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Sixteen months. That’s how long I’d been waiting to write that scene. Sixteen months; a year and a third. And it could have been a very different scene.
“I don't think any amount of stress could drive Fiona to willingly eat Jack like that, even just for a moment.”
That was a quote from me, in a message sent to Omega, back when we were still brainstorming everything. That’s how I used to think of Jack and Fiona. And I think it’s partially because of that mindset that this latest turn ended up being so shocking. It’s because at first, not even the writer knew it was coming. Needless to say, when we first agreed on the concept of a group of preds trying to pressure Fiona into eating Jack, neither of us knew quite how different our thoughts were on the specifics.
Originally, in my head, they were going to threaten Fiona. After a week of hanging out with her and getting tired of her constantly involving Jack, they’d invite her and Jack to a party, and ambush her intervention-style. “Listen, you’re an advanced pred. Now either you eat that human, or we will.” And she’d be forced to swallow Jack, but would then show her resolve by letting him back out once she managed to get out of sight.
Omega’s idea was having Fiona and Jack argue, having the other preds’ influence gradually weight on Fiona until she reached a point where she’d snap and eat Jack in front of everyone.
I liked my idea fairly well. Not only that, but I had a fairly strong dislike of the idea of making Fiona and Jack fight. I loved their friendship and didn’t want to see it tarnished. I thought Fiona doing something like that would be a break in trust that could never really be repaired.
But Omega insisted. And we discussed. I’d say it was the second-most intense discussion we’ve ever had regarding this series. They actually wrote an outline for their version of the big ending scene to try to convince me.
And here’s the thing. I’m really happy that they insisted on debating me here, because they were right. There’s a reason that the final version of the scene that got published is pretty much an exact match of that original outline they sent me. They had the better story, and they were seeing things in a way I wasn’t. And the more we talked, the more I saw that.
“With your version, honestly there’s no mystery.” That’s a quote from Omega to me. And it was true. There’s no way the scene with Jack in Fiona’s stomach would have had nearly as much tension if the only worry was “will Fiona be able to let him out, and in time?”
And it wasn’t just about tension, it was about the characters. Omega’s version forced both Fiona and Jack to confront their fears and feelings. Fiona couldn’t hide behind “I had to do it”, like she could have in my version, and then keep on pretending she has no urge to eat Jack. And Jack couldn’t hide behind “Fiona would never do that” and ignore his fears as irrational. It built perfectly on everything we’d established so far, and used it all so well.
But there was the last bit: ‘tarnishing their friendship’. How could they recover from such a betrayal? That was also a big worry of mine. But the more we dug into it, the more I came to realize: this could make their friendship stronger. If they could care for each other even after an event like that, then they’d have a real relationship. Now, Jack and Fiona’s friendship no longer rests on the ability of Fiona to hold herself back (technically, Jack’s life still does, but not their feelings of friendship). With this version, Jack can accept Fiona’s instinctive urges, and Fiona can accept Jack’s instinctive fears, and they can go on together, not in spite of those things, but with acceptance of those things.
And what is love if not standing by and admiring someone in full knowledge of all their shortcomings?
That’s another special thing about that scene. Originally, Omega and I both agreed that Fiona and Jack would not be a romantic couple. And so that’s how they were written at the start, totally platonic. As you can see, that has changed, and we agreed on that change a while back, but the fact that they started out as just friends in our heads, I think makes this change all the more special. Because it came naturally. They weren’t written as “they’re friends now, but they’ll be lovers later”. They were written as “no, they're just friends”. And then “maybe they could be a little more than friends?” And then “Oh, they’re going to fall in love, aren’t they?”. Our feelings toward them changed just as their feelings toward each other were changing in the story. That’s one of the big advantages of coming up with a story as you make it.
And now, here we are. We still have more story planned to tell, and a whole lot of empty space where there’s absolutely nothing planned at all. I’m looking forward to writing whatever we come up with.