Taking A Brief Pause To Just Say My Heart Is With The People Of Ukraine Right Now, And I Wish All Of

Hello!!

Something that has recently come to mind is the impeccable usage of coats in Bungo Stray Dogs, and their different meanings — so I just wanted to quickly examine them!! (⁠ ⁠◜⁠‿⁠◝⁠ ⁠)⁠♡

There may be spoilers for Stormbringer ahead!^^

UNBUTTONED COAT/OPEN COAT

Throughout characters such as Dazai, Tsujimura and Chuuya, we can see the pattern of open coats/jackets throughout their designs. I believe it can be summarized as 'resignation'. Within Dazai Osamu's The Setting Sun, self-resignation is a concept reappearing throughout the whole story. To resign oneself, is defined as submitting to something unpleasant in which you have no way of changing.

For Dazai, it can be taken as Oda's wish is something he must fulfill — and my particular reason for thinking it was unpleasant for him, was because of the conversation he has with Kyouka during season 2, detailing the struggle between being a good person when having a history of doing bad deeds.

Possessing a skillset which encourages him to remain Port Mafia black, how on earth is he supposed to assimilate to the light? Additionally, when he asks Atsushi, 'Do I look like such a good person?', Atsushi responds positively. His self-perception does not align with being in the ADA, but regardless — due to his friend — he has resigned himself to it.

For Tsujimura, though I have yet to read Gaiden, I believe this is the resignation she has come to after the legacy her mother left her, which she strives overcome due to her complicated relationship with her.

For Chuuya, despite the attempts of The Flags, he can only resign himself to being in the Port Mafia. Though, it is not unpleasant to him, I believe it is moreso a case of him not really seeing himself anywhere else. Though he used to be a member of The Sheep, he was betrayed and no longer held a place there. The Port Mafia is his home, in the same way one cannot help but call home, well, home due to the sentimentalities towards it.

Essentially, I believe the open coat represents a doubtful resignation to one's position, however an unwavering desire, or internal promise to remain there. Of course, this may be flawed! But that's how I've perceived it so far.

CLOSED JACKET

The closed jacket is one that took a while for me to understand, to be quite frank. Examining the designs of Ango Sakaguchi, Chuuya's outfit from Stormbringer, Dazai's design in The Dark Era & Atsushi's design from BEAST, it's reasonable to believe it is a shield against something internal.

Ango Sakaguchi works for the government, the Special Division, and therefore is thrown into whatever role suitable to get the job done. This was explicit in The Dark Era, where Mori and Takeda discuss his safety for the permit. His suit is a representative of how he uses his job as a defense of his guilt over Oda's death. His role gives him a sense of agency, which he can tell himself, 'I had no choice, it was for the sake of my job'. The reason I assume Ango feels guilty is because of how he takes care of Dazai, in a way. During the DOA arc, he assists Dazai. I believe it was also revealed he had went to the seventh agency to clear Dazai's list of crimes, in memory of Oda.

On Chuuya, I believe in his timeline, he was recovering from the sharp betrayal of The Sheep, and growing into his role in the Port Mafia. Though he had a similar demeanor in Fifteen, I believe it becomes more clear he is less trusting and more guarded about his relationships. His demeanor of being irritated or distant is merely a facade to keep him from being hurt once again.

With Dazai, his coat is buttoned up, which can be viewed as Dazai using his role and duty as a Port Mafia executive to shield him from the overwhelming indifference he possesses on why he should live at all. This is also voiced when he confesses it to Oda, feeling if he got closer to the raw instincts of humanity by being in the Port Mafia, he may achieve some sense of meaning.

Lastly, BEAST Atsushi was one of the points I think is most explicitly explained to the audience. He says:

In BEAST, Atsushi ensnares himself with Death to keep him from his fear of it. His jacket is zipped up, covering a portion of his face in pitch black. The cause of this is his guilt towards what he did to the orphanage director. Atsushi at his core, is a guilty person, irrespective of whether he has committed a crime or not. For BEAST, there is no alternative environment for him to atone, and leaves him isolated with Death.

Overall, I believe that the closed/buttoned up coat represents characters using their roles and duties as a shield from an internal anguish which they suffer from. Usually, this coat gets switched out for an open jacket, which could symbolize a form if closure with that chapter of their internal conflict.

COAT OVER THE SHOULDERS

As well as symbolizing authority, it may also symbolize a burden given to the character by society or another.

