#before atsushi arc

[elkieanddoppo]

chuuya moving on from dazai bc he ran away (betrayed) the mafia and didn't even bother telling him beforehand. he thought dazai could trust him now. they were literally in a relationship and had been since they were 16.

it was 2 years later, he was walking to a bar that he has been going to ever since dazai betrayed him. chuuya insisted that he has moved on from him but really, whos gonna believe him when he still drinks and cries because of that bandaged freak.

he enters the bar and walked to his usual seat. he noticed a blonde man sitting beside it. he sat down and ordered his usual.

while waiting, he could not stop looking at the guy beside him. he was so gorgeous. even though he can only see his side profile, chuuya thinks hes the most beautiful person he has ever seen.

the blonde noticed that he was staring and turned his head to him, "whatre you staring at me for? do you want a fight huh? im not in the mood right now." the beautiful dazzling blonde with red glasses said. chuuya noticed that the guy brushed his luscious hair with his hand as he still looked at chuuya

'oh my, his eyes is so. i can get lost while looking at it. also his hair, damn. i wonder what his hair would look like while hes fucking m-- I MEAN WHAT WHO SAID THAT' chuuya coughed and looked away while blushing.. "uh im sorry, it's just that youre so beautiful- I MEAN HUH UH I MEANT THAT IVE NEVER SEEN YOU IN THIS BAR BEFORE haha dont get me wrong.."

the blonde was surprised by the ginger's outburst but he calmed himself down and chuckled.

"calm down. im sorry for kinda assuming that you want to fight,, as i said i had a really bad day today."

chuuya looked at the other.

"don't worry, it's my fault for staring.."

the blonde smiled, "my name is kunikida doppo. it's a pleasure to meet you." he reached out his hand to the ginger.

"oh, im nakahara chuuya. you can just call me chuuya tho." he said as he shaked kunikida's hand.

"wait but we just met. i believe that it is inappropriate to call someone their first name when they--"

chuuya reached to kunikida to tuck a strand of hair behind his ear, "please, kunikida-san? i hate when people call me by my last name."

kunikida blushed at his action, "well, if you say so." he said as he drank from his glass again. "then quit calling me kunikida-san too." he murmured. if the man he was talking to was not the nakahara chuuya, then no one would have heard it. however, chuuya heard it loud and clear.

chuuya chuckled and drank from his glass that arrived a while ago when the two of them were talking.

"should i call you kunikida-kun then?"

"i- um." the blonde cleared his throat. "you can...ll...ppo"

"hm? cant hear you, darling. speak up."

"what.. darling?! chuuya, are you already drunk?"

"oh, sorry. did i make you uncomfortable?" chuuya scratched his head.

"oh uh no." he paused for a second.

'it felt right...' he thought. he ignored the thought by shaking his head.

"uh you can call me doppo, i guess" kunikida said as he looked at his glass of sake and gently shook it.

"i can?"

"yeah." kunikida smiled sweetly.

'god hes so beautiful.' chuuya thought as he smiled back

"alright, doppo."

the only people that had called him that were: the armed detective agency president, fukuzawa yukichi, and his parents. kunikida was not used to anyone else calling him that but since he was the one who insisted...

he felt himself smile. he looked at chuuya who was staring at his wine. he looked so empty when he entered the bar but now he was full of life. this look he has now suits him better. he wants to make this man happy.

however, theyve only just met. so he must wait. wait until he has truly get to know him better.

kunikida raised his glass, chuuya noticed it.

"cheers?"

chuuya smiled and raised his glass too.

"cheers."

[sskk-manifesto]

Bungou Stray Dogs: Dead Apple and how “ability users” (opposite to “normal people”) learning to accept themselves through the acceptance of their own abilities is a queer metaphor of acceptance of own's sexual orientation and gender: an essay by me

[deluluzai]

BSD season 5, what do you MEAN, 2 hours later and they're fighting again??? Bro give them a BREAK.

[olympiansally]

The way I’ll only be happy if Kyoka is the one to save Aya, continuing the cycle of saved orphans saving others

[akuarchives]

Chapter 66

[whathorselegs]

I think one of my favourite character journeys in BSD has to be Kunikida learning to be better with kids because you'd expect it to be a fun wholesome character arc. Only, it ends up being heart breaking as it's immediately turned against Kunikida.

