Final Author's Notes

Disclaimer: I still don't own Twilight. Oh, and if you haven't read chapter 88, go back. That's the real last chapter. This chapter really just comprises of some commentary and the "credits" to the story. You don't have to read this. I don't even wanna read this, lmao, but it's been a long journey so I have a lot of shit to say. If you find the length of this A/N daunting (and you should, tbh), then here's a quick table of contents:

-Opening notes
-The background/humble beginnings of the story + inspirations + themes
-Outtakes/alternate plot points
-Q&A
-Playlist
-Closing notes

I'd like to start out by giving a HUGE thank you to everybody who took the time to read this story, listen to me talk about this story, review this story, follow this story, favorite this story, etc., etc., etc. I'd even like to thank the people who started but then gave up after a chapter, after 7 chapters, after 40 chapters, after 87 chapters (actually, no, wtf), whatever. You're not reading this now, but every view of every chapter counts.

(By the way, because I'm not required to write like a writer right now, I'll be cussing a lot, so don't read this to your kids, lmao.)

This story is just a Twilight fanfiction, of course, but it holds a bit more value than that to me because writing it has been a journey through the hardest times of my life. The humble, humble beginnings of Static came when I was a freshman in high school in like 2012/2013, back when I was busting out 3 one-shots a week and Twilight fanfiction was still kind of poppin'. I wrote this cheesy little thing called Ride, and that ended up being a very, very rough outline of the 88-chapter monster known as Static. I knew I wanted to write a fic about the Quileutes because I've always been Team Jacob/Team Leah/Team Quileute and I literally don't give an ounce of a fuck about the Cullens. So I went with that and just rode with it. Static existed as a handful of one-shots before it become what we know as Static, years later.

So anyway, it has taken me YEARS to get this story together. I started when I was a high school freshman, and I'm ending it as a college freshman. Static has been my little letter to adolescence, and while I'm still not a real adult, I've grown a lot as a person while writing this.

The characters have been the most important part of the story to me. I knew I had to make them at least a little different from canon because everybody is human and we never got a lot of the wolf pack, anyway, but I will admit I ended up making them pretty far from canon. I also, in no sort of way, pose no accurate depictions of the Quileute tribe. I just got some characters and made them into everyday young people living in the Pacific Northwest, something I know best. (I live up here, and the weather really is as trash as I portrayed it.)

I drew a lot of characterization inspiration from some people who have shaped my adolescence. Paul shares a couple of good and bad traits with my best friend (except she's not a slut). Quil ended up being kind of like my younger brother in regards to his musical skills (except my brother can beatbox his heart out, not rap). Jacob's self-esteem issues were shaped just a little bit by this guy I met in college. I wanted to make these characters come off as "real" teenagers, and I hope they did. This story runs on its characters. I based a lot of the female characters after myself, too, once I got into their heads and decided who I wanted them to be. I could list the traits of Leah and tell you which ones she shares with me, but that would be tedious and probably super self-centered. I've spent a lot of time on the characters, especially the women. Like, a lot. I could tell you Leah's favorite movie (in case you haven't read the story yet somehow, you're reading this long-ass author's note, it's Selena, obviously). I could tell you how Kim feels about various pop stars, or her favorite songs. I could tell you the track list to Quil's mixtape and the significance of every song title. All the characters have a different zodiac sign, too, and if you care enough, you can message me so I can tell you exactly why I gave them their respective signs. I care. So much. I couldn't have such a long story with flat characters, and, anyway, I got bored. Boredom and writer's block led to me fleshing these characters out like nobody's business. I had to get in their heads and know everything about them.

(Side note: I realize that I never explained in the story why Kim's nickname is Bambi, but it's because that's her favorite movie and she's dressed up as a deer for a significant number of Halloweens. I also heard this Azealia Banks [I know she's awful, don't me] song in 2013 that had this great lyric with the nickname Bambi in it, and I thought, "Wow, Kim would love this song." So there's that.)

This story also runs on themes, which explains its length. I had a friend ask me, "Why the fuck is this story so long? Why didn't you make it into three parts or something?" The thing is, the story is already split into parts (you'll see later if you forgot). Some parts are 11 chapters long and others are 40 chapters long. It wouldn't work. So this long-ass shitstorm of a fanfic is what you get.

Anyway, this story is about love (lmao), sexuality, crime, the erasure of bisexuality, racial profiling, systemic oppression, misogyny, the role of feminism and how it varies, socioeconomic inequality, rape culture, double standards, and other issues that I care about, but it's mostly about friendship and ultimately, family. This story is especially about choices, and the family you choose. This story is largely about women, too. It's about almost everything I care about because in the end, I wrote it for me. It's a love/hate letter to adolescence, and it means so much to me.

And even though this story is for me, it's also for you. (All three of you.) It's for fanfiction readers. I would like to formally apologize to the Jacob fans, though. I initially meant for this story to be all about him, like the one-shot Ride is, but once I realized that this is really about Leah way too late, I got stuck. I shouldn't have started the first chapter giving the impression that the story was mainly about him. So I'm sorry if you feel scammed out of a Jacob fic (even though there are literally so many already in existence). If it makes you feel any better, though, I ended up making a LOT of plot changes in response to the complaints given in the reviews. For example, Jacob x Lizzie was never gonna happen until I considered a review that went something like, "I wish Jacob would get engaged and move away," and I was like, "Wow, actually, he needs that." If you guys hated a chapter because there wasn't enough Jacob/Leah it it, then the immediate next chapter would feature Jacob/Leah. And then there were the little things, like comments that Jacob and Leah would make to each other that would actually address some of the reviews. (I'm on top of my shit.) So if you thought the presence of Jacob was weak throughout the story, trust me—if y'all hadn't expressed so often how annoyed you were, it would have been A LOT WORSE.

