#then it was gaining dazai’s approval

[brain-in-a-skin-suit]

i wholeheartedly believe that akutagawa is going to come back at the end of this arc because, while it was thematically a good death, it’s an even better rebirth

[hellaarknight]

I need to read a fic where the Akutagawa siblings are like the adopted kids of Chuuya and the reader. Hear me out on this. Chuuya is dating reader who is not part of the Mafia nor the Ada, but is good in close combat because is trained in self-defense and other techniques. Just because the reader fancy it. After a period of dating, reader gets to meet part of Chuuya's coworkers, such as Kouyo, Gin, Aku, Hirotsu etc. And becomes extremely fond of Gin and Akutagawa. First because she sees herself in Aku and his desperate attempts to gain his mentor approval and it makes her heart ache since she thinks that Chuuya is nevertheless a better mentor for Aku than Dazai. So she starts to organize dinners at Chuuyas and invite said coworkers, but more often just Aku and Gin.

Akutagawa is obviously not very fond of the outings at first, and not very fond of Chuuya's girlfriend. But even if he finds her annoying, he can't harm his superior's girlfriend. Then, he becomes somewhat accustomed to going to their place for dinner and it makes him at ease to see Gin having a new somehow friend. And maybe the hugs he receives aren't that bad after all. Even if he feels weird af at the beginning not being used to physical affection. And when she compliments his fighting skills and praises the good work him and Chuuya do during missions, it is not totally awful. I mean, it is not Dazai, it comes from a weak woman... But that weak woman makes the great executive Chuuya Nakahara fear for his life when he does something stupid, so she's not totally weak... And slowly he has a full war inside, of contradictory thoughts regarding her. And slowly he starts to respect her. And maybe even appreciate her. Sooner than later he doesn't even realize when he goes full rage on someone who dares to insult Chuuya's girlfriend.

BSD writers. I'm begging you on my knees, please someone write a fanfic with this idea. I'm begging you, I need to see the reader being a big sister for Aku and take care of him. If someone writes this or knows any similar fic, please tag me. I beg you.

[idiotwriteower]

a thing I noticed: Dazai said that he would give Akutagawa a reason to live in the flashback of Akutagawa and dazai meeting.

He DID give Akutagawa a reason to live. (Gain dazai's approval) But he'll never fully gain it, as to keep giving Akutagawa a reason to live.

NOW INEED YOU TO HEAR ME OUT.

feel like dazai is slowly give Akutagawa a reason that doesn't involve dazai.

Y'all remember when dazai met Chuuya, and spent time with him, he said that he would try living.

What l'm thinking is that dazai will make Atsushi and Akutagawa the new shin soukoku (hes already doing that)

But give Akutagawa a different reason to live, just like Chuuya gave dazai a interest in living.

By giving Atsushi as Akutagawas reason to live, he's separating himself from Akutagawa so he doesn't need dazai to live.

Idk just something

I'm a certified yapper

[starlightshadowsworld]

The thing is Atsushi told Akutugawa they should run.

When they ducked out on the ship before the actual fight with Fukuchi.

Atsushi said they were no match for him. "Have you seen this strength?! He's not just a gifted he's a God of war hidden in human form."

Akutagawa refused. "I will defeat him even if means every bone in my body will crumble."

Because otherwise he will have failed the mission, and as such failed Dazai.

So when Akutugawa makes the decision to give Atsushi an escape route. It's him admitting that Atsushi was right, that they were no match for Fukuchi.

It's Akutugawa putting Atsushi's safety over the mission. Because it's more important to him that Atsushi survives than Akutugawa gaining Dazai's approval.

Because all of this, since that night in the forest has been a trial of a meaningful life.

And you're the trial for me.

[famwhy]

Realisation

Yandere Dazai Osamu

Word Count: 3,176

Akutagawa despised you.

He hated everything about you. You, who was Dazai's other subordinate. You, who Dazai praised on the daily. You, who Dazai never let anyone in the Port Mafia lay a hand on.

It was unfair.

It was completely and utterly unfair.

Here he was, getting beaten bloody and blue for just a spec of approval from his mentor, while you stood there, just having to breathe to get the man to sing you praises.

You didn't even have an ability close to the potential his Rashomon had! How did you receive his mentor's approval without having to lift even the smallest finger?

What was worse, though, was the fact that you would always look at him with pity swirling in your eyes whenever Dazai would beat him into submission. Akutagawa hated that pity. He would despise you less if you gave him an arrogant smirk every time Dazai chose you over him. He didn't need your pity, he didn't want it.

How dare you have the audacity to pity him?!

Even now, he stood still, watching as Dazai smiled at you - cooing about how amazing you were as he held you with such a gentle touch, nothing like the rough way he would grab Akutagawa when he was needed for a mission. 

And once more, there was that damn pity in your eyes. Disgusting.

♡

"You did perfect out there, Y/N-chan." Dazai praised you, arms wrapped securely around your waist and gaze half-lidded.

"Thank you, Dazai-senpai." You broke the gaze you held with Akutagawa to send Dazai a bashful smile.

"Come now, didn't I tell you to call me Osamu?" 

"That would be highly inappropriate of me to do, Dazai-senpai."

"How so? We're both the same age here, Y/N-chan."

"But I am your subordinate."

"Yes you are, and as my subordinate, I order you to call me Osamu." 

He had cornered you, ordering you to call him by his name, knowing you could not refuse an order.

"Okay, Osamu-senpai."

"Why not drop the honorific too?" The longer the conversation went on, the tighter his grip around your waist seemed to be. His arms felt like they were constricting you rather than embracing you, it was uncomfortable.

"Oh-okay," Upon witnessing his expectant eyes, you gulped down the lump built up in your throat. "Osamu."

You could say with confidence that a shiver of disgust ran down your spine when he groaned after your words, pulling you even closer to him.

You knew of Akutagawa's jealousy towards you, he was a kid looking for the approval of his teacher but always being denied it. Always being denied it because that approval would go to someone else - you. The poor boy was unable to gain any praise from Dazai because he was too busy entertaining his infatuation with you. And for that, Akutagawa hated you.

It was much like a scenario where a boy looked for his father's acknowledgment but always got casted to the side because of the new woman his father laid his eyes on. A scenario in which it was only natural for the boy to feel jealous.

You felt for him, you really did. 

You felt so bad when you would stand to the side, watching as Dazai beat the boy for being 'too weak', only to then turn to you and place you on a pedestal - proclaiming about how he would never hurt you like he did Akutagawa, so blatantly showing his sick love for you.

