#but you'll heal

[ascesabo]

sometimes i want to reach through the screen and shake sabo by the shoulders because. god. there's just so much going on with him.

he's first introduced through the veil of luffy's memories- here he's just another feral jungle kid, sticking it out with ace and luffy, the 'nicer' brother in young luffy's eyes. and then boom. you find out he's a runaway noble trying to escape his abusive, neglectful family- and this changes nothing, they still get to become sworn brothers, but just as quickly as this is resolved, his asshole of a dad takes the three of them hostage. and what does sabo do? he gives up the little sliver of freedom he'd fought for, is willing to become miserable and lonely again if it means ace and luffy are spared. and then he comes home to find that in his absence, his parents have already found a replacement! great!

and he doesn't even get to address how fucked up that is, because stelly runs his mouth and now sabo's too busy trying to figure out how to stop his brothers and their home from getting burnt to the ground. he never gets to give them a proper goodbye- he exhausts himself trying to reach them, but he can't because. you know. he's ten. so where does this leave sabo? ten years old, with nowhere to go- he sets out to sea to try and start over, and for the crime of wanting to escape a terrible life, he's punished with an explosion to the face. he loses his memories, his brothers lose him- and so the cycle continues.

then the army saves him, takes him in; he's essentially a child soldier, with how prodigious of a fighter he is from the get-go. but hey, he thinks he's finally found his footing, even if his past's a blur to him- then it all comes flooding back. in the worst way possible. he sees his brother's corpse and he remembers, but it doesn't matter, does it? he's too late, ace is gone, and sabo's lost ten years of a life he could have shared with his brothers. we don't even know how (if, even) he recovers from this- except for a single passing statement from koala, asking him if he's 'had that dream again' because he'd been crying in his sleep. this is never brought up or addressed again. great!plus, we never do find out if getting blown up at the ripe old age of ten could have left any lasting fire-related trauma; and if it does, what does that mean for sabo, who's pretty much made of it, now?

both of these questions are answered at once- sabo treats the fire as if it's ace. it's ace's legacy he's carrying on, and it's ace he seeks freedom for. he copes by making sure ace lives on in his flames, and how can he ever hate the fire living in him if that fire is all he has left of the brother he never got to see again?

i just have to wonder about him, because he's got so many Issues that just. don't ever get addressed? every time we see him deal with his grief (episode of sabo, his own retelling of events in dressrosa) we never really discover anything about him. i wonder how it felt to finally remember the childhood that eluded him, just to find out he was an unwanted, replacable child. how he feels, living with the knowledge that he could have done something to save ace, that he'd failed to remember the two people he loved the most? i wonder just how terribly that guilt must weigh down on him- because where luffy's already begun to heal, sabo still sees ace in everything he does. his title of flame emperor is a direct callback to ace's final attack in his fight against blackbeard. he talks to his goddamn fire like his brother is still in front of him, which is sweet and heartbreaking and, considering his backlog of unaddressed trauma... incredibly unhealthy. i know these will probably be left unresolved for the sake of moving the story forward- but god, sabo, are you okay?

#one piece #sabo #asl brothers #portgas d ace #revolutionary sabo #i cannot stop thinking about him #his grief is so. silent #blink and you'll miss it #i wonder if he'll ever be able to reconcile the person he is with the person he never got to be #or if he's just. going to brush it off because Everything Is Fine Obviously #i know he's explicitly stated that he won't live in grief because ace wouldn't want him to #but coming to that conclusion when he's probably had no time to heal #just looks a lot like him holding his fraying edges together with duct tape #my poor sabo #my princess .... #anywayyyy this is just me rambling pls dont mind

[flowercrowngods]

It's unreal. The light is streaming in through the windows, the curtains still drawn to block out the midday heat, tinging their living room in golden hues that match so well with the light grey fabric of their new sofa.

Eddie should probably snap out of it and head over to the windows, open the curtains and let the light in, and with it the warmth and fresh air of a surprisingly wonderful day.

It's March, he hears the echoes of Steve's giddy voice a week or two ago. Everything's better in March.

Eddie didn't agree then, and he's not sure he agrees now, but he must admit there is something magical about this moment.

Still he remains rooted to the spot, leather jacket heavy on his shoulders, his hands hidden in the sleeves of it, just in case this really is a dream. Just in case someone will come in and snap him out of it, take away their couch and leave an eviction notice.

It's dumb. But Eddie doesn't deal well with things that are unreal. Things that he knows aren't meant for him. Things that he knows he only gets in this one play-through of his life, while millions of other Eddie Munsons are out there in parallel universes who never get to even lay eyes upon a couch this nice. Let alone buy it. From their own real adult money.

