#also? feels like this is what happened to beast mori

[yarrayora]

i like it when stories go "this person has done irredeemable, unforgivable things, but they want to change and do better, so not even their victims have the right to deny that"

[asofspades]

I've seen a lot of people trying to get into the BSD light Novels and quite frankly you can read them in order but I do have a recommendation about the order I think makes more sense chronologically regarding the story.

So:

1. LN 3. The Untold Origins of the Armed Detective Agency.

2. LN 1. Osamu Dazai's Entrance Exam.

These two take place prior to the beginning of the main timeline and are actually a great way of understanding Ranpo and the partnership between Dazai and Kunikida (also recommend LN 1 to anime only watchers because they mixed the first chapters of the manga with Dazai's entrance exam which takes place 2 years prior to the manga and they royally screwed up on Kunikida's characterisation by doing that)

3. LN 7. Dazai, Chuuya, Age Fifteen

(the manga was good but I feel like you might understand Dazai and Chūya's dynamic and the difference of their relationship to both Mori and the Mafia once you read this)

4. LN 8. Stormbringer

(you might actually understand Chūya as a character after you read this one, dives a bit deeper into his relationship with Dazai, explains who Verlaine actually is and talks about stuff that's mentioned afterwards in the manga, like singularities)

5. LN 9. The Day I Picked up Dazai side A

(this happens at some point between LN 7 and LN 2, and helps you understand Dazai and Oda's relationship prior to reading LN 2, how Oda ended up in the Mafia and also a bit more dive into Dazai's character)

6. LN 2. Osamu Dazai and The Dark Era

(better than shown in the anime, allows you to see how Oda sees Dazai since it's written from his pov, a good dive into Dazai's character while in the mafia and why he actually left )

Once you finish The Guild arc

7. LN 4. 55 Minutes

8. LN 5. Dead Apple

(so, the first one is a bit crazy but actually dives a lot into Atsushi's character, explains weird phenomena in BSD regarding singularities and how Dazai isn't affected by certain abilities even without touch, how Yosano can actually use her ability on Dazai and I find it quite interesting, HG Wells is an interesting character as well)

(Dead Apple is entertaining and dives once again into characters and their abilities but also explains weird singularities again, also the bond between Dazai and Chūya, it also gets a bit weird towards the end in regards to things happening that might be hard to understand but the rest is easier to understand than in the movie adaptation)

9. LN 9. The Day I Picked up Dazai side B

(it's set in the alternate universe of LN 6. Beast and a great point to understand Dazai's actions and motivations in said light novel)

10. LN 6. Beast

(it should come with a warning that it's going to ruin your mental health for a while, an alternate universe of BSD, brings in the Book so you might one to read this during/after the cannibalism arc because it kind of explains a bit what the book does or how it kind of works, definitely needs a bit more explaining but it is good info before starting with the vampirism arc and all that stuff, the book is important and there's talk about singularities again. It's also cool to see how the same characters adapt to a different lifestyle, Akutagawa in the ADA, Atsushi in the PM, kyouka in the PM but with Atsushi, Dazai if he stayed in the PM, the ending will fully rip your heart out if the rest of the novel hasn't done it before that and I really recommend the manga adaptation of it because the art style is *chef's kiss* and heart wrenching)

Done with my rant now, you can still read them in their publishing order this is just my recommendation. Also, LN 9 is not out on paper yet and I think we only have fan translations online but it is definitely worth it, @popopretty has a really good translation of it.

And LN 7 is getting a manga adaptation which is also looking really good so you can check it out.

LN 5 has a manga adaptation as well as being a film and this one is not written by Asagiri but is still canon so you have that.

[merriclo]

i know he’s a controversial character, but one thing i truly hope we see before BSD ends is a backstory for Jun’ichirō Tanizaki. it’s been said many times before and by many other people, but it really is one of the points i want to understand more.

obviously, both of the Tanizakis are rather mysterious in the grand scheme of things, with no backstory aside from being students, and.. this weird excerpt from the Untold Origins light novel.

(context: the members of the Agency are discussing ideas for Atsushi’s entrance exam.)

“Democratically, huh?” Yosano raised an eyebrow. “How about we do the same thing we did for Tanizaki? How’s that?”

Yosano glanced in Tanizaki’s direction, and he instantly turned pale, shaking his head.

“I—I don’t ever…want to be reminded of that again.”

When Tanizaki was new, he had to pass what could be called a very harsh entrance exam. However, it was so harsh that all of Tanizaki’s memories of that day ended up buried deep in his subconscious. Remembering what happened would only bring underlying trauma up to the surface.

his entrance exam was so harsh and genuinely traumatizing that any and all memories of it were pushed into the deep recesses of his own mind.

and, granted, a harsh entrance exam isn’t exactly new for the Agency. Kyouka barely didn’t die, Atsushi fully thought he was, and Dazai’s was over an act of domestic terrorism. but none of them were so traumatized that their own mind refused to acknowledge it. and despite all of this, Jun’ichirō describes himself as more of an assistant at the Agency, not an actual detective.

he’s also able to?? casually fly a helicopter??? it makes sense, given his natural aptitude for reconnaissance and stealth missions (see: his ability Light Snow, his adaptability, and his skill as an actor.) he’s not exactly confident in his flying skills (literally being called the “wimpiest in the east” by the manga,) but he’s good enough to be trusted with discreetly flying Atsushi up to the Moby Dick, a risky and essential part of the plan to take down The Guild.

we know that Jun’ichirō is a competent and useful member of the Agency, and it’s clear that the others think so as well. but he’s constantly putting himself down, describing himself as average and using his own supposed mediocrity as a way to make Atsushi feel better about himself.

his fears and self-doubt seem to nearly vanish entirely, however, when someone he cares for is put in harms way. we see this first when Naomi is shot by Higuchi, and later on when he hears of how Atsushi attacked Naomi and Haruno while under Yumeno’s ability. it’s also displayed when he manages to almost assassinate Mori during the Cannibalism Arc (a moment that is not talked about enough as it should be.) and, most recently, we see him freak out after the death of Kunikida, threatening to rip an actual God limb from limb.

this is also seen heavily in the Beast universe. (minor Beast spoilers ahead!! skip this paragraph if you don’t want them!!) Jun’ichirō is the first to fully support Akutagawa’s pursuit of his sister, and even tells him to abandon all morals and forget about his place in the Agency should his sister’s life ever be threatened. he’s also the one who follows Akutagawa into the Port Mafia headquarters, and the one to guard Kyōka’s unconscious body while he waits for Demon Snow to potentially assassinate her. Jun’ichirō even says “[Akutagawa] and I are similar.” after seeing all of his violent outbursts and reckless behavior.

his moral code is genuinely fascinating to me: he won’t hesitate to act in a way that’s commonly seen as immoral, so long as it preserves the Agency. he’ll stop at nothing to ensure the safety of those he loves, not even at his own death. considering this, in terms of reputation and completing their overall goal, Jun’ichirō is honestly kind of a liability to the Agency.

and that’s. honestly all we really know?

it seems like a lot, especially when i’ve rambled on for this long, but it’s really just five things: he has a sister, he was a student before he was a member of the Agency, his entrance exam was incredibly traumatic, he has self-confidence issues, and his morals are rather gray. again, five things.

almost every other member of the Agency has an extensive backstory. Kunikida’s is still rather unknown, but even then we have a good idea of what he was doing prior to Atsushi joining the Agency.

we know nothing about Jun’ichirō. i really do hope that we get to learn about his entrance exam, as well as what made him, and his sister by proxy, the way they are.

