#bsd chapter 91

[ave-cave]

Lucy in Chapter 118: an Analysis 🫧

Hooo boy

Chapter one-eighteen. Where do I even 𝓫𝓮𝓰𝓲𝓷?

Unlike a lot of folks in this fandom (all more imaginative than I could ever hope to be), I had basically no solid predictions for this chapter (or… any chapter thus far, really, and I've been following the manga religiously since 103, so… yeah, there's a reason I'm a BSD analyst, not theorist, lmao). Needless to say, 118 is heartbreak and bombshells galore: Tanizaki and Kenji’s Ame-no-Gozen-ing, the possibility that all of those “Jun'ichirō and Naomi aren't really siblings” theories were just proven dead right, the protagonist and main villain finally meeting because it's about damn time – so on and so forth.

But because a) the fanbase is already abuzz with talk about those things + no doubt in the process of doing them analytical justice, and b) I'm annoying, I’ve decided to dissect the ever-loving hell out of the chapter’s three most innocuous pages: this interaction between Kyōka Izumi and Lucy Maud Montgomery.

Inhales

MY GIRLS ARE BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK (⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠) 

Does a little jig 🎶

Sorry, had to get that out of my system

No, but seriously. Kyōka has been absent since chapter 91. Three whole years; definitely too long for a character of her importance. Lucy, meanwhile, has been out of the picture since chapter 81. That’s four whole years. So in other words, two significant female characters, sidelined for ages, are back. That’s kind of huge, IMO.

Of course, we have a vague idea of what they’ve been up to. Anne's Room has been shown more than once serving as the ADA’s safe haven and base of operations, and so per the rules of AOAR, Lucy must be nearby if not inside herself. Kyōka we see in silhouette form in Anne's Room in chapter 92. But this is the first time in a hot minute we've seen either of them in the flesh, let alone gotten dialogue out of them. I nearly choked on my cereal when I turned the page and saw their faces, lol.

So then, pray tell, what does this long-awaited appearance in the flesh entail? Well…

Lucy and Kyōka:

Right off the bat, Lucy and Kyōka are seen in Anne’s Room (where they’ve ostensibly been this entire time), standing in front of the Exit Door (i.e., the door opposite the prison, which – unless linked to a surface in the real world – will cause those who leave through it to experience amnesia. Not relevant to the scene, just thought I’d give a quick refresher.) The exit is blocked by rubble; the airport, as well as the surrounding buildings, have all been devastated. How to leave Anne's Room at this point is anyone’s guess.

Kyōka suggests Lucy deactivate her ability, but Lucy shuts her down, pointing out that they'll be flattened by rubble if she does. In response, Kyōka does her signature knife-unsheathing and insists, rather ominously, that they'll just have to take a gamble then. Lucy grabs her wrist and tells her to stop, and when Kyōka asks her why, she replies solemnly: “Because… if you died… it would crush him,” this followed by a picture of Atsushi’s smiling face.

YES. YES. YES.

Now THIS is what I love about Lucy and Kyōka’s dynamic. 

In essence, they're rivals. Thing is, they're not your generic “two girls fighting over the same guy” rivals. Kyōka’s feelings toward Atsushi aren’t even romantically-coded. Their shared love for Atsushi doesn’t divide them; it unites them. After all, following the Guild Aftermath arc, the “rivalry” aspect of their relationship has had almost nothing to do with him, instead revolving around their clashing personalities.

There, they were only at each other’s throats because Kyōka didn’t like how Lucy, still angry about the Moby Dick, was treating Atsushi, and Lucy didn’t like how Kyōka was standing in the way of her talking things through with him. But once a much-needed heart-to-heart was had between Atsushi and Lucy and the latter turned over a new leaf, there was no longer any reason for her and Kyōka to bicker. Kyōka didn’t have the full context of Lucy’s actions, and was thus within her rights to assume she couldn’t be trusted, but Lucy proved that she could be when she led them to the right boat.

Later on, Lucy showcased that she didn't resent Kyōka when she advocated for her, forcing Atsushi to leave her to her thoughts upon learning the truth of her parents' deaths.

The next chapter, Kyōka calls Lucy’s coffee mediocre, but Lucy herself admits that she isn’t much of a barista, and so the comment is more Kyōka not mincing words than actively trying to be rude. Moreover, Lucy is offended at first, but then concedes without any real hostility.

In the Cannibalism arc, Kyōka is shown bowing politely to Lucy while enlisting her help, even if she is just following Atsushi's lead (and later does the same for Mushitarō).

Fast forward to the Sky Casino arc, Kyōka is miffed by Lucy’s hot-and-cold behavior around Atsushi, but that’s not exactly unique to her...

