#dont let their hate win!!
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If you've voted early, especially by mail, PLEASE make sure that your ballot has been received and counted!! Vote.org has a link to ballot trackers for every state - it should take only a few minutes to confirm your vote.
And, most importantly, don't let these scare tactics stop you from voting!! This is exactly what Trump supporters want - to spread fear, and ultimately reduce the number of people exercising their right to vote. He said it himself - if everyone could vote, Republicans would never win again.
Please, go vote. Vote early! Check your ballot! Volunteer to get a poll worker if you can! They can only win through our apathy, because we are stronger than their fear.
#VOTE!!!!#vote blue#vote democrat#vote harris#it is the single most important election of our lives#and if we're not careful - it could be our last#dont let their hate win!!#also this is a PSA that vancouver is also a city in washington state and not the one in canada 🤣#theres info in the article about requesting an additional ballot if youre worried that yours may have been damaged#2024 election#its the final countdown#us politics#*sigh*#but yeah oregon is 100% mail in vote since like 1999#so this is actually a big deal!!
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Anyway I wish this show was actually bold enough to give Miguel an arc exploring his feelings of entitlement over the captaincy spot. Throughout the show Johnny has repeatedly told Miguel that Robby is a lost cause but hey, It’s okay because he has Miguel now. That Miguel’s his champion, his Number One Boy. So how could Miguel not feel at least somewhat entitled to the captain spot? How could he not feel insecure about his place in Johnny’s life with Robby not just back in the picture, but now literally taking the number one spot? When Johnny has repeatedly put into both kids heads that when it comes to his love and attention its one vs. the other, how could there be no lingering feelings of resentment and jealousy?
#like my kingdom for them to let miguel have Real Actual Feelings about anything ever!#i dont have any real hopes of them actually exploring this#i think any frustration miguel feels towards robbys will be framed solely in the context of him being stressed about getting into stanford#which is also like. i wish this show would show us WHY miguel cares so much about stanford#and its not like its not understandable!#people talk about robbys trauma bc its so plainly obvious#but after the year or two miguels had it makes sense that he wants a real tangible Win#that he wouldn’t want all the pain and trauma to be for nothing. that he can spin it as a triumphant story of how he overcame#some extreme adversity to get into one of the top schools in the country#but the show hasnt actually shown us that miguel feels that way at all#and i dont need them to spell it all out for me hut man it would be nice to give us SOMETHING. literally anything even remotely close to an#actual arc for Miguel before the show ends#and like none of this is miguel or johnny or robby hate btw…characters are flawed and thats a good thing#i just wish the show would actually explore the impact of those flaws on the people around them#and also jealousy is a very normal feeling as is competition in sports#but it would be cool if the explored how that is compounded by everything johnny has put these kids through and the way he has constantly#even if unintentionally positioned them against each other#but anyway!#cobra kai#miguel diaz#robby keene
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aromantic mike chilton for @aggressivelyarospec week!!!! :D
accompanying story under the cut!
It didn't work out with Julie.
They had broken up and decided it would be best to stay friends. After all, with Mike... nothing really changed at all. Like... nothing.
And that was kinda the problem.
Julie didn't think herself to be too judgmental of a person, not after everything everyone's been through. She and the Burners worked hard, played hard, and succeeded together (oftentimes against all odds).
They slept in cuddle piles after dinner some nights whenever Julie could slip away for more than a day without arousing her dad's suspicions. They passed bongs around for a lung-hacking hit or two, went skinny-dipping in the lake at night, patched up each other's bloody wounds countless times.
And then somewhere down the line, Julie fell in love with Mike.
She had no idea when exactly, since she doesn't really do feelings like that, can't afford to with a life like hers. But it happened... somehow.
Julie couldn't quite place exactly what it was that initially drew her to him, especially at first. Sure, the guy was friendly, decisive, assertive without being too overbearing, and unbearably charming. But.
It was the charm that caught poor Julie totally off-guard, really. She'd often hear her father ranting and raving about his golden-prodigal-son-turned-traitor, and his ID photo in his file wasn't really much to look at, either. Julie would never admit it out loud, but she had snuck down to Motorcity for the first time ever with low expectations.
Later, she came back up to her pod in Deluxe with stars in her eyes.
But she wasn't in love with him then, no. She knew this because she was pretty sure her constant Mike Thoughts did not manifest until after the kids all went to Antonio's together for the first time.
It was summertime, around nine months after the group was (un)officially formed. The heat had Mike shirking his jacket and leaving it in Mutt, and his old t-shirt was getting a tad bit tight after all the exercise he was getting around the hideout, especially after Texas moved his workout gear in and Mike took him up on his offer for semi-regular sparring sessions.
And boy, did that Mike fella fill out. Mhmm.
Even Julie-- a girl who was mostly blind to typical male affections directed at her in school-- had to admit to herself that when Mike put on a little more weight in the right places, when his biceps bulged a bit as he flexed an arm and his shoulders got a bit wider... it took a lot more effort to wrench her studious gaze away.
Geez Louise.
Before long, she was doodling their initials and combining both of their names in her little sketchpad. Gag. Gross.
But Mike never seemed to pay attention to her the same way in return. She didn't catch him looking away from her at inopportune times, and he'd never lay a single hand on her aside from a typical friendly pat on the shoulder, or a comfortable lean on an arm while the Burners all lounged around during movie nights. Hell, he seemed more affectionate with his best friend Chuck than he was with her most times.
So she kept her thoughts to herself. Easy peasy. She kept secrets from her dad, from her friends, and now from Mike. Like everything else, she created a neat, separate file in her head and tucked that little secret away. She managed to conceal it for long enough.
Until it became too big to ignore.
And then it happened.
And it really just... happened. Julie hardly registered herself even doing it.
It happened like this: Mike had rescued Julie from certain death at the lake after she crashed an out-of-control 9 Lives out through the barricades and into the water, and they were panting and coughing up water on the sand after Mike succeeded in dragging her out. Dutch and Texas were busy racing around and distracting the Kanebots, luring them all away from the pair.
Julie didn't say anything. Neither of them did. Julie just... surged forward when she blinked the water out of her eyes and saw him, his angelic face hovering mere inches away from hers. She remembered the dewey drops on his long lashes and the warmth of his lips more than anything else.
