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jq37 · 4 years

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On a scale of 1-10, how difficult is it to make a podcast? I’ve been following ANA since you first announced it (I’m so excited for it) and the other day I came up with an idea that I think would make a good series

Hey, thanks for the message! And thanks for being interested. Absolutely No Adventures has been a lot of fun to put together and it's nice to see that people are looking forward to it.

As for your question I'd say maybe a 6? But that's a really incomplete answer and I did a lot of searching for help on how to get started when I decided to do this so I'll give you more in depth breakdown of the steps and if you have more questions you can totally message me off of anon.

(1) Write The Thing

So yeah, no getting around it. The first thing you have to do is just write the podcast. For some people, this is the hardest part. For me, it was probably the easiest part because it's the thing I was most familiar with. You already have an idea, which is great. So now you probably want to sit down and figure out things like is this a limited miniseries or will it be on-going with multiple seasons? How long will each episode be?

You also want to make sure you write for the medium. For example, in a book, you can just say, "She hugged him." But if it's audio, you have to make there's some kind of indication for that (ie: Man: Oh, and now we're hugging).

Format doesn't matter too too much as long as it's consistent. I used film script format in Celtx (which is free) but people also use Google Docs. Just pick what's easiest for you and get going.

I also highly recommend you finish a full season of scripts (or the whole set if it's a mini series) before you move on. Some people write as they go and if you want to do that, cool, but it's one less thing to worry about once you're in production and you don't want writer's block to slow you down once you're already going.

(2) Casting

So this is where I left my comfort zone and had to learn to do things I was unfamiliar with. The good news here is, there are a lot of actors available to be a part of projects like this for varying amounts of money or no money at all if it's an interesting enough project. I will advocate for paying people if you can though because I wanna make money off of my art someday so I think it's only fair to reciprocate. If it is unpaid, just be upfront about that. It's common among indie projects so it's not scandalous or anything.

Anyway, the basic process here is you write up a casting call that says what the project is, what the deadline is for auditioning, and has some audition lines for each characters (called sides). Then you post on Twitter which has a pretty active voice actor community plus some other places like reddit and certain FB groups and auditions will start rolling in. Casting calls tend to spread--people came to me from Discords I'd never heard of. Once you get a bunch you can pick who you like or, if you can't decide, invite back some people for callbacks and then pick.

I think 2 weeks is a good length of time to keep auditions open, longer if you're looking for something really specific.

It's also possible to simplify this step if you happen to know friends who have mics and wanna help or if you want to do a podcast with a very small cast--maybe even just one person who could be you. There are a number of podcasts with that format. I maybe should have mentioned this during writing but I'll mention it here instead. Anything you have to write, you will have to produce, so keep that in mind. Like, when you're writing, it's easy to have a bunch of extras and sound effects and crazy things happening, but remember that you have to bring that all to life later, so maybe a different character can give that exposition so you don't have to cast ANOTHER person as an extra.

(That being said, most actors I've worked with are chill with doing an extra voice or two.)

Oh! Also. Time zones are a thing. Keep that in mind. I do no regret casting an Australian, a Brit, and Americans across the country because they were all fantastic, but it was hell to schedule.

(3) Recording

So there are 3 main ways to record--in person in studio, remotely together, and remotely apart.

Option one is kind of a no-go right now because of Covid so let's talk about the other 2.

Remotely Together means you get all your actors on a Zoom call with you and they're all in their studios and you record as if you're all in the same room. I did this for ANA and I think it's the best way to do it cause people get to react to each other in real time which is great. The only thing is, it means you have to line up everyone's schedules which is a total bear. Still, if you can do it, worth it.

Remotely Apart means you give everyone their scripts and tell them to send in their lines in x weeks. I did this for some episodes of Secret Podcast Number 2 and it works fine. But for the more emotional eps, we still recorded together. This method is good because it gets rid of timing troubles which was necessary since we're doing a December release (which, trust me, is crazy quick for what we’re doing), but there are some things, you want people to be able to adjust their intensity levels for in the moment.

Either way, but especially in scenario 2, I'd suggest you do a table read first where everyone gets on call and reads through everything. It helps everyone get a feel for each other so they're not going in cold.

