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lilspice05 · 4 years

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Youth Culture is different though each generation and can be described in many ways or forms. For example youth culture is the way children, adolescents and young adults live, and the norms, values, and practices that they share. Now imagine that definition and compare it with your favorite television show or movie. What do you see? You should find a relation between the experiences that you dealt with in life and what the character is doing throughout the series or film. Now take that even one step further and look deep into what character you relate to the most. It could be the smallest, funniest, shyest, craziest character or even the main character. Now really look deeper into that relation as it can be any action, feeling, or even the way that character dresses can depend on why you relate to them so much. This relation with youth culture can be seen throughout every decade, especially the 50”s, 60”s,90’s, and 2000’s with each one having its own style, norms, language, and values that related to the teens and young adults at the time.

In the 50’s they strongly focused on family based shows and values as they were post world war II and the dawn of the cold war, so they wanted young men to serve and ladies to stay home and take care of all the chores, kids, and sometimes the finances. That's why shows, or back then they were called sitcoms like I Love Lucy, Father Knows Best, and Happy Days were all premiered during this time frame. This taught young ladies how to cook, clean, respect their husbands, and how to dress which was very proper back then. As image was everything for both men and women and if you weren't a perfect and happy family then something was wrong with you. All of this also was happening while also teaching young men to go to work and take care of their family while providing food, protection, and a house. This all because of their norms as they thought a man was everything back then and women were still fighting for many rights. Which leads us to the 60’s. Now this decade also had a huge war in it which caused a lot of norms to change for many people. It even had one of the youngest presidents in the office who was then assassinated later, which made values also slowly change as people's style, music, and lifestyle was different for the better. Girls were able to go out and wear shorter dresses and start stepping out of their comfort zone, especially on the hippie side where they were able to be free and really like themselves. That's why movies like Casino Royale, Barbarella, She, and Cleopatra were put out to show women as strong, independent, outgoing, and capable of things men can do. Sometimes they were even better than the men, however social media still made sure during that time men were still the superior gender and released Dr No, Goldfringers, and DJANGO, to make the men look ten times stronger. Now after reading all that let's skip a few decades and look at the 90’s. This decade was full of crazy and extreme lifestyles as more and more people were stepping out of that ‘’American Dream” life and more into the party life. People were drinking, smoking, building bigger and better homes, driving expensive cars, and more norms were being added as many people were opening up about being gay or lesbian. They also had a very outgoing and different style than the other decades as crop tops, baggy clothes, big shoes, and funny looking hair styles were all introduced as a way to get young teens to step out of their comfort zone. This then led into the early 2000’s as it became the new norm for the next generation. Which strongly believes in being bold, different, but also takes from the other decades. Like from the 50’s and 60's, image is everything and one mess could lead to a variety of different conquense based on the norms or values that society has put in place for us.

Now that I have dropped all that different outlooks of the different decades on you. You should know I'm a 2000 decade baby so I personally relate not only to the movie Breakfast club but also the character John Bender. I relate to this character in so many different ways as I can see myself as if i was actually in the movie. The first way I relate to him is he is an outsider just like me. We as people don't fit what society considers as perfect or even normal because we have rough past, presents, and maybe even futures as we given up on the reality of a good life. It's like as a person who is just so used to being thrown to the side and forgotten about or used for other’s success doesn't need others to feel sorry for us so we just hide and do our own things. However, with saying another way I relate to John is that we do our own thing and hope someone notices we are doing those actions. We especially want a parent to notice us and actually love us the right way. As just like this character I have a broken home and my mother was very abusive by yelling, screaming, throwing things, and mental breaking me down. Which caused us to change for the worse in hopes they will wake up one day and expect us because society hasn't just like them. All of this then made me three themes that were shown throughout not only this film but many more like Mean Girls,Euphoria, and Mid-90’s.The first theme was rebellion against authority. In everyone of these films they struggled with what adults opinions and demands as they couldn't understand that they were just trying to protect them or teach them a lesson they have to learn. This tends to be a heavy theme that happens today since we young adults grow up just a little too fast trying to keep up with trends, goals, and even just fellow adults. The second theme is the general stereotypes that most movies, short films, and tv shows use to show high school life. Those stereotypes are the popular girl, athlete, nerd, weird kid, mean principal, and most of all the outsider. They then combine them all together and hope that they get along, which never happens since the social class says that can't happen, otherwise you're a complete loser. Unless they are providing something for you, or in the popular girl case worshiping you. Then the last theme is the peer pressure that is actually put on the students to be so perfect. Then on top of that the soundtrack for each film and show gives and assists in telling a story and guides the audience in certain ways, for example emotionally, and it enriches and deepens their experience of the film. That's why if i ever had to choose a soundtrack for any film it would be the Breakfast Club and it would be these ten songs: Simple Minds- Don't You,Nirvana - All Apologies,Paramore: That's What You Get,Numb (Official Video) - Linkin Park,Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication,Journey - Don't Stop Believin',Aerosmith - Dream on,Every Rose Has Its Thorn- Poison,Home Sweet Home - Motley Crue,and Stand by Me - Ben E King. I chose these songs because they all express emotions that are portrayed throughout the movie. From pain to love and everything in between, there are so many different emotions that are brought up in the movie and that’s why I specifically chose these songs.

