That was satisfying.

Back the first time I tried to write this, I essentially started with this scene-sequence. I reread the fragmentary bits of the first draft, and encountered this scene. The tone, the voice, they were all wrong.

The characterisation was perfect. The scene had to go in this. Rewritten from scratch, but the events had to be there; there's such resonance for me with these people there. I wrote about half of it today, I think, maybe a little more; I may even have gotten it right. And it's satisfying to have those pieces, those familiar pieces sliding out of my fingers, seeing these two people knuckle down into social status warfare, seeing that perfect execution of point of privilege.

Section 29: 973 words.

Also, that song title meme thing.

Lunatic Fringe -- Red Rider
I Go To Extremes -- Billy Joel
The Look -- Roxette
Alien Shore -- Rush
I'm So Tired -- The Beatles
Rolling Home -- Peter, Paul, and Mary
Endgame -- REM
None of the Above -- Duran Duran

Many of these are songs that go down into the deepsets. (esp. Rolling Home.)

Addendum: Also, for minutiae update, I have the plague too. I think it's teinedreugan's plague, though, not autumnesquirrel's.