... and besides, they agree without resistance to work together. In chapter 81 (i.e., the last we saw of Lucy until now), the Agency reunites and Lucy encourages Kyōka to join in on the celebration. Perhaps most notable is chapter 78, wherein the two are lumped into the same category by Ango. He recognizes them both as people who would choose Atsushi over the good of the world, and this nearly drives him to kill them on the spot for fear of what their loyalty could turn into.

In this latest chapter, however, it’s underscored that, while Lucy and Kyōka may be the same in their care for Atsushi on the surface, they’re still – at the end of the day – foil characters. 

Both are orphans. Both were taken in – and subsequently exploited – by criminal organizations for their abilities. Both found their place in the story by virtue of meeting Atsushi. Both are undyingly loyal to Atsushi because of what he’s done for them. That’s about where their similarities end.

Kyōka was introduced as a remorseful killer seeking atonement by death. Atsushi managed to save her (twice, for that matter) in the conventional hero way, cementing himself as her savior and playing into the reckless heroism by which he determines his worth.

Lucy, on the other hand, was introduced as a bitter villain who believed she was justified in lashing out. Atsushi tried, but he couldn’t save her in the conventional hero way. Only his vulnerability managed to get through to her, and if anything, Lucy saved him. This utterly subverted the unhealthy philosophy by which Atsushi had begun to define both himself and his relationships.

Since then, Lucy has been trying at every turn to get Atsushi to see himself as more than just a hero. She reprimands him for his reckless heroism when she sees it. She stops him from inserting himself into other people’s plights uninvited. She confronts him when he fails to understand his relationships beyond the framework of hero and savior. Kyōka, meanwhile, has been doing more or less the opposite: she’s passively allowed Atsushi to keep playing the perpetual hero, and this wouldn’t be the first time she’s taken on his credo of self-sacrifice herself.

All of this in mind, the girls’ thought processes in this chapter are perfectly in line for them: Kyōka tries to push forward without care for what could happen to her, whereas Lucy emphasizes self-preservation.

One might perceive Lucy replying the way she does to Kyōka’s question as callous, but I don’t really think so. She isn’t saying “the only reason you shouldn’t risk your life is because it would make Atsushi sad." She’s applying her philosophy of person > hero to Atsushi and Kyōka both at the same time. She's encouraging Kyōka to be more than just a hero by telling her to think of how it would affect Atsushi as a person if she died.

If Lucy is good at anything, it’s communicating what she wants from people in a way that she knows will get through to them. She did this with Atsushi on the Moby Dick when she bluffed about waiting on his salvation, knowing he would be more motivated to stay alive himself if he thought there was someone counting on him to save them. The same applies in this scenario. She communicates with Kyōka in a way that highlights the reason they get along; the reason they’re both here in the first place. And if the way Kyōka re-sheathes her knife without a word is any indication, it works.

Lucy knows that she and Atsushi are close, but she knows that Kyōka and Atsushi are closer. Losing her would be the last straw for him. She recognizes their relationship as something beyond hero and savior – something precious. This is nothing out-of-character for her; on the contrary, it’s in keeping with who she’s been all along. All that’s different now is she’s acknowledging it out loud.

Lucy and Atsushi:

When Lucy pictures Atsushi in her mind’s eye, she sees the spirit that would undoubtedly be broken if he were to lose Kyōka. This in and of itself is heartbreaking, but when you consider the greater implications, well…

In the Sky Casino arc, a huge breakthrough was made in Atsushi and Lucy’s relationship. Her elusive “impossible” debt to him was finally repaid, though not in the way you'd expect.

At the time, all Lucy felt she could give in return for Atsushi’s turning her life around was conventional heroism – or in other words, many a close call and many a trip to Anne’s Room. This conventional heroism was a worthless currency in her mind; it wasn’t the kind that saved her, after all. But on the other hand, the vulnerability she so valued in its stead she wasn’t capable of giving; where she came from, being vulnerable was a death sentence, after all.

Because of this, how she could ever come close to repaying Atsushi’s ultimate favor was a mystery unto itself. All she knew was that she had to do it one way or another, and that’s where her most glaring flaw – her quid-pro-quo mindset – came into play, eventually driving her so far as to override her own philosophy and embody the reckless hero she so discouraged Atsushi from being.

But when Atsushi saved her from Nathaniel – thereby repaying her for her acts of service as he’d promised so many times he would – she realized that, just as her care for Atsushi doesn’t depend on his being a hero, Atsushi's care for her doesn’t depend on her being vulnerable. The illusion was shattered.

From this point forward, Lucy is no longer helping Atsushi out of a sense of indebtedness. She's doing it because she wants to – because she genuinely cares. Not the artificial care that comes with repaying a debt, but the kind she showcases when she stays by Atsushi’s side after he faints, pressing a cold towel to his face. The kind that involves refusing to hurt Atsushi in any way, even to jog potentially vital memories.

