#America arc

[fuckyeahmarxismleninism]

The Bolivian masses flooded the streets of La Paz and sent the military packing, crushing an attempted right-wing coup.

It CAN be done. We CAN win.

[age-of-moonknight]

“Systemic Approach (Part Two),” Avengers Unlimited (Vol. 1/2022), Infinity Comic, #64.

Writer: Mat Groom; Penciler and Inker: Caio Majado; Colorist: Pete Pantazis; Letterer: Joe Sabino

[shockpinkrosary]

Ever lasting purifying flame 🔥

Charm live now

[renonv]

What is bro fucking crying about DAMN he’s missing his brother and his home

Close upp 🆙

[saglaophonos]

crowley love interest-ing himself was the best and worst thing that could've happened to aziraphale's ego. like take edinburgh for example aziraphale does whatever he wants, follows his protagonist whims, and ultimately Learns Something Important. crowley lets him while showing him unconditional love and just cleans up whatever mess aziraphale leaves behind. it is the perfect dynamic and the best thing that the end of s2 does is blow it up because despite going on for thousands of years it is utterly unsustainable

[darkeyedreamer14]

POV. You're both a blonde, blue themed capitan, with some messed up age and a friend who supposedly "died" during the war but then came back missing a limb/limbs and you somehow ended up on opposite sides of the fight, and also a different friend who you fought one war with and another war with their child/children

And obviously, I had to add this as well

[emotionallyconstipatedturtle]

south america arc in a nutshell

[bluearc009]

[soldier-tf2-america]

papa :D *lil crawl over and lands face first cuz helmet too big, looks like a starfish* bleh

HELLO BABY MELON!

*picks Melon up and tosses her around*

I AM YOUR DAD AND SO IS ENGIE.

AND YOU ARE GOING TO BE LIVING THE BEST LIFE YOU CAN!

[bastart13]

The generals reincarnate into better people like the Witch Queen and teleport back to the fantasy world. How do you see it going?

Pfft oh my god, that's a wild image

Ralph voice: "Ha ha, I'm in danger..."

Oof they would not have a fun time. Even less power and authority than the Witch Queen and they're not seducing their way out of the dungeon like MC

Lennox and Jinhai would have fun grappling with suddenly being a new species. Jinhai would be half-dissociating, half-accepting of the new ears and hair. Lennox would be openly freaking out that he's sparkling and his irises have gone. Magnus, on the other hand, has to deal with being isekaied as a middle aged man

Jinhai would... probably have the easiest time? He made enemies, but he doesn't have to manage a cult or armies and he's not known for his deception. Probably still not the most tactful, but maybe some brutal honesty will get it across that he has no idea what the fuck is going on, why is he an elf??? His story would probably be learning to commune with his animals and repair their relationship to nature while helping Reiner's retainers

Lennox's cult is the big issue. They'd probably find him wherever he ends up, forcing him to act as their leader without a clue to what he's doing. He'd be lucky if Saerys doesn't kill him on the spot, and every attempt to smooth over misunderstandings with charisma would be seen as him manipulating his enemies. Once things cool down though, he'd probably have fun learning to fly and using magic

Magnus... Magnus, buddy... He'd be lucky to get out of the dungeon without being executed. Magnus is known to lie, cheat, and take advantage of any opportunity, no matter how immoral. It would not be out of character for him to trick Reiner and his only saving grace would be his pride and desperation to get back to the normal world. I think he'd have to find a way to disband or redirect his army against the Witch Queen to earn any kind of trust

[howlingday]

The boys and jaune are at the club looking for a girl so jaune can get laid.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C9c9kSjuO08/?igsh=OTJiZTJ0MHJqMzlm

Here's the link to more of the scene on YouTube. And thank you for inspiring me to make something a bit... creative at the end.

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Jaune: (Smiles)

Cinder: I've got a secret~.

Jaune: Oh?

Cinder: I WORSHIP SALEM.

Jaune: ...

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Harriet: (Chugging shots) See, that's the problem! I can't find a man who can satisfy me! Some guys can go an hour, maybe an hour and a half, but that's it! A man's got to put in overtime to get me off!

Jaune: ...

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Yang: I'm not interested in a guy unless he rides a motorcycle.

Jaune: ...

