#but for all the effort i put in to getting over the sense of being 'othered' and 'the outsider' some of them do a damn good job

[moonstruckme]

Hi Mae! I hope your week has started off well! I have a request if you don’t mind. Friday I have to go to the hospital early and spend most of the day there getting a bunch of testing done because I keep having these weird episodes and we don’t know what’s going on and I’m verrrrryyy nervous about it. So anyway I was thinking poly!wolfstar (or any of them) accompanying reader and comforting reader to the hospital/during/after. Maybe reader wants to cancel it all (because I kind of do) and they gently but firmly make her stick to it.

Hope your appointment went well lovely!

cw: mention of hospitals, general anxiety around that

poly!wolfstar x fem!reader ♡ 744 words

This time of year, the kitchen is dark before dinnertime. Remus has turned on the light above the stove, but neither you nor Sirius move to flick on any others, leaving your home mostly in shadow and dim, amber glow. Sirius is illuminated by his laptop on the couch while you sit on a stool watching Remus cook. The low rumbling of his boiling water is the only sound. It’s a tranquil sort of quiet. You’re reading all the tension into it, probably. 

Sirius certainly thinks so. He sneaks up behind you, arms winding around your middle and fingers prodding playfully at your sides. “Baby. Relax.”

“I’m relaxed.” 

“Sure you are.” 

“I am.” 

Remus looks up from the stove to give you a look that isn’t quite chiding. Fond, perhaps. Knowing, definitely. “Dove, you’re rattling your stool.” 

You hear it then, and still the bouncing of your knee with some effort. 

He smiles, at once wry and kind. “It’s okay to be nervous,” he says. 

Sirius makes a dubious humming noise. “I don’t know about that.” His face finds its way into the crook of your neck, meandering, his nose cool against your skin. “I think our girl should only have nice, blissful thoughts, and leave the nervousness for when it’s due. No sense in getting all worked up early.” 

“Pads.” Remus’ tone is love-weary. “She’s allowed to be nervous.” 

Your boyfriends make light of it, but this is one stark difference between them. Sirius and Remus have both known intense discomfort—to put it lightly—over their lives, and yet they react to witnessing it differently. Sirius can’t stand to think of anyone he cares for being less than perfectly happy; it makes him twitchy and near frantic. Remus doesn't like it either, of course, but he understands better than most that some things simply need to be borne. Rather than avoiding it, he offers a quiet, steady support. 

Sirius, you think, is likely as nervous for your hospital visit as you are. It’s why he doesn’t want to talk about it. 

“I could still cancel,” you say, softly enough that maybe you’re hoping not to be heard. 

Both of your boyfriends seem not to have considered this possibility. Remus looks at you, brow tensing, and Sirius’ face stills on your shoulder. 

Your voice smalls. “They said I could do it up until twelve hours before.” 

“Sweetheart.” Sirius squeezes your middle, gently. “Don’t do that.” 

“Why not?” 

“Well, because then you’ll only have to be nervous all over again when you do go.” 

“But what if I…” You find yourself sinking into his touch, letting him hold you up despite the fact that you’re sitting and he’s not. “...don’t?” 

“You’ll have to go at some point.” 

“I don’t have to.” 

“You should, though.” Remus’ eyes capture yours, calm and dark brown in the low light. His expression is melded by sympathy and entirely too reasonable for your liking. “You can go on the way you have been, that’s your choice, but we know you’ve not been liking that.” 

“I’ve not been very fond of it either,” Sirius mumbles. 

“This is something you can do for a chance at getting better,” Remus goes on gently. “Nothing is going to change if you don’t.” 

You take a long inhale. When you let it out, Sirius kisses your shoulder like a reward. 

“I really don’t want to,” you say. 

“I know, lovely.” Remus steps closer, reaching for your hand. You don’t realize until you give it to him that you’d been picking at your nailbeds. He pulls your fingers apart from each other with methodical caring. “It’s only one day. We’ll be there with you.” 

You press your lips together solemnly. “I’m going to need a lot of hugs, I think.” 

“Oh, god,” Sirius moans, arms still firmly around your waist. “What ever will we do?” 

“You really do dole out the most unfair burdens, dove.” Remus goes from doting to dry in an instant, amusement flickering in his gaze. 

“I mean, how are we expected to cope? I don’t know if I can handle all these demands, sweetness, I really don’t. You’ve made tomorrow a true hardship for us.” 

“You’re the ones who want me to go.” You shrug. “Figure it out.” 

