#kladenets

[caliumcyanide]

Oh, man. Exactly.

I also would like to share some of my thoughts on the knife that he pulled out of his clothes. Later, when he exposed a that he seemingly lied to Sigma, Fyodor says that the knife was taken from a guard. That's... a lie, right? Why would guards who carry guns as their primary weapons have knives? Sure, it could be a precaution of sorts, but why would a knife, supposedly taken from one of them would look so... weird? Have such a unique design? It might even be impractical to carry because of the size of the scabbard. It might not even be as effective, because it can't exactly do that much damage, (unless you go straight for the carotid) being a size of a dagger and all.

On another note, I loved how Fyodor called it "Kladenets". It's a name for a sword that in Russian mythology/tales is used to defeat Evil, like Yaga or Koschei the Immortal. What a cute little addition. Loved that👌

About the whole "Fyodor-switch personality" thing: We don't have enough information to confirm whether it was real or fake right now, and besides, both possibilities are really interesting.

If the switch was real and Fyodor was lying to cover it up (...because 'you know characters can lie, right' could mean... this part of it was the lie too...), that could easily be made a reference to Dostoevsky's The Double, as I was kindly made aware of. We've also already had an image of a young woman who looks like Aya from potentially a long time ago, given the outfit and that it is Bram's memory we're presumably seeing there, which may tie in interestingly with "what year is it?" The knife he pulled out also is genuinely a unique design for the series, and looks like it might be an old make. If this original is very old, then something in the takeover of personalities may explain why he hasn't seemed to age. Fyodor being a separate personality created from his ability and kicking out the original could tie in with his ability not attacking him in Dead Apple. This also raises more questions about Fyodor's motives, and I think opens the path for some pretty fascinating theory making. It also places Fyodor as something both human and not... intriguing for the ongoing theme of humanity in the series.

If the switch was a fake and Fyodor was being a completely hilarious little shit (which, we know the Joker is part of his inspiration and he is often contrasted with Dazai, Nikolai, and Mori, for whom this kind of behaviour would be expected - it's characterization, that's not 'done for no reason'), it would quite possibly be the funniest thing he's done in the series so far. But! More importantly, it strengthens Fyodor's connection with the Book (or rather, with altering the narrative). He's told a lie that sounds completely ridiculous but makes sense given the world and situation he's in - and notably, could fool Sigma... and the readers. Fyodor also managed to change the lightness of his eyes without changing the state of his soul - something that no other character seems to be able to do. (I know Dazai can feign the shocked expression, but that's not the clear lightness we saw in Fyodor's eyes in this panel. Nikolai's eyes change lightness but that actually seems to be genuine.) While this doesn't help us discern anything more about Fyodor's motives, it does emphasize his expertise at information manipulation - we cannot trust a single thing this character says, not just in universe, but out of it too. We, the readers, cannot listen to Fyodor and take anything he says as supporting evidence for theories. If this is true - that's fascinating. The other characters will have to solve the mystery of this man completely indirectly, and so will we.

Of course, there is the secret third option: it was a lie mostly, but there is an element of truth to it somewhere, which is actually par for the course for BSD as a whole. It is very rare that a character turns out to be lying completely. The question then becomes "what part is true and how much is it true", which is also very compelling. This, personally, is what I'm ascribing to for now until new info comes up.

Anyways, the last thing I wanted to point out is that if it was genuine, then remember The Double was inspired by Hohol's works, and if it was a lie, then that is very similar to the bait-and-switch performances that Nikolai has done multiple times in the series. Either way, it implies some influence on Fyodor by Nikolai and of course vice versa, which probably means the return of the clown (finally!) and more focus on their dynamic, which is a funny thing to show Nikolai having apparently had influence on Fyodor (even if in more of a meta way) as he is actively trying to kill him right now.

Love wins/loses?

[popopretty]

BSD Chapter 108

In the narrow room - Part 4

Finally a longer chapter, and it was such a roller coaster!!! Now I don't know what is true anymore and I can't wait to see what will happen next.

Please note that neither my English nor Japanese is perfect. Please let me know if you find any mistake!

