Bsd Atsushi - Blog Posts

After Dazai is back in the ADA, he moves in with Atsushi and Kyouka for some time to heal his injuries.

They become really close with each other during that time. Watching movies together, going to amusement parks where Kyouka dries their wallets eating ice-cream and crepes, having hot pot, Oden and Chasuke almost every day to soothe their souls.

Dazai gets better immediately but he still pretends to be sick because he likes this little family they have made and he had never truly been a part of something like this before. A relationship where he doesn't have to worry about making plans and schemes. He can just relax with the kids and forget he has any problems or issues for some time.

Atsushi and Kyouka find Dazai eccentric with his bad dad jokes and some surprisingly good advice; he has a big personality but that balances their introversion and makes them more open. His presence is comforting to them.

In the end none of them ever speak about Dazai moving out and they just go on with their dangerous lives, knowing they can go back in the night to a place called home.

Dazai: do you guys ever think about dying?

Kyouka: sometimes

Atsushi: can we not talk about that at 2 AM when we are trying to sleep?

Dazai: I was just wondering how it will be like after death

Kyouka: I think death is better than torture

Dazai: do you remember the Port Mafia torture method where they half kill you to make you face death and then make you beg for your lives?

Kyouka: the one with the barrels? I think hanging upside down is much worse...

Atsushi: can we stop fucking talking about THIS and go to SLEEP????

Dazai, gasping: how can you swear in front of Kyouka-chan! That gives her bad manners!

Atsushi: YEAH, you two can talk about fucking dying and torture, but I can't swear? You've gotta be shitting me.

Dazai: ......

Kyouka: yeah, Atsushi swears a lot when he is mad. He learnt that in the orphanage

I genuinely believe the reason Dazai wants to protect Atsushi at all cost is because he has grown to care for him. It's not even because of Oda's promise or because of the huge bounty on Atsushi or even his big bad final boss plan for the future. He sees a little bit of himself in Atsushi, or more likely, the version of him that could have existed if he wasn't fucked up since he was a child.

Dazai admires Atsushi for the person he is, something he himself could never become.

Atsushi is someone innocent, naive, good at heart and caring. Someone that changes other people through his kindness and love. Someone who has gone through so many horrific things and still retains his humanity.

At this point Dazai has completely accepted his love (platonic) for Atsushi and his entire mission hinges on that.

(PS: really sorry if any other got left out, I was writing these on top of my head so I don't know if there's more. Feel free to comment if you know any other siblings/sibling-ish dynamic I left out!)

Dazai: We're like a big happy family! And I am the dad, and Kunikida's the mom!

Kunikida: why am I the mom? What gender roles are we pushing here?

Atsushi: I know they are probably thinking I am the son. But I am not. I will be the gay emo cousin.

Junichiro: I will be the son, that hotshot whose only dream is...to be a star✨

Ranpo: I feel like I'll be a fresh out of jail uncle

Yosano: and I am the sassy aunt, who talks shit about everyone

BSD and Shipping

Since Valentine's day was coming I was interested in discussing a huge part of the BSD fandom: Shipping

( ⚠️ RANT INCOMING. DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE EASILY OFFENDED ABOUT OPINIONS ON SHIPPING. PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL TOWARDS OTHER PEOPLE'S OPINIONS IN COMMENTS AND REBLOGS. ⚠️)

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So where to start?

For a long time I have been noticing one specific trend in the BSD subreddit. And that are posts that talk about unpopular opinions/Headcanons/fav or least fav ships etc.

What I find interesting about these posts is that one thing is always in the forefront, and it's the debates about the sexualities of the characters in BSD. While Headcanons can be annoying and some people do push their opinions on others, there is nuance that is lacking in the community when discussing some topics. Finding posts about Mori being a pedo and how Dazai is unlikable or overrated is very easy and the discussions surrounding topics like that are always the same. People would pick sides and end up writing a lot about what their opinion is and while that's valid, it also ends up in fandom wars where it's hard to like or dislike something without your head being in the chopping block.

Now let's go to the original topic: shipping. To examine the environment of shipping culture in BSD fandom we have to start with the headcanons that people have adopted for sexualities of the characters.

