#I'm a walking Monster advertisement

[shady-elf]

Get spooky

Be gay

Do crime

Go to work

Suppress the *RAGE*

Drink Monster

I FEEL ALIVE

YES

YES!

YEesss... eh, nevermind. Monster wore off

I'm soft sleepy emo girl, me cute, me happy.

Clock out, go home

Another Monster

I'M BACK BABY!!!

Best Halloween in YEARS!!! WOOOOO!!!!!

[jyoongim]

Hear me out. I can't be the only one that wants to fuck Al's demon form. Like not just the black eyed tentacle gig, I'm talking full form like the size and all 😭 I can take it I swear, Al (narrator: she could not)

Title: A Reminder To All…

Themes: its giving monster fuc but like oof, demon!form Alastor, tentacles, established relationship, rough sex, growling, blood, possessive behavior, antlers, animalistic behaviors.

It was a rather quiet afternoon at the Hazbin Hotel.

You were up in the radio tower straightening a few things while Alastor was out doing gods know what 

You decided that since you had cleaned up most of the place that you would take a stroll through town as some down time.

You hummed a tune as you passed many sinners out and about. Your stroll led pass the digital shop. You slowed as you noticed a crowd gathered outside a Voxtech store.

There were multiple tvs playing things in the windows and what caught your attention was the deals they had going on.

You bit your lip. Oh it couldnt hurt to window shop right?

You entered and was immediately overwhelmed by all the fancy tech.

why did hell need modern tech you had no idea.

A shiny pink camera caught your attention.

And it was cheap.

You did need a new camera. It would help with advertisement and to show the progress of the hotel you thought as you happily paid for it and went about your way.

what you didn’t know was that Vox had been tracking you the moment you left the hotel.

that camera of yours was now his gateway into seeing what Alastor was up to.

Once back at the hotel you pulled out your shiny new purchase.

you turned it on and walked around filming a bit.

You checking the footage to check out the quality when you heard a record scratch

”what is that my dear?” 

You jumped at the sound of Alastor’s voice and spun around holding the camera

His eyes narrowed on it and quirked his brow at you, airing for an explanation.

”Well Al I-I just thought that the hotel could use a camera to help with promoting. We can record our progress. Now you don’t have to do all the work.” You said with a nervous smile, hoping he wouldn’t toss it.

He walked closer to you, mainly keeping his eyes on the tech.

”and where did you get such a frivolous thing?” 

you gulped “At the v-voxtech store”

His ever-present smile tightened before he shrugged “fine if you think it’ll help”

you breathed a sigh of relief and happily went about your way testing it out.

Unaware of the growing shadows emitting from him.

after spending a few hours getting the hang of your new device, you decided to call it a night and put your camera on your nightstand as you got ready for bed.

You shivered slightly under your cover, grumbling you furrowed further to seek some warmth.

why the hell was it so cold?

you shifted again in bed to feel a heavy weight on top of you.

your eyes flew open and you were met with a very frightening sight.

Alastor.

In his demon form.

Your breath got caught in your throat “A-Al?”

He tilted his head, smile wide and sharp “Sleeping well my dear?” His voice was staticky and distorted.

you were so confused.

you hardly EVER saw Alastor upset, especially to the point were he was in his demon form.

“Why is that in your room dear?” He hissed out, jutting his chin to your camera.

You tilted your head confused at his question.

he was angry about a damn camera?

A clawed hand was at your throat.

”I allow many things dear, but this unattractive piece of scrap in your room? That is where I draw the line”

You let out a squeak as your clothes suddenly disappeared and covers ripped away.

”A-Al?!”

Your hands were quickly restrained by his shadows and your legs were spreaded to welcome him closer.

when the hell did he undress?

You felt the faint ghost touch of a tentacle slide against your cunt, teasing your clit. You let out a soft moan.

”Already soaking dearest?” He hummed amused.

You felt the weight of his dick slap against your cunt.

your eyes widened he wasn’t going to…

”Alastor w-wait! I c-can’t!”

A long tongue sweated the side of your face

”But you will darling” and with that he slammed into you.

Your body seized at the sudden intrusion. You let out a cry that was silenced by a tentacle wrapping around your mouth.

Alastor rutted into you, growling and snarling.

Your eyes faintly drifted to the camera by your bed.

A blinking red dot turned on and off.

Alastor gave you a rather harsh thrust.

”eyes on me dear”

you whined loudly, trying to shift your body to accommodate to his harsh thrusting. Your eyes drifted to the top of his head.

Antlers.

you felt your fingers itch with the need to find purchase on them.

you gave a tug at the shadows and huffed, making little grabbing motions hoping he would get the hint.

he granted you grace and your hands immediately flew to his antlers.

He let outa low growl and sunk his teeth into your shoulder.

With his dick hitting that delious spot inside you, you could feel him bottoming out.

You were flipped onto your stomach, facing the camera.

the shadow around your mouth disappeared and a claw hand found your tongue.

”put on a show Mon cher” You felt him flush against you.

Moans and whines filled the room as he  pounded your cunt.

A high pitch whine left your throat as you felt your cunt clench around him.

you were gonna cum soon.

”A-Al-la-stor Ah!” Your eyes crossed as your body tensed and twitched from your orgasm. He let out a deep growl and quickened his pace.

Did he get bigger?

you were suddenly face to face with him.

Your noses brushing against each other as he sought after his own release.

Your arms wrapped around his elongated neck and a hand found one of his ears.

you tugged.

Static ran through your body as he slapped his lips on yours and slammed his hips into you, purring as he filled you with his cum.

you whimpered as your legs were finally released and dropped.

Alastor was breathing heavy as he reached over to the camera

”hope you enjoyed the show old pal” he laughed before destroying the camera.

you were drifting to sleep as you watched him transform back to normal.

”sleep well my dear” was the last thing you heard as he tucked you into his side, humming a soft tune with a wide smile.

He gave a reminder.

Dont fuck with the Radio Demon.

[agirlandherkinks]

Hypnovisor: Beta Test (TGTF, Hypno)

James had always been a tech super-fan. The newest phone, newest headphones, shiniest laptop, he had to stay abreast of and on top of the current trends. So when he read about some fancy new VR company that wanted beta testers for a headset, provided for free (minus shipping), his vision blurred and he signed up before he even considered finishing reading the ad.

Three weeks of anticipation and waiting passed until his doorbell finally rung, accompanied by the corresponding buzz of an email notification on his phone. Scrambling from his couch he flung the apartment door open, and to his mild surprise saw that the postman was nowhere in site. There was just a nondescript cardboard box labelled "Fragile", which fortunately bore none of the expected dents and scratches one would associate with the postal service and delicate freight. Practically bouncing with undignified delight, James scooped his parcel up and dashed back inside, barely remembering to lock the door behind him.

The headset looked even better than he had imagined. Sleek plastic curves surrounded a central visor that was just translucent enough to see through, meaning you could walk around safely if you turned a program's opacity down. It fit beautifully when he tried it on, more comfortable than anything he'd ever worn. Wearing it felt wonderful and... right, somehow. His only complaint was that the black headset was decorated in hot pink highlights, although it still looked futuristic enough to sooth his fragile masculinity. His roommate and best friend Erik certainly agreed, interspersing James' insightful comments with appropriate "Ooh's" and "Aah's". Waiting for the battery to charge seemed to take a thousand years, although chatting with each other about what it could do replaced their boredom with swiftly growing excitement.

Two hours later, a soft buzz from the headset in the corner signified its charge was complete. Erik cheered, his sandy-blonde hair bouncing behind him, and even James couldn't suppress a soft whoop of excitement. Erik unplugged it and handed it to James with a flourish and a bow, who accepted it with a suitable stuffy speech. His cheeks flushed with embarrassment, but he was so giddy with anticipation he felt he could match Erik's goofiness for once. The advertisement had promised unmatched realism, a luxurious fit, and cutting-edge, groundbreaking technology. Normally James would have discounted claims like that as corporate claptrap, but the headset fit so well he actually believed the rest of it.

Booting up the headset brought a perky, relaxing jingle in his ears and wall of settings text in his vision. He would have read it, but between his own excitement and Erik's infectious enthusiasm he left the settings on default and skipped to the main menu. The feedback for the buttons was amazing, it felt just like he was pressing down on them whenever he touched one! Another little jingle sounded as he confirmed his choices, and a few games and applications bubbled up into his view, imposed over a hot pink background.

"So Erik, what do you think I should try," James asked. "We've got a music player, interior design app, some sorta idle monster game, and a few RPG's." "Surely try out the RPG's man! You've gotta see that high-definition you were yammering about when we called." Erik's voice came back surprisingly muffled, as if he was speaking down a long tunnel. "Bro, I can barely hear you, the noise-cancelling on this headset's insane! It's like I'm in a world of my own!" James took a deep breath, recovering a little of his composure. "Alright, an RPG it is. Fantasy, sci-fi, or modern day?" "Go fantasy! You know we've both got a thing for elf chiiiicks. Hell, with the kind of feedback you were telling me about, you might even get to grab her" Erik's distant voice sounded playful, with a ting of desire and jealousy. And it did make James hard, at the thought of getting to look and squeeze and fondle some busty elf bitch, made entirely to his wishes~

To James' horror a quiet moan escaped his lips, accompanied by faint hysterical laughter from his friend. Brushing it off angrily, he slammed the icon for 'Silverflame: A Magical Journey' (the button felt like thick moss to his touch). Instantly a soft flute begun to play in his ears, accompanied by the gentle lull of a harp and a quiet sparkling. James felt himself relax, all the tension draining out of his body. Erik must have noticed too, because James heard his laughter die down to be replaced with a slightly concerned silence. "Don't worry man," James said, "music's just really pretty..." He trailed off with a slight giggle, but heard Erik give an affirmative just before a silky, sultry voice started to speak.

"Welcome traveler, to the beautiful world of Silverflame. An untamed paradise where strange beasts roam the land, noble adventurers go forth in search of treasure, and the most wonderful magic [James shuddered] is woven. You are the latest brave, beautiful heroine [Heroine? Shouldn't I get to choose my character's gender first?] to step foot into this land. But first, tell us a bit about who you really are."

Pink sparkles rained across the screen, superimposing his view of a vibrant meadow with a series of stats. Physique, IQ, Wisdom, and Charisma, fairly standard stuff. And next to it, a human man with a blank, slightly happy expression on his face [...did he look familiar?]. James gasped, he looked just like a real person! Erik was suitably impressed by this information, and urged him to pick some stats so he can get to the body modification. "You can always change them later man, might as well pick a couple of stats now and get a move on. Sounds like you're not gonna get to pick your gender for a while, which kinda sucks. Buuut if we're being horny about this, you might as well go for a slut scaffold so you make less changes later." James chuckled at this, remembering the build they discussed one night while both sloshed beyond belief. For this game it would be high Physique and Charisma, low IQ and Wisdom. James touched the slider for Physique, and gasped as he felt himself feel... better than he had in a long time.

Not trusting his senses any more, and worrying about Erik being exposed to whatever was happening from the other side of the headset, James brushed off his concerned questions (which he could barely hear now, past the soothing, soothing, music) and suggested he went to the toilet, since he'd been holding it in since he got here. Erik grumbled at missing out, but mercifully left. James was actively sweating from what just went through his body, but couldn't muster the energy or concentration to feel the level of panic he knew he should be. The music was just so, so calming, that fear was harder to feel than usual. The prompt told him he still had to change two more stats, so he decided to turn down Wisdom. He gasped again and his vision went blurry, and when it cleared he felt a bit, fuzzier? In the head. But it wasn't too bad, in fact it was perfectly manageable. He felt even calmer now, so maybe changing another stats would make him feel better. Why not IQ? He tapped the slider.

He groaned as an immense pressure wrapped around his brain. Thoughts, aspirations, memories felt like they were melting from his head faster than they appeared. The pressure seemed like it lasted forever, but eventually it trailed off and he was left panting in his chair. It had felt, really good? Like, tots good, even. James giggled to himself. Something was different about him, but he couldn't think what. Oh well, it'll probably come to him later. He squealed in delight as he realized he could get a step closer to the body modification page, although he looked longingly at the IQ slider. He could come back to it later, for now it was time to make his super-hot elf slut a body!

James clapped to himself with delight as a cute little melody played, a shower of sparkles spiraled [spiraled...] across the screen, and the man on the side moved to the center of the screen. "Firstly", the sultry voice said, "choose what race you want to be." That was an easy choice. He clicked on the 'Elf' button, and shivered as he felt tingles run through his body, intensifying in his ears. Reaching up to touch them, he inhaled as he felt long, pointed tips. In fact, his whole body seemed a bit slimmer. This doesn't quite feel right... he thought. Oh I know! It must be making me an elf too! Maybe we'll be in a party together! Between the strange fuzziness and the pulsating heat in his groin, James quickly flicked to the next page and made his choices. Long, silver hair, gorgeous big purple eyes, and some giant perky lips. "Combination unlocked!" the narrator exclaimed, "+1 Charisma, -1 Wisdom!" James giggled again as the mental fog settled a little tighter around his brain and naughty thoughts about cute girls and boys filled his brain. Boys? Well I guess I've never minded swinging both ways... This felt natural to him, because of course he'd always been bisexual. Next screen!

"Choose your voice young heroine," the woman commanded. James felt a little strange, like her voice was echoing around his head. And why were the sparkles still there, spinning and spinning around the screen. He felt confused, but knew he had to obey that voice. He picked the sexiest combination for his own voice; high pitched, breathy, perky. "Combination unlocked! +1 Charisma, -1 Int." He moaned as that wonderful pressure wrapped his brain and his weekend plans changed to eyeing hunks at the beach. Girls were cool and all, but men had always been more interesting to him [and their pulsing, hard...].

"Now heroine, can you tell me: Are you a girl, or a boy?" The question sent shock waves through his brain. He was a he... right? Why did it feel like there was some longing, some need to acknowledge the woman in him... her? The fog, the music, the spirals, all the feelings he had been having, James could hardly think. Maybe he should think less. Being a girl sounded fun, it's just a character after all. And he needed to be sexy. "Wonderful choice young lady! Now, are you a dominatrix, a super-switch, or a bimbo slut?" Bimbo slut~ James giggled as the words echoed in her brain. She was a bit of a slut, now that she thought about it. It felt odd to pick it, but why not for funsies? "Bimbo slut selected! Wonderful choice, just wonderful. Hold still while your stats are adjusted, and then we'll begin on giving you the perfect, sexy body you've always wanted."

The spirals filled her view and began increasing in speed. James was taken aback at first, but quickly felt oddly calm and receptive to that sultry voice.

"Physique +1, Physique +1, Physique +1." James felt wonderful, like every ache and blemish in his body had faded away.

"Wisdom -1, Wisdom -1." Thinking was fuzzy, but Jamella felt so content she didn't care.

"Charisma +1, Charisma +1, Charisma +1, Charisma +1. Charisma +1." Jamella gasped as visions of sexy men, pecs and abs and juicy, throbbing cocks filled her mind. A desperate heat filled her, and she began touching her groin against her will to try and ease it.

"IQ -1." She moaned, feeling light.

"IQ-1." Empty. She was so, wonderfully empty.

"IQ -1." This was like, so much funsies! She didn't know what was going on, but everything felt so nice~

"IQ -1. Congratulations Ella, you now have the 'Bimbo Slut' build."

Ella giggled absently. Thinking was like, so hard, and she felt like, so hard~. The fun spirals had disappeared... But the nice lady was talking to her again! With great effort, she listened in. "Now that your mental changes are complete, it's time for the physical changes!" Ella rubbed her thighs together and cheered in excitement. She couldn't wait to have more fun! "Unless you choose so now, the process will be au-to-ma-tic [...why was she using such big words?]. You can choose to take over at any time, or wait until the end and adjust as you please [...please. That word felt funny in her brain]".

"No user input detected. Body adjustment commencing."

A nice shiver went through Ella's body as she felt her headset warm against her face. Looking at the boring young man she'd begun to customize (her reflection, of course), she couldn't wait to begin! She sighed happily as waves of pretty silver hair drifted into her view and cascaded down her back. It felt especially nice against her smooth, soft skin, and she couldn't help but gently shake her head to watch it sway. A cool feeling brought her attention to her face, and the alluring amethyst eyes now set in it. Her face itself became much more elegant [but cutesy, too!], and she puckered her lips as a lovely pressure made them swell and bulge out, giving her a sexy and kissable pout [the boys'll love this look! boys~]. She felt herself shrink a few centimeters, gulping as her Adam's apple disappeared into her body. In fact, her whole body had become even more slender, with narrow shoulders, adorably small hands [pretty purple nails!], and a tiny little waist. She gasped, then clasped her hands over her mouth in delight. Her voice was so high and cutesy! She couldn't stop herself from giving out tiny, high-pitched giggles, just to hear how cute she was!

"Basic body structure altered. Adjusting outfit in preparation for primary and secondary sexual characteristics."

Ella ooh'ed appreciatively as a stream of sparkles enveloped her body. And when they disappeared, she squealed in delight! Her drab t-shirt and denim shorts were gone! In their place was a beautiful silver mini-dress that shimmered like starlight when she moved. She frowned in vexation, though. The plunging chest and shoulder-less design was very pretty, but her chest was flat! [shouldn't I have tiddies? The boys won't like me like this...] And the way it clung to her waist and hips would have been sexy, but as it was there was barely any difference between them! Her ass wasn't nearly big enough to justify how the dress cut off barely past it, and with how tight the fabric was Ella could see how achingly hard she was [wait, why do I have a cock? I'm supposed to get cock! In my mouth, in my ass, in my tight little pussy~]. It wasn't right!

"Thank you for your patience sweetie. Optimal figure calculated. Prepare for adjustment of sexual characteristics."

Ella let out a moan as a wave of heat and pleasure washed over her. With how horny she was she could barely keep her eyes open, but she knew she wanted to watch herself become the sexy little [cum] slut she was meant to be [I want it... I want to be~]. The heat settled in her hips, her ass, and her chest, and she moaned again as the changes begun.

Her nipples grew first, more than doubling in size and stiffening through the soft fabric of her dress. Tentatively touching them induced a gasp of pleasure [so nice~] and sent her rocking backwards. The motion made her giggle, because in that time she'd grown a cute pair of B-cup breasts that jiggled when she rocked. Jiggle makes me giggle. I like giggling. I like jiggling. Ella nodded thoughtfully to herself, feeling very wise. Her boobies grew to C-cups. She jiggled some more. She giggled some more.

A tightness around her hips distracted Ella from her tiddies. They were growing! She groaned as fabric and flesh tightened around them, too euphoric to feel pain. Sliding her hands from her waist to her hips made her squeal happily. She had such a sexy hourglass figure, she knew any girl worth her money would be jealous [and the boys would wanna hold me and squeeze me and fuck me raw]. Thighs thickening dramatically in response to her growth, she slapped her ass in impatience. Why won't it get bigger already!

But get bigger it did, swelling out in response to her touch. She fell forward as sheer pleasure blanketed her mind and weakened her knees. Squishing her boobies against the ground made her feel even nicer, until she was panting and moaning for somebody to help, to hit her again and make her bigger~

A slap landed on her booty, and she groaned in delight as it and her thighs swelled again. More. More! I NEED MORE! She moaned in ecstasy as blow after blow landed, making her swell and grow and grow and swell and feel so gooooood! Her tits inflated to D, then E-cups [good for the boys. I can jiggle so well for them~]. Her hips widened and thighs thickened, until she looked ridiculously large compared to her waist [ridicu... ridic... really, really sexy...] And her ass kept growing, and growing, and growing and growing and growing and growing! Tighter! Around my cock! Cock... I... oh~ Too... too... much! Too much! I'm~ I'm!

OooOOoOoOOooOoOoooOOOOOHHH~

Ella screamed in delight as she came, just cumming and cumming and cumming her tiny little brain out.

"Wisdom -1. IQ -1. Charisma +1. Charisma +1."

She was desperate, humping against the ground as the flow of cum abated from her cock. Everything she had been was flowing out of her messy stupid brain, and everything that she should be was coming in. Boys... Cock... Need fuck... Breed~ I'm such a dumb little cum slut~ She giggled to herself.

"Final adjustment required."

Ella stood up shakily, the bottom of her dress a cum-soaked mess. She squealed with delight as the mental fog settled even tighter and she felt an intense heat in her groin. She could see the tops of nipples trying to break free from her dress, and could feel the air drift over her ass, which had mostly escaped the fabric in her growth. So sexy. Hehe~ Boy can take me~ Don't even need dress off~ Thinking hard... Her ass and hips had pulled up so much fabric that her cock was visible now, deflating and still leaking from her orgasm, but she gasped in pleasure as it began rising up again. And, as she felt something long and hard brush her booty [cock? Boys? Fuck?].

A pressure like hands on her shoulders forced her to her knees, and she whimpered in desire as she felt an unseen cock touch her cheek. At the same time, something began intensely stimulating her own. She reflexively opened her mouth in a moan, but was cut off as she felt the cock shove inside [Feels~ Feels!].

All thought stopped.

Her mind was blank, full of pleasure and desire and happiness. Her cock felt good like it never had before, and the dick in her mouth tasted wonderful~ This was what Ella was made for, what she was meant to be. Feeling good, feeling sexy, feeling a pleasant emptiness that could only be filled with cock. Her haze reached a crescendo. Dimly she was aware of her own cries of ecstasy, muffled by the cock fucking her mouth and mind, as she came harder than she even had before. And as she came, her dick shrunk with each spurt until it went inside her [inside me!]. The cock withdrew from her mouth, filling her with a desperate longing. Emma moaned for her unseen hero, then gasped as she felt him once more. And blinked in surprise as the pretty meadow and her sexy reflection disappeared.

She was kneeling on the floor of an unfamiliar room. Shaking off a little of her confusion [don't need know much anyways...], she gasped as the tell-tale smell of pre-cum filled her nose. There was a man standing in front of her!

Sandy-blonde hair. Body like a surfer hunk! Naked. With a massive, sexy cock, dripping with her saliva and it's own juices. Ella moaned in desire, falling on all fours. Visibly trembling with lust, he tenderly cupped her cheek and slowly moved behind her.

Touching her with his [cock!].

Ever so gently, on the edge of her [...pussy!!!!]

He rammed inside her, and she screamed as an absolute feeling of rightness, of sexiness and pleasure and single-minded happiness rushed through her [MORE! HARDER! COCKKKK~]. Riding his dick she felt herself go into a trance, with nothing, absolutely nothing, disturbing her feelings. Ever. This was right. Ella moaned and surrendered to herself, drifting away on her lover's cock and mindless pleasure.

