OK Correct Me If I'm Wrong, But I Feel Like The Main 'yin/yang' Parallel With Atsushi And Akutagawa Is

Cheng Xiaoshi's Death Analysis — PART 1: Cheng Xiaoshi's Character Analysis

Why is Lu Guang so desperate to save him? Let's analyze!

I think it’s Lu Guang himself who killed Cheng Xiaoshi in the original timeline.

⚠️ Part 2 here ; Part 3 here [note: you can skip to part 3 if you want me to get to the point]

Why do I think that?

Starting off with season 2:

let’s begin with the part where Cheng Xiaoshi is informed by the officer that Lu Guang’s rescue failed, he died.

(now this will be a bit long since i'll be contrasting their personalities, so please bear with me. if you want me to get to the point then skip to part 3)

Cheng Xiaoshi, after breaking down in tears, seemed to have been struck by the same exact idea as that of Lu Guang — to go back in time and save him.

However, the difference between Lu Guang and Cheng Xiaoshi in this case (where the thought processed was awfully similar) is that Cheng Xiaoshi did not execute this plan/idea of his.

I know you’re aware of all what I’m saying right now but hear me out…

isn’t it very odd?

now I’m sure you guys might say/think: “we already know that.” “that’s because they’re so attached to each other!” “Link Click is full of plot twists! So it’s not odd for them to surprise us!” “Lu Guang’s got feelings too y’know?!” “Maybe Lu Guang really just does care.”

Wait. Listen.

I’m not trying to imply that Lu Guang doesn’t have feelings, that he doesn’t have a heart — of course he does, he’s a human. But compared to Cheng Xiaoshi, he’s less emotional.

Cheng Xiaoshi is known to be the more sentimental, sensitive, and selfless one of the two. He usually allows his emotions to control him. He wears his heart on his sleeve. (at least that's what the donghua shows us)

But, somehow, he was able to restrain himself from letting his emotions take over him and dive back in time (all because a glimpse of Lu Guang, reciting the rule, flashed before his eyes)

He, Cheng Xiaoshi, the so very attached to Lu Guang Cheng Xiaoshi, was able to restrain.

And please do keep in mind that the emotions he experienced when he discovered Lu Guang’s death must have been unbelievably strong and unbearable; overwhelming beyond words because it’s like losing a source of happiness in your life.

He must have been so scared because he’s already experienced the horror of being abandoned by the most valuable people in his life such as his very own parents — and I bet he doesn’t wanna re-experience it.

Despite all that, he was able to restrain.

But Lu Guang couldn’t.

⚠️ continue in PART 2 here.

[keep in mind that these are just mere conclusions drawn from close observations, assumptions, and theories. i can be wrong too since sgdlr loves surprising us with plot twists! so feel free to express your opinion in the comments!]

Someone please talk to me about tsukasa

Hanako's boundary

I saw in some places people saying that they are curious about what Hanako's boundary would be like, but she has already appeared in the manga and anime, see, when Nene is sucked into the mirror she ends up in a bathroom too, with water on the floor and many shadows of "hands" on the walls, like those that frequently appear near Tsukasa in the playroom. The air also feels thick and gloomy. When Mitsuba takes Yashiro out, we see the number 7 above the door, indicating that that was Hanako's boundary.

If you're curious, she appears in chapter 30 and 31 of the manga.

In the anime

In the case of the anime, the door doesn't have a number, I don't know exactly why, but maybe it's to not make it obvious and maintain the mystery.

Do y'all ever remember that we only have Luffy's backstory starting at 7 years old? What was he doing before Shanks? Where was he living? Who is his mom? Where is she? Did he have any friends? Why is he so scared of being alone?

Theory and analysis under the cut

Like, I think about that scene after Ace and Sabo had saved him from Blue Jam's lackeys a lot. Ace asks why Luffy wants to be his friend so bad and Luffy says that being alone is worse than being hurt. That's a child speaking from experience.

