bunnygo21 - Untitled

bunnygo21

Untitled

170 posts

Latest Posts by bunnygo21

bunnygo21
2 weeks ago

Somehow i imagine Al to have river otter while gets like. A honey badger or a big ass wasp or like a dire wolf. I dunno why but it fucking fits. Honey badger for their fite me energy (mongoose works too), wasp for being loners but ready to sting even if they have to die for it and a dire wolf because bigfuck loyal wolf gujna tear u apart but also dog.

Ed and Al deserve the most batshit box animals ever

I don’t know what they are yet, but Ed and Al deserve nothing but the most feral

Oh god they doooo

Can't lie though, my first thought of box animal for Ed was like "honey badger" but either way yeah they both deserve to have the most batshit of creatures

bunnygo21
1 month ago
bunnygo21 - Untitled

bunnygo21 - Untitled
bunnygo21
2 months ago

The best thing in the world—chaos.

Love The Nod To The Original Series Here. He Wishes He Can Be In The Other World Where Life Ain’t So

Love the nod to the original series here. He wishes he can be in the other world where life ain’t so bad.

Love The Nod To The Original Series Here. He Wishes He Can Be In The Other World Where Life Ain’t So
Love The Nod To The Original Series Here. He Wishes He Can Be In The Other World Where Life Ain’t So

This scene is crazy. The crazy devotion, the art, the emotion.

Love The Nod To The Original Series Here. He Wishes He Can Be In The Other World Where Life Ain’t So

Then to have a full color page of the scene!!!! I love this so much!!!

bunnygo21
2 months ago

If it keeps you from killing yourself it's not stupid. This applies to anything btw.

bunnygo21
3 months ago
bunnygo21 - Untitled
bunnygo21
3 months ago

Comics Masterpost (organised by collection)

Please heed relevant content warnings on each post. Completed collections have physical and digital copies available for purchase on my store.

Soliloquy Down to Three [COMPLETED]

Comics Masterpost (organised By Collection)

Soliloquy down to Three is an anthology of dark sapphic comics, all of which are a mix of both old and new inspiration. Its title is a line from 'craters', indicating that the phrase "I love you" manages to fit a whole monologue worth of feeling into three words.

The compiled version contains exclusive illustrations for each couple, as well as a secret ending to 'craters'.

1. fishing twine 2. hook, line and sinker (sequel to 'fishing twine) cw: suggestive imagery 3. RED cw: suggestive imagery, blood, murder with an axe 4. RED - epilogue cw: blood 5. patchwork canary cw: mouth + neck mutilation, blood 6. craters cw: implications of suicide

♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢

10PM [COMPLETED]

Comics Masterpost (organised By Collection)

10pm is a collection of introspective comics that covers feelings of aimlessness, alienation and finding joy in creativity again. Its full title is "It's 10pm. Do you know who you are?" which is a twist on the old PSAs that used to play on American TVs reminding parents to check up on their children.

1. the parade

2. the elevator

3. the machine

4. the candle

5. the stone

6. the dredger

♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢

Hearteaters [COMPLETED]

Comics Masterpost (organised By Collection)

Heart-eaters is an anthology about the ugliest, gory-est, most heartfelt and most brutal parts of love. Sitting at a whopping 180 pages, Heart-eaters is the longest anthology I've made yet, and took over a year to finish in full.

The compiled books available for purchase on my store contain an exclusive joint-comic to "Shallow Grave" and poem named "Laozi's bowl", as well as 9 original full-page art splashes unique to their assigned stories.

1. the sunset cw: gun violence, death, blood 2. the calamity cw: eye scarring, blood, eye mutilation, gore (minimal) 3. seeing clearer (epilogue to 'the calamity') cw: biblical references 4. shallow grave cw: gravestone imagery 5. bite of winter (joint comic to 'scorched earth') cw: gore, blood, death, cannibalism, dismemberment 6. scorched earth (joint comic to 'bite of winter') cw: blood, death, burning alive, beheading 7. ashes to ashes (prequel comic to 'scorched earth') 8. little dove (prequel comic to 'scorched earth') 9. warmth 10. the fox god cw: emotional manipulation, animal abuse 11. the fields cw: blood, animal death, mild gore and blood

bunnygo21
3 months ago

I'm tired

bunnygo21
3 months ago
YAHOO IT'S @ecto-implosion TIME!!
YAHOO IT'S @ecto-implosion TIME!!
YAHOO IT'S @ecto-implosion TIME!!
YAHOO IT'S @ecto-implosion TIME!!

