#the best parts the worst parts the funny parts

[buckynats]

I asked @greseadraws to draw Harding ranting about the bookclub pick while Fel listens affectionately. Why go to bookclub when you can just have your girlfriend summarize the story in angry bursts of emotion instead?

Less chance of catching a stray arrow to the heart that way too

[hopeful-dawn]

Man, movie!Shadow is so baby. He genuinely feels like a kid. An abused, isolated kid whose grief and completely justified anger were manipulated by the one person he thought he could trust.

He's clearly been taught how to fight and weaponize his abilities, and at first that does make him seem older than our main three boys, especially when combined with his deep voice. But then you see him when he exposes his soft and vulnerable side, or his silly and playful side, and you're hit with the undeniable fact that he is a child.

I'm glad that they explicitly called him a kid multiple times too, because it really drives it home. He's a child, who never got a childhood because he was being used and abused by the U.S. military during the Cold War. He is a child who crash landed on earth with no memories, and was immediately captured by a hostile, suspicious government, who later wanted to use him for his powers.

He's a child who lost the one person he could call a friend in the worst way possible. He's a child who spent 50 years in a semi-conscious dream-like state where he was forced to relive her death over and over. He's a child with severe PTSD, who is actively suicidal and being told that mass murder-suicide and global destruction is the morally correct and justified choice.

He's a child who is understandably grumpy and wary of people, but also well-behaved and obedient, for the most part. He is a child whose seriousness is sometimes unintentionally very funny ("revenge guac..."), and who is playful with the people he trusts if they initiate it (Maria and Sonic).

He is a child who doesn't like monster movies where the monsters/aliens are treated like they're dangerous enemies that need to be killed. He's a child who loves the stars because they remind him of his best, and only, friend. He's a child who likes dancing, when it's with Maria, and who is implied to use his air shoes like skates at least partially because Maria loved to rollerskate.

He's a child who was forced to learn how to fight and taught to be a weapon, but who doesn't enjoy violence and fighting. The only times he attacks first are when Gerald prompted him to and when he thought he saw Walters, who betrayed him by trapping him in a literal nightmare for 50 years, and the only time he seems to take any amount of pleasure in fighting is when he and Sonic are destroying those robots together.

He's a child who gets upset when people are scared of him and think he's dangerous. He's a child who wants to be accepted, and who welcomes touch from the people he trusts (he seemed to like holding hands with Maria, and didn't let go of Sonic's hand after he pulled him up on the moon, until they started flying).

He's just. A very soft kid, underneath the initial prickliness. And I love that they went that direction with him.

[insert-random-account-name]

Crappy Character Analysis, part 6

I've been putting off this one, simply because I love Contrarian, everyone loves Contrarian, and I was worried I wouldn't do him justice. BTW, if you haven't read any others, I'd recommend at least reading Cold and Stubborn before this one.

part 1 (Broken)

part 2 (Skeptic)

part 3 (Cold)

part 4 (Paranoid)

