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yutahoes · 2 years

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Miracle

(Surrogate Special Chapter #2)

I just saw this gif and thought this is better than just using Kun's gif. 😅 I do feel that this is lacking and super fast paced but I wanted to move on from Surrogate. Ideas for this special chapter are given by the readers.

characters: female! Reader, husband! Kun, daughter! Ichika, dad! Yuta, dad! Mark word count: 4.5k words genre: fluff, smut summary: Everything is perfect in your life until a miracle happened. warnings: being naked in the bathtub, grinding, kissing, oral (female receiving), penetrative sex (but not too explicit), multiple orgasm, breeding (?), mentions of cursing, mention of cheating, punching Yuta multiple times, pregnancy, giving birth, a change in POV

taglist: @meowniee @aiforyuu @roohnyk @a-bts-world @thetwinkrenjun @multiyuta @destinyg237 @freshtaledonut @sunshinetaetaev @baehaechannie @ytzvivi @yujaesbestiee @what-sarah @foreverabrunette @a-place-filled-with-random @anonjyxd @joepomonerof @iwannabreathetosetmefree @brightestmark (These are the users tagged on Surrogate)

You thanked the cab driver after handing him the fare then closed the door gently. It’s a long day from the theater with all the practices for the new Broadway play and you just wanted to get home and relax. You pushed the keys to the house, surprised that the door was open. Your mom is out of the country, hanging out with her friends from your hometown. And it’s impossible that Kun is home. It’s a Tuesday night.

But as you stepped inside, seeing the small candles lit in the hallway, you realized that it might be him. There were flower petals on the floor as faint jazz music could be heard. Wait. What date is it today? It’s Tuesday, right?

“Happy Anniversary!” Kun greeted. The dimples on both his cheeks popped as he held a large bouquet of red roses. Oh my God! How stupid Y/N? Why would you forget your anniversary with your husband? You immediately leaned on his chest, muttering an apology. He chuckled, rubbing the back of your head. “It’s my job to always remind you anyway.”

You smiled at him, apologizing again, but he only shook his head and then kissed your lips. “Busy day?” You nodded and he kissed your forehead as if wanting the tiredness to go away. “I hope you didn’t have dinner yet.”

Kun pulled the chair for you to sit on, taking the napkin to place on your lap. “Are you supposed to be the waiter now?” He laughed as he took the dish from the kitchen. The steak looks so good, it’s mouth-watering. “Did you cook this?” He nodded while slicing the steak into small pieces. “When did you have time to make this?”

“I had a day off in the hospital today.” You felt bad once again. Why would you even forget your anniversary? And here is your husband who prepared everything just for this day. “Eat first. I’ll just turn off the candles.”

You smiled then nodded. He outdid himself this year. This is all so romantic: the candles, the flower petals, the bouquet, the candlelight dinner. Kun preparing all of this is much more romantic. You don’t deserve him.

“Is the steak well-cooked?” You nodded. It was so tender, so juicy. He’s such an amazing cook. You gave him a bite and he smiled, humming that it was cooked well. Kun rubbed the back of your head affectionately while standing up, “Eat lots. I’m going to prepare the bath for you.”

He’s even going to prepare the bath for you? You feel like a queen now. It’s supposed to be your anniversary, not your birthday. You cannot buy him a gift, it’s too late. So maybe you can share the night with him. “Love,” you called and he hummed from the bathroom. “Do you want to bathe with me?”

You honestly thought that by the time you marry Kun, nights with sexual interactions would become lesser. You heard it from your customers before how doctors have a busy job and less arousal to their wives, since they see naked bodies all of the time. And it doesn't help that your husband is an obstetrician. You were worried that he might be so used to seeing women's vaginas that he wouldn't like yours.

But Kun is an attentive husband. He makes sure to give in to your needs. So even if you both have a problem reproducing, intimate moments are still not lost in your everyday life. It isn't that awkward that you were seated on his lap in the tub, naked from head to toe. "Sorry, I forgot our anniversary." You whispered, leaning on his chest as he rubbed the shampoo on your hair. "I feel so bad when you do all of these."

Kun chuckled, his chest vibrating against yours. "It's alright. I'm not mad or anything. Instead, I'm worried." You stared at him in confusion before he continued, "You're too busy. I'm worried you aren't taking enough care of yourself."

You returned to your original position, hugging him. "I'm fine. We're just getting ready for a new production so there's a lot of preparation. Sorry if you have to worry about me."

"Are you having fun with your work?" You nodded. This is your dream.

Along with the stable family you have now.

"Kun," he hummed in response, “You are the best thing that happened to me.” You leaned closer to hug him, arms wrapped around his neck. Kun’s hands were rubbing your back in comfort. “I don’t know what will happen to me if I didn’t meet you, love.”

A chuckle can be heard as you felt a vibration on his chest, “You are my greatest dream, Y/N.” He had always said those words to you. And by now, you knew where this conversation will head to. “You have no idea how thankful I am to meet you again and had a chance to hold you like this.” Words that would always make you swoon. “I’m sorry I cannot give you a child. Everything will be better if…”

“It’s not.” You claimed, hushing him up by putting a finger on his lips. “I’m still happy to be your only baby.” He smiled in that dimpled smile of his, sending butterflies in your stomach. “And it’s been so long since we last had the house to ourselves,” You whispered in a low, erotic voice. “...daddy.”

Kun pulled you closer, lips placed on top of yours. Your fingers tugged on his hair as he sucked your bottom lip. His nails dig on your skin and a small moan escaped your lips when you felt his hardness rubbing along your thigh. He took this as a chance to slip his tongue inside you, eagerly rubbing himself on you.

But having sex in the bathtub is a complete no-no. You learned that a hard way when you both slipped because of all the soap suds. He might have noticed your hesitance when he pulled out of the kiss and stared at you with a lot of want in his eyes. “Let’s take you to bed.”

Kun had always been a people pleaser. With everything he does, he has to succeed and make the people around him proud. It was the same reason that you found, while dating him in New York, his kink. He loves giving head.

He didn't care where. Even if it is in the bedroom, the bathroom, even the kitchen, or the living room, he'll make sure to get you on first by licking and sucking your core. He even gave you head in the backstage of the theater once, then in the dressing room. Even the piano on the stage wasn't saved. He licked your insides in his office and even when you were lying on the hospital bed with your legs apart.

And you love it. If his fingers were good, his lips were better. You love how he sucks your wetness, how he presses soft kisses after making out with your labia, and how he thrust his tongue inside. You'll surely orgasm whenever he would suck on your clit. And when he flicks his tongue during your release, a scream would just escape your lips.

Your husband will always wrap your legs around his head, holding your waist if you're sitting or your breasts whenever you're lying down. He makes sure to give you an immense pleasure that would make you squirt on his face. He would always look at you after sucking your soul out of you, dimples on his cheek with your juice shining on his lips and chin. An image that would turn you on immediately, as if he hasn’t given you an orgasm just yet.

Kun is a gentle person. You have never seen him raging in anger before, he would just hiss whenever he’s annoyed and then smile as if nothing happened. Your friends were scared that one day your husband will just explode all the anger he was hiding inside but it’s been years since you started dating him and his patience is off the hook. His voice is always so calm, whoever he was talking to.

But that is not the Kun you knew in the bedroom.

Kun is a beast in bed. Probably all his pent-up anger and emotions were released whenever he let go of himself. He would make loud groaning sounds and curse like there was no tomorrow. He would hold you so close that bruises would start appearing on your hips. An image of him that only you can see. A side of your husband that is exclusively for you. And you wouldn't mind crying while shaking in orgasm in his arms.

"Are you alright, love?" he asked in his gentle voice, pushing the hair out of your sweating face. "Am I too rough again?" You shook your head, rolling on your side. He leaned in to kiss your lips, slipping his tongue inside your mouth as he pulled you closer to his nakedness.

A giggle escaped your lips as you felt him getting hard once again. "Seriously Kun?" He chuckled at the question. "I can still feel your cum dripping out of me."

"More reason to do it again."

—----

You had always hated hospitals. The only time that you go to a hospital is your yearly check-up or when you visit Kun, but you prefer to be in the lobby all the time. It’s actually nauseous to think that you’re lying in a hospital bed after fainting from practice. It’s nothing. You have been feeling really bad since the morning and even if your mom told you to skip musical practice today, you insisted to go. Your doctor husband was beside you, still wearing his white gown, holding your hand tight. “Are you my doctor?”

Kun smiled while shaking his head, kissing your forehead. “I am your husband.” He sat on the chair beside your bed, brushing the loose hair away from your face. “Did you eat breakfast?” You nodded, moaning weakly. “Why didn’t you call me if you’re feeling bad?”

“I’m fine. I think I’m just tired.”

The door opened and in came a female doctor wearing the same gown as him. He introduced her as a family medicine doctor and she gushed at how long she had wanted to meet you because Kun cannot stop talking about you. A chuckle just escape your lips, thanking her for all the compliments she threw at you. “We did a series of tests and I think I’m not the doctor who should check you,” She claimed then handed the tablet to Kun. “She’s yours, Dr. Qian.”

Wait, what? You cannot be pregnant. But Kun’s face looked surprised as he kept looking at the gadget in his hand. “Congratulations on your baby!”

Kun stared at you in question and you grew worried. All these years of trying and now, you’re pregnant? “Kun it’s been so long since I last saw Yuta and I don’t…” You tried to reason out, making sense of everything. “The anniversary. That was the last time I slept with someone and that’s you.”

He sat on the edge of your bed, the other doctor excusing herself after your rants. “I know,” he said in a soft voice. “Can you stay for a while? I want to run more tests to confirm that you’re pregnant.” You nodded and he stood up to exit the room, leaving you in your own thoughts.

Lightly, you touched your stomach. Is it possible that you are pregnant with Kun’s child?

You should be ecstatic at the news, excited that the long-awaited child is here. But Kun’s face remained stoic as he put the apparatus for the ultrasound on top of your stomach. He was still gentle, asking you if you feel uncomfortable or if anything hurts, but his voice was in monotone. The appearance of a small white bean-looking image made you nervous.

Ichika was once like that.

There’s really a child inside you.

Kun dropped the apparatus beside you and then held the edge of the bed, head bent down so that you cannot see his expression. Is he mad? You called his name but he only stared at you with a light smile on his face, eyes misty. “I’m sorry, I should be professional but I can’t help it.” He started then hid his face with his hand, sobbing. His other hand held your hand, squeezing tight. “I’ll do my best to protect you and our baby.” His voice choking as he said those words. “I promise I’ll do my best as a dad, Y/N.”

You sat up from the bed, hugging him. He kept on sobbing on your chest, tears threatening to fall from your eyes as well. “And I promise to do my best to protect our baby, Kun.”

It was your choice to quit the production of the musical. Kun kept on asking if you were sure but all that's running through your mind is how to keep the baby safe. Your husband is so protective that even if you complain of just a simple headache, he would bring you to the hospital. This was also his reason why instead of him as your obstetrician, he transferred you to his senior doctor. You didn't mind but it was worrying to see your confident husband being a mess because of his future child.

During the fifth month of your pregnancy, you finally decided that it is time to tell Ichika about the news of her new sibling. Although you talk to them all of the time, you never told them about your pregnancy. You don't want Ichika to expect too much when you weren't sure yet if you can keep the baby in your stomach. Kun was the supportive one who actually thought about you giving birth to where your future child’s sister is, reasoning out that he wanted Ichika to be there every step of your pregnancy.

