#asagiri explain right now

[pebblul]

Anything even remotely father shaped in this series must die apparently.

[sengenism]

gen won the popularity poll with senku at second place so really, im the TRUE winner

[sorcerersandskillusers]

Card Meanings in the new, The Day I Picked Up Dazai art.

Ok so im currently still in shock that were getting new day I picked up dazai content so bare with me, but onece again Asagiri has included playing cards in his art so of course I have to break down what they mean.

Lets start with side A (the right side):

First we see a joker:

While Gogol is the obvious fit for the joker, the card also describes Dazai extremely well. He is almost always acting like the fool in any given situation, even in the mafia he loved to be as weird and funny as he could as well as tease and annoy the people around him, something jesters famously did.

In fact, his dynamic with Mori is very close to how a king and a jester used to work, where the jester was the only person who was allowed to openly mock the king and would usually heckle him. They also played a key part in psychological warfare, which we see Dazai specialises in.

I think the whole; wit, intelligence and unpredictability kind of speaks for itself.

Next card is the four of spades:

This one is also really fitting, it shows how after the day I picked up Dazai side A, Dazai settles into his little routine of going to bar lupin with Oda as well as how he finally has someone who he can trust and be comfortable around. Finally, it is a clear message of optimism, something Dazai never shows before he meets Oda.

Next the two of hearts:

This one is pretty obvious, it's Dazai and Oda spending time at bar lupin. It actually fits so well, there's not much I can say about it other then how it shows the love and care Dazai and Oda had for each other (platonically)

Now for Side B (prepare to cry)

The first card is the three of spades:

Whyyyyyyyyyy... why Asagiri. This one is also fairly obvious but it has multiple meanings. It most clearly represents Dazai suffering in side B as he has to run the mafia without odasaku and live in utter loneliness while destroying all the connections he never got to have for the sake of a friend he never got to meet.

“It was hard,” muttered the young man. “It was really hard fighting Mimic without you in the organization. I had no choice but to take over for Mori and make enemies of everyone around me to expand the business. Everything I did was for this world’s—”

It also represents the moment on the platform where he nearly tells Odasaku the truth and goes with him to bar lupin, the horrible decision to abandon everything for Odas future

The next card is... the ace of spades:

The ace of spade has many meanings, most of which involve change or transition, but by far its most famous meaning it death. I really don't think I have to explain this one, Beast Dazai having the card of death has a pretty clear meaning.

But the ace of spade does have a secondary meaning, and this one is a little more hopeful, as it shows Dazai passing the safety of this world onto Atsushi and Auktagawa.

Finally, (it's a bit hard to see) we have the ten of diamonds:

I want to focus mostly on the highlighted part because it's what really applies to BEAST Dazai, he lived his whole life to create a world where what matters most to him, that Oda gets to be happy and write his books, becomes real. This card doesn't apply to Dazai directly, more to the fact that he made succeeding in his mission his only priority and discarded everything else.

Bonus round Odasku card; the king of clubs

the only card thats seen on Oda's section and one that clearly represents Odasaku as a character.

"King of clubs represents a dark man, who is loyal and kind. He is a good businessman, shrewd with money and investments, but isn’t selfish. In fact, the King of clubs is a very devoted father, husband and citizen. In a broader sense, the King of clubs encompasses idealized qualities of a fatherly figure. This card is universally considered as a very good omen."

I feel like this sums Odasaku up very well, the devoted father and loyal friend parts are just him to a t.

(this is also the card I think best represents Fukuzawa)

Right, I think I got everything, if you disagree with this or find something I missed, please reblog or comment with whatever you want to add, or send me an ask. I love discussing, and hearing other people's views as long as they're respectful.

If you add something, please add it in the post not the tags, so I can reply to it (or in the tags if that makes you more comfortable)

[bluemooniegif]

Soukoku's first meeting could not have been written more perfectly. Allow me to explain

A quick note on the manga panels: these are fan translations from BSD Bibliophile. At one stage they refer to Dazai as 'the youngest boss in Mafia history,' and the executive meeting as 'a meeting of five bosses.' This is just a stylistic choice! All of the panels shown here are from chapters 8 (volume 2), 10 & 11 (volume 3)

I love this scene more than life itself, because it is literally the PERFECT introduction to Chuuya, his character, and his relationship with Dazai. Let's talk about it!

First: some context. Dazai seems to be in a bit of a predicament- he's walked right into a trap set by the Port Mafia, an organisation that we don't know much about at this stage in the story. What we do know, and what we can observe, is this:

Dazai is a former executive, and appears to have walked into the trap on purpose

He is now being held in a room that Akutagawa describes very negatively- the fact of being here is dangerous

Dazai reveals that Akutagawa was once his subordinate, and that he thought very lowly of him at the time. He claims to still think of him this way. Akutagawa has a violent reaction to this.

This is a PERFECT example of 'showing, not telling' within a story. Rather than making a bunch of asides, describing what Dazai and Akutagawa are feeling and why, Asagiri & Harukawa have plopped us into the middle of a rather awkward reunion. I feel like I've walked into my friend's Christmas dinner and am now witnessing family politics unfold real time. It's like watching a car crash.

Now, we move between settings a bit, jumping around to watch Yosano DESTROY Kajii, Atsushi rescue Kyouka, and subsequently be injured and kidnapped by Akutagawa. We watch the Agency fall into disarray when Fukuzawa demands that everyone go looking for Atsushi- interesting, considering that Dazai is IN THE BASEMENT OF THE PORT MAFIA RIGHT NOW.

I've had lots of discussions and arguments about the meaning and significance of this. I won't delve too deep into it for now, but the way I see it is this: something the ADA is really REALLY good at is splitting up Mystery-Inc. style and working to solve cases etc., together, but apart. Dazai is also something of a stray dog (... cat), regularly wandering off and reappearing of his own accord. He's been with the ADA for several years at this point, and they would understand the way he operates well. Even if there's no indication whether he explicitly told anyone what he's doing or where he's going (which honestly, does that matter, when Ranpo would know immediately anyway?), we can safely assume that this is more or less a regular thing for them.

Anyway, back to the point. the Agency is not fazed by Dazai's disappearance... and neither, for some reason, is Dazai. He stands chained to the wall in the PM's basement- the same one, we discover later, where he's brutally tortured countless victims and traitors, and he's humming a little tune to himself, smiling, totally relaxed. We as the audience know he's pretty unflappable, and Akutagawa's expression when he sees him confirms this, too.

