#i hate the idea of actual content of shows becoming 'filler' when like... it's just cost cutting

[seeminglyseph]

"Arrests require cause."

Bitch *you* let her instigate martial law! Through your power! What did you think that meant?!

That's literally the purpose of putting martial law in place. To be able to let the government do whatever police and military shit to its people without cause. It removes the rights of the civilians because it views those civilians as the enemy of The People.

You let hating Jinx make you forget what words mean, Caitlyn. I get it, grief does terrible things to a person, and Ambessa is a very compelling public speaker, but like. She said out loud: "Let's do Martial Law."

[sergle]

(re: sssniperwolf and jacksfilms) It's laughable that she escalated it that hard. Don't get me wrong, I'm pretty sure stalking him like that is illegal and it's terrifying regardless, but Jack said in a stream (can't remember which one) that he wasn't about bringing up past controversies of hers or cancelling. And now she shows up outside his house (wtf!!!). Like he was willing to only call her out for stealing and freebooting but she's gone and stalked him and Jack doesn't seem like the type of guy to take that shit. Actual WTF moment from her part. wild

omg long post below bc apparently I have opinions: YES!! THAT'S WHAT'S SO INCREDIBLE ABOUT THIS... Jack has been genuinely diligent about keeping things on-topic in his streams, and hasn't brought up any of her other Stuff, or anything Personal. Despite the fact that she kickstarted the whole thing by making it INCREDIBLY personal and attacking his physical appearance... His goal has been to call out and bring attention to content theft, and he's stuck with it. Dude's also cared about this for years, and she's not the first content thief he's criticized. He just hates the way that freebooting has become so accepted-- to the point where youtube praised her for "coming up with such creative video ideas"? Hey! Ew! Dude wasn't trying to get her cancelled though, there was no smear campaign of her character. He's been rallying to get her to CREDIT the creators that she relies on for all of her content. It would set a precedent for all other "react" channels on the platform for one of the biggest channels on youtube to actually give credit where credit is due. Or, god forbid, get permission first? It's not hard. It's already done the job of making some other people who do "react content" self-analyze whether or not their content is transformative, and to maybe care about crediting the creators they rely on for their genre to work. There is a way to make this kind of video that isn't so slimy. And making fun of her lackluster-at-best reactions is so far from even being a big deal. Bc she literally does just sit there and say nothing. Plus, his goal has a clear End built into it: if she started shouting out the creators she takes content from, and put links directly to their pages in her video descriptions, the job would be done! That's what he's asking her to do. Real bare minimum stuff. It legit would have been easy to steer away from the content theft and to also talk about her history of lying to her audience! her ghosting a dying kid with cancer who was a big fan of hers! the fact that she's been arrested for armed robbery! her history of transphobia! He would also get more clicks that way, which is what she claims is his sole goal- to get more clicks. I'll bring it up though! She's been a terrible person the whole time, and has kept a steady course of manipulating her audience of young children and/or, let's be completely honest, simps- into thinking that she's a Wholesome creator. (And now, into thinking she's an innocent victim.) All of the actual effort put in by her has gone toward optics, not the content she puts out. A carefully constructed online persona, for one, but also literal appearances. Jack totally can't say this, bc she already went off the handle and said the only reason he doesn't like her is bc he Hates To See A Woman Be Successful. But I can! That was a cheap shot for her to use that argument when, for once, it's not applicable! Much the opposite, even! Dudes online wouldn't go to bat for her if she didn't look the way she does. And it weakens any case she'd have against him by making baseless claims like that. She banks hugely on being an attractive woman to get her clicks/following. A massive amount of effort is put into her appearance. The makeup, the lip fillers, putting her hair in little pigtails, the chokers and tube tops, the big non-prescription Nerd Glasses, the thumbnails where she has her mouth open in That Expression?

I don't even have to say anything. But making a weird facial expression and putting your hair in pigtails aren't moral failings. Showing up at someone's real life home (whose address you shouldn't even have access to), filming the front of their house at night, doxxing them to your audience of millions of people? Because you were mad at them online? That is fully scary! Yeah girl I'm pretty sure that Jack can press charges! There is absolutely no way to take the moral highground now that she's literally stalked him, and doxxed his home. She tried to goad him and Erin (Jack's wife) out of the house, also, which creeps me out even more-- because what was she planning to do? The fact that she's been arrested for violent crime before does pop into my mind! lmao! Jack was streaming a game at the time that she was outside his home, and these clips of him, his friends, and Erin reacting in real time to what is genuinely a scary situation have been taken down in case he needs to use them in legal action. Shit is legitimately serious!

[fandombead]

I hate the word filler. Are we not still getting an interesting stand alone story with characters we enjoy? Not all of a story is progressing the main plot. It can become excessive in some cases, but it still can bring joy in its own right. It’s leagues better than getting nothing. And I don’t like seeing that complained about to small creators just trying to give us fun content to hold us over until they can get back to the main story.

Seeing that in their comments and tagging them in it has to be so discouraging. It definitely won’t make it come out any faster. It’s just not a productive part of fandom. You’re allowed to criticize and critique works, I just hope that isn’t all you’re replying with when they try to provide something fun and lighthearted. Yes even if it’s been awhile. I dunno, I’ve just seen creators stop creating all together from the pressure because they’re human too and fandom spaces just really have a way of ruining good things by posting entitled replies. And then even once the “main” story gets updated, there will still be people going “okay next” and “fuckin’ finally, took you long enough.” And like. Would you really talk like that to someone’s face. Do you have nothing encouraging or positive to add about what is here?

I know what it’s like to be so invested in something and it being disappointing to not get it in some time, but posts like these are sometimes the very reason creators struggle and it’s painful to watch happen and everyone just goes with it.

This is NOT a post saying you cannot have con-crit. You can say whatever you want about a work. Just realize you may be having the opposite effect that you are hoping throwing that at the actual creator you’re a fan of. As someone who got utterly creatively crippled for years from a few bad experiences, it sucks to see that happening to people who actually got their idea off the ground and still intend to keep going. Like the creative rut guilt has to me ten times worse already with a massive audience having a very vocal part being disappointed no matter what you do. But I guess the positivity gets easily buried and negativity is spread more?

I dunno it’s like. They don’t owe you anything. They shared something for free with you, their animation or skit or show or story. I see people leave fandoms they loved because of it taking amazing world of love with them and I don’t want that pressure to run down yet another great story. You’re allowed to feel disappointed. People have different levels of patience and that’s not the problem. It’s projecting those feelings at others that don’t deserve that. We need to learn some etiquette and boundaries, or at least think “what if that was me/a friend of mine?” before posting.

Can’t believe I took all that just to reiterate “Golden Rule” please~ aaaaaa

[sleephyjhs]

When You’re Expecting (Taehyung Headcanon)

pairing: taehyung x pregnant!reader

warnings: mention of fertility & pregnancy complications

note: i’ve been craving to write a bts x pregnancy series for a while so here we go !! if there’s a specific member you’d like to see next, shoot me an ask :)

m.list

FINDING OUT

even before finding out you were pregnant, you both had so much love for your child

there was nothing either of you could have wanted more than a baby

it was always at the forefront of your mind how much you wanted a little human of your own

it was approaching a year since you began trying seriously

a few false hopes and two miscarriages later, fertility drugs were looking to improve the chances of conceiving

the raging hormones which came with the drugs were all worth the positive test

early september - sickness had hung around your throat for days

headaches lasted longer than usual, and crying at the most mundane things had become an unwelcome habit

in the bathroom cabinet, you’d collected a small stockpile of electronic and stick pregnancy tests

one of them would eventually show positive, right?

taehyung sat on the bathroom tiles with you

waiting two minutes felt closer to waiting two months

he crossed his legs, bouncing his knees impatiently

your knees came to your chin; high hopes weighed heavily on your heart

the alarm set on his phone beeped quietly

your heartbeat rose suddenly to your throat

taehyung reached out for your hand as you turned to read the results

two blue lines - as clear as day

they became less clear as your eyes coated with thick, salty tears

he began to chuckle as his happiness trickled down his cheeks

“we did it baby! we’re gonna have a baby!” he whispered, choked up by his own anticipation

no words were left swirling in your mind

your jaw hung open as though the hinges were faulty

shakily, you lifted the electronic test to triple check

pregnant.

as you crashed into taehyung’s open arms, memories of the past loomed in your mind

it was only inevitable

a positive test was a familiar joy to you both

however this familiar joy had only ever been followed by crippling devastation

as much as you tried not to think about it, you couldn’t help but retain maternal caution

however, this time also felt different

taehyung’s spirit, your spirit - it was as though fate didn’t want to disappoint you any more

someone out there decided it was finally your time to grow a mini human to bring into the world

of course, no time was wasted in contacting the maternity clinic

seeing your baby on a screen was now a top priority

just to see their little head, maybe even hear their heartbeat

just to know they were okay

just to know you were keeping them cosy and safe, that’s all you needed

taehyung couldn’t hold his excitement

from leaving the house to reaching the hospital, his toothy grin never wiped from his cheeks

he never said anything at the time since his main focus was always on comforting you

but losing his babies near enough tore him apart

even when you tried to comfort him, taehyung restricted himself just to protect your wellbeing

of course, the worse had already crossed his mind

but it wouldn’t get the better of him

it couldn’t.

you soon learned you were already 6 weeks pregnant

the midwife had to point out where your little baby was hanging out; they were such a tiny thing after all

briefly, you took the opportunity to hear their heartbeat

it was faint over the machine, but fast

there really was a life within you.

“there’s something else, if you just look over here...” the midwife prompted, turning the monitor so you could grasp a better view

taehyung leaned slightly over your chest to peer closely at the smaller monochrome screen

with the mouse, she circled a second bean shaped figure

“the fertility drugs increase the chance of twins. looks like you guys got lucky!”

twins. you were having twins.

THE PREGNANCY

like with most pregnancies, you were advised to wait until the 12 week milestone to begin announcing your impending delivery

and even though he understood the importance of patience right now, taehyung could hardly contain his excitement

it didn’t help that a little bump had already begun to grow

keeping a secret was much more difficult when the evidence was near impossible to hide

already, taehyung spent early mornings talking to his little angels

telling them stories he seemingly made up on the spot

or even borrowing some from his own childhood

“you know they can’t hear you yet? it’s about 7 weeks until they’ll be able to, honey.”

“i know, i’m just practising for when they can.”

of course, you wouldn’t admit that you did the same when you were alone

you attended more midwife appointments than other expectant mothers might

the pair of you much preferred being on the safer side

in the car, when on a quieter, less congested road, taehyung often reached over to cradle your still-growing bump with a free hand

you slotted your fingertips between his for additional sappiness

“you two have so many people waiting for you here, hmm? many people are already so in love with you both. me and mummy included.”

on a sleepless night, you’d made a small pact with tae

it was a rash decision, but sincere nonetheless

“no matter what, they are always going to know how wanted they were. always.”

taehyung hardly needed reminding of this, but it was still a weight off your shoulders

as you tried to conceive, the pregnancy diet had already been implemented into your daily routines

however now that you were carrying two precious babies, there really would be no more ‘cheat’ days for you

no more extra half cups of coffee on slower mornings

although you usually took over the role of head chef in the house, taehyung dedicated extra effort into preparing you both healthy and yummy foods

sautéd rice with green vegetables and lean meat/tofu appeared to be his go-to

but you still opted to supervise just in case

finally being able to announce your pregnancy was another heavy weight lifted from your mind

the other members were over the moon for you both

particularly when they reminded themselves of the struggles you had experienced previously

and also remembering the utter devastation of their taehyung when he had to break it to them

all of them kept their eye out for little gifts and outfits

each week, taehyung came home with a new stack of pale rompers or neutral-tones teething toys

these babies would have the best uncles; at least that much you could be certain of

announcing your pregnancy on social media was a looming task, but one he was determined to pull off perfectly

for filler content between schedules, the members had been asked to film a 5 minute vlog of their daily life

well, what a perfect opportunity!

towards the end, taehyung made sure to include some shots of your now protruding bump overlaid with some more vintage camera settings

safe to say, that day you had broken the internet

love, congratulations and blessings poured in from every corner of the earth

a few comments complimenting how much pregnancy suited you touched you especially

self image is commonly effected by the progression of pregnancy, and you were no exception to that

although it was amazing how your body grew and made a little home for your tiny babies, it was still quite strange to see yourself changing so quickly

your favourite clothes didn’t fit around your doubled bump anymore

and your skin seemed to hate sharing nutrients with two extra people

but for the days where you struggled to love yourself, taehyung easily filled in the gaps for you

sneaking up behind you in the bathroom

(although the mirror kinda gave him away)

he’d wrap his arms around your just-moisturised bump and carefully rest his chin on your shoulder

“tell me all your worries honey.”

you gushed over how much you missed wearing your favourite jackets

and how strange it was to look at yourself in such a new and confusing way

“i know it’s normal, and i know i have to do it for them. but i guess it’s just weird - i don’t look like myself anymore”

he sighed and planted a kiss on a spot of bare skin

those small kisses still tickled you like they always had

“well, you definitely look different,”

you really hoped there was a second part to that sentence, mostly for tae’s own good

“but why does that have to be bad? not gonna lie, it actually kinda makes you hotter. maybe we should make babies more often!”

“make~?”

LABOUR AND DELIVERY

originally, you had wanted to try and stick to the natural route for as long as you could

but after a few contractions, that idea was immediately out of the window

to help steady yourself and wait out the pain, you held onto the kitchen island and swayed to your own pace

eventually, taehyung joined you

copying the same movements while timing your contractions

“they really must be desperate to come out, huh?”

“well do you think they could hurry it up a bit?!”

the pair of you had been prepared for this for over a month

the hospital bag was ready by the door with all of your essentials packed tightly inside

not forgetting the pots of instant ramen taehyung insisted he must bring in case of an emergency

just as he was readying to back out of the driveway, taehyung took a mental stock check of everything packed in the back

“do you think we have everything?”

“i love you but stop talking please.”

thankfully, he understood well that the sheer pain made you cranky

so long as he assured himself that it was ‘just the contractions’, he’d be just fine

as much as he couldn’t wait to announce he was about to become a father to everyone, he kept himself grounded when walking you to the maternity ward

one corridor in and you’d suggested that a wheelchair might be a better mode of transport

breathlessness and contractions didn’t sound like a favourable mix to you

the assessment of your fast dilation granted you an immediate spot in the labour ward

you’d picked this suite specially due to its expansive space

the option of a birthing pool was still available if you so needed it, but the mood lighting and access to aromatherapy was what attracted you to the room in the first place

a serene paradise for your angels to be born into

it was perfect

taehyung explored while you adjusted to your new surroundings

of course, it didn’t take him long to find the birthing ball

“what’s the difference between a yoga ball and a birthing ball?”

there obviously was none, but you took a few seconds to try and be smart with him

“well, sit on that and you might have a baby the size of a watermelon come out of you soon.”

taehyung cradled his torso and pulled a shocked expression, which was enough to make you giggle and cause another contraction

less than a few hours passed, and you had already attempted to scream the building down once or twice

“get these babies out of me. no i’m serious, i need them out.”

realising your deadpan expression, taehyung soon attended to you at the head of your bed

stroking your slightly sweaty head and patting a ice cold flannel on your clammy forehead

he braced himself for a crushing hand grip which came about sooner than he’d prepared for

you weren’t the biggest fan of commotion, and so being surrounded by nurses and doctors was close to being your worst nightmare

taehyung focused his voice into your ear, trying to minimise the tension coming from below your pelvis

his motivational words were broken up by short bursts of pushes

many of which were followed by a string of curse words which just slipped out

and then, there it was.

the first piercing cry belted across the room

a tear or two may have happened to slip from your eyes

finally the moment you’d waited for, nearly two years in the making, was here

the first of two, a little girl who already had a head full of the most luscious black hair

taehyung wanted to hold back his happy tears in order to show some kind of strength

but you and him both knew he’d never hold it back for long

within the space of 4 minutes, the second baby was born into the world.

but this time, there was no immediate cry

the whole world seemed to slow down in that moment as you waited

and waited

midwifes gathered around the new infant, looking for any kind of obstruction

but, soon enough, your son said his first hello to the world

[shanastoryteller]

Questions about outlines: How detailed are they? Are they the same level of detail or do they vary? How do you make your outlines? Chronologically scene by scene? Or do you come up with the scenes that call you and then come up with smaller filler scenes to fill in the gaps? Do you have outlines for each chapter? Or just for the larger general plot points? Do you try to complete the outlying before starting the fic? Or do you add to the outline as you go? Sorry if this is to many at once

lmao okay i got several asks about outlines but i’m just going to answer this one because it’s ~comprehensive~

every writing teacher i’ve ever had has hated my outlines. my friends find them incomprehensible.

if people are going to look at my answers as ways to do their own outlines, i have to say: that’s probably not a good idea

i don’t write outlines a majority of the time

i don’t write outlines to plan a story i’ve already decided to write

i write outlines primarily as a way to exorcise story ideas that i want to write but don’t want to actually commit to writing (answer prompts are another way i do this lol)

now, some things do get outlines as a way to plan and organize. survival is a talent has an outline because it’s 400k and spans six years. child king had an outline. needy’s body had an outline. 

b u t

i’m currently writing rotten work without an outline

lynchpin didn’t have an outline

hope is the thing with feathers didn’t have an outline

never grow a wishbone only had an outline for the first couple of chapters 

an invincible summer didn’t get an outline until like. chapter 4 of 6. 

i just. uh. think about what i want to happen and then hope i remember to write it down. even when i do an outline, i’ll deviate from it wildly, and not update it to reflect that, because i know what i’m doing (ha!)

so! with that in mind, let’s go! 

How detailed are they? Are they the same level of detail or do they vary?

they vary! but honestly - not very. sometimes i’ll write out a paragraph or bits of dialogue that are important to me, but most of the time it’s just broad strokes of what i want to happen, or a mechanism of how something complicated happens. like i have several paragraphs in my siat outline dealing with necromancy books, but like. two sentences on how they actually occur in the story because that’s just something i’m trusting myself to figure out when i sit down to write it.  

 How do you make your outlines? Chronologically scene by scene? Or do you come up with the scenes that call you and then come up with smaller filler scenes to fill in the gaps? 

