#since it's one of my main bsd theories

[starlostlix]

Daughterhood in Bungo Stray Dogs - Part 1 - Kyouka

So in light of me finally reading Another Story and my recent obsession with Arcane and its focus on daughters and their relations with their parents (which I love) I wanted to do something like that for BSD. I have 4 main examples (Kyouka, Tsujimura, Aya and Elise) I'll talk about in depth and save some mentions of others for the end part.

Adding the links here to the other posts when they're all out!!

This part is about Kyouka (main timeline, not including Beast!Kyouka) and her relationships with her parental figures. Next part will be Tsujimura.

So Kyouka is really interesting as a character especially in her relationship with her parents (and by extension her ability, Demon Snow). If we remember the events that played out, Kyouka's parents were attacked by a body possession that causes her father to try and k!ll her. In order to protect her, Kyouka's mother, also beginning to be possessed, transferred her skill over to Kyouka and ordered it to protect her. Because of the sudden nature of the transfer, the control of the ability was transferred to the phone rather than herself. However, since she was quite young, for a long while Kyouka thinks that Demon Snow k!lled her parents of its own will and despises it for that.

I think it's fascinating that she has this idyllic view of her mother (at points when she remembers her) but hates her ability which came from her. Because she doesn't know that it was given to her as protection, she thinks Demon Snow is a force for slaughter and nothing more at first, being ingrained into her by the Port Mafia and specifically Kouyou and Akutagawa as her mentors/superiors. But when she learns the truth, she finally sees Demon Snow for what it truly is - a manifestation of her parents love and her mother's protection. Almost as if part of her mother lives on with her in the form of her ability. This is especially important when we notice that Demon Snow somewhat resembles her mother - the long hair in a bun with a hair stick, traditional kimono, similar face shape etc. (I had to use anime images I couldn't find the manga ones in a google search)

Kyouka since has grown an appreciation for Demon Snow, and I think her arc of disliking her ability then coming round to appreciate it once she realises how much it protects her is probably a reason she gets on with Atsushi so well (among other reasons). He began disliking his ability but Byakko has done a lot to protect him and bring him strength, and if the theory that the 'dazai' he's been talking to in his head is in fact Byakko it adds to how much protection she gives him and furthers the comparison between Atsushi and Kyouka's view of their abilities.

Kyouka's mother's main way of protecting her daughter was giving Kyouka her ability - a symbol for her own strength and skill - and so giving her daughter strength. This can be directly contrasted with how Kouyou attempts to protect Kyouka (it can be debated whether Kouyou can be considered a parental figure but hear me out for this point). Kouyou has a very negative outlook on life and is quite cynical, due to her failed mafia escape in her youth that lead to the d3ath of someone she cared dearly about. She feels that people born in the 'dark' are never able to escape to the 'light' - an aspect of how she views herself that she pushes on to Kyouka. Her own fears, frustrations and experiences lead her to try and mould Kyouka to have a similar mindset - her way of 'protecting' Kyouka is trying to make sure she doesn't do what Kouyou had previously attempted in escaping the mafia. However, her way of 'protecting' her is actually harmful in a number of ways and stems from a focus on her own feelings and not the well-being of Kyouka herself - especially since she was the one to tell her Demon Snow murdered her parents.

However, after Kyouka has left the mafia she is still somewhat attached to her but in a more traditionally protective way. Her leaking of documents to Kyouka about the actual reason for her parents' d3ath can be interpreted as her trying to undo the damage she caused, and her ruling against hurting Kyouka shows that she still wants to protect her in some way. But the self centred 'protection' she gave Kyouka in her youth may not be outweighed by these acts even though Kyouka's mindset has somewhat healed.

In essence, whereas Kyouka's mother's protection for her daughter was by giving her strength out of her own love, Kouyou's idea of protection was fuelled by her own internal issues and involved demoralising her so she wouldn't follow in her footsteps. It's really fascinating how different they are in their decisions placed in a similar role in Kyouka's life (although I don't think Kyouka ever thought of Kouyou to be like her mother).

In all daughterhood, for Kyouka, is associated with protection, only differing in its motivations or impact.

[The 2nd part of this will be posted pretty soon after this as I've already written it! Originally this was going to be one long post but I decided to split it up since it was getting really long. I loved talking about Kyouka here as well as her view of her mother, her ability and also Kouyou's logic behind her actions as a mentor, although my explanations may not be the best. Hope you enjoy this series since I am just getting started (and I still need to write the rest of Aya's part and the whole of Elise's part haha). Don't know how long it will be until part 3 tho there's a lot to do for that.]

[atransformingplanet]

@bea-sauce if you read this i will dox you

/j but seriously dont crazy spoilers i mean you can if yiu want but bad spoilers ahead

big aaah theory essay \/

hey everyone thats not bea :D

PLEASE LET IT BE TANIZAKI THAT GETS TRANSFERRED INTO THE MAFIA🙏🏼🙏🏼

In this essay I will explain why the transfer theory abt Dazai would ruin the whole plot of BSD and how Tanizaki Junichirou would be the best choice.

SO HEAR ME OUT!!!

Dazai’s side

The WHOLE Dark Era was about Dazai’s closing chapter with the Mafia. He’s also made it explicitly clear how he DOES NOT want to return. Every time Mori puts out the offer, Dazai turns it down like THAT

Now, would seeing a mature version of Dazai handle the Mafia be fun? Yeah kinda. I’d love to see him suffer. Are all of the theories about him going back strong and backed up, yeah, BUT BUT BUT!! If he went back, it could ruin SO MANY characters. Think about how much Akutagawa has grown since we first met him. HES A FUCKING KNIGHT! who doesn’t remember who his own rival is… Him in the current manga, as of 120.5, compared to him in his debut chapter. THINK ABOUT IT! If Dazai goes back, there’s a HIGH chance Akutagawa would just go back to being a lap dog. Now, the current manga arc isn’t near finished so I dunno BUT THINK ABOUT IT

Junichirou

During the cannibalism, can we talk about how bat shit crazy Junichirou went? He went in ALONE to the PORT MAFIA HQ to KILL MORI. Like what?

