#i can't leave again

[iwritewhump]

"I can't leave again" + homecoming + failed rescue

day 12 of @whumptember

352 words

warnings: implied toxic relationship

---

Caretaker’s leg bounces under the table, she checks the time on her phone again and sighs. She mutters, “Come on, Whumpee, where are you?” 

The sun slowly peeks over the tall buildings surrounding the cafe Caretaker and Whumpee eat at anytime she’s back in town. 

Whumpee comes running up to the cafe, the sunrise outlining his frantic waving. Caretaker smiles and stands, catching Whumpee when he nearly jumps into her arms. He buries his face in the crook of her neck and lets his feet hang a few inches off the ground. “I missed you,” he says, smiling widely. “Have you ordered yet?” 

Caretaker sets him back on the ground and nods, “I wanted to try something new, it should be out soon.” 

“Oh good, I’m starving.” he says, sitting down across from Caretaker. “So, what are you up to?” 

She chuckles and scoots her chair closer to the table. “Oh, y’know. This and that. I actually get to move here for a few months. I was thinking maybe you could come stay with me while I’m here?” 

Whumpee shakes his head and fidgets with the tablecloth. “I…I can’t leave again.” 

“But it wouldn’t be leaving!” she says, leaning forward. “Just taking a small break from…everything.” 

He shakes his head again and falls back in his chair, “I can’t just leave Whumper. Not with ‘everything’ going on. And especially not for a few months. I could barely get away this morning.” 

“Whumpee,” Caretaker says. She takes a deep breath and smiles, “Don’t you think that you barely being able to leave for an hour for breakfast means you need a break? I mean, come on.” 

Shaking his head, Whumpee pushes his seat back and stands up. “I’m sorry, Caretaker. I appreciate the offer, I really do. But I just can’t leave him right now.” he kisses her cheek and walks away, “I have to get back. It was great seeing you. I’m sorry I can’t stay longer. Maybe we’ll hang out once you get settled, yeah?” 

She stares at him and only manages a forced smile and nod. “I’ll see you around.” 

#whumptember #whumptember2023 #whumptember day 12 #i can't leave again #homecoming #failed rescue #rescue attempt #whump #whump fic #whumpee #caretaker #my writing

[beaft]

off of my last post: i feel like corporate horror has such a rich seam of possibilities that are just begging to be mined. the helpless, nightmarish feeling of watching your life get chewed up by the implacable machinery of faceless corporations in which you are nothing but an easily-replaceable cog and knowing the whole time that you chose to be here. that you can, theoretically, leave any time you want. mindless, pointless busywork that you're expected to take pride in even when it has no measurable impact. feeling like you're running on a treadmill - always busy, never achieving anything. upper managers who only communicate with you by email. CEOs who never communicate with you at all, and may not actually exist for all you know. you can leave any time you want. but you can't, can you? not really. you still have to pay the bills.

#maybe i need a new job #i am only 2 episodes into severance but i loveee the concept of 'even if you walk out you'll just come back again' #like the reason you can't leave is not just because there's a locked door in the way. you can't leave because you trapped yourself here #it's very smart! i like it

[petricorah]

scenes i loved from Real Enough to Get Me Through by @marriedzukka <333 [ids in alt]

#zukka #zukka fanart #sokka #sokka fanart #zuko #zuko fanart #atla #atla fanart #avatar the last airbender #zukka fic rec #myart #yall. yall. dani. this FIC #first off it made me cry twice. not like 'oh im crying' internet speak no. like. eyes are too blurry to read let me stop this for a sec #it is SO GOOD #your prose? amazing #your insights on grief? life changing #THEM??? THEM their relationship and trust #'zuko looked at him and his world shifted on its axis' #ive been thinking about that line for WEEKS STRAIGHT #i can't tell you how many passages i screenshot just because of how beautiful or cute they were #the moment of seeing the painting of sokka's mom? how did you manage to make it so telling character wise--so sweet so PAINful AND so #cute with their relationship?!!?! #'oh so you think i'm beautiful too' #GOD #i had so many scenes i wanted to draw it was crazy #also #'Our loved ones leave impressions on us that can still impact our decisions and feelings even after they're gone' #fuck. had me crying AGAIN #seriously this fic is so wonderful and not just through a zukka lens. truly life changing you're an AMAZING writer #the fandom is so lucky to have you and i can't Believe it took me so long to get around to reading this masterpiece

