#well hopeful endings at least

[tartarusknight]

I don't know what you're hunting. It's not me, it's something else. - 1/10

SUMMARY:

Steve looks over her face, “I'm not having any of you at my place. Did you see the map, no way?” He states and it's one part of his reasoning but not the main reason.

“Then come stay with one of us,” Robin says and it feels more like a plead than anything.

He shakes his head and she looks angry now. “Stop whatever the fuck this is! We care about you! Let us in! We're safer in groups.”

The words don't hurt as much as he thinks they should. “Not that much safer.” He spits back out and she blinks. “Max is as good as dead. Eddie is dead. And guess what! We were in groups!” The shouting makes his throat burn but he can't calm down.

Chapter 1: Truth is like blood underneath your fingernails

Steve couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by everything. Spring Break was a nightmare. Max was in the hospital, the Sinclairs refusing to leave her side. Eddie was dead, left in the Upside Down no doubt to be eaten by the monsters that called that place home. Dustin was limping around with more than just a broken foot from the loss. Robin was throwing herself into helping at the school right beside him, keeping the two of them as busy as possible. The Byers, Wheelers, Hoppers, and Argyle were at the cabin trying to fix it up so Hopper and El could stay there. And it all just felt useless.

The military was there once the ash started falling from the permanently gray sky. They closed Hawkins down, all roads barricaded. Steve wasn’t sure if they were trying to contain the Upside Down or study it though. It’s not like they were stopping the people from disappearing. No, they just made it so no one else could run. They were all trapped in this Hell, forced to hear about another person who didn’t make it through the night. Monsters who have been coming out during the night and picking the surviving townspeople of Hawkins. Mornings of people finding their door with claw marks, or blood on the streets.

It was safe to say everyone was on edge. Steve wasn’t letting that stop him though. He was at the school every day with Robin and sometimes Nancy. Steve liked it when Nancy joined them. It meant that Robin wasn’t worrying about Steve. He was already dealing with the looks people gave him because of the red mark around his neck. His back and sides were in constant pain and it kept him on edge. And this time felt different.

They hadn’t won. They failed and someone died because of it.

He knew that Nancy was holding onto the guilt as well, but Steve was too. He didn’t know Eddie well, but the death had hit him hard. He felt like every waking moment was filled with things that would remind him of Eddie. His personality, his last moments, the feeling of pain and teeth. He knew what it had felt like but he had been saved. Eddie hadn’t had the same luck. No one had killed the bats attacking him. He was torn apart to the point where he couldn’t hold on. It made Steve sick.

It made him hyper-aware of his own injuries that he had slapped gauze onto after a shower each morning. The black ooze that leaked from his body made him sick to his stomach, unable to keep any food down. And if he let Robin in, she’d know. She’d see through him and know that something was wrong. It felt like poison in his veins. Like he was dying. Like one of these nights, he wouldn’t wake up. But he kept waking up. He kept picking Robin up and heading to the school. He kept dropping her off. He kept going home alone, putting up a barrier between him and Robin. He kept falling asleep earlier and earlier in the night, too exhausted to do anything else. But he kept waking up and that’s what mattered.

Not the black blood that he’d sometimes choke on. Not the way he barely could keep anything down. Not the fear he had of failing them. Not the fear of dying. Steve could handle this and they could focus on what really mattered. He’d drop Robin at the Wheelers where she’d spend the night with Nancy because her parents would never let her stay at Steve’s. He’d pick her up and he’d continue to help at the school.

Where he could lose himself in the repetition of making food or helping bandage some of the people up. Each day seemed to merge together. The sky grew darker and the constant rain of ash in the air made it all dull. The grass was dying out, and piles of ash gathered, making it feel like Fall all over again. Steve was sick of it, but indoors, you could almost pretend that everything was alright.

Well, if you ignored the way it seemed to get into everyone's lungs lately. How people came in with bandanas over their noses and mouths. If you ignored how unnatural it all was. Steve did his best, but the coughing around the gym forced him to remember the issue.

“Hopper was hoping we'd go over soon.” Robin appeared at his side and he flinched. He hadn't even heard her approach.

