Walker Family Melodrama

Series Metadata

Creator:
Series Begun:
2024-04-04
Series Updated:
2024-12-13
Description:

A series of connected stories exploring Stephen Walker's adulthood from various perspectives, the past trauma and internal struggles he refuses to face, and the fallout of his behaviour on those closest to him.

While each fic sits within the same universe and overall story arc, they can be read independently. I write each story as the inspiration strikes, so they're likely to be uploaded out of chronological order and then re-organised. Most of the action in each fic takes place in Melbourne or Sydney - overall, they span the early 1970s to the mid-1990s.

Notes:

The more I write in this fandom, the more fascinated I've become with Stephen's character, so these stories hope to explore how a sensitive, passionate and intelligent boy could become so (self-)destructive as a teenager and adult, while still inspiring love and loyalty throughout his life, even from his exes after the romantic relationship ends (I think he's telling the truth when he says "I love 'em all" about his wives - the present tense conveys he still cares deeply about them and that there's no lasting acrimony; he and Jimmy are also clearly very close. This is also why I interpret his behaviour as indicating he's wanted to see Chris again for a while but is anxious when they finally meet, and completely thrown when Chris makes clear that, while he might be over the hurt and anger, he sees through Stephen's bullshit and no longer wants a life with Stephen in it).

As with Chris, my interpretation is that Stephen's behaviour and personality are irrevocably shaped by childhood and adolescent trauma (wartime experiences, prolonged separation from family, his mother's death, an abusive school system and probably being a survivor of other forms of abuse) and internalised homophobia, so all the fics in this series explore those aspects in detail. Please pay attention to the tags and warnings in author's notes.

Each story also is fairly OC-heavy (apart perhaps from Dear Kit) - either my version of characters who are mentioned in passing in canon but not named (like Stephen's mother, daughters, second wife) or who logically exist in their world but play no part in the book (his wives' families, his adult friends, his daughters' friends and other relationships). Their personalities and backstories are my invention and probably bear no resemblance to what the original author may have envisaged.

Stats:
Words:
111,150
Works:
4
Complete:
No

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