So Some Thoughts On “editing” Ch 3 With Regard To Wanting Stronger Vi Story Stuff: I Want To Keep

so some thoughts on “editing” ch 3 with regard to wanting stronger Vi story stuff: I want to keep the “turns out Vi was a huge dick to everyone” while also playing up the Hive actually being unsupportive

-talked about this vaguely before but I am now very set on “Violet” as a name being one she doesn’t like because it’s associated with the everything of the Hive. And everyone at the Hive calls her it, despite her (constant, loud) insistences not to, with if/when anyone actually calls her Vi being pretty heavily associated with them actually accepting her as is

-most of the bees I think had the reaction of “oh thank fuck she’s gone/good riddance” with her coming back resulting in annoyance/”what are you doing back here”/”oh you’re still alive.” Because as I said, Vi still was not exactly emotionally mature about everyone else either. They’re rude but within their rights, with probably some mixed opinions by the end

-honestly I think Malbee’s might have the least work because I think Vi directly saving her would end up in a “well I guess you being an explorer isn’t completely worthless” kind of opinion. so she can be chill with Vi based on that

-Queen Bianca I think might be the exception to the name thing where she initially calls her “Violet” but when Vi says something calls her Vi, but not because of immediately accepting her proper. I think her general thing would be that she’s like oh you want to be an explorer that’s cute but no honey that’s so dangerous. And when Vi comes back she’s like alright you had your fun for a bit but don’t you want to come home now? And she’s not passive aggressive or forceful or anything but that kind of “parent who cares and is trying to be kind but just never seems to get it” thing?

-Jaune. So I’m thinking do keep the “Vi being encouraged to make up with her and she tries to at first but it goes wrong” general thing. But the argument is a bit more explosive. I don’t have much specifics except Jaune heavily implies or outright says the idea that of course Vi’s on the only three-bug team she’s the dead weight they had to make up for (something along those lines). And just. Vi totally was rude about her sister’s art but Jaune was/is non-understanding and mean right back in the way siblings are. Probably also implies that she thinks Vi is super embarrassing to be associated with. Anyway after that argument Vi would be much less chill on reconciling (which is reflective of how overall it’s a very mixed bag even at the end of the chapter between Vi and the Hive).

-which turns into kind of two things post-ch 3. One is that Vi kind of gets a bit more of a Thing about proving herself, that she’s perfectly competent on her own (and in this process is being more mean to Kabbu and Leif because of everything going), which probably leads to her being dumb and reckless on a mission, possibly even trying to do something dangerous on her own so she can really show her teammates aren’t carrying her; eventually she learns that it’s ok to lean on them because if anyone else can’t value her as is without her proving stuff it’s not worth it, and she slowly learns to be more of a caring team member with these bugs she can actually be comfortable with (while still keeping some of her abrasiveness etc because that’s still an important part of her if they’d done the aa thing of just making her nice and sweet as character development I would die).

-And the second thing is that actually I like the thing Leif did about telling Vi to talk to her sister because “you never know what might happen what if you lose your chance.” But what if we made it a problem too. which by that I mean lean into Leif and Kabbu’s damage being about losing people so that they end up projecting onto her and end up really pushing her on this path of reconciling over anything else because “they’re your family you should appreciate them and try to play nice with them for the sake of having them around” and the two of them end up accidentally ignoring what might actually be best for Vi in all this because of their own hangups and that has to get resolved too. Somehow.