#Got a bit emotional writing this

[sacchanisekaishikkaku]

Sacchan soon realized that maybe she flew a bit too close to the sun. Perhaps let too much of her cowardice show, since now hearing Sensei ask her such a question left her mind blank. Sacchan stared at him with a very conflicted look as on one hand, she felt frustrated he saw through her so easily, yet she also knew that in her stubbornness, she stupidly made it obvious to him her pain. Though he may have a point. Him asking the question probably would be the better choice. Him being the more confrontational one would probably be the only way for Sacchan to make any progress. But she wasn't sure how to answer the question. She knew lying clearly would only make things worse and she fears he would hate her but if she was too honest, maybe it would unnerve him and make him flee. So with her brain a mess, her anxiety growing, and Sensei's piercing gaze just left her to blurt out everything.

"I don't know....Love is meant for both parties to respect and understand each other, right? Or is it just an agreement that you wouldn't betray each other? That you will be loyal only to each other? Or is just something said since love itself doesn't really exist in a concrete way. But even then, I do know what love is, or I at least think I do. I know that, before I left them, my father loved me for how much I dedicated myself to my work to be his heir. I know my sister and brother loved me since they would help me even if it was my fault and tease me when I got mad at them. I know that some people did care for me, even if others saw our relationship as a sin, and I know that....he...loved me and willingly did everything for me to feel comfortable. To make me belong in my own skin...I do know what love is, and I know what kindness is."

She paused for a moment as her guilt of leaving everything behind never truly went away. Yes, perhaps most didn't care, and she knew the one she used to love also departed from that world long before Sensei and she did, but her family probably thinks she died now. Gone. Probably blaming themselves. That their love was betrayed. It was smashed to pieces. It was her fault for potentially breaking the happiness. But she shook the thoughts briefly to keep speaking.

"And I know you love me. You let me stay by your side when the world seemed against us, you comforted me and listened to me when no one else did, and you found my words to inspiring enough to write. Even now, your willingness to perhaps save me, even if indirectly, make me feel like I'm a somebody, not a nobody. Even your kisses continue to do that. Yet...I guess perhaps my fears of things going wrong or the fear of.....losing everything is still there. I mean, you loved me yet seemed to ignore me...you never once said anything specifically then to reassure your love. Your actions maybe, but also those said actions isolated me too. Even within your love, I was alone. I still have friends and now no family, so your love is really the only thing I have, but it feels hollow when it's not expressed to me. But I guess you've gotten better now. I'll admit my foolishness that your love is proven real by everything you've done and said here. Yet....I still feel so alone....I feel like I always will be even with your reassurance. I mean....he died even when he still loved me. I still had no one like me or just pretended to like me when I still tried to bother make friends. My family might have been disappointed or disowned me if I ever told them I loved you. Love is always conditional for me. Love has never been unconditional for me. Fate will keep reminding me that, for the many sins I make, that ultimately I'm unworthy of anything...to be happy, to be loved, to be acknowledged, to even exist."

Sacchan sensed her eyes were flowing with a lot of tears and her fake smile was gone as her mouth was either in a strained scowl or frown. She knew she looked pathetic, and her words didn't help, but she had say it all perhaps.

"So maybe I do know what love is. Maybe I don't. But I just....hate myself too much to care. I know everything I care enough will be ripped from me and I'll always feel like I'm not allowed to be human. Disqualified to be such. So I'm better off just burying them, so they won't hurt me. So I wouldn't be eaten alive for my weakness even at the expense of no one ever caring or liking me. I rather wish I never exist than be hurt again. By anyone or you. I rather wish I could die right now....so I know you will never know how I feel. And yet, now that I told you all of this, you know it. So all I can really do is just....ha...h..."

Then Sacchan began bawling even more as she now was incomprehensible, her face pressed into her hands as the make up she hand on was smeared and ruined beyond repair. Her mind and heart aches and her whole body crumpled up as everything was in pain and hurt. She wished she was left alone and forgotten. Yet she wanted to be embraced by him and told he loved her no matter what. But she didn't know anymore so the only thing she could think to do was cry and she continued to cry even with the silence growing more vast, making her guilt worse. That she did scare him off, that she did say too much.

she appears tense upon noticing you.

Ah, Sensei....I didn't expect to see you again...

"Wha—"

"S-sacchan? Is that truly... You?"

[bellamyblake]

Bellamy Blake appreciation week 2025

Day 7: Free choice: Bellamy calling out Clarke's name

Headcanon moment: He first started doing it after she left when they destroyed Mount Weather. He'd have nightmares, most of them ending with Octavia and Clarke getting melted right before him with his hand on the lever. Then there were others, even more horrible ones when he was in the forest and he was watching Clarke get torn apart by wolves or mountain lions or whatever twisted creature was out there while he was tied up to a trie unable to move. A lot of them were with the two of them standing on top of a pile of bodies, her looking at him, telling him she had to go as her face somehow started getting covered in blood and she fell down with the rest of the bodies in his feet. So many really...he couldn't count them even if he tried. He had stopped sleeping and only took on night guard shifts so that at night nobody would hear him scream in his room. At first Octavia, Monty or Harper would come by and ask if he was okay, his sister the most worried out of them all but he quickly shrugged her off. When he figured he was yelling too loudly, he shoved a piece of cloth in his mouth so he wouldn't be heard or covered himself with the pillow instead of sleeping on top of it. He quickly realized that he could avoid everyone when he took night guard shifts and "slept" during the day. He could barely catch more than twenty minutes, half an hour at best before he woke up. He was exhausted and he barely funcitoned but to everyone else he pulled up a brave face. He went on recon missions, he chopped woods, he hunted when he wasn't working and he took care of the kids in his own quiet way because he had promised her that. At night he lay on the floor-chest against the ground, pillow above his head and he woke up every time with her name on his lips, crying and most of all with his heart aching. It hurt so much, in the literal sense, it skipped beats and he felt light headed and when he couldn't breathe well, he would place his hand there and close his eyes. By then he had been thinking of her and talking to his broken heart and every time he did that he saw her before him as if she was truly there. "Hey, Clarke." he started talking to her at night when he couldn't sleep or when he was at the gates doing a shift. "Today's been hard. Jasper's not fine, we found him passed out outside the gates. He's lucky he wasn't attacked by an animal or the grounders. He drinks all the time now. Sometimes I take a glass or two of moonshine myself but it does nothing to fix things, nor does it help me sleep. Monty is plagued by nightmares like me and Harper still has trouble walking. The kids don't like it here, they ask me if we could go back to the dropship, just us but I shake my head. I can't do it without you there. I couldn't keep them whole and together. I can barely do that with myself. They don't know, nobody does...I worry what I'll do if one day it gets to be too much and I can't keep myself above water. I won't let it happen, though. I made you a promise." he'd rub his chest "I hope wherever you are, you are safe. I miss you." he wanted to add one more sentence, the one that truly meant everything but he couldn't, not even when he was talking to himself, he couldn't do it. He thought it, though and he looked up at the night sky above him-she was out there and she'll always be with him no matter what. He just had to remember that.

[somegrumpynerd]

Do you guys wanna see a thing I tried writing? It's pretty unfinished and I don't think I will finish it but it was fun to play with and it might be okay as a lil snippet! I also have like no energy for drawing right now but I wanna post something lol

(The context is Cross and Killer are alone on a mission in some unspecified au when Killer goes stage 3)

“Killer?”

Cross looked over when he got no response, half expecting Killer to have wandered off in some direction as he did on these longer jobs. His loyalty to Nightmare was often at war with his attention span in the field, and you could expect a job to take longer if it was anywhere a cat was liable to appear.

What he didn’t expect was to catch sight of Killer’s wildly fluctuating soul glinting in the reflection of the knife that was coming right for him.

Cross managed to lunge back just in time for the knife to arc downwards into the snow in his place. Its wielder slowly turned his head, tracking the path to where Cross was now. His empty eye sockets gushed with more ooze than usual, stare somehow colder than the ice he was now shaking from his blade.

