#Trade Law

[nationallawreview]

USTR Finalizes New Section 301 Tariffs

The United States Trade Representative (USTR) published a Federal Register notice detailing its final modifications to the Section 301 tariffs on China-origin products. USTR has largely retained the proposed list of products subject to Section 301 tariffs announced in the May 2024 Federal Register notice (see our previous alert here) with a few modifications, including adjusting the rates and…

[coopsday]

High-Level roundtable on Freedom of Association in Belarus.

The high-level roundtable will discuss the grave situation of trade union rights in Belarus with UN special rapporteurs.

Watch the High-Level roundtable on Freedom of Association in Belarus!

[neystreet]

The Seller's Arsenal: An Inside Look at the Rights of Sellers under Act 137

From time memorial, mercantile trade has been an integral part of human society. As commerce developed, so did commercial law. Today, with the rise of technology, commercial law is being tested in many new ways.

From time memorial, mercantile trade has been an integral part of human society. As commerce developed, so did commercial law. Today, with the rise of technology, commercial law is being tested in many new ways. In this paper, we will explore the various ways in which the laws governing commercial transactions work to preserve the operation of commerce and the function of society by navigating…

[attyrocious]

my hands started hurting in the middle of this maybe he can fix it

[teamattorneylex]

CMRU TRADECON- International Conference on Emerging Trends in International Trade Law by CMR University [Feb 25]: Register Now!

The School of Legal Studies, CMR University, is organizing an International Conference on Emerging Trends in International Trade Law with special reference to India on February 25, 2023. About CMR University The School of Legal Studies, CMR University, a pioneering institute in the realm of legal education, has been dedicated to the cause of promoting legal education and research and…

[1000sunnygo]

Twitter user @sirasu12_ whatever you're cooking don't stop

[allthecanadianpolitics]

A petition was filed, Tuesday, in federal court in Canada to force Foreign Affairs Minister, Melanie Joly, to stop issuing export permits for military goods and technology sales to Israel, Anadolu Agency reports. The suit, launched by Palestinian-Canadians and the Al-Haq Palestinian non-governmental organisation and the Canadian Lawyers for International Human Rights (CLAIHR), argues the sale violates Canadian and international law. Canada’s Export and Import Permits Act states that the Foreign Minister must deny military goods and technology exports and permit applications if there is a substantial risk that would undermine peace and security. “We are seeking to hold Canada to its own standards and to its international legal obligations,” CLAIHR board member, Henry Off, told Al Jazeera in a telephone interview.

Continue Reading

Tagging @politicsofcanada

[fanaticsnail]

It's been a while

Masterlist Here

Word Count: 2,900+

Synopsis: Trafalgar Law has been missing his favorite courier, so at the encouragement of his first mate, he is prompted to do something about it.

Themes: Trafalgar Law x Box "Cottontail" Mila, fluff, long distance relationships, fluff, hurt / comfort, pining, longing from afar, den-den mushi, Law is tired, Law is missing his special person.

Notes: This is my half of the trade organized through the OC Discord Server for @bloglop and her beautiful OC, Mila. She gave me such a cute art piece for my Tobiuo x Heat 'Teat' ship, and I love it. I hope you like my half for your beautiful Mila! Divider by @/firefly-graphics.

Warmth swelled within the cool heart of the dark-haired captain, his chest ignited beneath the blaze of anticipated relief. Honey eyes briefly widening, they relax as his smile illuminated his cheeks with an emotion Trafalgar Law had not allowed himself to experience in so long. He knew it; he saw it every day of his life growing up in Flevance. His parents had it when their eyes met in the early hours of the day, he saw it in his sister’s eyes when she looked at her favorite desserts. 

Love.

Trafalgar Law was in love. 

Rolling on her heels to the balls of her feet, the twitching anxiousness was demonstrated within the grip of parchment clutched against her chest. Another delivery for the Tang: likely the recipe exchange Penguin set up between Sanji and Killer at the last meeting with Strawhat crew and the Victoria Punk.

“Mila,” Law sighed, his voice feeling foggy at the edges, echoing within the halls of the Polar Tang. He shook his head, shrugging off the tension and apprehension from his mind as he picked up speed. 

Trying not to seem overeager in seeing his lover so close to him fled his thoughts, he physically couldn’t contain it any longer. He needed Mila in his arms, embraced fully against his chest and lifted up into his arms. 