And then she's pretty sure she blacked out afterwards because the next thing she remembers, she's waking up on the couch wrapped in blankets and towels, wearing Chuck's hoodie.
She doesn't ask anyone why Chuck opted to be the guy to lend his clothes to her.
(It wasn't Chuck who lent it to her though.)
After Jacob makes sure she has a steaming mug of soup in her hands and is generally fussed over enough, he bids her a goodnight and leaves a big holoscreen playing old-timey anime shows for her.
Shortly afterwards, Mike slips into the room on feet far too quiet for a rowdy teenage boy like him. Julie almost misses his entry and startles when she notices him casually leaning on a wall over to her right, almost blending in against the garish grafitti and street signs.
They sat down and spoke quietly, privately.
Julie appreciated that Mike had enough tact and forethought not to confront her in front of all of the guys. Thank god. Julie wouldn't even know how to handle the endless teasing that would inevitably assault her from all angles if they ever even suspected that she had a crush on Mike.
And how embarrassing, really! The only girl on the team falling for the charming and roguish leader of a group of rebels. Double gag.
It was by some miracle that no one ever suspected Julie's true feelings, and that the actual love interest found out before anyone else did. Lucky her!
And incredibly, Mike shared her feelings too! Who would've thought it! Definitely not Julie, that's for sure.
Mike hadn't even seemed to glance her way at all in all the time they had known each other. He always maintained the same level of friendliness with her as he did with the other guys. But he confessed then that he knew Julie was special, and that their bond that grew in the time they had known each other was special, too.
Wow. Look at them, both hiding their feelings so well! It's like they were meant to be.
So they agreed to go steady.
Eventually, they told the rest of the Burners. Well, it really was just that it was kinda hard for them to ignore when Julie would sneak her index finger over to Mike's hand and hook it onto his pinkie as they walked back to their cars after a quick errand run for the Skylarks or an easy mission.
So they decided to make the announcement at Antonio's, which Julie thought was perfectly poetic. It was where she first fell in love with Mike, and now here they were a year and a half later, making it official.
They didn't expect the other guys' reactions, though. The Burners received the news... lukewarmly.
"You guys were in love?" Texas spewed bits of pizza all over the table as he chewed with his mouth open. Ugh. Typical Texas.
"Oh! Wow... uhm. Congrats, guys." Chuck seemed to hide behind his hair even more as his shoulders hiked up in a nonchalant shrug.
Dutch rubbed his chin. "...Yeah. Uh, yeah...? Cool. Congrats, you two."
And then silence fell over the table.
"Is... is there a problem with this, or?" Julie dared to press.
Everyone silently exchanged glances.
Mike-- bless his heart-- misread the situation and clasped his hands together on the table.
"Guys, look," he started, "this isn't gonna change anything about the team. We're still gonna be friends, I’m not prioritizing Julie over anyone else on missions. It's just... we're gonna... we're gonna be the Burners, except I’m dating Jules now! That's all!"
Mike smiled warmly at all his friends. Chuck chewed on his lip.
Dutch bobbed his head thoughtfully. Then, after a while, he said "nah, yeah. We figured. I mean, you're a pretty great guy so it's not like we thought you were gonna up and abandon us or anything. It's just that... uh. So when did this uhhh, yanno, this whole thing start?"
Julie blinked.
Mike cocked his head. "Start?" He asked.
"Y'know, like when did y'all start liking each other? Because uh, no offense, but this is kinda comin' out of the blue for us. Literally nobody thought this was gonna be a thing. Tell us some stories!"
Mike blew out a breath and leaned back in the booth. Julie smiled.
"Weeeellll," Julie squinted with excitement and then let the cat out of the bag.
She told them all about it, how in this very same booth she watched as Mike's t-shirt stretched over his muscles all those months ago and how his smile seemed to shine brighter than the diner's neon signs. Then about how she leaned against Mike's broad chest after agonizing for hours over not being able to free him from her father's maximum-security prison that one time. About all the dreams she'd have of them together, the intimate late-night talks they'd have while having a couple of drinks on the rooftop of some abandoned building. How she loved his bright eyes and strong hands...
When she finished, she had a dreamy kind of look all over her face. Mike had a brow quirked, but he smiled back at her all the same.
Everyone exchanged glances again.
"So Mike. Was it like that for you?" Chuck asked eventually. It had a strange sort of lilt to it, like he was in on an inside joke that Julie wasn't.
She bristled a bit.
"Oh! Uh." Mike glanced around quickly. "Not... really? But Julie's super pretty, so when she confessed to me, I was pretty stoked."
Mike grinned like a goofball. Julie grinned like a goofball. The rest of the Burners looked skeptical.
"Hm. Cool! Well, great." Chuck turned back to his loaded pizza slice.
And just like that, things mostly went back to normal.
And, uh... Mike was right, this... really wasn't changing anything between them and the Burners. Like at all.
A small part of Julie was kind of hurt by it, but she tried to wave the feeling away. It was nonsense, and she should be happy. Mike loved her! He just wasn't a romantic type, that's all. He loved his friends, loved being a Burner... it was fine.
Right?
It was normal for her to have to remind Mike every now and then to go out on a date with her. He's a busy guy, and this was his first relationship. Julie just had to be patient.
Patient... patient. Yeah. She could be patient.
It was when Chuck joined them for their sixth "movie date" in a row that the patience was starting to run a bit thin, though.
Chuck and Mike settled side-by-side on the communal couch, swapping snacks as easily as breathing and nursing a popcorn bowl between them. Mike hooked an arm over Julie's shoulder though, so Julie said nothing.
It was a couple of months later when Mike makes a quiet confession to her as they laid together in his pristine bed one night.
"I don't really like kissing all that much," he mumbles, face half-buried into his pillows. "But I like holding you. Is that okay?"
Julie's heart sinks into the covers. But she nods anyways. "Yeah. That's okay."
"Really? Do ya mean it? It's not weird or anything, right? We can still be together but not kiss. Maybe I can give you forehead kisses instead?"
Julie sighed softly. "Mmnyeah, that's fine."
