#not that the bsd plot ever made sense to me

[kunikiiida-kuuun]

Ok I'm kinda lost with the manga plot now? Like since when are people apprehensive about abilities in the BSD universe anyways? Up till now I haven't seen any actual disdain for abilities, so it feels like it's coming out of nowhere when Fyodor is like "now everyone will see the danger of ability users and want them all dead". Aren't ability users super rare to begin with??? This is just Fyodor having some personal vendetta against ability users for reasons still unknown.

Also isn't Amenogozen way too op??? A time travelling sword was already op to begin with but I doubt there's any logical way to defeat it.

[dreamkidddream]

Pulling Them in for a Kiss || Dazai, Gin, & Ango

It’s been too long since I wrote for BSD so please enjoy and reader is gender neutral!

CW: a teensy, tiny bit suggestive (tagging it just to be on the safe side)

Dazai

Dazai is usually the one to take initiative, and he’s very physical with his affections. He’s not afraid to hide it either, always planting kisses on you or pulling you into his arms at any moment

He’s not one to be caught off guard, and if he does it’s rare

He knew you were planning to do something when you approached him with a smile that seemed too sweet- but he’s curious to see what you’re trying to pull off. He won’t stop you

Just know that you’re playing a very dangerous game- and he isn’t one to lose

Dazai could feel your eyes on him, and he could picture the gears turning in your head. You’re obviously plotting something- but he’ll pretend to let you have the upper hand. Could this be revenge for the little stunt he pulled at your doorstep last night? More than likely, but he couldn’t help it- it was so fun to tease you and see your reactions!

An amused smile played on his lips as he thought about last night- how flustered you were getting from just a brush of his fingertips, the denial of it, how close he was to pressing his lips against yours…

It was a fun little cat and mouse game you both were playing. Even if you mistakenly thought that you were the cat, Dazai was still enjoying himself.

But he had to admit, his patience was starting run a bit thin at this game. And he was ready to be selfish-

“Dazai.”

“Hm?” You stood before him, arms crossed. You tried your best to not look bothered, nervous, but the way your fingers tapped away and the fidgeting that you’re trying to hide made it apparent that you’re planning something.

“Can you give me your report on the Hanako case? I’m ready to turn it in.”

“Well anything for you belladonna.” He collected the papers in one pile and held it out to you. He came off nonchalant, but he was watching your moves carefully- did you really think you could catch him by surprise? He couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought.

When your fingers brushed his for the papers, he let his touch linger as he spoke up. “That can’t be all that you came over here for, is it?”

He smirked as he heard your breath catch. You’re so easy to rattle.

“No, actually-“ You softly put the papers back down, a flash of determination crossed your face.

“I’m finishing what you started.”

You pulled him by his bolo tie and smashed your lips against his. Dazai’s own eyes were wide as yours was tightly shut.

For once, he was caught off guard, and by the time he started to melt into the kiss and move to wrap his arms around you, you had already pulled away.

You didn’t look him in the eyes as you grabbed at the papers again, clearing your throat. Seems that you were still processing what you did yourself, “Now, if you excuse me-“

Unfortunately, you weren’t fast enough.

You jumped when his wrist caught your arm, and you felt yourself being pulled back.

“Oh there you are-“

Kunikida stopped in his tracks, his words trailing off and a questioning look on his face.

You were trapped against Dazai’s chest, whose smile was unnerving and only making you sweat more.

Before Kunikida could even begin to ask what he was happening, Dazai was already pulling you away, claiming that there was a very important case that had to be solved that couldn’t wait any longer.

Gin

Gin’s senses are sharp- and they never fail her. Even when she’s not on a mission, she’s always aware of her surroundings, prepared for the moment when she needs to strike

But it still doesn’t stop her from getting flustered

Or rather- from you making her flustered

No one would have ever suspect that a high-ranking assassin like herself would be acting a schoolgirl being near her crush- and the same could be said for you

You love seeing Gin smile so much.

Honestly you just love seeing her.

She came off as delicate despite being able to easily end anyone with just a flick of her wrist. You would have never imagined that you would get this close to Gin- let alone fall in love.

Yet here you are, fingers itching to lace them with her own.

You chose a private space away from everyone else to watch the fireworks, high enough to get a good view and quiet to where you could admire her in peace. Just glancing at her now, raven hair cascading down her back with a soft smile with a glow from the flashing sparks- she always took your breath away, but this was to a new level.

And it awakened something in you.

“Gin.”

Her eyes flickered over to yours, and any hesitations that you had vanished in that very moment.

You clenched your fists and took in a deep breath, before willing yourself to grab at her hands.

She let out a small squeak, and could already see how flushed her cheeks were getting.

It was now or never.

Your eyes were shut tight when you pulled her forward and connected your lips.

Everything went still in that moment, and there were a million thoughts running through your head- how soft her lips were, how you can’t believe that you’re actually finally doing this-

When you pulled away, Gin’s face was completely flushed and head turned the opposite way. She couldn’t even look you in the eyes- not that you were brave enough to look at her either.

You were expecting her to move away and sprint to the other side, until you felt something on top of your hand-

You glanced down to see her fingertips meeting yours. You can see how they were slightly trembling, but she still laid them gently on top of yours.

Gin still wasn’t looking at you and vice versa, but it didn’t stop you from lacing your fingers together.

You both sat there gazing at the fireworks, while she gently gave your hand a squeeze.

Ango

Does Ango know anything besides work?

You’re a bit concerned- not only in how he works nonstop, but also in how little he was paying attention to you- it sounds petty, but it’s the truth!

It’s so easy for him to get consumed with his work with how much is weighing on his shoulders with his position, but you don’t want him to overwork himself either

Lucky for you- you knew how to make him take a break and a way for you to get your point across…

“Ango.”

“Just a second dear- I’m almost done with this report.”

You know that Ango has no simple job. The multiple hours that he puts into his work aren’t useless- it directly affects Yokohama, that much you know. But it wouldn’t do the city or Ango himself good if he keeps pushing him to the point of over exhaustion.

It’s been nights where he would tell you not to wait up on him and you do so anyway, seeing him crawl into bed mere hours before sunlight would come into your shared room. You were already concerned when it happened, and it only grew when it kept happening more.

There was to immediate threat that he had to focus on, yet Ango was never a procrastinator, already trying to be one step ahead of whatever problem would come next- which wasn’t bad, but it was when it was getting the way of his health and his relationship.

And desperate times call for desperate measures.

“Ango,” you placed your head directly in front of the screen and he jolted back. You took this moment of weakness to crawl into his lap, effectively straddling him.

Ango’s cheeks were progressively getting redder by the second, and the stutters that left his lips began to jumble together the more your hands trailed up his chest, reaching up to remove his glasses. You forgot how much you loved seeing him like this- seeing him unravel under your fingertips.

Before he could even try to understand what you were up to, you pulled him by his tie and locked lips with him.

His breath hitched and his eyes widened, hands hovering above your waist. You felt the tension in his body slowly leave as he sunk into the kiss, eyes closing and pulling you even closer.

When you both broke apart, you rested your forehead against Ango’s, who was panting lightly with his eyes unfocused. The tips of his ears were turning brighter (if that was possible), when you kissed him again.

“Come to bed with me?” You gave him another peck. “Please?”

“It- It is getting late, I could always finish this tomorrow.” He cleared his throat, trying to get himself composed again even if he was failing miserably.

Was it a bit of an underhanded tactic? Probably.

But you thought it was worth it when you were curled into Ango’s arms later on that night, both of you soundly sleeping.

[kouyou-arc-when]

Has bsd fandom ever be rational. Despite the story being pretty mature, I associate the fanbase with children mostly (like mha) because most of the people I interacted with are under 17, often the focus are ships and very stupid tiktok theories that don't make sense canonically because most fans don't pay attention to the lore unless it involves their husbands/wives. Makes sense to me that a big part of the fandom doesn't vibe with what's currently happenin.

Gotta say I agree. I don't want to be a dick and tell people what they're supposed to like or not, or whether certain theories HAVE to be true - however, it's very clear to me that BSD is just not the manga a lot of fans expect it to be. How many times do we need to tell people Asagiri's favorite manga is Jojo, and his favorite movie franchise the Avengers? Shouldn't that tell us a lot about what kind of stories he wants to create? My main issue is that people reject/accept theories and events entirely based on whether they like something. You can't ever discuss anything truly unpopular because the person you're talking to has already made up their mind beforehand, and if Asagiri himself came down and told them otherwise, they wouldn't accept it. The worst part is that this doesn't ONLY happen with underage fans, but people over 20 too. They'll completely deny certain aspects of the plot because it doesn't fit what they like. "X character is not in love with Y character? Impossible and you are wrong. " BSD is just one of those manga where so many theories could be true, and it's more fun to speculate than it is to see canon actually happen - but one thing I hate the most is people who won't let others then have their fun? Nope, it is only my opinion that is canon!! I've written a bunch of theories for fucks of it that I don't even agree with.

[familiariscanis]

i don't care if bsd is believable. i don't care if the plot twists make sense, because honestly they never really have made much sense and they don't necessarily need to. bsd tends to be kind of ridiculous and a lot of times that's what makes it fun and endearing. i am perfectly willing to suspend my disbelief for this show.

i do care if bsd is rewarding tho, and i don't feel like this was a particularly rewarding season finale as far as dazai's character goes. another dazai ex machina ending to a season isn't the problem here for me; it's the doubt that resolution is retroactively casting on everything dazai has done and said in the last arc. it makes the sincerity of everything he said suspect. it makes me wonder if he was ever really in danger. how much dazai knew, how assured he was of his victory isn't entirely clear, but that doesn't really matter. what matters is that enough of the conflict in the mersault arc was shown to be not real, and that puts everything in a different light. it makes any vulnerability or weakness dazai showed during the arc seem inconsequential, and it makes it feel less genuine dazai's speech to chuuya when he was "drowning" chuuya was interesting when the chapter released because it had so many character and relationship implications. dazai, pragmatic and logical as he is, being capable of killing chuuya if he had to but not incapable of feeling nothing about it. it made you wonder if perhaps dazai might be doing something he'd regret, if he'd realize only once it's too late the true consequences of his actions. dazai saying for years that he wants to kill chuuya and genuinely believing that he wants him dead, only to realize once he's succeeded at that that his life is missing something without chuuya there to irritate him... that's interesting! that's opening up a whole world of possibilities for dazai's character and their relationship. even if chuuya survives, dazai still may be faced with the realization that hey, he doesn't want chuuya dead. it forces him to really reckon with the magnitude of importance chuuya has in his life, which, for all of their unspoken trust, may be something dazai has taken for granted. it might make him re-examine his feelings or himself. it might change the dynamic between them.

now that there's the possibility of it being pre-planned, that speech loses it's weight— and the character implications of it are somewhat lost. of course, there is the possibility that dazai didn't know at the time, that he only figured it out at some point during the events of the game. it's certainly open to interpretation and it's definitely interesting to interpret it that he didn't know at the time, but it's an equally valid interpretation that dazai knew all along, so it shifts the exploration of dazai's character and his feelings for chuuya from the realm of canon to fanon.

but the way that the vampire fake-out plot twist is presented does strip some of the possibility for vulnerability from dazai's words. it casts enough doubt on it to make it plausible that he was just fucking around, that it doesn't really mean anything. it keeps dazai in a secure place of superiority in the narrative and makes him immune to normal character flaws and weaknesses. dazai, as a person, is supposed to be learning to trust and he wins because of that trust, but it's falling flat for dazai as a character (for me, at least) because we don't believe there was ever really a risk that he'd fall. as the audinece, we can see asagiri setting up a safety net and it negates the impact of the trust fall that dazai is supposedly doing. basically this plot twist is the emotional equivalent to seeing a video of someone jumping off a ledge and then the camera zooms out and you realize what you thought was a 30 foot drop is actually only about 3 feet. and not only is it not rewarding, but it makes me feel like i was silly for being worried in the first place.

[silvfyre-writings]

Snapshots Pt. 5 (BSD Fanfic)

Welcome baaaack, I hope I didn't keep you all waiting for too long! Life has been a bit busy for me (working full time does not leave much time for writing honestly) but I'm doing my best to keep you all fed!!!

Poe was afraid of many things, but some were worse than others.

Crowds were one of his fears, albeit a minor one. Rather than make him scared, they made him uncomfortable—his time in the Guild with forced socialization was to thank for that,

but if you gave him the choice of staying home or going out into society, it was an obvious choice as to which one he would pick. It wasn’t that he hated socializing, because when he was comfortable and happy, he was actually quite good at it, it was just that he never really had enough time to prepare for the socialization. And preparation was key when it came to his fear of crowds. Because with the proper preparation, he was able to go out—usually with someone else, because he rarely ventured outside by himself—and have what he liked to consider a ‘good time.’ But if he wasn’t able to prepare, then any and all interactions within the outside world were filled with anxiety and stress that continued to build the longer he was out. And once that anxiety started to build, it seldom went away, escalating until he was either breaking down into panic or safely at home.

So yeah, Poe didn’t really consider his fear of crowds a true fear, but rather a discomfort.

Another one of his minor fears was his own ability, and the only reason that he considered it a minor fear was because recent events had helped him to accept that his ability could help rather than harm. Because for as long as he could remember, all his ability had ever done was harm others, usually against his will since he hadn’t had the same control over it as a child that he did now. He remembers every person he’s ever killed with his ability, whether it be an accident, on purpose, or for the Guild, and it hurts every time he remembers those people. There was only one person that Poe didn’t regret killing, and that was the person he caught abusing an innocent baby raccoon, the mother already dead from that person’s abuse.

Had that incident still scared him and made him aware of just how dangerous his ability was? Yes. But did he regret using it in that moment to save the life of an innocent creature? No.

