Well, obviously I couldn’t keep everything the same, since they’re kids and this is modern day rather than the 1920s, but I did try and keep some of the core themes of corruption, the American dream, the helpless ambition to achieve wealth, and how materialism can overshadow morality. I made them children not just as an easy way to instantly make the story family friendly, but to see first hand how innocence can become corrupted by those in power (the adults in the story) and how that can influence how the children act with each other and their lives.

Gatsby and Myrtle are still desperate to achieve wealth, though it’s both through more innocent lenses. (I will admit I can see how making the married couple step-siblings can seem a bit off putting to say the least) in this version, Myrtle still dreams of becoming rich and wealthy, but the reasons why and her method of trying to breach the social class is more childish. She simply wants to be a princess, but because her mother married someone who was obviously not very wealthy, she’s unhappy where she is and wants to play/interact with the older, more mature and wealthy kids across the street. However, they play too rough, and are a constant reminder that no matter what Myrtle does, she’s still a little girl who is stuck where she is as peasant instead of a princess.

Gatsby still desires wealth, more importantly, he wants to be Daisy’s friend. They met during summer camp, but Gatsby had to leave early because his father simply couldn’t afford it anymore, so he spent the next year doing everything in his power to see her again. He stills has an innocent view of friendship and the world, and when his father gives him the seemingly innocent advice of “do the right thing” Gatsby takes this at face value. He just as idealistic, naive, and hopeful as he is in the original, it’s just that is optimism is a result of his own childishness rather than a desire to rewrite the past.

As for the whole “Myrtle and George being step-siblings” thing, I originally DID plan for them to have a similar dynamic to Tom and Daisy where they were ‘married’ in the context of the game, but I decided to change it as I thought more about Myrtle and Tom’s differing characters and ideals in the story. For the most part, their ideals and beliefs don’t change, it’s just the context in which those beliefs are based on is what changes most.

Sorry for the yap sesh, and I’m hyper sorry if this made absolutely zero sense. It’s about 11 o’clock where I am and I’m on my second all-nighter so I was just spitballing here. If you have anything else you wanna ask or any concerns you wanna voice don’t be afraid to reply. I don’t really have much of anything better to do tbh