“Killer…” Cross began, trying to keep his tone steady and authoritative like a warning. He was ever hopeful that this was some stupid game Killer was playing out of boredom, but that hope died as he watched some of the black goop begin to drip out of the corner of the other’s mouth.

That only happened when he went stage 3.

Shit.

Cross felt his soul drop. He’d never dealt with Killer like this alone, usually they handled him as a team if Nightmare wasn’t there to take over. In the time it would take him to look down at his phone to call for help there would probably be a knife in his head.

This was fine. He could handle it. He always had more training and stamina than Killer anyway, he just had to play keepaway with his life long enough to go home with it.

Killer teleported in front of him, something that caught Cross off guard. In his right mind, Killer almost never seemed to use his magic in fights unless he wanted to fuck around with the other. 

[Put the fight part here idk pretend there was a really cool fight, it was so cool, you loved it]

Cross felt his soul drop again, but this time the rest of his body followed. Killer was using his gravity magic to hold him to the ground, and was shambling towards him ready to finish things. Cross struggled for a moment to see if he could fight his way out of the magic’s hold, but to no avail. He was pinned as his assailant now stood threateningly over him, knife raised. In a flash of desperation, he reached out both hands and grabbed Killer’s ankles, quickly moving his head to one side as a bone attack pierced up out of the snow and struck the other in the jaw.

It wasn’t his strongest attack, but it was enough to knock Killer backwards and stun him. As Cross felt his soul being released from the other’s magic, he quickly scrambled forward and sat on Killer’s chest as he lay sprawled out in the snow, pinning his arms down on either side of his head as he began to come back around. His face was leaking so much determination from every crevice that at that point it was hard to make out an expression under it all, but Cross could tell he was frustrated as he felt the rumble of bone attacks beginning to rise up out of the snow around them.

He followed suit, carefully forming a line of his own bone attacks closely around them to act as a barrier. He could feel Killer’s attacks bouncing off of his, each hit more desperate and frantic than the last like an animal clawing at the sides of its cage. He felt some magic encircling his soul again, but this time trying to raise him up rather than push him down. It was weaker than before, whether because Killer’s attention was split with still launching bone attacks or because he was beginning to tire out, but Cross managed to fight against it and stay put.

“Killer!” he barked, leaning over the other’s face. “That’s enough. You’re not going anywhere until you pull yourself together!”

The gravity magic seemed to cease at his shout, so Cross continued in the fervent hope that he was getting through to him.

“We’ll stay here all night if that’s what it takes, but I’m reporting back to Nightmare when this is over and I’m not leaving without you! Do you hear me?! I don’t care if I have to bring you back hogtied over my shoulder, I’m not gonna hurt you and I’m not gonna let you kill me!”

He didn’t realise he’d been shouting until the clinking and scraping of bone attacks had slowed and stopped altogether, and it was just the sound of his promise echoing off the bones and snow surrounding them.

And the strange gurgling sound coming from below him.

He opened his eyes again in confusion and stared down at the skeleton weakly fighting against his grasp, determination pooling and soaking into the snow from every gap in his skull. It took a second longer than he’d like to admit for Cross to realise that sound was Killer choking on it.

His bone attacks shrunk back into the ground and he shot backwards, landing ungracefully on his backside with a little curse. He hurried to pull Killer up and help him lean forward, swatting his back as he retched and spat the toxic goop up onto the ground where they’d just fought.

It was never an elegant dismount from these things, they’d found there was just no dignified way to get out a ribcage worth of black ooze. After a minute of heaving and gasping, Killer finally got a hold of himself and started glancing frantically around.

“Where’s Dust??” he managed to choke out with the urgency of a parent who’d lost their child. It always seemed to be the first thing on his mind when he came to from one of these episodes, Cross was never really sure why since any other time it seemed like they hated each other.

“He’s at home,” Cross assured, pressing one hand to Killer’s spine for support. “It’s just us, we were on a mission.”

He could see now that Killer’s soul had calmed down from the pulsating mass of spikes it was a few minutes ago and become somewhat soul shaped, still twitching nervously but a far calmer sight than before. That was a good sign that the attack was over. He wondered how much control Killer had over it, since he’d definitely seen it turn that way without having to go through a fight to the death first, but it was rare.

Cross flinched as he felt Killer grab him again, though this time instead of kicking him in the ribs he simply held on for dear life. That was another clear sign, after he was done puking up whatever goop had built up he usually cried for a while.

It was odd, especially the first few times, to see someone who always seemed so disconnected and unphased have a sobbing breakdown after trying to kill you.

“Hey,” Cross said, voice hushed as he wrapped his arms around the skeleton trembling in his lap. “It’s okay… you’re okay…”

Cross had never been the best at comforting words, but he knew Killer just needed someone to cling to while he got a hold of himself, and he was content to be that for a little while. Especially after being thrown around so much, his aching bones were more than happy for an excuse to sit in the snow for a bit. He could feel Killer’s soul being pressed against his chest as he wept silently into Cross’s shoulder, the fear and regret seemed to be radiating from it like smoke from a smothered flame.

He wondered idly if this was what Nightmare could feel all the time.

...

He also wondered just how hard it was going to be to get these black stains out of his jacket again once he pried Killer's face off of it.

[batbabydamian]

Hey, I started reading Robin son of Batman because of your recommendation (I literally have a print of your post on my phone to not forget lol). Honestly? One of the best things I ever read!!!

Thank you for opening my eyes! Damian has been one of my favorite characters for over a year, but I didn't read/watch much of him because of school, life (and probably an executive dysfunction in the mix).

Maya is incredible. I loved her.

I haven't finished all the issues yet, but do you have any other recommendations?

WAH this makes me so happy, i'm glad you still gave it a shot even with how busy life is!! ;v;

i’d love to give reccs, and i’ll try to go a beginner friendly route! tbh you can pick up whatever here, but since you've read R:SOB i’d immediately follow up with Batman and Robin (2011) #1-8! this first arc is what’s referred to in Maya’s introduction, and it's just. so good.

Main Books

Batman and Robin (2009)

Dick as Batman with Damian as his Robin!

#20-22 Tree of Blood: Dark Knight vs White Knight arc is done by Tomasi and Gleason, the team for the next Batman and Robin series

*Batman and Robin (2011)

Bruce and Damian figuring out their relationship as both Batman & Robin and father & son

imo you can enjoy the ride and read straight through this but i’ll add context to avoid as much confusion as possible since there’s the occasional tie-in or offscreen events, like Damian’s death nbd

Batman Incorporated (2012) #1-10

events leading to Damian's death - affects Batman and Robin (2011) from issue #18

kind of a tough read especially with how Talia's written, but a lot of iconic bits like Batcow, Damian's vegetarian declaration, Alfred the cat, "We Were the Best, Richard."

Robin (2021)

another self-discovery adventure, particularly after Alfred’s death and a fallout with Bruce (and questionable writing choices from his last Teen Titans run)

Batman and Robin (2023)

currently ongoing! after a number of events, Bruce and Damian are back as a duo

Damian Dynamics!

Batman: Streets of Gotham (2009) #7, 10-12

arc where Damian meets one of his first Gotham friends, Colin Wilkes

Batgirl (2009) #5-7, #17

Steph and Damian dynamic! "the bad cop, worse cop" dysfunctional duo

Red Robin (2009) #13-14

early Tim and Damian dynamic that of course includes fighting haha. funny enough, accidentally my first intro to Damian LOL

Teen Titans (2003) #89-92

Dick!Batman has Damian join the Teen Titans. Start of Damian and Rose Wilson dynamic that’s extended in Robin (2021)

Batman: Gates of Gotham (2011)

Damian meets Cass and has a brief team up

Gotham Academy (2015) #7

Damian meets Maps Mizoguchi! they have a few other meetings, but outside of that the series itself is a great read!

