I'm loosing my shit about Imu rn. Like the dude seemed to be a lunarian of some kind, or at least non human? Why are they discriminated if the King of the World is one of them? Is it why his existence must be a secret? Is it because he can't leave the castle? Is that why he bled? Or is he sick? Is his existence a secret to protect him? Then why did he leave as soon as he learnt about Nidhogg being in Elbaph? Is he that confident that he can beat him and "Joy Boy"? Then against whom does he need protection? Why is he in Elbaph, out in the open, while Mary Geoise is under attack? Why taking possession of Gunko to speed up the process if he left anyway, while the five elders do nothing? Why didn't he take actions against Luffy (and really Black Beard, Vivi and Shirahoshi) before if he was going to meet Luffy now? Is it only because of Nidhogg then? Is he afraid of his power? Is that why he wants the Void century to be a secret? Then why didn't he take action against the revolutionary army? Why did he let Ivankov live? Why didn't he destroy Momoiro Island then? Why did he use "it" on Lulusia rather than on whatever island Luffy, Black Beard, Shirahoshi or Vivi was at the time? Does he need them? Alive? Why does he allow them to grow stronger? Does he need it? Wh-
Being a Monkey D. Dragon fan sucks. He appears once in a blue moon, he barely gets any fanart, I don’t like the only popular ship he’s involved in (Dragodile), and there’s media illiterate mfers constantly accusing him of being a bad dad or a fraud. Ik I just gotta wait until his backstory and the Final War but it’s rough
Okk. But at the same time, Dragon is a bad parent. And for me, it's so important to acknowledge that.
We understand why he did that, for the greater good, to free the world and the people in it. And that makes him, from what we know, a good person (to the extend one can be while being a bad dad).
But at the end of the day though? He still abandoned his child (there is a parallel with Yassop there. But while one did it for himself, the other did it for others. And the first left, but as far as he knew, Ussop would still be taken care of by his wife. While we don't know anything from Luffy mother and the circumstances of why she didn't take care of him, Dragon left luffy with his less than adequate father...). And yes, he never abused him or anything. But he grew up with Garp as a father, and from God Valley's flashback, it's safe to assume he was always violent and one that consciously participate in the supremacy of the celestial dragon. And safe to assume he wasn't here a lot.
And that makes Dragon a more nuanced and realistic character. He had to do some sacrifices, and while it's not entirely his fault, he is a grown ass man who choose the world over his son.
So. Maybe I'm missing something. But Dragon is a bad dad. And that's great!
Thinking about how this flashback is showing how Luffy is both like Dragon and like Garp but in very different ways, and also not like either of them in others
And then we also have Roger and Xebec who also have a lot of Luffy vibes, again in different ways
The way Luffy is almost like the synthesis of all these people, as well as Shanks (who I'm not counting because he baby)
(Well I guess Luffy does have baby!Shanks's interest in treasure /j)
It's been fascinating because it really does feel like this arc is highlighting both their similarities and their differences compared to Luffy
Almost like these are the giants whose shoulders Luffy is standing on
And like Luffy is the one who will finally accomplish what none of them could
Okay, here's my pathetic attempt to get you started on the subject, and try to put some words on it. So:
Rocks:
Unlike: his interest in the past, in the origin, and the void century. Something that gives him a mastermind kind of aura, while Luffy does things more in a whim.
Like: Him telling Imu to leave Harald alone, while in a perrious situation himself. And for someone that isn't even in his crew and they don't agree.
Like: having multiple women in his crew. Which okay, that's silly. But I find it interresting that the civilisation depicted as barbaric and violent often have a fairer treatement of women. Like native americans, the Huns, the Visigoth, Celts and so on. And ye, not all of them. But it was Strabo who said that the gender roles were reversed in many barbaric society (or something along the line, I only have the text in french)
Roger:
Like; His crew, obviously. How they deeply respect him, yet they don't follow restrictives rules. Scopper called him multiple times an idiot. His crew, some nameless characters, is stepping all over him while he is trying to give them the order to go save shakky.
Like: His personality. His childness, selfishness, recklessness, ...
Unlike: Simple mindness. A bit hard to really phrase for me, it's more a feeling. But like, he asked Oden to come to his crew, and has an ulterior motive. And asked him to leave a message on Skypiea. Something that would be a bit out of character for Luffy, imo.
Dragon:
Like: Marine Ford. Duh.
Like: Taking upon themselves to save a stranger.
Unlike: Responsibility. Dragon didn't want to kill a celestial dragon because of the potential repercussion on his peloton. While Luffy straight up punched one, because he trusted his crew and because he wanted to do it.
Like: Outsider. Luffy can ask questions out of the blue. Like questioning Sanji on why he is staying on the Baratie. And he can ask them because he is an outsider. A bit like Dragon and how he questioned everything.
Unlike: The bring it on. Which is probably a hot take. But Luffy dud that for someone he considered a friend. He overthrows government left and right because someone gave him food. He has a link to those people. And maybe he would do it for strangers as well, but I don't think it was shown in the manga. Like there was no opportunity. And for me, it's a core difference between Luffy and Dragon, pirates and revolutionary.
Like: Spirit. They took action after realizing they were weak and not that important in the great scheme of things. But that they should at least try. For example, just after being unable to save his crew, Luffy is going to one of the bloodiest conflicts in the world, where he is easily overpowered to save his brother.
Garp:
Like: Personality. Confidence and impulsiveness.
Like: Not caring about the consequences. Living in the present. While I do think it's rooted in a difference, though. Garp seemed to see the marine as people he has to protect, because it's his duty, but doesn't seem to have any really attachment to them. they're colleague.
Unlike: Listening to his crew. Luffy do what the fuck he wants. But he values and listen to his crew. Most of the time because he trusts them, but also because he knows they all have the same set of morals.
Unlike: Garp seemed to resign himself to defeat. Something Luffy never did.
That's like a really rough draft. But I hope to hear about your opinion on their similarities and differences.
Not much, other than he was born in the Goa Kingdom (and probably lived around the same life as Luffy as a kid, with the animals, treasure and metal pipe), that he enrolled when he was 22 (which is arguably late compared to the starting age of most people in the universe) and had Dragon with an unidentified woman the next year.
We can make hypothesis about the fact that he doesn't have any family left in the present except for his son and grandsons, since he didn't entrust them with Ace and Luffy later on. Or that they are even less trustworthy by his standard than a band of bandits he doesn't know much.
During God Valley:
ch1096: Garp, 40, is a vice admiral, like Tsuru and Sengoku (ch1157). And even him didn't know what was the Native Human Competition, despite his rank and the fact he was in the marine since a bit less than 20 years. Which says a lot about the whole secrecy thing around the celestial dragons. When Kong, his superior, tell him he has to go on God Valley, (weird (in a plot hole kind of way) that he is the one called but no time to introduce the then admiral or others vice-admiral, so I will let it slides), it is implied to protect the celestial dragons on their "little field trip" he doesn't really want to comply. And so don't. Stating that they shouldn't have taken the treasure from the pirate's island. He only agrees to follow the order when he learns that Roger will be there too.
1161: He arrives and start attacking big catch and searching Roger, seemingly unaware of the situation.
1162: On a call with Sengoku, asking questions about the civilians slaughtered everywhere. He doesn't seem to accuse the pirate, and is asking about the situation as the whole at this point. Sengoku says that someone spread rumors and that he disappeared in a whistleblower way.
And that show either a poor writing on Oda's part, or a show of very inconsistent morality from Sengoku. He started to doubt the government only during the cover-up of impel down. Which, as he should. But come on. People disappearing for asking question. And then your friend and colleague tells you civilians, children, were being hunted. You don't bat an eye? Even later, when you are sending a buster call. And that your subordinate tells you they are just scholars nerding about history, you are fine? When you know kids are going to be obliterated, that's okay. He, and others, put a bounty of 79 000 000 berry on a 8 year-old, but that's okay because he believes that the lineage is enough to determine people's fate. So even if we can stretch it to be in character, say that God Valley's habitant were relatives to Rocks, that would mean he is okay with putting their death into a game. Even though, he accepted not to show off White Beard's and Ace's bodies, and give them the decency of a proper burial. I guess somebody can change. But that's a bit too big.
1163: He went after Saturn/Imu, making an impromptu alliance with Roger, Rocks, White Beard, Big Mom and Kaido.
Why did Garp went after Imu/Saturn?
I've seen a lot of people saying that Garp is a good guy. That he went after them because they were attacking pirates and marine alike. Which, I disagree to some degree, but that's for later. If it is why he did that, then:
Why is he still in the marine?
From what I've seen, there are two main hypotheses:
The world government uses Dragon, and then Luffy, as a leverage for him not to quit. And that's why Dragon think that children are the weakness of an adult. First, it is in contradiction with him not doing anything to save Ace. At this point, Luffy already had a target, Ace's life was literally threatened, Sabo was dead for all he knew, and Dragon was more than capable of handling his own. So no. Second, and that's more my humble opinion, that will deplete his character so much. What is interesting about Garp, his contradiction and his flaws will just vanish. Because it will no longer show that he serves an institution he knew was corrupted, but was just constrain to do that.
Cynicism. You know the whole, you get more pragmatic/conservative as you get older. Which, is a myth for me, but beside the point. That could be interesting. The hero of the marine, one of the two only marine having supreme Haki, one of the strongest character in the world, whose name alone makes pirate shiver or flew, being paralyzed by helplessness? That shit is poetic. He realized that he was just a cog, that he couldn't do much, not against the five elders/Imu (whom, for all we know, he ignore even the existence of). And I could settle for that.
My theory:
But, what I hope is happening, is that he was just fishing for big fish. After all, that's what he did upon arriving, in ch1161.
We know that Garp is a proud marine, and wants his family to follow his footstep. We don't know why he joined. But we know he didn't left even after discovering all the atrocities, the slavery, the tyranny, the discrimination and so on.
Why?
At his core, he is a lot like Luffy. They are simple-minded, fearless and adventurous. Egoistical, blunt, aggressive and stubborn. They don't like weak people that much. I will go as far as to say that without Shanks, he could have ended like his grandpa. What set them different is that Luffy is emotional and caring on a very deep level.
I talked about it in a different post, but Luffy isn't some activist. That is Dragon and Fisher Tiger. Luffy was okay with slavery, kinda, until one of his friend was the one being sold. He isn't going left and right to punch people because they did something wrong. It's because he bounded with someone, and he wants to help them. Something that is familiar to Garp and how he only have empathy for the pirates if they are his family.
We could argue that he has the freedom to do that, because he is a pirate, Garp don't. But even if he did, he wouldn't, like with Ace. Because he has a duty, probably some kind of escalation of commitment going on, and because he kind of get it coming from Garp point of view. After all, he chooses to become a pirate. Garp just fail to see that he was executed sorely for being Roger's son.
Because, he doesn't see the bigger picture. He doesn't have this raw intelligence that Luffy have. And that Luffy will ever do only what he wants to do. There is no forcing him. He doesn't have any regret. Garp didn't apologize to Dadan, even if he had tears in his eyes and allowed her to punch him. Even though he did far from his best to save his grandson.
And that's something interesting in the Monkey D. family. Luffy won't have regret because he would only do what he wants and his best. Dragon lives on regrets, about not being strong enough, because he has a duty towards the world. Garp doesn't have regret either, I would argue. Because people are made of their choice, and he doesn't see how sometimes, something bigger is at hand. Because he is too strong to sense this influence, and because he doesn't care like Luffy does.
So yeah. I think Garp is a proud marine, and doesn't see anything wrong with that. They protect citizens and stop the bad guy. And he is from an older generation. No blood, no harm. And even blood is stretching. More like no death, no harm.
