#stars-and-loops

[nero-vanderwolf]

One fact about Yu Narukami: He is hopelessly and utterly in love with his best friend. 

It started as nothing more than a classroom crush, developed after helping him out of the trash. Despite being hurt, the guy had still thanked him, still amiled and introduced himself. Yosuke, he had said. As they walked to school together, Yu repeated the name in his head. Yosuke. 

It was really just a nosedive from there. After the murders started up, the two partnered up to try and solve the case. They had discovered the TV world together, and Yosuke had had to face his Shadow- the manifestation of all of his worst thoughts and feelings. 

And yet Yu hadn’t felt an ounce of desire to run, to abandon Yosuke. No, instead he had felt the inexplicable urge to hug him close, promise they’d stay friends even if that awful thing came back. They’d stay partners. 

Fast forward to now, early September, and Yu is trying not to freak out, because it just so happens that he’s sharing a goddamned futon with his best friend- the guy he definitely doesn’t just have a crush on anymore. 

He holds Yosuke close, praying his heartbeat doesn’t give away how he feels. Earlier, in the spur of the moment, he had pulled Yosuke into a hug outside. Of course, he’d played it off as trying to warm Yosuke up- he had forgotten his jacket again. 

But Yosuke had tried to hug him again after he pulled away. Maybe Yu was (and still is) reading too far into it, but it’s still nice to pretend. 

Now, of course, Yosuke has been cuddling him for the past ten minutes and hasn’t made a single move to pull away except to shift occasionally. He seems perfectly content to lie here, but Yu feels himself growing restless. He’s debating saying something into the darkness, just to see if Yosuke is still awake, but his partner beats him to it. 

“Did you know your eyes change colors sometimes?” 

Yu, admittedly, has to take a moment to process what Yosuke just said. Of all the things he expected to leave his partner’s mouth, this... wasn’t one of them. 

“Do they?” He replies. They’re both murmuring, as though exchanging secrets that they only want themselves and the heavens to hear. 

Yosuke nods against him, the movement pressing into his chest. He hugs Yosuke just a bit tighter. 

“Yeah. Different shades of grey. When you’re happy, they’re this really pretty light shade. When you’re upset, they get all dark. I think it’s kinda cute.” 

Wait. Waitwaitwaitwait pause. Did Yosuke just call him cute? Just... tossed the word out there. He isn’t even backtracking, but Yu feels like every cognitive function has come screeching to a halt. 

And yet, he’s still functioning just enough to tease Yosuke. He can’t pass up a perfectly good opportunity, after all. 

“Really? Do you give that much thought to the rest of me?” He asks as Yosuke shifts himself again. Unfortunate timing for Yosuke, perfect timing for Yu- he comes up to eye-level with Yu just in time for him to see the blush bloom on Yosuke’s cheeks. 

“Wh- hey! I’m trying to be nice here!” He says, but Yu know he isn’t really angry. Just flustered. It’s cute. 

Yu smiles, his best ‘I-love-you-partner’ grin that he saves specially for Yosuke, and it works like a charm. He huffs, looking anywhere but at Yu as he settled down back into his arms. 

They’re still at eye-level with each other, though, and even the darkness of the room can’t hide the way Yosuke’s gaze flicks to Yu’s lips. For a second, Yu forgets how to breathe like a human person. 

“...Your smile,” Yosuke finally provides. Yu tilts his head into the pillow. His... smile? 

“Don’t look at me like that, it’s just- You have a lot of smiles for people, partner. You have this, like, default smile that you give people you don’t know, but with Chie and Yukiko and everyone else, it’s... softer. And-” 

He stops talking, face now bright red. Yu goes to pull away, give him some space to breathe, but Yosuke’s hand flies up and clutches his shoulder. 

“...And, uh... Sometimes it feels like you have one for me, too. Just for me,” he finishes off with a mumble. Yu can’t help the smile that creeps up his face. The one specially reserved for Yosuke. His best ‘I-love-you-partner’ grin that always works like a charm. 

“Well, you’d be right. I do,” he says, his voice not much more than a whisper. He can’t bring himself to speak much louder than this, scared of breaking whatever spell has caused them to spill their hearts like this. 

Yosuke brings his gaze back to Yu’s face. His expression is unbelievably soft, and Yu allows himself to think, even for just a moment, that this expression is just for him, like his smile is just for Yosuke. 

“You’re doing it. The smile,” he mutters. Their faces are close- for a moment, Yu wonders what it’d be like to kiss him. 

He drags his mind out of the gutter just long enough to reply. “Of course I am. It’s you.” 

Yosuke looks like he’s struggling for words. He opens his mouth for a moment, then closes it again. 

“Can I, uh... Do something?” He finally asks, and Yu doesn’t waste a second in nodding. 

“Go ahead. I trust you, partner,” he answers easily, and he’d swear on his Persona that Yosuke seemed to blush even more at his response. 