Yes, that was what it was. A sick love.

You had realised it awhile back.

Dazai never treated you like his other subordinates, never dared being as rough with you as he was with them. He always said you were the best of all of them even though you knew that you could never compare to the strength of his other subordinates. Compared to them, you would describe yourself as average, nothing too powerful, nothing too weak. Just average.

You weren't flawless in missions - whenever you made a mistake, tears would flow down your eyes due to fear of what Dazai would do to you. He wouldn't do anything though, he never did. He would only cup your face in his hands and wipe your tears away before pulling you into a tight, protective embrace. 

You once remembered being handed over to Chuuya for the day, although it was unwilling. Dazai would never hand you over to the man he despised, not in a billion years. It was through the big boss' orders that you were told to train with Chuuya that day, much to the chagrin of Dazai. You knew the leader was testing Dazai's limits, seeing how he would respond to you being put into the arms of another.

Dazai was clever, he knew too. He knew that Mori was testing his limits, though he didn't particularly care. And because he didn't care, he stuck by your side the whole day - greatly annoying the male who never seemed to take off his fedora.

To say Dazai was possessive would be a huge understatement.

"Come to my office, I think a reward is on offer."

A reward? Tch, you'd hardly give it that name.

.

.

.

"Y/N."

Upon closing the door, your were met with the orange curls that framed the handsome face of one of your superiors.

"Ah! Nakahara-senpai, is there something I can do for you?" You nervously glanced around, not wanting to meet the eyes of Chuuya.

"How many times do I gotta tell ya? Call me Chuuya." 

"Sorry, Chuuya-senpai." 

"You can drop the senpai too."

"Ah, okay Chuuya-san."

"You're persistent."

"Is there anything I can help you with?" You cleared your throat, wanting the conversation to be over with. You were right outside Dazai's office - if he chose to leave and saw you with Chuuya, all hell would break loose.

"Yeah, boss wants you to come with me on a mission."

"He wants me to go with you?"

"The hell's that supposed to mean?" 

Careful Y/N, tread lightly. Chuuya's got a bit of a temper on him.

"Oh... uh... I just mean that.... well, I'm Dazai's subordinate so wouldn't it make more sense to send me on a mission with him?"

"You tellin' me you wanna be with that suicidal maniac?" 

He had a point.

"I guess not..." 

"C'mon then, the sooner we get this done, the sooner I can eat." With those words, Chuuya took off in a different direction - with you stumbling over yourself before following not too long after.

"Ah, Chuuya-san-."

"Just. Chuuya."

"... Chuuya, what type of mission are we going on exactly?"

"Capture and secure the target."

He abruptly stopped in his tracks, almost causing you to crash straight into his back had you not stopped in time, before turning around with a piece of paper in his hands.

"This is the target?" You rose a brow before squinting and trying to take a second look.

"He may look like he ain't much but the guy's a sneaky little shit." He withdrew the page, turning around once more to continue walking.

"Does he have an ability?" Gaining confidence, you sped up your pace to match with Chuuya's own, eventually walking in step with your superior.

"Yeah." 

"Oh, well, what is it?"

"Nothing I can't handle."

Your eye twitched. 

"Okay... I didn't ask if you could handle it or not. I asked what it was."

"Oh?" The way he tilted his head back with a smirk resting upon his face made it very clear to you that he knew what he was doing. "Wasn't aware you had a backbone to ya, princess. You seemed like the submissive type whenever you were with that fucking freak."

"I- gh-!" To say you were caught off-guard by his lewd implications would be an understatement. "Yuh-you-! Just tell me already!"

"Don't worry your pretty little head about it." 

"Why you-!"

Before you could sputter an insult out, your body collided with another, instantly cutting you off.

"Ah, sorry." 

You intended to brush them away and continue after the short male, however, you were unable to do so when whoever bumped into you placed their hand on your shoulder - grip so tight and familiar.

"Where are you going?" The words were spat out with venom and you didn't even need to turn around to know it was Akutagawa.

"On a mission."

"On your own?"

"With Chuuya."

He clicked his tongue. "So disrespectful to your superiors, I don't understand how he likes you."

You jerked your shoulder, forcing his hand off of it without so much as a glance behind you - opting to say no more as you hastened your steps to catch up with the executive who was now quite ahead of you.

"Chuuya! Wait up!"

You made it out the doors, seeing the male just ahead of you and making your way towards him.

He was standing before a very cool-looking crimson motorcycle, smirking at it before throwing his body over it.

"Get on."

"Wha-? No helmet?" 

He looked at you as though you were wearing socks and sandles. "Helmet? You kidding me? Does that dick baby you that much?"

"Baby me?! I'm just concerned for my safety! Every biker wears a helmet!"

"Yeah? Well not-fucking-this-one. Now, are you gonna get on or do you wanna walk the rest of the way, sweetheart?" 

With a huff, you hopped on behind him - waiting for him to start the engine...

...only to receive no indication that he would be turning on the vehicle.

"What are you doing?"

"Waiting for you to hold on."

"I am holding on."

"To me, dipshit."

"Tuh-to you?!"

When you returned to your flustered state, Chuuya's smirk also returned to his face.

"Yeah, to me. I mean, unless you wanna go flying off then,  by all means, be my guest."

Pushing through the embarrassment, you did as told, wrapping your arms loosely around Chuuya's torso.

"You're gonna wanna hold on tighter than that, sweetheart."

"This is as tight as I'll go."

"Suit yourself."

With a 'vroom', the bike sped off at speeds so alarmingly fast, you found your grip on Chuuya tightening out of pure fear for your life.

"AHHHHHH!"

"Told ya."

"OH SHUT UP!"

.

.

.

"So, is this where the target is going to be?" You tilted your head to the side as you asked the male sat across from you.

The two of you were currently situated in a small cafe within a small street that was quite obscure, at least enough so that you wouldn't notice it if you were in a hurry to get somewhere from the main street. 

Chuuya had parked his motorcycle at the entrance of the cafe before entering and taking a seat, with you following diligently after.

That led you to now.

"Nope." He popped the 'p' to emphasise his point.

"Huh?! What do you mean 'nope'?!"

"I mean, no, the target is not going to be here." The smirk on his face grew, he was clearly enjoying teasing you.

"Then why are we here?!"

"Well, princess, I'm starving and I wanna eat something so here we are."

"You are unbelievable." You crossed your arms, sighing in a little too much exaggeration.