I also think about that scene in Chapter 137 where Luffy saves the parent of the baby Lapin even though it had almost killed him and two of his crew.

Maybe this was just showcasing how merciful and kind Luffy can be, but I don't think so. I think, in that moment, Luffy was relating to the baby Lapin. I think Oda was drawing a direct parallel to something Luffy may have experienced as a child, basically giving us a hint to more of Luffy's past. I'm not sure if it was his birth mom or a caregiver, but I think Luffy has been in a situation where a parental figure died because no one was around to help them and Luffy was too young and weak to save them.

I feel like this explains the shadowed eyes in the image. We've seen Luffy save many previous enemies without the indication that Luffy is so personally affected. I could believe that it's because he's worried about his crew, but in the next scene he has a serious expression that would've been plenty fitting on pulling up the Lapin. Maybe I'm overthinking, but I truly think there's more than concern for his crew or anger at the Lapins affecting him here.

On top of that, Luffy having a traumatic experience as a young child where he felt helpless would follow a recurring theme in his character arc. We've seen Luffy at three of his lowest points in the manga where he has been too weak to protect his loved ones.

First, chronologically, was Sabo.

Luffy has always been a passionate kid, so maybe this is his first experience with loss, but I don't think so. This seems like a reaction to feeling like being too weak to save his loved ones is a pattern. Most kids Luffy's age have a hard time grasping death. They might know that it's not a good thing, but most don't understand exactly what it means. It might be different for him because he has been around Grey Terminal, but I doubt it. Yet, he knew instantly what Dogura was saying and what it meant. There was barely a period of shock or denial.

Luffy is experiencing grief at a level of intensity that fits more with someone who knows exactly what death is. I really don't believe that this is his first time losing someone.

Second was being unable to protect his crew from Kuma.

The phrase "What's wrong with me...?!" really stands out to me here. Luffy definitely takes his role as captain seriously and knows that it's his duty to protect his crew, but we know this self-blame is also influenced by the reopening an old wound. He has worked hard for a decade to make sure he was strong enough to protect his people, and here he has failed once again.

Finally, third is the loss of his other older brother, Ace.

This, of course, led to the two year break where Luffy and his crew focused on training and becoming stronger to take on the New World. I would also like to point out that Luffy didn't emotionally stabilize until Jimbe reminded him that he still has his crew. He was grieving his brother, dealing with a sense of helplessness, and feeling alone in the world. Garp may be Luffy's grandfather, but he obviously neglected Luffy. The bandits might have grown on Luffy by the time he set sail, but I don't think Luffy considered them family in the same way as Ace and Sabo. Ace and Sabo were the only family he had until he met his crew. This isn't the grief of someone with a support network and people to motivate him. In this moment, and in all of the time since deciding to go after Ace, Luffy has pushed his nakama out of his mind. This is the grief of someone who has been too weak and feels like there's no one left to even try to protect. Someone all alone.

Luffy's character is one who's weaknesses are loneliness and helplessness, and that implies a lot about his developmental years. I truly believe that Luffy's backstory will involve the death of a parental figure. I also think that Garp either was even more neglectful than we realize or didn't know Luffy existed until he found out through Dragon.

I also think that Luffy's longing for freedom will also tie in somehow. We know he and no one who knew him as a child was a slave for the Celestial Dragons because he didn't recognize the symbol on Hancock, but maybe there was a nami and arlong-esque situation.

I'm so desperate for his backstory 24/7 lmao.

this part makes me so sad so so so sad

read right to left

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY TAP!!!

I hope you have an amazing birthday!!

@thisanimatedphantom

@theinkymystery

Alternate Universe HS Chuuya calling Dazai "Osamu" when they were young being so important to Dazai that he wrote it down and put it in a time capsule

....is not the craziest soukoku info thats ever dropped into my lap

but it blindsighted me nonetheless.