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rainbowserenity · 6 years

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It started out as a little friendly competition.

Really, Lightning could get behind that. After all, how often had she done the exact same thing during training with her fellow Corps members? Challenging someone to a race around the track wasn't an unheard of phenomenon.

But at least with that, it didn't grow into something crazier.

Honestly, she should've figured something like this was inevitable when she and Hope moved into a little house right across the street from Serah and Snow. Having her sister living so close was like something out of a bad sitcom, but Lightning wouldn't have it any other way.

Except during the holidays.

“Ha! Suck it, Estheim!” Snow shouted at the top of his lungs, probably waking up the whole neighborhood in the meantime. He gestured wildly to the display of lights on his house. There were twinkling icicle lights and lines of colors running along the edge of the roof. He even had one of those lit-up wire statues that looked like reindeer. “Ours is the best on the block!”

“I don't think so!” Hope's hands were on his hips as he stood proudly in the driveway. Lightning rolled her eyes. Their own light display on the house was similar, but she had to admit, Hope's was arranged a little better. Not that she'd admit that out loud.

Serah was taking pictures of both houses, a huge grin on her face. “We'll have to get an impartial third party. Maybe Noel?”

“Good idea, baby!” Snow laughed and scooped Serah up in his arms, much to her delight. Lightning rolled her eyes again, especially when Hope glanced at her.

“Do that and you die.”

“Yes ma'am.”

Not that she didn't show her appreciation in other ways...

Noel had declared Hope's light display the winner. Snow demanded a recount before realizing it didn't quite work that way, but he promised that he'd get two more people to vote next year.

“We're not doing this next year,” Lightning argued.

“Sure we are! Me and Serah are gonna have the brightest house on the block, just you wait!”

This she did not doubt.

After the holidays were over and all the lights plummeted to ridiculously cheap prices, Hope and Snow scooped up as many as possible. Serah just seemed amused by the whole thing. “Maybe the winner should get a prize next year.”

“They're not going to do this next year.” Lightning frowned. “They're going to forget about it and put up the lights like normal people, so when families drive down the block, they'll be in awe and not wondering who the two grown men shouting at each other from across the street are.”

“Don't dampen their dreams, Sis.”

Despite her protests, Hope put even more lights on their house the next year. He refused to get one of those wire reindeer sculptures, though. “They're tacky.”

“You just don't like them because Snow had one first.”

Hope huffed out a laugh, a sure sign she was right. “No...!”

Lightning just smirked, holding onto the ladder as he tacked a string of lights up, then frowned and moved them down half an inch. No comment. “Did you find two more judges besides Noel?”

“Yes. Fang and Sazh said they'd come, but we have to feed them afterward.”

“We're going to get eaten out of house and home.” She pretended to mind. They hadn't yet made use of the two empty bedrooms in the house, so it was nice to have it full of people for a bit. “Why not Fang and Vanille?”

“Snow thought that she wouldn't be impartial, since she's one of my best friends.”

“You and Noel are close, though, and he was the first one you called. You don't call that impartial?”

“Yeah, but he's also close to Serah.”

“True.” Lightning held on a bit tighter when Hope slowly climbed down the ladder, only letting go when he was safely on the ground. When they were face-to-face, he wrapped his arms around her waist with a smile, pulling her close for a kiss. Or twelve.

“Hey,” he murmured once they'd finally managed to pull away. She wanted to close the space between them again. “You really don't mind this, right? Me putting up all these lights?”

“I think it's our electric bill you should be asking.”

Hope chuckled, reconnecting their lips. “Good point.”

That year, Sazh and Noel voted two-to-one in favor of the HopeLight display. The Snerah one wasn't nearly as exciting, they claimed, but Fang had been endlessly amused by those wire reindeer decorations. They all moseyed into Hope and Lightning's home afterward, demanding to be compensated. Snow bought all the beer since his display had lost.

That had been the best thing. Maybe she could get used to this.

And the thing was, as the years passed by, she actually did. It came as absolutely no surprise to her when she saw Snow and Serah's kids helping out with the lights when they were old enough. Rosa was actually quite skilled at knotting the wires together and making her dad go out to buy more lights. Lightning had no idea who'd taught her that, but considering Uncle Hope was Rosa's favorite relative, she had her suspicions. Josh was the smart kid who stayed out of it.

The first two years after she and Hope had their daughter, Seven, Hope's winning streak was broken since he was too busy helping his wife raise a kid. Lightning couldn't say she minded this a bit, but when Hope was feeling more confident and made a dazzling light show when Seven was a toddler, it was pretty great to see their daughter's eyes all wide and amazed.

And speaking of amazing...

“Hope.” Lightning glanced up, where her husband was puttering around the roof. Seven was stumbling around, looking like a marshmallow in her winter clothes. It'd already snowed this year, and the rest of the season was promising to be cold...if it didn't all melt from the heat from all these lights. “Is this really necessary?”

“Yes!” Hope had to shout to be heard from up on the roof. He was assembling some kind of insane contraption that had a Santa with his eight reindeer. There'd been another set with a Rudolph, but Hope refused to get it because Rudolph was so commercialized. He didn't seem to find any irony in this. “You saw Snow's last year, Light! His Santa waves and talks!”