Despite the 'Dad status' that the fandom has given Kunikida, he was actually terrible with kids towards the start of the manga.

Take how he treated Atsushi in the first chapter. (Yes, Atsushi is not a little kid, but he was a starving and vulnerable orphan when they met.) When Kunikida and Dazai mention the 'man-eating tiger' Atsushi immediately freaks out and tries to run away.

What does Kunikida do? He grabs Atsushi, slams him to the floor and then threatens to break his arm for information.

It's Dazai of all people who has to reign Kunikida in reminding him "The boss himself warned you that the gathering of intelligence needn't be an interrogation". Dazai was the sweet talker and Kunikida was threat, even to a terrified, starving orphan.

Later with Kyouka, he's not much better. He attempts to intimidate her into giving the agency information. Whilst Atsushi now fulfils the role of the gentle approach. She's a mafia assassin after all, even if he knows she had no choice in it, Kunikida treats her as a threat before he treats her as a child.

Even with Aya, the interaction that gave Kunikida his 'dad status', he started off badly. But, it is here we start to see Kunikida trying to be better, trying to take a softer approach, even if he's clumsy with it.

When he realizes Aya was just handed a bomb, he snatches it from her and gets rid of it. That can't be helped it was a literal ticking time bomb, he then phones the authorities to deal with it. He was planning to leave, it's only because he caught sight of Aya sitting alone did he approach her. It wasn't his first instinct.

If he hadn't seen her in that moment, he might not have gone looking for her at all.

He asks her if she's alright and then she shocks him by wanting to hunt down the culprit. He rightfully tries to dissuade her, but again, he's not good with kids, he's blunt and argumentative with her.

Obviously, that's not going to convince a kid with a hero complex to not chase the bad guy.

However, his turning point, in my opinion, is when he realizes he has to choose between Aya and the people on the train. Now, he had already set off the stun grenade and is putting all his faith in Yosano finding them. He trusts her so he knows they are most likely going to be okay.

But Aya doesn't know that and he can't explain it all in the time they have. He sees a child who thinks she's about to die and is trying to be brave about it. And Kunikida comforts her. He needs her to know that she's not alone, that she's not going to suffer, that he is with her and he hugs her.

There was no need for him to step into that explosion with Aya except to comfort her. He chose to do that. Above his own life, he chose her needs.

And that's where this journey starts to get heartbreaking, because Kunikida hadn't always been like this. He was obviously always going to try and protect children, his ideals state as much, but he also didn't believe himself to be a hero. He doesn't see himself as someone capable or even worthy of that role.

So he built up a barrier around himself that made him harsher and more callous. He called it a professional detachment. He had to, it was to protect himself, to keep his sanity in those moment when they couldn't save everyone. Now it's breaking down and he's showing more and more how much he cares.

And it's immediately used against him.

The very scenario that got him to open up is placed in front of him again. A child with a bomb around their throat. Only this time Yosano isn't there, and this time Fyodor is orchestrating it.

And Kunikida does everything right. He tells Atsushi to leave and carry on the mission so he can stay and help the child. He gets on the child's level, makes himself small and none threatening. He reassures the child in gentle voice that everything will be okay.

And then, it's the line "How about a magic trick?" that really gets me, because he's trying so hard to present himself as someone trustworthy. And a magic trick is exactly what he pulled off with Aya, but it's what goes wrong here.

Because Fyodor planned it this time. He didn't just target children to get at Kunikida, he made a twisted mockery of what happened to Aya. Except she doesn't live this time and Kunikida can't bring this child any comfort or safety because Kunikida is the threat. This child dies alone and afraid because Kunikida was there, just like Fyodor planned.

Fyodor saw Kunikida bare his heart once and immediately reached in his chest and crushed it.

[thedarkdisgrace]

Thread from my twitter about this official art because it’s one of my favorite official anime art. This is actually part 1 because alot of people wanted a soukoku specific/Dazai focused part. So will post that here as well.

Starting off:

They’re gorgeous here but what I really love is the detail of the red thread of fate. More specifically how & where the thread is wrapped for skk & sskk + Kyoka. I’ll start with skk.

