#it's past midnight so I'm officially 23!

[graveyarrdshift]

how it feels to be 23

[thewertsearch]

Asks Comp 5/6

Just like John Cusack, hoo hoo hoo is a universal constant.

I was so excited for her conversations :( And thank you very much! This comic's a slippery one, but that's part of the fun!

I do like the idea of pairing every Homestuck ship with a political ideology. It'd be the perfect storm of discourse, from about five directions at once!

Thank you! I don't think I'll even be in the country for my birthday this time around, so it'll be a quiet celebration.

I think it could still fit as a kismesissitude, even if they aren't all that unfriendly with each other. After all, Karkat's antagonism towards John is only skin-deep, and wears off fast.

FEFERI: There's no reason to be scared! They are not as terrible as they look. FEFERI: When Derse is destroyed, I am going to go to sleep and prove it. FEFERI: I will prove it to you, and to them as well. KARKAT: THEM? FEFERI: Our new friends! [...]

Oh, that does make more sense. Dang, I really liked the idea that the Horrorterrors were scared of Players.

Karkat made S-Tier for a reason. He's on fire this Act, and it's been great to watch!

You don't even get to examine your surroundings!!

I'm even more glad now that I'm using Homestuck Collection. It's clear that I'd have missed a lot without it, and it's a sad state of affairs that the comic's official website seems to butcher it so badly. Definitely recommend checking out the Collection, if just to play the walkarounds yourself!

Underutilized aspects of the trolls: Feferi Edition! [...] I do have to say that, when I think about her, I don't generally remember the Horrorterror connection. But Gl'bgolyb is a Horrorterror, after all. Feferi may be legitimately bubbly and sweet, but of the two races she is meant to unite, it might just be the Horrors and Humans. She's an eldritch Disney princess. Remember that now. ~LOSS (19/5/23)

Does that make Gl'bgolyb her Fairy Elder Godmother?

Ugh, tell me about it. It looks normal when the post is in my drafts, but breaks when I publish it.

I could go back and fix each post manually, but I don't have the time or the patience. Maybe I'll write a script to do it when I release Wertsearch: The Director's Cut.

Thanks! I've had Cat send a transcript over, and I've been copying it for quotes. There was a risk of mild spoilers if I accidentally read ahead, but if it means I can stop quoting entire conversations manually, I'll happily take that chance.

Damn it! There goes my Sollux Was Swapped At Birth theory.

I like these ideas! It's fun to speculate about what our species 'thing' would be, since we don't have any alien species to compare ourselves to IRL.

The idea of NPCs as Player templates is awesome, too. That implies an absolutely wild session in Sburb's past, featuring the Sleuths, the Midnight Crew and the Exile squad as Players.

What would Sburb even look like without Carapacians? Would the chess match in Skaia still exist, just without sentient pieces? I kind of love this idea.

Yeah, it's always nice when a story's really kicked into gear.

Beginnings and endings are difficult, and I usually enjoy the middle of a story more than either. By my count, we're about one-third of the way through Homestuck, and it's definitely found itself.

Thanks! I have a couple of ideas about which of my ships will be supported by canon, and which won't - but we shall see what develops. The comic might surprise me!

Canon Equius design.

It's a big question, and I don't know if I can fully answer this one, given how much of Sburb is still shrouded in mystery.

That said, the first thing I'd change is how Players are assigned. Instead of creating people who have no choice but to participate, I'd look for volunteers in the planets I've seeded. If Players have to be born in the Veil, then those volunteers would have their timelines rewritten, retroactively turning them into meteor babies - but only after they've volunteered for the role.

Also - does a session have to destroy the planet it's seeded on? If it was me in charge, I'd redirect the Reckoning's portals somewhere else. Literally anywhere else, actually. As far as I can tell, the only reason they were pointed towards Earth in the first place was for thematic reasons. The Sallyverse has different themes.

Yep. No special reason why - I've just been pretty busy lately, especially on the weekends. They've also been rolling over onto Mondays more often, too.

I get to 'em when I get to 'em - but I always get to them in the end.

Ooh, that's a deep cut. Possibly coincidental, but I wouldn't be too sure - I wouldn't put anything past Hussie.

I've heard of Higurashi, but I know very little about it. It is my tenuous understanding that it's a murder mystery starring several wealthy families - or is that its sister story, Umineko?

I don't want to look them up, because I might actually check them out at some point, and it is apparently very important to go in unspoiled. Potential future liveblog material, indeed.

I've speculated that the Knight is a protector class - and maybe Knights also protect themselves, hiding behind a particular trait or emotion which serves as their 'shield'.

Puréed puppet, unfortunately.

Now that I've seen all the troll typing quirks, I'm pretty sure I've actually encountered some of these people in the wild! I've definitely seen Terezi's leetspeak, or something very similar, on an anime forum or two.

[probsnothawkeye]

I meant to post this before midnight but got caught up in things anyway its my birthday and here is a list of some of my favorite podcasts I listened to in my 23rd year of life

Starting off with @ethicstownpod because we *have* to start with Ethics town it's so important and I love it so much. I will never forgive Louis for what they did but it is literally so worth the heartache <3 Ethics Town will hurt you! And you will thank it!

Up next is the Technomancy Project which fully rewrote my brain this year I absolutely adore this so so much. Its got magic! And science! And horror! And found family! It's the highlight of my month every month!