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

The girls are plottinggggg

[First] Prev <–-> Next

#poorly drawn mdzs #mdzs #wen chao #wang lingjiao #Realizing she was supposed to have an upper lip mole was a cold slap in the face. So sorry ma'am. I won't forget again. #They are evil dumbass 4 evil dumbass and I think we are all missing out on the sheer potential of the comedy between these two. #They have way too much power and are using it for the wrong reasons - which makes them truly great villains. #And when things don't go their way they become piles of whining sludge. #Wang Lingjiao is forever fascinating to me even though we only get crumbs about her. #She's a servant girl who's greatest asset is her beauty and her attractiveness. #Meaning she's had a life being in the gaze of people with significant positions of power over her. #I can't help but read her childishness and petty tantrums as someone who has finally been given the chance to not feel powerless. #If she was a more virtuous type we might 'like' her more but honestly...I don't think she would have survived to this point. #WLJ has only known power hierarchies her whole life. Probably accused of seduction before she even understood what that meant. #I love contrasting her with mianmian because they have similar(ish) backgrounds but different approaches to moving forwards #But WLJ's story is about flying too close to the sun and mianmian's is about going too close to the water. #Like the sea mist dragging her down into complacency - all the sect powerplays are mandatory to 'go along with' if she wants to climb- #-the social ladder. Yet she is the cautionary tale (and a foil to JGY as well) she leaves before sacrificing her own morals. #Mianmian flies away with her wings only slightly plucked while those who sacrificed everything to reach for the top crash and burn.

[p4nishers]

crowley saying "if any harm comes to aziraphale because of this i will–" to gabriel is SO fucking special to me bc he was so clearly afraid of gabriel after the trial like just look at his reaction when he first sees him and him saying he spent a WHOLE NIGHT worrying that gabriel's gonna smite him like he's actually terrified and still after ALL THAT he still threatens gabriel and i just think threatening someone like THAT is actually so vulnerable bc he's making it abundantly clear that he cares for aziraphale and wants him safe and that aziraphale is HIS to protect and he WILL protect him no matter fucking what and i just i can't deal with how outright and upfront crowley was this season not only with aziraphale but with other people ABOUT aziraphale too like he was really not fucking around this season and he needed everyone to know aziraphale is his and made gabriel almost JUMP OUT OF A WINDOW for wanting to hurt aziraphale and the vulnerability of it all is making me go NUTS

#that sceen plays on a loop in my mind i can't get over it #and the fucking 'its always too late' that follows after makes me wanna bash my skull into pieces like oh my GOD he is so fucking scared an #tired and its ALWAYS TOO FUCKING LATE and aziraphale is always getting into trouble bc he's literally the best fucking thing ever and #crowley was too late to save him one time and he's literally terrified out of his mind that it's gonna happen again like you can't tell me #the bookshop fire didn't leave a HUGE scar and impact on crowley and made him literally scared shitless to let aziraphale out of his sight #again let alone leave him alone w his abusive ex boss like my bbg was going thru it SO MUCH this season and just wanted aziraphale safe and #he would actually do anything ANYTHING for him and i genuinely need to lie down for a minute hold on #good omens #good omens s2 #azicrow #crowley #aziraphale #aziracrow #ineffable spouses #good omens season 2 #ineffable husbands #go s2

[kneelingshadowsalome]

eating König x high school sweetheart up like a buffet tbh [Gordon Ramsey voice] finally some good fucking food 🤌🔥

What if König and Sweetheart had an oops baby? Sweetheart is estatic because it’s the best of both of them and König would be the best dad! You’ve overcome your pasts to build a sweet little future together!!

