#and chuuya.... if we get a scene with him & mori mirroring the one in dark era where dazai finds out that mori orchestrated the kids' death | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

xo-cuteplosion-xo · 3 years

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Unrequited love

I should be working on comfort requests-

Instead, I have two ideas that kept me awake last night cause I apparently like to make Dazai suffer.

Angst (Idk kinda?)

Words: 1491

Unrequited love |Dazai x Reader x Chuuya|

Shadows loomed over the night, coating the starless sky. The light provided by street lamps left the deeper down into the alleyways. Cold winds blew past, ruffling the black mafioso coat, the symbol of death. The familiar crimson dripped from the barrel of the mafioso's gun. As it landed the blood crystallized into beautiful roses, courtesy from his partner. Normally there would be three of them. A devil, a demon, and a god. When the three worked together there wasn’t anything they couldn’t do, alone they were just as strong. The devil, as most people in the underworld called him, placed the gun back on its hold. He looked back at the demon with no expression, only jolting his head to the side. Even in the dim light, they were memorized by the devil. Perhaps that’s why they were the demon. What else could love the devil? A man so cruel he held no mercy, not for his co-workers, his enemies, he had nothing to spare. Some pity him, an executive at such a young age, so heartless and cruel. Surely he was suffering beneath the layers. Of course, that’s what they, the demon, thought.

They were 17 when the demon held a bundle of crystallized flowers. Having dipped them in water and turned the liquid that laid atop the petals into crystals they handed them to the male. Dazai, the devil only rolled his eyes. It wasn’t the first or last time this would happen. How many times had they confessed to the brunette, only to receive silence? Then again, they had never said they loved him. The brunette let them cling to him, much to the ginger's displeasure. The god tended to be the middle between them. Chuuya hated watching his partner's ungrateful attitude. To be honest, he was still shocked Dazai hadn’t tried to ravage the one they called a demon.

The day you, the demon, stood in front of Dazai, just before he’d leave forever, you spoke the three words. Instead of silence, he gave that dark shadowy look. Though only one eye was exposed his message was clear. Even in those dark, deadly eyes that showed no emotion, you could tell before he spoke. “When will you take the hint? I don’t have interest in you, never will." His words were so cold.

You looked down as your heart nearly leaped from its place. You stood and watched him leave to the scene of an explosion. You stood before your knees gave out and you fell. That was the last time you would see him for four years.

Dazai spent every day thinking about that moment, the different paths that you could have walked. To not immerse yourself in the senseless bloodshed for life. Had he said yes could you be here among the Agency laughing like you used to? He heard the new rumors, the things they said about you. A Deity of bloodshed. Nobody saw you and lived to tell the tale. An executioner of the port mafia. A heartless demon who lived only to spread their misery to others. They said your eyes were cold and emotionless. No longer lively and that beautiful trap he had been captured by. They said you never laughed, but when you did it was to mock your victims. The cheerful laugh that used to mix into the few good dreams he had now lay within the nightmares. Some Days he woke up and saw the old him. Other times he would wake up from a nightmare and swear you were there. Looking back at him in the mirror. A look of hate on your face as you blamed him for the monster you are.

The rumor that hurt the most had to be your relationship status. Nobody could confirm it, but hearing that you and Chuuya had become a killer duo killed him. Jealousy, anger, disgust, most of that aimed at himself. Another reason to add to the list of miseries he’s gone through. The others at the agency never noticed the way his mind was starting to unravel as rumors increased. As more and more people began to fear the name he regretted tossing to the side. He had been scared of those words, the three words he still can’t say because he’s afraid of how human they make him. For years, he’s been so distant from humanity. Why did it take him so long to realize that pain in his chest as he declined your confessions? The shattering pain he felt when he walked away was his own heart shattering from a love that could have been. He could only imagine you sitting at the desk laughing away with his coworkers. He could imagine his hands over your eyes as he surprised you.

The worst trick of his eyes was when he could really see you sitting there at the empty desk. When he could hear your laughter. Why did this world have to hate him so much? It’s hated him from the day he was born. He hated living so alone, and he could have had somebody, could have shared the miseries of this world with you but he won’t be able to.

Your first appearance at the agency happened during a meeting. The guild would be a problem only the two agencies combined could conquer. His eyes had spotted you immediately. You looked matured, no longer the demon who was far too kind to wear such a title. You truly looked like he had once. Eyes devoid of all emotion. You held your head high, hands behind your back as you took a right next to Mori. Chuuya stood next to you, and upon seeing Dazai his lips curled into a cruel smirk. He leaned over to whisper into your ear.

