Everyone: What's Your Goal In Life?

I feel like the group came together slowly through coincidences.

Like I can see Philip, Penelope, and Michel meeting in college. Philip and Penelope bonded over running away from their families and Michael took them under his wing (or rather Penelope and Philip often brought his drunk as home).

Simon and Gareth knew each other through Lady Danbury and Simon took Gareth under his wing as they bonded over shitty fathers.

Kate and Sophie meet in high school where Kate notices how bad things are for her underclassman friend and Kate's family takes her in.

The small groups come together to form the large group gradually. Kate and Sophie would meet Michael, Philip, and Penelope when they take Edwina to move her stuff into her dorm room, where Michael is the RA and Philip and Penelope are there with him. Kate gets their numbers and keeps in contact with them to make sure her baby sister is okay, but gradually their chat shifts to more casual conversation and soon they are meeting for drinks along with Sophie.

Simon and Kate actually meet when Lady Danbury sets the two up on a blind date (or rather tricked them into). The two end up realizing neither is interested in dating but like the other as a friend. So they keep in contact as well and Simon joins Kate and the others on their pub nights.

Gareth meets everyone when Simon asks Michael, Philip, and Penelope to look out for him at school. Lucy is the last to join and only because Gareth spotted her moving in by herself and his "shitty family life" sense tingle. He messages the group that night.

Gareth: I have found the eighth member for our group!

Sophie: Please stop making us sound like a cult.

Michael: Sophie's right. Our group only drinks the finest whiskey, not koolaid!

Penelope: Sometimes I think we should have left him on the doorstep of that church.

Philip: He'd have seduced the nuns.

Simon: Better than when we had to bail him out of jail that one time.

Yeah, that's how I picture it, they start with small groups then those groups mix and expand.

Penelope met Phillip and Michael when the university she went to decided since she graduated a year early to make their room a coed one in hopes she'll feel more comfortable rooming with an RA. Michael was ecstatic to gain a new little freshman and immediately adopted her into their friend group. Penelope and Phillip sometimes wonder how they are more responsible than their RA who they dragged back to the dorms more than once while he was drunk off his ass. Phillip and Penelope really bonded when they researched poisonous plants together for one of Penelope's stories.

Kate and Sophie met in high school where they became pretty good friends. Sophie stayed at the Sharma's a lot to get away from her stepmother and when Araminta kicks Sophie out Mary immediately demands for Kate to bring her home to the Sharmas.

When Edwina started college Kate met up with her sister's RA to ask if he could once in a while update her on her baby sister. She was surprised when she was handed three phone numbers.

"Those are Phillip and Penelope's numbers on their as well," Michael said. "Trust me you want their numbers too."

Kate soon found out why. Phillip and Penelope were much more reliable on answering her texts. But she did like all three of them and it wasn't long before their conversations became more casual and friendly. (Edwina was so thankful for this. The trio really did her a solid when they kept their updates very basic, and they were quiet about her new relationship until she was ready to tell Kate. They really knew how to manage overprotective family members.)

It's not long until Phillip and Penelope lose a bet and now has to get a tattoo. Michael texts Kate. Your friend Sophie is a tattoo artist right?

Sophie, who was saving up to open up her own shop after she finished her apprenticeship, agreed to take them. Kate went with to the appointment because she was curious which tattoos Michael would choose for Phillip and Penelope.

Phillip ended up with a row of flower on his lower back. Sophie didn't say anything when she noticed some scars that would be covered by the design. Meanwhile Penelope got a quill pen dripping ink on her back left shoulder.

"A pen for Pen." Michael grinned.

"And a tramp stamp for Phillip," Penelope giggled as Phillip flipped Michael off.

"Oh well, Phillip will just have to get a whole garden on his back now," Michael said, not at all sorry.

"We're leaving you on the church steps next time," Phillip threatened.

After that the two groups started hanging out on a regular basis.

Simon and Gareth have known each other practically since Gareth was born mainly due to the fact they are the only relatives that Lady Danbury likes. They form a brotherly bond and Simon takes Gareth under his wing.

When Lady Danbury and Mary reconnected as friends she brought Simon along in hopes that maybe she can get a little matchmaking in.

Kate and Sophie like Simon and figure he would get along with the trio too, so they invite him out with them. They're right and the group adds one more person to their group.

Penelope accidentally outs him as the Duke of Hastings though because she remembers his name from her time as a rich kid. (That's ok, he was about to out himself anyway when he ordered one of the most expensive drinks in the bar and didn't even bat an eye at the price.) This is also the night where Kate and Sophie learn that Michael and Phillip also came from old money, but they were allowed more freedoms because they were considered the spares so they're rarely ever home. Penelope admits she grew up in high society, but her family was new money, and she hasn't been back since she left for university.