"It's not you, it's me, Jules. I just--"
"Mike. Trust me, I get it. It's okay, seriously."
Mike gave her a grateful smile back.
Damnit. Well.
Anyways, life continued on. Julie resigned herself to accepting the fact that her boyfriend was just simply a guy's guy.
Julie liked cars but Mike was all over Mutt. Loved the damn thing more than he loved her, honestly. She loved being a Burner, but it seemed like it was Mike's purpose, like he was more devoted to the city under the dome than he was to his girlfriend. And above all, Mike loved the Burners. All of them. He spent a bit more time with Chuck than he did with anyone else in the team, but he was always there for everyone just as passionately.
Which was. Fine.
Freeing Motorcity from her father's reign of terror was indeed way more important than holding hands with a cute boy!
Duh, of course, stupid Julie.
Whatever.
When they inevitably broke up, it blindsided Mike. He thought they were the best of buds! The bestest of buds-- aside from him and Chuck, of course! But while he loved Chuck fiercely, his love for Julie was... different. Fierce but different. He could never describe it in words but he knew what he was feeling was real.
He loved Julie! So when she suddenly broke up with him, it was like getting hit with a sack of flour out of nowhere.
They were leaned up against Mutt's hood on a cliff overlooking Lake Erie when Julie finally broke the news. They were casually smoking a cigarette, passing it back and forth. Mike's idea of a "date." Anyways.
"I can't really keep doing this, Mike." Julie sighed out a cloud of smoke. She said it so matter-of-factly, as casually as if she were simply commenting on the weather.
Mike whipped round to look at her. "Keep doing what?"
"This," Julie threw her hands up and tucked them into her vest pockets after handing Mike the cigarette back. "This... 'relationship'. It's not working out."
"What... whaddya mean? We just started dating, it's kinda too early to tell--"
"No, Mike." Julie interrupted loudly. Her eyes were avoiding Mike's face carefully. "No... it's not. We've been together for months and we have never moved on from our friendship. You... just admit it, dude. You're just not into me."
Mike pushed himself off of Mutt and placed his hands on both of her shoulders, forcing them to stand face-to-face. "Julie, look at me." He had his jaw set.
Julie swallowed as she peered up at him from her bangs.
"I love you more than you can ever know. I know I’m messing up, but... but I’m trying, okay? Just give us one more chance, Jules. I can make it right, I know it!"
Julie took a step back, wrinkling her nose. "Mike! Just give it up, okay? I know you don't feel the same about me as I do about you," she pleaded, mortified. "It's okay! It's fine! We can just move on and let it go!"
"B-but it's not! No, Julie c'mon, bro--"
"Bro?!" Julie exploded, hands in the air now. "Are you hearing yourself right now? Am I your girlfriend, or your bro?"
Mike gaped at her like a fish, mouth opening just to close again. Then, he hunched his shoulders and shoved his hands in his pockets.
He kicked a couple of rocks off the cliff, watching the pebbles scatter and plummet dozens of feet below.
Then he ran his hands through his hair, a nervous habit of his, before returning back to Julie.
He exhaled loudly. "What... what's the difference? You... isn't that what dating is all about? Being best friends with your partner?"
Julie glared at him. "Yes! And it's also about being more than that, too!"
Mike scoffed. "More than friends? What does that even mean? Nothing is more important than friendship, Jules. Not in Motorcity."
"Nothing is more important than friendship?! Mike--" Here, Julie took a step back to pinch her nose and exhale. "Look. When I confessed my feelings to you for the first time, what were you feeling?"
"What was I feeling? Uh, I dunno, happiness I guess? What, did you want me to say that I didn't care? I care about your feelings, Julie! I do!"
"So you started dating me because you didn't want to hurt my feelings?!" Julie shouted.
"Where are you getting that from?!" Mike shouted back.
"Mike! You are just not into me! I can just tell! It's okay! W-we can just be friends, like how we used to be. I don't even know why you're fighting me so hard on this, I'm the one breaking up with you. You can't change my mind!"
"Right," Mike huffed, "because you don't love me anymore. No, I get it. It's fine."
They glared at each other for a beat.
Then, Julie shoved her hands back into her vest pockets. "No, Mike. I do love you. I just think..." she sighed, all the wind in her sails blowing away, "I just think it's best for us to go our own separate ways."
Mike startled. "Wait, what? Jules... are you...? You're not leaving the Burners, are you?"
"No, I'm not leaving the Burners." Julie says through clenched teeth. "I'm just gonna take a quick break and then when I come back? We're gonna be just friends again, Mike. Alright?"
Mike inhales deeply, his own anger trickling out of him like water as well. "... Fine. Fine, yeah. Whatever you want, Julie." He hangs his head.
They then stare off into the horizon together, watching the twinkling star-like pinpoints of light on the underside of the dome. Watching as the lake's waters undulate and shimmer in the darkness of the cool evening, a gigantic dark mirror reflecting the pinpoints back to the ceiling.
Mike idly scuffs his boot on the ground again, putting out their shared cigarette. In a sad sort of way, the dying ember of the smoldering stick being stomped out into rocks and gravel was a lot like their relationship: dead and done. And of course it had to be Mike to put them both out, huh. Right.
Real poetic.
Julie turns around wordlessly, climbs into Mutt and sits in Chuck's seat.
Time to go.
After a few seconds Mike nods once, fixes his collar and slides into his own seat.
The ride back up to Deluxe is quiet.
Except this time, it had been a long while since they had the time to relax like this. These days, Kane's attacks were getting more and more savage, brutal... and cunning.
It was a couple years later when the kids were a bit older --but not that much older at the same time-- that they all filed past the doors of Antonio's and slid right into their usual booth.
Kane's latest attempt at a hostile takeover of Motorcity involved way too many sneaky double-crossing spies all trying to break the Burners up and weaken the city's best defense. Sneaky bastard, that Abraham Kane.
But they thwarted him yet again, despite it all. They beat the bad guys, restored peace back amongst the gangs and the civilians, and saved the day.
It had taken weeks this time, but they succeeded.
So now to celebrate, they're placing their orders for the greasiest, most heart-clogging fast food on the menu and sitting back to happily sip at their drinks. They're finally enjoying their time together again, and Mike is especially pleased that everyone made it out alive.