1. THE PROBLEM WITH HETRO-NORMATIVITY

Now, the posts about shipping often contain a lot of people writing paragraphs and paragraphs about what ships they like or dislike.

One of the ships that takes the most bullets for its existence and popularity is Soukoku or Shin Soukoku. There are lots of comments about these ships that "remind" us that canonically Dazai, Chuuya, Atsushi and Akutagawa are all straight. They should not be shipped with each other because they are straight.....

Dazai flirts with women and wants to commit a double suicide with a beautiful woman. Atsushi is very clearly set up to end up with Lucy. Akutagawa couldn't care less about romance as we see how dismissive he is with Higuchi. And Chuuya.......wears fashionable outfits and has a slutty waist, but we won't comment on that.

Dazai and Chuuya have a lot of queer subtext that anyone can see. Akutagawa and Atsushi are pointed out to complete each other and complement each other several times. These ships don't exist out of thin air.

Now there is nothing WRONG with anyone having the headcanon of any of these (or any other) characters to be straight, after all we are not given enough information about their sexualities. But by stating "Dazai is straight, he likes women" or "this ship doesn't make sense because they are not gay" not only does it imply that characters can't have other preferences but also that being straight is the default, which it isn't.

This is coming from a straight woman from a very conservative country where we don't have exposure to queer media. It took me a long time to stop being so heteronormative. I think assuming someone is straight until they prove to you or tell you directly is just as bad and as assuming someone is gay. I think we have come far along as a community to understand that it shouldn't be our first instinct to assume everything is heterosexual until we get some sort of proof or stamp of approval from its creator.

Asagiri isn't going to stand up in a stage in front of the world and say "yeah Dazai and Chuuya have gay feelings for eachother" because the manga is from Japan. If there were explicit queer characters then BSD would no longer get the label of being universal because of certain censorship laws. Even if it's getting more acceptable in Japan to show queer characters in manga and anime, BSD isn't a romance or slice of life story. It's a seinen, not a BL/GL. Besides, Asagiri shows little to no interest in romantic relationships in his story.

So by saying "______ character is straight because we don't have any other information proving otherwise " isn't a valid excuse to tell shippers not to ship certain characters, it's making it seem like heterosexuality is the default state of being.

That also doesn't mean you can say "Dazai is gay, don't ship him with women" because that's the same thing. If you think Dazai is gay/bi/pan/etc. then that's your opinion, pushing that on others only worsens the rep of skk shippers especially.

You have the right to like or dislike certain ships or have your own Headcanons. This is why even feminising certain characters also isn't as problematic as people call it. It's just a different take on a character (but that time people were correcting those who called Sigma a "he" instead of "they" was genuinely wrong). Headcanons of some random online stranger doesn't make anything canon. So if you find yourself around annoying people like that, just leave the conversation.

2. WHY SUBTEXT MATTERS

Subtext is really important when discussing media; in case of BSD whether it is the anime, manga, anthologies or LNs. BSD is not new to subtext, even from the start of the story there is a lot of queer subtext that people can figure out easily.

When we are introduced to Dazai and Chuuya's partnership in the first season, it's clear as day to see the dynamic and its underlying tension. We can see how close those two are that their relationship can't be explained just as simple partners turned enemies. Time and time again we get so much queer subtext between Skk's interactions. The entire 15 arc and well as Stormbringer shows us the bond and trust between the two as well as the intense amount of gay scenes. At this point I am sure Hoshikawa is a hardcore skk shipper. All of their official art is also gay (that could be queerbating though). Asagiri must know what the public thinks about Skk and still writes subtext about them. It makes sense why this would be a popular ship; it's not made out of thin air with no context (*ahem* Kousano *ahem*) but has actual roots and the proof to back it up too.