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Willow: Yeah, baby, well, I'm almost single. My husband's on death row!

Jaune: ...

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Melanie: This is the first date Missy's been on since the doctor separated us!

Miltiades: This is the first date Missy's been on since the doctor separated us!

Jaune: ...

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Blake: I'm into the group thing.

Jaune: ...

Sun: (Smiles)

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Salem: I was a powerful witch in a previous life.

Jaune: ...

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Penny: (Beatboxing)

Ruby: My name is Ruby, and I'm the best~. Everybody always wanna feel my breast~.

Ruby: Pick up, pick up, pick up, pick up...

Jaune: ...

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Nora: I've been doing some videos, but what I really want to do is star in my own videos, because I want to become a pop singer, and a rock singer, and write my own songs, and sing my own songs, and then I want to be an actress...

Jaune: (Nodding in and out)

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Tyrian: (In a dress) I hope you don't mind me coming over and sitting down, but I've been watching you all night~. And I wanna tear you apart~.

Jaune: !

Tyrian: And your friend, too~.

Cardin: (Spits out drink)

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Neptune: So, how's the hook up going?

Jaune: Terrible. I've spoken to probably a dozen girls tonight and not one of them feels right to me.

Cardin: Pssh! It's not about feeling right, Arc. It's about getting you some so you can stop being such a sad-sack!

Ren: I think what Cardin is trying to say is that you're looking too deep for a commitment. Tonight is just helping you make an attempt with a woman. Nothing more, nothing less.

Sun: Well, you guys might be losers, but I managed to get that groupie chick's number.

Jaune: Yeah, have fun with that. Hope you can find a player two.

Sun: Easy! Neptune, you in?

Neptune: Sorry, Sun, but I'm already spoken for tonight. See, I was just having the most interesting conversation with that hottie in the black dress.

Jaune: Well, be careful, because I don't think you're the only one working some magic tonight.

Cardin: Damn right! That babe in purple was hungry for some Winchester, and I'm ready to serve myself up on a silver platter~.

Jaune: ...Cardin, no. Just no. (Sighs) Ren, can you help him?

Ren: I'm afraid not, no. I'm going to be busy with my own escapades tonight.

Jaune: Yeah? What girl?

Ren: Women, actually. The biker girl and the dreamer.

Jaune: Oof... Hope you've got the horsepower and the earmuffs to land it, buddy.

Ren: I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself. Thank you for your concern, Jaune.

Jaune: So, everybody's getting laid tonight but me?

Cardin: Ah, just hammer back a few and pick one, Arc. It's not rocket science!

Jaune: Yeah, you're right. This makes brain surgery look easy.

Jaune: (Malachites dump drinks on him)

Jaune: ...I'm going home.

Sun: Dude, don't-

Jaune: Nope. Not doing it. (Walks out)

Neptune: Poor guy... Think he'll be okay?

Cardin: He's fine! Now, where'd that feisty purple chick go~?

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Jaune: (Walking up the stairs, Sighs) Fucking stupid-ass...

???: Are you okay?

Jaune: Huh? (Sees woman in work clothes)

???: You look like you've had a rough night.

Jaune: That's 1 way to put it. (Unlocks door) But nothing a shower can't fix, right?

???: Ooh...

Jaune: What?

???: I just spoke with the super. He said that side of the building was going to be without water until tomorrow.

Jaune: Great. Just... fucking... great. (Sighs)

???: I... don't think it's as great as you say it is. (Chuckles)

Jaune: No, but it's basically par for the course.

???: Oh, do you play golf?

Jaune: Uh, no, I'm not really a sports kind of guy.

???: Oh, really? Would you say you're a drinking kind of guy?

Jaune: Better in me than on me, actually. (Chuckles)

???: (Giggles) Well, I don't have anything stronger than coffee, I'm afraid.

Jaune: Agh, and I forgot to get coffee today. (Chuckles) Guess I can't get a win tonight, huh?

???: I guess not. But if you'd like, I could make us a cup.

Jaune: ...I don't think your husband would appreciate me coming inside smelling like I do.

???: Husband? (Looks down) Oh... No, I... I'm afraid I'm not married anymore. (Twists ring)

Jaune: Oh... Shit, I... I'm so sorry.

