Hi I really love your writing for That 70’s show and also That 90’s show! If it would be possible could you do one where Hyde visits Eric and Donna in the 90s? I don’t buy that he would never talk to any of them ever again, at least not the Formans and Donna. They were his family 🥹

Thank you so much anon! 💗 I share those thoughts about Hyde. I like to imagine that he finally made it to New York and is finding success and (hopefully) happiness there. It was harder to stay connected to the people we love before cell phones and social media, but I think Hyde would always stay in touch with The Formans in his own ways. You'll see my take on it below - this was actually my first time writing Hyde in the '90s!

If you have a writing request, you can send it to me here.

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"Hey." Donna knocked twice on the open door and then poked her head in their home office. Eric was hunched over his desk, grading some papers in the final, fading hours of a quiet Tuesday night. "Hyde just called. He's about fifteen minutes away."

"What?" Eric sat up straight in his chair, startled. He leafed a hand through his hair with a hasty sigh. "Why does he always do this?"

Donna didn't answer him, she just shrugged.

Hyde lived in New York now, and his visits back to the Midwest were sporadic and often unannounced, just like this. But once or twice per year he'd blow through Chicago, usually calling them from a gas station a few minutes before he'd arrive. He didn't come for holidays and he didn't like you to make a fuss over him. He never stayed the night, or even long enough for a meal. He'd spent so little time at their house that Eric marveled that he even remembered their address - but he did. Because he never missed a birthday, there was always a card or a call. Even for Leia. His goddaughter. They'd only met a handful of times, but Hyde seemed to remember every detail Eric had ever told him about her - about her grades in school, her pet bunny's name, that she'd started Brownies this year, when she'd broken her arm.

In return, Eric and Donna knew shockingly little about Hyde's life.

He still worked with W.B., running Grooves. The business was successful - extremely successful. Multimillion dollar level successful. But Hyde never liked to talk about it.

"Pshh," he'd swat the questions away. "Work. Boring."

He didn't like to answer questions about his personal life, either. Who he was dating, what kinds of fun things he got up to in New York, about the different places he traveled for work.

"You don't want to hear about that stuff," he'd insist, swatting at their questions like flies. Pushing them away. Keeping them out.

"We do," they'd try to tell him. "We care about you. Tell us about your life."

But he'd give them that same easy-going smile he always had. "Nothing to tell, man."

He pulled into the driveway tonight in a small, taupe coupe. Eric stood at the front porch watching for him, and he grinned immediately as his old friend stepped from the vehicle and ambled up the front walk, clutching his belt buckle. His hair was cut shorter (to hide some pattern balding) and his face showed some signs of age too, but his gait and his energy was the same he'd had as a teenager.

Eric jerked his chin at the car. "That must be a rental, huh?" The car wasn't at all Hyde's style.

"I asked for a Pick-up and they hand me the keys to this fuckin' thing," Hyde shook his head, bemused, as he reached Eric. The two men didn't hesitate - they embraced in a hug for a long moment before pulling back, clapping each other on their shoulders.

"Wow Hyde. New look for you?"

Donna had joined them on the porch, and she pointed to the coupe teasingly. Hyde shook his head, and they hugged, too.

"Temporary digs, man. I'm on a layover. Gotta get back to O'Hare in like," he glanced at his wristwatch. "Forty minutes."

"Uh, then you should leave now," Eric joked.

Donna grabbed Hyde's arm, though. "No! Hyde, my god. When's the last time we saw you?"

"It's been awhile," he agreed, smoothing a hand over the hair on his chin.

They moved inside the house, and Hyde glanced around. It was small, modest compared to the luxury apartment he must've lived in, but if he was unimpressed with the space he gave no indication. Instead he smiled faintly at the photos on the front wall - of Red and Kitty with Leia, Eric and Donna on vacation last year, and one of the whole extended family at the Forman's house for Christmas. He paused in front of one of the gang - it was an old photo, from high school. That night they'd all gone to that stupid disco. Hyde stared at it for a long moment and looked like he might say something, but instead he cleared his throat.

Eric and Donna were both looking at him intently. He glanced around them.

"Where's the kid?"

"She's asleep." Donna nodded towards the stairs, indicating one of the upstairs bedrooms. "It's almost ten o 'clock on a school night."

"Right." He dropped his gaze to the floor. "How about the john?"

"Down the hall," Eric pointed it out. Hyde nodded gratefully, and slipped off to use the bathroom. When he returned to the kitchen a few moments later, only Eric was there.

"You want a beer?" Eric offered him, unsurely. Hyde shook his head, no. "Pop? Water?" No again. "Okay." He nodded to the kitchen table. "You want to sit?"

"I only have a few minutes," Hyde said, but he pulled out one of the chairs and so Eric did the same.

"I know," he assured him. "I'm - I'm glad you came."

Hyde gave a half-shrug in acknowledgement. "So. How are things?"

Eric shrugged too. "They're... good. Fine. The same." He lifted his eyebrows. "You know - my mom pretty much covers it all in her Christmas Card letter, so..."

"Yeah," Hyde smiled, studying his hands. "I love reading that every year."

"Very thorough."

"Yeah."

Eric cleared his throat. "Have you talked to her and Red lately?"

Hyde moved his head from side-to-side. "From time to time."

Eric gave him a meaningful look. "You know man, she'd love it if you did that a little more often."

Hyde scoffed. "Give me a break, Forman." He lifted his eyebrows at his old friend. "How often do you talk to your parents? Huh?"

Eric paused, considering the question. "From... time to time," he admitted sheepishly.

"That's what I thought."

"Okay," Eric grinned down at the table. "So we could both call Mom more. Got it..." He glanced up at Hyde, who was also smiling. "But, hey. You could come visit more. For real, not for," he gestured around them, "Whatever this is."

"This is a layover," Hyde supplied snarkily.

"To where?"

"Flying to London. Business."

Eric gaped at him. "Okay, that is so cool."

Hyde shook his head. "Whatever - "

"No. You know where I'm going tomorrow?"

"It's whatever, Forman - "

"To a high school, where I'll teach math at a bunch of ninth graders who don't want to learn it all day. And then I'll sit in traffic for forty-five minutes in my piece-of-crap car to get home to this middle class monstrosity," he gestured around them at the gaudy floral wallpaper and their outdated kitchen appliances. He blinked at Hyde again, awed. "Waking up in London - every day being different - God. Your life sounds so cool."

Hyde slid his chair back abruptly, and he stood up.

"Really not that cool, man."

Eric swallowed. "Sorry. I just - I meant - "

"It's fine, man," Hyde assured him, his cool, suave persona back just as quickly as it had disappeared. "I know what you meant." His easy-going smile was back now. "And I just mean that I hope you know what a great thing you have going here." He tipped his chin down sincerely. "You have it made, Forman. You know that, right?"

"I know that," Eric assured him. He was studying his oldest friend thoughtfully. "Hey man, do you ever think about, you know. Settling down?"

Hyde wore a bemused expression. "Ain't built for that, Forman," he finally answered him, gruffly, but his voice held some affection too.

"Says who?" Eric asked, softly.

"Lots of people." He cleared his throat, and picked up his jacket, turning his body slightly away. He was shutting this subject down, just like he always did when Eric started to get too close. Not physically. Emotionally.

"Come on," Eric insisted, following him towards the front door. "When you get home from your trip - from London. Who's waiting for you at home. Huh?"

"No one. And get this, man: that's the way I like it."

Eric frowned. "It must get pretty lonely," he said softly.

"Loneliness," Hyde held up one hand. "Or freedom?" He held up the other, and moved them up and down like they were scales he was balancing. "It's a fine line." They stood out on the front porch again, the soft sounds of the sleepy city street surrounding them.

"Okay," Eric said finally, but his expression must've said something else because Hyde sighed.

"Don't worry about me, Forman."

"I won't."

"I mean it. I'm fine."

"I'm not worried."

But Hyde still looked at him skeptically. "I can see it in your puppy dog eyes. Don't get all after-school-special on me, Forman. I'm not one of your lost kids," he warned.

Eric put his hands up defensively. "I'm just wondering when we're gonna see you again. That's all."

Hyde scratched his beard. "Not sure," he admitted.

"You gonna be in London awhile?"

He gave a noncommittal shrug.

"But you'll be back, right?" Eric's voice tightened with anxiety, and Hyde chuckled at his transparency.

"I'll be back," he promised, doing a poor imitation of Schwarzenegger's Terminator. Eric visibly relaxed, and the two men shared a brief glance before they embraced again. "I'll always be back," Hyde added, softer.

When it came out that Leia was supposed to be a product of a one night stand; I had this aching suspicion that Callie was casted as Eric's daughter. Not Donna. It wouldn't surprise me if that came out as the truth.

I don't think so, as Netflix had rejected that proposal, and iirc, the creators described a son coming to Red and Kitty's door. And, I think casting came some time after that first proposal was scrapped and after the second proposal was put into motion.

However, I do think the remnants of that idea remained in their second proposal, and its execution. It is readily apparent, by how they cultivated Leia's character, and who they chose to play her.

1. Leia is firmly designed as Eric's daughter, with Donna's traits being an afterthought. She is pretty much a smarter Eric with Donna-ish interests (but cultivated in an Eric-y way).

This would be fine, as a whole, if the other new characters were unique entities, but all the other new characters were made in this way. With the intended OG character as an overwhelmingly obvious base, but with a couple of differentiating traits. Like Gwen is way more extroverted and dynamic than Hyde, Nate is a jock (unlike clumsy Kelso), etc. They did better with some new characters than others. Nate and Ozzie, in particular, are the worst of the bunch.

