#i just wanted one more sprinkle of pregnancy drama before i end any chances of them getting pregnant again and wow

[bigtiddydevilbf]

I was playing Sims and my Sim (Icha) got pregnant for the 4th time (first was a miscarriage, then they had 2 healthy beautiful babies after having some pregnancy complications both times)

They found out on their oldest child's birthday too, she's going from toddler to child and in the next few days is their baby's birthday

ANYWAYS Icha finds out they're pregnant, and got really excited and went to tell their husband (Silas), who was ecstatic the last two kids, and was there to support and comfort them during the birthing process being an absolute champ,,, AND HE GOT UPSET!?

He was angry and yelling at them, and they were just SOBBING. Now he has a tense moodlet after storming off about not being happy about another child to care for, and they have a sad moodlet that's something like "how could he not be happy?" I was absolutely devastated!

I already have it set so this pregnancy will likely also end in a miscarriage cause ngl, I don't want them to have more than 2 kids. It just doesn't work for my story or characters, and I enjoy the drama, so they're already gonna feel immense heartbreak

Now, what was supposed to be a happy day, 1) their child's fucking birthday

2) the announcement of a new pregnancy, and

3) reconnecting with their estranged father (Vladius the vampire)

Has been turned into an already heartbreaking endeavor for my poor pregnant sim and I am so upset for them 😭

They still have to throw their little girl's birthday party....

[scrimmification]

taking a self care day and was instantly hit with temptation so u know what. here’s that dhurkemara essay. but it’ll be under a cut because i’m polite like that

the following is some canon facts sprinkled in with mostly my own headcanons and opinions. but i’m right about everything. cw for mentions of trauma and aa6 spoilers.

i should actually start this by saying that i see a lot of polycule dhurke/amara/jove or dhurke/amara/datz and while it is cute i feel a bit weird about using a poly relationship as just a “oh he has two hands” solution to love triangles. not that poly relationships aren’t valid, but it’s usually just people putting characters together without thinking about how the dynamic would even function. as if a polycule is a band-aid solution.

but that’s not important because this essay is about why dhurke and amara should just be friends (post SOJ)

i do not respect capcom or its canon, but here’s a bunch of canonical soj facts that are kinda fucked up;      - when nahyuta is born, amara is 19 and dhurke is 20      - when the palace fire breaks out, amara is 21 and dhurke is 22      - there’s a gap of approximately 8 years of time where dhurke thinks amara is dead before they reunite and have rayfa (they’re each around the age of 30 at the time)      - there’s a period of time anywhere from 9 months - 1 year that they’re living together again before rayfa and amara are both kidnapped      - following this, dhurke never sees his wife ever again

because i have extreme brainrot, i sat down and feasibly considered the amount of time they would’ve been together. like, genuinely face to face together. if you only take into account the numbers the game gives you, then that means out of 25 years of marriage, they only see each other for about 3 of them. i tend to tack on an extra year or so for dating, but that’s still a really short amount of time, with almost all of it being before the palace fire ever happened. not to mention, they married incredibly young, and amara is royalty. typically royal families will push for children to be wed as soon as they come of age. 

there’s also the fact that canonically, dhurke was not wealthy to any degree. he mentions in a throw away line having a bunch of weird odd jobs including both farmer and street performer (side note, street performer dhurke is hilarious). considering amara was basically hailed as a goddess by virtue of existing, i kind of doubt they were childhood friends or anything before that. my own hcs for how they met and got married initially tend to fall into a romeo and juliet style of mushy romance. plucky lawyer steals the heart of the queen with his humble charm and promises to whisk her away kind of thing. idk i do actually think they were very in love when they were younger, and maybe like... TOO in love, but my essay and thoughts tend to skew towards characterization through how the two of them grow through their traumas. so let’s just go in order of events here;

the palace fire

i do not care what capcom tries to tell me, dhurke has burns. if amara has a giant chest mark from being in the fire for a very short amount of time, dhurke would have full body burns from literally breaking into and out of a burning building. do you know how hot fire is? it’s fucking hot. it’s also genuinely terrifying. my point is i hc dhurke has some form of pyrophobia.