After that incident however, Poe swore off his ability; at least, until the Guild had come along and Fitzgerald had found his ability fascinating to use, for all the wrong reasons of course. Poe may have been made the Guild’s Architect, but he was the Guild’s prison warden in a sense, trapping Fitzgerald’s enemies into books that the man had him create. The books he created in that time were barbaric and cruel, but he did it anyway. Because Poe wasn’t the nice person he allowed himself to think he was, and he needed the Guild’s resources for his revenge plot against that detective that had bested and mocked him.

Edogawa Ranpo.

Poe had had it all thought out, had it all planned down to the last detail, and he knew that his plan would work, and that he’d finally kill the greatest source of his misery. He wasn’t fond of having to use his ability to do so, but there was no way that he’d be able to win against Ranpo without first stripping Ranpo of the very thing that made him the ‘World’s Greatest Detective.’ His ability. For six years, Poe had thought about how unfair it was that Ranpo had been handed an ability that brought him no pain, no suffering, no fear, when every other ability user that Poe knew or had crosses paths with, had been, or was frightened of the power they held, including himself.

Only, Ranpo’s ability wasn’t an ability, and once again Poe was defeated.

He’d expected that to be the end of him. He’d expected Ranpo to mock him, he’d expected Ranpo’s companion to straight up kill him herself, but neither of those things happened. Instead, Ranpo praised him, praised his ability, and Poe had been stunned, just watching as they snatched the Moby Dick plans and left. He’d thought that the end, but then Ranpo had tracked him down and forced himself into Poe’s life, befriending him, praising him… loving him. All things Poe had been deprived of for so long, but there was one thing that Ranpo did that helped him to fear his ability less; he actually asked Poe to use his ability on him again the next time he wrote something.

Actually asked him.

And then Ranpo had asked again, and again, and over time, Poe began to look forward to showing Ranpo his latest work, and over time, the fear he had of his ability, lessened. It was still there, and would probably always be there, but it wasn’t at prominent as it once had been.

Poe’s biggest fear though, was heights.

For as long as he could remember, he’d always feared any and all activities that required his feet to leave the ground; the thought of even leaving the ground in the first place was enough to send his heart racing, and make his palms sweat. The first time he’d been coerced into leaving the ground had been at the local fair, his adoptive parents taking him there because all children loved the local fairs, right? Wrong. Poe remembered that day clearly, and how terrified and anxious he’d felt; hand held tight by his adoptive mother with hoards of people pushing against them no matter where they walked. But that hadn’t been the worst part, no, the worst part had been when the woman had decided that he needed to see the fair from as high as possible, and had taken him on the Ferris Wheel.

He’d tried to refuse, begging his adoptive mother to go on literally any other ride but that one, but she had been adamant.

The entire time he’d been trapped in that box, Poe had cried and trembled, fear giving way to panic in seconds as the ground grew further and further away. His adoptive mother had told him to stop being stupid, and Poe wanted to yell that it wasn’t his fault, that he hadn’t asked to be born with this fear—because even scared out of his mind, he could admit there was a beauty in seeing things from up high, but it just wasn’t for him. Yet for some reason, the people sworn to take care of him couldn’t see it that way, and the years after the fair were actual hell, because his adoptive parents deemed his fear of heights pathetic and stupid, and tried to deal with it by subjecting him to heights as often as possible. Something stuck on the roof? He had to climb up and get it. Travelling to another city? He had to deal with the mountainous roads. And sure, exposure therapy probably worked for some people.

But not Poe.

No, it only made his fear worse.

How did I wind up in this situation? Poe squeezed his eyes shut; his back pressed as close to the wall as he could get. Poe continued to question himself, even as his breathing picked up until he was more gasping and choking than actually breathing. His throat bobbed, and he let his head thud against the wall; he was trembling and trembling bad, and it was only because of the force that he was using to keep himself against the wall, that he didn’t collapse into a heap. He dug his nails into the brick behind him, the pain keeping him tethered to reality, doing his best to ignore the sweat making its way down the back of his neck.

Poe’s hands felt clammy, and his blood roared in his ears, his heart pounding so fast that if he wasn’t already aware that he was panicking, he’d start to think he was having a heart attack. But even though he knew it was panic, that knowledge did nothing to help stop it; if anything, it only made him panic more. At this point, the only thing that would stop this panic of his, would be to get off the roof he’d found himself standing on, but he couldn’t do that because he was panicking, and when he panicked he couldn’t move; it was just an endless cycle that would only end when eventually, the lack of oxygen made him pass out.

But he had to.

He had to because Ranpo was beside the edge of the roof, handcuffed, bleeding from a head wound, and unable to move. Poe could hear him groaning and shifting about, but with his eyes closed, he couldn’t do anything but listen. He wanted nothing more than to rush over and pull Ranpo into his arms, to feel the warmth of his skin and the beating of his heart against his own, but he just…

Could. Not. Move.

So stupid. Poe slid to the ground.

“Poe…”

It’s not even that tall. But it was, it was so high.

“Poe, please.”

You are going to die. No he wasn’t, but—

“Edgar!” The sound of his given name, yelled so desperately, gave him the strength to open his eyes, and it only took a second for his frightened ones to meet Ranpo’s equally distressed eyes. “Edgar, please, you need to breathe.”

He tried, he really did try, to take that one breath that would tell him that everything would be fine, but it got caught in his throat and he choked on it instead. And instead of getting mad or impatient and yelling at him, Ranpo continued to talk calmly, encouraging him to take that one breath that would kickstart his respiratory system into functioning again.

Finally, Poe managed to take a breathe and hold it for longer than a second, and his mind cleared just a little. Feeling sure of himself, Poe took another breath, and another, the world returning to its normal state the more breaths he took. The panic that had been running rampant through him began to ease, still there and threatening, but falling back into the back of his mind where he could ignore it so long as he was distracted.

And Ranpo was plenty distracting. “Ran—Ranpo—I—”

“It’s fine, don’t apologize.” Ranpo said, eyes soft. “Just keep breathing, okay?”

Poe nodded, and let his eyes fall shut, allowing the world to disappear for just a moment. He wasn’t going to be able to ignore it forever, but for now, he did. After a few minutes of silence, Poe opened his eyes again and looked over Ranpo, taking stock of his partner’s condition now that he was in the right state of mind to actually do so.

The wound on Ranpo’s head was crusted with dried blood, with trails running down his face and staining his shirt, and he looked a little tired. It was impossible to tell just from that if Ranpo was concussed, but it was obvious that the injury was paining him from the way his eyes only flicked open every now and then.

At some point during Poe’s panic, Ranpo had tried to get closer to him, because rather than next to the edge like Poe remembered him being, he was now halfway between the edge and Poe. He swallowed the anxiety that threatened to rise, and slowly began to shuffle across the roof, keeping his eyes on Ranpo; the temptation to look elsewhere was strong, but he refused, because he knew that the moment he became aware of his situation again, he’d be lost to panic again. With every step that Poe took, Ranpo was there with words of encouragement, and it was with those words that Poe found the strength to creep along, even though his entire body was shaking, and he really just wanted to run away and go back to the ground.

“There’s a bobby pin in my pocket.” Ranpo said the moment that Poe was beside him, eyes that were glazed with pain staring right through him. The detective twisted until his pockets were within reach, and Poe didn’t hesitate to find the pin, pushing Ranpo over more so that he could reach the cuffs keeping his hands behind his back.

Even with shaking hands, it only took Poe a few seconds to get the cuffs off. “Got—Got them.”

Immediately, Poe found himself being pulled into Ranpo’s arms, and his vision went dark as his face was hidden against the crook of Ranpo’s neck. Poe sagged, and let out a sigh as he returned the embrace, clutching at the back of Ranpo’s shirt like his life depended on it, even though the danger had long since passed and all that remained was his longstanding fear of heights. One of Ranpo’s hands began to toy with his hair, fingers twisting and threading themselves between the locks, and Poe felt soft lips press against his temple.

“Breathe, Edgar.” Ranpo murmured, holding him gently. “You’re safe, I’m safe. You did it.”

“It’s so—It’s so—” Poe fumbled over his words, letting out a whine instead.

“It’s so high?” He nodded. “I know, but trust that I’ll get us down, alright? You just need to stop shaking so much before I try and move us.”

“Are you alright?” Poe asked, having forgotten in the heat of his panic that Ranpo had only been seconds from losing his life when he had arrived. Not to mention the detective was most likely still hurting from the blow to the head he’d taken—Poe couldn’t help but feel guilty about needing help when his love also needed help.

Ranpo nodded, and gave him a squeeze. “Nothing some painkillers won’t fix. It’s not my first brush with death, remember?”

“I know, I just—nngh—”

“You were just scared?”

Bless Ranpo for knowing him so well. Poe nodded and pulled away from Ranpo, confident that he wasn’t going to panic now—the talking had done wonders for his panic, and even his shaking was lessening. He stared into Ranpo’s eyes, and brushed some stray hair out of the others face, taking care to brush over Ranpo’s injury with the lightest of touches; still, Ranpo flinched, a minute one, but one all the same, and Poe sighed. “I’m sorry.”

Ranpo tilted his head. “What for?”

“For taking too long.”

If he’d just been a little faster, a little smarter, he would’ve been able to figure out where Ranpo’s attacker had taken him long before Ranpo had been hurt, and in turn, completely avoid having to climb the ten story building in order to stop the attacker from throwing Ranpo off the roof. Sure, it’d ended well this time; the criminal was trapped in Poe’s novel, and Ranpo was safe and alive, but it should never have gotten to that stage in the first place. He should’ve been able to stop it from going that far.

He always called himself Ranpo’s rival, yet right now, he felt nothing of the sort.

“Edgar, please, get out of your head before you send yourself over the edge.” Ranpo’s hands came up to cup at his cheeks. “Focus on the positive that everything is fine. That we are both fine and good. We’ll go home, patch me up, and cuddle in bed. But first, we need to get off the roof, okay? Are you ready to go home?”

Poe nodded, and squeezed his eyes shut, sliding his hands to grip at Ranpo’s own, placing his trust into his partner’s hands. He felt Ranpo squeeze his hands and stand, and he followed the other’s guiding squeezes and words until he too, was standing. Poe focused all his attention on the warmth that was Ranpo’s hand clutched in his own, and ran a thumb over the smooth skin to further focus. Because he knew that the moment that he stopped focusing, he would end up right back where he started, and honestly, he was a little tired of his weak constitution. So he kept his eyes closed, and he kept holding onto Ranpo’s hands as they made their way down the stairs, taking it slow, and keeping close to each other.

Because as scared as Poe was right now, he knew that Ranpo wouldn’t let any harm come to him, and it didn’t matter what fear it was—whether it be his fear of crowds, or his fear of heights—Ranpo was always there with reassuring touches and gentle whispers, slowing both himself and the world down to Poe’s pace.

Until he was ready to face it again.

[rainiiisspamming]

BSD 109 SPOILERS!!!

Seriously read it first don't spoil yourself it's amazing it will ruin you and your life.

Okay now that that's out of the way, I will literally NEVER shut up about BSD 109 ever, and specifically about Dazai. This is not a serious analysis, just me being in pain because what the fuck.

Now before anything gets said, a few points :

He will survive. He's the plot, quite literally, and I have seen a lot of people point out the fact that his character arc isn't finished yet, and I totally agree- Asagiri is extremely careful with his plot devices and writing, so I'm pretty sure he wouldn't just cut Dazai's arc right in the middle like that. Tons of people have made several analysis on this, and again, I 100% agree with that.

A lot of people have been theorizing that the bullet in his head is not real, and that Chuuya stopped it with gravity. I agree with that- it makes sense, and would be the best way for Asagiri to 'save' Dazai from his situation.

Biology majors have made several panel analysis explaining that the spots Dazai got shot in are, in fact, non-lethal. Even when it comes to the head injury, the bullet wouldn't go as far as completely killing him, but instead harming parts that would have to do with memories and planning (not gonna get technical because it's definitely not an area I'm comfortable in, I'm a literature major ffs, but the arguments have been made).

Okay, now that these are out of the way, can we just talk about these panels for a minute, because there is so much to unpack. The shot in one the previous chapters in which Dazai kinda just, pathetically drags himself and his broken legs to a camera was bad enough, because we know Dazai hates pain. He endures it, but his whole thing is that he's looking work a way to die painlessly. And in this chapter, well. Not only has Dazai been waiting a while in there, while Fyodor and Sigma were speaking, but his whole interaction with Chuuya is SO much. From the way his eyes lighten like never before when he tries to convince Chuuya to come back, to Chuuya just not being there- I think that overall, Dazai didn't believe a second that Chuuya would come back. I mean, he looked mighty confident there, so either the situation is completely out of his control, which I doubt, because come on, it's Dazai (but I would love if it was the case because Dazai loosing composure has to be the most interesting thing ever), either he did have a plan that involved making his 'death' convincing to Fyodor.

Now, back to that pain thing. I think the worst part was the face he makes while yelling at Chuuya after Chuuya takes the first shot- he is in SO much pain (also I looked it up and the bullet did hit super close to a nerve so he might have a severed nerve I'm unwell). And then the head bullet hits, and the two other- he must have been in so much pain. The way his eyes are light but in a different way as he (falsely or not) realizes that this is It. The way one of his last words is 'finally'. He doesn't even get to finish his sentence, because he passes out before that. It was all so much.

Anyways this post is a mess but who cares I needed to put those thoughts somewhere because I didn't feel a think after 101 except for a oh, that happened, kinda feeling, but 109 had me sobbing. Genuinely crying, out loud, hugging my pillow. I really hope Dazai's gonna make it. Just imagine Atsushi, Aku, Kunikida and Chuuya's reactions if he doesn't. God fucking dammit.

[strayslost]

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR MOOTS BETTER !