Sticking with the Faustian Nonsense train, we have Super Suits which is fun and funny and original and doesn't stab me in the chest, it just makes me laugh and I love it

Back to pain town, @tellnotalespod is phenomenal and magical and OW! I love Leo with my whole heart and cant wait to see what comes next from this show

Tiny Terrors started a couple weeks after I turned 23 and stayed with me all of the past year I love the Shed Gang and the frightening things they put me through. Perogi haunts me to this day <3

@liarsandleechespod came into my life swinging and making me cry at my desk. A beautiful story of grief that also contains horror elements that remain implanted in my brain it's just a spectacular show

@kingmakerpod has a trio of criminals I love with my whole heart and a magical world that absolutely fascinates me I adore it so much

@224bbaker reawakened my love of Sherlock Holmes by giving me an even more enjoyable detective team Fawx & Stallion is one hell of a show that you don't want to miss

I can and have written so much about @devisercast which was an earthshattering podcast I listened to this year that is still banging around in my brain and demanding I feel all the emotions from it. Its so so so good

This is not a complete list by any means but these were just a few of my favorite podcasts I listened to at 23

Since it's past midnight, I'm officially 24! 24 is definitely going to bring more excellent podcasts my way and I can't wait to listen to them

[artificialflav]

To preface this, I am not fully caught up with One Piece (I'm at the end of Wano, in the transition to Egg Head), so I'm sure I am missing some details. I will also be reiterating the timeline with added info.

I am dyslexic, I'll try to fix any typos or grammar issue I can see. But if there is stuff I miss, no complaining LOL!! If I worded something in a way that doesn't make sense, please ask my meaning.

Well, with that all out of the way, HERE'S MY THOUGHTS!! I have a lot to say, so BUCKLE IN!!!

-Ages-

Crocodile’s Age, 44 (debut), 46 (after time skip)

Iva’s Age, 51 (debut), 53 (after time skip)

Dragon’s Age, 53 (debut), 55 (after time skip)

-A Timeline of Major Events-

38 years ago, the God's Valley incident happened. Iva being a slave during this, survived, and escaping with other slaves.

The Freedom Fighters made headlines 25 years ago.

Roger was executed 24 years ago

The Freedom Fighters became known as the Revolutionary army 22 years ago.

Crocodile starts Baroque Works 16 years ago.

-A Timeline of What We Know of Crocodile-

Crocodile Witnessed Roger's Execution. (At the age of 22)

Crocodile gained the rank of warlord in his early 20s.

Shortly after becoming a warlord, he was defeated by White Beard.

-Other Facts That Will be Relevant-

Dragon was 17 when the God's Valley incident happened.

The youngest person to join the marines, that we know of, was 16 (Koby).

Crocodile’s Birthday, September 5th, Luffy’s Birthday is May 5th.

Crocodile and Ivankov knew each other in the past, and what Iva knows about his past is big enough to be used as blackmail.

Crocodile wears rings on every finger except his ring finger.

Crocodile has a single earring on his right ear. (This one really isn’t that relevant, I just thought it was a funny nod to gay stuff. This isn’t a well known rule of thumb, but it is a funny coincidence.)

-My Thoughts (here's the mess)-

Okay, Crocodile's origin could be a couple different things, and I'm not sure that I really want to speculate on that too much, that really isn't the focus here.

(also, here are some other posts about this topic that I think help expand or valid my thoughts, zombie-eats-world's post about the crocodad theory, eroguron0nsense's post about crocodiles characteristics and his performance of masculinity, midnight-in-town's post about Crocodile's past outside crocodad)

>THE BLACK MAIL

Ivankov is a character introduced right off the bat to being the Queen of the queers, an iconic figure and leader in queer liberation/celebration. You are shown Iva's ability to manipulate the hormones in people's bodies. Then you tell us they have black mail on Crocodile. With the wording of the vivre card data book, it is very hard for me to believe it doesn't involve Crocodile being trans.

You can't just introduce a character with the ability to transition people, say they have black mail on Crocodile, and have it not be something trans related lol.

I will say, the black mail could also have a lot more baggage to it. Because if the info is just "Crocoboy is trans!" that to me is a little flat. Like yes, of course Crocodile wouldn't want to be outed, he would definitely want to protect his image and reputation by not letting that info get out. But why would anyone give a shit that he's trans, like what would that change in the World Government's eyes? Why would that be a big deal?? Like no way the reveal is just "Croodile is trans" and now everyone starts being transphobic to him lol. Unless, revealing that history would make a lot of other things known as well.

>THE TIMELINE

Crocodile became a warlord in his early 20s, so that gives us 20-23 (that is what is considered early 20s). He soon after becoming a warlord picks a fight with White beard and is defeated. "Soon after" is very vague, that could mean right after the status was official or maybe a year after. All we know is that his warlord status was fresh.

Crocodile witnessed Gol D. Roger's execution at the age of 22. With how impactful Gol's speech was, and with Crocodile's hinted at dream of becoming king of the pirates, it would make sense as to why he became a warlord so quickly. That gives us either 22 or 23 being the age of when he was given warlord status, (if that happened after the execution).

Crocodile experiencing a defeat soon after that would be very devastating. It's understandable why he would have this big grudge against WB. Which makes it all the weirder that he put that grudge aside in Marine Ford.

Let's say Crocodile became a warlord at 23, a year after the execution of Roger. Crocodile is bright-eyed and bushy tailed, running around for a year with his new status. At the age of 24 he picks a fight with WB, gets his ass kicked so hard he is completely demotivated to keep following his dream.

Crocodile relocated to Arabasta at the age of 30 to intact his plans with Baroque Works. That gives us a gap of six years. (if we go along with my proposed timeline).

Lastly, let's say Crocodile is Luffy's other parent. Crocodile conceiving Luffy would have had to happen when he was 27, or right before he turned 27. Crocodile's birthday is September 5th, Luffy's birthday is May 5th. IF Crocodile had some birthday fun with Dragon and was officially pregnant a couple of weeks after, that gives us ROUGHLY 32 weeks of pregnancy. Then he leaves Luffy, and 3 years later he starts Baroque Works.

AND DURING ALL OF THAT, Crocodile met with Iva to transition.

