this is so important actually. the image and voice of dazai, one of the smartest people atsushi knows, manifested by atsushi's mind telling him that he knows something dazai doesn't. he can do what dazai can't. he's smart enough to save everyone, despite his doubts about himself. and he knows it, even if he needs a voice that isn't his own to say it to him.
Keep thinking about the similarities and differences between Dazai's living conditions and Chuuya's living conditions, but how at the end of the day, they both just...don't know how to live. Even Verlaine looks around and asks how/why Dazai lives in the middle of nowhere and in a container, clearly pointing out that it's unusual but Dazai just shrugs it off. Chuuya has his desk in the middle of the room facing his bed when desks are usually in corners or against walls or facing a window but his is pointed at his bed. Meanwhile Dazai's is facing the wall. You walk into either of these rooms and wonder who lives there because you glean no personality or interests from them and wouldn't expect them to be where two teenagers make their homes. And there's something uniquely sad about that fact.
Something about Zoro being one of the most misunderstood and mischaracterized characters in One Piece is funny (not haha funny, funny sad) to me because?? That’s literally how his introduction starts?? With people misunderstanding him and thinking he’s some big, monstrous demon who kills with cause and cannot be trusted or tamed.
Meanwhile the actual Zoro is a driven guy who is often both literally and figuratively directionless in life and found his goals in life through good people (first Kuina and then Luffy). He's tied up in the Marine base not due to those actual crimes he commuted (well not inherently anyway) but because he ‘disrespected’ a Captain's son and stood up for a little girl. He accepts the challenge they present to him and because Zoro himself is a guy that puts his money where his mouth is he assumes the Marines will uphold their end of the deal and let him go (note the actual shock when Koby tells him the truth)
He joins Luffy's crew but also outright says he’s not gonna let his goal take second place to Luffy or anyone else's for that matter, he bears the weight of two people's dreams, his heart isn’t going to be swayed by some pirate.
Speaking of Kuina, her impact and influence on Zoro's life isn’t talked about enough for my liking. She was Zoro's first friend, his first rival, his first goal. He looked up to her so much and his reaction to her passing cracks my heart in half every time because you can seem him just..go numb. Kuina, dead? Kuina, the strongest person he knows, gone? Kuina, who swore to him just yesterday they’d race to the top of the world together, doesn’t exist anymore. His blank face only cracking within the privacy of his sensei before he begs. He begs on his knees, tears streaming down his face please please please let me take Kuina's sword with me. Let me take our dream to a high neither of us could imagine. I won’t let her name die here.
On top of gaining the Wado Ichimonji that day Zoro also gained…fear. Not of death, well at the very least not his own, he gained his fear of not being enough. Kuina kicked his ass every way a person could and still died, what could someone like him do? So he trains…and trains…and trains some more. Overly, obsessively, constantly telling himself he’s not enough, he’s weak, he can’t protect anyone like this and everyone's death would be on him.
As for Zoro being cold and stoic that’s just…not completely true? He’s not stone, he can be excited or sad or angry just as much as most characters he just sucks at showing it canonically (Kuina thinks he hates her before their final fight after all). Sure he’s not as forthcoming about it as some of the other Strawhats but Zoro's more of an action guy anyway, he'll show his love with his protection and unwavering faith.
In conclusion, Zoro is a ridiculously stubborn, incredibly loyal, mildly emotionally constipated, do what you say/say what you mean kinda guy.
(Also that whole ‘Zoro would kill the whole crew if Luffy asked him to’ thing? Top ten stupidest things I’ve ever heard from the fandom and that’s saying a lot. He’s loyal not brainless and heartless guys if Luffy asked him to do that, he would never but I digress, Zoro would square the fuck up with him so fast. DPMO.)
You know how I know Shanks is toxic with a capital T? Because as soon as bro pulls up to where his exes are at:
One of them IMMEDIATELY leaves as soon as he sees his face. You could not threaten him enough to breathe the same air as that homeless looking man. 😭
Meanwhile, the other is more upset by him pulling up than he is by all the other traumatic events he just went through in a literal WAR. Buggy doesn't have post traumatic stress disorder, he has post traumatic Shanks disorder. 💀
If cellphones were a thing in the One Piece universe they would both have Shanks' number saved as "do not answer" & I just wanna know exactly what put him in that position.
And just when I thought the parallels between Loki and Luffy would stop...
uhh, dazai loses his ability for a day so he can pet the big cat <3
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