The smile your lips curled into mirrored the twisted smirk he would wear when delivering punishments to his underlings. He could only shiver before the two of you shared a brisk kiss. His whole world shattered but he held himself together. He kept his unusually bright smile as the two leaders worked out a deal.

When the two of them showed before Dazai he could only wave to hear your voice. “Listen Dazai, neither of us is pleased about working with you. The faster this is done the less we have to deal with you and your heartless personality.” Dazai had no words, he’d never heard you talk like that before. You were always the one silent or praising his accomplishments.

After the mission when Chuuya passed out from using corruption he reached out to you. “Y/n, what happened to you?” among all the questions amidst his mind that one spilled from his lips first.

“Oh Dazai, you happened. The mafia changes people the same way your… current job does.” you sounded disappointed and disgusted.

Behind that mask, you were crying out. Your heart raced as he stood in front of you. A part of you still wanted to hold him as you had. You learned the hard way feelings only granted you pain. “You know, keeping the act up won’t last that long. I recognize the act. Modeled after how I used to hide away?” The snarl that passed over your lips as you reached to punch him didn’t surprise him.

Though it hurt both of you, it took his taunting words to bring out the emotions swimming under the lock. “I hate you. Get it into your head Dazai! You broke me, you abandoned me, you abandoned us! All for what some stupid friend! I was there longer than him Dazai… I held you after nightmares, I cleaned the wounds after battle. Do you know what hurts more than rejection? Abandonment! I trusted you, we trusted you with everything and you threw it all away like nothing. Do you have any idea how much that hurts? He was some stupid friend you spent less time with, knew for less, sure he didn’t kill, he was perfect, better than me but you didn’t even say goodbye!”

He didn’t get to respond before you carried Chuuya off.

Dazai could only stare at the ground and the stains of blood that lay crystallized from your outburst. You had never been good at holding back. He plucked the grass from the ground holding the frozen crimson in his hand. It didn’t melt in his touch as he looked around for a complete flower. He’d kept everything you gave him, he loved the collection of crimson flowers, real flowers, even rain or snow. Your ability was so beautiful and peaceful, like you had been. However, all he found were shards that could cut through flesh. Cruel like the persona you’d adopted to keep yourself from being hurt. He envied Chuuya, who now lay at the receiving end of your love while he stood within the bubble of hate that iced over your heart.

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straydawg-writing · 3 years

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𝖋𝖔𝖗𝖌𝖊𝖙-𝖒𝖊-𝖓𝖔𝖙

ᴅᴀᴢᴀɪ ᴏꜱᴀᴍᴜ.

• bungo stray dogs series

chapter 3: 𝖉𝖆𝖋𝖋𝖔𝖉𝖎𝖑 — 𝖘𝖙𝖆𝖗𝖙 𝖔𝖋 𝖘𝖔𝖒𝖊𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖓𝖌

✥ ⊱ ────── ♔ ────── ⊰ ✥

┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊

┊ ┊ ┊ ✫ ˚✩

┊ ┊ ✫

┊ ┊

┊ ⊹ ☪︎⋆

✯ ⋆

˚✩

"COME IN."

it nearly took all of kita's might to push open the monstrous gothic-styled doors of the boss' office. as of late, mori had been assigning her more and more tasks that she readily accepted. she had nothing else to do, no other reason to live, except for dedicating herself to the port mafia.

daylight emanated from a long wall of floor-to-ceiling windows, brightening up the dark space and shining on the royal maroon carpet. ahead of her sat the boss, in all of his dignity and glory.

"you called?" kita began, standing tall when she spoke.

mori was not a man she wanted to appear frail in front of. kita was confident she would win over his trust and respect in due time, and was determined not to waste the chance he had given her when he had taken her in. as a woman in the port mafia, she had to work harder than anyone else to be taken seriously. many believed that she didn't belong there, but she was okay with that. after all, kita had no intention of being mixed with juvenile delinquent men.

"you did well on your last job. but of course, you know that i can't have you rest and let that eager spirit rot away."

"i'd expect that, boss. what did you have in mind?" kita asked, twiling a strand of black hair between her fingers.