“I suppose we’ll have to, won’t we?” Sirius gives you another squeeze, firmer this time to coax a smile from you. “Alright, then. Needs must. You worry about your portion, and we’ll worry about ours.” 

[steddieas-shegoes]

slowly, then all at once

for @steddielovemonth inspired by the quote "as he read, i fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, then all at once." from the fault in our stars by john green

rated t | 731 words | cw: nightmares | tags: pre-relationship, feelings realization, literal sleeping together, cuddling

📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖

Steve’s nightmares aren’t a secret. The severity of them, along with the frequency, and how shitty he feels after, those are all secrets. Not even Robin quite knows how bad it gets sometimes.

The summer is worse: the memories of the Russians, the way the pool reflects off his window at night, the humidity clinging to his skin reminding him too much of the way dust and ash and mud clings in the Upside Down.

He feels stupid after spring break, that he should even still have traumatic memories when Eddie almost died. But he does. They’re worse now. He isn’t being tortured, Robin isn’t even in these ones. It’s always Eddie.

Eddie bleeding.

Eddie’s broken body.

Eddie not breathing.

Eddie dying.

It’s weird how quickly he took over Steve’s brain, how he went from being someone Steve barely knew from school to being one of his closest friends. Near-death experiences tended to do that, he supposes.

But it’s almost every night, and he rarely gets more than a couple hours of sleep before they hit, so he’s in a constant state of exhaustion these days. It’s not great for all the volunteering he does, and the usual taking the kids where they need to go, and trying to find a new job, and trying to convince Robin he’s fine. The bags under his eyes and the constant slump of his shoulders says everything.

She worries, but she knows he just has to get over the hump.

They all do.

Eddie stays with him late into the night a lot. It’s like he senses that being alone is the catalyst.

He finds excuses, tries to make it seem like he’s the one who doesn’t wanna be alone. Steve appreciates it, but he’s far past the point of feeling any shame for being afraid of being alone.

He doesn’t turn him away, though. Eddie sticks around for hours most nights, well past the point he should. Sometimes they watch movies, sometimes they just turn music on and sit quietly in the living room. Eddie is always moving a little, fingers tapping, leg jiggling, head bobbing. It’s good, though. It’s nice.

And sometimes he lays down in Steve’s bed with him until he falls asleep. He doesn’t touch him, or really do anything more than just exist in the space while Steve closes his eyes and drifts off. He’s always gone when Steve wakes up.

Tonight, he’s got a book open and Steve’s curled up under his blankets. His bones ache from how tired he is, and he wonders if his body will ever get to the point where exhaustion keeps the nightmares away. Steve’s eyes are closed, but he’s not asleep. Not yet.

Eddie’s voice is soft, accents coming through for some characters, colorful inflections describing the scenery. Steve smiles to himself as his eyes start to feel heavy.

It’s nice to be read to. He doesn’t know which book this is, but it sounds like a dream.

Maybe he’ll dream about this instead of bats circling a body he loves.

Oh.

His eyes open and he looks up at Eddie, who doesn’t stop reading, even when Steve knows he can feel his eyes on him. It’s a beautiful thing, to see Eddie so enraptured in a story that he’s probably read before, to see him still putting the effort into giving Steve a show even though Steve was mostly asleep.

He loves him.

Steve loves Eddie.

Not the way he loves Robin, or the kids. Maybe closer to how he loved Nancy, but even that didn’t feel quite like this.

This feels like a later sunset after a long winter, a fresh breath of air after being stuck in the Upside Down, a glass of cold water in the middle of summer.

It’s refreshing, and waves of calm take over his body.

He settles.

He reaches out, places his arm over Eddie’s stomach, curls his fingers into his shirt. He buries his face into Eddie’s side.

Eddie pauses for a moment, just long enough that Steve worries he shouldn’t have done this. But then one arm covers Steve’s body and he continues, voice softer but no less enthusiastic.

Steve closes his eyes and falls into a deep sleep.

When he wakes, it’s calm. There’s no crying or screaming, no thrashing, no fighting.

Eddie’s there, holding Steve against him.

He loves him.

[witherby]

First of all I LOVE your works i love how much effort you put into them!! You’re keeping this community aliveeee. Second, what would the batfam do if punchline cried? Like I’m talking out of no where just straight up cried. I know it must be hard to show emotions such as sadness because of her past and it would be hard to show such vulnerability to anyone. Thanking for listening to my Ted talk 😎

First of all thank you so much! I wish I could write full, one-shot-length replies to every single question I get asked, but sometimes I simply don't have the energy or skill to execute the idea that might manifest from that question!