The moment you landed at the airport, he immediately checked if you were feeling different. He kept on asking if he should book an appointment for the obstetrician you’re transferring to and you just laughed at how too protective he is. He volunteered to take the luggage and that he’ll just see you in the waiting area where Ichika and her dads are waiting.

Your daughter was running when she saw you in the crowd, greeting you with a wide smile on her face. She seemed taller since the last time you saw her but she’s more cheerful. Immediately, you wrapped her in a tight hug muttering how much you missed her. “I’m so happy you’re here, mommy.” She said with a smile, “Where is daddy Kun?” You said that he’s getting the luggage and that he’ll be here. “How about grandma?”

“She’ll come later.” You claimed just as you waved for Mark. “Daddy and I will stay here for a while.”

Mark greeted you with a kiss on the cheek, “You look different.” He started, “But a good different though.” Do you? Yuta greeted you as well, asking where your husband is.

“We were surprised when you said that you’re coming here,” Yuta claimed then waved at Kun. Ichika ran to him and he lightly lift her up. “What’s with the sudden visit?”

Your husband came beside you, carrying your daughter in his arms. He gave you a knowing look before you started unbuttoning your large jacket and showing your growing bump. You saw how Yuta’s eyes widened and Mark’s lips formed a smile. He shouted an ‘Oh my Gosh’ and your daughter squirmed to get out of Kun’s arms. She stood in front of you, reaching her small hands in front and holding your stomach. “Mommy, you have a baby inside?”

You nodded, smiling at her. “And your mommy is going to give birth here so you can see your baby brother or sister first.” Kun supplied and the younger girl cheered, shouting that she was going to have a baby sibling that earned looks from the crowd. Yuta had to hush her up and Mark just laughed, congratulating you and Kun.

“Is Kun the dad?” Yuta asked and you punched his shoulder, blood suddenly boiling at the question.

You thought the pregnancy is different from when you had Ichika, you didn’t have any morning sickness or any cravings. But what didn't change is the annoyance you have whenever you see Yuta. You love to punch him, even bite him. Mark would always laugh, saying how the two of you used to be like that when you were pregnant with your daughter. Whenever Yuta would pick up Ichika from school and send her to your home address, he had to rush outside before you could see him. Or else he'll end up having another bruise before he could come home.

Ichika is the most excited person about your pregnancy. The same as Kun, she was super protective that she would always make sure that you take your vitamins and eat your meals. During the ultrasound, she was sitting properly beside Kun and just rubbing your hand in comfort. Her eyes lit up at the image on the screen, your husband pointing the baby's limbs and head. "The baby is a boy." The obstetrician announced and for the second time in your life, you saw Kun tearing up at the news.

“I’m having a baby brother!” Ichika announced once you arrived at Yuta and Mark’s place. The younger immediately gave you a hug, congratulating you. Yuta had to hug you as well then congratulated Kun for what he claimed as the start of the busiest and most stressful moment in his life. Of course, you had to punch Yuta’s shoulder again which only made both your husbands shake their heads.

Your daughter is a frequent visitor in your home, always keeping you company whenever Kun had to be in the hospital. She would always share things about what happened in her school and even sing songs that they learned in class. Ichika would always read stories to her little brother in her animated voice. “You know daddy Mark is like that when I was pregnant with you,” You shared which made the younger girl confused and wide-eyed. “He always read stories for you and you would always kick inside me.”

“I did?” She asked and you nodded. “Did that hurt? I’m sorry.” A giggle escaped your lips. She’s so cute. “Will the baby hurt you like that also?”

You hummed in response, nodding at her. “But it means the baby is healthy so mommy is fine.” You explained as she started rubbing your stomach. “Do you want to talk to the baby?”

“Will he hear me?” You nodded. The younger leaned into your stomach, her warm hand caressing your stomach as she whispered, “Hi baby.” You smiled affectionately, brushing her hair. “I’m excited to see you. Please come out healthy, my baby brother.”

Her eyes widened seeing a bump appear on your stomach which made her move away from you and stared at you worriedly. “The baby kicked.” You claimed. Ichika stared at your stomach again, “Can you call him again?”

“Baby brother,” Another kick. “Mommy, the baby kicked again.”

“The baby likes you.” The glistening eyes of your daughter made you smile. Deja vu. Yuta was the same as before. “You know papa also has that expression the first time he saw you kick.” Ichika blinked her tears and you giggled while pinching her chubby cheeks.

“You are really Yuta and Mark’s daughter.”

—-----

The moment you gave birth, Ichika backed out from staying inside the emergency room because of the sight of too much blood so it was Mark who came inside with you and Kun. It was another different experience. You were holding Kun’s hands as Mark kept on telling you that you were doing a great job with your breathing and pushing the baby out. When the baby started crying, Kun told Mark to hold the baby first. “I held Ichika first and I felt bad that time.” You giggled at his reasoning.

But it was Mark who whispered that you were so lucky in marrying Kun when he held the young boy in his arms and he started tearing up. You only nodded watching your baby boy calm down in his father’s arms. “Thank you for being healthy, Theo.” Kun glanced at you then leaned in to kiss your forehead. “I love you, Y/N.”, he whispered. “Thank you for keeping our miracle safe.”

Theo. God-given. It was Ichika who saw the name in the book and suggested it to Kun. Your little miracle.

Ichika’s eyes didn't leave her younger brother when he was brought inside the room for breastfeeding. She was just seated in front of you, looking intently at the smaller boy. “Do you want to hold him?” The younger girl looked surprised then stared at Kun sitting beside her asking if she can do that. Your husband nodded, laughing at her innocent question.

You kneeled on the bed, gently placing the baby in Ichika’s arms. “What if I break him?” You giggled while shaking your head. The baby started crying and she panicked, eyes darting to you and the baby in his arms.

Kun suggested calling his name and Ichika followed, whispering “Theo, don’t cry.” The cries become softer so she continued, “Noona is going to protect you, my baby brother.” Then he stopped crying making your daughter smile widely. “He stopped crying.”

“Theo likes you,” Kun exclaimed and she smiled widely, lightly rocking her little brother to sleep.

—---

“Mommy!” Ichika called running to where you are, “Papa!” Since Kun is needed in the hospital as a guest speaker, you came with Yuta to pick Ichika up for school. It’s so boring at home although your days are always filled with Theo’s crying. Besides, you promised your daughter that you’ll bring her brother to her school one day. “Theo!” she called cooing at the younger boy inside the stroller.

The little boy started smiling at his sister, making you smile. You hoped they could get closer like this even if they’re grown up. “Can I show Theo to my classmates?”

“But make sure that we can still see you,” Yuta claimed and she nodded, leaving her backpack to her father and started pushing the stroller to where her friends are. “She wouldn’t stop talking about how cute her brother is.” He complained and you only chuckled at that.

From afar you can see how her classmates were huddling in the stroller and Ichika kept on saying, “This is Theo, my younger brother. Isn’t he the cutest?”

A sigh escaped your lips that made the guy beside you lightly nudge your shoulder, “What’s wrong? You’re thinking deeply.”

“Well, Kun and I had to go back to New York with Theo. I’m just worried about how Ichika will take it.” You confessed then crossed your arms on your chest, letting out a heavy sigh once again. “Should Theo and I just stay here for Ichika?”

“And leave Kun alone in New York?” Yuta asked which made you nod. “Your work is also in New York.” Again, you nodded. You just took a leave because you gave birth but the production had already contracted you for the next musical.

Yuta laughed lightly, “This is supposed to be a surprise but Mark and I had been considering moving to New York.” You had to stare at him in surprise. They’re moving to New York? “Ichika already seemed a New Yorker and it’s closer to Canada, Mark can go visit his family anytime.” He reasoned out, “There are also more flights to other parts of the globe so business is easy.”

“Are you sure?”

He nodded, smiling. “When Mark tells you about this, pretend that you’re surprised. He’ll get mad at me for spoiling the surprise.”

“Yuta,” He hummed as an answer. “I love you.”

Yuta stared at you with a smile. That lovely smile that always makes you swoon. “I know, Y/N. Don’t overreact.” You punched his shoulder once again making him laugh. “I love you too. So stop punching me, I swear my bruises cannot heal because you’re too violent.”

You laughed and he rubbed the top of your head, “Call your children, let’s go home.”

—---

With the last note resonating through the air, I bowed to the applause of the audience. Standing up, I saw how they were all cheering and clapping their hands while standing up. A perfect ballet performance. A dream happening before me.

I glanced at the people who became my source of inspiration. The people who made everything possible.

Mommy. Papa. Daddy Mark. Daddy Kun. Theo.

“You were so cool, noona!” My younger brother claimed as he handed me a bouquet of pink roses. “You are better than mommy.”

Our mom glared at the younger boy which made me laugh. Daddy Mark handed me another bouquet of sunflowers, “You look so pretty on stage, princess. I bet a lot of guys would fight for you.”

I chuckled before taking the bouquet of carnations from Daddy Kun, “But don’t get a boyfriend yet. You’re still young.”

“I’m going to shave all your hair if you get a boyfriend without our permission,” Papa claimed while taking the bouquets from my hand which made me laugh. Where did they get all these ideas?

Mom had to slap Papa’s shoulder which made me and Theo laugh. She held my cheeks, smiling widely. “Don’t listen to them and just enjoy, baby.” From my peripheral vision, I saw how daddy Mark nodded at that. “You are the prettiest.”

“That’s unfair, I look like you.” She laughed and I beamed at her.

The person I always look up to. The person I wanted to be ever since I was young. “I’m very proud of you, my daughter.” Tears spring from my eyes at her words. It feels touching hearing those words from someone that you always adored. Theo had to whine, telling me to stop crying because it will make me ugly so I hugged him tight making the four adults laugh at the two of us.

“Miss Ichika Nakamoto,” a photographer called and they gave me space to talk to him. “Can I take your photo for the local paper?” I nodded, quickly facing my mom to ask if I still look alright and she nodded, assuring that I’m still the prettiest.

Once done with the photos, I noticed his polaroid camera. It would be good to have a picture of the six of us. “Can you take a polaroid picture of my family?” I asked and he nodded. Immediately, I ask them to stand beside me so we can take a family photo. The photographer looked surprised, telling me that I should pose with my mom and dad first but I shook my head. “There are six of us in the family. Thank you for taking a picture of us.”

The paper looked so small in my hands, the first complete family picture that we have. A surrogacy baby and a miracle baby together with their three dads and one mom.

Our inconvenient yet perfect family.

#yuta #yuta nakamoto #nakamoto yuta #kun #qian kun #qian kun fluff #kun fluff #qiank kun smut #kun smut #surrogate

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marciabrady · 3 years

Note

Elle Fanning's version of Aurora, if you're still answering (and if you've seen the Maleficent movies)?

