[OOC] The Dark Beyond

[Days]

Sorry that was hella long for no reason lmao.

Have a cute GIF of my dog as compensation.

[Lexisheeps]

I genuinely appreciate feedback and advice. I firmly believe that a writer can't better their writing without it.

I probably would have dumped way more than I did, had this not been on the public forums or if my BPD hadn't been acting up lately. I sometimes feel like we're all missing out on some of the darker inner dialog, but I do enjoy the lighter side of this story.

I will say though, that Nick in particular, is way darker than what I'm writing for this story. So I apologize if I made you uncomfortable, that was not my true goal. My goal is to water his cranky ass down and have some fun!

I'm more of a cat person rofl

[Lexisheeps]

Oh also, I would greatly appropriate it if you removed that line from your post as well. Not the feedback or anything else, just the line in question. Please and thank you!

[WhiteAngel25]

@Lexisheeps I do agree with @Days that Nick’s reaction shows his immaturity but I felt maybe it was a touch too far. Sabrina has been covering for Thierry since he brought Auri home, not including the whole Theo situation wanting to be like his dad. And she does know that she’s a portion of the issue but Thierry has hardly ever seemed to care. She knows that he loves their children.

As for the comment of her husband being stolen by a younger man…Sabrina doesn’t care. She’s done caring about the situation. She loves Thierry so if he’s happy with Nick then that’s what she accepts.

Giving back the ring was a symbolic gesture of her no longer covering for him with the children. It’s clear he doesn’t love her anymore so why should she have it when the wedding ring she gave him is replaced by Nick’s?

Loved all the drama! @EstylwenI’ll post in the collab soon. :)

[Lexisheeps]

I should be in bed, but ilu guys

I'm trying to lead into a start of personal growth for both characters, but I feel I failed at doing so this post. So I'm going to try to explain some stuff.

What Nick heard was:
"well you've been a dick your whole life, even when you were a kid"

That's why he said what he said to Sabrina. He's only 23 and she mentions him doing what he wants for two decades. It feels like an unnecessary jab at his childhood. He has a troubled past. Honestly, the comment kind of bothered me, but I decided to try (and failed) to use it as dialog fuel, instead of asking about it. He's unsure of Sabrina's motherly motives now.

But he still sees Thierry's (lack of) reaction (crying) to Sabrina and trys, albeit poorly, to acknowledge that there are other people who need Thierry. That he can't have Thierry all to himself. He's always been a very selfish and immature person, but he knows this and wants to change. He feels unwanted and alone most days, but is aware he has unresolved childhood trauma. He feels he's trying, but failing everyone around him.

So that's why he gives the ring to Eli. Sort of a symbolic backwards way to show Eli that, despite how it my seem, that Thierry does care and that he cares as well. And as well as thinking she would want it because her mother wore it. Nick kept his mother's locket after she passed. Thierry wears it now.

Sabrina could have just given the ring to a pawn shop, but she's shoving it to Thierry in front of Nick. Why? Thierry never stopped looking for the girls and even got his husband to help him. Sure Thierry doesn't love Sabrina, but here she is hitting him both physically and emotionally. Just give the ring away.

Despite knowing or acting like she knows of Nick's abandonment issues, she symbolically abandons Thierry. In Nick's mind, Sabrina didn't just calmly divorce Thierry and leave. She abandoned him, blamed him for everything bad that ever happened and dragged it on even after he married Thierry.

His initial reaction of not liking Sabrina is because he's jealous. But he's no longer jealous of Sabrina nor the kids by the end of the post. If he'd still been jealous, that ring would have ended in the harbor. He was jealous of her age, and her classy sense of style, specifically, as Thierry and Sabrina are older than him and he feels that Sabrina presents herself better. He feels out of place compared to Sabrina.

I don't know what else to add at the moment, so I'm gonna shut up and go hide in a blanket fort

[Days]

I'm more of a cat person rofl

@Lexisheeps

Unacceptable, I'm telling my dog ;)

Oh also, I would greatly appropriate it if you removed that line from your post as well. Not the feedback or anything else, just the line in question. Please and thank you!

@Lexisheeps

Done.

...him doing what he wants for two decades.

I'm pretty sure this was directed at Thierry. An "I'm leaving and getting Cosy, do what you want as you've done during our entire relationship" But that's how I read it.

comment kind of bothered me

It's good to admit when something personally bothers you, like I have with the other comment. In that, always better to ask for clarification or wait to write with a clear mind! Especially when you know your characters and their history, something we aren't privy to and don't know what triggers them and therefore in this case you. Thank you for being open and honest!

Sort of a symbolic backwards way to show Eli that, despite how it my seem, that Thierry does care and that he cares as well.

I was keeping Aurélie open and perceptive to Nick but his words to Sabrina, which she heard, plus the giving on the ring, aren't a good real impression of who Nick is within their family. Or wants to be.

And everything else you wrote underneath that seems to me like there's a lot you know about Nick and Thierry that we don't, which makes this hard. If something a character says makes you mad then it's best to take a step back and breathe, you know? You may not understand Sabrina's reasoning but that's a good point of confusion for your characters then, not a conclusion to decide on is truth, you know? Especially things that we haven't seen happening (the divorce) should just be kept vague then.

