Adeyemi Tries To Use Lawrence's Words Against Him In Saying They Are Seeking A Pope Who "sins, Asks Forgiveness,

What if Dick could cycle through identities.

Dick Grayson has more identities than there are colors in the rainbow.

There’s Dickie Grayson - school favorite, basketball star, and mathlete. Best friend of the Titans and beloved love of many. Also a wonderful brother, devoted son, and dear grandson.

There’s Richie Grayson - darling of high society. Women swoon over him, men appreciate him (ie Roy’s “pretty bird”), and as a gothamite aptly put it, “who wouldn’t recognize Gotham’s very own Paris Hilton”.

There’s Ric Grayson - cold, night thrill seeking civilian with more trust issues than money in a trust fund.

There’s Nightwing - according to Supes, “your words are worth their weight in gold”. According to Bruce, “sometimes I feel he’s the only thing I did right”. According to Hawkman, “the one person the entire superhero community trusts after Superman”. And so much more. Strong enough to defeat Ra’s Al Ghul in a sword fight and be given the name “Detective”. Beloved hero and the pride and joy of the superhero community

There’s Agent 37 - An international, multilingual super spy who broke his partner’s hardened interior while rigorously maintaining his morals in the face of adversity. So handsome that while a psychotic murderer was chasing him and his partner, he reached up, switched off the spiral, and was so beautiful that the stunned woman went, “woof”, lost control of her bike and crashed.

There’s Renegade - Deathstroke’s apprentice who was carefully trained by him until he tricked the man and freed himself. Taught Deathstroke’s daughter Rose to be a hero and was punished by his nemesis through the Chemo bombing of Bludhaven. Yet Deathstroke still hugs him and says “Nice to see you again, kid. You look well” and leaves messages on his fogged bathroom mirror, “message received”, and waits in Dick’s bedroom while he’s dressing to let him know why he’s in the city.

There’s Crutches - mob enforcer for Black Mask and took down his crime syndicate from the inside out.

There’s Talon - His grandfather’s legacy of being an undead assassin for the court. The Gray Son of Gotham.

Finally there’s Robin - the 8-18yr old who went on joy rides with Superman, said “Holy ___ Batman!”, the one who was astounded when He asked if he would join the Justice league and Batman said, “no, you’ll be leading them”. The one who was driving batmobiles at 8 and singing songs to comfort victims that still remember him and his warmth 20 years later. The acrobatic prodigy that left the country in wonder. The first sidekick and role model for many young heroes that came after him.

He has many more identities I couldn’t name but - imagine if Dick could change these personalities in a heartbeat. One second he’s peppy and overjoyed Robin and the next he’s flippant and dismissive Ric Grayson. Oh the possibilities

I don’t remember where this quote’s from but: the man has a temper that could start wars. And a smile that could end them.

If you think that Dick doesn't share his problems with other people because he thinks it will upset others...

Let me introduce you:

Dick knows perfectly well that he has a world of people who would drop everything to go help him, that he would never be a bother to them, but that's precisely why he doesn't want to worry them, because as he is usually the support, he knows how tiring it can be, and because he doesn't want anyone to think that he is unwilling to help them.

zoro unlocking conquerors/supreme king haki while having a flashback about luffy, explaining him as the reason he did so, was insane narratively.

zoro’s devotion is as unquestioned as humans’ need for oxygen, his loyalty is as sure as the need for ground beneath our feet. but to place luffy at the center of even his willpower and ambition, that’s something.

supreme king haki is an unteachable, one in a million power that’s tied with having ‘kingly’ qualities. but zoro doesn’t want to be a leader, he relishes in following. he states, with a picture of luffy in his mind, luffy commenting that he needs no less than the world’s greatest swordsman, that he made a promise. his promise to kuina and luffy is at foundation of his drive.

zoro’s supreme king haki does not stem from the ambition of a king, it comes from wanting to be his king’s very best soldier. he wants to be the greatest, and he wants to be no less than that for luffy. a king, sure, but in the way that a king would answer to a god.

