#story told in amv

[littleflowerfaerie]

Hey all, so I’m a fan of Made In Abyss and I recently downloaded and all that let me make AMVs, so I made one about Lyza and Ozen because I’m obsessed with them to an unhealthy agree lol. Here is that video.

There is actually a story to this based on my own headcanons about Ozen and their relationship. The first one is that Ozen does not have many friends, most people find her terrifying and while they respect her it’s more like appeasing a vengeful god than anything like companionship. The second is that Ozen had feelings for Lyza that may or may not have been reciprocated, but she assumed they weren’t because Torka, and that led to her distancing herself and ultimately not going with Lyza on her last dive, something she now regrets. With that said, here is the entire story. I don’t know how to do cuts so apologies for the long post.

So anyway the basic concept is something like an extended flashback showing Ozen and Lyza’s relationship, starting with their first meeting. I edited that a little to show Ozen turning away at first (actually a reversed clip of her turning around) because I feel like she doesn’t trust Lyza just yet, thinks she’s another person who worships her out of fear and who will never see her as a person, and then I showed her turning back around as Lyza continues talking with genuine praise and enthusiasm, as if she’s thinking “oh, this one is different.”

After that I cut to present day Ozen reminiscing as she looks at Lyza’s Whistle, followed by their two silhouettes to symbolize that they became mentor and apprentice after that meeting.

I put the scene of Lyza showing off her Black Whistle and running after Ozen next, to symbolize them moving past mentor and apprentice and becoming true partners, and then cut back to present day with Ozen walking down the stairs before the series of images showing them as cave raiding partners.

There’s a full two seconds of black after Torka appears because Ozen has all the issues with the guy and also because it symbolizes how things went to shit for Lyza when he died.

Cut to Riko’s birth, this is more or less just the clips put in chronological order, though I did shove in a brief clip of Ozen using her whistle as if making good on her words “you can relax child, I’m cursed with a strong sense of duty.”

Then we cut to the balcony scene which is also in chronological order, except I cut out the images of Torka and the dead cave raiders’ gear and left only a brief clip of Ozen carrying the Vessel and Lyza holding baby Riko because the video is about the two of them, not anyone else.

We cut back to Ozen standing in the mist directly after Lyza asks her to talk to Riko if she ever sets out to reach the bottom of the Abyss since I headcanon that this is the exact moment that Ozen realized Lyza didn’t expect her to go too, and assumed that meant she wasn’t welcome. The sudden transition is meant to be jarring and having the song’s climactic high note right there is meant to show how much of a gut punch that was for her.

Then we cut to the Best Scene which I just let play out in all its glory, but I did edit it so it only shows Ozen turning to walk away, as if accepting that she won’t be going with Lyza/leaving to process that fact, and then cutting back to Lyza as if she turned to get one last look.

After that, I cut to Blaze Reap in the flower field as a sort of final goodbye, Ozen knew Lyza wasn’t buried in that grave but she did know that the documents and the whistle were the last things she was ever going to see or hear from her, so it’s like a goodbye in a way, and it also shows that the whole thing ended with a symbolic death, two partners separated.

Finally, I cut to the present day one last time and ended the video with the mist hiding Ozen from view, and cut the video just a bit short because I felt having the last note of the music play over a black screen was more impactful.

Aannnd there the explanation for the ENTIRE THING that I’m certain no one actually cares about but I wrote anyway because I’m permanently in my feels about these two and I needed to scream about them.

#made in abyss #ozen the immovable #ozen #lyza the annihilator #lyza #lyzen #amv #short amv #story told in amv #headcanon #made in abyss headcanon #long post #Youtube

[ellcrys]

when flowers is overplayed on the radio: yes excellent top tier music

when anithero is overplayed on the radio: i’m so fucking sick of this song

#i guess i'm a miley cyrus fan now????? #middle/high school me would be rolling over in her grave #i hated her music back then lmao #but her new stuff since like 2018 have all been jams #meanwhile to this day i've found all of tswift's songs to be so mediocre lmao #well no i guess that's not true #i saw sooo many amvs to teardrops on my guitar back in the day that it's like obligatory nostalgia now #love story i genuinely loved #and i did really like look what you made me do #but everything else? eh #i didn't listen to folklore or evermore tho #which i've been told would be most up my alley #*edited to add safe and sound #how could i forget that one safe and sound was gold tier #*edited again to add that i've probably only listened to like 10 of her songs so my opinion is also not based on a comprehensive #study of her music lmao #i just catch what's on the radio ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[wethecelestial]

put morton’s fork on repeat because unfortunately it’s my pavlovian conditioning editing music but it got tangled up in the silmarillion brain worms and now i’m like. morton’s fork maedhros animatic

#something something the inevitability of trying to save the people you love from their doom something something all roads eventually leading #to the same fate #something something the cut from 'i thought we lived forever / a simple obstacle in the way' to 'turns out we are shit out of luck' #something something and the sun will explode but not before you and everyone that you'll ever know will be gone long ago #i can like. feel the thesis of this amv just right outside of my field of vision i am turning it around and around in my head like an apple #the first verse 'i told you ma i'd keep you safe when the sun expands to consume our house in flames' #and shots of the two trees dying / maedhros and his brothers running through formenos to find their grandfather's body #in the wake of melkor's destruction #to the last verse 'i haven't slept in several nights but i'm not tired / who protects the ones i love when i'm asleep' #cut to shots of elwing running through sirion holding the silmaril in the wake of the third kinslaying #'though there's little i can do i say a prayer that when the wolves come for their share they'll come for me' cut to her being cornered by #maedhros on the cliff and stepping off the edge and falling into the sea #the oath twisting your intentions until no matter what choices you make it leads you to become the villain of someone else's story in #the end #oh wait actually. im realizing that the final argument between maedhros and maglor is also a morton's fork. either we turn ourselves in and #forfeit the oath or we follow the oath and die but either way we damn ourselves #..........morton's fork amv just of that argument and the final attempt to get the silmarils......wait a minute.

[appreciatingtokrev]

ASDFGHJKL U YKNOW INDILA???

I mean it is up to u love either way it's really cute also it's fine dw bout it <3

YES i’ve only really listened to the song i mentioned but ngl i wanna listen to more of her songs bc the one i know fucking slaps. funny story btw i discovered it almost eight years ago bc it was the music to the first ever warrior cats map i watched bc a friend recced it to me lmao

hehe ty <3

#omg i swear you don’t know how much warrior cats maps & amvs affected my taste in music #still affecting it tbh #more of the funny song discovery story: that was when i figured out what lgbtq+ was bc there were gay cats in the animation n the friend+ #who recced it to me told me abt it n asked if i knew abt lgbtq+ n when i said no she told me to google it so i did #and then i figured out that i was ace lol #took longer with the rest of my identity but oh well #☆—`ask #—moot: chaos

[happilyfeatherafter]

Happilyfeatherafter's ficrec Fridays

Happy Friday everyone. Time for my third week of fics I've read and loved recently. It's been a busy one so just a few this week, but they're all brilliant and with fortuitous timing if you're not one to read WIPs as two are about to be completed this weekend. If you missed last week's you can find it here for more!

