#drafted au asks

[hellsquills]

What Bruce Springsteen songs fit Stan Pines the best and why?

Anon, let me tell you just asked THE question of this AU. Also, this is such a difficult question

The easy answer is: all of them. I mean, a man born in the 50s in New Jersey who felt like an outsider, with an abusive father, mental problems and bisexual aura? Sounds like Stan alright.

The more difficult answer would be choosing just a few. In general, I'd say anything in Born To Run and Darkness On The Edge Of Town would be a good place to start.

(For brevity's sake, I'll only choose songs that fit Stan (not Stan AND Ford) in my AU, not in canon, and somewhat timeline-accurate. If this is not what you were asking for, please do let me know!!)

Act 1

Stan's personality in Act 1 is that of someone who knows they don't fit in, and knows that all they know is temporary. Ever since he was like 10 and found that boat on the sand, he's dreamt of a better life, one worth living. Also, despite his home life, he's full of energy and genuine love for life.

Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) - Cheeky, wild and unapologetic. Peak teen Stan

Born to Run - Stark and painfully real. The unbearable need to escape

Backstreets - Right before he leaves. Regret and reluctant acceptance. Asking for forgiveness when you know it isn't deserved

Act 2

Act 2 is when everything goes (even more) downhill. Even though he doesn't spend as much time away from home as in canon, those 7 years are ROUGH. The first half of them, however, they are more filled with hope that one might expect for his situation, which is both a blessing and a curse.

The Promised Land - Powerful and unashamedly hopeful. A young man having to grow faster just to achieve something he knows will eventually get.

Badlands - Strength hiding pain. It isn't just about "making it" in the world, but also finding that strength within yourself to carry on.

Darkness On The Edge of Town - Melancholic. The power turns into anger, and the anger into regret. Mourning what you had and being unable to stop carrying on.

Roulette - Absolutely savage. Frantic, erratic, desperate. Not daring to stop anymore. Looking back just to find reasons to keep running.

Act 3

Act 3 is a lot of things. It's relief, it's salvation, it's reconciliation, it's love... but also uncertainty, and lack of faith, and crashing down.

The Ties That Bind - Reconciliation. The relief of knowing everything was worth it. Unbreakable bonds mended.

Two Hearts - Unbridled love. Piecing back together two halves of the same soul.

Independence Day - Bittersweet memories. Love for someone who doesn't really love you back.

Hungry Heart - Recovery through your loved ones. Fulfillment.

Point Blank - The inability to escape what kills you inside. Suffering despite the safety. Feeling lost without the constant state of alert.

Meet Me In The City - A cruel past as a reminder of the freedom you're currently experiencing. Reaching for someone to come along with you, hoping and knowing that they'll be there.

THANK YOU SO MUCH again for this question anon!! I know it took a long time to answer but I'm truly grateful that you took the time to write this ask <3

You can check out the AU playlist made by @bren-the-chicken or the snazzy new tag for all music-related posts about this AU -> Drafted AU jukebox!

[ Drafted AU ]

[hellsquills]

IM HER E TO ASK ABOUT SHERMIE IN DRAFTED AU!!!!

Giving our boy the depth and character arc he's doomed to never have in canon 🔥🔥🔥 !!!!

Just how unwell is he doing???? Doing fine after learning that his baby bro fled from the war to not end up like him, aye???

Also, also,,, do the first 2 lines of Atlantic City's chorus echo Shermie's thoughts about Stanley???

"Well baby, everything dies, that's a fact But maybe everything that dies someday comes back"

Annnd what is his relationship like with Ford, and the one with his parents (esp Filbrick)???

Lemme tell you a little story about Sherman Pines.

That man is an Older Brother. He's seven years older than his twin brothers, so he's been in charge of taking care of them pretty much since the beginning. He's part of the reason why Stan and Ford ended up having different names instead of both being called Stan. He loves his brothers so much.

Shermie is also a man that was born in the late 40s, and was raised by a man who idolized the army and their Great Nation. Shermie learned real fast that the easiest way to get his father's approval was to either bring home a lot of money or get into the military. And well... the last one was just quicker.

Shermie started his service at 17. He trained in the workweek and helped in the shop on the weekends. And, whenever he could, he'd join his siblings at the beach and marvel at their determination on fixing a completely wrecked ship.

Shermie was soon drafted to Vietnam, and you bet he was damn proud of that! He was gonna fight for his country, to protect it! What else could a young man want?

(To see his newborn baby. To wake up next to his wife. To have lunch with his parents. To watch his brothers graduate.)

Shermie left, and fought, and lost. The battle, the war, his colleagues. And, above everything, he lost faith. Faith in the cause he was willing to die for.

Faith's got nothing on the things he's seen. Or heard. Or done.

Shermie returned home a changed man— like all of them, really. But while others came home with missing limbs or mentally unstable, Shermie came back... alright. Some physical damage and whatnot, but overall alright.

Sometimes he wishes he didn't. It's much easier to explain how you lost a leg than your conviction in the Great Mission.

He wasn't welcomed back home. People don't take well to their son returning home after losing a war and criticizing their belief in the army. In short, Shermie came back to New Jersey and quickly cut ties with his dad, who was even quicker to let him now he was a disappointment not only to the Pines name, but the entire country. To say it hurt would be an understatement, but Shermie was too blind with rage to let himself feel the pain. Instead, he packed the few belongings he had left in his childhood home and drove all the way to Atlantic City to his wife and newborn child, ready to leave everything behind.

