#esp since Dazai joined the light

[unicornpopcorn14]

Isn't it interesting how teen skk are like... way more tragic than their adult selves?

[daz4i]

Ppl who make Chuuya solely the bottom imho also tend to make him more outwardly emotional and “good” I’ve noticed. Like they have him crying or talking about his feelings, sometimes with like therapy speak, and they sort of act like he’s a more moral person than he is? Like they focus more on the fact that he’s generally an amiable person, esp off the clock, than the fact that actually he’s a workaholic who doesn’t really lose sleep over killing ppl and like, very much would have let Dazai kill Q. Like he’s not an innocent secret do-gooder who craves life in the light most ardently?? He’s been an executive in the mafia since he was 18 and he’s the second in command. He’s a badass who is comfortable in his own skin and secure in his skills, and he’s never cried in canon, and imho he would rather chew glass than talk about his feelings openly

honestly that's a common ooc thing i see in top chuuya stuff (or non-smutty fics) too unfortunately 😩 BUT i do think there's a connection between the fandom perception of top/bottom "personalities" (in fanon. on god this whole discussion is gonna be in my future callout post if i don't clarify that) and this type of characterization but it's more like. a chicken and egg situation

as in, people who write bottom chuuya don't necessarily make him ooc. but the ppl who do write him in this ooc way, tend to make him a bottom in their fics, bc these are traits that are commonly associated with bottoms in fanon (in every fandom, like as a general concensus thing many ppl tend to fall into without thinking. you know those people who look for the same ship dynamic in every fandom they join? these guys)

all that being said the same is true abt dazai too (and making him more mysterious and suave), in both directions actually (like making him more whiny and spoiled and have less of a backbone or agency). this sort of thing happens to all characters in all fandoms i think, where one thing feeds into the other, it's just. ig. louder with skk bc they really really /don't/ fit those common character traits you see in many generic popular ships

hope that made sense 🙏

[autumn-foxfire]

So I finally finished watching Bungou Stray Dogs and it was pretty good! The story itself is okay (well except for the Oda flashback at the beginning of season 2 - that was god-tier and in all left me with all sorts of emotions and thoughts about life and death and Dazai) - I find the powers / all the literary references interesting, but the lack of consequences for the multiple murders of the Port Mafia (esp. in situations involving innocents) kind of irks me. (1/4)

Also, I find the pacing a bit weird at times - but that may just be a personal thing. Anyways, where I think the story really shines is in its characters. The character designs are great, but then add the special abilities, personal conflicts, and relationships to one another into the mix and, well. I honestly think it’s hard not to come out of watching BSD absolutely loving a character or two. For me, I came out of it absolutely loving Kunikida. (2/4)

His conflicts between his ideals vs reality and duty vs feelings are really interesting (+ he’s best agency mom). And then his ability Doppo Poet? I want it. Also he’s voiced by Patrick Seitz (Endeavor’s va) and instantly recognizing his voice in the first episode made me kind of proud. And then - of course - Dazai. Honestly, I think it’s a given that any fan of Hawks is going to love Dazai + again, the four best episodes in the series focus on him so??? (3/4)

I wish his suicidal thoughts / tendencies were taken more seriously though. Overall, I really liked the series and I’m glad I gave it another chance (especially since it introduced me to the A+ ship that is Soukoku). I still think that the hinted romantic relationship of the Tanizaki siblings is kind of creepy though… (a big reason I stopped watching in the first place, as I eventually remembered). Anyways, thanks to you + thegaygyrus for inspiring me to watch it again! (4/4)

+ just read through other asks and YES it annoys me how shafted Chuuya was. Especially since he's so closely linked to Dazai - I was so excited when I finally got to see this mysterious short redhead I've seen from your blog + everywhere else only to see that he doesn't get as much focus as, well, all the other heavily marketed characters. And then we finally got his backstory at the beginning of S3 only for him to be put away in the final battle... smh. Anyways #ChuuyaDeservesBetter2020

