Today I Am Thinking About Zoro And Luffy Both Having Two Constantly Depicted Scars. One On Their Eye

luffy’s colours being white & red and zoro’s colours being black & green is so perfect to me.

white and black, they directly link to lightness and darkness. it relates to luffy’s relation to the sun god, his angelic gear 5 form, his vastly kind personality and unburdened joy. whereas that darkness relates to zoro’s sinister fighting style, ‘king of hell’ and the demonic references integrated from the beginning of his character to present. his capability for deadly aggression and more serious tone.

yet contrarily we have red and green. red, the colour of blood and fire, passion and warning, it is boldness as a colour, and often used in a way to represent urgency. like luffy, his goal steers his everyday, he is driven and determined, terrifying and powerful. his gear 5 red eyes sting in the memories of enemies, luffy is boldness and passion. and we have green; peace, nature and luck. zoro and his passiveness, his gentle relationship with the people he loves, his tendency to sleep through the day and protect when no one is awake. zoro has a distinct softness to him that, in my mind, is best described as mundane tranquility. zoro is green like grass swaying in the spring time breeze, he is peace.

they are opposites, they are two halves of a whole. where luffy is light and heaven, zoro is sinister and demonic. where luffy is danger, zoro is peace. they fit like a jigsaw, completing each other, while it is the fact they are opposites that allows them to fit so seamlessly.

luffy’s light and zoro’s green interact on a personal basis, gentle and happy, heaven and peace. luffy’s red and zoro’s darkness meet on the battlefield as unstoppable and terrifying allies, danger and hell.

their associated colours intertwine as perfectly as they do as characters, i really love it so much.

My interpretation of original Nice so far (as of episode 3). I feel like the Nice that was around before he became a hero was a perfectionist, sure, what idol personality doesn't strive to show a picture of perfection. He probably enjoyed dancing and music, but he was still a person. So I suspect he had some selfish tendencies, not because I think he was 'evil' or anything, but when you live under the constant pressure of trying to make yourself the best person you can be it tends to seep out in little ways. I also think we can expect hints of a pretty insecure person hiding in there.

And with all of the heroes we've seen so far the powers they have are based on things they did/they're personalities before they became heroes. It almost feels like their powers may have originally manifested by their faith in 'themselves' as opposed to needing outside validation.

And (I'm projecting a little bit onto Nice here) when you start expecting perfection of yourself and get rewarded for people pleasing, you tend to lean into it. It becomes all you are, you cast off pieces of yourself and keep quiet about all of the things that annoy, anger, scare, or hurt you. You lose touch with who you really are until all that is left is the compulsion to be what 'others' need. This type of labor is exhausting and isolating. It can lead to burn out. You retreat from those you were closest to because suddenly it's too much to be around them. You find yourself feeling bitter and angry at them for having problems and issues. You probably tried bossing them around saying 'well if you do this 'x' can be resolved' All while knowing that any misstep can lead to others receiving you negatively. Which then feeds self hatred. I bet Nice told those closest to him (if there is only one other Nice before Lin Ling) that he wasn't 'nice' as in not kind. Because if he was kind he wouldn't be so angry and miserable just helping those around him. He wouldn't feel trapped by his role of being a hero. He wouldn't be obsessed with his image. He should feel fulfilled in his career and life, but he isn't.

And lastly, when you expect to be perfect, it truly is the worst thing when you are shown you have failed someone, that you couldn't uphold yourself to your own impossible standards. And suddenly you have no purpose, no goal, no worth. You don't ask for help because you can't. And you start to want to end it. Because you don't think 'perfection is an unachievable standard' you start to believe it is the only standard.

thinking about how none of the strawhats have ever known a luffy without zoro.

everyone joined the crew to witness this oddly content and peaceful, terrifying duo. their dynamic is sweet and funny, almost gentle, something you would expect from childhood friends who have been next to each other for so long they don’t always need words. and then again, they are something else when they are in battle.

they trust each other like they are extensions of themselves, they know each other inside and out like they are telepathic, they get each other so completely.

i’m sure everyone who joined the crew looked at them and must’ve thought at one point that there has never been a time where they have not known each other. until nami tells them, oh, they met a few weeks before i joined.

the shock that must come from learning their bond is nearly as young as all of theirs, and not a product of existing next to each other for years.

how baffling it must be to watch them save each other like it’s breathing, to rely on each other without question or thought in fights, and to realise they only spent such a marginal time alone before everyone else began to join them.

to never know a luffy without zoro, or a zoro without luffy, it must be hard to ever imagine a time where they weren’t by each other’s side.