>QUESTIONS AND MORE SPECULATION

*How did Ivankov and Crocodile meet? How did Crocodile get to know Dragon?

-25 years ago, the Freedom Fighters became headlines. Now, that doesn't mean they weren't a group until then, it just means the group became public knowledge at that time. Crocodile would have been 21, this was before he was given warlord status, and could probably still be considered a rookie.

-Unless Iva and Crocodile met each other before then, the Freedom Fighters becoming public knowledge would have brought Dragon and Ivankov's existence into Crocodile's orbit. This could have also brought to light Iva's devil fruit abilities, piquing Crocodile's interest.

-A year later (24 years ago), Crocodile and Dragon were in the same place at the same time, for Roger's execution. Now, Dragon and Crocodile could have met then and there, or after.

=Major speculation time, gonna try and condense thoughts as best I can=

-Dragon could have joined the marines at 16. Could have quickly risen in the ranks. Dragon was 17 during God’s Valley. Garp could have dragged him along to help. Dragon didn’t like what he saw and went separate ways with the marines, then went to help save Iva and the others. Then later down the line formed the Freedom Fighters group with them.

- If Crocodile was Rocks's kid, he would have been at God’s Valley. Crocodile would have witnesses his father’s death. With how much the government fixates on the kids of big pirates, they would have known about Crocodile. If Crocodile was a girl at the time, they would have been looking for a daughter of Rocks.

-WB being a part of Rocks Pirates would have known about Rocks’s kid. Seeing how everything was turning out and possibly helping in stopping Rocks. Crocodile would have seen WB betray Rocks. WB knowing Crocodile would be killed if the government found him, took him in for a period of time. WB not known for caring for daughters helped establish Crocodile as Crocodile to protect the kid’s past and identify from the world government. Crocodile got good at passing as male.

-Crocodile still having a grudge, stayed with WB until he could fend for himself. Which could have been at 17 or younger. (That would have been before Teach joined the crew.) Crocodile soon after starts gunning for the position, king of the pirates. WB doesn’t discuss the time he cared for Crocodile as to protect him, but also because WB never saw Crocodile as one of his sons.

-Crocodile later sees the Freedom Fighters in headlines, and is intrigued by Iva’s powers. He also sees Dragon, the son of the man who helped kill his father, is now against the government. Crocodile and Dragon finally me meet, Iva and Crocodile finally meet. Crocodile eventually fights WB and losses and gives up on dreams.

+SO TO GET TO THE POINT!+

I believe Crocodile didn't officially transition until AFTER Luffy's birth. Because Crocodile would have already been trying to pass as male to protect his identity. Maybe he only saw being a guy as a necessity for his safety, not realizing it's also something he preferred. So any discomfort or joy he felt in his presentation would have been viewed from the lens of "am I safe or will my secret get out". Also, with WB being the one caring for him during those beginning years, not sure how delicate that old fashion fart would have been.

So Iva, Croc, and Dragon get to know each other after Roger's execution. Not sure if Crocodile would have been fourth coming with Iva and Dragon right off the bat, but with Dragon's position as an opposition to the world government, I'm sure he felt somewhat protected by the Freedom Fighters.

Crocodile then becomes a warlord, proud of himself, ready to fight for his dreams, and to finally prove his worth by killing WB. Picks a fight he can't win, loses his crew and his arm, is in a very weak position, and reaches out to the one person he thinks can help...Dragon.

If Crocodile really did get his ass kicked at 24, that gives him 3 years of bonding time with the freedom fighters and or just Dragon. They get close, buddy up, and Crocodile winds up pregnant. Has Luffy, hands him off to Dragon, leaves to go find Iva, and to finally move away from his past transitions.

When Iva talks about knowing Crocodile as a rookie, that doesn't mean that he transitioned when he was a rookie. Iva was just aware of this scrappy up coming pirate they talked to at Roger's execution. Then later Crocodile confides in Iva about his past, Iva being at God's Valley and knowing how much the goverment would want to kill the child of Rocks, Iva knows the true weight of the black mail. Iva may not be aware of Luffy's existance, as Dragon definatly kept that a close secret. But would have seen how close Dragon and Crocodile were and then put the pieces together at impel down, adding another layer to the black mail.

+LAST THOUGHTS (angst)+

Crocodile doesn't wear a ring on his ring finger.

Other pirates that wear rings I have only seen wear a full set. So Crocodile missing his ring finger is very significant. If you're gonna wear all these rings why leave one finger? Especially the ring finger? Unless it holds a personal importance to you.

I personally think Luffy was an unplanned pregnancy, that led to a rift in Dragon's and Crocodile's relationship. I could see Crocodile thinking Dragon betrayed him by putting him in such a vulnarable position. Then all the emotions crop up with his gender, his past, and he is stuck for nine months of just sitting in this, thinking about his life, who he is and who he wants to be.

I could see Crocodile running away from Dragon when he finds out, then comes back to hand off Luffy, as a child isn't good to have as a pirtate, especially a child with his bloodline. Never connects with it, just leaves it in Dragon's hands, and off he goes to start Baroque works.

Or he stays by Dragon side during this time, but isn't taken care of like he needs. Dragon is a cold busy man, their relationship was could have been casual, Crocodile gets pregnant, and it puts a hinder in Dragon's plans. Maybe Crocodile is seen as a burden? Maybe Crocodile has to iniciate any of the support he needs? Maybe during his pregancy Dragon is barely around. Crocodile feels used, scared and out of control.

OR Dragon does stay and cares for Croc as best he can, but with all the hard emotions Crocodile would be dealing with, their positions in the world, and with Luffy being born premature (with the limited pirate health care). Maybe Dragon makes a hard decisition. Maybe Dragon tells Crocodile Luffy passed way after birth. GIving Crocodile an out to cleanly break away, even with all the pain.

