#what if they don’t like the truth?

[there-was-a-hole-here-itsgonenow]

MEAT above Melvin

@howtobecomeadragon and I have been exchanging a variety of ideas about what this sign could mean and we reached some interesting analyses!

This is such an intriguing shot because of that word alone. It’s directly, perfectly centered above Mike and El—perfectly centered in-frame (with the ‘S’ cut off) too. It’s a purposeful shot.

Obviously there’s the flesh monster as a present, looming threat that can be correlated here, but the monster itself isn’t a literal threat that poses to meaningfully separate Mike and El. It’s not like the shot of the very obvious #1 hanging right above (in-between if you imagine a frontal shot) Will and Mike specifically, in the same episode no less.

From this shot, I gather that One aims to get between and separate Will and Mike for his own purposes. Mike is constantly involved with thwarting One’s plans throughout the series, a big one being Mike’s interference with Will’s possession. Will opened up to Mike about feeling the Mind Flayer, and Mike said ‘maybe that’s good’ because Will was like a super spy. Mike later knew Will needed to be sedated when he was possessed because Will had able to open up to him previously. It was also Mike’s “it was the best thing I’ve ever done” monologue that got Will to break through enough to communicate via Morse code. All this to say that these interferences highlight the problem for One: Mike’s bond with Will. Henry is aware of Mike’s power in this bond, and so this analysis of the above shot holds weight.

But then there’s MEAT. Dragon mentioned that Mike and El could’ve been placed in an area where there’s health/nursing/pharmaceutical significance to represent taking care of their relationship, but we don’t get that. And unlike the #1 sign that points toward an outside force wanting to separate Will and Mike for a Henry-specific purpose, we can’t grab a similar analysis from MEAT/ the flesh monster. What can be understood is that Melvin’s relationship is compromised by themselves; Mike especially when breaking down what is about to happen after we see MEAT. One conclusion howtobecomeadragon and I came to is the concept of butchering/spilling blood in the way meat is prepared. It’s a messy, bloody process. ‘Butchering,’ by definition as an alternate description, can mean to spoil something completely by performing or dealing with a situation very badly.

Cue Mike. Howtobecomeadragon describes Mike as having ‘butchered’ not only his apology to El but also his messy attempt to say “I love you” to El. And of course, we have this very telling choice phrase from Mike (along with “Dustin, you’re breaking up”):

Mike and El have been going way too fast in their relationship and aren’t taking the time to understand each other (El is perfectly in-shot by Mike’s head when he says this, emphasizing that point). This truth is further emphasized by this next shot howtobecomeadragon pointed out to me:

A divider is between El and Mike, revealing a divide. The divider itself is not set perfectly between them either, once again depicting how El and Mike are not on the same page. Mike is placed further away from the divider, indicating he is not anywhere near resolving his issue. El is placed near the divider, and, though she isn’t on the same page as Mike, being close to the divider is indicative of her trying to listen/understand. Overall, it’s easy to notice the very clear divide within the divide represented here.

So Mike is butchering his words to El, dealing with their situation badly and even ‘performing’ the role of a boyfriend badly to his girlfriend. Of course, this goes deeper then just being a bad boyfriend. Pair the action of butchering with ‘spilling blood,’ a requirement when cutting meat. Blood is our force of life and, as such, contains our essence. Our essence is within the core of our beliefs, personality, and sense of identity: all that encompasses you. If you know the phrase “it’s in my blood,” this is part of your essence. It means you simply are the way you are/ are born the way you are.

Once again, cue Mike. It is my belief that because Mike says “blank makes you crazy” to El in this scene, Will is automatically bound to this scene due to “crazy” being a word in ST used synonymously with “love.” We know “love makes you crazy.” We know “Crazy together.” We know many examples. It should be clear that “blank makes you crazy,” and Mike’s inability to say “love” himself here, is all you need to understand that love for him is found naturally with Will but not with El. Regardless of your stance on Mike’s sexuality, the fact that Mike can be in love with and attracted to Will/to men is part of what makes Mike… Mike (“born this way”). Tie this with the spilling of blood—the spilling of your life’s essence, which is tied to truth. Your truth. Mike cannot spill his truth here. He cannot profess/‘spill’ “love” to El because that is not his truth. Bring this back around to ‘butchering,’ to spoiling something completely by dealing with a situation badly. Mike tries to force the word “love,” and so makes the situation more confusing (made infinitely worse in s4).

