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Half Sisters - Episode 67 (Patreon)

Published:
2025-04-14 06:58:41
Edited:
2025-04-14 22:01:38
Imported:
2026-06
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Content

The penultimate episode of Season 2!

Clocking in at 28 pages!

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Comments

Rosenheim

Thanks for the episode! One thing I find interesting about the series is how the *reality* of the situation is so contrary to what most of your audience would want: in that, people are here for the male to female transition and that most of those want it to be a happy one. When really I find Mrs. Palmer to be completely in the right and going to put a bullet in the brain of Hutchinson and exposing the mess would potentially lead to a more "just" ending for a lot more people in-universe, that Sofia and Nikki's situations aren't very comparable, etc. Now, I personally don't mind darker transitions where the person never feels comfortable in their body, *because* they were forcibly transitioned, but I do think that divergence in narrative and audience expectations is quite fascinating to see play out.

Maggie Heels

IDK Emory what your plans are with that dude sending messages to Zach... but at last page I saw sparks... blindingly bright as with arc welding;) :3

Maggie Heels

Six months you say... I can't wait ❣️❣️❣️

Crewchick

Woke up at zero dark just to be among the first to see this! A-MAZE_ZING!!!!! I love Mary Palmer!!! And Sandy is pretty damn amazing as well. I can't wait for Mrs. Ferris to reconnect and join the "coven" to conspire against Hutchinson, and for Jill to show up to give them the latest on Second Dawn and Xu, and help them bring Hutchinson down for good! I also really love how Nikki is finally appearing to be at ease somewhat, letting her guard down and connecting with her old self to a degree, and with an old friend. I love that Zach is letting his guard down and sharing some of his true self. I also loved how he played on Nick's/Nikki's ego about "being brave enough to suck at something new". Well played Zach! Perfect timing for text from Armando. And I know there are many who just want to get to the sex, but this really is not the time for a slow dance with googly eyes and groping hands. This is way too fast for Nikki and Zach is not a cheater. Zach has done everything he can to show he is not like his father. That theater they are in is a temple to that when he defiantly danced in Kinky Boots on that stage. Hutchinson hit on Mary Palmer (maybe in that very theater?) when she was competing for Ms. Texas. It would be wrong for Zach to do something that would make him very much like his Dad in the place where he finally felt the most outside his Dad's shadow for the very first time in his life. I hope maybe you have a surprise with some comical interlude to break up and cock-block this slow dance and get us back on track with the platonic re-connection and wrapping up this "date". I am also curious to know and see what Hutchinson is doing and how he is responding to the update's he has been getting from his spy. This is where it is getting good. We see Nikki and Zach planning their own conspiracy against Hutchinson to resist his manipulation and be their selves. And we see Mary talked off the ledge and start the conspiring with Sandy and what I expect will be a "coven" of all the women we have met so far to bring down Hutchinson and give him his long over due comeuppance and justice. Heck, even the stylist at the salon seemed willing to be in on defying Hutchinson. OMG! There is just so much to get done and only 30 pages to get it done in before Season 2 comes to a close and summer break begins. 😱 😔 Could you possibly give us 10 extra pages for the Season 2 finale? 🙏