Whatever it was, Crocodile recovers, finds Iva, fully transitions, and leaves. Not wanting to knowing or care about this kid, and stuck with his pain. As a reminder to keep his heart closed and of his foolishness, on the only hand hes got. He will never put a ring on a finger that could be a promise of trust, of care,and of a happier life. A reminder of what he's lost, and of the pain that comes with getting too comfortable or being opitmisic.

Crocodad analysis~

I've finished my reread of Impel Down and Marineford and spent most of today typing up this Crocodile analysis applying Crocodad theory ;3

Under the cut I went through Iva's threats, what info we have on when they met and what Iva might have done for him, then I go on to track Crocodile across the battlefield of Marineford. It's just text, no images, but it does have the chapters mentioned so you can go check it out.

I tried to structure these 3000 words a bit but don’t expect a clean essay.

Also, there is nothing new under the sun, I'm sure all of his has been said before by Crocodad scholars, I'm just sorting through it for myself.

(Disclaimer: I read an English scanlation so there’s a chance that there is a mistranslation or missing nuance.)

Iva’s powers

I'm generally someone who likes to work within the parameters provided by canon. But in terms of Iva's power I have been letting fandom (which displays an interest in a more real world depiction of transitioning) guide me more than canon. But Iva’s powers are not a reflection of the real world (other than maybe wishes that it could be so easy), neither do they even try to be.

Iva says that they can rework a person from the "inside out" (chapter 538) and there doesn't seem to be much of a limit to what they can do to someone’s body, apart from the cost of the healing powers.

If we go with the idea that Iva used their powers on Crocodile, it's likely that it would have been an instant effect. Therefore, the potential switch from female to male would have been complete and it would have been a one time application of Iva’s powers. Since we know what Crocodile looked like as a child, we know that they did not completely change his appearance.

The blackmail

When Luffy protests the suggestion that they free Crocodile, Iva says that they knew Crocodile “a little (…) back when you could still call him a rookie�� (chapter 540) and that they are aware of one of Crocodile’s weaknesses which they will use against him/ reveal if he betrays them. Let’s first look at this secret weakness.

Since I have seen it mentioned before, I checked out the vivre card information that has been provided by thelibraryofohara (https://thelibraryofohara.com/2019/01/12/vivre-card-databook-vol-5-all-the-new-information/) in the January 2019 card releases. I quote:

“[Crocodile]’s got a “weakness” when it comes to his past that he can’t oppose. He definitely owes something that Ivankov gave him.”

I don’t know if the word choice is a matter of translation but it is rather ambiguous. That weakness is in quotation implies that it is most likely not an actual physical weakness like his weakness to water. Instead, it might be comparable to how Dragon calls Luffy his weakness. Additionally, what does “oppose” mean in the context of a weakness? Does it mean that if Iva revealed it, he would have no chance to refute it. Does it mean that the weakness is of such a nature that Crocodile would do what he can to avoid Iva from saying it? Maybe both? Considering the context the threat was uttered in, this would mean that he will not betray Iva and Luffy’s interests. (Which he doesn’t. When he goes off to attack WB and Luffy stops him, he calmly states that they had an arrangement (chapter 557). While Luffy forbids him from touching WB, Iva doesn’t threaten him into obedience, so Crocodile does pursue his attack on WB once Luffy is gone.)

Continuing with the vivre card quote, there’s also the fact that Crocodile owes something that Iva gave him – which can either mean that Iva gave him something that he’ll have to give back or that Crocodile has something that he only has thanks to Iva. I assume it’s the latter. What could Iva possibly have to give to Crocodile more than 20 years ago that Crocodile doesn’t want to be known (and can expect not to be known unless Iva shares it)? And, maybe more importantly, is it something that Iva can take back?

I am going to say yes, a reveal of the secret might as well come with Iva taking back what he has given Crocodile. Considering that Crocodile in prison has pretty much nothing but his hook, we can assume that what Iva gave this young pirate just starting out, was something to do with their powers. A change to his body in one way or another which of course means that Iva can undo it, revealing things about Crocodile that he doesn’t want to be known.

Considering what we’ve seen Iva’s power do, it does not take a big stretch of the imagination to wonder if he might have been a girl in the past. There’s of course the option that Crocodile has always been a boy, aware of his transness from the beginning. But even if that wasn’t the case, there are other reasons to want to change. The seas of One Piece are tricky to navigate and while there are successful female pirates, we have also been shown certain limitations and prejudices. How was it nearly 30 years ago, when Crocodile was just starting out? When there were pirates such as WB who would not have women on his crew? What did other men’s limited faith in a girl’s capabilities do to a teenager who wanted to chase her dreams? But that’s another layer of speculation. Let’s just assume that Iva gave Crocodile the body he now has.

Timeline

The complete female to male switch makes sense with Iva’s skills as I’ve mentioned above, but the timing is arguably tricky for Crocodad purposes. To repeat: Iva knew Crocodile “a little (…) back when you could still call him a rookie” (chapter 540). It’s unclear to me whether Iva’s comment that they know Crocodile “a little” is meant to be taken as an understatement and they do know each other well or if we should take it at face value. But even the offered time “when you could still call him a rookie” is very vague.

If they only knew each other when Crocodile was a rookie, then Iva would most likely have used their powers on Crocodile back then, turning him before he had properly ended up on the marine’s radar and before he could have had Luffy. What exactly counts as Crocodile’s rookie years isn’t particularly clear. At this point in the manga we do not know anything about Crocodile – his age, how long he’s been a Warlord, when he used to be a rookie, etc. However, we do know now that he became a Warlord in his 20s and challenged Whitebeard and lost to him shortly after (SBS, Volume 78). So his rookie years must refer to the time before that where “similar to Luffy (…) Crocodile's name spread across the seas with incredible momentum.” (SBS, Volume 78) It’s possible that at that time, due to the vastness of the ocean and the slower spread of news, people in general did not know what he looked like (even 30 years on it took a while for all the Strawhat crewmembers to get recognizable bounty posters). Due to that it’s possible that the meeting with Iva could have taken place during the time that he was gaining fame, but before he really got on he marine’s radar enough to make him a Warlord in his early 20s.