I try to put them chronologically, although sometimes that’s a little hard (in siat i have several scenes that i know will happen, i just don’t know when). that is something i will go back and edit on my outlines, is if i’ve changed the order the something happens i’ll go back and copy and paste until my outlines is in the right order. but only if the outlines is something i’m actually using to write and the story is longer than a couple of chapters. 

because my outlines are so very not detailed, i just write down what it is that i want to write, like the reason i’m going to write this or want to write this, and figure out the rest later. i’ll fill it in later - or i won’t! because most of the time i don’t use my outline to actually write the story, and i use it more as an idea list, so if i don’t know what happens between scenes or i find it boring i just won’t write it down

like, for example, here is my “outline” for won’t even plant a garden in it’s entirety 

weep as a woman

“you weep as a woman weeps.” “and how is that?” “as if the future rests on your hips, and you must walk it forward.”

crowley and eve were friends. cain killed abel with the flaming sword, and crowley begged them to say it was with a rock instead

crowley was raphael the painter and fucked michelangelo

crowley was there the night yeshua was born, was friends with mary, helped raise yeshua?

ghosts

crowley and anathema and joan of arc

i ended up dropping most of this and crowley ended up sleeping with both eve and yeshua as the major plot points. i don’t explain stuff, really. i know what i mean so i just don’t bother to get very detailed most of the time. 

Do you have outlines for each chapter? Or just for the larger general plot points?

siat i divide up by year, and i think i did it by chapter for the last two chapters of build your wings on the way down, but otherwise it’s just one long list. i do my chapters based on words counts rather than content, so outlining by chapter doesn’t really make sense for me (siat is always around 15k a chapter, and everything else  i do these days thats multi chapter is around 8k because that’s the best, but ngawb was 5k a chapter and i think for child king it was around 11k a chapter)

Do you try to complete the outlying before starting the fic? Or do you add to the outline as you go?

I’m constantly adding as a i go! my outlines are never really “complete” they’re just abandoned. i write down what i think will help me and tend to ignore the rest. sometimes i just. talking to myself in my outlines when i’m trying to think something through. 

my outline for child king is under the cut because that’s one that’s a good mix of stuff i kept and stuff i threw out. DON’T JUDGE ME!! bad ideas don’t get written because they’re bad!! it’s part of the ~process~ 

child king

Summary: “A child king is still a king,” Deaton says softly. “A child king is still a child,” he snaps, but he knows this is an argument he’s already lost.  – Stiles is a born alpha, and after the Hale fire, things get real complicated, real fast.

Stiles’s mom is the last remaining human from a pack that was destroyed by hunters. John is the one that helps her after, so he knows everything. When they move to beacon hills she doesn’t feel the need to say anything to the hale pack, because as far as they’re concerned she’s just a human, and she doesn’t want to get involved in pack business. But then stiles is born with red eyes. The doctor is quiet and scared john and Claudia freak out, but it’s because he’s a werewolf, which is a relief to parents because they thought something was wrong with their kid. Maybe they don’t know he’s an alpha, only that he’s a wolf? Or they know and they keep it a secret on purpose

Claudia is the one to approach mrs. Hale. She tells her that her son is a born werewolf, but that she’s not interested in joining their pack. Her husband is a new deputy and they just bought a house but they’ll move if they have to. “he’ll need a pack one day. It’s safer,” she says. “if he wants to join you one day, I won’t stop him. But that’s not a choice I’m willing to make for him.” Mrs hale agrees that they can say separate as in exchange for the sheriff smoothing over some ruffled feathers no and again. They agree. Claudia to sheriff “we’re going to have to move one day. Our son is an alpha, and he’ll need to make his own pack.”

Stiles is seven the first time he snarls at his mom, eyes flashing red, and she freezes. She’s got the pack instinct, it doesn’t matter that hes her kid, hes still her alpha, so its hella awkward. John can see how this will quickly spiral out of control if they can discipline their own kid. But stiles is the one to back down first, apologizing and doing as he’s told. There are careful power structures here, and this is the beginning of differentiating between stiles the human and stiles the wolf.

When his mom gets sick, stiles offers to turn her. Hale offers to turn her. She refused for Reasons that I have to figure out. Maybe the politics of it? Wanting to protect stiles and not wanting to become part of the hale pack

The fire happens. John ships stiles the hell out of dodge, because there are hunters about. He snoops around enough to figure out it was kate argent, but theres not really anything he can do about it

Scott knows about everything, and tries to tell his mom in a really akward way that they should trust stiles if they’re ever in danger, but she just laughs it off. Except when someone breaks in and threatens her with a gun, and she manages to make a phone call, it’s not 911, not john, but stiles, and she doesn’t even know why, regrets it as soon as it happens. But then stiles shows up and breaks both of the guys, eyes glowing red, and then calls his dad and scott to take care of it, because they’re humans, so they get human punishments. Melissa is told everything.

Scott has a bad asthma attack and, and Melissa asks about the bite. Scott is itching for it. He wants it so badly. Stiles has already promised to turn them when they turn 18, and Melissa knows that. She asks if theres a reason to wait, and the answer is nah, not really. So he gets the bite. Stiles being like uh psa punishments cant include scott staying away

After hale fire and stiles gets back, he’s shocked that hey just left, and that they left peter behind. He starts visiting peter several times a week. He tells his dad that they should pay for his medical care. They have a fuckton of money because his mom inherited all the pack wealth, and john doesn’t touch it because that’s stiles’s money, that’s werewolf money. But this is a werewolf thing, so he agrees. “his pack left him dad.”

Stiles bites Erica when they’re 14. Some point in middle school stiles wises up to the Isaac thing and tells his dad he needs to arrest his dad, or stiles is going to kill him, and he’s not even a little bit joking. Stiles hears Isaac crying while going by the house? In johns squad car. Makes them pull over, then bursts into the house. John goes with it because his son’s eyes are red.

Some point after the hales leave, things start trying to move into hale territory. Some wolves? Stiles smells them, and ends up at 10 years old telling them to fuck off. This how scott finds out? He’s with scott and his dad. Deaton is facing off against something? Panics when stiles intervenes, but stiles goes wolfy and red eyes and is like. This is mine now fuck off. Looks at the hale house, and finally says, we have to take care of this. We have to. But they don’t own the house or the land or any of it. They do … something

Stiles ends up having to deal with a lot of crap real young

Stiles has scott and Isaac when peter wakes up. Stiles is there, and peter isn’t crazy because he wasn’t abandoned to die alone. Stiles says he can stay, or he can go, not trying to pressure anything. Peter chooses to become part of stiles’s pack, because his family is either dead or abandoned him. Peter ends up moving in with them as he finishes healing and to get used to being in a pack and with stiles. It’s very strange for john, but it’s a werewolf thing and he’s trying to be supportive. After a couple months, stiles tells his dad that having peter is a relief, that there’s finally someone who knows things, someone older who can support him as a werewolf. Peter acts as his second, and he finally has some degree of authority that age has lost him. Stiles has peter take care of the hale house. Peter and stiles have the conversation, where peter is like the hale land is your land now. You’re the alpha of beacon hills. He does what stiles directs him to.

Isaac is living with scott under stiles’s direction ish. But lots of Melissa. Isaac like I don’t wantto be afraid anymore, I don’t want to hurt anymore, and stiles is like. Okay. We’ll fix this. But he doesn’t bite Isaac until he goes to a shitton of therapy and has mostly sorted himself out. For isaac’s fifteenth birthday, he bites him.

Erica is spur of the moment, it’s something that all instinct and very little thought. OR they’re dating and it happesn? Erica’s parents suck. Stiles doesn’t want the balancing act of being boyfriend and alpha.

Jackson is so fucking desperate to belong to something. He nags and nags and nags and finally stiles bites him at least half to shut him up.

“dad can I talk to you about something weird and uncomfortable and a little creepy” talks about crush on Lydia, and how he’s not sure if its because he has a crush on her or if it’s bc he thinks she’ll be good for the pack. Lydia joins before Jackson, and she’s the one that pushes stiles into it. Lydia and stiles are not dating, but she’s clearly high in the hiarchey.

Boyd? Just like. Shows up. Idk.

So by the time laura and derek show up, stiles’s pack is: john, Melissa, peter, Lydia, Jackson, danny, Isaac, boyd, Erica, deaton (who’s acting as emissary but is training danny). Maybe bring in some later characters, like malia and kira and cora. Ooooh maybe the twins show up before they became alphas, still run aways and looking for something else? Stiles takes them on. Stiles finds malia early on after the fire

Peter is willing to forgive derek but he has a lot of shit with laura. Stiles agrees to let laura and derek stay and not be part of his pack, although laura insists she doesn’t need his permission. She snaps at peter to come home with them, and he looks at her like she’s insane. He says there’s no hale pack, and if there was, he’s not interested. He’s a stillinkski wolf now. Cora too maybe? Double blow. Peter owns the hale land, and he makes it clear the day stiles turns 18 he’ll be signing it over to him. Stiles is known by the surrounding packs.

Stiles has to somehow defend the surrounding area, has to make it clear he’s his and that he’s not willing to give it up. It’s valuable land. People are going to come looking for it once people figure out it’s abandoned. When deaton finds out stiles is an alpha, he goes around as an emissary to the surrounding packs. Saying that its under stiles now. He’s known to them so it goes mostly uncontested. This is when he and the sheriff have the child king conversation.

Stiles tries really, really hard to be a good alpha. That means controlling the territory, and working with other packs when members go rouge or something goes wrong. He’s thirteen the first time he goes to lend a hand in a fight, and it’s young, it’s too young, but he’s an alpha. He has to do this, to maintain the peace. And the thing is – stiles is good at this, good at not pushing, at not using his status as a crutch or an excuse, instead as a tool.

Maybe this is why no one cares for laura’s excuses. As much as laura wasn’t ready to take on the responsibility, she was an adult, if only barely. Stiles is a literal child, and in her absence shouldered it all. So even if she does technically have a claim, none of them are willing to honor it. “if you kill alpha stiles, you won’t have allies, you’ll have enemies.”

Allison and argents. Stiles brings his pack to kill kate. Gives peter the chance to do it himself, and is so very proud when he says no. but instead of letting her go free, stiles crushes her throat. “revenge would have been trapping you all in here and setting the whole thing on fire. Justice would have been making you watch as she burned alive. This was mercy, and don’t you forget it.” Scott is hella in love with Allison, but he knows this comes first. Her mom is full of hatred, but stiles more than makes it clear that he has no problem with killing her too.

Stiles sees derek soon after. They’ve already gone back and forth a lot. But he and laura weren’t there. Stiles tells him what he did. They have a ~moment~

Derek wants so very much to join stiles’s pack, but he doesn’t want to lose laura.

Something finally convinces laura to take the plunge and the stillinksi pack is one happy family

[therealvinelle]

You've said before that you think Meyer is a good writer. I'm neutral to her myself but you're the first person in the fandom to say that that I've seen and I was wondering what your reasons were.

Sure thing.

First of, some referential links. In this post I explain why I like Meyer’s worldbuilding, and in this one I explain (in the last reblog - you can get away with skipping the previous posts) why I think her character creation is well done, and in this one I talk about why I like Twilight in the first place, though that post got a bit off-topic.

So, let me first do the disclaimer that I do not think Meyer is perfect.

Her greatest flaw, I’d say, is that what she intends to write isn’t always what ends up on page. Edward is for instance supposed to be the ideal man, chivalrous and the very antithesis of toxic masculinity. His relationship with Bella is supposed to be a love story on part with all the classics. Jacob, too, is intended as a dreamboat. Alice is the ideal BFF, Rosalie is the bitchy Regina George, Esme is the ultimate mother, and all the Cullen relationships are wonderfully happy. Aro is supposed to be a sinister villain and the Volturi are all corrupt.

Now, all of the above is how Bella perceives things, and I’m all for unreliable narrators. All narrators are, to a point, unreliable, and inferring things from fiction is one of my favorite things to do (as you can probably tell if you’ve been following this blog). However, so far as I can tell Meyer didn’t intend for Bella to have no clue what’s going on at any given time.

As it happens, I also think this is one of her strengths. This woman is living on a different planet, her mind is on a level I can’t follow at all, only spectate in silent wonder. What I’m saying is, no author in their right mind would write Twilight. No one would write Edward as delightfully unhinged as he is, for starters, not without toning him down significantly (just look at how the movies toned him down). To say nothing of how Bella would be a much more functional person, and in turn much less interesting. Aro would be an actual villain, and Twilight as a whole would not be so overwhelmingly bleak.

Her strengths come through in that she’s consistent about it, and while she interprets things differently than I do, she is still the creator of this bizarre universe and one who knows it intimately well. Does she think Edward is great, yes. Did she also write Midnight Sun without pulling any punches, also yes.

I’d put it this way, the flaw of hers that I’m trying to get at is that she creates this rich and horrifying universe and gets full credit from me for that, but she views it through rose-tinted glasses. Which in turn leads to some interesting writing and plotting decisions.

She has one other significant flaw that comes to mind. She’s not good at cutting things.

This goes for both scenes and plotlines. There’s a lot of filler in these books, from Bella making enchiladas in Twilight, to New Moon taking far too long in Jake’s garage and with Bella’s depression before things start happening again, to Breaking Dawn being 2/3rds filler (the wedding, honeymoon, and vampire euphoria especially come to mind.) There’s a lot of stuff in these books that weren’t necessary to the plot. The Host suffer from this as well.

To say nothing of the bigger things she should have cut, like Jake’s involvement in Breaking Dawn. He’d played out his part, Bella chose to become everything he hated, we were done. The book had more than enough story with Renesmée and the Volturi happening, and Jake’s involvement only served to lower the book’s overall quality. And introduce a pedophilic storyline, which, Meyer no.

Then there are decisions she made where I would have chosen differently, such as Bella returning to Forks at the end of New Moon.

However, this all being said, I am a very difficult person to please. Meyer was never going to tick all my boxes, and while I have points of contention with her, my overall impression is a positive one.

(Just to stress how difficult I am to please: I read Good Omens a few days ago. I liked it very much, but it wasn’t perfect. Shadwell, Madame Tracy, Newt Pulcifer and the Them could all have been cut, for starters.

I’m too critical of everything, and it’s not just Meyer that I think should have cut significant parts of their respective stories and made them into something fundamentally different.)

So, now that I’ve torn her apart, what do I like about her? What, for that matter, do I think constitutes a good writer?

To list a few things I like about her as a writer:

She’s good at writing Her prose is very good, her characters are interesting and engaging people, she’s very good at establishing a scene or a character, and she’s evocative. Her prose never bores me, and it makes me feel things.

She has good ideas Self-explanatory,  really. Her lore is extremely original, her characters are interesting, and she comes up with great backstories and worldbuilding. The Southern Wars, for instance, brilliant.

She’s consistent She’s described this herself - she doesn’t get to decide what her characters do, sometimes they do things she very much does not want them to do and she’s quite put out about it. And that, I think, is the key to why her characterization is so consistent - she doesn’t do that dreaded thing where the author forces a character to do what they must to force the plot along, like cramming a square through a triangular hole, she just lets her characters decide for themselves. As her characters are already delightful people, this works out beautifully (Edward conspiring with Jacob that they should forcibly abort Bella’s baby so Jake can then impregnate her comes to mind. Or Aro, whom she views as a powerhungry maniac, showing up at the battleground and being absolutely devastated about that fact.) as they never do anything they wouldn’t do, and their characterization does not change from one book to another. (Counterexample: look at how Kylo Ren in The Rise of Skywalker turns towards the light when we’re closing in on the end of the movie. It’s unconvincing, to say the least, and runs contrary to what has previously been established about him. The movie does not bother to explain why this happens now, what it is that’s so special about one chat with Han and a duel with Rey that makes him turn his life around, nor why it couldn’t have happened sooner. He is redeemed because the trilogy is nearly over, not because it made sense for his character.)

Her plotting is generally good Her plots make sense, I’m invested in them, and they’re reasonably adapted to her characters’ power levels (The clusterfuck that was the Department of Mysteries showdown in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is an example of the antithesis of that).

Of these virtues, I’d place the most emphasis on Meyer’s writing and character creation.

As for what makes a good writer…

It’s difficult for me to pin down.

It’s chiefly whether I think their writing is good, and that means prose, characters, and plot. As Meyer fulfills all of these three, that puts her in my “good writer” box. She’s not perfect, but she has earned her place as a published author.

More, I enjoy reading her books and care about the story and characters she creates. This is a matter of personal preference, but I’m down for what she’s putting out. It would be disingenuous for me to do that and then say “... but of course, she’s a terrible writer”, in part because I feel that’s become a bit of a disclaimer when it comes to Meyer. It’s like the Emperor’s New Clothes. Stephenie Meyer is a bad writer, everyone knows that, if you think otherwise you have bad taste. She has written things, I’ve enjoyed them all, and I’m giving her full credit for that.

[ilikekidsshows]

One thing that pisses me off not just about the miraculous fandom but modern fandoms is fans inability to consume long overarching stories.

Like so many people are complaining about how long the reveal is taking or why haven't certain characters outgrown this trait yet or why is this character arc botched or abandoned. Like guys we just got the confirmation this show will be 7 seasons long PLUS like 3 tv specials. We're only roughly halfway through the series.

Once the reveal happens half the tension in the show is gone! I'm not saying leave the reveal till season 7 and make us wait 9 years this isn't HIMYM but miraculous is not a fast paced story. It's a long haul story. I just wish more fans would be patient. Miraculous is in the extremely fortunate and rare position that it will have a conclusive end and not be suddenly cancelled. That was and still is a huge problem for shows and cartoons with dedicated fans but networks pull the plug for stupid ass reasons.

So miraculous fans please chill the fuck out on things not resolving right away. We still have 78+ episodes plus the tv specials. If we get the end to certain things now it'll be so boring.