SSKK is a similar story, it's not my favourite but it has been growing on me ever since S5. Similar to skk, we get a lot of subtext and homoerotic moments between Aku and Atsushi. They are yin and yang. They are enemies that sought to kill eachother but still team up to fight together. Atsushi is literally the centre of Akutagawa's life since the beginning. Atsushi and Akutagawa grow together as characters and as different as they appear are similarly looking for one thing: validation and acceptance. Their relationship is so compelling in so many levels that it too makes sense why their ship is as popular as it is (especially regarding recent events in the story)

Ranpoe.....let's be real, those two got married a long time ago. They are the definition of "be gay, solve crimes". They are undeniably a cute ship regardless of whether it's one sided or not. Fyolai as well makes complete sense with the context behind Fyodor and Nikolai's relationship, while I also consider it quite one-sided as it's mostly Nikolai that is fascinated by Fyodor (and wants to kiss kill him) Fukumori isn't my cup of tea but it too has enough subtext to back it up, same with FukuFuku.

While I would love to talk about other ships, I wanted to show the reasoning behind the most popular pairings.

Personally, as a multishipper, it's very fun for me to have so many characters to examine and spend time obsessing over.

Now, there are straight ships that I like too as well as ships I don't ship for myself.

The reason I don't like Yosano and Ranpo together is because I see them in the same position as Kyouka and Atsushi. The scene of Ranpo recruiting Yosano (who worked with Mori) into the ADA parallels Atsushi saving Kyouka (who also worked with Mori). I consider them siblings and like how they are platonic instead of it being the typical "a boy and girl can't be besties". Another ship I love and cherish is AtsuLucy because it's so adorable, Lucy is my fav Guild member and her and Atsushi are "Girlboss and Malewife". I ship Tachihara with Gin, Higuchi and Gin as well as Kunikida with Yosano (surprisingly I don't find the appeal of Kunizai; though I still like that ship from time to time, just don't ship it actively). I prefer not to ship Sigma with anyone (he is still a baby to me)

So it's not that BSD doesn't have straight ships, when you make a majority male cast and have them be rivals or enemies, obviously people will ship m/m more. Especially if there is more subtext and tension behind the male characters and they have little to no interactions with women.

And I might get some heat for saying this:

It is okay for most of the BSD characters to be considered queer because if comp het is so normal in anime/manga then why can't the opposite be the case? We already have enough series with little to no representation, so why can't we have a bunch of queer characters?

3. TOXIC SHIPPERS AND THE FALL OF FANDOM CULTURE

I have been raving for the past two sections and defending the shipping community. But it isn't a conversation with nuance if I don't address the problem of a small group of people that take shipping too seriously. The reason why fandom itself gets a bad rep is because of shipping more often than not. I will admit, it's not all sunshine and rainbows when people argue about their fav ships. And a lot of the aforementioned ships are to a point, toxic. Yes, some shippers are annoying and ruin everyone else's fun. There are ships that don't make sense at all.

But that doesn't mean that a small part of people should represent others who are just having harmless fun and don't even believe their ships to ever become canon. Let's be real it's highly unlikely we will have any couples by the end of the show (the closest could be AtsuLucy). Sometimes people are too intense about ships and that goes for both antis and pros. Both of the extreme are toxic. And instead of shoving down our opinions down other people's throats, we should be celebrating the very story that brought us together in the first place.

Yeah it can be hard for those who don't like shipping at all to enjoy the story and have discussions. But we have to remember the roots of fandom culture start with shipping. It's always been the case and it's always been the most popular way to discuss one's favourite fictional work. From Sherlock to Genshin to boy bands to streamers, everything has been shipped and will always be. There is a reason why AO3 works so well.

4. SO WHAT?

The ships are what brought me to BSD in the first place. I wanted to explore the world of BSD because of its characters and their dynamics. And a lot of other people have gotten into this fandom for the exact same reason. While there are unflattering moments in our fandom, that doesn't mean it's not a place for people to come together and have some fun. Whether you ship or not. Whether you like fanfictions or not. We have to accept that there are a lot of pros to shipping too. It brings our ideas together, makes us feel giddy inside or tears our heart apart, it produces beautiful fanarts and fanfictions, it makes us analyse characters, it makes us look deeper into the story....and it makes us wait for what's next to come.

And I want nothing more than to be able to enjoy shipping without the guilt that comes with it.

Shipping isn't free from its flaws, but it is not defined only by its flaws. It might not be for everyone, but it is someone's everything. So even if you don't like it in particular, let's not spoil other people's fun. One's trash is another's treasure.