"this job involves retrieving the marcello family's confidential files. they've attempted hiding a business of money laundering despite our... how should i say this? our 'small' warning example. the mission should be easy enough."

the sound of tall double doors parting open echoed throughout the room and interrupted kita's response. she felt the presence of someone else coming in, stopping only when they were right next to her.

"hey, boss."

"nice to see you dazai," mori greeted the boy, intertwining his hands and resting them on his desk.

dazai was here. why did she suddenly feel butterflies, when not even meeting the port mafia boss stirred nerves like these within her?

"i don't understand. if the mission is so easy, what is he doing here?" kita glanced his way, startled when she saw him staring back.

"did i forget to mention? although just one person is needed to steal the item, this mission requires two people. the marcello family enjoys their parties. you'll be infiltrating their next one, as an unsuspecting couple."

everything slowed down. kita was sure she misheard, mori's last words hanging on his lips and repeating in her mind like a mantra. go as a couple?

you could ask her to kill an army of men and it would be simpler than this. she had only just met him last night –no– it would be easier if she didn't know him at all.

"is that agreeable with you, kita?"

it wasn't like she had a choice, a job was an order in disguise. mori had that same look on his face that he pulled whenever he was picking out a new babydoll dress for elise. the man was up to something, and she wasn't sure how to feel.

"sounds good to me!" dazai answered for her, shoving his hands in his pockets.

then it was settled. looking towards the bandaged boy, kita shook off her wariness and cracked a smile. she wouldn't mind getting to know him better.

"alright. how bad could it be?"

kita's mirror reflection stared back at her, beauteous and sweet. a silk black dress hung daintily on her hips, and a laced corset traced her curves. ringlets of jet-black hair spilled over her collarbones, the midnight shades creating a striking contrast with her ivory pearl skin that was spellbinding. she sighed as she closed the drawer which held her lipstick. despite her natural desire to stand out in a crowd, kita knew that tonight she would be dressing to blend in. still, she couldn't help but ask herself in the back of her mind if she was dressing to impress.

'it's just a mission. just a mission. just a mission,' she told herself as she twisted open the doorknob of her room. little did she expect to see the man himself, standing right outside of her bedroom door.

"how long have you been standing there?" she rested her hand on her hip, pursing her lips.

"from my perspective, it looks like you were the one waiting for me to get here," dazai said, holding out a single red camellia flower.

"'you're a flame in my heart', huh?" kita observed, taking the flower in her pale hands.

"is that a confession?" he asked, with a cheeky grin.

oh, so he's a flirt.

"that's just what the flower means, stupid."

she took this chance to take in the sight of him. his hair was the same as always –tousled chocolate locks falling over his sweetly intense brown eyes– and you were glad he hadn't changed it. dazai's usual bandages were covered up by the sleeves of his black slate tux. the suit looked made for him, fitting his body perfectly in every crevice. you had to admit, dazai looked a little bit handsome.

"i know, i asked chuuya. who knew he spoke flowers too? although... he did try starting a fight in the middle of the courtyard, calling me an 'enemy of all women,'" dazai pouted, making finger quotations before he quickly changed moods again. it was something she had noticed he seemed to do often. his playful eyes were now dripping with a more flirtatious undertone.

"the boss ordered us to personate two fiances madly in love. so... let's play the part, shall we?" dazai mischievously bowed down to her height, gently taking kita's small hand in his and leaving a kiss on her smooth skin. he knew he had caught her in his trap- she couldn't argue with the boss himself.

kita let out a small exhale, interlacing his hands with her own.

"fine, you win. but drop the 'madly in love.'."

"mr. and mrs. iwazaki-to-be?" the doorman asked for confirmation, with a paper and quill to cross off guest names.

"that's us!" dazai enthusiastically expressed with an arm around kita, placing a kiss on her temple to sell the act.

the doorman, who seemed to be in his late sixties, looked up from his paper and sent the pair a warming smile.

"i miss my girl every day... congratulations." he held up his ring finger to show them, and motioned for them to join the party. "enjoy the night!"

the pair entered the party through a towering marbled creme archway. space had opened up to accommodate a grand scene of painted people with most likely debatable motives, drinking from their champagne glasses and dancing to a luxurious orchestra. a waft of expensive colognes and perfumes flooded their senses. it smelt like the rich. businessmen stroke deals, wives exchanged the newest slice of gossip, and old men watched from the sidelines, whistling for girls in their royal dresses of all colors.

kita suddenly developed an appreciation for not having come alone. the fake engagement ring decorating her ring finger marked her as claimed. in other words: kept the old, perverted, corrupted politicians away. not as if she couldn't beat them to a pulp if need be.

a large marble staircase that matched the entrance winded the perimeter of the main floor, leading up to the room which held their files. but for now, their foremost concern was appearing ordinary, becoming like everybody else of the night. to play the part of the happy-go-lucky-couple-in-love.

the boss had asked her first. this was her mission.

grabbing dazai by the chin who was distracted by the red-velvet cupcakes on display, kita turned his face down to look at her.