YAHOO IT'S @ecto-implosion TIME!!

I got to work with the very awesome @tumblehcendrum for this one! I'll update this post when they have their partner fic up :) ehehe I love a good dramatic identity reveal

bunnygo21
4 months ago
The Endless Appetite for Fanfiction — Fansplaining
Fansplaining
In 2024, everyone wanted a piece of fic, from AI grifters to traditional publishers to ravenous audiences. Where did that leave the people w

In a normal year, @flourish & I would have made a list of five big fandom trends for our annual "Year in Fandom" round-up. But the podcast is on hiatus, and I was left with MANY THOUGHTS about fanfiction seeming to break containment this year and nowhere to put them. So this is a "Year in Fandom" segment of sorts, about a set of related fanfiction trends that I'm pretty unhappy about!

I get that sense that a lot of fandom folks are, like me, worried about the way the ground seems to be shifting beneath us: in meta after meta, I’ve seen frustration over a larger but increasingly passive fic readership; dismay that traditional publishing has a growing influence over a practice that partly exists in opposition to it; and anger that some guy can just copy-paste your work and charge money for it, and no one outside of fandom seems to care.

What happens when fanfiction scales—but participatory fan communities do not? Read or listen to an audio version via the link above!

bunnygo21
5 months ago

Can you make a master post for your time travel au drawings? I can't find them all and it's sooooooo good!!!!

DAWWW >////< okay anon JUST for u :]!!! (and also anyone else who needs it :3)

TIME TRAVEL/SPEEDRUN AU MASTERPOST

All comics are read from left to right

START

Helmeppo tries 2 stand up to his daddio

Syrup Village

Strawhat interlude 1

Iceburg is so confused

Marines talk about upcoming strawhat rookie superstars

Bon Clay’s cover stories: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14

Franky Family is concerned bout Franky

What’s goin down in Skypiea?

Cobra is worried about his daughter :(

The encounter at Sabaody Archipelago

The Poseidon timesave strat

Ace cover stories: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

ASL bros reunite + wheryheart's lovely add on :)

Whitebeard Alliance

Whole cake Island AKA Zeus retrieval

Clipping Shenanigans

Disclaimer: Inspired by Geokat's Take the World by Storm but my time travel au is it's own seperate original work :) (except for parts 1 to 3 of the ace cover stories but like,,, cmon,,, THAT WAS TOO GOOD TO NOT ADAPT)

bunnygo21
5 months ago
Always Try To Be Kind ✨ Smile Of A Billion Suns
Always Try To Be Kind ✨ Smile Of A Billion Suns
Always Try To Be Kind ✨ Smile Of A Billion Suns
Always Try To Be Kind ✨ Smile Of A Billion Suns
Always Try To Be Kind ✨ Smile Of A Billion Suns
Always Try To Be Kind ✨ Smile Of A Billion Suns
Always Try To Be Kind ✨ Smile Of A Billion Suns
Always Try To Be Kind ✨ Smile Of A Billion Suns

always try to be kind ✨ smile of a billion suns

bunnygo21
6 months ago
Technically True.

Technically true.

bunnygo21
7 months ago

Bugs Bunny could have simply walked into Mordor. He would have shown up at the gates of Mordor in a disguise and been like "Evil volcano inspection unit" and flashed a fake ID badge to the confused orc.

bunnygo21
7 months ago
Said It A Year Ago And I’ll Say It Again.

Said it a year ago and I’ll say it again.

Pirate all your favorite shows, movies and games while you still have the chance.

Oh, and never stop supporting physical media.

bunnygo21
7 months ago
bunnygo21 - Untitled
bunnygo21
7 months ago
Panel 1: Back of luffy's head with a sky backdrop

Speech bubble between panels that says: "hm?"

Panel 2: Luffy turns to face the viewer
Luffy: you're tired?

Panel 3: an East blue nami looks battered up, she faces the viewer
Nami: it does get a little overwhelming sometimes huh?

Panel 4: The top of chopper's head can be seen, his eyes are obscured from his cap
Chopper: I understand wanting to rest a little bit

Panel 5: A side view of brook, he down to the distance
Brook: ... maybe even forever
Panel 1: Close up of Zoro's face, his eye is concentrated to the viewer
Zoro: but you cant... can you?