When it comes to Soukoku, my loves, Dazai has the thread wrapped around his neck. Chuuya has one end & it’s wrapped around his wrist (the one with the scar that proves he’s human btw), that seems to symbolize he's holding Dazai's life in his hands, at least partially. That's no surprise we all know they're inexplicably linked and fated etc.

Chuuya is always there to save Dazai & Asagiri said he’s the only one who truly understands Dazai. But it's super interesting the other half of Dazai's string that’s wrapped around his neck is first wrapped around his own wrist, before continuing to Aku. This essentially saying Dazai holds his own life in his hands.

Which obviously seems super accurate since we know his is biggest enemy is often his own mind & the hole inside his chest that he has a hard time filling. It’s where his suicidal tendencies come from. But essentially, it seems like Dazai's life is held only by Chuuya & then himself and I love that detail.

This is in contrast to Atsushi, Akutagawa, & Kyoka. The thread is wrapped around Atsushi's throat & Aku & Kyoka both have it around their wrists. Essentially symbolizing *both* Aku & Kyoka have Atsushi’s life in their hands. This seems to showcase both of their importances in Atsushi’s life.

Also other than dead apple, given recent events with Kyoka saving Atsushi in the beginning of the DOA arc & Akutagawa's sacrifice for him later, that red thread being held by them continues making sense.

Also Aku's sacrifice was massive for his development & I hope it is our universes Aku at the end of episode 11 so we can continue exploring that development for himself & his relationship with Atsushi.

The red thread itself is typically to symbolizes those who are destined to be together, regardless of place or time. Which naturally makes sense for soukoku & their “two bodies one soul” situation lol It’s interesting that Atsushi has both Aku & Kyoka linked to him in this sense.

That’s just my take on the art & why it’s one of my favorites.

[kyouka-supremacy]

BSD Official Guidebook Gongeroku - characters profiles

Finally stopped procrastinating Got around to arranging the profiles from the fifth official guidebook Gongeroku. Thank you so so much @justplaggin for helping out fix my messy translations, your help was immeasurable (╥﹏╥) Except for young Oda, I didn't include profiles that only listed age / height / weight since they didn't feature any info we didn't know already.

Other guidebooks profiles by @/looking-for-stray-dogs (listing here for easy access / having them all in one place): second guidebook Shinkaroku; DEAD APPLE guidebook.

Untold Origins arc

Ranpo Edogawa Age: 14 years old Height: 160cm Weight: Unknown First thing he does when he wakes up in the morning: Praise himself for being a great detective A habit he can't help: The marbles in Ramune are so pretty, he has to take them home If he wasn't at the detective agency, what would he be doing now?: Can't even imagine Where does he see himself in 10 years?: Supporting the president, just like he is now

Yukichi Fukuzawa Age: 32 years old Height: 186cm Weight: Unknown First thing he does when he wakes up in the morning: Take a deep breath and let the energy flow to his abdomen A habit he can't help: Walking by sliding his feet, keeping the unwavering figure of a swordsman A moment recently that made you feel just how much Ranpo has grown?: The average number of candies he eats went from 18 to 17. Where does he see himself in 10 years?: Thanks to his subordinates' efforts, the city will have become peaceful, increasing his spare time a little.

Sakunosuke Oda Age: 14 years old Height: 165cm Weight: Unknown

Canon

Osamu Dazai Age: 22 years old Height: 181cm Weight: 67kg What color would you compare yourself with?: Colorless and transparent. Because I don't see any value either in living or in wearing colors. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?: Hopefully passing away

Atsushi Nakajima Age: 18 years old Height: 170cm Weight: 55kg What color would you compare yourself with?: White. My hair is white, and Akutagawa's is black, so, a color as different as possible. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?: I wonder if I'll still be alive in this bewildering city…

Kyouka Izumi Age: 14 years old Height: 148cm Weight: 40kg What color would you compare yourself with?: Gray, rather than white. It was black before, and now I want it to be white, but the past still has meaning in itself. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?: Continuing to support Atsushi

Doppo Kunikida Age: 22 years old Height: 189cm Weight: 78kg What color would you compare yourself with?: The color of steel. The materialization of flawlessness and unshakeable ideals, steel. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?: According to my notebook, my salary will have increased by 47%, my subordinates by 4, my medals for contrubuting to peace by 3… (explanation continues for 30 minutes)