Robin War Event (2015)

Robin War (2015) #1, Grayson (2014) #15, Detective Comics (2011) #47, We Are Robin (2015) #7, Robin: Son of Batman (2015) #7, Robin War (2015) #2

Duke and Damian dynamic! not exactly beginner friendly but these are the main issues in order for the event! you can also read the TPB version for everything including Tie-Ins

Nightwing (2016) #16-20, #42, #43

#16-20 Nightwing and Robin arc!

#42 Dick on a mission to save Damian! the one appearance of "Wiggles" the dragon

#43 Dick, Roy, and Damian team-up

New Talent Showcase 2018 "Catwoman: Pedigree"

Selina, Damian, and Alfred the cat

Batman: Prelude to the Wedding - Robin vs. Ra's Al Ghul (2018)

Selina, Damian, and Cheese Viking - Damian's fav game shown in Nightwing: Rebirth (2016)

Monkey Prince (2022) #1-4

Marcus Sun Shugel-Shen's main comic, but Damian features as a fun dynamic here before they're in more serious circumstances in Batman VS Robin (2022)/Lazarus Planet event

Superman (2016) #10 - 11

the beginning of the Super Sons! featuring Maya!

Super Sons (2017)

solitary arcs but there’s a few event tie-in issues later

Adventures of the Super Sons (2018)

literally more Super Sons adventures lol galactic shenanigans yeehaw

Challenge of the Super Sons (2020) 

Super Sons time shenanigans feat. the Justice League

Robin 80th Anniversary (2020)

"Boy Wonders" - brief Damian feature as Tim considers his next step in life

"My Best Friend" - Jon's thoughts on Damian and their dynamic

"Bat and Mouse" - refers to Damian's unfortunate Teen Titans (2016) run at the time of release which follows up with Teen Titans Annual #2 where Damian briefly gives up Robin

Extra Comics!

Superman/Batman (2003) #77

Kara and Damian in a Halloween team-up! also the appearance of "Li'l Matches" lol

DCU Halloween Special '09 "Cavity Search"

Damian out on a solo mission for Halloween night. Immediately after is Tim's Red Robin story "Then and Now: Our Father's Sins" which is more somber in contrast but also a good read!

DCU Halloween Special 2010 "Robin the Vampire Slayer"

a Dick!Batman and Robin story featuring the vampire Andrew Bennett

Cursed Comics Cavalcade (2018) "The Devil You Know"

Halloween themed comic with a sweet short story of Damian alongside Solomon Grundy

DC's Terrors Through Time (2022)

"Trick or Treat" a Super Sons Halloween story

"The Haunting of Wayne Manor" Damian and Deadman story - in the end, Boston kinda refers to Nezha's possession of Damian in Batman VS Robin (2022) which was happening at the time of this release

Batman: Li'l Gotham (2013)

lighthearted series that instantly makes me smile with the silliness and Dustin Nguyen’s art i love this dearly

Secret Origins (2014) #4 "A Boy's Life"

a retelling of Damian's origin story

Detective Comics (2016) #1001-1005

Batman and Robin vs the Arkham Knight (unrelated to the game)

Truth & Justice (2021) #6/#16 - 18 Digital First version

cute story of Damian’s birthday! Juni Ba’s art is so fun!!

DC Festival of Heroes: The Asian Superhero Celebration (2021) “Special Delivery”

short story about Damian! and poisoned pizzas. completely forgot the artist Sami Basri drew Rebirth Damian here before catboy Damian lol Cass’s story “Sounds” is also cute! Marcus makes his first appearance in "The Monkey Prince Hates Superheroes"

DC VS Vampires (2021)

Damian makes appearances throughout this elseworlds book, but the one-shot DC VS Vampires: Hunters (2022) is vampire Damian-centric!

Batman: Black and White (2021) #5

“Father & Son Outing” short story written and drawn by Jorge Jimenez!

Batman: Urban Legends (2021) #20-23

#20 “My Son” Talia and Bruce focus

#20 - 23 “The Murder Club” 4 Parts

Tiny Titans (2008) #33, #39, #45, #47

a few appearances but SO CUTE, LOOK AT HIM

*Batman and Robin (2011) reading guide

i'm mostly trying to avoid the "what did i just walk in on?" kinda feeling when i first started reading comics LOL i'll list the comics where events take place, but you don't necessarily have to read them to go through this book since things are usually explained as quickly as possible in the first page or so

#0 Someday Never Comes

Talia and baby Damian before he grows up to meet Bruce

#1-8 Born to Kill

just an incredibly solid arc for Bruce and Damian!

#9 Court of Owls Tie-In Issue

Damian VS a Court of Owls Talon. While Bruce is occupied with a home invasion of Talons, Alfred makes a call for allies to protect targeted Gotham public figures from Talons. During Batman (2011) #1-11

#10-12 Terminus

Damian challenges the previous Robins sans Steph

Batman Incorporated (2012) is occurring at this time where Talia has placed a bounty on Damian and there's small mentions of that

#13-14 Eclipsed/Devoured

mostly solitary arc! end of it leads into the Death of the Family event

#15-16 Death of the Family Tie-In Issues

Damian and Joker face-off... Alfred's been kidnapped by the Joker, and Damian goes looking for him. During Batman (2011) #13-17

#17 Life is but a Dream - Death of the Family Epilogue

a sort of subconscious check-in through the dreams of Damian, Alfred, and Bruce. Nightwing (2011) #17 features Damian encouraging Dick after Death of the Family events

#18 Undone "Requiem"

Bruce dealing with Damian's death from Batman Incorporated #8

other reactions to Damian's death: Dick in Nightwing (2011) #18, Tim in Teen Titans (2011) #18

#19-23 Denial, Rage, The Bargain, Despair, Acceptance

Bruce through the stages of grief with some batfam appearances in each. also introduces Carrie Kelley into continuity as Damian's acting tutor.

Batman (2011) #19-20 also addresses Bruce's loss

#23.1-23.4

these could be skipped - villain stories, also related to Forever Evil event.

#24-28 The Big Burn

optional Batman and Two-Face/Harvey Dent arc, #23.1 is part of this story!

Damian's resurrection and return

#29-32 The Hunt for Robin

Ras took Talia and Damian's bodies from their graves, and Bruce goes after him.

-> Robin Rises: Omega

continues events from #32. if you don't want to jump to this, basically, Glorious Godfrey and a bunch of parademons from Apokolips are here for a chaos shard which Ra's put in Damian's sarcophagus. at some point, Bruce gets a hold of the shard where he sees a vision that leads him to believe Damian can be resurrected. Godfrey ends up taking the shard, along with Damian's body since it was emitting the same energy.

#33-37 Robin Rises

Bruce hellbent on retrieving Damian from Apokolips and reviving him

-> Robin Rises: Alpha

necessary to read and continues events from #37! Damian's back with a bang lol

#38-40 Superpower

Damian adjusting to having superpowers and being alive again

Annual #1 2013 Batman Impossible

sweet (and funny) one-shot of Damian sending Bruce on a meaningful scavenger hunt around the world while Damian gets to be the cutest Batman for a bit

Annual #2 2014 Batman and Robin: Week One

one-shot takes place during Damian's absence. after Bruce and Alfred find a mystery gift left for Dick, Dick recounts a story he had told Damian from his Robin days.

Annual #3 2015 Moonshot

one-shot Batman and Robin adventure on the moon!

...and of course after Batman and Robin (2011), Damian's story continues in his first solo Robin: Son of Batman (2015)!

[madbard]

Putting this in your askbox cuz I know you're also an Epic the Musical fan but yknow I think if Loop saw that musical they'd get very emotional about Would You Fall In Love With Me Again, just in the context of thinking of their old party... :'>

Oh, a thousand times, yes.