Gemma

Two paces and levels of intensity in this episode. Both seen to focus on trust, belief, growth and self acceptance. Sandy and Mrs Palmers interactions was very passionate. I was hoping for pleased to now see this level of passion from Mrs Palmer . She previously seemed to hide from Nick the full depths of her feelings if hurt, anger, pain and anguish she experienced around what Nick has gone through. Maybe so as not to further escalate what Nick was already going through. It was nice to see that hard wiring within her as a mother in relation to feelings she would have had around not being able to protect and save her son. initially not being able to protect him from his dad’s ambitions and later from Mr Hutchinson. Wow! Isn’t Sandy wise and insightful, both acknowledging Mrs Palmers hurt and anger and at the same time inviting her to trust in Nick, who he is as a person, his resilience and his capacities to find his way through all that has happened. Through this overlying a potential disaster. Part two of the episode opened up new insights into Zach. The words he sang as Lola could have been written to capture the both Zach and Nick’s story and challenges they face with their perspective fathers. In relation to the images I can’t believe how beautiful Nikki has become and wow that smile. In every image with that smile (to me) Nikki looks to be covertly flirting with Zach. Not hiding the signs and signals girls use to express and show the increasing and romantic attraction they are experiencing and wish to convey. Nikki looks, to me, to be completely captivated by Zach and just loving being in his presence. Certainly conveying some level of being enamoured to him. Certainly not interacting in a way two ‘mates’ would be with each other, guards down so relaxed, uncensored, vulnerable and at ease in each other’s company. My only complaint Emory is you are one image short in this episode. We see Nikki’s arms around Zach’s side and then …next picture please! Once again you leave us hanging out…oooh! Another cliff hanger.

pe zr

ok fine. now we need a kiss....

Thomas Tolliver

Of course she would want to lead. Oh Nikki, some things never change 😅🤣

Jade Diaz

I think Nikki is going to step on Zach’s toes

Jade Diaz

There’s so much Zakki shipping in here. Y’all really think a guy who looks so convicted getting that text from his boyfriend is going to betray him? Wow. So much incredible writing in here. The paragraph where Zach talks about always shrinking himself to take up less space really speaks to the condition of the closet for so many queer people. Nikki is too oblivious to realize Zach isn’t just talking about himself with the song lyrics and his own feelings of being shrunk, of being less than his whole authentic self, but also her too. One day she will look back on this experience and smack her forehead in realization.

Cryofly

Okay. You got me with the Elaine dance on page 27. lol

Helena Grace

That's Zach's boyfriend. Mando.

Maggie Heels

I knew who he was... didn't remember his name though, thanks for reminding me ❣️

Crewchick

@Rosenheim, I agree I think there is a good size audience here just for the sex and happy LGTBQ rainbow ending. Not that that is a bad thing in any way. But I think this story is more real, deeper and grittier than all that and deserves being true to itself and not simply play to a fan base. I don't think Emory is that kind of writer or person to sell out a good story just to please vocal fans. Nor has she ever done so. But I do feel there are some aspects at times that could go a little realer and darker, while still having many of the happy, funny and even silly at times upbeat moments that make this story appeal to so many, along with Emory's amazing art work. Kind of like dark chocolate, that unfiltered bitter in dark chocolate just seems to enhance the sweet and make the total taste and savoring of it so intense and pleasing.

Bartoon

The tension. The suspense. UGH!!!! Just kiss dammit!!!

Thomas Tolliver

In my head there's an AU out there where Nikki went full onboard girly girl, living in dresses and using makeup like an art style. It's a nice AU, but it doesn't really compare to the real thing.

Kris Greg

Yay, more character development! I look forward to every edition of this series. I'm looking forward to seeing how Jack & Jill continues to intertwine into this story.

Gemma

Reflecting on last caption in this episode. ‘I wonder what are Nikki’s thoughts, feelings as she places her hands on Zach’s waist and as they press together feels the difference that exists now between his toned muscular masculine body and the softness of her feminised body?’ Just wondering!? As I said previously the next caption (or two) will be very interesting to see.

Sara Dune Tone

Gosh Nikki sure has become charming… I love that she pressed her petite body into Zach’s like that… I’m feeling my coed dream coming in season 3 muahahahaa

Crewchick

Pleading ignorance here, what is the "Elaine Dance"?

Nolwenn (edited)

Comment edits

2026-09-14 23:00 Even if the kiss become an abort mission, i think Zach's may have weird dreams about Nicky where it's usually Armando in it😁
2025-04-15 07:11

SingularCurve

Ah such an intimate moment. I love this. Still only getting friend vibes from Zach, but Nikki is getting her girl on.