~Peace out 🕊️✌️

Since Yosano is off-limits she won't be considered.

1. Dazai: it makes no narrative sense to make him join the Port Mafia again, when he left at his own accord. The reason he left and changed himself as a person was because of his promise to Oda and him getting back to the Mafia takes all the weight from that promise. We already have a BSD 15 manga that's about Dazai being in the Mafia and the skk shenanigans, we honestly don't need more. Mori seems like he wants Dazai back in the Mafia, in a keep your friends close and your enemies closer fashion. Dazai going back to the Mafia can be interesting, but it's not good for Dazai's character arc. (Still has a chance)

2. Atsushi: since he is the protagonist, it makes the most sense for him to get transferred. Just like how we saw the ins and outs of ADA, we get to see how the current Mafia works on the regular basis. It would be interesting to see his interactions with Mori. We definitely like SSKK team up, now they will be in the same team too (maybe that's why the last scene of S5 they are working together, the transfer already happened). I want Canon Atsushi and Chuuya to interact!!! Their dynamic in Wan gives me so much serotonin.

3. Kunikida: while he can be quite a good asset, his ideals are too important for him to actually do something against it for the PM. He is a bit like Oda in that respect, a Mafia member who won't kill.

4. Ranpo: doesn't have abilities but his smarts is what makes him stand out among the rest of the ADA. But the biggest value in him is that he is practically Fukuzawa's son, someone whom he cares for greatly. Making Ranpo transfer to PM would be a huge slap on the face for Fukuzawa.

5. Junichiro: is the most hinted to actually join the PM. He is also the only ADA member to openly say his abilities could suit the Mafia and he might transfer there if no one else does. It's clear he has quite the violent side to him and the instincts to kill. He could be an interesting addition to the PM, and it paves the way for Tanazaki's backstory. I also wonder if Naomi would join the PM too, or she would stay with the ADA opposing her brother or leave the agency to remain neutral.

6. Kenji: is a highly unlikely choice for the PM. He has a strong ability but his personality isn't simply suited for Mafia. Although it would be funny to watch Kenji change the Mafia's heart and have innocent fun.

7. Kyouka: another ex-mafia member. She is a good choice, as her ability is really strong and good for the mafia. But since she too left (kicked out); her going back doesn't add to her character. While it might seem like Kouyou can influence Mori to take Kyouka back, but she already has accepted that Kyouka should stay in the light and stay away from the Mafia lifestyle (Aku also wants Kyouka to be happy).

Maybe Asagiri pulls another card and makes Fukuzawa transfer so he can complete his old man Yaoi arc with Mori, who knows? (/j)

Atsushi really said "I can fix him" AND HE DID

sskk makes me ugly cry (both romantic and platonic)

Every time I hear "Do we need more?" I spontaneously combust

*Atsushi drinking for the first time with the ADA*

Dazai: Atsushi-kun now that you have drunk, say goodbye to your childhood, you are an adult now!!!

Atsushi, smiling obliviously: I never had a childhood.

Dazai:

ADA:

Dazai: me neither

Yosano: Have any of us had a normal childhood?

Ranpo: I had a dad when I was 14, does that count?

Kunikida: how many of you have gone to a proper school?

*no one answers*

Dazai: but most of us have killed people!

Kunikida: is that a good thing?

Dazai getting out of Chuuya's apartment in the morning: 😶

Atsushi getting out of Akutagawa's apartment in the morning: 😶

Dazai: let's keep this a secret between us and not tell anyone about this in the ADA

Atsushi: deal.

Akutagawa using intimidation tactics on Atsushi because he doesn't know how to flirt: Jinko look at my eyes when I talk or else....

Atsushi: but, you are holding my wrist and pushed me into a corner, what do you want? I thought you agreed not to kill me

Akutagawa: if you don't want your sister to go missing, then let me take you to a restaurant

Atsushi: first of all, Kyouka would never get kidnapped by you and why a restaurant, are you trying to sell me drugs or something?

Akutagawa: why are you not understanding me?

Atsushi: what are you talking about? What is wrong with you?

Akutagawa: stay here, I have to ask Dazai-san for more pointers. If you run away, I will put handcuffs on you

Atsushi: ......

