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we-love-morioh-cho · 9 months

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Theory - Usagi Is Meryl Mei's Son

From the first or second chapter of The Jojolands, I have had a theory that Usagi will be revealed as Meryl Mei's son. For the record, some of this could be me overthinking it BUT, just for fun, I thought I should compile my 'evidence'.

I should say that I don't follow the fandom much outside of Tumblr so idk if other people have thought of this.

Spoilers for the first 7 chapters of The Jojolands under the cut. Heads up that this post got kinda long and dense.

Visual Similarities

I want to start off with some visual similarities between these two. While some of this could just be stylistic trends in Araki's art, I want to point out the general shape of their jawlines and their eyes. I think Usagi is meant to have a fuller face then the other teens but this is shaky. It does look similar to Meryl Mei's face shape though. I also see similarities in their noses and eyebrows BUT I do attribute that mostly to Araki's style given how similar a lot of his noses and eyebrows are. While Usagi is sometimes drawn with wider and rounder eyes, generally they seem to be more pointed/angular and (with the 'winged eyeliner' thing he has) they resemble Meryl Mei's eyes more than the other protagonists. Below I've put a photo of his eyes alongside Dragona's and Rohan's just to help illustrate this as best as I can.

(This is a dumb point but while collecting photos I noticed Usagi and Meryl Mei both had ponytails which.... is probably nothing but I thought it was so cute.)

She Has A Mysterious Family

When we first meet Meryl Mei in Chapter 1, we get a description of her from Jodio. While Jodio does emphasise how mysterious and weird she is, one thing he mentions hearing a rumour about is her having a husband and child (as far as I can tell the sex of the child isn't specified). While this is just a rumour, I guarantee there will be some sort of follow-up to this. Early on, it introduces the idea that Meryl Mei has family that even her employees don't know about - I don't think it's too crazy to say she could have them in her business. Again, it could point to something else but it feels very early to be dropping info like that.

Introductory Scenes

A very small thing but right after Usagi's introduction, like the very next panel, is when we first see Meryl Mei at the school. This would be a classic way of hinting at some connection between these two, but I actually want to go into the previous scene on the bus.

So the first scene we see of Usagi is him asking Jodio on the bus for drugs. Jodio is alarmed by this since they are surrounded by other students and responds by bashing Usagi. When they get off the bus though, Jodio and Paco do their routine to exchange Usagi's money for some drugs. While it's suggested Usagi is an addict, I think in hindsight it's clear that he isn't. Usagi is set up to be a fool but is then shown to be intelligent. He 'betrays' the gang but then comes back and proves his loyalty and 5000 IQ. I don't think it's crazy to say that the gang's assessment of him as an addict is inaccurate too, there's more to this but I'll get into it later.

My theory is that this scene isn't an addict asking for drugs on the bus randomly, I think this is some sort of test. Jodio is the youngest of the gang and, as shown in Chapter 2, his naivety and inexperience could cause problems for Meryl Mei. With the diamond heist coming up, as well as us hearing that Meryl Mei wants to expand her business, I think it's possible she got Usagi to ask him for drugs in a public space to see if Jodio would slip up. Just to make sure he has enough common sense and discretion to not reveal any info BUT that he still manages to make the transaction afterwards. Otherwise, it's just weird in hindsight that Usagi would do this.

EDIT: Didn't think of this until a few days after initially making this post, but if the bus scene was a test, it could be a parallel to the undercover cop scene in Chapter 2. He's being tested and lied to by both sides of the crime struggle and maybe his initial failure with the female cop is what prompted Meryl Mei's test (I think the undercover cop scene is a flashback but correct me if I'm wrong). Jodio's ego and self-worth seem like they'll be explored this part so maybe this reveal would be a bit of a blow to his confidence?