Interestingly (for me), around the same time as Crocodile’s was starting out, Iva and Dragon gained notoriety with their Freedom Fighter group (according to the Wiki’s timeline, it became the Revolutionary Army after the Ohara Incident, when Crocodile was 24), so it is likely that when Iva and Crocodile knew each other, Crocodile also met Dragon. (He might even have been part of the Freedom Fighters, but I think if his name was spread across the sea in connection to the Freedom Fighters, a link between Crocodile, Iva and Dragon would have been mentioned or taken into consideration by Sengoku. Sengoku did know of the history between Crocodile and WB and thought it would work in their favor. If he knew about a potential connection between Crocodile and Luffy – via Iva and Dragon – he would have been more wary I assume.)

As an aside, how did they even meet? Did Crocodile hear about Iva’s powers and seek them out? Was their meeting purely by chance and Crocodile seized the moment?

Long story short, if Iva only knew Crocodile while he was still a rookie and used their powers on him then, it would have been years before Luffy was conceived.

However! One could argue that Iva did not have the same control over their powers 20 years ago as they do now, so that the change was mostly external, affecting how Crocodile presented without changing him “inside out.” Which would still have meant that he could get pregnant if Dragon and Crocodile continued seeing each other (or at least saw each other one more time, 19 years ago.)

Now, since Crocodile at Marineford is somewhat of a part 2 of the Crocodile theories, I kept my Crocodad goggles on.

A look of Crocodile’s movement across the battlefield

One of the main arguments for Crocodad are his actions on the battlefield. Judged by the reactions of the other characters, all of Crocodile’s actions on the battle field of Marineford apart from his attack on WB are surprising.

The reason we are given by Crocodile for joining the prison break is that he wants to take Whitebeard’s head. (Crocodile could have escaped from the holding prison, but chose to go to Impel Down instead. However, Iva claims in chapter 538 that Crocodile isn’t too happy about ending up in level six.)

We know from the above mentioned SBS that Crocodile challenged WB shortly after he received his Warlord title. During this battle Crocodile was “completely and utterly crushed by him.” Whether that defeat is the main motivation to challenge him is unclear.

Just like he announced, the first thing that Crocodile does after posing for a group shot, is to go straight for Whitebeard’s head.

So far so predictable.

What are often seen as hints for Crocodad is a series of events that go like this: Dragon is revealed to be Luffy’s father (chapter 558). Everybody and their pet clown gets to have a reaction shot to that, but Crocodile does not. Crocodile is one of the first after Luffy to charge into the plaza after they’ve got the siege walls up and stops Ace’s execution (chapter 566.) He orders Daz to protect Luffy and one Daz is down he himself stops Mihawk from attacking Luffy (chapter 570). After Ace’s death he steps in between Akainu and Jinbei, making Luffy’s escape possible (chapter 578). He eventually joins a line of Whitebeard pirates to protect Luffy.

Now, Crocodile’s change of plans doesn’t present as an instant switch the moment Sengoku announces who Luffy’s father is. While he might have had an off-screen “oh shit, that’s my baby” reaction, it didn’t immediately make him drop everything to protect him.

I do of course believe that Luffy IS his baby because I find joy in that, but I generally see Crocodile as a pragmatic character. On one hand there is Luffy, a reckless but resilient kid that shares his blood (that he spilled and Luffy used against him) that is charging across a battlefield with a group of people protecting him. On the other hand here is Whitebeard right in front of him and other than the baby that has slipped out of his fingers, he held on to that grudge for 20 years.

Tracking Crocodile across the battlefield leaves plenty of gaps, but it still offers insights into why he changes direction. I’m presenting it here and then we can think if this hurts or helps the Crocodad agenda.

Tracking Crocodile

As mentioned the first thing we see him do on the battle field is to go for Whitebeard who is on the ship next to them. Luffy stops him and then he is approached by Whitebeard pirates, their weapons drawn. Luffy then leaves and takes the point of view away with him. When we see Crocodile again, two chapters after the reveal that Luffy is Dragon’s son, he is on the ice in front of Whitebeard’s ship. He must have been pushed back or retreated to join up with Daz, as they are fighting off masses of WB pirates, trying to get closer to the man himself. After he sends a lot of them flying with a sandstorm he is stopped by Yozu. The force of the attack makes him fly back (he is injured and loses his cigar) where he lands right next to Doflamingo. The man is of course not passing up the opportunity to be chaotic – he stops Yozu and asks Crocodile to join up with him which Crocodile rejects (chapter 560 – 561). When we next see him he is fighting off some invisible force (most likely more WB pirates) but at least he has a new cigar.

When WB is stabbed in chapter 563 he is still on the ice in front of WB’s ship. He has an agitated reaction, revealing that he has lost to Whitebeard in the past (“I didn’t lose to such a weak man!!!”)

Even though Sengoku tries to get the other fleets under WB’s command to turn against him, WB proves his integrity and power. And he also gives a speech about how even if he is attacked by his son, he still loves him and he also explains that the son does not bear the sins of the father. It is either this absolute display of love and appreciation of his sons no matter whose blood they have and what they do OR it is his display of power and integrity that Crocodile reacts to, visibly distressed, but no longer showing the explosive shock and anger of his previous outburst (I’m not horrible at reading facial expressions but I’m not great at describing them. Look for yourselves in chapter 563). Also, following right after the panel showing Crocodile’s face we get Whitebeard thinking to himself: “A “weak man,” am I…? What an insolent man… I’m only one man, with one heart… And you’re the same… They call me a demon and a monster… But I won’t always be the “strongest” out there…!!! If I can bring one young life into the future, isn’t that enough…!?” And then he joins the battle.