So i’ve been wondering abt how the next conflict will unfold after the current breather in the manga… and i can’t help but suspect (and hope) that maybe, just maybe it’ll have something to do w Suo.

I say this bc currently, it looks like we’re getting the backstories of the main group one-by-one (Sugishita, Kiryu, possibly Sakura).

And at the same time, chapter by chapter, we’ve been getting tiny little snippets of Suo’s suspicious actions/habits in the background: him wearing a swim shirt/staying out of water, Kiryu deliberately mentioning how he’s not eating again (there is a separate panel of this interaction, so it’s clearly important as it’s divided from other dialogues), him taking control of the conversations and manipulating them in his favor in both ch 171 and 172…

I really feel like something is brewing in the background when it comes to this boy, bc all of this happened in the last 4 chapters which he appeared in.

But most of all, what really concerns me is this line:

Throughout ch 173 he seemed to handle the tension of the Kiryu-family quarrel with such unnatural level-headedness, he’s the only one who is still staring straight ahead in the panel below, not being startled at all by the yelling.

He’s also the only one who’s observant enough to sit back in the same exact place after spying on Kiryu

All of these reactions, habits and behaviors just make me suspect that he might have a difficult familial situation, where he had to hide emotions, learn how to be observant and a smooth-talker, manipulate his way out of situations, grow up way too quickly…

And well, let’s not forget how he says that his best skills are at negotiating, making the enemy “cough up information” and do as he says…

I’m honestly kind of a believer of the “Suo has ties with the mafia” theory, or at least i think he has some seriously dark familial situation and knows some shady ppl… he’s the only person who Nirei had no notes on, nobody heard anything about his days before Furin (except that he’s a good fighter)… it’s all just too suspicious tbh.

And well. As the story and world-building progresses, each conflict in the manga has been more and more dangerous and intense: first we had the one-on-one’s with Shishitoren, then the more violent Keel-conflict, then we had straight up adults fighting in the Roppo-Ichiza vs Gravel arc, and ultimately the war with Endochika + Noroshi… i wonder what could be more intense than this last arc.

Still, Wind breaker hasn’t been truly dark up to this point, so i highly doubt that a story about a group of wholesome delinquent high schoolers would delve into some less PG stuff involving the mafia. The story is more about acceptance, community and personal growth, a violent and darker gang arc would be quite out of place imo.

However, i truly suspect it will be Suo’s backstory that’ll serve as a transition to the next conflict/heavier arc.

But as always, feel free to disagree, this is only just my personal opinion and theory<3

Aldo Bellini's cross: an analysis

As we know, each cross in Conclave has a unique design and meaning that reflects the character they're designed for.

The main symbol on Bellini's cross is the pelican. According to many ancient legends (pre dating Christianity) the pelican was believed to pierce its own breast with its beak to feed its offspring with its blood, so early Christians adopted it as a symbol of Jesus Christ sacrificing himself for mankind.

The most immediate explanation is that the pelican represents Bellini: he's the righteous cardinal who doesn't want the papacy, who sees it as a burden that will most likely destroy him, but who, at the same time, feels like he has to become Pope in order to prevent Tedesco from winning. In other words, he feels like he has to sacrifice himself in order to save the Church.

However, the quote engraved on the back of the cross reveals something more, something deeper. The quote comes from a hymn written by Thomas Aquinas in 1264, titled “Adoro te devote”.

Pie pellicane, Iesu Domine, / me immundum munda tuo sanguine.

Good pelican, Lord Jesus, / clean me, the unclean, with your blood.

It's a prayer TO the good pelican from the point of view of a sinner who feels unclean, impure.

And that's how Bellini constantly sees himself: as unworthy, as dirty. His whole character is built around this sense of shame, self loathing and self-doubt, which he must shoulder alone and which is at the centre of his (torturous?) relationship with God.

The quote is hidden on the back of the cross, it's private, it's for Bellini's eyes only, his shame is between himself and the Lord, the only one who can save him, who can clean him.

And of course you can read this however you like but it's definitely one more thing to be added to the list of gay undertones in Bellini's character.

One last thing (and this is probably my biggest reach but indulge me): I noticed that in the scene where Bellini finally admits his shame to Lawrence his cross is facing backwards.