Atsushi: wait...I am the DETECTIVE HERE NOT YOU.

Meanwhile, Dazai watching this with binoculars: Dammit, Atsushi is even more air-headed than Chuuya. How can they not get such simple things? I should have given Akutagawa the dog collar already. It worked on Chuuya, surely it will work on Atsushi-

Chuuya, kicks his back: can you stop ruining kids eh, shitty mackerel?

Atsushi, confused after a mission: what exactly is the relationship between Dazai-san and Chuuya-san?

Fukuzawa: they are enemies

Kunikida: more like ex-coworkers

Yosano: definitely, enemies with benefits

Kyouka: best friends!

Kenji: they help each other out in times of great trouble like good neighbors :)

Junichiro: Aren't they rivals?

Naomi: I thought they were Ex-boyfriends!

Haruno: I heard they got divorced

Atsushi, even more confused: they were married????

*Everyone looks at Ranpo*

Ranpo, takes his Lollipop out: Gay.

Ps: Ranpoe is Enemies TO lovers since they are no longer fighting. Also Jouno and Tecchou don't count, since they are technically still on the same side despite fighting.

This is the Double Black generations~

Will they continue the legacy after Atsushi and Aku?

I was rewatching BSD season 1. I had forgotten how close Dazai and Atsushi were in the early seasons. (We need an emotional reunion)

Dazai: I have only known Atsushi for a day and a half. But if anything happened to him. I would kill everyone in this room and then myself 😄😃😀

Anyone: *says something bad about Chuuya/Dazai/ other more popular characters*

Me: *sleeps* I don't care

Anyone: *says something bad about Atsushi*

Me: 😃🔫👊💣

Some quotes are changed to fit the number of words for the poll!

I don't remember more lines although there's no lack of gay quotes in this show (feel free to share your favourites)

Not Skk and sskk having TWO confession scenes.

Dazai, you make fun of Akutagawa but at least his confessions aren't getting rejected like yours.

"What's the worst can he do?"

"He shoots me"

"that's better than a verbal rejection"

This is gonna be controversial 😅....... anyways~~~

I don't really like to use the word "queer". But for the purposes of the poll that would be used (I am not meaning to be offensive!)

I was really curious as to what people think about this since almost half of the posts I see are about the gay stuff in BSD (most of which are really good posts). The shipping is also mostly leaning towards m/m and w/w (and I am a multi-shippers)

So I wondered what the actual fuck is going on? What do you people think about it? I am not long enough here to form an opinion so I wouldn't state mine.

What is it that makes bsd so.......gay?

(I know about Rimlaine being an actual couple. Nikolai and Ranpo I heard are also gay. I know irl Dazai had a crush on a boy and other BSD authors having questionable sexualities. But this poll is ONLY about BSD anime, manga etc. And not concerning the real life authors)

(Also Q is referred to as they/them and are non-binary with no one knowing their gender. I am pretty sure Higuchi says something about that in Wan)

I came into the BSD fandom this year and.....jeez it was a wild ride. I don't know if I came at the worst of times or the best of times. I used to find it hard to believe that so many ships can exist but now here I am, becoming a multi-shipper (props to Dazai being a man-whore)

I just realised the lack of female characters right now.....anyways (Also where are my Hetero ships? Love Atsushi and Lucy but other than that? Ranpo x Yosano is also cute but it's....not enough)

Ranpoe is not included because they are happy together and married (not tragic).

Kousano is not included because they don't interact much (at all? I don't remember)

Other rare pairs or more normal (?) ships are not included

These are the most popular pairs that I could think of that are also tragic.....all of them are tragic tbh (I included HiguGin cuz I wanted at least one ship that wasn't m/m)

I am a newbie so....I am not looking for any fights 😅, just the opinions on the bsd fandom.

(ps: Had a small mistake. It's Sigzai NOT Siglai, I guess it's autocorrected)

(pss: I forgot Hawmitch, which is the only straight tragic ship I could think of now! Srry!)

