[UPDATE] At the hardest part... · 5:32am Dec 17th, 2021
I'm at the most challenging part, the gap in the timeline that I've intentionally written around the entire story so far. There have been just enough changes in the overall character arc for Sunset that I'm actually having to adapt a few things ever so slightly to make sure everything fits.
By way of FYI, this story is 100% inspired by the story Long Road to Friendship by The Albinocorn. Long Road has been one of my "comfort" stories since before it was even a completed work, so when I was going through my homeless period I returned to it and several other fics that I always enjoyed re-reading. (I may just do a list of those sometime soon). I was in the middle of a re-read after a fairly major injury, still recovering from my own near-suicide incident, and barely holding on to minimum functionality to remain employed. "How awful would it be," I thought, "If Sunset's punishment was much worse?" Minor spoiler: The setup in Empire is nearly identical to Long Road, but in my version, the impact of the Elements hitting Sunset at the Fall Formal was much more severe.
In other news, I finally got the judge's determination back from the family courts. I don't get any more parenting time than has already been arranged in the post-divorce parenting plan (boo!), but my ex didn't get to strip me of any of my parenting rights and authority (yay!), and my child support payment has been recalculated to be slightly less egregious. That being the final major stressor for 2021, it looks like I'll be closing out the year in a much better position than I entered it.
And yes, I'm knocking on ALL the wood as I post this.
Dealing with exes and parenting rights is a pain, I really feel you there. At least once court mandates stuff they can't really screw you as easily.
Glad things are working out there and with your story!
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See, you get me.
Seriously, though, thank you!