#moransrifleanalysis

[moransrifle]

So i've reread the Hunting of Baskervilles yesterday

First of all these chapters are deeply disturbing yet i don't see anyone talking about it?? It also references events later in the manga- William losing his eye or Moran's backstory for example. And it gives us a glimpse of how deep the relationships between the main characters are

I don't think i've seen anyone mention that this child literally looks like William.

And he even lost the same eye William has, to save his sister- just like William did everything to protect Louis from evil, as he mentions later in this chapter;

this pararell might represent their fate if they didn't get lucky, but it's just a thought

I love Fred and Moran's relationship- Moran is the first one Fred runs to when he has problems, and he welcomes him with open arms and offers him support, even when he's a little harsh sometimes (as we see in this panel). Meet Sebastian Physically-Abuses-You-As-A-Form Of-Reassurance Moran. And i love how he's not ashamed to admit he thinks of Fred in a family way, instead he openly tells people he's his little brother, and prioritizes him over his 'hobbies'.

On second thought, he fumbled so hard when he didn't go home with that girl she was GORGEOUS

anyway

This 'brotherly' or 'fatherly' behavior of his also shows later in this chapter when him and Louis have a little chat after talking with William and discussing the plan with him.

During the mission too, when Fred and Louis have an argument about whether they should leave the injured kid behind or not, he's the one to step up and settle them down.

He's always included in conversations when they're talking about their feelings and concerns, and he always tells the team members to stop questioning whether their feelings are valid or not- he encourages they communicate them instead. He's literally just a parental figure in the group

This is kinda messy and i didn't want to make it about Seb again but oh well

[moransrifle]

How would Moran behave in a romantic relationship?- aka Moran relationship headcanons

The long awaited answer to your question, dear followers and mutuals. Since multiple people liked my post but only one person answered whether or not I should dive into the sexual nature of the relationship (vaguely), I took the likes as yes and decided to just do it at this point. I know you're curious you horny animals. So, slight NSFW warning, I guess.

Emotional intimacy; Being a man who had known nothing but pain and betrayal his entire life, it might take a while for him to open up, even to the one he loves. He'd show his physical attraction openly, but the emotional connection... Be patient with him. Trying to forcibly crack him open might have the opposite effect; him becoming defensive, or even pushing his s/o away, keeping them at arm's length. He can be distant at times due to all the trauma he's endured, emotionally unavailable even. He's a very good listener and knows how to provide comfort, though- let it be verbally or physically.

Love language: As he struggles with emotional intimacy, he'd show his affection in other ways, such as;

Making sure his partner is safe and taken care of; protective as always, he wouldn't let them in harm's way, even if it means him getting hurt instead. Makes sure they're eating and sleeping well.

Physical affection; Not overly touchy, but he won't ever say no to- surprisingly- cuddling. Kissing is never off the table either. He likes to keep his partner close. When it comes down to PDA: No he would not shove his throat down s/o's throat or grope them in the middle of a street. He's discreet. He might put a hand on his partner's waist/ back or hold hands while they're out.

Silent quality time; Despite being a man who thrives off of chaos, even he likes to just take a moment and rest in silence.

Ocassional gift-giving. He's not big on gifts but when he does give one, it's something meaningful.

Extreme loyalty: There is a common misconception going around in the fandom that he would cheat while drunk, and I'd like to ask; where the fuck did you all get that from? Being loyal is a huge part of his character. He would rather rip his heart out with his own bare hands than to betray someone's trust like that. Not to mention we saw him completely wasted; he still had full control over his actions. So no, he's not a cheater. He'd follow his s/o to Hell if that's what it takes. Needless to say, he'd likely expect them to be the same.

Jealousy: He has attachment and abandonment issues, despite that I don't think he'd be overly possessive. A lot of headcanons I've seen here depict him as someone who gets jealous over his s/o simply talking to other men, but I disagree with that. He might have his insecurities, but once he trusts his s/o, I'm sure he'd know those men don't have anything on him. He would only interfere if s/o is physically close to said person and/or they are getting flirty, which is reasonable, of course.

Sex is something he's "used" to, one would think he doesn't take it seriously given his promiscuous past, but in my opinion he'd treat it as a very intimate matter once feelings are involved. Something that isn't just about lust, but also a way to express what he can't bring himself to say out loud. "I love you" is being engraved into his partner's skin with every touch. Making sure they're comfortable and satisfied is his final act of service of the day.

Petnames: Not a big fan of them. Mostly just calls his s/o by their name.

