#is the one thing Asagiri is known for

[saintofm]

The only thing I can think of when Chuuya shot those three bullets was that it's the most Port Mafia shit he could do. Like isn't their whole execution thing is three shots to the chest and then a kick to the head or something???? Like isn't that what they do to traitors??? So yeah, he would do that to Dazai once he got a gun. Shoot the traitor. I support it. Consistency is important.

#bsd #bungou stray dogs #chuuya nakahara #soukoku #skk #dazai osamu #Consistency #As we all know #is the one thing Asagiri is known for #consistently #killing anyone and everyone in the series

[soupthatistohot]

BSD 109 Spoilers!!!

I will always always ALWAYS come back to this panel when talking about Asagiri’s storytelling.

At its very core, BSD is an absurdist text, Kafka Asagiri having been inspired by many absurdist authors. Franz Kafka, who he took his pseudonym from is one of them. Albert Camus, basically the most well-known absurdist is referenced with the Mersault prison, the name of which comes from a character in his most famous absurdist work, The Stranger. 

Absurdism is the belief that the world around us is irrational and inherently absurd and that explicitly seeking meaning is pointless. In his essay The Myth of Sisyphus, Camus explains, that there is value in the act of rebellion, though. Sisyphus, who has been doomed to roll a boulder up a mountain only for the boulder to tumble back down each time he reaches the peak, finds meaning in the act of continuing to push the boulder. Even though he will continue this cycle for all of eternity, he doesn’t just lay down and give up, he rebels against the absurdity of his situation by continuing to push the boulder, despite the seemingly futile nature of the act. 

As I said earlier, BSD is an absurdist text. All of the animanga’s main characters are on a journey of discovering their meaning in life, and their place in the world, and they do this by rebelling against its absurdity — especially Dazai. 

Dazai sees the absurd world for what it is, and when he was in the PM, he hated it. Thus, he sought suicide as a solution. I will note here that absurdists generally view suicide as a failure to rebel against the absurd, just giving up and giving into hopelessness. But ever since Dazai left the PM and took Oda’s advice, he’s been rebelling against this, doing good despite his inherent beliefs about morality and the world, and he’s absolutely gotten better for it. 

Other characters embody this idea of rebelling against the absurd, hell, that’s kinda what this whole arc is about. The world is literally ending, and things seem to be at their absolute worst, but someone like Atsushi still has hope that he can change the minds of the hunting dogs and save reality as we know it. He even has hope that he can get through to a vampiric Akutagawa when the guy is literally brainwashed and attacking him. Aya as the “last hope” right now embodies this, too, deciding that she can’t just sit around and do nothing and then trying to remove the sword from Bram even though the effort appears futile. 

But everything is going wrong right now. Fukuzawa is bleeding out, Dazai has just been shot through the forehead and appears to have died, Atsushi’s had his limbs ripped off and is at Akutagawa’s mercy, and Fukuchi is literally going to end the world! How can we have hope?!

Think about BSD. Think about the story that’s been told so far. Surely Asagiri isn’t killing everyone right now, surely the world isn’t gonna actually end. I’m not entirely convinced Aya’s plan is gonna work— but please consider that the point of absurdist storytelling is that even when everything seems to be at its worst, even when life seems completely meaningless, there is inherent meaning in still continuing to fight against this. 

BSD has never been a story where the villains win, and I don’t think it’s gonna start being one. I think, as usual, Asagiri wants to scare us, to make us feel hopeless about the situation, only for someone to pull through and completely turn the tides.

Dazai laying down and accepting his death at Chuuya’s hands is not going to be the end of his story, because it goes against everything Asagiri seems to stand for. Dazai wouldn’t just give up in his fight against Fyodor, because he needs to prove he’s right about what he says in this panel:

"The ones who actually make the world turn are those who scream within the storm of uncertainty and run with flowing blood."

I think this reflects Asagiri's own beliefs and is also the reason why he is not going to let Dazai die like this, because in a way, that would be proving that Fyodor is right. From a storytelling perspective, it’d be saying “everything I’ve communicated up to this point actually means nothing and life is truly hopeless!” 

Dazai has cheated death before, as has basically everyone else in danger right now. I promise you, something is going to happen and they’re all going to survive, because BSD is not trauma porn, for lack of a better term. It’s a story about how a group of people fight against the absurdity of their reality, even when everything seems completely and utterly hopeless. 

There’s a lot of theories circulating about how things could work out, especially Dazai’s “death,” and I’m not here to repeat all of them, but I will say that a lot of them have credence, especially because Asagiri isn’t the type of author to make mistakes, every single detail has a distinct reason. 

So even though I don't know how things are going to work out, I have full faith that they will, including Dazai's current situation. None of these characters are done just yet, they've got too much fight left in them to just give up.

[original twt thread]

#bsd #bungo stray dogs #bungou stray dogs #bsd 109 #bsd spoilers #bsd manga spoilers #bsd meta #kafka asagiri #asagiri kafka #soup rants #being a hashtag camus girlie has its merits!!! #bsd absurdism analysis

[carrotkicks]

HI!! I’m the original anon that asked abt the bsd fnaf au and!!! Oh my god it’s so interesting!!! I love your choices for the characters… especially Yosano as the puppet and dazai as Michael afton it fits both of their characters so well and just !!!!

YEah so Dazai was definitely the original reason I started thinking about this au. Firstly to give him unnecessary trauma, but also I think Dazai being in a hero/protagonist role is far more interesting than him being the mastermind to the plans. Need more of Dazai getting rough and dirty. Actively grabbing the plot by the reins. I'm tired of how he gets used by asagiri. I NEED HIM TO FAIL.

So firstly, Michael is a really cool character (for such a barely present one) because he's simultaneously a bad guy but also a person trying to do good, and definitely not a hero. It fits well with Dazai's premise. Alternatively I think Michael being a zombie, a ghost possessing his own corpse, would be an interesting concept to apply onto Dazai. Dazai who believe he's No Longer Human, and craves death because he doesn't want to exist, because living is painful. Now in this au Dazai actually died, but he didn't stop existing. He should be dead and gone but he isn't, he survived, but he's still undead and decaying. He is literally no longer human but now he longs to be human. Life was painful but death is Excruciating, and Dazai never liked pain.

I also think the dynamic between Dazai and Q is far more darker twisted than whatever Mike and Crying Child had (considering Q said Dazai was the reason of their suffering, and Daz seems to genuinely detest Q). But if you recontext them into a normal sibling dynamic, it really could end with Dazai accidently killing Q.

Anyways misc things about fnaf!Dazai: I think the timeline would be: 14 during 1983, 16 in 1985, 17 when Elise dies, 18 in 1987 (in order to get an overnight security job), between 18-22 for Sister Location when he dies, and 24 for Fnaf 1 in 1992. All the dead kids have a personal connection to Dazai in a way, which is why he continues on with his mission. Shortly after Elise's death, Dazai learns about Mori's crimes and tries to get Fukuzawa to help him take him down, but Fukuzawa refuses, so for majority of the story, Dazai is on his own, until he finally reconciles with Golden Feddy (aka ghost Q and Aku) and they team up.

here's him. He usually has a security uniform jacket on but I wanted to make it known that he still does the bandages. He wears a wig and illusion disks(lmao. if you know, you know) to look a little more human. And Dazai never wore bandages except for his arms before he died, and he always covered the bandages with his sleeves. After being scooped, Dazai wears bandages more to hold his body together. He has a lot of exposed leftover wires from Ennard and a lot of torn up patches of skin. He also has the hollow possessed eyes like the other ghosts.

Onto Yosano as the Puppet! I don't have as much to say because I thought this was a relatively obvious decision. Mori's first victim. Her healing powers can fit in a way to the Puppets life/possession giving powers. She's Fukuzawa's daughter in this universe. she's 11 when she dies.

Here's her Ghost Form :)

#bsd fnaf au #doodles #ask

[originalaccountname]

There are some posts I've seen floating around that at the start Dazai may not of known that Chuuya wasn't a vampire which I kind of agree with. I'm at work currently so I cant double check but when he goes "that's a nasty trick you've pulled fydor" im pretty sure its in his thoughts?? To which why would he think that if he knew the whole time. I think dazai must of caught onto the fact Chuuya was faking it at somepoint but not sure when that would of been. Also at the end of the ep Dazai said he didn't have a plan. (I did watch the episode at just after 2am my time when it came out and then fell asleep afterwards so my memory could be not correct). I do think chuuya not being a vampire at all is a little disappointing tbh but this idea softens the blow. Would like to know your thoughts on this idea if you are open to sharing?

I'm in that category too, yes. I've left a few tags saying basically the same thing on some posts.

First, there are a few things the anime didn't answer (more than failing to justify Chuuya faking it since the start, there's Sigma's case about needing to help the ADA, which... didn't happen at all) so either we haven't seen the repercussions of this arc yet, or we got the shortened version of what the manga will offer. Which could work either way. (not ideal necessarily, but besides huffing what can we do huh)

Dazai not knowing though! Dazai did admit to his "plan" being to mostly adapt on the fly and trust his allies to help him back. He implied this prison break was one big trust fall. But that's how I've always interpreted Dazai's way of planning! I even made a post about it a full year ago!

Since Dazai knows Chuuya slowed down the elevator (which I can accept, Dazai's ability shouldn't affect random objects he touches, and Fyodor had told Chuuya through a comm to go finish off Dazai because he wasn't in the room), I assume that by then he was aware. Maybe not before though. Definitely not at first. Because this?

I refuse to believe was entirely scripted. Why is he acting? For Sigma? For corpses? I'm of the opinion that no matter what is going on through Dazai's head, his expressions are always genuine (ex: he might react with surprise at something he completely expected, if only because of how sudden it was, or when/how it ended up happening. Here? genuine distress.)

And I extend that feeling to Dazai having an emotional moment, complete with flashbacks, while "drowning" Fyodor and Chuuya. He did say he wasn't expecting to kill them that way, but perhaps it really was a moment of weakness triggered by concern or guilt.

I can accept Dazai having caught on during his face-off with Chuuya. That's Mr I-know-your-breathing-patterns we have here, so if they didn't high-five after the elevator crash-landing (still broke Dazai's leg), I would say Dazai knows physics enough to go "hold on" and connect the dots. So yes, that baiting of Chuuya, the light taunting, the bratty attitude he only really has with Chuuya, the angry YELLING and insults when Chuuya shot him in the shoulder? The destiny talk? Yeah I can re-contextualize those as Dazai over-acting his part. And then not being able to shut up after being shot in the head.

