Word Prompt: Briefing

He could only consider me as the living corpse of a would-be suicide, a person dead to shame, an idiot ghost.

Dazai Osamu, No Longer Human

I have a strawpage- just so you know

New Fic

https://archiveofourown.org/works/65076295

Redrawing an official design

Chuuya’s so funny because he literally shows up to do the bare minimum (unless Dazai is involved).

Like mfkr, you’re the strongest person in the world, what do you mean “oh no! he sliced through the helicopter blades! What are we going to do?!”

Your power is near limitless. Take your pick of defensive techniques. Throw him to space. Grind him to dust. Carry the helicopter away???

Why are you making people jump out of planes and sacrifice their lives when you can juggle the opps until their brains are mush?

He’s like “Mori said let them on the helicopter. I did my part.”

“Oh no; that kid and that guy from that place that Dazai occasionally volunteers at are strapped to bombs?” … “Well it’s my day off so more power to them.” ✌🏼

The absolute bare minimum. He’s so funny.

Giving mori all my issues

Defying God - a parallel between Fyolai and Stavrovensky

The Demons brainrot is taking over, and you know what happens when I acquire a new interest: my brain WILL find a way to connect it to my other interests, whether I like it or not!! And this is essentially what it's about xD I've come here to present a parallel I found between Fyolai (Fyodor & Nikolai from BSD) and Stavrovensky (Verkhovensky & Stavrogin from "Demons" by Dostoevsky). Before I start I want to clarify a few things:

• I don't think these two pairings are similar, I just love picking up any crumbs of connections I can find between my interests, even if it'd count as reaching.

• This interpretation (in either character's case) is in no way "the only true way of looking at it". It's merely one interpretation out of many and I chose to focus on just a few aspects out of the many others there are to explore in these complex characters. 

• Feel free to add onto or disagree with anything I say! I'm interested in your thoughts :D

WARNING: There will be spoilers for Bungou Stray Dogs and Demons.

The reason Nikolai wants to kill Fyodor is because he feels affection for him. Emotions are a prison to him, and he basically seeks the opposite of what his emotions make him want to do. Thus, in the face of affection, which makes you want to be closer and wish the best for your friend, he does the opposite and decides to kill said friend, going directly against his feelings in an attempt to prove free will. But here I want to focus more on the "You want to defy God in order to lose sight of yourself" part, specifically the bit about God.

One part of my interpretation is that Nikolai associates God with control. If there is a God who controls all, how can there be a free will? He wants to go against Him and His creations (the human mind, morality, etc.) to prove that it's possible. But God is very abstract - the idea of God is influential but varies depending on cultures, etc. For this point, I'll use the example of the biblical God, or, more specifically, some attributes commonly assigned to the idea of God:

• omnipotence (all-powerful)

• omnipresence (all-present)

• omniscience (all-knowing)

What I am leading up to is the fact that these traits can, in one way or another, be applied to Fyodor. Fyodor's character represents everything Nikolai wants to defy. Nikolai hates control; he wants to fight the idea of God and prove the possibility of complete independence. Fyodor (though not in a "direct" way) could be seen as a symbol for God. He knows everything, he is always present (metaphorically and sometimes literally, the way he spawns sometimes I swear-), and he seems to control everything. Only few people actually see him, but he pulls the strings behind the scenes, and his power is felt everywhere. For Nikolai, to kill Fyodor is not just a protest against his feelings of affection, but can also be a symbolic act of defying "God", of killing "God", by killing Fyodor.

This is supposed to be very symbolic and not taken literally. I feel the need to repeat this because I personally dislike the notion of Fyodor as a literal God (and disagree with the idea of him having a God-complex), so this is merely about the God-like traits he possesses, like a "substitute" for the idea of God, and how it interacts with Nikolai's philosophy. (I've also exaggerated some points for the sake of simplification - for example, I don't actually believe Fyodor is in control of absolutely everything, etc.)

Moving onto Demons:

Pyotr Verkhovensky grew up religious and (assuming based on Stepan's description) with a fear of God.

Now he's an atheist and very anti-religious. He plans to overthrow society, and destroying religion + everything it preaches is part of that plan. But interestingly enough, he picks not himself as the official future "ruler", but someone else: Nikolai Stavrogin. He chooses Stavrogin to be the role of the leader in Verkhovensky's ideal society. But not exactly the "leader" in the traditional sense, because he wouldn't necessarily give Stavrogin all the power. He would simply use him as a "pawn" (for lack of a better word) while himself pulling the strings behind said society. With that, Verkhovensky puts someone else above himself, in a God-like position, but he wants to do it while still keeping full control over Stavrogin. By doing so, he would overcome his childhood fear of God because instead of being controlled by God, *he* will control God.

(Same case here, not the literal God, but the character who he assigns God-like traits to.)

