#but oda really ruined my life with that line

[tetzoro]

nothing will ever beat zoro saying “oh yeah, that’s it baby”

[deadite-central]

Crazy to think I’ve finally reached the last post for Dressrosa, this arc is so long but if you couldn’t tell by now, I love it a lot. Anyway, my favorite fight in One Piece has finally started, and like I said the last time, Luffy vs Doflamingo is phenomenal

First of all; THE REVEAL OF GEAR 4. The last time we were introduced to a new gear has been in ENNIES LOBBY, so finally seeing another one, after we went through so much in Dressrosa, it’s just so good. Gear 4:Bounceman is amazing in both how it looks and how it works, somehow balancing being incredibly goofy and genuinely cool which props to Oda for that. I also really like how due to it’s silliness Doflamingo dismisses it at first, even laughs at it, just to get absolutely decked and flown from the Palace to the streets of the country. Once Luffy pulls this out, even with Doflamingo awakening his devil fruit, the fight is clearly turning into Luffy’s favour!

Unfortunately, just like with every Gear before this, there are consequences to using such a power up, so Luffy goes into ‘not-able-to-do-anything’ mode, promising he will be able to take down Doflamingo in a single punch once he regains his energy. While in the anime it felt like just another way to drag Dressrosa out, during my read I realized that this was actually kinda needed? Not only to set a clear boundary on Luffy’s new power, but also for more character work to the side characters. The people of Dressrosa start seeing Luffy as the person to save them. Like Fujitora will say later, Luffy has an ability to make people believe in him, and that scene where they all chase the Straw Hats so Fujitora won’t be able to throw rubble on them would not work as well if it wasn’t for everyone putting their faith in Luffy here. They cheer him on, he’s their hero, their hope, and they will stand behind him

On the topic of side characters of the arc: Viola. She had already been set up as a kind soul forced to work for the Donquixote Family to keep her country safe. Now that there’s someone else who’s ready to set his life on the line to save her country, she believes in him, and buys him the time he needs by, once again, putting her life on the line, but this time, facing against the man who ruined her life. She went through so much just to protect her people. And when Rebecca, a girl with just as big of a heart as her aunt is put into the scene, the fact that Doflamingo uses that to probably give Viola the most gut wrenching death he could think of, one that’s going to traumatise Rebecca forever, I’m honestly ready to turn away and not look at the tragedy in front of me

Thankfully, Luffy is back in action. And while the fight itself is great and creative, the real reason Luffy vs Doflamingo is my favorite fight in the series is this. Doflamingo stands for everything Luffy despises, he’s a manipulator, one that takes away the freedom of others both figuratively and literally. Luffy defeating Doflamingo while screaming in his face how the way he goes about everything suffocates him, as Doflamingo is screaming back how he’s above humans, how he’s better, and how Luffy can’t defeat him is striking, and when Luffy finally lands that final (incredibly satisfying) punch, Doflamingo goes flying under the floor, defeated, with his glasses shattering. Just a second ago he was shouting about being on top of the world, just for that to shatter with them. It’s so fucking good

As one last big thing, I really like how the themes of family are used throughout Dressrosa, and a lot of the resolutions for characters in here include a familial theme. I know a lot of people think it’s incredibly cheesy that Sabo was a secret third brother with amnesia, but like I said before, I do really like that Luffy has a brother that looks out for him, and the flashback panels of Sabo’s memories coming back, at the worst time possible probably, are some really well. I also really like how the resolution of Law’s arc here, who has been striving for revenge the entire saga, is finally talking to Sengoku, who makes him realise that Cora simply cared for him, and wanted him to live his life the way he wanted. It’s a theme that has been touched upon before, but this scene always catches me by the heart

And to FINALLY finish Dressrosa off, while I still despise the Colosseum, I do love the Straw Hat Grand Fleet. Not only cause it once again shows how Luffy inspires people, but also that they decide “yeah we’re doing this you can’t do anything about it man” I love them and their following cover story is great

[demonzoro]

For character questions: zoro 2 3 7 and 8. And then doflamingo 25 🥺

HIIIII STEPH <3 TACKLES YOU TO THE GROUND

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

you know i have lots and lots of 'It Is That Deep' meta for zoro, but my favorite canon thing? he looks like moss and has three swords. simultaneously the goofiest and COOLEST guy around.

3. Least favorite canon thing about this character?

once again oda's misogynistic projections i.e. not fighting women (kuina beat his ass) and that one panel in skypiea when he says 'she's a woman' after enel fries robin (kuina beat his ass). there's truly another ridiculous level of 'WHY would you do that' when zoro's backstory and entire ambition revolves around keeping his promise to his best friend to be the best swordsmasters in the world, regardless of gender. anyways i know him personally and he would NOT fucking say that

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

there's a very specific beat where people portray zoro's sense of protectiveness/devotion/care where it comes across that he's not the best equipped to articulate it, but it's a state in which he lives and breathes it. i think that's EXACTLY where he's at his best. it's just such an interesting thread to articulate for him as the author/artist, and one of the rare occasions where i don't mind that feeling of "i see the maker's hand in this. i see what you did there".

8. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

conflating his battlelust for bloodlust. everyone STOP getting it twisted 📣📣📣 he likes the blood and pain BECAUSE he likes the challenge and risk of putting his skills and life on the line. he gets his rocks off on the idea he'll be a better swordsman by the end of every battle. i'm not a huge fan of people portraying zoro with serial killer tendencies just because they want him to be edgier. i don't think the act of killing is fun for him; he wants a good fight, and only with people that pick it/are in the business for it. 'make him edgier' he has three swords hasn't his pussy popped enough.

25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?

AND FROM OUTTA NOWHERE- DOFLAMINGOOOO!!! my first impression was that he was the perfect villain to hate. it was a relentless campaign in my head of "i hope he crashes and burns". i really enjoyed the dimension in that we really saw... everything from his backstory to ascent, golden era, and then catastrophic fall. REALLY ENJOYABLE TO HATE.

now, you have absolutely ruined it because BEFORE he was comfortably opaque to me and your fics have made him so utterly transparent. seeing the convoluted knots he ties himself in while knowing how he started and how he ends... really hooks something in my brain. it's not sympathy so much as... finally seeing the gears of some awful contraption and realising it's all melted in there. whatever. your writing once again changing my brain chemistry

*

send me a character + a number from 1-26!

[zonaenthusiast]

A chaotic little essay about Zoro and Nami’s pasts.

Unfortunately for everybody, I was thinking again.

I’m sorry if this seems chaotic, I’m trying to organize my thoughts as I’m writing them and english is not my first language, so it’s even harder.

Lately I’ve been thinking about Zoro’s genealogical tree (because of-fucking-course I would) and about the fact that it mentions that his father was killed by pirates. It reminded me of what Zoro said to Luffy when he asked him to join his crew the first time.

We don’t know for sure if Zoro knows how his father died but this first reaction make so much sense with that in mind, especially because it doesn’t really sound like something he would say. Zoro is not one to judge an entire group of people for being one specific thing, he is intuitive and goes by what each person conveys to him (which is what leads him to join Luffy later on; also, his captain is the same).

All this is because, and probably someone already made this connection but... who is the only other mugiwara whose life was ruined because of pirates? Exactly, Nami. 

One thing I’ve noticed over the years is that the mugiwaras are connected to each other in terms of personality in a variety of ways, you can find common ground between the weirdest duo you can think of and it will make perfect sense. And Zoro and Nami already have A LOT of things in common but this one is directly related to their backstory.

In my head I have some mugiwaras grouped in pairs according to their backstory:

Luffy and Usopp have an incredible admiration for pirates and have always wanted to be one (Luffy because of meeting Shanks and Usopp because his mother always told him stories about his father).

Sanji and Chopper were rejected by their blood family but found a new one in Zeff and Hiruluk (and the doctor), respectively.

Franky and Robin were betrayed by the government, by the people who were supposed to protect them, and lost their most loved ones because of them when they didn't deserve it.

And, if Zoro knows about how his father died, now I realized that Zoro and Nami might have been driven not only by their desire to protect their loved ones (Zoro by seeking to become stronger and Nami much more literally by working her ass off to free her people), but also by their contemp to pirates (in Zoro’s case, I think he despises any kind of criminal because of what he says in the scene above and because of what we’ve seen about him but I don’t want to get into that now).

This brings me to the pool scene. Yes, a-fuckin-gain, I have no limits to talk about this moment. Picture me with a tin foil hat.

I just can't help but wonder what would be going through Zoro's head at the time with the context that he lost his father to pirates. The line that Nami reacts to that makes Zoro realize something is up is precisely when Arlong says she would forget her mother's death for money. It just adds a whole new layer to a scene that already has a dozen.

ODA I JUST NEED MORE INFOMATION TO FEED MY DEMENTED MIND I NEED YOU TO TELL ME MORE THINGS ABOUT ZORO’S PAST OR MAKE A SPIN OFF OR SOMETHING IF YOU CAN’T PUT THEM IN THE MAIN STORY !!!!!!!! I CAN’T LIVE LIKE THIS ANYMORE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[deathweak]

my review (ish) of whole cake island saga/one piece until chapter 902 (obv spoilers until then)

originally my fav arc was alabasta. then water seven/enies lobby. then it was impel down. then it was punk hazard/dressrosa. but then...whole cake island... actual emotional rollercoaster

the best part of this arc was definitely how human some of big moms kids were. my fav new characters introduced in this arc were pudding, chiffon, brulee and katakuri. i wish that big moms kids will all escape from her.. oda writes abusive families a lot, even the 'good' parents will beat their kids in one piece, i guess thats just the world they live in... but when it's a bad parent... oh man.

i managed to somehow not get spoiled about sanjis family at all, i was pretty shocked abt the reveal. i love reiju, even tho she was complicit in/a bystander to a lot of the abuse sanji suffered, i dont think there was anything more she couldve done. she saved his life multiple times over. i really hope we get to see her again.

but the best character in this arc was pudding. her mood swings/evil personality/tsundere gag wasnt the funniest ever but she was genuinely so human.. the way i kept going back and forth like.. is she just pretending to be evil? is she pretending to be in love with him? is she gonna betray him?? AND THE KISS... i actually ship sanji and pudding just a little ..

like i actually cried here. her arc was just chefs kiss(lol) amazing.

my other favourite antagonists were brulee and katakuri. at first i didnt like either of them, but after how much the gang bullied brulee i started to feel sorry for her and grew fond of her. i also always end up having a soft spot for odas 'ugly' female characters since it's just such a breathe of fresh air inbetween all the uncomfortable fan service (honestly the fan service kinda ruins a lot of scenes)

i didnt think there would be any deeper connection between brulee and katakuri until the very last moment, and this scene is one of my favourites in the whole series

like. brulees SMILE. the scar. katakuri was just defending his sister.. also the way flampe thought she was the favourite sister. nah!! thats brulee!!! i fucking ended up really loving her. i mean without her powers being abused by straw hats they wouldve all died. sorry brulee, you didnt deserve that... i hope mama didnt punish her after. also the way that katakuri was glad luffy got away!! he gained so much respect for luffy during their fight. Also i love how hes lowkey a jojo reference (and your next line will be...)

the way that a lot of big moms kids think theyre monsters is so sad.. but these three are just my favourites. i honestly love them. this arc is really about family bonds.. blood family and found family especially.

like sanji calling zeff his father multiple times and denouncing judge, but still hes such a kind person he had to save his blood family anyway. SANJIIiii. man. the way he really is. truly. KIND. i hate whenever hes being a complete pervert, sometimes its funny when hes in the respect women mode but when hes just being a creep i hate him. but this arc made me appreciate him a lot more, and i can kinda forget abt all the weird stuff.

when he was crying in the rain, lost all hope, and luffy gives him the light again..

i like that men are allowed to cry in one piece. like kyros cried all the time after being turned human again, and sanji cried multiple times in this arc. i cried at this scene as well.. luffy really out here saving the lives/souls of his whole crew. hes such a pure bright star..

lastly this scene!! CORAZOOOOONNNN!!! luffy didnt even know about that..the way he held his mouth shut and forced a smile to make sure his crew wouldnt be worried.

if i didnt know that he was gonna survive i might have actually thought he was gonna die

the annoying part about one piece for me is the plot armor tbh. theres no stakes, bc i know none of the straw hats can die. idk if id want one of them to die but it would bring some real shock to the readers. like the gang will pretty much always win by some trick in the end, sometimes its funny like how usopp defeated sugar, but sometimes it feels like a bit of a cop out. but i think luffy and katakuris fight was believable, the only gripe i have with it is that it was dragged out a biiit too long. this arc couldve been a good 5-10 chapters shorter if oda hadnt dwelled so long on things.

also i love love love how lola became relevant again and chiffon wanted to repay the debt of nami saving her twin sister, also mamas vivre card coming in clutch lmao. nami was epic in this arc, she went up against big mom without losing her shit too badly. i love her sadistic streak lolll. cant forget brook in this either, he was hilarious.

finally. RIP pound. a great father. also RIP pedro. two good guy casualties in one arc, is oda finally permakilling people?

overall id say this arc was a 9/10. -1 point for being a bit dragged out and the fan service with reiju.

