Theghostinabadbook - Bsd Altered My Brain Chemistry

asagiri heard "hurt people hurt people" and took it both as a guide for writing beautiful complex tragic characters and also a command to inflict maximum pain onto readers

Something about Vegapunk using the dna and blood of a caged and experimented on child to create more caged child experiments and the cycles we perpetuate.

Because what does it mean that all that King has left as proof, that the lunarians were real, that they existed as a tribe, as a people, are seven manufactured children he doesn’t even know about, enslaved as weapons to the government that wiped out the culture they’ll never get to be a part of, and Alber himself another enslaved child lost to something he’ll never fully know.

And what of the warlords? Already young once and hurt by their government, young again and slaves to it. Boa looking at a version of her practically pulled out of time stuck in her worst nightmare or Jimbei looking at a version of himself living out a past he escaped by the skin of his teeth but so many he loved didn’t, even Doffy once again at the mercy of the people that already abandoned him, has Kuma not suffered enough? Given enough, is this child version of him doomed to repeat the same path he already could not escape from . Property of the world government, beholden to the celestial dragons, this version of me that cannot go free?

It’s interesting that Vegapunk joined the government so that he could do the most good, but look at the long line of people right infront of him that he’s hurt with his own hands.

Bungo Stray Dogs Harukawa Sango Art Collection cover. Releases on March 10th.

Divine Being Amenogozen and the horror of the wrath of God

I wanted to talk about the current main threat to the BSD cast because I feel like not many people talk about him and how terrifying he is and also what he symbolises.

His creation/abilities:

So Divine Being Amenogozen was created via the 'Tripolar singularity' - a combination of 3 abilities/ability infused items. These are the Amenogozen sword (or the Space-Time sword), The Holy Sword Soluz Levni and Fukuchi's ability Mirror Lion. In short, Amenogozen can stab/move through space and time, the Holy Sword can infuse people's abilities into their bodies, and Mirror Lion strengthens any weapon by 100 times.

In terms of skills, Divine Being Amenogozen (who I will now refer to as Gozen) possesses the abilities of the Space-Time sword (liquification/absorption of people/abilities and energy blasts), as well as superhuman speed/swordsmanship, Levitation, self-healing and the ability to generate blades from himself to match his sword. He's already a powerhouse of an oppenent with just these skills that makes him an insane enemy for the characters to fight, but it's some of his other skills I want to draw attention to - mainly, spatial manipulation and his higher-dimensional existence (although I may bring mention to the others too).

As opposed to the others, I single out spatial manipulation as it is one of the things that makes him most intimidating alongside his physical appearance/actions. He's able to disappear and reappear in various places in the blink of an eye, something which really adds to the general horrifying nature of him as an antagonist.

The main aspect I want to talk about is him existing on a higher dimension than every other character in the series. Fyodor specifically says that Gozen is a fourth-dimensional being, whereas the rest of them are third-dimensional, and that Gozen's form is simply a shadow of his true self. Essentially, Gozen exists at a higher level of existence that is inconceivable to the rest of the cast, operating at this higher level not only in consciousness but also in ability/skill. It is why all of his skills are so heightened that they surpassed perhaps every single character in the current BSD canon.

To simplify the idea of dimensions, i'm pretty sure that a three-dimensional object is something that can be specifically located via 3 units (or dimensions) - usually this is the scales of height, width and depth in a physical space. A four-dimensional object also adds another variable scale (usually time I think) that you can see. In essence, Gozen is able to perceive the scales of height, width, depth and time (which implies that he can see through time itself).

[I want to clarify that this is not a topic I am very knowledgeable on, and I am kind of teaching myself the basics as I write this. So please feel free to correct me if I've got this wrong.]

