#I was just exhausted lmao

[anemonepoisson]

Day 10, Love

[senseearly]

The panels of Mithrun's squad caring, in their own little ways, for Mithrun are so important to me.

Much like Kabru, they don't have to go beyond what was asked of them. They just needed to follow orders; they needed to make sure he stays well and alive; they needed to fulfill the mission. And yes, they do all of these.

And yet:

They didn't need to do all of those. Lycion telling Kabru to give Mithrun space. Cithis wanting Kabru to keep talking so Mithrun has to hear it. Everyone's suggestions of what Mithrun can still do and can still like. With the demon gone, their duties are over.

Yet they stand by him.

Without having to put it onto words, the snippets of the Canaries with Mithrun do show that they have a close bond with each other. We're not exactly sure how they made those bonds, how long it even took to cultivate, but fact of the matter is that they do care for him.

And Mithrun knows it. And that's so, so important.

The thing about Mithrun right now is that it's not clear (at least to me) if he right now is able to reciprocate that level of care. It's clear that Mithrun cared a lot about his former companions, enough that he shared the vision of his dream and the dungeon with them.

And the demon ate that desire. Which explains their eventual disappearance in the dungeon...and having no mention from Mithrun of what happened to them.

(If you asked me, they either died from trying to stop Mithrun or from any attempts to escape. But that's a story for another day)

You can even say that the demon totally ate Mithrun's desire for genuine companionship, something that he sought dearly through his beloved and his friends. Which explains how Mithrun is just totally apathetic to most people that his perception/description of them is muddled.

But does that mean Mithrun is incapable of caring for people? I don't think so.

The thing that is so intersting to Mithrun is that he acknowledges that the demon ate his desires, and that the only thing left with him is his desire to kill demon (but is actually a desire to just be completely eaten). Those are true. But his desire for him to try is still there, and I think that's one of the reasons why Mithrun recovered enough to go back to the Canaries, and to stand up when the demon was truly defeated.

And like what Kabru said, Mithrun can still have new desires. They may not be permanent, they may come and go, but the possibility is there, so I think in the future, Mithrun may have the desire again to care for his companions. Especially since he knows they do care for him a lot.

[seryotonin]

You do not know the medieval torture I had to go through to make this and I’m not exaggerating.

I gave Pearl a gun because dualies to me are very hard to draw and she looks like she’d have a real gun anyways.

[the-broken-pen]

“You’re going to blow out your arms,” the villain observed. They watched as the hero merely grit their teeth, shoving themself through another pull-up. It looked painful, and if the sweat slicking the hero’s brow was any indication, it was.

They waited for the hero to let themself drop from the bar and accept the villain was stronger. But they didn’t.

Three more pull-ups, and the villain stepped in.

“Hero,” they said slowly. “You’re about to tear the ligaments in your arms. You need to stop.”

The hero blew out a shuddering breath. Struggled for purchase, fighting gravity—and let themself drop.

The hero’s hands were bleeding, calluses torn open by the bar. The hero didn’t seem bothered when their own hands shook so much that their blood began to splatter on the gym floor.

For a moment, the villain could only stare at them.

Shit.

They didn’t know how to handle this. They knew the hero was dedicated. They knew the hero was strong, and perpetually trying to be stronger, but they hadn’t thought…

They hadn’t thought the hero would be so willing to tear apart their own body for success.

It was supposed to be fun, the villain thought. They felt a little sick as the hero pressed their palms together to soothe the bleeding, an action that was practiced and familiar. As if they had done this before.

The hero reached for something in their bag, smearing blood on the side, and pulled out a roll of blue electrical tape. The villain didn’t understand why, until the hero tore a strip off and made to wrap their hands with it.

The hero would be the death of them.

They crouched in front of the hero, plucking the electrical tape out of their hands.

“What are you doing with this?”

The hero blinked at the villain like they were the strange one in this situation.

“Wrapping my hands?”

The villain hissed in a breath.

“With electrical tape?”

The hero flushed slightly, looking down at their bloody hands. They looked close to tears.

“It…sticks to skin, really well. And it doesn’t move, either, when you move your hands or wherever else, even if you’re fighting. Plus, blood doesn’t make it come off, at least, not for a while.”

The villain blinked at them.”

“Blood doesn’t make it come off,” the villain repeated, processing. The hero nodded, reaching for the electrical tape. The villain settled it out of reach.

“Not if you wrap it right.”

Dimly, the villain realized that meant the hero had done this enough times to have it down to a science.

“And you couldn’t use a bandaid?” The villain asked incredulously. The hero shrugged a shoulder, then winced at the motion.

Yeah, the hero had absolutely blown out their arms.

“Bandaids move—“

The villain hushed them.

“Be quiet for a second.”

The hero, wisely, went quiet.

The villain rubbed a hand over their face, then studied the hero for a moment. They took one of the hero’s hands into their own, studying the damage.

“Why did you do this to yourself,” the villain murmured.

