#overcoming past trauma

[seventeendeer]

ppl are too quick to point to laios' disability as the reason his friends think he's a freak sometimes. so many instances of laios getting yelled at are, in my eyes, a case of "this guy had to emotionally mature very early in order to be there for his little sister" combined with "much older friends who never had to learn to manage their own emotions to the same degree"

a lot of the time he's right about needing to be more direct/deal with things in a way that may seem scary/needing to put your gut reaction aside. he tries not to make his friends uncomfortable and he puts up with a lot because he's trying to keep the peace, but he also pushes the others out of their comfort zones purposefully to try to get them to think more constructively. everyone else in the party is prone to acting on their gut instincts and avoiding uncomfortable situations even when facing them head-on is very much necessary. part of what makes laios such a great leader is the fact that he knows from experience how to put his own feelings aside to help someone else grow.

yes, he does make a lot of social blunders by accident and he does struggle to connect with others, but not all of his positive influence on others is accidental or "despite" making people uncomfortable. a lot of the time, I think it's clear he knows exactly what he's doing and he's trying to help the people around him process emotions in a healthy way as they all go through some truly harrowing shit. all the main characters support each other as well as they can with their unique emotional skillsets. laios' skillset just happens to be "gently talk child into eating her vegetables"

[lethal-spaceship]

Boy failure Dipper Pines.

[canisalbus]

If Machete and Vasco were roommates before they became a couple, there had to have been moments of innocent touching/body contact, followed by deep gay panic.

.

[witch-from-a-block-of-flats]

"No, my story doesn't have a theme" I say, while unknowingly writing something that is going to be so much theme.

[where-dreams-dwell]

Alternate TUA season 4 suggestion

**spoilers**

Why don’t you have the Umbrella Academy having to give up their powers, instead of erasing themselves from the universe?

What if S4 still starts 6 years in from where S3 ended and we still see them all doing Normie things but also just kind of existing or killing time. And then we flashback to when they reset the universe and realised they had no powers, so they had to run somewhere safe to regroup only then Sir Reginald contacted them. He revealed that in resetting the universe it was as if they had been ‘born’ again; their powers were back to next to nothing, suppressed but still there.

Five then does his mathematical limbo-jumbo, reminds them all that their powers didn’t truly appear until they were teenagers, and calculates that with them being adults now it will take about 6 years for their powers to come back. So they decide to kill time until then, and split up to do what they want while they wait.

They haven’t fully resigned themselves to life without their powers though, and keep planning for the day they can be ‘themselves’ again. We see each ‘kid’ not taking an opportunity or cutting off a plan because they are expecting their powers to come back, so they’re planning for that day. Even Diageo and Lila have thought ‘let’s have kids now while we can before we become super-powered again’.

Episode 1 still goes the same way, though instead of drinking the marigold it’s just reactivated at the right time and they all get their old powers back. Or new ones because of the reset, either method works.

The whole season can go the same way (bar Five/Lila because Eww) but the revelation about the marigold is that they are going to have to voluntarily give it up, and it will then be destroyed. Maybe the method of extracting it is going to kill Sir Reginald too? And there’s no take backs and no further opportunities to be special.

And now these abused kids turned damaged adults are going to have to address that they both hate and love their powers; it’s the reason for their twisted childhood, a lot of their trauma, and why they’re fucked up people but at the end of the day it’s a huge part of who they are and their self worth is tied to it.

Give us scenes of all these broken damaged people having to overcome their internal view of themselves, in that the adults in their life always valued them for their powers and so they too have valued themselves due to how ‘special’ they are, and now they’re being asked to give that up? That’s going to be a hard ask for all of them, especially Viktor.

But they’ve grown, matured, lived as un-powered people and created lives for themselves. And yeah they didn’t intend to stay as un-powered normies and so those lives aren’t as great as they could be but at the end of the day they’re family and that’s all they need. And now they can truly plan for a future in this world without the fear of being to save it again.