Lucy considering what Kyōka’s death would do to Atsushi’s psyche is a perfect continuation of this new leaf she’s turned over, but it also goes to show that her shared arc with Atsushi is far from finished.

Lucy’s development has always been structured rather uniquely. Each arc she’s appeared in has worked either to establish or address her current most glaring flaw, more often than not in unexpected ways. Her appearance in the first half of the Guild arc established her villainous façade as just that – a façade – by having it crumble as she realized the kind of person she was up against in Atsushi. The second half addressed her unhealthy attachment to the Guild by having Atsushi dissuade her from villainy via empathy. The Guild Aftermath arc added the finishing touch to all of this – the last little push needed to propel Lucy into her new role – by addressing her and Atsushi’s “promise” on the Moby Dick. The Cannibalism arc subtly established her quid-pro-quo mindset, which the Sky Casino arc would then go on to address.

Another great subversion of the tropes usually involved in these dynamics is that, despite Lucy being the closest thing to Atsushi’s “love interest,” only he’s managed to bolster her development – not the other way around. This isn’t for lack of trying, of course; Lucy tries. But Atsushi is a tough nut to crack. The fact that she’s still, nearly 15 chapters later, trying to steer Atsushi away from heroism and toward personhood – albeit indirectly – is testament to this.

If she could reach him now, she’d no doubt be trying even still. She’d be conveying to him that none of his friends’ deaths so far has been his fault – that he can’t be expected to carry the burden of hero to all when the world is going to hell in a handbasket. But she can’t reach him. She’s trapped, and so is Kyōka. Thus is the cruel irony.

Anne's Room:

Anne of Abyssal Red has played a key role in pretty much everything plot-related up to this point. To that end, it’s only appropriate that its owner finally appearing alongside it would grant it extra significance.

Lucy’s last line in this chapter is as follows: “So the enemy… even took this into account.” She’s right: Fyodor had countermeasures against her ability. That said, I don’t think this is attributable solely to Fyodor being, well… Fyodor.

AOAR is in the same ballpark narrative-wise as, say, For The Tainted Sorrow in that it’s overpowered to the point of detriment. It’s Lucy’s playground; the product of an imagination run wild due to crippling loneliness. This in and of itself is scary. An ability having rules that malleable is automatically dangerous, as it means that, while its wielder can bend and exploit said rules, so can an enemy. In both major fights Lucy has been a part of, the rules of Anne’s Room being molded to favor her opponent has spelled either victory or loss on her end: Atsushi used the prison room loophole against her, and she indirectly used the transportation loophole against Nathaniel. Hell, her capture by the Guild following her betrayal was thanks to the loophole that, while Anne couldn’t be defeated, she could be restrained.

So basically, for as powerful as AOAR is, underneath that power lies a shaky foundation. Power doesn’t always mean stability, and this is underscored by the fact that, at the end of the day, Anne is only infallible in terms of strength; she could only do so much to alleviate Lucy’s loneliness growing up (which is honestly a pretty clever mirror to her conflict of strength vs. vulnerability with Atsushi).

With Anne’s Room nullified by Fyodor, Lucy has truly nothing at her disposal. She's not physically strong (she’s 165 cm and weighs 44 kg, so… yeah ˙◠˙), and while by no means stupid, she doesn’t say repeatedly in this chapter that she doesn’t know what to do next for no reason. Anne’s Room is all she’s ever had. While at the orphanage, it was her only comfort. While in the Guild, it was her only value. With Atsushi, it was all she had to offer in return for his ultimate favor.

This, I feel, could be the establishing point for the next portion of her arc. She could strive to find a way out of the rubble, working together with Kyōka, and in the process learn to break away from her ability as what defines her role in all of this. One thing's for sure: something has to be done sooner or later – otherwise, they'll starve.

I dunno, maybe that’s wishful thinking given how much is already going on. But either way, I’ll hope against hope that this isn’t some one-off return, because Lucy has proven time and time again that she has a lot to offer to the story, both plot-wise and thematically.

Thanks for reading :)

[silverinerivers]

20 questions for fic writers!

tagged by @chubsthehamster, thank you friend! I am feeling alive and have some time (as in I am procrastinating) so why not!

1. How many works do you have on ao3?

91 on my main, 32 on my short works acct!

2. What’s your total ao3 word count?

748,078

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Mainly anime/manga fandoms, but I hop around based on my current interests. My top fandoms by work count are tower of god, hxh, and sk8, but I've mostly been stuck in bsd hell since last year so until that gets under control that's where I'll be!

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

I actually stopped checking stats (like got a skin so I can't see it unless I go to my stats page) so yeah! let's go with my top 5 fav fics right now instead!

backsliding: bllk, nagireo, 4k, rated t. exes fake dating in front of their friends to avoid having to talk about why they broke up, AGAIN. it's so fun!