But. BUT. This doesn't last.

With the ADA descending into chaos, we switch perspectives back to Dazai again. He's bored at this stage, and thinking to himself that they must be searching for Atsushi soon (an indication that he was riling Akutagawa up earlier, btw) when he hears it: A voice that makes his resolve crack. A look of panic on his face that, at this stage, we haven't seen yet.

He turns, and we see Chuuya for the first time! He's got this strange smug look on his face, something deeply vindictive. Here's a current mafia executive, and he's so happy to see Dazai chained to the wall of their Torture Basement that you can't help but wonder... is there something that Dazai did to him, personally, that makes him feel this way? Or is this guy just so deeply involved with the PM that the fact Dazai left is like a personal slight against him?

Now, we don't really have long enough to truly panic over this predicament, because almost immediately these two fall into their old habits. Dazai isn't PLEASED, but he isn't afraid. He goes right into bantering with Chuuya, who surprisingly meets him right in the middle. Their regular dynamic shines right through: it's quick-witted quips, inside jokes, and knowing looks. It's this odd relaxation in their posture. In all of this, we have an acknowledgement of what they were, and evidence to suggest that they still are... whatever that thing is. Whatever you wanna call it: partners, boyfriends, best friends, buddies. That much is up to interpretation; the only undeniable fact is that they once knew each other better than themselves, and still do.

Then, the fight. This, to me, comes across as more of a way to display how powerful they both are individually: Chuuya punches concrete so hard it shatters in several places, Dazai snaps his fingers and breaks out of handcuffs.

We have front-row seats to what is in my opinion one of the best action sequences in early BSD, not just for what physically transpires, but what it tells us: they deeply understand each other on multiple levels. They're constantly predicting each other's moves, and they know where each other's weak spots are.

But there's also been a lot of growth. Dazai surprises Chuuya a few times, and vice-versa. Despite their apparent closeness, it's still clear that they haven't been together like this for a long, long time.

Then, they reach checkmate. It appears as though Chuuya has won, and we're fed some more Dazai lore- he was the youngest executive the PM ever saw.

This is how Chuuya remembers Dazai. Again, I want to remind you that this is the first time so far we're seeing PM-zai, and he is worlds away from the Dazai we've grown to know so far.

Though Chuuya seems to have driven Dazai into a corner, the roles are quickly reversed when Dazai claims to know something about a meeting between all five of the Mafia's executives. Chuuya quickly realises this is one of his 'predictions,' further proving the depth of their mutual understanding.

With hindsight, we know just how big a deal a meeting of this scale is, and knowing a certain stormbro (who I won't reveal just in case of spoilers) will be there makes me lose my mind, personally. It clearly affects Chuuya, as well, which was undoubtedly Dazai's goal.

With the power balance disrupted again, they quickly fall back into that same bantering dynamic. The volatile nature of their relationship is so perfectly portrayed within this short scene that it actually makes me sick, I genuinely don't think it could have been more perfect

Anyway. Chuuya has realised, at this stage, that Dazai had multiple goals when he allowed himself to be kidnapped, and one of those was to piss Chuuya off (which is something I think he could've managed even if Chuuya wasn't physically there). This, in turn, pisses Chuuya off, especially when he realises the predicament Dazai has left him in- let him escape, or the Mafia suffers. A test of loyalty, Chuuya's greatest weakness. Do you understand why I am tearing my hair out and howling at the moon??? This is fucking insanity.

And then, the final moment! The part we all know and love! Not only does Chuuya choose to err on the side of caution, allowing Dazai to escape- he also leaves with the repetition of another inside joke. And Dazai laughs- he looks genuinely happy, too.

That is all. I'm gonna go cry now ಥ_ಥ

read this original thread on twitter

[leewritestoomuch]

🍙 anon back with another request!~

Can I order a Dr.stone headcanon where they depetrify the younger twin (by a damn second) of their s/o and is just like “until I die you’re not allowed near them, nuh uh.” This would be even better if all of the men are wrapped around their s/o’s finger

I hope that it wasn’t hard to understand once again, I wish you a great time and that you take care of yourself!

Thank you very much if you do this request<3

I love this request! Thank you so much!

Characters, in order: Ryusui, Gen, Senku, Ukyo, Chrome. (The five wise generals :)) Bonus: Hyoga.

Yall might notice I play up Chrome’s beef with Ryusui. It’s funny to me. I know the don’t hate each other 😭

Context for All:

S/O and character met and started dating after the petrification.

S/O’s (barely) younger twin only gets woken up after some months or so.

Ryusui Nanami:

You and Ryusui both go to wake up your twin from the stone together.

Once your twin breaks free of the stone, they are looking, confused, at you and Ryusui joined hands.

They spit out some kind of “who are you?” At him. And he gives them a cheery, enthusiastic answer, calling himself your dedicated boyfriend.

Your twin doesn’t like him. (Chrome is cheering somewhere in the background)

They tell him to watch himself. And that’s when he’s confused.

What did he do?

Then they pull you away often, finding excuses. Eventually, out right telling him to stay away from you, but not in front of your face.

This is like putting him in a straight jacket for a week. He’s attached to you most the time like a magnet, but now your twin is repelling him out.

He tries to win them over too. Gifts. Words. Whatever.

He’d explain himself by loudly exclaiming how much he loves you.

This is worsening it.

I think your twin would come around when they’re around him for a while and notice just how much he does for you. It’s not just things he HAS done for you, he does things too.

Like when they watch you get hurt, only slightly, not bad enough to warrant being carried, but he carried you an hour walk back to the village anyways.

They won’t tell him, but they approve now.

Gen Asagiri:

Another one I can totally see a sibling disliking at first.

When you wake up your twin and bring them back to the village, Gen is waiting for you. He greets them too.

And your twin tells you his smile looks creepy, quietly, but he heard it, and being who he is, he smiles more sinister and says some comment.

Mistake. Your twin doesn’t like him.

Now he spends all his time trying to use his mentalist tricks to get your twin to like him, but they’re really good at dodging all that shit and glaring at him.

Knowing he’s a huge liar, your twin asks you how you can trust him. How do you know he’s not sleeping around.

They heard him joke about harem, and when you all went to treasure island, you weren’t with them, but he joked about wanting a hug from Amaryllis.