Usagi Joining The Mission

So.... there obviously has to be something going on here right? Meryl Mei somehow knows about Usagi and trusts him! (Also I completely missed that she says here he isn't an addict!!! Paco still thinks he is one in Chapter 2 but come on now). She wants him to specifically go on this extremely important heist even though the others barely know him. There has to be something going on here, and I think that him being her son would be a good explanation! She would obviously know him, his abilities, and would trust him. It would almost be like having her own set of eyes on the group to make sure the mission goes well. I don't know if any relationship between the two could garner more trust than a parent and child. And given that Meryl Mei literally sells drugs to children, I don't think she'd hesitate to involve her child in the business and send him into danger tbh.

Before I move on, I quickly wanna mention 2 small things that I noticed but seriously doubt are intentional. First is that there is a rabbit-inspired outfit design behind Meryl Mei in one panel and Usagi means 'rabbit' in Japanese. (Remember how The Jojolands was first teased with the rabbit image?) It also happens to be right beside the panel mentioning her child BUT I'LL STOP.

The second dumb thing in this scene I noticed is how Usagi suddenly shows up at the very end of the rundown of the mission. We get a panel specifically showing Dragona locking the front door after the customers leave, but then Usagi gets in somehow? Was he hiding inside already for the reveal? Also, he would've missed the briefing but doesn't seem confused and instead already seems to know what's going on? Possibly just Jojo logic though but I wanted to mention it.

Weird Texting And Delay

Not much to this, could just be a funny gag about Usagi being sillycore but I wonder if he could've been texting Meryl Mei here? Maybe with an update on the mission? I have no idea what the delay could've been about, we do find out later he got hamburgers at the airport (hence the bag) so maybe it's hinting at that instead? Idk to be honest, just think it's noteworthy.

The Car Place

I forgot about this, but Usagi must be experienced at this sort of thing. How does he know about this criminal-safe car rental place? Was the texting maybe him getting this info from someone? It's also strange to me HE was in charge of getting the car - I doubt the other teens would've given him that responsibility so was that an order from Meryl Mei? That's super speculative though.

(Tiny thing since you can see it clearly in the panel above - is the weird logo on his shoulder meant to be model legs??? Like women's legs in underwear and high heels???? I have no idea if that's what it is and what it could mean but Meryl Mei is in the fashion industry *shrug*. My partner thinks they could be his stands' arms instead but we're not sure. I kinda doubt this point for the record, but it doesn't hurt to mention plus I'm interested in what others think the symbol is.)

Figuring Out The Cat Stand

Another thing which at least points to Usagi being more experienced than the others despite his age and demeanor - Usagi is the first to figure out that the string attack is a stand specifically. He also suspects the cats sooner than the others, Paco angrily insists the strings are some sort of security system (???????) but Usagi knows. It's not like the others don't know about stands, maybe Usagi has dealt with stand users on missions before? Also, goes without mentioning, but his 7D chess-level plan to defeat the cats later on is very impressive but maybe suspicious.

Quickly, other examples of Usagi's intelligence/possible experience are; going straight to cutting the painting in Rohan's house, scientific knowledge with the beakers and flasks, knows about birds in the local forest, also talks about the cat plan as an 'experiment' - could his scientific knowledge tie into being involved in the illegal drug business? They do compare Rohan's science set-up to drug making. Think 'Breaking Bad' essentially.

King Crimson Parallel

So, full credit for this final point goes to @/pandoragigi who pointed this out on a previous post I made.

They pretty much summarised it better then I ever could, this idea kinda blew my mind when they mentioned it. Sometimes it seems like Araki chooses song references randomly, but this could be a possibility. I don't have much to add besides the fact that 'Matte Kudasai' is a melancholic song which seems odd for Usagi, so maybe it has deeper meaning to his character.

To be clear, I'm not necessarily insisting with this theory that Meryl Mei or Usagi are gonna be villains. I think they could be mother and son and not be antagonists at all. I think it's unlikely Usagi is the traitor after already having a fake-out betrayal - but I do think Meryl Mei could be the traitor Rohan warned about. So if Meryl Mei is a villain then the possible parallel between Usagi and Trish could mean he remains loyal to the gang. Of course, it could also end up like Araki's initial plans for Fugo :( It's still too early to know where this story is going but I like to speculate and overthink things.