[thelesbododo]

I'm bored so here's so some random bsd thoughts

- Almost anyone who was stabbed in the recent chapters isn't actually dead, the only actually dead character being Bram. I have nothing to support this idea other than the fact that Asagiri is allergic to killing off characters

- Dazai's character bothers me in so many ways. What's his backstory before the mafia? Why does he wear the bandages? What is his connection to the book? Why is he able to break the fourth wall? What else does he know that we don't? He's clearly meant to be the character that keeps you wanting to know more, but how long is it going to take before we do know more? I have a feeling many of our questions about him won't be answered, and that just makes him more intriguing

- I had this weird idea yesterday that maybe Dazai was already dead or smth and the reason that abilities didn't work on him and the reason he can't die is because his ability developed right as he was dying bringing him back from the dead, leaving him feeling detached from humans and preventing abilities from harming him. I doubt that's the b case, but it would make for an interesting au

- Has our Dazai also created a singularity with the book that we don't know about, or is it just Beast Dazai

- What else is Sigma going to learn while going through Fyodor's memories?

-How tf is the PM deal supposed to happen if all of the ADA are dead or MIA? It can't, so what's going to happen to our Ada members? Is the deal even going to happen? If Mori's still alive, it probably will, so maybe the Ada will end up ok after all

- Does anyone at the ADA actually know how close Dazai was to Mori? I'm assuming Ranpo and Fukuzawa have the chance to but like what about Yosano? Do they know about the whole Demon Prodigy thing? If the PM deal does go down and Dazai gets picked I hope mori drops this on everyone at the Ada like a ton of bricks. I think it would be interesting to know that they saved one of Mori's old apprentices but then accidentally gave him access to another.

- How tf is Agatha Christie going to make this worse than it is

- Is verlaine finally going to show up?

[originalaccountname]

To that last ask you god, I've been reading Mori Ougai's "Maihime", or "The Dancing Girl", where Elise's name is taken from.

The role of Elise in that story, both as the love interest as well as a form of escapism to the main character, is to shake his worldview. He "falls" for her tenacity, her drive, that idea of freedom and grit she presents to him, that idea of rebellion against what others or society deems she should do.

As a character, her role is more consequent to his life than he is himself, as a person that feels beholden to his responsabilities and his duties, struggling with cultural identity and figuring out what he wants to do, over what he needs to do.

He teaches her things that someone of her social standing wouldn't be able to learn, and in exchange, she completely changes his outlook on life.

The story ends with the main character abandoning her, after a while of bliss, to go back to his duties to his family and the people that supported his journey, leaving her alone and pregnant, suffering for the sake of his responsabilities, of him choosing what he thinks is right over the feelings and admiration he has for her.

This is just speculation, but I personally think that, "Vita Sexualis" as an ability doesn't create anything actually sentient, and everything is a form subcounciously formed by Mori's feelings.

With that in mind, I feel like Asagiri made of Yosano the "Elise" of BSD Mori Ougai, in that she impacts him and his outlook on life a lot, inspires him, but despite his own misgivings with his behavior, he still had to hurt her for what he deemed necessary for the war.

After everything is said and done, he'd project the attitude and drive that impressed him so much onto Elise, perhaps not even noticing that. Before that, she only had of "Elise" the name and appearance, and after that meeting, she also had the substance to the character.

She couldn't have been that way from the very beginning in the setting created by Asagiri, so he had to find someone to inspire this change in "Elise", and used Yosano's character.

This is all just my interpretation of it tho. I still haven't found an english translation of the novel, so I can't really compare it with the one I have, so I may be wrong but I think it makes sense, you know? Just probably take away the romantic edge of the relation in the book that was more of a case of idolization and escapism.

I completely forgot to bring up where "Elise" came from! I only have surface-level knowledge of The Dancing Girl so I can't really talk on it more than you already did.

Anon's question was whether Elise was purposefully modeled after Yosano by Mori, so I think the "well, maybe!" answer I gave holds regardless. I personally prefer Elise's personality/age to be happening despite Mori, to be something he has no control over and shows his own wants. I think it being outside of his power in fun, especially in the context of BEAST.

[buthowboutno]

ONE YEAR OF "AND THEY WERE LAB PARTNERS" ✨✨✨

Thank you to everyone who participated in the one year anniversary poll!! I still maintain that it would be funny as /fuck/ to just delete “And They Were Lab Partners” in a memento mori fashion, but alas; Only one person voted for it.

Cowards /j

In any case, the majority voted for the behind the scenes stuff, so here we are! The tidbits of how ATWLP turned into the fucking beast it is.

I would like to personally blame @morning-sun-brah , @hitechlatte, and @ordin-arily for being such big inspirations in this corner of the fandom. You guys are amazing and I probably wouldn't be where I am today without your works.

Shout out to all my losers in the backrooms for keeping me going and being such terrible influences. You are all responsible for the horrors that have been unleashed. A solid third of my content exists because of your sins /aff. 

@beckerboopin is the best beta anyone could ask for and has only brought this story up to the next level. I would die for you becks <3

Also @betyoudidntcthatcoming-blog is the love of my life that I only met ‘cause of this fic or whatever. They’re pretty neat. I guess. :p

ANYWAYS, /CONTENT/

(Major Spoilers Ahead Pre-Chapter 23)

—

I would like to remind everyone that ATWLP was only supposed to be 50k words. You can still witness my naivety in the notes of “Pudge ‘Preciation.” 

How… simple those times were. 

How I so firmly believed the idiots would be kissing by chapter 16. How a projected word count of 150k words seemed unfathomable for a single work, much less a work with multiple published and planned companion pieces.

Crazy. (I was crazy once.)

There was a lot of ATWLP that ended up getting scrapped as I got further into the story. The idiots had a lot of opinions and tugged at me a few different ways as I got to know them better. (aka they wouldn’t listen to me when I told them to fucking kiss already.)

Anyways, some of the few major structural changes:

Casey was originally supposed to reveal that he knew Sweet’s in the bad timeline during the “Intro to Sparring” chapter. That chapter was also originally slotted to happen /before/ the kidnapping debacle, but it just so happened to fit in better later

The stage kiss from “Hit the Club” was going to be in the Nerd Prom chapter. It felt too corny at the time (and lowkey still feels corny) so I put that in my pocket for later. For as much as y’all yelled at me for it, it barely made the final cut lmao.

The way the idiots are going to confess to each other is a COMPLETE 180 from how I planned the story from the beginning, which was already entirely different from the first idea for this fic. I wrote a whole ass chapter about an accidental kiss being the tipping point of them positively macking on each other, which I did end up cutting into convenient pieces for other stuff. (I PUT A PART OF IT DOWN BELOW)

Sweets was going to be kidnapped twice and the whole Purple Dragons debacle was going to be drawn out more. There was a lot more action planned than slice of life content at ATWLP’s conception. For better or for worse, this is where the story led us.

Donnie’s mating season wasn’t going to be as involved in the story, if in it at all. I grew to be hornier and less ashamed. You’re welcome.

The first title for this fic was “Lab Rat: a Story of Nerds Falling in Love.” For the life of me I cannot remember what compelled me to change it, but holy shit am I glad I did.

I was going to use (y/n) in this fic. No hate to those who do, but stylistically I’m pretty happy with not doing that.

And because I have no control over the idiots, quick rundown of the chapters that weren’t supposed to happen.

Kart Conflict

The Christmas Issue

The Recovery: Day Two 

Valentine’s Day Episode

Hit the Club

Aquarium? Hardly Know ‘Em

****Pool Excursion

****Beach Episodes

****honestly just like the entire endgame of this fic

All the ficlets/ alternate POV’s

All the smut! I still have it written down in my original notes that ATWLP was gonna be completely PG lmao. Once again y’all have @morning-sun-brah and her fucking fabulous fics to blame for that

The Valentines’ and aquarium chapters are COMPLETELY different than how I had originally planned, even with being forced to include them in my chart. The Valentine’s day plans that the brothers had “ditched” with Sweets was the og plot for the chapter. The aquarium chapter was supposed to be a rooftop picnic with feels~~, no aquarium even fucking mentioned in my outline.

I don’t have much control over what happens tbh. I am praying that the 37 planned chapters will be the final chapters. 

We’ll…. we’ll just have to see how that turns out.

The scrapped plots as a little treat for y’all <3 ~~~

Cut Stage Kiss (after the lift in Nerd Prom)

You leaned closer to Donnie’s face, intent on screeching in his ear for pulling that stunt.