[roborabbitart]

Some thoughts on Ceroba (and why her story isn't as bad as people think)

I've been seeing a lot of people disliking and even outright hating Ceroba's story lately. However, there's some thoughts I've had about it that hopefully might change some people's minds.

Spoilers ahead, of course.

So we all know the basics. Chujin asked Ceroba to use literally any other boss monster than their own daughter for the experiment, and she directly went against this. I'm not arguing that this was a moral decision by any means, but it's a more logical one than you might first assume, and makes sense for her character.

So why didn't she use literally any other boss monster? The answer is simple. They're exceedingly rare. In canon Undertale, the only known boss monsters are the royal family. Out of all the monsters you fight, the literal final bosses of the game (and relatives) are the only ones to have this unique trait. One family out of the countless that you encounter. The bare minimum estimate would be roughly 1 in 50 monsters if you only look at Undertale's battle encounters, but considering the only known ones were elevated to royalty for it, it's safe to assume this likelihood is far lower.

In Undertale Yellow's canon, this is further complicated by some monsters not even knowing they're part of a boss monster lineage. Chujin only found out during testing. So that narrows down the list of known candidates even further, and I don't exactly think Ceroba could walk up to Asgore and ask to stick him with a needle full of stuff that the guy who lit his garden on fire made, or would really want to touch it regardless since he doesn't exactly want to continue the war.

But surely, there has to be some known boss monsters out there, right? Well, even if this is the case, and sure, it probably is... how is she going to find them? She can't exactly advertise this, it was a secret project on Chujin's part that involved a stolen human SOUL, and god knows what would happen to the family if word got out about it. If she actually knew of any specific boss monsters other than Kanako and Asgore, she probably would've sought them out. Or perhaps not, given this is still a stranger who could very well rat her out for these almost-definitely-highly-illegal experiments. She'd be risking her family no matter how she continued Chujin's work.

That leaves only one logical, safe candidate, and the one who wants to be more than anyone else:

Kanako.

Oh, and as for why she went through with it... Ceroba is a strong believer in personal choice. Perhaps too much so, but she acknowledges that Kanako, and Clover as well, are still people who can make their own choices. At the end of pacifist, she is the one to acknowledge they've all been dragging Clover around without really considering their own wants and needs. She's the one to let Clover decide to sacrifice their own life so that others may live. Just as Kanako was willing to do.

[verysium]

some hcs abt the bllk boys doing modeling shoots as pro-players? (like what they’d model for and the ways they captivate their audiences and stuff)? ty and love ur works btw 💞💞🫡

idk why but this ask made my brain freeze up and refuse to write anything for 3 days, so apologies if this is late anon:

sae would be so done. i mean....he walked out on a literal interview, so what makes you think he won't walk out on a photoshoot? he probably hates the very idea of plastering his face all over billboards and magazines. but his manager said that he was in desperate need of good publicity, especially after that stunt he pulled with the last commercial endorsement. if sae was forced to model though, he'd definitely be as stiff as a board. no facial expressions whatsoever and always sticks to one pose. oftentimes, this involves him facing the wall and only showing half his face. if the photographer wants a full frontal, he's going to have to deal with sae's "i don't want to be here and i'm being held hostage" face. even if sae does try smiling, it looks more like a grimace. the only redeeming quality here is that he is good-looking. if you look at the official art, he doesn't even have to try to get all of you drooling over him. that face card does not decline. like ever. so the shoots usually wrap up pretty quickly because out of the 100 images taken, at least half are going to be usable. he's photogenic from any angle.

kaiser would strike a pose for everything, even his own mugshot. i picture him as that one johnny depp advertisement for dior sauvage. blue lighting. a silk blouse with the top button open to show off a sliver of his sculpted chest. his hair is slicked back with gel, and his knuckles are decorated with silver rings. the tattoo just pulls everything together. if not a perfume commercial, then i think he'd model for adidas or some other german brand (maybe even a beer company if he's old enough). i don't think he has any trouble with the actual modeling part of process. he knows how to flaunt himself. the only issue is that kaiser is a lazy perfectionist. he would show up late to the shoots and then stays even later just looking through the shots and choosing which ones to include. puts a lot of time and effort into things like this. after all, his image and his brand are important to him.

shidou would be sponsored by an energy drink brand. like red bull or monster. if not that, then axe body spray lol. as for modeling, i feel like he wouldn't be able to sit still. probably pulls out crazy poses that piss the photographers off on purpose. it always cracks me up how one of his first appearances in the manga is him being muzzled and restrained in a straitjacket inside blue lock's time-out zone. he's so chaotic. you would have to hold him down and shove the camera into his face to actually get a good shot. i also picture him wearing lots of black leather, maybe even silver jewelry (eg. studs, piercings). and of course, you can't forget the hot pink accents.

isagi would model for family-friendly brands. if not that, then just japanese brands in general. i imagine him doing skincare commercials for shiseido or maybe even participating in a campaign for UNIQLO. as for modeling, he would be awkward at first but then gradually get the hang of it. always thanks the team afterwards and is very mindful of the photographer's suggestions. everyone says he is a pleasure to work with.

rin would model for luxury watch brands like TAG heuer or IWC. maybe when he grows older and further develops his career, he might even become an ambassador for louis vuitton or bulgari. overall, his advertisements are very elegant and professional. only endorses high quality products. never looks at the shots afterwards because he hates looking at his own face. gets somewhat embarrassed when his mama points out his billboards and makes clippings of his magazine covers. he absolutely flipped when a brand suggested that he do a collaboration with his brother. so when this collaboration actually did take place, it was like a repeat of the whole messi-ronaldo photoshoot. they didn't actually meet on set. they were just photoshopped together into the same frame.

barou models for calvin klein. lots of denim and shirtless photos. all of the staff got nosebleeds, and his fanbase went wild when the issue was finally released. there's this one image his fans worship religiously where he's posing in his boxers and there's a clear shot of his abs and happy trail. (he's so hot wtf) there's also another shot that wasn't used cus a million people would've been deceased. he's standing there with his thumbs in the belt loops of his jeans and wearing nothing underneath his denim jacket. his hair is also down, and his skin is all sun-kissed and golden.

reo models streetwear, and this is canon because he has the drip. honestly, his duality needs to be studied because he can go from high class gentleman to bad boy who wears chains and knuckle rings. he'd try all different sorts of styles, and he'd look good doing it. out of all the bllk boys, i feel like reo gets the most sponsorship deals because of his versatility. he does the styling, hair, makeup, posing, editing, etc. honestly, they need to hire him as a creative director already. nagi would tag along behind the scenes, but he'd end up scrolling on his phone the entire day.

[aziraphales-library]

Lost Fic #203

1. Hi! This fic was posted on tumblr, I'm not sure if it was on ao3, so I'm not sure if that's in your specialty to find but just in case - it was a fic I read when I first got into Good Omens, so early 2020. It was in two or three parts I think. One part was Aziraphale and Crowley discussing their sides coming after them and what they'd do if that would happen. There a big battle scene where Crowley got taken to I think a beach? And was being threatened and Aziraphale unleashed a bunch of power, more than recommended. Bleeding from the eyes in golden angel blood, I believe. The trope of massive power to protect a loved one and then being immensely weak right after. Either way, thanks for your time and you guys do AMAZING work here, I cannot tell you how lucky we are as a fandom to have you. - @lunarmultishine

2. Hey! I am looking for a lost fic. Aziraphale has to return to Earth to find Jesus and appears on Crowley’s doorstep who is living in a cottage. Jesus is living with Crowley and is aging rapidly and has been named something else. Aziraphale agrees to stay and help, but Crowley is bitter that he’s there anyway. Jesus kind of helps bring them back together and is very sassy about it. This is all I can remember unfortunately. But would appreciate the help! - anon

3. Hello lovely Mods! I’ve been looking for a Good Omens x Supernatural crossover fic where the Winchester bros + Cas have to retrieve Aziraphale from his prison in Heaven, in exchange for Crowley’s information about the latest apocalypse. They also don’t know why Crowley wants Aziraphale and assume the worst, so they set a trap for Crowley. Idk if it’s findable, but I figured y’all would be the best to ask! Thank you! <3 - anon

4. Hello! Thank you for your great job! You're my great advertisers for fanfics 😍 I'm looking for a fic I read last year and I can't find it. It was about Metatron started the second apocalypse and there were creepy monsters walking on Earth. Aziraphale and Crowley hiding at Anathema's house and Adam is helping them with the wards. And there were something with Crowley hiding in a bookshop in his snake form when monsters attack and he runs to Nina's coffee shop with Muriel. Also they're riding Bentley a lot, and Crowley been summoned to Hell at some point and escaped it by landing before Aziraphale in a very bad shape. It has a lot of Whump!Crowley. Oh, and he has dyslexia or something, he can't read very well. I may mess up with two different fanfics btw, sorry Thanks for your help! 🥰 - @rexsulla

5. Hi lovelies! Sorry to clog up your inbox. I remember seeing a fic posted here way before the new year. Not sure what its called, but i remember some things about it: - crowley manages a restaurant (human au) and is very mean to his employees - on Christmas eve, he bumps into azi on the street, who is crying because his family doesn't accept him for being queer - azi asks Crowley back to his house for a drink, but Crowley rejects his offer. - this happens a year later, and Crowley accepts his offer this time! - i cant remember what happens next, but there's a summary of their future at the end in which they're married with children. Thanks again dears! - anon

If you know any of these fics please include the number in your reply! Thank you :)

- Mod D

[mothdust23]

CW: Death, loss, extremely unhealthy coping mechanisms, identity issues, light blood, Emotions

A desperate witch. She's investigating the disappearance of dozens of entities, including her very own doll, Lilac. Usually, she's very reserved, but losing her only friend has sent her into a tizzy. She hasn't eaten, hasn't slept, she hasn't even been to her house in days.. it hurts, being inside without her faithful companion. Too quiet. She misses the doll's ticking, how it calms her. She looks at a picture of Lilac and her together, laughing at a joke with a few of their friends. She sighs and presses a doorbell with the tip of her parasol, staring up at an old brick and mortar mansion. This new lead has to work.

Tracking spells don't work, neither does old school investigation. The evidence is strange, very strange, and never leads anywhere, so she's trying a new path: observing another doll, one she's sure is the next target. Whoever's taking the entities is altering the world around them, subtly corrupting and twisting the environment. Objects becoming slightly different, the wallpaper changing to another hue, little details that don't matter until they pile up. It happened for her own doll, it happened for dozens of other entities, and now it's happening to this one.

Walnut reminded the witch of her own doll in a lot of uncomfortable ways. While her old doll was made of intricate clockwork, this one was roughly carved from scraps of wood, its face only half finished. It walks with a limp, and one of its arms was clearly a later addition, perhaps added by Walnut herself. Yet, like Lilac, Walnut lights up when talking about its interests, although in its case it ends with embarrassed reservedness. Walnut's witch died before it was ever finished, so it's lived alone, tending to a house without an owner. It refuses to say how long it's been, but, as the witch brushes her hand across glass older than she is, she feels a strange sense of.. pity.

"This one knew something was wrong when it saw Miss' third favorite lamp!" the doll says, gesturing to an ordinary lamp with an ornate base. The witch blinks, clearly not understanding.

"What's wrong with it?"

"It was rose gold, not bronze.." it whispers somberly. "At first, this one worried it was finally breaking down and... joining Miss, but.. it saw your advertisement, a-and.."

The witch nods, donning her monocle and staring at the lamp. As far as she can tell, it's always been this color.. She tuts, looking around the room, briefly seeing the telltale glow of the doll's core lit up by the enchanted eyepiece. A comforting sight.

"I don't know what to tell you, I'm sorry. Has anything else changed?"

"Well, not that it has noticed, ma'am. Do you want it to check?"

She shakes her head. "It's quite alright, Walnut. I trust you've heard about the other disappearances?"

"Yes, but this one cannot fathom why anyone would want to take it.. all it does is care for the house. For Miss. It's what she would have wanted."

They both quiet down as a groaning sound echoes through the house.

"...house settling?" the witch offers, trying not to betray any worry. The doll shakes, fiddling with its hands nervously.

"The house has never sounded like that, Mi- er, ma'am" it whispers.

"Any.. other dolls, live here?" she presses.

"Just this one.."

Another groan, closer. This time, they can hear a strange humming sound, getting louder and louder.

The witch slowly reaches towards her parasol. She grips it too tightly, something Walnut notices and decides not to comment on.

"Stay behind me, ok?"

"Y-yes Miss- oh, sorry!!"

"..We can discuss calling me that later, little doll."

The unfinished doll could only respond with a squeak, hiding its face in its hands. As the hum gets louder, a harsh glow appears under the room's door. The witch fumbles for her eyepiece and steps back in horror, staring through it past the door and at the monster behind it. She's never gotten this close before, and the whole time--

A desperate witch. He's spent the past few months preparing this spell, and he considers it a mercy to only choose entities people wouldn't miss. The buzzing is loud, so loud, and he needs only a few more souls to cure this ailment once and for all. It'll all be worth it.

..he regrets being so sloppy. A few humans and birdpeople who still had family, an angel working at a hospital, a doll who still had a witch. Every one a liability, someone who would be missed, and here he is, looking down the end of another witch's umbrella, looking like a deer in headlights.

"...Shit."

"..you're a witch. Like me." the woman manages to say, lowering her parasol slightly. Walnut doesn't say a word, fiddling with its hands. It looks into his eyes and clutches the first witch's coat in terror.

"I recognize you. You were that doll's witch, weren't you?" he says, clutching his hand in pain. Strangely, only the hand being held has a glove, the other covered in a red substance she dares not identify.

"...what do you MEAN, were?" she responds. The man finds the tip of her umbrella pressing against his nose.

"I- I- I'm sorry, it was the only way- I HAD to, I couldn't find anyone and I was- agh- running out of time.. like right now.. please, give me the doll." He looks like he's in pain. Blood and oil cover his once-regal clothes.

"Tell me where my doll is, or I swear to Selene I'll turn you into a grease stain."

He coughs, looking at the floor in guilt.

"..I'm sorry. I- I wish I didn't take someone who had a witch to come home to."

"Where.. where's Lilac? Tell me it's ok, please just.." she manages to sputter out, eyes filling with tears despite herself. "Please tell me my doll's still alive.."

"..."

"..please."

"I'm sorry.."

She chokes out a sob, dropping her parasol.

"It was the only way. I.. I never wanted to kill them, but- ACK-" He doubles over, seemingly in pain, and rips off the glove on his right hand. To the witch and Walnut's horror, it's jointed, like a doll's. "G-give.. give me the doll. I need it. Nobody.. w-will miss it. It'll be a clean kill.."

"I.. I don't know what you want with Walnut, but.. I'd miss it. Your murders end here."

She reaches down to grab her parasol. Surprisingly, he lets it happen, sitting against the wall.

"I.. I need sacrifices. Living souls, doesn't matter whose. It's.. the only way."

"Only way to WHAT?"

Porcelain crawls up his arm. "Delay it, until I can cure it. I know a spell that forces the changes to the world around me, but.."

She stares at him. "You killed so many people.. including my Lilac.. so you wouldn't become a doll? You.."

"I CAN'T, OK!? I REFUSE! I CAN'T BE SOME- SOME THING! I HAVE MY LIFE AHEAD OF ME! I- I have promise.. talent.. I can't be a doll. I don't want to be a doll."

"...They had their lives ahead of them, too. Come on, Walnut."

"W-what? Where are you going? DON'T JUST LEAVE ME, IT'S JUST A DOLL!!"

He tries to get up, but one of his legs gives out, ball joints clicking into place. She ignores him, escorting Walnut outside.

"..you ok?"

The doll hugs her, shivering. "This one has never, ever left the grounds."

She cradles its bad cheek. "Something tells me.. your witch would've wanted you to move on. You're a very old doll, aren't you?"

"..Y-yes, but-"

"..I can't stop you from staying, but.. if you ever want company.."

They share a look. The humming and light inside the house reaches a crescendo, a scream rings out, and everything goes dark. A doll stands up in the empty house and starts cleaning a stain off the floor.

"..This one thinks.. it would like your company very much, Miss."

"..Me too, Walnut. Me too."

Dedicated to my sister, Jacqueline. Love you sis!

Happy Halloween ^^

[emisprocrastinatingbywriting]

Alone and Forsaken

Chapter 17 Summary:

Six months ago, Joel Miller had thought that the sky was falling, and now life seemed to be going surprisingly well. Having gotten over his fears of being a dad, he was slowly starting to get excited at the possibility of a future, something he never thought possible. However, a new fear has emerged, one that reminds him every day that the life he has can be taken away. With bodies showing up closer and closer to the gates of Jackson, what will he do when he is forced back into reality?

Warnings: Fluff & Smut, Breeding Kink, Pregnant!Reader, Angst/Comfort Abandonment Issues, Canon-Typical Violence Towards Infected, Talks of Joel's Past Self Harm, Two Brothers Sitting in a Booth - Five Feet Apart Because They Have Problems Expressing Their Emotions.

A/N:

Hello everyone! I hope you guys have been doing well :)

This week has a bit of a time jump, all the way to summer. Reader is now eight months pregnant and Joel has actually chilled out (as much as someone like our man possibly can lol). Life is domestic and sweet, but it can't go on like that forever.

Warnings for the chapter include pregnancy stuff obviously but also talks about fearing the loss of children, along with chats between brothers about Joel's past self harm. And of course, because I'm not a complete monster, smut ;)

Let me know what you think!

Chapter 17/20

Chapter 17: Even The Pawn Must Hold a Grudge

Sweat dripped down Joel’s face, stinging his eyes as his shovel dug into the cool dirt. The July weather had been uncharacteristically warm for Wyoming and he found himself missing the modern luxury of air conditioning as he searched for the leaking pipe. With no depressions or sinkholes around the dining hall, he and the few other Jackson residents on the job had been digging pointless holes in search of the leak for a week. It wouldn’t be so bad if the last vestiges of June hadn't drifted away so quickly, leaving him sweating in the sweltering heat as he worked. 

When Joel had agreed to this job, it had been advertised to him as a favor. Six months ago, when he had finally figured out what was ailing his mate, he had made the conscious decision to do everything in his power to keep you happy. That meant that he had to be present, at all times, a feat that had scared the shit out of him at first. Whether it be for check ups, late night cravings, or the inevitable mood swings that came with pregnancy, Joel Miller turned himself into the type of  man you would want to weather a storm with. That meant that if his pregnant mate wanted him to take less patrol shifts, needing him to be closer just in case she popped, then Tommy was out of luck. 

Which led him to where he was, with sweat burning his eyes as he worked. The strained nerves at the base of his spine jolted with each movement, sharp jabs reverberating down his legs every time the tip of his shovel jammed into the dirt, but he ignored it. What he needed was to get this finished so that he could get home, so that he could get back to you. By the time he finally saw the first signs of the leak, with the water rushing up from the small hole he had made to dampen his boots, he was moments from quitting. He sighed, an elated chuckle coming from him at the sight. 

“Found it!,” Joel shouted as he heaved himself up to sit on the edge of the pit. 

A whistle came from behind him and he turned his head, rolling his eyes at the mustached man that strolled towards him. 

“Thank Christ, thought you were gonna have a heart attack if ya didn’t find it soon,” Tommy laughed, his eyes twinkling with playfulness. 

Joel scoffed and lifted himself from the dirt with a hoarse groan, wiping his jeans as he stepped forward to meet his brother. 

“M’fine, healthy as a horse. Just my damn back,” he returned, rubbing his dirty hands on his brother’s coat as he passed. 

Tommy laughed and batted him away, chasing after him once he had wiped the dirt from his jacket. As Joel walked back towards the shed, leaving the rest for the younger guys, he listened to his brother’s incessant rambling and tried his best to answer each statement with at the very least a nod. It had been like this between them for the past few months, ever since the younger man had opened up to him at the bar. Tommy had left the door open for him, even letting him have a peek at some of the darker parts of himself that he had never seen, and Joel had tried his best since then to do the same. He was growing and it was as awkward as it was joyful. 

In reality, Joel’s version of open communication was a bit more reserved than his brother’s but it was progress. A few awkward conversations had been had, the majority of them making him feel so uncomfortable that he could barely look his brother in the eye, but they had found some common ground. The most obvious one being the conundrum of fatherhood in such a world. Talking about the things they had done and the people they had lost was excruciating, but it was nice to know he wasn’t the only one that was worried his blood soaked hands might stain the child. Tommy had slowly become someone he could rely on, or perhaps he had always been, and the more your stomach grew, the more he had needed him. 

The first time Tommy showed up for him had been a month after Joel found out, when you had excitedly pointed out the bump that had formed seemingly overnight. He had smiled and acted thrilled at the time, showering you with kisses and love before he quietly excused himself to tear into the stables for his patrol shift like a maniac. Tommy didn’t say anything at first, quietly allowing his brother to race through the patrol like a hellhound was biting at his heels, but it was once they had encountered trouble that the younger man had put his foot down. 

Joel had been reckless that day. The horde near the music store was small, with enough clickers to ensure that it would be a tough gig, but not enough to call in backup. Usually they would have gone in silent, as it was safer and left less room for failure. However, that day he had acted like an idiot and gone in guns blazing. He can still remember his brother’s surprised shout when he opened fire, the younger man cursing as he took his gun out and joined in on the mayhem.  

Much to Joel’s dismay, Tommy was not willing to let it slide as he would have once upon a time. The walls had come down. Joel was no longer the vicious smuggler of the Boston QZ, known to all for his brutality and bloodlust. And Tommy wasn’t a marine or a firefly anymore, meaning that there was no cause left for him to fight for except his own family. Which meant that after the horde was dispensed, his brother had slapped him up the side of the head. 

“Hey! What’s up your ass?,” Joel hissed, rubbing the red handprint burning against his skull. 

“What’s up my ass? What’s up YOUR ass? You’ve been off all day and now this? This shit was stupid as fuck, you know that,” Tommy snapped. 

A silence ensued, one where all that Joel could hear was the sound of his blood rushing in his ears and the snow that fell to the middle of the store in heaps from the holes in the roof. He watched as his brother chewed on his lip, looking like he was trying to see through his skull to pick at his brain. Another few tense seconds passed, the staring contest growing more heated by the second, but it was shattered when Tommy suddenly laughed. 

“Was it the bump or the heartbeat that freaked you out? For me it was the heartbeat, made that shit waaay too real,” the younger man snickered. 

He blinked, eyes widening as he tried to shove down the ingrained urge to clam up. You had broken him of the habit but it was Joel that needed to do the work to ensure it didn’t return. 

