#like Yamato is a fucking great character

[cass-ass]

I was looking up some stuff about One Piece and ran into a few things about Yamato that sexualized him as a woman. And just.... im so fucking sick of it.

Like this Author made sure no character EVER calls Yamato she/her. He is always He/Him. He even made sure to have a female character explicitly ask "hey wanna take a bath" and he goes "ah, there are no mixed baths, sorry"

Then has a bath scene with the trans woman, Kiku, in the women's bath with them instead and Yamato in the men's bath with all the other guys

But these people are all like "tits means girl." Like bro are you that stupid. Does it have to be stamped on your forehead??

Just cause someone's reason for transition was admiration of another person does NOT mean that their transition is faked. It does not mean they are delusional. Just means they figured themselves out through that person.

And if some guy doesnt bind and shows a bit of sideboob, it does not make him a girl.

[petrichal]

There's something so incredibly wholesome about Ace encouraging someone to live for themselves because he's been (or is still, depending on how you look at it) in their position before.

Ace might not think that he's loved, too entrenched in his father's legacy and what other people have told him when he was younger, but even when he believes that blood relation isn't something that can be chosen, what's important is that you become something great beyond blood or titles, that the path that you go on is what you choose for yourself.

Yamato saying that Ace taught him the meaning of life might as well be literal. It's the exact thing he needed to hear from someone who knows what it's like to live a life shadowed by their father's presence.

[voidcat]

— to tug and pull (at the strings; and of my heart)

characters: Endo Yamato, you

notes & wc: 3.1k. Endo as his own warning kinda. Themes of loneliness in a crowd, shitty friend group and Endo taking advantage of it. Toxic relationship all over. Implied past sexual encounters if you squint. Suggestive content a little by the end. GN! Reader but mentions of wearing heeled shoes (Endo is into it). Reader isn’t as good of a person as theyre making themselves out to be btw lol

“Well well… look who’s there…”

A voice comes from behind you, so clear amidst the crowd of various sounds. The place is loud and crowded- yet the chaos of rising sounds are all muffled down by your ears.

The night, as young as it may be, has already fallen for you and with everyone else to their own world; the same old superficial, banal and tedious things, you’re left alone with your own thoughts— or so you thought until the all too familiar, annoying voice creeps up from behind you.

Great- Because the last thing you needed on this damned night was Endo fucking Yamato ruining your already bothersome day.

“Now what’s with the face?” Endo coos, arms resting against his head “a smile would’ve suited that pretty face of yours better.”

You let out a grunt at his words and roll your eyes, averting your gaze to your phone. It’s not like you have any urgent business but you don’t have any better of a quick excuse you can make up and act right there.

Endo doesn’t seem fazed by your clear dismissal of him, he is quite amused on the contrary. So he stands there and waits, patiently.

Rhythmic shake of your foot to the music evolves into tapping it against the floor and by the second Endo can tell you’re growing impatient.

“What a merry group of friends, wouldn’t you agree?” He begins and jumps over the couch’s backseat to seat himself beside you, legs dangling off the armrest at a weird angle.

“You’re sitting all by yourself by the side, no one to care nor even notice your lack of presence in their conversations.” He clicks his tongue with a shake of his head, disapproving of the state you’re currently in.

“I mean… really now,” honey laced words come out, one hand slowly working up its way to your shoulder. “What a bunch of losers, and they’re supposed to be what— your friends?” He says the words with disgust, “they don’t even see you, let alone notice your boyfriend dropping by~”

“You are not my boyfriend.” You snap at him, saying each word with malice. 

So that gets your attention huh. Endo enjoys the poison in your words, relishes in the taste. It’s only the appetizer after all.

“I’m a boy and your friend, no?” He says innocently, bringing a finger to his lips. 

“No!” You retort, a tad louder than you intended, “you’re not my friend, you are not my anything!” 

Yet your words reach his ears as something melodic, nothing coherent. 

He makes himself comfortable on the couch, fixing up his posture a little but still maintaining skin contact with you no matter how many times you shrug his hand off.

You deserve a drink, you muse. But the logical part of your brain protests. You’ve digested all you’ve eaten for dinner already. Drinking on an empty stomach is not a nice experience to have. And it’s certainly not a wise choice to make when someone such as Endo is within your parameters.

So you opt for the next best thing and gulp down cold water like it is electrolytes.

Even if he notices, he makes no move. He has probably raised an eyebrow at your sudden actions and examining the situation before his eyes to decide what course to take next.

“I’m a closer candidate to being your friend than they are though.”

Ah, there it is. The silence breaker he saved to hit at the right moment, in the hopes of you- what- suddenly break in front of him? Your eyes filling up with tears so uncontrollable whatever touch up you’ve applied to your face will wash off? What does he think of you?

And more importantly- does he really think so lowly of you? Stupid enough to fall for his measly tricks?

There is no situation to assess but certainly enough of an excuse to just call it a night and bail out.

These are not the crowd of people you’d choose to hang out with no matter the time and place but the circumstances call for mutual interests. Every lamb by their leg or however the saying goes. You’d much rather be somewhere else, preferably kilometers away from this loud place and away from him.

You do not want to give him what he wants but the story writes itself before him already. The script plays itself out. There is a stranger by the table sitting all too comfortably next to their supposed friend and none of them seems to notice nor care. It’s not like their noticing would’ve changed things were he to show up a few hours before. They would've chalked it up as someone you just act around with a little Coquetry. Starting off as cold and distant but indulging his teasings under the table, disgusting.

You can feel Endo’s eyes going up and down, giving you a one-over and inspecting everything you have on, down to the buttons. He may be keeping that mouth of his shut for now, but that’s the case with him, his silence is loud, always at the times you least need him to be. Fine, he can ogle all he wants- that's the most he is getting in this damned place. And it's not like you didn't dress up… can't blame the man for once actually,

The air may not be chilling or hanging off your skin but times like these make you wish you were smoking. Just a way to pass the time, to keep your hands busy. the cloud of smoke would occasionally cover las stupid face, granting you the illusion of a night headache free. Blowing the smoke right into his face would be risky though. He could take it up as you being playful with him.

With a cigarette dangling off your lips or hanging between your fingers and gaze focused on something far behind where no one can see, you could’ve been the quiet and mysterious figure.

But instead you’re just you, a sad lonely pathetic person who doesn’t even allow themselves the courtesy of being drunk.

To hell with it, you push yourself off your seat swiftly and let the night air crash into your lungs. They can handle a little multiplication on their own, put two and two together, extract one.

And with it, you get out of the place without looking back, letting the music drown and be replaced with the street chatter.

Despite the hour and the day, it is quite lively out there, though a bit scattered.

When sudden rain comes pouring down, some groups of people ran and hid away to whatever crook they could find, staying there until the sun comes up.

It is late, but not for someone your age. Everyone outside is having fun, laughing around, walking to their next destination to do god knows what and here you are, heels clicking against the tiles, searching for a market with your eyes. 

You’re certain someone would make a joke about your state now, “they should’ve been at the club, not spiraling down a waterfall of isolating thoughts” but you are you and as for all to see, this is the situation you’re stuck with for the foreseeable future.

The night is young, younger than you’ll ever feel.

And the fact pisses you off deeply. Add to the equation the nasty hit of hunger and all you’ll have left in the pot is a very grumpy, lonely person.

At some point during your hurried walk, you're acquired a bottle of water. Opening the cap, you down the liquid in two quick gulps. The cold water meeting the surface of your stomach, you're reminded rather cruelly that water holds no nutritious value and your poor body is resenting the fact.

You have water at the very least. And hey it is Important to focus on the good, rather than dwelling on the what - could-have- been's. You're out of the tedious place and still young. Not dying of thirst nor a broken heel and best of all not pinned to the wall of that place's bathroom under Endo's hungry eyes, body trapped between the mirror and his.

As you take a step grander than the previous ones, you miscalculate– as you’ve been doing all night long, and step into the little puddle of water instead. Your face scrunches up in disgust, not checking to see how clear the water was.

Why did you think it was a good idea to wear something with heels today? Miscalculations and foolish decisions… you go for comfort above all for a reason, after all.

As you walk, you try not to press onward with the overgrowing nasty thoughts, regarding yourself and regarding life.

So what if you’re not living life as expected of you? You do not owe anything to anyone. You know this, deep down in your chest you believe in the fact, but with each step you take and each face you pass by in a blur in all your sole glory; it loses its credibility by the minute.

The night is young yet you’ve used up all your time, already far too late, already so behind everyone else– and worse of all, all by yourself.

You clutch the water bottle in your hands until it makes a loud noise and the sharp edges of the plastic begin to cut into your skin and only then you find it in you to breathe again.

But you are not alone, are you? At least not in the physical sense.

Because as your brain runs a mile per second, your feet hurting and bones begging for a rest, Endo Yamato trails right behind you, hands in his pockets and his steps on the same spots as you’ve stepped.

You are not alone, no, not when Yamato follows after you like a lost little puppy, careful enough to maintain his distance so as to not get yelled at, close enough to keep you at bay.

An uneasy feeling begins to grow inside you, saying you know how this story will end, again.

That’s the thing with Yamato, you muse, as you take the escalator and wait. Despite his claims, he knows how to get under one’s skin, knowing exactly what to tell and how to say it. He sweetens his voice, lolls the words and bats his lashes at you– or the occasional ‘hit ‘em where they’re weak’; once he gets inside someone’s head, it's hard getting him out.

And You find yourself despising Yamato for all the wrong reasons.

Perhaps that’s where the true irony of it lies, just two hypocrites, the two of you are.

You blink and watch the swarm of people making their way to the door, the short train ride coming to a finale for you. Compared to the rest of your day, it was perhaps the most peaceful moment you’ve had to yourself. 

The bright lights show when the next train will be arriving as well as the time– 23:12, still moments away from calling the night to an end.

5 minutes by train makes a stark difference, as you are met with the familiar darkness and silence. Here, the people are much calmer, there is no rush, nor guilt for not living your life like they do. Here, you can just exist and carry out the life of an elderly and no one would bat an eye at it.

Yet, the silence is predatory, and the darkness goes beyond being just a comfort. You know better than to trust something just because you have fond memories of it.

Maybe that’s the thing with you, a part of the same darkness, cut from the same clothing. Knowing you’re walking right into your impending doom and still going along with it.

Yamato has been uncharacteristically silent behind you the whole time, you acknowledge after a while. Because for the two of you, it is a game he plays, and the thrill he enjoys. The back and forth bickering; he will sing you praises he wouldn't say to anyone else and you'll answer back with insults crafted and designed just for him— it always gets him giddy with glee, saying there is care and attention to your words despite acting the opposite. He is odd, and that's just it. No matter what you do or dont, there is always something greater to your actions, he seems to think.

Yamato’s attention burns like fire, you’ve learned through simple observations and have steered clear ever since.

