#The Gin / Akutagawa omakes (including the higu/gin one) are both my favourite omakes of them all by long distance.

[kyouka-supremacy]

Follow up question why do think akutagawa listened to atsushi request to not kill people for 6 months? I don't think this has anything to do with dazai's approval. I like the bsd omake where akutagawa was having a hard time not killing and gin being genuinely worried about his mood!! It's funny how the entire mafioso seem okay with akutagawa's decision to not kill, until he settles his score with jinko.

I do think it was really just that Akutagawa, for how he is, keeps his promises. Once he accepted it - and he accepted it, because Akutagawa can’t turn down a challenge or a chance to prove himself -, I don’t think he ever even considered breaking it, because he’s of that kind: hyperfocused, straightforward, quite the executer, someone who doesn’t really question things but is used to stick to the directives when coming from a place he feels he has to prove himself to (that’s what Dazai made of him, after all). I do agree Dazai’s approval had secondary importance in this case. I also think Akutagawa just really wanted to kill Atsushi. He’s not used to… Question things, and he saw in keeping his promise the only way he could get to fight Atsushi in six months, which is something he really wanted to do, so he just did that. Akutagawa is quite narrow-minded and straightforward.

But again, even leaving that aside, Akutagawa being one who keeps his promises- I don’t know how to explain it, it just fits his character. It fits his being naïve and it fits his serious personality and his upbringing and moral compass. Seriously, I don’t think it was even because of Atsushi specifically, he just keeps his word in general, even if he was to give it to one of his victims before killing them. He’s a man of his word, it's in his very character introduction.

About how the promise could ever possibly concile with his Mafioso job, thinking about it is my personal treat! It gives back some kind of dignity and authority to Akutagawa after all the mud I so often have fun throwing at him ahah. I think I already summed up pretty well what I think about the matter in the tags here:

Surprisingly, I think Akutagawa has enough power to do that. Despite all the mud I throw at him he *is* one of the most powerful pm members and like... Realistically‚ now that Dazai is gone‚ what is keeping him in the pm anyway? On the other hand, it would indeed be a great loss for Mori to lose him. So I do believe to some extent they just make Akutagawa do whatever he wants to do; which most of the time is killing and maiming so that's quite convenient! But if for six months he decided to limit himself to the maiming part I don't think there's much they can do about it. Besides, I believe it's an important aspect of Akutagawa's character how... You could say‚ capricious, but overall simply untamable and unrestrainable he is. I think that although they never directly confronted about it‚ both Mori and Akutagawa know Mori has to leave Akutagawa enough freedom of action to keep him in after Dazai left. Because again‚ seriously - and that's a whole post for another time -‚ what is keeping Akutagawa in the pm after the dark era events? He doesn't hold any sincere loyalty to the pm like Chuuya does– his true loyalty still lies to Dazai beyond what even Akutagawa himself acknowledges. He can't fear pm retaliation like virtually any other member would, because he's objectively powerful enough that wouldn't be a problem for him. I mean who would they send after him? Chuuya? I mean they technically could‚ but it's going to be unpleasant for everyone. Tl;dr Akutagawa one day really showed up (unannounced) to Mori's office and told him that he‚ ruthless mafioso pm rabid dog™‚ wouldn't have killed anyone for six months and Mori just had to roll with it. But that's fundamentally tied to Akutagawa's whole character and his characteristics of being wild and unpredictable and especially uncontrollable. (Gin's reaction would be indeed hilarious though. Really SHE is the only person left in the pm that holds power over him I'm not joking)

I do actually believe that Akutagawa, despite not being an executive, has enough power to decide what he does and doesn’t do in the mafia. He’s the most valuable member that isn’t an executive, and one of the most powerful members overall. He’s often played a key role in the pm’s major conflicts. Mori has direct interest not to lose him. Yet Akutagawa has no real reason to stay in the pm? He joined because of Dazai, but Dazai is not there anymore. He never showed true loyalty to the pm outside of doing his job. It really is just a job for him- a job he’s quite good at doing, a job that’s perfectly fit for him, but still a job he can abandon any time. There are universes where Akutagawa doesn’t work for the pm. But that doesn't change the fact that it would be a great loss for Mori if Akutagawa left, so if Akutagawa one day is just like, “no killing commissions for the next six months”, Mori just has to deal with it. And Akutagawa – who after all has a very powerfull skill, and after Dazai left was able to climb the ranks easily – has enough authority to do that. He’s not an executive (and I firmly believe he will never become one), but he is not below executives either; in the story he’s always shown receiving orders from the organization boss directly and answering to him only.

