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OOC
NAME: Jade.AGE: 28.
CONTACT: #sunshineinpockets at Discord.
CHARACTER(S): Owner apped this round as well!
IC
NAME: Osamu Dazai.AGE: 22.
CANON: Bungo Stray Dogs.
CANON POINT: Chapter 111.5.
ABILITIES:
Dazai’s ability, ‘No Longer Human’, is a double-edged sword. As a nullifying ability, it can temporarily cancel another’s for as long as Dazai’s touch remains, which is great when he needs to stop catastrophe, and horrible when he needs a buff, healing, or anything of the sort. Dazai cannot Dazai can't turn it off at will, therefore, ‘No Longer Human’ is constantly activated, and there has been canon evidence that his skin doesn’t necessarily need to be in contact with the ability cast upon him - here is the example of him nullifying one, even though he was wearing shoes. Furthermore, Furthermore, he can also nullify effects on other people at a distance, should he touch the source of it.
Any harm or benefit that can come to him from another ability is completely nullified. There are a few loopholes, however! Should there be a dire need, Dazai’s ability will stop working if he is very much on the brink of death, and there’s a 0.5-second window of opportunity where abilities can be used on him before he is completely gone, with the blood supply to his brain ceased. If this is for healing, it is important to note that he will require immediate medical attention, as ‘No Longer Human’ would immediately cancel the benefits of another ability the second he is back to life.
Lastly, ‘No Longer Human’ is absolute on anything that is an ability. It cannot nullify anything that isn’t one, for example, Lovecraft’s eldritch form, and probably most of the things in the setting! I’ll always consider the things in the Casino as things Dazai can’t nullify unless it comes from a specific NPC - but if I want to play around with it, I’ll ask. I also have an opt-out for those who do not wish to go powerless, it’s right here!
VICES:
Substances
“I was at this pub − bored, unemployed − drunkenly complaining to myself when I happened to hit it off with some old guy sitting next to me. He said he’d give me a job, if I beat him in a drinking contest.”
"[…] he’ll get blackout drunk at a pub after what he calls a 'pick me up' "
that one time when he tried to commit suicide by eating poisonous mushrooms, got extremely high, went to work, and said this was a much entertaining way to go.
Emptiness/Loneliness, as described by Odasaku.
"Listen. You told me if you put yourself in a world of violence and bloodshed, you might be able to find a reason to live. You won't find it. You should know that. Whether you're on the side that takes lives or the side that saves them, nothing beyond your own expectations will happen. Nothing in this world can fill the hole that is your loneliness. You will wander the darkness for eternity. Be on the side that saves people. If both sides are the same, then choose to become a good person. Save the weak, protect the orphaned. You might not see a great difference between right and wrong, but... saving others is something just a bit wonderful."
Suicidal ideation
"For most things in life, it's harder to succeed than fail. Wouldn't you agree? […] That's why I should attempt suicide rather than commit it! Committing suicide is difficult, but it should be relatively easier to fail at attempting suicide!"
VIRTUES:
Willingness To Try And Be Better
Dazai made a promise to become a better person to his dying friend, Oda Sakunosuke. Ever since then, he actively tries, joining the Armed Detective Agency as it is a place where he can "save people". He has his ups and downs, like a villain rehab, but he tries, and he tries, and he tries.
People Reading.
He's been a mentor, and he is a mentor. Dazai knows what makes people tick, how to work them, how to be the person they need to have around for them to thrive, and their inner workings. With his mentees, Akutagawa and Atsushi, he employs very different approaches to help them - Akutagawa became merciless, and survived the Mafia, even if Dazai doesn't agree with the abuse he put the boy through to achieve it. Atsushi came factory pre-traumatized, so he uses his influence to show him he is able to grow. To help them, he also pairs them together regardless of their dislike of the other, so Atsushi can learn he has the ability to fight back, and for Akutagawa to broaden his views. He has been working this since he met Atsushi, knowing they would need to learn with each other to grow. Outside of mentoring, this can be shown how he sees Fyodor's weakness, it being he doesn't trust what he can't control, thus he'd never fully trust his allies.
SURVEY
▶ I REGULARLY MAKE NEW FRIENDS.
▷ 2.5.
Dazai wears several masks, and the primary of them is goofy and incredibly outgoing. With a friendly disposition and an obnoxious, quirky and even charming personality on the surface level, it is easy to befriend Dazai. Without much depth, it's considered a strong agreement. However, if we interpret "friends" in a more profound manner in this scenario, the answer is the opposite - a 5.
"I always lose the things I don't want to lose the most. That's why I don't feel anything anymore. The moment you get your hands on something worth going after, you lose it. That's just how things are. There is nothing worth pursuing at the cost of prolonging a life of suffering."
For Dazai and genuine connections, it’s easier to keep his distance from others, as he believes he will lose them one time or another, and he’d rather not endure the pain of loss. Therefore, he's midway.
▶ SEEING OTHER PEOPLE CRY MAKES ME WANT TO CRY TOO.
▷ 5.
These tear ducts are very empty, much like their owner.
Dazai grew up in an environment of hardship, blood, torture, and horrors, many exacted or performed by him. At some point, he truly believed that being surrounded by carnage and misery could help him find meaning and a reason to live, as he would watch others in their struggles. This never achieved what he was looking for - instead, it just made him used to negative emotions and reactions. He has never been seen crying once in his canon, either.
▶ I OFTEN MAKE A BACKUP PLAN FOR A BACKUP PLAN.
▷ 1.