“Kiss them already!” May yelled from the inner edge of the crowd. You turned bright red, blinking at her. You shook your head at her, but the crowd started to catch onto the idea. 

“Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!”

Donnie laughed, a little incredulous. He leaned in close to your ear, whispering, “Theatre kid protocol?”

You nodded in agreement, allowing him to put a hand to your face. He leans into your mouth, making the crowd go wild. You giggle against the thumb separating your lips, smiling against it. Donnie pulled away from you with a dramatic ‘mwah’. You threw your head back, fully laughing as Donnie lifted you up from the dip. 

First Valentine’s Day Outline

The final four move to the living room

Sweets: “We’re making friendship bracelets while we watch the most romantic movie of all time.”

Raph: “Shrek 2!”

Donnie: “This is ridiculous”

Sweets: “This holiday is ridiculous, now pick out your five favourite colors of embroidery floss”

Donnie: “....Fine."

Donnie is actually terrible at making bracelets lmao while mikey has wristfuls of them

Donnie: “I don’t understand! I’m following the blueprints exactly!”

Mikey: “The... instructions?”

Donnie: “Whatever! How are you making those so fast? You don’t even have that many friends!”

Mikey: “Physical therapy is a hell of a time, my brother.”

Sweets: “Is Donnie being ableist again?”

Mikey: “I do believe he is.”

Donnie: “I am autistic!”

Sweets: “Bless you.”

ORIGINAL CONFESSION

And it all starts like most things in your life do: a silly mistake.

“Donnie,” you whined. You were working on your physics homework at his desk while he was soldering a new motherboard for the Turtle Tank’s controls.

“Little pest,” he mimicked your tone without looking up. He kept on soldering as you stared at him, not a care in the world. 

“Would you be so kind as to look over my work for this problem? I’m following the steps but I’m not getting the right answer.”

“Mmm,” Donnie said. At that moment, a spark flew from his project and caught his exposed cheek. He flinched back, dropping his wire and soldering rod on the table and rubbing his face. You batted your eyes at him while he scowled. 

“I don’t know how, but I blame you for that.”

“I would *never*,” you teased. You pushed your chair to the side a bit so Donnie could stand next to you. 

He moved his goggles to his head and put his left arm over the back of your chair, leaning over you. He parsed through your work for a minute and tilted his head down to tell you what you needed to fix.

It just so happened that you tilted your head up to ask him a question at the same time, the two of you meeting in the middle with a kiss. 

Well, it wasn’t so much of a kiss as it was the two of you accidentally brushing your lips together for a moment. Seconds, almost nothing at all. 

But the way that Donnie looked at you when the two of you jumped apart…

That…that wasn’t nothing. 

You could almost laugh at the ridiculousness of this situation. You could’ve cracked a joke, played up your ridiculous game of pet names and intellectual bravado. 

(To be honest, you almost did.)

But then you thought about the way Donnie’s lips felt against yours. You thought about the way you’d dream of that moment and then proceed to do everything in your power to banish those thoughts away. Your mouth hung open slightly as you looked up at him, trying to will yourself to do anything, anything at all.

Donnie ended up making that decision for you. That oh, so familiar churring started emanating from his chest. He took your face in his hands, looking into your eyes for just a hint of confirmation before leaning in for a real kiss.

Oh.

*Oh*.

(Yeah, you could get used to this.)

There was nothing more you could do than press yourself against him, against his touch. You felt him smiling into the kiss, pressing you down into the chair. 

Donnie was *everywhere*, like he was trying to encompass you. His hand moved to your hair, the other to your hip. You smiled when you remembered his adoration for your love-handles all that time ago. You traced along his plastron, making nonsense shapes and mapping out every scar.

He was so responsive. The chirring increased tenfold for every touch to his chest, every soft bite you gave his lips. You recalled all the times he would make noises from you touching along his shell. You pressed your hands fully against him, doing your best to draw out more and more of those sounds.

What Donnie lacked in experience he made up for in enthusiasm. He followed your lead, matching your pace every step of the way. You licked along the seam of his lips, gasping as his mouth opened for you. Donnie’s tongue against yours was tentative, shy even. You did everything in your power to ease Donnie into deepening the kiss. 

When he moved from your lips and started kissing down your throat, your soul could have left your body right there. He was so…*gentle*. 

Donnie always has been. From when he was slinging his arms around you to kicking your ass in sparring, Donnie has never failed to treat you with care and reverence. 

You feel it now, with every soft bite he gives you, every gentle peck behind your ear.

Donnie pulled away from you after what felt like decades. (Never enough, it would never be enough.) You leaned forward after him, trying to close the space he was creating. He looked bashful.

“This might be the proper time to tell you that I have a massive crush on you,” Donnie said. His face was fraught with nervous determination. 

“Yeah, no fucking shit,” you said. You stood up from the chair and used your body to push Donnie against the desk. You wrapped your arms around his shoulders, pulling him down to your height.

“I’ve been wanting to kiss you for forever, can we get on with it?” you said, looking into his eyes. Donnie turned bright red.

“But– you? Do you?” Donnie stammered a bit.

“Donnie,” you deadpanned, crowding into his space, “I’ve had a crush on you for a year, thanks for noticing. Will you *please* lean your face down a bit so I can reach it?” 

Donnie looked at you a bit incredulously, like you were a problem he didn’t know how to solve yet. He made quite a picture, all red faced and calculating with a dumb half-smile while he looked at you. But, giving in, he put his arms around you and leaned in to kiss you again.

“Aye, aye, captain.”

You smiled into the kiss, humming with contentment.

He likes you.

He likes you.

—

Aaaaand some random headcanons because I love you guys and I am truly so thankful to this kickass community <3 I truly do not know where I would be without the support y’all have given me.

Donnie has a hella oral fixation

NOT IN A KINKY WAY (most of the time) But as an autist, Donnie do be biting

One of his biggest shows of trust if he bites you while just chilling

Like if donnie is big spoon, he just nom on a shoulder and stay there chillin

Or if reader is body pillow, he’ll lean around and bite their bicep

Good sensations

Donnie draws on eyebrows every day, he for sure would be very good at doing intricate makeup on reader

Gently holds their chin up, concentrated as hell while reader blushes like mad

Donnie keeps getting banned off of roblox

Didn’t matter tbh, he knew how to hack into it to get his account reinstated

Also makes money off of roblox??

never explains to Sweets, very suspicious

Sweets likes to kiss along donnie’s neck/where his battle shell usually sits

The word here is reverence

Donnie is egotistical, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have insecurities about being a mutant turtle and you being a human

Lots of tracing along his arms, his face, his shell

Donnie likes his coffee to be half coffee, half milk to cut down on bitterness. Sweets is a tea drinker normally, but opts for coffee when they can’t focus (which ends up being most of the semester).

Sweets drinks black coffee when they’re on the struggle bus

To quote them, “Black coffee can’t hurt me more than Calc II already has”

But they prefer two creamers and two sugars when they have it in their dorm.

That’s all, congrats on making it to the bottom of this long ass post lmao <3

[asagirisfavpen]

Let's talk a bit about Beast. Dazai fixed everything, right? He saved Odasaku. He gave everyone happiness. He saved the others. He even deleted the thing with the Azure King so Kunikida won't be traumatized anymore. He even made Mori not a pedophile!

But what about Chuuya? I've read the manga 2 times and watched the movie 3 times. But I can't see what he did to give Chuuya a happy ending. In the movie he even made it worse!

He didn't stop the Sheep from betraying him, he didn't stop Chuuya from joining the Mafia. He didn't even make him taller!

But what if Dazai did give Chuuya some happiness in Beast? What if he made sure some certain friends of his don't die? What if he saved the Flags too? If Odasaku can be saved then so can the Flags, right?

Maybe in Beast they didn't die. They continued living, being Mafia's elite.

