The Wild Ones Rebellion // Black Veil Brides Fanfiction

Ashley's Departure + Lonny's Addition

I know I haven't updated in a while (I swear it's on my list but college has been a lot lately), but I feel this is important.

By now I'm sure you've heard the news, and if you haven't, well,

Ashley and the guys of BVB have mutually agreed to part ways.

This is a pretty big hit to the band and the Army. Ashley has been a staple in the band for most of the band's lifetime (10 years), and him leaving leaves a lot of questions about who will fill his role and how the band will continue without him. Can they even continue without him?

I highly doubt this will be the end of the band. With an upcoming tour, the reimagining of the WSTW album, and likely, BVBVI in the future, the guys have always made it clear that they never want to call it quits, especially not anytime soon.

But if they continue, that leaves the question of how they'll fill his shoes. It's no secret that finding a replacement for Ash is going to be hard. He had so much passion for the band and they were like brothers. He was talented, kind, and an incredible stage personality as well. No one will be able to replace him in that sense. But since a tour is coming up and they haven't announced a cancelation, I suspect they're already working to find someone to at least tour with, perhaps even a new permanent member. Will we be getting a new person thrown into the mix for the band? A new personality to add to the lineup? I don't know, but I have a hard time believing they won't fill the slot at some point.

On the drama side:

Ashley, as per his post on Twitter a few weeks back, has been dealing with family losses, depression, and suicide ideation. He has been seeking help, but there is no doubt in my mind that this is why he left. The statement from the band says it's a mutual agreement for him to leave, and a post from a close friend of the guys/admin for the official Facebook group (Chloe May) says there is absolutely no bad blood.

So stop stirring shit about this. Ashley did not fight with the guys. He did not cause problems for the band. He did not attempt to sexually assault girls at a bar (a rumor I found on a comment thread about his departure 🤦🏼‍♀️).

The best we can do is continue to send Ash all our love and support, and wish him luck in his future. He will always be a member of this family that is the band and the army, regardless of him being in the band or not, and we should continue to treat him as such.

On the side of this story:

Ashley will remain as a member of the band canonically in this story. And yes, I am still writing this story, even though it's been a very long break for me from writing. A lot has happened in my life since my last update, between personal discovery, new hobbies, relationships, work (woo I finally have a job), etc, and writing has not been my priority unfortunately. I hope to come back to it very soon, probably after this quarter ends, so around Christmas. Point being, I'm still here, and Ashley will still be in this story.

Love you all, and sending all my positive energy to Ashley 💜
xoBri

UPDATE:

Today BVB announced the addition of a new bassist, a man named Lonny. I'm excited to see what he brings to the band, but I doubt I will be adding him to this story (maybe as an extra towards the end). As I said before, Ashley will remain in this story :)