#if you saw me post this before it was done no you didn't

[pocket-size-cthulhu]

Ok a couple of disclaimers before what I'm about to say next

This DID make me sick to my stomach to read

I DID avoid reading this when I first saw it posted bc I didn't want to know

I'm glad I eventually read it

Cause here's the thing. Like a lot of you, I was genuinely shocked at how the election turned out. Like many of you, I assumed that the people who found Trump an appealing candidate were a minority and most people would see Harris as the only sensible choice, regardless of if they loved her policies or not. But clearly that wasn't the case!

And the question I keep coming back to is, where's the propaganda machine that makes Trump look normal & attractive compared to Harris? How did it completely avoid me? I think the fact that it completely avoided me and like everyone I talk to, is almost as scary as the actual results. Obviously I know about echo chambers, but this is on another level. What other misinformation are people around me soaking up like a sponge that I'm not even aware of?

Like obviously my parents are watching Fox News and getting conservative ads on Facebook. That's bc my parents actively seek out conservative content. They get what the algorithm is feeding them.

How is the algorithm targeting and converting these "young undecided voters"? Is there "normal" stuff out there that people enjoy that is somehow conservative-coded + gets them targeted with ads? What social media are these folks on where they're getting these types of ads and content?

You know what I'm saying? This is completely not my field but I feel strongly that in order to stop and reverse the unhinged bullshit that's happening now apparently with people who are not actually much younger than me, we need to figure out how it happened. Even if it makes us nauseous.

It's comfy in my echo chamber but I don't want to (ever again) wake up one day in a world I don't recognize, that I perhaps could have done something about if I'd known sooner what was coming and how.

[storiesaplenty]

Jelly Bracelets (12) (18+)

Eddie Munson x f/Reader

Jelly Bracelets Masterlist

This has not been proofread. Please enjoy, though.

Warnings: swearing. Mentions nudity. Lap dancing. Grinding.

Gifs & photos do not belong to me: 1st gif: @munsuneddie

WC: 1123

©️ storiesaplenty 2024: Do not repost or translate my work. This is the only place I post my work.

Red - wearer is willing to perform a lap dance

Eddie Munson may be the freak of Hawkins, but he is your best friend. Who is always willing to teach you new things, even when you get new bracelets from your cousin. Eddie will even go as far as teaching & showing you what each one means.

"Oh get out of here Eddie. I don't feel like doing anything today." I pulled the covers over my head, trying to ignore him as he tried to hank the covers away from my bed.

"The is shining. The birds are singing." I snorted at him, loudly.

"You must be high Eddie. It is raining out, and there are no birds singing."

"I am not that high, and you know it. Come on. I rented some movies, got pizza on the way. Lets get you out of bed and into that living room to watch some movies.

I didn't move.

I heard him sigh. "I even rented Flashdance."

I pushed the covers down, and looked at Eddie's handsome face to see if he was lying.

"Show me." I demanded.

Him, knowing me so well, pulled it out of his inner coat pocket, and I couldn't help but squeal as I saw that he wasn't lying.

"Now will you get out of bed, and watch the movies?" He asked one last time, and I was already getting out of the bed, rushing past him to get my favourite spot on the couch.

The movie was almost over, half of the candy was gone and there were still a slice of pizza.

I knew Eddie was bored, but I know he is watching this for me.

His arm is on the back of the couch behind me as I am leaning against his side, just like we have always done.

"You know if you stuck with dancing, you probably would have gotten out of this shit hole town." Eddie said, grabbing a handful of popcorn.

"Please. I stopped just before high-school, and I am glad I did. The teacher was creepy." And she really was.

Her husband was also creepy as well.

"You still remember any moves?" Eddie questioned me, which I responded by nodding my head yes as I took a sip of Pepsi.

"Enough to do a lap dance?"

"I didn't do that type of dancing Munson." I pointed out.

"Well, now you know what I am asking for." He snapped the red one

Wearer is willing to perform a lap dance.

"When do you want this?"

"I think now may be a good time. I even got a song picked out." He said smugly, as I pushed off the couch.

"Fine. Get in my room." He hopped up, and ran to my room.

I went to the laundry room and grabbed a pair of clean, lacy red panties, along with it's matching bra and put it on and fixed my hair just a bit.

As I am walking through the living room, I grabbed his discarded jacket and drapped it over my shoulders, knowing this would drive him wild.

"Start the music Eddie." I called out, and the moment I heard the music playing, and of course it is AC/DC. None the less, I opened the door, and Eddie was sitting in my vanity chair, almost looking a bit too relaxed, but he looked good.

His legs were spread and his hands were on his lap.

He saw me and his mouth dropped open as I took a few steps in my room, closing the door behind me.

His eyes trailed up and down my body.

He gave me the confidence to get me through this.

My hands trailed up and down my body, my hips moving back and forth to the beat.

I turned around, bending over slightly for him to get a good look at my ass, and as I looked over my shoulder, biting my lip I could see him adjust himself in his jeans.

I reached up and took the bra off, and putting his coat on fully now.

I turned around and his eyes were drawn to the bra in my hand, and it dawned on him that his favourite jacket is touching my breasts.

I flung the bra at his face, and he instantly grabbed the bra and put it around his neck as I moved towards him.

I smiled at Eddie as I circled around him, my arms rubbing his shoulders and touching his chest.

He reached up to touch me, but I slapped his hands away, making him pout.

"No touching, Eddie."

I placed my hands at the back of his neck as I lowered my body so we are making eye contact.

Eddie licked his lips nervously, and I watched nothing more than kiss him, but I held off.

The music faded as I turned my body to face away from Eddie, leaning forward as I sat down his lap.

I moaned softly at hard he is.

I reached behind me as I leaned back, my fingers playing with his hair as I moved back and forth, then rolling my hips in a circle motion.

"Fuck." I heard him say behind me.

I grinded my ass against him, my hands now gripping his thighs.

I needed to see him, so I got up and turned around to sit back in his lap once more, continuing gyrating my hips once more.

I grabbed Eddie's hands and moved them up and down my body, listening to soft moans fall from his lips.

Our faces were close and he leaned in to kiss me, and I pretended to lean in to kiss him as well, until I pulled away and stood up, knowing the song is about to end soon.

I ran my hands up and down my body as I closed my eyes, wishing it was Eddie.

I turned my body, bending down to touch the floor as I stand between his spread legs, my ass against his cock as I grinded my ass against him.

I felt him wrap his arms around me and I was about to say no touching once more, as he turned me around and slammed his mouth against mine, moaning into the kiss as he was muttering against my lips.

"Need you. Please let me have you." Eddie as he grinding his cock against me, making me gasp.

"Yes, please Eddie." Was all I needed to say before he was walking me backwards towards my bed, and gently pushing me back to lay on it.

I looked at him, and he looked at me as he was just about to undress when there was a loud knock on my bedroom door.

"You two want some tacos? I made tacos." Robin excitedly called out, instantly killing the mood.

