#TREASURE ISLAND ARC MY BELOVED

[courtesanofdeath]

DR STONE SEASON 3: NEW WORLD - APRIL 2023

[animeyanderetalker]

So you finished enies lobby eh? How’s ur one piece journey so far, and do you have any brief thoughts on the straw hats (so far)?

I’m giving you my honest review here because as much as I like the series so far, I also have my fair share of stuff I don’t enjoy.

I adore the world in One Piece. I’ve been a big fan of Pirates of the Caribbean as a child and I have always wished back then that I would see Jack Sparrow exploring all mysterious islands and finding all treasures. I got that with One Piece but even better. Each island feels unique and whilst there are definitely pacing problems at times even this early for me, I do love the aspects of exploring each individual island and learning about the rules, the environment and the life of the people calling it their home. I know that the Skypiea Arc isn’t that beloved amongst Anime fans but I really loved the arc due to the unique and interesting setting the island in the sky had. From its past to the inventions to the way people live in the sky, everything has so much personality and that has been the case with every major island so far. The sense of adventure and curiosity I always get whilst getting to know a new island is really addictive and I love the foreshadowing. The fact that the end of the Going Merry had already been hinted during the Skypiea Arc but was only revealed during the Water 7 Arc is insane and from what I have heard, Oda is great in foreshadowing and I’m looking forward to that.

What I find myself struggling with, and I don’t know if the Anime is partially exaggerating this sometimes, are the characters itself at times and the, in my opinion, lukewarm comedy that gets very repetitive and boring after a while.

Luffy:

I am actively struggling with the main character at times. Luffy is quite carefree, impulsive and does whatever he wants and it is not even that this is what I dislike about him. He has such heartfelt moments such as giving Nami his straw hat during the Arlong Park Arc despite the hat being a treasure for him or him defending the pirate flag of Chopper during the Drum Island Arc. It’s just that he sometimes is portrayed as so amazingly incompetent and stupid that I am agonizing over it. How can you get stuck twice within the same arc in between two walls and then spend episodes there whilst your friends are trying to save Robin?? Him being a glutton is expected, older Shounen protagonists just seem to have a habit of having a black hole instead of a stomach. I also still don’t understand how he learnt Gear 2 and 3 in such a short time considering that I cannot recall a time where he had time to properly train.

Roronoa Zoro:

I have very little to criticize about Zoro. Luckily his character gag of always getting lost isn’t something that is thrown into my face every episode so I can tolerate it. He’s a man of honor and I like seeing him on screen, but I’m still waiting for that one moment of him where I go from liking him to loving him. I also feel like he suffered in the Enies Lobby Arc from being paired with uninteresting opponents to fight against (Kaku and Jabra).

Nami:

I love and hate Nami at the same time. But the reason why I hate her isn’t even her own fault. As a character I love how she isn’t someone who is actively fighting and has admittedly not the most interesting fights but without her literally nothing would work. As a navigator she is irreplaceable and without her skills the Straw Hats would go nowhere. Her backstory was also heartbreaking but Oda seems quite skillful when it comes to writing a good and tragic backstory. The reason why I hate her though is because she has become more and more a victim of sexualization the further the story has progressed and I just know that it’ll get even worse. I have seen the pictures of her after the timeskip and it is so infuriating because she didn’t look like this at the beginning of the story. The freaking scene in the Arabasta Arc where she was sexualized from a camel and a crab was a different low for me because it’s the first time I have seen animals thirsting over a female character.

Usopp:

Usopp is a character I also find myself struggling with. On the one hand his creativity and his craftsmanship are to be admired. This is a man who invented Nami’s Clima-Tact and was the shipwright before Franky joined. On the other hand his character gags of being the big coward can get a little bit tiring after a while for me. I really loved the Water 7 Arc because it showed him in a much more serious light which was a nice change for once. And I am going to be quite honest here with you, I did not enjoy the whole Sogeking sequence. I understand that he was too ashamed to face his friends after he had left the crew but it got a tad bit annoying to me after a while. I was also not surprised that Luffy and Chopper were the only ones who didn’t recognize him in his disguise.

Vinsmoke Sanji:

I actually really enjoyed Sanji’s character when he was first introduced. I admired his ideology of not letting anyone starve due to his own experience of being stranded on an island without much food and the relationship he had going on with Zeff and the other chefs was heartwarming. However, his simp character has significantly increased since then to the point where it has gotten frustrating and annoying. I remember that scene in the Skypiea Arc where the Going Merry was kidnapped with a few crew members still onboard. And the first thing that left Sanji’s mouth then was that he was disappointed that Nami wasn’t in bikini anymore. I think that is the moment where I started not liking his character as much anymore and from what I have heard, it’ll become a lot more worse. It’s really disappointing in my opinion because he could be such a cool character but around women he is always reduced to a simp with heart eyes.

Tony Tony Chopper:

Chopper is adorable and I love his versatile forms he can use with his Rumble Ball. But I just wish that the show would actually give him more recognition because the 50 Berries he has on his head as of now and the fact that he was called a pet on those wanted posters is saddening. Because not only can he actually fight because he took down one of the CP9 members but he is the doctor of the ship and fulfills such an important role because of it. He is more than just a cute little animal and I hope that will be more recognized.

Nico Robin:

Robin is as of now my favorite character and I have literally nothing I can criticize about her. She is intelligent, her backstory is my favorite as of now and I love how her character also shows that it isn’t only pure strength alone that can be dangerous in the eyes of others but also intelligence. She was wanted for simply knowing how to read Poneglyphs. I’m also happy that she hasn’t been sexualized in the Anime so far and I pray to god that she won’t get the Nami treatment later on. I also love her dark and blunt sense of humor.

Franky:

Franky is incredibly likable. He is as of now the newest member of the Straw Hats so I have not as much to say about him but he is also a well built character with a nice introduction. The relationship he had going on with Iceberg and his past with Tom were well written and despite his rowdy experience he has a heart made out of gold. The fact that he took all outsiders in Water 7 under his wings and gave them a new home and purpose says really all you need to know about him and I’m looking forward to seeing more of him.

[ozymandiasdirge]

look not to spend another arc endlessly critiquing the thoughts of a "beloved hereditary monarch" like in fishman island....but i need to complain. king riku....my guy......you rule a country under the world government....correct??? why would your first instinct not be to call them and say "hey your warlord is doing some fuck shit" like obviously they dont like having to actually do their jobs, but alabasta proved that if someone brings them proof they will HAVE to do something so like, why would you not try that. like WE know because of later plot details that doffy has reach all the way to the top because of whatever knowledge he has of the sacred treasure under mariejois is that they tried to kill him over and they wouldn't kick him out, but uhhhh no one else knows that??? also im sorry..."we can't kill him that would be barbaric we're peaceful". dude 1) you have a military what exactly are they doing if you havent fought a war in 800 years why do you have one then??? 2) im pretty sure killing this guy who is threating to violently overthrow your kingdom and do god knows what to your people is better than stealing 10 billion dollars from all of your apparently deeply poor citizens??? how did you not see how horrifically obviously this could backfire???? which sidenote how is this country supposed to be in the happy part of the flashback if a significant portion of them are poor and starving and destitute enough that we see panels of it before doflamingo even shows up. does anyone in this country know how economics works???

[pixies-and-poets]

TTYD anon here! Thanks for answering and sorry if this bothers you, I know you're on a break but I played Chapter 5 again thanks to Flavio brainrot (is that a thing?) and now I catch why you like him so much! The way he negotiates with Cortez, the part in his diary where he mentions that his crew (or adventure or maybe something else) it's more valuable than treasure... Man. It hits right in the spot. Looking forward for more of this fella!

Not at all! I'm still popping in here and there so I don't come back to ten thousand notifications, haha.

Flavio brainrot is definitely a thing, and I am one of its chosen hosts. There are at least five of us globally I think, and maybe we get some more after the remake lol. But yeah, there's a whole lot to think about with that whole chapter IMO, since the idea of characters being stranded on an island together gives you so much to work with. I always wonder how long they were trapped there, since the dates in Flavio's diary are just nonsense.

And yeah... yeah!! You get it! The way he's portrayed as cowardly, and selfish- and then all of that is subverted at the climax of the chapter, when he has to face a big skeleton-ghost-pirate and give up his literal most beloved possession, all of which he is ready to do without hesitation. And when all is said and done, even though he lost his favorite ship and his family heirloom, he's still happy with everything that happened. It's one of my favorite character arcs in gaming, all condensed into a single chapter of a longer game. Mwah!!

[penna-nomen]

This Showrunner’s Challenge fascinated me, so @silbrith and I talked through it in our recent writing retreat, using White Collar as the fandom.

We went through two rounds. The first was starting fresh with the canon material, and the second looked at how I would approach it in our White Collar AU, Caffrey Conversation. It was a lot of fun, so I want to share the results with you. I want to keep spoilers to a minimum, so I focused on season 1 of WC.

Overview:

Round 1: Honestly, the WC writers did most of this in the first season. 

Round 2: Honestly, in an AU that’s nearing 3 million words, we’ve done most of this, too. I focused on stories I wrote, but we could do this for Silbrith’s stories, too

The details: Below is the original challenge and how we aligned it to WC and CC.

Begin writing a fanfic. 

1 Everything at once. (we treated this as starting the story)

Round 1: The White Collar pilot

Round 2: The first story in the CC series

2 Product placement! 

Round 1: Peter’s car. Obviously there was a product placement deal regarding the Ford Taurus in the first seasons. Other product placement opportunities included coffee. Or in S1E2 “Threads” there could have been ads for a line of clothing or for Project Runway.

Round 2: CC Story #2 “Choirboy Caffrey” mentioned a rental car and that would have been ideal product placement. I had a Toyota in mind but I don’t remember if I mentioned the brand.

3 Fan favorite. Your most recently mentioned character (or named object) is now beloved by the audience. You must give it a bigger part in the story

Round 1: S1E4 “Flip of the Coin” gives El a larger part because her best friend needed help, so we see her at the FBI offices.

Round 2: In CC story #4 “By the Book” OC Henry gets his moment to shine.

4 Executive meddling. You must change to a different genre. 

Round 1: S1E3 “Book of Hours” has a lot of focus on miracles and a book that can supposedly heal. When I first watched that episode, I wondered if the show was veering into a supernatural genre.

Round 2: CC story #38 “A Caffrey Christmas Carol” sent the characters into sci-fi territory.

5 Audiences are craving more coziness. The next chapter must be completely low stakes and set you at ease. 

Round 1: S1E12 “Bottlenecked” – okay, I don’t remember much about this episode, but the main plot is a competition to fool an expert into believing a newly created bottle of wine is actually a couple hundred years old. 

Round 2: CC story #68 “Movie Night” was mostly about a competition to pick the best movie for viewing at a holiday gathering.

6 Audiences are craving more suspense. The next chapter must take place entirely in a single location, ideally just a single room, and build tension with every exchange of dialog. 

Round 1: S1E8 “Hard Sell” spends much of the episode at an estate on Long Island with a particularly suspenseful scene in a room that is rapidly running out of air.

Round 2: CC story #5 “Caffrey Envoy” is set almost entirely in the WC offices, although there are flashbacks to a townhouse in D.C. The scenes of Neal and an Air Force officer in Hughes’ office, viewed by Peter through the glass wall, had some suspense. But I had more suspense in CC story #9 “Caffrey Disclosure” in the scenes where they have a bad guy with a hostage cornered in a warehouse.

7 Audiences are craving more action. The next chapter needs to involve at least one extended fight scene. 

Round 1: S1E13 “Front Man” included some Neal whump. I’d have to go into later seasons for a true fight scene – I’m thinking of the one between Neal and Keller during The Treasure arc, where Peter comes to the rescue.

Round 2: CC story #7 “Caffrey Flashback” included a fair amount of action, such as a life-or-death rush to the hospital, a chase scene in the hospital, and someone stealing Peter’s gun and using it to threaten someone in the hospital. Plus there is a flashback to a child struggling against an abductor. And Peter shoots someone. Fight scenes really aren’t my thing, though, so I can't think of an example of hand-to-hand combat.

