Hey, I was watching that !

*pay no attention to the slaves and rape culture behind the pretty quotes*

I know Gone With The Wind wins the Literary Your Fave is Problematic Award, but I really like the name Rhett and we need to bring it back. I think it's one of the few American male names that is all hard sounds.



HDU Hulu
Some of you have asked about me writing more about Rhett's life on the job. I did a lot of research about The Coast Guard for OHG and one of my favorite resources was this show on the Weather Channel called Coast Guard Alaska that I would watch for the brave, cute men inspiration. It followed a CG base in Alaska and  there were about 5 spinoffs about different bases and they were all on Hulu but I went to look at it recently and they're all gone !  Now I've been doing a lot of forum lurking...it's not as fun so if I do write a Rhett at work scene I'll be making a lot of stuff up.

Deleted Scene
As I was outlining I originally had Rhett's bachelor party go to a strip club but I took it out because it just felt off. Here is a bit of that scene. In this version the party is just Deacon, Cody and Rhett.

“So, this is a bachelor party?,” Uncle Deacon laughed and signaled for another round for the table.

It was still strange being in Rooster's, the glamour of it was gone.

“I guess so,” I say. I didn't care either way.

“Nah it ain’t,” Deacon laughed

Deacon paid for the drinks and we got in the truck, He started driving but, not towards our house.

He finally pulled into a strip mall with only one tenant. A place called Lipstixx

“No,” I told him when I realized where we were.. “What if people see me in there ?,”

“So ?,” Deacon said 

We walked in and the women were surprisingly attractive. There was a buffet set up against the wall

"No liqour ?,” I ask as Deacon start putting sweet and sour meatballs on a paper plate.

“Can’t have it here,” he said and then I noticed the women were topless.

We sit around the stage, picking at the food, watching a woman in her 30's shaking her boobs at us. It was awkward and I have a feeling it's only going to get worse.

I think I just wanted to write about a buffet at a strip club.

Chapter 12 aka The One With All The Songs
So, here is the big poppa chapter. I thought it was 10K, but it's actually just barely 9K. I have no idea how I ever broke a 10k chapter ! Either way, it's a long one so pace yourselves.

Rhett goes to Christmas in Connecticut and when things get heated he gets kicked out by his father-in-law. Rhett wants to go to the Coast Guard's Aviation Survival Technican (AST)rescue swimmer  training camp for two weeks and maybe eventually go to AST school, but it would mean being away from his future baby.

 Juliana doesn't like the idea of being left in Freeport but right now she's struggling with how to balance her Dad and Rhett who leave her in the middle.

CHAPTER 12
PLAYLIST


- 1- The Rules for Lovers by Richard Walters (I love this song)
-2- Receiver by Pietra Brown (love this one too)
-3- So in Love With You by Jake Etheridge
-4- Making Love On The Mountain by the Woodlands
-5- How Will I Know by Sons of Serendipity
-6- From the ground up Dan + Shay
-7- It Girl by Jason Derulo
-8- All of the stars Ed Sheeran

Welcome to Freeport

This is so random, but I saw this and it made me think of Alan's evolution in  Vice

 


When I started writing UL3 I really had to build out Freeport and Rhett's family and... I may have gone overboard. It's hard when you are writing an extended family not to keep adding people and adding people. Anyway, here is a run down with more info. Last chapter I wanted to show the two sides of Rhett's family so that's how I'll separate them. Also, a lot of these picspirations are as close as I could get.

The Sullivans (Southaven, Mississippi)

Mrs. Sullivan, 77 - Jocelyn's Mom and Rhett's very religious, old fashioned and super doting widowed grandmother.

Lover her outfit !

Macy Sullivan, 37 - I accidentally had her age as 27 in my last post. She's Jocelyn's younger sister. She's a born again Christian and when she became born again her upper middle class husband left her. She has three kids under the age of 8.

Ramsey Sullivan, 50 - Jocelyn's brother, he's a well educated, escaped his poor upbringing and is now a  "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" Republican type. He does not show up that much in this.

West Sullivan, 20 - Ramsey's son and Rhett's sheltered, religious, cousin who is kind of the grandson Rhett was supposed to be since Rhett's the oldest grandchild.  He doesn't show up that much either.

The Clark Family
They all live in Freeport, LA. They're the "I love Jesus But I Cuss A Lot / Only God Can Judge Me" type. They're wilder and a little poorer than the Sullivans.

Clark Grandparents
I haven't really thought about them, but I'll say that as far as the serial goes they aren't an ongoing concern...

Deacon Clark, 41 - He loves his family and is watchful of Rhett...but is also a heroin addict, alcoholic and his influence is the reason Rhett Clark is an Asshole exists

Charlie Clark would be 47 and is Rhett's deceased father


Morris Clark, 49 - Deacon and Charlie's older brother. Who has been in prison for 16 years  for killing his wife and selling bad heroin. He will likely never come up and they don't keep in touch.

Aubrey Giroux, 33 (nee Clark) - She is Rhett's only cousin on the Clark side. She's mentioned in an earlier chapter, but is introduced in the last chapter.  I think a lot of you confused her with Amber which I get.  I originally had her name as Aubree, but I changed it at the last minute because it didn't fit her age. Her Dad killed her mom,  she lives in the middle of the swamp, works at the salon with Jocelyn and likes to throw parties. She shows up mostly in family/salon scenes.

