@those70scomics / those70scomics.tumblr.com
Okay, let's have some fun and do a Jukebox Ask Game! You can have me ask you a question, or you can ask me a question. Your choice.
Send me a number and a letter (they're under the cut). Or ask me to give you a number and letter (but I pick which ones, obviously 😅). We're free to interpret the word and apply it to the characters and ships however we want.
The person I was referring to (never by name or gender) in my post this morning put the contents of our private conversation on their blog -- in an edited way. All my words are there but not in chronological order.
Even out of chronological order, my words speak for themselves and corroborate my summary.
That person seems to be in a lot of pain. I hope they can find peace.
For the Anon (I hope you know who you are, lol):
1 : psychological manipulation of a person usually over an extended period of time that causes the victim to question the validity of their own thoughts, perception of reality, or memories and typically leads to confusion, loss of confidence and self-esteem, uncertainty of one's emotional or mental stability, and a dependency on the perpetrator.
: sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it
Both definitions from Merriam-Webster.com
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Unfortunately, we can control only what we say or do, not how another person interprets our words and actions. It will be the same with this post, which I'm very sorry I have to make.
For the first time in my fourteen years in the T7S fandom, someone blocked me. I understand why. No one should feel unsafe in a fandom space. Despite my best efforts at reconciliation, including patience, compassion, and asking how I could better support this person, I received back personal attacks and accusations. Even then, I responded only with support and compassion.
Yeah, I have the conversation still in my messages. I've read it over many times to see where I might have misstepped. But what's there is my openness to the other person's grievances, my willingness to learn and grow from my mistakes, my apologies for the inciting incident that angered the person.
The responses I received were ever-growing anger and personal attacks. Nothing I could say could allay what the person felt. Reconciliation takes both parties working toward it.
My mistake, I realize, is the inciting incident. The person made a public post about a ship. I might have misread which ship it was. I replied, not a reblog, about how I wish the ship (Leia/Gwen) were romantically canon in T9S, but like Fez/Kelso on T7S, they have a canonically intimate but platonic relationship. That's the totality of what I wrote.
Then the private messaging began, by me, because I saw the person's unhappiness with my reply. I had wanted, in that same post, to write a reconciliatory response. I was blocked from doing so.
I know from previous private conversations with this person that they don't want anyone with differing opinions commenting on their posts. I've only ever offered this person advice when asked, an ear to listen, and obliged when requested to send them public asks about characters and ships. I should have refrained from commenting on their public post. That was my mistake. I'd hoped to have a fun fandom conversation.
Those of you here who know me, know me. This post isn't written for you but to address the public accusations the other person made about me. I'm a very private person, and I prefer to keep private interactions private. Our fandom has had enough drama the last few months, and I'm sad that the decayed dynamic between the other person and me has added to it.
I operate from a place of compassion. I'm also human and make mistakes in judgement. As I said to the other person privately, I'll say it publicly (as I believe this post will be read by that person through whatever means): I'm sincerely sorry that my comment on your public post angered you.
I try my best never to hurt anyone, especially not intentionally. I hate causing other people pain, and I hope that blocking me will help you feel safer and better. Sadly, my attempts to do so myself failed spectacularly and only upset you further. 😕
I have a request...and I know it's a bit out there but I LOVE scary stories and crime novels. Does anyone want to write me a Jackie and Hyde story with these themes? Because I would love to read them.
Retweeting to help my fav writer out! She deserves this :)
@queenbookbuff Your wish has been in the works ten years. You're gonna get an insane amount of what you want in my next epic T7S fic. 🤭
While my revisions soon get under way, if you haven't yet read heatherlea's Frames and For Her Sake, hie thee hence!
FFNet / AO3
Summary: Jackie grows strange with Hyde’s ring finally on her finger, and Hyde must discover why before it destroys them both. A Forman family secret may hold the key, but the revelation thrusts Eric and Donna into peril. The threat to them all stretches far beyond Point Place, conspiring to put an end to true love … everywhere.
Rated: M
~Excerpt~
The wedding rehearsal went off without a hitch, except for the rain pouring down. Everyone held umbrellas, and Jackie kept relatively dry, unlike the daffodils and peonies lining the wedding aisle. The ground beneath her high-heeled feet was covered in soft grass, and cream-blossomed dogwood trees enclosed the wedding area. Mount Hump really was a beautiful place—when it wasn’t shrouded by a gray, thundering sky.
The rehearsal concluded with a flash of lightning. The wedding coordinator, a plump but pretty woman, ushered Eric and Donna back up the aisle. “And then everyone follows you to our reception area, which you’ll find by traveling the stone pathway,” she said quickly. “But now everyone should follow you back to the parking lot. We’ll see you at least an hour before your ten o'clock ceremony tomorrow, ‘kay?”
“Um … yeah,” Eric said, gesturing at the rain. “Is the weather supposed to be like this tomorrow?”