8 Audiences are craving more romance. The next chapter needs to involve a deep, sappy confession of either love or admiration 

Round 1: S1E10 “Vital Signs” contains the “You’re the only one I really trust” scene between Peter and Neal. It doesn’t get better than that.

Round 2: CC story #54 “Lavender Dreams” has a wedding, many references to couples in Jane Austen novels, and a proposal. 

9 Go to the most recent line in your fic that references a brand. Due to ongoing legal action, that brand cannot be mentioned again, but you score 1 audience point every time you allude to it in a way that paints it in a negative light. 

Round 1: It would have been easy to add this to S1E7 “Free Fall” by turning the diamond theft into a lesson about blood diamonds and the diamond trade.

Round 2: This one’s tough because I’ve tried to avoid mentioning brand names in fic. CC story #6 “Written in the Stars” mentions Star Wars, which gets mentioned again in later stories, so that could be an option.

10 The two most recently mentioned characters' actors have, IRL, gone through a VERY messy divorce or friend breakup. You cannot put them in the same scene, but they must both remain relevant parts of the show.  

Round 1: It would have been easy to add this to S1E9 “Bad Judgement” and later episodes in S1. Agent Fowler has an important role, but he’s also getting into trouble at the FBI so he’s working behind the scenes. So that could work if the actors portraying him and Peter had a beef.

Round 2: CC story #9 “Caffrey Disclosure” would work well for this. A lot of the plot focuses on looking for OC Henry, who is working behind the scenes, so a friend breakup between the actors portraying him and Neal works. There’s also a section in the middle of the story where Neal is traveling and only catches up with Peter over the phone, so that could have been a temporary friend breakup between those two actors.

11 The most recent negative event is now the center of a very real IRL news story. You must immediately pivot away from all plotlines involving it and, if possible, also find away to apologize for even thinking to include it. 

Round 1: I went with The Treasure arc in season 2 for this, tying back to fans being upset about the source of the treasure.

Round 2: In CC story #4 “By the Book” and following stories there were originally references to a series about a school of wizardry, and I replaced those references with a fictional series when I learned what the author had been up to.  

12 The most recently mentioned character's actor has decided to leave the show. You must write them out in the next chapter.

Round 1: S1E14 “Out of the Box” – No details in this post, to avoid spoilers for people currently watching on Netflix

Round 2: an OC who had a big role in the story dies in #9 “Caffrey Disclosure”

You win if you can complete the fic in a state of relative coherency.

Conclusion: Are White Collar and Caffrey Conversation coherent? Maybe not always, but they are fun!

Thanks for following along!

There should be a fanfic writing game called the showrunners challenge where someone writes a story and partway through someone else can play things like "actor leaves after 4000 more words" or "topic now too politically sensitive due to unforeseen world events" or "lost rights to that reference"

[dailyadventureprompts]

Theme Week #15: Rogue 🗡

I was really looking forward to rogue week, not only because they’re a popular class, but because they happen to be a great excuse to show off my “how to run a heist” system. Enjoy feeling like a criminal genius as your party faces down these challenges while you slip around and head straight to the prize. 

Criminal Machination: A steam/dieselpunk adventure arc where the party tales on the role of a heist crew, carrying out the orders of a mysterious voice broadcasting between radio-waves. These random crimes build to a head as the party delves into a hidden military research site, and the true secrets of their patron are revealed. Also they get an airship, ain’t that cool?

Puzzles and Lockpicking: d&d needs more minigames, simple to implement but with more mechanical engagement than just a flat d20 roll. Here’s my attempt to do something for lockpicking... and possibly some other complicated things like code-breaking, arcane research, or exorcisms. 

The Beloved of Imyya: I wanted to flip the classic snake cult/assassin’s guild on it’s head by making them champions of a colonized people. What I ended up with was a very interesting political faction that players could join if they proved they had the right ethos, in order to learn some alchemical secrets/cool snake based martial arts. 

The Lost Treasures of Alfreth’s Isle: Posing as monster hunters dealing with a giant spider problem gives the party access to a fortified island in a flooded mountain valley that was once used by an ancient king as a vault for all his treasures. Since the destruction of that particular royal line, the island was ruled over by a monastic order of scribes, who guarded the king’s riches despite not quiiiite knowing where all of it might be located. With only a few days of shore time and a silk-thin excuse allowing them to operate on land, the crew will need to move fast if they want to heist the isle’s forgotten vaults. 

Thieves we Be: A full campaign adventure compilation where the party starts off as a group of scoundrels fleeing a job that’s gone very, very, VERY bad. With their last leader possibly bleeding out in the carriage ride over and a disused country tavern as their safehouse, the party will need to pull off a daring series of heists to get themselves back on top.  With sidequests varying from exploring a coast full of hurricane demolished temples to haggling with goblin moonshiners to taking tea with an introverted and grandmotherly lich, this arc is sure to keep your party entertained and engaged for ages while they chase that next big prize. 

[faraway-wanderer]

BOOKS BY ASIAN AUTHORS MASTERLIST #stopasianhate

In light of recent events and the growing anti- Asian hate in the US and UK over the course of the pandemic I wanted to put together a masterlist of books by Asian authors. Obviously, it’s not extensive and there are HUNDREDS out there, but supporting art by Asian creators is a way of showing support; read their stories, educate ourselves. It goes without saying that we should all be putting effort into reading stories of POC and by POC because even through fiction we’re learning about different cultures, countries and heritages. So here’s some books to start with by Asian authors!

Here is a link also for resources to educate and petitions to sign (especially if you don’t read haha). It’s important that we educate ourselves and uplift Asian voices right now. Your anti-racism has to include every minority that faces it.

https://anti-asianviolenceresources.carrd.co/

for UK peeps, this is a good read: We may not hear about the anti Asian racism happening here, but it is definitely happening. https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/culture/culture-news/a35692226/its-time-we-stopped-downplaying-the-uks-anti-asian-racism/

 THE BOOKS:

·         War Cross- Marie Lu ( the worldbuilding in this is IMMENSE.)

For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn’t just a game—it’s a way of life. The obsession started ten years ago and its fan base now spans the globe, some eager to escape from reality and others hoping to make a profit. 

·         Star Daughter- Shveta Thakrar

A beautiful story about a girl who is half human and half star, and she must go to the celestial court to try to save her father after he has fallen ill. And before she knows it, she is taking part in a magical competition that she must win!

·         These Violent Delights- Chloe Gong (I told my little sister to read this book yesterday bc she has a thing for a Leo as Romeo- so if you want deadly good looking Romeos, badass Juliet’s and to learn about 1920s Shanghai- this is for you.)

The year is 1926, and Shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery. A blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city helpless in the grip of chaos. A Romeo and Juliet retelling.

·         The Poppy War- R.F Kuang (My fave fantasy series just fyi- it’s soul crushing in the best way. Rebecca Kuang is a god of an author).

A brilliantly imaginative talent makes her exciting debut with this epic historical military fantasy, inspired by the bloody history of China’s twentieth century and filled with treachery and magic, in the tradition of Ken Liu’s Grace of Kings and N.K. Jemisin’s Inheritance Trilogy.

·         Loveboat Taipei-  Abigail Hing Wen  (Really heartwarming and insightful!)

When eighteen-year-old Ever Wong’s parents send her from Ohio to Taiwan to study Mandarin for the summer, she finds herself thrust among the very over-achieving kids her parents have always wanted her to be, including Rick Woo, the Yale-bound prodigy profiled in the Chinese newspapers since they were nine—and her parents’ yardstick for her never-measuring-up life.

·         Sorcerer to the Crown- Zen Cho (if anyone is looking for another Howl’s Moving Castle, look no further than this book)

At his wit’s end, Zacharias Wythe, freed slave, eminently proficient magician, and Sorcerer Royal of the Unnatural Philosophers—one of the most respected organizations throughout all of Britain—ventures to the border of Fairyland to discover why England’s magical stocks are drying up.

·         Emergency Contact- Mary H.K. Choi (very wholesome and fun rom-com!)

For Penny Lee high school was a total nonevent. When she heads to college in Austin, Texas, to learn how to become a writer, it’s seventy-nine miles and a zillion light years away from everything she can’t wait to leave behind.

 ·         Jade City- Fonda Lee (I am reading this currently and can I just say- I think everyone who loves fantasy and blood feuds in a story should read this.)

JADE CITY is a gripping Godfather-esque saga of intergenerational blood feuds, vicious politics, magic, and kungfu. The Kaul family is one of two crime syndicates that control the island of Kekon. It's the only place in the world that produces rare magical jade, which grants those with the right training and heritage superhuman abilities.

 ·         A Pho Love Story- Loan Le

When Dimple Met Rishi meets Ugly Delicious in this funny, smart romantic comedy, in which two Vietnamese-American teens fall in love and must navigate their newfound relationship amid their families’ age-old feud about their competing, neighbouring restaurants.

·         Rebelwing- Andrea Tang

Business is booming for Prudence Wu. A black-market-media smuggler and scholarship student at the prestigious New Columbia Preparatory Academy, Pru is lucky to live in the Barricade Coalition where she is free to study, read, watch, and listen to whatever she wants.

·         Wings of the Locust- Joel Donato Ching Jacob

Tuan escapes his mundane and mediocre existence when he is apprenticed to Muhen, a charming barangay wiseman. But, as he delves deeper into the craft of a mambabarang and its applications in espionage, sabotage and assassination, the young apprentice is overcome by conflicting emotions that cause him to question his new life.

 ·         The Travelling Cat Chronicles- Hiro Arikawa

Sometimes you have to leave behind everything you know to find the place you truly belong...

Nana the cat is on a road trip. He is not sure where he's going or why, but it means that he gets to sit in the front seat of a silver van with his beloved owner, Satoru. 

 ·         Super Fake Love Song- David Yoon

From the bestselling author of Frankly in Love comes a contemporary YA rom-com where a case of mistaken identity kicks off a string of (fake) events that just may lead to (real) love.

  ·         Parachutes- Kelly Yang

Speak enters the world of Gossip Girl in this modern immigrant story from New York Times bestselling author Kelly Yang about two girls navigating wealth, power, friendship, and trauma.

·         The Grace of Kings- Ken Liu ( One of the Time 100 Best Fantasy Books Of All Time!)

Two men rebel together against tyranny—and then become rivals—in this first sweeping book of an epic fantasy series from Ken Liu, recipient of Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy awards.

·         Wicked Fox- Kat Cho

A fresh and addictive fantasy-romance set in modern-day Seoul.

 ·         Descendant of the Crane- Joan He

In this shimmering Chinese-inspired fantasy, debut author Joan He introduces a determined and vulnerable young heroine struggling to do right in a world brimming with deception.

 ·         Pachinko- Min Jin Lee

Richly told and profoundly moving, Pachinko is a story of love, sacrifice, ambition, and loyalty. From bustling street markets to the halls of Japan's finest universities to the pachinko parlors of the criminal underworld, Lee's complex and passionate characters--strong, stubborn women, devoted sisters and sons, fathers shaken by moral crisis--survive and thrive against the indifferent arc of history.

·         America is in the Heart- Carlos Bulosan

First published in 1946, this autobiography of the well known Filipino poet describes his boyhood in the Philippines, his voyage to America, and his years of hardship and despair as an itinerant laborer following the harvest trail in the rural West.

 ·         Days of Distraction- Alexandra Chang

A wry, tender portrait of a young woman — finally free to decide her own path, but unsure if she knows herself well enough to choose wisely—from a captivating new literary voice.

·         The Astonishing Colour of After Emily X.R Pan

Alternating between real and magic, past and present, friendship and romance, hope and despair, The Astonishing Color of After is a novel about finding oneself through family history, art, grief, and love. 

·         The Gilded Wolves- Roshani Chokshi

It's 1889. The city is on the cusp of industry and power, and the Exposition Universelle has breathed new life into the streets and dredged up ancient secrets. Here, no one keeps tabs on dark truths better than treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier Séverin Montagnet-Alarie. When the elite, ever-powerful Order of Babel coerces him to help them on a mission, Séverin is offered a treasure that he never imagined: his true inheritance.

·         When Dimple met Rishi- Sandhya Menon

Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways.