Here are some outtakes/alternate plot points that you may or may not find to be interesting:

-I struggled with the title of this for a LOOOOONG time. The other options were really bad so I won't mention them here, but they were bad. Just know that. So if you think "Static" is stupid, you could have gotten something a lot more stupid.

-The story was gonna start with Leah. I didn't know what I was doing, though, so I started with Jacob. Again, sorry.

-Kim was not going to be as important as she was. I don't even think I was gonna make her bisexual.

-I reallyyyyy wanted to do a sexy, tasteful, full-fledged Leah x Kim sex scene, but I didn't because there was no room for it. I should have done it, though. Fuck. And now I really wanna write a Leah x Kim fanfic, but I told myself I was gonna be done with fanfiction once this story ended, so I'm screwed.

-Paul was originally gonna die in a dumb-ass drowning accident. Next.

-Edward wasn't going to be important after the Venice trip but then I decided there needed to be more drama, and Paul was not going to die in a dumb-ass drowning accident. Also I just like making Edward the bad guy because I do what I want.

-I was gonna do a lot more with Emily but it was starting to come off autobiographical of me in high school and that was kind of annoying.

-I was going to have Sam be more about native power but there wasn't really room for that and I don't care about Sam that much.

-I was gonna emphasize Embry being a genius more but idk.

-Kim was going to reunite with her first girl crush, Ashley, but then I had her and Leah happen.

-Quil's time as a rapper wasn't going to happen, but I thought I'd do something funny. Also, I wanted his Vine fame to amount to something.

-I don't think Jared was gonna be a minor villain?

-I always meant to do a Leah x Paul sex scene but it would've been too wild.

-The story would have overall been super freaky? I don't know.

-Charlie and Sue originally weren't gonna get married but I was really trying to push the "Bella and Leah learn to grow the fuck up and not despise each other" thing to clear the air before Bella died.

-There was gonna be a FREAKY-ASS Jacob x Bella sex scene but that also would have been too wild and made chapter 23 even longer than it already is.

-Seth and Embry were gonna have a subplot where they try to cure Seth's asthma (? Lmao, I think I was watching a lot of MTV's Teen Wolf at the time I thought of this) but it really didn't fit.

-Embry was gonna have this wild crush on Sue, but like… No.

-Rosalie was initially going to get some sort of revenge on Leah for sleeping with Emmett, but that would have been super extra. She could have been one of the people who helped Edward threaten Bella, Paul, etc. in the end, but she and Emmett are actually grown and have lives. And, anyway, that would have just put Leah at an even bigger risk and she really didn't need that.

-Someone mentioned in a review once that they thought Leah was going to get pregnant with Emmett's baby, and for a HOT MINUTE I considered it but didn't follow through.

-A very early idea I had was that there would be a love triangle type of conflict with Quil, Claire, and Brady/Colin, the latter obviously being a more age-appropriate lover for Claire. Then I realized that I didn't care that much, and I wasn't going to somehow justify Quil getting involved with a girl as young as her.

-I wanted some sort of pregnancy scandal to occur with Claire, Quil, and Jasper right at the end, but there really wasn't any room for it and I was like, "Bitch, you wildin lmao" to myself.

-Up until I got to the end, Quil wasn't going to turn himself in for killing Jasper, but then I realized it would be wildly unfair for him to get away with murder while two of his friends died AND have a booming music career.

-This is minor, but there was going to be a LOT more Kim x Leah banter in their everyday dialogue since I think they could talk about everything and anything, but it would have gotten distracting or worse, gone completely unnoticed. If I had known that Leah and Kim were gonna be a thing when I first started writing the story, I would have certainly had them start to brew with the assuring words and thigh touches earlier than they did. Later, I would have had much more sexually-charged dialogue because I'm a freak hoe.

-Leah's daddy issues were mentioned once (see: chapter 72) but I wish I talked about them more, and in a serious way, because she does have them. (She also has a daddy kink, BUT that's irrelevant. And wildly inappropriate.)

-Leah x Kim wasn't even gonna happen until I realized that they really were kind of gay, especially when they started living together, so I thought I'd act on it. Also, Kim deserves happiness after being kicked around a bunch during the story. ALSO ALSO, I like having bisexual representation.

-Bella's funeral was gonna be in Phoenix? Idk what I was on when I came up with that but Jacob and Leah were gonna drive down and for some reason, all of Bella's exes were gonna be there (because Edward would be alive, since he originally wasn't going to be a Big Bad, and Kim wouldn't be an ex at all because Bella x Kim originally wasn't gonna happen) along with some OCs for her Phoenix friends. It was gonna be super extra and a really obvious mention to my first big fic Destructive Desire and its baby sister Blur, BUT I decided that that's hella stupid. ANYWAY.

-Leah and Jacob were gonna end up together but I thought that would be boring and I just like Leah x Kim more, and Leah x Jacob just wasn't going anywhere.