This movie is so meticulous with its details and symbolism that I'm almost 100% sure that it was made (or left like that) on purpose.

In the scene Lawrence (and the audience with him) is finally given access to Bellini's inner turmoil. Bellini is baring those parts of himself he's so ashamed of to the person he cares about the most, so it's only fitting that his words and actions are accompanied by this subtle, yet powerful symbolism.

Dick Grayson's curse is that everyone will love him at his best but nobody will be there next to him when he's at his worst.

Analyzing the WIND BREAKER Trio

TW: BIG SPOILERS FOR THE MANGA, light mention of abuse.

It’s high time I talk about the main characters of Wind Breaker, who are surprisingly unconventional. They don’t seem to fit neatly into any of the old characters' trifectas we see across media. None of them are girls, for starters, and they don't even seem to fit the classic Freudian trifecta of Id, Ego, and Super Ego. No, in this analysis, I want to talk about their unusual dynamic and how they depend on each other for what they lack in themselves. These traits being:

Sakura’s lack of social skills

Nirei’s lack of strength.

Suo’s lack of self-belief

Sakura Lacks Social Skills

The only evidence I have to cite is the entire manga. He’s no mystery. Sakura has been abused and neglected from a young age both by his parents and his old town. And by the start of the manga, he’s never been shown kindness before. And what this has created is a form of independence from society. Sakura is someone who only deigns society. Something Yamato Endo later adores about him, something Endo has only seen in one other person. Sakura doesn’t need other people, and will never bend himself to other’s will. He said so as much in his fight with Togame.

However, this virtue comes at the price of having ANY sort of common sense. He doesn’t know how to make friends. He doesn’t know how to operate a phone. It’s almost like he’s been living on a deserted island his whole life. He has no interests, no furniture.

So he needs a guide. That’s Nirei. He lets Nirei hang around him like a little remora fish because he knows that Nirei will point him in the right direction. He’s not so much a “best friend” rather he’s better described as a “foremost friend” who’s made it his personal mission to guide Sakura to the top. 

He displays a greater comfort around Nirei than he does with Suo. To Sakura, Suo is a rival and begrudging mentor to who he derives wisdom from. Now, he’s not a complete rival and foil in the way that Sugishita is, but from the moment, he sees Suo fight, he’s already dreaming of ways to have a real fight with him, but he respects him enough to plan the bridge defense while preparing for the war.

In this sense, Sakura takes motherly doting support from Nirei and fatherly challenging support from Suo. Though he would never ever admit to that. Its interesting how clinically he views both of his friends. He treats them more like social workers who’ve been assigned to him than buddies to hang out with.

Nirei Lacks Strength

At the start of the series, Nirei lacks physical and mental strength. He literally doesn’t know how to fight at all and constantly hides behind his friends. And until his breaking point with KEEL, he basically uses them as bodyguards. After KEEL, Nirei realizes that simply advising and studying others is not enough and makes an effort to at least be able to defend himself and become strong.

And to his credit he does this. By the end of the war arc. He has attained complete mental strength. When Nirei throws that punch on the bridge he has everything. He becomes a complete hero. Lacking only muscle and training. Mitsuki knows this. Suo knows this. All of them know it and are more than willing to help him grow into what will probably one day be Hiragi’s replacement. 

Suo Lacks Self-Belief

(in his own moral judgment.)

By self-belief, I don’t mean that in a confidence sense, but rather a worthiness sense. Suo is the most perplexing of the three because we know so little about him at the moment. And that’s by design, he wears a mask of impenetrable mystique.

But we can make some observations of his values even if we don’t know the details yet of how he came to them. So lets start by examining what Suo admires about his friends: Sakura’s moral conviction and Nirei’s purity. 

Suo adores Nirei’s purity and innocence, which he finds infinitely more valuable than strength. Nirei doesn’t have a bad bone in this body. The concept of doing something evil has never once crossed his mind. Even after years of being tormented by bullies, one would expect him to go on a revenge arc. But NOPE. He doesn’t even consider it. He’s more concerned about his sick friend or helping an old man he barely knows find peace. As far as Suo is concerned, Nirei is the perfect one and has the most potential of the three because he's already mastered what Sakura and himself lack. Morality and social grace are harder to acquire than muscle. 

In Sakura, Suo sees a champion who can carry his moral convictions like a banner. He says as much before challenging Minoru to a “fight”. 

