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#i might expand on the kunikida thing later
ccarrot · 1 year
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Anyways i also think that Chuuya SHOULD NOT be the Port Mafia boss to be totally honest witchu. If his entire experience with the Sheep, and the way he cracked under pressure as the interim leader during cannibalism, and like, THE BEAST EPILOGUE, had anything to say it's that Chuuya's not fit to be the leader of an organization such as that.
Bc Chuuya's good at adapting, he's good at spur of the moment decisions. He's good with battle tactics. We see his actual leadership abilities shine when he's commanding the mafia troops to protect the city during the guild arc. In cannibalism, his plan to rush the ADA with a full frontal attack was a SOLID idea. But he loses his advantage as soon as he hesitates and opens the table for negotiation instead.
BECAUSE Chuuya's not good at playing the long game like Mori or Dazai. He's reactionary and it's his nature to get overwhelmed by his emotions. He takes on too much responsibility but loses focus due to personal reasons. That what happens in 15 where he blows off the Sheep to go on a life changing field trip with Dazai. That's why he was taken out of the picture so easily to go on a life changing field trip with Ranpo in Cannibalism. (Damn maybe this is why he's on a life changing field trip with Fyodor as a vampire currently).
Essentially even though Asagiri has been really tying Chuuya's character with the themes of leadership, we've mostly been shown why he wouldn't be a good fit. Either this plot point will trend towards Chuuya actually learning how to be a good leader OR he won't end up as one. IN ANY CASE what we know abt Chuuya makes me really think that being the Port Mafia's boss is a terrible idea. He's not fit for the role and frankly, I think he'd hate it.
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spinchwrites · 2 years
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Dazai (x Reader) Video Game Headcanons or smth
• more of a story in bullet points tbh
• I might expand on this later in a short story or one shot if anyone is interested. I’ll be playing this scenario out in my head tonight lol.
• content warnings: mild swearing, suggestive?
• genre: fluff
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- dazai is a fan of nintendo games - he loves that it’s easy to sneak under the table at work, and they don’t require too much thinking (the way he plays them)
- Atsushi always notices when Dazai is slacking off, and sometimes he asks you to take care of it before Kunikida does
- it’s almost like dazai is doing this on purpose…maybe he just wants you to scold him…
- also he’s bored lol
- he’s annoying, and he won’t start working until you give him a quick kiss
- “But y/n~” “my belladonna!” “can’t you see how agonizing this is for me?”
- he loves making you blush EVERYWHERE, especially in the office, and this is an easy segue :>
- “fineeeee” he’ll whine, once you’re both done, but you’ll have to make it up to me with a game tonight!
- of course you would, and, of course, you’d lose
- he’s effortlessly good at video games; you, on the other hand, are skilled at video games, and you sure give him a run for his money
- but he always wins…
- after a hard day of work, he’ll try to coax you into a game of Super Smash Bros or Mario Kart with him
- Dazai frequently tries to wager certain…things…on the outcome of the game ;)
- up to you whether you accept!
- sometimes your Smash Bros matches last 30 minutes at a time (playing 3 stock)
- Dazai will always pull some flashy move you didn’t even know existed (and he probably didn’t either tbh) as the finishing move
- he frequently causes your jaw to drop as you stare at the screen in disgruntled astonishment
- he gracefully takes this chance to give you a warm kiss, pulling you closer to him, leaving both of your controllers sitting on the floor
- “I always win, don’t I, my belladonna~”
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along-came-atsushi · 3 years
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The way Dazai protects Atsushi
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When we imagine someone who is protective, mostly it is a person who bursts into a fit of rage or someone who heroically and willingly throws away their own life if it means to protect others. A good example for this would be Kunikida’s actions on several occasions. Dazai is less a person to obviously show rage or to heroically throw himself in front of someone.
Which doesn’t mean that he doesn’t care at all, it’s quite the contrary. And it’s sometimes very subtle and tricky, because he always has plans within plans and tries to achieve several goals with a single plan.
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I will only focus here on Dazai’s actions that solely have to do with Atsushi. I’m not going to bring up every single hidden agenda or goal Dazai is also trying to achieve.
In addition, this post has been tagged as #Dazatsu just to be safe. But of course it can be read from a platonic POV.
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Beware: Spoilers starting from chapter 83 and for 55 Minutes!
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How Dazai gets Atsushi into the ADA
Dazai practically tricked and then it may seem like he pressured Atsushi into joining the ADA, even after Atsushi already said that he doesn’t want to join:
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The reason for Atsushi’s refusal was not that he didn’t want to join, because he just simply didn’t want to join. But because he lacks the self-confidence in taking a task like this. He doesn’t believe in himself and his abilities and thinks he isn’t fit for the job. This lack of self-confidence together with the fact that Atsushi constantly gets pushed by either people around him or his circumstances to keep relying on himself rather than others runs like a red string through his story.
Dazai on the other hand sees a great potential in Atsushi. In the moment where Atsushi saved him from drowning, he already planned to team him up with Akutagawa. Not only because of their abilities and their compatibility in battle. But because Atsushi would be the person to “teach Akutagawa how to put that sword away”. In other words: to value life. Which is something that Dazai wasn’t able to teach Akutagawa (I covered this in another meta and won’t explain it here any further).
Another reason is that the things Dazai states above are simply the truth: If Atsushi doesn’t join, then there is nothing the ADA can do to help him (or it would be much harder and complicated for them). He needs to do everything a normal adult in society has to do, which is harder for Atsushi than other people, since he has been abruptly kicked out of his orphanage without any further help or assistance. Not to mention that he is perceived as a monster and not in control of his own ability, and therefore a wanted criminal and dangerous ability user. This could lead Atsushi in either getting killed or falling into the hands of other shady organizations who have far worse intentions for him. Saying the above is less Dazai trying to manipulate Atsushi and more him just telling what would happen and to be realistic.
Having Atsushi join the ADA for Dazai does not only help Atsushi to live a safer life and make it easier for Dazai to keep an eye out for him, but also to give Atsushi the chance to safe other people in the progress.
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The Entrance Exam
Since Atsushi refused there was no way for Dazai to have him join the ADA the easy way and then only later testing if he really was worthy of being a true member. Just like it has been the case with Dazai’s entrance exam (Dazai freely joined the ADA after being recommended and was perceived as a new member immediately. Only during his first case with Kunikida was he secretly being tested of being worthy, which he succeeded). Therefore, a plan under a pretext was needed in order to test Atsushi and convince him to join.
During the ADA’s meeting for planning Atsushi’s entrance exam (which is told in the first part of the ‘Untold Story of the ADA’ novel) Dazai anticipated that Atsushi would either convince the bomber (played by Tanizaki) or somehow defuse the bomb himself. Neither of his predictions happened, instead Atsushi was willing to sacrifice himself so that he could protect others. This selfless action honestly surprised Dazai, which not many people are able to achieve, because he always predicts their actions:
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Since it’s been hinted by Dazai that he already lost other people close to him in his life, even before Ango’s betrayal and Odasaku’s death, Atsushi’s action probably could’ve served as a trigger for him. He had to realize that there is a possibility that Atsushi would sacrifice himself to protect others. Especially since he doesn’t deem his own life as worthy and has been told many times to be useless and to “just die in a ditch somewhere.”
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“Stalking” Higuchi
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Dazai immediately recognized Higuchi to be a PM member and that she’s contacting the ADA under disguise for ulterior motives. The scene with Higuchi is a good example that Dazai does many things which either annoys other people (flirting with her) or are seen as him just being lazy and/or fooling around (listening to music and singing), while in reality he is already following a hidden plan.
Flirting with Higuchi distracts her and everyone else from Dazai slipping a wiretap in her jacket. It helps him to let everyone just act naturally without the possibility of revealing anything by accident. Furthermore, it makes people underestimate Dazai, because for everyone else he was just fooling around.
Due to the reason that the PM contacted the ADA under disguise as soon as Atsushi was their new member could have been already suspicious for Dazai, suspecting that it has something to do with Atsushi and was not just a regular attack on the ADA. Later on, this gets confirmed when it’s been stated that The Guild set a bounty on Atsushi for some reason.
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Is Dazai following Atsushi around?
When Atsushi accompanies Ranpo on his murder case Dazai surprisingly shows up:
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This meeting could be just a coincidence, of course. After all it’s just Dazai fooling around again (or in this case, trying to commit suicide again). But since the case with Higuchi has shown that Dazai loves to pretend to do something else, when he in reality is following a hidden agenda, it might be that he showed up there on purpose. Maybe just to see how Atsushi was faring and to eventually intervene if something serious would happen (like he did when Atsushi and Akutagawa were fighting for the first time). Especially with the PM on Atsushi’s tail now.