Now here's some Q&A:

Q: What inspired your characterization for Kim? (Anon)

A: She's inspired by a couple people I know in her habits, like dance and having very opinionated opinions on pop artists, as well as the fact that she's very emotional. Because I have no clue who played her for that split second in the Breaking Dawn – Part 1 movie, her physical characterization for me is kind of similar to that of the singer-songwriter/dancer/talented person Tinashe. Her personality has a little bit of Tinashe in it, too: hard-working, "nice," bisexual… You know.

Q: Will Emily and Embry end up together? (Anon)

A: Eventually. I think right after the events of Static, Embry is getting ready for Quil to go to prison so they're recording a whole bunch of music. Emily is still working, but she's going to drop everything and move to New York, like, really cliché, you know. Embry will come with her.

Q: What's life for Quil gonna be like now? (Anon)

A: Probably 25 years in prison, so nothing, really. He gains an even bigger following after his arrest, which may or may not expand past Vine since we all know that Vine died this past January (rip). 98350 is a sleeper hit and receives great reviews for a first mixtape. The tracks "Loop That Shit" and "PNW (Pussy N Weed)" become singles, along with the fan-demanded "Bambi". The public finds out that Kim is Bambi. (Leah is still smug because she stole Quil's lifelong crush.) Embry helps Quil drop music from prison, kind of like Gucci Mane but not as cool. So not much is going on for Quil. He'd be better off if he hadn't killed Jasper, but he only started recording music because he killed Jasper and needed a distraction, so it's hard to tell.

Q: Can you please write another Bella/Paul story where they don't die and have a happier life? (lazygirl)

A: I'd love to, but I'm 98% sure this is my final fanfic, and I don't think it'd be that popular with the readers here. Bella and Paul really exist in this story as foils for Leah, Jacob, and sometimes Kim. My plan for Bella x Paul has been the same from the start, from the pregnancy to the lottery winning to their respective deaths. And I like to think that if Bella and Paul hadn't died, they would have broken up at some point. They're still flaky, flighty people with commitment issues—I don't think the baby would have made those issues disappear. Thanks for the request, though, as well as the support for these characters.

Q: Will Leah and Kim tell (at least) Sue that they're dating? (Bobbihachet)

A: Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Well, okay, they won't tell her, but she'll know. Chapter 88, which is kind of like an epilogue, has an epilogue, too. Let's call it 88b. So in 88b, Leah tells Sue that she and Kim are going to drive Seth down to L.A., where he goes to school. Sue is perfectly fine with it. Leah and Kim are flirty or whatever, you know, the usual. Not to sound cheesy as hell, but their relationship strengthens even more over this trip, especially on the drive back up. (If you're familiar with my other works, think Youth Knows No Pain Parts 1 and 3 but with better writing.) They get back, and they've decided to be more open with their relationship, beyond just holding hands in public. They're not ready to tell EVERYONE (even though everyone kind of knows because of the hand-holding), but Leah tells Sue and Sue's like, "That's what I thought." So it's really cheesy, but Leah and Kim do end up coming out. They just don't make a big deal about it. It's very natural. (Fuck, now I wanna write this epilogue.)

Q: Is Jacob going to visit the badlands again? (Guest)

A: He'll visit his dad every once in a while, but no. He's moving on in life with Lizzie. Tbh, he needs a reeeaaaallyyyyyy fresh start.

Q: How are things going to go for [Jacob] and Lizzie? (Guest)

A: Because I won't publish this anywhere unless y'all beg for it (and we know THAT won't happen), I'll call this 88c, yet another epilogue that I won't write unless some miracle occurs. So anyway, Jacob eventually gets married to Lizzie. They get married in Portland or Vancouver, you know, somewhere real basic, and he invites all his messy homies from the badlands. Everyone's a little more grown up or whatever—it's been a couple years since the end of the story. Let's say it's 2017. (The story ended in 2014.) We catch up with the kids. Emily x Embry show up even though they live far away. (Spoiler alert: it's New York.) Quil is still in jail. Sam goes to the wedding, I guess. Seth is doing well in college and is majoring in computer science because he's a smart cookie. Leah and Kim have moved to somewhere in Southern California that isn't Venice but is somewhat affordable. Kim tried being a nurse, which she always wanted to do, but she realizes she'd rather dance for a living. She ends up becoming a small-time backup dancer with a little modeling on the side. (She's gained quite a social media following, her Instagram being full of aesthetically pleasing photos of her and Leah as well as various makeup looks, so it's not hard for her to get "discovered." She's too short to do any runway modeling even though she'd make a decent Victoria's Secret Angel otherwise. Her fame is similar to that of Cindy Kimberly and limited to Instagram.) Leah realizes she doesn't hate law; she just had a poor experience with Emmett. She's a paralegal. (I don't know a lot about law, but my homegirl Dakota Johnson played a paralegal in How to Be Single and I thought that was cool.) Kim and Leah live together. ANYWAY, so the gang (sans Quil, Paul, and Bella, of course) get together again for Jacob's wedding in Portland or Vancouver or whatever. Things are a little ghetto but it's fine. There's a little drama. It's a fun time for everyone overall. Jacob and Lizzie later have a couple mixed kids. He probably gets a beer gut but he's a great dad.