Time and time again, he reiterates that Sakura is bound to surpass him. But he never means it in reference to combat. In fact, by that point, he hasn’t even seen Sakura have a real fight. And later on, he says it again, when Sakura is able to get a handle on his rage, whereas Suo wants to beat an opponent while he is down. The guy who hurt someone they both deeply cared about.

What he sees in Sakura is a moral conviction that he lacks in himself. At the time I am writing this we know shockingly little about Suo. About his backstory, his master, his Chinese fashion taste, his eye. And neither do his allies. But have clues. We see him refuse to eat with the others, claiming to be on a diet. It was disrespectful of him to not eat anything at that leadership summit, so he had to have a bigger reason. Consider the other character who refused to eat in the story, it becomes more obvious he may have a guilt complex.

What this points to is that Suo has a history. He’s done bad things in the past and now feels guilty and undeserving. His solution is to not find moral clarity in himself but to surround himself with those who can. It's an issue he's going to have to deal with at some point.

What to do with these three?

Looking back, you begin to notice that the nature of their friendship starts out as very transnational. Sakura needs social guides and barely considers them friends at all. Nirei uses his friends as protection and role-models to get stronger. And Suo uses his friends as a way to outsource his moral compass.

But it didn’t stay that way. Sakura starts fighting with others in mind and even plays games with Nirei; who becomes a real fighter just like the others with the help of Suo, who trusts himself enough to become a teacher after being inspired by Sakura. They inspire each other and grow. That’s normal for Shonen. But this strange dynamic is something I find peculiar, breaking the mold of what i’d expect from a heroic trio. It's all very refreshing.

thinking about lawrence and bellini and how they think they know each other, and they do, but not without the clarity each expects...bellini's 'don't be so naive' comment comes out with such force. he's been holding that between his teeth for years. decades maybe. all the time bellini spent struggling with his ambitions, his resentments.

it's only now during the conclave that will make or break his career and redeem the course of his life, his chance to step up and take up the mantle of the dead friend he is grieving deeply. it's now that it comes out - how much he has been living like a politician.

presenting himself one way, upholding the virtues of justice and humility, enjoying his own flair in throwing down the gauntlet, listing all his ideals and principles.

add: dramatic refusal. add: dramatic exit. performing so well, even his oldest friend cannot see it. cannot see him, for who he is. and so of course lawrence's trust and belief in him cannot be true; but bellini can't help but crumble when it starts eroding.

he is a false icon and a false man. he envies what he sees of lawrence, the doubts he has which are turned towards god and not towards the church (a doubt he shared with the late pope, and can only confess to it through him, even in absence). his self-denial that keeps him safe from ambition, that makes it terribly easy to set aside as competition, makes him safe to rely on.

except lawrence has a courage bellini can't replicate. an ability to respond to circumstances and not merely react and hesitate due to the possible costly outcomes.

because he is brilliant, he can see risks so clearly, he is so deeply aware of the weight in every decision and that hinders him terribly, it is the hubris of the righteous, a self-hating sense of responsibility. who else but him should be pope?

the big test of character he faces is not a scandal with victims or a crime: it is only disappointing a friend, disappointing himself. only that. a very quiet thing happens, behind closed doors, like so many other quiet things.

lawrence breaks the papal seal. he breaks vows and promises and protocol and ritual; he broke faith with the institution they have served together for decades, and so bellini cannot hold faith with him, or the truth he is trying to bring to the light.

the truth does not, then, matter as much as the look of the thing. the risk is too great. oh, it is always too great, for aldo bellini to take.

it is only when he loses lawrence's faith, the last steady old living faith lawrence has, that bellini realizes he does not have it in him to live by integrity. what an ugly thing to know, and to learn from someone renouncing him, the one person he thought would not.

lawrence makes clear bellini's weaknesses, as he does for the rest, and bellini sees him clearly in the light of day after a night of looking at himself, and he is very sorry, and grateful to him, for being the crucible. the least of all evils, and the one who cuts closest to the bone.

he looks at the darkness inside himself and apologizes. so quickly, so simply.

bellini apologizes; he makes amends; he offers supports, upholds the mirror as lawrence did, works towards a better future. it is another day. he is a politician, and it is another day.