Fill out the info sheet below & tag your friends to do the same ! Repost , don’t reblog !

🌊 🐇

Name / Pen-name : Meri!

Pronouns : She/her (okay with they/them too!)

Country / Region : England.

Timezone : GMT

Age / Age group : 25, as of this month!

Favourite colours : Pink, turquoise/teal, yellow, cream & brown, and maybe green too???

Favourite foods : How can you expect me to choose!! if I listed them all I'd be here all day ;~; I suppose a couple are cheesecake, custard (and sweets/cakes generally tbh), spaghetti bolognese, salmon... I've gone too braindead to think of more, sorry :')

Non - RP Hobbies ? : Watching/reading anime, manga and visual novels (when I've got the executive function for it), music, video games, decoration/design, and working on my own stories/songs! I'd love to stream someday, but I'm a bit too nervous to start atm, haha. Same with blogging about some of the things that are important to me - I'd love to do more in that regard, but I'm not really sure where to start.

Favourite animal : BUNNIES and sea creatures in general!! In particular, octopi, sea otters and sea turtles have my whole heart <33

Any allergies ? : I actually have had an allergic reaction to something like. once in my life, but unfortunately I have no idea what it was to, otl ;w; so uhhh. I guess my answer is a "not really"??

Favourite Season : Ooooh, I can't choose. Aesthetically, maybe summer or winter, with autumn close behind. In practice, I'm terrible with temperatures that are too hot or too cold, though!

Scents you like : Vanilla and coffee! Though my sense of smell is pretty bad generally, I'd say these are my favorites.

Coffee / tea / hot cocoa : Tea (with a bit of sugar!). Hot cocoa can be great too, and I don't like the taste of coffee, but I do benefit from the effects of caffeine, so I tend to drink lattes instead.

How long have you been in your current fandom ? : for BSD, it's only been about a year! Actually, I'm pretty sure I got into the series sometime around December 2022, since that's when I first made my Chuuya blog?? It's pretty quickly risen to the spot of my favourite piece of media ever though, at least currently, so congrats to BSD are in order, I think!

Do you prefer to ‘ wing ’ your threads or discuss plots with your partner during or ahead of time ? : I enjoy both! I think my favourite thing to do is to have or discuss a general idea for the starter/thread, for example like... "my muse is time traveling from the future to meet yours", or "my muse discovers a secret yours is hiding," so like basic plotting, and then just seeing where things go from there. But I absolutely enjoy winging it too/just seeing what happens, and I love just as much when my partners have something they particularly want to explore and let me know, so I'm pretty flexible in that regard, I think! (aka send me your wishlists >:) )

Are you okay with getting to know your RP partners outside of writing / becoming good online friends or even offline friends ? : 100000%, honestly I would love this so much! But full warning in advance, I am... very bad at being active and replying to messages quickly in general, otl. I don't have many friends irl as a result of this, even though I really would really like to make more... unfortunately my functioning issues in most areas of my life are pretty bad and this extends to maintaining conversations too. HOWEVER, you're absolutely always welcome to message me whenever you'd like, even if I haven't replied to your last message yet! I find that this can help prompt me to reply to my old messages as well, and I can promise you that my slow replies are absolutely not an indication that I don't want to talk with you or of how I feel about you - I'm just very awkward and find socializing hard, but that doesn't stop me from really enjoying talking with you nonetheless!! (This applies to my RP reply speeds too, tbh) There's way more I could say on this but I might make it it's own post tbh, this section is already getting too long. tl;dr i love you all, let's be friends!! <33

Finally , what are your favourite genres of RP ?: I'm not so good at defining genres, so instead I'll say - I love angst and conflict between characters but also resolving conflicts too, seeing characters get to know and relate to each other better... I'm a big fan of threads with supernatural elements, in particular those that are shocking to the characters, and of secrets being revealed generally too! Exploring character's insecurities and beliefs and having them change their perspective is great as well... basically, I'd say I enjoy "meaty" threads with lots of emotions or action over like slice-of-life, casual interactions, but even those can be fun if they're well done, honestly!

Tagged by : @chaosbled ( thank you so much!!! ;w;)

Tagging : I haven't been logged in enough to know who's done this already if I'm honest so I'm just gonna say anyone who wants to and hasn't done it yet - say I tagged you! <3

[benetnvsch]

anyway- I can't keep quiet, I have to be annoying lol, sorry anyway here's some of my thoughts on the new BSD episode- this obvs contains spoilers & none of this will be in order cuz I have no concept of time- put under a break cuz spoilers and it's way longer than I though it'd be,,,

but man,,, Man,,, am I the only one a little disappointed by it being yet another 'Dazai planned it all along' type plot aksdhajh-

chuuya faking vampirism too,, woow ,, who ever would have seen this coming (both Asagiri and Chuuya's va were like 'oh yea Chuuya's important u really see skk's bond in this upcoming season' obvs this doesn't make sense if chuuya actually killed him so we all low-key knew,,,) - maybe chuuya deserved to shoot Dazai,, just a lil bit,,, as a treat,,,

Fyolai's entire thing was ?? so good to me actually,,, I quite liked it pfft- maybe Fyodor deserved to explode (I say this affectionately)- Nikolai's reactions too and the framing of showing only his hidden eye when he's like 'happy' / playing a character but then turning so u only see his scared eye when he's geuininely concerned is so fucking good,,, him changing his mind abt how he felt abt it too,,,

also fyodor's last words being Jesus's when he was crucified ?? foreshadowing or nah?? will he come back?? hmmmm :thank:

aya and bram :''( my beloveds :''(

kunikida is up :) my wife,, love u wife, we flashback to him pumping it right in the middle of fukufuku's dramatic lil flashback(??) thing and i fucking lost it

Fukuzawa not being able to kill Fukuchi and Teruko doing it instead was fuckign ace, perfect moment , best part of the episode imo <3 Fukuzawa's reaction while holding his corpse,,, old man yaoi died today ,,,

OH and sigma? Dazai go back for her pls, u promised her u would get her out alive don't do this (u know Those SKK Stans TM will be annoying af over this Man,,,) ALSO - The Guy ?? Akutagawa and Atsushi are setting off to face?? that's like ?? a different(maybe fucked up revived?) Fukuchi ?? right?? same hair same scars no mustache but sacrifices must be made- he's wearing the same silly mask from the official art released last chapter too ? it's gotta be??

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

Trigun anon here and no worries for taking a while to answer my ask! It means a lot to me to be able to ramble about stuff all the same <33

So valid for Vash escalating as one of your fave characters, it only took the Stampede anime for him to become one of my faves of all time, and that's just 12 eps, what more when season 2 comes out xD. And ohhh I love your interpretation/thoughts on the "sides" aspect of Trigun and how it connects with Vash so thank you for giving me a new perspective on it :00! Similar to you, currently reading the trigun manga so hopefully we both enjoy the series <33!

Also, yep I am the ranpo anon from caelang's blog! Seeing my two faves together (ranpo and vash) in caelang's art style made my heart so happy and I also saw your asked and omg Atsushi and Vash? Wolfwood and Oda? MERYL AND KUNIKIDA those are all such good interactions TvT!!!

Lastly, I'm a little late and other anons have mentioned it but don't delete you analysis and meta :00!!! Especially since they're coming from the love for a piece of media and that's what makes it beautiful even when you think they don't make sense <33. Ive been reading your bsd analysis and metas ever since I found your blog and I love them so much, my personal favorite is your "Dazai Likes People". The fact that there are numerous different perspectives and thoughts on the series we invest ourselves in is all part of the enjoyment! If you ever need to take a break or distance yourself as well from the things you brainrot over then that's just as valid! Though yes, be kind to yourself and the things you do, you deserve it :DD!

Hello again! :D

Ah, I'm really happy to hear you've decided to read the manga too! What point are you at? Are you following the book club at all? I'm having a lot of fun with it personally! It really cemented Vash as one of my new favourites, and some of the plot points I'm seeing have me so psyched to see where he goes as a character in season 2 of Stampede (though also I feel like it's going to make me very sad... :/).

Ehehe Ranpo and Vash hanging out is such a cute idea; I saw that and then my brain took it and ran with it. The Oda and Wolfwood one especially makes me kind of miserable... but the Meryl Kunikida interaction would I think be very funny. They are going to break so many laws on their way to do the right thing, hahaha

Ah, and thank you very much! I won't delete them, I promise, I was just having a bad day. I'm really glad you like them! This series drives me crazy in the best ways and I like to share a bit of that with people when I can. I'll do my best to be a little kinder to myself. Thank you! :)

[kikizoshi]

I'm sorry I took so long to reply. I tried before, but couldn't get anything that seemed right (or cogent). Hopefully this is better. I still feel a bit all over the place...

Regarding the anime: yeah, that's fair. I suppose I don't give the anime as much leeway with retcons as I would other series because Bones' adaptation in general is something I've been extremely disillusioned with since S3 (and then S1&2 once I read the manga). It's harder when I don't have faith in the adaptor to tell a good or accurate story, to trust things they change. (Especially regarding Fyodor--they added a scene of him smirking on a building in Dead Apple, too, in a way that fucked with the timeline, and I figured it was because, like everything with his presentation, they didn't care to get his story right. If that was some sort of foreshadowing Asagiri for some reason left out of the Dead Apple manga, though... I'm not sure how I feel about that, but it's probably better than a downright mistake.)

Regarding Nikolai: I'm definitely down for him going through a character arc. My issue was that none of the changes he goes through feel earned (maybe not the best way of putting it but that's the best I can come up with). He just "dies", disappears, comes back, has a new motivation, then comes back again with yet another new motivation. I understand that the umbrella of "freedom" gives Asagiri some leeway with how to interpret Nikolai's ever-moving goalpost, and maybe with some more screen time, how changeable Nikolai is could have been expressed better and felt like an intentional character trait, but as it's presented, Nikolai just feels like he changes as needed to suit whatever plot-moving action he's used for this time. His stated logic doesn't make sense, but it comes across in a "the author is making up whatever to move the story" way, instead of a "Nikolai's rationalisation of his own goals is intentionally flawed" way. Maybe now he'll get the chance to develop as a person, or maybe he'll be shafted like most of the other arc-specific villains (anyone remember Hawthorne's still out there somewhere?). At this point I'd honestly prefer the latter, but only because how his character has been handled thus far makes me cringe in anticipation of how much worse he could get.

Anyway, I think you summarised what could happen with him well. (And it's definitely possible I'd be disappointed with Nikolai's "genuine" side, especially since I've spent so long carving out my version of it. I think as long as it worked, though, I'd respect it... I just don't expect anything more from him than to be a plot device at this point. I really think he's Poe But Worse now.)

Regarding my "Asagiri sticking to his roots" comment: I'm having trouble expressing my opinion on this in a way that covers all of it... Basically I liked his comedy, thought his characters hinted at enough nuance to be interesting, and he had a good balance of jokes and seriousness, a good tone. I really respected his ability to combine levity and grounded story beats into something that felt fun and cohesive. And the story worked in a way that mostly made sense. I wish he'd kept up that balance. I wouldn't begrudge him the fight scenes so much if that wasn't all this story was now. But characters seem to mainly exist to get into cool fights and progress the story. It feels a lot like not enough time outlining to me, or not enough screen time to work with, and maybe it is... Anyway, I don't wish BSD would return to its roots now. I don't think there's a point; it's already a shounen. I just wish past Asagiri had stuck to and developed what I liked about his writing. I know I'm in the minority, and that most people are happy with the changes, so I'm not calling it a bad move. I do think he's worse at shounen stories, but... I don't know. BSD used to be a loveable clusterfuck of a story. Now it's just a confusing mess of incongruencies. And that frustrates me.

can we form a coup against asagiri and make you the writer instead? genuinely... I am not taking the Fyodor immortal information well.. please help............................ ( ´，_ゝ` )

Oh, I would absolutely not do BSD well either. I just wish Asagiri had stuck to his roots more. He was a great comedy writer, and the beginning of the story was great for it. It's the action and Death Note stuff he can't seem to get mastery of. But for the immortal part: I'm not entirely sold that Fyodor's immortal, yet. It seems like yet another twists that will twist to reveal oh, shocker, he faked his memories to confuse Sigma/the ADA... or something. Could very well be immortal, but not 100% guaranteed.

[vampireonastick]

BSD Theory: Meursault is a Creation of the Book; Fyodor Created it As A Trap for Dazai

SPOILERS UP UNTIL CHAPTER 99 OF THE MANGA

So I have a theory about Meursault prison. Not only do I believe it is a creation of the book, but I also believe that it was created by Fyodor and Ango (that’s right, I still think he’s a traitor), and, its entire purpose is to serve as a trap for Dazai in the DoA arc.

Why Do I Think Fyodor and Ango Have Control Over the Prison?

These are some things about the prison that don’t make much sense to me, and that would be better explained by Meursault being a creation of the book. 

1. Why is Dazai There?

From what the manga tells us, this is a maximum security prison designed to contain some of the most dangerous ability users.

But Dazai is literally just a person?? Like, he’s just some random dude?? His ability is the least deadly thing ever. I really just don’t see how a nullifying ability warrants this level of security. I mean, sure, he’s wily and clever, and maybe they were more afraid about the rest of the ADA getting in than Dazai getting out, but it still seems kinda overkill. 

Meursault is supposed to be located in Europe. It just seems like a massive hassle to ship Dazai all the way there when his ability really doesn’t warrant it.

Most logical reasoning is that Ango pulled some strings, hyped up Dazai as a threat, so he could be sent to the same prison as Fyodor in order to study/interrogate him. But why would the European government in charge of Meursault prison take the suggestion of a random Japanese government agent? Seems strange. (Unless Ango and Fyodor are working together, and Meursault prison is under their control, in which case, getting Dazai there should be relatively easy).