Second of all, that's a great question! I think it would take an absurdly long time for anybody to catch her crying. I think it would take an absurdly long time for her to cry at all!

Punchline has Congenital Analgesia, so pain wouldn't make any tears well up. She also doesn't feel or notice any appropriate hunger cues, so exhaustion or starvation wouldn't do it either, especially because she's almost perpetually existing in that state anyway.

We also have to consider who her father is, and how she was raised. A lot of her childhood is left to speculation because she's not exactly opening up to people about the Joker's treatment of her. And why would she? In her eyes, he can do no wrong. Anything he has ever said or done to her was completely justified. What's the sense in crying over spilled blood? She just needs to do more. Try harder. Be greater. But not better. She can't be better than her Popsy. Nobody is better than Popsy!

It's difficult to find out what her triggers are when she isn't giving the bat family much to work with. That's not her job, it's theirs to find out and learn from, but the entire situation is layers upon layers of complicated.

When they first take in Punchline, she's roughly 8 years old and some change. I think they'll see her cry for the first time when she's 10.

Punchline doesn't know her birthday. The Joker didn't celebrate it. The bats don't know it, either, so they choose to celebrate her with the day they brought her to the Manor. They make a cake and set up a small surprise party, with things they know she likes such as more face paint, colorful clothes, books, and maybe some new accessories like bows and ribbons. She wouldn't know how to handle that. A party for her? What did she do? How did she earn this?

I think Punchline would cry over being celebrated just for being alive. She's never felt that way before.

[heretyc]

Outlast Characters On Your Birthday

It's my 23rd birthday today so I thought I'd release something for everybody! Enjoy 🥳🎂🍰 Have a slice on me! [Also, a debate: best flavour of cake? Tuxedo and strawberry shortcake always take the cake for me, wink wink]

Miles and Waylon both throw you a party; the only difference is Miles includes alcohol [assuming you're of age] and Waylon prefers there be sweets and milkshakes. Miles will throw you a surprise party whereas Waylon will ask you what you'd like at your party. Guests, decorations...all up to you.

Miles gives you something comedic or something useful, like a harmonica or a comb with a blade in it. Never know when you have to comb and jab, y'know?

Waylon prefers wholesome things. You know how he is. Or self defense gear.

Jeremy, the bastard, goes all out for it; if you want, he'll bring you to Murkoff and the entire staff can celebrate. Hell, the variants, too! How funny would it be to experiment on variants wearing party hats?? [Not...very funny, but Jeremy has an odd sense of humour.] Because Richard and Jeremy are close, Richard gets you a present. What's inside is up to you. [It may be phallic or just a new wallet or something.]

Trager's not a party kind of feller, so he'll throw you a small party in his office and tell you "me not cutting your fingers off is a gift, sweetheart".

Just kidding, he buys you anything you ask for. He's not fond of surprises, so he'll straight up just go to you and ask you, outright, what you'd like. He gets you two shirts: his says "I love to finger paint" and your shirt says "I'm paint".

He thinks he's funny, please just laugh and get it over with.

Chris is a total sweetiepie and he makes the cake himself [if he's able]. He remembers the subtle details of your interests and he'll know exactly what to get you. One of which being matching sweaters with cats and dogs on them.

Eddie is a master of party throwing and this is a hill I'll die on; he'll buy wine, cheese, gifts and toss in some handmade works of his. He loves to bake, and despite a few failures - and a hole in the wall - he's more than happy to celebrate your day of birth by making you a homemade cake!

Walrider steals a guy, steals a car, drives to Walmart and brings you just about any expensive gift he can grab. You didn't NEED an airfryer, but...the effort he put into his theft was too much to ignore. He purrs when you put chicken strips inside of your new airfryer.

Knoth gives you a bible about himself and tells you stories about how big his penis is. That's...that's as much as you're going to get. I see why Val left. He'll also ask you to convert, seeing as how "God is your birthday gift". No thanks.

Marta's fond of flowers, so expect a bouquet as well as a rosary. She's not as forceful as Knoth is [unless directly told to be], so the rosary is moreso a suggestion to convert.

