Author's Notes
Rather than put any notes at the beginning/end of chapters or episodes, I thought I'd put them all together here at the end. That way, if you don't want to read them, you don't have to. Everything past this point is author's notes. There is no more story.
Started: February 24th 2016.
Finished: May 31st 2016.
I'll go through this episode by episode in a moment, but first of all, I apologise for the giant cliffhanger at the end there. About three weeks ago, I was wondering how this was all going to end (The Truman Show – do I get 50 points, Chloe?) and I had this idea for how it could all begin again for the sequel. Someone asked me about a month back why I was sticking to canon and not drifting off, as I seemed to have a few good ideas. The answer? I wanted to stick to canon as far as possible, to see exactly what I could do while sticking to the events of the game. You see, sticking to canon doesn't mean blindly sticking to the game script. I was able to expand on dialogue, scenes and characters using evidence from the game as a basis, but more on that later.
Episode 1 - Chrysalis
In the game, we see a lot of Max and Chloe, and so we can ascertain reasonably accurately how and why they would react in a particular way. However, it's the other characters that we don't see so much of (Kate, Victoria, Warren, Nathan, David, Joyce etc) that takes some thinking about when writing a fiction like this.
I think that my style of writing has changed a little since I began writing this fiction: reading through the opening chapters, it does stick quite closely with what is happening on screen (apart from the extra information about Diane Arbus that I read up on for Jefferson's lecture.) Later chapters seem to have a bit more freedom in the writing and expression, although I freely admit some conversations don't really change much.
The first real expansion comes when Max tries to speak to Kate outside the dorms. I felt that Max would be desperate to talk to someone about this. She tried to talk to Warren later, by his car, but I can't see how she would choose him right off the bat. She doesn't have Chloe yet, and Kate is her closest friend, so why not? I don't know if Kate would have listened had she not been torn up by the viral video, but I surmised that her reaction would be as described in the chapter.
There are two chapters in Episode 1 where the point of view shifts: one from Chloe's POV, and one from Kate's. I knew that, with Kate's scene on the rooftop in Episode 2, we needed to know how and why she would go to such drastic lengths when it is obvious she knew that suicide was a sin. I knew that she would need to feel totally alone and isolated, so I spent this chapter building that up. And with Chloe, a little background info to show that she is also thinking about Max couldn't hurt huh? Both girls knew the other was just around the corner, but both were too afraid to do anything about it.
When Max is in Chloe's room, I felt that the tension between them needed to be relieved. If they were to become such close friends again, apologies needed to be made sooner rather than later. Plus, it also shows a vulnerability to their friendship that needs to be cemented over the week.
Episode 2 – Out of Time
Again in my preparation for the end of Episode 2, we see more of the build-up to Kate's despair. Both in chapter 2 and Kate's own chapter, we see her increasingly isolated. I also believed that even that wouldn't have been enough to tip her over the edge. The video had been viral for several days by this point – I reasoned that anything which drove a young girl to jump off a roof, especially when said girl is such a strict Christian, must have been recent and totally overwhelming. That's why I introduced the idea of the sequel video as the catalyst which really made poor Kate feel that suicide was her only remaining option.
Linking Dana/Juliet's spat with Victoria's need to keep Dana quiet about the manipulating to get Kate to the party is something I'm pleased with. I like it when pieces suddenly slot into place, and this certainly wasn't planned in advance.
I've received a couple of messages about the way I've treated Frank and Warren, especially in this episode. I must confess that the way Frank treats Chloe in American Rust is off-canon, I'm not sure exactly where that sequence came from, but I wanted Max to stand up for Chloe, but without the gun. After seeing Chloe get shot, pointing or using a gun would have been the farthest thing from her mind. And with Warren, I wrote him as a bit obsessive compulsive; turning everyday chores into a game. Again, I have received messages about him being creepy etc, but there is plenty of evidence in the game that he has a dark side. Consider the films on his flash drive – extreme graphic brutality and sexual assault (Cannibal Holocaust) and other extreme porn (Ultravixens). Also consider that when you wake up on Tuesday morning, Max can catch him through her window as he watches her from the ground. If Max turns him down for the movie run he runs straight to Brooke (actually even if you accept, he then calls Brooke to call it off with her), and we know that he and Alyssa are involved (graffiti Warren/Alyssa in the science room, and the fact that during the roof scene, when time has stopped, you can see Warren with his arms wrapped around Alyssa.) So I don't think I was too off-base there.
The other off-canon part of this episode is the Rachel flashback. I enjoyed trying to get into Rachel's head, and I'm planning a series of Chloe/Rachel one-shots in the near future as well.
The final chapter of Episode 2 was a blast to write. Someone mentioned that Chloe already knew Kate, but I'm not so sure, unless I missed something. Kate's supposedly a new entry this term (when you're in the dream sequence from the previous year, her room is occupied by Lyla Lee), and Chloe was expelled the previous year, so I'm not sure how the two would have met, but it was a fun scene and a bit of schmaltzy fluff which is great fun from time to time. Plus, Kate is great to write.
Episode 3 – Chaos Theory
I wasn't sure about how Max tore into Taylor, but I reasoned that emotions were still raw, and Max would lash out at the cause of her friend's almost suicide, especially when Taylor refused to take any responsibility for what she'd done. Later on, Victoria is more contrite and reasonable, accepting that she is partly responsible, which is why Max has a far better conversation with her.