Favorite thing about her?: I like that Elle repented in her interviews for the second film. In the first, she was very mislead by the writer and people like Angelina telling her that the original Aurora was flat and undimensional and she really parroted all of those talking points, but when she did press in the second, she said there was value in Aurora's femininity and not every female character has to be strong in the same way, which I think is worlds above Lily James saying she injected Belle and Jasmine into Cinderella when she was filming her movie lol but OG Aurora always was strong in her decision making and that's why I was so excited when I saw trailers for the second Maleficent when Elle goes "I wasn't really asking, was I" toes to toes w Angie but the way the actual second movie went was v different lol

Least favorite thing about her?: Ok Elle said Aurora was her favorite growing up and that was because she had blonde hair and wore pink...and I kinda think that's where her understanding of the character ends? At least prior to the second film. Like, Elle isn't Aurora AT ALL and I don't /hate/ her like I do Lily's Cinderella but I just think it's an odd take on the character? Like, Aurora in the animated film is a fairytale sixteen- but that's not a real life sixteen! I mean Mary Costa was 22-25 when recording, Helene Stanley was also in her twenties, and it wasn't supposed to be realistic. Not only does Elle lack the singing talent Mary had, but she's not as refined or elegant as the character...and she was fourteen when the first film took place? Like it's just SO STRANGE I really don't understand who okayed this

Do I like her movie?: Omg no the CGI trolls make me want to pass out and I think the whole thing of ~Maleficent being Aurora's mother~ is so lame. Not only does Aurora's biological mother die during the first movie, Aurora's taken away from both parents because of Maleficent's curse, and the film vilifies her three surrogate mothers from the original film in order to make Maleficent sympathetic IT'S A SHAM PEOPLE, but I've never trusted Linda Woolverton or anything she puts her hands on lol

Favorite outfit she wears? I kinda like the blue dress she wears in the beginning of the second movie. It's not my personal style but I think it's fitting for the version of the character they present

Favorite song from her movie?: NA

Favorite animal (or human) friend she has?: I like Phillip in the second film!!! He's not my Phillip, but he's cute and non-offensive

Which trait of her personality do I most see in myself?: None in Elle's Aurora

How would I rate her prince?: Brenton is a non-factor because he's barely there in the first film but I think Phillip in the second movie is cute

Where does she rank on my top 10 favorite princesses?: NA LOL

Put a Disney Princess in my ask and I'll answer!

#ask #anonymous #fascinating question !!!!#thank you anon

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phynali · 4 years

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more spn discussions, just skip this post y’all

@queerbluebird thanks so much for engaging with my post/reply! i really enjoyed reading your response and i have a long reply here.

i’m responding to your post/reply here rather than reblogging it because honestly that thread is - so long. so very long.

so first -

i agree there is a difference between entitlement and what i would call, not promise, but instead “narrative follow-through”. A story that completely lacks narrative follow-through does end up feeling disappointing, or frustrating, or rage-inducing, depending on what’s happened. to me there’s a fundamental difference between critiquing a story based on follow-through and bad storytelling (which your post aims to do), versus say, creating hashtag campaigns about a character being silenced because and spreading conspiracy theories about a bad dub (among other things honestly).

and also - queerbaiting totally sucks, we definitely do agree on that.

where we disagree, i think are these two core points:

i do not see the narrative build-up that demands a follow-through. i do not see supernatural as having built up to the story that many destiel shippers seem to think was there, and no one has ever been able to point out to me any actual textual reasons that do craft that narrative build-up

i fundamentally do not believe that destiel was ever a queerbait. queerbait involves active intent on the part of creators to tease a ship or queer representation in order to draw in $ from queer audiences without ever making it canon, so as not to alienate straight audiences. so, refering to point 1., i do not see the canon text as having laid the groundwork for a queerbait and those romantic tropes, at least not at any point in the past 7 years. and beyond the canon, the writers and producers and jensen ackles all indicated dean was straight, and that they were not writing a romance. if anyone queerbaited the fans, it was misha collins who kept teasing the possibility, and personally i would argue that was irresponsible of him. but that’s a different discussion altogether and tends to piss people off when it’s framed as such, because misha means a lot to them and it hurts to see the man who validated their feelings get criticized for the manner in which he validated them. so i’m gonna leave that aside.

beyond that, I want to engage with some of your specific quotes:

Supernatural loves to say “wait for it.” And I don’t think it’s entitled to feel betrayed if an author uses their story to say “wait for it” in order to convince you to stick with their story and then delivers the opposite after you do.

May i ask, where was the “wait for it” with destiel? this ties in directly to the queerbaiting. i indicated in my post/reply that while i see it from cas, there’s been little to no hint of any reciprocation of feelings from dean, and if anything the past 7 or so years have driven the point home that it isn’t happening. i personally am not able to see the “Wait for it” and that was the point of my question. without the “Wait for it”, i also can’t see the queerbait.

I asked for specifics and while i totally get not having the spoons, you provided a few:

(off the top of my head for Dean though, the mixtape, his response to Cas’ death at the end of 12, subsequent grief arc, and reaction to Cas’ return in the front half of 13 rank highly. His reaction to Lucifer’s prank call in 15x19 might rate, but maybe just because it’s so recent.)

not trying to be unkind here, but i quite genuinely don’t see any of these examples as framing cas and dean in a romantic light, or as hinting at a “what if”. the mixtape is like.... okay, maybe. i had read that as being symbolic of something else, but i can see wanting to read it from a shipping lens. (i don’t however think i’d read it as baiting or “what if” - it was quite textually not framed that way. shipping, 100%, but canon build-up, not for me).

for the other examples -- grieving for someone you consider family? and being happy when they come back? that’s not shippy to me. i mean - contrast the grief he showed over cas’s death compared to his grief over, say, mary? or, less extreme, charlie? and nothing compared to how off the rails he goes when sam is dead or he thinks sam is. so i -- i just can’t see those as creating a narrative that demands a follow-through. and when your friend who is dead calls your phone? of course you hop to the door - i don’t know what is romantic about that. sam would’ve hopped just as quick if “cass” had called his phone instead.

and look - i see what is fun to ship about all that. if i shipped it, i’d be happily collecting these moments with a smile and grinning to myself about how cute they are and much they mean. but shipping it vs. it being romantically framed in the canon are two fundamentally different things. shipping doesn’t imply narrative buy-in or deliberation from the creator.

moving on, you also spoke at length about 15x18:

15x18 made the sort of statement that drew back even people who did exactly what OP said they should do, turning off the TV years ago. It wasn’t a quiet “if you’re still watching, keep waiting,” so much as a shouted “hey we’re gonna do this thing, watch this!”

i guess destiel fans vs. those of us who don’t ship it really see this as fundamentally different. because you discuss that moment as one which requires follow-through, and say that if this were heteronormative m/f love declaration, there would be that expectation of follow-through. not necessarily reciprocity, but more - more conversation, more acknowledgment, more something.

(i mean - if there was more, but that more was “hey i love you too but only platonically, sorry man” would that be better?)

but no - i actually just... disagree with your point on that front. i can see why you feel the way you do and i acknowledge that it can be read as the start of a conversation. to me though -- and clearly, now that the finale is out, how the writers saw it -- that was actually the end of a conversation. the end of, like you pointed out, 12 years. a 12-year conversation that ends in a gorgeous declaration of love, and specifically how love isn’t about being together, it’s simply about being - it’s about the fact that you love someone, and that feeling alone is the most beautiful thing in existence.

to me, that declaration can only be written and interpreted as an ending. a sacrifice, a declaration, and a goodbye. so - while i kind of expected seeing more people in episode 20 and realize that didn’t happen largely due to covid - i’m not disappointed we didn’t see cas, because that culmination of his narrative (and then knowing he was with jack, after, rebuilding the heaven that he rebelled against and finally completing his narrative circle by fixing all the problems with it alongside the good god he sought to find all along) is kind of perfect.

and i genuinely don’t think if cas was in a female vessel this entire time that that would change. maybe some audience members would feel differently, but i think many of us would see it for the end it was nonetheless. there’s plenty of stories with m/f ships that are one-sided and that character sacrifices themselves for the person they love, so i don’t see why this would be any different (except the bury your gays issue, but that’s a whole other and very real conversation about media tropes).

moving on to the series finale.

As many people have pointed out in praise of 15x20, Sam is the absolute most important thing in Dean’s life, his priority above anything and everything… And yet there, at the actual end of the world, Dean ignores Sam’s call and instead cries over the loss of Castiel. Dean’s loss of Castiel plays in tandem with the loss of literally the whole world. But we’re not to take that as a promise that Castiel means more to this story, or to Dean, than a couple seconds of wistfulness after the dust settles?

I... yeah. i don’t see what this even is arguing. that dean taking a minute to himself to grieve his best friend, who just died in part because dean decided to go hunt down billie (who was literally dying anyway). he’s hurting. there’s nothing about this that’s a promise - it’s an end. it’s grief. it’s the horror of losing someone you care about, and the silence that comes after. it’s fundamentally human in it’s pain. and we, the audience, are invited to grieve with dean.

so I mean - of course cas means more to this story. of course he’s meant more than a few seconds of grief, after 12 years. but just because that’s the last time we see him on screen doesn’t mean we don’t value his story, and celebrate how it too came full circle.

You mention cas as a sort of avatar for a different potential ending for the brothers, and highlight him representing:

An ending where higher powers stop yanking them around and they get to actually live in the life they’ve built for themselves.

So while i never considered cas an avatar for that, i do think we all wanted the brothers to have their freedom. “finally free.” so we can agree on wanting that end. but we disagree on whether it was delivered, i guess? because i feel it was.

you also talk about what you and many other fans conceivably wanted a happier ending to look like. can i -- i’m going to be totally honest. i have not seen a single person who’s critiquing the end saying “i just wanted sam and dean to grow old hunting together with their dog until they retire together and die of old age.”

would that be satisfying to those who are mad about the end? i personally don’t think so, but maybe my opinion is being coloured by the most vitriolic fans i’ve seen. if sam and dean got to have the life they wanted free of chuck, and dean didn’t die, and they kept going (or retired and opened a bar together!). maybe sam still had a kid, but again because romance wasn’t the point, the wife wasn’t important and they left her blurry still so we could interpret ourselves if she was a wife or a co-parent or a surrogate or what. maybe dean has a kid too, with a similar question-mark-wife. maybe we get a few images of them having a holiday with jodie and the girls. and then getting to heaven together in old age, greeting bobby with a beer, and going for a drive.

would that be an end that wouldn’t cause fandom uproar? i would enjoy it, soft an slightly discordant as it would be to me. i prefer the ending we got, bittersweet and heartbreaking though it was, but i wouldn’t be taking to social media to yell about it if we got a softer epilogue, so to speak.

on the other hand... would that still not be enough, at least not for so many of the angry fans? i’m genuinely unsure. it seems to me that so much of the ire is about destiel itself, even if people are pretending it’s about more and other things than that. not everyone, but like, a big portion of them. which leads me to believe that nothing short of dean and cas at least interpretable as together is what they wanted. if every other single thing about the existing finale was the same except that cas was the one to greet dean instead of bobby, and even with the same basic dialogue, without discussing the confession, but they have a lingering smile, and dean leaves to drive and wait for sam with the promise he’ll see cas later -

if everything else stayed the same except who greeted dean, i genuinely don’t believe i’d be seeing almost any critique of the finale on my dash. maybe i’m cynical, but that’s where i’m at.

which is part of why i really struggle to believe that people are engaging in good faith when they critique the finale. because i feel like if it offered them either a) everything they’re purportedly asking for but still no cas and zero hint of destiel, vs. b) every other thing they claim to hate stays the same except there’s a wink and nod to destiel - i believe they would take the wink and nod.

On to some other things you raised:

But how can you know to walk away from a tragedy if the tragedy says “the end won’t be a tragedy, keep watching” right up until it ends in tragedy?

