#this is why i love bsd so much bc beneath all the goofy and sillies is the deep themes of humanity and the forces that drives the living

[caelanglang]

THIS ENTIRE POST AKDJDKJSJAJA I TOTALLY AGREE AAARRGHHFHF

But there’s also that point in stormbringer where Dazai was willing to change all the plans to make way for Chuuya’s choice. I think the moment he found out Chuuya was in the playing field, he already did change the plans. Maybe the drowning wasn’t even his initial plan but he just wanted to make sure Chuuya makes it through/snaps out of the brainwashing by getting an opportunity to talk to him (via the speakers).

I’m almost a hundred percent sure the speech contained some sort of code and a hidden apology with a lot of emotional factors that Dazai would never deliver under normal circumstances. I think that this is something—a nuance—that only Chuuya would get. Maybe it was indeed his farewell, but I’m pretty sure that he was confident Chuuya would survive the waters, he’s sorry he had to make him go through it. They’ve been partners for so long, dealing with tricky things like liquid is definitely something they had to find a solution for at least once during their partnership. So maybe this farewell is kinda symbolic too. That Dazai chooses to prioritize the ADA over the Port Mafia’s executive. I refer to PM’s executive bc that’s an entirely different thing as to Chuuya as his partner. If Dazai was still in the PM or working with the PM as his top priority, he would definitely deal with how to get Chuuya—an important asset to the mafia—back first. But that is not the case here. What Dazai’s actions meant was that he trusted Chuuya’s strength and personality, believing that he will make it through even if he himself is working towards a different goal.

Then again, I think Dazai’s always been flexible with planning. I have a whole theory that he began to plot for Sigma’s entrance exam as soon as he chose Sigma to be with him. (Something that Asagiri had been foreshadowing since the sky casino is ADA!Sigma so yes.) I love how you pointed out how Dazai’s plans rely on other people’s strength and choices so much. it shows his endless fascination in human life ngl. And Chuuya’s arrival at the prison being out of his expectations is so important. I think it’s something that will be putting him on the edge. It’s gonna be something he will change all of his plans for.

I believe that Dazai saves people since the very beginning. But he’s always been selective of who to save. He saves those who he somewhat sees himself in. A quote from No Longer Human says a lot about it which i think Asagiri adds into his character, “If ever I meet someone society has designated as an outcast, I invariably feel affection for him, an emotion which carries me away in melting tenderness.”

First, we had Chuuya being save from the Sheep’s exploitation. Then Dazai joined him on his journey of questioning his humanity/Stormbringer stuffs. We had Odasaku’s lonely and dangerous life as a special postman and former assassin being invited to the Mafia for protection. We have the Akutagawa siblings who have been seen as a meaningless and neglected existence in the slumps. All of which he brought into the PM, a place he thought was reasonable and ‘safe’ and enough to give a reason in living. Which I think just shows how twisted his perspective in life and its comforts already is at an early age. After moving to the ADA, I love how he immediately thought of pairing Akutagawa the moment he saw Atsushi. It makes me wonder if he ever thought of bringing Akutagawa into the light after experiencing it himself (which also involves my whole other theory how Beast AU is closely interconnected with the current canon events like—how did Dazai know Atsushi’s ability upon first encounter sjdjfjjsjs unless its a hidden feature of his ability to know if someone has an ability by mere touch—). Then we have Kyouka who just like him moved from the PM to the ADA.

Now we have Sigma who (1) is not truly human, which is something both Chuuya and him had experiences of (i think that’s a really important factor here!!) and (2) is a former criminal who has been used/treated as nothing important in their whole life (both like Odasaku, Kyouka, and Akutagawa respectively) and (3) longs for a home (like Atsushi and Kyouka). So really, Sigma fits the bill so well.

Wait, I’m going off tangents now skdjdjsjks but I truly believe the many of Dazai’s plans have the end goal of saving someone. I think the next steps of his plan heavily relies on Sigma’s and Chuuya’s Choices.

Maybe just like Dead Apple, he’s got something on his sleeves about the poison. But idk there are so many hidden factors (like Atsushi’s Dazai visions sndjjsa) and unrevealed surprises that makes reading this arc so fun. It’s selfish of me but I really hope the latest chapter caught his raw emotions. I want shocked Dazai, mr. Demon prodigy being expressive and not acting. Even if it’s just one of those panels being it. I’m sure he did something on the elevator already in preparation but still. I also want Chuuya to kick both his and Fydor’s scheming plans off the rail. Maybe this will also be Fydor’s arc in realizing that human’s ability to make changes is what makes the world run as it is. This arc is gonna be a humbling whoop in the butt for these geniuses i hope hhhhhhh

Chuuya’s autonomy is also so so important and I think you’ve said every thought I have for it! I love the way how you put it to words!! This arc is like a character exploration for all of them tbh methinks. Mostly on Dazai and Fyodor and Sigma though. And Chuuya is there to trigger most of those changes… I hope he get mad mad and break the normal dynamic!! THE LAST LINE YOU WROTE SLAPS OP!!