As much as it is flattering, that’s the thing with him. Give in and he will lose interest, refuse and he will be infatuated.

He likes the types he cannot crack, the ones he cannot mold into the shape he aches, the one’s he cannot predict– though for this, he claims it hasn’t been much of an issue when he’s ‘this bad of a read at people’, or so he says.

There are lies within your course of thinking, but a light pink has never dirtied anything.

You know to keep your measure and keep him at an arm's length, maybe not physically but always metaphorically. It’s the things people cannot reach oh-so-easily that draws him in and it’s those that don’t buy his advances that attract him.

You really should’ve just pretended to care back then, you’d have done yourself a favor if your stupid ass wasn't so adamant on honesty. But you cannot blame your younger self, not really. Not when it’s been this long already.

When Yamato picks you up with your feet off the ground, you feel as if a weight has been lifted off your soul.

You knew how the story was going to end yet you stalled either way, allowing yourself so– your train of thoughts come to a halt when you feel Yamato’s lips on your neck, sucking on the flesh in a manner you can only label ‘trying to do gently’. With arms at both sides, holding you firm for support, Yamato takes small breaks inbetween his nibbling to take a deep breath of your skin. You can hear him scoof when his nose tickles more front areas, probably disappointed by the use of perfume for masking your natural scent.

Even such a small thing makes you feel odd– would make you feel hot were it anyone else. You just cannot give Yamato the satisfaction of knowing he is good at it.

At least the scenery of the final scene changes. This is levels better than making out at the restaurant bathroom, on your toes for any potential users, not to mention more hygienic–

Fingers pinch at your skin by your left, and you're back on earth, he must’ve guessed you getting lost in your thoughts again.

What a greedy man, you think, offering to give you his all and still demanding your attention in return.

Yamato presses his entire body weight onto you and waits for the slightest of moan leaving your lips, all ears just to hear you react to him.

And you do, just not in the way he can see or would be happy with. And you would, but you’d rather die than give him the satisfaction of it.

Pushing you further, he secures you with one hand and allows the other to linger on your body. Tracing your legs, dragging his nails and losing himself at your hitched breath.

When you are eye to eye, you can see the absolute bliss in his expression. It is a flattering feeling to know this is all your doing, just by solely existing.

Things have been progressing like this between the two of you for a while now. And as much as you’d love to complain, you cannot deny it benefits you both; Yamato can devote and give all his love and affection to someone open to receiving, and you take it all in like the greedy thing you are, allowing him the courtesy of loving you but not returning it. His love only fuels the fire further, and you burn it all up at a rapid speed.

In the end it all works out. And that's the thing, isn't it ? A beneficial affair for both parties and a nice outlet on the days you feel so worked up over even the smallest thing.

“Stop it” you say and push his face off. e looks at you with surprise.

Oh, Yamato wasn't expecting your patience to burn up this quickly.

Save for the face now hovering few centimeters away, he disturbs not a single thing to his position, enjoying your body against his and your legs dangling at both sides of his waist.

Like this, he almost resembles a child. Blue eyes looking up at you with a childish gIee and glint to them. You're the untouchable cookie jar, far high up in the cabinets. The years old liquor only ever savored on the most sacred of days. 

Yamato looks at you like no human would to anyone else.

Letting out a sigh, you lightly flick his nose off. “You're doing it all wrong. Too sloppy and on the same location.“ because he is awaiting instructions, your input, all the words you're willing to give him. 

 “Such a deep drop in performance doesn't suit you.” you half heartedly joke, and his face lights up in an instant as if you've just made the sun rise.

“Then allow me to atone for my sins.” He whispers to your lips and kisses your lips.

Yamato always kisses you like a man starving and you respond to him barely. 

With slow, deep kisses, he nips at the parts of your lips you've bitten before, tasting your blood on your lips. His hands begin to roam your figure and one finds the nape of your neck, drawing circles into your skin as a way to soothe and pull you closer to him.

When he feels you kissing him back, he doesn't let the moment take him by surprise, cannot afford to stall even for a second and deny you of the pleasure you're deserving.

So close yet so distant, and in the end you're both getting what you needed. There is nothing wise about indulging in him but you've started to reach a point with no care for anything.

The coldness of the night disperses as your bodies begin to warm up, all your aches forgotten in the back of your mind.

Between the shadows and the quiet of the town, Endo Yamato seeks heaven in you once more, and you allow him to give as much as he is willing.

[absolutebl]

Do you have any recent recommendations for JBL TaiwanBL and KBL? Been rewatching only bls from 2021 2022 and I feel like I'm out of the loop for the more recent ones.

Maybe something from this year or late last year?

Great JBL, TaBL, and KBL from 2023 & first half 2024

asker added:

Genre = mostly anything. But pls avoid homophobic trauma (like Jazz for Two).

Fair. Okay here we go!

2023 Recs!

I picked mostly 9s and 10s for you with a few 8s I felt specifically might suit your taste.

I Cannot Reach You AKA Kimi ni wa Todokanai

Japan Netflix

This classic friends-to-lovers BL is everything Japan does best. Angsty. Emo. Aching. Driven by real thirst. Yamato is deeply in love with his childhood bestie, Kakeru, and has been for ages, unable to hide his ungainly damaging high school need. He wants Kakeru in every way possible and it oozes off of the screen. Kakeru is silly and a little simple, but not frenetic or overly camp about it. He is earnest, and genuinely wants to keep Yamato in his life which means giving a romance (and gayness) a fair chance. We watch him realize his affection and what form it can take in a truly authentic way. This show was impossibly kind to both of its lead characters and I felt almost honored that I got to watch something so lovely and rare play out on my screen.

Our Dating Sim

Korea Viki

This is a perfect short form KBL, an office set reunion romance featuring geeks that really suits 8 eps with no fluff and no chaff. Just comforting and yummy. I adored every aspect from the casting to the pristinely simple premise to the quietly smooth execution. Sure it’s low stakes, but that makes it high domesticity and extremely warm and gentle. This is a fuzzy blanket of a story - a cozy BL. It lives in my rewatch pile and you know what’s best about it? Every single episode is in that pile. There’s no skipping with this one, it might be good natured and calmly sweet but it’s tight and the pacing is excellent.

I don't hand out 10/10 often (over 700 BLs watched, stil don't hvae 10 10/10s yet), these both got that from me in 2023. I consider both of them perfect BLs.

My Personal Weatherman AKA Taikan Yoho

Japan Gaga

This style of live action yaoi really only works from Japan. Basically: boys who fell in love in college end up living together but both are so repressed they actually don't realize they're in love. It's higher heat than we usually get from Japan's HEA stuff, and that part is also very well done, but it leaned into the "why don't they just talk for fuck's sake?" trope which is only exacerbated into undiluted frustration by the fact that they're already fucking. It's great, but watching requires more patience than usual, even for Japan.

Our Dining Table AKA Bokura no Shokutaku

Japan Gaga

A lonely salaryman (+ talented cook) gets accidentally adopted by a college kid and his little brother. I was always gonna love this show if they stuck to the original yaoi (which is very dear to my heart). And they did! Paralleling it almost exactly. It’s a quiet & cozy little parable of found family alleviating loneliness. Possibly too slow for some but definitely high up there for me as the best of what Japan can do with softness (like Restart After Come Back Home). It’s only flaw (if I dare say such a thing) is that it is not really “romantic.” Lovely & sweet but the romance beats are being used to build a family relationship, not just couple intimacy, but that's OK with me. This is a very safe show for anyone to watch.

Jun and Jun

Korea Viki

A delightful office romance about an ex-idol who joins cubical life only to find his new boss is his first love. Others boys are sniffing around too. Operative word being "sniffing" as much of this romance involves smell. With a snappy (sometimes even raunchy) script, enjoyable sides, a pretty as peaches cast, and descent chemistry this show made up for in style what it lacked in substance. I like fluff. I loved this. I smiled every moment I was watching. With tons of rewatch potential (especially the last few eps), my only caution is this is for fans of the BL genre only, I don’t think it’ll work for anyone else.

Love Tractor

Korea iQIYI

Most of this country-set BL had me feral for the beautiful broken city boy and his hot young farmer. Hyung romance, puppy/cat pairing, open frankness meets jaded reserve, language play, water hose frolicking, only one bed, just all my favorite tropes. This show was basically a light-weight Restart After Come Back Home and I’m not even slightly mad about that. But (and you knew there was a “but” comg) something about the cringe of the final 2 eps and the impermanence of the ending (both of which highlight the fact that ultimately these 2 are I’ll-suited: too different and too far apart) left me with the feeling that they probably won’t last as a couple. However, in this case, rare for me, I forgive it this finale for my love of the rest.

The New Employee

Korea Viki

So good, SO QUEER, so soft, a near pitch perfect office BL with conflict derived from that setting. Also found family and a lesbian bestie. Sweet & innocent (and out) Seung Hyun scores the office internship of his dreams. On his first day at work he gets into it with his cool reserved (and also v gay) boss. As you do. Frankly? This is what I wanted from this new crop of office set KBLs ALL ALONG. Rainbow rice cakes forever! Directed by queer activist Kim Jho Gwang Soo (Just Friends?) partly set in the same neighbourhood as the To My Star house. Gotta love WATCHA (Semantic Error, Light on Me).

Unintentional Love Story

Korea iQIYI

OMG the plot, forced into a totally understandable betrayal, falling in love despite himself, put into a corner he can't get out of, the AGONY, the eyes EMOTING at us in PAIN A boy who just lost his job due to faked corruption charges accidentally discovers his ex-boss's favorite artist, now a recluse. Evil manager offers him his job back if he can convince the artist to rejoin society. Instead, they fall in love. I found the artist a bit stiff and reserved but Gongchan (maknae of B1A4) is a fucking GIFT - he carried this show (which I do not expect from the idol element). He was lumous with extraordinarily expressive eyes, just drown in the emoting abyss. The external conflict, social tension and pressure is complex and beautifully executed, plus Korea gave us legit side dishes (NOT a love triangle, hally-fucking-luya). I’m not sure on rewatchability, and it didn’t whip me into a verbal frenzy the way some KBLs do, but it still gets a solid 9/10 for those damn eyes alone.

A Breeze of Love

Korea iQIYI

Tsundere insomniac grump reunited with his sunshine jock ex (human sleeping pill) who now hates him. Basketball is also involved. While the simplicity of a reunion plot makes this more cohesive than most KBLs, it is a tad stiff and slow, never managing to lift itself out of "pretty and pretty enjoyable" - I liked it but I don’t think I’m going to remember much about it. 

Bon Appetit

Korea iQIYI

Romance between an office worker the man from his past next door who cooks well. It was very sweet and cute tale of food as love in the All the Liquors family of KBL. I’m not wild about it, I did enjoy it, I was happy to have it show up on my dash, but ultimately it will simply become one of the KBL crowd.

Why R U?