I think the concept of Instant Gratification describes the issue with many modern fandoms today. I hate to sound like I'm anti-technology, but the constant stream of quick and short bursts of entertainment allowed by the information age has made people more impatient. It's not about waiting for the climax to get a deeper sense of satisfaction, it's about getting that instant gratification right this instant. It's why one-shot fanfics are all over the place, when multi-chapter stories used to be just as common and popular, if not even more so, and it’s also why people are less willing to read a fic that’s still a work in progress. It's why people refuse to watch Youtube video essays even as they leave comments on the topic based on the title and thumbnail alone because, while they couldn't be assed to watch a 20-minute video (let alone an hour long one), they sure can spend that time calling the Youtuber names and making arguments the video actually already refutes. It's why a lot of online arguments happen only because one party read nothing but the first and maybe the last paragraph of someone's post and skipped all the explanation for their point of view (if I've ignored an counter argument for one of my posts, it was either because I missed it or because said counter argument did this. I have attention deficit issues so I do genuinely forget responses sometimes, but I'm also not writing a second essay for someone who's proven to me they won't read it).

Of course, it's only by constantly consuming only fast-paced content that you can become this impatient. People have different ideas about stories based on what stories they have encountered in the past.

Another thing that influences the Miraculous fandom in particular is that, while I love to show off exactly how much Miraculous has done to build up the overarching plotlines, Miraculous isn't really a show that's about a single story. It's easy to understand why people think it is one though: there's one main villain, we keep discovering more about the mythology, one of the main plot threads is the romantic relationship between the leads and singular episodes and plot elements tend to get payoff later. What is the purpose of a show if not to progress the story? Because the heroes aren't getting closer to defeating Gabriel or getting together, people think that the story isn't accomplishing anything.

I'll do a comparison to illustrate why these things aren't as clear-cut signs of a continuous storyline as people think. In the Spider-Man comics, you can pick any issue up and the chances are that the villain will be a part of Spider-Man's already established Rogues Gallery, who's back for more after who knows how many defeats, and those past defeats might even get referenced in callbacks to previous issues. It's also very possible that Peter and Mary Jane's relationship is the central focus with them not being together yet, having relationship problems or even having broken up (in really old issues the girl might be Gwen Stacy and short-term options have also always been available for romantic entanglements). Does this mean Spider-Man is a continuous story where the only point is that all the villains get put away for good and Peter and MJ live happily ever after? No, it doesn't. Spider-Man is designed to go on indefinitely, so there's no clear ending point. So, what is the point of Spider-Man then, if there is no Ending?

It used to be the single issue, because comic books used to have every issue be a stand-alone story about the hero and their supportive cast. These days it's more every three-to-six issues, because superhero comics are written to have short story arcs that can then be collected into trade paperbacks. A superhero series is not a single story; it's a series that functions as a story engine, meaning the series can generate several shorter stories where the hero helps fix a problem or solve a mystery.

In the superhero genre a villain will never get killed off or removed from stories permanently as long as the writers think they can still come up with stories to tell about them. The hero's romantic life will never be completely smooth sailing unless the writer is using other things to ramp up the stakes. Everything always allows for there to be another adventure.

I think the huge success of Avatar: the Last Airbender made people think that a series that is a single story is always superior to a series with multiple shorter plots. When I was liveblogging Sailor Moon, a viewer offered to give me a list of all the non-filler episodes because they genuinely thought I'd feel like I was wasting time on the show otherwise. This attitude is simply not based on fact. It's not fair to compare Miraculous Ladybug to Avatar, because they're both setting up to do completely different things. Miraculous Ladybug is trying to become a brand, like Batman or Spider-Man. It is part of the "Zag Heroes" lineup, a series of French-created superhero franchises to compete in the America-centric superhero market. This challenge is good for the genre, because Marvel and DC have started resembling each other more and more as these companies stew in their old ideas and copy everything that worked for the other one. The superhero genre needs new blood.

Also, Avatar: the Last Airbender first became popular by doing episodic plots for almost the entirety of the first season because it's actually not a wise choice to expect the audience to be willing to commit to a story that'll only give payoff later when working with an untested IP. Very often shows with longer story arcs start with the episodic format to hook people first, and sometimes the more linear plot is introduced specifically because the audience for the show is now expected to be both dedicated enough and older and capable of keeping up. Because, here's the thing: you can't expect little kids to remember every episode or even every character you've introduced in your show. I'm not sure if people are ready to hear that but I'm throwing it out there anyway. Kids are not dumb, they can understand more complex storylines, but many kids are still training their memory, so they might not remember the details of complex storylines that go on for too long.

This is why the news that Miraculous Ladybug's fourth season was going to have a recommended viewing order originally had me concerned. Miraculous is being branded for kids. The plot requiring too much skill in memorizing story details will make it less accessible to kids and might put those two additional seasons at risk. However, it seems that the "constantly changing status quo" concept of Truth, Lies and Gang of Secrets was a fluke and the evolution of the show is more subtle, so they might not be cutting the amount of episodes for those final seasons because the show is getting too complicated for kids to follow all the important details.

Regardless, Miraculous Ladybug being an adventure cartoon TV show instead of a comic book or a more cheaper-to-produce TV drama does mean that Miraculous Ladybug isn’t expected to go on for decades like a superhero comic or a soap opera. Because of this, it can have evolution and changes and even a planned ending. The show is expected to end at some point, even by the people making money off of it, mostly because making a cartoon like this indefinitely costs a lot of money, and kids’ adventure shows tend to see a decrease in returns if they go on for too long.

[spnfanficpond]

Pond Diving - emilyshurley

Welcome to today’s Pond Diving Spotlight! We hope that you enjoy this little insight to our members and perhaps even find some useful tips for your own writing. Happy reading!

Want to volunteer, send us an ask! We’re looking forward to learning more about all of you! Not sure what PD is, you can learn more here.

Name: Emily

Age: 21

Location: India

URL: @emilyshurley​

Why did you choose your URL: Okay this is embarrassing. I was trying to sign up for AO3, so I did a quick Google search for two things, what's the name of Dean's daughter? Emma, and Chuck's last name, Shurley

I accidentally typed Emma as Emily and that's it. 

There was a very real chance that my url would have been emmashurley. Thoughts on that one? Maybe I'll change it someday. 

What inspired you to become a writer: Being an only child who wasn't allowed to watch tv for more than 2 hours. And not having friends, that also had something to do with it. 

How long have you been writing: Fanfiction? 4 years (was on Wattpad before this). In general? 12 years, I guess... I remember showing my first short story to my english teacher in 6th class. 

What do you do when you are not writing i.e. Job/Hobbies etc? Cooking, eating what I made. I don't get to cook often so I enjoy it when I can. Other than that, college takes up most of my time. Currently getting my bachelor's degree in science. It's my last year, will probably get master's in zoology next. 

How long have you been in the SPN Fandom? 4 years

Are you in any other fandoms and do you write for them? Way too freaking many. But I write for marvel and I'm thinking of re-posting the very first vampire diaries fanfic I wrote. But are people still into vampires?

Do you do any writing outside of fanfiction? If so, tell us about it? Mostly journalling, but I occasionally take part in writing competitions and things.

Favorite published author: Amish Tripathi (He mainly writes Hindu mythological fantasy? If that's anyone's jam here)

Have you ever read a book that made an impact on your life? Which one and why?: Leap of faith by Danielle Steel. Not for any reason other than the fact that it was the first novel I ever read. My grandfather was reading it, and I told him I wanted to read something too so he gave it to me. 

Favorite genre of fanfic (smut, angst, fluff, crack, rpf, etc):Platonic fluff!!!! Give me all the fics of best friends being adorable. 

Favorite piece of your own writing: Once upon a Winchester. But I gave myself so little canon to work with that I think I'll continue it after the show ends. I have to know the ending to continue it. 

Most underrated fic you have written: Letters to no one. For any marvel fans, it's a two part fic in Natasha's POV, just some letters she thought no one will ever read. 

Story of yours that you’d most like to see turned into a movie/tv show: Project Latrodectus, again marvel. I kinda feel bad for mentioning my marvel fics so much but I'm pulling influences from the story of Eklavya in Mahabharata, which is a Hindu epic so complex that I won't attempt to explain it here. 

Favorite Tumblr Writer(s): Ahh that's a tough one. I love so many people. At this point, mentioning Myin ( @myinconnelly1 ) feels like cheating because another who has ever looked at my posts can tell she's my favourite human. So I'll try not to mention her further. 

Otherwise, Beka ( @impala-dreamer), Kate ( @katehuntington​ ), @katymacsupernatural and other hoomans I can't remember because I have been away from Tumblr for a while. 

Favorite Fic from another writer: Blood and Honey by @kittenofdoomage. And the proposal by @katymacsupernatural

Favorite character to write: Marvel: Natasha Romanoff, Supernatural: I have never written Charlie but I'd love to. 

Favorite Pairing to write: So they are platonic ships but Dean and Charlie, the boys and Garth and Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff. 

Least favorite character to write (and why): Easily John Winchester. I don't know, my brain just can't process his character. Like no matter how many times I try, John just sounds off. 

Do you have anyone you consider a mentor? Irl, my grandfather. On tumblr, Myin. I know, I know I said I won't mention her but Myin is my support system here. No matter what goes on in my brain, no idea is too crazy for her. 

Do you have any aspirations involving your writing? To make people feel less alone because I think that feels like shit. My goal moving forward is to write more Indian reader and LGBTQ reader fics because I think not many people in the fandom (that I know of) are writing those fics. 

How many work-in-progress stories do you have: Four, all of them are series. Technically 2 are my ongoing ones. And one is an MCU x SPN crossover that's taking a while to plan. 

What are you currently working on? Nothing focusing on college these days. But will write random one shots here and there.

“Pond Diving” - All About The Writing

What/who has had the biggest influence on your writing? My inability to write romance. No joke, I don't feel like I write it well. So I tend to write general fics and crack fics.

Best writing advice you've been given: Someone recommended the book, writing down the bones, to me a while ago. In the very first chapter it says, use a cheap notebook (so you don't feel guilty about 'bad writing') and a fast writing pen. 

Since most of my non fanfic writings are done by hand I like that advice.

Biggest obstacle you’ve faced in your writing: Procrastination. I'm the creator of my one misery here. I push stuff till the last moment then complain about being too busy to do anything. 

What aspects of writing do you find difficult when you write fanfiction?Smut. I can't. I don't know I like to say I don't feel comfortable writing it but the truth is I just think I'd put people off. Which is not the intended outcome. 

Is there anything you want to write but are afraid to (and why): More LGBTQ+ characters/reader inserts. Why? Say for example, even though I'm bi, but my version of bisexual Dean might not be something other people would relate to and I'm scared of accidentally offending someone. 

What inspires/motivates you to write: What if scenarios. I love speculating and coming up with the context behind what we see on screen. Like an idea that I'll one day use is, what was Sam going when Dean was in hell or purgatory. Sure in one case he hit a dog and met a girl but how? 

So I want to write more general fics or like filler between the scenes we see on the screen. 

How do you deal with self doubt: By talking to people, knowing I'm not alone in this helps. And sending fics to friends before I post them. 

How do you deal with writer's block: Play the sims. What I mean is take a break, do something completely different for a while. 

Do you plan/outline your story before you start: I don't, for one shots. For series I have to have an ending or else I'll lose interest very quickly. 

Do you have any weird writing habits: Would you consider writing/planning things on paper before writing it on the computer weird? 

Have you ever received hateful comments on your fic and how do you deal with it? I did. My very first fic on Tumblr. It was a Tony Stark x Indian!Reader fic and someone messaged me saying most content media is written for an American/Western audience. And that Tony Stark would never actually do for someone who's Indian because well Indian characters aren't primarily present in the MUC. So no one wants to read it. 

What I did about it? I deleted the fic and every backup I had of it. Because in my head they were right. All Indian get is Bruce Banner doing charity work for "all the poor Indians".

It wasn't until recently that I started talking to @desisamslut that I realised that people actually want to read about reader inserts that are like them. I mean it's called a reader insert for a reason how could I not see it?

Conversely: what’s been some of your favorite feedback on your fanfic?When someone made a mood board for my Black Widow fanfiction. 

If you could give one piece of advice to a new and/or struggling writer, what would it be? Hang in there, no matter how uncommon you think what you want to write about is, you'll find an audience. I mentioned @desisamslut in another answer, the first thing she told me was she has never seen an indian reader fic, so she felt happy when she read the one I wrote recently. 

[katsukikitten]

Irritated 6 (?)

A/N I know I never have to apologize but when I do series I feel like do the most and possibly extra BUT I also feel compelled to do these long series for more depth. Hopefully that translates well into my stories as I want them to be read similar to short stories instead of we went from 0 to 100 real fucking quick. So I'm sorry if this series is coming off as more filler than a build up of content. (This is why I'm struggling with my longer series like princess etc) ENJOY BBs

Finally your last task of the day and then you'll be free.

Free to go to that damned hotel room to pack your bags to board a plane. You swear to yourself that you will never come back.

The lights on the stage are again overly bright but this hostesses asks appropriate questions to the ten of you.

And even the fan's questions are dolce and decent.

"Ah Red Riot-sama. I'm sad yet happy that you're taken off of the market but will you televise your wedding?" A box dyed red head asks eagerly, clutching the microphone with slightly shaking hands.

You bite back a smile, nudging Bakugou. Scarlet eyes rove over your face and give you a smirk in return in agreement.

Cute but ridiculous request.

"Ahhh I'm not too sure about the details yet. I've only just asked her a few nights ago." Kirishima laughs, rubbing the back of his head suddenly bashful.

The crowd erupts in roars and majority of the Q&A is now focused on the Kirishima wedding.

A blessing for both yourself and Bakugou.

Although you two become bored quickly as a long line of box dyed red heads of men and women alike wait idly to ask whatever their heart desires.

So you begin to scribble on your pad, you draw the hostess in chibi form, you move down the line of the table mentally stopping on Bakugou. Soon your pen swirls on it's own. The hot head looks odd in your cute chibi.

That is not an adjective that you want to use for him.

He is not *cute* or kind or hot..

Just hot headed.

A snarl to yourself as you begin to engulf Bakugou's chibi in flame before adding yourself lifting a gas can to pour over him.

"That would only encourage me." He murmurs in your ear, a hint of a dark laugh. It is hard to keep the dusting of pink off of your cheeks.

"Fine." A whisper as the pen slicing a line through gas and puts water.

You look to him and he sneers your way, biting back a smirk.

"What's going on with Icy hot?" Scarlet rovers over scratch paper, a snort escapes him, "You did well with Deku he looks utterly useless."

You bite back your laugh, although it is hard, looking up at Bakugou who takes any chance to hate on Izuku.

The hostess walks down the table, stopping before the two of you.

"A fan has a question for you Tejina." She smiles brightly, although you can see some annoyance in her eyes. This must not have been the first time your name was called.

You look out to the mic stand, the lights blinding you for a moment before your eyes adjust, the lighten the illumination over the patient fan.

Your blood runs cold in your veins, smile fading ever quickly depsite you fighting to keep it in place.

Green eyes stare up at you with a mix of emotions. Anger, adoration, jealousy.

You bite the inside of your lip until you taste the tang of pennies as you watch him lick is lips.

"Tejina." His voice speaks your hero name as if it were a dusty sonnet, unused but never forgotten, "Did you enjoy what I picked out for you?"

Nails dig into the tender flesh of your palm as you hold back.

No, *fight* back the urge to shove that microphone so far down his throat you could hear the gurgling of his stomach digesting it. You'd give anything to watch him claw at his throat in uncertain panic, watching his naturally ruddy cheeks flash in hauntingly delightful hues of red, blue, purple and white.

Katsuki notices the shift in your demeanor, his eyes spy the soft glow of your hands before he looks at the fan.

He wears a face he has since committed to memory, an audibly growl is caught by the microphone.

"Oi." Katuski's voice brings you back from your desires plunging you into ice cold water as you register the emotion on his face.

You had never seen Bakugou so angry before. Sure you knew he has a short temper, was easy to pop off at the mouth and the hand.

But you had never seen such unwavering malice in his eyes, or the firm way in which his jaw set.

Grinding teeth with clenched fists, that sweet burnt caramel smell that tickled your nose in dreams wafted to you in heavy waves.

You knew what came next.

Next he would pop, jump into action pair is impulsive temper with the look in his eyes you wonder if that man will ever be able to walk again.

Hell breathe again.

But he would win, even beyond the grave.

You grab onto his powerful thigh as if to hold him in place. He cuts you a look from the side of his dazzling scarlet eye.

He reads you well as you do him.

*"Let me fucking kill him."*

*"No."*

A silent exchange through body language before Bakugou stands anyway.

A deadly snarl as his body heat increases rapidly before the room plunges into darkness.

Screams erupt as the pros automatically jump into action.

Todoroki illuminates the room with fire, Momo makes flash lights, while Denki pulls the hostess over the table protectively as Deku, Asui, and Jhiro move through the crowd to make them calm and to find a threat.

All the while you grab onto Bakugou pulling him back stage. He grabs onto you with rough, inspecting hands.

"We need to be out there. *He's* out there." Bakugou snarls, although his hands have not left your hips. His dancing explosions send flashes of burning Scarlet in your direction.

Rapidly the heat rises in the backroom as well as in your blood.

You grab onto his forearms talking through your teeth, trying to soothe his popping skin.

"It was me." You grit, one hand gesturing about as he looks down at you confused before realization washes over his handsome features.

Washing away some of his wrath with it.

Suddenly the world is flooded with light, Bakugou looks harsher than ever, letting go of your body as if you were hot coals.

He is reminded too quickly of powerful you really are. He gives his back to you, furious over a lot of things.

But more so over the fact that you willingly give power to such vile scum.

And for what? Lingering outside of your door?

"Tch." Is all he says as you watch his retreating back, "Let's get Deku so we can fucking leave this shit show."

To say you were relieved to be stand in front of your shitty hotel room would be an understatement.

Although a looming weight hangs over the door, as if you were to open the cheaply wood fiber door a giant black serpant with hungry greeneyes would meet you.

You swallow thickly as you wait patiently and yet impatiently for Bakugou to retrieve your hotel key from his wallet.

Instead your phone rings from his black pants to which you freely rummage through.

"OI! OI!" Hot explosions pop near your skin but you brush them off staring at who's calling.

Director Yumi, good. Hopefully he will have moved up the time the three of you were scheduled to leave.

"Hello?" Your answer with cheerful disposition.