“And is a complete nuisance.” That, admittedly, wasn't entirely true, since they all turned off the lights at a reasonable hour. Plus, there were those electric bills to think about. She signed, smiling a bit as Seven plopped down and looked around. “If you get anything that talks, I'm moving in with Fang and Vanille.”

“Like they wouldn't be just as noisy?”

“...Point taken.” Those two had no shame.

That year, Hope won a unanimous vote because none of them thought the constant 'ho-ho-ho!' coming from Snow's yard was all that endearing. The nonstop talking Santa was in the curbside trash by the new year.

As their kids all started growing up and got to help their dads out, the whole thing became something of a tradition for the whole block. Once the displays were all up and working, almost all of their neighbors would come and look at them. Hope and Snow had taken advantage of this and now put out collection boxes, where every donation went to a needy cause in the neighborhood. The simple loser-buys-beer get-togethers that they'd had was now a big block party – all of Seven's friends would team up and have snowmen (“No, Mommy, it's snowpeople,” Seven had explained in exasperation at one point) building contests with Rosa and Josh's friends. The adults would get tipsy and all bring a dish so they could have an 'impromptu' potluck, though Lightning knew for a fact that some of them made their dishes days in advance.

Not that she minded a bit.

“You're going to be able to see the house from space at this rate,” Lightning said a few years later, as Hope lined the roof with alternating colors.

“Not scientifically possible, Mom,” Seven replied. “The watts on these aren't bright enough.”

“Atta girl,” Hope said with a huge grin. Lightning rolled her eyes, though she couldn't hide her little smile. She knew just how to handle the conversation. After all, she'd been a teenage girl once, too.

“So, Seven.” She raised an eyebrow. “Any chance we'll see Sice come over to see the judging this year?”

Seven immediately blushed and sputtered out something unintelligible before mentioning homework and rushing inside. Hope chuckled.

“Oh c'mon, Light. That was unfair.”

“Maybe a little.” She held onto the ladder as he climbed down, like always. “But it means when we won't get any commentary when I do this.”

“Do wha - ”

His words were cut off with her lips. Somehow, the lights turned on as they kissed, bathing them in a twinkling glow. She ignored the wolf-whistle from across the street, knowing that Serah would shut Snow up the same way soon enough.

Even after so many years of holidays with him and this ridiculous tradition, it never failed to feel like something new every time. Funny how Hope had always had that effect on her without realizing it – every day felt new when they were together. Maybe it was because he was always by her side as they'd built this life.

A sappy thought, she mused as they continued to kiss, but she'd cut herself a break. It was the holidays, after all.

And eventually she'd pry herself away from his lips – he did have an eleven-year winning streak to uphold.

“Estheim's the winner!” Sazh declared with a flourish several weeks later.

Make that twelve.

(Unless I get a windfall of random inspiration, this might be my last fic of the year. If I've entertained you all, please consider buying me a coffee ❤)

#hopelight #hoperai #hopurai #hopelight fic #this is supposed to be silly and maybe a little cracky #not sure if successful or not lol #BUT HEY YOU GUYS IN THE XIII DISCORD #YOU ALL GAVE ME THIS IDEA SO #THIS IS FOR YOU~#but thank u all for reading my shit this year srsly #you're all the best <333333333

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delusionland · 3 years

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WANTED PLOTS (marvel edition):

don’t know what to do with this blog or how to plot with me bc it’s so spankin new? here’s some suggestions (mostly for fellow marvel blogs but i am Not Picky)

SAM : based off of falcon and the winter soldier, tbh, except... birds? birds. i want him to develop his bird talking powers. anything to do with birds actually.

BUCKY : honestly interested in playing more with sidekick & soviet comics canon. would love to do things with elis&young avengers about ‘sidekickdom’

STEVE: this is random but i would love to do plots where steve went back in time and took an active part in righting the wrongs of history the way he always wanted to do

WANDA : based on this post, i would love to do things where wanda & the other x-men started to realize their realities as mutants, and other avengers started reacting to ‘hello? what the fuck happened? the entire universe didn’t think that mutants were real and now some people just have superpowers that were hidden in our subconcious?’ would also be cool if some mcu characters actually had superpowers like monica & had backstories more similar to comics canon (so that monica was actually the first captain marvel coff coff i’m not mad mcu i’m just DISAPPOINTED.)

PIETRO : mostly mentoring young adult characters, specifically tommy & billy but not just them! i think while pietro is objectively a bad person---he’s actually really good at being a mentor figure. alternatively, a wandavision au where he DID come back to life in the halloween episode, and is forced to forever talk like a 90s manchild sitcom au while being tortured within with his own extreme pretension.

PETER B.: please. please let this incredibly intelligent idiot explain the multi-verse to your character. please let him mentor mcu peters too. and also i think that peter b. and deadpool should be best friends bc peter b. is the only ever actually funny spider-man to hit the big screen. deadpool and peter b. could make ACTUAL JOKES TOGETHER WHILE BEING BISEXUAL DEPRESSED DISABLED DISASTERS???? wow. dream come true. this is what true bromance is.