(Korean adaptation of Thai original) iQIYI

Korea decided to remake, of all possible Thai BLs, Why RU? And that is exactly what we got: a short form, clean & pretty, slightly confusing, uneven chemistry, all the same tropes KBL that kind of cliff-noted the original but with none of the heat or complex relationship dynamics. I just … what world is this? Because it is BOTH bizarro land, and EXACTLY what I expected. How do I rate it? In the end I have to go back to simple questions: did I like it, would I rewatch it, and would I recommend it? Yes. Probably. And probably not. What the actual hell?

It did, however win my best kiss of 2023 which is why it's on this list.

Stay By My Side

Taiwan Viki

I wanted to pick SOMETHING from Taiwan but my other two options both had lots of trauma in them. So I'm going with this one.

This show was an interesting take on the "ghost boyfriend" trope. About a boy who is tormented by hearing the dead, except when he is around one other boy - desperation+proximity = love. Unfortunately, the story was erratic and waffled about. While the leads turned in solid performances and the sappy domesticity was off the charts, it never really had the strength of the narrative convictions such a strong concept should have supplied. Highly rewatchable and enjoyable for that sappy domesticity but not a whole lot more. Still I always give extra credit for the diabetes-inducing sugar content and rewatch capacity.

And some suggestions from 2024

I'm only suggesting stuff that has finished it's run and isn't currently airing.

Although I Love You and You AKA Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro ka

Japan Gaga

The promise of this show, younger cook courts older divorced office worker, should have been my catnip. I mean if someone pitched this to me in an elevator I would have downloaded it by the second storey. Unfortunately, it did not exactly fulfill that promise, not in the way I'd hoped. Did I still enjoy the ride, yes, but I feel just a little let down.

Living With Him AKA Kare no Iru Seikatsu

Japan Gaga

Kindly Ryota goes to uni and ends up rooming with his former childhood bestie, Kazuhito. Kazuhito doesn’t have a girlfriend for, as it turns out, cute roommate reasons. Same director as Old Fashion Cupcake, the framing is gorgeous and it is a stylish piece. As a friends to lovers cohabitation narrative this was a classic 2000s sweet yaoi. I enjoy that kind of tradition out of Japan even if it (and the characters) come off as a little slow as a result. Still, it's nice to get a traditional BL out of Japan that is satisfying, not slapstick, AND did not hurt us.

[goingsunnythousandmerry]

Sabo x Marine!Reader. Ya know like enemies to lovers

Sabo x Marine Reader

Authors Note: Hey as requested, here is my attempt at Marine Reader x Sabo, enemies to lovers. I blame Yamato for my marine character being the daughter of Akainu Sakazuki, because fuck that guy, and I bet his kids would hate him. Marine Reader also  kind of seems like a female version of Koby. Anyways, attempt at enemies to lovers as requested. Let me know your thoughts below, next time I may do Sabo x Subordinate, because I love an authority figure. Not sure I got Sabo’s voice quite right, I haven’t watched episodes with him in them in awhile. Hope you like it. Let me know your thoughts or requests below. Thanks Friends!

Def some fluff and for sure some NSFW. Daddy issues for days with this marine reader.

Warnings: MDNI, Daddy issues, penetration, vaginal sex, breeding kink, fingering, strip search, glove kink, finger sucking, I do not own these character, messy aftercare, I hate Sakazuki

You were a vice admiral in the marines, promoted for your valor at Marineford. A decision not suggested by your father, the new fleet admiral, Akainu Sakazuki. He’d taught you from a young age to believe in justice, however you never embraced his views of absolute justice. You failed to see life as only black and white, as he did. Rather, you saw a world full of color. With this view you knew there were reasons behind criminal actions. Your desire to help others was why you joined the marines like your father. Continuing your beliefs under your father’s regime had been hard, especially, when you came face to face with a criminal you had met before. A criminal who, by your father, was wanted desperately to be made an example to the world, for his crimes.

You stood in a hallway on an upper floor overlooking the socializing plaza at this year's Reverie. You were assigned to guard the hall, a floor above the meeting rooms for the Reverie, you didn’t expect much trouble. You listened vigilantly and walked the hall of your post, occasionally looking out below at the socializing royalty in the courtyard below. You’d been on duty a few hours and so far, nothing roused suspicion. Looking at the people below, you took particular notice of those from Fishman Island, Arabasta Kingdom, Cherry Blossom Kingdom, and Dressrosa. These characters were all from areas Strawhat Luffy had been to. You found it fascinating how they had found and flocked to one another.

To you, Strawhat Luffy was an interesting character, a pirate in what seemed like name only, he helped people. Yet, he declared war upon the world government, the agency you worked for. He also had done a great job of making your world government look bad for its involvement with pirates and in pirate affairs. You knew changes could be made and hoped that in your slow rise to power, you could help change them. However, you knew with your father in charge everyone was in danger. Trying to have open discussions on justice as a child with your father led to more training hours and more meals you were left unfed.

As you stood and stared out the window, you reflected on those discussions. Your train of thought was broken by the sound of a small chuckle from behind one of the columns down the hall from where you stood. You gasped and turned your head in the direction of the noise, your hair whipping behind you as shifted. You looked on as a man with a top hat and burn mark to his left eye stepped out from behind a column. Your breath caught in your chest as you studied him.

“Sa-Sabo, Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army.” You stuttered out through gritted teeth.

You unsheathed a (weapon of your choice) and ran at him. He laughed harder as you came hurtling towards him. As you were about to strike, he stopped you by grabbing your wrists. Hands still in the air mid-strike, you fought through gritted teeth to hit him with your weapon. The two of you panted and stared directly into one another's eyes.

“That’s no way to treat an old friend. It’s good to see you again, Y/N.” Sabo said to you with a smile in his calm voice.

“Friend? Sabo, you are part of the Revolutionary Army working against the World Government. I’m a Marine, thus you fight against everything I believe in! You’re no friend of mine.” You replied as you lifted a leg to kick him.

Sabo took the hit, but didn’t budge from his position. He chucked again and easily overpowered you for your weapon, tossing it down the hall behind you. As he took your weapon, you lost your footing and stumbled backwards.. Sabo caught you by the waist, ensuring you didn’t fall.

“Well the last time we met, you let me go.” He replied as he looked deeper into your eyes, now holding tightly to your waist.

You shoved him off you and took a step away from him. Your eyebrows furrowed as you tried to calm your angered breathing. Your eyes fluttered to the ground then back to the man before you, who was now thumbing at his top hat.

“Shut up. I thought I told you to forget about that and never speak of it…” You said with a pause.”I’d seen enough bloodshed at Marineford. I wasn’t ready for another execution… another war.”

“As you wish, vice admiral. That look suits you by the way.” He replied as he examined your outfit up and down. 

You were wearing the signature white Marine coat over your shoulders, a low cut top, and short skirt. You felt your outfit displayed your femininity while proving you were still ready to throw hands at any time. Sabo looked down to adjust his gloves, then returned his gaze to meet yours.

“Although, I don’t hate the World Government. I hate Celestial Dragons and what they do to the world.I hate that the World Government protects them.” 

Sabo stopped speaking and stared at you with more intensity. You took another step back as your mind raced through strategies to get your weapon back. Without it, you knew your actions were fruitless. You were willing to fight in hand to hand combat, but you had seen first hand the strength of Sabo’s dragon claw when you last met. You weren’t willing to take your chances with that, you had too much good to do in the world still. You breathed through gritted teeth as Sabo shook his head at you.

“I don’t think our views are all that different if we broke it down.” Sabo said.

“What are you doing here Sabo? Come to ruin the Reverie? I thought the Reverie would only help your cause, it’s a meeting for countries to discuss their issues and broker peace.” You argued as you aggressively took a step towards him.

In the gray walled hallway intermixed with square windows, you stood alone with Sabo. You looked at the wall behind Sabo and studied a tile, remembering that the hallways that connected to where you were stationed were empty of fellow Marines. This portion of the floor was guarded by you and you alone. You could try to scream, but that would make you look weak. You wrinkled your nose at the man in front of you and thought harder of ways to get back up to assist you. With your weapon, you could deal some damage, but you knew how strong Sabo was. You’d need an admiral to face him, especially now that he had the flame-flame fruit. Who knew if he was alone or if he had backup nearby. It of course, had to be one day you had grabbed your regular handcuffs instead of your sea prism ones. 

Suddenly, you remembered the transponder snail in the pocket of your coat. If you could just manage to call someone and let them hear you in casual conversation with Sabo, surely, they would send an admiral to help you. You didn’t know what your father would do to Sabo, but coming to Mary Geoise during the Reverie meant he and the rest of the Revolutionary Army were up to no good and needed to be stopped. Peace was at risk. 

“Well I’m here on business that won't affect the Reverie, I assure you, but it needs to be done. I saw you standing here all alone and wanted to say Hi, and thank you for last time.” He spoke with a smile as he tipped his hat to you. “So thank you, Y/N. I’ll be taking my leave now. I hope we meet again.” Sabo added as he began to turn and walk away from you.

You quickly shoved your hand in your pocket and grabbed for the transponder snail. Your thumbs began to dial before it was out of your pocket, knowing the precise number to call. In an instant, a hand was grasping your forearm and blonde hair fell into your face.

“AGH!” You yelled as you were slammed into one of the hallway walls. 

Sabo’s hands were pinning your wrists above your head. You squirmed, trying to break free from his grasp, but to no avail. The transponder snail fell from your hand with a thud. Sabo shifted his arms, holding your wrists above your head in one of his hands and searching your coat pockets with the other. Your legs separated father apart as you squirmed against his hold, and he Sabo stood between them. 

“Now, why would you go and do something like that? All I was doing was thanking you. I’ve searched your coat pockets, but be honest with me… do you have any other weapons or ways of making calls hidden under your clothes? You know besides those weapons of mass destruction.” He said as his eyes trailed down to admire your breasts through your low cut top.

“No.” You replied through gritted teeth, still trying to wiggle your way out of his grasp.

“I never thought the man who killed my brother would have such an attractive daughter.” He replied with a small chuckle.

“Brother!?” You asked with a gasp, pausing momentarily from fighting his gloved hands that confined your wrists above your head.

Sabo looked down at the ground between the two of you. Then returned his gaze to you. His grip loosened slightly. He took a deep breath as his eyes turned to meet yours.

“Ace.” 

You gasped.

“Then are you also….” You began with widened eyes as your jaw fell closer to the floor.

“Brothers with Strawhat Luffy? Yes.” He replied with a nod.

You sank down the wall and as your breath caught in your chest from the news you had just received. Sabo put his other hand around your waist to keep you from sliding to the ground. He smiled at you then looked down the hallway to where earlier, you had been gazing at the socializing plaza.