???: Thank you, but... It's been some time since he passed away. Maybe... Maybe it's time I move on... (Pulls off ring)

Jaune: I... I think you should move on when you feel like you're ready to move on.

???: (Smiles) You're sweet, you know that?

Jaune: Yeah, well, sweet only takes you so far.

???: Well, if you're not too sweet, you can use my shower. So long as you don't melt like sugar.

Jaune: (Chuckles) Thanks, and, uh, I promise not to melt in your shower.

???: I should have coffee ready by the time you're out.

Jaune: Oh, well, thank you. Uh, do you have sugar, too, or should I dip you in my coffee instead?

???: ...

Jaune: Too far? Sorry. I think it's the booze in my hair.

???: No, no, it's fine. It just took me a minute to realize you were making a sugar pun, too. (Chuckles)

Jaune: Yeah... Uh, listen, is it really okay if I use your shower?

???: Of course! I was going to use it myself, but you look like you could use it more. (Opens door)

Jaune: Thank you, (Walks in) and I promise not to take all the hot water.

???: Please don't. (Walks in, Shuts door) I could use a shower myself after such a long day.

Jaune: Rough night, too, huh?

???: Well, nothing's too rough for this tough, little lady. (Giggles)

Jaune: And, uh, does this tough, little lady have a tough, little name?

???: Hardly. If anything, it's as delicate as a flower.

Jaune: Well... My name's Jaune Arc. It's short, sweet, and rolls off the tongue. The ladies love it~.

???: (Snickers) Do they, now? Well, my name is Kali Belladonna, but I don't think I can come up with anything as creative as your introduction there.

Jaune: (Chuckles) Yeah, sorry. But at least it's not as bad as the songs I come up with.

Kali: Oh, you sing?

Jaune: Just as a hobby. Is this the bathroom here?

Kali: Mhm. Help yourself.

Jaune: But not too much. (Winks) Beautiful flower like you needs water, too.

Kali: (Giggles) Oh, stop~.

Jaune: (Enters, Locks door)

Kali: ...

Kali: (Sighs)

Kali: Kali Belladonna, this is how you get hurt.

Kali: (Takes off clothes, Unlocks door) Well... Here's hoping this is worth it...

[ltwilliammowett]

The ARC Gloria, a training vessel (the colorful partyboat in that pic) for the Armada of the Republic of Colombia, just behind “Old Ironsides.” aka USS Constitution, 23 August 2023

[hells-plaid-angel]

 Carson McCullers - The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

[ivysos2001]

You still can’t convince me that the whole ‘Steve abandons everyone in the present to go back to Peggy’ thing was a well thought out/well developed ending for his character that made any sense for his post-catfa character arc (let alone all the time travel stuff) bc wdym none of the people who made the movie can figure out the logistics of it??

[emblazons]

Thinking about how people who only (or primarily) understand Mike’s arc through a “hes queer and coming to accept it / struggling with heteronormativity/will get his happy ending when he gets with Will” lens are missing at least half of what defines his arc in the wider context / themes of the show.

Forewarning: long post (& also maybe an unpopular opinion)

Even as a queer person myself, I know that his arc isn’t solely about embracing his queerness (though it’s inherently interlinked). In Mike, you have a character who is being radically challenged by both external circumstances and his own decisions through a journey away from all kinds of forced conformity (social, familial, romantic & heteronormative) and into someone self actualized enough to live how they want…while also being strong enough to accept that they made mistakes along the way. Someone who is learning to be brave enough to say “this is who I am, what I enjoy, and what/who I love…and while it took me a lot of time to figure it out, now I can exist in the world embracing that even though it will take consistently resisting the tendency to accommodate people who think it’s unacceptable.”

Like. Even from a time before puberty (see: S3) Mike wants a life that stands apart from what’s expected of him in every area, not just in choosing a romantic relationship with another guy. He wants to continue to be a nerd and “child at heart” even though something else is repeatedly demanded of him by everyone from his parents to El in his romantic relationship. He wants to be a writer and someone who takes those nerdy interests into his adult life (cue aggressive gesturing toward the duffers themselves) and grates against all that’s been constructed for him even when he’s not (yet) brave enough to challenge it directly. Mike liking boys/loving Will is just “the final nail in the coffin” of his social and societal nonconformity—not the first (or the last) aspect of what makes him different from Hawkins or the life he was made to believe would suit him best.