·         On Earth we’re briefly Gorgeous- Ocean Vuong

Poet Ocean Vuong's debut novel is a shattering portrait of a family, a first love, and the redemptive power of storytelling.

·         Fierce Fairytales- Nikita Gill

Complete with beautifully hand-drawn illustrations by Gill herself, Fierce Fairytales is an empowering collection of poems and stories for a new generation.

 BOOKS BEING RELEASED LATER THIS YEAR TO PREORDER:

·         Counting down with you- Tashie Bhuiyan- 4th May

A reserved Bangladeshi teenager has twenty-eight days to make the biggest decision of her life after agreeing to fake date her school’s resident bad boy.

How do you make one month last a lifetime?

·         Gearbreakers- Zoe Hana Mikuta- June 29th

Two girls on opposite sides of a war discover they're fighting for a common purpose--and falling for each other--in Zoe Hana Mikuta's high-octane debut Gearbreakers, perfect for fans of Pacific Rim, Pierce Brown's Red Rising Saga, and Marie Lu's Legend series

·         XOXO- Axie Oh- 13th July

When a relationship means throwing Jenny’s life off the path she’s spent years mapping out, she’ll have to decide once and for all just how much she’s willing to risk for love.

·         She who became the sun- Shelley Parker-Chan- 20th July

Mulan meets The Song of Achilles in Shelley Parker-Chan's She Who Became the Sun, a bold, queer, and lyrical reimagining of the rise of the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty from an amazing new voice in literary fantasy.

·         Jade Fire Gold- June C.L Tan- October 12th

Two girls on opposite sides of a war discover they're fighting for a common purpose--and falling for each other--in Zoe Hana Mikuta's high-octane debut Gearbreakers, perfect for fans of Pacific Rim, Pierce Brown's Red Rising Saga, and Marie Lu's Legend series

  Keep sharing, signing petitions and donating where you can. The more people who are actively anti-racist, the better. And if your anti-racism doesn’t include the Asian community then go and educate yourself! BLM wasn’t a trend and neither is this. We have to stand up against white supremacy, and racism and stereotypes and we have to support the communities that need our support. Part of that can include cultivating your reading so you’re reading more diversely and challenging any stereotypes western society may have given you.

 Feel free to reblog and add any more recommendations and resources of course!

[richincolor]

Reimagining the Classics

As I typed the title, my mind jumped to several questions. Whose classics? Also – who has been determining which books are classics? Why do classics stay in the canon and why are they taught in schools for so very, very long? The questions around which works are considered classics are many, but for this post, I want to look at how contemporary authors are retelling these stories with a fresh perspective.

Feiwel & Friends is creating a series of such retellings called Remixed Classics which you can read more about at Publisher’s Weekly. Many books considered classics in U.S. schools are told from a white point of view and erase or ignore other possible narratives in their pages. This collection is an opportunity to shake that up and allow for a wide variety of perspectives. I was lucky enough to read an ARC of Bethany C. Morrow’s So Many Beginnings: A Little Woman Remix. I’ll review it in August nearer publication, but just know that it was incredibly satisfying and made me want to put it in the hands of everyone around me. In elementary school, I read a young people’s adaptation of Little Women and then read the complete novel many, many times over the years. I had unquestioning love for the original until I was older and started to wonder about some of the things I was reading and noticing missing voices–especially regarding enslavement during the Civil War that’s happening during the novel. This new remix addresses some of those concerns and retains all of the things I loved about the original such as the family love that knows no bounds. Morrow’s book will be the second in the series. The  first volume is A Clash of Steel: A Treasure Island Remix by C.B. Lee which shares the same publication date–September 7, 2021. These two will be followed by Travelers Along the Way: A Robin Hood Remix by Aminah Mae Safi in March of 2022 and at least on more is scheduled to follow.

Aside from this specific series, there are many other adaptations or retellings and books simply inspired by classics out there that we’ve enjoyed. Here are some we’d recommend.

Pride by Ibi Zoboi ~ Pride and Prejudice Balzer & Bray[K. Imani’s Review]

Zuri Benitez has pride. Brooklyn pride, family pride, and pride in her Afro-Latino roots. But pride might not be enough to save her rapidly gentrifying neighborhood from becoming unrecognizable.

When the wealthy Darcy family moves in across the street, Zuri wants nothing to do with their two teenage sons, even as her older sister, Janae, starts to fall for the charming Ainsley. She especially can’t stand the judgmental and arrogant Darius. Yet as Zuri and Darius are forced to find common ground, their initial dislike shifts into an unexpected understanding.

But with four wild sisters pulling her in different directions, cute boy Warren vying for her attention, and college applications hovering on the horizon, Zuri fights to find her place in Bushwick’s changing landscape, or lose it all.

In a timely update of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, critically acclaimed author Ibi Zoboi skillfully balances cultural identity, class, and gentrification against the heady magic of first love in her vibrant reimagining of this beloved classic.

A Taste for Love Jennifer Yen ~ Pride and Prejudice Razorbill [Crystal’s Review]

To her friends, high school senior Liza Yang is nearly perfect. Smart, kind, and pretty, she dreams big and never shies away from a challenge. But to her mom, Liza is anything but. Compared to her older sister Jeannie, Liza is stubborn, rebellious, and worst of all, determined to push back against all of Mrs. Yang’s traditional values, especially when it comes to dating.

The one thing mother and daughter do agree on is their love of baking. Mrs. Yang is the owner of Houston’s popular Yin & Yang Bakery. With college just around the corner, Liza agrees to help out at the bakery’s annual junior competition to prove to her mom that she’s more than her rebellious tendencies once and for all. But when Liza arrives on the first day of the bake-off, she realizes there’s a catch: all of the contestants are young Asian American men her mother has handpicked for Liza to date.

The bachelorette situation Liza has found herself in is made even worse when she happens to be grudgingly attracted to one of the contestants; the stoic, impenetrable, annoyingly hot James Wong. As she battles against her feelings for James, and for her mother’s approval, Liza begins to realize there’s no tried and true recipe for love.

Scavenge the Stars by Tara Sim ~ The Count of Monte Cristo Disney Hyperion

When Amaya rescues a mysterious stranger from drowning, she fears her rash actions have earned her a longer sentence on the debtor ship where she’s been held captive for years. Instead, the man she saved offers her unimaginable riches and a new identity, setting Amaya on a perilous course through the coastal city-state of Moray, where old-world opulence and desperate gamblers collide.

Amaya wants one thing: revenge against the man who ruined her family and stole the life she once had. But the more entangled she becomes in this game of deception—and as her path intertwines with the son of the man she’s plotting to bring down—the more she uncovers about the truth of her past. And the more she realizes she must trust no one…

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn ~ Historia regum Britanniae, Le Morte d’Arthur, The Green Knight and other Arthuriana – see Tracy Deonn’s essay: Every King Arthur Retelling is Fanfic About Who Get’s to Be Legendary Margaret K. McElderry Books[K. Imani’s Review]

After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC–Chapel Hill seems like the perfect escape—until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus.

A flying demon feeding on human energies.

A secret society of so called “Legendborn” students that hunt the creatures down.

And a mysterious teenage mage who calls himself a “Merlin” and who attempts—and fails—to wipe Bree’s memory of everything she saw.

The mage’s failure unlocks Bree’s own unique magic and a buried memory with a hidden connection: the night her mother died, another Merlin was at the hospital. Now that Bree knows there’s more to her mother’s death than what’s on the police report, she’ll do whatever it takes to find out the truth, even if that means infiltrating the Legendborn as one of their initiates.

She recruits Nick, a self-exiled Legendborn with his own grudge against the group, and their reluctant partnership pulls them deeper into the society’s secrets—and closer to each other. But when the Legendborn reveal themselves as the descendants of King Arthur’s knights and explain that a magical war is coming, Bree has to decide how far she’ll go for the truth and whether she should use her magic to take the society down—or join the fight.

Tigers Not Daughters by Samantha Mabry ~ King Lear Algonquin Young Readers[Q&A with Author]

The Torres sisters dream of escape. Escape from their needy and despotic widowed father, and from their San Antonio neighborhood, full of old San Antonio families and all the traditions and expectations that go along with them. In the summer after her senior year of high school, Ana, the oldest sister, falls to her death from her bedroom window. A year later, her three younger sisters, Jessica, Iridian, and Rosa, are still consumed by grief and haunted by their sister’s memory. Their dream of leaving Southtown now seems out of reach. But then strange things start happening around the house: mysterious laughter, mysterious shadows, mysterious writing on the walls. The sisters begin to wonder if Ana really is haunting them, trying to send them a message—and what exactly she’s trying to say.

In a stunning follow-up to her National Book Award–longlisted novel All the Wind in the World, Samantha Mabry weaves an aching, magical novel that is one part family drama, one part ghost story, and one part love story.

Shame the Stars by Guadalupe Garcia McCall ~ Romeo & Juliet Tu Books [Crystal’s Review]

Eighteen-year-old Joaquín del Toro’s future looks bright. With his older brother in the priesthood, he’s set to inherit his family’s Texas ranch. He’s in love with Dulceña—and she’s in love with him. But it’s 1915, and trouble has been brewing along the US-Mexico border. On one side, the Mexican Revolution is taking hold; on the other, Texas Rangers fight Tejano insurgents, and ordinary citizens are caught in the middle.

As tensions grow, Joaquín is torn away from Dulceña, whose father’s critical reporting on the Rangers in the local newspaper has driven a wedge between their families. Joaquín’s own father insists that the Rangers are their friends, and refuses to take sides in the conflict. But when their family ranch becomes a target, Joaquín must decide how he will stand up for what’s right.

Shame the Stars is a rich reimagining of Romeo and Juliet set in Texas during the explosive years of Mexico’s revolution. Filled with period detail, captivating romance, and political intrigue, it brings Shakespeare’s classic to life in an entirely new way.

Summer of the Mariposas by Guadalupe Garcia McCall ~ The Odyssey Tu Books [Audrey’s Review]

When Odilia and her four sisters find a dead body in the swimming hole, they embark on a hero’s journey to return the dead man to his family in Mexico. But returning home to Texas turns into an odyssey that would rival Homer’s original tale.

With the supernatural aid of ghostly La Llorona via a magical earring, Odilia and her little sisters travel a road of tribulation to their long-lost grandmother’s house. Along the way, they must outsmart a witch and her Evil Trinity: a wily warlock, a coven of vicious half-human barn owls, and a bloodthirsty livestock-hunting chupacabras. Can these fantastic trials prepare Odilia and her sisters for what happens when they face their final test, returning home to the real world, where goddesses and ghosts can no longer help them?

Summer of the Mariposas is not just a magical Mexican American retelling of The Odyssey, it is a celebration of sisterhood and maternal love.

A Blade So Black by L.L. McKinney ~ Alice in Wonderland Imprint

The first time the Nightmares came, it nearly cost Alice her life. Now she’s trained to battle monstrous creatures in the dark dream realm known as Wonderland with magic weapons and hardcore fighting skills. Yet even warriors have a curfew.

Life in real-world Atlanta isn’t always so simple, as Alice juggles an overprotective mom, a high-maintenance best friend, and a slipping GPA. Keeping the Nightmares at bay is turning into a full-time job. But when Alice’s handsome and mysterious mentor is poisoned, she has to find the antidote by venturing deeper into Wonderland than she’s ever gone before. And she’ll need to use everything she’s learned in both worlds to keep from losing her head . . . literally.

*We didn’t include fairy tales. Happily, that could be an even longer list and will be a post for another day.

[missallsundayyy]

how would law celebrate robin's birthday like what would he do and what would he gift her

I HAD FUN WRITING THIS BECAUSE I ALREADY KNOW THIS MAN IS A SIMP FOR ROBIN LIKE CMON ITS ROBIN “CAPTAIN! THE SUNNY GO IS RIGHT AHEAD” Bepo exclaimed

“Quickly or we’ll miss everything men!” Law ordered

TIMESKIP

“YOSHHH!! FOOOOOD LET'S EATTTT” Luffy exclaimed but got knocked out by Nami and Sanji.

