then they whip out the snail phone and it throws me back to the 'ooooooh, riiiiight. NOT fantasy Earth'.

The cravat to the 'superpower' from the devil fruit is interesting. I like how its called the 'devil' because it takes away the sea's blessing, which is enough to make everyone consider it evil. As they should.

The flashbacks were well done and I really enjoyed Shanks crew. I think we can all see the 'ultimate end boss' he's going to be coming from nautical miles away but that's not a bad thing. There's enough emotional investment going on that its going to be deliciously terrible when it comes.

Also I'm enjoying the High muckety muck Marine. The pirate at the beginning 'cursing' the world with pirates looking for his treasure was genius and I love that this guy was there to see it/have it happen on his watch and is now in charge of the entire kit. He makes a much more threatening villain than Tiger-pants because he's so obviously clever. He's also got a great voice to listen to.

Zoro's quote about Luffy believing in himself was a very cool line. I'm really enjoying the dialogue. It's a little lyrical and it doesn't rely on trite banter. The banter that does show up doesn't feel forced.

All in all, the second episode gets a thumbs up from me. Well told contained story that also advanced the overall plot and showed up more of the world as well as set up plenty for later story.

[batsarebetterthanpeople]

do you think jack was hurt when the crew chose to stay with stede and no one wanted to come with him, the most fun guy?

Probably not. I actually saw a take from an Izzy Stan once that I low key agreed with but I didn't reblog it because obviously, but it is relevant here so I'll repeat it.

Jack and Ed have a similar response or a crowd turning against them, probably because they came up in piracy similarly, but they have that response for vastly different reasons, and in different ways.

When a crowd turns against Ed he takes it personally and tries to kill everybody. When a crowd turns against Jack he doesn't take it personally and tries to kill everybody. I hope this makes sense (using episodes 5, 8, and 10 as evidence) somewhere along the line they both learned that the correct reaction to a crowd turning against you is to try to get rid of as many of them as you can, which makes sense, if you're a pirate captain and a crew turns against you it's mutiny o'clock. And Ed and Jack are the two pirate captains ever so...

Now I could see an argument for the Jack doesn't take it personally assertion because he does in fact say the line "well when tie an anchor around your leg and toss you overboard it feels pretty personal." And Ed has the line "I know he comes on a bit strong at first but he's insecure". I tend to think he could be insecure without taking that specific scene with Karl personally given that it's repeatedly established that the crew aren't very serious pirates, which I think Jack gives wayyyyy less of a fuck about than Izzy so long as they're drinking with him, but could still probably use to mend a bruised ego. so whether he takes things like this personal hinges on the tossing you overboard line, which he may or may not have been lying about. We have no solid evidence either way. So I tend to waffle based on what's funniest. I've been on a he's lying kick recently because he's my garbage little dirtbag meowmeow. But sometimes I think about him surviving three separate mutinies and having to agree to this plan because he's broke now and I think about the fact that he showed up in a dinghy and I'm like... Meow meow is also having a midlife crisis and he can't die and that is very funny to me. So that statement about him not taking it personally might not be true and as much as I think the line about pirates not needing friends was pure gass to try to hurt Ed for leaving, which he absolutely would have cried about later if the cannonball hadn't immediately given him much bigger problems, he is pretty fucking blaze about the whole thing the next day. And he was planning on leaving with just Ed.

Now what I want you to consider is imagine he has been mutinied three times. I didn't think about this til right now but I want us to think more about why he does say "whose with me in" this scene. If enough of those fuckers agree to leave with him, Stede is no longer the fucker with the boat, Jack can leave Stede and Buttons on the beach of blind man's cove for the British to find the next day, take his crew, and fuck off to go be Bonnie and Clyde core evil boyfriends with Ed again. That was never ever ever gonna happen but I feel like Jack doesn't quite know how astronomically long of a shot that is. I haven't thought about why he would faument mutiny against Stede other than "he's a douchebag and trying to take a shot as he leaves" until now but there is a reason. Like any more opportunist less tightly knit pirate crew would be like "sorry about your bird Buttons but Blackbeard and Calico Jack know what they're doing we can make more money if we go with them"

Jack doesn't know how deep these emotional ties run is what I'm saying. He doesn't know they're fambly. He doesn't know that Ed is madly in love with the guy who he's been hanging out with for *checks notes* these past few weeks/one moon cycle. How would he know that? He showed up yesterday and spent all of it drunk.

I think too much about this man.