Chapter 105.5 Thoughts: Control, Manipulation and Partnership

Or, how Chuuya is actually the most qualified character to land a victory over Dostoevsky.

I just want to preface this with: I think Chuuya has woken from the brainwashing. We can't see his eyes, he's holding his hat again, and look at the progression of his face and expression from the last few chapters with him (these are in order btw from left to right).

I'm not completely sure how he did this, but I chalk a lot of it up to sheer stubborn determination on Chuuya's part, mostly because it's funny and he was clearly fighting back before Dazai's speech. However, I find it likely the speech did contain some kind of code - others have pointed out how "Goodbye!" might be a reference to the original author's last unfinished book and we know skk's codenames for things generally are based off their real counterparts' works so, maybe he'd already broken out of it, maybe there was something in there that gave him the final push - who knows at this point honestly? Either way, it means Chuuya had the capacity to break out of the vampire curse on his own and that's incredibly funny to me for many reasons but mostly:

Fyodor: "Bold of you to assume Chuuya's ability can't overcome flooding."

Dazai: "Bold of you to assume Chuuya's personality can't overcome brainwashing."

But really, this highlights something interesting here, both in what Chuuya's role is ultimately intended to be in this arc, and in the way Fyodor and Dazai manipulate and value others in very different ways.

I've said it before but it bears repeating: we already know that Fyodor is an excellent long-term planner, while Dazai is effectively able to counter him because Dazai shifts into thinking like his opponent. They're foil characters for a reason; they're both highly intelligent, manipulative, and willing to play the long game for the sake of winning against their opponent.

Thing is, I also stand by the idea that personality-wise, they're not similar at all - and that has serious implications for the people they are connected with. The build-up to the prison escape arc really highlights this. Some examples:

Chapter 46: Fyodor believes that all people are sinful and foolish and that his goal is to remove sin. Dazai believes that all people are sinful and foolish but asks what's so wrong with that.

Chapter 64: They decide to have a "super-happy chit-chat" about their problems. Dazai's solution to Fyodor's issue with his lazy subordinates is to get them to think lazing around is a bad thing so they will put in effort of their own. Fyodor's solution to Dazai being unable to woo the waitress is to isolate her from her job, house and family so that she can only rely on Dazai.

Chapter 77: Fyodor believes god is perfection and harmony, and thus that the people capable of change are the superior ones with most control. Dazai believes god is the accidental and illogical and believes it is the ordinary people who fight and live in that uncertainty who create the greatest change.

So, what's happening here? Fyodor's manipulation is shown to be very exacting and direct. He leaves no room for error and regards people on a hierarchy - God above all, himself as a servant of God's will, and the sinful and foolish humans he has little regard for. Dazai's manipulation involves manipulation of the situation, and is often indirect. It involves people coming to the conclusion he intends for them to on their own. And from his later dialogue with Sigma, we see he doesn't regard the world in that same kind of hierarchy.

Now, look at the way Fyodor picks an item and Dazai picks a person when starting the game. Look at the way Fyodor refers to Chuuya respectfully but brainwashes him entirely and mocks Dazai for not being worthy of "using" his ability. Look at the way Dazai is a complete ass to Chuuya but ultimately lets him make his own choices (begging people to take note of that moment in Stormbringer where Dazai cuts himself off to correct his referring to Corruption as Arahabaki's true power to Chuuya's true power).

So, the actual strength Dazai has over Dostoevsky then, is not really his strength at all, it's the strength of others and their choice and willpower to act in the way they believe is best. It's the only means of getting a leg up on Dostoevsky, otherwise they will continue to go around and around in circles forever.

And Chuuya is the best candidate for finally throwing Fyodor off his game.

Firstly, let's just establish something: no matter how mad he is at Dazai, he's not going to side with Fyodor, not willingly. Fyodor threatened the Mafia in the Cannibalism arc by attacking Mori, first of all. I doubt he's forgiven him for that. Secondly, Fyodor embodies everything Chuuya can't stand about Dazai, at the very least, younger Dazai - the manipulation, the lack of consideration and connection with others, the callousness and lack of regard for life.

Well, perhaps he's not quite as irritating. +1 point for Dostoevsky I guess?