“Um, it was the bump. We can’t uh - I can’t see the baby you know? The heartbeat was cool to listen to on the stethoscope but I couldn’t see it. Then one day she wakes up and boom, there’s our baby sticking out of her stomach. I could see it and it felt so…,” Joel trailed off. 

“Real?,” Tommy guessed and Joel nodded. 

They walked back to the horses in silence, stopping only to peek into the pharmacy on the off chance that they might find something of use. Aside from collected dust and broken glass, the place was empty, leading them to quickly abandon it. Joel was ready to get back, to avoid his own feelings by burying himself in a series of jobs that took him away from the reality waiting for him at home. Perhaps if he worked hard enough, he wouldn’t notice how round you were getting. Maybe that would halt the panic attacks he had been hiding from you. 

An arm had stopped Joel when he moved to climb onto Rusty, drawing him from his spiraling thoughts. He lowered his foot, turning to face the younger man with a cocked eyebrow. 

“Look, I was scared shitless by that heart beat, but you know what I did to get over it? I talked to her, to Maria. You want to put yourself on the line during patrols? Fine, but how well do you think she’s gonna take it when you wind up dead? Think it’ll be good for the kid?,” Tommy prodded. 

Joel felt his chest tighten at those words, aching at the thought of you having to go through something like that. Even in the past month he had noticed other changes, like how much more emotionally vulnerable you had become. According to the timeline that was the doctor’s best guess, you were three months pregnant at the time and had been stuck to his side at every possible moment, while also being prone to bouts of crying. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what a loss like that would do to you in this state, not to mention the precious cargo you were carrying.

“Go home and tell her that you’re scared. I promise you that it’ll help. Lord knows I needed Maria to bring me back to earth more than a few times,” his brother sighed, patting him on the shoulder before he turned to hop up on his horse. 

That night Joel had gone home and followed Tommy’s instruction, waiting until you were cuddled up to his side in bed to share the worries that filled him with so much shame. He had used the cover of night, with the curtains you had made for the bedroom blanketing the room in such a potent darkness that you couldn’t see the tears in his eyes. As he had whispered his fears, you had listened carefully, pressing yourself deeper into his side to soothe his growing panic. And to his surprise, his brother was right, you had quelled his fears with one simple conversation. A simple conversation that had then led to a lovemaking session that was so sweet that you had both shed a few tears. 

Since then, Joel found himself confiding in Tommy more and more, something that he could’ve never imagined after his last stint in Jackson. His brother had showed up for him and he was trying his best to do the same. Which led him to where he was now, listening to the younger man gush about his son. 

“- and do you know what the kid told me? Dad, you’re too old to go on the swingset. Me! He called ME old. Can you believe that Joel?,” Tommy asked incredulously. 

Joel chuckled, “Uh yeah? Frankie’s right, you ARE fucking old. Might break a damn hip just by trying to climb up on that thing.”

His brother guffawed and punched him in the arm, which only made him laugh harder. 

“Asshole, you’re older than me. If I’m old enough to be breakin’ hips, you must have one foot in the grave you geriatric fuck,” Tommy grumbled. 

Joel shook his head and stepped into the workshed, discarding the gardening gloves so he could gather his things. He picked up the ridiculous lunch box you had started packing him in the mornings, the cartoon red dog on the front of him making him sigh each time he saw it. Nevertheless, Joel always took it with him, despite some of the looks that the Jackson residents gave him when they saw him slip it into his bag for patrols or carry it down the street to the neverending construction jobs. He didn’t care what they thought anyways. Plus, if his girl was going to go to the trouble of packing him a lunch, he wasn’t about to refuse it. 

With the bag in hand, Joel left the shed and shut it behind him. He spotted his brother across the street talking to Maria, the serious looks on their faces halting him in his place. His stomach clenched and he prayed that their conversation wasn’t about him. However, instead of waving him off so that he could return home, Tommy motioned for him to come closer. Joel dragged his feet every step of the way, his stomach churning at what he knew was about to be asked of him. 

“Tommy says you found the leak,” Maria stated, her gaze as pointed as ever. 

Joel nodded, “Yes ma’am, me and the crew are gonna bail it out tomorrow. I’ll replace the pipe and then we should be good to turn the water for the dining hall back on. The younger guys can fill the hole back up once we test it a few times.” 

She nodded, her eyes flitting to Tommy for a half of a second before they refocused on him. He sighed at her determined expression. There was no way he would be able to get out of patrols anymore. Something had happened, something that meant Joel’s expertise was needed. There was no other reason Maria would take time out of her busy day to talk to him specifically, especially with their history. 

“M’sure that the others can do all of that. That Dina is pretty handy, we’ll get her to replace the pipe and then the crew can do the rest,” Tommy piped up. 

Joel resisted the urge to roll his eyes. The group effort from his family was a little much, even for someone as uncommunicative as him. With the sweat soaking through his shirt and his back aching like a motherfucker, he was not in the mood to be swindled. So instead, he focused his attention on Maria. Despite their rocky start, Joel had learned to appreciate how straight forward she was and that was exactly what he needed in that moment. 

“Knock it off will ya? Just tell me whatchu want,” Joel sighed. 

Tommy looked at his wife, his eyebrows raised as she straightened her spine and switched back into leader mode. 

“Four bodies were found this morning, all taken from different patrols that have gone missing in the last few months. All looking like they have been kept alive and tortured. We’re pulling the newer patrollers off of rounds, we need people with experience,” Maria explained. 

Joel sighed and looked at his feet, trying to avoid what he knew his answer had to be. The people going missing patrols had been a problem since before he knew about the baby, but they had only gotten worse in the months that followed. The first had been chalked up to desertion, the second infected, but by the fifth missing group Jackson had to come to terms with the fact that there was a threat lurking in the woods. 

From the second you heard about the bodies being dumped near the gates, he had decided to take a break from patrols. Maria had agreed with the promise that the arrangement was temporary, the understanding being that he could be called back at any moment if the camp needed him to. It was a sweet deal, one that Joel was surprised to have gotten considering the fact that he was already going to be taking time off for the birth and first few weeks of his baby’s life. He knew that his free pass wouldn’t last long but he had hoped for just a bit longer in Jackson for your sake. 

“I’m back on the schedule?,” Joel grunted, a heavy weight forming in his chest at the thought of having to break the news. 

“Me and you will ride out tomorrow at dawn. There’s been some weird shit going on in town, we’re gonna go check it out and then come back. Gonna keep the patrols short for now, should be back for lunch,” Tommy said, sheepishly kicking at the dirt. 

He sighed, unable to keep the distaste from his face as he stood before them. There was no answer he could give other than yes, he knew that, but it didn’t make it any easier. 

“I know that you’re worried about her, but I can promise that she can handle you being gone for the morning. She’s a grown woman,” Maria reminded him. 

Joel sucked his teeth and nodded, wordlessly agreeing to their request with a scowl. Without another word, he turned and walked away. He knew that it was abrupt, but he needed to go before he exploded into a rant about how well you would actually handle his absence. Or better yet, how he’d fair knowing that you were back at home worried sick about him. 

“Joel!,” his brother yelled. 

“If you want me to be able to go, I better go tell her. She’s ain’t a big fan of surprises right now, so thanks,” Joel called over his shoulder, not even stopping to turn back. 

They didn’t try to stop him after that, allowing him to hightail it back home so that he could have the difficult conversation. Joel dreaded the look on your face but he didn’t dare slow his brisk pace, knowing the truth in his previous statement. The hormones had driven you to nest in your freetime, along with plan every other second of the day in order to welcome the pup into a completely prepared home. He went along with the lists, happy to fix up the house, brainstorm baby names, and help paint the nursery, but he drew the line when you tried to pencil in times specifically for fucking. 

“But Joooooel, that way you won’t forget to take care of me before work… And after work… And also maybe on your lunch break,” you had whined, making him bite back a grin. 

The funny thing was, he knew that you were being absolutely serious. Although the pregnancy hormones had made you more emotional, they had also made you incredibly horny, a fact that he had been thoroughly enjoying for months. 

“S’too much honey, just tell me when she needs me and I’ll be there. You know that,” Joel had laughed. 

Of course, that had led to you telling him you needed him right at that instant, and filthy fucking had quickly ensued. As a result of that conversation, there was only one part of the day that remained unplanned, while every other second was accounted for. He allowed it, knowing that the lists saved you from going into a nesting frenzy and trying to complete a million jobs at once. Even after you started working at the clinic during your third month, something he hated due to the physical toll but ultimately had to support, you still kept a strict schedule. And now, he was about to fuck that coveted schedule up by going on patrol, which meant he was scared shitless. 

“Good afternoon Joel,” a voice called, breaking him from his reverie. 

Joel looked up from his dirt caked shoes, reaching the driveway just as your mother and Allie stepped off of it. The glossy ringlets that adorned the little girl’s face were drenched in red syrup, the culprit being the popsicle that she slobbered on. He chuckled at the sight, thankful that he didn’t have to deal with the handful of a toddler once all of the sugar hit her system. 

“Afternoon ma’am,” he drawled, nodding to your mother respectfully. 

Although he could tell that she still didn’t trust him at all, something that he completely understood given the hell she had been put through, your mother had been slowly coming around. Whereas months ago she could barely stand to be in the same room with him without pointing out his faults, she had become cordial to him. With where they had first become acquainted being so desolate and the embarrassment of their second encounter, Joel counted that as a win. 

“You should get in there. I told her she shouldn’t be doing all that work but you know my daughter, too stubborn for her own good,” she warned, grabbing Allie’s free hand so she could pull the girl towards home. 

Joel thanked her and turned on his heel, picking up the pace until he was barreling through the foyer. He stomped through the house, remembering how you had recently tried to climb up a ladder to clean the gutters by yourself when he had been just a few minutes late getting home. For six minutes Joel had tried to convince you to come down from the three steps you had taken towards the roof but you had refused, leading him to lift you from the ladder and carry you kicking and screaming into the house. The fight that had resulted from that had been legendary, but you had ultimately agreed that you shouldn’t be climbing a ladder with nobody around, let alone while you were pregnant. 

When he saw that the living room and piano room were empty, he was close to tears. All Joel could think about was the million little jobs you could have gotten into, the ones that you had promised you would let him do despite your insistence that you were perfectly capable. It wasn’t so much that he thought the pregnancy was making you weak, more so that your center of gravity was so off that it was affecting your balance. Every day it seemed like he was catching you as you stumbled. That and the dizzy spells you had been getting recently were enough reason for him to be terrified at the thought of you in high altitudes. 

“Darling? Where are you?,” he yelled, speed walking towards the back of the house. 

“In here,” replied a melodious voice and he hastened to follow it. 

The kitchen was a disaster when Joel walked in, with all of the bowls, plates, glasses, and other various kitchenware items scattered over the floor and crowding the table in the breakfast nook. The mess was huge, with all of the cupboards stripped of their usual contents in order to make way for a good scrub of the inside, but he couldn’t bring himself to care about it in the slightest. Not when you were the only thing he could see. 

The fact that you were shirtless didn’t surprise him, tits out seemed to be a constant since you had hit the third trimester and he was not about to complain about the free show he got every day. Being eight months pregnant meant that you had grown out of your clothes first, then his as well, meaning that you were scraping by with annoyingly oversized extras donated from the community. The baby was big, so big that the word twins had been thrown around a few times by the doctor, but he was actively ignoring that insight at every turn. One problem at a time, he thought to himself. Joel was a tall kid and his brother was no runt either, that was what he had to remind himself of each time the topic was brought up so that he didn’t have a panic attack. 

Still, with the heat of summer in full swing, Joel found you walking around in nothing but a pair of painties most of the time. The weight of the child was already enough, but the added heat meant that during your spare time you would likely be naked to combat it. Which was how he found you, in nothing but a pair of black panties as you stood on the counter, scrubbing the inside of the cupboards. 

“What in the hell do you think you’re doing?!,” Joel gasped, stumbling through the maze of kitchen supplies that you had created while he was gone.  

“They need to be cleaned Joel, who knows what kind of germs are in here. What if the baby-”

“The baby isn’t going to be anywhere near the inside of the cupboards!,” he cut you off, an urgency in his voice as he continued, “Please, you gotta get down honey, you’re gonna give me a heart attack. You’re gonna fall, I can feel it.” 

You snorted and turned, the swell of your stomach peaking out to him. Seeing the taut skin pulled over his growing child did little to soothe his alarm and Joel reached out a shaky hand to help you down. His breaths rattled in his chest, heart thumping wildly as he waited for you to take it. Furrowing your eyebrows at him, you looked at it for a second before placing your hand in his. He knew that you only caved because you could sense his growing panic, but he didn’t care, too frazzled to do anything but help you down. It was only when your feet touched the floor that Joel let himself breathe. 

“Joel,” you chided, “You’re so dramatic, I was perfectly fine! Plus, it needed to be done. It was on the schedule and you weren’t here so I-”

“So you come get me next time, or you go get Tommy, or Cooper, or literally anybody else to do the job! I told you they both said that they’d be more than happy to help and I-” 

“But I told you! I don’t want to bother them, especially Cooper, he already has to deal with Jake being on bed rest. And plus,” you sighed, “I don’t want to have to put on those stupid clothes, it’s already hard enough to do it when my mom comes over. I basically begged her to leave today.” 

Joel groaned in frustration and leaned down, pressing his forehead into yours to remind himself to take a breath. He knew of your aversion to clothes as of late, as well as your stubborn need to always do things yourself, but it didn’t give you a pass on putting yourself in danger. What he needed more than anything was to not worry about you every second of the day, yet you seemed adamant about working yourself to death while carrying his pup. Nevertheless, he also knew he had to be gentle in his approach. The last thing he wanted was to make you cry. 

“Okay sweetheart, I understand,” Joel started, “But you can’t be getting up there and I think you know that the doc would agree with me. S’not safe for ya. If you really don’t want to stay dressed then give ‘em the job and frig off, tell them you're going upstairs for a nap.” 

Sighing, you rolled your eyes at him but nodded. 

“Fine, but if one of them sees me naked you can’t be mad. Not my fault if they come up and catch a peek,” you shot back, earning a chuckle from him. 

He shook his head, “I won’t, promise.” 

Joel smiled when you kissed his jaw, happy that you were willing to go along with his request. He knew that the limited mobility was driving you nuts, but that was nothing compared to him. The thought of you getting hurt while growing his child was close to turning him into a lunatic. If he had it his way, you would let him do everything and get your exercise by taking easy walks throughout town on your days off like the doctor had suggested, but nothing with you was ever that easy. Of course you had disregarded that, still working at the clinic while you did insane jobs around the house in your free time that turned his hair even grayer than it already was. 

“Okay, just let me just put all of this back. I’m fucking starving and there’s no way I’m cooking in this mess,” you said, pulling away to get back to your ridiculous task. 

He grabbed you just as you turned away, shifting your hips so that your belly was pressing against his front. Joel placed his hands on the swell, admiring the way your body had changed to accommodate the child growing within. Fine white lines stretched over the skin, each one serving as a reminder of the strength it took for you to house the life that the two of you had created together. He brushed his hands over the bump, his gaze reverent as he looked up at you.  

“Baby, you know that I think you are capable of anything right?,” Joel asked tentatively. 

You nodded. 

“So, you know that it’s nothing personal when I tell you to sit your ass down so that I can do it, right?,” he pressed on, making you roll your eyes at him again. 

“Hmmmm… Fine, but I want food and then I want you to take a nice cool bath with me,” you conceded, leaving a kiss on the bald patch of his beard before you walked away. 

Joel shook his head, watching as you strolled down the hall with hawk-like eyes. The extra few pounds that pregnancy had brought on were looking mighty fine to him from where he stood. To his delight, much of it had gone to your ass, the same one that swallowed the black fabric of your panties deliciously as you walked away. Along with that, he had been thrilled by the added volume to your hips, which taunted him with their swaying each day. If the fact that you were his mate and you were carrying his baby wasn’t enough to make him grovel, which it was, the new edition to your curves made him want to kiss the ground you walked on. 

“Doing a lot of staring and not a lot of working, mama’s hungry,” you hollered back to him as you turned into the living room. 

“Yes ma’am,” Joel answered dutifully, spinning around to take in the disaster of a room before him. 

He worked incredibly fast, the thought of leaving you hungry too much for him to bear. The kitchen was put back together in no time, and Joel soon got to work on making you something to eat. Ignoring the oatmeal he knew you hated, as well as the meat which had started to make you sick about five months into your pregnancy, he decided upon a simple vegetable soup for lunch. 

Music drifted from down the hall, the sound of an old country ballad gracing his ears as he cooked. The record player had been a gift from Tommy and Maria, a generous edition to the guitar his brother had left in the piano room for Joel to find upon his arrival. Since getting it, you used it everyday, having read somewhere that music would help with the baby’s brain development. There were even a few times that he had been goaded into playing the guitar for you, singing ever so softly to the growing bump in hopes that she might be able to hear him. Joel wasn’t sure about how much he believed in the baby being able to hear him from within the womb but it made you happy, which meant he loved it. 

Once the soup was finished, he poured it into bowls, grabbing the biscuits your mother had brought the previous day to satiate your hunger. Joel walked down the hall and he felt his heart melt when he reached the living room. He smiled at the sight of you sitting on the couch, cradling your stomach as you mumbled sweet words under your breath. For a few seconds he watched, a warmth like no other wrapping around his heart and squeezing it when he realized you were singing to the pup. It was a Kenny Logins song that he had once tried to teach you on the guitar eons ago, in a desolate cabin in the woods with nothing else to do, and he couldn’t believe you remembered it. 

When you stopped to smile at him, Joel practically teleported to your side, not wanting to spend another second apart. In fact, all he wanted was to sit and watch you eat the meal he had prepared, to witness first hand how he had nourished both you and his child. It scratched an itch deep inside of him, one that screamed at him every second of the day to safeguard what was his, one that needed to ensure that nothing bad ever happened to his loved ones ever again. Every moment of every day since finding out he was to be a father again was about that itch and he clawed at it constantly, unwilling to let the worst come to pass for a third time. 

“Thank you baby,” you sang, eyes lighting up when you noticed the biscuits he had brought. 

“Soup too please, can’t have you running on nothing but treats,” Joel reminded you, making you groan and nod as you took the bowl from him. 

Only when you dug in did he calm, with Joel slowly munching on his food as he eyed you. He tried to be as subtle as he could while watching you eat, knowing how uncomfortable it made you, but he couldn’t help it. Joel didn’t know why, perhaps it was some crazy alpha instinct or perhaps it was his previous losses, but he found himself desperate to satiate every need, even when you didn’t ask him to, Every time you finished a meal, he was already up, collecting your bowl to refill it even if you claimed to be stuffed. There had even been a couple times where he had snuck his own food onto your plate, willing to go hungry if it meant you would be cared for. 

“Ya know, if I didn’t love you so much, I would probably say that you’re being a little creepy with the whole watching me eat thing,” you said around a mouthful of food. 

He huffed a laugh, “I know, I don’t mean to stare sweetheart. Guess, I just need -”

“You need to fuss,” you finished for him, having heard it more than a few times, “I know, just maybe not while I’m eating. Makes me feel weird and that makes me not want to eat. I need to fucking eat Joel.” 

Those were the magic words that forced Joel’s gaze downwards, leaving him to stare at the contents of his bowl with newly found interest. He felt his ears turn red at your words, slightly embarrassed by his inability to let it go. There was no reason for him to be so interested in your eating habits. He knew that you had been keeping up with every dietary requirement thrown at you by the doctor, but his hormone fueled brain was not as reasonable as him. 

Joel was so focused on trying not to look at you that he jumped when he felt your arm brush against his. When he realized that you were scooching closer, he smiled, loving the feeling of your body melting into his side despite the heat. With you practically sitting in his lap, arms knocking against his as you ate, he didn’t need to stare to know that you were enjoying the meal. Instead, he could feel it. 

“Thank you honey,” Joel murmured, pressing a kiss to your cheek before he returned to his own meal. 

“Mmmm-hmmm,” was all he got in response. 

The meal was finished in relative silence, aside from the soft music coming from the record player and the sounds of spoons scraping against bowls. Joel let you finish off the biscuits, waving you off with a knowing smile when you tried to be polite and offer him some. When you were done, he collected the dishes and walked them back to the kitchen. He managed to reach the sink just in time to drop them in with a bang, practically sprinting back when he heard the telltale sound of you trying to get up off the couch. 

“I can do it myself,” you grumbled as he helped haul you up. 

He fought the urge to roll his eyes, remembering how you had spent the entire day sitting on the floor of the piano room a week ago because you had made the mistake of kneeling down to retrieve a dropped book. Joel had found you absolutely fine, other than a bladder that was begging to be relieved and a growling stomach. Still, he had made it his mission to help gather you from as many surfaces as possible since then. 

Joel hummed, “I know baby, just let me give you a hand now and then. Makes me feel better.”

Sighing at his obvious attempts at distracting you from the fact that you were gravitationally challenged, you nodded and allowed him to pull you towards the staircase. Joel climbed the steps glued to your back, ready to catch you at the first sight of a shaky limb. He knew that this part you could still do, but that didn’t mean that the glossy wood didn’t make him incredibly nervous. By the time you waddled into the bedroom, Joel could tell that you were annoyed with him so he quickly moved to the bathroom to start your bath to hopefully quell the incoming storm. He poured the herbs and salt that Maria had given you into the water, the same ones she had used to soothe her back when she was pregnant with Frankie, and reminded himself to thank her. As he watched the water fill up, he heard you call his name and walked back to the doorway. 

“Yeah?,” he answered, poking his head into the bedroom. 

And there you were, lying on your back with your feet dangling off the edge of the bed. Joel couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of your panties pulled only halfway down to your knees, knowing that you were either too tired or too round to get them off.

“I need help,” you admitted, sounding absolutely heartbroken at the admission. 

He stepped forward, “I can see that.” 

You eyes snapped open and he watched as you shakily propped yourself up on your elbows to glare at him. Joel wiped the smirk off of his face, raising his hands in defeat as he moved to untangle the black fabric from your knees. When they were off, you quietly thanked him, flopping back against the sheets with a sigh. 

“Something on your mind darling?,” Joel asked carefully, not wanting to poke the bear. 

“I’m just so fucking big right now, I can’t even take my own underwear off Joel! And I’m pretty sure that if it is just one baby that’s in here, it’s going to be like the size of a five year old when I finally push it out. How am I supposed to do that? My coochie is NOT that big,” you groaned. 

He sighed and grabbed your hands, carefully peeling you from the bed so that he could kneel between your legs. Although you whined at the change, you still allowed him to haul you up and quickly grabbed his shoulders for stability once you were upright. In turn, Joel placed one hand on your back for support, the other one resting protectively over your midsection. 