Panel 2: Jinbei with a big smile
Jinbei: WAHAHA! You probably didn't notice at the time,

Panel 3: Side profile of Sanji with a smirk
Sanji: but when you met *him*, you signed a lifebinding contract

Panel 4: Robin looks cheerful with a library backdrop
Robin: i prefer to use the term 'promise', or perhaps even, 'a vow of loyalty'
Panel 1: Usopp looks up from a map he has drawn on, the thousand sunny is sailing away from egghead island towards a finish line, Franky is seen in the foreground smiling at the viewer
Usopp: There's only a bit left
Franky: cmon! You can atleast make it until then

Panel 2: Luffy is shown with his arms spread, he looks at the viewer with a big smile. A narration box at the top says "after all" and text spread infront of luffy says "IM GONNA BE KING OF THE PIRATES"

Panel 3: All the strawhat members are shown in the background behind luffy, his eyes are obscured by the strawhat and he has a small smile
Luffy: And you just HAVE to see it

one piece saved my life man

bunnygo21
7 months ago
And All Was Right In The World.
And All Was Right In The World.
And All Was Right In The World.
And All Was Right In The World.
And All Was Right In The World.

And all was right in the world.

bunnygo21
7 months ago
Caught Up On The Forgotten Outpost by @ladyvader23 The Other Day And It Was So Good I Was Immediately
Caught Up On The Forgotten Outpost by @ladyvader23 The Other Day And It Was So Good I Was Immediately

Caught up on The Forgotten Outpost by @ladyvader23 the other day and it was so good I was immediately struck with the irresistible urge to draw That Scene™ which somehow turned into an experimental cover and uhh yeah here we are! I hope I did it justice :)

bunnygo21
7 months ago

the dynamic between heinz doofenschmirtz and perry the platypus would probably come off as v romantic and gay if they were two people in a similar age range rather than a dude and a platypus. no i dont ship them but think about it. villainous monologues are already a very romantic and gay thing in itself (don’t question me on this you know im right). listening to somebody ramble excitedly about something they’re proud of is even more romantic and cute af. also doofensmirtz is already gay anyway. the only thing preventing this from becoming Peak Gay is the fact that perry is strictly professional and also a platypus. thanks for coming to my ted talk

bunnygo21
7 months ago

Will humanity ever be free of the influence of Edna Mode? Can any of us so much as consider the character design for a hero or villain without her manifesting in the room, fully aware of our sins?

bunnygo21
7 months ago

All the doodles I’ve done for @ohboyhowdybuckaroo ‘s gem au fic I’ve been working with them on!

All The Doodles I’ve Done For @ohboyhowdybuckaroo ‘s Gem Au Fic I’ve Been Working With Them On!
All The Doodles I’ve Done For @ohboyhowdybuckaroo ‘s Gem Au Fic I’ve Been Working With Them On!
All The Doodles I’ve Done For @ohboyhowdybuckaroo ‘s Gem Au Fic I’ve Been Working With Them On!
All The Doodles I’ve Done For @ohboyhowdybuckaroo ‘s Gem Au Fic I’ve Been Working With Them On!
All The Doodles I’ve Done For @ohboyhowdybuckaroo ‘s Gem Au Fic I’ve Been Working With Them On!
All The Doodles I’ve Done For @ohboyhowdybuckaroo ‘s Gem Au Fic I’ve Been Working With Them On!
All The Doodles I’ve Done For @ohboyhowdybuckaroo ‘s Gem Au Fic I’ve Been Working With Them On!
All The Doodles I’ve Done For @ohboyhowdybuckaroo ‘s Gem Au Fic I’ve Been Working With Them On!
All The Doodles I’ve Done For @ohboyhowdybuckaroo ‘s Gem Au Fic I’ve Been Working With Them On!
All The Doodles I’ve Done For @ohboyhowdybuckaroo ‘s Gem Au Fic I’ve Been Working With Them On!
All The Doodles I’ve Done For @ohboyhowdybuckaroo ‘s Gem Au Fic I’ve Been Working With Them On!
All The Doodles I’ve Done For @ohboyhowdybuckaroo ‘s Gem Au Fic I’ve Been Working With Them On!
All The Doodles I’ve Done For @ohboyhowdybuckaroo ‘s Gem Au Fic I’ve Been Working With Them On!
archiveofourown.org
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

i know a lot of you still really like the gem au, sorry im kinda over it, but i hope this holds you over :)

please leave some good comments over there :D

bunnygo21
7 months ago
Sometimes I’m like ‘fanfiction Can’t Shock Me Anymore I’m numb To It’ Then I Find This Shit

sometimes i’m like ‘fanfiction can’t shock me anymore i’m numb to it’ then i find this shit

bunnygo21
8 months ago

Hey V @zaharya!!! This is my gift to you for the exchange :) Reading your wonderful fic made my heart beat real hard ; w ; so I wanted to capture one of my fave scenes!!

