He Has A Lizard Kid, A Cat Kid And A Dog Kid...

He has a lizard kid, a cat kid and a dog kid...

Perfect for a chaos gremlin dad.

I've had a beast of a cold for the last few days, but I wanted to get this out before the new year! while I've sort of made my peace with my first take on Lilia's UM poster, I really wanted to do a version with the new context that chapter 6 gave us. because. c'mon.

(don't worry, Lilia can carry ALL HIS KIDS AT ONCE)

Noooooooooo I’m not ready!

NOOOO my fear... two SSRs for Malleus on January...

Apparently the schedule is that they're releasing Dorm Lilia and Malleus, New Years Sebek Ruggie, Lab Coat Grim (bcs its TWST EN anniversary again)(finally we can level his buddy DUO with Malleus🥳✨), and then Book 7 Chapter 2!!!! 😭😭✨✨✨

There's also Birthday Jacket Lilia and Malleus... January is packed 😭😭💔💔💔 (I just hope the Book 7 update is late-January lol I don't want to be depressed on New Years week lol)

It's almost as if the man that puts allegory in everything took a nuanced approach to describe a real life person and the consequences of their work instead of just saying 'war is bad' like he did for any of his other works because he expect the people watching it to pay attention and think while they do so.

Seriously when did he ever took a straightforward approach to tell a story? He didn't spell out the message in any of this movies, nor did he take a black and white perspective on the subject he approaches. I swear it's like watching Princess Mononoke and say he's pro pollution because the main 'villain' isn't a singing goop monsters like in Ferngully but instead a strong, charismatic and respected woman that's genuinely trying to do what's best for the people under her care. And in Totoro they never go up and tells you oh, by the way, that huge huggable weirdo is the incarnation of death! It's called reading between the lines.

I swear it's to wonder if they even watched a Miyazaki movie before. The guy that wrote Nausicaä, a nationalist/imperialist? Really? Come on guys! Every time there's an army, or a kingdom, or an empire, they always ends up either destroyed or on the wrong side of the story! Okay, a lot of his works are adaptation of some preexisting work (Owl's moving castle is a novel for example) but he's consistently picking work that is at the very least, critical of war and imperialism and armies! There's a pattern here that tends to show that he isn't in fact, a nationalist!

Baffled.

Also there’s the fact that Nika’s returns wasn’t a done deal. There’s a lot of incredible random events that lead to it. Sure Shanks was looking out for the fruit and all, but he didn’t give it to Luffy and as far as we know today, he wasn’t planning to. Luffy eating the Gomu gomu no mi was an accident.

Even then just eating it wasn’t enough to draw out Nika. This isn’t like All Might’s hair where eating it is enough to give you the power. That’s why Gear 5th was referenced as an awakening, because just like with real paramecia fruits, it’s true potential isn’t achievable by everyone. And that’s really important because it means that Luffy is more essential than his fruit when unlocking Gear 5th.

Luffy isn’t Joy Boy because of the prophecy or the fruit. It’s just who he is as a person to begin with and had Luffy never gotten the Gomu Gomu no mi/ Nika Nika no mi he would still be doing what he has been doing. Like they said the prophesy isn’t affecting him in any way. In fact while the prophesy is about Luffy it doesn’t really concerns him. Because Luffy had known from the very beginning what he wanted and what he was supposed to do. He doesn’t need the prophecy.

That prophecy isn’t for him, it’s not here to shape him in any way. That prophecy is here for those that either needs him (like the Buccaneers) and those that fears him (the WG). Actually that prophecy doesn’t reveal anything new to us reader besides that some people see him as a symbol of hope and that other fears him. And technically we knew that too it’s just been put back in context. Luffy still remains unchanged.

What's your opinion on the idea of the "chosen one" trope, and how it relates to Luffy in particular? Most of the controversy I've seen over Gear 5 seems to be about that specifically.

this is a really interesting question, and one i had to mull over for a bit! i think the idea of a 'chosen one' or 'destiny' more broadly can reasonably rub a lot of people the wrong way, especially in a story where freedom is such a strong thematic focus- the idea that luffy's actions might be preordained and not driven by his own will feels inherently wrong. (fortunately, i don't think they are.)

the short answer is that i think the use of prophecy in one piece works (at least for me) because it never feels like anyone else is making luffy's decisions for him. this is why it feels somewhat incorrect to me to call him a 'chosen one'- he very much makes all his choices himself.

there are prophecies surrounding him- about joy boy, about the dawn of the world, about nika- but luffy doesn't know about them, and if he did he wouldn't care. they don't define anything about him, how he acts, how he views himself. the world and narrative shapes itself around luffy, and not the other way around. you get the sense that even in the total absence of any prophecy surrounding luffy, he would still be doing the exact same thing he is doing because he only ever does exactly what he wants to do. he's as inevitable as the rising sun! the future changes to fit him!

one piece generally rejects the concept of unchangeable fate out of hand- if you tell luffy something can't be done he'll take it as a personal challenge- but it does have a lot to say about inherited will. i think it would be more accurate to say that all the strawhats and their allies, luffy especially, have in some way come to embody the inherited will and dreams of the people who came before them, whether they know it or not, both through their own experiences and because of who they already were as people.

like, the prophecies about luffy don't say he's destined to become the pirate king, or anything so specific as that. he decided on his own that he was going to do that, and that has always been his goal- to be completely free and have those he cares about be completely free. that's what he values. and it just so happens that that trait makes him fit the image of the liberator.

Best baby Malleus picture yet.

his belly is full, but his head is empty

Does mobile games count?