#atsushi's ability is so complex and there's definitely something deeper to it and i really really want more focus on it after this arc

[karmicpunishment]

sometimes i forget that atsushi's healing ability isn't actually described as healing/regenerating injuries but as negating them

and then i stop and think about what that means and then oops its been two hours

[jazzintown]

Fydor’s reasons for going after the book

I think Fyodor is a very interesting character and we all can probably agree that his reasons and motives are beyond understanding this far in the manga. But I’ve been wondering, how come that Fyodor wants the book that makes every written thing real? There has to be a pretty good reason and he goes far lengths to achieve it.

It might have to do with his ability. From here on I’m talking about the theory of him being able to kill people with a single touch. You can find tons of posts about that on the internet, so I’m not going to go deeper into that theory itself but will take it as a fact. His goal is, to be said from the manga, to “eliminate” all ability users, whatever that’s supposed to mean. It’s unclear if he means killing them or simply let their abilities vanish, leaving them only human (you could make a lot of puns about that with the name of Dazai’s ability...). We know nothing of Fyodor’s background except for that he is russian and plays cello in a horrible position. What if something happened to him in the past that made him despise abilities? The Port Mafia surely isn’t the only organization abusing children with abilities, and if his ability is really killing by touch, he could be seen as a very powerful weapon by some. What if he got used as for example an assassin ala Kyouka, escaped and searched for a way to get rid of the “curse” that ruined his life as well as “saving” others? I’m pretty sure no child enjoys being a killing machine. He doesn’t seem like the type of villain who does bad things for the sake of being evil - even though his character is certainly complex enough for mortal beings like me to not know what’s going on inside his head. But if that was actually the case and Fyodor tries to stop the harm abilities bring to the world, then that shows him in another light I’d say.

It also changes the point of the story. Where would we be without the abilities? They’re cool and badass and all, but if you think about it, they bring more pain to people than good. Atsushi would still be living in the orphanage - and still get abused, yes, but is his life now really better? Dazai and Chuuya and Kyouka and all the other people wouldn’t have been pulled into the Port Mafia - if that organization even existed in it’s current form. Our story could become a story about a group of cops fighting evil, and not ability users - but where’s the fun in that. Point is, in my opinion the abilities cause a lot of damage and you could even discuss if people were better off without them. If they had been portrayed that way from the beginning - as destructive, life-ruining “curses” -  Fyodor’s motives in this theory would be seen completely different. If this is actually what he wants and not some random 3 am thought by me, I could see him trying to bring the public on his side by revealing the “truth” aka the dark side of abilities - I’m not sure if the common people know about the abilities already - which could revolt in our beloved characters suddenly becoming the villains by trying to stop him from bringing good to the world - or joining him, turning around the operation. Bsd is already known to be a manga where different groups have the same goal for different motivations. I’m definitely excited about how it’ll play out in the end.