This Is Beautiful. Omg. I Want To Stare At This Forever. What The Heck??

me when the plot won't plot like it should

Dazai, when he's first introduced: Yeah i wanna kms but I don't want to burden anyone.

Dazai, the rest of the series: fails to khs and burdens anything with a pulse.

🍀 21 Plot Twist Ideas 🍀

Stuck on your WIP? Unsure of how a scene should go? Feel as though your story is lacking substance? Enduring with the frustrations of writer’s block?

Why not try throwing in a plot twist?

A messenger brings bad news

Something important is stolen

Someone vanishes without a trace

An important item is damaged

Protagonist recognizes a face in the crowd

Someone seems to intentionally fail

Protagonist finds an item thought lost

A charitable act has a harmful result

A cruel act has a beneficial outcome

Someone unexpectedly returns the favour

A raging storm moves across town

A gift makes a character the target of a murderer

A fallen enemy makes one last attack

Only one character in danger can be saved

An enemy saves the life of Protagonist’s friend

A will from a long-lost relative appears

A secret rival seeks to replace Protagonist

A thief makes Protagonist their next target

An obscure law suddenly becomes important

Strangers mistake Protagonist for a fugitive

A tool breaks when needed most

Ok so this isn't really stupid, but I do wonder if Dazai took the time to explore the world and people a bit.

Like Odasaku wants him to help people, but he's spent so much time entrenched in darkness, so he needs to start small by helping old ladies cross the street and listen to them talk about their grandkids.

Maybe he helped out at a school to learn a bit more about children.

Volunteered at a soup kitchen to observe those in need in a much different way than he's used to.

Would just sit in a park to watch parents playing with their kids, couples walking together, etc.

He's always said he wants to die, but this is different. Sort of like what he said about observing death up to close to understand what it truly means to live, but the opposite. Observing life up close to understand what it truly means to die.

And finding that maybe, he doesn't want that. Maybe, living in the light won't be so bad.

what's your stupid thing you think Dazai learned during his two years in hiding while keeping himself busy

the main four [& knuckles voice] and hyuse

What do you mean. What do you mean Akutagawa didn't know why Atsushi saved him. What do you mean Atsushi saw how Dazai treated Akutagawa, thus adding a new layer of understanding between them. What do you mean Akutagawa wanted to kill Atsushi for fear he would never be accepted "and then—" And then what, you fell in love??? WHAT DO YOU MEAN DAZAI WAS THE DIRECTOR BECAUSE ATSUSHI TOO HAS TO ACCEPT HIS PAST—

Ok ok I'm going to scream. I was rewatching a scene from the third episode, right after Atsushi tries to shoot Akutagawa, and then Akutagawa says, "blah blah blah, unfortunately for you, I keep my promises" and then proceeds to cut off his leg, as one does.

AND IT'S THE FACT THAT AKUTAGAWA KEEPS HIS PROMISES THAT'S THE REASON ATSUSHI IS ALIVE AFTER THE FIGHT WITH FUKUCHI HE INTRODUCED HIMSELF AS SOMEONE WHO KEEPS HIS PROMISES AND THAT ENDED UP SAVING ATSUSHI'S LIFE AND ANDLFIDSNLFNA—

Ngl, this line from episode two feels like the show's way of explaining all its silly little traumatized characters.

One of my favourite things about Bungou Stray Dogs is how Asagiri manages to capture the many colors and facets of human relationships. There is friendship, camaraderie, brotherhood, respect, awe, and then there is jealousy, inferiority, grudges, distrust. There are bonds forged between people who suffered the same pain and end up on the same boat. There are blends of respect and fascination formed among those who thrive in the dark but yearn to keep the light. There is deep affection and empathy between people who are used to solitude and sorrow, but found themselves helping each other up on their feet. There are those who took the responsibility upon themselves to raise a child in such a way that their own childhood should not be repeated, or simply to be at peace with themselves. There are words spoken in remembrance of a good friend, and words that are left unspoken. There are mistakes that can’t be remedied, cracks that cannot be mended, and actions that cannot be undone.

