#bless you i love answering asks

[quiet-nocturne]

answer your 30 questions please and thank you!!!

WOO. HERE WE GO, YA'LL:

ao3 wrapped [writers edition]

How many words have you written this year? Published? 22,685. Unpublished? A loooooot ahaha.

How many works did you publish this year? Currently, 3. Hoping to have 4-5 by christmas though. 👀

What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)? definitely cause i'm lovesick. That thing was a labor of love. My first fanfic baby in a loooong time.

What work of yours has the most hits? currently cause i'm lovesick (I ain't even ashamed), which is at 735 hits. But it's kind of biased, considering I only came back to fic writing in like october.

What work of yours got more feedback than you expected? nothing in particular - I'm just happy to have any engagement!

Favorite title you used honestly, no favorite as of yet. All the titles I've used come from song lyrics that are super royai coded/important to me, so I like them all. That answer could definitely change in the future though!

If you use song lyrics, which artist’s songs did you pull from the most? most recently, taylor swift (hopeless, breathless, burning slow), but also banks (cause i'm lovesick and you're all that matters to me anyway - she's SO GOOD for angsty love songs). Lyrics are so, so important to me. I have a ~300 song royai playlist (which I'm going to slim down and post here at some point) that I listen to constantly, lol, and a huge notes file on my phone filled with potential song lyric titles. I have a music degree and it's literally so important to my writing process aajsaksjljasjl.

Pairing you wrote the most for this year? Royai. lol. That's not going to change any time soon. The extreme hyperfixation is REAL.

Favorite pairing you wrote for this year? Again royai. They're the best. My babies. 💖

What work was the quickest to write? Surprising, chapter 2 of hopeless, breathless, burning slow. started it last night and i'm already nearly done the first draft. That thing flew out of me, especially considering chapter 1 was much more of a journey lol.

What work took you the longest to write? definitely chapter 1 of hopeless, breathless, burning slow. it wasn't the writing that was the issue - it was the editing. I really dragged my feet on it, and could have had that thing out like 2 weeks ago. 🤦‍♀️

How many WIP’s do you have in your docs for next year? oh god. my wip's currently include: - chapter 2 of hopeless, breathless, burning slow - sequel to cause i'm lovesick (I ain't even ashamed) - a christmas fic - angsty, hurt/comfort, character exploration, ishval restoration multi-chaptered fic (I'm REALLY excited to work on this!!! yay angst) - roy and riza returning to her old father's house post-cannon and STUFF HAPPENS, fluff, hurt/comfort, etc (also really excited for this one! i've been daydreaming about it for MONTHS. Even just thinking about this fic feels like sinking into a warm bath. That's the vibes I want it to give) - ANOTHER post-promised day fic, because I'm a broken record, but this time more humorous/cute. - aaaand yet another post-promised day fic, but one where Riza REALLY ISN'T DOING WELL/almost dies like a million times at the hospital and roy is sad (!!!). - briggs angst/sick fic - does that make sense? no? it will. Yeah. yeahhh. That list is only going to get bigger. 🤷‍♀️ Some of these will also, shockingly, not have smut lol.

What’s your longest work of the year? So far, ch. 1 of hopeless, breathless, burning slow at a whopping 9, 792 words. It really ran away from me.

What’s your shortest work of the year? mmm, you're all that matters to me anyway at 5,954 words. apparently I can't write anything below 5k lol. 🤷‍♀️

What WIP are you taking into next year with you? Oof, I mean probably most of what I had listed above. I aim to have some of it done - but it's already December 7th, so yeah.

What’s your most common “Additional Tags” tag? Smut. lol.

Your favorite character to write this year? Surprisingly, Roy. I almost find him easier to write than Riza. Normally I don't enjoy writing from the male perspective. But Roy Mustang is just 🔥. I was so surprised lol.

The character that gave you the most trouble writing this year? No one, as of yet. But we'll see what I say once I start working more on the multi chaptered fics. 😬

What’s one pairing you want to explore next year? More Royai, maybe with a dash of Roy/Maes. Maybe I'll try a bit of Ed/Winry? Who knows!

Which work of yours have you reread the most? chapter 1 of hopeless, breathless, burning slow. I am so fucking sick of it ahaha helppp.

How many kudos in total did you get this year? Currently at 142! You are all so sweet. 😭

Which work has the most comments? I think cause i'm lovesick at the moment!

Did you do any collaborative works this year? nope! Definitely something I'd consider doing in the future though!

Did you write any gifts this year? maybe! 👀 we shall see

Did you receive any gifts this year? nope!