“Honey, I’m not going to act like I know anything about being pregnant, but I do know that you can do this. Sure, she might be a big ass baby, but she’s going to come out and we’re going to love her. You’ve got this,” Joel encouraged, drawing soft circles over your aching back as he did. 

“She?,” you piped up, eyes twinkling with delight. 

With the ultrasound machine in Jackson broken beyond repair, the two of you had been unable to see any of the fine details of the pup, including the sex. Nevertheless, with most expecting omegas doomed to go through the pains of pregnancy and childbirth completely by themselves, with no guarded walls to protect them or supplies to aid in their efforts, Jackson at least had one doctor who could safely monitor and birth the baby with slightly retro but usable tools.  

Once Joel had recuperated from his first baby-induced meltdown, and the two families had been officially told the news, both sides had begun debating on the gender. His family was convinced it was a boy, while yours claimed to know that it was a girl. Neither of you had named a side yet, as the only thing the two of you cared about was that it was healthy, but that didn’t mean Joel didn’t have his own hopes. Having only ever been a father to girls, he couldn’t picture the child as anything other than that and he wasn’t sure that he wanted to. 

“Oh, I dunno honey, it’s just a guess. Only ever had girls so you know…” he trailed off, worried that he might have ticked you off. 

“A baby girl,” you tried out, smiling at the thought, “You’ll be a good dad either way but there’s just something about you as a girl dad that does something for me. Can’t wait to see you with her, you’re definitely DILF material.” 

He grinned, “S’that right?” 

His eyes twinkled with enthusiasm, only growing darker when he saw how you squirmed under the weight of their stare. This too had been a new edition, with any reminder of how the other would look nurturing the child making the both of you go insane. Not only had he chosen a good mate, one that he loved and cherished so much it hurt him at times, but he had found one that felt the same about him, one that would extend that love to his baby. 

“C’mon sweetheart, let’s get you in that tub. I put them salts and shit that you like, might help your back some,” Joel muttered, shaking himself from his thoughts as he pulled you up from the bed. 

As Joel led you towards the bath, he felt your feet drag every step of the way. He mumbled encouraging words, ignoring your soft whimpers so that he could grab your hands and help ease you into the tepid waters. Once you were fully sat down, you moaned at the weight being lifted from your spine, blinking up at him with a dopey grin that made his heart pump a bit harder. He knelt beside the tub, reaching in so he could press his hand into the bump as you got used to the weightlessness of the water. 

“Get in with me?,” you asked him sweetly, your voice light and airy in the silence of the bathroom. 

“I don’t want to crowd ya honey, gotta make sure that you’re comft-”

You shushed him, reaching out to muffle his words with your palm. Joel stopped and grabbed the hand covering his lips, kissing the back of it once in surrender. He lifted himself from the side, motioning for you to scooch forward as he rid himself of all of his filthy work clothes. From the moment his boxers had slid off, he felt your ravenous eyes burning a hole through him and he tried not to blush at the feeling. His cock twitched against his thigh and you smiled like a cat that had just got its cream, zeroing in on it as he begged every higher power there was to help him keep cool. In a daze, you bit your lip and Joel resisted not to surge forward to grab it with his own teeth. Clearly, you felt the same way, as he had to remind you three times to move forward. 

“S’okay baby, I’ve gotchu,” Joel chuckled, grabbing a washcloth as he eased himself down behind you. 

With careful hands, he washed your body clean of any bit of sweat or dirt that plagued its surface. He stopped every so often, to either kiss or rub the tension from a particularly sensitive patch of skin. By the time Joel had worked his way down to your hips, you were leaning into him, purring with satisfaction and close to falling asleep. He wanted you to rest but he could tell you were still holding on, still waiting for some sort of release, and he knew exactly how to help. 

Joel skimmed his hands down your thighs, causing goosebumps to raise on the soft skin there. He brushed the pads of his fingertips over the insides of them, drawing long lines up and down your thigh, stopping short of where you wanted him each time. A hitch of your breath as he ghosted his index finger over the crease in your leg was the only indication he got of your arousal, making him do it again and again until you broke. You whimpered, bucking your hips against him in frustration at his neglect of your drenched slit. 

“What is it darling? Need me to take care of you?,” he whispered in your ear, making a gush of slick drip from your pussy. 

You nodded, “Please.” 

Normally, he would have made you beg for it, but with how keyed up you had been lately, he knew that he needed to make this quick and devastating. Wasting no time, Joel wrenched your thighs apart, lifting them so that they hung on either side of the tub. With you left wide open for him in his lap, he skated his digits downward until they slid along your drenched seam. Even with the water sloshing over your pussy, he could still feel the sticky slick that poured from your hole. 

“Aw babygirl, she’s so wet today. Did she miss me while I was gone?,” Joel teased, pulling back the hood on your swollen clit so that it was exposed for him. 

“Yes, yes, yes, my pussy always misses you, she - oh f-,” your voice was cut off by a loud whimper, one that made his neglected cock twitch hard against your back as he plunged two fingers deep inside of you. 

Joel gave you no time to adjust, greedy for the desperate noises your overstuffed pussy would make for him. While one of his hands curled fingers up inside of your walls, rubbing that mind breaking spot with the pads of his fingers until your legs started to shake, his other drew wicked circles against your throbbing clit. 

“Oh my f-fuck, oh Joel! Don’t stop - mmmm, just like that - don’t stop, don’t stop, don’t stop, shit!,” you cried out, with your head thumping back against his shoulder as your orgasm drew near. 

While pressing sloppy kisses against the side of your neck, biting down on the skin hard enough to leave tiny love marks, Joel increased his efforts. Instead of plunging his fingers in and out, he switched up his tactic, choosing instead to shake them inside of you. He made sure to hit that sweet spot every time, the vibrations of his quick movements making your eyes roll back almost instantly. The circles he drew on your pulsing nub grew heavier and you keened, walls beginning to tense up already. 

“Can feel you fightin’ it sweet girl, why? Don’t you want to be a good girl and cum for me? Know that pretty pussy does, she’s cryin’ for it. Can’t you hear her?,” Joel goaded, practically growling it in your ear. 

“Joel, Joel, Joel, please, I need, I need” you begged, too fucked out to fully spit out the request. 

He chuckled, cock jumping between his legs at the sound of his name falling from your lips so sweetly. As he stroked your pussy towards an overwhelming release, fingers wringing out as much pleasure as he could from the inside of your walls and your swollen clit, he made sure to ingrain each whine or whimper into his memory. They would go with the rest of his collection of lewd memories he had of you, each of them being stored away for the days he was too riled up to bother you, the days where he had to lock himself in the bathroom to jerk off to the thought of you like some sort of horny teen. Not that he had to do that often. 

“What darling? What d’ya need? Tell me baby, I’ll give it to ya,” Joel whined, losing his edge from his own growing desperation to hear you cum. 

“Kiss me,” you answered, turning your face to nudge your nose against his. 

Joel captured your mouth in a searing kiss, tangling his tongue with yours in a way that he knew that you loved. His fingers were clenched so tightly within your walls that they were stuck inside, forcing him to dig the calloused tips of his fingers into your most sensitive spot with increasing demand. He bit down on your lip, earning a filthy groan from you, and you were gone. 

Water splashed over the side of the tub, soaking the floor and likely his discarded clothes, but he couldn’t care less. Not when you were thrashing in his hold, breaking away from his mouth so that you could choke on your own cries as you came. He kept his pace up, allowing you to feel every single wave of your release until you started to try to shove him away. 

Ever so carefully, Joel eased his pace, slowing it little by little until he stopped altogether. When he finally pulled his fingers out, you shuddered but gave no complaint, too blissed out to care about the absence. He kissed the side of your sweaty face, easing your legs off the side of the tub with care so that they didn’t strain any further. 

“Feel better?,” he drawled, moving you forward in his lap so that his hard length didn’t poke at your backside. 

You nodded dreamily, “I’d enjoy the afterglow a lot better if you didn’t keep pushing me off your lap.”

He hissed when you reared your hips back, his angrily weeping cock getting nestled between your ass cheeks in a way that was so perfect that he almost cried. 

“Baby - ah! Shit, this ain’t about me. Was just - oh god damn - was just doing that for you. Need to take care of you, my pretty girl, fuuuck,” Joel groaned, unable to stop himself when you reached back to position him near your entrance. 

Being as big as you were, there wasn’t much you could do in terms of riding him. However, with the water helping with the extra weight around your abdomen, you managed to lift yourself up enough to drop down on his cock. The glide into your drenched channel was relentless, with your lack of mobility allowing you no other choice but to take him all in one go. Joel hissed at the feeling of your tight pussy opening up for him, clenching and unclenching around him in a way that almost made him go cross eyed as you took him down to the root. 

“Fuck, okay,” you wheezed, panting hard at the way the head of his cock was pressed against the spot that made you see stars, “That’s all I’ve got, the rest is all you baby.” 

He laughed and you did too, the sound of it reverberating off the walls as he took back control. Joel kissed your shoulder, gripping your hips so that he could lift you until only the head of his cock remained inside. You mewled, hands flying backwards to yank at his hair and dig crescent moons into his thigh in protest. 

“Don’t worry babygirl, I’ve got this,” Joel assured, kissing your shoulder one more time before he slammed you back down onto him. 

He kept a slow but hard pace, bringing you up until nothing but the head remained nestled inside each time. When he speared back into you, he grinded you against him, ensuring that his cock rubbed every sweet spot from within. Most of the water had been sloshed out but neither of you cared, too immersed with one another to focus on anything but the growing tingles spreading out from where you were connected. Each thrust was answered by a call of his name, something that was making him dizzy with lust. 

“Shit darling, love how you sound calling out my name. So fucking sexy all fucked out on my cock like this. Already fucked a baby into you, what else do I have to do for this needy pussy? Do I gotta keep her plugged up with cum? Fuck, or maybe I gotta fuck her in front of the whole town, make sure everyone knows she’s mine,” Joel rambled. 

He groaned when your walls tightened up around him, squeezing his length so hard that his eyes rolled into the back of his head. There was something about the way you reacted to just his voice that drove him crazy. It was as if he was fucking both your mind and body, taking you apart in every possible way before he slammed the pieces back together again, and it made him feel wanted. The high pitched whine he got in response to his filthy words made his jaw tick and he slapped your ass with just enough pressure to get your attention. 

“Answer me,” he hissed, grinding you even harder against him. 

You nodded desperately, “N-Need it, need you, desperate for your - ah, shit - your cock! Let you - oh my god - I’ll let you fuck me anywhere daddy. Don’t care where, as long as it’s you fucking me, love mmpf, love your cock.” 

Joel bit your neck and you squealed, going limp at the surge of hormones that rushed through you at the sharp reminder of his claim. He chuckled darkly, uncaring of the way his muscles burned from exertion and how his heart thumped wildly against the walls of his chest. All that mattered was making you feel good, of caring for you in the one way he knew that he could easily do. 

“Wanna know a secret honey?,” he asked, “S’not just you that’s desperate. I’m starvin’ for ya, every single day. So fucking sexy, so smart, gonna be such a good mama to our - fuuuck - to are pup. Shit, tell me you’re close baby, I need to fuck my cum into you. Gonna let you have it.”

The wanton noise you made was incoherent but he understood it, that particular whine being the one that usually signaled an incoming release. Joel stuck his face in your neck, worrying the skin between his teeth as he rambled all of the depraved promises he could think of. He knew that you loved to hear him talk, he felt it with every spasm of your walls, and he used it to his advantage. As Joel’s balls tightened up, his cock twitching wildly in the vice grip of your pussy, he laid it on thick in hopes that it might push you into a release before he exploded. 

“F-Fuck baby, if you weren’t already knocked up, I’d fuck another baby into you right now. Pussy needs me to keep her fed, gonna fuck so much of my cum into her so that she’ll never want anyone else. Shiiiit, she’ll never need anyone else. She’s mine, you are fucking mine,” he growled. 

“Yours, yours, yours, yours,” you chanted, too gone to do anything other than repeat. 

“Then cum for me darling, want to feel my girl milk my cock,” Joel commanded. 

The ecstasy fueled scream you answered him with was so instantaneous that it nearly knocked him off of his rhythm but he held strong, continuing his pace as you gushed torrents of slick into the dwindling bath water. For one twisted moment, he thought about how the herb scented water would taste with your slick mixed in and it made his mouth water. His cock twitched hard inside of you, jumping at the thought of your delicious taste. You convulsed on top of him in turn, letting out ragged moans and broken whimpers as your pussy greedily sucked him dry. 

“Cum, mmmmmm fuck Joel, want your cum,” you begged, eyes rolling into the back of your head as another wave of pleasure dragged you under. 

“Christ honey, m’gonna cum - shiiiiiiiit,” was all Joel managed to get out before he was cumming, mindlessly locking himself inside so that he could explode inside of you properly. 

His knot breached your hole and you squeaked, already so stuffed as it was, but you soon dissolved into a whining mess. He felt your walls suck at the base of his cock greedily, as if he had the power to somehow impregnate you twice. The groan that he let out at the thought was loud, signaling another round of toe curling releases that had him shaking beneath you. 

You were no better, whining and grinding him well past the point of overstimulation. Joel let you do it, clenching his jaw while you wantonly circled your hips enough to keep you both cumming until he could physically give you no more. By the time you were sated enough to stop, his cock was raw and his abdominal muscles ached from the exertion of his releases. He let out a sigh of relief when you went still, silently praying that this would be enough of a workout to force you into a couple of hours of much needed rest. 

Joel eased you further into his lap, allowing you to lay back against his front until he could pull his cock out without hurting you. With how full your body already was, he felt a flash of guilt at knotting you in such a state, but he also remembered how you had begged him to keep you knotted nearly every day for the past six months. Every moment that you weren’t busied by home improvements or work, you were on him. This led to constant bouts of desperate love making, with him having to get more creative with the positions the heavier you got, followed by him helping you come down with the sweetest touches afterwards. 

Most of the water had been splashed out of the tub and onto the floor, leaving an awful mess that he would have to clean up when he could disentangle himself from you. With barely any water left, the full weight of the baby was pressing into you, making you wiggle against him in discomfort. Unsure of what else he could do to ease your pain, Joel did the only thing he could think of. Having heard of the trick from his brother, he cupped the bottom of your swollen belly and lifted it from your lap, easing some of the pressure that had been gathering there. He smiled at your sigh of content, nuzzling your cheek in response. 

“Never stop doing that,” you mumbled dreamily. 

He chuckled, “I won’t honey, at least not for a while. We’re gonna be stuck here until it goes away.”

Joel’s knot was still very much swollen, angrily inflated and locked deep within your walls as you both lounged. Until it went down, the two of you were trapped but neither of you cared. Instead, he took the time to truly appreciate the woman he loved, lifting your belly for a few minutes at a time as he whispered sweet words into your ear. And you returned the sentiment, cooing at him as you helped scrub the dirt from his tanned skin. There was no rush, just two lovers worshiping each other with all of their might, staying connected in the most intimate of ways as they did. 

When the two of you were cleaned, both in mind and body, he carefully pulled himself out of you. He soothed the absence he left with soft kisses, holding you tight until you calmed once more. The line of kisses along your neck finished with an obnoxious smooch to your cheek and he laughed when the smacking sound made you giggle. With you finally soothed, he slowly pulled himself up from behind you, careful not to jostle your lax body too much. 

“Alright, let’s not spend the whole evening here,” Joel mumbled, kissing your shoulder before he lifted you in his arms. 

With your body rendered useless from his thrusts, it was easy for Joel to cradle you in his arms as he walked you to the counter. He placed you down in between the two sinks, fetching a towel to dry the dampness from your skin. Once he was done, he grabbed the oils he had procured for you in town. After hearing you complain about the burn of your stretch marks, he had made it his mission to find a cure. The few tools he had traded to get the bottle was worth it to see the happy tears you had shed the first time it soothed them. Who needed a hacksaw anyways? Not him, not if the alternative was watching you cry about the angry lines that had bloomed across your midsection. 

While Joel worked, he allowed you to play with his hair, forming ringlets around your fingers that he knew would only grow with the heat of the summer air. Each time you had taken a pair of scissors to his hair, you were always careful to leave it a bit longer than he normally would, but he allowed it because he knew how much you loved his curls. Not to mention how much he loved the attention you gave him because of them. By the time your belly and hips were slathered in a layer of the sweet smelling oil, every strand on the top of his head was accounted for. 

“Okay baby, nap time?,” he asked through a yawn. 

The heat of the day had caught up to him, making him feel like he was awake standing up as he readied himself to lift you again. Sleepily nodding in response, you threw your arms around his neck and sighed as he transferred you from the counter to the bed. Joel placed you down gently, laughing when you refused to release him from your hold. 

“Can’t exactly lay on top of ya right now darling, gonna need you to let go,” he reminded as he carefully pulled your arms from around his neck. 

“Ugh, another reason why your kid needs to come out as soon as she can,” you groaned. 

Joel snorted and scooched in behind you, forgoing the blankets to combat the summer heat that filled the room. Instead, he draped himself over your back, kissing your neck as he helped cradle the swell of your belly. 

“My kid, huh?,” Joel questioned, the playfulness evident in his tone. 

“When she’s being annoying, yeah she’s your kid,” you deadpanned. 

He chuckled, nipping your shoulder so that you broke into another fit of giggles. As you laughed, he pulled you closer, burying his nose into your hair so that he could huff at your sweet scent. After a while, you calmed and leaned back into him, allowing him the access to snuffle at the gland on your neck. It lulled him, pulling him into a trance where all he could do was hold on for dear life as your scent engulfed him in a bubble of trust and adoration that he had never known before he met you. 

“Love you baby, get some sleep,” you whispered to him. 

“Hey, that’s my line,” Joel shot back. 

The groggy laugh he got in response made him smile. 

“My bad, go ahead.”

“Thank you. Love ya honey, get some sleep. See? That’s much better,” he teased. 

You chuckled, “Whatever, dork.” 

Joel hummed at that, too tired to send back any more responses with your body glued against his so perfectly. It didn’t matter that there was a layer of sweat forming between you, what mattered was how perfect his life was at that very moment. He was half asleep, cocooned around his soul mate, his best friend, the only reason his life was worth living, and he was happy. 

Joel was older than he’d once thought he’d be, having imagined during Sarah’s lifetime that he might meet his soulmate while his daughter was in middle school. Then, when that obviously didn’t happen, he had predicted that it would happen when she was in high school. Then, when the world ended, he had no choice but to watch that dream die alongside her. Nevertheless, life is fickle, and somehow it had all come at a time when he least expected it. It had come at a time when he had given up on life altogether, which often made him wonder whether you had been sent to him. He was not a believer of any higher power, but with how often he talked to them in his dreams and while in his loneliest moments, he sometimes wondered if it had been his girls. 

As Joel felt your body go lax against the covers he listened to the sound of your even breaths, softly brushing his hands over the new life beneath your taut skin. Soon, Joel would be a father again, something that had once terrified him to the point of an all out breakdown. But at that moment, he was ready, unshaken by the previous heartbreaks of his traumatic life. If his girls HAD sent you, they would likely be looking out for you and their incoming sibling as well. Soothed by you and thoughts of the children he had once had, he allowed himself to take a moment of rest, tangled up with you atop of the sheets as he drifted off into sleep. 

- You - 

The first thing you noticed was how hot it was. It felt like the surface of the sun was glued to your back, pounding bursts of sunlight into your flesh as you roused from sleep. Not to mention the heat of the air around you, which at this point was downright tropical. When you cracked an eye open, you huffed in annoyance, noting how Joel had once again forgotten to leave the screen door to the balcony open so that the evening air could come in. 

The second thing you noticed was the foot that was jammed into your bladder, repeatedly kicking the poor organ until you hissed at the familiar urge building in your lower abdomen. In an effort to not literally piss on yourself and the human furnace behind you, you quickly slipped from Joel’s arms and waddled to the bathroom as fast as you possibly could. When you made it, you sighed in relief, still embarrassed at the time a few weeks back where you were not as fortunate. 

That was a moment you hoped to never have to live through again, as you were forced to look your mate in the eye and tell him what you had done. You remembered how your face had burned with embarrassment as you explained that you couldn’t get down on your knees to clean it up without his help. Of course, Joel had waved you off, cleaning it by himself without a single word of complaint or jest, but it still made your stomach churn thinking about it. So much so, that the two of you had made a pact to never speak of it again. 

When you were done, you washed up, sighing at the bags that had gathered under your eyes. Sleep was a luxury that you seemed to only be able to obtain for small amounts of time. Naps had reigned supreme so far and you had the enormity of the child to thank for it, with her limbs constantly knocking into organs and getting stuck in your ribcage. That and the inherent need to make the home presentable for the baby, as if a newborn would care about things as trivial as dusty cupboards. 

Nesting called to you, constantly dragging you from sleep to complete the most trivial of tasks while Joel slept. Most of the time they would be left unfinished, with you either too frazzled to complete them or Joel eventually dragging you back to bed, but your brain continued to send the urges nonetheless. Which was why when you finished in the bathroom, you didn’t return to where the man you loved was snoring into his pillow. Instead, you pulled on a pair of clean underwear and veered right, padding towards what would soon become your child’s room. 

The two of you had chosen a room on the other side of the hall, close enough so that you could hear the baby cry out but not so close that they might hear anything from behind a shared wall once they got older. Joel had laughed when you had suggested that, shaking his head as he agreed to switch his top choice of potential bedrooms. It was a good sized room, one with a deep closet that was already filled with a modest amount of hand-me-downs that Maria and other Jackson residents had dropped off. Some of them needed to be sewed up but you didn’t mind, touched by the kindness of the multiple strangers who had come bearing gifts once you had begun to show enough for other residents to notice. 

After much debate, the room had been painted with one of the only two paint colors Joel had found in the basement that were still usable. It was a gentle green that didn’t fit any of the other rooms in the house, which made you dissolve into a puddle of tears at the thought of the previous occupants having their decorational dreams crushed. Joel had laughed and shushed you, allowing the hormone fueled crying spell to pass before he got to work on the room. With a few of Frankie’s shabby toys lining the shelves, blankets draped over a rocker that your mother had brought from her own home, and a crib carved by none other than Joel himself, the baby’s room was ready. 

Nevertheless, the hormone fueled beast you had become always had to take issue with something, which meant that you suddenly decided that the closet needed to be reorganized. Four nights ago, you had already done this, organizing each piece of clothing by color, but now that seemed ridiculous. What good would color do? With a huff of annoyance, you tore the clothes from the shelves, piling them on top of the rocker and dresser so that you didn’t have to collect them from the floor. 