(psss: Odazai for me is in the tragic platonic pairs so I didn't add it! Although it's a ship that makes sense, I like it in the platonic way)

IMAGINING AKUTAGAWA WITH ATTACHMENT ISSUES AFTER ATSUSHI DIED IN FRONT OF HIM (or vice versa)

God I know they suck at actually communicating their feelings with words and instead die for each other, but I can't get the possibility of Akutagawa being majorly effected by Atsushi's death enough to where he can't bear to leave Atsushi alone, out of my head

(side note: I think Akutagawa should join the Agency. We already know from beast he'd make a pretty decent detective)

I know Akutagawa's terrified of losing Atsushi. And Atsushi had to die to save him for him to even realize that 🙏 Asagiri you wizard I love how you write Sskk's relationship

But like, just imagine an Akutagawa trailing Atsushi around like a lost dog (one could almost say...a stray dog) on his days off or Akutagawa constantly checks up on him and calls him or just like small little, caring things like that. Akutagawa with the realization of how much Atsushi means to him

Also, speaking of sskk clinginess; sskk reunion

Asagiri is most likely going to do what none of us expects with however he approaches the sskk reunion, but oh my goodness every new chapter that drops changes my ideas for how it'll unfold

I wonder if they'll talk. If they'll hug. They should probably hug. And talk. They really need to talk atp

And you know they're going to argue. But not a real argument, the kind of sskk argument that they only do to talk about their actual problems

Ohhhh there's just so many layers to sskk and I don't know if I can pluck them all apart. And right now I'm really just wondering about the what ifs of their changed relationship

(I'm absolutely PINING for a chance of Atsushi asking "do you hate me?" which makes Akutagawa have to answer with his current/future character growth)

Look at his face. Look at his sorrow

The absolute most solemn look I've seen on Akutagawa, where he realizes Atsushi wasn't just some beast he could kill. Atsushi wasn't just an obstacle or a test, because Atsushi is human

Akutagawa sees that in him

I have no idea how Asagiri is gonna handle the end of the six months deal, knowing him it's going to be what literally no one could've expected, but the premise really interests me now. It always did beforehand, but still, now we know more about how Akutagawa feels about Atsushi. And Akutagawa doesn't know it yet, but Atsushi witnessed his past and trauma. They're bonded, connected and understand each other on yet another level now

And genuinely, I don't think Akutagawa can kill Atsushi

Atsushi asked "why did you save me?"

Akutagawa wondered "why did you protect me?"

And that's just...sad

It's sad that they're so doubtful of the other's feelings. Atsushi doesn't feel like he deserves to be loved, and although he's connected to Akutagawa and they have a trust that runs deeper than words, I think he's scared that Akutagawa doesn't care for him, and he doubts and doubts and doubts

We don't know the full canon reason on why Akutagawa saved Atsushi, but we know it's because he *cares*, but Atsushi doesn't know that yet

I don't think that Atsushi doubts Akutagawa's strength or abilities, or his capacity to care for others. I think Atsushi doubts how lovable he himself is, he thinks he's not worth loving, not worth anything

And it's similar with Akutagawa, he probably thinks whatever he feels towards Atsushi is one-sided, and maybe he even fears that Atsushi hates him (although he obviously doesn't 😔)

They've been abused and traumatized emotionally so much that I think it's hard for them to realize how much they care for and about each other

I'm sure there will eventually be a chapter or two where Atsushi and Akutagawa can finally talk, and I can't wait for that because it'll really show their combined perspective on who are they are together

God they're so in love

Asagiri why do you do this to me

FRIENDLY REMINDER THAT IT ISN'T HATE

Akutagawa 👏 doesn't 👏 hate 👏 him

He was just told to hate him, taught to hate him

Akutagawa was so ready to despise Atsushi, to kill him, and then...

And then he really saw Atsushi for who he was

He learned about Atsushi and grew to know him and trust him, seeing Atsushi as his other half

He saw Atsushi from his own perspective, no one else's

I think he loves Atsushi.