So they decided to give up their powers to stop the world from ending itself, killing their abuser once and for all and ending that cycle. Now they’re free of the responsibility to save the world they can finally try and discover who and what they could be. They’ve grown past the mould others tried to fit them in, rejected the gifts those who controlled them most valued, and now they’re a family of choice not ability.

[satoshi-mochida]

‘Multi-ending escape adventure’ game Type-NOISE: Shonen Shojo announced for PC - Gematsu

From Gematsu

Japanese developer Dank Hearts has announced multi-ending escape adventure game Type-NOISE: Shonen Shojo for PC (Steam). It will launch in 2024.

Here is an overview of the game, via its Steam page:

About

Traumatized youth trapped in Noise Scramble City, a labyrinth of their own fears. Amnesiac teens solve puzzles in a multi-ending escape adventure. The only way out of this city is… to remember and overcome your own Noise. Noise’ refers to painful events, traumas, and memories from the past. Doubt, jealousy, foolishness, arrogance, maliciousness, and greed. Each carrying their own Noise, everyone gathers their own memories spread across the city to remember the past. What if the only way out of here is to interact with the painful memories you want to escape from? Can you face your own Noise?

Characters

Zena Yugamizora – “I should be able to do it, just like the hero…!” The hero of this game. An icy superhero team show fan.

Itsuki Hozuki – “So annoying! You’re pissing me off. Go make me a hamburg steak or something.” A boy tormented by jealousy.

Honoka Kirishima – “We’re just strangers. Suspicion is what makes us human.” A stubborn and skeptical girl.

Kaito Shimizu – “Because of this shadowed scar, I was ostracized and labeled a ‘germ’.” A boy filled with self-doubt.

Hiyori Endo – “I’ll do my best with hyper power! Let’s roll the video!” A streamer girl and habitual liar.

Soto Ochibana – “If you’re in, I’ll be here to back you up.” A meddlesome yet honest boy.

Specter – “Noises! Leave it to me!” The Whimsical Watcher of the city.

System

-Escape from locked rooms by solving puzzles using your Noise as clues.

Trapped inside, the teens realize that the room is connected to their past.

By exploring the rooms, they can collect clues and items to help them escape.

Players can explore the stages in the game.

The labyrinth city has many rooms, many are twisted by characters’ inner Noise.

If any objects of interest are found during exploration, players can click to investigate them.

-Noise Analysis: analyze Noise to recall the past.

Find puzzle pieces by exploring to recall ‘Shards of Noise’ that piece together your memory.

By collecting pieces and completing the puzzle, past memories are awakened.

Players must collect Shards of Noise from specific items and objects in the game’s stages.

Each Shard of Noise is associated with a Noise, and when the pieces are combined to complete a puzzle, a memory can be awakened.

By combining the Noise, players gain clues to solving the mystery by understanding the characters’ past.

-Past events are the key to solving the mystery.

By looking at the past in Noise Analysis, players can understand a character’s Noise.

Some of these events are hints and answers that are key to solving the mystery.

Also, by viewing Noise, users will be able to interact with previously unavailable objects, expanding exploration.

Watch the announcement trailer below. View the first screenshots at the gallery.

Announce Trailer

English

Japanese

Simplified Chinese

[fan-kingdoms]

when i started watching a playthrough of pokémon scarlet/violet i did not expect to be found family ugly crying at the end of it jesus

[wygolvillage]

adolescence of utena is neither a sequel nor a retelling but a secret third thing

[agirlinthegalaxy]

Something I see frequently is fans wanting characters like Elle Greenaway or Nathan Harris to return as unsubs in Criminal Minds, which. I'll be completely honest, I hate the idea for a lot of the suggested characters because it feels so undeniably tragic and hopeless that someone will inevitably become a killer, even if they don't want to become one. Yes, a lot of the unsubs have some kind of tragic backstory, but the thing is that they're still awful people (excluding very very few). I feel like having previous characters return as the unsub paints this picture that you're unable to break the cycle of violence or that you're destined to become a monster, which is just such a honestly tragic message, especially for a show that's already pretty dark.

