Eight Cicadas: An Immortal Dynasty (Special Update, 4/1)

Enjoy the daily reading while you can. There's only 24 chapters separating you from where I am now, and I'm notoriously slow and irregular with updating.

ANYWAYS.

An "intentional family" is definitely a holdover from the challenge itself, as the work is much easier when divvied up among several than on the shoulders of one or two. Getting the mechanics through in the story is tough, but the only real rule Annette holds anyone to is "don't leave me." As much as she can beg people to be productive or get a job or whatever, those aren't hard and fast rules. However, a lot of her choices are building up to some sort of payoff when/if we ever learn about her past. What I can say, knowing for sure what I've written and posted so far, is that Annette does teeter between valuing independence, and then valuing being able to lean on her friends and family.

Not to mention the element of control that underlies that. It's a setup that places Annette at the head of the household by default, because she's the woman with all the rules. And I think it's what honestly gives her a lot of satisfaction, as evil as it sounds. She likes being an aunt, a mother, a friend, etc. because she can hold some leverage over those on the other side.

With Bill being her exception, of course. I think he's, inadvertently, teaching her a lot about equal partnerships. Whether that ever sticks to her is...somewhere in my plans.

Dysfunction is the best way to describe the whole family.

Also! Once you get past Chapter 12 (soon!), think closely about Annette and her possible addiction to people. And if she's a hypocrite or not towards someone else.

Annette's descent into alcoholism and madness is a slow, gradual thing. In Chapter 10 and even where I am right now at Chapter 34, it's not a crutch. Half the time so far, she seems to just like a recreational drink. Or the occasional "drown her sorrows" episode, like in Chapter 10. Or attempting it, anyways.

I'm okay with disappointing you in one aspect: the story is pretty dang linear. Even when you jump between Joanna and what she's reading, it's clear that Joanna's new life is following a set of linear events, and that the stuff in Twinbrook does too. Even though there's an element of time travel explored more much later (future chapter), it's not affecting Annette in her story right now at all. In fact, her story remains grounded right now because there's no indication that Annette even knows what, if anything, she can do. Joanna can imply that there's a lot of power behind being a Waverly, but she was born much later in the story, when everyone knew that. Things are different when it's just Annette and her young son, who don't know the first thing about themselves.

Or to use an image:

http://i.imgur.com/p7NK81N.png

http://i.imgur.com/FAJhfHc.png

“If they’re hoping for my death…I don’t know if I work that way anyways,” Annette said. “Want some merlot?”

http://i.imgur.com/609zQ5K.png

Annette caught a glimpse of what she was up against soon after. Just four: a blond woman and her three mooks. With Annette and her five on the other side, it could have been a fair fight.

http://i.imgur.com/6oPCNJH.png

“Thank Bill for me, though. Sometimes, the man’s a saint."

http://i.imgur.com/EzzntsL.png

She did the usual mourners’ stuff.

http://i.imgur.com/q10of4b.png

For the second time in Annette’s day, the room’s lighting changed drastically.

http://i.imgur.com/m7nYCHX.png

She bit her tongue before she could reveal that their Double IPA was terrible.

http://i.imgur.com/2AZXp0b.png

“What…were those?!” Julienne asked, looking ready to sprint out the door.

And with this, Annette's arc is over (and hiatus reigns supreme):

http://i.imgur.com/Oou2VKV.png

“I thought we were in danger,” Julienne said, whispering.

Yeah! That was amazing. Perfect timing to have this arc wrapped up for Book Club, too.

Congratulations. What a gratifying chapter! :)

@CathyTea: I probably would have delayed a lot more without the promise of Book Club breathing down my neck. But now people sort-of have a cohesive story to finish! And I lure them in with hopes of reading about Franco later on. ;)