#holy shit this ended up being long

[justkillingthyme]

It’s not worth it to get too close. What’s the point if it all ends the same?

You tentatively reach out, an olive branch. It’s accepted and the bond grows, closer and closer until the thought of them leaving steals the breath from your lungs. And that trust lulls you into complacency, into believing that perhaps this relationship won’t end like the others. Perhaps this person will finally stay.

Perhaps this time you’ll be worth staying for

You’ve shoved yourself so far deep inter the tide that the inky blackness has become a comfort. The thought of the light is frightening. And the mask on your face grows yet stronger, and yet more frail. The others can see it, can see under. You know sometimes it cracks too far, and they catch a glimpse of a child being led from his brother, or a teenager reaching desperately down for a hand long gone, or a man holding a child to his chest, knowing that once again the cycle has repeated.

Perhaps it’s fate. That you’ve committed some great sin and this is your divine punishment. Or perhaps it’s simple misfortune. That seems common enough in your bloodline. A murky cloud of bad luck that tears you up from the inside out and rips their hands from yours.

Or perhaps it’s you. That no matter what you do, there’s some fundamental quality about you that drives them away in some capacity. No matter how many masks you layer, it will never be enough to hide that you’re truly nothing without other people. You’re an empty vessel, clinging to an image of what others want from you. A mirror reflecting what they want to see. You contort yourself to leap through smaller and smaller hoops, hoping it will be enough. A puzzle solver, and archaeologist, a gentleman, and yet it’s all a falsehood. The walls were built up one by one, in trials of falling and burning and loud gunshots that haunt you through your nightmares.

No, it’s not worth it to get close to someone. Over and over again, life proves that he’s simply unworthy of the good that surrounds him. Not good enough for the life he clawed from others. A persona from a woman long gone, a career in repentance, and a name given up so that you could thrive.

If only you had lived up to that potential. If only you could.

And yet, time and again the wool covers your eyes as you ease into that innate human desire of comfort. You find others, attach yourself like a parasite despite your intentions to steer clear, and fail again and again to protect them. Everyone leaves eventually. You should learn by now that nothing lasts forever.

It always ends the same. You try again and again, you push that rock up the hill. Again and again, you fall, and again and again, you get up.

And then they’re gone. And you’re in an unfamiliar place, or fleeing from your guilt, or you’re face down in an alley, on the verge of death. If not that, you’re watching helplessly as you’re betrayed again and again. The rug is pulled from under your feet, the rock tumbles, and you’re right back at the bottom, only this time the air doesn’t enter your lungs.

Naively, you think your sacrifice meant anything. And yet no one knows. No one has a clue what you’ve done for them, and life continues onward. Even those who shared your burden leave.

You cannot blame her for wanting to find her own path. You cannot blame him for choosing death rather than rebuilding a relationship with you.

It’s you and the boy then. And eventually he slips through your fingers too.

There’s a girl there, one who’s far too precious for this world. A delicate flower, and you’re afraid the jagged edges of your mask will harm her. You care not for yourself, but the girl is in your care. She’s yours, and this time you’re determined to keep that rose in a glass case, away from anything that can hurt her.

That includes you as well. If she gets too close, she could know who you are. She could peer through your fragmented facade and find that beneath it all is just a man. Only a man.

It’s not worth it to get close. It’s better for the both of you.

[lokh]

also i think if roleswap laios and canon laios met theyd immediately start fighting.

[front-facing-pokemon]

[valeress]

ramble

[yoldels]

Finished the Sdr 2 playthrough a few days ago, btw

[shireduchess]

listen...listen... idk man i didn't expect downfall to hit me as hard as it did. but i'm at the end of ep101 and i have cried more maybe than during any other part of this story...and what a story within a story downfall is

it's about faith, the faith the mortals have in the gods and that the gods have in mortals, the faith in their creations, in and for their love of each other. and there is something so moving and intoxicating and emotional about that depiction, of gods deciding to become mortals to achieve an end goal, but of learning how much mortals love and feel and suffer

just the love between them all, everyone depicted. the wildmother and the lawbearer... the emissary.... trist and ayden, the everlight and the dawnfather... fucking just....everyone

idk man this sort of tragic story really just gets me so so so fucking bad, it hits me in such a unique way

[amoneki-ramblings]

do you think Kaneki might ever pray with Amon despite not being catholic himself? just sitting next to him mumbling the words as Amon says it because he likes to be with him

speaking of religion, what kind of faith do you think Kaneki would follow? I hc him as an atheist :) but I think you know more about religions than me lol