[kaizokuou-ni-naru]

The Voyage So Far: Skypiea

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

the bar scene in jaya is one i didn’t really get the first time i read it- like nami, i mostly found luffy and zoro’s refusal to fight back frustrating more than anything else. i didn’t realize the connection to shanks in the prologue until someone else pointed it out awhile later, but when i did, it made me appreciate the entire sequence and luffy’s choices a lot more. 

honestly, i know this is one of the pages that gets the most attention from jaya, and it absolutely deserves it. blackbeard here is effectively dropping one of the biggest main themes of the series- people’s dreams don’t end!!- and how interesting that we get that delivered by the antagonist to the protagonist, instead of the other way around? how often do you see a series do that? 

and the line hits. look at the emphasis. there’s absolutely nothing on these two pages except for the three strawhats, blackbeard, and blackbeard’s line, bigger than anything else. 

chapter 232, with luffy punching out bellamy in one hit is still, to this day, probably my favorite one piece chapter. it opens with the drunk pirate seeing the newspaper with luffy’s hundred million bounty and realizing just who bellamy was kicking around, and it hits on one of my favorite plot threads of one piece- the growing infamy of the strawhats and luffy in particular, and their rise in the world. 

the atmosphere of the whole scene is so good, the tension in their air, the way all the bar patrons jump when luffy yells for bellamy to come out- and when the hit comes, the satisfaction is visceral. 

i’ve talked about it before, but god, i LOVE the way one piece defines “romance”- the arthurian kind of romance, the adventurous kind, that romanticizes the world and its wonders- romance dawn. in an arc as thematically heavy as jaya, it makes sense that it, too, is explicitly brought up. can you think of a more romantic, impossible adventure than traveling to the sky?

nami’s confidence when faced with the task of navigating into the sky is so fantastic. 

the expressions, and the art in general, in skypiea, are really so lovely. look at the variety between the strawhats when they first emerge from the white-white sea to lay eyes on angel island. look how expressive they all are!! i have such a soft place in my heart for the art in these earlier arcs, honestly.

somewhat related to the above: there are so many little moments in skypiea where the strawhats just get to have FUN, and be stupid, and get fleshed out more as characters, and honestly it’s such a delight. also, everyone’s skypiea outfits were just really really good. cowboy hat robin... i miss u every day 

i really like the whole scene where robin is exploring the ruins, and these panels in particular have such a lovely sort of ethereal look to them. i love seeing robin doing archeology, i think for the same reason i love to see sanji cooking- the strawhats are all such cool and passionate people, and it’s really really nice to see them doing and talking about the things they love and excel at most. 

i’m sure i’ve said it before but i LOVE how logia powers are depicted, especially when used to avoid an attack. it’s so cool. ace’s cover story runs through most of this arc, and we get some great examples of it there as well. 

1. wife 

2. skypiea is SUCH a good character-building arc for robin- which is good, because the next saga is almost entirely predicated on how much both the audience and the strawhats care about her. it’s here where we learn about her passion for archeology, her reverence for history, and get a much better look at the softer sides of her personality and her fast-growing admiration and affection for the strawhats. 

man, enel has so many huge, terrifyingly powerful shows of force throughout this arc, but this right here, this little sequence where he appears behind raki between panels without warning and we see him reflected in her eye, communicates better than absolutely anything else just why he’s a nightmare.

“jonny you sure are posting a lot of panels of zoro being cool without any real commentary” yeah. he kicks ass in this arc 

conis is a very underrated character, i think. she’s pretty easy to overlook, but she also manages to completely break the indoctrination she’s been raised into and gambles her own life to save most of the population of angel island from complete extermination. she yells that she doesn’t recognize enel as god, an instant death sentence at any other time, just to get them to listen to her. 

there’s a moment, in this scene, where a boy throws a rock at her for insulting enel, and she just stands there, and lets the blood trickle down her face, and keeps making her case. honestly, i really like her.

look at this page. look how it’s framed. luffy in the foreground, taking up most of the page- enel in the background, tiny, inconsequential. 

now that’s how you draw god’s natural enemy. 

this is one of my favorite nami character moments in the whole manga. nami is a greedy person. she has a lot of things she wants. it’s one of her defining traits. 

but when faced with someone with godlike power, offering her absolutely anything she wants if she’ll just abandon her friends and come with him- she doesn’t want anything, for that price, even with her life on the line if she declines. she knows exactly what her treasure is. 

obviously this is an awesome panel, but sanji’s little smile just before enel strikes him is what really, really makes it for me. he’s about to get slammed with several thousand volts of lightning, but more importantly, nami and usopp are going to be safe. 

the skypiea flashback is one of my very favorites, and also the first time one piece ever made me cry. i nearly cried just flipping through it again for this post. it’s just so fucking devastating.

noland never stopped looking, and calgara never stopped waiting, and neither of them ever lost faith in each other despite how badly they fell out at the end, and wow, that just kills me. but at the same time, it makes the way the flashback and the main story come together at the end so satisfying and cathartic.

i do think skypiea has one of the best climaxes of any arc. the way all the disparate elements and plot threads- enel, the story of noland and calgara, the war between the skypieans and shandians, cricket’s search down on jaya- come together and tie up so perfectly that the entire arc can be ended by the ringing of a single massive bell is nothing less than genius writing. 

i really love the establishment of roger’s poneglyph message and all the things it implies here. it raises so many questions, most of which we’ve only now gotten answered, in wano. oda’s capacity for long-term storytelling is one of his greatest strengths, and this is probably one of my favorite examples of it. (see also, in jaya when sanji mentions offhand that he was born in north blue.)

i just really love seeing them all smiling, and i love the parallels to calgara and noland’s sendoff here. feels like a wound finally healing, after four hundred years. 

and, of course, it ends with cricket, asking what crazy, romantic dream they’re going to chase down next. because this is one piece!! just because you find the end of one rainbow doesn’t mean you stop looking for the next one. 

[readerinsertfanfiction]

Hello, dearest Nemo. Inspired by a matter you're probably aware of, here I come, to ask you for certain opinion, although perhaps in form of HeadCanons... Let's say we have Ghibli Movies and the Warlords. Which movie would be each warlord's favourite? What do you think?

Ooooh, lil'Lorei remembers my obsession with Studio Ghibli movies, I see. (. ❛ ᴗ ❛.)(. ❛ ᴗ ❛.)(. ❛ ᴗ ❛.)

Fandom: Ikemen Sengoku 

Characters: All - Kanetsugu because idk I can’t find shit on him only that he is a tsun.

Prompt: The warlords and studio Ghibli movies. Disclaimer: I only listed the movies I have watched, which is a fair amount but by no means all. 

To sit on the couch with a Sengoku warlord felt strange. No, it was definitely weird! All the more so when you put up a Studio Ghibli movie. Just any, because you felt like it. Little did you know that the warlord would take so well to it. He had been rather apprehensive at first, after all, moving pictures and that strange sound? But after a while the movies won him over. After all, who could resist the peaceful charm of Studio Ghibli, dreaming away at the romance of everyday life set in a beautiful landscape far away from all worry and chaos?

Nobunaga Oda: Spirited away

“The soot sprites have good taste,” the Oda leader pronounced, a proud smile etched on his face as he enjoyed the movie playing. On the screen the little black balls could be seen carrying off the konpeito, dancing around the little girl that had just lost her name to Yubaba, a move that Nobunaga had heartily laughed at. “I should consider doing this myself,” he had exclaimed, eyes glistening in mischief, “but I would rename them,” and to this remark you could only feel yourself sweatdrop, recalling the animal-inspired nicknames he tended to give his vassals.

Ieyasu Tokugawa: When Marnie was there

Something about the movie triggered something within him. The themes of loneliness, and constantly being moved around, but most of all, the trope of a found family and the concept of home. They resonated with his own childhood that he had resented so much. The past in which he was treated kindly, but also at times cruelly. All of these stories consolidated into one movie and two girls. “Marnie was weak,” he would later say, “good for Anna,” was his end review, but you could see the tears in the corner of his eyes. The movie had touched him.

Hideyoshi Toyotomi: Tales from Earthsea

A story of guilt and servitude? Prince Arren and the shadow that chases him? An inner fear, but yet a strong resolve to sacrifice all to reach ones goal? Hideyoshi is sold. The promise in the end is what gives that extra edge needed as Hideyoshi is weeping at the end of it all. “I will return to you, lord Nobunaga. I will repay all of my sins!” he wails and you know that he means it. Strangely enough, you have a feeling that Nobunaga would like the concept of ‘True Name’

Masamune Date: The wind rises

The story of a young boy whose dreams are shattered because of his weaknesses and then overcoming them? That’s his boy! Masamune has been cheering Jiro on since the opening of the movie and never stopped. Not until halfway through the movie and a frown settles on his face until the man has to gulp audibly to keep himself in check. All that chasing after a dream and the sacrifices made. It definitely hits a snare with the man who is quiet after the movie. He will need a cuddle or two.

Mitsuhide Akechi: Kiki’s delivery service

“There is just something about watching a little mouse grow up, isn’t there?” Mitsuhide teases with that lilting smile of his ever-present. But between the affectionate nickname and watching the movie there is something wistful about the man who sees the peaceful coming-of-age and finding identity and inspiration for live and passion within the little girl on her broom. He doesn’t say it, but he hopes that children in the future can grow up in such peace as Kiki does, able to adventure and a home to return to.

Kyubei: Whisper of the heart

Two kids chasing after their dreams, one set and the other just learning about it and a very capable cat that guides them. Kyubei enjoys the relationship that develops and the romance that comes with it, finding the fantasy element adorable. “I have a favourite person as well,” he tells you later with a mystifying smile, referring to the poster advertising the movie. A favourite person and a dream, he realises, which he hadn’t before.

Mitsunari Ishida: The secret world of Arrietty

“How very inventive!” the man constantly exclaims as he watches the little Arrietty move around in the garden. When she is fighting off bugs her own size Mitsunari clasps his hands together, as he rattles off on the many efficiencies they can make use of the bugs and employ the garden and the doll house. In the end Mitsunari feels only a little sad about Arrietty’s departure, though he has all faith that the friends will meet again, “is there a sequel,” he asks you for that, eager and beaming.

Keiji Maeda: Howl’s moving castle

Of course Howl’s theatrical ways are what enraptured the man at first, accompanied with Sophie’s determination and go-getters attitude. “That is no dull woman!” he exclaims happily as he watches the older sister fall to the curse cast by the witch. And though it is only vaguely implied Keiji comes to understand that it was something about the heart, just as Howl transforms because of his own heart. ‘A heart is a heavy burden.’ Sophie’s line catches him and Keiji agrees that Sophie’s hair is like starlight. He turns to you, however and tells you that you’re his starlight.