Also, why is Dazai imprisoned in the ‘Infinity Room’? The one with the floating cells designed specifically to contain dangerous ability users.

When explaining his Great Prison Escape Game, Nikolai mentions the place he teleported Dazai and Fyodor to from their cells is the floor above the ‘Infinity Room’, where the “regular prison” is. Suggesting that there are more cells in this maximum security prison besides the ones Fyodor and Dazai were kept in, ones that are still four floors underground. 

It would have made so much more sense to lock Dazai up in one of the regular cells on level four, than in the ‘Infinity Room’ with Fyodor as his cell neighbour. 

2. Why Do Dazai and Fyodor Have Adjacent Cells?

Also why are they allowed to be in cells right next to each other anyways? You’d think with how concerned the guards are at the weird code Fyodor and Dazai are speaking in, they'd, I don't know, move one of them to a different cell further away so they can’t talk?? (sure this lack of common sense here might just be because of plot reasons, but it’s just funny to think about).

An easy way to explain this in the plot of the story would be to again, write it off as Fyodor and Ango’s meddling. 

None of the guards think of moving either of them because it was written in the book that they would have nearby cells, so the idea of separating them wouldn’t even cross anyones mind. 

(Or the guards figure that since this is a maximum security prison, nothing Dazai or Fyodor say to each other should hold much value anyway, since even if they are conspiring to escape, no matter what their plan is it shouldn’t be possible.) 

But if this is the case, then why are the guards trying so hard to discern what code they are speaking in? They obviously want to know what they are saying to each other. (though this may just be because they are curious and nothing more, it’s still something to think about).

3. Why Is Ango Allowed to Look at Dazai’s Vitals Transcript?

There shouldn’t be any reason for anyone to look at these transcripts. If the purpose for implanting these heart monitors in the prisoners is to be able to prevent escapes, then why should these transcripts need to be inspected by anyone when the prisoner they belong to is still in prison?

“To prevent the prisoners in Meursault from escaping, a vital sign tracker is implanted in them.” (Ango)

How exactly would this stop a prisoner from escaping? If it’s just designed to record a person's vitals, this won’t do anything if they manage to escape. 

If this tracker is designed to ‘go off’ and stop a prisoner's heart if they leave the confines of the prison then sure, that would make sense. But then why would this tracker need to record the prisoner’s vitals at all times? That seems like a useless feature. 

The only other thing I can think of is that these vitals are closely monitored in order to determine if a person is considering escape. If their heartbeat is faster, then that may mean they are about to try to escape, which the guards could then use to heighten security for that prisoner. 

But that still doesn’t make much sense. The best it can do is serve as a warning a prisoner may try to escape? If the prison is so secure and well made it shouldn’t matter how much intention a person has for escaping. 

“With my government clearance, I can listen to and decode them.” (Ango)

Why would Ango’s position in the government put him in a position where he is able to have access to Dazai’s vital sign transcripts?

Again, this is a maximum security prison located in Europe and run by the European government. So why is some random government official from Japan (a person who has a personal connection to Dazai) allowed to look at the transcripts of his vitals?

What does Ango have to do in order to access these transcripts? Does he need to ask for clearance each time he wishes to view them? Or does he have open access to view them whenever he pleases? Is there some sort of system in place that keeps track of how many times Ango accesses these files? Again, it’s a very odd thing for Ango to want to view, from an outside perspective. Anyone else should think that these transcripts are useless to Ango, and because of that, you’d think his continued interest in viewing them would be seen as suspicious. 

Also, is no one else looking at these transcripts?? Surely seeing Dazai’s heartbeat all over the damn place when all the cameras show him sitting peacefully still would make people suspicious.

My theory based on this point:

When the prison was created using the book, this feature of recording vitals was added. It doesn’t seem odd to anyone because it was written in the book that everyone would find this a normal and reasonable thing to do with the prisoners. 

The real reason that Meursault tracks and records its prisoner’s vital signs, is because Ango already knows that Dazai can control his own heartbeat, and would want to communicate this way while in prison. It was designed this way to give Dazai an easy method of telling Ango all of his plans and strategies.

And the reason Ango is allowed to access these transcripts, is because he and Fyodor are the ones who created this prison, so of course they would add that if Ango asks for the transcripts, his request would be granted and no one would find this suspicious or odd. 

4. Fyodor Needs Control

In my opinion, Fyodor wouldn’t have allowed himself to be caught if he didn’t feel completely in control of his situation at all times. Meaning he wouldn’t let himself be locked up in Meursault unless he felt completely confident he could escape whenever he wanted.

This is different from the time he was Ace’s prisoner. If Fyodor’s ability allows him to instantly kill anyone he touches, he could have easily killed Ace, taken the key to the room, and left at any time he pleased. But Meursault is different. Fyodor is locked in a glass cell deep underground, he can’t leave as easily. Sure he may have allies on the outside that will help him, but how fast can they help him if there is an emergency and he needs out of the prison instantly? When it comes to his own physical safety, Fyodor feels more like the type of person that would only trust himself to protect him.

If Fyodor actually is in control of the prison, then he could be as calm as he pleases, knowing that if he needs to, he can leave any time he wishes, and leave Dazai there to die. 

Also Fyodor had planned for Dazai to come to prison with him, it’s why he had Mushitarou release his ability that was hiding the evidence of Dazai’s crimes. So how did he know Dazai would be sent to the same prison as him and not just a regular prison in Yokohama? Like I mentioned previously, it really doesn’t make much sense that Dazai was sent to such a high security prison.

Option one is that he believed that Dazai would want to keep a close eye on him, and left it to the other to get himself into Meursault. But Fyodor really doesn’t seem like the type to leave that much power to Dazai. 

Option two is that if Meursault is a creation of the book (made by Fyodor) Fyodor included in the narrative that both he and Dazai would be sent to the same prison after their arrests. 

Option three is if Fyodor and Ango are working together, Fyodor would believe Ango was capable of convincing whatever government necessary that Meursault is the best place to contain Dazai. 

I’d say the most likely scenario is a combination between options two and three. Since people do need to put in effort to push the narrative in order for the book to work, if Fyodor and Ango wrote that after their arrests, Fyodor and Dazai would both be sent to Meursault, and then Ango worked behind the scenes to convince government officials, resulting in this outcome.

When I Think Meursault Was Created Using the Book

(I would usually explain the ‘why’ before the ‘when’, but I want to allude back to some points made in this section when I talk about ‘why I think Meursault was created using the book’.)

Firstly, When Do I Think Meursault Was Created?

Originally I thought that Meursault was created at the exact same time as the Sky Casino. We know the Sky Casino is a creation of the book because, despite memories being implanted of the Sky Casino, Dazai noticed its existence was suspicious, and conducted research to reveal that the Sky Casino has only existed for just over a week.

Surely if Dazai can pick up on such subtle clues, then he could just as easily have figured out that Meursault is a creation of the book. So I figured that both of these places were created at the same time, and that the Sky Casino was purposefully created to be as over the top as possible as a diversion, to draw Dazai’s attention away from Meursault so he wouldn’t figure out it’s also a creation of the book. (Also why the Sky Casino is in Yokohama and Meursault is in Europe. In order to keep Meursault out of the spotlight). 

But after looking it up, I realized Meursault was actually mentioned for the first time in chapter 47 (in the panel below). During the cannibalism arc the man the ADA were chasing, who they believed to be Pushkin, was said to have escaped from Meursault two weeks prior. 

But going back over the information, even though Meursault was mentioned in the manga long before the Sky Casino was created, that doesn’t necessarily mean the Sky casino and Meursault weren’t created at the same time.

Because doesn’t the claim that Pushkin broke out of Meursault sound just a bit odd? 

He broke out of Meursault? How exactly? Pushkin’s ability allows him to put a virus on two hosts. Yes it’s deadly, but it’s not exactly suited for combat, or escaping a prison as secure as Meursault is. He could have been a part of a group of prisoners to escape, but the whole layout of Meursault gives the impression that inmates can’t easily talk to each other, at least not without being listened to by guards. I highly doubt any other prisoner’s created their own code like Fyodor and Dazai did.

So how did Pushkin escape Meursault? A maximum security prison? Well, what if he didn’t? What if he was never in Meursault? What if at this point in time (the cannibalism arc), Meursault didn’t exist?

The book has the power to implant memories into people’s minds. What if the report Kunikida reads on Pushkin originally said “half a month ago, he broke out of prison”, instead of what it actually says in the panel, which is “half a month ago, he broke out of ‘Meursault.’”

As far as I know, this is the only time Meursault is mentioned before the DoA arc. And considering this information Kunikida is reading on Pushkin in this panel was false, and had been fed to them by Fyodor to put them on the wrong track, then this would further support my theory. Since Fyodor would have known what exact information on Pushkin the ADA would have read, he could have easily included that after Meursault is created from the book, the ADA members will remember reading that Pushkin escaped from ‘Meursault’ instead of ‘Prison’.

Also, less than two weeks after Pushkin escapes Meursault he’s already working for Fyodor? That’s too convenient. It’s much more likely that Fyodor had his eye on Pushkin and had been planning on using him as a pawn rather than him finding him randomly after Pushkin escapes prison. Meaning Fyodor would have had to contact Pushkin while he was in prison to try to convince him to escape, which would have been difficult if he was in Meursault.

So either, Fyodor broke Pushkin out of Meursault, which again, is unlikely. Or, he broke Pushkin out of a regular prison, which would have been much simpler. (There is also the option that Pushkin was never actually in prison, and that little bit of info about him breaking out two weeks ago was just one of Fyodor’s lies).

Also Fyodor is the one who told Dazai about Pushkin and his ability. But the person in that report Kunikida is reading is not Pushkin, it's a decoy. So where did Kunikida get this wrong information from exactly? Internet? Government? *cough* Ango?? *cough*

Fyodor in Meursault

But wait. If Meursault is as old as the Sky Casino, then where was Fyodor being held the last few months? Fyodor gets arrested at the end of the Cannibalism arc, and it’s a few weeks before Dazai gets arrested, so where was he?

Well isn’t it convenient that the person who arrested Fyodor was Ango?? I’m sure it can’t be that difficult for two intelligent people possessing a book that can bend reality to trick the government and hide Fyodor for a few weeks before Meursault is written into existence.

Why I Think Meursault Was Created Using the Book

1. How Exactly are the Glass Cells Floating?

Fyodor and Dazai spend their time in Meursault in floating glass cells. Yes, it looks cool as hell, but how exactly is that possible?

The cells don’t seem to have any support beams or wires holding them up. (These would have been super easy to draw in, so I think the fact that they are obviously not there is actually quite important). And neither Dazai nor Fyodor comment on their cells bouncing or tilting as they roam around, so the cells must be able to resist the force of their movements. 

This means the cells probably aren’t suspended by magnets, as it seems near impossible to suspend a glass cage mid air with magnets in a giant room (filled with other cells at different levels) and have that cage be perfectly sturdy with no bounce or give. 

It can’t be an ability holding the cells up either, because if Dazai touches his cell the ability would be nullified, and Dazai’s cell would crash to the ground. 

Going back to the Sky Casino, in these panels below, Tachihara and Teruko talk about how the sky casino stays afloat, mentioning that the Intelligence Department believes that someone's ability may be being utilized in order to keep the thing in the air.

I thought this discussion on how the Sky Casino stays in the air (and how it seems to use a lot less fuel than it should theoretically need) was an odd detail to include in the narrative. 

Even with the explanation of the use of Helium fuel, it’s still stated that it’s believed that an ability is being used. But why include these panels? Unless it’s important that the reader is told that it shouldn’t be physically possible for the Sky Casino to stay in the air on its own. Since we know the Sky Casino is a creation of the book, then its continuous hovering despite the laws of physics could be attributed to an effect of the book, not an ability user.

The inclusion of these panels could be a way to tell the reader that things created by the book do not necessarily have to follow the conventional laws of physics that the rest of the world is defined by. Another example would be how the ADA suddenly switched places with the masked figures during the live broadcast at the beginning of the DoA arc (something that should not be physically possible). 

So, Meursault prison being a creation of the book would explain why the glass cells can free float like this despite nothing holding them up. Because they were written this way. Things written in the book follow the rules of storytelling, not physics. 

2. Why Do They Seem to Be the Only Ones In the Prison?

Another point that supports the idea that Meursault was created at the same time as the Sky Casino is that there doesn’t seem to be any other inmates. 

In this above panel, we get a pretty good view of the Infinity Room, along with many of the cells it contains. No other people are drawn in these cells. 

That could easily be explained away by simply saying there’s no point drawing characters that aren’t relevant to the plot and aren’t mentioned in the story. Which is fair enough, no other prisoners have any lines so there’s no need to draw them. 

But if there are other prisoners there, why aren’t they mentioned in the narrative? Why don’t they have any lines at all? We get time with the guards occasionally, such as in this panel:

The guards comment on how odd Dazai and Fyodor are. But why aren’t we given any panels of other prisoners thinking to themselves how strange the two of them are?

The cells are close enough together that anything Fyodor or Dazai say to one another should be able to be heard by prisoners in nearby cells. Considering Fyodor and Dazai’s almost constant conversation, all of which is done through some strange code, you’d think other prisoners would get curious enough about the two to try and talk to them, or at the very least, yell at them to shut up already.

But we only get time with the guards. Which I find odd. 

This lack of prisoners could easily be explained by the theory that the prison is a farce, and has only existed for just over a week, so of course no other prisoners are actually here.

(Although there is no rule saying any other potential prisoners need to be shown, the fact that they aren’t leaves the idea of whether or not they do exist up for individual interpretation.)

Why Do I Think Meursault is a Trap for Dazai?

So, if Meursault is a creation of the book and it is under both Fyodor and Ango’s control, what exactly does that mean? Well, for starters, it means Dazai’s screwed (in theory).

