somehow managed to reach wano and after missing zoro for 50+ chapters I'm so happy these two are back to their single braincell sharing shenanigans.
like. the way luffy was so happy to see zoro again (mind you, this wasn't nearly as long as the 2 year timeskip) that he momentarily forgot the poor sick tama to launch himself straight into zoro's arms?
the matching wide happy grins? the hug? the fact that zoro's the first of the straw hats luffy sees after separating from zoro's group in zou, kinda like how zoro was the first to arrive at sabaody after 2 years? they're crazy (affectionate)
and of course, it's time for the tomfoolery to unfold as soon as they're reunited again
I think the contrast between opla luffy not only remembering wado's name (albeit uh kinda botched) but also caring for wado ichimonji while zoro was injured vs manga luffy not remembering why nidai kitetsu's name sounded familiar and nearly giving zoro an aneurysm by mishandling the sword on top of that is genuinely, hysterically funny btw. different zolu flavors and all of them tasty
I love their interactions with tama so far too! zoro protecting and shielding them both from hawkins with quite literally his own body was really good
and it will never not get to me how easy it is for luffy to leave his back open for zoro to protect when facing enemies, ever since they met, simply bc he has that much faith in zoro's strength and willingness to keep him (and others, when it occurs) safe. plus, to go back to zou for a bit - it's just sweet that luffy knows zoro more than well enough to look beyond all the layers of grumpiness and ostensibly harsh words at times. zoro didn't seem exactly eager to bring sanji back at first but one look at him after noticing zoro had been listening in to the group's conversation abt what happened to sanji and luffy immediately pointed out that he bet zoro was actually worried abt him.
on different occasions, zoro's straightforward or too-rational approach mixed up with his lack of tact tends to understandably annoy other characters but if there's someone who knows how much zoro genuinely cares for his crew (and others sometimes) regardless of what he says, luffy's definitely right there. it's been that way since they interacted for the first time and is why the riceballs incident was so significant to luffy back then. it's such a compelling aspect of their relationship, as usual
anyway just look at them!!!! they're so cute!!!!!
also, zoro going from -> unwillingly flung around arlong park by luffy -> stoically letting luffy manhandle him around in dressrosa -> actively asking luffy to bring him along and hanging onto him of his own volition? character development
and to finish this post, my condolences to law 🙏🏼 knowing those two are on the loose without any sane supervision around must be a nightmare (zoro himself is already on wano's shit list after cutting down that magistrate) and worse if they're together
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thoughts on Ginny and Harry as a couple?
There are a lot of people who find their romance in HBP forced. I don't think it's forced so much as underwritten, and the books don't get the chemistry quite right (though the movies certainly don't, either). There's potential, but they just don't get enough actual scenes of substance (besides Harry thinking she's pretty or feeling jealous of Dean) for a lot of readers to buy that they're not only in love, but deeply enough in love to break up, get back together, and wind up married.
That's not to say I don't see the appeal. There's a very cool scene in Book 5 where Harry's doing a woe-is-me-Chosen-One act, and Ginny effortlessly puts him in his place about it by reminding him that she was possessed by Voldemort at eleven, which is a rare glimpse into her character and also a great synecdoche for their relationship — Ginny is a grounding presence who, like Ron and Hermione, isn't going to be awed by his past adventures because she knew him before they happened. In that respect, Ginny's probably one of the few women Harry could feasibly wind up with, because he only ever seems comfortable around people (let alone girls) who can see past the Chosen-One schtick and treat him like a normo (see: Ron, Hermione, the Weasleys, Luna, Hagrid). True to type, he doesn't get interested in Ginny at all until she's ditched her celebrity crush and ceased to view him as an idol, because in his heart of hearts, Harry wants to be a normal boy, and it's stressed over and over that part of what he likes about his relationship with Ginny is how normal it feels. He kind of has a horribly supercharged version the celebrity dating problem: after the Battle of Hogwarts, anyone he meets is going to know him first as Harry Potter, Chosen One, Boy Who Lived, and Actually Fucking Resurrected Messiah of the Wizarding World, which is... I mean, it's possible that there are witches out there who could get over that, but Harry's not an extroverted guy, and I'm not sure how he'd go about finding them. Ginny's the one who's been there since the beginning, doesn't need anything about him or his past explained to her, and actually likes him for who he is.
When you look at it that way, it's not surprising he married his high school girlfriend. She's one of the few people still alive who doesn't see him as a demigod.
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DCxDP: Dead guys stick together
(A Batman 138 fix-it)
After Bizarro becomes King of Hell he watches the mortal world and is distraught to find that his brother/best friend/sorta father-figure has been hurt very badly and is calling out for help.