Wrt directing, it can feel a little weird to tell people how to talk or inflect or how much they should be crying, but, as long as you're polite, just go for it. They're actors. They can take the notes. That's what they do. All of my actors were always super great about it.

(4) Production

Alright so you have lines in from all your actors.

The next question is, how are you going to handle your production? The actual putting together of the lines and cleaning them up and balancing and adding effects and all that?

I specifically wrote ANA to have relatively simply sound design and it was *still* too much for me to handle so I opted to outsource for that and it was for sure where most of a budget went. If you happen to know how to do this or have the time to learn, you'll def save yourself some money. It is still very time consuming though. The one part that I did do--deciding which takes to use from the lines my actors sent (aka: picking takes) and putting them together to send to my sound guy--took super long as is.

If you're going to hire/recruit someone to do this stuff for you, I recommend you do it before you cast because they'll be able to let you know if the actors who want have compatible audio quality.

IDK what standard procedure is here but the way it works with my guy is I send him lines and then he puts stuff together and sends me a draft of the episode. Then I say what I want changed in an excel spreadsheet with time stamps and we go back and forth until it's done.

(5) Ancillary Stuff

Theme music! You probably want that! There are a couple of routes you can go here. You can get something from a music library--either totally free or for a relatively small fee. This is the most cost effective but will probably more generic and likely in use somewhere else if it's fully free.

You can write it yourself if that's a thing you're good at obviously. Or you can pay someone to do it which will probably cost you a couple hundred bucks but will be totally tailored and unique.

Cover Art! Also very important. People do judge things by their covers so I def rec getting a really dope one made. Canva is also your friend for like icons and stuff.

A Website! You'll want at least a basic one for like contact info, transcripts, stuff like that. I just use Carrd. You can get a pretty classic, website-like setup by using sections and you can link to a custom URL for only like 13 bucks a year which is great.

(6) Marketing

OK so, I'm gonna be real with you, this is the step I'm working on now so I'm still figuring it out!

Besides posting on social media and stuff, you also need to make a press kit which is basically a doc with all the info about you and the show. You can see mine on the ANA site.

I also have mood-board-y graphics I made on Canva to drop with each ep (or ahead of them. Haven’t quite decided).

I will say, I’ve made friends in the community and a lot of them have hyped up my stuff without me even asking. Which isn’t me saying, “Make friends for what they can do for you.” Gross. What I’m saying is that just participating in the community can help.

Anyway, this is getting way too long. I hope this was at least somewhat helpful. Like I said, if you (or anyone else) has more specific questions, hit me up!

#asks #anon #podcast #podcast advice #audio drama #Anonymous

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onedirectionfanfics · 5 years

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Love Always, Harry by @gucciwoodnymph

Holmes Chapel, 1985 - Best friends since childhood, you and Harry have grown up to lead lives on opposite ends of the spectrum. He travels the world as a journalist for Rolling Stone. You’re stuck in your hometown, waitressing at a diner. You and Harry keep in touch through letters and postcards until the day he returns home and flips your world upside-down.

This month’s featured story, Love Always, Harry, takes us back to the 80s when we raid record stores with our best friends and send letters to each other as we travel! This fic tells a beautiful love story that blossoms between two best friends who are so different, yet similar in many aspects. Read below to learn more about it from our interview with the lovely author!

***

How long have you been writing for?

I had always been coming up with little stories in my head, but the first time I actually wrote a story down was when I was ten years old. My class had just finished reading Old Yeller and I was really upset about the ending, so I wrote my own version of the story where the wolf bite ends up giving Yeller superpowers instead of rabies, and Yeller uses those powers to fight crime in the town (very highbrow stuff). I haven’t stopped writing since then!

Do you have certain habits or rituals you have to do while writing?

So before I start writing, I have to clean my room or whatever area I’m in. I tend to talk aloud to myself and pace around a lot if I’m trying to work through any snarls in the fic so I need plenty of clean space for that. The first things I pull up on my laptop when I’m starting out are my fic outline and thesaurus.com. I read through the outline a few times to smooth over the scene and get a clear picture of it in my head. Also, I turn into a bit of a hermit when I’m really ready to write. I have to be alone and I need complete silence because I have a goldfish’s attention span and get sidetracked very easily.

The ever famous question: how did you come up with this idea?