In chapter 84 it has been revealed that Dazai indeed does have an eye on Atsushi. When he can’t do that himself anymore, he makes sure to ask Akutagawa to keep an eye on him instead:
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Going far for Atsushi’s sake
After getting to know about the bounty, Dazai lets himself get captured by the PM on purpose, without informing any other ADA members, and stays inside the prison until seemingly a right time draws near. He is willing to do this, even though he knows full well that he is perceived as a traitor and that certain people will not welcome him with open arms.
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When Chuuya mentions that he suspects that Dazai must be here for a certain reason, Dazai then states that he does all of this mostly for Atsushi. He even goes so far as to provoke a second punch in the face from Akutagawa, by belittling him in saying that Atsushi is a better subordinate than him, after Akutagawa threatens to kill Atsushi.
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Probably the most visible scene where Dazai openly shows anger and shock towards someone hurting Atsushi (or hurting someone he cares about in general) is during the incident with Q:
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He doesn’t act like this again the second time when Atsushi brings him the doll to nullify Q’s ability, even though the whole city is in chaos. He’s also less concerned about Naomi and Haruno in that moment and more focused on Atsushi during this. Which doesn’t mean that he doesn’t care at all for others, knowing that Naomi and Haruno are able to handle their situation (which is confirmed by them later). But it also shows that Atsushi is his main priority.
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Throughout the story Atsushi slowly notices this himself. At first he is hesitant to believe that he is Dazai’s “most trusted subordinate” and worries that Dazai might be mad with him should he go overboard with something (e.g. during 55 Minutes when he was able to surprise Dazai who was hiding in the trash can).
He only ever claims to have Dazai’s trust, if it means to provoke Akutagawa (which he does for a different reason, but I’m not going to expand on this here). Later, he even wonders how Dazai would react/look if Akutagawa came back with the news of him having died: 
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Which means that Atsushi’s former mentality of people not caring should he die gets replaced by having someone actually be mad/sad about this.
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Hiding his “dark side”
It may not be that visible in the anime, since some scenes are either left out or interpreted for the sake of jokes. But the manga makes it clear that Dazai struggles with guilt because of his own past (e.g. when Atsushi asks the other ADA members what they’ve done before joining the ADA, aside from everyone else Dazai looks away. This suggests that this question and the closely related memories of it are uncomfortable for him. Another example is his reaction when he asks Kyouka how many people she has killed).
Dazai is well aware that he can’t hide his past from Atsushi forever and that he sooner or later will find out. This is then almost immediately revealed to him by Akutagawa.
However Dazai still tries to hide his “dark side” from Atsushi. Apparently, he doesn’t want him to see that he’s capable of being cruel or that Atsushi may become too aware of anything that could reveal more of Dazai’s past and the things he has done. During certain situations Dazai purposefully doesn’t let Atsushi go or stay with him:
1.) When he pushed Atsushi out of the room to “interrogate” Kouyou:
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2.) When he pretended to need to use the bathroom, because he knew they were being followed:
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3.) When he meets Ango:
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(Even Kouyou comments on how Dazai lets Atsushi out of certain business.)
The reasons for this may be that he’s afraid to reveal this “dark side” of him to Atsushi and that he doesn’t want to drag him into the business of the underworld. It could also be that he’s afraid that Atsushi might see him in a different light and that he’ll turn deprecating towards him. As of now Atsushi doesn’t know the full extent of Dazai’s past and actions. But due the fact that he’s aware that Dazai was a former PM member (an executive even), he must also be aware that some answers will be frightening. Furthermore, he must also already have some ideas about Dazai’s past.
Throughout the story Atsushi has been shown to be sympathetic with different characters, trying to understand their actions or the reason that drives them. Even when these characters fought against or tried to kill him in the past (Kyouka, Lucy, Akutagawa, Fitzgerald, Sigma). Therefore, I doubt that Atsushi will see Dazai in a different/negative light, should his past be fully revealed. But this is something Dazai may not anticipate, since he doesn’t see himself as a good person and as someone worthy of redemption.
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Dazai believes in Atsushi
Dazai has an overwhelming believe in Atsushi and his abilities. He reassures and compliments him from the very beginning:
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“Nice, Atsushi. You’re like a real detective already! It’s such a joy to see you grow up so fast!” [After being send back in time] “Ha-ha-ha! I never thought you’d be able to scare me like that! You’ve grown Atsushi!” – 55 Minutes
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“Oooh!” Dazai squealed in excitement. “Look at you, Atsushi! Impressive!” – 55 Minutes
Contrary to Atsushi, who struggles to acknowledge his own self-worth and has little to no faith in his own abilities.
This is the reason why Dazai sometimes pushes Atsushi (not only literally but also figuratively) to do things on his own, whenever he realizes that Atsushi is hesitating. He’s throwing him in at the deep, in order for Atsushi to learn more self-confidence:
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He sends him on several missions alone (e.g. sneaking into the Moby Dick) or with other people (e.g. Akutagawa), because he knows that Atsushi is able to do this, even without him:
“[…] It’s up to you to prove the detective agency’s innocence and set us free. You can do it, right?” Atsushi knew – Dazai only asked people if they could do it when he was certain they could. – 55 Minutes
Atsushi’s actions get firmly planned into Dazai’s predictions, knowing that he will choose the right decision:
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This great believe in Atsushi gets also noticed by other people (e.g. Mark Twain and Akutagawa):
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In return
Dazai’s positive influence on Atsushi also has a positive effect on his psyche: The headmaster’s voice and image inside his mind – the person who always drags him down, tells him to be useless and that he will “not make it” – slowly gets replaced by Dazai’s voice and image – the person who cheers him up and tells him to believe in himself:
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It’s no doubt that Dazai was the person who helped Atsushi to live a better life and he is perceived as “the man who saved me” by Atsushi himself. For this reason and his self-confidence Atsushi admires Dazai and is grateful to him.
But on the other hand, Atsushi was also willing to save Dazai despite his dire situation. Not only does Atsushi put Dazai on a pedestal, it is also Dazai who puts Atsushi on a pedestal and who sees him as the person able to help, protect and maybe even change others.
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elia-de-silentio · 3 years
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Recap on The Decay of Angels
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Above, our introduction to the villains that have dominated the Bungou Stray Dogs manga for a few years as of now. It tells us two main things: that they are terrorist, and that they are five. Of them, two are known: Dostoevsky, already introduced in the previous arc, and Gogol, who debuts in this chapter.
As of chapter 88, all of the five members are known, and a few of these identities have been puzzling for the public at large. So, I want to try and recap what we know of them, and maybe make a little sense of it (spoiler, I didn't, but I found a few interesting facts).
We already met Fyodor in the Cannibalism arc, and gained an idea of who he is, how he operates, and what he wants. He's the leader of his own organization, but fights his battles mostly indirectly, by manipulating others into fighting for him.
He aims at destroying Yokohama to find the famed Book, the one to rewrite reality, for the purported reason if creating a better world, one without the 'sin' of ability users. Why he does think like that, or exactly what kind of different world he does envision, is unknown to this day.
Later, in chapter 56, we are shown the Decay of Angel's deeds, four in one week, which our resident nerd Kunikida explains are related to four of the five signs of the imminent death of an angel (or 'deva' in the Buddhist conception):
They skinned a legislator's torso, made a shirt with the result, and put it back on him, all in five minutes = the angel's robes are soiled.
They melted off the face of a deputy commander in the coast guard with a corrosive poison = the angel's garland melts away.
They stuck an air compressor in the mouth of the secretary of a general in the ministry of defense, causing his blood vessels to pop out = the angel's radiance fades.
Lastly, an official for the military police was injected a drug that caused him to kill himself = the angel's armpits start to sweat.
Moreover, they're suspected to have ties in the government; turns out, Gogol was cosplaying as a secretary in there.
He takes hostage a bunch of government officials, and threatens to saw them in two ("losing delight in their heavenly thrones")
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The next chapters are dedicated to introducing Nikolai Gogol: an eccentric individual with a powerful ability and the most likely perpetrator of all the aforementioned crimes (since Fyodor was in jail at the time and, as we'll see shortly, the other members aren't particularly suited to these kinds of jobs).
However, he admits that he does feel guilt for what he does, and it's the reason he keeps doing it: he wants to free himself from the concept of morality, from his own conscience.
While this is a rather interesting philosophy, it doesn't expand much on why and how he joined the Decay of Angels. Was he a 'normal' person with particular ideas on morality that were brought to the extreme by the other members in order to make him useful, or was he already a murderer, and joined the Decay to have a wider choice of targets?
Boh. We'll only know quando Asagiri si decide a recuperare il suo arco porca pupazza with time. Still, the important part is that he doesn't seem to share Fyodor's objectives, nor does he say anything about the greater plan and his ideas on it. This is the first indicator that the Decay is a rather fragmented group, everyone is in for his own goals.