I am undecided (with both Nikolai's and Verkhovensky's character) whether this could be read as a solely subconscious intention or if it would make sense as a conscious one as well. Given that both have a different "main" goal (Nikolai focuses on emotions and Verkhovensky on the revolution) I lean more towards thinking it's subconscious (if present at all - like I said, just interpretations!)

It doesn't help that Verkhovensky describes his vision of Stavrogin's leadership as "hidden": Everyone believes in him and his power, but only very few people are said to actually have laid their eyes upon him. When I first read this part, I was honestly reminded of Big Brother from Orwell's 1984, but eventually realised that similar things can be said about God as well.

While these are parallels, they don't come without differences. Nikolai needs Fyodor dead, Verkhovensky needs Stavrogin alive. Nikolai wants to kill Fyodor for a sense of freedom, Verkhovensky wants to keep Stavrogin for a sense of control. Yet both symbolic goals are bound to fail:

Fyodor turns out to be unkillable, and Stavrogin ends up dead.

At the end, "God" stays untouchable.

Bsd and Book Tropes/Types!

╰┈➤ Atsushi, Dazai, Kunikida, Ranpo, Yosano, Akutagawa, Chuuya, Higuchi, Fyodor, Nikolai, Sigma

CW: None!

Description - Book types and tropes I think various bsd characters would enjoy. These are just some of my opinions, if you feel I've incorrectly characterized any of them please tell me! Also, this is based off of the main storyline, I haven't read Stormbringer, 55 Minutes, etc yet.

Atsushi Nakajima ☆

╰┈➤ Comic books, found family, childhood friends to lovers ☑

I feel like these are a no brainer, but I think Atsushi, if given the chance to read them as a child, would have really liked comics and grown up with them. I think he would like super hero/action stories. Specifically because of the Odasaku-Man show/series/franchise in BSD Wan. He'd probably enjoy DC, Marvel, The Avengers, etc.

Atsushi, to me at least, seems like the type of person to really want to connect to whatever he's reading and be moved by it. I think found family is probably a big thing for him because of Dazai bringing him into the agency and all. I think he likes sentimental and happier story lines that can make you cry solely because they have to end at some point.

Atsushi would probably like to watch the characters grow up together, probably torn apart by some unforseen event and eventually rekindling. Like I said, I think he would really like sentimental stuff, and seeing people rejoice and fall in love is probably really heart warming to him.

Osamu Dazai ☆

╰┈➤ Poetry, soulmates, MAJOR plot twists ☑

To be honest, I feel like if Dazai were to sit and read anything, it would most likely be a poem. I don't think Dazai is the type of guy to analyze poetry for fun, but I think he has a subconscious habit of doing it. Either he's pretty into it or he's skimming through it and tossing it to the side the second he's bored.

If I had to pick a romance trope that Dazai would like, I do think it'd be soulmates. Or maybe like, right person wrong time. I think he would like the angst of it should the book take a turn and end in tragedy, or he might also enjoy a fulfilling and satisfying ending. I think he likes the idea of two people being destined to be together, one soul two bodies type thing, you know? ;]

I think he likes major plot twists but only if they catch him off guard,which is probably pretty rare. He likes the feeling of surprise when a book takes an unexpected turn.

Doppo Kunikida ☆

╰┈➤ Slow burn, historical fiction ☑

Kunikida likes slow burn because it's something he can read through for a while. I think he likes trilogies and series, especially if he really enjoys the storyline and characters. He probably likes the reliability of being able to pick the same thing up for a while after dealing with whatever nonsense takes place at the agency.

I think he likes reading about things that he has at the very least surface level knowledge about. He likes when authors stay true to the actual events while creating a storyline around it. Like, for example, a love story that takes place between two soldiers in a war. So long as it stays true to the actual events, I think he would read it.

Edogawa Ranpo ☆

╰┈➤ The "Chosen One", Found Family ☑

Ranpo definitely has a hard time finding books that he'll actually enjoy. I can't remember if he said he did or didn't like mystery books though because they were to easy for him to solve? I don't remember, so I'm not gonna include mystery books for him. I think he would really like books where the main character is a "Chosen One" though. I don't really know why, it just seems like the type of story he'd sit through while simultaneously making fun of it.

"This guy thinks he's so special all because he can ____! I can do that too."

I think he'd also like found family because, like Atsushi, he found his family in the detective agency. He and Yosano are like sister and brother and Fukuzawa is like his father. I think they would have a special place in his heart for sure.

Yosano Akiko ☆

╰┈➤ Bad Girl/Good Boy, one of us is famous ☑

I think Yosano would feel as though the good girl/bad boy trope is way over done. She would probably be happy to see it switched up once in a while. I think she really likes the contrast of the two types of personalities and characters, but she also wants to see the characters be smart rather than immature or stupid. She probably wouldn't want to read the same stereotypical "Character A trips and falls, landing right on top of Character B." She likes when stories can stand out and be unique.