Val surprises you with heretics, fire, bodies and sex. And more sex. And sex 24/7 7 days a week, no holiday breaks. Jokes aside - or are they jokes? - they'll ask a Heretic to steal something from Knoth to give to you. That, or they'll deceive a delivery boy into getting you something from the outside world. It might be just a small Snickers bar or a bottle of penicillin, but it still means a lot. Val can't really bake considering their circumstances, but they'll try and get you something sweet if all else fails. Coyle thinks his loyalty and his protection of you is a gift, there's no party necessary. That's all you can ask for, right? But he'll grumble about how "greed like yours is what collapses a respectful nation" and try to get you something. Expect something like a necklace or handcuffs. Maybe he'll even set up a few mannequins in a circle to celebrate your special day with cop hats in place of party hats.

Gooseberry is obsessed with gift giving and party throwing, so the entire theme park is completely yours to enjoy for one trial. No ex-pops, just her, you and Dr Futterman. Futterman is just glad you're not ruining his daughter's time as she works away in the Root Canal. Franco loves parties, especially if he throws them! Mainly because his parties are full of sex, booze, drugs and murder. But for you, doll? He'll make an exception...he'll ask the staff to make you a cake and serve it to you himself. Easterman makes sure you're given a day to yourself. Cake, gifts and naps. What more can you ask for? He can't show favouritism, letting you out would be unfair to the other patients, but this is enough.

[monbons]

Stitches and Sentences Sunday

Thanks for the tags @confused-bi-queer and @roomwithanopenfire. I am excited about all of your projects!

STITCHES Now that y'all know Beautiful Things is a collab, I can share that all my stitches have been going towards making TWO sets of smutty Baz and Simon. The second is a gift for @rimeswithpurple to thank her for all the effort she's put into the beautiful art for the fic. (Y'all are truly not ready for how amazing it is!) Since this is a new body design, the second set is all about perfecting mistakes from the first.

As you can see, the first Simon had very skinny calves. I used the Baz pattern as a base and fattened only a little, which was truly dumb of me, I know. For the second Simon (and the one I am gifting Arianna), I redid the entire pattern--both width and length--and the leg looks SO MUCH BETTER.

I suppose there is a lesson in there somewhere about taking shortcuts or constant improvement. Either way, I am excited for how much nicer this second set is turning out, even if Arianna has nowhere to display them since she has Little Purples in the house! 😆

SENTENCES So, in the spirit of sharing an actual WIP, I don't think I will preview more of my EGF. The fic is so short that I don't want to give too much away, but I do have a WIP I've been trying to workshop the last couple weeks.

After my Cheer AU for COC, I couldn't get cheer Simon out of my brain. So, I decided to try to tackle it as my next long fic. It is still very much in the planning phase, so literally everything could still change. With that said, here is a snip of a scene I've partially drafted trying to get a sense of the story and narrative style I'd like to adopt.

I cackle maniacally and shove my finger against Baz’s lips. The corners droop in distaste. “Lick it, Baz,” I insist. “You know you want to.” Baz closes his eyes and shakes his head, smearing orange dust all over his mouth like some kind of psychedelic lip gloss. He looks ridiculous. His face is all frowny and his arms are curled against his chest like the fetal position can save him from being soiled with fluorescent Cheeto crumbs. Like this doesn’t make him an even better target for the ill-considered antics of his favorite person in the whole world.  (I’m his favorite. He’s told me so.)

Happy Sunday to all. May no one smear you in cheese dust. Unless you want it, I suppose. @alexalexinii, @argumentativeantitheticalg, @aristocratic-otter, @arthurkko, @artsyunderstudy

@best--dress, @blackberrysummerblog, @brilla-brilla-estrellita, @bookish-bogwitch, @bookishbroadwayandblind,

@confused-bi-queer, @cutestkilla, @drowninginships, @emeryhall, @harrie-leithillustration

@hushed-chorus, @iamamythologicalcreature, @ic3que3n, @ileadacharmedlife, @katatsumuli

@larkral, @letraspal, @martsonmars, @messofthejess, @mooncello,

@orange-peony, @prettygoododds, @raenestee, @rbkzz, @rimeswithpurple

@roomwithanopenfire, @run-for-chamo-miles, @shrekgogurt, @skeedelvee, @stitchyqueer

@supercutedinosaurs, @talentpiper11, @technetiumai, @twinkle-twinkle-up-above, @theimpossibledemon

@thewholelemon, @valeffelees, @whatevertheweather, @you-remind-me-of-the-babe, @youarenevertooold

[withsubsplease]

Rewatching “Clear” [S3:12] and this is such a pivotal episode for these three learning about one another, how to work together, how each of them thinks, what their motivations are, what’s important to them.