My main reason I think Junichirou is the best transferee is his ability. Wasn’t he told he would make a great assassin? BY THE MAFIA? We’ve seen on numerous occasions how far he’s willing to go to protect his loved ones. AND! It wouldn’t be hard to just hold Naomi hostage to get Junichirou to cooperate. Odds are if he were to be chosen, he’d get sent STRAIGHT to Verlaine to train as an assassin.

Now, is he currently “dead”? yes.): BUT! If he were to come back, he could improve so much as a character it’d be insane. And maybe we could learn more about Junichirou and Naomi. We know jack shit about their backstory. Another reason I’m sharing this is cause I want to see him in the environment. A dark PM vibe. I also kinda feel like he would be VERY reminiscent of Chuuya when he was younger. Which could give us MORE LORE.

But again, thats just a theory.

A GAME THEORY

[ame-wa-ame-2]

can i ask u abt………..plural atsushi……………

any day my friend

although i cannot promise a clear response. thus is the pain of having incomprehensible thoughts

okay so. the idea has evolved in my head a bit. and my specific interpretation is very self indulgent. but alas

realistically theres be more than two alters, but i havent gotten that far yet and it would also not be very compatible with bsd as a story seeing how complicated the world is and that its not a story solely focused on atsushi (so it would probably make trying to get story beats across more difficult and may also clog up the pacing) thus i feel exploration of the idea of having a larger system is best explored through fanworks

so basically. there are three main ways i go about interpreting it with sort of interchangeable roles

so you know how byakko is sentient right. a few of these interpretations hinge on the idea that shes basically a fully sentient person capable of human-like thought, and also the theory that abilities develop as a survival mechanism, similar to trauma responses irl

the first interpretation is that atsushi and byakko were just one entity, atsushi was fully the tiger and instead of calling upon byakko he moreso just transformed at will. obviously!!! due to the treatment he received and being convinced that he was a monster, its not outside the realm of possibility that he separated himself from the tiger to hold on to whatever humanity he could convince himself he still had. this isnt my favorite but it makes a lot of sense!!!

the second is my least favorite, byakko existed before atsushi, she was quite confident, brash, etc, but being in the orphanage heavily punished that behavior. so almost subconciously she made a softer version of herself that conformed to being a boy so she could stay safe. but atsushi sort of got frontstuck from having to take the brunt of a lot of the trauma so often, and in their headspace (probably the white void in the anime? i dont remember what that scene was like in the manga its been a while) byakko sort of shifted into being a tiger since she usually handled their ability anyway. that or atsushi just sees her as a tiger. i dont really like this one because imo it feels a bit too far from canon for my tastes

the final is my favorite, what can i say. the two's roles are basically swapped, atsushi formed byakko, the tiger, before coming to the orphanage (probably having to do with whatever happened with their parents) and because of the tigers existence they got even more trauma, the tiger became stronger to combat this, etc. i like this one because it especially ties into the "abilities are trauma responses" theory, which i personally love the fuck out of

anyway i also have another idea regarding this but its not fully fleshed out. imo this whole thing isnt as much an AU as it is a regular analysis of the text, so i dont want to go off the rails with it (theres already so much evidence for it honestly, its not like i need to add much)

also THANK YOU FOR ASKING ITS BEEN PLAGUING MY MINDDDDD

[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 :)

[bsdtakanenohana]

I haven’t read any chapters since the June one and I don’t plan on it until the January chapter is out, but I did see a sort of spoiler and so I’m gonna talk about my theory now which really might be true.

The post I saw said that Atsushi was called a bookmark. Okay, so I’m assuming that’s in reference to the Book that a few people have been searching for. We already knew that Atsushi was somehow related to the Book and that he was needed in some way to find it. But now we know he’s a bookmark (remember I don’t know the full context because I didn’t read the chapter yet) and that changes things a little. A bookmark doesn’t help you find a lost book. A bookmark helps you find where you are within a book. You get it? You have to already have the book for a bookmark placed in it to be of any use.

The Book isn’t just a literal book (we know in some way it has to be physical since there was a Page from it) but also symbolizes something greater. My bet is it’s their known universe. Because it has to be something that Atsushi has been placed in otherwise he’s not a bookmark.

We already know that one can use the Book to enter/create the mulitverse/another universe. But what if it can do that because it also (partially since it still is a physical book) becomes the universe? And that’s how writing in a physical page will actually shape reality? It’s also why, on a meta level, the reason all ability users are named after writers from our world and their abilities are the titles of their works? And the Book is more powerful than an ability (something that exists in their world but not ours) because the Book is from our world?

Even before I read the manga and was an anime only and I saw others talk about their theories about the Book and what was going on, I had this thought that the Book was somehow the link/explanation as to why all the characters are inspired by writers from our world and the characters in their stories. And that it’s sort of like they’re in the Matrix. Not that the explanation will be that in our world the real life writers are somehow attached to the Book and they’re unknowingly trapped in the BSD universe; I’m thinking more along the line of fourth wall breaking, the Book is the pages of the manga and light novels that Asagiri writes on and transfers what we know from our world (the novels and poems and their characters along with certain aspects of the writers) into characters in BSD.

I think this theory could work even more now that we know Atsushi is a bookmark in the Book. We know he’s the main character, and main characters are what moves the plot of their story, of their universe around or what is affected most by their plot if they’re a more passive character. But the story doesn’t exist without the MC, that much is known by every writer/reader. And inside his universe, inside BSD, he’s working as the placeholder (bookmark) to find out where one is in the story, which is the BSD universe which is the non physical part of the Book (and that would somehow lead to the physical form but I wouldn’t know how Fyodor would find that).

I also find this theory to be plausible because it would explain why, in a story where the vast majority of the characters we learn about are ability users named after and inspired by real life writers and their works, the main villain wants to rid the world of ability users— of people who are “from” our world. It adds an extra level of villainy because he’s trying to get rid of the very reason why his universe, the story of BSD, exists. The entire premise is about characters based on people and characters from our world having superpowers. Without that, it looses its appeal.