Ooooh I like that idea a lot actually I have So Many Thoughts (rubs my hands together evilly)

also this is just a sidenote but i know some people may be uncomfortable with religious discussion, so if you are lmk and i'll start tagging it :thumbsup:

I feel like Amon hasn't prayed often in a while because of his past, but he may still on occasion (habit), and may get back into it properly after actually resolving his feelings with the past. At some point Kaneki starts to join him. He doesn't really know How to pray, especially since a lot of it is in silence, he probably just kneels there and silently wishes for safety for his friends, for strength and resolve, etc. etc. But when Amon starts saying the actual prayers out loud he just sits there and listens to him quietly saying them.

At some point Kaneki might start mumbling along with them, he vaguely knows some of the prayers and has heard Amon say them enough times to kind of know them. Amon is surprised when Kaneki starts doing that and it just kind of becomes a Thing; maybe Kaneki even asks Amon to tell him how to pray the rosary since he sees him doing that often as well (when the rosary is prayed in a group there's one person leading that says the first half of most of the prayers and the rest say the other half, and I think it would be interesting with them alternating like that)

While Kaneki isn't catholic himself he finds it reassuring, while it's unlikely to him that there's someone out there that'll actually grant his prayers it's a nice thought, y'know? It's also just very relaxing there, even if it was kind of awkward at first

I think he also finds the sound of Amon praying very relaxing *cough*

I also think Kaneki would be atheist, while he wouldn't completely deny the possibility of there being a god of some sort he also isn't really a follower of any particular belief system (note: ive actually been informed that there is a better term for this, agnostic, which is essentially being neutral lol). I think Amon would know this, and therefore doesn't really know why Kaneki chooses to pray with him despite this, but he figures that Kaneki does have a lot of things he would want to pray for, things he would want to seek forgiveness for, too, and he appreciates that Kaneki is willing to spend time with him like this anyway.

[shiroichiban]

Shiro, I love your angst. May I ask angsty with happy ending with Z? Maybe, smth caused by his fame or- OH! HOW ABT! Reader is also close friends with Robaire. Z and Reader likes each other but have yet to confess. (You see where I’m going?). Z is jealous of Rob but never said anything buy when Z catches Rob on top of Reader (Reader tripped and Rob tried to help. Maybe? Can be smth else), he kinda snapped as in “fuck this. I give up. Aight I’m out”.

Idk rlly, I just love angst with happy ending and you’re the angst provider so I trust you

praise be for the manga has inspired my return (these requests have been sitting here for like a good year i am so sorry 🙇‍♀️🙇‍♀️, but god this prompt is too good to let sit)

jealous! aaron z x reader headcanons~

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾　you are so down bad for z　☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

i'd like to say you and z have been dancing around each other for awhile, like deadass doing the viennese waltz around your feelings if you will. (he's too shy to make a move and you're too unsure about his feelings for you despite the very clear affection).

i mean, you can't really blame anyone in this situation because why would you ruin a perfectly good friendship with romance?? you, z, and robaire were essentially THE highschool trio of friends. no matter how iffy the situation got between you three your foundation was rock solid.

with robaire being the overachiever and z being the shy and stoic guy he is, you naturally became the mediator between the two. often telling off robaire for not taking breaks and enjoying himself, and encouraging z to put himself out there more. essentially, getting them to live a little.

you had to admit though you were much closer to z, while robaire had his own things going on that didn't often involve your trio, z was always there in your corner. you are each others' biggest cheerleaders even as adults <33

this closeness slowly blossomed into feelings as you watched z grow from the sidelines...

It was a quiet night in the dance studio, you were helping Aaron film a fun freestyle choreography he had just come up with. Were your arms aching from the various takes you needed to do? Yeah, but for that smile it was well worth it. His expressions were perfect, his movements sharp and well-practiced, to say the least he was in perfect form.

The song ended and the CD stopped echoing from your speakers, you let Z hold his ending pose for a few seconds before stopping the recording. "That time was really good! Just like the last trillion takes~" You teased, already knowing Z was growing embarrassed from the way he pouted at you.

"Yeah, I'm satisfied... Wanna head out for dinner?" He suggested as he jogged over to where you were standing right beside his bag. Grabbing a towel and quickly wiping over his face as well as the back of his neck. "I know it's late so you could stay over tonight..." He added softly, that was the tone Z used whenever he was trying to play off something he really wanted. How could you say no?