Crewchick

Hi Emory! Re-reading Episode 67 for at least the dozenth time already. And I think I found another Easter egg that I should have seen so much sooner. On page 12 Mary talks about how Nicky loved horses so very much and would spend hours at Trevino's Farm brushing and petting the horses when he tagged along with the Girl Scout Troop Mary lead. In the background is a painting of Trevino's Farm with horses in the pasture. You established previously that Mary is an artist and photographer. So I just assumed It was her painting. Then tonight I finally saw that the signature on the paining is "Nicky"! Nikki/Nicky is the artist. And he appears to be quite good at such a young age. Which in part is probably why Mary has it framed and hanging on the wall, not on the refrigerator hanging from a magnet. In this scene Sandy is trying to talk Mary down from going and killing Hutchinson. She talks about Nikki being strong and finding a way through her change. That being stripped of all Nick was at the time he was kidnapped might actually force/allow him/her to discover or rediscover parts of themself they they did not know they had or thought were long gone or too deeply buried to ever find again. So is this a clue Nicky's artistic side may be one of the things Nikki rediscovers about herself? Some times as I read the pages I have my own little sound track playing in my head. As I read page 12 this was my sound track for that page. https://youtu.be/nY_GgPi5eCM?si=VEpXVHTaaH8FZUeC (Sorry I can't find a way to hyperlink it. The Rolling Stones "Wild Horses".

Crewchick

And this brings me to another idea for a pin-up session. Have all the girls recreate famous record album cover art! There are plenty of sexy covers they could recreate. It would be so easy to see the girls in black spandex dresses and slicked back hair for Robert Palmer's Simply Irresistible. But you could also have some fun with it like you did the Season 2 video where Nikki seemed to be sporting a more noticeable package than usual in very short shorts. So while not a "sexy" cover you could have some fun with the girls reproducing the cover for The Who's "Who's Next" https://sfae.blob.core.windows.net/media/ecommercesite/media/sfae/sfae.artwork/1165_1.jpg With the "girls" zipping up and walking away from a piss stained wall. All good fun right? Anyway, as usual, just a thought...

Diana Bialaska Hansen

A shame Nicky's mom did not shoot Hutchinson. Painful euthanizing are the only way to deal with those monsters.

Cryofly

Elaine is a character from Seinfeld. There was a whole episode dedicated to her terrible dancing. You can probably look up the clip on youtube.

Emory Ahlberg

Thank you, Rosenheim! Yeah, that tension between what readers might want for a character versus the messy reality within the story's world is something I have to think about a lot. I totally get why Mrs. Palmer's reaction feels so visceral and even justified... when you're pushed that far, when the system fails so spectacularly, taking matters into your own hands can seem like the only path to justice. And maybe she's not wrong! Nikki has had a lot of darkness in her side of the story so far (whereas Sandy has mostly been about "trans joy") - so although it definitely won't be all sunshine and rainbows from here on out, I wanted the date to be a fun contrast to what she's otherwise experiencing on the day-to-day. 😊

Emory Ahlberg

Diana - I'm curious what you mean by realer and darker!

