#a libra nnt analysis

[librathefangirl]

A Libra NNT Analysis: Meliodas' Demon Secret

Masterlist

Part 1: The Start of a Millennia Long Secret (pre-season 1)

Okay, time to finally get this started. And I want to do that by saying what I've said before, and probably will say again: The Seven Deadly Sins is an anime that needs to be watched (at least) twice. It's like Zaratras says:

Looking back, especially at the earlier seasons, so many things get another meaning when you know the whole story. Meliodas' demon secret is no different. The first time around you get to learn about it along with the characters. The second time around you can see the nuances of it, the symbolism and relation between it and the rest of the story. This is why I wanted to do this analysis series in the first place, to look at the earliest episodes with the perspective of knowing exactly who and what Meliodas is, and see how his demon secret is developed - or rather, how it's revealed. This means that yes, there will be angsty ramblings similar to my previous posts on the subject. I mean how could there not, because a) it's me (and if you know me, you know I love angst), and b) Meliodas really hid who he really was from the people closest to him for so long...

But! Before we get into how Meliodas' secret is revealed I want to take a look at how it was formed. Starting with the why.

Actually, first I'm gonna put a read-more because this got long :) Continue reading for: the reason behind Meliodas' secret, 3,000 years of history, the fall of Danafor, and the Seven Deadly Sins knows... what?

Meliodas' demon secret doesn't actually become a secret until after the end of the First Holy War. Before the end of the war, he has no reason to try to hide it. Everybody already knows what and who he is. For those who don't, well, they soon figure it out. He doesn't hide it; he openly uses his demonic powers and shows himself as a demon, because again, he has no reason not to, and he even admits to being a demon when asked about it. This, to me, is especially noteworthy since this is something we're shown repeatedly that he doesn't do after the end of the war.

After Meliodas and Elizabeth's confrontation with their parents, and the following death and cursing, Meliodas wakes up to a new Britannia. A demon-free Britannia. The war has by then ended, leaving the demons sealed away and the goddesses having lost their physical forms. A new era has started in Britannia. An era where the demons are becoming nothing more than a great evil sealed away by the goddesses. The more years that pass, the more solidified this view becomes. The humans who once had encountered demons, all die or are already dead. By the time of the first season, the demons are just monsters of myth. While there are still some people who know about demons, like Gerheade (who lived through the war) and Elaine, we're also shown that most people don't. They struggle with the idea that such beings even exist, or have a very limited knowledge of demons. We can probably also safely assume that nobody is exactly considering the possibility of a "good" demon. After all, that was already a foreign idea back before they were sealed.

So, given everything we know about this new Britannia and how it came to be, it makes sense why Meliodas would choose to hide the fact that he is a demon. He has no reason to believe anyone would accept this about him. While the world before was also filled with hate and fear towards demons, back then he at least had Elizabeth. And his entire race, even if they did hate him too (but not for being a demon). Now he is all alone, stuck trying (and failing) to protect Elizabeth in a world that doesn't understand demons. People knowing he is a demon would also make it a lot harder for him to live among the humans, which we know he has done repeatedly during in his attempts to keep Elizabeth safe and in his search for a way to break the curse. So, yeah, it's easy to see why Meliodas' demon secret would come to be.

At the same time, I think it's really interesting to point out that while Meliodas does hide that he is a demon and won't even answer the question when directly asked about, he doesn't really lie about it either. He doesn't say he is a demon, but he also doesn't say he isn't a demon or that he is human.

We don't get to see lot of what happens to Meliodas over the 3,000 years between the start of the curse and his arrival in Liones. What we do see is Meliodas, repeatedly, living human lives with Elizabeth's numerous reincarnations. Because of this, the most significant moment we get during those years in regard to his demon secret is the fall of Danafor.