Ranmaru Mori: The cat returns

The cats, Baron the gentleman cat that just looks super cook and a whole slew of shenanigans about to happen. Secretly Ranmaru sees Kennyo in Baron, dreaming away watching his master be the cool hero that he was always meant to be. A little mysterious, totally awesome and can kick ass. Yes, that’s his favourite person!

Kennyo: My neighbour Totoro

There is something homely about the strange giant figure with its creepy smile and silent gestures. In fact, the whole movie endears the man. Two girls surrounded by the beauty of nature, growing up in peace and afraid of soot, catbus riding them to their mother. Kennyo can’t help but smile at the outrageousness of it all, finding it all very endearing. Secretly he thinks himself as Totoro, hiding in the forests and watching over the innocents.

Kenshin Uesugi: Princess Mononoke

A story about rulership, about how humanity ruins life eventually, about destruction and a lot of fighting. Kenshin loves it, especially for the last part. But as a former monk himself with a good appreciation for the gods and nature Kenshin relates to lady Eboshi who is willing to fight all if it means keeping her people safe and San, who fights to protect what she holds dear. He understands that and he relates to that.

Shingen Takeda: The tale of the princess Kaguya

A classic he is familiar with turned into an animation he has never experienced! Shingen loves it. Though he has to admit that he likes the story versions better he has a good appreciation for the artistry and the interpretation of the story, along with the pain of forgetting and leaving.

Yukimura Sanada: Porco Rosso

His favourite nickname turned into a character! Yukimura was flabbergasted at first, but then he came to understand that this was a spell of sorts, just as the movie itself was a trick of magic called science. But alas, that’s not why Yukimura was so in awe with the movie, it was the cool zeal in which the main character flies for his convictions. And somewhere deep down, though he will never admit such, the main character reminds him of Shingen.

Sasuke Sarutobi: Grave of the fireflies

Ah, the classic on which a whole generation was cruelly introduced to Studio Ghibli’s magic, the movie that started it all and above all: made everyone cry. Some may find him a bit of a weirdo to choose this as his favourite movie, after all it is such a sad movie. But it is the history, the message behind it, the themes dealt with and at last the pain and love of the siblings bereft by war. Sasuke’s heart is beaming just at the thought of the entire movie as his eyes start to tear up, dryly.

Kichou: Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

There is no movie that quite agrees with him that the world is set out for doom than Nausicaä. The world is destroyed by humanity in a war, humans are still at war, but not only amongst each other for their greed but also with nature. Nature is trying to kill them for the sins committed by man. It all comes together and shows how the blight of this world truly is men and how the future that you come from is just an illusionary peace.

Yoshimoto Imagawa: Ocean Waves

Modern life poured into an artistic expression of young love. There is nothing quite more artistic than that in Yoshimoto’s opinion. The art is pretty, the story is enjoyable and not too riddled with all ugly traits and reminders of chaos and war and he gets to observe the modern world and its beauty a little more. Yes, Yoshimoto is indeed trying to forget about all the ugliness back in the Sengoku.

Motonari Mouri: Castle in the sky

Sky pirates, raiding a precious city, chaos overall and a booming ending? Sign him up. Motonari doesn’t really care for the main characters, finding them too sweet and innocent, but he has noticed that this is an overall trend within Studio Ghibli movies. Do, tell him more about the sky pirates, however and he definitely needs one of those flying machines.

[animebw]

Reading One Piece: Chapters 358-359

-Ah, of course, Cutty Flam became a cyborg to stop himself from dying after getting smashed by the sea train. It all fits!

-And Iceberg’s spent all this time keeping the blueprints safe from the government’s eyes. Even if it means working for the same scumbags that killed Tom.

-”I’m really... glad you’re alive!” aaaaaaaagh my heart

-Of course Franky couldn’t just leave. Not after everything they went through to keep Tom’s legacy safe.

-OH GOD DAMMIT. Spandam’s risen to the director’s chair of CP9. That’s just perfect.

-”Oh. My apologies.” GOD DAMMIT USOPP NOW’S NOT THE TIME TO CHICKEN OUT

-Holy shit, Chopper, mad respect. Iceberg would’ve died without you.

-...you know, even after all this time, part of me still thought Oda was gonna find some way to save the Going Merry. But no. There’s no coming back from that. It’s really gone.

-”I just want to know history.” “That’s no excuse! You don’t need to have evil intentions to hurt people!” Iceberg for president 2024, let’s go.

-Jesus, Robin... what could possibly be worth all this sacrifice? Helping the government that ruined your life?

-Fuck. She’s taking this route so the government won’t go after her friends. She’d sacrifice everything just to save the first people she’s cared for in 20 years. She finally found something to protect... and she’ll do whatever it takes to protect them. Even if it means damning the rest of the world.

-”Robin... thank god. She didn’t betray us.” Nami, thank god for your ability to look on the bright side.

-”This starts now!” Oh, that’s such a great line. Now that they know Robin needs their help, it’s time for the mission to truly begin.

-”Real men... can forgive the lies women tell.” I’m... not sure how to feel about that line.

-Bingo. Here we go.

[randomidiocyncrazies]

i know you like them both so yunichika and oda/aoki for the ship ask

thank you for giving me a chance to gush about these kids!!! they’re precious.... this got pretty long so imma put it under a cut

YuniChika, the main boys of 2.43:

• when or if I started shipping it:

tbh i didn’t really ship them when i read the first book... they’re the kind of pairing that i can see people shipping and i think it’s cute, but i’m not super invested in them as a romantic pairing. I think i was more sold about them as a ship in the second book, but i can’t quite remember if there was a specific moment that made me change my mind, or if it was a gradual process

• my thoughts:

i think the anime definitely played up the tension between them (allll the blushes lol), but i’m glad people are enjoying the YuniChika content XD they’re pretty cute!

also, i think they balance each other well and spur each other to become better—Yuni and Chika are both self-centered(?) in very different ways: Yuni lacks drive because he mostly wanted to please people so they’ll like him, while Chika has the opposite problem in that he acts like he doesn’t care what people think of him. 

but now Yuni is able to take a stand for his interest in volleyball and for Chika, and while Chika doesn’t really soften and still has a problem with not realizing how harsh he could be, he’s more willing to communicate his thoughts.

• what makes me happy about them:

boys reuniting! relearning how to have a relationship with one another! learning from past mistakes and trying to be better people together! HELL YEAH

• what makes me sad about them:

boys, please use your words to communicate with each other...

also, from Yuni’s perspective, it’s kinda sad when someone you used to know really well comes back into your life, but they’ve changed so much that they are essentially a different person... but of course they have a new opportunity to become closer now 😉 so i’m not that sad about it

• things done in art/fic that annoys me:

... there are fanworks for them????????? 

(on a more serious note, erasing their flaws to make them more likable... please don’t make Chika ‘secretly nice’ or whatever, the kid is blunt as hell, and not realizing how his words affect others is his biggest flaw. on the other hand, Yuni can still be a little spineless at times, and sometimes his priorities are. questionable.)

• things I look for in art/fic:

hm, i’d like a future fic about them as professional players! i think their inclination is to stick together (they’re a package deal!) but it’d be super interesting to read something where they’re on rival teams years down the line

EDIT: haha Chika actually transferred to Keisei High School after their first Spring Tournament, so he and Yuni have faced each other as rivals since then (2.43 next 4years). they’re go to the same university and are on the same team now though!

• who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other:

uh i don’t really have specific people for this, but Chika would probably have to be with someone who understands his love of volleyball (like Oda, but if Oda wasn’t their team captain and thus too much of a dad friend to qualify as a romantic interest), and someone who can inspire Yuni would be good for him

also, i know who i’d NOT be comfy about: the first book (and anime i guess) had this weird tension between Itoko and Yuni, COUSINS who BASICALLY GREW UP TOGETHER. i think(?) their weird whatever was mostly dropped in the 2nd book and wasn’t really made explicit, but like. what the hell. (i have no idea what happens beyond the 2nd book.)

• my happily ever after for them:

the YuniChika in college arc is being serialized rn, so in a way that’s already fulfilled? (i have NO idea what’s going on tho) 

in general i just hope they can play volleyball together until one or both decide not to, for whatever reason, and that they stay in each other’s lives and support each other even after they’ve retired from competitive volleyball. i think with Yuni’s personality he could be a good coach after getting more experience, and Chika... he’s really valuable as a strategist, but I think he’d always be a little brusque, so he’s respected but hard to bond with if he does take on coaching?

• what is their favorite non-sexual activity?

bold of you to assume Chika even cares about sex

anyway, they don’t go to movies for a romantic date night, they go watch volleyball matches. sometimes this backfires when Chika gets too frustrated at bad plays tho

and of course i will never pass up an opportunity to talk about Oda/Aoki, the main guys of my heart (my OTP for this series tbh):

• when or if I started shipping it:

they pinged on my radar when they were bickering in Ibara’s chapter, but i wasn’t super duper invested... and then I got to The Dog’s Perspective and the Giraffe’s Perspective (specifically The Kick™) and oh god i’ve never fallen so fast

• my thoughts: 

GOD WOW Aoki really loves Oda... even though objectively Oda’s height prevents him from being a super ace, he is the coolest, strongest super ace to Aoki. i think it’s beautiful that someone can see you as your best self even when you’re feeling shitty about yourself. Aoki knows that objectively Oda faces a lot of obstacles, and wants to support him as best as he can—not out of pity (pity would’ve burned out long ago), but because he really respects Oda’s passion and drive.

also, these two have unaddressed issues that they should talk about! Oda, i know you feel inferior but you are so much better than you think you are. please accept that Aoki really does respect you, and that you are worthy of it (or like, you don’t have to be ‘’’worthy’’’’ or ‘’’’’’deserving’’’’’’’’’’ of it, because it is Aoki’s choice to support you and play volleyball with you!!! it’s not something you gotta earn, it’s something freely and happily given to you)

(ahhhhhh i die when i think of them)

• what makes me happy about them: 

gosh i love their dynamic SO MUCH! Oda is exactly my type of character (passionate, determined, knowing that he can never be the best at what he’s passionate about due to factors he cannot control, trying to be kind and gracious but struggling with feelings of inferiority and jealousy, thinks of himself as a selfish person, a supporting character...) and Aoki’s devotion is really touching. 

again: even when you feel like crap about yourself, there’s someone out there who thinks you’re the best thing that happened to them.

there’s also the fact that Oda thinks the world of Aoki as well (to the point of feeling inferior, which is like... c’mon Oda :/ you are better than you think you are!) he trusts Aoki a lot, despite knowing his willingness to engage in, uh, underhanded methods

• what makes me sad about them: 

it’s their last year together, and they’d be approaching a new phase of their lives in different places... although Aoki offered to lower his rankings so they’d go to the same university, realistically they’ll go to different colleges, and most likely end up in different prefectures. (like, not only do i think it’s a Terrible Idea to give up your dream school so that you could stay with someone else, there is no way Oda would accept the offer without being crushed by guilt. something like that would actually ruin their relationship, which i think Aoki knows as well.)

there’s also a lot left unsaid between them at this point and i just want them to lay everything out between them and move forward together

• things done in art/fic that annoys me: 

the fact that there’s NONE >:[ what does a gal have to do to get some content for them???????

• things I look for in art/fic: 

at this point anything is fine.... it’s a desert out there and i’m dying

more specifically i’m Extremely Down for a get together fic; i personally only see them getting together after high school, at least several months (or even longer) studying in different prefectures and no longer able to see each other every day. (i mean... absence makes the heart grow fonder right?)

i’d also love to see Oda using Aoki’s first name, considering Aoki calls him “Shin” and all. Oda managing to surprise/fluster Aoki would be nice too.