What’s your most common category? ...Smut. lol. 🤷‍♀️

What do you listen to while writing? ahhhh I love talking about music with my ships! like I said, my ridiculously huge royai playlist. also all of my top songs on spotify were from it, which includes: 1. Say Yes to Heaven - Lana Del Ray (i've got my eye on you / i've got my mind on you) 2. Work Song - Hozier (no grave could hold my body down / i'll crawl home to her) 3. I Wanna Be Yours - Artic Monkeys (secrets i have held in my heart / are harder to hide then i thought / maybe i just wanna be yours) 4. Night We Met - Lord Horan feat. Pheobe Bridges (i had all and then most of you / some and now none of you / take me back to the night we met / i don't know what i'm supposed to do / haunted by the ghost of you) - that ishval restoration fic is definitely going to use a lyric from this song SOMEWHERE Honorable mentions: Die First - Nessa Barrett (someone dies or someone gets hurt / but if one of us dies / i hope i die first) Ya'aburnee - Halsey (i'll never know / if there's danger in confession / or it's memory that presses / like a blade against my throat / another word and i could choke / but what's worst? / tellin' you my feelings / or to die without revealing / that you got inside my head / and set a fire there instead?) Dress - Taylor Swift (there is an indentation in the shape of you / made your mark on me, a golden tattoo / all of this silence and patience / pining and anticipation / my hands are shaking from holding back from you) 10000/10, would play at royai's wedding.

Favorite work you wrote this year? cause i'm lovesick. Again, it was my baby. I loved writing it so much.

Favorite line/passage you wrote this year? mmmm, probably: "She'd planned to stay angry at Mustang for longer, but then he'd surprised her by sauntering into her apartment basically the second his train had arrived, eyes blazing with desire as he collected her in his warm embrace, murmuring you have no idea how much I've been craving to taste you against the soft skin of her throat." (I tried to find one that was mostly sfw lol).

Biggest surprise while writing this year? Just being able to write, in general! It's been so much fun. 💖

[fanaticsnail]

Every day I wake up and think "Why is there no Childhood Friends Doflamingo x Reader fics?" and every day one of my Discord friends tell me "because Kid Doffy would literally treat Kid Reader like someone beneath him cus everything is still fresh for him" but I bring you counterarguments for the Childhood Friends Doflamingo x Reader story:

1. He meets Reader after his house gets burned down. Reader is Rosinante's age, so eight years old. It's when DQ brothers are being beaten by the thugs; kid Reader gets a bat and protects him and Rosinante from the thugs who were beating on them over bread

2. she brings them food from the restaurant her parents own - home cooked - and meets Homing & Mrs Donquixote, who encourage Doffy & Rosi to befriend her but Doffy remains careful

3. Doffy has confused feelings about Reader but she's only ever treated his injuries (the first human not to hurt him) so he decides Reader is "his human to protect" not "human to enslave" yep he has groups in his mind, little crazy baby flamingo boy

4. Reader teaches Doffy & Rosinante to climb trees. Doffy comments that's what monkeys do, but Reader teases him that whether it is what monkeys do, he still can't reach her if he doesn't climb. Doffy accepts the challenge. He doesn't take long to get the hang of it. Right when he is nearly at the top, he nearly falls but Reader grabs his hand and pulls him onto the branch. I think this is where Doffy starts having a little crush on Reader. He doesn't realise that's what it is.

5. I don't know Ace, Sabo, Luffy I know Doffy, Rosi & Reader. Sure they would not be as wild as ASL since the thugs in North Blue are probably much more deadlier than in East Blue, but they'd be good thieves.

6. Reader is so gentle with Rosi and Doffy gets jealous and says his brother is a crybaby and Reader shouldn't help him, he needs to learn on his own. Reader just blows Doffy a raspberry which makes Rosinante giggle - the first time Rosinante has laughed since their house burned down

I just think if we just put in some thought, it can be plausible for Kid Doffy to have Kid Reader as a friend in his childhood days. He'd feel challenged by a "human", someone younger than him, and want to prove his heavenly status, why he's better. Reader just nods along with it and is kind to them both. They don't do any sort of competitions, they just co-exist.

Kid Doffy is like a street cat. He bites and scratches, and tries to claw your face off, but it's cause he's been through terrible shit and he doesn't trust strangers. He needs patience and kindness.

The fic would require just some patience and kindness I think, for the childhood part of their story, so Doflamingo by the end of it considers Reader precious to him to the point he thinks he is the best person to protect her. That it's his duty. He'd probably call himself her heavenly guardian or sth in his mind when he reaches that point.

Of course, that then can turn into him becoming very possessive of Reader as they grow up (Doffy even when becoming the young 10-11 year old leader seems to stick to one headquarters in that timeframe) and his crush from childhood evolving through time from protectiveness into a wish for a romantic relationship.

Anyway, kid Doffy & kid Rosinante deserve to have a friend during that terrible time, and they both latch onto that little amount of kindness, they appreciate it a lot. Doflamingo only realises it later down the line how much it meant for him Reader supported him.