I’d love to spend time dissecting the entire episode but for now I’ll mention a couple things about the first third of the episode:

Michonne goes on this run. Rick says he needs to keep Michonne and Merle apart and I do think that is half of it. He still doesn’t trust that she won’t kill Merle. Which I actually love. I don’t think he’s concerned about Merle attacking her, yet he does sense Michonne is determined enough to find a way to take Merle out for what he did to her. We also know Rick protects the group and tends to keep people he finds questionable close to him. But most of all, this run is a test. Up until now, Rick has seen bold, fearless, formidable Michonne. He knows she’s resourceful but is she reliable? Is she a team player? Therefore, when they pass Orange Backpack (which always tugs at my heart a bit) and they get stuck in mud, he tells Carl that it was an innocent mistake and though true, he didn’t have to say it. He offers something positive about this woman he’s made very clear (as rattled off by Carl), he found unpredictable and suspicious. Which leads me to believe he’s softening toward her, maybe because despite his apprehension, he likes her or maybe because it’s the first time she’s been completely and totally human. Also, Michonne going along shows she’s willing to invest time and effort. That she cares about these new people she’s met and desires to be a part and do her part in what they are building.

Rick says “thank you.” After Carl shoots Morgan, Rick and Michonne don’t agree on what to do next but he does tell her to be careful of all the booby traps, but promptly forgets this right before he steps on that infamous welcome mat😆. Michonne, however, hasn’t and stops him before his foot gets slashed open. Seeing what’s hidden underneath the mat (noting her word of caution was for his protection) he stops and acknowledges this by saying over his shoulder, “Thank you.” One of my favorite things about Rick is that he’s someone who is always quick to say “thank you.” It’s a quality I find endearing about people and this is the first time he says those two words to Michonne.

[sidenote: Rick thanks her often as the series progresses but as they get closer he makes more of a point to look at her directly or catch her eyes when he says it like in S6:10. Which shows “thank you” holds a lot of value to Rick as well.]

Michonne sets a standard of communication. When Rick reneges on taking the guns and leaving, deciding to stay longer than planned (out of guilt and hope), Michonne pushes back. Rick puts a stamp on his statement with a “that’s it” but Michonne isn’t quelled. She continues to not only finish her train of thought but also makes her point. Even though she lets him have the last word and respects his decision, she doesn’t dissent or shy away from confrontation with him. It’s one of the first times we see an example of them being on the same team but not in complete agreement. We also see small hints to the building blocks of this dynamic on Rick’s part. Where he shows slight and unwelcome discomfort to her possible dissatisfaction or disagreement. Because as we all learn if there is an opinion he can trust (whether he likes it or not) it’s Michonne.

In addition, this is the second time Rick displaces his own insecurities onto Michonne by insinuating she has a negative perception of him. First with the guns (Rick’s leadership and decisions) and then with Morgan’s mental health (Rick’s similar struggles with grief). What I love about both moments, is how Rick tries to mask his agitation with Michonne’s apparent judgement and the fact Michonne immediately shuts these thoughts down. While I won’t go as far as to say Rick is trying to “impress” Michonne (though he is being quite arrogant once they arrive in KC), I do believe he’s trying prove something to her and himself.

[gallowdancingmuck]

Analyzing W(e)yler Part Four:

(I was going to talk about Tyler’s arc but got super excited about this analysis and found it’s best to explain this in detail to make Tyler’s analysis more concise.)

Y'all its time to talk about the significance of Frankenstein. As soon as Laurel presented the book to Wednesday I knew she was behind it all. What I didn’t realize was how this whole show is an ode to Frankenstein, or I dare even say the creators own fix it fic?

Tyler:

The most obvious correlation is Tyler as Frankenstein’s Monster. The monster is “assembled from old body parts and strange chemicals, animated by a mysterious spark” (Sparknotes) much like Tyler’s hyde is genetic, activated by Laurel’s plant derivatives, and animated by his spark with Wednesday. I am giving credit to Wednesday for animation because I speculate the hyde did not develop his snarkiness and personality with Laurel (she would not nurture him to have any sense of self) but rather developed it after spending time with Wednesday and her quirks. The monster displays humanity and gentility, but due to his appearance, is shown disdain from his creator and is isolated from society. Tyler is a kind boy who displays compassion and friendliness, but due to his mother’s death, father’s neglect, and master’s abuse, he is faced with estrangement from every parental figure in his life. Add to this the knowledge of the hydes stigmatized nature even within the outcast community and he is predisposed to becoming monstrous. While I can’t say for sure, I think next season we will hear more about Tyler’s guilt and anger over what he is and what he has done which is exactly the way the Monster feels throughout the novel, regretful over his own monstrosity.