So Gozen is able to travel across space and time, as well as manifest himself in multiple places at one via the past and present versions of himself (as if writing with two hands on a piece of paper, as Fyodor describes it). Fyodor describes Minkowski Space as part of his skills, a concept that I can't quite figure out how to explain so I recommend you give it a bit of research tbh). And Fyodor uses that to essentially kill the ability users that stand in his path and intimidate Atsushi into leading him to the book. It's also important to note that Fyodor, due to the seal marked on his hand from the Holy Sword, has seemingly complete control over the actions and abilities of Gozen. It is interesting to combine these concepts of Gozen's character with the general ruthlessness of his actions because it to me acts as a visualisation of the wrath of God.

Religious connotations and the wrath of God

Fyodor as a character has always been associated with religious imagery from his introduction. I don't know what specific sect of religion he's usually associated with, but for the sake of this post I'll talk about Gozen and his links to Christian imagery (since Christianity is the religion i'm most familiar with).

[My understanding is also quite limited so please don't take what i say is complete fact in case i'm completely wrong 😭]

Gozen as a higher-dimensional being to me brings associations with the concept of God and his omnipotent power. God is often said to know all, see all and have immense power (enough to create, for example, worldwide flooding). Gozen also exhibits similar concept:

- when he faces kunikida he is aware of his previous injuries (his hands being destroyed by the explosion in escape from the Hunting Dogs), despite not having been known to exist until much later.

- Gozen uses huge blades to chop down any buildings in a large area around the airport, showing he has power on a huge scale.

- Since he can present in multiple places at the same time (by manifesting past and present versions of himself at the same time) he can perceive through time.

Now, Gozen is not specifically like the Christian God. The christian God is said to have created the world we know and have complete control over it. Gozen doesn't show any evidence of this. Gozen seems more similar to a God present in a religion with multiple Gods that are worshipped by different people for different purposes. I seem to bring this towards the Christian God because often I know more about it (Christian primary school core) and see many depictions of the Christian God as one who is surprisingly ruthless - weather it be in stories surrounding Adam and Eve or The Great Flood for example. It's the inherent horror associated with this wrath (great anger and/or a desire to punish) that I bring to attention.

It is the inherently horror of being punished by someone of a higher existence and power that I focus on. I can see how Fyodor summoning Gozen to rid of his enemies here and his plan to unite humanity via the removal of the 'curse' of ability users can feel similar to the concept of Judgement day, where God is to come down and judge humanity for their actions and send them either to heaven or to hell. Fyodor however is more about force and violence in his methods, suggesting that he has perhaps invoked the more violent aspects of Gozen's wrath.

And there's a huge element of horror in fighting against a being who exceeds you in every single aspect and is at a completely inconceivable level and has so far basically killed anyone it has come in contact with before you but yet it decides to spare you and intimidate you instead because you serve, in its opinion, a greater purpose. Because that's what Atsushi is facing. Gozen is drawn in such an intimidating way at many points when facing atsushi too - I'm adding some because I think his design is so interesting too (might make a separate post on that because this is getting long).

Essentially, Gozen is terrifying because he is above and beyond everything any of these characters have ever known and possibly will ever know. He is a godly being who is ruthless in his directed pursuits and operates with such an intimidating air because of his inherent power and higher-dimensional existence. He is terrifying because he is so inconceivable and invincible in the eyes of the characters in universe, and to them Fyodor has essentially invoked the wrath of a God upon them for the 'crime' of being ability users that dare oppose him.

[This post started to fall apart towards the end because I only have a limited understanding of God's presentation in Christianity but I wanted an excuse to talk about how interesting and terrifying Gozen is as a character concept... I kind of love him as an antagonist despite him being so overpowered.Sorry that this became a bit of a mess towards the end but feel free to add anything to this idea - whether corrections or new ideas!]

At least he didn't really die

I know we're all super focused on the God Knights and everything going to absolute hell on Elbaf right now but if we could circle back for one quick moment..!