However, the last interesting thing is that the plan involved his own death: those in the Decay have no problems sacrificing their own members (even if I have a little theory that Fyodor might have planned for his survival, but I'll talk about it in another post).
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Next, a wounded Taneda adds an information about the Decay of Angels: of the three members still in the dark, one has the ability to exchange knowledge he wants for information the person he touches wants. Namely, they're looking for a book, one that makes so that what is written on it becomes the truth - something already hinted by Fyodor. They managed to locate one page of it, and used it to frame the Armed Detective Agency to create a chaos and instigate a sort of Ability Civil War to destroy the city.
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Their 'knowledge broker' is revealed to be Sigma; a reveal that is quite a surprise for the reader, since the manager of the Sky Casino has been introduced rigging a game to allow a person desperately in need of money to win; a very positive introduction, for a member of a 'murder association'. Later, it's revealed that he didn't even want to stab Taneda, only scare him off.
In fact, he hasn't even joined them because of some ideal: Fyodor found him when he had no past nor family nor anywhere to go, and offered him a place to belong in exchange for his services. When it turns out that his colleagues in the Decay have planned his demise (and two!) and Atsushi shows him kindness, he promptly cooperates with the Agency; or tries to, before one of Fyodor's lackeys shoots him.
It's also revealed that the group has created some explosive coins, released to the population at large to make some other acts of terrorism.
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After some other shenanigans, we are introduced to their boss: Ouchi Fukuchi, officially the war hero who wants to save the world from the 'terrorists' known as the Armed Detective Agency by instituting an international police force.
Unofficially, a former torturer sanctioned by the government, traumatized by what he found himself doing. He wants to take down every nation, throwing the world into anarchy, because he believes countries and governments responsible for wars; and he also wants to stick it to his childhood friend who wasn't with him on the battlefield and got a found family he didn't have, and so framed him as the leader of the terrorists.
His actual plan was to terrorize the population and the government enough that they would gladly let him create an international armed force at his commands, which he would actually have used to break down the concept of 'State'.
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Lastly, the fifth member: Bram Stoker. Another interesting case: like Sigma, he doesn't have any particular ideal that brought him to the group; on the contrary, he dislikes them. He used to be known as a calamity for his ability to turn others into vampires, and swore to never do such a thing again. He breaks this promise because Fukuchi threatened to kill him otherwise, and already keeps him in a state of prisony; personally, he has no interest in destroying the world, and thinks Fukuchi should do it himself. Considering that he interacts only with him, and doesn't keep track of the time well, I wonder if he even knows the other people in the organization.
Another interesting thing, is that he is the first British author to get introduced, except for Agatha Christie, who is hinted to be the leader of an organization of European Ability Users, but hasn't made an appearence since chapter 12/Dead Apple, and insofar hasn't had any impact on the plot. Maybe Stoker will be the element that brings the 'Order of the Clocktower' in?
Anyways, here they are: a group of people with vastly different goals and mindsets, ready to send each other to death and put dents into the others' plan (Sigma being ready to tell everything to Atsushi, Fyodor likely putting intentional mistakes in the Page he redacted to undermine Fukuchi).
Honestly ... it's amazing such a branco di disagiati group of people that want so wildly different things managed to last so long, let alone do this much damage. I mean ... how and why these people came together? What do they have in common?
To try and find answers, I did a little research.
First of all, the name 'Decay of Angels' comes, surprise surprise, from a book.
'The Decay of the Angel' by Yukio Mishima is the last novel in a tetralogy that follows the story of Shigekuni Honda, law student in the first novel and retired judge in the last, as he spends his whole life looking for the reincarnation of his deceased schoolfriend, finding them in people that seem to inevitably meet an early death, and ultimately destroys himself.
In the last installment, Honda decides that the reincarnation is an orphan, Toru, that behind a nice and normal facade hides antisocial tendencies. The interesting thing is that Honda notices them, but dismisses them as 'guile': what makes him decide that Toru isn't the reincarnation of his friend is the fact that he doesn't die on a certain date. And after all he had decided that he could be his friend after noticing a similar mole pattern; both very superficial things to originate and conclude such a fixation.
So what? I don't know.
Is a reference on how Fukuchi envied his childhood friend Fukuzawa for never dirtying his hands the way he had to do, and for having a found family, or a 'path in life', and decided to do a distorted version of such, with a few criminals and a plan to destroy the current order? Not sure.
Let's move to the artist, then!
Yukio Mishima was something of a conservative, and he strongly opposed the westernization of Japan, arguing that it left its people rootless. By this, I mean that he founded a private militia, the Tatenokai, composed of a bunch of students recruited with the newspaper, who until the 1970 did not much more than physical exercise and worship of the Emperor.
On the 25th of November 1970, however, Mishima plus four (!) of them briefly seized control of the Self Defense Force headquarters and tried to encourage the soldiers in a coup d'etat. They failed; Mishima and Masakatsu Morita, one of said four followers, committed suicide by seppuku, the latter despite his commander's wishes. The other three ended up in prison.
So, we have a strong believer in the traditional values of the State; quite the opposite of the 'anarchist' Fukuchi.
However, Mishima does not appear as a character, even if, since he was a writer, he could very well have. Instead, a bunch of appearently unrelated figures compose the terrorist group.
Fukuchi Genichirou was a translator, journalist, and playwriter. He, too, was a conservative: in his youth, he wrote an article criticizing the government and was subsequently arrested; he was released for the intercession of an influent friend, but this is remembered as the first episode of suppression of free speech in the Meiji Restauration.
He later founded a very short-lived political party that pursued the sovereignity of the Emperor, enforcement of a Constitution established by the Emperor and election among limited people. This party disbanded after one year.
Fyodor Dostoevsky is best known as a novelist, short story writer and journalist. He was also involved in politics: initially, he was interested in socialism, fluctuating among several groups due to an interest in social reforms in favor of destitute people.
The last group he joined (despite having been described by Bakunin as essentially a bunch of posers) got him convicted for reading papers that criticized the Russian government and religion, and nearly sentenced to death; the letter by the Tsar that commuted the sentence in prison and hard labour arrived just as the convicts were right in front of the firing squad, leaving them all free to enjoy this deeply traumatizing experience. He was considered one of the most dangerous prisoners (he read some books). Later in life, he moved towards more conservative beliefs (conservative for Russian standards: he criticized both socialism and capitalism, idealized the monarchy, and asserted that every social problem could be solved with Orthodox Christianity); but he didn't try to take an active role in politics.
Nikolai Gogol was a novelist, short story writer, and playwriter of Ukrainian origins. Despite costantly satirizing the government in his works, he was a strong supporter of the tsarist monarchy and criticized those who wanted a costitutional monarchy.
Fittingly for 'a character with no past', researching Sigma was a real pain. Shoutout to @gravitycantstop for pointing me in what is probably the right direction.
Sigma was a pseudonym of Russian journalist and writer Sergey Nikolaevich Syromyatnikov. Appearently, decent information about him is available only in Russian. Now, one day I'll speak every language in the world, but insofar my knowledge of Russian is limited to 'vodka' and 'syrniki', so I can't say much about him. If anyone who reads this speaks Russian and can provide information, please do so!
[Edit: thanks to @heydeliah , now we know about RL Sigma's political inclinations: he was a conservative who supported an authocratic monarchy, just like the above two]
Lastly, Bram Stoker: he had a keen interest in Irish Affairs, was a strong supporter of the Liberal Party, which favoured social reforms, personal liberty, and reducing the powers of both the Crown and the Church of England. He supported Home Rule brought about by pacifist means, was an ardent monarchist, and believed Ireland should stay in the British Empire, which he saw as a force for good.
So? I'm not sure what to make of all of this. The only thing I can say is that a bunch of real-life right-wingers has been turned into essentially a bunch of far left extremists? Sure, Stoker has been around for too little to express any ideology besides 'fanculo 'sta merda I want to sleep', and the lack of information on Sigma means that I can't make theories on him. But still, it's the closest thing I could find that binded them all together.
I admit I'm still unsure about what this could mean. Surely they weren't the only boomers ante litteram strongly conservative authors Asagiri could find, so ... I guess we have to wait and see? I literally made this post as I went, trying to find a common denominator, and this was all I could manage.
Anyways, I hope this can be somehow interesting.
Thanks to anyone who bothered to read my ramblings!
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ssamie · 3 years
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eleven. “get your girl!”
kozume kenma x fem dazai!reader
(bsd x hq)
tw: mentions of suicide
masterlist.     suicide freak!
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"was our sleepover fun, kenma-kun?" she chirped
"no. your place had suicidal traps and schemes littered all around" kenma sighed
she laughed at him as he continued to put on his shoes. kenma was forced to stay with her last night as per her request. and, of course, true to her word, they had loads of fun.