Q: I'm interested in finding out whether you had the entire story planned out before it was written, or did you decide which way the plot would go as you wrote it? I would also like to know what made you decide to have Paul win the lottery in this story. (megan39)

A: I had most of the story planned before I wrote it, yes. The plot line was very basic. I knew there was gonna be Leah, Jacob, Bella, and Paul. I also knew the major plot points like the road trip and the lottery and Bella and Paul dying in the end. I did make some adjustments/additions/subtractions as I went along, though, based partially on the flow of the story, partially on how the readers were reacting to the story, and partially on other things. I decided to have Paul win the lottery as kind of a way to prove that no matter what, life isn't fair for these characters. I don't like to do happy endings in my stories. That being said, when the majority of readers who took the time to review jumped down my throat in response to me having Paul win the lottery, I had to gain EVEN MORE patience and be like, "Just you wait." When has anything been fair for anyone in the story? Leah had a basketball scholarship to the school of her dreams, then she tore her ACL and wrecked it all. Then her father died. Then her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and her brother called her a jinx for it. I could go on forever with the rest of the characters. The tagline of this story should be "Life sucks," honestly. Paul's lottery winning (and inevitable death) was meant to be an example of that. It just took a little longer to play out.

That's the end of the Q&A. If there are some especially compelling questions asked, I'll update it.

Music is a huge part of my life, and if you're a real HalcyonSeasons stan (just kidding), you'd know that I got my start on here with the pen name MusicTwilightLove, aka the dumbest fucking pen name I've ever come up with in my whole-ass life.

Anyway, I like music. A lot. Every chapter of this long-ass fucking story has a lyric to go with it (save for the last chapter, which has two different lyrics). Personally, I think it's a powerful playlist. (My friend Tina would agree.) It has everything and everyone I love all in one place, and if this were to get lucky and somehow become a TV show or a miniseries or something, then this would be the guideline for the score/soundtrack.

Playlist

Part 1

Onism: The frustration of being stuck in just one body, that inhabits only one place at a time.

Chapter 1 – "This Is What Makes Us Girls" by Lana Del Rey – This really shows the early relationship between Kim and Leah. From the start, they have put each other first. So, uh, yeah, I started with some Kim x Leah foreshadowing from the beginning. You know it.

Chapter 2 – "West Coast" by Lana Del Rey – This song has a very summer vibe to it. The simplicity yet depth of summer plays a major role in the story. Anything can happen in the summer for these characters.

Chapter 3 – "This Is What Makes Us Girls" by Lana Del Rey – The lyric itself ("and that's where the beginning of the end begun") is a summary of the chapter, plain and simple. Quil gets sent away, Emily and Sam "start over" (not really), and Leah thinks Paul is good to have in her life.

Chapter 4 – "Know It Ain't Right" by M.I.A. – This song describes the earlier Paul x Leah relationship. They both knew he was bad for her but they didn't care. Paul's arrest in this chapter is further evidence of this.

Chapter 5 – "Chasing Time" by Azealia Banks – This song mostly reflects upon Leah's constantly bitchy attitude and need to be independent. This is Leah's defining chapter, in my opinion.

Chapter 6 – "Teen Idle" by Marina and the Diamonds – Emily's suicidal behaviors go hand in hand with this song. This song is super triggering for me, as well as Emily's actions in this chapter, so it was hard to write and even read back on. Being a self-harmer myself, I always meant to elaborate more on Emily, but I never did.

Chapter 7 – "Still Sane" by Lorde – The "all work and no play" theme of the song is very Leah, of course. Leah knows what she's about.

Chapter 8 – "Girls Like Girls" by Hayley Kiyoko – A very obvious ode to Kim's sexuality, which is first directly considered in this chapter. The chapter also pays homage to the music video for this song, in which Kim beats up a boy to defend the girl she likes. But on a deeper note, the lyric ("I'm real and I don't feel like boys") really goes with Kim's mindset. She's always felt kind of fake because she's always been so concerned with Jared and how he feels all the time. This is her getting real and focusing on how she's feeling and what she wants. This was a favorite chapter of mine.

Chapter 9 – "You're The One" by Charli XCX – A very young Leah's feelings towards a very young Paul and the retrograde he put her in when he initially left.

Chapter 10 – "Colors" by Halsey – This song is cheesy so I regret it, but it describes Leah and Paul at the moment, and how Paul has such an effect on her.

Part 2

Anecdoche: A conversation in which everyone is talking, but nobody is listening.

Chapter 11 – "Everything Is Embarrassing" by Sky Ferreira – This moody song describes a moody Leah, who now finds everything to be… embarrassing. At least, since Paul left again. This isn't the lyric I used but it's still relevant: "Telling me that basically, you're not looking out for me."

Chapter 12 – "Shades of Cool" by Lana Del Rey – This chapter actually first saw the light of day in June 2014 as a one-shot of mine titled His Strange Weather. That was back before I was sure I wanted to write Static. The song is very, very Paul. This chapter was inspired by the many Washingtonians I know who romanticize California. I love them, but they're annoying. Or maybe I'm just bitter because I haven't tried In N Out yet. I don't know.

Chapter 13 – "Fuck 'Em Only We Know" by Banks – This chapter featured Bella for the very first time, and I was scared as hell to post it. This is THE Bella chapter. I wrote a large chunk of this one years ago, and I meant to post it as a one-shot but never did. This song goes with the early Bella x Edward vibe that was something like, "We're the best, we're so special, and anybody who judges us doesn't know anything." This was coming from people who HOTBOXED in a GROCERY STORE PARKING LOT in BROAD DAYLIGHT.