If this theory is true, then it completely changes the entire prison situation. Instead of Dazai and Fyodor being on equal playing fields, trying to trick valuable information out of each other and playing their game of galaxy chess, it is actually just a trap. It's a way to remove Dazai from having direct contact with his colleagues, have access to all his strategies (since he relays them directly to Ango) and trick Dazai into believing he is actually gaining something from being in this situation (analyzing Fyodor). 

If Ango and Fyodor are working together, and this is a trap for Dazai, then no matter what, any information Dazai gets from Fyodor is ultimately useless, as Ango will ensure to steer the narrative on the outside of the prison in Fyodor’s favour.

Dazai

Now, does Dazai know his imprisonment at Meursault is a trap? I’d say yes. While I don’t think he is aware yet that Meursault was created by the book (and is thus fully under Fyodor’s control) I do think he knows that allowing himself to be caught and sent to Meursault with Fyodor was a bad idea. And I don’t think Dazai was being truthful when he said his intentions for going along with the trap was to discover how Fyodor is communicating to his allies (despite him saying that this was his reason). Why do I think this?

Why would he tell Fyodor his true objective for allowing himself to be locked up? Seems like the last thing you want to tell your enemy.

Figuring out how Fyodor is communicating to his allies isn’t worth Dazai removing himself from the outside world to sit in prison. Yes, he has a valuable opportunity to communicate with Fyodor face to face and try to figure out his plans, but he is also giving Fyodor the opportunity to do the same thing with himself and his plans for the ADA.

Even if Dazai could figure out how Fyodor was communicating to the outside world, there’s no guarantee that there would be a way to prevent him from continuing to do so. 

So What is Dazai’s True Goal?

I think Dazai’s real reason for allowing himself to be arrested and sent to Meursault is to test Ango’s loyalty. (That’s right, I tied it all back to Ango again).

If there is one thing that’s clear, it is that Dazai does not like or trust Ango. I mean, I’m sure there were plenty of other ways Dazai could have blackmailed Ango into getting Kyoka’s record cleared that didn’t involve Ango getting into a car accident. Dazai chose a method that involved violently injuring Ango because he wanted to hurt Ango for the role he played in Oda’s death. With how much Oda means to Dazai, I highly doubt his hatred for Ango will ever go away.

So why work with Ango during the DoA arc? I’m assuming Dazai’s picked up on subtle hints that Fyodor seems to have an ally in the government, or at the very least, someone who is familiar with Yokohama and its ability users. I’m positive the first person Dazai would suspect of working with Fyodor would be Ango, since he already knows he is a traitor. 

So by ��teaming up’ with Ango and being sent to prison, Dazai can play Fyodor’s game while secretly testing where Ango’s loyalties lie. He develops his strategies, communicates them to Ango, and waits to see the outcome. And what’s the outcome?

The ADA is losing, badly. 

Both of their plans for the Sky Casino failed.

Dazai’s plan to have Akutagawa and Atsushi fight together failed (ending with Akutagawa being turned into the first vampire that goes on to infect the Port Mafia) (seriously though, how is Fukuchi traveling with Bram’s coffin everywhere without standing out?).

The plan to make the plane from Europe turn around before it got to the airport failed.

Every day the ADA is running out of more time and is further backed into a corner.

In fact, the only real win the ADA have had so far was when Ranpo kidnapped and reunited the ADA members (something that was not one of Dazai’s plans, and was done without Ango being aware of it beforehand).

I think this thing with ‘One Order’ being sealed with an ability is Dazai’s last (and most direct) way to test Ango’s loyalty. The box containing ‘One Order’ was sealed using an ability, something that will be incredibly easy for Dazai to get rid of, but no one else. So, if we find out that somehow, Fyodor predicted Dazai would ask Ango to ask the government controlling ‘One Order’ to put a precaution like this in place, and has somehow figured out a way around this already, then Dazai will take that as his proof that Ango is communicating with Fyodor behind his back. Because that’s just too convenient for Fyodor.

BONUS!! - Something Random That Would Make Sense if Meursault is a Creation of the Book And Under Fyodor’s Control

Would explain why Fyodor was the only one to get salt for his meal (could be considered a luxury), while Dazai gets a raw egg with his meal (symbolizing their treatment by the prison and it’s staff, with Fyodor obviously being the favourite) 

(Alright I know I’m reaching so hard with this one, but honestly that scene was hilarious and I just really wanted to mention it.)

----------------------------------------------------------------

Okay, this post is way too long, so I’m cutting it here. Hopefully I explained all my points well enough. Basically, I’m in love with this series and every single thing about it. It’s all I think about nowadays and I can’t wait to see how this arc unfolds.

Feel free to talk to me about this theory or any others you have! I love theorizing about bsd so much.

All of the manga panels I used for this post were from fan translations, so thanks to Dazaiscans and everyone else who does fan translations!!

[xxxsoukokuxxx]

BSD Poe x short(4”11) female reader

Soulmate au

Fluff oneshot

Reader has the ability to turn into a black cat.

Black Cat in the Rue Morgue

Soulmate AU

Character: Poe x short fem!reader

Warnings: None

Notes: Thanks for requesting and for your patience. I haven't written a soulmate AU before so I actually did some research on it and hopefully it pays off. I hope that this is what you wanted and have a pleasant day/night!

The sun was now setting and dipped itself into Yokohama's waters letting it's light drip onto the water's surface. Book in hand, raccoon on his shoulders with a pen in the other hand Poe is lost in his thoughts. The outside world doesn't exist. There is nothing but the various ideas for his novel running through his head and softness of fur against the back of his neck and head.

He jots down a few things that he could elaborate on later. The room is dyed in the color of honey and wine as the fading warmth of the sunset creates a sense of comfort. The side of his face illuminated by the gentle golden color.

Karl suddenly jumps off his shoulders and Poe's startled. His eyes wide, 'How long has it been?' he takes in his surroundings and realizes it's already sunset and soon night will fall upon Yokohama.

Poe gets up, closes his book and stretches with a sickening cracking sound erupting from his back, indeed how long has it been? He looks down to where Karl is sitting on the floor and he reaches to ruffle the fur on his head before leaving the room.

He makes a cup of tea for himself once he's in the kitchen and stares out the window. The sleeve of his shirt slides up a bit as Poe tilts his cup to take a sip, a small scarlet mark of a feline like figure on the underside of his wrist becomes visible. It's always been there but he brushed it off, that was until he came across various articles, theories and fiction books about "soulmates". And he can't help but wonder 'Is there really someone out there who'd love me? Do I have a soulmate? Or is it just a meaningless mark?'

Sometimes he'd think it's preposterous while other times he'd genuinely love that idea. But he always blushes straight after, to imagine spending such intimate moments with someone, to hold their hand, to hold them, to share a meaningful smile...it's really a beautiful thought.

Poe sets his cup down on the counter before adjusting his coat and making his way to the front door of the spacious house and opens it. He peeks through the gap between the door frame and from where he's opened making sure there are no people out at the moment and he sighs a breath of relief. Stepping out into the quiet evening he takes a walk along a specific quiet and peaceful street he likes. Evening and night are the only times he'll ever make it outside the comfort of his home without having an anxiety attack.

As he walks down the pavement a rustling noise can be heard in an alleyway which he is just about to pass. He freezes and the hair on the back of his neck stands up. From the corner of his eye he sees a dark shadow on the floor approaching which makes him panic, "P-Please don't attack me or anything, I really don't have any valuables that you'd wa-" he cut off his sentence as he felt something rub against the bottom of his leg.

Immediately he drops to his knees and buries his face in his hands, "Okay, okay I'll surrender!" he yelps. "..." Nothing. He dares to turn his head towards his left and relief washes over him, a panic stricken face now softens, "Oh, silly me. Always panicking for no good reason." He now looks at a black cat which has it's head tilted to the side out of confusion.

It was the norm for you to roam around the city at night either because you couldn't sleep or you just liked the atmosphere. If someone happened to be walking by and you felt a curious sense of playfulness then you'd just go up and show them some cat-like affection. However, out of all the times you had done so this had never happened. "How cute." he muttered, snapping you out of your thoughts. He reached out to pet the spot atop your head.

'No wonder why cats like this.' was your thought. "I don't see any collar or anything signifying you belong to someone." he said aloud placing his forefinger on his chin. "I can't just leave you here alone, hmm and Karl would have a playmate if I took you back with me...oh but do raccoons and cats get along? They could possibly..." as he rambled on you wondered if this was a good time as any to scram or reveal that you're actually a human who has the ability to turn into a cat, specifically a black one.

You slowly backed away and he noticed. "Oh no don't be scared!" he reaches his hands out to you. Ah, he seemed like such a nice person, a gentle person. You couldn't just leave like that, now could you? A ribbon of grey spun around you with various kanji on it. A bright light flashed and Poe freezes with his hands which wanted to reach out to you. His eyes widen once he sees the sight in front of him and questions everything he knows. His mouth agape.

"Hi." you said shyly whilst dusting your attire. "...you..." he still kneeled on the ground, frozen. You felt nervous but thought that after what he just witnessed it'd be necessary to tell him about yourself. "Uhm, okay I know you think this is weird but there's this thing called abilities and my ability is to turn into a black cat..." you sped through your words while fiddling with your thumbs.

Now he understands. Of course he knows what abilities are. "Oh. Ah, don't worry I know what abilities are. I have one myself." he says standing up, now realizing just how short you are. You look up, "Wait, you do as well?" a certain spark of curiosity in your eyes, I guess having a cat ability allows you to have the same characteristics of a cat. His cheeks have a faint red color on them, you look cute when you're curious.

"Y-Yes, it's called Black Cat in the Rue Morgue." "What a coincidence." you giggle. He rubs the back of his neck and sighs contently, "Yes it is. It allows me to transport my readers into my books." "Oh, you're a writer!?" another spark of curiosity in your eyes. He internally smiled at your apparent excitement, "Yes I am. Ah! Excuse my rudeness, my name is Edgar Allan Poe but you can just call me Poe if you'd like."

A smile adorned your face and you introduced yourself too. "I'm sorry about startling you earlier, I promise you I'm no cat burglar." He blinks and after a moment you both laugh at the little pun made and the situation itself. "I don't think such an innocent looking being could ever do such a thing." he blushes as he says those words and you do too.

He takes a look at his surroundings and back at you. "W-Would you...like to uh join me for a stroll? I was planning on going t-to this cafe that's opened til late?" You look up and smile while silently thinking his stuttering is rather cute. "Sure." The walk there was peaceful and enjoyable, every three seconds he would glance at you and a lingering question would be on his mind but he brushes it off. He tries to get to know you despite his nervousness and he succeeds. Even if it's just the little things such as your favorite color, where you live, if you have any pets.

You both finally reached the cafe and took a seat, he was gentleman about pulling your seat out for you and such. The only part he dreaded was ordering, that anxiousness that would bubble up in his chest made his mouth go dry and he's at a loss for words. The barista comes about and asks if you'd both like to order anything, a simple coffee/latte was fine for you. Poe looked pale and tugged on the front of his shirt. You worried if he was okay but he eventually ordered something to drink off the menu and a sigh of relief escaped him once he was done talking.

"You okay?" His eyes widens as he finally looks up at you again, "Yes. Yeah I'm fine, no need to worry. I just..." he looks down again while rubbing the back of his neck, his hair falling over his eyes. "I'm just really shy if you could say that. Or perhaps i just have social anxiety." he let out a nervous chuckle while lifting his head to smile at you. A giggle escapes you, "I think it's cute." He's taken aback but only because he's not used to being complimented and his face turns red.

The orders are served and the barista bows and leaves again. A light-hearted conversation flitters between you two and Karl comes up somewhere in the conversation, Poe saying that he'd love to let you see him. You tilt your cup to take a sip of your drink and the sleeve of your shirt rides up a bit, revealing a portion of your wrist. Poe is taking a sip too and his eyes flutter over your figure.

His eyes widen once he catches sight of the scarlet mark on your wrist and he chokes. "A-Are you okay?" you put your cup down and panic slightly. "Y-Yes I'm fine." he replies adjusting himself.

"Can I ask you something?" curiosity now lacing his voice. "Sure, go ahead."

"Have you always had that red feline-like mark on your wrist?" You look at the mark and reply that it's always been there, indeed. "I think it's because of my ability but I'm not really sure. Perhaps it's a birthmark." He smiles. "Perhaps it is." Is this what he thinks it is? No...he couldn't possibly just jump to conclusions, but certainly what a coincidence it was. The exact same mark on both your wrists and a meeting like this? A beautiful coincidence it was.

"Why do you ask?" you tilt your head to the side much as you did when you were a cat. And if he didn't think you were any cuter now he'd be damned. "Oh no, just asking." he gives a closed eyes smile.

'Soulmates. How fascinating.' he thinks while smiling at you as you take another sip of your coffee/latte. His eyes wander again to the scarlet mark on your wrist.

And the plot thickens.

[theunknownnerdyfan]

Hello!~ This is my first real post on here ahaha lol I was wondering if any would want to rp BSD with me? Specifically Soukoku? 18+ ONLY PLEASE! As I am 24 and do like to rp NSFW if my rp partner is comfortable with it. I would like to be Chuuya! I am semi-lit to lit and respond relatively quickly. We can come up with a plot together if you'd like! I am open to most things with few execptions (i.e. rape, gore, torture, certain kinks, etc.) However, if we detail out a plot beforehand and it makes sense in the plot, I may be open to rping it. I would say my writing style is kinda like writing a fanfic through rping if that makes sense? Lol I will post an example of my rp style below and see if you vibe with it! I will also leave a link to fanfics I think really capture SKK as individuals and their dynamic to see if we are on the same page on how we view SKK as charaters and their relationship.

Fanfics:

It's Not Love by Gary Corbeau

( I think these ficlets are the best rep of SKK as characters and of their dynamic!)