I really like the whole “opposites attract” trope and I think showing that dynamic within a close friendship is really interesting because (most) friendships have a stronger, more enduring bond than (most) romantic relationships. So I knew I wanted the story to revolve around two best friends – one who is really confident and more of a free-spirit, and the other who is very reserved and a bit cautious – who fall in love. I also wanted the characters to write letters to each other because I just love the idea of them. I think it’s so sweet when someone takes time to sit down and write out a letter; it adds a nice personal touch.

When does a story go from an idea in your mind to paper? Is there a process you go through before writing it out, or do you just get straight in it?

Some of my writer friends can just dive in and write absolutely beautiful pieces without planning and it makes me so jealous because for me, it takes a loooong time for an idea to go from my mind to paper. I usually have a few different AUs brewing at a time, and I cycle through them until one idea starts to branch off on its own and grow into a Thing that takes up 95% of my daydream capacity. Once I’ve decided on the basic story, I write everything out in an extremely detailed outline that describes the characters and their personalities, and breaks the story down into parts, what events happen in each part, etc.

Your fic is set in the late 1980’s, was there a specific reason for it?

When I decided I wanted to write a fic based around the idea of sending letters, I knew I would have to set it in an earlier decade. It wouldn’t have been realistic to set it in 2019 and have Harry and MC send letters back and forth when they could easily text, call, FaceTime, or stay in touch through social media.

I chose the 80s on a whim. I really love the aesthetic of that era, and after I had an 80s movie marathon I could see Harry fitting perfectly in that time with his cuffed jeans, and Vans, and high-waisted pants.

As a young adult in 2019, how did you find writing a story set in a different time period?

I had a TON of fun writing it, but it involved significantly more research than a fic set in present day. I had to do a lot of research for the little things that make an appearance in the story and make sure that they were actually around in 1985/1986 (i.e., the books on Harry’s nightstand in his room, the candy Harry and MC share when they’re smoking, the VHS tapes, the magazine that the MC interviews for).

I also had to be cognizant of not overdoing the pop culture references in that time. Sometimes after reading over first drafts of the installments, I would find sentences that essentially sounded like, “MC threw on her neon leg warmers before she grabbed her Walkman and listened to a mixtape.” So I edited a lot more to have a balance where I could create an 80s atmosphere, but avoid making it sound contrived.

What made you want to write about a girl who sacrificed the things she loved for a secure future? Is this something you’ve ever had to do?

I wanted to write about it because it’s a trend I see so frequently among my friends and my age group. One of my friends is such a talented artist, but she gave that up to study engineering (which she hates); another one of my friends decided not to pursue his passion for music and instead go to pharmacy school (which he hates), solely because it provides a secure future. I think I had to do it to a lesser degree – I wanted a job that involved lots of reading and writing, and I’m pursuing law which has a ton of that but it’s not the publishing or journalism career I had in mind when I was in high school.

Harry and Y/N have a very special bond. Without Harry, would Y/N have married a controlling man like William?

No, she wouldn’t have. I think eventually she would have realized how stifled she was and how she wouldn’t be happy with someone like her fiance. Harry just expedited that realization for her. Without him, she might have called off the wedding five minutes before she was going to walk down the aisle as opposed to months before, but she would never have actually married William.

Y/N’s self-discovery and growth can all be credited to her (for pursuing her dreams and aspirations) but her decision was heavily influenced by Harry. Would a woman like Y/N have gotten to this position without someone like Harry in her life?

Everyone has someone in their life who pushes them to be the best version of themselves, who calls them out whenever they’re falling short of their potential, and essentially tries to get them into gear whether that’s a friend, family member, mentor, or whoever. In the MC’s case, that someone for her is Harry. Without Harry in her life, I think the MC would still have gotten to her position because she has that drive and desire to do so, but it certainly would have taken her a longer time.

There are a lot of artists and bands from the 80s being referenced in this fic, did you have to do research for it or is old music something you have an interest in?

I really love 70s and 80s music because it reminds me of the stuff my parents used to play while I was growing up, but I did still have to do a lot of research for this fic to make sure it was historically accurate. For example, in Part I the MC gets a letter from Harry dated December 7, 1984. I originally wanted Harry to tell her about how he was reviewing a Fleetwood Mac show, but it turns out FM didn’t tour at all in 1984. So a lot of the time I had to research to make sure the dates, the locations, the artists, and the events all matched up with what actually happened.