Maybe there's some reaching here, maybe this will not be totally accurate to the source material. But Asagiri does have a habit to write scenes from an outsider pov while knowing whats happening in the characters' heads and behind the scene, but then not give us that input directly. Never before today was it confirmed that Dazai improvises a lot in his plans. And yet! That's something I've believed in for a very long time.

This all could very well be covering Asagiri's poor decisions, but between this being the adaptation and bsd being an unfinished story, I have a hard time deciding at the moment how much of a poor decision this was. Maybe it's worth a raised eyebrow. Maybe it deserves some criticism in hope the author takes notes. Maybe this was an anime-original resolution due to time constraints (think of the Fifteen final fight). I can only raise concerns for now, and wait.

#bsd being a monthly release is also detrimental to its pacing #the chapters in the last+ year were very short and suspense-heavy #which makes it look cheaper than if you took a break and read them all in one go #there's a balance in there #i don't know if asagiri really writes with our time perception in mind. maybe he just writes the story and then it's divided in chapters #and that's that. who cares if there's 6 months between those two entries. #bsd #bsd s5 #bsd spoilers #apparently i talk sometimes #ask answered

[asagirisfavoritepen]

So, I have another theory.

What's Asagiri's name? Kafka. Who else is Kafka? Franz Kafka. And who's this Franz? A writer. He's mostly known for the book "The Metamorphosis". Metamorphosis means change, right? And what can THE BOOK do? Change the reality.

So, in the Metamorphosis is told the story if a young man who suddenly transformed into a bug. His family tries to help him come back to normal and even give him food he would like in the new body, like rotten cheese. But after around a year the bug/guy overheard a conversation between his parents and sister. They all said they hated him and that they didn't need him anymore, so the guy/bug died from depression in a day. (This is a very short summary, I skipped over a lot of details)

The idea of the story is that one's change will change the whole world. And that's exactly what the book does. Changes the world.

So, according to my theory, the book is the ability Metamorphosis.

Now, about the author/character. He meets the criteria to be a BSD character. Dead, depressed, daddy issues (this is only half joke), religion trauma (kinda) and so on. He was a fan of Dostoievsky's and Gogol's work. So he could easily be a BSD character.

But this book doesn't exactly seem the kind of ability the good guys have, does it? So I think Kafka is a villain. If you may, the last antagonist they will fight. So I made some research to find ties between him and Atsushi Nakajima, because as mentioned in the Guild arc, Atsushi is the only one who could find the book. Turns out that Nakajima was a fan of Kafka and translated his works in Japanese. And not only that. The story Atsushi's ability is based on is about a guy who transformed into a tiger because he's very frustrated because of his poems that don't seem to work. I haven't read this one, but from what I've seen online it's very similar to the Metamorphosis. And this is why he'll be the only one able to find the book.

As we all noticed, usually the relationship between two characters is the opposite of the author's relationship (e.g: irl Ranpo was a huge fan of irl Poe, BSD Poe is a huge fan of BSD Ranpo, irl Yosano loved irl Mori, BSD Yosano hates BSD Mori). So, based on this, I would say that Kafka will most definitely be a villain.

The thing is, why would Asagiri choose to have the pen name of the ultimate villain?

Because the BSD story is supposed to be a world made by the book and Franz Kafka is Asagiri Kafka.

In conclusion: Franz/Asagiri Kafka will be the last antagonist of the series. His ability, the book, is Metamorphosis. And I'm delusional.

This could be wrong. After all, it's a theory. But let me know what you think, because I'm really curious.

#bungou stray dogs #atsushi nakajima #franz kafka #kafka asagiri #anime and manga #theory #dazai osamu #yosano akiko #bsd atsushi #ranpo edogawa #edgar allen poe bsd #mori ougai #delulu fan

[severaltuesdays]

I saw this post and I'm being salty about it, so I'm gonna break it down.

To be clear, this isn't supposed to be hating on any ships or shippers, the hypocrisy of this post just annoyed me and I love ranting about dynamics within BSD.

Firstly, this is an opinion, you cannot present opinion as fact. That's just not how things work.

This is fundamentally incorrect. Just because a relationship is less complicated doesn't mean it's more healthy, Sigma currently thinks Dazai is only using him and is going along with it because Dazai is being less of a dick about it than Fyodor. There is trust there but to argue that there's more than in Soukoku's relationship is baffling. What's more, Dazai has "left it" to Chuuya on several occasions, during Dead Apple, the Dragons head conflict, Stormbringer, Fifteen, on many occasions Dazai has placed his life and the safety of the world in Chuuya's hands

By fanservice do you mean them having a partnership?? Because that is not fanservice, nor a reason that one ship should be regarded as better than another. I also fail to see how Sigzai being considered a rarepair makes it better than Skk. The fixing of scenes is something I agree with however, it can be taken as a joke but Asagiri made those scenes for a reason.

This point is definitely arguable, Sigzai shippers have not shown to have any more maturity, and very often misrepresent Sigzai's relationship, often disregarding Sigma's wariness towards Dazai and the fact that Dazai is only trying to assist Sigma and they as of now have little to no feelings of each other as they have known each other for less than 30 minutes. Blind trust does not make a good relationship, it just means Sigma is being a little bit silly for trusting Dazai (he always has a plan, Chuuya having suspicions just means he knows Dazai better).

Unhealthy tropes imposed by the audience does not impact the base relationship. Just because some people view their relationship that way doesn't mean that's what their relationship is, this point is null and void. Sigzai could easily have the same tropes if depicted as such, but that doesn't impact how their relationship really is in canon. And again, complex does not equal unhealthy, BORING POINT MOVE ON.

Overall, this is a poor argument, neither Sigzai nor Soukoku is "better" than the other. I hate Sigzai, but that's my own personal opinion and does not impact the quality of the ship, it's not a bad ship in any regard and certainly has potential. I'm just tired of this hypocrisy and superiority complex some shippers have.

#bungou stray dogs #bungo stray dogs #bsd #soukoku #not gonna tag sigzai because im sure the shippers are sick of spam lmao #dazai osamu #osamu dazai #nakahara chuuya #chuuya nakahara #sigma bungou stray dogs #bsd sigma #can i call this character analysis? #probably not

[alphabetcrashcourse]

BSD Soukoku Development in Meursault

Wait this is great actually. Okay this is a half-baked theory at most, so maybe more die-hard fans can flesh it out but hear me out: Okay so we all know Asagiri likes doing things in a roundabout way. And in this arc, Dazai went in with some plan or another involving Sigma- but Chuuya was never actually part of his plan. Sending Chuuya in was Mori's idea. (Vague proof: Chuuya's known for his good acting skills (hid he was Arahabaki from Dazai) also that genuine-ish speech from Dazai that Chuuya would never get unless he was on death's door- drowning, not the other one. And the fangs, obviously) But Dazai realised, adapted and all that. We know the rest. Now onto the subtext. Soukoku obviously had many missions before where one of them was held hostage/prisoner/in-some-sort-of-danger while the other played prince on a white horse. But this might be the first time the other had not known it was an act. Especially that other one being Dazai. At some point there, it was out of Dazai's control. And in Fyodor's. Now obviously the in the dog-eat-dog world they live in they would never allow themselves to care genuinely for each other. Among the thousands of complaints those two have with each other, there is the underlying understanding that they should "Never let themselves become each other's weaknesses" And I'm not even talking romantically. Just in general. Of course usually there's no issue in that department, they can keep themselves safe. They're insanely strong (Chuuya) and disgustingly crafty (Dazai). Also they hate each other.

Nothing to signal they would be effective tools against each other. Unfortunately for them Fyodor's a genius.

He saw through them, and efficiently "used" Chuuya against Dazai. Or you know, thought he did. (round of applause for our resident theatre kid Chuuya)

To bring this half baked theory to it's conclusion: Dazai never even considered that someone could use Chuuya as his weakness (Chuuya is a whole different story but) and now, although the immediate crisis is averted, that idea is planted into his head. And now he might be headed back to the Port Mafia in the student exchange programme.

He just realised Chuuya could be used as his weakness. And is now going to be forced to work together again maybe.

Guys.

Guys.

I'm not getting my hopes up I swear but this is Soukoku development if I've ever seen it-

#bsd #bungou stray dogs #bungo stray dogs #soukoku #skk #bsd skk

[ticklinglady]

Hi everyone! :D After rereading the BSD novels I noticed a rather interesting pattern and came up with a fun idea!

How about a new impossible drinking game? Take a shot every time you notice Asagiri describing Dazai in the edgiest way possible when you're reading the light novels.

Sounds not so bad at first, however... Well, take a look yourself and have fun:

"I look at the young man. He is just staring at the ceiling. No emotions, no intents. Just a flat expression, like one who is just telling his age. I cannot believe my own eyes. I don’t even feel like there is a human there. If it was late night instead of a refreshing early morning, I would think that he was a ghost or a hallucination".

"His eyes remind me of a burnt black cat, his build reminds me of a burnt black cat, his presence reminds me of a burnt black cat. He has a tone that sinks into the abyss of the spirit, and deep, dark eyes that seem to hold the conviction that the sun will never rise again. He is a man of few words. And his voice has the sound of severance that rejects mutual understanding from the very beginning. No one could understand him. No one ever will. And he himself knows that very well. That kind of voice".

"When Dazai finally says so, his eyes look different from those of any human being. And those of any living things. Those are wounds. A pair of open wounds on his face, from which darkness is peeping out".

"Dazai’s face when he says that reminds me of the end of a culvert, or a black wall at the end of the road that leaves you no way to go".

"Dazai looks at me. Those eyes are like the bottomless see at night. Dark, cruel, quiet, endlessly sucking people in and never letting go".

"Dazai looks down at the opponent. Even people who look at the pebbles on the riverbank would show more interest than that".

"Dazai’s gaze towards Hirotsu turns dark instantly, as though representative of the gravity of his next words. If it were any ordinary person being stared at, they would be seized by nightmares for the next few days. Dazai’s eyes foretell the impending blood and violence about to come".

"I look at Dazai. There is something invisible within that can’t be seen with the naked eye, like a breeding ground for spirits that will raze everything to the ground".

"I look at Dazai intently. Although we have known each other for very long, this is the first time Dazai has spoken about himself. One can see something as sharp as a giant fishhook piercing and gnawing into Dazai’s life".