I'm not opposed to characters reappearing, but I'd much prefer that if those characters appeared again that it'd be in the vein of them having undergone some kind of healing and growth and be able to find themselves some kind of peace and satisfaction in where they are in life. Let them reappear, but don't transform them into monsters but a symbol of the healing and growth available to survivors and the other characters.

[warriorrazor]

Something I've wanted to ask. Is Streber alive in the Spooky Family AU? ;w;

Yes!! He is alive and well! For the most part at least- I’ve thought a bit about it because Streber is one of my fave characters. In fact, I have some rambles about him that I wrote a bit ago!

Alright, so, Streber survived the Bob attack.

In the SF AU Ethan is his roommate, and was the one who discovered Streber injured on the ground. He’s also the first guy to visit Streber at the hospital, the first chance he could. They’re very close.

And I also like to imagine that all of Streber’s buddies are also a super tight knit group, so all of them try to visit as soon as possible as well. As a whole group.

Streber has a lot of trauma by what went down. But his buddies help keep him sane and really put in the time to help him with whatever he needs. I can imagine they’re helping Streber pay for things and he’s like “no” and they’re the kinds of friends to all be like “yes actually shush.”

Additionally, when Halloween starts to roll around the next year, Streber is incredibly hesitant to do anything involving the haunted house, or really just going outside for Halloween in general. Because, y’know, that’s where stuff went down. BUT his friends are like yo dude what if instead of the haunted house we just have an epic movie night and binge horror movies. And they agreed on that. Until Streber started to think it over and decide that he wanted to give his trauma a big fat middle finger, and like 2 weeks from Halloween he was like guys we’re doing this get your costumes.

And so they all did.

Also, Streber’s cape got too much blood on it to be used again, and it had to be thrown out. No more green screen cape. But to make up for that, his friends sewed him up a new cape, and instead of a bright green, the inside of the cape was a dark black, but covered in bright white stars. Like a lil galaxy. And suddenly, Streber could be himself again.

So Streber was in his usual position in front of the haunted house, but I’d like to think Ethan would also be there instead of inside so he can make sure Streber’s doing okay.

Because he’s still healing, more mentally then physically at this point, he’s often got eye bags from nightmares and insomnia, and disheveled hair. Trauma doesn’t just disappear overnight, but when you have a bunch of friends who would do anything for you, things become just a bit easier.

[animescreencolle]

Boukyaku Battery E07

[ipatrichor]

actually i think one of the things in outsiders that really fucked me up was one of owen's turns of phrase

when magic tricks him and goes into the maze alone, only surviving because he figures out what happened quick enough to follow & rescue her, he tells her that he's never going to stop coming after her (to make sure she's safe, to protect her)

and then after owen's gotten his memories back, he tells apo that he's never going to stop coming after him (to hunt him down, to kill him)

[dismalzelenka]

.

[quietwingsinthesky]

👀👀👀 Sorry for adding to your work but can I get Sam drinking Lucifer's blood

Hello hello hello anon sorry for the wait but hopefully the extra uh 3000 words makes up for it <3 and also born-again identity fix-it since it’s topical for me atm.

Sam is very familiar with dying.

It’s usually faster than this. He closes his eyes, and he’s facing Dean in Cold Oak with a knife in his spine or he’s sitting on a motel bed with a shotgun pointed at his chest. It hurts, but it’s brief like a ripped off band-aid. He goes into the cold, beckoning dark. He feels safe there. All the world fades away. Just like falling asleep, he wakes up a little later, his wounds vanished like a dream but the dried blood on his clothes left as a warning.

