AH - WE MADE IT??? Happy third Low-Stress wrap-up 🗣️🗣️. The collection grows.

Buckle up because this one is a Y-A-P.

Wrap Up Questions:

What did you guys think??

Favorite moment or scene??

Team Jimin or Jungkook on who was more in the wrong?? Both? Neither?

Favorite friend group moment?

General comments / feedback?

The Process:

While I know that not having a date to rely on for updates must drive some readers nuts, I am so incredibly grateful for all of you who support the low-stress fics despite that. It is a rare thing to have so many returning readers and consistent commenters on a fic that publishes this way.

I love writing in the low-stress style because I honestly don't plan anything for these going in. All I had for chapter one was: "I want JK to have such a big crush he doesn't know what to do with himself." But I didn't know what that would look like exactly in the grander scheme of plot.

I thought that having Jimin come in after being away for a year would be interesting, but didn't know how it would play out. Originally, the first chapter that I had written is all the boys at a dinner and Jimin drops by half way through after being gone. Hoseok tells JK to walk Jimin home. There was tension from Jungkook's end because he likes Jimin and no one else knows about it. The chapter ended up being too dense though, in a way that was stagnant and didn't drive the story, so I put this fic on the back burner for a while.

When I finally was in a mindset to write a fic again, mainly because I started dealing with a similar though much more messy experience, I picked the story up and tried again. Madison was born from having the fic start somewhere interesting and Jimin being away for a year survived from the original version, but their whole dynamic changed as each chapter was written and the more I sat with the messaging. Jungkook having confessed in the past wasn't actually a planned plot, but came out organically as a reason for why JK would feel like he couldn't make another move.

Then, on the third chapter, @Monkey737, who I love and adore, left a comment that said something along the lines of "I bet there's more going on" regarding Jimin's perspective. Originally - there really wasn't 😀. In chapter three, JK had confessed, Jimin just saw him as a friend, and it made things awkward. That was really it. But the comment obviously got me thinking. It would be more interesting if there was more to that argument, to that night, to that confession. Funny how the whole thing ended up being pivotal to the plot when Jimin's rejection was originally a throw away set up. Things like that are so fun to discover as we go chapter by chapter because the fic feels extremely dynamic and alive.

Genuinely I never know where the low stress ones want to go. Usually it's me wanting to write some fluff and then being incapable of it. Because of the disclaimer for the chaotic writing style, we can chase where the story wants to go. I'm not in my head about quality or staying on top of deadlines, so I can just let it grow.

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed the final product. Chapter three was when I realized what the fic was going to be about - and that was the mess of friendship. But without this specific writing style, I don't think we would have ever gotten there.

The Themes:

So as always, we're gonna dive into the inspiration for this story a little bit. This is also known as the section where I share more than what's considered appropriate about my life.

About a year ago, I was introduced into a friend group and had a relationship with someone in it. Our friends and our lives really bled into one another until there was no clear divide. Things blew up between us and then I left town for unrelated reasons for a number of months. So when I came back, there was this whole mess to untangle of where we had left off verses the experiences we've had in the time since we last saw each other, and the way all of our interwoven friendships interacted with either of us. It got me thinking a lot about how inter-friend group social dynamics can be extremely hard to navigate after something like that. Who's friends with who? Do you chose sides? Do you make it work? Is there clear 'villain' when everyone is so interwoven?

While pretty standard an experience overall, I thought about how there's really a lot to explore within that idea of friendship dynamics and social fall outs. I think that the argument of when is it better to step away from your friends after messing up socially verse staying to work it out, what are healthy boundaries of friendship to push verse respect, what are accidental but forgivable breeches in friendship, and what damages a friendship beyond repair, were all really fascinating to me after my own experience.

That was where the idea for this low-stress plot came from - how do you navigate falling for someone in such a socially public way? For Puppy Love, the goal was to explore that concept while also staying true to the fact that this is Jikook and should be fun/romantic.

My Own Thoughts:

I don't usually do this, but I am so attached to every single BTS character in this story and just want to gush about them. I loved writing every single one of the members. I loved getting to sit in their friendships, navigating each other and everyone's different level of closeness while still all having the same mutual love for each other. I wanted the boys to all breathe as a friend group, which meant taking a lot of time to interact with them both separately and together.

I think when you're with the same people for so long, everyone naturally falls into different roles and pairings. I really felt for Hoseok in this one, maybe because I relate to him the most? It's really hard to be the peace-keeper, especially when self appointed. None of the boys expect Hoseok to be the one to take the lead for the group, but I think he puts a lot of pressure on himself to do so for the younger members.

I also really enjoyed getting to mirror Hoseok's conflict resolution style with Yoongi's, showing how Jungkook or Jimin might gravitate more towards one or the other. Yoongi and Hoseok are different sides of the same coin. Yoongi is more the wait for the other to bring it up, type, where Hoseok is more the bring it up for them. I think when you see your friend is clearly struggling with something, it's really hard to know which approach is better.

Ugh and VMinKook were 🤌🤌. Because people do pick sides, even when mutual love and history are still there. And Jungkook - I am so proud of him. Is that weird to say as the author?? Maybe, I don't know, but I feel like he just grew so much from where he started. At the opening of the fic, Jungkook was envious of his friends careers, insecure in his goals and skills, unsure of himself and even more so unsure in relationships, only to grow into this competent, energetic, loving man by the end of it.

Helping Jimin heal healed was 😩😩, because I think that it's really hard to go through something traumatic and then be thrust back into normal life. And on top of that, back into an environment he was anxious to leave in the first place. Having to then balance the fact that you were hurt by one of your friends, but don't feel like you can express that for the sake of the friend group, is layered and conflicting. They were both just so human: probably more than in any fic I've written yet.

Every single one of the members had a moment where they could have been a better friend, could have said something different, could have chosen a different time or a different way to confront each other, and yet they all love each other at the end and understand that it's all a part of being in a friend group that large. It's normal and healthy to have misunderstandings when the intentions are good. I think everyone had a moment, maybe other than Namjoon (my king), where they tripped as friends. But that's what makes the whole thing so real.

Not to be gushing about my own fic, I'm aware it's inappropriate or considered taboo, but I'm emotional over leaving them.

Let me grieve 😩🤍

To You:

I'm really grateful to those of you who got to this point and who took the time to comment. I read every single one. It's not just motivating as an author, but makes me feel like I'm experiencing the story right there with you. Like we're all a little community over here in this cozy corner of Wattpad we've carved out for jikook. And for everyone who simply enjoyed, thank you. I hope the fic left you feeling happy and full 🫶.

What's Next: Lil' Promo

I'm currently working on a couple different WIPS, but unfortunately can't confirm when they'll be up. One thing I can say though, is that the next fic will be in a new publishing style, meaning a new "series," and that will be starting up in either late August or early September. It will be published both here and on AO3, so you can chose whichever site is your preference for reading fics. The fic will be four chapters total, totaling around 30k words, and it will have regular weekly updates. So look out for that!

Another thing I can tease here is that Puppy Love will one day be edited and republished on AO3. The original will be preserved on here, but I'm going to comb through it to have it up on AO3 sometime as well if you ever want to reread.

‼️ If there's a specific Wattpad fic from me you'd like to see edited/reworked and republished on AO3, please attach a comment here so I can get a little community pulse. I have a number I'm hoping to work through and re-publish, but also am curious for any input ‼️

Lastly, follow @StraightVio on Twitter for more details to come on future publications 🤍. I don't have anything under AO3 yet, but the username is the same there.

🦋🦋🦋

I already miss you,
Violette