#and if you realize that you /can't/ get out... it is REALLY NOT SAFE and you most definitely have abuse on your hands here

[quierd-kitten]

Another word of advice, if you're like me at all and have some really severe/unusual trauma, be as upfront about that as you safely (mentally, emotionally) can in that interview stage. I had multiple therapists when I gave them a gist of what I had experienced (not going into detail, just the basic overview of what I was dealing with) straight-up said they couldn't handle working with me. One started crying. Of course you can't always find this out at the start, but it sucks even worse if you get settled and then realize they can't help with the things that need help the most. A bad therapist can do more damage than no therapist at all.

[toxicanonymity]

forest floor

(early) raider!Joel x f!reader - 1360 words

A/N: Can read alone, but in series context, this answers, when sweet pea escapes, what if Joel finds her before fedra does? The smut is greatly enhanced by this media. Ty anon. I also wanna shoutout those asks who wanted this before.

WARNINGS: 18+ angst, pursuit, inner conflict, manhandling, dubcon unsafe piv, hair pulling, spit, choking adjacent.

You can't take anything from Joel Miller. When he sees you're missing, his stomach drops. His face gets cold, all his muscles tense.  His nostrils flare as he takes a deep breath, then cracks his neck with a sharp tilt of his head. He can't believe you would do this. Someone must have taken you. He has half a mind to go into the house and do a head count, see who else is missing. But there's no time for that. Not a second to waste.

He scans the treeline. That's where someone would go if they were smart. That's where they'd take you if they didn't want the wrath of God, and worse - the wrath of Joel. With his rifle on his back, arms pumped up, he heads into the woods, stalking you like an animal - eyes wide open, cursing his impaired hearing.  He'll find them. Them. You couldn't have run, that's not how things are. He takes care of you, protects you, and you know it's for your own good. He can tell by the way you tilt your hips for him, push back on him, and sigh. He can tell 'cause in your sleep, you feel safe in his arms. You'll even lay your little hand on his arm sometimes.

When Joel the hunter calls out, "Stop right there," you're not running as fast as you can. Not even close. "Don't wanna hurt ya," he booms. "But I will if I have to."  You don't want to run, not really, not from Joel. It was a look from Jackson that put you over the edge. You'd already heard him talking about you with his buddy. And then, when Joel was occupied, he came over and stared you down, head to toe. Wet his lips and bit his teeth. "You aren't supposed to look at me," you reminded him. He snickered quietly, took a step back, looking at your body, then turned and left you alone.

You want to believe Joel can protect you. But the feeling that you *should* run still pulls at you. How could you willingly stay, surrounded by all these disgusting men who look at you like a piece of meat to carve up?  You *have to* run, just this once. And if you aren't meant to escape, you'll get caught. And you'll be good for him. If he lets you, you realize and your mouth goes dry. Your stomach twists at the realization that if he can't have you, surely no one can.  You stumble and trip on a fallen branch.

You start to get up, and hear a click that makes you sick. Hit with a tsunami of regret, you hang your head. Why'd you do this? The snap of twigs under his heavy boots looms closer. You collapse into the ground and he says, "Stay." 

His faint shadow eclipses you, obscured mostly by the forest, but you can make out a tilt of his head before he drops to his knees, straddling you. His hand clamps around the back of your neck. “What the hell are ya doin’? Tryin’ to get bit or worse?”

I'm sorry,” you choke out into the leaves tickling your mouth. 

“Don't you move an inch.” He grabs the back of your shirt as though it's the scruff of your neck, and when he's lifted your chest up, he wraps an arm around it. He gropes your breast, and desire swells in your loins. Maybe he'll just fuck you, if you're lucky. 

He manhandles you, flipping you over into your back, then wraps his hand under your chin. Not a full-on choke, but a threat. His head hovers over yours with eyes like dark thunderheads. A breeze rustles the leaves and it feels like the wind of a storm. 

“I'm sorry,” you repeat. 

He studies your face and repeats, “you're sorry,” with a dismissive nod.

“God *damnit*, sweet pea.” The pet name gives you hope. He squeezes a little tighter. Even then, it doesn't feel like he wants to hurt you. You even wonder if he knows he's putting pressure in just the right place to feel a little good. But his eyes tell a different story - it's not about making you feel good. His voice becomes calm, but grave. "You ain't gonna try this again," he warns.

"I won't," you whisper. "I wasn't thinking straight." His nose twitches with a snarl as he searches your eyes. He punctuates the warning with a tighter squeeze, and you cough.

His hand leaves your neck and urgently undoes your pants. “How sorry are ya?” He asks darkly as he yanks them down. 

“Real sorry,” you answer, “I dunno what I was thinking, I-”

“Lost your goddamn mind,” he answers as he pulls your pants off, and your panties along with them. He throws them aside with disgust that he even has to mess with them. He lets you keep the shoes, and it makes you wonder if he’s not going to let you put your pants back on. Is he going to take you back to the house like this? Your shirt will probably cover you, but...

"There's dangerous people out here," he says.

Joel pulls down his own jeans, freeing his fat cock, mostly erect. You bend your knees up and make room for him. By habit you expect to earn a good girl, but you don't deserve one, not right now.

He slams all the way into you with a grunt, propelling you back a couple of inches, leaves clinging to your hair as your head slides across them. You wince with the burn, but you're wetter than you think you should be, and it doesn't take long for your body to catch up, even though he allows you no time. He lets out an animalistic grunt with each thrust. His first few thrusts aren't fast but they're sharp and deep, so deep, like he's stabbing you with his cock. He pauses and dick throbs against your tight walls and further stiffens, grows, full mast.

Then he picks up the pace and doesn't let up on the power. As he fucks you, he gets even stiffer, louder, more animalistic. He pounds you hard and rough, balls slapping against you. He's feral and loud. He looks down at your body, not at your eyes. He slows down only to pull your shirt up over your tits and watches them bounce with each thrust. When he does look at your face, he scowls. He grabs a fist full of your hair, holding it tight in his fist with his forearm braced on the ground. He growls, "you're mine."

Then he bottoms out brutally and his other hand squeezes your jaw so your mouth opens. He spits, and you nearly choke on his spit. As you swallow, he says, "don't you ever forget it."

