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[thestupidhelmet]

Hyde absolutely would have. He would've done everything to help out the family according to his S1-S5 characterization. But the writers, yet again, out plot over character.

Real!Hyde would have told Eric to go to college: "Forman, I got this, okay? They took me in. I'm not gonna let 'em, or you, down. And think about it: who's less likely to give Red another heart attack, you or me?"

Eric: Well, Red doesn't get annoyed by you just walking into the room ... but he's my dad.

Hyde: He's basically mine, too, man. He hugged me once ... while half-cryin'.

Eric: What? When?

Hyde: I decided to move in with Bud. So what do ya say? He and Mrs. Forman'll feel better knowing you're in college. I've got that bank account full of cash, and I'm not sure college is for me anyway. If my paycheck from the Holiday Hotel isn't enough to give Mrs. Forman a rest, I've got reserves.

Eric: You'll have to drive Dad to his doctor visits.

Hyde: Yup.

Eric: Do all the laundry, not just yours. Maybe cook dinner some nights when you're not working.

Hyde: And?

Eric: And I guess I'm going to college!

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This scenario is much closer to what would've actually happened if the characters led the story. If the writers had been smarty enough to make Eric and Donna's college forty-five minutes away, they would've been in every episode anyway. Interesting changes to the friendship, relationship, and family dynamics could've been explored.

For Zennies, Jackie seeing Hyde be so responsible and family-oriented would've deepened her trust in him and given necessary reassurance once her mom returned to Point Place (wherein Hyde would not have been attracted to Pam but pissed she abandoned his teenage girlfriend to take care of Pam and Jack's adult responsibilities).

i kinda hate the eric s6/7 storyline. he was so committed to leave and then suddenly he's a loser with no future. i also never understood why he had to give up college in the first place. where i am from it is normal to go to college in your home town, why was that not an option for eric? you can stay home and take care of your family while going to college in town like there's no reason to stop going to college altogether

[thestupidhelmet]

The Middle let the kids go to college, and they were seen plenty in every ep -- in school and at home. The T7S writers could've easily made up a college that was less than an hour away from Point Place. (That's what I did in @those70scomics.) By season 3, we barely saw them in highschool either. 🤷

i kinda hate the eric s6/7 storyline. he was so committed to leave and then suddenly he's a loser with no future. i also never understood why he had to give up college in the first place. where i am from it is normal to go to college in your home town, why was that not an option for eric? you can stay home and take care of your family while going to college in town like there's no reason to stop going to college altogether

[thestupidhelmet]

The T7S characters are complex enough to be depicted in edgier, emotionally intricate stories. I enjoy reading and writing the characters beyond what the sitcom genre allows. 😊

Exploring character depth, their inner selves and the deeper layers of their relationships, is what interests me as a writer and an audience-- along with an equal measure of imagination.

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Even my silliest T7S story idea ended up having serious character arcs with high stakes for Hyde and Jackie (Rearranged). I watched an episode of The Brady Bunch and thought Hyde would resemble Greg Brady if Jackie dyed his hair brown. That turned into a story where Hyde needed to confront his growing alcoholism. (I can write humor and romance just fine, but I can't write fluff. Stories must have stakes and conflict.)

imagine if that 70s show had been a drama instead of a comedy on like an edgier network like hbo or something. the possibilities.....

[thestupidhelmet]

[thestupidhelmet]

Chapter 13 is posted! Read it on FF.net or AO3.

We have reached the climax of the story! No summary because I don’t want to spoil anything. But this chapter was the first and hands down most exciting part of the story to write, so I’m very excited to finally post it!

Chapter 14 will be posted next Friday, May 3rd!

[thestupidhelmet]

Canonically, Jackie is Episcopalian. She says so herself in season 1.

Fez isn't Christian canonically, as revealed in season 1. His beliefs derive from his unnamed country. He has the goddess Yorba Linda (yes, named after the California city as a meta joke) on his butt. Likely, his religion is polytheistic. Other throw-away lines on the show point to this fact. While Fez's portrayer is LatinX, Fez is canonically not.

Bob is Catholic, but he, Donna, and Midge attend the same (likely Presbyterian) church the Formans do.

I could be wrong, but did you mention in a post that the Formans were Catholic? I always assumed they were maybe protestants. Mainly because of Pastor Dave. And the we never saw any priest on the show.

Nope. The Pinciottis are Catholic, and Bob sent Donna to Catholic school in season 5. Eric and Jackie's families are likely Protestant. I assume this because Kitty's family is Swedish. And Jackie's surname is German, which could mean either, but eh. I can't see the Burkharts being Catholic.

Also, Fez's host parents are Christian fundamentalists. Probably Protestant (his host parents in that one episode gave me that vibe), but since Fez probably came from Latin America, he likely had Catholic influence of some degree.

And then I can't see the Kelsos or the Hydes caring enough to go to church, but the show mentioned Kelso's grandmother was religious.

[thestupidhelmet]

My  f a v o r i t e  Eric & Donna Moments #68

I love their hugs. 🥺

[thestupidhelmet]

Do you think kelso pretends to be stupid because there are moments in the show where he is smart?

Kelso's intelligence is like Homer Simpson's: it varies based on the needs of a certain episode or joke.