"Sure! But you should go change, all the offense when I say you reek of sweat." You giggled to hide the excitement that was bubbling in your stomach. Spending the night at Z's as adults was much more fun than in highschool, the two of you would stay up and drink for a bit before cuddling (platonically!) on the couch to watch movies. "I'll wait out in the hall." You suggested as you began to step out but one muscular arm proceeded to block you—

"I reek huh? Well then, before you go how 'bout I give you a thank you hug~?" Z asked teasingly before quickly grabbing you by the waist.

"Noooo!!" You laughed, "Ugh you nasty!" Quickly writhing out of Z's hold, you jumped out of his arms and bolted for the door. "Just go and change before I drown you in perfume!" You threatened before shutting the door and taking a seat on one of the hallway benches.

You took a few deep breaths before finally letting the warmth spread on your cheeks, god that was embarrassing... You wondered if Z could tell your heart was racing, all of his usual actions have been taking a different effect on you lately and you hated it. Your relationship with him was supposed to be the one steadfast and assured thing in your life, these feelings would only rip that away.

Before you could lament on your feelings too much, another familiar voice called out to you.

"Hey (name)! I didn't know you were here too!" Robaire called out joyfully, carrying a seemingly forgotten shopping bag as he exited the office next to the dance studio. It was weird to admit that you and Robaire drifted after highschool, sure you were still friendly and familiar with each other, but your relationship didn't quite retain the same quality as yours with Z.

Robaire casually took a seat next to you, placing the bag next to him. "It's been awhile since I've seen you alone, usually you and Z are joined at the hip!" He exclaimed as he leaned his back against the wall, a nostalgic smile taking over his features. "Not that that's a bad thing of course. I'm happy you two are still close!" The last part felt... forced. Maybe Robaire lamented letting you drift away to Z's side so easily?

"It's honestly easy to be around him, although he's changed a lot since highschool." You reflected evenly, watching as Robaire exhaled and gently leaned his head on your shoulder. Now this was nostalgic, you remembered the days when Robaire would seek you out to take a break from all the stress and responsibilities he put onto himself. Letting his head rest on you just as it did now as he closed his eyes to let himself have a moment of silence.

Robaire regretted taking on so much at the expense of leaving your relationship in the dust.

"Does that mean... I'm still the same?" Robaire asked, his tone showing genuine curiosity.

You thought about that for a bit, although more mature and knowing how to pace himself a little better now, you couldn't truly pinpoint if Robaire had changed in your eyes or not. "You're still my Bear." You settled on that answer, he retained his dependability and sense of responsibility from when you were teenagers, but you could tell he still craved affection and acknowledgement every now and then. Same old Bear.

"Your Bear huh..."

Even from a distance Z could see the grin forming on Robaire's face from where he stood and he hated it. He felt invisible to the one person who always saw and looked in his direction, and it hurt.

to say the least, z and robaire's relationship was complicated.

they care for each other! they really do it's just...

everyone saw robaire, everyone looked at robaire, from highschool until now he was the one who had everyone's attention and expectations. and yes yours included but you never left z out, you never left him behind.

even when everyone's eyes were on robaire you looked for him, when everyone noticed robaire you made sure to notice him. everyone else could take the backseat when it came to you because you were z's priority. z almost felt bad depending on you this much but you proved time and time again you would be there for him and make him feel worth it, that alone made him so unbelievably happy.

maybe this was some sort of punishment for him being selfish, for him monopolizing your feelings, for him falling in love with you, any other rhyme or reason for the building pit in his stomach his heart named it. he should have expected this, he should have known.

fuck this, he's done. if you wanted robaire and robaire wanted you, he'd let it happen. it's the least he could do after so selfishly keeping you by his side this whole time.

"Welp, that's enough reflecting. Do you need a ride home?" Robaire offered as he detached himself from your shoulder. Ignoring the bubbling feeling in his chest at the expectation of your answer.

"Oh, I'm having dinner with Aaron actually..." You rejected politely, you could see his green eyes falter slightly before quickly returning to normal as he nodded. Standing up from the bench, he grabbed the forgotten shopping bag then turned back to face you, "We should hang out again sometime, us three. I miss you guys y'know?"

At that you smiled, the thought of rekindling your friendship with Robaire was nice. "Definitely." You replied, waving him off before standing up, now how long does it take to change a damn shirt? Z loved complaining when you took a while to change but he sure was taking his sweet time.