2. Callie can easily pass as Eric's daughter, but Eric's daughter with someone else. Not with Donna, because there are physical traits that don't mesh with both Eric and Donna being her parents, unless something from two/three generations back suddenly popped up. Her parents and grandparents all have light colored eyes; where did the dark brown eyes come from? Her parents and grandparents are very pale/cool toned, but she has olive skin that tans.

*****

Plus, the first proposal really illustrates how little the Turners care about the characters and the integrity of the OG show (minus season 8, which also had zero integrity). The second, fleshed out version we got is only marginally better, too.

Thus, I think T9S is a result of this weird mix of tunnel vision and adhering to real-life circumstances. With some Star Wars gimmicks sprinkled in for good measure.

1. The Turners were reminiscing about their daughter's Gen X teenagehood in the 90s, and they were willing to discard/contort canon (and ages, as they oddly attempted with Eric) to make it happen. When, obviously, the gang's kids (other than Betsy) would probably be Millennials. Duh.

2. Hyde was omitted (entirely?) due to DM. Jackie and Kelso were plopped together because of Ashton and Mila being together in real life. So JH and KB were likely retconned, as was most of the second half of the show, with only convenient, insignificant details/gimmicks from later seasons remaining. Except for JF and the last few eps, because Mila and Wilmer were putting up a stink.

Thus, T9S is a result of these two major factors, instead of keeping true to the characters. If they did, there would be a That 00s Show revolving around JH and ED's kids, at their houses, perhaps with Eric being a Mr. Feeny type and/or with Hyde being the owner of the kids' default hangout spot, Grooves. But that would never happen, for a variety of real-life reasons, and there's money to be made in an ill-conceived venture instead.

My one (and only) post about That '90s Show

I used the weekend to watch season 1 of That '90s Show. I ultimately decided to watch it for Red and Kitty, and because I couldn't justify forming an opinion without having first given the show a chance. That being said, as most of my thoughts about the show aren't the most positive, and because I want to respect the fans who enjoyed the show, I decided to compile what will likely be my one and only post sharing my thoughts on the show below the cut.

I will say this: I didn't hate the show as much as I thought I would. I enjoyed the humor and the effort they made to maintain a similar tone and vibe to the original show. Of course, Red and Kitty were the highlight of the show, and I enjoyed seeing them as grandparents. I enjoyed seeing the appearances made by the original cast as well (with the exception of Jackie, but more on that later). I even enjoyed seeing Eric and Donna as parents. The new kids were okay, too. They certainly don't have the same chemistry and dynamic that the gang from the original series had, but when you are limited to ten episodes per season, there's not much you can do to really develop characters and their relationships. With more time and devotion to developing these characters, I believe that I could grow to like them more.

The problems that I had with the show are the exactly the problems that I expected to have, and it all stems from the very existence of season 8 of That '70s Show. I do not consider the end of season 7 and any of season 8 to be canon. In my happy bubble, Jackie and Hyde never break up (or make any of the other poor choices that followed), Eric didn't have to travel across the world and break-up with Donna to find a path for his future, Kelso didn't destroy his future as a cop, and Fez didn't become a creep. I grew up with these characters, consider them my friends, and hate what season 8 did to my friends. (I care waaayyy too much about these fictional characters, but I digress.)

Therefore, I've never entertained the idea of a reboot/spin-off series because I knew better than to hope that a spin-off series would ignore season 8. A spin-off that would've attempted to fix these mistakes, while just as unlikely, still wouldn't have been good enough (for me, at least) because I like to pretend all of that unpleasantness never even happened.

Real world circumstances made me even more wary of a spin-off series. AK and MK being married in real life was a sure sign that Jackie and Hyde would never get back together in a spin-off series. But the real nail in the coffin was the despicable and unforgivable actions of DM. With that, I knew Jackie and Hyde were essentially over and we would never see Hyde again. (Don't get me wrong, I am more than relieved that T9S does not associate with DM, but the loss of the character Hyde was tough for me).

So really, it's not entirely That '90s Show's fault that the futures that I had hoped for these characters was unrealized. However, there is a difference between not getting what I want for these characters and completely disrespecting and destroying these characters who are beloved to me (and so many others who have connected with them for years and years). I would've accepted whatever future T9S offered for these characters had they done it in a way that respected the growth and development that they made in the '70s. Jackie being with Kelso instead of Hyde? Fine. But give me a good reason for it. Not the absolute garbage that is Jackie cheating on Fez with Kelso (of all people!) and going on their second marriage. Eric and Donna having a child (and naming her Leia) essentially as soon as Eric came home from Africa is just not something I believe the Eric and Donna from T7S would have done. (I do however, accept this with a grain of salt, because the entire premise of T9S hinges on Eric and Donna have a teenager in the '90s). While Fez finding success in his salons was cute, him not having found love since Jackie cheated on him also didn't sit right with me. And while the best choice...the only choice was to not include Hyde, what I've read about the decision to have Hyde basically drop off the face of the Earth and cut off all ties to his found family is probably the most disrespectful thing that they could have done to write off his character. All that is to say, I could've taken anything except the blatant disrespect that they gave to my friends.

What I wasn't expecting was the sense of heartache that I would feel watching That '90s Show. As I previously stated, for years now, I never held out for a faithful reboot/spin-off series. But watching this show...it really makes me mourn the spin-off that could've been in a perfect world. I truly loved seeing Red and Kitty navigate a household of teenagers again, but this time as grandparents. My heart squeezed when Kitty hugged Eric in the first episode and when Donna and Eric did that cute head-shove from the original series. I couldn't help the smile when Kelso burst in with a "buuuurnnn!!!" in true Kelso-fashion after all these years. Fez's "I said good-day" in his commercial and rivalry with Fenton. Kitty throwing a birthday party. Red's grumpiness. Kitty's signature laugh and Red's muttered "dumbass" comments. I've seen every episode of T7S (with the exception of season 8) so many times that I have entire episodes memorized, down to the timing, hand gestures, and inflections. So seeing my old friend's back in their elements, doing these things again but in new scenes that I have never seen before was certainly... surreal. But none of that nostalgia is worth letting T9S destroy my friends and destroy all their growth and character development. All it has done is make me mourn the faithful spin-off that will never be.

All that is to say that I think I'll be leaving the ''90s behind and returning to the safety of the '70s.

thoughts on wyler?

Before I get into this, I'd like to say that people can ship what they want. This is purely my opinion on the ship based on what we've seen in canon.

Objectively, I don't see it happening.

A few arguments I see people bring up regarding the possibility of the ship happening mostly boil down to:

Wednesday (or the Addams family as a whole) likes murder

The Addams family have also killed people

Tyler actually liked Wednesday

Tyler was manipulated/it was the Hyde

So, lets go over these individually.

Wednesday (or the Addams family as a whole) likes murder

On a surface level that might seem true, however it's always felt like the family as a whole are more interested in the motive behind the murder as opposed to the killing itself.

Tyler didn't really seem to have any motives of his own besides carrying out Thornhill's orders. On his part, the killings were senseless.

Now, while all this is - admittedly - open to interpretation, the Addams family are shown to react very differently when the person being targeted is one of their own. They do not like it when someone in their family is in danger, and Wednesday was very much in danger.

And even if she wasn't one of his targets, Tyler was still killing people to help Thornhill resurrect Crackstone to commit mass genocide against the Outcasts, a group which Wednesday and her family are very much a part of.

I see a few people bring up the relationship between Fester and Debbie from the 90s movies in support of Wyler, but both cases are very different.

For one thing, Fester and Debbie were married. How is this important?

The Addams family are immune to a lot of things that should reasonably kill them and it's impossible for an Addams to kill another Addams (no, I'm not making that up) hence the fact they practice their more macabre hobbies on each other (but no one else). It didn't matter how many times Debbie tried to kill Fester, because at that point she'd never be able to.

Fester was in no real danger. Wednesday dying was a very real possibility.

Also consider how Wednesday reacted when she suspected Xavier was the killer, and then when she found out it was Tyler.

When she thought it was Xavier she was quick to get him arrested, and she didn't really show him much sympathy for - what she assumed to be - his actions.

When she found out it was Tyler, she was quick to capture him and then tried to torture him in an attempt to get him to admit to it. I highly doubt that was done with the same sentiment as the family hobby.

A few people like to reference her "I guess I have a type" line, but considering she was running away from him, the line comes across more sarcastic as opposed to a genuine statement.

The Addams family have also killed people

I'm not going to pretend that they haven't. But pretty much everyone killed by the Addams family was a person who had targeted them first.

I see people bring up the piranha scene at the start of the series in support of this argument, but Wednesday only did it because of what happened to her brother.

Was it an overreaction? Yes, I'm not trying to say that her actions were completely justified. But the fact of the matter is, she wouldn't have done it if her brother hadn't been targeted first.

Tyler actually liked Wednesday

Maybe he did, maybe he didn't. I can't claim that everything he did was just in the name of manipulating her.

But, regardless of whatever genuine feelings he might have had. It doesn't change that - from Wednesday's perspective - that's what he was doing. As far as she's probably aware, he was just doing it to manipulate her.

Tyler was manipulated/it was the Hyde

I'm not going to deny that he wasn't, but the fact of the matter is, he still killed people. "He was manipulated" is not a get out of jail free card, if this was a real court case, he would still receive some form of punishment for his actions.