After the closet was empty, you got to work on re-organizing them based on type of clothing. Pants first, then shirts, then jumpers, then onesies, and finally, the dresses at the very end of the line in case Joel’s prediction was wrong. Much better, you thought to yourself as you got into a rhythm, so locked into your task that you didn’t notice the figure watching you from the doorway. 

“Sweet girl, why didn’t ya wake me? S’gotta be way past suppertime now, doctor said you’ve gotta be eating regularly,” Joel called out from his place against the doorframe, making you drop the little dress in your hands. 

“I’m almost done! Just have to get these back up and then I’ll go get something. It won’t take too much longer,” you protested. 

When you tried to squat down to pick up the little piece of purple fabric, Joel swooped in, snatching it from the floor before you even had a chance to fully bend your knees. He tsked as he handed you the dress, his gaze chastising enough that he didn’t even have to say anything. You rolled your eyes but nodded, turning your back to him with a dramatic sigh so that you could complete the job. However, despite your attempts at focusing on the task at hand, Joel did not like being forgotten and quickly picked up the small pile of dresses that remained so that he could pass each of them to you. 

“Why’re you up? You were sleeping like the dead when I left,” you asked after a time. 

“You know that I can’t sleep long without ya in bed with me,” he sighed, scratching the back of his neck nervously as he continued, “Plus, I’ve been meaning to talk to ya but I got kinda distracted.” 

You turned then, visibly bristling at the foreboding words sent your way. Joel gulped when your pointed gaze met his, looking like he was cornered by a lion as he tried to spit out whatever it was that was making him sweat. 

“I uh, well… Today Maria came down and pulled me off maintenance, said that now that the pipe’s found that the crew can patch it without me,” Joel began, his voice trailing off near the end. 

At once, you understood. Grabbing the little blue dress that hung from his hand, you turned towards the baby clothes so that he couldn’t see your face fall. When Maria had originally pulled him, upon his request, from the patrol shifts, you had been told multiple times that the arrangement was temporary. At the time, temporary was a relative term, all that mattered to you was that Joel was safe in Jackson and free to come home when you needed him. Which, much to your dismay, was becoming more and more as your pregnancy progressed. With the bubble of security popped, you couldn’t help but sour at the sense of impending doom you felt anytime you thought of him outside the safety of Jackson’s walls. 

“What happened? She must have had a reason for pulling you from maintenance,” you prodded, keeping your tone light despite the lump that formed in your throat. 

He didn’t respond and again, you knew. Jackson was growing, but it was still a small town filled with people that had nothing better to do than talk. That meant that you had heard about each of the missing patrols, as well as the four missing bodies that had shown up this morning. Stupidly, you had hoped that Maria might call someone else, someone less bonded, someone with a mate who wasn’t eight months pregnant, to go after the group that was picking people off. But, ultimately you knew that she had to put Jackson first. Joel Miller was a renowned killer, a man who had survived against all odds for decades, meaning that he was the best person that she had for the job. 

“Bodies, um,” he cleared his throat before he continued, “They found some bodies near the gates, who knows, maybe it was infected -”

“Don’t lie to me,” you spat, “I’m pregnant Joel, not a fucking child.” 

Joel sighed and you turned, feeling guilty at the venom you had just spewed at him. He was scared to tell you because he didn’t want his pregnant mate to worry, you knew that, but you were getting tired of people tiptoeing around your emotions. What you needed was for him to be honest, not to sugarcoat the situation to the point of inaccuracy. All that lying would do was hurt you more once you inevitably heard it from the people in town. 

“Look, m’sorry about lying to ya just now, but I don’t want you worrying about me. Yeah, there were some bodies and yeah, they were our guys, but I’m gonna be okay. It’s me and Tommy gone for the morning, that’s it,” he rushed out, stepping forward so he could grab your face. 

“Okay,” was all you said back to him. 

He blinked, shocked at your dismissal, “Okay?” 

Pulling away, you nodded and placed the last dress in its place. The closet was done but you stayed there, staring at all of the clothes as you tried to put a muzzle on the swelling emotions that rose up from deep within your subconscious. Joel needed to go, he had no choice, and you would have to stay in Jackson without him. And if he didn’t return? There would be a child that would have to be raised without him, with said child never getting the chance to know the man who you’d move mountains for. Your mother’s hardened face flashed in your mind, making you want to vomit at the thought of having to raise his baby alone. It was all too much and suddenly, you were too aggrieved to be in his presence any longer. 

Stepping around him, you hurried towards the stairs, desperate to do something, anything, to keep from crying in front of Joel for what must have been the billionth time in the past week. It wasn’t his fault and yet you wept, causing you to feel even more guilty for the tears that streamed down your face as you ran away. The last thing you wanted to do was make him feel bad for something he couldn’t control but, as he bounded towards you and whipped you around to face him, you failed at hiding your heart break from him immediately. 

One thing nobody prepared you for when talking about pregnancy was how the slightest aggravation would lead to a torrent of tears running down your face, leaving a mess for Joel to clean up on a daily basis. He always said that he didn’t mind, that he loved taking care of you no matter what, but it still made you feel awful. He had his own worries and responsibilities that he had taken on since becoming a Jackson resident, but he had to constantly look after you. 

“Stop, it’s fine Joel. No, really! It’s okay, just ignore this, this is just hormones. I’m super g-good,” you sobbed, sounding ridiculous to even your own ears. 

“Oh sweetheart, m’sorry, you know I’d stay if I could,” Joel sighed, bringing you into a tightest hug he could manage considering the bowling ball that was strapped to your stomach. 

Another sob broke from your lips, this one more strangled than the last, and you kicked yourself for not being able to stop it. Every time you tried, the tears only worsened, to the point where you had no choice but to allow yourself to cry into his chest so that they would finally go away. Joel was patient, rubbing your back and whispering lovingly into your ear until you calmed. 

“Darling, I know you’re scared. Believe me, I don’t want to leave you alone any more than you want to be left, but it’ll be okay. Maria gave me a short shift, just a couple of hours and I’ll be back. Hell, you’ll probably sleep through most of it, we leave at dawn,” Joel said soothingly. 

You whimpered but nodded, trying to wipe the tears and snot from your face as you pulled away. He cooed at your weepy eyes, batting your hands away so that he could do the job himself and you let him. Joel smiled when he was done and kissed your forehead, his lips chapped yet soft as they lingered against the skin. 

“I’ll come home to ya honey, always will, I promise,” he mumbled. 

“You better,” you shakily replied, with your voice too weak for the words to have any real heat to them. 

Joel hummed, lingering for a bit to ensure that you were truly calm. It was you that pulled away, with a sudden kick to your ribcage serving as a reminder of the supper you had missed out on. Grunting at the feeling, you hissed and tried to use your hand to shove the little foot out from where it was caught. 

“She getting ya again?,” he asked, replacing your hand with his so that he could help untangle the wayward limb. 

“She gets mean when she’s hungry,” you grunted. 

When it came loose at last, you released the breath you had been holding in. The discomfort ebbed away, however the child seemed to be only more aggrieved by the sudden change and you soon felt more kicks to your most vital organs. Joel winced at your scowl, leaning down so he could get face to face with the swell. 

“C’mon sweet pea, take it easy on your mama now. I’ll feed ya both, but you gotta let her sleep afterwards, that’s the deal,” he bargained. 

The kicking stopped and you grinned, your heart glowing at the feeling of his soft timbre slowly soothing the pup. It was unfair how easily Joel’s voice eased the constant kicks that kept you awake all hours of the night, as if the baby had already chosen their favorite parent. You didn’t blame the kid, he was your favorite person in the entire world and you had no doubt that he would be the baby’s as well. 

“She gone back to sleep?,” Joel asked, pulling himself up again to kiss your cheek. 

“So annoying that she only listens to you. I’m the one literally growing her,” you answered, rolling your eyes to add to the effect. 

He smiled and shrugged, trying and failing not to look smug. 

“Can’t help it, I’ve got a way with words,” Joel answered, giving you one last kiss before he wrapped his hand around yours. 

Joel led you to the staircase, placing your hand on his shoulders so that you could lean on him as you made your way down. He was careful not to go too fast, wanting to act as a cushion in case you fell. It was slightly ridiculous, considering the fact that you had to make your way down every morning alone when he went to work or you had an early morning shift at the clinic. Nevertheless, you knew better than to argue and used his shoulder to ease some of the weight off your feet as you took the steps. 

He tried to lead you over to the living room but you refused, opting instead to follow him into the kitchen to watch him cook. Taking a place at the breakfast nook with the glass of water that he demanded you drink, your eyes raked over his backside as he whipped up some of the chili in the freezer that you had nicked from the dining hall. 

Joel’s shoulders were broad, so god damn broad that you couldn’t help but imagine how simple it would be for him to let a few kids hang off of them. Each movement he made reminded you of his strength and your mouth watered as you watched his arms flex while he stirred the pot. You were blessed with the sight of his bare skin, scarred and beautiful as the muscles moved beneath golden skin. If the doctor was right in her assumptions, there were two babies stuffed inside of you, two babies that would be blessed with a father who was strong enough to carry them both with ease. 

Neither one of you had said anything about it, not wanting to bring life to a possibility that was becoming more realistic each day you grew impossibly larger, but you knew there was a second crib carved. Joel had hidden it in the basement, stupidly believing that you would actually heed his request to not go down the creaky steps without him. Although you had kept it cool around him thus far, you had sobbed when you found it, overwhelmed with love for him. It drove you wild how easily he cared for you, despite his own fears about having another life, let alone two, to care for. 

This man had grown so much since you had first met him. He was your best friend, your lover, the person you’d live and die for, and he was devoted to you almost to the point of insanity. It was for that reason that you knew that his ability to provide for you would extend to your offspring, something that stirred something primal within you. 

As you squeezed your thighs together to get some relief, you couldn’t help but gawk at the smattering of hair across his chest when he turned to grab the bowls from the cupboards. Everything about Joel screamed man, from his wide frame, to the thick muscles that made his boxer covered thighs that much more enticing, to the fact that he had banished you to the table to relax as he made the meal. At this rate, you were pretty sure that there would be a wet spot left on the cushion when you got up from the booth. 

“You want me to pose or something?,” Joel drawled, breaking you from the lust filled haze he had caused. 

He turned and you jumped, pretending to rearrange the salt and pepper shakers on the table. Despite your best attempts to act natural, you felt the flush that crept up your neck that gave you away immediately. The click of the stove being turned off made you jump, along with the heavy footsteps that barreled towards you. By the time Joel was in front of you, lifting your chin to force you to make eye contact with him, your panties were absolutely drenched. 

“What’s got you all worked up baby? Can feel you staring a hole through my back,” he jested, softly running his thumb over your trembling bottom lip. 

“You’re so big,” you sighed dreamily, mesmerized by the puppy dog eyes that lovingly held you in their gaze. 

He cocked an eyebrow, a wry grin spreading out on his face at your words. 

“Not like that!,” you groaned, “Well, okay, yes you are big like that but that’s not what I meant.” 

While your cheeks burned at the admission, you buried your face in your hands and Joel laughed. Butterflies erupted from deep in your stomach, stirring up your nerves and making the baby give you a few kicks as a reminder to calm down. You tried but it was hard, especially when her father was so god damn attractive. 

“S’that right? How’d ya mean then?,” he teased. 

The sigh you let out was long and drawn out, making him laugh even harder at your sudden shyness. It was crazy how this man could make you feel so confident one moment, easily loosening your lips with lust so that you begged him to do the filthiest things possible to your needy pussy, and the next he could still make you feel like a giddy teen. In the time since you had met him, he had ruined you in the best way possible. Nobody would ever live up to Joel Miller, the man that could take you apart and make you whole again in the blink of an eye. 

“It’s just your stupid shoulders!,” you groaned, “ And your arms - God, they’re so big! It’s not fair Joel. Here I am minding my business, and all I can think about is how good you’d look with a few kids hanging off of them. You’re going to be such a hot dad, it’s going to drive me crazy.” 

He cocked an eyebrow, “A FEW kids? We don’t even have this one yet.” 

“Yeah but,” you sighed, “I know we aren’t talking about what the doctor said the other day BUT, if there’s two then I’m going to have to watch you take care of them. And the thought of you carrying them at the same time - ugh - my ovaries are exploding just thinking about it.” 

Joel snorted, getting a kick out of the way you squirmed at the thought of his broad frame easily holding a few pups. It made you blush even harder and you found yourself too worked up to do anything but peek at the pudge of his stomach from behind your hands. The urge to bite at the tantalizing treasure trail that led towards his waistband was strong but you ignored it, not wanting to force him into another round of love making while he was trying to make you a decent meal. 

“Does the thought of me being a good dad turn you on?,” he questioned, pulling your hands from your face as he knelt in between your legs. 

You nodded solemnly, unsure of how he was about to react at the admission. Was it weird that you felt that way? You couldn't tell, but it was impossible to hide it from him when everything he did for you or the unborn child riled you up so much. If you had it your way, he’d stay buried inside of your cunt for the next month, keeping himself there for easy access when you inevitably wanted him to fuck you again. 

“Aw honey, s’alright. No need to get embarrassed,” Joel cooed, rubbing your tummy as he did, “Know what? I think the same thing about you. You’re so loving, so strong, gonna take such good care of our pup. Makes me want to show you how much I love you, every day.”

Joel’s words were sweet, but you couldn’t help but squirm at the double entendre.  

“Then show me,” you whispered. 

His eyes turned black at that, his pupils growing with lust until only a thin line of brown remained. A heady scent of desire cloaked every other smell in the room, making your cunt throb between your legs. Joel’s nose twitched as he caught the scent and he licked his lips as though he was readying himself to take a bite of you. As he stared at your lips, you spotted the neglected food on the stove, suddenly feeling ashamed at how needy you were for always begging him to fuck you into oblivion at the drop of a hat. 

“I’m sorry, you don’t have t - ah!,” you squeaked, cut off by his hands pulling your legs towards the end of the booth so that they hung off the edge. 

Joel threw your legs over his shoulders, groaning as he buried his face into the drenched gusset of your panties. He huffed at the fabric and you whimpered as his nose bumped against your sensitive clit. Panting and whining, you reached down to bury your fingers into his hair to ground yourself amidst the intense need rushing through you. 

“Never fucking apologize for this, taking care of this pretty pussy is my job, nobody else’s,” he drawled, yanking your panties up so that they dug into your slit. 

“Y-Your job,” you mimicked, too desperate to do much else. 

He chuckled darkly and leaned forward, mouthing at your soaked cunt through the fabric he held tight in his grasp. It was somehow too much and not enough, with his strong tongue easily working you up despite the barrier, but you craved more. What you needed was his face suctioned to your core, sucking at your clit as his fingers slammed into that one spot over and over again. 

“Joel, Joel, Joel, please,” you begged, thighs twitching around his head as he teased. 

“No, take what I give ya and then maybe I’ll be nice,” Joel replied, his voice muffled by your panty covered seam. 

You groaned and kicked your legs out in protest, earning a nip to the calf from him. The sting shot up your spine, adding to the growing pressure between your thighs. With your heart slamming inside of your chest and your hands yanking on his curls, you shook and keened. Joel growled and pulled you even closer, rubbing his face against your core as you barreled towards the edge. The scruff on his cheeks burned at the inside of your thighs and you knew that the skin there would be flushed from the friction, but you didn’t care. In fact, you hoped that he would leave a mark, something to remind you of how good he made you feel on a daily basis. 

“C’mon baby, cum for me. Know you want to my filthy fucking girl. Pussy full of my cum and she still needs me, doesn’t she? We taste so fucking good, can’t wait to bury my tongue in that sweet cunt, gonna clean my cum out and make you taste it when we kiss,” Joel groaned. 

His words sent a shockwave through your body, making all of the muscles in your body tense up before you exploded into all out euphoria. The sound of liquid hitting the floor below barely registered, you were too busy gushing slick as your walls clenched around nothing. Joel let out a pained whine when you tugged on his hair, too blissed out to care about suffocating him as you rode out your high. After one last brutal wave of pleasure, you sighed and let go of him, trying desperately to catch your breath. 

“That’s it honey, such a good girl for me,” Joel panted, leaning back to press wet kisses against your thighs. 

“J-J-J,” you gasped, trying desperately to answer him. 

Any attempt to catch your breath failed and you slapped his shoulder, signaling to him that you needed something. With the weight of the baby strapped to your midsection, it had become nearly impossible to lie on your back at times. As much as you would love for him to continue to devour you in the booth of the breakfast nook, there was no way you were going to be able to keep going without changing positions. Joel took the hint, immediately halting the kisses to your shaking thighs so that he could help. 

“What’s the matter sweetheart? Is she kicking you again? Do ya need to pee?,” he questioned, rubbing your sides as he asked. 

You shook your head, “C-Can’t breathe, g-get up, need t-to get up.” 

Joel cussed and slipped your legs off of his shoulders, quickly holding out a hand for you. When you took hold of his hand, he pulled you up, slipping the other one around your back for extra support. It was only when you were right side up again that the pressure against your lungs melted away, allowing you to take a few steadying breaths that calmed your racing heart. As you gulped down the much needed oxygen, Joel’s hands brushed over your skin, desperately trying to soothe you in any way he could. 

“I’m okay Joel, it’s just hard to lay like that when I’ve got a fucking watermelon pressing into me,” you chuckled once you had finally caught up on breaths. 

He hummed, “You gotta tell me if you’re hurtin’ baby, we could’ve moved.” 

You shook your head, grabbing the back of his neck so that you could pull him close and kiss the damp skin around his face. The taste of you lingered around his mouth, along with the delicious saltiness of his own cum that had sprayed out of your cunt with the force of your orgasm. Joel hesitantly kissed you back, still too spooked to get into it again, and you sighed. 

“I really am fine. Nothing hurt and I could breathe just fine until you made me cum. I promise I would have told you if it did,” you said, your thumb rubbing soothing circles into his tensed jaw. 

Joel nodded, “Okay honey, that’s fine. D’ya wanna stop for right now? We could get something eat and then come b-”

“No!,” you cried out, grappling at his shoulders as he tried to pull away, “You made dirty promises mister and I’m holding you to them! We just need to move first and then I’m all yours.” 

He chuckled and shook his head, mumbling something about you being insatiable as he scooped you up from the booth. The screech that you let out was cut off by his mouth sealing over yours and you sighed into it, allowing his tongue to sweep into your mouth. Joel tasted like a delicious mix of the both of you, something that forced another rush of desire to pulse through you. It was only when he was suddenly placing you down onto your feet that the spell was broken and you found yourself whining as he pulled back. 

“Nuh uh honey, none of that,” Joel tsked, “M’gonna take care of ya, just need to do it right this time. If ya can’t lay down, we’ll have to do it like this.” 

He pulled away and plopped down on the couch, grabbing your thighs as he laid across it. The smile he wore was almost boyish, as if your pussy was the last slice of cake and he had just been given permission to dig in. You wanted nothing more than to take a seat on his ruggedly handsome face, riding it until you could no longer speak, but you hesitated. If you were scared about crushing Joel before, now it seemed inevitable. How the hell was he going to breathe with you on top of him? It wasn’t like you would notice if he was suffocating, you couldn’t even see your own toes anymore, much less a face buried in between your thighs. 

“Don’t even want to hear it sweetheart, hop on or I’ll drag you up here myself. I just carried your ass all the way from the kitchen, you ain’t gonna crush me,” Joel demanded, already tugging on the leg closest to him in excitement. 

There was no arguing with Joel when he got like this, you knew that, so you sighed and shimmied out of your panties. It was a bit awkward when you first climbed over him, throwing your wobbly leg over his chest so that you hovered over the scarred skin there. He smiled from ear to ear, grabbing your ass to yank you towards his mouth. 

“Joel!,” you yelped, catching yourself on the armrest above his head to keep from falling forward. 

“Hush,” he growled. 

Joel’s hands squeezed your cheeks, pulling them apart so your holes were exposed to his greedy eyes. All you could see was the swell of your own stomach, leaving you guessing as to when he was going to finally dive in and it was maddening. Slick dripped from your core, likely covering your thighs and his face at the point, and you whined a desperate plea to him. With that, his patience shattered and you couldn’t help the shocked screech you let out when he slammed you down on his face. 

The feeling of Joel’s mouth was exquisite and you struggled to keep from clenching your thighs around his head, not wanting to suffocate him even more than you already were. He started by running his thick tongue from your asshole, all the way to your clit where he ended with a sharp flick. Every inch of you came alive, with his mouth sending you into an all out frenzy as it expertly swept over every pleasure spot in your core. Sweat dripped down your face, making your hair stick to the sides of his as you held onto the couch for dear life. 

“J-o-oel fuuuuck, s’good. Oh my god, don’t stop,” you whimpered. 

A hand reared back and slapped your ass, using less strength than usual but just enough to force out a choked sob. Joel groaned when one of your hands left the armrest to grip his hair, using the curls to squish his face even further into your drenched folds. He let you do it, happily working his way up to your clit so that he could pop the swollen bud into his mouth to suck. 

You convulsed, babbling as your hips tried to pull away from the intense stimulation, “P-Please, please, please, fuck! Feels so good daddy, you’re gonna make me cum.” 

Joel held strong, easily keeping you pinned against his mouth so that he could pull you into another round of overwhelming pleasure. Every time you managed to pull away even an inch, he yanked you back down, until a threatening grumbling noise came from his chest that stilled your movements. It was as if your instincts had overwhelmed your ability to think with just one simple growl from him. The omega in you heeded to the noise, rendering you unable to do anything but sit there as your alpha took what he wanted. 

And it seemed like what he wanted to do was kill you. From the second your pussy had touched down against his face, you were already so close. The power Joel had over you was unimaginable, with just the first few strokes of his tongue rendering you a hopeless mess. However, as you felt him suck your poor clit into his mouth even harder, batting the nub with his tongue as he did, you were gone. 

A high pitched noise echoed in your ears, your vision whiting out for a second as the growing pressure was released. As you panted and scraped his scalp with your fingernails, walls contracting around nothing, you realized that the high pitched noise was your own screams. The sound of Joel's palm slapping your ass made you choke on a shriek, the sting heightening the pleasure that surged through you. He worked you through it, moaning wantonly as he welded himself to your folds. It was only when you slumped over him, twitching and shivering in overstimulation, that he finally let you go. 

Carefully, ever so carefully, Joel scooched you back so that you straddled his chest again. He hissed when your arms faltered, catching you just in time to save you from squishing the bump against him. A slurred apology came from you, with your mind too discombobulated to truly react to the fall. He shushed you, lifting you again so that he could pull himself into a seated position. With the armrest against his back, he cradled you in his arms, cooing at the tears that ran down your cheeks. 