He wanted her, needed her, craved her in a way that felt like a part of him was missing: a part only she could fill with her presence. That little laugh, that soft stutter when she’s trying to hold her enthusiasm back, the way her ears would extend and tail would protrude when she was nervous, the buzz of life that illuminated and vibrated with excitable static. He craved to have all of that within his arms, lips touching so intimately close: sharing breaths and heartbeats as he entwined himself against her in an encumbering embrace. 

His feet carried him closer, further and faster than he could ever dream of. Ignoring the wind-smudged faces of his crew, Law simply sprung hurriedly towards Mila like an iron ball from a cannon barrel. 

Turning slowly towards her, the orange-hue of her widened orbs lit up and rose with her smile behind it. Expending her arms towards him, Law couldn't help but spring to close the distance between them. Hoisting her into the air, and with a large twirl to expel all the parchment from her tanned satchel. The pages seemed to float beside them as if meeting with water, held in stasis beside them while Law met his eyes against hers. 

Inked hands pressed at the back of her neck, toying with the finer hair growing at the base of her scalp, he drew her into his face. Lips finally colliding, he seared into her all emotion he craved to give her through his intense kiss. Expecting the common softness to her lips, his brows furrowed where all he could feel was a coarse scratch on his skin. Parting his mouth and deepening his kiss, her lips tasted of ink blotches and black coffee stains. He shook it from his thoughts, holding on tighter and refusing to be pried from her, her embrace felt different. 

“Law?” Mila’s voice ricocheted within his mind: sounding muffled as if forced to speak with a muzzle over her lips. Shaking his head, he gripped her tighter and more intently. Hands roaming and wandering, her skin felt cool to the touch and almost like steel. 

“Law?” her voice sounded several tones too deep, prompting Law to almost break away from her lips pressed against his and look up into her eyes. But he couldn’t, he was too overwhelmed by the fact she was hare, and she was finally back, to care about anything else. 

Mila’s hand gently reached up and grasped his shoulder, pinching and rolling the flesh between her perched digits. Shaking him from her, her strength managed to pull him away from her and force his eyes to fall on hers. 

“Mila?”

All he could see in lieu of his lover was a sheet of pale paper with stains of ink and black coffee. 

He had fallen asleep at his desk once again. After too many sleepless nights of peering over the edge of the Polar Tang, hoping the figure beyond the horizon was a small blotch of pink blur, he finally fell prone to the melody of sleep. Thin, paper pages stuck to his face as he jolted upright, looking immediately to the large, white fur that clutched onto his shoulders. 

“Just me, Captain,” Bepo sighed softly, a small amount of sorrow caged at the corner of his tone, “I'm sorry I'm not Mila. It's-... It's been a while, hasn't it, sir?” The Polar bear mink gently reached for the page affixed to Law's face, peeling it from his skin and placing it back down in a neat pile in front of him. Several words from the parchment transported onto his skin, words in reverse staining his pores by marking his face with its blotches. 

“It's… it's been a while, yeah,” he chuckled dryly, drawing his thumb and index finger up to pinch his eyes in a bid to pry the sleep from them, “M’sorry, Bepo. How long was I-?”

“-You need to call her, sir,” the first-mate spoke over his Captain. Bepo’s dark eyes seemed to command him, prompting Law to feel taken aback by the notion. He was not used to the large bear giving him commands, and making a call to his lover seemed an odd thing for him to get up in arms about. 

Law sighed, smearing his hand down his face before taking his chin in his hands. Although Law seemed to raise a smile to his lips, there was no real joy in his expression. He was truly lost, a man without direction and plagued with more sleep deprivation than he was truly able to withstand. 

“Look, Bepo,” Law chuckled, drawing his hand down to the desk in front of him, “I don't even know where she is right now. She could be legions away-.”

“-She’s on Komugi Island, delivering the outcome of a contract for intention for betrothal,” Bepo stated in a matter of fact way, fishing up the slumbering transponder snail and placing it on Law’s desk, “She’s staying at an accommodation close to the Charlotte’s. Call her. Please call her, sir.”

Law groaned at the pushiness of his first mate, rolling his eyes and reaching for the transponder. Tapping the shell awake, he offered it a small piece of lettuce he kept on his desk for it in payment for being awakened so abruptly. Looking up at Bepo, he shook his head with his exhaustion hanging on the small puffs of his elevated eye-bags. 