"“No.” I say. “I don’t think so. At the beginning, I thought you and Dazai were very similar, unable to see the value of your life, hoping for death, hence jumping into a world of violence and fighting. But that’s not the case. That guy is just a child who’s too smart. Just a crying child who’s been left alone in the darkness, a world of nothingness far emptier than the world we can see”".

""I know. There's a certain anxiety, anxiety about whether the previous boss's assassination was leaked". Dazai's expression was still unreadable. It was quiet as a freezing lake".

"The boy's gaze quietly penetrated Mori. Like a medical device that looked through the human body".

"The doctor and boy exchanged a silent gaze for a while. The Shinigami and the Devil seemed to glare at each other as the room filled with their spirit. In Mori's head, a word that he didn't know flickered many times and echoed like an alarm".

"The nightmarish thoughts Dazai sometimes showed through his observing eye was like an unprecedented, frozen eagle in the mafia's demonic nest".

"His expression returned to his usual Dazai thing. It was a gray expression that wasn't interested in any concept".

"I’m not a person with an excellent observation skill. But even so, just by looking at those eyes, I understand a few things right away. He probably has killed before. Not one or two digits. Hundreds of people. When you have killed that many people, you will reach the other side of the mentality that ordinary humans can possess, beyond the other shore where neither light nor gravity can reach. The spirit of those who have reached that state will be seen first in their eyes, then in their mouth. Their eyeballs become black holes, and the muscles around their mouth become organs to show the depth of their sin, not their facial expressions".

"I ask again. There is no answer. I don’t even know if he is listening. Because the light in his eyes show no reactions to my question. No matter how cold-hearted a person is, if you look at him in the eyes and throw words at him, you can still see some kind of responses. But this young man does not have any of that. Just black eyes looking at where my figure is".

"There is no heart here. Just a heart-shaped emptiness".

"He doesn’t reply. Those eyes are filled with a quiet emptiness. From that, I assume that he is listening. Because if he is deaf, there should be a reasonable amount of confusion and signs of claiming that he cannot hear".

"I say, my words echoing in the emptiness and dropping into the corner of the room, in the middle of nowhere".

"Dazai is standing in the corridor of the bunker, where it is completely dark. The distance between him and Odasaku is more than ten meters. Because of the darkness and the distance, Odasaku and the other guy cannot see Dazai. In fact, they wouldn’t even notice Dazai if he came within an arm’s reach. That is how much Dazai has melt into a dense shadow and become one with the darkness himself".

"Seeing that violence doesn’t even make his eyes move. His eyes are as still as those of a dead man, not showing the slightest flicker of emotion".

"Dazai has become one with the darkness. That is why no one is able to find Dazai".

"There is only darkness. As if no one was there from the beginning. It’s as if darkness has taken the form of Dazai, and has finally turned back to the original darkness and disappeared".

"The voice is intimidating, assertive, and filled with raw danger like a bleeding wound. It is high-pitched as that of a young boy, but it lacks the human-like characteristics a young boy should have".

"The cop can feel cold sweat squirting from his whole body. This young man is not lying. It shows in his eyes. That this young man is only seeing him as a fly in his kitchen".

"The cop’s body trembles in fear. This is the fear of pain, the fear of his imagination. But the most frightening of all is the young man in front of him, the king of the Pain land, the one who creates pains and controls pains".

"When Dazai finally opens his mouth after a long pause, that voice completely lacks emotions. No mockery, no cruelty, not even a carnivorous smile, nothing. A complete hollow".

"“You really don’t listen to others.” There is nothing left in Dazai’s voice, not even the ruthlessness. There is nothing in there. Not even a sign of someone holding a gun, nor talking to a human being".

"Suddenly, I feel like someone who got lost in the freezing cold weather at the top of a mountain, with only his underwear on. Having nothing to cover for myself, nor a way to escape. Far beyond the pale darkness, a mysterious monster is waiting to tear me into pieces".

"That voice had the dignity of a king and the mercy of the devil at the same time".

"When he saw that cold look heavier than a hundred eloquent words, Atsushi tensed his back".

"From the main office you could see the sunset of the city. In the middle of the room, Dazai was sitting alone at the desk with his arms crossed. He had a thin smile on his lips, and in his only visible eye the light darkness of the world".

"Because in the depths of his eyes lay a jet-black darkness deeper than any of the nights found at the disposal site".

"Dazai’s expression didn’t change whatsoever, and he spoke in a gritty voice devoid of any emotions".

"“It’s simple.” Dazai smiled faintly. His voice was low, as if it were the sound of a growl in a nightmare".

"Dazai smiled after he said that. It was like you could hear the sound of his broken soul with that smile".

"Dazai smiled and held out his hand to help me stand up. He saw through everything with the eyes of a sage, seeming to stare at a place that wasn’t anywhere on Earth". 

And etc.

*reads all this through*

*tries to proceed the information properly*

*inhales*

GODDAMIT, ASAGIRI. WE GOT IT.

#I'm still hysterical #when I noticed a pattern I had to make a list of it all #this gets close to akutagawa's level of edginess honestly XD #and oh don't get me wrong I love both the novels and Dazai #and I understand that it was necessary to show Dazai's darkness #but like #at some point such descriptions become comedic #yeah yeah for dazai's soul is dark and full of terrors #what's next? #also btw i'm rather surprised that there wasn't much of this in the beast #but probably as a compensation we get this gem #His coat and black shoes were so fine that even kings and nobles in Europe would envy him~ #LMAAAO I CAN'T- #Asagiri ffs 🥲 #p.s. there were probably more quotes like these above but i haven't noticed them sorry #bsd #bsd dazai #bsd meta #bsd dark era #bsd stormbringer #bsd fifteen #bsd beast #bsd spoilers #bungo stray dogs #bungou stray dogs #ticklinglady talks

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

One thing I am curious about is how much Chuuya is important to the central story? Like he just appears when he needs to be here and then just gone

You know, at first my answer would've been just this: "Chuuya is not a main character and is not important to the central story but I am convinced he will be going forward."

But then I paused and thought about it... and realized something.

Chuuya hasn't shown up very much in the main manga, that much is true. However, the timing of his appearances is interesting because he always shows up during or slightly before a turning point in the story. Take a look at this:

Chapters 10 + 11, Port Mafia Arc: We are introduced to his character - he's one of the major character's (Dazai's) old partner. At the same time this is happening, Atsushi and Akutagawa are having their first real fight and shortly after, Chuuya tells Dazai that Akutagawa has the information on who placed the bounty, which brings the Guild into play.

Chapter 16, Guild Arc: Chuuya, along with many other mafia characters, is present when Mori is revealed as the boss, another significant event.

Chapters 21 and 22, Guild Arc: Chuuya is part of Mori's plan to pit the Agency and Guild against each other. Shortly after this, Q is released, marking another turning point.

Chapter 29, Guild Arc: Atsushi sees Chuuya ordering the protection of Yokohama from Q's curse. It is highly likely that his decision to form a temporary truce with the Mafia was a result of seeing Chuuya's actions.

Chapter 31, Guild Arc: The well-known Double Black chapter. Not only is this the first instance of the truce, but it is also the template for Dazai's later plan reveal - that he intends Atsushi and Akutagawa to be another Double Black.

Chapter 47, Cannibalism Arc: It's Chuuya who makes the first move and kickstarts the actual conflict. I believe this is the only time his actions and choices directly affect the main plot (which is... interesting actually...). Unfortunately in chapter 49, he is immediately sucked into Poe's book with little fanfare sidjcn

Chapter 62, Hunting Dogs Arc: Chuuya rescues the Agency members from the Hunting Dogs, which is the first semi-decent turn of events for the Agency in that arc.

Chapters 98 and 101, Vampire Infection Outbreak Arc: Chuuya shows up as a vampire (rip man). I don't know yet what the consequences of this will be but there will absolutely be consequences.

Idk, I do find it interesting that Chuuya appears to show up at transitory spots in the plotline, despite not playing an especially active role. I find it difficult to believe that's not significant in some way; after all, I've already commented on how Chuuya influences changes in Dazai. I'm starting to wonder if Chuuya's role from a meta sense is to induce change in some way - that would be a tad ironic, considering Chuuya... hasn't really changed much, and is still very much stuck in the same place he was, but now without a personal drive.

Whether you agree on the above though, I feel really confident that we're building up to something with him in the main story. What's more, I think this actually was always the plan, and not a decision made because Chuuya became really popular. While I don't think Asagiri is the type to really plan future events in any detail, I do think there is some general sense of where the characters are going. I have a few reasons to believe this.

Chuuya was in the manga before he even made his first appearance. If you check out Dazai's profile, Chuuya is mentioned as... one of his dislikes. Lol.

Chuuya was always going to be Dazai's ex-partner. It was the first thing decided about him, to my knowledge anyways. I've also noticed that Dazai, despite how much he appears, doesn't undergo a lot of development in the series proper (most of it's in the light novels, same as Chuuya). I suspect their development in the main series will once again run parallel as soon as Chuuya winds up with a more major role.

Asagiri and Harukawa spent the longest on Chuuya's design. And Asagiri always felt he was going to end up as a popular character, which is part of the reason why it took so long - he needed to look perfect.

Fifteen's afterword implies Chuuya's backstory was always going to be told eventually. Yes, the story was requested, but the response from Asagiri was "it's finally time to write this" not "oh ok if that's what the fans want".

Chuuya and Atsushi haven't even met yet, which is weird. Remember that Atsushi's decision to suggest a truce was likely influenced by his observation of Chuuya's actions. Also I find it strange that the Atsushi-Akutagawa duo are meant to be a new Dazai-Chuuya but one of each of the pair have... never met each other.

Chuuya's story is tied closely to the concept of singularities, ability user experimentation and the government (as well as the war's aftereffects by proxy). These themes run all throughout the world of bsd but have yet to be truly expanded on in the main manga.

Adam and Shirase are in London where the Order of the Clock Tower is. The Order is highly likely to play a major role going forward.

"His destination is still a secret" and "his will not be a peaceful, easy path" from the Stormbringer afterword. So, he's going to suffer more in the future. Yippee?

Anyways. This was a very long answer to your question anon but yeah. Chuuya will be important to the plot going forward and I believe that this was always the intention. It just doesn't make sense to have all this backstory and then not have any kind of payoff for it.