“YOU BARBARIC RUBBER! WE HAVE TO WAIT FOR LAW AND HIS CREW FIRST” Nami yelled.

It was February 6th, meaning it’s Nico Robin’s birthday and everyone was preparing a party for her. Nami had even baked Robin a cake and it was with a purple royal icing since it was her favourite colour. Everyone was very rowdy on the ship and it was nothing but an auspicious and cheerful atmosphere. Each of the strawhats had gotten Robin a gift and this touched her to the point of tears, she was surrounded with nakamas that loved her. When she was little girl and when Ohara was decimated never did she imagine that she would EVER get another birthday celebration again. Now she was surrounded with so much love, amazing food, nakamas with big hearts and also…..well the best damned lover she will ever have.

“OIIII YOU GUYS! THE HEART PIRATES ARE HERE!” Usopp yelled to the rest of the strawhats. The strawhats cheered at the arrival of their ally, they were now finally ready to give Robin all her birthday presents and Law was anxious because he was second guessing his gift whether she would love it or not.

“TRAAA-GUYYY, EVERYONE!! COME ON! IT'S TIME FOR ROBIN TO OPEN HER GIFTS AND YOU HAD BETTER PRESENTS FOR ROBIN AS WELL” Chopper ran towards the death surgeon and yelled at him cutely. “Tanuki-ya, yes I have brought Nico-ya presents.” he replied to the small doctor while walking towards his beloved historian. He missed the part where Chopper was calling him an asshole and he wasn’t a tanuki.

Law smiled seeing Robin laughing with Nami, her face beaming with happiness and she was very gleeful and she was wearing a beautiful white strapped long dress and her hair was down, she was so beautiful and what a sight. Robin turned when Nami pointed towards him and her face contorted to a wide grin “Law-kun!” she ran and threw herself onto him and her large breast hugged his entire face “Mhmm! R-robin-ya” his voice muffled by her bust size.

“Happy Birthday my love.” he wished her lovingly and kissed her lips softly.

“I’m glad you came” she said softly

“Baka...I wouldn’t miss your birthday silly.” he said tugging her waist and ushering her to where his crew had placed ALL her birthday presents. “Come, I've bought you many gifts,” he said cooly.

Her eyes went wide looking at the piles and piles of wrapped boxes in front of her, he went ALL OUT getting her gifts. You see, Law had raided many ships stealing all their treasure and went to different islands finding for any gems or gold buried. He had also stopped and docked at multiple towns to buy her the latest fashion of dresses, tops, pants, shorts and all sorts of accessories.

THIS MAN IS EXTRA AS FUCK IM TELLING YOU WHAT A SIMP.

“Ara...this is all for me..?” she whispered, head looking up from how her gifts were stacked up.

Law chuckled at her reaction, he took her hand and kissed her knuckles “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you and you do deserve all good things. Robin had tears of joy at the corner of her eyes threatening to run down and ruin her makeup. “Hey don’t cry baby, you’re supposed to be smiling” he said, caressing her cheeks and wiping a tear that had already dropped.

“But there is one more thing that i want to give you personally.” He took out a small box of jewelry cover and opened it revealing a big amethyst stone necklace with a lace of shining diamonds. I crafted this myself with the gem I foraged on an island I ventured, this stone reminds me of you because it represents serenity and wisdom with calmness also it’s your favourite colour my love”

“I--its so beautiful Law-kun….thank you so much!” she attacked him with her tight hug once again which he returned and placed a kiss on her head. 

“Your most welcome”.

~BONUS~

What the strawhats had bought for Robin for her birthday…

Chopper had bought Robin a customised pen with her name for Robin to write on her research notes

Nami had bought Robin an array of luxurious sunglasses with diamond embedded in them since she favoured using it on a daily basis.

Usopp had knitted Robin a crochet sling bag for their forest adventures, it had their own jungle kit even!

Sanji had bought Robin various types of luxurious perfumes of all her favourite scent and also many many many types of lotion and skin-care products.

Franky had taken the opportunity to build Robin a new chair that….wait for it that could be anything she wanted to depending on her mood. There was a suntanning button, armchair button and even an umbrella chair option.

Zoro had cut some thugs back in the previous town and taken all their treasure which had included ruby earrings and he wrapped it up and had gifted it to Robin.

Jimbe went back all the way to fishman island to get Robin the finest crafted scarfs and traditional skirt (similar to the one she wore on the fishman arc)

Brook….are we really shocked at his gift at this point. He had bought Robin panties/lingeries  and ALL sorts of designs and types as well. Of course he bought her bikini sets as well.

[canmom]

Animation Night 61: One Piece

So first up... ty everyone who tuned in for Heaven’s Feel last week! That was a blast: the fights were everything I hoped for and the whole chuuni traumagirl story arc was genuinely moving and compelling. Can’t really recommend it as a first Fate necessarily, since it skims over the early parts of the story portrayed already in Unlimited Blade Works, but I reckon those movies deserve all their esteem.

(Also, apologies for lack of Toku Tuesday this week. Plans fell apart and I wasn’t up to running one. We’ll be back next week.)

This week on Animation Night, I’m going to take up a long standing request from my friend Elaine [scattermoon], who is a big fan of a certain very long running manga series called One Piece. (I realise that among my friends that is a rather divisive choice! But hey, let’s give it a shot.)

One Piece began serialisation in Weekly Shōnen Jump in 1997, the creation of a young assistant mangaka called Eiichiro Oda. About the young Oda I can mostly find production info: he joined the company in 1992 on the strength of his manga Wanted!, then developed his drawing skills working under mangakas like Shinobu Kaitani on Suizan Police Gang and Masaya Tokuhiro on Jungle King Tar-chan and Mizu no Tomodachi Kappaman. In 1996 he wrote two piratical one-shot stories called Romance Dawn, the prototype for One Piece; then after three rejections, Jump agreed to run his series One Piece.

And One Piece got big. I don’t know exactly when it became a hit, but it soon became recognised as one of Jump’s “Big Three” series alongside Naruto and Bleach... and then outgrew even them to set the record for best-selling manga, overtaking even industry-defining series like Dragon Ball. Unusually for mangaka, Oda became extremely rich - yet he has continued to work singlemindedly on One Piece, taking almost no breaks outside of a number of health scares.

So what’s the formula that made it so beloved to its many many, fans?

Overall the structure for One Piece is a travel story. The broad-scale framing plot is that our MC, Monkey D. Luffy, and the “Straw Hat Pirates” (麦わらの一味, Mugiwara no Ichimi) who sail with him, are hoping to find a treasure called the “One Piece”, which would make Luffy the “King of the Pirates”. Along the way, they get caught up in the conflicts of a long series of islands, each one relatively self-contained as an arc. In the meantime, the metaplot concerns an unfolding pirate war between the four most powerful pirates (the Four Emperors 四皇 yonkō), opposed to the authority of the World Government.

So if at first glance it may sound like standard shōnen stuff - individuals with different superpowers, contesting to become the strongest. But it’s clearly finding much broader appeal than that. I asked Elaine a bit about this, and she reckoned its main strength is the variety: like many successful, long-running TV series (for example, Star Trek), the premise is so flexible that it allows Oda to explore an enormous variety of affects and registers, all anchored in familiarity with the core cast. Some examples are an underwater arc exploring xenophobia and generational prejudice among fish people, a thriller arc where the characters flee poison clouds in a sinister human experimentation lab, and a political intrigue arc about a rich man attempting to stage a coup in a desert kingdom.

Beyond that, it distinguishes itself mostly in execution: a big part of the appeal is the implication of a vast, fleshed-out world painted across thousands of issues. This is built on a distinctive visual foundation: Oda can design a wildly varied cast and give them all distinctive characterisation. (Even if he is, apparently not nearly so good at designing women... 🙄)

One other small tidbit Elaine gave me was that, contra the shōnen designation and Jump’s usual audience, by far the biggest demographic of One Piece readers is women aged 30-40.

Inevitably a series as big as One Piece would see a high-profile anime adaptation, and that landed in the hands of the venerable Toei Animation, one of the oldest anime companies. They picked up the series in 1999, and it has run in a variety of timeslots - shifting from Wednesday to the prime Saturday Evening slot before narrowly avoiding cancellation to settle in the Sunday Morning slot with other long-running shows like Dragon Ball Super. This is relevant insofar as, well...

Let’s talk a little about anime production! A subject I know a lot more about than the plot of One Piece...

Most anime nowadays are produced according to a model called the Production Committee, originating in high-profile films like Akira. In this system, various capital blocs - toy companies, music companies, broadcasters etc. - pool funds in return for a comparable stake in the profit or loss made by the series, mitigating risks but also reducing the potential for profit. The studio producing the actual animation (the primary contractor) may have a stake in the committee, but often they are only paid a single, fixed fee.

The production committee system has come under a lot of fire lately as one of the barriers in the way of livable wages for animators (e.g. this rather disjointed video by the Animator Dormitory charity): a successful series may not profit the animators at all since the fixed fee is very low and, if the studio’s not on the production committee, they don’t even have the opportunity to give the animators residuals (like in Hollywood) and often face severe budget shortfalls despite often paying sub-poverty piece rates.

Per this video, One Piece is run on a somewhat older sponsorship model with three sponsors making joint decisions: Toei themselves, the manga publisher Shueisha, and the broadcasting network Fuji TV. (I’m not exactly sure how this differs from the more standard production committee, but I guess I just gotta take the guy’s word for it...)

In some ways this is good: One Piece is pretty much guaranteed a large audience share just because of the license so the risk is minimal, and thanks to such productions, Toei is able to pay its animators some of the best monthly salaries in the industry. (The fact that they do is thanks to the union which struggled into existence in the early days of the studio, back when it was Toei Dōga.) But this arrangement comes with some restrictions: the Saturday morning timeslot comes with a very high pace of production of 48 episodes per year, drawing a lot of complaints of extremely slow pacing. Toei are not free to ‘go seasonal’ to spend more time per episode, because the other sponsors are making a tidy profit and see no reason to change for artistic reasons.

The exact history of the anime seems to have gone through a few eras. As Elaine described it, the first 80 episodes (1999-2001) adapt the first major arc of the manga at a reasonal pace; from that point until about 2008, the series interspersed ‘filler’ arcs between manga adaptations. From that point, they adopted a slower-paced model where, rather than write filler, they would adopt only one chapter of the manga per episode. Fans were not especially happy at the slow pace, or a widely perceived drop in animation quality.

These criticisms were apparently answered with a change in direction for the most recent “Wano” arc, which is where One Piece clips started appearing on the radar of sakuga fans - such as this cut by Katsumi Ishizuka which currently stands as the top rated from One Piece on the booru, or this one by webgen star Bahi JD. These have all the hallmarks of modern fight sakuga: heavy Yutapon influence, lots of flashy impact frames, lines dissolving, the camera and characters flying about. You can check out more of this Wano thing here on the booru. (I get the impression something quite similar has happened to the Naruto sequels.)

Meanwhile, on the manga side, Oda has apparently been attempting to condense more events into each chapter of the manga to better suit the pace of the adaptation - alluding to a fight which the animators can then elaborate on. So perhaps the pacing troubles are coming to an end... the manga, in any case, remains astoundingly popular, untouchable by anything in Jump.

Anyway! That is, as best as I understand it, the history of the One Piece TV show. However... we’re not watching that tonight. Instead, Elaine has picked out a handful of One Piece films...

Much like the TV series, the One Piece films have gone through various eras. The earliest films tended to be purely original stories, often diverging significantly from the source material; a second era saw higher-budget, condensed retellings of arcs already covered by the TV series; the third, current era of films consists of side stories overseen (and one time written) by Oda, but not directly part of the main story. Elaine’s given me one film rec from each era to give us a little historical core of the series

From the first era, we have Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island (2005), which is notably the second film directed by Mamoru Hosoda [previously on Animation Night #15 and #47] after Digimon: The Movie. We can already see some elements of his style, like the kagenashii (unshaded) animation. The film sees the Straw Hat Pirates drawn into a series of trials on an unfamiliar resort island, but inevitably more sinister things are afoot - hinging on a flower that resurrects facsimiles of the dead.