To further expand on this, puberty is a clear theme in s3. Puberty is a messy process. Howtobecomeadragon referenced Mike’s previous assertion to Will, that they aren’t kids anymore, and compared that to Mike trying to get El to say ‘love’ (as he clearly can’t say it himself) during this scene: “it’s what old people say to each other.” Dragon says Mike’s idea of romance stems from aging, which is correct because the presence of puberty in s3 is laying out what Mike believes getting older entails: having a girlfriend and leaving what’s believed to be ‘childish’/not ‘normal’ [in the process of growing up and assimilating into society] behind.

Additionally, he and El can only be physical (kiss) without proper communication. Physical -> Meat -> Flesh -> Puberty, the process in which your physical body begins to change. More than just physically, you are expected to change. While Mike and El are in the convenient store, trying to communicate/figure out their issues, MEAT hangs above them while a flesh monster is out to get them [more symbolically than literally]. The physical truth is out to get them, looms over them, and the truth behind their issues—Mike’s hidden issue particularly (perhaps even expressed through the MEAT sign, as the ME part falls perfectly over Mike and possibly represents a ‘me’ issue for Mike + an abundance of Mike’s blue lighting takes up the center-aisle shot)—is the threat to their relationship. This hidden issue of Mike’s that ‘threatens’ to break Melvin up is not meant to be a bad thing for them (no longer being a couple is the best outcome for them both). It is, however, Mike’s truth that is a threat against him having the norm. His truth is a threat to what is socially expected of him, causing Mike to continue this [butchered] heteronormative performance.

#after all… #what if they don’t like the truth? #mike wheeler #anti m*leven #byler #meat symbolism #st set design #st3

[maddymoreau]

Thinking about how Diavolo’s feelings transcend time and how in the Nightbringer UR+ card Demon Lord’s Castle Tour this conversation happens.

When asked, “Do you wish to see your father?”

Diavolo responds:

“I suppose I do . . .” isn’t the typical reaction to how a child would feel about wanting to see their parent. Especially when said parent has essentially been in a coma for a year.

Along with how Diavolo describe his father.

It makes more sense why when you learn in Lesson 56 how Diavolo was treated by him growing up.

Diavolo can tell when others are lying but is unable to understand his father’s intentions.

Diavolo mentions that he lived a very sheltered life growing up. That from a young age his father never allowed him a chance to talk to anyone outside the castle.

His childhood friend was Mephistopheles. A demon literally RAISED to be his friend. Putting a barrier between the two because Mephistopheles would put Diavolo on a pedestal.

The isolating childhood he experienced riddled with his strict father constantly scolding him.

Despite everything MC is so important to him he wants to see his father again so we can meet.

#Demons and Humans can’t get married even in the present so it adds an extra layer him wanting to introduce us. #There’s a lot more you could add onto this (please do I’d love to hear other’s thoughts). #Like how Diavolo’s childhood affected him just look at the way he describes himself: #“The truth is I am a child in a way. A child who spends his time alone and never gets to do anything interesting.” #A lot of Diavolo’s poor behavior while not excused comes from his childhood. #How Diavolo admits to using his position to force others to do what he wants. Along with how he doesn’t like sharing. #Diavolo’s insecurities in his friendships with others. #Mainly Lucifer and Barbatos which makes sense with how they happened. #IE Forcing Barbatos to become his butler and the oath/deal with Lucifer regarding Lilith. #It’s clear Diavolo is very lonely and carrying a heavy burden. #I like that MCs presence is helping him change into a better person. #Also I don’t think Diavolo hates his father their relationship just isn’t good and very complicated. #Diavolo is such a wonderful character if you have any in-depth posts about him please tag me I’d love to read them!!! #I AM FILLED WITH SAPPY THOUGHTS ABOUT DIAVOLO TONIGHT!!!! #Obey Me #Obey Me Spoiler #Obey Me Nightbringer #OMSWD #Obey Me Diavolo #Diavolo #MaddyMajolish #Is it obvious I can’t sleep because I’m riddled with Blorbo thoughts

[yourlocalabomination]

“Aside from TGWDLM (and a brief BF cameo), Ted Spankoffski has long hair and we as a fandom need to represent that more often within our fanworks, ” I say into the mic.

