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:3

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that thing about comfort characters yada yada

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who else suffers multiple organ failure whenever this little dude comes to mind

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"I finally got to dispose of an unexploded bomb earlier! At long last y'know?"

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BEAST Light Novel thoughts aka Dazai’s pain

I read @looking-for-stray-dogs’s (thank you!) translation of the light novel a few times (as many as my heart and head could take), and my thoughts and emotions are in an ugly mess. Here are some things I have been thinking about:

Dazai’s emotional and mental state in this universe

What kind of state must Dazai have been in to make such decisions?

I’m not sure if we know when exactly Dazai obtained the Book, but it had to be pretty early on, when he was still young (14-15 at the most). He never met Odasaku in the life he lived, but he knew how important Odasaku was to him in all the other universes. He knew that in all the other worlds, where they became friends, Odasaku always died and he lived.

But in the actual BEAST universe, Dazai and Odasaku never became friends. On top of that, Dazai made an enemy out of everyone else. So basically, the decision to save Odasaku in this universe was likely a combination of:

- The lack of any positive influence in Dazai’s life in BEAST universe. He didn’t have any friends, he didn’t even have Odasaku’s friendship which was what saved him in all other universes.

- His knowledge that in all other universes, Odasaku was the first person to pull him out of the darkness, but with Odasaku’s own life as sacrifice.

- The weight of knowledge from gaining insights into multiple universes, and the fact that he couldn’t share that burden with anyone.

Odasaku’s significance

I think it’s pretty safe to say that no matter in which universe, Odasaku was Dazai’s turning point. He had an enormously significant place in Dazai’s heart, due to the fact that he appeared in the darkest point of Dazai’s life, and introduced a light previously unknown to him. He was so special to Dazai that it was possible for him, in his most extreme state, to let go of everyone else to ensure Odasaku lived. Even in the canon universe, Odasaku was so significant in making Dazai see the light, that basically he had to die to force Dazai to look at life differently, to know the pain of losing a friend, to realize that even he who had grown tired of the world, could feel a tinge of heartbreak when what he treasured the most was slipping away from him. Odasaku had to leave to make room for others in Dazai’s world.

What happens if Dazai gets hold of the Book in the canon (ADA) universe?

I have to remind myself sometimes that Dazai in the canon universe is different from Dazai in the BEAST universe. That’s because in the canon universe, Dazai is less broken, emotionally and mentally. He has friends (even if he hasn’t really called them that), he can smile genuinely from time to time, and he is learning, little by little, the value of life and happiness. In the world of BEAST, Dazai was willing to sacrifice everyone’s life and happiness, including his own, for Odasaku’s sake. His idea of a “good life” was “a life with someone to say goodbye to”, and with “someone who would feel pain from the goodbye”. That’s an extremely flawed, hopeless and painful interpretation of a “good life”, benefitting someone who had known neither love, friendship, nor happiness. He was so lonely that as long as he knew there was a person who would reach out to him in another life, he would try his best to give them what they deserved, at the expense of himself and everyone who involved themselves with him.

The Dazai in canon, on the other hand, when faced with enemies as fearsome as the Guild, chose the plan in which no one had to be sacrificed, single-handedly prepared the next generation of Double Black to protect the city, and went through extra lengths, even getting himself arrested on purpose, to see through Fyodor’s plans to help his comrades in the ADA. Whether he did all this out of self-sacrificial heroic motivations is irrelevant; the important thing is he is not living for someone far away and unreachable. He is fighting for what he stands for in this moment: the Detective Agency, where he had at last found a home.

That’s why I think he would act differently even if he got hold of the Book, and gained knowledge of the different universes in the canon story. He would likely be able to share his burden with others, and choose a suitable solution to ensure the stability of the world without sacrificing people.

Other stuff

Atsushi’s totally unsuited for a violent organization like the Mafia.

Kyouka belongs in the light, always.

Akutagawa needs lots of love.

All these children just need so much love.

Chuuya is a loyal man.

Dazai is capable of so much cruelty, and at the end of the day, the more he makes others suffer, the more pain he suffers himself. It seems like Dazai’s existence alone brings chaos to those around him, but only when his heart is chaotic. He’s a demon and a god, capable of both utter destruction and salvation. This is what convinces me that Dazai’s core is not evil. He doesn’t spread darkness for fun. He’s just been alone in the dark for too long.

In conclusion

Dazai always carries a heavy burden, and he suffers alone.

That’s enough suffering, bye.

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Reblog for a larger sample size.

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And I now will pretend that Part B does not exist until I find my motivation to pick up Beast

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Get it because he’s a mackerel

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ur order of gay freaks arrived @kuni-kuun

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reminiscing

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WOOOO

☆THE RAMSHACKLE TRAILER IS OUT BABY!!!☆

This is just a FRACTION of what the team is bringjng ya, stay tuned for the full pilot! :D Lots o' dumb absurd chaos to come hehe

PATREON

MERCH

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"The greatest misfortune of Dazai's enemies is that they are Dazai's enemies"

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Because I will never be over this adaptation and how it perfectly used every frame and then elevated them until you actually have a wonderful way of displaying each characters thought process. You see Dazai's expression change, how he moves. Dazai has been silly and disarming all of the arc so far. He dances with Sigma and splits because he wants sugar. He jokes while opening a door, and hosts a happy hour quiz, comparing Sigma to his mentee.