And of all the things he expected Yosuke to do, he didn’t expect him to tilt forward, pressing their lips together in a kiss. 

It isn’t magical or heavenly, but it’s Yosuke, his partner and best friend since what feels like forever. It’s Yosuke, and that’s more than Yu could ever ask for. 

After what feels both too short and too long a time, Yu has to pull away. His lungs are burning, as though Yosuke stole all the oxygen out of them. He doesn’t go far though- just rests his forehead against Yosuke’s, both panting. 

“I love you, partner. A lot,” Yosuke whispers, and Yu feels like his air has been stolen once again. Nevertheless, he replies in earnest. 

“I love you too, partner. A lot.” 

YAAAYYYY OMFGH HSHSBBHBSHEJRJDNOWNNDHRJSNSHEJDEJBDJENDJENDJDNWNWJSBDJKSMWNEBFIDIEHSJSNWKNWOMSBXJZJENDJSNENDJSOWNNDIXNEJDNRNFISNWNSBEKFNJRKAKWKDODNEJSJWKEKDOEJJDJDNSJXNSJKAKALEOXJNRUXENEIIDOEKEJRIKFJCKRORIWOUQOFNFNFBJSHEHWNDKENKSNDKENSBOSHNEHSKSBDB

THE SOUYO GET TO KISS AAHEBEEVEVBEBSBSBSJJDNJ823$:'nsken&£{~!~££+¥'AISHHKMEB&$&&&!/?/?!$@9288/$&&/! I FUCKIGN LOVE SOUYO SOUYO IS MY LIFE

IM EATING THIS UP AND LICKING THE PLATE LEAVING NO CRUMBS THEY KISS AND THEY REALIZE THEY HAVE MUTUAL FEELINGS!!!!!!!! GRRRAGHHH!!!!!!! "I TRUST YOU PARTNER" WHAT IF I FUCKING EXPLODED INTO 18 PIECES AND YU TEASING HIM WHILE ALSO NKT KNOWING IF HE HAS MUTUAL FEELINGS KMFBFBDHDNJDJEN

THANK YOU FOR THE FOOD CLAIRE

[tag-that-oc]

behold! the sparrows!

the sparrows a group of travelling performers who go around singing and dancing and telling stories for people across the country.

(they're also secretly immortal and share their knowledge and secrets in their songs)

from left to right we have: shrike (he/him) kite (they/them), jay (they/them), condor/the storyteller (he/him), grouse (she/her), and timberwolf (he/him)!

shrike, timberwolf, and grouse are the instrumentalists of the group. shrike plays the lute, timberwolf plays the fiddle, and grouse plays the drum!

kite and jay are the vocalists. kite can imitate any animal sound, and jay sings

condor performs differently than the others- he tells stories (as his nickname suggests) about different things, and his favourite is the tale of the hawk, the mouse, and the snake

condor also made everyone else immortal after some thing or another :3

oh they all seem really cool! love that they share their secrets in their songs skdhsk

i also really love their designs!

[tawnysoup]

here. looplet air biscuits for u. do u feel better now?

[lembowe]

i don't remember what originally inspired this but!!!! i think siffrin would be really happy to see other weather

[smokin-salmon]

The pain was unbearable.

[renzanix]

um, hey chat, is this anything,,?

[sprtruechara]

heres the original post btw i didnt expect this to get attention

[vantablackdraws]

Interrupting my usual posting nonsense with some ISAT doodles I did a while ago

[malk-with-tea]

How Can You Help Me, Stardust?

[Speedpaint]

[all-my-ocs-are-evil]

[insert poetic title here]

fun fact: this did not start out as isat fanart

(rambling in tags)

[4bsurdcreature]

"Blinding Stars Bro. Pull yourself together!!"

[nero-vanderwolf]

Shinjiro Aragaki was many things. 

A murderer, cold-hearted killer who abandoned his best friend at the first sign of danger- which also made him a goddamned coward. 

He was a liar, too. Fibbing through his teeth to everyone just to get by without questioning- he hated being pressed for answers, and would do damn near anything to avoid being asked something as simple as where he was going. 

There was something wrong with him when he came back. Multiple somethings, actually, but one that he was new to. 

The feeling of guilt that settled in his gut whenever he caught himself staring at Aki for too long. There was a sick feeling in his stomach whenever he got too caught in the way Aki’s hair caught the sunlight and formed a halo around his face, the way his grey eyes seemed both too carefree and too burdened for his age, the way he was so careful around Shinjiro. 

The carefulness drove him crazy. Aki approached him like a wounded animal, spoke to him like he was wild. And it was the fact that that wasn’t too far off that irritated him. 

When Shinjiro was still living in back alleys and getting by on the kindness of stangers, he had tried to convince himself that he hated Aki. That the twisting in his gut when Aki came crawling back to him like a begging dog was disgust, not... Whatever the hell else he could have been feeling. 