They show appreciation for that differently later. Doffy comes into the restaurant Reader inherited from her parents all the time and makes sure everyone in the North Blue knows that's his territory, and the place where his crew gathers to celebrate things. He always sends Reader gifts such as jewelry, and kisses her on both cheeks whenever he sees her, using the excuse of it being a custom in Dressrosa to his advantage. Rosinante shows his love with hugs. When he sees Reader when he's Corazon he just hugs her. He doesn't give a shit.

Also, Reader & Kid Law & Baby 5... Reader would feed them all the food and pamper them.

Doffy can't go without Reader's home cooked meals. Food is very important to him, I think, after experiencing starvation. He probably invites her to join the crew as their chef cook when they head for the Grand Line. If not...

Well, kidnapping you is always an option 🤣

(he would lie about what happened to Rosinante. either that or get completely drunk and cry in your lap, confessing everything. You know what, I like the latter. Let the big man cry. I love pathetic drunk Doffy.)

- Yandere Doffy Anon

Okay okay okay okay okay. This was gorgeous. I am in love, and all of the relationships with all of the kids, and the coddling of Rosi. Yes. Please. I love their relationship, the silent confusion in the "what is this feeling" -> it's addictive, and I love it. "My human to protect" WHERE DO I SIGN UP????

Here is my interpretation of what childhood friendship would look like with Doflamingo.

What about a young son of a celestial dragon having regular interactions with a contractually bound daughter of another celestial dragon? And then he's taken away from you by his father? Doflamingo x f!reader image.

Your parents schedule regular playdates with one another so your faces do not grow lost on you both over time. From toddlerhood, to childhood, your friendship grew with your betrothed spouse as you both read with one another, and made puzzles and sculptures together. He pulled your hair, you brushed off his glasses, he bit you on the hand, and you cried to your maid.

You are a bit stuffy and spoilt, but what child of the pinacle of society isn't? Similar to Doflamingo, it is your birthright to be treated with the utmost respect and worshipful adoration.

But your heart becomes kind.

When becoming lost in a crowd of unfamiliar faces, the kindness of a stranger who knew nothing of your face changes you from a prissy young miss to a girl spun in webs of charity and compassion.

It makes the young Doflamingo disgusted seeing you interact and thank his servants when they fix you and him lunch. Conversing so freely with the chaperone, asking questions about his children, it makes the eight year old sick. He'd rather trick them into being scolded and thrashed.

When Donquixote Homing defects, the ties that strung you together lay severed and desolate. The friendship between you forbidden, but your mind often wanders into what had become of him. You both had this unspoken hatred and the closest friendship with one another any two children could have.

Inseperable.

Until you were separated.

It took four adults to restrain you from running to him in the council chambers. Hearing Doflamingo had returned with Homing's head, you had nearly lost yours with glee at his return. When he was denied a rise in reinstating his former title, you were overwhelmed with a grief beyond your years in capacity.

Over the decades, you wondered what had become of him. Your heart had been broken when your father renounced your coupling. Each time a potential spouse was presented to you, you would shut it down with haste. Although you were only young, you spoke with such indignation regarding your disdain for such an alliance. What if this one was taken from you too? Nothing would ever match up to him.

They would never be Doflamingo, and you refused to be the spouse of anyone who didn't meet his equal. His insanity mirrored a darkness in your heart that you had since clothed in kindness. He was your absolute, the stop at the end of the line. He was yours, and you were his completely.

When Tsuru had invited you to the first gathering of seven warlords of the sea, you had no idea what to expect. No matter what you prepared yourself with, your readiness mattered not for the sight that was to welcome you in. Charity was your character, and your humility is what made you the chosen celestial dragon the world government asked to converse with the most.

Pink feathers, rosy glasses, blonde hair, and a sinister grin you had long since burried, had your chest swell and eyes flood with every emotion. Silence was all you offered in your shock, your face shrouded behind a veiled cloth you often travelled with.

You knew exactly who you were looking at, and he had no idea it was you. The way his presence demanded attention, his sinister playfulness with Sir Crocodile and Tsuru, the way he openly taunted the former Marine Hunter Mihawk: each motion captured your soul and held you hostage.

It was only when Tsuru had asked you to speak did you stifle the warmth in your chest. You knew Doflamingo would likely hold disgust for the Celestial Dragons due to their lack of restoration, and you chose to ignore him - just as he ignored you.

When your attendants removed the veil from your extravagant headpiece, the first sound to travel through the realm was a collective gasp. You were young, a woman, and incredibly beautiful. Nothing any of the seven warlords were expecting was anything amounting to a single scrap of you. And you chose to play coy to the slack-jawed blonde in the corner.

After speaking your well rehearsed speech, Tsuru thanked you with her head bowing low, encouraging the other marines to pay their respects in kind. Sir Crocodile offered you a polite bow alongside Kuma and Jinbe. Mihawk tipped his hat to you, which you nodded in kind.