I’m really happy to hear that me and Lucy geeking out over it convinced you to watched it and you enjoyed what you saw so far :3

I agree that the pacing suffers from time to time (it especially felt rushed at times and I’m not sure if that’s due to the fact that didn’t have many episodes to work with or if it’s just how the light novels/manga is). And I do understand being irked by the lack of consequences because I feel it at times too (...like did they forget that the Tanizaki siblings would have died without Yosano’s ability due to Akutagawa T-T or how Akutagawa blew up a police station and probably killed a lot of innocent people). Like I can understand later on that the reason why is probably due to the fact the tripartite exists but then why present Akutagawa as a fugitive if the Port Mafia’s crimes are usually ignored? So yeah, there are issues with the writing at times, I agree (especially what happened to Chuuya).

I can understand why you love Kunikida so much T-T The conflicts he faces in the story are so appealing and he’s really the one you see put through the ringer the most (...people he keeps trying to protect die in front of him and damn is it tragic to see. The man is going to develope a complex at some point). Also Doppo Poet is just such a useful ability (It reminds me of Momo’s quirk who has my favourite quirk in BNHA. Now we need a crossover with these two bonding :p).

And I feel you about Dazai’s suicidal tendencies. I know it’s played for gags most of the time but we saw when he was in the Mafia he truly didn’t care if he died and put himself into dangerous situations under the possibility that he would :/ Dazai needs a therapist desperately (and for someone to get rid of Mori forever).

(I also feel for you about the Tanizaki siblings. The incest is just... unneeded. But I’ve also become numb to it sadly because it appears all my favourite anime have incest in them *glares at Durarara!!*)

AND YES! JOIN US! Justice for Chuuya!!

I’m so mad! I wanted to see Ranpo and Chuuya fight in the book! I wanted to see Poe have to run with the Port Mafia on his tail while trying to protect it! I wanted Chuuya to be more involved for gods sake T-T Time and time again he’s implied to be the ace in the hole and he’s just not used.

(Have you watched the movie yet? Some of the best Soukoku scenes come from it and it’s incredible. Dazai actually references himself as Snow White and Chuuya to be his Prince Charming... He’s not very subtle XD)

[athina39]

wowow senpai i saw that you have posts about symbolisms in your harem!chuuya fic. do you have some more? i'm interested to see if there's anything i missed!

i’m very honored (and excited!!!) that there are folks like you who want to discuss my fic ahhhhh. it gives off the feeling that i’m actually writing something really worthwhile hahaha. so thank you!!! :D :D :D

so here are some of the (major) ~symbolisms, ~themes that i added to the fic. (i may have missed some lololol pls feel free to ask me more questions :D)

- chuuya’s character song. the things i got from it are: (1) chuuya thinks that he’s imprisoned by the world (he’s a bird in a goddamn cage) - and the key to this cage is in dazai’s hand; (2) he knows that he’s imprisoned, but he doesn’t want to keep on lamenting it - he wants to keep going until the end, until he falls apart. he goes on with life, laughing off whatever’s happening to him; (3) even if he tries to “leave” his cage - dazai is there to, presumably keep him locked in; (4) chuuya thinks that even if he manages to get out, he’d rather *fall* rather than return to a cage alone; (5) he views dazai as someone who: (5a) is a view worth more than 10-billion, (5b) has the same philosophy as Kierkegaard, (5c) has said the line ‘in langour dreams of death’.

(5c) expanded - the line is from chuuya’s poem 'For The Tainted Sorrow’, so did chuuya write that line after dazai said it? or did the line actually come from chuuya himself? the line seems more in-tune with dazai’s way of thinking but it’d also be interesting if chuuya actually shares the same apathy/hole when it comes to living…?