"it wasn't that bad" she pouted playfully
"there was a toaster in your bathtub, so i couldn't take a proper bath. and the only 'food' you have is a bottle of muriatic acid and candy" kenma deadpanned
"hey, i offered to feed you a full course meal!" she defended
"y-your body does not count!" kenma argued back. a faint pink hue was sploched on his cheeks as he refused to look at her.
"well whatever, let's go meet the others before we head out" she said. as the pair made their way to the agency's office, atsushi was already there along with kunikida. kenji was sleeping while ranpo was just munching on his snacks, like usual.
"good morning!" she chirped out in a la-di-da tone
"good morning, y/n-san" atsushi greeted back with a warm smile
"goomorwing" ranpo mumbled back, though it was muffled by the snacks in his mouth
"hehe, kunikida-kun~" she cooed out "were gonna head out now, kunikida-kun! we're borrowing your wallet for some pancakes on the way~"
kunikida clicked his tounge and stood up from his chair. he stomped over to her and snatched the wallet that somehow made its way into her hands. "no way in hell, you bandage-squandering-machine!" kunikida exclaimed
kenma simply stretched his arm out for her to fall onto as she dramatically screamed and stumbled back  "agh!" she exclaimed as she recoiled into an unamused kenma's chest
"n-nice nickname there, kunikida-kun" she let out a strained laugh "that stung... just a little"
"tch, if you got so much time wandering around then you might as well write a report about your capture by the port mafia" kunikida said
she chuckled lowly and spun around, only to be found sporting a serious and aloof expression "atsushi-kun." she called out
"yes?" atsushi perked up, his dual-toned eyes sparkling with determination
"write the report for me." she commanded in a serious tone
"hah?" atsushi huffed out
"well then, kenma-kun and i will be going! bye-bye~" she cooed as she waved them goodbye. kenma waved at them as they stepped out of the agency's office.
"oi! you better be back here after school, brat!" kunikida shouted. though his words were faint since they were already running off.
"well then, ready for school kenma?" she cooed
"no, i just wanna relax" kenma grumbled
"wasn't last night enough relaxation, pudding?" she mused with a sly smirk
"no, it wasn't" kenma shuddered "i told you i wasn't down to have ˢᵉˣ and yet-"
"oh, look at that! isn't that chuuya~" she cut him off with a playful grin "it seems he's not alone, akutagawa-kun is looking real tall compared to him" she hummed
by now kenma was just confused, frustrated and lowkey scared. "literally what?" he muttered "akutagawa..?" kenma muttered. "wait- isn't that the port mafia guy in the news?!" he whisper shouted
"he's still coughing up his lung like its no one's business" she chuckled as she waved her hand around "that boy really needs to invest in an inhaler or something.. or maybe some water will do.." she muttered to herself
kenma chose to ignore her as he simply tugged her arm and ran away towards the station. they scurried away all while trying not to be seen by the two men. "are you crazy?! weren't those the guys that took you?" kenma whisper shouted
"i remember you mentioning an akutagawa last night" he sighed "and not to mention that chuuya guy was there too."
"they're harmless" she reassured with a smile
"they're in the port mafia." kenma deadpanned "actually, can we please discuss the fact that you're affiliated with the mafia-"
"no." she said with a smile
"anyways, we should go.. nekomata-san said something about cleaning out the gym lockers"
kenma gaped at her as she started walking further, leaving him behind. all while sporting that goofy grin, acting as if she didn't just come across two mafiosos.
"fine, whatever.."
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"what happened to you yesterday , y/n-senpai?" lev asked with a small smile
"oh nothing, lev" she chuckled dismissively "i just had a psychic tell me that if i jumped into the river near the village, my death would be guaranteed." she hummed out with a nod “so i decided to try it out" she grinned
"woah!! so did it work?" lev asked back
"lev you fucking idiot" yaku sighed
kuroo watched them and laughed along, leaving lev to fend for himself as yaku kicked his back. kuroo nudged kenma with his elbow, smirking suggestively as he wiggles his brows
"what kuroo." kenma sighed "soo.. how'd it go with your lady? hm?" kuroo grinned teasingly
kenma flushed a bright pink and buried his face into the collars of his jacket, so only his eyes could be seen. "i-it was.. yeah-" he stammered
"oya oya~ what's this supposed to mean?" kuroo sneered
"it means kenma here is a real treat in be-" she was cut off as kenma slapped her with the mop "no!" kenma shrieked flusteredly "were going away now!" was the only thing he said before dragging the girl into the lockerooms
"WHAT THE HELLSNKAKAJA" the team laughed and hollered as kuroo burst out into his hyena cackle
"wow kenma! you could've killed me with that mop" she laughed "do it again!"
"KYANMA IS ALL GROWN UP NOW!" kuroo laugh-cried "KYANMAAA HOW COULD YOU?! I WAS GONNA MARRY Y/N-CHAANN" yamamoto cried out
"stop teasing him guys, he'll get mad" kai sweatdropped as he tried to ease the team down
"yeah...so how's it feel to be one-upped by your best friend, mr.chemistry nerd?" yaku sneered as he held in his laughs
kuroo immediately stopped laughing as he sent yaku an unamused glare "HAH?! SHUT UP YOU GENETIC ANOMALY!" kuroo yelled at him
completely ignoring their loud voices, kenma and y/n arrived in the lockeroom and proceeded with the cleaning "i can't believe that just happened" kenma shook his head disappointingly
she chuckled and patted his back as they started cleaning out the lockers. "aww, don't be so down kenma-kun" she cooed
"i'll help you clean the lockers if that makes you feel better" she said as she hugged him from behind
"stop hugging me" kenma hissed at her "and that doesn't make me feel better because it's your job in the first place"
"anyways, look at lev's locker!" she said with an innocent whistle as she opened the locker.
"oya oya" she mumbled "lev is truly adorable.. but kind of.. strange, per say"
"what is it?" kenma asked. she snickered and pulled out an ungodly amount of cat food packed in tupperwares.
"what the hell." kenma sweat dropped "does he eat that or something?" kenma muttered while scrunching up his face
"i'd hope not, but let's leave this here" she chuckled "any ways.. how about checking out my locker?" she suggested with a smile as she skipped over to the locker in the furthest row
"aren't you curious to see what's in my locker, kenma-kun?" she cooed tauntingly
kenma sighed but followed her anyways "sure. part of me is, part of me isn't" he said
"here we go.." she paused dramatically as she pulled on the handle "tada!" she exclaimed as she slammed it open, presenting him a noose tied to a piece of wood which was stuck at the top.
"what the hell?!" kenma shrieked
"its a y/n-style suicide corner locker!" she announced excitedly
"i thought so, but that's creepy!" kenma exclaimed "not even the lockers are suicide-free"
"why?" kenma grumbled
"well you see, it's actually very convenient" she said "tip it over once you're done, and it instantly turns into a coffin!" she giggled menicingly
kenma sighed as he eyed her locker and her awfully enthusiastic grin. "please don't try to sell it to me like some time-saving product" he said
she then huffed out a breath of air and slyly smirked as she pushed the locker close "geez, im getting bored.. aren't you, kenma?" she said with an exaggerated sigh
"you show off your locker and now you're content?!" kenma scoffed in disbelief
she grinned mischievously and skipped away "why don't we ditch this place and go have some ramen?" she proposed
"we just got here like two hours ago" kenma said "and im pretty sure nekomata-san won't let us go just like that"
"aw, cmon! come with me, kenma-kun~ i wanna eat with you~" she whined out
"fine, fine" kenma groaned "just cover for me if i end up getting scolded"
"of course!" she beamed at him. she then threw away the unused cleaning supplies, confidently striding out the door, leaving the locker room as dirty as it was before
"oya oya~ did you have fun in there?" kuroo asked teasingly
"yup!" she replied "in fact, we had so much fun that we decided to expand our dopamine-inducing activities all the way into the ramen shop downtown!"
the team sweat dropped as she started shamelessly marching off to the gym's exit, dragging along kenma, who now had his nose buried in his game
"wait, y/n-san" nekomata stopped her. she froze mid step and slowly turned back around, sending the coach a nervous smile "yes?" she asked
"before you go, we need to discuss a few things for future tournaments" nekomata said "were gonna need some new tactics, so maybe you can suggest something?" he said
"hmm, i'll do some research later on" she hummed out
"but we're gonna be playing against fukurodani and nohebi then right?" shibayama chimed in "oooh~ i've never heard of this 'nohebi' you speak of" she cooed out in amusement
"i would've guessed" kuroo said "daisho's face would be enough to kill you, it's crazy!" he chuckled
y/n's eyes glimmered as she shook kenma's shoulders excitedly "seriously?!"