The second era brings us the Fate-worthy title Episode of Chopper Plus: Bloom in the Winter, Miracle Sakura (2008), a retelling of the ‘Drum’ arc focusing on the character Tony Tony Chopper who is a kind of anthro reindeer?? The Straw Hats show up on a winter island, seeking medical treatment, and seem to get drawn into some kind of furry banditry situation where they’re attacked by big rabbits. It sounds wild and I’m very curious to see how that all comes together.

Last, we have One Piece Film: Gold (2016), from the current side-story-oriented era. In this one, the Straw hats find themselves on a kind of giant casino ship, where a conflict over cheating at dice draws them into a battle for control over the whole ship.

So. One Piece! I’ve never really dipped my toe in, just aware it’s a thing people love - but I’m absolutely curious to peer into this whole enormous psychic whirlpool that has been churning at the centre of the manga/anime industry for most of my lifetime. Fingers crossed we’ll find something delightful in here that appeals even to the One Piece skeptic. And time permitting, I’ll also throw in an episode from that Wano arc for the sakubutas among us to roll around in.

Animation Night 61 is intended to start at about 7PM UK time, 1h40m from this post, over at twitch.tv/canmom. In the meantime, I’m going to be challenging myself to animate a flashy punch in about an hour, so drop by Twitch if that sounds fun! See you there, either way~

[recentanimenews]

RECS: Want to Watch Old Anime? Discotek Has You Covered

Every anime season brings a new roster of hits, but the shows of the past recede into the distance. Certainly, there are some exceptions and niche fans keep the spirit of ongoing series like Gundam alive. But with the continued emphasis on new and exciting anime, it’s tempting to forget the multitude of great shows and movies that already exist.   The Discotek label has fought consistently over the past several years to ensure that anime’s past is preserved. Run by industry stalwarts, they’ve done the impossible time and time again: they tracked down the masters of cult OVA Project A-Ko, painstakingly restored the 2001 remake of Cyborg 009: The Cyborg Soldier from thousands of damaged tapes, and much of their best stuff is now available for streaming.

  If you’re looking for something a little different or simply looking for a new show to watch, why not travel back into anime’s past? Here are some great TV series and movies as enjoyable today as they were when they were produced.

  These are just my own recommendations, picked from the great sea of Discotek titles. But if you want to explore further, and check out titles including real-life inspiration on Yoko Taro, Sister Princess, you can find their shared Crunchyroll catalog list here.

  Note: The titles listed are largely only available in the United States and Canada.

  Movie Night

  Urusei Yatsura Movie 2: Beautiful Dreamer

    One of the best-known anime directors ever, Mamoru Oshii first made his mark with an outrageously popular animated sitcom: Urusei Yatsura, the series that put the queen of romantic comedy manga Rumiko Takahashi on the map. Oshii struck a balance throughout the TV series between hilarious comedy and experimentation, but it was in the second Urusei Yatsura film, Beautiful Dreamer, that he really went all out. This surreal time loop story keeps finding new ways to defy audience expectations throughout its runtime both as an atypical Urusei Yatsura tale as well as a sterling example of just how imaginative and ground-breaking the Urusei Yatsura anime could be at its best.

  GoShogun: The Time Etranger

    GoShogun: The Time Etranger is that classic anime standby: a film completely different in tone and content than the franchise that spawned it. Released four years after the original 1981 super robot series, The Time Etranger spends much of its runtime focused on the dreams and anxieties of sole female cast member Remy as she lies in a coma at the hospital. Examining “what happens after” a final super robot fight, it remains an enjoyable film with smarter writing than you’d expect.  The Time Etranger is also a notable favorite of the great 80sanime Tumblr.

  Night on the Galactic Railroad

    Kenji Miyazawa’s novel Night on the Galactic Railroad might be best known to English-speaking audiences as a reference point for anime like Mawaru Penguindrum and Galaxy Express 999, but in truth, it’s one of the most beloved Japanese children’s stories ever written. An anime film adaptation was released in 1985, directed by the famed Gisaburo Sugii and scored by Yellow Magic Orchestra member Haruomi Hosono. Also, the characters are all drawn as cats! While slow-paced, it’s a strong adaptation that captures the charming and whimsical spirit of the original novel.

  Other Discotek movie recommendations:

All the other 6 Urusei Yatsura movies

Jin Roh

Like the Clouds, Like the Wind

Ringing Bell

  Mecha

  Giant Gorg

    Folks talk up director Yoshiyuki Tomino as the key creative force behind the original Gundam. But don’t forget Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, the talented character designer behind both Mobile Suit Gundam and Zeta Gundam. His most personal anime project is Giant Gorg, the story of a young boy who stumbles across a giant robot on a mysterious island. Rather than a Gundam-style war narrative, Giant Gorg is a proper adventure story in which the young cast spring from cliffhanger to cliffhanger. A white whale in American anime fandom for years, it was finally licensed for distribution in the United States in 2015. Don’t forget this fantastic mash-up between the Giant Gorg OP and the Perfect Strangers theme!

    Mazinger Edition Z

    In Mazinger Edition Z, cult-favorite director Yasuhiro Imagawa reimagines Go Nagai’s classic robot series to create a unified setting packed with pulpy thrills and conspiracies: The giant robot Mazinger has a past history involving the Greek god Zeus! The villain Baron Ashura is recontextualized as a deeply tragic villain with the best story arc in the series! We’re even given Tsubasa Nishikori, a Go Nagai staple who here becomes Imagawa’s best-written female character! 

  Mazinger Z is absolutely suffused with the spirit that made Imagawa’s earlier masterpiece Giant Robo so beloved and is an essential watch for any fan of that series. Not to mention that it ends with a cliffhanger brutal enough to make Go Nagai jealous.

  Other Discotek mech recommendations:

Dai-Guard

Gunbuster 2

Tetsujin 28

  Comedy

  Cromartie High School

    Anime comedies speak to the time that they were made, but there’s something uniquely timeless about Cromartie High School. You could say the show is funny because it’s set in a high school whose roster of delinquents includes a robot, Freddie Mercury, and a gorilla. But I think it goes even further than that: Cromartie High School is funny because its rowdy delinquents live lives just as boring as our own. When I watch Cromartie High School, I think not “what weirdos!” but “same, bro.” True in 2003, true in 2021.

  Other Discotek comedy recommendations:

Bludgeoning Angel Dokuro-chan

Cat Girl Nuku Nuku

Golden Boy

Samurai Pizza Cats

  Drama

  Key the Metal Idol

    Key the Metal Idol is a truly weird series. Directed and written by Hiroaki Sato, one of three animation directors who brought anime film masterpiece Akira to life, it’s the story of an android tasked by her creator to become human by making 30,000 friends. It’s a series that skewers the entertainment industry but is also loaded down with science fiction exposition. It’s a series that’s deeply in love with the work of David Lynch. Key the Metal Idol is flawed and idiosyncratic, but it’s also a genre-busting original far ahead of its time. And the opening credit sequence rules.

  The Twelve Kingdoms

    Fantasy anime are a dime a dozen these days, but for my money, no recent title comes close to The Twelve Kingdoms. The series has its share of magical creatures, epic duels, and even more elaborate fantasy worldbuilding than you can shake a sword at. But most of all, it’s a story about people and growth. Twelve Kingdoms puts its cast of scared teenagers in a crucible and subjects them to intense pressure until those teenagers realize, to their shock and genuine awe, that they can handle anything the world throws at them. Twelve Kingdoms deserves consideration along with Berserk as one of the greatest works of epic fantasy that animation has to offer.

  Other Discotek drama recommendations:

Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting!

Honey and Clover

Kaiba

True Tears

  What are your favorite older anime? Is there an anime BluRay or DVD you treasure most? Let us know in the comments!

    Adam W is a Features Writer at Crunchyroll. When he is not evangelizing Kaiba to his friends and neighbors, he sporadically contributes with a loose group of friends to a blog called Isn't it Electrifying? You can find him on Twitter at:@wendeego

  Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a feature, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: Adam Wescott

[whirlybirdwhat]

Love your straw hats eldritch AU, but, for your consideration, may I present: ROGER PIRATES ELDRITCH AU. Raftel's never been just an island. It's old and twisted and dark in the way only a pirate can appreciate. When Roger walked the isle, something changed within him. A dark deal struck at the dead of midnight, a blood pact under a blood red sky, a sacrifice made to save a friend, or even nothing at all. What is known is that roger changed becoming twisted and dark. And so did his crew. (1/2)

takes you. holds your face in my hands. i have written something for this but oh my god please write this in your own way too i will die just by your descriptions in your ask alone i swear to god!!! also i took this in a different direction than i think you meant,  but i hope you enjoy it was very fun to write fghjkl

laugh (tale) of the king 

read on ao3! 

When Roger finds the One Piece, he laughs.

And Laughs.

And Laughs.

A Laughtale, he calls the island, because its true name should never be spoken on any other tongue, what fun is that!

His crew laughed too, you know.

They never learned to stop.

At the king’s feet, something that was never quite an island writhes, and blood red sand becomes bloodier as three of the Pirate King’s dearest friends never leave its shores.

That’s okay, the Pirate King says laughing, they’re having fun now! What a Laugh Tale!

The water seems to smile, an arc of sun flashing itself across a red sky, and oh, how happy Raftel is, leaving its body to venture the seas.

How happy.

-

Here’s what they never tell you about the execution. What the press will never be able to describe and what it’s witnesses will never erase from their nightmares.

When the Pirate King died, his words launching the world into a new era, a new fate, a new, deadly dream, he smiled.

And he laughed as his teeth became sharp and the blades dug into his chest, and he laughed as sand poured from him instead of blood, and he laughed as people said The One Piece is Real and Monster! Monster! In the same shout.

The Pirate King smiled and laughed and the world was never the same.

But they’ll never tell you about the laugh, or the sharpness of his smile, or the sand from his veins.

No.

That story, that funny, traveling tale, does not belong on the tongues of man.

No Laugh Tale ever does.

-

Shanks didn’t go to Laugh Tale. Buggy didn’t either. They were left behind, on a small island just outside dangerous waters, and if they had less faith in their captain they might have said they were abandoned there.

But Roger was their captain, and they were his crew, and silly things like disloyalty and mutiny had no place on a pirate ship.

But when Roger came back, Shanks wondered sometimes.

About what really happened on Lau- Raftel.

Raftel.

(His tongue could never quite twist around the island’s name like his captain could.)

Roger left with a full crew and came back three less. Shanks knows the numbers and not the names, and that’s odd, because it’s usually the opposite. But there were three missing, three missing shapes in his memory, in his crew, in the hammocks around Shank’s bed.

Roger didn’t talk about it. Only laughed, his shadow stretching farther in the sun.

Shanks loved his captain. But he quickly learned to hold his tongue when Roger laughed lest he interrupt the way Roger’s mustache curled with fire and his eyes grew darker, the way he laughed and he world shook, just a little, as if something far bigger than any ship or crew or giant was laughing with them.

Roger wasn’t the same after Raftel.

(And neither was Rayleigh, or Gaban, or Oden. Shanks saw shadows at night and red sand on the decks in the morning, and even with Roger’s coat draped over him and Buggy he still felt cold sometimes, on his beloved ship side home.

The Oro Jackson’s red sails never felt so dangerous.)

Roger wasn’t the same after the island at the end of the sea.

After Laugh-

Shanks chokes on the name, chokes on wet grit in his mouth, and doesn’t think about what his Captain hasn’t told him.

-

Ace smiles sometimes, when he looks at Luffy, and it isn’t possessive or dangerous or conscious, but Sabo notices it all the same.

Ace has always been weird. His skin is rough and he doesn’t go down to the beach but there’s sand in the treehouse, and his shadow is always longer than most at sunset.

(Sunset, whisper the legends that Sabo has read in dark corners, the time when laughter blends into something worse.)

Ace looks to the distance sometimes, goes barefoot other times, feet without the callouses a jungle-raised boy should have. When he rests his head on Sabo’s shoulder, Sabo learns not to question it.

This is his brother, whom he loves.

Whether Ace fights like an island walking or not.

(Still, Ace looks so hungry after certain stories, after three boys play so much they can do nothing but laugh aftterwards, hungry in the manner of something being where it shouldn’t. Like Ace isn’t the only one there.