Pianoman is an executive now. And after Dazai kills himself he's the one to become the boss. He's just the most fitted for it. He was kinda close to Atushi too, trying to help him when Atsushi was feeling down.

Lippmann is still enjoying his acting career, while negotiating for the Mafia. He's the one Dazai sends to negotiations when he knows the ADA will be involved. Ranpo is very found of him, being one of the few people Ranpo considers smart. He can't wait to become an executive. He still asks Chuuya from time to time to drop the mafioso career to join him on the set. He's close to Gin, since both of them are often around Dazai. He thinks she's very intelligent and nice. And he doesn't know who her brother is, but he thinks Akutagawa is stupid for abandoning her.

Albatross is still the annoying upstairs neighbor to Chuuya and his drinking buddy and best friend. He can't take Chuuya on spontaneous adventures anymore, but that won't stop him from showing up at Chuuya's office from time to time to "kidnap" him and take him drinking. He's also close to Atsushi. After all, he had to drive him around a lot since not any driver can take the Withe Reaper to his destination. He knows what Atsushi's going through and he invites him drinking sometimes, telling him he has friends. That there's someone that's there for him, not just Dazai's missions.

Doc is leading the underground doctors and he's a bit disappointed that Mori is no longer the Boss. Every single time Atsushi gets knocked out and his ability doesn't work/takes longer to heal he ends up on Doc's table. Just like Yosano, he finds his ability very interesting. He's fascinated by how Byakko is negates wounds. Doesn't heal them, it negates them.

Iceman's Mafia's best hit man. He's trained Kyouka (Verlaine didn't happen 😊) and he knows how much she hates the Mafia. He's not very good with people, but he's trying his best to help her feel better. He also trained Tachihara, who reminds him of Chuuya for some reason.

And Chuuya has his friends. He knows he can relay on them anytime. He knows they're safe. And he can't explain how, but he knows he's lost them before. So he's happy they're there for him. They all hang out often. He sometimes complains to them about Dazai and his stupid schemes. Sometimes they just fool around. Sometimes Atsushi and Gin join them and have fun together.

And when Dazai dies, Atsushi and Kyouka leave and Gin disappears, Chuuya still has the Flags. They make sure Atsushi and Kyouka are good at the Orphanage, checking up on them and even visiting sometimes. They're worried for Gin, but they know she's capable of taking care of herself.

They hang out less now that Pinaoman is the Boss, but now Albatross can take Chuuya on crazy adventures again. And Lippmann is trying more than ever to make Chuuya become an actor or a photo model.

[thankshermin]

About Beast!Dazai and His Strategies Backfiring

It backfired so bad he ended up offing himself so I have to talk about it a little. I might be a little biased because I've been crying to Beast for like two years now and I can't be consoled.

Look... Beast!Dazai makes me want to cry hysterically, just like most things about Beast, but one thing especially strikes. 

Literally, NO ONE liked him and that was not what he wanted, at all he was not cool with this but there was nothing he could do about it.

He did every little shitty thing purely out of his selfish wishes– he wanted to be loved, particularly by Oda. So he thought he could do whatever he wanted because he knew he had/has people who cared/cares about him in the other universes. He was paying special attention to Oda because they couldn’t be both alive and well and friends in any other universe. He thought that the other bonds he had with other people would just happen someday and that it was a package deal. 

But he did NOT put any effort into that. Therefore, no one likes him. In fact, I'd say lots of characters dislike Beast!Dazai strongly. 

(and I can't even blame them because Dazai was an asshole for the whole light novel,,, if you want people to care about you YOU have to show them that, Dazai, I'm sorry no one taught you that you are so tragically unaware of everything it makes me sad) 

Still... he didn’t want it to turn that way. The thing I'd like to see more people mentioning is the fact that Beast!Dazai is a very emotionally driven character. He might be the Boss of the Mafia but that doesn't automatically mean he can't be highly emotional. He acted the way he did because he tried to pursue something he wanted, not because it was necessary for the Port Mafia. 

...Says the Boss himself.

While the mafia is obviously powerful as hell in Beast, it is still sad because... well, still no one likes the boss so what is even the point of being the leader. (I’m aware Mori is also not loved among most of the characters but it’s not his turn yet so just ignore him.) 

And I’m always telling people this but what makes me like (canon) Dazai’s character is the fact that he is constantly trying. He is not the best person out there but hey he is improving, okay? And that’s what matters to me. I love it when characters show development, whether it’s towards the good or bad side. 

What draws the line between Canon and Beast Dazai’s is that Canon!Dazai has people who care about his well-being (I'm not arguing about this with anybody but just in case if you want examples; Atsushi, Kunikida, the whole ADA actually, Chuuya, Ango, even Mori and i can still go on) and that he is learning from his mistake whileBeast!Dazai had never tried to change and just did whatever he wanted and now, surprise surprise, no one likes him. 

TL;DR: I feel so bad for Beast!Dazai I wish he didn’t constantly harm those around him and instead made some friends. His small conversation at the bar with Oda speaks volumes.

He was so happy that his eyes were glowing because he finally found someone he thought would be the #1 best friend in the world (yeah how did that feel when you got a gun pointed at you, Dazai? Turns out you don't automatically become friends with the person who has a valid reason to hate you.) 

Anyway thx for reading my rambling I have to go back to study biology for now.

[erosauriarts]

Hello

There is not enough BEAST sskk or Kunisig/Kunima ((Kunikida x Sigma)) would you create some for the starving fans

I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU ON THE SSKK BEAST OMLLLLLLLL.

BEAST SSKK AND KUNISIG HCs

SSKK Beast Headcanons!!

Aku confessed first but it sounded more of a mission. Atsushi misunderstood and took it way too seriously. When Aku was able to find the correct words, Atsushi nearly imploded from embarrassment.

Atsushi love language is touch and acts of service. He does that thing that cats do and keeps giving Aku dead birds. Aku tells him to stop, it makes people uncomfortable, Atsushi misunderstood and started bringing live birds.

Aku likes to holds hands a lot. Atsushi assumes its because he’s clingey, but it’s actually because his hands are freezing. Atsushi is a little portable heater, and Aku just attaches to him like hair to a balloon.

Atsushi and Aku have no idea how money actually works. They keep trying to pay for shit with things and it gets them in trouble. Atsushi however manages to get things this way, and Aku doesn’t know what he’s doing wrong.

Aku convinces Mori to allow him to take Atsushi to the farmlands. Atsushi keeps threatening to eat the cow if someone tells him to leave Aku’s side. (He won’t, but that is one less cow lol)

Aku sleeps in wierd ass spots, usually up high. Atsushi finds him, and lays on top. Example: if Aku is laying in a tree, Atsushi will lay on top and his limbs will dangle.

Atsushi won’t wear other clothes. Aku has to basically box, cheese, and string him into the shower. Atsushi is more likely to bathe if Aku does it for him. (He can do it on his own, he’s just busy and wants Aku’s attention.)

Atsushi yowls when he’s mad. Only Aku has caught him doing it, and no one believes him when he tells them the White Reaper is more catlike then they think.

After Atsushi rehabilitation at Mori’s orphanage, he can finally work at the agency. He does really well with his coworkers but won’t leave Aku’s side. Fukuzawa ends up giving up, and that's when Atsushi decides that he doesn’t need to be stuck on Aku all the time. Poor Mr. President.

Atsushi does really well with the no-harm rule. If he sees Aku fucking shit up though, he will also cause havoc.

Kunikida X Sigma Headcanons

Note: I have not considered this at all. I took a lot of time to think about how they work together.

How they got together:

Kunikida at first was not interested. He would give Sigma a look and walk off. Sigma just assumed it was because he was an ex-rat. He just focuses on becoming a detective.

Dazai makes Sigma one of his underlings and often works with Atsushi the most. In some cases, Sigma needs to work with Dazai and Kunikida. They don’t work well at first because they keep tripping over each other. They do not communicate well. Kunikida doesn’t get mad at him, though he is a little frustrated it keeps happening. After the case, Sigma offers to get to know each other a little better. Kunikida offers to do some training together to try to find a middle ground so they can work with each other effectively.