From Sabrina's POV the symbolism is quite clearly stated; she was still wearing the ring, still loving him, but in her eyes after this specific moment, she is done with him because he chose Nick over the kids in her eyes. She is like... freeing herself from her feelings and focussing on her children, that she also obv had a part in their history. Giving the ring was all about her empowerment, not a jab toward Thierry. She's not abandoning him either, just accepting/recocnising that he has someone who loves him that he loves too. Taking herself out of the equation, really.

(But Angel correct me if I'm wrong)

In the end it's not that deep to me, and I'm pretty sure all of our character's heightened feelings will be smoothed down once the jump happens! In the end we probably shouldn't draw conclusions but ask for clarifications instead, so this doesn't go in a wrong direction <3


It's pink for you!
No go sleep and stop overthinking cause I know you are, I do the same sometimes lmao.

[Lexisheeps]

SLEEP IS FOR THE WEEK, BUT ONLY THE WEAK SLEEP. :U

I will say one last thing! Sabrina shot Nick a look. Nick wasn't completely paying attention until then. More drama?

But yes, I will admit that I overthink things.

[WhiteAngel25]

@Lexisheeps You have great points and I figured a lot of that. I feel like the mark was missed on both of our ends. We probably should’ve done a collab to have a back and forth between characters.

Everything’s good though, you can come out of the blanket fort. I have hot chocolate and cookies! ☺️

And @Days is right. Sabrina is giving the ring back as the final straw of letting Thierry go. She doesn’t have the energy to worry about him and their kids.

[Lexisheeps]

Next time we're doing the collab, rofl

I'll take the blame on this one. Because I'm over worried about doing Thierry's pov in some places.

I think once the time skip happens, and everything's calmed down, they can meet up then.

[Days]

For shits and giggles I'm imagining a de Villiers Christmas dinner for the sake of poor Cosette who just wants to be with the fam. She'd be happy. Theo and Aaron would be dicking around together. Aurélie and Thierry would be brooding on opposite ends of the room. Sabrina would be taking care of all the food and trying to manage all the youngsters, and Nick would hide behind the couch.

Based on fiction. LMAO.

Then von Galloes comes to fuck it all up.

[Days]

Question @Lexisheeps,@WhiteAngel25;
I was just kind of thinking about Auri and Theo after the jump.

Who got the estate in the divorce? I assume that Auri and Cosy would be with Sabrina (Theo has his own apartment now), so would this be at the estate or a new home? The house was from Sabrina's family, right? Unless I'm remembering wrong, ofcourse.

[WhiteAngel25]

@DaysYes, the estate is from Sabrina’s family estate, but she hasn’t touched anything after the girls disappeared unless Thierry has come and picked up things himself.

[Days]

Okay! Clear.
So where does Thierry live after the divorce?
(lowkey his office probably lmao)

[Lexisheeps]

@Days
It's Sabrina's house, but idk what White did with it.

Thierry currently lives in a studio flat in Paris. Theo was always invited to come by, if Thierry was home. Nick does not live with Thierry, but does occasionally visit.

...Because the couch is too cramped to hide behind.

Edit:

Thierry hasn't taken anything.

[Days]

@Lexisheeps Theo has an apartment close to the Louvre now since he graduated and started working full-time. I imagine he kept living with his mom, but because his part-time job at the Louvre and uni was in the city, he maybe bridged the time between class and work at Thierry's place, maybe even staying over? If Thierry would've given him a room, that is.

[Lexisheeps]

@Days
I can see Thierry setting up a room divider for Theo, easily. Not necessarily giving him a key though, not just because of Nick, but also confidential documents.

[Days]

Oh wait, Studio, right. No room for Theo. Oeeh okay, so he'd have to call his dad to see if he was home in order to stay there. No key. Clear!
*goes back to plotting*

[Lexisheeps]

I assure you room dividers are wonderful! And there is enough square feet for Theo to crash there if he wants, I promise! It's a studio, not a bachelor flat... and I'm convinced that I'm an expert on the difference! I said I am, therefore I am! Lol

Like,
I've seen some studios where there's a sleeping area "upstairs". But let's be real here... are you shocked by Thierry's living standards? You can't really have thought this man owns his own damn house...

The kicker here? Nick owns a house in Maine. That way he can have several doors to slam and rooms to lock you out of...

[Estylwen]

I am so proud of you folks. Talking out character differences, making it so everyone is understanding. I could tear up. :')

Where are we at collab-wise? Lexi, are you all done with the scene?

[Lexisheeps]

@Estylwen
Right? The best type of people to write a story with, imho.

Uh, we've decided to wait for you to time skip us. I don't feel comfortable writing Thierry's current pov. Once that's done, White and I are going to do Sabrina x Thierry and then Sabrina x Nick.

Once that's done, Days and I are gonna collab with Thierry x kids and then Nick x kids.

Unless @Days and @WhiteAngel25 say otherwise, of course.