sorry sometimes i think about mako and my heart hurts so much. this kid raised himself and his brother on the streets in homelessness and utter poverty from eight through fifteen, promptly after seeing the violent death of his mother and father. he turned to the triple threats because they couldn't survive as a pair of wretched kids without any adult support, and the environment forced him to turn into the exact character that killed his parents in a terrible twist of irony. and after sheer-fucking-luck hits and they aren't homeless anymore, their livelihood wavers on the outcome of what's a literally game to everyone but them; and after things are finally starting to look up and their team is going places and things just might be okay, his gradually stabilizing world unceremoniously expands and everything goes to shit.

and the city that chewed him up and spat him back out, ruined him as a child and took away his ability to stay afloat in a true sense of normalcy as an adult — when it's on the verge of destruction and falling to pieces before his eyes, he gives himself to save it with the full expectation to die. he went from the kid who didn't and couldn't care about anything outside of himself and his brother, to finding redemption for his younger self in his police work despite its injustice against him, to willingly sacrificing himself to a world that had never loved him.

he's a desperate people pleaser, socially and emotionally stunted for the adult he had to be as a kid, unable to navigate interpersonal relationships easily yet still trying his damned hardest. he's intensely and entirely devoted to the things that matter to him and for so long it was only him, bolin, and ensuring their survival — yet by the end, that devotion has expanded to protecting the rest of the world. he starts out entirely self-reliant and ends in trusting the people he cares about to know their own needs, to be able to take care of themselves, to be okay without him despite having spent so much of his life defined by his role in others' well-being.

just. what the fuck i'm such a big fan of this fictional guy and i'm unashamed about it at this point. also let him cry please (if you won't i'll do it i'll let him cry)

Even as theories, they look too weak imo. Just because Mikage had a crush on Izaya it means she has a chance with him? I will always have special feelings for my ex-lovers or crushes, doesn't mean I still have a chance with them or I'd want to. Mikage moved on and turned those feels into something else. He tolerates him as a human being, so...? That's not something that mindblowing. Their past together... not as lovers. She had a crush, he involved her in some shit like he did with many (1)

other people. The novels just imply she had a crush on him, not that they were ex-lovers. No one ever said anything like that, the rape thing was just a bad taste sexual joke in Narita style (that could’ve been avoided). Idk, nothing of this is too deep or life changing for Izaya. I don’s ship anything with him because I’m not looking for that kind of resolution for his character. I want him to stand up from that damn chair, get physical and psychological therapy and find happiness within himself. The rest as in an hypothetical situation were he finds a love interest should stay out of canon because it’s not really necessary for him (or for anyone else really, but Narita just had to pair everyone up, ugh). If I have to be completely honest, many of Izaya’s relationships (some more than others and sorry but there is nothing really unique in Izaya and Mikage), if properly developed, would have a great potential as romantic ships, the problem is the will of the author and that is gonna be the most wasted potential of all times. Judging by the way Narita chooses his canon pairings and how all of them are so boring and uninteresting, I’m not surprised that he won’t be able to see quality stuff where it is. And yeah, I’m specifically talking about Shinzaya, Shizaya and Izamika (as in Izaya x Mikado). The relationships that had most impact in Izaya’s life and where some behaviors, even toxic ones, can be easily seen as something else. Sorry, but people like Mikage, Kida, Namie, Shiki don’t seem to have a mindblowing influence in Izaya’s existence and life choices. It’d made more sense for him to end up with someone who turned upside down his world, that had a huge impact on his actions and mindset rather than with one who doesn’t have such a big role. I repeat no ship should turn canon, it’s not needed and btw I’m not looking for romance for Izaya, he doesn’t even need a lover in canon, but personal resolution… and possibly a cat u.u (5)

…

“She tolerates him as a human being, so…? That’s not something that mindblowing. Their past together… not as lovers. She had a crush, he involved her in some shit like he did with many”

None of us, not even you, know the extent of what happened between Izaya and Mikage. I mean Izaya got Shinra involved in shit and stabbed, but there was a lot more to it than just that when the truth came out. I personally believe Narita must be keeping Izaya’s and Mikage’s past from us for a pretty big reason, and there’s no telling for sure just how vital/important Mikage actually is to Izaya, but I personally like to believe that Izaya probably does care for her in some sense.

“the rape thing was just a bad taste sexual joke in Narita style (that could’ve been avoided)”

Well, at least we agree on that much, because honestly, I refuse to believe Izaya would ever do such a thing and I’m glad that he at least says that he didn’t secondhand her/have sex with her against her own will.

“Mikage moved on and turned those feels into something else.”