He glanced over to see if she noticed his unease and wasn't surprised to see the worry on her face. He placed the shirt he finished into the correct pile and glanced towards the windows. You could barely tell that it was daytime. “Want to go grab Dustin? I'll meet you at the car,” he murmured and Robin nodded. However, she didn't move. “Robs,” he said softly and she backed down. With a squeeze to his upper arm, she headed over to Dustin.

Steve rubbed a hand over his face, feeling like he was one open nerve lately. The longer he ignored the pain in his body, the more places began to hurt. His jaw aching for no other reason than to piss him off. He headed to the doors, opening the gym to the apocalyptic world outside. As he slid into the driver's seat, the door to the school opened and the other two hurried over to his car.

They covered their mouths until they got into the car, Dustin in the back, Robin next to him. He pulled out of the parking lot, going much slower because of all the damage throughout Hawkins. The other two didn't force conversation, letting the radio play instead. Before Spring Break, it would have worried Steve.

Dustin and Robin were always talking about something and he was used to it. But it was harder to fill the space now. Steve glanced in the mirror at Dustin who looked older than he had just a week ago now. It made his chest ache but he didn't have the right words to say. None of them had the right words anymore.

It was impossible to say that the group didn't break after their loss. Everyone was taking it differently and Steve wanted to claim that he did what he always did. That he looked out for the kids and made sure everyone was alright. But he couldn't. He hadn't been able to say a single word about any of it.

The car came to a stop outside of the cabin and Steve glanced at the clock, showing it was past 4. But the world around them looked darker. Like the sun had set already. He watched Robin and Dustin get out. Dustin's hobble was evident as they both covered their faces from the Upside Down ash raining from the sky. Steve didn't even bother. Slamming the car door shut and heading to the cabin.

Only as he got to the stairs did he reach out to the other two. Helping Dustin up the steps on one side as Robin took the other. Dustin's leg was healing but the stairs were still hard on Dustin. Steve lets go the moment Dustin's up the steps and hates the way even a small touch makes his skin tingle.

Before Robin, Steve often felt like that. His days were lonely and he only ever reached out to ruffle Dustin's hair or went on a meaningless date. Robin had held him for both of their sakes after the Russians. She had soothed that piece of him. But now, he felt like it had been months since someone last held him.

And Robin would hold him if he asked. She loved him more than anyone had ever loved him but he couldn't. He couldn't explain the way he backed out of a hug from Robin or moved out of Dustin's reach. His skin felt not his own. Their touch reminded him of Eddie's lifeless body.

Steve ignored the look Robin sent his way and opened the door for them. Dustin didn't look at him as he passed through but Steve didn't expect him to. Robin moved to go sit by Nancy but she stopped when she noticed him staying by the door. And like his own personal guard dog, she stayed by his side instead.

He tried not to flinch out of her reach as she tried to take his hand in hers. But she noticed, she always seemed to notice. Her hand dropped and Steve didn't dare to see the hurt on her face. Instead, he looks over the party. At the exhausted, worn down faces of his friends.

Hopper had maps of Hawkins up on the wall. Red pins mixed with black ones all over. Big jagged lines were drawn on the map to show the way the town split apart. Steve didn't understand how they could stand to look at it every day. But maybe they were all better at compartmentalizing. Maybe they were able to keep moving forward. Onto the next battle.

Joyce moved over to him and Robin, in her hands were two cups. Steve knew not to turn her down, taking it even if he didn't think he'd be able to stomach a single drop. “You two doing okay?” Joyce asked quietly and Steve fought the urge to roll his eyes.

“As fine as we can be,” he promises and she looks over his face like she doesn't believe him. Instead of calling him on it, she gives his wrist a small squeeze.

As she walked over to where Dustin joined Will and Mike, he subtly shook out his hand. Joyce's touch made his skin crawl. “Steve?” Robin's voice was quiet and he looked over at her. She looked over his face and must not have liked what she saw because her face dropped into worry.

“Let's get started,” Hopper says and the room falls quiet. As if they were all just soldiers waiting for their next order. “I've been working with the police and military the past couple of days. This is what I've gathered,” He gestures to the board.

Nancy took over easily, “After the earthquake , there were many missing people. The police did their best to get a rough estimate, marking down who was and wasn't accounted for. It was a little hard with half of Hawkins running but, they did their best. The black pins are for the bodies they've recovered.” She nods to the map and Steve feels sick at the amount of pins on the board.

