While the Dixon history is somewhat the same (number of siblings, etc), one of my regrets the longer RBM went on was that such an important part of the Dixon history – Merle’s wife – was only known as a negative influence. Instead of the deep violent trauma of RBM and a sideswipe of the kids’ Chamorro heritage, Redux will explore a different type of trauma: what happens to a family when they lose their guiding light, especially when immersed in a matriarchal cultural background. Back in 2019, I did as much research as I could, but there are just so many more resources available now for Chamorro culture, so expect that to be more than a footnote this time around.

And as fun as the guessing game of “just how many Dixons are there” was back then, bringing in Daryl and Scout’s POVs sorta throws that out the window a bit. Slight age-ups have happened: Merle (46->51), (Daryl (30->33), Scout (27->29), Cricket (22->23), Jazz (15->17). The original Jazz/Sophia romance will be completely axed, as I want to leave her at 13. You’ll also note that any real consideration of Daryl as anything other than a sibling to the four younger Dixons is gone.

The convoy also changed a bit to adapt to Scout having an entirely different mission in this AU, and time in the quarry won’t be just drama & runs, but actual training (plus drama & runs). Expect a more militaristic Scout initially, and I’ll be bringing in some elements from other stories: Lori’s background as developed in We Are Made Wise and for fans of the Grenade series, Alex is crossing over.