ONE PIECE
Oh boy, aren't you in for an adventure!
I grew up with this series and even now the Strawhats are my happy place. I love their small interactions, the implicitness of their trust. I love the plot and the lore, how characters are sometimes just vague enough to make them your own but also already so rich that you feel like you've known them your whole life

DRAGON BALL
For the most part, I'm out of this fandom. But I'm still a member of the open for all ships discord Shenron's Dungeon and am still having a blast organising events!In the past I wrote for VegeBul but lately found a soft spot for Broten as the fandom I'm not even a real part of is really supportive!

ONE PIECE
Zoro, Luffy, Robin, Law, Kureha

DRAGON BALL
Bulma, Vegeta, A18

ONE PIECE
I started shipping with Zorobin because at the time they were my favourite characters. Nowadays I found enough similarities and differences to make them work in about any setting.
I evolved from back then and now ship Zoro with almost everybody.Honourable mentions:
- Sanji/Usopp
- Coby/Drake
- Yamato/Hiyori
- Smoker/Hina

DRAGON BALL
Vegeta was my favourite character and then Canon made Vegebul a thing. Timeskips are when magic happens and when creative people's minds go in overdriveHonourable mentions:
- Vegeta/18
- Krillin/18
- Broten
- YamTien

I've been writing since sixth grade, original and horribly cheesy fantasy stuff, that I never had the guts to publish anywhere. For the eyes of my best friend at the time only. I developed that story way into adulthood. Improving visibly over the years and still I lacked the courage to publish anything.I started talking and beta reading for a fanfic author in the Inu yasha fandom. A friend who's still dear to me despite the fact that I'm not checking in on her as much as I should. If you like my work, it's her you should thank because I gave her that half page of the first chapter of Shôganai and she encouraged me to just write and post.

I did. And it turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life.Back then I was convinced I'd write this one multi-chapter fic and be done with it. How were there even people who actually wrote dozens of fics? And all those WIPs? Just stick with one and get it over with!Oh, how foolish and naive I have been!Right from the start, actually, I've planned for Shôganai to be a 3-5 chapter thing! And not only did it become a 50 something Chapter monster it became a whole universe with prequels, sequels and spin-offs!

This story originally came to be from one silly line in Shôganai. Wouldn't it be fun to write a little one-shot to this?
Well. Fun it was, a one-shot, not so much!
I am determined to finish it at one point.

The issue is, that this was so good? This is the first fic in which I actually like my writing so now, going back to it I am actually intimidated. Silly me.

Text

Text

Text

Text

Text

Text

Text

Text

Text

Text

Text

Text

Text

Text

Text

Text

Zoro pre timeskip was cocky. And he first learned that he's not invincible at Baratie but he channelled that defeat as a source of motivation. Because he saw the difference in their strength.It may have been mockery that Mihawk had used the knife for the fight but it helped to show him he shouldn't take himself so highly because he's still miles away from his goal. We can assume that during timeskip he saw that he is closing this gap, the fact that Mihawk actually deemed him good enough for training is a huge confidence boost which was very much needed at that point.
Now aside from Mihawk at Baratie he had not encountered anything that would make him feel weak or humbled. He won every battle and eventually found methods that worked. It all felt easy.And then came Thriller Bark. Then came Kuma and unlike with Mihawk this defeat couldn't be attributed in a positive way. With Mihawk it was a "I have to get there" with Kuma it was crushing defeat and despair. He was ready to die there. Also this is the point where he got from living to fulfill his and Kuina's dream, so practically from "living for the dead" to "dying for the living".His whole motivation was smashed and had to be rebuilt and Kuma was something he could have never imagined. It's the first time there's no ray of light. They had fought the bloody government on Enies Lobby and were relatively unscathed at the end of it; they had just defeated a warlord and felt invincible and then Kuma came and completely crushed them.And the only ones aware of how high the stakes are now are Brook, Robin, Sanji and Zoro. They now share a kind of responsibility.