They have a good understanding of right and wrong. Sigma opens up about being manipulated and Kunikida promised him he would never. It’s against his ideals. Sigma took that seriously, and had a strong respect for Kunikida.

The training they do actually works really well. Atsushi and Sigma are able to train together. Sigma asks Kunikida more private training to try to catch up and Kunikida obliged. It was all fine till Kunikida pinned him, and they stared at each other. This was the moment they caught feelings, and Ranpo walked in. They try to explain it, but Ranpo thinks it’s funny.

They got really awkward with each other for a bit. Kunikida starts unraveling that Sigma messed up his life plan. Dazai starts picking up that Kunikida is a mess, and starts picking on him. Kunikida blows up and basically has a nervous breakdown. Confessing that he likes someone, he wants to change his ideals and plans to consider the possibility of being in a relationship. Dazai did not do the right thing, and just teased him.

Kunikida keeps running into Sigma. Literally, he can’t stop tripping into him. Sigma accuses him of doing it on purpose, but in all actuality, Kunikida is fated to trample Sigma.

Dazai figures out that those two have this fling after Sigma helped Kunikida up. He sees them staring at each other and was like “:O these bitches gay… GOOD FOR THEM” and now has a twisted obsession to get them together.

Dazai convinces Kunikida that Sigma is in trouble, and Kunikida doesn’t question that Dazai told him to get the closet. Dazai locks them in. Kunikida and Sigma realize this is a trap. Dazai had switched the doorknob, so the lock was on the other side. Sigma pouts that Dazai manipulated him again, and Kunikida comforts him. (He is so gonna beat the shit outta Dazai.) Sigma is the first to confess, and Kunikida nearly blew up. His response was just syllables, and Sigma thought it was cute. Kunikida calms down and returns the confession. They start to plan their first kiss. They end up freaking each other out because they are getting ahead of themselves. It wasn’t till the next day they were released. (Dazai forgot)

Sigma sees Kunikida stress out, and ends up just kissing him there. The nerves start to die down. After the worst of the worst got out of the way, they were making a better effort to talk. Sigma enjoyed the fact that Kunikida was a good man. Sigma didn’t keep up his guard around Kunikida and it started to become aggressively obvious.

They start officially started dating. Regardless of Kunikida’s ideal rule to never date a coworker, he can’t separate from Sigma.

Cute things they do:

Sigma is not a morning person at all. Kunikida wakes up at 6 am every day. He notices Sigma struggles to wake. He gives soft kisses on his brow and makes his coffee.

Sigma often debates Kunikida about topics. They have a lot of things in common, but Sigma thinks Kunikida tends to be self sacrificing. This is often the main topic of their debates.

Kunikida actually really likes Sigma’s hair. He loves to brush it after a bad day. Sigma doesn’t quite understand why Kunikida wants to deal with that mess but loves the attention that he gets from it.

Kunikida taught Sigma to cook. (Something Sigma is embarrassed to admit has no idea how to do). Sigma likes it when Kunikida comes up from behind him and helps him cook that way. He plays dumb, and Kunikida is actually worried he has memory problems.

Kunikida’s love language is acts of service. He loves doing Sigma’s laundry. Sigma assumes it’s because he loves being able to smell him, but Kunikida just really like laundry.

Kunikida loves to guide Sigma with a hand to his back. Sigma will get upset and lift Kunikida’s hand to his back. Kunikida found it weird at first but later found it second nature to touch Sigma’s back when he started to read Sigma’s mood.

Neither are romantic. They actually really suck at it. They try to be romantic but it ends up going really bad and they end up just spending alone time together. They work better just existing together than trying to set up the scene.

Kunikida started using pet names, and Sigma gets flustered. If Sigma starts barking at Atsushi or Dazai, Kunkida will just tell him, “Hey darling, let's not.” And Sigma is tamed. Sigma can’t say anything verbally to get Kunikida to stop lecturing Dazai. He ends up dragging Kunikida to private and kisses him. Kunikida and Sigma would come back kinda scruffed up, and returns to work.

[anticidic]

What's your ffavorite AU or version of Dazai/Chuuya/BSD? :3

oop, hello!! 👀

That's...actually really hard for me to say, because I feel like every AU/version of skk turns into total brainrot for me. I don't make the rules, the brain just makes it happen and I obsess. This got so unintentionally long I'm sorry in advance. (Hid the rest of it under a read more because wow I'll just keep going if you let me)

For versions: definitely BEAST. It's not even funny how I'll just yap in DMs or in tags about my love for BEAST, and not even just beast!skk, but all the beast versions of the characters that appear. It holds a special place in my heart because I feel like it had so much what-if potential and had the perfect amount of angst that even when I read it a third time, my eyes will still get watery knowing what the ending is. Definitely bittersweet, because I always find myself rooting for the cast by the end, but what do you mean Mori's overcome with guilt about a certain young man he failed to save and doesn't want that to happen again in Atsushi? 😭 my heart.

AUs: UH. I have major kitsunezai brainrot. Even before I started writing, I loved all the fanart of him as a kitsune (and the official art which jumpstarted it all!!) and now that I dipped my toes into writing kitsunezai, he won't leave my head. He thinks it's funny tormenting me with random scenes and ideas that I should write when I'm trying my hardest to give others things love and attention. I usually like pairing him with human!chuuya because it can offer some angst potential with a nine-tailed fox who's pretty much immortal with an actual mortal. Dazai being a lonely shut-in on a mountain lamenting a lack of human connection, Chuuya comes along, and he learns to make the best of it. It also can offer a lot of silly moments with kitsune powers like shapeshifting, illusion manipulation, foxfire, etc. so the idea of him using those to mess with Chuuya and mess with people as a whole tickles me.

Special mention for angel/demon AU that unlocked something in me after writing it. I like it for being ~scandalous~ in the same way that angel/demon!skk are still on opposite sides and supposed to despise each other because that's the name of the game, and yet. I found it hard to actually fit either of them into either angel or demon because there's cases where both of them could be either an angel or a demon. Angels aren't stereotypically benevolent, they can be mischievous, just like how demons aren't all needlessly cruel.

Also: what-if AUs like pm!boss Chuuya where it's like BEAST-adjacent but Chuuya is the boss and Dazai remains underboss. Angsty. Delicious. I mentioned once before where Chuuya would definitely make for a pretty good boss if he was the one destined to take up the role, but he's different from Mori and Dazai in how he approaches life and how he sees others. Having to make a choice that involves someone's death would be mentally taxing on him and he'd internalize that, even knowing he was making the right decisions.

[rash0mon]

reason of living: akutagawa ryūnosuke

debatably, bungou stray dogs is easily the most existentialist anime out there, as the main premise of existentialism (in a rough sense) - that reason of living is something individual to man, is an underlying compartment of the series, making it as awe-inspiring as it is. each character is seen to either have, or be striving towards finding their distinct reason for living. now, i wanted to retrospect a bit into akutagawa's character and how his reason affected him, his actions, morals - as well as how it possibly shifted (especially in recent chapters of the manga and anime episodes). keep in mind that at i am just laying down my opinion and observations of akutagawa`s character - some things may be fairly obvious, some uncertain or not matching your opinion, which is why i leave space for conclusion, theory, discussion.

pre-mafia

generally, we know little about akutagawa`s life before the mafia, other than small snippets shown throughout the main manga as well as in beast (although beast is an AU, it can still effectively aid in understanding his character in the canon universe). as akutagawa's companions were annihilated, it seemed that he had no reason to live. where, as we all probably know, this soon happened afterwards. from then on, everything changed.

