#or even do fans a favor and fix the older games that people still play to work on newer hardware over the course of some years

[woolpines]

thank god i don't play ts4 cause i don't think i would be able to handle the excessive "HEY BLING BLING BLING WHAT IF YOU BUY THIS PACK, OR MAYBE THIS ONE SHINE SHINE SHINE -- THIS PACK IS SIMILAR TO WHAT YOU HAVE :DDDDDD"

like fuck you ea -- at least in ts3, you could turn that shit off but the fact ea addressed it by saying "we are not getting rid of it or giving you guys an option to disable but we''ll get rid of the flashing but it'll still be there in case you wanna see what packs or recommend packs you don't have as if you can't see that in the main menu :))" -- lets throw in a fucking microtransaction cart icon that FLASHES and NEVER STOPS FLASHING and basically being the annoying orange to everyone else "HEY HEY APPLE, DID YOU KNOW YOU CAN BUY PACKS SIMILAR TO WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE?? YOU MIGHT LIKE THIS PACK THATS ABSOLUTELY BROKEN FOR $40 NOT ON SALE!!"

FUCK YOU EA

#.txt #fuck ea #sims 4 #the sims 4 #i mean it #FUCK ea #i DO NOT have high hopes for the sims 5 #this should just cut it all at the end of the sims 4 #or even do fans a favor and fix the older games that people still play to work on newer hardware over the course of some years #but no

[wearywinchester]

Stay

Dean Winchester x Reader

Summary: Getting out of bed in the morning is harder than it looks when you’re sharing a bed with Dean Winchester.

Word Count: 1.7k

Warnings: mentions of injury, fluff, kissing

The alarm had already gone off just five minutes earlier, promptly shut off after a few haphazard pats around the old nightstand, the button blindly pressed with a soft groan. Through squinted eyes it read 5:05 in blaring red numbers, proving to be too harsh on your eyes after a glance.

The room was starting to lighten up a bit as dawn approached more quickly than you’d like it to, birds chirping through the window you’d cracked the night before to let the breeze in. That and the fan hadn’t done very much to combat the summer heat and Bobby didn’t have the best air conditioning. The small bedroom was quiet and comfortable, filled with old memorabilia that’d since gathered a layer of dust over the things that hadn’t been touched since you’d taken up residence there just two days prior. It was the room Dean used whenever he’d come to stay there.

There were a variety of odds and ends; some postcards that John had sent on a rare occasion, a rolled up poster Dean had stuffed in the corner, one he knew exactly what it’d been of the moment he laid eyes on it. Judging by his smile and the way he scratched his neck, you decided against unraveling the crinkled old thing in favor of an eye roll and a swat to his shoulder with it. You didn’t see the fondness in his smile once you turned around, eyes on you as he laughed softly.

There was a heavily worn baseball mitt and an equally tattered baseball within it sat atop the lone dresser, a bat to go along with it propped against the wall. That was one thing Dean had mentioned he wanted to get some use out of before the two of you headed back home. He claims he was the reigning champ of the sport, having a knack for hitting a number of home runs but never quite as good as you. In fact, you made a mental note to remind him of such should the moment arise to bring it up. Especially the time he’d gotten so distracted gazing at you that he’d forgotten to catch the ball and get you out, earning himself a swift smack to the back of his head from Sam.

He claims he let you win, but you knew for a fact that wasn’t true.

A handful of comic books had taken up space on a small bookshelf you remember Bobby making. It wasn’t quite level and the paint had since begun to chip away, but it was just as it’s always been and it was homemade and that was more important than the slanted top shelf and the nail that stuck out of the side. A few random knick knacks lay strewn about them too, some you remember giving him and some he’d brought home from a hunt here and there as a kid. It put the softest of smiles on your face at the very thought of it.

Perhaps the most noticeable part of the room at that moment was the bed. The one that you’d found a couple of old magazines of Dean’s under the old mattress, a few pages dog-eared along with a well expired candy bar that had to be melted within its wrapper. With the years of summer heat it’s gotten, it just had to be. It was all stuffed under the mattress of the bed that was nearly too small to fit two people. You were quite sure Dean had outgrown it even in his teens, and now at the ripe age of twenty-eight, surely he’d grown just a few inches taller.

His feet hung off the foot of the bed at any given moment, but the more he’d tangled up with you in a mess of limbs that fact didn’t seem to matter as much. You’d been pressed to his side the large majority of the night despite the heat in the room, his arm heavy over your hip and his other arm outstretched beneath the two stacked pillows you’d shared. The twin sized bed hadn’t been ideal for a good night’s sleep, not really, but you’re convinced that you could have a king sized bed and he’d still sleep just as close.

It’d been ten minutes now since the alarm had sounded, the room just a small bit brighter than it had been minutes ago. The breeze picked up a little bit too, puffing the old ruffled curtains out with every gust. The warmth wasn’t uncomfortable anymore; the air sweeping over your skin paired with the heat radiating from Dean seemed to be the perfect combination, one that made it all the more difficult to think about leaving that bed.

Dean hadn’t stirred just yet, too tired from the hunt you’d finished the evening before otherwise he just might’ve been up at the sound of the clock. It hadn’t been the easiest salt and burn you’ve ever done as a hunter, but it wasn’t quite the worst either. The spirit really had it out for him, having tossed the older Winchester around with only so much as a twitch of her hand. Her fun and games were obvious when you saw the purple and blue blossom across his cheek, at the redder than red cut that had curved across the bridge of his nose with one to match on his forehead.

None of that seemed to bother him in that moment as he slept, hair turned porcupine now that he’s got a bed head. His lips parted just enough for his snores to escape, the warmth of his breath fanning over your skin. As the softness of the light swept over him it gave way to each and every freckle that smattered across lightly flushed cheeks and the bridge of his nose, ones that speckled lightly on his ears and mingled within the beginnings of his stubble. Freckles that you’ve counted at least a million times over in the mornings just like this.

The softest of smiles tugged at the very corners of your mouth as you looked at him with tired eyes, fingers playing absentmindedly with the loose string you’d found on his t-shirt. Sometime between now and then he’d pulled you all the more closer when he felt you’d strayed too far, a quiet laugh huffing through your nose at the thought. It gave you ample opportunity to admire him just a little more. At the way his nostrils flare slightly when he snores and the way his lips puff out in turn, traces of last night’s pie still on the corner of his mouth.

Your smile widened at that, blinking slowly as you stretched in his arms. Your gaze falls on him once more when you muster up the energy to stay awake, settling on the soft lines framing the very corners of his eyes from the smile you know and love, said lines deepening ever so slightly to accompany the grin appearing on his face.

“I can feel you staring, you know,” he mumbles, sleepy and low as his lopsided smile quirks up just a bit more.

“No I’m not,” you defend, a scoff leaving your lips.

It was then that he peeked an eye open, a tired laugh immediate before he closed his eyes again if only for a second. “Yeah you are.”

An argument doesn’t make it out of your mouth at the tightening of his grip and the way his laughter brushes across your skin, too delighted to even try.

In a matter of moments the coolness of his ring presses gently to your cheek, nose bumping your own as his thumb swipes over your skin. His hand stays there for a little bit more, calloused and warm as he opens his eyes just enough to look at you with a smile all too telling that he’d had something on his mind, something light and jesting. His hand drops a little lower to rest on your jaw, his laughter continuing.

“You always were a terrible liar,” he murmurs, quieting your counter when his lips brush over yours.

It was soft and sweet, languid as he kissed you once, twice, three times over. Your frown at his words was quickly dissolved in favor of the beginnings of a smile, a laugh bubbling its way to the surface when his lips travel from yours to the corner of your mouth, gentle as they press to your cheek and across your jaw. They were chaste as he kissed just under your ear, his breath blowing ever so lightly doing just enough to make you squirm away from him when it tickled. He knew that all too well.

His laugh was telling of that very fact.

“You were supposed to be up fifteen minutes ago, De,” you sigh, shoving his hand away.

He really should have been. You’d heard Bobby’s commotion downstairs, could smell the coffee he’d brewed too. It was tradition; every time you’d crashed at his place for a hunt, Dean had to give him a hand on fixing up some of the cars he’s got to work on. It was a deal they’d made just under five years ago, one Dean can never talk his way out of. Not with Bobby Singer.

“Yeah, well, I think Bobby can hold out five more minutes. Them cars aren’t goin’ anywhere,” he teases, smile lazy as he tugs up the blankets.

The green in his eyes nearly twinkled in mischief as his tongue swiped over his lips, lips that press to your own once more as his hum rumbles against your mouth. Any and every argument you may have had for his more than logical reasoning had since left your mind then, completely vanishing when he’d kissed the tip of your nose.

“You keep sayin’ that and I’m convinced Bobby’s gonna do something about it one of these times,” you sigh, brushing the tips of your fingers over his cheek softly. He relaxes under your touch, his chuckle evident.

“He’s gonna have to go through you first,” he jests, tugging you into his chest.

“Oh whatever, Winchester,” you grin, settling into his hold without much of a fight. You were much more tired than you’d admit, and he wasn’t making matters any better.

“Stay,” he mumbles, nose to nose with you. “Five more minutes?”

You sigh softly, sharing a grin in the close proximity.

“Five more minutes.”

—

Tags: @flamencodiva @stixnstripesworld @dean-is-sams-apple-pie @elegantbutedgy @humanmistakes @campingmonkey

#dean winchester #dean winchester oneshot #dean winchester fanfiction #dean winchester x reader #dean winchester x you #dean winchester fluff #dean winchester fic #dean winchester imagine #supernatural

[kitkat1003]

On the issue of Mortality

AO3 Link

MK chose to be mortal, to be vulnerable, for the time being, and Monkey King is fine with that.

On the surface, at least.  Now he has a successor, one that he likes, and he’s vulnerable????

Yeah, he’s never going to sleep easy again.

(Or, 11 chapters through season 1 about Monkey King, and anxiety his successor gives him.  Who knew being a dad teacher would be so hard?)

Chapter 1: Picking a successor

(Or “Look, I’m gonna come clean.  Um...I’ve been kinda watching you”)

When Sun Wukong—the Monkey King—decides he needs a successor, it isn’t an easy decision.  For one, he refuses to admit why.  Because that would mean confronting it all and he doesn’t want to.  

He needs a successor because he wants one.  Who doesn’t want to retire?  It’s not like he’s spent hundreds of thousands of years in technical retirement, waiting for the Demon Bull King to return.  No, he’s been...super busy.  Yeah.  Turning Flower Fruit Mountain into a paradise has totally taken him…forever, and, like, he’s got lots of stuff to do.  He watches TV, once humans get electricity figured out.  Gets a computer too, once those things start popping up.  He gets a lawyer or two, yknow, keeping up with the times.

He’s...super busy.  He definitely deserves a retirement.

So all that’s left is find a successor.  Easy, right?

Well....

He actually starts looking when he hears whispers that the Demon Bull family is starting to get close to figuring out how to lift his staff.  So about a hundred years before Demon Bull King actually escapes.

He finds a few kids he thinks might work, but nothing happens, anyway, so there’s no point in interrupting their boring normal lives for nothing.  Besides, he doesn’t really see any of them with the spark of...something that he wants in his successor in any of them

He watches them grow.  Child to teen to adult, he watches, and then he leaves before they get too old because he doesn’t want to see the headstones.

He doesn’t understand why they have to be human.  Why they have to be mortal.  Why they have to be able to die.

Why he has to watch them die.

Years and years pass.  He gets lax, when looking for a successor.  Lax when it comes to keeping an eye on the Demon Bull family.

He does, on occasion, watch the town where his staff is.  It’s a pretty populace place, always buzzing with some sort of activity, which is both fun and boring.

One night, he watches a kid—no older than 13, he thinks, since he’s gotten used to watching humans grow and can gauge it pretty well—sprint down the street in the rain, wearing nothing but a ratty old hoodie, a shirt, shorts, torn up shoes, and a headband so dirty that even he can’t discern the original color.

There are three other figures chasing him, and he ducks into an alley as they sprint past.  Monkey King watches as the kid settles down, sitting in the alley, and pulling something out from beneath his hoodie.

A puppy.

“Hey there, little guy,” the kid’s voice is soft, and he scritches the tiny pup behind the ears.  “Sorry I couldn’t get your siblings, but they’d already been thrown in the lake—” the look on the kid’s face is nothing short of heartbreaking. 

Monkey King has plans for the group of thugs he saw earlier, if that’s what they were doing. Humans. 

“But hey, managed to save you, huh?  I’ll bring you to a shelter in the morning.  Someone will take you home and you’ll get loved to death.” Monkey King rolls his eyes at the saccharine display, but he wonders.

There isn’t a lot of crime in this city, with its advancements.  What’s a kid doing outside this late at night?

“I’d take you home with me, but mine’s more of a hovel than a place to live.  You can still see it, though!  C’mon,” the kid gets up, stumbling a little, and Monkey King notices that he’s favoring one leg, that the elbow of one of the sleeve’s of his hoodie is wet.

He follows.

The kid’s house is literally a shack made of a metal sheet wedged between an alley wall.  There’s a ‘bench’ that’s a slab of rock placed on top of more rocks, where a well loved sketchbook sits.

The kid sits on the bench, setting the puppy down beside him as he flips open his sketchbook.

“I’m gonna draw you, so I don’t forget, kay?” He pats the pup on the head, and then, using the smallest, most worn down pencil Monkey King has ever seen, he slowly carves out the puppy’s features, getting the soft tones of fur.  He keeps squinting, but Monkey King thinks that’s because all he has is the light of the lamppost for his vision.

This kid...is pretty darn good.

Monkey King watches for way longer than he would like to admit, and then watches as the kid pulls out a very worn blanket-substitute, curling around the puppy beneath it.

He frowns, but isn’t sure what to do about it.

So he leaves, and makes sure those thugs learn a thing or two about treating animals with respect.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

This kid just keeps popping up in Monkey King’s peripherals.

He likes to people watch, and the kid will just appear from nowhere.  He’ll be running down the street, hanging out with this girl who looks about 3 economic classes above him. They’ll go to the arcade and play for hours, and she’ll pay for practically everything.

He decides he likes her, if she’s nice enough to do that for the kid.  Plus, he feels a familiar energy coming off of her, something he trusts.

They typically end their day at a noodle shop.  Pigsy’s?  The kid always pays there, with coins of various sizes.  The girl, when the kid isn’t looking, will slip the cook some more money.  They get steaming hot bowls of ramen, harass the cook, and eventually get half chased out, laughing all the while.

“You know you can stay with me, right?” The girl says, one day, when Monkey King is people watching (read: eavesdropping on their conversation.  It’s like his new favorite TV show, at this point).  Kid rolls his eyes.

“Mei, c’mon, your relationship with your folks is as strained as mine!  I wouldn’t want you to end up like me.  Besides, I’m fine!” he insists with the grin Monkey King has grown accustomed to seeing on Kid’s face.  

The information Monkey King gains from those two sentences is certainly something, and he ponders on Mei, the girl who spends her days as far away from home as possible.

Mei frowns.

“You still won’t show me where you’re staying.  Or explain why your clothes are all torn up!” She pokes him in the chest, and the Kid shrugs.

“Cause you wouldn’t like either of those things!  I can take care of myself!  Promise.” He rocks back and forth on his feet, all smiles.

Mei fixes him with a glare, before she sighs, relenting. “Fine.  But, if you won’t take my hospitality, you get my undying loyalty and free stuff!” She whips out a brand new red winter coat.  

Kid takes it slowly.

“It’s getting colder out!” She explains.  “And red just isn’t my color, you know?”

Kid slowly pulls the jacket against his chest, like he doesn’t know what to do with it, and then he smiles.  This one is smaller.  Less performative.  Monkey King didn’t realize that he’d been watching the kid to be able to tell the difference, but it’s not too hard to see.  Kid uses big smiles like a cloak, to hide what’s underneath.  The smaller ones-those are like the slivers of sunlight shooting out from an eclipse.  Wukong finds he prefers the smaller ones.

Kid wraps his arm around Mei’s shoulders.

“Thanks, Mei.”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The days get colder, and Kid is still in that shack.  Monkey King finds out that Kid doesn’t steal for money.  Instead, he does little odd jobs for short change, and then looks for coins people have dropped.  Apparently, the city’s wealth has made people more loose with their change.

Mei drags him to warm places as often as she can, but apparently this time of year she has a lot of responsibilities, or “social events,” as she calls them, so she can’t be around as much.

Kid doesn’t seem to mind, shivering through the nights, curling himself as tight as possible with that jacket and shitty blanket, and Monkey King doesn’t know why he even cares, but...

He’s not cruel.  It isn’t pleasant to watch a kid suffer.

And then, Kid gets sick.  Like, delirious, fever sick, and he’s not getting better.

And Monkey King has told himself, a million times, that he would let Kid figure his own life out, but he ends up picking Kid up anyway, depositing him at the ever familiar noodle shop.

The cook drags the boy inside, and Monkey King doesn’t see Kid on the streets after that.

Good.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kid starts working at the noodle shop, apparently, and he lives above the shop.  Slowly, he accrues random objects.  Sketchbooks, games, figurines, Monkey King comics?  He watches the show near religiously, and Monkey King is both flattered and weirded out.

A super fan, huh?  Okay then.

And when he isn’t working, or watching “Monkey King: The Animated Series,” or reading Monkey King comics, he’s begging the resident bookworm, Tang, for stories, which he then sketches out.

Monkey King actually goes through the sketchbook once, when Kid’s asleep.  Yup, Kid’s really, really good at this.  Monkey King actually thinks about stealing a drawing, but that would be both very obvious and also stupid.

So he lets it go.  He ought to look for his successor, anyway.  He hears the Demon Bull family is getting close.

He leaves Kid to his life and moves on to his own.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

He can’t find a successor.  Somehow.  It’s like every person in this city (and it would have to be in this city, because you need to be close to the staff in some regard if you want to have a connection with it.  Being born near it, living near it-makes it easy for the energy, the chi, to find you) doesn’t want anything to do with hero business.  The kids he considers are too small, the adults too...boring.

And he’s getting pretty frustrated here, because he thinks he might just have to fight the Demon Bull King all over again, which, ugh.

And then, it clicks.

He’s watching Kid drive around town, delivering orders, and somehow the kid steers towards the construction site.  Toward the staff.

Of course.

God, it was literally staring him in the face.  He feels kind of dumb, now that it hits him, but whatever.  Not like anyone’s around to tease him about it.

He watches Kid waltz towards danger, music in his headphones too loud to notice the literal demon family, until Kid opens his eyes and sees the whole demon army there, and hoo boy, is this comical.

Monkey King wonders if they’ll succeed this time, in lifting his staff.  They certainly seem confident.  He’s kind of curious, kind of bored.  The whole ‘take our rightful place as rulers of this world’ schtick is super annoying, and Red Son’s voice is grating.

The light show is pretty nice, though, and then.

Then.

Demon Bull King’s a lot smaller than he remembers, but his voice is the same, as is his attitude.  Monkey King can feel Kid shaking and takes a quick sweep of the area.  Seems his successor is right above Red Son.

He smirks to himself, not that anyone can see considering he’s a bird right now.  

This is going to be hilarious.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When Kid touches the staff, Monkey King isn’t prepared for the feeling he gets.

It’s like he’s been the single Sun in an endless galaxy, surrounded by darkness, when suddenly another star appears from nowhere, throwing him into orbit with it.  The galaxy shifts, the light doubles, the darkness recedes.

Monkey King’s own center, his sun, feels red hot, warm, and tempered by years of life, with a spark of yellow and white in its center.  Kid’s is bright, brilliant golden yellow, more white than any color, bursting with energy.

That energy gets put to work pretty quickly, as the Kid fumbles his way out of the demon’s den, and Monkey King soars after him, watching the escape with a smile.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

He doesn’t properly meet Kid until he gets shot all the way to Flower Fruit mountain.  After Kid escapes Red Son, he panickedly tells his friends what’s going on and tries to get there on his own.

Well, all the way is a bit much.  Maybe Monkey King had to catch Kid and fly him there, because Kid was looking half dead and Monkey King was a little worried, but that’s beside the point.  He leaves Kid on the shore, and follows him when Kid gets up.

He isn’t expecting the frustration, when he can’t be found, but he supposes that’s his cue.

Getting stepped on is unpleasant.  Guess Kid doesn’t like bugs.

God, the look on Kid’s face, when it hits him that Monkey King’s been watching him!  If he could frame a memory, that would be it.  Hoo, boy, is that going to be replaying in his head for a while.  Kid seems more bewildered than anything else, and the idea of being Monkey King’s successor doesn’t sit well with him.

Which, Monkey King doesn’t get that.  Who wouldn’t want to be taught by him?

But maybe he overestimates the kid’s spunk, his confidence, because waving off his worries doesn’t spur him on; rather, it seems to deflate him.

Ugh.  Why is being a teacher difficult?  It’s not like his teacher had a hard time with him, right?

Distantly, he thinks he can hear his master shouting at him.  He hops off his cloud, says just the right thing to get Kid pumped up, and watches him race off.

He considers just sitting back and not watching, but then, that wouldn’t be any fun, would it?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

He isn’t actually sure what having a successor means, really.  How much their powers, their lives, would mirror his own.  A part of him was terrified by the prospect—could he even be known as anything special, if he was no longer one of a kind?

But there’s also something quite exciting about this.  The idea that your life is being rewritten, the story unfinished and yet also repeating itself.  The Demon Bull King is on the loose, with his army and family, trying to take over the world.

And only one person can stop him.  The Monkey King.

Kid’s powers are volatile.  He can feel them flare up from time to time, wildly flickering out of control.  A lack of self confidence, that might be causing it.  A part of him is annoyed by that, a part of him is relieved.  Far better to have to teach someone to believe in themselves than teach them humility.  He’s pretty sure he hasn’t learned that latter lesson all the way yet.

Kid vanishes into the Demon Bull King’s chest, where the staff lies, and for a moment, the new sun vanishes.  Monkey King feels the cold rush of space in its absence, and feels panic, even though he’s only known this warmth for a few hours.

But then, it bursts back into existence, as a familiar stone drops from the Demon Bull King’s chest, cracking open, and, well, it’s history being written the same way over and over again, isn’t it?

Kid has a flair for silliness, childish maneuvers.  He likes to have fun, and that’s the best part of the powers they share.  To be invincible, to have fun while saving the day. 

It’s a repeat, until, well, it isn’t.

The blow Kid takes makes Monkey King wince.  The body becoming invulnerable takes time.  It doesn’t just immediately show up.  Every second, Kid’s body is absorbing and meshing with the powers thrust upon it, but that doesn’t mean getting hit a mile by a guy twenty times your size doesn’t still hurt, at this point.

But Monkey King knows this is what has to happen.  Because heroes aren’t heroes if they never feel pain, never get hit.

Heroes, he thinks, as Kid tears himself from the wall he’s embedded in, as Kid stands, eyes ablaze, are heroes when they get hit and they get back up.

And Kid sure as hell does.

“I’m the Monkey Kid!” He shouts, like a battle cry, like a challenge, and Monkey King smirks.  Monkey Kid, huh?  It suits him.  And then, Kid slams the staff on the ground, and the world shifts.

A part of him is kind of jealous.  How come he never got a mech?!  Has that been a thing this entire time?  Another part is in awe of this Kid’s creativity, ability, at such a young age.

And seeing DBK get trounced again certainly keeps the jealous part of him quiet.

Kid’s got a nice group of friends.  Reminds him of his journey days, him and a rag tag group of idiots going around wreaking havoc and learning moral lessons at the end of it.  He’s glad Kid isn’t alone or on the streets anymore.  A strong foundation leads to a stronger ability to grow.

Well, he’d better get some sort of training regimen ready.  Or, at least, start thinking of some things to do to train this kid.  He’s sure at some point Kid is going to bug him for a lesson or two.

Somehow, the thought doesn’t bother him as much as he thinks it should.

#lego monkie kid #monkie kid mk #monkie kid monkey king #sun wukong #kitkat1003 #monkie kid mei

[pines-troz]

Pinky and Brain Character Info from the Cinderella AU

- Pinky grew up with his mom, dad, and little sister (who’s a mouse in this AU and not an empty thread spool). His parents showered their kids with love and affection. When Pinky was five, he received Pharfignewton as a birthday present, and it was love at first sight. Pinky learned about responsibility through Pharfignewton: taking the time to feed her, take her out on walks, cleaning her stable, and brushing her mane. When he was older, his parents got another pet for him and his sister, an orange puppy they named Buttons. 

- When Pinky was twelve, his mother and sister perished in a terrible carriage accident. This devastated Pinky and his father. While Pinky turned to Pharfignewton and Buttons for comfort, his father was acquainted with a noble widow named Nora Rita Norita. He learned that Norita has two daughters, Katie and Elmyra, both of whom are younger than Pinky. So he decided to remarry to fill the void left in their family. They were married for two year until he fell ill and passed on. During that time, Pinky didn’t know what to make of his stepmother and stepsisters. He felt uncomfortable whenever Nortia talked to him. Pinky quickly knew to never cross Katie, who turned into a monster when she didn’t get her way. But Pinky was most terrified by Elmyra, who would try to play various ‘games’ which were more or less designed to physically assault him. Pinky never brought up how he felt to his dad because he sees how happy he is with their new family members and Pinky doesn’t want to hurt his feelings. 

- After his father’s passing, PInky was immediately reduced to a servant and Norita spent the majority of the shared family fortune on her two daughters. But Pinky’s optimism remained as strong as titanium as he found a lot of coping mechanisms to help him get through each day. 

- Tending to the animals is his absolute favorite thing to do. He still has ownership of Pharfignewton and Buttons, but overtime he gained more animal friends. He befriends a trio of birds named Bobby, Squit and Pesto, and feeds him his leftovers and makes clothes for them. They return the favor by becoming his alarm clock. Pinky especially loves to tease Pesto. One day, he finds a stray cat and dog in the stable and is filled with compassion. He brings them food and water, and they decide to stick around. Pinky names the cat Rita and the dog Runt. When he realizes Elmyra’s tendency to hurt the animals, Pinky insists that she plays with him instead, to save them the trouble. 

- Pinky also loves to sing while he does his chores. He often sings about things that he loves, like the different kinds of cheeses, Pharfignewton and the other animals, and the romantic stories he reads. But his favorite song to sing when he’s feeling down is “Just Say Narf”. Pinky sometimes plays the violin during his free time, which he calls ‘the flute’ and holds little concerts for the animals. 

- Pinky also loves to makes clothes. He often makes clothes for the animals, like hats, vests, shirts, scarves, sweaters, pajamas, shoes. The Goodfeathers love sporting their outfits Pinky makes for them, and even brags about their clothes to the other birds. When they bring along the Godpigeon, Pinky makes a specialized suit just for him. Even though Rita isn’t a fan of wearing clothes, she appreciates the sentiment. 

- Pinky also loves to bake desserts. He even manages to create a no-bake cheesecake that he shares with the animals. 

- Pinky’s dreams are what motivates him to get up in the morning. He often has lovely dreams about living in a nice house with knick-knacks, where he can makes clothes, bake, care for the animals, and be surrounded by loved ones. His desires are mostly stemmed from wanting to return to the happier days of his youth spent with his mom, dad, and sis. But he is determined to one day find a family of his own. 

- Brain had a sheltered early childhood. He mostly spent his time in the castle’s library reading a lot of books on various subjects such as science, math, history, art, and literature. When he was nine, Plotz brought Brain along for an important conference in another part of the country. During the trip, he witnessed many people living in poverty on the streets from inside his carriage, things that he read about in his books but finally realized. When they went to the conference, Brain brings this up to some of the politicians, and they brush him off. Brain then vowed that if he was the one in control of things, then he would eradicate many issues that plagued society. After returning home, Brain is determined to seize control of the world so he could fix it. 

- Although Brain had a relatively happy childhood, he began to feel pressured by Plotz, during his teen years. His father nags Brain to get a girlfriend so he could get married and have children together (fueled by his desire to have grandchildren). Dating is nowhere near the top of Brain’s priorities. 

- Plotz tried to set him up two times before the royal ball. Once was before Brain left to study at a prestigious university in another country. One of Plotz’s aristocratic friends has a daughter named Billie, and he sets the two of them up on a date. Even though Brain was at first smitten by her beauty, the date proved to be disastrous as Brain’s awkward attempts at small talk backfired on him and Billie stating that she doesn’t have any romantic feelings for him. The second time was during the first summer break when Plotz paired Brain with another noblewoman named Julia. While the two have more in common, Brain didn’t have any romantic feelings for her. He was thankful when Julia gently let him down. When Brain bumped into Julia a year later, he learned that she was dating Billie. 

- Brain thrived academically during his four years studying at the foreign university. He even became involved in a lot of extracurriculars, such as choir, the debate team, the engineering club, the mathletes, and the school’s rhythmic gymnastics team. Brian eventually became the captain of the rhythmic gymnastics team in his junior year, and even carries around a painted portrait of him in a blue spandex suit twirling around a lavender satin ribbon to show off to people as a conversation starter. 

- During this time, he also formed a close friendship with Snowball, and loved to make him laugh. But the two had a falling out in their senior year, when Snowball became jealous of Brain’s academic standing and mocked his dreams of taking over the world. 

- The only two people Brain has in his support group are the two Grand Dukes, Yakko and Wakko Warner. While their presence in the castle was mainly to consult with Plotz, they spend a lot of their time hanging out with Brain, telling him jokes and making him laugh. Brain appreciates their company.

- During his sophomore year at the university, Brain realized that he was attracted to men as well as women. When Brain decides to come out as bisexual, Yakko and Wakko are the first people to know, and they are overjoyed. When Brain decides to tell Plotz, he’s surprised to learn that Plotz was ambivalent over this, but still insists that Brain gets married.  

- Whenever Brain brings up his desire to take over he world, nobody really takes him seriously. Plotz thinks that he’s joking, and even Yakko and Wakko see his nightly plans as a hobby of his. The first person he comes across who is actually supportive of his ambitions is Pinky. 

#pinky and the brain #patb #patb au #animaniacs

[yourcreepyneighborhoodelftwink]

Are you excited for Pokémon Legends: Arceus as well as Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl?

I'll give the easier answer before my rant and say yes, I am looking forward to the Diamond and Pearl remakes. Personally, I really hope that at least a good amount of older games are remade for the Switch, so they're more accessible to people who can't afford to just buy a whole new system to play ONE game that interests them, I'm ALWAYS in favor of remakes and ports.

Now, onto my ramblings. I'm definitely EXCITED for Legends, don't get me wrong, but I'm... Hesitantly so. For one, I noticed a kinda jumpy animation in the trailer, it wasn't very smooth, and I'm HOPING that's because it's early in development, and that'll be fixed with more time, so I'm thinking that's a minor thing, but if later trailers and Directs don't fix it, I'll definitely be more worried. And another worry, while I feel like a game franchise centered around capturing wild animals, befriending them, and battling them to grow stronger can REALLY benefit from open world gameplay, I'm worried about the storyline.

It may not SEEM like it, but a storyline is kinda INTEGRAL to an open world game, ESPECIALLY one that is breaking the formula of a beloved franchise. While most of the appeal is in exploration, finding all the things the map is chock full of, if there's no storyline, then it gets boring pretty quickly. Even Animal Crossing has upgrading your house, making your town pretty, etc. Breath of the Wild has the quest of being the Chosen Hero and saving the fallen kingdom, and recovering your memories along the way. That game is fun with having an open world BECAUSE you get DISTRACTED by all the cool things to find, the little side quests, etc.

But with Pokémon... It's usually pretty simple in story, get your badges while fighting an evil team and occasionally your rival(s) until you become the region's champion. And it already kinda had a foot in the door on the concept, since you can do so much with the Pokémon and are under no pressure to progress except for minor road blocks blocking you from going to certain areas. I'm a little... Confused about how they'll keep some sort of story in it if you can explore the whole map right away.

I'm assuming they'll HAVE something, but I worry about it, especially considering the title includes ARCEUS, the literal creationist GOD of the Pokémon world. Like, one that's a MYTHICAL Pokémon, usually only obtainable by special events or trading. If they're including Arceus, and making them obtainable in-game for the first time, it has to be an AMAZING story, or even the most diehard fans will be baying for blood.

So I'm eagerly awaiting an amazing experience to shove in the face of my worries, but until they're proven wrong, they'll still remain.

This last bit isn't really RELATED to the game, but it does tie in a bit. I've noticed a big trend in modern Nintendo games being more open world, BOTW, Mario Odyssey, Pokémon Sword/Shield to an extent, and now Pokémon Legends, and that's not necessarily BAD, but I can't help but worry that it'll go the route of Hollywood's lack of originality. I definitely find it nice that these beloved game franchises are willing to experiment and try something new, but if it becomes the new norm with games, I worry that the classic dungeon crawling and linear progression or even item based progression might end up a thing of the past when nothing was really WRONG with it to begin with. I'm probably worried over nothing, it's probably just a little trend for the time, but I grew up with games like that, and it's what we all fell in love with, and I can't help but worry that it may become the fix to something that wasn't broken.