SPOILERS AHEAD

Sigma shows the piece of paper he picked up earler (that has the word "Help!" written in Russian) to Fyodor and asks him if he is the one who wrote it. Upon seeing the piece of paper, Fyodor has a breakdown. He starts screaming and keeps saying "Help me! Help me" in Russian. When he finally calms down, his experession changes and he looks like another person. He asks Sigma what year it is.

Atsushi is fighting Akutagawa. He keeps calling to Akutagawa, saying that he knows Akutagawa is still there. Because he didn't kill Aya, and Atsushi knows that it is because of their promise. He tells Akutagawa that the 6-month limit has not been over yet so it is not yet time for them to fight each other. Akutagawa doesn't seem to listen and keep fighting him, forcing Atsushi to launch a counter attack. But when he is about to his Akutagawa's face, he stops himself because he thinks he is gonna kill Aku with the tiger strength if he is not protected by Rashomon. Akutagawa takes the chance and catches Atsushi by his arm and leg by rashomon.

Atsushi shouts to Akutagawa to wake up, reminding him that he wants to become stronger. He says that the real strength is not when you compare it with each other, but it is the strength to face with your own self, and that is the "real strength" that Dazai is looking for. Upon hearing that, Akutagawa has some reaction, and Atsushi thought it has worked. However, Akutagawa goes a head and rips Atsushi's arm and leg off. (Bram is seen watching that while saying 'He is not that naive')

Back to Sigma and Fyodor, the "new" Fyodor tells Sigma that the Fyodor that Sigma knows is the bad guy, and that he can not stop "him". But he can see hope in Sigma so he takes out a knife and asks Sigma to take it. He says it is the "Sword Kladenets", and it may look like a normal dagger, but it is similar to the holy swords and is the only thing that can kill "the one that is his ability". He holds it out to Sigma while saying sorry because the bad Fyodor is the one born out of his weakenesses, and that he has let his own abiliity take over him.

Sigma lowers the knife bun and reaches out to take the dagger, but when he gets closer, Fyodor turns back and stab him with the same knife, saying 'Just kidding'. Fyodor then tells Sigma that it is just an act to get Sigma to lower the knife. And that multi personality act is so cliche, but it can make people lower their guard, and that the dagger is no more than a normal life he took from the guard.

Fyodor asks Sigma if it is painful. Because if he becomes an agency member, that pain will keep coming to him as the agency is Fyodor's enemy. He then asks Sigma if he still wants to become a member of ADA despite all of that. Sigma tries to get his gun back but his move is all read by Fyodor. Fyodor then tells Sigma that now that he knows how determined Sigma is, he will let Sigma touch him and read whatever he wants to read, if Sigma has that courage to do so.

Fukuchi is on the call with the Secretary in the government, who has no option now but to tell him how to unlock One Order. The Secretary questions Fukuchi about his action, and tells Fukuchi that he will have to throw away all the Fukuchi fan merchs he has at home now (TN: Sorry it is so funny I have to include it xDD). Fukuchi tells him to just do that and finally opens One Order.

Aya and Bram sees a bright light from the tower when One Order is unlocked and Bram says there is just secondds until the world burns.

That's all for this month's chapter! The next one will be released on August 4 (Japan time).

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter just like I do.

[oristian]

i know theres speculation about narben in the fandom and i think koschei is probably going to find it in someway. a death god and a death sword, it only makes sense. do you have a theory on what’ll happen to narben?

I try to stray away from posting theories on my pages for a few reasons—namely, because I do not want to seem like I am thinking too deeply into a book of the same caliber as ACOTAR. However, I have been thinking about Narben and about the folklore surrounding Koschei the Deathless. If SJM truly is planning on following as close as possible to his mythology, here are my thoughts —

I believe that Narben will be found as it was spoken about more than once. Another Made death sword, connected to the Dread Trove? Seemingly lost at sea due to Amarantha? Considering that SJM is consistent with using similar number patterns across her series—three, four, seven, et cetera—collecting Narben would equate to three Made swords: Ataraxia, Gwydion, and Narben. I personally would be curious as to how those swords would sing to one another, especially used in proximity in battle.

I want to touch on a little folklore about Koschei the Deathless before I touch on Narben. Previously, my thoughts had been on Gwyn wielding Narben, as it had been thrown into the sea and there have been connections to her being half-nymph. After reading HOFAS, my new conclusion will be that Gwyn wields Gwydion, Nesta wields Ataraxia, and Jurian wields Narben.