mafia

after that night in the forest, akutagawa's life completely shifted - or moreso, he got a new life. his whole new reason of living being - pleasing dazai, getting validation from the person who gave his life a new meaning. exploring the relationship and dynamic between these two is a whole another post, which is why i shall keep it short. now, i would like to note that even if akutagawa has an unhealthy attachment to dazai, and is being emotionally manipulated by him - he is very much sensible of it. in fact, akutagawa is remarkably self-aware and perceptive, especially of the people around him, just more subtly, through his cold layer of stoicism. he is not the cold-blooded murderer with no sense of morality that many like to paint him as. yes, he is intently focused on achieving dazai's approval, pursuing that ideal in a way familiar to himself. he knows that it is not what is considered "right" by general moral rules, but he does not do much about it, as his reason of living would then diminish. dazai leaves him with a looming sense of inferiority, as he feels he is worthless no matter what he does, unless he is to achieve dazai's attention and approval. this sense of inferiority haunts him, and guides his recklesness and death-or-glory actions.

he sees the ethical issues in his own actions, and he knows there is a better life for him. he just doesn't pursue it. this is also portrayed well in his relationship with kyouka, which could have been yet another repetition of the abuse cycle started by mori and continued by dazai - but it was not, as kyouka found the world of light. he is even happy for her, as we can see. this is one of the few snippets where we can see his sensibility when it comes to others. when he stated "i knew a man with the same eyes as yours", referring to himself, in a way, he sees that he also could`ve found the world of light. but at that point, it seemed to be too late... or at least that is what he thought.

akutagawa doesn't hate atsushi. he sees him as a reflection of himself, himself if he had a different reason of living, if he met dazai a bit later, if he pursued the world of light. he is jealous of him in a sense, yes, but he does not blame him for the fact that he didn't get dazai's approval as many like to speculate. atsushi is the first person who challenges akutagawa's "way", philosophy of living. as he sees himself in him, he fulfills their promise of not killing anyone for 6 months... perhaps because of a faint hope for the world of light? he holds onto this even as a vampire, which shows his pure determination. and it makes me think, that he did not go and protect atsushi only because of dazai, as often speculated, due to the points stated beforehand. as dazai stated: “Akutagawa—he’s like a sword without a sheath.” Dazai grinned from ear to ear. “He’ll surely become the Mafia’s strongest skill user in the not-so-distant future, but for now he needs someone who can teach him how to put that sword away.”

perhaps, atsushi is that person for him rather than dazai.

chapter 88 and vampirism

as stated beforehand, akutagawa obviously does not go to save atsushi only due to his wish to be approved by dazai. there is something deeper underlying, and we have seen numerous times before that akutagawa genuinely cares about, and admires atsushi in the same way he admires and is happy for kyouka - although he would not admit it explicitly, of course. akutagawa fights fukuchi alongside atsushi, leaving himself in a completely vulnerable state, in a simple wish as to redeem, or prove himself in a way. to fulfill his meaning. he is in a special rush to do so even so because of his lung disease, which has a severe impact on the intensity and ruthlesness of his actions throughout entirety of the series. he lays his life down, but he does not go down without a fight. he stays true to his purpose...until his last moments.

at his last moment, in the given panel, however, something changes. we see a different vision of akutagawa. as he lets go of his coat, and is able to manifest his ability without it, i would say that his reason shifted. he states "i don't need words, but only actions", which is the most important sentence in understanding his character and development if you ask me. words being dazai`s words of approval, which he lets go of, like the coat he gave him. a new reason emerges, "actions". he does not need dazai anymore. he only needs himself, raw. this is further emphasized as his coat is lost in the sea by atsushi, who he gave it to. there is no reason to hold on to the past anymore... as a new era emerges.

a new era where akutagawa is not alive, apparently. he is a vampire. however, we can still see that he holds on to some of principles that caused him to change in the first place, such as not killing aya, and keeping the promise he and atsushi made. even when not concious of his actions and controlled by fukuchi, he still holds on to it. which leads me to believe, that there is truly hope for him. atsushi shares the same line of thought... as his perception of akutagawa gradually shifts to a positive one, which is why he wants him to snap out of his vampirism. atsushi understands akutagawa to the core, as they are two sides of the same coin. which is why he hopes for him. if possible, i wish for him to let go of the vampire curse and continue on developing his new reason of living... his new life. we can only long for that at this moment.

we have seen the gradual evolution of akutagawa's character throughout the series in terms of seeking his reason of living - something that is central to each character in bungou stray dogs. which leads me to end this post with what dazai stated to kyouka, which quite well describes his, and all of the other characters ordeals in striving to find a reason to live:

Your anguish isn’t yours alone. What should one do, when what they want to be isn’t what they’re best at? Everyone fights, searching for the correct way to live their lives. What do they seek by fighting? How ought they live? No one can say. All we have is the right to waver. Like stray dogs that have hit rock bottom.

[starlightshadowsworld]

Sorry if I ended up spamming your notifs but I looked through your dashboard cuz of that Fukuzawa post- how he could feel the bond snapping if the people he consider his subordinates died, and... never in my life have I considered that bond could've applied to Fukuchi when the guy left---

(But then it crossed my mind as I write this that idk if it's fortunate or devastating for Fukuzawa if something life-threatening happened to Ranpo because Ranpo doesn't have an ability that bonded with All Men Are Equal.)

Anyways, I love your post about Atsushi being in the mafia as part of the exchange cuz I love seeing Mori suffer.

I always define Atsushi as "light in the darkness" because in Beast, that's how he was for Kyouka (he'll always be her light).

Sorry for rambling, I should've sent you this as a message but idk if you'd feel comfy about some random acc popping in your inbox.

First off, ramble away.

I love having discussions and stuff about the stuff I talk about.

You're good, I don't mind. If you or someone else was spamming my inbox, I'd let ya know.

I do generally prefer people message me thro the asks, especially if I don't know you.

That aside and onto ur message.

I just can't get over that line of Fukuzawa saying he'd know if Kunikida had died.

That in some way he would've felt it. And I see it as a connection, as an almost physical bond between them that would've been cut.

And the idea of his connection with Fukuchi breaking. What was possibly one of the oldest connections Fukuzawa had, dissolving over time.

Fukuzawa trying to hold onto it because he still sees him as his friend. But it's broken and there's nothing he can do to get it back.

And it being so sad because Fukuzawa is used to these bonds breaking at death, but Fukuchi was lost to him long before he died.

I didn't think about Ranpo.

I think Fukuzawa sees it as both a blessing and a curse that he can't feel if Ranpo is okay.

But it's a testament to their bond that it isn't required. They trust each other so much, that it's like a sixth sense for Fukuzawa to know what Ranpo's up too.

While also knowing that if he wasn't grey before he met Ranpo, he would've definitely gone grey after meeting him.

Agreed.

Atsushi is the beast beneath the moonlight. He is the literal light in the darkness.

The idea of Kyouka envisioning the light with Atsushi as a apart of that, is gonna make me cry I love them both.

Atsushi in the Port Mafia to me is Mori being like I'm gonna corrupt you and Atsushi's like power of friendship motherfucker.

Atsushi won't go to therapy but you bet your ass he's giving everyone in the Port Mafia therapy.

Atsushi met Mori as werid ex doctor who gave him good but advice once. I think he'd be a bit... Skeptical this man is the head of the Port Mafia.

I think he'd listen to him but would think through and use that advice while following his own morals.

Like he did before.

Which is infuriating and fascinating to Mori because clearly Atsushi gets where he's coming from... He just won't do it.

Quite a juxtaposition from everyone else in the Port Mafia follows Mori without question.

But Atsushi does not.

I love the idea of his interactions with Mori are him being mostly maliciously compliant.

Like he's not outright doing something wrong but he's still pissing him off.

Something Dazai and Kunikida would've definitely taught him.

Like Mori's going on a whole spiel and Atsushi is just colouring on the floor with Elise paying him no attention.

And Mori can't say anything because Elise is so happy so he's just silently seething.

That whole Anne's Room episode and seeing these two interact for the first time, with Atsushi not knowing Mori's identity

Is just so intresting to me. More interactions between them is something I want.

That and I'd be curious to see if there was any information to do with the Port Mafia getting the bounty for Atsushi from the Guild and Fyodor.

Because yeah it could've just been for the reward, but was there more to it than that?

