The Apple Orchard {Note
So…holy fuck, I’m done. 8|
Uh. Some notes? 8V
Q: So Heather, what’s up with the narration at the end and then the letter?
A: So metaphorical reader, let me tell you about - /shot.
Basically the story behind that was first: I was struggling to find an appropriate ending. Seriously. Ask Angel or Rico, they got me crawling up to them like ‘how does one end a story they have dedicated practically an entire year of their life to?’ Yeah. Yeaah.
Second: the narration at the beginning is Rachel, and the narration at the end is not. I know it sounds a lot like the narration at the beginning - I was going to go with them being the same person. But then I decided ‘nah’ because apparently I like fucking with my own brain. So while the narrations sound similar, they are in fact different. I don’t know who told the ending narration. You can make up theories. 8’v /lazy-ass-bitch.
Q: So Heather, why are there so many spelling errors?
A: Hey metaphorical reader, this is 176 pages of pure writing. I’ve never written anything of this length before. 8’| Growing! But yeah, I’ll edit the shit out of it after. Have my rough writing.
Q: So Heather, why the hell don’t you go into detail about what happened to Allen after that ending scene where you basically ripped out your own heart?
A: I did rip out my own heart, despite the poor quality of that scene. 8’v And I didn’t go into detail with Allen because first off, I wanted to end this motherfucker. And second off, I’m lazy. AND THIRD OFF, I was kind of mirroring the ‘missing years’ from the beginning. We’re missing eight years of Zebediah’s life, with only really vague hints as to what went on with him; likewise, we’re missing five years of Allen’s life before he appears again. Shh. I’m being clever. 8’| But mostly I was lazy and wanted to end the bitch. My brain’s still dead.
Q: Hey Heather, why did Allen change his name?
A: Let me quote Sherlock from BBC’s Sherlock for a moment: “Sentiment”. Literally. That’s what it is. It’s pure sentiment. However, it’s also another ‘mirroring’ thing - this time with Tegan and Aiden’s relationship. Tegan and Aiden were basically ‘spiritually’ and metaphorically ‘married’, and they showed this through the rings. Allen showed his love to Zebediah after his death through changing his name. That, and I also wanted a legitimate excuse to write ‘Allen Walker’ for once.
Q: Hey Heather, WHY RACHEL?
A: WHY NOT? I’ve grown to love her a lot, okay. 8| She’s like my favourite person in existence, can I marry her? No? Okay. Anyhow, have a real reason: Allen and Rachel were already close, as shown throughout the course of the story. She was also close to Zeb, so that gave Allen some sort of connection to that part of his life. The two of them had a lot in common. After Allen changed his name and bought the orchard, people thought it was kind of curious that he was still pretty young and still very unmarried, so one day he visited Rachel in the city. The two got to talking - Allen needed people off his back, Rachel needed to get the creepy suitors off of hers - and baddaboom, baddabing, wedding bells.
Q: HEATHER BUT ALLEN IS GAY.
A: NO REALLY I JUST WROTE 176 PAGES OF HIM IN A SORDID GAY LOVE AFFAIR IN THE ‘20s I NEVER WOULD HAVE GUESSED.
Allen and Rachel didn’t have sex often - twice, in fact. And both times perfectly timed to get Rachel pregnant. 8’| Margaret was the first born, and then Zachariah. Rico. You finally know why I asked about girls names. You’re welcome.
Q: Heather why did you kill Zebediah?
A: Why not? One part revenge (I told you I’d have it), one part ‘cause he told me that’s what would happen, and one part ‘cause of something I realized I do that Rico told me I do. I show a lot about Zebediah in my AU’s. This is just another fact about Zeb that I’m showing you. Look at what he says.
Q: Heather why did you mention this person and never bring them up again/bring in this person and throw them to the side/NEVER MENTION THIS PERSON?
A: 8| Because I could. No, not really. I was showing the enormity of both Allen’s world and Zeb’s world - mostly Zeb’s, it seems, since a lot of the characters broke the law in one way or another. Also sometimes I forgot to bring in characters I wanted to - like Frank! I had an entire story for Frank, backstory and present story and everything, and I never brought him in! DAMN IT.
Q: Heather why the hell didn't Allen say 'I love you' back?
A: You gonna say 'I love you' to a corpse? 8'| No that's not the real reason I just like reminding you Zeb's dead. I'm a terrible human being. Reason why was because this was Zebediah's moment - and Allen showed he loved Zebediah without him having to say it. That, and for fuck's sake when I realized I forgot it I had to somehow stick it in - and no matter what I did it was too awkward. I'm a perfectionist. I stuck with no confession rather than clumsy confession.
Q: Heather Zebediah brought up something about some guy stumbling in and saving him this one time.
A: OH YOU CAUGHT THAT? 8V That’s why Aiden is so important to Zeb. I know it was said because of his and Tegan’s relationship, but that’s not all. 8’| Zeb cares a lot more about Aiden than anyone who just wants to make sure their significant other doesn’t shoot them in the head should. Aiden saved Zeb - Zeb gave him a job - Tegan met Aiden through the club - they got close - they got ‘married’ - Tegan and Zeb can stand one another. LOOK AT THAT A CHAIN OF EVENTS I’M SO SMART.
I’m sure there are other things I should mention, but at this point my brain re-short-circuited, so I think it’s time for me to stop.
Thank you all for reading, and hopefully enjoying, this enormous project. Hopefully after I edit the sucker you’ll get to see it. You know. Official. 8| Maybe. Holycrap.
/passes out.