#I'm afraid of spiders

[houseofoddballs]

You know... I don't think that any piece of literature or any video or game will ever be able to encapsulate the true horror of utter darkness. Being surrounded by nothing but blackness and a little illuminated screen that's the only thing you can see in a room right after the light turns off and you become far too aware of how big and open the space is.

You know what's in there, you were just looking at it.

And there are two types of tricks that your eyes play, in my experience. There are the little sprites that dance at the corners of your vision, little phaux spots of illumination as if through a crack somewhere. But when you look they're gone.

Those are the good ones. Just vestiges of false hope at regaining a sliver of sanity. The other ones are the ones that really scare me.

The shadows. The room is already so dark that you can't see anything at all, but then they take form. Seeping from the darkness in pools of something that can only be described as a void of all light and hope. Despair in a shape hopefully conjured by your own mind. A lot of the time, I see them as corpses, suspended in silhouettes of gruesome scenes, just sitting there. And you would think that just sitting there would make them easy to ignore, but they're not. Because when you look away and look back, they're still the same shape. But if you go back another night, they'll be gone.

But, occasionally, one of these voids could attach itself to you. I first saw mine when I was really young, maybe 7. Before the concept of death even invaded my small mind. My mother tucked me in all nice and snug, she even tucked the covers nice and tight around me because I loved that as a child. And then she turned the lights off.

It was just darkness for a moment as I lay there in my bed, enjoying the compression of the covers tucked around me. Then he came, materialized from the darkness of the very room that I felt safest in. It was a man, hanging by the neck from my ceiling, dangling right above me, so close that I remember pressing myself into the bed so his shoes wouldn't touch me.

I remember staring up at him with wide eyes, hoping that if I opened my eyes wider, then I would be able to see better in the darkness quicker. It didn't help. I remember his head being at such an awkward angle, one that couldn't be normal, now I know that his neck was probably snapped, and he was just swinging gently above me for what felt like forever. And because the covers had been tucked so tight, I couldn't move. If I tried to roll over to free myself, I would have hit his feet and he might have noticed me. That's at least what I told myself.

After that, I kept sleeping with a night light, or at least with the blinds open. I never subjected myself to pitch blackness alone again. And, eventually, I forgot.

I don't know how I know it's the same one when they alwaystake different horrifying shapes. Maybe because he's the one to always get closest to me. Maybe I can just feel it. But I know it's always him. Sometimes, there are others, but he's always there.

I'm all the way in college now, and it felt pretty silly to still be afraid of the dark at my age. Besides, I didn't know how to explain needing a night light to my roommate, especially since I couldn't remember why I really needed it anyway.

I ended up remembering really quick.

It's utterly horrifying, you know? To lay ramrod straight on an all too firm mattress in pitch blackness, trying desperately to see the rest of the room so you can stop seeing the embodiment of insanity peeking it's inky head up from the foot of your bed and slowly crawling over your body, making it's way up to your head. You can't feel anything, so you know it's just your mind playing tricks on you. But that doesn't make it any less terrifying when you're still laying there with your eyes as wide as they will possibly go so you can just TRY to convince yourself that this THING this horrifying giant embodiment of darkness and atrophy perched on your chest isn't really and it's all your imagination!

And yet, it's morning when you come to. Does that sum up how my first night of college went for you? I've done the searching, and they aren't sleep paralysis demons. I have every opportunity to move, I've wiggled my fingers and moved my feet before. They aren't tricks of the light either. It's not just a pile of laundry. Because I've seen them manifest in front of blank walls and other shapes alike. The room is always so dark that those two types of shadows are the only things I can see.

And I know by now you probably think this is a poorly written work of fantasy or fiction, but it's not. I need to know if I'm the only one to see these things that have been driving me mad. I need to know if I'm the only adult who still has to clench my eyes shut when the lights go out just so they don't torment me. This is real for me, even if it isn't for you, and I need to know. Please.

Anyway, I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving!

[bluegrim]

Dumb Ways I'd Die

Okay, this post might be confusing but please just try to stay with me, okay?

If I was on a roof and there happened to be a spider up there, and then the spider happened to jump at me, my dumbass would jump off the roof to get away from it

[jasonsthunderthighs]

*Watchin a film together on the couch*

Tim: She better not go back to him.