The crowd boos. I begin to walk off in shame when a voice speaks and commands silence from the room.

“They’re right,” he says. I look for the owner of the voice. There in the 5th row stands: Joey Richter himself, with long hair.

#‘what’s your source that Ted has long hair’? you ask. Joey personally told me in a cameo /gen #am I really spreading propaganda if I’m speaking the truth? #Did I use to draw Ted exclusively with short hair? yes. Have I been enlightened since then? yes. I will lead this crusade if needbe #just remember if your drawing long haired ted with his hair down that you don’t draw it too long or it ends up as scrags #I had multiple people ask me why I draw ted with long hair that I resorted to making a diagram #ted spankoffski #theodore spankoffski #starkid #team starkid #starkid productions #starkid fanart #fanart starkid #time bastard #starkid time bastard #time bastard nightmare time #tgwdlm #tgwdlm starkid #tgwdlm fanart #the guy who didn't like musicals #the guy who didn’t like musicals fanart #hatchetfield ape man #Workin boys #nightmare time #hatchetfield nightmare time #nmt #hatchetfield #hatchetverse #hatchetfield universe #fanart #my art

[metamatronic]

yes i’m drawing 15-years-later ib AU comics 12 years post release date. what about it.

#ib #mary ib #ib garry #ib spoilers #ib game #ib AU #ok but what if though #mary over-confident until she realizes the paintings don’t listen to her anymore #garry like “i’m going to tell them the truth and explain the situation” #and then meets them and immediately crumbles #“HI JUST A NORMAL GALLERY ATTENDEE TRYING TO ESCAPE” #ib is suspicious of both of them the whole time #garry because suspicious nervous man who she feels like she’s met before #and mary because she can tell her sister’s hiding something #oh yeah and garry thinks mary doesn’t remember anything #(she does)

[turtleblogatlast]

Leo getting hit with a truth curse but instead of forcing him to admit to super sad or worrying things it’s things like “it was me who broke the remote” “I saw Mikey prank Donnie and helped hide it because it’s way funnier if he didn’t know who it was” “I rip my clothes to look more like Raph’s because he’s really cool” “my stripes aren’t even red they’re pink!”

#rottmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rottmnt leo #rise leo #plot twist he COULD be admitting angsty stuff but he’s pushing the less oof truths forward instead on purpose #raph: hey leo what do you want for dinner #leo: *about to bare his soul on all his internal torment but pivots* I’m afraid of snakes #(no but fr Leo’s stripes being technically more pink instead of red is cute ngl) #(a very reddish pink to the point that in certain lighting it looks red but at the base they’re p pink) #(i also am very fond of the idea that Leo doesn’t just have questionable taste in fashion he also just loves Raph a lot and looks up to him) #but yeah I think that something like this would be 99% Leo admitting to unimportant things or admitting to how much he values everyone #like they all KNOW Leo loves them and he’s talked them up enough for them to know but it’s different when he’s like #‘I just wanna read my comics with you guys around - it’s my favorite place to be’ #or again just random bs that doesn’t REALLY have a lot of weight like #‘I like using my portals to prank random people around the world’ #‘I’m worried about being a bad influence on hueso jr’ #‘sometimes I kinda wanna see hypno’s plans succeed’ #‘it’s been way too long since I found this out and honestly it’s embarrassing but I actually don’t have a di-‘ #SORRY COULDNT HELP MYSELF #(<-but did u know that that pink rather than red observation actually ties into this headcanon as well if u know about red eared sliders)

[pixiemage]

You can’t tell me I’m wrong

#Hermitcraft #cubfan135 #docm77 #tangotek #zedaph #EDIT: When I say serious business I don’t mean they’re actually being fully serious #Have y’all SEEN Hermitcraft??? lol #HOWEVER if you watch Tango and Doc show off or explain redstone they get DEEP into the nitty gritty #They go HARD with their redstone #Not that Cub and Zed don’t #but my god what Doc and Tango do stands apart #and in truth Seems Serious is like - in comparison to other Hermita #because lord knows none of them are actually serious; they’re die hard MINECRAFT players who default to pranks and chaos lol

[ambrosiagourmet]

Marcille didn’t use illegal magic to resurrect Falin bc she just loves Falin that much, she was able to resurrect Falin bc she already knew illegal magic bc she doesn’t respect elf cops.