Your twin reports this back to you, and you inform them that you can’t take his words at any sort of face value.

He wants people’s reactions.

It would take a lot, watching genuine interactions, for your twin to warm up to you being with the world’s “greatest liar.”

Overall, they’d just have to learn to understand he’s hard to understand.

So for a while, they don’t get that. They are annoyed by his antics. So they secretly throw out some vague threat one night, and then your bf is suddenly not coming around.

This makes you upset, but eventually you notice he looks ever so slightly scared of your twin. And you put two and two together.

I think like how people come to trust Gen eventually once they see through him (as much as you can see through Gen, he’s a tough one) your twin would eventually just notice he means well.

Then they’re just watching closely from a distance.

He’s terrified.

Senku Ishigami:

Your twin is so justified. Lets just start there. This one isn’t even a full on misunderstanding. This would be Senku acted like a bitch, because he’s just too forward to give a fuck, and now they think he’s a bitch.

Not to mention, he’s not exactly intimidated. Just annoyed when your twin wakes up from the stone and immediately goes to telling him to stay away.

You didn’t warn him about this.

Everybody seems to like Senku though, they begin to realize.

They spend a while figuring out why.

And for a while, even with that information. They keep him far away from you because they don’t think he treats you right.

He has an ex wife? He divorced her? He talks to her like that didn’t happen?

Yeah, he better keep his ass 10 kilometers away at all times.

Then eventually they notice how he does his best for you. He’s a busy man. He’s got a lot on his plate. Once they recognize this, they begin to warm up to him.

He makes things to make your life easier, and when nobody is looking, except your twin, secretly, he’s affectionate (as much as Senku can be)

They let him off the hook.

Ukyo Saionji:

It wouldn’t happen.

But let’s say for SOME reason, they dislike him. Just because they don’t want you to get hurt. They have trust issues with that kind of thing. Maybe you’ve been with some men, or anybody really, they’ve watched you cry over before.

They think nobody deserves you.

Not even Ukyo. Bless his heart.

They threaten the poor man.

He’s not scared to go around you, but they refuse to include him in anything. Actively trying to shun him.

Honestly, in this scenario, you’d have to stand up for him a bit because he did nothing to warrant this.

Eventually, with some discussion with you, and maybe some heartfelt conversation Ukyo had with them about you, they’d come around.

He’s got a good record, and he just doesn’t want to see anybody get hurt?

Yeah, they’ll come around.

Chrome:

You were so excited to introduce your twin to your new boyfriend. Because how could anybody dislike Chrome?

Your twin does. Your twin dislikes him.

Let’s just say he’s annoyed, and hurt. And he literally thinks about you 24/7 so how is he supposed to just stay away from you???

How can they do this to him?

This is psychological torture.

Suika tries to help him. 100%.

Your twin thinks Suika is adorable, but he sent a kid instead of talking to them???

They’re on your twin’s “shit list.” He’s the only one on the list right now.

He tries to show off now hoping that your twin will think he’s cool and let him back near you.

If this was the modern era, he would have stood outside your window with a boombox. Or talked to you Romeo and Juliet style, with the boombox ready. But he doesn’t have a boombox. Or any skill to play a musical instrument. He doesn’t even know what that is.

He starts shouting things loud enough so that you can hear them, but without getting anywhere near you.

Your twin notices his persistence, and the way he looks at you, and eventually lets up.

Hyoga Akatsuki:

Your twin immediately heard about what he did.

He’s banned from your eyesight, the ground you walk on, the air you breathe.

They threaten him, and he smiles. They’re pissed, because how can he care so little?

Your twin has GUTS for doing anything about this man.

He keeps his distance at first, honestly just not thinking it’s worth it.

But admittedly, he’s more attached to you than he says he is.

They start to notice him sneaking around at night, when he thinks they’re not looking, just to see you.

Though they think about going off on him, they don’t. They just watch from a distance, ready to attack him if they need to. They’re not afraid of him. (They probably should be but they fear NOTHING)

They notice he doesn’t do anything. Often times he’ll just sit there, and the two of you exchange a few words. Clearly just happy to be together.

And they realize he’s got a soft spot for you.

He’s a cold man, usually his exchanges have malicious intent, but your twin is smart enough to notice that he doesn’t have any malicious intent here.

He gains nothing from these actions. Well he does, but not an upper hand. Just a warm feeling.

Likely they’ll just walk by the two of you and wave, continuing walking, and that’s how they’ll let him know he’s off the hook.

They keep an eye out though, for him in general. Because even if it’s clear he’s smitten with you, he’s still a concerning man.

[soupthatistohot]

BSD: An Absurdist Analysis - Ch. 114

My thoughts on "Crime and Punishment"

[BSD Absurdism Masterpost]

Okay, so! Fyodor probably isn't dead.

And my theory for what his ability is would tie into Asagiri's absurdist storytelling thus far.

In Sigma's flashback, we see Fyodor get impaled in a manner that is eerily similar to how he dies in the helicopter, a way that pratically guarantees his death. Yet, as Sigma observes, he must have escaped the execution in order for him to still be alive.

My theory, put simply, is that when someone successfully kills Fyodor, he takes their place.

His ability is called Crime and Punishment, right? And if the ultimate crime (sin) is murder, then the punishment would be death. So, then, perhaps when someone is able to kill Fyodor, it causes their death, and somehow Fyodor takes on their lifeforce (for lack of a better term) and is able to keep living.

This would also explain why he has been able to live for such a long time. If he keeps getting killed by people whose lifeforce he assumes, then he can theoretically live forever as long as people keep attempting to murder him.

This would explain the end of the chapter where the body is shown to clearly not be Fyodor's. The helicopter pilot would have paid the consequence for Fyodor's murder, and thus been the one to die. For whatever reason, I suppose this means he and Fyodor switched likenesses? This is further supported by the panel in the flashback/memory where something seems to be happening to the man who impaled Fyodor after he does so. This part I cannot explain as well, but I think y'all can understand what I'm getting at with this.

Additionally, this theory of Crime and Punishment explains the purpose of the prison-break game, he's been trying to goad Dazai into killing him all along so he can die in turn, and finally be rid of his rival.

(Edit: the above point is likely rendered invalid because No Longer Human would very likely protect Dazai from death by Fyodor’s ability. That being said, it further explains why Fyodor is so determined to kill Dazai — not only is he his match in wits, but he might be the only one capable of killing him for good.)