“There a number I need to dial?” Law asked Bepo, who hastily spat the digits immediately. With a small grunt in gratitude with a hidden and flustered smile, Law waved Bepo away from the room and excused himself to the company of himself and the snail. 

Gently rolling onto her back, Mila toyed anxiously with the ends of her blush-colored hair. The accommodation on Komugi Island made her feel more dwarfed than ever, and she was relatively tall. The land of giants, with a tyrant overlord that could potentially lose their temper with the outcome of Mila’s delivery, was otherwise quite welcoming. The minister of flour ensured her safety, the room was comfortable, and the food was incredibly sweet and playful. 

The one thing that she felt truly absent from this experience was her friend and lover, the captain of the Heart Pirates. She wanted to be with him a little more often lately, but she wasn't quite sure why. There was something in the way her heart sang to him in the quiet hours.

Her body became rigid as she rolled over to her side to move within a curled position beneath the blankets. She drew up the linen material in a bid to press more weight into her. The warmth provided beneath the blankets was comforting, but it wasn't what she truly wanted. 

She wanted Law. 

Her job had her darting her lanky legs around all of the blues and beyond: hopping between ports within the grand line, and sprinting as a courier to deliver packages in a timely manner. She had formed connections, made bonds, curated an eclectic assortment of clients, and was a trusted ally to all those who depended on her services. She was good at her job, and her reputation by word of mouth shepherded her everywhere. 

But it didn't manage to take her to the Polar Tang for some time. She missed it. The yellow submarine piloted by her beloved, hat-wearing, broody captain that she hoped cherished her as much as she did him. She loved him, and wanted to stay with him and hold him within his quarters and his office until she was certain he would eventually become sick of her. 

It had been a while since Mila had experienced love in her heart, and when she met and learned about Law, it hit her like the reputable ‘gum-gum-pistol’ from their Straw-Hat ally. Love hit her so hard, she almost felt like her legs would buckle beneath its weight every time she saw him. 

But, unfortunately for the both of them, she still had a job to do. She hoped she would come across someone who was in need of a courier to deliver a package to the Tang, but for now, she lay quietly buzzing with energy beneath the weight of the heavy duvet. 

The Zoan-Fruit user always had trouble sleeping when facing a trial like this. A client may be disgruntled by a letter, and often want to keep her around to formulate an appropriate response to send back. Mila would get stuck in the crossfires often, and remind them softly: ‘I am just the courier, but I will ensure to relay your objectives when I deliver your response.’ She was nothing if not professional, and professional, she was. 

Struggling to find rest, Mila scrunched her eyes shut and focussed on the sounds of her environment. Sizzling plates from the restaurant outside, the chirp of sweet bug song, the thumping of her anxious blood flooding her face, the soft purr of her carrier snail ringing on her desk-.

-Mila jolted upright, throwing the duvet off her body with the expectation that her client was calling her into the main keep to relay her response to the outcome of the betrothal. Putting on her best ‘professional’ voice, Mila took a deep breath as her lips curled around her words. Just as she tasted those first syllables on her tongue, she halted at the voice on the other end. 

“Cottontail? You there?” 

She froze. Her skin almost buzzed with the haste her shock managed to sizzle beneath her flesh. Each follicle stood like static ignited the ends of her pink tufts as her eyes flew wide. Lip quivering, hastily split her lips up into a radiant and broad grin. 

“Law?” She almost squeaked, managing to compose herself enough to answer tastefully, “I’m here. I was just about to turn in for the night.” She heard Law gently huff out a curse alongside a subtle whisper of ‘time difference, I'm an idiot,’ which rose a flutter in her chest. 

Silence fled from the Den-Den, an awkwardness once again present between the two of them. Neither spoke, nor made a single sound to alert the other was present. The only knowledge that another person was on the end of the transceiver was the fact that it was their snails we're awake. 

As Mila plopped down on her bed once more, the snail tucked against her pillow and laying comfortably on the heavy linen, Law had managed to sneak into his personal quarters from his office, gently doing the same. 

Law’s personal Den-Den buzzed gently as he lay his head down on the pale cerulean silks of his firm pillow. Considering his earlier doze, he was still feeling groggy and lethargic while his head felt heavier than what his neck could truly carry. Rolling onto his side, he blinked his heavy eyelids and spoke softly into it. 