“Aw, my sweet girl, did so good for me baby,” Joel praised, wiping the sweat soaked hair from your eyes as he did. 

Another cry came from you, this one louder than the last, the pleasure having wiped away all lines of defense against the overwhelming emotions you were prone to. Joel’s face, with its fine lines, scars, and the facial hair you refused to let him shave off, was absolutely drenched. Slick covered it, making everywhere from his cheeks to his forehead shine in the dying light of the day. It was like you had claimed all over again, the remnants of your pleasure being yet another sign of his devotion. All you wanted was for him to hold you for tonight, and every night for the rest of your life, but you were terrified that a life like that would be taken from you. His brow furrowed in worry, looking almost heartbroken by your outburst. 

“What’s the matter honey? Aw, c’mon now darling, don’t cry. Talk to me,” he cooed, bringing your face closer to his so that he could place kisses all over it. 

Too ashamed to say anything, you shook your head, trying and failing to control the awful cries you let out. Joel held your body closer to his, doting upon every inch of it as you sobbed. Every time you thought it was done, it kept going, until nothing remained but wet sniffles and embarrassing hiccups. He ran his thumb over your cheeks, collecting the moisture there in silence. It made you want to break, to tell him how your more deranged side wanted nothing more than to chain him up in the basement so that he would be forced to stay home, but you couldn’t. It wasn’t fair. 

“M’gonna be alright pretty girl, s’not like it was before,” he said softly after some time. 

Looking away from him, you nodded and tried to control the tears. Of course, Joel couldn’t know that, but there was no reason for you to make him worry any more that he already was by freaking out. You needed to be strong, you knew that, but the hormones running rampant throughout your body never seemed to get the memo. 

“How?,” you broke, too terrified to let it go for his sake, “How is it not like before? There’s p-people out there k-killing our patrols and you have to be the one to go out there. Y-You Joel! And I c-can’t do anything about it. If you go missing I-I can’t, I won’t be able to…”

You trailed off, too overcome with emotion to continue down that dark path, but it was hard not to, especially when there was some truth to the statement. In the state you were in there was no way you would be able to pull off the miraculous rescue mission you had once before, there would be no going after him if something went wrong. Each time Joel and you were apart, bad things would happen, and you couldn’t help but feel like this was going to end the same. Except this time, he would be doomed. 

“S’not like before because I’m not going alone, I have Tommy and as dumb as he can be, he knows what he’s doing,” Joel paused, placing a broad hand against your swollen belly, “S’not like before because of you and her, I’m not taking any chances. No way m’gonna miss this.” 

“But what if -”

His index finger pressed against your lips, effectively silencing your doubts before they could take life. The seriousness of his gaze halted your defiance, with his big brown eyes drilling into the deepest corners of your heart with a single look. 

“I’ve had two pups in my life and I’ve had to watch them both die. I didn’t even get to bury them. If you think for one second that I’m gonna let anything happen to me out there, that I’m not gonna be there for this baby, for you, then you’re crazy. There’s no buts baby, I’m gonna come home to ya,” he promised. 

The way Joel said it was so definitive that it soothed your cries, sobering you to the reality of the man that held you so tightly to his chest. He was confident in his abilities because he had to be, he had to make it back because the other option was too unbearable for him. It would be as if he was failing his other children all over again, only this time in a different, more painful way. If he died, Joel would not only be leaving his unborn child without his care, but his pregnant mate as well, his pregnant mate that would then have to birth and raise said child alone. As much as you wanted to bemoan his involvement in patrols, there was no denying the determination of a man that had previously faced hell and survived. 

“Okay,” you sniffed, his promise making the worries that were lurking around in your mind drift away. 

Joel gave you a small smile, “Okay.” 

He kissed you then, so softly that it almost made you cry again, and it was then that you felt the hardened length against your leg. Pulling away, you wiped your face and tried to ready yourself for another round. After pulling you into two consecutive releases, Joel had been left wanting, and you suddenly felt even more terrible than before. However, he batted you away when you reached for it. 

“You didn’t get to cum,” you whined. 

“Relax darling. Wasn’t about me, this was about you,” he said, batting away your wayward hands. 

Joel kissed you softly, making a flurry of butterflies erupt from your chest. This man loved you, so much so that he would deny his own pleasure just to see make you happy, so much so that he would walk through fire just to get back to you, and it made you want to scream. As his lips parted from yours, you already missed them, but found yourself yawning instead of leaning back in. All of the pent up emotions and mind breaking orgasms had caught up, pulling at your heavy eyelids as you struggled to hold onto consciousness. Although you wanted to end the night fucking and cuddling with the man you loved, the lethargy that plagued your life as of late reared its head. 

“C’mon, let’s get you fed and then we can go back to bed. Can’t have my girls starvin’ when there’s perfectly good food waiting for them,” he said, groaning as he lifted you from the couch. 

At this rate, you had a feeling that Joel was going to be waddling almost as bad as you were by tomorrow. The muscles in his back were already strained by the hard labor he had been assigned to and he was only making it worse each time he lifted your swollen body, carrying you throughout the house as if he were a young man and you were not at least twenty pounds heavier than usual. Still, you didn’t say anything, having already been shot down the multiple times you had tried to remind the alpha throughout the pregnancy that you were perfectly capable of walking. 

Joel kept you in his arms as the two of you ate and you had a feeling that it wasn’t just you that was nervous about tomorrow. Which was why you snuggled further into him, uncaring of the way his arms bumped into yours with every bite. When the bowls were empty, they were left on the table, a job that would be done tomorrow when the two of you weren’t exhausted. He carried you all the way to the bedroom, only releasing you so that you could go through your nighttime regiment alongside him. It was all so domestic, the way he gave you a goofy grin around a mouthful of foamy toothpaste as you prodded at a pimple on your chin, and it was perfect. 

When you slid into bed alongside Joel, you were calmed, with his words and affection lulling you into a sense of security. He pulled you close to him, holding the bump between you like he was trying to make himself into a human shield. I love yous were exchanged, along with a flurry of kisses, until you were both too tired to do anything but look at each other with tired eyes. You slipped off first, but not before you heard him quietly repeat his promise into the stillness of the night. 

“I’ll come home to ya honey, I promise.” 

- Joel -

The blood stuck to the bottoms of his boots made him grimace and Joel made a mental note to scrub the infected gunk off of them before he went home. If you saw it, he knew that your hormone addled brain would lead you to immediately clean it, and he couldn’t have that. Although the first few months of your pregnancy were rocky, having fought through hell and back the entire time without knowing about the life inside, that didn’t mean he was willing to let the rest of it be the same. From the moment he knew about the budding life inside of you, he was adamant that his mate would be safe from being stained with the filth that came with the outside world. 

“Christ almighty, look at this one,” Tommy called, pulling his attention away from his feet. 

Joel walked towards his brother, careful not to trip over the plethora of bodies that were strewn about the carcass of the store. It was clear that a horde had come through, as they now laid hacked to pieces across the rotted floors, but that left a glaringly obvious question. Who had killed them? Who had left this present for a Jackson patrol to find? And, were they the same people that had been taking out their residents? 

When Joel reached his brother, he looked down, gazing upon the sole body that didn’t look like it was overcome by the mind controlling fungus. He could see two bite marks on the woman’s thick forearms, but besides that, she was clear of infection. The single bullet wound between her eyes said it all. She had been bit and someone who cared enough to not let her turn had shot her, putting her out of an eternity of misery. 

“This could be one of them,” Joel said. 

Tommy hummed, “Could be, reckon that any more of them got bit?” 

He shook his head in response. If they had shot her, they’d likely shoot anyone else that got bitten by the horde. That was the way the world worked and he hoped for his own sake that his own loved ones would be kind enough to do the same if the day ever came. His brother kneeled down to check the body for something, anything that might give them a hint as to who the woman was and he looked away. Tommy wouldn’t find anything, not if they were the group that Jackson was on the hunt for. They were too smart to leave anything on her for a patrol to find. 

“Nothing,” his brother sighed. 

Joel nodded, already heading back to the horses and leaving him behind. The group was likely long gone, held up in whatever hide out they had coveted for the last few months. A storm was coming, he could smell it in the air and feel it in the humidity that made his clothes stick to his form. The clouds above were bruised, darkening the sky and blocking out the summer sun as he strolled towards Rusty. 

He briefly worried about you getting to your short shift at the clinic, half cocked fears about you falling against the slick ground or a bolt of lightning striking you down racing through him, but he shoved them away. It wasn’t even noon yet, meaning that Joel would be there to see you off. He could carry you there if need be. In fact, given his hormone fueled brain that screamed at him at all hours of the day to care for his mate, he would prefer it. 

“Hey, wait up!,” Tommy called, jogging to keep up with his long strides, “Slow your roll big brother, we’ve still gotta check out the residential area up that way. 

“Look at them storm clouds brewin’, you really think that’s a good plan?,” Joel asked, pointing at the dark patches in the sky as he did. 

“You want to come back out here again today? Cus, that’s what’s gonna happen when we go back and try to explain to Maria that you went all squirrely over some rain,” his brother shot back, making him glare at him as he hopped onto his horse. 

Joel sighed. It had only been about three hours since he left camp and already he missed you. This morning it had been unnecessarily difficult for him to let you go, with your hands glued to his shoulders to keep him stuck in place as you slept. He had almost wept when he had to peel them away, kissing both you and the swollen bump that was nestled between the two of you before he eased himself off of the bed. 

And now, with Rusty trotting towards the dilapidated homes nearby, Joel burned with desire. A desire that was not inherently sexual, more so one that was attuned to every fiber of your being. After he had been taken by Paul’s men many months ago, you had mentioned that during that time you had felt his presence on this earth, as if your souls could track the movement of each other without even knowing it. And similarly, he had felt something of the sort when he was racing towards the church after you had sacrificed yourself for Cooper and Allie. Joel had never been one to believe in soul bonds but since meeting you, he had begun to change his mind. 

However, it was only when you had become with child that those feelings had begun to take on even deeper meaning. Perhaps it was Joel’s past losses intermingling with his already heightened nervous system, or perhaps it was simply the alpha in him that demanded he pay extra attention to the people he was designed to protect, either way, each day he was driven mad by it. He could feel every bit of your discomfort and despair, calling out to him from miles away, and he was ready to tear through an army of infected to return to quell your fears. 

“Hey, let’s pull off. We can leave ‘em here, I’ll take the right and you take the left. You get into any trouble, holler for me, alright?,” Tommy instructed, waiting for him to respond. 

Joel nodded, shaking his head to clear out all of the hormone based thoughts that were fogging up his brain. The last thing he needed was to be distracted while he was exposed like this. As he hopped off the horse, he promised himself to remain on task, knowing that it was the only way he was going to be able to get home safely. 

He tied Rusty next to his brother’s horse Boots, leaving the knot loose enough so that the stallion could run away if trouble came about but not so loose so that he would take off for no reason. Tommy followed suit, leaving Boots with a wide berth between him and the chestnut colored stallion so that he wouldn’t get kicked. Much to everyone’s disappointment, the only beings that could coral the finicky horse were you and Joel, leaving him with only two possible riders despite the growing populace of Jackson that could use him. Joel patted his nose before he left, as if to say he understood the feeling. 

Tommy parted from him, veering off towards the houses on the right so that he could poke around. Joel followed his lead, carefully examining the buildings to the left. Most of them were broken beyond repair, too run down to house anything other than rotting wood that stunk in the summer heat, but he did find a pair of scissors that could be of use. He sped through the remainder of the homes, not seeing anything other than the carcass of life before the outbreak, until he finally reached his last one. 

Stilling at the entrance, Joel felt all the hairs on the back of his neck stand straight up. Something or someone was in here, he could feel it in the way his gut twisted with the indescribable feeling of incoming doom. He stepped back from the doorway, giving himself some space as he went over his options. Just as he landed on the more subtle approach, a voice from behind him rang through the air. 

“Hey! All clear over this way, let’s get going before - OH SHIT!,” Tommy shouted, his voice overpowered by the screech that came from within the home, along with the sound of a feral beast sprinting towards his brother at top speed. 

Joel cussed and pulled the gun from around his back, barely managing to switch the safety off before the runner was a mere four feet away from him. He shot once, making it stumble back as the bullet slammed through its chest, then again, this time getting it right between the eyes. The runner fell back against the ground, letting out a few hard twitches before it finally stilled. 

“Holy fuck,” Tommy swore, jogging up from behind to have a look at the corpse. 

Joel hummed, too distracted to respond to his brother’s surprise. The runner was freshly infected. No visible bite marks could be seen across its body, meaning that whoever the man was, he had likely hidden it before going off to succumb by himself. But that was not what Joel was focused on. He couldn’t care less that these assholes were too stupid to deal with the hordes that came through Jackson from time to time. What distracted him was how familiar the guy looked, yet he couldn’t quite place him. 

“What? You know this guy or something?,” the younger man asked, noticing how intensely Joel was studying his face. 

Did Joel know this man? He didn’t think so, although the way alarm bells were going off in his brain told him otherwise. Racking through his many years of disastrous decisions, he tried to place him amongst the numerous moments where he had fucked up, but he couldn’t. The man was slight, with olive skin and dark hair that was slightly matted, likely from time spent away from the luxuries of grooming. He reeked of a stifling mix of body odor and incense, another clue that had Joel scratching the back of his head. He had seen the man somewhere, somewhere where the air had been thick with the same stench of burning herbs, but he couldn’t remember where. 

“I don’t know, I think I do, but for the life of me I can't figure out where from,” Joel admitted, cursing his aging brain for being unable to recall as it once had. 

Tommy cussed, “Shiiit, alright. Well, let’s get going then, I don’t wanna stick around if there’s more of your old buddies hanging around here waiting for ya.” 

“Buddies,”Joel mumbled, rolling his eyes as he turned back towards the horses. 

Whoever the man was, he had never been a friend. Joel could tell by the way a cold sweat had already broken out on his back, making him shudder as he hastened his pace. By the time he got back to Rusty, he was ready to kick the stallion into high gear, galloping the rest of the way home to escape the pit that was forming in his stomach, but mother nature had other ideas. 

The first drop hit Joel’s nose as he seated himself atop of his horse, making him scrunch up his face as he wiped it off. However, it was followed by a second and third that darkened his shirt, leading to an all out downpour by the time they had trotted back from whence they came. The skies had opened up in seconds, the rain pounding against his back as he squinted to see three feet in front of him. Even Rusty, with his superior vision and tact for withstanding harsh weather, was getting nervous from the winds that whipped through the trees. 

“- and we’re gonna have to pull off! I can’t see jackshit!,” Tommy shouted over a crack of thunder, the start of his sentence completely cut off by the boom. 

Joel nodded and followed his brother closely, squinting to keep his figure in sight amidst the storm that had begun out of nowhere. Tommy pulled off at a small tavern at the other side of town, one that had a hole already blown into the side of it that allowed them to ride their horses straight in without having to leave them out in the howling wind. With his head finally saved from the severe beating the weather was giving it outside, Joel sighed, reaching forward to pat Rusty in thanks before he slid off of his back. 

“God damn, I ain’t never seen it come on like that before,” his brother laughed, wringing the water from his drenched shirt. 

He didn’t answer, too busy peeking around to make sure they were completely alone inside of the rundown bar. Aside from the moss that crawled up the walls and the half used bottles still lined up on the shelves, the place was safe. Dusting the seat of one of the few salvageable booths left behind, Joel plopped himself down to wait out the storm. From where he sat, all he could see was sheets of rain sliding off of the roof, hitting the cracked pavement so hard that he could hear the heavy slap of its weight. 

A flash of lightning struck one of the trees across the road, followed by a loud bang that made him jump in his seat. Sighing, Joel looked back down at the table, annoyed that he was stuck in this place while you were up to God knows what at home. It was probably a little after ten in the morning, which meant that you would be awake and likely doing some sort of task that would make him sick with worry. He was so riled up at the thought of it that he nearly launched himself out of the booth, the only thing keeping him back was the knowledge that going out in the storm and getting hurt would not do anyone any good. Still, with his scent soured with worry, his brother immediately picked up on his uneasiness and slid into the other side of the booth. 

“Penny for your thoughts?,” Tommy tried, keeping his tone light despite the pungent scent that was likely burning his nostrils. 

Joel shook his head, unsure of what to say. What could he tell him? That he was glued to you not so much out of fear anymore, but out of some primal need to protect what was his. He no longer feared being a father again, as weird as that sounded coming from him. Instead, he now feared the possibility of that bright future that seemed within his reach being cruelly taken away. 

“Ya know, if you’re having doubts about being a dad again, I can tell ya that I -”

Joel cut in, “I ain’t got no doubts.” 

Tommy widened his eyes, looking surprised before his face relaxed into a small smile. His brother nodded, beaming at him as he sat back in his seat. 

“So? Why are you acting like someone pissed in your cornflakes?,” Tommy asked. 

Joel sighed and leaned back, unsure of whether he wanted to get into it with his brother at that moment. However, as the storm only worsened outside, it seemed like he was out of any other option, so he began. 

“She is… the love of my life and now she’s having my kid. That used to scare me but not anymore, now I’m scared of something else, something even worse” Joel stammered. 

Tommy nodded, silently urging him to continue. 

“Now, I’m scared of…,” he paused, gathering himself before he continued, “What if it happens again? What if, I get the life I wanted, I get to be a parent again with someone who is my best fucking friend, and it all just goes away. What then? I can’t - There’s nothing - What do I do?!” 

Joel watched as his brother’s face fell, the corner of his mouth losing that signature smirk that both pissed him off and comforted him at the same time. All at once, he felt ashamed, like he should’ve kept his big mouth shut rather than blather on about his incessant fears. Of course, he knew that Tommy was familiar with loss. Afterall, it wasn’t just him that had lost Sarah. Nonetheless, losing a child was a different sort of pain, one that Jackson had protected him from ever having to become acquainted with. 

“Listen, I can’t tell the future, so I ain’t gonna make any grand promises about knowing what’ll happen,” his brother started, “But I do know this. There’s no way that your kid is going anywhere anytime soon. Not this time.” 

He reared his head back like he had been slapped, suddenly angered by his brother’s nonchalance. How could Tommy possibly think that? Especially when he knew better than anyone how cruel the world could be. Hell, having been a marine before the outbreak ever started, he probably knew of the world’s cruelty longer than Joel. Still, when the younger man raised his hand he halted the insults that were on the tip of his tongue, begrudgingly giving him the benefit of the doubt. Tommy leaned forward, almost like he was about to tell him a secret and Joel couldn’t help but lean in as well. 

“That lady of yours scares the fuck out of me,” he started, making Joel guffaw, “You say Maria is terrifying? Try talking to that feral little thing when it has anything to do with you. She practically ripped me a new one when I tried to put you with Stan for patrols. Said it was either me or she’d be going herself.” 

Not once had you ever mentioned doing that for him. Joel had never even heard that a switch had ever been possible, he had just assumed Tommy’s schedule happened to line up with his. Looking back, he realized how stupid that was, especially when his brother seemed to always be rushing from one place to the next, as if his shifts conflicted with one another every week. 

“Not to mention when I asked her about moving closer into town. She told me that if I took you guys away from your home, she would burn mine to the ground, said it right to my face like it was nothing. It wasn’t even my idea! Maria had asked because of how far of a walk it is to the clinic,” Tommy exclaimed. 

A true belly laugh came from Joel, making his brother’s mouth fall open at the sound of it. He couldn’t help it, not when he was imagining the younger man’s terror at his spitfire of a mate threatening him within an inch of his life. The thing was, he also knew that you were probably being serious. As unhinged as Joel could be, the two of you went tit for tat, meaning that he could perfectly envision you standing in front of the burning house with your hands around your swollen belly, a smile on your face as you turned to waddle back home. 

“Joel,” his brother sighed, the exasperation in his voice breaking him from his fit of giggles. 

He wiped his eyes, focusing back on the beta as tried to calm himself down. 

“That pup is going to have two parents who would do anything for them, anything. The two of you are… Well, what else is there to say? You’ve met your match Joel, which is why I know that the kid is gonna be fine. Christ, whatever’s out there should probably be terrified of the little hellspawn y’all are about to let loose on the world,” his brother joked. 

Joel rolled his eyes, ignoring the last part to appreciate the sentiment. Currently, you were out of commission, as the pregnancy had left you unable to move around to any great degree. Nevertheless, the second that the baby was born, he knew that you would do anything for her, just as you once had for him. It was part of the reason he loved you so much. Maybe his brother was right, maybe his family would be safe this time, as this time he was not the only one that was willing to do anything to protect it. 

“Did she really say she was gonna burn your house down?,” Joel piped up after a while.  

Tommy solemnly nodded, “When I tried to explain that we were just worried about her giving birth and y’all having a newborn so far away from the clinic, she told me that she was gonna send ME to the clinic if I didn’t leave her the fuck alone.” 

Joel chuckled, shaking his head as he dreamily sighed, “Fuck, I love her so much.” 

And he did, so much so that he wasn’t even bothered by you threatening his brother. Tommy was a big boy and plus, you knew how much Joel hated being around the busier parts of Jackson. He preferred a quiet life with you, in the oasis that the two of you shared away from the rest of the residents. Plus, he also knew how much blood, sweat, and tears you had poured into turning the place into something special. 

Tommy smiled, shaking his head at the hearts in Joel’s eyes, “Well, as scary as that woman is, I can tell you one thing, I am grateful for her. She did something I never thought possible.”

“What’s that?,” he asked, curiosity pulling him from his obsessive thoughts about the woman he loved. 

“When you left here, I was sure that you were going to go kill yourself in them woods. That’s why I made you meet with me twice a year, to make sure my brother wasn’t going to die on me,” Tommy admitted. 

Joel winced at the pain in his baby brother’s voice. 

“I didn’t -”

Tommy waved him off, taking a steadying breath before he continued. 

“The Joel that left Jackson last time was no better than the infected, just walking through life on complete autopilot. Last time I saw you before winter, you were a ghost, but now I’ve got my brother back. She brought you back to us, to yourself! I can’t thank her enough,” he finished.

Joel swallowed hard, clearing his throat to try to dislodge the lump he found there. Everything Tommy had said was true, you were the only person that was able to pull him out of the deepest pit he had ever been in. And you had done so without even having to try. The love you showed him came naturally, just as it had for him when he finally stopped fighting it. 

“Tommy look, I know that we haven’t talked much about it but I need to say this to ya once, before I lose my nerve,” Joel rambled, throat thick with emotion, “I’m sorry for what I did before I left, what I said about your family, all of it. None of it was true, I was just looking for a fight.” 