He growls and grunts and pounds you deep and sharp, unrelenting in pace and power. Your walls give a warning twitch, and you're torn between letting yourself cum or not - on one hand, maybe it'd calm him down. On the other hand, you're ashamed--too bad, turns out you can't help it. You hold your lips together as it begins then release them with a sigh as your climax continues.

He doesn't let up at first. But as you squeeze his cock, his breathing changes, and soon his grunts turn into moans as he erupts. Even his moans are animalistic, vibrating like the growl of a bear. His face is still mad, but begins to soften as he finishes, leaving your insides warmly coated with his seed.

He pulls out right away and quickly puts it back in his pants, before putting yours on, nothing gentle about it. He gets up and manhandles you to your feet, and with a firm hand around your arm, he marches you forward, back up the hill toward the house. His voice is dark - "We'll talk about this later."

You can feel it - there's something worse to come. You can't take anything from Joel. Can't ever take anything that's his. Especially not yourself.

-----

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Thank you so much for reading! Your feedback means a lot to me if you're able 🙏🏼 your casual comment could help give me the energy and confidence to write my next fic. Love y'all. 🖤

[lonelypoisongirl]

Mom who sleeps with her daughter"to keep her warm" but she does it because she can't sleep without her little girl in her arms

Mom who goes jogging "cause I need the exercise" but it's really because she knows her daughter loves mommy's girlstink

Mom who gives her baby girl handjobs "to help you sleep better" afterwards, she gets a little too much enjoyment out of licking the cum off her hand

Mom who insists on doing her daughters laundry "because you won't do it anyway" but it's really so she can sit in the basement furiously masturbating with her daughters musky panties pressed firmly into her face

Mom who is single but never dates anyone because the only dick that could please her belongs to her own flesh and blood

Mom who buys weed for her daughter "because then I know you're safe" but really it's because she loves groping her daughter when she's so high she doesn't realize what's going on

Mom who kisses her baby girl a little too long before she leaves for highschool in the morning

Mom who loves her little girl more than anything

[ffwriting]

Aot Characters - Having a crush

What I think the Aot Characters would be like when they have a crush bc why not!

cw: GN reader, slight Eremika (Mikasa), Eren and Connie being a chaotic duo (Armin), Bad self-thoughts (Levi), no y/n

wc: 2.2k

Characters: Eren Yeager, Mikasa Ackerman, Armin Arlert, Jean Kirstein, Connie Springer, Levi Ackerman, Hange Zoe

Eren Yeager - Oblivious, but jealous

Despite what I have seen for him, I do not think he would be that aware of his feelings.

He would be almost entirely oblivious, but he would get upset if he sees you hang out with someone else. If he had the opportunity to, he would watch you as you train. If he ever saw you get injured he would be very worried.

but…. he just can't see that he has a crush on you. He just thinks he feels that way because he admires you and wants to be your friend.

It would be like that the entire three years at the training camp, but the second he finds out hes a titan, he becomes so nervous about what you think about him, that the old Levi squad tells him to just tell you about his crush on you. And he would just be there like, "Huh? I don't have a crush on {name}! They are just really cool, and now they probably won't hang out with me now. They'll probably go hang out with Jean or something." He would say while mumbling

The old Levi squad would just share knowing looks with each other as they knew he had a crush on you but was just too oblivious to notice

Mikasa Ackerman - Quiet yet caring

Mikasa, as we see with Eren, is not the most vocal when talking about her feelings. She is very quiet, but she knows that she has a crush on you.

I feel like she is not one to start crushing someone based off of looks, but more of their personality. She would probably notice you during training when you either helped a friend, or got excited after doing a maneuver right. She would start off just calmly taking note of the event, but she would start to notice that she would look for you more and more. After maybe two days, she realized that she had a crush on you. What will she do now?

Speak to you about it? Confess? No.

She would make sure that you are safe. That is all she can do. She would probably be very confused because she thought she liked Eren, but now she is feeling the same way about you.

While she is figuring all of these feelings out, and kicking absolute ass, she would do everything she could do to protect you.

She would even find herself looking out for you more than she did Eren. That would be when she decided to chose which one of you to have a crush on. It would probably be after the 57th expedition, and she would realize that she cared about Eren in only a sisterly way. She likes you, and she just hopes you like her back

Armin Arlert - Nervous

Armin is definitely the type to get extremely nervous and flustered. However, I feel like he would be one of the ones to ask you out the earliest. Let me explain.

Armin would be in the 104th Cadet Corp. and all would be normal. Except on one of the first hand-to-hand combat practices he gets paired with you. He already hates the exercise, but he doesn't really know you, not to mention the fact that he really likes how you look. Not in a creepy way! Just in an 'I want to get to know more' way.

During the hand to hand combat practice you would notice after he tried to throw a couple punches, that he had no clue what he was doing. So you being you, you decided to be nice and walk him through the basics. How to throw a solid punch, how to dodge, and before you both noticed, training was over.

You then suggested eating dinner together, and while trying to go to bed that night, he realized that he really liked you. The realization alone is enough to make his face and even his ears feel hot.

After that, he couldn't hide a small blush on his face every time he talked to you, but you never pointed it out, and it made him really happy. The two of you would train together and sometimes talk to each other at lunch, and it went like that for months.

Until one day, Connie noticed and then told Eren that he suspected Armin liked you, which just led to chaos. That night in the boys' dorm the two confronted the poor boy about how much time he has been spending around you and how his cheeks are always pink when he even sees you. This, of course, flusters Armin to the point he isn't even able to form a coherent thought.

After a lot of them talking, totally not just Connie and Eren practically harassing Armin, they threaten convince him to ask you out. Which he does a week before your graduation.

(I love Armin. I think he is just a well-written character tbh :)

Jean Kirstein - Amires + Slightly Jealous

As we see in the show, he practically just admires from afar, and get jealous. Here is how I think it would go with you two.

On one of the first days of training, Jean starts to crush on Mikasa. The week after, Jean notices you. He would imediatally notice how you looked like you were made to wear a uniform because of how well you look in it. He almost immediately starts to crush on you, and the good thing for him, you aren't obsessed with Eren!

After like a month or two, he would have given up on Mikasa, and started to solely focus on you. He would start to get jealous anytime you would even look at a guy, and he would even catch himself getting jealous of girls. He would always try to brush it off, telling himself that people don't tend to like jealous guys. He can't help it though, he just wants to be the only one to make, and see, you be happy. Call it jealous or crazy, but he just couldn't help it.