"dance with me."

"okey. but yowr sqwuisching mey fasce," dazai replied, face indeed squished as his lips were forced into a pout. she let go with a grin, satisfied with his response.

maneuvering through men in studded suits and women in extravagant dresses that took up half of the floor, a new waltz had begun by the time she pulled him onto the dance floor with her.

"i forgot to tell you earlier, but you clean up really nicely, dazai." kita commented, her arms loosely tangled around his neck.

they turned elegantly, in tune with the slow music, and standing closer than ever before. kita could feel his breath on her skin as he held her waist. this close to him, his natural scent was intoxicating. he was rich, like caramel. a breath of fresh air from the sea of headache-inducing colognes. if by the end of this dance, her breath was taken away, she would know why.

"you look... irresistible," dazai's eyes widened slightly. he kept his attention on her as he whimsically guided the girl across the dance floor, taking her anywhere he pleased– and she let him. no matter what dazai did, he always had the same fanciful air about him. even now, she felt he was taking her into a dream.

the warmth between them continued to increase, along with their rising heartbeats, until the song had faded into the distance and the only thing that mattered was their steps in sync, their breathing one.

'it's all an act.'

"let's find a room upstairs," he whispered in her ear, pulling her out of the crowd and up the staircase once the song had ended.

any guests attending the event were too engrossed in their own party and pleasure to notice them disappear. from where kita stood, she could see them all dancing like porcelain dolls in a make-believe show.

"this one." dazai pointed, opening a door with a plaque that read, 'j. marcello's office.'

time was of the essence, and yet dazai didn't seem the least bit concerned as he strolled over to the mahogany desk that sat underneath a window. he opened one drawer in particular with a mass of cigarettes the owner had never bothered throwing out, and tossed them all into the trash can.

"if he wants to meet his end with an insufferable death, this'll do it." dazai tsked and shook his head as he tossed another one behind him and scored. "couldn't ever be me..."

"don't you think he'll notice?"

"he'll also notice when his papers are gone. i'm simply doing him a favor~" dazai chuckled.

kita was digging through files and trying to distract herself from the taller male as much as possible, ever since the dance they shared so intimately lingered in her mind. she was so distracted that she didn't hear the sudden sound of a door opening, and just as quickly as the door opened, she had been pulled into dazai's embrace and leaned over the desk.

his soft lips crashed into hers, causing an obvious expression of surpise as she felt his warm hands riding up the side of her face, the other arm leaning on the desk behind her and trapping her underneath him– but she guessed it was only to give the mysterious person the wrong idea.

she only hesitated for a moment before kissing him back, going along with the act as she pulled on his tie to regain her balance. the kiss barely lasted about five seconds, but to kita it felt like an eternity. his kiss was so sudden she had already ran out of breath and was running on nothing at all but his own oxygen.

"s-sorry! you can't be in here!" an embarrassed voice called out, shutting the door as soon as it had opened.

when the door had closed, dazai swiftly released his hold on her.

"all that and still no files," he sighed, scratching his head.

"you sure about that?" kita smirked, running her tongue over the lingering taste of sugar-coated lips. peaking from behind her back was a folder that she had stolen from the drawer's hidden compartment.

"kita! oh i could kiss you," dazai's mouth opened in childish awe. if this were an animation, his eyes would have sparkled.

"you already did. guess you couldn't resist huh?"

"aren't you the one who kissed me back?" he raised an eyebrow.

"touché," she clicked her tongue, rolling the folder and hiding it in her bra while walking out of the room with dazai in tow.

"wow, you can fit that in there?" he pondered out loud.

"of course i ca-" she began, before being cut off by a horde of men in black suits, guns pointed.

"IT'S THEM! don't even TRY letting them escape," a voice boomed, with a round of gunshots firing all around them soon after.

kita sighed, uninterested in the new turn of events. she could use her ability now, but it wasn't worth it. they had gotten what they came for, so whatever happened now was of no concern to her. dazai slowly turned around, eyes coming to an emotionless standstill as he allowed the bullets their chance to plunge into him, but always missing.

