#warrior king

[wesleysniperking]

Usopp isn’t an Underdog (TL;DR)

If we really take the time to look at it, in a very practical way. An a**pull isn’t really an a**pull. Or whatever way powerscalers like to get red in the face for.

I think a lot of people and One Piece fans have been going about Usopp in the wrong way. If you feel you haven’t, that’s fine. But for the past couple of weeks when on my break, I came to the realization after reading a book (I’ll give the title later) that when considering the genre One Piece falls under and who it’s catered to, it has indeed been a hindrance for Usopp, and even the writer, Oda. Why? Because Oda is as predictable as he is unpredictable. The same can be said for Usopp.

What do I mean by that?

Before I even get into how smart and great Usopp is, I want to state a point. A lot of people are right, Usopp is inevitably a target. Forget about the Sanji v Zoro rap sessions, or Gear 5's overpowered characteristics. Because copium or not, what Oda is doing to Usopp is intentional. When people say that Oda intended for Usopp to always be the weakest it sometimes bothered me. Not because I want him to be crazy f**kin strong. Or that my expectations are aimless. But that statement always bothered me because it seemed like those people were trying to make it a point to say that there’s nothing left for Usopp. He’s regressed and is fodder. Those two years spent on that island, Boin, with his quirky mentor Heracles was all for naught. Everyone else got these nice trainers, and Usopp’s wasn’t as nearly cool. This pained me to even just think about it. And all this shade is something I'm quoting, I don't believe any of these bad things said about Usopp. I stress this.

But I’m actually starting to embrace this aspect. No, the haters didn’t cause me to resign to their stupid agenda or hate bon*r. But they made me realize (including the book I just read), that Oda is writing Usopp perfectly. I kid you not. It took a whole analysis on David and Goliath to really make me think.

For starters, in general, us mortals (or humans) have a really twisted way of looking at the odds, or the underdog. We often think that the Goliaths are these powerful beings. We think that when we find ourselves up against these stronger people we’re at a disadvantage. Despite the One Piece fandom having a vague idea of what Usopp’s underdog status represents and how Shonen grades “weak characters”, I think this brings forward that fact. Therefore, Usopp is a weak little a**hole no one gives a shit about, and if they do, it’s to prove a point (very passionately indeed) that he’s nothing but fodder and Oda has forgotten about him. But wait. Due to our twisted way of thinking, this is where Oda is challenging us. From the start we were at first under the idea that Luffy was at a disadvantage a few times when he was up against certain villains like Arlong or Crocodile, but Oda and Luffy proved to us a few times afterwards that this small Strawhat had what it took. He had balls.

But Usopp’s journey is much more unique and complex.

I must admit, the Usopp haters sometimes get to me. I’m human. It happens. But after reading the book and a eureka moment happened, I understood that Oda was baiting the haters, HE IS BAITING THE HATERS. He’s baiting his audience. For the last three weeks, it was as though everyone couldn’t stop trash-talking Usopp, I started to go crazy. I spent 5 days straight arguing with this a**hole on YouTube who just wanted to prove and beat into my f**cking head that Usopp is “the butt” of the crew. “He’ll never be as strong as Luffy”, “He spent two years on an island and suffered from Obesity. A joke my friend”, and “Nami’s even stronger than him. He’s useless and disloyal”. Ugh!!! Anywho, I understood after reading the book that a**hats like him are what Oda wants. He’s making fun of and light-heartedly taking advantage of Usopp getting sh*tted upon. One Piece is a Shonen manga, baby! But Oda isn’t a conventional writer (that’s what makes One Piece the GOAT).

So, Oda is taking into consideration how flawed humans are in thinking what a powerful person is. He knows we think the Goliaths are the ones who have a chance of winning, when in fact, the Davids are just as formidable. If he had Usopp “take a back seat” in Wano, it was intentional.

When David stepped out behind that protective barrier to defend his people, King Saul stopped him and said “Dude, there’s no way you’re winning this.” Saul was wrong because he thought Goliath had this fight in the bag. And we know who really had the fight in the bag. And if there’s one thing to very strongly note, one thing to consider in the David and Goliath battle is that David was a projectile fighter fighting an infantryman. David was so talented with a sling that he could’ve shot that pebble through Goliath's head so deep it was practically a hot bullet—the stone/pebble David used equated to a bullet during biblical times. And he did "stun" Goliath. The worst opponent for an infantry fighter is in fact a projectile fighter because infantry fighters require making close contact to land multiple blows on an enemy. But projectile fighters can counteract that quickly with just one shot. Therefore, Usopp is at an advantage more than we think due to Usopp’s quick thinking and ammo as well. He just needs to position himself correctly up against the right opponent, and bang!