part 5 (Stubborn

VOICE OF THE CONTRARIAN

Contrarian is my favorite voice, so let’s just get that out of the way. I’m doing my best to give him a fair analysis, but if there are any flaws, that’s probably why. I’d say a good 40% of Contrarian content was added after the Pristine Cut, probably because the fandom loved him so much. He basically lives up to his name. Any time someone says something, he immediately tries to counter it. Slay the Princess? No thanks. The world beyond yours is beautiful? Eh, it ain’t all that. Take the knife? Only to throw it out the window! In fact, throwing the knife out the window is his MO, seeing as he does it in three separate chapters (Stranger, Razor (No Way Out), and Fury (through Adversary)) and the only reason he doesn’t do it in the other two chapters he shows up in is because there are no windows for the blade to go out of. He also dabbles in bending reality, working together with Stubborn to keep you moving without your muscles. He is also, objectively, kind of a jerk. He calls Hero a baby for being upset at whatever abomination you see in the Stranger, refuses to give the Narrator vital information, antagonizes Stubborn by calling him weak, and then proceeds to manipulate him into throwing away your weapon, and then delivers the line that goes to the affect of “Oh, are we lying? I’m happy to be here, and I like all of you.” Of course, he does turn a new leaf at the end of the Stranger, and if you get the Stranger’s cabin at the end, he seems to have matured since the last time you’ve seen him.Contrarian exists to amuse himself. You get him by not taking the consequences of your actions seriously (not going to the cabin, fighting the Adversary unarmed, not taking the blade/stabbing yourself in the Razor, cutting your throat in the Tower). This attitude makes him careless. He wants to sow chaos, start conflicts, and just have fun. His commitment to the bit helps you survive and fight in the Apotheosis and the Fury. Who cares if you die? You were going to anyway. Contrarian doesn’t fully realize the effects his recklessness has on others until it is far too late. In the Razor, if he throws the knife out the window, he thinks of it as a funny bit. But after he realizes that there will be no getting it back, he admits he might have acted too hastily. Something similar happens in the Stranger. There may be a more deep-seated root to his nature, as well. One that most people miss. Contrarian is a contrarian out of frustration. You tried running away from the problem, and now it got worse. Now you have to face it, and he isn’t happy. If he has to confront his own mistakes, well, he isn’t going to make it easy. If he has to be miserable, so does everyone else. He reminds me of Cold, in a way. One turns to indifference, while the other turns to indignation. This point is accentuated by a line in the Stranger ending, where he confesses that he thinks of himself as the worst part of you. In the Stranger, it takes the entire world collapsing in on itself for Contrarian to fully realize the harm he’s caused. Once he sees the bigger picture, he shows remorse, and suggests that you try and help the Princess. In the Stranger ending, when you return to her cabin, he’s had more time to cool down and reflect, and he shows a surprising maturity, holding back on yeeting the blade. This may be the only voice who got significantly more content in the Pristine Cut, yet whose depth lies in pre-Pristine Cut content.

[garez19]

yandere! best friend’s brother x reader.

notes/warnings: sibling abuse, reader and the oc are one year apart in age, english is not my first language, gender-neutral reader, male oc, no yandere tendecies in this part, not proofread, i absolutely have no idea how to use punctuation

[part 1]

you and iris had been friends since you were kids. iris was the person you’d shared all your secrets, everything about yourself. you didn’t need to tell her when something had made you upset, because she already knew it all. and, more importantly, she already knew the reason. you went to the same schools, your first part-time job experience was together, and you were most certainly the first person to listen to each other rambling when you had a crush. iris was your best friend, iris was your sister, and iris was everything you’d asked for from gods when you were in heaven. iris was your blessing.

but not his. iris was his curse. iris was her younger brother’s jinx. she was the biggest punishment, something the gods must’ve sent to test him.

and you had no idea. you always knew emil. yet his name was all you knew. you remembered how he never really spent time with you two. you remembered how he was never around whenever you were at their home, but you never cared. you never cared about anything unless it was iris.

and then you’d started to figure out their dynamic. and to put it simply, iris had everything, and her brother did not.

you didn’t care at first. it wasn’t like you saw him a lot anyway. and when you did, it was just iris being rude and simply telling him to get out. you did not care. you did not tell her to stop. you only wanted to continue playing your favorite game with iris.

you did not care, you told yourself. you weren’t going to interfere. you were not the one to engage in family matters, you repeated.

and you kept going on. you stopped looking at emil when iris shouted at him. you stopped trying to show an expression of sympathy—because let’s be honest, you would’ve put it to an end if you had cared enough. you knew it, and you were aware emil knew it too. you just didn’t care, he told himself. you reminded yourself to shut up when you were in elementary school.

you kept going on— until you couldn’t.

you weren't a naive child anymore, and iris most certainly wasn’t getting better. moreover, emil still didn’t seem to try to defend himself.

you kept going on. until you couldn’t. until you realized you shouldn’t have.

“you’re not a child anymore.” was all you said to her. she looked at you funny, and asked you what you meant.

“what i just said. you’re not a child anymore, neither are your brother.” you repeated. although you felt too guilty to let it go, you still hadn’t had the courage to speak your mind. and even worse, you saw her hit the roof the moment you mentioned her brother— her brother she kept cursing five minutes ago. you weren’t ready for this conversation, you realized. you really weren’t, so you tried to change the topic. you tried to let it go. you started to smile when you saw emil at school, and asked your gods to forgive you whenever you did. and once more, you reminded yourself to let it go. that was all you repeated in highschool.