His brother nodded knowingly, giving him a sad yet understanding look as he tried to keep his own emotions in check. Joel couldn’t even begin to imagine the pain he had caused his brother, especially now that he had a baby on the way himself. If Tommy had said those types of things about you, about his unborn child, Joel wasn’t sure if he could ever forgive him, which was why he didn’t expect him to respond. 

“I know. And I ain’t mad at ya for it no more so stop beating yourself up about it. Me and you? We’re square. Just promise me you’ll keep that mate of yours from committing any acts of arson or battery in town, Jackson don’t take too kindly to that sort of thing,” the younger man joked. 

They both laughed and the tension washed away with the rain, allowing them both to take a calming breath. 

Joel held up three fingers, “Scout’s honor.” 

“You were never in the scouts,” Tommy pointed out. 

“Fuck, guess you’re out of luck then,” he shot back. 

The two of them broke out into another round of raucous laughter, almost forgetting that they were stuck in some god forsaken dilapidated bar as they waited out the storm. They fell into a comfortable silence afterwards, one that was mixed with bouts of small talk about kids or home renovations. Never in Joel’s life did he think that he’d be able to do this, to be a brother again, but he supposed that it was like Tommy pointed out, he had you to thank for that. When it was finally time to go, he practically glided back to his horse, too excited to see you to hide the smile on his face as he saddled up. 

By the time the storm had passed, it was well past noon, meaning that you would be at the clinic stitching up cuts and learning how to catch certain symptoms from the patients that arrived. Part of the reason Joel was so okay with you still working was the fact that you were literally under the watchful eye of the town doctor, while the other part remembered how you had said that you once wished you could be a doctor. There was no way he was going to stand in the way of that, not when he knew how much it had hurt the teenage version of you to have that dream ripped away, doomed to a life as a housewife. Still, that didn’t mean Joel couldn’t swing by to bug you as you worked. In fact, now that he thought of it, he did have an awfully bad headache that only one person could fix. 

Seeing the walls of Jackson was like seeing the gates of heaven, or at least he thought so as he raced towards home, towards you. He ignored the few groups that were leaving as they came in, too focused on veering the horse towards the stables to ask why they were leaving in such a rush. Even when he reached the stable and noticed that all of the other horses were uncharacteristically in use, the air smelling distinctly of cleaning supplies as he led Rusty into his stall, he still didn’t think anything of it. 

It was only when Joel left the stalls, coming face to face with the hardened expression of his sister in law as she spoke to Tommy in a low voice that he knew something was wrong. The anxiousness he had been feeling back in town reared its ugly head, making him swallow back bile as he stumbled towards the pair. Tommy whipped around to face him, the fear and pity on his face evident as he did, and Joel felt like the sky was falling for what must’ve been the millionth time in his life. There was only one reason they would be looking at him like that. 

“Please, please just tell me,” Joel begged, uncaring of how desperate he sounded. 

Tommy looked at Maria, getting a subtle nod from her that made his stomach twist. 

“She’s gone Joel, someone’s taken her.” 

[kittykitcat77]

Third Soul AU: Regret is a strong feeling.

Introduction to the Third Soul Undertale AU! Read if you want to, this section has no gore/super dark themes!

Update: First Part of my AU is here, it will mostly follow the perspective of the player, but will have side stories from other characters to progress the lore and story: [PART 1]

---- Papyrus walked into the house, gloved hands thumbing through Sans' mail. Not that he'd ever check it himself! He saw his brother in question on the couch, the usual tired grin on his face. The younger skeleton kept flipping through the mail. Spam letters, advertisements, AHA! Papyrus pulled out the town form, rent was due at the end of the week. He held it up to the overhead light. *SANS, WE HAVE THE RENT LETTER FOR THIS MONTH! ARE YOU GOING TO PAY IT THIS TIME, OR AM I GOING TO HAVE TO DO IT AGAIN? Sans barely sat up, reaching his own gloved hand out. *i'll take it. i need to check it, we were overcharged last month. Papyrus handed the letter off to his older brother, going back to going through the mail. Invitations to past gone parties... Sans probably wouldn't have gone anyway. As Papyrus reached the end of the stack, he paused, for the golden glint of a particular letter got his attention.

He set the rest down and pulled it out. It was a white envelope, and it had a shiny gold embroidery. There was no name on the front, just simply addressed to "the residents of this home." Papyrus walked over to the couch and sat down next to his brother. Sans noticed the shiny glint out of the corner of his socket, glancing over.

*what's that, pap?

*I'M NOT SURE! IT'S ALL FANCY, AND IT DOESN'T HAVE A SENDER ON IT! SHOULD I OPEN IT?

*i don't see why not. Papyrus grabbed onto the letter with one hand, freeing his thumb from under his other glove. He then tore the letter open, with the tear almost seamless. He then put his thumb back in his glove and began to pull out the folded paper inside. He set down the shiny envelope and unfolded the paper. Both him and Sans were surprised to see that this was a royal letter, from the King himself! That was a rarity, that was for sure. Papyrus held the letter to the light. *WOW! A LETTER FROM THE KING! I WONDER WHAT IT'S ABOUT!

*read it, see what it says. Papyrus began to read it aloud upon Sans' request. It read: *Dear Monsters, I write to you all for a very important request. My royal staff has encountered a foreign script, none of which can translate it. I have added a small excerpt below this letter. If any monster is able to translate it, even if it is just half of the script, I invite you to come to the Hotlands Royal Laboratory to help us. This may be a very important file, something to change the scientific knowledge. If you can translate, come A.S.A.P. Even the smallest attempt to solve the script will be very helpful for us! I wish everyone a wonderful day. -King Asgore and His royal staff

Then, the little "foreign script" was provided below.

*❄︎☟︎☜︎ 👌︎⚐︎👎︎✡︎ ✌︎☠︎👎︎ ❄︎☟︎☜︎ 💧︎⚐︎🕆︎☹︎

Sans looked down at the writing chunk below the written letter. He paused, his eye lights temporary going out. It was Wingdings, a font he hadn't seen in a long time. He hadn't seen the font since... him. He barely knew how to read it anymore now, that knowledge had been vanishing from his mind. Papyrus started to mumble, which caused him to look up at his brother. *THE... AND THE... NO... AHA! IT MEANS THE BODY AND THE SOUL!

Sans couldn't have had a more bewildered expression. How did his brother know Wingdings? Sans had no clue, since Papyrus didn't remember him. He squinted at the font again, picking out the various symbols he could remember. Papyrus was right. *how did you read that, bro? not even i can do that. *I'M NOT ENTIRELY SURE MYSELF! THESE SYMBOLS HERE ARE SIMILAR, SO THEY MUST BE THE SAME LETTER! AND THESE TWO HERE ARE SIMILAR SO THEY MUST BE SIMILAR LETTERS! BUT I ALSO JUST KIND OF SQUINTED AND THEY FIT INTO PLACE! Papyrus gasped after that, gripping the letter excitedly. *I CAN HELP THE ROYAL LAB AND THEN I'LL BE POPULAR FOR HELPING ADVANCE SCIENCE! I'LL BE KNOWN FOR GREATNESS! *yep. they'd appreciate your help. Papyrus stood up; the letter still clutched in his hand. He then folded the letter and tucked it in his scarf before grabbing his boots and putting them on. Sans couldn't help but smile at his younger brother's eagerness. It was soul-warming. *I'LL TAKE TO IT RIGHT AWAY! THEY NEED THE HELP OF THE GREAT PAPYRUS! Papyrus made sure the letter was tucked firmly into his scarf. He walked to the door, turning to look around at his brother. *YOU BETTER DO SOMETHING WHILE I'M GONE, PAY THE RENT OR PICK UP YOUR LAUNDRY! YOU STILL HAVEN'T PICKED UP YOUR SOCK FROM LAST WEEK! *no promises. Sans couldn't see it, but he felt the playful eyeroll from where he was sitting. He shrugged and laid back as Papyrus headed out the door. Once his brother was heading that way, Sans grabbed his phone from his pocket. He then pulled up a contact he hadn't contacted in a long time: Alphys, the current royal scientist. He soon texted her, telling her of Papyrus' journey to the Hotland Lab. She didn't reply, but he could tell she read it. With a soft exhale, he put his phone back in his pocket. He then glanced over at the rent notice, reaching out to grab it. He looked at the envelope it was sent in, holding it in his hands. Then, he mumbled to no one but himself, something more common of Papyrus. *i still wonder how papyrus could even read it. he's never- seen it.

He'd ask after Papyrus came back. It'd take a while, the Hotlands was definitely a walk, and they'd probably keep him there for a bit to translate everything. Sans ripped open the envelope, pulling out the letter. He might as well pay the rent while Papyrus was off. He wasn't worried about his brother; he was an adult and could manage himself. What could possibly go wrong? ---- Sans walked through Snowdin, holding a small stack of papers in one hand and a roll of tape in another. He was almost out of tape, but he still had more papers to go. He walked up to the side of Grillby's, finding a smooth surface of wall. He saw a few other papers taped and nailed on the wall, ads for shop products and promotions of MTT's shows. He eventually found a wall and used his magic to hold the paper to the wall, where he put the tape in two opposite corners. He then shuffled back slightly to get a better view. He had made these himself, so they weren't clean. Another missing poster up. Sans looked at Papyrus' photocopied face, that toothy grin now hard to look at. He had never come home from his journey to the Hotlands lab, and all Alphys could tell him was that he had left the lab and somehow had disappeared. The Underground was only so spacious, so where could he have gone? Sans turned to walk to another spot to hang another poster. Sans wouldn't have been too worried in any other circumstance; Papyrus could hold his own. The problem was that it had been over a week now with no sign of his brother. Sans sighed, his weary eye sockets looking at the posters in his hand. His smile was worn thin, it was hard to keep himself composed. It took him a lot of energy and motivation to do this. The thing keeping him going was hope and determination. The hope that somehow, someway, his brother would come back. It was like a puzzle to find out where Papyrus was. Heh, puzzles. Papyrus likes puzzles, as Sans could see the scattered papers of ideas any time he passed his brother's room. An unsolvable puzzle. Undyne had even gotten the guards to start looking. However, the guards were mostly dogs who could be distracted by the scent of bones. Still, Sans had to keep hope. Papyrus would keep looking too if the roles were reversed. Sans closed his eyes and pressed the papers to his chest. He then whispered, as if Papyrus could hear him. Deep down, Sans knew Papyrus couldn't. *don't worry papyrus, we'll find you. i'll find you. stay strong.

[vergess]

Okay actually I would LOVE to hear your summary of what the Dresden Files like. actually is, as a series. Because every so often some guy will demand that I read it while insisting it's Superior Literature and the best fantasy series ever (unless maybe second to Lord of the Rings, but usually not even that)

They also like to insist that well of COURSE the main character is extra sexist and never improves but it's a FLAW, the AUTHOR knows it's wrong, therefore girls should LOVE reading his sexism. So like I was not buying this any degree to begin with, but I would love to know what's actually going on here

Bro, these books are Bad(tm). Do not fucking buy them. I cannot in good conscience suggest anyone read them, ever. But I especially, immensely cannot recommend purchasing them. This is "skulking around the library not making eye contact" material.

These are bodice rippers For Men(TM).

They're also, (and for obvious reasons they aren't advertised like this) High Camp Melodrama Fantasy Where Everyone Is Bisexual. But I repeat myself.

With that in mind, they are easily the best written urban fantasy fetish pornography I've ever seen outside AO3, and frankly better than most of that stuff too. It's just... you need to be aware going in that these are serialized porn mags. They happen to have exceptionally written combat and freakishly well considered fantasy elements, but they nonetheless use the same racial and sexual shorthands seen in the bulk of heteronormative, white gaze pornography.

Also, the main guy is an obnoxious asshole on purpose from second one and he does not ever let up on this, so if you don't immediately get along with his sense of humour walk away.

Now as for whatever dipshitted asshole is telling you they're superior literature.... mmmm.... no.

They're REALLY GOOD porn. I understand how really good porn is going to emotionally confuse the highly repressed (and oh BOY do these books appeal to the repressed) into a sort of pavlovian "this is the best thing ever" response.

But like, mmmmm no.

If you do elect to read these books, I suggest casting the main guy with a Black actor in your head. That change alone makes the immense amount of police presence and abuse more palatable.

OH THE COP SHIT

I FORGOT TO MENTION THE COP SHIT

Absolutely bonkers copaganda levels.

Also, the books were um.... progressive for 2005. They are not progressive for 2024. Let's put it like this; Supernatural (TV series) was a contemporaneous peer in the same genre. If you are damned set on subjecting yourself to one of these White Boy Monster Serials, pick this one at least it fucks.

Nevertheless, the writing is surprisingly charming, the Christian fantasy elements are genuinely competitive in a post-LOTR world, and the fetish shit is fucking immaculate.

I don't think Jim Butcher is aware he's written fetish porn, but whatever, he's REALLY good at it. I cannot recommend the sex scenes and the combat highly enough.

It's just unfortunate about the everything else.

Did I mention they're Christian fantasy elements? They are. They really really really aggressively are. These books are set in a Christian-centric universe and they do NOT let you forget that. There's like... so many Christian angels in this shit.

Anyway, if you choose to join me on this cursed journey (do not join me on this cursed journey), some other stuff to note:

Lots of underage and youth fetishism

Like, I cannot emphasize enough how hot and cool all The Youths think the Main Guy is and how aggressively the book lusts-and-guilts-in-turn over The Youths

So, so, SO much incest

Gay incest also

Mafia wedding guy is there, the guy from all the mafia wedding fics on wattpad, he's canonically the main guy's soulmate (no homo) (unless..?)

Main guy has too many soulmates btw, several are gay and some are blood relations, but most are muscular blonde women because he has a serious muscle fetish; fuckin gym gay behaviours

Undiagnosed bisexuality on the majority of the characters (I'm calling it; Jim Butcher thinks bisexuality is the normal POV and this is totally how Normal Guys talk about each other's dicks)

Exorbitant amounts of racism, some of which is "on purpose" and the most of which is horrifically unremarked upon; includes plenty of racial stereotypes. Nevertheless, the cast is diverse enough (outside the circle of main love interests) that these stereotypes can come up at all, so weigh that carefully

Special shoutout to the first major love interest, a Latina woman who dies spectacularly halfway through the series after having the main guy's secret baby

Extremely confusing relationship to psychosis as a mental illness

Melodrama that would make the desperate housewives sit back and stare

Fascinatingly good about homophobia actually, in that queerbaity 2005 way

*slaps the main guy like he's a car* You can fit so much dysphoria in this cis guy

In conclusion: I see why so many AMAB bisexuals of various genders who were part of the target demo latched the fuck on to this series so hard. I myself was fooled into believing these books were "for" Straight Men, and to be clear they are. But they're also Pulpy Gay Camp Bullshit that we the faggots of the world deserve to mutilate and recreate in our own image.

Together, I believe we could fix them.

Oh right, the plot:

The Main Guy, Harry Dresden, is a private detective Wizard Cop (serial plot is investigation based) who may also be the chosen one destined to defeat some elder gods (long term plot), and along the way starts several major supernatural wars and at least 2 arms races.

[caffieneaddictt18]

Life, Death, and Destiny

Prompt: Witch!Reader keeps giving Geralt weird little trinkets and crystal necklaces saying that this one protects you and this one keeps the bad feelings away and this one will call good spirits and wisdom upon him, and he doesn't believe her until one time he's fighting this monster and somehow, he keeps dodging this monster perfectly without even needing to drink his elixir. He kills the beast, and goes back to Witch!Reader, demanding her to explain how this works when he knows for a fact, she doesn't have magic like a mage or a druid. She simply winks and leaves him curious, so he stays with her and figures out how she is somehow unintentionally magical.

I'm not gonna lie, I did not stick to this prompt. It went a little sideways and flopped. So, my apologies! It is not false advertising, I swear.

As Geralt was walking to Roach, his mare, he heard his name called... It was faint but grew louder as the person shouting his name got closer.

"Geralt!"

Geralt rolled his eyes, thinking it was another townsfolk wanting him to go kill something.

"Geralt, wait!"

But then he recognized that voice...

"Geralt! Would you stop for a minute?"

He stopped. The Witcher slowly turned around and saw y/n. They were panting, keeled over.

"Before you leave, take this." They reach out and in their hand is a little charm that can be added to the strap of leather that keeps his hair up. "It's for battle wisdom. Knowing you, you'll need it. I hope it keeps you safe on your travels." Y/n stands up, and composes themselves.

"Well, I can see you are wandering towards Roach... where will you go next?"

Geralt took the charm slowly. He didn't trust anything magical. Especially when it came from someone that he had never heard was magical beforehand. Nevertheless, he took the charm and clamped it around the leather holding his hair back.

"There was a monster sighting near Waterwood. The locals regularly use the water for business, so they need me to come clear out whatever monster lies in the river." He gruffly divulged the details of his departure.

"Well... if you ever wish to come back, you know where I am." Y/n skipped off down the stone path to the cottage that sat on the edge of the wood, surrounded in wildflowers and other magical plants.

Geralt grunted before stalking back to Roach, mounting her, and taking off into the night.

______________________________________________________________

Y/N woke to a banging on the wooden front door. The type of banging on hollow wood that gave you chills. Especially after being chased from town for giving Geralt a charm. This specific town doesn't necessarily take too kindly to witches and magic.

The banging lessened to a knock. Y/N quickly extinguishes all the candles before slowly opening the door and hiding in the nook between the wall and the door. Waiting for anyone...

someone...

The person walks in slowly, sword in hand, and eyes seemingly glowing in the dark. The stock build of his shoulder balancing out the slender legs of pure muscle. His footsteps silent, but hers are gone.

Y/N makes no noise as they scampers across the floor of grass and behind a chair. A chair made of engraved wood and hide from a monster, if you can believe it. Absolutely beautiful.

Y/N gently whistled a tune... a tune used when Geralt and them went on a small stroll through the woods. Y/N insisted that it would help Geralt ground himself before the hunt he was about to embark on.

Immediately, he stopped and put the sword away before casting Igni on a candle near him. He carried it to the chair and saw a head of hair peeking out from behind the arm of it. "Y/N?"

"Geralt!" Y/N stands from the crouched position on the ground and goes around to hug Geralt. He accepts it before lighting the fireplace filled with charcoal and adding new wood to keep the old burning.

"Why did you hide? Monsters don't knock. Mages don't bother people in their homes anymore." Geralt was ticking things off a list that might make them be wary of anything.

"Were you... were you scared of me?"

Y/N, who was first scared that Geralt might go on a rage like the one in Blaviken, was now flustered. "Oh no! Oh goodness, no!"

"So why were you skittering around like a mouse, trying to find warmth?"

"I... I was chased out of town..." Y/N can see Geralt tensing, becoming physically angry, "Don't worry about it though! It allows me to become one with nature. I forage all my food now and the butcher is kind, giving slices of meat no one else would want. I have deepened my relationship with magic and peace. I am happy. Don't worry about me."

Geralt was trying to slow his breathing and be rational, staring into the fire. How could they do this to you? You had done nothing but help them, and they turned on you. You had provided them with medicines that don't poison and trinkets that you can only find in the forest.

"Why?"

A simple question that held so much power. The power to anger or calm. The power to cause action or stop it. The power of chaos or peace.

And so, Y/N chose peace.

"I assume they finally decided they didn't like me anymore," Y/N smiled.

"That's a lie. You provided them with medicine. Small villages don't just abandon their healers." Geralt moved, gently pinning Y/N to the monster-leather seat.

"So tell me... why did they do it?"

Y/N looked into his eyes, marveling at how their reflected the flames to look like pools of lava themselves. Y/N knew that their response was too late when he furrowed his brow. Y/N looked down.

"They... they saw me give you that charm..." Geralt quickly got up and leaned against the stone mantle that looked like it had been there forever, made by Gaia herself. A sanctuary for the weak, weary and, what others would call, weird.

"They don't take kindly to magic folk around here, Geralt. It's why I have placed wards around the cottage."

Geralt was surprised. An actual ward? He knew that you liked to do everything yourself, if you could. Wards required mages and you were not a mage.

"A ward?" You nodded, "And who did these wards?"

"I did!"

To him, you sound childish. A person with no real magic was somehow placing wards around their home...

But somehow, the house seems untouched by the outside world. The hurtful one of torches and pitchforks.

"Alright... well, I have a monster hunt nearby. I'll stay here. Just for some extra protection." Geralt announced. There was no turning back or denying him this.

______________________________________________________________

As Geralt was walking out of the cottage that was surprisingly not attacked by townspeople the entire time he was there, Y/N called to him.

"Is something wrong?"

"Nope!" Y/N holds out a small necklace with a complicated charm strung onto it. "Just wanted to give you this."

Geralt gently took it into his hands. "And what does this one do?"

"It's a protection necklace. I know you will inevitably find danger, so this should help keep you on your toes and safe for your also inevitable return," Y/N proudly announces to Geralt as he kept a straight face. He had no real belief this would do anything for him, but he put it into a pouch near his chest.

"Alright. Stay safe, Y/N"

"You as well, Geralt. Blessed be, my friend."

______________________________________________________________

Geralt rode upon the cottage that had a plume of smoke exiting the stone chimney and candlelight coming from the kitchen. It was an exhausting monster hunt and all he wanted to do was rest.

Once he had tied Roach to the small stables that Y/N kept up, he walked to the home. Before Geralt could knock, the door swung open.

"Geralt!" was all that was said before a flurry of greens and browns flooded his sight. He was encompassed with the warmth only you could provide. A hug... something he hasn't felt in a while.

You slide off of him and out of his arms. "How are you, my friend? Why don't you come in?" Y/N opens the door for him to enter and beckon the large man inside your cozy home.

The smell of rosemary and chicken flood his nose. The warm glow of the fire in the living room flickered across the walls and seeped into every crack, spreading the softness that Y/N carried. Geralt walked slowly into the home and sat down on one of the chairs you have. It was soft, like from a castle, but not quite as tall or luxurious looking. He wondered where you got it from.

Over the fire, a soup of chicken, carrots, potatoes, and herbs brewed in a cauldron that seemed to magically hang from the ceiling, even though it was directly under the chimney stack.

"So... how are you, my friend?" Y/N's gentle voice entered Geralt's mind. It's like you were allowing him space to take in the home as he wishes instead of flooding his senses with everything all at once. A nice change of pace of the monster hunter, the White Wolf.

"I am... good. I was surprisingly not hurt on my last hunt. This striga seemed... slower than normal, though..." Geralt contemplated on his latest hunt, mulling it over in his mind, "Must not have been at full strength."

"Would you like some mead?" You offer the Witcher some of your honey wine. A delicacy was not often seen in common households, but you have never been part of the common folk. Plus, you tended to a honey bee hive in a tree near the cottage.

