Smokey

Stepford Butterflies: Chapter 2

Added 2022-03-02 13:00:05 +0000 UTC

I don't have much to say about the middle section of this story, aside from that Darla has sort of come out of an idea I've had for a while, in relation to Fitting In.

Zahra from Fitting In was such a curious character. There was an expectation among some readers that she had more sinister intentions, or methods, but she really was exactly who she seemed to be on the surface. She's someone who is okay with people not sharing her values and preferences and hobbies, but will encourage them to dip their toe in if that's something they're curious about.

So I got thinking about a sort of anti-Zahra. A young woman who does have sinister intentions, and whose friend group is made up of people she's bent to her will, and now has wrapped around her finger. She's one part popular do-gooder, one part cult leader. The only facet I left out, or at least downplayed, was a sense of moral superiority this character would have had. Darla's exact intentions will be revealed in part three, but it's not the "I'll stepfordize you for smoking or swearing" attitude that my original anti-Zahra idea had. She was a touch more vindictive than Darla ended up being.

All that said, I do really enjoy writing Darla. She's got some mystery in her backstory, and some interesting principles and beliefs.