#ly!dan

[imnotinclinedtomaturity]

author question for you: you've mentioned you would have done things differently if you'd started writing ly now - what are the main things you'd write differently if you could start from scratch? have those thoughts changed since some of the oops surprise themes from "season one" have sparked interesting character arcs in the more recent chapters?

mmm yes good question good question.

(ly ask game/ama post)

i think a lot of my would-do-differents center around isabella. granted a lot of these present really good opportunities for growth/follow up scenes i've enjoyed writing or think i'll enjoy

i think the portrayal of isabella skirts into misogynistic at times, so i'd concentrate on ways that vilify her without bringing her femininity into it

probably would not have written the mug scene and certainly wouldn't have let dan fuck after it

i do not know if i would write isabella doing The Main Bad Thing She Did now and days, which obviously would leave the story without a really important catalyst for a lot of things and idk what the answer to that would be. there's so much queer media where queer people don't get to control the narrative of their life, and even though dan takes control into his own hands, it's still an action he makes Under Duress. if i was starting from scratch, i think i'd rather That be a decision dan makes freely

i'd probably write less isabella specifically and more of an overall snapshot of dan's trail of failed and unhealthy relationships

also some structural things i'd do differently, like more robust character backgrounds and write in present tense, which was weirdly taboo at the time but god i love writing in present tense.

as for the alcohol, i wouldn't have (and didn't, obviously) set out to write that theme, but the more i've started working with it, the more it's clear how well it fits dan's character and is a really interesting dimension to his growth and quest for a healthier life, and also colors his past decisions in a way that make a lot of sense. spoiler, the shame from it all also has the potential to tie in really neatly with kink. so, all in all, maybe it's not the arc i would have intended to write, but it fits so well, i probably would do it over again

[imnotinclinedtomaturity]

Hi Kit! So, I have a lil song suggestion for Love Yourself Dan. (Although, to be fair, it could work irl for anyone). It's called Pure Ecstacy by Beartooth. There's a lyric that stands out. "I'm not the battle, I am the war."

Thanks to @yairqq for the thought.

(sorry took me a hot second to listen to a new song haha)

should i sacrifice my life / face the truth or live this lie stood out to me as lines that would definitely resonate with ly!dan, especially, i imagine, a younger ly!dan when he was initially reckoning with the fact that fame meant being closeted

[imnotinclinedtomaturity]

when you project a little too blatantly while writing

[imnotinclinedtomaturity]

"26. How do their family and their relationship with them influence their perspective and the way they navigate life" I'm curious about this one for ly!Dan since his family is quite different from real life ❤️ I love his relationship with Adaline!

ly!dan's family being quite different from irl was a veryyyyy conscious choice. I didn't want to touch irl!dan's family dynamics with a ten foot pole - not our business, not our place to speculate.

[ly ask game/ama]

good question! i expect, to some extent, we'll see some on-page exploration of this in the future, but here are some things about ly!dan and his family in no particular order:

i see ly!dan's parents as parents who were usually trying to do the right thing, but missed the mark at times, sometimes from lack of education about a topic, sometimes out of the belief that they knew what was best for their kid, sometimes out of fear for how badly something could turn out

his parents, for all their potential flaws, have always appeared to be in love with each other. i imagine ly!dan grew up looking at that kind of closeness and wanting it desperately for himself

i also imagine his parents were always really big on talking about monogamy when talking about dating/sex with their kids (we saw a glimpse of this in 44p1), which definitely helped shaped one of their kid's dan's attitude on monogamy

not family, but i imagine ly!dan didn't fit in great at school. i think he was too artsy for a lot of nerds, and too nerdy for a lot of artsy kids. a lack of good friend network, especially paired with the desire for partnership from point 1, worked together to drive him towards throwing his whole ass into whatever relationship/situationship he was currently in

dan's family isn't great (and used to be worse) at communication, especially re: topics of emotion. we saw his dad fumble a bit in 44p1. i imagine this version of his dad is a conscious improvement after years of rockier times. adaline is very jokes and fun or serious academic debate, no in between & not particularly comfortable with heartfelt convos. growing up in a household that didn't talk about emotions has definitely impacted dan's ability to talk about his own and communicate healthily

his mum is very nosy, which i imagine both caused a lot of strife when dan was living at home still and has a long lasting effect on his desire for privacy, especially as a celebrity

when dan was younger, i think his parents were a lot more quick to express concern about his choices and i imagine ly!dan butted heads with them a lot as he started seriously chasing music. probably where some of his ingrained defensiveness and expectation that people will

dan moved out when adaline was pretty young. i imagine the first couple of years, when he was young and finding his start and depressed, he probably wasn't the greatest, most present older brother. that's definitely part of why he's careful to make an active effort with her now (aside from the fact that she's rad as hell)