19 January 2024

it dawns darling on the daffodil pastures by fleeceframe (@tasteslikevelvet) - what can I say? I audibly gasped when I saw the email notification that this had been posted. Every fleeceframe fic is like being gently told it's okay to slip away for a little while and just feel, and oh boy does this one deliver on that promise. A new instalment in the lovely garden tending series, but can be read as a standalone, this features sweet subby Dean asking his gentle dom Cas to take care of him, with as fleeceframe says "religious tones in the sexy fashion, and a decent amount of plot sprinkled in." When a hunt almost ends in disaster, Dean reflects on what it means to have the unconditional love of his angel watching over him. (Siri, play Radio Company.)

Wait for the Ricochet by @bobwess gives me all the time travel shenanigans I could hope for bringing a young teen Sam and Dean forward to the bunker to meet tfw circa season 12. A wip, it just updated with a new chapter that totally made me cry with all the young queer feelings. A lovely balance of fish out of water plot and coming to terms with a future whilst reckoning with your past, with wonderful sibling dynamics as well as a burgeoning destiel relationship that's still tentatively feeling it's way.

where there is darkness by quiettewandering (@wanderingcas) has been such a wonderful wip to follow along and the final chapters are being posted this weekend HAVE JUST BEEN POSTED!!! so there's no better time to start reading. I'm not ready to let these guys go! With an incredible amount of research, this is lighthouse keeper Dean (and Sam) in a post-war setting exploring how Dean keeps a handle on his ptsd whilst also grappling with having seen his father die. Meanwhile Cas has a past packed full of secrets, and where better to run and hide than a job at an isolated lighthouse where nobody knows him. They're each other's lights in the darkness whilst the ghosts of the past haunt them all, in this eerie and gothic romantic story that truly grips you by the throat.

Fortunate Son by @friendofcarlotta is another wip that's about to post its final chapter NOW COMPLETE and absolute masterclass in character development. Set during the Vietnam war, Sam is a law student and conscientious objector, Cas the son of a strict rich and religious family who is bought out of participating, and Dean determined to follow in his father's footsteps to become a war hero like the stories he heard when he was younger. Despite butting heads at first, Dean and Cas soon find themselves falling for each other. But the war is vicious, and unjust, and they all must grapple with how it impacts their lives in unexpected ways.

(and heck, because I can, and because this is what I was doing last weekend in lieu of reading, here's my Dean Winchester SPNWIN voiceover audio post, and my first ever attempt at an AMV fanvid featuring Ada Monroe).

#happilyfeatherafter ficrec friday #destiel fic

[millenniumproductions]

If it does pass through

I just wanted to say... Thank you. For following me, for liking my writing, my stories, and speaking with me.

Growing up, I didn't exactly have a lot of friends, only two. One just left me behind without ever telling me why, and the other was moved away from me, and I didn't get to properly say goodbye.

I met and became mutuals with SO MANY amazing artists and writers on here, and in a way... It filled that friendless void in my heart.

Fun fact: I never told any of my family members about this account or my Ao3.

Mostly because of the fact that my Dad and his girlfriend are both Trumpers and hate ANYTHING LGBTQ and Democrat related.

And I have to admit... I was like them at first.

But then I realized that I was Bisexual and Asexual, and I saw with all of your guys' posts that Trump wasn't this "American Hero" that my father claimed he was.

This site also helped me with my writing skills. I'm not like NOVELIST level yet, but I've DEFINITELY gotten better than when I constantly had to do essays during my middle and high school years.

I actually picked out the name "Millennium Productions", because I used to dream of becoming a Youtuber and wanted to make AMVs due to them being my favorite kind of videos at the time.

I'm honestly on the verge of crying as I'm typing this because... It feels like that healed up part of me is gonna break again if this stupid KOSA thing does go through.

I'm gonna turn twenty-one in September, meaning I'll technically be considered a "real" adult, so I don't know what'll happen after that, and I'm HONESTLY scared.

SO MUCH SHIT happened in like the span of a month.

I might reblog more stuff from my Likes because I want to at least give the people I admire on here more attention if I can.

But if this is the last time we end up seeing each other, then I have this to say:

FUCK KOSA

FUCK AI ART

FREE PALESTINE

FREE GAZA

VOTE FOR CORNEL WEST BECAUSE HE MIGHT BE OUR ONLY HOPE

FUCK BIDEN

FUCK TRUMP

FUCK NIJISANJI

FUCK PR*SHIPPING

FUCK INC*ST

FUCK P*DOPHILIA

FUCK PREDATORS

DON'T LET THEM SILENCE YOU NO MATTER WHAT THEY TRY TO DO

KEEP DOING WHAT YOU LOVE

By the way... I wanna leave you with something personal if I never come back.

My middle name... Is Miera.

It means "giving light" or "shining" in Hebrew.

Finally, to all of the artists and writers who inspired me this past year and all of my followers...

THANK YOU.

#might be my last post if it does go through #so I'm finally going to yell through my screen #thank you #free palestine #free gaza #stop kosa #kosa bill #kosa #I can't delete any of my blogs because my microsoft code thing is shitty so I have no choice but to leave them up. I may rarely update it

[exilepurify]

The first OVA for MP100 has really interesting connotations in terms of what Reigen actually knows about Mob’s experiences. Reigen’s the one who’s narrating the recap, so we can assume the perspective and the things he mentions are solely based on his own understanding of the situation.

Obviously the nature of a recap episode is that not every detail can be included, and I recognize that I might be applying meaning to what may just be limitations of the form, but it’s fun to speculate about the meeting of meaning and execution, so why not, right?

When Reigen is describing the events of season 1, he completely skips over Teruki strangling Mob. If it’s meant to be a recap for the audience, the strangling was maybe the most important thing to happen in the whole fight other than the ???% explosion. It’s where Teruki’s worldview starts to break down, it’s a moment where Teruki’s desperation causes him to betray his own moral boundaries (“What am I doing???”), and it’s where we first learn about Mob hurting Ritsu—the inciting incident for quite literally every single thing that happens in the entire plot of Mob Psycho 100. But not only does Reigen not mention those at all, they also don’t show any footage of it happening. It skips directly from the knives to Mob’s ???% explosion.

In the scene that happens in S1E6, where Mob asks Reigen about what qualifies as self defense, Mob mentions balding Teruki, shredding his clothes, destroying his school, and throwing him up in the air, but he doesn’t mention Teruki strangling him to Reigen. Ever.

Mob also never tells Reigen about the incident where he hurt his brother with his ???% explosion as kids. He mentions to Reigen that his powers are dangerous and that he’s scared of hurting people, but his guilt compels him to never mention the specifics of the event to anyone but Ritsu. And directly because of Reigen never knowing the severity of Mob’s concerns, he underestimates Mob’s internal struggles and even trivializes them sometimes, which is why he has the whole “I didn’t know!!!!” moment in the finale. If he knew that guilt was eating Mob alive like that, he would’ve handled it better than he did, obviously.

Instead, Mob writes in that part himself, sitting alone in his bedroom, rather than transcribing what Reigen is narrating. And even when he does write about it, he chooses to say very little in detail. The audience sees the whole scene play out to fulfill the purpose of the recap, but Mob’s internal dialogue—which is reading out in his head what he’s currently writing—says (in the dub bc it’s the one I currently have downloaded for amvs lol), “When my brother, Ritsu, was little, he would get really happy whenever I showed him my powers. But, because I hadn’t learned how to control them, I ended up hurting the brother I loved so much. Because of me, Ritsu…” And from here it transitions immediately to the alley scene. He really doesn’t even say much. When a kid says they hurt their brother, the first things that come to your mind usually aren’t all that serious. It’s pretty common for siblings to hit and bite (sorry to my older sister—I was a biter 😬) and stuff sometimes, especially when young. No one would assume he was talking about pretty serious head trauma from just that.