Or if the Headmaster had connections to the Port Mafia.

Because however small it may be, the Headmaster still made contact with the Port Mafia to sell a gun.

He's not from the area, but somehow arranged a meeting with them.

And in my opinion died very suspiciously.

I mean I personally hc that the injections the Headmaster was giving Atsushi were obtained from Mori when he was an underground doctor.

Whether that's true or not, idk but it would be intresting if Mori knew more about Atsushi than we realise.

But yeah that's just some of my thoughts.

[wildflowerteas]

hella couldn't read today cause she was busy so she's gonna catch up tomorrow🫶 despite the fact that there was one less person, I still have enough screenshots for two asks cause we can't stop yapping. in my defense im pretty sure this chapter is like 15k minimum. and you stuffed it with plot. anyway yeah part 1

IM SO SERIOUS ABOUT RESPONDING TO THESE YOU GUYS MAKE ME SO INSANE.

just going to preface by saying i seriously appreciate these so much. you're not at all obligated to send me these and I'm just really grateful that I get to see the real-time reactions to the chapters. it makes the work extra worth it. and I always have the most stupid smile on my face while I'm reading . . . seriously. tysm

*cracks knuckles* shin-soukoku being unbearable was such a fun way to start this chapter. i think because of the pace of skk in the 50s they feel too slow at times, but it's been like . . . two weeks since they got together and the 70s timeline only lasts from july to . . . october ( but don't quote me on that, since there is a plan for an epilogue ). they get more moments like this, compared to dazai and chuuya jumping forward weeks at a time. and they're so fun to write.

"the first chapter was set up where we kinda bounced from povs to avoid what atsushi was THINKING we don't know why he took the case" TALS YOU ARE CRAZY FOR NOTICING THAT. Yes. Atsushi's pov is avoided like the plague unless it's about Ryuu for a very specific reason. His past too. I think the most vulnerable he's been with the reader is during his conversation with Mori and the moment right after his dream about Brown's murder, when he's alone in his apartment. And as Stendec ( beloved and fellow writer ) mentioned in their comment about this chapter, a lot of personal details about Atsushi are glossed unless it's Ryuu noticing them ( like his watch, an Enicar ). Rori your comment "This is also a dazaism i think" is spot on.

my lips are sealed about the watch though. but you are pretty close with that BEAST connection.

CACKLING AT THE KUNIDAZAI MENTION. It definitely can be read as that! It hasn't been mentioned yet, but Sasaki Kunikida and Dazai work on cases often ( as evident by their closeness ) but that closeness didn't just come out of nowhere ( think Dazai's Entrance Exam ). No matter how much Dazai tries to deny his relationships at the precinct, they're real ( as seen with his hesitance and the fact that he has yet to report Tachihara to Mori ).

ohhhhughhgf this case. the formatting of these transcripts is also a detail i really liked sorting out. the ones from the interlude chapter are in a more modern format ( late 60s onward i believe, I don't remember the exact year the switch was made ). so formatting this case as it would have been back in the 50s was fun! extra details are always fun!

omg i'm so sorry the wording about goldman was off. no canon murders are reported in the six months between De la Mare and Goldman, but all the non-canons happened before Chuuya!

Hella you are missed. I hope she sees this and knows that I started watching ATLA and BNHA ( again) because of her posts. I'm gearing up to consume taob content.

[youroriginalsublimecupcakestuff]

Bsd otome isekai AU : in a world where beast is an original novel and bungou stray dogs doesn't exist.

a young poet Kashimura Chuuya who was killed by truck kun while crossing the street had his memory come back to him when he's eight year old because of the shock of the explosion.

Losing his friends and family was hard to him but he pushed it all away too focused on survival, he joined the sheep like in canon and when he meet dazai in suribashi city like the original chuuya he couldn't stand him, he decide to avoid dazai as he though that he's a big reason for what happened to og chuuya ( became insane and captured by the gov like in the movie) ( and a part of him who already lost too much though why becomming to attached to someone who would die anyways).

But dazai doesn't make it easy and he's forced by mori to partner with him, chuuya decide to leave when dazai became the boss but everything is wrong, neither Akutagawa nor oda We're supposed to be in the mafia ???? He's freaking out thinking that his presence changed things and withdraw even more from dazai who doesn't take that well, he's pushing every buttons refusing to let himself be ignored by chuuya.

This chuuya was also friends with Oda because he wanted to know what changed for him to join the mafia and would join when the buraiha trio went to drink but he was still friends with the flags and losing them hurt him too much even with all his knowledge of the plot he was uselesss to save those whom he care about , he even tried to leave the mafia but dazai stopped him, he promised him that he'll never leave.

But to his shock and horror oda died and dazai left without telling him , he try to mentor akutagawa like Oda did in the Book but took all that really hard and after a reality check from kouyou he try to date or just make new friends even demand to be relocated outside Yokohama and take akutagawa with him.

He can get close with tachihara ( it can even be akutagawa or ( or with oc ) who can even catch feelings for him ( like a second lead in kdrama/otome isekai ) then he have his reunion with dazai who's jealous and possessive.

As for atsushi he's either found by dazai like in the Bsd canon and join the ADA or chuuya who was bugged out by atsushi not being in the mafia, sent a contact that he know thanks to Verlaine or kouyou to search for him and never told anyone his contact found atsushi when dazai left and it was chuuya who became his savior and mentor and brought him upon the PM , he and akutagawa are a team but both have a rivalry for chuuya praise and affection.

He also choose to mentor kyouka even bribing elise in order to have her convince mori and had Verlaine and Kouyou to back him up ( in the case when atsushi was found by dazai, he had her being partnered with akutagawa and both of them were trained together, they have a rivalry which benefit them both ( he's also close with gin and often invite the akutagawa siblings ( or/and black lizards to his home).

They had big fight while chuuya refuse to speak to him and dazai get more and more ridiculous and obssessive in trying to get him to talk to him , then release all their tension and get together after Dazai tried every way to convince him because chuuya was too scared to lose him again to give him a chance, he can even had dream but it's beast chuuya and all the others reality memories and feeling who are transfered to him.

They're even the possibility of either because he somehow got in contact with a page of the Book , because of an ability who somehow affected him or even because of magic or others way but that dazai get memories of all reality and know that something is wrong which led to drama or another possibility chuuya who is moved by dazai's efforts and decide that he can trust him , tell him about his past life.

[jays-cloud-zero]

Dazai Character Analysis

Okay so, this is basically a Dazai character analysis for before his mafia days so buckle up. These observations are from what I’ve noted in readings of official Light Novel translations, No Longer Human, Beast, and the base manga obviously, but head canons may worm their way in despite my trying to exclude them.

Alright, so I think that logically this should proceed from a chronological standpoint, so I’ll discuss the time before Dazai and Chuuya: Age 15 first, which, while isn’t explicitly stated, allows a lot to be learnt about his character. Let’s start with the fact that in Fifteen it is said Dazai is not an orphan, shall we? He has been established as a suicidal character from before his first canon appearance aged around 13-14, therefore an event before he joined the mafia is primarily the cause of this mindset. This doesn’t really highlight a brilliant childhood, although knowing he was indeed homeless for a time prior to meeting Mori does create another potential reason for this behavior and philosophy. However, this knowledge of the fact he was homeless also just goes to show that while he did have a family Dazai would rather live on the streets than with them. I’m assuming that Dazai did have a living family due to the whole “he certainly isn’t an illegitimate child, or an orphan he picked up” thing in 15 when discussing his place in the mafia. Therefore his time on the streets doesn’t really set the scene for a loving family, does it? Thus, Dazai’s household must have been a place he either felt overlooked or trapped. An example that sticks out to me from No Longer Human is when Yozo feels he must pretend to be something that his family desires rather than what he himself wishes to be. In writing the gift he feels his father wants him to get, or acting rather silly for the women, he is essentially crushing his own personality and needs and stuffing them away. So Dazai obviously comes from a background that gave him trauma, most likely from his family. However, this most definitely isn’t the only trauma to come out from his time homeless. Particularly, his hatred of dogs which, in the light of the manga and wan, tends to be portrayed quite comedically. But considering his experiences within the slums it can be assumed that the literal stray dogs may be to blame for this. Packs are often known to become rabid or attack others for a chance to be fed, therefore its probable that Dazai encountered such packs and someone he was with or perhaps even himself were attacked while trying to feed themselves in less than humane conditions. Akutagawa also has this dislike of dogs, which correlates with this theory, as he is also from the Suribachi Slums (it also gives an interesting take on the title Bungo Stray Dogs, but that isn’t relevant here). Speaking of the slums, Dazai was invited into the Sheep, but declined which is quite interesting as the knowledge of ‘strength in numbers’ is known practically internationally. This may be linked to his biological family because as a boy trapped you probably wouldn’t want to chain yourself to another group of theoretically ‘helpless’ people.