#creepypasta #ben drowned #ben speaks #ben vents #ask #ask me anything #ask away #ask me questions #ask me things #art #digital art #my art #eye contact tw #i'm sorry it's so long except i'm not <3

[achtung-attitude]

CHAPTER 36: Weezer - Part 1

From his porch on Mulholland Drive, All-Kill sits, looking out across Los Angeles. The view is beautiful at night, but on this particular morning, it looks muggy and uncomfortable. “Yeon-in,” he calls. 

At his summons, the wolf appears with a bottle of Korean soju held in its jaws. With surprising dexterity, it places the bottle on a small table next to its master. All-Kill pets his companion between the ears, then unscrews the cap, pouring the rice wine into a small glass and sipping from it.

“Little early for that, isn’t it?” T’onga says, stepping out of the house and standing behind the chair.

“I’m in a celebratory mood… Have you taken care of everything? The stragglers and loose ends?” the boss replies, keeping his eyes on the view.

“Yeah. Of course,” she says numbly.

“Good. Then the time to strike is now. Go to where Dust is and use HOUSE OF PAIN to eliminate him. No matter what you say or what it takes, do that above all else. It makes no difference what kind of ability Dust has. Once you get him into the room, he’s no match for you. I have every confidence. As far as I’m concerned, we’ve already won.” He punctuates his statement with another sip of soju and a smile.

“Right… Where’s Sang-ok?” T’onga asks.

“At his apartment. I’ll call him over when you’re done.”

“…And Sumni?” 

At the mention of this name, there is a long pause between the two, as All-Kill places his glass down. “…She’s on standby, as usual. Why? What difference does it make?”

“Oh… it doesn’t. I was just wondering where everybody was. See you later, boss…” she turns a leaves, stepping back inside the house. All-Kill turns his head and keeps his eye on her until she leaves his sight. The wolf at his feet whines softly.

“Anaheim…” he mutters, and nothing more.

                                                         ---

The Anaheim Convention Center and Arena! One of the largest gathering spots in all of Southern California, a stone’s throw away from the famous Disneyland, home to every sort of convention for every sort of event, from company-wide get-togethers, to the biggest sporting event, down to the most niche of fan conventions. And this time of year, it's home to the one and only...

TubeCon, the world’s convention for the no. 1 video-sharing network, VidTube! Here, everyone from video bloggers, pranksters, game streamers and the ever underappreciated animators gather to engage with their fans and celebrate their work. 

They mill about like termites, some old, but most young, moving between stall after stall, buying merch, taking selfies. Among them are content creators, many of whom film themselves on their phones. Their voices can be heard clearly over the general din.

“EY ITS UR BOY MERCINATOR MEETING UP WITH SOME FANS!!!”

“EY WHAT UP GUYS IT'S YO BOY RATMATT HERE AT TUBECON!!!”

“WE'RE THE SLY BROTHERS AND WE'RE HERE AT TUBECON TO GET PEOPLE'S REACTIONS TO MEETING US!!!”

At the far end of the auditorium, three men in their thirties play video games on a couch under the scrutiny of over a hundred people. 

“Julio,” one demands of his bearded companion, “would you rather eat a man or acquire a nice tan?”

“I don’t… What kind of question is that, Neil?” Julio splutters.

“Julio, answer the question!” demands the third.

“What is this place...?” Kilo mutters, taking in the atmosphere with distaste, having found himself and his friends beckoned here.

“This is probably what Hell looks like,” Moya remarks, with a thousand-yard stare. In the midst of this controlled chaos, she and Kilo stand protectively between Shizuka, who stares doe-eyed into the crowd, searching for something. For someone. Frowning, she reaches into her inside pocket and pulls out the message for the hundredth time. 

I WILL MEET YOU AT ANAHEIM and a drawing of an impossible triangle, written in permanent marker, and three tickets to this very convention. Nothing else was in the envelope delivered to Jerome’s mansion. Shizuka turns the message around, but all she sees on the back is the marker ink bleeding through the paper.

“Whoever it was that sent that letter…” Kilo grumbles, peering over her shoulder at it, “ least they could’ve done is be a little more specific. So what now, cop?” he turns to Moya, “We just supposed to stand around here, waitin’ for somebody to walk up on us?”

“This is our best move,” Moya replies, squinting suspiciously into the crowd, “For now, we have to assume the worst and that this is a Congregation trap. They’ve been one step ahead of us this whole time, and even now they still have the advantage. But waiting around in C-King’s house won’t get us any closer to stopping them, so we may as well take the chance and handle what comes of it. And besides… if T’onga really did send that message, then I don’t know when we’ll get another chance to get this close to her. No matter what happens, we can’t get separated. As long as we stick together, I’m confident we can take anything that comes our way!”

“Hrrmh… I hope you’re right…” Kilo says. Shizuka says nothing during this exchange, but looks up from the letter, glaring resolutely. 

“HEY, YOU GUYS!!” shouts a loud, raucous cry, directed at the three of them. Immediately, SATURN BARZ and WITCH MOUNTAIN come out, only to recede soon after. A man in his late 20s wearing mirror-shades suddenly stands right in front of Shizuka.

With painfully artificial exuberance, the man in sunglasses shouts, “You’re next in line, huh, bros?! Great!! Don’t be shy, I always have time for fans! Here, lemme get that for you!” He says, taking the paper from Shizuka’s hand.

“Ah…! Hey, wait…!!” she starts, but the guy soons hands it back to her, but not before scrawling chicken scratch on the back in red ink.

“Who the fuck is this…?” Kilo mutters. He then glances behind him and notices for the first time a line has formed behind them, composed of teenage girls and boys, the eldest surely no older than 14. Without moving from their spot, the trio appear to have become part of an autograph line.

“Now you got your autograph, how about a selfie?!” the shaded vlogger announces to Shizuka, already pulling out a smartphone and attaching it to a telescopic pole. “It’ll be legit, for real! You’re bound to get a ton of likes on your feed once people see me on it!”

“Ah… N-no, thanks,” Shizuka responds, taken aback, “I’m kind… of waiting for-” 

“Come on, honey, no need to be shy!” he announces again, sidling up beside her with his selfie stick raised over them, “You’re talking a major boost in online cred if you get seen with me! I’m kind of a big deal on YouTube, in case you didn’t know!” Bearing over her, he reaches a hand across her shoulders, “And hey, if we hang out a little more, maybe I can give you a few tips on how to get your own channel started! I could send a few early subscribers your way, if you do me a couple favors. What do you sGGLKH!!” 

He chokes, his tongue lolling out as Moya lifts him, one-handed, by the back of his t-shirt collar. Kilo, meanwhile, grabs the selfie stick out of his hand, breaks it in half over his knee, then pitches the phone to the other side of the auditorium. The teenagers in the line behind them gasp. Moya drops him, and they and Shizuka moves away from him, stepping around him like garbage.

“H-Hey! Wait up!!” The vlogger shouts, rubbing his neck and beginning to pursue them, “Hey! You guys! Who do you fuckin’ think you are?! Hey, I said--!!” Kilo and Moya turn at once, fixing him with furious expressions. “Yeah, what?”, they say at the same time.

The vlogger appears to forget how to speak for a moment. Then he scurries off to retrieve his phone, shouting back, “My followers are gonna hear about this, you hear me?!”

Shizuka hardly notices his departure, merely brushing lint off her shoulder. Kilo and Moya exchange a concerned glance. 

                                                         ---

The vlogger weaves his way through the crowd, eventually finding his phone lying on the ground with a cracked screen. Upon sight, he rushes to retrieve it, but crashes into a tall man in a hoodie from behind. “Hey! Watch where you’re going, jackass!” he berates before stooping to pick up his phone. The guy in the hoodie slouches, removing his earbuds from his ears and scratching his oversized afro. 

Before the vlogger stands back up, he starts wheezing. He manages to release a few choked coughs, which go unnoticed by anyone, before his neck and face begin to swell up like a balloon and his face turns a shade of pale blue. 

“Anaphylactic shock, huh? Nasty...” says Toto, and nothing more. By the time he finishes his remark, the vlogger is already dead and he has lost all interest in him. He peers over the crowd. His eyes fall upon the trio, then he slides himself into the back corridors.

Without a care in the world, he strides through the service hallways, eventually coming to the security control center. He opens the door with a stolen clearance card and enters the room, shutting the door behind him. Two dead security guards are propped up against the wall, their faces blotchy and swollen. Toto sits down at the surveillance desk and finds the trio on one of the monitors.

“They’re clinging to each other like…” he mutters to himself, keeping them in sight at all times. “Like… Like, uh… Liiiike… Oh! Like tar and feathers! … No, no, not like that, not like tar and feathers, more like…” he stops abruptly and furrows his brow deeply, searching for the correct analogy. “Flies on hot shit? No, no… Oh, yeah! Like atomic particles! Two little electrons orbiting around a neutron/proton center! That’s perfect!” He smiles, delighted. Then his smile drops.

“Wait, hold on, if the three of them are an atom, then wouldn’t splitting them up be totally bad?” he mutters, beads of sweat suddenly appearing on his forehead, “When you split an atom up, you get nuclear fusion, in other words a big fuckass huge explosion…! Applyin’ that here… Dust wanted me to separate the Joestar princess from her friends, but what if that’s a bad idea…?! What if the best bet is to take ‘em all here and now, together…?! No no no, fighting ‘em all at once is no good either, their abilities are too strong…! 

“Aaagh, did I do enough, did I miss anything?! I been here for an hour and I made sure to touch as many people as I could, but what if it ain’t enough?! What if all the people I came into contact left already?! Uuuurghh…!!” he frets manically over this, pinching his temples as his thoughts race. Then at last he freezes, and his relaxed posture returns. 

“Don’t be stupid,” he admonishes himself, “It’s just an expression, they ain’t really atoms. They just people. Caught in the flow of fate, just like everybody. Does no good to worry over how things’ll turn out. Split ‘em up, cram ‘em together… It’s all the same at the End of Time…” Fully calmed down, he reaches for the microphone and leans into it. 

Affecting an officious, professional tone, he speaks into the PA, “Attention, all convention-goers, attention all convention-goers. The Paulie Paul panel event will be commencing in ten minutes. Please proceed to the cordoned area in Hall D in an orderly fashion. Thank you.” Finished, he watches with satisfaction at the silent stampede that begins, which slams into the trio, tearing them apart. 

He reaches into his front pocket and pulls out a pre-rolled spliff. He regards it for a moment, taking in the herbal scent, before shaking his head. “No, no… No time. Gotta work…” he says, getting up and leaving the security office, heading for the exhibit halls.

#jjba #jojo's bizarre adventure #jojo no kimyou na bouken #achtung attitude #shizuka joestar #kilo staples #moya pezzente #toto #ch36

[hellsbovnd]

echo.

wc:1550 focus: rosemund blackthorne

5/11/2020

[ PDF MIRROR ]

Rosemund always fancied himself a fairly solitary soul—he had to be, or he would have a difficult time explaining to others why it was that he was (allegedly) content to spend the overwhelming majority of his time alone, be it locked away in his house or taking walks alone through the Pillars of Ishgard. Even when he went to the Forgotten Knight, he was content to remain on the outer fringes of the crowd, not quite watching or listening or necessarily paying attention to anyone or anything in particular as he nursed a mug of mulled wine.

Whatever he wanted to tell himself, the solitude did gnaw at him—on occasion. It was those times that he told himself that even if he didn’t enjoy it, it was a necessary evil, that he should be content with the company of a mad witch and occasional letters between him and his long-time friends—Hello, how are you, we should meet for drinks soon, and then they never meet for drinks. Once he fired the last of his house’ maids, he was completely alone. He still swore he heard people wandering about outside his door sometimes—though that usually ended up just being either the witch or a figment of his imagination.

It was easy enough to ignore such things, but they did generally serve as his cue that he needed to get out of the house. Few things set Rosemund’s mind at ease like fresh air. Being confined to his manor was, admittedly, maddening. He had to constantly remind himself that it was a confinement of his own design; he could leave any time he wanted. Nothing was keeping him there: there were no shackles and there was no obligation to keep the dust bunnies in the parlor company.

And so he settled on a morning—or rather, the morning settled on him. He slept most of the day prior and found him awake when most others would be rising for once, rather than closer to the middle of the day as usual. He bundled himself up in a warm coat and scarf in an effort to stave off the biting coldof the early morning breeze and set off for a cafe he once frequented (it felt like a lifetime ago now…), situated near the Crozier in a rather unsuspecting corner.

The cafe itself was fairly small, too small to have seating inside at any rate. The bell chimed as Rosemund pushed the door inward—stuck on some half-frozen hinge—and he offered the woman behind the counter a tired smile, which she returned. Her clothes and face and hands were covered in flour, and the apron additionally had colorful spots where berries had fallen or coffee had been spilled. Some old stains, others new, but it added character.

The last time he’d been to this cafe, she’d informed him that the previous owner, her mother, had finally retired. She regarded him kindly, with warm, dark eyes, even as he loomed over her by a good fulm and a half: a shadow that some had told him was unsettling at best. “It’s been a while, ser! Have you been holding up well?”

“As well as I can. Thank you,” he mumbled in reply. “And you? How’s your husband?”

“Holding up well.” She let out a sigh, leaning back from the dough she was kneading. “He has his hands full, taking care of the kid. Anyroad, what can I get for you?”

“Do you have blueberry scones today?”

“No, but we have blackberry.”

“Blackberry is fine, then. And, uh, some—breakfast tea.” It’d been so long since he’d been to this particular cafe that he’d forgotten which of their teas was the best. It really had more of a reputation for coffee, but despite its purpoted uses in treating hangovers, Rosemund had to admit that he was not a big fan of coffee. No matter how much sugar or cream he added, it was always too bitter. But he figured that he couldn’t go wrong with a cup of tea.

She nodded and accepted the coins he offered in exchange for the service—along with a rather generous tip. “Right away, ser.”

They made somewhat awkward small-talk as she set about fixing his tea. The scones were fresh out of the oven and needed to cool anyway, though Rosemund immediately regretted ordering tea—it took time for the kettle to boil, after all, and there were only so many ways he could loop back around to innocuous topics—the weather, and… Well, the weather. He didn’t rightly know the woman behind the counter well enough to feel comfortable delving into anything else, and she wasn’t highborn so he managed to avoid getting caught up in the rumor mill for the morning. Come to think of it, he didn’t even know her name…

He offered her a mumbled thanks once the tea was ready and stepped out of the cafe with his breakfast.

The little iron-wrought tables outside of the cafe were freezing-cold, but they provided somewhere for Rosemund to sit while he ate. Church bells tolled the hour, ringing through the Crozier which had started to fill with people running their morning errands—maids and manservants running about to find food suitable for their lords’ and ladies’ brunches, lunches, midafternoon snacks, and dinners; children passing through on their way to their tutor’s or to church. It was too early to shop for clothes in Rosemund’s opinion, but there were even a few noblewomen drifting away from a tailor’s shop.

Such a sight made it easy to forget that until a few years ago, Ishgard was a nation with the constant threat of war looming on the horizon. The weather, too, seemed to forget; the sky was a hazy blue and the sun was rising steadily in the sky. The feeling of the sun’s warmth on his face actually brought a smile to his lips—a rare blessing indeed, when most days the sky was a terible, soul-sucking gray.

He brought his cup of tea to his lips, golden eyes wandering among the passers-by. It was, perhaps ironically, a result of Rosemund’s solitary nature that drove him towards people. Despite his more misanthropic musings and his tendency to reject the company of his peers in favor of paying charity to the lowborn during winter moons—inviting them into his home as a reprieve from the biting cold of the winter moons. He enjoyed being an observer, he always asserted. It was easier than trying to forge legitimate bonds with others.

Never in the middle of things, always on the fringes…

While it was that time of morning that most highborn children would be getting ready to start their daily routine—he remembered somewhat fondly the path he traced around the city in his youth, dragged first to church and then to class and then to errands and then, after he turned twelve, to training—the lowborn were not bound by such responsibilities. Some children ran about the Crozier, darting around to avoid remaining in any one person’s path for too long. They laughed and yelled, two of the older-looking boys chasing each other with sticks.

“Halt, fiend!” the one giving chase cried, half out of breath from running and half out of breath from laughing, his cheeks red and his grin irrepressable.

The boy in the lead turned on his heel, then and gave his pursuer a solid whap with his stick, catching him right in the gut. Rosemund winced at the sight; he remembered his days of roughhousing, but…

It didn’t look like either of the boys was any worse for the wear, though. The pursuing child took the blow in stride. He only stumbled for a moment to indulge in a little theatrics, clutching the ‘wound’ before they were off again.

“Your wicked blade is no match for the will of the Fury!”

“Oh yeah? Well your bladework is no match for the power of darkness!”

“I’ll make you eat those words!”

Rosemund frowned at that, but by the time he’d rightfully processed what they were doing, the boys were long gone down the road, up towards the Last Vigil. His shoulders fell and he shook his head—

Dark Knights were a fairly well-known urban legend, but in his youth he never would have dreamed of playing as one. Was that the new trend? He supposed that with the end of the Dragonsong War rendering it unacceptable to capture dragonfly scouts to beat with sticks, kids had to find ways to spice up their leisure-time. And that seemed to involve beating each other with sticks now…

He finished the last of his tea, staring off down the road after them. If they only knew that neither of their roles was particularly glamorous… If they only knew the weight behind the games that they played.

If they only knew the Hells you went through to get to this point.

Rosemund gritted his teeth, banishing the thought from his head. No different than Knights and Knaves, surely; after all, in all such child’s games, there had to be some sort of ‘villain,’ right? It was nothing, nothing…

It was nothing, but he knew that it was going to bother him for the rest of the day.

#crystal data center #ffxiv rp #balmung rp #crystal rp #ffxiv balmung #ffxiv crystal #hellsbovnd #( c: rosemund; ) #( writing; )

[riseandshinelittleblossom]

Hoping for Home Ch 7 - “Breakeven”

A/N: I want to take a moment to thank everyone still with this series for your patience and support. Also, I’d like to apologize for this chapter- these characters really do have a mind of their own and some of them just wouldn’t be silenced. Expect the next one to be rather lengthy as well, as Liam says he needs a turn next bahahahahahaha. Without further ado...

Catch up here

Song to accompany: “Breakeven” by The Script

Word Count: 4949

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters except my ocs. 

Tags: @ao719 @cocomaxley@leelee10898@fullbeaumonty@choiceswreckedme@ritachacha@itsstillnotwhatyouthink@blackcoffee85@indiacater@drakesensworld @carabeth@daniv2278@cosigottahavefaith@gibbles82@innerpostmentality@perfectprofessorherokid@darley1101@jovialyouthmusic @liamxs-world@thequeenofcronuts@blznbaby@stopforamoment @zilch3382@wannabemc2 @jlouise88@lodberg@jasieschoices @aworldoffandoms @lynne1993 @valtorian-duchess @bbrandy2002 @hopefulmoonobject @dianalend @desiree-0816 @emichelle @lettersofwrittencollective

        Libby's eyes went wide as she stared down at her tablet. Her hazel orbs flew over the words as she scrolled, her face getting hotter by the second. She reached up and locked the screen before tucking the device under her arm and stomping down the hallway.

       She and the twins had been at the palace for eight days now, and she was pretty sure she'd find Liam in his study as usual.

      Rounding the corner she slammed head first into Drake's broad figure.

     “Scott, are you alright?” He questioned gripping her shoulders.

     “I need a word with my King, Drake.” She said through gritted teeth. He released her holding his hands up in mock surrender.

     “The study…” he offered but Libby cut him off snapping,

     “I know that!”

      She swung open the door without knocking and Liam stood up from his chair behind the desk.

     “Okay you look angry.” He commented, pushing his glasses back up his nose so that they sat flush on his face.

      The ginger woman unlocked her tablet and slid it in his direction. “Have you seen this shit?” She seethed.

      Liam gingerly picked up the device.

      “‘An Heir and a Spare’? He read the headline. He quirked his eyebrow and looked up at Libby who flourished her hands, urging him to continue.

     “The Phantom Duchess Valtoria made her return to court recently, holding a gala to introduce her heirs. 

     Sources say the twins, a boy and a girl, are sixteen. 

      As if their presence alone after their mother's years of absence wasn't enough, sources have informed Cordonian Insider exclusively that the heirs to Valtoria (along with Lord Barthelemy Beaumont of Ramsford, Lord Abel Dunbar of Whipstaff, and Ms. McKenzie Walker, daughter of Sir Drake Walker, Guardian of the Realm) were involved in a terrible accident Wednesday night involving a stolen vehicle.

     We contacted both Valtoria Medical and the King's guard for comment. Although it has been confirmed that no charges will be filed at this time, both parties otherwise refused to comment.

     What may be the juiciest news to explode from the return of the Phantom Duchess, however is the parentage of her heirs in question.

    Our faithful source has confirmed that both His Majesty King Liam and his once close confidant Lord Maxwell Beaumont of Ramsford have given DNA samples in what can only be described as the biggest Royal scandal to hit our tiny nation since the nearly naked  photos of Lord Tariq and the Duchess hit tabloids close to twenty years ago.”

    The King placed the tablet on his desk and removed his glasses. He pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh, turning from Libby to face the window.

    Silence reigned over the room, save for the sound of the Duchess's bare foot tapping against the marble floor.

     “You had to expect something like this, Libby.” Liam said finally turning to face her.

    “Rumors to spread about me? Yes. I can handle that. But this? Liam fuck aaaaaallllll of this. They are minors, Your Majesty. Children. Fix this, Liam. Now. Or so help me Emma, Will, and I will fly out of here so fast it will make your crown spin.”

      Liam opened his mouth to speak, but Libby was already stomping out of the door, slamming the hard wood behind her.

***************

       Maxwell peered over the fan of playing cards in his hand. Texas holdem was a game he'd been playing since he was a teenager, and he had never found himself losing so spectacularly before. 

     Placing his hand down, he eyed Will carefully. Emma and Mackenzie had already folded, leaving the two males in a tense standoff.

      "Straight flush," the older man announced smugly, reaching forward to rake the pot towards himself.

      "Not so fast, Mr. Beaumont." Will smirked laying down his cards revealing a royal flush.

      Will swatted Maxwell's hands away raking the loot towards himself instead.

     "How? How did you even manage that?"

     Emma giggled, "Mom taught us Texas holdem when were like, 9. It's sorta Will's game."

     "Apparently," Maxwell landed against the back of his chair, arms crossed over his chest. "Well I'm broke. No more bets for me."

    The group began to clean up the cards and chips when Drake entered the room. 

     "Mack, school. I agreed to let you come if you stayed with your homeschooling. I just checked and you are quite a few days behind, Ma'am." he looked down his nose at his daughter as she lowered her head.

     "I forgot?" she tried.

     "Now." Drake pointed towards the door.

      Mackenzie waved to her friends and Maxwell before heading out, Drake on her heels.

     "Mr. Beaumont?" Emma began stacking the poker chips neatly. 

     "Call me Max. Or Maxwell, please." 

     "Max," she nodded thoughtfully before continuing, "What was my mom like when she was young?"

       Maxwell froze in place for a moment. He cleared his throat loudly, "She was... uh...well she was...what exactly do you want to know, Emma?"

       "Did you love her?" 

       Will stomped his sister's foot under the table and she whipped her head in his direction, hissing.

       "Rude." He told her, rolling his eyes.

      "It's okay, Will. I think it's a fair question given the circumstances. I...I did love her, Emma. Very much." Maxwell answered honestly.

      "But she was in love with Liam?" the young blonde pressed.

     "I'm not entirely sure. Sometimes I think that she was, but after Liam's coronation maybe…. Bertrand and I pushed her to stay. Looking back now I think that was selfish. I'm not sure where her heart was anymore."

      "And you loved her anyway? Even though you and your brother tried to force her to marry the king?" 

       Maxwell nodded solemnly.

     "But why? Why would you do that to her? Or yourself?" Will chimed in.

      The older man fixed his stare into the distance, trying to find the right words.

******************

         New York, New York- Royal Engagement Tour- 16 years ago

       "I don't want to marry Liam. I don't want to be the queen. I want to be with you!"  Libby insisted.

     "That's...it's insane is what it is. Don't say it out loud. Liam is going to ask you to marry him tomorrow. I know it. You know it. That guy knows it, dontcha bud?" Maxwell snagged a passerby who looked frightened.

     "Sure dude, just let me go." the stranger spoke.

    "Sorry." Maxwell released the man's jacket and he scurried away.

     "So what if he does? The world won't stop if I say no. Contrary to popular belief kings don't always get what they want."

    Maxwell stopped dead in his tracks. After a few steps, his rusty-haired companion noticed and she turned around to face him.

     "Liam does. Every time Liam gets what he wants. And the guy is so fucking likeable you want him to." Maxwell's voice was so low Libby barely heard him as she approached. 

     He stared down at his feet as the sea of people around them carried on with their lives. Meanwhile he clenched his hands into tight fists at his side as his entire world came crashing down inside.

     "To hell with that, Maxwell. I don't fucking love him. He can't force me to marry him."

      He shook his head, willing the years in his eyes to dissipate.

      "What if….whatif we don't leave? New York is my city. Liam has no power here. We could stay here and get jobs and-" 

      Maxwell looked up at her, his eyes so cold that Libby had to take a step back from him.

     "Cordonia is my home. Liam is my King. If you want to stay here, fine but I...I don't want to be with you, Libby. We're friends. That's where it ends. It has to."

      "Friends don't know the way you taste, Maxwell. The way you feel pressed so close…" 

    Libby wrapped her arms around his waist, lips grazing his jaw as she pulled him close, but this time he didn't return her embrace. Instead he pushed her hands away and turned on his heels stalking back towards the hotel. 

     "I said what I said, Libby. Stay or go it's up to you." He called over his shoulder.

     "Maxwell, wait! Maxwell!" 

    All around him the song of New York City played louder in his ears as again he blinked back tears. 

     " για το στέμμα(gia to stémma)," he whispered to himself.

*******************

      "For the crown." Maxwell stated.

    Something about the finality of his tone told Will and Emma that any further questions would be inappropriate and so neither said anything. 

      "Emma, may I borrow you for a moment?" 

      Everyone turned at the sound of the Queen's voice and the blonde girl quickly offered a brief curtsey.

     "Of course, Your Majesty." 

     Her eyes darted briefly to her brother and he gave her a smile, instantly assuaging her fears.

      As the two remaining packed away the last of the poker kit, Maxwell rocked on his feet awkwardly, unsure of what to do or say. 

     He had spent as much time as humanly possible with the twins together and he'd caught a few solo moments with Emma, but he felt out of his element when it came to Will. 

    The boy clearly harbored complex feelings about his mother and the situation they found themselves in. It was for that reason Maxwell was unsure of how to approach him.

     "Do you think I could ask you a favor, Max?" Will questioned and the older male exhaled relieved the silence had been broken.

    "Sure. What's up?"

     "I need to find a dark room."

   Maxwell cocked his head to the side.

    "Like a room with exceptionally heavy curtains, or…?"

     Will scoffed, a small chuckle escaping him. "Nah, nah. I mean like...a photography dark room. Is there any way I can access one around here? Or do you think maybe the King would let me make one...like a temporary one?"

    "Oh! Photography! Pictures. Yeah, there isn't one in the palace, but I have one at my house in the capital. I'm a bit of an ametuer photographer myself."

    "Me too," Will jammed his hands in his pockets.  "Could I...do you think I could use it?" 

    "Sure! That sounds like fun. We could uh...I could help if you wanted. We'd need your mom's permission first but.."

    "I'd really like that. Your help, I mean. Lemme go talk to my mom."

   "Absolutely. You do that and I will definitely...not...do that. I'll just wait for you out by the fountain."

     Will strode uncomfortably out of the room, leaving a thick tension hanging over Maxwell.

    Smooth, Max. Real smooth. If Libby agrees to this, it shouldn't be awkward at all… he thought, puffing his cheeks before exhaling loudly, heading for the palace  fountain.

************

    "These are really good, Will. Did you take them here at the palace?" 

    Libby was leafing through the photo prints her son had developed a few days prior. They were still life mostly: Roses, apple trees that sort of thing. 

     She had been shocked that Will had asked her to accompany Maxwell to his home in the capital, having forgotten entirely how much Lord Beaumont loved photography as well. 

      Maybe they're Maxwell's after all. She pondered.

     For sixteen years the not knowing hadn't been as front and center in her mind as it had been the past two weeks. 

     William shrugged, "Some of them. The roses are from Valtoria. I'd like to go back and poke around with my camera more. Max says the natural lighting is better there. Especially during the golden hour."

     Libby nodded, tucking her bottom lip between her teeth.

     She had very much enjoyed the time they'd spent at the palace thus far. Watching Liam interact with her kids warmed her heart, even if the moments he had for frivolity were few and far between. Of course she couldn't keep her mind from flopping- one moment she was excited at the thought of Liam being their father and finally being with them; the next she was terrified that if they were the heirs to Liam's crown that he would snatch them away from her like a thief in the night. Would he actually take them from her? Libby honestly wasn't sure.

           Mostly Liam was the same as he'd been when she'd met him over a decade ago, but inevitably some things were different. Where before he had been a timid ruler with a soft voice, she had learned that now the King of Cordonia was not afraid to put his foot down, his voice mirroring that of his late father when he didn't know that Libby was listening. She wondered if it were simply experience in ruling that had changed him. 

      Then, of course, there was Maxwell. 

    He had seemingly avoided her at all costs since the hospital, although she had heard from both children that he was with at least one of them during almost every waking moment. 

     She had worried the twins would begin to feel smothered, trapped with one of their potential fathers around all the time, ripped away from their lives in Georgia, and with little to no time spent with their peers. However they'd surprised her with their maturity and also their mutual desire to get to know the men that Libby had once loved so dearly.

      She stacked the prints neatly on the desk beside her before crossing the room to sit on the edge of Will's bed.

     "Do you have plans with Liam or Max today? I was sort of hoping you and I could talk. I feel like I haven't seen much of you this week." 

      Libby reached down to tenderly brush her son's hair from his eyes and he shook away her touch.

      "I'm supposed to spar with Liam and maybe Olivia later." he said gruffly, sitting up to lean against the headboard.

      Libby frowned then stood up and sighed, wiping her hands on her pants.

     "Well okay then. I guess I'll just see you when I see you then." 

      A pang of guilt hit her stomach as she headed for the door. What can I do to reach him? 

     "I love you, son." She told him.

     "Love you too, Ma. Can you close the door behind you?"

**********

           Emma was in love with having a ballroom at her disposal. She spun in the center of the opulent room, eyes focused on the ceiling murals. 

       Giddy and feeling light as a feather she popped her ear buds in, her playlist coming alive.

      She moved her body to the beat, years of hip hop dance lessons taking control of her movements. Eyes squeezed shut she shimmied and shook across the polished floors as if it were second nature to her.

     And she was good. Not that she liked to brag about it, but she had always been ahead of her peers in class and more than one teacher had commented on her natural talent. It was as if she were made to move, the rhythm flowing through her body effortlessly.

      She was too busy popping and locking to notice Maxwell sneak into the ballroom to watch. Despite his best efforts he couldn't stop his lips from turning up in the widest smile his face could muster. 

      When she bowed to her imaginary audience, staying slumped over for a few moments to catch her breath, Maxwell began to clap for her with an enthusiasm he hadn't found in himself in many years.

     The young girl shook her head, obviously startled as she yanked the buds from her ears.

      "I'm sorry. I don't mean to scare you. But how could I not applaud a performance like that? I wish I could have heard the music with it, but you murdered that beat I'm sure."

     Emma's cheeks flushed. "I'm not used to anyone watching."

      "Well you were incredible. You know I used to be a dancer myself. Hip hop, break dance, tap. I took lessons for years."

    "And ballroom right? Mom said you and Duke Bertrand taught her all she knows." Emma smiled, fingering the wires in her hands.

    Maxwell nodded in response but he didn't speak.

     "Can I ask you something?" She questioned. Another nod. 

     "Why do you get so quiet when I mention my mom? I feel like there's something neither of you are telling us about your history together. Maybe it's none of my business- Will is always telling me I need to learn to read the room, but I-"

     The dark haired man held up a hand to stop her and she tucked her bottom lip between her teeth. 

    In that moment she looked so much like Libby it made Maxwell's heart sink to his feet. He jammed his hands in his pockets as he slowly walked towards the girl in the center of the room.

     "It's been almost seventeen years since your mom left Cordonia. Seventeen. In that time I've obtained two degrees, lost and regained my sobriety, earned tenure at Cordonia University, and gotten married and divorced twice. Through all of those years, there was only ever one constant. I couldn't make myself unlove Libby Scott,"

      He paused, now standing in front of Emma, her eyes transfixed on him. She sank to the ground, tucking her feet underneath and patted the spot beside her. Maxwell chuckled, but he took a seat, legs bent, wrists resting over his knees.