He does, apparently, know about Mob and Teru torturing Terada via waterboarding. I’m assuming Teru told him that part. It certainly wasn’t Terada. He seems to think the torture is hilarious, though. “*in a laughing, smug voice* This poor soul was tortured and embarrassed. He was in way over his head—literally.” It kinda was, tbf.

Obviously the integrity of the story starts going straight off the rails at this point, with Reigen poorly photoshopping himself into every scene to fulfill his chuunibyou complex. I’m just going to blanket assume that everything Reigen knows about Mob’s actions in the claw division before he arrived there himself comes from a mixture of Mob’s bare-bones reporting and Teruki bragging about the details of power level and technique and stuff.

When it comes to Mob’s 100% rejection and defeating Muto, Reigen openly admits to only knowing of his existence through hearsay and that Mob doesn’t remember how he defeated him. However, for the sake of recap, the audience is shown the full scene of Mob hitting the ceiling on his counter and freaking out, so that’s another interesting dichotomy between Reigen’s understanding of the story vs. what we are shown as the audience in the recap.

And then everything after this point was witnessed by Reigen firsthand, so it’s not so much about his understanding of the situation than it is about the way he’s framing it (which is poorly).

Anyway, it’s super clear that even back in season 1, Reigen had no idea what was actually going on with Mob. And if he did, he didn’t know the ways it was affecting him, or the most heartbreaking details had been fully excluded.

#mp100 #mob psycho 100 #mp100 spoilers #reigen arataka #shigeo kageyama #mp100 ova #mp100 analysis #mp100 meta

[infestedguest]

Tiktok ruined the amv economy. Like back in the day edits/amvs/pmvs/gmvs/whatever you want to call them were like. the length of the whole song and had structure and sometimes were basically fan trailers of whatever property they were about or told a story of their own and it was epic. Now most edits are like fifteen seconds of the climax of a song without the buildup of the rest of the song to properly contextualize it played over one or two shots of the same guy just standing there with a sparkly filter over it.

#also it feels like there’s less diversity in the songs that people use #like back in the day there were definitely popular songs a lot of people used but that was bc those songs were just popular in general #not because they were trending specifically for edits #also the thing I mentioned abt just using the climax of a song without the rest of it to contextualize it reminds me #of how holiday movie trailers over the years have absolutely butchered the russian theme from the nutcracker #in the exact same way #like the reason the russian theme slaps so hard is because of the buildup over the course of the song + the payoff of the high energy climax #just skipping to the high energy climax cheapens the experience #same thing with in the hall of the mountain king #amvs #pmvs #tiktok meta #gmvs #fandom meta #edits #music #kinda #anna talking about stuff #vent #ish

[sargehev]

ANOTHER YORUSHIKA X FRIEREN AMV LETS GO

This one has been stuck on my mind and I REALLY think Matasaburo fits Stark.

Matasaburo is a song about the longing for change in what would be a society that's repetitive and gray, using 'wind' as a metaphor for change. In Stark's case, he's a coward of a warrior, raised in a village of warriors but was told to run away when attacked by a powerful demon. He's then taken in by Eisen as an apprentice but was, to his understanding, discarded out of disappointment. These events placed a lot of self-doubt and fear in himself despite the fact that he possesses a great amount of strength, even as far as to put Eisen in disbelief. Stark lacks resolve and confidence that's usually portrayed in a warrior, and that's the kind of 'wind' that Stark needs. He believes his journey with Frieren can bring him that change, along with stories to tell with Eisen once his journey comes to a close.

#sousou no frieren #frieren: beyond journey's end #anime music video #amv #edit #stark #this amv focuses on stark #also used this as an exercise for Premiere Pro! #fan edit #yorushika #matasaburo #anime

[phlebasphoenician]

10 Naruto Fanwork Recommendations for International Fanworks Day!

In honour of the 10th International Fanworks Day, I'm participating in the OTW's Feedback Fest with my top 10 recommended fanworks in the Naruto fandom!

Snapdragon and Crane by Good_Grief Senju Tobirama/Uchiha Izuna, romance An absolutely beautiful and gentle love story from an astounding author, I cannot recommend it highly enough!

Idiots Of Unusual Size by Asuka Kureru (Askerian) No pairing, comedy Borrowing the concept of daemons from the His Dark Materials trilogy, this is a rollicking read that will have you laughing out loud!

To Whom It May Concern by honks Senju Tobirama/Uchiha Madara, comedy An absolutely hilarious modern AU, this is the knitting AU that begged to be written!

Without Reservation by WrithingBeneathYou Senju Tobirama/Uchiha Hikaku, romance Hikaku is one of my favourite characters and this gorgeously written romance gives his perspective the chance to shine. This pairing is tremendously under appreciated and I'm so glad WBY wrote for them!

I'm powerful (with a little bit of tender) by SilverUtahraptor Senju Tobirama/Uchiha Izuna, romance This f/f collection shows off this author's incredible ability to convey emotion within the tight limits of the drabble format, and they are very much worth a read! Go for it!

Ghost Bride by drelfina and Lively Groom by CreativeSweets Uchiha Madara/Senju Tobirama, Senju Tobirama/Uchiha Izuna, romance A set of paired works that depict what might have happened after Tobirama killed Izuna, told in parallel from two different perspectives, these stories are a meditation on what it means to live, die, and be happy.

Growth Spurt by dahtwitchi No pairing, comedy Wonderfully drawn, full of laughs and life, this comic shows what the Senju and Uchiha siblings can really do when they work together, much to everyone's surprise! (And someone's disgruntlement. 😝)

Innovation and Credit by drelfina No pairing, comedy A hysterically funny East Asian take on ghost busting that I love, I nearly died laughing at this one!

Konoha Fashion by Maeko Senju Tobirama/Uchiha Madara, romantic comedy Stunning fashion, a pitch perfect romantic comedy, spectacular art… there's nothing here that I don't love!

The Narutrix Re-ninja'd by ManyLemons Productions A fusion of Naruto and the Matrix, this AMV won several awards after it was released in 2004 and it's still one of my favourite AMVs of all time.

#Phlebas blogs her life #FeedbackFest #naruto #fanfiction #fanart #naruto fanart #AMVs #rec list #Senju Tobirama/Uchiha Izuna #Senju Tobirama/Uchiha Madara #Senju Tobirama/Uchiha Hikaku #not mine #but I love it

[bonefall]

!! Please tell us about BB cats and songs you associate with them!!

Ok! Including YouTube links too, just so.

Darkstar: Little Dark Age - MGMT

I like how the song feels... hazy and confusing. It feels like a lull in a person's life from which they emerge better, stronger. Especially the bridge,

"I grieve in stereo, the stereo sounds strange I know that if you hide, it doesn't go away If you get out of bed and find me standing All alone, open-eyed Burn the page, my little dark age"

It makes me think a lot of what Darkstar was faced with. A bleak future from a pointless tragedy, the knowledge that SOMETHING has to change now else it will never get better, how the knowledge of StarClan's pending punishment sort of isolates her from the feelings of her Clanmates.

