Woman, taken by the wind

To him, Vegas is still the man who kidnapped and abused him, and he’s still Vegas’s prisoner. I guess that’s what trauma does. No matter what happens, no matter where he goes, the slightest trigger seems to drag him right back within those four walls.

Even if Vegas has changed, Pete seems to have resigned himself to the belief that he’ll never truly be able to move past it.

I see the point you're making but I would counter that pete doesn't think hes trapped in the safe house hes trapped in his own self image and expectations of himself.

Of course yes exactly nothing he endured there made him weak! But this is his pov and he cant forgive himself for being caught out and put in that situation. Especially as he's been taught (see physically hurt whenever he's shown what his father would classify as weakness). This is why he's become so good at masking his emotion to not prompt a violent reaction from his father. Emotions are weakness and have put him in danger before so of course pete would struggle with emotional vulnerability because of this. And even worse now that he has survived both a traumatic childhood and a traumatic event with vegas its only encouraged the belief that repressing his emotions works as a survival tactic- because in both those cases it did.

Pete has learned this behaviour and built it into his identity as a competent person even as an adult so that makes it even harder to break as a habit.

I also have a question. I've been rewatching some Narnia and, because of that, reading some fanfiction. I find it very difficult to enjoy most of it because writing characters who have lived a full life as the Kings and Queens of Narnia seems incredibly challenging.

It feels like you have to capture a very specific balance: the wisdom and patience that come with age, while also preserving the youthful energy and impulsiveness they still have. On top of that, you need to keep their personalities intact and tell a story that feels both interesting and believable. I think that's an incredibly difficult thing to achieve.

So I figured I'd ask my favourite author: how would you go about writing fanfiction set in the Narnia universe? Are my expectations for these stories simply too high or unreasonable?

Also, with the remake on the way, would writing something in this universe interest or challenge you? And if you were to write *Narnia* fanfiction, what pairing would you be most interested in exploring?

Thank you for your answer!

Hi sorry I did see this one just haven't had the chance to respond!

Yes bad combo work is very busy and stressful and im on antibiotics but we push on!

This is a pretty interesting question but tbh I think its relatively easy to understand when you think of what the author is trying to portray- which in this case is some variation of what war does to kill off childish innocence- and what kind of disturbing adult minds in childlike bodies that results in. Essentially its trauma wrapped up in alternative universe repackaging. I do think trauma is difficult to write and difficult for readers to read- because at its core traumatic experiences are not universal and how people respond/react/act afterwards is a totally person based thing. It cannot be generalised and its even harder to relate to when its localised. Plus there's also the risk of being too generic and unintentionally painting a caricature of trauma instead. I dont want to go down the path that says only people who have experienced trauma can effectively write it because I think thats not a reasonable approach to apply to writing but hard topics certainly require an understanding of empathy and care as well as caution.

I can't really comment on the narnia fandom tbh because I dont read fanfic for it- but my suggestion to you if you're struggling to find something to your taste is- have a go at trying to write it! That's honestly what got me into writing, wanting to see the stories that I imagine so why not give it a try! I do also think trying it for yourself will help centre some of your expectations when it comes to reading in the fandom too. Hop over the fence its worth a try!!

Im not very likely to be writing in that fandom tbh i think i maybe read the lion the witch and the wardrobe when I was younger but my memories surrounding it mostly relate to the movies. My favourite character is Edmund! Love a character learning from their mistakes and being allowed to grow and become wise from it.

If their relationship had remained purely physical, would it have been easier for Pete to accept? Or was it the depth of his feelings beyond just sexual desire that left him so conflicted?

While reading the story, I noticed that they seemed to progress much more quickly when it came to sex, but whenever it came to either Pete’s or Vegas’s feelings, Pete set much firmer boundaries.

Hi anon great question!