when asked “so you intend to be a king, then?” zoro’s initial instinct was simple, “what?” because that had never even crossed his mind. but he agrees shortly after, with the image of luffy in his mind, “that’s right.” and he became the king of hell, serving a god of the sun.

zoro doesn’t have ambition to conquer, not in the same way luffy does, but he wants to conquer whatever stands in luffy’s way. his ‘kingly’ attributes are accelerated by devotion, like a king would devote his life to his country, his everything. while becoming the world’s greatest swordsman is a convoluted example of a king, sitting atop a throne of symbolic power, i think it’s more accurate to call what zoro unlocked ‘supreme soldier’ haki. ‘conquerors’ haki in the way a marshal would lead an army for his king, and not the king himself. conquering the battlefield as a victory for not only himself, his ambition interconnected with others (those he loves).

i don’t mean to diminish zoro’s ambition, to be the world’s greatest swordsman is a king in itself and that should be recognised. but nothing can detract from the fact that as he unlocked this power, the power of ultimate will, his mind was full of luffy and his smiling face. luffy has always and will always be at the base of zoro’s goal, since the day he met him. becoming the world’s greatest swordsman was no longer solely tied to kuina but now equally his captain, who could have no less than the world’s greatest swordsman.

and what an interesting development we saw happen in front of us. comparatively, the reason for every strawhat’s dream is born from their past, but we witnessed the reason behind zoro’s dream evolve in present time. he no longer strives for kuina alone. he will be a king, because it is what luffy needs as well. he will be the world’s greatest swordsman because he’s got a promise to keep to his captain and his best friend.

a one in a million power, unlocked as a result of a promise. zoro’s devotion is indescribable, his loyalty and his love is quite literally one in a million. if not even rarer as we have never seen an instance of supreme king be activated for someone else. i cannot articulate the beauty of it

What's the role of suo character? He is considered as main character with nirei or as deuteragonist but I see he has no importance outside protecting nirei!. I don't understand the hype around his mysterious aura

I think probably what you're looking for is a more flashy fight/action centric series then! You'd probably enjoy all this time you're putting into sending anonymous asks about a show you don't see the appeal of more if you spent it instead on media you can enjoy! However, I will absolutely take this opportunity to gush about Suo you are giving me on a silver plate happily! So let's talk about why Suo is so fascinating narratively!

Labeling him as a deuteragonist is actually pretty spot on, to be honest. He is a character that sticks by the protagonist's side pretty consistently throughout the story. Suo as a character gives advice to Sakura about what will help him grow and achieve what he wants as class captain as well as provides an interesting combination of parallels as well as differences in perspectives compared to Sakura. Additionally, Sakura's presence draws forth the aspects of Suo's character that are likely to be developed within the story. Let's start with how Suo provides a difference in perspective for Sakura!

There is more strength in drive and ideals than in physical strength

Suo says it pretty clearly to Sakura before his match in the Shishitoren arc-

When he first met Sakura, it is very likely his first impression was 'ah, here's yet another brute who thinks he can beat others up and claim himself to be the strongest'. The same kind of person Sakura calls weak or lame himself. However, even Sakura's goal that he says to everyone in the beginning... kind of reflects this idea that physical strength gives you value. He judges Nirei because he can immediately tell Nirei isn't a fighter yet is a student at Furin, he thinks the only thing that is important is winning fights and making sure everyone knows they can't bend him under their will. Sakura thinks the only thing valuable about himself is his fighting ability/strength. But what is shown through his actions? That he protects those who can't defend themselves. That he is pissed off when someone enjoys causing others pain or suffering. Outside of the manga, when asked about what Suo's dream is, he says 'emancipation of slaves'. Right from the get-go he is challenging Sakura to start to think about what his purpose is when he fights. Because it's not really about just proving he's the strongest guy around. Why does this bleed so much into what Suo says to Sakura? Well, for Suo-

2. Empathy is the most important thing to possess

Suo is extremely good at understanding where other people are at emotionally/mentally. A LOT of his dialogue is trying to explain how a person might be feeling or encouraging others (rather forcefully at times haha) to try to demonstrate empathy themselves.