The page whole has a sky bluish hue to it

Panel 1-3: Luffy takes a step towards Zoro, his eyes are obscured

Panel 2: A wide shot of Luffy and Zoro standing next to the rails of the Thousand Sunny next to the lawn deck
Luffy: I need you by my side, Zoro. Always. So you're not allowed to just leave me like that.

Panel 3: Luffy wears a stern expression
Luffy: Not ever, got it? Captain's orders.

Panel 4: Closeup on Zoro's face at a low angle with a frown

Panel 5: A 3-quarter angle of the back of Zoro's head
Zoro: Aye, captain
Panel 1: Luffy looks up at Zoro appraisingly, but he also just looks straight up disgruntled
Luffy: ...

Panel 2: Zoro looks back with a more mellow disgruntled expression
Zoro: ...

Panel 3: Luffy nods  his head down and lets out a sigh
Luffy: Good!

Panel 4: Luffy smiles and looks up at a cartoonish food smell lookin steam
Luffy: Oh! I think I smell lunch!

Panel 5: Luffy grabs Zoro's hand

Panel 6: Luffy and Zoro both run, hand in hand, there's an artistic yellow glow from below and both their bodies are shaded in a desaturated grey. A bright blue and yellow wave crashes down behind them
The page has a yellow and blue colour scheme

Panel 1 (yellow): Close up on the two holding hands,

Panel 2 (yellow): Luffy runs ahead of Zoro through the kitchen
Luffy: SANJI FOOD!

Panel 3 (black): Luffy lets go of Zoros hand

Panel 4 (blue): Side profile of Zoro, his eyes are obscured

Panel 5 (blue): Close up on Zoro's eye looking down, his eyebrow is creased

Panel 6: The background of the panel is yellow, at the centre bottom of the page is Zoro's hand in a blue hue
Panel 1: A close up of blue hued Zoro looks down disgruntled
Narration box: Oh.

Panel 2: Blue Hued Zoro looks up

Panel 3: side profile of Luffy chatting with Sanji (out of frame)

Panel 4: Close up on a side profile of luffy smiling, rays of yellow akin to the sun poke out from behind, they break out of the panel.
Narration box: *Oh.*

Panel 5: Bright red fills the background with streaks of golden yellow in the shape of dragon scales and suns, Zoro looks up with a bewildered, out of breath expression, his hair and earrings are blowing to the side.
Narration box: He was  in love with Luffy.

I referenced @tofublock's wave at the bottom of page 2 so go check out their beautiful artwork! and IF YOU DIDNT SEE THE LINK TO V'S FIC UP THERE THEN GO CLICK THE ONE BELOW TO READ CHAPTER 1!!!!!

that's one for you

bunnygo21
8 months ago
A Captain’s Love
A Captain’s Love
A Captain’s Love
A Captain’s Love
A Captain’s Love
A Captain’s Love

A Captain’s Love

A fully colored digital comic of the Strawhats from One Piece.

The first page only contains a panel with the words "A Captain's Love.“

The second page shows Luffy and Nami holding hands and smiling at each other. Pictured underneath is a close-up of their interlinked hands and the gray silhouette of a person asking "So, are you guys dating?" Another panel shows Nami's reaction: an appalled expression on her face and "huh?" written in bold red letters.

The second page depicts Luffy sitting on Zoro's lap, happily eating meat while Zoro is drinking. Next to them is a gray silhouette again, asking: "isn't that weird?" At the bottom of the page is Zoro's reaction: an intimidating glare with "WHAT" spelled out in big red capital letters behind him.

The third page contains a drawing of Luffy and Usopp, sleeping on spread out blankets and pillows on the floor while cuddling. Again, the silhouette of a person is in the corner, remarking: "you know what people might think." Usopp's reaction in an extra panel is giving the person a deeply disapproving side-eye, asking "oh yeah...?"

The fourth page depicts Luffy tighly hugging Robin while lifting her in the air as both of them are grinning. The gray silhouette of a person is asking: "Are you really gonna let him act like that with your girlfriend?" Pictured underneath is Franky, deeply confused expression on his face, only responding with a bewildered "uhh...."