"Yeah? Well, believe it, sweetheart."

You chose not to speak after that, stubbornly crossing your arms and tossing your head to the side.

The rest of your little 'date' was spent in silence, apart from ordering food, neither of you spoke a word.

Your mind had wandered off, your thoughts drawing you to your mentor, Dazai. He was bound to find out where you were eventually. Just the thought of his reaction is enough to send a shiver down your spine.

No doubt he would drag you out and as far away as possible. He probably would mention something about how 'that disgusting midget' 'tainted' you - as though he, himself, had not done so already. 

"Oi, are you listening?" When you finally came to, the snapping of Chuuya's fingers was suddenly both visible and audible to you. "You can't keep your head stuck in the clouds while we're on a mission, princess."

"Says the guy who stopped at a cafe to get a meal nowhere near the target we're meant to be capturing right now." You were quick to send a quip right back at him, addressing him as though he wasn't your superior (which clearly wasn't the case).

"Yeah? Well, that guy's also your superior which means he can do what he fucking wants." You glowered as Chuuya gave you the most smug look in the world, as if he couldn't get any more cocky. "Anyway, let's go. I've had my fill."

You scrambled up after him, severely annoyed but choosing not to run your mouth again lest you want to anger the midget.

Honestly, this guy had some audacity to be this careless on missions. Just because he had a powerful ability, with masterful martial art techniques to match, did not mean he could be this unbothered by the consequences of his actions. Seriously, his ego is as big as Dazai's-.

"That's him! That's the little shit!" Chuuya's words snapped you back to reality, causing you to raise your head in alarm. "Alright, princess, time to put that ability of yours to use."

"I thought you didn't need my help." You stubbornly crossed your arms.

"I don't. But I suppose you wanna explain to the boss how you were doing nothing while I did all the work?"

Almost immediately, metal chains appeared from blue ribbons with kanji written on them - all of which originated from your now-crouched-down form, hands balled into fists that made contact with the ground.

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

Your ability, 'Chains of Fate', allowed you to summon chains to restrain a target of your choice so long as they were within your line of sight. The perfect ability for capture missions; combat missions? Not so much.

Luckily, this mission was a capture mission. 

Your chains wrapped around your targets wrists and ankles, pulling at them and rendering him immobile. 

The 'crunch' of Chuuya's knuckles was very audible from beside you - as was the crack of his neck. He was getting ready to show off, wasn't he? Dazai told you a lot about Chuuya's tendency to go overboard with his ability due to his confidence in himself, 'an arrogant little shit' was the phrase he used when ranting to you about this specific trait of the handsome ginger.

Alright, time to see if he-.

"Y/N?"

Ah shit.

The sound of the familiar voice was enough to cause your concentration to falter and, in just that split window of time, the target was let loose of your chains - wasting no time to flee the scene.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Chuuya screamed, looking over at you, but by then, your wrist was already seized by your mentor.

"What. The. Fuck are you doing with this fucking midget." Dazai spat the words with such venom, you (and pretty much every person within your vicinity) flinched.

"The fuck did you just call me?!"

"Shut up, Chuuya. I'm not talking to you." Dazai's tone had completely changed from his usual playful one. It was one of complete and utter loathing. He was seething.

"Why you little-!"

"He's getting away!" You pointed towards the capture target.

"Let him." Scoffed Dazai. "I couldn't give less of a damn."

Your worried gaze stayed trained onto the man dashing away at speeds you weren't capable of reaching.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you, subordinate." Your hair was pulled harshly, causing your whole head to jerk to the side, an expression of hurt falling on your face.

"Yuh-yes, Dazai-senpai." You winced once more, feeling him tug on the roots of your hair again. 

"What did I tell you to call me?" 

"Osamu."

"So call me it."

"Yes, Osamu..."

"The fuck is wrong with you?" Chuuya finally snapped out of his little daze from witnessing the way Dazai handled you. "She was just following the boss' orders. What? Does your authority go above the boss' now?"

Dazai narrowed his eyes, finally letting go of your hair. "Mori."

.

.

.

"Explain to me again why that man is not within my grasp right now." The narrowed gaze of the Mafia boss sent shivers down your spine. 

"This piece of shi-."

"How about you explain to me why you told my Y/N to partner with Chuuya for this mission?" Dazai cut off the shortest male in the room, narrowing his own gaze much more that Mori.

"I don't see why I should."

"She is my subordinate. If there is anyone she should be doing a mission with, it's me." 

The way Dazai was acting was scaring you. A lot more than usual. He'd never once laid a hand on you, or well, with intentions to harm that is. This was the very first time he'd done so. You feared it wouldn't be the last.

"Her skillset is much unlike all of your other subordinates. In fact, I am thinking of sending her to work under Chuuya instead of you."

Slam.

"You will not be sending her to work with anyone but me."

With that, he seized your wrist in an extremely tight grasp and stormed right out of the office, leaving behind two dents in the table as traces of his fury.

As soon as you were a good distance away from the boss' office, you were tugged into an oh-so-familiar embrace.

"My Y/N, I'm so sorry for hurting you, but you must understand, I don't like you being around that disgusting midget." He stuffed his face into your neck, inhaling your scent and rendering you motionless.

"I'm sorry, Da- err, Osamu." 

"That's a good girl. My good girl." He pulled away from the hug before gently grasping your chin with eyes filled to the brim with love and adoration. "Such a good girl deserves a reward, don't you think?" 

His lips pressed against yours for the nth time that day, locking together with a one-sided love forced onto you through a very clear power dynamic.

Akutagawa may have despised you for the praise you got from Dazai but boy did you envy him for the lack of attention he got from the suicide freak.

No, Akutagawa does not have romantic feelings for Dazai. He looks up to him and only views him as a mentor. He just hates reader because she gets Dazai's praise effortlessly while he has never gotten any despite all the effort he has put into his job.

[fudanshipoe]

bsd character design analysis ★

– part 1: borrowed clothing and its symbolism

word count: 1.3k

includes: dazai, beast dazai, akutagawa, ranpo, yosano

1.) Dazai's Coat (PM vs ADA)

Following the Port Mafia tradition of giving a new subordinate a superior's item as a sign of loyalty, Mori gives Dazai his jacket upon his entrance into the mafia. Dazai never wears this coat correctly, instead draping it around his shoulders.

On the other hand, the coat he wears in the ADA is not only worn in the correct fashion, but it also closely resembles Odazaku's coat.