“I saw you. That group of people you were watching out there, they were all brought together by my brother. That’s what he does. He may be a pirate, but he helps people and brings them together to make the world better. He’s going to be King of the Pirates and the World Government isn’t going to be able to stop him… or I’ll be the first to stand in their way and I won’t be the only one, but I won’t let anyone take his dreams from him.” He responded, returning his gaze to meet yours. 

His gloved fingers tightened on your waist. A small breath escaped your lips as you stared at Sabo. There was so much love in his eyes. Love and determination, like what you had seen from Ace and Luffy that day at Marineford. Before your father had… Your eyes started to water as you looked at Sabo’s kind features. He let go of your wrists, allowing your hands to fall to your side. You reached for Sabo’s shirt, gripping it tightly between your fingers. A gasp escaped his lips as he looked on at your eyes filling with tears. You shook your head as tears started rolling down your cheeks.

“Sabo, I didn’t agree with it. I didn’t want Ace to be executed. I still can't believe it… He was such a nice guy. Hell, he convinced me to keep being a marine when I was over my fathers justice tirades. He thought I should go after my dreams if it was what my heart longed to do.” You yelled, looking at eyes glistening wet with tears.

“What?” Sabo asked, gasping as he took a step back from you and the wall.

“In my early days of being a marine, I had a night off and went to a bar to cool off. I was frustrated with my fathers expectations. I sat next to a guy at the bar who noticed how upset I was. He listened to me and told me to go after my dreams. Little did I know until I saw him again atl Marineford… that day it was Ace, the FireFist himself… just in a crappy disguise. A pirate telling a marine to keep being a marine, just because it’s what she longed to do. That’s not someone who deserves to die because of who their parents were.” 

You looked down at your hands on his chest. You could feel how chiseled his chest was through his shirt. You slowly let go as you started to realize you were enjoying being this close to Sabo, you liked the feeling of his hand on your waist. He was your enemy, a sworn enemy of the World Government, a sworn enemy of what you believed in. Yet, here you were having a meaningful conversation with him and enjoying his touch.

“That’s Ace for you. Luffy’s just like him… Never give up on your dream, Y/N. If you ran the World Government I know the world would be in better hands. Keep making your way. Understand, knowing that though, I can’t stop living my dream either. Even if it opposes yours. I have to keep fighting for a world not ruled over by Celestial Dragons.” 

He took a step closer to you and wiped your cheeks. His calloused fingers felt comforting against your soft water covered cheek. Fireworks shot through your body as he moved his hand from your cheek back to your waist. You straightened up against the wall and pulled him closer to you. Your eyes met his as you nodded in understanding about what he had just said. 

“You never answered my question about the weapons…?” Sabo prodded as he slid a hand up your torso.

You laughed. Your stomach filled with butterflies as you stared into his dark caring eyes. He, an enemy, just wanted you to pursue your passion, and he thought you’d make the world better for doing it. He was so handsome standing before you, so commanding in his white blouse and jacket. His typical expression, full of determination and rage, but in other moments, you could see the softness he was showing you now. You bit your lip as you began to notice his lips inches from yours. You took a deep breath as you let the warmth of his touch envelop you with courage. 

“Guess you’ll have to search me.” You replied, raising your eyebrows.

His lips raised to a smirk. Sabo nodded his head and sighed. 

“As you wish, Vice admiral. I tried to offer you the easy way, but you’ve chosen the hard way.”

Sabo’s hands roamed their way from your waist to the base of your plump breasts. Your head leaned back to hit the wall at the feeling of his caress. He squeezed and began to play with your covered breasts. His lips fell to your neck where he placed wet kisses and took small nibbles until he reached your collarbone. A moan escaped your lips causing your hands to fall from his chest to the wall behind you. He continued to study your breast with one hand while the other circled your aroused nipple that poked through your shirt and bra. You let your legs spread and lifted one hand to run through his hair as he nibbled at your cleavage. 

Your right breast continued to be played with as his other hand traced down your torso and waist to your thighs. At your thighs his hand rubbed up and down your skirt a few times, stopping as he lifted his head from your chest to look you in the eye. You nodded at him as his hand played with the hem of your skirt. His hand rubbed up your thigh until it found your core. Your hands fell back against the wall as his hand traced your wet core through your panties. 

“So wet for me already… A wanted man is making you this wet… who knew the vice admiral could be such a rule breaker.”

“Did you find what you were looking for..?”

“Not yet, I’m going to have to do a more thorough search.”

You grabbed Sabo’s wrist to stop him from moving further. You bit your lip and raised your chin to look him in the eye. 

“Come with me.”

Sabo nodded back at you, allowing you to take his hand and lead him from the empty hallway. You turned a few corners, stopping to look for other marines before you did, finally stopping in front of a doorway. You rummaged through your pocket and pulled out a key. You opened the door and flipped on the light inside the room. The light revealed inside the room sat a desk with some paperwork and a picture frame on it, a desk chair, a bar cart, and a few pieces of artwork. The art on the wall mostly quotes about justice. You entered the room and sat on the desk, crossing your legs as you did.  Sabo stopped in the doorway and looked around.

“What is this?”

“My dad’s office.” You said, blinking your eyes at him. “Not his main one, just an auxiliary one. Just remember, we aren’t friends and don’t thank me for it next time. I’m a vice admiral, Sabo. So next time… I’m turning you in. I’ll train, so I’m strong enough. You’ll be my ticket to admiral.” You said with a smirk.

Sabo stepped into the room, closing the door behind him.

“And this time..?

  You shoved some papers off the desk onto the floor and rested your hands on your crossed legs. Sabo rested his top hat on the bar cart and stared at you.

“This time? You can show me what being a Revolutionary means.”

“I like the sound of that. Now where were we? I think I was still searching for weapons and communication devices.”

Sabo approached the desk. You leaned back, relaxing on your hands which rested flat on the desk surface, supporting your weight. Sabo’s gloved hand caressed your knee and pulled your legs apart, spreading them wide. He stepped between your legs, his lips slamming against yours as his hand inched its what up your legs to grip your thighs. His tongue tickled at your bottom lip waiting to be let inside. Your lips parted slowly, letting him in and  allowing his tongue to take over yours. Your breathing grew heavy as you reached for his neck, pulling him deeper into your embrace. His pelvis rubbed against your still clothed core causing his pants to grow tighter against you. Your hand fell from his neck to his waist where you felt at his hardening member through the fabric of his pants. 

Your lips separated from his, allowing you a moment to breathe. Sabo’s lips trailed down your neck as one of his gloved hands slithered up to your heated core. A finger pulled your panties aside and began tracing your wet folds. You moaned as his fingers slid upwards and began circling your clit. His other hand roamed its way to your entrance and teased at your folds. Lost in the sensation of his fingers, you were caught off guard as his teeth dug into your shoulder.

“Sabo.” You moaned in his ear from the mixed sensations from his body parts.

“Do you want a criminal to finger you, marine?”

You nodded against his shoulder.

“Fuck me, Chief of Staff Sabo.”

“Never knew a marine to beg like this, but I like it.”

Sabo pressed his lips back to yours and ran his fingers through your hair. He bit at your  lip causing you to moan louder against his kiss. You moved your hands down his chest to his waist, where you started to unbuckle his belt. His hands met yours and forced them to wrap around his neck.

“Not yet. Have to search you first.” He said with a smirk before pulling at your clothes.

Sabo pushed off your coat and lifted at the hem of your top. Once your top was removed all that remained was your purple bra. A smile formed across his lips as he admired it for a moment before his lips established connection with yours again. Calloused fingers danced on your back until they found and undid your bra clasp. He pulled your bra off you in one swift motion. His tongue fought yours for power as he began playing with you exposed sensitive nipples. You moaned against his wet lips causing him to laugh against yours. Kisses began trailing down your chest until they found your nipples, where Sabo began taking small nibbles. As the tingle in your abdomen began to grow, Sabo’s still gloved hands trailed down your waist back to your exposed thighs.

In another smooth motion, Sabo lifted you from the desk and pulled your skirt and panties off. His lips still pressed to yours, as he returned you to the desk. He began rubbing his thumb in circles higher and higher up your bare thighs. His hands froze just before your core. You moaned with desire pulling out of the kiss to rest your head against his cheek and catch your breath. Sabo stood up tall and admired the view before him.

“I wouldn’t have guessed that’s what you were hiding under there.” 

“Well, what are you going to do about it? Such a high bounty, you have to be good for something.” You said with a chuckle as you bit your lip. 

Sabo’s gloved fingers moved up your thighs and slowly traced your entrance. You needed him. Your hips bucked towards his at the start of the new sensation. You moaned as a second hand began drawing shapes over your clit. You leaned back on your elbows against the desk. Your breathing grew heavier and more rapid.

“Sabo.” You moaned.

His gloved middle and ring fingers moved between your folds and pushed inside you. You moaned at the feeling of the cool leather and new thickness inside you. His fingers steadily pumped in and out of you, while his other hand began tapping and rubbing at your clit. Your hips bucked furiously against him as your craving for his fingers to stay inside you grew.  He chuckled and brought his lips back to yours. This time your kiss was sloppy as drool began dripping from your lips as he finally began giving attention to your sensitive spot. You loved his fingers, especially with his gloves still on, but you couldn’t help but wonder what was under his trousers. As his lips easily overpowered you, Sabo began switching between tapping and holding pressure on your sensitive spot with his gloved fingers. Sabo’s left hand slowed its motions against your clit as his other hand played with your sensitive spot. You moaned against his lips as the heat built in your abdomen.

“Sabo, going to cum.”

With that Sabo removed his fingers from your folds and removed his lips from yours. You whined at the loss of thickness within your walls. He deviously looked at you and brought his gloved fingers to your lips. 

“Sabo, need you.” You begged, hips bucking towards him and hands grabbing at his waist.

“Look at the mess you made. Better clean it up.” He instructed as he pushed his fingers into your mouth.

You licked and sucked on his gloved fingers, swallowing every last drop of your wetness. When he was satisfied he removed his digits from your lips and began unzipping his trousers.

“Now, I have somewhere to be, so we have to make this quick. You were so tight against my fingers, I can’t wait to feel you clench against me. Are you ready?” He asked as he dropped his pants and briefs to his ankles. 

You licked your lips as his hard member flung out and hit your throbbing core. He was big, and you questioned whether you could take all of him. You sat up and reached for his member, pumping it a few times. He grunted as you moved it up and down your wet folds. He repositioned as you played with his length at your entrance and grabbed your thighs with his gloved hands.

“Put your hands on my shoulders. You, marine, need to learn what your enemy is capable of.” 

You nodded in response. Sabo took his member from your grasp and as he did, you placed your hands on his shoulders. Slowly, he began pressing his pink tip against your entrance. You clenched your jaw as the girth of his member was a bit painful as it entered you. You closed your eyes and took a deep breath. You wanted this, so you smiled through it. Sabo stopped and looked at you, having noticed your breathing had changed.