They should kiss

Look at his face. Look at his sorrow

The absolute most solemn look I've seen on Akutagawa, where he realizes Atsushi wasn't just some beast he could kill. Atsushi wasn't just an obstacle or a test, because Atsushi is human

Akutagawa sees that in him

I have no idea how Asagiri is gonna handle the end of the six months deal, knowing him it's going to be what literally no one could've expected, but the premise really interests me now. It always did beforehand, but still, now we know more about how Akutagawa feels about Atsushi. And Akutagawa doesn't know it yet, but Atsushi witnessed his past and trauma. They're bonded, connected and understand each other on yet another level now

And genuinely, I don't think Akutagawa can kill Atsushi

So like

Akutagawa is in love with Atsushi

If you took this out of context this would genuinely look like an enemies to lovers romance manga scene 🙏

Also Harukawa wrote an illustrator's note (I think it's at the end of volume 5?) about how she draws eyes, and how she portrays the character's current growth, personality and aspect on the world through their eyes

Akutagawa's eyes have almost always been dark, the representation for how dark his life and character is

But Atsushi brings light to them

In chapter 121.5 where Akutagawa's eyes grow wide as he sees Atsushi die, it's not just a show of how shocked Akutagawa is, it shows how Atsushi lightens Akutagawa's eyes, how much he's affected him for the greater good. Atsushi brings out a new side to Akutagawa

His eyes are incredibly light as he recalls his memories and gets hit by Atsushi's death that wasn't even just a death, but a death to save him. To protect him

Because Atsushi thinks Akutagawa is worth protecting

So just, like, I really love how chapter 122 not only shows Atsushi finally seeing Akutagawa's past and fully understanding Akutagawa's trauma and even relating to him, but it also shows how Akutagawa truly feels about Atsushi (although the "and then..." definitely left us on a cliffhanger)

I love them

https://archiveofourown.org/works/64362169

Wrote an indulgent sskk oneshot where Atsushi finally gets to ask Akutagawa why he saved him :>

tell me about your favorite of your wips. >:)

uhhh

I have a lot I'm fond of and my favorite one is going to be kept a secret because I want to reveal nothing about it until I actually finish writing chapter one 😔

Anyways, one of my other favorites is my wip "I picked the petals, he loves me not"

It's a hanahaki sskk au, where Akutagawa starts coughing up flowers due to a crush on a...certain someone...

But yk, with his lung condition and all that, the hanahaki will probably kill him in like a month or even less

And the hanahaki strikes while Atsushi and Akutagawa are heading back from a mission and then Atsushi gets all worried bc wtf people don't just start vomiting petals everywhere and then Akutagawa has to brush it off like "it's nothing weretiger" when it's very clearly not nothing 😔

Atsushi goes to Ranpo for advice and Ranpo tells him about hanahaki and how it all works. So now Atsushi's determined to save Akutagawa, and saving him requires Akutagawa to confess his feelings to whoever he loves (I wonder who that could be 👀)

Chaos ensues

Also I've had this idea for like at least a year now but my snail of a brain is just like "I'll get to it later"

Also the title is a lyric from the song You're On Your Own, Kid by Taylor Swift

Akutagawa, that's kinda sus

Talking about this scene where Atsushi and Akutagawa had to fight Ivan

Okay, first off, this is actually such an underrated moment for Sskk's development. It's the first time they use Kokko Zessou (the Singularity of Rashomon [more like rasHOMOn] and Beast Beneath the Moonlight) and Akutagawa and Atsushi learn more about each other as people, plus this is right before they make the six months promise. I really love seeing sskk together where they can actually talk, and don't just fight

And second of all, WHAT IS THIS FACE ATSUSHI??

he looks so into it 🙏

What in the home of sexual is that look, Atsushi 😭 it's already kinky af for Rashomon to wrap around his neck like that AND THEN ATSUSHI REACTS LIKE THAT

Also I'd like to mention Akutagawa is unusually gentle with Rashomon when he uses it on Atsushi

God they're so in love

Drew Atsushi (a redraw of an art by Gun_Zi for Dead Apple)

Y'all know that emergency contact trend on YouTube with that "I'm just an ordinary girl" song? 😭 I was imagining if Atsushi did it, with Akutagawa as his emergency contact. The videos that do the trend show clips of whoever the emergency contact is doing silly stuff like "oh look at how unserious my emergency contact is" and then Atsushi would just be like "my emergency contact is blowing up a police station again<3" with the following clip