************

     Drake wandered into the library, decanter and tumbler in hand. For all of the years he spent growing up in the palace, it was the one place that he felt like no one would bother him and he often sought solace in the large gilded room.

     He cocked his head as he gazed at the far wall noticing the secret door there was cracked open. Shuffling over he and opened it wider, stepping inside.

     At the far side was a dead end, an old stone wall that he had always assumed had once been an entryway to yet another of the many hidden tunnels below the palace. That's where he found her, sitting cross-legged in short cotton bottoms and a simple white camisole. 

     Libby's back was propped against the wall, her strawberry blonde hair falling and framing her face perfectly. Her eyes were puffy, though he couldn't tell if it was from tears that she'd previously shed or from the half-empty decanter that sat beside her.

    “You remembered this place?” he said pulling the door closed behind him.

    Libby grinned as if she'd done something that she should be proud of.

    “I'm sorry. You told me once that if I ever needed a place to hide…”

    “I did, but what are you hiding from?”

     The redhead scoffed. “Uh, my life, Drake. I'm hiding from my life.”

    His steps reverberated off of the stone in the hollow expanse as he closed the distance between them, his feet scraping and shuffling as he twisted his body to sit next to her, mirroring her posture.

     “I can't do this, Walker. There's a reason that I left to begin with. Now my son hates me, the press is having a field day, there's Liam and Maxwell and the feelings that this...this place invokes in me...I'm just not…” she covered her face with her hands, propping her elbows on her knees.

    “I can understand that.” He told her pouring himself some of his whiskey. “So how can we fix this? What do you need?”

     She groaned, uncovering her face, head lolling to look at him. “I need to blow off some steam. I need to get off. These past few weeks I've been wound so tight I feel like I might explode."

     Drake's Adam's apple bounced as he swallowed hard at her confession.

    “I can also understand that.”

    “I'm sorry, Drake. That was out of line.”

    “No, don't be. I asked, right? You were just honest.” He swirled the remaining whiskey in his glass before downing it. “I'll let you in on a little secret. It's been... Almost four years for me.”

    Libby let out a guffaw that echoed throughout  the tiny chamber. “I somehow find that hard to believe, Walker.”

    She raked a hand through her hair. “It's been two for me.”

      The friends were silent for a long time before Drake set his tumbler on the ground beside him.

    “Maybe we could...I mean... we're friends, right? Maybe we could give it a try. Purely as a way to release. I'm not looking for love, and I know that you aren't either. But we are two grown, consenting adults that both recognize we have the same...need right now.”

      “Yeah? No strings attached?” She laughed.

     “Libby, I'm serious. I'm up for it if you are.” 

    She stared at him,eyes scanning over his features in a way she'd never considered much before. His five o'clock shadow dotting along his perfect square jaw;the deep brown of his eyes and the small wrinkles at the corner of them.

     There was no denying that Drake Walker was an extremely handsome man. There was a brief time, when they were young, that Libby had considered herself attracted to him, but the feelings were fleeting and she'd never revisited the thoughts. 

     “You know what? Fuck it.” She finally whispered cupping his face in her hands as she crashed her lips into his.

      He fell back a bit, his head slightly glancing off of the stone wall behind him. His hands wrapped around her petite form, gripping her ribcage just below the shoulder blades.

        She flicked her tongue across his chapped lips and he was happy to indulge her, parting them to allow his tongue to jut out, gently massaging hers into his mouth.

     Libby swung one leg over his lap straddling him as she wound her fingers through his mahogany hair. She inhaled sharply, her lungs burning for air, and she was rewarded by the smell of her newfound lover-whiskey and pine mingling together- as she breathed him in.

     Drake broke their kiss, his lips trailing softly down her jawline, teeth nipping at the sensitive skin below her ear.

     “Fuck, Walker. I can't remember the last time I was this turned on.” She told him, and she meant it. Something about the dim light from the candles that Libby had brought with her, the smooth cold stone beneath them, and his firm callused hand yanking at the hem of her camisole was driving her wild.

     The man chuckled, his lips now caressing the usually untouched skin of her throat, below her chin.

      He nipped at her wildly, though he was careful not to leave lasting marks.

     She rocked her hips against him, her center begging for friction and a low growl escaped him as he finally ripped the camisole over her head, tossing it to the side. 

    The briskness of the air around them drew a gasp from her as he deftly filled his palms with her breasts, the returned warmth coupled with his gentle massages pulling a long, low moan from her.

     He kissed over the flesh of her upper chest slowly making his way down to find one semi-hardened nipple and he quickly sucked it between his lips, tongue rolling and flicking over it as she tugged his hair at the roots.

     He rolled the other between his thumb and forefinger before ghosting his hand against it.

     She was dripping now, a white- hot tingle growing at her core and she continued to rub her hips against him.

     Libby reached down and unfastened his faded blue jeans, leaning back slightly to plunge her hand down the front of them.

    “Christ, Scott.” Drake croaked as she palmed his hardened shaft, using one finger to gather the small bead of precum at the end and smearing it around his tip. She gave him a gentle squeeze and he hissed in response, his hips jerking forward slightly.

    He raised himself up on his palms enough for Libby to rip his jeans and boxer shorts down, freeing his member.

    She licked her lips at the sight. A part of her had always suspected that Drake would be an otherworldly lover, but she hadn't quite expected him to wield such an impressive tool.

     One rough, calloused hand found her clit tracing tight circles around it over the fabric of her shorts.

    “Drake, I can't...take it...anymore.” she told him through sloppy breathless kisses placed hastily against his lips. “I need you. No more teasing.”

    “I'm not... teasing, Scott. I'm... trying..to...fuck you... properly.” He responded.

    She broke the kiss with a frustrated sigh. “The whole point of this is to help release some tension, right? Not drive me insane with it.” 

     Drake laughed out loud as she rolled her eyes, yanking her shorts and panties to one side. 

     “Please,Drake. Now.” She panted and he grabbed his length, obediently lining it up with her center as she slowly lowered herself onto him.

     She cried out his name as he filled her, the walls of her center stretching to accommodate his every inch.

 She gently rotated her hips, grinding her clit against him as she adjusted.

    “Fuck Libby. You're so fucking tight, baby.” He growled in her ear as he buried his face in her neck, nipping and suckling the vulnerable area.

     “I think its just….I think it's just you, Drake.” She panted as she began to bounce her body slowly against his length.

     He popped his hips, thrusting up into her, his tip tapping that spot and she hummed in delight, quickening her own movements.

     His eyes traveled down her body flicking rapidly between watching her supple breasts bounce and the sight of himself being buried inside of her.

   “Fuck, Scott, I don't know if I can last.” He admitted only slightly embarrassed. He reached between them rubbing the pad of his thumb over her sensitive nub, trying to match the haste of her bouncing.

     “God Drake. It's okay. I'm close, just keep...just don't stop. Fuck!”

      Libby threw her head back as she felt her coil snap. Like a jolt of electricity coursing through her, she trembled as her nectar spilled onto Drake's cock and she clung to his shoulders as if her life depended upon it.

     He rocked his hips slowly, pushing her through the release until at last she felt his movements falter. A low, guttural grunt fell from his lips and she could feel his seed spilling into her.

     Her vision was still blurred when she placed her forehead to Drake's, her lips dragging across his sloppily as she tried to combat her momentary dizziness. Her breath was still ragged, their bodies slick with sweat and she opened her eyes finally to peer into his.

     “Wow.” He breathed. All Libby could do was nod, but only a moment later she came to her senses. This was Drake Walker and this was a one time thing. She shook her head as she swung her leg over his lap returning to her previous perch beside him.

    The coolness of the stone wall was a welcomed sensation as she leaned against it sucking in big breaths to calm her racing heart.

     “Well, Drake... consider the...tension broken. You, uh, you certainly held up your end of the deal.” She turned her head to look at him, his face still flushed.

    “Glad to be of service, Your Grace.” he chuckled.

************

         "Go on," Emma urged, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

      The man that could be her father sucked in a long deep breath, raking his hands through his hair.

     "I knew I loved your mother the moment I laid eyes on her."

       Emma waved her hand insistently, so engrossed now there was no going back.

    "Before your Mom I was a wild child by courtly standards. I partied, alcohol and drugs, sex with various people- all things that I most definitely am not condoning," he paused to quirk an eye at Emma and she laughed. "I was just the spare to the heir ya know? No one ever expected much out of me and I guess I didn't expect much out of myself because of that. I was never going to be anything. I was just going to coast through life on my family's money and never get married. No kids. Just an endless party."

     Maxwell's gaze fixed into the distance as he gathered up his thoughts. He fidgeted with a pack of gum he'd produced from his pocket, spinning it between his thumb and forefinger.

      "Then I met Libby. That very first night-she was our waitress ya know- I just...standing next to her made me want to be better. I, I can't explain it, but I wanted to be the best me that I could so that maybe she'd notice me. 

      As time went on she did, but it was more than that. She believed in me. Trusted me. Pushed me to see the parts of me that only she could see."

     Maxwell craned his neck to look at Emma, her bottom lips still tucked between her teeth. 

   "I shouldn't be telling you any of this." he huffed.

     "I'm glad you did. So often when kids ask, their parents never really answer." Emma told him resting her hand on his forearm.

    Maxwell's eyes went wide at the thought. This could very well be the first heart to heart he'd have with his daughter, assuming she were his.

      After a few moments of silence the young blonde continued, "That's why your marriages didn't work out, isn't it? Are you still in love with my mom?"

     Maxwell dropped his head, peering into his lap. 

    "Yes. In spite of myself, I'm still madly in love with Libby."

#hoping for home #choices fanfic #the royal romance fanfiction #choices trr #maxwell beaumont #drake walker #drake x mc #maxwell x mc

[lilulo-12fanfiction]

A Dangerous Game

A Dangerous Game- Crowley x Reader

This was requested by @vera-davvero with the prompt: CAN'T STAND THE THOUGHT OF LOOSING YOU

She requested a Crowley story so...this one is a Crowley x Winchester! Reader

Thank you for your likes, re-blogs and comments! If you would like to be tagged in Supernatural or any of my other stories please send me a message! 😘

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@fandom-princess-forevermore

You remembered the first time he whispered the pet name in your ear “Well Hello, Kitten” in that smarmy British accent. You had been so heart broken when you thought Castiel had burned his bones. You hadn’t admitted to it. God just imagining Dean’s reaction had you squeamish. Your eldest brother was annoyingly over protective. Sam was understandably over protective as a big brother but Dean took it to the next level.” Sam knew you liked the attention Crowley gave you. While he was an ass to your brothers he was absolutely accommodating to you. All you had to do was ask. Sure, he pretended to put up a fight but all you had to do was bat your long eyelashes and he couldn’t say no. Dean pretended he didn’t notice.

You weren’t usually attracted to older men...not that much older than you. And it was just Crowley’s vessel. He was obviously eons older than that body. Not that you minded. There was something charming about him. Not that you could even act on it. It was like you had the Devil and an Angel on each shoulder. Castiel had taken equal interest in you. The Angel was clearly the better choice. He was someone Dean might actually approve of, but there was something about a bad boy that you couldn’t turn from. You were playing a dangerous game, but you couldn’t help yourself.

“Yoooo hooooo” Dean waved his hand in front of your face to get your attention. “Where’d you just go to Bug?” You had a love/hate relationship with the pet name he had for you.

“No place. Just daydreaming.” Dean wiggled his eyebrows at you.

“About what....or should I say who?” You rolled your eyes at him.

“Are you 12?” He gave you his best Dennis the Menace grin and you pushed him away by his face.

“Can you two stop? We have a pretty nasty demon 6 hours south of here.” Sam spoke up, irritated with the two of you messing around.

“Do you want me to ask Crowley to call them off?” You gave same a questioning look.

“Nah, we can take care of this one ourselves. No need to take advantage of his favor of you for something we can do. Let’s save that for the big stuff.”

“What do you mean his favor of her?” Dean narrowed his eyes at you. You shrugged.

“He’s nicer to me than you guys. That’s all.” Sam raised his eyebrows but it seemed to appease Dean.

—————————————

A day and a half later you were regretting not calling on the King or Hell. The demon had gotten the jump on you and taken the baby Winchester mostly to mess with Dean. It was well known his high regard for you and that there weren’t any lengths he’d go through to protect you. You had stayed with him when Sammy had gone to Stanford. You didn’t begrudge Sam. You wanted him to have everything he ever wanted, but it led to you and Dean getting really close too. People tried to use that against him. They underestimated you.

This demon, however, did not. You were strung up by your arms, close to what felt like death. The demon had ripped the back of your shirt open and had placed 50 painful lashings on your bare flesh. You didn’t cry. You just asked them “is that all you got?” Which the bitch replied “I’m saving the fun stuff for when big brothers get here”. You internally cringed not knowing how much more you could actually take. You were gagged so you couldn’t call for Castiel. And there was no way you could do a summoning spell for Crowley. Was he allowing this to happen? Did he know? You felt tears fall down your face. You were so close to death and all you could think about was Crowley.

You heard fighting in the distance. Dean and Sam broke down the door and saw you hanging there. Sam thought he was going to be sick. You tried to scream to them so they would see the demon coming from behind but it was no use. You cried as you watched your brothers get the fiercest beating you’d seen in a long time.

All of the sudden you saw the Demon light up. Castiel must have show up and stabbed them from behind with an angel blade. Your eyes widened in shock when you saw Crowley standing smugly as the demon fell. “What a pity...she certainly was talented. I guess that only gets you so far if you can’t take direction.”

Sam stumbled over to you and cut you down, holding you so your cut shirt didn’t fall off. “Please Sammy....please just let me die. This pain...I can’t.” You were sobbing and traumatized.

“Oh Kitten, don’t be so dramatic.” Crowley came over and touched your shoulder healing the wounds on your back and putting your shirt on one piece again. It was a shame he couldn’t fix the psychological scars.

“You killed one of your most demented demons...for going after me? Why?” You knew Crowley liked you, but you didn’t think it went that far.

“Well I guess I just can’t stand the thought of loosing you kitten.” And then he was gone.

—————————————

“I’m only going to ask you this once Y/N, is there something going on between you and Crowley?!” Dean demanded after the silence in the Impala was almost deafening. “I mean what is with the two of you. First Ruby and now Crowley?!” Sam had you sit in the front with Dean so you’d be more comfortable and you saw him visibly wince at the mention of Ruby’s name.

“Seriously? Nothing is going on between me and Crowley. And leave Sammy out of this! We are far beyond Ruby.” You glared at Dean.

“Okay then what is with his little pet name for you? Or what he said about loosing you? And don’t act like you don’t flirt back. I’ve seen it!”

“Dean...he has pet names for you and Sam” you argued.

“Yeah Moose and Squirrel. And the way he says Kitten when he calls you that.” Dean shuddered.

“Okay I can’t control they so stop giving me shit for it. I only flirt with him when we need him to do something.” Well that was a lie but whatever, Dean didn’t need to know that.

“Well then that stops. We are not pimping out our sister to The King of Hell for favors!” Dean yelled.

“Why are you so gross?” You had a look of pure disgust on your face. Dean shrugged.

“I’m just saying knock that shit off or I’ll lock you in your bedroom.

“You’re obnoxious.” You crossed your arms in front of you. “Am I allowed to still flirt with Cass?” You grinned at Sam as Dean swerved his prized Baby.

“WHAT?! NO!”

—————————————

“You rang Kitten?” Crowley stood in your room in the bunker after you did the summoning spell.

“Shhhh! I don’t want you to wake up Dean!”

“Hmmm big brother wouldn’t be a fan of you being alone in your room with me?” Crowley teased stepping near you.

“I mean it! Look I just wanted to thank you for saving me and healing me. You didn’t have to do that.”

“Well of course Kitten. Can’t have my favorite human dead” you sighed and ran your fingers through your hair. “What’s wring darling? You seem distressed”

“I just- look. I know there’s something here, between us. And I know I use it to gain favor with you. But it can’t go any further. It has to stop.”

“I see.” Crowley hid any emotion he was feeling.

“I can’t do that to Dean. I know it’s my choice what I do. And for whatever reason I DO feel something for you. But I shouldn’t. And normally I don’t let my brothers make decisions for me, but this? This would kill him. And I can’t do that. Dean has taken care of me and sacrificed himself for me on more than one occasion. He’s everything. Even when I had nothing I still had Dean. I’m sorry.”

“There, there my darling, it’s alright. You don’t have to be sorry. I know all of this. And I know that my favor for you can never go past that. I’m fine knowing you are well and safe. But don’t think I’m not going to use you to get under big brother’s skin.” He leaned in and pressed a searing kiss to your lips. “I had to do that, just once. I think you’re much better suited for that angel. You’d turn me into someone worthy of you. Can’t have that now, can we?” And then he was gone. She felt her heart drop. If only she could turn him into something good. But you can’t force a man to change and there was no way Crowley would give up being the King of Hell for her.

#supernatural requests #supernatural imagines #supernatural imagine #supernatural #spn requests #spn imagine #spn imagines #spn #crowley #crowley request #crowley x reader #crowley x Winchester! reader

[charminglatina]

Riverdale Characters as That 70′s Show Characters. ⚡️

Eric Albert Forman is the main protagonist of That '70s Show. He is portrayed by Topher Grace. Eric was born on March 5, 1960 to Red Forman and Kitty Forman. Eric is the youngest child in a family of four, consisting of his strict, war-veteran father, Red, his doting mother with impending separation anxiety, Kitty, and his evil, promiscuous, troublesome older sister, Laurie Forman. He also becomes the foster brother to his best friend, Steven Hyde, after Hyde had been abandoned by his own mother. Eric is the front-man and ringleader of the circus, but is rarely respected. He is the one who comes up with the plans and schemes, often trying to break free of his "square goody-goody rep." But such plans often do backfire in one way or the other. He is often left holding the bag (his friends abandon him) and he is then ridiculed by them for getting in trouble. Eric is a nice guy at heart, who is geeky and somewhat clumsy. He is a smart-aleck teenager, with a lightning-fast wit and a sarcastic, deadpan sense of humor. He is also quite brave and somewhat scrappy. Eric is often picked on for his slight stature and is likened to "Opie" (for the character Opie Taylor, from The Andy Griffith Show), and Archie Bunker by his friends. Unfortunate nicknames include "Foreplay" (by Casey Kelso), "Foreskin" (by Donna), and "Zitty Stardust" (in reference to him being unable to take a zit-free yearbook photo). His girlfriend Donna is physically stronger than him (and everyone else in the group, really---except for Randy). However, when incensed enough, Eric will stand up to anyone, even his father, whom he tells off when Red handles Kitty's apparent pregnancy badly – Eric tells Red to be a man for her. He stands up to both of his parents in his insistence on marrying Donna, despite their repeated attempts to stop him. He threatens Casey Kelso with serious injury if he hurt Donna, and even defends his father by breaking another teen's nose, when the latter says that Red "should have been smart and planned ahead, like my dad". Eric also beats a Green Bay Packers fan up during a game, after he insults Eric for wearing a Chicago Bears jersey, which has Red proudly comment that his son has the "Forman Rage". The Forman Rage is the trait that all people of the Forman clan have. It causes people to have extreme feats of anger with the promise of hurting someone in the process. Red is most famously a proponent of losing his temper, yelling at people or threatening to shove his foot one way or another up someone's ass especially Eric's in particular. Eric has had many typical teen-age jobs over the series. He has worked at the fictional Fatso Burger, Price Mart, a dog food factory, and at the Holiday Hotel as a waiter. At the beginning of the series, Red vehemently opposed Eric's trying to get another job during the second season citing that it would interfere with his school work and make it harder for him to get into a good college far away, and Kitty supported Red by designating Eric's job as being her "precious baby boy". In season seven he was much ridiculed by his father when he took a year off from school and work to contemplate his future and enjoy being lazy. Eric enjoyed this being another one of many thorns in Red's side. Eric is a well-known fan of sci-fi, such as Star Trek and especially when it comes to Star Wars, which is cause for much ridicule at the hands of his exasperated family and friends. He is known to keep a collection of Star Wars models and figurines. Eric has a large collection of G.I. Joe figures and has stubbornly refused to give them up over the years. Red never liked then and referred to them as "those dolls" whenever they came up in conversation. From Red's comment that the G.I. Joes lost the "Dumpster War of 1979", which is one of the things he says to Eric when Kitty sends him a tape of them and his friends to Africa, it is safe to assume Red threw them out. Eric likes bands such as Led Zeppelin, KISS, Aerosmith, Pink Floyd, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Styx , and Rush. He is also a Beatles fan and has been known to liken his group of friends to them, accusing Jackie of "breaking up the band" with her romantic entanglements with Kelso and Hyde. It is also hinted that he is a Spider-Man fan, having Spider-Man bedsheets and a considerable amount of comic books, most of them bearing the Marvel Comics logo with the titular character on the covers, and when he fought a fan at the Packers game, he tells Red that he learned his moves from Spider-Man (coincidentally, Topher Grace starred in Spider-Man 3 in 2007). Eric is usually very supportive of his friends, even though it is usually not reciprocal. On several occasions when the gang found themselves in a predicament as the result of a prank gone awry or some other unforeseen circumstance, the rest of the group take off, leaving Eric to absorb the brunt of the trouble, after which the gang (particularly Hyde) hassle and tease Eric for getting into trouble (as in Stolen Car, Eric Gets Suspended, Eric's Hot Cousin and Rip This Joint). This has much to do with Eric's trusting nature and indicates that what he lacks in physical strength and courage, he more than makes up for in strength of character. Eric however, has been known to get his revenge on his backstabbing friends from time to time, such as when Kelso took the gang on a Dine and Dash without telling them, and eventually stranding Donna and Eric alone. They garnered revenge by making some "Special Brownies" which the group occasionally enjoyed, however in this case, Eric had made them with laxatives. This was a huge hindrance for Fez, whose girlfriend had arrived to make amends just as he ran for the bathroom. At times, however, Eric's friends will come to his aid when he is truly at the end of his rope. His less morally-inclined friends are quick to take advantage of this and also take it for granted, however Eric is also quick to stand up for himself to them and set things straight whenever he feels wronged by his friends' actions. Eric is the best friend and foster brother of rebel Steven Hyde. When Hyde's mother left town at the end of the first season, Eric tried to persuade his parents to do something about his best friend's living conditions and thus Hyde was invited to live with the Formans, which he does for most of the series. And when Red was quick to throw Hyde out after an arrest for possession, Eric actually attempts to come to his rescue. Eric's relationship with his parents centers around his trying to prove his maturity and independence to them. Eric's father Red is a well-known authoritarian and often refers to Eric as "dumbass" and "boy". He frequently threatens 'to put his foot in Eric's ass.' Red finds Eric lacking qualities he feels a grown man should possess including physical strength, sportsmanship, and interest in manly pursuits like hunting, fishing, etc. Oddly, Eric is in many ways a younger version of his father. Both display a dry sense of humor and tend to be the sanest people in their circle of friends. Eric's mother Kitty typically supports Eric against Red and often scolds Red for being too hard on Eric. However, she also does not consider Eric to be a man and often refers to him as her "precious baby boy." Eric appreciates his mom's support but her overblown displays of affection often leave him feeling embarrassed. At times, Kitty's love for Eric borders on Hitchcockian. His mother is often insecure about being replaced by Donna as the woman in Eric's life. Their rivalry is played up in many episodes (often comically, but sometimes to the point of it being a problem). In theory, she is okay with a sexual relationship between Donna and Eric, even pressing the two to discuss it with her, but in reality she goes into a depression after learning that Eric and Donna had sex and considers Donna a harlot who stole her baby boy away from her. Eric assured Kitty he would always need her because, "Dad's going to be riding my ass for the rest of my life!" When Eric tells his parents about his plan to teach in Africa for a year, his mother is less than thrilled. This is most notably, and comically presented when, the morning after his announcement, Kitty fixes everyone at the breakfast table a smiley-face breakfast with eggs and bacon and then hands Eric a plain pancake with, "nothing smiling up at you, nothing." Even with a couple days before his departure, Kitty reveals that she hid mailed notifications that Eric must receive certain vaccinations before his departure. Eric protests his mom's actions but she still tries to dissuade hims stating that the needles used for the vaccinations are really large and will hurt a lot. After Eric disobeys his parents' orders not to go forward with his marriage to Donna, Red finally deems Eric a man and offers his blessing while a devastated Kitty turns on Red for allowing her "precious baby boy" to get married. Eric's relationship with his older sister Laurie is based on mutual ridicule and compliment or more ridicule based on the execution and content of their mutual mockery. Eric continually rides his sister for being a whore while she chides him for being weak and less favored by their father. On several occasions, Eric and Laurie have tolerated each other and shown a brother-sister bond. When Eric saw his parents having sex, Laurie tried to comfort him, including hugging him and stroking his hand. In the middle of a fight between the two, Hyde tried to break it up, and the two teamed up on him, complimenting each others insults. Eric once even defended Laurie from Red. After discovering that Laurie moved out and was living with a man, Red started insulting her and pushing her away (now that he had to see her for what she was), to which Eric defended her saying that Red was being too hard on her. Laurie once told Eric and Donna to move away after they got married and even cried during her apology. Eric first had to taste the tear, and, deeming it legitimate, Eric replied "I have a sister!" and hugged her. She somewhat cleaned up her act, but then sunk back into her old patterns of screwing around. Eric seems to dislike Jackie the most out of the gang. This is especially noted when, in an early episode, Red says to Eric that Jackie is his favorite out of his friends, and Eric points out that she is not one of his friends. Jackie is generally demeaning towards Eric due to his effeminate qualities and physical weakness, and believes him to be unworthy of Donna (despite the fact that she does not think much of Donna either), leading to his dislike of her. In the episode "Time is on my Side", Eric is about to fall off the water tower, Jackie refuses to help him, saying "Eww, you touched Pee-tos". (Fez had early found Cheetos in the woods and said they felt damp and Kelso jumped to the conclusion that something peed on them.)However, as the series progresses, it is shown that they develop a tolerance for and eventually a friendship with each other. As early as season 2, after Jackie breaks up with Michael Kelso, Eric stands up to comfort her. Eric is the first person Jackie told when she suspected she was pregnant in the first season, and they have been known to occasionally help each other out. In the episode "Jackie's Cheese Squeeze," Eric admits that they are "friends," as long as they do not refer to each other as such in public, and in the season 7 finale, Jackie calls Eric from Chicago and admits that she is always cared for him and considers him a good friend. Throughout the series Eric had one steady girlfriend – Donna. They have been on and off throughout the series but for the most time they are together. Eric and Donna have been next door neighbors ever since they were children.  When Donna first moved in and first met Eric, she punched him in the stomach for looking at her funny. It was at that moment that Eric fell madly in love with Donna. They later became the best of friends and hung out with each other all the time. Eric's love for Donna continued on and on, but he didn't admit his love for her until they were 16 in 1976, when Eric Forman takes his car out of town when explicitly told not to, and impresses Donna who decides to give him their first kiss. They don't start going out immediately, but take their relationship slowly, unsure how to show their interest in each other and getting advice from their friends on how to act now that their relationship has changed. When the gang goes to a disco, Eric doesn't dance with Donna, but later admits that he hates disco and went because he likes her, which is the first time he tells Donna how he feels about her. They go on to discover many firsts together, like making out at the drive-in and what it means to be exclusive as teenagers, when Eric kisses another girl.Meanwhile, Hyde is still competing for Donna's affections and they both give her Christmas gifts, while Donna in turn, give both the guys Christmas gifts, although she signals her interest in Eric by giving him the watch he wears for the remainder of the show, while she gives Hyde socks. They go on their first date on Valentine's Day and during the date, Donna unexpectedly becomes intoxicated, which only makes the experience more uncomfortable than it should have been, for Eric especially, as he wanted to give her his class ring. Despite Hyde showing up and professing his feelings for Donna one last time, Donna chooses Eric. Their relationship becomes very public when Bob accidentally finds out that Midge put Donna on the pill, then Kitty and Red find out, although Eric and Donna aren't sleeping together. They go to the prom together and consider sleeping together for the first time, but feel that the timing is off. Eric at times gets insecure about how the world views their relationship, as he himself has trouble seeing his own worth and value. This comes to the fore when a guy Eric hates hits on Donna, and when they go to a disco but only Donna is let in at first and Eric is the last to be let in. Eric is also continually insecure about Donna falling for Hyde, noticeably when Donna's parents start fighting and she suffers from it, confiding in Hyde instead of Eric.Eric and Donna's relationship gradually grows and Donna confesses to Eric that she loves him, only for him to respond that he loves cake. Eric gets his act together after many attempts and tells Donna that he loves her as well. After Donna's parents renew their vows, Donna expresses to Eric that he was the inspiration for her vows and they have sex for the first time. Eric believing he has brought Donna much disappointment by, "Being lame in the sack", is reassured by Donna that sex can only get better from their first time. Their relationship appears to only have become stronger, yet it gradually starts falling apart, when Donna becomes more serious about her work as a DJ at WFPP, which irritates Eric as Donna is very content focusing on her job. Eric feels that she isn't taking their relationship or him seriously, as she would blow off dates to work. Donna tries to make Eric see how important her job is to her, and that, regardless of all the rock stars she may encounter, she is mad at him for not trusting that she is faithful to him. A lot of their strain in this time stems from Eric's continued insecurity that he's never going to be 'good enough' for Donna or who she really wants to be with later in life. This was already evident when David Milbank hit on Donna and she berated Eric for not trusting her. Eric tries to hold on by giving her a promise ring and Donna returns it to him saying she can't make those kinds of promises, which breaks Eric's heart and he ends their relationship, breaking Donna's heart. Eric and Donna stay separated, but manage to figure out a way to stay friends. This is shown when Eric goes to pick up Donna to go to the prom, but stays with her while there are tornado warnings in their town. Donna develops a romantic interest in Casey Kelso (Kelso's older brother), which everyone but Eric (and later Michael) seems to approve of. When Casey and Donna break up, Donna runs to Eric to be consoled only for Eric to tell her he wasn't going to be a rebound for her. Distraught, Donna chooses to run away to California with Michael (who on the other hand is running away from Jackie). Eric realizes how much of a mistake he made after talking with his parents and leaves to find Donna, deciding to lay on her bed until she returns, only to find out later she ran away to California with Kelso. Eric goes to California at the end of summer to tell Donna how much he loves her and that he wants to be with her and they reconcile. Eric decided that he wanted something big for him and Donna and he decided to propose to her on the Water Tower. Their engagement was disapproved by many especially Eric's father Red, who felt Eric wasn't being wise. Eric took Red's cruel punishment and received his blessing for doing so. Eric and Donna decided to move to Madison to start their life together and want to do so but are held back after Red suffers a heart attack. Donna is still moving away to college, but stays until the last bus to spend Eric's 18th birthday with him. But she proves that she can't leave him because it is too much of an adjustment to her life. Donna and Eric go through premarital counseling because of their pregnancy scare and this is where they decide to stop having sex until they are married. Eric and Donna go through all the premarital events like wedding shopping and even Eric destroying Donna's wedding dress. As the day approaches, Eric begins to have second thoughts after a dream he has. When it was time for the wedding rehearsal, Eric was a no show only to leave Donna in anger. He comes back to explain his cold feet and Donna explains her cold feet as well.Donna and Eric remain together even after their called off wedding. In the end of Season 7, Eric moves to Africa to teach kids in order to pursue his dream of helping people. In almost every episode Eric somehow makes a mess in his relationships with Donna, then makes it worse and near the end of the episodes wins back her heart. Eric even cared for Donna throughout Season 4 when they broke up and when she ran away to California. Later he proved his love to Donna in the beginning of season 5 when he went to California to bring her back. Later that season he proposes to Donna with the idea of a secret marriage which later became known to everyone. Eric later breaks off the engagement in fear that he is holding Donna back and that she will leave him. He later comes back to talk to Donna in the middle of the night and she decides to forgive him and they just return to a regular relationship. When Eric left to Africa in the end of season 7 he and Donna grew apart. He came back in the series finale and the two shared a kiss. Eric made peace with her and the two got back together at the end of the series.

