#muse: laz smith

[boundlss]

for all my liveblogging the baccano! anime and singing its praises my favorite character in the whole series does not actually appear in the anime adaptation due to time constraints and plotline cuts. that said, his name is gunmeister smith and he carries around 30 guns in his trench coat at all times. he has very little character depth or nuance. there are a million characters better than him. but he is MY guy.

[closedcoffins]

❝ many guns DO you have in there ? ❞ referring to laz’s coat , in some sort of awe . ❝ that’s totally smart . if you jumped into a river , all the weight might work as an anchor to keep you down ! SO cool … you really are one of a kind , gun - man ! ❞

// tumblr keeps eating my asks btw so lmk if this gets cut off weirdly ��

Laz regards the nosy addition to his lonely evening with a flat stare, as though scrutinizing every bit of him. Not that he gets particularly far, of course---he'd already made the basic observation of strangeness when he'd first laid eyes on the man's bandages, and he's not exactly known for his expertise in deduction. Unlike said intruder on his evening, who'd made his intelligence very clear by being the one to point out the guns in the first place, Laz is of perfectly average intelligence.

Not that intelligence matters much in a life like this.

"Keh-heh-heh... You're lucky there's nothing I value more than lunacy. Based on that remark, you can't be anything short of completely insane." It's the sort of oddball attitude that reminds Laz of everyone else in his chosen profession. The man hadn't said anything, but Laz is willing to bet his life hasn't been free of crime.

After one last chuckle, he takes a sip of his whiskey, pretending not to feel disgust at the taste. He'd only ordered it to seem hardcore, after all. Really, he can't often handle much more than a beer.

"Alright, I'll answer you. Since you've put me in a good mood, and all." He smiles, the expression bordering on wry except for the slight shine to his eyes. "I'm traveling light today, so I only have thirty."

unprompted. / always accepting.

[drfeelgreed-a]

" you don't understand. this is what i've wanted all along. " | for laz!

How strangely disappointing.

Laz doesn't say this aloud, because there's a limit almost everyone has to their social obliviousness, and he doesn't actually go around saying whatever comes across his mind. He understands perfectly well that it'd be rude to say something like that. A real lunatic might have, but Laz is more self-aware than most people tend to allow him.

In some ways, the boy before him is his opposite. After all, he seemingly hadn't been aware of his own strangeness, if his reaction to being called respectable was anything to go by.

"Then we can't understand eachother at all, I'm afraid," Laz says, finding his bitter tone unexpectedly easy to muster. "The respect of others---it's a fleeting dream. In my eyes, you're better of doing what you want and behaving how you like."

It's an incredibly self-serving thing to say.

He tucks a hand into his coat pocket (inside of which rests a few stray bullets) and sighs deeply, turning his head away and closing his eyes. Laz knows he hadn't been speaking for the sake of reprimanding Tsukasa---it might have been better framed as a reminder to himself. I might die without the respect of anyone around me and I'll most definitely die alone, but I'll have lived how I wanted. Or something like that.

"Well," he carries on, disguising his break in eye contact as a dramatic gesture using his words, "I can't blame you for not wanting to lose that. Freedom brings nothing but isolation."

wants. / accepting.

[c4rdsharp]

meechi. also hey! if you're someone who likes this blog and want to see / throw more stuff at Baccano! muses in the rpc, please give a little love & support to my close friend @closedcoffins as well ! they write over 30+ Baccano! muses, including some lesser known characters like the Vanishing Bunny & Laz Smith, and are incredibly talented. I appreciate all the love & support for my Luck, but I think Alba should also be getting some of that, if not more, for the amount of time & effort they put into each of their muses. ESPECIALLY since they have so many! they deserve to have some kind, positive anons in their inbox asking them questions about their muses too!

[boundlss]

"Some people have more complex desires than just being happy, that's all. My lunacy might eventually lead me to something like happiness, but I won't dismiss it just to get there."

Laz's response couldn't be described as halfhearted, not with the passion put behind it, so it would be better described as half truthful. Of course, that's an unusual thing; after all, he usually doesn't put a lot of sincerity into his responses at all, and this one is a break from full commitment towards his choice of playing the lunatic.

Even if Elmer isn't convincing when it comes to making him smile, there's something about him that compels honesty. It's probably, Laz reflects, the complete and utter lack of judgment. Or even a lack of capacity for judgment beyond an initial curiosity.

"I wouldn't expect you to understand, but 'freedom' and 'happiness' aren't direct synonyms. Some people are both free and happy. Most of them are happy without being free." He takes another sip of his drink, managing again not to wince at its taste. The topic of conversation has numbed his ability to even taste it. "The reason I'm a lunatic is because I seek freedom without necessarily seeking happiness. I'll go crazy and sink myself into the life I've chosen even if it means sacrificing my smile and my good graces. That's what makes me crazy. Keh-heh..."