Emory Ahlberg

Waking up at zero dark thirty??? Wow, that's some serious dedication. Thank you so much, Diana! ❤️ I'm so glad Mary resonated with you here. Right now she's this cauldron of grief, rage, and fierce maternal love, all bubbling just under the surface. She’s been forced into silence and complicity for so long, watching Howard twist Nick into someone she didn't recognize, and then dealing with the horror of his disappearance and transition. She's in a lot of pain and feels like she can't help her child. And Sandy! My girl is really stepping up! I see her journey as moving from survival mode (as Scott the thief) to navigating imposed circumstances (as the maid), and now into actively trying to shape outcomes, using both her innate street smarts and the resources (and complex mentorship) from Mrs. Ferris. She's leveraging her own trauma and adaptation not just to cope, but to strategize and help someone else. That conversation with Mary showed a level of empathy and strategic thinking Scott probably wouldn't have accessed. The idea of all these women potentially coming together - Mary, Sandy, Mrs. Ferris (who has her own complicated history with Hutchinson, as we saw!), Lauren, Evie, Jessica, maybe even Jill - is hopefully compelling. Each of them has been impacted or controlled by patriarchal figures or systems (Hutchinson, Second Dawn, Ken Ferris, Howard Palmer). There's a latent power in that shared experience, even if their individual motivations and methods differ wildly. Jill's return, whenever that might happen, would certainly throw a wrench in things. She represents a direct link to the horrors of Clinic 12 and holds a unique, almost sacrificial place in Nikki's psyche. 😊 Oh! And Zach... I loved him revealing his love for dance, for Lola, in that specific theater. Really, that was him offering Nikki a piece of his soul, the part that Hutchinson couldn't touch or corrupt. We're definitely heading towards a crescendo for the end of the season! Lots of threads are converging. I know it feels like a lot to wrap up! I always try to give the story the space it needs to land those big moments, so we'll see how the final page count shakes out. 😉 Thanks again for the amazing comment and support! 💕

Emory Ahlberg

Thanks for reading so closely, Gemma! Your comments always make me smile. I was really hoping this episode would dig into those layers of trust and acceptance, especially after such intense events. And Mrs. Palmer's explosion felt necessary to me. For so long, she's been the stoic, supportive mom, but underneath, there's this cauldron of guilt and fury simmering. It's not just about Hutchinson, because it's also years of watching Howard chip away at the sweet kid Nick used to be, feeling powerless. That shotgun wasn't ONLY about Leonard. I think it was also her finally confronting her own perceived failures as a protector. Her passion comes from that deep, primal place of "I should have stopped this sooner." 💕 Sandy's role here is interesting to me because she's projecting her own journey of adaptation onto Nikki, perhaps optimistically. She sees resilience because she had to be resilient. Her insight comes from having navigated an (initially unwanted) transition, even though her internal starting point was different from Nick's. She's learned that survival sometimes means finding unexpected strengths and even joy in the new reality, and she's trying to offer that possibility to Mrs. Palmer, partly to save Nikki, but maybe partly to validate her own path too. And YES... Zach's performance of "I'm Not My Father's Son" was a key moment for me. It's basically an anthem for both him and Nikki, really. Finding Lola allowed Zach a brief, exhilarating escape into authenticity, a taste of what it feels like to reject the crushing weight of Leonard's expectations. It's almost like a glimpse of the person he could be if he wasn't trapped. And ha! Yes, I do enjoy leaving things right at the peak of tension sometimes. What happens next is often best left simmering in the imagination for a bit! 😉

Emory Ahlberg

Thank you, Jade! 💕 I really wanted to show how complicated Zach's position is. He genuinely cares for Armando, and that text message absolutely underscores the depth and reality of their connection. The poor guy is under this crushing weight of all these relationships, made worse by the impossible situation his father has forced them all into. His history with Nikki is years long, layered with childhood friendship, complicated crushes, shared trauma, and now this bizarre, forced intimacy. He's trapped between genuine affection for Armando, a confusing but undeniable bond with Nikki, and the ever-present fear of his father. 😟 And thank you so much for the kind words about the writing! That feeling of making yourself smaller to fit the world's expectations, of hiding essential parts of yourself just to get by, is painfully familiar. It's a specific kind of closet, built not just by external pressure but by the internalization of that pressure. At least, that's how I frame it! Of course, Nikki is absolutely oblivious right now, partly because she's so caught up in her own whirlwind of trauma, denial, and sheer survival instinct. She's also still grappling with so much internalized homophobia and transphobia from her upbringing and football culture that she can't totally recognize Zach's vulnerability or how closely it mirrors the cage she's starting to realize she was also in, long before Second Dawn. She has soooo much unpacking to do, and I agree, looking back on moments like this will likely be a huge part of her journey... wherever it might go!