Chapter 14 – "Esta Noche" by Azealia Banks – Like chapter 12, this was also in existence before Static, and it was known as a one-shot called Esta Noche. This was when Jacob x Bella was really defined. The lyric is something like, "He prefers the exclusive kind," which isn't that accurate. Jacob didn't know Bella was dating anybody. Fun chapter, though.

Chapter 15 – "Old Money" by Lana Del Rey – I used to hate this song, but the lyric I used ("The power of youth is on my mind / Sunsets, small towns, I'm out of time") really describes Bella in the moment. This is the first time we really see her cut and run, something that she eventually becomes used to, along with lying.

Part 3

Monachopsis: The subtle but persistent feeling of being out of place.

Chapter 16 – "Is There Somewhere" by Halsey – I love this song and I knew I was going to use it in Static, from the get-go. This song goes well with Emily in this story. She never means to fall in love, but it happens, anyway. It's just unhealthy with Sam.

Chapter 17 – "Pity Party" by Melanie Martinez – Besides the fact that it's Leah's birthday in this chapter, she also finds herself going a little crazy. The party really does turn into a pity party by the end of the chapter. It's very sad.

Chapter 18 – "Midas Touch" by Ellie Goulding – These last couple of chapters of the story so far have been sad, but this one takes the cake. As the lyrics suggest, Bella's been going through changes, and her life has been up and down. This chapter is a favorite of mine, and it features a callback to the fanfic that made me realize I love writing fanfiction, Destructive Desire. (I'm not promoting it, though, it's fucking trash.)

Chapter 19 – "Tessellate" by Ellie Goulding – This song was always going to be a major part of this story. It demonstrates the social aspect of the story, as well as the group's general mentality. People talk shit, and shit gets around. I don't think this cast of characters is pettier than any other group of young adults, though. It's summer. They're bored. Gossip is a form of communication.

Chapter 20 – "Tessellate" by Ellie Goulding – Same song, different topic. This chapter isn't about Bella's relationship as an outsider to the group; it's about her and Jacob, and she's diving in. I love this song.

Chapter 21 – "Kicks" by FKA twigs – This chapter really shouldn't have happened, tbh, but I couldn't stand to make the story 87 chapters instead of 88. Lesson learned: phone sex doesn't really work in fanfiction. MOVING ON.

Chapter 22 – "Problem" by Natalia Kills – Possibly one of the pettiest chapters of the story, this is one of my favorites. Bella is beginning to cause a drift in the group due to her involvement with Jacob. It's also low-key racist, and because I care, I mentioned it. This chapter is petty but within reason. And, anyway, Bella in this chapter is a "goddamn problem."

Chapter 23 – "High For This" by The Weeknd – Probably the most explicit chapter in regards to sex, this is also one of my favorites. I'm a bit embarrassed in hindsight because when I wrote this chapter, I hadn't ever smoked weed. That's obvious. Maybe if I revise this story sometime in the distant future, I'll put my newly acquired insight to work and make it right. Anyway, Bella and Jacob were high for, like, most of the time in this chapter. That's why I picked this song. This was such a fun chapter.

Chapter 24 – "Hurricane" by Halsey – Previously known as Injustices of the Worst Kind, this chapter is about Bella not belonging to anybody. The lyric used ("Oh, baby, beggin' you to save me / Though lately, I like 'em crazy") is sarcastic in this context. Bella doesn't need a man to save her from her mental health issues. That would be impossible. So, this chapter was a big "fuck you" to the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope. I never liked John Green that much, anyway.

Chapter 25 – "Life Round Here" by Ellie Goulding – This song has been THE theme of the story since I first started writing it. This chapter goes back to Bella and Edward, and it features some commentary on rape culture. Is that just the life round here?

Chapter 26 – "Know Yourself" by Drake – I don't really care for Drake or this song. I just needed a lyric for the chapter.

Chapter 27 – "Swimming Pools (Drank)" by Kendrick Lamar – I love this song. SO MUCH. The lyric here ("I ride, you ride, bang") really just describes the strong female friendships forming/strengthening at this point in the story.

Chapter 28 – "Swimming Pools (Drank)" by Kendrick Lamar – This chapter is about the girls drowning in the new environment that is Venice, as well as Kim and Bella becoming more interested in each other. "I think that I'm feeling the vibe / I see the love in her eyes."

Chapter 29 – "Don't Hold The Wall" by Justin Timberlake – I thought this song would work a long time ago, but it really doesn't in the context of the main 4 girls getting arrested and bailed out by Edward. He thinks he's all that, but this song doesn't work, so I'm trash for this.

Chapter 30 – "This Is What Makes Us Girls" by Lana Del Rey – This story is really about the girls. Sometimes they stick together, and other times they don't. They don't in this chapter. (See: Leah and Bella's first fight in Venice.)

Chapter 31 – "Ultraviolence" by Lana Del Rey – This chapter, in which Edward beats the shit out of Bella and she realizes that they are not okay and will never be okay, was written a long time ago. The message has always been the same: you can always be betrayed by the people you love. This chapter is super sad.

Chapter 32 – "Gods and Monsters" by Lana Del Rey – I really don't know why I used this song. I mean, it's not bad but it's not the best choice for this transitional chapter. Shoutout to my old fic Gods and Monsters, though. ( Bella and Jacob shippers: that's for you.)