ELMER, TO HIS CREDIT, LISTENS, && listens well. he's silent throughout laz's explanation, not interjecting at the false smile or the lack thereof, not making any attempt to sway him while the other man speaks.

"i understand," he says, more somber, but not losing his own smile. if anything, it just slips into something sadder ; not an emotion elmer's ever felt intensely, if at all, but a reflection of momentary disappointment, however fleeting.

"i won't try to persuade you otherwise," he goes on. "i think most people are actually pretty stuck in their ways. changing wouldn't make you happy, i can see that now."

he swivels in his seat pensively, one hand on the bar counter, && kicks his legs back && forth idly.

"i would like to understand better, though. why you choose this path, that is. it seems pretty strange to me, but — then again, i imagine a lot of people think what i do is strange too! it's..." he chews his lip in thought. "well, i like to think i'm pretty open-minded, but i'm having a hard time figuring out why someone wouldn't want to be happy."

there's an odd edge to elmer's voice as he makes his query, something laz hasn't heard from him before, something difficult to place. it's almost like he's searching for justification — not of laz's actions, but his own.

[boundlss]

catch me crying in the club over shit i am still in the process of writing (this is about a guy who has so many guns in his trench coat he literally can't sit down sometimes)

[boundlss]

actually, both instances of laz using his guns defensively happen to be against maria as well. it's clearer in the first image, but he pretty regularly uses his guns to block her attacks.

when i see people debate whether or not laz is among the stronger of baccano! characters, i always see them bring up that he's never won in a fight against maria. that said, he's never actually lost in one either. both of these fights were pretty determinedly draws even before they were prematurely ended, it's only that maria seems a lot more strong because she's fighting to kill whereas laz is on the defensive both of these times. it's no easy feat to hold off a sword-wielding assailant when you wield guns you refuse to actually shoot people with at the best of times, but maria is a particularly strong opponent to be set against!

[boundlss]

whats the best image of gunmeister smith and why is it the image of him in the background of the man in the killer volume cover

[closedcoffins]

The most dangerous sorts of people are the ones who can handle dark topics without so much as a wince.

Laz knows this for a fact, based on previous experience with the company he's collected. In some ways, the attitude this child displays is somewhere along the lines of the various hitmen who have, in one way or another, one-upped him in terms of skill or credibility.

While it does flatter him that the assumption this time is one of prowess, Laz doesn't bother responding to it directly. After all, he's never killed anybody.

"Assassin, hitman ... There's a world of difference between the two. I'm the latter. I don't stalk the shadows so much as I'm embraced by them completely." Spouting out some lines even an edgy teenager would deem themselves too cool to say, Laz doesn't show any signs of regret for his words---in fact, the most likely thing is that he fully believes in what he's saying. "That said, I'll take any job you want. For the right price, of course."

It's not as though he hasn't taken on jobs before. Actually, he's had plenty of people interested in hiring him for his peculiarities.

It's only that he's never successfully carried out a hit, a fact that Laz keeps at the back of his mind. He's not incapable of killing---in fact, in most cases, his opponents were easily overpowered by him. It was his own restraint that stopped him. In other words, the title of "world's worst hitman" would probably be a good fit for him, though not for lack of ability.

"That said, I'm also particular about the sorts of jobs I do. I won't settle for anything mundane. If you want something straightforward... Keh-heh-heh... There are far better suitors than a lunatic such as myself."

BORDERLINE CHILDISH AMAZEMENT MAKES ITSELF EVIDENT IN THE SYNTHETIC SHINE OF A SINGULAR EYE , visible from the bandage-less side of his face. moments prior , he retained a VACANT visage ; the never - ending gaze of a man who could not possibly be interested in anything. yet , all it took to change that was a singular strange gun - man.

PECULIAR HUMAN BEINGS ALWAYS WILL STRIKE HIS INTEREST . he makes an active effort to halt his observations about the man , focusing his hyper - active brain on the lunacy of possessing thirty guns at once rather than putting the man into a broader context. with rare cases like these , individuals who are so simple yet unbearably unfathomable , dazai doesn’t want to know everything. he yearns for the THRILL of a surprise.

❝ wo - ahhh ! no fair , cool - guy ! i want to carry around thirty guns . . . ❞ keen instinct is telling him that this man is nothing short of an IDIOT with a peculiar amount of guns , but he chooses to pretend otherwise — that this man is some sort of interesting godsend who ought to have his oh - so - interesting brain dissected. if dazai wanted him to be deep &. interesting for his own self - amusement , he simply would PRETEND that were the case.

❝ ahhh , i can only wonder what scary job someone like you would have. i bet you’re a trained assassin ! ❞ bandaged hands fist over his chest , clutching excitedly. ❝ you must have hundreds of kills under your belt. in-fact , i’m positive that each gun has killed approximately EIGHT people. ❞ in actuality , he highly doubted someone like this would be capable of successful murder. as cool as parading around with guns stashed away like pocket - candies , he can’t imagine the noise is very efficient for STEALTHY kills.

