laughtale

[laughtale]

that love is like a star 🌟

-

(click for quality)

[laughtale]

🔆🔆🔆🔆

[laughtale]

scars 👒🍊⚔️

[laughtale]

I don't think most people hate Tashigi. There are some loud haters in shipping circles because they see her as a threat to their m/m ships, and some dumb powerscalers who make jokes, but it's definitely a minority. Outside of shipping bubbles, in places where people's fandom experience doesn't revolve around shipping, Tashigi and ZoTash are well-liked.

Just look at this recent Morj stream:

Or the casual OPLA viewers

Or this new viral short and all the positive comments

I actually think Zotash is one of the most liked and accepted ships in the general fandom. It's just not actively shipped, with dedicated people talking about it and producing content every day, because of a few factors:

lack of interactions and lack of Tashigi screentime in recent years, so it doesn't have the constant influx of new content other ships have, nor does it have the recency bias of other ships (like Zoro x Hiyori, or Tashigi x Reiju that got popular overnight because of a color spread). Zotash was super popular ages ago during Alabasta, with other mangaka even drawing doujinshi of it, and it had a resurgence during Punk Hazard, then it naturally fizzled out

Tashigi is after all a minor character who hasn't had an active role in the story in a while. It's not just the Zotash fan content that it's rare– Tashigi content is also very scarce, and the two things go hand in hand

it's a ship that automatically goes against two of the biggest pairings in the shipping side of the fandom, zosan and zolu– yes, some people can multiship, like I do, but it's a minority. Usually, if you ship zosan you don't ship any other zoro ships. And these two m/m ships are juggernauts thanks to the power of yaoi and feature the main characters of the series

I'm gonna be really honest here, but I don't understand why zotash is such an underrated ship. They're the classic enemies to lovers that people love and in my opinion, every interaction was meaningful. I have no problem with other zoro ships, they're all valid, but so is zotash. Maybe because most people hate Tashigi?

[laughtale]

swordsman❌ landing pad ✅

[laughtale]

happy birthday zoro 🎉🍾

[laughtale]

Shuggy is the One Piece ship with the most depth and complexity and I am not joking

[laughtale]

in my memory your face is still undamaged

[laughtale]

Guys, can we stop saying things like "Zoro can't stand that Tashigi looks like Kuina" when talking about post-timeskip One Piece?

Because not only that never happened in their interactions on Punk Hazard, but it literally contradicts something the author and official material have been saying since the timeskip:

"Zoro doesn't call Tashigi 'copycat' anymore"

Source: Oda's notes to Ei Andoh in One Piece Party 1, 2014

"The way Zoro saw Tashigi 2 years ago was 'Copycat woman', but now she's 'Captain glasses'"

Source: Zoro's relationships chart from One Piece magazine 18

Tashigi looking like Kuina never mattered at all, and I'm tired of seeing people still bringing this up. It's a very simplistic view of the characters, still reducing them to their very first encounter when there's actually been an evolution throughout the story.

[laughtale]

leave it to zoro and nami to share this incredibly niche experience that’s rarely expanded on

[laughtale]

This tweet!

[laughtale]

I have nothing against the Reiju Tashigi ship and I think it's cute, but it should have died shortly after that color spread. They way some of y'all are still pushing it only shows you're just using it to prop up your m/m ship *cough* z0san *cough* and get Tashigi out of the way from her more canon adjacent ship with Zoro. Also c'mon, Namitash is and will always be superior with actual canon interactions to substantiate it.

[laughtale]

Zoro x Tashigi haters: ughhh this ship is ick because whenever Zoro sees her he cant stop thinking about Kuina!

Also Zoro x Tashigi haters: ughhh Zoro and Kuina are related so Zoro and Tashigi are automatically related too!

...

......

Eiichiro Oda: "Zoro no longer sees Tashigi as a Kuina lookalike" (Source: Oda-sensei's notes in One Piece Party Vol. 1 - 2014)

Also Oda: "Zoro's pre-timeskip nickname for Tashigi was 'Copycat', but his post-timeskip nickname for her is 'Captain Glasses'" (Sources: Oda-sensei's notes in One Piece Party Vol. 1 - 2014; One Piece Magazine 18)

Also Oda: "Kuina is Zoro's 親友 'best friend', not a relative, and only Zoro's grandma Furiko is to be considered a Shimotsuki. Zoro isn't part of the Shimotsuki clan." (Source: One Piece Magazine 18)

Finally, Oda: "Kuina and Tashigi's resemblance is a coincidence. There is no backstory there." (Source: "Fans Chat With Oda Sensei" at Jump Festa 2008)

[laughtale]

I'm seeing a new wave of young One Piece fans joining "stan" communities (especially on twt) who are being told by "big accounts" to ship only certain ships and to headcanon characters as having only a certain kind of sexuality, and it's honestly disheartening.

Some people are using the fact that these fans aren't caught up with the series or are new to the fandom to control their opinions. I've just seen someone being outright told to stop liking a totally innocent ship adducing completely fake reasons.

Speaking as someone who's been in this fandom for almost 15 years, has seen the birth of stan culture and has left it all behind, you should be able to like the ships you want to like, and to headcanon the characters whatever you like.

Don't fall for the pressure of those who hide behind comments like "it's ab*sive" (for ships that have none of that), or "it's inc*st" (for characters who aren't even related). They're tricks as old as time. Do your own research and judge for yourself. And remember that any headcanon, even if it's widespread inside your little echo chamber, is not canon.

It took me years to realize that the best way to enjoy OP is to interact with the fandom in small doses, and not to limit yourself to the bubble of your moots. And if they ever tell you to stop liking something you like, block and run.

[laughtale]

Post timeskip Captain Tashigi & Pre timeskip Captain Smoker

[laughtale]

Other characters referred to Tashigi as "Smoker's RIGHT ARM" twice in Punk Hazard arc.

[laughtale]

peter is BREATHTAKING bro… god that SMILE??