***

emil didn’t like you at all, especially when you were acting all high and mighty. it seemed funny to say the least, considering you didn’t even have the courage to talk to his sister. emil didn’t like your halfhearted smiles. he didn’t like your cold-natured personality hidden underneath soft “good morning”s. you were his sister’s best friend, and fairly enough, you were just like her, if not worse. however, he was happy the two were going to graduate this year. he was happy he didn’t have to bear seeing his sister’s face in hallways, or hearing your detached greetings.

yet, emil still didn’t understand how his sister still had everything. even when she was the worst person he’d met. emil didn’t understand how she was still able to have a best friend, a lovely life and decent parents. he didn’t understand how she had it all. he didn’t understand how his parents never tried to guard him from this monster. and he didn’t care anymore.

but you did. no matter how hard you tried not to, you did care. years of overlooking the abuse left you feeling like a monster—and maybe, after all, you were. “you were not a naive child anymore” was what you’d told yourself, but the truth is, you’d never been a naive child.

you would graduate in two months. and you were not going to stay a monster.

***

“emil!” you called out. you’d told your best friend to not wait for you, and you knew she wouldn’t wait for her brother either. emil glanced at you from his shoulder. and then waited for you to catch up.

“you have some time?” you asked. he seemed puzzled.

“for what?”

“well, you know, for some conversation,” you, once again, showed your distant smile. god, how he hated it when you did that.

“sure.” he muttered, clearly uninterested. he didn’t care much about this whole thing, and to be fairly honest, it irritated him how you obviously tried to seek redemption. but since he had nothing better to do, watching you squeak and perform how much of a saint you are could be amusing.

you took him to iris’ favorite coffee shop, not knowing if he was aware of it or not. and you didn’t care either way. you were just so familiar with the place. you ordered iris’ favorite dessert, as well as her very special coffee. and you didn’t even realize as you did so.

“are you playing the part of her?” he grumbled.

“huh?” you asked absent-mindedly, rewriting the things you were gonna tell him in your mind.

“are you playing the part of iris?” he repeated. you looked at him dumbfounded. why was he even bringing her up? I mean, sure, that was all you two had in common, but well…

“well, I'm not trying to,” you said. you just—you were just too much like her. you took a sip from your coffee. you’re not a naive child anymore, you reminded yourself.

“I just really need to say that I truly apologize for not trying to stop iris.” you began. and here we go, he observed your nervous demeanor.

“I know you probably don’t understand why I’m suddenly saying this, but you definitely do not deserve this kind of behavior,” you took a deep breath as you were getting ready to add the most important part. “and I promise I’ll do my best to let her know this is unacceptable, no matter how petulant she gets.” you explained.

he seemed still. it was like none of the bad treatments from her had actually affected him in a serious way. you would’ve believed in that if you hadn’t known any better. yet you did know. unfortunately you, and I can’t stress this enough, fucking knew about it all.

“about time you realize you’re an angel.” he mocked. as mentioned, he personally didn’t have any issues with you— he just hated it when you tried to redeem yourself… by using his very own problems.

“I’m aware you’re mad at me, and maybe you even think it’s just some kind of a savior complex. and you know what, you have reason.” you said. he shrugged, yet still wondering where this was going. he nodded, signing you to continue.

“but you don’t deserve this. and I always knew you didn’t.” you concluded. and, even though he knew this was all for your own good, it still felt good. it still felt somehow nice. it still helped him ease

and what made all this even more satisfying was the fact that you were her friend. you were iris’ dearest friend, apologizing to emil, to the creature she despised the most. he smiled—it wasn’t a warm one, yet somehow genuine in its own way. you smiled back, and for the first time, it didn’t feel as distant as it used to be. although he didn’t like you any better, you qualified him for a great opportunity. you allowed him to take one very important thing from his dear sister.

you.

[daughtersofzaun]

I want to make a long post about the hyperspecificities of arcane that have been eating me alive for the past couple months, for a couple reasons. For one, they are all I have been thinking about since I watched the show. It felt almost disoreinting how represented I felt while watching season one, and that was a new feeling for me. The second reason is because I see other people saying the same thing, and for the first time in a really long time, I dont feel alone in my relationship with my sister.

I heavily relate to Jinx. Part of that is the fact that she is a really good representation of CPTSD and BPD, and that isn’t something that is very common to see in my opinion, but more importantly, its her relationship with Vi. My parents are very good people and I never doubt that they did their best, but they never really cared much about me, and I was neglected. Most of the time it was just emotionally, so you know not really the end of the world, but it did mean that my sister was my only person. I have written a couple paragraphs on here about Jinx where I really have just been projecting, but let me write out the specifics of my situation and then you can try and spot the difference:

