Some post-Outsider thoughts
Note: Spoiler alert to Outsider. If you don't know what "Outsider" is; this was my little I Saw The TV Glow related three-part fic documenting the experiences of another, unrelated character in a diary-style fic, spanning all the way from 1998 to 2021; telling it's own story (aside from crossing over with the movie's plot for a brief moment). Check my AO3 page if you're interested, you'll find it easily.
Since it's been a month since I released the last chapter of Outsider (which wasn't planned but in hindsight I agree with the people that the original ending was a little bit too hopeless), I think I could share some thoughts I had before, during and after the creation of the story, especially since I'm inching closer to my Halloween rewatch of I Saw The TV Glow.
Why the hell did I write this?
The original idea for is came when I was still writing that crossover (which honestly, in hindsight, I could have planned out a little better, but hey!) - that idea being "what if there was someone unrelated to the main plot reacting to whatever strange things are happening in the suburbs"? Because think about it; there being a hole at the football field, Maddy's sudden disappearance, among other things, should be pretty weird for a person uninvolved.
After finishing the crossover, I decided to fully explore the idea, creating Vincent; an outsider (get it?) teen in the same age range as Maddy and Owen (by the time the story begins, he's 15), who was a mere classmate of Maddy. And even though they probably had a brief conversation once or twice, they really never had anything to do with each other. Despite that, he still shows concern and hopes she is doing well when she eventually disappears.
As for The Pink Opaque, Vincent knew the show - saw one or two episodes - but never really cared, although it did always give him a strange feeling. Eventually, he obviously finds a means to watch it (by the tapes that Maddy once made for Owen; he gave them to Vincent in hopes to find closure) and binges all the tapes at one evening, finding interest in it. The tapes eventually stop working; aside from two particular scenes - Mr. Melancholy's speech and a scene involving a side (later, major) character called Faith, who debuted in the third episode of the third season of The Pink Opaque. No, her last name is not Lehane, thank you for asking.
And wouldn't you know it, Vincent happens to be Faith's incarnation in the Midnight Realm. In her last appearance, Faith manages to free Tara from a trap set by Marco and Polo, allowing Tara to flee, while Faith stays behind to distract them - sealing her fate. Unfortunately, this is really all I thought of when it comes to Faith, aside from that she also had an unrequited crush on Tara, that she let go of because she thought Tara was already with Isabel.
Am I ever going to write more about her?
I'd love to. I had an idea that would serve as a prelude to Outsider, essentially detailing how Faith saved Tara and how she sacrificed herself, as well a general idea that would focus on plot beats from The Pink Opaque, maybe a fanmade summary or something. The great thing with Jane Schoenbrun leaving this so open ended is that you can do a lot of headcanons and world building, especially when it comes to TPO. Who knows how these five seasons of the show looked like?
The overall thought is that I enjoy Faith as a character and I'd really like to do more with her, but all to certain time. I'm certainly not done yet with The Pink Opaque.