Chapter 33 – "Poetic Justice" by Kendrick Lamar – This is actually Leah's song, as well as the new Leah x Paul theme. "Every second, every minute / Man, I swear that she can get it." I think the original plan for this chapter was something a bit sexier, but I don't know.

Chapter 34 – "Bad Blood" by Taylor Swift – I try to avoid snakes like Taylor Swift at all costs, but this song perfectly describes the chapter. Leah and Bella used to kind of get along, and now they're gonna fight. Obviously. First Beach Fight Club, bitch.

Chapter 35 – "Two Weeks" by FKA twigs – Very Jacob x Bella. She could easily trap him, and being with her for him is like being high. This is a favorite chapter of mine.

Chapter 36 – "Poetic Justice" by Kendrick Lamar – This is THE Leah x Paul chapter. It's the fluffiest thing I've written but I have no regrets since it's probably one of the best chapters in this long-ass, dark-ass story.

Chapter 37 – "Pendulum" by FKA twigs – Emily x Embry. Embrily. Writing them together is annoying because they have such similar names but that's how it is.

Chapter 38 – "Dark Times" by The Weeknd – Very Quil and Kim, but not Quil x Kim. They both return to their pasts here. Sometimes people remain… static.

Chapter 39 – "Slow Life" by Grizzly Bear – This song is from the New Moon soundtrack. I didn't really have a good idea for a song for this short chapter, so I went with what I knew. It worked.

Chapter 40 – "Desperado" by Rihanna – "There ain't nothing here for me anymore, but I don't wanna be alone." Very Emily.

Part 4

Altschmerz: Weariness with the same old issues that you've always had – the same boring flaws and anxieties that you've been gnawing on for years.

Chapter 41 – "Unravel" by POP ETC – I just really like this song. Here's a special nod to "Kiss It Better" by Rihanna. It almost made the cut.

Chapter 42 – "Gasoline" by Halsey – This is a favorite chapter of mine. I find it to be the very core of the story. That's all I can really say about it.

Chapter 43 – "In Time" by FKA twigs – The chapter is about Paul, but the lyrics are really in Leah's perspective. It's a short chapter that mentions The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Twilight, The Fault in Our Stars, Glee, and The Breakfast Club all in the same sentence because I'm a trash can of a writer.

Chapter 44 – "Same Ol' Mistakes" by Rihanna – This was a strange chapter, but I enjoyed writing it. The mood of the lyrics ("I can just hear them now / 'How could you let us down?' / But they don't know what I found / Or see it from this way 'round") is very Leah. Her mom is fighting breast cancer yet she finds herself more bummed about Paul leaving her. Again. Seth thinks she's letting the family down. You know the rest.

Chapter 45 – "Same Ol' Mistakes" by Rihanna – Also known as the end of Jacob x Bella as we know it. Sorry, shippers. Bella's stubbornness comes out a lot here. Shoutout to the movie How to Be Single, which in hindsight makes this very, very, very ironic. "Stop thinking you're the only option."

Chapter 46 – "Change" by Banks – This song has nothing to do with the chapter, but it's a good song. I love Banks. I think "Hide" by FKA twigs was the original song I was going to use, but I didn't.

Chapter 47 – "Let You Love Me" by Tinashe – The song doesn't go with the chapter, which is one of my favorites despite it getting negative reception from people here. It's still a good song, though.

Chapter 48 – "Born To Die" by Lana Del Rey – Naturally, people almost died in this chapter. (See: Paul x Bella's first date, the car crash.)

Chapter 49 – "Born To Die" by Lana Del Rey – I've used this song A LOT in my fanfics throughout the years. I'd be ignoring my roots if I didn't use it here. Shoutout to half of my fics!

Part 5

Énouement: The bittersweetness of having arrived in the future and seeing how things turn out, but not being able to tell your past self.

Chapter 50 – "Is There Somewhere" by Halsey – The Sam x Emily theme. Peep Kim meeting her lesbian neighbors for the first time. I thought I was being soooo innovative when I threw Tanya x Carmen in; they're there for a good reason, I swear.

Chapter 51 – "Yeah, I Said It" by Rihanna – Leah doesn't care for titles as she gets with her boss, Emmett. Sexy, short song for a sexy, short-lived couple. I had no idea how to write Leah x Emmett without making it too Leah x Paul (and Emmett is in this story to REMIND Leah of Paul) so it came off as a little Fifty Shades, but it's whatever.

Chapter 52 – "Hold Up" by Beyoncé – Leah starts realizing things, like how Beyoncé realizes things in Lemonade, an album that truly, honestly saved my life. I think I played with the idea of Rosalie finding out and getting some form of revenge, but that's super extra. Like, even for me, and I took the time to write an 88-chapter Twilight fanfiction in 2017.

Chapter 53 – "Love Drought" by Beyoncé – I enjoyed writing this chapter, and I love this song. Paul x Bella begins to emerge in a sober, non-sexual setting.

Chapter 54 – "My Best Days" by Lana Del Rey – This chapter is comprised partly of my one-shot My Best Days, except it has been altered to fit the context and form of Static. Moody song for a moody chapter.

Chapter 55 – "Rehab" by Amy Winehouse – This chapter was inspired just a little bit by Amy Winehouse, who I absolutely adore. I think I was watching the Amy movie a lot when I wrote this chapter.