I had just turned 13 (powder act 1 is estimated to be 11/12?). I was already fairly mentally ill and it was probably going to get worse but it wasnt the worst thing in the world. I had my family that I’m sure loved me but I didn’t see or believe that at the time. I was really not doing that well, but I did have my sister. My sister was smart, and funny, and so insanley creative and talented and I absolutley worshipped that girl. Everything she did, I wanted to do it too and be just as good as her (I never was). And then my sister (who was 15 at the time) killed herself. And while this is obviously not the same situation as Jinx and Vi, I can’t help but obssess over the similarities. When my sister left me I felt so betrayed. I was angry that I was now alone, and even more than that I was angry that I had failed as a sister. After spending my entire life just trying to be like her and be like someone that she could like as much as i liked her, I was cut off. I no longer got to try anymore. It was essentially the world telling me game over. And I felt like I was the one that died. The disconnect from myself, my childhood, and even my name, were all things that I have spent years thinking about. And not only did I disconnect, but I went a little crazy. I ruined relationships, I destroyed any semblance of my old identity, and I yelled. A lot. I only started season one of Arcane back in November, coincidentally less than two weeks after the seven year aniversary of my sisters death, and holy shit. I saw me and her in jinx and vi before even finishing act one, and then I saw us even more in the following acts. Season two was maybe even worse. Some of the reasons for this I just physically cannot write out (maybe for lack of the right words, or maybe I just don’t want to), but one thing in episode eight was just discustingly specific. CW nightmares and suicide for the following btw:

For a couple years after my sisters suicide, I got these horrible reccuring nightmares. And they weren’t all the same, but the generaly plot line was that my sister was about to kill herself and there was nothing I could do about it. One of the specific ones- and you might see where this is going- was this nightmare where I was in some type of cell (occasionally a traditional one, other times something a litte wierder and more dream-like) and my sister was going to leave to go kill herself, and she woud tell me this. And there was nothing I could do. Anyways, there was something crazy gutwrenching about seeing the nightmare that made you afraid to go to sleep for years animated in a tv show with charcters you’ve already projected your entire life on.

Also, sibling grief is not a commonly relatable type of issue. Especially not sibling grief that was violent and traumatic. And after feeling so alone for so many years, seeing myself represented and seeing other people relate to these characters has been really intense.

I’m probably not ever going to be done rambling about them, but for now I think I am.

[cal-daisies-and-briars]

Here’s some for hanging out the very very fun prom fic!! 🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩

- Sarah

Thank you!

120 or 1k for 🪩:

---

“Okay,” Eddie replies. But he doesn’t look happy with this answer. 

Buck is frustrated by that, actually. He can’t just be tired? After the day he’s had? They have to talk about it right now? Maybe that’s hypocritical. Buck is usually the one pressing Eddie to talk. But can’t they just… Wait until morning? Fuck. 

“Okay?” Buck repeats.

“Yeah…” Eddie frowns. “I just… I just wanted to make sure we’re good.”

“Why wouldn’t we be good?” Buck asks. 

“Because today was weird and you’re currently speaking to me like I’m your adversary on a daytime court television show?”

Shit. He is sort of doing that, isn’t he? 

Buck sighs loudly. 

“Eddie, I have just had three incredibly frustrating days in a row, and I’ve been extending myself a lot lately, and I want to go to sleep, okay? That’s all I want. I’m not upset.”

Eddie offers him a sort of sympathetic frown. 

“You’ve been doing a lot,” Eddie says. “And I broke my foot at the worst possible time. I’m sorry I can’t help you more right now.”

Buck shakes his head. “It’s not even close to being your fault.”

“That doesn’t really change it, though,” Eddie says. “It sucks.”

“Yeah,” Buck says. His throat is tightening. His eyes feel a little watery. Fuck. “I just, uh… I really want things to go well.”

“I know you do,” Eddie nods. “But things are great, right? Apart from the broken foot and the busted Jeep?”

Well, he’s right. He’s right, but…

“But I…” Buck struggles. “I want to make sure Chris has the best prom experience he can. And I want to make sure we have the perfect wedding. And it really shouldn’t be this hard, but shit keeps going wrong!”

“It’s not all in your control,” Eddie says. “You know that.”

Buck wipes his eyes. “Yeah, but…”

Eddie puts his hands on Buck’s shoulders. “But nothing, Buck. Chris is going to have a great prom. We’re going to have a great wedding. It’s all okay. I promise.”

“Sorry,” Buck mumbles. “Sorry. I’m losing it a little.”

Eddie smiles, sympathetic. “That’s okay. We’ll give you a clipboard detox after and it’ll all be okay.”