To Chibi, With Love by illiterate_hermit_crab

the depth of the iceberg (hides the true depth under the water) by DeviBlue

Confessions of a Lie by afinepricklypear

I Was Screaming Your Name Through The Radio by ElectricSplatter

Attracted to you by LunaSolstice

Rp snippet:

Chuuya woke up with a shaky gasp, chest heaving as he panted to catch his breath. Damn, he hadn't had a nightmare like that in a very long time. Letting out an exasperated sigh once his breathing had calmed, he swung his legs over the side of his bed, not bothering to make it up just yet as he made his way to his bathroom. The redhead yawned as he reached for the toothbrush held within a cup on his sink counter, turning the water on long enough to wet it before turning it off. Chuuya then grabbed the toothpaste from the same cup and uncapped it before smearing some on his toothbrush then recapping the toothpaste before placing it back in the cup. He wetted his toothbrush one more time, making sure to turn the water off so it didn't run as he brushed his teeth. After he was done, he rinsed out his toothbrush before placing it back in the cup and gurggling some water to rinse his mouth out, making sure to shut the water off one last time. Chuuya grabbed a handtowel hanging on the towel rack on the all next to the sink to wipe his mouth before placing it back. The redhead then looked in the mirror at his hair before grabbing a brush and a hairband. He brushed out the tangles before placing it into a highpony. Afterall, this week was the Executive's week off for once. Chuuya was going to relax and enjoy it as much as possible. However, he had no idea of the events that were about to occur and the revelations that would aoon come to light. Just as he was thinking about how to unwind during his week off, the redhead heard his cellphone ring from its place on his nightstand in his bedroom. He let out disgruntled sigh as he marched toward the offending piece of techonolgy before picking up the phone and answering it.

"Alright, this had better be good or someone is getting a beating when I get back."

Across town, the boss of the Port Mafia, Mori Ougai let out a bored sigh. Things had been going smoothly for while, as smoothly as things could be going for the Port Mafia anyway. The dark haired man sat at his desk as he looked over paperwork of the past weeks dealings of the Port Mafia, which were nothing of note really, but as the boss he had to look over every piece of paperwork, no matter how boring. Mori soon got distracted however, as the news play in the background, gaining his interest. He had been keeping tabs on the ability user that had been causing trouble all over Yokohama. However, ever the optimal strategist, he only decided to keep tabs and not act until absolutely neccessary. Just then, a readhead wearing a hat with a red ribbon and a thin silver chain along with a pair of black gloves and a full piece black suit enter his office, looking angry and disgruntled.

"Why, Chuuya-kun, what brings you here? This week is your week off, is it not?"

Mori titled his head in curiosity, placing his elbows on his desk and interlacing his fingers in an contemplative manner. His subordinate was loyal, yes, but the redhead had earned this time off so his visit was unexpected to say the least. Mori had a gut feeling that things were about to get interesting.

"Tsk, Boss, I've got bad news. That little bastard ability user that's been runnin' around causing havoc seems to have targeted one of our port locations used for exportation to other countries."

The older man blinked in suprise at the news, rasing his eyebrows. Well, it seemed his gut feeling was right. Now, how would things play out?

"Oh? Who told you this? How long ago was the attack and why was I not informed first?"

Chuuya sighed as he approached Mori's desk. He reached into his coat pocket to pull out his cellphone, tapping on it before setting it on the desk and turning it towards his boss.

"One of the Black Lizard grunts who happened to be in the area when it happened called me. This is a picture of the note as proof it was the bastard ability user. They contacted me because most of the Black Lizard is still helping clean up the damage and checking or treating the wounded. They knew I could get here fastest. According to them, it happened about 15 minutes before I got the call. It seems it took that long for things to calm down enough for someone to inform anyone of higher rank."

The redheax explained with exaspiration. This was just not going to be his week, was it? Coincidently, the timing of the attack seems to have coincided with when the news stopped talking about said ability user, the older man noted in the back of his mind, so Chuuya's information checks out, as the news would have not heard of the attack until after they finished reporting on him.

"Hmm, I see. Most peculiar, that they choose now to strike on us. Well since they have finally laid an attack on us, I guess it can't be helped then. No more just keeping tabs on them now. Forgive me, Chuuya-kun. I need to make an important phone call. It shouldn't take long."

Mori sighed, closing his eyes and shaking his head. So it has come to this, has it? The dark haired man opens his eyes, reaches into his coat pocket, grabs his phone, and presses the button to call someone who might not even answer, but if Yokohama is to be rid of its latest pest wuickly, he will need the help of the person on the other line. He is rather delighted when the other person ends up picking up, even if his voice is full of hatred.

"Now, now, Dazai-kun. Is that any way to speak to your old employer? I'm calling due to a matter of great importance. It seems that this city's newest pest has decided to attack the Port Mafia. Now, I assume you understand I can't just let that slide, now can I? So with this truce we have in place and in order to ger rid of tjis oest as quickly as possible so that I am not made to use drastic measure to lure him out, I would like to propose that a team be formed between the ADA and the Port Mafia. I can send Chuuya-kun and a team of his choosing say, within the hour, to meet and discuss this latest threat. I assume that will be adaquate time to gather a team of ADA members of your choosing, yes?"

Mori smirks mirthfully at the distain of the young man on the other end. Ah yes, this situation will be interesting indeed. The redhead still residing in his office seems to think otherwise though, as he lets out an indignant shout at the words the older man spoke.

And that's it for my rp request! Thanks for reading and please message me if your interested!! Also, if you looked at the fics and you know of any more that are similar to the ones I listed, feel free to leave that rec in the comments! Thank you! :D

[gold-pavilion]

Hi! I was wondering what you think about the Tanizaki siblings, with all the theories out there, and what would happen to them if Junichiro ends up joining the Port Mafia after the DoA arc. I've been following your page for a while now and I love reading your content, especially your metas :))

Hey!! Ohhh thanks so much, man!!

It's probably a boring answer, but I really don't think anything too wild about the Tanizaki siblings, past what we canonly know. As two people with a family connection (how different their designs are makes me think half-siblings or stepsiblings or something like that, but it's anime, they could be regular siblings while not looking much like each other) engaged in an incestuous relationship, it makes sense that they're on their own and living in the ADA's dorms.

Most of the ADA was recruited from situations of vulnerability. It could be the same for them; having broken apart from their family due to the taboo they've committed, they ended up there, just fending for each other. BSD and the ADA are full of people in morally reprehensive ground trying to live and do good, so I generally take it that they're just two more, no super complex theories haha, just human drama.

As for Junichiro joining the PM...!! I've actually strongly considered him! 'Cause, see, I think he's one of the few who would volunteer for the role and be able carry it through for that time.

Junichiro has made it clear that he isn't tied strictly by morality (WE CAN SEE THAT, BABY). He wants to be on the side of good, of course, but if he does bad actions, he'll still be able to sleep at night just fine. The true measuring stick that can make him suffer is Naomi's peace and safety, which stands above morality and law in his perspective. Therefore if what's good for the ADA is that he does mafia work for a time (and Naomi is ok) he's able to do that. Knowing there are ADA members that would be put under tremendous anguish by being pushed to that scenario or wouldn't forgive themselves ever afterward, he may be more motivated to be the person to take that on. Plus, he's proven his ability is very versatile and his capacity for espionage, recon and assassination is clear.

HOWEVERRRRR being super real here, he's never been very plot-relevant, he's not a guy that gets put on the spotlight of the story, so I kinda doubt it'd happen? While Ranpo and Tanizaki would be great choices, I think Atsushi and Dazai's status as protagonists would make either of them be the choice. That's just what I see as more or least likely though, surprises can very much happen!!

[theteapotofdoom]

idk if it was my ask but a couple of days ago i asked for your top five bsd ships and i was on a bus and maybe it glitched bc of my poor connection!! sorry about that <3

OH WAIT this solves a big mystery actually! Must have typed an A instead of an S because a couple of days ago I received a very confusing message asking me for “my top 5 BAD ships” and I was very confused. But now everything makes sense!

As for my top 5 BSD ships, it can change a little based on my mood, but I’ll try to make it as accurate as I can! I already made a top 10 of my BSD ships a while ago, where I went in depth with why I like each ship. Here’s the link if you want to check it out! But I don’t mind doing another top 5 because it means that I have to be extra careful if I can only choose 5 ships out of the many that I like!

Also, I had to change my order of favourites a little here, because if I was to do A REAL top 5, it would almost only be Kunikida ships because he is my fave and I ship him with everyone XD

Kunikidazai: Easy winner honestly! It was the first ship that I fell in love with when I started watching BSD and I keep loving them more and more every day. I’m a little frustrated that they haven’t interacted in so long, but hopefully, we will get a proper reunion at some point in the manga. Their relationship is my favourite in the whole story, I love that Kunikida is actually one of the few people who regularly challenges Dazai and calls him out on his bullshit, and I love that Dazai keeps Kunikida in check in his own way. They’re a perfect balance of mutual trust and respect while also seeing through each other’s flaws. I like to think that they are each other’s anchors, Kunikida is Dazai’s guiding light to get out of the darkness, and Dazai is the hand always holding Kunikida back when he flies to close to the sun. Also, they are literally an old married couple, always bickering without ever actually hurting or disrespecting each other! Soulmates, I tell you.

Ranpoe: Honestly? I just think that they’re neat! I don’t have a very deep take on this ship, other than the fact that they have amazing chemistry and a wonderful dynamic and that I care about them a whole lot. Poe is actually one of my favourite BSD characters, and I think that he deserves a cute smart pretty boyfriend like Ranpo who will support him and kiss him a lot. This is the ship that I go to when I only want good vibes! They are both very dramatic and chaotic, and I love that Poe is actually sticking around and helping Ranpo with important plot things, we love a power couple <3

Chuuaku: So I already talked about these two recently, so I’m gonna try to not repeat myself too much. There are a lot of very cool parallels between the two of them, they are both two young man with an incredibly powerful and dangerous ability trapped inside of their body that makes them feel like they’re not human sometimes. They both got hurt by Dazai repeatedly and they both often feel like outsiders inside of their own organization. I would LOVE to see them having a proper conversation about all of this, I think that they could help each other a lot! They’re also just very cute, they are often paired together in official art, and Chuuya always seemed to be a little flirty with Aku and that’s some king shit right there!

Fukumori: I just ... love their vibe. I love the concept of these two old gays who have been breaking and getting back together again and again for the past twenty years. It’s hilarious to imagine that they’re always trying to keep it professional whenever they interact as president of the ADA and leader of port Mafia but personal stuff always comes through, you know? Like they be discussing a deal and they slowly start to make passive-aggressive comments like “oh yeah you would know about that, wouldn’t you, hmmm?” They’re just two bitter exes who will simply never be over each other and will always “accidentally” make out against a wall even after a third divorce. Good for them honestly. 

Odazai: In many ways, Odazai should be my number one BSD ship because this actually the canon relationship that I like the most, and I genuinely think that their relationship is the backbone of the entire story. The reason that it’s only number 5 is that, unlike the previous ships, I never consume any fan content for them because I am completely satisfied with how their relationship is in canon. It’s one of the rare pairings where I don’t want to expand on anything or fix anything, I think that they’re perfect as they are. I also kind of love them for the same reasons that I love Kunikidazai, Oda is one of the few people in the story who REALLy challenges Dazai and pushes him out of his comfort zone. To put it more simply, Oda and Kunikida are the characters that make me like Dazai (I have a VERY complicated relationship with Dazai as a character, but that’s a story for another time). Some ship works best as tragedies, and Odazai is definitely one of those ships. Also, even though Kunikidazai is my number one ship, I fully believe that Oda was the love of Dazai’s life and that even though Dazai can love other people again, he will NEVER love anyone the way that he loved Oda. 

So that was the top five! Except for Kunikidazai and Ranpoe as number one and two, the order can change depending on my mood. There are also many other ships that I love that couldn’t make it to this tope, but that would make it to a top 10 (like I did that other time!). Also, I’m not up to date on everything in the manga or in the novels, so I apologize if some of the things that I talked about feels out of touch with the story as a whole! This top is based on what I know of the story and on how I feel about it!

Okay you know how I talked about how my true top 5 would only be Kunikida ships? Well, as a bonus, here is my top 5 Kunikida ships under the cut! :D

Kunikidazai of course! Not much to say here, I already talked about them in the first list.

Kunioda: Kunikida and Oda have SO MUCH in common, and the fact that Asagiri refuses to acknowledge it is driving me insane. They both have a strong sense of morality and justice, they both care deeply for children, they both obey a very specific moral code of their own ... I just think they would get along and respect each other a lot. Also Beast AU gave me cute domestic Kunioda as partners and therefore it is the superior AU.

Kunifyo: SO YEAH if you’ve been following me for a while, this one isn’t a surprise. It’s criminally underrated because the BSD fandom has terrible taste, but they truly have it all. Opposites attract, Fyodor being unable to understand Kunikida and seeing him as a challenge, sun and moon imagery, unstoppable force meets unmovable object, the two of them out of their comfort zone ... with Fyodor becoming obsessed with this man that he sees as a beacon of light and righteousness and needing to destroy him for that while simultaneously genuinely falling for him LIKE PLEASE GUYS. KuniFyo has rights. 

Kunisano: I think that’s their ship name? I’m not sure! But yeah, Kunikida x Yosano is a very powerful ship. They have known each other for a very long time (Kunikida, Ranpo, and Yosano were the og trio after all!) and they completely trust and support each other. They’re implied to be drinking buddies, and it’s very cute to imagine that they have their special nights together where they just have fun and get drunk and gossip about everyone else in the agency (and maybe drunkenly make out who knows haha). Actually, I wrote a whole post of meta about them, so here is the link, just so I don’t repeat myself too much!