“Can’t handle me, Y/N? Want me to stop?” He asked.

“No, Sabo. Need you.” You said as your eyes fluttered open and you pulled his lips against yours.

Sabo gently pushed his length in further. He stopped your kiss as your walls began to clench around him. He grinned as his length began to twitch inside you. Once your walls had relaxed some, he started to move his length in and out of you. His pace was moderate at first. You saw passion build in his eyes. He pulled your hips closer to his, forcing you to lie back some. His hips began to buck furiously against you causing his length to hit your cervix and the desk to shake. His balls slapped against your pelvis and perineum.

“Sabo” You called as your eyes widened.

Your head fell back in pleasure as he slammed against your cervix again, causing a picture to fall off the desk. Your hands moved to grip the edge of the desk for dear life, as the heat in your core built again. Your eyes started to water at the mix of pleasure and pain from Sabo’s pace combined with his deepness.

“Can you handle this?”

“Yes! Sabo!”

Sabo continued thrusting into you. Your breasts jiggled in his face, when he was at his deepest point within you. You moaned with every entrance, your eyes starting to water. Your thighs tried to clench around his arms, but he fought you, continuing to rail you deeper and deeper with his long thick dick. Your walls clenched harder around him.  Your hips fought his hand trying to buck against him for more friction on your clit.

“Sabo, going to cum.” You cooed through gritted teeth as he railed you faster.

“Me too. Going to finish in you and let it pour out onto this desk.” 

Sabo slammed into you twice more, as he did a tear rolled down your cheek.

“SABO.” You moaned loudly as you felt the heat in your abdomen burst.

Your juices dripped out of your entrance and down your thighs. He pounded you through your ecstasy. As you came down from yours, you felt a warmth explode inside you. His length twitched and he dropped your thighs to grab the desk, for support as he rode out his ecstasy inside you. The two of you panted, still intertwined. Steadily he removed his length from you allowing both your juices to drip from within you and pool on the desk. 

Sabo reached for a towel from the bar cart and wiped himself off, tossing a fresh one to you when he was done. You sat up and wiped yourself down, then reached to clean up the desk. You paused and looked up at him.

“I’m going to leave the mess, I want my father to know someone was here. I want him to know someone was ravaged on his desk.”

“Not, so innocent yourself, aye, Vice Admiral?” Sabo questioned as he zipped his pants and placed his top hat back on his head.

You crossed your legs and stared at him as he adjusted his coat. He was handsome for a criminal and he sure knew what he was doing when it came to pleasing a woman. That still didn’t tell you why he was here. He certainly had not come all this way to fuck you in your dad’s office.

“What are you doing here, Sabo? This was a fun detour, but you know I can’t let you go again.” You said as you stood up from the desk shakily.

“Why do you think I fucked you, so hard?” He said with a devious smile. 

You reached for the desk drawer knowing your father usually left a back up transponder snail inside. Sabo pinned you back onto the desk and threw the drawer open. He found the snail and put it in his pocket. Before removing himself from you, he smirked as he once again admired your still naked form.

“Shame I don’t have time for a second round, Y/N. The first was fun, but I really must be going. Until next time.” Sabo said as he slammed his lips against yours once more and squeezed your breasts in his gloved hands.

Sabo removed himself from you and ran out the door. You sat up and groaned. 

“My goodness, am I going to let that man get to me like that everytime?” You thought to yourself.

You stood up and put your clothes back on. Once you were dressed you turned off the lights, exited the door, and locked the room behind you.

“He said he wasn’t here to wreck the Reverie, but what could he be here for..? Well, he did take care of me, I think that warrants the head start I just gave him.” You whispered to yourself.

You took off in the direction of your weapon. Once you had your weapon in hand, you headed for the other side of the floor to find a transponder snail you could use to report the intruder. 

“Better start coming up with a cover story now… He was too fast for me? He pleased me into submission? He overpowered me and took my transponder snails? That’s it. Not too far from the truth, there may just have been a little detour.” You thought to yourself as you ran.

[sanjipussyindulgence]

every day i want to eat glass

okay time for my regularly scheduled monthly rant about transphobia in the one piece fandom. specifically i wanna talk about how people treat yamato's dream to be oden because nothing inspires more anger in me.

dreams are so so so important in one piece. literally everybody knows that. the entire series is built around chasing your dreams, regardless of how impossible or ridiculous they are. yamato's desire to be oden will be played for jokes sometimes whenever he takes it too literally and addresses momonosuke as son, but the core of it is portrayed seriously by the narrative.

the samurai in his backstory fed him because they respected his drive to be oden. kaido abused him for years because of his dream but yamato never let that crack him. he helped save wano and was prepared to carry on oden's dream to open up the country on his own before learning that the nine red scabbards were back. he even learned from oden's past mistakes and choose not to abandon the country in its time of need and set out to sea, even though he's been imprisoned his entire life and has no concrete obligation to stay behind. his dream is treated just the same as anyone else's.

yamato wanting to oden has the same significance as luffy wanting to be pirate king. oden means freedom to him, and being a man is apart of that freedom.

so when people miss that and say hes "just a delusional girl" i feel like tearing shit apart with my teeth.

when has one piece EVER been about disrespecting someone's dream. can you imagine if the fandom reacted similarly with any other character? if people said sanji was delusional for wanting to find the all blue because it couldn't possibly exist? or that usopp was delusional for thinking he could be a great warrior of the sea? saying something like that would cause a fucking flame-war.

and yet its fine when that treatment is directed at yamato. which is, of course, because of transphobia. his gender being tied to his dream makes it something to be laughed at.

okay rant over i dont really have any sort of conclusion for this post.

[tae-rambles]

OP ch 1120 SPOILERS

My reaction as i read:

hi Denjiro where did you come from? was he just on a walk or did he come to meet w Yamato on purpose? also he's the new daimyo of Kibi? did we know that already or is it a new info i cant remember

also i like how Yamato is like "no need for all this, its ok"

a flashback?

oh... never even crossed my mind to ask why was Clover arrested and let go so many times... thats clever

"answer to good and evil"? what does that mean

oh my god another D family! (how do you even pronounce that surname) i wonder which other characters we know of were/are hiding the initial...

i wonder what changed Vegapunk's mind to continue Ohara's research and risking his life if he couldnt understand why Clover did it those 22 years ago

hi Zeff, Patty :D

oh Robin... this is making me sad

damn Atlas...

wtf was that "snap" coming from Lilith

oh Atlas please dont tell me youre about to do what i think

good job Atlas but can ppl pls stop sacrificing themselves for at least five minutes my heart cant take it

but what about Stussy? she can skywalk so she might be fine?

the Marines are just so out of their depth lol

Luffy can hear Emet! :D Luffy's so confused lol

lmao Emet's immediately annoyed w him i cant

oh Emet, he's so sweet! i love himm!! "i've known Emet for only a couple of chapters but if anything happens to him i'm gonna kill Oda and then myself"

aaaah he's talking to you Luffy! but i like how Oda keeps emphasizing that Luffy is his own person, not Nika, not Joyboy, but Luffy

"but there are those who cannot be stopped" under the imposing worm Peter going in for an attack - love this visual storytelling

uh oh... Emet's rusty

and still fended the worm off! you rock Emet! :D

Saturn doing a jumping spider impression

dont fucking talk to the precious Kuma and Bonney you damn spider!

Atlas! D: my poor heart! this is just Pedro all over again

fuck off, York

dont you dare Emet dont you fucking dare! no more sacrificing yourself! no more blowing yourself up! i said no! D:< (also Peter bit off his arm :( )

oh, right, the general population didn't know Roger was a D

Great chapter as always :D, even though it was painful, can't wait for the next one...

i really hope Emet won't sacrifice himself here but it seems that's where it's headed... dammit!

EDIT: i've thought about this some more and was Joyboy really someone who would instruct his people to sacrifice themselves for him and his cause? that doesn't sound right. so maybe Emet has something else up his sleeve?

also, Emet is the second person to lose their arm to a snake-like monster while protecting Luffy. both Emet and Shanks were also waiting for the awakening of the Nika fruit to make their move it seems. i wonder if there are any other parallels between them...

[comikadraws]

Another thing that's damning is the fact that Yamato, anko, Sasuke and many, many others, even kabuto, never receive any compensation for what orochimaru did to them and they're forced to live with the fact that orochimaru destroyed them and what they had completely and the fact that he violated then. Brings so many disturbing parallels to the many, many Asian victims and the genocide that Japan inflicted. The more I think about it, the damning it is.

On another note, orochimaru deserved worse. I mean, we're clearly supposed to be disgusted and horrified at his actions and he was a legitimately great villain because of how pure evil he is and I'm pretty sure everyone was rooting for him to be defeated and finally get the punishment he deserves, yet he doesn't even get a slap on the wrist?? In pretty sure he's STILL doing experiments so he hasn't changed, he's still the same person he was ever since then.

I don't know what Kishi is like as a person, but that's so many red flags in his writing.

For reference: We had a conversation on another post of mine about Orochimaru getting away with the atrocities he has committed. We thought that he could possibly be compared to individuals such as Ishii Shiro from WW2.

For Ishii Shiro, read up on unit 731. For Orochimaru, Naruto chapters 121 & 122.

The obvious comparison is that both Orochimaru and Japan conducted human experiments and were then pardoned for being "useful" (in the case of Ishii, he was pardoned by the US) - because crimes against humanity are not crimes against humanity if it's the Good Guys™ doing them, obviously. I trust that I don't have to explain why this is hypocrisy at its finest and, overall, morally deplorable.

It's honestly disturbing just how often red flags manage to slip their way into Naruto. And yes, it's a story about war and war is a messy and difficult-to-write topic but all that needed to be done was acknowledging Konoha as the fucked-up dumpster fire it is and hold the perpetrators responsible.

I love Kishimoto's philosophy on villains and redemption, that there's some good in everybody and that redemption is possible. I really do. But there's a line. And personally, I draw that line somewhere before human experimentation, genocide, and slavery.

I don't know why Kishimoto thought that Orochimaru's redemption was a good idea. The idea of letting him get away like that is ridiculous to me but I'd also rather not try to make any assumptions about Kishi as a person from that.

In his defense, Japan is notorious for omitting its war crimes. And as a mangaka who gets like 3 hours of sleep per day, it's understandable that Kishi wouldn't have the time to properly educate himself on history or society. I don't know whether Kishimoto actually researched the war crimes that his characters have committed (though I personally doubt it) or if he just decided that "all wars are made up on people's grudges" because his grandparents told him once and thought of everything else as secondary. I can only guess.

In my ideal version of Naruto, Konoha's crimes would've been acknowledged, Danzo's crimes would've been made public and Orochimaru would've gone to prison. But none of that happened and I can only assume it is the result of Kishimoto's upbringing or a sacrifice he made to keep his target audience happy. I doubt he just deliberately decided to excuse any of these horrors and if he did, I'd argue it was born from nativity rather than malicious intent.