Collateral Damage: hxh, killugon, 9k, rated t. aka when Bisky said to Killua “you can’t stay with Gon”, but for real. aka my heart broke writing this goddamn it.

Inevitably; daiya, miyumei, 30k, rated e. my love letter and ship manifesto for miyumei through canon. you know when writers say they wrote in a trance fugue state fueled by love and lack of sleep? this was me. loved every moment!

you're my mortal flaw (and I'm your fatal sin): yuumori, sherliam, 17k, rated m. the hunger games sherliam au of my dreams. this was an absolute joy to write all my fav parts of the hunger games au without having to learn how to write action. vibes and feelings only!!!

you are the magic in me: tog, khunbam, 60k, rated m. the hogwarts au that got me through the pandemic and fully back into fandom after a long hiatus. this will always have such a soft spot in my heart. it gave me so much joy to write and led me to meet so many amazing fandom friends, for which I will always be grateful <3

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes, I try my hardest to reply to every one. I'm a lot slower now than I used to be, but I do treasure them!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

it's ironic that people knew me for fluff and now I don't know how to write fluff and have to pick between MULTIPLE angsty fics. Probably Collateral Damage right now, since it made ME feel bad writing it ;-;

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I think you are the magic in me or skyfall were both pretty long fics with a well-deserved happy ending that I knew I wanted the characters to have!

8. Do you get hate on fic?

I've gotten a bit here and there, mostly on my e-rated fics when I venture into more 'problematic' categories. It sucks, but I'm less affected by it now than I used to be.

9. Do you write smut?

Yeah, once that door was opened there was no closing it back up haha. Honestly, it's pretty fun when I'm in the mood to write it, especially shorter scenes where I can just turn my brain off a little.

10. Do you write crossovers?

I've written a short crossover called What a Steal on my alt account where Gojo and Reigen meet and Gojo tries to recruit Mob. I don't think I have enough brainpower to map out a true crossover but this short one was fun :D

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don't think so, and I hope it stays that way!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I have a few! Not all of them were completed, but I always find it touching that people took the time to start! Same goes for podfics and art, just so touching <3

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I've done a collab once where the general plot was mapped out per chapter and we had 6 authors and 6 artists where each of us got to craft a chapter! It was called Infinite Road where Reki & Langa travel across Canada together and it was ultra sweet and fun. Fandom is so amazing and I was honoured to be invited into this labour of love.

14. What’s your all-time favourite ship?

ouch. ouch ouch ouch. This is too hard. BUT if I had to pick one ship that encapsulates everything I want in a ship though, it would have to be Mark/Eduardo from The Social Network. I have yet to find another ship that has so much potential on all fronts and go through the full spectrum of human emotion depending on which era you put them in. Also that fandom still has the best fic I've ever read, hands down, even if a lot of it has been wiped from the internet, it lives in my head rent free - truly foundational, lifechanging shit.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but probably won’t?

the guilt. the guilllt. I have a ton of khunbam WIPs lying in a graveyard that I don't even want to open up again because I'd feel bad. I also really wanted to finish the miyumei royalty AU of my dreams, and I even outlined it, but it got outrageous and the fandom is pretty tiny so unfortunately I lost motivation :(

16. What are your writing strengths?

I'd say exploring character! It's the main reason I read/write fic and am in fandom in general. Make me fall in love with a character and you've got me for life.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Having a coherent plot, action scenes, finding balance between too much or no dialogue, transitions... def more where that's from and that's okay! I know what I'm not good at, and if I had the time I'd think more on how to improve. But now I just think hey, it's a precious hobby of mine and instead of working on my weaknesses, I'll just ignore them and write the way I like to write :D

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I don't think I'm confident in doing much more than a word or two in Japanese lol personally. I think it can be done artfully and I love it when it's pulled off well!

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Card Captor Sakura I think! At least published and not like, just in my head. It's on FFN somewhere, I pretend it doesn't exist, as with the rest of my FFN stuff.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

It'll probably be you are the magic in me for a long time, but these days I still think of when and how I'll finish silence strikes like a hurricane. Can't believe I broke my rule about posting an unfinished multichapter WIP. I have an ending but no clue how to get there. oopsies.

Tagging: @lorilanda, @jusalilweird, @aikotters <3

[nikadoesanart]

Answering Ranpo’s “How many bullets?”

On pages 20-21 of chapter 91, Ranpo asks the Agency members a question before explaining the answer to his question and how “One Order” works. Atsushi, Kunikida, and Yosano each share their responses to it, and I believe that how they each exactly respond speaks a lot for their past experiences and how those experiences have shaped them to be today.

The question being “How many bullets do you think it takes on average for a soldier to kill one enemy?”