Anyway TL;DR: nah he seems way to chill about it the next day and I think his intention was always to leave with Just Ed he just wanted to see if he could get more bang for his buck and when he couldn't ... Well... "Later losers."

[butterboy69420]

Butterboy's Bizarre One Piece Rambles Part 1: East Blue

So I started watching One Piece and as of right now, I've finished Alabasta. I know this is a blog for my OCs, but also, this is my blog and I get to do what I want. So I'm gonna ramble about One Piece and give my thoughts about every arc.

This first part is gonna focus on my thoughts on the arcs for East Blue. As it's been at least 5 minutes since I've last finished East Blue, these thoughts are gonna be brief and some details may be admittedly a bit fuzzy.

By the way, all of these images are stolen from the Internet. Netflix won't let me take screenshots, so I never ended up taking any of my own.

ROMANCE DAWN

Okay, so this arc was a pretty solid introduction. We first see Luffy sneaking up on Alvida's ship and rescuing Coby (at least in the anime). And also Nami's there too but she's not really important just yet. I think it's cool that it sets her up to be this sneaky, thieving girl, which will be important later on in her own arc, so that's cool.

Luffy's literal first pieces of dialogue is just him saying that he wants to be King of the Pirates. And while I know he is gonna be, because this is a shounen anime, I think part of me kinda doubted him. Because holy shit, kid, you cannot be this stupid. But anyways, he rescues Coby and beats up Alvida. You know, I was totally expecting Coby to be part of the Straw Hat crew but it turns out he wants to be a Marine instead. So I think the friendship between a pirate and a Marine would be pretty damn interesting.

Then we cut to Zoro's introduction, where he's on the verge of being executed. So that's cool. I also think it's funny that Luffy immediately sees Zoro and wants him on his team, like goddamn, okay. There was a little girl who offered to feed him rice balls, and I thought that was cute. I actually disliked Helmeppo at first because I thought he was annoying. He actually reminds me of my own OC, Charmin Doyle, so there's that. Keyword: at first, because one of the later arcs in the story kinda proved me wrong.

One thing I will be honest about is the fact that early East Blue villains didn't really impress me. I honestly forget about Morgan sometimes, but I know he was a cruel piece of shit. If I remember correctly, he was also a dick to his own son, which made me actually feel bad for Helmeppo a bit. I feel like a lot of the early One Piece villains really do feel like they're evil for the sake of being evil, which I'm not super big on, but as I kept watching, I just honestly kinda enjoyed how cartoony some of them were.

Anyways, I liked Zoro's introduction. He had a promise he wanted to fulfill and ever since Luffy helped him out, he's become one of the most loyal Straw Hat members. I thought he was cool.

Episode 4 focused on Luffy's backstory with Shanks. It was a cute episode and it showed how Luffy got his Gum-Gum abilities, as well as why he wants to be the King of the Pirates. It gives us a reason to root for him. Now, what I learned later is that in the manga, this backstory was actually the first chapter, so the first thing you see is this backstory. Which...I honestly think is a better way to start One Piece, TBH. It gives us that reason to root for him, like I said earlier, and it's just overall a stronger start than him being on Alvida's ship. I've come to realize that they pulled the same shit with Zoro's backstory, which in the manga, was revealed during this arc, but in the anime, was just some fucking filler episode between Syrup Village and Baratie, which...I'm not a huge fan of the placing. Either way, Luffy's backstory is solid. Zoro's is too. It's why he wants to be the strongest swordsman.

ORANGE TOWN

Imma be honest, I don't really remember much of this arc. But this is the arc that officially introduces Nami. I thought Buggy the Clown was a fun villain. I know he falls into the evil for the sake of evil trope, at least to my knowledge anyway, but he was just fun. I liked his ability with him being the first Devil Fruit user that Luffy fights, I like how chaotic him and his underlings are. I thought the little dog was cute and stuff (although you could tell it was obviously voiced by a human). It was interesting that he was actually somewhat connected with Shanks. I thought it was funny that he'd get offended if you made fun of his nose. Oh yeah, he also ended up with parts of his body missing, which is funny.

This arc also establishes Nami as being a thief who steals from pirates, as well as her kinda sorta not really officially joining the crew. I thought she was interesting, but she wasn't really sold for me just yet. Honestly, at this point, I thought she was just the token female character in a shounen anime. I did not have high expectations for her, especially given the way she's drawn in the later episodes of the anime.