He agrees that he would be the best dad (to anyone else’s baby, not hers 😤) but is panicking because his plans to leave her in the dust have been effectively put on hold for 18 years. She didn’t baby trap him, he obvs baby-trapped her!! He’s goes into Turbo Cope Mode and convinces himself that no one will want her as a single mom, and that no one is more qualified to raise HIS baby than HIM. He’ll play happy family for now (⬅️ will play happy family forever).

I just imagine him breeding her like crazy ("out of revenge") until there's 5 carbon copies of him and her running around and calling him 'daddy' and her, 'mommy' :) It stopped being an "oops" at the third one but he simply can't stop himself!

He wasn't sure what his plan was but it def wasn't this: her being like a ray of sun when he comes back home, kids running around everywhere and practically climbing him like koalas, asking if he has anything for them, the oldest even snatches his knife out of it's sheath when he's preoccupied with grabbing this crawling little thing on the floor before it bonks its head.

"The babysitter cancelled at the last minute," she breaths a smile and a kiss on his lips while the 3 months old baby König is staring at them wide-mouthed. "Perhaps it's a good thing, otherwise you'd have too much time in your hands to knock me up again..."

#the tug of war between “our babies are even cuter than I ever imagined” and “this is just for show” is a whole other war for könig #also can you imagine his pride for being such a bull?? #of course he takes the full credit for getting her pregnant over and over again #he can't leave her because he'd be even worse than his father if he did #it's because of this not because he loves her or anything like that >:( #also how funny it would be if the knife stealer was his firstborn son #he's looking into his own gremlin eyes everytime he sees this 5 yr old “König” #tw kids

[inkskinned]

im gonna start a fight; and, at the same time, i need you to take this in the most good-faith way possible, but:

videos that involve body-checking and intentionally (and uncritically) show a mealplan of an unhealthy number of calories are just a revamped version of pro-ana food diaries.

and yeah, i know there's arguments. i address some of them under the cut. but at the end of the day, we're just coming back to romanticizing mental illness; we've just found a better platform for it.

this is already something we've done. we knew it was wrong and tried to stop it. and tbh. it just wasn't enough.

there are people who argue "well, what if you have an eating disorder, you can't help it if you don't eat!" except that as someone with an ED; we are not infants. we know what we're doing. part of having an ED is that you are like, maybe too self-aware. even if we can't help our own food choices, we don't need to fucking romanticize the disorder - something we've been warning you about since 2013. there are hours of setup, filming, and editing that go into these videos. they do not happen to fall into place randomly. there is a reason they are pieced together to be beautiful, bright, inspiring.

there's this woman who pretty much only posts daily plans under a normal amount of calories, and everyone defends her saying but it's better than nothing! and i'm like. except she opens those with images of her showing off her body and provides no context in the video or caption that suggests that she believes what she's doing is unhealthy. she has hundreds of thousands of followers on a platform designed for young kids and teens. i refuse to believe that by accident her content just happens to be cheery advice on "healthy" versions of starving.

for any other symptom of mental illness, we would be incredibly enraged by this kind of placid acceptance of a "tips and tricks" fast-start guide. imagine if people posted pink & pretty videos saying "best places to cut yourself" as if it was a fucking storytime. we, as a society, are so fucking fatphobic that we would rather accept blatantly harmful displays of self harm than admit that we are obsessed with a hyper-thin body type.

i am not suggesting someone never talks about their disorder. i talk about mine. actually, it's a plot point in my book.

here's the difference: i recognize it's a fucking mental illness. i am very careful to never mention a specific weight, eating pattern, or calorie plan. i always make sure to position it as something that ruined my fucking life. i do not put cheery music in the background and hearts and sparkles over my worst moments. i do not film it in bright light. i do not start each passage with an image of a thin body followed by "here's how to look like her."

eating disorders should not be framed as aspirational. and the problem is that society worships the "after" image, so long as you don't get too sick. there is a reason so many people who quit being "influencers" will later admit - i wasn't eating well that whole time; an obsession with food was completely destroying my life.

we let any uncredited, uncertified person write the most backwards, fucked up shit about how to get the body you desire! because the underlying, secret belief is: well, at least they're thin! and the real thing that fucking gets me each time - they make fucking money off of it. their irresponsibility and societal harm literally pays off for them.