Although you are unaware that this is the beginning of things going from bad to worse.

Much worse.

Your vision blurs as the director speaks and the two men beside you feel the air charge with an onset heaviness.

The kind that Bakugou knows comes from rage, he notices your clenched fists. The tension making your normally fluid body go rigid.

He wants to rest his palms on your shoulders, let them soothe over your smooth heated skin.

But he barely allows himself the thought.

"WHAT IN THE ACTUAL FUCK?!" It echoes down the hall and Izuku jumps. Jade eyes widening while scarlet narrow.

"A fan party tonight?! Did the boys know about this?" You turn with eyes so angry they glow fiercely with your power.

Both raise their hands to show empty palms and shake their heads no.

"So what is the fucking dress code to this mandatory party hmm? Is it formal? If so I don't fucking have anything." The two men watch you with wary eyes as your voice and temper spike again.

"YOU CANT FUCKING TELL ME?! oh wow you know what a surprise. But what is more surprising is the fact that you're the director of an agency. I'm not sure what it is that you do aside from pissing away your daddy's hard earned money. I know you aren't here to make business deals, talk about hero loans or get your own exposure like the other directors of agencies or as your Father used to do. I know you do little to no research before making a decision nor do you consult your employees as your father did. I know that you have no fucking idea how to run this business, that you do not even posses a fourth of the abilities your father was capable of and I *know* all you're good for is bending Nezuko over your desk to fuck her stupid."

Both sets of eyes widen, your cellphone screen cracks from the pressure of your grip.

"You're right. We *do* need to have a conversation when I get back. Now if you'll excuse me I'll go ask another pro hero or another director who actually knows what the fuck is the dress code and itinerary for this surprise fan event." You say in even breaths and tones before you snap. Throwing your phone onto the floor with heaved breaths.

Gasping for air as you near black out rage, the doors rattle.

Both men stand, eyes wide and staring.

Sure you've been angry, they've now seen you distressed but they've never seen you like this.

Consumed by your wrath and fury.

Izuku looks to Katsuki depserstly, who is biting his lip.

Hating to see you so unraveled.

Did this really all have to do with the dress code to the last minute party or did it have something to do with that scum bag plus whatever the hell else you'd clearly been claming up.

"Oi if you need a dress we can find you one. You have a similar body type to Momo. She's always prepared and probably packed an extra." Katsuki wraps his arm around your shoulders turning you on your heel.

"Or she could make you one." Izuku pipes up, you shove away Katsuki's arm.

"What about you two?" You hiss, "Did you guys lie about knowing?

Bakugou laughs at Deku's blanched face.

"No he's a nerd and always prepared." He snorts, hand finding the small of your back guiding you towards the stairs once again.

"And you?!" A vicious snap that he ignores

"Kirishima is in the same hotel as Momo. He will have an extra for me."

"How can you be so sure?"

Katsuki gives you a sideways glance before pulling you across the street and down the block towards the other heroes' hotel.

"Ever since he dragged me to that nerd island event he's packed an extra." He crosses his arms as the three of you get into the elevator. You wonder what that's like, to have a friend who always has your back.

It has been so long ago since you had actually trusted someone and the only person you could...well she turned up missing shortly after you became a hero.

She was the one person you could never save.

You swallow your shame as you follow Bakugou and Izuku to the fourth floor.

"Take Y/N to the girl's room please Bakugou." Izuku beams as Bakugou snarls, opening his mouth to retort but you interrupt.

"I can go by myself, really. It's just three doors down." You smile, they both look at you with worried eyes that make your skin crawl, "I'm a big girl I can handle it!"

With that you turn, making long strides to the door lifting your hand to knock.

"My two number one heroes!" Kirishima exclaims pulling them into his room.

"Oi oi!" A snarl as their door slams shut.

Your fist seems suspended in air as you ponder.

Would it be rude to ask for a dress?

Would now be a bad time to slip away to just buy one and save yourself the debt?

Before you do a 180 a voice calls from the otherside of the door.

"I'm going to get my extra charger from Eiji" Mina talks loudly enough to be heard through the thick wood before swinging it open to reveal herself and the other female alumni of class 1A, all perched around the room primping.

"Oh Y/N-chan!" She sings wrapping toned pink arms tightly around your frame. You clear your throat, unable to hug her back. Lightly tapping your fingers against her arms.

"Hello..." You say a little awkwardly with a small wave, "I'm sorry to bother y'all but I need to borrow a dress for this party I....forgot to pack one."

"Come in come in!" Mina ushers you in forgetting that she flipped the latch on the door, it sits ajar and goes unnoticed.

She walks a full circle around you.

"Welp my glutes are not nearly as toned as yours...." She looks around the room before settling on Momo, "Mo! Love! Yall have similar measurements!"

"Hmm, yes we do. I believe her thighs to be more muscular than my own and my breasts to be a tad bit larger..." She ponders before an idea crosses her mind, "Ah I'll make one!"

She pulls a measuring tape from her forearm measuring your frame, all the while you protest.

"Oh that's too much trouble. I can go and buy one I dont ne.." But she gives you a look that oddly silences you.

"Its no trouble at all. Plus it will give me great practice! I usually use cloth to make blankets." She scrunches her nose at the thought.

"Oh did you pick your song yet?!" Uraraka asks with delight as she plops on the bed beside you.

Your eyes narrow in confusion as your brow furrows.

"What?" Your heart pounds into your ears as she continues to speak.

"You know for your little opening appearance before all the dancing and booze. Bakugou, Deku-kun and you are the stars for the "surprise" fan party. You get to walk out to your very own song!" U-san produces her phone her screen is lit with a promotional poster.

"TOP HERO SPECIAL APPEARANCE"

It reads across the top, your rage quickly turns into something else as you stare down at the phone.

Before you know it your eyes well over and fat droplets darken the material on your thighs. Your hands fly to cover your face as your rage comes out melted and raw.

"I..I'm sorry...." You sob, "I'm having the worst weekend of my life."

The six women exchange looks as they silently debate how best to approach their new friend.

"Is it Bakugou?" Jhiro's voice comes out harsh as Mina behind you chimes in.

"Yea do we need to kick his ass?" It comes out harshly. A laugh escapes your lips, it sounds foreign.

"Ah no, I can handle Bakugou." You wipe away your tears feeling stupid, "He, he's actually been...fun this weekend."

"Wait wait wait." Mina pauses, "Bakugou? Like Bakugou Katsuki? With red eyes and blonde hair?"

"Yes." You giggle some more, "Hard to believe I know but like I said he's been fun. Helpful even. Kind."

"Wooooooow" The women say in unison.

"So what's bothering your so badly?" Momo's soft voice takes on a tone of motherly concern. You sigh as you debate.

Do you tell them? And if you do how much do you actually reveal? How far back do you need to go?

"Just my male fans are too overbearing. How do you deal with it?" You settle on a partial truth, omitting majority of the details. Plus anyone following your Instagram could see.

"Your fans are too much." Mina agrees, "Momo you get a lot of comments because of your suit right?"

"Yes, some are very hard to ignore. Especially when the go into detail on what they would do to me regardless of my consent. It used to bother me. A lot actually to the point where I thought of changing my hero costume to attract less attention but Sensei Midnight stopped me. She said all I would be doing was putting myself in a more difficult situation with less skin for my quirk to benefit me. That it did not matter what I wore I would still get the comments." Momo pulls a little more of the black fabric from her exposed stomach, giving it a critical look, "That my obsessing over them is what gave them power."

The last sentence settles over you in an odd manner.

Had you given these trolls power over you?

Or has Yayorozu never been blackmailed before?

Still it was sound advice, you had given those comments power.

"Alright I believe its finished. Let's try this on shall we?" Momo says lifting the dress up to you.

"Get ready here with the rest of us. I'm dying to play with your hair!" Mina pleads before squealing when you nod your head yes.

"Bakugou, what are you doing in the hall?" Izuku asks before Katsuki raises his hand to silence him. He retreats from the slightly ajar room, not answering until the hot head is mostly to Kirishima's door.

"I was gonna tell Y/LN about the party but I think the girls just did. Let's grab my stupid suit and come back to pick her slow ass up later." Bakugou dismisses it with a wave of his hand.

And yet he cannot dismiss your words.

"Bakugou has been...fun."

"Please stay Katuski"

He squeezes his eyes shut trying to get your voice and your sad eyes out of his head.

Only to encourage them to haunt him further.

[bisexualballum]

rules: it’s time to love yourselves! choose your 5 favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought into the world in 2020. tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

Thank you @eastendies for tagging me! This year was the first I actually wrote and published fic for any fandoms (unless you count the 2 bts fics i wrote when i was 13 and have sine deleted, which I dont, shipping real ppl isnt good kids xx) so I’m p excited to do this ^_^

1. Imperfectly Perfect

By far my favourite fic of 2020. It’s the first long fic I’ve ever attempted, and despite how long it’s taking me to finish I’m really glad I tried. I think my favourite part has been deciding which direction I want the plot and the character development to go. I of course have to thank eastendies for giving me the ideas for it, and I hope it turns out to be a good gift, even if it’s taking a while!

2. Calm Before the Storm

So this is acc a destiel fic I wrote after finishing season 9. I think it was a weekish before the finale aired and I was still on the insane high most spn fans were on after nov 5 fdsbfsddfbk. I really like the quiet atmosphere that’s still laced with anticipation I created, and filler fics that slot perfectly into shows that are really plot heavy like spn are some of my favourites so I’m quite proud of myself for writing one of my own.

3. 5 Times Someone Made Ben Frown and the 1 Time Someone Made Him Smile

I’m an absolute SLUT for 5+1 fics, it’s my absolute favourite format (I think I accidently formatted some of chap 2 of Imperfectly Perfect like a 5+1 fic now that I think about it idgsufskbks). I also really love it when stories throw in small details that don’t make much sense at first but once you get to the end and you see how they all come together to solve whatever problem the story posed you think “how did I not see it?” which I hope I achieved in this fic dtkufgdsksd.

4. Finally Happy

This was the first ee fic I wrote that was more than just them thinking about how much they ~love~ each other lmao. I, like many, think there’s a horrific lack of Callum being comforted in canon so I wanted to have that in this fic. I also hate the police sl and wish everyday that Callum was a paramedic😔. I also adore Lexi and I hope she, Ben, and Callum become more of a solid family unit with Lola.

5. Tired

Sleepy cuddles fucking SEND and there is a criminal lack of it in ee. Again I rlly like the soft, quiet atmosphere I created and rereading it makes me feel calm and content.

It was nice to look back at everything I’ve created this year and it’s rlly nice to see that the progression in my writing ^_^. Eastendies mentioned it after I posted chap 2 of Imperfectly Perfect and I didn’t rlly see it until now.

Idk who to tag tbh so if you see this pls do this yourself!

[murasaki-murasame]

Thoughts on Fruits Basket 2019 2nd Season Ep13 [”Sure Thing”]

Even though Kakeru and Machi technically got introduced back at the start of the season, this is the episode where the student council as a whole gets properly introduced, and it’s exactly as chaotic as I hoped it would be, for better or worse.

Thoughts under the cut.

After jumping back and covering the Hatori/Mayu arc last episode, this week we get back into the post-beach arc content to focus on properly introducing the student council, and to have the whole episode focus on them, this episode combines chapters 66 and 73.

I kinda forgot exactly when the events of chapter 73 happened so I didn’t really think about the idea of them combining it into one episode here, but it worked out nicely. The next two episodes will bridge the gap in the manga between these two chapters, and they should also focus on their own separate parts of the story.

Even though I think putting these chapters into one episode was the best call in terms of overall pacing, and keeping each episode focused on one topic, it probably makes it even more love or hate, depending on how you feel about the student council. And the gradual shift from over the top comedy to serious drama in the span of one episode might not help that.

As much as I like the student council members in general and their role in the story, I’m not a huge fan of the brand of comedy they bring into the story [mainly because of how the rest of the story’s getting so dramatic at the same time], so for me I think it was nice that this episode wasn’t entirely comedic, lol.

Like what I said last week about how getting an entire episode about Mayu was a good example of how the series puts a lot of time and effort into it’s entire ensemble cast, and how there’ll be more examples like that of some/all of the main characters not being relevant all the time as the story goes forward, pretty much everything to do with the student council sub-plot is all about Yuki’s personal growth in a way that’s more or less completely separate from anything to do with Tohru and Kyo.

The fact that this basically represents Yuki branching away from the ‘main trio’ dynamic and doing his own stuff with new people is a pretty big reason why I think the student council stuff has always been polarizing, even aside from the comedy. A lot of people understandably just don’t like the idea of so much of Yuki’s development and screen-time getting wrapped up in new characters, and him becoming more distanced from Tohru and Kyo.

I think a lot of people gloss over and dismiss the relevance of this whole part of the story in regards to Yuki’s development just because it revolves around new side characters and not the main cast, which can make it seem like filler, but I think that Yuki’s development is moving him away from the main cast and into new territory is WHY it’s so important for him. His whole character arc is basically about ‘leaving the nest’ and becoming independent, so it makes sense that a lot of that happens through him meeting new people because of how he agrees to the student council president position.

And I think this episode pretty much immediately shows how the whole student council is basically designed to push him outside of his comfort zone and make him deal with all sorts of obstacles and problems to help him grow. To the point where they can kinda end up feeling like plot devices who exist just for the sake of his development, which is the double-edged sword of them all being side characters at the end of the day. On the one hand it’s a good idea from a writing perspective to represent Yuki’s independence and his escape from the confines of the Soma family by having him become more involved with a bunch of ‘side characters’, but because they’re side characters they aren’t really given a whole lot of space in the story to actually be their own people with their own lives outside of how they make Yuki a better person. Kakeru and Machi definitely get their own backstories later on, and I’ll talk about that when it eventually comes up, but there’s just a lot of fundamental issues going on with them.

But ultimately I still like them all a lot, lol. 

This episode including chapter 73 also reminded me why I’ve always shipped Yuki and Kakeru, which is still true, and also kinda ends up playing a big role in why I don’t like a lot of the writing surrounding Kakeru and Machi later in the story, for better or worse.

Anyway, even though most of the reactions from new viewers I’ve seen thus far for this episode seem really positive, I think this will still be a pretty polarizing part of the story, with how much it clashes tonally with the rising tension and drama going on in the story. But it also goes to show how the story isn’t going to be 100% doom and gloom now that the beach arc’s over, which I think would have also annoyed people in it’s own way.

Also, before I forget, it’s kinda funny seeing so many people say that Kimi looks like Tohru in the anime, when in the manga it was Machi who looked almost identical to Tohru. I think it just has to do with the difference between the manga being in black and white, and the anime being in colour. In the manga, both Tohru and Machi’s hair isn’t shaded [which is still really weird to me when it comes to Tohru, lmao. I can never shake the image of her looking like she’s blonde in the manga], while Kimi’s hair is basically black, whereas in the anime Machi’s hair is silver while Kimi’s hair is brown. It really goes to show how much we identify anime/manga characters based on their hair, lol.

It looks like next week we’ll get chapters 69 and 70, so we should be seeing more of Haru and Rin, which will be nice.

[lanonima]

10 Reasons I like Chinese dramas better than American shows

I'm actually only going to be talking about fantasy shows because that's what I like. The only "modern style" shows I tend to like are mystery shows, but I've only seen one mystery show from China so I can't actually talk about that yet.

That being said, these are reasons why I've come to really appreciate Chinese military, historical, and fantasy dramas. I'm not putting this under a read more, because it doesn't deserve to be hidden.

1) Absolutely amazing female characters. There are so many female characters, so many, and they're always fantastic. Not only fantastic but different. These are female characters who are huge breakaways from American stereotypes (although there are archetypes in Chinese media and they're great, like the overbearing and unyielding badass lady warrior who uses a whip. Excellent archetype, I really love it). They're so much better written and so much more enjoyable. They almost always seen like real people, you know, how women are real people with diverse personalities, interests, and goals? Even on the more comedic side where they’re not as realistic, they're still so much more diverse. Also they can be super badass, and usually don't become not badass as soon as a dude enters the picture.

With the exception of Guardian which was based on a BL series, I haven't found a single drama with bland or boring female characters, and even that one had some interesting lady characters.

2) The costume design is absolutely incredible. Traditional Chinese clothing is so pretty and I just love looking at it. While period shows made in America and Europe can be interesting, they usually use costumes from periods of time where I think the outfits were honestly pretty boring. I’m much more into folk outfits and traditional clothing so watching Chinese dramas for that reason, you can't ever go wrong. Because the source material is so interesting, their fantasy takes on it are also interesting and beautiful.

3) The backgrounds and set designs are gorgeous. I wanted to talk about clothing specifically, but it should be mentioned that Chinese dramas just look good. The country itself is gorgeous and so they have so many places where they can film, and traditional Chinese architecture and aesthetics are beautiful in a completely different way from traditional Western looks. Basically from an aesthetic standpoint Chinese dramas are amazing.

4) Dramas are a single season which tells a contained story. While they may have between 50 to 80 episodes usually, they're all filmed at once, released at once, and are a contained story, one with possibly many subplots but one overarching plot. There may occasionally be a sequel, and there are still some issues with pacing and filler depending on the show (like Lingjian Mountain, which is based on long source material and so it has a very abrupt ending when they decide to stop telling the story), but they don't drag on for years and years and years like American shows do. For that reason they seem much tighter and well-written, and I always appreciate a story that is actually planned and not the writers making shit up as they go along.

5) A lot of them are based on books. This is really cool, because it allows stories to be told from many different writers and sources. A lot of them are based on published novels, and a lot of them are based on popular web novels, so things don't get stagnated and bogged down. It also kind of goes along with something that I wish Americans would do which is really embrace the miniseries as opposed to movies as far as book adaptations are concerned. Also it gives me lots of new things that I want to read in the future.

6) Chinese dramas based on gay source material are better than American shows that are gay. Yes, censorship is an issue in China and it probably will be for the foreseeable future. However the people making the shows (at least now) care so much and try so hard. The relationships are still very obvious to a Western audience, and so much effort is put into portraying them in the best way possible that they come off as so much more sincere than queer media here, which I almost always dislike.