Conclusion

Ultimately, the next chapter could instantly disprove everything here. Araki has an... interesting track record with solving mysteries and reincorporating cool little details and I know theorising on this series can be pointless. I may in fact be Boo Boo the Fool for this making post :( But I'm having fun thinking about this and would personally be very excited if it came true! I have so many self-indulgent thoughts about angst possibilities and narrative parallels you could draw between Usagi+Meryl Mei and Jodio+Barbara Ann!!!! I think in a hypothetical evil!Usagi route, he could also be a great foil to Jodio. Also, what about the husband Meryl Mei is also rumoured to have? Will he appear and be relevant? But that type of speculating got things way too off-track so I cut them and might post them later. I feel like I could talk about the possible implications if this theory was true all day, but I'll cut it off here. All in all -

Thanks for reading :)

#the jojolands spoilers #reading the jojolands #fave #mine #stands #jjba #jojos bizarre adventure #text #gif #analysis #theory #the jojolands #usagi alohaoe #meryl mei qi #the mattekudasai #....I've never made a big public post like this before so hopefully it goes over well #god I hope this is comprehensible #I did this in one very long sitting after finishing a miserable uni essay so please pray for me lol #EDIT: Added a paragraph and a couple small sentences and changed some wording/grammar just to clean it up a bit!

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the-illiterate-pirate · 1 year

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PACO CONTENT FRESH OFF THE PRESS

I did it I'm the best I made the first JoJolands reader insert SUCK IT

Paco is so cool. Araki is a G for having a character that canonically got held back in school and I applaud him for that

Lover Boy

TITLE SUBJECT TO CHANGE I WANNA USE IT FOR SOMETHING ELSE but I couldn't think of anything. Notes: SFW, reader is gn but Paco calls them "Doll", enemies to lovers speedrun, Paco and Reader curse like. A lot. Usagi uses text speech because I KNOW HE DOES

Ever since your first mission with Jodio and his team, Paco despised you. You couldn't tell why, for all you knew, there wasn't anything you'd done to irk the guy. You got along well with Dragona, Usagi was happy to have someone new, hell, it was Jodio who introduced you to the group. So why the hell was Paco so against it?

Paco wasn't up front with his disdain against you, but you could read between the lines. He was meaner when he talked to you, unlike the others, took any chance he could to manhandle you and even went as far as leaving bruises where he grabs. And worst of all Paco treated you like a child. You were never allowed to do anything around the bastard. You hated it. Paco could treat you like shit, but you would bite back, too.

Currently you were stuck in a hotel. It was your job to grab the rooms at a nearby hotel while the others made some last minute plans for the latest mission. Nothing big, but it was pretty important. The clock on your phone read 6:26. You were early, but waiting in the hot sun and carrying heavy bags in such a dodgy part of the city was a big no go.

"Hi~! I'm here to check in under Joestar? I am a bit early, I hope that won't be a problem~!" You tried on your cheeriest facade, despite how the pitch of your voice grinded on your nerves. The man behind the counter seemed to enjoy it, unlike you. The sound of your happy voice made him perk up in the slightest. "Hello! Here, let me see... Ah, yes, we have two rooms under the name! It says you're supposed to check in at 6:30, but being four minutes early shouldn't be a problem!" He entered something into a computer you couldn't see. The loud taps on the keyboard echoed in the empty entrance room. "Rooms are already paid for... I'll just need to see some ID to make sure you're twenty-one or older."

Shit.

Without missing a beat, you grabbed the fake license in your pants pocket, "'Course, sir!"

You had faith in Dragona's skill in making fake IDs, didn't make it any less nerve wracking to be checked. What a stupid rule. One wrong step and your plans for the next three days would blow up in your face.

The young man behind the counter studied your card closely. This time you heard the keyboard clatter followed by the click of a mouse. Every jab at the plastic keys felt like a nail in your coffin.