Danafor is an example of a human life we see Meliodas living with Elizabeth, or Liz in this case. From the flashbacks of his times there, provided by the druids' trial, and his interactions with Cain, it's safe to assume that the people of Danafor saw Meliodas as a fellow human - a stupidly overpowerful human perhaps, but a human nonetheless. When Cain learns that Meliodas is in fact Meliodas (and not his son) he is, understandably, shocked. After all, he clearly expected Meliodas to age like a human would and not still look as young. Danafor, or rather the fall of Danafor, marks the beginning of the unraveling of Meliodas' demon secret. This is the first time in who knows how long that Meliodas uses his demonic powers. It's also the first time he's faced with someone who knows who and what he really is (not counting Merlin and Elizabeth with her memories regained) with the appearance of Fraudrin. Even disregarding Fraudrin's future possession of Dreyfus, the events in Danafor (Meliodas' destruction of it and the Coffin of Eternal Darkness) have significant repercussions for Meliodas going forward.

After Danafor, Meliodas life becomes different. Back in Danafor, he was greatly respected as the leader of the Holy Knights. In Liones, he still has respect and status as the captain of the Seven Deadly Sins, but he (along with the other Sins) is also seen as a criminal and sinner. By then, rumors have also spread about what happened in Danafor and Meliodas' part in its destruction. We don't really know for sure what exactly those rumors entailed or how close to the truth they were (they most likely did not involve "demon" or "demonic powers"), they still told a story of Meliodas being the one, not only to destroy Danafor completely, but also kill its citizens.

So, from what we can see, Meliodas' arrival in Liones comes with a new life and a different role. While he is still mostly seen as human, he is also seen as more of a "monster" than before. Both Zaratras and Hendrickson admit to having sense Meliodas' true identity during some of their earliest encounters with him.

That brings us to another interesting thing to look at before I get into analyzing the individual episodes: the extent of Meliodas' demon secret. Meliodas is generally seen as a human, but his secret isn't a complete secret. It's not a situation of nobody knows nothing, as seen above. Of course, how much is known depends on who's perspective we are talking about. So, since it's kind of important for these breakdowns, and it intrigues me to talk about, let's end this part with looking at what the fuck do each of the Seven Deadly Sins actually know about Meliodas in regards to his demon secret?

The most obvious (and also easiest) to start with is Merlin. She is the one who knows the most about Meliodas, seeing as she first met him 3,000 years ago before he even betrayed the demons. To her, there isn't really a "demon secret", only a secret he is keeping from everyone else. Merlin knows Meliodas is a demon. She knows what kind of demon he is and was, his past with the demons and Stigma, even about the curse at the hands of the Demon King and Supreme Deity and what it means for him.

I'm gonna try to do these in order of who knows most, so next up is Gowther, who - well, who the hell knows what he actually knows? But he is the one, next after Merlin, who is the most knowledgeable about Meliodas. Technically, he met Meliodas before even Merlin did, since he was (as his creator's proxy) in the Ten Commandments alongside him. It has also been revealed that the original Gowther was one of Meliodas best friends (Q245, Q&A Corner of chapter 234 in the manga). But Gowther also did erase his own memories prior to season 1, after Nadja's death. Despite this, Gowther is still shown to know more about Meliodas' secret than the others. When the group is first reunited with Gowther, he points out to Meliodas that none of them are of the same race, hinting that he knows Meliodas is not human. Though given his powers, to me at least, it's hard telling exactly how much Gowther knows about Meliodas.

Merlin and Gowther are more or less the only Sins with any real knowledge about Meliodas' secret, but that doesn't mean the others don't know anything. In fact, most of them have gotten some hint prior to the events of season 1, proving that Meliodas' demons secret isn't absolute. Among the remaining Sins, Escanor is the one with the biggest reason, I think, to suspect something. Escanor has, after all, seen Meliodas in his demon form. He might not know exactly what Meliodas is, but he should definitely suspect that Meliodas isn't human. The moment I'm talking about happens during the battle between Escanor and Meliodas, when Meliodas is trying to convince him to join the Seven Deadly Sins. During that battle, Meliodas easily defeats Escanor by releasing his Assault Mode. This means that Escanor saw him with his black eyes and demon mark. Like I said, Escanor probably didn't know what it meant at the time, seeing as he hadn't actually met another demon by then, but at the same time, it stands to reason, that Escanor shouldn't be seeing Meliodas as quite as human as the rest of Liones did.