The way Dazai wears his coat symbolizes where his loyalties lie. He was never loyal to the Port Mafia, or Mori himself. Hedoes takes on Mori's influence, specifically in his acts of getting something done no matter the means. Dazai does not mind playing dirty, and this follows Mori's own ideas of finding the most optimal solution. While I don't believe Mori is entirely the reason Dazai follows this path of action, it is clear that he did have some influence on Dazai with his teachings.

Dazai is loyal to the Armed Detective Agency, however, and goes to extreme measures for his comrades, including sacrificing himself in various ways. (Meursalt, dead apple, etc).

Going back to how his coat resembles Oda's, it gives light into Oda's influence on Dazai, that being him planting a moral seed in Dazai. His final request is for Dazai to strive to be a good person and not dwell along the dark side of humanity any longer. Oda is arguably one of the most important relationships Dazai has over the course of the series. He is the one who sets Dazai on a better path, and Dazai takes his words to heart. Otherwise, he would not have joined the Armed Detective Agency and found people he is loyal to.

2.) Beast Dazai

Beast Dazai noticeably has the same scarf Mori does. This could be a signifier of position as the Port Mafia boss, but I believe it represents tactics that Beast Dazai learned from Mori. I am specifically talking about the control they both excise on others. In order for Beastzai's plan to work, he had to gain an almost absolute hold over the world immediately surrounding Oda. This is why it is mostly him, SSKK, and Oda whose lives are affected by his actions. Most everyone else's lives remain similar to the original BSD verse. The members of each organization are the same, is what I mean.

The iron grip that beast Dazai has over the Beast universe in order to reach his goal resembles the tactics Mori uses as the Port Mafia boss. Absolute control.

Beast Dazai's coat is another important factor. Unlike PM Dazai in the main BSD universe, beast Dazai wears his coat correctly and not around his shoulders. Beast Dazai is dedicated to his goal of securing a world where Oda can stay alive and freely write his novels. His loyalty is not to the Port Mafia, but that goal.

3.) Akutagawa's Coat

This is another item that follows the Port Mafia tradition and Dazai gives him his own coat on the night that he picks up Akutagawa from the slums.

Akutagawa's coat is a representation of his trauma and dependence on Dazai's recognition to live. His goal is to receive the recognition he never got from Dazai in the past, and this hinders his own development. While Akutagawa does not care about Dazai as a person, the effect Dazai's training had on him was creating a dependence on this approval.

His coat is his most important item for the greater majority of the series. He does not use his ability without it, and keeps it on at all times, which is another topic to discuss upon his coat/ability and protecting himself. In fact, he believes for a while that he can't use his ability without his coat, either, or that he is defenseless without it.

This changes during the Decay of the Angel's arc, specifically in the SSKK vs Fukuchi fight. In a pivotal moment, Akuatagwa discards his coat in order to aid Atsushi in delivering a powerful blow to Fukuchi. He uses Rashomon without his coat for the first time in this scene, too, which shows his growth as a character, and no longer relying so heavily on having to prove himself to Dazai for a reason to live. It is an example of him making his own choices and not being under the influence of Dazai's teachings onto him that he needed to prove himself useful, or that he is even useless in the first place.

4.) Ranpo's Glasses

Fukuzawa gives Ranpo an ordinary pair of glasses in the Untold Origins novel as a way to "control" his ability. Now, it is well established that these are a cheap pair, and that they are useless since Ranpo is not actually an ability user, however, the importance of it lies in Fukuzawa's influence on Ranpo, and the facade Ranpo subscribes to.

Fukuzawa is a figure that represents an integral point in Ranpo's life. Before the events of Untold Origins, Ranpo had no one in his life as a result of his parent's death. Fukuzawa is the first figure to step up for Ranpo and try to guide him, he is the sole reason Ranpo realizes he is not isolated in this world. This is important because Ranpo needs that at 14 years old. Fukuzawa is the cause if Ranpo's worldview changes, otherwise he would have continued to stray on his own uncertain path.

This also marks the beginning of Ranpo's attachment to being viewed as an ability user. He has an innate need to prove himself above the extraordinary because he cares about protecting the ones he values, namely the Agency. His resolve to be strong for his friends and family is strong, and this relates to the fact that he is so driven on remaining this image of an astounding man. He can't afford to lose his place in this light precisely because he is such an important piece of the Agency. The Agency was created because of Ranpo, after all, as a place for him to utilize his intellectual gift and to belong with Fukuzawa to.

His glasses tie back as a symbol of this in the Ranpo and Poe chapter (32). He loses his glasses while in Poe's ability space, and has a meltdown over the fact that he can't use his ability without them. It has also been established that Ranpo is self aware of his non-ability reality, yet he still clings to it because he needs to live up to that self standard, and his glasses are the object of this.

(I had images for this and yosano but Tumblr has a 10 image limit ://)

5.) Yosano and Her Butterfly Pin

There is a strong theme between life & death, and rebirth & transformation within Yosano's character.

Yosano gets her hair pin from Tachihara's older brother, who was a soldier in the "immortal army" unit under Mori's command. The way she acquires this hair pin is important because he represent a huge aspect of her trauma during this time, as the repeated abuse of her ability on him ended with his suicide. This time also cements her connection with life and death through her ability. She has the ability to control life and death itself, after all. Life is important to Yosano, this is established from her herself during her fight with Kaji through her comments on death is the lack of life, and the way she strives to save lives with her ability.

Butterflies serve as a symbol of metamorphosis, whether physical or emotional, and Yosano follows this theme well. She changes drastically as a person, as she does not let her past nor her ability connect her to that level of inhumanity she is pushed into by others' views. Golden butterflies specifically represent transformation, hope, or something along the lines of past souls as well, which fits with Yosano well.

[featherstorm2004]

Akutagawa's promise

Bsd 117

Honestly, I'm really proud of Akutagawa this chapter it feels like finally after all this time he's starting to make decisions out of his own will and not simply being a tool used by others (Dazai). Was his decision to care for Aya spurred on by Bram's request? Yes but it was ultimately his decision to follow through instead of ignoring it like he's done with basically everyone who wasn't Dazai.

And now with Aya in his life he's got a reason to fight on that's outside of gaining Dazai's approval, he's got someone to live for now as the protector he was always destined to be.

There's also the comparison between Aya and Kyouka however, I think an important distinction between the two is that ultimately Aya is nothing like Kyouka was when Akutagawa met so that means he'll probably need to change his approach with caring for Aya. When he and Kyouka met she had lost hope and was already used to killing/the mafia life, but Aya is overall a normal girl who has no such experience which means Akutagawa is going to have to learn to be more gentle and ultimately kinder/patient with her in order to properly keep his promise.