"Be out there in a second." Eddie called back, through clenched teeth.

♣︎

"My place. Tonight. Wayne is working and no one will bother us." He kissed me one last time as he opened the door and shut it behind him.

Green (18+) ♥︎ Glittery Green (18+) - coming soon

[eowynstwin]

So, Ikea and Bunny. I need to talk about them too, though no one has explicitly asked about them.

The truth is, I am still so fucking angry at those two. There is not a kind thought in me for either of them. Either my worst suspicions are true, and they conducted the whole affair from behind the scenes, or they were willfully stupid enough to swallow Myka’s story for the sake of their own blog engagement. Because I sure never heard of either of them before this happened.

Those two were needlessly and joyfully cruel to me. They languished in attacking my character, my maturity, my intelligence, the way I phrased things, or that I did not say what they thought I ought to. They called me a sociopath. Ad verbatim they said my brain "doesn't fucking work right."*

I have been VERY open for a while now about being autistic. I certainly already had it in my blog description by the time they came after me.

They went on to accuse me of poor reading comprehension, bullying, and abuse. They accused me of setting my followers on Myka. When I referenced one separate occasion in which I had a public disagreement with another blogger earlier this year, they spun that reference out into a HISTORY of influencing my followers to go after others I didn't like. (There was no request for clarification on my part before they took that and ran with it.)

Bunny even went as far as to explain what Myka's original post meant, the way a third grade teacher might, to prove her point about my lack of reading comprehension.** Bunny, just call me a fucking retard and be done with it.

Then, as people began to point out that they were in fact doing the same thing they accused me of doing, they had the audacity to remind everyone not to harass me. So it's okay when you forget about that, girlies, but guillotine for me because I forgot?

When the truth finally came out, they backpedaled REAL quick. I even got some apologies in my inbox.

Genuinely. From the bottom of my heart. Absolutely fuck the both of you. I didn't have you blocked until I left. In fact, the both of you FOLLOWED ME. You never ONCE tried to talk to me first anyway. You two saw your chance to tear me to pieces and you fucking took it.

Disclaimer, because I know these two people by now: this is no call to action for anyone to go after them. I doubt you could anyway, since all of their blogs have been inactive since June. (the-original-honeybun is crashtestbunny's main.)

But these two did permanent damage to my reputation within this fandom. Even if they were to delete every single post they made about me, there would still be versions of them circulating. Their blogs are still fucking UP, ostensibly for accountability, but exactly how accountable are they if they haven't actually been there to take it?

*Specifically Ikea. Scroll her blog if you need proof. The post is still up. **Also still up on her blog, crashtestbunny.

[supernova1885a]

I love angst, make my fav characters suffer is basically a tradition.

So I have all this lore that I made up myself while playing based on confusing events and dialogues, so I decided to illustrate a little bit of what the transition from happiness = tragedy would be like in the relationship of these two. I don't know what the hell I saw in that spider but I love them and that's precisely why I'm going to make them suffer, you're welcome.

I MUST CLARIFY that everything I say in this post is not canon or is partially based on the canon of the game. Don't take this as something official, I just want to share a little of my interpretation of both the story and characters. Also that Shamura is a she/her to me, but I will refer to her as they/them in this post.

After Shamura found the others, they moved together to Silk Cradle and worked out what their new life would be from now on. Shamura made very strong bonds with they new family, but especially with Leshy and Narinder, although due to his insistence they spent more time with the latter.

They used to take him with them to their temple and show him the spider webs that decorated the place, as well as teach him to weave and other things. Being the eldest, they had to impart the learning of their siblings as well as help them assume their places as divinities. All with enormous love and affection that grew with the passage of time.

Years later, the five of them grew up and left Silk Cradle to begin to reign in their respective kingdoms. Because Narinder's kingdom was not earthly, he was the last to leave.

Shamura was the one who made and gave their siblings their robes, it was a last gift from them before not seeing them again for a long time. They could not hide their happiness, although along with it there was a slight feeling of sadness, but they knew well that they could not keep them with them for life and had to let them follow their paths.

Of course, there are times when with bad guidance the paths can go awry. Shamura loved their siblings, perhaps too much and that made them very permissive regarding certain actions that they did. Narinder was fed up with his position and decided to go further, breaking the laws of nature, Shamura had a bad feeling but when they realized it was too late. Narinder felt betrayed when they reproached him, because it was thanks to their knowledge that he had done what he did and now they was angry with him.

Maybe it was the tension of the moment that increased with each reprimand from they that caused him to attack them, maybe it was anger or he just didn't know how to control himself. From one moment to the next Shamura fell to the ground, a warm liquid began to stain their face, the screams of their siblings could be heard in the distance and a sharp pain began to overwhelm them. Fear, anger, sadness, pain, they had never felt so many emotions at once, they didn't know whether to cry or scream, whether to get up or stay there, until suddenly everything went completely dark.

Shamura was cared for by their siblings until they was stable, but the pain from their wound was not the only thing that began to bother them. With it came severe headaches, vertigo, dizziness, and memory loss. Despite all that and the harm their beloved brother had caused them, deep down in their damaged heart, they still loved him.

════════════════════ ⋆★⋆ ════════════════════

I haven't worked on this beyond the main concept yet, but I wanted to share it with you guys instead of just leaving it to writing and my imagination! I'm thinking about making a few comics about it, I have a lot of ideas I want to put down here. Thanks for reading!

[hollowed-theory-hall]

Hello, hello!!!I saw your post here with the answer to the question (If the age restriction was done away with, do you think Harry's name would have been picked for the tournament at 14?). And your thoughts on Cedric and Hufflepuff, and I'd like to know your opinion. I've always disliked the Hufflepuffs and Diggory himself because of their behavior when Harry was chosen champion. Cedric is always called a good guy, but he did nothing when his friends wore badges against Harry and laughed with them about it. Your thoughts?

I'm so glad I found your blog! You are miracle!

Hello again 👋

(Referencing this post)

Well, I don't dislike all the Hufflepuffs in the books (I like Susan Bones a lot because of the 2 lines she has in the whole series), but I do find it interesting that a lot of the students we see in Hufflepuff when Harry's at school, don't really exemplify Hufflepuff traits.

The Potter Stinks badges I'm kinda fine with. Like, I can understand it. See, Hufflepuff usually doesn't get the spotlight, and then they have Cedric Diggory as the school champion. Of course, they're excited. And then, oh, what's that? Harry Potter from Gryffindor is stealing the Apotlight again as the fourth champion! WTF? This isn't right!

For them, supporting Cedric and renouncing Harry is the just and fair option. Becouse Harry isn't supposed to be a champion, and they're supporting the "true champion". It doesn't really matter Harry didn't want to be a champion, it's unfair he was chosen as one at all.

So, I get it. I get the support for Cedric and resentment of Harry. It's other smaller things that make the image of the house fall apart a little for me.