Wednesday:

Wednesday I believe is an amalgamation of Victor, Walton, and the Monster’s companion. I combine all three because I think in an effort to mend the original storyline, the creators need to “fix” these characters' fatal flaws. While Laurel is the obvious equivalent to Victor, Wednesday shares a lot of Victor’s characteristics (ambitious, obsessive, reckless) and is meant to resolve Victor’s flaws. Victor is so concerned with being successful and assuaging his curiosity he often fails to see the impact he has on other people. Wednesday struggles with this as well because she often equates her life to being all about her (“every day is about me”) that she neglects the fact her life is interconnected with her loved ones. Victor begins the story ignoring his family in pursuit of his goals much like Wednesday is disconnected from her family due to her actions, and continues to miscalculate the repercussions her actions have on her friends (Eugene going to the cave alone, Enid and Tyler getting hurt at the mansion, Thing being stabbed). Like Victor, Wednesday currently has no active empathy towards Tyler’s experience (She makes a few offhand comments but she is not acting with empathy yet) and makes judgements based on only her perspective.

The divergence of Victor and Wednesday comes when Wednesday begins to take accountability for her the risk she puts her loved ones in. Unlike Victor who continually blames the monster and never admits his part in the chaos, Wednesday takes the blame (sometimes too much) and begins to make compromises to protect her loved ones. These compromises come in the form of forming partnerships with Tyler, Enid, Weems etc. Another difference is that while Victor hates and fears the Monster, Wednesday is not horrified or disgusted by Tyler, merely disappointed. A contributing factor to why I think Wednesday is able to do all of this is she has courage and a sense of justice that Victor does not. Victor, despite all his grandiose beliefs still seeks societal validation (this is the main reason he does not tell the Judge about Justine’s innocence), and places himself over any morality.

Wednesday acts as Walton because this story is told through her narration. Walton also is meant to be a more grounded Victor, evidenced by his decision to turn back when his voyage became too dangerous. Theoretically, if Wednesday is only one character she is Walton, because Walton does exemplify Victor, but it is harder to parallel specific events since Frankenstein explores Walton’s perceptions more than actions and because Walton does not have the same personal connection to the Monster as Wednesday has to Tyler.

I say Wednesday is also the monster’s companion because once we remove the emotional conflict between her and Tyler concerning his betrayal, Wednesday and Tyler are the same (refer to part one of my analysis series). While Shelley never had the Companion come to fruition, the Companion was meant to act as a source of comfort and relatability for the Monster, and Wednesday is that for Tyler. She is all the things Tyler is afraid to accept about himself, and she does it in a way that is encouraging to Tyler. The Companion could have calmed the Monster's loneliness and remedied the narrative if she came to life and accepted him, and since the creators are using the show as a conduit to fix this narrative, I firmly believe Wednesday will come to accept Tyler.

Based on Frankenstein and what snippets we've seen of season 2 (I’m geeking over the teaser), this is what I expect moving forward.

If it is not a circumstance that requires Tyler’s help, Wednesday is going to go see him out of revenge (you know she will taunt Tyler). Much like Victor meeting the Monster in the mountains, Wednesday will meet Tyler at Willow Hill. In this meeting I think Tyler will blame the loneliness and manipulation and probably be just as abrasive as Wednesday is towards him. At some point however he will express remorse and even ask Wednesday to not help him escape but perhaps to kill him. Tyler is going to be in such a bad state he will fluctuate between rage and depression. When Laurel is brought up he will lament her the same way the Monster lamented Victor’s death, with relief but loss at a solid connection. Wednesday will strike a deal with Tyler. What this deal is I don’t know, but it will act as Victor’s deal of making a Companion for the Monster. The deal between Wednesday and Tyler will be a more concrete, logical deal, but in working together to make it happen she will become his companion (source of understanding, support) and their relationship will reconcile. This will diverge from Victor turning away from the Monster and rescinding the deal. While this already steers us in the direction of resolution it won’t be that simple.

At the end of the season, after Wednesday has fully forgiven Tyler and their relationship has grown attached again, something will happen that causes Tyler to leave or distance himself from Wednesday. It will either be in a soul searching pursuit or Tyler thinking he is better off alone. Either way it sets up for next season to focus on their reunion, Tyler’s self actualization, and hopefully Tyler’s admission to Nevermore.