And sure, people died on God Valley. But it wasn't the marine who did that. It was the celestial dragon. And yes, the marines are under the world government, which is under the celestial dragon. But that's different. Just. He doesn't put two and two together. In his mind, he is doing it for the lesser evil, if he questioned himself at all. After all, he refused to be an admiral, therefore he has nothing to do with the celestial dragons, right?
I would say, in his mind, he dislocated the marine. Out of sight, out of mind. He doesn't interact with them most of the time, so, he has nothing to do with them. He doesn't endorse/enable their politics and way of life.
He is just someone who put his addiction to adrenaline and desire to fight big fish into something productive for the society, as a marine catching bad guy.
I think really, he is just not the least self-aware as a person, short sighted. He doesn't see past his own vision and doesn't take others into account. Like Luffy. But while Garp was forged in the marine, where no question should be asked (ch1159), Luffy has a family who will call him out. Nami, Sanji and Ussop are telling him when he is an idiot. Zoro is forcing him to be a real captain.
And so while I thought that him going after Saturn/Imu was out of character. I don't anymore. Because, innocent people were dead or dying. And this monster was attacking everything. And he was strong.
Garp is all about the thrill of a good fight. Then why didn't he participated during Marine ford you say? Yeah. I would say that meant taking actively a side. If he isn't doing anything, then he can't regret it later? Because for once, his family was involved? I can't make it make perfect sense yet.
The other limitation of this analysis, is that it doesn't take into account the difference in power with Imu. Arguably, they didn't now yet about the supreme haki that could counter them. But I would say, he won't be that bother by Imu. He would just not think about it. But him being helpless could also fit this tentative of an analysis.
So yeah. Garp is not evil at his core. He is just simple minded. People, pirates and marine along, respect him. Maybe because of his strength but that's not it. He is charismatic, fearless and strong. Determined and blunt. A lot of reasons why we love Luffy.
And now?
I really hope, to drive the point home, Garp will be abandoned by the Marine and will die at the hand of Black Beard. And no, not because I don't like his character (I do), or because I don't want redemption for him. I mean maybe a bit the latter, but really because he doesn't want it either. For him, there is nothing he should apologize or redeemed himself.
Plus, from a more meta point of view. A lot of people in the military doesn't see what is wrong with their action. They were following order (like garp let Luffy leave before going after him after water seven, to follow orders), they are doing the right think without even understanding how it just keep the status quo (God Valley), and so on.
That and something about the cycle of violence and the innocent (?) caught in between. Imu is responsible for the death of Rocks. If anything, here, Roger and Garp did the right thing if they killed him because of the domi reversi. They were a pawn for Imu to get rid of Rocks. And now, Teach is using Garp as a bargaining chip to integrate the world government, which should have something to do with Imu.
Finally, because veterans are tossed aside by the government after being traumatized for life.
So that should be poetic. The one that refused to bend or move. The one who sacrificed made sacrifices for them, only to be cast aside when they are no longer useful. The one that never questioned what he did, dying he did what was for the best. And don't get me wrong, sometimes he did (taking Ace, stopping Rocks, saving Koby,...), but he often fucked up (Ace multiples times, not leaving the marine,...).
Okay. I'm fairly late to the party, but I didn't see that many post about that chapter, so here I am.
Coqueror's Haki against the God's Knight
I have to say, I'm a bit disappointed with that one. Because, as many people pointed out, it will leave almost all the straw hat on the sidelines, even more than currently. But also, and mainly because NINA2119 (she's French but she has subtitles if your interested in her magnificent work) has a perfect theory. I will sum it up, it rest upon the Orichalcum. It is a metal mentioned in many ancients writing from the greek and roman. Litteraly meaning the "mountain copper" (Scopper ganban, the mountain-eater), it was a noble metal second only to gold in value (which could be a nod to Gaban saying he was the second strongest not the third in a recent chapter). There was multiple things that could support this theory:
The fact that Imu, the one supposedly granting the immortality to the god's knight, use some kind of alchemy, and that in the western world, we associate the creation of alchemy with the greek, mainly because we are self centered.
The fact that the great kingdom is at the bottom of the ocean, and that the Orichalcum is mentioned in the story of Atlantis.
Chopper being the one who showed sign of curiosity to why Scopper's attacks hit the bullseye, where none of their did. Which was weird to me, why Chopper when Robin and Nami were there? Or hell, even Usopp. They are the one with the big brain for this kind of situation, winning either with their intellect or being eager to learn more about the void century. Except that Dioscoride, a greek doctor, made some observations on how to produce Orichalcum based of calcination. So you know, Chopper, doctor, and so on.
But no. It was conqueror's haki. And I'm a bit disappointed in that. Because it is something that you have at birth. So it's kind of predeterminated, when One Piece is also about choosing your destiny. And I really fucking liked this theory.
2. The fact that the time goes three times faster on Elbaph.
3. Shanks had the mark.
I kind of wish that Oda will leave it here. That yeah, Shanks shouldn't have lost his arm that day, but it was almost 25 years ago, Oda didn't know back than that the story will go as long, and that's fine. That's the deal with a continued publication.
Also, even if Shanks would have like to give up his arm to sever his link with Imu, it would have had a bigger impact if he asked one of his crewmate, or even Mihawk.
So? It's kind of meh for me, but I'm fine with that.
This brings the question of when did he earn it? It couldn't be like a birthright or something. Because that will go against the idea of Imu and how you are disposable no matter who you are, even an elder.
So when he went to Mariegeoise? But then, why? Did he try to be the mediator? Did he try to change it from the inside? Did he consider it not rotten at first? Was it his choice?
4. Shanks the child of fate.
Personally, I like the idea that Roger really thought that Ace, his son he had yet to have, will be the One. Because he said it (granted, kind of as a joke). Because it adds flaws to him, and how he wasn't necessarily a good father, I'm mean I kind of get why he accepted Shanks in his crew despite being a kid, but Buggy? That's not a place for a child, as Shanks said it to Luffy. Because maybe, even if his father would have been there, Ace would still end up hating his father to put so much pressure on him. But mainly: the tragedy for Shanks. I'm going to recycle here but : (Shanks will only ever be the one who set change in motion like Roger wanted him to, never the change he wanted to be for Roger. That Roger wanted. And he accepted his fate. He was going to follow his mentor's will and give the fruit to his son. So yeah. He drinks. Because if Roger didn't think he was the guy, than he can't be, he won't be. It's a self fulfilling prophecy. Even though he had the fruit, he won't allow himself to eat it. He won't betray his captain like that. But then, the Hito Hito no Mi, the fruit he can't eat or doesn't want to, was eaten. So he nudges thing a bit, and bet on Luffy. A way to change the course of the fate his captain doomed him to be a spectator, a way to have an impact. And that's a part why Luffy matters so much to him. Because he is the last mission of his late captain. But he also was the one who set him free. From the shadow and illusion he cast upon his late captain, from the disappointment he felt all those years, from the burden he had.)
But maybe not. Maybe Roger's crew thought that Shanks will be the one, like Buggy. That he was the child of fate. Yet, when he acquire the fruit, he couldn't eat it. It was here, right next to him. But no. I like it as well, the fact that Roger knew that blood meant nothing, that's the choice we make that made us.
And for the sake of the drama, I have questions:
Do you think Shanks tried to eat it, but couldn't? Or do you think he refused it altogether and stayed in Foosha to gather the courage to face his fate? One last break before things go to shit? Do you think he thought about his captain, and how he failed him?
Do you think he briefly hesitated to save Luffy? Wanting the fruit to respawn, and take it or give it to Ace?
I see people being like “Dragon really made the revolutionary army without including his son, the reincarnation of the god of liberation.” And yes, he did, and it was a good thing for One Piece as a story and for the world of One Piece. Because if he didn’t then Luffy would probably not have become the reincarnation of Nika. Luffy wasn’t born into being the embodiment of freedom, he was made into it.
Luffy is shaped by his experiences, the people he met and globally his childhood. Like almost everyone in One Piece. It is one of the core themes that we are not defined by blood but by our choice. That without being alienated by our past, it led us to where we are.
Dragon couldn’t be the next Joy Boy, even though the timeline match, because he isn’t free in the way Luffy is. Dragon is the epitome of duty. He is leading the revolution. He has responsibilities towards his people but also the world, at least in his mind. And not to say that Luffy doesn’t have responsibility, but it’s different. The Straw Hat are a family, the Revolutionary Army are an organization.
For Dragon, it is all about the greater good.
He seemed to be sad to have taken this decision. But he will do it again. Because it is a sacrifice he is willing to make. And probably something necessary for the cause.
And this is why he is not the next Joy Boy.
But Luffy is not the same. He doesn’t do something for the greater good. He does things because he wants to or because he thinks it is the right thing to do. Like on Saboady, when he punched Charlos. It was selfish, immature and caused hardship on his crew and others. But that’s not something he regrets, as he said in ch 521. And yes it comes from a deep faith in his crewmates. But still.
If Luffy had been raised as the son of Dragon and under the hypothesis that his desire for freedom was inborn, then his take on it would be different.
Because he wouldn’t have been inspired by the free spirit that is Shanks. He wouldn’t have been left on his own with bandits and some dude he would later call his brother. He wouldn’t just live in the forest doing whatever he wants, without any worries, because they are strong kids. Even though the latter are important for Luffy as a character and also his conception of freedom, at least I think so, it's negligible. Because at this point, the Hito Hito no mi Model: Nika already chose him. Because of Shanks and how he shaped some parts of Luffy (and that's his tragedy, he will only ever be the one who set change in motion like Roger wanted him to, never the change he wanted to be for Roger. And he accepted his fate. He was going to follow his mentor's will and give the fruit to his son. So yeah. He drinks. Because if Roger didn't think he was the guy, than he can't be, he won't be. It's a self fulfilling prophecy. Even though he had the fruit, he won't allow himself to eat it. He won't betray his captain like that. But he still nudges thing a bit, and bet on Luffy. A way to change the course of the fate his captain doomed him to be a spectator, a way to have an impact. And that's a part why Luffy matters so much to him. Because he is the last mission of his late captain. But he also was the one who set him free).
One of Luffy's very strengths and an important part of his take on freedom is his simple-mindedness. He is incredibly emotionally intelligent. He doesn’t embarrass himself with what he considers to be frivolities, he doesn’t care about the reason, he just sees injustice and try to help. An approach that is not shared with the Revolutionary Army. They observe and weigh the stakes and debate and plan and so on.
Because compromises are necessary sometimes. But that’s not what Luffy does. And that’s great. Because Luffy embodies freedom, that’s his whole thing. That’s why the Hito Hito no Mi Model: Nika chose him.
Dragon and Luffy are very different, and have distinct take on freedom. But the one piece’s world needs both. And they need each other in order to succeed.
The Revolutionary Army are the big picture guys. The ones that see the patterns and identify the problem at its roots. The World Government, the Nobles, the Statu quo. They are the ones with the plans and the resources.
Overall, the Straw Hats are not relevant for the marine. They don’t threat the very establishment of the world in the same way. They don’t want to. Yes, Robin wants to discover what happened during the void century and maybe wants to spread the knowledge but she doesn't necessarily want to bring the world government down. Yes Franky had the plan to replicate Pluto but he destroyed it. Yes Luffy had the power of their sworn enemy, but he doesn't know what that means nor does he care. It's just his fruit now. Because they are just the straw hat. They are silly guys who tried to fulfill their dreams and help the ones they care about. They don’t give a fuck about the big picture. They care about the neglected, the people that don’t matter. It's never to end an oppressive regime, it's always to help people who had been kind to them. Everything about it is personal. That why they are different.