But man. The story sure suffered because of it...

[hollowblxxd]

[ BACK AT IT AGAIN WITH THE THEORY / SPECULATIONS / AU THAT FIXES SHIT ]

This time with DEVIL MAY CRY my devoted love

To those who dont know me I love DMC a lot but I have a lot of issues with the ongoing story. So fuck it here in my AU about how to make DMC a overall better storyline cuz I can do

Whatever I wanna

So this whole AU focuses a lot on Nero because this theory spawned in due to the uncertainty over Neros character and the idea that DMC was kinda over since the 4th game unfortunately "killed" the series. It also tied together when DMC2 cuz when DMC4 came out the sequel was considered non-canon cuz it was such a horrible flop.

I personally loved the game with a PASSION cuz the pile of unfortunate garbage that was DMC2 was the first game I ever played and one of the first "mature" games i ever got. I remember begging my grandmother who was baby sitting me to let me play one game and I picked the coolest looking one. Of course being this

ANYYYYWAYYY Im getting off track

My theory is Nero was in fact a clone of Sparda, and not only was he a clone of Sparda but hes ACTUALLY Dante in DMC2.

Let me explain.

The order in DMC4 was obviously an isolated group at the time that was very involved with the CREATION of demons and the worship of SPARDA.

The whole game of DMC4 is about the order trying to recreate their god and I highly doubt this was their first attempt, most likely it was more of their most extreme attempt.

Which as sad it is to say I think Nero was one of the first but messed up attempts. They wanted to bring Spardas power out of the demon world and they got it but NOT as they expected... Instead of resssurecting theyre great glorified devil god. They got a human child.

Cuz in the end Sparda had a human heart and Nero was a reflection OF that. He was a full demon but you'd never know at first glance. So he was discarded as just some abandoned baby.

Nero was luckily found by Kyries family and just seen as poor person forsaken kid. And it wasnt until Nero was SEVERALLY INJURED did Nero demonic nature reveal itself in REPLACING HIS MORTAL BODY WITH A DEMONIC ONE.

Even Nero rebellious nature could actually be a reflection of who Sparda was in the past because you dont just turn against everything youve ever known on a whim. Sparda rebelled, Nero again reflected that.

Even him FALLING IN LOVE WITH A MORTAL WOMAN, again is another REFLECTION on Sparda history. Nero following all the exact footsteps Sparda did. Rebels against his people, Falls in love with a human girl, Defeats a power hungry overlord before slapping the hell gate closed trapping the demons away with his own sword.

Nero also wears BOTH blue and red, which combined and in ORIGINAL CONCEPT ART Nero was actually dressed in PURPLE with a white scarf much like Sparda wearing coat with a white ruffle.

Other things that makes me think hes far stronger than merely a 1/4 demon.

Nero made Dante almost demon trigger from just HITTING him. Dante been stabbed, shot, burnt, thrown off building, eaten, etc. and has NEVER forcefully demon triggered the whole time and suddenly some punk punches him and Dante starts to flash? The last time thst happened is in DMC3 when the tower was drilling closer to hell and getting him closer to

You guessed it SPARDAS POWER.

On top of that, no matter how much his Holiness tried to use the sword of Sparda, the power would not be granted to him, but you know who did use it? WITH EASE? Nero.

Nero used not only Sparda, but Rebellion AND Yamato WITH EASE. And before anyone says "But Rebellions and Yamato is Dante and Vergils sword"

WRONG.

Dante and Vergil INHERITED those swords FROM their father. They were always originally SPARDAS SWORDS. ALWAYS.

The one sword that returns to Nero is the one WITHOUT AN OWNER. Vergil in DMC4 is dead. He died in DMC1 and I dont care what anyone says, Vergil. Is. Dead. He should stay dead cuz it literally ruins his whole character arc to be alive again. Let the man be dead.

In the end the overwhelming evidence that Nero is Sparda is endless and I would email Capcom myself to tell them theyre wrong If I had the power to. Cuz theyre wrong.

ONTO THE NEXT POINT

DMC2 Dante is actually Nero

The Order was revealed to be manipulating the essence of demons into ANGELIC beings that would follow there commands.

At the time theyre secrets were hidden but in the events of DMC4 their secrets could have easily been revealed. And you know what REALLY loves secrets especially when it comes to making free slaves?

Big fucking Business baby.

I believe that the methods of the Order were leaked to the public allowing Business to stsrt using their methods to produce specific demons to serve specific purposes. Taking on the angelic look already provided by the Order to make it "friendlier" to the general populace.

And big business being business it COULDNT really be stopped as they tamper with forces beyond their control...

Dante was getting older and getting overwhelmed and despite it I think the original Dante died.

How? Why? Unknown but what I believe happened is Nero took over for Dante.

Prehaps to simply honor him, Prehaps he still thought the world needed Dante. In the end Nero choice Dante name and even another Alias of "The Son of Sparda" as being a clone of Sparda still technically applies as being a "son".

Noticable the DMC2 Dante personally very muted compared to any other Dante in any other game. But you know who kinda a little quiet boy? Nero...

Also a specific thing that I LOVE about DMC2 is when Dante gets an upgrade the piece would fly towards him and try to hit his heart but DANTE ALWAYS GRABBED IT WITH HIS RIGHT HAND the SAME hand that Nero uses to grab his items and absorb! He could have just let it absorb naturally but he SPECIFICALLY grabbed it with that hand.

Whats more convincing is the fact DMC2 dante has almost the weird... arm sleeve thing that Im pretty sure was a poor render of a gun or back hustle but it honestly to me at the time looks like his sleeve could be removed. Maybe prehaps to reveal his arm? Hmm

Also going with the idea that Nero being technically a creation of the Order could easily bond well with Lucia too since she struggle with the fact SHES a creation. Not a devil hunter of this great legacy but just "some monster" something Nero HAD TO STRUGGLE WITH TOO.

The bond between them could have started a new legacy similar to Dante with Lady and Trish.

It starts all over again. A new bloodline of Sparda saving the world as it always will.

Much like the company of DMC2 being Ourboros, the snake that bites its own tail.

As long as the demon world tries it shit, a sparda one way or another will be there to stop them

THAT CONCLUDES MY TEDTALK ABOUT DMC

PLEASE EMAIL CAPCOM FOR ME AND TELL THEM MY THEORY SO THEY CAN FIX DMC AND MAKE ME HAPPY

[yggdraseed]

My Deal with Giselle Gewelle

So, let me preface this by saying that I'm trans. I'm not saying that to invalidate the feelings of other trans people, just to specify that mine isn't some outsider's perspective. There's also spoilers for Bleach: TYBW, but I'm guessing that there aren't a lot of interested parties left who don't know about this. You probably also know this goes into transphobia, necrophilia, and rape, but if you don't, uh... trigger warning! Reader beware, you're in for a scare!

Recently, an episode of Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War came out in which noted bitchy asshole who uses too much product Yumichika Ayasegawa misgendered darling, sweet murderous trans babygirl Giselle Gewelle. It's also implied that upon necromancing Bambietta's corpse, Giselle had sex with her, probably against her will. That's all pretty fucked up, and I want to talk about it.

I started my transition about ten years ago, and exposure to trans or gender non-conforming anime and manga characters in general went a long way towards me accepting I was trans. Looking back, Giselle was one of the most significant characters to me at that early stage. I've always loved her design, and she was the first legit trans character I ever really saw and resonated with in anime and manga.

Get this: there used to be this thing in Shonen Jump's manga line-up called the Big Three. The most influential, bestselling manga in the bunch. One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach. And you wanna know something? Bleach was the first one to have a trans woman character. We can debate whether or not Giselle was good representation, but you know what? At the time, the closest we ever got was Haku pulling the "Oh, by the way, I'm a boy" card in Naruto's first major arc back in the early 2000s and a constant bombardment of okama jokes in One Piece. Okama is a derogatory term for gay men and drag queens, and for a long time, Oda could not get enough of making jokes about big, hairy men in women's clothing.

Now there was also Alluka Zoldyck in Hunter X Hunter, but the vast stretches of time Hunter X Hunter spends on hiatus makes it unclear to me whether she or Giselle came first. But within the Big Three - a designation which doesn't mean much now, but meant a ton back then - Giselle was first. Hunter X Hunter was never quite considered part of the Big 3. But either way, I think Alluka is the better character in terms of how her being trans is written. She's cute, she's precious, she's perfect in every way, and I'll make you pay if you say a single bad thing about her.

Years and years later, Oda would go on to write Kikunojo and Yamato. I still have complicated thoughts about Yamato as trans rep, but Kiku is great trans rep for being a relatively minor character. Oda has also phased the okama jokes out of the story over time. Jujutsu Kaisen also has a subtle, but well-handled example of a trans woman in Kirara Hoshi. She doesn't get nearly enough time in the story, and her identity hasn't been explored yet, but I hope GeGe will unpack that before the story's conclusion.

I tell you all of that so you realize that even if Giselle could have been handled better, Kubo was the first of the Big 3 authors to even try to write a trans girl. Not a femboy, not an okama - a trans woman/girl. He also gave us Charlotte Cuulhorne, and while Charlotte's depiction flirts with being just an okama gag and nothing more, she's so fabulous and so positive in her outlook on life that I can't bring myself to be mad.

So let's look at Giselle as a character. She's very cute, with her big eyes and goofy, purposefully adorable mannerisms. None of the other Sternritter girls try to be cute in quite the way Giselle does. Meninas likes cute things, but doesn't act cute, and that's as close as it gets. Unlike the other Femritters, Giselle wears clothes that cover up as much as possible. Even Liltotto's outfit shows off her shoulders and thighs some; Giselle keeps her shoulders and neck completely covered by a baggy sweater, and her legs covered by tights. Kubo drew a swimsuit picture with the Bambis all together, and he opted to put Giselle in a swimsuit with a skirt. It's pretty apparent that Giselle has concerns about how she looks and covers up as much as she can out of dysphoria. As a card-carrying member of the big jacket-long pants-closed toe shoes gang, I can tell you that when you're not very progressed with your transition, it's like that.

I think you can also make the argument that part of why Giselle acts so cutesy is because of her insecurities and feeling like she has to make up for them by being extra, overtly feminine and adorable. It's like that.

There's not a doubt in my mind that Kubo intended for Giselle to be trans. But is she good trans rep? Probably not, but she might not be as bad as she's made out to be.

People who criticize how Giselle is depicted as a trans character have two or three go-to arguments. Three points of interest to say that she's being written in a transphobic way.

1.) Yumichika scopes her out as trans and misgenders her.

2.) Charlotte says she and Giselle have a lot in common.

3.) The most damning: what Giselle does to Bambietta.