PETER QUILL: I WOULD LOVE PEOPLE TO CALL PETER QUILL OUT FOR BEING A LOSER. please bully this man! i would love for people to introduce peter to culture beyond what his mom liked in the 80s. thank you for your service

GAMORA : my gamora is mostly hc based. i would love to see her enjoy herself, after so many years of thanos torturing her and nebula. let her have a life and real relationships please!!!

THE RUNAWAYS: i will do fuckin anything with you if you let me play literally any one of gert, chase or nico against u. my kids!!! my kids!!!

#ooc: wishlist #ooc

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spaceorphan18 · 7 years

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Glee Season 1 Wrap Up (Part 2)

Alright - let’s do this and see if I can actually manage to be concise, lol. So, I wrote up a ranking - now I’m kinda looking at arcs as a whole. It’d be too hard to rank those, so I’m just talking a little about each.

Front 13 v Back 9

It’s no secret that I prefer the Back 9 episodes over the first batch. The Front 13 focuses so heavily on the two love quadrangles - at the expense of pretty much everything else, that I get bored really easily. And - dare I say - the Front 13 might actually be my least favorite part of the show. Yes, that’s right, I’d rather watch Season 3 again (lol).

The Front 13 does have things going for it - it’s very funny (on it’s first run - subsequent viewings don’t always help). It’s tightly written. The stories make sense (well as much as a fake baby makes sense). And it’s good, solid television. I can see why people fell in love with it. But - as you may have noticed in my rankings, I have a hard time being bored, and now that I’ve seen the show a million times, I get bored too easily.

I will say - having some distance from watching the episodes, and doing it at a weekly pace, helps me enjoy it more. The episodes feel fresher, and as much as I whine, I still had fun with the rewatch of the F13.

Meanwhile, the Back 9 just comes alive. The show gets a bit crackier, the focus shifts more to the kids, and the pace speeds up. But you know what else I noticed? As the show develops the characters a bit more, I feel like there’s a bit more emotion running through the Back 9. I know we joke about Glee being one big cartoon, but the F13′s humor was often darker humor related to stereotypes. By the B9 - the characters get to be fleshed out more, and become more like real people - and I dig that more than the dark sitcom-ish vibe of the F13.

Kind of as aside, not really sure where to add this, one thing I find interesting about season 1 is that it seems to be this show that’s simultaneously trapped in the 80s, while still being relevant on current events - and very much being a product of the 2010s. That aspect of it makes it a bit unique and nostalgic at the same time, and it’s a super fascinating way to look at the show.

Will as a Problem of the Narrative

Look, we all know Will is a problem -- the ‘I Hate You Will’ meme is prevalent within fandom. You would think that the first season would make him a bit more sympathetic since he is the original main character. I mean kinda - but he’s still frustratingly selfish, nearsighted about everyone else around him, and, well, just not that great.

But after doing some thinking, I came to the realization -- this is an issue with American television in general -- adult characters are not allowed growth. Think about it. In high school shows, the kids grow up, learn, and change. But when we watch adults, more specifically adults in sitcoms, - the writers hit the reset button. Did the characters of Friends really change all that much in the ten years they were on the show? Or Modern Family? Or The Big Bang Theory? I mean - there will be slight changes, but nothing major. (Some writers do - both The Office and Parks and Rec show growth in their characters, but I also think those are better sitcoms for it.)

Anyway - my point is that Will falls victim to the fact that for the sake of conflict, he doesn’t really get any kind of character growth that sticks, and that what makes his character so hard to watch - even in season one.

In addition, instead of framing Will as a teacher who loves teaching, they frame him as a performer who never made it out of Ohio, and is frustrated with never having gotten out of the place he grew up. And while there’s some reality in that -- I’m still side-eyeing the show any time they give him accolades for being a great teacher.

Also, there’s the whole ‘Be a Man’ thing that Will gets saddled with. But...more on that later.

To no one’s surprise - Will being front and center most of the time amplifies all these issues leading to me not really caring much about the story and hence boredom.

Will/Emma/Ken/Terri & Finn/Rachel/Puck/Quinn -- a Redundant Love Story for The Ages

It’s basically the same story only time displaced - with a chance for the high school kids not to make the same mistakes as the adults. The adults being a cautionary tale. Funny, I think the kids, at some points, are more mature about what’s going on in their relationships than the adults.

Outside the satirical nature of it - I find it all kind of tedious to sit through, tbh, and as I said before, what makes the F13 kind of hard at times. I realize I’m supposed to care about these relationships. Guess what - I don’t.

However -- Glee and it’s parallels. Damn. There’s, like, an entire thesis paper waiting to be written about these Quadrangles and how Glee masterfully pulls off writing the same story twice at the same time.

Also worth noting, the two Quadrangles both embody two of the main themes of season one: 1. Be a Man and 2. It’s Okay to Be a Loser (or the HS Hierarchy Stuff)

I don’t know why the show needs to prove so hard what being a real ‘man’ is - especially when the real men of the show don’t usually have to deal with this stupid trope, but I find myself rolling my eyes every time it gets brought up. And the focus isn’t a favorite of mine -- unfortunately, another point against the F13.