We need multiple approaches to get social progress.
So yeah. Dragon and Luffy are different. But that’s what make them complementary.
Not in a I don't want them to not die by the end. Rather like I hope it's not them during the void century.
In the same way I firmly believe that Luffy and Joy Boy are separated people (and if you push me that Nika isn't a person, just an idea). Because that will be sad otherwise. The fact that only a specific person can liberate the world. Not just someone who can embody the ideas of freedom, and so Nika.
And the same way, I want Imu to not be the one being the centuries of WG. Don't believe it, but, you know, hope.
Because, it came from the idea that behind the bad thing there is a big bad guy that control everything. Like for capitalism. And racism, sexism, validism and so on. There is not only one person. It is a system. Yeah, some people perpetuate it more than others, but we all participate. There isn't some big brain that control everything. There is just some guy that oppress people more than others, and those will die, then there will be new one, if we don't do anything. If we continue to live in fiction and not to take real actions.
I have dig into the idea, but apparently Capitalist Realism by Mark Fisher touched on that. The fact that anti-capitalist fiction could possibly make us clung even more about capitalism, because we satisfy ourselves with only identify with the protagonist, and never take action in the real world, just living in our fantasy. But you know, first just a theory, second, I didn't even search more into that so, who knows?
And that open another can of worms. Like, how to end a distopic or revolutionary work? With frustration, to push us to action? Even though it could just depress us, that even ourhero couldn't save the world, how could we? Or the same way we do, with a satisfactory end, and a cautious tale that people will never act upon since they lived it thought the work?
I have no idea, just putting shit out of my head.Anyway, I'm going off the rail here. Not the point.
And so, I am afraid that people take the wrong idea about it, even unconsciously, because fiction shapes our reality. And yes. Oda doesn't have to make it political. But first it is, no matter what that side of booktok think. Second Oda himself makes it very political. And yes, our comprehension of his work is not his responsibility. Or something. I don't know. I'm yet to have a satisfactory (for me) answer about the duty of a artist to the society. But it just. It happened before with people using Tenryuubito as a slur to call the Jewish people. You know with this antisemitic stereotype that Jewish people secretly control the world. And just. I will be fucking sad if that happens again. But also, Oda is free to do whatever he wants. Duh.
In the same vein, I hope that Imu is fucking weak. Because we have this idea of people that control the world as being strong and determined and so one. And as Rebecca Show brilliantly say it for the Guardian, I knew one day I'd have to watch powerful men burn the world down - I just didn't expect them to be such losers (give that woman a Pulitzer and whatever she wants, she probably deserves it). And yeah. I just want Imu to be a pathetic and weak character, that hides behind strong ones. Someone with unequivocal views and a shaky ego. Someone that fools a lot of people and isn't even competent. They were just here at the right time, and they are opportunist and devoid of code of ethics, someone cruel that surround themselves with powerful people and give them the idea that they are a great person (a great man, I just realize that as much I would like them to be a woman, because there is not enough female antagonist in one piece, I just want them to be a pathetic white guy, I would settle for a pathetic white woman, except not really the right angle for the critic of white feminism, I would say).
And like, I think Oda could do that. Because at this point, a popular theory is that Imu is granting the five elders their power, and even given them the mark to teleport, along with the god's knight.
Btw I don't know if I want Shanks to have the mark in the past, on his missing arms. Because that would be interesting that it is given automatically, not based on worth. Just because as a descendant of the Figarland he is worth it. But also, not every celestial dragon should have it. So. Idk man.
So yeah. I hope that Imu is just a succession of unworthy shitty people suffocating in their delusion of grandeur and shutting themselves in an echo chamber. That they are weak. And that the real final fight is with BlackBeard, who will just try to take the throne of Imu, and obviously that the Straw Hat win. That the revolutionary Army, and Vivi, will dismantle the world government. That Shanks fight and loose against Buggy. That Buggy, this gigantic fraud, become the new pirate king. Because there will always be people "unworthy" in position of power. But also because being weak doesn't mean he doesn't deserve this tittle. And Luffy could revealed his true dream, something about freedom. Also, he isn't the type to want to have a strict position, he didn't want to have a fleet under him, he doesn't want to be see as a hero. Like I don't know. That would work for me.
So yeah. I don't think that will happen. And if it is, maybe it could be good because it could frustrate some of us and push us to action (damn I really have to read that book). Because all of that build up for a pathetic antagonist. And frankly that will be brillant, like for real life powerful men (Musk I'm looking at you right now). A bit like with Hody. but yeah, people weren't ready for that masterclass of antagonist.
LMAO I just realize I don't want Imu to be another Palpatine or Sauron or Thanos or Madara or Moriarty. A master mind that opperate bihind the scene. Someone strong and smart and evil. No. I don't want that.
If Imu is immortal (and even if they aren't), I want them to be Miles Bron, from Glass Onion.
Someone ambitious, conceited, unimaginative and a coward. I want someone that tricks people into thinking they are a complex genius while just being a self-centered idiot.
Someone that throw their partner (Lily) under the bus to take full credit of things, or to have all the power.
Ok this post is to list different critical thoughts about One Piece. Of course, no shade whatsoever. I fucking love the manga, and the anime. Don't get me wrong. But also, I think it is really important to recognize the "flaws" of something we love. And really there is only a few, at least in my opinion, but I'll be more than glad to discuss for others!
Bugs
Depiction of Marine, aka Oda doesn't seem to scream ACAB, while obviously still being critical of those institutions
Racism with the Fishman and the Merfolks, aka in canon there is a "logical" reason for racism to exist
Charadesign of woman, aka the crutial lack of diversity
Lack of representation for black people, aka almost everyone is white (and those who aren't have their melanin is taken away by the anime)
Woman are not fighters, aka without being weak, they don't shine for their strengh, except the Kuja
Ideal monarchy
Yamato being parts of the "women" covers while being a man
Everyone and their dad being the son of someone important. While at the same time not being raise by them, so what? Is it something innate?
Kuja captain having this weird illness of love
how women are not part of the boys club.
How women age to be ugly
The price of being pretty for Boa Hancock, pretty priviledge, not sure about that one, but still mixed feelings
Missed opportunity
The concept of the banality of evil as much for pirate than marine
How racism seemed to be only perpetuated by the world noble and various noble, not average people
How average people are not desensitize to violence and slavery and so on
Island inspired by Asia (minus Japan, since we have Wano), Africa (minus Egypt, wince we have Alabasta) and Ocenia. Arguably America, but he already did some kind of mash up with Skypiea so
I would love to see a country falling into autoritain politics following a rightful vote, not after a coup of something.
A tyrant being put there by the government to after go to war against them
Hopes
Imu is not immortal, hopefully
Joy Boy and Luffy are two completely different people
Nika never physically existed, is just the crystallization of hope and liberation or a god we will never have proof that they "really" existed
Koby will ally himself to Luffy, to repeat Roger-Garp, but also because I want him out of the Marine, be better than his mentor
Master piece
Nami and how to revolutionize the portrayal of women in manga
Sanji and how kindness is a choice
Luffy and how to achieve real freedom
Garp and how it is pointless to hope changing an institution from within
Vivi and how different angle of attack is required
Vegapunk and how scientific can produce horrible things in pursuit of knowledge
Hody and how hatred and bigotry is instill in us
Impel down and how to make trans representation gain ground
Akainu and how the concept of absolute justice is detrimental
Judge and how eugenics are not something we should aim at
Fisher Tiger and how sometimes we can't go beyond our prejudice and hatred
The fan letter and how media can have a real impact in our lives
Blackbeard and how absolute freedom for one means oppressions/non freedom for others
Robin and how resting on your friend is actually a sign of growth and strengh
Greed and how it can be more harmful than straight up evil
Usopp and how being weak can be a strengh
Spandam and how being a nepobaby compensate for the lack of competence
Arlong and how innocent can be caught in the cross fire
How some traits are neither absolutely positive or negative but depends on the situation (Luffy recklessness)
How the straw hat are a collective
How most of the villain were just repeating the cycle of hatred
How it is important to trust the future and to allow them to take their own path
How One piece critics different aspect of Capitalism
The love pourred into One Piece
The necessity of violence for the liberation (something most of pop culture shy from, having the trope of going too far, like Magneto or Killmonger)
I will add to this list as time goes on. It's just immediate ideas I had.
And here again, I love one piece. I just try to put my idea together on things that bothered me. And share it to you, because I would love to have different pov on the matter.
Not in a I don't want them to not die by the end. Rather like I hope it's not them during the void century.
In the same way I firmly believe that Luffy and Joy Boy are separated people (and if you push me that Nika isn't a person, just an idea). Because that will be sad otherwise. The fact that only a specific person can liberate the world. Not just someone who can embody the ideas of freedom, and so Nika.
And the same way, I want Imu to not be the one being the centuries of WG. Don't believe it, but, you know, hope.
Because, it came from the idea that behind the bad thing there is a big bad guy that control everything. Like for capitalism. And racism, sexism, validism and so on. There is not only one person. It is a system. Yeah, some people perpetuate it more than others, but we all participate. There isn't some big brain that control everything. There is just some guy that oppress people more than others, and those will die, then there will be new one, if we don't do anything. If we continue to live in fiction and not to take real actions.
I have dig into the idea, but apparently Capitalist Realism by Mark Fisher touched on that. The fact that anti-capitalist fiction could possibly make us clung even more about capitalism, because we satisfy ourselves with only identify with the protagonist, and never take action in the real world, just living in our fantasy. But you know, first just a theory, second, I didn't even search more into that so, who knows?
And that open another can of worms. Like, how to end a distopic or revolutionary work? With frustration, to push us to action? Even though it could just depress us, that even ourhero couldn't save the world, how could we? Or the same way we do, with a satisfactory end, and a cautious tale that people will never act upon since they lived it thought the work?
I have no idea, just putting shit out of my head.Anyway, I'm going off the rail here. Not the point.
And so, I am afraid that people take the wrong idea about it, even unconsciously, because fiction shapes our reality. And yes. Oda doesn't have to make it political. But first it is, no matter what that side of booktok think. Second Oda himself makes it very political. And yes, our comprehension of his work is not his responsibility. Or something. I don't know. I'm yet to have a satisfactory (for me) answer about the duty of a artist to the society. But it just. It happened before with people using Tenryuubito as a slur to call the Jewish people. You know with this antisemitic stereotype that Jewish people secretly control the world. And just. I will be fucking sad if that happens again. But also, Oda is free to do whatever he wants. Duh.
In the same vein, I hope that Imu is fucking weak. Because we have this idea of people that control the world as being strong and determined and so one. And as Rebecca Show brilliantly say it for the Guardian, I knew one day I'd have to watch powerful men burn the world down - I just didn't expect them to be such losers (give that woman a Pulitzer and whatever she wants, she probably deserves it). And yeah. I just want Imu to be a pathetic and weak character, that hides behind strong ones. Someone with unequivocal views and a shaky ego. Someone that fools a lot of people and isn't even competent. They were just here at the right time, and they are opportunist and devoid of code of ethics, someone cruel that surround themselves with powerful people and give them the idea that they are a great person (a great man, I just realize that as much I would like them to be a woman, because there is not enough female antagonist in one piece, I just want them to be a pathetic white guy, I would settle for a pathetic white woman, except not really the right angle for the critic of white feminism, I would say).
And like, I think Oda could do that. Because at this point, a popular theory is that Imu is granting the five elders their power, and even given them the mark to teleport, along with the god's knight.
Btw I don't know if I want Shanks to have the mark in the past, on his missing arms. Because that would be interesting that it is given automatically, not based on worth. Just because as a descendant of the Figarland he is worth it. But also, not every celestial dragon should have it. So. Idk man.