Even the fact that Mike has a desire to be “normal” comes from an insecurity and fear that choosing what he truly wants will lead to him being outcasted and losing the people he cares for entirely—which is partially motivated by his queerness yes, but that also has a basis in his general interests and personality…which becomes especially obvious when you realize we are repeatedly shown that he is punished/has his wishes ignored in all areas he doesn’t conform, even long before we get into a plot where it’s clearer he likes boys.

We see it in how his parents have already started to demand he put boundaries on the time he spends playing his “childhood games” the very first scene of season one, how they demand social acceptable emotions from him when Will is missing, and how Karen & Ted want him to give up toys in S2 when he’s showing signs of depression (because they think the issue is him growing up, not that he’s struggling with loss or guilt for what happened to El).

We see it in how his own father comments about taking his CA trip away from him after calling Hellfire being a group for “dropouts” in S4 (implying that he is failing on an academic and social level that matters to wheelers—and that Nancy is good at).

We even see it in the way everyone from his bullies to his own girlfriend threaten and take things away from him when he doesn’t conform to social expectations...from Troy telling him to jump off the cliff to save Dustin in S1 (as punishment for the one time Mike stands up for himself in the gymnasium) to El jumping straight into breaking up with him and spying on him when he doesn’t do exactly what she wants him to in Season 3.

All of these moments are critical to understanding Mike as a person because they show us that, even without addressing his queerness, Mike’s desire to conform to socialized expectations involves but is not solely about him moving out of heteronormativity—it’s about him moving against everything that WASP, patriarchal, heteronormative and capitalistic and performative “wholesome American” values…and how he is learning to move past the fear of what will happen if he steps outside the lines in general, even though he already knows he hates those standards.

Mike’s “coming of age” arc is about finding the strength to choose the “path less traveled” in all areas of his life—even when it means (potentially) losing the support of the people he cares about. It’s about starting from a place of privilege and becoming okay with being outcasted from it in a way your insecurities never let you be before (which is inherently different than Will, who has always been shown to have some kind of support not just for his queerness but his artistic endeavors as well). Mike’s lack of support is why he starts from a place of deep insecurity, yes—but it’s also why him learning power of choosing to be himself, even if it means “losing” people when he’s honest about who (& what) he is will be universally powerful.

You don’t need to be queer to understand the power of what it means to know you will be okay even if people leave you. You don’t need to be queer to understand the power of stepping outside social expectations or your family’s way of raising you. You don’t even need to be queer to understand the weight of breaking up with someone you were only with to satisfy what you thought you should do, rather than be with who you want to.

The power of being strong enough to overcome your insecurities in order to “step out of line” and live and love as you want to is universal, and a stunningly brave choice no matter what or why you chose to do so. The fact that Will will be there waiting to love him in that honesty with himself is beautiful, yes—but it’s not the only lesson to be learned for Mike’s character.

Mike starting out with everything the world (or, at least America) tells would make you happy, realizing he is not happy with those things and rejecting them knowing it might have consequences is what makes his arc powerful, because he is learning (exactly like his sister Nancy) to be brave enough to accept those consequences (which for him are getting dumped, and feeling like he’s being left behind by some of his friends) to follow his own heart.

Even though The Duffers aren’t writing this into a tragic ending (aka: he’s not going to die or be left alone, because the duffers writing is inherently designed ro champion the outcast), these are the things that have (and will) make him relatable even to an audience that doesn’t know queerness. Erasing the fact that his lesson is the bravery it takes to follow your heart solely to talk about him liking guys (even Will) is to undermine his humanity, and the lessons to be learned from him by even the most general an audience.

TL:DR - the heteronormative aspect of Mike’s character is not the sole or even inherent issue within Mike, though heteronormativity is inherently built into his struggle.

There are deep dives on how his arc is also about a war against toxic patriarchy, toxic masculinity, emphasis on capitalistic and academic accomplishments over artistic ones, and even conformist relationships (whether they’re queer or not) that should be explored for his character—and I for one like him too much not to move out of just “this boy is queer because xyz” and into “let’s talk about Mike in terms of the wider scope of his cultural context and upbringing.” 🤷🏽‍♀️😂