Oh i Get this. I hate thinking i’m consuming fun media only for it to rip my heart out at the end. i’ve literally - well, i’ve had a very unpleasant and distressing experience of this, actually. so i get it. also the opposite: i sometimes feel disappointed when i’m consuming media that is gripping and intense and painful, but then the end is too easy, too soft and happy?

BUT - supernatural never pretended it would have a happy end? the end was so. much. happier. than i ever expected. the Swan Song end was going to have Sam in hell being tortured by lucifer for eternity. according to something i read which i am fundamentally too lazy to link because who knows if it would have turned out this way but -- kripke was apparently going to have Dean jump in the cage with him at that end, if the series ended on S5? the ‘horror’ ending. completely devastating sacrifice for mankind (sam), and completely devastating sacrifice for his brother (dean). just -- oof. even if that wasn’t the plan and the series would’ve ended as the episode did - sam was still in the cage and cas was off waging war in heaven and dean was living every day knowing he was alive and his brother was being tortured.

i’m sorry if you thought you were watching a happier show. i know how much that hurts. that doesn’t mean the story was actually that happy though. sometimes, it’s on us as consumers to acknowledge we were misreading the media. i’ve had to do this. it’s hard, it hurts, but it helps you consume things healthier. i’ve had to do this growing recently, and i’m better off for it.

regarding the specific manner of dean’s death - that’s really not what my post was about and i’m not gonna address it here. i’ve talked about it elsewhere and so have others, and @lovetincture‘s original post spelled it out beautifully, in how human it was. i have feelings on how and why i loved dean’s death, and why it was the absolute opposite of what Chuck’s ending was and what he wanted (no blaze of glory), but i’ll leave those for another time.

They cast aside all the relationships they’ve built. [...] They lost/walked away from the life and home they built in the bunker. Dean got a season 1 death. Sam got a season 1 life.

I feel that there is a very huge difference between regression and progression when it comes to cyclical storytelling. And that difference seems to be missing from the ongoing discussions i’ve seen about this in fandom.

Coming full circle to season 1 does not at all mean that the development is ‘undone’ or that the story has regressed or that anything has been lost or destroyed. It can mean that, if the storyteller doesn’t know what the hell they’re doing, but in this case i don’t (personally) feel it’s a fair critique.

Dean’s death might parallel his s1 not-quite death from Faith, but the s15 result of that death is night and day. Dean is no longer alone. Dean does not go up to a lonely heaven filled with bittersweet memories, where even his canonical soulmate and him have wide gulfs between the memories they fill their shared heaven with. Dean dies a hunter, but he dies a hunter who literally saved earth and changed heaven and gets to spend eternity with his brother, side-by-side and together without all the pain and miscommunication, and he gets to see his family and loved ones too. he died having literally made the world so much better.

even without that though?

his story comes full circle, but dean’s character development isn’t about his death, it’s about the fact that in the first several seasons dean could hardly admit he cared without acting like his teeth were being pulled. he was too afraid of abandonment to ask for someone to be by his side. he was too afraid of rejection to let anyone in. and in the end? he asks sam to stay. he tells him that he loves him. he pours his heart out and says all the things that 15 years ago were stoppered in his throat, words trying and failing to claw their way free but his hurt and fears were too deep.

dean is free.

the point of dean’s story coming full circle to season 1 parallels was specifically to highlight this incredible development, not to undermine it. he is different. he is free.

god it makes me tear up just thinking about how happy i am for him despite how gutted i was by that scene??

(i could write a similar analysis for sam, about how he left for stanford to escape his life and how his finale life montage bits were the opposite of that, but honestly this post is long enough already).

Destiel is loosely a part of that promise in the sense that Castiel is a part of that promise. The symbol of free will

You make a super interesting argument about Cas being a symbol of free will. I don’t have much to say about it, because I’m gonna mull it over, because I think it’s kinda cool and I’ve never thought about it.

That’s - all i’ve got. thanks again for engaging. i’m happy to continue the convo if you have questions or want to reblog/reply

(though my followers might hate me omg, i’ve been spamming long spn meta posts for weeks now, it’s just been so confronting to see the ongoing fan reaction on twitter and how divided it is...)

#spn meta #supernatural #supernatural meta #spn #fandom discussions #uhhh what do y'all want me to tag this #it's not wank?#it's an open discussion which i like a lot #hmmm #discourse #i'll just go with that #destiel #kind of #this won't show up in the ship tag because that's not in the first 5 tags so i'm safe i hope #don't wanna be a dick and put this in the ship tag #long post #long post for ts #sorry if there are typos it is almost midnight and i am sleepy

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popculturebuffet · 4 years

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Top 10 Thanksgiving Episodes

Happy Thanksgiving Everybody! Time to eat a ton, pass out, and watch MST3K and all that. And since I already covered most of the general stuff about how diffrent this holiday is in my Loud House Review, and to reitarate to anyone having a big, 20 or so people crammed in a room thanksgiving this year

For the rest of us like all of the big three of Holidays, thanksgivings also the time for some classic episodes of television. Granted most shows stick to one, with some exceptions like friends, roseanne and new girl, but most make their one count. Thanksgiving may not be as big as the holidays it’s sandwitched in between, to the point christmas is slowly but surely trying to swallow it whole, but it’s still a time for family, fighting, and food that brings plenty of opprotunity for greatness and even with a smaller pool, I stiill had signifigant trouble narrowing down my list to 10. But I stand by what I got it wittled down to. This is my top 10 thanksgiving episodes! And for my regular readers, there’s a suprising lack of animation but i’m more than willing ot go outside that and now’s the right time, asi’m currently having a black friday sale with reviews marked down by two bucks to just 3 dollars for an episode of any tv show. Yes it’s a shameless plug but since when have I ever had shame? So with that in mind let’s chow down, it’s my top 10 thanksgiving episodes!

10. Pangs (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) Buffy is as a show I REALLY need to revisit. While lately, what with the abuse he did that we can’t get details on when making justice league or his you know cheating on his wife on and off over a decade, I’m not at all a fan of series creator Joss Whedon, Buffy itself is still a classic in my eyes.

The tale of a teenager given the role of the Slayer, a chosen female asskicker given moderate super powers and the duty to defend the world from vampires and other ghouls. The show dealt with the usual teen superhero stuff, ballancing asskicking with saving the world and arguably codified the genre, to the point I hold it at least partially responsible for the bigger wave of teen heroes in the 2000′s in animation and comics. The show had smart dialouge, metaphors, mythology and a rich, and vibrant cast. Sure some things haven’t aged well like an adult vampire dating a teenager or the really dated ways Willow’s sexuality were handled, as groundbreaking as it was, from barely letting her kiss her girlfriend or be shown being intimate iwth her, or just entirley shutting out the posiblity she’s bisexual. But a few age wrinkles aside the show is still good and I still need to rewatch it and that includes our number 10 pangs, one of hte most memorable and well done thanksgiving specials and one fo the shows more comedy moments. It’s thanksgiving, and Buffys mom’s going out of town, so she decides to hold thanksgiving at Giles place to bring her slowly drifting surrogate family together. Naturally given the way things usually go for our Slayer, she has a hard time of it as Willow chafes at celebrating colonolsim, Giles dosen’t get what the big fuss is about that or the meal being british, and Spike shows up looking for protection from season big bads the initiative, a secret military unit that’s chipped him so he can’t harm humans, so he has no way to eat and spends the mal tied to a chair. Oh and of course, a vengeful native american spriti from the chumash tribe has given Xander syphilis and killed a currator as revenge for his people’s suffering, so now Buffy has to fight a ghost bear if she want sa happy thanksgiving. Also Angel is back in town and being kind of a dick, but hey it leads to a good episode of his spinoff so whatever.

Pangs is just a fun episode, not only does it do well by not ignoring american colonalisim, but it just has a fun energy to it as Buffy desperately tries to have a good thanksgiving, Spike instnatly proves his worth as an addition to the gang both chemstiry and comedy wise, and we of course get this classic moment.

It had to fight it’s way onto the list, but pangs is a holiday dish worthy of sinking your fangs into.

9. The Dressing (Aqua Teen Hunger Force) Speaking of nutty fun thanksgiving episodes.. this one is simply that. I love Aqua Teen Hunger force.. even if like a lot of comedy shows it drooped in later seasons, it still has it’s classics earlier on and even later on has a few gems. But on the earlier on side we have their utterly bonkers and delightful thanksgiving episode “The Dressing”, a sequel to the Christmas Episode “The Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past from The Future”, which itself is an utter classic, but we’ll possibly get to that in december’s list.

The Aqua Teens are having Thanksgiving with Carl, whose naturally onlyt here for the free food and staying outside. it’s also days before or after, with black colored frito pie,a t urkey, and whatever else their broke selves could scrounge up. However, naturally, like Buffy a normal day for the Aqua Teens just isn’t complete without some weird shit happening, thanksgiving gets interrupted by the cybernetic ghost of Christmas past fromt he future, whose transformed himself into a turkey and wants to save their turkey so it can lead a rebellion in the bizzare hilarious distopian hellscape he comes from. This of course leads to him getting drunk, eating all their food and later showing up with a laser sock to murder carl after the episodes over. It’s just a fun time, a really funny episode and one of the teens more memorable outings. Not a lot to say here, it’s just really damn funny.

8. Arnold’s Thanksgiving (Hey Arnold!) Anoter classic I really need to revist but that more than earns his place here. Hey Arnold.. is easily one of the best animated shows ever. I say that with no hyperbole as it handled slice of life well while still getting dramatic when needed to, and is easily the gold standard for slice of life children’s cartoons to this day. And naturally it’s holiday specials were great, and I only r eally haven’t revisited them because they also hurt.. a lot. So unsuprisingly this one makes the list.

IT’s thanksgiving and given how chaotic things are for both Arnold and Helga’s families, our heroes are miserable. Arnold would understandably like just once to have thanksgiving on thanksgiving, his family instead doing fourth of july due to his grandmother being who she is. And Helga naturally is ignored and mistrteated as usual since her sisters home and her dad and alchoholic mother ignore her as usual even when she’s not around. What i’m saying is while Arnold’s issue is understandable, helga always wins a “whose got the shitter life” contest.

So the two flee to their teacher Mr Simmons, a character I genuinely loved and loved even more finding out he was gay as an adult, as he was a kind , supportive teacher who could be a bit softhearted but wasn’t afraid to step the fuck up when needed. But they find his thanksgiving isn’t much better, as his Mother and wont’ stop sniping at his boyfriend peter and clearly isn’t entirely comfortable with her son’s sexuality, his friend keeps snapping at peter and mooching off him, and his uncle.. well he’s just a loud asshole who wants turkey.. The kids naturally realize the meaning of the holiday, reconclie with their families who DID take genuine steps to make up for them being gone and missed them, all is well. It just shows nobody’s family is perfect, and is well done in that but also shows why thanksgiving has grown beyond it’s roots: It’s a day for families to get together and even if they may fight, recognize why they love one another. I also give the show balls for heavily imiplying a character is gay and not slapping a girlfriend on him or any of the usual bollocks: Simmons just very clearly is gay and it’s as transparent as the show could get at the time, with the show making it crystal clear years later with the revivial movie. Nice. We’ll have more servings of thanksgiving classics after the cut.