Actions which included:

Attacking Eugene (someone who reminds Wednesday of her brother)

Attacking Enid (One of the few people Wednesday has been shown to care about)

Setting up a "date" as a distraction to allow Thornhill to steal the book and also almost resulted in Thing's death (Wednesday's family)

Granted, the "it was the Hyde" argument could be applied to what happened to Eugene. But considering he didn't seem at all remorseful for what he did when he was talking about it in the police station, I doubt it. And considering the fight with Enid happened afterwards (and he was also trying to kill Wednesday before that happened) it doesn't really apply there either.

And the "it was the Hyde" argument definitely can't be applied to what happened to Thing (a reminder that Wednesday actually cried because of this incident).

Wednesday released piranhas on the boys who shoved her brother in a locker. And people really think she'd just forgive Tyler for attacking three people who she cares about, one of which is a member of her family. Unlikely.

I have compiled all the free movies I could find that are 1990's and older all easy to watch in my youtube playlist, Enjoy!

Frankenstein is a 1910 American shortsilenthorror film produced by Edison Studios. Directed by J. Searle Dawley, This short motion picture is generally recognized by film historians as the first screen adaptation of Shelley's work. (CW/Attempted murder/Child death/Death/Depression/Islamophobia/Murder/Parental abandonment/Xenophobia)

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a 1912horror film based on both Robert Louis Stevenson's novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886) and on the 1887 play version written by Thomas Russell Sullivan. Directed by Lucius Henderson. (CW/Death/Murder/Suicide/Violence)

Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror is a 1922 silentGerman Expressionisthorror film directed by F. W. Murnau. (CW/Sex & Nudity/Violence & Gore/Profanity/Alcohol/Drugs & Smoking/Frightening & Intense Scenes)

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a 1920 American silenthorror film produced by Famous Players-Lasky and was directed by John S. Robertson. (CW/violence/profanity)

The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a 1923 American drama film starring Lon Chaney, directed by Wallace Worsley, and produced by Carl Laemmle and Irving Thalberg. (CW/Sex & Nudity/Violence & Gore/Profanity/Frightening & Intense Scenes)

The Phantom of the Opera is a 1925 American silenthorror filmadaptation of Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra, directed by Rupert Julian and starring Lon Chaney. (CW/Sex & Nudity/Violence & Gore/Profanity/Alcohol, Drugs & Smoking/Frightening & Intense Scenes.)

The Brain That Wouldn't Die (also known as The Head That Wouldn't Die or The Brain That Couldn't Die) is a 1962 American science fictionhorror film directed by Joseph Green. (CW/Sex & Nudity/Violence & Gore/Profanity/Alcohol, Drugs & Smoking/Frightening & Intense Scenes)

The Last Man on Earth is a 1964 post-apocalyptic science fiction horror film based on the 1954 novel I Am Legend by Richard Matheson. The film was produced by Robert L. Lippert and directed by Ubaldo Ragona and Sidney Salkow, and stars Vincent Price.(CW/Violence & Gore/Profanity/Alcohol, Drugs & Smoking/Frightening & Intense Scenes)

Night of the Living Dead is a 1968 American independent horror film directed, photographed, and edited by George A. Romero. (CW/Sex & Nudity/Violence & Gore/Profanity/Alcohol, Drugs & Smoking/Frightening & Intense Scenes)

More movies to be added later on, if you have any requests or know of any public domain works you want me to add just ask.

hmm that 90s show looks like booty, ive never finished that 70s show + every time i rewatch i stop at the end of season 5 bc thats when the humor loses its novelty for me and the audience laughter gets distracting. i always liked the attention to detail in the extras and how many cute outfits there were even in the background actors and the first season definitely felt autobiographical, but at a certain point the writers stopped introducing side characters and painted themselves into a corner not only by starting the show on 1976 and stretching the decade out by 4 years but also by ending the world-building. it came to a point where these 6 friends had absolutely no other friends, no new gfs/bfs and no reason to still be stuck in wisconsin at their grown up 30yr old age. none of those characters wouldve stuck around in that small town and instead of expanding the world and cast, they cut out donnas sister early on (which couldve led naturally to a younger cast/friend group that couldve continued the show as the older cast graduated hs and moved away), brought in no new diverse blood (scared off reagan gomez who wouldve been a fun addition but refused to be typecast, idk how white wisconsin is but the show couldve been more progressive) and stopped introducing major events in history which is what made the world so relateable and real, and cut out joseph gordon levitts gay character bc audiences didnt react well (considering the 70s, certainly the 60s, was more progressive about sex and gender, its pathetic how easily the writers were cowed and they shouldntve been afraid to address topics especially since it was funny and brought new material and actors to the show whose story got repetitive very quickly and wouldve benefited from new conflict). the idea of making hyde black was stupid as hell and unrealistic. why not just invite a black actor to the gang ? and i know sitcoms wear out their stay always but i think the writers really fucked it by letting things get stale. if donna was a combative feminist why didnt she have any women friends ? certainly she would know some lesbians and this feminist trait was abandoned at a point when it rlly should not have. it wouldve been fun to see her involved in the movement and get challenged on her beliefs and introduced other women actors who perhaps disagreed on her experience as a white feminist and brought more conflict to the show. idk im just thinking about the possible degrassi topics they couldve dealt with but with humor. her characterization was confused at times bc she was meant to be one of the guys but shes the least chill person in the bunch and was often hypocritical and as bratty and unreasonable as jackie. theres also no way jackie didnt have a posse of girlfriends, she may have been bossy and unlikeable in that world but she was most certainly popular in high school so to make it seem like she had absolutely no other friend group was a wasted opportunity. kelso 100% had other friends that couldve been introduced, there couldve been more parties more love interests more shenanigans if ppl outside of the friend group were acknowledged. theres political movements that couldve been used in the show for more than an episode and just more attempts at sincerity which the show lost. also fez lost his tan and looked quite like flaccid pasty playdoh i cant believe he got w so many underaged It girls at the time. ideally the writers shouldve either started the show by disregarding the pilot episode’s new year party and just slipped it in that actually its 1971 or they shouldve committed to having a tight and well written 4 seasons. i know that 80s show failed out the bat and i believe its bc the writers lost their imagination and the show was no longer a personal story but just a cash cow. there are so many stories of the 80s that couldve been told bc so much happened, so many cultural moments and idk the writers just werent creative anymore. the trailer for that 90s show looks like a nickelodeon show in the casting and i wonder how realistic it’ll get or how good it’ll be

Laurie’s dating/married life in my verse (not including the canon relationships she had)

Alex Flargunbargun (circa 1978-1984) - After her divorce with Fez and Eric leaving Donna at the altar, Laurie left to do some soul searching. She ended up meeting Alex and marrying him, leading to them having Kristie. Laurie was madly in love with Alex (to the level Jackie is with Hyde, that’s how much) but he ended up walking out on both her and Kristie. It was especially hard because back then, Kristie had an amazing relationship with Alex but she and Laurie’s relationship was pretty strained for a while.

Leonard (circa May 1987) - He was the first guy Laurie dated after Alex left. Leonard seemed sweet and was pretty good to her and Kristie. One day, he got arrested for a repeating history of cannibalism.

Dennis (circa February 1988-May 1988) - He was the second guy Laurie dated after Alex left. He seemed kind and sweet. Listening to Laurie’s problems, empathizing with her, etc. But one day, out of the blue, Dennis broke up with Laurie, saying that he couldn’t date a woman with a child. (When in reality, Dennis drugged and raped Kristie and left so he wouldn’t get caught.)

Garrett (circa November 1988-February 1989) - He was the third guy she dated after Kristie’s dad left. He seemed like a nice guy. He made lots of jokes, was a good cook, and made Laurie happy. But one day, Kristie found him in the laundry department, high from coke. He offered some but she refused. Garrett laughed and said that it was basically just candy, which ended up winning Kristie over. He and Laurie ended up calling it quits when she found out that he slept with his secretary.

Victor (circa April 12 ‘89-July 15, ‘91, on and off) - He was Laurie’s therapist. After each session, she’d stay over to drink tea and chat with him every day. It was all so innocent in the beginning. Eventually they started dating and were really happy together. He’d bring her flowers everyday, play Kristie’s favorite games, etc. But then one day, on Christmas ‘89, Laurie came over to his house to visit and encountered a bunch of shrines with her and Kristie. Feeling freaked out, she tried to leave but pinned her to the wall, threatening to hurt her and everyone she cared about if she left. Laurie ended up kicking him in the balls and called the police, getting Victor arrested. One day, he was freed on July 20th. He tried contacting Laurie to “make amends”, going as far as putting a tracking device in her clothes. He found her at Vikki’s house. They were both laughing it up, which pissed him off and caused him to break into the house. He held a gun towards Laurie, attempting to shoot her. Vikki defended her, which made him even angrier and he shot her. Laurie tried to get help but Victor pinned her to the wall and did everything he could to keep Vikki from being saved. Laurie was screaming and shouting at him, but Victor pinned her to the wall and threatened to make her life hell and that she’d never be free of him right before kissing her. Laurie and Victor tried pretending to be happy in front of Kristie but they didn’t end up ending things. Red threatened to do a lot worse to Victor than shove a foot into his ass.