Suo is the calm to Sakura's storm. Except. Suo isn't actually the calm. Not in truth. This is part of why he is so intriguing as a character. It is also where Suo starts to actually parallel Sakura. Because Suo is-

Very Emotional

Incredibly so. The difference is, Sakura wears his heart on his sleeve. He doesn't hide how he feels or his inner thoughts at all because Sakura wants to be true to himself no matter what. It's hard for him, it is agonizing for him at times because of his bad prior experiences, but it is still something he tries to do at all times. Suo, however? Keeps those emotions hidden behind a "friendly" smile most of the time (to talk towards him being appealing- a lot of people like characters who put up fronts. I am included in this 'lot of people' lmaoo. I am such a sucker for a character who puts up a front to guard themselves or keep others at an arm's length).

But Suo gets angry. Incredibly so. He also judges others all the time. He's VERY opinionated, but he doesn't often state any of these opinions so directly. It's important to Suo that he upholds appearances and comes across as disciplined, calm, and collected. Sometimes though, he is anything but. Which is what we're shown in the Keel arc. Keel takes advantage of kind people who are just strong enough to be useful, but weak enough that they can be beaten into submission and manipulated. And that? Already pisses off Suo I'm sure. But then, on top of everything else, Suo is kept from running to the aid of someone he cares about. Someone who has such good drive, who also has a strong core but has some ways to go in being able to act on that drive. Suo is kept back from saving his friend and Nirei is beaten into unconsciousness. So what happens? Attempted murder. Suo's anger and frustration boils over. He hates these people. He hates seeing those he cares about and seeing those who can't defend themselves, broken. So he's going to put an end to it. To them. "Nice Guy" façade be damned. "The level headed one" be damned. And we get this look at Suo in a chapter literally titled "Extreme Emotions"

Which like, if you wanna talk about why his character garners a lot of hype, I think a large part of it is because of his aura when he's genuinely mad. It's the duality of it all.

I don't have as smooth of a transition for this one but what else does Suo do that Sakura absolutely does as well?

2. He keeps people at an arm's length; he doesn't like letting people in

This is also where Suo has a lot of duality, but here it makes him something of a hypocrite. He tells Sakura it's important to delegate and rely on others alongside Nirei. He pokes and prods Sakura to try to get him to open up to them. To not assume how others feel. But Suo doesn't show that himself. The ONLY thing Suo has honestly given about himself is that he has a mentor who taught him the 'hodge-podge' martial arts he uses as his fighting style. Everything else? Jokes, lies, dismissive words. Suo is hardly ever injured or dirtied in a fight because it isn't a conversation to him. He's the one doing the talking. He's the one teaching a lesson to the other person. The other person doesn't need to say anything to Suo. He's already pretty damn sure what kind of person they are. He doesn't eat with the others because he claims he is on a diet. It keeps him from participating in what is probably the BIGGEST symbolism/metaphor for personal connections in the story. Because Suo doesn't try to connect with others. He actively avoids it.

So uh, yeah! That's why I think people find Suo interesting and get hyped about when he's on screen/in chapter panels! I am sure there are other things that could be said, but I hope I could offer some insight!

Not me scrolling through the Conclave tag only to see no one talk about the deliberate positioning and framing of the women in this movie.

Pulling up this movie I completely expected to only encounter Sister Agnes as the one woman we see in the trailer, the conclave a space that has been kept from the female members of the church. Now, color me surprised when I started the movie and most of the establishing shots we got were focused on all the women working in the Vatican.

And it is such a deliberate choice, it does the film a disservice not to talk about it.

Because while Cardinal Lawrence is having his fifteenth breakdown during sequestering and Bellini finds the ambitious asshole within himself, Ray does all the leg work, and Bel---- we see the women work.