Sometimes Ace says lets go to the shore, and he says it to both Sabo and Luffy, but he’s really only looking at Luffy with that Not-Ace look in his eye, and Sabo says lets go hunting instead, and takes Luffy’s hand before Ace can.

He trusts Ace.

Not wherever Ace came from.)

-

When Shanks gave Luffy the hat, Luffy had to dump sand out of it before he put it back on his head.

It was weird, then. Red sand.

Why was the sand red?

(Why did it feel ever so slightly wet?)

There was no red sand at Dawn.

(Only red morning and nights, warnings and delights, times when little boys looked to the horizon and got a little lost, singing to some unknowing island’s praises.)

A mystery, Luffy called it, just like he called the pull out to sea, and eventually, the way Ace’s eyes would flicker in the moonlight, a mystery.

Shishishi! He laughed, then, building castles out of the sand that shakes from his hat, just wet enough to stick together in clumps when he so wished. Shishishi!

What a laughing, wondrous story it is.

What a Laugh Tale.

-

Zoro hears Luffy laugh once and only once, a Shishishi ringing out throughout the air, and he is taken.

There is a siren song in that laughter, a pull to something greater, a darkness deeper than the one that dwells deep and not quite dormant in Zoro’s chest.

Shishishi! Luffy laughs, and it echoes like the Ghahahaha! Of the Pirate King before him, echoes like the rumble of waves crashing into liquid shores.

Shishishi! Luffy laughs, and Zoro follows, but never, ever gives his own unique laugh into the fray.

No.

He won’t give that up, not yet.

(The crew eyes Luffy in the dark, sometimes, when he’s most like the tide. Pulling, and pulling, and pulling, to something bigger than all of them.

To Raftel, Luffy never says, as if the name means nothing to him, To the One Piece, he says, and louder, King of the Pirates!.

Raftel never spills from his lips. Only laughter.

And always, the crew wonder what that laughter-in-the-place-of-a-name means.

-

On Saboady, Rayleigh nods to Luffy like a knight to a king not his own, and neither of them seem to notice.

Shakky does.

Nami does.

Shakky looks at Nami and Nami looks at Shakky, and both of them try not to notice the way Saboady shies away from the footsteps of the First King’s right-hand man.

Rayleigh, Shakky tells Nami while the rest of the crew is chattering, smoke drifting from her breath, was different after Raftel. Is different now.

She doesn’t explain how.

Nami knows it in the way Rayleigh walks, the way he looks to the sun and he carefully doesn’t laugh at Luffy, only smirks and chuckles, quiet rumbling that echoes through the bar. The way he walks like a predator and the newspapers call him Dark King in the way they never did before Raftel.

There are islands, Nami tells Shakky as the rest of the crew is leaving the bar, where the winds say they shouldn’t be. As if the land is drawn to him.

She doesn’t say who he is.

Shakky knows it in the way Luffy tracks sand into the bar, in the way he wears a crown of his own power, the way he is The King of the Pirates in the way people say the sea is blue and the sun rises. Knows it in the way isn’t like Rayleigh yet, but Raftel is taking him, bit by bit, mile by mile, drawing him closer closer and closer to the end.

Nami looks at Rayleigh, at his sharp teeth and whispy silver hair, and the way that behind his glasses his eyes are dark pits, and wonders what will happen to her crew once they reach Raftel –

Once they set foot on bloody, bloody shores.

(Because, there has never been an option to turn back.

Luffy will be pirate king.

Nami is on the crew of the Pirate King.

They will go to – Lau-

Raftel.

They will go to Raftel.

And Luffy when not let any of them go.)

-

Three years from the day Monkey D. Luffy sets out, twenty-five years since the death of a king, another crew sets foot on Raftel.

On Laugh Tale – the name solidifying in their hearts, in their souls, in ten souls with more power sea resting in them.

The sand is soft beneath their feet, and for once, no sand falls from the crown of straw resting on Luffy’s head.

There’s so much red. Everywhere they look – red cliffs, red shores, red waves.

The end of the sea, at one dark, dark island.

(They don’t think of why it’s red. Why there’s blood drifting beneath their feet.)

Luffy is the first to walk forward, the first to enter into the island’s embrace, and he is the first to find the One Piece.

He does not laugh. He smiles.

-

Raftel is a false name, a name that falls on butchered tongues, a name unfit for an island’s truth.

Laugh Tale is the truth, a name that sounds like laughter and joy and secrets falling into place. This is the name men think of before they day, before their blood feeds into Laugh Tale’s sands and sinks into its heart.

Laugh Tale takes, just as the Grand Line takes the heart of men. It takes souls and laughter and dreams, and it takes humanity.

Takes what makes men and bleeds them dry onto its shores, for something greater than mortality in the end.

When Roger arrived he laughed at the treasure hidden on Laugh Tale’s shores, laughed at the bones left behind by great men, laughed at the truth of the world.  

A deal was struck then, on red shores under crimson skies.

He didn’t know it till later. Till he left and became Laugh Tale living.

(Till his skin became red sand and his veins became saltwater, till his eyes grew like dark island pits and his haired waved with the wind at the end of the sea.

Until Roger was so much bigger than the man who became Pirate King)

A laugh for a story, a dream for a legacy, an adventure for a fate.

A man for an island, really, it’s so simple.

A couple more years for an island to leave home.

Laugh Tale has been here since before the void swept the Earth for the first time, and will be here until the Earth drowns in sea-swept fury.

Truth, spilt out in laughter.

For that’s what an adventure is, after all.

Laughter.

-

(The second Pirate King laughs on Raftel and the island crumbles at his feet. No deal is struck as a new king expends indomitable will on the island, the world, itself.

There is no greed in his actions. No rage. No selfishness. No sacrifice made. Just a king taking the throne, taking a friend with him across the seas.

When he comes back from the end of the earth there is an absence in the world, and no sand piling at his feet.  The end of the sea is mere water, blood sinking into the ocean floor instead of white sand.

The Pirate King laughs and the world laughs with him.

The Laugh Tale of the Pirate King – on its rightful crew at last.)

(And if the king smiles sharper and the Sunny sails heavier, then it is no business of the worlds, now is it?)

[translationandbetrayals]

A letter of hate and love to Yoshihiro Togashi

It's difficult to me to write about this because I recognize myself as a positive person, or at least, I don't lose hope easely. So at writing this post I'm putting on evidence my lack of hope on the subject. Made this disclaimer, let's beggin. It never hurts to say SPOILER ALERT.

Hunter X Hunter is a manga series written and ilustrated by Yoshihiro Togashi in 1998 until now. This manga is the shōnen type and is about a kid, Gon Freecs, that want to become a professional hunter to find his missing dad. I have to clear out that a professional hunter in this world is not the same as the real world hunters. In this world a hunter is a person with physical and mental strenght that develop supernatural powers depending a complex power system. But I'm not here to talk about how good or complex is this manga, no sir. That would come naturally because I'm still a fanboy of this beatiful piece, but isn't the main topic.

So Yoshihiro Togashi made the main characters develop  in power and relationship in a consistent way, making use of the first 5 full arcs (ending in Greed Island arc), only to show us in the next arc how the portagonist lose it all (Chimera ants arc). Meanwhile the other characters are making their own business, because obviusly, if the mangaka develop a background to a character is because it will be important for the story, but here almost everyone has a background story so you can imagine how many side stories are happening and how they get tangled all along the manga. 

After the arc when Gon loses all, it comes another arc to heal him and when finally he wake up, he achieve his final goal, to meet his dad (here is where the 2011 anime ends and the manga should have too). After this I had a bittersweet sensation, because the main character acomplished what he wanted, but it felt so short and with a lot of loose ends. But then Ging Freecs, Gon's dad, tell him about how the known world is a little island in the middle of a lake that is in the middle of a huge continent filled with strange and extremely powerfull creatures, and it's called the Dark Continent. And here is when everything go downwards.

Imagine the feeling when the person who create an entire complex world that cautivate you from the beginning tells you that all the thing you loved is only a sand grain in a whole beach and the only thing you have to do is to wait. And wait. And wait.

Because, I forgot to mention, our beloved Togashi have that strange habit to take hiatus, very long hiatus (Hiatus is a pause). Some people say is because he suffer a disabling back pain that leaves him in bed and unable to draw, other people say plus the back pain he don't let other people touch his work so the only person who can do the job is him. Other people say that Togashi-sama is a very lazy person who likes to play Dragon Quest all day long. And the final theory is that Togashi get tired about the world that he created and he will left it incomplete.

True or not, the only true is that it passed a lot of time (the longest hiatus in the story of the Togashi's hiatus) with a half donde arc and the last news about Hunter X Hunter is about it will come out a mobile game that no one cares. With this final news I losed all my hope about this manga and I will love it always but I don't think will end at some time. Maybe if he tells somebody that physically and willingly can continue the manga what to do and how to do it, maybe, and just maybe, it would end. I think it will not happen because of all the things that people say about Togashi and because is a very easy solution that could thought about it himself. 

I want to express as final thoughts that realizing about this is like broking up in a relationship, I have a wound in my heart that I treasure because it was so nice but as the same way it will hurt for ever. And maybe it will come back for a short time, like a last affair but in the inside I'll know that won't last. I hate and love you Togashi.

-By Lorenzo Martinez

[danwhobrowses]

One Piece - Void Century Theory Dump

So as promised I am ready to do a dump of theories that mainly involve the Void Century, so that’s the stuff involving the Great Kingdom, the Initial D, the ancient weapons etc. They will be like my other Theory dumps I’ve done on this page but possibly in more detail. Spoilers for Chapters leading up to Chapter 968

Right so the Void Century happened 900 years ago, it’s a Century which led to the World Government being formed of the 20 Kingdoms, the fall of Shandora and the Great Kingdom, Joy Boy failing to keep his promise to Fishman Island and leaving something of his in Laugh Tale, the Tontattas being oppressed in Dressrosa and the overall forbidding of reading Poneglyphs. There’s a lot there that can be digested and there are a lot of theories about it already, so sorry if some may sound familiar. Im the Immortal

We’ll start with the one who sits in the empty throne, Im or Imu, is a mysterious individual. Gentle to butterflies but knifey to sweet princesses who did nothing wrong. It is a common theory that Imu is an immortal being, someone who has lived since the Void Century, but I believe it goes a little deeper. Imu isn’t immortal ‘just because’, Imu is immortal because he has had the Perennial Youth Operation, what makes the Ope Ope no Mi one of Marejois’ most beloved treasure. It’d explain why the Gorosei answer to them despite being pretty old themselves and how they could keep to themselves so much that nobody really knows that they exist.

Eight Moons

It’s a combination of many theories I’ve seen, but I do believe that the One Piece world has 8 Satellites orbiting it. Of course there’s the standard moon otherwise known as Fairy Vearth, but Ohara’s globe showed at least 5 other satellites, including one with a satellite of its own, but we always see this kind of globe from the front, as if there’s a missing moon behind the planet. The idea that there are eight moons go beyond just the globes of Ohara, the Kozuki Crest and the Alabasta flag also have a symbol of a circle with eight dots around it. Right now I do believe that at one point Wano’s borders were very open, it’d explain why Toki was born in Wano yet never saw it - since her time jumps do not affect her geographical position. It’s also unusual how often the moon is a focal point around the planet, from the Minks’ ability to perform Su Long, the ancient city of Birka and the Wano Daimyo names all relating to moons. A Spaceman Came Travelling...