In conclusion, while a relationship with him would have its ups and downs, he would be a great partner IF he ever got over his attachment to William. He's too focused on his devotion to him at the moment.

So here we are, I wanted to write something longer but I really don't have any more ideas. My last two braincells died while I was writing this.

[moransrifle]

Moran's masculinity

Whenever I hear the word 'masculine' leave someone's mouth I think of none other than Sebastian Moran himself. Which is not suprising given his appearance and my obsession with him, but if you think about it, he represents masculinity in many other ways than his appearance. He pretty much fits into the traditionally masculine model, so today we'll break that down just to talk. Basically, this essay is just me stating the obvious.

What does traditional masculinity mean?

I won't dig too deep into this as most people probably already know what it means, but I'll give a short explanation just in case- in western societies, traditional masculinity usually includes strength, courage, independence, leadership and assertiveness. And although it's not in the textbook definition, but if you've ever talked to a man- hell, even just watched movies- you know that having a high sex drive and the ability to charm women easily are also parts of the criteria, we'll call this charisma for now.

Now to the point.

Strength

This applies to him both physically and mentally. I don't think his physical strength needs much explanation, the man is 6'6, we've seen him destroy a bar, knocking people out with one jab, naked and showing his muscular build, fighting an entire troup on his own (right after his hand got blown off!!). The mental strength is also given knowing his upbringing and life- abusive father, the hardships he faced in battle just to come back to his homeland and live on the streets for God knows how long. After he heard the news about his dead men, he was angry and sought revenge (he did grieve of course, but that wasn't his first response)- those are emotions that society doesn't consider emasculating, as opposed to crying. Both of these reactions would be completely valid and reasonable, of course.

Courage

Is this man afraid of anything other than Albert and his cooking?

Indepence

Now this one isn't black or white in my opinion. In a sense yes he's independent, he's able to make decisions for himself, but as I said once (click here), he continuously made the choice to serve under something or someone. He relies on William emotionally and often financially as well. I mean he went rogue and lost himself after his death, that sounds like co-dependency.

Leadership

He used to be a military captain and is entrusted to supervise the 'newbies' in the LOC, he corrects his teammates in their mistakes and encourages them, I also talked about this in detail here.

Assertiveness

This one doesn't need overexplaining either, he's loud, confident, and never afraid to speak his mind.

Charisma

He has a way with words, he's very social and is able to create surface level relationships easily. This doesn't only apply to his success with women, just think about how easy it was for him to have the duke hooked in chapter 13. His looks are also a big advantage in that matter, but the way he carries himself and talks is also part of it. And what we already all knew, he sleeps around. A LOT.

Thanks for coming to my ted talk. The brainrot is catching up to me I fear..

[moransrifle]

William's role as the Messiah

We all know William was meant to represent Jesus, but in this short essay I'll break it down. I wrote this for literature class, so I had to translate and take a lot of things out, which caused it to be about half as long as the original. Enjoy!

As a child, William used his knowledge to help the locals, which could be linked to the miracles of Jesus, although he was just earning his living with this method- helping the townspeople in exchange for food and money. He dedicated his whole life to his ideals (most closely akin to socialism) of abolishing the unjust hierarchical system and thus 'saving' the world. While his plan was only in the conceptual stage, he had gained loyal followers willing to give up their lives for him and the cause, similar to the apostles.

As we approach the Final Problem, William deviates from the original plan and instead of facing punishment together with his partners, he takes the blame. He murders Whiteley in front of a crowd and then tells them that he alone is the Lord Of Crime, causing the whole nation to seethe with rage and demand his death, just as the Jewish people demanded the crucifixion of Jesus. William is very mentally affected by all this, almost turning himself inside out - killing not only the corrupt nobles, but anyone else who stands in his way, which has been against his morals before- Fred had knocked servants out to prevent him from taking their lives.

It was clear to me from the beginning that William was meant to represent Jesus, although there is a difference;

"I have never once thought of what I'm doing as justice. To begin with, I don't believe that people have the right to judge others. (…) My hands are already stained with blood. I can't seem to get rid of it… (…) That's why, Fred, I'm ready to go ahead and die". William saw himself from the start as a 'necessary evil', he even referred to himself and his organisation as devils with that iconic line from The Tempest, Shakespeare; "Hell is empty, and all the devils are here". He was not afraid to die, and he wanted to end his life not only because he wanted to save his friends from punishment, but also because he could not live with the weight of his actions - he was running away from himself.

