#Good news: Beast Akutagawa is living his best life possible

[sskk-manifesto]

[ckjbun]

Jouno - the epitome of nurture over nature?

Let’s talk about Jouno again. He’s such an intriguing character. Chapter 92.5 gives us an important insight not only into his past but also into the psychology of many BSD characters.

Asagiri sensei has again made it clear that there is no entirely good or evil characters. It might be a bold statement but in my humble opinion, what we witnessed in this chapter is that the environment might even have a greater influence on your behaviour and attitude than your nature.

Furthermore, Jouno's development makes me extremely optimistic in regards to Dazai's. But let me explain all my thoughts down below the cut.

First, chapter 92.5 surely had me surprised. Although I was thinking about the possibility that Jouno would temporarily work with Fukuchi and then turn against him, I would have never guessed his reason for doing so. 

Jouno was once an executive of a criminal organization. Six years ago, he was brought to the Hunting Dogs by Fukuchi. Though he is working for justice now, he still has a sadistic behaviour and likes to torture people psychologically. He says it himself in chapter 92 that he doesn’t care about whether the ADA is innocent or truly evil, he just wants to hear the voice of someone suffering. He wants to hurt people under the name of law, hear their sound when they break (according to @buraihatranslations ).

In chapter 92.5, we get a flashback of Jouno forcing a burglar to kill himself. But instead of stabbing himself, this happens: 

(translations by @buraihatranslations ​)

The burglar tries to stab Jouno instead. But the sword goes right through Jouno without leaving a single scratch (which is probably thanks to his ability). Jouno is clearly enjoying this scene in front of him and thanks the burglar for the “good sound”, which probably refers to the scream of despair, the sound when the burglar “broke”. 

You get what I'm trying to say. Jouno is highly immoral, one might say he is evil (depending on the definition of evilness). So when I said I could imagine Jouno betraying Fukuchi, I meant he would do it out of purely sadistic reasons, out of pleasure from toying with people. 

But no. I was wrong. 

Right before Jouno betrays Fukuchi, we get this scene:

(translations by @buraihatranslations​)

It seems that Jouno has genuinely felt appreciation coming from the words of this old lady. Her gratitude has surely made him feel a kind of responsibilty towards society.

Would he have betrayed Fukuchi if the latter asked him that six years ago? Probably not.

Jouno is someone who knows how to differentiate between good and bad, but he didn't care about it in the past. He committed crimes and likes to see people suffering. He is inherently bad. Fukuchi has addressed this in chapter 92.5:

(translations by @buraihatranslations ​)

"Your true nature is on that side."

What Fukuchi probably means is that Jouno's nature is not on justice's side. It's on the bad side.

But after joining the HD, within only six years, Jouno has developed a sense of justice. Even though it's not a very strong one, it's still there.

We have seen on multiple occasions that circumstances plays a major role in where you end up. The Beast novel is the best example. Under different circumstances, Atsushi would be on the "bad" side and Akutagawa on the "good" side. But the characters themselves are neither fully bad nor fully good.

What we haven't seen yet until this chapter, if I remember correctly, is that the environment can influence you to act "against" your nature.

Jouno was kind of "forced" to be around people that fight for justice. And because of that, even though his natural trait of being sadistic persists, he has learnt that protecting innocent people brings much more joy as he has stated in the most recent chapter 93.

It's hard to get rid of your negative character traits, probably even impossible. But to act on them is a decision you can resist (oftentimes). Admittedly, it's extremely difficult but the right environment can cause you to form, shape and reinforce an attitude contrary to what you would expect based on your natural traits.

That's why I'm very hopeful in regards to future developments of the BSD cast, especially Dazai's.

(Spoilers for Untold Origin LN:) Ranpo has found a purpose to live thanks to Fukuzawa, namely to help and protect the simple-minded, ordinary people.

Yosano has found a reason to live on thanks to Ranpo.

Kunikida has his ideals and guide to life.