So yeah. I hope that Imu is just a succession of unworthy shitty people suffocating in their delusion of grandeur and shutting themselves in an echo chamber. That they are weak. And that the real final fight is with BlackBeard, who will just try to take the throne of Imu, and obviously that the Straw Hat win. That the revolutionary Army, and Vivi, will dismantle the world government. That Shanks fight and loose against Buggy. That Buggy, this gigantic fraud, become the new pirate king. Because there will always be people "unworthy" in position of power. But also because being weak doesn't mean he doesn't deserve this tittle. And Luffy could revealed his true dream, something about freedom. Also, he isn't the type to want to have a strict position, he didn't want to have a fleet under him, he doesn't want to be see as a hero. Like I don't know. That would work for me.
So yeah. I don't think that will happen. And if it is, maybe it could be good because it could frustrate some of us and push us to action (damn I really have to read that book). Because all of that build up for a pathetic antagonist. And frankly that will be brillant, like for real life powerful men (Musk I'm looking at you right now). A bit like with Hody. but yeah, people weren't ready for that masterclass of antagonist.
So about the marine in One Piece. ACAB all the way for me, but it doesn't seem like it is the case for Oda?
The thing about his writing is compassion. Even when he stumbles and is clumsy, you can still feel like it's rooted in love. And I think it is also true for the marine.
For exemple, the world government is corrupted, it is stated multiple times, they take credit for feat that aren't theirs, like alabasta and tried for Dressrosa, they protect the Tenryuubito, even with them being objectively bad, they don't care about civilian and innocent that much, like with Ohara and Flevance, authorizing slavery even through they abolished it, they support the "native hunting competition", propaganda, children traffic, racism and so on. So yeah, not a very good picture I would say.
And we can do direct parallel with real world's governments. And if we do, then the marine is the military/cops of our world, they enforce the law, protect the world noble, and impose the will of the WG.
With that in mind, the depiction of marine is really well done.
Absolute justice is a direct critic of some view (I would say Kant, rationalism and authoritarianism/fascism, but I didn't dig that much yet). And it is portrayed as a bad thing.
Determinism with Luffy being characterized by being Dragon son as Ace was Roger son, and considered a threat because of their heritage, even though they didn't have any contact with them. And that Sengoku, the one who divulged the info, knew that. Here again, something from real life, with people from a low socio-economic class being deemed more bad for the same crime. Or you know, black people.
The whole greater good bullshit.
Corruption. Nezumi (the marine who accept bride from Arlong) doesn't face any consequences. He tried to take the credit for the fall of the Arlong Pirates once the Straw Hats beat them up. And in real life, this kind of things is rarely punished or even noticed. So that one is on point for me.
Incompetence with Spandam (being the nepobaby he is) just accidentally ordering a Buster Call. Just a simple oupsi for him ig.
Desensitization towards atrocity. We can see Garp just laughing at the idea of Rayleigh being sell at a human auction (ch 500). And like, yes, kind of funny, Rayleigh is too powerful for that. But also, Human Auction???
Incapability of radical necessary change, with how Garp stay in this order he knows is harmful in the hope of doing the right thing. He despite the tenryuubito and refuse to climb the ladder to conserve his freedom to do what he judges right. But still, he is part of the system, he is a willful complicite.
For SWORD, it's too soon to tell. But that's a can of worm. They can basically do what they want. So really it's up to their moral compass. We don't know if they have to be held accountable, and before who.
But there is one aspect that bugs me. And it's probably something insignifiant and I'm being nit picky, but its the depiction of the average marine. I will try to be coherent about this.
So. What tipped me off about this skepticism I had was the Fan Letter or rather the reception of it. And I know it's not Oda that directed the whole thing, and I absolutely loved this episode, but still. The big brother is wildly loved, and really for reasons. But also. He is a marine. And that's when I finally realized.
Average marines are depicted in a good light. Most of them are overwhelmed with the crazy power scale, which makes sense. It is used to highlight the feats of powerful characters, just like in most manga. But also, not everyone of them can be powerful. Some are just average and trying to go through the day.
But also they are ingenuous, well intentioned and mostly good people.
The first illustration of this is with Morgan, Helmeppo's dad. The marines under him are tyrannized. They are forced to collect heavy taxes and arrest - if not outright kill - anyone that displeased Morgan. And those who disobey are executed as "traitors". After Luffy intervened, they thank him.
The kind of environnement that Morgan established is a fertile ground for downward spiral. It unleashes a good load of bad shit, because people will not be held accountable for their bad behavior, and even rewarded, probably. (And that's not me saying that we need law or other way we will just try to kill each others, it's more like people in position of power/authority can more easily tend to abuse if they go uncheck.) This leads to corruption more often than not. Like, we can do a parallel with cops, mostly in western societies (because I don't know much about others). Most cops, when they integrate the system, are not racist asshole (in the sense of actively acting on it, they still have biases just like everybody, or maybe are more incline to have them, idk). But because the environnement of the institution, this racist/sexist and so on behavior is enabled, they start to be compliant about their colleague's behavior, they protect each other and be an united front. And so, snowball effect, some start to do bad shit and they are unnoticed. And that's why we say ACAB. But, not in One Piece. The average marine doesn't start to embrace this behavior, even unwittingly.
And I'm glad that they aren't shown as raging assholes. Because in real life, cops are not necessarily bad guys, but they are bastard in a way that they came from something bad/corrupted, the original meaning of the term. They just complied and participate with the system. And at the same time they can be proud father, good husband or even decent people. You know, the banality of evil.
For those who don't know, it's based on Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil, by Hannah Arendt, a Jewish woman who covered the trial of Adolf Eichmann, an important organizers of the Holocaust. Basically the dude's job was to make the railroad the more efficient possible. And contrary to what we could expected, the man was not a sociopath, neither was he a evil genius or a main antagonist. No. He was an average man. He had a wife and four children. He tried to do his best job. He listen to his superior. And that was quite a realization at the time. The idea that what we think as "monster" can really be anyone. It's not written on their face, they have friends, a job, a house. And its still something we forget, like for rapist and the famous "no he is a good guy, I know him".
I think, that's what bug me. The average marine don't have accountability to be part of the marine. Most of the time, the marine is depicted as having some black sheep but not nurturing it. Its like an isolated incident, not representative of the marine. But we explore way more different kind of piracy, with for exemple Straw Hats being the romantise and active hero, Shanks being an advocate for status quo or at the very least a reformist, BlackBeard being the more conventional stereotype. Most of the real bad shit, like oppressing a country, was done by pirate (Arlong, Hody Jones, Doflamingo, Big Mom, Kaidou on one hand and only Morgan to represent the marine). And yes, I get that the Straw Hat have to fight against pirates to get the One Piece. But also against the Marine.
The cruelty and atrocities of the world noble is never even close to compare, even in its depiction. But still. We don't see much of casual attrocities from the marine going on.
For exemple, with Caribou and the marine at Sabaody. He tortured a marine. And yeah, no don't do that. But it is depicted as a bad thing, we are supposed to feel sorry for the guy and condamne Caribou. Which we do. But you won't make me believe some marine didn't do some awful shit too. Like we know for the world noble. But the Marine too. Like after capturing a pirate, during the trip to Impel Down, at Impel Down. But even against civilian. Because it happens in real life. Cops commit abuse of non criminal all the time. And it should have happen particularly against fishman and merfolks. The racism is not more intense in the marine than the rest of the population. (Even though as far as I remember, the racist one are the world noble and the nobles in general, not the average guy of the One Piece world. So it's more a them problem than a systemic one really. Even if there isn't much of non human in the marine, like most of Cops are white in USA. Which make it even more frustrating that we don't see them being racist, even as a non central plot, just offhand comments or shit)
But it is like if we take of the outcast of the marine, then everything will be enough. Because its not structural in this way. Yes, they show Tenryuubito as bad, and the problem depicted by Oda may be the idea of world noble rather than just them being bad person. And yes, the problem of Imu and so on will be deal with later. But. I don't know. I have a bad feeling about that. Like beating Imu and putting someone worthy in their place will be enough. I mean, Oda seems to approve of monarchies, if the monarch is "worthy" or a "good" person. Like for Alabasta or even Fishman island and Wano.
At the same time, I see where those idea are rooted in. Like One Piece is a Nekketsu. Luffy frees people and leave, because that's not up to him and he doesn't want it. But I don't know, it would have been interesting if a state is not taken over but more slowly spiral down, like for fishman island. But at the same time, while really brilliantly depicted, it's considered one of the worst arc. Because Hody is weak (on purpose) mostly.
But. What do I know? Oda is been cooking for years so maybe I'm wrong. And I wrote way too much for just an unsettling feeling about the depiction of marine.
every time i rewatch luffy and usopp arguing over the going merry, everyone comments about how usopp was feeling useless and he'd tied his self-worth to the merry and because he's not physically powerful he feels like he contributes too little to the crew and if the merry has to be left behind, then so, eventually, will he, and it's a very poignant observation
and obviously luffy could've approached it better, but he was trying so hard to skirt around the fact that the reason the merry couldn't keep sailing was because usopp's repairs on the ship simply weren't enough to keep her going, the knowledge that she couldn't be repaired because the crew simply didn't have a good enough shipwright compounded usopp's guilt and hit at ANOTHER sore spot on top of the guilt he was already feeling about losing the money.
and then ego took over for both of them, which culminated into the actual physical fight... it's hard to watch because it's such a realistic and resonant depiction of what it's like to have a fight with a close friend. the writing in w7 is some of the most emotionally true writing in any manga or anime it's SO good. ugh
dude youtubers always cry at luffy vs usopp because above all else i think what one piece does incredibly well is depict masculinity in such a nuanced, compassionate way that few other media manages to do. it's silly and goofy and over the top, but it always rings true emotionally even when it's dumb as hell.
it's still a shonen so of course it largely portrays men & boys in different stages of life and levels of maturity, but OP's portrayal of women (while sometimes problematic!) is always just as compassionate. i think one thing oda is always aware of is that everyone has internal lives and motivation and history, and even though that can sometimes explain why people are the way they are (even if the way they are is really shitty), he never loses sight of the depth and breadth of human experience. the character work in op is so fucking good. man
I have some feelings about the depiction of racism in One Piece.
Like some things are really well done (in the manga particularly). Exotism with Big Mom. Hody and being raise into hatred, hating this distant idea without interacting with them, being physically weak but defeating him won't be enough to restrain racism. Arlong and how innocent can be harm in your desire for revange/justice, and how you can developp a "bond" with someone from a group you hate doesn't equal to outgrowing your prejudice. How Fisher Tiger liberated fishmen/merfolks and human alike yet couldn't overcome his ressentment, that leading to his death, but he knew that this take times, and that the next generation could do/be better. Koala and how the upbringing shape someone, with her being able to use fishman karate. How Nami wasn't prejudice against fishmen (from what I remember?). Hatchan and how someone can evolve. Vander Decken IX and how you are not define by your oppression, how some can even hurt their own community. Just Queen Otohime. There is so much to say. Really.
And I see more and more people joking about how Oda took the whole "black people can't swim" too personnally.
But also. There is something that doesn't sit right with me. The fact that racism in the real world in not based on any scientific/biological reason. I mean, sure, we know now that POC have some facility/can push father for some sports (running for some black people being the prime exemple), but it doesn't go beyond that. And its not the reason why racism exist.
But in one piece's universe, we could argue that there is a "reason". Fishmen and Merfolks have abilities that human don't. They are stronger and faster on average, they can live underwater, breathe in it, they can speak to sea creature. And the Fishman jujutsu (maybe is not inherent to the fishman, but we still don't know that) and their ability to manipulate water.