It's a corner sofa, the fabric light grey, and he remembers it being harder than it looks. Solid. Just perfect for both their fucked up backs, scar tissue pulling if they sit wrong for too long, phantom pain and muscle aches coming in hot when all they want is to just relax and enjoy a lazy evening.

Eddie bites his lip, trailing his eyes along the pristine fabric, the pillows lining the back of it, the flawless stitches keeping everything in shape.

They have a couch now. A sofa.

It's so fucking unreal.

He drops to the floor right then and there, sitting with his back against the wall, and never once taking his eyes off their sofa. It feels important to look at it for a while. It feels important to wait for Steve. It feels... It feels like maybe he'll ruin everything if he goes and sits on it now.

And it feels really fucking big.

At some point he hears the front door opening, their lock going so smoothly now that Steve fixed it with some graphite, and the sound makes Eddie smile. That's another thing that's unreal. The key barely making any noise, the lock not rattling, the door not creaking and cracking. Eddie pulls a strand of hair between his lips, the smile feeling too silly for this room, for this home, for everything he gets to have now.

For all the tiny things that matter now. All the tiny things he gets to have, turning the key's smooth slide into an allegory of everything he ever wanted but never dared to hope for.

The slide of curtains, the click-click-click of the window handle being turned to let the air in. The breeze of fresh spring air dancing around his nose.

It's all a little much. It's so fucking addicting.

And then Steve. Socked feet coming to a stop beside him, a hand landing in his hair, a voice that's so endlessly warm and fond and maybe a little worried sounding from above him, "Hi, angel."

"Hi," Eddie says, tearing his eyes away from their couch to meet Steve's. The sunlight from the windows hugs him, making him glow. Eddie smiles. He smiles and smiles and never wants to stop.

Steve hums as he leans down to press a kiss to his forehead, and Eddie weaves his arm through Steve's legs, holding onto his knee.

Everything feels a little less silly now. Like every time Steve doesn't question his little moments of sitting on the floor and just staring at things.

"We have a couch now," Eddie says, because it feels important to point out. Because Steve isn't looking at it.

"We do," he hums. "I got the call earlier. Thanks for helping with that, baby."

Eddie nods again, leaning his cheek against Steve's knee and trailing the couch again with his eyes. It looks brighter now that the curtains don't turn the room into something out of a sepia-type movie anymore.

Steve's hands comb through his hair, massaging his scalp a little with his nails. It's nice. It's warm. It's pretty.

And it's so unreal.

"I'm twenty-four," Eddie says then, and some part of him wants to carve that into the fabric. He won't. But maybe he should carve it somewhere else. "And I own a couch. It's a little crazy."

Steve comes to sit down beside him, their shoulders pressed together and he links their hands, resting them in his lap after a brushes a kiss to Eddie's knuckles.

"Why's it crazy, angel?"

He shrugs, resting his head on Steve's shoulders and curling into his warmth some more.

"Most of my life I never thought either of those would happen, y'know."

Another hum, followed by another kiss to the crown of his head. Another smile.

"But you did it," Steve whispers. "You made it. And we've got a couch now."

"We've got a couch now."

Saying it out loud doesn't make it feel any realer. It only makes his heart race and his eyes prick.

"I love you," he says, finally looking away from pretty grey fabric to meet prettier hazel eyes. "I love you so much."

Steve leans in, kissing the tip of his nose. "I love you. Thank you for buying a couch with me."

And it occurs to Eddie then that Steve understands him. Sitting there on the floor with him, hearing his words and listening to those unsaid, understanding Eddie on such a fundamental level that it should be scary. And it is, sometimes.

But he's not scared now. Because they have a couch. And they have pretty curtains that keep the light outside and still turn the room into something magical. And they have a lock that only needed a bit of graphite to let the keys glide smoothly.

And they have each other.

They stay on the floor until Steve's stomach growls, and they eat dinner with their backs against the couch and Eddie's feet in Steve's lap. They hold each other close after dinner, just breathing each other in as the breeze blows around them.

In the end, Eddie is the first to sit on the couch, with Steve standing between his legs and giving him a scalp massage in silence. In the end, Eddie buries his face in Steve's stomach to hide the tears, and Steve lets him.

Because this is real. And he gets to have this. They both do.

