One Thing That Always Bothers Me Is When People Reduce Chuuya Down To "anger Issues." Because He's So

guess my favourite character guys

penguins

cage of the soul

Let's go lesbians, let's goooo!!!!

The thing about how Atsushi deals with Akutagawa is. Atsushi has always been terrified of retailing against his oppressors: to him, his oppressors were always in positions of power that he found impossible to rebel against. Akutagawa, on the other hand, was the first person Atsushi met who was socially accepted to fight back against. Akutagawa was presented to him as the big bad guy, everyone's evil enemy. Atsushi's got personal beef with him for how he treated Kyouka (which is very important for Atsushi, because if he never had it within him to stand for himself, at least he can stand for others). The person Atsushi looks up to the most repeatedly and unapologetically mistreats Akutagawa. Then mistreating Akutagawa must be allowed, right?

It's truly remarkable how despite the guess one would take judging from their good side / evil side affilations, more often than not it's Atsushi going for Akutagawa's throat than the other way round. Sure, Akutagawa threatens to kill Atsushi all the time– but that's exactly the point‚ he never actually follows through‚ and his real actions actually end up telling us his intentions are quite the opposite (re: “I won't kill you today because you look miserable” *saves Atsushi's life* *saves Atsushi's life* *dies to save Atsushi's life*). On the contrary, Atsushi's ALWAYS trying to attack Akutagawa both verbally and physically. Remember that time in chapter 51 when Dazai was keeping them separate? Back then, Akutagawa very much wasn't the one actively trying to attack the other. Not to mention the “You fight 'cos you want to be feared– that's far more worthless in my book” and of course the “It's no wonder Dazai-san chose to abandon you and disappear”. There's even the “if a fight is what you want, then I'll take you on” like lmao, of course you will. The thing is, Atsushi has always found it socially acceptable to retail against, loathe, fight and hurt Akutagawa no-guilt-attached like he never had the chance to with any other abuser. Please keep in mind how thanks to Dead Apple we know that the only other time Atsushi ever fought back someone who was hurting him, it was a most instinctive and involuntary reaction that ended up with him killing them and which gave him several trauma and unresolved self-hatred and feeling of guilt for life.

But hurting Akutagawa, that's peer approved. And it sounds quite cruel, and Atsushi is a fundamentally selfish character, yet it must have come off as so refreshing and even liberating for him to finally have someone he can openly hate, someone he could drop the facade of the polite, harmless guy in front of. That's why I can actually find it believable that Atsushi would, very subconsciously, look forward to fight against Akutagawa; as a way to let off steam, you know? A chance to finally stop acting and start behaving like his true self, determined, brave, protective, a bit of a prick. Not to mention, fights against Akutagawa seemingly always end up as a self-esteem boosts for Atsushi in a way or the other. That's why I wonder: if Akutagawa is the only person Atsushi can be himself with, if he's the only one he can act natural around without feeling he has to put up a front for; what about when Atsushi will stop hating him? Which doesn't sound that unlikely, I mean, after chapter 88 and everything. I'm not saying he's going to forgive Akutagawa for everything he's ever done but like... The perception Atsushi has of him must have changed to an extent, his judgement shifted at least a tiny bit. Then, Atsushi will be left with only one person he can freely be himself with, and he doesn't even hate him that much anymore. Just thinking about that.

kind of upset that so many people seem to have forgotten or not known that trauma can result in hallucinations. of course atsushi is hallucinating dazai. he’s hallucinating someone he trusts and getting advice from them somehow

Color spread redraw!

LUCY AND KYOUKA MENTION!!!

the most beautiful ending was for sukuna (and uraume) because not only did we get a good afterlife scene of him going north for and with uraume but gege also showed in the epilogue how he was always destined to go north because he was always a chill guy and had depth, despite keeping an aloof demeanor. He took uraume and raised them like he was always meant to be an amazing father. What he did was a reaction to how he was treated but at the very core he always carried light. Ending the manga with "how did YOU not grow cold with me uraume?" to uraume's first "how are you not cold next to me sukuna-sama?" was the most beautiful way to describe their relationship, they both might have seemed cold to others but they were a source of warmth for each other, both of them kept the other intact in some way. Ride and die for eternity.

It reminds me of the quote, "when is a monster not a monster? Oh when you love it"

Just saw a comment that said in that moment Akutugawa realised someone thought he deserved to live.

I’m done.

No because… because Akutugawa like Atsushi has always wanted that kind of approval.

And Atsushi may not have died but even he knew it was all a hunch at that point when he pushed Akutugawa aside.

He saved him.

Used his own words against him because back on the boat Akutugawa decided that Atsushi deserved to live.

And now Atsushi’s decided he should too.