Sitting elbow-to-elbow with his bestest friends in the world, Mike takes advantage of a lull in the conversation to clap his hands together and get everyone's attention.
"Okay, guys!" He announces. "So, I'm pretty sure we're all kinda fried after... y'know, everything. Everyone's probably too tired to care about what I'm going to say next! So... confession time."
"Hmhmm! Spill, then," Chuck smirks, his chin in his cyborg hand. It was a recent upgrade to his prosthetic, and it shone a beautiful silvery-blue under the diner lights.
Mike chuckles nervously. "Uh, I... I think that... I figured out that I can't fall in love!"
Everyone stares at him.
Chuck casually slurps his milkshake through a straw.
Dutch turns to him then. "Wait. You knew?"
Chuck sits up. "Uhh hahaha, whoa. Where'd that come from? You psychic or somethin'?" He deflects awkwardly.
"You're clearly not surprised," Dutch points out.
"Pfft yeah I'm not surprised. Who's been Mike's best friend since, like, kindergarten again?"
"Ah. And ya didn't think to let me know anything back when we were dating? Sure would've saved us a lot of time," Julie quipped drily.
Chuck holds his mismatched hands up. "Now hold on a minute! I didn't know back then, obviously. Besides, you two dated years ago for like... three seconds!"
"Two years ago, smartass," Julie snips back.
Mike clears his throat conspicuously. "Guys! Guys, no need to fight over me," he jokes awkwardly, "because I, uhm, I've decided I don't belong to anybody! I'm just me, and I'm not dating anyone. Like, ever."
Everyone turns back to him again.
With four pairs of eyes on him, Mike draws in on himself a bit as he continues. "Yeah, it's. It's something that I've been kinda discovering about myself and I'm still... exploring it. But I'm pretty sure I've never had a crush in my life. I was just walking through life distracted by everything else for so long that I never noticed it, but... yeah. I've just. I've just never felt love for anyone else before, I guess."
"Which is fine," Chuck blurts out suddenly. "It's... it's fine! That Mike's never fallen in love with anyone. It happens. Some people just don't experience a common thing most people do... like romance, or sex. Yeah! Totally normal!"
Dutch smirks at Chuck. "You too, then? You a non-romantic as well?"
Chuck shakes his head so hard his bangs swing. "No! Nuh uh, I'm a lover, not a fighter. I'm definitely a romantic!"
"Why so nervous all of a sudden, then?"
"Because," Chuck replies, "because... it's fine! To not ever fall in love or like... date, or kiss or have sex or whatever. We're in Motorcity now, and we can get to do whatever we want. And if we don't wanna date, then we don't have to!" Then he clamps his mouth shut.
Mike perks up then. "That's right! And ah, yeah! Speaking of, Chuckles... lemme tell ya, I really gotta hand it to ya. If it weren't for you, I'd've never figured this one out. So, thanks, buddy! As always, you really had my back on this one."
Chuck and Mike smile at each other and Texas raises a brow.
"Huh?" Texas says. "What's that s'posed to mean?"
Chuck titters nervously as Mike pulls up a screen and opens up a forum.
"It means that Chuckles here helped me find a site that explained everything I was experiencing! Or... not experiencing, really."
Chuck clears his throat, clearly relieved. "Uh, yeah! Well, after Mike's like, 10th girlfriend that one time he couldn't stop bringing people back home, he came to me all frustrated and stuff and... well, we went off to find my friends in the LARPing arena to see if anyone had any idea why he was burning through dates like Mutt burns through tires. And so someone suggested he might be aromantic, and uh... well, the rest is history!"
Dutch and Julie hummed in acknowledgement.
Everyone knew what that was like, how weird it was that Golden Child Mike all of sudden started bringing people home from parties and bars shortly after his breakup with Julie. Sometimes he even had two people on his arms, some men, some women. Never the same person after two or three times, though.
They were all perplexed when they first heard laughing and chattering behind Mike's bedroom door. Once the moaning started, though... well! Everyone poked fun at him the mornings after and teased him to varying degrees, but things were mostly chill in the beginning.
Everyone remembered Mike's frustrations after a while, though. How he could never quite land a steady relationship-- no matter how hard he tried, with whoever. It got to the point where the Burners stopped their teasing and became quite concerned after Mike introduced his 5th girlfriend in the span of like... 6 months, once upon a time.
It was shortly after his final breakup that Mike flopped down onto his best friend's messy bed one evening and finally had The Conversation.
It went well, all things considered. Chuck, patient as ever, listened to his friend and then when he couldn't offer any solid advice, he offered a distraction. The LARPing arena proved to be much better help than they could ever hope for.
Ever since then, Mike's been up late into the night often, completely engrossed in all things aromantic. He wanted to learn more about it, yearned for a community that knew exactly what he was feeling; so he stayed awake just swiping through sites and PDFs on his holoscreens, eating every bit of information up.
Now, it looked like Mike was at peace with himself and his station in life after all this time. That was a relief!
"Aromantic! That's it! Look at this, guys." Here, Mike grins and pulls up a photo of a striped flag. "This is the community flag. Look familiar?"
The colors of the flag had two shades of green at the top that then cascaded into white, then grey and then black.
Texas leaned forward. "It looks like Mutt!" He practically shouts.
Everyone laughs.
"Yeah, that sure is a you flag if I've ever seen one," Julie quips.
"Right? Like it was meant to be! So I guess I'm part of this community, then. I mean, this really is a kickass flag..."
"But what does that mean, though? That you can never fall in love with anyone, ever?" Julie asks.
Mike closes his screens and clasps his hands on the table, exhaling a bit. "Uhh, well? Well, yeah! I can't ever fall in love... but it doesn't feel that way to me! Ugh, I'm probably gonna do such a bad job explaining this," he laughs self-consciously.
"It's okay, dude. Take your time," Dutch smiles warmly.
Mike shoots him a grateful smile back. "... It... it's like. Well? It's like... I've never felt butterflies in my stomach before, so I have no idea what that's like. But I like you guys, a lot. Like a lot, a lot. I love hanging out with you all even though I don't think about any of you guys like that. I love making friends-- like true friends-- and I can't stop thinking about how happy hanging out with people makes me. I guess I'm just way more platonic than romantic, because I am just... so bad at love! God, I've never had so much trouble with anything in my life before like I have with romance," he groans, grimacing.