Atsushi's justification for living is saving people.

Being in this environment, I'm sure the ADA members can influence and affect each other in a positive way. Dazai is very similar to Jouno in regards to background. He also started off on the "bad" side, though he isn't as sadistic as Jouno. He tortured people not out of fun but rather to reach his goals.

Similar to Jouno, he doesn't really care about good and bad. I believe Jouno still doesn't care but he has come to enjoy the good side. And that's what I'm hoping for Dazai too. I wish for him that he will find the "good" side, the side that saves people, more beautiful, more enjoyable and maybe even find his own purpose for living.

Well, that were my thoughts on this topic. Happy to hear your opinions!! I'm sorry I didn't incorporate much of the most recent chapter 93. Idk why I'm always almost done with an analysis when the new chapter drops.

Anyways, thank you for reading!!

[no-longer-tainted]

WIP Week 2019 [Day 5]

Question: What is your most used AO3 tag?

I guess it’s the shipping tag for Soukoku/both of them as characters + fluff

Your Canonverse or AU WIP

Fandom: Bungou Stray Dogs Shipping: Soukoku [Chuuya Nakahara x Osamu Dazai] Notes: I don’t have any canonverse WIPs so I wanna show you one of my Fantasy AU WIPs, I decided to make for the SKK Trope Bingo but it got too big with the idea so I created my own world for it. The WIP is the very first chapter and I hope you enjoy it <3

The darkness of the room was only broken with one almost burnt-down candle and a deep sigh was the only sound when a young man with orange hair let the red wax drop down on the envelope only to imprint his seal on it a second later. He couldn't tell how many hours have passed since he was working on that letter in front of him but it was a incredible relief having it done now. He closed his clear blue eyes and when he breathed in, he opened them again. "Atsushi?" 

The door was opened soundlessly and a white haired man with a single black hair strain appeared in the door frame. He had a nervous look on his face and swallowed hard. The atmosphere in the room was heavy and usually, he wasn't allowed to enter this room. "How can I help you, Chuuya?" 

Chuuya got up from his cushioned wooden chair with the letter in his hand and walked over to Atsushi. "You have to bring this letter to Kouyou." He reached the letter to Atsushi but he didn't take it from him right away. 

"Why me?", he asked and frowned at the pitch-black envelope with the dark red wax seal on it. It hadn't any name written on the outside and the wax looked like a drop of blood. Chuuya had a meaning look in his eyes. "Are you sure? You-You worked the last five hours on it." Atsushi swallowed again. "It has to be super important!" 

"Exactly." Chuuya held the letter closer to his friend and looked at him with raised eyebrows. "You're the only person I can entrust this letter with." With shaky hands, Atsushi took the letter and was anxious about bending the envelope by accident. "Can't you go yourself?" 

Shaking his head, Chuuya laid a hand on Atsushi's shoulder. "I already told you I have to travel the opposite direction today." Chuuya knew it was not an easy task to ask from his friend because even after all those years, he felt uncomfortable around Kouyou. "If you want you can take Akutagawa with you." A resigning sigh made Chuuya chuckle quietly. "Also Kyouka would be happy to see you again after all those months." 

"If you want to see me dead, just say so." Atsushi groaned and squashed the letter in his hands. "Wah-! I-I am sorry." He tried to flatten it between his hands and pressed it between them.

"You're my best friend, I just want the best for you," Chuuya answered with a fond smile and patted Atsushi's head. 

Atsushi licked over his dry lips and pressed them into a thin line. "Okay, you won. But do you really think it's a good idea to start your journey today?" With a doubtful and insecure look, he left the room together with Chuuya. "It's New Moon in three days, you know." 

"I know." Chuuya was more aware of the lunar cycle than any other person he ever met in his life and the mere thought made his stomach twist in loops. "But I'll meet up with Dazai in-" He stopped mid-sentence, not sure about how much time was left until he would meet up with this shitty mummy but it couldn't be that long anymore. "And you know about Dazai's ability."