Anyways, I think One Piece's slapstick humor is best exemplified here. I like the humor, it keeps the fights from going too stale and makes for some comedic running gags. I ended up really liking Buggy. I guess one thing I will say is that I found this arc's battle to kinda drag on a bit. Same with Syrup Village's battles, which we will get to now.

SYRUP VILLAGE

This is the arc that introduces Usopp. I know some people find him annoying and outright dislike him, but throughout this arc, I thought he was this super well-meaning guy. He's such a sweetheart. I know he's a liar, but damn, he's such a genuinely kind guy who, while for the most part, he's a pussy, he's willing to put himself on the line for those he cares about. I think he's honestly one of my favorites, very high up there. I think his relationship with Kaya is genuinely so sweet, the fact that he entertains her with stories while she's sickly and bedridden most of the time is just. GAH. I love Usopp. The fact that he still wants to save his village, even when no one believes him...bro, I could never. If my village thought I was spewing cap, I'd just ditch them and let them get attacked. I don't give a fuck. Anyways, I love Usopp. He's just trying his best. I wish he had more time to shine because this is *his* arc, so *he* should be the one to be more engaged in the fight instead of Luffy.

Klahadore/Captain Kuro as a villain was a solid 6/10. Like his power is cool and all, but his motivations are rather generic. Although when he does that walk, I will say he's genuinely a bit freaky. I think he did indeed pose a genuine threat to the village despite everything, like I could see him being the main villain of the arc from a mile away. Because what he threatened to take away from Usopp meant a lot to him. His village, Kaya, and everything. As for Jango, I thought he was silly goofy. Is it just me or does he look like Steven Tyler from Aerosmith? I think it's just me. But he's another great example of the slapstick humor in One Piece.

Oh yeah, one great piece of foreshadowing in this arc is that scene where Zoro and Nami try to climb up a slippery slope, and Nami essentially ditches Zoro and leaves him behind. At first, I thought that was a dick move. It shows that Nami's morals are more on the selfish end, which kinda made me like her more. But more importantly, it foreshadows what she's gonna do to the Straw Hat pirates.

I think people shit on Usopp and the Syrup Village arc too much. This arc was important because without Usopp, the crew wouldn't even have a ship. Syrup Village was kinda the first arc that kinda got me hooked. Like if this was a fishing analogy and I was a fish, I'd be nibbling on the hook right now. I wasn't sold completely, but the characters and their dynamics with each other are starting to show here.

Oh yeah, there was also that arc with Gaimon. Imma be honest, I barely paid attention to that one, but it was a nice break from the battles.

BARATIE

Now, I like this arc. Because this is when Sanji gets introduced. I like Sanji, he's cool. I think he's my more definitive favorite because I think he's neat. The fact that Luffy wants a cook on his crew, even though a navigator, a swordsman, and a sniper would be more practical for fights and stuff, just shows how much he cares for food and doesn't really put the fights in the front of his mind. I thought it was sweet.

Now, what I really like about Sanji is how, while he may seem aloof and a mere simp at first, he's actually super kind. He gave Gin free food because of his own morals of wanting to feed those who are hungry, even though everyone was telling him not to because "OOOH HE'S A PIRATE GRRRR". And he feeds Don Krieg's crew as well, even though it backfires because, surprise surprise, Don Krieg is a dickhead who took advantage of Sanji's kindness.

Don Krieg I thought was kinda mid, TBH. Like damn, he's a dick. Fuck that guy. He wasn't chaotically fun like Buggy was, nor did his ability really stick with me. He was just a dick. Taking advantage of Sanji's kindness. And unfortunately, even though Sanji is one of the better fighters of the Straw Hats, this really does fall under Luffy kinda doing the fights for them. I guess you could make the argument that it's because the other Straw Hats didn't have the motive to fight in their own battles prior to meeting Luffy and that Luffy shows them that drive (I personally think it kinda falls out of the window when it comes to Nami, but I see it working for Sanji), but man, it would've been nice to see the gang actually kick ass.

I thought Sanji's backstory with Zeff was sweet. When they were on that island with barely any rations for food, just sitting there waiting for a ship to pass by...goddamn. The fact that Zeff literally gave Sanji all of his food really shows how much Sanji owes to him. It shows why he feeds those who are starving because as someone who has starved before, he didn't want others to feel the same way, even if they were dicks.