It's Ernie McMillan making grandiose declarations not becouse it's the right thing to do, but for appearance's sake:

“Well said!” barked Ernie Macmillan, whom Harry had been expecting to speak long before this. “Personally I think this is really important, possibly more important than anything else we’ll do this year, even with our O.W.L.s coming up!” He looked around impressively, as though waiting for people to cry, “Surely not!” When nobody spoke, he went on, [...] “Er . . .” said Zacharias slowly, not taking the parchment that George was trying to pass him. “Well . . . I’m sure Ernie will tell me when the meeting is.” But Ernie was looking rather hesitant about signing too. Hermione raised her eyebrows at him. “I — well, we are prefects,” Ernie burst out. “And if this list was found . . . well, I mean to say . . . you said yourself, if Umbridge finds out . . .” “You just said this group was the most important thing you’d do this year,” Harry reminded him

(OotP, Ch16)

Or his general concern with appearance over substance, really:

Ernie Macmillan was one of the few still staring at Professor Umbridge, but he was glassy-eyed and Harry was sure he was only pretending to listen in an attempt to live up to the new prefect’s badge gleaming on his chest.

(OotP, Ch11)

It's Justin and the others snap judgment of Harry in CoS without actually being fair and hearing him out:

the snake slumped to the floor, docile as a thick, black garden hose, its eyes now on Harry. Harry felt the fear drain out of him. He knew the snake wouldn’t attack anyone now, though how he knew it, he couldn’t have explained. He looked up at Justin, grinning, expecting to see Justin looking relieved, or puzzled, or even grateful — but certainly not angry and scared. “What do you think you’re playing at?” he shouted, and before Harry could say anything, Justin had turned and stormed out of the hall.

(CoS, Ch11)

and saw Justin Finch-Fletchley, the Hufflepuff boy from Herbology, coming toward him. Harry had just opened his mouth to say hello when Justin caught sight of him, turned abruptly, and sped off in the opposite direction.

(CoS, Ch9)

It's Amos Diggory having no idea what "fair" is even if it punched him in the face and being the most insufferable character that isn't an outright villain:

“Ced’s talked about you, of course,” said Amos Diggory. “Told us all about playing against you last year. . . . I said to him, I said — Ced, that’ll be something to tell your grandchildren, that will. . . . You beat Harry Potter!” [...] “Harry fell off his broom, Dad,” he muttered. “I told you . . . it was an accident. . . .” “Yes, but you didn’t fall off, did you?” roared Amos genially, slapping his son on his back. “Always modest, our Ced, always the gentleman . . . but the best man won, I’m sure Harry’d say the same, wouldn’t you, eh? One falls off his broom, one stays on, you don’t need to be a genius to tell which one’s the better flier!” “Must be nearly time,” said Mr. Weasley quickly

(GoF, Ch6)

(I hate that man sooo much it's not even funny.)

It's Cedric needing to be nudged to tell Harry about the egg from Moody/Barty as I mentioned in the post you referenced.

Zacharias Smith being a bit of a prat is fine, it's not like he's ever pretending to be anything else, so at least he's honest. But the point is that a lot of the Hufflepuffs we meet aren't exactly just and fair people like their house would suggest.

And I love it.

I mean, we talk about how Gryffindors aren't all brave, like Remus and Pettigrew who are both cowardly lions who'd rather run away in many situations. Or how Slytherins aren't all bad, that "the world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters" and that Slytherin is more than just power-hungry evil people.

Showing Hufflepuffs who aren't noble, just, and hardworking is great. In fact, it's essential worldbuilding. It's another nail in the coffin of houses not being the be-all and end-all of who a person is. Becouse Hagrid is wrong in what he tells Harry:

“Better Hufflepuff than Slytherin,” said Hagrid darkly. “There’s not a single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn’t in Slytherin. You-Know-Who was one.”

(PS, Ch5)

Some Hufflepuffs are assholes, some Slytherins are nice, some Gryffindors are cowards and some Ravenclaws aren't smart. Houses aren't just about what you are, but what you value, what you want to be. I always saw someone's house as a mix of their traits, yes, but also their priorities, approach to problem-solving, or what they value most about themselves.

Remus and Peter may be cowards, but both of them value bravery greatly. They both looked up to James for his courage. There could be a Ravenclaw who isn't the sharpest, but they like to learn and solve riddles, even when they aren't any good at it. Slytherins like Tom Riddle, who value bravery and courage and despise cowardice like a Gryffindor, but they're so set on being great, of leaving a legacy, that the hat places them in Slytherin. Hufflepuffs like Ernie, who want to be noble and looked up to as a beacon of justice, but it doesn't come naturally to them so they act the part ("fake it till you make it"). I love this idea of Hogwarts houses that all these Hufflepuffs exemplify. Houses aren't always what you are, and sorting is more complicated than that.

So Cedric isn't the peach perfect noble and just Hufflepuff and it's great. Becouse people aren't always perfect and just and he's human. I would give him that he is a hell of a lot fairer than some of his housemates. But I don't think Cedric is the poster child of a just Hufflepuff — he isn't, and I prefer him that way. He's nice, don't get me wrong, he's not a bad person, but the idea that he was so perfect just because he died tragically sucks.

[toasthaste]

ok here are some In Stars and Time thoughts: (wow! that's a lot of thoughts actually! long post warning! also warning for like every possible spoiler, don't read this if you haven't engaged with the game to your satisfaction)

I'm obsessed with the fact that the loop that ends up being the final one is the one where EVERYTHING goes wrong. I spent the whole game subconsciously building up my Perfect Final Loop in my mind, how I'd get every item to make sure I didn't miss an opportunity to use em, do all the friendquests and such... I didn't even realize I'd been building up that ideal scenario until after credits rolled! Really really cool. The timeline where Siffrin does the worst stuff he does in any loop is the one that stays. And it's still a happy ending! it's a better ending because of that! His friends saw him at his worst and still loved him! He didn't have to do everything perfect to keep them around actually! Something about that feels so right, to me.

I keep using "ludonarrative resonance" to describe this game and yeah ok I'm huffing my own farts here whipping that out but whatever, it's REAL. The player and Siffrin are on the EXACT same emotional journey as each other, we're getting tired of seeing the exact same lines over and over again right alongside them, we're taking shortcuts because we've seen it all before and just want to grab key open door grab crest etc etc make the progress go. We're starting to find these previously-charming characters grating because we've just seem them repeat the SAME lines over and over and over and OVER again until they start feeling like caricatures of themselves who we can barely feel any real compassion for any more.... It's just so.... clean, it's so perfect, to me. It helps that Siffrin is also one of the more relatable characters I've encountered in, like, media. I don't usually relate to fictional characters much, but, man, the emotional constipation, the building scorn, the depression, the Being Weird About Touch... I mentioned in another post that it's really just Siffrin and Murderbot who I've ever found viscerally relatable, of all the characters ever in media. So like, it's a pretty rare position. (I do not relate to the pun-love though. I'm funny I'm good at goofs but bad puns are extremely tedious to me. Which perhaps goes to show how well-realized Siffrin is, given that I'm able to look the other way....)