She has allies, like Volepelt, who she can't understand. She has supporters who still don't 'get it' like Spiketail who she can't empathize with. Both all alone AND open-eyed, if that makes sense

Cloudtail, Ferncloud, Ashfur: To The Blade - Everything Everything

This song means EVERYTHING to me when it comes to them, dude.

That gentle opening teleports me to the exact moment in BB!Cruel Season where Ferncloud is told that Ashfur tried to kill the Three, the way her mind is certainly racing, scrambling to comb through every interaction she's had with him, trying to piece it together so it makes sense, and then that HARD DROP

It sends me back to TNP, the death of Brindleface, little baby Ashkit, how she had to do the relay race with Elderberry, raising him and seeing him grow up into a loyal warrior

And Cloudtail too, thinking about Ashpaw's adolescence, wondering where it came from, if he failed him, if he didn't properly raise his best friend's little brother properly.

The growing possessiveness in Ashfur and the commitment to the Code that eventually makes him the impostor

To The Blade was written by EE to be a song about a person whose semi-distant relative (cousin, uncle, estranged brother) joined some kind of radical group, terrorists, alt-righters, incels, etc, and finds out about it through some kind of violent attack. A bombing or a murder, y'know.

It's about how you can never really get closure, and how attempting to understand it will only make it all more painful. It's about the vague feeling that if someone so close to you DID such horrible things, then, what stopped you? What was different about you and them? Could you have saved them?

"There's a thing that you always said and it is no words"

It's their song to me. It's the song about this little unit of cats.

Lizardstripe, Bluestar, Oakheart: We Both Reached For The Gun - Chicago

There's a full amv in my head to this one for Bluestar's trial scene. Billy Flinn (Lawyer) is Lizard, Roxy (Defendant) is Blue, the reporter woman is Oakheart in a fake mustache. The narrator in the opening is Oakheart WITHOUT the fake 'stache. The other reporters alternate between legitimately curious StarClan Jury and Thistle Law supporters.

The first bridge ("Oh yes oh yes oh yes we both--") is Bluestar awkwardly doing a complicated little dance (implied that Lizard taught it to her) that the jury fumbles repeating the first time, but by the end of the song they PERFECTLY repeat the dance.

The final "Both Reached For theeeee guuuun" is sung by Thunderstar, a massive godlike-figure who was just hanging out observing in the background for most of the song. He is a patron of Justice and Judgement, so him repeating this line is symbolizing that they successfully convinced the majority of the jury.

All that's left is for Lizard to paint the Thistle Law supporters in a bad light in another song lmao

Runningnose: Snuff Out The Light - Emperor's New Groove

Another one I've got a whole AMV in my head about. I can imagine the whole story of Brokenstar's Cataclysm to this song, and honestly I listen to it on basically every bus ride because of that lmao

The song escalating is his schemes succeeding. First, convincing Brokenpaw to leverage Raggedstar to install him as Cleric ("Studied well, I learned the trade"), helping Brokentail hide his murder ("Every wrinkle soon be gone"), coming up with new and ghastly ways to win fights ("I've really stopped at nothing"), and the musical interlude just before the climax is him poisoning Marigoldkit and chuckling triumphantly as they have a good excuse to exile Yellowfang for getting in their way.

The final part is the WindClan Massacre as they stream into camp. In particular "CROCODILES AND CARRION BEASTS" is Blackfoot about to bite Deadfoot and breaking his fang on the gauntlet, and "JOIN US IN THE COMING FEAST" is Tangleburr blocking the exit with a mauled Stoneclaw under her claws.

Hollyleaf: Fishies - The Cat Empire

Something about the mythological references, the way it seems like the singer is trapped somehow, the way it feels excited and desperate. I don't have citations for this one but something here clicks for me.

AND LASTLY here's some I have no thoughts on, I just associate them

Featherwhisker: Clumsy - Fergie

Tawnypelt @ Tigerstar: Telephone - Lady Gaga

Blackstar: Losing My Religion - Rem. Of course. Come on. This is HIS song.

Blackstar again because I think about this man too much: 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover - Paul Simon. I think it is my sacred duty to reinterpret songs about breakups as being about Blackstar being forced to live without Russetfur

Thunder Storm: Mama - MCR

Squilf and Bramblestar: Your Ex-Lover Is Dead - Stars

Hawkfrost and Ivypool: Say My Name - Beetlejuice

Spottedleaf and Tigerclaw at the end of Spottedleaf's Plague: Memento Mori - Will Wood

Mistyfoot at the end of TNP towards literally everything: No Children - Mountain Goats. Ok like I love this song and how people use it but what if it was about the whole Clan and not just a breakup... Misty smashing Leopard's head against a rock... mourning Hawkfrost even though he did all that to her... thinking about all the goddamn work she has to do... man

#bone babble

[ntls-24722]

i think the reason i'm so obsessed with DJ is because I've never had this degree of freedom or fun with any character before

I've never been, like, a fictional character person. Like I had characters that I really liked and would collect and draw art of them but when it came to who was imagining incredibly detailed AMVs of in my mind it was always my own OCs but even then I didn't have as much fun as I could've had with my OCs either.

Like, I never focused on AUs - I had them, especially for this one character who I made 48 AUs, but they were made just to have a bunch of AUs so I could say they had a "merliniverse" in the same way there was a "oncelerverse" or a "sansiverse". But I didn't like, make one just off a one off thought. It'd be a one off thought and I'd leave it there because I had Things To Do with those characters. I was always PREPARING to tell a story and guess what! I never told that story because I could never catch up with the redesigns and the rewrites and eventually I gave up.

I never posted sketches, either. I was always trying to churn out digital pieces, but the problem was, was that said digital pieces were character references. BARELY scenes from the story or cool things that I could make because I was so focused on making something basic so that I could compile them and one day Properly Tell The Story. But I never did. And I never got to show all the in-betweens and how the story developed because I also believed that my art wasn't worth posting unless it was digital.

I have had this one story of mine with my characters for more than 3 years now and most of what I have to show for it are the lame things I drew for their pfps and their character refs because I felt that I had to focus on showing what they look like and not who they were.

AND LOOK AT THIS COMPARED TO HOW I AM WITH DJ

I think WHY i came to this is because i was like "man, fnaf. It's been awhile. I'll have fun with you before I go back to my old stuff" AND THEN I NEVER STOPPED HAVING FUN WITH HIM! I have 103 DJMM/MM AUs and i didnt even break a sweat making them all because GUESS WHAT, i didn't make a fully rendered (RENDERED, YES, I FULLY RENDERED EVERY REF I MADE BACK THEN) character ref for each and every one of them just for the sake of having something solid whenever i needed to show them to someone! I made a million sketches showing who they are and what they do and shenanigans and the angst!

and man I'm SO fucking glad i made the #(almost) daily music man tag. i love showing all my pencil doodles for you all and not caring if they're good enough or not. tl;dr: make a million things even if you finish none of them never take life seriously

#ntls-24722

[livebloggingmydescentintomadness]

I got interested to watch untamed because of you. Now that it’s on Netflix in my country I’m tempted to watch it but I’m not sure I’ll like it. Could you please maybe tell me if it’s any good? Thanks.

