#op-oxygen

Rule 1 - Post the rules.

Rule 2 - Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post and then make 11 new ones.

Rule 3 - Tag 11 people and link them to your post.

Rule 4 - Let them know you’ve tagged them.

—————————————————————————————————

1. If you could have been born anywhere else, where would it have been?

Well, I was born in Galveston Island... so I guess logically I could've been born in Houston? But I would have loved to be born in Switzerland <3

2. Something interesting about your culture? Or something strange your family does.

Watch Korean dramas with subtitles together... even though we're a Pakistani family lol

3. Favorite bands/singers?

(no specific order)

Walk Off The Earth

The All-American Rejects

Fall Out Boy

Green Day

Beatles

Boys Like Girls

Muse

Panic! At the Disco

All Time Low

Adele

Demi Lovato

Avril Lavigne

One Republic

Nickelback

30 Seconds to Mars

3OH!3

BIGBANG

Linkin Park

Eminem

Honestly, this list could go on forever, so I'll stop here :P

4. What do you look forward to in the future?

Freedom away from my parents. I love them to death, but they are suffocating.

5. What would you do if all of a sudden life became like a yaoi and Pico was an evil dictator eliminating heterosexuals? 

I would cry. No Pico, not ever.

6. Favorite summer drink? 

Hot chocolate. :P

7. If you could have a super power which one would it be? 

Flight. Or speed. Either would make me happy.

8. What are some of your favorite books? 

Honestly, I've read a plethora of books. But here are some titles that I remember:

Harry Potter Series

The Inheritance Cycle (Eragon)

All books by Sarah Dessen

Maximum Ride

Unwind

Hawksong

All books by Meg Cabot (except for Princess Diaries)

My brain just died from trying to remember more. v.v;;

9. Top 5 anime: 

Hahahahahaha. Silly question!

(I'm assuming you don't mean manga, only anime.

After the top 5, there are in no specific order.)

ONE PIECE

ONE PIECE

ONE PIECE

ONE PIECE

ONE PIECE

Prince of Tennis

Ouran High School Host Club

Fruits Basket

Black Butler

Full Metal Alchemist

Naruto

Code Geass

I've watched a lot more, but most of them were ones I watched around the 7th grade so I didn't include them... I mostly read manga these days.

10. Worst anime ever?

Those exist??!!

11. If you were a planet which planet would you be?

You mean from ones that are real? Saturn.

I would much rather be one of Jupiter's moons though.

___________________________________________

My 11 questions:

Where do you live?

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Dating? Single? Complicated? -- Mind sharing the story?

Favorite color and why.

Top 25 most played on your iTunes.

Tell us something about your family!

Picture of you, please? If not, a freehand drawing on paint -- no Photoshop allowed!

Favorite foods?

What was your last dream?

Friday 4th May, my Follow Friday~

mille-fleur

illbecomethepirateking

op-oxygen

marimosantoryu

leraron

I... wouldn't say I only ship Nami and Sanji, but for those two, they are my go-to couple. I recently read a super convincing LJ advocating Sanji/Robin, though, so I wouldn't say I'm not open to possibilities.

LuNa? Lesse, it's not that I don't see why people would ship it, seeing as the whole hat scene was a huge moment in the crew's first step at becoming the nakama we know and love, but it's mostly platonic to me. Nami is simply too sensible to deal with Luffy as a romantic partner, and I honestly have a hard time picturing being romantically together with anybody but Zoro, at least not in this universe, because being in a relationship to him would mean putting the other first, and Nami's selfish whims and, well, sensibilities don't exactly match up with Luffy's nature. I love their rapport, don't get me wrong, and I can get on board with LuNa if it's a side-ship, but it's not something I'd actively seek out.

But I also think it was an important battle in defining Luffy as a person and captain, and I especially like it because aside from the physical fighting there's also a psychological quarrel going on between the two of them, and Luffy is unusually witty.

~op-oxygen

After rewatching Episode 15, I've definitely noticed that Luffy was a lot more acerbic than we were used to. But as this is still the beginning of the series, it's character development and expansion, rather than OOC. This was his scary!happy face punching out Kuro:

(I apologize for the poor quality of my screenshots, and that they have Chinese subtitles. I'll do my best to translate as I continue.)