“The red is for the people who were accounted for after the earthquake who disappeared. Showing the... well the scene were all being foreced to get used to. The bodies they've rediscovered are torn apart which is only more proof that monsters are coming out of the gate. Henry hasn't made his move but the Upside Down isn't quiet.” Nancy states and Steve looks closer to the map.

“They're going after the area around the lab,” Joyce says. Her eyes go over everyone, slowing on Steve, but not stopping. “But we want to make sure no one will be alone.” She says and Steve tenses up. He can feel more eyes on him and knows that they are talking about him. Everyone else had paired off. Even Robin was at the Wheelers. She tried to fight to stay at Steve's but her parents didn't allow that and Steve knew she'd be safer with Nancy.

His jaw clenched as he looked away and instead at the map again. The pins that were all so close to his house. A sick part of him wondered why they couldn't just kill him to get it over with. “Steve?” Robin said and she felt like a broken record at this point. Instead of replying, he turned and went back out the door.

Everything inside of him told him to get out of there. He didn't want to be babied. He was still alive, wasn't he? “Steve,” Robin called after him and wanted to laugh at how wrong it all felt. “Don't make it a big deal, just- we care.” She promises and he looks over at her.

No one else comes out after them, but they all know that Robin, Max, or Dustin are the most likely to get Steve to something. With Dustin not speaking much and Max in a coma, it was left to Robin. Steve looks over her face, “I'm not having any of you at my place. Did you see the map, no way?” He states and it's one part of his reasoning but not the main reason.

“Then come stay with one of us.” She says and it feels more like a plead than anything.

He shakes his head and she looks angry now. “Stop whatever the fuck this is! We care about you! Let us in! We're safer in groups.”

The words don't hurt as much as he thinks they should. “Not that much safer.” He spits back out and she blinks. “Max is as good as dead. Eddie is dead. And guess what! We were in groups!” The shouting makes his throat burn but he can't calm down.

He sees the way the words hit her and takes the moment to get into his car. The car squeals out of the driveway and he doesn't bother to look in the review mirror. Steve felt a tickle in his throat and tensed. He let out the first cough, just a short one. But it soon developed until his eyes were watering.

He glanced away from the road for a moment. But as he looked back up, there was a tall figure in the road. Steve swerved on instinct and choked on a shout as the car's wheel caught on the loose dirt on the side of the road. It swung violently until it crunched against a tree.

He couldn't catch his breath as he felt like he was choking. His door was ripped away and a long-taloned creature pulled him from the safety of his car. He was tossed like a ragdoll away from the car and he felt oddly calm about it all. Even if his bat was in the car and there was something between him and it.

He groaned as he choked on another cough. It felt like there was pressure on his lungs making them burn. His cheek hit the pavement and it felt like he was choking on blood. Another cough had black liquid spilling from his lips. No matter how much he coughed, the black splattered across the ground.

The thing crept closer but it had yet to attack, just watching him gag on black goo. It tasted like the Upside Down. As he spit it out, he remembered biting a bat in the Upside Down. He remembered the feel of their blood in his mouth. How he had tried to spit it all out but it felt like it had coated his mouth. Like he'd never truly be rid of it. Looking down at the small puddle on the road, it looked like the bat's blood.

He rolled over, startling as he noticed how close the creature had gotten. He could feel the burn of the bites from the tension in him and it was overwhelming. The creature let out a low growl before Steve was hit with a sharp pain. He squeezed his eyes shut, head smacking back to the concrete. It felt as if tens of teeth were tearing into him.

He felt tears run down his face as realized he was too far away from his bat. Too far to grab the walkie and call for help. The pain grew worse and the creature roared. Steve's throat felt raw as the pain had him screaming.

The devil's right there, right there in the details (Looking too Closely - Fink) Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10

The title is from My Hallelujah by Autoheart. The chapter title and endnote are from Looking Too Closely by Fink Also on ao3 You were all interested :) @ellietheasexylibrarian @nburkhardt @artiststarme @flowers-that-sing @juleswashere3 @indiearr

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Names revealed and returned. (context)

[First] Prev <--> Next

[puppyeared]

i feel like im not making any sense but does anyone else feel like there are stories that let u run with them and ones that spell everything out for you

[saphflare]

If I had a nickel for every time a SMP server was ending due to unprompted circumstances and the characters were all being doomed by the narrative to tragedy, but Philza Minecraft the man he is, somehow scourged up enough to give his cubito a happy ending despite the circumstances, I would have two and thank god the streamer decided to give something hopeful considering how miserable everyone else is

[doodleodds]

Happy Valentines, Akira. Happy Valentines, Asshole.