OF COURSE , there’s no harm in pretending. ❝ well ? you don’t happen to take jobs , do you ? ❞

[boundlss]

9. Do they give tough love or gentle love most often? Which do they prefer to receive?

20. Who do they like as a person but hate their work? Vice versa, whose work do they like but don’t like the person?

47. Who have they forgotten about that remembers them very well?

for laz!

9. Do they give tough love or gentle love most often? Which do they prefer to receive?

What an interesting question for Laz. I think he's the type of person to insist that he gives tough love and that he's merciless, but really he's not at all. I think it would make him feel a little too bad to be the "tough love" kind of person. Aside from being just a generally decent guy, he understands very well the impact that that kind of thing can have on someone. He's very obliging with Mark in canon even if he's a weird guy in general.

20. Who do they like as a person but hate their work? Vice versa, whose work do they like but don’t like the person?

Admittedly, Graham for the first part. He actually adores Graham and gets along very well with him, but he has a staunch dislike of the manner in which Graham tends to fight both when he's putting up a front and when he's not. From the front, he dislikes it because violence without slaughter isn't really accounted for in his definition of lunacy. From the inside, it's a little too violent for his tastes. Conversely, he likes the Gandor Family's way of running things, but he's not particularly fond of any of the brothers or their subordinates. The Gandor brothers scare him a little, and he's just not very fond of Maria or Nicola.

47. Who have they forgotten about that remembers them very well?

This one is actually a pretty big spoiler for the Laz-centric fic I'm in the middle of writing, but his old boss. Laz pretty much regards the guy, Lawrence, as a distant memory... but the same can't be said for Lawrence, who has a worrying and objectifying obsession with Laz to the point of seeing him as a machine to make use of.

character building. / accepting.

[closedcoffins]

ACTUALLY sorry not done mutuals over here don't know about my obsession with gunmeister smith which is crazy because my personal url is literally gunmeister but anyway to YOU he's a joke character. to me he's the embodiment of everything baccano is. getting your shit rocked. flying off the handle pretending to be more threatening than you are. an absurd amount of guns. the inherent whimsy in getting to die at the end of the day and the inherent spice of living. the insane amount of kindness it takes to spare someone you probably should have killed. gunmeister smith did not "FORGET" to load his gun that day by the way he meticulously cleans and loads all 30 of his walking guns and he didn't load the gun on purpose because he's never killed anyone before and his first kill certainly was not going to be mark, and also it was not cheap that maria apologized to him because he literally actually did hold his own in a fight against her and getting put against berga in drug and the dominos was a BAD MATCH for him okay? okay? okay? but he would rock melvi's shit instantly.

[boundlss]

top 10 characters to be really normal about

[closedcoffins]

some of my gunmeister smith lore btw

[closedcoffins]

don’t be fooled by the picture i just posted. laz smith is frankly one of the least dangerous baccano! characters ever. despite owning 300 guns he has canonically never actually carried out a hit. he is the embodiment of r/im13andthisisdeep. hes actually hitting all his targets you just dont know what hes shooting at. he is a single father and his son has committed more murders than him. he is my third favorite baccano character.

[closedcoffins]

you WILL percieve him btw

[closedcoffins]

CHARACTER OUTLINE.

FLAWS.

moody | short-tempered | emotionally unstable | whiny | controlling | conceited | possessive | paranoid | liar | impatient | cowardly | bitter | selfish | power-hungry | greedy | lazy | judgmental | forgetful | impulsive | spiteful | stubborn | sadistic | petty | unlucky | absent-minded | abusive | addict | aggressive | childish | callous | clingy | delusional | cocky | competitive | corrupt | cynical | cruel | depressed | deranged | egotistical | envious | insecure | insensitive | lustful | delinquent | overthinker | guilt complex | reclusive | reckless | nervous | oversensitive | perfectionist | pessimistic | naive

STRENGTHS.

honest | trustworthy | thoughtful | caring | brave | patient | selfless | ambitious | tolerant | lucky | intelligent | confident | humble | generous | merciful | observant | wise | clever | charming | cheerful | optimistic | decisive | adaptive | calm | protective | proud | diligent | considerate | compassionate | good sportsmanship | friendly | empathetic | passionate | reliable | resourceful | sensible | sincere | witty | funny

SKILLS &. HOBBIES .

art | acting | astronomy | animals | archery | sports | belly dancing | bird watching | blacksmithing | boating | calligraphy | camping | candle making | casino gambling | ceramics | racing | chess | music | cooking | crochet | weaving | exercise | swordplay | fishing | gardening | ghost hunting | ice skating | magic | engineering | building | inventing | leather-working | martial arts | meditation | origami | parkour | people watching | swimming | puppetry | pyrotechnics | quilting | reading / collecting | shopping | socializing | storytelling | writing | traveling | exotic dancing | singing | yoga | gaming | surfing

tagged by: @longerhuman ; thank you !!

tagging: anyone who wants!