EDIT: they’re both in the Kansai region (2.43 next 4years prologue). Oda’s revealed to be studying in Osaka, and assuming Aoki got into KyoDai, they should be around 2 hours away from each other by train? so visiting each other over short breaks would be cute! also, apparently Oda took a gap year before going to Osaka (2.43 next 4years Ch 1.2), so something set during that time would also be awesome :V

• who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: 

hm... if i had to imagine people well-suited to them, i’d say Aoki’s type is people who are straightforwardly passionate about their interests (Oda hooked him with his unbridled love of volleyball way back in their first year of high school after all), and I think Oda probably needs someone who is willing to indulge him a little (like Chika he can be pretty dang determined about what he wants, though without the single-minded intensity at the expense of everything else)

... this is just a roundabout way of saying i think they’re ideal for each other, especially if they resolve the problem of hiding things from the other

• my happily ever after for them: 

they get careers/hobbies they enjoy, and get a place together as boyfriends/husbands. no i will not hear any criticism of this idea

i can see Aoki working in the private sector (this guy is fine with ‘joking’ about blackmail after all!) after getting his law degree. this is super self-indulgent, but given his penchant of rooting for passionate but objectively disadvantaged entities, i think it’d be pretty awesome if he works for a smaller company that truly believes in their work, instead of working at a big firm pulling in big bucks.

while I’m not sure what Oda is canonically studying, I can see him going into sports education or sports therapy—i think he’d be really good at nurturing the talents of other athletes, and he’s good at rallying the team (Aoki pretty much says he’s the heart of the team in the epilogue of the first book, though Aoki’s kiiinda biased lol). i think it’d be really cute if Oda coaches a grade school team!

neither plays volleyball competitively after high school, but sometimes they watch matches for fun (esp if their ex-teammates are playing). Oda also makes Aoki come to his students’ matches if he doesn’t have work

EDIT: apparently Oda continues competing as a wing spiker in college, playing in Kaisai’s 2nd Collegiate Division (2.43 next 4years Ch 1.2)—Aoki probably watches his matches, even when he’s busy (and Oda probably chides him for neglecting his work, but they both know Aoki can manage his workload).

• what is their favorite non-sexual activity?

hm... idk, i think they’re the kind of couple who are cool with just chilling with each other doing their own work. like, Oda planning strategies for the kids he’s coaching while Aoki reads next to him, occasionally glancing over to make comments, stuff like that

also since Oda says they mostly talked about volleyball during high school, I can kinda see them finding something new they both enjoy after they get together? Maybe shounen manga, for something fun

[darkkitsuneprincess]

I Love You, Dummy - Part 2 [ Yukimura x MC (Mai)

This is the silliest, fluffiest, dumbest thing I’ve ever written and OMG I LOVE IT SO FREAKING HARD. Though I’m not sure if I’m going to end it here (which I could) or keep it going (which will end in absolute filth). Thoughts/requests/recommendations always welcome here... I am a slave to feedback, after all. 

Title: I Love You, Dummy Pairing: Yukimura x MC (Mai) Rating: F (for Fluff) Warnings: MORE OF THE SAME...Idiots in love. The dumbest angst ever angsted. Tooth-rotting sweetness. Overprotective dads doing dad things. Description: Having discovered Yukimura is going to propose at the festival tonight, Mai decides to play along only to realize she still doesn’t have all the information...

Those Who Need Tagging: @choi-jiyu, @nad-zeta, @siebenschoen, @tsubaki3192

READ PART 1 HERE

~+~+~+~+~+~+~

As expected, the tap on the door was the work of Shingen, not Yukimura. I pretended to be surprised when the door slid open, and then I pretended to be disappointed when I saw exactly who I expected to be standing there.

“Good evening, Princess,” Shingen said with a deep bow. “It appears that ridiculous young man to whom you’ve given your heart has better things to do than escort a beautiful woman to the festival, so he asked me to see to your happiness.” The syrupy sweetness of his words made me roll my eyes.

“You’re such an idiot, Shingen.”

He pressed a hand to his chest and took another deep bow. “Any attention is a compliment when paid to a mere mortal from the goddess of the moon herself.”

I rolled my eyes so hard it hurt, but I couldn’t stop the laugh that bubbled up my throat.

“Your laughter is like chimes on the wind,” he continued.

“Stop right there. Save your flattery for the ladies in town, please. There will be plenty of them for you to pick from tonight and you are something like a hero in these parts.”

He smiled then, a genuine, beautiful smile brimming with affection. “I am pleased to see your happiness has returned.”

“I’m excited for the festival,” I answered, which wasn’t exactly a lie. I was excited for the festival, among other things. “I assume we’re meeting Yukimura there?” I asked, and when I placed my book on the table and rose, Shingen’s eyes went wide. He laughed, a full, loud belly-laugh.

“Does Yuki know that the two of you are a perfect match tonight?” he asked, indicating my red kimono made specifically to match Yukimura’s haori. I felt a little strange wearing the Sanada crest on my own sleeves, but we’d been telling each other for a year now that we were going to stay together forever. And with Kenshin spilling the big secret…

“No,” I answered. “I gave him the haori this afternoon when I saw him because he’s been so…gone.” I tried to force sadness into my expression, which was a waste of time considering Shingen could read me like a damned book. “He left in a hurry afterward, so I was going to surprise him when he came to get me.”

Shingen’s already-wide smile widened further. “I see.” There was something almost fatherly in the way he looked at me…like he was ready to give me away or something. He turned and offered me his arm. “Shall we go? I would hate to keep Yuki waiting. You know how impatient he can be.”

I took his arm and allowed him to lead me out of the castle. Not surprisingly, Kenshin waited at the gates, somehow looking both bored and impatient. “Took you long enough,” he muttered before turning on his heel and walking ahead of us.

“Ignore him,” Shingen said with a chuckle. “He’s hungry.”

“Apparently.”

The sun was nearly gone by the time we reached the market, and a hundred different sensory points descended on me at once. Sweet and savory scents of various treats floated on the breeze that jostled the brightly-colored lanterns. Jovial conversation and peals of happy laughter wove in and out of the sights and smells, mingling with the warmth of the late-summer air. I was, I realized, happier than I’d ever been in my life. Or would have been, if Yukimura had been there with me.

As Shingen guided me through the marketplace, Kenshin occasionally turned to push some kind of food on a stick or a cup of something to drink into my hands.  It almost felt like I was being spoiled by a pair of overindulgent dads. All I needed was for Nobunaga to show up and add to the insanity…

Which, I remembered, was very likely given my boyfriend had gone to him in search of approval of our union. As soon as my mind turned back to the upcoming event, giddy excitement filled me. My hands began to shake and my heart picked up its pace. It could have been a sugar rush from the sweets forced on me by Kenshin, but the way the butterflies flapped around in my belly told me it was much more.

Beside me, Shingen laughed. “Are you anticipating something, my dear?”

“I…oh…um, no. Just excited to see Yukimura,” I stammered. “We, um, haven’t seen much of each other since we got here and I just really want to spend some time with him.”

Shingen made a quiet musing sound and patted the hand curled around his elbow but said nothing else. Kenshin, I noticed, was sticking closer as we made our way toward the end of the street, and it was then that I realized why.

Everyone else at this festival had come to a stop and they lined the street, watching as we passed. Kenshin was right when he said I was probably the only person in Japan who didn’t know what was going on.

“Um, Shingen?” I asked, tugging on his elbow. He bent toward me to hear my question. “Why is everyone staring at us?”

“Not at us…at you.”

“Why?” I was pretty sure I already knew why, but I wanted to see if he’d tell me.

“No reason in particular,” Shingen lied, “though you are stunningly beautiful tonight.”

He guided me around the corner, away from the prying eyes of the shopkeepers and toward the shrine only to come to a dead stop in the middle of a similar crowd, all craning to get a look at me…and the man standing directly in our path.

“Mai…” Nobunaga’s deep voice rumbled through the night air, startling me so much that I stumbled and would have fallen were it not for Shingen holding onto me. “You kept me waiting. I do not like to wait.”

My jaw flapped like a broken hinge a few times before the reality of his presence sank in. Yep…this was really happening. Either that or I’d gone totally insane and was now hallucinating all sorts of nonsense.

I blinked, then blinked again.

Nope…still there.

“How was I supposed to know I was keeping you waiting if I didn’t even know you were going to be here in the first place?!” I almost shouted in my excitement.

Nobunaga laughed. “I see you’ve lost none of your fire.” He offered me is hand and, pulling away from Shingen, I rushed over and took it only to be pulled into a tight embrace. “You have been missed, Mai. Are you certain you don’t want to come back to Azuchi?”

“I’ll always come back to visit, but you know full well my heart is here with Yukimura.”

Nobunaga snorted as he pulled my arm into the crook of his elbow as Shingen had before. We walked side-by-side, drawing all sorts of attention from the festivalgoers.

Is that THE Oda Nobunaga? Here in Echigo?

That’s the Oda Princess! Isn’t she lovely?

Is she really marrying one of our samurai?

Why is Kenshin allowing Nobunaga to walk before him?

Nobunaga chuckled at the not-so-quiet whispers. I looked back over my shoulder to find that Shingen and Kenshin walked beside one another… and that all the people who had watched us pass had now fallen into line behind us.

This wasn’t just a crazy proposal setup…this was a damned wedding procession. And I’d unintentionally added to it with the matching clothes I’d made for us. And I was wearing red. All I needed was the elaborate headpiece and I’d be a perfect picture for the history books.

“Um, Nobunaga? Can I ask you a question?”

“Of course.”

“Am I getting married tonight?”

Nobunaga laughed, long and loud. The sound drew the stares of everyone around us and it kind of annoyed me. I was tired of being laughed at, coddled, head-patted, and treated like some dumb little girl. So far the only person who had been straight with me at all was Kenshin and I was willing to bet a year’s salary that he was only doing it to be spiteful.

“I assumed when Yukimura came to me asking permission to wed you that he had discussed the arrangement with you first.”

“No…no, he hasn’t.”

That only made Nobunaga laugh harder. “Then it appears I’ve ruined a grand surprise.”

“Kenshin already beat you to the punch. Sort of. He told me Yukimura was planning to propose. He didn’t tell me the rest.”

“Well, then I suggest you act surprised, because he has gone to a good bit of trouble on your behalf.”

“Thanks…that doesn’t make me nervous or anything.”

Nobunaga glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, ignoring the continued stares and whispers around us, and when I looked up at him, I discovered the humor had gone from his face. He looked every bit the imposing warlord…or yet another concerned father. I had the dad-trifecta going on here…all I needed was Hideyoshi to be waiting at the end of this mess to fuss over me a little bit.

“Do you love him?” Nobunaga asked, startling me out of my thoughts.

“Yes,” I answered without hesitation.

“Then what is there to worry about?”

He was right, of course. Nobunaga was always right. As the shrine came into view, the anxiety that had crept into my mind vanished. I loved Yukimura more than I’d ever loved another person. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. Just because he jumped the gun a bit with the plans didn’t mean I wasn’t ready to take that dive with him.

The sea of excited onlookers parted to reveal a truly magnificent sight – flowers everywhere, candles and lanterns, and nearly every person I’d come to care about during this time. It was such an over-the-top setup that I began to laugh.

It was not a delicate giggle befitting a princess. No, this was an out-loud, braying horse-laugh that rattled up and out from my toes.

“Mai?” Nobunaga questioned though he couldn’t hide the humor in his voice.

“This…this is…ri-di-cu-lous!” I barked out, leaning into his side to keep myself upright as the hilarity of this situation took over my better sense.