Like, yes it's not a reason to be discriminated against. But it kind of perpetuate the idea that their is a "reason" for racism. That's not just root in supremacy and ignorance and so on. Not concrete/"real" reason. Like yes there is the whole blood transfusion that is done really nicely. But still.
Also. Racism seem to be more from the Tenryuubito and the other noble than the commun people. I mean we are kind of biased since we follow pirates.
But other than the nobles, I don't think we saw any racism? I should reread the whole thing but yeah.
Even the Marine doesn't really show racism. And they are cops. We could also argue that almost all marine being human is a form of racism. But it doesn't go beyond that. (Don't get me wrong, exclusion is bad, but yeah, idk)
And, this famous panel, ch 90 :
It's fun. It's on point for this exact moment. Because they are about to fight, and their difference doesn't matter right now.
But also, I can't stop myself to be a bit... bugged? Because Luffy is simple-minded but he isn't stupid. He has an incredible emotional intelligence and a good understanding of power dynamic in most cases, even more so as the manga progress (mainly thanks to vivi and jinbei).
So. It's kind of out of place for him. It sounds a bit too much like "I don't see color" kind of shit. And don't get me wrong, Luffy is the farthest from racist. He is an anarchist at core, freedom for everyone and doesn't care about race or class or gender. But that doesn't mean he doesn't understand what that means. With Vivi, Tama, Momonosuke, Hancock, Cami, and so on.
I have mixed feeling that I can't really explain more than that.
So yeah. It is just something that bugs me. And I didn't see anyone talking about it.
Disclamer: Most of those ideas aren't mine. I couldn't credit everyone, as I just consumed too much content/analysis to be able to trace them down. I collected some suggestions here and there and tried to assemble everything in a nice and tight way.
This is a long ass analysis/theory. Like really long. Just so you know. I tried to be exhaustive.
For the translation, I based myself on manga plus', which I think is the closest we can have from the official one for now.
First: The Hayley.
There are three worlds.
The first one, with the "earth god" ended with the creation of red line. The fandom strongly thinks that the redline is artificial. The main hypothesis is that Zunesha pull some land together (its sin?). The main evidence is Laboon who hit its head against grand line, like it shouldn't be there (we know that the continental drift leads the same comportement from marine animals, like the fact that they don't go too far from australia). And so "They [The seas] will never meet"
The second one, with the "sea god", resulted with the creation of grand line. Same "They [the seas] will never meet "
The third one, the current one, will probably lead to the destruction of this limits. "And they [the seas] will surely meet." Resulting in all blue, Sanji's dream that he must achieve before the end of the manga. The legend of all blue came from the first world, when every sea was united.
Hypothesis
From the get-go: I don't think it is the mural is a prophecy. I have two main reason to think that:
It will go against the overall theme of one piece, with dream and freedom, if the future is already known/set in stone (here in tree's bark). Because that's mean you can't be free to change it.
Vegapunk wouldn't have said "The fate of this world will be decided by whoever finds it [the one piece]" in ch 1121. Since that would mean we already know the fate of this world. Indeed, in ch 1134, it is stated that Vegapunk (using a clone) visited Elbaf 20 years ago. He must have seen the mural.
So for me the mural is about the void century. It should be read from right to left (like a manga at the end of the day).
But, while it is not a depiction of the present, history is bound to repeat itself. Especially since now the character outgrow the idea of a person, in people's mind, and are an idea. Something that never dies.
So the third world was prophecied, because it is something that will happened. In the same way that the doom of capitalism is bound to happen. We don't know when or how, but it will happen. To be replace by something (worse, or better, we don't know).
There is also the question of timing, with Gol D. Roger. We don't know if they went to Elbaf, most probably. But the "too soon" may be because of the fact that there was no mother flame, and so no way to activate Uranus, and no way to destroy Red Line. That Shirahoshi (Poseidon) is not here yet. That there was no embodiement of hope, the sun god, Nika. Or simply that the world is not ready, which is sometimes the case for revolution, sometimes people are not ready to assert their rights.
I will try to be as clear as I can. I also want to go back to this post when One piece is finished to compare how far from the truth we were!
Then: The mural.
For me, it's neither really the second world, the void century. Because we know that the "children's drawings from an ancient past" is from the void century. That, I (and really some people, the idea is not mine) think started with the end of the first world and ended with the second world.
The right panel will be the beginning of the great war and the left one, near the end (as we know that those drawing where created during the void century, the great war had yet to end. The issue (the loss of Joy Boy) was not known at the time.)
Also. There are four gods mentioned ("sun" (twice), "earth", "forest" and "sea"). Since there is only three monsters (?), I will assume that the gods are not in the mural. And that they don't physically exist. They are more of a belief (like Nika I think).
So from right to left
The right panel of the mural
Great Kingdom
At the bottom right, seemingly sinking, is the great kingdom. We have tall buildings and gears. The smoke could come from the factories, or show the destruction of the kingdom.
Slaves (and discussion about it)
In it, we can see two people on a boat (in pink). For me, they are the slave praying the sun god, as their home is being destroyed. Indeed, after the beginning of the war, the twenty first most likely made some people from the GK slaves. As we know the Donquixote family, prior to go to Mary Geoise, forced the dwarf of the Tontatta kingdom to some sort of slavery (depends on the traduction, ch 726). So it wasn't something unknown for them. Plus, taking the people of the loosing country and use them as slave is something unfortunately common.
The Great Kingdom could also enslave people. We idealize them I think. But maybe they subjugate the world, and the twenty countries. And that it was a rebellion from the twenty first that lead to the great war. A rebellion that was rotten quickly, explaining why Lili switched and Joy Boy fought them.
The other people (in blue) are, for me, the twenty first. With Imu at the left. We know that they were at war with the Great Kingdom (for unknown reason) and they are indeed twenty here.
I know that most people picture them as being the slave who pray the Sun god (what could be the strange stars, here in yellow). I don’t agree. I will weigh the pros and cons:
Pros: They seem to work, similar to assembly line workers in factories, a form of modern slavery. They have this halo above their head, like they are dead or some form of sacrifice and going down, or be resurrected and going up.
Cons: They are 19. Which would be a striking coincidence since there is also Imu (therefore 20). And they are not in the Great Kingdom, contrarily to the two people with their head down and their arms outstretched (which could be a prayer). Also, as I said, the 19 could just be under the yoke of the Great Kingdom without being slaves themselves. A bit like how there were slaves in the Thirteen Colonies (here the dwarf from Tontatta), and that they should send almost all the profits to the Crown, leading to the American Revolution. And the halo could show that they are (were) good.
Ancient Weapons
Uranus
And so the stars (in yellow) aren’t neither a representation of the Sun god or the devil fruits, but Uranus.
To be completely honest, I have a doubt on Uranus being either the stars or the lighting from the floating boat. But I prefer the idea of the stars being Uranus because:
Lighting is Uranus: In dark blue, we can see a boat spewing thunderbolt. The boat is most likely Pluton. The fact that two antique weapons work together is strange. And will means that Uranus wasn’t what was used to destroy Lulusia Kingdom (ch 1086 and 1116).
Stars are Uranus: We know that Pluton is under the Mont Fuji, in Wano, ch 1055. It seems reasonable that it laid here for 800 years. Indeed, the secret is passed down to generation in the Kozuki family, and we know that Wano was on the side of Joy Boy during the war (because of the poneglyph). Poseidon was also with Joy Boy, with the failed promise. It seems unreasonable for Joy Boy to lose if he had the three antique weapons. Plus, Lulusia Kingdom was probably destroyed by an ancient weapon powered by the mother flame, as I said. Currently the world government has it, and most likely has it since the great war but is inactive with nothing to power it. So, the nineteen first took the ancient energy (discovered in ch 1068, the energy that allowed Emet to move) from the Great Kingdom and used it to power Uranus and launching the ancient weapon, destroying their enemies, causing parts of the Great Kingdom to sink.
Lighting or stars: both seems to come from the sky (personification of the sky in roman mythology and with Lulusia ch 1060).
Stars are Uranus: Here its more meta and inspiration rather than textbook. We can see that the containment unit of the Mother Flame (ch 1114) bears the code A&Mu (Atom). Vegapunk was inspired by Albert Einstein. Einstein famously wrote to Roosevelt the need for the Atomic Bomb. His (and his team, including his wife) work will allow a better understanding of the relationship between mass and energy, and therefore the nuclear reaction. Oppenheimer (and others) will use this work to bring the atomic bomb in the world. Oppenheimer who was compared to Prometheus (the titan that brings fire/technology to human and was punished by Zeus, with an eagle eating his liver every day) and Icarus (the guy that escaped with his father Daedalus from the labyrinth with wings made of beeswax and flew too close to the sun). The “forbidden sun” is mentioned in the first world, as Vegapunk saying he “flew too close to the sun” (ch 1114). So Uranus is most likely a metaphor for nuclear weapons. This could be depicted as myriad of stars, twirling in the sky before falling on its target. Also, both Einstein and Vegapunk regretted enabling the atomic bomb (or at least the "ancient weapons" used for VP ch 1116, which really, could only be Uranus, even if it isn't the stars)
Devil fruits: there are a wish, here probably formulate by the slaves and brought upon by the tree (“the forest god tamed demon” here it’s only the beginning of the void century, the tree is not here yet)
Pluton
Pluton (in blue) seems to attack Imu at first. But when we look closely, it attacks the tree. We can see in the corner roots on fire. Most likely that prayers done by the slave (in the right) was answered by the “forest god” the tree. After all, the devil fruits are brought into existence by human hope and desire (ch 1069). In the same chapter, Vegapunk says that there is no Gomu Gomu no Mi, as it is not mention in the old Devil Fruit Encyclopedia. Since the world government changed its name in the newer Devil Fruit Encyclopedia, in an attempt to hide it. Vegapunk reaction make me think that new natural fruits can not be created. So that the source of the fruits, its tree, is destroyed. Another possibility would be that people only ever desire the same thing or stop desiring things altogether. Or that the people capable of awaking the desire are mostly dead.
I don’t know why Pluton seems to be the one to destroy it though. Devil fruits seems to be the incarnation of freedom, and so something that Joy Boy supposedly fought for. And Wano, ally to Joy Boy, is in possession of Pluton. So maybe it really aimed at Imu but they dodged it and it landed on the tree.
Or it could be that Pluton wasn’t always on the side of Wano. And that the first twenty won because they had two ancient weapons. Plus, Pluton seems between the two monsters fighting. Most probably because there is so much in so little space but could also mean that the ownership of this vessel was disputed.
The two monsters fighting
The serpent of hellfire and the outraged of the Earth god are only a metaphor. When Uranus destroyed part of the Great Kingdom, the land broke, causing some part to sink. Lava spurt, like serpent of fire, coming from the heart of the earth, the hell.
The one I am less certain is the monster fighting against the serpent of hell fire. It seems to spew fire. It could be “the sun spread the fires of war”. But here, it’s not the god sun, simply the sun.