Emory Ahlberg

🤣 Thank you, Thomas! It's funny, right? Even when everything else is upside down, those core personality traits still bubble up... She's falling back into that quarterback mindset, the one calling the plays, is almost instinctual. It's her way of saying, "I'm still in here, I still get to decide something." Especially with Zach, where their old dynamic was so defined by her dominance (even in negative ways), slipping back into that role feels familiar and, maybe, safer than navigating this completely new territory where she's "supposed" to be the receptive one...

Jade Diaz

Really drawing a parallel between Sandy’s adaptation and Jill’s… this is the most explicit you’ve highlighted those similarities

Emory Ahlberg

Nikki promised Mr. Hutchinson one at the end of the date, DJ. 😉

Emory Ahlberg

I love thinking about AUs too (why I've made a few pinups for them) - it's like exploring different facets of a character. But yeah, Nikki's resistance is such a core part of who she is right now. But there is a 'real person' underneath this all that I think is being slowly revealed!

Emory Ahlberg

Thank you, Kris! I find that exploring how people change (or resist change) under these extreme circumstances is one of the most fascinating parts of writing this story. 💕

Emory Ahlberg

That's a really insightful question, Gemma. I think for Nikki, in that moment, there's this incredibly confusing jumble of sensations and thoughts. Touching Zach, feeling that familiar, solid muscle she used to have herself, would absolutely trigger a sharp pang of loss and maybe even envy. But layered on top of that is the history with Zach. There's the awkwardness of the forced situation, the memory of being the bully, and now this strange bond. She might feel a spark of the old competitiveness ("I used to be stronger than him"), but also a flicker of confusion about how different he feels now that she is different. Her mind is scrambling to reconcile the past with the present and she's touching the kind of body she used to inhabit while being trapped in one she (currently) despises, all while dancing with someone who represents both a painful past and a complicated present. Basically, it's a real mind-fuck! 🤣

Emory Ahlberg

Thanks, Sarah! With the charm, I think what we're seeing is less a deliberate charm offensive and more the cracks showing in that hyper-masculine persona Nick built. She's kind of reverting to that pre-football kid who maybe was a little more naturally engaging, before the pressure crushed it out of her.

Bartoon

Yippee!!!!! Can't wait!!!

Gemma

It certainly is Emory. I hope within the envy she also experiences some thrill similar to how she felt when Zach body slammed his dad. Even if she does not immediately recognise some level of feminine attraction to Zach and his masculinity.

Emory Ahlberg

Thank you, Nolwenn! I definitely see Zach's subconscious having a field day trying to reconcile the Nick he crushed on (and was terrified by) with the Nikki who's now physically present and part of this incredibly coercive situation orchestrated by his father! LOL

Emory Ahlberg

Thank you, Singular! Yeah, I really wanted that scene to feel close and maybe a bit fragile. For Nikki, yeah, those moments where she lets herself enjoy something, where she connects with Zach or Sandy, are kind of her finding cracks of light in a really dark situation. I don't think it's as simple as her just "becoming a girl," because the core of her resistance and dysphoria is still very much there. It's more like she's adapting, finding ways to cope, and occasionally discovering that some aspects of femininity aren't entirely awful, especially when it leads to connection or a feeling of competence (like with the makeup or realizing she looks good).

Emory Ahlberg

Hey, Diana! I'm so glad you caught that detail with the painting signature. Yeah, it’s definitely one of those little things I hoped readers would notice. That painting is Nicky's, from way back when he was still allowed to explore that gentler, more creative side of himself before Howard really started pushing the football narrative hard. I think that artistic sensibility, that quiet observation, is a core part of who Nick was before he felt forced to build the hyper-masculine jock persona as a defense mechanism and, later, as a way to meet his father’s expectations. It represents a sensitivity that Howard saw as weakness and actively tried to stamp out. Hopefully, Sandy’s conversation with Mary touches on exactly that... the idea that sometimes, even through traumatic, non-consensual change, the stripping away of a forced identity can uncover or allow space for submerged parts of the self to resurface. It’s not a justification for what happened, obviously, but it’s a potential, albeit painful, path to rediscovering a more authentic self that got lost along the way. At least that is the hope!