the years after the palace fire and before rayfa is born aren’t given much canon information, but it is stated that amara is convinced dhurke was out to kill her and willingly lives in the palace outside of the public eye. she’s convinced that dhurke is evil and was trying to kill her for at least twice as long as they were married. that kind of skews your perception of a person, no matter how much you might have once loved them. even if you STILL love them, it’s different. feelings change with time, and i think that’s a really fun thing to explore in fiction. 

the rescue/rayfa’s birth

so here’s where i add the drama. just sprinkle it in. there’s a very sneaky line in the game that they kind of slip in during dhurke’s recounting of events around the time rayfa was born, and i have not stopped thinking about it for 2 years.

so plot wise, when apollo presses dhurke about lying about amara being dead, he talks about how he (somehow) got a tip that amara was alive and still being held in the palace. he broke in to save her and potentially run away with her, datz, and and nahyuta into safety, but they add something else in there. dhurke has a moment where he says she didn’t initially believe his innocence. and it’s kind of just played as a joke.

but because i like conflict and i do not write dhurke the same hyper-toxic-masculine way they do in canon because i think Men Should Be Allowed To Have Feelings i thought. man that must fucking suck. everyone in the entire kingdom thinks he’s the devil, and the one person he’s been doing it all for the sake of - his wife - initially doubts his innocence. of course this is obviously an understandable response. she was basically trapped and gaslit for nearly a full decade over an event that nearly cost her her own life (and would have to instead come to terms with the fact her own sister wanted her dead) but like it still. it would still suck to hear that from your spouse?

they were together for under a year, and in this time rayfa was born. this is probably my favorite window of time to explore a dhurke and amara relationship adapting because they would be such different people now. time already effects how you personally grow and adapt, but the kind of horrors they went to would drastically change them both. neither of them would be the same kids they fell in love with, and dhurke had just shipped one of his kids to america in an attempt to protect him. he’d already be down bad, but to have to deal with that, his wife not fully trusting him, nahyuta not knowing their own mother and most likely not trusting her initially, and also an entire pregnancy... that’d be an incredible amount of stress, on top of the fact they’re both living under the law. 

(sidebar; because of how weird they had to twist the timeline to make it so apollo was gone before rayfa was born so they never met, i tend to headcanon this as dhurke trying to send both his kids to america to protect them, but not being able to initially send nahyuta because of their royalty status, and it quickly becoming too late.)

something else that confused me was why the hell they’d even have another kid while they’re both trying to save themselves, and that... uh. okay maybe this is an unpopular thing to say in terms of headcanon, but i actually believe rayfa was an accidental birth. like logistically, if you see your wife for the first time in almost a decade, you’re going to do Something. and you don’t have protection in the mountains. i’m just. i’m just saying.

but all of that being said, more than anything, i think they’d still be in love during this point. or more accurately, i think they’d be trying to convince themselves they’re still in love. they wouldn’t be the same people anymore, but the only thing dhurke has left is his family. it’s the thing he’s fighting for, and amara would have just been told she can’t go back to her sister for her own safety. there’s this kind of pressure to stay together for both themselves and their kids. there’s also a part where dhurke implies that the two of them were planning on trying to escape khura’in together and cross country lines before shit hits the fan.

turnabout revolution

so if you’re a coward who actually considers canon, after rayfa and amara get kidnapped, dhurke never sees them again. sure, he gets spirit channeled by amara in the final trial, but he never sees her face to face, or gets a chance to speak with her. if you’re like me and simply refuse to believe your favorite characters die, then that means there’s a 14 year gap between the next time dhurke and amara speak to each other.

what’s the first thing amara does when they see each other again? accuse him of murder.