Immediately rising to his feet, Doflamingo's arms hung limp as his lips lay parted and almost quivering. His hands shook, his shoes feeling like lead in lieu of leather, and he finally stood before you. Your attendants sprung up to your side, your guardians guiding their hands to the hilts of their weapons: only ceasing when you hold up your own hand to stop them.

With that same hand, you hover it in front of Doflamingo's face, guiding it in an intimate expression without ever colliding with his skin. He rises his own, mirroring your motions and causing your eyes to flutter shut. An inaudible movement of your name courses through his lips, no sounds to voice them other than a single breath.

"Time has not been kind to you, mi amor," you whisper, Doflamingo's knees buckling at the tone your voice had grown into. It was the greatest symphony he had ever heard, the voice of his childhood friend blossoming into the bloom of the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

"Time saved all it's kindness for you, mi querida," he managed string together beneath his petrification.

The room was silent, all watching in awe as the most detestable inhabitant in the council chambers was brought to his knees with a single look from a powerful woman. The familiarity had Tsuru's stomach tighten, wondering if extending an invitation to you was in her best interest. Although, seeing Doflamingo behave with his absolute best manners had her lip twitch up at the corner.

He was yours again. A man who was once everything, became nothing, and built himself up to something again. And he was yours.

And he couldn't be happier to be in your presence once more. Why else would he have fought so hard to rise to the top? For mere power alone?

No. That is far too simple. He is far from simple. It was for the chance to be once again worthy to stand in your presence and kneel at your feet as an equal in potential matrimony. But would you still have him after all the time that had passed between you?

Only you held that answer.

Edit to add, I got distracted by the roast chicken and forgot to add the tag list. I'm sorry everyone.

Tag list: @mfreedomstuff @daydreamer-in-training @since-im-already-here @gingernut1314 @writingmysanity @sordidmusings @i-am-vita @indydonuts @feral-artistry @the-light-of-star @empirenowmp3 @racfoam @sunflowersatori @carrotsunshine @skullfacedlady

[skyloftian-nutcase]

for writing requests, the chain givin wars a big ol group hug and letting him cry cus let’s be honest bro is not holding up well

Sunsets were always Sky’s favorite.

It was strange, how much a moment in time could change something like that, though. A few evenings ago, the sunset was stained blood read, dripping with anguish and fear, held together by a firm hand and guidance. It hadn’t come from their leader, however - the Hero of Time had been completely consumed by worry over Twilight’s condition, and Sky hadn’t blamed him for it, particularly after finding out they had a blood connection.

But after that initial horrifying sunset, Sky found that the dusk brought only exhaustion and melancholy, a worry that there would be another sunset that would stain the sky with blood.

Sighing, the young knight glanced out his window and saw the person he’d been looking for. While Time had been by Twilight’s side that entire evening, there had been another Hero who everyone had heavily relied on. Sky had tried to mediate and help as best he could as well, but he paled in comparison, certainly in terms of leadership capabilities.

But everything had a toll. Sky could see it well enough.

Exiting the inn, Sky heard the gentle serenade of crickets filling the air as the sun disappeared beyond the horizon. The town was not as peaceful and quiet as camping out in the woods, but it held a warm sense of safety that they usually didn’t have the luxury to enjoy. Any town gave Sky a small degree of anxiety, as they were all foreign to him, but settlements like this put the captain at ease far more than anyone else.

At least Sky knew Warriors could get some peace somewhere. It was obvious the man was trying to seek it.

Warriors heard Sky’s approach, turning his head slightly. His sharp eyes were analyzing him in an instant.

“Hey,” Sky greeted softly, trying to settle the man’s worries; he’d been on high alert ever since Twilight’s injury, and he’d yet to calm down. It had been three days since then. “I just wanted to check on you.”

Warriors blinked, baffled a moment, not expecting such a remark, and then he huffed out a small laugh. “Me? I’m alright. Are you?”

Him? Sky was fine. Sky was always fine. He honestly didn’t feel much of anything anymore, except that sunsets made him anxious. He hoped that would settle eventually, as he did love them. “I’m okay. But I just… you’ve been on edge, you know. Since everything. Do you… our Ordonian is going to be okay now. They said so. You know that, right?”

“Of course I know that,” Warriors replied, his smile fading, voice growing slightly snappish.

“It’s just… you’re not acting like you know that,” Sky continued carefully. “You’re… anything sets you off. Everything has to be in perfect order, everyone has to be on their best behavior. You know? I just… wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Warriors watched him for a long time, face blank. His eyes steadily moved downward until they were staring at nothing, boring a hole in the cobblestone beneath Sky’s feet. The Skyloftian waited patiently, knowing when to be silent and let someone else process. Eventually, the captain sighed heavily.

“You were a great help that night,” Warriors said softly. “I wanted to thank you.”