"geez, your aim sucks." kita stated, pulling her own knife out of a leg garter that hid underneath her dress and sending it piercing through the cheeks of a full line of men.

they dropped, guns casting across the floor. dazai blankly considered them before picking one up for himself.

"i hope you don't mind if i borrow this," he drawled, flipping it over in his hands before stretching out his arm in front of him and shooting the men left. he aimed to kill.

with that taken care of, kita bent down and plucked her knife out of the unfortunate victim's flesh. she wiped it off on the fabric of her black dress.

"p-please. don't kill me," the timid cry of a sole survivor pleaded for his life.

he was bowed to the ground, blood seeping through his suit and making it an impossibly darker shade of vantablack. what a shame he still lived.

with one look from dazai who lazily reached a hand for a crimson-red cupcake, he aimed and shot with the other.

the party was all but dead now.

in the midst of the bloodbath, dazai had taken a bite out of the dessert, and now white frosting dusted the tip of his nose like snowflakes. using her thumb, kita wiped the icing away and licked the sweetness off of her finger.

"hey!"

"you took too long to eat it!" she explained after stealing the cupcake away from him, eating the rest of it as as they stepped out from the bloodied marble walls and into the black of the darkened night.

｡✣✤✥━━━━━━━━━━━━✥✤✣｡

❝𝙰𝙿𝙾𝙲𝙾𝙻𝚈𝙿𝚂𝙴❞

1:05 ──♡────── 2:53

|◁ II ▷|

— ʏᴏᴜʀ ʟɪᴘꜱ, ᴍʏ ʟɪᴘꜱ, ᴀᴘᴏᴄᴀʟʏᴘꜱᴇ

ʏᴏᴜʀ ʟɪᴘꜱ, ᴍʏ ʟɪᴘꜱ, ᴀᴘᴏᴄᴀʟʏᴘꜱᴇ

｡✣✤✥━━━━━━━��━━━━✥✤✣｡

#bungo stray dogs #bungo stray dogs fanfiction #dazai osamu x reader #dazai x reader #dazai osamu x oc #dazai x oc #bsd fanfic #bsd fanfiction #mafia!dazai x reader #mafia!dazai fanfiction

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violentruin · 7 years

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Okay, so I was thinking about how Dazai treated/trained Atsushi vs. Akutagawa. And it got really long.

Akutagawa

The Port Mafia is based on taking. Snatching something, even people’s lives, and making it your own, no matter what the cost is. They are violent people.

Dazai was brought up in an environment like this and wasn’t taught to be warm and loving. He wasn’t trained to be so towards others, either.

When he sees Akutagawa, he knows he’ll belong in the Port Mafia perfectly because of his nature. Akutagawa lived in the slums, at the bottom of the bottom, was vicious and stopped at nothing to get what he needed for himself and those around him.

To get someone like Akutagawa to join the Port Mafia, Dazai knows violence as reparations is best. So he kills the men that murdered Akutagawa’s friends (which what kind of oddly murderous-romantic-gesture is that?) to coerce Akutagawa into being his subordinate.

In all honesty, Dazai could have forced Akutagawa, he has the power, but he doesn’t.

Maybe Dazai saw part of himself in Aku?

Anyway, being nice in the Port Mafia doesn’t fucking fly. But he does give Akutagawa the chance to turn him down, and even warns him that there will be days where Aku will wish he was back in the slums. Akutagawa agrees in the weirdest but most fitting way (apparently he howls? Akutagawa didn’t see himself as human until he felt hatred).

A tip-top executive takes the time, goes out of his way, kills people meant to be under the Port Mafia’s protection, just to please Akutagawa. That and of itself from Dazai is a feat. (You might usually just buy a gotdamn gift or some food for a normal person? Murder would not be necessary??).

Akutagawa was called The Silent Rabid Dog for a reason. Coddling him wouldn’t have worked, speaking to him in niceties for training would have been futile, and Akutagawa wouldn’t have respected him.

In A Heartless Dog, Aku says Dazai gives him his second feeling that he’s ever had, and it’s respect. You can see that Akutagawa uses some of the same words to describe Dazai that have been used to describe himself: bottomless eyes, demonic, heartless, ruthless. Dazai is the embodiment of what Akutagawa wants to be.