Thank you, @springsteenicious, for this! It means a lot! 😊
The following ficlet was inspired by a conversation with my fellow T7S fan rishik5 (from Fan Forum’s T7S message board).
Jackie and Kitty can’t agree on how to throw Hyde a birthday party. Their argument ends with them forming teams to throw Hyde competing birthday parties. Red is originally on Kitty’s team, but he switches to Jackie’s team after Kitty assigns him a task he finds too annoying to attempt.
RED [to Jackie]: What do you want me to do? Change the flat tire in Steven’s car? That would be a good birthday surprise. JACKIE: That would be great, but all I need you to do, Mr. Forman, is keep your wife from throwing Steven her party. RED: That’s not going to happen. JACKIE: Great! How did you stop her? RED: No, I mean I can’t stop her. JACKIE: Of course you can. Just, I don’t know, unplug the refrigerator so all the food goes bad and she has to buy all new food. That could take all day. RED: And cost me hundreds of dollars. JACKIE: Then just go make disgusting adult love to her. That should take – what – three, four hours before you get anywhere? Red gives Jackie a look of contempt, walks away, and drives to an ice cabin to go ice fishing for the rest of the day.
Originally posted on the Zenmasters (Jackie/Hyde) thread on Fan Forum’s That ‘70s Show message board.
I'm happy I have another birthday to celebrate! ☺️
This last year has been made easier by my friends on here. I won't make an exhaustive list (I'm afraid of unintentionally leaving anyone off it; it's a good problem to have, lol). But if you're reading this, and you know we're friends -- or we've had friendly and enjoyable conversations -- I mean you. (I know who you are, and I hope you do, too.) ♥️🤗
@thatseventiesbitch
I hope today is as joyful as possible (despite the 🤧)! Take the week to celebrate I say! 🥳
You're a thoughtful, kind, compassionate, and creative friend. I'm happy our friendship has continued from when you were a youngin' to the old lady you are now (😂). Ok, you're a young lady (truly). To nany happy years ahead! 🤗
Today is the year anniversary of when I came home from the hospital! 🎉
In honor of that, I'd like to do an ask game.
I'm not yet at the build-up-excitement stage for Those Who Play with Demons, although I'm halfway through the epilogue (it's become quite a thing; you'll find out) and have a lot of extras made (and more to make).
I've got a new Those '70s Comics episode to post coinciding with the release of Those Who Play with Demons.
I might write a short Fez/Buddy story.
So I ask you what kind of ask game you'd be interested in: one about Those Who Play with Demons, a Jukebox Ask Game, a simple-ish Top Ten X (not necessarily solely related to T7S) tag game?
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Also of note, my birthday is on the 11th, next Thursday. Escaped death to live another year! 🥳
Thank you to all my friends I've met through fandom, from those I made since April 5, 2023 to those I made way back when I first joined the fandom actively back in March of 2010 -- and all the time between. You've enriched my life in important ways. 🤗♥️
Someone should do a prequel fic to the gang in elementary school, I think that’d be interesting
Not a fully-written fic, but I had a short-lived inspiration to write a story that followed the T7S gang from first through eighth or ninth grade:
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Gradient Design Brushes from obsidiandawn.com
Sexuality (canon): heterosexual, heteromantic, demisexual, possibly demiromantic.
Sexuality headcanon: Same as above. Red is solely sexually and romantically attracted to Kitty. Other women don't arouse him. In fact, he's more often repulsed by even the idea of being sexual with another woman -- that is, until the writers forced major character drift onto Red in seasons 6 and 7. They turn him into a moderate version of the TV cliche put-upon husband whose attracted to women who aren't his wife, in part because "marriage means suffering" due to a wife he can barely tolerate. In short, Mr. Roper from Three's Company.
Gender Identity (canon): Cis male.
Gender Identity headcanon: Cis male.
Ship: Red and Kitty -- and only Kitty.
Brotp(s): Red and Bob. Red and Pastor Dave.
Notp: Red and Pam Burkhart.
General Headcanon: Red might be demisexual, but he has a high libido. Especially in his younger days. So he fools around with Lynn Taylor while dating Kitty because he's sexually aroused, not because he's sexually attracted to Lynn. She is a convenient (and willing) partner for him to satisfy his arousal. But he loves Kitty, and sexual activity between them will be an emotional connection.
Opinion of the Character: Red is hardened by war and has PTS. He fears that his compassion for people might hurt him and his family at worst, inconvenience him at best, so he buries it in his misanthropy. People are complex, and he can and is both compassionate and misanthropic.
Kitty draws out his compassion best because, perhaps, she's the person he feels safest with and trusts the most.
He's experienced and witnessed the worst people can do to one another, and that's created in him a fear for his children's safety. He's a hardass with Eric in an attempt to prepare him for a world that won't care about his well-being ("Hunting" [2x13]).