But lastly, it is more advantageous for Chuuya at this point to help fight against Fyodor, especially since most of the Mafia has been vampirized by his organization. Helping the Agency stop the terrorist plot will help the Mafia by extension by undoing that. And we know from Stormbringer that no matter how much Chuuya is personally hurt, he considers taking out the threat to his people a higher priority. Always.

(You could make the argument that he was told whatever Teruko told Atsushi and decided to join, but not only do I find this wildly out of character, but if that was the case then there would've been no reason to brainwash him.)

That said, I don't think this was preemptive "Dazai's master plan #3057", and in fact, I stand by the idea that Dazai had no idea Chuuya was going to be in the prison. It is very, very important to me that for the rest of this arc, no matter what Chuuya does, that his actions are his own. Not Fyodor's, not Dazai's, but his. And not just because I hate that he's being controlled right now and that freedom of choice has always been important for Chuuya.

But because it makes narrative sense.

The vampires are a bit silly, yes, but they represent the way Fyodor and Fukuchi think - humanity will commit atrocities. They cannot be trusted to make their own decisions. They want to make a world that is free by... mind-controlling people so their plans work without a hitch. In short, they choose, on behalf of others, to sacrifice human autonomy for peace. So, if we are going to turn this arc around, we need to have characters breaking out of that control and thinking for themselves, in spite of the uncertainty of the outcome.

We already see this with Atsushi in the last chapter! He finally takes initiative and makes that choice to leave the room when he doesn't exactly know what the right thing to do is. And this is also why I don't think Teruko is wholly convinced by the DoA either - she lets him go. She gives him the freedom to choose what he does with that information.

Another one of the focus characters here is Sigma. Sigma is a guy who has no past, whose humanity is questioned, who keeps being used by organizations for his valuable ability, who has no home but desperately wants one... oh wait. Remind you of anyone's younger self? This could go one of two ways: Chuuya fails to assert his autonomy, leaving Sigma to learn from that failure, or, Chuuya succeeds in asserting his autonomy, leaving Sigma to learn from his success.

I think it, by necessity, has to be the latter. Sigma's at a tipping point right now, and I think seeing someone try to assert their freedom only to fail would damage him greatly. And I think it's a waste of Chuuya's character honestly.

Chuuya needs to assert his autonomy in this arc. Not just for thematic reasons but because I can think of no one else who can effectively break the "super-genius stalemate".

I keep hearing "Dazai knows Chuuya" in response to Fyodor calling their bond shallow, and that is absolutely true! But Chuuya also knows Dazai. Incredibly well. Odasaku knew Dazai's soul, but Chuuya knows Dazai's mind, knows his strategies and ways of thinking without even needing words. What's more, Chuuya has thrown off Dazai before and done what he didn't expect him to.

Which is nifty, because Dazai and Fyodor think a lot alike. Chuuya is in a unique position to thwart Dostoevsky because he may actually be able to predict him to a degree. Chuuya can absolutely land a victory against him, and it's excellent because it would be completely unexpected to Fyodor, who apparently thinks Chuuya's strength lies only in what his ability has to offer and not much else.

But listen. This also can't be skk's plan. I need Chuuya to sideline both of them. Both for the sweet, sweet catharsis of putting those two idiot geniuses in their places and also because I need Dazai to have screwed up. He wasn't wrong about people making their own choices in uncertainty. People need to assert their autonomy to create change. Dazai can't be wrong in this regard.

But with going ahead with the trap to drown Fyodor despite also having to drown Chuuya when he promised not to let him get killed... this needs to have been a mistake, otherwise the value of Dazai's emotional speech to him is diminished.

I want Dazai to try to laugh it off. I want him to say he always knew Chuuya would escape and then for Chuuya to deck him because "no, the fuck you didn't".

I really think Dazai hoped Chuuya would make it. Do remember that Chuuya was one of the first reasons young Dazai decided to try giving life a chance. The fact that he flashbacked to all his key memories with Chuuya says a lot. But his survival was no guarantee and it seemed very unlikely.

So, Chuuya is faced with the fact that Dazai nearly sacrificed him to kill Dostoevsky and save his new Agency friends.

And I hope he finally gets mad. I hope he finally expresses hurt on his own behalf for once. I hope they are forced to break their status quo that they have carefully maintained by not talking about anything ever. I hope they are pushed to uncomfortable places and that it is Chuuya who finally spurs this development.

Let Chuuya break the stalemate between Dazai and Dostoevsky. Let him shatter the status quo that him and Dazai have kept going for year after year.

Autonomous action in the face of uncertainty is necessary for change.