7. Slapsgiving (How I Met Your Mother) Oh How I Met Your Mother. You started out really good but boy did that go downhill fast and land in a nuclear inferno didn’t it? But I can bitch about the How I Met Your Mother Ending some other time, and probably will. In the show’s prime before they decided to stick with an ending no one wanted anymore, it was pretty great and while season 1′s also impressive Thanksgiving outing “Belly Full of Turkey” was considered, there was ultimately one slaptastic king when it came to Thanksgiving: Slapsgiving.

Naturally for this show Slapsgiving ties into the show’s suprisngly deep and rich lore: The season before this, Marshall and Barney made a “Slap Bet”, which is exactly what it says on the tin: A bet where the winner slaps the looser. And due to Barney prematurely slapping Marshall, Marshall got 5 penalty slaps to be dolled out whenever, one in that episode and another in a coda to another. For his next one though Marshall decided to outdo himself and set up a counter.. and it all comes down to thanskgiving. So we get a good ten minutes of Jason Siegel making meancing slap based refrences while NPH’s barney cowers in fear before Marshall’s wife lily pumps the breaks on the bet as comissoner.. only to reconsider when Barney makes the mistake of tormenting Marshall over it, resuling in the inevitible, and in THE thanksgiving song.

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Basically it’s what happen when you give three really funny people a subplot together. Magic happens. The subplot is not bad either as a pre-totallyinsufferabledouchebag Ted hooks up with Robin again over lingering feelings and thanksgiving prep and the two have to deal with that... though it’s mostly funny for Robin’s new boyfriend, who Future Ted acknowledges is barely older than them, but admits to remembering as decrept old man, which results in a 30 something’s dialouge coming out of a very old man and me laughing very hard. A simple joke but one that really works. Overall a slaptacular good time.

6. Two Turkeys (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)

NINE NINE BITCHES! I’m honestly shocked I haven’t talked about Brooklyn Nine Nine on here already, but it’s easily one of the best sitcoms in recent memory, if not of all time. It has one of the best ensemble casts, great jokes and timing, yet still ballances things out with a sense of realisim beneath the madness> It’s also noticable for holding it’s officers more accountable than most real world police departments, to the point all scripts that were written up for next season were thrown out post George Floyd. It’s truly a joy to watch.

So naturally they’ve had their share of Holiday episodes, with them easily having the best crop of halloween episodes since roseanne with their annual heists, and having some pretty damn memorable christmases, opening with this:

So naturally thanksgiving is no exception, with it’s last two being the best and it being a really hard choice wether to go with season 4′s “Detective Santiago” or this one. But as good as the other ep was.. this one inched it out for good reason.

The episode’s split into two equally good, equally hilarious plot lines. In the B-Plot, the 99′s Captain Raymond Holt, one of the best characters in sitcom history and gay icon, and his husband Kevin take their annual trip to get a pie for Holt’s families thanksgiving and come back with the well crafted pie, even if both prefer their food nice and bland. But the pie go missing and Captain Holt procedes to hilariously drill into each of the other members of the 99 and uncovering holes int their previous thanksgving stories with Rosa’s being suprisingly heartwarming (She’s going to a humilating minons on ice show with her family because they reconnected in jail.. setting up the equally awesome “Game Night” episode where she comes out.) and Boyle’s being utterly pathetic as you’d expect (Cooking his son mac and cheese because he’ll eat nothing else and declaring him a “basic bitch”). The solution however ends up being heartwarming as the culprit is actually Kevin, who hated the pie.. as did Raymond who suggests just taking the drive anyway because they enjoy the silent ride there and back every year. It may be boring to us.. but it’s preicious and really sweet all the same.. as it is hilarous when Kevin treats this as a big endugence and seems turned on by that. What i’m saying is these men are couple goals and Marc Evan Jakcson was awesome long before ducktlaes. The main plot is also great, as Jake and Amy, now engaged after this year’s halloween episode which is also , coincidentally, the series best, try to unite their families. It just goes about as well as you’d expect as Amy’s are type a control freaks, jake’s mom is a retired hippie school teacher and his dad is a human disaster area who has to be told to put on pants, cheated on his mom constantly, somehow got her back, and in general is barely functional on a good day. The families do bond breifly but things ineveitbly break down, hilarity and severed limbs insue and family comes together. IT’s just a funny, well done 20 mintues that’s also really damn sweet, with this plot ending with Amy’s dad accepting the chaos as that’s’ts what you do with family. Also jake naturally finds out he has a ton of step siblings as his dad was and still is a man whore. Happy Thanksgiving!

5. Bart Vs Thanksgiving (The SImpsons)

Let’s face it: if you follow my reviews at all you knew this was coming. While not one I go back to due to being an emotional kidney punch, i’d be doing this list a diservice if this classic wasn’t on there. In a nutshell, Bart starts a petty fight with Lisa over her centerpiece that ends with it in the fireplace, Bart sent to his room till he apologizes, and Bart seething insiting he did no wrong. It takes a visit to the homeless shelter after running away, and ending up on the news, to realize what an ass he’s been and one nightmarish dream sequence later, seriously why do you think I don’t revisit this one that often? This thing has traumatized me since I was a kid and unlike the slap song I will not be showing it to you, has a heartwarming reconcliation with his sister on the roof. It’s just a nice, sweet special that gets the holiday just right and i’d expect nothing less from Golden Age Simpsons.

4. A Deep Fried Korean Thanksgiving (Gilmore Girls) Another show I need to talk about more, Gilmore Girls is fucking awesome. The story of a woman who ran away pregnant at age 16 and built her own life for her daughter in the quirky town of stars hollow who finds herself reconnecting with her parents in present day against her will.. is really good stuff. Funny, heartfelt and really damn well acted with one hell of a cast, the show is part of me and I make no bones about that, so it’s big thanksgiving outing naturally belongs on here. The premise is simple: Rory and Loreli end up having to go to four diffrent thanksgivings, which even for big eaters like them is a massive task, each unique and entertaining. The main event of course is Suki’s, where everyone’s faviorite chef agreed to let her husband cook the turkey.. of course with the plan to sneak in mid cooking and add her own touches. This gets foiled when Jackson and his family decide to deep fry the thing.. probably in part because Jackson knows his wife well and knows what she was planning. Though over the night while our heroines are at their other meals, it devolves into them deepfrying everything they can get their hand son including a shoe, and Suki getting plastered to tolerate it. While not topping it the other meals and the sheer lunacy of four thanksigvings in one day, are still memorable: There’s the natural posh one at Richards and Emilys, the dour joyless one at The Kims where Mrs Kim forces the band to play the whole time and forces our heroines to eat food as joyless as Mrs. Kim, and Lukes for a nice round of Rory grappling with having PDA with her boyfirend Jess before resolving it at the end. Also dean’s a jackass. No one is suprised. Jess isn’t one at this stage in his character which is. Also Kirk adopts a cat that slowly pushes him out of his own house which works comedically becaus Sean Gunn is a national treasure. Overall a really good episode and if you have netflix and haven’t checked the series out, this is a good one to try out.

3. The Thanksgiving Special (Regular Show) I already talked about this one in my top 11 Regular Show episodes so i’ll try to be brief. In a nutshell Mordecai and Rigby destroy thanksgiving and genuinelly feeling bad about it, scramble to win a thanksgiving bird from a Thanksgiving Song Contest, going up against an all star super group comissioned by Donald Trump. Yes really. Meanwhile Muscle Man and High Five Ghost go to get sides and the rest of the park staff’s attemtps to get a turkey are thwarted by a bunch of thanksgiving reinactors who go unexplained in any way shape or form which given how rare that is for regular show, which usually has some sort of explination for the madness, just makes it funnier. It ends with a REALLY touching song, a fight on a blimp with outgoing president trump, and a truly heartwarming thanksgiving meal. All in all a nice special that combines the shows madcap nature with the genuine warm fuzzies of thanksgiving.

2. We Gather Together (Roseanne) Another series I need to talk about more.. and another series where one of the creators has turned out to be a terrible human being. Seriously Roseanne Barr is is a terible person, she deserved to be removed from her show, and while the Conner’s isn’t GREAT it’s still FAR better without her. That being said I will still stick up for the original as she wasn’t the only one involved (indeed the aformentioned Joss Whedon worked on the show breifly and Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman Paladino not only worked there but later adapted one of Roseanne’s insane antics, making all the writers wear caps with a number instead of referring to them by name , to Gilmore Girls.). Her being a bad person even then dosen’t change the fact that the show is sitcom gold, one of my faviorite shows, and a true classic. And this episode helps showcase WHY.

What makes this episode special, even among Roseanne episodes is it’s structure: While there are things going on it’s mostly a free floating day in the Families life and thus feels like your there with them through thanksgiving. It feels genuine, like past thanksgivings i’ve remembered: Everyone has their own stuff going on, they all eat, and there’s naturally a big blowup.. and one that eveyrone else ignores to eat which I can relate to. That authenticity really elevates the episode and is why I seek it out every year.

That’s not to say nothing happens, it just flows in and out like it would in a normal thanksgiving. Roseanne deals with her parents, a pre-abuser version of her dad and her overbearing nightmare of a mother beverly, and the inevetible blow up when Bev’s needling about Jackie’s life goes too far , prompting Jackie to reveal her new job as a police officer before bursting into tears, all to Roseanne’s annoyance. Rosie also moves them to a hotel despite an attempted guilt trip from her mom.

Speaking of Mom’s we see Dan’s for the only time before the later seasons and the utterly terrible last season, a professional career woman whose moved on well from her ex and brought her new boyfriend there. Ed, despite some comptemplation over it is firmly accepting and instead starts flirting with the Conner’s friend Crystal. Dan, being overprotective because of his Daddy Issues, but ed cals him out on it “Being lonely is a hell of a lot for two people to have in common, you woudln’t knwo anything abotu that son, and I pray to god you never do” A great caper to a fantastic episode.. one I thought was going to top the list... THOUGHT is the key word here...

1. Turkey in A Can (Bob’s Burgers) This one is. Bob’s Burgers is one of the best things to come out of the 2010′s and i’ve fallen way too far behind on it, so I can’t say if any thanksgivings after thankshoarding top this one.. what I can say is this one is the gold standard for thanksgiving episodes, and is filled with great stuffing.

Thanksgiving is Bob’s holiday. Being a chef he loves the chance to go all out, and really flex his muscles for his families when it comes to cooking up a storm, and it’s endearing when bob gets just as nuts as his family. But this year someone keeps flushing his turkeys down the toilet despite his best efforts, so while Louise hilariously tries to solve things to proe it wasn’t her (though it’s entirely fair they thought it was her consdering.. everything), while LInda, Gene and LInda’s flighty sister Gale try to write THE thanksgiving song. And while it’s no you just got slapped, damn if they didn’t succeed.

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Sailors in your mouth indeed. It leads to plenty of great jokes the best being the guy at the Deli Counter thinking Bob’s into him and bob not being sure how to respond, but being mildly recpetive. But the climax is what makes the episode as when Bob falls asleep we find his medication has been making him sleepwalk.. and thus put the turkey s int he toilet, as Tina’s desire to be at the Grown Up Table, itslef a REALLY funny runner as you’d expect, has him panicking internally and thus reliving her potty training. The episode ends with Bob letting her come to the adults table, and a rather heartwarming thanksgiving feast. All in all an excellent episode. It also leads to the chaos seen above whic hif htat’s not thanksgiving, I don’t know what is.

Have a happy thanksgiving and check out my black friday sale! Until then there’s always another rainbow!