Ryuunosuke Akutagawa Age: 20 years old Height: 172cm Weight: 50kg What color would you compare yourself with?: Black. It's the color of the overcoat that Dazai-san gave me. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?: Becoming the strongest ability user in Yokohama

Chuuya Nakahara Age: 22 years old Height: 160cm Weight: 60kg What color would you compare yourself with?: Red. Kajii once said that the fastest forward-moving things appear red from behind. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?: Expanding the mafia's territory to cover the whole country

Fyodor Dostoyevsky Age: Unknown Height: Unknown Weight: Unknown What do you want to eat now?: Appetite… I do not experience something like that. Something you always do before going to bed?: Pray to God What color would you compare yourself with?: The white of snow from my hometown If you could be born again, what would you want to become?: Most things, I've already become. A reward for hard work would be... : Listening to classical music all day

Saigiku Jouno Age: Unknown Height: 181cm Weight: Unknown What he believes are his strengths and weaknesses: His strength is his good hearing, his weakness is that he can't see. Motto: Send Tetchou flying Something he wants right now: Not being held responsible even if he torments a criminal to death Something that recently made him laugh: The captain was able to quietly approach and tickle him

Tetchou Suehiro Age: Unknown Height: 184cm Weight: Unknown What he believes are his strengths and weaknesses: His strengths are that he is the embodiment of justice and has a will of steel, his weakness is that he can't read people's true intentions. Motto: Justice of steel Something he wants right now: Enough space at home to put his weight training machine Something that recently made him laugh: The last time he laughed was when he was a baby, so he doesn't remember.

Michizou Tachihara Age: 19 years old Height: 176cm Weight: 62kg What he believes are his strengths and weaknesses: His strength is that he has a strong ability, his weakness is that he's not very smart Motto: Orders make me who I am Something he wants right now: A cool motorbike like Chuuya-san's, for commuting to work Something that recently made him laugh: Unintentionally giving the military police internal audit department a mafia-style glare

Teruko Ookura Age: Unknown Height: Indefinite Weight: Indefinite What she believes are her strengths and weaknesses: Her strength is her love for the captain, her weakness is that she can't see anyone but the captain. Motto: The society's dog, the strongest dog Something she wants right now: The captain's used socks Something that recently made her laugh: During practice, Jouno and Tetchou challenged the captain at the same time, but were beaten at their own game

Ouchi Fukuchi Age: 45 years old Height: 190cm Weight: Unknown What he believes are his strengths and weaknesses: His strength is being physically strong. His weakness is that he is too strong, and didn't develop a habit of delegating things to his subordinates. Motto: World peace Something he wants right now: A comfortable disguise (because people ask for his autograph wherever he goes) Something that recently made him laugh: All five of them (Hunting Dogs) having a pleasant talk

Nikolai Gogol Age: 26 years old Height: 184cm Weight: 68kg What he believes are his strengths and weaknesses: His strength is his talent for magic, his weakness is his fickle nature. Motto: Be as free as a bird Something he wants right now: Someone who understands him A reward for hard work would be... : Applause and praise from a crowd of people

Sigma Age: Unknown Height: 177cm Weight: 62kg What he believes are his strengths and weaknesses: Strength: being someone who battles on even in difficult circumstances. Weakness: everything else other than that. Motto: Ordinary people have their own, ordinary ways of fighting. Something he wants right now: A home to return to A reward for hard work would be... : Patting himself on the shoulder and saying “good job.”

[starlightshadowsworld]

The thing is Fyodor could’ve had Atsushi in his grasp before the series even began.

That’s without question no one else knew who or where Atsushi was until he showed up in Yokohama at 18 years old. While Fyodor has known about Atsushi, his ability and his location at minimum since he was 12. Because that’s when Fyodor sends Shibusawa to him.

And even when Fyodor is actively having Atsushi hunted down for through things like his bounty and the Guild’s incineration plot, it feels more like a test that anything else. It’s like he’s continuing where Shibusawa left off, setting these events and observing how Atsushi will fare through them.

Ironically in a way similar to a cat playing with it’s pray.