The last panel shows Luffy, grinning and holding his hat. The asexual and the aromantic flag are pictured behind him.

bunnygo21
8 months ago
bunnygo21 - Untitled
bunnygo21
8 months ago

After the war, Rex does a lot of thinking about the entire thing, about how it was unnecessarily bloody, how it cost the lives of millions of innocents (Jedi and clones combined). He thinks about his brothers and their sacrifices, about how they’d thought they were made to protect the Jedi but were never meant to be anything more than their executioners.

Rex has many regrets. He knows there’s no use in dwelling on what could have been, but if there was one thing he could change, it would be that he listened to Fives the first time around, both during Umbara and in that decrepit warehouse.

Rex comes to the conclusion that Fives had always been smarter than him. He’d been the best of them all, willing to do whatever it took to save as many lives as he could.

Fives had indirectly saved Ahsoka and Rex and any other clone who got their chip out, but Fives himself had been killed for attempting to save others. No one had been able to save Fives.

It pains Rex to think that Fives will be forgotten over the course of time, that Fives would only ever be a speck in the entire course of history. Fives was a great man, possibly one of the greatest to ever live in Rex’s opinion, and great men deserve to be remembered. Rex knows he himself will also only ever be a speck on history, but he resolves to do what he can to make sure that this great man is remembered.

He writes down every detail he knows about Fives: from Domino Squad, to Rishi, to the 501st, to the promotion to ARC after the Battle of Kamino, to the Citadel and losing Echo, to his bravery on Umbara, and finally to Ringo Vinda and the discovery of the chips. Rex doesn’t know all the details of Fives’ private life, of course, but he writes what he observed.

He makes sure that whoever stumbles upon this will know that Fives was passionate, brave, kind, funny, loyal, and incredibly intelligent. Rex notes his penchant for impassioned speeches with a chuckle. He never understood how Fives came up with those on the spot, but he supposed the ARC had always been a natural leader. Fives had been a voice that his brothers had always rallied behind; Rex always admired him for it. He had always been sure of himself and his brothers, even at times where Rex couldn’t find that confidence in himself.

Rex keeps what he’s written about Fives with him at all times. He sends a copy of it to Echo one day, knowing that Fives’ twin will be glad to have it. The days on Seelos with Wolffe and Gregor become monotonous, and he catches each of them reading the memoir at some point. One has to pass the time somehow, anyways.

When Rex joins Ghost Crew, he regales them with tales of his brothers. He talks about Fives the most and practically begs them all to carry on his memory. He can see a piece of Fives in each of them, especially in the young Ezra Bridger.

On Endor, after the Empire has been defeated, Rex meets one Luke Skywalker. They mourn and remember Anakin Skywalker together, but later Luke begs him for stories about the Clone Wars. Rex cannot help but speak about Fives, and when he mentions the memoir, Luke asks if he can see it. Rex readily agrees, and decides to ask Luke a favor. Rex knows that his time is running short, and soon there will be no one left alive who knew Fives. He asks that Luke pass on the story of the greatest man Rex ever knew, and Luke easily agrees. Rex leaves his writings and the old holopic of himself, Cody, Fives, and Echo with Luke and passes on a few months later.

Luke tells his family of Rex and Fives. They all read the manuscript, awed by the stories held within. Young Ben Solo adores the escapades of Fives and wants to be just like him when he grows up. Luke decides that Leia can keep the manuscript and holopic so that she can read Ben stories from it while he’s younger, but it stays with her even after he’s joined Luke’s school. Besides, Ben has read the stories so many times that he no longer needs the words in front of him. He joins Luke in telling his peers of the greatest man to ever live and asks them all to carry on the memory as well.

Things don’t go quite as planned. Ben does not grow up to become like Fives, but instead becomes the very thing Fives had fought so hard to destroy. He forgets the stories and kills almost everyone who would remember them.

The manuscript and holopic, however, remain with Leia. She keeps them to herself, waiting for the right person to share the stories with. She finds that person in a deserter stormtrooper who doesn’t quite know how to find his place in a world he’d never set foot in before. She gives him the manuscript and holopic and asks him to carry on the memory of the person inside.

Finn, too, is amazed by Fives. He finds a kinship in him— clones and the stormtroopers of the First Order are not all that different, it seems. He resolves to pour the same passion that Fives had into his own work with the Resistance. Without realizing it, he even picks up Fives’ tendency for passionate speeches, which amuses Leia to no end.