🤍 permanent tag list gang: @skiddit @inklessletter @aringofsalt @hellion-child @stobin-cryptid@hotluncheddie @gutterflower77@auroraplume@steddieonbigboy @n0-1-important@stevesjockstrap @brainvines @puppy-steve @izzy2210 @itsall-taken @mangoinacan13 @madigoround@pukner@i-amthepizzaman @swimmingbirdrunningrock @hammity-hammer @stevesbipanic@bitchysunflower @estrellami-1 @finntheehumaneater @goodolefashionedloverboi @awkwardgravity1 (lmk if you want on or off, for this story or permanently)

#steddie fic #steddie fanfic #steddie #steve x eddie #listen i have a couch now and if you know me you know that i get really fucking emo about the tiniest things #i fixed my lock with graphite btw when i was blackout drunk. it still fills me with so much joy #sorry tag list gang idk what this is but it wanted out #i could write fics/poems/whatever about the most mundane things until the end of my days tbh so today we have: couch #dio words #dio's steddie ramblings #the hurt/comfort is implied like you'll catch it when you reflect on the words but most importantly this is healing. and comfort. and fluff #and so much love and understanding it makes me wanna throw up

[horrorshow]

SAM & DEAN WINCHESTER 14x13 Lebanon

#spnedit #samdeanedit #sam winchester #dean winchester #supernatural #you and me #14x13 #** #of COURSE sam believes in the therapeutic healing powers of cataloging... #he GETS it #but HIS SMILE JHDHDF😭 did he really think this was gonna work #yeah dean why dont you go catalogue some stuff maybe you'll calm down

[uncanny-tranny]

So much love and recognition to the people who don't know how they feel about recovering. To the people whose scars are fading away, and there's a sinking feeling, despite knowing that it's a good thing. To the people who miss when they were "worse," when they felt "broken." To the people who mourn losing their coping mechanisms, even the ones that were destructive, scary, or unpleasant. To those who feel guilty they're healing because their past self wasn't ready.

Whatever it is, there is nothing wrong with any of those feelings. It's a natural reaction, something you don't have ultimate control over. There is nothing shameful about yourself, and I admire the strength it takes to recognize how you feel, even the parts that do feel like the "wrong" reaction to a Good Thing.

#mental health #self harm tw #self harm mention tw #sh tw #mental health recovery #mental health support #i love you i love you i love you #i admire you and empathize with you and want to be your fellow man. i want to share this wold *with* you #and that includes sharing a world that you aren't sure you deserve or are ready for #the world can wait. humans have been here for hundreds of thousands of years. it can wait #when i think about all this what makes me feel better is remembering how many billions of people have lived #and it makes me feel better to know that there has never been a problem too big to have - to uniquely awful #i have my own conflicted feelings about this because objectively i am healing #but it feels like i have boarded on land after surviving the worst trip to sea ever... #...a trip that was plagued with my ship being flung through hurricanes and lightnight and i'm only manning a sailboat... #...and i have found land and that land is good... #...but my legs feel like they will give out underneath me because this is solid land that i have never stood on... #...and you get used to the constant seasickness and sealegs and wondering *how* you'll make it out - If you will... #...the peace feels like a ruse at times because all you've known was chaos. but it's a good ruse and a comfortable one #and so you learn i guess to sink into the comfort like a spft feather pillow

[hajihiko]

you know I had to do it (to em) <- link

#Hajime hinata #Izuru kamukura #It's both! Its HajiZuru you'll see #Fuyuhiko kuzuryu #Sdr2 #Super danganronpa 2 #Danganronpa 2 #Kuzuhina #Author said it can be read as both so I can safely tag it lol but!!! PLATONIC YEEAAHHH #Always a happy day when I find good friend fics <3 #An art #Wait I'm not thrilled with the colouring actually let me edit this more. #There. You didnt see it but a process occurred. #Friends and healing 🥰🥰 #I always try to capture the lips-between-teeth crying kind of face bc it's all I know. Everyone does that right

[lunarharp]

hi

#witch hat tag #orufrey #*crowley the demon voice after dramatically announcing You're On Your Own With This One and leaving the building* I'm back #no but i have struggled very much this past 1 week or so with things largely unrelated to art but some related. I fought really really hard #I'll do my best to be brave and continue so i can make caicore drawings forever. last one is super mega scribbly wip-land...just an idea.. #if i put my halo on your head oru you'll forget me and then only i will have to fall #Good omens-core. Changed forever by good omens sorry. i drew some of that too..might do more so i'll save it for later. #drawing other things is good. healing. i will continue to draw a variety of things and believe there's a point to it all #they will always be so important to me qifrey will always be guiding my drawing hand

[hoofpeet]

Had some thoughts abt them last night :] (incomprehensible notes below)