7) Honestly even straight relationships in Chinese dramas are better. While I don't dislike sexual content, it's way oversaturated in the American market. People seem to think that a show can't be for adults unless there is sexual content, and a romance isn't complete without it. Comparing something like Game of Thrones (which I hate anyway but you know) or the Witcher (which I love) to something like the Story of Yanxi Palace, or the Untamed, or the show I'm watching now the Legends… There is no comparison. I think the reason why the censored gay relationships still work in Chinese media is because even the straight relationships are very tame. They take a long time to build up, which gives them ample time for chemistry to develop, before any sexual content happens or is alluded to. Basically! If you like yearning, and pining, and slow burn, watch Chinese dramas. If you don't like overly sexual shows, watch Chinese dramas. You will not be disappointed.

8) The cheesiness of their special-effects is constantly entertaining (to me). When it comes to 3D animated shows, China is way ahead of the curve and their animation is fantastic. But when it comes to their live-action shows they don't usually seem to devote a lot of budget to it. But every obviously fake weapon, and piece of foam armor, every line of red paint to indicate an injury, every weird CGI monster, they all fill me with such delight. I understand that this is not for everyone but I personally love it.

9) They're not held back by a fake idea of "historical accuracy”. We all know that Western fantasy is bogged down by stupid ideas of "the way things were back then" which are actually not true, but people refuse to think in any depth about the past whatsoever. And they refuse to take advantage of the fantasy genre to make their own rules. How can a fantasy story be historically accurate? Don't ask me, ask a lazy white male writer who does not care about thinking.

In Chinese dramas anything goes. Do you want there to be more women in fantasy, women with agency? Watch Chinese fantasy dramas. Do you want historical dramas that include really strong interesting female characters? Watch Chinese historical dramas. Same goes for queer characters as mentioned above. Do you want historical and fantasy stories wherein sexual assault is not a constant factor for female characters? Watch Chinese dramas. I won't say it never happens, but they do so many more interesting things and the times were does happen actually seem important to the plot. Chinese history is so long and interesting, but they also don't seem to care about historical accuracy a lot of the time. And that is so refreshing. Even though in doing so, they probably are being more historically accurate, but compared to the idea of “historical accuracy” that is wedged in the American subconscious, it's such a breath of fresh air.

10) The dialogue is amazing. If there's one thing that I really wish I could take away from the books and dramas that I'm consuming, it would be how to write dialogue like a Chinese author. God damn. What the fuck. There are so many lines that I remember Word for Word because they're just that good. There are lines that make me literally yell. There are lines of dialogue that I think about on a daily basis. I want to be able to write like this!!

BONUS ROUND: Xianxia is an incredibly unique genre. It's exactly what I was missing in fantasy, and this doesn't only apply to shows and movies but books and the entire Western fantasy genre as well. Actually when I started reading it, I realized that a lot of ways that I conceptualize magic in my work is kind of proto-xianxia. The history that led up to this genre, the tropes that it has, the character archetypes, the kinds of stories that are told… They're all so interesting and unique. It's a whole new world to explore, and I really wish people would give it a chance because it's absolutely full of interesting, hilarious, wild, and downright bizarre things. For anyone who wants to be a writer you should always try and expand your horizons and this is a great way to do it.

[zen3to5]

J/H 3-25: The Promise Ring

And here we are - the end of Season 3! Subtext from last time comes out as text, and the path into Season 4 is laid. How's it look? Read on!

(I had originally planned on re-writing the "B" story of "Canadian Road Trip," but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I had no real ideas that would tie into a Jackie/Hyde project like this. All I had was a dislike of Jackie's line about never having to think again if she were a model. I still hate that line, but as I said at the off-set, I wasn't looking to "correct" anything about the series just because I don't like it. To the extent you can talk about "filler" in a sitcom, "Canadian Road Trip" is filler anyway, a fun one-off episode that could play at almost any point in the series, with the characters at their most basic.)

FF.Net AO3

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SHOW TITLE   INT. FORMAN BASEMENT - NIGHT   A chill night in the usual hangout. ERIC sits on the couch, counting dollar bills. KELSO paces behind him, whacking a paddleball continuously and loudly.   HYDE enters through the basement door and nods at Eric.   HYDE: Hey.   He starts to cross to his chair but is blocked by Kelso, who keeps paddling as if he hadn’t noticed Hyde’s entrance. Hyde’s head bobs slightly as he watches each whack of the paddle, the noise becoming more and more pronounced. Finally, Hyde rips the paddle from Kelso’s hands, pulls the ball free, tosses it back toward his room, and whacks Kelso in the arm with the paddle before shoving it into his hands.   Eric looks up from his money and smiles at Hyde.   ERIC: Rough day down at the precinct there, champ?   A scowling Kelso wags the paddle at Hyde.   KELSO: (slow, deliberate) It’s not the paddleball’s fault you’re on probation, Hyde.   He stomps back toward Hyde’s room to look for the ball. Eric resumes counting money and Hyde makes his way to his chair.   HYDE: (to Eric) What are you up to?   ERIC: Just counting my secret stash. I’m getting something special for Donna. ‘Cause, you know, she and I have been fighting a lot lately...   Kelso, with the ball in one hand and the paddle in the other, jumps over the back of the couch and sits at the other end.   KELSO: I wish Jackie and me were fighting. I’m used to that. But ever since the Ted Nugent concert she won’t even talk to me.   Hyde stirs with interest. Eric takes note.   ERIC: (flat, to Kelso) Oh, no. How awful.   He gives Kelso a look of mock-sympathy. If Kelso gets the sarcasm, he ignores it.   KELSO: Man, I thought for sure we were gonna get back together there. I mean, that second first date kicked ass. But she got all upset right at the end and wouldn’t even tell me why. I don’t get it.   He shakes his head, turns his attention to the broken paddleball. He looks back and forth from the paddle to the ball, trying to puzzle out how to reconnect them.   Eric and Hyde regard him coolly, then turn to each other when they realize he’s not going to figure it out.   ERIC: (to Hyde) I’m gonna get Donna a promise ring.   HYDE: Careful, Forman. You get mushy with Donna, she’s gonna see the secret girl inside the man. Now trust me. You won’t wanna let Erica out.   KELSO: (laughs) “Erica.” That’s a good burn. You can’t do that with Michael, I’m lucky.   HYDE: Oh, really, Michelle?   Kelso pouts, turns to Eric.   KELSO: Don’t listen to him, Eric. Hyde obviously doesn’t understand mature relationships, but I do. And a promise ring is not only a gift from the heart, but it also means more sex and less mouthing off.   Eric gives him a long look.   ERIC: Really, no idea why Jackie wouldn’t want to get back together?   KELSO: None!   He throws his hands up in the air as Eric and Hyde share a look.

MAIN CREDITS   BUMPER   INT. FORMAN BASEMENT - DAY   The next day. THE CIRCLE. Eric, riding a good high, holds up the PROMISE RING he’s purchased.   ERIC: Ah, the ring of love. Just holding it makes me feel mellow and content. (beat) Actually, that might not be the ring.   Pan to Kelso.   KELSO: Guys, what if the reason Jackie didn’t wanna get back together is because she doesn’t wanna be with a guy like me? I mean, sure, I’m good-looking – but I can’t be trusted!   Pan to Hyde.   HYDE: Come on, Kelso. Don’t be so hard on yourself. I mean, sure, you cheated on Jackie, lied to her all the time, and kept talking about breaking up with her behind her back – but it’s always great for us watching all that come back to bite you in the ass.   Pan to FEZ.   FEZ: Why is everyone but Fez in love? If I don’t get some romance soon, I’m going to give myself a blister. Well... another blister.   Pan to Eric.   ERIC: (to Kelso) Yeah, Kelso. You and Jackie are like the perfect couple. You do the bad stuff and she tries to catch you. She’s Smokey to your bandit. (beat) God, it’s like that movie applies to everything!   Pan to Kelso.   KELSO: Man, why is everyone always against my love? Especially you, Hyde. When it comes to Jackie, you’re always bringing up the bad times, trying to get me caught doing bad stuff, or cutting in on all my master plans. You’re like one of those bitchy cheerleaders on Jackie’s squad. Hyde... alisha... (to Eric) Quick, what’s a girlie name for Hyde?   Pan to Eric.   ERIC: Uh... Hyde-ringa?   Pan to Fez.   FEZ: Hyde-ephanie?   Pan to Hyde.   HYDE: It’s Heidi, ya morons! Heidi!   He shakes his head in disgust.   BUMPER   EXT. FORMAN DRIVEWAY – NIGHT   A calm, peaceful night. The Vista Cruiser is parked in the driveway. Eric and DONNA lie on the hood, looking up at the stars.   ERIC: That was fun, huh? It was a good movie. It was one of those love movies like you like, huh? And who took ya? (points to himself) This guy.   DONNA: Yeah, it was great.   ERIC: You know what else this guy did for you?   He pulls out a ring box with a red ribbon and a card attached.   ERIC (cont’d): Got you a present.   They both sit up. Donna takes the ring box and reads the card.   DONNA: “To Donna. Love, This Guy.”   ERIC: Yeah, that’s me.   Donna gives him a smile and opens up the box. She takes the ring out, holds it up.   DONNA: Oh, my God.   ERIC: It’s a promise ring.   DONNA: Eric, it’s... it’s beautiful.   ERIC: I’m so glad you like it. ‘Cause... look.   He takes her hand, the one holding the ring.   ERIC (cont’d): Even though things have been a little weird lately...   With perfectly bad timing, RED and KITTY step out from the kitchen and see the kids.   KITTY: Oh! Look how cute on the car! (laughs)   Eric and Red look mortified, but Donna smiles and hops down. She holds out the ring for Kitty to see.   DONNA: Here. Look at what Eric got me.   Kitty takes the ring.   KITTY: Oh, my... (to Red) Red, go get the camera.   RED: Kitty...   ERIC: Mom, I -   KITTY: (to Red) Go! It’s – it’s in the drawer near the cheese grater.   Red heads back inside.   ERIC: Mom, no.   KITTY: Hush. (to Donna) Donna, now, make the face you made when Eric gave you the ring.   She hands the ring back. Donna rolls her eyes.   KITTY (cont’d): Oh, now, see – I don’t think you rolled your eyes! (laughs)   Red appears in the patio doorway, but doesn’t come back outside.   RED: Kitty, I cut myself on the cheese grater.   Kitty tuns to look at him. Eric and Donna, seizing their chance, take off down the sidewalk. Kitty turns back around, too late.   KITTY: Oh, now you get back here and smile, dammit!   They do no such thing. Defeated, Kitty heads back inside to tend to Red.   BUMPER   INT. HUB – DAY   A sunny afternoon, modest business. Donna and JACKIE are at the wall table, Donna in the booth seat and Jackie across from her. Donna has the promise ring on her left index finger. She holds her hand up so Jackie can see the ring.   DONNA: Can you believe it? Isn’t it pretty?   JACKIE: Oh, it’s beautiful... and Eric found a ring size big enough for your giant hands.   Donna gives a quick eye roll, then turns back to admiring her ring.   JACKIE (cont’d): Donna, why aren’t you wearing it on your left ring finger?   DONNA: (shrugs) I dunno. ‘Cause I like it on this finger. What’s the difference?   JACKIE: Donna, a promise ring is sacred. If you don’t wear your promise ring on your left ring finger, it totally cancels out the promise that you’ll be together forever.   DONNA: Wait, that’s what I promised?   Her right hand closes around the left, hiding the ring from sight.   Hyde enters and crosses to the girls’ table.   HYDE: (to Donna) Hey.   Jackie looks up at him and glowers.   JACKIE: Oh, hello, jerk.   HYDE: Good afternoon, wench.   The insult cuts. Jackie stands and elbows Hyde as she runs into the bathroom.   HYDE (cont’d): (to Donna) Hear that? The sweet sound of silence.   He grins and sits. Now Donna glares at him.   DONNA: Shut up. Jackie told me what you said to her after the Ted Nugent concert. You know, that’s why she and Kelso aren’t back together yet.   HYDE: Oh, yeah? Hey, you think that would get me off probation early? You know, for the vital public service of keeping morons split apart.   DONNA: Hyde, the “distant jerk” act’s not gonna work on me, okay? We’ve been friends for too long. I know what’s going on: you like Jackie... for some twisted reason... but you’re too in denial to own up, so now you’re mad at her for wanting to get back with Kelso and you’re worried he’ll hurt her again.   Hyde pulls a stunned face.   HYDE: Oh, my God, you’re right! And that dream I had last night, where I was Sonny Corleone and kicked ass at the toll booth, that was really my unconscious mind telling me how I want to kill my father! Thanks, Sigmund!   He blows a raspberry. Donna wipes the spittle off her face.   DONNA: Look, I think it’s a bad idea too, but believe it or not, Jackie has thought this through. It was weird, sophomore, cheerleader thinking... but she has been more careful this time. And Kelso actually has worked really hard to show her that he’s changed.   HYDE: But he hasn’t, because people don’t change.   DONNA: Come on. That’s not true.   HYDE:  It’s true where I come from.   Donna leans back and regards Hyde. She sees where he’s coming from now.   DONNA:  Yeah, well, Kelso is not your parents.   Hyde jerks in his chair, but Donna doesn’t stop.   DONNA (cont’d): He’s your friend, and so’s Jackie. She really looks up to you, and this time, you’re the one who hurt her. And you could’ve taken a shot yourself if you weren’t so proud. If you’re not going to do that, you could at least respect that Jackie made a choice and thought it through, even if you think it’s wrong.   Hyde gives Donna a long look, his shades a mask to what he’s feeling.   Jackie comes in from the bathroom. Hyde gets up and leaves before she finishes sitting down. Jackie looks away from the door.   Donna looks back down at her ring. Jackie takes notice.   JACKIE: You know, Donna – I really need to introduce you to my good friend, nail polish.   She holds up her perfectly manicured nails. Donna frowns at her, then turns back to her ring.   CUT TO:   EXT. FORMAN DRIVEWAY - EVENING   Later that day. The Vista Cruiser is out in the driveway. Hyde and Eric play basketball while Kelso and Fez lean against the car.   KELSO: (to Fez) Man, I just – maybe I should go to Jackie, you know? Lay it all on the line. But what if... what if that’s it? I don’t think I can take that again.   FEZ: I understand. You are a sensitive man, Kelso. Tender. Delicate.   HYDE: Girlish, even.   Donna and Jackie come up the driveway. Eric, who has the ball, tosses it to Hyde and crosses to Donna.   ERIC: Oh, there you are. The movie’s about to start.   He takes Donna’s left hand and starts to lead her around the car when he notices: the ring isn’t there anymore.   ERIC (cont’d): Where’s your ring?   DONNA: Oh, I put it on a chain so I could wear it around my neck.   She lifts the ring and chain up to show him, crosses to the patio. The others start to make their way around the car.   KELSO: BURN! Oh, super burn! The wedding’s off!   ERIC & DONNA: Kelso, shut up.   Eric crosses to Donna. The others all follow, right behind him.   ERIC: Donna, why aren’t you wearing the ring on your hand?   DONNA: I don’t know. I didn’t really think it was a big deal.   JACKIE: That is not true! (to Donna) I told you – (to the others) I told her it was a big deal!   DONNA: Look, Eric, why don’t we talk about this later?   ERIC: Well, there’s not really anything to talk about. Unless – you don’t want to wear the ring.   KELSO: OUCH!   Everyone gives him the same dirty look.   KELSO (cont’d): Sorry – I’m sorry.   He gestures for Eric to continue.   Eric looks back to Donna. She looks back at him, then laughs and shakes her head.   DONNA: It’s great. The ring is great.   She unhooks the chain and slides the ring onto her left ring finger. For good measure, she holds up her hand.   DONNA (cont’d): See? It’s great.   ERIC: So... we’re good?   DONNA: Yeah, fine.   ERIC: Okay, good!   They head to the passenger side of the Vista Cruiser. Eric opens the door for Donna. Just as she’s about to step inside, Kitty rushes out from the kitchen, camera in hand, and snaps a picture of them. Eric flashes a sheepish smile; Donna wears a long face.   Kitty looks up from the viewfinder.   KITTY: It’s my God-given right as a mother!   She disappears back into the house. Donna gets inside the car.   FADE TO BLACK   COMMERCIAL   BUMPER   INT. FORMAN KITCHEN - DAY   The next day. Red, Kitty, BOB, and MIDGE sit at the kitchen table. Red has a PHOTOGRAPH in his hand; it’s the picture Kitty took the night before. The parents study it carefully.   KITTY: (beat) Well, now – now that is just so... oh, dear.   MIDGE: When they got home, I asked Donna how it went, and she said “fine.” (shakes her head) But she didn’t seem fine.   KITTY: And Eric has never been good at knowing when “fine” isn’t fine. It runs in the family.   RED: (to Kitty) No, it does not!   KITTY: (cold) Fine.   RED: Okay! Good.   He smiles, oblivious.   Bob takes the photo.   BOB: I dunno. She doesn’t look that unhappy. (to Midge) She kind of looks like you.   MIDGE: I’m unhappy, Bob.   They all look amongst themselves. Kitty breaks the silence with a nervous laugh.   CUT TO:   INT. DONNA’S BEDROOM – DAY   Concurrent with the previous scene. Donna is in bed for an afternoon nap. The promise ring is in her right hand. A slow zoom in as we cut to:   INT. GAME SHOW STAGE   DREAM SEQUENCE. Donna is on LET’S MAKE A DEAL, complete with stupid carrot costume. She bobs on her feet as MONTY HALL comes up to her, microphone in hand.   ANNOUNCER (v.o.): Welcome to “Let’s Make a Deal!”   MONTY: All right, Donna, which is it going to be? Your future behind Door Number 1, Door Number 2, or Door Number 3?   DONNA:  Oh, my God, I don’t know!   She jumps and claps.   DONNA (cont’d): Okay – Door Number 3!   MONTY: Door Number 3? All right, let’s take a look at what you didn’t choose behind Door Number 1.   Door Number 1 opens. There is a writing desk with a typewriter and a coatrack with a leather jacket hanging on it.   MONTY (cont’d): It’s a leather jacket and a typewriter, which you could have used when you became a globe-trotting rock n’ roll journalist!   Donna’s shoulders slump.   DONNA: Wow... that would’ve been nice.   MONTY: Yeah, too bad. All right, let’s take a look at what was behind Door Number 2.   Door Number 2 opens. The U.S. Constitution, framed, is displayed between the Wisconsin and American flags.   MONTY (cont’d): The U.S. Constitution, which would come in handy when you became the first woman president!   DONNA: Oh, Monty, these prizes are bitchin’!   MONTY: Yeah, truly bitchin’. Now, let’s take a look at what you did choose behind Door Number 3.   Door Number 3 opens. Eric is sitting on a donkey, beaming and waving, as terrible country music plays.   MONTY (cont’d): It’s your boyfriend and a promise ring!   ERIC: I love you!   He blows Donna a kiss. The “zonk” sound plays. Donna’s face falls as we cut to:   INT. DONNA’S BEDROOM – DAY   Donna wakes from her dream. She curls her right hand in toward her and looks at the promise ring.   BUMPER   INT. FORMAN BASEMENT - DAY   Concurrent with the previous two scenes. Kelso is in Hyde’s chair, his leg restless, while Fez reads a comic on the couch.   KELSO: This is it, man. If Jackie won’t take me back, I’m done with chicks for good. I’ll be like a monk. Or an ugly person.   Hyde comes down the stairs, a beer can in hand. He’s almost on a march.   KELSO (cont’d): (to Hyde) Hey, how’d you sneak the beer? Is Red still looking at that -   Hyde tosses the can aside. He grabs Kelso by the collar, hauls him out of the chair, and throws him back against the water heater.   HYDE: Are you now, or will you ever again be shacking up with Forman’s skanky sister?   He isn’t completely drunk, but the beer’s loosened his tongue and temper. Kelso, cornered, tries his best to shrink down.   KELSO: Why, did she say something about me? (Hyde frogs him in the arm) OW!   HYDE: I’ll ask the questions here, dirtbag! Now – yes or no?   KELSO: No!   HYDE: Do you now, or will you ever again sneak out back behind the gym to make it with Pam Macy?   KELSO: It was also in the gym. And her car. (Hyde frogs him in the arm) OW! No!   HYDE: Are you now, or will you ever again look to get any action on the side with whores, trash, or sluts from Sacred Heart?   KELSO: NO! And – dude, Hyde, you need to get off probation, ‘cause all that time around cops is having a bad influence on you!   FEZ: I disagree. Once he outgrows his rebellious phase, I think Hyde would make an excellent cop. He projects an air of masculine authority.   Kelso and Hyde give Fez a look, then turn back to each other.   HYDE: I’m not kidding around here, Kelso! Now, I’ve had a shot! I’ve had a good shot! And I’ve been holding that shot! And if I keep holding it, so you can have your shot, because that’s the shot she wants to take, then I need to know damn well that you’re not gonna blow your shot!   KELSO: (beat) Wait, I’m confused. Are we going hunting? (Hyde frogs him) OW! Why the violence?   FEZ: (to Kelso) He means Jackie, fool!   KELSO: All right, fine! Look, Hyde – I don’t know what’s going on with you and Jackie – if you like her, or if her dad hired you to be, like, her secret bodyguard – and, if he did, he’s getting his money’s worth, because – damn!   He massages the spot on his arm where Hyde’s been hitting him.   FEZ: (to Hyde) See, another career opportunity for you. What a productive afternoon.   KELSO: (to Hyde) Look, I don’t need you or anyone telling me I screwed up before with Jackie. I know, okay? I know every time I see her. And I can’t do anything to take it back. And when I try to change, and be a better guy, nobody believes me. But I think I have changed. And I think Jackie does too, which means more to me than anything. So, if I have a shot, I’m gonna fight for it.   He stands up a little taller. Hyde regards him, his hands clenched in fists. His shades mask his thoughts.   Hyde grabs Kelso by the collar again and drags him behind as he marches to the basement door.   KELSO: No, wait – I didn’t mean that kind of fight! (to Fez) Fez, come on, man! I NEED A WITNESS!   Hyde throws the door open, and they exit. Fez runs after them.   CUT TO:   INT. THE HUB – DAY   A short time later. Business is slow at the Hub. Jackie sits alone at a small round table near the center of the Hub. An empty food basket is on the table. Jackie gathers her purse and stands to leave.   Hyde enters just as Jackie reaches the door. They each take a step back from the other.   HYDE: (beat) Hey.   He gives her a chance to reply; she just regards him coolly.   HYDE (cont’d): Um... I’m just dropping off...   He glances behind him; no one’s there. Scowling, he throws open the door to the Hub and sticks his head outside.   HYDE (cont’d): (shouting) Will you get in here, you big baby!   Kelso skitters to the door, Fez right behind him. They stay as far back from Hyde as they can while still making their way inside.   KELSO: (to Hyde) You are a scary, scary man, Hyde!   Hyde cuts him off with a look. He jerks his head in Jackie’s direction and motions for Kelso to go to her. Jackie looks back and forth between them.   JACKIE: Michael, what’s going on?   With one last nervous look to Hyde, Kelso takes Jackie by the hand and leads her back to the middle of the Hub. Fez hangs back by Hyde.   KELSO: Okay, Jackie – look, I know our second first date didn’t end so great. And I know we’ve got some bad history, and I’ll understand if you don’t want to go back to that. But I just – there’s something I need to tell you: from the first minute that I saw you, I knew that I wanted to fool around with you.   Jackie’s face scrunches up. She looks over at Hyde, who shakes his head and shrugs.   KELSO (cont’d): And then, after we did that, and I still wanted to talk to you, I knew that I never wanted to be without you. And I feel like we’ve got another chance to make that happen now, and I want to take it, but it’s up to you. So... will you please take me back?   Jackie studies Kelso’s face. She looks back to Hyde, who gives another, smaller shrug. “Love is the Answer” by Utopia comes on the jukebox.   JACKIE: (beat) Yeah. Yeah, Michael, I will.   She smiles, and Kelso smiles back. They both open their arms wide and embrace, Kelso lifting Jackie off her feet.   Over Kelso’s shoulder, Jackie looks up at Hyde. He gives her the smallest of smiles. Eyes watering, she smiles back before pulling her head back to kiss Kelso.   Hyde looks away, and he sees Fez struggling to hold in tears.   HYDE: Oh, God, what are you crying about?   FEZ: (sniffs) You know what, you magnificent, selfless bastard!   He throws his arms around Hyde. Hyde tries to fight his way free from the hug, but Fez just keeps holding on as Jackie and Kelso continue to kiss.   CUT TO:   INT. FORMAN BASEMENT - NIGHT   Much later in the day. Hyde sits in his chair, sunglasses off. He has a pack of cards in hand; one by one, he tosses them on the coffee table.   Eric comes down the stairs, crosses to the lawn chair. He looks over at Hyde and grins.   ERIC: Hey. So, I hear Jackie and Kelso got back together. And I hear they didn’t do it alone, nuh-uh. I hear they had help from a curly-haired cupid. An angry, violent, curly-haired cupid who may have just broken his own heart and Kelso’s humerus.   He laughs silently. Hyde doesn’t look up, just keeps tossing cards.   ERIC (cont’d): Man... could you just tell me what you were thinking when you -   HYDE: Where’s Donna?   ERIC: (beat) She said she had to study.   HYDE: Huh. So, everything’s cool?   ERIC: (beat) Okay, look. I don’t know what everyone thinks is going on, but Donna and I are not only fine, we’re great. Everything’s finally settled, so... (beat) We’re happier than ever.   HYDE: Well, one of you is.   ERIC: What is that supposed to mean?   Hyde lets out a long sigh. He sets what’s left of the deck down on the table and looks straight at Eric.   HYDE: Look, Forman. I get what you’re trying to do. You know, you’re trying to lock her up. Seal the deal. And I’ll I’m saying is... maybe Donna’s not that kind of girl.   Eric’s face hardens. He stands and points at Hyde.   ERIC: Okay, you don’t know as much as you think, Hyde. So you need to just shut up.   He runs back up the stairs. Hyde glances after him, then leans back and puts his feet up on the coffee table.   CUT TO:   EXT. FORMAN DRIVEWAY - NIGHT   Immediately following. Donna sits on the hood of the Vista Cruiser. She has her promise ring in her hands; she fiddles nervously with it.   Eric steps out from the kitchen, still seething. He brightens up when he sees Donna, crosses to sit on her right.   ERIC: Hey. What are you doing out here?   DONNA: Um... I wanted to talk to you.   She looks up at a still-smiling Eric.   DONNA (cont’d): Oh, this is gonna be hard. (beat) Um... Eric, I love you. A lot. But I have to give you your ring back.   ERIC: What? Why?   Donna looks up, as if searching for the words. She turns to face him head-on.   DONNA: Okay. How do you see the next twenty years?   ERIC: I don’t know. I guess I always figured that we’d go to college together and come home -   DONNA: Yeah, but Eric, you know that’s not what I want. I mean, I’ve told you that. And who knows? I may want to go to school back east, or maybe in Paris.   ERIC: Okay, well, you know what, Donna? Whatever, okay? The important thing is that when you see yourself in Paris, or... wherever, I’m there, right? (beat) Right?   DONNA: I don’t know... not always. I mean, it’s not like there’s anyone else, but sometimes I’m... by myself. I mean, all I’m saying is, I don’t know. Neither of us does. And this ring is just a stupid high school promise. If we’re meant to be together, then we’ll end up together.   ERIC: No, the way we end up together is by saying we’ll be together, and then – being together.   DONNA: Eric, come on! We’re together now! Isn’t that enough?   ERIC: No!   He gets off the car and begins to pace.   ERIC (cont’d): I mean, damn, Donna! If you can see a future for yourself without me, and that doesn’t, like, break your heart, then - we’re not doing what I thought we were doing here! And you know what? Maybe we shouldn’t be together at all.   DONNA: Wait a minute...   She stands too.   DONNA (cont’d): Are you breaking up with me?   ERIC: Well... are you giving back that ring?   Donna tries to choke down her tears; she can’t.   DONNA: Yes.   ERIC:  Then... yes.   Donna tries to say something, but the words won’t come. With one last look at Eric, she leaves the promise ring on the hood of the Vista Cruiser and runs down the street, crying.   Eric picks up the promise ring in his right hand (MUSIC NOTE: “Thirteen” by Big Star). Slowly, he climbs back onto the hood of the Vista Cruiser and lies back. Looking up at the night sky, he slams his right hand down in a fist. Tears come to his eyes as we slowly crane up.   FADE TO BLACK   CREDITS   INT. FORMAN BASEMENT - NIGHT   Another night. Eric and Hyde sit on the couch. Hyde’s shades are back, but both boys look forlorn. The radio plays in the background.   DJ (aud. only): Well, it’s a beautiful night out tonight in the greater Oshkosh area, and I hope all the lovers out there are making the most of it. But for those poor fellas without a lucky lady, you don’t have to spend the night alone and inside. We have just the place for you to go to...   “Heartbreak Hotel” by Elvis Presley begins to play.   ELVIS (aud. only): Well, since my baby left me Well, I found a new place to dwell Well, its down at the end of the lonely street At Heartbreak Hotel Where I’ll be – where I get so lonely, baby I get so lonely I get so lonely, I could die...   HYDE: You know, I’m really starting to hate this station.   Eric rolls his eyes and throws his head back.   END.

