Bet On Red
Added 2021-12-22 13:00:06 +0000 UTCHappy holidays!
My present to you all is something I've gotten quite a lot of requests for! A mini sequel to Bet On Black, showing Mya's later life in Stepford.
I'd plotted out a version of this story a little while back, but after reading Vasily's story Escape From Stepford?, I realized that my original idea was, well, basically identical haha. It happens, especially considering the fact that this genre sets up such a story very well, so I don't mind having to alter my plans, especially since Vasily's story is incredible in so many ways. You really should hunt it down on Deviantart and give it a read if you enjoy stepfordization!
Like I said, I did alter this story a bit. Not in huge ways, but I decided to focus less on Valerie's attempt to take Mya from Stepford, and more on Mya's desire for a big family. I think that for a short little sequel, I'm content with Bet On Red. It's nice to visit characters again every once in a while.
Comments
Thank you! Fully agreed, she's a personal favorite of mine, being pretty much my ideal stepfordization case. I've actually started commissioning art of her from time to time, and plan to draw her (and Mya) more in the future~
Smokey
2021-12-30 00:55:45 +0000 UTCOMG that’s so exciting! Mallory has maybe become one of my very fav creations of yours? The fact that she was SO diametrically opposed to Stepford lifestyle in her original form and now can’t help but LOVE it is just fantastic. I feel like her transformation, and Mya’s reactions to it, are key to “Bet on Black.” Then over the subsequent months I really love your drawings of her, and she’s so great here. Would love to see more of her! As for gambling related titles…maybe “up the ante”? “Double or nothing”? Just some suggestions lol, I’m sure you’ll come up with a good one
vasily26
2021-12-29 19:33:58 +0000 UTCGosh, what a coincidence! I actually just finished rereading it myself when I saw your comment, haha. I really am proud of it, and I agree fully with everything you've said. Mya using her heels to cling to her life in Stepford, and Mallory calling for the police from her kitchen, both were to signal how they're both unable to leave this life, even if they wanted to. As for the comments about Mallory, well... Let's just say I've been trying to come up with a third gambling related story title~
Smokey
2021-12-28 04:07:11 +0000 UTCJust reread — I really do like it! I especially love the fact that Mya’s own mother doesn’t recognize her at first. Sometimes her transformation doesn’t seem quite as outwardly radical as Mallory’s, so it’s nice to be reminded that she really has changed a lot since starting the bet. Speaking of, can you imagine friends or family of Mal Holmes coming to Stepford and funding Mallory Matthews instead? They might never realize she’s the same person hehe. I also think the imagery of Mya literally digging her heels in to stop Valerie from taking her away is very resonant. I think of clothing items like heels, stockings, aprons as integral to the Stepford housewife identity, so I love Mya using those physical objects of clothing to protect herself.
vasily26
2021-12-28 02:34:44 +0000 UTCThank you! The focus on Mya becoming a mother was the main thing I added, as well as downplaying Valerie's eventual new husband, since your story had a similar character. I'm such a big fan of your story though that I don't mind making the changes at all! And I'm really glad you liked it!
Smokey
2021-12-22 20:14:30 +0000 UTCThank you so much! I love to keep it dark, so that it's that much more exciting to read~
Smokey
2021-12-22 20:13:01 +0000 UTCOMG this story is so incredible!! I’m sorry for stealing your thunder, I’m sure your original version would’ve been great too, but the way love for family runs through every moment of this story is just beautiful. If that’s the change you made then it worked great. I love mother/daughter Stepford stories as it is, but adding in Mya’s desire for kids makes it so much more powerful. Valerie’s fate ends up being nice bc in addition to reuniting with her daughter, she now gets to be grandmother to beautiful baby twins! It’s all so warm and fuzzy, yet at the same time Valerie’s arrival is genuinely tense and dark. You strike that balance so well!
vasily26
2021-12-22 19:04:53 +0000 UTCSo brilliant! I love how you embrace the dark and sinister undertones of the original novel with your stories and it is on full display here. It's truly a horror story -- albeit one with all of our mutual kinks at the center -- and the structure that plays out . . the ode to the original in so many layers . . . truly magical.
Scramble
2021-12-22 15:40:44 +0000 UTC