And promise's are something he is famed for taking seriously so, safe to say I'm exited!

[inamagicalhallucination]

What do you think would happen if BEAST sskk met cannon sskk?

foursome cough who said that

umm i think beast atsushi meeting canon atsushi and knowing that canon atsushi and canon dazai r like besties will be pretty interesting -- and opposite for canon atsushi to know that in another reality dazai-san would collar him

beast aku is disgusted at canon aku's desire to gain canon dazai's approval but canon aku is half smug he still has his sister and have upset that theres a world where he wouldnt

[hannigramislife]

I am not a dazai hater by any means, but you talk so respectfully (and make a lot of sense) about your opinions on him I can't help but really enjoy your blog! I particularly loved your ship opinions posts. Any other characters you want to share ship opinions on?

Hi friend!!

I'm glad I came off as respectful and left a positive impression on you! I do a lot of shit-posting about Dazai, but I do feel like I am at least fair to him when I am analyzing his actions? Other times, yeah, I'm just indulging in my desire to beat him bloody. Just, like, once. To get it out of my system XD. For science.

And the ship posts! Those were soooo fun to make. And oh, let me think about any other ships and my thoughts on them...

Fyolai (Fyodor / Nikolai) – Remember how I was like "there's just some things you don't write if you don't want people to ship two characters?" This is another case. This is the reason I disagree with people that go like "bsd is the only manga where no ships are necessary," like bro, there's so many things wrong with that sentence. It is absolutely necessary to make a bond such as these two's feel almost tangible to the viewers. It is essential to understand Nikolai's emotional dependance on Fyodor as a driving factor to his actions. Nikolai is orbiting around him, and you can see Fyodor having a genuine interest in this man, who doesn't play a big role in his grand plans. To me, these two feel kinda like Soukoku? Something something "the stars aligned so we could meet." 10/10 ship.

Ranpoe (Ranpo / Poe) – What God do I need to pray to in oder to get about 50 OVAs with these two?? Season 4 Ranpoe was the biggest treat and gift to me, personally. I love love love their dynamic so much. Like, yeah, Poe idolizes Ranpo, but he is now just as much in Ranpo's radar as well! Ranpo imprinted on him, he is Ranpo's emotional support rich boyfriend for fuck's sake. The way Ranpo uses his ability seamlessly?? Like it belongs to him?? Like he's so goddamn comfortable with it?? And what about the, "What would I do with myself if Ranpo-kun were to die..?” They're literally soulmates. They met and clicked so hard, they found each other, they suit each other, they complete each other. 10 million/10.

AtsuLucy (Atsushi / Lucy) – Firstly, I love Lucy, I think she's a great character, I love her design and personality and ability and everything. My baby. However, I have no particular attachment to this ship. It's not bad, and it's perfectly valid, but I don't see like- a need for it, you know? They understand each other, have stuff in common, and impacted each other's lives; I do love when two characters save each other left and right, so kudos for that. Honestly, they seem like they'd be absolutely amazing friends, really close, and honestly, I would love to see Atsushi have such a friendship, I think it would be good for him, but personally I don't see them in a romantic light. 9/10 ship due to the lack of feels I got from their interactions.

HiguGin (Higuchi / Gin) – I think that they're amazing and I would die for them. I need a spin-off of them. I need at least a whole WAN episode of them going on a date and shopping and eating ice cream and training and going to the beach– basically everything because they'd have the best relationship ever. I can just see them cuddling on a couch and watching TV as sskk fight over the last dumping in the kitchen. I need more about them like I need air. Also, petition for Beast Higuchi and Beast Gin to take over the Mafia. For reasons. 10/10 ship.

FukuMori (Fukuzawa / Mori) – Yeah, yeah, they're divorced Double Black and whatever, but let's be real for a second; no one can convince me that when Fukuchi first showed up, y'all's reaction was not, "Hold on a second Fukuzawa, what about your husband?!" The way Fukuchi behaved with Ranpo screamed new boyfriend trying to gain the son's approval, I was dying XD. "But Fukuchi knew Fukuzawa first!!" Yeah, yeah, I don't care– I'm not a zskk shipper until Fukuchi enters the screen. Let Fukuzawa and Mori be the yin and yang pillars of Yokohama. 9/10 ship because Mori is *sigh* a bad guy. Sad.

Odango (Oda / Ango) – They are married. No, I will not accept criticism. This is canon to me.

KuniBram (Kunikida / Bram) – My sister has decided they're also married and coparenting, so the conclusion is that they're married and coparenting.

I can't think of any ships right now, but do mention if there's one you like that I have missed!

(Honorary Mention: Dead Apple Trio) – So, we agree they fucked, right?? That wasn't subtext in the slightest, that was the greatest amount of subtle and yet ostentatious display of repressed homosexuality I've seen since SuperWhoLock hit this website. Dazai did not look that good to simply not be pushed against a table/wall. That's a disservice to him.

[dazai-fan-page]

opinion on fyozai ?

I personally don't ship it because I see it as being too competitive and more "I wanna beat you and then keep you as a pet" which isn't how they actually are, I know, but it feels like that every time I think about writing them so I just never do. Also I don't ship Nikolai and Chuuya and I can't ship Dazai with other people without making it a skk polycule because I don't like separating them. Same goes with Fyolai.

I do understand why people ship them tho, I can see the appeal.

They've got that whole arch enemy, can almost read each others mind and are constantly one uping each other, of course it's a ship. They understand each other on a freaky level, they should kiss.

Personally if I were to write an AU where they dated I think I'd probably make them be an on and off thing, neither of their friend groups approve of the relationship, which just makes them want to stay together more but they still break up on a bimonthly basis. Eventually I'd have them decide that this is just a waste of time, trying to hurt the other for whatever the reason this week, breaking up and fucking around before getting back together, it's not worth it.

If they had to be endgame I'd need Fyodor to trust Dazai to not run away and Dazai would need to trust that Fyodor wasn't just using him as means to an end. Which would be a pain in the ass to write in a cute number of chapters we'd be in a 15+ chapter fic at that point. But I'd probably have Fyodor have a breakdown and try to go hide by himself and have Dazai help him through it, at his own detriment of some kind to prove that he's not doing it for self gain. Then have Dazai get real sick so he can't do anything of "value" and have Fyodor take care of him, to prove that he doesn't only want Dazai when he's "useful"

Jazz hands thanks you goodnight

[tinkerleaf]

Akutagawa Angst Hour

✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧

Currently thinking about Akutagawa and his life goal to gain Dazai's approval. I hate it because I saw myself doing the same with the mentors in my life. I wanted nothing more than for them to tell me I was doing a great job. I needed to impress them. I needed to impress someone.