in fairness, she’s under threat of blackmail to do so. she’s trying to protect both her children at this point, and clearly had a role to play in inga’s murder herself that she doesn’t want to admit to. but at the same time, when apollo reveals that dhurke was actively hiding evidence because he still loved her, she seemed genuinely surprised. this revelation is the thing that gets her to actually go against ga’ran’s plot. there’s also the obvious point of her picking her children’s safety over dhurke’s entire revolution, and what he’s been working on for her sake for most of his life. and honestly I thinks she made the right and most understandable choice. the real part that makes me think they wouldn’t get back together after the events of soj (provided dhurke isn’t an epic ghost guy) is,

amara chooses her own safety over dhurke’s, while dhurke chooses her safety over his own.

dhurke’s a very hopeful character, a very jovial one. throughout all his screen time, there’s no point where he genuinely thinks nahyuta has betrayed him. there’s no point where he thinks apollo isn’t capable of handling the case without him. he clearly cares a lot about his family, and would do anything for them. this includes amara. he’s not asked to hide evidence for her sake, he just does it. at the risk of undermining his entire revolution and destroying it entirely, he tries to hide evidence that’d implicate his wife of murder.

amara’s more of a realist. she doesn’t give up information until she absolutely has to. she doesn’t even admit to loving dhurke until the last moment she’s on screen. the only lines in the game she has as herself are during the trial, and half the time she’s just telling everyone how horrible and awful and terrible her husband was. and again, i must say, this would probably suck to hear.

the aftermath

the country is kind of a little fucked after soj. sure, it ends on a positive note, kind of, but there’s both a lot of political stuff to fix. and a lot of family stuff to fix. dhurke basically has to rebuild his relationship with every single one of his family members (and in rayfa’s case, from scratch). while I do think marriage is important and stuff, I don’t think it’d be... the most important.

what i’m saying is i think they’d be friends. even if they stayed married, they’d have to relearn almost everything about each other. they haven’t seen each other in forever, and also amara just threw dhurke under the bus. that’d sting! i think he’d forgive her for that, but it’d sting. knowing your partner would have willingly let you and your entire cause go up in flames sucks. it all sucks. soj is a very downer aa game.

and also i value m/f friendship a lot. i value older adult relationships a lot. i value exploring unfortunate and uncomfortable themes in learning to grow as a person and dealing with your own trauma a lot. i think there’s a lot to explore in characters like dhurke and amara. alot of people prefer thinking about the relationships between nahyuta and apollo and rayfa as siblings, which is great! but... i don’t know. i really like fictional dads. i like thinking about him getting more time with his kids. i like thinking about amara learning to become a person instead of a revered goddess. i like them becoming real people instead of just figureheads in a political war.

also i think dhurke and datz should kiss because they raised kids together in the mountains for 20 years

[lextenou]

Mirandy Fic Rec Reviews 2017-07-11

I had a couple friends ask for some fic recs for Mirandy. I will be posting more as time allows. Fics are not rated by me - if they’re listed and I’ve written about them, I recommend you read them. I have also included my own thoughts on these stories and my favorite quotes from them. As these are reviews, there are spoilers ahead. Also, heads up - assume that all fics have happy endings unless I specifically say otherwise. 

A Chance Encounter by smhfiction

Summary: Takes places five months after Paris.

When Andy is unexpectedly thrown headfirst into Miranda's life, none of them will ever be the same again.

Words: 46490

Ah, classic hurt/comfort. Andy witnesses the horrifying accident that almost claims Caroline's life, and manages to record what could easily be her last words on her cell phone, in addition to capturing footage of the accident itself. She drops everything to be with the Priestly family in their time of need, despite not having had any contact since that fateful day in Paris. Through ups and downs, including Andy's unexpected pregnancy after her one night stand with Christian, quitting her job instead of handing over the video of Caroline, and Miranda, the two of them come to a greater understanding of each other.

Though it begins as hurt/comfort rather dramatically, there are immediately strong domestic fluff elements. Touches of angst sprinkle through, with robust communication helping to pave the way to a happy ending. Anyone would have drama after being in a fatal rollover car crash, and Caroline is no exception. It comes out all good in the end, and the journey there is entertaining. There is strong dialogue throughout, which can be off putting if you're expecting more prose or examination of what is inside their heads.