#i'm sorry you cannot ask me a question about chuuya and expect me not to go on an unhinged ramble #i am very very normal about him #bsd #bsd chuuya #thanks for the ask! #bsd meta #i guess #storyrambles #also asagiri really likes writing him so there's that too

[solunstell]

Notes I've taken from the Beast light novel:

Right off the bat, Akutagawa's autism is showing lmao. He just like me fr

Akutagawa was already known as the "Silent Mad Dog" or "Heartless Dog" pre-mafia

Describing akutagawa's ability in combat: "as if he were mowing grass with a scythe." Atsushi was right, he is a lawn mower.

Akutagawa bit through an enemy's neck. Insert vampire comparison

I'd love to see an analysis of the parallels between chuuya and akutagawa. Both were in a group in the slums that relied on their ability, both were taken into the mafia by dazai, both have abilities that have an incredible destructive potential but can also make then near-invincible...

"Akutagawa glared at his foe - one of the men responsible for his friends' deaths - then smiled with evident satisfaction...and collapsed face forward." Insert comparison to his death

I think there can also be a comparison In this whole fight to avenge his dead friends to Oda's death. Both were orchestrated, both knew that they were probably going to die, and both were at peace after defeating the enemy.

DAZAI HAS BLACK HAIR?!?!

Okay adjusting mental image I always saw it as dark brown (yes the anime is brown canonical but in my heart I hold priority to the manga and novels. Same reason I draw the hat chain on chuuya and red eyes on dazai)

Dazai points out how akutagawa's foolish death would leave behind his little sister. This also reminds me of oda leaving dazai and ango behind.

Akutagawa is really out here saying stuff like ergo lmao

Akutagawa's skill evolved into the beast-like form when Dazai mentions his sister coming to harm

Dazai quote as he decides not to take in akutagawa: "I think I'll go with that other guy for my right-hand man." Does this mean that main timeline dazai saw akutagawa as his right hand man?

Things akutagawa is called or compared to in this novel: Silent Mad Dog, Heartless Dog, Cerberus, a slide (by the orphan kids), Former Disciplinarian and Current Ambassador of Paper Shredding

Naomi calls Junichiro "Jun"

Kunikida and Junichiro communicating through looks

Canon bitch face

Oda is described as unpredictable and he is late. Ty asagiri for more blorbo characterization crumbs

Akutagawa: king of purple prose

Atsushi is afraid to die

Even in the Mafia, atsushi is described as innocent looking, not sadistic, and respectful

Kyouka is extremely pale, and has a childish voice

Chuuya still wants to kill dazai, and won't let anyone else do it

Dazai is still cracking jokes!

The Port Mafia is more successful under dazai, and there are so many assassination attempts against dazai that he never even uses the windows in his office.

Akutagawa grew potatoes behind his home in the slums

I love that akutagawa's first choice when embarrassed is always denial. "No. No. No."

Akutagawa is a light sleeper and a morning person

"Oda, who was always late because some lady in the neighborhood stopped him for a chat..."

"...destruction was (Akutagawa's) go-to answer for everything."

Akutagawa. Ate. Paper (probably in the slums but it doesn't say so explicitly)

"Akutagawa is supposed to be filing paperwork right now, but he's nowhere to be found! He must have used his skill to remove the restraints around his wrists and ankles, then ran away..." kunikida, did you tie him up?!?!

Oda just kept collecting kids in beast! I love that

"It's your job to look after the kids, as the oldest one there." Oda also collected akutagawa

"It was Parent's day at one of the orphan's schools, so Akutagawa participated on behalf of the child's guardian." So normally, oda would go?

Another parent said he looks like a hitman. Boy do I have news about the kids actual guardian!

Akutagawa raised Sakura's hand cuz she's shy and was proud when she got the question right

Akutagawa hates guns

Akutagawa has been using lots of farming metaphors

Atsushi puts three sugars in his coffee, and akutagawa put four in his tea

Akutagawa saved up 300 chocolate bars, ate them for days on end, and collapsed of malnutrition

I really like the emphasis in this novel that they're really just kids who grew up too fast

"...but a vermillion line appeared on his throat..." ch88 flashbacks

Gin spends every waking moment with dazai. I want to know abt their relationship more. Does dazai treat her like he does the agency in the main universe? Or like chuuya, perhaps? How does gin see him? I wanna know more abt them in beast and the main timeline.

About akutagawa: "'I can't believe such a powerful skill user has gone undetected by our network for so long.'" That definitely has to be due to inside interference. Was it Dazai? Gin?

Apparently, Demon Snow wears a mask, and that isn't actually her face

Dazai is now using his windows.

Oda in this universe joined the agency in the place of dazai, solving solving azure messenger/apostle case. However, he doesn't see himself as a detective. Tanizaki told akutagawa a few pages ago that you become a detective the moment you believe it.

Oda gambles

Apparently the headmaster abused all of the kids, not just atsushi. He didn't even let them have clocks.

The scene between atsushi and the headmaster here is so phenomenal. The way asagiri portrays trauma is *chefs kiss*. A normal interaction from the outside, but with context and with atsushi as the narrator, it's completely different. It's very similiar to the headmaster death in the main timeline

Atsushi looks up to the headmaster in a similiar way akutagawa looks up to dazai. And in beast, he has both of them as negative influences in his head

"There was a researcher who came to the orphanage to secretly investigate the tiger, but it killed him. He had long hair the color of white mist and eyes as red as apples. Had his death gone public, the military police would've intervened and killed the dangerous tiger - me. / But the director covered up the accident. He threw the researcher's body into a river and burned his belongings. He then got the teachers together so they could coordinate their story: "No researcher ever came here." Then, after checking if I had any memory of what happened when I was a tiger, the director locked me in a basement cell. He continued handling the aftermath every time the tiger went berserk going forward. He locked me in the basement in seclusion so there wouldn't be any victims - so I wouldn't hurt anyone." Dead apple makes much more sense now.

The jazz playing in Lupin is a about "a heartbreaking farewell."

Oda sits one seat away from where dazai gestures.

Dazai excitedly informs Oda that he finally defused a bomb and had been waiting to tell oda. In the Dark Era novel, Dazai says he's jealous of oda cuz oda gets to do cool stuff at work. On that day, oda had defused a bomb, which he mentioned to dazai, prompting dazai to say he was jealous. My heart can't take this.

Next thing dazai informs him is that he's perfected his hard tofu recipe. Another throwback to dark era, where the hard tofu was going to be a suicide attempt, but ended up only cutting his cheek.

Oda about dazai: "He may have been an adult, but his boyish voice made him sound far younger. He smiled like a lost child who had finally found his house."

Dazai has crystal clear eyes when speaking with oda here. Reminds me of when he was fighting with chuuya against rimbaud in fifteen

Dazai looks like he about to cry when oda mentions they've just met

Dazai really seems to want to tell oda the truth about the world. But he can't.

Akutagawas skill can keep going after he loses consciousness

Akutagawa really likes going on revenge-suicide charges huh

"'You're not evil... you just don't know who you are yet.'" Common kunikida w

Akutagawa saying to atsushi "'My job at the detective agency does not include helping those with a death wish.'" Two things this illustrates: one, akutagawa doesn't hold vengeance above his morals anymore. Two, akutagawa isn't like atsushi in this way. Atsushi would help people escape their death wish, such as with kyouka and sigma.

Dazai says abt this fight between sskk, "That was just as good as match fight on the ship..." This is a reference to the main timeline

Dazai tells atsushi to go with kyouka to a "world of light."

The fact that dazai dies even though three people can know the truth abt the world makes me think he plans for them to tell someone else

"'From now on, allow me to handle any job that involves soothing children.'" Stark contrast to the beginning of the novel, where he threatens a child about a kidnapping

Akutagawa still helps kenji w the farm

"Whenever a document needed to be shredded, he gave it to Akutagawa, who would shout with a bit more cheer than usual, 'I will tear you to pieces!' before reducing the paper into fine scraps." And does he make a salad with it afterwards?

Elise is a beautiful woman of about twenty years old in Beast, which means she either was never a girl here or she was turned into a woman at some point. If the latter, I imagine it would be when mori is put in charge of the orphanage

Atsushi aimlessly wandered the country side after dazais death. I want an au where he finds kenjis village instead

Dazai saved moris life four years ago

This breaking the watch scene is just as good as the killing the headmaster scene

Mori, here, understands that using violence and fear to teach is wrong

Mori wishes he could have save dazai

In mainline, atsushi challenges akutagawa not to kill anyone and then they'll fight. In beast, akutagawa challenges atsushi to move forward

"'Until then, you can live here as my student - no, as my son.'" ILL CRY

I like the side theme of akutagawa being assigned as evil by not only the enemy, atsushi, but by gin as well. I think the way the ending wrapped it up was perfect, by having him decide to prove to *himself* that he is not evil.

#sol text #bsd #bungo stray dogs #bungou stray dogs #bsd beast #ryuunosuke akutagawa #gin akutagawa #atsushi nakajima #osamu dazai #sakunosuke oda #doppo kunikida #kenji miyazawa #naomi tanizaki #junichirou tanizaki #chuuya nakahara #ango sakaguchi #kyouka izumi #bsd sakura #bsd spoilers #bsd beast spoilers #tw suicide #tw death #tw abuse #tw child abuse

[1bringthesun]

have any of you read “Dancing Girl?” gosh, it just made me sad. Mori Ougai is a really good author haha, hahaha. hah… h-

.

..

…

yeah i’m relating this to bsd! Mori. BITE ME!! ahem. so in this essay i will be talking about Elise and Mori’s relationship. i’ve already established i don’t see her as his “wife” or the object of his sexual desires, and i’ve also mentioned i like the “Elise is his daughter,” way of seeing things, however … well, there’s more than just that.

1) Elise represents his inner child

2) Elise preserves the memory of a dead lover and is his “partner”

3) Elise is a child-figure to him

those numbers will be reused in that order to mean the same thing later, but first, background and “Dancing Girl!”

so i think that, within the definition of his and Elise’s relationship, Mori embodies Toyotarou from “Dancing Girl” more than Kanei from “Vita Sexualis” (i think i learned which type of media went in italics and which sort in quotes some time in third grade, but it’s been entirely too long and therefore i’ve forgotten all of it and you’ll have to excuse my poor grammar if im messing it up). why, you may ask? well, first of all, Elise is literally from that novel. second of all, i’ve just skimmed vita sexualis (- an asexual) while “Dancing Girl” managed to catch my attention a lot more. plus, Mori was one of the characters that Asagiri explicitly stated he wanted to add in, and we all know just how evil Asagiri Kafka can be when he feels like it.