I think they could have stood to make Loop's Whole Deal a bit more obvious. I had no clue what their fucking deal was at any point. I totally missed the interaction that lets you learn about The Incident and thus get more Loop info at the end, and... it's valid to have different endings in a game of course, but... I felt like I really missed out tbh! And I had no way of knowing I had to keep interacting with the silver coin.... idk. It felt a bit like a gotcha I suppose. And Loop's deal is really cool! Holy hell! I'm doing a quick replay of the game to see more convos with them with this context, and to get the ending with them, and like--!!! There's so much here! Loop tellins Sif to use the royal We, they even tell Siffrin, like-- Loop asks Siffrin why he doesn't just tell his friends about the loops, maybe they can help, why keep it a secret? Meanwhile... Loop!Siffrin is stuck in their own helpless timefuckery world and refusing to let Siffrin know about it! The Siffrin from the Start Again timeline never learned those lessons, they're still trying to help someone else while refusing to ask for help themselves, refusing to even let on that there's a problem! And getting more and more emotionally fucked up about it! Man it's good. I guess it does make a replay more rewarding, not knowing this until the end, the first time, but so much of the game is already a replay that, idk, it does feel weird to replay it. I've already done so many repetitions y'all.... But I guess that's pretty meta, also...

Oh I'm under the impression this is not terribly uncommon but I absolutely did get got by the ?diary? that had the story of the person making a duplicate of themselves so they had someone to talk to. Like I fully thought that was describing the King and Siffrin, I spent a long time under the mistaken impression that Siffrin was a copy of the King in some capacity. Oops.... I might try to gently lead Beloved Roomie away from this interpretation when she plays it. Planning on being pretty hands-off overall but this is one area where I feel it might be justified to violate the prime directive.... But we'll see!

I wish I liked the music more..... This is a game that I think really begs for some real heartwrenching tunes to enhance all of the everything but instead none of it does it for me at all. I think that's a real shame, it's by far my biggest complaint. I'm not asking for Undertale-tier, but, at least something I'd want to put on my playlist for the emotional resonance, y'know?

THEY ACTUALLY KILLED THE KID !!!! LIKE!!!! I guess I have some biases I might should think about but I was not expecting a game that begins with so many explicit pronouns introductions (rather than just giving us context clues) and that has no real cursing to be willing to kill the kid, even impermanently? Let alone so gruesomely? I think I was expecting a much greater level of.... idk, tweeness, fanglessness, than we actually got. In spite of being a fan of insertdisc5's comics for YEARS and years! And like! Damn! Props to them!

God. God. So, like. All the ending fakeouts were fucking great. I genuinely thought the All Friendship Quests ending might be the Real One, I was prepared to be disappointed because it felt too soon and just not.... quite.... right? But I did think that was probably where it was heading! But it wasn't! I got got and it's so heartwrenching and also so satisfying, the mood whiplash from loop to loop is fucking sublime.

And-- AND! The real ending! So like. Some of the stuff I missed was just me not pursuing specific content correctly. But some of it is genuinely just, like, stuff that has no actual purpose besides flavor. Flavor, and.... The locked passphrase door in Dormont. The four-pointed leaf you can get (but not in the final loop!), the bell chime, etc etc. You can't actually really do anything with any of this stuff. But you don't know that! It feels like there's still all these loose ends! And!!! Those loose ends do their job SO WELL! The dev knows Gamer Instincts, knows people are gonna have that mental tally of boxes-yet-to-be-checked. Left some forever unchecked on purpose, which-- At the end, the real end, when Siffrin is about to talk to the Head Housemaiden and find out, for real, if this is the final loop or if it's all going to happen again, again, again. He's scared. He's traumatized! He's thought he Had It so many times! SO many times!!! Hope is terrifying! Hope is a poison! And the game has left these loose threads, and at least for me I really was not sure it was going to work. Like it seemed likely but the same metaknowledge of story structure that made me think it was likely also told me "but wait, there's all these loose threads, and the only way for them to trick us again WOULD BE to make the ending SO elaborate and epilogue-y....." I was nervous right along with Siffrin! I was uncertain! Fucking fantastic work, using my own gamer's instincts against me. Thrilled about it.

All the characters are so well realized. They all have specific relationships with each other, not just with Siffrin (Important!!!!! Huge complaint I had with BG3, they didn't put their whole pussies into this!!!!). And, and, I love how they all have different feelings about the time loops. I love that Mirabelle doesn't want "spoilers," and meanwhile Bonnie doesn't mind them and thinks of their alt-selves as like... them-but-not-them in a very cool way.

There's something about-- the way the game starts as a regular degular videogame and then graaaadually becomes, essentially, a visual novel as the actual gameplay becomes trivialized. Which itself is like, really really cool with the themes! And also, just.... I never would have picked up a straight up visual novel, I just, don't get into them, I'd rather read a book, but! I was already invested! It got its hooks into me when there was gameplay mixing things up and those hooks weren't about to let go just because the gameplay didn't super matter any more!

Straight up when we first see Red I didn't at all process that it was a Color in a game with No Colors, Canonically. They had to spell it out for me. It didn't occur to me to be surprised. I'm just too used to colors existing I guess idk. I think I wish the colors thing had gone somewhere a bit more...? I'm GUESSING it mostly originated as just a cute little explanation for why the game is all grayscale and then fit in with enough stuff to be given elevated importance (?) But it felt... hm. Underdeveloped, maybe. I think I really want more stories in this.... "Setting" and "Universe" and "Series" are not quite the right words but hopefully you get the idea. I want more so there can be one that develops that more. Not that leaving stones unturned is, like, illegal ofc. I just find the idea very compelling....

What is it with time loop stories and themes of loss that cannot be outsmarted. Man. I wondered, for so long, if Siffrin's country was going to be restored in people's minds, if that was one of the main big Plot Things we'd see. And it just didn't! Their memory is going to keep being bad, they're going to keep having all these huge tragic gaps and it's just. What can you do. At some point you have to either be permanently paralyzed by the horrific injustice you've suffered-- or you have to try to live a life. And. Man. I don't think I've actually ever encountered a story that was so much about that exact specific form of loss, the loss of one's culture, history, language! All of it. Gone from everywhere. It made me think of the obvious things and just. Man. What a howling void. The contrast with Odile's deal made it a lot more effective too I think. More of an expanded meditation upon these themes than just one toe dipping in, I guess? Hm.

Odile's battle profile pic when she's at low health is so fucking hot this cartoon character is so hot goddammit.

Game good. You're only reading this if you've already played it, I hope, so I can't use this space to recommend it in a meaningful way but. Heck. Game good.

[magicalbuttertarts]

AEW Masterlist

Diamond in the Rough

Just like all my other stories, this has not been proofread, but please enjoy.

