SkeneKidz

OBVIOUSLY all the respect is meant. You are a genius <3 love your work, this is just some commentary

- Brennan IS a worse person than Killian because Killian really… doesn’t have THAT much agency in his life. Idk maybe I’m being too soft on him but I’ve always emphasized w/ children who make bad/objectively ambiguous decisions as the result of a turbulent life. Therefore, where Killian and Brennan made the SAME level of bad choices, Killian was genuinely a good person who was just trying to be a teenager/live his life in this “Fish out of Water” scenario he was put in. Brennan, meanwhile, came off like he had A LOT more agency and… strength, so to speak, not only in his own life but who he was in general. Therefore it’s a lot harder to excuse him for the stupid shit he puts himself in (like involving himself w/ the Principal’s son AND getting drawn into the bad/rebellious crowd, etc.). Therefore, Brennan is a worse person because generally those people (the reckless people who know they can make different, better choices and CHOOSE NOT TO), don’t tend to make the BEST decisions for their loved ones as well. Like I could see Brennan pulling some real dick behavior and causing shit for the people he cares for. Meanwhile, Killian? I highly doubt it. It’s the difference between “all bark but no bite” (Killian) and vice versa. One is just better.

- I agree on that! I’m just saying that IRL, the friends that stick will stick around. No amount of distance can TRULY crush any friendship. No doubt. Meanwhile… him relying on his friends as his family? Idk. There’s a difference between “My friends are my family” and “my friends can replace my family.” One is a MASSIVE cope and the other is just having close platonic/non-traditional family relationships. I still say Ireland would’ve given him time to grieve, properly, and become a more stable/stronger person. Just because something is harder to do doesn’t mean it’s the wrong choice.

- They are healthier!! You’re so right. And yeah, Staz and Ethan are similar but not the same people BUT… Will ALWAYS gave me the wrong vibes. I don’t vibe w/ hypocrites, and he is a MASSIVE one, considering him and Jude are EXTREMELY alike (Will just have the advantage of not having a horrible relationship w/ his Mother, otherwise I GUARANTEE he would’ve made similar if not the same choices). HOWEVER, the dynamics are EERILY similar. Two soft boys from subtly troubled homes change the perspective of two much more damaged, aggressive boys? Yeah, apologies if this wasn’t the correct read in the slightest, but both couples sort of gave me those vibes tbh. Although not ENTIRELY, clearly, as they are both complex enough to not be carbon copies (I realized this might’ve been insulting and so sorry if it is. I’m not trying to say that at all, they just follow the same TROPES.)

- You were an EXCELLENT writer (I mean your characters than were ten times more complex than mine are NOW), I just think the plot needed the characters to do what it needed them to do and there wasn’t a lot of time for diversions. Also, it really isn’t your fault if they were “a nightmare.” Hollywood/etc. LOVES the dysfunctional friendships. Just look at Riverdale! White Lotus (if you need a more updated example)! Gossip Girl! Literally any superhero movie. It’s just more fun for friends to sort of hate each others guts, unfortunately. ESPECIALLY in Young Adult media. Benji is still a bad friend to Ethan and Gideon tho… I will DIE on this hill (plus Sonnet and Ethan are the platonic soulmates we never got to see).

And that’s it! Thank you so much for your time!! I hope I never veered into disrespectful or rude while writing this. I feel like I did at multiple points so if I have, I am extremely sorry, clearly not my intention. I have a HUGE amount of respect to you and obviously, these are tour books, I just was curious to see if you would hate these tbh. All the love <3 Have a great day/evening!!!!

Cheers :)

-Brennan is a worse person than Killian BUT Killian is a better person than both Ethan and Benji combined.

-Jude and Nate (+ Landon, maybe) have a healthier friendship than the entire group of Sonnet, Benji, Ethan, and Gideon.

-Griffin short term wise would have been MISERABLE in Ireland w/ his dad… but in the long term? The better choice. Idk but maybe strengthening family bonds is safer than putting all your eggs in one high school friend group.

-Will and Ethan are just Jude and Staz in a VERY different font.

-Benji is a bad friend to Ethan and Gideon. AND Will and Gideon seem more likely to be friends than Benji does w/ Sonnet and Ethan (tho Sonnet and Ethan should’ve been better friends than they were).

-Jude has the worst home life. Period. That high pressure environment, the fight or flight response it produces, AND a weak willed parent/unbalanced support structure? Yikes. (Although this “worst home life” spot also belongs to Staz because.. ya know.)

And that’s it. Thanks a lot for all your stories! Hope this wasn’t too annoying/weird lmao, just had THOUGHTS and was curious what you would say. Completely understand if you don’t want to answer but thank you regardless for your time and attention. Have a great day/evening <3 Cheers

Obviously no disrespect meant. Thanks again :)

I would argue Brennan is not a worse person than Killian, but would be curious to hear your thoughts on why he is (but agree Killian is better than Ethan and Benji)

Jude and Nate have one of my favorite friendships, because even if Jude is a bad influence ON Nate, he's never actually a bad person TO Nate

Griffin losing his mom and his dad constantly being away gave him an unhealthy dependency on Hal, which extended to an unhealthy reliance on friends as a makeshift family. I think it could've gone either way if he had moved away with his dad

I disagree, because Jude and Staz (at least towards the end) are MUCH healthier as a couple than Will and Ethan ever were

That whole friend group dynamic was a nightmare, but a lot of that was just because I was not a good writer

I can agree with this on a level, as it leaves Jude constantly feeling both in control of his parents (because of his dad) and desperate to be good enough for them (because of his mom) and is over all just awful for him mentally

Uh I was wondering if there’s gonna be a new chapter of Power (Dragon Academy) and if there can be a prompt on Nick and Bruce?

Thanks :)

We'd been unprepared for the consequences."

I’ve been rereading Only Faith and this quote Brennan said had me thinking of Social Menace.

Did he use to be in Tyson’s group before Nolan came into it??