"We are not strong enough."
"We're probably not even a blib on the radar."But with how quick things happen there's no time to actually process all that.So fast forward. Saboady, if I remember correctly Zoro got away from the others fairly quickly, he may have looked carefree but we can assume the events didn't leave him unscathed. He retreats into himself and doesn't tell the rest much because it has to stay a secret, Luffy can't know. Ever. Zoro is alone with his thoughts, his inadequacy.Then the attack happens and he sees Kuma again. He knows they are completely lost and they can't beat him. He's weak and still beaten but he knows even in top form he's nothing in comparison. The admirals. He can't do anything. He's completely helpless.He's used to protecting and now he can't even do that.When he ends up in Kuraigana he has a lot of soul-searching to do.
He lost everything. Again (Kuina). He's too weak. He doesn't know if the others are safe and if we go by his character 'til then we can assume he blamed himself.He's the muscle. He didn't protect them. He wasn't good enough, strong enough. Probably some PTSD, too. His body is all messed up, there is no hope. He's rock bottom.Mihawk returns. Luffy is alive. And he finds again new motivation to live for the living. To become stronger. To never let anything like that ever happen again. Which also means he can't walk around all happy go lucky anymore. He knows Luffy will be Luffy. He has to step up from that. Needs to take responsibility. And he grows a lot in the two years, but he just can't afford to be the same as before.

This mainly comes down to that one line on Punk Hazard towards Tashigi."Because you are beneath me"It is seen as a 180 on his relationship with Kuina as, back then, they are both fighting that gender does not matter. And I believe this holds true for him even today.Discussing misogyny concerning a character like him, I think, is difficult.He cares about his family and strength. He'll respect who's strong and who will stand up for themselves, if you let society hold you down for something silly like gender that's on you and I think that comes back to Kuina. She was strong because she fought for herself and because society can go fuck itself she'd become the greatest swordsman, period.If you come whining "you don't take me seriously because I'm a woman" you don't deserve to have Kuina's face and that may be one of the main issues he has with Tashigi. What it comes down to.

Throughout the series we see him not bothering with enemies that aren't strong enough to challenge him, that's not uniquely happening with women (Tashigi and Monet) and throughout the series his misogyny is only addressed by Tashigi, which -as I argue in her section- misinterprets his behaviour.The harsh bluntness of "Because you're beneath me" also fits his worldview.At Baratie he takes offense when Mihawk only uses the little knife to fight him, but it opens his eyes to the gap of power between them and he realises that he needs this to grow stronger. To eventually reach him.Sugarcoating Tashigi's weakness in comparison to him would do her a disservice. If she wants to reach him, if she wants to take his swords, she needs to know how far they stand apart. That it's not prejudice, but facts.

Attachment Theory says that in the first few years children need to build a relationship with some primary caregiver for normal social or emotional development and it explores different attachment patterns. Depending on how that relationship worked out the person will be more likely to build similar relationships later in life.For example. A child with a secure attachment could be exploring freely but not hesitate to call for help, knowing the help would be given to them.Anxious/dismissive avoidant attached children would not turn to ask for help because they have been rebuffed too often or their emotional needs were ignored.
Later in life those experiences may be confirmed or not.

Those attachment patterns can turn into Personality Disorders. Signs for avoidant or anxious are closing off, depression, intrusive thoughts on how worthless they are etc. They have difficulty opening up because they needs have never been met and they are afraid to be left and disappointed again.To help those people, unconditional acceptance, the offer for a secure, trusting relationship can help. If they experience that.Now. About bullying. Studies have shown that excluded people lower their expectations for company and may even heighten the individual's readiness for violence.