Koschei the Deathless is an ancient wizard carved from dark magic who is neither alive, nor dead. His immortality is locked within an egg, that is locked within something larger, and so forth—essentially, a Russian nest doll. He is cunning and is known to steal beautiful women and trap them within his palace. In the case of ACOTAR, Koschei is a Death God, brother to the Bone Carver and The Weaver (Stryga), and entraps beautiful women in his lake on the mortal continent. In folklore, he is bested by a man named Ivan Tsarevich.

I have heard the tale of Koschei being used consistently to support the idea of three brothers and three sisters, however I believe that Koschei the Deathless supports the tale of Jurian and Vassa—The Gray Wolf and the Firebird.

Ivan’s fate had been very similar to Jurian in that they were both cut up and were revived by the “water of life.” In the original tale, Ivan’s wife, Marya Morevna, had been captured by Koschei and Ivan had followed behind—the following confrontation is what had led to Ivan being cut up. This reads very similar to Jurian’s fate after Clythia. Ivan had three wives, one being named Vasillia the Wise—the Firebird. Giving the language associated with Jurian and Vassa currently, it appears that SJM is taking a romantic route for their relationship.

On to why I believe Jurian may wield Narben. In the folktale, Ivan Tsarevich wielded a blade called Sword Kladenets.

Sword Kladenets is said to have been a “hidden sword,” and was powerful enough to destroy the enemy with a single swipe—similarly to how Ataraxia worked against Lanthys and the Asteri. Now, if SJM is going down the route where she is pulling bits and pieces from Koschei’s actual lore, this would be the most fitting piece, especially if she plans on bringing Narben into the story again.

I have always seen Vassa being taken by Koschei again and Jurian going to rescue her. I have also always seen Elain and Lucien on a journey to find Koschei’s box that holds his immortality, which, according to lore, is scattered in different places. Elain’s visions have already allowed her to see the onyx box that holds his fate.

Could Koschei have Narben? I do not believe that he has it at this current moment. In the case that he does come into possession of such a sword, I see that being a major plot point in one of the next books—possibly even being the reason why he is freed from his lake and able to come and retrieve Vassa. There could very well be a possibility that Narben being in the sea could ultimately connect to his lake in some capacity—especially in ACOSF when Nesta released her power and it drew back the water.

At the end of the day, everything is up to SJM. I personally love diving into lore and theories, because I am so interested in seeing how others perceive the same things that I do.

[quinnred]

The Swords Grow Wild: Kladenets (Ruby Throated Kladenet) A common group of post-weapon Trochilimorphic fauna that act primarily as predators of their ecosystem, Kladenets are defined by their bladed mandible. This feature was used by it's ancestor to behead and dismember targets, now used to hunt prey, break open plump Ancile stems, or to gather materials for nest. The toes of their feet once held wheels which gave their ancestors deadly speed, but currently natural selection favours better grip and balance.

[adarkrainbow]

So... I have watched "The Last Bogatyr"! Sorry, "The Last Knight/The Last Warrior/The Last Hero". The 2017 movie.

Due to the recent world events, I had to pause away from anything related to Russian folklore - but I still will dip my fingers into it from time to time.

If you do not know about this movie, "The Last Warrior" is a 2017 Russian movie part of the "fairytale fantasy" category, and... it is one of the rare movies produced by the Russian branch of the Disney Company (in collaboration with the Russian company "Yellow, Black and White"). The title is actually weirdly translated because the whole focus on the story is on the "bogatyr" - a type of semi-historical semi-legendary character of Russian culture who could be best compared to the Knights of the Round Table in the Arthurian world. They are not knights in the Western sense of the world, though they do fill their role in the traditional fairytales as the heroic military warriors that kill monster and save princesses ; and merely calling them "heroes" is a bit too vast for the very specific thing they are. Anyway...

The Last Bogatyr is a typical "portal fantasy" type of story. In modern-day Russia (there's a reference to the President, and this made me grit my teeth, because fuck Putin), lives Ivan, a famous star-magician, professional medium and dedicated scammer, who poses as "Svetozar, the wizard of light". But one day, after fleeing from the goons of a person he ended up pissing off, Ivan finds himself teleported in "Belogoria", the world of Russian fairytales.