Further, it could possibly explain Nikolai's desire to kill Fyodor. Perhaps Nikolai knows the nature of Fyodor's ability, and is the only one who does, which is why he considers them to be so close. He idolizes Fyodor, and so he desires to one day kill him, because he knows it will kill him in turn and Fyodor will get to continue living on. This one's a bit of a reach, but I do think it's a potential explanation if my theory about Crime and Punishment is correct.

And now for how this all fits into absurdism!

Fyodor has been the main antagonist for a really long time, basically for half of the manga's run. Up until this point we've had little to no clues about the nature of his ability and if my theory turns out to be correct, wouldn't that just be the greatest absurdity of all time? A villain that literally cannot die because when someone kills him, they actually die instead of him? How do you even defeat such a person?

I'm fairly confident about this theory, my only question would be why he would reveal this now? Surely, he knows that Dazai would figure it out, both from Sigma and from the corpse clearly not being him, so what benefit does Fyodor gain from revealing not only that he's survived, but what his ability is?

[imadethisonlyfor-reblogs]

I JUST REALISED THAT THE THINGS HAPPENING ARE ACTUALLY STARTING TO MAKE SENSE AND ASAGIRI HAS BEEN COOKING IT SINCE THE RELEASE OF BEAST (a silly lil theory :3)

So in BEAST, Dazai revealed that only two people could know about The Book's existence, which is obviously not the case in the main universe. So maybe those who know about the existence of The Book will have to die, except maybe Atsushi and Akutagawa since they're the ones who know about The Book in BEAST too. Also, Dazai may have already known about it due to him knowing about it in BEAST and we know that he was the one who created all those other universes where Oda lives. So maybe it's the shit fire happening in the manga is the consequences of multiple people knowing about The Book's existence meaning most of the main cast go boom

You definitely are cooking something over here 🤯🤯🤯🤯

I haven't read BEAST in a while but it does leave the space for Asagiri to connect the two universes this way. Especially since the manga and anime has caught up and its years before we get another season. Which means he can greenlight a BEAST anime adaptation before S6. Where we can connect the BEAST universe to the current universe, which will explain the shit show going on right now. With the ending of season 5 showing Aku and Atsushi fighting the divine being alone. Everyone's been dying in the recent chapters, which might stop until it's just Atsushi and Akutagawa alone. While Dazai and the rest are important characters. I believe Aku and Atsushi are the MAIN characters of the story. BEAST follows Akutagawa, and the OG manga follows Atsushi, the stories overlapping will not be a mistake. What if everyone "dies" in the current universe and we are left with Aku and Atsushi finding out about the BEAST universe and trying to save everyone?

It's the

"Just you and me?"

"Do we need more?"

Asks answered for: @osa-hates-ricetbh

[kouyou-arc-when]

what's your fave bsd light novel?

Unpopular opinion, but I loooove the Dazai Entrance exam for the effort it made to properly introduce us to the main characters. Like, I felt the descriptions and small slice of life moments were there to give us an accurate image of who Kunikida and Dazai were supposed to be. It's like every single scene was geared towards explaining how we were supposed to perceive each of them - since Asagiri is not the artist of the manga, I feel like there is a tiny gap between what he wants to portray and what any artist can get across, so seeing that "divide" bridged by detailed descriptions was amazing - especially because I really enjoy BSD characters on a personal level, and not just them as the roles they play within the plot. Imo, BSD works the best when it's character focused. Seeing the novel focus on only one case, with a balanced pace, was just everything. The tone and scale of the plot atm is way different, but this made me feel like I could peer into the "everyday" life of the characters: and where better can you see who they actually are? In the manga, you got to see them in short cuts, but the novel tied onto that and made the characters come to life. The day I picked up Dazai was also great for that - I think Asagiri is better at toned down plotlines than what he has going on right now

[anti-dazai-blog]

my actual opinions on today’s episode (under the cut because spoilers)

As I said in my last post, I actually really liked Fukuchi’s development in this episode, and I think this was a really satisfying way to conclude his story.

everything else though? Tbh I’m not the biggest fan. I’m gonna hope that all of the things that are out of character for BSD as a story to do are anime only, and the manga will have a better resolution to this arc.

Fyodor dies without any ability reveal— what does that mean for the series? If Asagiri’s on board with this, does this mean that his ability will be revealed and explained after his death, or is this a way to get out of revealing and explaining his ability at all?

Fyodor alludes to a different opponent he fought who was nearly a match for him. Is this a way to shoehorn in another person for Dazai to have his quasi-super genius quarrels with? Is this a way of saying “Fyodor may be gone, but Dazai still has someone out there he can play the numbers guessing game with”?

The episode pulled one of those “Dazai knew everything all along” moves, which really makes the entire Meursault subplot meaningless. There was no conflict. There was no back and forth strategizing. Dazai knew everything from the start and everything went exactly according to his plan. Dazai’s injuries also don’t matter, since he’s up and about immediately after sustaining them.

What was the point of Dazai choosing Sigma. Was there a point? He left him behind at the end. Sigma didn’t do much of anything to help him or harm Fyodor (nothing that affects the plot at least).

Dazai being all-knowing also adds to his accountability in everything. Which I mention fairly often, but I hate that this final episode is proving me right. There’s this issue now of at what point did he contact Chuuya and arrange this plan. If it would be too far in advance, you’d have the question of how and why he’d know about vampires and that Fyodor and the decay of angels is planning on using them. You have the question of why he wouldn’t warn Ango, the one person he’s contacting who’s conveniently in the Actual Japanese Government, about a potential World War 3.

If Chuuya wasn’t a vampire this whole time, that means he brutalized all of the Meursault guards on purpose. It also doesn’t explain the panel where he’s struggling and breathing heavily, dragging two dismembered corpses of guards. What does that panel mean in the context of Chuuya be conscious? The struggling could be an act, but what was Chuuya’s conscious reason for picking up two corpses he brutalized and dragging them around with him?

And that epilogue. It looks like a cliche shonen boss fight. There better be a solid explanation to why we’re reverting to beam attacks after having such a long series presenting us with some of the most unique abilities found in anime/manga.