[definetelynotavampire]

Oooh sorry if you've already shared them but I'd love to hear some Nikolai headcannons you have!

My Nikolai theories/ headcanons

I have been waiting for someone to ask me about this :D

(also spoilers for Gogol's "The Overcoat")

1. Born with an Overcoat

In his speech about true freedom he goes on about wanting to „fly like a bird“ and to „not be bound by gravity“. I know he also meant this in a mental/ emotion-bases sense but it got me thinking... is he stupid? His ability is tailor cut for this? By all means, he should be able to fly.

His ability can manipulate space and by extension also gravity (to some extend), thats basic physics. He even uses this to save Sigma when he fell off the sky casino – Nikolai reduced the gravitational force on Sigma by manipulating space.

This got me thinking - Couldn’t he technically fly if he adjusted his portals, so that one is on the ground and the other is in the sky/ under his feet?

Well, why hasn’t he done this? - Because his ability is limited by his Overcoat.

Which is strange, why is his ability affected by something external? Is he lying? Is this a mental thing? Can it be any Overcoat or just his cape? If it’s really a necessary part of his ability, then either it’s not his own and someone else made this restriction for him or his Overcoat is part of him - he was born with an Overcoat . Personally, I think it’s both.

At this point I decided to look up the source material, and by that I mean I read the wikipedia article about „The Overcoat“...

The main character Akaky is described as „being born in undress uniform“ and that basically, since the day he was born, his future was already decided. This obviously plays into bsd’s Nikolai's arc of freedom/ not following a predictaple path. But still it’s a funny simile.

Like I said, my theory is that he was both given the ability and that he was born with it. This seems like an obvious contadiction unless you say Nikolai is, like Sigma, a product of the book.

In conclusion i think that the Overcoat/ his ability is both his freedom and also the very thing he has to ‚overcome‘ in a sense.

2. Nikolai is self aware

This is kinda like a continuation from the first theory. I think it would make so much sense for his character, that he knows he has a set role in the story, especially when you look at his desire for true freedom. Maybe I just like the tragic irony, that no matter what, he can never get to that point.

Anyways, if we assume he’s self aware, his actions and idea of sanity is much more interesting. What would you do if you know your actions and emotions are pre-written? I have no idea, but whatever Nikolai has going on seems like a pretty valid reaction to me.

Also what does the conversation with Fyodor mean then? Is the book a God symbol? Why does Fyodor know? Is he older than the book? Is he affected by it?

2.1 This is a bit silly and I’ve talked about this before. Nikolai teleports his right eye to observe everything like a movie. Where he himself is, again a character. This fits well within the theme of his depersonalisation.

3. His Freedom in the context of „The Overcoat“

The obvious comparison is, of cause, „Nikolais obsession and desire for freedom“ and Akakys’ obsession with the Overcoat that he wants. Further than that i have honestly no idea. Akakys irony is that, after he gets the overcoat, it is taken from him immediately and he dies but I’m not sure how that could translate. What i mean by that is, i don’t want it to because i want Nikolai to get a good ending. Which would probably mean an ending that he chooses for himself. Okay thats basically also not very good… well shit... ._ .

4. The silly headcanons

4.1 Nikolai has no idea what an overcoat is, that’s why he wears a cape and calls it his Overcoat

4.2 Nikolai and Ranpo are brothers, i have no reason for this besides it’s funny and i like them both.

4.3 Nikolai does not know how to use public transport because he always teleports everywhere

4.4 He has a disney princess hair care routine (for obvious reasons)

4.5 He has very normal hobbies

5. The "Is it really silly tho?" headcanon (yes it is)

5.1 „We all came out from Gogol’s Overcoat“ - a quote by someone, idk by who

Nikolai is, or will be the author of the book. Idk how or when, but at one point he makes a decision about abilities or ability useres and it affects everyone. Maybe that could be his moment of freedom, because it would be a paradox if that decision wasn’t truely made by him. And then it’s something like he burns the book so abilities and everyone created from the book is gone. I can see that happen.

okay these are just the things i could think of rn, there are probably more ._ .

[kwillo-o]

BSD S5 E11 theory with spoilers (obviously)

Kind of a 2 in 1.

So l've been thinking about the last episode a lot over the past couple of days. Mostly about how unsatisfying it felt. It's been about 6 years since everything with the DOA started in the manga. That's 6 years of wondering what's going to happen. How are the ADA going to get out of this one. Are my favourite characters going to be ok.

Only for it to end up being that they where never in any danger to begin with.

It was all staged. Tanizaki and Kunikida would have been fine no matter what, all you had to do was unplug the machine. Chuuya was never a vampire to begin with. Dazai escaped the prison and got the antidote. Fyodor is finally killed. Everyone's fine. It was all just a convoluted set up.

But then that got me thinking. It all ended a little too perfectly.

Enter the book/page.

What if someone wrote in the book to help the agency so that everything would end happily ever after. The machines where dangerous. Until someone wrote in the book that they weren't. Chuuya was actually a vampire. Until someone wrote in the book that he wasn't.

And so on.

So then who would have access to the book/page. Well we don't know where the book is, that's what everyone is looking for. People most likely to actually know where it is would be Taneda and of course Natsume. Of those two Natsume is the most likely. We haven't seen him since the Canabalism arc and we know that he's always working behind the scenes to help out. So what was he doing while the agency was being framed?

But let's leave that as a possibility for now and move onto my second theory.

The page. Last we saw Fukuchi had it. So that leave's Fukuzawa, Ranpo and Teruko with easy access.

But here's what l'm thinking.

The otherside of the page was supposed to be written on that night. But if Fukuchi was already planning on dying then how would he do that?

The answer is he wouldn't. But you know who could? Teruko.

We already know she talked with Fukuchi before everything went down and that she was on his side. So what if Fukuchi gave the page to Teruko and told her what to write. Or maybe just gave it to her for safe keeping.

Either way Teruko would have the page. And what would you do if you where just forced to kill someone you love and you have the ability to manipulate reality. You'd try bring them back.

Enter weird Fukuchi from the end of the episode.