Like I don’t think for 5 minutes that Nathaniel Hawthorne showing up on the sky casino was supposed to be a legitimate threat. Especially knowing Lucy was there and allowing himself to get caught without even fighting back.

But I don’t think he was just randomly there, he had a purpose and it was to tie a string of blood to Atsushi. In order to keep a track of him.

A moment that stands out to me is during the Hunting dogs arc when Nikolai’s fighting Atsushi and tells him ‘you’re not one of the murder targets." Because it implies to me that Atsushi’s role is different to everyone else’s. He should be with the Agency, getting framed and then going on the run but he’s not. Atsushi is down underground fighting Nikolai who just leaves him there.

And yeah Kyouka shows up to help him but the people who came to inspect that area weren’t guards or soilders but the forensics team. Meaning that Atsushi wasn’t in any real danger and for a plot like this where the Agency should have nowhere safe left to go to that is rather odd.

The only exception to this I feel is the stuff with Fukuchi because he did originally plan to kill Atsushi. The only reason he didn’t was because Akutugawa showed up but even then he tried to have him kill Atsushi. Only reason Fukuchi didn’t go after Atsushi after was because it would’ve complicated the timeline.

Feels like an outlier because all Fyodor’s plans have involved trying to capture Atsushi. Even the Guild incineration plot had them keep him safe as a prisoner. And well, Fyodor kinda needs Atsushi alive for his plans.

Hell Fyodor was in the alleyway Atsushi was walking into in the Cannablism arc. You see him turn around at hearing Atsushi’s voice and he leaves to let Atsushi discover Dazai’s body. He just leaves him alone and carries on with his plan.

All of this just reads as "I need you but not yet." There’s a plan for Atsushi alright, there’s been one going for a long time but it hasn’t come to fruition yet. Much like how the book has specific parameters of when it can be used and its conditions, Fyodor is waiting until everything is put in place to enact his grand plan.

One in which Atsushi will be the centrepiece.

[matchboxartist]

[SPOILERS FOR LIGHT NOVELS] i don't think Kunikida was ever okay

so i was rereading the light novels and... yeah i don't think Kunikida's okay. bear in mind that these were either set before the start of the anime or were set before the end of season 1, so things such as walking alone, cannibalism arc and decay of angels arc had NOT happened yet (stressing this point as much as possible). i've also included roughly when in the BSD timeline the light novels were set and which pages i found the information on.

LN1 (s1e6 and s1e7 - azure messenger arc)

is absolutely terrified of the dark - i'm specifying the dark here instead of ghosts, which he specifically mentions in the anime, because he says he doesn't believe in them. but all the same, he's definitely not (keep telling yourself that, honey) shaking and crying (pages 24 and 25)

even at age twenty is willing to let himself die to save the other hostages - it says in the light novel that he is in fact suffering the effects of the poison gas, and still tries to save them despite Dazai and Sasaki stopping him (page 29)

made sure he still wouldn't have been able to kill Dazai - despite holding Fukuzawa's orders in high regard they would go against his ideals, which is why he never brought the real gun with him (pages 76-78)

the entire ending, pretty much - he had to watch both Sasaki, who he cared about, and Rokuzou, who he raised like his own son, die. he couldn't understand that there was no other way to do things, but since we don't know how his ideal came to be (seriously, Asagiri? nothing at all besides a couple vague suggestions?) we can't exactly push this point much (pages 95-101)

LN3 (set between s1e1 and s1e2 - where the Agency are planning Atsushi's entrance exam)

has what can only be described as a panic attack at the mention of a bomb threat (pages 4 and 5)

starts describing increasingly dark and oddly specific methods of torture to use on Dazai, whilst panicking and trying to attack something that isn't there (pages 16 and 17)

Kunikida and Katai's Brilliant Days (set around s1e6 - first part of azure messenger arc, but by this point Kunikida had not watched Sasaki and Rokuzou die)

sounds terrified at the thought of being called useless (page 5)

anyway that's all i got for now, will update if i think of anything else

[osarina]

besides yosano, do the other members of the ada know about pmreader and her relationship with dazai?? would he drunkenly rant about her or not say anything at all to the others?

