Chapter Text
What was your motivation to start writing?
I was at a very low point because I got treated like trash by a certain someone. For some reason, I always come back to BSD during my darkest moments, and since this was the time when season 4 was just airing, I rediscovered my love for the Hunting Dogs. If you couldn’t tell, Teruko’s my favourite.
How did you come up with the plot?
I felt as though there was a bit too much of (illogical) logic and genius stuff going on in BSD at the time when I started writing, so I wanted to come up with a way to change that. And soon, that way was found in the form of chaos. An Ability you can’t control is the perfect way to make the story take turns even the greatest of geniuses predict. Also, I felt like there was so much potential for anger and betrayal inside the Hunting Dogs that I just really wanted to explore. Originally, I thought that Teruko was going to have a betrayal arc in canon, which she sadly didn’t get – well, I gave her one here.
(Also, I just really wanted to get rid of the vampires.)
How did you come up with Flannery?
I wanted a party girl from America who should’ve been part of the Guild but wasn’t due to her circ*mstances. While there are lots of morally questionable men in BSD, very few of the women are allowed to be mean simply because they want to, so I was set on creating a woman who’s objectively not a good person but still fun to follow.
I chose Flannery O’Connor because she was born in the 20s, which was perfect for the party girl background I wanted to give her. Also, the real Flannery O’Connor wrote a lot of works criticising society, which also fit well with Flannery’s ‘society’s messed up, and so am I’ attitude. Lastly, Flannery’s love for birds also stems from the actual author.
Flannery is also inspired by Lana del Rey, Marina Diamandis, Melanie Martinez, Cat Pierce and the like, whose songs I was listening to on repeat.
Why did you change the title?
The people who have been here from the beginning know that this fic used to be called “What I live by, you die by”. I liked the old title as well, but I feel like the new one captures the essence of the story way better! It’s a play on a quote from Albert Einstein, “Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.” That’s a nod to how I managed to dodge all the genius stuff that went down in canon, and I really like that the original quote stems from a real life genius. By the way, another idea for the title that almost made it was “On Board of a Sinking Ship”, which I also really liked because of its double meaning.
What’s up with the cherry cola?
As I just said, I was listening to a lot of sad girl songs, which formed Flannery’s personality – the cherry cola is very representative of this kind of vibe.
Why didn’t Flannery cut her hair short again?
A good question that I wasn’t expecting! Whoever paid close attention may have picked up on the fact that she comments on hair a lot. Flannery really adores her long hair, and as someone who’d rather get stabbed than cut off her own hair, I did not want to take that away from her. Also, you can see it as a reversal of the usual “cutting hair to signify change” trope – she returned with longer, not shorter hair.
What about the water and stars symbolism?
You may have noticed, and this is why I’m answering this question now, that Flannery’s hair gets described in terms usually associated with water a lot. But she also returns to the water whenever something bad happens to her, be that the shower or the ocean. Also, the stars and the night sky are mentioned a lot in hopeful situations. But why?
Well, as Flannery said herself, on the night of the cruise incident, she was drifting on the ocean while there was a clear night sky above her. Whereas the water was threatening to drown her, the stars remined her that she was still alive and floating. I wanted the cruise incident to subtly haunt her as long as she didn’t dare to activate her Ability.
When did you write this fic?
From March 2023 to October 2023. I actually planned and wrote the finale before the last episode of season 5 of the anime aired.
What’s your favourite scene?
Oh, there are just too many to choose from! But it’s probably the one at the campfire during the blackout. I’m just a sucker for friendship.
Which scene was the hardest for you to write?
There were some that took me a while – for example, writing all those people making plans inside the novel was exhausting. But honestly, any scene that had Dazai in it was hell because I have a weird tendency to forget how his Ability works.
What the hell was Jouno on at Meursault?
He figured the best way to keep himself from starting to like Flannery was to make her want to keep her distance. Objectively an awful plan.
Was f*ckuchi’s reason for the terrorism the same as in canon? And do you have any plans on revealing it if not?
Yes, f*ckuchi’s reason was the same as in canon. However, this time, he didn’t get the chance to tell anyone what it was.
What did Tachihara want to say to Yosano before he left?
“I can understand if you can’t forgive me, but I forgive you.”
Were there any plot holes?
One that I’m aware of but didn’t bother to fix because it wouldn’t really have changed the course of the fic – and, of course, Dazai was the cause. How was he able to get inside the novel? We’ll never know.
What’s up with the meeting room door?
I kind of forgot about consistency, so I never really checked which way it opens in the previous chapters. So, it just opens whichever way’s the most dramatic in a situation. And no, I also didn’t change that in season 2.
Will there be a season 2?
Did I just say season 2? Yes! As a matter of fact, I’m already writing chapter 32 of the second season. It’s called “War in a House of Cards” and will start on the 28th April! Be prepared for more friendship, drama, death and more! You won’t have to say goodbye to Flannery and the other Hunting Dogs just yet.
Will there be more OCs?
Not as far as I have planned – Flannery and the Doctor are the only two OCs that play bigger roles.
FINAL WORDS
Thank you all so, so much for reading. You have no idea how much it means to me to be able to share this story. I’m glad you were here to experience all the highs and lows of the characters, and I’m so glad this fic was so positively received by all of you. I want to extend special thanks to Alice, without whom I possibly would’ve never even published this fic – thank you for listening to me ramble about the plot when I needed it the most.
I hope to see you all in season 2! War in a House of Cards is going online on the 28th of April.