#she literally majored in illegal magic #what Falin’s death pulled out of her was the willingness to reveal this to the group. imo. #it’s a very similar arc to Laios it’s about vulnerability. she doesn’t corrupt herself she reveals herself #not that it’s nothing that she does this for Falin. esp since a running theme in the early chapters for Marcille is knowledge vs action #she KNOWS how to do a lot of things but she hasn’t taken action on many of them. and she has already started to confront that #by the time they reach the dragon. her character arc doesn’t start there it starts w like. the mandrake #ANYWAY Falin is important I just think that framing it as like ‘look how far she’ll go this is FORBIDDEN’ kind of misses the point #that the elves and gnomes and dwarves have suppressed this knowledge. THEY have failed Marcille. they set her up for failure #don’t by into their lies!!! burying the truth isn’t helping! rah rah!

[jojo-schmo]

I wish I could tell the original artist that this drawing permanently changed the entire direction of my life in 2009. I want to shake their hand, look them in the eye, and admit I would not be who I am today if this drawing didn’t exist.

EDIT: Original artist is @ivynajspyder !!!!

#‘but jojo’ you ask. ‘that seems a little ridiculous’ #‘don’t you think that’s a little much?’ #no. NO. IT IS THE TRUTH. #little baby middle schooler jojo had just gotten squeak squad. the first kirby game she ever owned. #and she loved it even tho there’s a lot she didn’t understand #like who dedede was supposed to be or why copy abilities existed #I asked for the game because my roommate at swim camp had it and she told me the plot of the game when I looked over her shoulder to watch #(the plot she told me was completely made up btw she said kirby had to save the dimension from dark overlord and did not mention the squeak #and said stuff about meta knight being a bad guy idk I realize now she was just weaving a tale of her own haha) #SO I WAS NOT AWARE OF THE LORE. I had only played the one game and it’s the one people don’t like the plot of #but meta knight completely intrigued me #what was this blue sword wielding little kirby dude doing here?? #so I’d replay his boss fight over and over again just to get that glimpse at his face #and I’d sit and wonder what it all meant. who was this mysterious swordsman?? #and the boss fight was hard!!! it cost me to beat it at the time but I’d still do it to see his face #AND THEN AFTER LIKE A YEAR OF THIS it occurred to me that there was a kirby wiki online #so I found all the pictures of his face and my little fangirl-raised-by-deviantart mind ATE THIS UP. #and then I look up that one fateful google search……… the one that changed me #meta. #knight. #maskless. #and this drawing was towards the top of the results #I went feral about a fandom related topic for the very very first time #I lost my MIND. HOW can a character be so cute AND COOL??! I was a changed child. #I consumed the hoshi no kaabii anime like it was the only piece of media on earth #I drew comics about him. I made my first kirby oc ever to go on a grand adventure on him. #I filled my notebooks with kirby art to the point my mom was like ‘jossie. you REALLY need to branch out. these are just orbs.’ #and now I am the kirby artist I am today. so yes. YES. this drawing did change my life. #thanks for reading. and thanks to the original artist. I tried to find them to link but nothing. so if you know pls tell me #THE END!!! and remember! your art makes a difference in people’s lives even if they don’t say it to your face!!!!