“It was nothing,” Sky brushed off. “That’s not answering my question.”

Warriors huffed ruefully in response. “You’re not usually this persistent.”

“No,” Sky admitted. “But I’m not usually this worried, either.”

The captain’s eyes finally snapped back up to meet Sky’s. His stony expression softened, and he smiled gently. “I said I’m alright.”

“You can be, yeah,” Sky commented. “Like… you don’t have to wrangle everyone in now, you know. I’m here. Our leader’s getting back into, well… leading. It’s okay to step back.”

Something in the captain’s expression wasn’t quite readable, a kind of strange gentle amusement and haunting sadness. Sky wasn’t sure what to do about it. So he just walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. Warriors seemed both inquisitive and slightly apprehensive at the touch, so Sky asked to be sure, “Can I hug you?”

The captain looked as if he didn’t even know what to say with such a request. He blinked once, twice, before a breathy laugh escaped his lips, eyes holding a tenderness to them that Sky wasn’t sure he’d ever seen in them. “Yeah. Yeah, you can.”

Sky smiled in return, leaning in and letting the captain wrap his arms around him. Sky gave what he received, not squeezing too tightly when Warriors’ embrace was hesitantly gentle. As they stood there, though, it seemed like the older knight settled into his predicament a bit more, letting himself relax as Sky held him tighter. Being a little shorter, Sky settled his ear against Warriors’ shoulder, and the gesture made the captain shift a little, resting his own head against Sky’s. His breath was shaky a moment, and Sky heard him swallow thickly.

It only lasted a few moments, but it was enough. Sky ached for the contact, honestly, and wished he could hug him more, but he knew better than to push the matter. Slowly, the two pulled apart. If Warriors’ face was a little more flushed than before, neither of them commented on it.

“Thanks, Sky,” the captain said quietly.

Sky’s smile was brighter than the sunset. “Anytime.”

[gingermintpepper]

I saw it in your tag game post that you're also fond of the Apollo-Heracles conflict 👀 for a myth that appears in only a couple of sources, it sure has a lot of presence in the vase paintings (no seriously, everytime I think I've seen the last of it, I find ten more)

SO do you have any favorites among the paintings that represent this story??

OMG OMG THIS ASK IS A GIFT. IT IS A GIFT THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR LETTING ME TALK ABOUT THIS

I also think it's extremely interesting that it's a story so popularly portrayed by vase paintings and in such a variety of ways!! It's certainly one of the stories that gets left out of written compilation of Heracles' legend a bit (which is a shame, I think it's a fantastic story) but Apollo had a very peculiar relationship with Heracles in general that I just kind of find amazing (and very, very funny).

Apollo is not a god with any legitimate grudge against Heracles, but he does argue with the mortal a bit like he argues with his favourite brothers 😂Part of why I love the story of Apollo and Heracles fighting over the tripod so much is that it is such a little brother thing for Heracles to be upset with the proclamation his elder brother has given him and so, he throws a great fit, taking up the chair and declaring that he'll just give himself a better prophecy! And Apollo, instead of being a marginally professional big brother, decides to fight him for it until their father has to break up their cat-fight. Like was that not just the plot of the Homeric Hymn to Hermes? Is this not exactly how Apollo treated Hermes when he was a child and now those two are inseparable? 💀

Because of this, my favourite vase paintings tend to be the ones that highlight the personal squabbling between Apollo and Heracles the most. There are some very elaborate ones that have the full host of them - Athena, Heracles, Apollo, Artemis, usually a dog and a doe, I've even seen a couple that had birds and plants etched on them, but the simplest ones that show Heracles about to bonk Apollo with his club out of frustration or depict Heracles nyooming away from Apollo while Apollo (presumably) yells curses about how he's going to fling Heracles head first into Tartarus for daring to take his things? Yeah, those are the premium big brother/little brother things I'm looking for.

(Photo. Marie-Lan Ngyuen)

(Photo. Museo Claudio Faina)

Also the one in the Theoi.com archives is a real classic - perfect energy.

[xielian-gets-his-own-blog-now]

You’re weird (so very, massively affectionate!!) ^_^

Oh wow, thank you so much!! That's so nice of you to go out of your way to say, it's so sweet! :] Here, you can have a free Xie Lian picture for that because I love you so much for that

(He was trying to take me out via my ankles, caught the little bastard before he could reach bone)

[reapersmarch]

i think ric and bel should take a quick road trip outside of the city and do some actual stargazing on a hill somewhere. i need bel to see the stars without light pollution. i think it would be good for him. won't fix him or anything like that but. if he wants to look up he deserves to see the full picture at least

there has literally never been anyone more right in all the world than you, so what i have for u today chef:

yule shoot your eye out, or a look before you leap very special episode, seasons greasons!

“We’re here.”