Kelso isn't stupid so much as he lacks common sense and the ability to self-reflect (mostly) and take accountability for his actions. He's smart enough to be manipulative, deceptive, to scheme.

He's devious. Just because some (many) of his schemes backfire eventually doesn't negate that he premeditates (plans) harm against others of varying degrees (from pranks in "Prank Day" to stealing a sweater and giving it to Jackie on her birthday both to try to woo her and make Hyde look bad in her eyes in "Whole Lotta Love").

[thestupidhelmet]

jackie in s4 saying "let's go to the mall and shoplift some lipgloss" vs hyde in s2 saying "you buying me boots is just wrong, you should've let me shoplift them"

[thestupidhelmet]

If Donna and her parents moved to Point Place, and into the house neighboring the Formans', the summer between 8th and 8th grade: how would her relationship with Eric (Hyde, and Kelso) be different? How would it be the same? How would it develop?

Thank you for the ask!

Ooh, interesting. If Donna and Eric didn't grow up next door to each other, but instead Donna moved to Point Place in middle school, I think...

Donna and Eric

Their families wouldn't be close in the same way they are in canon. Red & Kitty and Bob & Midge used to vacation together and be very close when their kids were smaller, it was only later/into the '70s when Bob and Midge started falling in with all the fads of the time that they became 'weird' to Red & Kitty and grew apart (sort of). Hence I always imagine Eric and Donna having an almost cousin-like relationship when they were growing up - the others' parents were their second set of parents/second home, their two families shared traditions, they were raised together and went through childhood together, giving them an almost familial bond. I think if the Pinciottis had moved to Point Place later, that relationship between the two families (and thus, between Eric and Donna) would've been very different. I don't know that Red & Kitty and Bob & Midge would become friends at all. They'd probably just be those crazy new neighbors next door to the Formans.

Eric and Donna, however, would still become fast friends. Their relationship might start out contentious (like it did in canon), maybe based on some sort of misunderstanding, but Eric's sincerity quickly wins Donna over. He realizes she's lonely and doesn't know anyone in town yet (not that she'll say that, stubborn girl), maybe she's always out playing basketball alone in her driveway, and Eric invites her to the basement and brings her into the gang.

Eric (and the other guys) would have a raging crush on her right from the get-go, but Donna would make it clear she only has platonic feelings for any of them. They'd become a tight-knit little gang before middle school was over - sort of 'Wendy and her lost boys' (which is pretty much what I imagine in canon, too). Eric would always defend her when the other guys (ok, mostly Kelso) blurred those boundaries or made her feel uncomfortable. That's how he wins over her trust.

By high school, Donna's developed full-fledged feelings for Eric but doesn't know how to express them/what to do about them. She's afraid of making a move or revealing her true feelings, and their friendship changing. From here on out, it pretty much matches canon. 🤷‍♀️

Others

I think Kelso, Hyde, and Eric would all be infatuated with her when she first arrives, and they'd all develop varying ranges of crushes on her.

Hyde's crush on Donna might escalate quicker than it did in canon - considering Eric and Donna don't have that 'childhood sweethearts' backstory - but I think it would have the same ultimate outcome: Donna tells him she just doesn't have feelings for him like that, but sees him as a good friend. Hyde struggles to accept this - even more so when Donna and Eric start to date in high school. He's hurt by her choice, her rejection, and for awhile he passive-aggressively takes it out on both Eric and Donna until they all eventually resolve it.

I actually think Donna and Kelso's relationship would remain pretty much the same. Ditto to her and Jackie, who would still join the gang around Donna's junior year of high school when she starts dating Kelso.

[thestupidhelmet]

Chapter 12 is up! Read it on FF.net or AO3.

In this chapter, Jackie continues her ruse with the cheerleaders, and Hyde does his best to be a supportive friend, unbeknownst to the full truth.

Thank you as always to everyone who has read and commented/reviewed! I have a few comments from the last chapter that I haven’t gotten a chance to reply to yet - it’s been a busy week. Speaking of which…I found out this week that I matched into my top grad school program! Since I’ll be going to grad school again this fall, this might be my last fic for a while, so I just want to say again how much I appreciate all the love and support its received!

Chapter 13 will be posted next Friday, April 26th!

[thestupidhelmet]

Thank you! 🥰

After writing all the Big, Heavy Stuff (with humor, too, but still ... ) in Those Who Play with Demons, it would be nice to work on (and post) a fun and short J/H story.

jackie and hyde should've gotten the led zeppelin tickets. just for funsies....

[thestupidhelmet]

THAT ‘70S SHOW Season 5, Episode 3 What Is and What Should Never Be

[thestupidhelmet]

And now I totally know the story. I've written it in my head. Might just get to the computer then to AO3 and FFnet at some point. No promises, but it would be a fun li'l Jackie/Hyde jaunt. ♥️

jackie and hyde should've gotten the led zeppelin tickets. just for funsies....

[thestupidhelmet]

It's a possibility! 😁

Of course, I'd credit @burkhartss for kindling the idea.

jackie and hyde should've gotten the led zeppelin tickets. just for funsies....

[thestupidhelmet]

The Princess Bride (1987)

[thestupidhelmet]

Jackie would fall in love with the music, and that would spark the relationship between her and Hyde, and there is totally a fun, short One Difference story in this idea. 🤔

jackie and hyde should've gotten the led zeppelin tickets. just for funsies....