Mori and Dazai as a duo are also quite fascinating, the mystery of how Mori picked up Dazai (ha-ha see what I did there?) leaves a lot up in the air, however what we do know is that an extremely young Dazai attempted suicide. Realistically it can be assumed that when the good doctor found him, he’d passed out and therefore was unaware of being moved to Mori’s clinic and so, when he woke up in an unfamiliar place, with a complete stranger and a traumatic background, Dazai probably started to freak the hell out. This helps to explain that panel from 15, where Dazai is strapped to the table with a mask on. No, it wasn’t some evil psycho experiment, it was just an aggressive child posing a threat to both himself and others therefore Mori sedated and restrained him which so happens to be a relatively common practice! I also feel that the ‘kinship’ Mori expresses in 15 may also have a part to play in why Dazai was taken into the mafia. The doctor most definitely has some form of trauma because no one just sees humans as pawns… but anyway, in seeing a child he could connect to he helped cultivate Dazai’s silly little genius brain and conditioned him a little in the process. Mori’s teaching method would have likely reflected how he himself was taught, and I feel like it would focus on the rules of the mafia (success = life type deal) since Mori was starting to plot to take over the underworld of Yokohama. I don’t think that Mori would have hurt Dazai directly, he does save lives for a living and hurting a suicidal child probably wouldn’t accomplish much, however he may have exploited a pet Dazai may have been attached to, I lean more towards a cat due to the nature of Catsume’s (Cat Natsume) interactions with Dazai and the fact he hates dogs. This whole idea of suffering at the hands of losing the war comes from Mori saying to Chuuya, “I am the pinnacle of this organization as well as its slave” in 15, it also reflects the fact that Dazai seemed to rise to the top of the mafia as Mori’s prodigy; he was being groomed to be a good leader if anything were to happen to Mori. It would also explain so much about Akutagawa’s ‘training’, as essentially, from the few snippets we’ve seen, Akutagawa was taught to be helpful to the mafia or die. Furthermore, it can be assumed that Mori and Dazai knew each other for at least a little while before the previous boss’ assassination both because of the familiarity Dazai had with the boss during their fight and the fact that no one just kidnaps a kid for a day to kill someone. Mori would have to at least trust Dazai wouldn’t spill the beans for a free tootsie roll, which requires trust to some extent. Mori teaching Dazai on the other hand comes from the fact that Dazai obviously didn’t go to school, he joined the mafia at 15 and was an executive by a maximum of 18, and despite people without educations still having intelligence in their own right, the level Dazai displays and the way he is always five steps ahead of everyone in the current manga timeline leads me to strongly believe he was given education through a more private and focused approach in planning, problem-solving and the like.  And that about brings me to the end of things I can think of to say about Dazai before canon, not sure if I’ll keep going past this point but we’ll see…

[daz4i]

yknow what i have nothing to do and need to distract myself from *gestures vaguely* and i mentioned it a few times in the last few days so i may as well talk abt that one theory i like

first of all let me say. it's not my own original theory lol i can't remember where i saw it first but it's p common so it'd be a bit hard to trace who was the first to bring it up

second. i know it contradicts some themes or at least some messages bsd is going for. which is why i don't think it's too likely (on the other hand some elements in the story can def allow a plot point of that sort to happen without being contradictory asdfhg matter of perspective ig)

ANYWAY the actual theory:

dazai knows he's in a story and aware that he is a character

backup for that theory:

honestly not much. a minor fourth wall break for laughs (the "wow~" scene. you know the one) isn't really proof, but if it was true it'd add some depth to that scene i think!

the main thing i think is cool abt this theory is how it recontextualizes a lot of things about him;

the thing that made me think abt making this post is that collection of dazai saying "you can't kill me" at various points of the story. most of them have context for each scene (atsushi can't kill him bc nlh will nullify the tiger, fyodor can't kill him bc he has the power of friendship, etc), but the fact the same line repeats multiple times makes it stand out to me

so consider this: dazai is confident that he won't die because he knows he can't die before the story is over, bc that's what the narrative decided. that's why none of his suicide attempts ever work (tho you already know my opinion on why that is, in the context of the story itself). he keeps trying tho bc man. it's tiring to be aware

that being said! well. we know he's been suicidal from a very young age. he sees no meaning in the act of living. and, being a character in a story, knowing that your life is all fake, can certainly make one's life feel meaningless, huh.

and ofc, alienation from those around him, since he seems to be the only one aware of the story. he is quite literally separate from the human experience bc of this

also some more angst :) i do firmly believe dazai feels a lot of guilt, more for meta reasons than him really showing it. guilt is a very big repeating element in no longer human and its protag yozo, whom i think dazai is obviously very inspired by. soooooo now consider this :) guilt over odasaku's death. in the context of the story, there is no reason for him to feel that, more or less. maybe nothing beyond "if only i called ango out earlier" "if only i got there in time and got him help", he didn't actually cause oda's death, not more than mori did for example, and he did the best he could too.

buuuuuuut what if he's a character in a story. he doesn't know if the story is about him yet, but given how other people around him don't seem to notice they're characters, it must be, right? the narrative depends on him. and, in that narrative, odasaku ends up dying. if he didn't exist, odasaku could live (really interesting to think abt that in the context of beast, too)

actually since i brought it up. beastzai definitely seems to know he's a character. he knows his existence doesn't mean much, i mean his whole universe is just an offshoot of the main one, literally an au of canon. that's even more meaninglessness on top of canonzai's meaninglessness, and he experienced both of them at once. no wonder he ended up killing himself damn 😩 (sorry this is a joke. ik he killed himself for some noble reason. but also i bet this made it easier)

an awareness of this level can explain some things like how dazai knows things are gonna play out in certain ways - he knows he's in a story, so he knows the narrative has to end in some satisfying way. the main characters have to win, so the doa have to lose. fyodor can't kill him. and we're back to the start

problem with this theory:

that thing i mentioned abt themes and messages in bsd. a lot of the story seems to tell us dazai is HUMAN. having him aware of everything on a meta level, imo, may cheapen that message, bc that quite literally makes him More than others in the universe.

then again the story (and asagiri in interviews lol) also seems to show again and again that he is exceptional and knows best so eh. like i said, matter of perspective

how i think it might work:

no longer human lmao

yknow how it was said The Book was created by an ability (and that's probably why it caused a singularity when beastzai touched it). well. what if the whole narrative we're following, in a way, in the universe of bsd, can count as an ability too. like a combination of The Book and poe's ability, kinda. (i've seen some theories in the past abt how asagiri is gonna be the final boss of bsd lol and that he would indeed have an ability that's just. *gestures at everything* this)

sooooo while nlh can't take him out of the story physically, it nullifies his ignorance to the situation. in a way, he's out of the story because he sort of watches it from an angle others can't

ok i officially ran out of brain power. i might add more in a reblog at some other point but for now these are the only thoughts i have. if you subscribe to that theory as well, or even just thing it's cool, i would love to hear some of your ideas - what other parts of dazai and his story do you think this changes? what does it mean about his relationships with other characters? please share if you have any thoughts on the matter!!! :)