… why is the space so long ? why are these spaces different sizes?? this is really bugging me … but whatever, i’ll try my best to ignore it … (nevermind it looks perfectly normal when i post it i guess it’s just a. draft thing)

ahem, so, in “Dark Era,” Mori basically goes “damn Dazai you’re suicidal as hell! you remind me of myself hahah!” and i feel like that’s pretty concrete evidence Mori Did Not have a happy childhood (i mean, duh, considering he was trigger-happy to friendly fire as an important military man at 20 some years old) and was likely suicidal in the past too, to some extent. in that sense, the chains that tie Dazai down, if they’re Odasaku’s last words, are the Port Mafia for Mori. he cannot die as long as he’s sane and capable of leading the PM, because he’s basically the very embodiment of it.

⚠️SPOILERS FOR “DANCING GIRL!”⚠️

alright, onto “Dancing Girl.” i’ll give you a quick rundown. it’s basically about this college dude (25 or so) (haha that reminds me of the, “am i the asshole?” posts. i (M26) just fell in love with a girl (F18) of whom i’ve known since she was a minor and i was still an adult. i got her pregnant by some time after she became of-age, then i left her to pursue my career. am i the asshole?) (godamn it tai you just spoiled the whole novel) (i’ll put a spoiler warning up somewhere in the beginning) (bear with me) with depression who falls in love with a… looks at the parenthesis and sighs deeply.

he doesn’t see any point in anything because his life was just a glorified projection of his mother and school’s desires, so he starts being a little more hedonistic and learning about the arts instead of becoming a lawyer like they wanted him to. he meets Elise (her name) and basically immediately feels attracted to her in some way he can’t put into words (she’s 17ish when they meet btw) and starts teaching her things and basically acting like a sponsor to her. they don’t start getting romantic and/or sexual until some unsaid period of time passes. now i personally choose to interpret this as her turning 18 before they do all that stuff, but since it never explicitly says, well… yeah. Toyotarou is used to living his life in a cushy-ish manner as a child prodigy and what have you, but he eventually gives that away to live with Elise. that being said, his “giving it away” was less of a choice to be with her and more of a digression from a perfect machine into a person with his own stunted feelings.

she makes him satisfied, and he makes her very deeply happy, but eventually he chooses his career over her and she goes crazy because of how betrayed she feels- she really deeply loved him, after all. he pays her mother enough to keep her afloat and to take care of the baby he left in her stomach, and went back to Japan without another word. Toyotarou! you bastard!! (it’s not like he was without remorse, though)

anyway back to the numbers.

1) Mori’s past is pure speculation, but he was a military doctor ranked quite high as a very young man, one that didn’t hesitate to shoot someone on his own side no less (like i said) so it’s probably a given he didn’t have a stress-free childhood. this is an excerpt from “Dancing Girl,” in which i think explains the possibility that Elise represents the angry child inside of Mori that he never got to let out as a real child.

2) given what i said above, this also feels pretty self-explanatory. we basically only know two things about Mori, that he would do anything for the greater good (which is usually the PM/yokohama), and that he longs for a “partner” who will understand and not leave him. it’s possible Fukuzawa filled that role for a while, but Mori is a little unhinged and did some bad things out of obsession, which severed their ties because of Fukuzawa’s innate nature. Mori has called Elise his partner (tsuma, AKA person who stays by my side) (i know nobody says tsuma and means it that way but considering “Yatsugare san” exists (yes i’m looking straight at you, AKUTAGAWA RYUUNOSUKE), i wouldn’t put it past Asagiri to use tsuma in that manner) before and acts dramatic as all hell when she dies. it’s almost like … someone called Elise really DID die before?

3) this requires the least explanation. we already know Mori likes children in a non-pedo way, shown by things like how he helped Atsushi gather his courage in Anne’s room (which did nothing for him, btw) and his profession in the beast AU. but what sort of mafia don has a cute daughter?? that’s like ASKING for her to be killed. so Elise, the product of Vita Sexualis, is the next best thing he can have!

Elise also is a lot like the Toyotarou, while Mori acts more like Elise when they’re together. it’s just something i noticed watching the two interact in BSD and DG. the whole idea of having no autonomy is kinda Elise’s (BSD) thing, isn’t it?

my phone is now 20% and i have no charger. i have probably 69 viruses and also since i have apps like tiktok, wechat, and discord… you can imagine how much this poor device suffers, but i regret nothing. yahoo! hope you enjoyed my rant~

#bungou stray dogs #bsd #dancing girl #a german dancing girl specifically named Elise #bsd elise #bsd mori #mori ougai #Mori Elise #can i call her Mori Elise?? i mean she’s basically his daughter anyway so #Mori and Elise #toyotarou #god they make me sad #Mori is so traumatized and so babygirl #not all would understand #anyway i’m getting carried away even in the hashtags.. is this who we are??? #AH MY PHONE IS AT 5% WHAT THE HELL. #okay i’m posting it now i hope this gets some attention because otherwise i might go crazy /j

[kaigarax]

A Shattered Reflection of You

Asagiri Gen x Reader

Quote: "Fall in love with someone you know." & "Fall in love with someone you'd chase after."

Someone You Loved Featuring: The Mentalist

Asagiri Gen never thought much about death.

Sure, he’d been to funerals before and known people who had died but those had all been older individuals who had lived fulfilling and full lives. The full weight of death had never truly impacted him or the people around him.

He hadn’t realised how close to death everyone around him truly is. How fragile and delicate life actually is.

Truthfully, he’d never thought much about death. He’d never thought much about death until you.

They say the wise young die young.

That the most beautiful flowers are picked first.

That there is no fairness in life and death.

At least, Gen thinks, you will forever be remembered in your youth. You will never have to see your brightness slowly diminish and disappear. You will forever shine bright in the minds and memories of those that have loved you. Of those that have ever gotten the chance to know you or be graced with your work.

There’s a large group of people here. Larger than yesterday.

Yesterday’s service was meant only for those deemed closest to you. Your family.

Today’s service is filled with beautiful and handsome faces. Those with startling features and brilliant views of the world. Or at least according to you they all were. Why else would you have chosen them to have been your muses at one point if not because you saw admirable features within them? Your muses.

Gen finds himself wondering if any of the other muses had attended the day before. Had any of them gotten to see the girl behind the lens? He thinks that at least one of them was close enough to you but… you had always been rather fond of your personal space.

Unlike other funerals Gen has been to there are no traditional funeral decorations. Instead a white venue has been chosen with large photos plastered and framed against the wall. Most of the photos aren’t of you, though that’s likely the way you would have wanted. Afterall, you’d always told Gen that you believed the worth of your life wasn’t your appearance but what you had been able to do.

Upon the instructions no one dressed in black or white. In fact it seems that most of the muses had chosen to dress in the colour which you had assigned to them. For Gen, it was ‘a royal purple that was meant only for those of the highest caliber.’

Gen had always liked purple, though he formed quite the fondness towards the specific shade you’d picked. You, unsurprisingly, always had quite a good eye for matching people to colours that matched them. Colours that seemed to bring the deepest parts of them to the forefront and surface.

Even at a young age.

The frame closest to the entrance holds a photo of a young boy. His expression is a mix between a scowl and a smile. As though he’d been trying his best not to laugh. The boy’s eyes are tired, as though he’s already seen too much in life.

Gen wonders what a boy would have had to see to have such tired eyes.

He doesn't ponder on it for very long as he moves onto the next photo.

The photos have a tendency to blur into a mess of colours the longer Gen stares at them. Like the view out of a moving car as you stare out a window.

Eventually though he finds himself at a loss as he stares at the portrait of him.

He’s dressed in casual clothes, resting the side of his head on a dark table as he stares into the camera. And Gen’s surprised for a multitude of reasons. He doesn't recall ever seeing this photo before; the dim lighting and background reminds him of a bar that he just can’t seem to remember the name of; but the thing that surprises him the most is his expression. Gen doubts that there’s another photo out there that holds such a raw and genuine smile from him.

His chest flutters.

Was this how you saw him?

It’s alive, real and strangely magical.

Gen has always known that he’s good looking but he never thought it possible for someone to see him like… that.

You saw such mystical things in the faces of others, but what did you see in yours?

The sound of a man blowing his nose catches Gen’s attention. He turns, surprised at seeing such a familiar face.

“You’re that boy from the earlier photos, the Soldier, aren’t you?” Asks Gen, despite already knowing the answer.

The Soldier is dressed in a forest green suit, his military badges pinned over his heart. His hair is slicked back in the same manner as it was in the photos you’ve taken of him as a child. He turns to face Gen, his expression mirroring the feelings in Gen’s chest.

He looks just as Gen imagined he would. With eyes that have seen too much and a mouth that seems to be perpetually frowning. You always smiled so brightly whenever you’d talk about him and his frown. Did you ever talk about Gen with that same smile? Did you think about him as much as he thought about you?

“Yeah.” the Soldier gives Gen a slight nod, “how’d you know? Most people are surprised when they learn it’s me in those photos.”

Gen smiles, “you have the same eyes.”

The Soldier raises a brow, clearly suspicious of Gen’s motives and actions. Gen, admittedly, has never come off as the most friendly and harmless person. But that was always something you liked about him.

“And the same expressions.” Adds a newcomer.

The pair turn to see a white haired man. The Athlete. He’s a white haired man whose hair has been cut short. He’s a lot shorter than Gen would have thought, especially being an Olympic athlete and all. In fact, he’s shorter than Gen. Not that height ever really mattered to you in the first place.

Gen raises a brow, “the Athlete?”

The Athlete flushes, “I was never really a fan of that title.”

“Why so?” Asks Gen.

“Because it always felt so…” the Athlete trails off, looking into the distance towards a photo of you.

You look quite young in the photo. Not quite as young as you were when you met him but not old enough to be something recent. Your hair’s still short in the photo which means it was probably a little after your break up. When was the last time Gen had seen you smile in such a way? When was the last time you smiled at him in such a way? With so much warmth and excitement?

“Different from who you felt you were?” Suggest the Soldier.

“Yeah.” says the Athlete, not bothering to look back at Gen or the Soldier.

The soldier’s gaze follows the Athlete’s towards the photo of you.