It’s a little after midnight, and Bel is caught somewhere between awake and dreaming, half-nodded off with his head leaned up against the window and his arms folded for warmth. He startles a little when Ricardo speaks, then adjusts upright in his seat, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

When he’d been asked do you have any plans this weekend, his answer was a resounding, no. He never really did—or rather, he didn’t ever really have plans with others in the companionable sense. Not that he didn’t want to, he was always happy to spend time with his friends (he has friends now; that’s an odd thought), but he was too much of a homebody. Much of his weekend was eaten up by errands or a book. Sometimes, if he was feeling particularly zesty, he would spend a day in the dance studio. 

So, when his answer was followed up with good, keep your calendar open, Bel stood on edge all week just waiting.

He didn’t know what it was he expected when Ricardo pulled up at ten o’clock in the evening, suggesting they go for a drive—he didn’t know what to expect, period, but a two hour car ride out of town wasn’t anywhere near the top of his list. It didn’t matter how much he asked or whined or complained, either; Ricardo wouldn’t tell him a damn thing. 

So, okay. Two hours out of town it is.

He supposes.

The weather hasn’t been all that great for December—gloomy, dark, and generally rainy and wet—and even earlier today, it had been raining on and off consistently. It was almost disappointing that there hadn’t been any snow, especially this close to the holidays. A light dusting of big, fluffy flakes probably would’ve made whatever it is this trip is meant to be spirited and delightful, as opposed to gross and damp.

It didn’t exactly inspire much in the way of holiday cheer, even with all the colourful displays of lights, but it had dried up enough the further and further they got away from the city limits, until the clouds became sparse and the drizzle was little more than a distant memory. Much of the drive was spent in idle conversation or jokes or singing along to whatever bastardized version of a well-known Christmas carol came up on the radio.

Eventually, the conversation drew to a natural close, the radio on low enough to not disturb the peace of the drive, but audible enough to provide a comfortable background noise so Ricardo didn’t fall asleep at the wheel, and at some point, Bel closed his eyes. He doesn’t know when he actually dozed off, but is grateful nonetheless when the car finally stops and he can stretch his legs.

“Where exactly is here?” he asks, rubbing a kink from his shoulder, voice thick with sleep still. “It feels like the middle of nowhere.”

“That’s because it is.”

He raises an eyebrow. “You asked me to clear my calendar for you to drive me two hours out of town to the middle of nowhere?”

“I sure did.” Ricardo steps out of the car, chuckling, and Bel follows suit.

It’s undeniably cold out—enough that each inhale feels brisk, sharp, and every exhale comes with a puff of breath—but it’s not unbearable. Bel jams both hands into his pockets, keeping his arms pressed in tight to his body, and walks around the car to gain feeling in his legs once more. There aren’t any other cars here—here being a densely packed forest with no clearing in sight—though it looks a little like a campgrounds. It’s hardly camping season, though, and he sure as shit didn’t like the idea of crashing in an admittedly kind of creepy wooded area with no one else around except for the wild animals.

Between the two of them, they could probably fend off a bear. Probably.

“God, it feels good to get out of that car!” Ricardo says, stretching his arms far overhead and rubbing at his lower back.

“Tell me about it,” Bel responds in commiseration.

“What are you complaining for? You got to sleep the whole time!”

“Not the whole time,” he objects, smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “So, now that we’ve made it, are you finally going to tell me what we’re doing?”

“Exercise a little patience, Red, come on.” Ricardo reaches into Bel’s pocket and grabs hold of his left hand, lifting it to press a brief kiss to his knuckles. In his other, he holds a flashlight. He slips both of their interlocked hands into his own pocket and tugs at Bel’s arm until they’re both walking up the only trail there. 

“You don’t think a whole week and some change with zero idea what you’ve got cooking in that head of yours is patient enough?”

Ricardo playfully rolls his eyes. “We’re nearly there. Didn’t peg you for an ‘are we there yet’ kind of guy.”

“Really? Me? Not impatient?” Bel makes a face, and Ricardo laughs. “I guess you have gotten better at making me beg, even if it didn’t work this time.”

“I’m trying to instill lessons in you, be a good influence.”

He snorts. “You’ve instilled something in me, sure. Not sure it’s a lesson, but it definitely makes you a worse influence.”

“First I’m hearing you complain.”

They chat to keep the mood light as the path leads them further up a slight incline, until Ricardo turns around to face him, walking backwards. “Okay. We’re actually nearly there, so you need to do me a very big favour.”

“Okay…”

“Close your eyes.”

Bel gives him a wary look—“I’m not about to be buried out here, am I?”—and Ricardo returns it with an exasperated one of his own.

“Just do it.”

“Okay, okay.” He chuckles and acquiesces, shutting his eyes and allowing Ricardo to lead him the remainder of the journey. “This would’ve been much easier if you’d just carried me, you know.”