So, prior to the Kuro Arc, we had Alvida, Morgan, and Buggy. In Luffy's fight with Alvida, we establish his character and skills. With Morgan, we get the application of his skills to the real world via his interactions with Zoro, and the qualities he looks for in a crewmate. With Buggy, we get Luffy's relationship with Shanks and the hat, where Luffy draws the line and finally becomes angry.

With Kuro, we have an angry Luffy,

and a self-justified Luffy,

(Kuro (to Zoro and Usopp): Who said you could leave this hill?

Luffy: I did. Go, Zoro, Usopp!)

We get more development on what he values in a human. Here's Usopp, broken and sobbing,

But still utterly dedicated to saving his town and Kaya (this will be an important point in the Usopp analysis I will write later on).

(Usopp: Even if I can't beat you I'll protect them. I won't let you touch even a hair on a single villager's head!)

Since the beginning, Luffy, Zoro, and Nami saw in Usopp that desperate desire to prove himself, and the conviction, if not necessarily the physical strength to do so, which is why they helped him. And here is Kuro, this sanctimonious hypocrite standing in his way.

Kuro's character confused me at first, because seemingly all of Oda's characters have a backstory that corresponds to their current position, even the douchebags. However, Kuro is introduced as a pirate tired of being chased around because of his name.

(Kuro: This plan was only so that I could get rid of the title "Captain Kuro.")

Which, ideally, should be a sympathetic cause. If someone is tired of being chased by marines and bounty hunters, tired of his name, he must possess some iota of remorse, right? Enough that he wants to essentially kill his entire identity.

But. Immediately after he expresses his wishes to "kill Captain Kuro," he murders an entire ship of marines (and creates Captain Morgan).

So, that should've been my first clue. But, thick-headed romantic I am, I immediately started arguing in the opposite direction. "Even so, it's been three years. He created this whole plan so he can get Kaya's inheritance and not lose his trusted spot within the village community. Yes, he's a douche to Kaya, but maybe he only really wants the love of the villagers?"

Kuro: Everything has a purpose. Everything is a scheme.

Here's when it hits me. There seems to be an awkward character change from Captain Kuro to Butler Kuro to this Kuro, that he seems to want "better" things, but chooses the wrong way to get to them. That is not true at all. Everything seems off because Kuro is off. He goes on and on about the plan and how it must succeed. This is his driving force, right here. It was never about the warmth of villagers trusting him, it was never about being tired of the burden that comes with a name of evil. It's about his plans. Kuro is a complete and utter control freak. He quit the crew because he couldn't control his battle environments when everyone is bombarding him out of the blue. He came up with a plan that yielded a "positive ending" that he never cared for. All he cared about was the success of his plans, which is why he never gained any sympathy for Kaya. And you want to know the best part?

He's managed to delude himself into thinking he cares.

(Kuro: I almost have the money and stability.)

Kuro, in order to stay as a submissive butler for three whole years, tricked himself into thinking that he'll be fine after he's got the inheritance and the village. Luffy immediately sees him for what he was, a coward, a calls him out on it.

(Luffy: You said you couldnt' take it anymore? If you can't bear the weight of being labeled a pirate, then you shouldn't be a pirate!)

Kuro couldn't take being "Captain Kuro" anymore because he couldn't stand the thought of losing. He needs to create an environment for himself where he has zero chances of losing. He's scared to be proven lesser than anyone else.

Luffy is definitely scared of losing, which is why he fights so damn hard for everything. He's afraid of the consequences of being defeated, especially in the pirate business. Everyone should be afraid of losing, Kuro is no exception. Except, Kuro is too proud to admit that there could be people stronger than him, too proud to admit that he wasn't following a plan to make his life better, that he was hiding, too proud to admit that he just wants to win. So he's made a long plan that would ensure his "reputation" goes untarnished amongst his crew and made himself believe that he wants better.

Compared to Usopp, he's a goddamn coward.

Luffy sees this overprivileged jackdouche standing in Usopp's way and steps in to help.

(Luffy: You want to compare ambition, mine is far greater than yours will ever be!)

op-oxygen answered your question: One Piece x Toriko Special 2

We’re in the same boat. Oh well, good thing I have a lot fo school work =_=

Not hating on Toriko or anything; I watched the first episode and it was alright.But to me the concept seemed like it would get old/tired really fast (something shounen series can easily fall victim to).