I also looked up the actual Rolling Stone UK covers from the 80s to see which artists were featured and what year they were featured in to see if it could fit into the storyline. The actual RS archives are available online for a fee and only for the US editions, so I ended up combing through really obscure websites to find the UK versions, and spent hours on that just for the information to feature in like, one or two lines of the fic.

You wrote a very inspirational and powerful piece about self-growth and knowing your worth, did you hope to influence anyone with it?

Honestly, I treat writing as a form of therapy so when I started writing this fic, my intent was just to vent out my own feelings of inadequacy or frustration, and my fear of failure. When I started this, I wrote the characters to mirror the two “voices” I always have in my mind. The MC is the irrational half of me who’s afraid to even attempt new things out of fear of failing and Harry is the more rational half saying I’ll never get anywhere if I don’t at least try. So not to sound like a narcissist, but I think I mainly hoped to influence myself to grow as a person.

That being said, I have received a few messages from readers about how this fic has influenced them to grow, or recognize their self-worth, or make a change in their lives and it absolutely blows me away that anything I’ve written can do that. I cannot explain how honored I am to have played an iota of a role in helping someone decide to improve their lives. It’s been absolutely the most rewarding facet of sharing my writing.

Anything you’d like to say to anyone who read your fic?

Thank you very much for reading my writing! And thank you for taking the time to send in your comments, questions, rants, and key smashes. It really means more than I can ever articulate, that I’m able to share my writing and have such an amazing response from readers. Thank you a million times.

***

Thank you Tans for the wonderful interview! Check out more of her writing here!

***If you would like to send in recommendations for next months featured story, please do so here.

#1dff #onedirectionfanfics #one direction fanfiction #harry styles fanfiction

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incredibeale-archive · 7 years

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Your otp/ot3 is going to adopt/foster a child. They had planned on a baby/toddler but end up falling for an older child /teenager who has been moved in and out of homes their whole life.

So this has been in my drafts for ages – I decided to finish it. Note: I’ve got minimal knowledge of adoption/fostering, so forgive me for any inconsistencies. (Like, I’m not even sure if Polyamerous couples can foster/adopt, but whatever.)

–

Going into this, they had expected to be fostering (and hopefully adopting) a younger child, honestly. And they had every intention of looking through the websites provided, except they’re contacted and asked if they can take on an emergent case.

They’re wary, but they accept, even though they’re given very little info other then there are no group homes available. The next day, there’s a knock on the door and when Chloe opens it, it’s to reveal a woman in a pantsuit and a young girl who looks to be 12 or 13. She’s this tiny little thing, though – maybe too tiny – and her dark brown hair is pulled up into a messy ponytail, her green eyes downcast. Her clothes are too big and there’s a bruise around her wrist peeking out from under long sleeves, which – worries Chloe.

But then, Chloe notices the smaller figure peeking out from behind the girl. He’s this precious little thing with shaggy brown hair and bright, blue eyes that are mostly hidden by black rimmed glasses that are a little too big for his face. He looks to be 4 or 5.

The woman smiles and holds out her hand. “Hi, I’m Denise, we spoke over the phone.” Chloe takes her hand and shakes it.

“Pleasure to meet you. I’m Chloe, and this is Aubrey and –” Chloe glances behind her with a frown before looking back at the woman. “Beca must still be working upstairs, but please, come in.”

They lead them all into the living room, where Aubrey properly shakes the woman’s hand and everyone takes a seat. “This is Hadley,” The woman gestures to the young girl who sits sullenly, eyes seeming to find her worn down shoes a lot more interesting. “And this is Wyatt.” Denise presses a hand to the little boy’s back, who offers up a shy little smile and Chloe wants to coo because he’s just this tiny little thing and she’s always been a sucker for dimples.

Distantly they can hear a piano being played, but Chloe knows it’s just Beca trying to finish up a few last minute things for work. Still, she knows that the brunette needed to be down here for this. But, as if on cue, the piano playing stops and she can hear little thuds coming down the stairs, signaling Beca’s arrival. The brunette turns into the living room and pauses. “Oh, uh – sorry. I didn’t realize everyone had arrived.” Chloe can tell she’s nervous by the way she scratches absently at her ear lobe. “Uh, I’m Beca.” She holds out her hand to Denise to shake before settling beside Aubrey. “What’d I miss?”