If you can’t read what Akechi’s secondary inner-dialogue says cause I obscured it too much behind his regular dialogue, here’s a transcription in panel order: Hello, you fucking- Ah- Hello, Akira! Fuck off, why should I tell you- Just a soda- there’s a new flavor.

I don’t want your shitty gift. Oh- haha! You’re so sweet.

I hope I choke. They’re lovely, thank you.

Like hell. Likewise. There’s no way it’s just a coincidence. Still though, it’s a funny coincidence.

[ruvviks]

PLEASE DO NOT TAG AS YOUR OWN OC OR PAIRING.

Nathan and Ruben share a bond more powerful than most; mutual understanding through past experiences no one should ever have to go through, and through past actions so horrible they cannot be spoken of. Their grief and the blood on their hands binds them to the STEM technology they created, which has alienated them from the rest of the world— but they give each other the comfort they have both longed for so desperately for years, and that is all they need. They are each other's counterpart; you cannot imagine one without the other, like two sides of the same coin. Through their pain, their grief, their desire, and their regret, they have become one.

anna akhmatova, the guest // bones; equinox // 'i won't become' by kim jakobsson // agustín gómez-arcos, the carnivorous lamb // by oxy // achilles come down; gang of youths // czeslaw milosz, from 'new and collected poems: 1931-2001' // 'extended ambience portrait from a resonant biostructure' and 'migraine tenfold times ten' by daniel vega // a little death; the neighbourhood // marina tsvetaeva, from 'poem of the end' // by drummnist // katie maria, winter // 'nocturne in black and gold the falling rocket' by james abbott mcneill whistler // micah nemerever, these violent delights // body language; we are fury // 'the penitent' by emil melmoth // chelsea dingman, from 'of those who can't afford to be gentle'

taglist (opt in/out)

@shellibisshe, @florbelles, @ncytiri, @hibernationsuit, @stars-of-the-heart;

@lestatlioncunt, @katsigian, @radioactiveshitstorm, @estevnys, @adelaidedrubman;

@celticwoman, @rindemption, @carlosoliveiraa, @noirapocalypto, @dickytwister;

@killerspinal, @euryalex, @ri-a-rose, @velocitic, @thedeadthree

[measurelessdreamer]

Part II of my musings about my scogan kid fic idea (read part I here)

It’s very delicate. And Logan doesn’t deal with delicate. He can deal with force and dangerous and what-doesn’t-kill-you-makes-you-stronger. A four-year-old girl calling him “dad” is nowhere near any of these things.

And Summers must know how much of a deal this is because he’s quiet the whole time they walk to his office to talk, for which Logan didn’t ask but Scott offered anyway, without the typical stoic composure Logan was used to seeing on him.

Then they get there and neither of them can really sit down or start because where do you start after seeing something like this? After apparently living in a universe where time-travel is possible and it happens to be your damn luck that you have to live with its consequences?

And Logan realises that Scott could ask first. He wasn’t there when Logan talked about his timeline with Charles and as far as the little girl goes, calling Scott “papa” is on the same spot of “urgent” as calling Logan “dad” is.

But Summers speaks in the end and, surprising no one, he decides to be unselfish and asks Logan what he wants to know. Logan gives him a look that must speak for itself because Summers clenches his jaw but still waits and Logan hates him but not really and so he asks, “The girl. Who is she?”

And Scott says that her name is Kayla (because I happen to be a big fan of Wolverine: Origins and I always have been ever since I saw it when I was, like, thirteen, and despite all the sad stuff about Kayla, I loved the message of her words to Logan that he’s not an animal and I think it would be nice to have that message survive in a little girl who at some point learned to love him enough to call him dad because if that doesn’t say he’s not an animal, then I don’t know). It might warrant a reaction from Logan right away. He might know what the name means, the Logan of this timeline probably didn’t (but it’s possible he doesn’t know either).