He knew it was a fake. He was waiting for you to crack. There was no way a check-in normally took this long.

"And done! Thank you for waiting, the internet has been acting slow lately,"

Oh?

He gave you your driver's license back along with two plastic cards. "Those are your room keys; don't lose them! They'll give you access to the pool, as well as the laundry room. You'll go to the third floor using the elevator down your left, rooms 308, and 309, on your right!"

"Alrighty! Thank you, sir!" You blew him a teasing kiss before grabbing your bags and scurrying to find the elevator. Once you entered and jabbed your finger into the button marked with a fading 3, you shot Usagi a text.

Rooms are secured

gr8!

ur rm is 309 relax untl we get there. u deserve it!!!

Translation: Great. Your room is 309, relax until we get there, you deserve it.)

You roll your eyes but smile fondly at Usagi's stupid way of texting. "Green" and "Pinkie" said they'd be here to retrieve you in an hour or two, so that gave you plenty of time to clean yourself up. A whole hour in a nicely air conditioned room and you didn't have to do jack shit. Sweet.

The crisp air conditioning hit you immediately after you opened your door. You were forced to let loose a deep sigh, eyes closing as you took in the sweet, sweet feeling of heaven on earth. This had to be what heaven was like: dark, cold, with a soft freshly made bed calling your name like a hymn.

Only one bed? Usagi did say this was your room... Maybe the boys were going to share a room, and they gave you your own space! Lucky~. But if you had to split with someone else you were definitely picking Dragona. He was warm, and a good cuddler.

The handle to your door jiggled, just as you had slipped off your shoes to relax in bed. Of course the door was locked, and you'd have to open it since you had the key. You sighed, exhausted, but got up anyway. You swore, if it was Jodio to retrieve you for the mission, you were going to give him a piece of your mind. You just got the rooms! You wanted to relax! And maybe check out the pool.

You opened the door about to greet whoever it was until the words caught in your mouth. The hat. The frame. The stupid, shitty belts.

"Paco?!"

"You?! What the hell are you doing here?!"

"Trying to relax, can't say it'll be easy after seeing your ugly mug so soon." You snicker, pretty proud of yourself for coming up with that so quickly. "You come here for your room key? It's right here, so go bother someone else while I destress." You took the plastic card out of your pocket, dangling it in front of his angry face like car keys to a baby.

"Leave? You're in my room, doll."

"Doll?!"

He pushed past you, ignoring the disgusted grunt when he put his hand on your arm. He crossed his arms over his broad, bare chest, and you knew immediately what he was doing, standing above your bed. You hissed, "Don't you dare."

Paco raised an eyebrow as if to say "Or what?"

You both stared the other down. Until Paco sealed his fate, sitting on the edge of your bed. "Ugh, damnit! Can't I have anything good without you messing it up?! This is my room!"

"You're room? I already told you, it's mine! Usagi himself said so!"

"Usagi told you?" You say, skeptical. "Whatever. Are you sure you didn't get the numbers mixed up? Surely you didn't actually think you'd get your own room?"

"Oh, what. You think I got 308 and 309 mixed up?!"

"I wouldn't doubt it... You don't exactly have the cleanest record, Paco. Remind me, who was the one that got held back in school like, two times?"

That pissed him off. Paco reacted like you'd just slapped him in the face. You took a little victory in getting to wipe off that shitty smirk he had.

"...God, what the hell is your damage? Why do you have to be such an ass?"

"Someone has to knock you down a couple pegs." You shot back heatedly.

Quickly, he was off the bed again. This time he marched right back to you, grabbing your arm in a bear trap and your chin in his other hand. You were used to his manhandling, Paco didn't scare you. But you understood he was bigger than you, and he wouldn't have any trouble taking you down. Paco didn't scare you, but even you could admit he was intimidating from this angle. He had his crooked nose right against yours, beady black eyes staring you down, but you stayed strong.

"It's hard to treat you seriously when you act like such a bitch." He rumbled against your face. "Does nothing good ever come out of your mouth?"