I’ve been thinking about Epic and ISAT a lot recently, and honestly I think the entire musical would be such an intense experience for the entire party, but especially Siffrin and Loop. After all, Epic is, at its core, the story of someone who loses himself while desperately trying to return home.

(I know you were talking about ‘Would You Fall In Love With Me Again’ specifically, but this is about to get really out of hand. Also, I’m going to frame Epic as a musical that Loop, Siffrin and the post-canon party (likely sans Bonnie considering some of the subject material) are watching.)

Starting off with the Troy Saga, we have some striking similarities between Odysseus and Loop and Sif already - we know he’s been away from his home island for years, and so badly wants to see his family again. The homesickness here would resonate with them, I think, but the situation is also very different since Odysseus has such strong memories of his home and his family, and his home still very much exists. So that creates a little bit of distance as they are watching. ‘Open Arms’ would probably hit pretty hard though - I could see Polites’ encouragements reminding them of the party trying to help them after the loops. (Note for ‘Warrior of the Mind’ - I think this song would start some of the party off on the wrong foot with Athena. I think Mirabelle and Isabeau at least would be put off by the line “I see you changing from how I’ve designed you” as a bad thing. Here we have this character trying to change for the better, and another character is telling him that that’s a bad thing and he should stay the same? Yeah, they might not be the biggest Athena fans at this point.)

But then… oh, the Cyclops Saga is going to be uh… interesting. I wonder when any members of the party might have encountered a giant… led a fight against said giant… tried to barter with the giant to find a nonviolent solution for everyone… thought for a moment that they had succeeded… realized they had failed in a terrifying moment when they were told they would be the final one to die… witnessed helplessly as that giant brutally crushed one of the people they love most in the world as that person called out their name in agony… (The first time I listened to Epic after finishing Act 3 I had to pause it for a minute because I kept visualizing Bonnie during ‘Survive’ and it was doing psychic damage.) As much as I like to imagine the party watching Epic, I can’t imagine Siffrin watching that scene without having a panic attack. After that I doubt they are finishing the musical. (Now, we do have a fair bit to go and fascinating songs to think about so for the sake of this post maybe they were somehow all distracted during that scene? I don’t know, for whatever reason they keep watching.) If the party didn’t like Athena before, they definitely don’t like her after she abandons Odysseus - though I could see Odile giving her a little more grace in that regard, as she might see a bit of herself in Athena’s intelligence, the age difference between her and Odysseus and her clear difficulties with friendship and emotions.

The Ocean Saga is called than the Cyclops Saga. I could see Siffrin and Loop exchanging some looks at the “you rely on wit and people die on it” line but while there are some parallels between that song and their own discussion post Act 3, the similarities are ultimately far outweighed by the differences. Then we have the ultimate paranoia/insomnia/exhaustion/homesickness anthem in ‘Keep Your Friends Close,’ which I could see Siffrin and Loop getting pretty invested in.

As much as I love the Circe Saga, I’m not sure the party is getting much from it aside from enjoying the story and music.

Then we have the Underworld Saga and STARS. Loop is NOT going to be handling this well. ‘The Underworld’ is an absolute nightmare - gotta love being haunted by the screams of your friends that you couldn’t protect, tee-hee! Odysseus’ mom dying while waiting for him to come home is also an intense scene considering how little Loop and Siffrin know about what might’ve happened to their own parents when the island disappeared, but that scene is also just generally heartbreaking. ‘No Longer You’ is where things become viscerally painful for Loop - after all, there is a reason there are at least two full length Loop-centric animatics of that song. I want to ramble about this one but… “we’ve suffered and sailed through the toughest of hells, now you tell us our effort’s for nothing” and “I see a man who gets to make it home alive, but it’s no longer you” speak for themselves. The universe doesn’t care how much you suffered - someone is going to get that happy ending that you fought and died and bled for, but it’s not you. Not anymore. Then we reach ‘Monster’ and Odysseus has reached a state of self-loathing and dehumanization that Siffrin and Loop are far too familiar with. The death of diplomacy in exchange for brutality matches with post-Act 3 Siffrin, but it also aligns with Loop, and their willingness to do whatever it takes to help Siffrin escape the loops, even if that means sacrificing the party. And of course the perceived loss of humanity is very applicable to Loop, always.

On to the Thunder Saga, and Odysseus’ rage in ‘Different Beast’ is his own personal Memory of Sadnesses moment. This saga is just… tough to listen to for the entire party I think. The way Odysseus and Eurylochus’ friendship falls apart - that still hurts so much every time I listen and I’m sure it would be painful for them as well. (I could probably elaborate more but this post is already far longer than I had expected and I’m starting to run out of steam so I’ll leave it here.)

The party has made it to the Wisdom Saga! Odd opinion incoming, but I think ‘Legendary’ would resonate with Isabeau a lot - a song about this young, less-than-intimidating guy who desperately wants to be bigger, braver, stronger, the kind of person that can protect the people he cares about. Also, I could see Telemachus activating some protective instincts in the party, considering how some of his eagerness and fighting attitude are mirrored in Bonnie as well. ‘Little Wolf’ and ‘We’ll Be Fine’ would cause a massive shift in Mirabelle and Isabeau’s opinion of Athena - the character who opposed change at the beginning has changed for the better! Athena’s regret in ‘We’ll Be Fine’ would also hit really close to home for Odile, I think - “maybe if I’d made a different call, maybe if I hadn’t missed it all, maybe he’d be fine” aligns so painfully well with her own guilt and regret for not being able to figure out the loops and help Siffrin sooner. I think ‘Love In Paradise’ would be a surprisingly tough listen for Loop and Siffrin. The context is so different, but this song contains lyrics like “under my spell we’re stuck in paradise, no one can come or go - not til the end of time, there is no way, you’re mine, all mine.” Calypso is so scared of being alone that she traps Odysseus on the island with her for years - meanwhile, Odysseus is slowly broken down by his grief and his desperation to go home. For Loop and Siffrin, there’s an uncomfortable understanding of both characters, I think. (The entire party loves Athena after ‘God Games,’ I don’t make the rules.)

Next up, Vengeance Saga. This is where things start to get intense. As one might guess from the fact that I made a Loop-centric lyric comic for ‘Not Sorry For Loving You,’ I think they would relate to this song on a visceral level. “Someone came by today, they said they’re taking you away, that you’re not mine to save, and sooner I won’t get to see your face” - this so perfectly fits with Loop’s realizing Siffrin won their happy ending and is going to be leaving Dormont with THEIR family. Not theirs to save. Not anymore. “I spent my whole life here, was cast away when I was young, alone for a hundred years, I had no friends but the sky and sun” - this is literally an exaggerated description of their own life, washing up on the shore of Vaugarde as a teenager, completely alone with no memory of ever having been known or loved. “So when you washed ashore, I thought for sure that you were my dream come true - I thought I knew” - Loop/Siffrin being so desperately lonely when they met the party and bonding with them so deeply and desperately, starved for love and connection to the point where they clung TOO hard, loved TOO defensively. And then we reach the final lines of the song and I honestly think the comic explains better than I could exactly how perfect those lyrics are for Loop. At the end of this song, Calypso is left sobbing on a beach, watching as Odysseus sails into a future without her in it, with people that love him, so desperately lonely and full of the knowledge that nobody will ever, ever love her again. Yeah… I think this song might mess with Loop a bit. And then, of course, we have ‘Six Hundred Strike.’ This is another song that I imagine Siffrin for - specifically Act 5 Siffrin fighting the King. “How does it feel to be helpless? How does it feel to know pain? I watched my friends die in horror - watching as they were all slain!” Honestly, this song is a big Act 5 moment for Odysseus - except that he actually defeats Poseidon. I can’t imagine that this song wouldn’t cause at least a shudder in Siffrin and Loop.