Being the show's main character for the first seven seasons, Eric appears in many storylines. The show opens with Eric, a scrawny, socially awkward 16-year-old, dealing with his ever-evident and growing crush on the girl next door, Donna Pinciotti. During this time, Eric obtains the signature 1969 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser and takes it out of town, despite his father's warnings not to. This, evidently, impresses Donna and leads to the pair's first kiss. The next episode, Eric's Birthday set on March 5, 1976 (originally making him born in 1959), sees the pair dealing with their kiss as well as Eric's long-awaited 17th birthday. As the series progresses, Eric's friends' influence over him begins to surface as he finds himself arrested due to Kelso being caught driving a stolen car while he was a passenger, due to an earlier ban on his Vista Cruiser. Eric and Donna soon share a first date, but all goes awry as Donna becomes intoxicated due to a mix-up with the drink order, causing an awkward and uncomfortable experience for Eric. During the high school prom, the two decide to rent a nearby motel room for after, though ultimately decide not to engage in intercourse after receiving the attention of fellow students. Coinciding with the beginning of his relationship with Donna, Eric must deal with killing his grandmother when he screamed at her, sharing a rare bonding moment with his father Red, and his best friend Hyde's abandonment. It is Eric who ultimately decides that Hyde should move in with them. Season 2's episode, "Halloween" revealed that it was Eric who causes Hyde's downward spiral to rebellious stoner due to Eric framing Hyde for the destruction of a classmates school work. The pair end up in an argument, but all is resolved as they choose to forget it ever happened. Eric is suspended from school for smoking on school property after taking the blame but is allowed to return to school when the truth is later revealed. He also received his first steady job from his father at PriceMart and Donna and Eric lose their virginity to each other at Midge and Bob's renewal wedding vows. Throughout season three, the pair's relationship holds a steady foundation despite Eric's constant awkward antics, such as accidental sexism and pantsing Donna. However, things take a turn for the worse as Eric's offer for a promise ring is rejected by Donna and he decides that if she doesn't see a future with him they should break up. Despite it being his decision, this leads him to spiral into depression, dreaming at one point what it would be like if he had never dated Donna. He is angered on several occasions as Donna deals with their breakup and the downfall of her parents' marriage by acting insultingly toward him, even publishing in the school's newspaper a story that parallels their relationship. He is also resentful of her relationship with Michael Kelso's older brother Casey, who is offensive and smug. When Donna begins acting out due to Casey's influence, Eric becomes concerned but refuses to take her back the evening Casey breaks up with her. Regretting it instantly, Eric goes to find her to once again reconcile, and learns that she and Michael have taken off for California where they spend the remainder of the summer. Despite his parents foreboding, Eric takes off after Donna and they reconcile instantly and continue their relationship. Later, Eric contemplates in front of his friends the idea of proposing to Donna, something they all instantly point out the idiocy. However, the two do get engaged as he proposes, somewhat awkwardly, atop the water tower. After taking the SAT's he realizes he got the lowest score of the group, even getting a worse score than Kelso,[9] prompting him to work harder in order to marry Donna. Eric also thinks hard about his future, choosing to move to Madison with Donna. In the fifth season, Eric and Donna become engaged, despite widespread discouragement (and anger, in the case of Red). Eric caused Red to have a heart attack as a result. However, they refuse to call off the engagement and remain engaged until the end of the sixth season. Eventually, they both begin to experience pre-wedding jitters and Eric, acting upon these feelings, skips his wedding rehearsal. He then returns in the next episode and Donna forgives him. After spending much of 1978–79 lazing around, Eric eventually decides he needs to do something with his life. This prompts many attempts to find a long-term career. It is not until a conversation with friends that he realizes his passion is in teaching. However, Red has spent Eric's college money on his muffler shop, but the guidance counselor at Eric's former high school offers him the choice of a fully paid education if he first spends a year teaching in Africa. Eric accepts, much to his mother and Donna's dismay. After a few weeks of preparation and receiving the cold treatment from Kitty and Donna, Eric packs his bags and prepares to leave. With the blessing from Red and forgiveness from his mother and Donna, he drives off with the Vista Cruiser to a hearty farewell. Eric's family includes his doting mother, Kitty Forman, who has impending separation anxiety and menopause, his crabby father, Red Forman, who is a strict Korean War military veteran, and his older sister, Laurie Forman, who is a promiscuous blonde who uses her looks to get what she wants. Eric's best friend, Steven Hyde, who was essentially abandoned by his parents, later becomes his foster brother. Eric was the show's protagonist from seasons one through seven until he was written out due to Grace's departure from the series. However, despite Eric's absence, he is mentioned at least once in all 22 episodes of season eight. He makes a brief cameo appearance in the final episode titled "That '70s Finale." Due to Eric's departure from the show at the beginning of its eighth season, Eric was no longer the central focus of the show, though his character was still heavily used to influence elements of it, and he's mentioned in every episode of the season. Picking up a month after the seventh season's finale, Eric is revealed to have successfully become accustomed to his job teaching in Africa. As Donna's relationship with a new character Randy begins to intensify, it becomes apparent that Eric has broken up with her yet again. Eric returns home on New Year's Eve to reconcile with Donna, welcome the new year in with his friends and continue his teaching career. 

A nice guy at heart, Eric is a stereotypical nerd/geek, scrawny and somewhat clumsy. He is not at all athletic and shows little interest in sports. He is a smart-aleck teenager with a lightning-fast wit and a sarcastic and deadpan sense of humor. He also lights "incense" with his friends in his basement. Eric is also known to screw things up a lot, which is parodied throughout the series. Eric is often picked on for his slight stature and other characters have likened him to "Opie" (for the character Opie Taylor, from The Andy Griffith Show), and Archie Andrews. Other unfortunate nicknames include "Foreplay" (by Casey Kelso), "Foreskin" (by Donna), "Zitty Stardust" (in reference to him being unable to take a zit-free yearbook photo), "Scrawny Little Neighbor Boy" (by Hyde), and "Dumbass" (by Red). His girlfriend Donna is physically stronger, smarter and larger than he is, a fact which is cause for many jokes by all who know them. Donna is seen beating everyone individually on more than one occasion. Though physically weak, Eric can show a surprising amount of courage and even physical power when necessary. When incensed enough, he will stand up to anyone, including his father and during these moments he can be surprisingly eloquent. He stood up to Red when he was troubled about Kitty's apparent pregnancy and told him to be a man for her. He also stands up to both of his parents in his insistence on marrying Donna, despite their repeated attempts to stop him. He threatens Casey Kelso with serious injury if he hurt Donna and even defended his father by punching another teenager (David Milbank) who had informed him that Red will eventually lose his job at the auto parts plant. He also beat a Green Bay Packers fan up during a game, after the fan (along with Red) repeatedly insult Eric for wearing a Chicago Bears jersey; however, Eric turns to violence only when the fan insults Red for telling him to stop arguing once the game was over, as Red only saw the argument as being appropriate banter between opposing fans during the game. This made Red proud enough to remark that his son had the "Forman Rage." Eric's best friend is rebel Steven Hyde. When Hyde's mother leaves town at the end of the first season, Eric tries to persuade his parents to do something about his best friend's living conditions and thus Hyde is invited to live with the Formans, which he does for most of the series. When Red is quick to throw Hyde out after an arrest for drug possession, Eric attempts to help him by proving Red's hypocrisy. Of his group of friends, Eric seemed to dislike Jackie the most in the beginning, though as the series progresses, they develop a friendship. Throughout, the two have a clear "frenemy" relationship. They demonstrate their annoyance with each other, but show compassion for each other many times, and through it all, are close. At the series' beginning, Jackie admits to trusting and liking Eric, confiding in him that she might be pregnant. In "The Pill," for example, she says to Eric's surprise, "Look, I've always been able to trust you—and, god, you are such a nice guy." Later in the episode, once Kelso threatens to break up with Jackie, Eric yells at him, having developed protective feelings towards her. This proves that their burning of each other throughout the show is only for laughs and friendly bickering, as none of their hostility is ever serious. Eric is consistent in ignoring Jackie as an object of sexual desire, but this changes in "What Is and What Should Never Be" where Hyde helps Eric realize that Jackie is "hot." After this, Eric has shown to have a sexual attraction to her, as shown in many episodes. Jackie is, at times, demeaning towards Eric due to his effeminate qualities, dorkiness and physical weakness. They have been known to occasionally help each other out. In the episode "Jackie's Cheese Squeeze," Eric admits that they are "friends," as long as they don't refer to each other as such in public, and in the season seven finale, Jackie calls Eric from Chicago and admits that she's always cared for him, and that he was always very special to her. Eric is a well-known fan of science fiction, such as Star Trek and especially Star Wars, in which he compares himself to Luke Skywalker. He is also known to have a large, beloved collection of G.I. Joe. He listens to artists such as Led Zeppelin, KISS, Aerosmith, Pink Floyd, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Deep Purple, Queen, Styx and Rush. He is also a Beatles fan and has been known to liken his group of friends to them, accusing Jackie of "breaking up the band" with her romantic entanglements with Kelso and Hyde (calling her Yoko, in reference to Yoko Ono). It is also hinted that he is both a Batman and Spider-Man fan, having Spider-Man bed sheets and a considerable number of comic books, most of them bearing the Marvel Comics logo with the titular character on the covers. When he fights a fan at the Packers game, he tells Red that he learned his moves from Spider-Man; coincidentally, Topher Grace starred as Eddie Brock, a character who obtains powers very similar to Spider-Man, thus transforming him into the monstrous Venom in Spider-Man 3 in 2007. Eric has had many typical teenage jobs over the series. He has worked at Fatso Burger, PriceMart, a dog food factory and as a waiter at the Holiday Hotel. In the beginning of the series, Red vehemently opposes Eric's attempts to get a job during the second season citing that it would interfere with his schoolwork and make it harder for him to get into a good college located far away. Kitty supports Red by saying Eric's job is being her "precious little baby boy." When Eric announces his marriage proposal to Red and Kitty, Red fires him from his job at PriceMart so he couldn't make the money to get married. Kitty costs him a potential job at a bank for the same reason. Red and Kitty even go so far as to revoke their offer to pay for Eric's college tuition in a final act of desperation to put a stop to the wedding but are unsuccessful. In season seven, Eric is ridiculed by his father when he takes a year off from school and work to contemplate his future and enjoy being lazy. Eric takes pleasure in the contempt Red has for this decision. Eric is usually very supportive of his friends, even though it is very rarely reciprocated. On several occasions, when the group find themselves in a predicament as the result of a prank gone awry or some other unforeseen circumstance, the rest of the group would take off, leaving Eric to absorb the brunt of the trouble, after which the group (mainly Hyde) would hassle and tease Eric for getting into trouble (as in "Stolen Car," "Eric Gets Suspended," "Eric's Hot Cousin" and "Rip This Joint"). This has much to do with Eric's trusting nature and indicates that what he lacks in physical strength and courage, he more than makes up for in strength of character. Eric however, has been known to get his revenge on his backstabbing friends from time to time, such as when Kelso took the group on a "dine-and-dash" without telling them and the group eventually abandoning Donna and Eric at the restaurant. Eric and Donna get their revenge by serving a batch of brownies which they referred to as "special" brownies. However, in this case, the "special" ingredient that Eric and Donna include is a chocolate-flavored laxative. This was a particular problem for Fez, whose girlfriend had arrived to make amends with him, just as he was running for the bathroom. At times, however, Eric's friends will come to his aid when he's truly at the end of his rope. However, Eric is also quick to stand up for himself whenever he feels he has been wronged by his friends' actions. Eric is also quite stubborn, which has on several occasions brings bad luck to himself. For example, when Donna calls from California and when Kitty tries to tell him, Eric refuses to even listen to his mother and (when he finds out the call) later scolds her for not telling him. Also, when Hyde is about to get kicked out of the Forman's house for his drug use, Eric tells Red that he also does drugs (despite Donna telling him not to), only to find out that Hyde is allowed to stay. Another prime example is during his first break-up with Donna: he refuses to see the signs that she is hesitant to say they will always be together, even when Hyde tries to explain it to him, and when faced with the truth chooses to end the relationship rather than accept Donna is not ready. (However, he would later on acknowledge it was unfair for him to pressure Donna.)

Eric's relationship with his parents is characterized by his attempts to prove to them that he is mature and independent. Eric's father, Red, is a notorious authoritarian and often refers to Eric as "dumbass" and "boy". He frequently threatens "to put his foot in Eric's ass". Red finds Eric lacking the qualities which he feels a grown man should possess, including physical strength, sportsmanship, and interest in manly pursuits, like hunting and fishing. Despite the fact that Red's strict parenting often prevents intimate father-son moments, Red truly cares for his son. On rare occasions, Red displays genuine fatherly love such as in "That Wresting Show" and "Street Fighting Man", as well as when he learns that Eric is a good hunter and chose not to shoot a deer because he didn't want to. Oddly, Eric is, in many ways, a younger version of his father. Both display a dry sense of humor and tend to be the sanest people in their circle of friends. Eric's mother, Kitty, typically supports Eric against the wishes of her husband and she often scolds Red for being too hard on him. However, she also does not consider Eric to be a man and often refers to him as her "precious little baby boy." Eric appreciates his mom's support but her overblown displays of affection often leave him feeling embarrassed. At times, Kitty's love for Eric borders on Hitchcockian. His mother is often insecure about being replaced by Donna as the woman in Eric's life. Their rivalry is played up in many episodes (often comically, but sometimes to the point of it being problematic). In theory, she's okay with a sexual relationship between Donna and Eric (even pressing the two to discuss it with her); however, in reality, she goes into a depression after learning that Eric and Donna had sex and considers Donna a harlot who has stolen her baby boy away from her. Eric reassured Kitty that he would always need her because, "[Red]'s going to be riding [his] ass for the rest of [his] life". When Eric tells his parents about his plan to spend a year teaching in Africa, his mother is less than thrilled. This is most notably and comically presented when, the morning after his announcement, Kitty fixes everyone at the breakfast table a smiley-face breakfast with eggs and bacon and then hands Eric a plain pancake and says, "nothing smiling up at you, nothing". Even with a couple of days before his departure, Kitty reveals that she hid mailed notifications that Eric must receive certain vaccinations before he can leave. Eric protests his mom's actions but she still tries to dissuade him, stating that the needles used for the vaccinations are "as big as sausages" and "will hurt a lot." In the episode "Eric's Birthday," the gang is acutely aware that Kitty has planned a surprise party for Eric, despite her claims to the contrary. This annoys Eric because he believes that surprise parties are for kids, which indicates that Kitty won't accept the fact that he is becoming a man. However, throughout the episode "Magic Bus," Eric expects Kitty to throw him a surprise party even though she and the gang constantly tell him that there is no surprise party. He becomes upset when he realizes that his mother is telling the truth. After Eric disobeys his parents' orders not to go forward with his plans to marry Donna, Red finally deems Eric a man and offers his blessing while a devastated Kitty turns on Red for allowing her "precious baby boy" to get married. Though Eric and Donna call off the wedding, they decide to move, which causes Kitty even more grief. She's even less pleased when she learns that Red is fine with it. Eric's relationship with his older sister, Laurie, is based on mutual ridicule and contempt. Eric repeatedly mocks Laurie for being a whore while she chides him for being weak and less favored by their father. On several occasions, Eric and Laurie have tolerated each other and have even shown a brother-sister bond. When Eric saw his parents having sex, Laurie tried to comfort him, which included hugging him and stroking his hand. In the middle of a fight between the two, Hyde tried to break it up, and the two teamed up on him, complimenting each other's insults. Eric once even defended Laurie from Red. After discovering that Laurie moved out and was living with a man, Red, having been forced to face reality about his daughter's behavior and reputation, attempted to alienate her. Sympathizing with her, Eric attempted to defend Laurie, saying that Red was being too hard on her. Laurie once told Eric and Donna to move away after they got married and even cried during her apology. Eric tasted the tear and, having deemed it legitimate, replied "I have a sister!" and hugged her. Laurie appeared to have turned a new leaf but soon regressed to her old habits of mean-spirited and lascivious behavior.

Donna Marie Pinciotti is a main character on FOX comedy That '70s Show. She is portrayed by Laura Prepon. Donna was born on February 13, 1960 to Bob Pinciotti and Midge Pinciotti. Donna is an intelligent, witty, red-haired (she later changed to blonde after her marriage to Eric was called off), tall (5'10), rather strong, athletic teenager with feminist ideals, who is outwardly confident and strong, sometimes to the point of coming across as arrogant or self-righteous, though usually laid back and easy going. She calls upon these personal qualities to deal with her personal issues, such as the shaky relationship between her father and mother, Midge & Bob Pinciotti, who had her when they were still in high school. However, she has some difficulty expressing her feminine side, for fear that displaying traditional feminine traits will serve as a betrayal of her feminism. She dons skirts and dresses for special occasions, but mostly wears jeans and pants in her day to day life. Donna has grown up one of the guys, hanging out with Kelso, Eric and Hyde since she was very young. She comes across as laid back, but is not afraid to give out to the guys when they are being idiots or sexist. She enjoys hanging out with the guys, but has outside interests such as writing poetry and short stories, and dreams of living in New York as a writer or a DJ one day. These dreams often clash with Eric's conservative views of what marriage is and what kind of future he wants for him and Donna, which is why they break up at one point. Hyde understands this, while Eric at first refuses to acknowledge their differences. Donna's job as a radio DJ, to Eric, takes priority over their relationship, as Donna blows off their dates. While Donna genuinely feels she is right to do this, as she is following her dreams of becoming a music journalist, her actions provoke a bad response in the normally even-keeled Eric, who feels Donna is not taking him and their relationship seriously. Eric breaks up with Donna when she returns his promise ring and much awkwardness ensued over rights to the basement and trying to get along while exploring new romances. Donna is bemused at just how many girls are interested in Eric and happily mocks his attempts at finding a new girlfriend, although when some of them work, she does not take it quite as well and later confesses it hurt her when Eric started dating.Her mother Midge leaving her father and moving to California, followed by her father's relationship with Joanne Stupac, does not help matters. Donna starts dating Casey Kelso, Kelso's older brother. Though flaky and rather older than her, Donna considers Casey a real winner of a boyfriend, seeming to her good natured, laid back, and easy going. Donna feels she is hit the jackpot with Casey and everyone else agrees – except Eric, who sees Casey for what he is: an oversexed frat boy who just wants to date Donna until he is bored. Eric tries to warn Donna but she ignores him. When Kitty and Eric witness Donna drunk in the middle of a school day at the Hub with Casey, Kitty rallies Red and Bob to bring an end to relationship with Eric awkwardly overseeing the proceedings while Hyde, Kelso, Jackie and Fez listen from the kitchen. Donna is more than ready and willing to fight for Casey, who she thinks loves her, but Casey is not ready or willing to fight for her and he readily agrees to break up with her when Red puts the pressure on. Casey lazily says that Donna is a great girl and fun to hang out with, but he stated the relationship has gotten to be too much of a hassle. The realizations of her own over-confidence, poor judgement and being dumped in front of the people who means the most to her come as quite a shock to Donna, who regards herself as an ideal feminist, but who had fallen for the exact kind of jerk she always swore she had never look twice at. Hurt, humiliated and heartbroken, Donna turns to the one person she thinks still truly cares for her - old boyfriend Eric Forman. Eric offers his sympathy, but when a shaken up, crying Donna tells him she wants to be his girlfriend again, Eric refuses believing that she did not really want him for who he is but simply wanted a way to feel better about herself and would most likely dump him when someone better came along. A tearful Donna pleaded with him to take her back but he refused to be her "second choice". Was he just a rebound? Unable to handle being rejected by her first love, an emotionally-wrecked Donna fled Point Place for California, where she crashed with her mother and tried to sort out her feelings. She decided she truly did love Eric and tried to call him but could not get hold of him; she suspected he no longer wanted her and moved on to another girlfriend and became rather depressed. But then, to her delight, Eric showed up in California looking for her, and the two reunited and returned to Point Place. Shortly after their return, Bob punishes Donna's disappearance without a word by transferring her to Catholic school for her senior year, which Donna despised, to put some distance between her and Eric. This only furthers the Romeo & Juliet aspect of Eric going to California for Donna, in their relationship and Eric ignores the objections of their friends and proposes to Donna at the Water Tower and she accepts. Once Red and Kitty find out about the engagement, they are shocked, Kitty in particular, who claims that Donna is trying to snatch her "baby" away from her. Despite enduring a great deal of flack from Red (far more than usual) Red eventually accepts his son had become a man and gave them his blessing. Donna and Eric prepare to leave Point Place after graduation to attend college in Madison. However, just as they were packing their stuff in the Vista Cruiser, Fez and Laurie announced their marriage. Red was so shocked he had a heart attack, and as a result Eric had to stay in Point Place and help support the family. Donna also gave up going to college in Madison so that she could stay with Eric. Eventually though, their wedding fell through at the end of season 6 when Eric, worried that marrying Donna would eventually leave him because this is not the life she wanted, did not to show up for their rehearsal.When Eric leaves for Africa, Eric and Donna are still together. However, Donna tells her friends that Eric had broken up with her, when Fez and Jackie suspect that she is cheating on Eric with the new guy, Randy. Donna tells them that Eric broke up with her three weeks earlier. There were hints leading up to the breakup when Eric called Kitty but not Donna, even though she was awake at 4AM waiting for him to call her. Also, when Donna was at the Formans' for Red & Kitty's 25th anniversary, Eric called his parents and Kitty gave the phone to Donna, but Eric spoke to her only briefly before bailing out, claiming he had to "go teach". Eric and her shared a kiss after he returned to Point Place for New Years Eve. Before this, she dated Randy after the break up with Eric, and then realized her relationship with Randy would interfere with her plans of seeing the world, and a possibility that she was still in love with Eric so she broke it off. Eric and Donna two got back together and get married in the future. Donna is last seen running upstairs to the living room in an effort not to call Red a "Dumbass". Hyde and Donna are in many ways a great match, which is displayed in their close friendship throughout the series – Donna talks to Hyde when her parents have problems, and leans on Hyde when Eric ditches her before their wedding. Hyde feels they would make a great romantic match as well, but Donna chooses Eric, which is later argued to be the right choice in Eric's subconscious by his guardian angel (which could be construed as the show shutting down any notion of Hyde and Donna for good). Hyde is very sweet in his pursuit of Donna at first, even having Kitty teach him how to dance so he can dance with Donna. Later, while Donna shows obvious interest in Eric, she also makes her disinterest in Hyde's blatant advances clear. Hyde and Donna are very similar: Both do not display vulnerable emotions often, although their good hearts often betray their sentiments, they are laid back, very intelligent and very direct and honest with their friends. The major difference, however, is that Donna comes from a stable, loving home, while Steven does not and even so, Donna needs the stability of Eric's parents when hers act immaturely and neglect to provide Donna with a 'normal' home life.  Eric and Donna have been next door neighbors ever since they were children.  When Donna first moved in and first met Eric, she punched him in the stomach for looking at her funny. It was at that moment that Eric fell madly in love with Donna. They later became the best of friends and hung out with each other all the time. Eric's love for Donna continued on and on, but he didn't admit his love for her until they were 16 in 1976, when Eric Forman takes his car out of town when explicitly told not to, and impresses Donna who decides to give him their first kiss. They don't start going out immediately, but take their relationship slowly, unsure how to show their interest in each other and getting advice from their friends on how to act now that their relationship has changed. When the gang goes to a disco, Eric doesn't dance with Donna, but later admits that he hates disco and went because he likes her, which is the first time he tells Donna how he feels about her. They go on to discover many firsts together, like making out at the drive-in and what it means to be exclusive as teenagers, when Eric kisses another girl.Meanwhile, Hyde is still competing for Donna's affections and they both give her Christmas gifts, while Donna in turn, give both the guys Christmas gifts, although she signals her interest in Eric by giving him the watch he wears for the remainder of the show, while she gives Hyde socks. They go on their first date on Valentine's Day and during the date, Donna unexpectedly becomes intoxicated, which only makes the experience more uncomfortable than it should have been, for Eric especially, as he wanted to give her his class ring. Despite Hyde showing up and professing his feelings for Donna one last time, Donna chooses Eric. Their relationship becomes very public when Bob accidentally finds out that Midge put Donna on the pill, then Kitty and Red find out, although Eric and Donna aren't sleeping together. They go to the prom together and consider sleeping together for the first time, but feel that the timing is off. Eric at times gets insecure about how the world views their relationship, as he himself has trouble seeing his own worth and value. This comes to the fore when a guy Eric hates hits on Donna, and when they go to a disco but only Donna is let in at first and Eric is the last to be let in. Eric is also continually insecure about Donna falling for Hyde, noticeably when Donna's parents start fighting and she suffers from it, confiding in Hyde instead of Eric.Eric and Donna's relationship gradually grows and Donna confesses to Eric that she loves him, only for him to respond that he loves cake. Eric gets his act together after many attempts and tells Donna that he loves her as well. After Donna's parents renew their vows, Donna expresses to Eric that he was the inspiration for her vows and they have sex for the first time. Eric believing he has brought Donna much disappointment by, "Being lame in the sack", is reassured by Donna that sex can only get better from their first time. Their relationship appears to only have become stronger, yet it gradually starts falling apart, when Donna becomes more serious about her work as a DJ at WFPP, which irritates Eric as Donna is very content focusing on her job. Eric feels that she isn't taking their relationship or him seriously, as she would blow off dates to work. Donna tries to make Eric see how important her job is to her, and that, regardless of all the rock stars she may encounter, she is mad at him for not trusting that she is faithful to him. A lot of their strain in this time stems from Eric's continued insecurity that he's never going to be 'good enough' for Donna or who she really wants to be with later in life. This was already evident when David Milbank hit on Donna and she berated Eric for not trusting her. Eric tries to hold on by giving her a promise ring and Donna returns it to him saying she can't make those kinds of promises, which breaks Eric's heart and he ends their relationship, breaking Donna's heart. Eric and Donna stay separated, but manage to figure out a way to stay friends. This is shown when Eric goes to pick up Donna to go to the prom, but stays with her while there are tornado warnings in their town. Donna develops a romantic interest in Casey Kelso (Kelso's older brother), which everyone but Eric (and later Michael) seems to approve of. When Casey and Donna break up, Donna runs to Eric to be consoled only for Eric to tell her he wasn't going to be a rebound for her. Distraught, Donna chooses to run away to California with Michael (who on the other hand is running away from Jackie). Eric realizes how much of a mistake he made after talking with his parents and leaves to find Donna, deciding to lay on her bed until she returns, only to find out later she ran away to California with Kelso. Eric goes to California at the end of summer to tell Donna how much he loves her and that he wants to be with her and they reconcile. Eric decided that he wanted something big for him and Donna and he decided to propose to her on the Water Tower. Their engagement was disapproved by many especially Eric's father Red, who felt Eric wasn't being wise. Eric took Red's cruel punishment and received his blessing for doing so. Eric and Donna decided to move to Madison to start their life together and want to do so but are held back after Red suffers a heart attack. Donna is still moving away to college, but stays until the last bus to spend Eric's 18th birthday with him. But she proves that she can't leave him because it is too much of an adjustment to her life. Donna and Eric go through premarital counseling because of their pregnancy scare and this is where they decide to stop having sex until they are married. Eric and Donna go through all the premarital events like wedding shopping and even Eric destroying Donna's wedding dress. As the day approaches, Eric begins to have second thoughts after a dream he has. When it was time for the wedding rehearsal, Eric was a no show only to leave Donna in anger. He comes back to explain his cold feet and Donna explains her cold feet as well.Donna and Eric remain together even after their called off wedding. In the end of Season 7, Eric moves to Africa to teach kids in order to pursue his dream of helping people. Jackie appoints herself as Donna's best friend early on, often giving her advice that sounds superficial and useless but often turns out to be unnervingly true (example: Eric would never want Donna to be his girlfriend if she kept beating him at everything, especially sports). The haughty Jackie genuinely thinks that she is better looking than Donna and that Donna is in general not attractive, interesting or popular--yet still thinks Donna could do better than Eric. Though they are as different as night and day, Donna eventually accepts Jackie and decides to keep an eye on her and keep her out of trouble, since Jackie does not always show the best common sense, but eventually around early season two the two become best friends.

