#working through trauma

[crash-bump-bring-the-whump]

Just a little successor to this piece by @brinkofdiscovery! Just thinking about how Miguel and Mariano's relationship evolves with therapy :)

TWs: Mentions of trauma

Dark fingers wound into Miguel's shirt as Mariano's face pressed into his shoulder with a dream-fueled mumble. Lying on his side and breathing slow, he'd been asleep for a little while now. His hair was up, the blankets were tugged up to their waists, and one leg was hooked around Miguel's.

There was no tension in the loose relaxation of his limbs. There were no lines on his face. He breathed Miguel in with every inhale and soaked in their shared warmth as the winter chill managed to seep into even the war mages' shared home.

This wouldn't have happened even a few months ago.

Miguel had still felt dangerous, then. The feeling of being loomed over would activate old survival instincts. Passing headlights that danced along the walls would wake him, heart hammering but breathing habitually still slow and deep.

Their therapist had suggested ways to start working through it, though. Wearing Miguel's shirts to bed or borrowing his pillowcases, to start associating him with safety and rest. Lying down together in a bed during the day, and getting used to being close in that environment. Miguel taking a nap next to Mariano during one of those midday lie-downs. Miguel holding Mariano, with his hands on the fragile skin of his sides and his arms keeping him in place.

It had helped.

Mariano even managed to doze off on Miguel's shoulder during a movie night at the end of a long week. He hadn't meant to, he'd just been leaning up against him. Miguel's shoulder had been soft and comfortable and the perfect height to use as a pillow. When he'd blinked awake again, Miguel was carefully staying as still as possible and his voice had been tense and thick with emotion when he dismissed Mariano's resulting apology.

The next time they'd laid down together to cuddle during an afternoon, they'd both fallen asleep.

Mariano hadn't slept on his back with his hands folded at his chest in ages--or at least not when he and Miguel shared a bed. Now, instead, he draped himself over Miguel. He tugged himself closer, and clung to him, and frowned if Miguel needed to untangle himself to get up for any reason. It was like he couldn't get enough of Miguel. Like he was making up for lost time.

When Miguel's arm tightened around Mariano's waist, he sighed and smiled without waking. Muscles that weren't tense in the first place relaxed further. His dreams weren't filled with looming, piercing eyes or the threat of an agonizing, unstoppable death. They were filled with the smell of Miguel's body wash and how his laugh sounded.

It had taken work from both of them, but now Miguel made Mariano feel safe.

[vizthedatum]

Fuck this, I'm going to bake, game, and feel

I'm going to make apple pie and game tonight (either solo or with my partner). I'm going to feel my feelings.

The apple pie doesn't have to be good (but I know it will be, because I am confident in my abilities). I don't have to be perfect. I can take breaks.

Gaming is fun and a way to connect with people and myself.

The fact of the matter is... my post I made on Feb 3, 2023? I was still gaslighting myself when I was writing that... I was my greatest teacher for gaming. I love gaming - I fostered gaming for myself. I gave them too much credit for my qualities and the self-teaching that I did. Games weren't a strength of OUR love - games were one of the things I enjoyed for me... and as a tool to connect to my friends and partners.

[sagewhite]

How can I explain to you that your soft kisses feel like a threat?

[misspoken-mistaken]

07.13.24

I bought a prickly pear cactus. Wearing a thin, white button up over my denim dress, I thought I was prepared. I thought I would be okay carrying that cactus around the nursery. Only when I put this plant in my car did I realise my mistake. My whole upper arm was embedded with thin, teeny prickles. So much in fact that my bicep began to swell and itch. And then my chest started to itch. Then my…

[ao3-crack]

(x)

[batfamhastwitter]

Part 19! Behold, Tim and Kon's first forays into babysitting! for people in charge of saving the world every other weekend they were way too unprepared for taking care of Lian lol

Prev ~ Beginning ~ Next

[chloesimaginationthings]

i absolutely love your characterization of movie vanessa,, like she is so mentally unwell but also she is full of whimsy!