For exact phrasing, I am using @buraihatranslations translation of ch 91. Read the full translation here

Atsushi says “maybe 5 or 10” which fits his more pacifist approach. If he’s able to relate to his opponents, he’ll try to reason with them first and foremost, as we’ve seen numerous times. He knows what it’s like to be weak and oppressed and has little to no fundamental understanding of the side of the oppressor (such as why they would do such a thing). It’s why he struggles to understand Akutagawa, because neither of them have ever talked and realized the similarities in their upbringing. He sees Dazai as a good person because he has not witnessed or experienced his past cruelty. He tried reasoning with Fukuchi, even trying to relate to how horrible torture must have been, until he heard that Fukuchi was on the giving end and not the receiving end of it. He can’t properly comprehend the mental toll of being on the giving end or what leads people to it, as we see with his struggle to sort out his feelings after learning of the director’s past in ch 39, Portrait of a Father. In short, for Atsushi its “talk first, shoot last only if necessary.”

Kunikida answered “Including coercion and control, at least one magazine or more. Wouldn’t you require 30-60?” As an idealist, it makes sense that Kunikida tries to aim for the best outcome, with the least casualties. We’ve seen him use his gun for non injuring purposes multiple times (breaking Sasaki out of the tank, bursting the pipe behind Akutagawa, etc). He’d rather use his words but is well aware of the other uses for the bullets that would cause little to no harm (intimidating enemies and nonconventional uses such as breaking someone out or stalling someone). His number likely accounts for most of the bullets being used on coercion and intimidation, with the bullets actually used to target a person with serious intent being a similar number to Atsushi’s. The key difference being that he’s more prepared to use violence, but in unconventional ways that would cause minimal harm or damage and is aware that weapons can be used in non harmful ways.

Yosano, who was very close to and witnessed the front lines of the Great War, said “...Probably, more.” It’s unclear as to who said “fifty thousand” and explained why on the next page (either Ranpo or Yosano, but likely Ranpo), but it seems that she was likely thinking of a similar number. She’s witnessed the effects of the mental strain of being told to shoot another person, especially repeatedly for a long time with no end in sight. The hesitation in her answer shows that she very well knows that it’s true but wishes that it wasn’t. She’s likely heard many stories from Tachihara’s brother and the other soldiers of what the battlefield is like. She hates to admit that this is the reality of the statistic but knows that the numbers can’t be denied. Also, as a doctor and someone with a healing ability, she’s indirectly on the receiving end of the statistic because she has to heal people that do get hit by the bullets and therefore is also on the receiving end of the mental strain of the whole thing. In fact because of her ability causing soldiers to be unable to return home altogether, I wouldn’t be surprised if she feels at fault for the statistic being so high because she essentially created a near immortal army. Being on the battlefield longer because you’re repeatedly in fighting condition would of course mean more bullets used in total, and with that a prolonged fear of actually hitting someone with the bullets yet being unable to go against commanding orders and not shoot.

I feel like this analysis may seem a bit obvious if you’ve been paying attention to Atsushi, Kunikida, and Yosano (at the very least) as characters throughout bsd and how the theme of one’s past affecting who you are today plays into bsd as a whole, but I just wanted to highlight this moment because I think Asagiri did a wonderful job as a writer with it, as well as Harukawa with illustrating it (I am forever in awe at how Harukawa draws facial expressions). Also thank you to @buraihatranslations for letting me use your translations in this post!

[dazaistabletop]

AHH our birthday boy made a cameo🥺✨

[taiyohima]

Him omfg- 😳😳

(ALSO YOU ARE EATING CANDY IN SUCH SERIOUS SITUATION YOU IDIOT I LOVE YOU AAAAA)

[rosiesbsdtwitterau]

Bsd Chapter 91 Spoilers

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A little quick and short post about the new chapter >◡◕

And I am ✨ s h o o k e t h ✨

My babie Aya finally made an appearance ahhhh (;´༎ຶٹ༎ຶ`)

And Jouno being a bit too sadistic for my tastes Ō_Ō

[popopretty]

BSD Chapter 91

The chapter is called “We are back to the Detective Agency again”

A rather calm chapter compared to the pain we had last month. I am hoping it is not the calm before the storm. This is gonna be long because I can’t pick what part is important and what is not... Every dialogues seem necessary to the story...

Neither my English nor Japanese is perfect (and to be honest my mind is not being very clear today because I have been gaming too much over the last 2 days lol) so please forgive me if I make some mistakes.

SPOILERS AHEAD

- Atsushi and Kyouka find themselves at the ADA office. They meet Kunikida and are very surprised because the place sure has been sealed off by the government. Kunikida tells Atsushi to look out of the window so he does and finds nothing outside. Ranpo explains that the place is just a fake one created by Poe’s ability for them to hold a meeting, about the strategy to defeat the enemy.

