... With a Smile: Deluxe Threadition (6th Annual Entry)

Story by ZeHell-ScythefanToo

After I posted "With a Smile" as an entry for the 2016 contest (and astonishingly fast because I hate expectations and wanted to get it out of the way - yes, I'm that guy posting this here now, right after the voting deadline), I found myself in something of a limbo. The experience was different from simply posting my story into a thread and forgetting all about it, as it actually annoyingly incentivized me to continue what I otherwise might have left alone; truth be told, I'm on the fence about describing my feelings that way, since I did find, after rereading this story a couple of times, that there were details that simply couldn't be shoved in that I actually did want to elaborate upon with a major epilogue of sorts - and thus, as the rule of "writers write, successful writers keep writing" goes, I invented a continuation (my own 'coda', if you will) that encompasses all of the interactions I wanted to see the result of in the form of the best fit sequel. When Strawman echoed my own feelings with his review while I was developing the coda, that resonated with me, and I'm all the more proud to present both the original work and its flavorful companion to flesh out the rest of Violette's story... See below.

- I started the original "With a Smile" on 08/14/2016 - 25 days before the beginning of the submission period, and though I wasn't necessarily planning on dropping this story there, the moment in which I finished the story and the fact that it fit submission conditions worked out, so I slapped it up - again, right away, since I prefer to get possible obligations out of the way fast.

- The overall plot is thinly inspired by thoughts of srb's "What You Need" series - more specifically, the sentiments of "Joan's Baby" over the consequences. Hopefully with the coda I've aimed to go more in the direction of both as well.

- Our heroes Jennifer and Violette are inspired by the leading girls of Tōsaku no Kishi's "Breasticles" - Gale and Fae, respectively. Some attributes are obviously reversed.

- Strawman may have mentioned that the ending kind of ended up moving too fast, but as I wrote this story I aimed for that gradual elevation of disbelief to introduce the needed shock value for our character to 'mature' - the best weirdest solution among many, as it were; the last thing I really want to do is drag a story out into a soap opera if it's not absolutely needed or required. That, and I wanted the feel of this story to first follow the path of tentative girls' love that eventually resulted in a shocking (for our protagonist anyway, the tags kind of rip that down for readers) yet pleasant twist for all involved. Hopefully with the coda I have mitigated that one wild yet touching moment with the realistic yet equally feels-laden portrayal of the aftermath. :p

The original story can be found on my site (fancy reader) (plain text), or in the spoiler below:

Sip of decaf. Nervous glance right. Another sip - I can't be too conspicuous. Hard as I found believing what I was doing now, I could believe what was easy to become accustomed to when I put my mind to it... Or, perhaps more accurately, what my mind put me up to. I was practically an experiment in becoming acclimated to the unimaginable, I tried to think - I tried to think of anything else right now, made-up on the spot or not... Think about anything but her. I didn't want to be too obvious. I never, ever wanted to be too obvious.

There she was, serving another customer and plinking their order up on a terminal; that indefatigable smile upon her face was what first drew me to her, a bright ray of sunshine that failed to pale no matter how dim the world around her could become, no matter how rude or uptight or even downright pushy anyone became in her face, no matter whether they were ordering, receiving orders, or making a service complaint. 'Envy' was an understatement to me, but 'possessive' wasn't in my character dictionary; nor so did 'adaptive' seem to be, nor 'personable', nor even 'socially enabled'... 'Possessed' was a definitive way to describe who I was right now. Jennifer Lenglie had to be several fathoms beyond my league, although hers was not a league with insincere merits; Jennifer was not a celebrity with a personality like hers, but a hero, an unsung idol of all those whom aspired to be social butterflies like her everywhere, flitting from person to person with no lesser offering than a smile and a compliment. I was one of those worshippers, perhaps one willing to go the distance if it meant I could receive not just her attention, but also her blessing... That would have

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