I am totally pushing the aku top of the school agenda HOWEVER this mf would pop a vein before tutoring anyone (teaching math would end up in murder)
I swear I am extremely fascinated by and genuinely interested to understand what prompts this fairly spread perception of smart Akutagawa because I really can't see it.
Akutagawa is THE flawed character of the franchise. He has barely any redeemeing qualities. His being a ruthless, mindless dog, a beast, an animal is a central theme of his character: he's one of the most inhuman characters, no rationality, no emotions. It only makes sense he'd also be lacking in intellect, one of the most intrinsically human qualities, right? Let's also keep in mind that when it comes to intelligence, he was specifically trained since a very early age so that he wouldn't develop any critical thinking skill or wisdom. He was appositely built to be an executor, never a thinker. A killing machine, a mindless beast. He was made to be a tool, not a person. He is the very epitome of irrationality- and that much shows in everything he does! There's plenty canon evidence to support it. His actions are never guided by preliminary thoughts, he just acts on instinct, akin to an animal. He will kill his target in chapter 4 although his mission is specifically not to, he will barge into a building full of security guards right through the front door without even ordering his subordinates to offer support, he will go rogue and storm into the Moby Dick destroying everything in his path no matter the consequences, he will naïvely jump off a balcony to catch a repetitor just because his worst enemy said it had Dazai-san on the line- do I have to continue? His whole character is exclusively driven either by orders, or by instinct and irrationality. Guys, it would have been SO MUCH EASIER if upon seeing Ranpo's message Akutagawa had just took out his phone and gone “hey Chuuya-san, it's likely we've found the mastermind and the whole thing will be solved here at this place, can you come over one second?”. But he didn't, and it's not simply a matter of suspension of disbelief (in the way that the events are more satisfying this way). Was it for his pride then? Indeed, but Akutagawa's pride and irrationality are in a perpetual concomitant relationship of cause and effect, where one is constantly born from the other. I do think his very simple and straight-forward objectives (1. kill the Jinko 2. be acknowledge by Dazai-san 3. die) are themselves expression of his simple mindset, and so is a certain naïvety he has, that I honestly wish more people took into account when characterizing him.
It's funny because, the thematic relevance of it is the whole point- in reality, I don't think there's such a thing as a stupid person, I firmly believe everyone has their own kind of intelligence, a field each of us excells in. But it's exactly because Akutagawa isn't a person (well. in this context at least), but a character, that one can push a characteristic to its extremes in order to make it symbolic of something, in order to make an archetype out of his character. And Akutagawa at his core is irrationality, he is Dazai's failed trainee and ugliest foil, he is the ultimate pawn, he is the beast. The fact that Akutagawa is a character– it's relevant. He's not a person, he's a vassel for themes. I can dare to rudely talk about him like he was an animal because it's the narrative itself that before anyone else pushes the reader to see him in a dehumanizing way. Akutagawa once literally tore the skin off a man's neck with his teeth effectively killing them. It's quite not simple dog coding anymore lol. But he's just a dude from a book really, he's just symbolism: and that's why he can become a dog, or a pawn, or the stupidest person of Yokohama, as the author or reader pleases. It's really not that deep ahah
I can guess a possible counterpoint would be that perhaps, in a universe where he wasn't subject to the slums and Dazai's abuse such as high schools aus, Akutagawa would get his chance to be witty? But then I can't help but think, if you don't make Akutagawa stupid... Aren't you taking a fundamental trait of his character away from him? What's left of Akutagawa then? What would be the point of reading, let's say, a sskk high school fic if you can't recognize Akutagawa in it? But then again I guess this is exactly the reason why I can't bring myself to like most of alternative universe bsd fics (╥﹏╥)
Also, ultimately, there *are* personal preference components to it. In my headcanon Akutagawa has autism / adhd, and although those don't always have a negative impact on one's academic results, there is a chance they do. And I'd honestly lean towards that chance more when it comes with Akutagawa, because he is the pathetic man that has everything going wrong for him. There's symptoms in his impulsivity and scarce self-control, and I believe they'd make school life very hard for him, especially when it comes to focusing in classes and for studying- which is fitting tbh, can you imagine Akutagawa ever having a happy life? (I'm jk I swear I love him)
Besides, I must have mentioned how one of the main appeals of sskk for me is how despite being thoroughly flawed people they can still be loved. It's surprisingly comforting to think that even the most evil of people can be loved, and it's the same when it comes for stupidity. Stretching Akutagawa's flaws just makes him more symphatetic and enjoyable to read about.
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okay okay okay i have a half-baked theory, hear me out.
so we know deucalion aka The Demon Wolf can do this to his face
and there’s never really any explanation as to (a) why he can shift like that, or (b) why none of the other alphas or werewolves seem to have that ability.