"why do you care so much." "don't like it don't look." "so what if people experiment with new ways of thinking of food?"

thank you for asking. we're about to get extremely personal. it's because when i was 18 i discovered "thinspiration"/"thinspo." and it absolutely influenced, shaped, and codified my pre-existing eating disorder. i went from having some troubling habits and traits to being incredibly unwell within what felt like a matter of days. there were actual pages designed to train me on how to have an ED correctly. it was all so suddenly easy. i was sick; and the nature of the illness meant - i wanted to be sicker.

it takes an average of 7 years for a person to fully recover. i know this personally - even now, 10 years from the worst of it, i still fucking struggle. i am so much happier now and i eat what i want and i literally don't think about food at all (19 year old me would shudder) and yet - i still fucking know the calories of plain toast with butter.

an eating disorder is one of the deadliest types of mental illness. over 1 in 4 people with an ED will attempt suicide.

and i'm sorry. i just do not see the exchange rate of "high rate of engagement" versus "the value of a human life."

#and there's something else in there about like .... #tbh once i got over something like 1k followers #i stopped being specific about my ED for a REASON. #yes on ur personal locked blog that u use like a diary go ahead etc #but we are OBVIOUSLY not talking about that. we're talking about the sheer NUMBER of people i could be talking about #in that one paragraph. that you and i probably were thinking about 2 different influencers #bc they get to say that they're just posting FITNESS and if it's FITNESS it's OKAY and im like #jesus christ lord almighty #every person in recovery from an ED: this is incredibly dangerous holy shit do you know how much this would have triggered me #each of these ppl: how dare you!!!!!!!!! i am only harming those who WANT to engage with my content!!!!! #their followers: leave them alone !!! they can't help that they make an hours-long choice to frame their disorder as if it was #fucking cottagecore !!!! #like girlie this person needs THERAPY #again! i didn't even have that large of a following before i IMMEDIATELY deleted any specific mention of calories food etc #bc i recognize responsibility and i didnt EVER want to even ACCIDENTALLY encourage this #and im not even GETTING PAID FOR THIS!!! #aND THEY ARE!!! #something something something they know this content makes them money #they don't give a SHIT about u babe

[edeluarts]

Really happy with how she turned out! I decided to give her some naiad features, inspired by this post and it was really fun! I hc that she can breathe underwater (even though she doesn't have gills. Do naiads have gills?), although I am not sure if she can do it freely or for a limited amount of time 🤔

The fabric piece covering her chest was loosely inspired by 18th century neckerchiefs, because I wasn't sure how the Mycenaean open chest fashion would fly with the censorship here or on other platforms ¯⁠\⁠_(•⁠ ⁠▽⁠ ⁠•⁠;)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

#I can leave comments and reblog posts again #yay #the odyssey #tagamemnon #penelope #character design #my art tag #I hc that she took over Odysseus' duties while he was away and got to be a reigning queen for about 10-13 years #until the suitors took over. It's a pretty long rant and I can't fit it into tags #this is her design before that #her being a ruler wouldn't really have been possible by Homer's time because of how the ancient Greece treated women #but since the story was set in Mycenaean Greece... maybe? Just maybe she could have enough authority for the assembly to take her seriously #epic the musical #epic the musical fanart #greek mythology #maybe this hc would change as I learn more things about history #but for now it's here ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

[kirby-the-gorb]

#kirby #firearms #guns #swearing #ask to tag #daily kirby #my art #digital #hal laboratory #nintendo #it's a goddamn Day once again #while still recovering from the rest of the week my doctor informed me that it's clinic policy that I can't stay on my prednisone #so I have to either leave the clinic or lose the one med giving me even a desperate tenuous grasp on basic tolerable qol #and then while I was drawing there was some kind of altercation in another building #so now I'm on high alert for that too #also fun fact I have not touched a firearm in 7 1/2 years but I drew that m4 from memory lol #(btw this is a play on 'I am not god's strongest soldier') #(which is a play on 'god gives his toughest battles to his strongest soldiers') #tbh I should've drawn kirby sharpening a knife but this is what we got today