Kunida x Me because I love him and I want to kiss him.

[silvfyre-writings]

I'm o-fish-ally in love with you (BSD Fanfic)

If you guys couldn't guess, this was inspired by the mayoi ranpoe art we were blessed with (during pride month as well!) and since it is a friends bday soon, I was like "what if I write this date as a gift?" and yeah, the fic was born!

I swear, it was only supposed to be like, 3-4k words, not nearly 6k, but Ranpo and Poe just took the plot and ran away with it!

Anyways, I hope you enjoy and feel free to leave a kudos or a comment if you did! :D

Ranpo looks… fantastic. That was the thought that crossed Poe’s mind as he opened his door to see Ranpo standing on the other side, the shorter man having forgone his usual detective garb for once—which was certainly different to witness—and was instead wearing a simple brown jacket with just a plain white shirt underneath, and they were complimented by the pants that hugged Ranpo’s legs quite nicely, and sneakers. It also looked that Ranpo had, for once, brushed his hair instead of just running his fingers through it like he usually did, and—well—Poe couldn’t help but appreciate just how good Ranpo looked, even if it made him feel a bit overdressed in comparison.

He'd picked out a simple white sweater for his own outfit, with a new coat—a nice shade of blue that was easy on the eyes—that he’d purchased just for the occasion, and along with his nicest pair of pants and casual shoes, his outfit was perfected. But… now he wasn’t sure. At first he’d loved the coat, had thought it perfect and comfortable, but then he’d laid his eyes on Ranpo, and suddenly he wasn’t sure about it at all.

“Poe, stop thinking so hard, you look fine!” Ranpo whined, stepping forward to wind his arms around Poe’s waist as he gazed up into the writer’s face. Poe’s cheeks flushed red as Ranpo raised a hand to brush his bangs to the side to reveal one of his eyes to the world. “You need to stop worrying so much, ‘kay? I look great, and you look even better! And we’re going to go to the aquarium and have a good time, so focus on that.”

Poe couldn’t help but smile at Ranpo’s words. The other man knew him so well to be able to just shoot down all his insecurities in a few seconds without even being told what they were in the first place, and well, that was just what Poe loved about the other man. He leaned down to place a kiss on Ranpo’s cheek to show his appreciation, the delight growing within him as pink formed on the detective’s cheeks, and Ranpo’s eyes opened just that little bit wider. “Ranpo knows me so well.”

He got a grin in response, and Ranpo threaded one of his arms through Poe’s before he’s being dragged down the footpath towards the main street. “Well, duh, of course I do. You’re a walking ball of anxiety, but there are only a few things that set you off when you are with me, and me, being the great detective that I am, knows all of them!”

“Oh, I see. And what they might be?” Poe said as he took the lead, guiding Ranpo in the other direction when they’d started heading the wrong way, as he tended to do whenever the two of them did something together. Ranpo was kind, and a genius, but his sense of direction was as poor as ever, no matter what Poe did to try and help him. But aside from the few times they’d genuinely landed in trouble because of it, Poe found it adorable, seeing Ranpo pout when he learnt he’d been going the wrong way. The pout, the puffed cheeks, and the furrowed brow, all adorable because it was Ranpo, and easily dealt with, with a few kisses and reassurances.

Ranpo raised his hand, holding up just a few fingers, and folded one down. “Dressing up for starters. You always worry when we go out and you think you look overdressed—which, you don’t by the way—because you feel like it makes it more obvious that you have money and I do not.” Another finger is folded down. “Being sappy out in public, because you fear judgement, not for yourself, but for me, which I kinda get, but also, it’s stupid. If people are going to judge me for dating another man, then they need to find something better to do.” The final finger goes down. “And, you always worry about Karl because—wait, where is Karl? Wasn’t he coming with us today?”

At those words, Poe stopped dead in his tracks, horror on his face as he realized that because he’d gotten caught up in Ranpo’s beauty, he’d forgotten to grab Karl from the couch where his little friend had been taking an early morning nap. “Oh my god, I forgot Karl! Oh, um, wait right here, Ranpo, I’ll be right back!”

“Huh? Wait—Poe!”

He ignored Ranpo’s call for him as he raced back down the path they’d taken, sprinting back up to his door and unlocking it in record speed. Poe threw open the door, and let out a relieved sigh as he saw that Karl was where he’d left him; asleep, on the couch. “Oh, Karl.” Poe whispered as he brushed his fingers through soft fur. “I didn’t mean to forget you, I’m sorry.”

The raccoon’s eyes blinked open, and he lifted his head to stare at Poe sleepily, unaware that he’d even been forgotten in the first place. Karl chattered in the way he always did while he woke up, stretching underneath Poe’s hand before he shook his body and scaled Poe’s arm, taking residence in his usual spot on his shoulders. Poe smiled, and tipped his head to nudge Karl gently. “Now, let’s get back to Ranpo, huh? I kind of left him behind to come and get you. I hope he’s not too mad…”

Karl blinked once, eye’s brightening as he recognized Ranpo’s name.

“Karl!” Any worry that Poe held about Ranpo being mad at him was forgotten, when Ranpo spotted them coming and scrambled to his feet, arms wide open and a grin on his face. The action wasn’t for him, Poe knew that, and he watched as Karl chattered excitedly before leaping off of Poe’s shoulder and landing into Ranpo’s arms. Poe smiled, watching Ranpo spin Karl around a couple of times before holding the raccoon close.

“He was still asleep when I got back.” Poe explained, coming close enough that he could be close to the two most important parts of his life.

“Aww, Karl, your dad was so caught up in seeing me that he forgot to grab you, how about that?” Ranpo teased, his eyes trained on Poe even though he was talking to Karl. “Poe’s a little silly isn’t he?”

Poe’s cheeks burned, but instead of being shy about the teasing, he felt a burst of confidence, and he leaned over to scratch Karl behind the ears, quietly murmuring into Ranpo’s ear. “Well, when Ranpo looks as good as he does, that’s a little easy to do, right Karl?”

It’s the sappiest thing he could ever say, even though he’s said much sappier since he and Ranpo had started dating in the first place, but it was worth it to see Ranpo’s cheeks turn an impressive shade of red. Poe chuckled as Ranpo opened and closed his mouth, trying to come up with some sort of retort, only to blush even harder. He pressed his lips to the side of Ranpo’s head. “I’m just teasing, my dear, but I speak the truth.”

Ranpo stepped away to take a moment, hiding his face in his hands. A couple of minutes pass before he dropped them back to his side, his face still pink, but less noticeable now. Poe is given a look before Ranpo links their arms together once again and begins to drag Poe along—thankfully in the right direction, so Poe doesn’t have to do anything but follow—and the silence between them is unusual, but comfortable. At least, for Poe it is; he can see the way that Ranpo’s brow is still furrowed, no doubt thinking hard like he always is. Poe stays silent as well, patiently waiting for Ranpo to find the words he needed.

He's rewarded when, after nearly three minutes, Ranpo speaks. “Thanks though. I… wasn’t sure on my outfit.”

Poe smiled, and moved his hand to link their fingers together instead. “You always look good, Ranpo, but this time, you look amazing.”

The decision to go to the aquarium had been made by Ranpo, who’d busted down his door in his excitement about the new exhibition the aquarium was showing about freshwater fish. Poe had been writing like he usually was on the days that Ranpo wasn’t at his house, when Ranpo had sent him fifty million—okay, not quite fifty million, but close enough—telling Poe that he would be coming around after work to tell him something important.

And apparently, that ‘something important’ was just Ranpo’s way of asking Poe out on a date to the aquarium.

It hadn’t been as simple as that though, for Ranpo had turned up at Poe’s house, remained silent for the first hour before suddenly dropping random fish facts on him—truly, they had been quite random—until Poe had finally caved and asked what it was that Ranpo wanted. Because for some reason, whenever Ranpo wanted something from Poe, he became the most introverted person on earth. Yet with literally anyone else, Ranpo had no problems at all with demanding things, regardless of what they were.

But yes, he had asked, and Ranpo had turned an interesting shade of red as he quietly asked Poe if he would like to go to the aquarium with him on the weekend.

Poe had pretended to muddle over it—even if it was going to be crowded, he was willing to brave the crowds just this once—before agreeing, and that was that; it was a date. Ranpo had gone home smiling the widest of smiles, and Poe had begun to plan what they would do, because he knew that if he didn’t, they would end up zigzagging all over the place and as much as he loved spending time with Ranpo, he wanted it to be enjoyable and not… painful.

So he’d pulled up a map of the aquarium and outlined a simple plan they could follow that would take them from one side of the aquarium to the other, and still allow them to see all the fish and other sea creatures.

It was a plan so perfect, that nothing could possibly go wrong.

“Thank you for coming, and we hope you enjoy your time here.” The young woman at the counter smiled as she handed the two tickets to Poe, who’s heart was pounding after standing in line for twenty minutes with a very impatient Ranpo and disgruntled Karl, who had thankfully, not tried to escape the bag that Poe had shoved him into before they walked through the doors. He’d gotten permission to bring his furry friend, provided that Karl didn’t go wandering off, but still, Poe didn’t want to bring any unwanted attention until they were inside the aquarium.

Ranpo let out a groan and tugged on Poe’s sleeve in an attempt to get him to move faster, even though they still have to wait for the worker at the gate to open it for them anyways—for which they needed the tickets that Poe was currently being handed.

“Ranpo, please be patient.” Poe said, and grabbed the tickets, giving the worker a timid smile and quiet thanks before letting himself be dragged to the gate.

“But, Poe—” Ranpo whined, “—I wanna see the fish already! And so does Karl!”

At the sound of his name, Karl poked his head out of the bag and began to look around, letting off quiet chitters at everything that caught the raccoon’s attention, to which Poe merely rolled his eyes, and grabbed onto Ranpo’s hand to make sure that he didn’t lose sight of the other; the last thing he wanted to do was have to hunt down an excited Ranpo. Poe squeezed Ranpo’s hand, and waited for Ranpo to look at him. “We have all day, Ranpo, so relax a little and take your time. We’ll get a chance to see everything here.”

There was an awed sparkle to Ranpo’s eyes as he opened them, his excitement obvious in the way he bounced on his heels and kept trying to run off despite holding hands with Poe still. “Even the freshwater fish?”

Poe nodded. “Even the freshwater fish.”

Ranpo cheered, throwing his hands into the air, and this time, Poe allowed himself to be dragged, although he allowed their hands to part so that he could go at his own pace. He made sure to keep Ranpo in his sight, which was made easier when Karl finally abandoned the bag he’d been curled up in this entire time, dashing across the floor to scale Ranpo much like a cat would a tree. It was adorable to watch as Karl curled himself around Ranpo’s shoulders, one of Ranpo’s hands coming up to scratch the raccoon between the ears, all while keeping his attention focused on the fish.

He made sure to follow close behind, as Ranpo dashed from one tank to the next, and waited for Poe to come and stand next to him, before telling him a few facts about the fish residing in the tank, and then moving on. For the next few hours, their trip was like that, and honestly, Poe didn’t mind it in the slightest. It was heartwarming to see Ranpo so passionate about the aquarium, and about the fish living there; so much so that he found himself becoming motivated to potentially write a story about fish, one that he was sure that Ranpo would love to read if, and when, it was done.

“Did you know that stingrays belong to the same family as sharks, but despite that, sharks are their biggest predator?” Ranpo suddenly said as he and Poe watched a few stingrays’ glide about the touch tank, their fins gently waving through the water to propel them forwards at quite the impressive speed. Ranpo was leaned against the railing of the tank, staring into the water with wide eyes and a smile on his face.

Poe never wanted to forget that look until the day he died.

“I did not.” He said, coming up to rest his chin on Ranpo’s shoulder as he looked into the tank. Poe didn’t quite know why they were looking into the tank from the top when looking at it from the bottom allowed one to see more, but he wasn’t about to bring it up. Besides, it allowed Karl to sit between their legs and look into the tank himself, the raccoon letting out chirps and chatters as the stingrays and other fish swam by; it really reminded him of those movies he’d once watched, of the parents taking their child to the zoo—or rarely, an aquarium—and just… being a family.

The moment the three of them were sharing was so domestic, that Poe couldn’t stop his cheeks from flushing pink, and he nuzzled the crook of Ranpo’s neck, his breath causing Ranpo to shiver underneath him. “Ranpo should tell me more about the stingrays.”

Ranpo angled his head in a way that green eyes met violet. “Will I get a treat if I tell you more?”

Poe smiled and pressed a kiss to the side of Ranpo’s neck, bringing about another shiver. “Perhaps.”

“Well—” Ranpo turned around in Poe’s arms, bringing his own to wrap around Poe’s neck as he brought his partner closer to eye level. “—did you know that there are over two hundred kinds of stingrays? And that the rarest stingray species is also the largest? It’s called the smalleye stingray, and it grows over two metres wide—well, seven feet for you, Mr American.” There was a pause as Ranpo stood on his toes to rest his forehead against Poe’s. “So, how did I do?”

“Marvelous.” Poe, who normally didn’t engage in affectionate behaviours in public, closed the gap between him and Ranpo, giving a short, but sweet kiss to his partners lips. “I could listen to you talk about fish and other sea creatures all day.”

They shared a few more short kisses with each other, remaining mindful, but also ignorant at the same time to the world and people around them, until Ranpo leaned in to press a kiss to the corner of Poe’s mouth, smiling happily. “That’s good, because the sharks are up next, and I have a lot to say about them.”