“Please. As though I would carry you uphill in the winter. Who’s defending us if a bear attacks then—you? With your eyes closed?”

“I obviously wouldn’t have my eyes closed if—you know what. Sure. I could take a bear with my eyes closed.”

Ricardo shakes his head, but declines to comment. Low hanging fruit.

When they finally crest the hill, he walks Bel all the way out to one of the picnic tables and gets them both seated before saying, “Okay. Open up.”

Bel sucks in a sharp breath.

From where they sat at the top, stretching all the way across the clearing, beyond it even, was an infinite whorl of stars—an endless ocean of them, backlit by the soft glow of the moon, each dancing and winking back at both of them. Low on the horizon, distantly, the arm of the Milky Way is just visible, curving upward like the arc of a rocket’s blast, headed towards distant worlds. Bel leans forward, his mouth falling open and his head turned skyward, hands folded in his lap as he tries to take in as much of it as possible.

It didn’t feel real. A glittering blanket of midnight blue covered the two of them, and it didn’t feel real. 

Ricardo just watches him for a time, soaking in the silence and the pure, unfettered joy radiating off of him in waves. 

“I was a little worried,” he admits, his voice punctuating the quiet and catching Bel’s attention. “With how crap the weather’s been, I didn’t know if this would end up working out or not. Apparently, the Aurora Borealis is supposed to be visible tonight.”

“Ricardo, this is… I don’t even know what to say.” There really wasn’t much to say other than: thank you, thank you, thank you. “This is so special, I—you were planning this?”

He gives a casual lift of his shoulders. “For a while. I heard that we were supposed to be able to see it all the way down here, which is rare, but city lights don’t exactly make for great sky viewing.”

Bel turns his attention back to the stars for a brief moment, then looks over at Ricardo who is still looking at him. “You planned this for—for me?”

It’s asked softly, hesitantly, almost confused. There was very little in his life that Bel adamantly adored—the ocean, space, a quiet reading nook, coffee, Ricardo—and an act of such immeasurable kindness, immeasurable amounts of love (because it is, undeniably, a confession, and even if it weren’t, it’s still born from a deeply rooted kind of love), was so unfathomable to him. Was he this transparent? Or was Ricardo more observant than he gave him credit for?

It doesn’t matter (it’s both).

“Well, yeah,” Ricardo laughs softly. “It’s only us here.”

His breath was caught, though Bel hadn’t noticed. Everything feels too much all at once, and he’s scared, he’s nervous, he’s elated, he’s thrilled, and the realization hits him squarely then: he is so, so hopelessly and utterly in love with him. There is no part of Bel that does not belong to him.

“I really am in love with you, I think,” he exhales before he realizes it’s left his mouth.

“You think?” Ricardo laughs and it’s the best thing he’s ever heard.

“No. I am. I—I am,” he corrects, heart squeezing in his chest as he quickly finds Ricardo’s hand in the dark. “Ric, this is incredible, thank you. I really, really love this—you. I love you.”

“Good—that you like this, I mean,” Ricardo stumbles, “Not that you—” He pauses. “You learn so much, just by looking up—you taught me that. It’s one of the things I love about you.”

Bel can do nothing but take his face in his hands, pressing their lips together in what feels like a first kiss all over again, both of them smiling through it.

“Okay, now you have to teach me something else,” Ricardo declares, lying flat against the picnic table and bringing Bel down with him. “What constellations are visible?”

“A few.” He hums, eyes roaming over the vast map spanning above them, then lifts his hand. “There. Gemini. And if you follow that trail of stars there,” his finger traces an invisible line in the air, “there’s Orion. Taurus is over there…”

Bel continues pointing out constellations and known stars, planets and the (approximate) location of certain satellites, with the occasional question or shared laughter in between, and it’s freeing, being this far removed from all of the nonsense in the city—all the way out there, where the only thing that matters is the two of them and when the light show is meant to begin. 

[deoidesign]

hi. I just read your entire comic in one go and I’ve gotta say I am in love with it. as a trans guy with hair that looks so much like Steve’s and who loves werewolves, I had to physically restrain myself from squealing out loud upon realizing he was trans, because I am currently living in a room with five other people in a small community in rural Alaska and didn’t want to explain to them the joys of seeing yourself in a character and then realizing “oh shit they’re trans like me”. I hope you are doing well, and may the gods of creativity and carpal tunnel bless you with much fruit in your artistic endeavors.

how could I ever show how deeply messages like this touch me... I never know what to say, I want so badly to have the proper words to show you how grateful I am

This is why I write. so that people get to feel like this, and I could never reflect that properly with just my words... But I want you to know that.

I hope to make something that is worthy of your love, and I hope every day that my work is sufficient to show I love you. so I'm relieved that it's succeeding and you feel seen.