So, in this 20+ years journey, Oda has taken advantage of Usopp’s character. He wants US to undermine Usopp so badly. So that when Usopp has his biggest moment, it’ll break the fandom.

“No way! How could Usopp win that?!” “OMG. What a major a**pull!” “Damn, he one shot the hell outta [insert future adversary]!”

That finicky little word, a**pull made its appearance again. But nah, it wasn’t an a**pull.

Why?

Because David was never at a disadvantage when he fought Goliath.

Related Link 1 (more similarities between Usopp and David are discussed here)

Related Link 2

Related Link 3

Usopp fan club (join if you’d like)

photo link credit

Work Cited:

Gladwell, M. (2013). David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants. Little, Brown and Company.

[unabashedqueenfury]

Reign 2013-2017/02-22

Toby Finn Regbo as Francis Valois

[scotianostra]

On July 11th 1274 Robert the Bruce was born in Turnberry Castle, Ayrshire.

Sorry for the lack of posts yesterday I was out the house all day, I am showing friends round Edinburgh today but will try and get a few posts scheduled, this first one is of course a "biggie"

I don't like repeating the same old story, especially on posts like this, The Bruce turns up so often in my posts that it isn't any wonder he is part of the Scottish Psyche. In 2006 Robert the Bruce came third in a poll of ‘most important Scots’, behind William Wallace and Robert Burns. Leaving aside what that says about the nation that produced, among others, David Hume and Adam Smith, Alexander Fleming and John Logie Baird, there can be no doubt that a king that ruled 700 years ago is still very much remembered by Scots today and, even more pertinently, that his life and achievements are deemed to be profoundly influential. It is hard to imagine Edward III or Henry V of England being similarly admired.

Not a lot is known about Robert's early life so unfortunately I do end up repeating parts of his life.....

Looking into how he came to be our Monarch, Bruce’s grandfather had come off second best in 1292 to a rival claimant to the Scottish throne, John Balliol, who then reigned for four years until Edward I deprived him of his kingship in 1296. John Comyn of Badenoch, as Balliol’s nephew, had both an arguably better claim by blood and certainly by power, influence and track record than Robert Bruce, for his own ambitions, whether it be just to become King, or for the sake of ridding Scotland of Edwards army Robert had to ‘deal’ with his rival before seeking the throne for himself.

In this fracturing and fevered environment, the would-be king turned to Bishop Robert Wishart of Glasgow, a man who had shown himself consistently motivated since the 1280s by a desire to keep Scotland intact and independent (though he, like most Scots, had on occasions been forced to acknowledge King Edward as ruler of the northern kingdom). We do not know that Bishop Wishart made Bruce ‘swear upon the Holy Gospels and the tomb of St Kentigern’ to pursue the cause of Scottish independence with his life, if necessary. Equally, no chronicler at the time mentions the introduction of elements of sacramental kingship that the Scots had long sought from the pope but been denied thanks to English claims of overlordship on the day that Bruce finally did become king.

If you've seen the new film about The Bruce, you will know it is all about the man himself, rather than the historical facts in his reign, and that's why I liked it, I mean come on, we ALL know the story by now and if you don't what have you been doing for the past few years as you haven't been reading my posts!

Robert Bruce, was a man possessed with the ability to think laterally and effectively on almost every issue but saddled by his own hand with one of the most dodgy starts to a successful reign as any in history. Some say he learned to think this way after observing William Wallace, I also like to think this, but he had enough savvy himself to be his own man.

The problem with looking at Scotland in those heady days is that, unlike England, we hardly wrote anything down, Edward and his constant war waging meant he had to raise money for these attacks on Scotland and Wales beforehand, so the English always had that extra layer of bureaucracy, while historians can look at some of their records to glean information about Scotland, we mainly have to look at Chroniclers, like Lanecrost, or the likes of Blind Harry, the author of "he Actes and Deidis of the Illustre and Vallyeant Campioun Schir William Wallace" And John Barbour who wrote "The Brus". In the first case Harry wrote his epic over 150 years after William Wallace's murder. At least Barbour was living in an age where The Bruce was alive, albeit for nine of the years, but events and stories were still fresh and must have been repeated often about our Kings heroics in unting Scotland and vanquishing the English. But Barbour was never going to write anything negative about Bruce, it was Robert II, the first of the Stewart line, that asked Barbour to write the poem, it was always going to be a great propaganda exercise.