I can also feel his pain when Atsushi comes in. He's a random mutt from the streets who comes in to completely catch Dazai's attention. It kills me because I've seen this happen all the time. I finally do something cool just for someone to come in and take it away by doing it better.

Hearing Akutagawa ask Atsushi what made him so special breaks my heart because I can feel him asking "What makes you better than me?" "What does he see in you?" Makes me so sad.

[mania-sama]

MISTAKE

MISTAKE - NF

➼ information ❧ Bungou Stray Dogs ❧ Pairing: Akutagawa Ryuunosuke & Dazai Osamu ❧ Tags: angst, relationship study, character study, implied/referenced child abuse, anxiety attack, discussion of death, dazai-typical suicide references ❧ Summary: The Dazai-Akutagawa apology we all need. ❧ Word Count: 1,660 ❧ Cross-posted from Archive of Our Own ❧ Original post date: 30 April 2023

Ever since Atsushi’s mentor died, Akutagawa has wondered how Dazai would die.

If one asked him a month ago, he would’ve answered quickly and honestly: suicide. It’s the most obvious answer, and anyone who has spent at least five minutes with the man would agree with Akutagawa's response. Ryuunosuke trained under Dazai for hours on end for years, yet his perspective was no different than the average person’s.

Now he isn’t so sure.

Dazai approached Akutagawa the day that the orphanage headmaster was hit by a truck, and instructed him on what to do. He remembers wondering directly afterward how he would feel if his own mentor were to pass. Dazai had not told Akutagawa to be kind, but he treated Atsushi with such anyway. It’s how he would want to be handled if he were under the same circumstances.

He’d imagined it: a report in the newspaper, his afternoon scan of the obituary, the boss, or even Atsushi. He’d grieve for a day, maybe two, and continue on trying to gain Ghost Dazai’s approval. Somehow, he didn’t believe death could stop the Demon Prodigy from affecting the living.

Akutagawa no longer believes that he will only grieve for a day. He does not believe he will grieve for two. He doesn’t know if he will grieve at all, or if Dazai’s passing will shroud his shoulders like Rashoumon. Uncertainty spreads through his veins like wildfire as he walks away from the woods, away from Dazai and the task waiting ahead.

“Before you leave, Akutagawa, I have one more thing to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“I won’t live to see the saved world. Do not let this stop you.”

Dazai didn’t explain further, and Akutagawa didn’t ask. The details wouldn’t matter in order for the mission to be completed. A part of him wishes to run back and kneel before his old mentor and beg for him to reconsider. The world could burn and Akutagawa would be happier for it if it meant Dazai would stay to watch the flames.

Akutagawa doesn’t see this as an act of suicide. Just as he makes his way to the Port Mafia building for the last time until the Decay of Angels is exterminated like unwanted rats, he’s not doing so out of personal desire. He does so because he was told to and that is that. Dazai will die not by his own will, but so the mission will be completed and the world can move on.

The man sitting on a tree stump will be dead. Akutagawa did not say goodbye.

Atsushi’s orphanage headmaster perished in a hit-and-run. Something that could’ve happened to anyone at any time anywhere. To most people, it was just an accident. To Akutagawa, his death was only another name to the many under Dazai’s long list of murders and coordinated demises.

He wonders, then, if Dazai’s death will appear as such in the newspaper.

Dazai Osamu, age 22 and member of the Armed Detective Agency, horrifically passes away in an apartment fire.

Armed Detective Agency Member Dazai Osamu dies from an unexpected heart attack at the young age of twenty-two.

Dazai—

The building Akutagawa finds himself in front of is not the main Port Mafia complex. He stands in front of the condo he shared with his sister with his heart beating rapidly in his chest. Usually, it’s a sign of an oncoming cough fit that will end in his inability to breathe properly for the next twenty minutes.

It’s not the same this time. He unlocks the front door and walks inside, tense beyond what’s strictly necessary.

Falling off a cliff.

Twenty-two.

Drunk driver.

Overdose.

Dazai Osamu.

Drowning.

Armed Detective Agency.

Akutagawa blinks. Rashoumon holds an envelope in its jaws in front of his face. It’s colored an unstained white and seemed as though it had been pressed by a steam iron. He doesn’t remember turning on the lights, walking to the dining room table, nor activating his ability. Sometimes Rashoumon could get a mind of its own, but it couldn’t have made him lose consciousness.

Disregarding the dread pooling in his gut — though he long learned to trust his instincts when his survival depended on it, and to ignore them when he had something to prove — Akutagawa grabs the envelope from the charcoal-black maw and dismisses his ability. His grip is uncharacteristically light.

Akutagawa Ryuunosuke does not receive mail. The envelope in his calloused and dirty hand is a bloody, beating heart; a raindrop still falling; a golden goblet filled with poison.

The penmanship is remarkable. His name is spelled out in kanji, dedicated to him and only him. It cannot not be mistaken for mail sent to his sister. It says Ryuunosuke, with each line fading in and out at the dots without fail. It does not say Gin.

Before he turns it around to open the envelope, he notices that the house is empty and the table is barren. There is no sign of life, no sign of a break-in, no sign of anything else misplaced or otherwise handled in any way, shape, or form. The envelope did not appear in his P.O. box, though he doesn’t ever go down to it because he does not receive mail.

He can infer that the sender knows that about him. That implies the sender knows many other things about him as well.

This does not worry him as much as his lingering thoughts of mentors, hit-and-runs, and detective agencies. Stalkers can be killed. Endless possibilities and anxieties do not die so easily.

Akutagawa returns his attention to the envelope and carefully unseals it using a pocket knife. The paper inside is off-white and thinner than the envelope. It crinkles and shakes in Akutagawa’s fingers.

He has a steady hand, he thinks. The letter shouldn’t be moving.

Perhaps it trembles in time with his unreliable heart. He continues to think of rivers, drugs, and mountains as he places the envelope on the table and properly opens the letter. There are a few things he’s expecting to be the contents: a ransom for his sister, blackmail to the police, or God-forbid a love letter.

He doesn’t consider the possibility of there being four words and a hand-drawn tiger.