So he asks who gave her that name, to which Scott replies that he chose it and Logan asks why they would let him and Scott says because he was the one who found her. There is something Summers isn’t saying, though, and although Logan can tell, he lets it go this time.

Found her? he asks next and Scott says I assume you’re familiar with the name “Stryker”, to which Logan lets out one of his claws, the middle one, akin to all those years ago on the Liberty Island and he doesn’t know what he expects, but the soft smile that graces Scott’s face before it is squashed down by the cold calculated look was definitely not it.

Then Scott reaches under his desk and unlocks one of his drawers and pulls out a thick file with the huge red stemp of “classified” written over it and he pushes it closer to Logan. It says “Weapon XII” on the front and Logan bristles and almost lets out all of his claws.

He doesn’t reach for the file and Scott probably didn’t even expect him to because he goes on, unprompted, and says that the project was meant to be a continuation of the previous one, of designing a mutant who would be able to hold and control multiple abilities at the same time. The previous project made them aware they could change one mutant. Now, they wanted to know whether they could fully create one and raise them to be their perfect soldier.

For that, they needed a suitable collection of DNA from mutants they knew existed because it turned out that not every ability was compatible with the rest of them.

When Logan asks how they found out, Summers says it’s in the file and then clenches his jaw when Logan just says he’s not reading it. Then Scott says there were multiple test subjects that were biologically engineered in different ways so they knew where to push their limits. At the time, Kayla was being referred to as “12.9” and she was the only one they found at the facility. The rest were defined in the file as “failed” and “closed” and Logan really feels slashing through something right now.

Scott says she was merely six-months old when she was found by them. They didn’t know who she was but the following days were a bit self-explanatory when she teleported a meter away right in front of their eyes and shot red beams from her eyes at a toy she didn’t particularly like.

Her powers were meant to manifest early so Stryker’s people knew if she could harness all the powers they engineered her with without dying. It was a long process of deciding which ones she had to have and which ones she didn’t. All of the children had Logan’s, though, and as much as there indeed is no adamantium in her body, it was the plan to put it into her once she grew up. Putting it into her now would prevent her from her natural development and result in her death. Logan says, “Don’t tell me they found that out the hard way,” to which Scott replies, “What do you think?”

So, what, is she a clone? Logan asks after Scott explains the rest and Scott says, Yes, in a sense.

What do you mean? She either is or she ain’t!

Clones are usually of “something” and are meant to resemble that something to perfection. She has so much of other people in herself that no one would be able to pin point what she is a clone of.

As much as it clears up a few things about her to Logan, there is a lot Scott doesn’t mention that day or the ones that follow. He doesn’t say that it was actually the two of them together who found her and not just Logan. He doesn’t reveal that her first days here were a pretty accurate depictions of hell and that Logan’s healing factor came especially in handy and she also sort of seemed to cry a lot less when she was in Scott’s arms compared to everyone else’s. And he doesn’t say anything about the fact that, yes, as much as her DNA is comprised of DNA of other mutants, the percentages vary and there are two sets of DNA she has more of than from others and there is a reason why her eyes are so blue and why she purposefully has weaker versions of all her mutant abilities aside from her healing factor and heightened senses.

Part III

[shorelinnes]

The sky is still blue, but why is everything blurry? Within my blurred vision I can only see you clearly

[dracimexidae]

"What's your favourite Langston Hughes' story?" "Poem. This is for the kids who die. Black and white, for kids will die certainly. The old and rich will live on awhile, as always, eating blood and gold, letting kids die." "You're a very interesting man." "Interesting is a liability these days."

[dazais-guardian-angel]

Chapter 110 is 13 pages long welcome to hell!!! so in a lot of ways this is just more fuel for a theory that I've had for a few weeks now, that's only gotten stronger with each recent season 5 episode, which is that the last episode of the season is gonna end on 110, and that Asagiri/Harukawa and Bones have been collaborating to make this happen, specifically because it's a major turning point that would be the only good place to end the season on.