He’s never marinated in his own death before. He can feel it seeping into his pores. His head is throbbing like thunder even when Lucifer shuts up, too far gone to survive this without a miracle that isn’t coming. He was wondering a while ago what parts of him would fail first, and Lucifer “helped” by counting down the hours for him, straddling Sam’s torso with his fingers trailing over his skin. Poking Sam’s ribs vindictively as he laid out exactly when Sam could expect his organs to give up the fight. “First time dying alone, Sammy?” he said, doing that awful thing where his voice got soft and sympathetic just so that he could tear it away a moment later. “Dean’s not going to make it back in time. We knew that the minute he left.” Sam looked away from him, heave of his head to the side. “I’m here. I won’t leave you. Isn’t that comforting?”

He’d waited for a response. Sam couldn’t give him one. He’d decided to find the answer inside Sam instead, a vivisection that stretched on and on until Sam couldn’t cry anymore, and when it was over, there was no blood, no cuts, just Lucifer looking so pleased with himself as Sam tried not to throw up. Sam was too tired to do anything but turn away from him again.

Something new had kept Sam awake the past few days as his time ran out. A sound he’d been deafened by once before as the final seal broke and the Cage opened under his feet and all the light and power that was Lucifer came screaming out. Hearing it now made his teeth rattle. He’s never heard his hallucination make anything close to that noise. He taunts and insults and shouts in a very human way. Even his torture is crude and physical. Sam isn’t fit to be haunted by an angel, no matter how fallen. When the sound finally went silent again, Sam wasn't sure if he was relieved or not.

His hallucination hadn’t given him more than a day before Sam’s liver fails first. He might be lying. The fallen-out hairs on Sam’s pillow beg to differ.

Sam’s mind is filled with calm and dreadful certainty. It’s over. He lost.

And Lucifer still won’t shut up. He’s doing it to rub it in now, gloating. Sam weakly cups his ears, and that does nothing to block it out.

There’s been someone else in his room for the past day. She looks like a woman, finely dressed, watching him impassively as his condition worsens. She’s not one of the staff. He’s pretty sure no one else can see her, no one but him and Lucifer.

“Vulture,” Lucifer spits at her, “I’m not finished. Find somewhere else to circle.” She doesn’t react except to look at her watch and then look at Sam. There is something like pity in her eyes, the hollow sort that brings no comfort and takes no action. Sam feels weirdly grateful to Lucifer for snapping at her like a feral dog, even if she can’t hear it. There’s no way he could do it himself.

It’s not hard to guess what she is and who she’s here for.

Sam stares at her as his head throbs. Every part of his body aches. His heartbeat feels weak. She frowns, nods, and taps her watch. Not long, then. He wishes Dean hadn’t bothered to try and save him. He wants one last embrace, Dean’s voice all rough and faux hopeful telling him it’ll be okay, they figure this out. If nothing else, it’s comforting that with Crowley’s hands on the reins of Hell, no demon alive will be taking a deal with Dean.

Sam’s tired. It’s okay. He won’t fight. He’ll go quiet.

“Back to me,” Lucifer says, because he never lets Sam forget it.

Sam doesn’t even care. He’s out of vacation days. It’s back to the Cage, where he belongs. Castiel never should have pulled him out. Dean never should have dragged his soul along, too. He wasn’t worth the effort.

Lucifer laughs again. Sam flinches. The reaper folds her arms.

And then, for the first time in days, there’s silence.

Sam doesn’t trust it. He doesn’t let his eyes close. The longer it stretches on, the more his body tenses in anticipation. The other shoe will drop. It’s only a matter of time.

He hears a beating sound. His hair gets blown out of place, tickling his face. He can see three people in his room.

“Sam?” asks Lucifer, softly. He doesn’t look very good. He’s bleeding, open sores that line his face, his hands, and probably other places Sam can’t see. Sam’s head swims. His eyes waver back to the Lucifer who was here first, who doesn’t have a mark on him and never has. He wears his face like he never needed Sam’s.

“It isn’t enough I have to share you with her. Now I’m encroaching on my own territory?” he says like he’s about to throw a tantrum.

The other Lucifer turns to face him. Sam’s hallucination of him is as caught off-guard as Sam feels. Lucifer, the one who bleeds, tilts his head, looks this image of himself up and down, and when he looks back over at Sam, his expression is contorted in sorrow. “Is that how you see me?” he asks.

