#alright! it's here- and completed-

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

im so Normal. totally not shaking and crying rn

[puppyeared]

tw flashing images, implied death

please for the love of god reblog this, it took me 3 days

[tainebot01]

The time has come for me to share my concepts for future Kay and Stacey.

[stardust-moth]

In order to fully understand why it was so hard for Mike to express how deeply he loves El, and why his speech at the end of season 4 was one of the biggest, most important moments for his entire character, we need to look at not just who Mike is as a person, but also everything that has happened since he met her.

Every single time he opens up his heart to her, something horrible happens to her or she's taken away from him almost immediately afterwards.

1x08; he's an awkward little ball of feelings that are way too big for a boy so young. He makes a nervous attempt at confessing and asking her out on a date; when he can't find words that she'll understand, swoops in for a kiss instead. She lights up immediately and smiles. It's a brief moment of hope and pure happiness. Maybe they can have some semblance of a normal life and be normal kids after this is all over.

Minutes later, all hell breaks loose-- they're almost shot, El pushes herself too far until she can barely move, she's almost taken away by the Bad Men, the Demogorgon appears, and she uses the very last of her strength to sacrifice herself to save him and their friends.

He has to watch helplessly as she disappears.

He spends a year caught between believing she's dead and hoping she's still out there somewhere (but if she is alive then why won't she talk to him anymore...?). Kept silent under threat by the lab, he can't confide in anyone or even acknowledge her existence, not with anyone except those involved... but everyone else is keen on moving on and pretending it never happened. He can find some solidarity in Will, at least, who is in a similar kind of emotional turmoil... but it's not the same and it's not enough.

2x9; he is finally reunited with El, and she runs into his arms like she missed him too. She tells him that all those nights he called out to her, she heard him; she was there reciprocating his feelings the whole time.

In a burst of emotions that he's been forced to suppress for an entire year, he lashes out at the reason they've been kept apart (Hopper), screaming and sobbing. It's a massive catharsis for him, and for once an adult is understanding enough to hold him and not punish him for it.

Minutes later, she is going to go headfirst into a pit of monsters, the place where Mike had just firsthand witnessed dozens of people (if not more) get ripped to shreds only hours earlier, and she is going to attempt to close the Gate-- a feat that he knows may take every ounce of her power, just like last time. He cries. He can't lose her again. She promises he won't, and before she can seal that promise with a kiss, they're pulled apart again.

He has to watch helplessly as she drives away.

3x1; all seems to be okay now. He and El are happily together, and he feels comfortable enough to be playful, romantic, and intimate with her. It's the most emotionally open we've ever seen Mike thus far.

For reasons he can't understand (bc there's no way Hopper explained himself beyond "I'm in charge so do as I say or else"), Hopper is angry about it and threatens to never allow him to see her again: the one thing he fears most.

He panics big time and fucks it up in the process by lying to her. During a frantic attempt to apologize while also abiding by Hopper's rules, he runs into her at the mall. He panics again-- if anyone finds her here, and knows that he was here too, it's all over, and Hopper surely won't hear reason. El dumps him cold on the spot, spurred on by Max and her rebellious attitude (and without any context of course). He isn't given much opportunity to respond. He knows he's in the wrong for lying to her, so what could he even say...?

He has to watch helplessly as she drives away.

It's a hard blow, and he retreats back into himself, unable to get any joy out of playing D&D (which he clearly hasn't lost interest in), back to the deadpan sarcasm and accidentally snapping a little too harshly at anyone whom he feels would take El's place.

3x6; no one seems to understand the danger El is putting herself in. Everyone is berating him for worrying about her safety. He's seen firsthand what these monsters do to people, he's seen firsthand how El pushes her abilities too far. No one is listening.

The words "I love her and I can't lose her again" burst out in his desperation, perhaps before he's even had a chance to realize how deep those feelings run, despite whatever protective walls he's tried to build around his heart to keep it from getting broken again.

Soon after, all hell breaks loose. El is nearly killed several times over, her leg is ripped open, she pushes herself so hard that she breaks herself and loses her powers completely. Her father is taken from her. She's shattered by all of this, and there's absolutely nothing he could do or say to make it better.

She tells him that when he admitted he loves her, she heard him, and indeed she loves him, too... But now she's leaving.

He has to watch helplessly as she drives away.

4x1; they've been apart for a few months, and write letters back and forth to each other. El's letters paint a picture of an ideal new life: she and the Byers family are doing well; she's starting school and it's going well; she's made new friends, she likes her new home, everything is going well. She seems to be thriving. She sounds happy, maybe even happier than she had been living in Hawkins. Maybe Max was right, maybe she's better off being her own person without him, and maybe the respectful thing to do is step back... It's a small insecurity that creeps up subconsciously. In his replies he holds back, afraid of clinging too hard.