Donna's relationship with next-door neighbor Eric Forman is often the main focus of the series. However, it is tumultuous at times, having suffered two break-ups during the show's run. Despite this, Eric and Donna often act as the "parents" of the group, being mature and responsible when their friends are not, for example in episodes like "Dine and Dash". Another episode that illustrates their parenthood of the group is when they have just broken up and Eric takes them all out and returns late. He and Donna engage in an argument because Eric gives Fez ice cream and Donna is angry because he wouldn't be hungry for dinner. When Fez is going to be deported, she and Eric become upset because "their" Fez is leaving. Eric is sometimes threatened by his feeling inferior to her, especially during the third season, when she gets a job as a disc jockey. Donna and Eric lose their virginity to each other in the beginning of season two, after many failed attempts. Their sexual activity is revealed in a very humiliating manner, when a policeman catches them having sex in the back of Eric's car and takes them back to his parents home, where Red forces Donna to tell her parents or else he would tell them. In the beginning of the series, Hyde is also interested in Donna along with Eric. Donna makes her choice clear, however, when she blows off her "study date" with Hyde to hang out with Eric. Even after the relationship between Eric and Donna is established, for a short time Donna usually goes to Hyde when she feels unsure about her relationship and needs to talk about it. In such circumstances, Hyde usually refers to her as the "hot neighbor girl" and Eric as the "scrawny little neighbor boy", or some variation of these. Though a romantic relationship between Donna and Hyde is never established, Hyde initially likes Donna and would have been interested in her if Eric had not kissed her first (as stated in the episode "It's a Wonderful Life"). Hyde still tries to win Donna in the beginning when she and Eric aren't together. There are even some comments by Fez during that season that mock Hyde over these failed attempts. When the group goes to Jackie's father's cabin for a ski trip, Hyde decides to kiss Donna and is slapped for his efforts, ending his infatuation but not their close friendship. Hyde never shows any significant interest in Donna again. Toward the end of season three, Donna's job as a disc jockey is taking priority over her relationship with Eric, causing her to cancel their dates. While Donna genuinely feels that she is right to do this and is simply following her goals through to their logical conclusion with wanting to be a writer and a newswoman, her actions provoke a bad response in the normally even-keeled Eric, who feels that Donna is not taking him and/or their relationship seriously. Unable to resolve the conflict, Eric breaks up with her in the third season finale "The Promise Ring". Throughout season four, much awkwardness ensues over rights to the basement and trying to find new relationships. Donna is a bit annoyed at just how many girls are interested in Eric and happily mocks him when his attempts at finding a new girlfriend backfires. When she finds out he dated another while they were apart (he kept it a secret), she is absolutely furious, believing he cheated on her. During the fourth season, Donna begins dating Casey Kelso (Luke Wilson), Michael Kelso's older brother. Even though he is flaky, a few years older than she is and against Donna's feminist beliefs, Donna thinks Casey is the perfect boyfriend, since he seems to be sensitive, good-natured, laid-back and easy-going. Eric sees Casey for what he is: an oversexed frat boy who just wants to sleep with Donna and move on to the next girl. Eric tries to warn Donna but she ignores him and he then threatens to hurt Casey if he hurts Donna. Donna ends up skipping school to get drunk with Casey. When Eric and Kitty witness this, they (along with Red and Bob) decide to intervene. In an animated discussion in the Formans' living room, Casey dumps Donna, deciding that his relationship with her is not worth the hassle, and admitting that he never loved her. The realization of her own overconfidence, poor judgment and being dumped in front of the people who meant the most to her come as a shock to Donna, who regards herself as an ideal feminist, since she had fallen for the type of man she always swore she would never be with. Hurt, humiliated and heartbroken, Donna turns to Eric, who offers his sympathy. When a shaken-up, crying Donna tells him she wants to be with him again, he refuses, believing that she does not really want him for who he is, but simply wants a way to feel better about herself and would most likely dump him when someone better came along. A tearful Donna pleads with him to take her back but he refuses to be her "second choice". Eric is unwavering in his decision, until his father and mother point out to him that he is being an idiot. Even Kitty, who normally dotes on him, calls him a "dumb ass". Unable to handle being rejected by her first love, an emotionally wrecked Donna flees Point Place for California, where she lives with her mother and tries to sort out her feelings. She decides she truly does love Eric and tries to call him but can't get hold of him; she suspects he no longer wants her and has moved on to another girl, leaving her rather depressed. But then, to her delight, Eric shows up in California looking for her, and the two very romantically reunite and return to Point Place. When Donna comes home from California, the normally easy-going Bob sends her to a Catholic school as punishment, an act that Donna deeply resents and hates for the remainder of the school year. This occasion also gave the writers/creators an opportunity to change Donna's common "lumberjack" attire as she now wore, for a few episodes, the school's uniform consisting of a plaid skirt, a white shirt and long white knee-high socks. Her new looks also provide openings for jokes from the boys about Donna's sexiness, which underlies their views of her throughout the series, no matter what type of attire she is wearing. In season five, Eric ignores the objections of their friends and proposes to her at the water tower, which Donna accepts. Once Red and Kitty find out about the engagement, they are shocked. Kitty in particular, reacts badly, claiming that Donna is trying to snatch her "baby" away from her. Despite enduring a great deal of flak (mostly from Red), Eric stays loyal to Donna and their marriage plans. Because of this, Red accepts that his son has become a man and gives them his blessing. Donna and Eric prepare to leave Point Place together and go to college in Madison. However, just as they are packing their stuff in the Vista Cruiser, Fez and Laurie announce their marriage so Fez can stay in the country after graduation. Red is so shocked at this, he has a heart attack. As a result, Eric decides to stay in Point Place and help support the family. Donna ends up putting off going to college in Madison so that she can stay with Eric. Eventually, their wedding plans fall through at the end of season six when Eric, worried that marrying Donna would hold her back, fails to show up for their rehearsal. After Eric's departure from the show between seasons seven and eight, it is assumed that they still keep the relationship intact. However, Donna tells her friends that Eric has broken up with her in the eighth-season episode "Long Away", when Fez and Jackie suspect that she is cheating on Eric with the new cast character, Randy (Josh Meyers). Donna tells them that Eric did this three weeks earlier. There were hints leading up to the breakup when Eric calls Kitty but not Donna, even though she is awake at 4AM waiting for him to call her. Also, when Donna is at the Foremans' for Red and Kitty's 25th anniversary, Eric calls his parents and Kitty gives the phone to Donna, but Eric speaks to her only briefly before hanging up, claiming he has to "go to class".Donna then begins dating Randy, seemingly without regard for her long-standing relationship with Eric. However, she ends the relationship when she realizes that things with Randy are moving too fast, and that she is using him as a substitute for Eric. This is further evidenced when Kitty catches Randy and Donna kissing in Eric's bedroom, and she accuses Donna of replacing Eric with Randy, departing from her usual rivalry with Donna over being the main woman in Eric's life.In the final episode, Eric returns to Point Place for the New Year and he and Donna kiss. They end up getting back together again at the end of the series and the end of the 1970s. Donna resides in the fictional Wisconsin town of Point Place, where she lives with her parents, Midge and Bob Pinciotti. Early in the series, her younger sister, 14-year-old Tina (played by Amanda Fuller), appears in the episode "Eric's Burger Job"[1] but is never seen again, nor do other characters mention her after the first season. At the end of the season 2 episode "Vanstock", this is made fun of when a narrator asks "Whatever happened to Midge's other daughter, Tina?" Donna also has an older sister, Valerie Pinciotti ("Eric's Birthday"). She is apparently in college as revealed by Midge. As Eric is turning 17, Midge shows Kitty a book of poems that helped her "when Valerie went off to school". These are examples of "Chuck Cunningham Syndrome" (see Happy Days). An intelligent, witty teenager with feminist ideals, Donna is outwardly confident and strong, at times to the point of coming across as arrogant, self-righteous, and overconfident. She calls upon these personal qualities to deal with her personal issues, such as her parents' shaky relationship and the revelation that they conceived her while in high school. She believes that she's had it the hardest out of the group until Hyde is revealed to have faced most of these problems and not once complained. The characteristics and physical appearance of Donna Pinciotti were actually based on a girl who grew up in the same neighborhood as Mark Brazil in Dunkirk, NY. Donna actually dated Hyde and never was with Eric, AKA Mark Brazil. Though despite her overly confident attitude, she herself has her own insecurities such as her big feet, her parents' screwed up marriage and her trust in her relationship with Eric. A prime example of this is in the episode "Eric's Panties". Eric has an attractive girl as his lab partner who has a reputation of being a slut. At first, Donna doesn't really care but she finds panties in his car and genuinely believes that Eric cheated on her. She shows a completely insecure side of herself and is more than prepared to hurt him. They are later revealed to be Midge's panties from when she and Bob had sex in Eric's car. She has some difficulty expressing her feminine side, because she views traditional feminine traits as restraining and outdated. She dislikes skirts, makeup, and dresses, and insists on wearing jeans at all times, but she will dress nice for special occasions and tried "being pretty" for her prom and for a trip to a nightclub, where the bouncer judged her "foxy". As another exception, after her wedding with Eric was called off, she decides to change her looks and dyes her hair blonde. Jackie Burkhart repeatedly calls Donna a "lumberjack" and a "giant", due to her penchant for plaid shirts and her tall stature. She even described Donna by saying "She's nice and all, but she kinda dresses like a trucker". She also teases Donna for her gargantuan feet, calling her "bigfoot" and saying things like Donna's shoes are big enough for Jackie to fit her own shoes into. Nonetheless, Donna still considers herself feminine, at times becoming insulted when people overlook it. When Kitty Forman needed two people with a "feminine touch" to decorate for Hyde's birthday party, she chose Jackie and Fez. An angry Donna wanted to "kick her ass" for that, insisting "What the hell? I'm feminine! Damn it, why can't anybody freakin' see that?!" This suggests that while Donna takes pride in her feminist beliefs, she still considers herself feminine, and simply doesn't want to restrict herself to "girly" activities. In several episodes, she is flattered at being perceived as an object of desire, especially when she becomes "Hot Donna" at a radio station. Jackie appoints herself as Donna's best friend in the early seasons, often giving her advice that sounds superficial and useless, but often turns out to be unnervingly true. For example, in the "Battle of the Sexists" episode, Jackie states to Donna that, "Eric would never want her (Donna) to be his girlfriend if she kept beating him at everything, especially sports". Jackie genuinely thinks that she's better looking than Donna, ever since their first meeting in junior high and that Donna is generally not attractive or interesting, yet still thinks Donna could do better than Eric. When angry or annoyed at Donna, Jackie will often refer to her as a "giant" or "Amazon"; when Donna goes blonde, she calls her "blonde tardo". Despite their differences, Donna eventually accepts Jackie and decides to keep an eye on her and keep her out of trouble, since Jackie doesn't always show the best common sense, and on more than one occasion, Donna has ridiculed Jackie for her stupidity and small stature, calling her a "midget" or "mosquito". All five of the boys have harbored sexual feelings toward Donna. In addition to Eric, three of the others attempted to sleep with her (Kelso attempts to seduce her after going to roller disco, Hyde at Jackie's ski cabin and Fez impersonating Eric in a Storm Trooper outfit; none of these attempts are successful) and four have romantic interest in her (Eric, Hyde, Casey and Randy). Despite many of the guys' obvious attraction to her, she only dated two of the main characters, with Jackie having the most boyfriends within the main cast. Donna is with Eric for six seasons, and she is hoping they could have been together, but as she says herself: "It was all Eric's fault for taking that stupid job."

Jacqueline Beulah “Jackie” Burkhart is a main character on the FOX comedy That '70s Show. She is portrayed by Mila Kunis. Jackie was born September 24, 1960 to Jack Burkhart and Pamela Burkhart. Jackie is the self-absorbed, snobby, rich girl and girlfriend of Kelso, Hyde, and then Fez. She is introduced in the pilot episode primarily as Michael Kelso's girlfriend. She likes to give advice which often sounds typically thoughtless and superficial, but turns out to be occasionally correct. She is rich, spoiled, conceited, and irritating, and is never really invited into the circle of friends--but believes she has a VIP pass into the group because she is dating Kelso, who is a member. Despite these characteristics, Jackie is popular at school, and has been voted Most Popular and Best Legs, and was the runner-up Snow Queen. She is also something of a Chatterbox, rambling on about things that no one has any interest in. She often is shown thwarting the affinity with others in the group due to her self-absorbed persona. While she can be very manipulating, she is shown to have her serious moments and be very kind. Jackie is also known to be very insecure about herself as when she dated Hyde, every time he made a comment about another lady she immediately became insecure about herself and demanded him to call that lady ugly. She is also insecure about having stuffed animals which later Laurie later teases her about.After her breakup with Kelso in Season 2, Jackie keeps hanging out in Eric's basement, a sign that her status has grown. These gradual changes make her character develop a defined character arc. However, she still heavily keeps part of her valley girl persona intact and she still looks at herself as the personification of what a woman should be. Even though by the last episode she has only kissed four people on-screen, she is made to sound like a slut. In the last circle Fez tells Eric, "I have kissed Jacqueline Burkhart" to which Hyde replies, "So has everybody else", although he may just have been referring to those in the circle, even though Eric has not kissed her at all during the show run. Also in another episode Donna mentions she got a job by "tying her shirt up in one of those sexy knots", to which Hyde mentions, "Jackie does that. We never pay to get into Six Flags!" She also like to dress in revealing clothes to show off her figure. During the first season, Jackie is in her sophomore year of high school, making her approximately 15 years old. She appoints herself Donna Pinciotti's best friend. Due to her extreme haughtiness, Jackie believes Donna is unattractive compared to herself, and also kinda boring - but as she states in numerous episodes, she believes Donna could do much better than Eric (though in the Season 7 finale, Jackie reveals that she has always cared for Eric as a friend, as Jackie calls to talk to Eric specifically for the first time ever). Despite their extremely different personalities, Donna decides to play big sister to Jackie and often tries to look out for her when she feels Jackie is making a mistake, more often than not due to her lack of common sense. Sometimes Jackie is the voice of reason for Donna, as evidenced in the Season 2 episode Kiss Of Death, the same episode in which Jackie realized that Kelso was cheating on her. After her father was sent to prison in the middle of Season 5, she moved in with Donna and the two became best friends. Jackie has mostly an acquaintanceship with Eric, though she has teased a close friendship several times. Eric is the only male friend out of the core four guys Jackie has not dated/kissed. She once told Eric she considered him a best friend and nice guy and he was the first person she revealed to that she was under the impression she was pregnant. She also called Eric before he left for Africa saying she was sorry she could not be there to say good-bye in person and she always thought he was a close friend. Although she is the favorite of Red's, Eric dislikes her, and makes no attempt to hide this. They became even less fond of each other when Eric blackmailed her (for kissing the cheese guy), and Eric continued to dislike her. They did have their moments, such as when Eric convinces Jackie she is right for Kelso (ironically, they break up soon after), and when he stands up to comfort her after she ends her relationship with Kelso. Jackie, according to Eric, makes fun of "us (he and Donna), fat girls, or me". During the course of the series, Jackie becomes an integral part of the "gang" and is considered a friend in her own right, as opposed to because of who she is with.Jackie also has a friendship with Red. Early on, Red remarked she was the favorite of Eric's friends (even though she is not Eric's friend) for her ability to hold a flashlight on a car. Jackie has run crying to Mr. Foreman's arms no less than three times, all of which he objected to. Red finds Jackie as annoying as everyone else, but does sometimes takes her side in arguments. However, in light of Red's doting relationship with Laurie and his tendency to side with Donna over Eric, and also how much he cares and tries keeping Kitty happy, it could be argued that he simply has a soft spot for women. In the beginning, Jackie is dating Michael Kelso, an attractive, but dim-witted, partyboy. The two lost their virginity to each other after Kelso and his friends got out of jail for riding in a car that was mistaken for being stolen. Jackie gets on Kelso's friends' nerves on a daily basis and Kelso repeatedly said that he was going to break up with her. But Jackie beat him to it and broke up with him after catching him kissing Pam Macy. However, they got back together in the very same episode. Jackie later broke up with Kelso again after a pregnancy scare, but they got back together later at the Junior Prom. The two's relationship is somewhat of a contrast to Eric and Donna's mostly steady union. The main difference between their relationships is that Jackie and Kelso's relationship was mainly based on mutual obsession and physical attraction while Eric and Donna's relationship was based on mutual differences of ideals and sexual attraction.In Season 2, Kelso began an affair with Eric's promiscuous sister, Laurie, about which Jackie eventually found out and subsequently broke up with him again. Following his subsequent breakup with Laurie, Jackie decided to test Kelso to see if they should get back together, which they did. Kelso remained loyal to Jackie after that and stayed with her throughout Season 4. However, when Kelso began to neglect Jackie as a result of his joining a modeling agency, she was caught by Eric kissing her boss Todd. Kelso eventually found out, and went to ambush Jackie's boss. However, Jackie's boss was a blackbelt and easily beat Kelso up. This event results in a period of discovery for Jackie and Kelso; Kelso realizes he cheated because Jackie always insulted him and made him feel bad about himself. For this, he felt very insecure and angry about it but could not do a thing about it because he never wished to break a woman's heart. Although, when he had said that he was going to break up with her, he had actually meant it and was going to it, but her impulsive and demanding attitude forced him to put his plans on hold. This, combined with Jackie always insulting him, caused him to cheat on her. As a result, he broke up with her because he felt he could not be with someone who made him feel like that. It did not last, as they got back together shortly after.Then in the Season 4 finale, Jackie asked Kelso to marry her, but Kelso freaked out and left for California with Donna. When he returned in the beginning of Season 5 he found out that Jackie had moved on to Hyde, which made him extremely jealous, and he spent the majority of the season trying to get her back. By the beginning of Season 6 however, Kelso had claimed to be over Jackie and was fine with just being friends with her. At the end of Season 7 however, Kelso drives Jackie to Chicago after her break-up with Hyde. He is later seen entering Jackie's hotel room in only a towel, making a comment implying he and Jackie were about to sleep together. Hyde soon shows up, however, and Kelso ran off nude. In Season 8, he considered marrying Jackie, claiming that he did still love her, before he was offered a job in Chicago, but Fez had already told her about his proposal, which made him feel he should do so, but she turned him down when he asked at Red and Kitty's anniversary, much to his own pleasure. Jackie and Steven Hyde were, from the beginning of the show, polar opposites and even enemies. While Jackie was girly, rich, and shallow, Hyde was lower in social class and a rebel in the group. They strongly disliked each other during the first seasons, but Hyde began helping Jackie after her break-up with Kelso in Season 2. This eventually led to a phase in which Jackie was infatuated with Hyde, but her feelings gradually faded and it was not until Season 5, when Kelso was in California, that their romance really began. After watching too much of The Price is Right, the two began making out. At first they did not want to admit that they were dating, but finally gave in. They dated for the most part of Season 5, but Hyde's jealousy caused him to cheat and they broke up. Jackie's relationship with Hyde caused her to be less self-absorbed, making her more likeable to the rest of the gang, and caused them to truly consider her a part of the group. At the beginning of Season 6, Kelso and Hyde were in competition to get Jackie back, because they both still loved her. She decided she needs time to think about it, and left them both hanging, but chose Hyde in the end. Their relationship went on for two more seasons, until Jackie was offered a job in Chicago. She went to Hyde and told him that she would stay if he gave her any indication they would eventually get married. Hyde did not have an answer, but when he did, she was already gone. Or so he thought. Jackie had no way out of Point Place, so in one last attempt to get an answer out of the man she said "meant everything in the world to her", she went over to the basement. Hiding his hurt and anger that she had "left" him, Hyde told her to have a good trip. But merely an episode later, Hyde had decided he was going to get her back. He hit a snag, however: during his conversation with Jackie, Kelso walked into the hotel room with a towel around his waist and a bucket of ice in his hands, making a comment that implied he and Jackie were about to have sex. Although Kelso frequently makes sexual comments to every female on the show, including Jackie and Donna, Hyde believed the two really were about to engage in sex, and drove off to Las Vegas. When he came back to Point Place, in the first episode of season 8 he discovered he had married a stripper, Samantha, which effectively ended his and Jackie's relationship. They still remained close friends, but their friendship resembled their frenemy relationship seen in the first two seasons as Hyde would often tease her and talk down on their past romance. This behaviour resembled their animosity in the first two seasons and completely disregarded the character and relationship growth these two had gone through. Throughout Season 8, Jackie remained single. Kelso proposed to her. While she admitted she loved and thought of Kelso as her soulmate, she refused. At the end of the season, Jackie realized Fez had all the qualities she was looking for in a man and they kiss in the finale. But at first when Jackie realized she loved him he said no to her because he thought it only would last for a week and then she would go to another guy. The words he said were "I don't want to be your sloppy third". And the episode after that, Andrew came from the north side of the same island as Fez and he decided to move back to his home country, so as to never have to see Jackie again. Despite this, they get together in the second to last episode of Season 8, but they did not kiss until the last episode, atop the water tower. 

Jackie is a self-centered, spoiled, vain member of a wealthy family. She is generally insensitive to the needs and feelings of others, although regarded by many as attractive and fashionable. She is one of the program's most conceited characters, and she can behave quite selfishly. She looks down upon those of lower status in her school and has been said to treat them unfairly, and on the occasions she has treated them with respect, she has not continued to do so for very long or only did it knowing that she could be rewarded for behaving in such a manner, such as when she ran for the title of "Snow Queen" but was utterly disappointed when she loses the election. For the most part, Jackie only cares about herself, and fashion is one of the few other things that she is concerned about. She believes herself to be very beautiful and appealing and has been involved in romantic relationships with Michael Kelso, Steven Hyde, and Fez at different points in the series. She starts to change when she starts dating Hyde and by doing so, becomes cemented as a member of the group. Even after her break up with Hyde, they remained good friends and she continued hanging around. She also becomes less shallow and cares about others. In the season 8 episode "Fun It", it is revealed she has had coulrophobia (an irrational fear of clowns) since her seventh birthday party. Jackie's friendships tend to be complicated. While people might be endeared to her good heart and her triumphs over major life upheavals, her habit of being condescending to others keeps them at a distance.Although she frequently criticizes Donna's dress, physique and feminism, she repeatedly calls herself Donna's best friend. Even though she thinks Donna is boring and unattractive when compared to herself, she believes Donna could do much better than Eric. Despite their extremely different personalities, Donna serves as Jackie's de facto big sister and often tries to look out for her when she feels Jackie is making a mistake, more often than not due to lack of common sense. After her father is sent to prison in the middle of season five, Jackie moves in with the Pinciottis after the Formans learn that she has secretly been living with Hyde in his basement room. Jackie is also defensive of Donna; she displays this often by insulting or kicking Eric for doing something stupid, for example Eric makes a sexist comment so Jackie kicks him in the shin in the episode "Won't Get Fooled Again". Although both girls often tease one another they show genuine friendship. In the episode "Squeeze Box" Donna shows how much she trusts Jackie when she runs in to talk about Eric. Jackie also demonstrates her level of care for Donna when she helps pay for Donna's wedding ring in the episode "No Quarter".Of the group, Jackie and Eric seemed to dislike each other the most in the beginning, though as the series progresses, they develop a friendship. She is more like a sister to him in comparison to his own sister, Laurie. Throughout the series, the two have a clear "frenemy" relationship. They demonstrate their annoyance with each other, but show compassion for each other many times, and through it all, are close. In the beginning of the series, Jackie admits to trusting and liking Eric, confiding in him that she might be pregnant. In "The Pill", for example, she says to Eric's surprise, "Look, I've always been able to trust you—and, God, you are such a nice guy." Later in the episode, once Kelso threatens to break up with Jackie, Eric yells at him, having developed protective feelings towards her. This proves that their burning of each other throughout the show is only for laughs and friendly bickering, as none of their hostility is ever serious. Eric is consistent in ignoring Jackie as an object of sexual desire, but this changes in "What Is and What Should Never Be" where Hyde helps Eric realize that Jackie is "hot". After this, Eric has shown to have a sexual attraction to her, as shown in many episodes. Jackie is sometimes demeaning towards Eric, as she is to almost everyone, mostly due to his dorkiness and lack of physical prowess. They occasionally help each other out. In the episode "Jackie's Cheese Squeeze", Eric admits that they are "friends", as long as they don't refer to each other as such in public, and in the season seven finale, Jackie calls Eric from Chicago and admits that she's always cared for him and that he was always very special to her. Early on, Red remarks she was the favorite of Eric's friends for her ability to hold a flashlight on a car. Jackie has run crying into Red's arms no fewer than three times, all of which left him baffled and uncomfortable. Red finds Jackie as annoying as everyone else, but she still loves him because he's the closest thing she has to a father.

When the show premieres, Jackie is dating Michael Kelso, a good-looking, brainless goofball. She decides to finally lose her virginity to him when he is released from jail after being mistakenly arrested for driving a stolen car. Jackie gets on Kelso's friends' nerves on a daily basis and Kelso repeatedly says that he is going to break up with her. However, in the first season it is Jackie who ends the relationship – twice. First, after Kelso is caught kissing Pam Macy (they get back together in the very same episode) and again after a pregnancy scare. However, admitting that they miss each other, they get back together at the Junior Prom. In season 2, Kelso is seduced by Eric's promiscuous and manipulative sister, Laurie, who later on begins a physical affair with him. Later in the season, Jackie eventually discovers his repeated infidelities and breaks up with him without realizing that Kelso has told Laurie that he is done with her since he only loves Jackie. After this breakup she is openly hostile to Kelso and many things clearly remain unfinished between them. She often insults him in front of his friends to get his attention and just for the sake of bringing him up. By season 3, she does eventually warm up to him. Following Kelso's breakup with Laurie, Kelso apologizes to Jackie for cheating on her because now he knows how it feels to be cheated on as Laurie cheated on him, except he states that what happened to him and Jackie was different because they were actually really in love. After this, Jackie begins to notice that Kelso has matured somehow, so Jackie devises a series of "tests" for Kelso to see if they should reconcile. He passes her tests and they get back together. Kelso remains loyal to Jackie after that and stays with her throughout season four, and they enjoy a happier, more loving relationship. However, towards the end of season 4, Jackie's father tells her that if she stays with Kelso, he will cut her off financially. She ends up choosing Kelso, and gets a job. Later, Kelso begins to spend less time with Jackie as a result of his joining a modeling agency and she is caught kissing her boss by Eric. This event spurs a period of discovery for Jackie and Kelso. After reading Cosmopolitan, Kelso realizes that the reason he cheated on Jackie with Laurie was because Jackie has always bossed him around and made him feel bad about himself. Following this revelation, he breaks up with her (true to form, the breakup doesn't stick and they reunite one episode later). In the season four finale, Jackie and Kelso both agree that they don't want to stay broken up. So, Jackie has Kelso choose to kiss any girl at The Hub to make things even between them and they can move on and be together again. Kelso surprises Jackie when he pretends to look around the room, but ends up choosing to kiss her. Jackie decides that it's time for Kelso to really choose her. Without warning, she brings up marriage to Kelso and decides that they're getting married. Kelso, feeling overwhelmed, runs away to California. When he returns in the beginning of season five, he (along with the others) is horrified to learn that she has begun dating Hyde. Jackie continues to date Hyde for most of the season, but when Kelso introduces Annette to the gang, Jackie finds herself clearly jealous and tells Donna that Michael is still supposed to pine over her. Later in the episode, she claims to not be jealous anymore, but the moment she sees Annette kissing Kelso, she screams, "Get off my boyfriend!" For the rest of the season, Kelso is clearly not over Jackie and doesn't realize that he's indirectly trying to win her back. Towards the end of season five, as Jackie comforts Kelso, he states that no one understands him like she does. In the finale, Kelso and Hyde make Jackie choose between the two of them and she chooses herself. By the beginning of season six, Kelso claims that he is happy and genuinely enjoying their new friendship. He spends the rest of the season trying to move on with his life, joins the police academy and impregnates a girl named Brooke and spends the rest of season 6 and 7 taking care of the baby. Towards the end of season seven, however, Kelso drives Jackie to Chicago after her break-up with Hyde, and Jackie asks him to spend some time with her before he leaves. He is later seen entering Jackie's hotel room in only a towel, implying that he and Jackie were about to sleep together, but runs off nude into the night when he sees that Hyde has come to the hotel to get Jackie back. In the beginning of season eight, with Hyde married to a stripper, Jackie figures out her own life. Kelso considers marrying Jackie and states that the happiest time of his life was with Jackie and claims he still loves her. When Fez tells Jackie what Kelso intends, she considers the proposal and decides that if he asks, she will accept. However, he gets offered a job out of town and realizes he can move on with his life, but Fez reveals to him that he has already told Jackie of the proposal. Kelso grows angry, and states that he loves Jackie and that he knows in the future, they will be together, but now is not the right time, but since Fez has implied that Kelso will lose all of his chances with Jackie if he doesn't propose now, Kelso ends up proposing at Red and Kitty's anniversary party, though, she turns him down giving practically the same reasons as Kelso, which is that she loves him, but he has a lot of maturing to do and she has her own life to figure out so now is not the right time for them yet. They both feel an unexpected relief, and end on good terms. Jackie and Steven Hyde are, from the beginning of the show, polar opposites and even enemies. She is disgusted by his poverty and crass behavior, he scorns her superficiality and materialism. They strongly dislike each other during the first season, but begin to form a bond when Hyde helps Jackie cope with her breakup with Kelso in season two. This leads to a brief period in which Jackie is infatuated with Hyde, but her feelings gradually fade. It isn't until season five, when Kelso is in California, that their romance begins. After watching The Price Is Right together all summer, the two begin making out every time they have a moment alone. When their friends discover the relationship, they each insist that they are not dating and that it is purely physical, but finally give in and admit that what they have goes deeper than just sex. They date for most of season five until Jackie sees Kelso kissing Annette and yells "Get off my boyfriend!" Hyde reacts angrily to this and grows suspicious of Jackie. When he sees Jackie holding Kelso in her arms, knowing Jackie and Kelso's long history and on-off relationship, Hyde assumes that something must be going on between her and Kelso again. Despite her pleas that she was only comforting him and that nothing untoward happened, he doesn't believe her and he takes revenge by spending the night with another woman. When he realizes that Jackie has been telling the truth, he confesses his infidelity. A heartbroken Jackie ends the relationship immediately. In the beginning of season six, Kelso and Hyde are in competition to get Jackie back because they both still love her. She decides she needs time to think about it, leaving them to wait and agonize, but chooses Hyde in the end. Their relationship goes on until Jackie is offered a job in Chicago. She is torn between her relationship and her professional ambition, but tells Hyde that she will stay if he can gives her the merest hope that they will eventually get married. Hyde has no immediate answer, and when he finally decides, he is upset to realize that she has already gone (or so he thinks). Jackie has no way out of Point Place, and in a final attempt to get an answer out of Hyde, she goes to the basement. Hiding his hurt and anger that she "left" him, Hyde tells her to have a good trip. Hyde decides he still wants her, and goes to her Chicago hotel to persuade her to take him back. During his conversation with Jackie, Kelso walks into the hotel room with a towel around his waist and a bucket of ice in his hands and implying that he and Jackie were about to have sex. Hyde goes to Las Vegas. When he comes back to Point Place, he has impulsively married a stripper named Samantha and she follows him back to Wisconsin. This effectively ends his and Jackie's relationship. Throughout season eight, Jackie remains single. She and Hyde, no longer together, have since remained good friends. However, their behavior regresses to how it was in the earlier seasons. Fez tells Jackie that Kelso intends to propose to her, and she decides that she will accept, but after considering it, she turns him down claiming that though she loves Kelso, he still has a lot of maturing to do, and now is not the time for them to be together. Feeling that she is in a low point in her life, Jackie decides to find someone that would be perfect for her and writes out a list of what she wants in a man. She is surprised to find out that Fez matches everything on the list. She denies this at first, but quickly comes around to the idea and decides to wait for Fez to come to her. Fez, however, is clueless of her attraction to him and is instead seeing other women at the time, which makes it hard for her. Jackie then chooses to go to him. She kisses him and asks if they can be together because he is the one good thing in her life right now, but Fez turns her down, feeling that she is treating him as a last resort, citing how she has already dated both Kelso and Hyde. Jackie then goes to the bathroom and cries, but immediately after vows revenge on Fez. She flushes his toothbrush, microwaves his lotion, and ruins his car with graffiti. To get back at Jackie, Fez dyes her hair green, and says that now she is ugly on the outside like she is on the inside. Hurt by Fez's words, Jackie decides to move out. However, she later learns through one of his friends that he loves her and wishes that he had never said those things. They eventually reconcile and in the final episode, Fez and Jackie finally get together and kiss atop the water tower.