There he is welcomed by Dobrynya Nikitich, and discovers he is not an orphan as he always believed but the son of Ilya Muromets, send to another world as a baby. (Dobrynya and Ilya are two of the most famous bogatyr of legends) However he is soon imprisoned by Dobrynya's sorcerous wife, the witch-queen Varvara, and discovers that almost all of the supernatural beings of Belogoria have been hunted down and persecuted by Varvara's crusade against all things "evil". This forced the once great villains of the land to become heroes against the tyrannical oppresor, and as such Ivan (because of course, as the main hero he has to be called Ivan) is forced to team up with Koschei the Deathless and Baba-Yaga to subvert Varvara's evil plans. Other folktales character that join the party include The Frog Princess/Vasilisa the Wise, and the Vodianoy ; and the purpose of their quest is to find the legendary "Kladenets sword" (magical sword).

This movie is... weird. Not weird in a "cult movie" type of way, no, no. This movie definitively is Russian and feels Russian, but at the same time it has Disney smeared all over it. As in: the plot and character types of this movie are all the cliches and stereotypes of Disney live-action fantasy movies. If you just take Ivan's character here - he is just a recycled version of the Wizard of Oz from Disney's "Oz The Great and Powerful". Once you understand you are in a "typical Disney movie", you can easily guess and expect what is going to happen. (Except for the very end, which has a real twist. It is the post-credit scene, if I recall well, and oh boy I did NOT see that coming, that was good) So yes, if you are used to Disney movies, in the likes of Tangled or Pirates of the Caribbean or the like, you'll know exactly where this movie is going.

Despite being very generic in terms of plot and character handling, being a very Disneyified product, this movie has the great interest of showing how Disney would handle the Russian fairytales. It is not everyday you can say "I watched the Disney version of Baba-Yaga" or "I watched Disney's take on Vasilisa the Wise". Plus the movie does look pretty, I will not lie. On the other side, this is definitively a movie for kids and all audiences. It is a semi-humoristic movie, a fantasy-comedy mostly filled with jokes (but one that won't make you "laugh out loud", and not one I would call the funniest movie). There is no gore, no brutal violence, no adult jokes. The "softening" or "Disneyification" is especially seen by the handling of Koschei and Baba-Yaga, who lose the darkness, the horror and the morbid typically associated with them and become comical side-characters, fitting more your typical Disney cast of anti-heroes and funny sidekicks... But don't get me wrong, it does not mean they are done wrong. In fact, Baba-Yaga, Vasilisa, Koschei are without a doubt the BEST parts of his movie.

Because Ivan, the protagonist, is one of the most insufferable characters I have ever met. He is a bad man (morally speaking) as much as a bad character (writing speaking). He is a jerk that has nothing pleasant to him, his moments of "goodness", "kindness" and "heroism" are SO artifical and SO forced it feels out-of-character for him. I understand he is supposed to embody the archetype of "Ivan the Fool", and they do relie in some scenes on the fact he is indeed not a hero but a cowardly, idiotic jerk... But then in other scenes he suddenly becomes this great hero hidden underneath and this kind man that just looks like a pathetic idiot and... yeah I hate this character. If the movie had been all about Koschei and Baba-Yaga and Vasilisa as their own team, it would have been such a better and great movie. The villains are good, the side-characters are good - it is just the main protagonist that is... bleh.

I know that the movie was popular enough to get not one but TWO sequels. I might watch them one day - I heard they are better. As for this movie... What I'd say is that it is not an excellent movie, nor a bad one - depending on your own taste and preferences, it ranges from a "good but not great" movie to a "neutral/middle-ground/meh" movie. It is not groundbreaking or inventive, but it is pretty, and honestly, the real interest of watching this movie is to see how Disney handles Russian folktales. This is the reason I watched this movie, and the main if not only reason I would advise people to go check it out - it is the improbable and bizarre crossover of Russian media and Disney movies, it is a Russian Disney fairytale movie, uniting the beloved folklore of the Soviet world and the traditional movie-making of American culture, and as such it is a very... weird piece that one must at least know about.

(And the character of Varvara is SUCH a good character. I love how she is presented, the visuals, how she plays out in the plot. I don't know if she is inspired by any specific folktale character - from what I have seen around she was invented for the movie and while fitting the fairytale world is not meant to represent a specific folk-character? But that's a very cool character)

[atrodonna]

what did ya think of the new chapter???