And now, finally, the Ithaca Saga. (Which is what you were actually talking about. This got extremely out of hand.) I’ve mentioned the party would feel protective of Telemachus. They are not handling ‘Hold Them Down’ well. ‘Odysseus’ is interesting to think about actually, because for whatever reason this has become such an Act 5 Isabeau loops AU song to me. I imagine that an Isabeau loops AU would involve him undergoing a change that mirrors Odysseus a lot, becoming steadily colder rather than becoming manic like Siffrin does. I think he’d cope with the loops by essentially shutting down his emotions, using his intellect to be a truly terrifying force in combat. Under it all though I think there’d still be a core protective rage - “my mercy has long since drowned” vibes. He’s going to protect his family, even if it means becoming a monster. Alright, AU talk aside, the fact that the suitors literally refer to Telemachus as “the kid” in this song (as they’re planning to maim him to control Odysseus) is going to mess with Loop and Siffrin at least a little bit. Moving onto ‘I Can’t Help But Wonder,’ for whatever reason this song makes me think of Bonnie and Nille. I actually have a half-sketched lyric comic with this song set to their reunion, but only time will tell if I ever actually get around to finishing it.

Alright. We’ve made to the song this ask was actually talking about.

‘Would You Fall In Love With Me Again’ is a beautifully painful song to think about in connection with Loop because it is such a cruel inversion of what actually happens. Odysseus returns home, changed and certain Penelope won’t love him anymore, convinced that when she looks at him she will see a monster. But when she sees him again, she sees her husband. She sees him, she recognizes him, she tells him she still loves him, that he is still the same person, that she will fall in love with him over and over. She tells him everything Loop wishes they could hear from their own party. In reality, the party didn’t recognize Loop, because they aren’t the same person anymore. In canon, Loop never gets the confirmation that the party loves them still. They know the party is grateful, but that’s only because they were able to help them find Siffrin. Siffrin thought the party loved him after he helped each of them during the friend quests, and it’s only after Act 5 that they realize that the party loved them already, and will continue to love them even if they mess up. Loop never gets that confirmation. As they fade back into the Universe, they do so knowing the party will not grieve them.

Part of my love for post-canon Loop content stems from my desire to see Loop asking, in their own way, without even realizing it, if the party would fall in love with them again.

The answer is yes. No matter how long it’s been, and how much Loop has changed, I believe that the answer is yes.

[qoldenskies]

OH I’m not sure if there’s limits on search tags for your blog but I’m surprised that coming undone wasn’t on there, that fic is like an infant in a cradle and I am the six year old rocking them for an hour in sheer fascination. I like the part where Donnie is squished like a bug for 37k words

youre the only person here that really talks to me about it unless i bring it up (rip cu i love you too much for this!!!) and i dont thiiiink i manually organized the featured tags? so it didnt automatically show up because i dont talk about it enough. i might be forgetting though

definitely something i'll do in a bit, probably tomorrow. coming undone beloved 🙏🙏🙏

[javierduffy]

“uh … it’s a bit girly … no?” javier examines himself in the reflection of his knife’s blade, looking this-a way and that, the dark blue of a large silken bow now peeking sheepishly around his neck as it sits gently in his hair. next to him, kieran clams up a smidge, hands still held close to his chest nearby his completed ribbon project on javier’s head. he finds it in himself to wring his hands a time or two rather than immediately undo his work as javier seems to continue to formulate his final opinion. “you … think so? look at me?” kieran asks, politely as a mouse. javier easily complies, turns at his hips and looks behind, up at kieran where he sits on the stump above him.

kieran, as he peers over, can’t help the meadow of flush that blooms over his neck, then his ears, then his nose and his cheeks. he can tell javier is deep in thought by the look on his face, mouth twisted just a might sideways, cocking his mustache awry, and the deep wrinkle sat between his brows. the ribbon he used matches javier’s vest perfectly, and the shine of the silk warms bright in the sun, just like every piece of jewelry and metal javier has adorned himself with. with this ribbon, javier’s hair sits lower on his head, ponytail draped down his nape and more hair framing his face in his bangs. kieran resists an urge to tuck one side back behind his ear.

kieran thinks that he looks like a painting, a muse, a love letter so heartbreakingly full of adoration that the only language it could be written in is bright swipes of pigment on a canvas. as he makes eye contact with the silk squinting around the red of a necktie, he thinks that javier may be right, if ‘girly’ could sum up ’poetry written in effeminate reverence’.

kieran always did think women made better art, wrote better books- found a better way to love. softer. warmer. prettier. like javier.

the world sounds like it’s underwater.

“i think … it’s very pretty. it suits you real well.”

earnest to a fault, the look in kieran’s eye dances gingerly with javier’s internal voice. it dips and sways him, and javier, despite his instinct, finds himself charmed by its rhythm.

“-b-but! i could take it out! if you don’t-“ javier looks down at himself in his knife again, the sunlight filtered through the leaves glinting a yellow green around his dark features, and kieran hands him patience on a silver platter. a rich blue makes friends with bright green quite easy, javier thinks. this is how he must look through kieran’s mossy lens.

“pretty … yes. you know, i think you may be right. i’ll keep it. gracias.”

[altar-of-ace]

Sweet and gentle Aphrodite, truly I cannot express how grateful I am for you. Your patience and love inspires me, your beauty is beyond comparison. When I think of you I am filled with joy, for you allow me to become the best version of myself. Let me be forever blessed by your loving embrace and guided by your kind hand. In return I devote myself to you, beautiful goddess, and offer you my time energy, and anything you desire.

Thank you Aphrodite, praise be to you 🌹

[poppyfieldart]

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Angel asked.

Husk furrowed his brows.

“What are you sorry for?” Angel clarified himself. “If you think I’m letting you off the hook so easily you got it twisted kitty.”

“So what are you sorry for?” He demanded again and started counting on his fingers as he listed the potential reasons. “For avoiding me? Or for yelling at me and pushing me away? For…using your power on me? Or-”

(-Lucky Bastard, Chapter 10)

[the-kipsabian]

wrestling fic writers!!

i have decided to be the change i wanna see, so lets do a nice little thing for each other, as a community full of incredible and talented writers. yes this is writer specific only, but thats cause thats where the main problem of people not interacting with creative works lies in this fandom as far as i can tell and have seen people talking about it especially in the last couple of months

if you read this, please add links to your written works. it can be just a single fic youre really proud of, your writing blog, your writing tag, your ao3 account, anything where your works can be found

and if you leave your link here, PLEASE check out someone else that has left their works, and interact with them. leave them a comment, even just a kudos, REBLOG their fic, etc. interacting is the keyword i want to emphasize here, along with building a sort of a masterpost of where to find people writing in this fandom

and if you are not a writer, youre still highly encouraged to interact with this post and share it and show love to the writers in this fandom, obviously!! i think that should go without saying, but adding it in anyways

a bit more about my vision and resources and such under the read more, but thats the gist of it. happy linking and please be kind and supportive to each other!! 💜

nobody is too big or too small to add their things on this list. if you write and post anything in this fandom whatsoever, be it fics or drabbles or headcanons, any companies or any kind of ships or reader inserts or any content whatsoever no matter how 'dead dove dont eat' or hell even if its just meta, we welcome all here and nobody can say that one thing is less valid than another. just please tag your content accordingly, especially if theres content warnings, and feel free to mention what you write, who you write, any info you wish to leave that would help people before they click on your links. but even so, that should not and hopefully will not deter people from interacting, no matter what it is. someones trash is another ones treasure, i promise you

and unless the amount gets really overwhelming, im personally going to be checking out everyone that leaves something here. unless it squeaks me out, but even then, i'll spread the word. and i just wish as many people as possible will do the same, and not just use this as a potential board to only get eyes on their stuff. ofc thats also the point, but you should give as much, if not more, than you get. we need to be kind and supportive of one another (besides, from personal experience, if you show love to someone else, they are more likely to do it back than without you taking the first step, so... pay it forward)

as for resources, heres a few links that should be helpful in leaving comments and feedback. of course everyone does their own thing and no comment is too big or too small to leave, but for those who need them. if you have anything you'd like added to this list, dont hesitate to get in touch or drop it in the post yourself!!