#thanksgiving #top 10 #bob's burgers #gilmore girls #buffy the vampire slayer #aqua teen hunger force #hey arnold #how I met your mother #the simpsons #roseanne #regular show #brooklyn nine nine #brooklyn 99 #99

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rebelcourtesan · 4 years

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Violet Evergarden: A Doll Becomes a Human

Hands down, I love anime. I worshiped it when I was a child and continue to adore it well into my 30′s and until I pass away I will always look at anime as a wonderful medium for story telling and visual art. However, anime does have it flaws and it comes in the form of cliches, stereotypes, and repetitive characters.

What makes me adore Violet Evergarden (aside from the wonderful animation and story) is the female lead, the titular character: Violet. Though Violet is a teenager, she doesn’t display any of the usual tropes and cliches attributed to anime female leads.

Discovered alone on an island, she’s taken as a soldier by the military after showing off a skill for violence and is put under the command of a man who will become her rock, Gilbert Bougainvillea and the one that will set her on a path to finding her humanity.

Many characters have said Violet looks like a doll and some of actually called her a doll to her face. A child because of her appearance and a princess because of her lack of expression when speaking. Even a part of her body is man made, the metal arms she receives after loosing her arms in her final battle when she looses Gilbert.

Dolls are caricatures of humans. They serve different rolls from companions, playthings, sexual conquest, and prizes. Violet also fulfill this role for others from being a playmate for a lonely child; a surrogate child for a playwright, a companion for isolated young man, a weapon for the military, a voice for a Princess, and a confidante for a friend.

In early part of the anime, we first meet Violet when she is a doll. She had unknowingly lost Gilbert, her arms, and her role in the military where she had thrived following orders and the strict structure of the military gave her absolute certainty of her role within it. Without the military, she is lost. She refuses to remain as an adopted daughter with Gilbert’s family and follows his friend, an old war buddy, to work in his post office.

Her last memory of Gilbert is his last words to her. “I love you.”

Violet becomes an Auto Memories Doll to learn what it meant. In a world where illiteracy is very common, people hire Dolls to write letters for them. It’s not just a simple thing to write exactly what is spoken, but to relay the emotion behind the letter. From love letters, apologies, stories, and news to family and loved ones, Dolls are entrusted to get across the meaning in the printed word.

Unfortunately, for Violet, emotion isn’t something she understands or processes it well. She’s efficient with tasks such as delivering and sorting mail. During training, she can excel at typing and vocabulary, but when asked to write a letter for someone, they are direct like military orders or a report, sometimes saying the opposite of what the client wanted.

One prime example is when a young woman wanted to play hard to get when a lover proposed to her. Unfortunately, Violet’s letter plainly states the woman was no longer interested due to his lack of money and the client is heartbroken.

Thus it begins Violet’s journey into discovering herself. At first, she is off putting to others such as her coworkers and clients with her demeanor and taking everything spoken to her in a literal sense.

When a coworker confides in Violet about the problems with her family, Violet unintentionally goes behind her back to her family thus causing more problems. Another example is while aiding a historian to transcribe ancient texts, a group of men try to flirt with her by bad mouthing her partner, telling her he’s an orphan and doesn’t know who his parents are. She simply states as a fact that she too was an orphan with no knowledge of her parentage. It’s not said in defense of her partner, but state a fact about herself.

While she helps others and learn more about emotions, especially the one about loss, Violet discovers that she too has unknowingly experience a loss and it devastates her. For the first time, she know experiences for herself the pain of grief, the anger, despair, and self blame. It nearly breaks her, but she comes out of it stronger and more human.

In feeling the pain of loss, she understands what it means to preserve life so others don’t grieve. The perfect soldier becomes a humanitarian who refuses to kill even when her life is on the line.

Thus, the doll becomes a human being.

#violet evergarden

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ginnyzero · 5 years

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Writing Romantic Chemistry: Pt 2

For a very long time in my pre-original writing career, I considered myself a romantic comedy style writer. The idea that I could write adventure stories with romantic comedy elements in them wasn’t an epiphany of sorts but rather something that gradually happened over time and by rejecting the notion that all urban fantasy or dystopia or science fantasy had to be mysteries and solving crime. I don’t really know how to write they solve crime.

I came at writing through an aspect of trial and error and lots and lots of reading other fiction works. I played with other people’s characters for years and had to work out of a really dark place before settling on creating original characters that I loved as much, if not more, than other people’s characters. All those years writing other people’s characters though gave me a good foundation on which to build my original writing. I had a fairly decent following in some very specific places so, I must have been doing something right. (I hope.)

So, here are some of the things I do when I’m writing romantic chemistry.

Attraction:

Both characters need to find the other character attractive! I mentioned in my post last week about Writing Romantic Chemistry that there are many types of attraction and that physical attraction is usually the first thing we notice about each other. (Unless you’re me and I go, oh, that person would make a good werewolf.) Short, tall, skinny, curvy, flat as a board, round, sharp, blue eyes, brown eyes, brunette, blonde, red head, no matter what your two characters are, the other person should hopefully find them attractive one way or the other.

Many times in my stories I try to find a feature that each character likes about the other, a feature that may set them apart from the 101 other generic romantic lead characters out there, freckles, the odd shape of the eyes, a distinctive hair color, the way the other character smells (very important in werewolf stories), in order to give the reader a point of reference and a way to say ‘this character is unique.’

Acknowledgement that the Other Character Exists:

Now, attraction is all well and good and I know there are readers who love the whole unrequited love angst trope. When I’m writing a couple though, each character has to know that the other character exists in the same sphere with them as a man or a woman to be desired and loved. If one character doesn’t acknowledge the other is there and available then the whole relationship is never going to get off the ground.

In fact, that can be a good conflict. One character loves the other. The other sees them as friend, acquaintance, nuisance, surrogate sibling, insert relationship of choice here. One is physically and sexually and romantically attracted to the other and the other is completely oblivious. It may take work and effort before the one who is oblivious can ‘see’ what is right in front of them. Yay conflict! Yay story! After that you can add some denial and bargaining and unresolved sexual tension. Lots of fun.

Opposites Attract:

In some fashion, characters need to be opposites of each other. Usually I go for either habits or personality traits. Neat freak versus mess. Laid back versus perfectionist. Wing it versus plans and lists. Because as people and readers we like opposites, tall versus short, light versus dark, hard versus soft. Compositionally, something has to be big and something has to be small to make a painting or sculpture or drawing feel dynamic. It’s the same way with fictional relationships. There has to be a contrast in their present or pasts to create a foil or compliment for each other.

Commonality:

Of course, like yin and yang, each having a little of the other inside themselves, the two must have something in common. Something that will keep them together after the external conflict is done. Something more than good sex and kids. (You can’t base your relationship around your kids. It’s not healthy.) Whether it’s a shared love of a certain style of music, sailing, horseback riding, hiking or extreme base jumping. There has to be something that our two main characters do together that keeps them together in the long run.

Sure, they should also have separate interests. Maybe she likes sports and he likes reading or he plays in a band and she knits/sews/makes lace. There needs to be a hobby or a love of ren faires or medieval culture or art shows or beach bathing that they do together in order to strengthen their bond outside of cuddling and sex. (I find cuddling to be very important.)

Respect:

Lastly, the characters need to respect each other for who they are, their strengths and weaknesses, and their boundaries. Part of respect is honesty and communication and acknowledgement that you cannot change another person. Unless they want to change, who they are now is who they always will be. I don’t try to feed into this fantasy that a man or woman and really good sex can save another person.

It doesn’t work. Period.

Yes. There are people who like to write unhealthy relationships. I get it. That’s fine. And a lack of respect or boundaries and learning about them and how to communicate can make for a really great conflict in a story. Another person realizing that they are wrong and are willing to change in order to be a better person not only for themselves but for their partner or their kids is a very powerful thing. But personally, for me, to feel that there is true romantic chemistry and that a happy ever after is in the offing, there has to be mutual respect.

Humor:

As I said. I originally felt like I was a romantic comedy writer. I want laughs. I want things to be funny or silly. I like putting characters into outrageous situations and seeing what they’ll do. Love can’t thrive without a little laughter, without people not taking themselves too seriously. (I mean I can be a very serious person, but I don’t take myself too seriously.)

Human can be in the situations the characters are placed in or the way they interact with each other. To me putting a six foot ex-military laid back male soldier werewolf with a five foot two over planner with lists female motorcycle club VP werewolf is funny. He’s clueless about the motorcycle life. She’s been in it her whole life and forgets to explain! Thus, silly things happen. And Gideon is fortunately laid back enough he takes things well. She picks on him about his lollipops. He picks on her about her lists. She's simply not used to being teased. They get along.

To be clear, I’m not a fan of the Bridesmaids type of humor where people are trying to one up each other and the writers are trying to get you to laugh at a character’s pain. That type of humor just makes me cringe and feel embarrassed and humiliated for the character. My type of humor is more along the lines of Mr. & Mrs. Smith. “Man, these sliding doors really do come in handy.” Good humor is like a good prank. It doesn’t hurt anyone. It’s easy to clean up. Everybody laughs.

Attraction, Acknowledgement, Opposites, Commonality, Respect and Humor, these are the elements that I use when I write a romantic couple to create a spark between them.

#wrtblr #writblr #writing advice #writing tips #writing romance #romance writing

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fyrapartnersearch · 4 years

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looking for a writing partner