We already know that the Shandorians, Birkans and Skypeians all once inhabited the moon thanks to Enel’s cover story arc of him going to Fairy Vearth, whereby he entered the advanced and abandoned city of Birka. Given that there is potentially 8 Moons, why could there not be life on those moons. I speculate that this story runs much deeper, we know there are even Space Pirates from the cover story, but what if most of the races from these 8 moons all came down to the planet and they comprise of the 20 Kingdoms. Not only that but this could explain how some races could’ve come to be, the technological advancement of Birka and the fact that their automata match the invention of other automata Enel meets is proof of that but the Minks’ ancestral race may’ve also come from the moon, since they seem to react to a full moon’s radiation. This could also be why there are races such as longarms, longlegs, fishmen and merfolk. The Creator Race

So, through Enel’s cover story we can prove that there was a dude that happened to create 4 Automata that almost exactly matched the design of Automata in the Moon City of Birka, this robotist happened to live on one Karakuri Island as well, the birthplace of Dr. Vegapunk. Vegapunk has been a heavy mystery himself almost as much as Im, what we know of Vegapunk is mainly through their creations; Seastone manipulation, Cybrogs, Artificial DF, Lineage Factor, Artificial life etc. It seems that there’s only certain things that Vegapunk has failed to achieve; Climate Control and Gigantification which could be key to other parts of these theories. Now Vegapunk could simply be a born genius, or maybe he’s from a race that was the most advanced race out of the 8 moons, Oda did say in an SBS that Vegapunk may already know what Devil Fruits really are and thus how they work, and the World Government have him locked up so much that even the threat of Kaido has made CP0 only hesitate about handing Vegapunk over to Orochi - how Orochi would know of Vegapunk is another question, was Vegapunk from Wano? Digging deeper this could also explain how the races of moon people integrated themselves into the ‘Blue Star’ and even created some of the aforementioned races like Minks, Longarms and Longlegs, even maybe the Kuja and the Three-Eyed Tribes, all a product of Lineage Factor tampering or natural selection not unlike how humans created dogs out of wolves or oranges out of citron. A key point could also be the theme of Electricity, Enel was able to call himself God by virtue of having a lightning Devil Fruit, all Minks naturally have the ability of Electro, the city of Birka ran on electricity and like in the modern world electricity had been key to many advancements. Of Dwarves and Giants

One of the things I mentioned that Vegapunk failed at was Gigantification, it seems a little odd that he would need to research that. But imagine that normal humans were from the moon, a much smaller land space, and they come to the Blue Star where everything is either Huge or Tiny. We know that Giants can live for at least twice as long as a One Piece human would and that they have always been a sought after force, even Big Mom believes that with the Giants she would be unstoppable. So perhaps the Giants are the native race of the Blue Star, alongside the Tontotta dwarves. There is some evidence to this as well, Oda seems to lean on a lot of Norse myth (even Im’s name is based off of a Jotunn) and if Giant Jack is a part of Elbaf’s Yggdrasil tree that could further fan the flames. The interesting thing is that the Giants and the Dwarves seem to live in areas where flora thrive, often a sign that they are symbiotic with the ecosystem, there’s also the matter that there are various giants; Oars, Saul and the Yeti Cool brothers being different kinds and sizes of giants, even Kaido and his Numbers could be a form of Oni giant and attempting to obtain gigantification the ways they influenced other races led to smaller scale creatures like Ceasar and outliers like Magellan, Big Mom and Whitebeard, people who seem like they could be like giants. The Kingdom of the Dawn

This then leads to the ‘Great Kingdom’ that Clover was talking about in Ohara, a kingdom whose name Clover couldn’t even speak of before being shot. When you hear Kingdom though you think of one country or one island, but what if the Great Kingdom was actually an empire. I mean you’d think it excessive for 20 Kingdoms to need to take on one right? But what if the Great Kingdom was a combination of kingdoms that included Shandora and Wano, two countries who have been called the ‘City/Country of Gold’. It’s worth reminding that neither of these lands had a ‘King’, Shandora may’ve had a God and Wano has a Shogun (sans an Emperor) but not a king nor a queen. I definitely believe that Wano had ties with the Great Kingdom, the main reason being Poneglyphs: Wano is where the texts were made, where the language was written and taught how to translate, if the Kingdom ‘disappeared’ leaving their story on Pongelyphs then that implies a Wano connection, potentially from the Amatsuki clan - as demonstrated with Toki not being in Wano when we meet her properly - or the Kozuki clan given their blood bond with the Minks on Zou, their crest being placed under a Rio Poneglyph of a millenia-old City. A common thing is also the term of the ‘Dawn’, a symbol of an event in the future where dreams will come true and I believe like others that this is the core belief of the Great Kingdom, a kingdom of many races and cultures living freely and prosperously, the Kingdom of the Dawn. Though whether that was its actual name I’m not sure of, I feel like it’d have another name since Luffy was born on ‘Dawn Island’, so I feel like if the WG didn’t want that name out there so badly they wouldn’t allow one of their Affiliated Kingdoms to have that kind of name. I think it’d have a name similar to the pirate havens like Tortuga, Port Royal, Libertatia and New Providence. This Kingdom however was clearly something threatening to the other leaders of the world to the point that they were terrified of their skills and the creation of what they deemed ‘(Ancient) Weapons’, which led to a war that caused the fall of Shandora (but didn’t ravage their gold) and possibly the closing off of Wano. The Great Kingdom ‘Disappears’

Defeat is feasible yes, but it was rare even for the WG to eradicate even a single island, would they really be able to do that 900 years ago? Part of the reason CP9 wanted Pluton was for its destructive power. So how did the Great Kingdom ‘disappear’? The wording makes it out like it just vanished rather than dissolved. So what if the main country of the Great Kingdom did really disappear, just not in the way that the WG thought. Remember that the Pluton was said to be able to destroy an entire island and we know that Poseidon could command Sea Kings that were capable of carrying the Noah, so what if the Country itself was ‘blown up’ by the Pluton itself but secretly, the island was scattered across the world with the help of the Kingdom’s allies; the Sea Kings and the Giants. Oars is known as a ‘Continent Puller’ so it’s possible to have that strength, and if that is true then maybe islands such as Zou, Ohara and possibly even Dawn Island and more could actually be remnants of the Great Kingdom, hidden or assimilated into the world. The Nefertari Redemption

Alabasta is noted as being one of the 20 Kingdoms that made up the World Government, but the only ones that didn’t go to Marejois after the Void Century. Why seems to be the appropriate question and the appropriate answer could be because they regretted the outcome of the war. It’s possible that the Alabasta Kingdom was the Garp to the Great Kingdom’s Roger, there was emnity but also understanding, which could explain why Alabasta then held not only a Poneglyph but also the entire Pluton hidden within their kingdom. Perhaps Alabasta regretted the side they chose and instead decided to withhold the Ancient Weapon (remember Robin scoffed when Cobra said that the country was charged to ‘protect’ Pluton) from the newly established World Government, and sometime down the line after holding the Poneglyph explaining where. An answer Robin never found because she never read the First Poneglyph the Straw Hats first came across. There are other ‘Ancient Weapons’

As said in a Sherlock Episode “There’s always something so comforting about the number 3″, so far we are told of 3 Ancient Weapons; the ship Pluton that can destroy an Island, the Mermaid Poseidon who can command the Sea Kings and Uranus. Each of these weapons were named after Gods because of their incredible power, but what if there are other ‘weapons’. People speculate that Momonosuke is Uranus or Zunesha was Pluton, but do we consider that there are other things that could be tools of destruction? Take a Dragon for example, Kaido is considered the strongest creature but the WG doesn’t call him a Weapon, it’s gotta be odd as well that Oda mixed the namings up to have the common trifecta of Sea, Sky and the Underworld but gave two of them names of Roman Gods and one the name of a Greek God. It’s possible that there are other weapons out there but they’re not deemed weapons because the World Government have them, and thus don’t fear it being used against them. The Tequila Wolf Project

Tequila Wolf has been a World Government project for at least 700 years, a massive bridge with an unknown stopping point starting in the East Blue. We saw it with Robin and recently Oden so the question is why is Tequila Wolf important? If Kuma wanted Robin to meet the Revolutionary Army why not send her to Baltigo, the army’s HQ? There was something here that Kuma wanted Robin to see, something she needed to learn about it to better prepare herself for the New World. Its name may be a hint, Tequila is named after Santiago de Tequila (much like how Champagne is after the French Province or Stilton after the English Village), the village translating to ‘Place of Tribute’ so it’s possible that this bridge is a Tribute - though wolf does imply deception, like the Crane and the Wolf fable. I personally think this was the WG’s plan to lock in all the islands they deemed important and like most nobles we have seen, leave the outside to suffer, thus the trickery of the wolf, while in Japan once worshipped for protection the rest know it to be a trickster that deems itself superior. Joy Boy and the Initial D.

Recently, the name “Joy Boy” returned to the limelight having been the writer of the Poneglyph in Fishman Island, then we discovered that Joy Boy was a key part of what lived in Laugh Tale, a gift he left behind being able to bring the Roger Pirates to tears of laughter as Roger muses that he wished he lived in his era. So who was Joy Boy? What was Joy Boy?  I think the answer lies in the giant Straw Hat, Joy Boy was a giant, or at least partly giant, a leader of the Great Kingdom who constantly smiled and brought joy to people around him, was able to turn even his enemies to friends, someone of deadly strength that his allies are called ‘Ancient Weapons’. Joy Boy is the person I believe is the reason the World Government outlawed the use of D. the D stands for something that Joy Boy’s real name had, whether the D is his smile, Dawn, Dragon, Devil or something else, the D likely comes from Joy Boy and the people and friends that rode with him as Nakama thus adopted the name D to carry on his will. A small thing I want to note as well, I feel like each of these D holders initially named themselves after animals or parts of an island; Monkey, Jaguar, Rocks, Water, it’s possible other D holders over time married into other families or corrupted their names (imagine if Roger’s family were Gull then changed to Gol) while keeping the D a secret note to the will they carry. Inherited Will

Joy Boy may’ve been this charismatic figure, but there’s still the matter of Fishman Island, his failure to bring the Fishmen and Merfolk to the surface via Poseidon being a deep regret for the character. This could’ve been a human trait had it not been for Chapter 968 alluding to the fact that Joy Boy can ‘reappear’. I don’t think this is Joy Boy pulling a jesus though, I think Joy Boy’s particular race is capable of reincarnation the same way Poseidon is. Poseidon is reborn over time in a Mermaid Princess so maybe the timelines of reincarnation are iffy and the Poseidon of Joy Boy’s time died (or Joy Boy themselves were dying) thus rendering them unable to carry the Noah. If certain characters are able to reincarnate this can give a whole new dimension not only to the Will of D but Inherited Will as a whole. Luffy may’ve inherited Roger’s Will but what if Roger inherited Joy Boy’s Will first and thus Luffy is the reincarnation of Joy Boy that Roger was hoping his ‘son’ would be. This can be further evidenced by the fact that Luffy does intend to reopen Wano’s borders for Momonosuke, thus the point where Joy Boy has returned to Wano. The Devil Tree

Which leads to our finale part of the theory dump. It’s often considered that Devil Fruits were born from a moon, since as Enel noted the moon has no Water. However it cannot be Fairy Vearth, since Enel found a dried canal. So the Birkans, Shandorians and Skypeians did not have the Devil Fruits, instead I believe that the Devil Tree came from the same moon that brought Im and/or the founders of the Great Kingdom and with them they brought a seed for the Devil Tree. From what we know of SMILE, a Devil Fruit seems to take away a key property of its eater, usually their ability to swim, so it’s possible that the Devil Tree’s fruits were initially normal, but when eaten or exposed to a property reincarnated itself into the Devil Fruit we know today, leading to an endless cycle of gestation within a host and reincarnation through the lineage factor. The tree was likely also called the ‘Devil Tree’ not because of its properties but because the ones who planted it sported horns, which can explain why SMILE Gifters and Pleasures grow horns after consumption. I also believe that the Devil Tree isn’t the only tree brought by this race, like many things Trees seem to have properties unlike the simple tree would, there’s the Sabaody mangrove with its bubbles, the Boin Archipelago Venus Fly Trap islands, the Tree of Knowledge, Treasure Tree Adam sporting strong wood durability, Sunlight Tree Eve which can emit light (Like Dressrosa’s sunflowers), Hiriluk’s fabled healing Cherry Blossoms, Weather balls and Shandora’s trees of cultural significance. The Key note of the Devil Tree was its further cultivation, something I believe was the role of the Donquixote family. Doflamingo was key to the production of SMILE and he seemed to want to follow in the footsteps of his ancestor. So it’s possible that back in the Void Century, the dwarves were enslaved to use their botany skills to cultivate multiple Devil Fruits, a fate they’d then repeat with SMILE. Phew! That took a lot out of me, but that’s my Piece, whether it’s key to One Piece we’ll have to wait and see, but I’ll just wait by the phone, see if Oda gives it a ring.