101 comment starters

ao3 floating comment box

kudos html

dont know how to comment? easy solutions

a quick hot guide to commenting (by yours truly)

an overall guide to appreciating fanfic writers

and just in general.. leave people comments. leave them asks about their projects. just go over and gush about their work. i know it sounds embarrassing but writers love nothing more than to hear that someone likes what they are doing. if you find a fic that hasnt been updated in forever, comment on it. it might just be the spark the author needs to continue. while kudos and likes are nice, and just as valuable to some, its definitely in the words the people leave for them that matter the most. im not saying this to put pressure on anyone, its just how it is, and i feel like unless people are writers themselves, and even then sometimes, thats just hard to grasp, especially if the writer is a smaller and less popular one who doesnt get a lot of traffic in the first place

i think thats all. just be nice and considered to everyone, reblog peoples works, this post with others add ons and so forth. and if i find anyone talking shit here or at other writers for something they share, you'll be blocked and im probably taking your kneecaps. be fucking nice. we are all struggling here and we need to stick together

happy sharing and commenting 💜💜

[imtrashraccoon]

Remembering the lord nightmare ask i sent you

This is what I meant by "stares disrespectfully" :

I am... very thirsty for evil men.

Ah, I figured it was something like this. I miss writing him so here's a little something... (⁠ ⁠ꈍ⁠ᴗ⁠ꈍ⁠)

He stares down at you from his throne with an expression of disgust. Like always, he's wearing the finest of clothing, although he seems to have chosen a more comfortable outfit today but his black cloak keeps it mostly hidden. The tips of his tendrils flick restlessly, much like a cat's tail, and you notice how he clenches his fists against the armrests.

"Stop looking at me like that," he growls in a low voice. "It's pathetic."

He seems to grow uncomfortable the longer you continue to stare at him. He adverts his gaze from your own but occasionally glances back to see if you're still doing it. After shifting in his seat a bit, he lets out a heavy sigh.

"I know what you want but it's pointless. You'd do better with anyone else..." He grimaces but still refuses to look directly at you again. "I hear my brother adores mortals like you, so why don't you go bother him instead?"

[accidentally-in-fictional-love]

Possibility of a Johnson thing with a plushy reader based on the song Crush by Cigarettes After Sex?

Feel Your Love Crush - Johnson/Reader

Warnings: No use of Y/N, gender-neutral reader, the reader has self-esteem issues but they're overcome, oral sex, brief fingering as prep, sex.

Wordcount: 3436

Summary: He was always surrounded by the most beautiful people you'd ever seen, so what made him look only at you whenever you were with him? You couldn't figure it out, but thanks to him you were beginning to.

Notes: I can't believe I'm 22 requests in and this is my first Johnson, how is that even possible OTL but aside from that and the Lester sequel, all of my old queue is now finished! When I saw this one I actually gasped, since I myself am plushy 👉👈😖 so while writing I kinda ended up doing it for myself, channeled my own insecurities in there, I hope that's okay! It still ends up cute, I just wouldn't be able to believe it if Johnson asked me out on a date when I'm me heh

Once again, you were thankful for the chill of the night as the southern heat died down for the day, a golden ticket in your hand as you waited in line behind the other eager patrons of the Bang-a-Rang. Johnson had told you to just come around the back, someone would let you in if you'd just mentioned his name, but you didn't feel like you were there yet, the constant worry that someone else would come along and steal him away always on your mind. It returned again as you were allowed inside, the beautiful dancers around you drawing the gaze and keeping it hostage until the money flew, but you had just one man in your sights again tonight, the back of his head just visible over the crowd as he headed for a table.

His friends were there, the ones he worked with and were rarely without, but he'd leave them for you again the moment he saw you, he always did. His back was still to you as you approached his booth, the blonde one, Matty, noticing you first and giving him a nudge and a smirk. He turned in his seat to see what had him smiling so wide, his eyes shining in the neons the moment he saw that it was you. He grabbed his drink and stood, his jacket slung over his shoulder as he left them as always, but you didn't feel like going out this time as you placed a hand on his shoulder, not after that week's ticket had cut into your grocery money.

‘Can we stay? I just got here,’ you murmured, not wanting to make him choose but also not wanting to waste all that money so soon. He was fine with it though, again he always was when it came to you, and the others made room as you sat down with them for a drink. You didn't talk much, just like him, the other two doing all the talking for you as the music blared on and the dancers kept drawing gazes, and when a particularly pretty one with red hair and an untamable smile came over to try and rile up Matty you couldn't help but feel that familiar comparison to everyone around you arise once more without fail. 

She was beautiful, she was lively, she was thin and fit and looked so pretty in her outfit, and the moment Matty finally sent her away with a, ‘Don't you have something better to be doing tonight?’ you felt Johnson lean in to whisper in your ear.

‘She's like a sister to us, you don't gotta worry about her,’ he reassured you with a smile, and while you tried to take comfort in that, you still couldn't help but notice that his friends were also beautiful and lively and thin, your thicker legs pressing together so you wouldn't take up too much space at your end of the bench. As if reading your mind, he motioned for Matty to lean over before whispering something in his ear, the blonde giving him a quick nod as Johnson then nudged you to stand. You did, fearing that maybe he'd caught on that you didn't fit in around here at last, but instead of telling you to go he instead led you to a nearby door.

It led to his bedroom, two king beds, three dressers, two nightstands complete with matching lamps, one small table, and three comfy chairs filling the room, a bathroom to your left cutting into the room and just barely obscuring the mess of clothes that were gathered on the floor in the remaining space on the other side of the wall.

‘Ignore that,’ he chuckled casually when he caught you staring, and you did the moment your eyes caught something else; it was the dresser by the door, one third of it a gather-all for their junk and empty bottles, the other two thirds housing a row of old books, while the wall above was decorated with photos. They were all pinned directly to the wall, only a couple having frames, and when you moved closer you saw that they were all of you.

You during your various drives with him, you when he brought you to his favourite shops, you that day by the river when you'd felt brave enough to not only swim but ditch the clothes you wore overtop of your suit; he'd said you'd looked amazing as he'd snapped the photo, but the camera was so old you'd honestly just thought he used it as a joke the entire time, because who'd ever want any pictures of you when they were surrounded by people like this?

‘I keep every one,’ he told you as he slotted himself against your back, his arms coming around you and making your plush tummy feel warm under his palms. ‘Ethan got the camera for himself, but I keep borrowing it whenever I know you're comin’ around.’

‘Why would you want these?’ You didn't mean to ask it, to question his tastes, but he didn't take offense at your words at all, just chuckled in your ear as he pressed a soft kiss to the side of your head.

‘Because you're the loveliest one of them all.’

Your breath caught in your throat as he spun you around to kiss you for the first time, your heart beating faster at his confession; you'd been seeing him for a few months now, he'd been the one to spot you in town and ask you out for drinks to your complete and total surprise, but you hadn't actually believed that this was real until now. He'd always seemed genuine in his friendship with you, and Matty and Ethan never once made jokes about how different you were, but it wasn't until he gave a gentle tug to your pants that you knew he actually wanted you as much as you wanted him. You let him lead the way to the nearest bed, it must’ve been his as he nodded for you to sit down, get comfy against the pillows, their softness luring you in and letting you sink in as you looked up at him in a new light.

‘They won't bother us, Matty's gunna bring Ethan up the river for tonight,’ he told you as he started to strip, the sight of him shedding layer after layer making the room feel much warmer than it actually was. 

‘And you really want-?’ you asked nervously, the way your thighs then rubbed together making him stare as he crawled onto the bed in front of you. 

‘Just as much as you want me, I’d like to think,’ he confirmed, a knee coming between yours to part your legs, ‘unless you don't want this?’