Meanwhile - I was never really interested in the whole HS Hierarchy stuff, and what it is to be cool. Geez, now I’m being redundant as I continue to say that the themes brought up in the F13 just don’t interest me at all. Good thing there was all this music to keep me distracted...

Ken and Terri & Puck and Quinn - Mean Girls

Ryan Murphy has this weird obsession with awful popular people. I don’t know why. I don’t think it’s as interesting as he does - but I’m guessing he had some deep issues with these people in high school because this trope is used outside of Glee and in abundance.

Something I think is interesting though - going back to my point about Will. Ken and Terri don’t get to be more than the stereotypes that they are. And because they’re probably (possibly) the most annoying characters on the show - the writers had enough sense to drop them after after the F13. But I do think it’s interesting, also, that Ken and Terri are the real ‘losers’ of the show -- and they’re the ones who were popular in high school. The point is made pretty loudly, but I never hear people talk about it much.

Meanwhile, Puck and Quinn are pretty much on the road to being Ken and Terri - but the show, probably knowing these characters needed to stick around, got the growth and development that Ken and Terri didn’t, and even in season 1, seeds of - they’re not going to turn out to be as ‘loser-ish’.

I don’t really care all that much about Puck or Quinn, but I will say they were pretty unwatchable (for me) in the F13, and they became much better characters in the B9. Though, helping this is the fact that neither gets a whole lot to do. But they soften both of them to make the more likable - and it works, I don’t mind them so much in the B9.

Emma - The Non-Main Character

I love Emma - and it’s weird to me that she isn’t more of a main character (I mean she is in season 1, but that fades quickly). It’s great that they have female character, good at her career, but struggling a bit in her personal life, and who has a mental health issue to deal with but is still seen as desirable. I also love the fact that she has issues with sex. There’s a lot of great things with Emma. I’m just sorry she’s tied to Will for the entire show, because she’s smart and likable and one of the few really ‘good’ characters on the show. I’m sad that she doesn’t get to do much outside of being accessory in Will’s story. It’ll change a little in season 2, but not much. :(

I don’t really have much to say about Wemma. It starts out as a standard will-they, won’t-they but it doesn’t pull my attention much. I will say that the final moment of Sectionals, however, is a beautiful moment -- and the Glee, when it wants to, has the ability to pull off some fantastic romantic moments.

Sue Sylvester - Comedy Villain in a Realistic World

It’s no surprise that when you have a very talented and funny Jane Lynch on your show, you’re going to do what you can to give her a fair amount of material. I get that. And I give season 1 credit -- Sue might be one of the funniest characters on the show in season 1. She worked as the villain and as a counter to Will, as well as allowing the show to have a mouthpiece for things they felt the main characters couldn’t say. It worked. She worked. Jane Lynch worked.

My issues with Sue are more with later seasons, when they run out of things to do with her, and make a fourth-wall breaking farce, but I’ll save that rant for later.

I will say - I do enjoy her humanizing interactions with her sister and with Becky, and it’s a shame the show didn’t latch on to that more often. Because Sue got hit with the reset button harder than any other character.

Finn & Finchel

Finn is pretty much tied to Will in every season, but season 1 is in much abundance. Fortunately, Finn fares better than Will does. Finn needing a father figure, and direction, is more sensical than Will using Finn as a way to relive his youth, while treating Finn simultaneously as a best friend and son. I don’t think I like Finn all that much, but Cory Menteith is incredibly endearing -- and makes me care a bit more than I actually would. Finn is, perhaps, the most rounded character to begin with - and shows more competence as a leader than Will ever does. It’s funny, to me, for as much as these two are paralleled, Finn getting to grow and have an actual arc makes him much more interesting.

Finn also has the benefit of having a more complete world around him -- his story isn’t stuck in the Quadrangle, his stories outside of it (mostly with his Mom and Kurt, but also the more fleshed out story with Rachel) make it much more interesting.

So yeah. Go season 1 Finn!

Also - they were definitely setting up Finn to grow through this series long arc of hating being in a small town to being okay that that is his lot in his life. (And it is sad we didn’t get to see that play fully out.) Because unlike Will -- who kind of hates that he’s never moved on, Finn seems to come full circle rather nicely.

So Finchel. Believe it or not, I think Finchel is quite endearing in season 1. And -- dare I say -- I like it more in the F13 than the B9. I’ll always prefer Finchel as a story about two high schoolers who learn from each other in HS, but move away from each other later in life, and that Finn and Rachel, ultimately, don’t have a whole lot in common, but there moments in early s1 are sweet, and there’s a bit of chemistry there that I don’t see later on in the show.

I can even pinpoint when I start to really not care about Finchel -- in Hello, between the introduction of Jesse St. James and making Finn kind of a douche (or paralleling him a little too close to Will). But in the meantime, I can honestly say that Finchel was one of the more enjoyable parts of season 1. Weird huh.

Rachel Berry - Before They Were Stars

Another aspect of season 1 that I liked? Rachel Berry. Before the show started handing her things on a platter because she /was/ Rachel Berry -- Rachel was a character you could root for. No, she wasn’t the most likable character on the show, but she struggled, and we saw that she worked hard to get things. She was also uncompromising in her desires - something not often shown as a) positive or b) in women.

