Beautiful Insanity - Author's Notes
Okay, so I don't remember ever doing this before but for some reason, I had thoughts about the story that I felt like sharing.
I started writing Beautiful Insanity around June of last year, it took almost a year to finish now that I look back at it. I had Forensic Psychiatry as part of my course and was actually studying for a test when the story's concept came to life. 'A psychiatrist intent on saving his patient who had suffered at the hands of a criminal'. This was almost like how the idea for Shadows: Traces of You came to be, I had also been studying Forensic Sciences at that time so naturally the characters that came to mind were the ones I used for the Shadows fic.
And then it happened, I think it was fate :P that my best friend sent me a link of a video game she was interested in online. Taking a break from studying, I plunged into videos of the game and developed a strange interest in the concept of an ordinary person pushed to the edge of sanity on purpose. It was a cruel idea, but it made me wonder...was it possible?
And then it all blended in, the music, surroundings and the creepiness of the game inspired my style of writing and a full-fledged plot came into shape.
I passed my test though, no worries. I got so interested in what I was studying for the fic that it helped me ace the exam :P
The title Beautiful Insanity came to be because I based the main character's appearance on Yamachan....and (not just cause I'm biased)...well he is very pretty. But seriously, the Beautiful here kind of correlated with the character's soul...since it was always innocent to begin with. His insanity was beautiful because it rooted from darkness that never managed to taint him. Something like that. :)
I used a bit of symbolism in the fic. Not too significant to the development of the story, but just to adorn the fic for my own pleasure. The colour of the roses at points, I noticed that some of you caught even the tiniest details...but that's because you guys are too awesome tbh.
The yellow rose on the center of the table where the boys had had breakfast at the Umbrella symbolised friendship, as to pin point the strong bonds between the three. The black rose though had relations to a couple of notions. Firstly, some symbolise the fictional flower as death while some as rebirth.
John Radcliffe had a weird obsession with the Black Rose Society, since they were his "agents" in the underworld, that's why he had the asylum adorned with black roses.
Speaking of characters, let's start with the antagonist. Dr John Radcliffe as Ferguson had described him was a "queer" fellow. Although originally intended to resemble Dr Bumby, the hypnotist-psychiatrist from Alice Madness, he developed a new image within my mind. Hypnotism in Psychiatry is not a new ideology. Long ago, it was one of the most primitive forms of psychiatry, as mentioned by Ken in the story. Like Bumby, Radcliffe carried a pocket watch, completing his proper look but for Radcliffe the watch was just the accessory, his real tools were his knowledge in biochemistry. He only used the watch to complete the look and instil his orders, most of the work of pacifying the human mind were accomplished by his drugs, his main purpose from the start.
John Radcliffe made a contract with the syndicate who would provide him candidates for his experiments as he would aid them in accomplishing their goals. If you are wondering where the society were when Radcliffe came to Japan and went after Ruka and why he was alone is because the night of Ruka's incident, the boy had successfully fought off his hypnotism. Deeming his drugs too weak and his method insufficient, the society had cut off ties with him and while in anger, Radcliffe decided to turn Ruka into a permanent lab rat. Radcliffe had a long term animosity towards Ferguson too by the way and had been trying to concoct a plan to have him killed at the asylum but like before...it failed cause Ferguson brought an entire team along with him. I think his biggest failure though was to realise that in an attempt to rid people of their sanity, he was slowly loosing his.
Coming to the protagonists, the DaiOkaNoo trio had been pretty under used in Shadows but here they were the main cast. I personally adored the three of them, and I figure it must be odd for me to say that because they're my own characters but sometimes like I said, stories tend to write themselves. Kei turned out to be brainy but at times clueless because I felt like it would be more realistic. Ken was a symbol of composure but I found it necessary to let him open up at times, he was with his close friends after all. Daisuke became really precious to me, especially in the last 10-15 chapters because he shares so many of my own personal views. I learned a few hard lessons about friendship in these past two years, and they were not at all pretty. But they made me stronger and helped me to learn to open up my mind and try to understand the people close to me, because they matter.
Sorry, didn't mean to get personal. Oh yes and Daisuke's grandfather, what he gave to Ruka was basically a self-destruction switch. Ruka was the Society's final contract and since Daisuke's grandfather did not have anyone to pass his throne to and he did not want to get Daisuke involved (the man actually loved Daisuke very much), he handed the case to Ruka.
The ending was a tough one. I didn't want to kill anyone, but something had to happen. Daisuke's injury to the head took a great toll and his rebirth after the coma had erased everything that had happened in the past months, including Kei's assignment to Ruka. That's why he doesn't remember Ruka or that he and his father had made up. But everybody around him, including Ruka do remember and are acting according to Kei's instructions so as to not hurt him. All of those memories have not gone to waste though, because all the moments of Deja Vu that Daisuke experiences in Okinawa and around Ruka and the others would keep him close to them, always wondering but close.
Yukimura Yuri and Ruka made up too, very well.
As to Ruka's health and his association to Kei, the two have a lifetime pact as doctor-patient. Kei's posted in Okinawa and areas around so he could stay close to Ruka and monitor his health consistently. Kei's silent planing has ended up in Daisuke and Ken, though both working in Tokyo to very often come down to the location to be with him...and indirectly Ruka.
As for Ruka's obsession with Black Roses, he feels a strange connection to them. To him they signified his death and then his rebirth, and as for the line when blood taints the black rose, it's the puppeteers will. I think you guys probably understand who he referred to as the puppeteer, the one he blamed for all the bloodshed.
Wow, this got long.