a bit about me -20something who RPs to unwind. I try to reply as many times a day as I can, but of course, real life comes up. If anything major crops up, I would inform my partner ASAP. I live in the US, in the eastern timezone. I am searching for a long term writing partner. -As I am over 18, I would like my partners to be too. This is a non-negotiable, since I enjoy have mature content (sex, drugs, rock and roll, along with language and violence). -In relation to the above, I am fine with smut, but it can't dominate the story. I prefer plot above all else. A good story is the fun part of RP for me and too much smut drags the story down. I do have my limits and things I'm fine with but that can be discussed when we connect. -As for my writing style: paragraph/novel style, 3rd person. I try to put in at least two decent sized paragraphs a post. One liners are not my thing, so no worries about that from me! -I prefer to play female main characters. All of them are over 18 and range in personality, color, beliefs, etc... Side/secondary characters are whatever they need to be and I can play as many as required. A good cast is important! But I don't double, at least in the traditional sense. -well rounded characters are life. I love figuring them out, crafting backstories and personalities for them, seeing how they react to situations. -Romance is always fun. I prefer to play out m/f relationships, with me as the female. -As for where I prefer to RP: email ([email protected]), skype, googledocs, Discord. I have Hangouts, but that is for planning and ooc chatter. plot related matters -original characters and settings are my jam. While I do take inspiration from fandoms (Harvest Moon, Shameless, Grey's Anatomy, AHS Coven and Freak Show, Clerks and all films in that universe, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Community ), I only use original characters and settings. So, all of the above are things I am only open to using as inspiration, either a little or a lot. The genres I prefer are mainly slice of life, 'historical' (for lack of a better term) and urban fantasy. We can also just do a thing where we make characters and have sort of a TV show structure: smaller plots with an overarching plot/theme/whatnot (ie the adventures of two friends as they fall in love, with supporting cast members being family and friends). That is mainly because there are ideas I would be open that don't seem like they would work long term and it would just be fun to throw our characters into a variety of adventures. now, onto less vague plot ideas! Best Friends: basically the idea above. That seems like it would be fun, jumping from story to story as two best friends fall for each other. Hooker/Client: which explains itself, now that I think about it. A hooker and her client get too close when they should not be. The client can be anything but a married man, since infidelity is a no-go. Maybe he's a doctor, lawyer or business executive. Or a literal superhero or supervillain, which could be a fun twist. Online: Our characters are YouTube famous, making videos and those Benjamins. So they have to deal with that unique brand of fame and a budding relationship. Knocked Up: again, it explains itself. Two people have an unplanned pregnancy. It could be two friends, two strangers, the world is open! I would love to combine this with the Shameless inspired plot aka slice of life with a heavy dash of dysfunction, chaos and drama in case you have not seen the show. Or maybe she's pregnant by a guy who is no longer around but is vibing with someone else (so no cheating here), which could add more drama. Could be combined with the best friends plot, or even the freak show idea! Related to the above: not quite accidental pregnancy. A single man decides to hire a surrogate so he can have an heir. Feelings crop up, shenanagins ensue. Maybe there are Jane the Virgin-esque shenangins, to varying degrees depending on what you want. And of course, the RP continues after the kid is born. A slow burn is preferred with this plot. Homecoming: Something like the above would be the backstory. A couple has a thing and have to part ways, for whatever reasons. He could have gone into the military, maybe it was work or school, something happened to break them apart. And some time later, they reunite and surprise, she has a kid. Now they must navigate parenthood, old and new feelings and general drama RJ/BB: Romeo and Juliet meets Breaking Bad. Two people from rival drug dealing cliques meet and there is a spark. But their crews are dicks, to be concise. Or maybe only one of them is dealing. Arranged Marriage: Can take place in modern day or a historical setting. For the modern day, it could be a business deal on the parent's end that includes a wedding of some sort. As for a historical setting, it could be a few things. Maybe it is how they end a war. Or it is a business deal of some sort. For those two or something similar, I like the idea of them sniping, having hate sex, generally being snippy and then, thing progress and they learn to work together. Or...Maybe it's like what Dany and Drogo from Game of Thrones had, but with a happier ending (I would love this one). Or it is just an outright kidnapping sort of deal. Which could tie into the Beauty and the Beast dynamic. Maybe one of them is like a prize to the other (ie a warrior/gladiator being gifted a prize for winning a tournament or battle in the form of a bride or a warrior is taken hostage and is given as a prize to the ruler's daughter?) But I am open to ideas of course! Related to the above, kinda. A cruel, tyrant of a king takes a bride for reasons that are not all that genuine. Someone who is either part of the rebel forces or maybe a lone wolf kidnaps her and they wind up on the run, first as captor and captive and then as something more. Untitled: Set in the classic pseudo medieval time period, a person of noble or royal blood has either fled or been cast out of their home (the latter could tie into a beauty and the beast ish plot). They cross paths with a person of common blood and things develop. Untitled 2: A princess/noble woman and a knight (or other kind of castle worker) become close, but their stations in life and maybe a few other things make it complicated. Untitled 3: Something with pirates could be fun! Untitled 4: This idea is a cracky one but hey, lets throw it out there. It's a fusion of Grey's Anatomy and Buffy. Basically my character is a Slayer who decided to go into medicine instead of slaying since due to the events of the finale, she is not the one girl in all the world. But this is still the Buffy-verse and with the soapy dramatics of GA thrown in, life is not simple. So there will be romance, action, adventure and so much more. Note: I have only seen the shows and have not read the comics. And of course, original stories inspired by the fandoms listed above. Something Shameless, AHS Freak Show, Dany/Drogo or IASIP inspired would be amazing right now. It could be combined with a plot of course. As I have said, I deal in originals only. misc: There are some relationship dynamics I would like to explore: love to hate, age gaps (older man, younger woman, up to 15 years), best friends falling for each other, werewolves or werewolf/human, vampire/human, artist and their muse, opposites attract, boss/employee, co-workers or partners. The three shows I would use to sum up my sense of humor are: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Most Popular Girls in School and Community.

-I use face claims, but only if my partner does as well. So it is not mandatory at all.

-Also, OOC chatter is fine with me. I like to geek out over characters as well, chatter about them, talk headcanons, maybe do little AU sidestories and whatnot. I love pinterest, polyvore and even making playlists on spotify.

I am open to ideas and plots can always be combined. Don't just send a message saying 'hey wanna rp?'. Tell me about yourself and what you want to write. I am fine with drama and angst in the story, but not all the time. RP is supposed to be fun!

#oc rp #long term #email #submission

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desperatelyseekingroleplay · 4 years

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-I use face claims, but only if my partner does as well. So it is not mandatory at all.

#Desperately Seeking Roleplay #Writing Partner Wanted #Roleplay Partner Wanted #Roleplay Partner Ad #Long Term Roleplay Wanted #submission

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captialrogers · 5 years

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Relationship Arrangement (part one)

Summary: Steve Rogers has wanted to start a family for as long as he can remember, but things keep happening in his life that stops him from just that. Until he meets a woman in the same predicament. Together, they embark on the journey of parenthood and finding out that some contracts are meant to be broken

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Female Reader

Warnings: Talk of pregnancy, surrogacy, and other things that come with these topics

Wordcount: 958

Marvel Masterlist / Character Master List / Series Masterlist

Chapter One | Chapter Two |

The idea that he would never get the chance to be a father was one that Steve Rogers refused to let fester in his mind. So his past relationships had ended in heartbreak and disappointment, big deal. He wouldn’t let them define the rest of his life. Not when there were plenty of single fathers out there raising their children. No. He would not let society dictate when and who he could have a baby with. He wanted to start a family and he’d be damned if the lack of a partner stopped him.

Or so he had thought. After weeks of searching for a reputable company or service, the blond had nearly given up. Many of the companies specialized in couples or single women looking to start a family, not men, and he had been met reluctance. Some of the establishments flat out refused him. To them, he was a creep. Not someone they believed to be fit to be a father. Why would a single man choose to be a father? It was safe to say that Steve was disheartened by such services. Who wouldn’t want to be a father? Who wouldn’t want to wake up every morning to bright, curious eyes and an unconditional love that transcended time and space?

As the blond stood in an elevator of his latest disappointment, he couldn’t help but wonder if it just wasn’t meant to be. When the door chimed open and a figure made its way into the confined space, Steve finally looked up. Beside him stood a woman. Her purse hung low on an arm that clung tightly to a manilla envelope. She looked like he felt. Dejected. Hopeless. Desperate.

“Seems like it’s just one of those days.” He muttered quietly not expecting the woman to respond. But when she did, Steve nearly jumped.

“What would you know? I bet it’s easy for you to just walk into a place like this, knowing full well you’ve done your good deed for the day.” [y/n] couldn’t help but snap at the man beside her. After the appointment she had just come from, she’d have snapped at the nearest plant if the wind blew it in her direction. “Sorry,” she started as she looked at the man, “I just… it’s just…” The woman was startled by the look in the stranger's eyes. He looked so defeated.

“Been one of those days.” Steve finished for her, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

“Yeah.” Nodding, [y/n] looked down at the envelope clutched to her chest. “You’re not here as a donor are you?” She swallowed the awkwardness of the question and continued, “If you were, a donor I mean, I’d be a mother.”

Steve gaped. Had she, this woman he had never met before, said what he thought she had? Had she basically told him that she wanted his… “Pardon me?” the blond blurted. He was completely stunned. Judging from the look on the woman’s face, so was she.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean... oh god. This is so embarrassing. And clearly not my day and—“

Steve laughed. He couldn’t help it. The whole situation was ridiculous. It was ludicrous. He couldn’t stop. Not when the cramping began in his abdomen or when the woman beside him began to laugh just as hard. By the time they had reached the ground floor and the high pitched chime of the elevator doors opening sounded, the pair were winded and had tears in their eyes. "Steve.” He held out his hand to her.

“[y/n].” The woman wiped at her eyes and cleared her throat. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.” Steve thought for a moment and by the time the two of them released their handshake, he had an idea. A risky and nonsensical idea, but an idea none the less. “Did you want to grab a coffee?” He fully expected the woman to turn him down, but she didn’t. Maybe she was thinking the same thing as he was.

Although confusion flickered across her face [y/n] said, “There’s a quaint café just down the road from here.” When Steve nodded she continued, “We should probably...”

At the closing chime of the elevator, he snapped out from the trance he had supposedly been in. “We should. I don’t particularly want to go back up there.” Steve quickly pushed the “doors open” button and led the woman out of the metal box, hand on her lower back.

———

“Do you think they’d do it?” [y/n] asked, leaning closer to the blond across the table. “I just mean...well, if we’re being honest here, neither one of us is actually part of their donor or surrogate program.” There was an inkling of hope blossoming in her abdomen and try as she might to ignore it, she couldn’t.

“I wouldn’t see why not. Plenty of people have friends or family volunteer. Why can’t we? We’re both looking to start a family.” Steve lifted his coffee to his lips and sat back in his chair. She hadn’t been thinking about what he had, but she was now and as the minutes ticked by he could see the gears in her brain working through the smallest of details.

“And what if they refuse?” She finally asked, letting go of her empty ceramic mug.

“Then we find another who will.” His words were finite. That was the end. There was no margin for error in his books. This would happen, no matter the cost.

[y/n] slumped back in her chair, dazed and completely overwhelmed. “We find another.” She whispered in agreement. Around them, the café remained buzzing with activity but the pair remained silent — frozen in place at the idea of finally having a baby.

#Steve Rogers #steve x reader #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers fic #steve rogers imagine #steve rogers x female reader

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baytownproject · 5 years

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“Learning that he would need a bone marrow transplant was probably just as scary as finding out he had leukemia. Not because of the procedure, but because you don’t know if you’re going to find a donor, especially within the Hispanic community. Joey’s dad is from Puerto Rico. So because I’m white and his dad is Hispanic, that meant his opportunity to find a donor was only about 20%. We went into this with our hopes very low. But after running the initial lab work to find a donor, we were blessed to learn that they found over 1,000 9-out-of-10 (human leukocyte antigen) matches and 10 10-out-of-10 matches in the country. That’s very rare because there's a lack of donors in the Hispanic community. Therefore, there's a lack of opportunities for these kids. We see so many kids up here who don’t have a good match. It almost makes me feel guilty that my son had so many matches. All these kids deserve a chance to live their lives.

“When you don’t know your donor — when it’s not a family member or a friend — you’re not allowed to see that person for a year. All we know about our donor is that she’s a 31-year-old female. That’s a very big deal to me because I’m also 31. It’s like she’s his surrogate mom. She is doing something for him that I can’t do. That’s so special and meaningful to me. We have absolutely no clue where she lives. She could be anywhere. For all we know, it’s our next-door neighbor. Joey’s hope is that she lives in New York City. He would love to take a trip there one day to meet her and thank her in person.”

— Jillian Presley (with son, Joey)

Joey underwent cranial and total body radiation prior to his transplant on Jan. 25. Because of some complications, he remains at Texas Children’s Hospital. “We’ve been told so many times that they’re going to get us out of here in the next two weeks, that I don’t pay attention to that anymore. One day, it will happen.”

Every year, thousands of people of all ages are diagnosed with leukemia and other life-threatening diseases. Many of them will die unless they get a bone marrow or cord blood transplant from a matching donor. Seventy percent of people do not have a donor in their family and depend on the Be The Match Registry to find a match to save their lives. Jillian urges everyone who can to register to be a donor at BeTheMatch.org.

