i love when tropes subvert expectations because they could have made the pirate king's son some douchebag antagonist or an obstacle to luffy's dream but instead we were given an older brother with so much love it still looms large even two years after his death. ace was born into a world that scorned him for existing, and still he found an endless reserve of unconditional love for luffy, enough for him to put his anger aside and raise this scruffy boy on his own. his father being the pirate king has been a thorn in his side for as long as he's been alive, yet he didn't hate luffy for making it his goal; instead, he went around showing off luffy's wanted poster and telling anyone who crossed his path that his little brother was going to become the king of the pirates.
and then he died with the sole regret of not being able to see luffy reach his goal, but he died happy to know that he was loved; that even if it changed nothing and didn't save him it was there. he got to die in the arms of the person who loved him the most, got to spend his final breaths thanking him for all the love they shared in the short time they were given together, and i think it's just so incredibly sweet and heartbreaking that of all the paths ace's character could have gone down, they chose one that had love at the center of it all.
The journalist Hamza, the son of journalist Wael Al-Dahdouh, was murdered in the city of Rafah. Despite the Israel's claim that Rafah is a secure area!
Wael Al-Dahdouh has already lost his wife, two young children, and his grandson in Israeli strikes two months ago.
He was almost killed by Israeli snippers a few weeks ago.
Here is Hamza's last post, directed to his father:
🇮🇱💔 She was a ray of light in the world, kind hearted, gentle and loving. Her smile was something you could see from afar. It took 11 days before she was identified and the message reached her home. Her mother had a request to identify herself, but the man who delivered the message said "There is nothing to identify" and added "We have a piece of her spine and 3 teeth."
This is the story of Karin. On october 7, 2023 She went to the Nova event with her friends and didn't back down even though she was recovering from a broken leg. At 08:42 Karin called her mother and said: "Mom, we're being shot at, I'm scared to death." If anything happens to me, I love you. We are being shot at with live fire. " and she hung up.
But Karin couldn't run. She arrived at the designated ambulance parked in Nova, it was supposed to be a safe place, but the terrorists fired an RPG into it as soon as they discovered people inside. They were all burned alive.
137 days after that morning, a package arrived at her house, inside, what was left of a watch in her hand.
This is a story of a lifetime and dreams that were cut short. A story of absolute evil versus pure good. This is the story of the angel Karin who didn't return from the nova. She's smiling in heaven now. Her spirit is with us forever.
@noamagid
The memorial page of the late Karin Durno @remember_karinjourno