A few other parallels I want to include but don’t have the energy to integrate eloquently:

Enid as Henry Clerval

Enid represents Henry Clerval, Victor’s best friend who dies at the hand of the monster. Clerval is the more socially acceptable version of Victor, they share ambition but Clerval is able to express himself in a more socially digestible way. Victor sees Clerval as his equal and closest friend. As we see the show progress we see Wednesday begin to connect with Enid and see her as an equal. Both relationships are meant to show the importance of companionship and allow Wednesday and Victor to find comfort and connection.

Enid did not (and will not) be killed by Tyler, but she did suffer an attack from him. Frankestein used Clerval’s death to traumatize Victor and cement his hatred for the Monster, so I think the fight with Enid will serve as a reason for Wednesday to prolong the bad blood between her and Tyler.

Xavier

Xavier doesn’t represent a specific character but more so his relationship with Wednesday seems reminiscent of Victor and Elizabeth’s. I personally don’t hate Xavier but I do not like his relationship with Wednesday. He seems to project an idea of her rather than seeing her, and when Wednesday fails to match this image, he blows up. It correlates because Victor does not truly see Elizabeth and only relegates her to his possession ( “I[…]looked upon Elizabeth as mine.”). If Xavier’s character remained in the show, I think it would only amount to him blaming the state of his and Wednesday’s relationship on Tyler, just as Victor blamed Elizabeth’s death on the Monster, when in reality it stemmed from his own neglect and lack of consideration.

Eugene as William Frankenstein

Since Puglsey was not at Nevermore, Wednesday adopted Eugene as a surrogate brother, and much like William, Eugene has a cheerful and childlike presence that acts to represent innocence. In the book William is the first victim of the Monster, and is what is symbolic of Victor’s loss of innocence, naivety, and control. Eugene being attacked was the event that turned the mystery of the hyde into a serious and personal pursuit, and just like Willaims death, Eugene’s attack is what “sealed fate” and made it so our protagonist would not stop until the monster was confronted.

Gomez & Morticia as Alphonse Frankenstein

Alphonse is Victor’s loving father, who acts as a contrast between Victor’s fragmented relationship with the Monster. Morticia and Gomez are extremely devoted and affectionate but despite this Wednesday has trouble in her personal relationships. In terms of her and Tyler, it shows how despite having a healthy relationship modeled, Wednesday and Tyler’s relationship will remain complicated until the two reconcile their family dynamics.

Francoise Galpin as Caroline Frankenstein

Caroline and Franocise are two characters that haunt the narrative of the story. Caroline’s death affected Victor and could be cited as the root of his obsession with death and the creation of life (mommy issues). He even so much has calls his mother’s death an “omen” of his “future misery”. Francoise’s mistreatment and death is what triggered the events of Tyler’s unlocking, if she had been accepted and lived, Laurel would not have been able to manipulate Tyler’s love for his mother and Tyler would probably be more empowered instead of confused and isolated. Caroline is also reduced to a maternal figure who died so her child could live (she dies from taking care of her sick child) and I think Francoise will be revealed to have admitted herself to Willowhill and died there or to have killed herself to protect Donovan and Tyler.

Why Fix Frankenstien?

I personally think that Tim Burton is rooting for Frankenstein (and implicitly Wyler) because he is a horror lover! I love consuming media that analyzes horror and interviews the people that make it happen and I’ve noticed that a lot of the people who make horror don’t blame the monster and actually wish for its happy ending. After all, the monster in movies is typically only meant to act as a focal point for the true monsters, people, society, etc. to act against. If we look at Tim Burton’s work, he tends to empathize with the monster (Corpse Bride, Frankenweenie, Beetlejuice). As for other horror moguls, you can look up interviews by Guillermo del Toro and Stephen King where they reference the Creature from the Black Lagoon and talk about how they wanted the monster to get the girl. This is what inspired the Shape of Water. A quote that I think exemplifies this mindset is “the creature only gets deadly when threatened by man, and is desperately in need of companionship” (David Konow, author of Reel Horror). Horror is a genre that focuses on the underdog overcoming terrifying circumstances. What could be scarier for an outcast than being taken advantage of and thrown away? What could be more vindicating than defeating the naysayers and winning the companionship of a pretty girl? I just feel like Wyler makes the most logical sense for the genre and would be a lot more satisfying because Frankenstein is universally seen as such a tragedy and the genre is all about glory and gore and love and horror and Wyler really exemplifies all of these qualities!