#hoof draws #replacement ingo au #<-i've become probably. way too attached to this but whtv #THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE TROPES . #it's abt the healing from trauma !! #being hesitant to let go of ideals you've held your hold life but having to accept that they're shitty and toxic #the inherent tragedy of having to accept that your childhood fucked you up #and that you'll never get to be how you were before but ! that's WHY you have to choose to heal from it #so you can give this small and fragile thing the love and safety you never got !! #augh. i love them

[scintillyyy]

and honestly, the fact of the matter is. that when a male character is killed for another male character's sake, it's almost guaranteed that the death will forever be a weight upon the narrative in the way a female character's death never will be. a male character will be mourned forever, the loss of a brother in arms considered a gaping wound that will never truly heal. meanwhile, the loss of a mother is a small footnote tragedy in the beginning of the story, but she is never truly remembered by her son. the loss of a daughter guarantees that a surrogate one will eventually arrive to replace her empty space. the loss of a wife will usher in a new woman to heal the man. but the loss of a brother or father is a constant cross the man will bear for the rest of his life.

#listen this has a lot to do with cultural masculinity and expectations of #like. my husband sometimes like to listen to audiobooks about various past wars #and there's a lot there wrt the loss of the comrade in arms never healing. the brotherhood is truly placed #above all other relationships #sidenote i'm also reading a real. special. book about being married to a firefighter & the book is basically like #“just learn to be okay with the fact that you'll never be his number 1 the brothers in fire will always come first to these guys” #culture teaches men that the male-male bond is the most important bond they will ever experience in their life

[harbingersecho]

six fanarts thing - ty to everyone who gave me the chs!!

#rvb #su #sharkface #locus #jasper #garnet #queen eclipsa #felix #mine #six fanarts #a rare un-grungy locus! i imagine this is him before the whole Situation. back when he was a guy who would see an enemy soldier stranded #+ think the best of them and defend them to their fellow squadmates. he looks so wifey in this btw. who said that #i bully locs abt his smile being weird a lot but i do think that when he genuinely smiles. its beautiful. it heals the soul #i drew felix in the suit from merc trilogy but i couldnt get her face right. im sorry. you lost smirking butchy felix. she was hot though. #girl felix is the definition of 'stop saying you'll go gay bc of men i'll treat you just as bad' #idk anything abt star vs so i got her name wrong. oops lol #also i had an empty spot + had to draw jasper since i drew garnet too. jasper's my girl (gn) and shes done nothing wrong ever #wow who's surprised. jasper's my fav su character. you'll be shocked to know that the malachite theme is also my favorite track.

[sysig]

*You’re starting to feel very sleepy... (Patreon)

#Doodles #UT #Handplates #Gaster #Sans #Papyrus #Mostly silliness and randoms but also a little two-panel for funsies ♪ #Always with the miserable Gaster! Pre-void tho just when he had cracks in his face #Would you please let your friends heal you just once you mess of a skeleton - you're not going to let your sons do it so! #Angy Snas <3 I'm really happy with how that one turned out haha #He really has such a cute face! Even when he's mad! #It's the big eye sockets I think - his mouth is quite fun to draw emoting other than a smile too :) #So disheveled! Your shoulder's gonna get so cold and then you'll be even meaner! Lol #Various babybones sleeping positions <3 Sans up top exemplifying the cat pose #Initially it was supposed to be that one sleeping position kids do where they sleep all middle-scrunched but the rest splayed out? #Does anyone know what I'm talking about lol I used to sleep like that when I was a littley #He does look very cute tho <3 Skeleton loaf ♥ #Papyrus starfishing haha - either rolled away while sleeping on the floor away from Sans or they're sleeping mismatched #Otherwise Sans would definitely be curled up in any of the many negative spaces lol #Maybe that last sleeping Sans is the matching one! Just lost the energy to get all the way up onto the cot haha #Laying on his back and kicking his feet up and finally just dozed off like that haha #More sleepies! You cannot escape them Papyrus! #Sans knocking out at a moment's notice and dragging Papyrus with him - started early! Just so comfy together #Gaster just ;/ at Papyrus complaining lol he wants to run around and play! #Gaster has a lot of work to do and it would be a lot easier if things were quiet for a little while let your brother lead naptime #I do love his whiny complaint haha ''YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND I'M /SLEEPY/!!'' ''...Yes?'' ''NOOOOOOOOOOO'' Lol

[fridaypls]

Leaving a line of a fic here for you;

“You should know that when I say never, darling, I mean one of two things; a very, very long time... or an exceptionally short one. Choose your next words… carefully.”

