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Nastu: baby are you a lobster because you make my lobs stir

Lucy: what the actual, literal, genuine fuck does that mean

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Lucy: This is horrible! This is the most humiliating thing to ever happen to me!

Natsu: Even more humiliating than-

Lucy: Let’s not do this.

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Natsu: *plugs phone in*

Phone: *makes sound*

Natsu: yeah you like that huh

Lucy: God please shut up

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LuNa analysis: post-timeskip highlights

After so long without finding something else to analyze, a shallow shipper gave us the idea for this post and its soon-to-follow Fairy Tail counterpart.

When going through the analyses of LuNa as a potent relationship, some may point out most of the highlights come from pre-timeskip works. Is it because there’s no post-timekip material?

Of course there is more material. However, One Piece is a plot-driven story with loads and loads of characters as well as several mysteries that slowly unfold. As such, the characters and their bonds don’t always take central stage unless it is for something relevant to the plot, and after the timeskip we got a lot more to unpackage.

But, that doesn’t mean LuNa doesn’t have moments post-timeskip…

There are small interactions and details that aren’t great enough to warrant a complete analysis, but there are also moments great enough to stand out. One of my favorite moments from Fishman Island was Luffy getting his neck around Nami…

…after that, they bicker about venturing into dangerous places or not. But, not even once Nami expressed discomfort for the way Luffy wrapped himself around her. And we’ve seen a contrast, multiple times, in how she responds when someone else tries to perv on her. They end up eating lightning…

…or feeling the might of her fist

As if Nami becomes superhuman just to yeet some people away lol

It all shows how Nami trusts Luffy a lot more than other people. And take into consideration, this contrast only works in the context of the manga, without factoring anime filler that may contradict the original source, which happens quite often.

Aside from other small interactions, we got some odd moments I rarely mention in Punk Hazard, mainly because they happen after Law pulls a Freaky Friday on half of the crew, and Nami ended up in Franky’s body.

While she trusted Zoro could stop Sanji from, let’s just say, crossing some lines with her body, the one person she trusted to save her from the Yeti Cool Brothers was her captain…

…Nami believed in Luffy to the point she could see the brothers’ defeat as an undeniable fact.

Next, we get a simple yet complex moment, by the time her mind was changed to Sanji’s body. While this scene displays some aspects of the chemistry between these characters, it also shows something interesting…

…by the time Luffy and Law make an alliance that could take Luffy several steps closer to his goal, Nami raised an objection to the plan while presenting an alternative so they can save the Punk Hazard children. Law initially dismissed the idea, and implied she had to stay behind to save the kids on her own. However, Luffy declares he’ll fully support Nami’s proposal instead of following Law’s original idea.

Another reader once explained that this scene is relevant to their dynamic because it shows Luffy drawing a line between his pal, and his companion, as in Nami’s take on this matter holds more weight than Law’s idea.

At the end of the arc we just have another small interaction that doesn’t give us much except for their dynamic involving playing around…

Some people like to joke or tease around using this moment, we could say that it shows how comfortable is Nami with her captain. 

The following arc is Dressrosa, and here you notice the lack of moments partly because the crew splits into two groups. One of the scenes we could get was something similar to the scene from Punk Hazard with Law…

…Nami relaying the plan to split off into two teams so they can keep Ceasar and Momonosuke away from Doflamingo, and Luffy fully supporting her idea. It’s a moment that’s rarely mentioned because it’s more of an intellectual thing; Nami was once deemed by other japanese sources as the “captain” behind the “captain,” the “brain” to the Luffy’s “brawn,” and the way she fulfills such a role here lends credibility to those claims.

However, with Dressrosa being the 2nd longest Post-timeskip arc, the shift in focus to other characters to develop the story, and Nami’s team absence during most of it, we don’t have many moments until we finally get their reunion in Zou, in which Nami tears up after glomping Luffy:

Nami has hugged other characters, by the time of writing this post, she recently welcomed Jinbei as part of a group hug.