- Fukuzawa and Yosano are there too. Atsushi feels touched seeing everyone together after a long time and he feels like he would not lose to any enemies. Kunikida tells Atsushi that it is not time to be moved to tears. Atsushi thinks it is very calm of Kunikida, until Kunikida explain that he is that calm because he has already cried for 2 hours. 

- Kyouka suddenly tells Atsushi that she could sense more people in the room and that there must be intruders. She uses Yasha Shirayuki to stab through the table with her swords and finds Tanizaki and Kenji hiding under the table. Turned out they were hiding there because they wanted to surprise Atsushi. Kenji tells Atsushi that when they were hiding at the safe house that Mafia prepared, a liaison person came to meet them and told them to reunite with the rest of the ADA. That liaison was Mori himself, and he went that far to help because Mafia was in a bad situation and ADA’s plan was important to PM too. 

- The meeting starts with Ranpo explaining the situation to everyone. The Decays of Angel has entered the last stage of their plan, spreading the “vampire” disease all over the world. The armies of sixteen countries have fallen. And the rests are having their hands full, because they can’t imagine how many “vampires” are lurking inside their own armies. 

- Ranpo then tells everyone that Bram is the source of the apocalypse and Fukuzawa adds that Bram used to be called one of the world’s ten disasters. Many years ago, he fought Fukuchi and was sealed by the holy sword, but looking at the situation now, that was probably just a part of Fukuchi’s plan.

- Tanizaki asks Ranpo if they did that to bring chaos to the world. Ranpo answers that it is impossible because there are still the headquarters of the ability users in Europe. If England, France and Germany decide to go all out then the world would be back to normal in half a year, even though it means a lot of countries will be erased. What the Decays of Angel is really aiming for is the weapon “One Order”, one of the three “big disasters” that were created during the Great War, a weapon used for mental control. 

- Ranpo asks everyone in the room how many bullets they think it would take to kill one enemy in the warfield, and to everyone’s surprised, the number is about 50,000. Because most of the soldiers do not really aim at the enemy when they shoot. They don’t want to see their own bullet kill a person. Even if that is a war and that killing someone with your bullet is an “ordinary” thing, most people are not able to stand that. To fix that, the army has trained people to “shoot by reflex without thinking”, but that method left a burden on the returned soldier and led to many suicides. That is the reason why a need for a tool to protect the soldiers in a “humanly” way arose. That was when One Order was created.

- Fukuzawa explains that One Order is similar to his ability, as it has effects on one’s subordinates. In One Order’s case, it can make one’s subordinates act exactly as they are ordered. One Order is like a radio device used by the superior. When a subordinate is ordered through One Order, their body will move as if it is a part of the superior and automatically carry out the order. The soldier is then freed from guilts and doubts because they now can tell that it is actually their superior who pulled the trigger. 

- One Order was first created with that purpose, a “kind” weapon. However, people then realized that it was a very dangerous device that can lead to a “coup d’etat” (government overthrow) if used by a top commander. The weapon was sealed and its creator was killed off. It was not destroyed in case a terror like this time happened. Fukuchi was previously made the Commander of the “Human Army”. The countries will hand One Order to him in the hope that he would use that to defeat the vampires. However, it is all according to his plan. If he gets One Order, then all the armies in the world will fall into his hand. The Decays of Angel plan, in short, is “World Domination”. 

- Since One Order will be handed to Fukuchi in the next 20 hours, if ADA can stop that, it will be their win. And Ranpo is explaining his plan.   

The chapter ends here. The next one seems promising. I’m excited to see what Ranpo has planned against Fukuchi. Thank you for reading until the end. 

[foulfettedone]

when you have nothing better to do than to write fanfiction about wanting this man to jump into the jaws of a Dragon and stay there 😂👌🫣🌚😝 when this man gets more character development when he’s about to be eaten than in the entirety of the Bungou stray dogs canon universe lol of 100+ chapters lol

[shachihata]

ok so we're running with the philosophy of crime and punishment here about the "ordinary man" v. the "extraordinary man." essentially, in the novel, raskolnikov breaks down the world into two groups of people. firstly, there are the "ordinary" people, who don't have the ability to break the mold and create a world according to their own morals/philosophies/beliefs. they’re the direct opposite of "extraordinary" people, who have both the ability to think outside of the box and to break the mold, regardless of the human cost/sacrifice, therefore putting their own ideas into place and "paving the way" for a brighter future.

crucially, raskolnikov makes it clear that there are occasions where the "ordinary man," believing themselves to be "extraordinary," will take lives and commit moral injustices for the sake of pushing their own narrow-minded beliefs -- before being haunted by the guilt of their actions, eventually finding it necessary to confess, repent, and strive for redemption.