So, I've never liked people using Yumichika as a litmus test for how Kubo feels about trans people. Let me explain something to you: Yumichika is a bitch, an asshole, and the consummate gadfly. One of his defining traits is his awful personality and his inability to resist saying cruel, petty things to others. He's awful to Charlotte and he's awful to GiGi, and he's pretty much awful to anyone besides Ikkaku and Kenpachi, but especially Charlotte and GiGi.

Yumichika is an allegory for a closeted gay man. He has this deep admiration, respect, loyalty, and arguably love for Kenpachi and Ikkaku that's led him to stay in the 11th Division even though it's not where his talents are best put to work. He's adept at kido and his zanpakuto is based in kido, but he refuses to use the former or reveal the latter to his squad because he doesn't want them to reject him. The 11th Division is the manly man squad, all testosterone and sweat and bulging muscles and... ahem. Sorry, I got a little carried away. It's all very erotic. Anyways, Yumichika wants to be close to the men with whom he shares a bond of emotion and martial loyalty alike, and he refuses to embrace his gifts because of it. He's afraid his friends in the boys' club will kick him out for having interests and inclinations that most of them look down on.

I think you can make the argument that Yumichika hates Charlotte and Giselle precisely because they're being true to themselves, meaning they've made a leap he hasn't yet. He's too scared of what might happen if he doesn't keep the lie going about his zanpakuto, and he resents Giselle and Charlotte because they overcame a similar fear of rejection. And he expresses that by rejecting their truth, i.e., misgendering them. This is the interpretation I like the best. It's a sad fact that lots of gay men, closeted or otherwise, refuse to accept trans women.

Charlotte says she and Giselle have a lot in common, and honestly, I don't think this is transphobic either. If you choose to read Charlotte as a trans woman who isn't stereotypically feminine, but is true to herself, then what she's stating is just a fact. She and Giselle may not look the same, and Giselle may have an easier time passing, but they're both trans women if you ask me. And I think Giselle reacting with discomfort isn't innaccurate, either. Charlotte's confidence is admirable in some ways, but I think it sets of Giselle's alarm bells that she's going to be outed and rejected. Lots of trans women - myself included - are haunted by this fear that we'll never pass, never be accepted, or will be incapable of retaining our desired presentation as we get older. It's like that.

So, that brings us to the Bambietta Incident. Not quite as wide-reaching as the Shibuya Incident, but about as traumatizing for some, apparently. Full disclosure, I don't believe any heinous acts should be censored from fiction. If it makes you uncomfortable or awakens traumatic memories, then I'm sympathetic to that, but I do not believe that the right answer is to sanitize every work of fiction of every immoral act that could have that effect. You know where your limits are, so don't count on authors to protect you. Most of them won't, and I think you're stronger and smarter and more able to navigate a world with fictitious depictions like that in it than you realize.

I'm not gonna sugarcoat it, Giselle probably sexually assaulted Bambi. And is that right of her to do? Fuck no, it isn't. But nobody's really debating if that's right or wrong. The problem is that if you look at it a certain way, this is just reinforcing the old, awful stereotype of trans women being predators in disguise. Lots of shitty writers have done that, and it sucks.

However, those depictions assume that trans women are predators, by definition. Or at least sexual deviants. We could go down the rabbit hole of how sexual deviancy has historically been defined by people who use sex as a form of control anyway, but I'm not well-read enough to do that and - well, you've seen how long this post is. Be honest, you wouldn't want me to even try.

The point is that a depiction like that assumes trans woman = deviant. I don't want to make that logical leap here, because that means you need to assume that Kubo wrote Giselle with the intention that she assaulted Bambi because she's trans. I'm not a mind reader, so I'm uncomfortable with acting like I can know Kubo's intentions. It's a bad look to us in the Western sphere of the anime fandom, but I'm not sure how Kubo saw it. He might have not realized how it would look until that chapter was out there and he couldn't undo it, but given the fact they kept it in the anime, he either probably doesn't see a problem with it or there were other rewrites he saw as more important to allocate his mental energies to. Writing Bleach burned this man out, so I'll cut him some slack if so.

My point is, I'm not sure if you can say for sure that the story intends you to believe that Giselle assaulted Bambi because she's trans. When you look at it, Kubo seems to have a more in-depth understanding of trans people than some of you might have first realized. And I mean, shit man, he gave her biology manipulation powers. Every trans girl's first pick for super powers is shapeshifting or some form of biology manipulation. He knows. He's onto us. He's familiar with our ways. The jig is up, girls.

Looking at the broader scope of the narrative, Bleach is littered with characters who perform heinous actions and are not just shoved out the "All Villains Die" airlock. Chief example being Mayuri. The man committed war crimes, experiments on human beings, turns his own subordinates into bombs, and is heavily implied to have performed some very sexual deeds to reconstitute his daughter Nemu after Szayel parasitized her. Yet he still saves the day multiple times and he isn't gotten rid of, because he's more useful to the side of overall good alive than dead. Bleach is one of very few series to have characters who perform heinous deeds and still be treated as humans, rather than reducing them to those deeds and nothing else.

Plus, nobody really treats it as an issue with Kubo's writing that Bambietta killed one of her own fellow Quincies in cold blood just to vent her frustrations. I think because it's sexual and because Giselle is trans, she ends up being the lightning rod when... let's be honest, compared to what some of the Shinigami have done, what Giselle did is kind of quaint. She even helps rescue Candice and I think Meninas after they're taken captive by Mayuri in the novels, and she's considering releasing Bambietta from her control.

Given what we've seen, I think it's less accurate to pick on Giselle and try to say she's a case of Kubo being transphobic, and more accurate to say that living in the Shadow Realm under Yhwach's cruel, exploitative regime has made all the Sternritters fucked up in their own unique, vibrant ways. And for that matter, Kubo never kills her off. He clearly likes her enough to want her to still be around after the end of the series.

When you look at how Kubo draws Giselle in the manga and in illustrations after the manga's conclusion, you can tell he enjoys himself when he's drawing her. He always lavishes her facial expressions with detail, and you can feel love radiating off the page. That's more than you can say for a lot of the Quincies. I think Kubo was overjoyed to not have to draw PePe and his Vollständig anymore.

So like, yeah, Giselle is my problematic fave transgender character. And I don't think she's even as problematic as people's kneejerk reactions are to think she is. If you disagree, I don't care, I don't value your opinion. Particularly if you're not trans. If you're an ally, then that's sweet and all, but never try to speak for trans people about depictions of trans characters. If you are trans and Giselle made you uncomfortable, then I'm sorry you feel that way.

[mikuni14]

Takara's Treasure - Ep 10

This will be a very critical and subjective review of this series, so if you are a fan, you better skip reading further, because I will not hold back 🥳:

I can guess (?) what the idea of ​​this series was, which in my opinion failed. They wanted (I think?) to make a classic story of an aloof, brooding, unhinged, popular seme obsessed with his little uke and a clueless, naive uke, who with his innocence, honesty and sweetness brings the seme out of his shell - and idk, maybe it worked in the manga, but not in the series. The seme came out "flat" in general, his story was quite… melodramatic instead of real, saved only by the charisma of the actor (who carried this series for me and made it bearable), the uke came out simply like a child. As for Takara: Yamato from I Cannot Reach You beats him hands down in the matter of an unhinged, obsessive, very in love seme and what's more important, it was visible in him. We know that Takara has an obsession from the fact that he mentioned it. But there is no sense of urgency, no tension in him, like in Yamato.

The whole series would be half as long if Taishi didn't repeat every. fucking. sentence Takara said, only with a question mark at the end. And if they removed all his "Eh?"s. Every sentence, every scene, their conversation was so fucking slow and drawn out. I'm not surprised at all that people watched this series by speeding it up. It wasn't a slow burn - The On1y One is a slow burn - delicious and beautiful. No, it's just... nothing happened there, Taishi was confused and wide-eyed all the time, that was the plot.

Zero chemistry between the actors

Everything revolves around Takara, Taishin's entire being is about him. He swapped his obsession with a parrot for an obsession with Takara and it even happened on the same day 😆

We know a lot about Takara. We know next to nothing about Taishin, who doesn't exist other than as a satellite of Takara. He went to his university (we don't even know what he would really like to study and where if not for that), he went to his club to be with him, he stalks him, he's interested in glass balls because he likes them, he gives him presents, he stares at him to catch his mood, he organized the whole date so that he liked it the most and at the first hint that Takara might not like it, his whole mood dropped. He's happy crying because he's liked by his senpai, it's just so unhealthy

Takara "worrying that he's like his mom" seem very far-fetched as a problem, and Taishin's reaction to his expressed worries basically comes down to "you can't be bad because in my eyes you're the best, senpai 🤩". Even if Takara had some legitimate problems with himself, Taishin wouldn't notice or care about them, he would dismiss them with "you're good senpai because you're good!", because Takara is an IDOL to him, someone who has no flaws. Or rather - someone who can't have flaws! Impossible! He's perfect! They haven't had a single conflict. Taishin himself said that everything about Takara is great and he likes everything he does, I'm sorry but it's not normal!

It also really bothers me that the actor playing Taishin is very visibly older than the actor playing Takara (in some scenes they looked like there was like a 10-year age difference between them) and he tries very hard to look younger and sweeter, speaking slowly and in a cutesy way, widening his eyes to make them seem bigger like in the manga, pouting his mouth, which gives an effect that is partly comic, partly weird. It was so unnecessary, this exaggerated childishness, they shouldn't have done it and in my opinion the series would benefit from limiting this exaggeration in Taishin's behavior

Takara called Taishin a child, slow and dumb. He was being affectionate, but yeah, that's exactly my opinion about Taishin and I will never understand the romantic appeal of such a character, not to mention the physical one 😬. I LIKE characters that are clueless, airheads, baka, himbo and even slightly childish ones, but in an open-minded, cheerful, puppy-like, curious and carefree way, NOT mentally at a child's level, but sorry, I just don't see here, what is sometimes charming in other such characters

from the beginning this couple has never made me believe in this relationship, and certainly not in their love. I mean, I do believe in idol-worshipping form Taishin's side. I might believe in Takara liking having a simple, puppy-like person around him. But not in their love. I have also written many times about the inequality in this relationship, which I saw all the time, literally until the last scene of this series, which is a big NO for me

What did I like?

Iwase Yoji and his smile

morbid fascination with which I watched this series was somehow fun 😆🥳

I'm not sure if I will watch the spin-off, I think that will be the end of my adventure with this series. I'm happy that many people genuinely liked this series and I regret that I could not participate in enjoying it. But. Gosh, no. nope lol

[moongothic]

I love the crocodad theory a lot but I fear that the fandom will start misgendering him or respect the character less because of transphobia.

Oda have written queer characters before who are respected by the fandom such as Bonclay but for Crocodile its another story. He is their alpha male badass character and adding queerness to his character might make them mad. Not that I care about those bigots feelings but its already not easy to navigate this fandom without queerphobia being thrown in your face.