He now focuses on bringing that young life into the future (saving Ace) and this is the point where Crocodile’s unusual actions start. After a talk about unconditional love for his sons and the statement that protecting a son is worth much more than being the strongest. Could Crocodile too have decided that protecting Luffy (his son?) and Luffy’s interests is more important than his grudge against Whitebeard?

The answer seems to be yes, because in chapter 566 he is the first one to follow Luffy across the siege wall and into the plaza where Ace’s execution was supposed to happen. And he stops it after Luffy is pushed back by the Admirals. The reason he gives to Sengoku for his unexpected action is that he “wants to wipe the smile from your faces.” After Doflamingo chops off Crocodile’s head they engage in a fight.

It is after Luffy uses conqueror’s Haki, which again seems to confirm his relation to Dragon, WB gives the order for everyone to support Luffy in chapter 570. Whether Crocodile has chosen to follow Whitebeard’s lead or if he is acting for himself, he gave Daz the order to protect Luffy. Daz stops Mihawk’s attack and once Mihawk cuts him down and goes for Luffy again, Crocodile is there to stop him and allow Luffy to continue one. He must have shaken off Doflamingo in the meantime.

And then Ace and Whitebeard die (chapters 574 and 576 respectively).

And while the battlefield descends into further chaos and Luffy is unable to protect himself, we get a panel of Crocodile (chapter 577), apparently standing still in the chaos that is around him. He does not seem to face the same way as the retreating WB forces or the Warlords and Pacifista in pursuit of the retreating pirates. Maybe he is looking at Whitebeard one last time.

And then he’s off, apparently crossing the entire battlefield in an instant to stop Akainu from dealing Luffy the killing blow. And after that he gets physically between Akainu and Jinbei and Luffy before he sends them flying out of reach with his sands (chapter 578.) He yells the order for someone to grab them and get them to a ship, followed by one of my favourite lines directed at Jinbei who has tasked himself with protecting Luffy: “If you want to protect something, do it right!!!” Since we generally speculate that Luffy’s parents (or Dragon at least) chose to sacrifice their chance of raising Luffy in order to protect him from exactly what is happening on this battlefield, that line suits the Crocodad theory well. Whether Crocodile left behind his child to protect it from being punished for the sins of his fathers or if he left him behind because a child would get in the way of his ambitions, right in this moment protecting Luffy is all that matters.

He then joins a group of Whitebeard pirates, forming a protective barrier against Akainu. Akainu taunts them that all of them are willing to give their lives for Luffy. Marco repeats what Whitebeard thought earlier: they will see this boy off into the new age.

All of these actions could also simply point towards Crocodile maybe having been part of Whitebeards crew at one time, but the timeline has some difficulties. It does not seem like anyone who is on the crew now treats him like they knew him or at one point cared about him like a brother. We have also not seen Crocodile or someone who looked like him in the Wano flashbacks. Teach, who joined when he was 12 (and Crocodile would have been 18) doesn’t seem to know him as a crewmate either. If he ever was on WB’s crew, he would have left as a young teenager. (And as a sidenote, WB was an old-fashioned guy, he did not want any women on his crew apart from medical staff. This would not have been a good environment for Crocodile if he had been a girl before meeting Iva. And he clearly was making a name for himself as a rookie without being attached to WB’s crew.)

It could also symbolize how great of a pirate Whitebeard was that even Crocodile, bearing a grudge against him, shows him respect by following his orders. But that seems a little bit boring to me.

That said, I do think a Crocodad reading of his actions is rewarding.

After this battle we also get to see Crocodile read about Luffy’s actions so he clearly is interested in him now. And there’s this great exchange between Daz and Crocodile in chapter 593 where Daz comments that Luffy’s scars take a while to fade which Crocodile takes as a comment on his own (old) wounds. Crocodile insists that his scars are “fully healed” and that he’s ready to return to the New World now. He has put the old wounds of his youth to rest, he is ready to return to tackle the New World once again.

And maybe any wounds and scars left on him regarding Luffy’s birth have started to heal too. The kid will be fine.

If you read through all of this you have my respect X’D

And if you have comments, additions and objections let me know~

[hieranarchy]

Rating Cannes Grand Prix Winners

Whoosh. Another Cannes Ad Festival has come and gone, and here I am, empty-handed yet full of opinions on who actually deserves their Lion. Rawr. Here we go.

Brand Experience & Activation /

Fifa 23 X Ted Lasso, for EA Sports and Apple, by Apple, Cupertino, and EA Sports, Redwood

Maybe I'm not into football, maybe i'm not familiar with the show Ted Lasso. It's a collaboration that makes sense, but importing existing real-life characters and objects into the meta verse? Done to death and hardly ground-breaking. Next.

Creative B2B /

EART4, for B3 Stock Exchange and United Nations Global Impact, by AlmapBBDO, São Paulo

Listing Earth as a stock. Interesting. But im still confused--do people actually buy and sell the shares like it's a real stock? Because Eart4 certainly does not look bullish to me.

Creative Business Transformation /

ADLaM – An Alphabet To Preserve A Culture, for Microsoft, by McCann New York

It's nice that big corp have to occasionally do something meaningful to keep up their brand image. Suss out a semi-dire issue in third world communities and offer to solve it with basic technology. A low-hanging fruit and fail-proof award-clinching method. No complaints, I guess.