A scene that really sold the Straw Hats' friendship with each other is when the gang were eating at Baratie. Luffy is salty that Zoro, Usopp, and Nami get to eat while he has to slave away with chores, so he sneaks a booger in Zoro's drink. And then Zoro makes Luffy drink it. That's authentic friendship right there, and I really love how One Piece does it. They're dicks to each other sometimes, instead of constantly using nakama power and being all buddy buddy all the damn time, which is more realistic than how other animes do it.

Oh yeah, Mihawk was cool too. That's the first of the Seven Warlords we get to see. Imma be honest, at first I didn't quite see the point of him showing up, but in hindsight with Alabasta, I feel like this sets up Zoro's thing with getting stronger, which gets pushed more in the following saga. But this is most definitely the starting point. I feel like this combined with Zoro randomly training throughout Alabasta is setting up for something big in the future.

Anyways, in the middle of this arc, Nami essentially takes the Going Merry and heads to Cocoyashi village because she saw a poster of Arlong, the big bad of the next arc. There were many things building up to this, one of which was the one bit I mentioned in Syrup village. And that's where the gang heads next.

ARLONG PARK

This one. This arc was the one that sold One Piece for me. God. This arc is my favorite in all of East Blue and honestly still fucking holds up. The writing here for the most part is fucking phenomenal. It completely subverted any preconception I had about Nami and flips it on its head. You don't see a lot of well-written female characters in anime, especially in shounen, but the fact that Nami has her own arc that doesn't revolve around love or anything... GOD. This arc is so good, you guys. There was a ton of setup for it and everything. It's amazing.

So the reason why Nami is so fixated on Arlong and does the shit she does, stealing treasure and all that, is because of her backstory. So basically, she and her adoptive sister, Nojiko, were taken in by a woman named Bellemere. She's relatively poor, with the only thing sustaining them being the tangerine farms. Nami feels guilt over that and basically runs away, saying that if Bellemere hadn't taken them in, she would've been happier. Then that's around the time Arlong showed up, pulling loan shark shit (see it's funny because he's a sawshark) on everyone in the village and killing them if they don't comply and pay off their shit. Nami and Nojiko aren't registered so Bellemere could've gotten away with paying the 100,000 berries she owes without having to pay for them. But instead she decides to sacrifice herself for their sake, not wanting to disregard the fact that they are her children. And so, the most brutal scene yet happens.

When I say my jaw was dropped, I mean it. And the worst part? Nami and Nojiko were there to witness it. Ever since, Nami decided to take it upon herself to save her village, hating pirates ever since and stealing treasure. It explains everything. She joined the Arlong pirates in order to save the village and worked with him to pay off everyone's debt.

And yet despite hating pirates, she had fun while travelling with Luffy and the gang. She still cares for them, only pretending to have stabbed Usopp so that he could get away. She doesn't want them involved in her shit because she doesn't want them to get hurt. She pushes them away at any given chance, and it's only when Luffy comes along while she's at her worst and most hopeless state that she asks for help.

NOW. WHAT I REALLY LOVE ABOUT ONE PIECE AND HOW IT PORTRAYS FRIENDSHIP. Luffy doesn't help Nami until she asks him for help. Too often in anime, people just butt into others' business when it's not their place to. I really appreciate that.

And then the fight montage. I like the fishmen. They're cool. I especially like Chew, he's so silly. I know more gets revealed about them later on. Arlong is still rather one-dimensional, but he fucking makes up for it by being a total dick and causing so much trouble for Nami. He abused her growing up, making her draw maps for him and stuff. FINALLY, the other characters like Zoro and Usopp get to have one-on-one battles as they help Nami out, making her burdens their own. I do wish that Nami got to at least have the final hit on Arlong, or do more combat-wise though, but I think that's my only complaint with this arc.

And then after it's all over, Nami officially joins the crew. I think it's cute that they managed to get the tangerine trees on the Going Merry, in the memory of Bellemere. The one scene that really stuck out to me more than the "help me" scene is the scene where Nami speaks with Bellemere one last time alone in their old house. And Bellemere is a ghost. I dunno, that scene was just. AUGH. This scene goes so hard, y'all. Y'all sleeping on this shit.

I couldn't find a good time to mention him, but Genzo is also such a kind and gentle guy. One Piece has this ability to make characters who appear only very briefly so likeable.

Anyways, they're just about ready to head to the Grand Line. But first...

LOGUETOWN

This arc is shorter, but there's various little things that the anime adds that kinda gives more depth to the other characters. Usopp has an arc with this guy called Daddy Masterson, and it's how he gets his new goggles. Sanji has an episode where he does a cook-off in order to win a giant fish. That's pretty cool.

