Back to Me

Thank You

Hi, Skippy here!

So I decided to publish this kind of "concluding" part because I really like to read about a story's fun facts, which is exactly what this is!

I started this story in May after watching Legacies for the first time. By that time, I had already read like 20 Hosie fanfics because my brain gets stuck like a broken record on uncompleted tasks. It really bothered me that season 2 was never finished because of ~Ms. Rona~. 

Usually, I simply live off other people's stories until I satisfy my hunger for more content and then move on to the next ship. 

This time, though.

It must have been like 1 a.m. 

The thing I want to see the most in Legacies is Hope as a vampire. I would PAY Julie Plec for it. But also, I know they probably won't use that story line until like, season 4 or 5 (if the show gets renewed for that long). 

But I needed vampire Hope.

So one night when I was bored out of my mind, I took to THE GOOGLE and created a Wattpad book cover. Once it was saved as a draft, I knew there was no going back anymore.

Soon I had an outline, and then I forced myself to write the first chapter because I knew if I didn't get my thoughts down then, I would never open the story again.

And guess what... I did it.

So, without further ado, here are 15 fun facts you probably didn't know about "Back to Me"

1. The first three chapters were written blindly. I didn't yet know where I wanted to go with the story until after they were published.

2. The narration time changes out of the blue in the middle of the story. I thought writing in past tense made a much more professional-looking composition. 

I only did it because I thought nobody would notice (hopefully nobody did).

3. Hope's arc was inspired by Anakin's fall to Darth Vader. Only difference is I turned back sharply before she went full dark side.

4. In the original outline, Hope switched off her humanity. Unfortunately, it didn't make the final cut because the story would've been 50+ chapters long, but I still want to explore that side of her.

5. The first few chapters are shorter because I was writing one per day.

6. "Game On" is my favorite chapter. It was inspired by personal experience.

7. A friend of mine recommended I read the Hogwarts AU and can I just say, Dandelionlighters is an incredible writer? For like a solid three days I just wept on my bed because "How dare I call my book a Hosie story when this masterpiece exists??"

It's ok, tho. I got over it (:

8. In the original outline, Josie didn't come back to life.

9. Lizzie and Alyssa were the easiest characters to write for me because they are closest to my personality.

10. Hope was the hardest by far. I'm not righteous or a "hero" like her :'( 

11. "Fairytale" is one of the chapters with the most votes yet I wrote it in like an hour because I couldn't get my mind to function properly. It's the chapter I struggled with the most.

12. Personally, I don't like Landon, which is why he has such a minor presence in the book.

13. I began writing this story for me, but I completed it for all of you who also shared my love for these characters. Seriously, your support was a major part of this journey.

14. In the original outline, Alyssa was decapitated by Hope instead of the Necromancer. 

15. Also in the outline, Hope betrayed her friends and was a major turning point for her switching off her humanity. I had to rewrite it because I feared it might make her unredeemable.

Regarding my other story I mentioned before, I'm going to take a few weeks off because ~school~ (need I say more?). I want to publish the first three chapters in late September. I haven't yet started them but I already have a folder full of notes. I'll let you have a sneak peek into the jumbled mess that is my brain at 3 a.m. after two shots of caffeine:

- Josie is the "queen bee" of the school (think of it as exploring the AU Lizzie saw in the Jinni episode).

- The Mikaelsons are a successful family in the business world. A certain someone is a well-known sociopath that has avoided the law in multiple occasions.

- Hope Marshall. No, I will not elaborate.

I'm incredibly thankful for all of you beautiful people! You made my summer an adventure. I will never forget the excitement of writing for you and look forward to more journeys together.

If you have any questions about "Back to Me", or theories about the next story, or simply want to chat, I'm always available and I'd be happy to talk to you.

Words fail to express the love I have for all of you <3

--Skippy