Long John

The original outline I had for this chapter ended in traditional showdown, which never sat quite right with me. I think I forced it because I was so close to the end, I wanted to write “the end” no matter what it took. That’s fine, ultimately, because it got me through to the end and gave me something to work with, to reshape and hone. But the showdown stuck around.

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In hindsight, it’s obvious why it bothered me––it is a trope of the western genre, something I tried to avoid or invert as much as possible throughout the series. However, here I felt like I had to do it, and every iteration of it was horrible because it ended up being long, boring, and thematically empty. I don’t think there’s any plot point in the story that requires a showdown to tie up the thread, and it took a long time to figure that out. Or, more specifically, to do a showdown in a way that would be appropriate to Long John.

Long John’s struggle throughout this story is internal––who is he when the myth of “Long John” is taken away? Is he actually the selfish utilitarian that Jonny Mono and Juan John had to deal with? Is he someone who wants upward mobility and influence, like Rich Jack? Is he the heartbroken man who abandoned everything he knew and fled west? Or is he a vessel of vengeance and violence, like Hellrider Jackie? As it turns out, a showdown did need to happen in this final chapter; however, rather than facing down a villain, the showdown Long John needed to have was with himself.

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