"And when Mike Fucking Chilton says that, that's how you know he's struggling!" Dutch puts in.
Everyone giggles.
"Wow," Julie gives Mike a side-long glance. "Finally. Something that The Great Mike Chilton is bad at! We've finally got him, boys."
Texas leaps out of his seat and enthusiastically karate-chops the air. "Hoo-WAH!!! Finally! Something I got over on ya, Mike. Texas is better at romancing than you!"
Julie rolls her eyes.
Mike guffaws. "Psshhwhat? C'mon guys, I'm bad at plenty of stuff. This isn't the first!"
"Oh yeah? Name one thing!" Dutch challenges.
"Uhhm well uh, I...? I'm pretty bad at... hm." Mike drums his fingers on the table. "I'm bad at coding! I'm not nearly as good as Chuck at the software and tech side of things!"
"But ya could be! You could totally learn how to, if you'd just sit down with me for more than 20 minutes," Chuck points out.
Mike stubbornly folds his arms across his chest. "Well, I don't wanna! What're you gonna do about it?"
And just like that, the kids all return back to normalcy, bickering and quibbling about nothing as they finally receive their food from the waitress. Soon after, Chuck and Texas are throwing pizza toppings and wadded up paper at each other and Mike is mom-ing at them to quit it before they all get kicked out.
It was as if nothing even happened.
It was simultaneously comforting and also thrilling how easily Mike was accepted back into the fold; the Burners' Heartless Leader who could never fall in love.
On the inside, Mike was deeply grateful and his heart felt full upon learning this, though. It was a nourishing feeling that his bestest friends in the whole world who worked hard, played hard, lived fast and free alongside him... they loved him and accepted him back, no matter what. It was a much nicer and fuzzier feeling than any romance-filled relationship or hookup ever gave him.
Now, the Burners are finally leaving the diner, all tipsy and giddy from their impromptu late-night happy hour session.
Mike has a casual arm slung over Chuck's shoulder as they traipse on over to Mutt. Everyone casually daps each other up and offers quick goodbyes before climbing into their respective cars.
Mike slides behind the wheel and exhales. Chuck clicks himself into his secure harness.
"Well! That went pretty well! A little too easily, honestly but," Mike breathes.
Chuck's blonde head bobs. "Well yeah, dude. Of course. What'd ya think, that'd we kick you out of the team for that?"
Mike shrugs and turns his skeleton key into Mutt's ignition, bringing her to roar awake again. "I mean... no. But, y'know. It's weird, having a leader of a gang that can't ever fall in love, right? Like some heartless freak or somethin'. I dunno," he chuckled wryly.
Chuck frowns. "Mike. You're not a freak," he says firmly.
Mike gives his best friend a sidelong glance. "Chuck..." he speaks, voice low, "it's not like that! You know what I mean... it's just that sometimes people who are different don't get treated so well all the time, yanno?"
"Yeah, sure, back up in Deluxe," Chuck argues. "But it's different down here in Motorcity. It's good here for people like us!"
Mike hums thoughtfully as he drums his fingers on the wheel. "Yeah, you're right..." then, he smirks at Chuck. "So if that's true, then why didn't you come out, back there? I actually thought you were gonna do it. It even looked like Dutch suspected something, too!"
Mike smiles at his friend, who is doing his best impression of a carseat cover now.
"Mmnyeah... yeah, I could've." Chuck gives a noncommittal shrug, hesitating.
"What's wrong?"
After a few seconds, Chuck swipes at his bangs self-consciously and clears his throat. "Uhmm well... being aromantic and never falling in love is kinda... badass, don'tcha think? But for a guy like me, never wanting to have sex and being a dope for romance is just pathetic," he laments. "If people hear that I'm asexual and that I never want to bang anyone, I'd get laughed out of the room! It's not an asexual thing, Mikey, it's a me thing."
Mike throws Mutt into reverse and backs her out of their parking spot with practiced ease.
"Chuckles. My guy. Look, who cares what other people think? If you don't wanna bone, you're just not gonna. That doesn't hurt anyone at all, so screw anyone who says anything about it. If anyone gives you a hard time, call me up and I'll spin the block for you,"
Chuck bursts into a peal of nervous giggles. "Whoa, whoa Mikey, geez! Christ, thanks, man but that's really not necessary. I appreciate you, though,"
They smile at each other again.
Then after a beat, Mike adds, "plus, if they know about aromanticism, they're gonna eventually find out about asexuality, too, dude."
Chuck laughs weakly as he clutches his arms. "O-oh...! Yeah... yeah that's tr--"
Mike suddenly slams his boot down on the gas pedal and Mutt growls as she lurches into hundred-mile-speeds from a standstill. Her tires screech loudly on the pavement and she leaves a giant plume of smoke and dirt behind as everyone careens over a drop straight onto the Deluxian Supply Pipes.
"Miiikkee-eeyyyy!!! We just ate!" Chuck screeches, horrified. He clings onto the car seat with both hands as Mike laughs.
Chuck's screams and Mike's loud, joyous shouting and whooping can be heard far and wide throughout Motorcity as they race all the way back home.
