Army Wives Chapter Twenty Three
Added 2021-10-11 00:06:06 +0000 UTCThis one actually kinda got to me. I based it off two episodes of The Sopranos. Whitecaps and Irregular Around the Margins. Mostly Whitecaps.
It's quite literally all gravy from here.
Comments
Thanks man! I've been loving hearing people's opinions on which characters they're more or less sympathetic towards. I'm glad I've been able to surprise you. We're gearing up for the big climax soon. I can't wait till you guys see how this all ends.
Jack Torrance
2021-10-18 22:53:28 +0000 UTCAwesome chapter. While personally I feel like Sinead is more in the right than rob that's always a matter of opinion in these kinds of stories, and I definitely get the messy, "human" conflict vibe you were going for. And I have to say I like how many little curveballs this one has thrown me. I never expected Sinead to go on a diet, and definitely not for over a week, after that I thought she would at least be on a yo-yo diet for a while but the one push from Hannah sent her straight back to square one, and while I definitely picked up on some of the moments you dropped here and there where robs patience with sinead started wearing a little thin, I always thought he understood sinead and didn't think he would ever completely stop supporting her and blow up on her like this. It can be pretty hard to get any sense of true originality in this fetish at this point (by no fault of yours or any writer/artists') so little moments like these where I expect one trope to come up and instead there's another its always nice. I'm with aed. I know this is a sad-fats story but sinead didn't do anything to deserve this 😭
Ryan Caday
2021-10-18 19:42:40 +0000 UTCTo quote the final line of the chapter: “It’d been a long time since I enjoyed reading a story this much.”
Candice M
2021-10-12 04:40:03 +0000 UTCThere are worse influences for sure... BITD when I recommended the Sopranos to people who "didn't like Mafia stuff" I told them the mafia stuff wasn't actually the best part of the show. I get why that was the framing for it (most people do like it) but really the show was a brilliant examination of suburban life at the turn of the century, focused on family and relationships. I definitely get what you're saying about familiarity = contempt. Been there. And Rob and Sinead are relatively young — had Rob not gone to war, Sinead had her ED better under control, etc, you could fast-forward 15 years and get the kind of seething resentment and viciousness Tony and Carm could summon.
MrWrong1
2021-10-11 18:04:05 +0000 UTC"There are no heroes here yet no villains, just like real life. " That's exactly what I was going for when I started this story, so it makes me very happy to hear you say that. No other piece of media has influenced the way I write like The Sopranos did. And one of the thing I admire most about that show is how real almost every character felt. I pretty much based the fight between Sinead and Rob off Tony and Carmella's giant blowout fight in the Whitecaps episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dj6E7Z1dNv8 In that scene we watch the last bits of what was once a loving marriage deteriorate. They know each other so well that they're able to go back and forth with valid criticisms of each others flaws and behaviors with venomous honesty. And they admit, directly and indirectly, that they're miserable and have grown to resent one another. While I'd never put myself in the same league as David Chase, there's some obvious parallels between Tony and Carmella's relationship arc and Rob and Sinead's.
Jack Torrance
2021-10-11 16:55:56 +0000 UTCI don't remember those Sopranos episodes specifically but you share that show's way with creating and developing great characters and compelling relationships. There are no heroes here yet no villains, just like real life. And despite the crushing sadness and frustration in Rob and Sinead's spiraling codependency, you stay out of tearjerker territory and keep it readable. That's a difficult trick. I also love that you include real stakes — Sinead's health, their marriage, Rob's ominous powder keg depression, Rose's well-being, etc. That kind of tension is so important in any writing yet so often absent from WG/fatfic. I know this story isn't gonna be everyone's cup of chai but I put it in GOAT contention. Bravo, and thanks for elevating the genre.
MrWrong1
2021-10-11 14:01:33 +0000 UTCReally good chapter, kinda hoping against hope that the ending offers and opportunity for Sinead to end up fat and happy lol.
Aed
2021-10-11 08:47:39 +0000 UTCGreat chapter!
Videos900
2021-10-11 04:58:37 +0000 UTC