Vikki (circa March 15 ‘90-July 20 ‘90) - She was a second grade teacher at Point Place elementary. Laurie and Vikki first met at the supermarket market and instantly clicked. The two were inseparable and always hung out. Vikki would even play with Kristie and have a good family-esque relationship. Vikki and Laurie eventually start dating and things pretty well until…you know. Laurie still mourns Vikki and sees her as one of her soulmates in another life (like finchel was trying to do in the later seasons of glee lol)

Paula Martinez (circa September 27 '95-present) - They've known each other since Kristie and Jo's freshman years of high school. Both of them would chat at school events and hang out occasionally outside of school. Also since their daughters fight a lot, they'd end up interacting a lot at school. Sometimes they'd go out for coffee and just hang out, soon developing feelings for each other. Both wouldn't realize it at first but everyone else does. They don't realize it until the day Sherri and Angie renew their vows. But are conflicted on whether to act on them because their own past histories with dating and how their daughters would feel. Eventually they do end up dating and in the beginning of Kris and Jo's senior year, they move in together and end up getting married after Leia, Sarah, etc. graduates high school.

Dolphins Terron Armstead Xavien Howard lively; Jordan Boyer qualifies for secondary payments Mercury Information

The Miami Dolphins left Tyrone Armstead and cornerback Xavien Howard accessible for Sunday’s recreation on the AFC East undefeated with the Buffalo Payments at Exhausting Rock Stadium. Two three-time Professional Bowlers, each questionable on Sunday, weren’t listed among the many inactive gamers within the Dolphins (2-0) introduced 90 minutes earlier than kick-off one afternoon. Then they began of their positions. In the meantime, the already distressed banknotes (2-0) added Jordan Boyer’s security to its inactivity. Buffalo all began in highschool from Poyer and fellow Professional Bowl Security Micah Hyde, Cornerbacks Tre’Davious White (Reserve/PUP) and Dane Jackson popping out towards a highly regarded Dolphins cross after profitable 42-38 from behind final week in Baltimore. The Payments will attempt to sustain with Miami’s quick large receiver tandem of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle — who mixed for 22 receptions, 361 yards and 4 touchdowns in Week 2 within the Ravens win — with cornerbacks Christian Benford and Kair Elam, in addition to Taron Johnson nickels, and Jaguan Johnson and Damar Hamlin spare tanks. Armstead performs regardless of lacking per week of nursing coaching to a toe harm. He’s anticipated to be confronted extra typically with All-Professional Payments rim accelerator Von Miller on the Dolphins’ offensive line already that includes Greg Little in proper deal with Austin Jackson, who’s in reserve with an ankle harm. Howard, who had a thigh harm on Thursday and Friday after lacking Wednesday’s session, will job Stevonne Diggs, the Buffalo Restricted star receiver. The large receiver Cedric Wilson Jr. (ribs) can also be accessible for Miami after being referred to as into query. One other Dolphin who entered a questionable defensive deal with, Rickwon Davis (knee), went out on Sunday. Miami began with a three-man defensive entrance that included Christian Wilkins, Zach Celler and Emmanuel Ogba. Cornerback Kader Kohou additionally bought a begin with Nick Needham within the nickel formation. Miami already had tight ends, Hunter Lengthy (ankle) and Sethan Carter (concussion protocol) each listed on Sunday’s entry listing. One other inactive Dolphin was once more engaged on Miles Gaskin, quarterback Skylar Thompson and large receiver Eric Izukanma. Novice caller and large caller well being scratches for the third time in three weeks. The Payments even have defensive tackles Ed Oliver and Jordan Phillips and a passive midfield Mitch Morse. Huge receiver Gabe Davis and slim finish Dawson Knox, whose entry is questionable, are lively. Few of the injured gamers take care of the warmth With quarterback Tua Tagovailoa provisionally leaving Sunday’s recreation, Greg Little, on the correct deal with, made two exits with a finger harm. It’s uncertain that he’ll return. Little got here off the sector late within the first half, and Larnell Coleman bought in on the correct deal with. Little tried to return again early within the second half, however bought out shortly once more. This time, proper guard Robert Hunt slipped into the correct deal with, with Robert Jones included within the guard. Little got here again from marginalization the second time round. Plenty of South Florida gamers had been affected by the warmth and humidity, particularly within the second half. Xavien Howard was seen enjoying within the nook from Dolphins as he entered the locker room within the third quarter, coping with cramps. Dawson Knox’s slim billing and large receiver Isaiah McKenzie had been additionally coping with warmth points within the third interval. Appropriate Buffalo Spencer Brown additionally offers with warmth sicknesses. Proper guard Ryan Bates is being evaluated for a head harm within the third quarter. Huge billing recipient Jake Comero was knocked out of Sunday’s recreation with an ankle harm This story might be up to date. () Originally published at San Jose News HQ

Slasher OC Info:

Name: Penny Winfield

Gender: Female (she/her)

Gender: Female (she/her)

Ethnicity: African-Italian-American

Height: 5’4

Weight: 134lbs

Slasher Era: somewhere between the Late 80’s-Mid 90’s

Physical appearance: long, curly hair that she usually wears in an Afro (calls it her “poof”), casual outfits are anything black but accommodates the Texas heat or black with pastel sundresses when she’s teaching the local kids, 3 large scars down her back and 2 on her back left thigh from a puma attack when she was 12, dark brown eyes, and dimple piercings (puts in fillers when teaching as per school district rules)

Occupation: preschool teacher/part-time personal trainer

Civilian personality: friendly, social, bubbly, can be a bit of an observer sometimes, kind

Hobbies: gardening, playing guitar, reading under a shady tree, volunteering at the local animal shelter

Likes: children, plants, guitar, horses, bees, teaching

Dislikes: rudeness, yelling, feeling anger, being alone

Slasher name: Sunflower

Slasher outfit: A yellow, 50’s style dress embroidered with a bumble bee across the front, yellow hair band that holds her hair back, and a homemade papier-mâché sunflower mask

Slasher personality: yandere to the max, possessive, sadistic, enjoys torturing her victims psychologically, the “Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” type personality

Slasher weapon-of-choice: 2 hand-held sickles or a chainsaw

First kill: first was the puma that attacked her in the woods, then immediately after was the man who tried to molest her after “helping” her, both at 12 years old

Body count: stopped counting after her 4th boyfriend tried to break up with her after 5 years of dating. Estimates anywhere between 10-14 people (all ex’s or abusers/rapists)

Bio:

Penny lived in the rural outskirts of Houston, Texas with her single father. As a young child, much of her life was spent in school or running around the Texan wilderness. According to her father, her mother died when she was giving birth to Penny. But other than that and a picture from before she was born, she knows very little of the woman who gave birth to her.

Around 10 years old, the 10th anniversaryof her mother’s death, her father became a belligerent drunk. She would spend many days, and even nights, in the wilderness outside her home. At 12 years old, lost and alone in the woods, Penny found herself hunted by a very hungry Puma. After trying to lose the beast in the woods and being backed into a corner, she took a large rock and smashed the creature’s head with it, although not without a few wounds of her own. Scared, lost, wounded, Penny limped in the direction that should’ve been her house. As she crept she ran into a trusted family friend, an uncle even, who offered to help her and return her to safety, only to try and deflower her against her will. Penny would then end the man’s life as she did the puma, leaving his corpse to be picked away by the forest creatures.

She would spend the next several years undergoing extensive physical and emotional abuse by her father. Her snapping point, was when she had found out he had arranged for attempted deflowering. That night she slit his throat while he laid drunk in his bed. That was also the night Sunflower first came out, a ray of sunshine in Penny’s dark world.

Several years and several bodies later, Penny now teaches at a small preschool in a rural town outside of Athens, Texas. She makes extra cash by doing physical therapy for a few of the rich folks in Dallas. She has yet to find love, a home, or a family of her own. But that doesn’t dim the ray of hope inside of her; Sunflower.

Tags: Sunflower Imagine, Penny Imagine, Sunflower x Reader, Penny x Reader

Life Sucks Without You

Dear Asshat,

     Life has really sucked without you, You told me once that you wouldn’t always be around to help me. I’ve never hated anyone more for being right. We had all these plans for our lives’. We even have a game plan for hell. When we made it, you failed to mention how early you planned to get started. In 3 days it will make 2.5 years since you been gone. My memories of you are still so vivid and I hope that doesn’t change. They still make me smile; even with the cloud hanging over them. I could never make you understand just how honored I feel that I got to spend your last night with you. It will forever be my most cherished memory.

     I had a comprehensive psych eval last month. The results were not favorable. Ya girl is batshit. Although, normal was never synonymous with your name. My official diagnoses are: Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) - recurrent episodes - severe, Social Anxiety Disorder, PTSD, Anorexia Nervosa (ED) - Binge - eating/purging type - in full remission, and substance abuse - in early remission. I don’t know why I put the abbreviations in parentheses, like you wouldn’t already know them. There wasn’t much you didn’t know.

     I already had all the diagnoses except BPD and Substance Abuse. I knew those would be diagnosed this time. I haven’t had a full eval since the summer of 2014 when I entered inpatient for my ED. Like BPD, ED is a behavioral disorder, so it is untreatable by medication. The only known clinical treatment is DBT. I’ve been looking at places on line, but DBT twice a week, one being a group session, plus my normal load is a lot to take on. I know I need to do it. I know how amazing the results are. The process is just pure hell. I’m having the tear myself open, and lay myself bare, in front of people I don’t know and I don’t even know how to explain it to myself. You always use to tell me I was to nice for my own good and that people would take advantage of that. I don’t think you understood, before you, that’s what I wanted. You see, man, there is a part of me that is dark and twisted. There is a part that is out to destroy all the things that are good in my life. I feel like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It actually had me convinced that your death was my fault. I let you get close and held you dear. There was no anxiety around you. And the depression didn’t hang around long. I use to think you were the exception to my ridiculously high walls and boundaries. I use to think you were the one person in the world that would never hurt me. And I still believe you had no intention of doing so; it was just a tragic accident. But, I’m still angry you left me.