Creative Commerce /

The Subconscious Order, for HungerStation, by Wunderman Thompson, Riyadh

Um I have many issues with this idea. Firstly 'subconscious choice' could just as easily be 'marketing manipulation'. Who knows when they show you that you're craving a McMuffin at midnight that it's not because Macdonalds paid them a few extra grand to be featured? Secondly does my eye lingering at some eye-catching image of a blue-coloured ice cream necessarily mean I want blueberry gelato for dessert? I'm not sure if this kind of measurement is accurate. The insight of choice overload is true though, just not a fan of this solution.

Creative Data /

The Artois Probability, for Stella Artois, by GUT, Buenos Aires

I usually love ideas that dive into arts/history/pop culture. But all these efforts just to prove that Artois was the beer of choice in Victorian times and has a legacy dating back to the B.C. era or sth...is kinda lame. Also verifying the Artois brand through the illustrations of a can? ...I can't.

*I know it's been a slew of disappointment so far, but stay with me, there are some worthy ideas below.*

Creative Effectiveness /

Shah Rukh Kahn-My-Ad, for Cadbury Celebrations, by Ogilvy Mumbai

The first positively creative one so far. Now this is how you leverage data and tech effectively: by making one superstar ad and replicating it by the hundreds to promote small and local businesses. The doors to deep fake AI are officially thrown wide open. Yay and also, yikes👀

Creative Strategy /

Plug-Inn, for Renault, by Publicis Conseil, Paris

Whoever thought of this, you sold yourself short by selling this idea to Renault as a campaign. It's basically a peer-to-peer AirBnB business model. Should've pitched this as your own personal side hustle start-up.

Never Done Evolving Featuring Serena, for Nike, by AKQA, Portland, and AKQA Melbourne

Paying homage the glorious (23-time Grand Slam winner) career of tennis legend Serena Williams is very on brand for Nike. It's like a very cool passion project of a sports enthusiast. Unfortunately, I am no sports enthusiast.

Direct /

Runner 321, for Adidas, by FCB Toronto

I love that 321 refers to Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) and also sounds like 3,2,1, ready set go. An elegant idea to kickstart a new tradition.

Entertainment For Gaming /

Clash From The Past, for Clash of Clans, by Wieden + Kennedy, Portland.

No, just no. Again, huge waste of effort that amounts to basically nothing. Sorry Clash of Clans fans, but we really need technology and man-hours to be used more productively.

-OK 10 VIDEO LIMIT I'LL CONT IN THE NEXT POST-

[ablerelate]

Updates/Behind The Scenes

Hi there if you are viewing this then your here to see my information about the updates. Yes I know that doesn’t make much sense. But it makes sense that you probably are knowledgeable about that.

Full List  Ask Me

Update #1 Monday, May, 1, 2017

Coding is hard even though I didn't make the Tumblr Theme. Just doing customizing is taking awhile but it okay because, one the Tumblr Theme was FREE (This sounds like advertising), and two I'm doing the work on different times/days. P.S. I’ve been working on it/the blog page since yesterday (Sunday, April, 30, 2017).

Update #2 Saturday, May, 6, 2017

I ended up getting the 12th post done late. Instead of having it up exactly at 2 PM, It when up at 2:19 PM. At least the post was up before 3 PM. If I ever get a large amount of followers even like 10, I’ll do something because of being late. A fun fact to know is when I first posted on this blog (Shower post) it ended up going up at around 2:49-3 PM. That’s how I decided to do post at 2-3 PM, because 2-3 PM are the start and end of 2:49 PM.

Update #3 Monday, May, 15, 2017

A lot of Tumblr blogs are having a problem with links not working properly. Meaning when you try going on a link it may open the link up on the browser and, if you trying doing that while in the browser it will either open the link in a new page or open it up in your Tumblr (whether you did the open in app thing or not) but take your device to the home page. I am also experiencing this not only with my blog but a lot of the time recently the past couple of 1-2 day/s when I tap links. Finally, to finish this update off I wanna say you probably noticed that the sentence before this might be a little confusing.

Update #4 Wednesday, May, 24, 2017

I woke up late again at around 2:20 then I proceeded to make a post on a subject but because I thought the post was a 3 PM post and later realized it was a 2 PM post I posted the post at 2:38 PM. I would have the post already done but I fell asleep before I could set one up, I think I’m gonna start setting up two posts per day so I don’t have to worry about something the following day if you understand.

Update #5 Thursday, June, 1, 2017

I got the post (38) out 42 minutes late at 2:42 PM. This post explains the main reason why I was late. I'm gonna try to make two posts per day starting now.

Update #6 Tuesday, June, 20, 2017

I made this post (57) really late at 5:18 PM but I had to update to say that as of today, today is my last post until fall comes if you haven't seen the note on my Full List.

Update #7 Thursday, June, 22, 2017 - Friday, June, 23, 2017

I’m making this update on midnight to tell you I made post (58) at the start of summer because, I just couldn't help it so, youve got one more post to hopefully enjoy for now. I know I said that I wouldn't post during summer and winter but I have decide to change it so that I only post everyday besides summer. Yesterday (Thursday) I didn't post so, the change and vacation is now official.

[hey--hayhay]

I'm pretty sure no one is going to make it through all of this but I'm bored so here goes

1. You woke up naked next to the last person you texted, what would you say? Well it was a group chat with my mom and brother so I’d probably pretend like it never happened and avoid the subject like we do with everything else.

2. What’s going on between you and the last person you kissed? I don’t remember her name honestly, Cristy? or Caitlin? It started with a C

3. If your boyfriend or girlfriend was into drugs, would you care? Probably I think he’s better than that but it’s his life

4. Is your last name longer than six letters? You bet yo ass it’s not (I’m hilarious)

5. Was your last kiss drunk or sober? I did have a few

6. Have you ever wanted to have someone but you messed it up? No

7. What does your last received text say? “😂😂” (I mentioned that I was hilarious right?)

8. How many times have you kissed the last person you kissed? It was just that once

9. Where was your last kiss at? Uh? Some frat house, why are we hung up on my last kiss?

10. When is the last time you saw your sister? I don’t have a sister

11. What do you drink in the morning? Usually water, sometimes apple juice

12. Where did you sleep last night? At my house

13. Do you think relationships are hard? I think they require work but if you like what you do you’ll never work a day in your life.