Steven James Hyde III is a main character on FOX comedy That '70s Show. He is portrayed by Danny Masterson. Steven was born November 28, 1959 as the illegitimate son of William Barnett and Edna Hyde, legal son of Bud Hyde, and the foster son of Red and Kitty Forman. Hyde represents the adolescent of the seventies that was suspicious of government and organizations. In the first couple of episodes of the first season, Hyde was comparatively less intelligent than in later episodes and more "street smart". However, Hyde quickly falls into the role of the intelligent "tough guy". His intelligence is often undermined by his refusal to apply himself, but he is one of the smarter members, if not the smartest member, of the group. Hyde was actually a child prodigy, and might have gone on to do great things if not for a frame-up in elementary school where he was blamed for destroying a classmate's science project, which Eric had actually done. Hyde, like Eric, has a witty, blunt, and sarcastic sense of humor. He does not seem to take things seriously, but as the series progresses, the compassion, gratitude and love he has for those around him is evident. Hyde's advice is often sought by the members of the group because of his tendency to see things as they are, but his cynicism and his pleasure in seeing a good "burn" sometimes leads him to give his more gullible friends bad advice on purpose to watch their plans end in disaster for his own entertainment. Regarding more serious matters, Hyde shows compassion and empathy and gives his friends very good advice, showing he has a good sense of virtue. He gives the money he makes at the Fotohut to Red and Kitty to help them pay the bills. It is evidenced thus that Hyde has a sense of propriety and responsibility to rival that of his friend Eric's, yet is not proud of it as he is more accustomed to his stoner lifestyle. At the beginning of the first season, Hyde does not care for anyone around him and would much rather spend his time alone. He felt this way probably as a result of his father leaving him as a child and his substance-abusing, negligent mother. After the Formans take him in, and Eric and Hyde are considered brothers, he shows love and gratitude for the Formans and the rest of the group. When he moved in with Eric, he also did several chores around the house to show his gratitude. While Hyde enjoys his reputation as "the bad influence", there is some evidence throughout the show that some of Hyde's behavior had been influenced by his environment. His mother's own drug and police record is referenced throughout the course of the show. In one of the later episodes, Hyde is seen trying to give up pot and takes up exercising and cooking to get away from the habit, but it was his friends who actually pulled him back in, refusing to let him "ruin his life". Hyde despises authority. His displays of rebellion include smoking marijuana and cigarettes, drinking beer, and a devout interest in conspiracy theories. Though he may seem sarcastic and careless, as well as manipulative at times, over the course of the series a more mellow side of Hyde reveals itself through his show of gratitude towards the Formans for taking him in after his mother abandoned him, and his treatment of his significant others in his few relationships. Hyde almost always refers to and addresses his parents by their first names (Edna, Bud) or their initials (William Barnett). This practice of naming parents and other adults was frequently considered taboo in the 1970s, especially when addressing one directly. Eric Forman seems to have picked up a little from this practice, naming his parents when talking to others but not usually when addressing them directly. In contrast to this practice, Hyde usually refers to Kitty as "Mrs. Forman", but usually calls Red by his name, probably since it is a nickname (his real name is Reginald). Hyde holds a great deal of respect for Red and Kitty. His gratitude for them adopting him is very evident, and he tries his best to make them proud. One example of his respect for them is when he was arrested for possession of marijuana, Red was completely ready to throw him out of the house. While Kitty and Eric tried to persuade him not to, Hyde did not because he did not question Red's judgment. Though visibly disgusted with this decision, he simply replied that if Red does not believe that he is good enough to live in his house, or if they do not believe that he is positively influencing the group, then he will leave immediately without question. He was even about to leave peacefully until Red agreed to allow him to stay. Another example is when he is the only one to remember Kitty's birthday. Hyde is highly critical of organized religion. He tells an Episcopalian girl that she believes in "the exact opposite of what [he] believe[s] in". Also, in "Holy Crap!", he claims he does not go to church because it would make him a hypocrite. He specifically states, "While I respect the Judeo-Christian ethic, as well as the eastern philosophies and, of course, the teachings of Mohammed, I find that organized religion has corrupted those beliefs to justify countless atrocities throughout history. Were I to attend church, I'd be a hypocrite". Despite the fact that Hyde mentions God such as stating his hair was a gift from God in "Eric's Hot Cousin", he does not express any sort of religious affiliation.In contrast to the sensitive New-Age men prevalent in the 1970s, Hyde is very traditionally masculine, much like Red Forman. He does not voice or show his emotions often, a notable exception being when he has to tell Jackie he cheated on her in season 5, and other occurrences throughout their relationship. He does fake his emotions sometimes, like crying, but ends up sticking his tongue out and spitting. He does not worry about romantic relationships and women the way Kelso, Eric, and Fez do; he considers himself too "tough" and strong for that type of behavior. He generally acts as though he does not care for anyone, perhaps as a defensive mechanism; however, it is shown during the course of the series that he does care deeply about his friends and the Formans. He also shows compassion throughout the series, sometimes taking responsibility for other people's behavior, such as when Jackie gets caught by the police with marijuana, and when Eric breaks the television screen with a bowling ball. He was there for Jackie when Kelso cheated on her, for Donna when Eric broke his engagement with her, and when Fez was locked in a closet by a group of jocks, he told Fez to "come get him" if they bother him again. By the end of the series, the viewer is shown that although Hyde is not perfect, his morals and intelligence make him a good person. It's shown that Hyde is a deep person with good morals because he cherishes his friendships more than worldly or materialistic possessions. After Hyde's mother abandoned him, Hyde was forced to live on his own in his mother's house. Since he was so poor, he was going to sell the house and live on the streets. After Kitty and Eric saw how miserable Hyde was in the house, they persuaded Red to make his living arrangements better by asking Hyde to move in with them. In the episode "Hyde Moves In", Hyde moves in, but since there are no extra bedrooms in the house, he sleeps in the storage room in the basement on a military cot from Red's days in the war. Hyde finds a job working at the Fotohut for his burn-out boss, Leo, in order to pay his way for the generosity the Forman's show him. After Eric's departure to Africa, Hyde became more of the main character due to his relationship with Eric's parents (his foster parents) and marriage to Samantha. Hyde's best friend, and later foster-brother, is the nice, geeky Eric Forman The two share probably the closest friendship out of the group, shown by how they care and rely on each other and each others' advice. Eric and Hyde met in 1968 at age 9 when Eric asked Hyde to walk him home because he was scared of Donna, because she had punched him.Back then, Eric called Hyde, Steven. But Hyde told him that he goes by his last name Hyde. The two apparently hung out after Eric's mom forced the two to take a bath together. Hyde often calls Eric by his last name though has called him by his first name on rare occasions. Hyde developed a fairly close relationship with Eric's dad, Red Forman, who admired his toughness, lack of showing emotions, and traditional masculinity, all qualities his son Eric lacks. Red became the closest Hyde ever had to a real father after he moved in with the Formans. Red does occasionally feel that Hyde can be a bad influence on Eric, particularly due to his frequent marijuana use, and briefly kicked him out when Hyde was arrested. However, Red has shown more respect for Hyde than his own son, due to Eric's smart-mouth, inability to play sports, and lack of quality work habits.Red even offered a job at his muffler shop to Hyde and not Eric. Red and Hyde occasionally have a one-on-one man talk with each other, a famous one being in the episode "Hyde's Birthday" where Red opposes to Hyde's idea to move out when he was 18. Red states that if Hyde moves out, he is either going to end up at a dead-end job, or go to prison. Red also tells Hyde not to tell Eric about their talk, as Red will make Eric move out when he is 18. Hyde normally does what Red tells him and does not talk back to him, because he knows how much Red respects him. Hyde found a job working at the Foto Hut with his burned-out hippie boss Leo (Tommy Chong). Leo and Hyde created a friendship early on in Hyde's employment to the Foto Hut. In a season 2 episode, Hyde stated he never had a dad, and Leo stated that he never had a son. (Later in the series, however, Leo states that he does have a son.) Leo requests Hyde to be his father, and the two end up having a father/son relationship. In the episode "Magic Bus", Leo thinks of Hyde as the son he never had. Ironically enough, during his tenure in the Foto Hut, he was the more responsible worker between himself and Leo, even telling his own boss off for not doing his job. In season 5, Leo mysteriously disappeared from Point Place, leaving behind a note for Hyde that explains that he was only supposed to be in Point Place for a short while, but ended up staying for 6 years. Hyde was greatly upset by this, but Leo had left him some "film" and Hyde was okay. Hyde and Leo's friendship resumed when Leo returned to the series near the end of Season 7. Steven Hyde had a rough childhood. His step-father, Bud had abandoned him at a young age. Steven continued to be upset with him for years until he finally reconnected with him in season 3. In season 1, Hyde was abandoned by his mother, Edna Hyde who only appeared in the episode Career Day, and was heard in three others. Hyde and his mother generally do love each other but always argued worse than other families. In the end, Edna generally does love Hyde and admits that she was never a good mother. She apparently knew about Hyde's illegal doings, because it is hinted that she is the one that gave him his fake ID to buy beer. Hyde later discovers that Bud is not his real father and was somewhat surprised. Kitty discovers that Bud is not Hyde's real father. Hyde meets his father, William Barnett, who is a black man, making Hyde biracial. Hyde was mildly surprised but got around to it, as to him it explained a lot (his afro, his coolness, and suspicion of the man). He was also delighted to see he picked up some of his father's traits about conspiracy theories. There was brief tension since William believed he needed something from but they overcame it and went out for a drink. After that father and son got along better with the latter giving Hyde a job at his record store.Hyde later meets his half-sister, Angie, who one day dreamed of owning her own record company, but ends up working alongside WB in Madison. Hyde says that he knew Angie "wasn't right" ever since he heard her say that she was a math major. There was a 36,584/1 chance that Hyde's family would be black. Hyde and his sister had problems because she wanted to take over the business while he paid it no mind and had Jackie step in. Despite this, they got along better with Hyde even trying to defend her from being hurt after she started dating Kelso which left Angie touched as she really felt she had a brother. Much later, Hyde gave his blessing for them to date. Early on in the series, he was rarely interested in getting into a serious relationship, and was very cynical about the idea, as portrayed in some of his quips such as "Dating is prostitution, only you do not always get what you pay for". However, as the series progressed, he enjoyed a number of relationships. It was mentioned that his only girlfriend ended up leaving him for his uncle, and when Hyde and Fez make fun of Kelso for being "whipped" by Jackie, Kelso points out that he is the only one "getting any". Friends since childhood, Hyde had always liked Donna, a lot for her physical attributes. He had and still admires her femininity, masculinity, intelligence, and charm.When he noticed Donna was starting to have a thing for Eric in '76, he and him played mind games and verbally insulted each other to win over Donna, despite Hyde initially encouraging Eric to make his move on her.Eventually Donna chose her intuition and urge and went with Eric after Hyde was moving too fast (ex. kissing her unexpectedly) and Hyde not seeming like her ideal boyfriend, with Hyde quickly moving on from pursuing her, although he does compliment her looks and personality in micro and subtle ways at times, no matter if she is present or not. Donna still really loves Hyde as a good friend, wanting the best for him as she believes under his hard exterior, he is a good person deserving of love and happiness. Hyde also really loves Donna as a good friend and wants the best for her. In Season 5, he became paired with Jackie Burkhart. There is foreshadowing of their relationship throughout the series, most prominently at the Forman's Veteran's Day BBQ in Season 3, where Jackie's date Chip calls her a bitch behind her back. Hyde responds by punching Chip in the face, knocking him out. Later that day, after talking to Mrs. Forman, Hyde takes Jackie out for their first date which leads to their first kiss. Hyde also took Jackie to his junior prom in the first season, and he is the one Jackie goes to for comfort when she and Kelso encounter problems in their relationship, prompting him to ask, "Why does she always come to me?" Despite initially loathing Jackie for all that she represents (she is spoiled, shallow, and rich), he has his first real romantic relationship of the series with her. In the beginning of season 5, Hyde and Jackie both say that they are not together, it is just a meaningless fling. Hyde and Jackie's relationship was a very typical 'opposites attract' set up. Hyde tells Eric that he simply ignores Jackie's constant complaining and bossiness and focuses on how "hot" she is instead, although he does become more mature and caring as their relationship progresses. They came together during the summer between Seasons 4 and 5 when they found themselves bored with watching The Price Is Right. The relationship gradually grows into a surprisingly strong one, considering their past conflicts. However, they went through trouble when Hyde mistakenly perceives her to be cheating on him with Kelso. In response, he cheated on her. He sincerely apologizes, but Jackie ends the relationship. He even tells her that he loves her, something he has not said to anyone. The separation is brief, however, and they get back together at the beginning of Season 6. They remain together until midway through Season 7, when Jackie becomes insecure about their relationship and asks Hyde if he can see a future with her. His response, "I don't know", breaks them up briefly, but they reconcile after only a few weeks apart. However, when Jackie is offered a job in Chicago, Hyde allows her to leave. In the very next episode, however, he decides to follow her and propose. In the middle of Hyde and Jackie's conversation, Kelso walks into the room in only a towel, carrying a bucket of ice and making a comment implying he and Jackie were about to have sex. Although Kelso frequently makes sexual comments to every female on the show, including Jackie and Donna, Hyde once again believes the two really were about to engage in sex, and drives off to Las Vegas. Hyde wears an afro and sideburns, and his sunglasses, which he is almost always seen in. He regularly sports jeans, was once failed in PE for refusing to wear shorts, and also has many band t-shirts, which include: Santana, Judas Priest, Eric Clapton, AC/DC, KISS, Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Page, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Black Sabbath, Jethro Tull, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, The Rolling Stones, Ted Nugent, Rush, Aerosmith, John Lee Hooker, The Allman Brothers Band, Blue Öyster Cult, Sex Pistols, Ramones, The Who, and the Grateful Dead. Contrasting with his tough guy exterior, Hyde was once caught on videotape dancing to Frank Sinatra singing. Additionally, following his first breakup with Jackie, he happened to hear B. J. Thomas' "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song" and became a fan of country music. Hyde along with these many bands holds a passionate love of Led Zeppelin, the group he wears most frequently, and when once questioned by his father as to why he wears said shirts he replies "If god didn't want me to wear them so much he wouldn't have made them rock so hard". He also noted that he likes to watch Little House on the Prairie, because it "reminds him of a simpler time". He dislikes the music of Pat Boone, Styx (although he did tap his foot to their music), ABBA, Peter Frampton, Andy Gibb, and Little River Band. In fact, he once even broke up with a girl because she liked the Little River Band.

Hyde is abandoned by his mother, Edna (Katey Sagal), who only appears in three episodes, two of which feature only her screaming voice calling from inside Hyde's house. His stepfather, Bud (Robert Hays), had left some years earlier when he got back together with Edna but they didn't tell Hyde of their whereabouts. A half brother was mentioned once in a Season 8 episode, though not much is known about him. Hyde's best friend, and later foster-brother, is the nice, geeky Eric Forman. The two share probably the closest friendship out of the group, shown by how they care and rely on one another and one another's advice. When Hyde's mother leaves town at the end of the first season, Eric tries to persuade his parents to do something about his best friend's living conditions and thus Hyde is invited to live with the Formans, which Hyde does from season one until the series' end. He is adopted into the Forman family, and lives in the basement of their house. Since there are no extra bedrooms, he sleeps in a small storage room on a cot. When Red kicks Hyde out after an arrest for drug possession, Eric attempts to come to his rescue. Hyde found a job working at the Foto Hut with his burned-out hippie boss Leo (Tommy Chong). Hyde and Leo become good friends until Leo suddenly leaves town because he remembered that he was only supposed to stay in Point Place for a short time, yet stayed for eight years, leaving his family behind. During his tenure in the Foto Hut, he was the more responsible worker between himself and Leo, even telling his own boss off for not doing his job. Hyde and Leo's friendship resumes when Leo returns near the end of Season 7. He gives the money he makes to Red and Kitty to help them pay the bills. It is evident that Hyde has a sense of propriety and responsibility to rival that of his friend Eric's, yet is not proud of it as he is more accustomed to his stoner lifestyle. Hyde develops a fairly close relationship with Eric's dad, Red Forman, who admires his toughness, lack of showing emotions and traditional masculinity, a quality his son Eric lacks. Red becomes the closest Hyde has to a real father after he moves in with the Formans. Red does occasionally feel that Hyde can be a bad influence on Eric, particularly due to his frequent marijuana use, and briefly kicks him out when Hyde is arrested. However, he is often shown to have a deeper respect for Hyde over his own son and occasionally prefers Hyde over him (such as when he offers Hyde a job at his new muffler shop instead of Eric). In the season 6 finale, Kitty discovers that Bud is not Hyde's real father. Subsequently, Hyde meets his biological father, William Barnett (Tim Reid), who is an African American, making Hyde biracial. He later meets his half-sister, Angie Barnett who dreams of one day running her own store, but ends up working alongside Hyde in their father's store. After Eric's departure to Africa, Hyde's conflicts were front and center in the series, mostly due to his relationship with Eric's parents (his foster parents) and his short marriage to Samantha. He experiences conflict with Kelso, who he punches for attempting to sleep with Jackie in Chicago. He also struggles to maintain civility with Jackie and manage his career. Later in the final season, Hyde receives a letter from his father, William Barnett telling him that he is selling his chain of record stores. Hyde, angry at the vague letter, fears that he won't be able to continue the career he loves. This drives him to actually quit "the circle" (although he returns to it by episode's end) Later, Barnett shows up to Hyde's record store to tell him that he sold every store except for the one in Point Place and has granted him sole ownership of the last remaining Grooves. Hyde ends the series as the owner and manager of his Grooves record store. Hyde is a rebellious, distant, wise-cracking boy with no respect for authority and often makes it his main priority to defy as many policies or rules as possible, and seems to take pride in his own disobedience. He is tough, highly intelligent, supremely insensitive and seldom feels compassion for others, and often will make a sarcastic remark rather than show sympathy for somebody who is suffering. In fact, Hyde is easily the most intelligent member of the gang despite his bad upbringing and poor grades in school. It is revealed in the Halloween special that Hyde's reputation is first sabotaged in elementary school, when Eric Forman ruins another student's diorama and Hyde receives the blame, and has since then maintained a reputation as a troublemaker and rebel. Although he rebels against school and other educational activities, he is generally smart, as in the episode "The Crunge", Hyde scores second lowest among the gang, but does better than Eric without textbooks and without applying himself. When other members of the gang need advice, Hyde is usually the only one who gives them real advice. Also, Hyde is physically the strongest (and presumably the best fighter) in the group, although on multiple occasions Hyde has backed down from an aggressive Eric and rarely ever lashes out on Eric the same way he does with Fez and Kelso. On many occasions throughout the show, Hyde beats up Kelso for various reasons, and he is easily stronger than Fez, Eric and even Donna.

Michael Christopher Kelso is a main character on FOX comedy That '70s Show. He is portrayed by Ashton Kutcher. Michael was born on August 28, 1959 to John Kelso. Tall and lanky, he is the dim-witted pretty-boy of the group, coasting through life on his good looks. His behavior is very much in line with a stereotypical oversexed lunkhead. Michael has surprised many by scoring higher on a test than some of his other friends, leading some to believe that perhaps Michael is not dumb, but just naive.Michael is the oldest of the gang, having failed the first grade for his "refusal" to write in cursive and accidental murder of the class bunny. He has been lying about his age ever since. On a trip to potential colleges he claimed that he had been dropped on his head as a child. Michael is one of 7 siblings, including his older brother, Casey, at least two other brothers and a sister (whom Hyde says is an uggo; a term used by Hyde to describe someone who he does not deem attractive, which is somewhat ironic as Michael is constantly referred to as handsome, along with his brother Casey). Michael's interests mainly include watching cartoons, having sex, smoking marijuana, playing with "Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots", toy dinosaurs, dreaming of becoming an astronaut, and incessantly boasting of his God-like complexion. Apart from acting incredibly stupid, Michael is also known to be quite sensitive. Michael is shown in a flashback as a 13-year-old, stating that he is lost all interest in school and academic aspirations, suggesting that he was not always as dumb as people believe him to be. Michael enjoys a good "burn", a painful humiliation to someone. He screams "Burn!" anytime anyone says a burn.Kelso appears to enjoy the music of Led Zeppelin, Foghat, Pink Floyd, Molly Hatchet, Aerosmith, David Bowie, Todd Rundgren, and Peter Frampton. Some of his secrets include being a fan of Styx and having a crush on Jackie Kennedy. Kelso loves dogs. In "Eric's Naughty No-No" he cuddles in the Foremans driveway with five dogs at once. Earlier in the episode he was confessing stuff to Jackie, one of the things which was that one time they were about to fool around and he said that he had washed his hands but he had just finished playing with six dogs. In "Holy Craps!" he is excited that the Petersons have just gotten a new dog, and encourages the gang to go with him to check it out. Michael has a long time relationship with Jackie, played by Mila Kunis, a popular and self-centered cheerleader (coincidentally Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis are married in real life). The two lost their virginity to each other after Michael and his friends got out of jail for riding in a car that was mistaken for being stolen. Jackie gets on Michael's friends nerves on a daily basis and Michael repeatedly said that he was going to break up with her. But Jackie beat him to it and broke up with him after a pregnancy scare. They got back together later. Michael loves a good burn as much as the next guy, even when the burn is at his expense, but generally he does not mean to severely hurt someone, which he often does but most of the time he hurts people by means of accident rather than on purpose. It is revealed on That70sShow.com that the astrological sign of both Michael and Jackie is Virgo. Michael has an affair with Eric's sister Laurie, which leads to Michael and Jackie breaking up again in Season 2. During the next season they get back together after Jackie devises a series of tests to see if Kelso has matured. But at the end of Season 4 Jackie wants to get married and a freaked out Kelso bails on Jackie and helps Donna Pinciotti run away to California. When they return in Season 5 Michael finds out Jackie has moved on and is now romantically involved with Steven Hyde. He tries to deal with it but can not and after Hyde cheats on Jackie, he thinks he has a shot but Hyde wants Jackie back too and fights with him over her. After discovering in Season 6 that Jackie chooses Hyde who will not take her back, Michael decides to help get them back together, and wishes them the best. In the Season 6 a plot-line was added that made Michael the father of a baby girl (conceived in a bathroom at a Molly Hatchet concert) with Brooke Rockwell. In Season 7, he gets involved with Hyde's sister Angie but she breaks up with him after she is transferred to another job (which he gets angry about, although he was going to break up with her anyways). In Season 8, Kelso leaves Point Place, but before he does, he proposes to Jackie and she rejects him (which he is delighted about). It is hinted however that Jackie would have said yes if Fez had not told her first, because she had always loved Kelso and thought of him as her soulmate. He then tricks the gang in the circle into thinking that he was leaving, but was really leaving the next day. Kelso is kicked off the force, making him happily accept a better job as a security guard for a Chicago playboy bunny club from the sleazy owner who is played by guest star Bruce Willis. He returns for New Years Eve and jumps off the water tower with Fez and Hyde (Fez and Hyde try to trick him but Michael's brilliant mind outsmarts their trick, although he then willingly jumps off the water tower anyway for the new decade). He then joins the last circle and calls Red a dumbass. He is also the last character to be seen as the show ends, grabbing the stupid helmet, as he makes his way up the basement stairs to call Red a "dumbass". 

Kelso was first introduced in "That 70s Pilot" as Eric Forman's lesser-intelligent, loudly obnoxious friend who is dating a preppy, younger student Jackie Burkhart. But later during the season the couple goes through multiple breakups. Much to his friends' annoyance, he frequently claims to be breaking up with Jackie but does not go through with it, in hopes she'll 'put out' eventually (but instead, Jackie breaks up with him first). Because of her, he misses out on a Todd Rundgren concert, instead spending the evening making out in the back of the Vista Cruiser. As the series progresses, it is later revealed that Michael cheats on his girlfriend (most notably with Pam Macy and Eric’s sister Laurie). At one point, Jackie finds out and banned Kelso from coming to her ski trip, though Michael still attempts to find a way there. Kelso also unwittingly gets his friends into trouble after driving them around in an apparently stolen car. They were arrested, though Eric's connections with his father got them out of trouble. Eventually, Kelso loses his virginity to Jackie, though they go through a scare that she may be pregnant, which turns out to be a false alarm.  Eventually, Kelso purchases a van which becomes the main focus of his secondary story during seasons 2 and 3. On one occasion, Jackie wishes to decorate the van resulting in it becoming temporarily covered in stuffed animals, though all were removed soon after. The van becomes the gang's main source of transportation on long distance journeys, such as Van Stock and to the Ice Shack. However, it ultimately meets its fate when it sinks to the bottom of a river. Like Eric, Kelso buys his girlfriend Jackie a promise ring to show how important the relationship is to him. However, while Jackie is overjoyed with her ring, Donna becomes unsure of her future with Eric, causing Eric to break up with her. The fourth-season premiere episode sees Eric envisioning a possible future with Donna, a woman he has not actually met. In this future, Kelso and Jackie have broken up once again only to consistently re-kindle their relationship for a one-night stand every time they reunite. Kelso also spends most of that season attempting to pry Eric from his depression, though ultimately chooses Fun Land over Eric in the second episode, only to get lost and brought back by a concerned mother. The mother, however, kicks him out of her car after he threatens her children following their insults to him, causing Kelso to walk home. Kelso is also elected for Snow King at the snow prom much to Jackie's disapproval. Class Picture is a flash-back episode revealing how each of the gang members met. Kelso and Eric's meeting is not explained thoroughly, though it is presumed they simply met in first grade. However, Forman's first impression of Kelso is remembered as Kelso showing up at the door without pants. After a quick reminder, Kelso exclaimed 'My pants!!' before rushing home. It is also revealed he is the only male member of the gang not to have seen Donna's breasts, though she allows him to see them after. Kelso later invented a day which he named 'Prank Day' where he attempts to prank his friends as many times as possible. During the Season 4 finale, Jackie misleadingly believes that Kelso is proposing to her, causing him to decide to run off to California. After meeting up with Donna, who had recently been humiliated by her then boyfriend and Kelso's brother, Casey, they both take off. When Kelso returns at the beginning of Season 5, he finds out that Jackie has moved on to Hyde, which makes him extremely jealous and he spends the majority of the season trying to get her back. Eventually, Kelso claims to be over Jackie and renews his friendship with Hyde, and begins a relationship with Annette (Jessica Simpson), a girl he had a short relationship with in California. Jackie, in the same manner as Kelso had, becomes jealous and even goes so far as to yell, "Get off my boyfriend!" when she sees Kelso and Annette kissing. Kelso responded positively to this and began to make a big show of it. Annette leaves him at the school dance, telling him he isn't over Jackie, and Kelso soon realizes that Annette is right.  So when Jackie breaks up with Hyde, Kelso does all he can to win her over, even competing with Hyde at some point. However, when Jackie chooses Hyde over him, he respects her decision and even helps to bring the two together again. From then on, Kelso and Jackie share a relationship as friends. In Season 6, Kelso is the focus of a major plot twist in which he accidentally impregnates a girl named Brooke in a bathroom at a Molly Hatchet concert. Brooke initially does not want Kelso in the baby's life, much to Kelso's relief. However, a pep-talk from Donna causes him to change his mind as he attempts to prove to Brooke he can be a father. In the seventh season, Betsy Kelso, is born. Brooke leaves for Chicago, giving Kelso permission to see Betsy whenever he can. Kelso becomes a policeman, albeit a bumbling one. He attempts to take his job seriously by growing a moustache and calling himself "Mike," and even going as far as flushing Hyde's marijuana stash down the toilet (in The Circle), but he quickly reverts when Hyde and Fez shave his moustache and made the moustache resemble the moustache Adolf Hitler was famous for. He eventually sets the police academy on fire using a flare gun, but even before then, had broken into the academy and gets his supervisor's squad car stolen by Hyde & Fez. At the end of Season 7, Kelso drives Jackie to Chicago after her break-up with Hyde. When Hyde follows her there to propose, he finds Kelso naked, wrapped in a towel, making a comment implying that he and Jackie were about to have sex. Although Kelso frequently makes sexual comments to every female on the show, including Jackie and Donna, Hyde believes the two really were about to engage in sex, and drives off to Las Vegas, effectively ending his relationship with Jackie. Ashton Kutcher did not renew his contract for the eighth and final season of the series but he appeared in a recurring guest role in the first four episodes of season 8 in order to bring closure to the character. The series begins with Kelso avoiding Hyde after he catches him about to have sex with Jackie in a motel room. When Hyde finally catches Kelso, he punches him in the face and then decides to resume their friendship. With this storyline resolved and the end of Hyde and Jackie's relationship, Kelso resumes his police work duties. However, when Randy and Fez decide to throw a bachelor party for Hyde after his marriage to a stripper, Kelso is fired due to misuse of police equipment and unprofessional behavior. This causes Kelso to wonder what he has going for him and decides that Jackie is the one for him all along. He decides to propose to Jackie, seeing as she was the one he has always loved. He later rethinks this decision, deciding against it after a job offer is given to him. However, Fez had already told Jackie about his plans. Feeling pressured to do something, and scared that he might lose all his future chances with Jackie, he attempts to propose, albeit with a balloon (which is how Jackie wants to be proposed to), at the Forman's anniversary, but Jackie says no, much to Kelso's relief. They both decide they have a lot of maturing to do, many things to take care of in their own lives and, even though they both admit to loving each other, agree that it is not the right time to get married. He then joins his friends for one final circle before his departure. Kelso does not appear in succeeding episodes, although he is occasionally referenced by the remaining characters. He returns, though, in the series finale to welcome in the New Year with his friends, much to their pleasure.

Among Kelso's most famous personality traits are conceit and sheer stupidity, performing a great number of idiocies on a regular daily basis. Despite his stupid nature, he shows moments of shining intellect, demonstrating the ability to do fast mathematical division and fixing Red's Pong machine. During a flashback scene, it is implied that Kelso used to be a bookish, motivated student until Hyde introduced him and Eric to marijuana when they were in junior high. Throughout the series, Kelso has made a large quantity of moronic quotes and performed many dimwitted blunders, and possesses numerous infantile qualities such as enjoying Christmas specials deemed childish by his peers and fussing when something is preventing him from viewing them. It also been hinted Kelso loves dogs. Like the other teenage male central characters of the series, Kelso also possesses an abundance of "horny" personality traits and appears especially fond of the idea of having sexual relations and the willingness to spoil his virginity results in the impregnation of a librarian named Brooke and the birth of a little girl named Betsy toward the end of the series. He fancies himself as quite attractive and capable of winning the affections of women such as Jackie Burkhart, with whom he has shared an on-again/off-again relationship throughout the course of the series. Kelso also likes bands such as Led Zeppelin, Foghat, Deep Purple, Aerosmith, KISS, Ted Nugent, Pink Floyd, AC/DC, The Rolling Stones, The Who and Molly Hatchet. It is revealed in the Halloween special that Kelso is a year older than the other teenagers due to being held back a year in the first grade, which angers Hyde knowing that all along Kelso is legally allowed to purchase beer for the teenagers. It is clear from Jackie and Kelso's relationship that Kelso definitely is not the one wearing the pants in his relationships; he is easily manipulated (Laurie pointed this out once and called him a "tool") and never fulfills his promise of breaking up with his girlfriend, although later it may simply be because he is afraid to break a woman's heart.[48] When he dates Annette in Season 5, he even remarks "It's good to be under someone's thumb again!" with a grin, suggesting he prefers his women to be controlling. After uttering this line, Fez asks him, "What did your mother do to you?" which Kelso answers with a stupid grin. In the Season 2 episode "Kelso's Serenade," he says, "I wish Jackie was still controlling me, I love being on a short leash." Kelso often remarks that he has an entire future planned out for him. He says this several times in the third and fourth season. This was apparently a way to convince others he was mature, but his friends viewed it as boastful and annoying. Kelso's only plan was to coast through his life on his good looks, and when he believes this might not happen, he greatly overreacts. He also has fallen off the water tower every year since Jr. High, a fact either explaining or explained by his idiocy. Kelso is naive and simple-minded compared to his other friends. Also, Fez describes him as being delicate and sensitive. However, as the series progresses, a slight growth and maturity can be seen in his character. It is revealed in the episode "Over the Hills and Far Away" that the origins of his stupidity was because he was dropped on his head as a kid. (which easily upsets him because everyone else had the grace to never mention it).

Fez is a main character on FOX teen comedy That '70s Show. He is portrayed by Wilmer Valderrama. Fez was born August 4, 1960. One of the shows running gags is that no one knows what country Fez is from. Fez is merely the phonetic version of the acronym FES: Foreign Exchange Student. His friends know his true name (the audience does not because when he says his name the high school bell is ringing), It is very long and he says the first five K's are silent. His friends say they are not going to remember it, as seen in a flashback episode so they decide to call him Fes(z) but Kelso suggested that they call him "Captain Poo-Face". What Valderrama was actually saying was the first names of the main actors who appear in the show. It was rumored that his mother and his true native homeland would be revealed in the series finale, but all were proved false. He once said he had Latin pride, which led Red to believe he was Latin. Fez retorted "No, only my pride is". He once said that he could speak Dutch in a job interview, and viewed this as "his strongest point". Also, Fez once claimed his country has never fought a war. In another episode, however, he alludes to the fact that his country "won the war" against Britain. In Stolen Car he referred to his country as "The beautiful island of-" but was interrupted. The last two indicate that he may be Indonesian. In another episode he tells the gang that his ancestors were not Mayan. Fez refuses to ever mention what country he is from.Another running gag for Fez in the show is his accent and slight lisp. Fez also tries to constantly pick up women flirting constantly with Donna, Jackie and even Laurie on a regular basis and he fails miserably every time. Fez's hormones and pervert like instincts always get the better of him and he resort to hiding in a closet like a pervert watching Donna and Eric having sex and has been caught on at least two occasions. Eric and Fez are pretty good friends, playing burns on each other, playfighting like the rest of the guys do, and complimenting each other friendly. Eric is especially helpful in keeping the peace following Red's heart attack over Laurie & Fez's marrying, to help Fez not get deported. Kitty Forman is basically the mother Fez never had. Very supportive, nurturing, smothering, and kind to him, Fez and Kitty have a very tight-knit relationship. Fez loves Kitty's upbeat and strong personality along with her protection of him while Kitty loves Fez's innocence, independence, happy go lucky, sensitive, and somewhat intellectual personality.Their relationship does take a bump in the road however towards the end of the series where Fez shouts to Kitty "You're not my mother!", exclaiming displeasure and disobedience in Kitty's demand for Fez to stop having one night stands. Kitty was very upset and disappointed over the whole ordeal and reminisced over their best moments as she was quiet for a while, which was unusual, especially for Red. Fez later apologized and the duo rekindled with open arms. Hyde and Fez start out by sharing the commonality of being more aware of how to romance girls than Eric and Kelso, while also being the competition to the latter two guys respective girlfriends, Donna and Jackie. Especially around Kelso, Fez and Hyde always share knowing looks and appreciate each other's burns where Kelso is oblivious. They also take to defend each other to the group or protect each other, such as when Eric and Donna post break-up fight over rights to the gang and Fez gets caught in the crossfire, or Fez attacking Kelso when the latter flushes their 'bag' stating that Kelso broke Hyde. Fez is also arguably the only guy not scared of standing up to Hyde and speaking his truth in the face of Hyde's potential retribution. However, this is one of Fez's common traits. The two start out as rivals for Jackie's affections, although she isn't ready to admit that she'd rather be with Fez until years later. Where Kelso is a complete schmuck when it comes to Jackie, and also cheats on her, Fez is suave, a great dancer and a romantic. Fez also tells Kelso straight up what he thinks of him and the two eventually bond over not being able to win Jackie (after Jackie and Kelso break up) and become close friends, although the two do have their moments, such as Kelso often looking down on Fez because he is a foreigner and Fez looking down on Kelso because of his ignorance. The friends have a secret somewhat man crush on each other but will never act on it. In the first half of the series, Fez longingly pined for Jackie Burkhart, worshiping her like a queen (although he was often just as annoyed by her as the other gang). Jackie either failed to realize his love for her or did not act upon it because he was too weird . They did share a kiss in one episode when he mistakenly thought Jackie was opening up to him. They shared another kiss when pretending to be dating to help Jackie keep her job. Michael Kelso, Jackie's boyfriend, quickly socked him in the face. Jackie revealed to her friend Donna that she did enjoy his display of affection. Other times that Jackie has shown a small interest in Fez include the time when he wowed her with his dancing moves at a Disco and when he helped her win at a Roller Disco contest.Jackie got drunk to celebrate her win and hit on Fez. After battling with his light and dark side (shown as two shrunken Fezs on each of his shoulders dressed as Batman and The Riddler), he decided to be a gentleman and not take advantage of her. The two did go on a date when Jackie broke up with Kelso, but Fez was let down when he realised that Jackie had not yet gotten over Kelso. He was also disgusted that she was engorging herself with food.Towards the end of the series, she finally realizes her feelings for him and kisses him but he rejects her. Jackie later sought revenge after being hurt Fez turned her down because of his assumption that she only wanted him because he was "a third base" to Hyde and Kelso. After Jackie's revenge's destruction is done, Fez gets even by ruining her hair and reminding her of all her previous rejections to him and calls her an awful person for hurting her actions. After brief tensions, he realizes his error but is turned away with this failure, he tries to go back to his country. Though after she is persuaded by his friend, she comes to see she genuinely likes him and stops him from leaving. In the Season 8 episode before the finale, the two finally confessed their feelings and become boyfriend and girlfriend.

#archie andrews #betty cooper #veronica lodge #jughead jones #reggie mantle #kevin keller #riverdale #that 70's show

[ginnyzero]

Trivialization of Writing in Today’s Society

Writing is an important skill. Writing is more than the ability to write the alphabet and string the letters into words. Writing is the way we express ideas. It is an important tool in our society from writing business letters, making deals, interviews, pitching projects to writing sermons and stories.

Schools would teach creative writing in the lower classes. But then as students got older, this was phased out in favor of business writing, pitch papers and essays. These pitch papers and essays were touted as important skills that students needed to learn to survive in the university environment and the bigger world. And the ability to tell a story, which is what the basis of these essays and pitch papers were really about, became lost and ‘less important’ in the scheme of things. (The structure of an essay is just as important as a structure of a story.)

Writing, storytelling, the ability to string words together into a cohesive, coherent whole with a beginning, middle and ending isn’t valued. The idea that writing a book is work is actually laughed at. Writing if it isn’t journalism or scientific papers is not considered a viable career. We recommend our children become doctors and lawyers. People who follow protocols and rules, instead of encouraging to be creative and think freely.