When Gareth starts university it's the same one that the trio graduated from. Simon asks Phillip and Penelope if they can show his little cousin around. Michael pretends to take offense when Kate says to him that Gareth already has Simon for a bad influence, he doesn't need Michael too.

Speaking of bad influences guess who Simon took to Sophie's shop to get a tattoo for his 18th birthday. Yup, it's Gareth. Sophie took this one out of her normal hours so the rest of the group cold meet him too. They liked him and adopted him into the group.

Lucy was the last to join. The university accidently made another coed room again this time with Gareth and Lucy. Gareth's shitty home life senses started tingling and by the end of the week he was ready to drag her to meet the group.

Gareth: Guess what!

Kate: Sophie and or Michael got arrested again? Did Penelope make another businessman cry after giving him a verbal lashing?

Sophie: THAT WAS ONE TIME!

Penelope: HE DESERVED IT! THE PRINTER BOYS NEEDED A RAISE!

Gareth: No but someone better share those stories later. I have found our eighth member! Now we'll be evened out! Four boys and four girls!

Phillip: Gareth, you have to stop making us sound like a cult.

Michael: I agree! We only drink the finest of drinks.

Simon: On my dime.

Kate: Your fancy people tastes won't let us go somewhere in our price range.

Sophie: And we're not forcing Michael to hang out at his own club on his days off.

Penelope: We should, he might start acting right if he's in his own club. At least we won't have to worry about him seducing nuns.

Michael: Hey I resent that!

Phillip: Too bad.

Gareth: GUYS! Her name is Lucy, she's coming out with us tonight. She's read all of this over my shoulder and I'm adding her to the chat now.

Lucy: Um, hi?

Yep EXACTLY!! someone give me regency era Schroeder yearning for Lucy.

Like maybe they were engaged to marry when they were kids ny their parents. Lucy was happy about it obviously but Schroeder wasn't.

So it's the same dynamic between the two as we are used to. Then one day, either Lucy's parents changed their mind and cancel to engagement to marry her with someone more powerful. Or another gentleman start courting her and Schroeder get jealous. And Lucy is hesitant at first but them when she get to know her new suitor she realised she liked the attention and she's so sure Schroeder isn t interested that she just start moving on.

Oooh the angst when Schroeder realises it.

Y’all don’t understand how much I need YEARNING SCHROEDER

I need a regency au of grown up Schroeder/Lucy where he is DESPERATE FOR THIS WOMAN. I need a scene of them dancing together. I need a scene of him playing a composition that’s secretly a love song to her at all ball or party while everyone dances.

I need this man posted up at his piano or in his bed like THIS:

YEARNING FOR HER

@browneyesandhair unearthed a bunch of my spouses friend group posts and now it has given me an idea. Set in the spouses friend group au but also throw in some omegaverse au too.

Simon was getting twitchy lately. His eye would randomly flinched, his hands would shake, and when seated he found himself more often than naught bouncing his leg. It was becoming irritating. Damn these pack instincts! This is what he gets for making friends, they trick him into becoming a pack leader and then he gains pack instincts. Those same damn instincts makes him twitchy when he goes too long without seeing all the members of his pack or smelling their scent. Anything to know they are ok!

Everyone has been away on different trips for the past two weeks as well. Kate is visiting a client’s farm since she’s one of the few vets that know how to treat peafowl in the nearby area. Sophie was traveling for a tattoo convention that she’s been excited about. The trio has traveled to Crete, Penelope for work, Phillip to go see the oldest olive tree, and Michael just refused to be left behind. Gareth and Lucy went on a college trip for an archeology class Gareth convinced Lucy to take with him. So yeah Simon really hasn't even had at least one of them around to settle himself.

Aunt Agatha is no help either, she just laughs at him whenever he goes off on rants about how his little pack, that he didn't even ask for nor does he know how he ended up as pack leader, is driving him up a wall.

But it will be ok, they are all due to come home soon. Then Simon can relax and have some help eating the dozens of cookies he's stressed baked the past week and a half. It helps that he's managed to herd them all living together in this stupidly enormous house he inherited.

Simon pulled out his phone.

*In the group chat*

Simon: All of you come straight home after you get back. No side stops.

Michael: Uh, oh, alpha daddy is daddying

Kate: Michael, Penelope, Gareth, have any of you been stressing out Simon again?

Gareth: US?!?!?

Penelope: Michael and I have been in Crete. . .WITH PHILLIP. You think he's gonna let us ruin his chances at seeing the oldest olive tree?

Phillip: I would have buried you two.

Sophie: And then dig them right back up. You three would not survive without one another.

Gareth: And I've been at a dig site with Lucy. How are we gonna stress Simon out at a dig site? 💀

Lucy: TBH I thought he saw that picture of us eating that ancient jar of honey.

Simon: YOU ATE WHAT?!?!

"YOU ATE WHAT?"