[coladaminx]

WE ARE NOT DOING THIS TAKE IT AWAY! ಥ_ಥ 

#buddy daddies #kazurei #no just no #its sk8 all over again but worse #i can't do this #WHY WOULD THEY DO THIS #DID KAZUKI LEAVE BECAUSE HE FELT UNFIT FOR THEM!? #i may stop watching this next week for my health lol

[little-pondhead]

I’m Not The Sun

—

Y'know, when Kon ‘died’, do you think a grieving Tim could have mistaken Danny for his best friend? Do you think that, in a moment of desperation and exhaustion, he might've kidnapped a floating Danny in an attempt to bring Kon home? And when he realized he kidnapped a random civilian, do you think he still kept Danny for a while as a replacement for Kon?

Do you think Danny got tired of being called 'Conner' after the first week but was too distressed himself to correct Tim? Trying to leave or tell the fellow teen his name was Danny was obviously sending the kid into a spiral. He seemed to think Danny was the dead spirit of his best friend. Maybe if he played along, this Conner guy would show back up?

Hopefully, before Tim completes his cloning research. Danny's been doing everything he can to sabotage the equipment, but even with ghost powers on his side, Tim is a smart person. Every time Danny sets him back one step, Tim takes two steps forward. And since he's well outside of his haunt, Danny is starting to feel weak and ill from lack of ectoplasm. He's running out of time.

Do you think Kon would feel upset that his best friend replaced him?

#dpxdc #pondhead blurbs #like #crack can happen #but i just want a gut wrenching story about tim's emotional breakdown #and he's smart but everything he's doing is making everything worse and worse #danny doesn't know he's red robin #he can't leave the nest or where ever tim took him to #he just knows he's getting weaker by the day #using invisibility has never been harder #the one time he tried to sneak out #tim found him in an hour #and spiraled so hard danny panicked and promised not to leave again #well guess what ghost boy? #promises are important to ghosts :) #he physically cannot leave tim now even tho it is causing him harm #tim is just off the rails with grief #he eventually realizes danny isn't kon but keeps calling him such to keep a thread of sanity #and continues with the cloning attempts #danny is just horrified and doesn't know what to do #i'm opening this up for some super angst on danny's side too #like imagine he had a bad reveal and he messed up with this powers #and now tim thinks he's the dead spirit of fucking superboy come to reincarnate into the shell of an empty clone #danny's powers are getting weaker and his control is slipping #so it's not exactly helping his case #queued post

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Jin Ling: Master Sleuth

[First] Prev <–-> Next

#poorly drawn mdzs #mdzs #wei wuxian #jin ling #When you're so good at acting gay that you manage to fool even *this* fruity kid #Jin Ling's internalized homophobia once again saves the day #What a world we live in. #Jin Ling really said “Sorry my uncle's gaydar is so bad. Go out and frolic in the forest or whatever.” #Sure MXY's reputation helps out *and* the fact wwx was playing into that reputation #but at this point wwx has not caught feelings. This might imply that JL might actually have a good gaydar #The power is stored in his antenna. It's actually magnetized and repelled by magnetic forces similar to its own. #I ended up cutting it from the script but I really love the convo that follows this moment. #the 'two phrases' scene means so much to me. Its about realizing that there are times you *need* to put your pride aside #It doesn't matter if you feel its 'cringe' or makes you look bad. You can't connect with others up high on your self-made pedestal #I could go on but I'll leave it there for now B*)

[mania-sama]

i don't think everybody realizes just how amazing it would be if gege made megumi loving itadori canon. like i'm so serious (and well beyond delusion), gege has dropped WAY too many hints and nods to megumi being in love w itadori. i don't care much for the ship being canon itself i suppose, i just want gege act on his developed character. he would make shonen history, with how popular his animanga is and the fact that megumi is a MAIN character, if he were to confirm megumi's obvious queerness. he could change the face of shonen with this, and i'm afraid that he's too much of a coward to face the music.