The prose is tight and enthralling. Each revelation comes naturally and explains further their personalities and decisions. Characterization is dependent on if you believe that Andy had grown up after leaving Runway. If you do, its spot on. If you don't, it will be difficult. The difficulties that Andy has with her family over the pregnancy and her coming out are deftly handled. The movie that plays in my head as I read this one is incredible. Plus there are great fluffy scenes sprinkled throughout between moments of angst and terror. There are a couple of minor typos - "luck girl" instead of "lucky girl" for instance - that do not detract from the story. Some words are misused but their meaning is clear - alluded instead of eluded - with contextual clues giving more than enough understanding. These minor issues are easily overlooked if you don't get tweaked by them. If you do, steer clear.

Favorite part of the story: Andy's shiny steel spine. She stands up for herself and her child, she remains firm regarding her relationship with Miranda, and states clearly who and what she wants. It's delightful.

Favorite quote: “Look, Miranda. I am sorry for Paris and everything that you’re going through. I won’t pretend to know how that feels.” Miranda arched her eyebrow, but didn’t say anything. “I would like to be your friend, see where this takes us, and I will be there for you and both of your daughters.” She nodded satisfied with where this was going and clutched her yogurt to her chest. She could feel the tears beginning and fought them back. She seemed to cry over the stupidest things. “But, this is the last vanilla yogurt, and I’m sorry, but you can’t have it.”

How to Become a DragonMaster by dhamphir 

Summary: After walking away from Miranda in Paris, Andy decides to make her way on her own terms and finds professional success in an unexpected way. This is her story. Question is, will it end the way she wants it to?

Words: 10960

Documenting Andy's determined personal growth after leaving Miranda in Paris, we see the ways in which Andy forcefully navigates the course of her own life. Eschewing anything from the world she knew, Andy is bound and determined to NOT owe Miranda a damned thing. Granted, this is hard since she wants to be in publishing. She makes friendships, and reaches great personal success because of the friends she makes along the way.

A bit dramatic, definitely slice of life, this one has strong character growth as the driving factor of its plot. If you want to see the way that someone can go from former second assistant to successful, this can show you the way. Lighthearted, but with a touch of gravitas, it does a lot in a compact story.

What I really enjoy about this is that it shows a natural progression of character growth. Andy's journey reads quickly, but is highly enjoyable. No real issues with this one - its well written and edited.

Favorite part of the story: That they come together as equals. Its something that is missing from a lot of stories, but is captured very well in this one.

Favorite quote: “I’m 53 years old.”

Andy’s smile widened into a grin. “Did I mention I like older women?”

Dogs? Really? by jehc

Summary: Miranda discovers that Andrea writes fan fiction.

Words: 23883

A sequel of sorts to "Cats? Really?", this story treats the first one as a fanfic that Andy writes during her downtime. For context, I do recommend reading the first. It gives much additional depth to this story.

Definitely comedic, with some of the best utilized crack elements I've ever seen, this story treats its subject matter with tongue firmly in cheek. It is almost as though we're part of a great big in-joke with the characters throughout, especially if you've read other Mirandy fics. It reads like a long form love letter to the fandom that still achieves its main accomplishment of allowing Andy and Miranda to realize they're head over heels for each other. I definitely recommend reading some other fics before delving into this one - it will make the experience all the more enjoyable. Don't let the humorous nature of this one fool you - there's still sprinkling of angst and idiots in love in these pages, up until the point that they properly communicate.

Switching back and forth in perspective between Andy and Miranda, this story does a lot to expand on their relationship in a fun way. The rollicking romp does a masterful job at keeping them in character and allowing them to explore further. Emily is wonderful in this as well; the little snippets of her are a riot.

The way that Miranda is presented is fascinating. Andy figures it out in a great line. "Most of the shit she does is a total goof on all of us. It’s like she is so smart that she is bored and she amuses herself by scaring people." The guessing at what jehc stands for is similarly riotous. It's fun, downright fluffy, and it just plain works.

Favorite part: the exploration of the Devil Wears Prada fanfic world. It is absolutely hilarious to read Miranda's responses to fanfic. Runner up: that Cassidy and Caroline write fanfic. It's delicious.