“It’s what we are,” the hallucination answers for Sam. Sam’s not sure which ‘we’ he’s talking about.

“Be quiet,” Lucifer orders. Sam’s eyes widen as the impossible happens, a flicker along the edge of his hallucination’s appearance.

“If Sam can’t make me, what makes you think you-“ There’s a desperate edge to his tone, wholly unlike the way he ever sounded when Sam banished him. Lucifer glares at him.

“I said, shut up.”

He’s gone. Just like that. Sam exhales. Lucifer turns to the reaper.

“You can leave.”

The reaper’s voice follows, “We have an appointment.” Lucifer sighs heavily.

“You had one.” He comes closer to Sam, sitting on the side of the cot. Sam shuts his eyes tight. Lucifer touches his shoulder. He feels cold. With all the hellfire in Sam’s head, he’d forgotten that. “He belongs to me. When he dies, I’m who you’d deliver his soul to.” He waits a beat. “Am I right?”

“You are,” the reaper confirms.

“Then your role here’s irrelevant. I’m collecting him personally.” Sam shakes. Lucifer’s attention turns, his hand weighing heavier on Sam’s shoulder. “Don’t be afraid, Sam. I’m here.” He pets Sam’s hair, and he grimaces when strands pull free too easily. “I let you out of my sight for five minutes…” his voice trails off. There’s too much pain in it for him to speak around. He swallows and looks back over his shoulder at the reaper. “I told you to leave.”

“I still have to make sure that his soul crosses over.” She makes Sam sound like a job. An important one, but still just business. Lucifer hates that. Sam’s not sure how he knows exactly, but he can feel it prickling under his own skin.

“It won’t be.” Lucifer’s fingers trail over Sam’s face, from the bags under his eyes to the almost healed bruises from his accident. “I won’t tell you again. I have spent the last century dragging myself out of Hell to find him. You don’t want to be the one to get in my way now.” She makes an extremely disgruntled sigh.

And then there’s only one person in the room with Sam. Alone together at last.

Sam’s eyes want to close badly. This Lucifer is so quiet, his touch so gentle and calming.

“No, not yet, Sam,” Lucifer says. “If you fall asleep now, you won’t wake up. Let’s not get on Death’s nerves anymore than we already have.” Sam whimpers. He should have known this was all too good to be true. Not even this Lucifer will let him sleep. “I know,” he murmurs, “I know. Believe me, I plan to whisk you away to a much more comfortable bed than this one and force you to sleep for a week, but there’s something we have to take care of first.” Lucifer’s hand slides down his body to rest on his chest. Sam breathes in, pushing his hand up minutely. His eyes narrow for a moment, searching. What he finds makes his frown deepen.

Sam makes a questioning noise. It’s more than he’s been able to force himself to do for a while. Lucifer’s made him talkative. Lucifer glances up to meet his eyes before fixing them back on Sam’s middle. “There’s a lot of damage here, Sam. The Cage doesn’t let anything go that easily. I don’t know how you’ve survived this long.” Sam almost chokes on a laugh. Easily. “I know how to heal you. I need your consent to-“

“No,” Sam croaks. Lucifer stops.

“I don’t want you to die,” he says, stubborn and upset.

“I'm not your vessel.” Speaking makes Sam feel like he’s going to vomit or pass out or both. Lucifer’s eyes widen for a moment before he regains his composure.

"That's not what I'm asking." Sam finds that hard to believe. Both of their bodies are falling apart. "You really think I'm just a monster, don't you?" He looks like Sam has actually hurt him. Sam... isn't sure what he thinks. His head is too filled with smoke, the clashing battle between the Lucifer in his mind who wanted to tear into him and the one sitting on his cot who wants to put him back together. He can't make them fit together. Lucifer is touching his face again. His thumb presses against Sam's lips like that's the closest either of them can bear to a kiss. "You need a little of me inside you for your body to be strong enough to heal itself, but that doesn't mean I have to take you as a vessel." Sam makes a face. "Stop looking at me like that. It wasn't an innuendo. I'm offering to bleed for you."