Dazai is promoted the same day he goes looking for Akutagawa because as an executive he can take on any subordinate he chooses. He chooses Akutagawa as his first. So, of course, there are many experimental mistakes (as we see it) Dazai makes.

Dazai was only about a year or two older than Akutagawa, Aku describes him as a boy when he sees him. He says Dazai is thin and calls him a youth. Don’t forget that Akutagawa was going to kill Dazai, if not for the nullification ability he has.

Give a young boy who’s ready to die without blinking a reason to live, he’ll see nothing else but the person who saved him. He sees Dazai has some sort of demonic holiness, not even a god would cross his path.

Fast-forward to training. Dazai shoots, kicks, and punches Akutagawa, like really does the kid in. Akutagawa has been warned. I’m sure Dazai has done so more than just that first time they met. But! Dazai does all these things to strengthen Akutagawa because, as Dazai says in one scene, the enemy won’t wait for Akutagawa to get up or recover. He has to learn how to take some really fucking hard hits.

Dazai had to have undergone the same training, seeing that his ability can’t be used to attack. He’s using what he’s learned and what he knows is best. Dazai has a strange knack for knowing what will and won’t work.

When Akutagawa gets back up from every attack Dazai lays on him, you can see that he’s pleased, and he might even tell him “good.” Praise wasn’t a spoken factor, which probably wasn’t a part of Dazai’s training either.

Praise is reflected in the amount of fear inflicted upon enemies and the reputation given to you throughout Yokohama. When you look at it, Dazai broke and shaped Akutagawa into someone who could disobey Mori’s orders and get away with it because it benefited the Port Mafia in the end, even though most of Akutagawa’s motives were for himself.

Akutagawa becomes a mirror of Dazai, maybe stronger. The most feared man in Yokohama, even the Agency likes to steer clear of him.

For all the pain Dazai inflicts on him, it’s for good reason. He wants his first subordinate to survive, so he grinds Akutagawa into dust and builds him back up from the ashes. If it’s going to be anyone, it’ll be him doing it so no one else will be able to. The Port Mafia is a dog-eat-dog world and Dazai intends for his dog to prevail (and he does).

For dogs the most vital aspect of their lives is the person who takes them in, gives them reason to live. Dazai is that person to Akutagawa, the Port Mafia’s dog. Without all that ruthless training and showcasing of violence, Akutagawa wouldn’t have respected (loved) Dazai at all. He wouldn’t be at the height he is.

Atsushi

The Agency is about giving, helping out those in need. They don’t use violence unless it’s needed. The complete opposite of the Port Mafia.

Here, Dazai does a complete 360. In the sense that he isn’t as serious and savage. He does have his times when people notice that look in his eye.

I like to assume that Dazai knew that Atsushi was the tiger way before he physically encountered him. Dazai has had to track people down before, for sure, and he has that strange knack for knowing things.

Dazai lures Atsushi in with the promise of food (like normal people). He’s eccentrically goofy in front of Atsushi, giving the boy a sense of security to let his guard down completely.

Dazai probably had it in the works to take on the tiger before he even said it aloud after nullifying Atsushi’s ability.

Onto training and how Dazai treats Atsushi. He doesn’t get physical the same way he did with Akutagawa because the Agency isn’t that type of organization.

He does let Atsushi go on that, seemingly, small mission with Naomi and Tanizaki. Dazai knows Higuchi isn’t who she says she is, knows who she works for, and knows Akutagawa would be out to get Atsushi. Dazai knows how violent it could get, is going to get, but let’s Atsushi get a taste of what it’s like out there.

Letting him see his new companions possibly die (like Aku did) and having to fight off someone like Akutagawa is a warning within itself, unsaid. There will be days when you wish you were back in the slums. Even though the Agency is unlike the Port Mafia, Atsushi will encounter gruesome fights (his leg gets torn off) and barbaric people.

Dazai’s training for Atsushi is to let him waddle off into the the world and experience it for himself, while keeping an eye on him, or someone else from the Agency to do so. (In the Port Mafia he had to keep Akutagawa in check all on his own for various reasons).

He is gentler with Atsushi because the tactics he used with Akutagawa won’t fly, not only because that’s not how it works in the Agency, but because it won’t work correctly. Atsushi is an anxious mess already because the people in the orphanage belittled him at every turn, Dazai can’t use that.