We already know that the book/page can bring people from inside the book outside the book because of Sigma. So what if in Terukos grief she wrote on the page for Fukuchi to be a live.

But because our Fukuchi was already dead it wouldn't make narrative sense for him to suddenly come back to life. So what if instead the book brought a different Fukuchi from inside the book into the main world.

Or if we're going of how the book works in Beast then main world swapped with a world where Fukuchi was alive. Which would also explain Akutagawas weird outfit.

Anyway that's my weird theory about the last episode. Guess we'll find out in like 2 years if l'm right or not.

TLDR: The ending of the last episode was weird and I think that either Natsume wrote in the book to help the agency or Teruko wrote on the other side of the page to bring Fukuchi back and that's why everything went to shit.

[daz4i]

yknow what i have nothing to do and need to distract myself from *gestures vaguely* and i mentioned it a few times in the last few days so i may as well talk abt that one theory i like

first of all let me say. it's not my own original theory lol i can't remember where i saw it first but it's p common so it'd be a bit hard to trace who was the first to bring it up

second. i know it contradicts some themes or at least some messages bsd is going for. which is why i don't think it's too likely (on the other hand some elements in the story can def allow a plot point of that sort to happen without being contradictory asdfhg matter of perspective ig)

ANYWAY the actual theory:

dazai knows he's in a story and aware that he is a character

backup for that theory:

honestly not much. a minor fourth wall break for laughs (the "wow~" scene. you know the one) isn't really proof, but if it was true it'd add some depth to that scene i think!

the main thing i think is cool abt this theory is how it recontextualizes a lot of things about him;

the thing that made me think abt making this post is that collection of dazai saying "you can't kill me" at various points of the story. most of them have context for each scene (atsushi can't kill him bc nlh will nullify the tiger, fyodor can't kill him bc he has the power of friendship, etc), but the fact the same line repeats multiple times makes it stand out to me

so consider this: dazai is confident that he won't die because he knows he can't die before the story is over, bc that's what the narrative decided. that's why none of his suicide attempts ever work (tho you already know my opinion on why that is, in the context of the story itself). he keeps trying tho bc man. it's tiring to be aware

that being said! well. we know he's been suicidal from a very young age. he sees no meaning in the act of living. and, being a character in a story, knowing that your life is all fake, can certainly make one's life feel meaningless, huh.

and ofc, alienation from those around him, since he seems to be the only one aware of the story. he is quite literally separate from the human experience bc of this

also some more angst :) i do firmly believe dazai feels a lot of guilt, more for meta reasons than him really showing it. guilt is a very big repeating element in no longer human and its protag yozo, whom i think dazai is obviously very inspired by. soooooo now consider this :) guilt over odasaku's death. in the context of the story, there is no reason for him to feel that, more or less. maybe nothing beyond "if only i called ango out earlier" "if only i got there in time and got him help", he didn't actually cause oda's death, not more than mori did for example, and he did the best he could too.

buuuuuuut what if he's a character in a story. he doesn't know if the story is about him yet, but given how other people around him don't seem to notice they're characters, it must be, right? the narrative depends on him. and, in that narrative, odasaku ends up dying. if he didn't exist, odasaku could live (really interesting to think abt that in the context of beast, too)

actually since i brought it up. beastzai definitely seems to know he's a character. he knows his existence doesn't mean much, i mean his whole universe is just an offshoot of the main one, literally an au of canon. that's even more meaninglessness on top of canonzai's meaninglessness, and he experienced both of them at once. no wonder he ended up killing himself damn 😩 (sorry this is a joke. ik he killed himself for some noble reason. but also i bet this made it easier)

an awareness of this level can explain some things like how dazai knows things are gonna play out in certain ways - he knows he's in a story, so he knows the narrative has to end in some satisfying way. the main characters have to win, so the doa have to lose. fyodor can't kill him. and we're back to the start

problem with this theory:

that thing i mentioned abt themes and messages in bsd. a lot of the story seems to tell us dazai is HUMAN. having him aware of everything on a meta level, imo, may cheapen that message, bc that quite literally makes him More than others in the universe.

then again the story (and asagiri in interviews lol) also seems to show again and again that he is exceptional and knows best so eh. like i said, matter of perspective

how i think it might work:

no longer human lmao

yknow how it was said The Book was created by an ability (and that's probably why it caused a singularity when beastzai touched it). well. what if the whole narrative we're following, in a way, in the universe of bsd, can count as an ability too. like a combination of The Book and poe's ability, kinda. (i've seen some theories in the past abt how asagiri is gonna be the final boss of bsd lol and that he would indeed have an ability that's just. *gestures at everything* this)

sooooo while nlh can't take him out of the story physically, it nullifies his ignorance to the situation. in a way, he's out of the story because he sort of watches it from an angle others can't

ok i officially ran out of brain power. i might add more in a reblog at some other point but for now these are the only thoughts i have. if you subscribe to that theory as well, or even just thing it's cool, i would love to hear some of your ideas - what other parts of dazai and his story do you think this changes? what does it mean about his relationships with other characters? please share if you have any thoughts on the matter!!! :)

[analyzing-stray-dogs]

So chapter 115 came out today and it made me want to make a tumblr theory/analysis account for bsd so here we go… (spoilers under cut)

-FYI: I use mangadex to read the chapters if that’s of any importance-

-These are just a theories and analysis I could be very wrong-

First off I would like to talk about this panel.

The meaning and importance of the knightly vow:

When Fyodor takes over Bram’s body he states that he inherited Bram’s ‘knightly vow to protect my princess’. From this, I believe it is safe to assume when Fyodor takes over Bram’s body, Fyodor has inherited Bram’s one motivation, to protect her daughter, Aya. But just because he inherited this new goal, it won’t stop Fyodor from trying to erase all abilities.

I would like to circle this to ‘Crime and Punishment’ by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (the real author). The main character in this book commits a murder (crime) and suffers the consequences (punishment). I think this pattern of crime and punishment can be paralleled two times in Fyodor. 1: Someone murders Fyodor (crime) they die by getting their body overtaken (punishment). 2: Fyodor takes over the body of the killer (crime) Fyodor then gains a new motive that would make the other motives he has hard to accomplish (punishment).