Warnings: mentions self-harm. Mentions blood. I put them under the cut. Mentions an eating disorder. Mentions hitting/punching oneself. I decided to go with all three, with three different Mental Heath issues.. I hope you like it.

WC: 1459

From my previous account, plentyoffandoms.

©️ magicalbuttertarts 2024: do not repost or translate my work. This is the only place I post my work.

Cutting - Eddie Kingston

Our bedroom was silent as I grabbed the medical supplies from our bathroom and placed them in the little basket we had in the bathroom. Usually for decoration. I kept looking behind me, just to make sure she was still there.

She was staring at her wrists, which were dripping blood onto our carpet.

I made a mental note to get the stains soaking before cleaning them.

Once I had everything I needed, I grabbed the basket and walked into our bedroom. She didn't look up at me, still looking down at her wrists and her lap.

I grabbed the ottoman that we kept in the corner and pulled it in front of her, and sat down. I'm getting myself ready to clean her wrists.

"Eddie." Came her soft voice as I gently took her right wrist and inspected it before grabbing the cloth, ready to wipe it clean.

"Yes, my love?"

"I'm sorry." I looked into her eyes, where tears were threatening to fall. "You have nothing to be sorry for, baby." I stood up slightly and kissed her on the forehead first and then kissed her trembling lips, cupping her cheek in my hand.

"I am broken." I heard her mutter against my lips. I pulled my lips away to get a good look at her. She was staring down, avoiding my gaze as I urged her to look into my eyes.

"You, my dear, are not broken. We." I made sure to emphasize the we, "will get you some help. We will look into ways that can help you with whatever pain you may be going through."

Silence.

I went back to cleaning her cuts. My heart broke at seeing the faded scars on her wrist and arms.

I was almost done when she said my name once more.

"Yes, baby?"

"I love you."

I gripped the wrist that was bandaged and gave it a gentle kiss. "I love you too, baby. So very much."

◆

Bulimia - Angelo Parker

The first time I heard throwing up was clear as day in my mind.

I heard her before I saw her. I followed the sound of puking as I slowly walked towards our washroom. She wasn't expecting me home this early. I was due back in a couple of days, but an event got cancelled, so I decided to come home and suprise her.

I was not expecting to find her hunched over the toilet, throwing up the contents of her stomach. At first, I thought she came down with some type of bug, but then I noticed the glass next to her and the box of salt.

I made a mental note to ask her about it. I softly walked back towards the front door, opening it and slamming it shut. "Hey baby. I'm home. An event got cancelled."

"I'll be out in just one second."

•

She was careful after that, but I noticed that the box of salt was under the sink, all the way in the back.

Hidden.

I was gone from home more, but I always made sure to check in, and this last time, I was worried. She hasn't picked up her phone or answered a single one of my texts.

I flew home and found her past out on our bed. I took notice for the first time, I guess, how small and tiny she looked. I tried to wake her up, but she wasn't responding, so I called 911.

That is where I was informed about her eating disorder. It all made sense now.

I didn't leave her side. I even ended up sleeping in the chair next to her hospital bed.

The moment she woke up, all I could do was cry as I kissed her.

"Angelo, where are we?" Her voice was hoarse, and it made my heart clench when I explained to her what happened. Tears started to fall from her eyes.

"I thought I had it under control." I gripped her hands in mine, urging her to look at me.

"Love, you scared me. I should have seen the signs better." I was blaming myself for this. I was wondering if I was around more, I would have noticed.

"Angelo, I have dealt with this for most of my life. I just thought I had it more under control."

I was stunned to hear her say she has dealt with this for most of her life.

"I need help." She finally said. "I don't want to die."

"We are going to find the best help. Money is not an issue because you are stuck with me for life, sweetheart."

I kissed her just as the doctor and nurse walked in, never once a letting go of her hand unless the doctor or nurse needed her hand.

◆

HITTING/PUNCHING - Daniel Garcia

The first time, I heard the sound of what sounded like someone slapping their face in our bathroom, I thought I was still dreaming.

I noticed then that her side of the bed was empty. I heard the noise again, which instantly woke me up, concerned that someone broke into our apartment and were harming her.

We just moved in together not long ago, and I don't know the neighbourhood that well yet.

I called out her name. "Daniel, baby. Go back to sleep. I'll be out soon."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I just had to take care of something. I'll be there soon." My eyes were already feeling heavy with sleep, and once my head was back on my pillow, I was out like a light.

•

I was gone for a couple of weeks when I finally had time to spend with her. The first couple of days I was home, it was great. I did notice the bruises on her body, and when I questioned her about it, she just laughed and said she was clumsy and walked into the corners or the walls.

"They look like handprints, baby." I pointed out.

I knew what handprints looked like. I get smacked enough at work to know.

"Daniel, baby, can you just drop it. I am fine. I just am clumsy. You see me walk. I trip all the time."

I decided to drop the topic for now.

•

I kept a close eye on her and even looked for new bruises. I truly thought someone was hurting her, and I was getting more and more concerned.

I wasn't expecting that someone to be her.

I left to head to the gym when I noticed I had left my phone at home. I drove back home to get it as I needed it to work out.

I was going to say something when I finally saw her.

She was standing in the kitchen, making herself something to eat, when her open face palm slapped herself in the face.

She shook her head and did it again.

She did it a few times.

Then she was punching her thighs. I couldn't take it anymore. I ran towards her, grabbing her hand in mine. She screamed as she thought I was gone.

"Danny! You scared me."

I was silent as I looked her over. It all made sense now. The random bruises. The noises.

"Baby, what are you doing?"

"Cooking."

"You know what I mean, love."

"It is a long story, Danny."

"I have all the time in the world when it comes to you." I guided her and I to the kitchen table and sat down. Waiting for her to tell me.

•

I sat there, going over everything in my head.

"Okay, so this started when you were young, but you kept it hidden. Love, I think you need to talk to someone." Her eyes got wide, and she shook her head no.

"Baby, this isn't good. You could do some serious harm to yourself. What if you hit your head too hard?"

"You know how my family is, Danny. We don't get help for this stuff."

"I say this nicely Baby, but fuck your family. You are with me and away from them. I love you, everything about you, but you need help. We will find someone. Make an appointment with your doctor so we can get a referral to a specialist."

I could tell she was fighting an inner battle with herself, and she went to hit herself again, but I grabbed her hands and held them in mine.

"We are in this together, Baby. The first step is your doctor."

I kissed her hands and held them in mine until I felt it was safe enough to let go. She grabbed her phone, and after a few tries, she finally got through to the receptionist.

I sat there, proud of her taking this first step to getting help.