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Okay, so - before you get mad...XD

1. This re-write runs through the beginning Season 5 - we've got a long ways to go.

2. Remember that a major goal of this was to keep the Jackie/Hyde tension going through this period of the show in proportion to everything already there. It's been tough to do that without sacrificing Kelso's character development, which is there at this point in the series - he does try to change and be faithful to Jackie. But I think I've found some fun ways to work with that in Season 4 that you'll all enjoy.

[spine-buster]

Alone, Together | Chapter 22 | Morgan Rielly

A/N:  Thanks again for all the positive feedback!  We’re already at Chapter 22 and only in February.  I would like to say that there isn’t going to be any more drama, but the whole ~incident~ happens in March and, of course, Boston happens in April.  So…yeah.  For now, at least, happy times ahead! This chapter didn’t end up AT ALL where it was supposed to go, but I’m actually happy about that.  Some might call it filler (because it technically doesn’t contain any Morgan/Bee interaction) but I see it as pretty important.  

Hockey Night in Canada was quickly becoming favourite night of the week, especially when the Leafs were playing at home.  She had never been a hockey fan before Morgan, but now that she was – at least partly – she could feel the energy in Scotiabank Arena pulse through her veins.  She could feel it outside on the streets, walking past fellow Torontonians going to watch the game at a bar, at a friend’s place, or anywhere else.  She could even feel it within fellow fans, buzzing around the arena and getting close to the glass during open skate.  

Tonight, in particular, was a big one – Leafs vs. Canadiens.  Morgan had explained to her enough about the historic rivalry between the two teams, and even Aryne pitched in with a “Now they hate us even more because John wouldn’t grant them an interview.”  The energy was palpable.  And if Bee knew anything about Habs fans, it was that they were everywhere in Canada – even where you least expect it – and that they always travelled to support their team.  Even tonight, in prime enemy territory, she spotted a lot of Habs jerseys.  It was going to be a great Saturday night.  

But right now, all she cared about were babies.

Briony loved babies.  She loved them.  And she loved one baby in particular: Henry Gardiner.  He was the cutest, chubbiest, most perfect baby in all of Toronto and when any opportunity to hold or play with him came up, it excited her to no end.  Bee wasn’t going to have babies anytime soon, so when the opportunity arose to do literally anything with babies, she was the first to volunteer.  So when Bee saw Lucy had brought him to the game wearing and a cute, custom-made onesie that looked like a Gardiner jersey with hockey pants, she was over the moon.

“He was being really fussy…is being really fussy tonight,” Lucy said as she tried to bounce him in her arms.  

“You want me to hold him for a bit?  At least while we go down to the ice to say hi to dad?”

“Yeah, that could work,” Lucy agreed, handing her five-month-old over to Bee.  “What do you think, Hank?  Wanna stay with Auntie Bee?” she cooed.

Bee balanced his chubby body on her hip.  He looked up at her with his big blue eyes and she almost melted right then and there.  “Hi Henry!  Are we gonna be best friends tonight?  Are you gonna give Morgan a run for his money?”

“Henry you wanna go see Dada?  Wanna go see Dada?” Lucy smiled as Henry smiled at the word ‘Dada’.  Lucy slipped on his blue pair of baby headphones to protect his ears from all the noise before setting her diaper bag on the chair.

As the pair slowly made their way down the steps of the lower bowl, they eventually got to the glass in the corner, which was already surrounded by fans taking pictures of the team.  They stood back for a while, watching the team skate and shoot pucks as Bee bounced Henry in her arms and pointed out all the players to him.  He obviously couldn’t hear a thing, but he followed her points and let out happy noises the more she bounced him.  Eventually, some fans noticed them and made way for them to go right against the glass.  Bee held Henry close to the window, pointing at Jake.

Jake took a few more shots at the net before he saw them, quickly making his way over.  Like clockwork, a cameraman and photographer appeared beside them and started snapping pictures of Henry and Jake smiling at each other.  Bee thought it was out-of-this-world adorable, but also thought it was slightly awkward since she was neither Henry’s mom or Jake’s wife.  “Maybe you should take him,” she giggled, handing back to Lucy with open arms.  

“Yeah, let me hold him until they leave,” she agreed, bringing Henry a bit closer to the glass.  Jake continued to smile and wave, and the fans around them practically awed in unison.  Morgan came skating behind him, stopping briefly to wave at Henry and smile at what was transpiring.  He pulled a silly face to try to get Henry to laugh.  Instead, Henry looked at him, his little baby eyebrows furrowing, before he began to fuss and cry slightly.  Jake hit Morgan and Morgan made a dramatic ‘oops’ face before winking quickly at Bee.  She shook her head at him as he skated away.  

“Ooookay, that’s enough of Dada and his friends,” Lucy said, trying to calm him down.  “You want to go back to Auntie Bee?  Seems like you liked when she held you,” she said, handing him back into Bee’s arms.

Like previously, Henry began to calm down as Bee held him and bounced him on her hip.  Lucy began to thank the fans for making room for them, and as she did, Bee noticed a group of three young girls – they couldn’t have been older than 21 – recording them on their iPhones.  Bee tried not to look their way or give them any mind, but when she overheard one of them say to the other, “That’s Morgan Rielly’s girlfriend,” her breath couldn’t help but hitch in her throat.  

“Let’s get back to our seats before the Zamboni comes out,” Lucy said, unaware of the girls filming.  “Hank’s really scared of them and Jake’s still upset about it.”

As they made their way back to their seats, they saw Aryne and waved, Penny following close behind her.  They nestled into their seats – Lucy near the aisle, then Bee, then Aryne, then Penny – as Bee turned Henry to face forward to look out onto the ice, bouncing him slightly on her knee.  

“Are you girls ready for a shit show?” Penny asked.  “I don’t know if you saw, but Max Domi has already been chirping a few of the boys.”

The girls rolled their eyes, but Bee had no idea who Max Domi was.  “Who is Max Domi?”

Penny cringed.  “Don’t ask.”

Aryne looked over at her.  “Max is a player on the Habs.  His dad Tie used to play for Toronto from the mid-nineties to the mid-2000s,” she explained.  Bee was so grateful that Aryne and the other girls were still patient enough to explain things to her.  “He just crawls under people’s skin.  He likes to play dirty.  And ever since he got traded to Montreal and became a Hab, he’s been shitting on Toronto – literally the city he grew up in – every chance he gets.”

Bee furrowed her brows.  “So you’re telling me he’s a dumbass.”

The girls burst out into laughter at Bee’s deadpan delivery.  “Exactly,” Penny snorted.

“If he so much as touches one of our guys tonight I’ll go down there and fight him myself,” Lucy warned.  “I haven’t slept in two days and I’m surviving on cereal and smoothies.  I’m a ball of rage.”

Henry seemed content to stay on Bee’s lap during the first period, despite the constant grimacing, flailing of arms, screaming, and general scowling from the ladies.  By the end of the period, the Leafs were down 3-0, and Bee got the gift of seeing first-hand what kind of a player Max Domi was.  Though he hadn’t scored any of the goals, he was being an asshole, completely targeting Freddie and riling up Johnsson – of course, the referees called nothing.  Bee knew she always had to be mad at the referees.  