[mania-sama]

Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Crime and Punishment: Short Bungou Stray Dogs Analysis

Finally finished Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky. i might do a post talking about my actual thoughts on the book, but not right now because I'm INSTEAD gonna talk about BSD Fyodor because, if I'm gonna be honest, a large part of the reason I read this book was to see if I could get an insight on what his ability could be (obviously I also read it because I know it's an extremely influential book to the psychological thriller literature genre, and it's made me want to read more of his books because I am absolutely entranced by his writing style).

SPOILERS: This book did NOT give me a single damn clue to Fyodor's ability.

However, I do have a better understanding of why Asagiri chose to write Fyodor in that specific way, with the added effect of making Fyodor much more understandable. I have a better appreciation, I think, for Asagiri's character writing. Let me explain:

The large, overarching theme of C&P is the idea that some people are naturally born with the right to kill. That is, people are naturally born into two categories: "Ordinary" and "Extraordinary". The majority of the population falls into the former - they live their lives in submission to the law and to those above them. In essence, they do not have the "right to kill"; they are otherwise overcome with guilt, regret, or simply caught for their wrongdoings.

The latter category has very few people in it, and for a simple reason - they are the ones who are, essentially, above the law, and therefore, the lawmakers. They are the ones who lead the revolutions, sit on the throne, and most importantly, kill when they need to kill and do not hesitate to "step" over their crimes as nothing more than the necessity to power. They are not caught. In fact, they are hailed as the greatest leaders. Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, and his most constantly referred example, Napoleon. These are the born with the "right to kill".

The main character, Raskolnikov (of whom I will be calling the affection Rodya because I am NOT spelling his name over and over again), believes himself to be a "Napolean". Rodya is the one who came up with this theory in the book, after all. However, he finds out, near the end, after several blunders and mental breaks, that he is not one of the people who can "step" over their crimes. He hesitated before killing his target. His guilt for his two murders sent him into a feverish state for days on end. He walked to the police station to confess his crimes a million times before finding some reason, right before he was meant to do it, to chicken out and continue living life under this ever-evolving notion that he was sorely mistaken about himself. Rodya is not the "Napolean" he thought he was born to be.

How does this relate to the Bungou Stray Dogs character? I believe that Fyodor is, essentially, the embodiment of the "right to kill". He is everything that Rodya thought he was, which is an excellent analysis on the part of Asagiri. One of the first things Fyodor does is kill Ace, then a relatively innocent child, Karma. He does this without blinking, without a hint of remorse, and proceeds with his day. He knows that this is his right, that he is the one above others, that he can kill and he cannot be caught for it. He claims to have mastered and tamed his own ability. Why? Because he is the "Extraordinary."

Another theme that I find quite intriguing is religion. In truth, it really isn't that prevalent (though there are a great many Biblical quotations and references throughout) until the last part, Part 6, of Crime and Punishment. Rodya has a near-constant epiphany with religious belief, even at one point stating, point-blank and in irritation, that God isn't real and He certainly isn't helping anyone in the mortal plane. He oscillates between claiming that the "Devil" forced him to kill, to saying that believers are frantic and stupid, then to kissing the dirty ground in repentance for his crimes. He state of mind ends in that repentance state, a supposed believer and eager to start his life anew.

To make Fyodor a devoted believer in God, with a set viewpoint and acting as an executor of God's will, is, once again, an excellent choice. Rodya's irritation and inner turmoil were one of the many reasons why he failed miserably in maintaining the secret of his crimes. Fyodor is none of those things: he is calm, cool, collected, and set in his ways. Interestingly, in Crime and Punishment, the vilest character also seems to have no particular issues with religion himself. And he, for the most part, gets away with his heinous crimes completely. This battle of belief, and relating it to God, provides a healthy insight to why Fyodor has obtained the "right to kill", versus Rodya, who was born "Ordinary."

The last point I want to seriously touch on is less about Crime and Punishment and more about the author himself. However, I did learn about this through reading the translator's notes (the translation I read is by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, Second Edition (2021), Vintage Classics). Dostoevsky was hugely indebted to Nikolai Gogol as a successor to Gogol's ingenious literary developments in "fantastical realism" and satire. Dostoevsky made several references to Gogol's works in C&P, and none in a critical manner. In the animanga, the roles are completely reversed; Nikolai is the one chasing after Fyodor, admiring his intellect and "ingenious" with the eventual goal of setting himself free. This idea of flipping authors' relationships on their heads is part of what makes Bungou Stray Dogs so entertaining to consume, and it takes a great deal of research and effort to be able to adjust these relationships so that they clearly reflect the real-life ones.

As for one afterthought, the name "Rats in the House of the Dead" appears to be a clever play on the Dostoevsky book Notes from the Dead House. I haven't read this book yet, but I want to (along with Notes from Underground). I'm curious to see if there is any further correlation, but I would assume not, considering the contents of the book.

NO. I did NOT find literally anything that could help me decipher Fyodor's ability. Rodya literally confesses his crime like a week and a half after he commits it. No character in this novel, nor theme, reflects whatever the h e double hockey sticks Fyodor has going on in BSD. I have theories, but they have literally nothing to do with Crime and Punishment outside of the base fact that his ability has something to do with killing (which we already knew). Woe is me. I'll get over it, I guess.

[ragingstillness]

Finally caught up on the bungo stray dogs manga today. Here are my thoughts in no particular order.

Massive spoiler warning through ch 114.5!

Gotta say, I don’t think any of us guessed “functional immortality” for Fyodor’s ability. It does explain why he’s completely crazed and has such little respect for human life. The face peeling is gross but a little funny in how wacky and wild it is. Genuine questions: does Fyodor then gain that person’s body shape? Has he ever been killed by a woman before? Or a child? Does he get to steal Bram’s height now? What happens if he turns into an old person and dies of old age? What happens if he kills himself? When was he born and when did this ability manifest? Does he gain the new person’s ability as well as his own? Also, I have to give Asagiri credit for taking the most literal interpretation of Crime and Punishment ever. The Crime is murder of Fyodor and the Punishment is he becomes you. He takes your space in society. Delightfully literal.

Gogol’s sadness over Dostoyevsky felt really real my poor clown. However, with the reveal of Dostoyevsky’s ability, they are now the perfect couple. Gogol can kill Fyodor, achieving his goal of killing him, then Fyodor can become him, achieving Gogol’s goal of losing himself and Fyodor’s goal of having one less person constantly trying to kill him. Poetic cinema.