BSD CHAPTER 108 SPOILERS!!!

bro don’t even look my way; I raised my brow up as far as you probably did.

Before anyone asks, “Sword Kladenets” literally means “magic sword” in Russian or something like that, I think. So… nothing much from that.

Fake ass bitch.

Anyway. The whole Dead Apple scene between him and his ability was like a universal click for everybody, I’m sure.

Now, I have absolutely no idea what to even think, because, as always with Asagiri, the possibility that Fyodor is actually a mother of three somehow transported into the body of an old vampire with some killing ability is just as likely as Sigma actually touching Fyodor to try and help Dazai in the next chap.

However, what stands out to me is the fact that in this chapter, it was played out to be that the real Fedya is the ‘good’ Fedya and his ability is ‘the dick.’

But like… in Dead Apple… both him and his ability… were kinda douchebags. Y’know, with the whole malevolent monologue and licking up Shibusawa’s ass- idk what he was doing.

So… for now, I stand by that he is just a bitch. Unless Asagiri wants another little plot hole for decor and aesthetic <3

[toskarin]

the insert illustrations for Chapter 7 - Breaking Wheel

this chapter not only had the most illustrations in a chapter at time of publishing, but also the most illustrations in a chapter overall! there were several other versions that got left behind on the cutting room floor, along with some looser concept sketches that didn't see any use

the majority of this chapter's delay came down to life keeping me away from writing, but finishing these illustrations was definitely at least part of the delay

unused version of the Kladenets 3 skyline illustration

[ri47]

<Kladenets 3 Subnet Log> [1]

[10:02] <bnkrg> are you fucking shitting me [10:02] <bnkrg> are you fucking shitting me [10:03] <bnkrg> sorry , jittering [10:05] <losen> You good? [10:12] <losen> Brandt? [10:13] <tropi> lol he died [10:14] <losen> !bnkrg [10:20] <bnkrg> im alive [10:21] <tropi> yeah it sure sounds like it [10:21] <tropi> what are you on [10:21] <losen> What did you even do? [10:22] <bnkrg> you know the stuff they pjut in the , uh [10:23] <bnkrg> implant thing . cas [10:23] <losen> The CAS? The implant? [10:23] <tropi> did you actualy fucking take somaprophen [10:23] <tropi> *someprofen [10:23] <tropi> whatever [10:23] <bnkrg> no it was uh [10:24] <bnkrg> ?perinet meo [10:24] <Perinet> β-MeO-amphetamine [10:24] <losen> You invited a fucking peri servo to the subnet?? [10:24] <losen> Do you think Oro just like... doesn't check these channels???? [10:24] <tropi> i mean i dont think he does [10:24] <tropi> but for the recrod [10:24] <tropi> it wasnt me lol [10:24] <losen> ?perinet fucking idiot [10:24] <Perinet> No matches found. Please narrow terms. [10:29] <bnkrg> hey [10:29] <bnkrg> it wasn 't me either i just like being able to use the dictionary [10:29] <miaomiao> Hey I just turned on my comlink for the first time today why is Brandt talking like he just got back from his first class ever [10:29] <bnkrg> fuck you [10:30] <miaomiao> ? [10:30] <losen> He's tweaking. [10:30] <tropi> he's tweaking [10:30] <miaomiao> Oh [10:35] <bnkrg> meo [10:35] <miaomiao> Not how it's spelled [10:35] <bnkrg> ?perinet moe [10:35] <Perinet> Moebutacillin [10:36] <miaomiao> You invited a peri servo to the subnet? [10:36] <miaomiao> Brandt you know Oro literally reads these logs [10:38] <losen> I tried to tell them that. [10:38] <tropi> it wasn't me [10:38] <bnkrg> I DIDN 'T DO IT EITHE弓。一 [10:39] <tropi> lol touchscreen comlink [10:41] <miaomiao> How much did he even take [10:42] <losen> If he got it from thr medlab it couldn't be more than like [10:42] <losen> *like [10:42] <losen> Two standard doses tops. All it'll dispense at a time, so? [10:43] <tropi> specky [10:43] <losen> Literally my job cunt [10:43] <tropi> right [11:02] <tropi> hey has anyone heard from brandt [12:26] <tropi> all right

[creatorbiaze]

CBCBCBCB I bought bsd manga irl and I have THEORIES and QUESTIONS !!