Chapter 56 – "XO" by Beyoncé – Kim x Bella comes to be. Kim needed this, and I enjoyed writing this chapter. A gentle song for a gentle chapter. "Baby, love me lights out." And Bella actually loved Kim lights out, because their lamp burned out. I'm so funny.

Chapter 57 – "c u next tuesday" by Kesha – I like this song, and not for the obvious reasons. "Let's not pretend it's love."

Chapter 58 – "Needed Me" by Rihanna – Despite this chapter getting shit on by various anonymous readers, it's still one of my favorites. "Didn't they tell you I was a savage?"

Chapter 59 – "Still Sane" by Lorde – A theme of Leah's and a callback to chapters 5 and 7, this gentle song goes with this mostly gentle chapter. After all the complaints about chapter 58, I revamped this one to kind of compensate for the general dissatisfaction. I wrote this long-ass Twilight fanfic for me and if I wanted it to be a choose-your-own-adventure story, it would have been one, but I have changed a LOT of details and chapters in order to please the audience, who may or may not have ended up still disliking this story. I don't care that much and I'm always going to write what I want, but just know that this story would have been A LOT worse if you guys hadn't dragged me as often as you did. So thanks for that, I guess.

Chapter 60 – "Don't Hurt Yourself" by Beyoncé – Kim, who's now out as bisexual, is about to bite back after Jared threatens her.

Chapter 61 – "Soda" by Azealia Banks – This song is upbeat but very sad, kind of like Kim.

Chapter 62 – "Fuck With Myself" by Banks – This song SLAPS and is very Kim.

Chapter 63 – "High By the Beach" by Lana Del Rey – "Peace by vengeance brings the end." Also, very Kim.

Chapter 64 – "Stick" by Banks – This is like chapter 59's sexier, more mature older sister. This song is very sexy and soft, like Jacob and Leah in this chapter. Not to sound conceited, but this chapter was so good. I'm proud of it.

Chapter 65 – "Drowning" by Banks – This song is good. The chapter depicts a turning point in the story. Paul x Leah, while already dead, has no possibility of happening EVER again. Leah was drowning for him, but she eventually learned to swim. Now Paul is drowning in Bella, and not even just in the sexual sense. (LMAOOOO.)

Chapter 66 – "Love is a Losing Game" by Amy Winehouse (but the acoustic, live version as shown in the movie AMY) – Bella x Paul on a bad day. Through and through. Also very Virgo x Aries, which I find to be wrong in so many ways. Sad chapter overall and one of my faves despite all the shit I got.

Chapter 67 – "Ride" by Lana Del Rey – The existence of this song is why I even got the idea for Static. I owe Lana my life.

Chapter 68 – "Bitch Better Have My Money" by Rihanna – This chapter isn't even about money, so I don't know.

Chapter 69 – "High By the Beach" by Lana Del Rey – "You could be a bad motherfucker, but that don't make you a man." Quil. Very Quil.

Chapter 70 – "Gemini Feed" by Banks – This is one of my favorite songs, and Bella finally accepts that she. Does. Not. Fuck. With. Edward. Cullen. Any. More. And to think he would get her to the altar…

Part 6

Sonder: The realization that each passerby has a life as vivid and complex as your own.

Chapter 71 – "Young God" by Halsey – Bella x Paul on a good day. Winning the lottery makes for a very good day. Everything about this song is Bella x Paul for me. I haven't listened to it in a while, but I'm listening to it as I type this and it's so… intense. This is the Paul I always meant to write but didn't.

Chapter 72 – "Poetic Justice" by Kendrick Lamar – Probably the best Leah x Kim chapter in the story besides when they first kiss, of course. Paul realizes that Leah is gonna be happy being herself, and he's fine with it. I know I've used this song probably three times before this chapter, but this lyric is important to me: "Love is not just a verb; it's you looking in the mirror."

Chapter 73 – "National Anthem" by Lana Del Rey – I have no idea why I picked this song, but it kinda worked. More Leah x Kim foreshadowing is featured in this chapter. *tongue emoji*

Chapter 74 – "All Night" by Beyoncé – Bella x Paul on a really good day.

Chapter 75 – "No Role Modelz" by J. Cole – I was really feeling this song when I wrote the chapter, even if they don't really go together. The song that plays on the radio when Kim is dancing on the beach is actually "2 On" by Tinashe, though ( anybody considering adapting this into a television show). This chapter was originally gonna have a lyric from "Freak" by Lana Del Rey, but there wasn't anything freaky going on and I wasn't about to throw that in.

Chapter 76 – "This Is Not About Us" by Banks – The end of Emily x Sam as we know them. This is such a good, cool song that I used the entire first verse for the chapter. This chapter took a much different turn from what I originally had because I realized that throughout this entire story, Emily and Sam existed as extensions of each other, and that's not how real life goes. Something had to come between them, and I'm so glad it was her writing, in the end.

Chapter 77 – "Soul Glitch" by Tinashe – This is probably one of my favorite songs to ever exist. It's only somewhat Leah x Jacob, but I really just wanted an excuse to include it in the story. It would have made the most sense to use a Beyoncé song, though, since one of the settings in this chapter is Houston, Texas. "Dreaming of You" by Selena is also a big part of this chapter. Obviously. (See: Wafflegate.) I think I was originally gonna use "Money Trees" by Kendrick Lamar as the song of this chapter, but I like to switch shit up. A bitch is creative.