Also helping her out is that she gets to have a story arc outside (or maybe beyond is a better word) the Quadrangle. She has developed relationships with pretty much everyone on the show and that helps her be a well rounded character.

As an aside -- it’s interesting to me, for as much as everyone is paralleled with everyone else on the show, I don’t see a whole lot of parallels between Rachel and Emma. There are some, both of them wanting someone they feel they can’t have, both of them wanting things too much, and both feeling like outsiders. But I feel like those are generalizations of two vastly different characters. Interesting.

Mercedes, Artie, and Tina - The Back Up Singers

It’s funny to me -- that when the show was first airing, Mercedes, Artie, and Tina (and Kurt - but more on him in a minute) were used a lot in ads. These actors did a lot of press, etc, etc. And the whole notion of the show being for kids who didn’t fit in was a big angle for marketing. So, it’s interesting that the F13 barely features any of them. But I do think they are much more interesting than the Parallel Quadrangles. Each of these characters has a unique set of characteristics - and yeah, a lot of it stemmed from stereotypes, which were fleshed out more in the B9. But I appreciate these characters even being around - because if they weren’t there, the show would be (IMO) pretty bland.

Interestingly, in the B9, each of these three do get their fair share of screentime and development. Unfortunately, they don’t make it out from the ranks of the B-list characters (idk - there might be some irony there). But they’re good characters, Mercedes especially, and I do enjoy them more than a lot of what’s going on with the A-plot. I’m just sorry they never really got out of the shadow of the rest of the other characters.

Kurt Hummel - Scene Stealer

Obviously, Kurt’s story in season 1 is my favorite story arc. I’m sure anyone who has been to my blog could have guessed that in about two seconds. And elsewhere is fully documented why. His relationship with being different, and how that ripples in his personal life - with family and friends - and how he deals with that is a fantastically told story, not to mention one having a ton of heart and care. I love Kurt, and season 1 Kurt gets to have such wonderful development, and it’s only the first portion of a much larger story of a really fantastic character.

But here’s my thing about Kurt. He wasn’t a part of the original story. And because of that, a lot like Rachel, having his own story and his own development - he’s not locked into being apart of a boring and/or tired story (re: Quadrangle). He somewhat exists outside the main narrative (though obviously has his ties within) and I think that really helps his character stand out in season 1. But I also think it’s interesting that this character, who in the first incarnation was much of a stereotype, got to break free first, and is one of the best written characters on the show.

He’s also so damn entertaining. Giving the character life in the background is an art - but I should gush about Chris Colfer’s acting later.

But in all honesty - I probably wouldn’t have kept watching this show without Kurt. His story (like to so many others) reminds me of my own in a lot of ways. And I think he was resonant with so many people in a way that a lot of the other things going on in season one weren’t. He helped give the show depth and emotion, and helped it grow beyond the cartoonish dark comedy of early season 1. There are a lot of things I enjoy about season 1, but I love Kurt’s story, and I probably wouldn’t be sitting here still talking about it if it weren’t for Kurt.

Brittana and other Background Stories

One of the things stemming out of being bored with the main plot lines is that one has a tendency to gravitate towards what’s going on in the background. Most shows - it’s not much. Glee -- has a plethora of stuff going on. Kurt gets a lot of the credit (rightfully so), but there’s a ton of interesting things happening.

Brittany and Santana don’t get enough credit for their early season 1 stuff. They have virtually nothing to do - but they’ll nail one-liners and/or do fascinating stuff sitting there in the background. One reason they became such prevalent characters, and they start to become those starting with the B9, is because they’re doing things that people take notice of.

Santana’s still too mean in season 1 for me, though layering over the fact that she’s a closested lesbian makes for a more interesting story upon rewatch, and Brittany really isn’t much of a character as she is a walking one-liner machine, but both characters make themselves visible in a huge cast - and I have to give them a lot of credit for that.

Meanwhile at the other end of things are Mike and Matt. Interestingly, I think Mike does seem to have more of a personality, and more of a presence, as well as a great acting ability, that helped him come out from the shadows a bit -- whereas Matt completely faded into the background to the point that I often forgot he was there. It’s no surprise to me that Mike became a bigger character while Matt left before season 2.

Guest Starring - Broadway Role Call

I can’t say that I’m really that attached to any of the guest stars on the show - but something I give Glee credit for in season one is grabbing guest stars who have ties in with Broadway. And I think that’s a pretty cool route to go. I may have not liked their characters all that much, but at least they can sing, and I can enjoy that. :)

Except Molly Shannon. I still don’t get that.

Jukebox Musical

So, obviously, music plays a huge part of this show. I’ve talked other place about how music is used differently in the F13 vs the B9 (check out TDB’s Music of S1 special!) so I won’t get into that here.

Season 1 probably has the lowest amount of songs from it on my play list - there’s just a lot of pop music I don’t really enjoy, and Will rapping, and just stuff I’m not really into. Not to mention a lot of the music is Rachel, Finn, and Finn and Rachel heavy (which isn’t a sound I’m really into).

But I think one thing season 1 does right is how it uses it’s music. And it’s interesting to see all the creative ways they try to be realistic about how they use music on the show. Not to mention, each of the episodes didn’t have the mandated 5-7 songs, which left time for both the music and the story to breath.