Chloe smiles. “Well, this is Hadley and Wyatt and that’s pretty much it, right now.”

“Cool, nice to meet you guys, too.” Beca says gently, beginning to twist her thumb ring.

Denise smiles and moves to pull a file out of her briefcase. “I appreciate you taking them on at such a short notice. There was –” She seems to pause as she glances down at Hadley. “Well, I’ll explain that soon… Let’s just get started.” Chloe doesn’t miss Hadley’s little frown deepening.

When Beca offers to show the kids where they’ll be staying, Denise proceeds to tell Chloe and Aubrey that Hadley and Wyatt had to be removed immediately because there had been an altercation between Hadley and her previous foster father. They had been horrified to learn that he had manhandled her and struck her, all because she had been protecting Wyatt. The wife had called and said she couldn’t in good conscience keep them there any longer while her husband went to jail.

–

“And this is my studio.” Beca says gesturing to the large room filled with recording equipment and a grand piano.

Wyatt’s eyes are wide as he peeks in. “Wow.” He whispers in awe. “Big p’ano.”

Hadley looks like she wants to be impressed, but seems to decide it’s more important to keep her look of indifference, which- Beca can understand (and relate to). But she chuckles at the little boy and nods. “Yeah, it’s pretty cool, huh?”

The little boy nods so vigorously that he has to push his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

Beca continues the tour, showing them each their rooms before they head back downstairs to see everyone standing. Beca can already see the mild looks of horror on her wives’ faces, though they’re trying to work to replace them with polite smiles as they offer to give Denise a tour (as it is protocol).

–

Hadley is waiting for the other shoe to drop. She and her brother have been here for almost a week now, and it’s – well, she doesn’t want to jinx herself, because it’s been so good. They’re all so kind and funny and Hadley is trying really hard not to get attached, because she knows it won’t last. Nothing this good ever lasts for her.

But on the second day, Chloe and Aubrey had taken them shopping for a whole new wardrobe and school supplies and– she had tried to tell them they didn’t need it– that she didn’t need it, that it was too much. But they’d shaken their heads and told her and her brother to get whatever they wanted. Wyatt had been hesitant, too, but after some encouragement from the redhead, he was picking out clothes and toys and books and– it’s just too good to be true.

Now, though – it’s their first day of school (the week had been for them to get settled). It’s barely 6:30 AM and she really doesn’t have to be up until 6:45 since they have to be there by 8, so she’s not sure why she’s awake, right now… except the thought of trying to find her classroom and talking to people gives her so much anxiety that her stomach churns noisily.

She’s not sure how long she’s been laying there when she hears a soft knock on the door. “Hadley, it’s time to get up, sweetie.” Aubrey says gently. “Beca’s got breakfast going, so just come on down when you’re dressed and ready.” She goes to close the door, but Hadley watches in slight amusement as the blonde pokes her head back in and points a finger at her. “And don’t forget to brush your teeth.”

Hadley chuckles and nods. “Okay, Aubrey.” Aubrey offers the girl a smile before nodding and closing the door behind her. Distantly, she hears the blonde going into her little brother’s room to wake him.

The twelve year old goes about getting dressed (Aubrey had helped her pick her outfit out the night before and to Hadley’s amusement, the rest of the week), before wandering into the bathroom to brush her teeth and maybe try to do something with her hair. After brushing her teeth and giving up on her hair, she heads downstairs and into the kitchen where her brother is already seated, looking like he’s about to burst with excitement.

Beca is at the stove, flipping pancakes and Chloe is setting the table. When the redhead catches her eye, she smiles brightly– and Hadley doesn’t think she’s ever met someone who’s smile is so freaking sincere and sweet that it makes her smile back genuinely. “Good morning, Hads!” And then there’s the nickname, Hadley has never had a nickname, but every time Chloe uses it, her heart feels warm and light and for a minute, she thinks– maybe this is it, maybe they’re here to stay.

“I guess it’s good.” Hadley offers with a shrug. She watches as Beca turns slightly to smirk at her, while Chloe raises a brow.

“Of course it is, it’s your first day of school, aren’t you excited?” Chloe asks, brightly.

Hadley settles into the chair next to her brother and smirks. “Excited isn’t really the word I’d use.” She replies, resting her arms on the table.