Now let's talk about Ban. The interesting thing about him is that while, out of the last three Sins, Ban is the one who knows the most about demons, he is also probably the last one who would (willingly) suspect Meliodas of being one - something that he shows later in the first season. Ban's knowledge of the demons comes from him encountering and fighting the Red Demon during its attack on the Fairy King's Forest. This means that his knowledge of the demons as a race is very limited compared to Merlin (though to be fair, most people's knowledge is limited compared to Merlin, especially about demons since, well, very few people seem to know what the demons really are anymore). The Red Demon is also a huge part of Ban's struggles with the idea of Meliodas being one, as he obviously can't let himself put Meliodas equal in any way to the monster who killed Elaine. Still, even if he doesn't want to, Ban has reason to suspect it even before season 1, given what happened with Meliodas' dragon handle. When Ban tried to take the dragon handle, Meliodas cuts him with black flames. This is also the one and only time something has managed to leave a permanent scar on Ban's body since becoming immortal. Both of these indicate, if nothing else, that Meliodas isn't as human as he first appears to be.

Between Diane and King it's a little hard to tell who knows most, because let's face it, neither has much knowledge about Meliodas' secret at this point. Though I would probably have to say Diane does - mostly because I've got an issue with King's knowledge, but more about that later, let's talk about Diane first. Diane doesn't have much knowledge about neither demons nor Meliodas' secret, but, like the others, she has some reason to suspect him not being human. Diane was there and saw Meliodas scar Ban, meaning she saw Meliodas with the black flames just as Ban did. Later, during the events of the Vaizel Fighting Festival, she also admits to having seen "that look" on Meliodas, referring to how he looked while defeating Ban. So, yeah, not much knowing but still some hints.

Now then, last but not least, King. Okay, to be fair, he is one of the Sins with the least knowledge about Meliodas' secret. He also, like Diane, lacks the knowledge of demons in general. He wasn't there during the Red Demon's attack in the Fairy King's Forest and has shown himself to not share Elaine's knowledge about demons, given his reaction to seeing the Red Demon's corpse. He even expresses shock that beings like the Red Demon have actually existed in Britannia. As for Meliodas' secret, when King first meet him in the manga, he literally calls him human. By the time of the first season, King is seemingly still holding this view, later expressing his surprise that Meliodas looks exactly the same despite 10 years having passed.

But I did say I had an issue with King's knowledge, didn't I? Well, unfortunately, I do. It comes with that first meeting between King and Meliodas. As much as I love it, it provides some... inconsistencies, especially in regard to the reveal of Meliodas' demon secret - and since that is what this post is about, it's only fair that we address it. Okay, so here's the thing. King was captured 200 years ago. In the manga page above (first panel, lower left corner) you can even see Helbram's dead body still lying on the ground, proving that it was 200 years ago. Now, Meliodas being there when King is arrested by unnamed knights 200 years before he and Merlin decide to form the Seven Deadly Sins, while a coincidence, is not that unimaginable. But King remembers that moment. He references it to Meliodas in the druids' cave and thinks back to it in the fight against Chandler, which means he clearly remembers the Meliodas 200 years ago as Meliodas and not just some random knight. But then when they are reunited after only 10 years he suddenly thinks it's weird that Meliodas remains unchanged? I just- that is what is happening, right?? Anyway, let's just... drop it for now.

Okay!

So what do we start of with when the fist season begins? Meliodas, who has kept the fact that he is a demon a secret for 3,000 years because Britannia is now "demon-free" and demons are seen as ancient evil monsters; Merlin, who knows everything; Gowther, who knows he is not human; and the rest of the Seven Deadly Sins, who still think of him as human(?). At the same time, the events of Danafor's destruction has set the wheels in motion regarding Meliodas' demon secret finally being revealed to everybody.

Coming soon - Part 2: Cracks in the Mask (season 1 part 1)

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Taglist: @zorria

[librathefangirl]

Short, a demon ideal?