For example, to return to Chuuya again, he carries the burden of killing The Flags, however, it is also something that cemented him in the position of being a staple executive (that is, if he wasn't one already) due to his loyalty. I believe this is also intrinsically tied to his position as an executive, finding himself once again in a position of leadership.

Another example is Dazai, specifically at age eighteen. Mori views him as an heir of sorts, due to his intelligence and what he perceived as detachment from sentimentalities, which is a burden onto Dazai. He has no such desire or fondness of the position, constantly disregarding ranks and importance when befriending Oda and Ango. Furthermore, as he rushes to Oda's side as he bleeds out, his coat flies off his shoulders. He forsaken his authority, and loses his burden for the sake of Oda.

There are other characters with such a burden, such as Ayatsuji from Gaiden and Paul Verlaine — however I am unqualified to include them in this analysis because of my lack of knowledge on the two and their materials.

Overall, I believe it's such an interesting way to dress up characters whilst simultaneously discussing their journeys, even if that sounds pretentious. I look forward to seeing the progression of characters and, in general, the continuation of Bungo Stray Dogs.

Thank you for reading.

Sorry to be an ugly fun-killer but in light of the recent Invasion I urge you all to be mindful of the things you reblog and the memes that you repost. Please remember that behind every "world war 3 lmao" post there is a reality where real people are going to be displaced from their homes and are going to lose their lives.

Before you laugh at that tweet that talks about the draft or whatever ask yourself: are you laughing because it's funny? or are you laughing because you're safe and comfortable in the West and it's not a direct problem for you?

What a nice brain you got there!!

I want to pick up that book but it's like 600 pages long and i- I want to see the world I want to explore life, but it's also like, I want to know what that man was up to

There is a film adaptation of the book though, or at least a part of it, on YouTube!! It's very interesting, Genji is 🧍🏾‍♀️ Genji is actually pretty similar to Fyodor and Dazai when I think about it?

I'm calling it right now, the Book is gonna be an ability based off Genji Monogatari by Murasaki Shikibu

❤️

🥀

here is a link to the gofundme for the funeral of delaina yaun, a victim of the shooting in atlanta, and another link to the gofundme to support her family, she is survived by 2 children and a husband. (these are both verified by gofundme.)

here is a gofundme link for elcias hernandez ortiz, who was shot but is currently in intensive care as i write this. he was the only survivor of this attack. his family will need help paying for the medical bills. (cnn includes this link in an article about the attack.)

if i find any more links to the help out the victims friends and family i will add them.

thank you for donating if you can, and thank you for sharing. everyone please stay safe.

No because it literally wouldn't make sense, am I right?? Right?? 😭

Plus I don't think it narratively makes sense, I think Asagiri is showing the uhh uhh night to dawn affect? Where the darkest moment happens before dawn? What dawn is?? I have no clue 😭 I'm guessing Ranpoe have something going on with Poe's ability, like a book that can mimic a page writing? Or projecting it onto a global level?? To somehow change the narrative??

I DIGRESS. THAT MAN LIVES. He's probably going to tell Atsushi all about his prison time when they get back to the agency DJDJD

*Chp 109 Spoilers*

I don't care what y'all say Dazai is not dead and no I am not considering the fact that denial is the first in the five stages of greif

Confessions Of Memories. |• 2.

1. | 2. | 3. | 4. | 5. | 6. | 7. | 8.

The night had drooled over the residue of day, leaving them to head there themselves. Xiao paced ahead, leaving the Traveller and Li Jing in his dust. A dull ache rested in her chest from seeing only the back of him.

The flowers bloomed before them, as she gently clutched his hand. He stood stifly next to her, as she scanned the garden for a specific flower. Her hand slipped out of his own, as she sat amongst them. Her hands fumbled with the flower stems, until she reappeared.

"Kneel."

He didn't need to hesitate. Buckled down to one knee and she rested the flower crown on his head. The white petals frittered amongst his dark hair. She kneeled down to his level, smiling at him. He intertwined their hands, leaning in.

Yet it wasn't summer.

It was the cold of night, and her shoulder was throbbing with the pain of a bag weighed with books and scrolls alike.

Her lips twinged with yearning. Her eyes fell to ground, the small hope she once held diminished with a simple memory that lay in their restless wake.

"How'd you know Xiao?"

