Episode 4: How The Ship Was Sunk ft. an A/N longer than the episode
A/N You have been warned. (Also sorry for the super long A/N at the end. I kinda got emotional)
It is the day after episode 3. Edge steps out of the elevator and sees what's going on. Wattpad is still awkwardly avoiding Fanfic, which is in turn making Fanfic, Tumblr, DevA, Pinterest, Instagram, and probably the rest of the office, nervous. Edge notices this, and goes to find Wattpad, who is sitting in the middle of the roof staring at the sky.
Edge: *walks over to Wattpad* What's wrong?
Wattpad: You wouldn't get it.
Edge: I'll try.
Wattpad: Well, I feel like I should do something, but I don't know...
Edge: Just listen to your heart.
Wattpad: Well, my heart says one thing, but Idk... my brain, my conscience, my logic, they say another.
Edge: What is it that you want to do?
Wattpad: I don't want to do anything! *sighs again* Facebook, Instagram, and I were talking and she... she said...
Edge: What'd she say?
Wattpad: Just get me Fanfic.
*
Wattpad is pacing back and forth on one side of the table of the conference room. Fanfic sits opposite of her, looking confused. Edge stands at the head of the table between them. Tumblr, DevA, Pinterest, and Instagram sit off to the side, listening.
Edge: Okay, I got you Fanfic, now do whatever you want—sorry, have— to do.
Wattpad: Alright. Okay. Yeah. Uh... *stops pacing* Facebook and I were talking, and- *stops talking and starts pacing again, then stops* What I mean to say is that I- *starts pacing again* Ugh, I'm never going to say it, am I?
Fanfic: Say what?
Wattpad: I want―no, I need— *starts pacing again* I'm awful. I'm not doing anything.
Fanfic: You're not awful. I love you.
Wattpad: *starts crying, still pacing* That's just making this more difficult!
Fanfic: It's okay! Just tell me!
Wattpad: *crying a lot more* I CAN'T!
Edge: If I may, I might have a solution to this.
DevA: Of course she does.
Edge: If you guys both admit something, or whatever it is you want to do-
Wattpad: *still crying* NEED to do!
Edge: Sorry. Need to do, at the same time, nobody gets hurt.
Instagram: That's not how we do things here at the conflict resolution club.
Edge: What do you do here?
Pinterest: Become overly invested in our friends, create a hilarious fake relationship, then fangirl and act like we called in when it actually happens.
Edge: Does that work?
Tumblr: You tell me.
Edge: Well, that seems a bit excessive, so I'm just going with my idea. Is that okay?
Wattpad: Um...
Fanfic: Sure.
Edge: Okay. On the count of three. 1... 2... 3...
Fanfic: [at the same time as Wattpad] Your new eyebrows sort of look like upside down Nike symbols.
Wattpad: [at the same time as Fanfic] *crying* Fanfic, we need to break up.
Fanfic: What?
Wattpad: What?
Fanfic: Why do you want to break up with me?
Wattpad: *crying more, sighs* I don't want to, I need to. Facebook was talking to me yesterday, and I realized our relationship isn't like any of hers or Instagram's, or any normal relationship. I have no idea how to be normal, and [crying more, words broken up by sobbing] you... don't deserve... someone... as awful as me... *runs from room sobbing*
Awkward silence.
Fanfic: [whispering to herself] Wattney Patterson...
(A/N Sorry to put an A/N in the middle of the chapter, but I hope you guys are okay. I did not enjoy writing that, but it's important to the plot. I'm sorry, and please don't hate me for that. More at the end of the chapter.)
The rest of the websites leave. Everyone looks sad, except Edge, who looks confused.
Edge: Well, they were honest, so I guess that counts as a success?
DevA: What is your problem?! Seriously, what the hell is wrong with you?!
Edge: Sorry. So, not a success? What else can we do?
Tumblr: There's nothing we can do! That was my OTP. The ship of all ships. And it's gone. All because of you. I think I'm in mourning.
Edge: What's a ship?
Tumblr: I don't have time for this! I do not have time to teach you more internet culture that you're just going to forget tomorrow because your memory is that bad. DevA, you can do it. I'll be off stalking Yahoogle, unless little miss accidental catastrophe wants to ruin that too.
Edge: I'm sorry! What's going on?
DevA: Forget it. See ya around, Claire the Destroyer.
