Smokey

Runaway In Stepford: Chapter 4

Added 2025-03-12 09:00:02 +0000 UTC

So sorry about the cliffhanger from last chapter~

I won't discuss the events of this chapter, instead I'd like to take a moment to just talk about the cast of this story, and the inspirations for them.

Molly doesn't have any direct characters that inspired her, but I really try to keep the focus with her on the fact that she's someone who has faced tremendous abuse throughout her life, but is still very much hopeful and full of love. She's got a layer of cynicism, yes, but it's a small layer, and anyone who bothered to show her kindness would find the softness she's hiding underneath.

Bev is visually inspired by Carrie Ann Moss as she appears in the movie Fido, while her personality is meant to be typical of a Stepford housewife, while also showing a bit of depth that you might not expect. She has a sense of humor, and she's fairly clever, even though she wants nothing more in life to be a housewife and mother. Women in Stepford are all brought to heel, yes, but they can have their own special little differences, and those are Bev's.

Don is visually inspired by Holt McCallany in Mindhunter, albeit with a softer personality. He's the ideal father figure for Molly, just like Bev is the ideal mother figure. They're meant to be a perfect match, a man who is exceedingly gentle but protective, a woman who is very attentive and has a sense of humor, and a girl who is in desperate need of love and patience.

And of course, our mystery enby! They got a bit of a redesign between previous stories and this reboot. Originally Sam was blonde, like Molly, but I decided to give them darker hair more befitting a greaser after rewatching The Shawshank Redemption. I really liked the character Tommy's look in the movie, and while Sam doesn't look like him, they definitely got a bit of his vibe. They're flirty, they're cool, and they're fairly sweet too.

Enjoy~