I Love The Slap

I love the slap

I love it sm and I'm so glad asagiri added it.

A lot of people tend to either justify or shame Dazai for this but they are missing the point of that scene.

Dazai had JUST been confronted by the PM. One new member that only knows Dazai through what she has been told and one old member who has seen what he is capable of. They both agree that he is still the same person. They both open the door for him and say, "there's no changing. You'll always be a PM member. You will always be destructive."

When he comes back he sees two things. He sees Kyusaku: his first failure as a mentor, a direct consequence of his cruelty and malice. Then he sees Atsushi, the young man he is trying to imbue with as much good nature as he can using his ability to choke a defenseless coworker. That whole scene just proves Higuchi and Gin right.

He wanted to. He tried his hardest but the product is the same. He pushes people until they lose control and hurt others. He's been doing it since the PM and he was doing it with Atsushi. When Atsushi is freed he is still without control. He's spiraling and as terrified of his ability as he had been when Dazai first found him.

All at once Dazai realizes how little he has done to change things and how his past, just because he left it, doesn't stop having consequences. That entire scene is Dazai's fault. He put every character there on a path to end up there. It's horrifying for him, it's demoralizing and discouraging. YEARS of personal growth have amounted to NOTHING. He's scared so he falls back on strategies he knows will work. He slaps Atsushi.

It's such a monumental loss for him because he was making an active effort for so long not to be physical with ANYONE. But he regresses. He realizes that Higuchi was right. He is still PM deep down.

It is that scene that marks Dazai's decision to keep Kyusaku alive. He could keep using violence to try and fix all his mistakes but he would never grow from it. He chooses to let Kyusaku live because he wants to be different and he wants that for Kyu as well. After this Dazai takes a much less active role in Atsushi's development. After this when Atsushi loses control over his emotions Dazai is kind, gentle and reassuring.

Why are all the main characters of BSD trauma children?? I’ve been given too much to work with

You ever feel like a little guy who’s just a little too unhinged?

And by this point, not only is Mori aware that Dazai’s been there, he doesn’t tell anyone else! The favoritism is just that strong, because if Dazai can waltz around as he likes, maybe he’ll come back!

That and Chuuya both is angry he didn’t say anything, not even a measly hello, and wants to beat his ass for it. Yet at the same time, happy he didn’t see him making a fool of himself because god, that brings back memories doesn’t it?

You know how Dazai infiltrated the Port Mafia with this masterful disguise that absolutely would never fool anyone but still did:

Makes me wonder how long he could go pretending to be undercover while walking around the Port Mafia until someone figured it out. Since it's been a few years since he defected from the organization and we don't ever truly know the turnover rate for lower-ranking agents, it's possible a lot don't know who Dazai is or at least what he looks like (obviously except for the executives and others who were around during Dazai's time in there).

Because I can imagine him bumping into Hirotsu, and he has to do a double-take to make sure it was Dazai he was actually seeing and that he wasn't imagining it, but also that Dazai just has the audacity to go walking around like that while he was wanted for being a traitor. Hirotsu doesn't process it until Dazai's already long gone, then he bumps into Chuuya, and Chuuya's wondering what the spooked looks is on Hirotsu's face and they have the most normal conversation ever:

Hirotsu: I...Think I just walked by Dazai-kun.

Chuuya: Excuse me? You what?

Then the reports come in about some unknown bandaged dude wandering around who looks totally out-of-place not wearing a black suit like the rest of the Port Mafia, but Dazai's already left the building.

Yum

What does this mean??? Ryo what does this mean?? DO NOT CANNIBALIZE THE BUNNIE

do you ever have that one thing you're internally BEGGING people to ask you about