For some reason there is a prevailing attitude in our society that anyone can write a novel and be good at it. Media encourages this view. I can think of two shows that I like off the top of my head about how Doctors, a Medical Examiner and a Forensic Anthropologist are both writers. Media has pushed that these two fact loving rational people have the creativity to write novels and write novels well that apparently have emotional appeal that connect to audiences. (I am still trying to figure out after 11 Seasons of Bones when Brennan actually has time to write these novels. And I’m not sure now when Maura has time to write her novel.)

They put forth this message that writing a novel is relatively easy and fame is assured once you’re published. However, I find it hard to believe that both of these very analytical characters are able to connect to an audience. With Brennan they try to explain that Angela is her “human editor” and comes up with the scenes that aren’t fact driven. It really burned me that they showed Clark Edison getting a novel deal while they used excerpts on how horrible writing was for laughs. They also cut out the fact he'd need an agent, not go to the publisher's directly. They made it seem even horrible writers could easily get a book deal. Thankfully, this was never brought up again. (Maura got a critic from her editor that her characters were flat and her setting didn't come alive and I cheered. Yes, constructive criticism that made sense!) Even the procedural Castle, who was about a writer assisting a homicide detective, used a writer who was already successful and just suffering from writer’s block. At least he seems to understand story and has emotional grounding to connect to an audience. But they still avoided that it takes time, effort, talent and learned skill to write a novel. (Castle always wrote off screen.)

There are a lot of people who believe that they can write a novel despite not having done any creative writing since third grade. (I think I may have done some creative writing in ninth grade for class but I went to a private high school.) A lot of people think that they have a novel in them. Without thinking through the entire process or knowing how a novel is structured. And if they’re willing to take the time to learn about structure and put the effort into sitting down and writing. Then more power to them, yay, more people being creative. However, most people do not have the fortitude or the desire to write novel even if they think they can. So those that do take the time and put forth the effort to write a novel, even if it isn’t the greatest novel aren’t taken seriously because “anybody can do that.”

No. It takes skill. It takes knowledge. It takes a certain amount of talent. And it takes practice. You have to learn to do it by doing it over and over again. I started writing in seventh grade and my first story was a horrible piece of shit that had no conflict and no hardship. For a very long time I was so conflict adverse, I could barely put it into my stories. I have chapters and chapters of stories on my laptop that have great characters, great worlds, but are in the end boring because there was no conflict. Dialogue, conflict, action, world building, characters, each of these ideas takes a certain amount of time and ability to do properly. It doesn’t come easily or naturally. It can be tiring and difficult and depressing. One has to learn to do it. Sometimes you get it right. Sometimes you fail. It’s work. (And I find it fun, oh woe is me.)

I’m not a lawyer. I haven't learned the law code. I wouldn’t want to represent myself in court. I’m not a doctor. I don't know more than super basic anatomy. I wouldn’t perform surgery on myself or anyone else. I’m not a plumber. I can’t fix the leaks in my pipes. I haven't learned that skill. And I don’t expect my plumber, lawyer, doctor to be able to write even as I value their services as plumbers, lawyers, and doctors.

A doctor can heal your disease. A writer can take you to a far away place on a journey of your imagination for hours on end and distract you from pain and disease both emotional and physical.

But we aren’t given the credit we deserve. There are places where writers are barely given credit at all; movies, video games. Things that hinge on having a good story. Having a good story to hook your viewers and players into your game is just as important if not more important than having a good visual look and good game play mechanics. But who gets the credit if things go right for a movie? The director and the actors. Who gets credit when things go badly for a movie? The director and the actors. Who gets credit for a game outside of the studio? The guy in charge of the studio or the game director.

Writers aren’t really on the sets during the filming of movies. If a book writer has their property being turned into a film or television show. They don’t get to adapt it themselves. They don’t have a say in what gets changed. They’ve basically sold the rights of their own intellectual property away and have no control on how it is presented to the public. When a screen writer writes a scene that is important to the plot of the movie and the director or the editor decide to cut it for whatever reason, the screen writer doesn’t get the chance to protest that the story will no longer make sense. There are writers who get no credit for working on the script at all. They are called script fixers and it is their job to take a script and make it better.

And you would think that in fandom circles where it thrives on the exchange of free ideas it would be different. At one time, it was considered taboo to make money off of anyone else’s intellectual property. But changing times and trends and a more Japanese view of copyright began to infiltrate fandom as fandom has become more accepted and less secretive. Huge companies are turning blind eyes to copyright infringement as it brings more attention to their brand that they don’t have to pay for. There isn’t as much fear of being sued. It is almost considered normal now in fandom for artists to take fan art commissions to earn a little extra money to get through college.

But fan fiction commissions? Blasphemy. You “don’t do it.” You don’t talk about doing it. Fan creators still get greatly uncomfortable with the idea that someone could pay another person to write them something. Despite the fact it takes time and effort and talent to write as much as it takes time, effort and talent to draw. I am not saying that fan fiction writers should be paid for their work. That's a different kettle of fish. However, like a fan artist who takes commissions, there is a double standard if a fan fiction writer can't do the same. Many fan fiction writers wouldn't dream of trying to make money off writing fan fiction, just as many fan artists wouldn't dream of making money off their fandom art. However, it is an acceptable practice for artists to do so and unacceptable concept for fan fiction writers to even think about it. But, there is also now a dialogue about it in fandom circles and eventually capitalism will determine if it happens or not.

Writing is an important skill and a learned skill. The ability to tell a story in a cohesive, concise and coherent way is important in all types of work. It is too bad that our society doesn’t see it that way.

[flickwatches]

OWL Season 2 Preseason Ranking

20. Toronto Defiant

I really wanted to put Washington here because I have no faith in that team.  But the Toronto has a main tank I’m unfamiliar with and Main Tanks were extremely important in OWL way before goats meta.  I see Neko and Envy and it really inspires me.  I see Bishop and I’m like wow.  But Bishop doesn’t really have a history of winning in Overwatch lately.  From London to Cloud9 he really hasn’t been producing W’s.  I like the roster a lot and maybe the meta shifts heavily in there favor but right now I don’t think Neko can fix a frontline issue.

19. Washington Justice

I do not like this roster.  The late addition (they were all late) of Gido and Ado really inspires me but if Ado wasn’t enough to get Shanghai 1 W than he won’t be enough in what mite possibly be a more difficult season. 28 games and more down time in between.  Well rested players, highly practiced, and prepared for there matches.  Janus is really strong in this lineup and so are the coaches.  I guess this roster would do pretty good in NA contenders. 

18. Chengdu Hunters

I don’t trust the roster or the process.  Highest level league play does something to teams with potential.  It chews them up and spits them out.  Maybe this is the good side of the Chinese scene that Shanghai never showed us in season 1.  I probably have them ranked too low but what the Dragons did in season 1 worries me. 

17.  Guangzhou Charge

Either this team will be surprisingly good or really bad.  It really depends on the coaching staff and how well they are supported by the org. A lot of there season depends on Rio and how well he works with the different players on the roster. They mite catch themselves halfway thru the season and start playing well. 

16. Florida Mayhem

I like the roster a lot.  I know BQB was accused of boosting but he’s extremely talented.  xepheR is really good. Solid DPS, decent tanks, good supports (hopefully way better than last year).  Coaching staff and org staff still seems really small.  They could surprise people depending on the meta.

15. Boston Uprising

Huk, Could be worst team in the league.  Three main tanks.  Poorly coached and managed.  Extremely talented players. 

14.Shanghai Dragons

I don’t want to rank them this low but I’m floating 3-4 teams around this spot.  They haven’t won a game in OWL yet.  Hopefully they have a nice schedule of lower level teams and they can produce some quality wins.  Org seems ready to commit this season so I expect huge problems will be scorched away quickly. 

13. Seoul Dynasty

Fissure is cool I guess.  They have a balanced roster, experienced team, and a schedule system that will highly benefit them.  Older players mite not listen to new in game leadership this far into there careers. I’m not very confident in there synergy and I wanted to rank them a few spots back.  They do have piles and piles of talent tho.  

12. San Francisco Shock

If we remove all the DPS players from the roster and look closely will see some problems.  Mid tier off tanks and mid tier main tanks.  New season same problem.  One of there main tanks need to play at a higher level.  Off tank can exist well enough if there main tank plays well enough.  Support trio could be strong depending on the meta. 

11. Houston Outlaws

I have my personal disagreements with how they play.  I’m a fan of them and they upset me from time to time.  In a goats meta having someone like Spree who can slide into that 2nd DPS spot and play Zarya is amazing.  They won’t use Spree like that.  Houston is going to fuddle thru the season and end up worse than 11th.  Could easily reach top 8 if they make good decisions before matches even start. They prepare pretty poorly and depend to heavily on classic 2/2/2 roster lineups to play the game.  Polar opposite of what the Eastern OW scene has been doing lately. 

10. Atlanta Reign

May have similar issues with Houston.  Roster has built in solutions to potential problems but the team mite not use them.  I’m very big on the roster even without Dafran.  Front line has synergy.  Backup Academy front line also has great synergy.  Supports are questionable but Academy support duo is extremely experienced and reliable.  DPS is very solid for a trio.  Has 1 map sub potential which can be very powerful in OWL.  Team is built to work no matter what.  Mite not be lead in right direction to succeed.  

9.  Los Angeles Valiant

There mistakes finally show up in there results.  Remember when “development” was a big part of there OW decision making???  Suddenly you have an APEX coach and his players are at the top of the roster. This team goes as far as Kariv can take them while covering every hole on the roster. Honestly if this team finishes top 4 with Kariv starting at DPS he’ll deserve OWL MVP.  \

8. Dallas Fuel

I’m very high on them and very low on them at the same time.  Added players, added coaching staff, re commitment to the team on a whole. Schedule change will be huge for them.  New season same problem.  What happens when a projectile meta happens???  They’ll be able to play it but main players who aren’t as good as the bench players will have to play or bench players will have to step into major roles.  Could cause problems with how well they’ll play this season.  Dallas and Seoul need to remember how to win to be successful again. 

7. Vancouver Titans

They will have problems.  May it be there org or just how there playing.  They will struggle.  But this team has too much experience and inner support to just fall apart.  Where the org or players fail the fans and team will pick up.   They won’t get this far and go down without a fight. The talent difference will start to show throughout the season but they will overcome it as a team. 

6. Los Angeles Gladiators

I got a little down on them but than I remembered how well they play.  The support trio will play well no matter what. Surefour will show up.  Decay and R0ar will show up.  Void should be better this season if they don’t want to play Bischu.  Will win games like they’ve been here before. 

5. Philadelphia Fusion

I got a little down on them.  I love what Elk will bring to the team but he’s just a Lucio.  Poko is the only off tank.  When will Eqo run out of talent?  Will they even play Fragi during goats meta?  But they are a force of nature.  Carpe won’t give up.  Much like the Gladiators they’ve been here before and it will show. 

4. Hangzhou Spark

 I am extremely high on this team.  And also a huge X6 Gaming fan.  Krystal and Godsb (a widow god).  Ria and Nosmite AND Guxue if they want to mix up the main tank role.  I love this roster and its potential.  Mite step into the league like NYXL. 

3. Paris Eternal 

Maybe I forgot to rank them a few spots ago and just put them here (maybe).  I was very high on France in the OWWC and was a little disappointed.  The roster and staff is fucking stacked to the roof.  From Kruise on Support leading the team, Main tanks Benbest and Lhcloudy, and to the stacked DPS lineup of Soon and Shadowburn.  If OWL ever goes into a Dive meta they will near the top. 

2. New York Excelsior 

Hmmm.  

Hmm.

Could be #1.  They have the roster to go 28-0.  But its 28 games will bigger breaks between games this season.  I like to think that benefits the next team the most. 

1. London Spitfire

Back to back champions?  Barely any change to the roster and that’s ok.  The biggest offseason addition was the change to the regular season format.  Strong new teams should challenge London but I knew a few will bow before the world champions.  Look out for a repeat.  

Conclusion

I wrote this far too fast and without enough research (LOL I guess).  I’ve watched a lot of Hangzhou Spark players already on X6 Gaming.  We already know how good some of these teams already are.  This is mostly speculation.  And meta shifts could turn this list upside down at any moment.  

#Flick Watches #OWL #Overwatch League #London Spitfire #New York Excelsior #Paris Eternal #Hangzhou Spark #Philadelphia Fusion #los angeles gladiators #Vancouver Titans #Dallas Fuel #Los Angeles Valiant #Atlanta Reign #Houston Outlaws #San Francisco Shock #Seoul Dynasty #Shanghai Dragons #Florida Mayhem #Boston Uprising #Guangzhou Charge #Chengdu Hunters #Washington Justice #Toronto Defiant #Overwatch #Opinion Article #lol tags

[scooperkin]

I've seen someone draw the puppet with muscles (I have the picture on my phone)

Sorry I got a bit carried away with my insight on this and the fnaf characters, style and designs in the form of horror media so it’s long and under readmore

Forgive me for any writing errors, this was written on impulse and I probably won’t look into fleshing it out:

I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with art or portrayals of the Puppet with more human-based anatomy features but it’s tiring to see this non-stereotypical gendered entity/child’s toy that isn’t supposed to be presented as anything near human both for the in-universe creative of the children’s imaginations, but also as a horror character that is importantly keep vague because a as a horror character, the unknown of what it could be and it’s odd undefined behavior coupled with this vague humanoid but, UNhuman frame makes it scary to in-universe adults, as well as real fans.

So seeing it so commonly characterized as a shapely-human just ruins the original intent and just takes away my interest in whatever story or fanart is being presented to me. And while this is a personal opinion and really doesn’t matter in what content people should do as if it disinterests me I’ll move on but those who enjoy it will still enjoy it. And there also fan content I’ll still occasionally remain interested that present not just the Puppet but other fnaf characters in campier and, stylistic content; any more serious, spooky, horror or more faithful fan media that has both the Puppet and other FNAF characters portrayed more comfortably artistic light, such as the Puppet having a “motherly” body shape (most likely thanks to Living Tombstone’s FNAF 2 song), as well as Toy Chica’s already feminine body pushed further with more defined features about her body (*ahem* boobies). And notice again how a lot of this is more aimed at the more “feminine” of the cast.

Circus Baby, along with Ballora, are the only animatronics that ends up being drawn straight up as organic entities even when in the presence of their fellow Funtimes, still depicted as their more horrific, robot designs. It’s fine if they’re drawn as regular furries and Baby and Ballora as human women (or little girl), its a chosen style someone chose, and again this isn’t wrong just because I don’t find it interesting enough, it’s not my cup of tea and I move on. But, several times I’ve come to accounter, more organically designed characters often are reduced to basic human features in their design. The Puppet gets curvy, Ballora and Baby get real hair that fluffies and moves organically, Baby herself often made into a tiny cute friendly young girl. The (fixed) Mangle, and Funtime Foxy getting more curves and floof. And don’t even get me started on people who sexualize these characters to the point they’re just human bodies with cartoon heads to just be more comfortable with consuming not safe for work content of them, proving as well these character’s designs, in the long run, don’t matter in this nsfw work, but that’s a different subject on a different type of content for a different day. (And notice how all these characters are feminine? While Scrap Baby can be portrayed as a cute girl in fan content but Molten Freddy is still what he is in the game in his fan content.)

Circus Baby is highlighted by the fact she is a massive robot towering over even the tallest of men, a single eye of her’s can fit two if not four pairs of human eyes in it’s size. Her fingers, thicker than most children’s arms. Is TERRIFYING. And she’s supposed to be. She’s a horror game character. Her scale towers over adults, their parents, the protectors of their children. Her movements are jerky and uncanny, her stare to an older audience member or child can give them the creeps. But ultimately her design–safe, safe for children to run up to, and safe for a child to trust. While her existence and design as a whole in-universe and above the surface is so supposed to be a large child, an older sister, still young enough to play with you but old enough to trust to be alone with. But behind the stage, back underground, that’s not who she really is. I’ve never seen Circus Baby as a giant child as she is seen to the outside world, no because underground, in the darkness she’s kept, we’re shown the real her, the true her. She isn’t some dumb playful child, she is a discerning actor. And her “real” mental age can be debated and discussed among fans, but it’s clear she isn’t an arrogant child. And more specifically for me, I see her depicted as an actress. An actress who’s been conformed to take on this child role both on and off stage. She purposely has a voice higher, she purposely choices her innocent-word structuring. She’s acting, she’s Pretending for the sake of her own safety against this Location she’s in. When even being off character for a moment such as taking a rest off your stage gives you a painful shock. It’s not too unusual as several stars and actors, usually young and more impressionable ones are told to act a certain way even with off-screen. A good example of this is several child stars on the work of Disney Channel original series. They tell their actresses to dress a certain way, to speak in a higher voice, don’t be serious, always smile. Because it earns the trust and love from children viewers better than just, Bella Thorne or Miley Cyrus being her honest self off set to their younger fans. Too risky, keep your voice pitched up. And even though you’re 19 please, please don’t act like it, act younger, the kids won’t ever relate to you if you sound too old, if you act to old. So while Baby and the other Funtimes’ situation is a very exaggerated version of this (no don’t worry no disney stars are getting shocked when they don’t act hard enough) to the point that it’s a horror genre story about it makes sense why this is unsettling as a player and in the Funtimes’ shoes.

So while Baby does everything to keep pretending, this is something Ballora can’t do. Ballora can’t pretend, she refuses. She refuses to pretend when under the surface away from the crowds and people, where she’s alone and can be herself. But she doesn’t get that, she gets shocked and ends up being scooped to “fix” her. Too much free will. Foxy isn’t explored as much but I feel goes through the same trouble as Ballora. And the only one who is seemingly left unpunished is Funtime Freddy, not even getting his own room, just stored somewhere until it’s time for a show. It’s implied he’s either the least sentient out of the cast or the one who acts closest to his original programmed personality. But either reason leaves him unpunished, not locked away for safety and disobedience. He’s unpunished but left alone in a single storage room. But whoops maybe having him follow his programming better than the others wasn’t the best idea. As he gets confused to when he’s on or off stage, when he should be sleeping, forgetting this hug is too tight for a child, or that said child is actually an employee that happened to go into the Breaker Room and is in fact not a birthday boy.

So Baby is unsettling both by design, in context, as well as her history, being created by the infamous William Afton making her again, do things she didn’t want to. So when I see her turned down into cutesy little teen girl or small child, and portrayed as such, I can’t help but again lose interest. And once again this is more of a personal preference, that isn’t how I understood Baby to be, or that she needed to be fixed from a large scary robot to cutesy bab. But it’s how others want it and I step away.

And I know this sounds like I’m going everywhere with this, and barely has to do with your ask, but I fear my post may have been mistaken as I feel this ask is talking about a way people shouldn’t draw or portray the Puppet when I wasn’t trying to say and I’m sorry if it came across that way.

As it stands a muscular portrayal of the Puppet is harmless, and a rarity in re-contributing fan media when compared to the more favored “curvy” puppet design trend. And of course these portrayals are no big deals in the end, and it’s just a preference but, I see more and more young artists following these trends because they seem more normalized. And no it’s not the original artists, of the young artist’s lack of understanding but, the fact that a lot of the fnaf fandom doesn’t treat fnaf like the horror media it is. Which is fine on it’s own, but when it’s brought up, I can’t help but look at a large side of fans like I’m looking at a Happy Tree Friends AMV with a song like this. Yeah Happy Tree Friends is a disturbing creation on it’s own but it’s not because it’s done in seriousness and the fact it’s cutesy IS what makes it disturbing, not any relevance it has to a subject or stories its trying to tell. So paired with a song as intestine and serious in tone as this one just seems…. silly. The editor wanted it to be horrific and scary but with the content at hand… it’s nearly impossible to do and takes a lot of figuring out to make work and only a few horror media can pull it off. And once again maybe this is just a me problem and how I intake content, for me FNAF is a horror story, a tragedy, it keeps you up at night not because the fiction itself is scary, but the contents implied and the contents hinted. Freddy Krueger was a sadistic child murderer in life because it was the evilest and scariest human conduct he could think of. And it’s why it’s so disturbing in FNAF that this ominous purple figure for the first few games was clouded in mystery and terrifying because while Krueger he killed innocent children, the purple figure was scarier over the fact he worked with these children, and he might still have worked with said children and he was Never caught and we didn’t even know his name back then. But we, the player saw him. Then we’re given just his vague actions of not only killing innocent children for no rhyme or reason (and any reasons at the time being just as horrifying )he then“Stuffed the victims in the animatronics” makes you think about how utterly disturbing that is. How did he even manage to do that, how did they not find him, that’s so horrible? And if the Puppet did that, why? The Puppet is vaguely sympathetic or is it? Because why would it do something so disturbing and as horrible as stuffing children into metal suits to the point their blood and organs leaked out, even in the name of “saving” them. It’s still horrible! It’s still tragic!

So when I see attempts at acknowledging in the horror in FNAF I want to give reminders that despite everything, Baby was HORRIFYINGLY big, looked had a cuteness that leaves people with the uncanny feeling of a porcelain doll’s stare. (as well as Ballora’s horrific treats being based off that).

That the Puppet despite everything it’s not a human, and has never been shown to bend in the same way a human can, and when it does move its arms and legs are still stretched out in space as it jumps in to kill you.

And to keep aspects like this when creating fan horror content or original horror content. The simplest of choices are usually the best ones, the feeling of being unable to move while your vague unknown attacker's inch closer and closer, to walk blindly in the dark with dangerous creatures. And in the end of this scary tragedy, or wanting things to be happy again, trying to solve the mystery, trying to make the horrible less horrible, only death awaited. For all of us.

[aabaker1]

Just finished Harvey Girls season 2

First spoiler-free Version. Season two of Harvey Street Kids or Harvey Girls Forever call it what you want, was...uneven. The season started and ended in good places, but there was a block of three episodes towards the middle that just fell flat. Good new characters, though only a few of them got developed. And I am really hesitant about the cliffhanger, it could easily go wrong in a lot of ways.

Okay time for the full rundown after the break.

Hoo boy this series had some highs and lows. I’ll break down by episode and then final thoughts.

Raiders of the Lost Park:

Okay does anyone else notice that the episode titles Netflix presents aren’t always the same as the ones on the title card? It’s not that big a deal, but come on, it’s Dreamworks and Netflix. A little consistency would be appreciated.

Nice way to start the series. This was a risky move, introducing brand new characters was one thing, but giving Audrey and Melvin, two established characters, brand new siblings? That was taking a risk. If I had to complain about something the tension and strife Dot caused in the season 1 finale was brushed aside way too quickly, but that’s a nit pick at most.

Dottie Rocket/Weekend at Audrey’s:

Good Dot episode, nice to see her obsessive compulsiveness get the better of her sometimes. But, Dot sill came back down to Earth in the end, even if it took a sugar-induced hallucination to do it.

Digital pets kicking the bucket, sigh, I can relate. But Audrey was just a bit out of character here. Not her recklessness, but her attempts at covering up. Audrey is not the type of person to hide mistakes, get frustrated by them, sure, but not hide them. Okay, she didn’t want to disappoint Lotta, but Audrey just doesn’t have that kind of deception in her.

Boy Story/ Puzzle, Puzzle, Toil and trouble.

And this is what I meant by character development. It’s nice to see that even the Bloogie Boys have limits, and legitimately like more than stereotypical boy hobbies. Also, nice touch remembering Dot and Pinkeye are friends.

Frufru, getting character development? Didn’t we already do this in season one? Okay, I know, people don’t just change overnight. But, for being so eager to be recognized for her brains, Frufru was a bit too quick to cheat. Though nice callback to Audrey Parkour. And I seriously don’t want to know why there’s an old well full of butter, that is just leads to several nasty implications.

Treasure of the Sierra Harvey/ Babies Day in:

And the character development continues, this time for TIny. Also not all old toys are dangerous. The treasure trove of old toys idea has been done before, but this wasn’t a bad example. Though I thought for sure Tiny was going to leave his action figure behind in the storm drain.

And a nice way to show that Lotta’s compassion can get out of hand some times. Also nice way to show that raccoons aren’t always jerks. Just gonna say it now, ninja pajamas, just ninja pajamas. Also, Dot, running bare-foot, outside, in the park? What kind of bizzaro world is this?

The Lice Storm/ Mission Impossibow:

This one kinda fell flat for me. Audrey over reacting is expected enough, but everyone going along with it, including Dot, that was a bit too far. But, the big letdown was the Harvey Avenue Kids. Okay we’ve seen them before in season one, but this was there chance to shine. And most of them came off as background filler, just like before. Penny was the only one who got any kind of development. But, she and bald Audrey did just enough to save this ep for me.

Decent episode and it shows Dot’s possible great weakness. She’s creative, but in a scientific, A, to B, to C kind of way. Imagining fantasy scenarios on the spot is just not in here wheelhouse, props to her stepping outside of her comfort zone.  Bow initiated the plot here, but didn’t get a lot of character development. But, I’m okay with that. The Bow doesn’t really need development. She’s the bow, the weird kid who does her own thing, sometimes you don’t need to add more to make something good. My only complaint is that there just wasn’t enough of her this season, but I guess there can be too much of a good thing. Did I mention Bow’s my favorite character? Could you tell?

Fandom Menace/Moby Dot:

This one was a meh for me. It didn’t do Lotta any favor. I know she’s the trusting type, but she’s not dumb and certainly not the type to willfully delude herself. I think this was a bit of a miss step. Thankfully they didn’t do the cliche of scamming Zoe out of the ticket she sold. Lotta’s online appeal did fit her character and kudos to Crush4you to being stand up guys and respecting their fans like that.

The Cheer Hunter: Dot’s entertainment:

And more character development in an unexpected direction. So far Zoe’s two appearances had her solidly in the antagonist role, but here we she she’s actually a person, not just a stereotype. Also Maria feeling generally dissed by Zoe fast-tracking Lotta felt genuine. It’s nice to see them do plots that don’t involve someone getting their comeuppance. And everybody coming together to cheer Lotta up was a perfect touch. Also, Dot and Stu being completely (whatever) to the whole situation was funny as hell.

And once again we have Dot at her Obsessive Compulsive best. She discovers a new side to herself and like Dot, naturally takes this to the extreme. Also, nice to get a glimpse of how Dot’s brain works.  Also, Fluffy’s still around, what? You do remember that was just a rat covered in garbage can fuzz, right?

I wanna Crush Your Hand:

And this is where the dip in the season started. I’m just going to say it now, I’m not the target demo for boy bands, not by a long shot. But, that wasn’t the problem I had with this episode. No the main problem was Lotta’s obsession taking up the whole spotlight. It felt like Audrey and Dot just got shoved into the background. Plus this episode just dragged. I’ve gotta say it, I think the two stories an ep format works best for this series. The double-length story just doesn’t fit, here.

Beyond Thunder Dot: Ten things I hate about Ew:

And this is where the season hit the valley for me. Seriously, you’re doing the “Let’s shove the environmental message down kids throats” Thing in 2019? I thought that went out of fashion in the 2010s. But, the most galling thing for me was all that character developing they were doing came to a complete halt. Frufru’s character development? Nah, let’s just turn her into a low rent Captain Planet villain. And since when did Dot get that preachy? I’m sorry but this got so painful for me I had to stop the ep and walk away. Ten things I hate about Ew might have been a decent episode, I don’t know. And I never will if I have to sit through this outdated, anvilicious garbage to get to it.

Something’s Glotta Give/Afernoon Contrite:

I think the main thing with this story is it made no sense to me. I thought Gerald and Lotta got together in season one, now Lucretia’s trying to hook them up, what?

This is where the season started to pick back up for me. It’s nice to see that even after the previous character development Melvin can still be Melvin. It’s nice to see that Lotta tries to fix things, even if she did it by accident, but naive Lotta is back and I just don’t know how I feel about that. Still seeing Melvin get a bit more character growth saved this one.

Can’t Hardly Wait/Bring it Prawn:

Ah that’s more like it. This touches my fanfic-writing heart. It’s nice to see Lucretia stretching her active imagination. It’s also nice to see the Audrey Girls and  Tiny encouraging her self confidence. Plus in short order we got return of Audrey the Destroyer, Sci-Fi Dot and Lotta Moon, what’s not to love?

Thank you! Thank you for showing that cartoon siblings can do more than just fight with each other. This almost makes up for the environmental debacle, almost. In one fell swoop we see Maria and Melvin get along and Zoe and Audrey put their differences aside and work together for a common cause. Bonus points seeing Zoe stick up for Audrey. Audrey may be an annoying twerp, but she’s Zoe’s annoying twerp, damn it! Also, anyone else imagine buff Zoe and Audrey when Dot kept saying aabs.

Hover, may I board with danger/free Gilly:

And here’s Stu’s character development. Stu always seemed the odd man out. While Zoe and Maria have Audrey and Melvin to play off of, Stu was just sort of there. Now we see his too cool for school attitude is really a front for him being sensitive and a little insecure, that’s a nice touch. Also Audrey gets to grow as a person. First she was just legit conning Stu for time on the hover board, which was really just a Segway without the handles, but then she genuinely gets into the contact juggling. And one of her plans actually works for once, what? Also, what is up with Bobby this season, last season he was the older kid who doled out sage advice and could be a little jerkish sometimes. Now this season the sage advice stuff is all but gone and we just get the jerk, everyone else gets character development, but Bobby actually backslides a bit, guess they had to cut corners somewhere. 

Finally a payoff to the running gag of Audrey’s goldfish issues. Nice to see that finally wrapped up. But, was it strictly necessary to give the animals voices? Okay, I admit it wasn’t so bad for Bobby the skunk, but every freaking animal? Yeesh, I mean there is such a thing as subtlety.

That thing you Dot!/Where the streets have no games:

You know, at first I thought I was going to hate bring Chevron back, didn’t she and Dot make peace back in season one? But, then I found that I really didn’t hate it. Dot used the wrong word. Chevron is not a frenemy, she’s a competitor and that may actually be a good thing. Dot and Chevron are very similar, they like to take hobbies to the absolute extreme and there’s nothing wrong with that. They two drive each other to succeed. In fact if they didn’t have each other they probably wouldn’t do half as much as they do. And Kudos bring Penny back and giving her a voice, she’s going to be the lead Harvey Avenue kid, I just feel it.

And here we are, okay, I’ll go through ep first before getting to the diamond-studded elephant in the room. Nice commentary on mobile games and how their designed to addict you. And yeah they really are just excuses to gather data. Also, nice touch Lotta and Audrey being the only ones who weren’t suckered in. Sadly Dot’s obsessive compulsive tendencies made her an easy target. But, then we go into that cliffhanger. Yeesh, that cliffhanger.

Finale Thoughts:

I’ll just say it. I know they were going to pull Richie in at some point. But to quote the Bow, not this way. The entire idea behind Richie Rich is that in spite of being the richest kid on Earth, Richie was a normal, average kid, who just wanted to make friends and have fun. He was never portrayed as being snobbish, sheltered or clueless.

Only now it’s clear Richie set up the mobile game and the contest to try to figure out how kids have fun. Not only is being clueless, he’s using money to try to solve his problems, which Richie never did.

And worse it’s predictable. I can tell where this story is going. The Harvey girls together maxed out the fun-o-meter, so Richie’s going to take them off to his estate to be his new friends and the Harvey Girls are going to bring him down to Earth.

But, they shouldn’t have to. Richie has always been portrayed as already being down to Earth. Now they’re going out of their way to portray Richie as a clueless rich kid who doesn’t understand how the real world works, and that is just wrong. That’s not Richie. Although nice touch with the Irona reference.

But, there’s something that worries me even more. Now that you’ve pulled the pin on Richie, where do you go with him from here, does he become a regular? I hate to say it, but I hope not. 

You have to remember, that by default, Richie is the biggest presence in the room. If you over use him he could quickly over shadow Audrey and the others, in fact, he already has once before.

I’m taking about Harvey Comics. For over ten years, Audrey, Lotta, Dot and their friends ruled Harvey comics. Then Richie, Wendy and Casper came along. And within a few short years Audrey and company were all but forgotten. I just hope to go they have enough sense not to try to make this the Richie Rich show. I think they do. I think they understand a way to use Richie right and they already done it in the same episode, with Chevron.

Chevron is a big personality, so they don’t overuse her. So far she’s shown up once a season and that’s just right for her. It’s all she needs. If she were on regularly she’d drown the others out too much. But, this way when she shows up it’s a big deal. I think that’s the perfect approach to take with Richie, less is more. Just don’t turn him into a clueless rich kids, please? 

#harvey-street-kids #Harvey-Girls-Forever

[sky-fortress]

oc masterpost

uhh so with the oc question thing i reposted i realized i’ve never actually made a masterpost of my characters, so here it is! it’s going to be a long one, so everything of importance is under the keep reading. 

each character will have their own little info blurb (length depends on how developed they are and how much i have to say about them)

this post will also be linked in the bio of this blog and on my art blog (( @sazand0ra )) so if i reblog an oc question post and you want to ask something, you can just pop back and look! ❤

PKMN TRAINERS

Phika “Phoenix” Artemovich 

Phika is an Interpol agent, rank Superintendent, who lives in Jubilife City. She started on her Pokémon journey around Sinnoh when she was 10, traveling for about six-seven years and visiting Johto and Kanto in the process. She joined Interpol when she was 17 and has been working there for 12 years (she’s 29 as of right now). 