I also feel like he would try to ask you out manyyyy times, but he would always chicken out after he sees you looking at him. This would happen a minimum of ten times before he was finally able to ask you out.

Connie Springer - Loud + Aware

I feel like Connie would be one of those guys who starts of just admiring you, whether that be for your kindness or skills, and then it would just develop into a crush. I feel like he would be very aware about it too.

After realizing that he got a crush on you, he would start trying to hang out with you more, whether that be in training or break time, he would always seek you out.

He would definitely be the type of guy to flirt and make jokes just to see you laugh. He would do anything just to know that you were laughing at his jokes.

I also feel like he is one of the few to actually end up asking you out.

It would be after the Battle of Trost, and your group was separated from the rest, all of you without gas. All of you would be just trying your best to fend off what Titans you could with what gas you all could spare, but you all had given up hope on making it out. Until, you see two people heading your way. It was Connie and Sasha.

Connie had been the one to notice your group from headquarters and dragged Sasha along to quickly supply you all with gas. He immediately would start working on your gas tanks with a small frown on his face. You asked "Are you okay?" and he would look up to meet your gaze and then all of a sudden bring you into a strong hug, and ask you, "Look, I know this isn't the best time, but after this would you please consider letting me be your boyfriend? After what I've seen today, I just couldn't live with myself if I never told you." You, obviously, say yes and give him a hug.

After that day he would be somehow even more happy. He had you after all.

Levi Ackerman - Tries to get rid of it

Levi, my gosh, this poor guy. With him growing up in the underground and being really detached from his emotions, he would try his hardest to get rid of any romantic feelings he ever has.

You would have joined the scouts years before him and were really good at teamwork. It wouldn't really matter if you are energetic or quiet, but Levi would notice how well you worked with others after just a couple of months of being in the Scouts.

He would start to feel weird, and he thought it was originally jealousy, but after seeing you get injured he felt a pang of sadness in his heart, and he realized that he had a crush on you.

He hated it. By that time, he had it in his mind that everyone he has ever loved, died because he cared for them. With that mindset, he quickly tried to pinpoint every unappealing feature that you had, but when that didn't work. He set out to make sure that you hated him. Why? He didn't really know, but he could deal with being hated. He couldn't however, deal with losing another person that he cared for. Especially because he had never really lost anyone he had romantic feelings for, and he didn't want to find out.

With that being said, as soon as he got a position with more authority than yours, he set out to make sure that you hated all that he made you do. He would assign you to cleaning chores every time he could. He would assign you more training and workouts than he would with others. Any opportunity he had, he would make sure to assign you something.

He was determined to make you hate him because if you hated him, then maybe it would be easier to try to stop liking you.

Hange Zoe - Excited + Talkative

Hange, our icon, is definitely aware. You would be a transfer, from either the Garrison or the MPs, and joined the Scouts out of curiosity of the Titans.

After the transfer, you would be asking the other, more experienced, members about all they knew about Titans. Soon the word got to Hange that there was someone interested in Titans and they just had to see for themselves.

Hange would scout you out and ask if you are the one curious about the Titans, "Hey! Are you {name}? The one interested in Titans?" After giving your response Hange would grab your wrist and drag you over to whatever their current workstation is, and lord help you if they currently have any titans.

They would ask what you were curious about and with your response, they start going on a tangent about whatever they can think of that would interest you. What would surprise them though, as well as start their crush on you, was that you continually asked them questions about their research. Which they happily told you about.

They talked and talked and you would ask questions until you both realized that it had gotten dark out. "Oh sorry about that, I tend to ramble a lot," Hange would try to apologize but would get cut off by your own response. "Don't! I'm the one that kept asking questions, plus I loved hearing you talk about it. How about you find me tomorrow, and we continue our conversation."

With a look of admiration on their face, Hange would nod their head and wave you off so you could go to bed. They then made a habit of coming to grab you whenever they could. The look on their face when they came to talk to you about a new discovery and you were just as excited as them was priceless.

After maybe a week after your first meeting, Hange realized that they liked you, and they would be somehow even more giddy around you and make sure that your questions were answered.

Their crush on you was very obvious to the other Scouts, and to you as well, but neither of you ended up asking. The funny thing is, both of you just came to a silent agreement that you both liked each other and started dating without ever asking the other.

You both would only realize after a couple years, and Hange would randomly blurt out on one of your late-night discussions, "Wait, I never asked you out!"

After a couple moments of silence, both of you erupted in laughter. Hange would then dramatically grab your hand and ask "Would you please go out with me, my love?"

Of course, you would say yes, and the two of you would laugh for the next couple of hours because you were just so in tune with each other that you forgot to make it official, even after multiple years.

You were just made for each other.

I hope you enjoy this! This is actually my first time writing like this so I hope it is good! Also let me know if you think any of the characters came off as ooc!

[yourloyalwatchdog]

CW: hypnotic induction.

enforcing some safety stuff and just messing around with a little induction i wanted to try out for world hypno day (it's still 10:30 my time leave me alone)

i hope you like it :3

—

when i read these words, are they coming from the voice in my head?

focus on the words. try and think the words. as though the words are my thoughts. it quickly becomes too difficult to consciously think so many things at once, so just while i read, i can let all other thoughts cease, and

focus.

my head may not be totally empty, but that's okay. it's natural for the mind to be constantly running, right? as long as i bring myself back when i find my thoughts wandering away from this post, it's fine.

i'm not totally sure where this is going, but i read on anyway. i can't help but want to know what's next. how could this post hypnotize me? or will it at all? are these just words? or are they my thoughts?

oh no, i distracted myself. that's alright, i can just bring my focus back to the words and it will be fine.

i'm reading the words. i'm thinking the words.

i'm reading the words. i'm thinking the words.

i'm reading the words. i'm thinking the words.

focusing on each and every word just the same as any other, because even the mundane may be vital for me to read and understand. i might need to catalogue them for later.

i'm reading the words. i'm thinking the words.

i'm reading the words. i'm thinking the words.

thinking becomes harder and harder about the words and only the words. i think it's getting easier now. i can think less about everything else and just think the words for a couple of minutes. it will all come back to me later.

i'm reading the words. i'm thinking the words.

i'm reading the words. i'm thinking the words.