Finn spreads Fives’ story to his friends and many other members of the Resistance. The phrase “same heart, same blood” takes root in its members, inspiring them all to fight against tyranny.

One day, a wayward clone trooper finds his way into the Resistance. To say he is shocked to hear his dead brother’s name spoken with such reverence is an understatement, but soon he gets the story out of Finn. Kix nearly breaks down into tears, never imagining that one of his brother’s legacies could’ve lasted this long.

Eventually, the First Order is defeated, and the galaxy can finally rest. The Resistance puts up statues of its heroes from both the original Rebellion and the new one. One, however, stands out from the rest. It is of a clone trooper.

The statue of Fives stands tall and proud in the center of Coruscant. The holopic had been useful in capturing his likeness, as had directions from Kix. Fives stands with his helmet tucked underneath his left arm, his right arm held up in a salute. There is a relaxed smile upon his face, one that reassures anyone who gazes upon it.

Underneath it is a plaque that reads:

“Fives

Not Just Another Number

But A Great Man”

—————

I got emotional about how no one would remember Fives and this is what happened. I have zero (0) regrets and I hope you enjoyed this! At first I was just gonna write an analysis but I thought this would be better expressed through a fic. I wrote it all on tumblr and I’ll post it on Ao3 sometime but it’ll be a bit. I know the ending sounds like that quote from Captain America but it’s what fit haha, it’s not intended to be a reference to that at all. Thanks for reading!

bunnygo21
8 months ago
bunnygo21 - Untitled
bunnygo21
8 months ago

So. Hear 5. Nika. Loony Tunes Luffy, if you will. Tell us your thoughts on him and any potential meta? 👀 I’ve been aching to hear it from you since we first saw him go Full Silly Boy.

it's hard to answer this, because i have so many thoughts. i'm just going to try and start from the biggest points and move down.

i like gear five a lot, and i think this development feels very appropriate as a culmination of both luffy's character and the themes of one piece as a whole because of how it interacts with three extremely dominant motifs that have reoccurred throughout the story: freedom, laughter, and the sun.

from the very beginning of the story, luffy has acted, in small ways and big, as an agent of complete freedom. from his first meeting with coby to his breakout at impel down to the liberation of wano, what luffy does is destroy systems that control and oppress, if only because they are in his way. every strawhat is somehow trapped and held back from pursuing their own dreams when they meet luffy, and he frees them all, along with hundreds of others along the way, whether he's inspiring shirahoshi to venture outside or crushing yamato's manacles. his talent for this has always seemed almost preternatural.

luffy is not necessarily a benevolent person; he doesn't care much about helping people in the abstract. he's selfish. he values freedom for freedom's own sake, not because of any greater moral convictions. he doesn't think much about the negative knock-on effects of things like causing a mass breakout at impel down, and he doesn't really go around seeking out downtrodden and oppressed people to free out of a charitable or selfless instinct, nor does he really do anything because it's the right thing to do. he's dismissive of the idea that he might be a hero.

but because he is a completely uncontrollable free agent, and he doesn't really want anything but for himself and everyone he cares about to be completely free, he constantly collides with the systems of oppression that control his world, and when those collisions happen, it is the systems that fail, time and time again, because oppressive systems always do eventually. they can't withstand the light of day. and because he lives completely confidently and unapologetically, he is constantly inspiring others to do the same.

so by the time we are told about nika for the first time, we already know that what nika is said to do is what we've seen luffy doing for more than a thousand chapters: he frees people, and inspires them, and makes them laugh.

i also find luffy-as-nika to be very interesting and thematically appropriate when positioned in opposition to the various antagonists in one piece who have declared themselves to be gods, frequently some of its most tyrannical and oppressive villains- enel, the celestial dragons, doflamingo. all enslave and imprison people, robbing them of their freedom.

nika is a god of slaves, and a creature of liberation. the natural enemy, as rosinante might say, of that sort of megalomaniacal 'god.'

one piece has also consistently connected the theme of freedom, as embodied through luffy, with the sun since very early on. the sun pirates, former slaves, used the symbol of the sun to wipe away the brand of the celestial dragons. (and aren't i curious to know what jinbei might know about nika- he never did answer who's who's question about it.) the fishmen more broadly view the sun as something to be reached when they are truly free. on wano, the coming dawn is understood as the coming liberation. impel down and the florian triangle, places of indefinite imprisonment, are lightless dungeons where the sun doesn't reach. the sun is freedom.