Then Fyodor also goes ahead and admits that the world war 36 years from now was a lie. And I thought it was kind of funny since I googled what the meaning of the number 36 is. Apparently 36 is linked to success which is convenient since the lie was successful. And having a world war happen would be, not successful for most of society.

[marvel-starwarsfangirl]

BSD Ch. 119 Thoughts and Theories

General: I really loved this chapter. There was a lot to unpack, but we finally got the fated interaction between Fyodor and Atsushi. Imo, it lived up to all my expectations.

Major spoilers below

Right off the bat, it's so interesting to see how Fyodor admires the Tiger. The Tiger in Fyodor's eyes is this powerful beast. He even calls it "noble." Furthermore, Fyodor reveals that Atsushi and more specifically the Tiger, is the bookmark of the Book. This leads to so many more revelations about the Book.

"Let us take 'The Book' as our origin"- Fyodor

If the Book is the origin (of both abilities and possibly the world in general), then the Tiger being the bookmark raises a lot of questions. Fyodor states that the Tiger's ability to cut through other abilities are one of the reasons why it's the bookmark. But then what does it mean to be the bookmark? It's established that the main story is just one of infinite universes written in the Book's pages. Beast is another world in the Book, being the home of the ADA!Aku and PM!Atsushi AU we all know and love. So, if the Tiger is the bookmark, does that mean Atsushi can move through the different realities or have some kind of control over how the Book functions? People are saying that since bookmarks mark the place in the story, Atsushi is kind of like a mpa for us in the main universe. This makes a lot of sense to me.

It also makes me wonder what else does the Tiger posses that makes it so instrumental? Fyodor calls it "fundamental to this world," meaning its connection to the Book is paramount. Since the Tiger is with Atsushi in Beast, is its existence there just as important? Most likely yes.

Although, there are a lot of questions surrounding this revelation. Fyodor certainly shows a lot of interest. He also made sure to isolate Atsushi from everyone, especially Dazai. Now he can reveal what he wants to do without anyone intervening.

Another big part of the chapter that broke my heart is the pain Atsushi goes through. Fyodor toys with his emotions, claiming that he'll let Atsushi save his friends if he joins him. But when Atsushi agrees, crying and begging, Fyodor is disgusted. He doesn't see Atsushi, he only sees the Tiger. When he acknowledges Atsushi as a person, he hates the humanity reflected back at him. Atsushi would do anything to save his friends and Fyodor takes advantage of that, only to be met with someone whose humanity outshines his ultimatum. Atsushi weeps for his friends, willing to do anything for them, even if it would mean joining Fyodor. Ame-no-Gozen stabbing and almost decapitating Atsushi made my heart hurt, furthering how heinous Fyodor is. I'm sorry Fyodor girlies, I know ya'll like him, but he hurt Kunikida so I have issues with him.

However, just as Fyodor is ready to have Ame-no-Gozen kill Atsushi, Akutagawa arrives in the nick of time, saving his partner from certain death. And he looked so hot doing it. But only one question remains, is this our Aku?

"Who the heck are you?"- Akutagawa to Atsushi

Atsushi is relieved to see Akutagawa's presence and even tries to warn him of the danger of fighting Ame-no-Gozen. However, Akutagawa appears to not recognize him, asking Atsushi who he is. However, it should also be worth noting that Aku not only is dressed like a knight from Bram's era, but also acknowledges Fyodor's comment about the vampiric powers. The question remains, is this our Aku? If so, is he merely commenting on Atsushi's warning but going about it in a cryptic way? He knows Atsushi is a strong fighter. Or, is it another Aku from another universe who just so happened to be connected to Bram? Atsushi notes he didn't use "Tenma Tengai" so there's something going on here we're missing. Truly, I have no idea and I look forward to getting answers. I do love how cool Harukawa-sensei made Aku look though. He looks very regal in my opinion with the sword and shield.

One more thing to note is that Fyodor says the divine being hasn't been present at all since Ame-no-Gozen was created. Bandage_waste_dazai on IG explained it perfectly and it makes a lot of sense if you really think about it. Ame-no-Gozen is a singularity and singularities are the result of two or more abilities cancelling each out, creating something new. Ame-no-Gozen is simply an ability which can be defeated. But of course, it's extremely dangerous, far more powerful than the any of the individual ADA members. If the divine being is real (or is just straight up God), then it would be of another plane of existence. Fyodor says Atsushi can't even conceive its true form which leads me to believe he could just be talking about God. God is Divine and we can't understand Him using our human minds

Overall, this has to be one of my favorite chapters in recent months. We got the fated encounter between Fyodor and Atsushi as well as some much needed Book lore. It brings up so many more questions, but I'm excited to get the answers. Next chapter, we will see Aku fight Ame-no-Gozen and Atsushi will later join in based off what we see in the anime. Also, Fyodor isn't to be seen so he probably manages to escape the scene while SSKK deal with Ame-no-Gozen. I do think we could see more casualties like Fukuzawa because man is still lying under rubble somewhere. Same with Ranpo and Tecchou since they're all present at the airport. And how will Kyouka and Lucy escape? Will Fitzy enact his final protocol during the fight with Ame-no-Gozen? When will Sigma awake? There are so many unanswered questions. But for now, let's take care of one big problem at a time. I loved this chapter and was losing my mind over it. Let me know your thoughts and theories down below!