these are my thoughts. these are my words. i read them from the screen, but they are my own thoughts and ideas. and what else do i really need, but to trust these thoughts, because they're my own?

besides, it feels good to think less, and

focus

on this one train of thought.

i'm reading the words. i'm thinking less.

i'm thinking the words. i'm thinking less.

i'm feeling the words. i'm thinking less.

i'm obeying the words. i'm thinking less.

these words are the only thoughts i need in my mind.

thinking less feels good.

i feel good when i don't think.

intense ripples of bliss and deep relaxation flow through my body every time i don't think.

this feels good.

good.

what is left of me now, but my drifting thoughts that i read on the screen? not much, it seems.

i'll close my eyes in a moment and stop reading, and when i do, i will realize just how empty my mind is without these thoughts to guide me. it may be a relaxing feeling i wish to sink deeper into, but i will open my eyes and continue reading once i've realized how i need these words to think for me right now.

closing them now...

good job.

it's pretty empty in that brain of yours, huh?

that's funny. i don't remember telling you to do, or not do, anything. you must have hypnotized yourself.

that makes you such a good plaything.

well, i guess now that you're here, i'll help you go all the way down deeper, because you'd like that, wouldn't you?

hmm. that's what i thought.

so DROP for me, pet.

DROP into that deep, blissful place in your mind where nothing else exists but this moment right now.

let your worries go. everything will be just fine if you shut it off for a bit. the world will be just the same when you return.

just DROP and focus on nothing but you and me here, right now. it's just us. just your blank, heavy mind, and my words that soothe all the parts of you that might worry. you're safe with me. i promise i would never do anything to hurt you.

and when you're with me, you will be protected. you don't need to be able to think for your mind to protect you from any suggestions you may not feel comfortable following. your subconscious knows where your limits are, and if ever it, or you, realize that this isn't what you want, you can easily wake up, refreshed and completely aware of everything that's happened while you were in trance.

very good. this is important stuff. i want you to be safe and comfortable when you're with me like this. your mind can be quite a hefty responsibility, can't it?

so just DROP deeper and give it to me. you can just feel good and let go.

i'm honored that you're trusting me with this essential part of you. your mind practically makes you who you are, doesn't it? i could toy with it however i wanted, mold it into a form better suited to my desires, and you may never even know. i could make you bark, moan, and DROP to your knees with a simple flick of my wrist, and all you could do was obey like a good plaything.

but none of that today.

i know, i know, it probably sounds tempting, doesn't it? me describing it for you probably makes you crave it, doesn't it? oh, you poor thing. so susceptible to my words that all i need to do is tell you what i could be doing. or have i already done it?

well, who's to say? it doesn't matter anyway. you'd give in either way.

now that you've gotten to enjoy this trance for a few minutes, i suppose i should probably wake you up now. let you get back to whatever you were doing, or whatever you need to do.

so i'm going to count you up from 1 to 10, and each number will help you feel a little bit more awake, a little bit more aware, and you'll wake feeling good, and perhaps just a little more empty headed than you were before.

but you hypnotized yourself, remember? that's not my fault.

1,

starting to wake now.

2,

coming up, up, just a bit.

3,

a little bit more now

4,

feeling more aware of your body.

5,

becoming more aware of your surroundings.

6,

re-acquainting yourself with the waking world.

7,

letting your head become clearer, and less fuzzy.

8,

just ever so slightly dazed now.

9,

almost fully awake.

and

10,

wake up now.

there you go. take a little stretch if you need to, drink some water, and i hope you enjoy the rest of your day/night. if you wanted to let me know how this felt, i'd love to hear some feedback so i can keep getting better at this, but that's entirely up to you.

you did a very good job :)

[charmac]

i just read your post about charlie and dennis being csa victims and how that affects their characters-- i thought you did fantastic job with your analyses. i feel like i learned a lot and i better understand these characters now. dennis being hypersexual as a result of his assault and charlie being fearful and avoidant of sex were really insightful points that I never realized, especially the point about charlie regressing as a result of his trauma.

the point you made about dennis pursing sex as something only for HIM to enjoy was another great point, I always felt like he went for younger women and enjoyed coercing them into sex because it is the only way he could feel in control and safe while having sex, as control was so completely taken from him when he was 14 by mrs klinsky, whether he realizes it or not.

the comparison of these characters as well as their wounds is so important imo and really highlights how much this show gets right in terms of trauma. even though on it's surface iasip is just a haha funny poop joke show, i feel it is truly one of the better depictions of trauma on tv in recent times

I love hearing that something I've laid out has helped someone understand/reckon with the characters better, that's very much why I think it's worth dissecting (other than to like, just to get it out of my head lol).

Trauma response, especially related to CSA, is a really hard thing to wrap your head around outside of experience, and it's almost a little surreal to me how Sunny manages to tackle it almost absolutely to a tee (though I do think a lot of it is established in retrospect, it's still impressive they got there).

And of course, as you say, it's important to highlight these aspects of the show, not to excuse the actions of the characters (though I do think pointing these things out helps people put words/evidence as to why they feel for them when they hit low points, and why they're watchable and likeable as characters, in almost all instances), but to provide evidence of its complexity and the deep, emotional attachment people have to Sunny that they often can't explain. The "rawness" of the show is evident in so many aspects, but genuine complexity of that rawness is sometimes hard to articulate when it's baked beneath dark comedy and satire.

[ask-impatient-samurott]

Pooling all of her energy into her core, Nema released the strongest Thunder she could possibly manage.

No matter what, she had to take down Kappa. Kappa was at half health, and Nema had the type advantage. She hoped it would be enough to at least knock her down.

Kappa took the Thunder square to the chest and let out a pained, almost squealing roar. Though her outburst of pain quickly turned to anger as she gathered herself and lunged at Nema.

[Nema]

"Huff-!"

As quickly as she could Nema nimbly dodged Kappa's onslaught of claw swipes. Kappa may have been huge and powerful, but Nema was a small, fast-moving target.

"I need you... to stop!"

Nema wheeled behind Kappa. She repeatedly slammed into Kappa's left leg with an expertly executed Play Rough. She was a strong battler, once upon a time.

Kappa bayed and grunted as the numerous hits to her leg made her knee buckle, her back legs falling into the grass.

Nema whizzed around back to Kappa's front and launched herself at Kappa's nose. Maybe if she hit Kappa's scar, it would make Kappa back off.