‘I do,’ you were quick to say, Johnson chuckling at how honest you were once you stopped trying to convince yourself you weren't good enough for him, a hand cupping your cheek when your face then turned red over your eagerness.

‘You gunna trust me when I say I've fallen for you, then?’ he asked softly, your throat tightening as you gave him a small nod. ‘Good, cause I've been dyin’ to get my hands on you ever since you walked in.’ He kissed you again as he straddled you, his taller form boxing you in against his pillows, and you helped him start to strip you as the music went on outside. You wore a bit less than usual to combat the heat of the wait, and it seemed like he enjoyed what you'd chosen as he hummed to himself, kissing each new part if you that was revealed. 

You had to help him tug your pants down your hips, your cheeks flushing again when it proved to be a bit difficult, but he just smirked and yanked them free in one quick movement, your body jolting down with the movement and making the both of you laugh at how strong he was. It was just what you needed to not only feel more comfortable with baring yourself to him, but to set the mood as well as he ran his hands up your thighs until he settled on your hips. 

‘So soft, I'm gunna love holding you,’ he growled lowly, his desire for you making it harder to keep your own hands at bay as he rocked his hips forward just once. ‘You looked so good that day by the river, I wanted to push you in, tear that suit off…’

‘Johnson,’ you moaned, unable to keep yourself from imagining it, knowing full well that you hadn't been able to help yourself after seeing him sweating in the sun in just an undershirt, his jacket and button up left in the car.

‘So many nights I pictured myself between these thighs, wanted to know how it felt when you held me in place, I'm so glad you said yes to that drink.’ He was confessing everything to you now that he could, more talkative than you'd ever seen him so you knew just how much he felt for you, the sound of his rarely used voice only making you want to hear more. ‘Lay back, I can't wait any longer…’

You shifted down with his help, his mouth finding your thighs as promised as he tugged at the waistband of your underwear, his hands everywhere the moment he freed you of them as well. You made sure to give him space, spreading wide the further he traveled until you were squeezing on instinct, the pleasure of his mouth on you making you gasp and clutch his head. 

He didn't complain, only groaning against you as he wordlessly urged you to do more, want more from him, and you rolled your hips as he pressed light bruises into your skin. He worshiped you until he was satisfied, his eyes dark as he forced himself to stop before you came, because there was more he wanted, and you wanted it as well as you gently took him by the chin and guided him back to your mouth. 

‘I'm not letting you go home tonight,’ he whispered as you undid his belt, his need to be with you now very apparent as he rocked against your waist. ‘I wanna fuck you slow, love.’

‘Please…’ You'd never wanted anything more in your life, your mouth going dry as he took himself out and started to stroke. It looked like it pained him to have to part with you now that he had you on his bed, but it was a necessity as he got up and went to the nightstand next to the other bed instead of to his own. He pulled open the drawer, quickly shifting around until he found what he was looking for, and when he kneeled down next to you, his pants now on the floor, you swallowed hard when you saw that it was a nearly empty bottle of lube.

‘How did-?’

‘Why d’you think there's only two beds?’ was all he had to say, your face going beet red as you then understood why the other two were so okay with you stealing their room for the night. Your thoughts about it were quickly pushed away when he then laid down next to you instead of straddling you again, the lube popped open and his eyes only on you as you turned to him in confusion. ‘Take them off for me,’ he didn't ask, his head nodding towards his boxers as he palmed himself, and you fit perfectly between his legs as you returned the favour. He was stroking himself again the moment the fabric left his hips, the lube already spreading over his length and making him let out the odd groan just at seeing you before him. ‘I want you to ride me, love.’

‘But… won't I be too heavy?’ There was that nervousness again, you didn't want to ruin this for him even though he was a grown man and could certainly handle you, and he made that very apparent as he reached forward, cupped your ass with a bite of his lip, and pulled you forward until you were completely seated in his lap.

‘I've wanted to see you like this for months, you gunna let a little thing like that get in the way of this?’ He didn't say it to be pushy in the face of his own needs, or to get you to continue even if you were uncomfortable, his words instead making you see that when he said he wanted you he truly meant all of you; while you were out there comparing yourself to the people in his life, he was only thinking of and looking at you, and suddenly you didn't feel so self-conscious as you gazed down at the man who wanted you just as much as you wanted him.

‘No,’ you said honestly, and he kissed you again as he started to finger you open for him. You grinded down on him, let him touch you without reserve as you did the same, your hands becoming acquainted with his strong arms, stronger chest, and the bit of softness around his own belly from all the drinking and diner foods. He arched against you until you could feel the muscle underneath, he could probably pick you up easily he was more than likely trying to get across, and you almost wished you had the courage to ask him to fuck you against the wall.

Maybe next time.

You whined at the loss when he was satisfied once again, although you didn't have to wait this time as he lined himself up to you, his silent plea for you to move showing in his eyes as you slowly sank down until you were seated on him again. You shivered as you adjusted to him, Johnson losing composure for just a moment as he brought you to his chest, his mouth sucking marks into your skin as his hands trailed southward over you until he found a comfortable place on your hips. 

He didn't ask you to move, just waited patiently for your strength to return, and you didn't want to keep him waiting any longer as you started to ride him. It was good, damn better than you'd dared to imagine on the nights where you were lonely and fantasized about what this could be like, none of them comparing as he helped you along when your legs already started to get tired.

‘Don't stop,’ you pleaded with him, and he gladly took over for you as you let out a broken moan and braced yourself against his chest. You both panted into each other's shoulders, desperate to be close after so long of being silent about it, the pictures on his section of wall once again catching you off guard as you realized you could see them pretty clearly from his bed. Just as you'd been thinking of him, you bit back a surprisingly lewd moan when you imagined him doing the same, staring up at you from afar as he got off-

‘Every time you'd go I'd come back here,’ he murmured against your skin, his eyes also on the wall as he got you to roll your hips along with him. ‘I'd put up a new picture, and I'd think about all the things I wanted to say and do to you when you were looking at everyone else.’

‘I was afraid, you're too good for me,’ you finally admitted, the stimulations from the slowness of your movements starting to make you keen.

‘Now I'm gunna be good to you.’ He got you to sit back so you were on full display for him, a bit of energy coming back to you as you ran your hand down your chest to your stomach before touching yourself. He loved the sight of you feeling so good, the way you clenched around him making him thrust up a little harder each time you sank down on him again, and when he went from mouthing the words to finally saying them you couldn't hold it in; you rode him in earnest, Johnson fucking you through that final stretch until you came, and even as he followed after you and you collapsed against his chest he didn't stop, his arms tight around you as he kissed you despite the need for air.

‘I love you,’ he repeated even though he’d said it so many times, but you could gladly hear it a hundred times more as you said them back to him. ‘Just a little more, don't want this to end,’ he breathed, and you let him go until he was satisfied for the third time, although this time you undeniably were too, if you did say so yourself.

‘I don't either.’ You laid your cheek against his chest, your thighs shaking from the effort as you let them rest, his hand rubbing up and down your back as your heart rate went back to normal. ‘...Why didn't you ever say anything? I mean, I did think you were joking at first when you asked me for that drink, but even when we kept hanging out you never told me.’

‘I thought me bringing you on all those dates was tell enough,’ he figured, and you had to admit that they were pretty date-y locations most of the time, since they were all personal to him and the others never tagged along, but you hadn't wanted to hope this tall, very handsome stranger was choosing you. ‘Matty did say I should suck it up and spit it out, his words,’ he chuckled, and you laughed as you tried to get off of him. ‘Where d’you think you're going? Already told you I'm not letting you go tonight.’

Your face flushed deep, you had thought that had been only his way of talking dirty to you in the moment, but you were starting to catch on that Johnson was just very open about what he wanted, there was no second guessing here. ‘I don't really like the idea of sleeping next to where your friends constantly have sex, especially not if I’m seeing them tomorrow morning,’ you confessed quietly, your eyes avoiding the bed like they were already there, and he chuckled deep from his chest as he kissed you quickly and helped you sit up. 