But the actual canon stuff revolves around Zoro and Luffy. Zoro meets this girl named Tashigi who is a Marine and they bond over swords and stuff. And she looks very familiar to his childhood best friend, Kuina. So that's interesting. Captain Smoker gets introduced here as well. I like them more after Alabasta, but I did always find it interesting that these two are members of the Marines that aren't just generic evil like Morgan and Nezumi. They're more likeable, and sometimes you wanna root for them.

Also Alvida and Buggy make a return after they fight some racist depictions of Native Americans. Alvida has a Devil Fruit ability of her own now and that's why she looks significantly hotter now. I actually have very mixed feelings about that, because on one hand, I do want her to step on me, but on the other hand, it kinda sucks that she's conventionally attractive now. So there's that. But I kinda like their unlikely friendship duo thing. It very much gives me Team Rocket vibes. TBH, they kinda cute together.

Also... Luffy basically reenacts Gold Roger's execution. And then he gets saved by thunder and lightning. And I honestly thought that scene went really hard. I think it's setting up for something big, because of the comparison between him and Gold Roger, and how they smiled as they got executed.

And now...they're setting off to the Grand Line. And that ending scene where they're about to set off. Again, it goes so hard. They all have their own dreams, which I really appreciate. It makes their dynamic so much more interesting when they all have their own reasons to enter the Grand Line. Luffy wants to be the King of the Pirates, Zoro wants to become the strongest swordsman so he can one day beat Mihawk, Nami wants to create a world map, Usopp wants to be a brave warrior of the sea, and Sanji wants to see the All Blue for the sake of cuisine. And honestly, the ending of East Blue is beautiful.

Anyways, watch One Piece. It's so good. I'll talk about Alabasta later, as well as the Warship island arc. This has been my crazy madman ramblings about One Piece.

[iggy-hands]

I only watch the ofmd fandom from afar but some people give the impression of not conciliating well how the show is light hearted and comforting but also deals with heavy subjects in a general violent contex. the fact I've seen people say there's no homophobia when it's the central driving force of the plot is the most exaggerated example. but it's also in this attempt to flatten characters into "uwu baby" and "who's right vs who's wrong" (or at worse who's an abuser) when the show clearly does its best to create a likable flawed cast. Stede is extremely insecure and a horrible father/husband even before he abandons his family. Ed is an abuse survivor and he struggles with anger. Izzy is an asshole and it's funny- I mean he's a brit working class caricature. those things interact and its what makes the show human and interesting. why try to smash it into a simplistic dichotomy. it won't work 😭😭

and obviously you know all of this. so I guess it's: thanks for having braincells 😘😘

I don't actually know how old this ask is, but, it's been in my inbox for a while lol, sorry!

I think observing from a distance might be the most enjoyable way, it's been years since I was this close to the centre of a fandom and it's wild.

But yes, you're absolutely correct, it's a show about flawed characters and their ability to realise they're in the wrong, and change themselves - if that's what they want! Obviously not every character is given this opportunity, nor should they be, but I think my main issue with people coming down on the characters either way is that currently, they're unfinished!

...maybe Izzy will get worse next season, maybe his racism/general abusiveness and manipulation will become his main character traits, maybe his arc is that he rejects offers of kindness and belonging because of his own prejudices/self-importance and in the end this destroys him. I'd love to see that play out, but I'd love to see whatever they do with him play out too.

Taking a break for a while really made me realise that actually, this is a comedy show about pirates? What Are We Doing??

I love the meta and the drawn out explanation - I am an English Literature and Media Studies graduate, like literally I dedicated years of my life to this stuff! But one of the main reasons for these analyses is that it's supposed to be a discussion, there are supposed to be disagreements and alternative theories, and you should look at whether the evidence is actually in support of what is being said.

It isn't about deciding what is moral/immoral content to consume. Especially in a comedy show, where the character people are angry about is so cringe-fail within the show itself, and who's worst traits seem only to be evident through close-reading.

One of the first things you learn if you take Lit/Media in higher education is that you can be wrong about a text. You can't just say whatever you want without actual textual evidence (and, pet-peeve, but I personally do not count interviews etc). And sometimes, completely contrasting information can be true - because of the ambiguity! Whether these meanings are intentional or not - this is unknowable. And of course you can have your own personal opinions or readings of a text, but it's weird to decide that because you are right, everything else must be wrong.