“That’s all we need,” Comes Aubrey’s voice from behind her. “Another Beca. Full of snark and sarcasm.” She finishes, lips quirking into a smile as she makes her way to the coffee pot.

Beca turns and smirks knowingly. “Please, you love me.”

Aubrey gives the brunette a once over. “Mm, debatable.” She says with an air of indifference, but Hadley can see the smile creeping on the edge of the blonde’s lips.

For her part, Beca gasps and holds a hand to her heart. “You wound me with your words, Bree.”

From the other side of the room, Chloe rolls her eyes affectionately. “Okay, you two. That’s enough banter. I’m starved.” She moves to kiss both of them on their cheeks before she starts to dish out food.

And Hadley’s never really witnessed a love like this– or really at all. Most of the homes she’d been in, they were never filled with warmth and love like she’d experienced, here. They were cold and distant and silent.

But she supposes that going from houses where two people who are supposed to love and cherish each other that only argue instead, and then coming here– where not just two, but three people love and cherish each other equally and fiercely– well, that’s a really nice change.

And it gives Hadley a little hope that, not everyone is bad.

After breakfast is had, and the chatter dies down, the three women help them to gather their stuff and Chloe offers to french braid Hadley’s hair and– Hadley is so surprised by it, that all she can do is nod dumbly.

“Are all three of you really going to drive us to school?” Hadley asks, trying to hide the amusement in her voice.

Beca just smirks and nods. “Yeah, dude. It’s an important day for you guys.”

“And we want to show our support.” Chloe adds as she helps Wyatt into his car seat.

Aubrey nods her agreement with a soft smile before she moves to the driver’s side.

Hadley nods with a quiet sigh before she slips into the backseat, Beca behind her.

–

Beca can feel everyone’s anxiety (except for Wyatt’s because he’s more excited than anything) as they exit the car. Aubrey and Chloe are nervous for Hadley and though Beca is pretty sure that Hadley is trying to act like she doesn’t care, she can see in the way that she fiddles with her lunch bag that she’s nervous.

“Okay,” Aubrey says on a deep breath. “You two have everything? Your lunches?”

They both nod, Wyatt holding up his Scooby-Doo lunch box and smiling brightly. Beca melts a little at the sight of it because he’s literally the cutest thing.

“Are you sure you don’t want us to walk you in?” Chloe asks anxiously, lip getting caught between teeth.

Beca places a hand at the small of her back. “Chlo, they’ll be fine.”

Hadley offers Beca a small smile. “Yeah, what Beca said.”

Chloe sighs, but nods. “Okay.”

“You better get going, then. You don’t want to be late.” Aubrey says from Chloe’s other side, her hand reaching out to take the redhead’s.

Hadley nods and before she can even reach for her brother’s hand, he’s lurching forward and hugging Chloe’s legs tightly. “Bye, Chlo!” He chirps, and then he moves to Beca and does the same, before doing it a third time to Aubrey.

And Beca thinks that Chloe a little bit might be on the verge of tears, because her bright eyes are suspiciously glassy as she pulls Wyatt back toward her gently to give him a proper hug. “Bye, sweetness.” She says quietly before releasing him and standing back up.

Beca can’t help but smile at the site. She knows it’ll take a lot more time for Hadley to offer or accept that sort of affection, which– she thinks, the kid won’t last long with Chloe around. Beca is living proof of that.

Hadley offers a small, shy smile to the three of them before she takes Wyatt’s hand and they head toward the school building.

“Bye! Have a good day!” Beca calls after them.

Chloe elbows her gently. “That’s too much pressure!”

“I–I mean, h-have the day you have?” Beca looks at the ginger in bemusement while Aubrey just shakes her head.

“C’mon, let’s get home.” Aubrey says, tugging Chloe and Beca by extension, to the car.

–

It’s been six months since Hadley and Wyatt were brought into Aubrey, Chloe, and Beca’s home and the 12 year old has finally accepted that, maybe they actually do care about them. Because they’re still here. They celebrated Halloween together and Thanksgiving and Christmas and– and it was nothing like they had ever had.

Hadley had cried on Christmas morning when she had seen so many gifts for them under the tree.

Yet, apart of her is still a little skeptical, urging her not to get comfortable. That this is only temporary.