Okay this post has been on my mind for a while now. So shout-out to @wow-skylar and @spacehostilityy for putting the idea of Meliodas and Zeldris bullying Estarossa for his height and short being a demon ideal into my head. Now allow me to run wild with it. (Apparently this turned into a whole analysis oops)

I love this because it kinda feels like it'd be a "silly little idea", but it actually makes sense. For starters, let's talk about Meliodas and his own height. Throughout the manga/anime we repeatedly get Meliodas being mistaken for a kid and underestimated because of this and the fact that he is Tiny™

And how does Meliodas react to this? Well, it's Mel, so it's not like he's fazed by these kind of things. But! While we do get him, sometimes repeatedly, stating that he's not a kid (because obviously he's not), we don't really get him protesting about his height/size. Granted, we don't get nearly as much occasions with someone pointing out his size without calling him a kid or such, but let's look at the above scene with Simon. Meliodas isn't just unfazed, he seems surprised that Simon would even be surprised that the captain of the Seven Deadly Sins, the infamous strongest and cruelest order of knights, is someone of his size.

Which brings us to Diane's height. When Gowther reveals that Diane has been lying about her height, Meliodas is confused and doesn't get why it's a big deal actually being 30 rather than 29 feet. Now this is mostly played off like a "boys vs girls" thing, and could just be a Meliodas thing. But why would it be a Meliodas thing? Maybe because he's a demon rather than a giant/human. Like @somthing-lavender said in the original post, this could be the result of demons not actually caring about height.

Okay so - demons don't care about heights is actually something that (to me at least) makes a lot of sense when you think about it. We're shown time and time again that size doesn't matter to demons, it's not a requirement for strength or power. The first demon we meet (that we know is a demon when we do) is the Red Demon. And yeah, at first the red (and also gray) demons seem like these big powerful threats. But, let's face it, it's season 1. A lot of people seemed more powerful back then than in later seasons. And the red and gray demons' power levels lie around 1,000-3,000 - which we now know isn't that much. Something that season 2 (season 3 on Netflix) quickly proves.

Season 2 introduces us a lot more to the demon clan's power levels. Because that's when power levels in general are revealed, but also because we get the Ten Commandments and Meliodas with his power restored. As for the Ten Commandments, we get a first view at their power levels through Galand's, which is 26,000 (with his magic depleted). Now, yes, I'm aware that Galand is also a big demon, but let's make a little comparison, shall we?

According to the wiki, the red demons are 800cm (26'3") tall with a power level of 1,000-1,300 and Galand is 408cm (13'5") tall with a power level of 27,000. This means that while Galand is about half the size of a red demon his power level is still about 27 times bigger. And! Galand is the Commandment with the lowest power level, the others' ranging between 31,000 and 61,000. With the exception of Grayroad and Fraudrin (and Drole, but he's a giant and shouldn't be included in this anyway), the others are also a lot smaller than him.

What's my point with all of this? That, despite the title of this post, demons don't care about height. There isn't some "gotta be big and strong" thing going on among the demons. Because they can just as well be tiny and strong. I mean, before Meliodas' power is restored (when he only has about 10% of his power) his strength still lies at 960, which is slightly above Diane's (a literal giant) 950 in her human size.

The demon clan is just a lot more diverse in that way compared to other races, like humans and giants (who btw kinda must appear to be more or less all the same size to demons?). There are some demons that are really big and powerful like Galand and Fraudrin. But also really short and powerful demons like Meliodas and Zeldris. So, yeah, they don't put the same value in heights like humans do.

Of course ideals don't always have to do with what's actually best. So, let's leave the analysis of canon for a bit and look at the idea that originally inspired this post: short being seen as an ideal for demons.

Now I love the idea that Mel and Zel accidentally creates a beauty standard by being short. And, once again, I have to admit, it kinda makes sense. Because when it comes to beauty standards we tend to look towards celebrities, right? Successful and desirable people? And, I mean, Meliodas and Zeldris are literal princes. They're also both insanely powerful, both successfully led the Ten Commandments at different points, and Meliodas was widely looked at as the one most likely to be the next Demon King. It makes sense that other demons would look at them as being the "ideal demon". It's also not like it would change after the Holy War finally ended because these two short demons (together with their allies) killed the Demon King and Supreme Deity, beings who were seen as gods, and then became kings of Liones and the demon clan respectively. And, yup, still stupidly powerful.

Plus, you could have so much fun with this idea. Like, if being short is the ideal, how do the demons look at tall demons - yeah, he's hot but he's also tall - or big demons - overcompensating much?