Chapter 78 – "Florida Kilos" by Lana Del Rey – This chapter is basically this song minus the drugs. Cute. Upbeat. Makes me think of hoop earrings. An important chapter for Leah x Kim. I don't know when I decided to make Leah x Kim a thing, but I'm so glad I did.

Chapter 79 – "Thinkin Bout You" by Frank Ocean – I'm in love with this song. I think it's timeless. This chapter is at a strange part of the story. The characters are thinking about forever. What are they going to do with their lives when they come back to the badlands? Will they stay? What will happen if they change? (Spoiler alert: they've already changed.)

Chapter 80 – "Sorry" by Beyoncé – And not for the obvious reasons. The lyric I was inspired by ("Let's have a toast to the good life") isn't about Bella's new life with Paul in Seattle, with all their riches. The "good" life is her old life, the life she knows best, in the badlands, as well as the fact that much to her surprise, she will miss the badlands when she leaves. Very melancholic.

Chapter 81 – "Art Deco" by Lana Del Rey – Irony. Just irony. Every time there is a "little party" in this story, somebody gets hurt, emotionally, physically, or otherwise. Special nod to "We're Still Friends" by Amy Winehouse.

Chapter 82 – "Summer Friends" by Chance the Rapper – The season of summer has such an important role in this story. It's when people are around each other the most, and the wildest things happen. The dramatic events that happen at the beach this chapter is where all this wildness culminates. And of course, not everyone survives. "Summer friends don't stick around."

Chapter 83 – "Love is a Losing Game" by Amy Winehouse – If you noticed, I used this song for chapter 66, too, which was also very Bella x Paul. In chapter 66, Bella felt like she was losing part of herself as she was adjusting to living with Paul and, subsequently, his economic class. (I got a whole bunch of shit for that chapter.) So anyway, I used this song again for this chapter because Bella is losing herself yet again due to Paul, but in a much more permanent, fatal way. This is the same fanfiction version of Bella who was first seen waiting for her boyfriend to text her back. Bella had a run of exactly 70 chapters (that's not to say she was featured in every one of those 70 chapters, though, because she wasn't and I'll make a graph if you wanna fight me on it), and for the most part, she was as strong as her love was.

Chapter 84 – "It's You" by Zayn – I don't like Zayn, but I really like the lyric I used. "Am I wrong for wanting us to make it?" Initially, like when I FIRST started this story, it was going to be Jacob x Leah, but this lyric ended up working better for Leah x Kim. And y'all know how I feel about them, so…

Chapter 85 – "Swan Song" by Lana Del Rey – This chapter was originally gonna have Bella's funeral, but due to political reasons, I had to push it forward a chapter. But, anyway, this is super ironic because Bella's last name is/was Swan, and she had her final moment right before she died (obviously). But the lyric ("You got your moment now, you got your legacy…") is about Edward, too, and how the media portrays him as such a good guy with a good heart from a good family who just slipped up. (This is clearly social commentary.) Other songs that inspired this chapter (meaning the Leah x Kim sexiness) include: "Touch (Acoustic)" by Little Mix because of the lyrics, and "Do It Well" by dvsn because of the music.

Chapter 86 – "Body Electric" by Lana Del Rey – I think that if you step back a little and look at the deaths of Bella and Paul, it's a bit haunting how young they were when they died. They were just twenty years old, and even though they didn't have a lot going for them (besides their baby and the fact that they were rich), they still had potential. Lots of it. They could have made something of themselves. They just might have. But they died so young. The lyric I used reflects that. "All the photographs say you're still young."

Chapter 87 – "Sunburn" by Tinashe – My favorite book (and a huge reason why I even write to begin with) is Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. There's a line in it that goes something like, "It's ugly, but it's over." That's how I feel about this chapter. The song that matches it is about moving forward to the positive, even if it might hurt. Leah and Jacob finally evaluate their feelings in regards to Paul and Bella, and it allows them to move on. What happened at the beach was ugly, but it's over. Everyone just has to carry on. This chapter contains a small amount of material from this old one-shot I wrote called Additionally. It went through a lot of changes to make it to Static, though.

Chapter 88 – "Coming Down" by Halsey – "Immortal" by Marina and the Diamonds – This chapter is special, of course, because it's the final one, so it gets two songs. The opening lyric ("Every single night, pray the sun will rise / Every single time, make a compromise") is really about Leah x Kim, though, and how they can be as different as day and night, as well as how they behave differently depending on day and night. This contrast is also evident in how affectionate Leah behaves toward Kim in public vs. in private, which Leah makes herself address in the bulk of this chapter. This chapter came off way different than how I thought it would, but I am content with it. The Destiny's Child song that Leah was blasting was "Say My Name," btw. (And before someone 's me, the video had three band members but the vocals had four.) The closing lyric ("All the things that humans do / To leave behind a little proof") pays homage to the ending of my old fic Remedium but without anyone else dying. While the characters aren't immortal, obviously, the connections that they have to each other are. It will live on. (Or some cheesy shit like that.)

So that's the playlist. I don't think I have anything else to say except once again, thank you, thank you, thank you for all the support throughout this journey. Writing is my favorite passion, and fanfiction has allowed me to become more creative and a better writer through the years. Writing has helped me cope with so much. Thank you for letting me share my passion with you.

Thanks as always, thanks forever,

HalcyonSeasons xx