Yukimura was not, and never had been, the romantic type. We weren’t a lovey-dovey couple that surrounded ourselves with hearts and rainbows. We were loud and obnoxious, stubborn and argumentative, and passionate in both our beliefs and our love for one another. In that moment as I stared at the carefully-orchestrated circus my soon-to-be-husband had created, everything began to make sense. I understood exactly why was so weird.

He’d embarrassed himself trying to make me happy. Silly boy.

Besides, I knew it wasn’t him at all. This whole thing smacked of Yoshimoto’s influence, down to the very last, perfectly-placed flower. He was also conspicuously absent.

“I agree that it is a little…extravagant,” Nobunaga said as we neared the shrine where Yukimura and Sasuke waited, groom-and-best-man-style.

“Yukimura is an idiot,” I said once I reined in my laughter. It would do no good to let him see me laughing. “I don’t need all of this nonsense and I have no idea how Yoshimoto talked him into it. It’s almost embarrassing.”

“Almost?” Nobunaga asked, raising one eyebrow at me. “The fact that your face is bright pink says otherwise.”

“Hush.”

Nobunaga chuckled again and let me past the point where the onlookers halted, onto the grounds of the shrine. Hideyoshi and Masamune waited for me to pass—bringing about another near-hysterical giggle in the process—before falling in step behind Kenshin and Shingen, followed by Mitsunari and the ever-grumbling Ieyasu. Only Mitsuhide’s presence was noticeably absent. But I didn’t have time to wonder, as I was suddenly face-to-face with the love of my life.

“Hey,” Yukimura said with an infuriating smirk.

“Hey yourself,” I answered. “You gonna tell me what’s going on here?”

“No,” he replied curtly, though he held out his hand. “Not yet. Now come on.”

I let go of Nobunaga’s arm and reached for Yukimura’s hand, and that’s when he noticed my clothing choice. His eyes went wide and perfectly round while his mouth fell open with a small gasp. Heat bloomed up the back of my neck and over my cheeks, rising in time with the flush of his skin.

“You…what? What are you wearing?!”

“Surprise?” I tried to smile but my nerves kicked into high gear and my heart started to race. “I thought…it might be fun if we, you know…matched.” Yukimura continued to gawk at me, and the look of shock on his face made me wonder if I might have made the wrong choice. “Do you like it? I…um…I can go change if—”

“No!” he shouted, startling me and causing everyone around us to laugh. “I mean, yes. I do. I mean…changing would take up too much time. Just…come on.”

“A word of advice as your Best Man,” Sasuke said, stepping up beside us, “you might want to compliment your bride. And, uh, you know…ask her to marry you now,” he stage-whispered.

“Damn it!” Yukimura growled. “Yoshimoto…”

“Where is he, anyway?”

“Inside with… wait. No. This is stupid. I’m not doing this.”

He tried to pull away but I held tight to his hand, making him stay beside me.

“Yukimura, look at me.” He hesitated but ultimately turned back toward me, keeping his gaze on his feet. “I figured out what was going on a long time ago, okay? You didn’t exactly keep your plans a secret from anyone except me and all of our surprise guests kinda gave away the punchline here.”

“You think this is a joke?!”

“No, you idiot! I think it’s sweet. A little overdone, but sweet. And beautiful. And romantic.”

“Oh gods!”

“And you don’t need to ask me to marry you, Yukimura. My answer is yes. It has always been yes.”

“You don’t have to—what?” He finally looked at me, his surprised expression almost comical.

“I said yes.”

“But…why?”

“Yuki,” Shingen chided, reminding both of us that everyone we knew was watching, “stop talking and accept the poor girl’s lapse in judgment. Or are you now trying to talk her out of it?’

“No!” Yukimura snarled.

“Then shut up and marry her before I steal her away!” Masamune called out, earning groans from both of us and an elbow to the ribs from Hideyoshi.

“Don’t ruin this for her!” he hissed, causing our one-eyed friend to giggle.

“Go, Yuki,” Shingen ordered. “One step at a time. Left-right-left-right…”

Yukimura groaned audibly and pulled me along with him. We glanced at each other again and started to laugh.

“This is dumb,” he said.

“It’s your fault,” I told him.

“No, it’s yours. I was told girls like this kind of thing.”

“By who?”

“Sasuke and Yoshimoto ganged up on me. And Shingen told me I had to be romantic. Like I said, stupid.”

“And sweet. It’s beautiful.” Yukimura went silent as we entered the shrine and found Yoshimoto waiting with a wide grin on his face. “Do you really need me to tell you why I said yes?” I asked as we turned to enter the shrine.

“Kinda, yeah.”

“Because I love you, dummy. Now let’s get married.”

Yukimura groaned beside me. “This did not go at all how I planned.”

“Honestly, when it comes to us…does anything?”

[macgyvertape]

Final Cyperpunk2077 playthrough thoughts

Finished the game finally, general thoughts above spoilers, then a log of actions/reactions below cut

overall the game was #fine  Not even discussing the bugs I had and CDPR’s issues as a studio, the game felt shallow as a puddle outside the main quest and a few side quests. Driving is bad, combat quickly became boring, there isn’t much divergence as promised with your origin, so why replay it from the beginning? But the larger flaws are not just technical issues like how poorly cars handle, but design choices that make a lot of side quests “go here kill enemies loot documents“ boring. Comparing the yellow ! quests, with Witcher 3 monster contracts: they had a deeper story sometime, and you had a to fight enemies with different combat styles. A lot of the skills and perks shown in E3 material that would have made for more interesting builds were either removed from the game, or don’t work. 

I took a week off from playing this game, because I got to the point Of no return, and was finishing up side quests and hit a bug. Then i was thinking: is this it? For a game that I took the release week Friday off work to play because I wanted to experience the story with no spoilers; its just indicative of how somehow along the way I became apathetic with both gameplay and story.

the bit where Saul says Panam was right he was wrong, then gives her a hug. Just omaze. Wasn't expecting to pass out, but i love how all the aldacados greet you when you wake up and ask if you are ok.

really enjoy how Takemura hates all the awful food that is present in the future in Night City, and yet will still get pizza for the stake out. Seeing the cat, hearing about his backstory, who am i to just him for his corporate soldier backstory. "there are no clean hands but it is important how they become dirty"

apparently for Pisces quest you get a different ending if you do nonlethal to take down Maiko, so I reloaded a save and did that. Judy is a lot happier. She gave me a KISS, versus being shaken and upset.  I don't see Clouds being independent going well, they probably should join with the Mox

(had to relaunch the game here, since there was a bug that didn't let me hack anything)

After that I made sure to do nonlethal taking down Oda. Quickhacks and jumping away from attacks ftw.

I like how one of the reporters is there and you can repeatedly walk into her shot, and ruin it.

Of course I went back for Takemura in the apartment. I've played Deus Ex, and didn't save Paul the first time, so of course I had to go back for the rescue.

Johnny gave me his dog tags, and said that when the time comes it's his life for mine. I wonder if this dialogue would change any depending on the choice.

the scene where Johnny takes control drives home just how much an asshole he is. I just muted my headphones, and skipped through it b/c it wasn't exactly fun to sit through. I really like Rouge, her line of "I could never confuses the two of you", like I want her to like V for V

I drove out to the dump, because I knew you could find Dexter Deshawn's corpse. Also found the corpse of Bartmoss the guy who destroyed the net in a cooler nearby. It's neat that there are these things you can stumble upon in the world, but like the world is so big I needed to look up a guide to find where in the dump was Dexter's corpse. (update the bartmoss quest was kind of a let down, I just got some quickhacks not much story)

The dump through is good worldbuilding, is massive, and when i was there a dust storm blew in obscuring everything. Absolutely horrifying for their world, it's environmentally fucked.

I had decided to go with the Judy romance a while ago, and finally did that 3rd quest. It's sweet the build up to the date in the phone call and the different convo choices you have leading to sex; even though the 1st person sex cutscenes are still awkward af. Compared to the River one where there's a mood, here they just flash a lot of tit and vaguely suggest oral. Judy then invites you to move in with her, which you can then acknowledge it's literally playing the "lesbians move in with eachother quickly" trope, completely straight (pun intended). But I really like Judy's arc over the game as she gets to know V better, and you asking her to be with you is what stops her from leaving night city (I'm guessing friendship might stop it too, or just have a different ending).

The diving mechanic was cool, though I think this is literally the ONLY swimming mission in the game, so kind of a waste of a mechanic. I kept thinking, wow it sure would be bad if V passed out inside a building deep underwater: then "suprise pickachu face" guess what happens. Also not shocked to learn the tiger claws struck back at Clouds, without support from another gang it was bound to happen.

I like quests with Rogue, she's kind of a snarky ass just like V. I went ahead an executed Greyson I didn't trust him. Nice of Rogue to get me a jacket, but at the same time feels weird, accumulating more of a dead person's outfit piece by piece. Rogue is attractive, female silver fox way, but also i can't tell if its just to give gamers fanservice.

Wow after a few quests going "never again give Johnny control", he sounded so down talking at his non existent grave, and regretting that he was an asshole to everyone he knew, that I agreed to help him finish things with Rogue. (wonder if any choices you make change that dialogue)

Rogue: "is johnny asking me on a date or you" SURE WISH IT WAS BOTH ROGUE. I chose the kiss option but I get why Rogue says it wouldn't have been fair to her. AS V THOUGH, I TOTALLY WOULD HAVE BEEN DOWN.  Though Johnny did behave himself, glad to see trust wasn't betrayed.

Visiting Kerry, sure why not the visit with Rogue went well. It’s weird how friendly johnny is to you zig zags between side quests.

Going to find Nancy, I'm glad Dum Dum and Maelstrom showed up again. Was worried they would never follow up on that plot. Then i of course chose Denny, she had her house wrecked. But I do think its funny, I have all this Silverhand gear and no one but Rogue comments on it.

Here’s hoping male V’s get more from Kerry, you get the questline of reuniting the band, and then after talking at the bar you get repeatable dialogue prompts, and thats it for content.

Nice that you can go talk to Rogue and Judy and they will comment on the parade going poorly.

  NOTE:  I went to do a side quest Fortunate Son, and got a persistent bug where I thought quickhack was broken (turns out you just can't quickhack police) and the game wouldn't let me skip time. At this point I put down the game for a week and went to play something else, because it was the final straw. Also, that quest is poorly designed, it makes you fight a bunch of cops you can't just run away. So much for freedom of play.

Apparently I don't get the secret ending because my approval with Johnny is just 60%, and i didn't pick the specific dialogue choices required; so I went with the Rogue ending because feels like it completes her narrative more than attacking with the Aldacados

I looked up the Arasaka ending before I made changes, and wow that ending is depressing af (as to be expected)

Rogue is the best, but i was more tired of playing the game than sad she died, anyway thats what fix-it fanfic is for.

But for fucks sake, the first fight with Adam Smasher, he jumped to the upper platform, and the game bugged out so i couldn't even decide his fate. It's bugs all the way to the end. I think the ending choices were also bugged, V was attacking Johnny talking about the well, no matter what choice was prompted for bridge/well.

Then the ending. I chose for Johnny to go on with Alt.  I get why people have said they were disappointed with the endings. The Johnny ending has everyone wondering why V is now ghosting them, makes sense because this ending proves Johnny is an asshole.

Wow for saving Takemura in the hotel, he calls me and tells me “rot in hell kuso ama“ (rot in hell fucking bitch). So thats great /s. Can see that he’s obviously upset I didn’t take the arasaka offer and now the company is in turmoil. So much for thinking we were friends and guess saving Oda literally doesn’t matter for anything

But the return the body to V: V has presumably very short time left to live, the calls you from friends and acquaintances talk about how she doesn't call or visit them any more, your love interest talks about how you've been distant with them. I guess the delemain dialogue differs based on attack choice and how you resolved the Delemain quest, since it's different in a similar playthroughs on YT. As for endings for other characters it seems people are better off the more you help them, which makes sense.