Though there's little logic in it, he's afraid that if he tells her he loves her again, another disaster might strike and this lovely happy life she's finally found might get taken from her. After all, that's what always seems to happen when he does.

4x2; after months of waiting, they can finally see each other again. He wears her favorite colors, picks a handful of flowers for her, and falls happily back into step with how they used to be. Soon that same day, however, reality becomes clear and the facade crumbles. People he was told were her friends show up to torment and publicly humiliate her. She had been lying. She isn't happy here, she hasn't healed, she is right at the edge of a breaking point that he doesn't see coming at all. He can't believe she would lie to him, she's not the kind of person to lie... especially not about something like bullying, something that she was always so understanding about with him.

On that logicless subconscious level, he wonders if it's all his fault-- he should have known somehow, he should have been there for her. She protected him from his bullies, he should have protected her from hers. He tries to come to her rescue. She runs away from him.

He's helpless to save her, again.

4x3; after a night to process everything that happened-- and deciding that the betrayal he feels from her lying to him is nothing compared to the turmoil she must be going through right now-- Mike approaches her in the gentlest way possible, wanting to listen and trying to understand. El, however, isn't receptive at all to his attempts at reassurance. She is at an all-time low, she's given up. She believes she is unlovable, irredeemable, a monster, just a thing that doesn't even have those superhuman abilities to compensate anymore. Mike can't believe what he's hearing-- doesn't she know that she's always been so much more than her powers? She's always been so much more than what she lacks in quote-unquote "normalcy"... None of those things matter, they have absolutely no bearing on whether she's worthy of being loved, because he loves her, completely regardless of any of these things. He always has...

El starts flinging his restrained words back at him, the products of his insecurity and trauma-induced fear. That fear takes hold yet again, and he stumbles, afraid of saying too much or not enough, because surely both could result in pushing her away-- she's retreating, hearing none of it; nothing he tries to say consoles her.

Moments later, local police come knocking. She's taken away in cuffs, and she's so broken inside that she won't even look at him when he chases the police car down the street and promises he'll get her out somehow...

Once again, he has to watch helplessly as she drives away.

4x8/4x9; after days of driving through the heat and dryness of southwest desert, having narrowly escaped being shot at with military-grade assault rifles, witnessing the death of and burying a man whose last words were that El is in danger... After watching dozens of people get mowed down by a sniper in a helicopter, and watching that same helicopter be smashed into the ground in a ball of flames...

There she is. Just as powerful and beautiful and alive as she's ever been. When he runs to her and embraces her, she looks at him like she can't believe he's real. She's beaming a smile right from her soul and it's like all the insecurity and self-doubt that have plagued them both just vanish from existence now that they're in each other's arms again.

Like always, however, the universe comes crashing down soon after. Max is marked for a gruesome death and all of Hawkins is in danger. They're miles away and helpless, and the only possible way for El to save everyone is if she goes in alone. She's stronger than ever, but so is her foe. Once again, she descends to face all the demons of hell on her own, and Mike can't do anything.

She's losing. She's choking. She's dying. He's helpless.

He must be cursed. He must be. Being with her, loving her, allowing himself to admit he loves her, it always brings only pain and suffering and loss. His heart is so full that it's aching, it's bursting out of his chest, and he can't contain it any longer.

She's going to die and it's going to be all his fault, because he fell in love, and it's cursed her.

Just before it all crumbles into utter despair, the earnest support from his oldest and dearest friend-- one who's always shared and understood his feelings of helplessness-- sparks a light of hope in him: "You're the Heart." You're not helpless. You can save her.

The words that come spilling out of Mike's mouth are truer than any he's ever dared to speak before, and it's the most terrified he's ever been, but he has enough courage for this moment. Despite all of the fears that have been building, stifling, choking him to death for years-- fears that the light of his life will inevitably disappear again, and there's nothing he can do to stop it-- despite it all, he pours out his heart to her.

He loves her. He's always loved her. He loves everything she ever was, is, and could be. He can't imagine a world without her in it. She saved him, in every way a person can be saved. And he needs her to live. He believes in her.

And it works. It's music to her ears.

[doubleedgemode]

Happy summer, everybody!