"no, and that was supposed to be a bad thing" kuroo chuckled, a fond smile resting on his lips as he watched her deflate at his words
"oh, i've got it!" she piped up "i know what we should do!" she smirked up at the team, her eyes basically sparkling as she looked at them as if she held all the answers in the world.
"let's just give up and die" she exclaimed
nekoma looked at her with blank smiles, nodding along as her confident smile never leaves her lips "let's not do that" nekomata butted in "instead, we need to practice more"
"so kenma, y/n.. since you two are going out anyways, go ahead and buy the team some snacks when you return"
while nodding enthusiastically, she practically bolted out of the gym, dragging kenma along by his collar like a cat
"y/n, let go of me" kenma grumbled as he struggled to play his game
she simply ignored him and took one of his hands anyway. she intertwined their fingers while she swings their arms back and forth
"i lost" kenma sighed in defeat as he pocketed his phone he looked down at their hands and smiled, letting her swing their arms around like a child while she sings some strange 'suicide song'
"are you sure you're supposed to be wandering around after what happened to you?" kenma asked "i mean, i didn't believe you at first about the mafia thing, but obviously you weren't lying.."
she chuckled and shook her head "oh please" she sneered "what do you expect is gonna happen? you really think they'd approach me in broad daylight-"
she cut herself off as she saw chuuya and akutagawa walking towards their direction
"nevermind. they are indeed approaching me in broad daylight"
kenma didn't react much, but his hand squeezed hers tighter and he ducked his head down in a way of hiding himself. y/n glanced worriedly at him before meeting eyes with chuuya
"kenma, is running from mafiosos perhaps listed in your bucket list?" she asked playfully
"no.. why-"
"well then cross that shit off because we're gonna need to run"
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"i wanna go back" kenma panted out "all this running isn't good for my teenager body" he whined
"we ran like three blocks, kenma" she laughed softly
"thats too much" he pouted
they finally arrived at their initial destination, the ramen shop which they planned to eat at. "im so tired" kenma muttered as he rested his head on the table. while, across from him, y/n was sat, playing with the ends of his faux blond hair while she waits for their food to arrive
"ma'am, sir, here's your food!" the waitress announced as she stands before them, holding a tray of two ramens
"thank you, belladonna~" y/n cooed at her, making the girl giggle
"damn. didn't know girls like her were your type" kenma commented as he loudly slurps at his noodles. he narrowed his eyes at her, grumbling to himself while y/n unbotherdly eats her food
"well, i like all women kenma-kun" she said "but she, especially, looked like someone to agree on a double suicide"
"what about men." he asked
"it depends" she shrugged "for example, you would probably never say yes to a double suicide proposal.."
"but i bear with it because you're cute <3"
"oh okay."
a wave of comfortable silence washed over them as they continued eating, with y/n blurting out jokes here and then
"kenma-kun.." she suddenly piped up, her tone was guarded, almost as if she was on edge "yes..?" kenma answered back hesitantly
"it seems there's something inevitable in my agenda" she sighed
"huh? what is it?" kenma asked worriedly
she then stood up and smiled sheepishly at him "i gotta go to the bathroom!" she exclaimed. kenma deadpanned, though he sighed in relief as he watched her make her way to the comfort room
just as he was about to pull out his phone, somebody had cleared their throat. well, it was more like coughing for half a minute straight, but let's not get into that.
"so it's you." akutagawa muttered in a low tone
"um.. can i help you.." kenma muttered back nervously
he gulped as he fiddled with his twitching hands. it was no mistaking that the man dressed in all black was akutagawa himself. he's made quite a name for himself after appearing in quite a few news articles and headlines.
"i don't get what y/n-san sees in you" akutagawa scoffed
kenma furrowed his brows but didn't say anything back. his glare alone was enough to leave him shaking in displeasure and anxiety. kenma could feel akutagawa's hatred, anger, and jealousy practically eating at him.
"tch. first that wretched tiger, and now you. as far as my respect goes for her, this is just sad." akutagawa said with a scowl "her standards in subordinates and companions have gone down the drain." akutagawa sighed
kenma took in a breath of air and opened his mouth to speak. "um.. are you-"
"dont speak to me, you pest" akutagawa snarled at him "your existence is not only a disgrace to society, but your presence around me is displeasing and disgusts me to the core."
kenma didn't speak after that. why would he? this actual criminal just called him a pest and a disgrace, after all.
in all honesty, all kenma could think about was:
'what is with that vocabulary?'
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"oh my, couldn't you tell this was the ladies bathroom?" she chuckled as she made eye contact with chuuya through the mirror "or were you too short to see the sign?" she teased
chuuya scoffed and locked the bathroom doors, making sure no one was inside and that no one could enter.
"what do you want, chuuya?" she asked, her bubbly smile dropping as she leaned back against the sink
"isn't it obvious?" chuuya replied
"no not really" she shrugged, laughing under her breath as she eyes him suggestively "is it because you wanna make out? go for a quickie? or-"
"SHUT UP! as if i'd wanna do that with you!" chuuya yelled at her
"oh please, you act as if i'd want to as well" she scoffed "the only thing i actually like about you is maybe your taste in shoes" she hummed
chuuya blinked dumbfoundedly at her words, as he looked down to inspect his shoes. "you think?" he muttered quietly
"just kidding, ofcourse" she sneered
"you-!" chuuya yelled in aggravation as he went in to kick her head, but sadly missed as she ducked down
"give it up" she sighed "just tell me what you want and let's leave each other be" she said
chuuya clicked his tongue and pulled out a back envelope sealed with wax. "boss wants to give you this." he said, handing her the envelope "said something about claiming back your place as executive"
she smiled in amusement as she inspected the paper. "is that so.." she trailed off. she turned around to turn the tap on, letting the water run as she placed the envelope under it, letting it soak and slowly break away.
"well, tell mori-san that i appreciate the welcoming invitation, but i'd have to say no" she said
chuuya's eye twitched at her answer, feeling himself feel dissatisfied and angered. "tch, what the hell, asshole?" chuuya exclaimed as he grabbed her by the collar of her nekoma uniform
"oya? is something wrong, chuuya?" she asked calmly
"why won't you come back?! you're gonna waste your damn life rotting away in that agency!" he exclaimed with gritted teeth "you'll have everything back in the mafia! why won't you come back!"
"we can be partners again!"
she didn't answer, but simply stood still, letting him crumple her shirt in his balled fists as he let out ragged breaths. the sound of the still running water filled the air.
"chuuya.."
she sighed and pried his hands off of her, turning around to turn off the faucet before facing him once again. "i joined the agency in accordance to a dear friend's advice." she said "i was told i'd find a my reason to keep living, and more so the path to clear my mind of evil and good."
"being with you again would most definitely be wonderful"
chuuya looked up at her, his throat drying up as he watched her take off a small golden star pin from her school tie. he didn't stop her as she started placing it on his coat. nor did he stop her when she placed a small kiss on the back of his hand.
"but maybe in another life, we could be partners once more" she chuckled
"that pin suits you" she said "it matches with your hair. keep it on, alright?"
it was all she said before walking off, opening the door and closing it behind her, leaving him alone with the faint sounds of dripping water. chuuya looked in the mirror, fiddling with the pin with his hands.
"tch. another life, my ass" he scowled, wiping off the tears that brimmed his eyes
"why the hell do i have to wait that long?"
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as she stepped out of the comfort room, she walked back to the table she and kenma were sitting at, only to find him literally itching to run off. as kenma made eye contact with her, he immediately grabbed her arm and pulled her out the door
"woah woah! calm your horses, pudding" she chuckled "what's wrong?"
"what's wrong is the fact that akutagawa came up to me and literally started degrading and insulting me???" he exclaimed
"what?" she asked with furrowed brows
"he was badmouthing me with really deep words and insults! like, i didn't even know what some of the words meant.." kenma grumbled "im so glad he left after like five minutes"
"also, what took you so long?" kenma asked her "i got caught up in a conversation with an old friend, that's all" she answered nonchalantly
"right.." kenma nodded, though he wasn't convinced. he took notice of her crinkled shirt and collar, as well as the lone pin that she always wears, which was now missing.
"y/n? can we just go back please?" kenma pleaded
"of course, kenma" she said with a smile "im sorry you had to deal with akutagawa-kun"
"its fine.. i just wanna go back" he said in a dismissive tone
the walk back to nekoma was quiet. they had stopped by a nearby gas station for some snacks to give to the boys, but other than that, no one really talked.
"im gonna ask kuroo something" kenma said before he walked off
she simply nodded with a raised brow as she watched the pudding head march up to his best friend
"y/n-senpai!" inouka called for her. shaking her head, she disregarded kenma and rushed over to the first years.