Ps. If there’s a gay ship I just might watch it.

hi! i do think the untamed (also known as 'cql' for the live action show and 'mdzs' for the novel) is very good and worth watching, and yes, to put it mildly, there is a gay ship. like, "the show's theme is a love song written by one character for the other and sung by the actors who play them" kind of a gay ship

the untamed is based on a book series called mo dao zu shi, in which the two main characters have sex, say i love you, and get married. because of censorship, they weren't able to portray any of this in the show, but they absolutely edged up to the line as far as they could, and it's very, very, very much a love story, and one that, i promise, has a happy ending.

if you're not familiar with chinese media, specifically the fantasy genre xianxia, you will probably be as confused as i was when i started it, and if you're not used to chinese names you might have a hard time remembering who is who. there are a lot of characters, most of whom have multiple names. i wrote up this character list to help my qpp, which i would've been really glad to have starting out.

if you have questions about the fantasy tropes being used, you can ask me and i'll try to remember what i can lol.

beyond culture differences being confusing, and how now and then the cgi seems to have been done with ms paint, my only real criticism of the show is the misogyny. the period-typical sexism is one thing, but by the end of the show almost every single female character is dead and i find that kind of inexcusable. some of them had to die for plot reasons - and lots of men died too, to be fair - but all but one minor character? yeesh.

that aside, i really loved it. the sets, scenery, and costumes are stunning, i adore the two main characters to bits (PEAK adhd x autism otp), and it's a pretty interesting story, with a lot more to it than the romance, though the romance is the core plot. it's just a gorgeous love story.

the one thing that everyone told me when i started it and i tell everyone starting it is, get to at least the third episode before deciding you don't like it. the first two are kind of weird, and the most confusing part. get to at least when the flashback starts before giving up.

if you don't care about spoilers and want to get a better idea of how queer we're talking, this amv is basically wangxian condensed to a chronological six minutes.

and for anyone who doesn't have netflix, you can actually watch the whole show for free on youtube. enjoy!

#the untamed #anonymous #ask

[fettiowi]

Ok this post is giving me flashbacks to that one story i have told a million times and i will tell it again

I used to do this a lot when i was around 8 years old, i would basically only listen to music through AMVs and PMVs

On my 9th birthday i had a slumber party with my friends and i put on some "music"(AMVs) on the computer for us to dance to

Midway through one of those one of my friends points at the screen and asks me "are those 2 dating?"

And the video currently playing was a SHADAMY PMV

Like those that were full of fanart set to music

So i said "no" cause its not canon and also I didnt like the ship, and she was like "how are they not?? Just look at them!!"

And i was all like "you wouldnt understand." Or something along those lines i dont remember very well

I still remember the song tho, it was BAM by Miranda Cosgrove. Cant find the damn video anymore tho

#i think this story sums up that period of my life perfectly #sonic #idk if i should tag the ship or the characters but i think i better not #fetti talks #also i legit cant remember if ive told this story on tumblr before

[starrbar]

Tagged by @tannoytalks!

To play, tag 9 people you want to get to know better or catch up with, and then answer the following questions:

Four Ships:

(Possible spoilers for the media each ship is from)

—–- Singed + Silco (Arcane): I'm actually so new to this ship, but my brain suddenly decided to hyperfixate on Singed, and Silco was already one of my favorites too, so just... dubiously united villain couple hello??

The fan fics I've read of them so far are delicious as fuck, and the artwork I've seen is juuuust amazing. Wholesome stuff, dark stuff. I love it all.

And I love the idea of Powder occasionally interacting with Singed, and like he's not really her dad (he's Viktor's heh), but he's still a second wise adult figure in her life, and he uses his thorough understanding of what makes Silco tick to help Powder with communicating with him (or hiding certain little things from him huehue).

Singed is the only character that Silco is never once seen so much as manipulating, let alone intimidating or threatening. I like to think Silco knows that Singed is kind of in a league of his own, and that if he tried to boss him around in the wrong way, Singed could very easily end him in his sleep. Or worse. :3

Though I don't think they hold any animosity towards each other. I don't see it as a very tense relationship. If anything, I like to imagine that they care about each other in some sort of way. Sure, it's partially because Silco provides the space, funds, and test subjects while Singed provides vital medical help and, well, Shimmer. But I'm a sap, so maybe there's a slight bit more there, I dunno!

—–- Misaka + Kuroko (A Certain Scientific Railgun): Listen. Surgically remove Kuroko's... egh, Problem. And you have an utterly gorgeous relationship.

OR, at the very least, actually do something with her obsessive nature! Tell a real story with it. I literally went through a similar (not sexual) thing in real life, and I have told the story of how I overcame it. I would ADORE seeing Kuroko remain problematic, but then grow past it, and learn to respect Misaka fully.

But if noooot... there's always the option to just get rid of it entirely because holy shit is Kuroko's admiration and trust in Misaka beautiful. The way Kuroko lays down her life her, appears in an instant to aid her, forces herself not to pester her for days and weeks despite agonizing over whether Misaka is okay... The way she takes pride and comfort in doing those things for her, how she calls out her name lovingly while fighting for her. It touches my heart so much, man.

And Misaka, despite how often Kuroko annoys her, knows she can rely on her and be vulnerable around her. She values Kuroko's thoughts and cares how she feels about her, past all that Level 5 "Ace of Tokiwadai" stuff. She's protective of all her friends, of course, but I always imagine that she holds herself double responsible for Kuroko's safety. She's who she thinks of first, every time. Misaka recognizes when Kuroko is pushing herself too hard, and she softens in such a genuine, nurturing way to assure her that she can rest easy.

The level of dedication these two have for each other is wonderful, and how could I not ship them?

—–- Aizawa + Toshinori (My Hero Academia): Honestly, I like a lot of MHA ships, but this was my first OTP for that series, and it's simply because despite having a very prickly start, their relationship grows into this very gentle mutual respect and protectiveness of one another, and it's just... so cute! And it hurts me so much.

I've read a lot of fics, written a lot of roleplays, seen a lot of art, and watched a lot of AMVs. I feel such a deep heart-throbbing when I see them together. Caring, protecting, sacrificing, mourning, fighting, regretting, saving, comforting....

Sometimes I don't even know how to describe it, but I have cried over these two so many times. I want them to be happy. I want to see them suffer on the way there. I want them to recognize their own inner demons when they look into the other's eyes, and then commit to being better because of each other. I've seen them through every AU I could think of within—god, however many years I was in love with them. And I can still remember why.

—–- Rouxls Kaard + Spade King (Deltarune): So I find both of these characters unfairly attractive in many fanarts, and they are one of my favorite mutually toxic relationships.

I credit one of my friends and his amazing unfinished series about them for the way I now envision them and how they interact. Spade could likely be called abusive simply due to his violent nature and power over Rouxls (both physical and social), but Rouxls is a manipulative, lying little weasel who is using Spade as much as Spade is using him.

Neither one of them have a damn clue how to treat another person right, though they both try and succeed (more often than not) with Lancer. Perhaps it's his innocence in all this, but unlike their terrible, broken relationship with each other, their relationships with Lancer are actually strong and outwardly loving.

Spade isn't nearly as aggressive with him as everyone else, he does what he thinks will make his son happy, and while he may sometimes be clipped, he isn't dismissive. Meanwhile, Rouxls tells himself Lancer is not his son and shouldn't be his responsibility, but dammit he loves the kid anyway! Lancer's smile brightens his day, and Rouxls will even risk getting himself in trouble with the king in order to give Lancer happiness. He puts off his own wants for him, does what he can to comfort him when he's sad, and frets QUITE heavily about his safety (albeit that one has a double-motive—obviously the king would kill his dumb ass if Lancer got hurt under his watch, but that's beside the point, he sayeth!)