She also probably like the idea of one of the characters in the relationship being able to uphold themselves without their partner, that independence seems like something she'd find interesting to read. I think she would really take interest in the plot and how it could come out, maybe angsty because of the famous ones busy schedule? Maybe it ends with the famous one's career coming to retirement because they felt it's more important to make time for their partner? I think she'd find all of the possibilities interesting.

Ryunosuke Akutagawa ☆

╰┈➤ "I hate everyone in the world but you", childhood friends to lovers, nonfiction ☑

Honestly, I have like, a big list of tropes in front of me and it was really hard to pick for him because none of them really seemed very him to me. If you catch him reading a romance book though, it's probably "I hate everyone but you" or childhood friends to lovers. I think they could both go hand in hand for him. The "I hate everyone but you" trope reminds me of like, only being able to trust this one person thoroughly. Trust like that is gained through years of companionship such as childhood friendships into adolescence and adulthood. I think his childhood probably would have an effect on this preference.

"We've already been together so long, you know me and I know you and there is trust. Why would I ever want to start all that over?" Type of thing.

While I think he doesn't mind fiction occasionally, I think he prefers to read about real things. It's more serious.

Nakahara Chuuya ☆

╰┈➤ Workplace romance, second chance romance, secret romance ☑

Chuuya seems like the type of guy to like romance and moderate thrill, so I think he leans towards romance stories that could build up suspense or get the characters into a little bit of trouble. As for office romance, I think he likes the idea of falling in love with someone in a place he kind of has to be every day, that person making his day better. It also means he would get to be close to his s/o and I think he'd knowing that they're okay, which is why I think he'd like that trope. The thrilling part is that maybe it's against a code of conduct in the office? Maybe they get caught dating, what happens after that?

Second chance romance to me is exciting because you get to see characters learn and grow from their mistakes, and I think Chuuya finds acknowledgement on wrongdoings really important. But characters might also mess up again, which is always interesting to watch go down.

Secret romance is self explanatory on the thrill factor. It can give you so many questions that are most likely answered in the book itself, like why is it a secret?

(I also think he enjoys super hero comics but wouldn't admit it in fear of being called immature because of that Odasaku-Man scene in bsd wan)

Ichiyō Higuchi ☆

╰┈➤ Workplace romance, YA rom-com, bad boy/good girl ☑

She definitely likes the idea of workplace romance because of her massive little crush on Akutagawa. Like Chuuya I think she'd like the idea of being around your s/o even while having to work, whether the work is boring or not. I think her crush also influences the bad boy/good girl thing, although I don't know if I'd call her a good girl. I think she would like to consider herself a good girl.

YA rom-com also seems like her thing, like she would read it while laying in her stomach, kicking her feet, twirling her hair, and giggling.

Fyodor Dostoevsky ☆

╰┈➤ Philosophy, poetry, life's hardships ☑

Oh boy. He doesn't even get tropes, I don't think he'd read fiction. I do think he'd read philosophy books though, like he's probably read up on Confusious and Aristotle or something like that. Even if he doesn't agree with the philosopher he's reading about, I think he'd find it interesting.

He definitely appreciates poetry, HE'S the type of guy to analyze it in his free time. I think he'd find poetry beautiful when done right.

Because the real Dostoevsky grew up poor, I think bsd Dostoevsky has an appreciation for books written about struggles an author has faced. Fyodors past hasn't been mentioned in the main storyline of bsd atleast, so I'm just going assume he grew up poor until other information comes out. I think hearing about other people facing the same thing he did in childhood might give him a sense of humanity. He said during his "happy group counseling hour" that only he and Dazai could understand each other because of their levels of intelligence. Maybe seeing other people having something in common with him would be something he would like.

Nikolai Gogol ☆

╰┈➤ Independent mc ☑

Nikolai doesn't seem like the type to read a lot, but because of his ideology associated with freedom, I think he'd like books with a strong lead character. I don't think he'd like books with main characters that rely heavily on other people or have a bland personality outside of their significant other. He'd like characters that solve their own problems and obtain their own goals.

Sigma ☆

╰┈➤ Magazines, cook books, friends to lovers ☑

I think Sigma reads like, the people magazine so he can understand what's going on in pop culture and have some knowledge of what's going on. He probably likes knowing what's trending. I think he'd also like the "Home Decor" sections of the magazines or like the scratch and sniff parts. I don't know why, I just do.

He'd also probably read cookbooks occasionally and memorize recipes when he's not memorizing every detail about his customers.

I think Sigma would find romance stories endearing, specifically friends to lovers. Kind of similar to Akutagawas, I think he would like the idea of already having that trust built through friendship. Because Sigma is so naive and how much he's been used, he likes reading about characters who already have a good friendship that is built on reliability and trust. That friendship turning into a romance eventually.