BUT. we do see this type of Dark Shift (that’s what i’m calling it) happen one other time in the show:
in 4x10, “Monstrous,” when scott loses control and is on the verge of murdering that guy.
what else do we know? well, about deucalion, not a lot, but we know that prior to being blinded, he was an intelligent and respectable alpha who had a vision of peace and enough faith in humanity that he tried to make peace with gerard argent. of all people. we don’t know how old deucalion is or how long he’s been a werewolf, but if it’s true that he bit and turned alexander argent in 1977 (which we see in the opening scene of 3x05, “Motel California,” and which is later confirmed by gerard), that means he would have to have been an alpha for at least ~40 years.
outside of deucalion lore, we also know that this Dark Shift doesn’t happen to just any werewolves on the brink of murder, because it doesn’t happen to liam in the 5A finale when he almost kills scott. as far as canon goes, aside from deucalion, the Dark Shift only happens to one other person/werewolf - scott mccall, True Alpha.
so here’s my theory: before he was corrupted, Deucalion was a True Alpha.
think about it: we know deucalion had certain traits characteristic of a True Alpha before he was ambushed by gerard. he valued peace even in the midst of allies all clamoring for war. he wanted to see the best in his enemies (gerard) and to believe them capable of change. we know True Alphas are rare, but obviously scott wasn’t the first. it would make sense that any existing True Alpha would have a certain renown, and deucalion certainly had renown, both before and after being ambushed.
so for the sake of argument, let’s say deucalion was a True Alpha. he earned his power, became an alpha in his own right simply by strength of character, without ever having to kill. we know you can’t become a True Alpha if you kill someone before you can advance to that level, but what about after? what happens if a True Alpha kills someone?
i doubt you lose your alpha status/spark. that wouldn’t really make sense. instead, i think that maybe when a True Alpha corrupts by intentionally taking a life, the werewolf part of them corrupts too. it withers. it darkens. and it turns their shift into something even less human, but also less werewolf - more demon than anything.
this also fits in with that s4 scene with scott, because that scene is the only one where scott comes close to actually murdering someone. the Dark Shift starts to take over, but then, importantly, he stops, and doesn’t actually kill the guy he’s attacking. and the Dark Shift recedes, and we never see it on scott again. he never gets that close to killing someone again.
also ALSO! if deucalion was a True Alpha, but then was corrupted, that would even further explain (a) how he seemed to be so knowledgeable about True Alphas even without knowing scott at all and (b) why he was so desperate to corrupt scott. in morrell’s words, psychologically speaking deucalion both “desires” scott (as a reminder of what he once achieved) and is “threatened by” scott (as someone who is still capable of becoming a True Alpha and thus being “better” than deucalion himself, who is a former True Alpha, now corrupt).
and as morrell says, if the obsessive can’t have the object of his desire, then he will choose to destroy it instead. think of scott in the beginning of season 4, feeling so threatened by liam’s skill in lacrosse that he accidentally plays too hard and injuries him. i mean, hell, think back to season 1, with jackson feeling threatened when scott suddenly becomes way better at lacrosse than he is. remember this quote?
“Do you know what it's like to be the best player on the team? To be the star? To have every single person at the game chanting your name? And then... some kid... some kid just comes along, and then everyone starts looking at him instead of you. Do you know what that feels like? [...] Well, it feels like something's been... it feels like something's been stolen from you. And then you start to feel like you'd do anything-- anything in the world-- to get it back.”
for deucalion, scott becoming a True Alpha would be a taunting reminder of everything he lost, the person he used to be, the person that was ripped from him along with both his literal and metaphorical vision. deucalion having been a True Alpha makes his obsession with scott - and specifically with corrupting scott - make a whoooole lot more sense.
TL;DR: Deucalion was a True Alpha before he corrupted by killing his own beta, and intentionally taking a life caused his werewolf form to turn dark and evil-looking. this is also what starts to happen to scott in season 4, but it never takes because scott doesn’t actually go through with killing the guy.
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I was tagged by the lovely @thesadboisguidetolife to give this a go.
Rules: bold & color the ones that are true and tag whoever you want to do it too!
APPEARANCE:
i'm over 5'8” // i wear glasses/contacts // i have blonde hair // i prefer loose clothing to tight clothing // i have one or more piercings // i have at least one tattoo // i have blue eyes // i have dyed or highlighted my hair // i have gotten plastic surgery // i have or had braces // i sunburn easily // i have freckles // i paint my nails // i typically wear make-up // i don't often smile // i am pleased with how i look // i prefer nike to adidas // i wear baseball hats backwards
HOBBIES & TALENTS:
i play a sport (or used to) // i can play an instrument // i am artistic // i know more than one language // i have won a trophy in some sort of competition // i can do a handstand
RELATIONSHIPS:
i have been single for over a year// i have a crush // i have a best friend i have known for ten years // my parents are together // i have dated my best friend // i am adopted // my crush has confessed to me // i have a long distance relationship // i am an only child // i give advice to my friends // i have made an online friend // i met up with someone i have met online
AESTHETICS:
i have heard the ocean in a conch shell // i have watched the sun rise // i enjoy rainy days // i have slept under the stars // i meditate outside // the sound of chirping calms me // i enjoy the smell of the beach // i know what snow tastes like // i listen to music to fall asleep // i enjoy thunderstorms // i enjoy cloud watching // i have attended a bonfire // i pay close attention to colors // i find mystery in the ocean // i enjoy hiking on nature paths // autumn is my favorite season
MISCELLANEOUS:
i can fall asleep in a moving vehicle// i am the mom friend // i live by a certain quote // i like the smell of sharpies //i am involved in extracurricular activities // i enjoy mexican food // i can drive a stick-shift // i believe in true love // i make up scenarios to fall asleep // i sing in the shower // i wish i lived in a video game // i have a canopy above my bed // i am multiracial // i am a redhead // i own at least three dogs
i'll edit this post soon to tag others (trying to shift my hyperfocus to, like, maybe i should cook and eat), but here ya go.
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