We see the kitchens, we see them cook, we see them stand aside. Most of the time when the Cardinals are conspiring it is the women who interrupt because they are busy working, walking, running errands.

And there is power in that.

I think it is very deliberate how often (and with such lingering gaze) the camera shows us the lives of the other half - partially to connect to the wider themes of the movie, on how Bellini asks for women to get more power but never thanks them, and how Benitez stumps them all by thanking the women preparing their meals when asked to say the prayer (considering his own probably tumultuous relationship to gender within the church).

But it also stands in direct opposition to a long tradition in story telling: servants don't exist. How often the heroes of a regency romance are "alone" because the two hand maidens and three maids don't really count.

Conclave doesn't do that.

It doesn't let us look away.

Between all the petty drama, the politics, and the real life consequences of the conclave, we never stop looking at the people doing all the work.

Yes, we follow the ups and downs of Lawrence and Co, but in doing so the movie reminds us again and again of the women working the kitchen.

And that was just such a powerful artistic choice in a movie about a famously misogynistic church... I loved it. And I had to talk about it.

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.

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

One of Dick's greatest strengths is his ability to manipulate every single person in existence.

Genuinely I think this makes him the smartest person in the room. Not only is he a brilliant detective, but the fact that he's able to outmaneuver and control virtually everyone including other geniuses and masterminds makes him the most terrifying. There's a reason why his enemies have give up using intelligence against him and simply resorting to brute force.

Now hold your horses before you bring your crowbars and let me explain.

Dick once said, "On an even playing field, I always win."

And it's true. But how do you even the field if your enemies are geniuses, detectives, or metas?

"Well, if you don't like how the table is it, turn over the table."

And that's exactly what Dick does.

Let's begin from his younger years. Dick is 19, newly out of Batman's wing and in no position to take on a skilled mercenary on by himself. But the mercenary isn't going to stop just because he says please. So.

DEATHSTROKE WAS CLEARLY NOT EXPECTING TO GET OUTPLAYED BY A 19 YEAR OLD.

"You're right Slade, he's not a fool so choose a dumber kidnapping victim next time."

Ofcourse this is the least of his abilities.

This cover is perfect because it shows how two of them are literally in a constant game of chess. And evidence of Dick's tactical expertise was never more obvious than the bombing of Bludhaven.

By all means Dick had won.

And he's right. Dick is incredibly intelligent, and he has to be given how he maneuvered the entirety of the world to save him city. Not just the heroes and villains, but everyone - the heroes, the villains, the government, the civilians, the organized crime - everyone. He ruled the freaking world at that moment.

@haroldhighballjordan actually made a post about this that explains this scene so well

But yeah Slade knew he lost so in his petty vengeance what he basically did was set the whole fucking chessboard on fire.

The perfection to which Dick had calculated and moved millions of people to force Slade into abandoning their game and leave him shrieking and seething in rage over his loss. Another reminder that this game only happened because Dick manipulated Rose away from her father, away from his control to a better life.

Spyral is one of my favorite comics because it shows just how good of a manipulator Dick Grayson is.

One of Dick's coldest traits is his ability to manipulate a situation to fit his needs.

In the beginning Dick wanted to calm the meta down and take him in but the second his opponent let out the slightest hint of weakness, look how fast he flips his words. This man is brilliant.

And his planning came to fruition as the meta wore himself out, allowing Dick to take control of the situation and the opponent with no harm to himself-a quick, two second exit. He can manipulate emotions, thoughts, and people to get what he wants like he's playing chess with a child.

But it's not just other people- he can completely change himself to become a whole new person. In the earlier chapters, Dick is learning how to shoot a gun for the agency.

Dick's a terrible shot. Not a single bullet lands in the center of the target-there's no way he's ever going to shoot well....or atleast that's what he wants you to think-

"Yeah, well, that's what spies do."

"We lie."

He's a puppet master and the final boss.

part 2

You know what? I'm crying.