Wil Giroux, 34 - Aubrey's husband of 14 years. In my head they met at a rock concert, got married the next day and have been together ever since. They have three kids and honestly they don't show up that much. Also Wil has a sister named McKayla who may/ may not show up again. Also, yes I wasted 12 hours looking through the photo gallery on a Charlie Hunam fansite

The Friends
 
Amber Cunningham, 22
She's the Jesus-loving-pageant queen-former cheerleader-sorority girl who Rhett was supposed to take to prom before he joined UL. She's basically the high school ex-girlfriend. I mostly picked this picture because I imagine Amber with these bangs.

Brooke, 22
Works at Jocelyn's salon, Rhett's high school friend, Amber's BFF and she has a 5-year-old son. She shows up in the occasional salon scene.

There is another girl named Carleigh who is in this trio, but she doesn't really show up again. I honestly just needed another girl name for a scene and I think I picked it out of the comments.
Cody Grady,  23
Rhett's best friend / neighbor, abuses methaphetamine and has a learning disorder. His Dad is the highly revered high school football coach but Cody doesn't play the sport. He also has a crush on Amber that is all subtext.  Rhett knows he can't force Cody to change so they just kind of accept each other. He and Rhett are currently on the outs.


So, it was basically Zane, Cody and Rhett who would hang out with Brooke, Amber and Carleigh when they were in high school

Also, Athens, 29
He is Rhett's co-worker. He may or may not show up again.

Got it ? Great, because NONE Of these characters are in the next chapter because Rhett is going to Connecticut for Christmas.

Chapter 11
6 months pregnant, Juliana went to CT to reconnect with her Dad (and talk about his settlement money) and she  finds that he has moved into a bigger townhouse and put all her things from the commune into her very own bedroom. 

Rhett's boss tells him he should consider going to a training camp to train to become an Coast Guard rescue swimmer. He wants to do it, but doesn't think it would be responsible with his new baby on the way.

Feeling fustrated by the constant sameness of living with both sides of his family, Rhett decides to go see Juliana and spend Christmas with the Reeses. Mr. Reese wouldn't even come to their wedding, so this should be interesting...

Chapter 11
Playlist
-1- All I Want For Christmas by Anthem Lights
-2- Up All Night by Jussie Smolett
-3- Blue Christmas by She and Him
-4- Do You Want To Build A Snowman by Jasmine Thompson

Surprise, Surprise

So.... this has been me the past few days

and some of this

 

Tuesdays with LiLe
I think LiLe must be my new muse because (and don't think too much into it, guys) her Eli Cohen bit inspired me to do something with UL3 and from there I reworked the serial format a little and in the past few days I've been able to outline all the way to the end of Part I. 

Because of this, the serial may feel a little uneven, but I hope you guys will stick with me.

Chapter 9  / OHG4
So, the scene where Juliana sees Hallie's school play was lifted from one of the last pieces of OHG I ever wrote. I got to this part in OHG and I realized I was in a corner. Now I'm going to share that corner I wrote myself into.

Basically in OHG-verse Rhett works in Alaska and Juliana is tired of waiting for him so she goes back to Connecticut because she is thinking of leaving him. So, she's not pregnant or anything. Also in UL2 it's established that Juliana knows sign language, which is something that I now realize never comes up in UL3. Anyway after Hallie's play about how snow is formed, Juliana takes Hallie home to give her Dad and Tessa time for a date and then this happens:

“My, my you and Hallie look so much alike,” Mrs. Hardwick,the music teacher, said as she handed me a copy of the program.

“Thank you,” I said, I normally would have ignored it but, the southern hospitality had gotten to me.

I took the program and Hallie and I headed back to the house.

After her play, Tess introduced me to Hallie’s teachers  and one thing led to another and they offered me freelance work through my agency. I would be interpreting the 5^thgrade recital. I was surprised I got as much work as I did but, I was wiling to work weekends and sit through a 3 hours string concert.

Hallie was a good child, she put her coat, scarf and mittens on and we headed outside at full speed. 

We made it to the apartment complex and I noticed a familiar face in the front lawn. I half walked half ran up to him.

“Cortland.” I said once I was close to him.

He didn’t respond and I retreated, then he turned to me. Without recognition.

“I-,”

“It’s me Juliana,”

A light went on and he smiled

“We have to stop running into each other like this,” he said.

I smiled

“Last time I saw you--,”

“Forget about that, please. I said.” I was in a bad place. --,”

“And now ?,” he asked

I rifled through my pockets and handed the keys to Hallie.

“Why don’t you go inside,” I said. “Lock the doors,” 

She took the keys and went back outside leaving Cortland and I standing as the snow began to fall.

I just didn't know what to do with Cortland, I didn't know what they'd talk about and I felt like I  hadn't explored the R/J relationship and I hit a wall.

I also have a few more scenes from UL3 from Rhett's bachelor party I took out that  I may share...

United Light 3
In Lile's last post I made a comment about how serials allow  us some flexibility and that comment may have been more for me than for Lile. I may or may not be changing the name of UL3, so you'll see me mostly referring to it as UL3. The name just isn't fitting with what the serial is turning into. I kind of have an idea in mind but I'm letting it simmer.

Chapter 10
This chapter is kind of a long one and more character/world-buildy. It's a meanwhile of chapter 9.

After being in a car with Cody when he gets arrested for possession Juliana has to quit her job at HolidayHam! and Rhett and Cody get in a fight. She's finding it hard to find a job with a criminal record and Rhett tells her that her Dad received half a million dollars for selling the commune land and Juliana decides to go visit her Dad in CT to  ask him about the money and repair their relationship. Meanwhile Rhett is....

Chapter 10
Playlist
-1- Dreamers by Isbell (Yes, I'm reusing songs already)
-2- Long Time by LanCO
-3- The House That Built Me by Miranda  Lambert
-4- To Make Fire Burn Again by Dawn Landes (If it were up to me this song would just play the whole serial)