even more crucially, by the end of the novel, raskolnikov himself has watched his own theory crumble to the ground as he realizes that he was one of these "pretenders" -- and that, in reality, there are no "extraordinary men." he finds that morality is innate within a person, and repentance/redemption are inevitabilities once one has wronged others or their own innate sense of morality. to pretend that one is not human is to put yourself in a position higher than god himself.

what i'm getting at is that nikolai is the trope of the "ordinary man" and fyodor is the trope of the "extraordinary man" and both of them can and will be redeemed, which would absolutely fit into the existing themes of bsd as a whole. let's get it boys

first off, it’s really obvious imo that nikolai’s entire personality is essentially a mask. he wants to “break free” from the “birdcage” of human morality, but admits to feeling guilt whenever he tries to -- which is a vicious cycle that only leads him into more and more violence, as he tries harder and harder to break free from “ordinary” human morality and gain perfect control over himself and his emotions. he paradoxically recognizes himself as an “ordinary man,” and yet deludes himself into thinking that he can eventually be free if he “breaks through” his own humanity and becomes something “extraordinary” -- somebody devoid of human emotions, human guilt, and human morality.

in other words... yeah, that’s fyodor. fyodor seems to be the polar opposite of nikolai, where he’s admittedly trying to do something great: get rid of the world’s abilities. which doesn’t seem that great At First, but i mean, look at it from his perspective. his own ability only leads to death. he sees other ability users -- the port mafia/the armed detective agency’s constant fighting, shibusawa tatsuhiko, the whole doa -- seemingly only use their abilities for evil, causing further death and destruction to not only yokohama, but in shibusawa’s + fukuchi’s + potentially agatha christie’s case, the whole world. imo, to fyodor, shibusawa was the perfect amalgation of everything fyodor wanted to prove -- a singularity of a bunch of abilities wasn’t anything even close to perfect, it was nothing but a source of absolute destruction. q.e.d., all abilities are evil and ability users need to be saved from their own sins and fyodor thinks he’s the only bitch who can do it because he realizes the “crime” of his own sins and is now going out to actively “punish” for it. (see -- the scene in dead apple where he’s not attacked by his own ability because he accepts that he is both the “crime” and the “punishment.”)

this has allowed fyodor to take on the role of the “extraordinary man,” at least in theory. he has an original idea that he believes is going to make the world better. he is going out to fulfill it, no matter what the human cost is. nikolai idolizes this “extraordinary man” and is willing to go out and do anything to try to be like fyodor because fyodor, as somebody who is extraordinary, can then see through nikolai’s pretending for the “ordinary” person that he really is.

(then comes the “whoops! i’m emotionally attached to the god that i idolize! oh fuck, i have to kill him now to prove him... right? wrong? whichever one works!”)

see, the issue with fyodor’s entire philosophy is that he is only looking through the world through his own narrow-minded perspective. there are plenty of examples of characters who have “broken” through the “fundamental nature” of their own ability in order to seek redemption. just to name a few examples... kyouka accepting demon snow as a guardian and a part of her family, turning from being the port mafia’s pet assassin to a member of the ada. atsushi leashing the destructive nature of the tiger in order to save others, not allowing the trauma of his past to rule over him forever. dazai, turning away from being the leader of the port mafia in order to follow oda’s ideal of a “beautiful” world and find out what it really means to be “human.” in a sense, i would make the argument that this is the fundamental theme that runs throughout all of bungou stray dogs -- that you have to make the choice to be redeemed, you have to choose to use something that might be dangerous for the purpose of saving others. fyodor is doing this, but simultaneously entirely ignoring the fact that the entire ada is working towards the same goal -- in a different way, which allows them to accept who they are rather than being forced to lose a fundamental part of themselves. he’s caught up in his own idealization of fukuchi -- somebody who’s been betrayed so many times, he thinks that all the people of the world have to suffer before they are redeemed.

(look at that, that’s another theme from crime and punishment! raskolnikov had to suffer and struggle with the guilt of his own sins before he could resolve himself and make the decision to choose redemption, no matter what. but that’s a post for another time, lol)

imo, both fyodor and nikolai’s character arcs will inevitably lead them to redemption. they fit the roles of the “ordinary” and “extraordinary,” both of them trying to break out of their birdcages -- humanity, as a concept -- for the sake of proving a point to a world that they think is trying to control them. nikolai is trying to break through the invention of morality, fyodor is trying to attain a virtual “godhood” and a supposed moral superiority. both of them have to choose humanity in order to be saved. both of them have, subconsciously, realized the fundamental errors in their own thinking. nikolai realized that, in order to be truly free, he has to kill the only person who understands him and who he cares about -- he has to kill the literal personification of his ideals. fyodor has, multiple times, been thwarted by human emotion and, honestly, humanity as a whole -- he’s surprised by tachihara choosing to fight for his chosen family, he’s shocked that ranpo (somebody entirely human and, as dazai says, “the strongest man in the agency”) would choose to look through “kamui” and save the members of the ada.

