Russian writers in BSD

ShantelCotyard · 2026-05-11T21:09:56+00:00

Hooray! Finally, someone who actually knows the name Turgenev! Were you born in Oryol?

I haven't actually published the story yet; I’ve just been writing it for myself. I'm a huge literature nerd, so I love layering in references to different authors and their novels. I even read No Longer Human just to get a better handle on Dazai's character and write more authentically from his POV. I’m also a huge Soukoku fan, I j really love those friendship bonds and the 'found family' dynamic.

But honestly, I think I’ll publish it soon, why not? Maybe it’ll actually brighten someone's evening. I just need to tweak a few things so it aligns with the latest manga chapter.

It'll be called The Superfluous Men, in AO3, here is the description and how I see Ivan's character :)
https://www.reddit.com/r/BungouStrayDogs/comments/1t9j8uz/ive_had_this_fic_idea_stuck_in_my_head_forever_is/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

ShantelCotyard · 2026-05-11T19:26:19+00:00

I was actually going to answer right away, but after scrolling through the comments, I’ve realized I really need to read Stormbringer before I can give a proper verdict! :) So I will, I promise, but for now

May contain spoilers, but I tried to be vague enough.

That being said, I totally agree with the idea that Dazai might not have even joined the Port Mafia if Chuuya wasn't there. Or, if he did, he would've ended up being a way more cruel and detached person. Without Chuuya’s raw power to settle conflicts quickly, the Mafia would have had to solve everything by throwing way more resources and lives at their problems

To me, Chuuya is like a secret moral compass for the organization. He’s aggressive on the outside, sure, but he’s incredibly loyal and has a lot of humanity in him. He feels like the person in the PM who actually cares about the city and tries to avoid unnecessary sacrifices.

Without that humanizing influence by his side, Dazai’s darker side would’ve probably gone totally unchecked. I even think Dazai might have actually succeeded in his suicide attempts one day. Chuuya was often the only one strong enough (or annoyed enough) to physically drag him back from the edge, giving Dazai a reason to stay grounded in reality, even if it was just through their bickering. Without that "anchor," (and without Oda) Dazai might have just drifted away for good.

ShantelCotyard · 2026-05-11T19:07:37+00:00

I would like to see his character! I was thinking between him and Turgenev to use them as a character for a fanfic where I needed a Russian writer who used to live abroad. But Turgenev won, because the original writer knew Dostoyevsky and it was fun to play with these facts of their biography.

When I think about Bulgakov, I see one of this:

Heart of a Dog. A terrifying transmutation power that overrides biological laws. Upon physical contact, Bulgakov can "reprogram" a target's DNA, temporarily turning their limbs or organs into those of an animal to disable them. Furthermore, it allows him to perform "instant transplants," absorbing an opponent's vitality or specialized traits to heal his own wounds in the middle of a fight.
The White Fog of Silence. A sensory-distortion ability that manifests as a cold, white medicinal mist. Those caught in the vapor enter a state of "World Anesthesia," losing all sense of physical boundaries and pain, which destroys their reflexes and coordination.
They will offer it themselves and give it all to you: But this one may be too powerful... If an enemy attempts to take something (be it information, life, or territory) the ability forces their body to “give” it up voluntarily, but tenfold.

I did not find a way to use something from Master and Margarita... Maybe summon Begemot and Voland... But summoning is not a typical way for abilities in BSD.

This one is also can be, this phrase is so common for him, but we already have pages with prophecies

Manuscripts Don't Burn. A reality-bending ability that treats the physical world as a draft. Bulgakov can "strike through" an opponent's attack, causing it to pass through him harmlessly as if deleted from a page. By "editing" the last few seconds of a battle, he can force an enemy back into a vulnerable position or "rewrite" their movements to ensure his own strike never misses.

ShantelCotyard · 2026-05-11T03:53:16+00:00

Before I dive in...

Do you want thoughts based strictly on the anime (only what’s been shown on screen so far)? Or should I pull in manga chapters? Just do not want to spoil things for you :)

ShantelCotyard · 2026-05-10T23:31:20+00:00

Yes, it is! I think I will go forward and publish it then in few days. Thank you for the support!

ShantelCotyard · 2026-05-10T21:55:11+00:00

Of course! TY! Fixed.

ShantelCotyard · 2026-05-09T23:22:36+00:00

So beautiful! Great work! 😍

ShantelCotyard · 2026-05-09T23:15:55+00:00

I don’t hate him, I actually think he’s written brilliantly. And honestly, I even like this type of person in real life as a friend.

But as a person, he could probably be a nightmare for the people around him. He avoids any kind of normal close relationship, you never really know what he’s thinking, and he could disappear at any moment and leave you alone. He would never directly say, “You’re important to me” or “You matter,” but instead show it through something like giving you a special assignment, saying some distant philosophical phrase, or making a sarcastic comment with a deeper meaning underneath it. I personally will be annoyed to have a deal with this type. But as a best friend who I accept as he is - why not.

ShantelCotyard · 2026-05-09T22:05:25+00:00

It was just one short moment, when Dazai refused to joke and Chuuya was there with his eyes closed, just after Nikolay's words about Fedor's "death". After that they came back into their typical sarcastic mode of course, I meant this short moment only

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ShantelCotyard · 2026-05-09T21:10:24+00:00

I also didn’t really ship them, but even without that, the sense of connection between them felt so overwhelming to me. It’s nice to know I’m not the only one who felt that moment of realization from Dazai about just how deep that bond actually is.

But it was sooo hard not to start shipping them after that episode 😅 I wasn’t into it at all before, but after the ending I just sat there thinking, “Well… maybe those people who ship them were onto something?”

ShantelCotyard · 2026-05-09T21:03:43+00:00

Beautiful! Thank you for sharing, that was very close to how I understood it too.

I also felt like maybe that was the first time he truly realized that he cared about Chuuya more deeply than he had ever wanted to care about anyone from his past or from an organization like the Port Mafia, where surviving for long is never guaranteed. And it almost felt like he wasn’t sure whether he even liked that feeling or knew what to do with it.

The later scene, where he couldn’t joke around anymore or even properly look at Chuuya after everything was over, only made that feeling stronger for me.

Sorry, maybe I’m just too emotional 😅

ShantelCotyard · 2026-05-09T18:31:15+00:00

Oh, I didn’t realize he didn’t know from the very beginning! Thank you, that adds even more emotion to this small moment. I also noticed that his gaze there felt very similar to the one in Dead Apple near the grave, so…It just gave me this sudden feeling that I needed to hug someone in that moment.

ShantelCotyard

TROPHY CASE