This has been a big project to take and while there's stuff to improve I'm pretty happy with it. Be sure to zoom in the big picture for details and read the comic from left to right. (Needless to say, please don't try A.B.A's behaviour.. For your safety)

Bonus doodle:

[dukeofthomas]

why is everyone so obsessed with absolving bruce of all responsibility and fault. like no actually he is not 100% innocent in the child vigilantes he did in fact literally just Yoink Jason and make him robin at the ripe age of 12. jason would Not have become a vigilante (or died!) if bruce hadn't made him that. like he is actually 100% responsible for picking up a kid and turning them into a soldier

[sgtcalhouns]

Angels Like You

I know that you're wrong for me

Gonna wish we never met on the day I leave

I brought you down to your knees

‘Cause they say that misery loves company

It’s not your fault I ruin everything

And it’s not your fault I can’t be what you need

Baby, angels like you can’t fly down here with me

I’m everything they said I would be

a short-ish update to the fresh start au, Tamora reflects on recent events. enjoy!

I should’ve fought harder for you.

Wiping the sweat from her brow, Tamora left the gym and headed into the locker room. She’d been hoping that some exercise would help her work through the emotional roller coaster she had been on for the last several days, or at least help her clear her mind, but it seemed she was having no such luck. Every time she closed her eyes she could hear those words and see the look on Felix’s face after he said it; the dread had been easy to identify, but there was something else she hadn’t been able to put her finger on. She had convinced herself that the jumble of emotions she had been struggling to control would make sense if only she could figure out what else had been hiding in his expression.

After a full 24 hours of rumination got her nowhere, she decided to take the opposite approach and try to keep her mind off of it. Felix had been struggling with his emotions that night and the following morning, but he clearly intended to talk to her when he was ready. There was no use continuing to dwell on things. No use inventing explanations for his behavior. All she was doing was torturing herself, she knew. But no matter how hard she tried, I should’ve fought harder for you had taken up permanent residence in her mind.

To make matters worse, the perky little whatshername who worked reception at the gym had immediately taken an interest in Felix.

“Who was that man that came to see you?” she had asked.

Tamora didn’t feel like getting into the details, so she had described him as an old friend. In hindsight, she probably should’ve been more specific.

“He’s cute.”

“Yeah,” Tamora had replied absentmindedly, thoughts already beginning to spiral. “Adorable.”

They hadn’t spoken much, Tamora and the girl at reception. She was nice. There was no reason to dislike her. No reason for the anger that flared in her chest at the suggestion that this girl might be interested in Felix. Lots of people were interested in Felix; he was cute. It shouldn’t bother her so much that someone else had taken notice.

All of her emotions swirled into an unintelligible mess. She suddenly felt possessive of Felix, a feeling that was immediately chased by guilt—she had no right to feel that way when she had been the one to break things off. Especially not after she had caused him so much distress throughout their relationship.

Felix deserved far better than Tamora had to offer. Maybe he should go out with this girl. She was friendly and kind and outgoing like him; the kind of person she had always felt he deserved. The two of them could hold hands and skip off into the sunset and Tamora would eventually get over it, cut herself off from the world, and rest easy knowing she had saved Felix from spending the rest of his life under her dark cloud of gloom. She’d enjoyed her fair share of days in the sunshine that radiated from him—maybe it was time to give someone else a turn.

It was a bitter truth, one she struggled to swallow. If he started dating someone else, she didn’t think she could be his friend. Even trying to imagine it now, the thought made her squirm. She couldn’t stomach seeing him with another woman, witnessing firsthand how every touch, sweet gesture, and pet name was not something he reserved just for her, but something that was written into his DNA. He always had a way of making her feel like the only woman who had ever turned his head, and she had always had a hard time believing it. Seeing him with someone else would cement the truth—she wasn’t special. Not to Felix, not really. Not to the only person who had ever really made her feel special.

As she passed by the neat row of lockers lining the wall, she bit back the urge to slam her fist into the cold metal. It was the most malleable surface within reach, though she was sure it would still do some decent damage to her hand if she gave in. This was a nice gym, she didn’t want to cause any problems. And she really didn’t want to deal with the sort of reputation that would surely follow such a decision. She had worked hard to curate a public persona that was more palatable than the anger and angst that hid beneath the surface.

Here in her new life, she was pleasant and quiet. She had made it out of the military without any emotional baggage, and she used the skills she had picked up there to improve the lives of others. She wasn’t defined by her most traumatic experience, and she was never the subject of pity. If she gave in to the rage coursing through her veins, there would certainly be questions. Why would someone so pleasant and well-adjusted do such a thing? The illusion she had so carefully crafted would quickly unravel, and she wasn’t prepared to deal with the consequences.

Taking a deep breath, she sat on the bench in the center of the room. Part of her wished she could be angry at Felix for popping back up in her life and forcing the emotions she had suppressed for so long to resurface. She hadn’t exactly been happy before, but there was definitely less angst. But deep down, she knew that none of what she was experiencing was his fault. It wouldn’t be fair to blame him for the misery she had brought upon herself. Not to mention the misery she had caused him.