[emblazons]

It’s “realizing that Will’s struggle in S2 with being infected with a virus that spreads and will kill him quickly (but doctors don’t care) is a metaphor for how gay men were treated during the aids crisis” hours

—right alongside Mike (who comes from a family with a Reagan sign in their front yard + a mom who outwardly supported Margret Thatcher), who sat at his now confirmed gay best friend’s side the entire time he was sick and watched as people were willing to let him die because he was viewed as expendable……and now has an ongoing storyline where

1) his relationship with his girlfriend is falling apart because he doesn’t love her romantically

2) he’s staring longingly and pushing toward the freedom his gay best friend embodies for him, and

3) he cannot bring himself to tell anyone around him something because “what if they don’t like it” + dehumanize him for telling the secret truth he cannot bring himself to externalize, despite now knowing something that scares him about about himself:

(Bonus points for the fact that the first time we see Mike push Will and himself toward a girl is after he watches how people were willing to let his gay best friend (and him, by extension) die should they not confirm to expectations)

#can you tell I am rewatching S2? lmao but!! #he’s gay. he’s gay. HE IS IN THE CLOSET AND TERRIFIED AND FUCKING. GAY #this is not about his feelings for El and never had been #it’s about his DEEP AND UNRELENTING FEAR that he is going to be seen as less than human and potentially killed for his honesty #THE REFUSAL TO TELL THE TRUTH IS A PROTECTION MECHANISM #ROOTED IN WHAT HES SEEN & EXPERIENCED & KNOWS ABOUT HIMSELF AS A GAY MAN #like this boy is having an extended metaphorical existential crisis over being gay. that is the point #it always HAS been. but the depth and context for his struggle requires complex sociological knowledge & people don’t do that anymore lmao #ANYWAY #I’m gonna do a whole proper post on this I promise. I just had to get the thought out somewhere lmao #mike wheeler core #mike wheeler #will byers #stranger things #the me tag #gay mike wheeler

[ricky-mortis]

I drew Ted from the wonderful @nabwastaken ‘s Time Bastard Au! The original design is by the talented @midnightnautilus , and was so very fun to draw!

#it’s a very fun au #I enjoy it quite a bit #I mean it’s hard to go wrong when making hatchetfield characters superheroes #although nobody should ever give Ted super powers #my man would wreak so much havoc #he's just a silly guy tho #I loved drawing him in this costume #drawing horns is so much fun #and I got to do a little comic book type halftone moment that I don’t get to do in a lot of my drawings #I love the halftone effect so much so when I find a drawing I can use it with I get very excited #anyways yall should go check out the au #Midnightnautilus has got some awesome art for it and the concept is so very good #let’s see what’s a fun fact for this one #fun fact: the person who created the early version of the Polygraph (lie detector) test also came up with Wonder Woman! #It's really interesting especially when you remember that Wonder Woman has the lasso of truth #Ted spankoffski #hatchetfield #time bastard #time bastard au #hatchetverse #team starkid #starkid #hatchetfield au #tinky #tnoy karaxis #the guy who didnt like musicals #nightmare time #my art #others idea

[chirpsythismorning]

“Mike said his life started the day he found El in the woods, which was technically the following night. What he said had nothing to do with offending Will because he went missing the day before.”

#byler #ignore the logistics of it #mike’s brain thinks of Nov 6th as the day Will went missing aka the day his life stopped #he met El after a whole day of worrying about will #its the day they had to see etched on will’s tombstone #Nov 7th is just an extension of him finding out and doing everything to get him back #nov 7th evening is a whole 24 hrs later #so yes not the same day #but it doesn’t make it any less incriminating #it’s not that Mike didn’t exist until he found el #it’s that it stopped that day #and then started again when he got hope will was alive #so many lines in mike’s monologue felt like lies mixed with a dose of truth #friends don’t lie co-founder and his loopholes 🙄 #I think it’s interesting also that we never really get Mike and Will talking about his time in the UD #the one time they do it’s brief and mostly about uncovering what’s happening to Will in that moment in s2 #but like we never see them talk outright about what happened or how the party all coped #so the prospects of him finding out how Mike truly felt back then… #in a scene where mike explains the ‘i feel like my life started-‘ line to Will #(and even more importantly the audience who has to buy into this) #that could be quite something…

[kadextra]

twt user migration feels like I’m standing in the doorway with a smile on my face saying “welcome to my house” and upon stepping closer you hear what sounds like hundreds of people screaming incoherently. in a /pos way

#you’ll get used to it I promise #it don’t bite…. #some of the screams are qetoiles dogboy truthing #some of them are wails of missing qforever #some of them are crying over qjaiden #others over qbad #some of them are #something #feel free to add on what your house looks like my mutuals

[vio1315]

I feel the need to remind people,

There is nobody Jesus is unable to save

I feel it comes up far too often that I am researching a mental illness or behavior or types of people that people will comment how such people will never be saved, never come to Christ

And I honestly think this is an evil thing to say, let alone publicly, let alone where a record of it is kept for all to see for however long the website is running

Do you have any idea where people who are struggling with all manner of things and looking for help are going to end up? On those exact pages. Do you know where they might look for more information when the article/video/etc waxes on about how rare it is for these people to change or find help? Right in the comments.