"kuroo, i need advice." kenma blurted out "oya oya? what kind of advice?" kuroo asked back
"the y/n kind" kenma groaned
"we went out to eat but at some point she went to the bathroom.." kenma started
"i asked her why she took so long, and she told me she talked to a friend. but im pretty sure it's that chuuya person"
kuroo crossed his arms as he looked at his friend questioningly "what makes you say that?" he asked
"we ran into him for a quick moment, then i saw the guy with him at the ramen shop" kenma answered vaguely
"well.. i dunno much about what happened but.." kuroo trailed off "i think theres really only one thing you could do" the bedhead captain said
"and that is?"
"confess your feelings, duh!" kuroo whisper shouted
"i-i don't have feelings for her!" kenma whisper shouted back
"you did not just say that, oh my fucking god" kuroo groaned out in aggravation "you're literally asking me for love advice because you got jealous over an old acquaintance of hers" kuroo deadpanned
"i never said i was jealous.." kenma muttered sheepishly "you don't need to say it, i could already tell" kuroo laughed at him "but seriously, kenma.." kuroo mused, a huge grin creeping up onto his lips as he slapped his hand on kenma's back
"go get your girl!"
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Hiya! I noticed your f/o take over asks and would like to send some! 🌅,🎢, 💬 With Atsushi! Hope your tiger can answer! :3
The tall, silver haired gifted blinks in curiosity at the ask, smiling with interest, “Well, this is new.” He chuckled as he gives a wave, “I’m guessing by your question, I’m meant to respond instead of Dany.” Atsushi mused as he glanced over to the petite brunette in question, who was busy fussing over her work and unaware of the question sent over.
Atsushi chuckled warmly at this and shakes his head, “Well, I’m sure she won’t mind if I take over for a bit; we are both kind of responsible for this blog.” (Includes Jason too 💖).
“Well let’s jump in shall we! Oh! And before anything, we are in our mid-20’s here! So this is going down memory lane!” 🐯✨
🌅How did you two meet?
Oh wow, this feels like so long ago, almost 6 years to be exact! And it’s actually kind of funny now that I think about it! I’m sure Dany agrees.
The way we meet was actually…kind of similar to my situation, yet it has its key differences. For one, Danielle was more on the run and in hiding, she’d use her shadow ability a lot to steal items from small stores to get her food. She knew how to stay off the radar well enough that we had no idea what we were dealing with when the agency was contacted...
Many dubbed her as a ghost due to her shadow gift, which didn’t help Kunikida’s psyche or patience 😅 but Ranpo soon gave us more details after a good laugh. Explaining that this person was a gifted and had a knack for using her ability at night.
So we took the opportunity to find her; my tiger’s hyper senses helped in tracking her, especially when she took notice of how I was able to pick her out. Taking the lead from Kunikida and Dazai and chasing her to one of the warehouses by the Port.
While my ability at the time was well in picking her out, she still had an advantage using the darkness around the warehouse to traverse through the space without making so much as a sound. Suddenly a white light of something flies by and I’m almost struck with what looked like an arrow, yet it disappeared before I realized. It’s like it came from every direction and there was no sure idea on where she was.
Hmm… even when I tried to talk to her, she refused to appear. Only when I made the effort to fight back did she make some appearance, but just slightly with how quickly she left her ability and returned to it. But I got an upper hand on her once I got an idea of her repetitive jabs. Enough for her to reveal herself to me, but not really her.
Rather she appeared as her wolf, I was almost struck by her appearance, maybe out of surprise and awe than fear. My tiger can attest to the feeling, but we were quick to realize the situation were in and wasn’t the time to really admire a large wolf gifted that wasn’t keen on being captured.
And I will say, at the time I hadn’t transformed into a full grown tiger again, not since the Guild chaos. I had better control over my ability, especially due to the President’s influence, but willing that part of my ability again? I couldn’t in that moment with worry I might lose control. I could feel he wanted to leave and break free to protect me when Danielle’s ability overwhelmed me enough to pin me to the ground.
But I could just tell, if you could believe it, that she didn’t want to hurt me, more than anything, intimidate me into submission and scare me off. Overall, Dany didn’t want to fight, she didn’t want to hurt anyone, and I could see she wasn’t just a confused and uncontrolled animal gifted like I was. She was well-aware and just trying to get by from wherever she was running from.
It was then Kunikida and Dazai had caught up, gun fire seeming to break Danielle’s wolf ability attention from me and towards them. Fear clear as day, before Dazai nullified her ability.
By then, we were surprised by her appearance; clearly not expecting her to be small in stature and features not from around Japan. Needless to say, she didn’t automatically wake up like I had when I was found out about my ability. The nullification from Dazai’s ability taking a toll on her on her psyche and connection to her ability from what she later told me. So we took her back to the Agency...
Sorry, about the detail, but that was just our first unofficial meeting, first fight, I suppose you can say 🤔😅 but our first conversation was actually a few days after. Sadly, Kunikida insisted I be kept out of interrogating her, especially after we all found out Lucy knew her from her previous affiliation with the Guild. Letting her be the one up and front of getting Dany to talk when she woke up.
Which I suppose I understand…I would have liked to ease her into speaking too…I did just fine with Kyouka-chan…until she asked for food with my money… >.> plus my Tiger may have been an influence to want to meet this new animal gifted…
Anyway, we’re finally here, meeting time! Seems like I was the first to unofficially meet her and the last one to properly introduce myself to her 😅 by then, Danielle was given a proper uniform by the agency and more composed than her disheveled figure prior.
Hmm… maybe it’s our current relationship standing that making me think so fondly of her in that moment. Or maybe it’s how I've always seen her in all honesty. I admit I was taken aback by her, compared to how she fought me nights before, her eyes appeared more brighter, a unique violet due to her ability’s influence, yet held…a lot of story in them. She was cute, I admitted to myself at the time, her voice soft and held an accent under the Japanese she spoke.
I’m pretty sure we were both surprised by each other to an extent, likely from our first ever meeting and the underlying curiosity of our abilities… Up until Dany just voiced out her thoughts that I was the one she fought against nights ago… To which I began to apologize because of how we encountered and fought each other 😅
She apologized in return too, hesitant and almost embarrassed from attacking me…of course I didn’t fault her for the action, she was just trying to protect herself. And with the years of knowing her, I understand why she did what she did…
Nonetheless! I’m grateful to have been there to unofficially meet her the first time… I don’t think Dany would be where she would be if we didn’t catch up her, well me, because Dazai-San and Kunikida-kun definitely took their time 😅👀 (don’t let them know I said that!).
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🎢What was the first date like?
Oh! 😳 our first date together? 🥰
Wow, I remember being so nervous to even ask out of just…fear of rejection. Of course silly thing to think about now, all things considered. And how I asked her was kind spontaneous and blunt after… a serious mission that Dany got hurt in. Feelings coming up to the surface thinking I was going to lose her without saying how I felt.
She said yes of course, once she was completely healed with Yosano’s ability. Dazai may have had a bit of high encouragement from me on what we could have done through the day and what Dany would have liked going into it. Which honestly would have been a bit to overwhelming for her in all the suggestions Dazai gave. Course what would have I expected from him 😅
Nonetheless, Dany and I went on an exploration through areas of Yokohama she wanted to visit, such as a national park that had a vibrant garden and array of ponds to have a meal in. It was during a nice spring season so not to hot or overbearing. She definitely loved every minute, especially a bit of cloud gazing. We talked about several stories we hadn’t talked about before and a few deep ones too, such as what she use to do with her family as a child and how this kind of surrounding reminded her about her old home.
We even took a walk through a small shopping strip, where I may have jumped into an uncharacteristic-of-me moment to want to buy her anything she found an interest in. To which Dany fussed over me to not spoil her with silly trinkets; “What could I possibly want more when I have the best thing in the world right beside me?” 😳🥰💖
I at least bought her a stuffed animal plush; she loves the soft, soft textured ones; loves running her hands through them or carrying them about our home; she really loves them. May even clip a favorite one to her belt; she definitely still has it somewhere on a shelf in our room. 😊
The rest of day went well into the night, where she took the lead in taking me a bit into the outer ring of Yokohama, where it’s more residential and less bright lights of the city. She surprised me with some stargazing, but also getting a really beautiful view of the city from a viewing platform near a hiking route. I had lived in Yokohama for about 3 years at that point and I was still in awe of the view from afar. Considering this was the first time I was viewing it from this new location, I was in taken almost with emotion.. Hmm, maybe recalling an old comment Dazai-san made about Yokohama being my city to protect...
But I was also in awe by Dany too, who rambled a bit on how she found this place later when she expanded her night runs. There was a soft glow on her that night that I remember and it left me kind of..in a daze ☺️ Normally quiet and not much of a talker, but I really enjoyed being the special one enough to hear more of her speak…I could listen to her for hours much like she tends to do for others a lot.