Gen had never really been sure of the nature of your relationships with your muses. He knew that they were people you admired. People you thought were brilliant. How you tried your best to capture the brilliance you saw in them through photos and words. He knew that the relationship between the two of you had always been kept at an arm's length.

Close, but never close enough to be something more.

Close enough to capture the essence of someone. To capture the thing that brought their attention to you in the first place.

Of course, you never seemed to realise that the way you captured them wasn’t in your art but through your personality. Afterall, why else would they all have been here in the first place?

“You know,” Gen begins, “those are titles she picked for you. I think she would have wanted you to look a little deeper into it.”

The Soldier scoffs, “and what’s yours supposed to mean, Mentalist?”

“Well, I’m a magician, aren’t I?” Gen gives one of his best performance smiles, “she was always very impressed by my extraordinary mental prowess. Though… When she said it, she always meant eccentric. Considered calling it ‘the Mad Man’ at some point.”

Gen’s words seem to strike a chord with the Soldier, as his eyes soften and the corners of his mouth turn up, “she wanted to call mine ‘the Brat.’”

Gen and the Athlete share a chuckle.

Of course she would have wanted to call it something like that. It certainly would have been quite a fitting title for the young boy in those photos. Sometimes, Gen can barely believe that you took those photos when you were still a young girl. They seem to capture so much of the personality of the Soldier. In fact, if Gen didn’t know any better, he would have believed that you had gone back in time when naming and taking each of those photos.

The Athlete clears his throat, “did you two know her well?’

“Not as well as I’d like to.” Says Gen.

“At one point,” the Soldier shugs, “did you?”

“I’m not sure.” Answers the Athlete.

Poor thing. Though that has always been your nature. Always sweeping others up in so much adventure and mystery that they forget that they barely know anything about you in the first place. Gen would know it all too well, afterall he had been one of those very people. Getting swept up in the storm that is you.

“Well you’re here so you must have meant something to her.” Says the Soldier in an attempt to cheer up the Athlete.

Gen smiles, “and she must have meant something to you.”

It warms Gen’s heart in a strange way to know that there are other people in this world that cared about you just as much as he did. Especially knowing that he wasn’t there when…

“So, what’s ‘the Athlete’ supposed to mean?” Asks Gen.

“Oh,” the Athlete flushes, “well it’s actually a bit of an inside joke, I think.”

Gen turns his head to the side, “you think?”

“Well, she always talked about how she admired athletes. Talked about how she loved the way they ‘sparked’. Honestly, I’m surprised she chose me in the end.” There’s a small smile that forms in the corner of the Athlete’s mouth, “I guess she couldn’t help but be impressed when she watched me play.”

Gen feels laughter bubble up in his chest.

He can already see you blush. You always blushed when others said things like that. And you always did seem to have a knack for finding people that knew exactly what to say to make you embarrassed.

“Have any of you talked to the others?” Asked the Soldier.

The athlete scratches the back of his neck, “the others?”

Gen looks around the room.

People have sorted themselves into different groups, similar to what Gen and his companions have, likely based on their interest. Though, Gen can’t really tell what it is that everyone here might have in interest with one another apart from you.

Perhaps you would know the difference.

Everyone allowed in here has photos of them displayed within your final exhibit.

“The other Muses?” Asks Gen, a knowing look on his face.

“Oh,” the Athlete flushes once again, “no. Honestly, I’m not really familiar with anyone else here. She never really spoke about the other… muses. I’m basically a stranger to everyone else here. What about the two of you?”

“I’m in the same boat as you.” says the Soldier.

Then they both turn to look at Gen. He shrugs in response, “she always did like to keep her distance.”

The distance between you and Gen was one he could never quite bridge. So he could only ever love you from afar and wonder what it might be like to hear you call out his name. After a long show; or in the midst of a photo exhibit when you introduce him to someone new; in the morning before you leave to work; and after when you come home.

Fall in love with someone you know.

---

A Shattered Reflection of You

‘Beep’

‘Beep’

‘Beep’

Asagiri Gen stirs, his head pounding and his eyes puffy from the night before. The Mentalist finds it hard to recall what exactly happened the night before but quickly decides against it in hopes of not aggravating the aching wound in his chest.

On any other day Gen would have just laid in bed, thrown his phone across the room and let the world continue to move on without him. If it lasted the night without his presence then surely it can survive the morning as well.

It was definitely stupid. Drinking himself into a drunken stupor and crying his heart out. But alcohol had always been the only way for him to truly let his emotions loose. And Gen definitely needed an outlet before today. Afterall, you deserve nothing but the best from him. His best appearance, his best attitude and his best mood.

The Mentalist pulls himself out of bed, and stares at his reflection in the mirror.

His hair is a mess, the strands of black and white tangled amongst each other with a cowlick standing upright at the top of his head. His eyes are just as red and puffy as they feel and it makes him wonder just how long he had really spent crying the night before. There’s a weird stain on his shirt and he seems to have lost his shorts at some point between his choice to get drunk and waking up this morning.

The suite he’s pulled out for himself is wrinkled; creases and folds plastered in places where they shouldn’t be. And… is that a stain? He could have sworn that he had specifically picked this one because it wasn’t dirty!

You deserve nothing but the best, but this will unfortunately have to do.

The itchy fabric hangs loosely off Gen’s shoulders.

He supposes he could change though he doubts there’s anything much better than what he already has. There’s the dark blue suit he wore to the convention last week but it would be far too tacky to wear the same suit in such close succession. Then, there’s the black suite but it’s way too predictable. Gen pops his head further into the closet and oh-

There’s that purple suite. The same one he wore to your… and there’s the aching again.

Does that feeling ever really disappear or lessen?

The logical and calculative side of his mind says ‘yes’. Every emotional impact dulles and lessens with time. Some just happen to take more time than others. Yes, that’s it. This emotional wound just happens to be one of those that’ll take a little longer to heal. Yet, the irrational and emotional part of his heart says ‘no’. That nothing will ever dull this horrible pain that’s seemed to consume and possess him in his entirety.

Eventually, Gen decides to wear the purple suite.

It looks good on him despite having lost some weight.

Well, purple has always been his colour.

The dusty mirror seems to smile at him from the corner of his eye as Gen attempts to button up his suite. It’s a flickering action. Something that he would have missed had he blinked just a millisecond sooner.

He rushes to push the clothes hanging off the top of the mirror off before leaning in towards it. As if staring closer will make something happen.

Then it flickers again and Gen is almost certain he sees you in his reflection. And that flicking is the nail in the coffin. Gen now knows for certain that he’s gone crazy.

Gen momentarily debates jumping into the mirror but he hasn’t gone that crazy yet.

He presses his finger against the glass hesitantly.

And… nothing happens.

Of course. What was he expecting anyways? Gen didn’t believe in ghosts and even if he did he doubts that your ghost would have wanted to visit him. This must be the result of waking up early while being hungover and sleep deprived.

What was it that you said about ghosts again? Gen can’t seem to recall much and what he does manage to recall is nothing but a feeling deep within his stomach. A rumbling of laughter mixed in with a warmth of remembrance. Quite the strange mix of feelings, huh?

Eventually, the Mentalist manages to stumble his way out of his house.

Has it always been this hard to get out of the house? He can’t seem to remember and truthfully doesn't care enough to figure it out. Not when he’s already out the door.

Now, what else was it that he needed to do?

He vaguely recalls needing to bring something but recalls exactly why and exactly what he needs to bring. He doesn't even remember why he’s going in the first place just that it’s somewhere you would have wanted him to go. And Gen, being the love struck fool he is, agreed.

Gen spots a couple walking hand in hand as they exit a coffee shop.

Should he buy a coffee mug? Everyone always enjoys receiving a cute mug.

And there it is again!

Your reflection in the glass. Almost there yet never close enough.

The Mentalist snaps his head around, expecting to see you there smiling at him as you did before, but you’re gone. When he turns back to look at the mirror he sees the reflection of you walk away.

He shakes his head.

He must be really tired today.

A coffee does sound rather nice right now. A little ‘pick me up’ before the big event. And he can get that coffee mug while he’s inside.

His eyes linger on the translucent glass, waiting for just another glimmer or shine.

The barista standing at the register yawns as she asks him for his order.

Gen shrugs, asking her for the specials for the day.

Eventually, after hearing the lost list of drinks from the tired barista he selects the item that he thinks you would have liked the most before asking for one of the mugs they have hanging on the display shelf. The barista types a series of numbers into the register before announcing the number aloud. Reaching into his pocket, Gen pulls out a wad of cash, handing the smallest bill to the barista.

She sends him a strange look and Gen can only shrug apologetically in response.

He didn’t have time to break down his bills.

She gives the Mentalist a yawn as she reaches into the cash register to make change. Gen, usually, would care to make sure he gets the proper amount but gets distracted as he takes a quick glimpse out the window.

Now he knows for certain that he’s gone crazy.

Not because he left behind the coffee, mug and change behind. Not because he ran out without another word. But because he knows for certain that he sees you. Not a reflection of you but your physical being as you walk past the store and down the street. He immediately breaks out into a run, chasing after you.

You seem to catch onto his presence as you break out into a run of your own.

Do you not want to talk to him?

Why are you here at all?

Where have you been all this time?

There’s a nagging feeling at the back of his mind but he can’t seem to remember exactly why he has that feeling in the first place. All he can think about is you. That you’re right there and that you’ve been gone for much too long.

The two of you run past familiar sights. All the places Gen first took you when you first came to the city.

The small bookstore to prove to you that he was actually famous.

The little restaurant you took him to when you wanted some advice for getting into the industry.

The big restaurant that he took you to when you finally made it in.

The ice cream shop that he loved.

The smoothie shop you loved.

And… the park bench where he first met you.

A small bench tucked away behind large sakura trees that seemed to be in full bloom right now. The bushes and vines that have grown over the bench seemed to have been torn away. Sunlight streams in through the branches at just the right angle, casting a spotlight onto you as you stare off into the distance away from the Mentalist.

Gen feels as though everything around him has stopped. That the world could continue on without him as long as he’d be able to have this moment with you.

You smile beautifully as you turn to face him. You pat the seat beside you, gesturing for Gen to take a seat.

His mind feels foggy but his heart feels whole.

“How are you?” You ask.

Gen swallows. There’s so much he wants to say and so much he wants to ask. It feels as though there will never be enough time in this world for him to be able to say everything he wants. But why the rush in the first place? His heart flutters in a way it hasn’t in a long time and Gen wonders if this is what it feels to be alive?

