#yamato grieving ace????

[jomespotter]

I always heard about EP 1015 and how it was one of the best ones but i didn’t expect it to give me whiplash like that holy SHIT

[namisweatheria]

It's actually somewhat interesting they had Drum Island in the beginning of the Alabasta saga. It's funny for there to be all this "Who cares if you're a king! Who cares about kings!" when this overarching plot right now is about helping a monarchy stabilize.

This clearly illustrates the general attitude of the series, that positions of power do not make someone valuable or worth listening to, only their character can. It doesn't make a comment on whether kings should exist or not. It only says that some leaders are good, and some are bad. It's irritating, but the worst is in Wano. All the way back in Alabasta, I don't really mind too much.

It's not like what they're trying to do is bad. They're trying to stop a wannabe dictator from taking over the country by manipulating the people and causing crisis. I think the difference is that in Alabasta, the Nefertari's have not actually been ousted yet. In Wano, the Kozuki Clan has. Yes... the people... wanted them back. Yeah. But. It still reads as an unquestioning support of Feudalism. Not that Alabasta... doesn't. They both say that these systems of power can be benevolent if ruled by the right people. Not that it's actively trying to make that point it's just what happens. Wano is much worse though, for a lot of reasons.

It's a tragic, more intense version of the story. If the worst had happened, and been happening for twenty years. I think it fails for a lot of reasons. It's about legacy, which I don't care about. They connected it to the legacy that Luffy is following in, but that's a theme I don't really mind. Roger isn't the main character, and we're not supposed to idolize him. The inclusion of Ace in Yamato's story reminds the viewer of that plainly. When the connection is invoked, it's only exciting, invigorating the dream that Luffy will achieve. Episode 1015 is the most beautiful one they ever did.

However, Oden overshadows Momo, and neither of them were originally interested in taking charge. It's a sad situation, and it is portrayed as such, the victory is bitter and sad as much as it is happy, as they grieve the people and time they lost. It's irritating that the grief is focused on Momo lost his dad and now has to take up the responsibility too early, rather than Momo is a child who never should have been in line for such a position of power since birth in the first place. I mean. I'm bitter. Wano is messy. There are too many characters, it goes on too long, and the fact that Hiyori wasn't considered to be the Shogun ruins any positive feelings I might have had. There wasn't even a moment of thought on it. Even though it makes infinitely more sense.

The romanticization of the shogunate has a ruinous effect on the whole story. In Alabasta, I don't get the sense that Oda has any special feelings about monarchies. Vivi is a good character. Momo is not. The written sexism is just so much worse in Wano, meanwhile Vivi is well-written, well-treated, and has consistent focus and agency.

ITS WEIRD BECAUSE NOW EGGHEAD IS REALLY GOOD. It also has a bit too much going on but it's going A LOT faster, and we're back to female characters being the center of the arc. Not just that, but also being the most powerful. It's kind of wild, like numbers wise. Not to mention there's a solid amount of Strawhat shenanigans happening, which I missed a lot. They were split up too much in Wano. ITS FUN AGAIN. But like. What a sharp turn it took. I don't know if he actually learned from his mistakes with Wano, or what, but so far so good.

AND VIVI IS BACK🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

And she's clearly going to be very important for this final saga! I'm thrilled. Vivi! Vivi! Vivi! Vivi! Vivi! Vivi!

[botan-kiri]

Courtesy of @charkyzombicorn for writing this

Okay so they're arguing because A.J keeps getting weirdly specific dreams, right? Dreams about parts of Ace's life he has no business knowing, parts that have him waking up crying and Luffy /Hates/ when anything makes A.J cry.

Robin hears what the dreams are about and sends for Sabo because Yamato prompted Sabo to look into some of the revolutionaries pilfered archives into Reincarnation. Sabo, a little too eager at the thought that there's even a chance Ace could be Back, gathers all the books he can find on the subject and sails guided by Luffy's vivre card, reading as much as he can on the way.

He gets to the Sunny and Luffy can immediately tell some thing's Wrong. Sabo's eye bags are deeper, he's paler, and he's barely given Luffy a cursory glance before he's looking for A.J. Hes barely looking at Luffy and that hasn't happened since the day before he was taken. When Sabo finds A.J and A.J jumps at him like he does every time they meet, instead of Sabo calling him 'A.J' like he usually does, he calls him 'Ace' and Luffy's even more alarmed.

That night A.J goes to bed and Luffy asks Sabo why he hasn't been sleeping. Instead of answering Sabo explains that it's /amazing/, that Ace is back, reincarnated, that's why A.J looks and acts so similar, he insists. It's a miracle, it's their brother it has to be. He's smiling so wide, but Luffy isn't.