Another sigh followed as an answer. "How are you able to trust him?" Atsushi looked at Chuuya and tried to read his facial expression but even with his better vision at night, he wasn't able to interpret it. 

Chuuya just shrugged with his shoulders. "Is it trust? We just both have the same goal and Dazai needs someone to do the tiring and stressful work for him." 

"I can't change your mind, right?" Chuuya didn't answer anything and that was answer enough for the other man. "I'm not sure if Kouyou will kill me for letting you go so easily or because I'll spend time with Kyouka." He sounded distraught and the 'Probably both' of Chuuya didn't help to calm him down. "Chuuya! Can't you take me with you and send someone else as messenger?" Despair was written all over his face when he stopped and turned around to Chuuya who fell a step back. "I'm still too young to die!" 

"Sorry." Chuuya looked with a apologetic smile at Atsushi and grabbed the diagonal belt of his leather bag with both of his hands. It only contained a few things he would need on the journey and his savings. "I have to depend on you for this." He would go to Kouyou personally if it would be possible especially because he didn't see her for a few months either but the new clue he got from Dazai yesterday was more important. 

"Then you have to promise me something!" Atsushi held out his pinky with a pretty long nail and looked at Chuuya with a serious expression. "Bring Dazai and yourself home alive!" 

"Can't promise I don't kill this shithead." Atsushi's gaze didn't waver and let Chuuya flinch backwards. Of course, Chuuya knew how much Atsushi looked up to Dazai even though he lived with Chuuya but his own relationship with Dazai was tense - to say the least. Chuuya hesitated with intertwining their fingers. "An Isud can't die anyway." He didn't met Atsushi's gaze but he intertwined their pinkies. And of course, Atsushi was aware that Chuuya was only a dirty Halfblood and his last slentence was meant for both Dazai and him. Chuuya himself never tested his limits but he had the power of two races in him so it should be no problem to get back alive. 

"Oh, Dazai!" Atsushi exclaimed happily and ran towards the man, leaving Chuuya behind and breaking his depressive line of thoughts. His inner beast shouldn't be a solution. 

It was only natural that Atsushi would see Dazai first thanks to his night vision and Chuuya had to rely on the candle in his hand. When he arrived at Dazai shortly after Atsushi- standing casually in the entrance of his cottage in the woods outside of the town, he greeted him only with a half-nod of his head. 

"Long time no see, Chuuya~", Dazai chirped and hugged him tightly as a greeting. His eyes lightened up when he saw Chuuya. "Atsushi already told me that you are so cruel to send him to Kouyou." 

Chuuya struggled to get free from the hug and only managed to do so with throwing Dazai over his own shoulder. Despite him being smaller, he was physically stronger than this clingy ocotopus. "We saw each other yesterday!" Then he threw a look to Atsushi who took a few steps backwards under the glare. 

A loud growl interrupted them and confused, Chuuya and Atsushi looked at Dazai. "What was that?", the youngest among them asked and ran outside. "Woah! Rad!" 

Curious, Chuuya followed the other two man outside and even without a night vision he could clearly see what was in front of him. 

Two majestic and bulky beasts. One of them was the purest white while the other was a the darkest black Chuuya has ever seen in his life. They had fluffy fur around their necks and ankles and the eyes of them were a bloody red. The fluffiness of them was destroyed with their huge fangs and horns. Chuuya took a few steps backwards and was overwhelmed. Seeing Beastmares was something happening not everyday because they were almost extinct. Their fur was the most prized thing in the whole Yishtair Empire. 

"May I introduce-" Dazai pointed with his whole hand to the white Beastmare and smiled like he would introduce his cousin to Chuuya. "Phinya and-" He pointed with his other hand to the black one: "Zeraphin."