- First off, that’s your theory just as much as her still having feelings for him is mine. There’s no way to prove that she doesn’t. Even when Izaya says she probably hates him, she never once confirms that she doesn’t have feelings for him, but instead calls him addictive, instead states that she has fondness for his fair nature in comparison to others who are superficial; instead says that his “poison” “helped” her even if it hurt others. 

We still don’t even know what Izaya’s past is, we still don’t know their whole story, so none of us can say anything for sure.

“Sorry, but people like Mikage, Kida, Namie, Shiki don’t seem to have a mindblowing influence in Izaya’s existence and life choices.“

I won’t deny the others, but, again, given that Mikage’s and Izaya’s past has remained a secret for a long time, there’s no telling for sure, how influential Mikage is or was over Izaya’s development or just what happened between them. That’s you assuming Izaya’s feelings and thoughts, even though Narita rarely ever has Izaya’s thoughts on certain individuals in a direct way.

“I’m not surprised that he won’t be able to see quality stuff where it is. And yeah, I’m specifically talking about Shinzaya, Shizaya and Izamika (as in Izaya x Mikado)“ 

Excuse me, but just a minute ago you were saying you ship him with nobody but himself, yet now you’re turning around and naming off pairings just to put down my ship which has a much smaller fanbase and is easily targeted by the bigger fanbases. Quite frankly, I think that’s petty of you to even bring up. 

You were saying that Izaya is better off alone, but then you brought up ships, saying that Narita should have acknowledged the potential of those pairings. You’re countering your original point, anon, by even saying the author himself doesn’t know “quality” pairings and that there are people Izaya would be good with. I ship Shizaya and especially Shinzaya, and slightly IzaMika, so I’m not saying this as an anti or in any attempt to bash these pairings, but I am the type who acknowledges flaws in these pairings,  and since you’re going out of the way to put down my theories and pairings and basically trying to say my theories, which I’ve put a lot of hard work into writing down in the past, is meaningless, I’m going to point out some of your logic flaws.

If we’re being completely factual, I think I should mention that Narita basically said on twitter that Izaya is not gay and has a normal sex drive, so all malexmale pairings with Izaya, I guess, is automatically counted as unrealistic, but if we look beyond that and want to get into more depth.

1. Unlike ShinraxCelty, MikadoxAnri, MasaomixSaki, KasukaxRuri and all the mutual canon pairings in Durarara!!, Shizaya would be abusive as hell, and for somebody who is saying stuff like “I will always have special feelings for my ex-lovers or crushes, doesn’t mean I still have a chance with them or I’d want to.” and fussing at me for supposedly trying to turn something into something it’s not, you’re sure making a SWELL point, given that Shizuo and Izaya literally hate each others’ guts and hates every single thing about the other, versus Mikage, who is implied to have had feelings for Izaya, and Izaya who was stated to be physically attracted to her, and both loving/admiring certain traits about the other’s personality/character, actually showing some kind of interest in one another, 

Shizuo and Izaya shows no physical or emotional interest in each other, and they only bring out the worst in one another, where as with all the other pairings, (Like Shinra with Celty, or Ruri with Kasuka) they bring out the humanity and kindness in one another, despite how twisted they are, and if we’re going on about rare pairings, honestly ShizuoxCelty or ShizuoxVorona would be less toxic than Shizaya(Not that I’m really into Shizurona too much). 

(What really bugs me is when some people here on tumblr twists canon out of proportion to the point of trying to portray Izaya’s hate for Shizuo as love and say it literally IS canon(it’s fine to ship them, I do, but I acknowledge that their relationship would not be quality for the story.) You have no clue how painful it can be to hate another person and to put two people like that together would be just wrong on so many levels in canon). I don’t see potential for them as a canon pairing, because, in canon, their dynamic is much better as a rivalry as Narita has outright stated it is in tweets. There is no subtext to back it up as a canon pairing, because they only hate. 

2. Shinzaya was my first OTP in this series because I absolutely LOVE their dynamic, but even I have to admit it is better as friendship and an unrequited thing only for canon, since Shinra is kind of an asshole to Izaya.(Though I hope Izaya comes back and mends his friendship with Shinra)

3. IzaMika is a little… odd because of the age difference, but I admit their friendship definitely has a LOT of potential to become something, given that Narita has said that Mikado is the only one that Izaya has contacted since leaving Ikebukuro or something.

“I repeat no ship should turn canon, it’s not needed and btw I’m not looking for romance for Izaya, he doesn’t even need a lover in canon, but personal resolution… and possibly a cat u.u”

Fair enough, I just want Izaya to be happy with or without a lover. And YES, Izaya should get a cat! x3