The demon being the will of D.: We know that the clan of D. is considered as the “natural enemy of gods [the celestial dragon]” ch 764. It is said that the “forest god tamed demons” (most likely in reference of the devil fruits but still). In ch 764, Corazon said something about a legend for the celestial dragon kids, that if they don’t behave, they will be eaten up by a bearer of D. Much like stories where demons take misbehave children. Doflamingo first brush off the superstition, but his shock in ch 768 could mean it started to believe it. And we know that some celestial dragon doesn’t know what happened during the void century (ch 1114). Plus, the moon probably references the Dawn, D. Like in Lili’s letter (“Bear the flag of the dawn against” ch 1085). But also, as @karinzany pointed out, we referred to lord and lady as Dom and Dona, putting a D. before their name. And it is also the sound of the drums, the music heard when Joy Boy is fighting. The D. were the enemies of the first twenty, probably link to the great kingdom. They bear the will of D.. So the Demons could be an incarnation of the will of the people? The will of D.? Most people from the moon (the Shandian, the Skypiean and the Birkan) have wings, like the demon? The demon being a manifestation of the will of D. could mean that the Clan of D. has created Devil Fruits or are linked to it, it’s a bit far stretched I have to admit, but the will of D. could be the desire that led to devil fruits (I think I’m high, don’t listen to me).
The dragon being the celestial dragon: the snake of hellfire is on earth, tied to the Greak Kingdom. We don’t know why the Great war begun. It could be from the greed of the twenty first or a rebellion. But we know that there is the Great kingdom (tangled with the serpent of hellfire) vs the twenty countries (royalties that will become gods, the celestial dragon).
Zunesha and Noah
This fragmentation of the earth will allow Zunesha (in green) to assemble Red Line, on Imu’s order. Its great sin.
The Noah seems in it, with the couple of some species (except the one winged person). We know that Zunesha is able to suck up large amount of water and expel it (ch 806). We also learn that the mink tribe live on it since a thousand year (so prior to the void century) in ch 802. The Noah may have been misinterpreted by Neptune, it is to bring the merfolks to the surface but to allows life to survive the rising water, most of it cause by the void century, with a 200 meters rise (ch 1115).
Noah being inside of Zunesha could also be the great sin of Zunesha. Since it stops Joy Boy and Poseidon to raise Noah, breaking his promise. (Though, rising? Why? It seems already at the surface, so, maybe not.)
A problem with that line of thoughts is the fact that the Lunarians used to live on top of red line (ch 1023). It was the Kingdom od Gods, before Mary Geoise was erected (ch 1033). So Grand Line must already exist.
~~ Crazy interlude.
Skip if you do not want to read about the unbelievable thoughts of a random tumblr user:
What we know of the Great Kingdom:
Joy Boy is born there, ch 1114.
It was advanced technologically far beyond the modern day, ch 1066. And powerful.
It was destroyed and erased by the world government, after its defeat against the twenty first. And its existence is a threat to the world government, ch 375. The great war was caused by a “clash of two opposing ideologies” ch 1115.
They carved a message in the poneglyphs, therefore are most likely allied to the Kozuki Family and Wano.
That’s not much.
Why did the great war happened?
Okay, so as I said, I think that the purpose of the alliance between the twenty countries was good. Even with the propensity of Oda to depict good monarchy, its unlikely that it was a bed of roses. In Dressrosa, everyone looked happy until you scratched the surface.
They must have done something, like coerce the other countries. A bit like the United Kingdom/Great Britain (I know it is not exactly the same thing, sorry for the north Irish, but the name kind of strikes me here). And so that lead to a revolution, like the thirteen colonies. At first it seems like a good idea, establishing their independence. But a bit like the US, they draw away from that purpose, installed a world government that will insure international peace and security. Sometimes it will just ignore its authority, like with Lulusia, to do what they want/seems fair. They will start wars outside of their nation, oppress people and exploit their resources.
But its not just the US, it’s also France. Mary Geoise. Oda could mashed up everything beautifully.
Anyway. Joy Boy fought, not to restore the Great Kingdom necessarily. But because the first twenty didn’t just liberate themselves, they took it too far and enslaved/massacred/… innocent people from the Great Kingdom. He fought for the liberation of the people of the Great Kingdom, a bit like Luffy who never fight for/help a country but for its people.
Who erected Red Line?
Also, we know that Lunarian lived on top of Red Line before the celestial dragon. So Red Line existed prior to the end void century. So probably at the beginning? At the end of the first world. But who assembled it? Zunesha? Imu shouldn’t be born at the beginning, since the great war lasted a century. And that the devil fruits came into existence in the second world.
So maybe its not the twenty first that erected Red Line but the Great Kingdom. Maybe using their technology to terraform the planet. Or maybe using Zunesha, forcing it to pull the land together. Zunesha would then resent them, and be part of the revolution, with the twenty first.
Something that doesn’t add up is the presence of the lunarian next to Joy Boy in the left. Maybe the great kingdom formed the Red Line, a bit like USA and their stupid wall. It wasn’t to live on it, just to separate the world. Although we don’t know much about the twenty country, we know that there is Dressrosa and Arabasta, both on either side of Red Line. So doesn’t make much sense. And that was the final straw for the allied country. They needed Red Line as a base to launch Uranus, a bit like Iraq, and started a war.
The formation of Red Line started the revolution that will lead the to the assemble of the twenty first and the creation of the world government.
Anyway. That’s it for me, we can go back to the mural.
End of the crazy interlude~~
The left side of the mural
The tree
The right side (again, its continuous, but that is hard to display). The split is the apparition of the tree (some call it Eve) that conceive devil fruits.
Joy Boy side
So we have the crew/alliance of Joy Boy. With a lunarian, merfolks (and a whale, because of Red Line?), minks (one seems to be a sulong, but that’s weird since it’s the same species or maybe the Guardian Deity of Wano), Emet, Ancient Giant, Giant, dwarf, Poseidon, a Sea King, and Joy Boy Crew. It’s composed of a ship from arabasta (in yellow, with the flag, led by lili), wano (in red, with samurai and ninja), Fish-Man Island (in blue, with their long band/sash around their shoulder), and three others I can’t identify.
By the way, weird there is the lunarian but not the Buccaneer or the three eyes clan, especially considering ch 1121. I mean the three eyes okay, they could have not participate and just be able to read the poneglyph. But the Buccaneer? The strong man that worship Nika? Weird.
I don't know
There is also Uranus again, and what seems to be rain. Uranus looked like it is thrown by the monster on Joy Boy and co. But for the rain, I have no idea. They could be leaf, from the tree and so devil fruits?
Joy Boy enemies
What is really interesting is what is they are against. We see the third monster holding what could be the sun and at the bottom a ship with five humanoids on board and one that is leaving.
The monster is Imu and the sailors are the old Gorosai: the most agreed interpretation from what I see. This could be the demonic form of Imu and showing their battle against Lili. The demonic depiction could foreshadow Imu transformation or real nature. But I don’t think so.
The monster is the predecessor of Blackbeard, and its crew or the marine allied: this one is also far stretched. But. We know that Imu has a picture of Luffy (the “new” Joy Boy), Shirahoshi (Poseidon), and Black Beard chopped in ch 908. Vivi is the only one intact, despite her betrayal/”error”. Luffy makes sense. He embodies Joy Boy (seemingly the same dream, the same capacity to recruit allies to his sides, the same Devil Fruit, the same straw hat (?)). For me he is not a reincarnation of Joy Boy. He is much his own person. But he embodies Joy Boy (and Nika) for people around him. Shirahoshi too since she has the same power of the one that seems to be the ally of Joy Boy and an ancient weapon. Vivi made a “blunder” (Imu doesn’t to know about Lili betrayal, “so one must wonder whether ot was truly a mistake or if it was actually part of some larger plan” ch 1085. So maybe her betrayal is not known. But how could the children have depicted her by Joy Boy side then? They knew because they were in her real side?). But Imu still seems rather fond of her, or at least attached, with the painting ch 1084. And Vivi remind them of her. But Blackbeard? Two possibilities. His particular bloodline. Or his devil fruit, the Yami Yami no Mi. And considering Imu reaction to Saturn incompetence in ch 1125, pre-blackbeard could be one under the order/ally of Imu, but show themselves incapable of stopping Joy Boy from protecting the ancient weapons and leaving his treasor on Laugh Tale (and maybe spreading the poneglyph, following Lili's mistake but contrarely to pre blackbeard and Saturn, Imu was close to Lili). This will also explain the symmetry in ch 1121, with Blackbeard and Luffy. Because if I don’t think that the mural predicts the future, history is bound to repeat itself, especially if we don’t learn from our mistake (which is impossible here since the past was erased). Plus, Luffy and Blackbeard are their own person, but they still embody ideas (Luffy freedom and the importance of the end of a dream, Blackbeard power and the unachievable dream). Blackbeard crew could be the marine, with an alliance to stop Joy Boy (the same as to stop Rocks), or his own crew.
The monster holds the sun, that look a lot like the jolly roger of the sun pirate. That could be the “man that killed the sun and became god”. The sun isn’t literal, more like a symbolism for hope and joy. Physically, it could be the giant straw hat from ch 906. Its more like a symbol that was passed down. A bit like Nika and its cult.
Devious symbolism
There are four gods named and one man that became god. And three monsters. But five creatures colored in black. The three monsters, Imu and Joy Boy.
The sand worm stands for the earth god. The one that is angry either because mankind touched the forbidden sun (here supposedly Uranus, and destroyed lands) or because the enslaved prayed the sun god and they appeared (they wished for a better future and the earth god is angry for their greed/will to fight against fate). It also looks like Ju Peter (one of the gorosei). It could either be a devil fruit, and people dreamt to be powerful (?), or something that Imu granted him, and its inspiration came from the great war.
The Itsumade illustrating the forest god. The one that took pity on the enslaves and enable them to grow powerful enough to break their chain. The one that tame demons. The one that follow the breath (of the fight?) in the void.
The devil (the one with the wings and horns, holding the sun) symbolizing the sea god. He stormed either because someone killed the sun and became God (doesn’t make much sense, since it should be Imu, and they are fighting the enemy of Imu, or it could be the one who ate the devil fruits, which doesn’t make much sense either since in the third world “the sun returns and brings a new morning”, for me its hope), or because people dreamed (here again, same reaction than the earth god. Which could make sense. The sea is harsh and fair. It allows people to dream. It kills. It is angry against people that ate a devil fruit, human’s hope and desire).
Joy Boy embodying the Sun God. (Duh.). “The sun god dances and laughs guiding the world to its end” (and I know it’s the third world. But also, Joy Boy loosing was the end of the void century, the end of the world like they knew it. And history is still bound to repeat itself (with hopefully the victory of luffy)). The god that answers slaves’ prayers.
The man that “killed the sun and became god” is Imu. The first twenty are the one that want to become god. And Imu is standing on top of them. The sun being the joy and hope.
Also, on ch 1121, there is this amazing symetry between the four emperor.
Shanks against Baggy. Red-Blue. The apprentice of Gol D. Roger (and also Mihawk, his rival, and Crocodile, the other kid from god valley (because Crocodile is the son of Rocks and the Crocodad theory is real (probably not but its fun))).
And Luffy and Blackbeard. The dreamer duo. Black-white. Sun-darkness. They have almost the same number on their crew (Luffy 9 and BB 10 as of now). And that could also mean that those idea fought, Joy Boy against the Devil.
So for me the boss final of Luffy won't be Imu but Blackbeard. The Straw hats will probably have an impact in taking down the world government, but the heavy lifting is for the revolutionary army (Sabo my beloved, Ivankov my goddess, Koala my queen could shine. And I hope Bonney will do literally nothing, she did too much already. She is only 12. Let her rest Oda. And watch the friends of her parents destroy the one that enslaves them and killed them. And cursed her.) Much like during the Great War. The difference could be that now, they have a revolution, not just a assemble of crew, but a reflexion, a plan and an organized army to face Imu.
End
I do think that all for me lmao. I’ll probably edit it to be clearer and proofread it. And I will take into consideration every suggestion before I read the next chapter (other way it defeat the whole purpose). So please, don’t hesitate to share your thoughts on it!