Buck laughs and cries in tandem. “Do you know what the worst part is?”

“What?” Eddie asks. 

“I feel like I kind of understand where Ainslee is coming from.”

Eddie laughs brightly. “You? Really? No.” 

“Shut up,” Buck sniffs. “It’s not funny.”

“Well, it sort of is. Only if you’re just realizing now.”

“Stop,” Bug begs, unseriously. 

“Hey,” Eddie chuckles. “I get it. I can’t imagine the three of you in one vehicle.”

“You have to come with me next time,” Buck says.

“Oh, not until we’re married,” Eddie jokes. “For better or worse doesn’t start until then.” 

“You’re the worst,” Buck complains.

Eddie grins. “Can I see my surprise?”

“Absolutely not,” Buck shakes his head. “That’s for my husband. You’re just someone who won’t join me on the errands trip from hell.”

“True enough,” Eddie retorts, smirking. “Will you come to bed? I think tomorrow will be better.”

Buck takes a deep breath and nods.

“I’m not doing anything. Not a damn thing.”

“You deserve that,” Eddie agrees. 

Days to Prom: 1

Eddie has a surprisingly great sleep. Despite his foot, he’s comfortable and blissfully warm, all curled into Buck. This is much better than sleeping alone, like he thought he would that night. 

Buck needed to have that little meltdown, he thinks. He has a lot on his plate, and a lot to get off his chest. There’s a lot of stress, it turns out, in planning a happily ever after. Very different from the first wedding, where the stress was in trying to make everything seem like it wasn’t a rushed, pressured disaster. Maybe that’s why he’s so much less stressed than Buck. Regardless of what happens here, they really are marrying each other for the exact right reasons. He has nothing to worry about, even if the day falls somewhere short of perfect. Though, somehow he doubts it will.

[millenianthemums]

i think Mabel sometimes just gets the giggles and her friends like to egg her on. i also think she’d find Bill’s weird stories funny in general

also using this to announce that the next fic chapter is basically ready, i’m just trying to decide if it’s too long or not. nobody’s bugged me about it or anything, i just wanna make sure people know the fic’s not dead.

[chessb0r3d]

i cracked the code.

[he1chouarts]

he was 100% about to say “nothing compared to you,” I cannot be convinced otherwise. this man is slippin

[mystilotls]

The escalation from "I'm going to graffiti motivational quotes" to "I'm going to play obnoxious sirens of my voice everytime you get close" to "I'm going to unite with the server to bury you alive with your home, and I'm going to plant trees so it looks like you were never there" is certainly something.

[mattzerella-sticks]

Wolverine from X-Men: Evolution was a gay man, or at the very least queer. My evidence is as follows:

No defining/memorable romantic relationships with women AT ALL during the show's run. Jean was a teenager, he was an adult, and - unlike the Ultimate X-Men comics which served as inspiration for this series - these two did not have a romantic relationship nor did they have any romantic tension, the relationship between them instead mirroring a brother/sister one. The same can be said about Logan's other high-profile comics romantic interest, Storm, where their relationship was more like siblings as well rather than anything with romantic undertones.

This scene with Captain America -

[lab-gr0wn-lambs]

His reaction sent me to another dimension

[the-inner-musings-of-a-worm]

how funny would it be if neil was nicky’s favorite child. anytime he and the twins go visit him, nicky always hugs neil first. at neil’s graduation, nicky ugly cries so hard aaron had to shield off anyone that thought there was something wrong. (“what the hell nicky you didn’t even cry this much when i graduated” “MY BABY BOY IS ALL GROWN UP”) nicky addressing all his invites for neil as “my favorite child”. andrew and aaron pretending not to be insanely jealous of nicky treating neil like his firstborn son

aaron about to lose his mind: like, i don’t care that you have his picture hung up on the fireplace but why

nicky, having the time of his life: he’s just so special to me

neil in the corner eating popcorn: i can’t help being the best son

[hanzajesthanza]

on the scale of yennefer and nenneke to emhyr and calanthe, what is your relationship with your mother in-law like

[suhnandmoon]

making profiles for new sns aus is the one thing i dread. what am i gonna make their usernames… what fandom am i gonna put them in…. im truing to think of stuff for them to say knowing that no one really reads the profiles so non of this matters in the first place

[widevibratobitch]

do i really want this relationship to continue tho if i genuinely feel worse after every interaction with her and she is in 89% responsible for my already precarious self esteem crashing and plummeting most severely in the span of just three years?