Loki has a friend(?) he talked to while he was locked up?? And we still don’t know who it is ?? (Or at the very least I sure as hell don’t)

Let us re-examine these panels

Firstly, Loki has a cold resistant Den Den. Who gave it to him? It couldn’t have been the locals since yknow *gestures vaguely* they can’t stand his ass and I highly doubt he had it on him when he got locked up. We can also safely rule out the friend since Loki says they’ve never met face to face.

Secondly, this mystery person seems quite polite and uncertain. Wanting to make sure they’re not bothering with their call despite this clearly not being their first conversation. Loki is quite happy to have someone to talk to clearly (he clearly loves his forest friends but good conversationalist they do not make). He also states they’ve been friends for a while (which could mean anything since we now know how not great Loki is with time especially if this person is a human).

Thirdly, this traumatic experience mystery friend face. We don’t have to clues right now to figure it out nor can we guess since we don’t have the character's age to tie it to something we already know. Whatever it was it still scares them terribly. It even bothers Omen Of Disaster Loki so it must have been serious.

Of course he does say he’d would have shut shit down because he’s Loki! And the newly named Shaggy (a nickname on Loki's part or a real name 🤔🤔) rebukes that idea. Loki calls them weak, stating that shooting to kill is the only way to guarantee one's safety, showing mercy gives them a chance at revenge! Gee, I wonder who that awfully specific concept could be talking about!

That display of cruelly and aggression does not throw Shaggy off even slightly, instead choosing to thank his friend and remark that they’ve noticed the kindness that leaks beneath all that anger and hate the accursed prince barks out. This sets Loki off, quickly starting a one-sided shouting match about how he is not kind! Not even slightly! The very idea is sickening and disrespectful! Never dare to speak to him like that ever again! Just you wait until he is free, he’ll show everyone!

Shaggy's response to this is very telling. Not fear, no ellipses, just a calm ‘Please don’t shout.’ It’s the first part of the conversation where there is no hesitation on Shaggy's part.

I know people believe Shaggy is Gaban and while I could also see that happening ig I really don’t think he’d talk/act like this. We also don’t know if Shaggy is even a guy because while the Den Den does have a beard of some sort it could very well just be a snail that doesn’t change faces (also woman can have beards!!). If I had to pick a pre-existing character for it to be I might pick Saul (kind king that he is) or Kiringham (came for the mission, stayed for the conversation).

There are also no current hints on species, the chances of it being a giant are pretty slim but not impossible (also I really like the idea of Loki having a little buddy).

In conclusion:

Come forward and speak the whole class bestie, I promise we won’t jump you!!

You know, after Wano and Egghead where little girls were charging into battle against brutal pirates and demonic entities left and right and to a lesser extent Zou where even the baby minks were throwing paws with the Beast Pirates during Jack's invasion, you almost forget "oh yeah, no sane adult would let kids get involved in fights like this"

A century ago, the giants of Elbaf would probably be a little more open to letting Colon participate in the battle but that's definitely not happening now in their pacifist era.

Although the giant's wording is a bit interesting because he could also be inferring that Colon specifically is not suited for the battlefield. The kid's got plenty of fighting spirit, yes, but like most children he probably has very little idea of what the true gravity of going into battle actually means. He's treating it like a game, calling dibs on being the captain and making up his own pirate crew.

Up until now, Colon has probably viewed violence and warfare as something fun. Something you rush into without thinking because a sword swipe solves everything. His only experience with combat is likely from Ripley and Gaban training him. He's never fought against killer nightmare monsters or anyone who truly wants him dead. He's never seen the people he loves put in danger like what's likely going to happen to his parents if Sommers decides to play his little thorn game with Colon as the pawn. Colon is made to be a foil to young Luffy and Luffy eventually saw firsthand just how bloody and spine-chilling and complicated the world of piracy can be.

Now that being said, the end goal of Elbaf's narrative is blatantly leaning in favor of the giants not giving up their warrior ways, but what I think may be happening is something of an hourglass plot between Colon and his extreme pacifist classmates.