- Søren Kierkegaard’s philosophy - so this is technically an expansion from (5b)! the guy is a proponent of a loooooooot of philosophies/ideas. the idea that i chose to expand on in the fic is about the “leap of faith”, which is, as per wiki: “No such evidence could ever be enough to completely justify the kind of total commitment involved in true religious faith or romantic love. Faith involves making that commitment anyway.” his idea is that people doubt things, but real love means that believing in something/someone, despite the doubt, despite there being no evidence that one should believe/love that something/someone. so in this fic, it’s a clash between dazai’s philosophy (the love needs no evidence) and chuuya’s (you’ve hurt me before, how do i know that you won’t do it again, you have to give me proof that you won’t leave).

other things of note about the kierkegaard’s ideas: (6) man must understand himself inwardly before his life gains peace and meaning; (7) once man is at the bottommost despair, thinking “ah, things can’t be changed”, that’s when they’ll start to be reinvigorated; (8) absurdism: in which humans try to find value and meaning in life, but are unable to find any; (9) authenticity: in which stays true to their real character despite everything that happens to them - the real self is achieved when one realizes their own character amid the outside world;

chuuya & dazai both go through this internal struggles throughout their life where they try to find their true self amidst what’s happening to them, as well as how well does their “real character” survives against the external influences (their Abilities, the Port Mafia, each other, etc).

- dazai & apples have been expanded here - but basically, there’s a lot of symbolism re: apples that are just so dAZAI

- the people chuuya’s dating all possess characteristics that (10) he likes and dazai’s also showing those traits OR has traits that are the complete opposite of dazai’s, as a contrast; AND (11) characteristics that chuuya has already. i made a table that has a list of those traits here!

- chuuya’s quest to find self-worth - since chuuya’s not particularly important to the plot (urgh), i know he won’t really get an in-depth exploration of this - but he’s just like kyouka (and lucy/q), in which since he’s fairly young, he’s had this Ability that’s super powerful, but is out of his control. kyouka’s had angst about the 35 people - and she’s had angst about her Ability being out of *her* control and is instead dependent on some(one)/(thing) else - and she’s had angst about her self-worth being killing only. chuuya’s Ability matches all of those - and to think that kyouka’s in the mafia when mori’s already the Boss - who’s considered an *improvement* on the previous Boss. based on the general timeline from the backstories, i believe that dazai & chuuya joined the mafia before mori’s the boss - so if kyouka’s treatment is already considered “an improvement”…. just think of what chuuya could have gone through before.

- chuuya’s quest for normality - linked to the self-worth quest is the conclusion to having your entire life generally weighed as your contribution based on your abilities. he’s a very strong piece on the chessboard (it’s been alluded to, multiple times, that he’s considered a one-man army; ranpo in ch49 even says that just chuuya’s joining the fray is enough to drastically alter the odds of a fight; mori says in ch…24? iirc, that chuuya’s a force that’s enough to subdue the whole Agency) so i doubt that he’s had a normal upbringing or that he’s considered normal, at all.

- Abilities being gone from the world - as a plot point, i like this setting because it gives a chance to “level” the playing field for all characters. they’d all be on equal footing - because some Abilities are so OP that it changes the game. it’s a great chance to have chuuya, whose worth has been resting on his abilities, suddenly losing something that makes him so worthy. it’s also, in a way, a good chance to have chuuya be free from dazai - without corruption, he doesn’t *need* dazai to save him. without dazai’s 'no longer human’, he no longer has an insurance, because he’s not needed to stop the powerful ability users from going berserk (chuuya, q). it’s a good way to explore how the 'tainting’ actually works - chuuya’s chant, while very chuuni, is also interesting, because is it implying that his ability is actually somewhat more otherworldly? who are these 'grantors of dark disgrace’? what happens if chuuya’s link to them is severed? it’s also, esp in chuuya’s case, a good… parallel? to how you can have something your whole life, taking it for granted, shaping your life to accomodate it, and then one day - it can just go away.