“What are…? What are you up to right now?” Law asked barely with a breath, his inhale and exhale softening out at the corners. He could almost feel Mila’s smile through the snail, picturing her face as his eyelids finally grew too heavy to remain open. 

“I'm in bed, talking with you,” Mila offered gently in return, lulling him into a soft tranquility with her voice. Law smiled, nuzzling against the bedsheets and drawing up his legs to become more comfortable. He hummed a small chuckle in return with a light flush rising in his dark cheeks. 

“You're right here with me, are you?” Law’s question ignited Mila’s cheeks with that rosy tint he loved to see with her fluster. 

“I'm right there,” she confessed with a little shrug in her shoulders, neatly tucking herself within her blankets and nestling them around herself. Gently rising her question in her chest, she felt the small amount of fluttering anxiety swelling her heart, truly wanting him to answer honestly and truthfully. “Are you…? Are you here with me too?” 

Not even a beat of a butterfly's wing passed between them as Law graced her with his answer. 

“I'm there. I'm right there beside you, and,” Law halted his words, taking his time to stretch his lips through a yawn of exhaustion, “I'm gonna be there with you until the morning. Are you tired?” 

“I'm not tired at all, are you?” Mila asked in response, trying to choke down the emotion at the ease his response gave to her. Through this trip, this trial of delivering such an important contract with the Charlotte's and the response they got from the recipient, it truly weighed on her. The exhaustion that came from it, the sorrow she felt at the lack of deliveries with the Tang, the way she truly wanted nothing more to be curled up in Law's quarters and listening to him talk about the latest addition to his coin collection - everything felt so raw at this moment. 

At such an innocent and easy question, and hers in return, she felt the well of emotions rise up in her chest and swell behind the closed dam of her teeth. 

Almost in a sense only captain's and doctors seemed to comprehend, and in the comfort Law truly wanted to receive from his beautiful courier, he whispered against the microphoned end of the snail. 

“Mila, I need you to talk,” he confessed to her, feeling the weight of his own release, “I need to hear your voice, I need to hear about your day, and I need to-...” He choked on his admission, feeling heavy and vulnerable as he laid in his bed, “...I haven't been able to sleep properly. I need to sleep, and you… You always seem to be able to help me switch off. Can you do that for me? I promise it won't take long-.”

“-I’ll do it, Captain,” she cut him off, her eagerness causing Law to chuckle in a low tone. “I'll talk your ear off, and I won't stop even if you beg me to.” Mila tucked herself completely in, laying on her back, and thinking where in her journey she should start her tale.

Recounting the initial retrieval of the response from the recipient of the Charlotte family’s proposal, she began spurting a relay of every event that transpired from there. Traveling the seas, running as fast as her legs could take her, meeting Charlotte Linlin and her sons: Oven, Cracker, and Katakuri, she spoke on it all. 

Every syllable the pink-haired Zoan-Fruit user was a sweet melody to the exhausted captain. Mila would ask questions to gauge where he was in his exhaustion, and Law would go from asking a question in return, to a one-worded answer, to a small grunt or moan in response. 

As Mila spoke on, the slow blinks from Law’s eyes opening a crack would reveal his Den-Den shell in one moment, before dissipating to see Mila in all her cottontail glory beside him in the next. She was there, truly there, and he felt every second of it. The scent of her perfume, the warmth of her skin, the softness of her hair, the smile on her lips: she was right there as she spoke within his mind’s eye.

Smiling, his chest rose and fell with each passing moment Mila would speak to him. He was prompted to set internal reminders to order some flour and sweets from Komugi island for the crew, utilizing Mila's service and giving her a reason to be with him. His rationale dictated it would be good for morale, and Penguin would appreciate the fresh produce.

Whereas all Law wanted was Mila.  As he drempt, all he pictured was the waves of lengthy pink hair from the back of Mila, holding her close in his dreams as she spoke. 

The next morning, he woke to hearing the soft rustle of Mila’s snores from the disgruntled and sleep deprived Den-Den snail, prompting him to give it a look of softened pity. A few small gentle taps to the eyeballs of the snail seemed to cause it comfort, so he continued to do so while he moved it over to the desk in the corner of his quarters. 

He waited until she woke naturally, truly reveling in the way her little sleep sounds were truly and distinctively hers. This only spurred him on to craft a finer arrangement of items he invented to guide her home to him. He wanted her home with him.