14. If you could go back and change something in the past 5 months, would you? My first reaction was hell yes but I think I’ve survived fairly well so far so nah

15. You’re locked in a room with the last person you kissed, any problems? Again with the kissing… I guess it would be awkward but I don’t even know if she’d remember me

16. Would you rather it be sunny or rainy? Rainy

17. Do you know anyone with the same middle name as you? Surprisingly I do

18. Are you wearing jeans,sweatpants,or pajama pants? No

19. Do you think you will be in a relationship 3 years from now? I hope so

20. Does anyone like you? I’m pretty likable 21. Have you ever kissed someone with a name that starts with an S? No

22. Is the last person you kissed gay? She was my same gender but we didn’t really trade notes on our sexualities

23. Is there a person you CANNOT stand? I can usually stand anyone for short amounts of time

24. Have you ever considered getting a tattoo? I want one if I ever find the time

25. In the past week have you cried? Yes

26. What breed was the last dog you saw? Dachshund

27. Do you dry off in the shower or out of the shower? Both

28. Have you ever kissed a football player? No

29. Do you think you’re old? Nope

30. Do you like text messaging? Yes

31. What type of day are you having? Relaxing

32. Have you ever thought about getting your nose pierced? No

33. Do you prefer warm or cold weather? Cold all the way

34. Is there a person of the opposite sex who means a lot to you? A few

35. Would you prefer a relationship or a fling? A relationship

36. Are you a simple or complicated person? Simple

37. What song are you listening to? The Big Bang Theory is in TV right now

38. When you say you’re sorry do you mean it? Most of the time

39. Is there a girl that knows everything or almost everything about you? Yes

40. What made you start liking the person you like now?

41. When did you last receive a text message? About lunch time today

42. What is wrong with you right now? I have a dog asleep in my lap and I need to pee

43. How well do you know the last female you texted? I’ve known her my entire life, yes she is my mom

44. Does anyone disgust you? Donald Trump

45. Would you date someone right now if they asked? No I’m in a relationship

46. Are you in a good mood right now? I’ve been happier but I’m not in a bad mood

47. Who was the last person you talked to in person? My Dad

48. What color shirt are you wearing? Teal

49. Has someone recently told you something you didn’t want to hear? Yes

50. Anyone you’re giving up on? No

51. Do you hate the person you fell hardest for? No

52. Have you ever thought about giving up on someone but couldn’t? Yes

53. Do you like rain? It brings me life

54. Do you care if your boyfriend/girlfriend drinks? No just stay safe about it

55. Have you ever liked somebody and never told them? Duh who hasn’t?

56. Do you like to cuddle? Definitely

57. Are you shy? It depends

58. Do you get along with girls? Yes but I don’t like this question 59. Have you dated the person you texted last? It was my mom so no 60. What do you carry with you at all times? My phone

61. If you were paid 1 million dollars to spend the night in a supposed haunted house, would you? I would pay to stay in a haunted house

62. Do you think you can last in a relationship for five months? Hopefully

63. Think back to October, were you in a relationship? Not yet officially

64. The person you like kisses you on the forehead, do you find this cute? Fucking adorable

65. Did anything “cute” happen in the last week? Well I have a puppy so yeah

66. How old are the last three people you kissed? 18-21? If I had to guess

67. Would you rather pay to get your nails done or do them yourself? DIY

68. Which do you like better- Zebra print or leopard print? Zebra print

69. Do you have any stickers on your car? Yes

70. Would you rather listen to Luke Bryan or Lil Wayne? Or

71. Blackberry, Anroid, or iPhone? iPhone

72. When’s the last time you had pizza from Pizza Hut? Years I’m a dominos girl

73. Do you like diet soda? I’m not picky

74. What color are the walls in your room? Tan

75. Are you 16 or older? Thankfully yes

76. Do you watch Pretty Little Liars? Not really

77. Do you have a job? Yep

78. What are your initials? HDY

79. Did you ever have braces? Yes

80. Are you from the south? Yes, but this doesn’t define me

81. What does your last status on facebook say? “Blessing your feed with a little puppy [pics of my pupper]”

82. Do you still talk to the first person you ever kissed? No

83. Are you closer to your mom or your dad? Or

84. Have you ever done cheerleading or gymnastics? I was the Mascot does that count? No

85. What’s the last movie you saw in theaters? Rouge One

86. Do you smoke? Hell no

87. Would you rather wear heels or flip flops? Neither

88. Is your phone touch screen? Yes

89. Do you normally wear your hair straight or curly? It’s naturally somewhere in between

90. Have you ever snuck out of your house? No my moms always be open to letting me leave and my friends have always had to be home early

91. Would you rather swim in a river, lake, or pool? Pool

92. Have you ever made out in a car? No

93. …Had sex in a car? No

94. Are you single or in a relationship? I’m in a relationship

95. What were you doing last night at midnight? Sleeping

96. When’s the last time you saw fireworks? I honestly don’t remember

97. Do you like the camera on your phone? Yeah

98. Have you ever had a friend with benefits? I’ve had chemistry friends that give me the Homework answers, does that count?

99. Have you ever passed out from drinking? No

100. Are you friends with people on facebook that you actually hate? I don’t really hate anyone

101. Have you ever had a pregnancy scare? Yes and I’m a virgin

102. Name your favorite Kesha song: blah blah blah (I’m basic)

103. Do you have any tan lines right now? Nope

104. Would you ever wear cowboy boots with shorts? I have and I probably will again (don’t judge me)