Okay let's go back a wee bit, there has been some debate about where Bruce was born, some mischief makers even suggest he was not born at Turnberry, after all we have no diminutive proof, but at Writtle in deepest Essex. The Bruce family owned swathes of land down south, and there is no doubt the young Robert would have spent time in the depths of the English royal courts, he was not uncouth Scottish brute, he grew up in a world of fluid identities, no doubt speaking a number of languages, and with easy access to both the overtly powerful and impressively formal English court as well as the highly personal and personable style of kingship still preferred in Scotland.

One of the things Robert the Bruce may very well have learned from the English and used most notably was the commandeering of noble seals to be attached to documents of state in order to present a veneer of unity to the outside world, this is most notable in the 1320 Declaration of Arbroath, it has been argued he took this inspiration from King Edwards, Ragman Rolls, Edward I’s large-scale demand for Scottish seals to acknowledge his right to rule Scotland in 1296.

After Bannockburn and the Declaration of Arbroath King Robert’s genius as a lawmaker and diplomat to rival his undoubted skill as a military leader has also been admired, he had a fine line to tread, while he had gained the upper hand against Edward II's army, many Scots fought against him that day, or at very least supported the English. Even after his death some of those families on the losing side that would come back to try and regain lands and titles from the second Bruce monarch, his son King David II.

The pics are King Robert's statue at Bannockburn and two reconstructions of how Turnbery may have looked, by my Twitter friend Andrew Spratt.

[movies-tv-more]

Movie Releases for September 17, 2024

[nazariolahela]

What a glow up! 🤩

[teamivankaye]

King Aelle collected edits post on occasion of the 11th anniversary of the 1st ever airing of his very 1st episode yesterday. 👑 There are many more, but they should be seen separately, come with a discussion or are more on the fun side. Hope you enjoy this collection. I think I also need to catch up on posting GIFs. Did we ever get padt Season 2?

[muttball]

Sviatoslav Igorevich [свіатослав іґоревіч] -Grand Prince of Kiev

As the son of Igor the Old, Sviatoslav became the ruler of the lands of the Kievan Rus. His reign was a persistant threat to his enemies. In his short life, he became the largest state in Europe, eventually moving his capitol to Romania on the Danube River.

[wesleysniperking]

Hmm…I was low key arguing with someone on Reddit about a post that pretty much said that Usopp needs to leave the crew again and rejoin once he gets that anticipated “power up”. And no longer just “stands around and be useless” 🙄🙄🙄. Anywho, while the individual and I were disputing each other’s words, the person pointed out how Usopp’s dream doesn’t require him to be the strongest sniper. And I can agree. Totally. (Edit: Actually he did say he was going to become the King of Shooters for Luffy, but I'm not sure where this fits here. I'll explore this later).

But I can’t agree with it when someone uses that idea to hate on Usopp. For instance, what the person said about his dream was true. But I’m not sure where they were coming from. Was this is an individual who’d be quick to say Usopp would be 1 shotted when battling Van Augur? If so, that’s what bothers me. That’s what I can’t stand for.

I actually stand by the idea that Usopp would never back down from a Sniper Duel (especially if the crew was in danger) because that’s the one thing that’s as natural as breathing to him. Along with his lies and storytelling, there’s still aspects of Usopp that don’t stem from cowardice or ill-perceived inadequacy. What I find funny is how much people clown Usopp and are quick to say Van Augur would beat him immediately, but it says enough that the haters are even entertaining the idea that Usopp is a contender in versing Van Augur.

Needless to say, if and when we do get a bit more introspection on Usopp or a “power up” from Usopp in the near future, if his role as sniper were to be explored; I wonder if it would be because of a possible duel with Van Augur, or reuniting with his dad. I’d like to think his role as sniper is almost a super human ability that he treats as normal. There’s nothing he needs to practice on when it comes to that. So, maybe Usopp’s sniping skills serve as a motif rather than a goal. He’s already a great sniper, it’s what got his foot in the door, but it might serve as something that connects, rather than what drives his story forward.