And then starting in the B9 - they began to get more creative in how they integrated music within the story.

On a Macro Level

Season 1 is probably the most consistent the show ever is written, and possibly, has the best straight up comedy. But the extreme focus on paralleling Quadrangles, the ‘Be a Man’ trope, and the whole ‘loser’ main themes kinda bore me (personally).

Kurt’s story, all the b-characters, background moments, and music I’m here for, in the F13, and I can kinda leave all the rest. The B9, though, gets us into the style of the rest of the series, and I’m here for that.

#tdb rewatch #omg this is so long.....

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limpblotter · 7 years

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“Bringing Home Ham”

This is going to be a three part introduction to what might turn into a full fledged Tumblr-base Hamilton (and other musical inspired) fanfiction. I wanted to keep going but I as nearing 2000 words and decided to break it up, see how I feel…idk I had this really vivid idea how the cat and Alexander, the modern day and all sorts of stuff. So this is my take on it all. I will include rating and themes as I post. As of right now, its as safe as you can get lol. No trigger, no smut, no cursing. (Enjoy, comments are greatly appreicated and desired) Cast: Martha Washington, George Washington, Marquis de Lafayette Word Count: 1,962 Part 1 , Part 2 Setting: February 2017, New York, New York Themes: Hamilton, sitcom-ish themes, possibly other themes ___________________________________________________________ “What am I doing?” George breathed through clattering teeth. It was easily below freezing now. The snow was not light, fluffy cinematic perspiration. He was tired. A part of him could not believe he was out in the middle of winter looking for a damn cat. He had trudged through hard, crunchy snow covered sidewalks for about six blocks. He was getting less and less hopeful he was going to find this cat. Was he going to retreat? Probably, George didn’t want to catch his death…surely there was some other way he could make it up to Martha? He paused by a dumpster near a busted street light. Perhaps it was fate working its strange ways, he convinced himself as he texted Lafayette that he was returning home without the cat. Before he could wait for a response something breezed by him. His instincts kicked in, the moment a figure brushed past him. His entire body lurched away from whatever it was before it could touch him. The figure ducked behind a dumpster and didn’t move from its shadow. “Hey!” George glared at the shadow, just as he turned back around the familiar flashes of red and blue blinded him for a second. He held his hand over his eyes as the lights died down and a figure marched out of the car. “George?” A tall, lanky looking man smirked a bit. “George Washington, well I be damned!” He brunette walked over holding out his hand. “Its been …fuck years.” It took Washington a second to realize who he was talking to. In his defense, the last time he saw this man he was a young recruit at George’s retirement party. Now he was a full fledge officer on the force. “Henry Knox.” He smiled taking the hand in a firm grasp and giving him a solid shake. “I haven’t seen you since…05? 04” He chuckled. “Patrolling?” Knox shook his head. “Yea, I got a call from the library turns out some dunce stole some books from the shelves and made out with them.” He shrugged. “Some goon kid no doubt. Really not worth my time if you ask me, but I gotta make that quota. A night in jail should shake him up.” There was a sinister smirk on the man’s face. George’s spine chilled, this was not the line of work he enjoyed. Watching as men only filled quota, not taking the time to make good judgment. Sure burglary is wrong but clearly at this level it was hardly worth scaring a boy half to death. Still… George felt his old honor egg him on to check the dumpster. Instincts told him the kid was that thing that ran by him, no doubt. “So how’s the wife and you’re little African kid.” Knox spoke casually. George’s eyes hardened. “He still part of that charity you and your lady do right?” “Martha and Lafayette are fine. Actually Marquis made the honor roll.” He paused. “He’s our home-stay transfer student from France. He’s French.” George corrected him trying hard to keep his cool. “Honor roll?” He was definitely surprised now. “Damn I should send you my kid, I can’t get him to pass a class for the life of me.” Knox rolled his eyes. “Its all about the parenting.” George smirked a bit, letting his small jab sink in. Knox’s face was no longer amused as he walked back to the car. “Well, if I see anything, I’ll let you know officer.” There was no way he was going to tell Knox now. No way no how. He watched as Knox drove off and once he was out of sight he turned to the dumpster. “Come out kid.” He commanded, crossing his arms. “I know you’re in there, some get out before I drag you out and right to that cop.” George waited patiently. Seconds later there was some shuffling as the figure came from his hiding spot. George looked down and noticed he was looking at a long haired, somewhat short…kid with olive tone skin, half lidded eyes and dressed in a light jacket probably freezing. He did notice the bag he was carrying and wondered what else he had. “Why didn’t you turn me in?” He commanded his eyes not on Washington at all. He was looking off to the side, hands in his pockets trying to keep warm. “Because I didn’t want to kid, at least not to him. I have other friends who can pick you up.” He spoke glancing at his phone. He watched as the boy started looking side to side, looking for an escape. “Stealing hm? Thats quite the crime but I have to laugh” He smirked. “What?” “Why did you steal books.” “Cause I wanted to ok? Is there a fucking problem, OLD MAN” He hissed, watching George just outright laugh at him. His light tanned face heated up in a deep red color but he made no moves to leave now. He grabbed his straps a little tighter. “Now, why are you upset?” He snickered a bit, the kid had some nerve. That