How dare the people who post this stuff. To take away the only real hope for the lost. To say ‘this is where everyone can find peace for their soul except for you.’ ‘only those good enough can be Saved’

I have seen people mention being in absolute despair because there’s no help for them even though they want to change. There’s no need to make this even harder. 

No sin, no mental illness, no habit, no personality type, no mistake, no past is going to prevent people who put their faith in Jesus’s death and resurrection from being Saved, so stop trying to turn them away and discourage them.

#Vio's Personal #Now obviously I don’t assume any of my followers have done this #I just find it infuriating #I should do more about it probab;y #I still remember Years ago when I was looking for help about why reading the bible was something I never wanted to do #(I honestly still struggle about it A Lot but at least I better understand why now) #and someone had mentioned that people who don’t want to read the bible probably aren’t saved #utterly soul crushing #It didn’t impact my decisions or any such but #some comment on there for years and years that they forgot about #And just devastating for no reason #And that’s nothing compared to what people say about some mental illnesses #What value was there in saying that? Would it be worth it if even one person was dissuaded from pursuing the Truth from it? #The things you say can impact people. Act like it

[dreamaboutwhathappens]

using “we hereby conduct this post mortem” as promotion leading up to the album, from a song where she herself was trying to figure out how it ended, knowing full well everyone was hoping to hear every gruesome detail about how it ended…… genius

#it’s just soooooooooooo #you know. #she’s like well. if i knew i would tell you. but i don’t #idk it’s just so genius #everyone wants to know how it ended and that clamouring for the truth is only adding to the stress she’s feeling #and everybody’s got their ideas……. but what has she got? #it was supposed to be fate. #and like she says in COSOSOM: it just didn’t happen #and that’s how it ended. it just stopped happening. #ttpd #random thoughts with grace

[cowchickenbeefpork]

Takes everything in me to not believe and spread the internalized homophobia Ed nygma hc but the fact his only three relationships with women had the first one be a attempt of being normal and being traditionally masculine, the second one be a repeating of that, and the third having having so many fucking similarities to his past close friendship with Oswald, a gay man in love with him is….. certainly a choice to say the least

#gotham #nygmobblepot #edward nygma #gotham fox #gotham 2014 #THE DEMONS ARE TAKING OVER AGAIN #” why are you referring to Oswald and Lee as similar” you don’t get me. #Before anyone says I’m defending what he did toward Kristen I am not. It’s like a more fucked up falsettos situation to me #“It’s like that because fox is homophobic” I DONT CARE. LET ME SPEAK MY TRUTH #besides the mere idea Ed thinks Oswald is straight for a while is hilarious I want it cannon so it will be IN MY HEAD

[stagefoureddiediaz]

Helena in pink - innocence and naivety - has me 👀👀👀

And then you combine it with Ramons check shirt 👀👀👀

In my opinion Eddie diaz is about to have his naive thoughts about Shannon - those rose tinted glasses he has on - ripped away and a few home truths delivered to him by the Diaz parents

#these the whole thing of the diaz parents not knowing what was happening with their son and grandson - and the spiral Eddie has been on #then there is the fact that them taking Chris away - if that’s what transpires - having a negative impact on their relationship with Eddie #even if it’s what Chris asks for and what is agreed between Eddie and his parents #I don’t doubt that Helena is gonna deliver some home truths about Shannon - the way it’s implied Helena didn’t like her or approve of her #in Eddie begins etc - she saw more of Shannon than Eddie did for several years of their marriage and maybe she has kept some stuff hidden #from eddie that’s now gonna come up - just a vibe I’m getting #911 spoilers #911 spec #911 costumes #911 pink theory #eddie diaz #911 abc #the diaz parents