I got vol 24 (which is chapters 105-109) and it made me think

Vampires can talk? Since when ?? Why do they function like normally after the one order ??

Dazai talked after he got shot ..? Shouldn't that have made fyodor like know he was lying ??

Okay okay so this is based on fyodor's like acting part towards sigma;

"This is the sword Kladenets. It is disguised as a normal weapon on the outside, but it's made of skill-ified silver like the sword of the holy cross. It is the only weapon that can kill "me", a living skill."

So, what if fyodor wasn't lying here?? I mean, while "acting" he's said multiple lines that are so like . different sounding under the context we have now

This implies skill-ified silver can kill skills, would that mean the other sword (holy cross or something) would be able to kill fyodor? And akutagawa's rashoumon can cut through anything, even skills, so would he be able to kill him?

"I'm sorry. He... I... am a demon created by my own weakness. My weakness that allows me to be taken over by my own skill..."

WHAT? I mean assuming he's somewhat speaking the truth, that's crazy? A bit far-fetched maybe, but does that mean that in his first life he killed himself and got like taken over by himself ...?? If he wasn't acting here and just "switched back" before he stabbed sigma, that would mean there's like an original life fyodor and this one ?? Idk if he's acting or not tho, because when sigma said "dazai wins the mind-control game" fyodor responded with "is that so...?" Showing he was planning to manipulate him soon, which is probably that "act", but him doing ALL THAT does NOT MAKE SENSE TO ME ❗❗

Because he wanted to kill sigma anyway (like dazai said) so he could've js let him shoot him and take over his body, but he DIDN'T, and he even urged sigma to read his secrets, so;

He WANTED sigma to tell the detective agency what he found (which could be anything really)

His skill has some kinda countdown? Because he needed it to take over bram

So tldr; 1. would akutagawa and/or the holy cross sword be able to kill fyodor? 2. Was fyodor really acting?? What if there's like a 'first life' fyodor? 3. Why didn't fyodor let sigma shoot him??

I may sound stupid because I only bought volume 24 and some of these may already be disproven but I'm so invested

oooh good questions :>>

Honestly the "Why didn't he let sigma shoot him" is still unanswered. He said to Nikolai that sigma "wont wake up again" or smthn similar, so I wonder if the skill-coma sigma fell into is just. genuinely unbreakable. because Fyodor gave sigma HUNDREDS of years worth of memories, and just One Small Thing was enough to make atsushi pass out.

Also, i still REALLY WANNNA KNOW what info Fyodor got from sigma. Sigma's ability is an info transfer/exchange; You get something you wanna know in exchange for the other person getting what they wanted to know.

WHAT WAS SO IMPORTANT TO FYODOR THAT HE LET SIGMA HAVE ALL HIS MEMORIES???

also iirc the Kladenets thing also just. Looks Visibly Different from a normal weapon. so I'd b a bit suprised if it's Genuinely Unimportant

[irritablepoe]

The sword Fyodor first claims to be the Sword Kladenets is also known as the "hidden sword". If it is true what he said and this wasn't an act, this would explain how he got it. Apparently, it can be hidden inside a wall, under a rock or in a sacred tree.

[bibiblocksberg1234]

Ok, so apparently this sword is a magical thing from Russian fairytales (wikipedia). Then, what IF, Fyodor wasn’t quite lying and this sword Kladenets is indeed an object they can use to stop him?? Maybe it’s not that particular knife, but maybe they could find the actual thing.

[brain-in-a-skin-suit]

Okay so disclaimer i haven't seen Dead Apple in a while, and I also didn't go into writing this with a conclusion in mind, so its a bit of a mess.but! i did reach a conclusion! Sorry for any inaccuracies, I was working from memory for a lot of this. please correct me if im wrong about something! Also pretty please add any connected theories if you have any

Warning: long post

I remember watching Dead Apple and being really thrown off by the fact that Fyodor's ability seemed to be chill with him. Every character aside from him who had an ability manifestation was fighting their ability. This makes me think that in his natural state (not affected by Shibusawa's ability), Fyodor is already fighting his own ability, so when Shibusawa was doing his thing, the relationship flipped and they got along.