Dazai's best asset is his ability to predict what will happen.
It is not an ability, but the result of his genius brain - that said, he knows he can't possibly control every single outcome. He's a schemer, a character who observes and dictates, rather than being on the frontlines. To ensure the safety of comrades and the success of their missions, he must predict outcomes and decide accordingly!
▶ I USUALLY STAY CALM, EVEN WHEN UNDER A LOT OF PRESSURE.
▷ 1.
Not much to say here. Dazai is a logical individual, and he's able to think through things even when the situation is dire, therefore, he can keep his calm - prediction often helps in these cases. Pressure isn't ever a problem. To illustrate, in the current arc, he had poison in his veins and 30 minutes to escape a high-security prison built for ability-users, and this was him through the beginning of the ordeal.
▶ I AM VERY SENTIMENTAL.
▷ 3
Not about everything, but about certain things he has lost - certain people. Years after losing the friends he made in the Port Mafia, he still goes to the same bar he used to go to with them and orders an extra drink for the deceased one. He visits his grave and even talks to him by himself on occasion. The longing comes from the connection lost to this particular individual, and it's a strong one, but for everything else, he wouldn't care much.
▶ EVEN A SMALL MISTAKE CAN CAUSE ME TO DOUBT MY OVERALL ABILITIES AND KNOWLEDGE.
▷ 5.
Dazai is fully aware of what he can or can't do, and where his weaknesses and strengths lie. A mistake is a miscalculation, prone to happen statistically. It happens.
▶ I AM MORE INCLINED TO FOLLOW MY HEAD THAN MY HEART.
▷ 5.
Dazai's sense of right or wrong is extremely muddy. He sees no difference, morality means very little to him, and even when he does feel 01 (one) emotion, there's justifications upon justifications, all logical, to align it. A good example is how he attempted to stop Odasaku, the one whose grave he visits and whose words guide his life. It had been a string of why the actions he was about to commit were terrible ideas, data over a request to stay first.
▶ I AM PRONE TO WORRYING THAT THINGS WILL TAKE A TURN FOR THE WORSE.
▷ 1.
In both spheres - logical and emotional. Logically, worrying that things will take a turn for the worse is simply another way to predict the outcomes that may happen in any possible situation. Emotionally speaking, Dazai's a coward. Not only does he worry that it will, but he anticipates it, hides behind it, and uses it as a justification - see the quote above.
▶ I ENJOY WATCHING PEOPLE ARGUE.
▷ 3.
For entertainment, for sure! He could sit and watch, gladly, but it is hardly his favorite thing. That'd be annoying someone so much they try to argue with him, so he can be zero percent even more annoying.
▶ I TEND TO AVOID DRAWING ATTENTION TO MYSELF.
▷ 5.
He's flamboyant by nature. Loud, weird, annoying, and very, very theatrical. It's impossible for him not to call attention to himself - specially that way. The more people see him being an idiot, the more they misread him and label him as a clown, the more he can go around and slack at work and notice things as he would!
▶ I OFTEN DO THINGS AT THE LAST POSSIBLE MOMENT.
▷ 2.
One of the gags of Dazai is his penchant for slacking. Never doing his paperwork on time, doing things his own way, and taking his sweet time to reveal plans. A good part of this is the depression that leaves him unmotivated to do things, another is how several things are understimulating, the third reason is: that revealing things too early could change the outcomes.
▶ I FIND IT EASY TO EMPATHIZE WITH A PERSON WHOSE EXPERIENCES ARE VERY DIFFERENT FROM MINE.
▷ 4.5.
Empathizing is a difficult thing. He can logically understand and analyze them as much as he wants, but he hardly can empathize completely. This is shown by how he found no meaning in the Mafia, even when his being there was so he could empathize with the reason why people hold on so tightly to their lives amidst horrors. He struggles with life questions, and reasonings for himself, which makes that a blind spot.
▶ I BECOME BORED OR LOSE INTEREST WHEN THE DISCUSSION GETS HIGHLY THEORETICAL.
▷ 1.
The man is a nerd. The good part of the year in canon, he spent in a high-security prison with a man whose high intellect matched his, and all his conversations were engaging, theoretical, and full of reading between the lines, and he enjoyed it... If it weren't for the prison part and the lack of other companions to talk to.
▶ I RARELY FEEL INSECURE.
▷ 5.
Dazai feels insecure about himself in several ways. He knows that nothing in this world or the next could fill the void of darkness in his heart, but can he find happiness in any shape or form? Will he ever feel less empty, less alienated? Will he ever change? Is he trying to be a good person, good enough? Will he ever comprehend, truly, what it means to want to be alive? Will he ever be wholly human?
▶ I AM STILL BOTHERED BY MISTAKES I MADE A LONG TIME AGO.
▷ 1.
Dazai holds grudges, and some are regarding things that he was made to do. He holds a grudge over the Port Mafia's boss, for using him as a witness to a murder, to lie and say that it had been natural causes and give the man the position in the organization. Furthermore, it can be argued that he feels guilty regarding his abusive treatment of Akutagawa, with how he now pairs him with someone who might make him better, even praising him, which is something he withheld during his time mentoring the boy.
RANK REQUESTS: Considering canon evidence, mid or high-rank would suit him, except he doesn't care for any pampering or luxury, so he will probably ignore All Of It and it'd be funny to me particularly. Boy used to be the richest Mafia member, and yet, chose to live in a shipping container in the middle of a chemical waste ground.
SAMPLES: one. & two & three.