- chuuya being a good boss - port mafia is said to be a very individual-centric organization. the previous boss likes powertrips, doesn’t really care about the people as long as he gets the destruction that he needs, as long as the mafia is feared. mori calculates everything as a game. chuuya’s very different from those 2 bosses (as well as dazai, since we have the dazai-is-considered-as-next-boss thing). he cares deeply for his squad - to the point that he doesn’t mind q dying if it means retribution for his nameless redshirts’ deaths. he’s able to act differently when he’s interacting with different people (e.g. suave and deferential with mori/kouyou; motherhen towards akutagawa/kajii; drinking buddy with hirotsu/kajii and tachihara in that one chapter). he’s respected by people - the black lizard squad, who work closely with akutagawa and mori, two very frightening and powerful people, treat him with respect. yes, his temper (esp when dazai is involved) could use a lot of work, but he’s someone who could be a very good boss, who actually *knows* the people he’s working with, treats them as people, treats them as individuals who are important to the organization. (not to mention, chuuya helping the granny even tho he knows it doesn’t match being a mafia!)

- date locations - whenever chuuya goes on a date with someone else who’s not dazai… they go to “usual date places” (i use the dating/tourist spot suggestions for yokohama). whenever chuuya spends time with dazai… i try to make it so that they do more “domestic” things (they spend a lot of time in chuuya’s house, or doing things like grocery shopping, buying food, etc). my goal is to have a contrast of how chuuya’s more about “showmanship”, when he’s with others - he cares for them, but he’s expending extra effort to make it so that it’s all ~~~date atmosphere~~~, while with dazai, he doesn’t exert much effort in trying to interact with him.

- in addition to the above, of course, is the concept of home - chuuya’s lost his home multiple times in his life, where home is both a literal home, as well as a representation of a place for him to belong. he keeps on losing the place he finds stability, so he keeps on searching for it. the goal is that he’ll eventually realize that dazai is his home. as a side-note, chuuya’s never referred his apartment as his home…. yet.

- chuuya’s view of romance - i was thinking - chuuya grew up (lol not in his height tho) in the mafia. the people that we’ve seen him with re: childhood are: kouyou, dazai, mori, q. those people don’t seem very good mentors when it comes to romance/emotions. kouyou’s… the main proponent of the “we’re beings of the dark, we can’t go for the light”. &she’s got that traumatic romance thingy going on. dazai… NO. mori… NO. q… NO. so not very good influences when it comes to healthy emotions. i also doubt that the port mafia gave much weight to actually having their members learn about romance. so how would chuuya learn about romance???

- weather - so the cold weather is because (a) good excuse for coat sharing (esp since soukoku coats/matching outfits!!!); (b) sign that something “different” from normal is happening; © WINTER FYODOR IS COMING

- the tell-tale heart - edgar allan poe's short story that has elements of (a) unreliable narrator, (b) insanity vs logic. the narrator/main character in the story spends the entire story insisting on one thing, but the more he insists, the more we learn that it's the opposite of what he's insisting. a pretty good parallel for what chuuya's doing too.

- the things that chuuya mentioned in ch1 (the opera, music, etc) all have some sort of significance too :D

that’s all i can get from my notes as of the moment haha! thanks again for the ask - i’m sorry i rambled too much lol

[insoukokuhell-434]

op’s tags -> #it's not that they *aren't* tragic #or that their teen selves are separate from their current selves #it's that things feel less tense between them #which is interesting because the 4 years of separation should have had opposite effect #but no #they feel healthier in a sense #esp since Dazai joined the light

EXACTLYYYYY!! I’ve never thought of that way before!

22!skk has the fun of dazai’s defection, so there’s so much delicious angst if you dig (if they fight/open up/drop hints), but their regular every-day interactions are so much healthier and less tense!

Especially compared to stormbringer skk, where Chuuya is so adamant about not being like Dazai. And like op said, healthier less-depressed Dazai can make things so much lighter!

Isn't it interesting how teen skk are like... way more tragic than their adult selves?