Anyway yeah, Dad and Lesser Dad plz.

I can't overstate how much I love seeing fiction depict complex, nuanced relationships with plenty of toxic elements to examine. It's a way to relate some of their traits to my past mistakes, or even my current flaws. It helps me understand myself better. Also it's hot! x3

And really wholesome if the characters manage to actually improve themselves and start showing real affection and care for each other.

Last Song:

Gomenne Gomenne by Kikuo (My favorite versions are sung by Teto and Kyo V3)

Currently Reading:

Started reading Singed-centric fan fiction, including an adorable fic where Powder shows him her Minecraft world, a dark one where he tortures a test subject, and a delightfully tense one where Silco demands to be burned.

Last Movie:

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.

It was actually a genuinely awesome time and I didn't expect it to keep my attention like it did. Great mix of funny and serious! I enjoyed it a lot!

Craving:

Need Singed torture fics or roleplays,,,, I'm offering up my Kib for the slaughter lmao.

Tagging @blackheart-biohazards @thatwordybirb @beeelzybuth @fedorarapture @technicolorgrayscale @perchling @roxalew @50kal179 @spicytree67 (Only if y'all want, ofc!!)

#starrspeaks #tagging meme #singed x silco #sinco #misaka x kuroko #mikokuro #aizawa x all might #erasermight #allhead #rouxls kaard x spade king #kingkaard #lots of shipping haha #arcane #a certain scientific railgun #my hero academia #deltarune

[monkeydluffy19920]

Reasons to love Mugiwaras: Usopp

It’s been ages but here we are again, back with the series  where I share thoughts about why I think a certain (main) character is popular in One Piece.

This series is mainly focused on the canon material but there might be bit about fillers/movies as well to make references on and since it’s impossible to include every single detail here, I try to pinpoint certain things but feel free to add stuff if something is missing :) 

The very first time talked about Sanji and then I wrote about Nami.  This part is inspired by  Luffy vs Usopp amv  (when I realized I  haven’t pondered Luffy vs Usopp much in past).  Now let’s continue the  journey and talk  about  what makes Usopp popular and lovable character (in my opinion).

This  long post might include some unorganized thoughts, repeat and perhaps spoilers, so you’ve been warned!:D

So first thing first about Usopp, in general. He is a great storyteller, a little cowardish but a great friend. Main reason I like in his character is that Usopp is very human. He isn’t the strongest one in the crew, has lots of things he is afraid of but he has a big heart and isn’t afraid to show his emotions.

Like other Straw Hats, he has a sad past too. There isn’t much told but we learnt that Yasopp has been in Shanks’ crew for a long time and Usopp’s  mother died of a illness when he was a kid. Hard to imagine this poor guy had to grow up all alone (basically) and he started lying at a early age.

It’s very heartbreaking to realize that reasons behind his "Pirates are coming”-thing was that deep down the little boy just wanted that his father could return back and he just tried to cheer his sick mom. He could’ve stopped after his mom passed away but maybe it was his way to handle the loss of both parents.

But I think it was really adorable that even though the villagers did seem annoyed by Usopp’s “prank”, then eventually when he didn’t do his daily basis (after beating Kuro) the villagers kept wondering where the sniper was, so this became sort of a “tradition” in his village. It’s great though that his friends a.k.a other members from the Usopp Pirate group decided to keep the traditions alive.

Oda’s way to write characters is amazing and Usopp isn’t an exception. It is clear that Usopp has had a very steady development. Whereas lying and cowardness is partly used as comical reliefs and “running gags” of his, at the same there is much deeper meaning behind his behavior. Lying and storytelling is important part of what makes Usopp who he is and someone would say it’s not healthy but it’s probably where how tends to mask his flaws. We learn later in that deep down Usopp has lack of self-worth and fear of getting abandoned which results that especially before Time Skip he was afraid of unknown and saw himself as a burden due to his physical weakness

Further thoughts are written in “More thoughts about Luffy vs. Usopp-post” but his pride was one of the reason why things escalated with Luffy so badly back then but also the constant fear of not being enough fed all these decisions and he in burst of emotions decided the crew will be better without him. 

Another reason for Luffy vs Usopp fight was his dream.  When entering the Grand Line Usopp told that his dream is to become a  brave sea warrior since he idolizes his father Yasopp a lot. However,  after his real journey on the seas begins so begins his inner crises  because what stands on his way are the limits.  So, before the Time Skip  he wanted to be something he wasn’t.

Usopp knows that brave  warriors are incredibly strong and fearless (like Dorry and Brogy, the  giants from Little Garden who greatly inspire him) and back then he was well aware of the reality (that he isn’t yet ready to be one) and that hurt him and fed his fears and self-esteem problems even more. 

This theme has been going along with Usopp throughout the story. So, although Usopp had learnt slowly to push back his fear and stand up for his nakama in tight situations (for example in Alabasta he was beaten to pulp and still refused to give up and stayed with Nami in Skypiea although Enel was a threat), at the same time they were adventuring, the inner doubts kept stacking, until it exploded badly in Water 7 arc. It’s because he tends to compare himself to the others, especially the Monster Trio (who literally have the monstrous powers).

The robbery of the Skypiea money and the suggestion of replacing Going Merry were definitely the final straws for Usopp and things escalated. Luffy apologized in middle of the bickering but Usopp wasn’t ready to give up on the argument and then challenged him to a 1 vs 1 (perhaps partly to test his strength but mostly because he really wanted to fight for Merry’s future).

Despite being already heavily wounded Usopp didn’t fled from the duel although he could’ve easily trolled them and escape. He still stood up for his policies. Deep down, he didn’t want to back off although he probably knew that Luffy would win eventually. The loss put his remains of self worth into zero point but then on the other hand, later he wanted to help to get Robin back (but was too ashamed to face his captain after the loss and the arguments) so he became an ally as Sogeking

This disguise made him braver but again he was put face to face with his fears and limits when he got almost killed by Jabra. Sanji comes to save him but instead of scolding, the cook motivated him to realize that they need Usopp to trust himself instead of hiding behind the alter ego he created and this is the moment when Usopp started to realize he has unique strengths too.

So, it’s after Enies Lobby that opened Usopp’s eyes for good. After it he starts to see also his strengths (of course sometimes he still gets surprised by his skills but now he is even more skilled). He already proved to be very fast as a battler, very intelligent (good with gadgets, Nami’s weapon is great example of this) and a  very talented sniper. Then after Time Skip Usopp became a source of inspiration in Dressrosa and on top of that he has always been admired by Chopper (who believes his stories). These are some positive influences that has made good for Usopp’s self-esteem. 

That’s not the only character growth though, Usopp has had in my opinion quite steady development throughout the series. First one is in his very own arc. There are more thoughts about it in  Emotional slaps in One Piece-post but shortly said Usopp tries to tell Kaya the truth about her butler but gets an emotional slap instead.  Lying has been a silly entertainment for him but now backfired him, after all it’s hard to be taken seriously if you tell stories all the time and suddenly burst out “the truth”.