     Thinking about the phone call still makes my heart drop. I had seen your truck on the news, but didn’t recognize it. Oh, how stupid I was. One of our mutually favorite co-workers called me at the group home in LC. He wanted to know if I had heard from you today. I hadn’t, but didn’t think anything of it. You usually work your other job in the morning, and we had plans to meet up that night, just like every Wednesday Night. It was always The Three Musketeers. He called back later after getting ahold of your step mother. She let him know you had been in surgery for several hours. There was a lot of internal damage and they weren’t sure they could fix it. I have never had a panic attack hit faster or harder. I could feel my heart breaking and I wanted the pain in my chest to swallow me whole. I immediately left work and went to be with our other Musketeer. Her roommate drove us to the liquor store and we loaded up on wine and whiskey. Just FYI we still hate whiskey, but drink and crown and coke for you from time to time. When I got the call that you had passed, I felt pain like I had never known. That was the first time I ever did a line of coke. I didn’t want to associate anything negative with you and at the moment in time, all I could feel was utter despair

     You knew I had Mr. Hyde residing inside me. You had seen some glimpses of him, even when you were unaware. Just like in Stephenson’s book, my Hyde looks plain and ordinary. 90% of the time, people pay him no mind. There is also and strange and evil aura surrounding him. He takes great pleasure in my torture. I honestly don’t think I’ll ever commit suicide by painless means. To the very end, I’m going to delight in downfall and taunt myself with everything I failed to be.

    Though it was unintentional, your death was a big trigger for me and still continues to be. Every time I try to grieve you I hit hit with a hurricane of emotions. Thanks to the BPD I often dissociate and become numb, but then there is you. You never did like to follow the rules. When I’m really missing you, the emotions are so intense I don’t know how to appropriately react. It usually just ends in anger towards myself for being incapable of having semi-stable emotions. I’m having to rely pretty heavily on my music just to figure out what the fuck is going on inside me. And anger towards you for leaving me. You stepped up to make me feel safe when I didn’t. You found the cracks in my amour. You cared enough to remain patient with me while our friendship grew into euphoric relationship it was. You were never afraid to tell me I was being crazy and to shut up with my anxious ramblings. You were a great source of comfort and security for me. I don’t think I could have told you anything that would have changed your opinion of me. What’s even more, you let me in. You thought I was worthy enough of coming inside your walls as well. Neither of us were any near perfect, but I don’t think my soul will ever feel complete without you. You took my hand and led me down that dark, winding path through Satan’s forest, and I willingly followed. We were an unbeatable team, defeating any demon that popped up. And you just left me there. The universe used you to punish me. Hyde’s don’t get to be happy. 

     I want you to know that I spent the hour car ride from LC praying and attempting to barter with every deity I could imagine. I was already mentally rearranging my schedule so I could be by your side as much as possible. I have never met anyone like you and never will again. I may not have a sense of self or always be able to stay in reality. There are 2 very specific memories of you that I hold above the rest. No matter what I’m feeling, they make me smile. You always made me smile.

     I will always love you Ziggy; completely and unconditionally. I just hope I can be the person you saw and not the monster I see.

Love Always,

     Your weird but cool sarcastic asshole.

#death #missingyou #letter #mental illness

would love to hear more about ur verse covering the gap between t70s and t90s 😁

Thanks for the ask!

Well, it's a massive story. The longest one I've ever outlined (and I wasn't finished) - it was like 60 chapters. It attempts to bridge the two series, so it started on New Years Eve 1979 and went right up to the 4th of July 1995. Each of the characters had their own major plotline - quite complex, to explain how they got from the '70s to the '90s. I truly don't think I'll ever finish and post it, so here are some details (be forewarned, this is long 😅):

Eric and Donna of course, were the center. The story was about how they handled their unexpected pregnancy with Leia, and then raising Leia, along with navigating turbulence as their friend-group imploded, stress in their careers, and eventually fissures in their marriage. A lot of angst, which is something I haven't been writing much of these days but I rather miss it. A few big spoilers about their plotline:

Eric finally grows up when Leia is born. We see him struggling to find his purpose at the end of T70S, and when his daughter is born he finally finds it.

They end up going to college in Milwaukee, not Madison, because it's much closer to Red & Kitty (who help them immeasurably when Leia is little). Donna gets to attend Marquette - the private school she loved but was going to give up so she could go to UW-Madison with Eric.

They want to have a second child when Leia is around 5 or 6, but unfortunately Donna loses the pregnancy/has a miscarriage. When it happens a second time, she goes into her self-destructive spiral and runs away to her mom's in California (deja vu). Eric goes and brings her back home, once again.

Donna's a journalist when she graduates from college, and after several years of work she gets her dream job opportunity: writing for Rolling Stone. The job requires a lot of travel, though, and Eric is concerned by that (Leia's around 10) and nags her about it. The plotline culminates in Donna missing Leia's birthday. Things become even more tense between Eric and Donna, and then on an international work trip, she's drunk and pissed and she cheats (like, somewhere in between kissing and sex). They work through it in marriage counseling. (This storyline was partly inspired by the marriage and family therapy course I had to take in grad school, and partly by Jim and Pam on The Office 🤣)

Donna changes careers after the whole ordeal, and ends up as a writer/author. She publishes her first novel to modest success, but her second becomes a Bestseller. It's about her mom. Midge died of cancer and the book is Donna processing her relationship with her mom/her mom's death.

Obviously from T90S, they end up happy (and together). By 1995 they've worked through their stuff, and they're happier than ever. Well. As happy as you can be when you're raising a teenager (marriage and family therapy course taught me that statistically, families are at their most volatile stage when their children are teenagers 🤓)

Jackie and Kelso

I originally had Jackie with Hyde when I drafted this story, but I changed it after That '90s Show came out and I became intrigued by the idea of Jackie and Kelso for the first time. What makes them keep going back to each other time and time again? How do they work? How does parenthood change their dynamic? I wanted to explore it in a story. A few big spoilers about their plotline:

When Jackie realizes she's pregnant (and it's Kelso's), the first person she turns to is Hyde. He doesn't know why she's telling him that she's pregnant ("I don't know why you're tellin' me. I ain't the daddy,") but Jackie confesses she didn't know who else to go to. She confesses that she doesn't want to be with Michael, she wants to be with him - but Hyde gets upset and tells her it's too fucking late for that. Upset, Jackie leaves. Hyde goes after her, but it's a few moments later after he's collected himself. She's gone.

Jackie flees to her father in Boston (he's just been released from prison and has promptly remarried and is quite literally starting a new family). He's still rich somehow, and he's vowed to take care of Jackie and his grandchild. He's relieved when he learns the baby daddy is Michael and not Steven, because he 'will be easier to manipulate'.

Jackie's dad threatens and then bribes Kelso to ensure loyalty to her. He gets him a job, implied he's paying him off, etc. Jackie quickly sees through this/realizes it, but admits she could really use the help with newborn baby Jay.

Kelso just straight up ditched Brooke and Betsy for Jackie and Jay, once Jackie's dad started manipulating him. There's bad blood between Brooke and Jackie/Kelso - even though Betsy lives with them part-time (in the summers, etc).

They get divorced because Kelso reveals her dad's bribes to marry her - and because Jackie feels she can't trust him, and he's cheating (he is). Their kids (they now have another baby) are tired of seeing them fight. Etc.

Kelso has a playboy era for a few years, but it loses its appeal rather quickly and he comes crawling back to Jackie. He misses his family. She makes him work for it for a year, but when he's 'proven his love', she takes him back and they remarry.

The second divorce has to do with them being competing local news anchors, ala Anchorman.

Years in the future, beyond 1995 (this was going to be an epilogue, maybe?) Jackie and Hyde run into each other again. Jackie's kids are grown/almost grown, and she's finally left Michael behind for good and been happily single (parenting) for many years. Jackie and Hyde's chemistry is still there - until Hyde reveals he has a 7 year old. Jackie's crushed, but forces herself to ask about his wife. He grins and says no wife, just a co-parent, he's not with Jamie's mom. It ends on a flirty note and we're led to believe they get together like that, later in life. (*Found a way to make it Zenny!*) (Maybe sort of inspired by Daisy Jones and the Six)

Hyde

He turns away Jackie when she comes to him with her pregnancy - lashes out at her from a place of deep hurt and regret. Unfortunately for him, he drives her away one final time and she's married to Kelso within the year.

He eventually moves to NY, with W.B. It's related to running Grooves, he's gotten a promotion and is making quite a bit of money. Work is his life now - he never thought he'd be one of those people.

He still comes back to Point Place, though rarely. For Eric, Donna, and Leia. For Red and Kitty. He always says hi to Fez. Etc. But he avoids Jackie and Kelso.

He doesn't date or have a serious girlfriend for a long time after Jackie - like 7+ years. When he visits, Eric always tries to tell Hyde that he can have what he has too, he can settle down and find someone. Hyde just brushes him off.

Fez

Fez is completely blindsided by Jackie's revelation that she's pregnant (with Kelso's baby) when they're in Jamaica. He comes home and is devastated. Jackie was his dream girl. But Hyde assures him that his destiny is never tied to anyone who leaves. He inspires Fez to do something for himself, and he decides to go to beauty school so he can be a hairdresser.