"On occasion. But it's only when I'm not talking to someone I hate." His grip got a little tighter. "Now let go of me."

"I'll let go once you apologize."

"You're gonna be waiting for a while, then." You say rather smug. "I'm not apologizing for shit."

"It's hard not to do anything to you sometimes. You know that? I try not to do anything brash but it's pretty fucking hard when you don't shut your damn mouth."

"Aw, not a fan of my voice, Lovelantes? You'll have to shut me up yourself, then."

"Shut up."

You lean in closer, enough to feel his ragged labored breathing fanning your face. "Make me."

Suddenly, his mouth was on yours. The pressure of his lips pressing against yours shocked you frozen. His kiss was all teeth and drool, angry huffs of breath against the side of your face as he kept pressing deeper. You weren't sure why your body decided to kiss back, one hand tangling in his straw colored hair and the other running against the muscles of his arm. He felt solid and strong, and in a way you thought it was really hot.

He moved forward, and you moved backwards, keeping this up until Paco had the back of your knees against the bed. You fell, lips only disconnecting once, when your head hit the mattress, and his mouth was on yours again immediately. The hands that were once in a vice grip against your wrist and chin now cupped your face with a surprising gentleness you didn't know Paco was capable of. While your hands explored his body wildly, Paco was placid on top of you, lips much more softer than before as they moved against yours.

"You're not nearly as smart as you think you are." Paco spoke against your lips after you broke apart. He watched you catch your breath. You stayed up at him dumbfounded, and he stared back, the faintest smile on his face.

"I don't... I-I don't get it. I thought, you hated me. What changed?"

"Hate you? I never hated you! You're just... Very annoying. Most of the time." He chuckled a little. "It's a little cute. But only sometimes."

You blurt out, "But–! What about all those times we fought, like just now!"

"Yeah... Thinking about it now, it probably wasn't the best way to talk to you. I thought it was all play fighting, like what me and Jodio do! I didn't think you took it to heart... Not until you said you hated me." He pouted. And shit. It was... Kind of cute.

You desperately try to understand how you could have possibly missed something so big. As gargantuan as. A crush? "You were always so rude. And you never let me do anything on missions. Why's that?"

He clicked his tongue. "You aren't exactly the most level headed person. If I just let you go around doing whatever, you'd get hurt. I didn't want that."

"Oh, my god." You fall back into the bed, staring past Paco at the ceiling. He finally let go, a little reluctantly, and collapsed beside you to do the same. "I can't believe it. Am I really so dense that I couldn't tell you... Liked me?"

"Yeah. You are." Paco laughed lightly, "..But I guess I wasn't any help either. Sorry. I don't actually think you're a bitch either. You have your moments... But you're mostly pretty cool."

"Yeah. Likewise." You pause. Then add on, "I don't think you're stupid. Or ugly. Actually you're... You're kind of... cute."

Paco turned to shoot you a hot look and a quirked eyebrow. "Really? You think I'm cute?"

"Don't let it get to your head."

"You're a little late, doll." You roll your eyes at the pet name.

He wiggled a little closer, on his side now. He gently grabbed your face again to make you look at him. The playful expression was gone, changed with something a little more serious. "Since we still have time to burn. I want another kiss. A real one this time." You giggled,

"Was the first one not good enough?" But you wiggled a little closer.

"It was. But I know you can do better." He sealed your lips in another kiss. One softer than the first, no burning emotion or anger. It was quicker, and left your lips tingling in a good way.

And you kissed again. And one more. Until you decide to collapse into a shared mess of tangles, enjoying the bed and the AC together until duty called.

You have (2) new messages!

You, Paco, 🐰Bunny Boy🐰

Hi!! How are u enjoying ur room?

Oops! Didnt mean 2 send that to both of you! Srry!!!

Now calling: 🐰Bunny Boy🐰......

#me n paco 🤝#jojolands #paco lovelantes #paco lovelantes x reader #jojo no kimyou na bouken #jjba #jjba x reader #paco laburantes

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