I recall her being surprised by my staring and may have gotten flustered and nervous for rambling the way she did. How silly of her to assume I wouldn’t mind listening to her talk for hours if she wanted to UwU I kind of took on a leap of confidence then to calm her down, taking a hold of her cheek to let her know what I thought...
Needless to say, she was definitely blushing hard in the twilight night. I, even more so when she caught me off guard to kiss me first… (I wanted to be the one to do so…but I suppose she could have a claim for that >.> but I can say I’ve claimed many more after that 💖🥰).
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💬You have any pet names for S/I?
Oh plenty!~ Other than everyone commonly referring her to Dany-san or Danielle, mostly by Kunikida, I tend to call her Dany (affectionately); which now that I think of it, I am the only one that does.
Dazai did once and she kind of bristled at him with a glare, granted he was being his usual..flirtatious self with her 🙄 (I swear he does to tease both of us..)
But personal pet names I often refer to her as “Darling” or “My Darling” especially when she’s very anxious and visibly worried. She does appreciate it during those times the most. I’ve also called her “Love” a few times, but mostly out of teasing impersonation of her accent when she does it, it always makes her laugh, snort laugh too (which is adorable), when I try 🥰.
I also have learned a bit of Spanish through our short year of friendship before we became an official couple, where I’ve gradually learned more 💕. While I may not be up to par with her, I can still hold a bit of a conversation in the language; and in learning, I gave her a pet name of “My Star”, so “Mi Estrella ✨” (I do say it kind of how it sounds from the wording 😅 and not like how she says it, but she loves it nonetheless 🥺 this pet name makes her smile and visibly more affectionate 💕💖). It may also be my tiger ability coming out and saying that nickname to refer to her ability ^^;
I do call her “Mika” sometimes, but only in private and when comforting her… She wasn’t so keen to me calling her that in the beginning due to… Well, it took a lot of time for her to get use to it, even when I told her that if she didn’t want me to, I wouldn’t call her that. But she slowly insisted, eventually becoming more of the endearing name she wanted it to sound like with me, and told me it was okay to call her that. It’s not the most common pet name for her, but she appreciates and often asks me to call her that when she is feeling down and in need of reassurance.
I also call her “Kitten” occasionally, in whatever blissful and relaxing time we have together, private or in public. It definitely confused a few of the others on while I settled on calling her that when she technically is a wolf… but it just stuck and Dany doesn’t seem to mind it all! (The silver haired young man looks thoughtful with a smile, recalling how flustered and how she purrs quietly when he says that to her) If anything I think her wolf likes it too, probably another instance of my tiger talking out of me. 😅✨
Be on the look out for a post she made about that “Kitten” nickname! ✨ it’s been on her drafts for a long while now cause she wanted to include a drawing, which she has but knowing her she wants things to be perfect… Honestly everything she does is just... amazing 💕 She needs to realize that more, I’ll make sure she does UwU 🥰😊!
Thank you for the ask anon! This is the first time I've ever done this and I definitely don't mind accepting any more in the future!
Dany can be very busy sometimes with work and tends to get mentally exhausted very quickly. She also tries so hard to be attentive to things that she forgets to care for herself ;;w;; Anything to lighten the load for My Darling 💖🐯 I know another ask came around! So I'll be sure to answer that as soon as I can! — Atsushi 🐯 🌙
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lonelypond · 5 years
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Moonlight Becomes You: Apocalypse Midnight Dance Party, Ch. 1
NozoEli, Love Live, 2.5K, 1/?
Summary: Ayase Eli has a slightly less thoroughly organized LA life than just a few weeks ago, a part time job, college bff, Yazawa Nico, for a housemate, a once a month case of serious bed head, and a new dance project to distract her from a certain fortuneteller Eli has recently befriended. Nico, meanwhile, is text flirting with Nishikino Maki, aka DJ Diamond Princess, who can't seem to keep herself in LA. And a few new players enter the scene. The sequel to Moonlight Becomes You.
Change Will Come
Nozomi Tojo had been spending more time here, at her favorite bookstore, a smaller shop than hers even, off an alley she wasn’t sure how she’d found the first time. It was a cosy aesthetic, a little cluttered but still giving off a sense of sparseness, of spaces you could expand in to as you considered what the day had brought to you. And no Russian spices drifted in. The prickly kind Hanamaru Kunikida and her partner, Yohane, had set up a nook for Nozomi in the very back, there was even a very ancient Japanese screen Yohane swore she knew the noblewoman who’d originally sat behind it for days when Nozomi wanted no prying eyes. Today, Nozomi was at a more central table, frowning over her cards, she could feel herself biting the inside of her lip whenever she put down the mug of tea. The central card in this three card spread had stayed her hand, flipped her stomach. Death. Nozomi was too experienced for the rookie mistake of letting the Death card make her fear for her mortality, but she was too too aware that it was a glaring neon sign, especially in the central, present spot that change, capital C Change, major LIFE CHANGE™ was on the Cosmic menu. Add in the reversed quality and there was the screaming sense that Nozomi was avoiding something. With The Chariot bold to the left of it, one might venture a guess that Nozomi was avoiding someone charismatic, determined. The Four of Cups nudged Nozomi to reach out for an opportunity. Nozomi groaned and lowered her head to the table.
“Nozomi-chan?” Hanamaru’s soft voice drifted through the incense and Nozomi felt the swoosh of a fallen angel swooping in to eavesdrop on her reading.
“She’s avoiding something, Zuramaru. The Death card is flipping her off and the Four of Cups is calling her out for low self esteem.” A deep voice echoed around Nozomi, who refused to raise her head. “Has she met someone recently?” A huge intake, and then the deep voice screeched into a higher register, “Is that why you’ve practically moved in? Who is she?” Another voice switch, “The Fallen Angel Yohane will cast her net into the abyss and pull forth a lantern to shine and show her fellow wanderer of Destiny the path forward.”
Nozomi heard Hanamaru tickle her lover, who squeaked, and flumped down onto the pillow next to Nozomi while Hanamaru sat less dramatically on Nozomi’s other side.
“Nozomi-chan…” Hanamaru wheedled. One of the reasons Nozomi felt so comfortable here is that Hanamaru had also grown up in Japan, Nozomi just wasn’t sure which era, and refused to give up her vocal tics, even when she spoke mostly fluent English.
“Her name is Eli.” Nozomi felt Yoshiko sit up next to her with a hiss of breath, but Nozomi managed to grab the Fallen Angel’s hand before she touched Nozomi’s cards, Nozomi raised her head, smiling at both her friends. Hanamaru was in a floral skirt and soft fuzzy tan sweater that complemented her eyes, fair hair framing her face. Yoshiko was in a leather jacket, sugar skull splashed across a black tank top, and torn jeans, midnight hair in a bun. “Use your own, devil.”
Yoshiko grumbled, looking to Hanamaru for support, but the fair haired maiden just shrugged. Yoshiko hung her head for a minute, but when she raised it, her violet eyes were aflame with inspiration. She grabbed Nozomi’s tea cup before Nozomi could react, swallowed the rest of the tea, turned the cup three times while humming complacently and then slammed the cup dramatically back on the table. When it finished rocking, unbroken, Yoshiko inched forward to peer inside.
“Is it a bomb?” Nozomi giggled.
“A blonde.” Yoshiko muttered. Nozomi froze.
Yoshiko leapt to her feet, throwing both hands up, “The Great Yohane has called forth success in love as great as her own for her…” she looked sideways at Nozomi, who frowned with the slightest shake of her head, “her great and wise friend, Nozomi, washed up from the far reaches of the East on this Western shore. If, “And here Yoshiko flopped next to Nozomi, head on Nozomi’s shoulders, “she’ll stop hiding in the back of her best friend’s store.”
“Oh.” Nozomi mouth matched her choice of word.
“Yoshiko-chan is very wise tod…”
“Yohane…”
Hanamaru leaned over to kiss her lover on the cheek, “Thank you, Yoshiko-chan.”
Yoshiko blushed, and pushed away from the table, “I’ve got a meeting tonight. I’ll see you later, Zuramaru?”
“Looking forward to it,” Hanamaru managed an endearing and unique blend of cheeky and cheering whenever Yoshiko needed push.
“Meeting?” Nozomi asked as the door chimes played Yoshiko out.
Hanamaru froze, hand on the teapot. Nozomi became instantly suspicious, “Maru-chan?”
Hananamaru blew out a long breath, her eyelashes blinking wildly, “You know how Yoshiko…”
“Yohane” Nozomi deepened her voice and Hanamaru flinched, then scowled, her nose crinkling up. Once again, adorable.
“Is interested in cryptids?”
Nozomi nodded.
“There’s a reading group. Sometimes, they meet here, but mostly they meet…” Hanamaru paused, “somewhere else.”
