#not the least of which is 'please god the nosebleed jokes are so stale but co-simping with Pudding was the funniest its been in years' gfdh

[puddingapologist]

one piece manga spoilers re: recent chapter happenings and characters converging, I generally try not to get my hopes up or anticipate overly specific things happening bc I don't like getting disappointed lol. but there is a part of my brain that's looking at whatever the fuck is going on with Sanji atm and his "I don't want to become Heartless Like Them" promise that didn't especially get any closure in Wano, and then looking at the ship with the flag of the guy who we last saw had Sanji's ex-fiance imprisoned - and combined together I can see the vague outline of a possible trajectory where, if Sanji were to succumb to some element of family legacy, part of bringing him back to himself could include restoring the memories that Pudding took away from him?

I don't think I would like it being THE ONLY solution, because the core themes of the series have included the emphasis on camaraderie and friendships, so "romantic love saves the day" would feel... cheap idk lmfao. but it might be interesting as a piece of a larger coordination, because I DO think giving Sanji someone who can (/could have) reciprocate(d) his silly romantic overtures in kind (tsundere problems aside) was a significant decision for his PERSONAL themes (as I interpret them lol)

BUT ALSO (paragraph break because I write sentences too long sorry) even if they don't end up endgame, if having a fistful of "I fell in love with a girl and she loved me back but then I had my heart broken but then we worked together for a bit and then she kissed me" shunted back into your previously vacant memory holes has ZERO impact on jumpstarting SOME kind of emotional reaction, I would be incredibly shocked lmao