‘Then we'll go out, don't gotta hit the river til next month.’ You felt empty again as you parted, but his hands leading you to the bathroom to clean you up after your sudden but very much enjoyed activities helped you feel a little better. The shower was quick, Johnson washing you carefully and whispering everything he loved about you as he worked, washing away every insecurity that’d plagued you all your life. When you were done you almost ended up pressed into the tiled wall, like he really couldn’t keep his hands off of you now that he had you, you were his.

While getting redressed, you didn’t have much of a choice but to wear the same clothes from the floor, so you sat down and pulled your shirt back over your head as he pulled out a fresh shirt from his drawer. It was mesmerizing watching him dress just as much as it was to undress, every curve of his body drawing you in more than any Pinup ever could; you couldn’t believe that he was all yours, since when were you ever that lucky? You couldn’t be sure, but you were very certain that the sight of him looking down at you while he did up his pants and tucked in his undershirt was pretty equal to winning the lottery.

‘Where do you want to go? If they’ve got the car for their own reasons, you can’t really take me for a ride tonight,’ you wondered as you stood, Johnson leaving his shirt unbuttoned as he sauntered over to you and pulled you close.

‘We could always take your car,’ he suggested with a small grin, the idea sounding wonderful as he grabbed his pack of smokes from his dresser and lit one up, ‘could grab a drink or two, go to your house this time.’

He tasted like nicotine as you went in for another kiss, the hand on your waist giving you a gentle squeeze as you pulled away and blew his stolen smoke out of the corner of your mouth. ‘That sounds like a perfect date.’

[kathbunny]

Crack maid cafe au! Maxim walks in on VR-LA trying on a new dress thinking VR-LA isn't home

Thank you to @justablah56 for the newest misinterpretation of the situation! Gotten from its tags!

CW: sexual content, implied mentions of sex work

Maxim jumped slightly as his alarm for moving his laundry to the dryer went off, having previously been intensely absorbed in reading through a research paper. He turned off the alarm and stood, heading back out into the main room. The lights were off, so Maxim could only assume he missed VR-LA leaving to go something. He didn't mind it, turning the lights back on before opening the dryer to check if it was empty.

It wasn't, being mostly VR-LA's shirts and also what looked to be the apron from the maid outfit, a mystery stain in its center. Guess washing it didn't save it. Maxim focused on the mild pity rather than the rising embarrassment and heat at seeing it at all. He should probably just go put this in VR-LA's room so he can do his own laundry.

Maxim grabbed one of the laundry baskets, setting the dry laundry inside, hiding the apron under the other clothes so he could pretend he didn't see it. He brought the basket over to VR-LA's door, opening it and taking a step inside before pausing, realizing the lights were still on first.

The second thing he saw was VR-LA in a different maid outfit from the last one he had seen. Black knee high socks, slightly shined shoes, a skirt that ended just slightly above the socks to show a tiny bit of skin, short sleeves, gloves that ended just before his elbows, an apron that only went over the skirt with a subtle star pattern in the lace. It looked far higher quality than the one Maxim had seen in the closet.

They were both staring at each other like deer in headlights, cheeks steadily heating up. After a moment, VR-LA reacted, throwing his hands up in front of him like he was surrendering, waving slightly. "It's not what it- well it is- but-" He stumbled over his words before taking a breath. "It's for my work!" He blurted out.

Oh. "My apologies for interrupting you. I thought you weren't home." Maxim stiffly set down the basket, rapidly escaping the situation and room, stumbling back to his own room without another word.

What kind of work would somebody even wear a maid outfit like that for? Or need multiple for? Only one thing really came to mind, and Maxim wasn't sure if that really suited VR-LA. VR-LA was ace, why would he- actually, maybe that'd make it easier since he wouldn't have many feelings about it besides no attraction? He'd probably be able to see it as just a job pretty easily.

Maxim laid in his bed, face pressed against the singular pillow, not wanting to think about it that much further. Maybe the outfit was for a particular regular client? Who was it? Somebody they both knew or somebody Maxim has never met? Why would he have even met whoever it was? Maxim wanted to shut his mind up.

[wayfayrr]

I finished my tattoo sleeve 🎉 took 3 sessions, and I almost fell asleep while my tattoo artist was doing my bicep, but I’m done ✨ But got me thinking, what’s your thoughts on Hylian vs Human customs when it comes to tattoos? And piercings too, cause thinking on that too, got a couple ear piercings, snake bites, septum, and a nose ring on both sides, love to know your thoughts on this <3

Also, while we’re on the subject, when it comes to pain, what do you think is the difference between Hylians and Humans? Like do you think humans can take more pain? Not sure if you’ve said much on this topic, but I love to hear any thoughts on these things <33

~🍀 anon

CONGRATS ON THE SLEEVE CLOVER!!!! I bet it looks fantastic and that the sessions were all worth it <3 (also your piercings sound super neat too <333)

but about the differing customs when it comes to tattoos? (are there any characters with tattoos now that I think about it?) I think hylians put a lot more meaning behind any tattoo. As in you are not allowed to be tattooed unless there is a good enough reason. Partly due to how hylia sees hyilans as pure and perfect so they shouldn't need to stain their skin like that (I should say I don't have anything against tattoos whatsoever and I'm trying to work up the courage to get one so none of that reflects my irl opinion) Whereas piercings seem to be a right of passage, with the links getting their ears peirced with their hoops when they come of age, it's not about self-expression as much as upholding traditions to hylians

humans on the otherhand? Self-expression all the way babyyyy, you already wear more colourful and patterned clothes than they do. humans make more of a celebration of the self rather than being more 'holy', it helps when you don't have a being like hylia keeping a constant watch for everyone to be held up to impossibly high standards. piercings are another part of self expression, there's no pressure to get them and there's also nothing stopping people who do want them I also think that human tattoos would be far more colourful than any hylian ones, with their's tending to be solely using black ink if there is any present. So I think any fun tattoos would surprise the chain a lot, even sky seeing as he grew up with a lot of hylian societal expectations on him, he's human yes - but he's ripped so far from his culture that I think he'd have a mourning period over what he could - should have had. Not that he doesn't like skyloft, it's just - what could have been.

as for pain tolerance! Thats another reason I came into the sky is a human headcanon, I think that hylians have a lot lower pain tolerance than humans, And if sky is human then this is actually supported by the game! almost every single link starts with three hearts - sky starts with six. it's not like any other hylians are going to be stumbling upon heart containers either I kinda like the idea that later heroes had to be given more potential heart containers to find just to be on par with sky for how much damage they CAN take let alone their pain tolerance. It's hard to make direct comparisons honestly but I think sky would be able to shake off a lot more than the others - say a broken arm perhaps. sure he'd be in pain but he can have it cast and then go around as normal till it's healed. or well, normal as you can with a broken arm yk? if say - time broke his arm it would probably mean bed rest for him until he's healed (although unlike sky he could set the bone and chug down a couple of potions to be done with it in a matter of hours)

[theflyingfeeling]

...😭

[jfleamont]

hey you know what? I'm actually so happy to have found this corner of the internet where I get to indulge in some of my favourite pastimes. I have a very fulfilling life outside of this and I'm deeply grateful for that too but isn't it fucking nice to come here and get to chat about our favourite characters together? isn't it fucking grand that we're from different parts of the world and yet we get to share our writing, our art, our thoughts and that we find connection through that? there are so many kind and intelligent people here and guys, it's a privilege to have witnessed your light, even if it's through a screen and behind a silly username. not everyone gets the chance to interact with other people who share the same passions, and I like the fact that we're all at different stages of our lives but still find joy in this collective experience that is being in a fandom. maybe I'll grow out of it, maybe I won't, but it's liberating, satisfying and inspiring to be here and, most importantly, I'm having fun and that's all that matters, right?

so thank you, I guess, for just being here.