(Remorse. He hated seeing Aki approach him time and time again, hated seeing how he grew more and more tired, how long his hair got after Shinjiro left only to see it miraculously cropped short again a few months ago. And somehow, seeing that bright and cheerful expression on Aki’s face again hurt more than seeing him dejected.) 

And now they were back in old habits, dancing around each other just to avoid talking. But of course, like all things, talking was inevitable. 

“Why the hell are you avoiding me?” Aki asked one day, cornering him in the second floor lounge. There was nowhere he could run to, no one he could use an excuse to get out of this conversation. 

So he tugged his beanie down, did everything in his power not to look at Aki. Not to look at his eyes and how sad Shinjiro knew they were. 

“‘M not,” he mumbled, knowing it was a nothing answer. A deflection. Like the coward he was. 

Aki was, understandably, pissed off at Shinjiro’s response. “What is with you? Every time I try to have a normal conversation with you, you turn tail and run! You’re not a coward, Shinji, so why the hell are you acting like it?” 

“Why the hell are you actin’ like you know me anymore? I’ve been gone for years, Akihiko, and shit’s changed. I’ve changed. Clearly you haven’t, though. You’re still actin’ like a bull-headed ass.” 

Aki froze where he was standing. It hurt, seeing him go cold like that. Always had, really. But Shinjiro couldn’t bear to have Aki get hurt (again) because of him, and if stopping that meant cutting any ties to each other, Shinjiro would grit his goddamned teeth and do it. 

“You don’t mean that,” Aki muttered. Shinjiro ignored him, continuing on. There was still a tether, and he needed to sever it. 

“You need to quit crawlin’ to me like a dog and get on with your life. I ain’t worth bettin’ on, and you know that as damn well as I do. You need to forget me.” 

Of all the things Shinjiro expected Aki to do, he didn’t expect to be grabbing by the collar and jerked out of his seat. He sure as hell didn’t expect to be slammed against the wall, either. 

“Shut the fuck up! I’ll love you if I goddamned feel like it, and I’m not gonna give up on you for shit! Do you understand me, Shinji!? I’ll love you like a dog and I won’t regret a second of it!” 

“Akihiko-” 

Aki’s expression turned sour. “Don’t. That’s not my name.” 

Shinji didn’t know what the hell he was talking about. It definitely was his name, last Shinji checked. 

Aki was trembling as he spoke. His eyes, grey and cloudy with tears- he fucking made Aki cry, he was so stupid-, seemed fixed on the wall by Shinji’s ear. 

“...Don’t call me Akihiko. You gave me that name. I want you to use it,” he whispered, and Shinjiro couldn’t stop himself from reaching up, from pulling Aki close and letting him cry himself out. 

“Aki... I’m sorry,” he murmured, and Aki thumped one of his fists against Shinjiro’s chest, his head still resting on Shinjiro’s shoulder.

“You’re an idiot if you think I’m giving up on you. You’ll have to try harder than that if you want to get rid of me,” Aki said, still quivering in Shinji’s arms. 

Shinjiro hated himself for making Aki cry. How could he not? This was his best friend, the one he would die for, the one who would die for him, the one he played with and grieved with, the one who had to grow up too fast and too soon, the one he loved with everything in his failing body. 

He held Aki close. How could he be such an idiot to think he could ever get rid of Aki like that? With a few hurtful words hurled in bad taste? 

‘You’ll have to try harder than that if you want to get rid of me.’ 

He rested his head against Aki’s. 

“I know.” 

GAAAAAHHHH EMOTIONAL ANGUISH............. FUCJK.............. shinji doesnt want to see aki because of his guilt. he doesnt want to see aki look at him that way, he doesnt want to feel bad. he's running away and aki doesn't want him to leave.... ghhhhh they need to hug and kiss and make each other feel better..,,,,, ALSO AKI NOT WANTING TO BE CALLED AKIHIKO. HE WANTS SHINJI TO CALL HIM AKI. GRRRRRRGHHHHHHH

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Happy one year anniversary to In Stars and Time!

[tawnysoup]

"You never know, you could surprise us all in time. Who’ll ever know if it was you that caused the crime?"

(video lyrics under the cut)

"I heard a word that they paint mirrors on their face And soon forget that they reflect but don’t create.

I suggest that you address your appetite For to be seen to cast your beam across the night."

[artilite]

starclan's grace <3

gorgeous designs by @dropespeon ! GO CHECK THEM OUT!!!

[pavuk-starsymbol]

the comic i made for the ISAT telephone game organized by @chipper-smol! this project was so fun, thank you so much for hosting it!

I was a part of the theatre chain :D and you can read the full chain in order here! (please do! everyone did an amazing job!)

(and also please check out the telephone chains masterpost!!!)