Gonna be laughing forever at Mori gluing the fake vampire teeth into Chuuya’s mouth and Chuuya’s inability to get them out. This is especially funny because this genuinely happened to me with my mom one Halloween and while we did get them out I was picking glue out of my teeth for a week.

I hope Bram isn’t gone forever because his relationship with Aya is beyond cute.

Is Aya’s dad that grumpy police detective? It looked like that in her vision.

I’m still not super satisfied with Fukuchi having good intentions. He’s been far too sadistic and blatantly evil for me to change my mind on him now. Little Fukuchi I can defend but I’m not changing my opinion on adult Fukuchi.

Fukuzawa stays the smartest man, taking the sword to the heart then pulling it away with him. Very “can I keep this” when someone gets stabbed meme of him. Also using it still as a blade? Inspired. All hail silver fox dad.

Ranpo is clearly still injured but doesn’t seem as injured as Asagiri teased us with. Aku still appears to be a vampire, we’ll see how that turns out.

Damn, Fukuchi will not die. This man has been bleeding from the neck and heart for several minutes at least and still is talking.

Considering the last ability singularity nearly destroyed all of Yokohama and the world, not looking forward to the results of a three-part singularity.

Fukuchi’s blade allowing him control over a small period of time I could accept but the gift of prophecy? Specific prophecy too? Kind of came out of left field, I don’t like that without knowing more about the sword’s creator.

Let’s be real, One Order should just be destroyed, it’s hella dangerous in anyone’s hands.

I don’t think we got told in advance that Bram’s sword combined person with ability. Maybe I just don’t remember but I don’t think so.

Fyodor’s goals continue to be murky as hell.

Convenient, that Fyodor’s ability also comes with a bit of teleportation, as he got from mid-Europe to Japan right quick.

I still need to know more about the war and I despair of ever receiving that info.

Love that all this is going down between Fyodor, Fukuchi, and Fukuzawa (too many fs) and Atsushi is just there like oh right I have a main character oops. I really hope vampirism wipes Akutagawa’s memories so he just jumps into this situation completely discombobulated, it’d be so funny.

When will sassy grandpa (Mori) return from war?

Hey Natsume what’s up, think maybe this is a good time to intervene?

Where the hell is Kouyou?

[pebblul]

The new BSD chapter is about to make me have my fisheye moment I swear.

[steven-has-exploded]

ive yet to really see anyone else point this out but i think fyodor is going to end up being one of the most gut-wrenchingly unstable and sympathetic (to ME atleast) characters in bsd. what i perceive as foreshadowing for this has all been pretty vague, but thats really only further ammunition considering the way asagiri likes to write via throwing the wildest shit at us out of nowhere at 50mph and expecting us to deal with it. how did i first come to this conclusion? harukawas eye thing

this is going to be long please proceed with caution if you read slowly or just not at literal supersonic speed. rant under cut u know how this works

for those unaware or who have since forgotten the exact details, here is the image explaining harukawas thing with eyes, click to read;

so. fyodors eyes are usually very light, which a few other people have pointed out is probably due to the fact he genuinely believes his goal of ridding the world of abilities is following gods will; almost everything he does is a necessary evil to acheive the idealistic dream of a world without abilities. he understands his actions are wrong, but you cant go through with a goal such as that without doing morally reprehensible things in the process. anws so as user wildflowerteas pointed out his eyes are extremely dark after hes resurrected

now, could this just be signifying that fyodor can now continue doing his fucked up little deeds via his functional immortality? yes. but asagiri doesnt seem to write that way and i need an excuse to defend fyodor because im insane

asagiri generally doesnt write characters, especially important ones, as subscribing to one specific side of the moral compass. sure, there are characters that are more morally good or bad or gray than others, but not every one of their actions is as such. characters arent straight heroes or villains in their actions, and sometimes not even narratively; fitzgerald did everything for his wife to finally be happy and see her daughter again, dazai still trained akutagawa the way he did despite knowing it was abusive because his circumstances couldnt allow him to change before oda died, et cetera

so, lets interpret it another way. fyodors eyes being dark after resurrection may not be a reflection of his sinister personality, but rather the way he views and experiences his own countless deaths. he is purified in death and tainted when hes brought back; at peace in his last moments and destroyed when hes alive again. so what conclusion did this realization bring me to? fyodor is a suicidal maniac and hates his ability hear me out Please

in hindsight it seems really obvious to me now; what other reason could have spurred him on to try to desperately to erase abilities if not because he himself despises his own? his ability is truly the purest act of cruelty someone can experience when driven to the point he has been; it lets him bask in the calm of death, the comfort of everything finally ending, the solace that hes going to be finally rewarded for his actions by god. but only for a moment. once that moment is over, hes torn back into the world of the living, in the body of his own killer, the corpse of his last vessel staring him in the face as if to mock him for what he could never have. it deprives him of the human right to even die. what kind of person who claims to love all humanity wouldnt want to free the world of abilities, if others' have caused them as much pain as his has to him?

okok i apologize for making u hear me wax poetic about an anime twink version of fyodor dostoevsky but if youre still not convinced, which is ok i can see why this would be very insane to someone who isnt obsessed with this guy, i want you to just imagine for a moment how living with that kind of power would effect you. while we dont know fyodors exact age, we can assume that hes been alive for at least about 500 years due to his ability. fyodor isnt some kind of immortal being that has a conveniently human form, he is an actual human being who was first murdered presumably just in his twenties based on his appearance, who then had to slowly come to the realization that he will experience small spots of death before having to continue the same cycle of immortality for forever. human beings cant grasp the concept of infinity; our brains arent wired to deal with the idea, because everything in our own lives comes to an end. fyodor will never experience that. even if you view him as plain evil, pure and simple, no human being wishes to have their brain broken by the hands of infinity. and yet thats what fyodor is experiencing

[saaraofthesand]

Verlaine and N are Fucking Liars and Chuuya is NOT a Clone

So, it has come to my attention that there is a whole hoard of people who’ve read Storm Bringer or heard from people who’ve read it who think Chuuya is a clone. But he’s not.

For those who haven’t read Storm Bringer: Please do. I’ll do my best to contextualize stuff, but I’m not sure how it’ll turn out.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Exhibit A: The Photo of Chuuya as a Child

At the beginning of the novel, the Flags give Chuuya a photo of him at age five (along with a bunch of other documents). It’s a gift so they can put Chuuya’s mind at rest about him being human.

