The Series

this article is about the series as a whole. (change title and rename article when series title has been finalized. Cas pls decide on one... eventually...)

Synopsis
[official synopsis goes here] seven queer nerds who live in Chicago come of age. (this is a placeholder)

Titles of the series
The following is a list of the novels in the book series. Each book was named after a building that features prominently and holds great emotional significance for the point of view characters. The POV character changes between books.
 * 1) The Apartment on 3rd Street
 * 2) The Cafe on Mulberry Avenue
 * 3) The Lamppost on 6th Street

Concept
Cas started working on the story a little over 10 years ago, as of 2019. "It literally began with one room."

"i wanted a cute f/f story about 2 dorks learning to share an apartment like every tv sitcom except this one was gay."

They introduced them to Ellis in late 2015.

The majority of Carson's friends were originally meant to be straight. This was changed in 2016.

More on the behind the scenes.

Inspirations

 * One Tree Hill. Americanized Sports Anime live action show. relaxed atmosphere + soundtrack


 * Grey's Anatomy. it's "cheesily heartbreaking" and has a great soundtrack


 * Fruits Basket. "there was a lot of heart to heart about the characters anxieties and hopes,,, i really wanted to capture that mellow but dramatic (tho not necessarily melodramatic) atmosphere" 2019/09/13
 * Annie on My Mind - Nancy Garden. atmosphere.
 * Always Running - Luis J. Rodriguez
 * The House on Mango Street - Sandra Cisneros
 * Feel (Oofuri AMV). scenery and tone, which is emotional but understated. <2018/03/11>
 * 5 Centimeters per Second. gorgeous scenery, a lot of "quiet/ambient scenes that were heavily emotional"
 * "it would be nice if i could make a Nerds animation as beautiful as i found 5 CMs Per Second... also with animation, i feel like i could envision Lizzie better that way"
 * "[Makoto Shinkai's] movies were a lot of inspiration to some of my other stories, and to the Nerds as well in the earlier drafts. not so much the bitter endings, but the atmosphere and loneliness of the films a lot. also the intensity of the relationships between the characters"

Location
''"do i want the balmy coastal lines of southern California, the rainy and cold winters of New York, the middle-of-nowhere plains of Pennsylvania, or the haywire weather of Chicago..." --Cas, chat log 2016/05/13''

The entire series takes place in modern day central Chicago, specifically the neighborhood of Wicker Park. This choice in setting was the end result of a long process of consideration involving several variables.

Some other locations that were considered include Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, Pennsylvania, the Midwest, and the small town. The big city location was chosen over the small town for the relative anonymity it afforded a cast of queer new adults.

According to the author, they wanted a place more indicative of the story's atmosphere than "sunny, friendly LA," as well as "something a little different from yet another NYC setting." They also felt that these cities would be too sprawling, and that the main character would be dwarfed rather than feel the "freedom to expand her independence." San Francisco was considered to be too "smelly."

Fun tidbit: "Although New Yorkers falsely claim this nickname comes from Chicago being a second-rate city, the name actually stems from the ashes from The Great Chicago Fire, as the first Chicago burned almost completely" 

Themes
pls expand.
 * You do you
 * "it's ok to take up space"

Motifs
pls expand.
 * locations as characters
 * Hidden Depths: "such a big part of these kids is the assumptions people make about them, seeing what's under their faces, deep in their hearts..."
 * "loneliness + motif is the basis of many of my own OCs too,,, *looks at nerds* lonely athlete nerds... lonely poet nerd... lonely country girl nerd..." 2017/12/26