I’m sorry for everything

It’s not punctuated, and the handwriting is the same as the one displayed on the envelope. Before he can truly process the sentence, he crumples the letter and throws it onto the table. The noise it makes is unsatisfying, and Akutagawa wishes it had been a head he’d slammed. At least then his anger would have a pay off.

He breathes deeply, his throat pinching in pain, and scrambles to undo his damage. He rubs the creases on the edge of the table, hard enough to get the job done but not so rough that he tears through the paper.

It doesn’t help and he panics, smoothing it out over the surface with a hand this time. Akutagawa notices his own trembles and knows that he’s been doing that since he left a dead man behind without saying goodbye.

He chokes and reads the letter and rereads it again. He presses his palm to the thin edges and hangs his head over the words as though it would encourage more to appear. The tiger head drawn below the singular sentence taunts Ryuunosuke with its little whiskers and winking eye. It isn’t cute despite the clear intention of it being so.

The Port Mafia does not apologize.

Dazai Osamu is no longer an executive under Mori. He is no longer Akutagawa Ryuunosuke’s mentor, and that has never been clearer to Akutagawa now.

His fingers curl and it takes a piece of the paper with it. When he sees his action he hurries to release, but it causes the letter to tear. A paper cut on his pointer finger bleeds and stains the letter, and the nights he spent bleeding out from Port Mafia Executive Dazai Osamu come rushing to the forefront of his mind.

I’m sorry for everything

A tiger. A goddamn tiger. Akutagawa doesn’t delude himself into believing that it’s some sort of joke; it would only waste his time. He reads it again and again and again until he’s sure he could repeat it to each and every person in the world those exact words without faltering once.

Dazai can’t be sorry. The Demon Prodigy has never apologized to anyone in his life, least of all to Akutagawa. He didn’t say sorry when he punched Ryuunosuke without warning. He didn’t say sorry when he made Akutagawa gut out an alleyway cat. He didn’t say sorry when he shot at him in front of the Black Lizard without warning. He doesn’t say sorry, nor can he be.

Akutagawa realizes with certain clarity that Dazai’s death will not be suicide. He will not set himself on fire, drown in a river, or shoot heroin in his arms until he dies.

If the plan is to commit suicide, Dazai would not have sent him an apology letter.

Dazai Osamu is no longer the Demon Prodigy that cares for no one and looks for death at every corner. He is not the Grim Reaper, the youngest executive in Port Mafia history, nor Akutagawa’s mentor. Dazai is a detective, helping innocent people, keeping himself alive, and taking care of the people around him.

Someone who doesn’t care would not go out of their way to know he doesn’t check his P.O. box, to learn his passcode, and leave the condo completely untouched because they know Gin likes to keep the living area clean and Akutagawa doesn’t like to upset his sister.

Akutagawa thought that Dazai didn’t care. He hadn’t said goodbye to the man sitting on a tree stump, but that man said goodbye to him.

I’m sorry for everything

Detective Dazai Osamu says goodbye, and Akutagawa slouches over and cries onto the hand-drawn tiger.

[kyouka-supremacy]

I feel so stupid for taking so long to realize that Akutagawa's argument that he sacrificed himself to gain Dazai's approval of him is fundamentally flawed in the way that he can't receive praise if he's... Dead. Like what's the point of satisfying Dazai if he can't even hear his acknowledgement

[crazyqueenmoon]

*Warning: Spoilers for Succession and Bungo Stray Dogs*

So I just finished Succession and now I can finally say that I’ve watched Succession. It’s become one of my new favorite live-action dramas, and I’ve found a couple similarities between that and one of my favorite anime’s BSD.

I’ve compared BSD to Succession a number of times. Though now that I’ve finished it, I’ve noticed some more similarities. Both stories have groups rivaling each other and those rivaling groups have to work together/make deals to get what they want. I also noticed that the way Dazai pits Atsushi and Akutagawa against each other is similar to how Logan pits his kids against each other to get his approval and gain power of the company.

Logan was pretty equal about treating them all horribly albeit in different ways for each of them. Each of them involved him kicking his kids down enough times to run back to him. Dazai does exactly that with Akutagawa, with Akutagawa leaping at every opportunity to gain Dazai’s approval as Dazai dangles it like a carrot. While Dazai‘s treatment of Atsushi is less brutal, he’s not exactly helping Atsushi out of the kindness of his heart from hearing Oda’s last words to help orphans. His reason for helping Atsushi is to form a new double black. Atsushi’s shown to be suspicious of Dazai when he says he’ll make him an Agency member but because he’s homeless he goes along with it. Dazai does genuinely grow to care about Atsushi, and Atsushi finds happiness being part of the Agency who are the family he never had so I guess it’s not all that bad, but goddamn I can’t look at their friendship the same way I used to. Atsushi doesn’t care about earning approval since Dazai never made him earn it, but rather wants to maintain it and not let him down becuase he saved him.

This isn’t me saying that Dazai is the Logan Roy of BSD, rather that his treatment of Atsushi and Akutagawa is similar. If anything Dazai would be Roman only way smarter and he’d make s*icide jokes instead of making vulgar statements. Hell, Dazai even wrote out a fat check to Atsushi like Roman did to that little boy in the pilot except he didn’t rip it up in front of Atsushi for guessing his previous job wrong. After watching Succession, I can say that’s definitely something Dazai would do

[aureatchi]

okay so don't come at me but i have been possessed by something, SO !! ofc i have to run here to scream it out hehehe >:))

"she chose me," "hmm, did she?"

fyodor smiles smugly at dazai's unnerving stare, unaffected by the latter's intense gaze. in fact, it only seemed to amuse the raven haired man, if the way he effortlessly moved his chess piece to take out dazai's unfortunate pawn was any indication.

"you know reverie despises you," dazai says instead, eyes intently staring at the board, determining which piece to move next to wipe away the smug grin on his opponent's face.

"despise seems such a strong word for someone who saw us sharing annotations together." fyodor hums. "besides, she is a much better companion, academically, of course. in any case, i much prefer her over you."

dazai narrows his eyes as a grin makes its way to his face. "oh? is that how you think? then remind me who exactly was the girl that played chess with me two days ago that was, dare i say, better than you? was it not she that i spent time with, alone, might i remind you, here in the warmth of this library, our topic being you? or has that slipped your mind, dostoevsky? you saw us leaving, no?”

fyodor’s smile was forced this time. “ah, such a low blow, insulting me in the middle of a chess game. but very well, how about we make this interesting, hmm?”