Also, English is not my first language, so not only I may have mixed up some translation from the Manga but just straight up annihilate the language. If I only have distain for it, I would hate for this post to not be readable/accessible for you.
Anyway love that nimona pulled the 'villain is recorded admitting to the crime' trope and then it didn't solve anything. If your villain is already in a position of power, as these villains almost always are, how is recording them going to help? Who is going to hold these people accountable? In real life people in power admit to wrongdoings, only for nothing to come of it. All the time. Nimona said the only way to solve these problems is systematic change and setting buildings on fire.
nimona is abt living in a surveillance police state where the only path to acceptance is conformity as a tool of oppressing those like you. it’s about how a privileged white woman afraid of imagined dangers can often be the greatest threat of all. it’s about how our nature is acceptance, but even a single moment of misinformed paranoia can give rise to lasting cycles of bias and abuse. it’s about how systems of belief will always find a way to validate the harm they inflict upon others, even if it means turning one child into a myth and the other to a monster. nimona is also. a film about a dancing pink shark in sunglasses
Something something about how being part of the oppressed doesn't shield us from being an oppressor. How a POC gay poor ex-cop can still have bias against trans folks. How sexual/romantic orientation and gender identity is thrown together under the LGBTQIA+ flag, when they (can?) have a really disconnected experience. How being part of the LGBTQIA+ doesn't exempt you from biases against other identity but also you own. How, nowdays, it's relatively commun for non-het people to draw the line at transfolks in order to be assimileted, even though it's their own community.
Thinking about a power swap au for the sisters and this is what I’ve got:
Prue - premonitions. Admittedly, this one has the least justification just because I came up with Piper and Phoebe’s first and this was what was left for Prue. However, I think it could still work very well! Instead of Phoebe, it’s Prue who has the most passive power. She’d have to learn to let go and trust her sisters’ abilities because she doesn’t have the power capable to win the fight by herself. In comparison to Piper and Phoebe, she doesn’t have nearly as much control over the situation and would have learn to deal with it.
Piper - telekinesis. Meek little Piper gets the most destructive power. She’d have to learn to accept and channel her anger instead of denying it. She’s already able to temper herself, but she’d have to learn to express herself. There’s also the element of having to take charge and stand out, because her power would be one of the strongest in a fight. She can’t just hide behind Prue, she has to step up as a fighter instead of the typical motherly role she takes.
Phoebe - molecular immobilization. Phoebe, the girl who never thinks things through and never considers the consequences, gets the ability to actually stop everything and think. Accidentally freezing time and then having to actually consider before she acts, forcing her to be more level-headed. In contrast to premonitions, she doesn’t get to see a glimpse of the future so the element of still making so many mistakes when she should theoretically have all the time in the world to think about it.
For overall storyline adaptations, I’d say there should be a definite increase with Prue’s powers and her job at Bucklands. We already see those intersect several times during the first two seasons (including, but not limited to, Feats of Clay, The Painted World, and That Old Black Magic) but imagine Prue being able to see the past in an auction house. I’m also always a sucker for magical artifacts so I’d love to get more.
Finally, I think that it’d impact the sisterly relationship. I feel like there could be an element of tension in Prue and Piper’s relationship because Prue is so used to being the one in control, the one calling the shots, but now Piper has to take charge more because she’s the one with the strongest power. Piper finally being able to stand out from Prue and Phoebe instead of letting her anxiety and shyness control her and stay in the shadows and they butt heads a little more. Phoebe, forcibly learning patience to be able to unfreeze things, having to play mediator and get in between them. Basically a lot of role swaps going on here for all of them.
+BONUS: Paige - also premonitions! Someone who is trying so hard to outrun her past and what she used to be being forced to confront it head-on. Someone who struggled to find a future for herself seeing a new one unfold in front of her very eyes. Someone who is so new to this game seeing everything in front of her, all of the horrors that they have to face, all of the tragedies that they can’t stop, all of the pain involved, and deciding if she’s willing to join as its newest player. And then someone who is so unused to being vulnerable and opening up discovering that she can use her powers to share her premonitions for others and learning to let them help her shoulder the burden.
++BONUS: also ft. a species swap for the love interests: Andy as half-Whitelighter who still dies saving them, Leo as a Cupid whose powers are originally bound, Coop as half-demon who just wants to help people and love, Cole as a Cupid that falls down a dark path and uses his powers to manipulate Phoebe, and Henry as a Whitelighter who is a bit overly cynical to be a literal guardian angel man.
Okay so I’ve been obsessing about tha idea for month now. And for me the power swap will be:
Prue: premonitions. I have like a whole ass essay on that, I will reblogg it because really for me that’s the one making the most sense. But really, the sister forced to be independant, reliable and proactive will have be take a seat back and relies on her little sisters.
Power evolution: Past > Futur > Astral projection (> Empathy ?)
She will probably be the innocent in the premonitions, because you know potential.
Piper: molecular immobilization. She is quick to panic, so now she can breath and temper herself. Plus she is in the service industry. Plus Prue being more passive will make her stand up, even if she doesn’t have the “active” power. And the evolution of her power make sense. She became bitter, take no bullshit, ask question later, and so she can make things and people implode.
Phoebe: telekinesis. The baby have to be the powerful one. She will have to take into consideration the consequences of her actions. She will have to be reliable. Plus her being the most suspectible to evil will higher the stakes.
Dynamic wise: More equilibrate I think.
Prue will stay be the leader, she will still be the big sister. She will do the research, which make sense with her power and job.
Piper will be the voice of reason, the one seeing that the baby sister is not a baby anymore. She will have to stand up more, between her sisters but also for herself.
Phoebe will be the shield and the spear of the family. And she will have to learn to accept authority. And the fact that she will still trust Prue, even if she is mad at her, to take most the decision. That the weakest power wise is the leader. I don’t know, really fascinating.
Plot wise:
Prue still die. Pheobe and Piper will have to deal with them still being all powerful, still having the active power, but without a leader. Plus I think, Prue death, with her being able to see the futur, and still making the choice to protect her sister… You know.
So,
Paige: premonitions. Same as you. The girl who doesn’t know her past and her roots gets to see it. She will witness everything, see the years of trauma of her sisters, without be able to do anything. The fact that she will know everything and still know nothing.
Her being a white lighter means she will be able to teleport into her premonition. Being a witness and being able to do nothing. Because she is the youngest and have her life together, she help people for a living.
Romantic relationship:
Only Phoebe will really be impacted, because she will go though more grow then her sisters (arguably not Prue, but RIP Andy). And I’m torn.
Cole-Phoebe: She will be more mature. But still, I see their story as a tragedy, but here a lighter one (the show ending for cole could work but I hate redemption arc ending with the death of the character, it’s too easy). He will have his redemption arc (a better one because the end was bullshit), because I’m a sucker for that.
Cole live. Phoebe and Cole doesn’t work out. They try, they really love each other but sometimes it’s not enough. After some time they became really good friend, still having a special spot for the other, love each other but can’t be together.
For Cole character: he doesn’t gave up his power definitly, just for a few episodes but realize that him being bad as nothing to do with that. It’s just himself. He have to work on being kind and gentle, just like other humans. He will became a teacher at the academy, because he has tone of knowledge. And he will be the exemple of an demon being a good person. That others can chose to.
He will probably want to give up his power, because it’s a temptation, but won’t because he is hope for others. He has to live with his past and choose to be kind every god damn day and it’s hard but it’s sometimes worth it.
Also, Pheobe will close herself from love like in the show. She think that being a witch means she can’t have her happy ending.
Coop-Phoebe: The elder send him for the same reason (officially acepting live again and informally being her romantic partner). But they are not romantic partner. Because we need more female-male friendship but also because it’s poetic.
Cupid, the god of desire and romantic love (most of the time) will learn that there is other love. He will have something between philia and agape for Phoebe I guess.
Pheobe, the sister that run after romantic love and have a boyfriend after another, will learn to not center romantic love in her life. Headcanon, I see her more in a open relationship, because of her libido, like there is connection, but not a romantic one. Probably multiple partners she doesn’t see that often. And Cole still being the love of her life, in a romantic sense. She will be more involve as an aunt, and a sister and probably member of a coven.
Here the sister, probably not Piper but the others, will be link to the coven, the community and so one. Piper is to tied to the traditional idea of life. It’s her whole thing. But the others? Yes.
Also, I saw a post, don’t remember the one, that say that the earlier season where about forbidden love. That one fell in love with an angel, another with a demon, and that the third one should be with a woman. And that since it’s the 90’ it will be just as forbidden. And I’m so onboard. Prue could totally be the responsible bi/pan elder daughter (not a lesbian because we don’t stand for erasure here and Andy is central to her story… Or maybe we could make him a girl… A trans girl???? GOD YEAH. She went out with her in highschool, her pretransition. A lesbian trans love story? In the 90’s???? HELL YEAH. Except that now Andy can’t die because the whole “bury your gays” shit. Okay. Don’t know… There is potential but then Andy and Prue shouldn’t die. So not in this au. Another one? Totally!)
Anyway. Didn’t went all the way with this idea. Don’t hesitate to ask for more. But I primarly develop Prue, because there is so much potential, and Pheobe, because it will impact her so much. The others have a good arc for me. I will have to recheck the 4th last season te see how much and how it will impact paige tho
Okay so the long ass essay for Prue in this power swap:
Prue is all about duty.
Prue in the original show
First approach
At first, she is responsible, rigid, driven and a bit controlling. She appears self-sufficient and prefer dealing with her stuff alone. Probably because she had to be the only parents for her sisters. She can be judgement and having a hard time forgiving others. She is closed person, and has trouble being vulnerable.
Arc
She has to learn to relish control and open up, allowing her to be vulnerable. She learns to lean on others and actively trust them. Because they now are sisters, she is not their mother figure anymore.
Now that we roughly established her character, I would like to explain why I gave her that power and the consequences it will have on her.
Power
For me, it makes sense for her to have premonition. For many reasons:
It will force her to rely actively on her sisters. Because she has the passive power. There will be time when she will be helpless, and for a character so strong and independent, it could be really interesting.
Because her whole character is about the past. Her childhood had be stolen, she had to watch her mother die and remember the time her father was their father. She has ongoing trauma about that. There was episodes dedicated to her accepting her mother death. And understanding and forgiving her father (even though, here I would like for her to not want him back in their life. Because even though he did want to, that her grandmother kind of forced him, first he could have try to still be in their life without raising them. Secondly because even if he didn’t want to, she still had to give up her childhood and constructing herself around what she was for her sister).
Plus, she tend to see people for what they were in the past and not their present self. Like for Pheobe (and really both her sisters) and Cole (his storyline will change here too). It will allows her to have a better understanding of their past and see their change (between the vision she had and the version there is in front of her).
Therefore, I think it will be interesting for her power to evolve differently than Pheobe.
First she will develop the power to see the past, to help her deal with her own. But it will be in the first point of view, she will be the innocent. That will contribute to the fact that she can’t do anything to change the past and she just have to accept it. And the helplessness, so much potential. And because she sometimes is a bit obtuse and have a hard time accepting other choice and resenting them for that (for example Phoebe, which with who she had a rocky relationship at first because of that).
After that, when she accepts to let go of her duty, relies on her sisters, and follows her dream, she will have the power to see the future. Because now she considers hers.
Then, when she accept being sometimes helpless and the fact that her sister doesn’t need her as much as before, that she can be free without feeling remorse, she will develops the astral projection. It will give her a course of action, and allows her to be free.
Finally, I thought about giving her empathy. After she allows herself to be vulnerable and open about her struggle and feeling.