Later, Verlaine says the photo is fake, but guys, Verlaine is obviously lying. He offers no evidence other than saying that the Flags are trying to manipulate Chuuya. He’s saying this because he wants Chuuya to leave the mafia and come with him. He believes that if Chuuya doesn’t think he’s human, he won’t have a reason to stay. I don’t think Verlaine actually knows whether or not Chuuya is human.

When they go to N’s laboratory, Chuuya recognizes N as the man standing next to him in the picture, which, in my opinion, actually proves that the picture is real. It just suggests that the government had their eyes on Chuuya for Project Arahabaki from the beginning.

Exhibit B: N and Chuuya’s Clone

When Chuuya meets N in the lab, N takes him to a room with a glass tank. The glass isn’t black the liquid inside it is, and when the liquid is drained, it reveals… Chuuya. A second Chuuya.

N tells Chuuya that this is the original Chuuya Nakahara, and that Chuuya (OUR Chuuya) is his clone.

*Clears throat* this… is total bullshit.

Remember that N was specifically trying to break Chuuya emotionally and force Arahabaki out of him. It’s also why he tortured him.

He had guessed that Chuuya would be invested in whether or not he was a born-and-bred human. And he weaponized that against him.

N did nothing but lie the entire novel. He lied to Verlaine about knowing about The Secret of Gentle Forest, he lied about his own autonomy in conducting the experiments, he lied the second we met him by saying that he was Chuuya’s father. He had everything to gain by lying to Chuuya.

Exhibit C: Chuuya’s Parents

I rarely see this brought up, but we actually see Chuuya’s parents at the end of the novel.

Chuuya’s father is, you guessed it, some kind of doctor and is ex-military. Don’t forget that N was working for the Japanese government when he experimented on Chuuya. N was probably a colleague of Chuuya’s father and that’s why he’s in a photo with five-year-old Chuuya.

His parents think their son is dead.

Exhibit D: The Pencil Lead Scar

In the SB epilogue, it’s mentioned that Chuuya has a scar he doesn’t remember getting. One on the base of his right wrist.

In the backstory about his parents, it’s explained that when Chuuya’s parents’ son was in school, he got in a fight with another student. The other student stabbed him with a pencil, resulting in a scar on the base of his right wrist.

Mori explains to Chuuya that pencil lead will stay in the body for years. I can attest to this (I have a pencil scar on my foot from when I was 8).

This implies that Chuuya (OUR Chuuya) is not the clone, and really is this couple’s son. Asagiri took the time to point this detail out because he wanted us to have an answer to the question of Chuuya’s humanity.

In conclusion:

Now whether Chuuya is or is not a clone isn’t the point of his arc in Storm Bringer. It’s about him learning that it doesn’t matter if he’s a clone or not. I just don’t like that people are running around not actually understanding what they just read.

[narrators-journal]

Scotty doesn't know

This is an Ao3 ask, and I tried to really improve my writing with this one. Really up the emersion on the smut segment bc they've been feeling kinda sparce and short. Hope u all enjoy as well!

Senku Ishigami wasn’t your brother. If anything, he was a distant, distant ancestor that had been petrified long before your village had come about. Yet, in the short time he had been living with Chrome at the edge of your home, the two of you had grown remarkably close. To the point that Gen Asagiri, a beautiful, charming man that had befriended Senku to the point of betrayal, jokingly called you the leek-haired scientist’s sister.

Yet, at the same time that he joked about your bond with the scientist, and how your interest in scientific and modern things, or any visual similarity you may possibly share with the scientist ‘proved it’, whatever itwas, he seemed to simultaneously take the percieved connection seriously. Judging from how he dodged all of your attempts to seduce or court him.

”Gen, do you think I’m attractive?” You asked as you followed the scientist through the cloud-dimmed forest to fetch material for Senku. “Yes, I think you’re quite cute, why?” He hummed back, glancing over at you while you kept calm and picked a leaf from a passed bush, “Because, I’ve been trying to get your attention for days now, and you’ve never taken the invitation.” You said bluntly, and the mentalist let out a squeak at your to-the-point words. “Ah, yeah, I’ve noticed that…” He admitted, though his gorgeous blue eyes didn’t meet yours as you reached the cave you had been looking for. “So, do you like me? Why are you hesitating if you think I’m cute? I’m of age, I promise.” You assured, but he shook his head as he began to scan the walls and floor for the complex-named material your ‘brother’ wanted.

And, since the modern man didn’t respond, you turned your own attention to gathering materials. Though, you threw the odd glance at him to make sure he knew that you still expected an answer as the two of you went deeper into the cavern. Until, finally, he sighed and stood up from material gathering to come over to you. “Okay, you got me, I like you. I simply hesitated because of how close you are with Senku. He’s rather fond of you in a brotherly sense, and I’m his friend. It’s rather frowned upon from a modern sense for me to date you.” He explained, which, made you scowl. “You do realize I’m a grown woman, right? Senku’s my friend, but he’s not actually my brother. He holds no form of power over me or my partner choices.” You argued, which made the magician chuckle. The man pausing to listen to the beginnings of soft rainfall at the mouth of the cave before he hummed, “Well, you’ve got me there. What exactly do you want to do about it though?” He asked, his tone rather amused, maybe by your confidence, or gutsy admissions.

And, as you stood there, in the somewhat damp darkness of the cave, with a bag of materials in one hand. You began to feel the first flames of embarrassment creep into your cheeks. This time, it was Gen who gave you an expectant look, which made you squirm. Not only in embarrassment, but also from the first tendrils of excitement that bloomed. After all, he seemed to be giving his own invitation. And no one was around to know…

In place of a verbal answer, you acted upon an impulsive decision. Stepping forward and tossing aside your bag of materials before kissing the odd-haired man to get a squeak of surprise out of him. Yet, despite his shock, he didn’t pull away, and instead leaned into your kiss.

And, Gen’s lips were more wonderful than you had ever thought to dream. He tasted like the colas Senku paid him with, and all you could do was let the magician take the lead. Not that you minded. In fact, you all but melted into Gen like butter over a hot pancake, and if that wasn’t enough to do it, the brush of his hands over your hips and up your sides turned you into putty.

So, when you felt the brush of his nimble hands over your skin, you took the green light and slipped your hands beneath his coat. In turn, the magician slid his hands beneath your dress to send shivers through your body that weren’t from the chill of the cave’s air.