Their home, together, right there on the Polar Tang.

[breathedreamscream]

[wen316]

No mean comments please , if you don’t agree , pass on by , you have your right but respect my rights , also . Thank you . 😊

Assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump , July 13th , 2024. A miracle from God , the bullet missed by milliseconds with just a slight turn of the head at just the right moment and the bullet hit his eat rather than going thru his head .

[kna1lgrau]

Law is forever sad that Sanji won't let him vivisect him out of curiosity for his superhuman abilities... my guy cannot as much as look in general direction of a syringe; he swears on his life the next time Law even makes a step towards him with a scalpel in his hand he'll be kicked overboard the Sunny and Sanji WILL let him drown (he won't).

[nationallawreview]

Exporting U.S. Antitrust Law: Are We Really Ready for NOPEC?

Exporting U.S. Antitrust Law: Are We Really Ready for NOPEC?

The year is 1979. Inflation and lines at the gas pumps caused by a revolution in Iran have stunned Americans. Driven to action, the International Association of Machinists (IAM) files suit in the Central District of California against OPEC and its 14 member countries for participating in a cartel that controls the worldwide price of oil. None of the defendants made any kind of appearance before…

[coopsday]

[4th meeting] UNCITRAL 56th Commission session.

Plenary meeting - 56th session of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law UN Web TV

[racefortheironthrone]

Since SAG AFTRA has also gone on strike, does that mean the negotiations between the WGA and executives went poorly?

This is a great question, because it allows me to do some educating about labor law!

Today's topic: "bad faith" bargaining.

While often honored more in the breach than the observance, U.S labor law requires employers to engage in collective bargaining with unions, once those unions have been recognized as the "exclusive representative" of the workers via card check or union election.

Because Leon Keyserling and Senator Robert Wagner were not idiots and could see it coming that employers would drag out negotiations in order to try to destroy the union through attrition, the Wagner Act of 1935 required employers to not just negotiate with unions, but to negotiate "in good faith" and made it a violation of the law to negotiate in bad faith.

Two major forms of negotiating in bad faith are "dilatory tactics" (deliberately using the procedures of collective bargaining and labor law more generally to delay the process) and "surface bargaining" (where the employer goes through the motions of meeting with the union, but refuses to engage in substantive discussions). This can include stuff like sending representatives who don't have authority to negotiate, refusing to schedule sessions or trying to unilaterally control the timeline, not asking questions or engaging in back-and-forth discussion, refusing to discuss topics that are germane to conditions of employment, and so forth.

These kinds of actions are considered Unfair Labor Practice violations and the NLRB can issue "cease and desist" orders and "affirmative bargaining" orders, as well as some rather creative "special remedies" that get around the Wagner Act's lack of monetary penalties. As that suggests, however, part of the problem is that because the Wagner Act doesn't have significant monetary penalties, a lot of companies will just budget a line item for breaking the law and treat that as the cost of doing business, while using the same dilatory tactics to appeal NLRB decisions through the courts in the hope that they can outlast the union. (This is why one of the most effective labor law reforms that could be passed in a Democratic Congress would be adding compounding daily monetary penalties and streamlining the ULP process in both the NLRB and the courts.)

From what I've read of the negotiations, I think there's a pretty clear cut case that AMPTP engaged in surface bargaining and used dilatory tactics, with the intent to run out the clock and thus provoke a strike in which they believed economic pressure would force the union into surrender, essentially a lock-out without declaring a lock-out.

I think it's backfired on them. A big part of AMPTP's strategy for winning that strike was to divide-and-rule - hence why they came to an agreement with the Director's Guild - by getting through the lean months by filming and releasing shows and movies with already-completed scripts. Now that SAG-AFTRA is on strike, that lifeline of content is immediately cut - which means AMPTP is going to run out of revenue in the near future, which as WGA leaders have pointed out means bad quarterly earnings reports, which means stock prices tank, which means investors and boards of directors get angry and executives become the ones facing the prospect of losing their jobs at the same time that all the compensation they've structured as stock options to avoid taxes loses value.