Kitty for the character ask
I'm going to do this ask game a little differently. I'll put what I think is canon from what we see on the show (where applicable) as well as my headcanon. 😃
Sexuality (canon): Heterosexual, heteromantic, alloromantic, allosexual.
Sexuality headcanon: Same as above.
Gender Identity (canon): Cis female.
Gender Identity headcanon: Same as above.
Ship: Kitty and Red -- and only Red.
Sistp: Kitty and Joanne.
Notp: Bob. Wet, bubbly Bob.
General Headcanon: She was very much like Jackie in high school -- socially popular and derived self-esteem from that status (her mother's treatment of her explains it) -- but a helper/caretaker rather than self-centered and very focused on her studies.
Opinion on the Character: A strong, wise, compassionate person with regular human flaws and range of emotions. She chose nursing as a career due to her nurturing nature. She wants the best for everyone she cares about, but she often doesn't ask for or get the same amount of care for herself.
She's a good, loving mother. Gives Laurie and Eric doses of reality when they need it (unfortunately, Laurie needs a lot). She tolerates Laurie's bad attitude while also doing her best to correct it. Encourages all her kids (including Hyde) to do their best in whatever healthy goals they pursue. She protects, or tries to protect, her and Red's kids from Red's sometimes unforgiving anger.
Season 5 gives her the perimenopause arc. We learn her father is a relatively high functioning, non-abusive alcoholic. He self-narcotizes with booze, and Kitty follows suit when faced with the inability to bear more children and the reality of her soon-to-be empty nest.
Her drinking was supposed to end with Red's heart attack in season 6, but the T7S writers thought alcoholic mothers are funny (Hyde's mom, Jackie's mom). So instead of Kitty having a storyline where she comes to terms with the realities sprung on her in the previous season, she's depicted as an "amusing drunk," whose intelligence dial is turned way down. Total character drift.
Her deftly woven complexities become comical traits. Overly attached to Eric to the point of infantilization and hostile possessiveness (usually aimed at Donna). The Kitty of S6-S7 is not the Kitty of S1-S5. Even in S5, she does her best to fight the hormone changes to her moods to nurture the people around her.
Hyde stood in Melissa's driveway, clothed in his plaid coat and wool mittens. -- The Understudy
The Hickory Lane Funeral Home claimed to be the oldest and largest funeral home in Kenosha. -- Jackie Stargazer
Hyde had minutes, maybe seconds, to call Jackie over. -- One Difference: The Answer's Probably Yes
Working the graveyard shift at the Fotohut was a snooze. -- "Locked Out, Locked In"
A month into summer, and Hyde itched for fall. -- One Difference: Jackie and Hyde Don't Kiss (Over the Summer)
Hyde winced at his first taste of Orange Julius. -- Mistaken Messages
Red dropped the latest copy of Auto Magazine onto the side table. -- Not Just for Show
Kelso shoved the invitation into Hyde's hand. -- "Trick or Treat"
The keys to Hyde's Camino were missing. -- Jackie's Camino Caper
Jackie slammed open the door to Eric's basement with her right hand. -- "One Difference: Jackie Doesn't Go to the Water Tower"
Comments: From studying these opening lines, I see that I often put some level of tension into them, however subtle. I write opening lines to build the opening paragraph from, so they tend to convey a sense of place, mood, and/or character.
Tagging @that70sshowgoldencouple @thatseventiesbitch @tht70sblog @scaponigifs @maidenofthecancermo0n @crimsinsky @70s-show-diary @queenbookbuff and anyone else who would like to do this.
Disclaimer: That ‘70s Show copyright The Carsey-Werner Company, LLC and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, LLC.
Eric feels guilty about being attracted to Pam Macy physically. He thinks to himself or says to the angel that maybe he doesn’t deserve Donna because of this.
Buddy will give Eric (and maybe all his friends) the concert tickets. Buddy takes Jackie’s place in the Vista Cruiser.
ERIC asks Buddy why Buddy’s nice to him. Eric’s the new kid at school, etc. Buddy says he knows what it’s like not to fit in. “Yeah, I’m popular and rich, but I still have to hide part of who I really am … just like you.”
This was a good story.
Thank you! 😊
I wish I'd had the passion to finish it fully written. I had so much of this story that was in a readable form that I didn't want to just shelve it. So to Tumblr it was posted. 😃
Today, March 4, is the year anniversary of when I had life-saving emergency surgery. I'm calling it Life Day (thank you, Wookies, from the Star Wars Holiday Special).
The healing road is long. I've gone an incredible distance since I got home on April 5, after a month in the hospital. But I've still got plenty of road ahead of me. With the support I have at home and online (looks at you 👁️👁️), I'll get through it a lot easier than I would alone. 🤗
In fanfic news, I've finished the first draft of Those Who Play with Demons! I have a little more work to do before I can start revising. The story (and extras) will more than make up for all the time I couldn't post fanfic and other non-analytical creative fanworks. 🎉