In chapter 108 of the manga, fyodor suddenly says he's controlled by "a demon" and follows it up with this:

then he says this:

which is really key. It implies everything i suspected from Dead Apple-- Fyodor's ability is his enemy.

Of course, right after this scene, he stabs Sigma and basically says "teehee I was lying the whole time"

But I don't know if I truly believe he was lying (which isn't a hot take, I've seen other people who believe the same thing). What he said earlier really fit with the conclusions that could be drawn from Dead Apple. There is a real possibility that he when his ability regained control it just, ya know, lied.

Okay fine, whatever, what is his ability?? who, or what, is he? to be fully honest, I don't know.

But here's what we do know -- or for many of these, what we suspect (in number list so i can easily refer back to them)

1. Fyodor might be immortal. A very popular theory based mainly around the fact that he is everywhere in the BSD timeline but never seems to age

2. His ability probably works against him in some way, likely taking over his body due to some "weakness" that was brought forth by the ability, and then taken advantage of. I am going to refer to the "good" Fyodor we briefly see in ch 108 as 108!fyodor just to make things easier for myself.

3. He can kill non-gifted with a touch of his hand. I don't think he can kill gifted the same way (he had to shoot the cat-lady, plus every ability-kill we've seen thus far has been of non-gifted victims)

4. Nikolai does not know how to kill him (still unclear on the whole poisoning plotline-- I have seen the theory that Nikolai didn't poison them earlier, but the "antidote" is poison. Still not fully clear on how all of this fits together), and wants Sigma to find out his ability so he can kill him.

5. In Dead Apple, he was split into "Crime" and "Punishment". One person was an ability manifestion just like everyone else had been dealing with, the other was Fyodor himself acting as part of his ability-- which is odd because the ability is supposed to sever the gift from the gifted. and yet fyodor was still part of it, just fragmented. This supports the fyodor is not fully human idea presented by Sigma's question of "what are you?" and the immortaity theory. It also supports an alter-ego, as he had two personalities there.

6. fyodor has some vendetta against the gifted despite being a gifted himself

7. gifts are typically a result of some type of trauma or past experience. we do not really know his backstory.

so point 4. Nikolai doesn't know how to kill him. Assuming everything 108!fyodor said was true, this dagger could kill him:

sword Kladenets is an established sword type, typically belonging to a hero (interesting that fyodor has one...)

"In some heroic poems and ancient Russian legends, a sword Kladenets acts as a self-cutting sword, which, on the orders of its owner, can cut down an entire forest or at least the whole enemy army. Other weapons could heal or make their owners or holders – invulnerable."

interesting stuff. invincibility? Well, fyodor may be immortal (see point #1), so that could go hand in hand with that. It would also explain why a sword Kladenets would be needed to kill him-- any other weapon would fall short.

Also, fyodor's "ability" involves being able to kill other people easy-peasy by tapping them (point #3)-- which is the same thing the sword kladenets does. Remember, every person he's killed with his ability bled out where he touched them-- as if they were cut with a blade!!

But why can't he kill ability users? my theory is that abilities are on the same level as a sword kladenets, and therefore the sword cannot do it on its own. Fyodor can only be killed by the sword kladenets that he wields and not by an ability; he cannot kill an ability user with the sword. makes enough sense to me

okay, what else can we learn from the sword?

Everything I read about the sword describe that the hero has to find the sword; by digging it from the ground or taking it from a dead body, or some other way of earning it. Then the sword will work with the hero. But Fyodor's ability (which I am beginning to believe is simply the sword he wields) works against him (see point #2), which makes me think he obtained the sword without earning it. This could be the "weakness" that was brought forth by his ability and allowed for his ability to overtake him-- which makes sense!! he would not have that weakness had he not obtained the sword!

The sword is also often given a personality-- it is a character in itself (which would explain the alter-ego point #5)

furthermore, how could he have a sword in prison if it wasn't part of his ability??