But, before Nema could react, a flash of bright yellow flew past her face, and suddenly all she could see was pink.

Kappa had lunged at Nema again, and Nema was hurtling straight into her teeth.

"Don't-!!!"

Nema angled her body so that she would veer off the the left and avoid Kappa's jaws. But, a large blue paw seemed to come out of nowhere to catch her.

Nema slammed into Kappa's paw. She had no time to react before Kappa opened her jaws again. Nema placed her hands and feet on Kappa's paw and pushed herself off-

A giant shadow cast itself over her. Everything went dark for a minute.

And Nema began to scream.

Kappa had caught her between her molars.

Nema felt her face go white hot as Kappa's teeth tore into it. She felt her ear get crushed under another tooth like tin foil. She felt blood well up around her eyes. It felt like she was being scalped.

She tried to get away, but moving around just rended her flesh more. She began to feel Kappa's teeth graze her abdomen.

PLEASE PLEASE KAPPA DON'T DO THIS PLEASE KAPPA PLEASE PLEASEPLEAESPLESASPLESPLA-

She couldn't breathe. She couldn't think. She could only beg in her mind for her friend not to kill her.

She couldn't breathe. She can't breathe. She's going to die. She's going to-

C R A C K !

Nema was flung unceremoniously from Kappa's jaws. Jean had pulled herself from the cave rubble and struck Kappa square in the jaw. It wasn't any move. It was just a punch of desperation.

Despite being blinded by her own blood, Nema managed to land somewhat safely onto the ground. As she wiped the blood from her eyes she could hear Jean strike Kappa again, and the sound of rocks being moved.

It took Nema a moment to realize she was hyperventilating. She shook out her hands and tried to replicate the breathing exercise she always had Kappa do when she had a panic attack.

In... Out... In... Out...

Nema could hear Jean saying some indiscernible words to someone, followed by the sound of crackling fire. Though, she noticed that only her left hear could really hear it. Her right ear felt like it had a swimming pool inside of it.

A large crash resounded in front of Nema, making her stagger. She finally opened her eyes, relieved to see they both still worked.

Jean had landed in front of her, and Kappa was howling and floundering on the ground. Nema could see discolored patches of skin where Jean had struck her.

[Jean]

"Are you okay!?" Jean howled.

[Nema]

"Yeuuaccghk-"

Nema tried to say "yeah", but instead, an awful gurgling noise came from her throat. That was full of blood too. Great.

Now that she thought about it, Nema didn't feel any pain in her face anymore. It was probably the adrenaline. She should-

[Jean]

"Nema!?" Jean nearly shrieked.

"Your face!!"

What's wrong with my face? She thought.

Unconsciously, she put a hand up to her face, expecting to feel the smooth, rubbery feel of her cheek pouch. Instead, she heard a disgusting, resounding squelch.

Nema froze. Her hand stayed on her face for a moment, before she slowly peeled it from her cheek. Blood and some sort of stringy, gross mucus type stuff had attached itself to her hand. She pulled it down and looked at it. A bit of pain returned to her cheek.

<<PREV - NEXT>>

[the-universal-sun]

Hii, I've been reading a lot of you're writing andi love them so much!!! If you feel comfortable enough and only if you want to do you think you could do a sick agere? I forgot if you already done one so if you did you can just ignore this, but if not then can you do one where stan or Ford gets sick while out on the Stan O war and regress from it, thank you, again you don't have to do it or anything thank you!!!

Thank you so much! And of course I'd do it, it was they were both such lovely prompts! I hope you're still here, both of you. Sorry it took so long, and sorry it's been so long since I posted last, I've not been feeling super good myself these past few days. But! I'm feeling loads better now, maybe some rest does do one good! I hope your stomach ache feels better, those are the absolute pits, and I'm sorry you got one.

I have Ford use "stummy" here because I have a tendency to say that so I wanted him to as well. How do we feel about that word/smaller and babier words in general, yay or nay?

I hope you all stay safe out there and in this weather, drink warm and eat warm and bundle up in you need to! Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy!

As always, I welcome any helpful comments and criticisms on my writings.

Thank you for being here!

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

"Mmmmmmmh. Buddy!" Ford whined, curled up in Stanley's bed, one hand clutching his stomach and the other his head. He felt terrible. Worse than terrible. He felt awful. His stummy felt like it was rolling down hill, queasy and with sharp pains panging around periodically. His head felt too big, like his brain was going to burst out from all the pressure he felt. And he wanted to sleep, but he couldn't because everything hurt. He hated it. He hated being sick. It wasn't even his fault! Not really, he just got excited about seeing a Kraken that he stayed out in the rain longer than he should have. Stanley can't blame him for being curious, now can he? Not when he's the one encouraging him.

Ford sneezed, his stomach and head rocking. He should have listed to his brother. He sniffled, both from being sick and from holding back his tears. He wanted Stan, his Buddy. He also wanted Dr. Mittens, but he can't until his friend is properly suited up in scrubs and a mask, Ford didn't want Dr. Mittens to get sick like him. That's where Stan was, but he was taking too long, he looked at the clock on the side table. Five whole minutes!? They both should have been here four minutes ago. He opened his mouth to croak for Stan again before he appears right in front of him, slipping on his glasses. When did those get taken off?

"Hold your horses there, Poindexter, I'm here and I've got your little friend. Don't worry, he's all trussed up in that Doctor gear you made us get for him." Stan handed Dr. Mittens, all suited up and ready to safely cuddle Ford through his sickness, to him. He snatched him up, curling his body around his plush friend as his head pounds and pounds. He wants to cry, he thinks to himself, whining against his toy, he hates this so badly. Ford didn't realize he was crying until a tissue is wiping his face dry and Stan is helping him sit up.

"Noooo, don't wan'na get up," He whined through tears, hiccupping and trying to lay back down. Can't Stanley see he's sick?

"Shhh, I know. You want to lay down, I get it, trust me, Buddy, I do. But if you want to feel better, you have to take-take this, uh," Stan hesitated, staring at the warm tea that has a dose of dissolvable Tylenol in it. He hated even talking about medicine, but he has to, he has to take care of Ford. "This tea has some medicine in it-"

"Ugh, icky." a whine interrupted him. And yeah, Stan silently agreed, icky is right.