Nozomi couldn’t help it, the huge laughs just rolled out of her, while Hanamaru watched curiously and mildly concerned. When Nozomi came up for air, she smirked at her friend, “You, Kunikada Hanamaru, are a worse liar than that grounded Fallen Angel you call your girlfriend.”
Hanaamaru’s eyes were blanks as she replayed Yoshiko’s latest pronouncement, “Displaced Celestial Being. Yohane is rebranding.”
Nozomi still had a chuckle left, “Oh, that’s a good one.”
Hanamaru passed a hand over Nozomi’s cards, “If you actually stopped avoiding this Eli, maybe I could be laughing at your girlfriend.”
“Oh, so you want revenge, ZURAmaru.” Nozomi leaned in with a leer.
Hanamaru turned away, her profile scorn, her eyes saucy, “You know Yoshiko doesn’t like it when you call me that. And yes.”
Nozomi gathered her cards, “I’ll put that on the pro side of the list.”
“Nozomi....” Hanamaru’s tone matched the message from the cards in severity. “You know ignoring answers is throwing kindness back in the face of the gods.”
“Ah, Hanamaru, but…” Nozomi searched for the right word.
“Fearing.” Hanamaru dove in.
Nozomi countered, “hesitating in the face of change is so deeply human that surely the gods will be patient with me.”
Hanamaru stood, “Gods may be patient, girls not so much.”
Nozomi knew Yoshiko and Hanamaru could be trusted to speak the uncomfortable truths. She leaned back, remembering Eli’s bright blue eyes and wondering what they were looking at now.
###
Nico Yazawa was lying on their couch, her green, avocado based beauty treatment slathered all over her face. She had her cellphone raised and was snapping a selfie.
“We are not getting Russian food again. Nico loves you, but…” Nico sighed as she hit send, “But Nico misses the honey mustard drizzle over a LIGHT salad from Muskies. Just send the fortune teller a text and ask HER out for heavy Russian food.”
Eli frowned, fidgeting with the edge of the couch cushion. “Have you asked out the feral DJ who hates me yet?”
“Maki” Nico drawled, “is currently out of the country, in Toronto, with K Pop stars hanging off her arms. So Nico is waiting to ask in person. And sending selfies.”
Eli sat up from the other side of the couch, ripping Nico’s phone out of her hand and reading her last message:
“Hey, Ripped and REDonkulous, stop by Nico’s when you get back into the country.” And there was Nico’s green goop coated face, tongue sticking out, eyes wide and twinkling.
“You really did send a pic of you in that slop.”
Nico rolled her eyes and grabbed her phone back, “Nico always looks good. And Maki appreciates honesty. None of the K Pop stars will let her see an eyeliner smear, let alone the night before look.”
Maki’s ringtone went off.
“What did she say?” Eli was genuinely curious. Nico and Maki’s courtship was outside the boundaries of anything Eli considered a lead up to dating, but Nico seemed pretty calm and happy about her situation, unless Maki had posted a pic from gig recently.
“Are you auditioning for a zombie flick?” Nico almost flinched. No one but Eli would have noticed. Nico tossed her phone to the side, “So why won’t you text Nozomi?”
“What do I say?”
“Hi, remember me, we agreed to be friends because I’m too much of a coward to ask you on a date.”
Eli reached behind her to grab a pillow and toss it at Nico, “I’m not a coward…” Eli’s voice dropped to a whisper, “Things are just weird right now. And I have a lot going on besides the...”
Nico leaned forward, using the pillow to prop her elbows on, “Ask her when she’s in, go have tea, let her read your future, and talk, Eli.” Nico tilted her head, almost smiling at her phone, “Even if they don’t say much, it’s still nice to have someone open your text, you know.”
Eli sighed, laid back down, her long legs stretching out next to Nico’s shorter ones, “Yeah.”
Nico watched her best friend, not hiding the sadness she knew was weighting her gaze. Eli wasn’t paying attention to her anymore, staring at the ceiling, thoughts elsewhere and Nico wished she had something comforting or constructive to say. And then her notifications pinged. Diamond Princess had posted a TWIG shot from tonight’s gig and there were five girls in skin tight clothing stretched out across her rig, mugging for her camera. Nico had problems too, even without monthly fur outbreaks.
###
You Watanabe’s least favorite thing about her job as the Coast Guard’s LAPD liaison was that she rarely got to wear her uniform. Too often she needed to slip under the radar, or pass as a someone out boating, or just be able to wander without her clothes or posture screaming “COP.” So she slouched, tried to bring back hacky sack, and switched her uniform hat for a dad cap. Of course, the friend she was meeting had it worse; at least You didn’t have to keep a pair of wings on the very low down low. Yoshiko, You had known her for a long time, most of them late nights in dark places, so Yoshiko allowed You to call her by her human name. These were human streets and it helped Yoshiko keep a barrier between these meetings and those with the more than mortal. You understood that, she too swam between two worlds, land and sea, footed and finned.
Yoshiko was whistling as she approached; You didn’t even have to turn, Yoshiko just settled a couple feet down the pier, leaning back against the railing, hands in the pocket of her leather jacket. No gang insignia on the back, just a pair of black glittery wings and Gothic graffiti reading “Dodged the Sun; Kicked the Moon.” You once again found herself taking a moment to appreciate how carved out of breathless glory Yoshiko looked when she forgot to dim the glamour. Then You stomped on her own foot and muttered, “friend, dating another friend, don’t go there.”
Yoshiko looked straight up, stretching her throat, then tilted her head to flutter eyelashes at her rendezvous mate, You was just glad the Fallen Angel wasn’t looking directly into the sun. That was always disconcerting.
“What’s up, Captain? What dark horrors can Yohane assist you in sealing away in the pit? ” Yoshiko sounded amused under the flare of drama, but whether she was reading You’s face or thoughts with those piercing purple eyes didn’t matter. You had been born an open book where women were concerned.
“The usual.” You chuckled, but her blue eyes flashed fierce. “Rumors. Bots. Trolls. Closed Facebook groups. TWIG hashtags. Social media chaos starting to spread, viral werewolves who transmit lycanthropy via saliva, mermaids drowning swimmers, wildfires being started by mutant Trinity Alps salamanders who breathe fire.” You hung her head, hands behind her neck, sighing, “It’s a flood.”
Yoshiko frowned. Hanamaru was pretty internet allergic, so Yohane spent maybe ninety minutes a day on the basics, on her phone, mostly responding to messages. She’d found it best to keep a low profile. It was too easy to feed the glamour greed; to start to crave the crowds, to yearn for the veneration. Hanamaru had pulled her back from that summit once; Yoshiko had kept herself grounded since then, helping others, in this world too modern and cynical to promote new gods to more than temporary power.
You continued, “Patterns seem to indicate local actors, a cell recently set up somewhere. There’s too many details and specific targets identified.” You took a piece of paper out of her pocket, “I think you’ll recognize some of the names.”
Yoshiko read quickly and then with a snap of her fingers and a spark the paper was gone, “I’ll warn them.” Yoshiko turned so she was facing You, “But what do I tell them?”
“The same thing I’m telling you.” Yoshiko’s name had been the first on that list, “Keep a low profile. Be wary of new people. And don’t have any more meetings at the bookstore, you goof.”
Yoshiko sighed, “Zuramaru will be sad; she likes making everyone cookies.”
“She can still make the cookies.” You was still not used to domestic Yohane, so concerned about the very prosaic activities of her partner.
“Oh that reminds me.” Yoshiko pulled a wrapped square out of one pocket, “She made you Orange Carrot Cookies. Says you need to fatten up.”
“Too busy burning off calories.” You’s best friend was the pool at her condo. Laps and lounging made her less likely to find leisure making her lonely. “Tell Hanamaru I appreciate the home baking. Does a sailor’s heart good.”
Yoshiko snorted, “Try that line on someone single, not MY wife, who’s waiting for ME.”
“Wife? You did it?” You's voice went shrill with surprise, carrying over the water.
Yoshiko startled, “Never mind that. Don’t tell Zuramaru I said….just…” Yoshiko closed her eyes, once again carved out of some substance more striking than flesh, her voice resonant with ancient echoes. “I gave up everything for her. And realized it had been nothing at all.” Yoshiko stood tall, grace in her smile as her voice softened.“Find you someone like that, my friend.”
“If only.” You pushed herself off the pier rail. “Take care of yourself. Tell Hanamaru I’ll stop by for dinner soon.”
“Good.” Yoshiko giggled, “You look hungry.”
“Or something…” You thought to herself as she waved Yoshiko off and turned to watch the sun drop into the iridescent sea.
A/N: I've been working on this for awhile, on and off. Turns out I miss writing a werewolf AU while spending my summer Shakespeare-ing. And I haven't really had the chance to write anything complicated with Aqours and I've been wanting to. So here we are. Enjoy!
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