Favorite quote: When Emily realized what she had said all color drained from her face. Andy had been sure the Brit was about to pass out. Miranda had then silently locked eyes with the younger woman and after letting her stew for a moment reached out and patted her on the cheek.

“Well, Emily you have finally found the women’s section of the La Perla catalogue.” Miranda’s voice was low and silky. After another short stare down she said, “So pull up your new big girl panties and find me a new assistant!”

Like Andrea, Like Family, Like Life, Like Love by GinStan

Summary: Andy realizes Miranda is acting oddly and is determined to help her ex-boss.

Words: 30786, 48748, 99444, 295898

This series is one of the longest in my collection. Its epic length is outmatched by only a few in my entire library. It is definitely worth the investment.

Starting with Andy realizing there's something wrong - namely that Miranda has put out an all brunette issue of Runway - she inserts herself back into Miranda's world to find out what's wrong. Problem is, the thing that's wrong goes deeper than one might initially suspect. Angst and laughter inhabit this world, as does a memorable duet dance to Madonna's "Vogue" and a regrettable devotion to Cincinnati chili. The full fledged exploration of not just Andy's family, but Miranda's as well, is something I didn't know I wanted until I read this. The twins are threaded throughout with great effect, and the subplots are great.

Featuring some fantastic cameos by everyone's favorite beleaguered Detective Jo Polniaczek and her socialite/CEO wife Blair Warner (originally from “The Facts of Life”), the progression in this series is natural and enthralling. I've re-read it multiple times, and each time its a wonderful journey.

This is a story about family, love, and taking or making life as we want it. There are all sorts of things included in the mix - drama, comedy, angst, thrills, romance. From the start, it's clear that this journey isn't one that will take long to get them together - it is the domesticity and journey forward that drives this one. Family action and reaction is a major point of this story as well, with a cast as broad as is presented, there are numerous subplots that are able to be explored.

There are fabulous delvings into realistic responses. The biggest "gimme" in this fic, as in the thing you accept without question to make the story work, is that Miranda is so open from the start. The drugging makes it clear why this would be, and as the story continues, we’re given further explanation of just how devoted Miranda has been to Andy since before the start of the story. Miranda normally is so controlled with her displays that Andy wouldn't trust what she sees until she gets hit with a clue-by-four. In this case, that starts with the all brunette issue of Runway and gathers steam from there, so Andy gets on board quickly enough.

This series is one of those that is bandied about as a classic. It truly is. Not just for the length - that makes it epic. The story itself, the buildup of their relationship and how it grows and deepens...THAT is what makes this a classic.

Favorite part: Its hard to pick just one thing. Its so well built upon what comes before, but I'd have to say probably Andy and Miranda's families. The subplots with them make what is already real into so much more. Tante Louise is a hoot and a half.

Favorite quote: "Oh, Jo… When you tell your wife that you met Miranda… tell her, you wore the Armani, and that Miranda gave you a nod. You got that? A Nod. It's very important."

"What's so important about it?"

Andy grinned. "It's going to get you so laid." She laughed at the look on Jo's face. "Trust me."

It’s All Relative by Hawkbehere

Summary: Andy Sachs revisits her Runway past and finds the landscape changed.

Words: 214720

Ambushed outside of work by her fellow journalists, Andy is surprised to be told that Miranda has been shot. So begins this broad, riveting tale that spans everything from a hideous belt buckle, Dalton scholarships all the way to a moose head named Charles. 

Miranda’s motivations are clearly elucidated in this one. It’s clear to us as intelligent readers exactly why Miranda is so insistent that Andy not leave - and when it’s discussed in the text, Andy sees it too. The mutual respect and uncertainty between them is explored, as is the need for them to find their own balance. Throughout, we’re given glimpses of a truly wicked sense of humor in Miranda. I about die laughing every time I read the following: Miranda lowered her voice and said in an accent straight out of Brooklyn,  “You go big and you pay de tab—it’s de kissa death to guys like dat.”