[imtiredmandontquestionit]

Realistically thinking about recent bsd chapters

So people have been so delulu over the new chapters so I'm gonna do some realistic thinking. Most of the characters that have "died" will most likely survive. I feel like the only reason Asagiri would kill off Dazai is to add some major character development to Atsushi, and any other character who knew him. It's still entirely possible Dazai will indeed die, but a small chance. Sigma is a character I feel is entirely possible to kill off. The reasons he would die is 1, to keep Fyodor's ability a well-kept secret, 2, because he's Asagiri's favorite. I feel like it's a 50/50 chance if Sigma lives or dies. Aya next. Knowing how Asagiri writes, I feel like Aya will survive this. There's a few different possibilities I've thought of since she's one of my favorite characters. 1; She will die, get turned into a vampire, and then be alive again when the vampirism is cured. It's highly unlikely all the vampires will die. There's no way Asagiri would kill off THAT many characters/people. 2; She will gain an ability before death. Seeing as a lot of our characters focused on do have abilities, combined with the fact she is still quite young, could mean she does have an ability and just doesn't know about it, which is entirely possible seeing as Atsushi didn't know about his ability. 3, the least likely one, Bram will save her just before she hits the ground. As soon as he regenerates his limbs, he could possibly save her. It's unlikely, but still possible. I'd do theories on how Dazai could survive, but there's plenty of those out there already. Now onto the vampires, I personally don't think there's a possibility that the vampires will die once the vampirism is over. There's WAY too many characters as vampires, plus, a ton of other people around the world are vampires. There's no way that many people will be killed off. Plus, both Atsushi and Dazai have tried to "wake up" vampires from their vampire state, they didn't succeed, but that implies that it's possible. Another reason is Francis said in season four that he always sides with the winners, and the Detective Agency will win this. This could indeed be incorrect, but I've chosen to take it as foreshadowing. Moving on, the agency members. Fukuzawa is most likely going to die. There's just no way I can see him surviving, except Yosano coming to save him, but we don't even know where she currently is. Tanizaki and Kunikida, I personally believe they will survive. Fukuchi has no current reason to kill them that I'm aware of, correct me if I'm wrong though, it's been a while since I've read the manga in extreme detail. Ranpo, he'll probably survive, he's so far only been stabbed in the hand and knocked unconscious. I'm pretty sure he's just laying unconscious on the road somewhere. Atsushi, we saw in chapter 110 that he's about to become a vampire, but it's possible the table will fall on Akutagawa or something like that. IF Atsushi DOES become a vampire, which is unlikely but still possible considering the amount of times authors have turned the main character into the thing they're fighting (ex, Demon Slayer where Tanjiro states "If I ever do become a demon, I trust someone in the corps will behead me for the greater good. DEMON SLAYER MANGA SPOILERS; Then at the end he becomes a demon and is cured later on.) it is still possible for Atsushi to become a vampire and be saved later on. We haven't seen much of the Port Mafia so I won't be saying much about them. But I will talk about Chuuya. SO, I feel like Chuuya is somewhat conscious. AND the gun he has, I'm pretty sure he showed up with. That can lead to all the theories about how Dazai will survive, which I will not be getting into today, maybe another day though. I personally am really hoping for Verlaine to show up. The "storm" he's waiting for in Stormbringer could be the apocalypse or something similar. It's implied he can still manipulate gravity, but just not as well/long as before. Even without his gravity powers, he still is the King of Assassins, and the person who trained Gin, Kyouka and many, many others.

Seeing how skilled those two are, having only been trained by Verlaine, we can assume how powerful Verlaine is, even without his gravity manipulation. Another theory, way less likely, is Kyuusaku (Q) making their reappearance. We don't know what happened to them after season two, so for all we know, they're alive somewhere, perhaps back at the Port Mafia, or living their life somewhere. They stand a pretty high chance at beating Fukuchi once and for all. They, however, have no motivations to fight him. They love chaos, which is exactly what is happening. BUT, they seemed to have a character change when John tortured them in season two, so perhaps they'll not even care and just fight him for fun, or to add even more chaos to this. Also, in an interview, Asagiri mentioned teaming up Tetchou and Jouno as rivals later on, so I'm excited to see how he goes along with that.

TLDR; Most characters will probably survive, with the exception of maybe Sigma, Fukuzawa, and Dazai(?). Atsushi probably won't become a vampire, Aya will probably get an ability. Detective Agency will probably win.

[starlostlix]

BSD 121.5 SPOILERS BELOW!!

So I want to talk about the new chapter because what the actual fuck.

So first of all.... THIS

Atsushi doing this callback with that gaze is insane, and akutagawa's reaction shows he's losing the idgaf war. They're finally realising how much they mean to one another and it's so important, but MORE IMPORTANTLY...

AKUTAGAWA'S EYES ARE FULL OF LIGHT

HIS. EYES. ARE. ALIGHT.

It's not just a bit of light. ITS FULLY LIGHT!!!

This is so important for Akutagawa ong. I don't want to take up too much time with this though because there's a LOT to talk about.

First, the design of ameno-gozen's realm, the fourth dimension. I LOVE IT! It's so mysterious and looks kind of glitchy which is perfect for this vibe. Dazai explains that most people can't see anything here so Atsushi's limited visibility with this art style works well.

So basically this dimension is where the past present and future intersect 'orthogonally' (I had to search this up, it means 'at right angles') and all of time is 'folded upon itself'. Atsushi now, as the only one who can see anything in this dimension, is now able to technically access parts of the past and future at once (my theory is that Byakko has some relation to the fourth dimension, perhaps being created within or being something similar to Gozen). Also note that in the 3rd image 'Dazai' is able to hear Atsushi's thoughts (strengthening the idea id seen of this being Byakko speaking through a visual hallucination of Dazai, especially when this dazai insinuates that it is not him that knows these things but Atsushi himself). Interesting what 'dazai' says about the speed of sound in this dimension basically means it's a lot slower here. Also apparently the mission is to find the 'core' of the divine being here and (i assume) destroy it? No clue how that SSKK fight from the end of the anime is supposed to play out like that but I will see how this goes.

So interestingly everyone else who has been struck by the Amenogozen sword has become stuck in this dimension unaware of what/where they are, and don't have the awareness that Atsushi has (main character moment). Essentially the infinite past and future versions of themselves are 'folding' onto one another (I don't quite know what this specifically means, but I imagine it like Jayce, Ekko and Heimerdinger in the hexcore room in Arcane s2 ep3). But now, since Atsushi is conscious, Atsushi has access to the past and future in this space (leading to the possibility of a lore dump to end all lore dumps next chapter, hopefully about Fyodor's backstory/plan) and he has to choose which way to go to find the information he needs. 'Dazai' tells him to 'feel strongly' as 'that's what you do when you want to experience the past' - and I feel that is such an interesting way of thinking about it in this series. Atsushi himself has suffered from PTSD (as have many characters) and often strong feelings can link to the traumas they possess, but it's not just negative feelings. A lot of characters also have positive memories from strong feelings, including their strong feelings about protecting others as Yokohama's defenders of sorts, and forming bonds with others in that process created the ADA as we know it. I don't really know how else to talk about it but I think it's a really interesting thematic line. Asagiri has some really cool writing.