#mine#aggressivelyarospecweek#motorcity#mike chilton#aromantic#aro#hope ppl enjoy my arospec week offerings!#i had fun writing the burners again after so much time. my kiddos 🥺#i luv them <3#julie heals just fine after their breakup btw she's with her own childhood friend claire lezzing it up so everyone wins in the end 🫶#dont worry abt it LOL#if it sounds a bit allo-centric its bc it is. i tried to replicate the Motorcity Writers Voice when i wrote this down#i was like “hmm. how WOULD a non-arospec person write this topic for a kids show abt racing cars? 🤔”#“i think i know! :)”#so @ other motorcitizens pls let me know if i did Good or Bad#in that way it was a p fun writing excercise. also. i love julie so i wanted readers to feel bad for the poor lil meow meow#we are Julie Stans in this home. i didnt stick her into a failing teen relationship bc i hate her 🤧#she just had to be the First Target bc the show tries to set mike and julie up subtly in canon and my aro brain went “goddamn it.”#so#uh yeah#anyways im rambling#hope u enjoyed byyyyyyyeeeee :3
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purrgatorio summary for the uninitiated
#sam told me to redraw this image from alis perspective ages ago and i finally have lets hear it for meme redraws woo yaaay#i love overrendering cat draw overs like this i know its hardly photoreal but making it blend in is 80% of the fun to me i like it#also im confiscating ali's hyphens in their username since i dont think tik tok* and its ilk allows them unlike tumblr#doodlebyte#chromium mono#ali alighieri#(implied)#purrgatorio#oc art#original character#hardest thing about this type of meme redraw tho is they always have super neutral ambient lighting. its good practice though#even if i jpeg it to hell to make it feel like an actual reposted meme at the end LOL#*ali would be vaguely aware of tik tok given the timeline and theyd hate it i think. chrome would also hate it. hate wins
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Am i gonna get jumped for saying Tucker or Rubina should go next bc I don’t wanna sit through their inevitable showmance segments production will force us to sit through
#NO HATE ON THEM#IM HAPPY THEY CAN ADMIT THEIR FEELINGS AND DO WHATEVER#I DONT NEED TO SEE IT😭#and i DONT want production to win ever#so clip the showmance immediately please#tucker should go of the two btw#let rubina have a chance in the edit#bc if not we will only see her IN the showmance segments#and I don’t want that for her#bb26
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If Kamala wins I'll start and actually finish a full wolf in sheeps clothing reborn tensura animatic cause I need trump to lose otherwise I am basically dead
#that time i got reincarnated as a slime#tensei shitara slime datta ken#tensura#rimuru tempest#ttigraas#rimuru#wolf in sheep's clothing#please dear god#Dont let trump win#election 2024#i hate it here
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LOVE when the pharmacy decides to fucking dick around with my meds so badly that now I’m off my mood stabilizer, my pain meds, and my fucking birth control (in a few days) because they’re insisting I should have extra fucking bottles of each one and I DONT because they don’t let me pick up more than a one month supply of narcotics at a fucking time so do explain where these extra bottles are, hmm ????? and they didn’t have enough caplyta ordered last time to even give me my usual 3 months supply of that so … ???? get your fucking heads out of your asses and give me the fucking meds you owe me ??? like ??? but I’m in a nasty headspace right now so if I call the pharmacy this morning, I’m going to be that cunt ass customer they bitch about all day because this isn’t the first time they’ve done this. in fact, the first time, they straight up committed insurance fraud by marking one of my scripts as filled and picked up WHEN, IN REALITY, THEY FUCKING LOST THE SCRIPT AND HAD NO RECORD OF IT BEING FILLED OR PICKED UP IN THEIR SYSTEM, BUT YET, MARKED IT AS SUCH AND CHARGED MY INSURANCE AN ALMOST 8 GRAND FOR THE FUCKING 3 MONTHS OF MY MOOD STABILIZER THAT I. NEVER. RECEIVED. I’m genuinely about to report this entire pharmacy to the pharmacy board because I’m so fucking done with this place. it needs to be shut the fuck down because you’re telling me, out of an entire pharmacy, y’all share the same IQ point AND dead brain cell, collectively ??? then don’t fucking work in healthcare where people rely on you to know your shit and keep track of their fucking meds because you’re just constantly making shit worse on people since you can’t seem to not fuck around with these meds and not ‘lose’ scripts. fuck out of here.
and I’m pretty much out of weed, which is usually my back up pain management method, without the money to afford a delivery order by their cut off time to order in 3 hours because I just paid my fucking bills and have SOME to go towards it, but not enough for delivery to be free, and I’d still have to walk my ass to one of the ATM’s nearby because they don’t accept my bank as a prepaid method OR any of the cards I have on my person. 🫠
I can literally feel my back spasming and seizing on and off while I’m laying on my fucking side, I’ve had a migraine with a stupid ass aura for almost a week now because chronic migraines fucking suck and i was REALLY hoping this one would be over by now, my muscle inflammations that my pain meds are supposed to limit are already beginning to start their itching deep in my muscles so soon they’ll blossom into a whole fibromyalgia fucking episode and become entirely inflamed, my joints in my hands fucking hurt because of the dreary weather so I really need to get into a rheumatologist at some point soon as well and get that shit figured out, I’m nauseas as fuck from all the pain, and I’m moody, hormonal, and just feel like fucking death physically.
I’m just. I give up.
