Dear Izzy,

Happy birthday.

64 years old today.

Not 64 the way we count on a calendar. But 64 as someone who has lived every season inside a single chord.

Some people grow old by accumulating things — money, fame, noise. But you? You grew old by choosing what to let go of. You let go of the spotlight before it became a cage. You let go of fame like taking off a jacket after a long, tired day. You let go of speed just so you could finally feel the rhythm of things.

And in the silence you dug with your own hands — that quiet, almost invisible space where you've always lived — you planted the most human riffs that rock and roll has ever heard.

Because your genius was never the fire, Izzy. It was the warm ash. The kind that keeps burning long after everyone else has gone home.

You're 64 years of a man who taught us that you can be giant without taking up so much space. That you can be deeply loved without ever having asked for love. That you can disappear completely and still be remembered as the backbone that held everything together.

Today, somewhere out there, the sky must be kinda cloudy, kinda blue, kinda lazy Sunday rock'n'roll. Exactly the way you like it.

So happy birthday, Izzy Stradlin. May the road always be your home. And may you always remain that rare, beautiful thing:

A myth who chose to be a man.

P.S.: I'm so grateful. Grateful for finding this fandom. Grateful for getting to know these boys. Grateful for all the fanfics I've written — especially about my Izzy. I just have so much to thank you for.

May your birthday be filled with light and happiness. And may you live for many, many, many more years.

Luffy is the captain. He makes the big decisions and trusts Nami and Zoro to lead everyone after him in backing him up. Luffy wants to go to Skypeia? Nami orders the crew to investigate and gets them there. Luffy rushes off after an enemy? Zoro leads the crew to attack the rest of the enemies.

Zoro trusts Luffy completely and believes in him. He's the first to condemn someone for turning on Luffy, and helps him make the hard choices. But he still chases after the crew members as Luffy commands. When it comes to Nami, he both protects and follows her lead. He trusts Nami will get him to where he needs to go.

Nami was saved by these two. They are the only ones who saw her vulnerable during Arlong park. She trusts them completely. Her trust in Luffy is obvious considering the many scenes we have, her trust in Zoro is kess obvious but there. These two get along in a way that makes them one of my favorite friendships. The tease and banter and work well as a team. Nami is the one sitting by him after thriller bark despite not knowing of the sacrifice. Nami is definitely the brains, but she does follow Zoro's lead. Zoro says they're attacking? Nami helps strategize.

These 3 are the backbone of the crew and I love it. The straw hats rely on them to work together and they all have their moments to shine as leaders. Luffy, big decisions. Nami, morality and getting them where they need to go, including strategy. Zoro fights and hard decisions. I just love them so much.