#itafushi #IM SO SERIOUS #im the number one believer when it comes to the canon version of this ship #usually when it comes to shipping #i leave ships in the shipping sphere and address canon relationships differently #because i don't care for any of my ships becoming canon #i like playing w them in peace #but ITAFUSHI #they are different because gege has created a very interesting character #a main character “normal” whatever #and he's made him so obviously queer that it simply can't be accidental #andn i want him to ACT ON IT #jjk #jujutsu kaisen #jjk itafushi #itfs #on my megumi is gay agenda again idgaf #ill talk about it til i leave this fandom probably #jjk rant

[nikoisme]

Personally I imagine that Telemachus has his mom's hair color and eyes,, but he still creepily looks like Odysseus. So, naturally, I have to ask:

Do you think that Penelope sometimes flinced when she saw her son? Because he looks so much like her husband?? Like, he would pass down the hallway and greet his mother, and she would think it's Odysseus - a flicker of hope on her face, only to realize it's her son. And after a while Telemachus doesn't know if that brief drop of her face is disappointment because it's him or because it's not Odysseus.

Do you think Eurycleia sometimes openly cried when she looked at Telemachus?? Because he has the same slightly impish grin just like his father?? Just like the boy she raised so many years ago?? Do you think she unconciously scrubbed more thoroughly around his thigh? Telemachus would wince at the sudden roughness and Eurycleia would realize that he doesn't have that scar that needed more cleaning to make sure debris didn't get stuck in it??

Do you think that Eumaeus would rush out of his hut when he heard Telemachus laugh? Because, as he got older, even his voice started sounding a bit like his father's?? Only to abruptly stop when he realized that it's not his master??

Do you think that even Telemachus would stare at a bronze mirror or at his reflection in a puddle and try to see his father - the one he barely remembers - in his own reflection?? He would imagine himself broader, stronger, with a beard?? His mother told him that he got his hair and eyes from her. So he tries to imagine something else in their place. He doesn't know what he's even looking for or thinking about. Just something, anything to get a bare idea of a man that is his father.

And do you think that as years went on, others started seeing more and more Odysseus in him and less and less Telemachus in him? Even if it wasn't intentional? They treated him like his father. They would offer him the fruit his father loved. They would sometimes expect him to wield the weapons his father could. They would tell him how much he looks like his father. And Telemachus would simply smile in response. But over time it was a slightly pained smile. At first he prided himself for all of that, he wanted to know everything about his father. He wanted to know how much of his son he is. But he finds the fruit sour. His arms slightly tremble when he tries to string a bow (not necessarily The bow™).

Do you think that over time, even he started feeling less and less like himself? Do you think that subconciously he tried acting like his father (based on the stories he's heard)? For the kingdom's sake, for his mother's sake, for his own sake? After all, "son of Odysseus" was his main trait. He was haunted by the ghost of the man he doesn't even know. But he does know him, doesn't he? Everyone tells him just how much he is like his father. But what part of him is like his father?? What part of him is like his father? Everything he does, everything he is, is apparently an echo of his father. But what part is Telemachus? What part of Telemachus is like his father? Is he like his father or is he slowly becoming his father? His voice isn't his own. His skin isn't his own. Hell, the blood in his veins isn't his own. It's the blood of Odysseus. Is that who he is?? A replacement for the king?? A mere stand-in until he comes back?? If he comes back?? Will he always have to act, to be a copy of his father?? Will he ever be himself? But who is he even? Who is Telemachus? Yes, he is the son of Odysseus (as a way of identification). But who is simply Telemachus?

DO YOU THINK?

#the odyssey #telemachus #tagamemnon #greek mythology #quietly opens google docs #leave it to me to give any characters fucked up problems and crisises #what is wrong with me lmaoo i can't come up with fluff #once again me and my obsession with identity and self #and then losing your sense of self #“who am I? a direct descendant of odysseus? i never asked for that!” is the only thing i could think of while writing this hehe #i'll write this down COPIUM #currently taking a small break from drawing because of back pain #and i am suffering #this is what happens when i don't draw

[chase-ing-shadows]

AU where Atreus gets stuck as a bear and him and Sindri have to go on a brother bear style adventure to make him human again.

also open to the idea that this happens after Ragnarok and this is the story of how Atreus and Sindri reconnect