#blatant promotion of my own fic #if you like slow burns and healing you'll like it #heavy on consent #some kinky sex too #once they've done a lot of healing first #baldur’s gate 3 #cuz healing comes first in this house #bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #baldurs gate astarion #astarion #astarion ancunin #bg3 astarion

[that-foul-legacy-lover]

This is out of nowhere and just a thought but.. imagine if you're close with a tsundere FL and he gets rlly injured and passed out... and its the first time you get vulnerable because you dont know what to do so you stay close to him, trying to tend his wounds and just hold onto him while calming down

He wakes up to see you during this state and once you notice him wake up, you hold him much closer, hugging his face even whether he likes it or not..!

this hits even harder with the recent archon quest aghghhh,,,

you don't cry very often; life has taught you how to keep calm and collected in almost any situation, and you've made good use of such a skill during your time with Foul Legacy- he knows he can trust you, even when he's irritated or grumbly, to give him some comforting words and a few light pats on the head. but right now, seeing him unconscious on your bed, wrapped in bandages stained with otherworldly blood from your attempts to stop the bleeding... you break

Legacy stirs, letting out a near-silent hiss of pain as his wounds ache. there's something warm in his claws, and his crystalline eye opens to see you hunched over beside the bed, both of your hands wrapped around one of his larger ones

there are tears streaming down your face, and Legacy lets out a raspy, concerned trill, his normal grumpy demeanor fading. your head snaps up, eyes shining as you let out a strangled sob and fling your arms around him, touch gentle but firm, like you're scared he'll disappear if you let him go. Legacy squeaks in surprise, but slowly snakes his arms around your waist to hug you back. he rumbles faintly, running his claws soothingly up your back as you cry into his shoulder, his seemingly impenetrable heart melting at how much you care, just as he does for you

and you lean back, grabbing his shoulders and giving him a light shake with a serious expression. "Don't ever do that again, okay?!"

#genshin impact #childe #tartaglia #foul legacy #foul legacy childe #genshin tartagalia #genshin childe #genshin tartaglia #chit chat #you: MY HEART WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO TAKE IT!!!! #he doesn't like seeing you cry even if he's grumpy sometimes #will gently nudge you in hopes that you'll feel better #you help him heal no ifs or buts #(he secretly likes it) #short scenario #other's stuff #FAVE #good evening :)

[restless-rissa]

Charlotte Freeman, Everything You'll Ever Need

#charlotte freeman #everything you'll ever need #you can find within yourself #you can #books #books & libraries #quotes #healing #written word #late night thoughts #spilled ink

[sadghostgirl14]

#break down #break up #power #ran out of hope #ran out of time #say you'll remember me #remember #fighting for #sadgirl #heartache #heartbreak #relateable #healing #poetry #sad poem #used to love it #missing him

[uncanny-tranny]

The reality of being a survivor is that the person or people who hurt you might just get to live full, rich lives and leave you behind. It's a perverse feeling, and it's true that that is fucked up. It feels like they still control you even when they're out of your life, and you feel trapped. However, you still deserve to be happy, to be fulfilled. Your life hasn't ended because they stole parts of it. They will never truly be able to take the essence of who you are.

Remembering this has taken the edge off of this thought. I won't ever give my abusers that power over me ever again. They never fucking deserved that.

#recovery #abuse #abuse tw #abuse mention tw #you can ABSOLUTELY grieve and be furious. you are entitled to those emotions and i think you're right to feel that way #but don't for a second buy into the idea that you don't deserve a good life. you DO. they fucked up and that's no reflection on you #you deserve so many good things #like... i do wish i could sit down with my abusers and fucking lay into them. but that's not possible #they're living their lives without a single thought as to their actions. they probably don't care that they ruined my life #so i won't empower them further by letting their influence transcend their presence #and that's HARD to do. it take effort and it's a daunting task #i don't blame people if they find that hard to do or think about #but i want to remind you that one day it might be easier. you'll get to a good spot #i believe in your ability to heal however that looks for you

[spocks-kaathyra]

Pythas ASIT walked so Mithrun Dunmeshi could run

#''the body wants to heal. if you let it'' vs ''as long as you're alive you'll continue to have new desires'' #the inevitability of healing. the unstoppable tendency towards life that every living being has. #it's literally exactly the same core of their stories #I could make a longpost abt this but I think the overlap btwn asit readers and dunmeshi readers is probably like. 3 #anyways. I suppose it's a testament to the universality and importance of this lesson. #that there is life after losing everything. bc ur body wants to continue no matter how much u want to give up. that nature wills u to live #narcissus's echoes #pythasposting