Edge: Wait! [Tumblr, DevA, and the rest of the remaining Pinvengers leave] What did I do?
*
Wattpad is sitting by herself in the break room. Wikipedia walks over.
Wikipedia: Where's Fanfic?
Wattpad: I broke up with her earlier. I'm still not over it.
Wikipedia: Cool. So, you're single now?
Wattpad: I guess. I mean, I don't know why I even did that. She doesn't deserve to be hurt. I should've talked to her.
Wikipedia: Stop regretting it. You're free now.
Wattpad: I was free before.
Wikipedia: Were you, though?
Wattpad: Yes.
Wikipedia: Agree to disagree. But that doesn't matter. So, do you have plans to date anyone any time soon?
Wattpad: Wikipedia, we're not in middle school. I can't just say "On Monday I'll have a crush on Fanfic, on Tuesday I'll have a crush on someone else, and on Wednesday I'll like someone entirely different". I don't know what I'm doing with my life.
Wikipedia: Well, if Louis Payne doesn't return your texts, I'll be here.
Wattpad: It's Liam Payne. And thanks, I guess. You're the only one I've talked to since this morning.
Wikipedia: Really?
Wattpad: Pinterest and Instagram won't talk to me, Tumblr hates me, DevA's blaming Edge, and I'm not sure where Fanfic is.
Wikipedia: If it's any consolation, I'm sure she hates you too.
Wattpad: [sarcastically] Thank. Much better.
*
Yahoo is just doing normal stuff and working at her tab. Tumblr and Pinterest are watching her from around the corner in Bing's tab.
Tumblr: [whisper-chanting] Talk to Google! Talk to Google!
Yahoo: You know I can see you, Tumblr.
Tumblr: No you can't. I'm- *throws glitter in air* an illusion!
Pinterest: No, she's Tumblr.
Yahoo: Thanks, Pinterest. What are you guys doing here?
Tumblr: We're boooored!
Pinterest: I need art, but DevA's too angry at Edge to draw for me.
Yahoo: Well, draw your own art.
Pinterest: *gasp* I never thought of that! *runs off*
Tumblr: I'm still bored. Do something cute with Google so I can ship it.
Yahoo: Tumblr, stop.
Tumblr: If you pay me I will stop.
Yahoo: Fine. Here's $5.
Tumblr: YES! *walks away*
Yahoo: But you have to let me put ads on your blog.
Tumblr: THERE'S ALWAYS A CATCH!
Tumblr walks away and passes Wikipedia's tab. He's talking to Wattpad and they're laughing. Tumblr stops and walks over.
Tumblr: What are you doing?
Wikipedia: I'm talking to my friend Wattpad.
Tumblr: What about you, Wattpad?
Wikipedia: She's also included in this. You need 2 people for a conversation, after all.
Tumblr: I'm surprised you're able to define it so confidently, seeing as you don't have any friends to have a conversation with.
Wikipedia: My users are smarter than that.
Tumblr: My users could kill your users and make it look like an accident.
Wikipedia: Not without asking me for information.
Wattpad: Stop arguing, please.
Tumblr: Why are you hanging out with this wiki-belodon?
Wikipedia: How hilarious. How many times did you have to refresh the random insult generator to think of it?
Tumblr: It broke after I showed it your picture.
Wikipedia: That doesn't make any sense.
Tumblr: YOU DON'T MAKE ANY SENSE!
Wattpad: I'm gonna stop you guys there. First, Tumblr, what were you even referring to with that insult?
Tumblr: He looks like this thing *shows Wattpad and Wikipedia gif*
Wattpad: That is... truly terrifying. And correct.
Wikipedia: *covering nose* I do not!
Wattpad: You kind of do. Embrace it. As for Tumblr, can you stop arguing with him? He's the only one who bothered to talk to me after... the incident...
Wikipedia: Yeah! I'm helping her move on, showing her that there's more to life than some dumb girl-
Wattpad: Fanfic is not dumb!
Wikipedia: Agree to disagree.
Tumblr: No, do not agree to that! You're ruining our narrative.
Wikipedia: Life isn't anime, Tumblr. Wake up and smell the taxes.
Tumblr: You're making a mistake! You both are! *walks away glaring at Wattpad and Wikipedia*
Wikipedia: Do you have any idea what that was about?
Wattpad: I was half of her OTP, and for Tumblr, ships are like 1/3 of her entire character.
Wikipedia: Well, that doesn't matter now. You have me.