[merbear25]

Snake bites (Monster!Law)

Despite being married to each other, there were still ways Law surprised you, not all of which were pleasant. The village had fallen on hard times, forcing him to take up being a huntsman in hopes of keeping the two of you well fed. Even with word of snake parasites lurking in the Forbidden Forest, Law took a risk only to get burned. How you wished you were welcoming your husband home that day.

a/n: This is a trade for @karusenka! It’s so exciting to do a trade like this, honestly. Thank you so much for suggesting it! I hope it lived up to your expectations!

CW: NSFW! MDNI! Monster AU, Marriage AU, fem!reader, angst, noncon, vaginal penetration, creampie, horror themes. This is based on the snake parasite from bloodborne but of course, I took some creative liberties to change some things.

The slight bite of cold nipped at your nose, reminding you that winter was creeping in. Fluttering your eyes open, they fell on Law’s sleeping form; his features were peaceful, as if the stresses of everyday life never phased him. A weak smile spread on your face as you went to brush his disheveled hair off his forehead, accidentally stirring him awake.

With a deep sigh, he lazily asked for the time. Slowly turning over to your bedside, you wanted to savor this time with him, for such sweet and gentle moments were becoming less and less common.

You watched him while he left your side. Keeping yourself from calling out to him to return to bed just so you could spend a bit more time holding him never got easier; you understood that he’d give you the same begrudging excuse of ‘There’s only so much light in the day.’ Although true, the bleak reality never stopped you from wanting to be selfish every now and then.

Despite sacrificing parts of his freedom to cherish you like you deserved, knowing that you’d have enough food during winter was his sense of purpose: the purpose that kept him from staying at your side and that led him into forests in search of prey.

Looking over his shoulder, he gave you a faint smile before coming back to place a soft kiss on the top of your head. “I’ll be back by supper.” As his lips left the warmth of your body, he dreaded having to trek through the early onset of winter. The subtle sadness held in your eyes was making this morning particularly taxing for him. However, the thought of you going hungry snapped him back to his senses. While venturing out of the house with a brief goodbye, you were alone with your thoughts.

Even though there were supposed to be a couple of months before the first snowfall, frost had built up on the blades of grass surrounding the forest, and the leaves drooped from its added weight. Seeing a few of the other men helped relieve some of the weight they were all carrying on their shoulders: hunting in small groups would no doubt fare well for them if they crossed paths with predatory animals, or, as others whispered about behind closed doors, snake parasites.

Such rumors only poisoned the mind, though. There was no proof even alluding to some of those in neighboring villages having been picked off by these parasites. That being said, gossip or not, fear had already plagued the village which caused many men’s nerves to buckle under this added pressure. Adding this word of mouth to the threat of an early winter only made matters worse.

With a few rabbits collected and the sun already well past the midway point in the cloudy sky, many were beginning to lose faith that there’d be something of greater value hiding amongst those trees. But then, a rustling could be heard just some meters away. When a deer jolted out from behind a bush the men weren’t even facing its direction, all except Law. However, he still wasn’t quick enough; his bullets grazed the bark whenever the deer ducked and swayed out of the line of fire.

Whether it was the want of having a successful hunt or the panic of not being able to provide for the two of you, it was hard to say what drove Law to chase after the animal, but whichever it was carried his feet faster than he ever thought possible.

Single mindedness acted as a silencer, causing the group’s calls to fall on deaf ears. Deeper and deeper he journeyed into the depths of the hushed horrors that’d been passed around the surrounding villages. He knew the deer was outrunning him, so he acted fast when it ran through an opening between the trees. Taking the only chance he’d be given, he fired a bullet straight through its jugular.

Shrieks of agony sounded, calling out into the void of nature with gurgled chokes whose cries were only silenced by Law’s knife. Huffing while staring down at his much deserved prize, he looked around to think he’d catch a glimpse of the others behind him—only being faced with the tall trees. Mustering up enough strength, he slung his catch over his shoulders, clinging to the hooves on both sides of him.

Carefully backtracking, he nearly lost his footing when his attention jerked towards a snapping twig. With so much talk of monsters feasting on the disappearing villagers, one could only keep their imagination from wandering for so long. His eyes darted every which way it sounded from, trying to keep his breath calm and heart steady.

Easing up on his grip, that day’s prize slumped down to the forest floor. Pained soaked groans coupled with a large figure staggered towards Law. Gasping for air while the body swayed back and forth put Law further on edge. Not wanting to risk turning the situation into a chase, he cautiously backed away from the stranger. Slowly bringing his hand to his gun, the clarity of the risks were crystal: if he missed, there would be a slim chance of him escaping; but if he managed to hit it, it’d be severely wounded, giving him a decent enough shot at fleeing. With a sudden lurch, Law reacted by pulling the trigger—only blowing off a chunk of its shoulder.