Simon felt his shoulders relax when seven distinct smells hit him, followed by seven different voices. The loudest being Kate's as she's questioning Gareth and Lucy. The phone slipped from his hand and lightly landed on the countertop.

His pack was home.

Now, he had to join Kate on scolding some naughty pups. Them being in University is irrelevant.

LMAOOOOOO

what is with the original atwow script and pissing. Lo'ak and Spider pissing together on a rock, Spider doing it again in the cell at Bridgehead… i’m glad they scripted it out eventually but was it necessary to include in the first place lmao

“human and Na'vi urine mixing” JAILLL

The only reason they made Maddie a Noxian spy is because otherwise, she would've been a victim in this entire situation, and people would see how shitty Caitlyn's actions actually are.

Cait is still Maddie's superior. The power imbalance is very much there, not to mention the way she treats Maddie outside of their affair. Imagine if instead of being a 'traitor that weasled herself into Caitlyn's bed to gain her trust', Maddie was just an innocent young officer who was manipulated and used by her boss. It just makes Caitlyn look way worse, which she is, because she didn't know Maddie was a spy, so in her eyes, the difference in status didn't matter.

The writers needed somone else to be the scapegoat while Cailtyn did her thing and everyone was already against Maddie because she 'got in the way of Caitvi', which is not true by the way, Caitvi was always going to be cannon. Personally, I think it's ridiculous, but I've seen it happen time and time again in fandoms, so I'm honesty not surprised.

I wonder if there is a much older draft of Avatar 2 where Spider actually was adopted by the Sullies

These are two early concept arts of Jake and Neteyam's songcords, both of which feature the "unofficial adoption of Spider" as an important event. The creative team recently clarified that these are old concepts and shouldn't be considered canon, but the fact that they exist implies there was a time in the past where Spider would've been more like a part of the family rather than the stray he was in the final version. Even the old concept art of Neytiri's songcord features Spider's "adoption," implying a much more positive relationship between them than what they had in the movie.

I wonder what the older vision for Avatar 2 was like, and what other changes it underwent to become the final version we eventually saw on screen. I can imagine that if they were originally going to have Spider be closer to the Sullies, they must've changed it because of the decision to bring back Quaritch and have him undergo character development. The beginnings of Quaritch's future character development and the fact that he survived the final battle of A2 at all only occurred because he developed a relationship with Spider. If Spider was a part of the Sully family and had a healthy parental relationship to compare Quaritch to, I doubt he would've ever bonded with and subsequently saved him. Plus, if Neytiri "unofficially adopted" Spider, she probably wouldn't have threatened to kill him, which would've eliminated one of the most intense scenes in the movie. Ultimately, I understand the narrative reasoning behind making Spider the "stray" of the group and think it was the right choice, but I'm still curious to know what different ideas they had in mind for Spider when they made the old concept art.

Man, I would've loved to be a fly on the wall in the writer's room for those years when they were hashing out the script! I wonder what other things changed over the course of the development, like how did they decide to kill off Neteyam, and how did they decide to make Kiri the way she is. I'd also love to know how they reached the decision to turn the events of "The High Ground" into a comic series and how they decided to split "The Way of Water" and "Fire and Ash" into two separate movies. I remember watching an interview with James Cameron where he discussed how difficult it was to split TWOW and FAA into two movies. If I'm remembering correctly, he said one of the big challenges was some important character moment for Spider that they had to shuffle around to get the narrative to flow. I wonder what that moment is and how they decided to put it in FAA rather than TWOW.

I don't know if any older drafts of the A2 script exist, but if they do I'd love to get my hands on them one day and read through to see all the little changes and different ideas they had.

The actual best part of episode 7?

Ekko getting to hug his dad again and tell him the words he never got to say.

Part of my beef with the ' what if Sophie was a guy' crowd is how little self awareness they have.

I've been reading one foo many of the 'make Sophie a guy' posts lately and it almost always goes like this

' i know how they could make Sophie into a man, all they need is to rewrite the entire story and rewrite the entire character until using a man makes sense'

And I find that a little ironic because absolutely all their posts recognize that Benedict's original story would have to be unrecognizable in order to change Sophie into a man. Its like they almost get the point, but fly way past it.

Just be honest with yourselves, and admit that you'd be willing to throw Benedict's cannon love interest and his cannon love story into the garbage for the sweet satisfaction of Benedict being gay.

I'm all for advocating for gay representation in media but the way some people go about it and demanding the outright rewrite and removal of one beloved character so that another can be written as gay, that just annoys me.

Personally I HC Benedict as Bisexual, but that's all it is a Headcannon, its part of my fanfiction mindspace until proven otherwise. I'm not out there demanding Sophie be deleted to affirm it. And I just wish some of my fellow fans would be better in that aspect

And for today that's the tea

No one understands him like i do