It's hard for him to be around Jackie and Kelso. He stops having ill-will towards them after a few years, and he eventually just defaults to avoiding them. The splinter between Fez and Kelso/Jackie - along with Hyde bailing to New York - means the gang essentially dissolved. It's really hard for Fez (and some of the others). He still talks to Eric, though, and sees him and Donna every time they're in town visiting Red and Kitty.

He dates quite a bit over the next several years, even trying dating some men, but he never feels that soul connection he had with Jackie. He quietly resigns himself to settling. Until he meets Sherri.

That was a lot. And yet, only a snippet. 🤣

Portraits of a Serial Killer - “The Cell” turns 20

I've often reflected how the influence of Art is a key component missing from Modern Horror. The Xenomorph we all know and fear came from the painted nightmares of Swedish surrealist H.R. Giger, the Screamer is said to have influenced the Ghostface Killer mask.  For a further rundown of art's musings over the genre, I would highly recommend 2017's Tableaux Vivants for a look at 60 such portraits and the films they inspired.

In the summer of 2020, The Medium video game appears to correct that oversight with the recent trailer dropping, adapting Polish painter, Zdzislaw Beksinski's frightening paintings.  In the same season of the same year is when The Cell celebrates 20 years (8/17/2020).  This film appeared to feature as many artistic influences as possible into its near two hour runtime.

The sight of chains freaked me out upon watching my first Hellraiser movie, so the sexual perversion of their use in this film did little to alleviate such apprehension, especially as they pulled so tightly to suspend human flesh in the air. Despite a previous scene showing the villain having drowned his victim, this was the true introduction to his villainy - the former showed what he did, that latter why he did it.  Even re-watching this film so many years later, I had to look away from the screen, recoiling from such a grisly display.

Typically, in Horror or any film that assumes a particular aesthetic, it is color that makes the impression to set mood.  Instead, the use of white in this film, from the K9 to the bleached state of the victims is used to ghoulishly haunting effect.

I remember critics remarking that because of Vince Vaughn's comedic history they couldn't take him seriously in this role and relegated his involvement to stunt casting. I take the opposite stance since, for me, every role after this film simply serves as a reminder that he starred in The Cell.  I've always felt that comedy actors do well in dramas - see Robin Williams in "Good Will Hunting" - and I thought that Vaughn did a serviceable job in this film, never distracting from either tone or plot.

I was happy that they just dove into the mechanics behind entering one's mind as an accepted reality, that they didn't get bogged down in techno babble or exposition of the technology.  There is a time and place for the virtual journey into the cerebral frontier, such as The Matrix or a good adaptation of the Lawnmower Man, but for the Cell, I'm happy that they focused more on the story and not so much the science.  The suits do look like Twizzlers, but it was made by Eioka Ishioka (who passed away in 2012), the same costume designer as Vlad Tepes' suit from Bram Stoker's Dracula.  I do like that the two participators are suspended in the air while their minds are linked.  It's an eerie callback to the killer's suspension from chains for sexual release. Also, it does give the technology that space age feel as though they are in a weightless environment.

Since the 90's, special effects have been criticized as dominating films to the point Stephen King is quoted as remarking that "story supports effects instead of effects supporting story". Similarly, an argument can be made that at times The Cell becomes too indulgent with its usage of famous art that serve no plot function, e.g. the Horse Split, the Three Women of Odd Nerdrum's Dawn painting, Mother Theresa and her Hallmark card, etc.  As the director is quoted as saying "The thing about this film is it’s an opera, and there is no such thing as a subtle opera.”  I don't believe that the script was penned as an excuse to pack in as much gallery portraits as possible or is an hour and fifty minutes of a music video.  I just wish the director would've used each art piece he seeks influence from to develop the story or the character.  The imagery doesn't always portray the killer's psychology or the psychologist's therapeutic technique.  If he wasn't going to utilize subtlety, he should have implored restraint.  He later added "Anyway, I missed the whole plot, just been talking visual all along, ah, where are we?”

Once in the killer's mind, his depiction as the master of his domain is a hauntingly accurate depiction considering the previous scenes of suspension rings in the back of his body, which unwittingly foreshadowed to the audience his royal appearance to come.  Even the name, King Stargher, is a daunting title for a movie monster.  When rising and descending from his throne, the violet robes receding from the walls and tracing along the room is hypnotically unnerving.

As tiresome as the "we're still in the dreamworld" trope can become (The Matrix, DS9 Season 7 episode 23 "Extreme Measures"), this film not only flips it when the psychologist realizes that she's "already in", but does so in a cleverly visual way.

King Stargher

Horned Stargher

Court Jester/Vatican Clown  

Serpent Stargher

It is interesting to think that a single actor would assume many distinct monstrous characters.  Unlike a Freddy Kreuger or a Pennywise that turn into manifestations of their victims' fears, the figures that Stargher assumes are all avatars of his own warped psyche, his own inner turmoil.  Vincent D'Onofrio really does put in his all with this role.  He's soft spoken and understated when he needs to be and malicious and heartless when the scene demands it.  Along with the visuals of the film, D'Onofrio's performance is worth the price of admission.  It's a shame that his acting as well as the movie's stunning artistry are what have gone overlooked all these years.  Speaking of...

One invalid criticism that has been levied against the film is its attempts to persuade the audience to sympathize with the killer.  My intention with the following statement is neither to flaunt my Horror insight nor to divide the lines between fans within Horror and those without.  Having said that, even as an adolescent seeing this movie in theaters, I at no point felt remorse for the serial murderer and I chalk up this long-held misconception to a bad read on the film.

So off-base is this "critical analysis" that it can't even be regarded as a Jekyll & Hyde dynamic.  The villain is not split down the middle between binary good and evil, where both halves are at war over his soul, or the repressed impulses of his Dark Passenger are manifesting in a heartless butcher.  If there is any distinction, it is between who the antagonist was when a victim as a boy and what the man became as an adult victimizer.  If anything it is the good that is repressed, not the evil.  Furthermore, along with using the film's plot to force Alice down the rabbit hole of the Mad Hatter's mind, this film does address the nature of evil.  When referring to Stargher, even Jennifer Lopez's character remarks "The Dominant side is still this horrible thing".  The Vince Vaughn detective states "I believe a child can experience 100 times worse the abuse than what Gish (a different killer) went through, and still grow up to be somebody that would never, ever, ever hurt another living being."  Thus, these serve as acknowledgement that the abducted criminal is firmly in the driver's seat to the point of its reference as a "thing" and a condemnation of what the killer has become, respectively.

Along with exploring the psychology of the killer, the film does not qualify the villain's innocence, it questions it.

The critics probably missed that pesky detail that would've debunked their headline before they pressed a single word of their denunciation.

These same professional critics wouldn't give a second's hesitation towards throwing Horror under the bus and condemning Scary Movies for inspiring violence if it meant their jobs were only the line, yet they would balk at the notion that continued mental trauma and physical abuse can cause psychopathic behavior.

There are classics and icons worth praising for their plot and performances, respectively, and then there are some Scary Films that Horror Fans view with the understanding of their heavy material and without your typical fanfare because they're a hard watch.  I can see where people would be fans of Hannibal Lecter not because they or the film glamorizes cannibalism, but because of Anthony Hopkins' acting chops (excuse the pun).  Conversely, John Doe, the serial killer of Se7en, has and will likely never enjoy such admiration because of the cold purity of his calculated evil.  The 2 decade critique of The Cell's villain portrayal is a dark cloud that has unjustly hung over its head.

The motif of "the eyes of a killer" was something applauded in Rob Zombie's Halloween 2, yet ridiculed in The Cell 9 years prior?

This film's premise and the fact that it wasn't fully effectively executed makes it primed for a remake.  Hollywood needs to be issued a Cease and Desist order of such wholesale dependence on Remakes in general, let alone in the Horror genre.  When you consider that so many remakes can't outdo the original and even tarnish the films they attempt to emulate, why not fix the problems of a film that went wrong and take the credit when you get it right?

♬

the smoke machine builds suspense with flashing lights of different colors swirling about the mist, with nero and his pokémon riding through it on silhouetted motorcycles looking noble and strong--until the music breaks into its shittyflute portion, and they all stop riding to cough uncontrollably as they emerge from the smoke. as they continue to act as though they all have tuberculosis, the smoke clears from the upper part of the stadium, revealing the point scores of all the contestants:

Annalise / @dragonskxn​ - 103 points

Jessilina / @musedbyalli​ - 100 points

Reiji / @a-hell-of-a-lot-of-muses​ and Leon / @invictarre​ - 95 points

Shamus / @musesbygeoff​ - 90 points

Aliana / @annoying-blood-orange​ - 88 points

Hyde / @moraldyad​ - 87 points

Diantha / @diamangelique​ - 80 points

Janine / @moodyspc​ - 60 points

      “whew!” nero finally says when it’s all over and the music fades. “seriously, how does anyone stand that stuff? you get people out here trying to look epic with, i-d-k, weed smoke coming out of those machines and you really expect all of them to be able to walk through it like it’s no shit?” cackles. “anyway, i’m here to announce that the battle round is now going to be under way. so far all of you have a chance at winning except maybe diantha and janine--i’m so sorry that you sucked. now, for those of you who actually have a chance. unless you were in the grimdark category--looking at you, hyde--i’m going to ask you to throw out EVERYTHING YOU KNOW from what you just did because in the battles to come, the only category that matters is BADASS. be the most extra you can be without giving a shit about beauty or grace. if you’re looking for my standard of hardcore, watch this.”