Gen wants to ask you why you left. If you would stay with him a little longer. But he can’t muster up the courage to ask. Instead he answers, “I’m doing well,” because it’s what he knows you want to hear. Because it's what he wants you to hear.

“That’s good,” you swing your legs back and forth in a childish manner, “I’ve been worried about you.”

“Why?”

“You know why.”

Gen turns away from you and towards the horizon, “no I don’t.”

“Of course you do,” you laugh, “you just don’t want to admit it.”

The horizon is beautiful here. The way the lights seem to sparkle in the daylight remind Gen of his childhood and youth. A moment when everything else didn’t matter as much and it was just him. Perhaps that was how life would still be if he had never chosen the path of fame. If he had chosen to live a normal life.

Gen thinks that… maybe he would have preferred a normal life over his own.

No. He takes that back. Gen could have never been happy living a normal life. Afterall, a normal life would be one where he would have never gotten the chance to meet you. And he can barely stand the idea of the two of you never meeting.

Gen sighs, “sometimes, it’s hard to admit how you’re feeling. Especially when it seems like no one else understands what you’re going through.”

“That’s because you never tried to connect with someone.”

“I connected with you.”

Gen notices that your smiles turned into a sad one when he’s turned to look back at you. The horizon is beautiful but it pales in comparison to you. Like a breath of fresh air on an early spring morning. Even when you smile sadly, Gen thinks the whole world stops to stare.

“Do you ever regret agreeing to help me?”

“Of course not.”

‘Why?”

“Why would I?”

“Because of all the pain I put you through.”

Finally, Gen smiles. Of course you’d be worried over something like this. You did always care too much about the opinions of others. But then again, doesn't everyone?

“Rest easy,” says Gen, “because there’s no other way that I would have chosen to live my life.”

And it’s here that Gen remembers why his heart has been aching so much. Why the world has seemingly begun to move onwards while his life has halted. Why it seems as though his world has ended. Why it feels as though the pain will never stop.

This world moves in such strange ways and time is a constant ticking machine. No matter how much we hope for it to stop it never does.

The sunlight feels so warm against his skin. It’s almost as warm as your hand that brushes up against the back of his own.

And this was the distance you always chose to keep. Never far enough away for someone to forget about you but never close enough that you could be something more. Always never just enough. And it’s a shame that that’s how the world works. That it was how you chose to live your life.

Perhaps things would have been different if Gen had been brave enough to close the distance first.

He wraps his hand tightly around yours, “I love you.”

“Thank you~”

Gen pouts, “(Y/n).”

You laugh, “I love you too.”

‘Beep’

‘Beep’

‘Beep’

Fall in love with someone you’d chase after.

#dr stone #dr stone x reader #asagiri gen x reader #someone you loved #100 ways to fall in love

[soupthatistohot]

Soukoku is a bit fucked up... but that's why they work

Dazai and Chuuya do not have a normal relationship, however you want to define that (platonic or romantic). Without the context of their backgrounds, it reads as like... really fucked up. And that's true, to an extent, but to eliminate their circumstances is to do them a great disservice, in my opinion

First of all, I'd like to acknowledge that I'm fully cognisant of the fact that skk were not written to be a romantic pairing— Asagiri simply does not intend for them to be perceived as such. That being said, this does not mean that audience interpretations of a media are invalid. I ship skk, and as such this analysis may include my romantic interpretations of them as a pair and i acknowledge this bias at the same time that I acknowledge the validity of my interpretation.

Let's look at Chuuya's background first. He has little to no memory of his life prior to 7 years old, when he was separated from his family and treated as a government experiment. After his escape, he was an orphan on the streets taken in by a group of fellow orphans. He quickly rose to be the leader and protector of this group, who would eventually literally stab him in the back when he was manipulated into working with and eventually joining the Port Mafia. He spent his teen years with a suicidal maniac as a partner, watched countless friends and a clone of himself die, and found out a literal god was living in him, forcing him to question his humanity.

Dazai's past is much less clear. We don't know what his family was like, but we know that Mori recruited him after discovering him after a suicide attempt and began grooming him as the Demon Prodigy. He was forced to be an accomplice to a murder, and was constantly manipulated by and possibly physically abused by Mori. He was known for his coldness and was feared by many as a monster for the majority of his teenage years, and was expected to eventually become the boss of the Port Mafia through assassinating Mori, which the latter was paranoid about. Finally, one of his best friends betrayed him and the other died in his arms when he was eighteen years old, something plotted out by Mori, which resulted in his defection from the organization.

As teens, skk had a weird relationship (and that's putting it lightly). There was a certain level of contempt they held for one another. Chuuya resented Dazai's pessimism and lack of regard for others, and Dazai resented Chuuya's emotional and aggressive nature. Yet, they both had a deep understanding of one another that no one else really seemed to have at the time. They recognized one another as human when the individual himself did not. They had full faith and trust in each other, not allowing each other to die despite their disdain. It was complicated, and it wasn't quite healthy... but it was pretty damn good considering they were traumatized children in the Port Mafia.

There's a certain level of abusive behavior between them as teens, and I won't ignore that. Dazai played a large part in manipulating Chuuya into entering the mafia, and Chuuya insulted Dazai's suicidal and depressive nature a lot. Dazai found pleasure in causing Chuuya pain, both physically and emotionally. Chuuya literally has a list of torture techniques to use against Dazai. This is why I often stray from portraying an established romantic relationship at this point in their lives. I don't think they understood who they were fully yet, and sometimes projected their issues onto each other. Even if they were in love at that time, neither of them would have been ready for that type of commitment. I also just think they were too emotionally constipated to get to that point, anyway.

Something that I do love about their relationship as teens, though, is how they let each other be kids. Their bickering and arguments were childish and dumb, but that's the closest thing they had at the time to being normal teenagers. Amongst all the doom and gloom that surrounded them in the mafia, they knew that they could always go to each other and have a mindless argument or competition. In a way, this is how they reclaimed their stolen childhoods.

We see this when they're adults, too. In their first encounter in four years they tease each other about the same things as before, slipping right back into their childish banter. It's silly and immature, but that's how they operate. They allow each other to have that, and I really love this aspect of their relationship.

I think there's something to be said for how their time apart was good for them. Dazai is most clearly in a better place than before. Sure, he's masking a lot of the time, and he's still clearly suicidal, but I think the work he does with the agency is more fulfilling than at the mafia. He has more of a purpose, even if it's just to stay true to his promise to Oda (though I do believe it's more than that now). At his core, he's still a suicidal pessimist who finds humanity utterly disgusting and doesn't quite consider himself to be human, but I think there's a level of contentment of what he's doing with his life.

It's less obvious how Chuuya has changed, but I think that he has. He exhibits more self-confidence and maturity than in his teen years. He's more capable and well-rounded as an executive, and it's a personal headcanon of mine that in Dazai's absence, he was forced to pick up some of his skills of perceptibility and deduction. I think he is in a better place than before, as well, especially because he was able to establish himself independent of Double Black. He has also settled within Port Mafia, recognizing them as his family, which means he, too, is likely more content.

So as adults, they display less of the abusive behaviors than they did previously. Of course, there's still a certain level to which they're abnormal. Their jokes and quips about one another are sometimes quite dark, and there's a certain level to which Dazai still exhibits power over him when it comes to deciding to use Corruption. But that trust is still there, despite their time apart, and so too is that understanding of each other. They're not perfect by any means, but given their traumatic upbringings... they're kind of perfect for each other.

There is the fact that they want to kill each other. I'll admit that I struggle to explain this aspect, but I'll try my best, because I think it's not as bad as it sounds. I just think it makes sense for them. They're both sorta unkillable, so this aspect of their rivalry denotes a certain respect for each other. It's also a matter of likely knowing that they actually won't ever kill each other (and no, this isn't me being in denial about ch. 101, I fully believe that Chuuya is not dead, there is no way he's going out like that). This is one of the more complex aspects of their relationship, but when you add it to everything else we know about them, it just sorta works. I mean... thinking of ways to kill your partner for 7 years? That's kinda gay.

At the end of the day, skk keep each other in check and allow each other to have fun. They trust, know and respect each other, and though they claim to hate each other, I really don't think this is true. It's much more than that. They're rivals, they're partners, they're soulmates! And honestly, that's what makes them so goddamn interesting.

#skk #soukoku #dazai x chuuya #chuuya x dazai #dazai osamu #chuuya nakahara #bsd #bungou stray dogs #bungo stray dogs #character analysis #relationship analysis #soup rants #fellas is it gay to be thinking of ways to kill your partner for 7 years?

[nataliaphantomhivesblog]

Hellooo Natalia

love your post btw

I Adore Soukoku so much and i wan’t Them to see that they are litteraly inlove

but i am worried it would be disrespectfull to the authors the characters are based on if they become a thing yk so i Think that holds asagiri back quite a bit which is why i dont think they Will ever openly become a thing

what do you think?

Omg this question is actually a very old one in my inbox, but now that im finally back. I am absolutely happy to answer<3

Alright so, I remember seeing people say that Asagirgi made a comment about not wanting to make any couple canon bc it would be disrespectful but I highly doubt this is a real claim.

Let's start with the fact that if that was the case, then this series wouldn't be made to begin with.

Dazai's introduction is actually distasteful considering the real Dazai Osamu's death.

The real Dazai Osamu died by double suicide with his wife, by drowning himself.

And in the bsd story,the authors counterparts first apperance is...by drowning.

2. Mori as a character, is literally a port mafia leader, a mass murderer AND a pedophile. When this has 0 connotations to the real Mori's life.

I don't even have to explain how this is defiently disrespectful for the real authors memory, now that his name is constantly butchered and dragged as a pedophile in the manga, right?

3. Dazai in real life absolutely loved and respected Akutagawa's works, but his bsd counterpart literally lacks to acknoweldge and abuses Akutagawa.

The real Akutagawa's death actually depressed Dazai in real life, but in bsd, he is portrayed as someone who absolutely disregards half of the things Aku represents.

4. Half of the bsd cast is portrayed as murders, abusers, war criminals or counter opposites to the authors they are based of.

So with all that being said and done, he basically turned many renowned and respected authors to mafia members, killers, or even whole ass war criminals.