As Lucy left with Henry to change his diaper, Bee spent the intermission on her phone catching up on the day’s news events.  She was pretty busy at work these days, and throughout all the meetings Mark liked to spontaneously plan and the working lunches they’d have, she wasn’t able to catch up on anything during the day like she used to be able to when she was in-between classes.  She was nervous for the second period too – a lot of the fans that had made their way out into the concourse were grumbling about the lacklustre period and 3-0 score.

“The boys better make a comeback,” Aryne said almost to herself.  “I’m not putting up with any gloating Hab fans, and I’m sure as hell not putting up with a gloating Max Domi.”

Bee snorted at Aryne’s words as she opened Instagram, scrolling through her feed and liking pictures.  She had made it private back when Angie called her in Vancouver, but that didn’t stop people from somehow stealing her pictures – like Aryne showed her on Valentine’s Day – or stop them from trying to tag her in videos or send her DMs.  The tags were relentless – every picture someone stole from her profile, they’d tag her in it again, as if they wanted her to see that they stole it.  And now, there were more tags to sift through.  The girls who had recorded them at the glass had of course already uploaded the video to Instagram, and it was making the rounds.  She was tagged four times from four different accounts.  She watched the video, and obviously it was cute because of Henry, but the girls were in prime position to catch Morgan winking at her before skating away.  Perfect position.  She could only imagine what people were saying about it, and she didn’t want to read the comments.  Instead, she went to her Instagram DMs to clear her inbox.

So what, are you Lucy’s BFF now or something?

LMAOOOO now ur trying to get mo to have a baby with u U R PATHETIC!!!

R u pregnant

I know it’s your man’s jersey and all but it’s really doing your body no favours.  Have you gained weight?

“Whatcha reeeeading?” Penny asked.

Bee sighed dramatically.  “Well Penny, apparently I’m forcing Morgan to have a baby with me,” her voice was deadpan.

Penny snorted at the delivery.  “Oh how I just love Instagram DMs,” she giggled, shaking her head.  “Don’t worry, I’m only with Will for his money.”

“Oh, of course!  Morgan’s my sugar daddy!” Bee exclaimed, causing Penny to laugh even more.  “These girls see one video and think I’m pregnant.  It’s so weird,” she focused back on her phone.

Maybe Lucy should give you some yoga lessons so you can lose some weight.  She looks better than you do and she’s had a baby.

I told u we’d find pics of u and mo.  You’re not sneaky.

You guys looked really cute in Vancouver!!!!!  Can’t believe you met his parents already does that mean you’re getting married?????

You and Mo are rly cute

You’d look better with a nose job and some upper lip filler.  Just saying.

How kind of them to suggest a nose job and lip fillers.  Like women around the world weren’t already insecure with themselves.  She deleted everything, not bothering to read anymore.  She deleted the list of them until she heard a crying baby, bringing her back to reality and what really mattered.  When she finally looked up, she saw Lucy coming back with a crying Henry, and more fans filing back into the arena for the start of the second period.  

“He is being so incredibly fussy it’s driving me insane,” Lucy’s voice was exasperated as she sat back into her seat.  “The entire time he was wailing.  Just wouldn’t stop crying.”

“Awww, come here my chubby prince,” Bee cooed as she took Henry from a tired Lucy’s arms.  “You gotta let mommy rest.  Why’re you being so fussy?”

It took a few moments, but he eventually stopped crying and settled down, again looking up at Bee with his big blue eyes.  He even gave her a smile and giggled at her smiling down at him.  Lucy put her hands up in dramatic frustration.  “You’re like the baby whisperer tonight!  Seriously!” she exclaimed in astonishment.  “I can’t believe this!”  She even took out her phone to snap a quick picture of Henry smiling up at Bee, and Bee smiling down at him.  “You’re stuck with him the whole night if he’s going to be like this with you.”

“I’ll hold him the whole game if I have to,” Bee smiled.  “I’m not joking.  You want me to rock him to sleep?  Tuck him into bed?  I’ll do it.”

“Don’t tempt me.  I might take you up on your offer.”

As the second period started, Lucy fetched Henry’s bottle from her bag, and Bee fed him.  Auston scored early in the period, with Morgan getting the primary assist, and Bee hoped that the goal was a kick in the ass for the whole team to start scoring.  When Tyler scored a powerplay goal near the end of the period, she was confident they would come back.  And as always, Max Domi was being a pest, but because the boys were answering back, he didn’t have that much to say.

Then Willy scored in the third period to tie it and Penny went crazy.  Henry fell asleep and was snug in his carrier when Zach tied it and everybody in the arena went crazy.  Then the Habs got upset.  Four unanswered goals.  On the jumbotron, they showed Morgan and Max going back and forth, chirping one another with a body in between them, holding them apart.  God, Bee hated fighting, but if Morgan had slapped the smirk off Max’s face, she would have had no problem riding him across the Pacific Ocean.  She even fanned herself as the girls pointed it out to her and had a laugh about it.  A fifth goal by Johnsson, getting his payback on Max.  A sixth goal by Zach, again.  Six unanswered goals.  One hell of a comeback.  Sweet sweet revenge.

This is the hockey Bee could get used to.  

As fans began leaving the arena after the 6-3 win, the ladies took their own way to the locker rooms.  In the elevator, Bee took out her phone and saw she was tagged in yet another photo – but this one she would definitely keep.

@lucygardiner_: Henry loves his Aunt Bee! <3  Uncle Morgan has to work on his funny face game though…

It was the photo she had taken earlier of Henry looking up at her smiling.  With both of them smiling and the sea of blue jerseys behind them, it did make for a very cute picture.  Bee liked it immediately and decided to comment.

@brionymctavish: Heart eyes for my chubby prince!  Uncle Mo’s baby blues ain’t got nothing on Henry’s

***

“Listen, I know you have work tomorrow but can I please come over?  I don’t want to watch this alone.”

Thus began the night of February 28th, the dreaded day – the day John Tavares returned to Long Island.  The media had been hyping the return for days, and truth be told, Bee thought they were making a bigger deal than what needed to be made.  They kept stressing the fan reaction, the videos they posted online of them burning John’s jerseys, which was absolutely ridiculous.  They kept asking John annoying questions about it, and they kept asking players on the Islanders annoying questions about it.  Bee wished it could all just end, but they needed to get through the game first.  

Aryne showed up to Bee’s apartment with takeout Greek food.  They didn’t even bother setting it up in the dining table – they just took their spots on the floor and spread everything out on the coffee table in front of the TV.  Coverage was already on, and the guys on Sportsnet were blabbering on about something.  Judging by the time, Bee knew the boys would be on the ice soon for the pre-game skate.  She didn’t need to wonder what the reception for John would be since she was being told for an entire fucking week that it “wasn’t gonna be good”.  

“Are you looking for places?” Aryne asked as she sat down on a pillow, looking at Bee’s laptop screen of apartment listings.  

“Oh.  Yeah,” Bee nodded her head.  “I can’t live off of Naz and Ashley forever.”

“It’s not like they’re going bankrupt,” Aryne quipped.

“Yeah, but I’m earning decent money now.  They can at least get the income back from leasing out this place,” she shrugged her shoulders, wanting to drop the subject.  “Have you talked to John?”

Aryne nodded her head, opening the takeout container to reveal her gyro.  “He’s fine.  At least he seems to be.  He’s seen some of his old teammates already and they caught up, which was nice.”

“That’s good,” Bee offered gently.  “Does it feel weird for him being back there?”

“I don’t think so,” Aryne said.  “I mean…he spent nearly ten years of his life there.”  She looked at the TV and they both noticed the teams making their way on to the ice.  The camera was focused solely on the Leafs.  “Can you turn it up?” she asked.  

The more Bee turned up the volume, the more boos could be heard.  The arena wasn’t even at full capacity but they were deafening.  Between keeping the focus on John, the camera also panned to people and signs in the crowd.  People who had taped up their Tavares jerseys and re-wrote ‘Traitor’; people who made a sign saying ‘We don’t need you’; people standing and booing and giving the middle finger with one hand while a beer was in another.  It was gross.  

“How could they be so awful,” Bee said more so to herself than to Aryne.  Seeing person after person with toy snakes and throwing them on to the ice was not funny.  It was not amusing.  This was a person that was their captain, and here they were disrespecting him and treating him like shit when he did so much for their team.  Bee looked over at Aryne, who didn’t seem to blink as she watched the clown show in front of her.  “We can change the channel if you want.”

“No,” Aryne answered.  As much as it pained her to watch, she couldn’t.  “I promised John I’d watch the whole thing no matter how bad the fans were.  I’m watching it for him, not for them.”  She worded it perfectly.  This wasn’t about them, no matter how much they wanted to make it about them.  Aryne knew that.  Bee knew that.

They watched in silence as John made his way back to the tunnel.  All of the sudden, something flew across the TV screen heading towards John’s head, narrowly missing him, making both women gasp in fear.  They held their breath as the replay occurred, Bee’s hands over her mouth.  “It’s a jersey.  It’s a jersey,” she said quickly, noticing the colours on the object being thrown.  The distinct blue and orange couldn’t be mistaken for anything else.  

When she looked over at Aryne, she could see tears welling in her eyes.  “Aryne…Aryne it’s okay,” she said, crawling over to her side of the table before giving her a quick hug.  “It didn’t even hit him.  The guy missed.  It didn’t hit him.”

“Why do they hate him so much?” she asked, her voice shaky as she continued to look at the screen.  “He was the backbone of that team for years.  He moved there alone when he was eighteen years old to play for them and this is how they repay him?”

“Aryne, they’re being dumb.  They’ve been amped up by the media and this is just theatrics,” Bee tried to calm her down.

“I don’t get it,” she shook her head.  “You just…you spend nine years of your life somewhere, building your life and career, and they just turn on you at the drop of a hat…just because you want to go home.  Just because you want to play for your childhood team.  Because you want to be close to your family and start a family of your own,” she lamented.  “My God.  I don’t even know why I’m crying.  This…this is definitely pregnancy hormones,” she was embarrassed as she wiped away the tears.  

“It’s okay to be emotional about this Aryne,” Bee said softly, rubbing her back.  

“He’s just so happy to be home, Bee.  Why can’t they see that?”

“They’re blinded by their anger, but that’s not your problem,” Bee said.  “He was a UFA Aryne.  What was he supposed to do?  Stop playing hockey just to make them happy?  Play somewhere he wasn’t truly happy?  Play for his childhood team when he only had a half a tank of gas left?  That’s not far to him and his goals.  Even if hockey wasn’t a part of it at all.  He made the best decision for himself and for you both and they don’t want to see that.”

Aryne didn’t say anything.  She wiped the remaining tears from her cheeks before laying her head on Bee’s shoulder.  After a while of silence, she finally said in a soft voice, “I think the reason I like you so much is because you just…you see things outside of hockey.  Sometimes I forget what it’s like.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You just have this perspective the rest of us don’t have,” she said without elaborating.  “Never lose it, okay?”

The boys played like shit.  They didn’t show up for one of the biggest games of the season – there was no other way to put it.  They let John down.  After Zach opened the scoring and got another goal taken away (because of the “offside” rule, which Bee still thought was a completely made up call), the team was sucker-punched to a 6-1 loss.  It was brutal.  Every time John touched the puck, the crowd booed so loudly it almost drowned out the announcers.  Bee hated it.  She never wanted to experience another game like this again.  

This was not the hockey she wanted to get used to.  

“Are you sure you don’t want to just crash here tonight?  You must be exhausted,” Bee asked as Aryne was packed up to leave, taking most of her uneaten gyro with her.

“I’ll be okay, don’t worry.  At this time of night the drive is nothing.  Plus, John will probably call and want to talk,” she explained, putting her Styrofoam container into a plastic bag.

Bee kept ruminating over what Aryne had said to her earlier.  ‘You see things outside of hockey.  You have this perspective the rest of us don’t have.’  She wondered what Aryne meant by that.  She knew it wasn’t super invested in hockey.  She knew that Morgan had only ever played for the Leafs and he had never switched teams, been a UFA, signed an offer sheet, demanded a trade, any of that.  She knew she was only getting one perspective, especially since Morgan wanted to stay a Leaf forever.  Despite being from Vancouver, they were his childhood team.  His dad fist-pumped on camera when the Leafs drafted him.  Aryne had been through so much more than she had, yet she was the one telling Bee ‘You have this perspective the rest of us don’t have’.  “Hey Aryne…” she began, unsure if she should bring it up.

“Mhmm?”

“You know…you know before…before the game started.  How you said I see things outside of hockey and that I have a perspective the rest of you guys don’t have?  What did you mean by that?”

Aryne stood still.  “I didn’t offend you did I?”

Bee shook her head vehemently.  “No no.  Not at all.  I just want to know what you meant.  I’m wracking my brain trying to figure it out.”

“Do you promise not to hate me if I explain it?”

“I could never hate you.  The only reason I could hate you is for telling me who Max Domi is.”

Aryne smiled before getting more serious.  “A lot has happened to you this year, with the break-in and with your mom dying.  A lot has happened to you in your life.  And somehow, you’re still…it never seems to phase you.  And…I don’t know.  It brings me back down to earth a little bit.  When I get stressed over John or hockey or whatever else, I just think about all you’ve been through and how you’ve overcome it all with such grace and a good head on your shoulders and I just think ‘Man, this girl’s got it all figured out.’”

“I don’t have it all figured out,” Bee shook her head.  “Far from it.”

Aryne bit her lip.  “Listen, you just prioritize the right stuff in your life.  You prioritize yourself, your relationship with Mo, your job…not a lot of girls your age that we know can say the same thing.  That’s why Sydney reacted the way she did when you mentioned having a career and the fact that Morgan liked you having one.  A lot of people lose sight of what is supposed to matter and all they end up caring about is their boyfriend or their wedding or how they look on Instagram.  But despite all this new stuff around you, all this money and all this privilege, you’ve never lost sight of what truly matters.  Even the way you brush off all the DMs you get on Instagram.  And I don’t want to patronize you and tell you I’m proud of you, even though I am, and I’m not saying that you’re a saint, but it makes me think about the priorities in my life,” she absent-mindedly put a hand over her baby bump.  “Hockey is there but it’s John’s priority more than it is mine.  I care about my husband, my family, our growing family, our friends who are like our family.  And in the grand scheme of things, stuff like what happened tonight…it doesn’t matter.  You get that.  Somehow, without having been involved in hockey for years or without being involved in the wag lifestyle that so many girls think is an absolute dream when it’s really not…you get that.”

“I don’t know what to say Aryne.”

Aryne shrugged her shoulders.  “I just think we can all learn a little from you, that’s all.  Remember where our real priorities are.  Because it’s not with the Chanel bags, or the gala events, or the mingling with Toronto socialites, or the Instagram feed showing off your new lip fillers and the picture perfect way your boyfriend has proposed.  It’s with each other.”

[seyaryminamoto]

Hiiiiii - read your Iroh and Ursa metas, loved them. Might I ask if you've any equally Hot Takes on the fandom's favorite punching bags - The Great Divide and Avatar Day?

Uuuuh well.

If the hot take is expected to be “they’re GREAT episodes!”, I… I’m afraid I’ll disappoint :’D I dislike them both, but who knows? Maybe my reasons for disliking them are different than other people’s?

My problem with The Great Divide is a little personal: that was the first episode I ever watched of ATLA, and if only I’d caught another one, anything slightly more plot-relevant than that, I might have become a fan of the show much sooner. I watched it, found certain things entertaining, others not so much, and concluded ATLA was a “monster of the week” show masquerading as a show with a plot. Which… made it less interesting to me, by mere logic. I was also very much a teenager back then, and while I still had decent instincts as far as storytelling was concerned, they weren’t as polished as they are now. So I didn’t really see much of ATLA worth my while in The Great Divide, and so, from a personal point of view, it’s not at all amongst my favorite episodes.

Upon rewatching the show in full, I was more forgiving of the Great Divide, not only because I understood the show’s dynamics better, but because ATLA actually has other episodes that, while featuring occasional relevant information and characters, could also feature not-so-relevant developments later on. So it’s not just Avatar Day and the Great Divide: the Fortuneteller, while a pretty liked episode, is honestly about as lacking in plot-heavy developments as those two are. Yet most people like that one :’) why’s that? Shippy reasons? Weeeell…

The truth is, if you ask me, that the Great Divide and Avatar Day and the Fortuneteller are episodes that allow the plot to slow down. This wasn’t so good in the early stages of Book 1, where slowing the plot too much actually made you forget there was a plot altogether… but when you watch the show as a whole, those moments of less tension, featuring Aang resolving problems and saving lives of completely ordinary people, were actually pretty good for what they were. That, in particular, is something I missed in Book 3: Team Avatar minus Zuko certainly do their best to help common people here and there through the first half of Book 3, but Zuko never does (and then when Zuko joins them, they never really do that again). What would I give for an episode where Zuko actually had to reason with the harm the war has caused not only to the Earth Kingdom, but to his own people… frankly, that oversight from the writing department is still absolutely absurd to me.

So, my problem with the Great Divide and Avatar Day isn’t that they weren’t plot relevant. My initial problem with the Great Divide, like I said earlier, was personal. But there’s also the feeling that not enough growth for the main characters takes place in these episodes: Aang resolved the Great Divide’s problem in the goofiest way he could. It was funny, creative and helpful, and kind of unexpected for your kind-hearted hero to lie to deal with a problem… though it also makes the situation more complex because of that, since he’s doing something ethically incorrect to establish peace between warring tribes. He did an objectively bad thing… for good purposes. So… it’s complicated, but it’s cool. It’s not half-bad as a concept that the show could explore. 

Nonetheless, you can’t feel a HUGE, PALPABLE CHANGE in the relationship between Sokka and Katara after this episode. You really don’t. They spend the bulk of the episode at odds with each other, and they set aside their problems later… but everything they do, post-Great Divide, really doesn’t look like they learned a lot from their clashing, such as how to see things from each other’s POV or being more fair with each other… I, at least, don’t feel much of a change. No idea if other people see it differently, but they continue to clash pretty wildly later on, particularly in Book 3. So, did they learn something at all? If not… then the episode does end up feeling rather pointless because it doesn’t feel like the characters really are impacted by what happened in it, right?