The fear that clutches Sam's chest makes his weak heart do double-time. He tries to push Lucifer's hand away from his face, but even if he had been human, Sam doubts he could have. "No," he forces out, "no, please, don't."

"Sam, calm down. You'll hurt yourself." Sam refuses. He won't do it again. He won't become that thing again, the monster Dean wanted to put down, selfish and arrogant and the reason the whole world was going to end. He won't let Lucifer turn him into that. Lucifer doesn't move, both hands on Sam's shoulders to keep him from trying to roll out of the bed to escape. He speaks slowly, pulling Sam back from the edge of panic, "I'm not a demon. My blood isn't addictive and it can't change you. Nothing about me can change you." His palm cups Sam's face again. "I'm already a part of you."

He's telling the truth. Sam can feel it. He doesn't understand how.

"Do I have your consent?" Lucifer asks again. Sam looks into his eyes. Lucifer cares about his answer. Sam inhales sharply as he realizes that Lucifer will save him, but that he also loves Sam enough to let him go. He won't be happy about it, but he'll respect that last wish. Sam can say no. Maybe it's a meaningless gesture when his soul will still be folded into Lucifer's grace, but if he really wants this to be over, if it's too much, than he can close his eyes and go to sleep. It'll be just like every other time, brief pain, into the dark, to be kept safe, only this time he will never wake up. Sam lays his hand over Lucifer's. All the devil cares about is what will make him happy.

"Yes," Sam decides. Lucifer is here, and it feels like he can breathe again. Quickly, Lucifer withdraws his hand. A cut opens over a patch of unblemished skin. It will be cleaner that way, but Sam's exhausted mind wonders if Lucifer would let him up to press his mouth against the burns and lick the blood up from them. He doesn't have long to contemplate that before Lucifer holds the cut over his mouth. Bright red blood drips from the cut, dotting Sam's chapped lips. His tongue slides out to taste it and more fall into his open mouth. It’s nothing like demon blood. The only similarity is how quickly the need for more consumes his thoughts. A drop or two isn't enough to sate him. He reaches for Lucifer's arm, hands trembling, and drags the cut down to his mouth. Lucifer lets him, leaning in to give Sam a better angle to latch onto the wound.

The cut is deep enough that when Sam sucks on it, it flows into his mouth like a stream. Lucifer's veins are opened up for him. Sam shuts his eyes, losing himself to it in seconds. There's a voice in the back of his head demanding that he pull all of Lucifer inside him, where he belongs, where Sam needs him. With thirsty gulps, he tries to make that a reality. Lucifer's other hand strokes his hair, lifting Sam's head slightly so that he doesn't choke while he's drinking. Sam's tongue keeps the cut wet, wriggling its way into Lucifer's flesh greedily like he can coax out more blood that way. The supply is steady, always enough to fill Sam's mouth, but not so much that he can't swallow it down in time. Lucifer's vessel obeys him, and it won't heal itself until Sam has first.

"Take everything you need," Lucifer encourages. Sam is holding on too tight, his nails digging little crescents into Lucifer's already bruised skin. He doesn't complain. Sam's not sure he can even feel it above the delirious joy of part of him being accepted back into Sam's body. "Take it all, if you want to. You can. I'd let you." Sam pulls off the cut to breathe. It still drips over his gasping mouth, drops rolling down his tongue to the back of his throat. The metallic taste lingers. There's no sulfur in Lucifer's blood, nothing but pure salvation, saved for Sam alone.

Drinking from him feels like trying to swallow an nuclear reactor. Sam can't get enough of him. The remnants of Lucifer's grace are mixed in with every drop, filling Sam up. Under his skin, he feels like his insides are being caressed, every pain wiped away. His heartbeat strengthens as Lucifer's grace gets into his own veins and powers the cells through. The fog in Sam's head doesn't lift, but it clears more than it has in days.