#god of war sindri #sindri #god of war atreus #god of war #god of war ragnarok #i like the idea that this happens after Ragnarok alot #sindri is so consumed by grief and wants everyone to leave him the hell alone but this godamn bear keeps following him #and of course the godamn bear is actually Atreus #Hasn't he done enough already?? #but he so clearly needs help and Sindri can't fight off a bear that just refuses to let up #they make a deal that if he helps atreus become human again then he will leave him alone forever #obvs they end up making a fantastic tag team #freya tells them they have to travel to a high mountain and preform a spell in order to change him back #one adventure and some begrudging bonding/healing later and they get to the mountain #wacky bear shenanigans included #the spell docent work though #because Atreus is stuck this way because of his guilt #the spell only breaks when Sindri tells him that he's got to let go of his guilt #he finally listens to his brother's last words #godamnit i wish i could write coz this could be such a cool fanfic

[general-cyno]

wano has become a favorite arc of mine for different reasons and it also gave me a lot of zolu brainworms to mull over, so here I go (again). spoilers for some of the big reveals in the arc so beware

despite getting separated shortly after reuniting, yasuie's execution once again highlighted how similarly minded zoro and luffy are - like zoro, luffy gets pissed at the sight of ppl laughing at yasuie after he's killed, though they both learn it's due to the effects of the smile fruits. and despite the fact that doing so could put their plan in jeopardy (hence why sanji yells at zoro to cool his head), luffy actively cheers zoro on (from the distance) when he goes after orochi in retaliation

a nice tiny moment is also back when they're together. luffy was worried since big mom appeared in wano yet jimbei (who had stayed in whole cake island to fend her off along his former crew so the straw hats could escape) hadn't arrived. albeit zoro wasn't even part of the WCI arc events, he's quick to reassure luffy:

although I'm not certain whether law was referring to them specifically or not, there's a part during the discussion of the raid where he says there's two idiots who, no matter how much planning goes into it, are likely to charge straight in regardless. then, of course, this happens:

(so yeah. I think they're probably the idiots)

and funnily enough, zoro doesn't get lost for once. not only does he find luffy, any intention zoro had of (ironically, considering he was causing a ruckus himself) chastising luffy for messing up the infiltration goes out the window when he tells zoro about the spilled oshiruko

this is a direct callback to their interactions with tama when they first reunited in wano. it's cute how attached they got to her and yeah, they're both stupidly reckless at times but this is one occasion in which it isn't just for the sake of chaotic shenanigans - it's them getting angry at how these ppl are disrespecting what tama and the oshiruko stand for. to those present, it seems foolish/weird since they don't understand the context behind it, but it's the kind of understanding that goes on between luffy and zoro precisely bc of the moments they share together.

there's some good panels of both worrying about each other after getting hurt and zoro carrying an injured luffy to safety. they're soooo.

this was pretty good too:

their plan to jump to the roof to face kaido ultimately fails here but it's still cute that zoro's so willing now to just cling to and let luffy carry him around like this (arlong park zoro has come a long way lol). it also says a lot abt luffy's trust in both the crew and zoro that he was fine letting them in charge below while he and zoro went to face kaido together.

the x drake ordeal was kind of funny but it served to show exactly why zoro complements luffy so well. luffy tends to be very trusting toward others, even those who might've started out as enemies which usually works out fine but still. zoro's quick to remind luffy that the guy's a traitor and unreliable, and (along with some of the other straw hats) refuses to blindly accept the impromptu alliance. it's interesting though, that zoro doesn't entirely disregard luffy's opinion nor x drake's help per se - he's just understandably wary of drake's true intentions (pointing out that he's still hiding where he stands in the whole conflict) and eventually agrees to team up. love the balance of it ngl.