"No, not icky, Stanford, medicine to help your head feel better. Relieve your sinuct pressure or whatever it's called." Stanley propped Ford up against him. Ford made a face at the word medicine, he hated the taste and feeling of medicine, it made his throat feel icky and greasy, and it tasted to awful. "Listen, it's one o' those sweet berry teas, with some honey, so it should taste sweet enough for you taste buds." Well, Ford thought, honey is good for fighting on the inside germs that make people sick, and he does like fruit teas, so maybe if he can't taste the medicine, it will be fine. But, he clutches his stummy again as pain burst through it, there's one issue.

"Buddy, my stummy hurts, don' know, know if, the tea-" Ford hurt too much to form sentences, whining crying as his head and stummy feel even worse. He hated this. He hates it, he hates it, he hates it. He could feel himself cry, his face felt hot and his head hurt even worse! He just wants to sleep.

"Hey now, Buddy, I'm here, good ol' Stan's right here. Come on, shhh," Stan gathered Ford close and rocked him, one hand rubbing his stomach as he spoke lowly in his brothers ear. It seemed feeling small made Ford unable to hide how out of it and cruddy being sick made him. Stan hated it, how much pain his brother showed he was in, his tears, his sick whines. But on the other hand, Stan could finally take proper care of a sick Ford. Win some, lose some in his opinion. The ends outweigh the means blah blah blah. He was just glad his brother was more receptive and demanding when he's sick and Little, his brother never usually let him take care of him out of some guilt-ridden mentality about being the one to erase Stan's mind. Which is undeserved guilt, but they're working on it. For right now, he just wanted to keep his Little Buddy from crying and get some-ugh-medicine in his to soothe his pains. "Your stummy hurts? Probably from eating a whole bag of jelly beans before bed, right?" He didn't wait for a response, he didn't want to tease his brother too badly when he's regressed, he can't always understand teasing and jokes then. "It's okay, this tea is going to help your head and stummy, and you might even get a nap out of it!" Stan released a strained chuckle, still rubbing Ford's aching stomach, hoping it really did ease his pains. Just because he could better help his brother didn't mean he liked seeing him like this.

Ford felt the cup against his lips and opened them, slowly sipping the tea. It wasn't icky, it didn't taste the best, but if it helped him stop hurting and can make him sleep, then he'd drink. He felt Stan wipe his tears away again as he took small sips out of the plastic cup-it was his special moth cup-slowly so he didn't spill anything. Once finished, he's laid back down in bed, Stan had taken his glasses so he didn't squish them. He felt sort of better, maybe? His head didn't hurt as bad and his stummy didn't feel like it was tumbling down a hill, more like rolling down one. It was an approvement, more so when a hot cloth was put on his face right over his eyes and forehead. Ford sighed and settled further into Stan's bed as the blankets were tucked tightly around him and Dr. Mittens and his weighted one with all the constellations was tucked in over all the rest. Ford felt so comfy and cozy and warm.

"Buddy, I, mmmmmy head doesn't hurt..."Ford trailed off into mumbles. Huh, the tea must be working already, Ford felt so tired, but his stummy and head didn't hurt anymore, so he could actually get asleep now. No, to sleep, he could get to sleep. He couldn't keep his eyes open, one slowly closing, then the other. Ford mumbled more and leaned his head slightly into his brother's hand, the one that swept through his hair. When did that happen? Ford couldn't be bothered to think about that, not when he was so warm and cozy with the Best Brother and Buddy in the world beside him and taking care of him and petting his hair.

The rocking of their boat lulled Ford further into sleep, his stomach settled, his head cleared, and his brother and best friend right beside him.

[haileycantcometothephonern]

Scars

Spencer x fem!reader

Prequel fic to this part (but can be read alone)

CW: pregnancy, kidnapping, torture, angst, also a little bit fluff. (not proofread)

___________________________________

18 months ago

You felt the kicks before you felt the warm sun rays waking you up from your deep sleep. Your baby has been quite excited, you can tell. She is keen to meet her mom and dad, it seems. You open your eyes slowly and crack a smile at your very pregnant belly.

Sydney. That's what you both decided her name would be. Such a pretty name really. You immediately got up to make yourself some breakfast as your daughter isn't so calm when she starts to get hungry.

You then remember the absence of your husband. You really hoped he would be here before next week, as that's when your due date was and your daughter might come out any moment now. You didn't want Spencer to miss such a pivotal moment of your child's birth. You knew how much he looked forward to it.

As you make yourself some breakfast filled with all kinds of nutrients, your mind goes through all of your pregnancy journey. Spencer and you have always wanted to start a family and you were blessed with your angel a few months ago. You were both equally excited about the new edition to your family and made sure to do thorough research about how to ensure that she's safe and healthy.

Spencer was also very present these past few months, putting his foot down when he is needed here by you or your daughter. You really appreciated his support throughout your pregnancy but since a few weeks he has been quite busy. You understood that he can't keep putting off work to stay with you, but you also wanted him to do that for you. Maybe it was selfish, but you were also on the verge of giving birth to an entire human and you wanted your husband there to support you.

You thought back to the call with Spencer last night as you had your breakfast and wondered when you'll get another update from him. You eventually realized that you're focusing on him too much and he must just be really busy saving lives, so you ended up watching some movie on the TV.

Ring. Ring.

You were jolted awake from your morning nap by your phone's ringtone. You immediately hoped that it was Spencer calling to tell you that he's home bound.

"Hello"

"Hey, baby! How are both of my girls doing?" Spencer sounded tired.

"We're doing good, would do better if you're here with us though." You pouted.

"I know, love. I'm already on the jet, and wanted to check on both of you before we started. Will be there by evening." He sighed into the phone and you can feel him physically relax his shoulders. The case must have been a tough one, well tougher than usual anyway.

"Oh that's great news. I'll start on dinner soon. Love you baby, say love you to papa syd." You tried to make Spencer feel a bit less stressed and you honestly felt really glad that he'll be home soon.

"I love you both, stay safe until i get home." Spencer parroted back, and you can hear the caution in his voice.

You suddenly remembered that you forgot to inform about your doctor's call last night.

"Uh Spence, Dr. Min just called me yesterday. She wanted to see us tomorrow, I told her that I'll let her know if we can after I spoke to you today."

"What did she want to talk about? Is everything alright? Are you okay? Is Sydney okay?" He immediately questioned with worry.