it’s humanity -- the will to live and fight in the real world, experience real human emotions, and fight for sakunosuke’s “beautiful world” -- that allows atsushi to be both the “antithesis of ability users” but also become the world’s most wanted ability user. without humanity, abilities are inherently destructive (as in the example of shibusawa, who was devoid of humanity as a whole), but with it, redemption is always a choice that is available for you to make. it’s the realization and choice that both fyodor and nikolai are going to have to make, in the end, once their ideas and ideals inevitably crumble around them. bsd is about reconciling these "good" and "evil" parts inside of everybody -- and turning them into a unified whole that can then push on, continuing to save the people around them.

[jintaiyang]

Kafka Asagiri’s chapters 87/88

The last month, I am reading posts and comments about the turnovers of chapter 87 and 88.

Please, stop saying “I hate you, author” or “The story was awful”. The story and plot are his choice and his creation.

Yes, I felt bad about the latest chapter too. Akutagawa was my no1 most favorite character of all the anime, I have ever watched.

BUT, Kafka Asagiri did an amazing job so far. He gave us an amazing story, with awesome plot and characters. Different from the Yakuza anime, that we used to watch (91 Days, Gangster and Banana Fish)

Everyone has his own opinions, of course, but look the whole image and not only the last chapters. Because, a story like that, without a tension and action, wouldn’t be as good as it is now.

So, stop saying this. The author did this story for us, to enjoy.

Have a nice day!

[mitchiesong]

I'm glad that the ADA Members are alright and that Kuni has his Hands back but I'm really missing Chuuya and Dazai :'(

[maybenotmei]

Man I Wonder Who My Favorite Bungou Stray Dogs Characters Are (/j)

[kirei-no-tsuki]

That hat looks really familiar...

[hamliet]

Have you read the recent BSD chapters? If so, do you have any idea what Fukuchi’s real goal is? Ever since it got revealed the destruction of nations isn’t his true goal I’ve felt confused and haven’t been able to come up with alternative reason. P.S. Your dog is very cute!

Yep. I have a theory. But we'll see. It could be very off base.

I've long predicted Fukuzawa would be one of the few people to actually truly die in this manga. I could be wrong, of course, and even if I'm not, he could survive this. I don't know that I think he will, though. I'm pretty pessimistic about his chances.

See, the narrative options to him dying are just--so much stronger than him surviving? At least longterm. Atsushi and Kyouka would then have to handle their abilities on their own. Possibly others, too. Kunikida would have to step up and handle the ADA. Dazai would have to face grief again.

But I've always said if Fukuzawa dies, it'd be through a betrayal from Mori. Not Fukuchi.

My theory is that Fukuchi is indeed doing this partially for revenge, but mostly to protect someone/s he loves. It kind of fits with what Fukuchi told Fukuzawa here:

If Mori were, say, somehow using those people to manipulate Fukuchi, well then... I mean, Mori was also involved in the war, as was Fukuchi, so he might well be in a position to know.

Of course, there are possible holes in this theory.

Mori claimed that the ADA would win--I don't think this is a hole. If anything, I think this line indicates he might in fact be pulling the strings.

Mori lost most of his mafia to the vampire curse--legit. I don't have a counterargument. I will say I think this could be explained away, especially if he is pulling the strings and expects the ADA to fix the outbreak, as he claimed in 91, but have nothing with which to speculate now.

[dazaistabletop]

*spoilers for bsd ch 91*

Me looking at the raws: awh idk whats going on but at least we get to see Tanizaki and Kenji's pictures again

Me two seconds later: *incoherent screams* TABLE-

[missstreetsahead]

*ੈ✩‧₊˚bsd wan manga chapters that feature atsushi and akutagawa interacting

sooo about a month ago I made a post which listed all of the bsd wan manga chapters where chuuya and dazai were interacting, and today I felt like making a post like that, but with shin soukoku instead of skk

NOTE: again, this is based on the chapters that I have read in english, so I do apologize if I missed any chapters/put any incorrect chapters in

╰┈➤chapter 9

╰┈➤chapter 14

╰┈➤chapter 23

╰┈➤chapter 26

╰┈➤chapter 28

╰┈➤chapter 39

╰┈➤chapter 45 

╰┈➤chapter 47

╰┈➤chapter 62

╰┈➤chapter 78

╰┈➤chapter 80

╰┈➤chapter 89

╰┈➤chapter 91

╰┈➤chapter 100

╰┈➤chapter 106

╰┈➤chapter 113

╰┈➤chapter 114

╰┈➤chapter 126

╰┈➤chapter 128 

╰┈➤chapter 130

╰┈➤chapter 144

╰┈➤chapter 147

I might try and do more ships in the future