that said, the actual fight on the roof has to be one of my favorite parts! it's probably one of the most obvious occasions in which zoro's role as luffy's first mate/right hand man and how much luffy relies on him too shines through. there's zoro slashing big mom and kaido's fire attacks so they wouldn't hurt luffy, taking the lead in attempting to stave off kaido and big mom's joint attack (and succeeding for a bit) despite the fact that he's got three powerful captains beside him, and several panels of him protecting luffy. this one was particularly crazy

this is pretty much zoro's equivalent to "if you wanna kill him you'll have to kill ME first". insane. I love them so much. zoro may be the one to have more instances in which he gets to demonstrate his loyalty and protectiveness towards luffy rather than the opposite - but knowing luffy's the one who usually risks himself for others in grandiose ways, I find it very compelling that zoro gets to be the one to protect him in these important moments, that luffy trusts him to do it and even thanks him for it here in this arc. to me, there's a reason why, out of the whole crew, zoro was the only one to take part in this particular confrontation. mutual trust/understanding/respect etc are at the core of their relationship. it's a two way thing.

fast forward to zoro vs king and OF COURSE this mf thought of luffy when facing the guy.

I posted about this the other day, but something similar happened during zoro's duel against mihawk. when the latter asks what drives zoro to fight despite being so weak, it's this exact part of his meeting with luffy at the marine base that he recalls. zoro has certainly driven himself to get stronger for the crew's sake and for his dream, but it's clear that luffy (and his own promise to kuina) is one of zoro's biggest motivators. he's also the one person zoro has cast aside that very dream of his for so... (thriller bark zoro you live in my heart always).

when zoro wins against king, too, it's his promise to never lose that he recalls. the promise he made to luffy. regardless of how you interpret their relationship, it's obvious luffy means a lot to zoro and moments like these don't let the readers forget it.

that said, this was perhaps the most insane part to me:

just when you think zolu can't get more trope-y than it already is, the manga says: wait a fucking second. canon sun/moon, heaven/hell, god/demon zolu.

I was already spoiled about these bits, though they were exciting to read through anyway. I think it's very curious that both zoro's ancestry and his conqueror's haki reveal happened during the arc where the true nature of luffy's devil fruit comes to light and his awakening into joyboy/nika takes place. can't say for sure what oda's planning for them in the future, but wano is probably the biggest glimpse so far as to the kind of figures luffy and zoro are bound to become (or are already becoming) in one piece's universe.

joyboy luffy being considered a hero to wano only rivaled by shimotsuki ryuma is also so... oof, knowing that ryuma (also called god of the blade) is zoro's ancestor, whose zombie he faced back in thriller bark and whose sword shusui he wielded for a while after that, and that he resembles physically too (both being one-eyed samurai/swordsmen). there's a lot more parallels to be drawn between them, and zoro's conqueror's haki adds a whole new layer to their relationship, but a detail that's fascinating to me is that both zoro's presence and joyboy's awakening in wano are hailed as the work of fate at different points, by kawamatsu and zunesha respectively.

overall there seems to be a thread of "fate" that's tying the story together from the void century to roger's era to the present but choice is also an important aspect imo. zoro and luffy are an example, bc in spite of how their stories have turned out to be somewhat intertwined... it was luffy's choice to seek out the demon pirate hunter and rope him into his crew. it was zoro's choice to join him, to make a promise that'd tie his own dream to luffy's. there's a potential that neither of them could've reached if they hadn't come together to sail in that dinghy and formed an entire crew (a family!) that have all of them journeying towards their dreams, always relying on and striving to become better for one another. all of these little choices for luffy and zoro led them up to this point and onwards, which tbh is just really fucking good.

#zolu #tp #long post #yes it's me....again. and with a longer post yet #there's a lot more I wanted to mention djdjdkdkd but I think it was too much for a single post #and I didn't want to derail much #can't say I wasn't a little disappointed bc wano felt like it could've been The zoro arc yknow #still. there was A Lot going on in the plot to squeeze something more and honestly ajdjdjd I think oda kinda botched the possibility #of a rescue zoro arc in this particular angle simply bc there is no way that current zoro would ever leave luffy and the crew #much less for a legacy he's never even known (and technically still doesn't). zoro's loyalty was already put to test in a way #back in thriller back I mean. and we all know how that went so yeah #anyway that's exactly the stuff that could warrant its own post djdjdj but long story short #I LOVE ZOLU SO MUCH #jay reads op