I also see posts that essentially read - "this character is deep and multifaceted and we should look closely at them. But this character sucks and if you engage with content that looks closely at them then you suck too!" And I can't help but feel that that's worse than if we weren't to engage with textual analysis at all. Ignoring the actions of "evil" characters, who shape the narrative, feels very dismissive to me - disrespectful both to the text itself but also to the real world issues that it draws from.

I suppose in conclusion, everyone continue to think critically, consume media critically, but also, touch grass sometimes. and maybe read a book too.

[captainkurosolaire]

Prompt #1 ~ Aftermath

Previous - ♫Something Better♫ - Mentions: (@lordshiroelune)

Bitter cold took presence as often they attend to go from a harrowing Summer, or within this situation; a treacherous battle. Rarely often the roguish in clad-black took dawn in a mournful suit. A makeshift headstone laid at his sole's wake. He was attending a funeral burial, to his worst prominent enemy. An opponent in which they catapulted a historical rivalry it felt they were Destined Forever to contest... However, you can never truly engage a character of a person often with the whole life they live, but often it's what they do at their final notes, that's what really spells out was colorfully represented. An ashamed head was tilted, this was unholy sight. His rival, slaughtered and massacred his first crew, dissected and single-handedly malfunctioned his second with their wit alone. The Noble of once, shattered dreams, crushed his livelihood. At worst, brought instilled doubt, to someone who was so once staggering confident in his abilities, as if untouchable in brash young. Those losses racked up, the death toll's grip of reality, was clenched around the Seeker like a noose. He loosened his buttoned shirt to expose his collar to expose a gnarly rapier scar and wound. Ashamed so hid it and confiscated it was better to ignore things, such effortlessness, easy. The token failure's could unrelentingly haunt by sight alone. Although caressing it purposefully trying to recall that wound's terrible story. Forth came his nerves finally conveying a solo-speech to his departed advisor. "Shiro... Shiro... Why'd ye have t' die?" He quaked and trembled, his worst hatred and self-loathing came from his compassion always ridiculed for, it was a distinct thing he rejected, because he was foretold it would be his demise, or it couldn't measure up to giant's he began mustering against. "I am surrounded in a realm, where everyone is better put together, or they just haven't gotten there yet, they're all beyond me... You were the only one, I felt, I could be equal or had. We were both atrocious, stupid, naive men, arrogant, prideful was our downfall. We did heinous thing's simplistically, to survive, or in fret, it was required. We came from diversity. Yet somehow, we were alike." It made no-sense to his intuit, he was spilling from guts. Dropping on his knees and quivering a scabbard rapier, infamously used to pierce through him. It cultivated this entire Tale. Where would he stand, if Shiro wasn't there as his obstacle, challenge? He surmised, buried underneath instead. You see failures, losses are necessities in ensuring that feeling doesn't reoccur, one with tenacity and a rebel-soul, thrives under this conditional warfare, although, at-first, vices were the only thing he tried to drown guilt, overtime... He began stepping more bravely. Molding from cruelty becoming larger than ever prelude to his rags.

"But... You defeated me royally for the last time. I cannot compete with you. Ye won. I thought you were the most vile, yer shade of dishonor, the fact you perceived yourself so above, but yet you were losing mental-games, dealing with even worse Father's, under all that ice, stooping to all time lows, just... to protect. You had something I never imagined a Noble to have, integrity. Th' evil man, who I wanted to mindlessly kill on vengeance soil, but was held back by a common star we shared, I spared. A man who I fought in a War of Depths with, who safeguarded my Crew to ensure the victory was met, in which, I thought, was doing only for their selfish-hide... You always did it for others, pushing away, preventing many to get through, you were authentic. I get it, that was your weakness, yer secret card, if showed that vulnerability you would've perished a lot sooner. I... am glad, I was wrong." Sighing allowing himself to spill it all out, gives clarity. The pain he felt was for the unexpected. This felt like watching a part of himself die. It hurt maybe even above putting rest of his own Founding Captain. Prying out a matched lighter and reaching in his tuxedo's folds he gathered out a dusty tome containing the memoirs of horrific secrets, the Noble was cautious to reveal, he hadn't even pried to read which often a pirate's behave would, but there wasn't any need after the battle they endured and shared, all was exposed. He gave aflame to the booklet and allowed it to be destroyed, within a final request before the departed fell. "I will b' who fosters yer cares now. Yer Estate will be under me with my remaining plunders. I hate this sappy-shite, I don't want ta' think ye perished on me but I saw what happened. Th' stages of denial never really fade. Mayhaps my estranged daughter is having an impact on me, she's shown me unmatched hope, even gives it to me as much I didn't want that either. As if adamantly showing I can do...become, better. Can't believe a bastard like me, could, but I feel it... emerging like a Sun trying t' rise within." Standing up and sweeping himself up and trying to recompose and whack his cheek to sting out the watery-urge his eye was trying to admit. "...I'll see you soon. My devil friend. Death only happens when we're forgotten, I assure ye, no one will not hear of this story ov' you, my matey bard is traveling sharing words that convey. Ye aspired, saved my entire current Crew, where you were th' worst, now you're seen as the hero basked in dark-light who hoisted them, to overcome the pasts. Especially me. I have a lot t' prove even more now. T' myself, I cannot let ye go in vain either, I'll confront my fears." He trailed strapping the rapier to him a treasure beyond all the relic's acquired of before, the grave held emptied no body to prove of demise, but symbolism was valued, it meant everything to embrace a moment's of life. It's how spirit's found rest with a double-edge slay. Walking with a new chapter to uncharted perils. Resolve, reawakened.