She sighs as she closes her science book before Chloe’s voice fills the hall. “Hadley, Wyatt! Will you guys come down, we need to talk to you.”

Hadley’s heart sinks and suddenly a feeling of dread overcomes her. This is it. They’re going to send them back now. Slowly, she stands and meets her brother in the hallway. He’s humming something happily and Hadley wishes she could keep him from the inevitable pain that’s about to wash over them.

When they reach the living room, Aubrey, Chloe, and Beca are sitting on the couch looking on edge and nervous. Aubrey gestures for them to sit on the adjacent couch.

Hadley swallows the lump in her throat– she will not cry. Shouldn’t have gotten attached! She mentally berates.

Aubrey takes a breath and before she can even speak, Hadley is standing up jerkily, fists clenched at her sides. “If you’re gonna send us back, at least just– consider keeping Wyatt. I know we weren’t what you were expecting or–wanting, but– he–he deserves this and I–I know I’m older and more complicated, so I under–” She can’t fight the tears anymore, or the way she sobs out her words. “–under-s-stand why you’d w-want to se–”

The three adults look equal parts confused and sad, but Beca is the one who cuts her off, shaking her head furiously. “Dude, no!”

“We’re not sending you back.” Aubrey adds quickly, while Chloe shakes her head, gently, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Hadley sniffs and swipes away a few tears. “Y-You’re not? Then what–”

Chloe stands slowly and takes Hadley’s hand. She stiffens at first, resisting the urge to pull away. “No, silly.” She croaks, offering this soft little smile. “We want to adopt you.”

Hadley’s heart seizes in her chest and she blinks up owlishly at the girl. Behind her, Wyatt gasps. “You’re gonna be our moms?!” She watches as Chloe’s smile grows and then she notices Aubrey and Beca both giving watery smiles, but Beca is nodding softly.

“Yeah, little man. If that’s cool with you– we can be whatever you want us to be.” She says, voice thick.

Wyatt is out of his seat and rushing toward Beca and Aubrey before he practically flings himself at the two women. Beca chuckles while Aubrey tells him to be careful, but unable to keep serious as he hugs both their necks tightly. “So cool with me.” Wyatt whispers.

Hadley brings her gaze back to Chloe’s. “Y-you want to adopt us?” She asks again, needing the clarification, because this is– it’s just– it has to be a dream.

Chloe nods gently. “Yes, Hads. We love you both, so very much.”

And then something happens that– has never happened before. Hadley lurches forward and throws her arms around the redhead’s waist, burying her face in the women’s abdomen. One of Chloe’s arms wrap around her tightly, while the other gently combs through her hair. “I–I love you too.” Hadley whispers, finally. And she does, she loves all three of them so much. It’s the first time she’s admitted it to anyone, even herself, but she’s never been more happy than in this moment.

A moment later, she feels another hand on her back and pulls away enough to see Aubrey and Beca smiling at her warmly, Wyatt perched on Beca’s hip and cuddling into her. Hadley finally moves away from Chloe to hug Aubrey, and then Beca.

“You okay, kiddo?” Beca asks as Hadley pulls back from their hug.

Hadley sniffs and nods. “I–Yeah. I’m– I’m so happy.” She says, smiling so wide that it hurts her cheeks.

“I take it, that you definitely want to make this permanent, then.” Aubrey says with a smile.

“Yes. Please. When, when will it be official?” She needs it to be official. She doesn’t ever want to be taken away from this place.

Chloe brushes a few stray tears from Hadley’s cheeks and Hadley surprises everyone, including herself as she leans into the touch.

“We’ll submit the paperwork today.” Aubrey says quietly, voice quivering.

The room is quiet for a moment, before Wyatt grins down at Hadley. “We have three moms now, Hadley. Isn’t that so cool?”

Hadley chuckles. “Yeah, that’s– that’s pretty cool.”

Later, Hadley will think back and realize how fitting it is. They started out with nothing and no one. No love. And then here came Aubrey, Chloe, and Beca – their parents – so full of love and goodness that sometimes Hadley forgets that there was a time she wasn’t loved or cared for.

#pitch perfect fanfiction #Triple Treble fanfiction #( she makes us better || triple treble ff )#;;i hope you guys like this #sorry its a bit long???#alsooo it's hard to write that many people omg

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