You walked down the hallway back to the dance studio, your footsteps echoing as the lightbulbs blinked above you. Was their agency... always this creepy at night? Now you were a bit scared. "Z?" You called out as you saw a tall figure in the hallway, "There you are!"

Sighing in relief you ran towards Z, your friend's back was turned to you however even in the darkness of the dimly lit hallway you recognized the same old worn out t-shirt he liked to wear in his down time. You got it for him on his birthday after all. "I was worried you left me there for a minute!" You laughed as you went to grab his hand, but surprisingly he pulled away.

"What happened to Robaire?" He asked, with a tone of voice... You hadn't heard him use that in a long time, monotone yet polite, one he only ever pulled out when talking with strangers. "I thought you were gonna go home with him instead." His back was still turned to you, he was refusing to look at you? Why...

"Are you okay?" Was your first instinct to ask, grabbing his wrist and pulling him closer to you. Trying to grab ahold of the situation, "Where did all these Robaire questions come from? I thought we were going back to your place?"

When he finally turned around to face you it was with an apathetic expression. After all those years of friendship and learning his expressions you couldn't read him for once. Aaron wouldn't meet your eyes and it hurt.

"We were. Until it seemed like you wanted to go home with him instead." Z grumbled under his breath, his eyes hardening as he tried to pull his arm out of your grasp once more but you wouldn't let him this time.

"Aaron, talk to me. Why are you making these assumptions when I already made plans with you?" You groaned, frustrated, it was as if you had just met all over again and you hated it. "Did I do something wrong? What happened, why are you so upset all of a sudden?!"

"Because I love you even though I know I'm not enough."

That took you aback.

First of all, Aaron loves you?! Second of all, he thinks he's not enough?! Third of all... Actually there is no third of all, you were just gonna get this boy home so you could have a proper heart-to-heart and talk it out.

fast forward to you shoving z into his own car and driving him home, with you literally grabbing onto his hand and dragging him to the vehicle, you had the spare key cause he had no one to give it to so there was no issue getting in.

z was supposed to be the quiet one here, so with you immediately going silent after his (admittedly horrible) confession, he was worried that he had completely ruined the relationship between you two. maybe he was too rough, too stoic to properly convey that he just wanted to see you happy even if it was with robaire... (i mean he definitely was but still!)

so to his surprise, the moment you got to his house you sat his ass down at his coffee table and began heating up leftovers for dinner. anytime he'd awkwardly move from his position in an attempt to help you'd give him the death stare which made him immediately sit back down.

you slammed down two bowls of chinese fried rice and some spring rolls onto the table before sitting across from him, clasping your hands together before seriously looking at him and saying; "Talk. To. Me."

You ate your food morosely across from Aaron as he hesitantly narrated the moment he saw you and Robaire sitting together on the bench. The moment he got to Robaire leaning on your shoulder and calling him ‘your Bear’ and his following thought process you absolutely wanted to face palm. This stupid boy... This stupidly, emotionally repressed boy—

You casually set your bowl aside as you walked over to Aaron, immediately engulfing him in the warmest hug you could muster. Feeling him stiffen before relaxing in your hold as he wrapped his arms around your waist and buried his head into your shoulder. "Oh Aaron, you foolish foolish boy." You chuckled as you nuzzled your face into his hair. "You're so lucky I love you."

The moment he heard that his face shot up, his eyes meeting yours for the first time that night. And slowly you could see him emerge, your Aaron, as tears built up in his eyes at hearing you loved him too. "R-really...?" He whispered, you could practically feel the longing in his voice hoping that what you just said was true.

"After all those years of being your friend have I ever lied to you? Even once?" You asked gently, cupping his cheek in the palm of your hand as he sniffled, feeling the warmth spread across his cheeks that inevitably mixed with the tears that started falling from his eyes.

"I'm s-sorry... For bein' mean to you..." He tried to sob as quietly as he could but at this point Z just couldn't hold back anymore. "I love you... so so so much it hurts." You brought your friend back into your embrace and sighed softly, pressing a kiss to his hair as he buried himself into your chest asking for forgiveness.

"I'm sorry too." You apologized, "God do you know how long I've been pining for you? I was just too cowardly, I didn't want to ruin what we already had."

"We're both cowards I guess..." Z sniffled one last time before chuckling. More of in relief that you seemed to forgive him and the fact that he didn't fuck everything up with his outburst.

"Pff, yeah." You agreed and gently took Aaron's face into your hands, cupping his cheeks in your palms before pressing kisses all over his face. "But really though, I love you. I love you Aaron." Repeating it twice, properly announcing your feelings in a way that left no doubts or insecurities.

