#animefreakasks

Maybe this is just me, but it's interesting that Bell and Adler almost always contrast and complement each other in every way and this is why I find their dynamic (and ship if Adler's redeemed) to be one of my all time faves. 👉🏻👈🏻

I agree to an extent!

It really depends on how someone wishes to view Bell. Whether the Bell before the brainwashing or the Bell afterwords.

Is the Bell before that drastically different to the one after?

Because remember, Bell was an amazing soldier/agent for Perseus. Experienced in killing, linguistics, and coding despite the fact that they are young. Young to the others within the safehouse anyways. To be a successful agent means being at least having some rein on your emotions—therefore facial expressions. Of course, Bell in Agent Mode may be different to someone who knew Bell in a personal level. So there’s no way to say really.

But if Adler brainwashed Bell to be more open as an added benefit for him and the others, who’s to say? They brainwashed Bell’s desire to smoke after all. They could’ve rewired other parts of Bell’s brain to keep the perfect agent yet let them be naive and open for them so they can find the Red Door easier.

Of course, people can write the Bell Before as naive as well. Or just blindly loyal to Perseus which can be seen as naive depending how they got involved with him in the first place. A Perfect Agent when it comes to missions, but can be naive to the ones that Bell chooses to follow and the reasons as to why. And Bell is young, so yes. They can be naive. And impulsive. And reckless at times. It would fit.

Just like how maybe it does fit the reason Bell may wear a mask is because they are more expressive with their face. While the other side of the coin with Adler is that he wears shades to hide his more expressive eyes. Hiding the chance that maybe his eyes even through his shades can be seen by Bell.

He even turns his head away at one point when Bell tells Adler about the Lubyanka mission that he can count on them.

“Mmhmm”

I believe this is the only time he actually looks away from Bell before he answers. A simple hum too in fact. Can’t say because he took a drag, he’s taken drags before and he wouldn’t have to turn away to do that. Just to blow away from their face. Fully turned his head to the side too, almost to look over his shoulder to make sure Bell doesn’t see his eyes.

He really didn’t want to risk it there for some reason. Guess he felt himself have more emotion than necessary and probably chose to take a drag at that exact moment too to control his expression.

He gave such a bland answer too. 💀 “Mmhmm” like uh? Okay? Why didn’t he just say “I know, kid.” or whatever? 💀 Seems he knew it wouldn’t come off as genuine in his tone or some reason. I don’t know. When I first played it and was ignorant about everything, the bland answer did slightly hurt my feelings.💀 I don’t know about ya’ll, but that’s how I felt.

In all though, it’s truly what people think of how Bell was Before and After. And the good thing with Bell, is that you can do anything you want with them~! And it’ll fit, because well, they’re whatever we want them to be!

And whoever you want them to be, it usually matches with Adler. They’re just amazing together💗 Two sides of the same coin indeed.

This became a sort of an excited rant, I’m sorry 💀 I also found another gif where Adler nods at you so I’m kinda freaking out

The guy I was watching was talking about how the tunnels are basically like portals, and each one leads to another piece of Adler's mind. The evidence board is there, but also a lot of run down homes, indicating maybe we can see where Adler grew up?

I don't know what Galaxy Recon is, but it exists near the Vietnam set so... correlation? Maybe a cigarette company since it's right across the sign that says "No Smoking" which I think is hilarious.

We finally know Adler's from the 13th Marine Regiment. Cool!

I love the portal and red door part!

The four clocks, I can't remember if they're the times the missions were on, but they say 11:50, 12:50, 7:50, and 12:00. No idea if it's AM or PM.

Is that a Jackie Chan movie?

That's about as much as I can draw out of.

Yello!

And yup! This map is Adler’s mind—quite intricate with all the details from his past(and present). It’s a map I am still analyzing with all the details(and yes I will analyze that movie poster too 💀)

And Galaxy Recon actually has to do with the Arcade Room in his mind! That’s a whole other analysis I have to do as well with the certain arcade games within.

The whole map is basically his time in Vietnam however! Just mixing between the lab he tortured/brainwashed Bell as well as where he got tortured/brainwashed by Stitch.

There’s actually a lot of signs of No Smoking, so I don’t know if Stitch beat it out of him with the smoking like Adler did Bell.

I sadly have no idea about the clocks or their significance 😭 It probably has to do with the different time zones from the States and the one in Vietnam.

Helicopter Analysis Below

To me it shows he's done something stupid and got hurt because of it.

Ever since I read that sign, I have been trying to find it all around the helipad and I can’t find this ABSOLUTE GEM.

I honestly don’t know who wrote this, but they were meming. Whoever made this Warning sign is absolutely done with idiots and helicopters and can’t take it anymore and it’s hilarious. 💀💀💀

Apparently Adler didn’t get the memo.

Please tell me where you found this. Cause I keep circling around and around I can’t find it 💀

But this is true. This adds more into that Adler is pounding in his mind to remember about helicopter/aviation safety or else. Scar.

Plane crash accident memory might mirror the Break on Through mission where Bell is almost successful into learning more on what is behind the Red Door that has information about Persues and the nukes, only to fail multiple times as it may parallel to the time Adler came "face-to-face" with Persues, thinking that he had killed him successfully but in truth, he failed to. (This was mentioned by Hudson to Adler in the cinematic cutscene that happened after the mission Redlight, Greenlight)

Not sure if I am still making sense here in this part but yea that's also one thing I kind of thought base on your analysis.