was something George could entertain. He didn’t …feel like a thug. Twenty years on the force and George knew what he was looking for. The kid looked clean, he was anxious, he didn’t look like someone who was used to stealing or at least didn’t like it. “I’m not.” He looked to the side, upset, his lower lip quivering from the cold and nothing else. Nothing. Else. “Its alright you want to steal, its easy but it is also illegal…why do you want books anyway?” “None of your business, old man.” He paused for a second. George wasn’t taking him in so many he could play nice and get home before he turned into an icicle. “I don’t have a library card ok.” “Son…” George felt the laughter bubble up again. “I’m NOT your Son.” He felt his anger bubble up. He wasn’t usually angry but god he couldn’t stand being made fun of. “Look all you have to be is eighteen or have an adult, a parent or someone sign for you.” He spoke, his smile died a bit when a sudden flash of emotion came over the kid’s face. A certain…color of defeat colored his eyes as he looked off to the side again. This time not to avoid eye contact, he was looking off…somewhere to something that only he could see. “Well, I don’t have either of those requirements.” He frowned. “Dad split, mom is dead and my cousin OD’d in his bodega a week ago. So…” He shrugged. “I’m up shit’s creek without a paddle.” George scanned his face for the lie and got nothing. He was telling the truth. Washington felt something in him change as the boy spoke. “And you’ve been out here for a week? I’m sure you have other family.” He watched the teen shake his head. “Foster care?” “Yeah ok, those losers haven’t even noticed I haven’t been in school for days. I’ve been out selling what I can to get some cash to make it through the winter.” This kid wasn’t living, he was surviving. Everyday was a chance battle to find food, steal and make a profit. George saw this boy was much older than he seemed but even that couldn’t protect him from the merciless winter of New York. He could tell this kid was cold and perhaps even hungry. He was small and Washington couldn’t tell if it was natural for him or the fact he was out on the streets. With that, George took off his scarf and handed it to him. “I don’t need that.” He immediately retorted. “Why are you giving me this?” “You look cold” George answered. “And if you’re hungry my wife made roast, I’m sure there is some left over.” He held out his hand. “I can take you home, get you some food, maybe help you find a place to stay.” He could pull some strings with the police, use the search engine to find other family anywhere in the country. The kid looked at his hand and then at his face. “Catch is you give me your bag.” Washington didn’t know what this street kid had on him. He didn’t look like a thug but he had a family to protect. Whatever he had in his bag could have been a weapon or drugs. Something he would not risk Martha and Lafayette with. After a minute or two of deliberating, the teen shivered, the cold deciding it for him. He shrugged off his bag and handed it to George who found it heavy. He was a man that kept fit but the bag had to be close to seventy pounds, he noticed the straps were barely together. “What’s your name, kid?” “Alexander Hamilton.” He muttered softly, Alex looked up and noticed he had probably said it too soft and opened up his mouth again. “My name is Alexander Hamilton.” After getting his name the rest of the walk was silent and awkward. Alex was worried that he was getting into a bad situation, what if George was a drug dealer or a pedophile…but a warm bed was all he needed. He was not throwing away his shot at a shower either. George on the other hand had a lot on his mind. Like how to tell his wife he was bringing home some strange kid. Hopefully she would still be upset at him and in the room so he could have more time to think. “Here we are.” He smiled back at Alex who was looking around at the nice home. He whistled feeling a bit impressed. The door opened slowly, George turning the key so slowly that the click was muffled. Just as he managed to get it cracked open it was jerked open from the other side. “George, bless your damn stars!” Martha jumped at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She was practically hanging on him. George quickly dropped the bag and held her up, slightly dumbfounded and entirely nervous. “What were you thinking going out there in the cold over some cat!” She wanted to hit him for being so foolish…and terribly kind. “Look George there is something I want to say…” “Me first.” He gently placed her back on her feet and backed up, from behind him Alex poked his head in and frowned. “Can we come in? I’m still freezing my ass off out here.” He moved around Washington and glanced at Martha. At first glance most people didn’t know how to take her vitiligo but Alex didn’t stare for long. “Where is your bathroom, Mister?” “Down the hall to the left.” George instructed then turned back at Martha who was left, staring at Alex as he waltzed in, her mouth opened. “I…might have lost the cat but I found a kid.” “George…” She began looking up at him still confused. “Look I know, its insane but he was homeless and cold.” He began. She opened her mouth to speak again and he kept going. “I couldn’t leave him in the cold, he said he had nowhere to go. He was stealing library books of all things. No doubt this kid has no street sense…” George couldn’t imagine how Alex managed to even survive a week out there. Martha’s eyes softened a little. “I’m going to call a favor, see if Greene can run his name or Social in the database and find him another relative somewhere… He’s got none for now…” “So we’re keeping him?” Martha smiled. “...he’s not a pet Martha. We’re keeping him until tomorrow and I’ll find him a real family, his family, he can stay with.”

#hamilton #alexander hamilton #hamilton fanfic #hamilton fandom #martha washington #george washington #lafayette #marquisdelafayette #marquis de lafayette #modern au #highschool au #high school au #au #fanfic

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