“oh?”

“two weeks. one week for each of us. the first man to get reverie’s approval, that is, allowing her to be close to us and gaining her favor entirely. it is she who will choose which one of us is the better student, though i must say that having her choose between the top two students in the class sounds rather thrilling, no?”

dazai hums. “thrilling, yes. entertaining, absolutely. just wait, you’re going to lose,” he chuckled darkly, sliding his white chess piece forward, effectively checking the black king.

fyodor smiled wider, his violet eyes glinting with mischievous amusement. “always so confident.” he easily moved to protect his king.

“may the best man win.” they both said in unison just as the object of their conversation opened the door to the library quietly.

“reverie!”

…blame it on the books i saw yesterday in the bookshop okay… in any case, these three in a dark academia setting has my entire heart. expect more to come, miss rev !! mweheh >:))

ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME 🥹 !!

i’m giggling so hard at this entire thing, mia LIA, i can’t believe u wrote this for me. SHARING ANNOTATIONS W FEDYA !! u get it. BEING IN THE LIBRARY ALONE. W DAZAI !! omg me being the topic of their conversation during one of their intense chess matches has me sooo (｡≽\\\≼) & WALKING IN JUST IN TIME AT THE END !! omg the WAY you researched this from my actual lore i srsly am going to get u back day miss lia <3 you’ve spoiled me way too much !!

i’ve been reading this over & over + their little challenge ever since this came into my inbox, LOL omg they think they can play w/ me… “may the best one win” 🙂‍↕️ they think they’re the best & smartest plot twist i choose ranpo.

[lnkedmyheart]

thoughts on the akutagawa and chuuya stage play scene? i've seen people say while it was harsh of chuuya to say, it was a reality/wake up call for akutagawa.

This is such a complicated thing to answer, because of everything that happens in da. It'll be a bit long.

If you ask me, I think its just how Chuuya is. He isn't this gentle calming presence people present him as, he's confrontational and rude and sucks at communication. As I keep saying about Dazai, Chuuya is a mentally unstable guy who has no concept of being open and vulnerable with people. He doesnt sit them down and talk to them. He is the aloof older brother who cares about you and tries but sort of sucks at pep talk so he just shoves you in the right direction but he'll be there to catch you if you fall. The softness people want from him? That's just not him.

In the da stageplay Chuuya tries to get Akutagawa to realise that Dazai is once again not the be all end all of his existence. That he doesnt need to fixate on getting his approval. The problem with Aku is that he has this idea of Dazai in his head and looks upto Dazai because he gave him and Gin a shot at life. Chuuya then tells Aku to go and kill Dazai because Dazai is directly involved with Shibusawa, note that Chuuya is well aware that Aku cannot actually kill him considering Aku's ability has seperated from him and Dazai is immune to the fog. Aku insists that that isnt true because Dazai wants to save the city not destroy it so clearly he cannot be working with the enemy. And then Chuuya laughs at him because Aku genuinely believes he knows Dazai better than Chuuya. I feel like the mission to kill Dazai is symbolic in that Aku needs to kill the desire to please Dazai, or atleast kill the idea of Dazai that he has in his head. Aku is putting Dazai on a pedestal, stripping him of all his faults. Except Chuuya (and the audience) knows that Dazai is infact involved with Shibusawa and was partly responsible for the events of da even if his end goal was good. Chuuya then tells Aku that he doesn't understand Dazai because there is a darkness inside Dazai that he refuses to see and is instead idealizing the guy as having flipped a switch and become a good person. (This darkness btw pops out whenever Dazai interacts with Aku even post defection since he is still cruel to him and instead of seeing this as a flaw in Dazai he sees it as his own personal failure). Finally Chuuya tells him that the reason Dazai probably doesn't acknowledge him is because he is just constantly running after Dazai to gain his approval and that he himself has never looked up to Dazai.

Again note that Aku knows that Dazai, despite their banter, acknowledges Chuuya as powerful and capable. Regardless of whether or not he is aware of the sheer intensity of their actual dynamic its kinda hard to act like people wouldn't have noticed how capable Dazai considers Chuuya. And Aku does look up to Chuuya as well.

And Chuuya then taunts him because Aku tries to attack Chuuya for mocking his obsession with Dazai. Aku then says he will fulfill the mission and promises to come after Chuuya next. He's finally been motivated to focus on himself instead of Dazai now. The thing here is that Chuuya is harsh. He is deliberately being harsh because Aku is so deep in his own head that he needs to be shaken up and needs reality to smack him in the face (think the dhc punch Dazai needed to snap out of his spiral). Dazai is not this perfect dude just because he left the mafia, Dazai's own demons (the darkness/monster within him) will always exist to a degree and that doesn't mean Dazai's mistreatment of Aku is due to a personal failure on Aku's end but rather a Dazai problem.

I think there is a general disconnect between Aku and Chuuya when it comes to Dazai. Chuuya usually doesnt make excuses for Dazai. He says it like it is. He knows Dazai is fully capable of doing good but he also acknowledges that Dazai has a darkness within him that sometimes guides him to do shit that is very much not okay. He doesn't see Dazai as a monster but he knows there is something messed up within him. Aku refuses to see that. Much like how Dazai refused to see the darkness within Oda and put him up on a pedestal.

I also think its important to consider that Chuuya doesn't actually want Aku to kill Dazai, its more just a symbolic speech and an attempt to get him to see sense, start acting like his own person rather than someone desperately seeking Dazai's attention. Especially cause Chuuya literally risks everything to save Dazai's life later.

And its just hilarious how people ignore the final part of their da stage play interaction. When Aku shows up where Chuuya is post fight he is still a bit pissy and its Chuuya who smiles and reaches out to him. And this time he is pretty gentle with him. Dazai has been saved, Yokohama is safe, Aku has proven his strength by focussing on himself, not Dazai, and getting back his ability.

Chuuya then jokes about how Aku still seems mad about Chuuya calling him weak and Aku pretends to brush it off. Chuuya then tells him that Aku was always a part of Dazai's plan against Shibusawa, aka Dazai relies on him and therefore does think him capable. When that doesnt do much he tells him that as Dazai's partner he knows Dazai approves of him despite not showing it. And even if Dazai didnt, Chuuya will always see him as capable.

Dazai and Chuuya are not opposites. They understand each other because they are that similar. Just because Dazai was a shitty and extremely harsh mentor doesn't mean Chuuya would be the ideal mom figure. Chuuya is also harsh and sucks at communicating and just as much of a mystery.