Tag list: @lghockey @nicoleveno14 @legit9thlunaticwarrior @hooks-martin @madhatterbri @wwenhlimagines @melissahausen @tahiri-veyla

[pianogav1n]

ooh thanks for the tag sam!! this is fun :D my answers under the cut also I truly don't know who I would tag for this so if you (the reader) want to answer these too go nuts :)

How did you get into reading/writing/drawing femslash? lesbianism fr though, as I've gotten older I've realized that even though I tend to enjoy female characters more, if I'm not intentional about it most of the fic I read ends up being centered around men because that's the content that people tend to create. it's important to me that I do better about consciously choosing to read about complex and nuanced female characters (this extends to books as well!!). In terms of femslash specifically, rather than just focusing on women: I'm honestly not that much of a shipper. I prefer to read and write things that are focused more on other plot than the romance itself, but it's still nice to see an aspect of myself reflected in the things I write. (that being said there are still plenty of ships that I enjoy reading and writing about!!) now that I've written all that I think I misunderstood the question. I got really invested in the ships listed in (2.) and I was like "I like these a normal amount" and sought out fic for them. I wasn't writing a lot in high school though unfortunately

What are your favorite femslash ships? korrasami, bubbline, and glinda/elphaba will always have my heart no matter what

Which F/F rarepair(s) do you wish got more love and why? patty/allison from kevin can fuck himself. I'm not sure it counts as a rarepair bc it's far and above the most popular ship from the show, but the show itself is relatively unknown. they begin as two women who at best dislike each other but they grow to care for the other enough to kill for her. the development is incredible. I love it. I also really like ran/sonoko and ran/sera (or all three of them!) from dcmk because they all have a well established and fleshed-out friendship and I think they should be more than that

What is your favorite thing about drawing/writing femslash? I loveeee exploring female characters and digging into their depths, or making them up if need be. and then with f/f you get at least two of them to think about :)

What is your greatest challenge when drawing/writing femslash? this issue extends beyond ship fic but I get embarrassed writing about characters expressing affection of any kind, verbal or physical. it feels really vulnerable and like I'll expose something about myself to the audience that I don't know I'm sharing (idk what!), which. yk. 🤷 unfortunately for me, unless one is writing a very specific dynamic, characters almost always will feel and express affection towards at least one other character in ship fic so it's a hurdle for sure.

Do you prefer reading/writing femslash one-shots or longfics? for reading, I like both! it mostly depends on what my attention span is in the moment. I would love to write a longfic one day but as of yet I've only written oneshots

What is your favorite/most underrated F/F fic you have written or F/F thing you've drawn? definitely not underrated because this is my most popular fic, but I had a lot of fun writing my falin/marcille hair braiding fic :) I don't think I got the characterization quite right but that's okay! room to grow still I think, honestly, I'm pretty pleased with the reception that my f/f works have gotten. not that I don't love attention but they seem to have reached the people who would enjoy them and that's plenty

What sort of background pairings do you like to see in fics with F/F as a main pairing? background pairings don't really matter to me that much. they're not something that pop out to me unless they're a ship I don't like lmao. but I like when the background characters are living happy wlw lives

What are your favorite tropes in F/F fics? I love when characters would do terrible things just to see the other one smile. good shit. devotion and all the awfulness that comes with it

What tone or vibes do you prefer in femslash fics? Crack? Angst? Fluff? A bit of everything? I never grew out of my teenage emo phase. I love angst and complicated emotions. but also happy endings for the characters

Are there any specific fics or other forms of media that inspired you to write/draw for a specific ship? none are coming to mind, but everything I've ever written is an attempt to capture the essence of the works I've read and enjoyed, so surely there's some ship inspiration in there too

Are there any specific F/F WIPs you are working on or ideas you’ve cooked up that you’re especially excited about? ideas and I are taking a break from each other right now unfortunately. hopefully it doesn't last long

Any fic recs? I haven't gone here in a long time but this chloe ml character study is truly excellent and I still think about it

femslash writer/artist interview

I’m trying to get back into interviewer mode for one of my jobs and classes, so I decided to make a (hopefully) fun little game. Feel free to reblog, tag ppl and answer as few or as many of the questions as u want. And feel free to tailor the questions to make them more applicable to u

How did you get into reading/writing/drawing femslash?

What are your favorite femslash ships?

Which F/F rarepair(s) do you wish got more love and why?

What is your favorite thing about drawing/writing femslash?

What is your greatest challenge when drawing/writing femslash?

Do you prefer reading/writing femslash one-shots or longfics?

What is your favorite/most underrated F/F fic you have written or F/F thing you've drawn?

What sort of background pairings do you like to see in fics with F/F as a main pairing?

What are your favorite tropes in F/F fics?

What tone or vibes do you prefer in femslash fics? Crack? Angst? Fluff? A bit of everything?

Are there any specific fics or other forms of media that inspired you to write/draw for a specific ship?

Are there any specific F/F WIPs you are working on or ideas you’ve cooked up that you’re especially excited about?

Any fic recs?

@pianogav1n @jajalala @vriska @linkyychan @thisisej

[revvethasmythh]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Critical Role (Web Series) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Orym/Dorian Storm, Orym & Dorian Storm, Bells Hells & Dorian Storm Characters: Orym (Critical Role), Dorian Storm, Imogen Temult, Fearne Calloway, Chetney Pock O'Pea, Ashton Greymoore, Keyleth (Critical Role) Additional Tags: Reunions, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, unspoken feelings, Orym's deal with Nana Morri Summary:

Not knowing if Dorian is alive or dead, Orym and the Hells make their way the encampment. Dorian, meanwhile, is already answering Orym's call as best he can.

[damnation-if]

How about Lithiana's hostile/neutral/friendly/romanced greetings? Not even gonna anon because you'll know it's me anyway. <3

for you, my most beloved and esteeméd friend. Anything<3 😌

Hostile

(loud, longsuffering sigh) Hello.

Keep it quick.

And I was having such a good day until now...

Bids farewell by saying (exasperated) "toodles!"

Neutral

Hey, fresh meat! Still going strong?

Oh, hi! What's up?

Look who it is!

Bids farewell by saying "keep at it!" or "back to work, huh?"

Warm

There you are! How's things?

There's a sight for sore eyes!

Hiii~ (giggles)

To peacock MC: Hey, sexy, let's see that tail! Bam! Gotcha! (laughs)

To MC with silver or gold skin: I saw you twinkling your way over here from a mile away!

Bids farewell by saying "catch you later!"

Romanced

Finally! I needed to see you for a bit.

Hey babe! Are you free? I am.

Oh, there you are! I was just thinking about you.

Dominatrix mode: You know I don't like it when you keep me waiting (smirks).

Bids farewell by saying "hurry back... I'm already lonely!"

[shannonsketches]

something something foils moving in opposite directions Goku's always happy to seek and fight stronger opponents because he spent most of his life being the strongest guy in the room and Vegeta wants to be the strongest/is always exhausted to find stronger opponents because he spent most of his life having to navigate his survival around the whims of the strongest guy in the universe room and so Goku has a foundation of safety and stability and so spends his time craving challenge and adventure and Vegeta has a foundation of challenge and adventure and spends his time craving safety and stability and the overlaid section of their venn diagram is that the only way they know how acquire and maintain those things is through battle

[sugarskies]

The Deca S1E3: Scandalous Scendeles || Recorded Changes

Minor word changes.