Thank you for sharing this with me, I love you

[navybrat817]

*innocently dropping this bomb*

https://twitter.com/sebstanbr/status/1767176528452800772?t=1pBZLOmtUaRBCRwC6XSyHA&s=19

INNOCENT, nonnie?! Now you sound like me! 😇

I had to pull up the extra link in that post.

I mean...

Unspeakable things. No shame. I need the Winter Soldier. I need him carnally. Please.

Bless you, nonnie. Love and thanks! ❤️

[missartistabby]

Has kid Satan ever called all his bros (minus Lucifer) over to secretly plan a nice family bonding activity of beating up Michael behind the local akudonalds?

[S]Idea was based on a true event were my dad was six and bullied (beaten up) by some older kid, his uncle told him to take his little bro and cousin over to beat that guy up..times were really different in the 70s[/S]

Oh he definitely has . He has gotten them all gathered around and has scribbled some instructions that are either legible or the brothers have to ask.

All the brothers just kinda think he is being a silly little guy and he isn't that serious (Mammon is a little concerned.

I also kinda see it as a DND campaign kind of thing. Like maybe Satan begged Levi to set up a game to see what could go down with Michael (at the start everyone is kinda like eh but then they get so into it....then Luci comes home 😂)

Times were quite different back in the day! I don't think anything like that happened in my family. It was usually just my mom against her brother and my dad against his sister 😂 (Thank you for the true event, I definitely can see that with the brothers!)

Will have to maybe use this as a little inspo for a comic in the future! So thank you! 😊

[hekateinhell]

OKAY this holiday season i am thinking especially about louis maybe drinking a liiiiitle too much from all the folks wandering around in their post-christmas party inebriation. he comes home to trinity gate all flushed— not quite buzzed, but just WARM and sweet and in a generous enough mood to let armand drain him by the fire. maybe armand lays him down on a nice fur rug in front of the fireplace and studies the warm blood all over his body. and maybe he laughs and feels his heart swell just a little as he fucks louis and watches the way he arches off of the ground, the way the light from the fire crackles in his eyes 🥰

ASHLEY MY HEART JUST EXPLODED. 🥺❤️

Because I think Louis would make the most endearing "drunk" around Armand! With Lestat, Louis gets sassy and has to get fucked before he can even think of settling down, but with Armand he is so sweet.

And Armand just smiles and takes his arm, "Yes, dear"-ing and "Of course, my love"-ing him into their home while Louis reaches over to play with his hair, staring at him unblinking with his enormous green eyes like they're right back in late 1800s Paris and nothing bad has ever happened between them. 😭

"A perfect thing," Louis whispers tuggling on a loose auburn curl as he leans in like he's about to tell some great secret, "An absolutely perfect thing."

Armand is utterly charmed to see Louis like this almost... playful. Boyish. A sight so rare, he can count on his fingers the times he's seen it in over a hundred years. Of course, Armand has to pounce on him right on the fur rug in front of the fire. Preserving every little detail in his memory, thinking to himself that in another universe, he and Louis would have been nothing more than two morbidly romantic youths in love.

[catholicsapphic]

I am in profound awe at your words describing Rita’s wounds. I am completely ignorant but your words made me feel that God was in my bedroom. Thank you for always reconnecting queer (lost) people like me with such a beautiful faith.

I cannot put to words how much this means to me. Thank you so much for the kind words; God loves you infinitely, and I know He rejoices whenever we get closer to feeling that

[hellsite-hall-of-ex-girlfriend]

does the void like cats I have a donation

ah the Void is pleased with this precious little being!

your donation is humbly accepted. thank you very much, kind soul

[pfhwrittes]

hi so pit crew w john price???

you and him are dating and he got home from a mission while you were still at work. naturally he showered and then crashed on your bed. totally sends this pic to let you know whats coming tonight

LOOK AT THAT PIT!!!! oh what a slut he is

hooooooly shit. my mouth is open and there may be a little drool i fully admit this with no shame. do you see the salt and pepper in that beard??? do you??? oh my god jeeeeesus christ

AHEM

friend lemme tell you right now that i would be BURIED in that pit. he wouldn't even need to hold my head down (but he should he absolutely should good lord) because i'd be just there. forever. no way that man is making it out of bed hoooooly shit

[skyloftian-nutcase]

It would be interesting to figure out what the ratio of Abel's good/fluffy moments are as compared to his angsty ones... It's probably something like for every fifty moments of angst, despair, darkness etc, he gets one single fluffy respite XD

-Sky Floor

CIDIQNWPFFI THAT’S PROBABLY ACCURATE 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[goldenashes-if]

Today in More Outrageous Outfits for MC to wear:

Dying blushing for these, with the knowledge that MC would wear those and slay-

[nylongenesis]

I am in tears, this made my day way better ty for the chuckle

all i have to say abt it is where in gods name did you manage to come up w the idea that i think dave is the top.