From The Digital Sketchbook

Demon Snow <333 sometimes I remember how much I adore Kyōka

not the way

Kouyou and Verlaine are so similar, no wonder they are both Chuuya's older sibling figures and Kyouka's mentors. Both are executives whose specialty is murder, and who we know have trained several assassins for the Port Mafia. They both encounter a teenager so much like themselves when they were younger that they decide to do everything to stop them from making the same mistakes they made, even if they end up hurting them in the process. They both genuinely believe that what they are doing is the best for Chuuya and Kyouka, based in their own past experiences, because they are so alike that, to them, there's no way that the outcome won't be the same. Their only interaction in Stormbringer is them fighting with each other, exactly because they disagree in what's best for Chuuya. Verlaine killed the flags to make Chuuya agree in letting the mafia, Kouyou was willing to kill Atsushi to distance Kyouka from the ada. Like, even their personalities are similar. I could totally see them being friends if they had met in a different way (but with the way they met in the cannon, I'm sure they still hold a grudge against each other. It doesn't matter that Verlaine understood the mistakes he made, and that Chuuya accepted him as his brother at the end of it all, they still don't get along and don't plan on doing so anytime soon).

chapters 63, 78, 105 and 121.

and each time, Atsushi's reaction was to acknowledge Dazai's presence and be motivated by it:

but, now that the veil has been lifted, it's very easy to see that this Dazai hasn't been very nice in his approach at all. Here, let me help you visualise it a little:

Looking back, that Dazai's words were systematically accusatory and harsh, and if at the start his face resembled the man Atsushi knows, recently his expressions have turned dull and cold, much more reminiscent of what we've seen from the orphanage headmaster.

Yes, the headmaster was cruel. Yes, it was unfair. No, Atsushi didn't deserve any of it. He should have been protected, he has every right to despise that man and to feel all the conflicting feelings he has about it. But it happened. It happened, and he was shaped by it, and every step he takes as he makes his way through his new life has the echoes of the way that man raised him. He's making the choice not to let anyone go through what he has to if he can help it, but also makes him prone to self-sacrifice because of his lack of self-esteem.

Atsushi's been struggling hard since the Decay of Angels arc began, and the voice that's been motivating him whenever his determination waned has been the one of the man who raised and abused him hidden behind the mask of the one who brought him to his new home. It's fucked, and it worked.

And so the three-day party... ˚. ✦.˳·˖✶🎉Begins!!!🎉✶.˳·˖ ✦˚.

Once again thinking about this manga panel, but not because of eepy Chuuya this time. (though that's usually why asdfhjk)

But because Dazai, who was previously knelt down and teasing Chuuya, completely relaxed now that the fight is done, stands up as soon as John emerges from the trees.

John who is an enemy, who even though he's unarmed is an ability user who could still easily attack Chuuya and comes into the clearing behind Chuuya.

Chuuya who is too tired and worn to defend himself right now, Chuuya who has a weakness to attacks from behind and surprise attacks.

And Dazai stands up, he plays it off nonchalantly, but he's alert because an enemy has just appeared and could decide to attack them if he wanted to. If he wanted vengeance for his fallen comrade. So Dazai stands and he leans towards Chuuya, ready to shield him from an attack from an ability when he's practically defenceless.

Supernovas redesigns for my newest video! If you wanna see my process check the link on my latest post!

I did quickly go through the manga, with the help of the fanwiki, to see how much that "Atsushi's orphanage headmaster visions have been caused by Q" twist holds up (as sometimes, new plans come up as you write, especially if your series is over 10 years old)

In the first chapter, Atsushi has a flashback of the orphanage staff kicking him out, but they do not have individual identities. The first apparition of the headmaster as himself is when Atsushi is under the influence of Dogra Magra, in chapter 25, "Q":

His next apparition is in chapter 28, when Atsushi is being held in the Moby Dick, right before Lucy comes in and chooses to help him (note: that scene also compares Atsushi's abuse is to another person's, Lucy's.)

After that, there's chapter 39, "Portrait of a Father", where Atsushi doesn't hallucinate him, but we learn about who the man was to Atsushi, and witness his funeral.

His next hallucination is in chapter 52, at the very end of the Cannibalism arc. He explains to Akutagawa that the headmaster has been been haunting him less since (the final fight on) the Moby Dick, but has been silent since the funeral.

There are a few more mentions of the headmaster that I haven't mentioned, but a very notable one is that Atsushi saw becoming stronger and his upcoming fight against Akutagawa as a way to free himself from the headmaster's influence, much like Akutagawa saw it as a way to gain Dazai's approval.

I don't think we see Atsushi hallucinating the headmaster after this until chapter 122, but the Dazai hallucinations start showing up in chapter 63, so really not that long after the previous one. The next Dazai ones I could find were in chapters 78, 105 and 121.

The conclusion is therefore that Atsushi hallucinating the headmaster has been a very active and purposeful part of his journey as a character since very early on. It started manifesting after Atsushi's breakdown while under the influence of Q's ability, and it's taken various approaches as Atsushi faced different struggles, but it's always been there.

While wearing Dazai's face, the hallucination was given more credit in Atsushi's eyes, but its words were barely less sharp and hurtful. However, they did tend to push Atsushi into acting, rather than cowering and giving up.

We're seeing Atsushi heal in real time, no matter how messy it is, and I'm so proud of him.

You know how I know Shanks is toxic with a capital T? Because as soon as bro pulls up to where his exes are at:

One of them IMMEDIATELY leaves as soon as he sees his face. You could not threaten him enough to breathe the same air as that homeless looking man. 😭

Meanwhile, the other is more upset by him pulling up than he is by all the other traumatic events he just went through in a literal WAR. Buggy doesn't have post traumatic stress disorder, he has post traumatic Shanks disorder. 💀

If cellphones were a thing in the One Piece universe they would both have Shanks' number saved as "do not answer" & I just wanna know exactly what put him in that position.