He might also be learning from his mistakes with Akutagawa (he’s dependent and his loyalty to Dazai is a weakness, as seen when he jumped for the earpiece just to speak to him). Dazai doesn’t want Atsushi to become entangled so deeply with him like that and become a liability.

Dazai does throw Atsushi’s limp body away in the first episode (as Dazai also leaves Chuuya behind after using Corruption because maybe after Oda, anything akin to a dead male body? He doesn’t want to hold it). And he slaps Atsushi to knock him out of his self-pity trance after Q uses his ability on him.

Dazai isn’t one to show affection to his subordinates and the slap he delivers to Atsushi is one of the first traces of like…his past self in a way? He’s never laid a hand on Atsushi that way before and his demeanor in that moment reminds me of his Dark Era days. If Akutagawa had broken down like that, Dazai might have punched him. But, once again, he takes a different route that both suits Atsushi’s soft nature and gets his point across.

Dazai lets Atsushi take baby steps and the community in the Agency also “raises” him.

With Akutagawa, Dazai was young with other troubling responsibilities and had to quickly teach his subordinate for use, all at the same time. Also, the Port Mafia is about being ruthless, so he had to keep nurturing that part within Akutagawa.

Overall, Akutagawa was taken in by Dazai at a crucial time in his youth, and formed an attachment to Dazai because of it. They were both too young for what they were going through, and Dazai could have gone lighter on Akutagawa, but Akutagawa wouldn’t have wanted him to, Dazai’s brutality is one of the reasons Akutagawa looks up to him.

All he wants is recognition, not a lighter kick to the gut, and Dazai knew this. If he had been gentle with Akutagawa, he wouldn’t have survived in the Port Mafia, probably would have been killed. Dazai knew what he was doing and knew it needed to be done if he wanted Akutagawa to survive and hone his skill.

I’d say Dazai approved of Akutagawa before he met him. He just wanted to sharpen his skills and being gentle wasn’t the way to do that, or to earn Akutagawa’s respect. Dazai was impressed with Akutagawa from the first time they met, a second too late and Akutagawa might have just killed, or maimed, Dazai. Atsushi tells him that his mentor recognized Akutagawa a long time ago. Dazai would have killed him otherwise.

But Dazai being Dazai, he doesn’t know how to be affectionate. He didn’t grow up around affectionate people. Reading A Heartless Dog, it seems to be heavily implied that Akutagawa is a younger, mirror image of Dazai. I mean, how cute (and sad) is that?

Atsushi lived his life in a cold home, berated each day. He’s timid because he had structure and rules, but grew without seeing his own worth. Dazai adapts to this, and I don’t think Fukuzawa (or Oda because he loved orphans) would approve of him training Atsushi the way he did Aku (which Oda probably told him to go easy on the kid at some point), and because of Fukuzawa, Atsushi can control his abilities. He just needed to believe in himself. Akutagawa had to learn how to hone and control his own ability through himself and Dazai’s rigid structure.

I love Akutagawa and Atsushi lots and lots, and I just wanted to study this. I didn’t read the manga. I’ve only watched the anime and read Akutagawa’s side story, A Heartless Dog. Feel free to correct me on certain things or if I need to add stuff.

#osamu dazai #akutagawa ryunosuke #atsushi nakajima #bungou stray dogs #daaku #daatsu #character study

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drink-n-watch · 5 years

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Up until an hour ago, I still didn’t know if I would be doing a seasonal roundup post tonight. Cutting it real cose, I know. Actually, I was pretty sure I would. I figured I’d get home, watch a few episodes of anime and start the consuming process of hunting down every current season episode review I can find, when faith threw a wrench in the works.

You know how these things go. You got your plans all settled and somehow you end up doing something completely different. Whether it’s instantly dropping everything you were going to do because a show you’ve been waiting for forever has finally come back, or whether it’s somehow ending up working for a criminal organization you had sworn to destroy. Life is just quirky that way sometimes. There will be episode 1 spoilers.

I have a bad happy feeling about this…

I like Bungo Stray Dogs quite a bit. I’m a fan of Bones as well. But even I will admit that the series has its ups and downs. It’s often more fun than anything else. Like smart or thought provoking or powerful. But at it’s best, it’s pretty tremendous.

