Hi, Amanda! What a thoughtful chapter. I loved this part: “Rain is good. The earth needs rain. Rain is cuddling up all cozy with tea and a good book. Depression is just fucking overcast, just clouds. No sun, no rain. No nothing.” That fits my concept of depression very well. It's a lack of joy IMO. That is the worst part. You 'exist,' you don't 'live.'
And I recall how Justin abhorred everyone babying him right after the bashing with all the endearments, but I had never really given a lot of thought to how being called "Sunshine" all the time afterward would create pressure on him to live up to his nickname. Great exploration of that.
I always admire writers who can create 3D OC's with their stories, too, b/c I think it adds depth to a plot. Ana and Tori can see things from an outsider's perspective and be objective to what is going on. I think that's important, as well as Brian's continuing support of his partner.
Still loving this story and will always look forward to reading the updates! Thanks for posting this on here. And BTW, I'm glad you feel comfortable on the site. We are very fortunate to have you as a writer. Thank you. :) ~Kim
Author's Response: Hi Kim, Thank you as always for your wonderful feedback. I'm glad you feel I'm capturing the experience of depression - for as common as it is, there are so many misconceptions of what it's like to be depressed.
I hadn't even really thought about the nickname Sunshine until I started writing and thought about if it would make sense to keep calling Justin Sunshine when he's depressed. But there was so much that happened in those moments at the jeep in the prom episode that I thought Brian must have a different perspective. I'm glad I was able to explain it while still keeping Brian in character since of course he wouldn't come right out and say what he thinks. Justin has to do a lot of interpreting for the reader.
I'm glad you're liking Ana and Tori - having someone outside the Pittsburgh family is very helpful.
I'm loving the MW community and I'm so fortunate to have this encouragement in my writing.
-A
