Making Fanart Of Official Art

Higuchi’s Unrevealed Ability

my theory on what it could be…

i think that Higuchi’s ability will be called “Takekurabe” (Growing Up/Child’s Play) after her most famous work, and i believe it might have something to do with reincarnation. here’s why…

in this official art she is featured with red spider lilies, which are symbolic of death, but are also thought of as a bridge between heaven & earth…a reminder of the “cyclical nature of life & death”

Takekurabe also explores themes such as how life is fleeting. & also abt being forced into a role that you didn’t want, or wouldn’t have chosen for yourself

(plus potential foreshadowing: in this official art, Higuchi is surrounded by pinwheels— which symbolize childhood, but also the cycle of life, & the buddhist teaching of reincarnation)

back to reincarnation…

after being told that Akutagawa may never wake up, she reached out to him & a glow appeared around her hand— like she was activating an ability— before pulling away bc she remembered that he didn’t want her (or anyone’s) help

but this means that she’s able to give help in this sort of situation

additionally, the fact that she almost always appears in official arts w Akutagawa indicates that she will probably use her ability on him at some point, which makes sense considering his terminal condition

(note the pulse in the background, his bright eyes, & her white suit)

because we have yet to see her use her ability, i’m assuming that she can only use it once, so she’d be giving up her life for Akutagawa’s (a life for a life— his reincarnation)

this would imitate irl Higuchi’s unfortunately short life— with her having died at only 25 years old. it also makes sense to give her such a powerful ability since irl Higuchi is such an important figure in japanese history— japan’s first professional woman writer of modern literature

now for a less likely, but fun theory…

i wonder if Higuchi’s sister has anything to do with her ability (in bsd she’s unnamed, but her irl sister’s name was Kuniko so that’s what we’ll call her)

according to Higuchi’s bungo episode, despite her literary genius, irl Higuchi was practically useless without her sister

Kuniko was the one who made what Higuchi did possible & kept things functional behind the scenes

so i think it’d be super interesting (& a cool irl reference) if Kuniko was involved in some way with Higuchi’s ability (i also just want to see more of her bc this sister duo is so cute :’))

bonus: when i watched this anime adaptation of Takekurabe, this was the ending scene & i wonder if it was harukawa’s inspiration for this official art 🥹

white lilies represent purity, & since they were off by the side of the road, they might have represented the character’s fleeting purity. white lilies are also used at funerals to represent a soul’s return to purity & its journey to the afterlife… which circles back to the reincarnation theme 👀

Banana-chan....

Again, no matter how bad my day is, Atsushi is having a worse one

She be staring at her like a pack of fresh baby teeth.

I miss her bruh :/

atsushi nakajima doesn't know what various physical signs of affections mean -- he grew up with none afterall

the first time kenji hugs him, he asks why he's squeezing him

he's a quick study tho, so he's able to hug kyouka after realizing she's not dead

but he gets shy about asking questions, doesnt even know what questions to ask, so he just does his best

for example

kunikida, ruffling atsushi's hair: thanks brat

atsushi, not knowing why he's messing up his hair: ????

*later*

kunikida: thanks kid

*hair ruffle*

atsushi, lightbulb moment: :O

so...

fukuzawa: your report was well done, atsushi

atsushi: thank you!!

atsushi, remembering kunikida:

atsushi, shuffling forward, and shyly ruffling fukuzawa's hair:

fukuzawa:

atsushi:

fukuzawa:

atsushi, proud for doing it right: okay bye then :)

fukuzawa, half confused, half touched:

/

atsushi, noticing two strangers holding hands:

atsushi: why r u guys doing that

strangers: uh we're partners?

atsushi: is that what partners do?

strangers: uh yes???

atsushi: huh

*later*

akutagawa: hurry jinko i do not have time---

atsushi, reaching out and holding akutagawa's hand:

akutagawa:

akutagawa:

atsushi, to himself: oh my god, has he been a bitch becuz i didn't realize work partners had to hold hands????

/

atsushi, nervous:

junichiro, giving him a comforting shoulder squeeze:

atsushi: ohhh i get it

junichiro: ???

*later*

poe, his usual shy anxious self:

atsushi, going over and squeezing his shoulder:

poe, red, more anxious, flabbergasted:

atsushi, who did it and then just left:

karl:

poe:

/

dazai, patting atsushi on the back: good job atsushi!!

atsushi: ????????

*later*

yosano, covered in blood and guts, after saving civilians:

atsushi, materializing randomly, patting yosano's back, awkwardly: good job yosano!!! you're amazing like always!!!!

yosano, touched and amused: thank you atsushi

/

dazai: atsushi i got you this

atsushi, confident after his encounter with fukuzawa, reaching up and ruffling dazai's hair: thank you !!!!

dazai: af;lksdjf;las????

/

and so on and so forth

🥀suprise

can’t have just an emo ass emoji as the title anymore because tumblr makes it huge

the funniest card in project sekai has to be minori getting blasted full force in the face by the overwhelming power of her own homosexuality and taking critical damage from the deadly attack of haruka with cat ears

Kouyou..