the lights go down. the music starts. those who know of nero’s claim to fame know exactly what’s coming as soon as the guitar begins to play. the greatest cute appeal is back on the block--and it’s about to be more extra than ever. [x]

once the last of the soundtrack dies down, the battle pairings go live on the screen as nero recalls his pokémon without even bothering to re-patch the field:

BATTLE PAIRINGS

Diantha, Hyde and Shamus

Reiji, Aliana and Jessilina

Leon, Annalise and one of Nero’s Pokémon

      “great, so now we all know who was obviously randomly paired together to beat the shit out of each other in the next round of battle. i want to get right to seeing you all turn each other into bloody pulp, so let’s do it! diantha, hyde, shamus, you’ve got five minutes to prepare!”

~~~~

all right, guys, that’s a wrap! so basically--

      “you thought you were going to hear my mun talk, weren’t you?” nero says as he comes smashing through the fourth wall. “wrong again! i’m here to tell you all the important OOC information you need to know as well. first of all, my mun would like to apologize for the delay, as she’s been too busy fantasizing over her trash husbands lotor and anakin fucking while she watches. second, your initial deadline is may 17, 11:59 PM PST, and it will be may 24, 11:59 PM PST with extensions. third, get into discord groups ASAP so you can start battle planning. and finally……actually, i have nothing else to say, i just said this because this is usually how my mun talks when she’s giving directions.”

actually actually, nero, i do have something else i’d like to say. just some advice for those who don’t know where to start--these battles are sort of like free-for-alls on the 3DS. everyone attacks everyone else, although you can certainly attempt to make alliances backstage or even during the battle itself. but remember, alliances can only be temporary, as once you’ve taken out your opponent, you must turn against each other and--

      “blah blah blah, would you listen to that? jeez, you’re as boring as the books you love to read. relax. your friends aren’t as stupid as some of their muses are, you don’t need to explain strategy to them. all right then, that’s a wrap. go out and be the biggest badasses you can be! your muses’ success in this contest depends on it.”

Hey! Hope you all had a Merry Christmas and the best time this festive period! This is one of my favourite times of the year; I love spending time with all my loved ones. Before the new year I wanted to reminisce a little bit on Christmas and the exciting lead up to it.

Ruxley Manor

My boyfriend and I have made it a little Christmas tradition to go to Ruxley Manor Garden Centre; it’s one of his favourite places to go at Christmas and it’s becoming mine too to begin the Christmas period. The Christmas decor is such an inspiration for my future home when I have a Christmas tree in all rooms!

In the centre there’s a Santa’s Grotto and Reindeers and an ice skating rink which we didn’t attempt to go on because I constantly fall. (Literally like Bambi on ice!) I found a cute little cabin to take some pictures in and I normally feel confident taking pictures in public but I spotted a guy who pointed at me to his friends and laughed. In the moment I wanted to stop but after some reassurance and remembering that I don’t care about other people’s opinions and I went back to take more pictures!

Winter Wonderland

Every Christmas it is a must to make a trip to Hyde Park Winter Wonderland – Even Rihanna went this year! This year we got tickets to the Magical Ice Kingdom and saw the Charles Dickens ‘A Christmas Carol’ ice sculptures; which was so worth getting tickets for even though it was so cold in there.

After multiple attempts at trying to win a Pokemon soft toy at the fairground games, we settled with the little soft toys we won previously and went on the rides. I don’t like heights so rollercoasters and me don’t go well together but I did go on one ride that wasn’t high just so fast. At first I was fooled and believed it was a nice slow ride and then there was a loud countdown and before I knew it I had to protect my lashes flying away!

Covent Garden

One of fave spots in London at Christmas, and honestly one of my go to places all year round. This year there were pop ups in the area, Glossier Store and Tiffany & Co. that definitely made it worth while to visit. At Christmas London is truly beautiful with all the lights and is also super close to Regent Street and Oxford Street to check out those lights too. I’d also recommend going to the Maddox Gallery, just off Regent Street, to see the decorations there it’s always so amazing.

Christmas Day

The day we’ve all been waiting for! I love spending time with my family and being the eldest of my siblings I love watching my brother and sister enjoy the day and their gifts. The gifts aren’t my favourite thing of the day, in my family we actually leave it until very late in the day to open our gifts. My favourite time of the day (apart from food thats just an obvious choice!) is game time – the chosen game this year was charades and it’s taken very seriously in our house. We played various rounds on Disney characters, Top 90’s Songs and Movies. Then the day ended with the annual watching of Eastenders (having no idea whats going on), a Marvel film and FaceTiming my boyfriend – perfect ending to the day!

What are your favourite Christmas traditions? I’d love to hear about them!

Have a Blessed and Happy New Year!

Thank you for reading this post and following my blog this year!

Antonia xoxo

All Things Festive – Christmas Review Hey! Hope you all had a Merry Christmas and the best time this festive period! This is one of my favourite times of the year; I love spending time with all my loved ones.

Ikerev Drug Dealer AU

Strap in folks, there’s a lot of explaining to do ^w^

Welcome to the city of Cradle, a bustling city with everything you could possibly need and want. With the majority of the city’s population being young adults, Cradle has earned a reputation as a “party city” and is a hotspot for clubs, concerts and crazy weekend getaways to get completely smashed and return home with a ruined liver and a shorter lifespan. However, the dark underbelly of the city stretches up to encroach on its lively surface...in the form of illegal dealings of performance-enhancers.

In this universe, Magic Crystals are an outlawed supplement. They aren’t fatally dangerous, but they’ve been outlawed for their uncanny ability to heighten senses and basically make you superhuman. The catch is that you only need to take it once and then the effects are permanent.

These things are hard to get and even more costly, but still, dealings are abundant in the city whilst authorities try their best to find the last major dealer at large yet anonymous: Harr Silver.

Magic Crystals affect everyone differently, so depending on your metabolism and the chemical balance in your body, you could absorb all of the Crystal’s effects into you or none at all. They’re put into classes based on how much Magic Crystal is absorbed into them and those who ingest Crystals are basically wanted criminals, both by police and other jealous non-absorbers. However, the one consistency is that when you first ingest Magic Crystals, your body essentially goes into stasis and you are incredibly malleable and practically useless while your brain tries to adjust to the new chemical balances.

The categorisation of Magic Crystal absorption:

0% - Incompatible, physically cannot absorb the Crystal’s effects no matter how potent the Crystal.

1-30% - around 50% of the population is estimated to be able to absorb this percentage of a Crystal’s substances. Slightly heightened hearing and sight and less fatigued muscles after exercise.

31-60% - Moderately heightened senses and increased spatial awareness. Reinforced muscles and strengthened bones making the person stronger and more flexible. Less susceptible to burnout unless completely stretching their limits.

61-85% - High increases in senses, spatial awareness and cognitive memory. Near superhuman strength and agility as well as near immune to sickness, but with a high cost of extreme fatigue and nausea when overworked.

86-100% - Pure Absorbers. Superhuman levels of spatial awareness, inhuman sense of hearing, sight and smell, photographic memory and the slightest chance of manipulating the potential energy of others around them (pushing them back without touching them, or nullifying their abilities). Huge recoil from overuse of powers with symptoms like severe nausea, hallucinations and coma.

Main Dealers

Harr Silver

“This was never my intention, but it seems this whole situation is now mine to regulate.”

Originally a humble self-taught biochemist and wildlife enthusiast. Stumbled upon potent Magic Crystals in the forest and decided to experiment on them to appease his curiosity. After many testings of creating a natural enhancer that would reduce muscle tension and fatigue - finally testing on himself when he was confident and absorbing 100% of the chemicals into his system - he started selling them as supplements through back-door sales. Initially tried to sell it legally through mainstream markets, but they all wrote it off as a cheap organic scam product. Stumped for ideas, he confided in his two friends, Lancelot and Sirius, on what to do. Little did he know how big things would get from there.

Sirius Oswald

“I hate that I’m a part of this, but there’s no way in hell I’m leaving you two to your own devices.”

Owner of the city’s largest flower shop and a long-time friend of Harr and Lancelot. Was approached by Harr about his new discovery for advice on how to bring it into the mainstream market, which he obliged. When the situation literally turned into a drug cartel, Sirius was the one to tell Harr to turn back, but it was too late. In order to help his friend, Sirius (begrudgingly) agrees to help him using his various connections throughout the city (to cover up/stop any trails police catch wind of) and his green thumb (his ability to identify and find the highest quality crystals to synthesise). Is repulsed by the thought of ever absorbing a Magic Crystal’s energy, but supports Harr’s and Lancelot’s decisions in doing it themselves.

Lancelot Kingsley

“You’re not thinking big enough. We could do so many things with what you’ve discovered.”

A dignified noble in the city and a polarising public figure because of it. The other friend Harr confided in about his discovery and, unlike Sirius, was almost excited about it. He was the reason these supplement Magic Crystals became the sought after product it is; after taking it himself (him absorbing around 90% into his body), he used his widespread connections to create other dealers throughout the city. The most notable places were the city’s largest nightclub and the organic medicine clinic. Despite both Harr’s and Sirius’ disapproval, Lancelot takes the responsibility for the seeds he planted and helps them both manage the Magic Crystals, himself quite intent on pushing for higher production and more exports. What does he have in mind?

Associates

Fenrir Godspeed

“Sure, I’ll help ya out. Welcome to the hell of illegal dealings, pleasure doin’ business with ya.”