when they reconcile he says: it is shameful to live this long and not know himself. and it is then, because he says that, at his prompting, in the example of that peculiar courage bellini has and thinks he does not have, that lawrance admits it. he does have a name scrawled in his heart, a small ambition; he is capable of wanting, even he would rather not.

and still, bellini leads the way for lawrence. in facing his failures to live up to his image of himself, in the possibility not only of regret and shame and struggle for dignity when facing the certainty of defeat (adeyemi) or denial, incomprehension (tremblay) - but in making amends.

lawrence's old trust in him is not baseless or empty, there is love between them still, because bellini is not that good of a politician, it turns out; he doesn't have what it takes to stick it out, to pretend at a thing he cannot be.

he is too true for it. he is brave, only not in the way he sought to be thought of. a quieter thing, less emphatic, more powerful by far. he is so clearly exhausted of himself. pretending at certainty is so much more treacherous and exhausting and dangerous than doubt admitted. and humility, the scholar learns, is the only possible road for knowledge of the self and the other and the world.

don't be so naive thomas. don't be so naive. but in the morning it is bellini asking for the name john, preparing in expectation and hope for his friend the moment he would ask him the term of his papacy after being elected. he asks without resentment, and with a new belief in him, a true understanding.

a reverse-baptism, which never happens, except for how it exists between them. what is the name of your fearful desire, your sin, your hope in the midst of hopelessness, your weakness like my own?

the dangerous ones are the ones who want to be elected. but aldo bellini is the one person who says, everyone wants it. he denies the possibility for false pretenses.

and because it is his friend who speaks of it, not tremblay accusing him of it or benítez offering it freely, but aldo bellini who asks what is the shape and sound of his secret faith in himself, lawrence can admit it.

if he can forgive bellini for it, he has to forgive himself. if bellini can face what sort of man he is, so does he. and he doesn't, of course, forgive himself for it, or give himself much of any grace. but he begins to believe that is it possible others might truly know his doubts and desires, and not look away, or be appealed, betrayed, renounce him for his humanity. bellini doesn't.

they see each other clearly now. they sit on the same bench, apart from the rest of the world, secluded in friendship.

in the script, after the explosion, they walk arm in arm for the last vote.

I feel bad for Lin Ling, but my brain demands angst. Or the horrors. Miss J said that Nice's fans have been waiting long enough for him to reach the top. And if for the public (for it's significant part at least) heroes are nothing more than spectacular characters, what if even after Lin Ling became his own hero, some fans would demand Nice's comeback. Like "yeeeah the OG is dead((( but the copy looks just like him! also he has new cool fighting techniques! and he genuinely loves Moon like Nice is supposed to! idk the commoner is just a downgrade in comparison :( i miss Nice's grace, commoner is just... meh". They would leave negative comments, spread their opinion, attract like-minded people. And no matter how hard Lin tries to move on from Nice, Nice would be forced upon him. The fans' will is no joke after all. Damage to his mental health (he finally became "himself", but there're people who prefer false identity other the real one and see him as a perfect mannequin) would be bearable, but then their desires pile up and start to affect his appearance again - everyday, looking at the mirror, he would notice more and more white strands. And distinct flecks of blue in his brown eyes... Sure, he has loyal fans ready to support The Commoner no matter what, but the consequences of "playing Nice" would haunt him. Because it's the fans who create the hero. And some fans have different plans for you. Teehee.

The AMOUNT of Dick Grayson character ERASURE…

…that occurs to prop up the Bruce Wayne that exists in everyone’s head is just…baffling to me.

Lemme point out that the #TiredDad chasing after everyone, and trying to force them in a get-along shirt so they can actually get shit DONE…who probably has done the most wellness check-ins and evaluations…who gives a stern talking-to when someone has gone off the rails…and gives chances to those who don’t always deserve it…the guy who has heart-to-hearts on rooftops and has the tough talks with people about things not everyone wants to hear…the guy who puts himself LAST and keeps the wrongs done to him to himself…basically the unsung Knight figure in his group and the difficult brooding parent who’s loyal enough and supportive enough to let people make their own choices that either fail or succeed on their own merit, but he’ll be there Regardless…

Dick is HANDS DOWN the Batman that lives Rent Free in everyone’s noodle.

Every time a fan has a headcannon about Bruce as a Dad…about 7/10 GUARANTEED that Dick either has in CANON-ly DONE IT as either Batman or Nightwing.

And that’s the TEA NO ONE on this HELLSITE can actually handle.