But here. we see him, and see how far he is willing to go. We see him stop smiling. He finds out his partner is his enemy, controlled by vampirism and smirks, even if it's more of a 'damn, Dostoyevsky'. But it's important. Because he has ten minutes to make Sigma willing to die for him. Ten minutes to make Sigma willing to die for the agency. And he has to be powerful enough to make Sigma think. Strong enough to shock him, to make him listen. Now, Sigma watches him control time, and drown Dostoyevsky. He has to show Sigma that survival isn't an offer exclusively from the decay of angels.

But here, he sees his partner, it's broadcast on a screen. He sees Chuuya follow Dostoyevsky's orders, pound at the wall, scream and struggle, and then slowly drown. And he stops smiling. Because he can't lie, not in front of his partner.

Something about how the memories load. Something about how Dazai, whose mind works faster than light, takes a moment, because if he thinks about their past, he knows he'll crack and he won't have the resolve for this.Something about needing time to prepare for the heartbreak he's going to inflict on himself. Something about how he's speaking to someone empty, because Dostoyevsky has scooped out Chuuya's soul and turned him into a stranger, and Dazai could never forgive that rat, but this is beyond unforgivable.

Something about a shadow. Something about Dazai blocking himself from the memories where their heart connect. Something about blocking the light because if he's good, right now, he'll destroy what little soul he has.

Something about opening his eyes, and forcing himself to watch, because this is why he came for Odasaku, this is why he wants a double suicide, because he believes that nobody wants to die alone.

Something about listening to Chuuya and how he drowns. Something about a second of silence except for the other half of his soul fighting to live, as Chuuya always had.

Something about the turtle smile, so clearly fake because Dostoyevsky is there, and if he survives (Dazai has every contingency) there can not be a shred of evidence that Dazai cared for his former partner, and something about how if Chuuya was listening under the echoes of vampirism, he would know that Dazai is lying.

Something about there being no chance of ambiguity. Something about the darkness over his eyes, and the pain he's tried to wipe away. Something about shadows, and how you need light to cast them.

Something and something and something, and how soukoku have always been something more.

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he's out of his cell! Only good things can happen here on out... right guys?

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I love how Bungou Stray Dogs writes Geniuses.

Dazai and Dostoyevsky are very obvious foils, but BSD never lets that feel lazy, because the two still have distinct ideologies and strategies. The line is less blurred with the two. Both are willing to kill, to manipulate and to utilise any means necessary to achieve their goals. In the script distinguish themselves majorly in one particular way, which is their understanding of God (or at least fate) and their perspective of humanity. Fyodor believes fate rewards perfection and harmony while Dazai posits that the works of destiny are happenstance and absurdity. Fyodor thinks he's controlling the situation while Dazai says the ones making the World move are the people trapped in contingency. They both agree that humans are sinful and foolish. But to Fyodor that makes them undeserving and boring, while Dazai says that their inherent flaws make them great. They aren't different in an intellectual level, only an ideological one.

Then compare than to Ranpo, noted as the strongest man in the agency. A kind of walking deus ex machina with Ultra Deduction, but a really complex character. We saw him as a strategist in Cannibalism, except that he largely was supporting Kunikida, but now he's essentially running all of the ADA operations. He fails to account for all the contingencies that Dostoyevsky would implement, but arguably knows the limitations and capabilities of the ADA better than even Dazai (think of that scene where they're planning to take down the moby dick).

I like how Ranpo and Dazai are portrayed in their respective arcs right now. Ranpo's strategies are explained clearly to the audience, with flashbacks to him explaining their route of action occurring as the plot unfolds, and clear agendas and techniques used in real time. In contrast, Dazai's plans are kept secret even from the reader, so we are left oblivious to his true agenda and plan.

Then compare that to Mori, who is a very grounded genius. He's smart enough to calculate that Fukuchi is Kamui, which before only Ranpo had deduced, and has been running the port mafia, even maintaining it during intense internal turmoil from when different factions were fighting against him. In the dark era we even see him out manipulate Dazai, with him being the one to smuggle Mimic into Yokohama and leak the location of the orphans without Dazai knowing. But he doesn't have aspirations beyond keeping Yokohama safe, so most of his schemes are directly for the city or for the Port Mafia. He utilises peoples access to information, and affects their circumstances to influence their actions. He has a great understanding of how individuals will both act and react, and how to manipulate both.

There are multiple 'genius' characters, but they all have distinct skill sets and ideologies, and I love seeing how the narrative handles each if them.

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LOOK AT HOW INSANE THIS PERSON IS IM STILL IN UTTER DISBELIEF ABOUT HOW YOU DO THIS ON YOUR PHONE???? 

EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS IS AMAZING WORDS CANT DESCRIBE THE EXPERIENCE WATCHING THIS AMAZING ANIMATIC 

TWO TIME!! (TW: bright colors, flashing lights, zending, skip button, non graphic blood!)