People thinking Atsushi is just a cute lil soft boy are so WRONG.
Atsushi is one of the best executed C-PTSD protagonists who are not just "kind" because they are the MC.
Atsushi is sassy, he is mean and says things like they are, even to his own mentor Dazai, he is not afraid of saying bad things. He doesn't hold back on his words. And he can be quite quick when it comes to using sass ("are you a landmower?" "Why are you dressed like a half-finished mummy, Dazai-san" "Akutagawa, fancy a cup of tea?" "That's why Dazai-san left you")
He's not just nice. He thinks he should be nice and kind because that's what someone like him should be like. Atsushi has such a low self esteem that he NEEDS to show kindness to everyone because he thinks just like he got a second chance at life, everyone else deserves it too.
That's why he saved Kyouka and Lucy, he recognised that want for bettering themselves in them. He wanted them to get a second chance like he did. Because to him, people are not good or bad, but they have the ability to change no matter how far they have gone.
This is why Atsushi is the only one who can recognise and understand Dazai's true personality. Whenever Dazai says something self depreciating Atsushi ALWAYS corrects him. In Dead Apple when Dazai is visiting Oda's grave, Atsushi understands whoever this person was, they were very dear to Dazai. At the end of Dead Apple when Dazai says he thinks he's not a good person, Atsushi tells him he has never thought of Dazai not being a good person. Atsushi knows Dazai was in the Port Mafia, but he STILL confirms he sees Dazai as a good person regardless of his past. Because Atsushi believes in second chances, and HE gave the second chance to Dazai that Oda must have wanted Dazai to get, even if the ADA accepted Dazai, no one has ever reassured him being a good person before. (Also in BSD wan, when Dazai says "I want to go out beautifully" during the fireworks scene, in the end-credits Atsushi sits near the river the entire day because he was sad that Dazai was suicidal. And in BSD mayoi, Dazai makes a snowman of Atsushi along with Oda, Ango and Chuuya, showing how much he adored Atsushi)
It's the same with Akutagawa; Atsushi doesn't understand why Akutagawa hates him and he's mean to Akutagawa at times but it never crossed a line. Akutagawa had done so many bad things to Atsushi but at the end they still worked together. Because Dazai understood the only person who will make Akutagawa use his powers to "protect" instead of "attack" is Atsushi. During the ending fight in S3, Akutagawa makes an armour for Atsushi as they combine their powers. And in the end credit scene of S5, we see Akutagawa protecting Atsushi AGAIN. This time Akutagawa isn't wearing the same coat Dazai gave him and for the first time shows true loyalty to Atsushi. ("Just the two of us?" "Do we need more?" *SCREAMS*)
Atsushi's relationship with the headmaster of the orphanage shows how much the trauma affected him as a child. When he can't forgive the headmaster at his death, he hates himself for not being able to give a second chance. And that's when Dazai steps in and tells him, "we cry when our father dies" something Atsushi really needs to hear and he finally cries.
Atsushi reassures Dazai all the time and Dazai snaps Atsushi out of his self depreciation all the time. Their solidarity throughout the story, shows why that day when Dazai chose Atsushi for the ADA; he recognised not Atsushi's powerful ability but his true ability in choosing to believe in people when no one else can.
hi, i'm the guy that makes all the structures for minecraft. whenever you're about to encounter a new one i get an e-mail and then i have to build it really fast. and i only put 2 eyes in your end portal because i hate you.
I think it would be funny if everyone collectively just didnt care to change in to their work clothes for the plot of dead apple cause imagine Chuuya fighting that big ass dragon still in his dog themed pajama pants 🐶
Concept: The Dark Era except it’s Akutagawa, Atsushi and Kyouka taking the roles of the Buraiha trio (Dazai, Odasaku and Ango.)
Ryuunosuke Akutagawa was a mysterious member of the Armed Detective Agency.
His past was not known of for years but he had once been a prominent member of the Port Mafia. He had been known by many titles, such as the Hellhound.
Akutagawa was cruel. He was cold and he was never one to leave a witness alive.
And yet that man was not the one the Agency knew. They knew a rather blunt man who drank sugary teas, was a diligent worker. And who despite his tempered nature had a soft spot for children.
A man that never hesitated to strike but would never dare kill
For Akutagawa has long since that life behind him because of the words of an old friend.
Atsushi Nakajima was an enigma to all who ever met him.
