Aaagghhh omg the final chapter!! Dude you got me in a full existential crisis, THE ENDIND LIKE WHAT
(HI, it's that overexcited rambler hihi)
First of all, loooved Cassie's introduction! The scene was so well thought out and I love the depth you put in her, as a young adult wanting alllll the tea from her best friend (same) to a superhero who feels the weight of the leader's responsibility that was kind of thrust on her, though of course she'd handle it like a queen
And YES the underrepresentation of the female superheroes, istg our girls deserve so much more recognition, even in fanfictions, like this was already an incredible addition!
Not to mention her bonding with Bart over having fun while saving lives, I can only imagine the manic grins those 2 must have shared during and after a job well done, the content potential😭😭
And excuse me but like I like Reep and all but HOLY DAMN he's on THIN ice, every time he was talking I was like: you probably wouldn't even be here without Bart's intervening with the timeline??? Why is he considered morally corrupt when he was a CHILD trying to save his PLANET??? WDYM YOU WISH HIM DEAD???
And look, okay, I can kind of understand it because yes an entire timeline with millions of people ceased to exist, but billions got to live BECAUSE of it and the Reach got prevented from growing as powerful, even if they started attacking other planets, but that is not Bart's fault, because the Reach would probably have attacked those planets in the original timeline anyway, and be much more succesful at that
Imra my darling defending Bart, I kind of like how that shift took place during your fic because as first it seemed like SHE would be the one opposing Bart's involvement, but now I just can't help but root for her and be happy that she had a change of heart despite everything that she (and Reep) was taught
And ugh Bart just wanting to be lovingly remembered after he dies, only for the opposite to happen... our poor boy deserves so much more credit for what he's accomplished, and instead gets too much shade
It was incredible how you put his perspective of death into words though, not being that bothered because it's almost like he felt death so close for so long that he can never shake it off, no matter that he's not in the apocalypse anymore... sumn sumn "take the man out of the city, not the city out the man", huh
Also reminds me of the comic where he reveals that he doesn't care whether he lives or dies, or at least not afraid to, like 😭😭
THANK YOU for these past 3 years, you sure gave us a lot to mull over with this speedster lad! Can't wait for your future stories!
Omg… legend… it is u 🫶🫶🫶 hope uve been well !!! sorry for just getting to ur incredible comment now, I always regard ur feedback very much as my New York Times equivalent of a review (tbh as a non U.S. American I don’t rlly know what that means but it sounds like a well regarded thing 😂) so I wanted to respond to it with a lot of care and the past months I’ve just not been able to read anything and give it anywhere close to a constructive thought 😭😭 BUt WE R BACK and hopefully back in business 😋🤩
Ur commentary on Cassie means the world to me, she’s very much a character I love sm and within the old comics I’d always been a little frustrated with how she’s been treated within the “core 4” so it was so important to me to do her justice. And just generally, with any characters both female and male, to treat them more as “ppl” rather than just tropes and ideas.
I had a lot of fun writing her parts in the Epilogue, also because she gave me an excuse to really study some of her feature chapters in the Wonder Woman issues, and I like how much it adds on the YJ animated series world building
Honestly I was mad at myself for not having any Cassie and Bart direct interactions in AAIT, but with the way the story was developing it was just not possible. With the sequel being set during the time of his disappearance, it might still be a difficulty 😩 depends on how much plot I cover there. but regardless of that, I do hope to rlly explore their friendship more there, which is why I wanted to set her up a bit by the end of AAIT
And omg say it, like SAY IT PREACh, u should’ve been there as Imras lawyer during the argument hahaha from very minor moments throughout S4 I’ve felt like Reep is more on the anxious, innocent and sensitive side of things, whilst a little rigid too, and from similar minor moments, that Imra is more flexible and open minded. + with her unofficial (? At least from the trio) position as their leader, I think she carries the weight and the responsibility way more, which in turn weighs on her more mentally. As a telepath, she is also mentally very strong, so combining all that, I felt like she could very much empathise a lot with Bart and in turn, he can learn to actually rely and develop a deep respect for her. Again, I got this from their microscopic interactions in the series, but I am glad it ended up developing this way throughout AAIT, because tbh with u, I hadn’t initially planned this development right from the start of the fic. But it felt very organic to the story and the characters, and it honestly took a life of its own. I think that is why it complements the story nicely (uh not to self glaze, more in terms of plots to explore 😂)
YES YES, I love how that stood out to u! It’s one of the things that contributes to why I feel like YJ Bart is such a nice representation of Bart as a character, because I think it very much sets him up to unavoidably explore all these themes that I feel like have been v important to him in the comics, including his relationship with death. “Take the man out of the city not the city out of the man” how did u absolutely nail his relationship with his original timeline life, truly beautiful. like that is literally his whole thing 🙈
You are so very welcome, and if anything this fic would’ve genuinely never seen it’s end if it weren’t for this type of incredible support that isn’t just one of the most heart warming things ever, but also just so much fun to interact with! Reading and thinking about these insights have truly added so much to both the experience and development of AAIT, and I will truly forever be grateful for it. Thank u very much for joining me on this memorable and super fun journey 💛💛 it’s truly been one of the best things ever <333 and I can only hope to continue to inspire this kind of thought and interaction with the sequel and more 🫶