When we started getting especially long chapters again (like from 25-35ish pages, with the exception of 107.5, the last two being some of the longest we've ever had), at first I just assumed that Asagiri/Harukawa got freed up from some other obligations they'd been having to cause the extremely short/half chapters, like promotional stuff for the anime/Beast movie, or working on light novels. But then 109 happened, with the "supposed" death of Dazai, and heavy emphasis at the end on how literally everyone is at their lowest point right now, and I got to thinking. 11 episodes is a strangely specific number for an anime season -- why not 12, or 13, or even 10, like you'd usually see? Why have we gotten suddenly gotten two 35 page chapters out of nowhere, that's almost unheard of at this point? They're both beautiful chapters, don't get me wrong (as always), and maybe A/H simply just didn't want to cut them in halves because they felt like the full emotional impact wouldn't hit/that there were no good cutoff points in them, but you can't deny that it's surprising, after all the shorter chapters we've been getting. Why has the anime been going at such insanely breakneck pacing for the most part ever since around the Sunday Tragedy chapters, even more so than it has in the past? So much so that it feels dangerously close to overtaking the manga?

Well, maybe, just maybe, it's because..... Asagiri decided a long time ago that whatever happens in 110 is the only point that feels "season finale"-worthy enough, in an arc that still isn't anywhere close to being completely wrapped up, and so both the manga and the anime have been specifically coordinated to reach that part within 2 and a half weeks of each other?

I've seen a lot of people now think season 5 will end with 109, and as much as my sadistic side would find that hilarious, I honestly don't think they'd do that and realistically don't want it to happen; it'd be so cruel to cliffhanger the anime for years like that, and just doesn't feel like a season cliffhanger BSD would do, a series that is ultimately hopeful and uplifting. Seasons 2 and 3 had a positive, conclusive ending; the only reasons seasons 1 and 4 didn't was because they're technically not really full seasons of their own, and are more like the first cour of another "season" that also came out that same year (seasons 1 and 2 both aired in 2016, so they're more like one big season, and seasons 4 and 5 have both aired this year, so they're also more like one big season, again taking into account how episodes 12 and 50 are not satisfying finales like episodes 24, 37, and hypothetically, 61, are). I really can't see season 5 ending with Dazai and Fukuzawa's supposed deaths, Sigma being unconscious and maybe close to death, Atsushi being vulnerable and limbless again, everyone we love still vampires, and the entire world being basically doomed; that's just too depressing and not like BSD at all. However, having said that, if it doesn't end there, there really isn't any good place to end the season before that, either, that feels in any way satisfying or like a finale at all. And so, to me, that only leaves after 109: chapter 110.

I think things are really gonna turn around next chapter. Like I said, everyone is at their lowest point right now, it cannot possibly get any worse, the framing of Dazai, Fukuzawa, and sskk at the end of 109 is telling us that; this is the time for the heroes to finally start winning again, with Aya being so close to pulling out the sword, and for all the thematic reasons other people have talked about to death that I don't need to go into here again. This upcoming chapter being so short again makes a part of me wary of 110 being "the one", so to speak, I won't lie, but at the same time, it's very possible that it needs to be that short because that's all the final episode of the season will be able to reasonably fit in, since it's already gonna be VERY close if they do make it all the way to 109. And at the end of the day, I don't doubt at all that Asagiri and Harukawa can make these the most monumental and game-changing mere 13 pages ever if they wanted to; a chapter does not at all need to be extremely long in order to be an important and impactful one, even if short ones we've gotten in the past haven't felt the most important.

An additional thought I've had, though this is much more crack territory than all this already is, is that since we know from Anime Expo that a Stormbringer movie at some point is highly likely (judging from Asagiri's reaction when someone brought it up), it's possible that chapter 110 and thus the final episode will involve the long-anticipated return of Verlaine and/or Adam, or at least some other major reference to Stormbringer, that would naturally and smoothly lead into a Stormbringer movie to explain things to people who haven't read the novel. It would make a lot of sense, especially since the s4 OP has the Old World sign behind Chuuya, which might be a hint that this has been in the works ever since seasons 4/5 were first in planning with Asagiri. We also know that Dazai and Chuuya's voice actors apparently struggled to record their lines together this season, which probably relates to 101 and possibly 109, but it could be 110 too.... I could be very wrong, as I'm no expert on this kind of thing, but I kinda doubt they would bring Chuuya's actor in for just the vampire growls, and Asagiri placing heavy emphasis on Chuuya's importance this season in that one interview gives me the impression that he's talking about much more than just 101/109. But that's the least solid evidence I have, that's just mostly based on vibes I get.