Sabo says they have to tell A.J who he is, what he means to them and Luffy tells him no. Sabo asks what he means. Luffy says it doesn't matter, that A.J was named after Ace but he is not Ace, that Sabo can't just tell A.J who he's supposed to be and expect him to act like it. Sabo, sleep deprived and grieving like he could never really stop doing, snapped. A.J deserves to know who he is, he deserves to know why he's having those dreams, he deserves to be the Ace they lost and Luffy said no? Did Luffy not want their brother back? Was he so selfish to think the time they had without Sabo was enough? But Luffy held firm, eyes sharp and back straight. A.J might have been Ace once, but Ace died years ago and when Luffy adopted him A.J became Luffy's son first and foremost and no expectations or memories from someone else will be pushed on his son.

[thenukacolachallenge]

i just watched the most recent one piece ep and i am SOBBING

i used to dislike the aged-up Momonosuke thing in the manga, but seeing it in the anime actually really makes it work for me. god, there were times where Wano dragged absolute ass, but this episode was so worth the wait.

Seeing Oden come into his own on Whitebeard's crew, finding Toki, finding the fucking One Piece with Roger, having his children and his retainers, coming into his own as a leader. the struggle he went through after returning to Wano, his and Toki's deaths, Orochi and Kaidou's takeover.

twenty years, the entire country was being tortured. Kaidou exploited them for his business ends. Orochi exploited them as an act of petty revenge. and worst of all, so many of them ate defective SMILE fruits. they couldn't even grieve their own hellish circumstances, forced to constantly laugh against their will for the rest of their lives, or literally starve to death.

hell, even the struggles Ace, Yamato, Ushimaru, Yasuie, Ashura Doji and the other retainers who stayed in the past went through. and none of that is getting to what happened to Momo, Kin, and the others who got sent to the future went through to get both out of Wano, and back in with assistance against Kaidou. and the entire battle of Onigashima itself.

so much insane lore, all leading up to finally seeing the people of Wano free again, everyone in the entire crowd sobbing and celebrating. seeing Tama break down in tears as she reflected on her life, and Luffy's promise that he would make Wano a place where she could eat as much as she wanted. seeing the retainers break down, knowing what they've all been through, having to deal with deaths of their brethren, knowing that they finally fulfilled Oden's wishes. seeing Hiyori hug her brother for the first time in two decades.

watching years of plot finally come to an end in such a beautiful and touching way is so wonderful. One Piece is so fucking good, dude.

[echogears]

do not rblg

muse shipping statuses under the cut. (also, all muses are pan unless otherwise stated)

Jewel woman - complicated, straight, she’s still grieving over turbo man (i can explain that if needed) and any ship would take a lot of buildup and chemistry

Oil man - planned ship but currently single

Time man - planned ship but currently single

Blade man - planned ship but currently single and crushing

Quick man - planned ship but currently single and crushing

Shade man - planned ship but currently single

Tengu man - single, comes with emotional baggage

Tiger man - single

Yamato man - planned ship but currently single and prefers women but is open to feminine men

Pharaoh man - planned ship but currently single

Burner man - single, has emotional baggage that i need to add into his bio

Dr. Cossack - single, only looking for human women around his age

Fretta - single, is a lesbian except for robots, which she’ll date regardless of gender

Dr. Light - single, bisexual, looking for people around his age

Dr. Wily - single, gay/grey ace (i need to change this on his bio), comes with so much baggage your luggage costs would be higher than your ticket

Compan - single, crushing (debating changing him back to being nonbinary if that changes anything)

Animal man - Single, demi, not currently interested in romance so you’d have to work hard to have a chance at capturing his interest

Task man - single

Madame - single, crushing, possible planned ship (we’re seeing how it will go, so for now i’ll say she’s not available. she’d probably brutally decline most anyone interested in her anyways)

Ra moon - crushing but he doesnt even know it, if you manage to have a muse that would be compatible with him somehow i’ll be very surprised

Sunstar - planned ship but currently single with massive amounts of emotional baggage

Astrid - single, must be with a muse who’s willing to have sex (and i’d prefer the other mun involved be up to writing it as well), has a planned relationship but this has special circumstances that i would discuss with you, but consider her... delayed but technically open

Charon - no

Jupiter - taken

Mars - single, crushing

Mercury - Single, planned ship

Neptune - Single, planned ship

Pluto - single

Saturn - single

Terra - single, planned ship

Uranus - single, oblivious, if you try to get his affection you will experience the wrath of Mars

Venus - single, planned ship