But I still had this feeling not just that the ending was bittersweet, but that this didn’t in character for the V I had been playing. That Heck the Judy ending with attacking Arasaka alone/with Rogue, has her leaving Night City without you. Which fair, you knew that as you got into a relationship with her. But still feels like a downer. She's a lot happier in the Panam attack ending. I appreciate that you get different options, and options within those options, but I’m just like what narrative arc did V undergo? What personal journey was actually resolved?

[ghostlycreatoruniverse]

Dabi and the awkward black ballon: a narrative comparison between Touya Todoroki and Vinsmoke Sanji

Hello everyone!

I’m really thrilled about this whole situation , I can’t stop coming up with ideas!

This is about Dabi, Hawks and the black balloon. I’m making this post because I’m totally convinced that Dabi hadn’t tell Hawks he was Touya Todoroki. He might have said something that implied it, but I think that this is not all he told to Hawks. I’ll try to cover others possibility in another post, but to consolidate my position I wants to draw another comparison.

This time is between Dabi and Black Leg Sanji from Eiichiro Oda’s great masterpiece: One Piece.

One Piece is a worldwide famous and one of the most important and best sellers manga of this generation. It doesn’t matter if you like it or not: at some point if your life if you like mangas you’re bound to hear One Piece sooner or later.

For those who never read/ disliked it, Black Leg Sanji is one of the main crew character and soon after his introduction he haunted fans with one question: who he really is?

In years hints became gradually more important; however One Piece is full of adventure and emotional moments so you’re bound to forget about it from time to time... just to be reminded that he’s hiding something.

I don’t know what Horikoshi thinks about One Piece, but I think he should know one or two things about it at least . Oda is considered one hell of a mangaka, being able to tie plot lines among the years, so if I were Horikoshi I’d give a look at One Piece to take inspiration. You have to consider this is a good way to avoid having a copycat event in two mangas published on the same magazine.

I’ll explain briefly who Sanji is.

Sanji is the cook of the Straw Hat pirates and he was (almost forcibly) recruited by Luffy before they entering in the Grand Line making him one of the first nakama.

He was introduced with the nickname “Black Leg”, inherited by his boss who raised him like father ( “Red Leg Zeff”). Zeff tried to assault the cruise ship Sanji was working on as a kid, but they both shipwrecked. When they were saved Zeff took Sanji they met Luffy.

In One Piece names are extremely important, but back then readers really hasn’t that feeling and before Sanji, both Nami and Usopp didn’t have a family name. So no one was impressed.

The first foreshadowing something was off happens around Skypeia arc. In fact all the first straw hat pirates (Zoro, Nami and Usopp) were said to be from East blue, thus everyone thought Sanji was too. However after finding a book Nami never heard of, Sanji gave a brief recap adding casually he was from North Blue instead .

A recurring fun gag about him is that when he finally gained his wanted poster an awful drawing of him was placed instead of his photo. Later on another character was introduced: Duval, who is the spit image of the bleak drawing. As funny as it can be, Duval was persecuted for many time, guaranteeing Sanji wasn’t found.

The biggest red herring Sanji gave was around chapters 480+. In front an honourable yet powerful enemy, Sanji was ready to sacrifice his life for his captain’s sake , underlining that he is someone important due to his background.

After that many theories were edited. And this went on for YEARS.

Until, chapter 800+. Around thst arc we finally get to know his full name and backstory. Vinsmoke Sanji was the third male son of a fallen aristocratic family. He had 3 brothers and one sister, an abusive father and a mother who was locked away in a medical facilities. In fact when she was pregnant, her husband forced on her some scientific experiment to turn their kids in the “perfect soldiers” stripping out every sign of humanity from them. She, trying to save her children for this bleak fate, took a medicine to inverse the process. In the end only Sanji was spared and had a kind heart, while she had a chronic illness that few years later killed her. Sanji then was considered a failure by his own father , enough to fake his own death and putting him in a jail. He then escaped to East Blue thanks to his sister who helped him.

Now, Enji seems to be a loving father when compared to Vinsmoke Judge.

Despite Sanji and Dabi’s story being quite similar , what I want to point out it’s the timing.

Oda foreshadowed this for years and gradually. And when the time was about to come, he added even more details to build Sanji’s great revelation. Once it was declared he was a Vinsmoke there was no turning back and all of his past was known in the following chapters. Of course it took some time to develop it all, but Vinsmokes were brand new characters, while Todoroki are very well known, so I expected Touya’s past to be introduced soon after his revelation, like it happened.

My main concern is... why.

Horikoshi chose an approach similar to Oda.

He show us Todoroki siblings one after another. He hinted Touya had a powerful fire type quirk, yet his body couldn’t stand it. He hinted about his death even before Natsuo spoke about it openly, having Fuyumi praying in one panel. In My Villain Academia he inserted baby Fuyumi’s panel. When Dabi was first introduced he spoke like Shoto does and he made clear he wanted to keep his name a secret. We then were reminded that nobody knew who Dabi was, but instead he was thinking about family and hold a personally grudge against Todorokis.

And that’s was fine! It was exactly like Sanji’s and to be expected.

in chapter 267 at the peak of drama the big black balloon happened. I was both intrigued and excited about it because it was something different and new when compared with the iconic One Piece. And so I guessed that we would have to wait a lot of time before knowing the truth. Then chapter 290 happened.

Now, if you compared Sanji’s reveal with Touya’s reveal your noticed that Sanji took years since his first introduction. The most significant and last foreshadowing can be considered his wanted poster, which after Dressrosa arc finally had his picture and full name on it, with the status of “wanted only alive”.

The huge unnerving block balloon was like Sanji’s poster: the moment everyone saw it they thought Dabi said “I’m Touya” as much as everyone said “Sanji’s theory about being some sort of prince/ son of an important family it’s true”.

And it works! Because the moment we knew Touya was Dabi we would have wanted to know how Touya turned into Dabi, as much as what happened to Sanji.

What it doesn’t sound right it why hiding that dialogue with a black ballon in chapter 267 to give us the truth only 6 months later when One Piece took his own sweet time with Sanji.

To me this makes absolutely no sense at all.

But Horikoshi decided differently than One Piece. And illogically.

The only way this would actually makes any sense is if Dabi said something else to Hawks. Or rather: what if he said he was Touya but with another meaning? With last chapters we were overloading with new informations about Dabi/ Touya. So the black balloon isn’t that interesting to us anymore. And conveniently Hawks is out of the games for the moment, so we don’t expect him to say something about it. It might be argued that we don’t need to, not anymore.

However after that sentence which took and entire panel Hawks should have something to say, and he can’t bothered the reader with something we already know.

This comparison ties perfectly with Anakin
Skywalker’s: in fact after years it was Sanji’s turned to be talked about. His identity moved One Piece’s story one arc forward.

Instead about Anakin... audience didn’t really need his backstory. It was something you wanted to know, but the story could have worked just fine: you just needed to know Vader was Luke’s father to understand why he saved the Jedi at the cost of his own life.

I thus expect we’ll dig up more into Dabi’s past in the following arcs; no, I’m not delusion: Dabi being Touya won’t move the plot much forward aside from the hero society being totally ruined. And neither will end the Todorokis drama.

The situation is dire, of course, and heroes will have it hard. But still, society needs heroes so they can’t just give up on them. Things will change and won’t change at the same time cause even in the worst case scenario, in which Endeavor and Hawks will stop working and all heroes are fired someone needs to take a stand against Shigaraki.

Touya’s death instead might give another push forward, giving the Todoroki arc a deserved ending.

Bear in mind that this doesn’t mean Dabi can’t die. He totally can. But if into Touya’s death a secret lies this can be useful for upcoming future arcs, even if I doubt Dabi will die here and now.

[idontdowellunderpressure]

Science In Anime 2

Proving that science doesn’t have to ruin anime, but can (in fact) enchance it!

(slight spoilers for Sanji’s backstory ahead)

Sanji’s Blood Type

Now, Sanji’s blood type is stated to be S Rh- and seems to be inspired by the real life O blood type (with the other One Piece blood types X and F being A and B). However, the anime goes on to state that Sanji’s blood type is especially rare. In fact, it is a blood type believed to be from a noble blood line.

https://www.ecumenicalnews.com/article/one-piece-chapter-802-spoilers-will-sanji-reveal-his-true-identity-as-a-noble-prince-34190

While most view this as just a way to make Sanji’s loss of blood more dramatic, this piece of information is actually in line with a very interesting piece of hematology.

Blood Types

First a quick crash course in blood types.

Red Blood Cells (RBC) have specific molecules (antigens) on the cell surface. Those antigens are what give people the blood types. One type is A, one type is B, having both is AB, having none is O. There is another antigen called the Rhesus (Rh) factor that determines whether you are “positive” or “negative”, with “positive” meaning you have the Rh factor.

This is what the basic antigen looks like:

Adding GlcNAc to the terminal sugar (Gal) would change the antigen to A:

And adding another Gal to the terminal sugar (Gal) would make it B:

The Bombay Phenotype

Now, there exists a special subtype of blood in which there is nothing, not even Fucose (Fuc) added onto the terminal sugar. People with Bombay Phenotype cannot receive A, B, or even O type blood (not even the “universal donor” type O negative). The only blood a person with Bombay Phenotype can receive is from another Bombay Phenotype, which is about 4 people per million.

The Connection

What makes me connect this blood type to Sanji, besides it’s rarity, is this blood’s connection to consanguineous unions (i.e. incest).

What groups are known for incestuous relations?

Royalty.

To keep the bloodline “pure”, royal families are historically known to marry within their family, which increases the risk of various genetic diseases like Bombay Phenotype. And not wanting to marry outside their “pure” bloodline is exactly something the One Piece World Nobles/Celestial Dragons would think.

Which is why I think it’s really neat that Oda had the one character on the crew with familial ties to nobility have this ultra rare blood type variant!

Below is my other “science in anime” post about Zoro’s amber tinted sunglasses

https://idontdowellunderpressure.tumblr.com/post/171350627905/science-in-anime

[forallyourikemensengokuneeds]

The reality of love ch 5

Chapter Five

She awoke to the light in the sky, beginning higher than normal. She couldn’t remember being in her own futon or how she got there. She looked around and saw she wasn’t in her futon but his. she must have fallen asleep during the moon-viewing, and he placed her in his room. No one had come into to wake her either so he must have said something to the head maids. She shook her head though it was nice to have a morning to sleep in. how her life had changed in the past few months. She had been getting ready to start her new job as a fashion designer in a new city in a new country, but when she met the wormhole the first time at the monument, it completely changed her life. she was sent back five hundred years in the past to a different reality than her own. History was the same. She had somehow survived the place, not only did she survived she had begun to thrive there. She had found herself and what she could do in the time. She was good at it as well. She had found her heart as well, or so she thought. She had fallen for the trickster of the Oda forces, but when he chose to follow orders instead of fighting for her, she had to leave. The idea of leaving had never scared her, but when she woke up after trying find a way through the wormhole, she found herself in the same time and not home. She was disheartened at first, but this place was better for her. No endless wars. No endless death. She also knew this version of the man she had thought she loved was the person she could be happy with. He was the better version of the man. She was easily falling for this man. He tried to make her happy. He was going to make her happy she already was with him.

She got ready and went out of the room. “Princess.” Some of the maids said as she passed  them.

“Good morning.” She said as she passed. She heard the maids giggling in back of her. She shook her head, knowing that they thought she had slept with the master of the castle and solidified her place in the castle.

“Lord Mitsuhide is a wonderful lover.” She heard a maid say to another maid as she was nearing one of the rooms she had wanted cleaned. She stopped and listened.

“Like you would know. It is known that the Lord of the castle hasn’t had a woman except for the princess in years.” One of the older maids said.

“The princess is a prudish woman. He would never find that attractive.” The first had said again with a humph.