It occurred to Tamora that she could stop this. She had an opportunity to end the cycle of heartbreak that would continue for as long as she remained in Felix’s life. Whether or not it made her happy was irrelevant; her mission was clear. With newfound resolve, she walked out to the lobby and marched straight up to the reception counter.

“Hey,” she said, grabbing the receptionist’s attention. “I have a question for you. About my friend.”

The girl nodded, visibly intimidated by Tamora’s direct line of questioning. The sergeant continued, undeterred.

“Are you interested?”

[brainworms-all-night-long]

Alright so I took a shower and I'm ready to yap into the void and it goes something like this

Post-show and prime bros shenanigans, star wars intro subtitle scroll Somehow The Council Has Returned and they're very much salty about being dethroned, so they make a scuffed time machine to get themselves a few years back to the prime of their power. Fight happens over it, something gets fucked in the machine in the meantime and it hits none other than Nine. Good ol angsty baby shenanigans ensue while this time the full attempt is at sealing the council into the abyss permanently.

Nine of course has an amnesia-type thing except it's not really because you can't lose the memories of a future you so that's a lot of fun. Not for Nine though, no fun in being a defenseless little baby, but for Sonic, who gets to carry around and spoil a fox kit again (though he has to keep and bear in mind that that's a completely different fox kit ok? Ok good, don't want anything to go awry there haha)

The main draw of this is like, the culmination at the end once Nine is back to normal. And because I will never give him a break it would be so that he got his actual horrible terrible past memories back but now they're displaced with the somehow fresh ones, where Sonic actually cared for and loved him, where Nine got at least a small snapshot of the childhood he always wished to have

[simplepotatofarmer]

like, despite laelaps genuinely being nervous about techno figuring out who he really is, he absolutely feels some kind of glee at knowing he's annoying techno as much as techno annoyed him.

[dreadark]

thanks to lemuen complaining about aulus not shutting the fuck up, I think we can safely conclude he was in fact the guy thorns was fighting in leonhardt's kin memories

this still doesn't explain why leonhardt has thorns kin memories but I don't think that one is ever being explained

[averlym]

ghostwriter (their grandma would tell them she'd lose half her soul)

[spicyicymeloncat]

Idk if this is a hot take but why is it always “Kai slaved away and worked his ass off to raise his sister” and never the other way round or them working hard together?

Like, I know he’s older but in the show, does he really… act older? Like if you think about Kai and Nya’s dynamic yknow? Because from my understanding:

When Kai and Nya are introduced we see Kai fail at making a sword and Nya being the one to chide him for it. Kai makes an overconfident statement about wanting to be a better blacksmith than his father. This suggests that one, Kai is rather rash as well as inexperienced (something that lines up with the rest of his character arc in the pots and also generally), with Nya being the more mature figure in contrast

Also just a note but in the shorts: “I can handle it!” “No you can’t, stupid”

Kai frequently being very good at neglecting people or things: leaving Lloyd at an arcade whilst being focused on finding samurai x, not even knowing samurai x was Nya or that she only did it because she felt left out by him, completely abandoning both Nya and Lloyd in s3 (and Ik he was going through it at the time, but in line with the fandom’s characterisation of him)

Kai in season 5: “After I lost my dad, I lost my way. But I was lucky to have my sister watch over me”

Generally, their dynamic isn’t one where Kai really provides for Nya at all. In fact, judging by the fact that Nya can make entire mechs and Kai struggled to make a sword, Nya was probably busting her ass to provide for Kai. And judging by the s5 quote, that’s probably true. I’m not saying Nya raised Kai, it just rubs me the wrong way when she’s treated like a decorative flourish to a narrative that paints Kai as a burnt out child who was forced to grow up too soon especially since that is such a mischaracterisation of him in the first place.

[milo-the-professional-yapper]

So I just rewatched the Attack on Titan ending for the second time and of course the ending has me all fucked up. I’ve been trying to find some fix-it fics on ao3 but I can’t seem to find much even with all of my filtering. There’s a lot of shipping fics and I’m not really looking for that- the only exception would probably be Eren/Mikasa but that’s mostly it. Background ships are fine too but I need that ending specifically REWRITTEN.

Anyone have any recommendations? I’d like to have happy feelings again pls.

[ttaibhse]

my goal was 4k in 30 min really really didnt think i was going to make it 🥹🥹🥹

[camping-with-monsters]

“OOHOOHOOHOO!! NOW WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU’RE GOING!?”

ah! finally finished coloring this! put it on halt for a while! anyways uh. funny ghost bird guy from funny music game or something like that

[kizzington]

Not aiming this at anyone specifically, but I’m genuinely so disappointed & annoyed at the fact no one in my real life circles bothered to reach out to me to check up on me regarding the recent Liam Payne/One Direction news.