"Yes, yes, we are completely alright. And Dr.Min did not tell me what it was about as she had some emergency and ended the call urgently. But I'm sure it's nothing serious." You said with a doubtful tone, you didn't want him to overthink it during the whole ride.

"It's okay, baby. I'll call Dr.Min, and ask her what it's about. Just take care." Spencer tried to reassure you and ended the call as the pilot was ready for take off.

You ended up taking another nap while snacking on some fruit platter as you were still full from your breakfast when you were once again woken up by a knock this time.

You checked who it was through the peephole first, Spencer instilled this cautiousness in you. It was just some delivery guy, maybe it was the new blanket you ordered three days ago for Sydney.

You excitedly open the door and were about to take your order when the delivery guy is pushed aside and you are being dragged out of your house by two really burly men. You wanted to scream, but they had their guns pointed straight at your belly. You gulped and cooperated with them.

"What do you guys want?" You tried not to sound so scared.

"Your husband knows what we want. Don't worry you'll get out of this unscathed if he listens to our demands." One of them replied and pushed you into a black jeep.

After that your memory goes pretty hazy, as you assume that they drugged you. You regain consciousness after a while, you don't know how long it's been but it was darker outside. You can see that through the only basement window in the room that you were held in. Yep, that's definitely a basement that you were in. You weren't scared as you had complete trust in your husband and his colleagues. You trusted them to save you and your baby.

You then heard some voices from outside the door. You remembered one of the voices was the man who brought you here. Just as you were about to concentrate on what they were talking about, the door to the room opened. In walked the two men who kidnapped you.

"Dr. Reid, as promised. Your wife is here, unscathed. Just get us that plane, our money, and Jason. We'll be out of your hair." He screamed into the phone, you assume Spencer is on the other side of.

"No I'm not going to do anything until you let me talk to her." Spencer tried to sound as neutral as he can, but even you can sense the fear in his voice.

"Alright, suit yourself." The kidnapper placed the phone near your ear. "Speak."

"Hello, Spence?"

You could hear the relief in his voice when he asks you to stay strong like you always do and that he'll be there to get you soon.

"Everything will be alright, baby. I'll be there."

And you believed him. Because why wouldn't you. You believed him with your whole being. You believed him. You made that choice. You let him deceive you. You let him deceive not just you, but also your daughter.

Spencer wasn't there. He wasn't there to save you. He wasn't there to save Sydney. He wasn't there when they cut you. When they left bleeding to your death. When they left Sydney to die with her mom. You still don't have complete memory of what happened after the call.

BAU unlike every other time, failed to deliver on their promise and failed to save you or Sydney. The kidnappers tried to get what they wanted by harming you, thinking that'll motivate the BAU to submit to their demands. But this time, the kidnappers were wrong.

Spencer found you that night, almost at the verge of dying. His heart stopped at the sight of you. Multiple cuts on your arms and your collarbone. One large gash on both of your wrists, blood flowing out uncontrollably. If only they were a bit faster, if only Hotch would have agreed to their demands. He knew that he couldn't blame anyone else but himself for what happened that night. He stayed by your side at the hospital until you regained your consciousness.

"Spence, What happened? Where am I? Where's Sydney?" Your frantic voice woke him up from his seat beside your bed. He looked like he'd been through some kind of apocalypse, maybe he was. His hair unwashed and disheveled. His beard, unshaven. His eyes, sunken, surrounded by pigmentation. He looked like he was crying non-stop.

Your thoughts immediately went back to that night.

"Sydney. Where's Sydney, Spencer?" You asked cautiously.

He looked like he was on the verge of tears and held your hands. His lips opened and closed, and tears started streaming down his cheeks.

"No, no, no. It can't be. No, not her. Spence." You were beyond frantic now. The tears came first.

You didn't want to believe that she was no more. Your love, your angel, your baby. Your Sydney.

You sobbed and sobbed and hiccups echoing off the hospital walls. Throughout it all Spencer held you, letting you express your grief. He had his time, although he thought no time could heal this wound. He wanted so badly to redo everything.

The BAU had all visited you and him, offering their condolences. Hotch showed up too, expressing his regret and guilt. Spencer assured him that he doesn't hold anything against him. You didn't reply to anyone. Not him, not his mom, not your parents, nor your friends. You didn't have anything else to say. You didn't know what one says when they feel like their soul has been snatched away. Their voice had been hijacked. Only thing you can know and feel for sure was the ache in your heart and the emptiness in your womb.

Days passed away before you knew it and it was finally time to go home. Spencer packed everything up from your hospital room and called out to you.

"(Y/N), It's time to go home baby." He whispered slowly placing his hand on your shoulder.

You looked away from the windows and towards him. Yes, nobody is at fault except Spencer. It was him who promised to keep you and your baby safe. But he was nowhere to be found on the day you actually needed him. He was the one who caused all of this. Your brain, filled with grief couldn't decipher what it was thinking or where your thoughts are taking you. You knew only one thing for sure, you wanted to hurt someone. You wanted him to hurt.

"Spencer you killed her. You killed my baby." Your voice was barely a whisper, you almost thought he didn't hear you. But the way his eyes dulled and filled with guilt showed you that he did hear it.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, baby." He said, he sounded wracked with guilt. He started sobbing.

That was the first time in a few days you felt some kind of sick relief. A part of you ached at seeing him like that. But the sick satisfaction over took every other feeling.

"Spencer, I'm going to hurt you until I can find peace. I promise, and I don't break them like you do." Your voice was filled with vitriol. Spencer never even imagined that you could look at him with such hatred in your eyes, but he was proved wrong today.

He knew he was going to be blamed for everything. And he blamed himself too. He was okay with taking everything from you, because he knew behind all that hatred and vitriol, there was love. So he was willing to be your punching bag for however long you want him to be.

You realized that Spencer was going to accept it. And you knew you were just getting started. Maybe this will end up hurting you both, but you felt like that's what the two of you deserved in the end. For failing to save her. Your Sydney.

_______________________________________

a/n: Not that satisfied with how this turned out, wanted to write fluff but it turned out into angst 😭😭. anyways i'm thinking of writing a fluff series next and maybe an angst one too. deleted one on my old blog, want to restart it.