She’s not the most mentally strong (she cries very easily), as work leaves her stressed and sleep-deprived, though she always tries to perform her best. On top of that, she also believes that she was cursed by Darkrai when she was 19 -- though she doesn’t dare let anyone in Sinnoh know because of how superstitious people are. Phika is very kind and gentle, earning her the codename “Agent Mother,” and is very protective of her friends, family, and Pokémon. 

PKMN Team: Infernape (starter), Luxray, Gengar, Milotic, Togekiss, Steelix

Bella Émilie

Bella is a Pokémon trainer from Courmarine City in the Kalos region. She ran away from home at age 14 after receiving a Froakie from Professor Sycamore (he made a special visit to Courmarine City to talk to her about being a trainer w/o her mom’s knowledge). As a result, Bella is fiercely independent and almost unbearably stubborn -- she’s also carrying along quite the superiority complex with her, hiding deep-seated feelings of inferiority with a cold and aggressive exterior. 

She ended up taking on Team Flare as per the plot of X/Y, though she never really got along with the main friend group (Calem, Shauna, Tierno, and Trevor). Her and Calem also had their own rivalry, though she never thought of it as one because of how easily she beat him down every time they battled (her superiority complex shone through whenever they interacted). However, as of now, nine years later (she’s 23), she’s mellowed out some, though those feelings of inferiority haven’t quite gone away. Bella’s also close friends with Phika and may or may not have a small crush on her (she does), though she does tend to worry about how little Phika takes care of herself.

PKMN Team: Greninja (starter), Talonflame, Sylveon, Haxorus, Lucario, Meowstic 

Lyssa Ahreiz-Ridecki

Lyssa is a mechanic from Goldenrod City in the Johto region. She wasn’t really that interested in Pokémon battling when she was growing up, and preferred to spend time in her dad’s workshop, helping him to tinker with and fix machines, and go around the city with him fixing appliances and other things for people. As a result, she became a mechanic herself, establishing a name for herself in Goldenrod City and the surrounding area (her father is very proud of her for that). 

However, her talent unintentionally got her caught up in organized crime. Lyssa was recruited by the Pokémon Pinchers to work as a mechanic for them, fixing their Control Gauntlets and Z. Z. Flyers. Though she wasn’t told at first everything about the devices she was fixing, Lyssa eventually figured out what was going on and tried her best to throw a wrench in the works (figuratively) whenever she could. Eventually, as the leadership of the Pinchers began to break down, she left -- and ended up getting a little more into Pokémon battling, after realizing that she might need to be able to defend herself better in the future. Right now, she’s caught up with an android named Robyn and Silph Co, but that’s still developing. 

PKMN Team: Pidgeot (starter), Ambipom, Drowzee, Honchkrow

Robyn

Robyn is an android created by Silph Co. that currently resides in an apartment in Goldenrod City. Her main purpose is to spy on residents in the city and steal their info, then transmit it back to Silph Co for their own purposes. She also goes out and gambles with the money she steals from people -- while no one has figured out yet that she’s actually a robot, there are some regulars at the Game Corner who are starting to get suspicious of this short, white-haired girl who’s apparently some sort of gambling genius. 

Her apartment room was discovered accidentally by Lyssa, who followed her home after seeing her in the Game Corner, and soon figured out that she was in fact, some sort of robot. She tried to mess around with Robyn’s circuitry, not knowing who made Robyn, and now has a target painted on her back by Silph Co. 

PKMN Team (for defense): Porygon-Z, Meowth, Espeon

Nicky Griffin

Nicky is from a large, large, large performing family in Castelia City, Unova. She grew up playing the violin and learning to dance, taught by her grandmother and two older sisters. She’s the fourth out of eleven siblings, and has too many cousins, aunts, and uncles for her to keep straight. Because she’s not the oldest, or the youngest, or the best performer, Nicky turned to street art to try and distinguish herself -- her alias is Nee-Coletti -- and while her family doesn’t know about her “other hobby”, at least not totally, they probably wouldn’t mind (at least she hopes so). She also does a lot of street performance, playing her violin while her Pokémon dance -- something they’ll also do in battle. 

She left on her journey initially to return a Pokédex that Bianca lost when she was visiting Castelia City, and went to Aspertia City, since she’d heard that’s where Bianca was heading. By the time she got to Aspertia City, Bianca had left, though she was able to get some mentoring from Cheren, and ended up getting her first Gym Badge from him. They’re still friends, and will call on the X-Tranceiver when they have the time. Nicky’s also friends with Bianca, who she met after finally returning the Pokédex -- they get along great! 

PKMN Team: Lopunny (starter), Mienshao, Scrafty, Emolga, Roserade, Floatzel

Alexandra “Alex” Rye

Alex is a Pokémon Trainer from Lentimas Town in Unova and is the third oldest out of five kids (she’s the exact middle child and she’s not super happy about that). She grew up putting on puppet shows for her younger siblings and other kids in town with dolls she made herself, and eventually started making her own clothing as well. She was hurt in a landslide when she was about 13, delaying the start of her journey for a year, and now walks with a slight limp as a result. 

She loves ghost and dark pokemon (her team is made up of conventionally “scary” pokemon), from time she’d spend in the Strange House outside of Lentimas Town. In fact, that’s where she met her first Pokémon, Banette, who just followed her home one day. They’ve been friends ever since. However, to other people, she’s not as nice -- Alex is perpetually bored with her life, and will usually mess with other people (stealing their things, scamming them with magic tricks, etc) with the help of her Pokémon for a little bit of excitement. 

PKMN Team: Banette (starter), Mismagius, Hydreigon, Galvantula, Drapion, Zoroark

Nova Roscoe

Nova’s a coordinator from Slateport City, in the Hoenn region. She’s still a little inexperienced, since she’s young, but more than makes up for it with enthusiasm! She also loves coordinating her Pokémon’s outfits with hers when they perform -- sometimes she’ll buy plain dresses and sparkle them up a bit just for fun. (i don’t have that much for Nova,,, she’s one of my least developed characters so there’s that) 

PKMN Team: Dustox (starter), Froslass, Skitty, Natu 

Juno Xe

Juno is a florist who took over running her parents’ flower shop in Konikoni City. She’s not much of a fan of battling, but did take on the island challenge with her twin brother, Yarrow, at the urging of their parents -- it’s tradition, after all, so they should at least do it (they couldn’t stay in the shop forever)! For the most part, Juno’s very good with handling customers, though her phony-sweet “customer service” voice will start slipping out when she gets annoyed -- with customers or her brother. 

She has a huge fear of losing people/saying goodbye after her older sister was caught in an accident involving Team Skull. Her parents never told her the entire truth of what happened (that her sister was actually part of Team Skull), though regardless, the incident left her terrified of losing people close to her. As a result, she can be unintentionally controlling and toxic -- something that Yarrow experienced first hand while he was still back at the family’s flower shop. 

PKMN Team: Dartrix (starter), Stoutland, Oricorio, Espeon, Liligant, Alomamola

Yarrow Xe

Unlike his twin sister, Yarrow abandoned the family’s flower shop in favor of wandering aimlessly through the various regions in the Pokémon world. He enjoyed taking on the island challenge and relished the freedom that he was given while traveling -- making coming back to the flower shop incredibly difficult. The expectation of their parents is that the two of them would complete the island challenge and then come back to manage the shop, and while Juno was fine with that, Yarrow was completely opposed to it. 

However, he was easily taken advantage of and manipulated by Juno when he tried to leave. Yarrow had (and still has) emotional trauma left over from when their sister died that he never worked through properly, or even acknowledged, leaving him emotionally unavailable and unable to express himself properly (though that last part goes back to when he was a child). He eventually broke away after the two of them had a huge fight, and never looked back -- he doesn’t even like going back to Alola, if he can help it. He’s stubbornly independent and tries his best to keep people away from him (emotionally and physically), and is a fierce competitor in battle. Yarrow’s noticeably gentler around his Pokémon, and sometimes opens up to them -- though this is only because they can’t actually say anything back to him that he would understand. 

PKMN Team: Decidueye (starter), Tsareena, Umbreon, Alolan Raichu, Bewear, Komala

MYSTERY DUNGEON (they’re all gijinkas btw)

also spoilers for all of the mystery dungeon games below 

Merrie (Psyduck)

Merrie is the hero of Pokémon Blue/Red Rescue Team (i’ve only ever played blue but i’d assume the two are the same) and the co-leader of Rescue Team Feathers! She’s a a bit of a glutton, and will sometimes snack on apples while she and Chica are exploring dungeons together. Because she’s a Psyduck, she’s prone to getting bad headaches, especially if she doesn’t use the move Confusion a lot in battle. She’s also incredibly clumsy and forgetful -- she sometimes forgets that she used to be a human in the first place. 

Moveset: Water Gun, Scratch, Ice Beam, Confusion

Chica (Combusken)

Chica is the sidekick of B/R Rescue Team, though because of Merrie’s forgetfulness, she manages a lot of the team stuff and job requests. It was her idea to form a rescue team, though sometimes she wonders if joining forces with Merrie was such a good idea. She can come of as very brusque and guarded if you catch her at a bad time, but she is very protective of Merrie (though this usually shows through her rolling her eyes and scolding Merrie for getting into whatever trouble’s going on this time). 

Moveset: Flamethrower, Attract, Brick Break, Peck

Siobhán // Soren (Charmander)

Soren is the hero of Explorers of Time/Darkness/Sky, and the co-leader of Team Chikomander. She carries around a bat with a few odds and ends stuck in it as a weapon, and is usually very quick to anger, especially if those she’s close to are threatened. For the most part, she’s sweet and helpful, and genuinely enjoys her job as a member of Wigglytuff’s Guild -- though she does argue with Chatot about the whole money thing from time to time. 

The reason she has two different names is because when she was in the future, her name was Siobhán -- she also wasn’t a human, but a weird mash of Darkrai after the Dimensional Hole he was traveling in was attacked by Palkia (this video is where this whole thing comes from and since i personally really like this theory, it’s now soren’s backstory). When she arrived in the past and met Rita, she didn’t want to give her name to a complete stranger, so she said her name was Soren. This caused some confusion when Grovyle was introduced to the mix, and it was revealed that the two of them used to work together in the future. 

Moveset: Flamethrower, Slash, Shadow Claw, Sunny Day

Rita (Chikorita)

Rita is the partner of EOTDS and the other co-leader of Team Chikomander. She’s a big bookworm, and likes to keep books in their bedroom at the guild (though she sometimes worries that Soren will set them on fire by accident). Her weapon of choice is a green tome that she uses to summon grass attacks -- she doesn’t really need it, but it makes her more confident in battle. Rita can be a bit of a coward sometimes, and is known for being bossy, but she does try her best as an explorer (and to keep Soren out of trouble). 

Moveset: Solar Beam, Magical Leaf, Light Screen, Synthesis 

Úrsula (Dewott)

Úrsula is the hero of Gates to Infinity, and the co-leader of The Hydroclaw, handling most of the jobs and other requests (her weapon of choice is a naginata). She came to the Pokémon world from Venice, Italy, though at this point she doesn’t remember much about her life in the human world. Soon after she came to the Pokémon world, she convinced Axel to go and talk to Quagsire about buying the land he wanted even though his money had been stolen a hours ago (this is all a different au where Quagsire is still part of the underground so some things are a little different). She’s stubborn and incredibly loyal to her friends, almost to a fault -- she’d do anything for them, so she can be easy to take advantage of if you get close enough to her. One of her favorite pastimes is cooking, and she’ll sometimes get up early in the morning to cook breakfast for everyone, just to show she cares. She expresses a lot of emotions through cooking and food. 

Moveset: Water Pulse, Razor Shell, Pursuit, Fury Cutter

Axel (Fraxure)

Axel is the partner of GTI, and the other co-leader of The Hydroclaw, handling the development and building of Paradise. He comes off as intimidating to many -- partly because he’s a dragon type, partly because he carries around an axe with him. However, as a surprise to some, he’s actually gentle and kindhearted for the most part, though he still does have some lessons to learn in terms of friendships and other emotional connections (and Quagsire’s going to make sure he learns those lessons at some point). He also really likes Úrsula. Like, really, really likes her. The two of them are practically joined at the hip. 

Moveset: Dragon Dance, Dual Chop, Pursuit, Dragon Claw

Ramona “Rara” (Treecko)

Ramona is the hero of Super Mystery Dungeon, and the co-leader of The Ash-Roses. She’s mute and communicates through her own form of sign language, as well as written notes. Between her and Cinders, she handles a lot of the logistics of the team, including packing travel bags and planning their explorations. She still struggles with the aftermath of the Dark Matter incident, and blames herself for not seeing what was going on with Nuzleaf sooner. 

dark matter au ramona: in this au, ramona ends up falling under the control of dark matter along with nuzleaf. dark matter is able to take advantage of her insecurities about her place in serene village and feelings of resentment towards some of the other villagers. it’s found out she’s being controlled by dark matter on the top of revelation mountain, and instead of going to the voidlands with cinders, she works with nuzleaf, yveltal, and the beheyeem going around and turning Pokémon to stone. 

Moveset: Giga Drain, Energy Ball, Dragon Breath, Pursuit

Cinders (Cyndaquil)

Cinders is the partner of PSMD, and the other co-leader of The Ash-Roses. He’s cheerful, chatty, and has a tendency to get himself and Ramona into trouble very often. Cinders is also really passionate about exploration -- like really, really passionate, to the point of near obsession -- and will sometimes get ahead of himself when it comes to exploring new places. Since he’s also the reincarnation of Mew (or whatever that whole thing was it was a blur for me tbh), he also has the ability to read people’s minds, though this happens sporadically. He’ll usually say the thoughts he hears from others out loud, or respond to them as if it was part of the conversation. This usually freaks people out quite a bit. 

dark matter au cinders: cinders is pretty much the same throughout this au until it’s revealed that ramona is under the control of dark matter. from that point on, he’s more frightened and desperate than normal cinders, and becomes much more subdued after the whole dark matter incident blows over. he and ramona don’t really have the same kind of friendship that they had before, either. 

Moveset: Flame Wheel, Double Kick, Quick Attack, Ember

OTHER

these two are from a world that i was working on with a friend a while back. we aren’t doing anything with said world anymore, but i decided to keep these two around and develop them (and hopefully their world) a little bit more, because i was already attached to them by the time we stopped working. 

for some basic background info: polaris and gabriel are from a nomadic tribe up in the north of the world called eira-taith. one of the traditions of the tribe is that, to be considered an adult, you have to travel on your own for one year and then return. when polaris went out on his journey, he came back to find everyone dead. gabriel was technically the only survivor because he had ran away in search of polaris before everyone else was wiped out. as of right now, they just wander around the world together -- they don’t really have a place to go. 

Polaris Eider

Polaris is the oldest out of six in his family. Because he was the oldest, he was treated as a “third parent,” and given the responsibility of looking after his younger siblings before he left on his year-long travel. He would force down his own feelings and problems to properly be able to take care of everyone else, and as a result, isn’t the most emotionally expressive. He’s not very talkative, and usually has a stern expression on his face. Polaris is also a skilled archer -- however, that’s about all he can do in terms of weaponry. 

Gabriel Eider

Gabriel is the second oldest out of six -- meaning that after Polaris left, he would be the one in charge of taking care of all of their younger siblings, at the age 14. He ended up cracking under the pressure and anxiety of Polaris not surviving on his own, and ran away, fortunately right before their tribe was wiped out. At some point, he was attacked by a group of bandits and was blinded, losing both of his eyes. His anxieties only worsened afterwards, though he tries his best to hide that and his blindness through being combative, stubborn, and overly-dramatic at some times, much to Polaris’ chagrin. Before losing his sight, he could use both a bow and arrow and daggers, though he’s not able to do all that much now. 

#very long post #fortress characters #character masterpost

[shou7]

A 3.7k Word Essay About the Failures of Future Pop and the Present State of Perfume

Just something I needed to get off my chest. It took me almost a week to get this done, but here it is.

When discussing a work of art, not only does it need to be evaluated as a product in and of itself, but also as part of a larger context. In the case of Perfume, this context includes but is not limited to: their own team’s intentions, the expectations their team has set for their fans and the general public, and the sonic landscape of the rest of the music industry. How critically and commercially successful an album is depends on how these aspects interact and come together. So before I can discuss why Future Pop has failed, it’s important to set the context into which it was released, starting with the purpose of every album in their discography.

GAME was Perfume’s real introduction to the general public after finally getting a breakthrough hit with Polyrhythm. That’s why it had catchy melodies and unique but still easily digestible production. Triangle’s role was to further GAME’s legacy, pushing GAME’s sound to be as mainstream as possible while still retaining Perfume’s signature production in order to attain even more commercial success. The era’s singles did just that, but the album itself went in the complete opposite direction. Triangle was Nakata self-indulging in 80’s pop and maxing out the auto-tune to the point of concealing the natural charms of the trio, and this alienated a lot of the general public. Thus JPN’s purpose was to gain back the general public’s favor, culminating in their most commercial and mainstream album to date. While this did recapture the general public’s interest, there were long-time fans that were put off by how mainstream Perfume’s sound had become. This brings us to LEVEL3, which served to rebrand them as a global electronic act, once again making Perfume distinct from the mainstream. The album still retained the catchy melodies of JPN, but featured more experimental instrumentation under the guise of EDM for better marketability to a global audience. With the success of LEVEL3 on overseas iTunes, as well as their sold-out overseas concerts, Perfume’s team starts pushing to increase the size of their Western fanbase. And so enters COSMIC EXPLORER, their first era and album featuring explicitly foreign sounds. But perhaps in an attempt not to scare off Western audiences with Japanese lyrics, the album featured more lengthy instrumentals than ever, reducing the amount of actual singing by the trio, and alienating plenty of the fanbase and general public.

And so we finally arrive in the Future Pop era. The COSMIC EXPLORER Tour was over and Perfume needed a new goal to replace Madison Square Garden after struggling to sell-out their North American leg. With Mikiko and Daito being involved in the 2016 Olympics closing ceremony, the answer was clear as day – the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Thus began a renewed focus on Japan rather than the West, an intent reflected clearly in TOKYO GIRL. The production was as inoffensive and simple as possible to please the general public, and it worked. TOKYO GIRL became only their third track to sell 100k digitally (after Spring of Life and FLASH). So having re-established themselves as mainstream artistes after the slight backlash from COSMIC EXPLORER, they began campaigning in earnest to perform at the Olympics. And this is where If you wanna and Mugen Mirai come in, heavy in new future bass influences. Future bass, thus, in this context was less about attracting more Western audiences, but more an effort to have Perfume embody the concept of “future” in the eyes of the general public, and to make them top picks for representing Japan in the Olympics. And this was what Future Pop was being set up to do as well, via the album’s photoshoot and comments from Perfume themselves, such as during the album announcement when A~chan said Nakata was creating a “new era in music”. So with Future Pop’s placement and purpose in Perfume’s discography now laid out, we can start discussing whether it achieved what it was supposed to do. Was it a “new era in music”?

In short: no, not at all. And I think that much of its issues as an album is best encapsulated in how a “dusty floppy disc” is referred to as an “ultra future loop” in Chourairin. Rather than “pop of the future”, it is “pop that makes you think of the future”, a theme highlighted by the contrast between the old and current sounds being fused on this album, as well as its lyrics. Just like how every album has been shaped by the criticisms of its predecessor, Future Pop is no different. The older Perfume sounds and relatively increased vocal sections in the album tracks strongly indicates that its main concern was regaining the older fans that were put-off by COSMIC EXPLORER. Unfortunately, all of the older sounds were added superficially, with nothing having been done to make them fit into the current soundscape of the industry. This is especially so for Tenkuu, which sounds like Nakata had the trio re-record a long lost Complete Best era B-side (think Foundation and wonder2). It’s telling Nakata doesn’t seem to understand that it’s never been the instrumentation itself, but the innovative spark behind the production that attracted listeners to Perfume. Though the production may have been innovative a decade ago, simply rehashing it now without any deconstruction in its use is regressive. Another big issue that this album has, especially to long-time fans, is Nakata’s complete disregard for Perfume’s public image and the narrative they’ve been pushing for the past year about maturing and turning 30. Forcing them to sing cutesy idol-like songs like Tiny Baby this late into their career with their voices pitched up to oblivion so as to sound like teenagers is the most jarring thing for fans that have matured together with the trio. So no, this album doesn’t achieve what it was supposed to do, nor what it actually set out to do.

However, more pressing is that a deconstructive take on “Future Pop” was absolutely not an album that Perfume should have released, not at this point in their careers when they are trying to be recognized as a guiding light for the future of the Japanese music industry. And especially not right after COSMIC EXPLORER played the space theme straight, truly committing to what it had promised, because people expected the same straightforward approach with Future Pop, and they were in fact (mis)led to believe so. In other words, no one expected what was to come, and so no one really wanted it from them. But at this point, I think it’s worthy to note that Perfume have never actually given their fanbase what they wanted. GAME fans never got another Secret Secret, Triangle fans never got another Edge, JPN fans never got another Fushizen na Girl, LEVEL3 fans never got another 1mm, and COSMIC EXPLORER fans didn’t get another Miracle Worker. Perfume’s sound has always been jumping from one genre to another, decided solely by the whims of Nakata, and so it is inevitable that there will always be people that are alienated with each change. The only reason Perfume has managed to remain so popular after a decade in the industry is because they’ve consistently put out quality work regardless of genre, drawing in more new listeners whenever one becomes disinterested. So if we put aside the album’s (mis)direction, does Future Pop stand on its own as a quality album?

Once again, my answer is no. Future Pop clocks in at 42m 3s, their shortest album to date by far, and yet not every second is worth listening to. Start-Up doesn’t really lead into Future Pop, nor does it really set up any atmosphere, and even if it did, Future Pop sets up its own atmosphere well enough, so that’s close to a minute wasted. Future Pop’s 15s outro also has the same issue. All this time wasted could have gone to fixing Chourairin’s abrupt and generic ending. Which brings us to the next problem, the fact that many of the songs on this album have very similar structures. Future Pop, If you wanna, TOKYO GIRL, Let Me Know, Chourairin, Mugen Mirai, and Everyday. That’s more than half the album that are pretty much their first halves repeated once more, with very little progression instrumentally, if any at all. And while the two halves structure isn’t immediately a bad thing, it does mean that there are only two hook sections, making it difficult for the already short songs to leave an impression on listeners. Further aggravating the issue is the lack of an infectiously catchy sing along chorus that has become synonymous with Perfume’s music over the years. TOKYO GIRL barely counts, and even then, its chorus is only sung twice which makes it harder to catch on. It also doesn’t help that this album is lyrically weak. A lot of the lyrics are saying the same thing, and it all bleeds together. Future Pop, TOKYO GIRL, Mugen Mirai, and Tenkuu are literally all about reaching for somewhere else in time, with imageries of light. It’s true that a lot of COSMIC EXPLORER’s tracks were about travelling, but it had a wider variety of tracks, so the monotony issue wasn’t as serious as it is here. And then we have Tiny Baby and Chourairin, which are largely just a bunch of random words thrown together. There is some semblance of coherent meaning in the lyrics of these two songs, but it’s all hidden beneath layers and layers of clutter. So even if listeners pause the music to take a deeper look at what they’re saying, there’s not much to make out. With all of these issues put together, Future Pop as a whole makes for an objectively forgettable listen – everything simply passes by before you know it. So no, it’s not a quality album. But hey, every act will have a weak album every now and then, right? As long as their hearts are in the right place, things will get better! Can’t we all just move past this and keep on supporting Perfume like we always have? So it finally comes down to a question of whether Perfume’s team still cares.

The quality of Nakata’s music has been a concern for quite some time, but Future Pop is the first album where it’s so explicitly clear that he doesn’t give a damn about who Perfume are or what they’re trying to achieve. Even if we set aside the questionable production decisions, there’s just no overlooking the laziness of including every single track of the era on the album. Worse still are their stylists who have only grown more and more brazen ever since 2011. It started with recycling lazy single-color cookie cutter outfits for live performances, which while not ideal, was acceptable. Now they’re just throwing a random bunch of random fabric together and calling it “avant-garde” (because Perfume are all about being cutting-edge right?), no thought at all about whether the colors and materials mesh well, or whether the silhouette of the outfits flatter their bodies. The covers of their singles and their albums always seemed to escape those patchwork outfits, as if they understood covers were sacred ground that should not be messed with, but with Future Pop, even that distinction has disappeared. And then we have Perfume’s creative directors, who, ever since STAR TRAIN, seem to have been selecting covers and promotional images from photo shoots by throwing darts while blindfolded. Not only is there no thought behind which photos work better as posters, artiste profiles, or covers, they don’t even make sure that the photos they’re putting out are flattering for all three members. But at the very least, even if the photos chosen were less than satisfactory, the visual concepts have always been up to a certain standard. Future Pop is nowhere close to that standard. It was already a bad decision in itself to play the “future pop” concept straight instead of following Nakata’s deconstructive take, because that led to album covers and promotional material that don’t reflect the atmosphere or sound of the album at all, which is basically false advertising. But then they also had to use cheap twine straw to represent beams of light for an album called “Future Pop” when Rhizomatiks already has tons and tons of lasers ready for use in their warehouse. Another big issue with the creative direction of this album is its limited edition. Not only is the cover atrocious, the packaging does nothing to salvage it. It’s simply the same packaging Mirai no Museum had, but with a slipcase and no comic. And then there’s also the fact that the booklet for the limited and regular editions are exactly the same. There’s just no excuse for how lazy and basic the packaging is when its title is “Future Pop”, it’s their most expensive album to date, and especially not when the team has been so much more innovative with the past three albums. The direction the creative team took with the promotion of the album is also highly problematic. It was a very questionable decision to promote COSMIC EXPLORER with the version of a track that doesn’t appear on the album proper, but at least the visuals for FLASH didn’t clash so badly with the album’s. And there was justification in that choice, because FLASH was their biggest hit since Polyrhythm, so they were forced to use it in the promotional campaign for COSMIC EXPLORER. There’s none of that justification here for having Let Me Know’s visuals go in the exact opposite direction from that of Future Pop. The wistful Let Me Know had to be chosen as the promotional lead because it was the most mainstream of the album tracks, but that’s no reason to go full nostalgia and plaid for its aesthetics without even trying to incorporate any futuristic aspects into it.

So it’s pretty clear that not one person on Perfume’s entire team bothered to actually think through what’s being done with the album, and it’s really easy as fans of the trio to simply keep on blaming their team for the shoddy work. But I think it’s time we hold the ones at the center of everything culpable, because ultimately, the ones giving the final go-ahead and enabling all of this nonsense are Perfume themselves. Since the very beginning, the trio have been perpetuating this notion that they have no control over their music or image, and that they’re just promoting what all of these talented people are giving to them. Though that may have been the truth at the beginning of their careers when they were nobodies, things have changed since then. There are tons of creators that want to collaborate with them – they have leverage now. They’re the ones that are choosing what they put on, and what they put out, and this applies to their music too. The fact that three of them were the ones who got Nakata to add the Japanese lyrics into Spending all my time shows that their opinions do matter to him. So if they had wanted to, they certainly could’ve sent Nakata a memo to tell him that the vocal tuning on the album needs to be pitched down because they’re turning 30 and it doesn’t suit the whole mature image that they’re going for. If they had wanted to, they could’ve fired their stylists the moment they were presented with those awful rags to wear on stage. And yet they didn’t – because there’s never been a need to. They’ve never been faced with any direct repercussions. Perhaps because of the many years of quality output, Japanese fans tend to ignore any flaws altogether, blindly purchasing and consuming new releases, simply believing that things will get better. The Japanese public and any unconvinced fans don’t say anything either, because being negative would be considered rude, so they just turn the other way, silently losing interest in Perfume. So even when Perfume themselves aren’t convinced with what they’re putting out, like how A~chan was with Triangle, their products continue to sell decently. Even when they appear on stage in garbage, the crowd continues to cheer. In this sort of bubble environment without any form of criticism, it’s no wonder that the three of them would grow complacent. After all, no matter if they like their products or not, and no matter if the products are of high quality or not, even as sales continue to quietly drop, the response remains the same. “Nakata is a god!” “Perfume are goddesses!” All they have to do is put on a smile and promote whatever their team gives them to sell. But even then, none of this is an excuse to have completely given up ownership of their own brand like they have. As such, if there’s anyone that’s really to blame for the current state of affairs, it’s Perfume themselves for leaving their car on autopilot even as it continues speeding towards a cliff.

With that, for one last time, my answer is no. Future Pop was not a one-off bad decision. It’s every problem that’s been plaguing Perfume these past few years finally coming to a head in one gigantic mess, and not one person in Team Perfume, not even Perfume themselves, still care enough to clean this mess up. And so we’ve ended up in the final stages of Perfume’s career. In the latest Ongaku to Hito interviews for Future Pop, the trio mention that they don’t think about how much time they have left as Perfume anymore, and that they’ll carry on as long as people want them to. Some fans may read that as a show of confidence – reassurance that Perfume still has years and years left to go. But put in the context of reality, that statement paints an entirely different picture – them turning a blind eye to the situation, opting instead to just enjoy whatever time they have left as a trio. First week sales for Future Pop are going to be over 35% less than COSMIC EXPLORER’s, and sales for their releases are only going to continue to fall from here. What this means is that if poor sales of Mugen Mirai hadn’t already, Future Pop will have thrown all talk of performing for the Olympics out the window, because there’s just no way a group that’s not even relevant enough to sell 100k copies of their album in its first week is going to represent Japan in a prestigious global event. So with the Olympics now a non-factor, how many people exactly will it take for them to continue as Perfume? That’s all up to Universal and Amuse to decide, and looking at what they’ve been doing with Perfume, the end is not that far off. The marketing for Future Pop was utterly atrocious. COSMIC EXPLORER had liner notes from celebrities and an entire montage commissioned, but all Future Pop has had are cheaply-made Instagram stories and posts. This suggests that they’ve already given up on sales from the general public, and are mainly focused on getting pre-existing fans to buy the album. Why? Because they don’t even expect the general public to be interested, not after Mugen Mirai failed to even sell anywhere close to half of what FLASH did despite having had the same exposure from the Chihayafuru movie franchise. All of the ugly outfits and questionable music directions have finally alienated too much of the general public, and no amount of technological showcases is going to win back their interest or convert anyone new into fans. The social currency of the Perfume brand is at an all-time low and it’s reflected in how magazines like ROCKIN’ON JAPAN didn’t give them the cover to promote Future Pop despite always having done so when there was a big feature about them. The end of any halfway popular thing falling into obscurity is always marked with the corporations behind it shamelessly milking hardcore fans out of as much money as they can, and that’s what’s happening to Perfume right now. Instead of having a CD-only edition of Future Pop, Universal is forcing a DVD/BD filled mostly with already online material into every copy in order to inflate prices and exploit the remaining hardcore Perfume fans. Meanwhile, Amuse is having Perfume sell insanely overpriced clothing through Perfume Closet. 60 USD for a plain black cap with Perfume’s watermark on the front, 100 USD for a plain T-shirt with a little lace in its breast pocket, 180 USD for a plain black pair of slacks – it all screams exploitation of fans. Universal and Amuse are getting maximum returns for investing as little as possible, and with this business model turning in a decent profit for them, things are only going to get worse as they try to squeeze out more and more money from less and less fans.

The Perfume fan experience since 2014 has been like watching a close relative slowly but surely losing themselves to Alzheimer’s. It’s not a steady downwards spiral. In fact, even as the symptoms grow more serious, there always seem to be better days where you can see a spark of who once was. But every time you think they’ll get better, or perhaps even recover entirely, it’s always a turn for the worse. The cycle repeats until one day, you find them in hospital, bedridden and on life support because they’ve forgotten how to eat or breathe. This is where we’re at with Perfume now. They’re not dead yet, but they’re pretty damn close, and all that’s left is for Universal and Amuse to collectively pull the plug when they aren’t turning in enough of a profit from Perfume. It’s painful to keep watch by their bedside until they finally die, denied even one last gasp for air, but the worst pain of all is continuing to pray for a miracle that I know will never come. And so I’ve finally decided to turn in my stan card. I won’t be translating anymore supplementary materials, I won’t force myself to translate lyrics to Perfume songs that I don’t like, and I’ll stop checking every other day for updates - I’ll just go back to being a normal, casual fan.

I will always, always, love Perfume, but these three thirty year-old women singing in cutesy girl voices, dancing in tacky cut-and-paste dresses, and smiling as if all is right with the world even as everything around them continues to fall apart? I don’t know them.

#prfm