So basically, I think a lot of factors -- the unusual episode count, how close the anime is to catching up to the manga with three whole episodes left, the seemingly arbitrary recent chapter lengths, and the climactic events of 109 -- can tell us that 110 might be a very, VERY big deal. Again, there's of course no way this arc is anywhere near close to being finished, with so much left to address and resolve, but since it is currently incomplete in the manga, unlike the previously adapted arcs, if the anime was going to adapt it at all, they'd have to find a place that feels satisfying enough to end this season, knowing there won't be more anime for a long time after this, and so I think they specifically planned for that, from both Bones' and A/H's sides. 10 episodes might not have been enough to reach that point, but 12 or 13 might have been too many it wouldn't have been if Bones actually decided to slow down and let the story breathe the way it needs to, but this post isn't meant to criticize the anime, so maybe 11 was just right. And maybe Asagiri and Harukawa specifically pushed to make recent chapters longer than usual, in order to make sure that the manga reached the story content in 110 the monthly release right before season 5 was to end.

Is this just copium? Absolutely. Am I going to look like an absolute clown in two days when this post ages like milk? Probably. But the evidence is There, so let me just enjoy my delusions until Sunday, okay 🥂🫡

[eeriemothz]

actually I want to make a full post about this. I've known about Solas for a pretty long time but I didn't expect him to be so silly?? I love it so much. I love how genuinely lighthearted and goofy he can be (like how he'll tease an inky that romanced iron bull or his "I am grim and fatalistic, getting you into bed is just an enjoyable side benefit line) and I believe this is who he wants to be, just a man who can live life with his friends and be with his beloved. I could be reading him wrong but hell, it sounds like he's doubting his plan by the end of tresspasser it's so knife twisty. He's capable of loving and being loved but is forcing himself to be the sacrificial lamb (wolf?) In a sense.

Me and Veilguard will have words if they do my boy dirty. (Also I'm realizing epic the musicals "just a man" is such a Solas song)

[therealraewest]

I've gotten to Moon Knight's stint in the West Coast Avengers and I was a bit worried it would take the same route as the 1985 Fist of Khonshu run where Steven and Jake weren't even mentioned but

Everyone getting zapped by a mind control beam and MK looking... Pretty unphased?

Definitely not in pain like everyone around him, until

Oh hey Steven

And then Steven gets zapped and Jake out here basically running up and yelling "boo" (I love Jake Lockley so much)

Even though Marc has been ignoring/suppressing them for years at this point, the MK system came out to help Marc make a good impression on his new potential teammates

Love to see the system working together again

[andyridgeley]

roy and keeley: we broke up me:

[julnites]

And once again, (mer)may is upon us 💧🧜‍♀️

[lost-in-fandoms]

¹⁷⁾ a carabiner heavy with keys❤️

hello friend, I want you to know that this prompt stumped me for quite a while, I just didn't know how to spin it? I started thinking about keys -> doors -> many doors, and I had a zookeeper AU in my brain, but also a college student x security guard AU kind of thing, but in the end I went for this. I did take some liberties on the carabiner part.

Max is being guided towards the last row of cells when they bring him in.

He's being held up by two guards, one more behind them carrying an extra torch, head hanging low like he's not fully aware, curls drooping in front of his face in a disheveled mess.

"Ah, yes," the warden says with a smirk, stepping over to open one of the closed doors, "our little thief!"

The cell is dark and damp, with a hole in the middle of the floor and a wooden slab against the wall as a bed, and even from where he's standing in the corridor, Max can feel how oppressive the small space is, air heavy and stale.

The guards throw the man in without much care, ignoring the way he slumps on the floor, unmoving, but the warden chuckles, coming closer to poke him with the tip of his boot.

"Not so smug now, are you?" he taunts.

Max forces himself not to react as he pokes the thief again, trying to keep his face as impassible as the other guards, watching as the guy tries to twist away, moaning pathetically.

"Who is he?" he asks, voice flat and uninterested. His fingers are tightly closed around the ring of keys the warden had passed him earlier, a copy of the one hanging from his belt.

"Just a rat, sneaking around the castle's treasury for far too long." The warden crouches down, grabbing the man's hair and pulling it back, revealing his bruised face. "The guys had a bit of fun, it seems."