[afreakingdork]

Review: Tangled: Before Ever After and Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure

I should have realized that Tangled: Before Ever After was going to precede something. The movie ends with Rapunzel's father knowingly "locking" Rapunzel up once again and telling her she will not be allowed out of her tower. It ends with her singing about how she will someday be free.... and almost immeidately as Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure begins, we see this rule is not enforced in its entirety and instead is set to be anywhere in the kingdom of Corona and they never really touch back on this point set by the movie that is MEANT to set up the show.

As the first season progresses, I was excited to see more about the black rocks. The part of season 1 that jumps out the most to me is Varian's turn. Sure, he blames himself for his dad's encasement in amber and it's logical to lash out those feelings of self hatred, but for him to point blank turn completely evil because Rapunzel has 'betrayed' him is just too much. Rapunzel even tells him that the storm is about to destory all of Corona (which includes his hometown and where his dad is encassed in amber mind you). She even tells him that she will help him as soon as she is done, but I guess I am supposed to believe he is too far gone to hear these words? No? Yeah, no, because he responds by saying that by then it will be too late. The question as to why this is so dumb is revisted later.

So season 2 sets us out on the road, Rapunzel will finally be free to explore the world like she wanted. There is a ton of fun to be had in these episodes; adventures aplenty. We slowly uncover the mystery of the black rocks' origins and the Moon Stone. I like the concept of an opposing force against the sun drop. My favorite arcs are the Captain Quaid arc right at the beginning of the season and the Tirapai Island arc. The outfits in the Tirapai Island arc are especially choice. In fact, kudos to season 2 for having all these really dope outfit changes in general. They are all beautiful. Also kudos to the Tirapai Island arc for giving Hook Foot his own episode before they just wrote him off the show. Also, also Vigor being Lord Demanitus was an awesome (albeit stupidly hilarious) twist that I did not see coming.

As we get closer to the Dark Kingdom things really start to fall apart. "Rapunzel: Day One" creates a rift in Rapunzel and Cass's relationship that seems so out of character for Cass. She's mad that Rapunzel won't heed her warnings about Adira, but Rapunzel has always gone around Cass to find the good in people. It's been happening since season 1 and it seemed really strange for it to only be a problem now. I guess since the whole world is getting more dangerous, but it really leads into "Rapunzel and the Great Tree" where Cass sings "Waiting in the Wings." She's harboring this loneliness that I guess I can see, but also more on that later.

Finally reaching the Dark Kingdom, King Edmund being Eugene's true father is someting I saw from miles away. It's too obvious a set-up and really a bit uncessary, but yay Eugene backstory I guess? That is until Eugene is immediately convinced by the father he rightfully rejects to keep Rapunzel from her destiny because it's his destiny to stop her? It makes absolutely no sense for Eugene who has turned around his entire life solely on his belief in Rapunzel's abilites, but I guess we need even more conflict at the castle.

Moving into season 3, there are just so many implications and dropped storylines. Starting with Cassandra's turn; how was she Mother Gothel's biological daughter? Mother Gothel is shown to be quite old, so I kinda doubt she could sow an heir. Also what does it really matter? On Tirapai Island, Cassandra was shown her truest desire was just to be accepted by her father. I'm glad the head guard is just dead to her after being her beloved father just because he lied about her being the heir of an evil witch? That's usually not something you'd be too happy about and defintely not something you would hold against your best friend for being 'the one your mother preferred.'

When we get back to Corona, the king and queen's memories have been erased and Varian is still being all evil, but only until things get too real and he might hurt actual people. The rest of Varian's redemption arc and him struggling with other people's perception of him was quite good though, I have to say. Picking up on the 'visit later' point I mentioned about Varian earlier, there was no rush because I guess Quirin was in stasis while frozen in the amber. I will say, there was no way Varian could have known this, but it really shoots the whole rush to save my father or you aren't really my friend thing in the foot.  

Episode 2 of season 3 just starts with Rapunzel in a new (ugly) dress and is just Queen. There is not even a throw away line of dialog to explain that Frederic and Arianna still have not regained their memories. In fact Frederic and Arianna just don't show up for 6 more episodes until this problem needs to be addressed! The whole issue is a mess, "Rapunzel's Return" shows Rapunzel recognizes the memory erasing wand from "Rapunzel: Day One," and yet even though in "Rapunzel: Day One" there is a very easy to make cure that Cassandra aboslutely explains to Rapunzel, they never try to even create this cure and instead rely on love to hopefully coax back Frederic and Arianna's memories.

"Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad Wolf?" ends with Red wanting to be called by her real name which is Catalina. Now, I don't know if this is a production erorr, but in the very NEXT episode "The Lost Treasure of Herz Der Sonne," they go right back to calling Red Red, but then a few episodes later in "Day of the Animals" they are appropriately calling her by Catalina.

Rolling back one episode from that, let's return to the 'visit that later' I mentioned for Cassandra, we have "Beginnings" that creates a huge plot hole for "Waiting in the Wings" as we see Cassandra has absolutely had the chance to go out and do what she has always wanted to do, but decided not to for the sake of friendship? I get that the story is supposed to be touching and Rapunzel is looking for a friend, but she makes friends wherever she goes and Cass is full well shown to understand that. So it doesn't really help the whole betrayal storyline to know that she gave up her dreams to stay with Rapunzel when she was never actually ordered to do that in the first place. She made that choice consciously. She finally starts to see the light in "Once a Handmaiden..." and I was really excited for the change and how Cass and Rapunzel would work together to sort this out, but one little change and boom Cass still believes Zhan Tiri even though she knows they're evil and manipulative. Cass has shown throughout the series that she is FAR smarter than this. She always trusts herself above all else. Overall, for it's flaws I'm not sad I watched it. The end tied up nicely and I feel satisfied.

[swordbreakerz]

✨ for all of them, 🎥 for treasure planet and guardians of gahoole, 🍀 for 9-1-1 and penumbra, 📃 for unicorn chronicles, 🏳️‍🌈 for howls, treasure planet and legend of zelda, and 💎 for any ones you have facts for lol

you spoil me uwu

🎥 - ok for treasure planet, gotta be the 12 years later scene in the beginning and the zoom in to the spaceport, the way it transitions from jim reading under the blankets to him flying on his solar surfer is so chefs kiss, and just like. everything about to the spaceport lmao, fr guardians definitely the scene where soren flies through the fire and then blows up the pulley system to get rid of the flecks energy, bro when hes flying above it all holding the lantern before he dives down to save them? chills

🍀 - you know im on that projection shit w/ juno steel, ive truly never like connected with a character like that before and he’s really really helped me thru my recovery and transition lol, fr 911 uhhh ig buck or eddie? i havent Thought About It or like consumed it enough times yet to rly settle on someone but fr now,,, they

🏳️‍🌈 - ok for howls, Everyone Is Bi/Pan, howl is trans and autistic and i will die on that hill, fr treasure planet jim and cpt amelia are both trans and both of them + doppler are autistic, fr loz link is trans, autistic and semi nonverbal and communicates primarily with asl, post twilight princess zelda says fuck it and finds a way back into the twilight realm and she midna and link hang out, most of these boil down to everyone i love is trans gay and autistic because i say so lmaooo

📃 - OK SO. without like, spoiling too many plot points, our main character is cara and she lives with her grandmother. her mom is dead and dad is out of the picture. one day theyre getting chased by these people that her grandma knows and cara gets thrown into an alternate realm full of fantasy creatures using her grandmothers amulet. she meets a unicorn named lightfoot and a bunch of other rad people and basically, starts a journey to save that world from the Hunters. the Hunters are an organisation who specifically hate unicorns and want them all dead, led by Beloved, and cara and her friends have to try and stop them from entering the world and wiping them out. its sooo so so good and i highly recommend it cause i have no one to talk to about it please god

✨ - oh boy uh, well. im just gonna like list them out lmao

unicorn chronicles: i loved unicorns as a kid and read it when i was in elementary school, and over the years its remained just as compelling and well written as i remember and like. god the whole concept is so godamn cool and all the subplots that get introduced are fuckign fantastic and like all the different creatures are amazing i literally cant sing its praises enough

howls moving castle: must i have a logical reason? is it not to vicariously live my fantasy of running away to the countryside with a wizard boyfriend, his demon and his apprentice?? for real though, its such a fantastic story with beautiful visuals in the movie and wonderfully compelling prose in the book, and esp in the movie the whole time travel subplot with sophie seeing howl and calcifer in the past and then howl finding her in the future makes me go feral

penumbra: gays in space. need i say more? im a huge slut for gay found family and especially in futuristic space, and im a huge big fan of the lgbt utopia its created. like yeah capitalism sucks but at least im not gonne get misgendered in space starbucks, u kno? all the writing and dialogue is so incredible and the SOUND DESIGN GOD, alex i know u specifically can relate when i say i would kill a man for sophie and her incredible sound design skills, like dude the dance scene in man in glass p2 you can hear every single individual step they take and every swish of junos dress and i jusT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! god its so good, plus the whole the characters help me work through my trauma and repressed anger haha

911: this one is entirely your fault. so obligatory horny on main everyone on that show is so hot i want oliver stark to cradle me gently in his beefy arms oh my god. other than Men, the way it drives home the whole ‘you can’t save everyone, and it will kill you to try, so just focus on what you can do and keep living’ makes me so emo. the way it tackles big bureaucratic issues as well as closer to home interpersonal ones is amazing and i love how it shows people going through and dealing realistically with trauma.

treasure planet: again, who doesnt want to live in Cool Steampunk Space Travel Future? i really really love jims story and his arc, the way he deals with his trauma is uhh very familiar lol and his relationship with silver is like the ideal. the story is just the coolest concept and i love all the wonderful character design and animation, plus the soundtrack SLAPS and everything is beautiful

legend of zelda: ive been associated with this series from a very young age due to my name and as soon as i gave into my fate and looked it up for real i just kinda fell into it lol. i cant really tell you exactly what draws me to it besides ‘wow fun game!’ and ‘god i wish that were me,’ but like the absurd amount of detail thats put into each installment and the creative ways they retell essentially the same/similar story over and over is incredible

guardians of gahoole: so i had the same experience with this and treasure planet which is i remembered ‘oh hey this is a movie that exists and i cant clearly remember watching it, ill look it up :)’ and then it consumed my life for a solid 3 months. firstly this movie is absolutely gorgeous, the animation and framing is fucking stunning and the way they handled owls talking like people as far as the movement of their very inflexible beaks was amazing. it sort of has the same draw for me as warrior cats? secret animal society ft incredibly traumatic experiences and the characters dealing with it. like, the whole concept is just so fuckign wild and it works so well, i rly enjoy this niche genre.

💎 - alright trivia time, so guardians of gahoole is based on a book series and the movie only covers part of the first arc i think idk, BUT theres another series set in the same universe called wolves of the beyond that i devoured when i was younger! i didnt know they were connected for the longest time and when i found out i was :000, i still rly love wolves of the beyond and wanna reread it, as well as read the actual gahoole books. in the howls books, sophie is a redhead! also, markl is named michael and like a fully functioning young adult who ends up marrying one of sophies sisters. treasure planet is, obviously, based off treasure island but its so much better than the book dont bother reading it lol i tried and it was boring. there was plans for a treasure planet sequel that was fully scripted and cast but it was cancelled cause disney sabotaged treasure planet from the start with the shitty release and advertising and tldr we were ROBBED, also amelias concept was much more octopus like and while that wldve been rad im p glad she was switched to a cat for. several reasons lol. uhh i dont have a lot of Fun Facts abt the unicorn chronicles but for the longest time i thought there were only 3 books and then last year i found the fourth book by chance in a kitsch store and nearly had a breakdown i was so happy, like full on i started shaking and crying cause there was so much joy in my body i cldnt contain it.

thats all i can think of tysm ily, to anyone who read all of this bless u please watch guardians of gahoole and read the unicorn chronicles i will love u forever