There is also guilt, grief, distrust, suspicion, resentment, hatred. There is friendship built like a castle of glass, on shyness and comfort, pride and consideration, and then there is guilt and regret when the castle shattered to pieces. There are broken bonds that crawl back to form insurmountable walls between those who used to be friends. There is mutual suspicion between those who are too sharp, too perceptive for their own good. There are people who started on the same boat, but are as careful as they are manipulative around each other. There are relationships that form out of convenience and necessity, and there are those that continue to develop into something almost familial. There are those brought together in battles, and those that thrive in peace. People who started out being wary of each other can learn to earn each other’s trust, and those who started in the same place may slowly grow apart as their paths point to different directions. There are relationships sprouting from guilt and an attempt at redemption. There is friendship that could have been if not for feelings of jealousy and inferiority. There are selfish, misdirected emotions that seek to appease one’s thirst for recognition and fear of abandonment, at the expense of one’s own self confidence and respect. 

And of course, there is growth. Mutual growth happens when people not only understand and empathize with each other, but also possess the courage and strength needed to pull themselves and their companion out of the dark waters. This growth is precisely why their relationships are so satisfying to observe and appreciate.

A ramble/analysis about the significance of the bar in The Day I Picked Up Dazai

Ok, so I just reread the day I picked up Dazai, and read side b for the first time, and man do I have many, many thoughts, but one thing in particular struck me, and that is the bar. More specifically, the reason why they go in the first place and why it is significant. (spoilers for the day i picked up dazai side a, obviously)

The first time the bar is mentioned is when Odasaku and Dazai are having a discussion about death and why Dazai desires it. Oda says that "he is a fool for wanting to die" and that anyone is fool for dying before going to "that place." He doesn't specify what it is though, and Dazai thinks he's making it up at first. The way Odasaku speaks about it, it's as if it's some magic place, a place that only some can see the true value of. This intrigues Dazai, because one important thing about him is the fact that he's always searching. Always looking for something interesting, some reason to keep living, some proof that life isn't the boring place he believes it to be.

The second time this place is brought up is when Odasaku and Dazai are in the cell, and Oda is trying to convince Dazai that he should escape with him. He mentions that the place is nearby, and that they should escape and go. Now, Dazai is truly curious about it, and it works. He says, "how long has it been, I wonder? To have somewhere I want to go...I have a feeling that even if there is nothing at that place, it will be fine as it is." He's excited, and looking forward to the place that Odasaku has been, for lack of a better term, hyping up the entire light novel. Even if it may not be so interesting after all, like Oda said it might not be.

Still, when they arrive at the bar, Dazai acts a little disappointed at first. The place Oda took him to was really just a bar after all. Odasaku even admits that he lied, that where could he take him to that he wouldn't already know, and that he was merely teasing him. Dazai is taken aback at first, but in the end, he finds value in the place. They sit for ages, talking about everything and nothing, playing poker, and drinking. And despite being disappointed in the beginning, it ends up being enough for Dazai.

And now, for the actual point of this ted talk, the reason why this is so significant is because to me, the bar represents Dazai's search. He is always looking for something interesting to keep him alive, but the fact of the matter is, there is nothing. Oda says as much to him when he dies; nothing in this world is going to fill the void of loneliness inside of Dazai. But the fact that he took Dazai to something as simple as a bar, a place he said he was a fool for not going, the place that intrigued Dazai so much signifies that Dazai would only find something in a place as simple as a bar. That for all his searching, the answer might just be playing a game of cards and talking to a friend while having a few drinks. Dazai feels so far removed from human connection, but in truth, that is the one thing that could even attempt to fill the void, even if just a little. He will keep searching, keep looking for some external factor that may allow life to interest him, the thing that he would be foolish for dying before seeing, but the answer might just lie in spending the night in a simple bar with a friend.