A man who had once been a high profile and deadly assassin who out of nowhere stopped. He lived his life rescuing orphans from lives similar to his own and granting them safe homes.
He was a light that shone so brightly in the darkness.
He never should’ve killed again.
Kyouka Izumi was a simple informant.
It was a job not for the faint of heart but Kyouka thrived within it. She never flinched at even the most cruel of crimes. But she had the habit of wring her reports much like one would a story.
Despite her seemingly cold exterior she was a warm person who strongly believed people should be remembered as more than just numbers.
What no none had known was that Kyouka’s parents had been trained government spies. They had been assassinated right before her eyes and when their superiors came for the bodies.
They took her with them and she became their successor.
Maybe it was always supposed to end this way.
With Atsushi defending Kyouka’s innocence only to learn the truth with her betrayal.
With Akutagawa watching Atsushi slip through his fingers when the kids were killed before his eyes.
Yet still caring about Kyouka that he had her run rather then kill her.
That they still meet up to discuss plans with a distance that they’d never had before.
With Mori manipulating Atsushi’s loss knowing that he’d choose to save their lives over his own.
The silver bullets lodged in his chest as Akutagawa raced towards him begging him to hold on.
He never did get to write that book of his.
does that mean
she has been pGReNant bef o r e?
CHUUATSU Post-Canon Idea (or I think it could be counted as post-canon):
With Fyodor defeated and the city finally once again settled in peace, the Port Mafia finally calls in their favor: one member of the Agency must join them. Everyone assumes it will be Dazai who will be demanded, after all, he was once their executive, and his mind is a weapon on its own. But to everyone's surprise, Atsushi is chosen.
Atsushi, the last person anyone would have expected to be forced into the darkness of the Mafia. Everyone is devastated, but they can't go back on the deal. They cannot afford to go to war with the Mafia so soon, not when the city is still recovering. And Atsushi, the ever sacrificing one, agrees.
Mori is no fool. He knows Atsushi won't be trusted within the organization, so he assigns him to Chuuya. More specifically, he orders the executive to keep him under constant watch, so much so that Atsushi has to live in Chuuya’s apartment, a decision neither of them is happy about.
At first, they avoid each other completely. They eat at different times, spend their time in separate spaces, and barely speak beyond what's absolutely necessary. Atsushi hates everything the Mafia stands for, and Chuuya doesn't have the patience to babysit someone who refuses to get his hands dirty. The tension is almost suffocating for both of them.
But then something changes. Avoidance slowly turns into small conversations, nothing deep, just a few comments here and there, maybe a little complaint. And then, small chats turn into sitting in the same room without any tension. Into sharing meals together. Into the comfort of simply asking what they should make for dinner. A comfort of having someone to come home to.
It takes a while for either of them to realize it, that the home life both of them dreaded has turned into something domestic. They start waiting for each other before eating. Sometimes, Chuuya brings home extra food because he knows Atsushi will be hungry. Atsushi starts cleaning up because Chuuya rarely does. The apartment, once a place of cold isolation, becomes... warm.
And that's exactly what makes them fall in love. Not the chaos and disagreements of their job, not the danger of the underworld, but the quiet moments at home, where they feel safe. Chuuya realizes he doesn't want Atsushi to lose the kindness that makes him who he is. He doesn’t want his blood Mafia black.
Their home life may be peaceful, but the Mafia isn’t. Atsushi’s refusal to bend to their ways is a problem. He’s still seen as an outsider, a liability, a weak link. There are whispers that he should be eliminated before he betrays them.
Chuuya is stuck in the middle. He still has to drag Atsushi along on missions, still has to cover for him when he refuses to kill, still has to argue. He tries his best to keep Atsushi afloat.
Despite their growing domestic peace at home, Atsushi's place in the Mafia remains uncertain. He refuses to kill, yet his strength makes him an undeniable asset. While most still don’t trust him, Mori keeps him around, watching, waiting, testing.
Everything shifts when a mission goes south. Civilians get caught in the crossfire, and while Chuuya moves to handle it the Mafia’s way, Atsushi steps in and stops him. He saves them without killing anyone, proving that he doesn’t need to play by the Mafia’s rules to win.
Mori takes notice. So does Chuuya.