Emory Ahlberg

The album art idea is a really fun concept! I love the idea of playing with iconic imagery like album covers. It makes me think about how each character would react to recreating something like the "Simply Irresistible" video look. Sandy, especially after her weekend with Josh, might actually lean into the overt sexiness of it as a way of exploring her newfound confidence and playing with that "Sandy" persona. Evie would probably approach it with a goth irony, maybe adding some subversive elements to the look. Nikki, though... I feel like she'd resist that kind of straightforward, objectifying pose with every fiber of her being. It hits too close to the "doll" aspect she's fighting against!

Emory Ahlberg

Totally get where that feeling comes from, Diana. Hutchinson provokes rage. But even righteous anger can have devastating consequences!

Crewchick

Ahhhh! Now I get it!

Crewchick

@Jade 😂 I love how you think and love the image in my mind as you suggest it. Partly her poor dancing skills and partly on purpose to break an awkward moment she is not ready to confront and process. And may just a pinch of the old Nick being the jokester at other's expense.

Crewchick

Wow Emory, some deep thoughts! "but maybe partly to validate her own path too." Sandy seems to have it all together at the moment, Mrs. Ferris transforming from twisted jailer and bitter, grieving and brokenhearted mother to Sandy's personal fairy godmother putting over a million dollars at Sandy's disposal on a piece of plastic certainly helps to make Sandy look and possibly feel like she has it altogether and maybe even think it herself. But her transition is only a few months further along than Nikki's and without all the psychological support and gender training Second Dawn provides it's companions to fit in and function. While Sandy may have started with far less to lose than Nikki, having one's gender forcibly changed against one's will is still a major mind fuck regardless of the starting point and where that person may land. I am curious if we will see and explore any of Sandy's scar and continued and on going growth that must have moments of self doubt, regret and maybe even a little unresolved anger and resentment, even if her life as Sandy has turned out far better than the future Scott had before him. I think she sees Mrs. Ferris as a second Mom since she lost hers as a teen. But you can love someone and still carry deeply covered up but unresolved resentments that can bubble up at the most inconvenient or stressful times.

Crewchick

The other thing I found quite insightful was your comment about Zach and Lola. "Finding Lola allowed Zach a brief, exhilarating escape into authenticity, a taste of what it feels like to reject the crushing weight of Leonard's expectations. It's almost like a glimpse of the person he could be if he wasn't trapped." Plays and movies are usually seen artificial. As merely works of fiction and fantasy, an escape from reality, at least our own reality if the play or movie is about someone else's past reality. So it is interesting that you present the fiction as reality for Zach and reality as the fiction forced upon him. That he is most real and himself in the artificial world created on a stage for less than two hours before an audience of strangers. There is so much that could be unpacked there by a Psychology grad student or a college Literature professor.