This is one of those stories that leaves you with deep impressions and that you think about for years afterward. Between the varied cast and the incredible pacing, we’re introduced to characters that feel like family. It is a sadness to reach the end and no longer be able to spend time with them. 

Hurt/comfort, drama, touches of comedy, domesticity, angst, family, altruism, the Dragon in full force - this story has it all. Subplots of other characters coming together and embracing what it means to fall in love are threaded through this, to great effect. This has one of my favorite Serena/Emily subplots. It also has fantastic medical research done for it, and it shows. Terminology and protocols are well portrayed. It also has a curious thread throughout - Miranda is the matriarch of an ever growing family, because Andy is there. It is downright heart-warming.

There are so many great parts in this story that it’s hard to winnow down which ones to discuss. This is one of those stories that you run across right before you want to pass out at 1am and spend the rest of the night reading. It remains one of the best novels I’ve ever read.

Favorite part: Miranda’s vast and varied accents are definitely up there. Jesus. So are all the characters. But my favorite part of all of my favorite parts is Emily’s wedding speech. To delight in the improbable is a gift.

Favorite quote: Caroline looked up into Dr. Allen’s eyes and saw something she hadn’t seen yet in this jovial tough-talking stranger. She realized it looked something like anger.

The woman leaned down and whispered, “I live emergency medicine. Unless you go into my field or off to war, you will never, ever see a fraction of the brutality or horror or sadness or bravery or goodness or sheer fucking grace of God that I do every day. That’s great for you but you know what?”

Caroline’s eyes began to sting but she jerked her chin so the doctor continued, “Sometimes? Sometimes God is really damned kind and a 30-ton truck doesn’t hit you or you don’t fall off the 10th story of a building. Sometimes, He sends exactly the right size enemy—something or someone you can beat if you’re willing and brave. He gives you a choice and a chance. When God’s feeling real generous? He sends someone like Andy a rat but sends someone like your mama that piece of shit who shot her.”

She lowered her voice another notch, “They both stood up and bled for the people they loved, you hear me girl? I have seen way too many people die who met something too big for them. Don’t you dare disrespect them. Not if you love them. You should thank God, Caroline. If they had to bleed and suffer, and evidently they did, you should thank God they met something they survived.”

[remembertae]

East Los High  - Jessie’s Story

(Photo: Hulu) S1 E13 - 24, released 6/18/13 WRITTEN BY: Mary Feuer, Chris Franco, Zoila A. Galeano, Evangeline Ordaz, Joaquin F. Palma, Carlos Portugal, Shelley Acosta Smith, and Sasha Stroman SYNOPSIS East Los Angeles High School junior Jessie vomits before her dance group performs. Afterward, she approaches choreographer Cristian -- with whom she had a secret one-night stand -- and tells him she might be pregnant. He blames her for not using birth control and denies having any responsibility for her situation. Jessie later learns she is pregnant and visits a clinic to get some advice. The doctor presents her options - raise the baby, give it up for adoption, or terminate.