Ppl can digest a queer character who fit in the stereotypes but once they dont, its another story.

Same, people are weird as fucking hell and gross about Crocodile maybe being trans already, we can be sure it would get worse if him being trans was confirmed in the story, there would be absolutely no avoiding it

But at the same time...

Transphobes are gonna be transphobes regardless, and I don't want that to become a reason for any storyteller to not create trans characters. I don't want Oda to bend over backwards to please the transphobes when they're the ones in the wrong. If anything, I want Oda to just go all the way with the message of queer liberation and freedom in One Piece. Like it's not perfect, but it's already there, but it's so subtle many queerphobes have been able to ignore it this whole time and I don't want Oda to let them ignore it anymore. I want him to rub it into their faces so hard they'll start complaining about "Oda going woke"

And like, let's be real. If Crocodile was trans and Oda pulled it off just right (without falling into certain pitfalls that he's be stumbling with this whole time with queer rep), that could unironically be like. Great not just trans rep but trans masc rep in particular

Like maybe it's just the media I've consumed but trans masc rep is typically very non-existant and/or very much like Yamato, who, while valid as hell, might not be how many trans masc people want to be seen as by others (as in, "confused girls")

We've known Crocodile as a character for 23 years at this point, and for the first 8-9 years of that he was very much seen as A Manly Cis Man (like you said) without a hint of a doubt (until Impel Down). If it turned out he had been trans this whole time, that would force people to rethink how they view trans people.

As just regular fucking people

That person you knew for years turned out to be trans? So what? What does that actually change about them? It's still the same person deep down. Those are the things Oda could force people to think about.

And honestly? If that helped convert even just a single transphobe, or educate someone without an opinion on trans people, to just letting trans people live their lives in peace, I think it'd be worth it

But like, yeah. The transphobes are gonna be loud regardless. It fucking sucks, and I hate the fandom for it. But, damned if you do, damned if you don't, there's no avoiding it. And I think the potential positive impact would outweight the already festering negativity.

[salteytakesonmanga]

I am loving your readthrough and your way of tagging! It's really fun to read and you bring up so many great things! thanks for sharing it all :D

Here are some questions if you have the energy. Who are your top three villains, favourite arc and favourite characters?

What is your opinion on chopper as emergency food?

A great day to you!

Thank you! I’m glad you appreciate my tags, sometimes I worry they get a little too chaotic.

Favorite arc is Skypiea, including Jaya. It’s peak One Piece to me. The combination of adventure, plot, the fights, the crew goofing off, the questions it raises and the hints it gives us, Oda said Land Back, the emotions, the themes…

There are things I love about every arc but I’m definitely a bigger fan of the pre-timeskip stories. My favorite post timeskip arc is probably Wano or Dressrosa, especially now that I can read the whole thing at once instead of having to suffer through weekly chapters.

A list of my favorite characters would be impossibly long, especially if I included why they’re my favorite or why I picked one over the other, so I’ll do a top three of a few types. These are not in any particular order, and I deliberately left out any repeats.

Favorite Straw Hats Luffy, Zoro, and Nami

Favorite Non-Straw Hats Ace, Bentham (Bon Clay), Bartolomeo (Jinbe was top of this list for a long time lol)

Top 3 villains (“villain” characters I actually like) (“like” here does NOT mean “they did nothing wrong and also I want to fuck them.”) Crocodile, Buggy, Aokiji

Top 3 villains (“villain” characters I hate SO MUCH but are used effectively in the story) Akainu, Blackbeard, Charlos

Favorite Worst Generation Kidd, Bonney, Drake

Favorite Marines Smoker, Fujitora, Koby

Favorite non-pirates Sabo, Wyper, Iceberg

Favorite female characters Robin, Pudding, Kiku (I need you to understand how hard it was to keep this list to 3)

Favorite allies Yamato, Kyros, Vivi

Favorite Wano characters Tama, Ashuradouji, Denjiro

And venison is delicious, but I feel Chopper has greater value as a doctor than as a meal.

[basedkikuenjoyer]

With set six out now in English, we gotta properly revisit Wano. Because we got some heavy Wano support but in a new form. I still wanna try out classic Oden with the new Ryuma and some of the toys from the upcoming extra booster, but we got a cannon in this new Yamato leader. Green & Yellow which is cool to get something dual colored. I don't like losing the starting life but you give us a great package. We lose some of the flexibility of Oden's S-Tier leader ability to discard a card and untap a couple of Don. But in exchange we get one of the best colors to expand into and Double Attack on your leader. A persistent threat you cannot fully get rid of.

If you look at what most people are doing it's what you'd call "Fortress" Yamato. Uses the new Kozuki siblings (Hiyori is pricey) to sorta back that leader threat up with as many natural defenses as well...Wano. I call this Combo Yamato while I wait to get everything, but it's the version I want to workshop too. Idea is actually kinda simple. The big Oden and that doofy naked younger Kin have a great ability. They can untap themselves and attack a second time. Yellow gives me Gun Modoki, which can grant a character double attack. O-Nami is just an all-star of the set that can grant Banish. And with set 1's Be-Beng that can untap smaller Wano characters there's a lot of redundancy. Basically make opponents respect that threat from the leader while having a sneaky knockout punch if they drop their guard.

Not quite the "Fortress," but has a lot of defense and keeps more of Oden's ability to win the early game battle for board position. That Set 1 Okiku is still able to dominate the first phase of the game. I feel like the main Fortress version is giving people trouble because it's just good at not losing rather than winning, which is what I'm trying to address with this.

Speaking of, fucking hilarious the Tale of Two Hannya vibe extends to the card game. Yamato gets a lot of flashy cards that are always fine but more limited than people think the first time they see them. Kiku's two so far have both been rock-solid workhorses and some of the most widely played cards in their respective sets despite not being very rare or complicated.

[just-antithings]

So I sent this to a different blog where op posted and deleted my ask because the exact type of people I described in here came to spread their bs and op believed it (not op's fault).

To all the assholes refusing to acknowledge that society fucking despises transmascs: look up Yamato (just Yamato or Yamato One Piece), a transmasc character in one of the most popular anime and manga of all time, on social media, especially twitter. The comments under any post about him are disgusting - misgendering, using the author's confusion on trans people as "proof", using character's transphobia as "proof", saying extremely vile and transphobic shit under fanart where he's depicted as not pre-anything (usually post-top), Waifu themed accounts including him. You can't know for sure if the artists drawing him aren't also transphobic tbh, I've stopped liking art/screenshots before checking if the artist hasn't liked one of the replies misgendering him, or said something themselves, or if the vibes are off.

On top of the someone coming in and proving my point that there's no respect for transmasc characters, it turns out they have a pretty transmed take on it as well... Yamato would be bad representation apparently, because he isn't your conventional western characterization of a transmasc but also because he is pre-op/t and doesn't pass and doesn't care to pass and that's not how transmasc should be seen. 🙃🙃🙃

I am tired. Every transmasc character (tbh the majority of all trans characters) gets brutally dissected and people use the author's incompetence as some form of proof that no canon trans character was actually ever trans. If this shit was coming from the dudebro parts of fandoms only, it would've been better ig, at least more tolerable. But it coming from other queer people? Supposed allies? Other trans people?

It hurts.

Also even if you believe Yamato isn't trans, the comment on how people treat his character still stands 100%:

He uses he/him pronouns IN CANON, but people still misgender him. Mainly because he doesn't pass;

The author/company has listed the trans characters' sex rather than gender on info cards accompanying the series and it's not just Yamato that is wrongly stated, Okiku's (trans woman) states male. But people don't really use her card to debunk her transness;

The author has included him in a non-canon art spread of all the girls (and omitted Kiku from it);

A merch company (so non-canon again AND not consulted with the creator) has included him in the "Ladies Line" figures;

People say he's been ruined under post-top surgery fanart all the time. His only value falls on his body and big chest;

Incels are mad because wanting to fuck him makes them gay.

Sorry for making this so long, hope the mods are having a great day!

.

[shera-dnd]

I'm deeply sorry for coming off a rude. I was simply angry at the author for being a creep.

I also want to assure You that I didnt create an alternate account but simply logged in from another device.

My first point of clarification is simple and involve both contextual and steteotypical takes regarding lesbians and lesbianism.

Varvara's being established into women only from the get go sets in motion this harmful belief that lesbians can be turned by right guy and his dick. Considering said scene is also rife with indirect mockery of her feelings for Kyouka I personally find that disgusting (both the slap and the smitten eyes).

And I can assure You that the author knew what he was doing, because there were a great amout of comments consisting of subtle and overt jokes regarding lesbian conversion etc.

My second take revolves around Yuuki's latent desires and the way in which they shape this reward. To clarify once again, he knew how Varvara felt about Kyouka and approved of that, yet he indirectly selfishly demanded her to strip and to give him a kiss. Plus also a sexual act implied by the bonus mini chapter. It is indicated that these actions were forced on Varvara by him by him being totally passive and not into them at all.

So I, once again, view these scenes not as something positive but as a form of "wholesome" conversion. Not overtly creepy, but with this underlying messages that lesbians can be turned by a right guy.

And thank You for the linka - I've already contacted both organizations and am now simply waiting.

And this is my question: are You okay with the other same-sex attracted characters in Mato Seihei (Yakumo, Yachiyo and Ema)?

Look I assumed this was an alternate account because it has no posts, no follows, and no likes. Which is profoundly sus, my dude

Not gonna argue on our interpretations of the scene, because I genuinely don't see what you're seeing and if we keep this circular conversation we're getting nowhere

as for everything else

I wasn't aware the author made any fucked up comments and if so then he can go die in a fucking pit

and well if those are comments made by fans then ugh. Yeah no that's what I get for enjoying this manga, I have to share space with fucking creeps and weirdos, and I hate that they feel validated by this bullshit

and on that last point

Yakumo is like genuinely the worst and is shown to be a fucked up pervert

I don't remember when Yachiyo was shown to have any sort of attraction for women, unless you consider her "driven by sisterly love" thing to mean she wants to do a Citrus with her sister

and uh I forgot Ema existed

so yeah no this manga isn't exactly doing wonders on the queer rep, but also like NO SHIT

like seriously if a manga or anime isn't explicitly about queerness then the chances of it having queer rep are microscopic

Which fucking sucks and shouldn't be that way, but honestly did we really expect Chained Soldier of all series to break that trend?

When My Hero Academia is over there killing a trans character a hand full of chapters after she's introduced, and then killing its bi character moments after she has her love reciprocated by another woman

When JJK keeps throwing its female characters into the blender for drama

When One Piece fans would rather start a fight than use Yamato's correct pronouns and recognize him as a man

When the bar is set so low the Devil is playing limbo with it

Yeah it sucks, but let's be honest here, Japan has much MUCH bigger problems with queer people and there's far more pressing shit to deal with

All our times are better spent helping queer people in need than arguing with people online