It’s kinda like how Luffy wants to be the King of the Pirates, but with or without his Devil Fruit (and insane superhuman abilities), he’d still pursue that dream. Yes, yes. We know Luffy has “his TRUE dream”. But I’m making a point.

Therefore, regardless of what focus Usopp gets going forward, I think his sniping abilities will have something to do with it if it were to only be regarding meeting his dad or that likely/unlikely duel with Blackbeard’s sniper. What’s important is Usopp realizing his dream.

I’m alway fascinated by Usopp’s relationship to his role + skills as a sniper because like…despite being arguably one of the best in the verse he doesn’t really…talk about it much? Or sort of integrate it into his dreams & personality as much? Like during the timeskip he most certainly works on improving his sniping skills, and he is very much aware that this is his job on the crew. He also talks about his role as sniper during Dressrosa when he doesn’t tell anyone about saving Law & Luffy when he unlocks observation Haki.

Other than that, though…being a sniper isn’t something that Usopp seems to specifically think about or mention as much. In comparison to like, Luffy, Zoro, Chopper, and Robin (whose role is also their ultimate dream) and even Nami, Sanji, and Franky (whose role is a large part of their ultimate dream). Usopp’s brave warrior of the sea dream doesn’t seem to be about sniping at all, and he doesn’t discuss how being a sniper would slot into that dream.

There’s also the fact that he didn’t even really know how good he was until after he was recruited by Luffy and got awarded the role of sniper. He hadn’t really owned that as an identity and seems to connect it more to his dad than to himself. You can kind of see this when he does fights too: being a sniper is a long range fighter role, and more often than not he’s (to be fair, without having a choice) fighting close range, and using various tricks that may or may not involve aiming well. The only time I see him really lean into the sniper as an identity is when he’s Sogeking, which, well…you can argue that he separates that from himself, from Usopp, and sees the ultimate sniper as a separate person from himself. He has a bunch of outside hobbies (engineering + building) that we see him do in his spare time rather than working on his aim too.

In fact, I think his lying/storytelling side is much more connected to him as an identity. Everything from his name to his physical characteristics to the way he self identifies is rooted in storytelling rather than sniping, which is just fascinating to me. He’s well rounded in that sense I guess, but this aspect of him & the way he connects to his sniping ability really stands out to me. I think any upgrades he gets in the future will be to his sniping skills so maybe he’ll be connecting to that side of himself more as we continue.

[jeandejard3n]

Warrior King

[whenfatecollides]

Xena Warrior Princess 3.05 Gabrielle's hope

[tctmp]

Warrior King: Directed by Lu Qi. With Katie Leigh, Brandon Hunt, Marisa Blake, Blake Talley. A young man grows up in exile in a world overrun by demons and monsters.

[unabashedqueenfury]

Reign 2013-17/02-22

Toby Finn Regbo as Francis Valois

[scotianostra]

June 7th 1329 saw the death of our most famous King, Robert I, "The Bruce".

Much has been said about King Robert and his prowess in battle, I'll try and highlight some of his other traits and how it was he who was first given the no de plume Braveheart.

The Bruce is said to have spoken several languages, Scots, Gaelic, Latin, and Norman French, and was an avid reader who loved studying the lives of previous monarchs. According to a parliamentary brief from around 1364, Robert the Bruce "used continually to read, or have read in his presence, the histories of ancient kings and princes, and how they conducted themselves in their times, both in wartime and in peacetime.” In his free time, he would recite tales from history, with the likes of Charlemagne and Hannibal being two of his favourite subjects he shared.

Robert the Bruce’s physician, Maino de Maineri, criticized the king’s penchant for devouring eels. “I am certain that this fish should not be eaten because I have seen it during the time I was with the king of the Scots, Robert Bruce, who risked many dangers by eating [moray eels], which are by nature like lampreys," de Maineri wrote "It is true that these [morays] were caught in muddy and corrupt waters.” (Notably, overeating eels was considered the cause of King Henry I England’s death.)

Treasure hunters speculate that in the 14th century, the Knights Templar fled to Scotland with a trove of valuables because they received support and protection from King Robert the Bruce. Thanks to his help, they say, the Knights were able to hide gold and holy relics—from ancient Gospel scrolls to the Holy Grail—in secret spots across the country, including in Rosslyn Chapel and it's not just through the Da Vinci Code, I remember my mum talking about the Holy Grail possibly being hidden within the Apprentice Pillar.

