Okay so, I’ve been on this fandom for a long time now. I have read a lot of fanfictions, I think, and saw a lot of fanarts, well at least enough for me to write this post today. There’s one thing I’ve never understood: why does everyone think Ace and Sabo would be overprotective with Luffy?
I know each time the brothers met Luffy’s crew they would always say “Please, take care of my little brother”, and everyone including me, would go “awww fdhjfdilfd”. AND this is alright, this is what family do, they care for their brothers, they want to make sure everything’s alright. That’s not being overprotective, that’s being a brother.
Now, if they were the overprotective kind of brothers, they would never have allowed Luffy to go on adventure alone like that. And each time Luffy would go into troubles (as he usually does), they would never try to hide and protect him so nobody touches their precious, fragile little brother – on the contrary they would fight together and join their forces. And yes, fragile, because ‘this is how Ace and Sabo see Luffy in the fanfictions’. Except that Luffy’s everything but fragile!
I mean, seriously guys? He fought and trained with Sabo and Ace. They would always chuckle and laugh at him because he was weaker than them, but they valued – value – his strenght, they recognized potential in him.
And you know what? They also know, deep down, Luffy’s gonna become the Pirate King, or at least they believe in his dreams. And would a Pirate King need to be overprotected by his big brothers? No. Because he needs to get stronger, to improve himself, to experience life, to be independent, to be himself. They trust one another. Just like Luffy’s crew (Remember when Zoro said Sanji could handle things in Dressrosa? Kinda what I mean).
Letting people act the way they want because they know they are able to manage on their own is a way of showing love. But to be possessive? It’s poisonous. It doesn’t go anywhere. It’s unbearable. It’s insulting. And most of all, it’s not love. Not the way it’s described, anyways. Whatever your ships are, each time I read something like Ace on his way to punch the Person X for going out with Luffy, just because “he’s his little brother”, I’m sick of it. It’s bullshit. Ace wouldn’t do that, nor Sabo.
They love Luffy, yes, but there’s a difference between caring about someone and always be here in case of hugehuge problem, and somebody always checking on one’s life like a supervisor behind your shoulder and trying to control everything just to be sure “he’s safe”. That is not the ASL’s relationship.
AUs are hard to write, and I admire people who try to make up a plot and go for it, I’m myself one of them so I get it, it’s difficult, but please when you do write about the ASL brothers, even if it’s to get a ship stronger, use another way than making them out of character.
Now I’m sorry if I have done some mistakes and didn’t express myself very clearly but English isn’t my native language. I did my best.
On the subject of Luffy’s brothers, I don’t understand the headcanon that Sabo hates Law. Why would he? Law risked his neck to save Luffy at Marineford AND fixed up his wounds. Sabo wouldn’t hate him, he’d be grateful. BECAUSE OF LAW, SABO ONLY LOST ONE BROTHER IN THE WAR. So this whole, “Creepy guy allied with baby brother, gotta protect him from this creep that he clearly trusts completely!” That doesn’t make sense, and I feel like fandom has latched onto anime tropes WAY too closely.
Cheloneuniverse 