They're Both Trying Their Best. Sometimes You Just Need A Hug.

They're both trying their best. Sometimes you just need a hug.

(Sorry for the lack of art. It's been a really rough few weeks)

Out of all of the many many reasons I love gear 5, one I haven't talked about yet is how much Luffy so obviously loves gear 5 as well.

It is honestly revolutionary to have a shonen protag's final form be enjoyable for them. To not be something born out of anger or hate; a thing born out of strict necessity that has to be unlocked by painful emotions/the loss of someone they loved (temporary or otherwise) but rather born out of joy and a desire for freedom. To have them want to be in that final form, to have it spit in the face of the idea that the only way to be powerful is to be serious, edgy, ""mature"" and to abandon joy and happiness in favor of that.

I LOVE that Luffy's final power-up doesn't come at the cost of who he is as a person, and instead amplifies and uplifts who he is. It uplifts his carefree nature, his goofiness, his creativity, his sense of wonder. And as such, the form is something that he enjoys more than any other gear he has used. It allows him to be the freest version of himself, allows him to bend the world around him to his whims, of course he's going to love it.

It also (in a weird way) acts as a message of self love. Luffy does not have to abandon who he is to become stronger, but rather has to lean even further into who he is. The traits that make him 'weird' and 'strange' by pirate (or hell, even just by regular standards) are the very things that boost him up and allow him to win against his foes.

A "ridiculous power" Kaido called it, and yet it was that power that sent him hurdling to the center of the earth, toppling his reign over Wano with the very thing he robbed from its people.

Doflamingo canonically says that he would kill anyone who so much as nicked Corazón, but I’m stuck thinking about what Rosinante would do if the situation were reversed. Something like Corazón watching as some pirate is about to shove a knife into Doflamingo’s back mid-battle.

Rosinante shouldn’t stop the enemy. He should allow that blade to slip in between his brother’s ribs, should allow someone else to do what he hasn’t been able to. What he knows he should do.

Corazón does not do what he should do. As a marine, Rosinante has surely killed pirates— he shouldn’t give it a second thought. In this instance, the fact that he doesn’t think twice troubles him. Because here he is, pulling the pirate back, yanking the knife from his shocked hands and returning it to sender, over and over again. Until his shaking hands are red with the proof of what he has done, and he feels Doflamingo’s proud, wide, sharp grin boring into the back of his head.

Doflamingo tells Rosinante that he is grateful to have an equal to stand back to back with him— against the world. Says, let’s go home, Corazón. Like what just happened wasn’t something that Doflamingo allowed to happen. Like some kind of twisted test of loyalty.

Rosinante stays kneeling in the dirt. Corazón follows on shaky legs.

Basically, I fucking love a morally conflicted Rosinante.

my favorite part of one piece is the way it decentralizes romance as a moving force of the plot. It explores relationships in depth but they are platonic ones, brotherly ones, found families and kindred spirits…

it means so fucking much to me, even when you have a character where his romantic attraction is a huge part of him, his arc is still about recognizing that what he truly wants is to come back to his found family in the sunny.

having the main character declare war at the world government because that’s the enemy of his friend and going at war at said government because the life of his adoptive brother is at risk.

and even though it doesn't have romance as the main plot, one piece is FILLED with romanticism, oda takes those relationships from our everyday lives and shows us how special those bonds are, how romantic they are, he adds this “spark” that most media reserves only for romance.

save a horse ride a cowboy !!!!

see the whole thing about artists and writers wanting reblogs over likes often gets framed as increasing exposure or more notes or positive reinforcement or whatever

but really I think the thing that’s missing is that people want engagement? I don’t particularly care if only five people see something I’ve made if they make some kind of comment or ask a cool question or whatever. A lot of us make stuff because we want to share something we love. When everyone just kind of goes 👍 it’s basically the same as bouncing ideas around your own head and not sharing any of it so. Why bother lol