Hysteric yelps entwined with sharp hissing seeped out of the foe while it writhed in agony. Being given such a small window of opportunity was all that he’d be offered. Turning to run from the scene, he witnessed the creature sprouting a new head—or multiple. A sudden crack and spray of blood coated his back, alarming him with the close proximity of the creature.

Piercing fangs dug into his flesh while scaly bodies swarmed him, tugging him closer to their host. His blood curdling screams were heard by no one, allowing this demonic presence to feast upon his purity in peace.

No matter how many times you looked out the window, there was no sign of him. The others returned hours ago, mentioning that he’d run off and they couldn’t keep up with him. Dread sunk in when thoughts of ‘what if’ reared their ugly heads. With dusk approaching, leaving him out there cold and alone was not an option.

Calling out his name wasn’t the safest route, but it was the only one worth trying if you had any hope in finding him. Having brought your lantern, you put off lighting it until it was completely necessary, although the falling sunlight on the trees blanketed you with unease.

Seeing something moving between the trees off in the distance, your woes momentarily subsided as you called out for your husband. Hurrying towards him, the thick leaves made it difficult to see, leading you to ignite your beacon of hope.

Holding the lantern up, it promptly fell to the forest floor as soon as you saw his clothes clinging to him, caked with crimson. Rushing to his side, your heart sank to the earth beneath your feet. You hadn’t seen his head prior. In simply panicking and dropping your source of light, you’d taken away your right to see what had been done to him, to your beloved husband.

Backing up too hastily, a tree root caught your ankle, leaving you sprawled out on the cold moist ground. Witnessing your dearly departed leer over you shattered your pained heart into pieces that could never be mended.

“Law, what happened to you?” Sobbing uncontrollably, your tears were the only things keeping your face warm.

It planted his feet on either side of you, jerking into a craned pose. Your breaths were rapid signaling to it that you were prey—too terrified to move.

When a hand hurtled to your side digging its fingers into the soil, your wince of fright irked it. Faint hissing reached your ear, leaking into your worst nightmares.

Unable to face it, you cowarded away, sealing your eyes in an attempt at imagining your loving husband being over you instead. Beaten down into submission, you were left helpless to the beast's other wandering hand: ripping at your blouse, clawing off your pants. Telling yourself that it was still Law gave you no peace of mind—the hissing and slithering bodies brushing against your exposed skin served as heinous reminders.

Pain spread across your vulnerable form only intensifying with each thrust. The audible sobs only stirred anger within the vessel, so you clamped your hands over your mouth to muffle them. With the bucking becoming rougher and more frantic, your sorrow seeped past your fingers, leaving your cries sharp and wet against your skin.

Guttural grunts that somewhat resembled Law’s could have made it easier to delude yourself into thinking that this was still him. However, when accompanied with the snakes coiling their bodies around your arms and legs and flicking their tongues against your nipples and clit, such fantasies were demolished.

Your body was being dug further into the soil, dirt sticking to your sweat kissed flesh, all the while your ability to shed any more tears was being stripped away. Risking a glance at your ill-fated lover, the glow of the lantern illuminated his human body. In spite of the fact that it was paler, sicklier and coated in blood, it still resembled him. 

With your tear stained eyes on it, the pace grew more rigid, possessive even, making you squirm underneath it. Blood beaded around the opening of your abused slit as you braced yourself for what you’d been fretting.

Each unforgiving jerk pumped you with its abominable seed, mixing with your blood to create an unholy elixir. Having finished with you, the shell of your husband reeled back, leaving you to sort through the trauma it’d just placed on you.

Swelling with a whirlwind of conflicting emotions, you eased yourself back up once you were sure it was far enough away. Practically crawling back to your home, you locked all the doors and windows before limping into the bathtub. The soap burned each of your cuts, having you recall the ways they’d been inflicted on you.

You knew you’d never be able to scrub that night’s events off of you. They’d be etched into your memory for as long as you lived, but you held onto that last ounce of faith that you wouldn’t be burdened with mothering a crime against nature.

[bisthefairy]

The average Mario Kart character owns 35 shitty businesses