Wattpad: I guess.
A/N Be warned, readers. This author's note will most likely be a full essay, but I suggest you read it if you're disappointed or angry by what happened in this episode. But if you want to stay 100% spoiler-free, you should skip because I'll spoil some stuff (I'm not like giving away the season finale or anything major tho)
I was probably the most sad that Watfic broke up. I have a long, important history with writing this ship. Do not doubt that I care because you bet your diddly darn soul I do.
I wrote the first draft of the pilot episode the summer I was twelve. It didn't actually look much like the current pilot. It was just like a Q&A with the websites with no real plot. Then, I wanted to bring up a Fanfiction.net vs Wattpad idea, so I posed the question "How do the employees work together?". Suddenly, I was writing a somewhat-actually-funny scene where Wattpad and Fanfic were arguing but Tumblr, Pinterest, and Instagram (I didn't have DevA yet in the original first episode) were shipping it. For half a second I thought if I'm having them ship it, shouldn't it be a guy and a girl? But I shut that internalized lesbophobia down. This scene was good. I wanted to keep it this way.
That scene developed into a full second episode. It made me wonder what else I could do. Watfic gave me the motivation to start this.
(For anyone wondering, Yes, they became friends at the end of the original. No, I didn't originally intend for them to be canon)
Fast forward a few months. I now have Antisocial Media published on my profile, and I'm somewhere between Episode 6 and 7. I don't know when it happened, maybe when I was scheduling out some plans for long-term goals for episodes, but the thought hit me. Make them canon. Again, the internalized lesbophobia called to me. But I ignored it. I scheduled an episode making them canon for the end of February. Who knows if I'll make it until then? I thought.
I remember when I started writing Fanfic's Story Part 1. I remember thinking I'm no good at writing romance. I've never even had a crush. I hope this doesn't ruin the story.
But it didn't. It made the story amazing. I got a ton of supportive comments on part 1. People telling me they ship it, people telling me I'd be okay. Part 2 came easy now. I knew what to do. Part 3 was possibly the most fun I've had writing an episode so far. I somehow knew what to write to make the moment special. And at that "Oh Fanfic, I always have" I now knew what it was like to be able to write a good romantic subplot, not the same cliches constantly handed to us in mainstream media.
The response afterward was overwhelming. People who just thought this ship was a joke now shipped it for real, I had multiple comments saying readers had stayed up until 4 a.m. reading it just to see what happened (I stayed up until 2 a.m. writing it, so I understand). Even my mom says Fanfic's story are all tied for her favorite episode.
I became more confident with this in the passing months, including Watfic as naturally, if not more naturally, as the other ships. During this time, Watfic helped me discover something about myself that I've probably subconsciously felt for years but could just now feel okay with.
During the summer, Watfic was old news. Yeah, Wattpad and Fanfic are in love. LET'S MEME IT! Was basically the tone on our blog. But this was good. It was 200% normal. It was fun.
So now we sit here, the ship that literally changed my life gone, and at least one of us crying (I'll give you a hint: It's me), and an A/N almost as long as the chapter behind us, and I'm here to give you a ray of hope: Watfic will be canon again. Maybe not next week, maybe not a month from now, but by the end of 2016, Watfic will be back. Wattpad didn't want to break up with Fanfic, but she felt she needed to because they weren't like other relationships. But they aren't like other relationships. And that's why they're important. These coming months will be essential to Fanfic's character development as well as Wattpad's, and sadly most of this stuff can only come if they're separated.
I have no idea if you guys are actually sad about this. I once had a friend (we're not friends anymore but that's unrelated) who I explained the entire plot of season 2 to. When I was building up to telling her Watfic would break up I made it sound like the end of the world. She shrugged it off and said I was overreacting.
So, even if this episode was less catastrophic than a flea bite, even if this entire 830 word A/N means nothing to you, I want you to know this means something to me. And hopefully you don't hate me, either for sinking the ship or overreacting in the form of an essay.
After all, remember what I said in the pre-episode 1 A/N? "I want you guys to know no matter how awful things get during this season, things will work out in the end. Seriously trust me."
And I think that's a good message to leave you with after this, and good advice for some more stuff I'll throw at you later.
Stay golden, Web fans!
(p.s. sorry if you don't care, this was mostly for me)
(Also Hypothetical Reader was found dead in Miami, if you're looking for major character death.)
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