For me, that “best”, happens to be the opening arc of season 2 (the Dark Era arc). This handful of episodes show the full technical and artistic potential of Bungo Stray Dogs and I was really hoping we would see more of that in season 3….Well it seems someone out there took me literally!

well this is dark…

First though, let me just say I had forgotten how pretty Bungo Stray Dogs is. Season 3 did not get any sort of visible animation boost but it’s simply not needed. The colors are so rich and saturated, the lines crisp. The slightly angular designs remain both traditionally attractive and eye catching, while looking great in movement. And boy was there a lot of movement. Fantastically animated mouvement. I also particularly liked the soundtrack this episode. It was playful and unusual.

So yeah…Bones knows how to put together an anime. Big surprise! I guess if you haven’t seen the episode, you can be comforted by the fact that Bones still knows how to make an anime! YAY! The only element that may put some viewers off, is that much like Dead Apples, faces clearly disappear as soon as there’s a little distance. I had figured this as a cost cutting initiative but I’m not so sure anymore. It may be a design choice. I’m only saying this because I was disappointed to note it at first, but by the middle of the episode, I kind of liked the effect. It had an artsy feel to it and made you appreciate the full body of the charac…this sounds so pervy, I don’t mean it that way guys…

no really, it was just bad wording…

When I say someone out there took me literally, I mean that this first season 3 episode mirrors last season’s opener. Once again we are brought back in time to when Dazai was still part of the Port Mafia. Further back in fact as Mori has just seized he leadership and is trying to establish control, with a teenage Dazai by his side.

In the meantime, a young upstart with a powerful gift of controlling gravity is out to destroy the mafia for the ravages the previous boss has wrecked on the city. This fifteen year old Chuuya is brash and violent, and also deeply cares about the people in his town as well as those that chose to follow him. He dislikes being called a leader and minimizes his abilities calling himself simply lucky to have been born with a good gift.

it’s usually the other way around, no?

Flashbacks to the youths of popular characters is a pretty easy way to please the fans. Well, I’m not complaining! Not to mention that Dazai and Chuuya are excellent candidates. Chuuya is rarely seen in the previous seasons but has a lot of presence and viewers were dying to find out more. He was also the breakout character of the movie Dead Apples so it’s a great time to put him front and center.

The young emotionless Dazai is also interesting. His past is still fairly mysterious and yet so important to the context of the plot that whatever clues we get are precious. And then there’s Mori. One of my favourite characters. His simple presence is a wild card in any scene and opens up so many narrative possibilities. And he’s just fun. Like Sherlock Holmes but evil. You know, more evil…

I meant it as a compliment..um…sir…

The plot brings everyone together through a weird little twist. Apparently, the old boss Mori prematurely retired seems to be back from the dead and slightly miffed. Well t least there have been sightings but it’s hard to tell. There are also whispers of ancient kamis turning rage into black flames. Of course, a logical man like Mori is unlikely to fall for that but still, coincidences are wrackin up and it bears a little investigation.

Who better than two 15 year old boys who are constantly bickering. One oddly yet not really suicidal and the other openly hostile. Smart move Mori. But we all know Mori sensei has his reasons, he always has his reasons, he’s just not going to share them with us yet!

the kami in question….

It was a good first episode. It set up both the action and the potential mystery quite well. I do want to know whether people are coming back from the dead or whether something else is at play here. I also want to know what this Arahabaki is. How did a young Chuuya go from despising the Port Mafia and swearing to murder every member, to joining them? Where is Elise? The questions are all set up nicely with just enough meat on the bone to wet your appetite.

But it was hardly perfect. It was quite exposition heavy and had it not concentrated on more charismatic characters, it would probably have tipped right into tedious. The episode felt the need to reestablish a lot of the foundations of the story so we once again saw Mori’s coup in detail. The characters sort of explained their personalities to each other out loud, clearly and only for the audience’s sake. It was a bit graceless. And with so much to establish, it ended up being very dialogue heavy.

you can’t really see him but the guy behind Chuuya is Rimbaud. I use to love him as a kid and still cherish some very early edition books of his poems. I should read some of Chuuya’s poetry as well

All and all though, I’m quite happy with this start. I think it shows good potential and I can’t wait to see where it leads!

Did you guys watch the first episode? did you like it?

I really liked this scene composition. It’s better when there all standing straight but this line was funnier.

Of course I have more pics! I wouldn’t leave you guys hanging!

Bungo Stray Dogs 3 -1 : Change of Plans Up until an hour ago, I still didn't know if I would be doing a seasonal roundup post tonight.

#action #anime #blonde bishie #Bungo Stray Dogs #episodic #supernatural

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