As it turned out, Poe didn’t get to listen to whatever shark facts that Ranpo knew about, because when they got to the tank with the sharks, it was at the same time as the presentation that he remembered seeing mentioned at the entrance of the aquarium. Already, there was a large group of people that had Poe grabbing Karl and returning him to his bag, just in case any of the children spotted him and tried to get touchy with the raccoon. And because Ranpo insisted on staying for the presentation despite probably already knowing anything and everything about sharks, Poe had to find somewhere for them to sit, grateful when there were a couple of seats at the back still… well, one seat at least. Still, Poe had dragged Ranpo over to that seat with the intention of just sitting on the floor, when Ranpo had forced him into the chair and then sat on his lap; Poe couldn’t stop the blush that adorned his face, made worse when the people next to them kept glancing at the two of them.

It's fine, just ignore it. If it’s not bothering Ranpo, it’s fine. Poe told himself as he did his best to get comfortable, not that that was hard to do, not when this was something that happened frequently in the privacy of Poe’s home; quite often, Ranpo would plonk himself into Poe’s lap when he was writing and just sit there, quietly watching, and on the odd occasion; nap. So really, Poe was used to having his personal space invaded, but this was the first time it had happened in public, and he was doing his best to ignore that fact as much as possible.

Thankfully, everyone’s attention was soon drawn by the aquarium workers in charge of the presentation when they began to speak, and the room fell silent and still as everyone listened to the two workers talk about the sharks kept at the aquarium; the experience was made all the better by the divers in the tank, lazily swimming about with these sharks, encouraging the underwater creatures to show off for the audience watching them with enraptured eyes.

Even Ranpo, who had so much trouble focusing at times, was transfixed, watching the sharks swim by with childlike wonder—although he was quietly fidgeting with Poe’s fingers as they rested in Ranpo’s lap. Every now and then, Poe would hear Ranpo mutter under his breath, correcting the worker when they left out something important, or said the wrong fact, and Poe was just grateful that for once, Ranpo was keeping his thoughts to himself. He must really like the sharks to do that. Poe let himself think as he listened, intrigued himself about the creatures he’d so often seen in movies portrayed as massive, man-eating monsters.

It certainly was a misconception, for the sharks in these tanks, while small but still deadly, were doing nothing but nudging the divers and swimming around without a care in the world, almost as if they were just… harmless sea puppies. Sea puppies probably wasn’t the right description for such an animal, but it was the one that came to him all the same, and it would be what he used from now on until something more appropriate came along.

The talk went for an hour, although Poe felt it could go for much longer than that if the workers had really wanted to; they’d both sounded so passionate and interested about what they were talking about, excitedly sharing facts and answering questions that the children threw at them—the most shouted one being what their favorite shark was; the whale shark, and the leopard shark they had learnt—and by the time they were saying their farewells, many of the people listening were begging for just a few more minutes.

“I’m sorry, but we really have to get going.” One of the workers said, an apologetic look on their face as they crouched in front of a couple of children. “The sharks need to have some time to themselves as well, otherwise they get a—”

“Are you ready to go, Ranpo?” Poe asked, tuning out the workers as he addressed the man who was still sitting in his lap, despite most of the room having filed out by this point, freeing up plenty of seats.

Ranpo jerked in his lap, like he hadn’t expected Poe to speak to him. “Huh? Oh, yeah, let’s go.”

But he didn’t make an effort to move, other than to shift forward to sit on Poe’s knees rather than his lap. Poe frowned, worried about this sudden change in character, and leaned to the side to get a better look at Ranpo’s face. “Ranpo? Are you alright?

It took a few seconds for Ranpo to answer him. “I’m fine, Poe. See?”

And Ranpo stood, only to suddenly tilt to the side, Poe’s reflexes kicking into overdrive to just in time to catch and support Ranpo before he hit the floor. Ranpo groaned as Poe lowered him to sit back in the chair, bringing his hands up to rest his head against. Poe crouched in front of Ranpo and studied the way his partners hands shook just enough to be noticeable, how his skin had lost almost all colour in just a few seconds, and the exhaustion that threatened to drag him under.

His worry grew, when Ranpo lowered his head to rest on his shoulders. “Ranpo?”

“Dizzy.” Is all Ranpo managed to say, taking deep breaths, and squeezing his eyes shut. Before Poe can say anything, Ranpo continued, “I may have forgotten to eat today.”

Relief flooded Poe, and he felt that he could relax knowing that he didn’t need to rush to get Ranpo help; low blood sugar was something that the two of them had dealt with before, mostly because when they happened to get involved in their respective jobs, food and water were the last things on their minds. Poe just considered it lucky that Ranpo was only dizzy, and hadn’t passed out like the last time this had happened.

They’d been at a crime scene that day, and it had certainly been fun trying to explain to the officers that they did not in fact, need an ambulance.

“Will you be alright here if I go and get you something to drink?” Poe asked as he stood, although one hand remained on Ranpo’s shoulder as reassurance.

Ranpo nodded. “I’ll be okay.”

With a quiet promise of a quick return, Poe dashed off towards the nearest café the aquarium offered, making sure to leave Karl behind to keep an eye on Ranpo while he was gone. Thankfully, it didn’t take long for him to find a place that sold sugary drinks and snacks, and a few minutes later found him making his way back to where he had left Ranpo; apple juice and jellybeans in hand. Neither were Ranpo’s preferred choice of snack and beverage, but in this case, where it was the difference between remaining conscious or passing out, they would do.

Ranpo was still in the chair, although he’d gone from being hunched over to leaning against the back of the chair, his head tilted back, and eyes still closed. Karl was on Ranpo’s lap, tail flicking idly as the raccoon’s eyes were focused on Ranpo, but the most surprising change was the staff member that was crouched beside Ranpo now, saying something that Poe couldn’t yet hear. He was unable to stop his mind from jumping to the worst possible conclusion, and Poe hurried over, his approach drawing the attention of both Ranpo—a single green eye cracked open to look at him—and the worker, who’s eyes fell towards the purchases in Poe’s arms.

“Ah, you must be the ‘Poe’ he’s been waiting for?”

Poe nodded as he moved to sit in the chair next to Ranpo. “I am. Is everything alright?”

“No, not at all. I had forgotten something here, so I came back to get it and saw your friend looking rather unwell. He told me that he was dizzy, but that someone was helping him, so I decided to sit with him until you came back.” The worker explained and stood, a smile on their face. “Do you need any further assistance?”

“No, we’ll be fine, thanks.” Poe waited for the worker to leave before he nudged Ranpo with his knee, doing so continuously until Ranpo opened his eyes; a weight came to rest against his shoulder as Ranpo slumped against him. “I have some juice for you if you feel up to drinking something.”

Ranpo hummed, and took hold of the juice, drinking a quarter of it in one go before he slowed down to small sips. Poe handed over the jellybeans then, and watched as Ranpo nibbled on a handful of the bright coloured lollies. Slowly, his partner’s face began to regain its colour, and Ranpo looked a little more alive than he had a few minutes ago, although he still continued to rest against Poe’s shoulder.

“Maybe we should go home?” Poe suggested after a few minutes of silence had passed and Ranpo still hadn’t moved.

“No, I’m alright.” Ranpo pushed himself upright. “I’ll be alright. We still haven’t seen everything—we still haven’t seen the freshwater fish and that’s what I want to see the most.”

Poe was hesitant to continue hanging out at the aquarium when Ranpo wasn’t feeling well, but he also couldn’t forcibly prevent Ranpo from continuing if that was what he wanted to do, and Ranpo was looking much better now that he’d eaten and had something to drink. Still… Poe was a natural worrier, especially when it came to those he cared about, and he cared about Ranpo a lot, so excuse him for wanting to prioritise his partner’s health. “I don’t know, Ranpo… I just don’t want you to push yourself too much when you aren’t feeling well.”

Ranpo gave him a look. “If I start to feel unwell again, then we stop, but I won’t, so it’ll be fine.” The detective paused and sighed a few seconds later. “I understand that you are worried, Poe, but you don’t need to be. I’m not sick or anything, I just forgot to eat.”

“Well… alright then.” Poe finally acquiesced and stood from his seat, offering Ranpo a hand that his partner took and a final onceover, they continued on their way, finally leaving the sharks behind them to head for the next section of the aquarium that ironically, was the freshwater one Ranpo had been looking forward to this entire time.

And while his worry diminished the longer Poe watched Ranpo wander around without any further dizzy spells, it never faded completely, and it probably wouldn’t until they were safely back at home. But he did manage to brush it aside in favour of just watching Ranpo as the younger ran around excitedly, hopping from tank to tank to study the fish within them, regardless of how often Poe told him to stop running off. It was no use trying to stop Ranpo when he was like this, all he could really do was try his best to keep the other within his sights while it happened.

Karl had returned to sitting on Poe’s shoulder, attention everywhere at once, and a few children squealed and pointed in his direction when they spotted the raccoon, which set Poe on edge a little bit, but thankfully, the parents of the children were quick to move along and Poe could relax a little. He even managed to find a bench in front of one of the larger tanks that allowed him to still watch Ranpo, but also rest his legs—it was tiring work chasing after Ranpo after all.

Poe didn’t know how long he’d been sitting on that bench, or when exactly he’d dozed off, but the next thing he was aware of was slender fingers touching his cheeks softly, and he raised his head to see green eyes watching him with faint concern.

“You okay?” Ranpo asked.

“Yeah.” Poe stretched out, wincing a little at the way his bones popped and cracked; he must’ve been dozing for at least ten minutes, if not more. “What about you?”

“I’m not the one that fell asleep on a bench.” Ranpo rolled his eyes and dropped his hands to rest by his side. A quiet chatter drew Poe’s attention towards Karl, who at some point, had abandoned him to go to Ranpo. Probably to bring him here now that I think about it. His thoughts were confirmed by Ranpo, “Karl came and chattered at me until I followed him.”

“I suppose I’m just a bit tired is all.”

“Because of me?” It’s faint, but Poe can hear the uncertainty in Ranpo’s voice, and he straightens, determined to squash that anxiety before it even has the chance to form.

“Absolutely not. You may move faster than I can keep up with at times, but that is nothing compared to the joy I feel in watching you enjoy your time here, whether that be seeing all the exhibits several times over, or telling me all the facts about sharks and stingrays that you know.” Poe reached over and gripped Ranpo’s hands gently, using them to pull himself upright so that he can pull Ranpo into a tight hug. He can feel Ranpo relax into the embrace, and doesn’t have to see the others face to know he’s smiling. “But I must admit, that I would like to go home soon.”

Ranpo put on a show of thinking, going as far as to take on the whole thinking pose. But he’s smiling, and that was how Poe knew Ranpo was teasing. “Well, I suppose going home might not be so bad, but not because I’m tired myself, not at all! I’ve simply seen everything I want to see.”

“But?” Poe questioned, sensing that Ranpo has something to ask, but needed a bit of prompting to actually ask.

“But there is the tunnel where they do photos, and… I know you don’t like photos, but, I’d like to take one with you. Only if you want to though!”

Poe smiled and linked hands with Ranpo, tugging the other in the direction of the tunnel he’d been talking about without saying anything. He’d just been thinking about getting a photo himself, since this had been his and Ranpo’s first proper date in a while, and it just seemed right to commemorate it in some way.

And if a photo was that way, then they would get a photo.

“If the two of you want to do something couple-y, then don’t let me stop you!” The worker in charge of the photographs said as they waited for Poe and Ranpo to decide on what it was that they wanted to do for the photo. “I get quite a few same-sex couples asking for photos to commemorate their visit, so you’ll receive no judgement from me. I only ask that you make it cute, because it is cute. And brave.”

“Make it cute?” Poe spluttered, cheeks burning red. While he was grateful that this particular staff member wasn’t judgemental in the slightest, unlike the two families that had glared at them on their way to the tunnel, it was still a little embarrassing to have someone speak so forwardly in regards to displays of affection. But unlike Poe, Ranpo seemed unbothered; hell, he seemed more than enthusiastic towards making their photo romantic now and looked to be thinking hard.

Poe merely rolled his eyes and waited. He didn’t mind what kind of pose they did, really, just so long as it wasn’t awkward.

“We can just do something like this, right Poe?” Ranpo asked as he turned towards Poe, and wrapped his arms around his chest, gazing up into his eyes. Poe nodded and allowed his own arms to rest against Ranpo’s waist as he looked down at Ranpo. This was fine, almost perfect even, and he could hear the sound of the camera go off.

And then Ranpo pulled him down and their lips connected.

It wasn’t a long kiss, not like the ones that Ranpo would share with him after a long day at work, or when they were lying in bed together on a weekend, unwilling to start the day but more than willing to kiss each other senseless. But it wasn’t a short kiss either; those were the kisses that Poe was very familiar with, ones that he or Ranpo snuck to each other at passing moments or in lieu of a greeting. They were also his favorite—not that he was choosing a favorite kind of kiss because kissing Ranpo was one of his favorite things to do in general—only because of how Ranpo would blush whenever it was Poe that one that initiated, and that was always adorable to see.

This kiss though? It was something in between. It only lasted maybe seven seconds, maybe even a little longer, but it was long enough for Poe to be able to feel and understand the love that Ranpo held for him, and as he kissed back, he hoped that Ranpo could feel the same. They broke apart, and Poe smiled when he saw the pink that dusted Ranpo’s cheeks, and knew that that same pink resided on his own as well. Poe couldn’t help himself as Ranpo’s eyes looked at him so softly, and pressed a quick kiss to Ranpo’s forehead. “I love you, Ranpo.”

“I know you do.” Ranpo said, still smiling as he stepped away. “I do too.”

And just when Poe didn’t think the moment between them could be broken, it was. “I hate to butt in, but would you like me to print off the photos or put them on a USB for you?” To their credit, the worker looked apologetic as they spoke.

“Print them please, if that’s alright.” Poe said, his eyes not leaving Ranpo’s, even as they followed the worker back to the kiosk to get the photos. “Time to go home?”

“Yeah. Can we go on another date next week?”

“Of course we can, Ranpo. Just remember to eat next time, will you?” “No promises, Poe.”