Not that the cool air of the damp cavern, or the patter of rain outside registered to you, all that you felt was the warmth of his skin and the zips of arousing electricity when his skilled lips moved from your mouth, to your jaw, to your throat. Only pausing so he could hum, “We should probably stop for now. You’re basically Senku’s sister, and, y’know, we’re in a cave.” But, you shook your head, your body pressed against his, and your fingers tangled in his dual-toned hair in case he attempted to pull away. “No, please don’t. Senku doesn’t have to know, and we can be quick in case someone comes looking. It’s fine.” You argued, able to feel Gen smile against your burning skin at your words before he kissed the crook of your neck and teased, “My~ Sounds like you’re quite eager to sleep with me. I’m flattered~” Which, made you chuckle, breathless from your thundering heart and fluttering belly. Yet, he didn’t argue the point further beyond that. Instead, he gave you another, more heated kiss that you did your best to match the passion of. Even when the magician slipped his tongue into your mouth and drank down the moan you gave.

However, he didn’t give your eager cunt the attention you ached for. Even when you whined and ground your soaked pussy against his leg, all he did was hike up the thick material of your dress to massage your plump breasts and pinch and tease your nipples. Which, still stoked the lustful fire that rippled over your skin, but did little to soothe the agonizing ache of need in your panties. “Gen…” You whined, your hands fumbling to find his arm to try and push it further down your body to make your desires as clear as possible. Yet, all the magician did was pull you into yet another quick kiss and pull away from you completely despite your whimpers.

Though, your complaints quickly went quiet when the gorgeous man shifted his pants down to release his erection to the cool air before tugging at the fabric of your own underwear. So, you used the coarse stone of the cavern wall for support as you kicked the fabric of your underwear into the darkness of the cavern. “Can I suck your dick?” You asked, and Gen’s eyebrows rose at your question, “Wow, you really do have a crush on me, huh?” He chuckled, and you would’ve felt your cheeks flare with a burst of heat at that, but with how fast your blood already zipped in your veins, it was indistinguishable as he continued. “No, not this time at least,” Which, had your preverbial ears perked, “This time?” you asked, those few words laced with excitement that seemed to trickle into your blood to mingle with the arousal like the rain you could still hear echoing in the cavern softly. “Yes, this time,” he hummed, but you were kept from further questioning by yet another quick kiss as the man hoisted you up to pin you against the cold stone of the cave wall. Ending the conversation entirely with a simple, “But that’s if we don’t get caught by Senku.”

You nodded as a shudder crawled over your skin at the slight brush of Gen’s erection against your drooling pussy. The warmth of him contrasted sharply with the chill of the cave’s air and fanned the flames yet again to make you squirm and whine once more.

So, with the rush of fresh need in your blood, you didn’t complain about the lack of a chance to savor your lover’s touches further. The feeling of his cock as it pushed into you was all you cared about at that point. Even if his movements were slow, you moaned loudly with each inch that slid into you. By the time Gen began to thrust into you, your thoughts had simmered down to little more than incoherent strings of pleasure that bubbled and swirled in your mind. You were simply left to pant and rely on the chill of the cavern around you to keep you from floating off too soon.

After all, while you could understand the lack of time you and Gen had to thoroughly explore eachother’s bodies in the cavern, you didn’t want to rushthatmuch. You still wanted to enjoy the feeling of your crush’s cock as it slid in and out of you with lewd squelches and waves of friction that twisted your belly into knots.

Yet, all you could do to relieve the itch for more was moan and arch your back to press as much of your body as you could into Gen. Though, the magician did do his best to litter your neck with feather-light kisses, or nip at your sweetspot as he moved, it never felt like enough to quench the raging fire in your skin.

All you could do was try and let the burning heat of pleasure roll over you. Clawing into Gen’s shoulders for some form of an anchor amidst the waves of bliss each of his deep thrusts sent rippling through you. Moans, meanwhile, all but tumbled from your lips like a waterfall and mixed with his moans and the rythmic slap of his hips against yours in the damp air of the cave. Soon joined by muttered curses from both you, and the magician. ”Shit...I think I’m close…” Gen warned, his voice husky and breathless against your throat, which, earned a responding whine from you. The only words that could be formed through the flurry of friction and pleasure.

Though, thankfully, you didn’t need to say anything to the man for him to get the message, because when the friction fiseemed to finally get to him, he knew to pull out without a word. So, instead of being pumped full of warm cum, Gen’s load splattered onto your belly with a louder groan.

Afterwards, you both were spent. Moments slipped by with little beyond puffs of breaths and the distant patter of rain on the stone walls of the cave. Though, once you and Gen had your breath back, conversation was still left for later. Your focus went back to material gathering, then the trek back to the village before the rain grew more intense. Yet, you decided to still hold onto that hope for ‘next time’.

[fyoyaswifties]

Asagiri-sensei about The day I picked up Dazai from the novel afterwords.

According to Asagiri-sensei:

- The Day I Picked Up Dazai is the novel of the meeting of Dazai and Odasaku, who is neither a mobster nor a hitman.

- Igarashi Takuya, director of the anime series, was the one who suggested Asagiri to write a bonus novel for the premiere of BEAST. Takuya was worried about ticket sales, so they resorted to the same strategy of the DEAD APPLE premiere, where they gave away the novels "BEAST" and "Dazai, Chuuya, Fifteen Years Old" to attract the audience.

- Sensei was asked to write a short novel, but he went a bit overboard on pages.

- Asagiri-sensei had to find the right emotions to express in the novel in order to write it. He was worried because no matter how hard he tried, he could not concentrate. It was at a remote meeting with the production team that he asked Igarashi "what kind of story do you want to read?", and he suggested "how was Odasaku and Dazai's first meeting". Until then, Asagiri-sensei had the doors of imagination opened.

- The Day I Picked Up Dazai, can be described as a "win/lose" novel; Asagiri-sensei is sure now that it is the story that chooses the writer and not the other way around.

- Asagiri-sensei explains that Odasaku is a character unique to light novels, because he is special: he is a character who must narrate in the first person; moreover, Odasaku is the kind of character who can sit and say nothing for days or weeks. He doesn't know why he came up with such a character, but if you ask him: it's Odasaku's charm.

- Asagiri-sensei gives special thanks to the Studio BONES production team, the BEAST film production team, the KADOKAWA BEANS BUNKO editorial team and the KADOKAWA seinen department in charge of Young Ace.