"I love you too (name)..." Aaron grinned before pulling you down on top of him again, kissing you with all of the affection he had held back for so many years.

The two of you did more than cuddle on the couch at the end of the night~

with your relationship solidified you, aaron, and robaire could finally repair the issues that had sprouted between the three of you.

aaron's slight inferiority complex combined with robaire's desire to achieve was definitely a deadly duo to deal with, and you're still working on it to this day. but with you by his side aaron was definitely more self-assured, you gave him the confidence he needed to be more forward about his feelings.

for now, aaron loves you and you love him, that's all that matters.

[valkyurii]

writing about my elden ring oc has been my comfort thing for the last two years but since this dlc i genuinely can’t bring myself to enjoy it anymore. miquella, the haligtree and even malenia feel so different to me now

[lilyharvord]

I need people to understand that my hyperfixation ships are limited to one thing: a man who is usually in full control of himself meeting 1 woman and losing complete and utter control over absolutely everything he does.

I just like to watch when they go full feral for a woman who could literally chew them up and spit them out, but choses to let them stick around because I don't know, it's nice to have someone carrying their bag or whatever.

[svtskneecaps]

ok folks this lives and dies between us but i swear to god with every passing moment and every new fact i learn i am more and more convinced that had i spoken portuguese at age 11 when i got into minecraft youtube the first time i would BEYOND A SHADOW OF A DOUBT have had a tiny little baby 11 year old celebrity crush on pactw

[bubblybloob]

I can't help now but imagine that when Cold finally falls prey to the hibernation scheme (as they all will, eventually 👁👁) Hunted will take the opportunity to put him in the washing machine until the mange crust is all gone.

First of all, who’s to say they fall to the hibernation? 👁️👁️

Secondly, NO DON’T WASHING MACHINE MY BOY I’VE BEEN THERE IT IS HELL HE WON’T SURVIVE-

[thompsborn]

me looking at the still unfinished hb2 first chapter and the deadline that i gave myself (two more days):

[s3v3r3dh3ad]

WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT HONDO?!??!? DO SHIP WITH HIM SOMEONE?!?! (oc's and selfincerts count!!) TELL ME RGAHHHHHH (Also hi! 🙂)

BRO I LOVE PISTON HONDO HE'S LITERALLY SO CUTE LIKE ❤️ EVERY TIME I SEE HIM I JUST THINK ABOUT THAT PART ON SPONGEBOB WHERE THE FLYING DUTCHMAN IS LIKE "STOP STARING AT ME WITH THEM BIG OL EYES!" BECAUSE HE'S ACTUALLY 👁👁 PERSONIFIED LIKE DAMN GIRL WE SEE THEM.💀😭

For real though he's literally so sweet and respectful like it makes my heart melt.😭 Deadass I got that intermission in contender mode one time where he brings food into the ring AND I ACTUALLY FREAKED THE FUCK OUT IT WAS SO CUTE.😭 I hope one day I can get that one where he says to raise your hand when you cross the road I SHIT YOU NOT I WOULD ACTUALLY CRY.🛐 Anyways underrated character for sure, he's so cutie patootie in my eyes.

As for ships I'M SO SORRY TO DISAPPOINT BUT I LITERALLY HAVE NO SHIPS AT ALL BESTIE I APOLOGIZE.😭 I think him and Bear Hugger would be besties though and go out for dinner together and try a ton of different places just for the experience and Bear Hugger would post it to his Facebook account and still insists on tagging Hondo every single time even though he's already in all of the posts. 💀 I think Hondo would also be pretty cool with Sandman because they both have similar ways of thinking but they just express it differently. Like, they seem like they would hang out after their matches and just talk about the good and bad parts of life together and chill. Also completely random but I think Hondo and Kaiser would get along well for no reason other than I just want to believe so, like I can see them planning a trip to the library together and then Kaiser shows up 20 minutes earlier than they planned and then he thinks Hondo is late when in reality he showed up right on time, and then Kaiser gets mad confused when he sees Hondo checking out a cute silly manga instead of the fucking 4000 page copy of the dictionary he reads for funsies but it's okay because they still had fun anyways.😍

Also, HI!💃🕺

[glitchven]

GUYS GUYS GUYS!!!!!!!@ imagine Solus, Nora, Ross, and Coco excitedly exploring Parum city together before they join the guild!!!!

[my-thirteenth-reason]

kicking my feet and giggling (<- just got apologised to)