[idontmindifuforgetme]

I genuinely love not having a crush like I’m not over here feeling physically sick over some mid guy being dry to me I’m literally chilling

[haughttopics]

finally watched happiest season and i totally understand why people hated the ending.

except for Jane. she deserves the world.

[designernishiki]

so I watched the show and like. I wasn’t as angry as I expected to be. because it was so incoherent and so not resemblant of yakuza that I couldn’t really latch onto something to be mad about. like it’s just. such a mess.

[sukibenders]

This year's Grammys really has some of yall (still) in a tizzy. Like you would think Beyonce killed their mother when all she did was win a big award!

[loumauve]

I snapped today at work, and by snapped I mean I politely commented on a help desk ticket by summing up an mess of an (type of) issue that's come up for at least the fourth time in the 2+ months I've been managing user accounts, and asked the person responsible to fix it (himself for once) because last time I fixed his mess-up it took me two whole days to work out the details with at least four other colleagues from different departments and I really don't want to do it again. there's other shit that needs doing, I've been working 10+ hour days for most of this week already, so I need to cut down not add on more.

(good thing tho - at least we managed to fix the issue where the dataset of a newer employee got mixed up with another one of the same name and therefore wasn't able to apply for any of the access/accounts she needed. technically not entirely my area but it does impact us not being allowed to create an account for her so I figured I might as well track that issue down. took three days and at least three other people, but hey - it should all work out now. yay for that)

[headphonemouse]

Nothing in my life has ever tasted as good as how I imagine cartoon meat that looks like this tastes

[lupismaris]

My therapists keep telling me to stop othering myself and I'm trying but it's really fuckin hard when I'm being othered

[snekdood]

i think i'd be a horrible vampire, like, in terms of my comic's version of them- i'd be too lazy to do all that shit zero does.

[phantomrose96]

Thinking about Edward Elric as the Amestrian Military's specialest little unfireable boy

State alchemists can be fired for underperforming. We know this up front from the likes of Shou Tucker. And this makes a ton of sense from the homunculi's standpoint since the state alchemists are sacrifice candidates, and the homunculi would want to cull the weakest candidates and focus only on cultivating the strongest ones who stand the best chance of opening the portal.

........Then there's Edward. Who's already opened the portal.

There's no need to cultivate him. No gamble taken on whether he's good enough to open the portal. He passed the final test already. Graduated 4 semesters early.

And as such, has a free pass to do Absolute Fuck All.

And I'm imagining how funny this is from like an outside perspective.

Some newish state alchemist who'd only ever read up on the stories of Edward Elric, ready and excited to start their career of being paid handsomely with endless freedom to research and travel and do anything they want in the pursuit of science... surprised and confused to find themselves put on probation their first month for things like "ignoring orders." Which is, as best they had thought, a famous Edward Elric pastime.

Roy showing a slight bit of stress about his yearly state alchemist report, and Ed just snorting and rolling his eyes at Roy because every year HE just hastily does his on the train ride over (canon in the manga, a travesty it was left out of the anime) and it gets rubber stamped. Ed not realizing that other alchemists' reports get genuinely scrutinized and torn apart while Ed is free to turn in whatever absolute bullshit he thinks of 36 hours ahead of time. One year his report was about whether alchemy could be done via dance (conclusion: no it can't) and no one cared. Roy WANTS to tell Ed there's some kind of unknown favoritism around Ed making him literally bullet-proof but Roy has no way to phrase this that doesn't sound like he's just in denial and mad at how good Ed's train-reports are.

Guy from the Internal Amestrian Affairs sector who's responsible for auditing other internal military personel for any suspicious activity hitting about 1 million red flags for Edward Elric, issuing a STRONG and URGENT recommendation to suspend the alchemist pending further investigation into things like "literal bunk-buddies with two members of the Xingese royalty (enemy nation)" and "spent $10,000,000 of his stipend on a librarian to make her re-copy (what he seemed to interpret as?) military records in some extremely transparent effort to unearth state secrets (it was a recipe book but he was literally asking her about state secrets)" and "literally has never once obeyed an order, ever, not even once in his career, and is on public record having said 'I do not care about the goals and protections of the Amestrian Military. I am in fact only pursuing my own interests several of which are diametrically opposed to the safety and well-being of the governing body of Amestris'"

The issued recommendation is intercepted before it even reaches its intended desk. President Bradley himself has taken issue with it and denies it before a single set of eyes has seen it. The President's veto stamp is a terrifying hammer, used rarely, and it is now sitting on the auditor's desk.

The auditor sleeps with one eye open from then on out.