The thief opens one swollen eye to look up at him, and for a second Max thinks his face is twisting in pain, but then realises he's smiling, all blood-stained teeth.

"Touching is 5 gold pieces, sweetheart," he rasps out, before spitting at the warden.

Max can't help but flinch when the guy's head hits the floor, but he steels himself for the kick he sees coming, forcing himself to not look away, even as the poor man coughs and gasps on the floor.

"Vermin," the warden grunts, hitting him again for good measure, before finally stepping away. "Hope you've had your taste of fresh air, because this is the last you're going to get."

The thief doesn't answer, curling up more tightly on the floor, his gasps the last thing Max hears before the door closes with a heavy thud.

--

Max walks down the corridor, trying to remind himself that he has every right to be here, and it would be more suspicious if he sneaked around, The keys jingle at his waist, and the sound itself is enough to make him feel vaguely nauseous, especially as he hears the sounds from inside the cells die down as he walks by, replaced by terrified silence.

Despite his intentions, his steps grow quieter as he walks deeper into the prison, approaching the last rows, and by the time he's in front of the thief's cell his breathing is almost inaudible too, the clinking of his keys the only sound announcing his presence.

He takes a breath before opening the door, checking the end of the corridor just in case someone decided to take a stroll down this way before the actual guards change. It's not illegal what he's doing, not yet at least, but technically he's not supposed to open this door, the meager food they've been throwing being passed through the hatch at the bottom.

The first click of the lock sounds too loud in the quiet corridor, but Max ignores the nerves twisting his stomach and keeps turning the key, pulling the door open as quietly as possible.

The first thing that hits him is the smell. The stale, damp air, now smells even worse, after days of a human being living in it, and he almost has to take a step back, feeling it like a punch in his chest. After that, he sees the thief, a shadow tucked away in one corner.

The sight is enough to make him forget about the smell as he rushes forward, tucking his keys in his pocket to make them less noisy, crouching down in front of him, relieved by the movement of his shoulders.

"Daniel," he whispers, reaching out to touch but worried he'll accidentally scare him, or worse, hurt him. "Daniel, come on, look at me."

"You're late."

Max feels like a weight has been lifted from his chest hearing Daniel's voice, even if dry and raspy, and he almost laughs with it, finally leaning all the way in to touch his shoulders, helping him sit up.

"I'm sorry," he says, even if he had no real way of getting their work done more quickly. "I have water for you, and a piggyback ride out."

Max is glad he prepared himself before walking in, because it takes all his self-control to not gasp when Daniel finally looks up. The bruises he had seen a few days earlier are now purple and green, the dried blood still caking his cheekbone now a flaky brown, his cheeks sunken and pale.

"Don't look at me like that, I haven't had my beauty sleep," Daniel jokes, voice cracking into a cough by the end of the sentence.

"I hate you," Max says, because saying I love you so much it felt like I was dying when I was watching them throw you in here feels a bit too much at the moment. What he does instead is take out the small flask of water from his pocket, helping Daniel drink, fingers almost tingling where he's touching his skin.

"You got them right?" Daniel asks as soon as he's done, looking slightly better than before.

Max nods, patting the pocket on his chest, under his cloak, where he had hidden the documents he had retrieved from where Daniel had stashed them away. Daniel getting beat up hadn't been in the plans though, and Max is eager to get him out of there as soon as possible.

"Come on, it's not long until the watch changes."

He helps Daniel stand up, then climb on his back, leaving his hands free, just in case.

"I'm going to give you so much food," he tells him, feeling how much lighter Daniel has become in just a few days.

"You better."

Max closes the door of the cell behind them, taking a moment to wrap the keys up in an handkerchief before putting them back in his pocket. He knows that there's no way to make it seem like he's not smuggling Daniel out, so he's not taking any chances of the damned keys betraying them when he's trying to be quiet. Then he takes a deep breath, makes sure Daniel is secure on his back, and starts making his way to safety.

[l0ganberry]

Today, I went fishing with my family. And I decided to bring Wally with me, since today's the website update.

And boy let me tell you....... fishing with Wally was the best way to spend your time.

I really think he had a lot of fun too!

I even did some doodles of him fishing too. (I did while I waited to catch my own fish. Sadly, I haven't got one.)

I wanted to change my style for both Barnaby and Wally. So this was perfect for me while fishing.🎣