The pool scene was another chance to write a Rachel flashback, which again was a pleasant change. We know that Chloe's love for Rachel was unrequited, but I reasoned that Rachel would probably have known that, or at least had an inkling, even if Chloe didn't actually explicitly tell her. And her first tattoo certainly gives Chloe a chance at intimacy.
As for the kiss-dare I Chloe's room, I couldn't resist rewinding. Again and again!
After Episode 2, we hardly see any more of Kate, which is such a shame. This is why I wrote 3 visiting scenes rather than just the one. And the Chloe/grapes running joke, I'm not sure exactly where that came from, but it happened about halfway through the scene, so I had to go back and rewrite earlier sections!
Max meeting Jefferson after her argument with Chloe is actually unused audio. It was a conversation written and recorded, but cut from the game for reasons unknown. I just put it back in.
Now, Victoria's chapter. It was supposed to be only the one chapter, but it was such fun to write it turned into two. As with Kate, I feel that Victoria is underused in the game, so I got into her head and tried to write her slowly coming to terms with who she is and what she did. We know from Episode 4 that she is quite insecure, but I thought there was no harm in Max taking a brave step and beginning to get through to Victoria. When she comes to warn her in Episode 4, I think Victoria is now far more likely to listen to Max.
Finally for Episode 3, we don't see Alternate-Kate at all in the game, and Alternate-Max is only ever hinted at. I thought it would be really interesting for Max to see herself as someone she really doesn't like. We learn a bit more about that in Episode 4, but here we see Max going to see her friend, only to find out she's actually her tormentor.
Episode 4 – Dark Room
Until I got to the end of chapter 3, I had no idea if Max would help Chloe to die or not. When I played the game, I couldn't do it. But as I wrote Max more and more, and she realises the depth of her feelings for Chloe, I began to introduce the idea (culminating at the end of Polarised) where she loves Chloe so much she is willing to let her go. I have had messages that readers were crying at the end of this chapter. Well, so was I when I was writing it. Words can be so powerful, can't they? Especially when you can hear Max/Chloe saying them in your head.
The hospital scene was another chance for me to write for both Kate and Victoria. We know that Victoria sent a card to Kate, but I thought what if she took Max's advice and actually went to apologise in person? How would that play out? And then, of course, I had to re-introduce the grapes!
The investigation scene was one of the hardest scenes to write. In the game, Chloe does nothing and you just stare at the noticeboard for half an hour, putting things together. On the written page, that would equate to an almost unthinkably boring chapter, so I had Chloe and Max bouncing the ideas off one another, Captain to First Mate, which I believe made it at least tolerable to read.
The party scene was split into two chapters (originally was only going to be one). I wanted to give everyone I'd treated badly a chance for redemption, and here it was Courtney and Taylor. We really don't know anything at all about them from the game, or at least, the way they act when not around Victoria, so this gave me a chance to explore a different, perhaps more reasonable side of Courtney (even if Max was only able to get in by playing on her fear for Victoria.) After the bathroom scene in Episode 2, it was also nice to be able write Taylor more reasonable. Again, she's away from Victoria.
Episode 5 - Polarised
This was a difficult episode to write, in more ways than one. The subject matter is tough, but also there's a lot going on which doesn't really lend itself to a non-visual medium (eg the nightmare scene). Jefferson is the only character that doesn't get a chance at redemption in this story, so I kind of got carried away with his monologuing early on in this episode.
There's not much here that isn't in the story, really, I mean, apart from expanded dialogue. The David chapter was interesting, especially seeing as when you play the game, him coming to rescue you involves so many rewinds it seems never-ending, and he can't be that bad a soldier, surely! I mean, really – him kicking the table at Jefferson is a comedic moment! Again, he gets his chance at redemption. Twice, actually, if you count the scene later where Chloe and Max go to visit him in the hotel to get his help to capture Jefferson.
And so we come to the final scene. When I began this story, I was absolutely adamant that Chloe would be saved. When I played the game, I got to this point and my heart would not let me choose anything else. I also haven't even watched the other ending – I can't. However, in episode 4 I introduced the idea that the depth of Max's feelings for Chloe would make her realise that she would have to let her go. Okay, I know that I reversed that completely in the final sentence, but when it came to it, she just couldn't do it.
Yes, there will be a sequel to this fanfic. I'm going to take a few days to begin to plan it out before I start writing. The idea is that Max will not have, or will not allow herself to use her rewind powers. She will need to get back through the week, forewarned with knowledge of what is about to happen, and the ability to change events without rewinding. Thinking about it, it's almost like a self-insertion story, except that the lead character now has complete knowledge of everything that will happen in the week, and will therefore be able to change events. But, how will those changes affect everything? Without the power to rewind, Max will need to consider the consequences of changing the known events.
After thinking about it for a while, I'm quite excited now. This will give me a chance to really change things up, see exactly what my fevered imagination can come up with. I'll say no more now, but keep watching, because the sequel will be appearing shortly.
Once more, finally, thanks to everyone who read and enjoyed this, my first attempt at fanfiction. Thanks also to everyone who took the time to review, comment, or just send me a message of support or a question. I do appreciate them immensely, they work as great motivators and constructive criticism is always welcome. Even though this is now finished, please continue to read, review and comment. And of course, watch out for the sequel!