Honestly this chapter is so cool and I can't wait to see where the series goes with this! My personal theory for next chapter is Atsushi finding the way to the past and we get essentially a lore dump. I think it will be Fyodor's backstory wherein Atsushi's view is spliced with comatose Sigma going through the information he got from his ability and stumbling upon the same information/memories as Atsushi is (also perhaps to cement the parallels between the two like Dazai talked about!).

[grimeye-j]

BSD godly parents pt.3 - ADA (pt.1)

Who would be the godly parents of the Armed Detective Agency members if they were demigods from PJO? (Since there are quite a few characters in the ADA there are going to be 2 parts for them)

Fukuzawa: He's very good at sword fighting, but he is too cool headed (and explicitly anti war) to be a child of Ares. Given his general strength and authority I would probably consider him a child of Zeus (or Jupiter, because I could also see him as a roman demigod), since we know that children of the big 3 tend to be the ones that are put in positions of leadership and Hades or Poseidon just don't feel right for Fukuzawa.

Yosano: I don't think she would be a daughter of Apollo, despite her healing powers, because his association with the sun and the arts don't really fit her character. Instead I think her godly parent would be Asclepius, who is more explicitly a god of medicine and is also known for bringing people back to life, which seems much more appropriate for Yosano. (Fun fact for those who haven't read Trials of Apollo, the head healer of Camp Jupiter is a son of Asclepius)

Ranpo: There are two possible approaches to his character that I could see. The first is that he is a child of Athena, since he parallels Annabeth in many ways (His main weapon is his intellgence, while he is surrounded by people with supernatural powers). However, I feel like it would also be thematically fitting if he was just a mortal surrounded by demigods. It could really go either way.

The Tanizaki siblings: Given Junichirou's illusion ability I feel like Hecate would be an appropriate choice, since that is one of the most magic-like abilities in BSD. Unfortunately, I don't really have a better idea for them, since we don't really have any backstory information on these two.

(I know that it's a popular theory, based on the work that inspired them, that they aren't actually related, but as of now there is nothing in canon proving this, so I'm just giving them the same godly parent)

Dazai: Honestly, I feel pretty much the same about him as I do about Ranpo. Either a child of Athena or a really smart mortal who can see through the mist. (Though I'm leaning more in the direction of Athena for Dazai, while my opinion for Ranpo is pretty 50/50)

[eevee5627]

SPOILERS FOR CH. 119 FOR BSD!

So, in ch. 119, we see fyodor refer to Atsushi as the bookmark. I’m not entirely sure what that means to be honest. But I think it basically means that everything revolves around Atsushi. You use a bookmark to mark your place in a story. Without it, you wouldn’t know where you were in the timeline. Which brings me to my main point. I think Atsushi is going to develop time travel powers of some sort. If you move a bookmark towards the beginning of the book, you change your place in a story. And you experience the part that you had already read over again. Akutagawa already has spatial manipulation abilities, even if it isn’t on par with the divine being Ame-no-gozen, but as Fyodor said, Akutagawa can’t really hurt the divine being, since it exists on a higher plane/the fourth dimension. But the fourth dimension is TIME, so if Atsushi is able to manipulate time, then sskk has a chance to actually reach and hurt the divine being.

These time travel powers could be used to possibly bring back a lot of those who have died. Because honestly, Fyodor offered Atsushi the chance to use the other side of the page(even tho I don’t think Fyodor ever intended to actually give it to Atsushi), and I’m not entirely sure the book would have been able to bring them back. Whatever you write on the page has to make narrative sense, or it doesn’t work. So there would have to be a reason that the agency could come back. Maybe the divine being could be used as a reason but I’m not sure. Also Fyodor wouldn’t want the divine being to be used like that so I doubt he would let it happen. I’m honestly a bit confused about the page though, it doesn’t make sense to me why Fukuchi didn’t use it at the start to try and prevent the war, since he had a whole plan, wouldn’t the page have just accepted it since it made sense and was possible. I’m going to chalk that up to Fyodor’s manipulation/plans.

And the implications for Byakko and Atsushi being special is really interesting. Atsushi has a whole host of unique powers, and can cut through abilities themselves. Honestly I think Fyodor is planning to use Atsushi to do that at some point. Maybe Atsushi will end up cutting off Fyodor or other’s access to their abilites. Probably not though, that doesn’t make too much sense. But I’m wondering what Asagiri plans to bring in with Byakko and Atsushi, because clearly they are one of a kind, and I’m really interested to see the explaination for that. I’m wondering if Natsume will be dragged in, because there are theories that he has involvement with the book. I believe it because in the Osamu Dazai and the Dark Era LN, we see Oda reading some books by Natsume-sensei(I think, it’s been a while since I read it). And the books seem to correlate with Oda’s life. but some pages were torn out. Anyway, I’m wondering if Natsume will appear and maybe do something with the page and Atsushi. Because we know Natsume is incredibly smart, he even fooled Ranpo. Either way, I’m really looking forward to what Asagiri comes up with. Also wondering what has happened to Jouno and Tachihara, since they were taken under bram’s control, but now bram is dead(or semi-dead, feel like he is at least partially influencing Akutagawa).