Grammar corrections.

Corrected Scendeles verbage.

Adjusted a Scendeles’s dialogue to reference Only Dead Fish.

Modified dialogue between Ushas and Millennia.

Replaced flashback with dialogue.

Let Theta say “fuck.”

Swapped passive voice to active.

Corrected typos.

Removed Epsilon from the second to last scene.

Final Word Count: -67

Barnable's Behind-the-Scenes Babbles

vansell's line about the scendeles's robe being on backwards is one of the few i've written that actually cracks me up.

i can tell from how i wrote the first scene with mortimus that i was initially hesitant to lean into his sluttiness. in the chapter i made some adjustments to be more confident in it. i am now wondering what else i might have hesitated with so far, though. i was always (and still am) very terrified to share some of my headcanons. whenever i've posted a chapter with a more significant concept i've always anxiously awaited the hate comments. 5.5 years and i haven't gotten any. thanks for accepting my goofy ideas.

to elaborate on the dialogue i modified between ushas and millennia: since writing this chapter i read doctor who and the krikkitmen and i could not stop laughing at "the potato solution for world peace." given that a potato is central to a plot in this chapter, i couldn't resist tying it in.

at one point i wrote basically "4/10 of the deca were there so the table was less than half empty" and nobody has pointed that out to me in over five years. it correctly says "MORE than half empty" now.

i was trying to figure out why jelpax&vansell have 2 plots back-to-back then i remembered that their plot in the new magnus was completely improvised as i needed a 3rd plot and they happened to be unoccupied characters as opposed to this chapter where they were always intended to be together. coincidences are a funny thing.

(i also tried to figure out why epsilon is there twice in a row and genuinely i have no idea. my best guess is that i was making some sort of jokes with my friend, his creator, at the time and it amused me to add him in. it annoys me now. i think it's overdone. get him out of here he's not a member of the deca!!! oh well. too late to remove him now.)

“Who cares?” Theta groaned. “All I see is a bad grade and a failed class.” “That’s all you ever see.” this is my favorite. petition for more of this rallon.

“Why did you stop being friends?” “Because he stopped taking showers.” this is my other favorite. no further comment.

dumb typo of the week: "ment" instead of "meant." congratulations to this typo for surviving almost 5.5 years on ao3 without correction!

especially towards the end, some of this dialogue is so clunky it's making me cringe. ouch. can't believe i got away with this.

what other rules did ushas write down? more importantly... how many of them have been broken? questions to ponder.

overall, i did not take away very much from this chapter. no open plot threads or unanswered questions that i can see.

bonus note: THERE WAS A FUCKING TYPO IN THE SUMMARY

[seventh-district]

not even gonna tag this properly bc i don't wanna get Involved but i do have some Thoughts i need to get out into the void so here we go

(aaa quick edit: CW for mention/discussion of Boothill leaks)

[sustainably-du-mortain]

@thecryptidenthusiast thank you so much for the ask!! <33

🌾 Describe your OC through the eyes of someone absolutely head-over-heels in love with them

Jonah

He is like hearing your favorite song at the most unexpected time. He's a sudden, soft, warm smile which hides a single dimple. It's having to constantly brush away the strands of his long hair falling in his face or watching him go about his day with his short hair completely dishevelled and having to hold back a laugh everytime he looks at you, but gosh he looks so damn cute like that. It's feeling the warmth of his body when he slow dances with you as he makes you listen to a song he likes. It's watching him focus so intently that he doesn't realize a little bit of his tongue is sticking out. His brown eyes looking at you with tenderness yet not being able to able to ignore the sorrow they hold. He's a whispered song in the middle of the night when you can't sleep.

Madeleine

She is like the smell of freshly baked bread coming out of a bakery. Warm and comforting. It's the soft rhythm of her heartbeat pulsing in your ear as she holds you close against herself. Her fingers following the words on the page as she reads. It's watching her get embarrassed when she takes out her glasses or seeing her frown and having to put them on for her. She's a dazzling smile that brightens up the whole room. It's listening to her sing off key while she dances in her underwear in the kitchen. It's watching her blush when your fingers caress her skin. A handwritten note she leaves on the bathroom mirror for you to find. Her hand reaching for yours during social events when her social battery runs out. It's hearing her whisper love confessions when she thinks you're asleep.

Côme

They're the sound of unrepressed laughter echoing in a room. It's their lips constantly finding a way to your skin. Their eyes shining with glee as they rambles about something you don't understand but that they're passionate about. The tickling brush of their hair against your skin when they nuzzle against you. It's their little excited jumps when they experience something really cool. Feeling their body relax against yours when they settle down next to you. The tidbits of yarn constantly stuck in their hair. Their hands looking for you during the night when you slipped out of their grasp. The lingering taste of candy on their tongue when they kiss you. They're the warmth of the summer sun shining through your window in the morning. The constant reminder that they love you.

💦 If you as the writer could erase one traumatic event from this OC’s life what would it be and why?

Jonah

I think I'd erase his relationship with Bobby. Their relationship destroyed him so he'd be so, so much happier if they didn't have any history together and he would have been able to navigate his blossoming relationship with Adam and Nate so much better if their relationship didn't leave him so scarred.

Madeleine

I can't think of anything for her. A lot of her trauma is related to her chronic illness and this is not something I would change about her.

Côme

This is not really traumatic, but if I had to change one part of their backstory, I'd surround them with a couple loyal, childhood friends. Growing up, they gravitated towards people who never stick around for them and made them feel awful about their personality. So, I'd give them a couple reliable friends they can trust, so that they don't end up being plagued with constant loneliness and insecurities about their personality.

Soft oc asks

[becaeffingmitchell]

I’ll be the match to your candle

Chapters:  3/? Fandom:  Warrior Nun (TV) Rating:  General Audiences Warnings:  No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships:  Sister Beatrice/Ava Silva Characters:  Ava Silva, Sister Beatrice (Warrior Nun) Summary: takes place right after Ava absolutely demolishes that FBC dude outside of the bar in episode 1

read on ao3

[vole-mon-amour]

I reached 30 tags so screw it:

if they made it like Silco and Vander had a fallout way before the Mom's death, it could've kinda worked 'cause Vi could've recognized Vander but not Silco, so Jinx still jumps into a stranger's embrace and Silco ends up raising her.

but then again, Vander tried to murder Silco WAY before that scene in the bar in s2. Vander looks way older, even though Silco looks completely different to what we see in flashback in s1.

it's like they didn't put any effort at ALL. it doesn't match. it doesn't make sense. was s1 good on a accident? should have they tried to at least get rid of inconsistencies? or don't go with the theory in s2? because so far it truly looks like "this is the story we wanted to tell" vs "this is the story we actually told" and now it's two completely different stories.

ugh.