It becomes clear: Atsushi won’t break. He won’t bend to the Mafia’s ways, no matter how much pressure is put on him. And instead of being frustrated, Chuuya finds himself relieved. He doesn’t want Atsushi to lose his kindness, to become numb to death.
So when the rest of the Mafia starts questioning where Atsushi truly stands, Chuuya makes his choice.
He stands beside Atsushi.
one time atsushi came to the office (mayhaps after not sleeping well/at all for a few days), noticed that everyone was cooing over a cat that looked suspiciously like his tiger form and thought he was being replaced and cried himself to sleep that night
dazai: hey atsushi look at what-
atsushi, already crying: how could u
dazai:
the agency:
(on the other hand if he sees akutagawa with a cat replica of him he coos and teases — a man of duality)
(atsushi when the agency looks at someone/something like him: oh so this is what akutagawa feels like so this is heartbreak and betrayal. love nothing because everything only ends. they have found a better version i am just the prototype everyone will forget
atsushi when akutagawa breathes in the general direction of something/someone like him: lmao what r u? obsessed with me?? are u in love with me akutagawa is that it?? ha.)
Can we all just take a minute to think about and recognize Dazai’s reaction if Atsushi is the one transfered to the port mafia?
All I’ve been able to think about recently is how much Dazai would blame himself. He’s failed another one of his mentees. He didn’t really save another orphan for Oda. The only thing he did was prolong the inevitable.
I think in a way, it might also force Dazai to start to re-assign where he places his own allegiance and who he remains loyal to after those he trusts and cares for all move so far away from him.
He’s already failed Akutagawa, something which Dazai undoubtedly has mixed feelings about given how loyal Akutagawa has remained to Dazai through all their years, and now the person he was using as a form of redemption has left him.
I also think it’ll all be worse if Dazai were ever to see Atsushi kill, or if Atsushi’s introductory clothing item was a coat like Akutagawa. In that way, I think it’d be a sort of final bell informing Dazai that he had properly and totally failed. That his redemption was worth nothing because he couldn’t even save one person he cared about from the mafia.
He might even see a bit of himself in Atsushi, depending on how the weretiger’s early months and years in the mafia go.
It’ll all just be so much worse for Dazai because at the end of the day it never really mattered.
Analysis of the day: Day 3
atsushi learns to take care of long hair via kyouka - he's watched her do her hair and has helped her do it enough that he's pretty okay with it now
one day, kunikida's hair just keeps on slipping out of his pony tail and atsushi, noticing his frustrations, offers to brush it and tie it for him
he enjoys doing kyouka's hair, dont get me wrong, but he thought it was just a kyouka only thing - after all how could atsushi not want to do things for kyouka who was like a sister and who deserved help or assistance in small things if she so asked - atsushi didn't realize how much he was doing it to show his own affection for her
he finds as he's brushing hair, that its just a way he's been showing kyouka he likes her and now w/ kunikida
anyway atsushi ends up braiding kuni's hair while he's working, and is buzzing with this newfound understanding of another way he can show affection
and with the comb tightly in his hand he asks if anyone else would like him to brush his hair, as nonchalantly as he can
naomi takes one look at his tail wagging, w/ atsushi unaware, and says yeah sure and lets him brush her hair and tie it up
she even tells him to brush juni's hair - which isn't long at all but its still fun
the next day yosano asks atsushi if he could tie up her hair and even ranpo lets him brush it back once
slowly atsushi works his way through everyone in the agency
other than dazai
atsushi offers his services to dazai too
but dazai always refuses - he jokes about atsushi only not doing his hair and when atsushi says he will, dazai gets weirdly quiet and changes the topic after a minute
anyway
atsushi does end up doing dazai's hair, not just brushing, but washing and drying and pushing it out of his face, but its on one of those weeks where dazai cant bring himself to even get out of bed and atsushi decides to take care of him instead
anyway thank you person who said atsushi wants to braid kunikida's hair i love u
//
also atsushi doing gin's hair and akutagawa walking in is a funny image in my head
gin atsushi friendship >>>>>>>>>>>>>
gin atsushi friendship while akutagawa doesn't even know his sisters besties w/ his crush enemy and walks in on them having spa days and talking shit about akutagawa
shit as in "dumbass doesn't even know im in love with him" "my brother doesn't even know he's in love with you he's a special type of stupid"
atsushi tells dazai the headmaster looked like him in his hallucinations and dazai starts rolling on the ground