At home, Jessie's mother Lupe is livid after discovering her daughter's pregnancy test. Lupe guilt trips Jessie for getting knocked up as a teen (just as she did) and ruining her college ambitions. When Jessie says it's still early and she has "options," Lupe says, "You mean an abortion?.. You know we don't believe in that." Lupe's one consolation is that Jessie's nice boyfriend Jacob (who, like Lupe, has no idea Jessie slept with Cristian) will be a good, responsible dad, unlike Jessie's father. Meanwhile, Jacob is planning to break up with Jessie so he can be with her cousin Maya, who lives with Jessie and Lupe. Jacob is shocked when Jessie tells him she's pregnant. They had sex only one time (he assumes she'd been a virgin until that point) and he used a condom. Jessie says it must have broke. Jacob asks her to consider terminating, as he was planning to attend the University of Indiana on scholarship. Jessie is torn. Later, Jacob's disappointed father Hernan tells his son he'll have to step up and take care of the baby. Then Lupe -- who's been diagnosed with terminal cancer -- begs Jacob to marry Jessie as a favor to her. He agrees and later proposes to Jessie, though he is actually in love with Maya. Knowing how her fiancee and cousin feel about each other, Jessie begs Maya to leave her home forever. In the weeks leading up to the wedding, Jessie must reckon with the possibility that she may not finish high school, much less attend college. Jacob's heart breaks over the loss of his scholarship and Maya's sudden disappearance. With nowhere to go and no other family to take her in, troubled Maya turns to stripping, drugs, and alcohol; she eventually overdoses and winds up in rehab. Meanwhile, Lupe's doctor speaks to Jessie about her pregnancy in private and tells her she needn't go through with it. But Jessie can't imagine acting against her dying mother's wishes. Even after Lupe passes away, Jessie intends to marry Jacob, especially once she learns it's too late to have a pill abortion. Jessie and a newly sober Maya reunite for Lupe's funeral, along with Lupe's sisters Paulina (a successful fashion exec) and Reina (Maya's drug addicted mom). Reina can tell Maya and Jacob have a thing and encourages her daughter to forget about him; the two make plans to leave town the day of Jessie and Jacob's wedding. But before they leave, a heartsick Maya sneaks into the church just long enough to see Jessie walk down the aisle. Shortly after Maya bolts, Jessie stops the ceremony and tells Jacob she needs to speak to him in private. She finally admits to him that she had unprotected sex with Cristian, who is the actual fetus father. Now off the hook, Jacob immediately leaves the church to find Maya. Jessie later confesses her situation to Tia Paulina. Paulina tells her niece it isn't too late to have an abortion. Jessie says, "Good girls don't have abortions." Paulina responds, "Yes, we do," and tells Jessie all about the abortion she had as a teen, which she never regretted. A few weeks later, Jacob and Maya graduate high school. Paulina delivers the keynote address at their commencement, which is all about life being a series of choices. As she speaks, we see a montage in which Jessie visits a clinic with Maya at her side and has a surgical abortion. In an epilogue, we learn that one year later Maya and Jacob are still together and Jessie is going to college to study medicine. KEEPING IT REAL QUOTIENT I watched the whole first season of this series because I had no idea where the abortion story would begin or end. It's usually easy for me to glean that information just by scanning reviews, but this program (which features an entirely Latino cast) doesn't appear to get a lot of English-language press. I had no idea that Jessie's unplanned pregnancy would stretch over 12 episodes, or that so much drama would hinge upon whether or not she births this child. Beginning in the first half of the season, there's this other unplanned pregnancy story about Jessie's friend Ceci, a homeless teenage girl who gets pregnant by accident and faces enormous struggle after she decides to keep the baby. When Ceci speaks to the same clinic doctor whom Jessie would later visit, the physician explains California abortion laws in clear, non-judgmental detail. This was when I began to notice that East Los High isn't just a steamy teen soap. It's also full of these handy public service announcements about preventing and dealing with unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. In fact, this production is bankrolled by a nonprofit organization called Population Media Center, whose mission is "using entertainment-education for social change". Essentially, PMC commissioned a group of producers to create an engaging scripted drama in response to high rates of teen pregnancy among Latinas, While exploring the sex lives of these young characters, the writers sprinkle in useful facts relating to sexual health, such as how various forms of contraception work, the difference between medical and surgical abortion, and how to use Plan B. Oftentimes the delivery of these messages can be a bit clunky. Sometimes the action pauses abruptly so the producers can deliver an important public service announcement to the teen viewing audience. But it helps that the action surrounding these messages is very entertaining in ways you'd expect a teen soap to be, with all the sex, love triangles, and dark family secrets that keep viewers like me hooked. But unlike a teen soap in the vein of Beverly Hills 90210, which focuses on the lives of wealthy, white teens living in one of the country's poshest zip codes, East Los High is gritty and sometimes very harsh in realistic ways. My favorite thing about Ceci and Jessie's stories is that, in both cases, neither fetus father has any interest in raising a child. I find it odd that in so many TV depictions of unplanned teen pregnancy (see 21 Jump Street, Degrassi: The Next Generation, Parenthood, Friday Night Lights, and the aforementioned 90210) the boy wants the girl to keep the baby. On East Los High, the boys' responses to their sex partner's unplanned pregnancies range from, "That's not my problem," to, "Please have an abortion." Not one fetus father on this show wants to get stuck parenting a kid they didn't plan, and that sentiment certainly tracks more with my personal experience and the real life abortion stories I've witnessed. I also love that we see an unflinching portrayal of how an oops pregnancy can upend so many lives. Obviously, Jessie and Jacob are sacrificing their ambitions to do the "right" thing. And of course, their impending marriage quashes Jacob and Maya's chance for romance, which is sad because they have this intense bond forged by their working relationship (talented cook Maya has helped revive Jacob and his father Hernan's failing taqueria). When Maya leaves her family's home and dives into this other work situation that makes her miserable, her disappearance not only breaks Jacob's heart but also threatens his family's business. Some of these melodramatic developments can feel a bit contrived -- it is a soap opera, after all -- but none of it is unbelievable. In Jessie and Jacob's case, this fetus is causing lots of problems for both them and their love ones. The only person who is at all relieved at the thought of these two kids marrying is Lupe. To be honest, she really got on my nerves. As an ex-Catholic, the scene in which she confronts Jessie about her pregnancy made me angry in a very familiar way. Here we see the cycle of guilt and martyrdom at work. Lupe is enraged with Jessie for getting pregnant young, because she assumes her daughter would have learned by her example of constant suffering and sacrifice. At the same time, she won't even consider "allowing" Jessie to abort (though as physicians on the show repeatedly note, Jessie doesn't need her legal permission).  When Jessie tells her mom, "I didn't know what to do! You never told me what to do," Lupe ignores her, saying, "At least you won't have to raise this baby alone." As far as she's concerned, Jessie must resign herself to a life of working multiple, low-paying jobs as punishment for having sex. There is no joy in her daughter's situation. According to Lupe's worldview, her daughter is damned if she aborts, but she's also damned if she becomes an underage mom. Jessie's only chance at redemption is sacrificing her dreams by bearing a child she doesn't want, and setting her own kid up for future guilt trips by marrying a guy she's not that into. I find Lupe's martyrdom rather self-serving, in a demented way. But again, it's familiar to me and very real. Given all this, it makes sense that Jessie pretends Jacob is the fetus father. When she confesses the truth to him, she admits, "I wanted it to be yours so bad. I even convinced myself it was." And why wouldn't she? Especially after her mom dies, his presence as a spouse and father would be the main difference between her and Ceci, who has to live in a shelter for teen moms because she doesn't have anyone to help her. 