[omegangrins]

[Kingsmen 3: The Golden Service] Harry Hart turns "villain"

TL;DR: The Lepidopterist is the *perfect* name for a "colorfull" megalomaniac who's trying to save the world via villainy.

I've allways had a nagging feeling that Colin Firth's Harry Hart is destined to become a villain. Like Valentine and Poppy, our Hart will break.

Why do I think this? Let's start simple:

1) "I always felt that the old Bond films were only as good as the villain. As a child, I rather fancied a future as a colorful megalomaniac."

Now you could take it as face value veiled metaphor in their cat and mouse game. A game recognize game moment. Though when you look at it from a character angle, it is rather apparent that Galahad is not lying here. Look at the giddy nature in which they both talk about the subject. Almost lost in a moment of childhood nostalgia. Neither man is lying. So if Valentine tried to save the world like his younger self wanted, then it stands to reason that Harry has that childhood dream himself.

Harry even has a flair for the dramatic already. "Manners maketh man" is all about him causing a dignified scene to teach a lesson to all watching. In the Freebird church scene, you can see it BEFORE he starts fighting because of Valentine's machine.

Feels like a simple "I'm going to the bathroom" or "I'm hot and need to breath outside for moment" would have sufficed and gotten him out of there without hassle from the crazy Baptist and he KNEW that but didn't care. Arthur implies this subversiveness in their conversations about choosing candidates. Then there's the *way* in which he kills everyone there. Not just defense or trying to kill quickly but lots of slow, painful, and fucked up deaths. The killing is Valentine but the style is ALL Harry. It's part of the reasons he's disgusted. Not the enjoyment, but the ease with which he turned so gleefully. That slow motion fade in smile in the middle is proof of this. Harry *wanted* to punish those people the same way Valentine did. That's proven by what he says at the start. (Don't blame him either, just character commenting. Fuck those people.) Part of me thinks the Freebird is playing in *HIS* head. He's a bird freed by blood.

2) The Lepidopterist

I know the clip is from Venture Bros but it's meant to show how two "good guys" became bad. Kinda the perfect coincidence. But I digress... it was a shameless plug to #SavetheVentureBros. 😎😙😍

The hobbyist collecting of insects, fauna/flora, and what-have-yous has looooong been a trope of "colorful megalomaniacs".

Then there's the added bonus that The Lepidopterist sounds like the *perfect* name for a Bond villain.

Butterflies even symbolize death and rebirth and the violence inherent in transforming something for the better.

Is Harry's butterflies a set-up foreshadowing to his coming transformation from "hero" to "villain"?

"I doubt whether I'd work for anyone who drowns their employees. I want to go home. I want my butterfly collection. I want to see Mother."

3) As we know, all the best villains are ones we sympathize with and understand WHY they do what they do. Valentine was trying to solve over-population and save what he could of the species so it wouldn't happen again. Poppy wanted drugs to be legal, partially for vanity reasons but mainly for anger at global government hypocrisies (the same governments which had their heads blown up for trying to kill humanity for their own gain). Wouldn't it fit perfectly for Harry Hart to have seen the horrors inflicted by the world governments and the corruption of not only Statesmen, but his beloved Kingsmen themselves, and say "No more." What's he gonna feel when he finds out Arthur sold the Kingsmen's soul and got him killed? How long has the "shoot the dog" exercise been in practice? Why is trying to drown someone thought of as a reasonable way to help them? Does the rot go to the core? All things any reasonable person would ask after being shot for an organization that was just blown up by a drug dealer.