“The princess is a fine woman. She works hard and wanted to unite all the castles staff. She treats us all as people, not things as some of those court ladies do. Do not talk down about her for she will be the mistress of the castle, sooner rather and later. Lord Mitsuhide is taken with her.”

“He is taken with the fact she probably spread her foreign legs for him the first night she was at the castle.” The maid said, and she could feel her cheeks flush. She felt a set of hands-on her shoulders and pulled her away. She turned and saw his face.

“Don’t pay them any heed.” He whispered. “Watch.” As he pulled her into another room that they could see into the other room.

“Get out!” the older maid said loudly.

“What?” the younger maid asked.

“Get out. If you disrespect the some to be mistress of the castle you do not want a job.” the maid said as she forced the younger maid out of the room and was taking her out of the castle.

“What just happened, Mitsuhide?” she asked.

“My senior staff all knows that you are my choice.” He replied. “They will make sure the rest treats you with the respect you deserve. “

“You told?” she asked.

“No, they saw.” He said, smiling at her. “it is one of those things they can see, Kit.”

“Mitsuhide what are you doing back I thought you were meeting with your rough traders?” she asked as she looked up at him and got lost in the golden pools of his eyes.

“Did you really think I would want to spend the day away from you?” he asked as he ran a finger down her cheek. “I left earlier than I had originally planned so I could get it over with faster.”

She leaned into his touch and smiled. He let his finger continue to trace her jaw as she did. She saw that he meant it with everything he was. “Why did you put me in your room?”

“That is your room now.” He said softly.

“Not quite.” She said as she smiled.

“As far as I am concerned it is. This whole castle is yours Kit. Everything that I have is yours.” He said, “You only have to say the words.”

“And those words would be?” she asked coyly. “I can say the words to a question I have never heard, Mitsuhide.”

“Say you will be mine.” He said, and in the silence of the room, it seemed to echo.

“I will let you know tonight.” She smiled. “Now, because of a later start, I have things to do.”

“Fine, my love. You go do your things, and I will see you later.” He said as he kissed her forehead, and then her nose. As the two were walking out of the room, some of the older maids were walking up the hallway. They all bowed to the both of them as he finally let her hand go as she did the same to the maids. She walked away from him with a smile that she didn’t want him to see. “Be a good girl now, Princess.”

She turned and looked at him and shook her head, “I should be telling you that.” She continued to walk down the hallway and soon out of sight.

“Lord Mitsuhide is everything to your liking?” one of the senior maid asked. “The princess told us of a few things that changed the way we do things. I wanted to make sure it was fine with you before we continued.”

“If the princess wants things done a certain way then do it that way. I am sure she has a few tricks up her sleeve that could help us. As you all guessed, I am trying to secure the Princess Kit as my wife. When she is mistress of the castle, you will afford her the same respect you would any other member of my family.” Mitsuhide said to the women who all had smiles beaming across their faces.

“Yes, milord.” They all said at the same time.

“You all knew that already though,” Mitsuhide said as he grinned broadly.

“We did believe that the wind was in that quarter, sir.” One of the oldest maids in the castle who worked for his family before he was even born. “She will be a fine addition to the Akechi name.”

“You aren’t bothered by her foreignness?” he asked.

“Not if you aren’t. Sometimes we need new blood to even things out.” She said with a toothy grin.

“Yes, we do,” Mitsuhide said as he took his leave of the older women and went back to clear his desk of anything that was there so he could continue his quest of getting the princess to agree to be his and marry him. if he could secure her and get her with child in the next few months, his life would be smooth, and everyone else in the clan could relax. He knew some of his cousins were also actively trying to position themselves as the next clan leader if Mitsuhide did not have any heirs. He thought of those cousins, and though he was sure they could lead the clan and continue his vision of rebuilding it, he knew he had to continue his line as well. It was his duty, one he had heard of since his birth. His uncle had driven the clan almost to ruins, and he had brought it back. His son would do more with it, and then his grandson would have a strong clan all his own. It was his main job to prepare for the future. The idea of one of the court women and worse yet, the emperors court women, sickened him. he didn’t think he could stomach even bedding one of them. Kit was a breath of fresh air. She was everything the other women weren’t. she would see his view about one wife and accept it. She would help him heal the clan. He could have her be a leader within the clan alongside of him. He knew she was it.

She was the future of the clan. It was easy to see to everyone but her. She still was finding her feet though because of her time in the other universe, she was better at changing those few little things that she needed too. She was nearly flawless in his eyes. If she wanted to raze the whole castle down, he would let her. He knew he was well and done for when it came to her. When she had kissed him yesterday, it took everything he had not to take her into the room and completely claim her. He wanted too, but he also knew the gains to playing a long game. He wanted her for life, not one time. He wanted her now. Though he was trying to give her time to find herself, it had been only a week or so since she arrived, he knew he was ready for the next stage. He had seen all he needed to see. He wanted her and only her. He thought she wanted him as well. He hoped she would say yes tonight. He knew he had to make sure she was set up in the position as his wife properly. Any children he had with her had to be completely one hundred percent seen as legitimate due to any family members who would try to use her foreignness to gain the power of the clans leader.

He sat down at his desk and looked off into the corner of his room and pictures a small cradle there. He knew what he wanted. He was going to set out to get it anyway he could. He plotted for her heart. He went back to all their conversations and started to pick things together. He smiled to himself. He knew how he was going to do this. He walked out of his room, forgetting anything on the desk. He was on a mission now. To him right now nothing else mattered.

[ythmir-writes]

Fictober 2019, Day 6

Prompt: “Yes, I am aware. Your point?” Fandom: Ikemen Sengoku  Pairing:  N/A Rating: some slight violence and injury

Or, had it been when she was nearly lost her lord?

It was no surprise to Silang that every time she was being summoned to the Tenshu, it was in the dead of the night. Remarkably, despite the ongoing tensions between territories, it was an unwritten consensus among the warring states that night time was for resting. A far cry from Silang’s experience in modern warfare, when it was usually at night when things escalated.

That was one good thing about ancient battles. At least, in this timeline and in this particular country. Who knows what atrocities the other kingdoms did?

But now was not the time for such thoughts.

For the umpteenth time, Nobunaga had summoned her, and as a loyal general, she must obey and focus on whatever it was that had taken Nobunaga’s fancy tonight. Tired as she was, these nightly visits proved its own little distraction. Although she hoped tonight would not be another tedious round of Go.

Still, she worried about the toll it was taking on their lord and master.

“He hasn’t been sleeping as well as he did.” Hideyoshi had confided to her one morning over breakfast in the main hall.

At first, Silang had taken it to be Hideysohi’s usual moods being their group’s official mother hen. “Nobunaga hardly sleeps as it is. Last night, he wouldn’t let me sleep and kept going-on about a vase he recently purchased.”

“He wouldn’t let me slip up at cards either.” Hideyoshi had clicked his tongue at that. Silang had nodded absently. Apparently, she was not the only one being summoned at night to the Tenshu.

“He’s being who he usually is.” Silang had said, trying her best to comfort Hideyoshi. “Sleep is the farthest thing in his mind right now. We have territories to protect.”

“Which is why it’s worrying.” Hideyoshi levelled her with a look. “I haven’t seen him take even a moment to rest.”

Silang glanced at Nobunaga, who seemed as cheerful as ever in his spot in the dais, taking breakfast. Nobunaga noticed her look, raised a cup of hopefully was morning tea.

As Silang navigated through Azuchi’s corridors, she hoped Hideyoshi had been nothing but his usual paranoid self. Ever since he had brought it up, Silang had not been able to keep her own worried thoughts at bay. A quick exchange of notes between her and her friends proved that not only did they seemingly have a schedule with their lord, Nobunaga was rarely left alone at the Tenshu.

Nobunaga was many things – she kept telling herself that – but Nobunaga was also not everything He was still human. Like the rest of them. And if he continued to refuse rest at this rate, he was going to hit his limit faster than Masamune could get drunk on a sip of sake. It was a matter of when and how, and whether she and her friends could carry Nobunaga when he falls.

No. She did not want to think that. For all his callousness and viciousness and terrifying methods, Nobunaga was the people’s beacon. No one could replace him. No one could do what he did.

So despite the ache and weariness in her own bones, Silang climbed the Tenshu every time the call came, just like now. Except this time, she was resolved to have Nobunaga catch up on much needed sleep, and not simply watch her struggle to fight her own drowsiness.

Silang waited for a few moments outside Nobunaga’s door, trying to think of a good way to broach the subject and then convince him. Like all the other men in her life, Nobunaga was stubborn if he put his mind into it.

She slapped herself on the cheeks, psyching herself up. Then, took a deep breathe, and announced herself as she opened the door. “Lord Nobunaga? You called?”

She opened the door fully, and saw Nobunaga walking on top of his maps.

“You took your time.” Nobunaga said. “You usually arrive faster than this.”

Silang rolled her eyes, closing the door behind her. “It was particularly difficult to extract myself from Mitsunari’s arms, if you’re so keen on knowing. I kept asking myself if it was worth it.” She paused for dramatic effect. “It’s not.”

Nobunaga chuckled, stopping at the border where the Oda and Takeda stood at a standstill. Silang joined him, taking off her own sandals and admiring the handiwork beneath their feet.

It was an intricately detailed map of their territories and beyond. The idea had been hers; make a map so large and so detailed to seem almost lifelike. They planned their strategies here now, standing on specific places to represent their troops. It was as close as a 3D render Silang could think of in this era. It was mostly so they could get a closer feel of the scale of their territories but also to remind them of the seriousness of their endeavors.

It also allowed them secrecy. No placing little figurines or marks on parchment that could be carried or stolen and then ferried away and sold to the enemy. All their strategies were committed to memory. No one would ever think of even stealing a map so large and so unique.

“Are we going to play the Game?”

That was that they called their strategic meetings as of late.

“Yes.” Nobunaga turned to face her. His face was aglow with inspiration. “I have had some thoughts about the god of war…”

But that was not the only thing she saw.

A shadow, just at the corner of her eyes. Scarcely perceptible but she knew movement – any movement – by something that was not supposed to should be stopped.

She barely turned her head when something white and silver was speeding towards her face.

Reflex saved her. She raised her arm, blocking the blow and she felt heat and then pain.

“Silang!” Nobunaga shouted.

The dagger meant for her neck was sinking into her forearm instead. Gritting her teeth, Silang drew her short sword with her uninjured arm, but the assassin was faster and had kicked her away square on the stomach.

Silang grunted as the force of the blow pushed her back. Her surprise had made her drop her weapon. She scrambled for it as the assassin wasted no time, taking out another dagger and throwing it at Nobunaga.

But the element of surprise was gone. Nobunaga, never one to be unarmed, had drawn his katana and parried the dagger with a lazy sweep of his arm.

The assassin drew another dagger. Hesitated.

Silang did not. She approached the assassin from behind, sword poised to strike. The assassin sensed her at the last minute and scrambled away. But Silang would not have it. She feigned to the left, acted as if she had lost her footing. The assassin fell for it.

And also forgot Nobunaga was still there.

One moment, the assassin was ready to strike again. The next, Nobunaga’s katana was through his chest. And he was gone.

Silang let go of the breath she had been holding, and the pain shot up her arm once more. She swore. Loudly. Nobunaga softly chuckled as he wiped his sword clean.

Assassins. How could she have forgotten about assassins?

Just when she thought there was a silver lining in this era’s methods, something else comes along to remind her that no matter the timeline, something always went bump in the cover of the night.

Silang paced through the Tenshu, looking for traces of how the assassin could have gotten in, trying her best not to think that if she had been any later then Nobunaga –

No.

Silang upturned a few tables, knocked on the walls to check for crevices, went out the balcony to look for rope or anything in the horizon for anything that could possibly be a signal for her to catch.

Nothing.

She made rude movements at no one in particular. Tried not think of a certain ninja who could be behind the attack.