OKAY HERE WE GO I ACTUALLY HAD SO MUCH FUN THINKING OF THIS QUESTION

ranpo obviously deduces it on his own but he keeps it to himself (he blackmails dazai into buying him more sweets)

atsushi partially figures it out post "he's my collar" bc he SMELLS HER on him and dazai is like 🧍 when he questions it. atsushi doesn't know who she is though until he meets her post-doa arc and recognizes her scent

kunikida, yosano & everyone else know OF a woman in dazai's past who he's mentioned before but they don't know who exactly she is. they do know he's evidently still down bad for her bc he DOES frequently mention her but he's very careful to stay vague about it

BUT they don't realize HOW down bad until they go out drinking one night maybe ?? two years after dazai joins the agency, before atsushi joins. atp they think dazai sleeps around bc he brags about it and is constantly flirting w women and always comes back to the dorms late. so while they're out drinking, yosano is like pointing out women for him and he's had a few drinks by now and lets it slip by getting all grossed out by the thought of being with someone else other than reader and yosano and kunikida just give each other the BIGGEST side eye and they're like WHAT??? kunikida is like wow i knew there was a woman in his past but i did not realize it was this bad.

[sskk-manifesto]

(´；ω；｀)

[vitasexualiiis]

the tragedy of fukuzawa and ranpo's canon relationship is that i genuinely think that ranpo believes he loves fukuzawa more than fukuzawa loves him.

that's why he's so cranky when fukuzawa wants to find atsushi, even though it's illogical and atsushi is a liability. it's only fukuzawa saying that ranpo's reward will be his praise (read: appreciation) that makes him act.

it's why ranpo pictures fukuzawa like THIS when he thinks of his complicated relationship with his friends--that they need him, but as skill users, will always be better than him--during his confrontation with mushi.

note that this is right after fukuzawa tried to sacrifice himself for the greater good during the cannibalism arc, and that he's currently punishing ranpo for going against orders and trying to save him. (also of note is the fact that ranpo thinks that fukuzawa will be angry with him for trying to get kunikida out of jail.)

it's no coincidence that during this same confrontation, one where mushi is forced to admit that he did the unspeakable for a loved one, ranpo also admits that he would also do terrible things for the sake of his loved ones.

it's part of why he's so furious that fukuzawa won't listen to him at the start of the hunting dogs arc, which happens immediately after the above.

it's why he's so jealous of fukuchi, to the point where fukuchi can get ranpo to act in a way that atsushi has never seen before. fukuchi's taunting has ranpo literally trembling with rage during this scene in the anime.

AND! STILL! after all of this--after fukuzawa repeatedly puts his desire for justice above his love and respect for ranpo, after ranpo's dealt with years of fukuzawa sticking up for fukuchi--someone ranpo REALLY doesn't like for both obvious and less obvious reasons--he still trusts fukuzawa and lets fukuzawa's desires guide him.

even when he knows fukuzawa is wrong.

how couldn't this shake ranpo's faith that he matters as much to fukuzawa as fukuzawa means to him? that fukuzawa's desire for justice and upholding the greater good--his need to forever atone for his past--will always mean more than his relationship with ranpo?

that maybe, one day, fukuzawa won't choose him in a way that takes him out of ranpo's life for good?

[afterthelambs]

WHITE RASHOMON TIME

The first time we ever see Akutagawa use rashomon on any other item of clothing except his black coat (in the main manga series), it's this scene.

He uses his shirt, which even Atsushi is surprised by because even if he knows it can happen, this is the first time he (and we the audience) has seen this happen.

And it's so important that rashomon is white in this situation. We all know the symbolism behind red = 'bad' and blue = 'good' (with nuance, since the port mafia has done good before), but black and white is also a significant color scheme. Atsushi's predominant colors are white because he is on the 'good' side, but he has black in his color scheme too because he has that dark past. Meanwhile Akutagawa is predominantly black, but he has some white in his color scheme. He's not pure evil.

The Beast universe leans into this color symbolism heavily, since Akutagawa's color scheme there isn't white but grey. Beast!Aku wasn't as 'good' as main universe Atsushi since he still has that darker mindset that he has to grow out of.

WHICH BRINGS US BACK TO WHITE RASHOMON

The first time we see Akutagawa use Rashomon on any other clothing besides the black coat--the coat that Dazai gave to him as a welcome symbol into the Port Mafia-- he uses his white shirt. And the first time he uses a white rashomon, he didn't use it to attack. It was entirely to sacrifice himself and save Atsushi.