I think ignoring s2 and treating s1 as a standalone might be the best choice here, cause s2 is definitely not going to work with the story they told on s1. what a shame.

The Vander/Silco Shitshow - generic, juvenile, and gimmicky slop

So, I think that Vander/Silco flashback was terrible. Tropey, careless, juvenile, clichéd bullshit that stripped away everything that made their season 1 story nuanced and poignant, while simultaneously ripping open a fat plot hole because the team got careless and did not catch the discrepancy between the story they'd written in their heads and the visuals that ended up on screen in season 1. This is just going to be a long rant post detailing the reasons I absolutely despised this flashback. Obligatory disclaimer that this is just my (strongly held) opinion.

1) The timeline plot hole

No, I'm not misusing the term. So a plot hole is an inconsistency in a fictional narrative that cannot be explained away by any plausible in-universe justifications. There are many moments of weak writing in Arcane that may be contrived, rushed, weird, convenient, etc. but aren't plot holes.

This Vander/Silco situation however. Oh boy. If you all remember, Season 1 opened with the bridge massacre, also known as the Day of Ash. Vander is shown cracking enforcers' skulls. He looks like this.

The sisters, seemingly recognizing him, ask him where their parents are. He gestures to their corpses, the sisters cry, Vander has his "violence is not the answer" epiphany, drops the gauntlets very dramatically to underscore this massive turning point of character development for him, then picks the girls up and leaves the bridge.

In episode 3, we are shown a flashback. Vander is trying to kill Silco in the river. He looks like this.

Let's compare this to how he looked like on the Day of Ash.

Yeah. According to the visuals shown in Season 1, the falling out of Vander and Silco seems to have occured in the past before the Day of Ash, evidenced by how much younger Vander looks. Unless Silco is a time traveller who jumped forward to the future to throw a molotov at the riot because he just loves violent extremism that much, or Vander took the time to shave his beard and apply heavy duty anti-aging lotion on his face before hunting Silco down, there are no plausible in-universe explanations for this inconsistency. Not to mention, if Silco and Vander were really as close as brothers and the sisters knew Vander, then it's impossible they wouldn't have known who Silco was.

Yet, in Season 1, that's exactly what we see - not a single sliver of recognition between Silco and the girls, nothing to imply they knew of his existence before episode 3. Not a single conversation between Jinx and Silco implied that he knew, let alone was close to, her mother. Nothing from Vi throughout the entire first season indicated that she knew of his past friendships with her mother and Vander. They acted like total strangers to each other.

Many fans already caught this inconsistency during the three-year gap after writers' comments online implied Silco was involved in the Day of Ash. We had hoped the writers would catch on to this discrepancy too and either iron out the timeline if they want to do serious flashbacks, or just avoid calling attention to it completely by not doing flashbacks of their falling out. Alas.

2) Leonardo Dicaprio pointing meme

Death to the everybody-knows-everyone trope and lines that only exist to invoke the "Leonardo Dicaprio pointing" meme. Throw them into a fucking fire. Boring, mind-numbing, clichéd, overdone garbage. Not every character needs to have some kind of half-baked relation with each other. Not every major incident needs to be tied back to the main characters. Not every single detail needs to be overexplained and justified and again, somehow tied to a main character. They are unnecessary, and make the world feel so much more claustrophobic and smaller than it should be.

"The enforcers actually commited the Day of Ash massacre because SILCO threw a molotov. Vander actually tried to kill Silco because of VI AND JINX'S mother. She knew both Silco and Vander personally and TOLD THEM to help her raise her kids. VANDER named Vi."

Bullshit like this really fucks with immersion, because it becomes clear very quickly that the world is only occupied by a small handful of real characters while the thousands of other people in it are nothing more than inconsequential set dressing and wallpaper. The story and world no longer feel real, vast, and immersive. And these forced "connections" between main characters are so obviously manufactured to generate "OUGHHH" and Dicaprio pointing reactions. Idk about anyone else, but it takes me completely out of the story when I can obviously tell the writing is trying too hard to blow my mind.

The girls' mom waltzing up to Vander and Silco and just. Fucking telling them to help her with her kids lmfaoooooooo. (OUGHH and they both really ended up raising her kids WOAGH😱🤯). Jinx's mom saying choosing a name is stressful because her child will feel stuck with it (GASP and Powder ended up changing her name WOOOOWW😱). Vander coming up with Vi's fucking name. (OUGHHHH HE REALLY WAS MEANT TO BE FATHER ALL ALONG WOADGHHGHDHDH🤯🤯🤯).

Fucking kill me. Arcane Season 1 was surprisingly good precisely because they DIDN'T, for the most part, resort to tropey bullshit like this. It had, for the most part, originality. Uniqueness. In fact all the strongest aspects of Season 1, aspects I loved, were deliberate subversions of overdone clichés. For Season 2 to resort to this kind of writing reminiscent of Disney slop is insanely disappointing.

I'm waiting for a character to unironically say, "What are we, some kind of League of Legends?" in Act 3 now.

3) "Ohhhhh so THAT'S why he did that!!!!!!!!!"

Also death to overexplanations and giving justifications for things that never needed justifications. You know what I was never confused by while watching Season 1 of Arcane? Why Vander adopted the girls. Why Silco adopted Jinx. Why both came to care for their girls so much, they were willing to sacrifice so much for them. I thought the reasons for those things were very clear and poignant in the first season. I never needed an extra on-the-nose justification for the adoptions in the form of, "they wuved yo mama". It's not only redundant, it's also one of the most tired ass tropes in fiction. To me, Vander taking in the girls and Silco taking in Jinx are so much more powerful if they really were just random guys with no real connection to the girls' parents.

But I've already seen some positive reactions to this flashback with "Ohhhhh so THAT's why Silco/Vander cared for the girls so much, now I understand😯🤯😓" mf what exactly did you not understand before??

4) Character motivations

The motivations of both Vander and Silco are made downright bizarre by this flashback. So Silco was hellbent on murdering Vi last season, despite being close friends with her mom whose death he may feel guilty for? Literally despised her and wanted to kill her the entire time with no hesitation lol. So Vander had that aforementioned dramatic moment of character development, dropped the gauntlets, realized violence wasn't the answer, and carried the kids to safety... then doubled back to violently hunt down and murder Silco? But not before shaving his beard and applying youthful lotion of course. Can't kill your bro while looking crusty. Then he failed to kill Silco so he just... went back to the kids and pretended like nothing happened? Lol.

Silco being close to, let alone loving, the girls' parents makes no fucking sense for his character. Vander knowing them at least makes sense, but casual friends would have sufficed. "I was lowkey crushing (?????) on your mom and also named you" just cheapened the entire Vander/Vi and Silco/Jinx surrogate father dynamic. Vander's motivation for killing Silco being yet another fridged woman is also weak as fuck. First Viktor with Sky, and now Vander/Silco. They really should have left this one up to our imaginations if this was the boring tripe they came up with.