“Here.” Nobunaga started walking up to her but Silang rounded on him, pushed him back to the Tenshu.

“It’s not safe to be out in a clearing.”

Nobuanaga rolled his eyes. “And what, an arrow from below could pierce my heart and kill me?” He pushed a sake bottle towards her. “Or have our enemies managed to invent a weapon that could reach this height?”

Silang frowned. And then shook her head. “I… In my time, when an assassin on the ground fails, there’s usually back-up waiting nearby to finish the job. ”

Nobunaga looked more interested than afraid. “But this is not your time.”

“No.” Silang took the bottle from him, going back to the dead assassin. Trying her best not to spit. “It’s not.”

Nobunaga had taken off the man’s masks to reveal the face underneath She did not recognize him. It was both a good thing and a bad thing. Too many candidates to pin the blame on. Too little who would lie and use it as a preface for closer relationships.

Nobunaga motioned to her still bleeding arm. “Take care of that. You’ll bleed over the maps.”

“What?” Silang stared at him.

Nobunaga went back to the maps and looked down at his feet. “We’ll play a Game.”

Silang had a hundred or so words she wanted to shout but settled for: “Are you serious?”

Nobunaga looked back at her, affronted. “I have a new idea on how to rouse the Uesugi into action.”

“Your life has just been attempted on! We should search the perimeter, sound the alarms! Fuck it, I should be out there tearing the Luhaan apart for –” Silang went to him but Nobunaga stopped her in her tracks.

“You’ll ruin your best work with your own negligence.” He said. “Patch yourself up.”

Silang balled her fists. “Are you fucking -!”

Nobunaga sighed, taking a bandage from somewhere in his person. “Is this supposed to be you playing at me bandaging your arm?” He untied the roll. “Hold your arm up.”

“Nobunaga!”

One moment, Silang was making to throw the bottle at him. The next, Nobunaga had moved to wrap an arm around her, pulling her close.

It was a funny feeling being hugged by the Devil King. Awkward really for several reasons: one, because he was her employer; two, because Nobunaga did not know the basic mechanics of a friendly hug; three, the way he was pinning her injured arm meant it more of a reprimand and an effort for her to calm down.

“I could skewer you where you stand for being stubbornly insubordinate.” Nobunaga told her, his voice low. A threat and a promise rolled into one.

“Like you could possibly best me in a match.” Silang growled back. Then, she took a deep breath. “Can we please just take a moment to let it sink in that an assassin was here and you were none the wiser.”

“I was too excited to be sharing my new strategy to have noticed.” Nobunaga admitted. “Or do you think one assassin is enough to end me?”

“Yes and no.” Silang moved to step back but Nobunaga tightened his hold on her.

“This was not the first attempt.” Nobunaga said.

Silang stopped struggling. “What?”

“It’s a good thing.” Nobunaga continued. “This means my enemies are taking me very very seriously.”

“This is not a good thing!”

“Although this one was the first here in the Tenshu to hide himself that long from me.” Nobunaga talked over her. “They seem to want to catch me unawares.”

“Is that why you were –?” Silang squirmed, managed to free herself a bit to look up at him. “You were calling each of us one night at a time.”

Nobunaga’s brows furrowed for a few moments, and then cleared as if it was only now that he realized what he had been doing. “Oh, no. That was me being bored.”

Silang closed her eyes. Of course. Only Nobunaga would be bored even during a period of warring states. “Let me go.”

“Have you calmed down?”

“Please let me go.”

“You have to promise you won’t overreact.”

Silang leaned her forehead against Nobunaga’s chest, allowed herself the small fantasy that somehow he was capable of being warm without an underlying objective, and then said. “Only if you promise to take it easy tonight.”

“What do you mean?”

Now was the only time to broach the subject. “Hideyoshi wants you to sleep. We all want you to sleep.”

“After that? I don’t think so.”

“The fact that you did not notice him is a point for my case.”

Silang felt Nobunaga’s hand on her head, his other arm still fixed around her. “So we are at a standstill.”

Silang groaned. Why was it that the greatest names in history were all so difficult to deal with? “Nobunaga -!”

“Listen to my strategy and then I’ll think about sleep.”

“That is hardly a compromise.”

Nobunaga chuckled and the sound oddly enough sounded comforting this close to him. “Yes, I am aware. Your point?”

“Strategy and then sleep.” She insisted, exasperated at herself that once again Nobunaga had her wrapped around his little games. “Or else - !”

“Oh?” Nobunaga’s tone was amused. “Or else what?”

“Or else I’ll tell on Hideyoshi you’ve been having unwanted nightly visits from unfriendlies.”

Nobunaga laughed now. “I should celebrate. My little fireball has finally engaged me in real combat.”

“Well?”

“Agreed.” Nobunaga let her go, stepping back and looking satisfied as if the entire night had all been according to his plans. “I learned from Mitsunari and you liked being held to calm down. I verified it with Masamune.”

Silang ignored the remark and tried not to think how the topic could possibly  be brought up between the three of them. She unrolled the bandage and began wrapping it around her arm. 

She glared at him as he went back to the maps. Try as she might to be angry however, how could she possibly resent how alive Nobunaga looked. He was born in war, raised in it. Lived and breathed in it as much as the god of war did. 

Even if Nobunaga longed for peaceful days, this was his element.He needed rest but Silang was glad to see he was not worn down. And she felt a tinge of protectiveness over that. Something she knew she shared with her friends.

“Well?” Nobunaga motioned for her to come closer. “We don’t have all night.”

“We still have a body to take care of.”

[kaizokuou-ni-naru]

The Voyage So Far: Wano (Part One)

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

shirahoshi seeing the sun for the first time is really a relatively minor and understated thing, among all the chaos and revelations of reverie, but it strikes me as one of the most meaningful little moments in the arc. 

i LOVE the luffy fanclub. i love that a meeting of the world leaders winds up being a who’s-who with assorted friends of one of the world’s most notorious criminals, and it brings me SO much joy to see them meeting each other and being able to connect. i feel the same way about coby and rebecca meeting.

in general, and i think i said this at marineford too, i love that the one piece world is developed and interconnected and alive enough to allow for these sorts of interactions. 

fucked up that this was almost a hundred chapters ago and we still have no clue what the fuck was up with this, isn’t it? 

i do find the introduction of im fascinating. up until this point we’ve had two presumed final villains- blackbeard and akainu- who were first established pretty far back at jaya and enies lobby (in robin’s flashback) respectively. meanwhile, im isn’t even seen until chapter nine hundred and something. it feels very late-game, but at the same time, their existence doesn’t contradict anything previously established, and in fact jives pretty well with a lot of information more recently revealed in dressrosa. 

in any case, when in doubt i do trust oda knows what he’s doing when handling his story, and i’m very excited to see what he does with this.

wano is SO PRETTY. i mentioned this before in fishman island, but i think wano is definitely the prettiest setting in the series to date. i think it’s obvious oda was both very excited to draw it and put a lot of work and research into his depiction of it, and wow does it pay off. wano is so bursting with life and detail, and frequently looks like an ukiyo-e painting come to life, and just- wow wow wow.

i love zoro and luffy’s reunion so much... i love how happy they are to see each other. it’s only been, what, a couple weeks in-universe? but luffy is pulling the full tackle-hug like he did for sabo at dressrosa. i love them.

i really like the outfits in wano, too!! zoro’s ronin look in particular i think suits him very well, and i also love luffy’s patchy yukata and robin’s geisha getup and they’re just very cool. this also applies to the non-strawhat wano characters, for the record, and kind of ties back to what i was just saying about wano being so full of detail. it has a very specific look, and everything from the outfits to the way things like the fire and the waves are drawn folds very neatly into that aesthetic. 

as i’m writing this i just finished on the paramount war posts, so with that fresh on my mind, i have to say i really like the way ace (or rather, his memory) is incorporated into wano. he’s not really a major presence- that is, the fact that he was there before luffy has no real bearing on the plot. but there are people who knew and cared about him and remember him fondly, tama and yamato, and it just really helps add to this feeling that ace was a person and his life and death had real and lasting affects. 

and it adds, too, to the fact that even if it took ace way too long to realize it, he was so thoroughly loved everywhere he went. 

i have a lot of thoughts on the intersection of food and heroism in one piece (i keep trying to compile a coherent meta post on the subject and mostly failing). but i’ll settle for saying that in wano luffy is a hero by his own definition, as someone who shares food with others, and i doubt he realizes that, but i think it’s really interesting. 

i know luffy’s fight with kaidou is kind of controversial in fandom but i love it, personally. it feels like a logical outcome for luffy to get his ass kicked the first time he tries to go up against a yonkou singlehandedly! he got wrecked when he tried to throw down with a shichibukai the first time, too, and this is just the next logical step from that. 

luffy’s always been an underdog starting from nowhere and working his way up and up and up, and i love that for him. of course he’s going to get messed up the first time he tries punching an entire order of magnitude above his weight class. and then he’s going to get up and try again, and again, and again until he wins. 

the act structure of wano is really neat, i think. it helps such a long and complicated arc feel a lot more structured and less interminable than it might otherwise, and it also gives specific breaks where we can cut away to the story happening on the outside world. 

honestly i really like the whole udon prison segment. it’s fun! i like it for similar reasons i like the colosseum mini-arc in dressrosa, honestly, which is that there’s no real stress because we know luffy is the scariest person there by a country mile so we can just watch him go ham, and that’s fun. it consistently cracks me up that absolutely nobody is worried luffy’s in jail. they’re all just like “yeah, he’ll be fine.” and they’re right! he’s having the time of his life!

wano’s cast is fascinating, because almost nobody is who they first appear to be. almost everyone is wearing masks, whether literal or not- fitting, for an arc structured after a kabuki play. everyone is playing roles, from hiyori to denjirou to kanjurou to yasuie, and everyone lies. 

this entire sequence at orochi’s party is one of my favorites in the whole arc- in fact, it was my favorite, until we reached a certain part i’ll get to in the next post. everything from komurasaki standing up for toko and slapping orochi to denjirou “killing” her to robin getting caught by the oniwabanshu and dissolving into petals to nami calling down a massive lightning bolt to cover their escape- it’s really good. 

i’ve written extensively before about the smile fruits and the themes of smile and laughter in one piece and how important the freedom to feel and express emotion is. suffice it to say that for all the atrocities orochi commits against the people of wano, it’s feeding the smile fruits to the people of ebisu town that is his greatest crime, and the revelation of just what happened to those poor people ratchets up the tragedy of wano tenfold.

i do think it’s interesting to think about how if denjirou had been just a little less committed to his role, zoro would’ve killed orochi right here. it really drives home that orochi is nothing- he’s weak, he’s cowardly, he’s just lucky and clever and cruel enough to be able to get much more powerful people to do his work for him. 

it’s infuriating that someone like him has been able to hold such power over the lives of the people of wano and ruin them so thoroughly, and that’s exactly the point. 

wano is the arc where oda says you Will care about the supernovas and i’m like yeah

hey, another of my all-time favorite luffy panels!! i honestly just think this one sums him up as a character in a line more than almost any other- “i’m always free.” 

just look at the detail on kidd’s metal hand holy shit holy shit. on occasion certain panels jump out at me that remind me that oda really is just, a genius at drawing on a technical level, even setting aside his writing and storytelling chops, and this is one of them. 

oda is really, really good at creating the sense of a darkest hour- a time when all hope seems lost. the other best example in the series is in water seven, when the crew seems to be falling to pieces, merry is marked for death, robin’s gone, and the aqua laguna is coming. here, too- nobody comes to meet the akazaya nine, and the one chance they’ve waited twenty years and staked their lives on seems in danger of slipping through their fingers-

but the point of making it so all seems lost is so that when hope does appear, it shines all the brighter, and feels all the more triumphant. it’s always darkest before the dawn, and we all know how wano has been waiting for the dawn.