Robin had been mistreated by her family. Her emotional needs have not been met. She's wary of opening up. The scholars gave her security but they still had secrets and eventually she lost their support too (in the most cruel way).Robin has been an outcast in her village but she still had the scholars as a safety net. Later she lost that but got ostracized by the whole world instead of just a town. She turned to the only people still taking her in. Her expectations had dropped and criminals didn't seem that bad. Them only wanting her for what she could provide reaffirmed the belief that she couldn't open up, that she couldn't trust, that she as a human being was worthless. She emotionally detached and basically her dream kept her alive.When she invited herself into the Strawhat crew she saved herself. Luffy accepted her. Luffy didn't accept her because she can read the poneglyphs. He didn't care about that back then. He just took her in without expecting anything in return. Considering how little gestures of unconditional acceptance are believed to help, declaring war on the government even though she'd tried to make them believe she's a traitor was really huge.

As we all know that was the first time in a long while that Robin felt it possible to open up and actually ask for help. Which is a huge step for someone like her. And Luffy and Crew do just that. So her first attempt to really break through that pattern was rewarded. Not like when she demanded to be part of the crew. Where she guilt tripped him in a way and bought the others' love. In this scene it was given freely.
That's how she was allowed to grow. How much did she grow there already?Consider this: Robin was used to being left behind and turned away. To being used as a tool and not accepted as a person. For people falling under that attachment pattern it is easy to revert back to it. They were apart for two years and she did not give up. Returned, trusting that they'd be there and haven't moved on. Now go on, tell me you liked pre timeskip Robin more, I dare you!

Twitter user alion brought up those silly thoughts she has sometimes but doesn't share which is a really good point! Post timeskip we see outwardly expressions of those like with ryuunosuke!

Kuina grew up seeing day by day that she's stronger than all the boys and for a long time her father supported that while she was a child, not outwardly showing sex.As soon as she hit puberty things were different. But she'd grown convinced of her strength and being confronted with that inherent misogyny that she can't take over the dojo because she's a girl had her "fight the Establishment". She'd become the strongest!

Zoro having spent years getting his ass beat by her agreed. Obviously, the notion of weak girls was bullshit. She was his goal he wanted to reach! And he's lost and furious when she dies because she'd been his motivation and his friend.

Tashigi is not Kuina.And I think we do her a disservice if we treat her like that and hold her to her standards. Tashigi was probably socialized differently, but still in an obvious patriarchal society.I think she was offended by herself not realising who he was in Logue town. Also, she's probably used to people not taking her seriously which may come from her clumsiness as much as being a woman. She has had prejudice against pirates and bounty hunters from the beginning for some reason and her liking him for who he was before she knew what he was tested her worldview.Humans in general don't react all that kindly to that kind of thing. She's seen the world mostly black and white so far and now this guy comes along and is nice despite being a scoundrel.Then Alabasta. The whole crew saves a nation. What the hell they are pirates they have no business doing good! And Zoro, the one who first confronted her with all that still can't face her, ignores her, runs away from her and due to what she experienced before and because a pirate has to be bad she attributes it to misogyny.She doesn't take a moment to think or to listen. To her, he calls her ugly ("that face") and doesn't deem her worthy to even fight (just because she's a woman). She ties whatever trauma she'd experienced to Zoro.

So, she may work on herself those two years. Accept and see that it's not all black and white. Rise the ranks of the Marines and prove to everyone that it doesn't matter that she's a woman she is above that.And then he comes around again. After not a note in two years and it all bubbles back up. And she sees him all chill not taking Monet seriously. Waiting to watch her fight because he doesn't think she's strong enough (he's a misogynist so obviously it has to be that) and she can't help but fall back into her old behaviour.Her natural path should be to overcome her own and societies prejudice and double standards. She already gained station and influence. And she is powerful. Monet caught her off guard but she could have defeated her on her own. She made it into the New World. She fought in the war without much injury.Comparing her to Law against who's devil fruit by default she has no real chance or to Zoro whose ultimate goal is strength isn't fair to her. Her goal is power and influence and the strength needed for that. She does not need to be the strongest to reach that goal.She is not Kuina. But once she surpassed the prejudice she'll stand at the top of the navy alongside the others. That's her journey, in my eyes
Still incredibly salty about her tits though