Akutagawa is a wild beast. He doesn’t like being kept under the leash. Dazai had (and still has) complete control over him, but that’s because he’s Dazai, and because of the circumstances in which they met; that said, Akutagawa isn’t willing to let anyone else control him very easily, and after Dazai left the pm, Akutagawa stayed, but at his own conditions. Which more often than not align with the pm’s, because he’s good at killing, and gets some kind of satisfaction from it, so he’s fit for the job; but if he ever decided to temporary change the terms, to do as he pleases and not kill anyone for six months, that’s for the others to deal, because there’s no changing his mind (and you don't want to contradict Akutagawa).

[kyouka-supremacy]

Hi!! Gin for the ask game?

Yay Gin!!!

Favorite thing about them: Oh man there's not much to talk about in canon outside of the oc I made from them. But I still think they're very cool!! I also find them felling affection for Ryuunosuke to be very sweet, they're the only character in the whole series together with Higuchi who's ever shown to genuinely care about him.

Least favorite thing about them: How they weren't given a personality outside of “Akutagawa's sister”. Like, I love Gin, but being honest, it's more of loving the character I built pretty much from scratch for them in my mind, because canon literally never gave them a personality. Also, I don't like the voice actor choice for them… I don't know if I'm being conservative with this, but I find that kind of hyperfemininity they're depicted having sometimes (their high-pitched voice, the onsen scene in Wan) pretty stereotypical, that taste of “all tough girls deep down actually want to be delicate and femminine” from old medias I don't really vibe with.

Favorite line:

This one, because it's funny, and specifically because it's a non-verbal line. I like the idea of Gin using their sword more than they use their mouth.

brOTP: Look, I'm weak for siblings dynamics. They're always my favourite thing. I don't remember ever having an hyperfixation that didn't include siblings dynamics. I love love love the Gin / Ryuunosuke relationship and could talk about them for days. ALSO the Black Lizard in general I've already talked about them here I care so much about them. I really like tachigin platonically too. And I like Gin's dynamics with Higuchi, I actually like them better platonically.

OTP: I dig everything tachigin, I really like them and the “I'm not who I say I am but you know me better than myself even though you don't know my true identity” deal they have going on. I also like the idea of Gin and Naomi 👀👀👀 talkative gf x gf who's never said a word their whole life. Also my personal crack ship Gin × Paula ThePromisedNeverland

nOTP: ... I don't really dig higu/gin. Higu/gin friends, please forgive me. I just think that starting dating the person your brother has repeatedly abused would be super awkward, and I don't think I really like the idea of Higuchi basically dating Ryuunosuke's sister as rebound guy. Also it's just a thing with me and not being a fan of vanilla / sugar spice and everything nice wlw ships. I do acknowledge they have their fair share of scenes together and that they're perfect to be interpreted romantically!! The latest volume 23 omake especially, it can perfectly be taken as romantic. It's just not something that does it for me, and tbh I like them better with having a kind of sisters dynamics, with Higuchi being this kind of very exuberant and silly self-assigned older sister and Gin who just likes her and enjoys hanging out with her.

Random headcanon: Oh boy, may I introduce you to my Gin brainrot. I really have so many ideas about them. Apart from what I've already mentioned, I really like the idea of them having selective mutism, especially as it's shown in Wan. I don't think they're someone to talk in general. The Akutagawas household must be death silent 24/7 lol.

Unpopular opinion: I just wish people would give them more flaws. I'ver read my fair share of Gin fics, and in all of them they're always this kind of sassy / funny / witty / pretty / confident / charismatic / overall perfect person. As result, I find them quite boring to read, and they particularly pale in comparison to Ryuunosuke; especially since at least for me it's his flaws that make him such a compelling character. I wish we'd extend some of his flaws to Gin too. They're bad at communication and expressing their feelings. They're aggressive and pessimistic. Idk, anything that makes them a little more human.

Song i associate with them: How To World Domination by Neru. Just the overall imaginary it evokes of two siblings close in age fighting together in a world that is both violent and war-ridden, and terribly domestic and mundane. The feeling of being lonely together. Them both fighting to become a better version of themselves, a kinder version of themselves, even, before my heart grows numb from the cold. This song really is one that always evokes the Akutagawa siblings in my mind whenever it comes on shuffle. Also, Re-education by Neru, for similar reasons.

Favorite picture of them:

Favourite panel from the manga:

Favourite illustration:

Favourite illustration in the anime art style:

Favourite Mayoi card: (Band Gin you will always be famous)

Send me a character?