After the death of his second wife, Elizabeth de Burgh, Robert the Bruce decreed to give the Auld Kirk in Cullen, Scotland—now the Cullen and Deskford Parish—a total of five Scots pounds every year. That's because, in 1327, Elizabeth had died after falling off a horse, and the local congregation generously took care of her remains. Robert was so touched by the gesture that he promised to donate money “for all eternity.” To this day, his bequest is still paid to the kirk.

The Kirk was not the only thing to benefit from The Bruce. He moved about Scotland he was a frequent visitor to Aberdeen , his first arrival being in 1306.

In the month of September 1319, King Robert, had again visited the city, where he stayed for some time, lodging in William the Lion's Palace in the Green.

The citizens of Aberdeen , many of whom were his former comrades-in-arms, gave Bruce a tremendous welcome. The King went south well pleased with the reception he had received, and at a Parliament in Berwick on 10th December 1319 , made his most generous benefaction to Aberdeen . He gave the burgesses in perpetual feu, and for a nominal payment of £213:6/8d, the whole of the Stocket Forest . From this remarkable gift the city's ‘Common Good Fund' may be said to have originated. The fund has accumulated over the years and has assets worth millions of pounds; the cities citizens still enjoy the benefits to this very day.

The Bruce died just a month before his 55th birthday, about the same age I am just now. The cause of his death has been a source of much discussion, and disagreement, but most modern scholars believe that he succumbed to leprosy. His funeral was a rather elaborate affair that required nearly 7000 pounds of candle wax just for the funerary candles. Following the fashion for royalty, he was buried in multiple places. His chest was sawed open and his heart and internal organs removed: The guts were buried near his death-place at the Manor of Cardross, near Dumbarton; his corpse interred in Dunfermline Abbey; and his heart placed inside a metal urn to be worn around the neck of Sir James Douglas, who promised to take it to the Holy Lord. The reason his guts were taken and buried first was to stop the rest of the corpse did not rot before it's "spiritual" burial at the Abbey in Dunfermline.

Unfortunately, Sir Douglas never made it to the Holy Land: He got sidetracked and took a detour to fight the Moors in Spain, where he was killed. Before his attackers reached him, Douglas reportedly threw the urn containing the king’s heart and yelled “Lead on brave heart, I’ll follow thee.” The heart was later returned to Scotland and it was not until 1921 it was rediscovered on an archaeological dig at Melrose Abbey. The Casket was opened to find the mummified heart, it was photographed at the time, but I can't find these pics online, however it was unearthed again in 1996.

After the casket had been fully examined, several different ideas were put forward about what should happen to it next. There were some suggestions of sending the casket to the National Museum of Scotland, or creating a new museum for the heart at Melrose Abbey.

In the end, in accordance with Scots Law and respect for the dead, the casket was enclosed inside a time capsule, and reburied in a private ceremony.

Although this heart hasn't 100% been proven to be that of King Robert it doesn't really matter. The casket and the heart are symbols of the man himself and shall always remain so.

[coloursofunison]

On this day in history, the Battle of Winwæd in 655 between the Mercians and the Northumbrians

On this day in history, the Battle of Winwæd in 655 between the Mercians and the Northumbrians #histfic #GodsAndKings #TalesOfMercia

The Battle of Winwæd, fought on 15th November 655, is the backdrop for the final book in the Gods and Kings trilogy, which follows three very famous battles, Hædfeld in 632/3, Maserfield in 642 and Winwæd in 655, only one of the battles being fought in the summer – which always surprises me. These three pitched battles saw Mercia and Northumbria vying for supremacy over the Saxon kingdoms of…

[teamivankaye]

King Aelle goes to war! 💪👑 Heroic snippet from 'Vikings' 4x18 'Revenge' for Warrior Wednesday. Such a powerful and tragic figure, our misrepresented warrior king. By the way: Being misrepresented is something this fictional version seems to have in common with his historical counterpart. That's the fun of the historian's work: Trying to pull back all those layers of lies and propaganda. Not always successful, not always even possible, but sure worth the effort.

I may be posting more edits, fan art and fun stuff soon. 😉 But first, I'll finish part 2 of the big interview "The Flip Side of Vikings".

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#IvanKaye #KingAelle #warriorking #Aelle #HistoryVikings #KingAella #HistoryChannelVikings #Aella #historyvikingsseason4 #KingÆlle #KingOfNorthumbria #Ælle #Saxon #king #Northumbria #KingÆlla #TVseries #historicaldrama #Ælla