While the other giant kids will likely take more pride in their warrior heritage as they learn the importance of defending yourself, Colon is going to come to the realization that battle is not something you take lightly and that there's nothing wrong with striving towards a peaceful life. Not that Colon will give up his dreams of being a pirate warrior altogether, he's clearly got his heart set on that. But he'll come out of this experience a more level-headed kid with a greater understanding as to why the adults in his life are so protective.

I also think no matter what happens Usopp is going to be the one who inspires both Colon and the Walrus School kids to be brave because inspiring children with heroic feats is kind of Usopp's bread and butter.

Looking at Iceman in the new Storm Bringer chapter I am suddenly struck with the headcanon that Hirotsu was his mentor, and I don't understand how I didn't see this earlier.

It's not just the outfits, which are very similar (I'm definitely headcanoning the scarf was a gift from Hirotsu now) but also their body language now we can see it.

I mean, look at their introduction panels next to each other.

"No I can't stand with the group, I've got to go smoke and look cool and mysterious in the corner"

Hirotsu's monocle being over the same eye as Iceman's scar.

Iceman's hair being pushed back like he's trying to imitate Hirotsu's style.

What if Iceman's sixth sense for when someone is about to activate their ability and talent for making anything into a weapon comes from the fact his mentor's ability was being able to repel anything thrown at him?

These glasses made me cry.

Usually, whenever fanatism and admiration become too much to the point of wanting to turn yourself into your idol, you end up forgetting yourself. She begins the short by dressing exactly like Nami (no glasses despite needing them and sandals to walk Nami's steps) and complaining about how she could pretend to be a better Nami than the fake one.

She thanks Nami for inspiring her to be adventurous and live an intrepid life, to the point where it seems she wants to be her in order to do so.

And yet, at the end of the day, it's herself (with her glasses, barefoot and far from the perfect ideal she has of Nami) the one who saves the day and gets to live her own adventure.

For some reason, I find this scene really cute. It’s right after Usopp absolutely decks Klahadore (Captain Kuro) for running his mouth about Yasopp and even questioning if he’s really Usopp’s dad. Usopp storms off, feeling like crap, sitting at the cliff overlooking the shore, tossing rocks into the water—when suddenly, Luffy pops up right in his space and goes, “Here you are!” because he’d been looking for him. Not just to find him, but because he knew Usopp needed validation. He knew Usopp was Yasopp’s son, and more importantly, he knew Usopp was his. Luffy could tell Usopp felt like sh*t, and in the most Luffy way possible, he sought him out—not with a big speech, not with some grand gesture, but just by showing up. Because sometimes, that’s all you need.

People love to downplay Usopp and act like he’s not one of Luffy’s closest friends, but moments like this prove otherwise. His arc really highlights just how selfless Luffy is when it comes to the people he truly cares about. In this scene, Usopp was already his, and Luffy had already claimed him—Usopp just hadn’t caught on yet. Luffy had basically said, "You're my friend. I like you. And I'm gonna help you." And Usopp, completely oblivious, just screams at Luffy for scaring him.

Honestly, isn’t that the sweetest thing? That’s why, when they argue and clash, it just hits different. Because they love each other—sometimes a little too much, to the point where they don’t always know how to give each other what they need. But that’s what makes them them.

People say Zoro and Luffy are in sync, that they’re soulmates in battle, but Usopp is the one who can hurt Luffy the most—yet also lift him up in ways no one else can. Yeah, Luffy’s the captain, and he’s supposed to be mature and responsible, but Usopp is the one who reminds him that he’s still just a 19-year-old. That sometimes, things aren’t that deep. But other times, they are, and Luffy needs someone to tell him that.

Usopp is the one who looks at the insanity of the Grand Line and says, “This sh*t isn’t normal.” And I think that’s what truly makes him Luffy’s in a way no one else is. Even if he can’t support him like his wings in battle, Usopp is the one who, in a moment like Marineford, could have told him, “What happened to you wasn’t normal. And you don’t have to pretend it is.

That’s why Usopp is his.