#baytown project #cancer #leukemia #childhood cancer #bone marrow transplant #mother and son #blood donor

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gws201-blog · 5 years

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Graduating High School.. Nine Months Pregnant?

20 Pop Culture Stereotypes We Must Debunk (Because They’re Fucking Stupid)

1. Race determines class

“White people were equated with richness and land” (Williams, pg. 431). Who’s to say you can’t be a person of color and also be loaded?! Sure, the Real Housewives have women of color who are ~loaded~, but the majority of shows depict non-white individuals and families as poor. Have you ever seen the TV show Everybody Hates Chris? The whole show is about a poor, African American family living in Brooklyn, NY—constantly worrying about money. Their father, Julius, is even so tight on money that he kept a picture of himself in his own wallet to keep as a reminder to not spend money. Shows like this may be hilarious, but continual negative portrayal of race and class hurts those who are included in the stereotype.

2. Race determines education level

“Members of society are judged, and succeed or fail, measured against the characteristics that are held by those privileged (Wildman & Davis, pg. 111).” Why do we put less pressure on some people to go to college, and others are just assumed they’ll go, or maybe it’s assumed they’ll never even finish high school? How can we look at a 16-year-old black high school student and compare them to a white 16-year-old student, and think that we have enough information to label one of them as academically frivolous, and one as a failure?

3. Race determines actions

Being white will never make you an angel, being a person of color will never make you dangerous. The media constantly portrays black people to carry guns, Middle Eastern people to be terrorists, and white people to be trashy, yet, more responsible with guns…? However, according to Chris Wilson with Time, mass shootings from the past 35 years were overwhelmingly white, male shooters. So why do we allow the media to make it look as if the white man is innocent in shows and movies, when in reality they’re the ones who are dangerous?

4. Race determines where you live

Similar to race determining your class, race also doesn’t dictate where someone lives. For example, in the show Shameless, a white family is actually living in the poor, “ghetto” area of town that they refer to as the South Side. However, back to Everybody Hates Chris as I mentioned prior, TV loves to show people of color living in shitty places as if it’s normal. We can’t let the world tell us you must live within constraint or restriction because of your skin; it’s 2018—love thy [literal] neighbor, dammit.

5. Class determines your future, or lack-there-of

“Everyone knows that money brings privilege” (Wildman and Davis, pg. 111). Sure, it can. I won’t pretend that money doesn’t make it easier to afford things such as college. People act like student loans don’t exist, that grants don’t exist, FAFSA (even though they suck, but it’s whatever), loans, etc. do.not.exist.But these are excuses. Millions of students who are set up for failure because they can’t afford college or because their parent’s don’t have the money, but that doesn’t stop them.

6. Class determines your likelihood to end up an addict

Face it—TV either depicts drug/alcohol addicts as either extremely poor, or extremely rich. No one ever seems to care about a middle-class addict. What’s worse though, assuming that being rich or poor increases your likelihood to be an addict, or by not paying as much attention to addicts who are neither of these classes. The rich have money to blow on, well, blow…. and the poor just somehow are expected to be more likely to hang out with the wrong crowd, try a drug once, and then do everything and anything they can in order to get money to keep on getting the drug—none of this is something that we should stereotype.

7. Class determines the likelihood you’ll get pregnant at a young age

Your class and status don’t determine when you have sex and if you’re using protection, your decision to have sex without protection or situations of birth control failure are how you get pregnant at a young age (I’m leaving out situations of rape from this so I don’t write a novel). According to studies done by the US National Library of Medicine, socioeconomic status doesn’t determine the age you get pregnant at, but may determine to different pregnancy and birth complications due to lack of money to afford things such as healthcare, diapers, medicine, etc.

8. Being feminine means you’re gay

“The new man is non-sexist, believes in gender equality and relates to women as human beings” (Milestone and Meyer, pg. 116). Apparently, the ‘new man’ is seen as a gay man to many. What even is femininity? A guy isn’t gay for wearing pink, giving a shit about how he looks, having female friends, or for his hobbies—I personally appreciate a man who takes care of his appearance, shows his feelings, ya know, showers and stuff. Kidding—I promise I have higher standards than a guy just showering. But anyways, what I’m trying to say is that none of these surface-level features give anyindication that a man is gay. And if he is, who even cares?!

9. Being masculine means you’re a lesbian

*See #8*

Kidding, but really. Stop judging people based on how they look, dress, act, whatever.

10.Gay people are promiscuous

First off, not your business. Second, you can just as easily say something dumb like that girls in sororities are sluts (trust me, I was in one and I got this comment a handful of times). I don’t even know how this stereotype came about, but I know that my gay friends joke about it al the time. If your gay friends make a joke about it, cool, it’s funny to talk about his “dick appointment”, but it’s different between a good friend making a statement, and you being an assumptive asshole.

11.Gay people have HIV aids

Every commercial I’ve ever seen on TV about medical treatment for HIV only show gay couples. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, gay and bisexual males are more susceptible to getting HIV because they tend to have anal sex, sometimes unprotected, which then puts them at serious risk. Sorry not sorry, but these commercials can’t just pretend straight couples don’t have unprotected anal sex. HIV doesn’t discriminate, so neither should we.

12.Gay people can’t have children

I don’t even know where to begin with this one. How do women who can’t conceive have children? Adoption, IVF, surrogate—there’s tons of options, and these are options for gay couples as well.

13.Gay people can’t be religious

There’s this notion that gay people must not believe in God because some people believe that homosexuality is a sin—even though God definitely says to love thy neighbor and that he loves all of his children, aka all of us. Shows such as Modern Familyare great examples of this. A gay couple, Cam and his husband Mitchell, attend church and even take their adopted daughter, Lily, with them. Sure they live in California where there’s more acceptance, but the fact that the show even displays this is great for ending this stereotype by showing it as normalized.

14.Teen moms won’t graduate

I talk about Shamelessand Teen Moma lot, but hey, they’re perfect examples for a lot of these stereotypes. Shamelesssupports this stereotype by showing a 15 year old named Debbie who gets pregnant and drops out of high school. !!!BUT!!! Debbie eventually gets her GED and becomes a certified welder. Hell yeah. Teen Mom, which is a reality show, rarely shows teens graduating or getting any type of certification to better their education. Girls who are in similar situations may see this and be like “well shit, if they didn’t finish school and they’re fine, I’m not finishing either!”— then the girl and her baby daddy end up relying on their parents for everything. I graduated with a girl who was nine months pregnant, literally about to pop, and now she’s a young mom, yes, but she got to go on and attend college and is almost finished with her degree. By supporting pregnant teens and giving them the push they need, they can attempt to better their future and give their baby a great life (not that it won’t be great without education, but you know what I mean).

15.Teen pregnancy is easy & fun

If you’ve seen Teen Mom, you know that teen pregnancy isn’t easy. Yes, the show does glorify it sometimes by being like “oh, get pregnant at 16, you’ll get on TV!!!!” but they also show the raw, uncut scenes of the girls and couples hardcore struggling. Imagine missing class, missing prom, missing fun experiences you could be having with your friends when you’re not even twenty years old. Imagine the judgment by friends, family, and strangers because they assume you weren’t being careful. There’s a lot more to being a teen mom than being on TV and picking out cute baby clothes—don’t let TV and the media make you think you should get pregnant for fun.

16.Teen parents = unfit parents

I’ll be honest, this is a stereotype that I’ve believed for a long time. Teens are young, haven’t experienced life yet, aren’t fully educated, and aren’t always very mature—so why would they make good parents? Good question. Answer: no one is ever ~ready~ for their first kid. If you’ve never had children before, you’re in the same position as everybody else who has also never had kids. It doesn’t matter if you’ve babysat for years or if you have a college degree, having your first child isn’t something anyone can fully prepare for. You can have money, buy the best diapers, whatever, but you’ll still be learning how to care for the baby day by day no matter what age you are.

17.Trans people are confused

“you’re confused”

“it’s a phase”

“you’re just gay.”

-all quoted from a dumb ass, probably

For this, let’s go back to Linda Alcoff’s “The Problem Of Speaking For Others”. You don’t know how someone realized they weren’t the gender assigned to them at birth. You don’t know how they feel in their own skin every day. You don’t know the hardships and troubles and braveryit took for them to come to terms with being trans and be open about it to others. If you speak for them and try to say “oh, she’s confused” or “he’ll grow out of it”, all you’re doing is demeaning them, belittling them, and you’re lying to yourself and to them. Being trans isn’t easy. Support your trans friends or coworkers or whoever, and let them know that they’re always welcome in your life as they are.

18.Trans people are drag kings/queens

Similar to the last stereotype, being trans isn’t something you dress up in for fun and then change out of later. Anyone can dress in drag, not just transgender people. As Janet Mock discussed in Redefining Realness, drag can empower people and make them feel pretty and good about themselves. However, it doesn’t make you trans just because you partake in drag.

19.Trans people are predators

“Can you be guaranteed to find a public bathroom that is safe and equipped for you to use? (Taylor, pg. 296). Think about it—there’s a higher chance of a trans person being assaulted by someone because of who they are than a cisgender person being attacked in a bathroom by someone who’s trans. As much as I hate to get into this—I’ll be brief. No, trans people aren’t creeps. No, they’re not lying about their identity. No, they do not want to use the female restroom for ANY other reason aside from beingfemale.

20.Being who you are is easy

“We tend to forget the thousands of minute decisions that consciously construct the artificial world that has been created” (Smith, pg. 128). Though this quote is about movies, it’s true for real life. We make decisions every day that can drastically alter our lives. The thing is, we make these decisions in order to please others; we make choices that define us once we think about how it impacts others, what they’ll think, and what the worst-case scenario of these decisions may be. This is where it becomes difficult to be who you are. It’s hard to be yourself when you’re worried about what other people think more than you worry about yourself and your happiness. Put yourself first, worry about yourself, and make yourself proud—fuck everything else.

Citations

Alcoff, Linda. “The Problem of Speaking for Others.” Cultural Critique, no. 20, 1991, p. 10., doi:10.2307/1354221.

Bornstein, Kate, and Evin Taylor. Gender Outlaw: on Men, Women, and the Rest of Us. Vintage Books, 2016.

“HIV and Gay and Bisexual Men Understanding HIV/AIDS.” National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 5 Apr. 2018, aidsinfo.nih.gov/understanding- hiv-aids/fact-sheets/25/81/hiv-and-gay-and-bisexual-men.

“Making Systems of Privilege Visible.” Making Systems of Privilege Visible, by Stephanie M Wildman and Adrienne D Davis, p. 111.

Milestone, Katie, and Anneke Meyer. Gender and Popular Culture. Polity, 2012.

Min, Kim. Socioeconomic Status Can Affect Pregnancy Outcomes and Complications, Even With A Universal Healthcare System. U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institute of Health, 5 Jan. 2018, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5756361/.

Mock, Janet. Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & so Much More. Simon & Schuster, 2015.

Smith, Greg M. “It's Just a Movie: A Teaching Essay for Introductory Media Classes.” Cinema Journal, vol. 41, no. 1, 2001, p. 128., doi:10.1353/cj.2001.0025.

Williams, Claudette. Gal... You Come From Foreign. McGraw Hill, 2002.

Wilson, Chris. “Mass Shootings in the US: See 35 Years in One Chart.” Time, Time, 2 Oct. 2017, time.com/4965022/deadliest-mass-shooting-us-history/.

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