Son to one of the major rich families in the city and the owner of the lucrative Cat’s Cradle nightclub, an establishment known for catchy tunes and shady dealings. Cocky yet grounded, his dealings of Magic Crystals are the best-kept secret in the city, the only source more reliable being Harr himself. Was approached by Lancelot - another rich kid he knew through their family’s connection - and agreed to help in exchange for his own high-quality crystals. Another who has taken Magic Crystals (around 60% absorption) and uses the abilities it gives him to conceal his illegal dealings. Never without his personal bodyguard Seth and loves the exposure the Crystal dealings give his nightclub, so is surprisingly cooperative with the whole operation.

Seth Hyde

“Me? I wouldn’t tell anyone about this. I’m more reliable than that, y’know~”

Fenrir’s bodyguard and co-host to the Cat’s Cradle nightclub. Mainly the entertainment organiser (a real singing and dancing star) and loves to confuse patrons by wearing his hair down to mislead them about his gender (also incredibly helpful for disguises). Knows of the dealings but is prohibited from knowing any top-secret details of the nightclub’s dealings...which is something he needs to know, especially considering he’s an undercover police agent searching for concrete evidence to out the entire Crystal operation. His communications with police are limited to reduce the risk of him being discovered, but relays information to another officer, Edgar, when he can.

Kyle Ash

“Look, I don’t really care about how you’re going about this. Just lemme test them for myself and I won’t tell a soul.”

Head researcher of the town’s organic medicine clinic. Was approached by Lancelot about being an additional dealer but was hesitant at first. Only agreed after talking with Harr directly and getting expressed permission to study the Crystals as long as he sold them as well. Not one for ethics so he saw no downside to this deal and happily sells Magic Crystals to customers whilst researching their effects in his own time. Is currently attempting to find an “antidote” to reverse-engineer the Crystal’s effects, at Harr’s request, so people who regretted their decisions could rectify themselves. Drinks the weekends away with his friend Oliver, though it’s more accurate to say that he’s being babysitted by him.

Edgar Bright

“No one here is truly innocent, myself included. But I can hold my tongue as long as you hold yours.”

A special agent in the Cradle police force. Despite being on the side that works to outlaw and contain Magic Crystals, he isn’t too bothered by them (especially considering he has taken one himself, absorbing approximately 30% into his system). He actually linked the mass exportation of Magic Crystals to Lancelot’s sudden increase in publicity. He confronts him about it but agrees to keep his silence in exchange for Lancelot using his ties to prevent the police force finding out Edgar has taken Crystals. Feeds intel to an investigator, Zero, “for fun”, but makes sure it’s just short of being enough. Receives information from Seth irregularly about the possible nightclub dealings, but doesn’t really bat an eye to it.

Innocents

Ray Blackwell

“Why me? I didn’t ask for this…”

A young man unwillingly dragged into the drug ring through unfortunate circumstances. A frequent visitor to the Cat’s Cradle nightclub, since he’s good friends with the young owner. Because of this, he gets swept up in rumours about him having power in the dealings the nightclub does. He gets dragged out into the alley and forced to ingest a Magic Crystal to make him weak and easy to deal with. However, he absorbs a lot of the Crystal (around 85%) and accidentally severely injures his attackers from an outburst of power. Currently wanted by police for his arrest. Luckily, Fenrir is keeping him safe whilst he tries to come to terms with these powers he doesn’t even want.

Loki Genetta

“I can help you - no, let me help you!”

A young college student before the whole ordeal happened. His friends got hold of Magic Crystals and they all decided to try them for fun. Whilst his friends absorbed close to nothing of the Crystal, his eyes started burning and he passed out from the pain in the alley. Doctors confirmed he absorbed approximately 90% of the Crystal. His parents, while telling him they wouldn't hold his young dumb mistake against him, made plans to turn him in to the police for their own safety as well as his own. Hearing this, Loki fled and lucked out by running into Harr by chance. Sympathising and feeling sorry for the boy, Harr promises to protect him himself, much to Lancelot’s dismay at being a babysitter. Loki learns Harr was the original procurer of the supplement and asks to help him for saving him from homelessness and jail. Harr refuses yet Loki still remains at his side, ready to help whenever he needs it.

Jonah Clemence

“How dare you sully my family name with such useless bile! You’ll pay for what you’ve done.”

The elder brother of the esteemed and powerful Clemence family. Completely uninvolved with any drug trading “nonsense” in order to keep his family’s image pristine. This changes, however, when rumours started by the Godspeed family start spreading about the Clemences doing Crystal dealings to elites behind closed doors. His parents are jailed for suspected drug dealing and he is now determined to clear their name and expose the true culprit who started these rumours about his family. By any means necessary.

Luka Clemence

“Just leave me out of this. It doesn’t concern me, anyway…”

The younger brother of the Clemence family. Knew of the rumours about his family before they did but kept his silence knowing they wouldn’t believe him. Annoyed by his brother’s two-facedness about the situation (only caring about the drug trading after it becomes a family matter). Distances himself from Jonah to hang out with Edgar and tries to pretend nothing is wrong. Carries a couple of Crystals on him in secret, in case of an emergency.

Anti-Crystal

Zero

“Think what you like, but I know who I am and I’m not a criminal!”

An independent investigator assigned with the Cradle police force who works alone in exposing the small branch dealers under Harr’s control (he suspects Kyle’s clinic but needs evidence). Gets leads and tip-offs from a certain esteemed police agent, Edgar, and is incredibly close to getting the intel he needs to break open the case, but every time he gets close he gets cut off. The reason he works alone is because no one wants to work with him. It’s forbidden to take Crystals in the police force and they assume he has taken it because of his physical prowess. Even if it’s his name, they call him Zero as a slur (in a mocking way that is obvious in them not believing his innocence) and they shun him despite him doing nothing wrong. This doesn’t deter him, however.

Blanc Lapin

“I must admit, I am in quite a difficult spot with this whole ordeal. Oh, dear..”

The only surviving heir of the Lapins, the most esteemed family in the city of Cradle and, therefore, has a lot of political power. Harbours a lot of media attention for allowing a drug cartel to break out in the city, but dismisses it politely. Behind closed doors, he works with Oliver to uncover the truth themselves, without police intervention or the possibility of fake information or double agents. Aware of Harr’s history with wildlife knowledge but refuses to make any moves publicly until he has concrete evidence (to limit the risk of his credibility falling).

Oliver Knight

“Can’t trust a single soul in this godforsaken city...drug addicts, the lot of them.”

A local activist against Magic Crystals who believes the whole thing is rigged and even the police can’t stop it with the “no doubt countless rats in every crevice”, to quote him directly. Works with his long-time friend Blanc to find out everything they can without alerting authorities or dealers alike. Drinks his stresses away with his drinking buddy Kyle (but has no idea of his connections to the dealings) but trusts him to chat with about the whole situation. He despises Magic Crystals with a passion...but, why?

Accompanying story posted here because this post is already long enough gkrjdfgbkrjdmfn

( PEYTON LIST / CIS FEMALE / TWENTY-ONE / SHE/HER ) i always seem to run into KATIE BELLE STAUSS at jukebox records. i’ve heard that if the STAFF MEMBER (BARISTA) had to choose one go-to record, it’d be BABY ONE MORE TIME by BRITNEY SPEARS and that they can be BUBBLY but also kind of SELFISH. for some reason, they always make me think of BUBBLE GUM, FUZZY PENS, PASTEL SCRUNCHIES.

blossom again! this character is brand new for me, but i’m excited to give her a test run and i’m so excited to interact with you all!

character inspirations: rachel green from friends, jackie burkhart from that ‘70s show, cher horowitz from clueless, elle woods from legally blonde.

katie belle stauss is a ‘90s blonde teen movie stereotype.

she’s the daughter of claire stauss, a sex and relationship therapist. her mother gave her a stereotypically southern name, as that’s where her entire family is from. she grew up with multiple parents, as her mom was polyamorous. as a result, she was often picked on in elementary school and middle school.

in high school, she turned the bullying around by simply attempting to outshine everyone else. she dyed her hair blonde and her new life formed from there. she was often a bit selfish in school, but easily befriendable. think less regina george and more cher horowitz, although she definitely had her regina moments every now and then.

when she finally got out of high school, she craved independence. while she eventually learned to love her multiple parents, she had to admit that it became overbearing at times. she went to college for a bit, majoring in fashion merchandising. however, she soon realized that college wasn’t for her. in her sophomore year, she decided to drop out and go job hunting instead. 

while this happened, she decided to move into the apartment above jukebox records. she was a frequent customer with her family way back when, so she loved the atmosphere and wanted to be surrounded by it at all times.

recently, she got a job as a barista at jukebox records. however, she’s not doing a very good job and it’s only a matter of time before she’s fired. this is the first job she genuinely enjoys, so she’s trying to avoid that as much as possible.

alongside that, she’s trying to get in touch with her father. her mother never really spoke much about him but there’s so much that hasn’t been explained. she has so many traits that don’t really come from her mom, so she needs to get to know him and figure out what makes her ‘her’. 

will she be able to get her needs met while staying on top of her job? who knows? find out on “katie belle is a hot mess” at 9!

she’s well-meaning, but she can also be a bit of a bitch and she’s definitely a bit too dumb for her own good.

sorry that was so short! here are some wanted connections!

her trainer at her job, who eyerolls at every mistake she makes.

the phoebe and monica to her rachel. she really just needs that girl squad.

the donna to her jackie. she would love an unjudging confidant.

the hyde to her jackie. the yin to her yang. enemies to lovers possibly?

the tai to her cher. someone who she can give a makeover too, because she just loves makeovers.

the ross to her rachel. basically an ex who cries a lot.

the warner to her elle. someone who will give her that big rejection and in turn, inspire her out of spite to do better.