this blog has been sold to the chinese

[hsiuism]

As usual, One Piece serves as a catalyst for updating. First, though, other stuff!

1. I requested to do this meme from princessk492 like, literally a month ago, and must now answer in parts. Reply to this meme by yelling "Words!" and I will give you five words that remind me of you. Then post them in your LJ and explain what they mean to you. The first

Comments

[hakucho_cygnus]

I hope you know that I love you for making these gender representations posts. <3

[hsiuism]

Aw, thanks! <3<3 I'm actually really relieved that I'm not just shouting to an empty room, or whatever that expression is!

[bevinbaka]

I love you for posting this. Seriously, you should write up some stuff and put in on the OP group in here, I think everyone on there regards me as some crazy militant weirdo because I'm always talking about it, but it BUGS ME. Plus, you're way better at this stuff than I am. You just nailed on the head some things that were bugging me about Rouge's part in the last chapters but I couldn't put my finger on why it made me so uncomfortable. Sigh.

[hsiuism]

<3 Love you back! Seriously, bless you for fighting the good fight at the OP comm. I was thinking of excerpting and cleaning up that last section to post on there, actually. It was a little disheartening, though not unexpected, that the most people had to say about Rogue was she was "pretty: :/

We'll be crazy militant weirdos together!

[bevinbaka]

It was a little disheartening, though not unexpected, that the most people had to say about Rogue was she was "pretty: :/

I was thinking that, too. First, what does that have to do with her character, second, she's a drawing, she can look any way the artist wants her too. Good for her?

I wanted to mention the prevalence of the 'dead mother/deserting father' pattern in my post, but it was hugely long as it was. But Rouge and Roger seem to fit that bill, don't they? Man, how badass could she have been if she'd done the incubator thing, but lived at the end? I would have been cool with that.

[printfogey]

Seriously, you should write up some stuff and put in on the OP group in here

Seconded! That would be nice.

I think everyone on there regards me as some crazy militant weirdo because I'm always talking about it, but it BUGS ME.

I don't. I think you're right on, esp. when it comes to the last few arcs. I just find it hard to contribute well to the discussion, I guess.

I'm incredibly uncomfortable with the Rouge thing as well - mainly because she died from doing that. If she'd managed to survive - with no lasting injuries - I'd be super impressed and write it down to D-ness. But dying... I find it rather creepy.

[3goodtimes]

I agree somewhat about the pace, though I recommend you read Bleach before you read One Piece every week. It makes One Piece's slow moments seem like they're moving at the speed of light. Compared to a lot of manga authors, Oda is pretty good at packing plot and meaning into his chapters

[hsiuism]

Lol, the pacing is actually the reason why I don't read Bleach! XD

[3goodtimes]

Oh I feel the same way. I haven't really enjoyed Luffy at Impel Down for the very reasons you listed (with a few highlights making it better, like Bon Clay). It's just that I think it might be a neccessary lull.

I'm so ready for the crew to come back. It isn't as fun without them!

[alice_and_lain]

I love your OP posts, please keep doing them. I wish I had something intelligent to say but I love how you clearly outlined what has bothered me about Rouge. Twenty months and then death? WTF.

I have a tendency to fangirl Oda and One Piece too much without scrutinizing his story so I'm glad when others bring me down to earth. But I think Impel Down's purpose was to break out a bunch of characters and create more trouble for the WG. And I think that Oda intended Impel Down to last a year? Which would be around November this year, I think, so I'm hoping the crew gets reunited around them. Still, I have enjoyed the current arc.

[hsiuism]

Aw, thanks! <3 At this rate, you can count on OP posts for the next decade... ;)

You're right about Impel Down, and I realize after reading the post over that it sounds like I got nothing nice out of the arc. I did, honest! But my attention span is zilch, I guess, and I'm just having more trouble investing in this arc than others, without the rest of the gang. Oh well...we got some Bon Clay action in this arc, so I shouldn't complain too much XD

[anonymous]

I didn't catch it the first time through, but after you point it out to us, I have to ask... what happened, Oda?

Sure, we don't know much about the mothers of a number of the crew, but who we have are awesome. Bellemere was a great character. Nico Olvia's story was painful, but she proved to be a complex character in her own right. Usopp's mom (whose name escapes me at the moment) was at least reasonably sympathetic. Even Kokoro could be counted on for a laugh, and she ended up saving pretty much the entire crew from drowning.

Then... we have Rouge.

*facepalm*

-- Guile

[printfogey]

Dr. Kureha is fairly awesome too, even as she's overshadowed by Dr. Hiruluk in Chopper's backstory. But she did call him "Stupid son" when he left, though after he was safely out of earshot.

[hsiuism]

Exactly! It is tragic when Bellemere and Nico Olivia die, but it is because they are people whose lives are unjustly cut short. And we get the sense that their deaths, like their lives, have purpose: they deeply impact and shape the life course of their children. Rouge never gets to be a person; all she is is a function.

Joining you in the facepalming...