She looked over to the curious Traveller, burdened with their own weight. She squeezed a smile on her face, looking at the back of Xiao's head. Li Jing exhaled.

"We've known each other for a while."

The Traveller nodded their head sympathetically.

Xiao looked to the ground, his jaw tensed.

He wanted to stay. Anything to erase the lonely century he had spent. There was something that made her immovable in his memory. The seasons could blur, but he could remember her. How her face curved, how her gums would show when he tried to be humorous.

Only to lose her.

Wangshu Inn stood bright in the fog, as they hurried in.

They dispersed to their rooms, leaving the soft patter of rain to calm the souls that rested inside.

Her head sunk into the pillow, leaving her to sit vacantly.

A small wheezing came from his lungs, resting in her arms. His mellow smile faded with the words she couldn't hear. The suns in his eyes set, as the snow fell on his sorrowful sight.

Another body lay on their stomach, their death quiet. Her hair brown and dampened by the snow. A hand rested on her shoulder, patting her with a lack of affection. She looked to her blank face, her arms muddy with red.

Her m-

She gasped awake, clutched her bedsheets as her skin shedded thick bullets of sweat. Her heart throbbed, jolting her ribs.

Is this the curse of being immortal?

To ache?

She gingerly placed her feet down on the carpet, throwing on a robe. She creaked across the hallway, exhaling as she got to the balcony.

The small click of metal startled her.

His eyes clicked with his own. Xiao's eyebrows furrowed. He looked away. Xiao looked out to the town below, the rain twinkled like stars. If she left now, it would only emphasize the damage. If she stayed, she'd have to endure the silence she had placed there.

"Did you cry?" He pondered.

She glanced at him.

"Your eyes - they're puffy."

She hummed softly, barely audible.

"I just had a nightmare, that's all."

They stood quietly, their hands brushing against each others.

He tried. He really did. But, her eyes held a heartbreak that was unfixable. His body was full of ache. He ached before he met her. He used to be the love of her life. It was clear he didn't deserve to be. Thousands of deaths that clinged to him was dragging him with them.

Is this retribution?

"Jiji, you should get some rest."

He looked over to her limp state. He sighed, scooping her up in his arms. He sat by her side, unravelling her bun. Her hair sprawled around the bed, wisps covering her face. The cold air seeped into his lungs, and he couldn't help but sleep.

-

Dawn came and the only evidence of him being there was his soft, mild scent. She stayed there quietly, inhaling her pillow. She separated herself from her bed, and eventually sat with the two. The Traveller tried to read her inscribed scrolls, their face pruning with wrinkles. She chuckled nervously, tapping her cheek.

"It's illegible, isn't it?"

The Traveller quickly dismissed her words, excuses being mounted into a mess. Xiao sighed, drawing them back to silence. His eyes were averted, looking over her sprawled scrolls.

"The book has been around for a long time, and should've probably be burnt by fire." Li Jing pondered, squeezing her notes into a small handheld notebook.

"So the book is protected?"

She nodded, avoiding looking up.

"Luckily I had a lead before we left. An old lady I know has links to a man who has the family archive of these books."

"Is that the Mei you were referring to?"

Li Jing was quiet, the restless noise of other customers filling the void. Her pen harshly drilled through the crisp page.

How could she respond? If she told them now, they wouldn't be able to get the letters, and she'd be a failure and looked down on with disdain. If anyone found out about her she'd be a disappointment to her mother.

She didn't want to disappoint her mother.

"Jiji?"

Her mother trusted her.

"Li Jing."

She trusted her.

Oh, she couldn't. If anyone found out she was cu-

"Li Jing!" Xiao snapped.

She looked at him, quiet with embarrassment. The table sat uncomfortably between them, until she chuckled lightly.

"Sorry, I live in my head too much- anyways, the shortcut will save us some time. We don't have to walk too far at all." She dismissed herself from the table.

The Traveller looked to Xiao, their eyes bleeding with confusion. Xiao looked at him, exhaling softly.

"Mei...That name is important to her. I'd advise you to stop saying it so much."

The Traveller nodded to themself, flustered with the oblivious mistake.

Mei,

Is she dead?

-

VINNY (ILLEGAL) HONG

Valentine's Chocolate Bars ♡

Lotte Williams, Bungo Stray Dogs OC. Inspired by Kofi Awoonor's prose.

I'm currently planning a fic with her, so I'm having fun with that.