The multiple times that Bell fails to get what Adler wants through the Red Door and how frustrated he gets—it’s definitely a possibility.

Adler just wants to get to Perseus, who’s been slippery to Adler’s irritation. It can explained how harsh Adler can be with his lines to Bell in the Break on Through mission. And to be fair, Mason did warn us before the Cuba mission about how pissy Adler was gonna be.

He freakin put a needle into our eye multiple times and said some cruel things in the Break on Through Mission so talk about no kidding.

That particular helicopter accident could also be that certain memory Bell keeps on repeating during the "Break on Through" mission: Being the lone survivor of the crash. Plus, this maybe a farfetched part of the theory, it may have also been the time where he with Persues but failed to kill him thus also mirroring the part of the "Break on Through" mission where Bell fails multiple times in finding the answer behind the Red Door.

Not sure if it make sense aaand once again, LOVED your analysis on this 😎👌🏻.

I did not think of that!

We do know that Adler implanted many memories into Bell outside of Fracture Jaw, in order for Bell to truly feel a kinship with him. Just adding Bell into the mix of the memory and acting as if Bell was there while he was brainwashing them.

So, perhaps in the many scenarios that Adler created in order to break through Bell’s Red Door, there is some truth into it. Perhaps the crash we see in Break on Through is the only true memory piece of Adler put into Bell’s mind and did not say anything else and instead weaved the rest of the scenarios himself like a story within that mission of COD:BOCW.

These are all theories(and let’s be honest, sometimes I really, really reach) so none is stupid. But if Adler indeed had a helicopter crash and failed to reach Perseus after said crash, which in turn killed plenty of people due to Adler’s mistake of both the crash and Perseus living—it just adds even more of how ashamed Adler can be from his scar and his lack of will to share the story of how he got it.

Better to make up more pleasant and fun random stories than the true one.

AGHAGAJAJJAJK!!! THANK YOU!!!!! >////////////<

I really wanted to explore Adler and his mind. I really enjoy writing him—as one can see based on everything I’ve written for that man 💀 He’s just interesting and complex with so many sides, sides I like to touch upon and show more of. See how far I can go and truly get into his mind and what makes him tick. Sort of like what Adler did to Bell, haha. Go through a door, Adler.

And I also love the intricate relationship one can have when you write Adler and Bell. They are intertwined, I truly believe that. Intertwined souls that Fate and Irony seem to love, cause it’s just too much.

Or maybe Aphrodite is at play with them, since Bell loves stories. Aphrodite loves a good tragedy ;V;

Don’t get me wrong, I really love Adler but I don’t condone both his nasty actions and Perseus’ actions at all. It’s kinda funny on how ppl are debating whether Bell belongs to Adler or Perseus, but to me, there is no right or wrong.

It’s only up to your imagination.

In my headcanon, Bell knew that both the US and USSR are nasty and right in their own ways, and their choice is just up to you. I find it silly if ppl come on others for choosing Adler or vice versa with Perseus, so my place is a discourse-free zone if you’re wondering 🥴

fuckidon’twannatalkabtthelatestcutscene

I concur! Despite me wishing it was longer—seen here with this wonderful user’s post—I am still wholeheartedly impressed.

I am still reeling on how amazing the game is, and the mission Break on Through. There are many Easter Eggs throughout the game that showed you hints of you being brainwashed—or just something not being quite right with Bell at least. (I really thought Bell just had repressed trauma with Perseus while in Vietnam and Adler was trying to get it out for way too long. I am embarrassed at how much I trusted Adler. 💀)

And I never really took note of such a debate, hmmmm…but I can see where others can get that from. Although we do see Perseus and Bell had a close relationship as seen in the Duga ending, but let’s not make it seem Bell wasn’t a tool for Perseus. Just like they were for Adler.

Depending on one’s own take of Adler in fan universe, there’s no denying that’s all Adler saw Bell was. Perhaps there was a hint of companionship in the few weeks they knew each other—torture/brainwashing included—based on how Adler sent certain dialogue in Break on Through and Hudson commenting “They don’t know who they’re dealing with” about the safehouse crew and Bell getting closer(or Hudson may have just been talking about Perseus, it can go either way) but really, that’s what Bell was seen as.

Perseus I’m sure sees/saw Bell as that to a degree, but it mixed with the companionship/comrade aspect so Bell naturally became more to Perseus than a tool/subordinate.

In the end though sadly, like Mason, Bell is a pawn between two large powerhouses of a game board that have others moving them around. A shame we didn’t get more between these two, they have so many comparisons and yet differences due to where Bell was born Shame they were born in the wrong country.

I completely agree the two super houses of countries are horrible, deplorable, and every other -ble there is like terrible—yet it’s how it is. How every country is. What every country would do for theirs, no matter how sick the patriotism can go.

It’s what makes COD:BOCW a brilliant game that way, that no country is a saint no matter how righteous the path may look.

It makes your works even more amazing and while my fics aren’t exactly the greatest, I’ll try my best to improve for myself and not to be just like you 🥺🥰

THANK YOU!!! I really love analyzing and picking Adler apart. (I sound like a torturer, whoops. I like this man, I do.)

AND AHHHHHH!! It just took me a lot of years for me to get where I am now. Started writing back in what? 2014? An almost Junior in high school. I read a lot in order for me to now be here. From books, fics, to writing advice—it takes a long time. I’m still improving as well! ^////^

That’s all we can do as humans. To improve. 💗