"Why not?" Geralt takes the mug of mead from you as you walk to the cauldron where your stew was done cooking. You ladle the chicken soup into wooden bowls you once bought from a traveling merchant and add a slice of bread to it. It had not been the first time you opened up your home to the infamous White Wolf... and it certainly won't be the last.

"Well, eat up. You are welcome to stay as long as you like." You offer a safe night's sleep before finishing your bowl of soup and putting the bowl in a basket of other dirty plates and bowls. You take the cauldron of soup and take it outside, where you can feed the hungry children of the village. The only people who dare to come near...

Before you can lug the pot of wonderful healing stew outside, Geralt notices. "What are you doing?"

You stop, setting the cauldron on the floor for a rest. "Well... the children of the village have not been eating as much and I feel bad... their parents cast me out, not them. Why should they have to suffer for a choice they had no choice in?" Y/N looks at Geralt in confusion before shaking their head and picking up the cauldron again.

Geralt stands and before you can walk with the heavy pot, he takes it from you. "If they catch ypou doing this... you could be killed."

"I would rather die doing something good than nothing at all." You skip happily besides Geralt as he carries the pot with way less effort than you have to.

As you approach your normal spot to feed the children, you can see the dozens of eyes that hide in the woods. They are scared...

"You have nothing to fear, children. The Witcher will never hurt you."

First, nothing happens, but after a minute, a thin girl walks to you. You kneel, handing her a bowl of the chicken stock. You know this one. This girl has been sick since she came from the womb of her mother, who died during childbirth.

A boy, a bit stockier than he was a month ago, came up to you, slightly avoiding the Witcher's gaze as he also grabbed a bowl from you and started drinking the contents of the soup. You gave him bits of chicken and vegetables, knowing that he won't be full unless the boy has them. He has grown since you first saw him.

One by one, the children gained confidence in you and lost their fear in the monster hunter who was leaning on a tree behind you.

Eventually, you ran out of mouths to feed and food to give, so you grabbed the bowls the children used, put them in the cauldron, and walked home with the pot in hand.

"Well, Geralt, what brings you around this time?"

"Just a reprieve. I needed some... how do you say it... grounding."

You drop the cauldron by the door & clap, "Perfect! I'm going to the well now to grab water. It is chore day. What would you prefer to do?"

As Geralt looked around, he noticed the various plants that were hanging in your window and drying in the sun. And then he noticed the weeds that had begun to grow in your garden.

"Let me grab the water and prepare the pot for another meal," Geralt wanted to take the heaviest thing off you. It would not be too hot weeding the garden considering the time and season.

"I can weed the garden and wash the bowls & cutlery. Fantastic! Make sure to rub the inside of the pot with tallow before hanging it up to dry."

Geralt grunts and walks to the well, buckets in hand.

This is going to be the longest day in a while...

______________________________________________________________

You prep Roach before Geralt is scheduled to take off into the horizon once more.

As you finish getting the saddle tied down, you look around for any peering eyes. Not finding any, you pull out a Rune for speed and chant a small & simple spell before tying said rune to the inside of the saddlebag.

You hurriedly make yourself seem busy by packing his saddlebag with all the necessities, including a jug for water and a fresh loaf of sourdough bread wrapped in some parchment that you covered in beeswax.

Geralt exits the cottage, strapping the last bit of armor down to himself, walking towards you and Roach. Before he can reach you, you walk to Roach's front and say a quick prayer and chant for speed and health. That they may get to wherever they must be, right when they must be there and not a moment too late.

As Geralt approaches, you give him one last hug. And a warning...

"Save the apple bread for when you need it most."

Geralt, understandably confused, watches as you skip towards your cozy home. Before you make it even halfway, the White Wolf shakes his head as a method of clearing it before mounting Roach and taking off into the distance.

______________________________________________________________

You are calmly knitting while waiting for the loaf of bread in the fire to cook when a banging erupts from your door. You are immediately apprehensive, as banging is not usually a good sign anymore.

Before you were chased out of the town banging meant someone was hurt. Also not good, but treatable.

Banging now... that's nothing good.

"Open your door or I will kick it down!" Geralt's gruff voice was muffled by the door, but you could tell he was yelling.

You hurriedly put down your knitting project and let Geralt in. He walks in and turns rather smoothly however quick, effectively shutting the door and trapping you between him and the thick wood the door offered.

"What are you? Are you a sorceress?!" Geralt questioned you with intense yellow eyes. The type of eyes he saved for people who have used him and lied to him.

"No, Geralt... I am not a sorceress. Why do you ask?" You gently take one of his arms down from its tense position leaning against the door to massage his hand in between your fingers. You gently guide him to a chair and sit him down before asking once more...

"What has made you think that I am a sorceress, Geralt?"

He grunts and looks into the dancing flames of the fire that licked the stone and left black soot marks.

"I was faster, stronger... more insightful... Roach rode like the wind and we got exactly where we needed to be just in time, even early. This didn't start happening until you started giving me things. And don't think I didn't notice the rune in my saddlebag. You may be a witch, but you are no sneak. So, what are you?"

A pregnant pause filled the space and time had eaten away at it.

You needed to tell him eventually. Now was as good a time as ever.

"I... You're right. I am a witch. But I am not a sorceress or a mage! I do not dabble in chaos. I am an omnist. I believe in the existence of every god. I also bend and use energy at my will. The thing people call 'Destiny' can be written, but then erased & rewritten. That's what I do. A 'narrow miss' suddenly becomes an 'easy dodge.' I take Destiny... and I manipulate her for my desired outcome. And if my desired outcome just so happens to be a few kids fed and the Savior of the people of the Continent, so be it."

It felt as though the energy had moved from this feeling where something was violently poking and stabbing to try and get out, to absolute stillness.

An eerie calm after a storm.

The sort of calm you feel right before a bomb goes off...

Except...

No bomb went off.

No storm flooded the room.

Geralt could only feel awe.

Not at just your power but how you chose to wield it.

You had the power of Destiny at your disposal, and you chose to help a few kids whose parents banished you from their town.

You had the power of Destiny... eating out of your hands... and you chose to help him...

The last time he felt this... loved... was Yennefer. But even Yennefer's love wasn't baselining love. She was lust. A poor foundation of love.

What is Geralt even thinking?! Love? He couldn't love. No... His path was a lonely, treacherous one.

But it was one many others have joined him on...

Maybe it wasn't as bad as he is thinking...

Maybe...

Just maybe....

A little bit of love is okay.

The White Wolf doesn't howl his praises or paw for attention. All he does is kneel.

Kneel in front of the most powerful, lovely, deadly person he has ever known... and hold them.

"Thank you... for protecting me..."

"Anytime, Geralt."

______________________________________________________________

Thank you for reading! I really appreciate it and I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did. If you have any requests, please feel free to ask me. Also, I know I made this one non-binary after editing, and I know what I said before I posted anything. Have a great night! Bye!

[bacchuschucklefuck]

Can you expand on what you mean by Baron being "too cool" to really fit a horror monster? It's a very interesting concept and I'd love to hear your thoughts. Is it that they're too active/involved/tangible and it detracts from their scariness?

I feel like I should preface this with a wall of disclaimers lmao 1/I am a hardcore, down-to-the-marrow, avid, deeply sincere horror enthusiast, esp. horror creatures. this usually means my mileage is vastly different from the average populace's, and my scaredy bone has been disintegrated by longterm exposure. most things in a piece of horror media won't scare me! so I practically never use that on its own as the scale to talk abt horror experiences, but when something does scare me it's always a special occasion to be treasured. 2/canon d20 is never really meant to be horror horror, and for good reasons: it doesn't fit the company's output, it takes a kind of carelessness in production estimation that is always a huge risk, it's often vulnerable in a way that kinda goes against how TTRPGs usually facilitates vulnerability, and for most people it's just! stressful! d20, even with the "horror-themed" seasons, generally just plays with horror tropes and stays focused in its goal of being a comedy improv tabletop theater show. 3/fantasy high's chosen system is DnD, which as I've mentioned before is before all a combat-based game system, which means the magic circle of play is drawn based on stats that facilitate and prioritize combat. want or not this affects every interaction you have in the game, and given fantasy high's concept from the ground up (everyone's going to school of DnD stuff to get better at DnD) it's doubly relevant. 4/This Is Fine I have no quarrel with this. my meters are internal, I do not ask this show to be anything it doesn't advertise itself to be, and what it is is fucking great! I like it! when I expand on this ask's question it will be like a physicist going insane in a lab. that's the mindset we're going in with.

disclaimers done. my stance on horror as a genre is that it's a utility genre rather than a content genre or a demographic genre; it is the discard of narratives. it's the trash pile. horror, above being scary, is about being ugly and messy, it's the cracks on the ground any story inevitably steps over to stay a genre that isn't horror. the genre's been around long enough to develop a codex and a general language that medias and makers and enthusiasts of the genre can use to talk about and build onto, but if you go into individual pieces there's really no unifying Horror Story. one person's beautiful life can be another's horror story, it's just how it is.

this makes The Monster a deeply intriguing piece of the genre. thing is a monster is in a decent percentage of any story - it's just when the antagonist force steps into something past a certain line traced out in the story's world. monstrousness is in pretty much every western fantasy story, it's in any story with a hero and something to vanquish or win; more than anything it's a proxy of that thing up there. the line in a narrative's world. the monster is the guard of the unknown lands, where heroic, civilized people don't tread.

what does this mean in the context of horror? the genre is about that perceived lawlessness, that "unknown land" so to say. we're in the monster's home. that's the literary context that we often walk into a horror piece with; the monster knows more than you about where you are. it may not understand you, but it holds more information than you, and with that it moves swifter than you, has more covered than you, and is more assured in its existence in this context than you. it's a struggle to catch up to it, it's nigh impossible to get one over it, and you're never sure it'll 100% work, because you just don't have the information necessary to.

with that framing you can kinda see where I'm coming from here: horror's often about the breaking of rules. I always think a monster's most effective when it breaks well-established rules of both existence and visual storytelling. think Possum (2018) or Undertale's Omega Flowey or the Xenomorph Queen - unique change in medium, unique change in graphic, unique change in design language, etc. in that sense I actually really like how canon baron plays out: they don't really function like anything else in the fantasy high universe, the bad kids have not managed to kill them when they've felled literal gods, their domain in fhjy literally introduces new mechanics to encompass their existence! from an experience design standpoint they slap mad shit. BUT! I can't help finding their character, like as a character riz (and the other bad kids, eventually) interact with, to be very... coherent? in design. this is kinda hard for me to articulate in words, it's more often a sense you get once you've looked at enough of these scrumptious fuckers, their general design and the way they show up is just kinda too clean, so to say. always kinda newly made? fresh unboxed. it, once again, makes sense for their lore - they are looking for more about themself from riz - and their function - they're an antagonist in a game experience, they're meant to be interacted with in a way that produces results and meshes with the existing magic circle - but that shininess takes away from the implied history they should have dominion over and the person they're haunting doesn't.

from another angle there is kinda something there about how put-together canon baron is as a concept; the domain they call home is riz's deep-seeded fears, extremely vulnerable things he's drawn borders around to quarantine and refused to walk into. things that from his perspective would irreversibly shatter certain pleasant fictions his world is built on top of. canon baron, While Extremely Cool, I feel is kinda too neat to connect with and signify the apocalyticized mess that'd result from this paradigm shift. the part where they're in riz's briefcase and looking through every mirror is Very Cool And Fucked Up! but ultimately the show draws a line around them as well, by making game-physical, tangible spaces they're in (the mirrors and the haunted mordred manor) and put riz and the bad kids there only when they need to confront stuff. riz is meaningfully narratively away from baron's unknown land for most of fantasy high.

with that and all of my disclaimers in mind my conclusion here is if canon baron wants to be a Horror Monster they'd have to cross way more lines. be a Lot more invasive. hence (holds up my class swap baron like a long cat)

[saphig-iawn]

Day 7 of Turning me into Me

I've done it. My dear sweet girlies, my shes, gays, theys, and whatever-the-hays, I've done it. I have gone 7 whole days sticking to my plan. On November 12th I saw my face without a beard for the first time in 11 years and while my mask of masculinity was gone I still didn't like what I saw. I chose that day to be the worst I would ever feel about myself and made a decision to put the future me into production, rather than wait for HRT to do it all for me. I was inspired by a trans friend of mine who went through a similar journey to get surgery and she just told me so bluntly how easy it'd be. So I did.

And here I am, a whole week of walking every day, a whole week of not eating when I'm bored, a whole week of no sugar drinks (sorry monster). I am the happiest I have ever been. My head is so full of the things I'd wear, the makeup I'd try, the ways I can enjoy my body (also tbh I am really excited about the clothes holy FUCK). It was as easy as my friend said, "just don't do it, lol" were literally the words out of her mouth. I even took my first selfie that I liked.

But these aren't the only reasons why I'm still going. It is everyone who has come by and seen me talking about my journey and have shown me support. I've had DMs, Asks, RBs all telling me how they found my writing at the right time, and also at the wrong time and giving them something to think about. The fact that little old me could be a single part of someone's journey into their true self is just.. it.. it makes this so much better and so much more worthwhile.

You see, I used to be in a big discord server that belonged to a streamer. Over time it became harder to remain there. I wasn't out at the time but had so many girlies who were and they fought so well when laddish bigotry and cishet male-ry would bubble up and ruin people's day. But then one particularly bad night would result in blatant transphobia being slung in the chat and despite so many girlies calling it out, it was normalised by the server owner. I was DMing the girlies about how it just fucking sucked and that I wanted to do something but I was so scared and so tired and they sympathised with me. But I had had enough and thus turned my coming out into a weapon. I wanted them to know that their words hurt so many more people than they think; the silent queers that sit and see bigotry become commonplace in a space that has been advertised as safe, the questioning girls-to-be and boys-to-be seeing people write off their feelings under Devil's Advocacy. I told them they weren't allies, there was no support, and I was coming out and they better fucking pack it in. But when the culture is entrenched, even something like that doesn't change much. But my coming out caused a ripple, and I did see the names of people I had never interacted with before show love, and I knew that it was enough for them. I hope that me, setting myself ablaze in that server and leaving from the ashes, was enough for those names I saw.

A big thank you to everyone who has said hello, got in touch, or even just liked. I have such a deep and unshakeable love for you.

[richeeduvie]

The Austerlitz episode in Logan wins AU. Baby jr wants to join the family therapy thinking its just fun family time. They all get up to go to the little chapel, so baby jr. gets up as well and starts walking with them, so happy, almost skipping. "No no baby, we stay here" "But I want to go with them mommy, I want therapy too". So Baby and Baby jr. sit with Tom and Willa. Not sure how that conversation would go, but would love to know. Afterwards when Logan and Roman take pictures Baby jr also wants to be in a picture. So they let her, because who can say no to her, and she's like "Mommy! You too!". So now it's a picture with Logan, Baby, Baby jr. and Roman. And Roman just feels weird. (No this is NOT affair AU)

If this was the affair!AU, it'd be a serve on Roman's end. Just up in the photo with his secret daughter, old dad none the wiser. Cunt-like.

"You can't join us, weirdo."

Baby Jr's smile at Roman drops. She pouts and mms. Roman pokes her shoulder.

"It's torture. It's not for babies - it's for losers. I'm just there to support our sister and brother."

"I wanna do therapy, please please."

"...You'll probably have to at a certain point." Roman pecks her cheek, bending down to her. "Mwah!"

Connor kisses Baby Jr's head on the way in. She puts her hands up.

"I hop-I hope therapy is not fun like what I'm thinking."

Baby smiles.

"I promise you, sweetheart, it's not."

Baby Jr nods and slumps into her mommy when she picks her up. She's still sad, she can have times that are not fun. As long as it's with her family.

Tom teaches Baby Jr that slapping game with your hands. You know, the one where you lay your palms out and someone sits theirs on top of yours, then you have to be fast enough to slap their palms before they pull away.

She always gives herself away, giggling hard when she's about to slap Tom's hands. He'll let her most of the game, where Baby Jr will laugh even harder.

Willa smiles something subdued, but bright.

"You've got a lot of power. You bore a little, pretty monster-ow!"

"Sorry, Tom."

She still giggles.

"She's a cutie, you're lucky."

"Thank you, Willa."

"Both of them. Shiv tries to peel my pupils if I ask for baby photos, so I'm assuming all of them were ugly coneheads...don't tell her I said that."

Willa tilts her head looking at Baby Jr. No kids, but at least the genetic proof is pretty cute - and odd for a toddler. If Logan can produce that...no, that's weird.

"Shiv was a cute baby."

"Oh, well - I never doubted it."

"Willa, play? Please."

"Okay, don't go too hard."

Tom's confused as to why Baby Jr is very gentle when slapping Willa's hands.

Then it's time for photos and Baby Jr is tilting her head, she walks behind the photographer - she doesn't want to ruin the picture.

"What are you doing?"

She missed out on therapy, she's not gonna miss out on picture taking.

"Can I be in the picture?"

"No, don't bother the boys-"

"Alright." Logan waves a hand over. "Romulus, they've already got enough of just your mug."

Roman blinks down as Baby Jr comes running up. He hauls her up.

"Thank you, Daddy."

"You're good for advertising."

She smiles shyly. Roman makes a face that's almost catty as much as it is slightly disgusted, but he smiles at Baby Jr when he catches her smiling at him.

"Mommy, come. You too."

"Oh, I don't know-"

"Might as well."

Roman's smile drops as Logan waves a hand over again. Baby comes into the middle, smiling at Logan and Roman swallows.

He presses his nose into Baby Jr's palm. She giggles.

He's a bad picture model when he catches Logan's hand on Baby's back. A flash comes along, bright.

What a picture of the happy family.

[watchmorecinema]

I was re-watching the Folding Ideas video about Nostalgia Critic's The Wall, and it got me thinking about something. I'm perfectly ok with people hating my favorite movies, so long as they at least understand them. The Wall is a dark and depressing movie and maybe you just don't want to deal with that. But if you think the main theme is "high school sucks" then you didn't really try to engage with it at all.

A lot of this I think is due to advertising. The Exorcist isn't the scariest film ever made, it's a family drama. It's very compelling but if you're looking for a lot of scares then you'll walk away thinking it's boring. Rambo isn't really an action film since it's more about the character of Rambo and how he has been dehumanized by the very machine that sent him to kill in Vietnam (the sequels dropped all of that). A lot of people went into Fight Club expecting it to be a straightforward fighting movie but actually it's a twisty thriller about the horrors of capitalism.

But outside of that I think it happens when the movie is abstract in some way. The Wall is very abstract, but it's easy to understand what it all means. An animated scene about inhuman monsters destroying London isn't The Wall trying to be a Kaiju movie for a minute, it's a metaphor for the horror and destruction of the blitz.

David Lynch and Tarkovsky get hit pretty hard by this too; people don't understand what the plot literally means so they get hung up on that instead of coming up with their own interpretation. What Stalker means to me is completely different to what it means to someone else. Any Twin Peaks theory is valid so long as its yours. Good art is a mirror that lets you engage with it and reflect about your own thoughts and feelings. If you unironically think that Whiplash or Wolf of Wall Street was about supporting hustle culture then that says more about you than about the film.

If you don't regularly engage with art in this way, well you should! Watch movies you wouldn't normally consider and see how it makes you feel. Even bad movies can help you feel a certain sort of way and that's valid. Maybe you find something that means something to you in a way that was never envisioned by the creator. Videodrome has a lot to say about parasocial relationships with online content creators, but it came out more than a decade before the Internet came into being. Starship Troopers was panned on release but now it's understood to be a pretty clear satire of right wing militarism. Every time I rewatch Akira I get something different from it, especially if I'm in a different stage of my life.

There's a lot out there to explore. And sometimes that means you walk away from a film where you might think it was well made but that it did nothing for you. It's happened to me too; I can understand that The Wolf Man did a lot for werewolves in fiction (literally creating most of the lore you recognize), but it's also mostly about a guy being really creepy towards women with pretty bad special effects. I can appreciate its influence, but I just don't think it's a good movie.

I'm sure most people reading this will have similar thoughts about Stalker. It's very slow, philosophical, a bit nihilistic and while the plot is pretty easy to understand it leaves so much open ended that you need to decide for yourself what it all means. It's a lot of work to watch. I love it for that reason; very few movies actually give the viewer homework to mull about and chew on and this one gives so much to consider. But it's perfectly reasonable for someone to decide that it's hard to relate to the movie about Russians being depressed about abstract concepts for nearly 3 hours.

[savingthrcw]

@honorhearted Ben x Stella (going by Sophie/Robin)

While she was known as The Robin whenever Sackett had to address her as one of his informants, everyone involved in her mission knew her as Sophie Knight, the English noblewoman who had charmed General Harmstrong's very soul, and that had given Stella access to all the intel Sackett could possibly need about his troops, including the involvement of some traitors among Washington's midst. She had gotten the message that there'd be a raid soon and so she had prepared, knowing she'd have to act the part until truly safe so she could rely to Sackett himself the names she couldn't give with coded messages, unlike the intel about the dishonorable, illegal side-jobs the General had taken, which would have led him to a hanging no matter which side found out. She was no professional spy, after all, her cons had generally been about becoming richer or avenging some poor souls when justice couldn't be done, but if this job was paid as well as advertised she may consider doing it again; it wasn't hard, making a man long for the simple chance to kiss her, let alone persuade her to stay, even when they wore an uniform. Speaking of whom, Harmstrong was telling her to use her connections to save her life, since she was simply a woman and would not be judged for her man's fault. "But I can fight them! We can still run!" she begged him, making a show of picking up the decorative umbrella near her, "I could-I could..." "No, my darling, don't fight. It is not in your nature," he assured her, lowering her hand, "Go upstairs, and don't worry about me: we shall see each other again." Only in hell you creepy bastard, hopefully, she thought, pressing a kiss to his lips before running upstairs.

Thankfully, or perhaps because Sackett was certain of his loyalty, the man in charge of the group sent to her was Benjamin Tallmadge, someone she knew not to be in Harmstrong's pockets. "Found his lover-" a soldier started saying, and the slap she gave to his chest was so purposefully weak that it earned a look of genuine pity from the man.

"You will not walk into my bedroom uninvited! I'm a lady! You cannot do this!" "We are not going to harm you if... Sir?" he called for Tallmadge, searching for help with the hysterical woman. "You monsters! You will pay for what you are doing! My General will go free and hunt you all down!" she shrieked, allowing another soldier to at least guide her outside of the room, to lower the chances of getting hit over what she was saying, "What has the King ever done to you, why must you fight honest men, what are you getting out of it?"