Distraught, he goes to another lord of the netherworld who he's heard has access to a portal (and subjects a bit more compatible with the act of helping someone). He asks King Phantom would he please please help him protect his brother/friend, and if he does Bizarro will owe him a favor and leave his realm alone.
When the inferno had initially breached the Ghost Zone Danny had thought he was going to have to deal with f*cking Trigon again, but as it turns out that guy's been replaced and the new guy is pretty nice. After a brief cosmic battle and a clearing of misunderstandings, Danny agrees to Bizarro’s request.
While Gotham's vigilante civil war continues on its rooftops, Jason is in a cell. He is trembling, practically catatonic again, and losing his mind. He’s seeing the flaming figure of a knight on horseback appear from the shadowy far wall of his room, like some kind of fairytale nightmare version of Batman. It takes a while for Jason to realize he’s talking.
“... part of the treaty between the King of Ghosts and King of Demons, Jason Todd: Prince of Demons has been granted special status and is henceforth a protected and honorary citizen of the Infinite Realms.”
Nightmare-Bruce touches his flaming sword on Jason’s shoulder and the unearthly fire instantly engulfs him. Relief washes through Jason, and it’s so strong he nearly drops asleep.
Bruce is apologetic when everything’s over and he realizes the mistakes he’s made... but nothing really changes. (It is a relief to Bruce that no one died or was permanently injured, Jason's condition resolved itself somehow, and Bruce is normal now so really everything is fixed or at least it will be fixed.)
Just like when Jason first came back from the dead, Bruce's response makes him hurt deeper than the physical torture itself. Jason is the one who died but Bruce acts like the ghost. Singleminded, possessive, stuck in time and blind to it; bound to repeat the same cycles again and again. Jason is the ghost but he's died multiple times now, and maybe that's kind of like living and maybe that means he can move on.
Dani and Bizarro become friends, and she gets Danny's friend Tucker to somehow set up a working Wi-Fi connection in hell so they can all play games together. (He’s not going to question it. Everything about Amity Park is abnormal. They helped him and they’re good to Bizarro, that’s all that matters.)
Jason forges a fake identity for Dani. He might ask Babs to make a better one for her if she ever needs it but he doubts that's likely. He hasn’t had a living identity for years now after all, he’s an old hand at fake identities. Dani is delighted and starts attending school soon after.
Danny has good friends, and as far as Jason can tell plenty of reliable mentors in the ghost world. You wouldn’t think it, but Jason’s less worried about Danny in his role as a little godling than in his civilian life. He’s got too much on his plate- too much power yet not enough to actually resolve his real issues. Not enough to protect himself where he’s vulnerable.
The “Guys in White” that Danny likes to complain about are concerning. So is the fact that Danny’s lives with mad-scientist parents who are trying to hunt down his alternate identity. So is his ever grinding cold-war with the mayor of his town… And something else too that had been niggling at the back of Jason’s mind ever since he’d first gotten to talk to these kids.
One day Danny’s sister, Jazz asks to talk to him. He’s an adult she says. That’s true he replies. He’s capable of protecting himself and other people, she says. Well, he has the training and experience for it, he agrees. If things go wrong, would Jason let Danny or Dani stay with him- just until she becomes a legal adult? She asks. Jason’s... not the sort of person who should be taking kids in. Danny saved his life though. He won’t say no. He says of course.
Jason knew it. Everything about Amity Park is abnormal.
The town doesn’t technically exist- there are no maps that include it and even satellite imaging is corrupted where Danny describes his hometown is supposed to be. There are no references to it on the internet that couldn’t be referring to a totally different Amity Park elsewhere, and judging by the problems they occasionally had on gaming nights and the odd offhand remarks Danny and his friends sometimes made, it was looking extremely likely that all communications between Amity Park and the outside were being heavily censored. Before Jason knew it he had started a full-on investigation on the GIW, Mayor Vlad Masters, former Mayor Montez, and Axion Labs.
Hope and fear lodges itself in Danny’s chest. Jason’s an adult and he’s actually going to help.
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also first hike of the year where we've met strangers, and both girls did very well with their trail manners. i always ask them to sit on the side - uphill or on a rock, ideally, because it gives them a bit more mental barrier - while i stand between so people won't have to pass them directly.
sparty has always been good with this because she values food rewards over socializing with people. troj is different and while she won't approach people unless spoken to, if people look at her and talk at the same time, she sees it as an invitation. i haven't been hard on it because she's very calm and the people we've met have seen it as a friendly gesture (which it is) but its happened a few times now and its definitely one of those Things That Make Sense To Troj.
anyway an old man with trekking poles commented on our "good cooperation" which was nice
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