But, what makes this one is interesting is the context, which makes it even more consistent with Luffy and Nami’s dynamic, and because several shallow shippers tend to misunderstand the moment and overhype other premises instead, but I digress. But, you only get how deep this moment is to LuNa when you factor previous manga showings. Let’s start by breaking it down:

We find Nami sleeping on Yoma’s (the sheep mink) belly. As soon as Chopper tells her Luffy and the rest finally arrived she’s overjoyed. When they meet, her first reaction is running right into her captain’s arms…

She could’ve ran to Usopp, Robin, or maybe Zoro. But, she went straight to Luffy. But, oddly enough that’s not what makes this moment stand out. She starts happy and ecstatic at Luffy’s return, but it’s only when she’s in his arms that we see a change…

…she breaks down. When we factor pre-timeskip showings we get to see why this is such a good moment between Luffy and Nami: as soon as he was there, she poured her heart out because Luffy is the one who’s been her emotional anchor so far. The person that helps her to regulate and stabilize her emotions while offering hope and comfort.

The next chapter, Nami is no longer crying, she’s shown far calmer and more collected after their reunion.

We now move to the WCI arc, while skipping multiple filler additions, and arrive to another hightlight: Luffy/Nami Vs. Cracker. During this battle we get a bold proclamation from Nami that surprised even Luffy himself…

…what makes this moment great, even before factoring the next chapters, is what we found in pre-timeskip showings. It proves how the characterization and plot of Oda’s works is so intertwined, that leaving out the first half of the story doesn’t let you fully appreciate the weight and actual impact of several scenes.

Fortunately, this scene is not just a call-back or a nice display of character progression. It sets up what comes next. The important thing to take away from this is that for Nami, the prospect of Luffy fulfilling his dream and becoming the Pirate King is a guarantee of success. Even when facing an Emperor’s underling, her faith in Luffy makes her certain of their victory.

This leads us to one of the most memorable moments from the arc: Luffy Vs. Sanji

I made an analysis on this one, but to avoid repeating myself here’s a summary of what happened: Sanji bad-mouthed Luffy and his dream of becoming Pirate King while brutalizing his captain, who decided not to fight back. It got so bad that Nami went as far as to claim they’ll leave just to stop Sanji from attacking Luffy.

While many people, newcomers, and youtubers may focus in this scene after Luffy falls in the ground…

…the story pays attention to two interesting details. First, the famous slap. Contrary to what many shippers believe, Nami didn’t do that out a inch in her panties, and yes! I know I’m borrowing an argument

The context lets us know why she decided to do this. When they were fighting Cracker, Nami’s confidence on their victory was intrinsically tied to Luffy and his dream. Her faith and hope in Luffy gave her courage.

Sanji, in his effort to drive away his crewmates from the island, attacked both Luffy and his dream. And what was the best way Nami found to retaliate? Delievering a physical and verbal blow while mimicking Sanji’s “royal” act

Here, I’ll borrow another argument: instead of following Sanji to save him from the situation that made him kick an already weakened and wounded Luffy over and over again, or begging him to allow her to stay with him and help. She chose to walk away to go to Luffy’s side…

…betraying fans’ expectations, she even questioned Luffy’s refusal to let Sanji go on the basis of how he mistreated her captain. Which Nami took more personal than Luffy did

And we’re still not done!

The manga keeps delievered in this regard, and kept betraying shippers’ expectations. For example, shortly after Luffy declared he won’t give up on Sanji, Big Mom sent an army against Luffy. At first, Nami begged Luffy to hide, but when he decided to take on the incoming forces, Nami, instead of running away…

…choose to fight overwhelming odds alongside her captain and the only hommie they had left.

If we skip other minor stuff as well as several filler additions, we can talk about an interesting moment when Luffy brings Katakuri with him to the mirror world, and destroy the way back to the Sunny. He tells Nami to destroy all mirrors to prevent the enemy from using them to get to the ship, even though that would leave no way for Luffy to return to the ship

Even if it’s a display of leadership on Luffy’s part, it also gives the reader a chance to see how hard is for Nami to follow Luffy’s command due to her concern for him…

…despite being worried about Luffy, Nami ultimately follows his orders and, through her own determination, reinforces Luffy’s authority as captain when the others question her actions.

This dynamic empowers both characters: Luffy proves to be a great leader, while Nami shows how capable she is as an acting commander, which is consistent with Oda’s description of her character’s natural queenlyness.

Now, Wano doesn’t have many moments due to the way it splits the crew again, the plot-driven story focusing on the country itself, and Wano’s connection to major players as well as many things that are way too spoilerish to share here. Point is Wano doesn’t have much LuNa. But, after skipping non-canon additions once again, we get something interesting in the chapter 995

For the context, once again I’ll borrow something from someone who’s been analyzing One Piece on a more regular basis…

After Ulti does a number on her, she gives Nami an ultimatum. The japanese dialogue suggest that Ulti wants to force Nami to state that there’s no way Luffy will become the Pirate King. If Nami doesn’t do as she’s told, she’ll get killed.

