Perhaps I'm Wrong (and Am Too Lazy To Go Back Through The Whole Manga To Check), But I Think There's

Anytime I see the bsd beach art my first thought is RIP to the redheads. Chuuya and Jun’ichirou would be sooo burnt (I give Atsushi a 50/50 chance on burning or actually tanning considering white hair generally means less melanin but not always). I don't care how much sunscreen is used, I've never met a natual redhead that didn't burn after 5 minutes in direct sunlight regardless of precautions. And we fully know Dazai would use that fact against Chuuya for shenanigans. 🤣🤣🤣

Okay, I just caught up on Apothecary Diaries, and while this show always has dark themes (and is quite frankly a masterclass in how they can be handled), the ending of s2e33 was ... Damn. I mean, talk about a taste of your own medicine.

I like the saying, "Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly." Especially when it comes to creative things. While AI is fine in some regards. I'll admit that I used AI to write cover letters when I was applying for jobs because those are the absolute bane of my existence. And even then, I had to check it over and edit what it wrote. But with things like creative writing and art, there's just naturally a human element to it that a mechine can't replicate. Art comes from who you are and how you see the world. It's an expression of you. AI can't do that. And besides that, what we have isn't really AI. It's machine learning. Pattern recognition. It can note common elements and remix them into something that on the surface looks like art, but there's no deeper meaning. There's no happy little accidents.

I think we get so caught up in this world where there's always some end goal, and everything seems to demand 110% out of you all the time. But that's not what art is. You can half ass art, and it's still art. It doesn't even need to be profound. In fact, art is a lot like being alive. It's never going to be perfect. And that's fine. For me, I don't write to make something perfect or profound. The highest level of praise I can get is seeing someone react to my work. Laughing. Crying. Anything.

We've used art to say "we were here" since humans started humaning. And handing that off to something as cold as a pattern recognition software just feels disingenuous. I'd rather see a handprint smacked against a wall than some cold amalgamation spit out by something that will never understand what it made. Half ass your art. Be bad at it. It's not about being the best anyway. It's about saying you were here. You were alive. That you had thoughts and feelings. And that's worth something. Even if it is done poorly.

Chapter 6 of Singularities is live!

Exerpt:

He turned to the man next to Chuuya. Their faces would have been just as close had the man not been leaning away from him, his terrified expression amusing the bandaged brunet. “Such little faith my partner has in me.” He shot the man a wolfish grin. “I don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced. Dazai, Osamu Dazai. And you are?”

Chuuya grabbed a fistful of his hair and forced him to turn back to him. “Don’t harass my subordinates.”

“I barely said anything!”

Chuuya released his hair, pushing Dazai away in the process. “I’m too tired for your bullshit, Dazai. Get lost.”

Dazai exaggerated a hurt expression. “But I have a present for you.”

Chuuya scoffed and picked up his drink. “I don’t want nothin’ from you.”

Dazai stole the drink from his hand and downed it. “Bleh, you need better taste in liquor. Let’s go.” He pulled on Chuuya’s arm, but the man didn’t move an inch. “Chuuya!”

“I said I’m not in the fucking mood, Dazai. So, you either tell me what you want or get lost.”

Dazai leaned over Chuuya again and in a dead serious voice said, “You’re really going to want to see this.”

Chapter 4 is up and chapter 5 will be out later this month. Enjoy!

Summary: During the cleanup of Chuuya and Verlaine’s fight, Dazai finds out there was another clone in Facility B and decides to retrieve it while Chuuya is recovering from his first time using Corruption.

Chuuya navigates being in the Port Mafia and taking care of his new little brother, and Dazai navigates the new dynamic in his an Chuuya’s partnership.

Not that Dazai cares ... right?

I have a slight fascination in names and their meanings/historical context of how they're structured, and as far as the Perfect Court goes, there are a few fun facts about them that add an interesting layer to their backstories. We know Riko taking Jean’s middle name "Yves" was intentional and significant in signifying his lack of identity in the Nest. But Riko and Kevin also have (possibly unintentional) significants in their names as well.

For Riko, in Western cultures, we generally think of "Rico," the masculine Spanish/Italian name meaning "king" or "ruler," but in Japanese, the name "Riko" is traditionally a feminine name meaning "jasmine child" or "loyal child" depending on the characters used to spell it.

In Kevin’s case, it's a missing middle name, which is actually a bit more significant than Jean missing his. In Europe, middle names became a thing because of the high population prior to the Black Plague. (Multiple Johns or Marys could be distinguished by their middle name.) But, in Celtic regions, the belief in not telling people your middle name was associated with the fae. If they ask for your name and you don't give them your middle, then they don't have your "true name," and you're safe. As Kevin's mom was Irish, she definitely would have given him one as it's a normal practice. But by the Moriyamas removing it, it strips him of some of his cultural heritage.

Take this information and draw your own conclusions as you see fit. I just think it's an interesting thing to point out.

Neil is the epitome of that "god has let me live another day and I'm about to make it everybody's problem" meme.

Chapter 3 is up and available to read! Enjoy!

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Summary: During the cleanup of Chuuya and Verlaine’s fight, Dazai finds out there was another clone in Facility B and decides to retrieve it while Chuuya is recovering from his first time using Corruption.

Chuuya navigates being in the Port Mafia and taking care of his new little brother, and Dazai navigates the new dynamic in his an Chuuya’s partnership.

Not that Dazai cares ... right?

Happy Halloween! This chapter isn't Halloween themed, but i figured I'd give out a treat today. I hope you all enjoy!

Exerpt:

The clone cocked his head. “Do you really not remember anything? Dazai said that you didn’t, but if that’s a lie then I won’t tell.”

Chuuya threw his phone on the coffee table. “I … I know but I don’t remember if that makes sense. I remembered Verlaine and Rimbaud breaking me out of containment. I remember rage and hate and … and pain, but … nothing specific.”

The clone nodded and muttered, “Rage.” He looked up at Chuuya. “Does anyone else know?”

“Eh … Kinda? Technically, I told Dazai and the Boss, but I don’t think they put together that I was talking about myself. As far as they know, I don’t remember a damn thing.”

So, judging strictly by how the fandom represents SKK, I feel like "Rule #34" by Fish in a Birdcage is a good rep of Beast SKK, while "I Can't Decide" by Scissor Sisters is good for Original SKK.

In cannon, I think "We Don't Have To Dance" by Andy Black is actually a good rep for Chuuya and Dazai's current relationship.