Witchcraft
Prue ended up liking being a witch at some point. And I do think she will first be more against it than she was originally, because that power force so much growth on her. While she wasn’t on board with it from the get go, it was a new way to protect her sisters.
But I think she will ultimately like it more. Even though she did choose to be an action specialist to follow her dream, she still choose it. And we saw her thrive in that career. She like to know the past and do some research. And I think she will take Phoebe place as the one reading the most the book of shadow and so on. Plus, because of her job, she has knowledge to understand better (like she can easily estimate the date of creation of Gabriel sword and so on. It’s humanly impossible to have the knowledge she states she has “from the Ming dynasty [end of the 14th century I think] to Mark GcGwire [famous baseball player during the initial run of the show]” and she dates some years later an Egyptian Urn that’s seem fucking ancient).
All of that to say, she has a lot of knowledge and is incredibly driven. Her doing research for the Charmed one makes more sense since she has access to the resources and will be a way to deal with the passive position that power force upon her.
Work
Her being force to sometime see the past of the object she has to sell. To understand better their history. I think that and her knowledge will complement one another.
I know that her dream is to be a photograph, and it will make more sense because photos are about capturing the present and remembering the past, other than the art aspect of course. She will change her career just after gaining astral projection.
Arc
Okay so, if you were brave enough to read all of the above, you may have an idea of her new arc. Really it’s the same theme and almost the same execution. There is some nuances though that I think is important:
In the show: I know that Shannen Doherty was the power house of the show. And that make she was the one being put in the front, don’t get me wrong. But because it’s basically a what if, I have all the liberty I want and I don’t have to take that into consideration. Therefore this actual thing will be more an assemble show from the beginning. Plus she will have to take a step back, because:
Relishing control: I think it will be more radical. Because I think that even if her evolution is undeniable, at the end of the season 3, she still had this Power of One thing going on. She was still the one in the front of the fight. Here she will have to hide behind her sisters. And that’s something she will not do naturally (and don’t get me wrong, it’s not her fault, Phoebe and Piper will hide behind her at the beginning). And that will lead to perilous situations, because here she will not be able to defend them, but she will try to shield them physically, putting Phoebe and Piper in even more dangerous situations because now they have to save her.
And that’s something she will have to learn, to trust her sisters to make their own decisions, fight their own battle and believing their word when they say they can/will do it.
Opening up: If I think the whole “relishing control” thing will go faster and deeper, here there will be black spot. Because she will try to overcompensate. She will spend hours studying the Book of Shadow, thinking of a strategy to beat the demon of the day, considering all the possibilities, etc. It will be fucking exhausting. It can’t be done, not with having a full time job and a good mental health. And I think Andy will help her more noticeably. Because since he didn’t see the sisters for so long, their change will stand out. As Piper grow more confident and Pheobe more responsible (see in their part) he will push her to rely on them.
The most noticeable revelation will be thanks to an argument with Pheobe, like one more time she step up before the danger, blocking Phoebe to protect her and she will be hurt or something, they figure how to vanquish the demon blah blah blah. But Phoebe, and Piper (even though she doesn’t make it that obvious), are beyond pissed. And Phoebe will rebuke her: you don’t trust me, you still think of me as this teenager who made wrong decisions (and that’s won’t be necessary true). And Prue will be like: I did that to protect you. And Phoebe will explode: I could have move the blast of energy or whatever, sending it back to them. I could. But I didn’t because you didn’t trust me to do that. And Piper will calmly add something along the line of: We can protect you Prue.
She will be forced to go to a place of comfort. So Andy. He is the one to whom she is the more open, because he is her equal. And so, the way I see it, she will complain about the fact that Piper and Phoebe don’t need her anymore. And Andy will be like, that’s a good thing, they are grown up now, you can have some times for you, only you.
I think it will click, because she saw that every day, that her sisters are strong. And so with one more conversation with her sisters, something along the line of: Piper: Prue, you did so much for us, we want to pay you back. Phoebe: You’re not the only one who will jump in front of the danger of the other. We are capable on deal with that on our own. And they will end up saying something like: We still need our big sister.
Thinking about a power swap au for the sisters and this is what I’ve got:
Prue - premonitions. Admittedly, this one has the least justification just because I came up with Piper and Phoebe’s first and this was what was left for Prue. However, I think it could still work very well! Instead of Phoebe, it’s Prue who has the most passive power. She’d have to learn to let go and trust her sisters’ abilities because she doesn’t have the power capable to win the fight by herself. In comparison to Piper and Phoebe, she doesn’t have nearly as much control over the situation and would have learn to deal with it.
Piper - telekinesis. Meek little Piper gets the most destructive power. She’d have to learn to accept and channel her anger instead of denying it. She’s already able to temper herself, but she’d have to learn to express herself. There’s also the element of having to take charge and stand out, because her power would be one of the strongest in a fight. She can’t just hide behind Prue, she has to step up as a fighter instead of the typical motherly role she takes.
Phoebe - molecular immobilization. Phoebe, the girl who never thinks things through and never considers the consequences, gets the ability to actually stop everything and think. Accidentally freezing time and then having to actually consider before she acts, forcing her to be more level-headed. In contrast to premonitions, she doesn’t get to see a glimpse of the future so the element of still making so many mistakes when she should theoretically have all the time in the world to think about it.
For overall storyline adaptations, I’d say there should be a definite increase with Prue’s powers and her job at Bucklands. We already see those intersect several times during the first two seasons (including, but not limited to, Feats of Clay, The Painted World, and That Old Black Magic) but imagine Prue being able to see the past in an auction house. I’m also always a sucker for magical artifacts so I’d love to get more.
Finally, I think that it’d impact the sisterly relationship. I feel like there could be an element of tension in Prue and Piper’s relationship because Prue is so used to being the one in control, the one calling the shots, but now Piper has to take charge more because she’s the one with the strongest power. Piper finally being able to stand out from Prue and Phoebe instead of letting her anxiety and shyness control her and stay in the shadows and they butt heads a little more. Phoebe, forcibly learning patience to be able to unfreeze things, having to play mediator and get in between them. Basically a lot of role swaps going on here for all of them.
+BONUS: Paige - also premonitions! Someone who is trying so hard to outrun her past and what she used to be being forced to confront it head-on. Someone who struggled to find a future for herself seeing a new one unfold in front of her very eyes. Someone who is so new to this game seeing everything in front of her, all of the horrors that they have to face, all of the tragedies that they can’t stop, all of the pain involved, and deciding if she’s willing to join as its newest player. And then someone who is so unused to being vulnerable and opening up discovering that she can use her powers to share her premonitions for others and learning to let them help her shoulder the burden.
++BONUS: also ft. a species swap for the love interests: Andy as half-Whitelighter who still dies saving them, Leo as a Cupid whose powers are originally bound, Coop as half-demon who just wants to help people and love, Cole as a Cupid that falls down a dark path and uses his powers to manipulate Phoebe, and Henry as a Whitelighter who is a bit overly cynical to be a literal guardian angel man.
Okay so I've been obsessing about tha idea for month now. And for me the power swap will be:
Prue: premonitions. I have like a whole ass essay on that, I will reblogg it because really for me that's the one making the most sense. But really, the sister forced to be independant, reliable and proactive will have be take a seat back and relies on her little sisters.
Power evolution: Past > Futur > Astral projection (> Empathy ?)
She will probably be the innocent in the premonitions, because you know potential.
Piper: molecular immobilization. She is quick to panic, so now she can breath and temper herself. Plus she is in the service industry. Plus Prue being more passive will make her stand up, even if she doesn't have the "active" power. And the evolution of her power make sense. She became bitter, take no bullshit, ask question later, and so she can make things and people implode.
Phoebe: telekinesis. The baby have to be the powerful one. She will have to take into consideration the consequences of her actions. She will have to be reliable. Plus her being the most suspectible to evil will higher the stakes.
Dynamic wise: More equilibrate I think.
Prue will stay be the leader, she will still be the big sister. She will do the research, which make sense with her power and job.
Piper will be the voice of reason, the one seeing that the baby sister is not a baby anymore. She will have to stand up more, between her sisters but also for herself.
Phoebe will be the shield and the spear of the family. And she will have to learn to accept authority. And the fact that she will still trust Prue, even if she is mad at her, to take most the decision. That the weakest power wise is the leader. I don't know, really fascinating.
Plot wise:
Prue still die. Pheobe and Piper will have to deal with them still being all powerful, still having the active power, but without a leader. Plus I think, Prue death, with her being able to see the futur, and still making the choice to protect her sister... You know.
So,
Paige: premonitions. Same as you. The girl who doesn't know her past and her roots gets to see it. She will witness everything, see the years of trauma of her sisters, without be able to do anything. The fact that she will know everything and still know nothing.
Her being a white lighter means she will be able to teleport into her premonition. Being a witness and being able to do nothing. Because she is the youngest and have her life together, she help people for a living.
Romantic relationship:
Only Phoebe will really be impacted, because she will go though more grow then her sisters (arguably not Prue, but RIP Andy). And I'm torn.
Cole-Phoebe: She will be more mature. But still, I see their story as a tragedy, but here a lighter one (the show ending for cole could work but I hate redemption arc ending with the death of the character, it's too easy). He will have his redemption arc (a better one because the end was bullshit), because I'm a sucker for that.
Cole live. Phoebe and Cole doesn't work out. They try, they really love each other but sometimes it's not enough. After some time they became really good friend, still having a special spot for the other, love each other but can't be together.
For Cole character: he doesn't gave up his power definitly, just for a few episodes but realize that him being bad as nothing to do with that. It's just himself. He have to work on being kind and gentle, just like other humans. He will became a teacher at the academy, because he has tone of knowledge. And he will be the exemple of an demon being a good person. That others can chose to.
He will probably want to give up his power, because it's a temptation, but won't because he is hope for others. He has to live with his past and choose to be kind every god damn day and it's hard but it's sometimes worth it.
Also, Pheobe will close herself from love like in the show. She think that being a witch means she can't have her happy ending.
Coop-Phoebe: The elder send him for the same reason (officially acepting live again and informally being her romantic partner). But they are not romantic partner. Because we need more female-male friendship but also because it's poetic.
Cupid, the god of desire and romantic love (most of the time) will learn that there is other love. He will have something between philia and agape for Phoebe I guess.
Pheobe, the sister that run after romantic love and have a boyfriend after another, will learn to not center romantic love in her life. Headcanon, I see her more in a open relationship, because of her libido, like there is connection, but not a romantic one. Probably multiple partners she doesn't see that often. And Cole still being the love of her life, in a romantic sense. She will be more involve as an aunt, and a sister and probably member of a coven.
Here the sister, probably not Piper but the others, will be link to the coven, the community and so one. Piper is to tied to the traditional idea of life. It's her whole thing. But the others? Yes.
Also, I saw a post, don't remember the one, that say that the earlier season where about forbidden love. That one fell in love with an angel, another with a demon, and that the third one should be with a woman. And that since it's the 90' it will be just as forbidden. And I'm so onboard. Prue could totally be the responsible bi/pan elder daughter (not a lesbian because we don't stand for erasure here and Andy is central to her story... Or maybe we could make him a girl... A trans girl???? GOD YEAH. She went out with her in highschool, her pretransition. A lesbian trans love story? In the 90's???? HELL YEAH. Except that now Andy can't die because the whole "bury your gays" shit. Okay. Don't know... There is potential but then Andy and Prue shouldn't die. So not in this au. Another one? Totally!)
Anyway. Didn't went all the way with this idea. Don't hesitate to ask for more. But I primarly develop Prue, because there is so much potential, and Pheobe, because it will impact her so much. The others have a good arc for me. I will have to recheck the 4th last season te see how much and how it will impact paige tho