I can just imagine the shit Estarossa would have to put up with from his brothers (for example, see post mentioned at the top and reblogs of it). And Galand! I Imagine he would also get bullied by the smaller (and younger) Ten Commandments members (dude even gets bigger when using his power oof). Meliodas and Zeldris probably wouldn't give it too much thought (besides bullying their brother because "why you so tall? you gotta be adopted"), except when it comes to one other thing. The Demon King.

I like the thought about these two having these inside jokes about their father in-between all the trauma and abuse. Like look at that ridiculous size of their father, now that's a demon who is overcompensating XD - Also, how would this ideal affect the rest of the demons' view on the Demon King. Imagine some demons secretly side-eyeing the DK. "Yeah, he's unimaginably powerful and I would never dare say anything, but he's not really attractive, is he?" And "look at that insanely huge and powerful god of the realm, what would he be without his size?"

Idk I'm just messing around at this point. Anyway! I had some Thoughts™ (apparently) :)

[librathefangirl]

A Libra NNT Analysis: Meliodas' Demon Secret (Masterlist)

I'm gonna try to start working on this very soon (yay!!) so I thought I'd throw together a little masterlist in the meantime. For any newcomers, this is gonna be a series of posts where I analyze and ramble about Meliodas' demon secret throughout the earlier seasons. (More info can be found here)

Also! If you want to be tagged in the posts, let me know c:

Masterlist

Part 1: The Start of a Millennia Long Secret (pre-season 1)

Part 2: Cracks in the Mask (season 1 part 1) - COMING SOON

Part 3:

Part 4:

Part 5:

Part 6:

Part 7:

Part 8:

[librathefangirl]

Meliodas & Zeldris; Actions and Words

Okay, so working on my new demon bros video today got me thinking a lot about Meliodas and Zeldris' regrets about each other and their relationship. Meliodas' regrets seem to be about his actions while Zeldris' seem to focus on his words. Actually, when you think about it, a lot of things regarding their relationship seem to be centered around actions for Meliodas and words for Zeldris.

Like, for starters, let's look at moments where the brothers expressed wishes regarding each other.

Meliodas talks about wanting to save Zeldris and Gelda; his little brother means a lot to him and he wants to, through his own actions make sure that Zeldris is safe. Zeldris on the other hand, he wanted to just talk with his brother; about simple everyday things, hunting and drinking and the women they loved.

Which leads us the topic of regrets. Throughout the last season we get Meliodas expressing his regrets about Zeldris.

What Meliodas expresses regrets about is not being there for Zeldris, not being able to help him and abandoning him; in other words, his actions. This is also, as seen in the flashback, what hurts Zeldris most, his brother leaving him; his action.

So, what about Zeldris? Well, we don't get him speaking openly about his regrets in the same way Meliodas does. On the other hand, we get more instances of what Zeldris does that hurts Meliodas the most.

The one time Zeldris really vocalizes his regrets it's about how he wished he had talked more with Meliodas, instead of letting their father scare him silent. Even back in their first scene together and all the way up to the Cursed by Light movie, we get Zeldris using his words against Meliodas to purposely hurt him.

I say purposely because I genuinely believe that is what Zeldris does, just look at these examples. The first time in 3,000 years that they meet, Zeldris meets Meliodas' casual approach with a callous reminder of the bad blood between them. In the flashback, when faced with Meliodas turning his back to the demons, Zeldris lashes out with his words, declaring that he no longer consider Meliodas his brother. When they meet in the movie, their relationship is at a better point than it has been since Meliodas' betrayal, yet, when Meliodas references their brotherly bond and tries to relate to him, Zeldris once again says he doesn't see him as a brother. This visibly hurts Meliodas because that is what Zeldris meant to do, to keep a distance to Meliodas and the hurt Zeldris himself felt when Meliodas left. Even if Zeldris wished he had talked to Meliodas more before, now when he has the chance, he's still scared to let him back in, so he lashes out with his words - because he knows that it works.

Then, at the end of it all, what do Meliodas and Zeldris do to actually reach out, to show their love and mend that bond?