Jason: *Doesn't answer as he drinks the last bit in his cup, lookin up at the ceilin*

Tim: *Lookin at Jason* What are you lookin at?

Jason: *Still lookin up at the ceilin* That spider

Tim: *Looks up frantically at the ceilin* Where? I don't see it!

Jason: Huh. *Not takin his eyes off the ceilin* Must've fell already.

Tim: No! *Scurries off the couch*

Jason: Since you're up, can you get me somethin to drink? *Looks at Tim, givin the cup to him*

Tim: *Laughin at the trick, takin the cup and hittin Jason on the head with it before makin him a drink*

[herman-draws]

HII you asked for ideas for hollow knight art and so hehee

i love your hollow and quirrel art so ofc that's gonna be about them I LOVE THEM THANKS TO YOUU!!

so what about a modern au maybe? or if you'd like to draw them in normal setting imagine them exploring some of the Hollownest locations together!! I wonder which one of them is more scared of spiders😭

I DON'T KNOW HOW TO WRITE IN THIS THING I'M SORRY IF I DID ANYTHING WRONG((

I AM VERY SORRY FOR TAKING SO LONG TO ANSWER

ofc you didn't do anything wrong i am very glad you left an ask

i'm still very busy with my studies but i decided to do at least a couple of doodles for ya! traversing hallownest might be a pain for thk sometimes cause most of passages... wasn't exactly meant for their height. and for the second doodle... i think the idea is pretty clear here

[julnites]

Smiles morales :)

[beanghostprincess]

Sanji has arachnophobia but like. The type of arachnophobia that makes you have panic attacks even if you only see a little, tiny spider around you. And I just know Usopp would love to have a pet spider. They go to an island and Usopp finds a hurt spider and takes care of it because of course he would, and decides to keep it because of course he would.

So, uh, Sanji doesn't like his boyfriend's pet. It's not like he's going to tell him, because what would he say to him? Sanji hasn't told him his fear of spiders is that bad (he definitely knows, though). And he doesn't want to get in between Usopp's excitement of keeping her. So the spider stays and at least Usopp is aware that Sanji doesn't like her, so he doesn't let her go close to him (she's very polite so it's okay).

But Usopp loves having her around. On his shoulder, his head, his hands-- The guy brings her with him everywhere. And the little thing is smart and somehow seems to understand what Usopp says. They're happy. It's cute. Luffy absolutely loves her. Robin is literally thrilled to study her behavior. And Sanji can't even look at her because he will start hyperventilating the second he notices her.

He'd try to get over his fear of her because Usopp wants them to get along but he won't force it on Sanji. Sanji just knows he wants them to be friends. The spider lives in Usopp's terrarium, which he keeps in his workshop, and so Sanji goes there without telling his boyfriend.

And he tries. He really, really tries. He's shaking when he sees her there, even if she's inside the terrarium. He's barely able to breathe when he tries to get her out of there. Again and again repeating the words Usopp constantly tells him "She's more afraid of you than you are of her" (which is bullshit, in Sanji's opinion) and "She only wants to be your friend! She likes you because I like you" (something extremely romantic but Sanji's brain doesn't process it that way).

He's about to call it a day and try to calm himself down before he actually stops breathing for good. But. You know. The terrarium is on the edge of the table that's already full of Usopp's stuff and the tablecloth is long and- And the terrarium falls and breaks and the spider ends on Sanji's foot-

He doesn't want to do it and it happens in instinct and regrets it immediately, but he kicks the spider. He doesn't know where she lands and he doesn't react immediately to it because he's too focused on trying to learn how to breathe again. He sits on the floor around broken glass and dirt and doesn't realize what he's done until he starts looking for her again. It's not even because of Usopp anymore. She's just a spider. She hasn't done anything but... Existing. She shouldn't be blamed for that. Even if Sanji is afraid of her.

Sanji looks around for her without getting up and finds her alive and well and crawling around avoiding the glass, but also trying to stay away from Sanji as much as possible. That breaks his heart because he might not know what she thinks the way Usopp does, but he knows when someone is scared.

At least she's okay. She's alright. That's a relief.

"I'm sorry, I-" He feels a bit stupid talking to her like this, but he knows she gets it. He hopes she does. "It's not you. You're- He loves you, okay? You're a good girl. I just- I just can't."