He brings Lucifer's wrist back to his mouth and latches on again.

Sam holds onto him with more strength than his body should have. He keeps drinking, mouthful after mouthful. With each breath, each heartbeat, Lucifer’s grace pumps further through every organ. Sam’s lips are smeared with his blood.

He’s not sure how long he drinks from Lucifer. He goes until his stomach starts to protest and Lucifer himself looks pale and unsteady. He’s stopped petting Sam’s hair to keep a hand against the cot, leaning heavily on it but never taking away his blood. Sam laps at his wrist gratefully before he pushes it away. It’s the reminder he’s needed for months of his own willpower.

Lucifer looks worse than he did when he arrived. There’s another wound blistering at the collar of his shirt. Sam reaches for him. Lucifer offers his wrist again, but Sam bypasses it, grasping his shoulder and drawing him close. Lucifer bows over Sam as Sam gently kisses the burns. He wishes that was enough to heal Lucifer.

“What’s the plan now?” Sam asks. He’s running on the strength of his high, but beneath it, he can still feel his body trying to shut him down and pass out. He resists of his own free will for a few moments longer in Lucifer’s presence. Lucifer smiles.

”That was the plan. I came to save you, and now I have.” Sam presses his lips against a scabbed-over sore. Lucifer is so beautiful. He’d almost forgotten that with only the pale imitation of his hallucination to look at. “I can bring you somewhere more comfortable to rest if you give me a minute to recover.”

”And after that?”

”I don’t know.” His eyes drift over to the desk on the opposite side of the room. It’s empty. It will remain empty. Sam can’t feel the whispering inside of his head that means the hallucination is about to come back. Even if it did, Lucifer has chased it off once.

“Stay with me,” Sam says. Lucifer looks back at him. He’s surprised, but with the offer given freely, he won’t deny himself what he needs. If Lucifer had a hard time existing without Sam when he had a purpose, as terrible an ends as the Apocalypse was, Sam can’t imagine he’d have any idea how to find his way in the world now without him.

And more importantly, Sam missed him.

”Okay,” Lucifer breathes, turning his head so that Sam’s next kiss presses to his mouth. It leaves his own blood on bottom lip, which Sam licks off. Then, he brushes another kiss to a burn on Lucifer’s chin. “They're only going to get worse,” Lucifer tells him. “I can’t heal them.”

“As long as we can figure out a way for your vessel to hold you, I don’t care.” He kisses another. This one is bleeding, and Sam doesn’t spare a thought to kissing it anyway. “Besides, I’ve got some new scars to show you, too.”

”Later,” Lucifer says. He lays Sam back down. Sam doesn’t resist. Not even the angel blood inside him can keep him conscious now. Lucifer lays his hand over Sam’s eyes. “I promise, when you wake up, it won’t be in this cell.” Sam chuckles weakly. The moment before he passes out, he remembers that Dean is going to return at some point. He opens his mouth to tell Lucifer to leave a note for him or something to let Dean knows that the devil’s (consensually) kidnapping his brother, but he’s gone before he can get a single word out.

[llycaons]

imo the novel and donghua both have a lightheartedness to many of their scenes that almost comes off as bizarre, jarring when you consider what else happens in the story. they jump between arcs and tend to abruptly shift tones, and the scenes that are supposed to be happy often come off as extremely irritating. to me. might have been a translation issue? meanwhile cql has committed many timeline crimes but I'll always prefer its more serious tone and gravitas, which makes wwx feel like a more grounded and realistic character and makes the dramatic scenes hit so much harder

[trashandwriting]

I am 12 years old. The rain is loud banging on my window, I lay awake and feel lonely. It was supposed to be a nice day but it wasn't, fully of hate and embarrassment. I am used to it, but it hurts. I cry, then I sleep.

I am 20 years old. I am reading my favourite comic while my partner is cooking us dinner. We're humming our favourite song. He's talking about going to Sweden this year, and gives me a kiss on my hair. The house is peaceful and quiet and I am loved. Nothing bad will happen to me.