Crewchick

Emory I always love your replies and sharing o your thoughts as you write the characters and the story. All of the above was very insightful and thought provoking. This line though caught my attention and cause me to ponder. "Jill's return, whenever that might happen, would certainly throw a wrench in things. She represents a direct link to the horrors of Clinic 12 and holds a unique, almost sacrificial place in Nikki's psyche. " I don't know if you intended it but using the word "sacrificial" had my mind immediately jump to Christ figure. Jill went under the knife for Nikki's transgressions and lost her "seed" a symbol of life. So in a way a big part of Jack died on that table. And as a result Nikki feels a mix of gratitude and guilt. It makes me wonder if this formative event might be cause or inspiration for Nikki to make a similar or greater sacrifice, herself? Possibly to protect Zach, her Mom, Sandy or maybe even one or all of her friends from Hutchinson? Such selfless act would conform with the pre football Nicky. The one who jumped in front of bullies to protect friends even wen he could not adequately defend himself. But if we do see Jill again I suspect it will be her post Contest and whatever falls out with the shooting, and likely in the leadership role at Second Dawn Xu offered her. A role I see Jill as seeing as being a shepherd for all the lost toys out there. Giving them a safe place to escape the horrors Xu and Davis sold them into. So in essence going from a victim and sacrificial offering to the Queen of the Kingdom, likely back with Xu's former power. One who could certainly put Hutchinson in his place and possibly even impose a fitting punishment for him at Clinic 12. So while we love to read the Bible passages about a kind, loving and forgiving God, it also describes a God who is vengeful and just. So in the context at least of Half Sisters I very much see Jill as a convincingly arguable Christ figure. This of course leads me to my next observation. Half Sisters is filled with and centers around a lot of Texas identity and culture. But I notice so far that you have only hit on two of the three Texas "Big G's". Those being "God, Guns, and Game Day"! Game Day was apparent from the beginning with Nikki being a former HS and College Quarterback. We see it in his Dad and even Mary Palmer seemed to take pride in her son's accomplishments even as they crushed him and their relationship. Not malevolently, but in part because she is a Texas girl who grew up in that environment and in the pageant world. So boys playing football and Dad's taking it seriously while painful for her as she felt like she was looking Nicky, it also felt as natural as breathing with a cold. We see the "guns" also from Mary pulling out the shotgun. This may be the first gun we have seen in the story, but in Texas it would likely not be the last. The fact a woman is the first may suggest how ingrained guns are in the culture. So I find it interesting there has been no reference to "God" so far in the story. No church as either a place of strength and support or viper pit filled with finger wagging "Church ladies" and hypocritical Pastors in the vain of Jerry Falwell or Jim Bakker and his wife Tammy Faye. Curious if this is intentional or if you are simply saving this for somewhere in the next season? Because no sketch of Texas would be complete without the Bible Belt or at least one Mega Church scene. With all the writing I find myself doing about all these scenes, it makes me think when you finally do wrap up this story that you really need to have the completed work published as a graphic novel. Then you need to get a college English Lit professor to include it in their reading list and discussion of it on their syllabus. Maybe the course could be "An Introduction to Graphic Novels as Authentic Literature in the 21st Century". 🤔 😉

Jade Diaz

The stories and music in a musical may be fully invented or taking a lot of liberties with the "true history" but the emotions and feelings they can convey and invoke are all too real.

Winter Naomi Vera .

I thought the deal was that Jill would be given Adele AND Ryan or Connor. I thought it was Adele, & then a choice between the two of them, with Jill choosing Ryan. Was I mistaken?

Emory Ahlberg

You're correct, Naomi. Jill was gifted Adele. That's already happening. She'll be able to ALSO free Ryan if she wins the contest (a "bonus" from Xu). And she indeed chose Ryan over Connor. 😬

Emory Ahlberg

Thanks so much for the thoughtful comments as always, Diana! I always enjoy digging into these characters and the world with you all. Regarding the Texas "Big G's," you're sharp to notice the deliberate focus on Guns and Game Day while "God" has remained largely off-stage so far. I think part of that might be reflecting the specific, often secular or insular, environments these characters have inhabited. The hyper-masculine sports world, the isolated clinics, the wealthy estates where power and money are the reigning deities. For characters like Nikki and Sandy, their immediate struggles have been profoundly human, centered on identity, survival, and battles against very tangible, man-made systems of control. In many ways, figures like Hutchinson and Xu function as the demanding, punishing gods in their lives! And wow, the graphic novel comment... I'm blushing! Thank you so much for seeing that potential in the story. It means a lot.