But, even when facing certain death, Nami reaffirms Luffy will be the Pirate King in the japanese version, and she ends her response with 絶対に (Zettai ni), a term that means that what Nami spoke was, from her own perspective, an absolute fact.

To fully comprehend this moment, we would have to make a reference to the pre-timeskip set up again, but for the purpose of this analysis that’s out of the question. 

While she had previously stated Luffy is the future Pirate King before, she never did it in such a dire situation. She had no way out, and only if she disavows Luffy’s dream she’ll get to survive… but, even when facing certain death, she’s incapable of renouncing her faith in Luffy, the truth she believes in

The conclusion may sound like a broken record, but it’s a good reminder nonetheless: these moments are not something explicitly romantic. But, they’re the signs of a potent relationship capable of growing within the framework of the series, without filler or any Toei-exclusive material.

And their moments are not only pre-timeskip stuff. There’s a lot of moments and interactions to cover in the span of hundreds of chapters, so much in fact that I found myself overwhelmed by the sheer amount of material…

I couldn’t include all of it. So, what you have here are just highlights, but the author’s works offer even more, all without deameaning the characters involved nor taking over the plot.

BONUS

Some of you may heard of One Piece Film: Gold. But, few fans are aware of Oda’s contribution to the movie. According to an interview with the director and the writer, Oda remade the climax of the film, which ended up improving the flow and the pacing as well as including a parallel between the tragedy the villain’s past self and his lover…

…and Luffy and Nami. It’s interesting that Oda’s storyboard had Luffy and Nami’s situation mirroring that of a romantic relationship (confirmed in Volume 777). It’s a nice little detail that’s still technically both post-timeskip and the work of the author himself.

Next: NaLu post-timeskip highlights, and then an important announcement about the future of this blog

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One Piece Panel Picks - Chapter 146

Found this conversation between these two adorable because it's so thick with familiarity and casualness. Also, it felt so real. You can get this kind of vibe from a couple or really close friends or siblings talking about everyday things. From this little scene we can really believe that Luffy and Nami are beyond crewmates— they're family. (same goes for the rest of the Strawhats)

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If you like it follow me ❤

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Luffy and Nami icons

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All my ships <3

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Kids will be ruining their own childhood by googling if Santa is real.

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All children deserve parents but not all parents deserve children.

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Sonamy Thoughts, Theories & Headcanons

Let me first start by clarifying that this is of course my opinion and even though I’m using elements to back up my thoughts, there is nothing to say that a ship is canon unless the company who makes it comes out and says it. This is just how I perceive the content that we have been given.

My first point is that I definitely do not believe that Sonic “dislikes” Amy, which is often the argument used against this pairing. Sonic definitely is not a fan of her antics, but at no point has he ever stated that he dislikes her. In fact, he has shown time and time again that he is concerned about her and gets passionately angry when she is mistreated:

Now if you’re purely talking in-game content only, I get that Sonic avoids Amy when she hassles him. However, there are a few games where you actually have an option to romance Amy: 

In fact, in Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood there is an entire sub-plot where you literally just romance Amy if you so choose [x]. (He’s also sort of “dated” Amy in Sonic & the Black Knight, but that will be mentioned later). I know Sonic is a huge flirt in the games and at least one female falls for him in almost every game, but still the fact that you can ACTUALLY ROMANCE AMY as an option is a huge step from just being a nuisance.

I also find it a little interesting at the way these two interact when they’re alone compared to when they’re around other people. Whenever they’re in public and surrounded by their friends, that’s when we see Sonic most adamantly against Amy being all over him and being affectionate:

However, whenever they’re alone they get along very well and in fact Sonic seems much more attached to her

In fact there’s this recurring pattern that hints at this hidden relationship that we as the audience aren’t even allowed to see. In some of the games we are informed that Sonic has planned dates with Amy but for one reason or another isn’t able to show up:

or that he is interested in her but it never gets answered: 

In Sonic Boom, there are so many hints that Sonic and Amy are very close, but we only ever see glimpses or the aftermath. In fact, the way they act so comfortable around each other seems more like the result of already being in a relationship and getting past those awkward jitters and obsessive phases. They are constantly in each other’s company and at each other’s side

And of course, let’s not forget to mention the 2 most ambiguous sonamy moments in history

Seriously, what is happening there?!