Akutagawa has saved Atsushi many times before obviously. Dragging him off the Moby Dick, working together during the cannibalism arc, etc. But in all those scenarios, he was never putting himself on the line to do it. He either had nothing to lose by saving Atsushi, or mutually benefited from it.

But this time? He knew he was going to die, he knew what it meant, he never intended to be the survivor. And he did it anyway. Some people have theorized that this was still for personal reasons (that he believed this is how he proves his worth to Dazai) but it doesn't change the fact that this was an act purely of saving. It is so fitting that Rashomon was white at that moment.

[videogamelover99]

I've been having a lot of reverse!skk thoughts lately.

Setting up some context: Oda never died during the Mimic arc. Dazai still unravelled Mori's plan and now there's a huge rift between them. Dazai never trusted Mori completely, and now he barely does. Their dynamic had turned into a power play between them.

Oda's kids still died. Oda lives having survived his suicidal massacre but the weight of his loss and the blood on his hands weighs on him. He is no longer a pacifist. His dream for writing a novel is gone. Dazai has tried to help him, but he can barely help himself so he's kinda bad at it.

Ango's hanging out with the government now! No one trusts him :/

Chuuya leaves a few months after the Mimic incident. He comes across a set of documents proving Mori's involvement with the Arahabaki project as well as his personal tied with the military doctor that is Chuuya's real father. After failing to kill Mori for his betrayal, Chuuya is now a traitor. No one knows why he tried to suddenly kill the Boss, but the incident itself is whispered throughout the entirety of the Mafia. People point to Chuuya's origins in the Sheep as proof that he was a traitor all along, bidding his time.

Dazai doesn't know why. Its driving him crazy.

Chuuya thinks Dazai knew the entire time. They're a mess of zero communication.

Chuuya spends his time hiding out in different parts of the world (he's got friends in the UK so there's that!) He looks for his parents and finds them, only to leave them behind like he's done in canon. He's aware the Mafia is keeping tabs on them, but that's not the only reason why he left.

He gets a little reckless, beats up some bad guys. He doesn't know exactly what to do with his life, so he's kind of mess.

His little vigilante spree reaches Chief Taneda, who sends Ango to keep tabs on him and offer him a job. Can't have a former military experiment of infinite power running around without supervision.

Chuuya, uh, does not take the offer well (poor Ango).

Chief Taneda finally confronts him in person, says if he wants a job Taneda knows a guy who is not affiliated with the government and whom Chuuya might like (received almost as badly, but Chuuya considers it).

While Chuuya's mulling over this weird offer, he runs into a human trafficking organization that was in conflict with the Sheep back in the day. He's got an excuse to beat up more bad guys. Guess who he ends up running into (yes it's the Agency).

More specifically, it's Ranpo! They squabble, they team up, the works. Ranpo is like "Do you want a job" and Chuuya is like "That's sus but I'll think about it" (he does in fact want it)

Chuuya ends up meeting the other Agency members before he agrees (Ranpo 100% has nothing to do with that. Totally.) He likes them. He thinks they're all insane. He misses having people around who aren't there to double cross him. He takes the job.

Enterance Exam! I'm so sorry Kunikida.

Chuuya avoids the PM like the plague.

And then he meets Atsushi.

[karmicpunishment]

you know what i think is interesting about terukos power? it seems to deage people not to as they were at that age, but as a younger version of who they are now. you might be thinking "isn't that the same thing?" but it's not!

we don't see her use her ability super often in the series as of now, and half the time it's either mostly off-screen (with atsushi) or with her aging someone instead of deaging. so our best example is with tachihara here!

look at young tachihara (left image) compared to the sky casino arc deaged tachihara (right image). compared to his original young self, the deaged version retains the dyed hair showing that this is a younger version of his current self vs a return to the body of his younger self in entirety.

maybe this seems obvious but i've been thinking a lot recently about if teruko's ability could be used to counter the decay from the hunting dog surgeries.

based on this though, i don't think it could. she could make their bodies younger but she could not reverse them to a point before they had the surgeries, nor do it so that the decay was reversed.