And speaking of Akutagawa, I’m guessing he’s going to recover his memories at some point, is the sneak peak we got from watching end of season 5 is any indication. Maybe Atsushi will cut him free from the remnants of Bram’s ability? I’m also wondering what exactly has happened to those that died from the divine being. Because a shadow can’t really hurt anything? So are they really dead? I’m wondering if they were just moved to another plane of existence or something. Anyway tell me your thoughts and feel free to add on

[unvrsoflyly]

— bsd imagery: fish-eye

okay okay i know how we all meme about the fish-eye moments in bungo stray dogs (in the anime) bc it looks silly, but in a cinematic point of view it’s actually well used in my opinion! bear with me on that one

so, i’m in a cinema course in college and the first thing we tell you is everything has a meaning when a director decides what to show on screen or hide from us and how they film it. ofc now it’s an anime, but the theory still works!

ex: not showing the face of a character bc they’re mysterious/hide something from the main characters (whether us, the audience, know about their motives or not) so they are physically hidden and feels distant from us in a way or zooming in on the face of a character to symbolize the reality of the events coming to them.

so, what the fish-eye does? what those it represents? (in bsd, at least)

i think it represents fear or disturbance that the ‘victim’ of the fish-eye feels at this moment, just by the context of how bones uses it in bsd, i don’t remember of a lot of exemples but here are some:

atsushi’s first appearance in the anime is literally a fish-eye (if i remember properly) and he’s in a moment of stress since he needs food asap or he’ll die of hunger

ranpo and poe’s when they saw the body fall of the building, they didn’t expect it at all and even if you saw many crimes, it can still be disturbing to see a man (who looks alive) fall down

[spoiler for ep 2 of s5] atsushi feels fear of fighting alone a very strong opponent and wants someone to be with him in that moment, a very hopeless feeling

plus, when we feel fear/disturbed, it can feel like reality doesn’t feel real too, fear puts you on survival mode and you will just seek a safe place and when we see something disturbing, you can feel off too… idk how to explain it very well but it visually represents how our perception changes once we are afraid or stuff like that. even in films, it is used to represent that feeling bc yeah it does make things look a bit weird

ANYWAYS, i hope my explanation was clear? i did my best lmao, all of that bc i wanted to understand why they used fish eye so much and that it must mean something yk, that’s all for meee

sorry for the grammatical errors i didn’t notice and left on this post, english is not my first language soo yeah pls be patient🥲

[ramblesofthemad]

What if the BSD Great War...

So while doing some digging around while working on one of my many analysis projects…my brain began to create a weird rabbit hole theory that seems so crazy but it could be like 10% possible. 

As we all know as members of this fandom, there was “The Great War” that occurred 15 years before the start of the running manga. Yet, we are given such little details about such a detrimental event for multiple big-name characters within the series. It makes me question why this might be the case. While I can't pick apart Asagiri to the point where I can figure out his own personal crazy thinking, I can theorize the plausibility that this war was based on a real-life historical event, given the fact that a good 90% of our cast was real people as well, with their BSD relationships reflecting large similarities as the real-life relationships between the authors. 

Now that is said, here is what i came up with…WHAT IF this war we speak off is a odd play off World War II. 

Don’t throw me to the wolves here, I have no clue if anyone else has thought this either… But hear out at least my breakdown: 

Evidence piece number one: Basically as mentioned above, Asagiri uses historical authors and plays the switcheroo game, religiously.

What started as me just trying to figure out what chapter Yosano’s backstory began in, I came across this line in an article breaking down her experience with the war that reminded me that in true international history, WWI was considered The Great War. I stated our Great War is the second one though, but here's why I say it is indeed the second one. We know Asagiri brings in characters that influenced or knew each other in real life, but he does not keep all the facts true with a lot of rearranging of the order of ages and who mentored who, For Example, look at Dazai and Akutagawa; where in the series Aku looks up to Dazai, but in real life it was Aku that inspired Dazai. Yet on the other hand, we also know that if you were to look at the average period most of the authors came from, taking out our lovely Russian friends and a few others, the majority come from the years that are considered pre-WWII to post-WWII. So would it not make sense that he would use people who did experience wartime in real life to have experienced a similar war in this worldly universe as well, which was WWII. This brings us to the next part that looks at the question: so he switched around some things, but why would he need to do that? 

Evidence piece number two: If you look at details from light novels and certain parts of our main story…the alliances between certain countries look oddly familiar. 

I will not lie that I have not read these light novels in a hot minute and I've consumed a lot of other media, so my memories are a bit hazy. But from skimming plot summaries for the books “Stormbringer” and “55 Minutes”(credit to the ppl on this website that give these details) I began to notice something. There are three major groups of authors, once again taking out the Russians, we have the French (who worked in tandem with the English), the Japanese, and the unnamed Germans (besides our man Johann who is mentioned in 55 minutes, I believe). Now pair the countries with how the events played out with the relaying of information about the singularity research, the research that is considered to be one of the major reasons the Great War had even begun, the pairing between countries reflected eerily familiar to the allied and axis powers during the real WWII. The timeline that I have worked it out to be is Germany theorized it first then stolen by France, who succeeded, then stolen again by Germany, and then handed over to Japan, who then also succeeded. 

Evidence number three: Comparing the facts to WWII and the descriptions we receive from the characters in Bungo about the Great War, there are a lot of indirect overlaps.

Since Asagiri made it that out of any event of the series prior to the start of the running manga, he chose the Great War to have the least amount of number facts to its name. Yet, by looking at how the great war within the series is described by the characters who experienced it and then looking at the basic facts about WWII as well, the "events" of Bungo's war are quite familiar. I will say that history was never a class I paid close attention to at any point in my life, but Wikipedia is helping the case here. Whether it is the fact they focus on how it was filled with science and technology advances that led to the deadliest parts of the war. Or the fact that islands played a huge role in many events from the war. There are just enough overlaps for me to consider this as evidence.

And more recently discovered...evidence number four: The book that inspired Asagiri to even create bungo stray dogs was, you can guess, related to WWII.

While I was looking into the career paths that Asagiri had before he became an author, it was mentioned that a book by the late author Shusaku Endo named Ryugaku, which is set post WWII. There are also similarities between the countries used during the great war in Europe and the countries mentioned in this book. This book, combined with Dazai's own novel that also inspired him, gives great sway to the time frame Bungo is actually set in.

Overall all of this could be my delusions doing its delusion things, but I do believe that I can fancy my brain for one minute. Thanks if you decided to read all the way through!