In the Japanese version they blank out the audio so you don’t know what Sonic is saying. Clearly it is something important and to Amy’s liking based on her reaction. But we aren’t allowed to know, because I think Sonic wouldn’t want us to know (until a later episode where they address it). (Also, quick side note, isn’t it interesting that the first thing Sonic does once returning to his home planet is go to Amy’s house?

He could do anything else but that’s the first place he goes to).

We all know Sonic is not interested in settling down. He has to always be on the move, always keep going. But at least Amy understands this.

<–(ty to greenyvertekins for this set)

Instead of forcing Sonic to stop doing what he loves or sacrifice his passions for her, she instead is the one who chooses to follow him through it all or will wait for him while he is away

This is a huge deal for her, because we’ve already known through several instances that she does not enjoy fighting Eggman and would rather move on with her life, but she knows that as long as there is danger, that will never be the case: 

Which I personally think goes back to that previous thing I talked about with the whole “secret relationship” going on. If Sonic ever decided he was interested in dating, he certainly could not go public with it–at least not for a very long time. How could he, with Eggman constantly getting in the way?

Amy is already constantly used as bait by enemies as it is, so if Sonic were ever to show that he is romantically involved with Amy, she would be in more danger than ever 

I also think there has been this huge growth on Amy’s part. Though yes she is still obsessive and extreme with her emotions, her feelings have matured with every passing game and show and I think that is something that Sonic is starting to notice as well. We started with this little girl who was head over heels unabashadly claiming that Sonic is the one she is going to marry

 to someone who now, though evidently cares for Sonic very much, feels so strongly that she can’t even bring herself to say it aloud

She has pushed herself to stop being someone who waits for someone to save her and instead now shows that she can handle anything that Sonic can handle so that he will see her on the same level.

As I’ve stated before, I don’t think Sonic will ever end up tied down with anyone in canon. But, if he did, I think Amy is the only person who would truly be right for him. She is the only one who has proven that she can keep up with him and stands up for him no matter what the situation is, and surprisingly is the most understanding about the way he thinks and feels. I think Sonic and Amy just have this ongoing connection that just gets stronger and stronger with time, even if they never fully cross that barrier.

*Sorry this post was so long but you asked for it!*

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do i risk being late for tonight’s meeting and lose my valuable parking spot in front of the apartment specifically so i can drive for several minutes to go to the nearest asian grocery store and pay out of my asshole for melona and watermelon bars. hmm. hmmm.

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Lucy : I'm looking for a man who'll care more about me than any other thing.

Natsu : I'll help you find him.

Lucy :

Natsu : So that I can kill him.

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*missing the charging port on my phone* don’t think about it don’t think about it don’t think about it

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Natsu and Lucy's Bonding and Attraction For Each Other(NaLu Analysis 02)

It's a ridiculous thing that I've seen a number of people claiming that Natsu is asexual because he remaines unaffected by seeing any girl(specifically Lucy) naked or isn't interested in romance. Lmao Idk why people tend to label male protagonists as asexual if he shows less interest in romance or actively doesn't pursue any girl. Okay so I thought I should clear this up! And I think I also should state how they share an amazing bond.

But firstly- "A person who's not sexually attracted to others and doesn't have sexual feelings and desires."

Secondly- "When you share your happiness, sorrows and emotionally connect with each other that's when you form a bond. You'll want to spend most of your time with each other because their presence gives you comfort."

We all know the fact that appearing in the same panel together or reacting to something in the same way doesn't validate any ship. It's validated when you have a tendency to look for that special person when you need a shoulder to cry on or someone who you feel attached to despite there being many other people.

When Acnologia invaded Tenrou Island, they were like helpless insects. Their combined powers couldn't even scratch the evil dragon. Everyone was depressed thinking about the fact that they can't do anything to save themselves and this might be the last moment of their lives. In that moment, Natsu comforted Lucy and encouraged her. He was also scared, wasn't he? There were other people around him who were also scared and were losing confidence but he gravitated towards the blonde friend. It shows how much he cares for her, how much he can effect her mental situations and how much she finds hope in his words.