The duality of Vanessa Shelly,,

[royaltea000]

trying to learn how to draw this dude

credit to @/transparentalia for the ref images :)

[bizarrelittlemew]

calling it right now that season 3 starts like this

[reyreedlioncourt]

Jacob said that Lestat constantly appeared in Louis' imagination because he brought Louis comfort. so during the interview, remembering the trial and Claudia's death, remembering Claudia herself, despite the fact that everything was presented as if Lestat was guilty of letting Claudia die and Louis is supposed to hate Lestat

Louis sees Lestat again, feeling the need for his comforting presence. bc he knows

[aroaceleovaldez]

underappreciated Nico detail that I like - he seems to be an angry crier! very frequently he's angry when he cries and he cries when he's extremely angry. very AuDHD of him. emotional regulation sucks my guy and he's just going through it.

[hellt00th]

I really don't mind ace astarion headcanons bc it DOES work with his character, after he's had time to figure out what his preferences are but I need yall headasses to stop saying he said he's ace.

What he ACTUALLY said is he doesn't know how to be with someone, no matter how much he'd like to be. WILDLY different than saying he's ace. He's got severe ptsd when it comes to sex and having sexual trauma does not equate to being ace automatically. At best thats incredibly belitting, and at worst its outright homophobic bc you're erasing someone's identity because they have trauma they haven't processed/healed from.

[bitspieces]

The thing is Aziraphale is convinced Crowley falling was a mistake in the system. Crowley is good and he's kind and Heaven is supposed to be the good side so it shouldn't have cast him out, that's why he wants to reinstate him as an angel, because what else would he be?

Whereas Crowley understands perfectly that him falling was the system working as intended, Heaven doesn't care about angels being good and kind, it cares about them being obedient and loyal.

And as long as Aziraphale doesn't see that he won't be free from them, because it's inconceivable to him that someone good wouldn't want to be on the good side.

[kitkat-the-muffin]

Simoncest is so funny to me because I definitely don’t ship it but also do wanna keep seeing fanart of Winter King being absolutely disturbing and unnerving to Simon

What do you call it when an evil and insane version of a character has such a strange infatuation with a reformed and morally good alternate version of themself to the point that it’s terrifyingly romantic in an undesirable way?

It’s just so interesting to me. The evil craves the good and the good fears the evil and they continue this game of self-inflicted torture upon each other until the good succumbs or the evil is defeated

When the good succumbs you get selfcest but when the evil’s defeated everything returns to normal ig. Depends on your preference

[highly-flammable]

Peeta really was the most delusional person ever because he saw Katniss’ reaction to his possible death TWICE and still thought she was gonna turn out alright if he just died in front of her at the end of the Quarter Quell, like IDK what to tell you my guy you are blind

[semisolidmind]

You spoil us with all the good Dogday and even Catnap content~ What are some cute/fluffy things Y/N does with Poppy and Kissy after they leave factory together? Besides Catnap, do any of them have their own rooms/pair up together? I’m sure Dogday naps often with Y/N, would Poppy do the same?

poppy and kissy share a room (cause they are sisters 😌). they decorate it with cute curtains, drawings, and flowers picked from outside. the two share a king sized bed with cute homemade quilts on it.

y/n and dogday share a room (cause they're basically married).

catnap, if he's alive, sleeps in the barn (cause noone trusts him in the house).

i like to think y/n and poppy are better friends outside the factory than in. there's no hidden agendas after the prototype is destroyed, and they're just allowed to trust each other fully. poppy feels more comfortable asking y/n for help.

poppy and kissy love to help in the kitchen, though kissy is almost too big and poppy is almost too small.

both girls love playing outside the most, simply for the fact that neither had seen real grass nor sunshine up until their escape. though she can't go out in it, poppy loves rain.

everybody gets to nap with y/n. sometimes they all nap together in a big cuddle pile (not catnap, though).

kissy likes to watch birds. there weren't any real birds in the factory, so getting to see all the different kinds that populate the woods (and other kinds of wildlife) is special to her. she likes it when y/n goes on nature walks with her.

kissy will run to y/n if she gets scared or doesn't understand something. poppy helps translate between them. y/n does their best to comfort her.

it's a very common hc, but i like the idea that poppy will request that y/n make her different outfits, or find different clothes for her. wearing the same dress for several decades gets tiring. y/n can sew for the sake of this hc.

im not exaggerating when i say the toys can and will kill for y/n.