Well the slap may have been a “wake up call” so after Syrup Village he gathered his bravery to stand up against Kuro in order to protect his loved ones but then later Usopp’s next big step was in Arlong Park when fools Chuu with his ketchup trick and plans a story how he barely survived and then realizes (when comparing himself to others) that no, he is now a pirate and he needs to do something, literally since his nakamas fight in the frontline too. So he faces his fears, challenges Chuu and wins and this is the first fight he survived all alone! (a great achievement especially when coming to the fact that his equipments were at that time still “rookie level”)¨

Perhaps his interest in building gadgets roots partly from his poor self-esteem. He wants to become stronger too and knows how to build things so why not using the skills for it (let’s not forget that he offered to help Nami to build her a better weapon). 

Another of Usopp’s time was to shine in Thriller Bark when he turned out to be immune to Perona’s ghosts whereas even the Monster Trio (whom he idolizes and compares himself to) couldn’t.  Then when they were separated by Kuma and after Ace died, Usopp became very determined to find a way to help his captain and rejoin and did show lack of fear when meeting scary obstacles. 

After the Time Skip he has changed a lot in a good way. He is now stronger and more confident. He still likes to lie every once in a while but it’s not always to feed his self-esteem, more like force of habit and to entertain (and for comical reliefs). In other words the matured Usopp doesn’t lie just to feel good about himself (now he knows he is a important piece of the Strawhat crew and knows he has abilities to fight off even scary enemies) like he used to.

As a crewmember point of view, Usopp has always been a good handyman in the ship but not only that, he has also been good with mechanics and therefore has had potential even before Enies Lobby.  He can be the responsible adult but also there is this kid-hearted side of his where Usopp puts up with shenanigans.

Luffy and Usopp are definitely best buddies and  and sometimes they have these moments when they share one same braincell *laughs* They also share one common goal: to reunite with Red Hair Pirates crew.  Despite the good and close bond, Usopp took a long time before he started to see Luffy more as his actual captain than a close friend. 

It is mostly because in some ways they are complete opposite: Luffy is physically strong and has an impulsive and carefree nature whereas Usopp tends to hesitate more and has more knowledge and agility instead of muscles. Like written earlier, Usopp had difficulties to keep up with Luffy’s spontaneous and carefree nature.

One of my favorite panels from the whole series is when Usopp takes off his mask and reveals himself to Luffy. He tries to act cool and denies he didn’t come for Luffy’s sake (although he partly did, because he wanted to help too with Robin’s retrieval and didn’t want his captain to give up, since they were so close to their goal). What probably made this whole scenario more powerful was that Usopp  knew how to get Luffy back to the fight and he didn’t hesitate with the motivating, even though they were separated and even offered himself to face Lucci to spare Luffy although he knew he wouldn’t stand a chance. That’s loyalty and bravery, just like when Usopp was beaten into pulp in Alabasta and still stood against Baroque Works once they mocked Luffy. 

What probably makes their nakamaship even more unique is that their arguments lead to the breaking point but they later both understood what to do in order to fix it. 

Zoro and Usopp, when it comes down to this duo, Usopp admires Zoro’s strength and skills (and at the beginning probably is a bit scared of him) and usually seeks protection from the swordsman who seems sometimes to get a little annoyed by this. However, Zoro already showed his loyalty to Usopp in Arlong Park arc where he was ready to slice Nami after hearing she killed Usopp. 

Zoro constantly keeps encouraging Usopp to face his fears and for example doesn’t let him off the hook when they decide by random who is joining Luffy’s shenanigans and also in general probably Usopp sees Zoro as the big brother and the voice of reason too.

Zoro is almost like a mentor to Usopp. Even though the swordsman isn’t that kind of guy who’d show outside the feelings but one can see that he was concerned when Usopp left. Obviously he also wanted the sniper to rejoin but first he demanded a proper apology from the Usopp because of disrespecting their captain (so Usopp could undersrand the consequences of their duel). It sounded ridiculous for some of their crewmates first and even Luffy was ready to welcome Usopp back without bigger fuss but it was very important moment for Usopp to realize this is now the real deal and made him set his pride aside. 

Interesting detail between these two was that Oda made this “role swap” in Sabaody Archipelago. There Usopp (who usually seeks protection from Zoro) is now the one who protects the swordsman and even tried to reason him not to go on the battle (when Zoro was badly wounded), basically it could’ve been anyone who carries Zoro but Oda chose Usopp which is great in my opinion. 

Nami and Usopp get well along together although sometimes the sniper is afraid when the navigator gets angry  but aside of the comical reliefs, Nami is like a big sister to Usopp and they share lot in common: both lost their moms, both are easily afraid of the unknown and both use gadgets in combat.  On the other hand they  both have been great peer support to each other and determined to quit being so dependent on other crewmates and become stronger. 

It is clear that Nami greatly respects Usopp’s skills with mechanics otherwise she wouldn’t have trusted him to build her a weapon so she could battle for Vivi’s sake in Alabasta.  They are often showed as together they are preventing Luffy from doing stupid things by beating him up but on the other hand they are also an efficient duo ending up into various problems in the field (like fighting Enel or when they ended up to explore Thriller Bark with Chopper, “the coward trio” and the latest, when they fought together in Wano against that headbutt-character).  

More importantly, both are very human in their nature (for example when Ace died both were very concerned about how Luffy will cope with an emotional trauma) and for example understand how hard it is to keep up with the rest of the crew.  Both of them also show openly emotions in good and bad. 

Usopp also is aware of Nami’s past (since he and Sanji were the only ones who listened to Nojiko’s story) so for example he got upset to Brook in Mermaid Island arc where Brook dropped unknowingly an insensitive joke about Arlong

So, they do share a special bond and therefore if someone then it’s Nami who understands Usopp’s struggles especially when it comes down to keeping up with the other stronger crewmates and that’s probably why she felt so emotional because of Luffy vs Usopp events (she could definitely feel his pain when he felt the guilt of not being able to protect the money that got robbed by Franky Family but there she proved that money isn’t her priority number 1 and showed much more concern in Usopp’s wellbeing).

Sanji and Usopp, when they first met they ended up arguing (because Usopp didn’t think Sanji treated them equally) but things change in time and they too start to see each others’ good sides.  

Oda makes an interesting way to portray their nakamaship: Usually Sanji acts like he cares only a little for Usopp, but then on the other hand the cook has sacrificed himself in Skypiea for the sniper’s and Nami’s sake and back in Enies Lobby Sanji saved Usopp from Jabra. Sanji was even willing to stand up for his captain and kicked Luffy and told him not to say anything reckless.

Maybe is another running gag it’s seen often that the cook will fearlessly rush into battle while dragging a terrified Usopp with him.  Eventually, in Enies Lobby Sanji was the one to ultimately inspire Usopp to see the value inside himself saying that while he (Sanji) was physically stronger and could do what Usopp could not do, Usopp possessed skill to save Robin and could do what he "couldn't do".

Re-reading Water 7 and Enies Lobby after WCI arc made me understand that Sanji and Usopp have actually much more in common that we thought: both had very isolated childhood without parents, both have had difficulties to keep up with others’ pace (Sanji in past, Usopp in the present).  

Who knows maybe seeing Usopp fighting with his insecurities and especially using in the mask reminded Sanji of his own “iron mask” and the pain behind wearing it. Perhaps this was the reason Oda first made Sanji to convince the others to not to reveal Sogeking’s real identiity (although probably most of them knew who he was) and later choose presicely Sanji to be the one with the speech in Enies Lobby. 