“What do you mean, why,” the hero snapped. “It’s my job.”

“Your job is to save people,” the villain corrected. “Not destroy yourself.”

“I’m not destroying myself—“

“You are.”

“Shut up—“

“Hero.”

“I need to be better,” the hero snapped. Their voice rang out across the gym, echoing into the rafters, and they both froze. After a moment, the hero spoke again, voice soft. “I need to be better.”

They said it like they needed the villain to understand. The villain wondered who they were really saying it to—the villain, or themself.

“Better than who?”

“Everyone.” It was hushed, like a secret.

The villain watched them, waiting.

The hero took a shaky breath

“My whole thing is being the best. I have always been the best. That’s the only reason I matter. If I’m not strong enough, then I am nothing, so I need. to be. better.”

The hero had started crying, very quietly, like they were afraid to take up too much space.

The villain was not equipped to handle gifted kid burnout.

“There’s more to you than just being a good athlete,” the villain said hesitantly, and the hero shook their head.

“No. There isn’t.”

“Hero.”

“Can you give me back my electrical tape?” They hiccuped to contain a sob.

“No,” the villain said firmly, and then the hero really was sobbing.

“You don’t understand—“

The villain didn’t. Not really. They had never been the kind of talented that the hero was.

They wondered now if maybe that was a blessing.

“I don’t,” the villain agreed. “But I do understand that you’ve saved half the city, and you give everything you have to give, and you always do your best.”

“But I-“

“No.” The villain stopped them. “You are doing your best.” They tipped the hero’s chin up until they met the villain’s eyes. “And it is enough.”

The hero froze, eyes darting over the villain’s face. They wondered if anyone had ever said that to the hero, if whatever mentor they had was giving them anything other than orders to be stronger. Be better. Be more.

The villain had some new targets to take care of, it would seem.

For now, though, they had to take care of hero.

“We’re going to go wrap your hands,” they said softly. “And then we’re going to take care of your arms, and you’re going to take a nap.”

The hero nodded, watching them like they were some kind of good, selfless person.

“And if I ever catch you using electrical tape again, so help me, I will put you six feet under.”

That startled a laugh out of the hero, and they let the villain guide them to their feet.

“Fine.”

The villain turned to them. “Okay?”

Are you going to be alright?

The hero seemed to understand.

“Okay,” the hero agreed.

Yes.

And so, it was.

[panncakes]

Phi. Hmm? Why can't I see you?

LAST TWILIGHT (2023)

[arthrobug]

[sunlit-mess]

Not sure if you needed to hear this but you're a super underrated artist. Your style is incredibly snazzy and professional!

I mean... I don't really draw for prominence. Rather, I draw to create, so I don't really care much about my reputation.

BUT

That word really struck me-

[vimbry]

top tmbg songs involving someone basically going "they'll see... they'll ALL see!!!"

"destination moon"

"no one knows my plan"

"can't keep johnny down"

"cloisonné"

"dirt bike"

"I'll sink manhattan"

[bass-alien]

I need a hug

[itsthislake]

“Near the End of April”

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUFFY!!

Poem by William Stanley Braithwaite (1878 – 1962)

Support me via Ko-fi?

(click to see details! zoom in on the strawhats!)

[breadandblankets]

Thomas family dinners, everything from lazy meals on TV trays when everyone is too tired to cook to extended family meals for holidays, memories stocked to the brim with laughter filled kitchens and food made with love, dinners of hope and recovery and mourning and joy

duke who feels awkward and alone even surrounded by other bats because where is the warmth and love? duke who still now feels like an outsider because he is reminded that this is not his family, that his family may never come back

Thomas family dinners in the recovery process, the tentative poking around each other's new found traumas turning into a new familiarity, a new kind of living, a living that has his fellow ex robins and his parents and some of his fellow bats all milling around cups of kool aid in hand as his dad regals a gaggle of teens with his stories

a warm place where laughter echoes on the walls

home

[tradingjack]

cringefail late valentine's day posting some rushed kiss studies bc I worked like 36 of the past 72 hours yippee

and I STILL can't draw kissimg this shit haaard how yall do it 😭😭

[mangk0]

Mother is angry🦅

[shima-draws]

AAAAAAAAAA WAIT WAIT if you finished wci then i gotta know how you felt during judge and luffy's final conversation when he starts listing all of the qualities he thinks are sanji's worst and then luffy waves him off w/o responding and is like 'wow why did he say all those nice things abt you?' and sanji's so bashful abt it

UGLY SOBS GODDDDD I cannot believe he actually said that 😭 I love that what traits Judge sees as “failures” Luffy sees as complete successes surrounding Sanji’s character. And he was so adorably oblivious too Judge was just shouting at them and Luffy was like “Okay yeah and he’s super pretty and he has nice abs and a cute butt, what’re you so mad about?” LMAO

[clockworkvampyre]

my favorite steamgoth icon

[cinnamontoads]

trying to get back in the swing of drawing since ive been mega busy so… draw what you know!