Like they knew he was talking about them, they growled. It sounded different than before but Chuuya couldn't tell if that was a good or rather a bad sign. His brain still wasn't able to give him words to speak so he just stared at the Beastmares in silence. They were beautiful creatures usually living in the woods of Evirm. Chuuya never had the chance to see them in natural and only read about them in different books and heard stories from Kouyou when he was younger. And to be honest, they were even more striking than any poem could describe them. 

"I hope that's okay for your picky ass, Chuuya~" Dazai stepped closer to Chuuya and pointed at the white beast. "Phinya will be all yours for the time being." The white one growled and stepped closer to Chuuya and he took a step back. They were just fucking huge! Maybe three meters high. 

Chuuya swallowed when the beast bowed in front of him and laid down, the head on its front paws. Slowly Chuuya got forward to Phinya and without letting his eyes off of it, he put his hand on its snout. It felt really soft but when it suddenly licked over his hand with its tongue, Chuuya flinched back and fell flat on his ass. 

Dazai laughed. "She likes you." 

So 'it' was a she? A beautiful pure white lady. However, Chuuya would almost bet his life that she wasn't even close to being pure as much as her fur color. "Can I too?" Atsushi's eyes sparkled like the stars on the sky and Dazai just shrugged with his shoulders. 

"You're a beast yourself, they probably smelled you from ten kilometers apart." Dazai gave a command with his index finger to let Zeraphin come closer too. "Odasaku told me, they are siblings and about three years old." 

That was pretty young for Beastmares, Chuuya thought immediately. "So you got them from Oda?", Chuuya asked and a strange feeling let his stomach spun around like crazy but he put the blame on his nervousness around the beasts. He got closer to Phinya again and she grunted happily? At least it sounded like a happy sound she gave through her nose. "You're beautiful," he praised her and stroked his hand through her long neck fur while Atsushi did the same with Zeraphin. 

Atsushi was always good with all kind of creatures because with his tiger genes he bonds with them before Chuuya could even think about getting closer to any of them. 

Phinya laid her head sideways in Chuuya's tiny hand and clearly enjoyed the share of kindness and affection of Chuuya.  

Chuuya looked up when Dazai suddenly appeared next to him. "Don't make me jealous, Chuuya~" He sat down next to the other man and stroked through the fur of Phinya. 

"What are you talking about?", Chuuya asked confused and looked at Dazai for a moment before the beast girl snuffed to get his attention back. For a moment, Dazai hesitated with an answer, like he had to overthink his chosen words. "She hated me in the beginning."

While in the background was Atsushi's lighthearted laugh, playing with the black beast, Chuuya had a shit eating grin on his face. "Deserves you right." Phinya's red eyes wandered to Dazai and for a moment they just exchanged looks, before Dazai clapped into his hands and stood up from the ground. 

"Time to go."

Chuuya sighed. What a sudden change in the air. "Yeah." There was no time to play around. Atsushi's sad face when he said goodbye to his two new friends was gut-wrenching and Chuuya put a hand on his shoulder after he hastily rushed to Dazai and Chuuya. "I don't know when were back-" Chuuya looked over to Dazai who was pretending to not listen. "But as long as Kouyou receives the letter, everything is fine." 

Atsushi hugged Chuuya goodbye. "I'll take care of everything." He didn't sound convinced but Chuuya believed in Atsushi nevertheless. After that, Atsushi walked over to Dazai who was already sitting on Zeraphin. "Please don't make Chuuya angry too often. I don't think Kouyou's anger is a painless way to die." Taking a few steps back, he watched the two majestic beasts and the two men on them, walking away. 

Phinya had Chuuya let stay on her front paw and from there he jumped on her fluffy back. One last time he turned around to Atsushi. "Please take care of you and give Kouyou and Kyouka my greetings."

Before Atsushi could answer, Phinya growled loud and Atsushi blushed. "I-You! Please take care of Chuuya, Phinya!" Atsushi had the ability to talk with the animals living in the Yishtair Empire. The last thing Atsushi heard before they were out of is vision was another growl of Phinya.