This log contains themes about suicide, misogynism, rape, violence, etc. Reader discretion is advised. Spoilers for Bungou Stray Dogs ahead.
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Foreword
I'd say this log is some sort of "behind the scene" for my upcoming Bungou Stray Dogs Fanfic, Les Plaisirs. Honestly, constructing a character for the BSD universe is somewhat challenging, since you have to follow the format of using Japanese author references, their works, minor details about their appearance, and even personal lives. It might be easy for others, but I think it's my comfort zone to write from scratch? Using references can be quite tricky, which led me to this decision--skip it.
Base Character Traits
Following that decision, I decided to picture my character in my own criteria. Well, since I've been attracted to Dazai ever since I watched the series, I thought I should consider his ideal type. It was bizarre, but it's Dazai we're talking about. His ideal type is a woman that's willing to commit a double-suicide with him.
So... With that first detail, I've thought of various things why committing suicide became an option for my OC or how it brushed her mind. I wanted to be a bit different, so instead of childhood traumas or bullying, I decided that she'd want to die because she doesn't want to kill anymore. But, she could just simply stop, so why go to such lengths?
It's because she has to kill. And for the BSD universe, a possible reason could be her ability. So, I thought that it should be something that is powered by lifespans or human time, which is why taking other people's lives is necessary for her to use her ability and to live. Because of this, she must have a specific target. I don't imagine her killing random innocent people, but a certain group of people. For example, in Persona 5, the Phantoms' targets were corrupted adults.
Likewise, I imagined her targets to have a common trait, better if they're a bunch of evildoers. Aside from enemy organizations, it's better if it's linked to her personal desire and past. I'm leaving the past blank for a bit, since I want to base it off the writer's personal life or at least take some details from it, I guess.
Another thing is, I'd like her to have an alias. Better is she's more known by her alias rather than her birth name that will be based off a writer, since it's likely for other authors to "use" the same name. Sigh, so much for wanting to be original.
The next, and somewhat final detail would be fueled by my personal desire to write antagonistic protagonists. With that idea in mind, I decided that she'll be part of the Port Mafia. Plus, it's the best environment for her to kill. Fun fact: When I was watching BSD clips on youtube, I genuinely thought the Port Mafia were the protagonists.
Oh, and I don't mean to romanticize killing nor mafia. I don't have an idea how to express myself, but yeah, at the end of the day, it is fiction.
Choosing the Author
And of course, if you set aside something that must be done, you'll eventually have to do it. The most common course of action was to search for the most influential ones, scroll, scroll, scroll, until someone rings the bell.
When I saw Fumiko Enchi, it wasn't her name that caught my attention. It was her notable work, The Waiting Years. It just really rings the bell, y'know? Since the abilities are based on the writer's literary works, The Waiting Years sounds fitting for the base idea I had for her ability. Exactly from how it fits. Though, I can never hope to create the character based off the writer as well as BSD had done it, hopefully taking various details would be enough, sigh.
