#if yall got takes/requests/questions i am 100% here for them too bc representation matters and nothing is worse than feeling alone

[jesse-cosay]

I was reading through a couple of the Enchanted to Meet You side stories that I'd missed after the main fic had ended and when I got to Where There Was Me and You-

"Some of the background noise quieted as the bus paused, releasing a handful of children to roam the streets and (hopefully) get back home."

OH MY GOD

OH MY GOD OF COURSE THE KIDS AT SCHOOL ARE THINKING ABOUT DEATH CONSTANTLY

OF COURSE THERE ARE INVASIVE THOUGHTS ABOUT OTHER KIDS DYING

OF COURSE

Even the smaller and more subtle parts of your writing are genius. I usually don't like angst, but you do it in a really beautiful way because it feels like real people in the aftermath of tragedy rather than misery for the sake of misery.

Alright I shall slink into the shadows, goodbye.

YES YES YES! That's exactly the feeling I was going for! In my experience, death (especially in small towns) can alter the entire community. Obviously it hurts the family and friends the most, but everyone around them sees that and they change how they act and what they do based on them as well.

Depending on the person or situation it can often feel alienating and scary, which I haven't delved into as much because none of Lake's classmates really know they were attached to Jesse. Only Tulip. It's definitely something I want to dig into more with Nate's character, if I can potentially write some stuff from his POV in the future. (I really really want to. Portraying grief through different ages is also important to me.)

I Wanna be a Hero had a similar theme! I don't think it's explicitly stated, though? It's Lake babysitting Nate which isn't unusual or suspect at all.

Until you remember that Nate is in middle school and doesn't need a babysitter. But any parent who has lost a child would be much more protective of their remaining kids.

I'm also really touched that you can tell it isn't angst for the sake of angst! I don't even like writing angst. I like dumb tropes, fluff, and silly headcanons.

This topic is just so important to me and I've never had an opportunity to put it into words. (Also I love ghosts. So much.)

Infinity train has made me really think more than any other fandom has. The characters and the lessons are all about facing your problems and fixing them, and it's so relieving to see that. To see these people you've grown to love work through issues that you deal with.

And I wanted something like that for grief. Because death is so often used for "character growth" or as a plot device and not really as a main focus. I think Book 5 would have been really promising in this aspect, to see the progression of grief.

But I wanted a happy ending. Because you can be happy. And people deserve to see that, and to not feel guilty for being alive or being happy after losing a loved one.