He feels his chest tightening when she approaches him ever so slowly, but he knows she won't do anything. His heart doesn't share the same sentiment, but he quiets it down. She looks almost apologetically as if she was the one reassuring Sanji and not the other way around. "It must be tiring." He holds his legs close to his chest to make space for her to walk next to his feet. He feels like he's about to pass out, but she's respectful. And nice. And kind of cute, even. And she's Usopp's. Sanji thinks she tilts her little head confusedly. Thinks, because he isn't quite sure if they do that. "It sucks, right? People being afraid of you all the time. I- I can't say I'm not scared but- But you haven't done anything wrong, little one."

She stays there and doesn't move much for a few seconds, until she ends up crawling up and resting on top of Sanji's shoe. The same way she does when she spends her time on Usopp's shoulder. Sanji isn't that afraid anymore. He's overwhelmed and exhausted and really, really anxious, but he trusts her. Somehow.

Sanji looks around the room, his heart clenching with blame. "I'm sorry- For your home. I'll build you a new one. Well. Not- Not me. I don't know how to. Usopp will. Shit, he'll hate me after this..." But before he can start dwelling on it, the spider moves a little on his leg. And It isn't as bad as he thought. If she's going to murder him in his sleep it's a bit deserved after all. But she won't. He hopes she won't. "You know, you're kind of cute." She tries to crawl up to his knee, but it makes him jump a little. "Don't- Not really ready for, like, upper body touching. Please?" And somehow, she listens and goes back to her position. "Damn, you can understand what I say, can you? Smart girl."

And she doesn't say anything, but Sanji takes it as a yes. Both because he likes talking to her and also because he doesn't want to feel so damn stupid.

A few hours later, Usopp goes back to his workshop and finds Sanji asleep on the floor, lucky he didn't touch any shards of glass, and the spider rests on his foot happily. Or at least it looks like that for Usopp.

He'll ask what happened later, for now, it's time to clean the mess without waking up his boyfriend. He's been brave enough for a day.

[david3096]

Find someone who looks at you the way Peter looks at Harry

[takhy-dh]

DAY 2 - SPIDER

[duskkodesh]

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN BLOOD HUNT #3 JUNG-GEUN YOON VARIANT COVER

[homosociallyyours]

Found a spider in my grapes last night-- a Johnson's jumping spider if my googling is correct --and I was too tired to deal with her last night so i put the box of grapes+spider back in the fridge. Got up today ready to take care of spider business and grabbed the grape container, checking to make sure spider was there and looking ok (she was). Took the box outside to the dirt filled planter and tipped it on its side to let out the spider. She was... Gone? Sorted through the grapes, double checked the container. If the spider got out she hid very well very quickly.

But now of course I'm like. There's a spider in my fridge. Or just roaming around the kitchen. And she can jump!

I have 3 itchy bumps on my arm and they're not spider bites but my brain is like. They Are Spider Bites!! (No they're not)

Anyway I hope that little jumping spider is actually able to catch some bugs in the planter (they don't build webs to catch prey, they use their jumping skills) and that she's not just bouncing around getting hungry in the fridge.

[cinnamongobiin]

i either write teenage/young adult parksborn or parksborn as parents in their late 30s. there is no in-between. now i'm combining both in one fic because i'm a slut for the concept of dad!harry

[pparkerized]

you're telling me they're making this harry. this fella, this silly little guy into a villain??

[painterofhorizons]

1am, me ready to go to sleep after a nice night of gaming

Spider on the bathroom wall: exist and moves. Relatively big for my taste.

Pulse: nearing heart attack

Reaction 1: freeze and go blank about what to do

Reaction 2: get gloves, a chair and a garbage bag and kill the damn thing

Repeating like a mantra: I rather see the spider and deal with it than not seeing it and having it live in my flat and get bigger.

1:03am: nowhere near ready to go to sleep anymore

😭

[babacontainsmultitudes]

Welp I have some incredibly kind mutuals so I went and finished(?) that Nicky sketch from the other day lol. :] Mostly the same but I gave him some silly little tattoos and bling (and sweatpants- I can't draw clothes for the life of me but he deserves to be cozy lol)

Also bonus repost of an old Taylor doodle lmao ignore the eraser marks pleeease

[despair-tea]

I think I'm growing up alright. I'm gonna keep at it.