I'm going to have a long post translated into English because I'm bad at English and because I have too many emotions. The fourth episode was definitely a bombshell. In many ways. They gave us a lot of interesting questions and NOT a SINGLE DAMN ANSWER, and it's not like it's a problem. It's cool that Ling Lin has finally begun to realize himself and his desires in isolation from the forced image. It's cool that he ran to save Moon and realized how important it was to him. It's cool that so many people supported him, he's a bunny/sunshine/bun/big guy (as you like it better) and all that. But...

They replaced Nice so quickly...

Okay, let's say again: it was literally publicly announced to the fans that their hero, the man they believed in all this time, was not only replaced by someone completely different, but also because he died. He is not tired, he has not resigned, he has not given up his heroic work, no. Died. And okay, thanks to Ling Lin for not talking about "suicide." He's talking about "death." You can take his words in any way you want (although that's not the point, but still). It just kills me to think that no one, except for the person who was really close to Nice (Wrek), began to grieve for him. Okay, it hasn't been a day since Lin Lin's revelation, I get it. But at the end of the fourth episode, we are shown how the advertisement with Nice's face changes to Linlin's face and no one seems to notice, as if it were....normal? Of course, when the heroes in the world are constantly changing each other and appear and disappear as if at the click of your fingers (yeah, yes, understood, understood at the click of your fingers ha ha) changing a hero at the tenth rank shouldn't be unusual, but... Do the previous heroes get forgotten so quickly?

The first three episodes were filled with the fans' love for Nice. Peculiar, but warm in its own way. They cheered for him, they came to fan meetings, they supported him as much as they could.....And they forgot about him so quickly? Just because.......and why, exactly?

I'm pretty sure they'll show us the backstory of what happened. There is no way such a complex and at the same time terribly interesting character could be so easily forgotten by its creators. Especially considering the shot that recently appeared on Twitter...

In general, the phenomenon of Nice's character and his popularity among the fandom is a topic for a separate conversation, we are not ready for this conversation yet.

But I know for sure that no matter how the creators made him, no matter how crazy, broken, abusive and generally unstable he actually is, I will be delighted.

(what's the point, I'll support him even if he decides to rise from the dead and kill all the other heroes)

((Go ahead, dear! You're walking the road of rage and revenge, and who are we to stop you?)) So! I'm leaving a small message here (rather for myself) because I know that we still have a lot of interesting things to learn about other characters and many of my thoughts will get lost in the flood of new information.

DON'T FORGET HIM.

Never forget that he existed. He was there. It all started with him. And probably it all will end with him.

Nobody notices anything. So, there's nothing to notice, right?

Even Cass doesn't notice anything when she sees him. He's the same old Dick Grayson. He smiles and jokes. Of course, he's a little irritated about being in the mansion for no reason other than the fact that they had to meet at least once every few months, but he's fine.

Damian updates him on his school, and Dick rolls his eyes and grunts in between comments, knowing that the already outdated education system even in his time remains exactly the same now.

Tim asks his opinion on some programs he's developing. He may not be as good as Barbara's, but Tim knows Dick will easily spot the mistakes he doesn't after having read the lines of code five hundred times. Dick notices the errors just as he thinks (when you are learning the code for the first time, it is easier than when you have it in your head and recite it by heart rather than read it).

Only God knows why Jason is still there—maybe it's the food, maybe he's waiting for something. They barely speak to each other so as not to start fights, but they joke around, which is enough to keep the atmosphere comfortable.

Cass asks when they'll cook together again. Duke wants to join in this time.

Everything's fine. There's nothing wrong with Dick.

They decide to train before everyone goes back out on patrol in their places, Dick and Jason will soon disappear from the mansion and won't return for months, so why not?

Everything is fine, Dick is still joking around with them. There's nothing wrong.

Until the first moment he steps into the training area, he suddenly kicks a mannequin so hard that it literally breaks its neck and the doll's head flies off.

Oh... He's angry.