and luffy has always been thoroughly sun associated, from the visual of his hat to his origin on dawn island in the east blue, to his ship, the thousand sunny.

finally, one piece has always placed a great deal of emphasis on smiles and laughter (laugh tale, joy boy, roger laughed, etc)- but that joy must be real. it can't be forced. we're told again and again, through koala, dressrosa's toys, and most obviously the victims of the failed SMILE fruits, that to force someone to smile, denying them the right to cry, is nothing less than an atrocity. people can't be forced to be happy- they should be happy because they're free.

luffy in gear five is laughing nigh-constantly, but it's just because he's having so much fun. unlike the victims of the SMILE fruits, his endless joy is genuine, because in this form, he is completely free- nobody can stop him, and nobody can control him. as he says himself, he can do whatever he wants.

i know that some people felt this moment was in some way a deus ex machina, but it just didn't feel that way to me, because of how well it plays on the story's established themes and trajectory, as well as concepts like devil fruit awakening having been established hundreds of chapters back.

luffy is the sun, the sun is freedom, freedom is joy. i think it makes total sense.

bunnygo21
8 months ago
Eldritch Nika!!! I’ve Always Been Fascinated With This Idea Ever Since Reading Those Fics Where Nika

Eldritch Nika!!! I’ve always been fascinated with this idea ever since reading those fics where Nika is a separate entity (that may or may not have a an agenda of his own) and slowly influences Luffy to being a facsimile of himself. The You are my Sunshine and At the Gallows… are my favorites of Luffy being… slightly off and uncanny due to Gear 5/Devil Fruit. And all those “Gear 5 at Marineford” fics where everyone is horrified at the reality bending he does (Time Moves Through You being my favorite) are fantastic and big inspiration.

bunnygo21
8 months ago

Luffy still not realizing that he is who the Iron Giant is talking to when it is calling him Joyboy is very funny

Luffy Still Not Realizing That He Is Who The Iron Giant Is Talking To When It Is Calling Him Joyboy Is
Luffy Still Not Realizing That He Is Who The Iron Giant Is Talking To When It Is Calling Him Joyboy Is

but it also reinforces the themes surrounding Luffy and the concept of Joyboy and Nika.

Because while Luffy in gear 5 looks similar to how Joyboy has been depicted, he is not literally a reincarnation of Joyboy. He is not the second coming of a god, he is - first and foremost - Monkey D. Luffy, the man who will be King of the Pirates. And him still not acknowledging that he could (even potentially) be the "Joyboy" that the robot is referring to solidifies that.

And what is particularly impressive to me about this thematic throughline, is that it is able to coexist with the belief of characters like Bonney, Kuma, the giants etc. that Luffy is the second coming of Joyboy, of Nika. Because Luffy isn't that. We the audience know that Luffy awakened his devil fruit, and that his resemblance to the Nika and Joyboy of history is because they both had/have the same fruit. We know that Luffy is still Luffy. He has not been possessed by a god (hell, we don't even know if deities actually exist in the would of One Piece, as we have only ever seen the worshipers of them), or by the previous wielder of the fruit. Luffy is still Luffy. If anything, his awakening has amplified who he is, not changed him. And it is in this way that Luffy sort of becomes a Schrodinger's Chosen One.

Because the narrative of One Piece does not present him as a chosen one. He awakened a devil fruit, but not because that was his destiny, or because he knew of some greater prophecy surrounding it. Luffy's actions are for no one but himself and his friends (as in he is not making his decisions with the knowledge of a prophecy, whether it be to fulfil it or avoid it). He is not guided by fate, and anytime we see Luffy follow in the footsteps of another by inheriting their will, it is his own choice. Luffy chose to pursue being the next pirate king, and chose to keep Ace's promise to Tama (and the people of Wano). But certain characters within One Piece do view him as this pre-ordained return of Joyboy. And they are not treated as idiots for this, their faith in the return of their god is treated seriously, and with respect. And their faith IS rewarded, just not necessarily in the way they were expecting. They DO get Joyboy, but not as a reincarnation or a possession, but as a person who can choose to take up the mantle of Joyboy, if he so wishes. And even if he doesn't, Luffy cares enough about freedom (both for himself and others he cares for) that they will still get Joyboy, even if that isn't his name.

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