5. Rimbaud and Veraline actually had a love affair going on, yet they only kept them as companions in the manga.

Rimbaund and Veraline had a very known love affair, but Asagiri chose to wrote them the same way historians would call lgbtq+ couples as "veryyyyy close besties:D"

6. There's been canonical couples or canonical crushes implied in the manga, but in real life, the authors probably didn't feel the same so it's quite insane for Asagiri to not want to make Soukoku or any other bsd dynamic canon out of fear of disrespect. Unless, he doesn't want to do to the narrative or for homophobic reasons.

Look, I'm not gonna claim that Asagiri is homophobic, I don't know the guy in real life to even come to that conclusion!!!

But, it's quite intresting to realize how Higuchi, Lucy, Katai, Tanizaki and many other characters have canonical crushes on opposite sex counter parts but then, it's suddendly disrespectful for two characters the same sex liking each other/being together?

More than anything the whole discourse of Asagiri claiming that is probably false since I don't see any real document of him saying it, so it's likely this whole thing was started by someone who couldn't stand the idea of shipping mlm or wlw relationships lol.

Hope this sorta answers your question, sorry for the delay<3

#bsd #soukoku #dazai osamu #chuuya nakahara #kafka asagiri #bsd ships #ship discourse #bsd manga #fandom discourse #my opinion #bungou stray dogs

[aarcanechaoss]

Theory time with Higuchi!

For anyone who wants a good read and some info on Ichiyo (Natsu) Higuchi this Reddit Post was really interesting

I first want to say I have zero evidence or reasoning behind most of this shit specifically the two abilities I’m pulling out of my ass (I do still love my Flowers at Dusk theory don’t get me wrong and a lot of the Growing Pains / Child’s Play theories are beautiful). Again these are for entertainment only I have no bets on these being real LOL

1. Draining / Absorbing

2. Her word is law

Now before I get into these (1,2) I want to bring up an interesting point seen in the Reddit Post I shared.

Specifically the Mori does not punish Higuchi part- and remembering the episodes in particular he really doesn’t. At most he is disappointed in her failure and asks if “she is suited for this job.”

Now this also made me realise (again the Reddit Post mentioned this too I found after reading further) the Command Unit is in direct line to Mori just after Executives.

Meaning she is high ranked overall in the Mafia not just amongst the Black Lizard.

She is Akutagawa’s equal - role wise in the mafia.

Why?

We know she is an ability user (not what the ability is) so is she simply well connected to Mori or is she a Secret Weapon? Or both.

Somehow she had to make it to Commander level even with the lack of respect she receives (until rescuing Akutagawa but even then they still don’t treat her like a leader).

I propose an option that also has no standing or reasoning.

She’s related to the previous boss.

Someone who didn’t have a choice to have anything but a mafioso lifestyle.

A granddaughter or a great niece etc. but let’s go with grandchild for this post- a favoured one at that- which I will get to.

Yes, this would technically mean she’s been in the mafia the longest compared to many characters (Dazai, Chuuya, Akutagawa etc).

I hear your “Wouldn’t Hirotsu know then?” It’s entirely possible if she is a favoured grandchild the Boss would have only wanted certain people to know about her when she was so young plus it’s not like every grandparent shares a last name with their grandchild (he could be her mother’s father).

It’s also possible if he knew the boss had a grandkid she would have been known as Natsu not Ichiyo at the time (since that is the authors real name).

And we all know I head-cannon that our girl is naturally brunette / raven haired so of course I'm adding in more plot with the name thing. Could be just for fun, maybe it was ordered, maybe it's so the people who did know about Natsu wouldn't point her out (Mori just hiding the nepotism).

In any case if this was how Mori knew her- after digging and of course killing him it’s entirely plausible that he’d 1. Look at it as an opportunity to fuck over the guy even when he’s dead 2. She’s a valuable asset because of it.

By that I mean her family name would hold power eg. she goes by Natsu (boss last name) when Mori needs something that only her family could get him.

Or she’s incredibly powerful and he’d be an idiot to not keep her. Perhaps she hates her power and he keeps that in check- she does what he says and then she doesn’t need to use it / she doesn’t have control - because less control over that means more control over her.

It’s not like she’d be his heir or anything (though that would be a funny fic idea- people trying to fight for the next in line and Mori is just like no I have a replacement it's Higuchi).

Anyway onto my not at all reasonable Ability theories.

1. Draining / Absorbing

This one was originally a "takes abilities" theory- which has absolutely no merit being a theory at all unless for whatever reason Asagiri decides that she and Dazai have been secretly related the whole time.

In the Reddit Post OP theorises that she could paralyse her opponents using her novella Takekurabe (Comparing Heights) with the English titles Growing Up and Child’s Play as the forefront. Though I’ve seen the use of the title Growing Pains instead of Up as well.

Using OP's word's, I don't think Higuchi will have a name-based ability (eg. Beast Beneath the Moonlight or Thou Shalt Not Die) and so for this crack theory I'm also using Growing Pains / Childs Play.

I suggest that she can drain or absorb abilities instead- leaving her opponents with a dull aching because a part of them is practically gone should she drain an ability to its dredges. She could probably kill someone if she wasn’t careful and took too much.

Think Rogue from X-Men.

That would make her a formidable enemy to have and an even better secret weapon.

It would also make her just another tool like Dazai was- instead of halting an ability she practically takes it away (which is plausible if we really dug into it, but this is more she takes the power or energy involved in using the ability).

Where did this idea even come from you ask?

Honestly no clue but I was trying really hard to figure out what possible ability she could have, and I have landed on it must be powerful and this would absolutely be an ability that she would hide until necessary. It would also be a play on the novella titles instead of simply going Child's play= dolls= voodoo doll ability for example (mostly because that's kind of Q's ability) but more a play on how for some people transitioning into adulthood is draining and not as fun as when the world was too big for us.

2. Her word is Law

Okay this is also a stretch just so we are clear BUT I think it's more plausible than draining / absorbing. I don't really know which title I'd give this one because I'm leaning again to a more a non-name-based ability (eg. No Longer Human or Plum Blossom in the Snow) so for the fun of it lets call this Flowers at Dusk (Yamizakura- yes, the one I usually use in Fics).

When I say her word is law I don't mean legally speaking- think Jessica / Paul Atreides or the Reverend Mother from Dune and how they use 'the voice'.

This ability came to mind since Ichiyo Higuchi is an important figure in Japan, though it wasn't like she would be able to sway politics or anything of the like. Her works are important, the words in the stories are significant. Key word, words.

This would be a valuable power worth keeping hidden and close to the chest, she would make her way up the ranks fast with such an ability and more than likely she'd be a great asset in regard to interrogations.

Mori would absolutely keep this ability a secret and keep her close because of it. Let's play into the idea that she hates or is afraid of her ability, a power that takes away others free will or control would be hard to deal with depending on your mental fortitude or upbringing.

If she said jump you would jump, if she said kill you would kill.

She'd be the perfect secret weapon with an ability like this especially if no one else knew and she got kidnapped- whoops they didn't put on ability suppressors ...oh hey where did she go?

I feel like this is a plausible option- only because we know nothing but that she is an ability user. It would make sense for her to be closer to Mori- he'd ensure she would never use the ability on him and considering people underestimate her already it would be an uppercut of a power to have and no one (but Dazai or those who are deaf I suppose) would be able to get away from it.

We'd really have to get into the meat of this ability and flesh out weaknesses par her voice box and No Longer Human. Is it the vibrations in her voice? Does she need a key word? Can she only use it on a certain number of people at a time? Could she pinpoint who isn't going to be affected if it were with a large group.

For example- The Black Lizard get cornered, and she needs to use her ability would her yelling STOP, MOVE BACK or FREEZE (any key words really) affect Gin, Hirotsu, Tachihara or Akutagawa?

Can you tell I like this idea for an ability lol.

Well, I think this post has been long enough. Let me know your thoughts as well, which one do you like better? Do you have any theories for what Higuchi's ability could be? Which book title do you think Asagiri will choose when we get to finally see what her ability is?

#bsd #bungou stray dogs #bsd theory #bungou stray dogs theory #ichiyo higuchi #ichiyo higuchi theory

[note-boom]

Higuchi and Ranpo are just such interesting author-based characters in BSD.

I know it's weird to connect the two but hear me out...

So far, the only authors I can remember that don't have a known ability are Aya, Higuchi, and Ranpo. Aya and Higuchi will likely get an ability (latter has been confirmed to have one, at least) while Ranpo...probably won't? Though you never know.

But the reason I bring Higuchi and Ranpo together is because the latter is an author who is heavily implied to be the son of one of his IRL counterpart's characters. And meanwhile, the former is someone who has one of the real people in her IRL counterpart's life (that is to say, BSD Higuchi's sister) brought into the manga. Yeah, Tanizaki and Akuatagawa have their sisters be based off characters, and we also have Haruno based off a Tanizaki character, plus Fitzgerald's characters in the eyes of god story arc.

But I really think that it's interesting that Ranpo is the child of his own character. And that Higuchi is I think the only one with a family member that is based on IRL Higuchi's own family situation. That we might actually have a BSD character based on a real life person that wasn't a significant writer of some sort (to my knowledge, at least).

I don't really have a point with this, but it is interesting and aghhhhhhh Asagiri I'M BEGGING you to do something with Higuchi that doesn't involve Akutagawa! There's so many things about her and I want to know!

#seriouslyyyyy #ive seen some metas about higuchi's ability being tied to one of her shorts that shows how people cant escape their childhood fates #and that would be SO cool in a manga like bsd that takes the whole doomed by the narrative and fighting against the narrative theme #and also just....her sister!! #im just obsessed okay? i want to know more about higuchi #i want to know why she kinda gives protagonist vibes when we were introduced to her #and i NEED to know her motivations and goals because forget staying in the pm for aku how did she join? #how did she climb up the ranks? #but you know i wonder how people survived without the light novels given all the hints canon gives us about the side characters #like how did they handle chuuya before fifteen and stormbringer? #how did they handle dazai before entrance exam and dark era? #what did people think about fukuzawa and ranpo before untold origins? #asjdurjthhtjdkskeh screaming and yelling because so many of the side characters need light novels #but yeah ranpo is pretty fascinating too but we got almost all his backstory now for what happened during the ada early years #and this manga is probably aya's backstory xD #anyway above is me slowly going insane thanks #bsd #bungo stray dogs #bungou stray dogs #bsd higuchi #bsd ranpo #bsd aya #character analysis #spitting nonsense