Meliodas still relies on his actions. He goes to fight the Demon King to save Zeldris; he would even have done it alone if it hadn't been for Elizabeth insisting on coming with and the curse being active. Then in Cursed by Light, when Zeldris tells him he has no right to fight for the demons, Meliodas decides to do it just for Zeldris; facing off against an unknown foe because he wants to help his brother.

And Zeldris? He uses his words. He tells Meliodas to come to the Demon Realm again. Then, before leaving, he calls him brother, just like he used to, just like he has made a point of not doing time and time again. Because Meliodas is his brother and he loves him.

tl;dr Meliodas and Zeldris expresses their regrets and love for each other differently, Meliodas does this through his actions while Zeldris relies on his words.

Thanks for coming to my TED Talk accidental after midnight essay!

[librathefangirl]

COMING SOON: A Libra NNT Analysis

It's happening people! We're in the final week of this semester's classes. Yay! 🥳 Which means I'll have more free time for what I want to do, including:

Answering the asks that's been in my inbox for weeks now.

Finishing that Meliodas' sleep headcanons post that @7-ratsinatrenchcoat encouraged me to actually write (it's coming! hopefully soon)

Getting back to writing and actually updating my ongoing fics! (as well as new ones because my wips list just keeps growing)

But that's not what this post is about. This is about my Meliodas' Demon Secret Breakdowns(?) (I haven't decided on what to call them yet). Some of you probably know this by now, but one thing I will talk about repeatedly is Meliodas' demon secret, especially in regards to the earlier seasons - you know, when it was still a secret. (For example, see here, here or here).

And that's what this series of posts will be about too. Me looking back at season 1 and 2 (and a bit of 3 as well) with Meliodas' demon secret in mind and just... overanalyzing/rambling about it. How does his secret actually develop/get revealed? How does actually knowing Meliodas' full truth change the way those earlier scenes play out??

Right now we're looking at a series of 8 parts (of varying lengths):

Part 1 - Pre-season 1, Meliodas' history from the curse and all the way up until the start of season 1. Key moments include: a demon-free Britannia, Meliodas' immortality, Danafor, coming to Liones, and what the fuck do each of the Sins actually know?

Part 2 - Season 1 part 1, episode 1 through 13 (Introduction, Forest of White Dreams, Baste Dungeon, Capital of the Dead and Vaizel Fight Festival arcs). Key moments include: Meliodas' immortality (again), Dalmary, and Vaizel.

Part 3 - Season 1 part 2, episode 14 and 15 (Armor Giant arc). Key moments include: Dale, and - yeah, Dale. That's it. It's all about Dale. (There's just so much symbolism to unpack there).

Part 4 - Season 1 part 3, episode 16 through 24 (Kingdom Infiltration arc). Key moments include: the Coffin of Eternal Darkness, Ban and the goddess, the red and gray demons, and Hendrickson.

Part 5 - Signs of Holy War + Season 2 part 1, Signs of Holy War and season 2 episode 1 through episode 12 (Post-Kingdom Infiltration, Albion, Istar, and (part of) Ravens arcs). Key moments include: Ban Vs Meliodas, the goddess in the horn, Gowther's reveal, the Albion and Ten Commandments, and Istar.

Part 6 - Season 2 part 2, episode 13 through 24 (Ravens, Great Fight Festival, and Defensive Battle for Liones arcs). Possibly some season 3 episodes as well? Key moments include: Great Fight Festival, Meliodas Vs the Ten Commandments, Meliodas' death, Meliodas' resurrection, Meliodas Vs Fraudrin, and post Meliodas Vs Fraudrin.

Part 7 - Meliodas and Ban, from first meeting up through season 3 episode 1.

Part 8 - Meliodas and King, from first meeting up through season 3 episode 7 (up through the Memories of the Holy War arc).

[librathefangirl]

Hey Libra! Hope you're doing well and life’s been fun!

Want some more ntt demon lore? I recently created an integral plant and an animal species for the demon realm!

Hi!! Actually life's been pretty good lately. I've managed to wash up all my dirty dishes and last night I got immersed in a nnt ramble-turned-analysis that should be up later tonight.

And yesss please!! That sounds so interesting! I'm always up for more demon lore :D

Hope you're doing well too!