In contrast, Jesus did not want to die, after the Last Supper he prayed to God, sweating blood; ,,“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground." (Luke 22:42-44)

In his desperation, Fred wants to involve Holmes, thinking that if anyone, he can save William. Louis catches Fred writing his letter, suspects him of treason, and when he explains himself, he reconsiders things and decides to join him, thus playing the role of 'Judas' and betraying William by going against his will. Three years later William is 'resurrected'; he returns to London almost unharmed to continue what he started- just like Jesus came back after three days.

At first I thought it was just the fandom who could see the connection between William and Jesus, but The Final Problem and what happens afterwards confirms this theory, we learn that the other characters also see him as a messiah. "He's starting to look like the guy who carried the cross as he climbed Golgotha- bearing all our sins and ultimately dying alone." Says Moran. William saved his life, and from then on Moran risked his life to protect and serve him, tending to almost deify him. After William's 'death', he went rogue, leaving the others behind, started acting on his own and continued to murder corrupt people. For Albert, William was the light at the end of the tunnel- he was tired of trying his best to make the world a better place, but people returned the favour with more evil, he attempted suicide shortly before meeting William- aka the lost sheep met the good shepherd. "I saw him in the form of Christ." Fred also had a tendency to view William as something more than a human being in the earlier stages of the plan, as Moran said, "He always thought of William as something bigger than life existence." That perception of him changed within Fred by the Final problem, as if he realised, he is only human like everyone else.

I am not gonna lie I don't like this one, but since I teased it last week and worked pretty hard with it I thought I'd post it as a filler before my next analysis about Seb :p

[moransrifle]

Moran and BPD

Ever since I read the MTP manga in 2022, I had the thought that Seb showed signs of mental illness, and as a fandom we all agreed he probably struggles with PTSD (Post-traumatic stress disorder)- but I had a feeling it's more than that, and after few weeks of research, I concluded there's a possibilty he might also have BPD. I already made a presentation about this back then, but I thought it's time to re-write it because my knowledge is broader now, and I never published the old one anyways.

Disclaimer: I am not an expert, I am not diagnosing him- this is just a theory. Mentions of sh and suicide.

What is BPD? In short, borderline personality disorder is a mental health condition that affects the way people feel about themselves and others, making it hard to function in everyday life. It's often caused by trauma (parental neglect, abuse, etc.), but research shows that people with healthy background can develop this disorder as well, and genetics can also play a part in it. People with BPD usually begin experiencing symptoms in their early adulthood, but that doesn't mean it can't develop later on. It's not uncommon for people with BPD to also have PTSD.

Key features to BPD: -Intense and unstable relationships -Fear of abandonment -Difficulty with identity -Emotional instability, impulsive behavior -Chronic feelings of emptiness -Self-harming and suicidal behavior

We will analyse him based on these points.

Intense and unstable relationships: His relationship with William is a perfect example of this; his devotion towards him borders on obsession. He tends to idolise him, viewing him as an almost god-like being- his perception of him is black-and white, a trait common in BPD.

Emotional instability & impulsive behavior: His tough shell hides inner turmoil which reveals itself in sharp bursts. He often acts out of emotions rather than logic, not afraid to engage in violence whilst doing so. "He mixed up assuaging his own feelings with what we have to do", Patterson said about him in chapter 60. His reactions can be unpredictable and dramatic, his usually calm demeanor is quick to shift to anger and such.

Fear of abandonment: This one is basically self-explanatory; we've seen the state William's 'death' left him in, not only was he a mess, but upon finding out William was in fact alive, he took it as him abandoning him and questioned him in tears. He was tipsy in that scene, but it was obvious he was being honest and vulnerable.

Difficulty with identity: He basically lacks a sense of self outside of being William's right hand; upon his disappearance, he even went as far as 'taking his place' and 'becoming him', instead of trying to find his own goals and life. Even Patterson mentions that William's existence was a huge part of him.

Chronic feelings of emptiness: He rarely expresses such feelings outright, but his dependence on William, lack of self-identity and emotional detachment may stem from an internal void. All this might indicate a deep emptiness that he's trying to fill by serving something greater than himself.

Self-harming and suicidal behavior: He doesn't explicitly engage in such behaviors, but his self-destructive tendencies can be seen in his willingness to risk his life anytime. His readiness to take extreme risks without any concern for his own well-being could be taken as a form of self-destruction.

It's important to note that his behavior is largely driven by his attachment to William, so it could be just attachment issues instead of serious mental illness, but people with BPD tend to have a favorite person whom they often rely on heavily- so both could be true.