Interesting detail in this setting was that this became a parallel to Arlong Park where Luffy told that he can’t do all things, and now there is Sanji who openly admitted he wasn’t able to win Kalifa (and got bailed out by Nami), only for her and Usopp to be bailed out by Sanji in turn when the wolf man was way too strong for them. It’s just still amazing the way Sanji puts all his trust in Usopp to help them free Robin by telling the sniper: strength comes in many different forms and that even the strongest crewmembers are depending on one another to survive.

Chopper and Usopp also have their special bond and they too adore each other’s skills. Chopper keeps buying Usopp’s tales but also sees him as his hero.  Both of them are openly showing their emotions and are human in that side.

Because Chopper idolizes Usopp, it was hard to him to get rejected by the sniper when Usopp left the crew and Chopper later caught up and tried to talk him back there without good results.  After the Luffy vs Usopp fight Chopper had really hard time because he was forced to choose between his job and friends (when Sanji told him not show pity on a fallen man but later Chopper decided to go with his heart leave Usopp some first aid kit so he eventually chose friendship kindness and what  he thought was right at that moment.  

Sogeking was basically the embodiment of Usopp’s tales and probably he didn’t realize who was behind the mask. Chopper loved Usopp’s alter-ego too though. 

Usopp and Chopper are easily terrified (along with Nami) but even though they are usually scared, the sniper and the doctor make a great fighting team. A great example was that They defeated   Miss Merry Christmas  and Mr. 4 in Alabasta.  

Usopp and Chopper form the “Coward Trio” with Nami and although it’s partly a running gag, there again is some things that combine them and it’s their human nature and (outside chopper) their pretty human strength.

Usopp and Robin needed a little time for their nakamaship to develope. Probably because of Alabasta he was a bit afraid of her and her devil fruit powers (especially when she joked about her speciality to be assasinations). So Enies Lobby arc did also good for their nakamaship. 

Usopp was always willing to help Robin in Water 7 but since the circumstances were a bit difficult he had to do it in a disguise and didn’t even hesitate although he was facing Blueno who is powerful.  By that time Robin wasn’t aware of the crew being split up but despite that Usopp still told her to “have faith in Luffy”.

Just like written earlier, I think it was crucial for Usopp’s character development that Oda made him to be the final piece to the puzzle to help Robin escape from Spandam.  This strengthened their bond for good and it’s not the only time, also in Dressrosa Usopp saved her from being a toy.

What I like the most in their nakamaship is that although Robin loves to tease Usopp with her dark jokes, she also treats him with a big heart, like motherly. It’s headcanonish but I think for example that Robin helps Usopp and the rest of the “Dork Trio” collecting bugs and stuff.

Usopp and Franky had a very  rocky start since the cyborg’s family stole Strawhat Pirates’ money and beat the sniper’s butt. Then Luffy, Zoro, Sanji and Chopper caused a ruckus on Franky House so Franky decided to return the favor by kidnapping Usopp (who at that point had left the group.

Suddenly they started to bond, mostly because they started to talk about ships and it was Franky who managed to make Usopp realize that Going Merry was way beyond repair despite the sniper tried to repair the ship. Despite they didn’t know each other for a long time, Franky was definitely impressed by Usopp’s skills since the cyborg later asked him to join the Franky family.

After Franky joined the Strawhats these two began to bond even more. They both love mechanic stuff (i.e both love to build stuff and Usopp is usually the tester when it comes down to Franky’s inventions) and they enjoy maintaining the Thousand Sunny together and Franky for sure has taught Usopp a lot about shipwrighting since he heard Usopp took mainly care about Going Merry.  

It’s probably just another running gag but Franky compares his bounty towards Usopp’s a lot and frankly spoken he should have at least a bit better bounty in general compared to the fact that he has loads of knowledge (previously held Pluton blueprints) but that’s another story to tell later. 

Brook and Usopp didn’t have it easy too since Usopp was terrified of Brook when they first met. He was openly against the musician to join the crew but once he heard that Brook and Laboon had a connection and after events in Thriller Bark in general, Brook gain Usopp’s trust.

Although they get well along, a couple of times Usopp has become annoyed by Brook’s careless behavior: in Punk Hazard when he was eyeing Nami’s body (when Sanji was swapped into her)  and when Brook accidentally made that joke about Arlong in Mermaid Island.

Jinbe and Usopp, the sniper was understandably hesistant about Jinbe at the first time since Jinbe is not only a former warlord but also was part of Arlong’s Pirate crew. Despite all that the sniper ended up supporting his captain's decision about Jinbe joining their crew and after they’ve known for more, Usopp has  admired Jinbe's attitude and strength and eventually encouraged him to join the crew while calling him Boss Jinbe.

I think from after the Syrup Village and Enies Lobby, one of the most crucial arc for Usopp’s development has been Dressrosa because there he managed to unleash his Kenbunshoku Haki. It was literally a crucial shot because Luffy and Law were in edge of becoming toys. 

Let’s not forget that chapters ago he shot one of the Merry's cannons and perfectly hit his target and the crew managed to escape from Alabasta because he landed a shot on a marine ship which made it crash into another giving them an escape route.  So as said earlier, Usopp has always been very skillful with gadgets and incredible speed. At the first glance slingshot as a weapon doesn’t sound powerful but now to think about it: to land a shot perfectly you needs to be able to lock the position of your target, calculate the exact angle and force and usually you are also put into pressure.  So, Usopp is one of the best examples of underestimated power and indeed deserved all the praise in Dressrosa.

His character history still has room for questions that could have answers such as what disease did Usopp’s mom have? (like could it be cured in future if Chopper’s dream about being able to cure all diseases became true?) or how it will be when Usopp meets his Yasopp for the very first time after a long break? It seems like his dad left when he was very young so probably he mostly knows him based on what his mother Banchina told about him.

Aside from sharpshooting, lying skills and being good at engineering (especially with handheld weapons) Usopp has other talents too such as being a skilled artist and according to sbs he has also is good with hairdressing.  He is also good with gardening because he learnt in that island to cultivate pop greens.

I think one of the funniest running gag is that Usopp is a scaredy cat but one thing he is not afraid is bugs especially spiders. When Nami and Sanji screamed their lungs out because of the tarantellas (while they were looking for South Bird) Usopp casually took that 8 legged thingy to his hands. Hard to say whether his skills in arachnology has come in handy in general but I do like the headcanon that him and Luffy (and Chopper) love to collect bugs together and play with them when they have some spare time. 

All in all, if one should sum up this huge post (that again got carried away *laughs*) it’s that Usopp has made a long journey to the point where he is now standing. He started as a hesistant youngster and has grown now to a strong and (almost) fearless pirate and one day he’ll definitely become the brave warrior of the seas (although he already is one). 

#one piece #usopp #long nose usopp #luffy #zoro #nami #sanji #chopper #robin #franky #brook #monkey d. luffy #roronoa zoro #cat burglar nami #god usopp #vinsmoke sanji #tony tony chopper #nico robin #cutty flam #dead bones brook #nakama #tw: spider #long post #//got carried away *laughs* #//also could've scrolled for a proper screenshot for Usopp and Jinbe but kinda wanted to post this since it's been in draft for ages