Fortunately, Jessie does have another ally - Tia Paulina. As a jet-setting business woman, Paulina cannot always be there for her nieces. But when she is, she comes with clear-eyed, thoughtful advice about safe sex, and encourages these girls to envision their futures beyond locking down a husband. I pumped my fist heartily when she revealed her own abortion story. The writers did really good job of explaining how this woman of faith processes her termination. When Jessie asks her aunt what the hardest part of her abortion was, Paulina says, "I just wondered if there was a spirit that was getting ready to come and be with me. And I had to tell that spirit to wait. That was hard. But at the same time I was happy too, because there was something that I could look forward to in the future." It's really important for young people who believe in God to see examples of faithful adults who are okay with abortion. This isn't something we often see on television. For that and all the other reasons mentioned above, Jessie’s story is really special.

GRADE A- Most of my issues with this story arc are aesthetic. It drags for a long time. The abruptly interspersed Very Important Messages Regarding Teen Sex can be distracting. The slut-shaming aspect of Maya's strip club misadventures -- especially the way her surly coworkers are portrayed -- is a bit insulting and kinda square. But for all its melodrama, this first season of East Los High speaks a lot of truth about abortion, teen pregnancy, and teen motherhood. None of the principal characters are demonized for the difficult choices they make (for instance, Ceci comes out the other end of her teen mom story with more dignity than she had at the beginning). This is a very compassionate and thoroughly considered tale. And I also like that I didn't predict how it would end. - by Tara