And that, beyond anything else, is what makes these sorts of episodes feel like filler content: The Ember Island Players WAS filler content, absolutely, but you have scenes such as Zuko talking to Toph about Iroh, or Aang and Katara’s catastrophic rejected kiss, and it feels like SOMETHING happened in the episode even if in general it didn’t do anything plot-heavy. But aside from these small scenes that offer characters a chance to make at least a little progress (whether forward or backwards…), you even get a chance to see how the Fire Nation views the war, how they see themselves, how they see their Fire Lord. Even there, the show is giving you information that helps in the worldbuilding of the show. This is absent in The Great Divide, where the two warring tribes are never seen or heard of again, and they’re not exactly relevant because of that. Do they add some diversity to what we ought to perceive of the Earth Kingdom? Yes. Is it useful for anyone other than the rare fic writer who decides to use these characters for something? (never really seen it but I bet it has happened) Honestly, no.

Now, Avatar Day is annoying to me for another personal reason, even if it connects with some of what I said above: I HATE the way Sokka is characterized in this episode. I have more than enough qualms with how he’s characterized for many episodes in Book 2, but this one takes the cake.

Sokka is usually sharper than everyone else, helpful, resourceful, even when no one is really acknowledging it. Often he’s the voice of reason, the one who figures out what’s going on (such as in the Cave of Two Lovers, where he realizes the tunnels are changing, just to name one thing), but Avatar Day decided to feature him obsessing with acting as an investigator, and he kept stopping Katara from making the big reveals because HE had to do it, and she just rolled her eyes at him all along (from the get-go too, since she goads him into investigating by spurring his ego and yet she still is shown visibly annoyed when he starts raving about how he figured out the seal jerky thing back in the Water Tribe). All of this is to make Sokka a punchline of the “Katara is the smart one” joke that doesn’t even work when you take the rest of the show into account :’) so… this particular thing will ALWAYS rub me the wrong way with Avatar Day.

From this episode, I do like that Aang has to deal with people who hate him because he’s the Avatar. I always complained about how LOK basically had everyone swooning and adoring Korra even if they hated her, everyone constantly in awe of her prowess and talent, and those who DIDN’T like her were constantly shown as unreasonable jerks, such as the kid who throws that snowball at her, and we’re supposed to feel bad when she calls Korra the worst Avatar ever :’) we are REALLY expected to feel bad and to dislike the kid… when we literally watched Aang dealing with a mob that sentenced him to boil in oil for his past life’s crimes, and who burned effigies in his image. Right. A spiteful little kid is so very harmful, so heartbreaking, so jarring. Wow.

What I like about Avatars dealing with people disliking them, be it for solid reasons or for stupid ones, is that it feels REAL. Because it makes sense that people wouldn’t have an unanymous opinion of the Avatar as the savior of all the world, it makes sense that there’d be people who are jerks because they don’t like him on principle (or lack thereof). It’s normal, natural, completely common in human beings to just see something popular and go “MEEEEH I’VE SEEN BETTER”. And that’s what Avatar Day gave me, as far as worldbuilding is concerned.

As for more worldbuilding, Avatar Day certainly offered more insight on Kyoshi, but while most people found that fascinating and the insight in question absolutely wonderful because oh woooow she bends LAVA, I found it damning instead. If you need to know why… feel free to read this post (seeing as you like my controversial opinions you might even enjoy the whole thing x’D). While there’s some new novels now about Kyoshi that shed more light on who she was and how she did the things she did, I have certain gripes with some of the ideas I’ve heard those novels bring up. All in all, though, they shouldn’t change what canon brings forward with Kyoshi’s behavior with Chin: just in case you didn’t read that ask, I’ll say that my problem isn’t that she killed Chin, if anything, my problem is that she only killed him when he only had two places left to conquer. 

She wouldn’t sit passively while he took her home. Because, uh, that’s the only place the almighty Avatar had to defend, I suppose. 

Basically, Chin pulled a Kuvira with no opposition because the Avatar apparently didn’t care to involve herself in this particular problem until he was knocking on her door. Seriously? Best Avatar ever? Oookay then…

So, my favorite Gaang member, turned into a bad joke and unable to tell he’s been turned into a joke + the birth of a fandom-wide circlejerk around a character because she bent lava, nevermind the implications of her disregard for a tyrant’s conquest until it reached her doorstep + the worst point of Zuko’s theft spree = I don’t like this episode :’)

Avatar Day’s only redeeming quality for me, like I said, is Chin Village’s Avatar-hating ways, but ONLY as a concept. Even so, I wish they’d tackled that particular matter far more seriously than they did, because sure, Chin Village’s villagers were damn stupid, but hating the Avatar because she killed someone they idolized wasn’t exactly a far-fetched motivation. Where you’d think this could even serve as a sort of parallel between Zuko and Aang, where they both find themselves as the new heirs of their respective, long legacies, legacies full of people who did good and bad things, and the ones being held accountable for those bad things are THEM, however unfair it might be…? The show just turned the whole damn thing into a joke. And that’s just a real waste of screentime. I’m not against ATLA’s comedic episodes at all, not as a concept, and I really like the show’s humor in general… but this episode absolutely could have used less of it, especially when offering an opportunity for Aang to actually find out that his past lives aren’t at all as idealistic and righteous as he might have thought they were, or, at the very least, he could have reflected on the fact that they didn’t necessarily share his principles and beliefs. But nope. Missed opportunity, right there.

In short… I suppose people dislike Avatar Day because of similar reasons why I do, I can’t say for sure. I assume people dislike the Great Divide for its filler-nature and general irrelevance to the show, and that’s pretty reasonable? But in my opinion, the problem with so-called filler content is that it ought to be used to expand on characters, to further develop them, they should be a chance to slow down and offer introspection during a brief chance that opens up when heavy plots give the viewers, and the characters, a chance to pause and breathe for a while. Both Avatar Day and the Great Divide fail at this particular wishful standard I impose on fillers, though. And that, along with my personal reasons, is why they’d be part of my personal “least liked episodes of ATLA” list, if I were to make one. It isn’t to say there aren’t a few redeeming qualities in both episodes, I hope I made that clear… but that’s not enough to offset the negatives in this case.

Also, I brought up the Fortuneteller too as an example for a filler episode that actually doesn’t achieve much, same as these two don’t. I actually enjoy this episode quite a bit? The animation is really good and smooth here. But that’s neither here nor there :’) 

The Fortuneteller certainly emphasized Aang’s crush on Katara, it also expanded on Katara’s character by showing how she’s so quick to believe fortunetelling, as opposed to Sokka, who absolutely doesn’t believe any of it. This generated a ridiculous but fun dynamic between the three characters through the episode, and it added Meng to the mix as well by featuring her as the girl Sokka misunderstands Aang is pining over. There’s a lot of silly comedy, but it’s in a much nicer way (in my opinion) than the one presented by Avatar Day, especially as it emphasizes elements of the character’s personalities: Sokka’s unwillingness to believe in spiritual nonsense, DESPITE he has already been caught up in Spirit World shenanigans, Aang’s hopeless pining over Katara and Aunt Wu’s encouragement for him to find his own destiny instead of being trapped by whatever she told him, and Katara’s obsession with asking Aunt Wu about EVERYTHING in her life up until the point where she finds herself considering that the super powerful bender she’ll marry could be Aang.

In general, this episode does handle its filler qualities as best as possible. But, and this is a problem I’ve seen brought up by other people before, it’s also an episode that features Katara pondering maybe Aang could be her one true love… only for the next episode to absolutely forsake that plotline and go for a wholly different subject. Which is, of course, fine… the problem is, we could’ve had Katara treating Aang slightly differently if she found herself thinking of him in a new light. That she didn’t treat him visibly differently, if anything, makes it look like right after her “He really is a powerful bender…” reveal, she just went “NAAAAAH, no way it would be him” and just decided to push aside all romantic possibilities with Aang until the Cave of Two Lovers. Which, considering Kataang is the endgame couple, is honestly another fumble by the writing department, as following up on this development would have easily silenced all those detractors of the ship who have interpreted the whole show under the tried and tired guise of “but she’s just mothering hiiiiiim!”.

One great thing about romance is watching it grow steadily, gradually… and when you have such big moments you ought to follow up on them, to a fault. It didn’t even have to be acknowledged in any massive ways, but it could have been acknowledged by featuring Katara wearing the necklace Aang weaved for her during later episodes, or something like that. But… there’s nothing palpable. Nothing serious. And this isn’t to say Kataang is lesser for it, but it would have been greater if the next episode had addressed the pending elephant in the room instead of going around it and pretending it didn’t exist at all.

So, while the filler in ATLA in general is better than the frequent fillers from anime, for instance, or than fillers in certain liveaction TV shows… it’s not quite perfect, let alone is it always top-tier writing that, while slowing down the plot, allows proper character introspection and growth. I really do like the Fortuneteller, as usual Aang’s work to help of those who need him is probably my favorite thing about his character and it shows in spades in this episode. The comedy is really great here, and I love the way Sokka is portrayed here… as opposed to how he’s portrayed in the Great Divide and Avatar Day, where not only does it feel like he didn’t grow at all, it also feels like he’s reduced to slapstick comedy with zero respect for his character. So… yeah. I don’t really like those two episodes, not out of any genuine disliking of fillers for what they can be, but because, as far as chances to slow down plot and developments go, both Avatar Day and The Great Divide really didn’t do it the way I would’ve wanted them to.

[baskervilleshund]

4,5 years of Gotham in my life♥

Wow my emotions these last days. I’m not much of a text poster on this site but when Gotham ended I really felt I wanted to write this!

Gotham has been a huge part of my life for so long now. 4 years and 7 months since the first episode aired, that’s some time gosh. And so much has happened during this journey! I just wanna mention some memorable things during these years. Like remember the pre-s02x09 excitement?? And other stuffs, ah here we go!

The first trailer made me SO EXCITE, I had wanted more batman villains content for years since I have always found the batman villains squad so interesting and good and unique characters, there is so much to explore here! And so the Gotham trailer came and I just OH MY GOD this is exactly what I want!! And so it started and it was amazing. My first love was Ed, it took him his first scene in ep1 to make me go totally THIS IS MY FAV! More eps went on and I required more Ed content. But then Oswald slowly grew on me kinda out of nowhere like I wasn’t expecting it. And when amazing ep7 aired it just hit down on me from the sky, like it does when I know I got a new obsession/fandom. Oswald’s amazing scenes in ep7 and I went ”Okay this is it, I’M DEEP INTO THIS NOW AND I LOVE IT!”. In exactly THIS↓ scene/moment I basically said those words out loud and realized this is my life now, ugh also one of my fav looks I miss the bangs:

Shortly after ep7 I started shipping Nygmobblepot, since we knew who these characters were and who they will end up being it made SO much sense in this show, they were like the two familiar main villains in kinda the same age and I also loved them both so I mean it was obvious for me. Man in the beginning we were so very few in the shipping Nygmob pond, in the OCEAN of Gobblepot. It was a bit of a struggle sometimes, ppl wrote hate on my Nygmob posts n stuff shrug. And I just didn’t get how not more ppl could see it? It would make more sense if this were new characters like they hadn’t even met but since we knew this is Riddler and Penguin it just was fate for them to cross paths soon enough! We needed Nygmob content! I started making tons of my own AU:s since if the show wouldn’t give us content I would do it.

BUT we had Robin & Cory with us! Reminder that Cory invented the shipname after 5 minutes and Robin & Cory’s amazing twitter activity during s1 especially I will always remember as a fav. Remember when they we’re so into roleplaying Nygmob and spoke how Ed & Os loved each other and all sorts of things. All about going to The Foxglove together and stuff. Ugh it was amazing, I miss their interactions.  

In this very smol pond is when one day my shining star @conscience-killer (aka okimi79)  approached me, with this ♥ ”Sometimes I feel we’re the only Nygmobblepot shippers in the world…well apart from Robin and Cory. We should have a secret handshake or something.”

And man did we get a secret handshake! Gosh MY DEAR OKIMI! That I up til this day since then has spoken with like everyday for 4,5 years, you are amazing ♥ And in that time of so few shippers it felt even more special, to have  someone else out there as obsessed as me. I’m so grateful we found each other at exactly that time and we’ve been through so much on this journey ♥.

When Nygmob in spring finally had their first scene it was so amazing and I have no idea how many times I have watched that scene to this day, and also with that the ship grew a bit yas!!

Let’s jump forward a bit. NYC Comic Con 2015 in fall, one of my fav Robin & Cory cons/interview times! Because the legendary ep 2x9 was soon upon us and OMG remember how excite they were in those interviews!?! And THEN, that fkn night THE episode aired. I couldn’t believe it was real, it was EVERYTHING we had dreamed of!!! SO MUCH NYGMOB CONTENT and so in character and gosh. Man their season 2 relationship is just so beautiful and I love it til this day and 2x9 is forever my favorite episode because it meant EVERYTHING for us shippers and more people also started seeing the connection between Nygmob and so more ppl started to make content and join in!

A time after another shining star came into my life, @constant-sinner (aka (riddlelvr) ♥ This amazing person and artist! And together with her and okimi I am part of the best trash family of three and I can’t believe I’ve been a mom (yet i’m the youngest but i’m fashion fur coat mom okay) to these trash sinners for like 4 years. ♥

Okay but remember all INSANE SMAYLOR CONTENT BEFORE SEASON 3!!? Man that was also one of the best times I had during these years. God they were so excite for their relationship in s3 and WEREN’T WE ALL! And omg Comic Con. I had my fkn header for 3 years soon lol, man that moment I remember seeing the signing booth stream all casual and Robin & Cory goes “Smaaylor!! Nygmobblepot!!! ;))” And I’m just wait WHUT omg. Their press tours with Sean is something I’ll miss even more than the episodes, always such a joy seeing those three together!

And when season 3 started it was just insane. To be honest how their relationship grew in s3 that’s how I expected it to grow after their meeting in s1, it made sense already back then. Ed admiring Oswald and sneaking to his club and Oswald would be a huge part of Ed’s journey to become the Riddler but ah well, I did my best with my AU:s back then!

And then s3 came and Gotham EXPLODED and I had no idea where all million ppl suddenly came from lol. It became huge. But since it still feels kinda close to this day (2,5 yrs though man), my most nostalgic feels will always be over s1-2 so I’m not gonna write so much about the season 3-5 times in this text. My closest to heart milestones is during the first years and now that I’ve seen all episodes I still think season 1 is the best overall, except the lack of Nygmob content ofc ;)

I’ve not just felt love for the show ofc, the show isn’t perfect. There has been serious flaws and bad writing and plot drops. Tbh s4 I just felt so NOPE about? 22 eps of waste…Like Ed’s plot for example like he barley had his own plot what happened? And we also have the q*eerbait Nygmob issue obviously. I have also felt the show has been a bit childish being -helloo- GOTHAM city we’re talking about? I think it would have been much better off with a MA-rating tbh to properly tell certain stories. After s4 though I’m glad in s5 Nygmob finally got some proper screen time being together and in character!! Like that’s how their relationship should have been from beginning of season 4, or season 1 if u ask me lol but ya know!

BUT I LOVE THIS SHOW, the amazing actors and characters and scenery and costumes!! Ed, Oswald, Robin & Cory will ofc always have the most special place in my heart ♥ The Nygmob journey in the show has meant so much to me to follow it from day one and I never knew how much this show would mean to me when I started back in the day.

This show. And not just the show itself but my journey and life around it!!? So much has happened. For one example I had made a bit of gifs before but Gotham really got me into gif making, and it’s been a joy sharing content and my Nygmob AU will always be among my most fun things I’ve done, it was like if they ain’t gonna give us enough content I WILL. It’s a fun way of gif making to manip scenes to create something new! And today I still enjoy making gifs, as you probably know heh. Thanks so much for all nice comments and reblogs through all these years ya’ll!! It warms my heart and I love to read reblog tags! 

I have been at con and got to meet Robin, enjoyed so many interviews and promos, chatted with wonderful people. Every Friday night I have been up in my Europe timezone at 2am to live watch the show, the workdays after has been a bit of a struggle of being tired with going to bed like 5am lol but man it’s been so nice to follow it when it airs!

Watching together with my dearest @conscience-killer and @constant-sinner . Two of the best that happened to me during these years. These two people that I’ve spoken with like everyday for 4 years! Through Gotham finding two of my dearest friends in my life. Watching the show together and screaming, crying, laughing during this journey, about not just the show but EVERYTHING in life. They also are amazing writers and artists ♥ And also helped me endless times with gif caption when my non-native brain trying to write gif captions at 3am after the episode lol. All my love to you both ♥

THANKS TO ALL AMAZING PEOPLE that impacted me over these years. The cast and nice fandom people! My dearest @conscience-killer and @constant-sinner. And I also wanna mention dear @millicentcordelia and @selene-volturo that are amazing ppl that have been here with me since the very beginning of season 1. And they have always been so down to earth even during the stormiest periods of this show’s existence ♥ I’m so glad we’ve shared this LONG journey!

And also hugs to my dear mutual fandom friends that I’ve shared hours of conversations with over the years. Some of us maybe don’t speak as much nowadays and some of us have gone separate ways with new interests but I hope you know who you all are, regardless if we spoke yesterday or 2015. You have made my fandom time a joy!

I’m actually okay with the show ending now you know. Ofc it’s a bit sad but as I said I felt s4 was kinda stomping around in the same spot and even s5 had some fillers like they didn’t have more to do to push the story forward? The last ep was a nice easter egg wrap up for this LONG journey. And I mean shows live on with fan content, and who knows maybe it will return somehow? But it feels good they told us it would end so I was prepared for this and to say ”goodbye”. But it’s not goodbye because content will continue on this site and I’ll continue re-enjoy this show!

This is 4,5 years. In 2 pages, I could prob write 20 but ah, but i felt I got to to summary the most important things for me over these years ♥. This show and stuff that came with it will always be such a big part of my life, ALL LOVE AND HUGS!