this shit is exhausting and painful and so mentally fucking taxing to constantly deal with and I just want a fucking break from all this fucking shit. I wish I could just … not exist … for even just a little while with how fucking painful existing actually feels right now 🫠😭
#i hate that CT weed is so fucking expensive#half a fucking ounce shouldn’t cost me $250 …….. not when I can go to MA and get an ounce for $108 after tax ……..#but I don’t have a way to MA because my fucking best friend. who made plans with me OVER THE WEEKEND. HER. SHE INITIATED THEM.#canceled on me last second even though I texted her early the night before when I know she would see it 🫠#nope instead she waited from the text I sent at 6:30pm until noon the next day to cancel because her period is kicking her ass#NOT FOR FUCKING NOTHING BUT SO THE HELL IS MINE ???? AND IM ANEMIC ??? AND DEALING WITH ALL THIS EXTRA PAIN ON TOP OF IT ????#and I know I’m being irrational and insensitive because pain tolerance is a sliding scale for everyone#but like fucking come on you do this 3 out of 4 times YOU make the plans to hang out and I’m fucking over it.#plus I’m the one that always pays for everything and does she ever even OFFER to hit me back for the COUNTLESS ounces of weed I’ve got her#all because she couldn’t afford it so I said I’d cover it and she never paid me back. I’ve bought her at least a grand’s worth of weed#just over the last couple months and she’s never ONCE offered to pay me back for a single one#like ……… I don’t expect it. I give if I have it. but you can’t even just offer ??? like the invitation to pay me back would be enough to no#leave m ragingly pissed off and feeling used as an atm again for yet another ‘friend’ because they don’t even OFFER to be considerate#of course I’d say not to worry about it but it doesn’t even cross your fucking head to ask if I want anything towards it#like the next time you get paid ??? when you go and spend your own money on weed that day but can’t reimburse me for anything IVE paid for#oh and I always have to give her gas money if I even simply just want to hang out because she’s always fucking broke somehow#and she works in healthcare like bitch I know what you make and you can’t play that you don’t have enough to get by or throw me 50 bucks#towards YOUR weed that I’m buying every once in a fucking while when I’m already paying for everything fucking else#I’m so angry and I know I’m being irrational and bitchy but this is what happens when you’re tripped off your meds cold turkey#and one of them is a mood stabilizer that makes it so you DONT feel this way about people and aren’t so bitter when you’re let down 🫠🫠🫠#because now my rejection sensitive dysphoria is going to be triggered even easier than usual and I’m just.#I actually fucking give up. I don’t even know what to do here. the pain going through my body is so fucking intense#I keep losing my train of thought because everything hurts and then every once in a while a DIFFERENT pain acts up and throws itself in too#I just. I just can’t fucking win.#I hate fucking struggling with my mental state like this when I’m off my meds.#and because I have to be a month without my stabilizer/pain management/birth control it’s going to take me ANOTHER month to get readjusted#to those in my body so I won’t feel normal again until nearly fucking mid to end January the earliest#and that’s fucking bullshit. I’m going to fucking **** myself by the time I get back on these fucking meds since it’ll take that long#fucking hell I just. I give up. I give in. I’m self isolating and cutting myself off from everyone because it’ll be in THEIR best interest#for me to do so when I can’t control my mind like this. I’m so tired of feeling so fucking shitty and I’ve only been off them for two days
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Have not watched every nct mv yet but convinced already that they’re just a group, a rather large group, who do silly dances and make goofy ah music. I’m not hating them Idk how anyone could genuinely hate them cause they so silly I laugh watching their mvs cause I don’t expect what’s happening and there’s so much in every video, the goofy opening choreo for favorite and the TikTok meme, they all sleep like bottoms, there’s the silly flute in sticker and the cowboy core with all the lights and Vegas and they drink hot sauce and the hippie vibes and it’s just gay and campy and cunty and extra and goofy and fun music, the weird English lyrics, the odd sounding instrumentals, like I’m not sure if I genuinely like any nct songs or unit songs as in I think they are really good but they can be catchy and are def fun to listen too, the opening to kick it and the chorus in kick back, love talk is so nasty and funny and I also think it’s hilarious that the entire group vapes. Idk like I know idols smoke but there’s like so many members and the fact that they all collectively vape they all share the same braincell and it’s so funny to me idk why and the remixes and all the Bollywood memes and the comments are hilarious it’s like going down a rabbit hole it’s fun and boujee and they do all different concepts and genres and silly like dances and all kinds of stuff it’s fun I think it’s cute.
#I am genuinely not hating on them#it’s all in good fun#idk how else to describe them#they really are they own genre I swear#just looking from a non fan perhaps#BUT WHEN THEY LET JOHNNY HAVE LONG BLONDE HAIR#THAT WAS SUCH A WIN#anyway#and like superm was fun I wish I got into them earlier#oh well#nct#nct u#nct dream#nct 127#wayv#AGAIN I DONT HATE THEM#and I brought up vaping cause of the memes that doesn’t bother me really I joke about it all the time#it’s not intended to be a punch at them#ALSO I JUST LOVE MARK#for no particular reason#not that I can think of#he just looks so friend shaped#idk I can’t take them seriously they are so unserious
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seeing these two pieces of news back to back has made me truly face up to just how fucked up entertainment companies are in korea, and how terrifying it is that they give in to the minority of harmful voices. we cant keep catering to these people, but companies will continue to for the sake of profit and good-standing, and it feels impossible for anything to change while that remains the priority.
#i sat with this for a long time#i ranted more i said more things#but i ultimately wanted to be concise with this#i hate being negative and bringing negativity to a space#but ive been thinking about this for 3 hours now and it just kind of feels impossible#no matter how i try to phrase things i cant seem to find the good way to look at this#or the way to be optimistic in the face of it#when its been made so blatantly clear that my voice and the voices of others dont matter#and its hard to not feel like this is oh so silly think about real issues#but it all stems back to the same thing: power keeps on being given to those causing harm#and its infuriating#infuriating bc these things would have real impact if you let them#seunghan returning to riize wouldve set an incredible precident that hateful fans wont win#a queer piece of media with a big korean name in its main role is such a big deal its so great but it cant be pushed and have the impact it#could have#all bc companies need money and good reputation and dont care that it comes from harm and hate#im just so done
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Imagine reading a new manga and joking about it being homoerotic and then it gets explicitly stated that one of the protags is gay
If I don't see any weird romance blossom between those two istg-