He finds comfort in her house because it's her house. He(and Happy) fell asleep waiting for her and Lucy fairly doubted that they might be in her apartment, they really were there. They chose to wait for Lucy instead they could take a job and pass their time. It's because they've formed an amazing bond with their blonde friend that they don't feel happy when she's not with them on jobs or when they can't find her in her apartment. They could've done anything but they waited for her. If anyone notices carefully then it'll be clear that he makes a mess in her house or does something childish when she's around. It's his way of having fun with her, he enjoys doing it.

In the above moment, Lucy was getting very emotinal. Her future self died protecting their future and she was happy in her afterlife with Natsu taking her on the path of new adventures as she wanted. It's a fact that Lucy and Yukino used every last bit of their power to open 12 zodiac gates and weren't able to destroy the Eclipse Gate but Natsu destroyed it kept his promise to future Lucy about protecting the future. Lucy was ought to be grateful to him and a thank you with a warm smile would be what we can expect at that situation. Despite other people being present there, she quickly hugged him and found comfort.

The guild hadn't even disbanded when he left a freaking letter for her saying he'll be back in a year or so(Yeah yeah, I'm salty over the fact that they didn't have a proper talk on this matter🙄). She wasn't alone before the guild disbanded and she had Wendy, Gray, Erza, Levy, Mira who are close to her. But she straight forward said that she'll be alone if Natsu isn't with her. And after the guild disbanded, she didn't go with any of her teammates and later she didn't have enough courage to contact them because they might feel different about Fairy Tail and they might wanna be on their own paths rather than holding the same feelings for each other. She was imagining Natsu on her couch after waking up in the morning, she saw a man wearing a white scarf and she thought for a second that he was Natsu. How much she holds him closer to her heart isn't a secret.

Before the war started, whom did he go to? He went to spend his last peaceful time before the war with Lucy. It's so obvious that he feels most comfortable with her(and Happy). For an example, Juvia loves Gray and wants to spend most of time with him so she went to him.

"Cuz I got friends...and people who believe in me." So he finally put her on a different level than his friends. His bond with her keeps developing everytime. They trust each other and this gives them the power to keep going.

Now about attraction for each other-

It's not like she sees Gray wearing a suit everyday but she reacts and somewhat blushes and also calls his name being surprised because of seeing him in a suit. Yeah, of course Natsu wearing a suit is very rare and he only wore suit 2 times in the total series, but same goes for Gray, although he wears shirt and pants which is different from Natsu's usual outfit but he doesn't get ready like this. But most of Lucy's attention was on Natsu.

She got embarassed when she heard Edo-Lucy has a kid. But when she saw Nasha's papa is Edo-Natsu, her embarassment reached it's peek lol. And when Edo-Lucy asked if she and Natsu have that kinda relationship or not, she again got embarassed which was pretty normal. Edo-Lucy said that they're doing fine with their relationship so will Natsu and Lucy. Our Lucy didn't even deny like she doesn't want that or even say something like we're better off best friends, she only blushed again.

Natsu has shown sexual attraction towards Lucy and this time, he's being obvious in his actions. He has seen her naked several times but he's like Lemme see! when Lucy said she lost her clothes, I mean it's not something he hasn't seen before. Him gawking at her in the middle of a battle is also something new, it would've been normal for him to get angry or be surprised after Lucy's StarDress was defeated like that. I think he just doesn't know how to act on these feelings so he sometimes gets baffled like in the Nure Onna vs Natsu fight, he was feeling so good(lol) when Yokai Lucy pressed him against her bare chest but it was like he didn't know why he was feeling that good.

In the first panel, Asuka told Natsu to kiss Lucy and she got embarassed which was pretty normal. She expected Natsu to kiss her and quickly placed Happy in between them. She wasn't really ready for a kiss that time. And in the last chapter? She was surprised after Natsu held her tight and pulled her closer. She was definitely expecting a kiss but this time it was different from the last time. She quickly closed her eyes and parted her lips a bit, she didn't resist. It means she was ready to accept whatever she thought was gonna happen. Now I'm asking the ladies out there, do you let your male best friends kiss you just because you're close with them? If that's normal then having a male best friend and having a boyfriend is all the same lol and NaLu was canon a long time ago. Let's throw a party! JK

Although I already knew Natsu wasn't gonna kiss her, he was probably gonna talk to her about that 1 year they spent apart from each other or he was gonna tell her how much she mattered to him but he said nevermind, so it makes sense if it was really something about that 1 year because it means he indirectly said that "I know I left you alone for a whole year but nevermind, cause we'll always be together now."