"When I was shot, can you guess what the last thing was that flashed through my mind? It was absolutely nothing. I had no ties. No bittersweet memories. I was leaving nothing behind. Never experienced companionship, never been in love. And in that moment, all I felt was loneliness and regret."

Who's to say what he would do or the methods he would take, but villains are merely people casting shadows in the way of the light.

4) I put this last because it's more pun than the others and because I only realized it while writing their names out loud. Valentine. Poppy. Hart. A valentine is love, poppies symbolize death, and a heart combines both (a Hart is also the name for an adult male deer over the age of five but I'm not British enough to understand what the fuck that has to do with anything.) There's also Richmond Valentine/Rich Man Love (Rich dude saving the world). Poppy Adams/ Poppy of the Earth (Death of the World). And finally Harry Hart/Harry Heart. An attacking heart. Yeah, that's the old definition of "harry". To harass. (Or Power Ruler of the Five Year Old Male Deer. This isn't an exact science 🙃 ). Honestly, as I write these out, the puns become the hardest piece of proof for me. Brits love a good wordplay foreshadowing.

"... this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."

AND what else do they have in common? They're all things associated with the color red. And what's red?

BLOOD.

Sorry, couldn't resist the touch of drama. 🤣

P.S. I know it's not really related but I also subscribe to the Poppy is a former Statesmen theory as well.

Making this an even more thematic connection. Good guys gone villain because of shitty situations.

Edits

5) HE'S WEARING AN EYEPATCH!!! How autistic am I that I missed that in my explanation. Eyepatches just seem that normal to me but they're like the ultimate villain accessory. Unless you're a pirate.

6) /u/Bespoke3 pointed out how the one thing keeping this from happening is Eggsy and Harry's relationship, and I contended that it was true. While making an interesting movie, you need a sufficient reason for those two to be on opposite ends of each other. And in rambling through comments, I found it. This is why you write shit outloud:

It's Princess Tilde!

The first movie showed that world leaders would gladly sell their souls to save themselves, Princess Tilde being one of the few exceptions. The second showed that even after those figureheads exploded (see what I did there 🤣), there was still terrible people left in charge making even worse decisions.

What if Harry's plan is to attack all of the "leaders" of the world as a way to show people they have the power to govern themselves. This would put Princess Tilde, and moreso her family, directly in the line of fire and force Eggsy's hand to intervene and choose.

Save the girl or save the world.

7) As /u/baddestmofointhe209 pointed out, Harry *was* shot in the head. That kind of thing does tend to mess with people after the fact. Maybe turning villain isn't such a stretch. Not evil, but morally grey.

7) As /u/baddestmofointhe209 pointed out, Harry *was* shot in the head. That kind of thing does tend to mess with people after the fact. Maybe turning villain isn't such a stretch. Not evil, but morally grey.

8) My wife was telling me about how Colin Firth has allways wanted to play the villain too.

"Whenever you take on playing a villain, he has to cease to be a villain to you. If you judge this man by his time, he's doing very little wrong."

“I’d never rule out a part in Doctor Who or Torchwood – especially Doctor Who, I’d also love to play a villain like Moriarty in Sherlock Holmes."

9) Thanks to some pushback from /u/The-Reddit-Giraffe, I decided to Google Kingsmen 3 rumors and stumbled on this little nugget about it, and specifically the Harry/Eggsy relationship:

"I'm really not allowed to say anything, but there is a script. It's a really neat idea."

Outside of it telling the finale of Eggsy and Harry Hart's story, we don't know all that much about the plot for the third movie.

"People will either freak out in a good way, or freak out in a bad way, but they will freak out," Vaughn teased. "We're literally finishing the script off as I speak – but they go on a journey that, if anyone sees it coming, then I'll give up."

To which I would like to thank YOU. This is why I love being shown how I could be wrong. I can't help but feel like this is EXACTLY what they're talking about. You don't have a script finished that fast if you didn't already know where you were going with the first two.

It HAS to end like this. Now I can't see any other way. Maybe The Rock is the Big Bad they have to team up to stop at the end but I will say with 99% confidence that Harry Hart will turn rogue for the first 2/3 of the movie.

10) This wouldn't be the first time I was right about something like this either.