#AINT NO WAY I WENT 'OH TOXIC HORROR YAOI /J' AND THEN THE NARRATIVE SAID 'bet.'#oh if they dont eventually end up together ill lose it#i thought- i thought i was just too influenced by tumblr when i saw the vivisection scene and went 'haha gay sex /j' and then- and then???#i dont even care if they actually get together tbh#i just want them to keep being that weird#the entire situation is fun if you ignore the atrocities lack of morality and cannibalism#one day youre a 30 y/o high school teacher - the other youre a lab experiment on immortality and a househusband. and a murder accomplice#also congrats you just gain a pet monkey who hates the mad scientist that kidnapped your corpse and brought it back to life#EDIT: OH THEYRE SO IN LOVE THERES NO WAY-#problematic couple for the win#nobody deserve to deal with them so they should stick together#i cant stop laughing#toya wtf#edit 2: officially gay yay#edit 3: ITS AN UNHAPPY ENDING NUOOOOOHHH#sleeping dead#pretty sure i stumbled on the first chapter some years ago#anyway - my conclusion to this is: sometimes its good to read smth without having any clue on what its about - sometimes all you need is to#look at the volume cover and go 'eh. lets try it'#conclusion n2: indulge in dark stories from time to time. its good. not that id say sleeping dead is the darkest out there but that may be#just me-#theres def worse than that#ive made this post in my draft before posting - thats why there are already 'edit's
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every time we get to the final few rounds of a tournament theres always a couple whatever matches and some exciting ones. and then theres that One Horror Match
#well. its always zverevs match lets be real#altho can i just say. navarro paula is kind of like. wow i hate both of you!#but its not to the same level obviouslyyyyy and also i dont have a stake in who wins#whereas in the zverev matches i always have a stake. especially when it’s someone i actually like and someone who i know CAN do it#so um taylor. hi#tennis
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killer should know about dumb video game meta stuff ike i-frames and animation cancels and critting amd breaking out of bounds and use it to his advantage in fights. maybe he learned it from chara in something new as a silly little thing to try out because theyre already teaching him all this bullshit on killing so whos to say a video game character cant learn a player's cheats?? he's already interacted and collaborated with a player before i think its fair he knows tricks on how to cheat undertale's fighting system
everything's all fine and dandy in a fight against killer (no it isn't) until you see him glitching around and somehow phasing through your attacks. he looks ridiculous but it gets the job done
#i have no idea if any of these mechanics are actually IN undertale#theyre just some ones i came up with in games i play#i mean if they don't exist in the ut fighting just like. pretend they do idk????#i just think it would be cool if killer could do that. he fights dirty and when i mean dirty i mean totally cheating#SANS UNDERTALE CHEATS WHY CANT HE!!!! but he gets to cheat in a more game breaking way#when you fight killer there is no YOUR turn and HIS turn its ALWAYS his turn. and youre just helplessly attacking during it#guys in this one im not talking about meta awareness im talking about loser META strats. most effective tactics available#stage 4 chara wins ahh acting like a goddamn sweaty gamer. because what am i supposed to interpret with chara wins????#chara wins means NOTHING to me??? i can only assume that it means killer either acts like chara or fully listens to whatever chara wans#boo boo boring im a VIDEO GAME PLAYER not a goddamn psychiatrist. i will always choose the more fun option#killer becoming like chara/player is infinitely more cool than him and all the psychological stuff going on in stage 4 to b obeying orders#yeahhhh like sure there probably IS a bunch of crazy stuff in stage 4 related to psychology but also#unga booga character act like YOU cool idea. besides stage 4 is almost never elaborated on#so to me that's up to personal interpretation. everything is personal interpretation if not brought up#i say as i make the most ridiculous unfathomable headcanons for the mtt just because the topics aren't mentioned#I HAVE FREE WILL I HAVE FREE WILL MY MIND HAS FREEDOM I CAN POST ANYTHING I THINK ABOUT#ok thank god because i hate having to worry about my posts#ok i dont have anything left to say about this hc so im bringing up SOMETHING NEW (haha)#killer reminds me of I'm High!!! by maretu. except replace all mentions of a girl with w a person for chara#and somehow manage to work around the mentions of love and romance. because i really really dont wanna make killer into a kid diddler#but aside from the mentions of love and specific gende??? i think it fits!!#ugh so many songs fit killer ITS NOT FAIR!!!! i can NEVER find songs for horror.... am i not looking hard enough ☹️☹️☹️#im hard#actually i found a song that fits horror lets GOOOO maretu coming in clutch with NAMIDA ‼️‼️#dokuhaku does too :3 maretu my glorious king how many great songs of yours fit the murder time trio#killer sans#murder time trio#sans au#utmv#tricule hc
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2010 release meant for xboxes being played on systems a decade younger than the engine it was built on vs 2020 release by a game studio with a legion of redditor circlejerkers behind them hailing this game as the second coming of christ
#i dont even hate 2077 but Come On.#also just like. cdpr being notorious for not knowing how to write women im not letting them get any wins on MY watch!#.txt#also anecdotal but ive never needed to mod fnv. its fine. it works great on my system. it probably even works WAY better on the xbox 360...#the system it was made for lol
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unpopular opinion i do not consider real life part of the actual series and i never will and when the new series comes and people draw cleo as part of the winners i will be gritting my teeth the entire time. cleo deserves to win in a better series than a one off virtual reality one RAHHHH
#its so stupid i hate it grgrggrrrr#yeah its silly let it stay silly plEaseeeeeeeee stop drawing real life seriously PLeaseeee#jamies bad posts#discourse#fandom neg#no hate to cleo whatsoever the reason why im upset is i want a better win for her ive been truthing for years and to make her win sth stupi#is uhm. especially after how the fandom has treated her every time she does LITERALLY anything for YEARS is. uhm. well. i hate it#i want cleo to either be an actual victor or keep with her theme of not winning and throwing real life was a one off even martyn#to my knowledge hasnt said anything abt it like come ONNNN ITS STUPID LET IT BE STUPID LET IT BE A ONE OFF GIMMICK DONT TREAT IT LIKE ITS#REAL FOR FUCKS SAKEEEEEEEEEEEE#remember in the dsmp fandom when all the hermitcraft fans were like man yall are making mountains out of molehills nothing is happening#yeah i was a purely dsmp fan when that discourse was happening and now i feel like ripping someones head off
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I think it's so extremely telling when te/rfs will criticise trans women if they post anything even remotely suggestive, including a selfie where they're showing more skin than a bare ankle, and cry out that they're sexualising womanhood and how a woman isn't defined by her attractiveness. Yet if a trans woman posts a selfie where she's covered up and just enjoying life, those same people scream in her mentions saying she isn't attractive and they wouldn't sleep with her.
It's almost like they're parroting the same agenda that the feminists of not even ten years ago were fighting.
#i blocked a load of them last night so im angry and in my feelings dont mind me lol#just needed a lil ranty rant#anyway theres no way to win with people like that youre just better off not engaging. just block and move on and let them fester in hate#a trans person could be sitting on a park bench and theyd have a problem with it. at the end of the day were just living.#theyre the ones dedicating their life to hate
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SHIVER LOST ‼️‼️‼️‼️🎉🎉🎉🎊🎊🎉🎉🎊🎊🎇🎇🎆🎆🎇🎇🎇🎉🎊🎊🎈🎈🎊
#sorry im kind of becoming a shiver hater KFHSKFKDHFJFK#i dont actually hate her im just tired of her winning so much bc its just not fun that way#splatoon 3#LETS GO BIGMAN!!!! i was on team skeletons but it was a toss up between that and ghosts
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