It's hard to start again. After all, no matter how much or how fast you run, there's something you can't ever truly leave behind. The one thing you can never get rid of. The one you have to learn to live with.

And that is yourself.

About the Atlantic City chorus: that song is about Shermie and how he views himself. "Everything dies" meaning his youth (which everyone has to leave behind), the way he used to be, that's what he's mourning. "But maybe everything that dies someday comes back" meaning he's aware he's not the same, that nothing will be the same, but maybe some good parts of it (of himself) can come back. If he tries really, really hard.

[ Drafted AU ]

[hellsquills]

DONT YOU FUVKING DARE

Hey, funny you say that, that's also what Ford sai*gunshot*

[hellsquills]

My humble suggestion. Stan in red and Shermie in green bc my first color guess for Shermie was yellow but ultimately decided against it.

Anyway, what is Shermie's "color"?

WAIT THIS JUST REMINDED ME OF THE FORD LINES I STILL GOTTA GUESS- gonna be having fun with that tonight

Leene you have no idea how shit of a day I've had, and you've managed to make me smile regardless. Ily <3

First of all, I picture Shermie as yellow. More specifically, a muted sort of mustard or light ochre. Something like this (I hope the image uploads correctly; if not, the hex and rgb codes are in alt):

Let's get through these! You're pretty 50/50, well done!

Things you got right:

They both flinch for sure. Shermie is ready to throw hands and Stan is ready to run away.

Stan for sure hoards food, but in his car mostly. He will buy his own though, he won't take it from the McGuckets.

Stan is the one who showers with scalding water. Shermie will shower with cold water when he needs a "reboot", as he calls it, but it does help him.

Stan will laugh at himself in a very deprecating manner, and very theatrical. Shermie has learned better.

They will both change the topic when asked if they're okay. The only exceptions are the people they love most (Ford and Sherm's wife).

They will both try to find the spot in the room that gives them a visual of the whole place.

Good ol' fashioned "it's nothing special" for my boy Stan. He loves the praise but it hardly ever feels earned.

They do freeze when someone raises they voice, but for different reasons. Stan flinches first and gets defensive later. Shermie will jump to anger first and cool down later.

Differences:

They both check locks AND exits. They will eye every room they're in and make sure they always know the way out. Shermie has gotten better at it and is more discreet about it.

Stan doesn't have a hard time crying at all; if anything, he hates how easily he can break (even though he's tougher than most). Shermie is more likely to cry out of happiness than sadness.

They will both space out. Again, Shermie has had more time to work on it.

Shermie is pretty fine with silence; in fact, he would prefer absolute silence while sleeping. Stan on the other hand likes having music while he sleeps. It helped him when he was sure he was parked far enough not to be found, otherwise he wouldn't turn the radio on to listen to any possible danger.

They both ABSOLUTELY hate when people do things for them. Shermie hates it most.

Both of them will be pretty stoic when it comes to minor inconveniences. Shermie has learned to breathe in and breathe out, and Stan simply bottles it up until he explodes.

Stan is the only one who has trouble sleeping with people in the same bed. Shermie has a wife and kids after all. Very crowded bed.

Shermie will NOT apologize when people bump into him. Mind the fucking wheelchair/crutches man! (although if they apologize first, he'll accept it)

[hellsquills]

Just finished re-listening to The River Live at LA Coliseum and now I'm once again thinking about Drafted AU Good Ending

I was about to say "what do you mean, the Drafted AU does have a good ending (unless i become Evil in the next months)", but then I understood

Hey, just a silly thought. Do you think Filbrick thinks about that too? About what he would've said to his son if he had miraculously avoided being called to serve? If his son was still at home, with them, safe, alive—

Yeah, I wonder how he'd feel about it.

[hellsquills]

Now we need what Bruce Springsteen songs fit Ford best in the Drafted AU (<- totally not biased)

[prev ask for context (songs that fit Stan)]

HEHEHEHEHEHEHE

Ford is much more difficult though. There aren't as many Springsteen songs that I associate with him.

THAT BEING SAID, I'll give you a big one. The most Ford song in this whole AU is also one that titles the very first fic I ever fully wrote (it's 5 chapters long lol):

Adam Raised a Cain

I won't say much because I don't want to spoil the fic, but lemme share with you my absolute favorite part of this song (literally every verse is a masterpiece, PLEASE listen to this version specifically)

:)

[ Drafted AU ]

[hellsquills]

from this post

Gimme gimme the exact number, I wanna bet on which ones he's said

My current bet is that he's said between 50-63 of those lines (yes i read them all and when i read most of them my first thought was: "yeah he's said that")

also, thinking about ford saying line number 22 (“I wish I could have protected you from this.”) is breaking my heart

Okay so upon re-reading your ask I'm noticing that you wanted the number of lines he's said (as in, the amount) and not the numbers of the lines he's said. Welp.

So, I've divided these quotes into 4 groups:

Things he's said almost word for word: 10

Same sentiment, different wording: 5

Things he's thought about but hasn't said (because he doesn't want Stan to close himself off more than he already has): 4

Things that are VERY accurate, specifically in important scenes: 9

Altogether, 28 quotes! To be honest I thought they'd be more when I first read the post. Most of the ones I left out were because it'd be really OOC for Ford to outright say them or think about them, but they'd fit the situation(s) nonetheless.

Good luck guessing them!!

[hellsquills]

JIMOTHY SNAKES????

Nope! You're not gonna guess this one, since they're ocs I created for the story!

Also Jimmy doesn't really have a role in the AU yet? Haven't really thought about it yet. Don't even know if he'd be good or bad tbh