So! what I am trying to say is that fyodor somehow wrongly obtained a sword kladenets (or perhaps in this universe, the sword kladenets), and is now controlled by it. this led to him form an alter ego (the sword's personality), which overtook him due to the fact that he did not earn the sword, and was not powerful enough to control it. The sword gave him the ability to be unkillable (and therefore immortal/unaging), and the ability to kill non-gifted easily by simple contact.

i would like to emphasize that i am very likely wrong, as this is BSD we're talking about after all. I am working from memory and a very small amount of research, and also using this as an excuse to procrastinate. Take this with a grain of salt. but also, please add onto this if you have thoughts. I have not read Crime and Punishment (I have copy but I've been busy) or any other Dostoevsky book, so if you have and you think this relates to his books in any way (or that it contradicts them) I'd love to hear it!

[mamamittens]

I've written about 8k for my Pokemon Violet fic as a treat and it's only just getting to Miraidon about to do the escort mission in the cave.

Oof

I'm literally restraining myself from playing ahead too far so I won't totally fucking lose what's supposed to happen so it's just after Arven's fight in the game when I stopped to write up to that point.

This... Is going to take a while lol

Still planning on catching up on my other fics, it's just getting enough down that I won't totally forget important shit... And it sparks the buzzy serotonin molecules ngl

But I'm not dropping anything or setting a hard fanfic in progress limit! I'd just like to have at least one or two knocked out before publicly posting a new one. Ideally no incomplete works, but I know that's sure as fuck not happening. Trying to force it just burns me out and there's too many to finish before I'm dead for writing. And the endings would be shitty.

I wonder, when I eventually post, is that something y'all would read here? It's a bit of a pain dual posting so I don't want to commit to it if it's not going to be read lol, especially since it's going to be... Very long lol

Uh, summary for context.

"All the Difference" is a fanfic about Feolette, the little sister of the Galar champion (Kladenet) who has moved with her mother to Paldea for school and to get away from the inevitable spotlight her brother's fame has brought. As well as emotionally distance herself from the incident that lead to the scarring of her face from a Corviknight attack.

As promised to her protective big brother, she swears she won't get into "world ending catastrophes, perilous pokemon battles, madmen with no chill, or weirdo rich people with no common sense".

It can't be that hard, can it?

(shockingly, it is.)

(Somehow, the hardest part is figuring out how to be friends with people, rather than the literal path to becoming a champion, fighting repurposed anti bullying gangs, fighting titan pokemon, Pokemon smear campaigns, angsty teens, or plunging into Area Zero to face the otherworldly dangers therein)

I won't be posting any chapters until at least one other fanfic (out of 10 ongoing) is complete. Preferably at least my last Undertale Fics (of which there is 3) but we'll see. So don't worry, this won't be for some time yet.

[de-vee-l]

Inktober day 4: Kladenets sword

[caliburnabsolute]

A little experiment I did with an AI colorization program called Petalica. Just threw in a sketch, drew some colors on it, and I got this. Honestly, I kind of like how it came out, but I think I'll stick to coloring things on my own.

[swordofthewargod]

Magic swords like the mech #kladenets or the mech #samosek that appear in Russian fairy tales and byliny, translate to "#sword of steel", "hidden sword", or #magicsword in English. . Tale of the City of Babylon, the samosek-sword is also called "Asp The Serpent" (Аспид-змей), and it was ordered hidden inside the wall by the sword's owner, #Nebuchadnezzar II . Some sources point out that kladenets sword, being a treasure, is frequently connected with, the motif of being hidden inside a wall, under a rock, or under a sacred tree, waiting to be discovered by the bogatyr #hero (just like germanic and norse sword mythologies) . A #bogatyr is an archetype from the #medieval slavic legends. They are the equivalent to #kingarthur 's knights, representing courage, valour and often a keen sense or moral and religious justice. . The word #bogatyr is not originally russian, and most agree it's not of slavic origin either. Bogatyrs appeared around the time of #Vladimirthegreat grand prince of kiev. (980 - 1015) . Some bogatyrs are presumed to be historical figures, while others, like the giant #Svyatogor are purely fictional and possibly descend from #Slavic #pagan #mythology . Illustartion: Sergey Solomko (1855 — 1928) . #kladenets #byliny #bylina #mythsandlegends #SWORDOFTHEWARGOD #writerscommunity #writer #bookseries #book #history https://www.instagram.com/p/CM4uoHlHdhl/?igshid=14nldjfnaspoj