[rius-cave]

It’s a bit strange that you only added “pro shipper” to your bio after someone felt uncomfortable that they spent money on your rape fetish comic without realizing that’s what it was (after which you literally blamed them for not assuming it was, despite no content warnings being anywhere, which was the only thing they wanted when they messaged you anyway)

You also only added it on Twitter, not here… I assume because you know Tumblr doesn’t like that. If you’re going to be in a community known for enabling abuse and pedophilia by allowing real abusers to go undetected in your circles because you all think fantasizing about abuse is normal, at least make it public everywhere. People deserve to know who they are talking to, especially since these are such touchy subjects.

Literally anyone you know who are into these things could be for real about it and you would never know unless you were too. There is no excuse for wanting to be part of any community that allows that to happen, and I don’t find it fair that people are being mocked with “respect your own DNI” as if that was the problem. They would have followed their DNI if they had known it applied to you… what they asked you for was putting a rape warning on StOP. Which you still didn’t do

I know a lot of proshippers are victims. But a lot of others are too, and we don’t appreciate being thrown under the bus in the name of “fighting purity culture” as if it’s the same as being anti-kink.

Anon I don't know if you're my ex-patreon supporter or if you're a friend of theirs or what, but it's funny to me that they kept saying they didn't want to start any trouble with me and then this happens lol ok I guess.

You also failed to mention I refunded all the money they gave to my Patreon and apologized for the confusion, I don't know how else I should apologize to them, if you or they want me to stop drawing StOP, that's not gonna happen 🤷 I've said everywhere, multiple times, that StOP is a fuck or die comic, whether you want to take that as dubcon or noncon or not is up to you. The way I write is not really that way because all parties are VERY MUCH into it by the time they start doing anything, but I am AWARE that I can't call it completely consensual just by the nature of the fuck or die scenario. Maybe this person just wasn't aware that fuck or die = noncon, that is.... Not really my fault, it literally comes with that label, I'm sorry :/

Also, my bio has ALWAYS said I'm proship lol I don't know what you're going on about.

It's not a thing I have on my Tumblr bio because before Hazbin, I didn't post any of that stuff to *this* Tumblr, now I've stopped giving a shit but just didn't think to add it to my bio because idk *shrugs* I didn't care that much. You want me to add the proship label here too? I will, I have no issue with it, I am not trying to hide and it's not because "Tumblr doesn't like that" I couldn't care less lolol.

And my friend, sighs, anti circles are known for having more real predators than proship circles. I can't even begin to tell you how many teenagers were groomed in anti circles because they thought it was a """safe space""" while adults in proship spaces literally want nothing to do with minors. I am open about who I am and what I like, I am not afraid to say it because I am not ashamed even if I get people like you in my inbox lmao

My tag of "respect your own DNI" is because people will think proshippers are gross and want nothing to do with them but they'll... Still be the first people to talk to you once they find out.... You're proving my point right now lmao

[candyskiez]

thinkin about the conversation abt guilt between jon and helen again. and how the distortion realized “i wasnt going to stop doing it so i decided not to feel bad”. and how Feeling Guilty About It never changed anything for jon. it didn’t stop him from feeding. didn’t stop him from hurting people or being rude or abrasive. certainly didnt fix the apocalypse he was tricked into causing. his guilt never helped or saved anyone, and his choice to carry it around with him was mostly for self flagellation purposes. but also it was because he never stopped seeing people as people. even when they were his prey they were people. it’s just. !!!

GODDD YOU DONT EVEN KNOW. SEASON FOUR KILLED ME. SEASON FOUR CHANGED ME AS A PERSON. Grggrgr. God you don't even know. Ok ok.

Jon wants so badly to be a good person but he doesn't want to *get* better. He wants to BE better. Which. I never saw portrayed so accurately in fiction before and kind of felt like seeing my internal organs just. Out there. On the screen. But yknow. He wants so so bad to be good and he has no idea how to actually Stop hurting people and giving up these awful behaviors means giving up the things thatve kept him safe his whole life. His desperate attempts to do better in s4 are often met with rejection, and regardless of how understandable the others actions are (and I will argue it was understandable till the heat death of the universe) it ends up leaving him in this limbo where he doesn't feel like changing is Working. And it doesn't really help that he only tends to actually understand his feelings and other people's perspectives until they've blown up and he can't ignore them anymore. He so badly wants to be a good person but he's kind of just. He's not given up on per say but he's so angry and frustrated about it because nothing he does seems to be good enough or actually seem to improve in any meaningful way.

Ok ok on the note of the actual conversation you brought up. Sorry i got very sidetracked. Jon and guilt is so so interesting because it's embedded so deep in his personality. So much of who he is was fundamentally shaped by guilt and shame. And it doesn't actually fix anything. Most of his actions fueled by guilt or wanting to Repent don't actually do anything good. It partly stopped his whole murder crusade but tbh. There was also other things going on, less just Jon Guilt and more so Jon actually reflecting. It's almost like actually reevaluating your shit is more effective than self punishing. Guilt is so deeply rooted in every aspect of his actions throughout the series and it doesn't make him kinder most of the time. If anything it makes him more bitter and impulsive. But he can't afford to let go of his guilt less he starts just letting himself hurt everyone near him, but it was never actually the guilt that stopped him. He only really started stopping himself from doing shit out of compassion and care for the few people he had left. Guilt never stopped him, but he never let go because he Needed it to stop him from doing worse. But it wasn't the shame that had stopped him, he'd been ashamed his whole life and it actively made him worse. What did stop him in the end was the one person he had left being so furious at him but staying with him anyway, because he loved him.

Also I have Big Feelings about Jon and Helen's relationship and how Jon giving up on Helen was when he gave up on himself but that is a topic for another day. Jonathan Sims the man that you are. Boy why are you so guilt.

[thefreelancebioexorcist]

Byron looked down at Lydia with a supportive look after giving her a quick kiss, reaching to give her hand a quick squeeze before Charles ushered him out the door. He could immediately tell that she was worried from not only the look on her face, but from the sheer amount of nervous energy that was radiating off her. This would be the first time they had been such a distance apart in the mortal realm. Separation between the Nether and the world of the living didn't really count, since he was free to roam in the Nether. But in the mortal realm, he was bound to her, and they hadn't really tested the limits of the boundary their original contract put upon him. Betelgeuse had always assumed he had a fairly long leash due to his wanderings at the college, but then again he didn't stray very far from whatever classroom Lydia was in…or he was at his home in the Nether when she was at class or work.

So, this would be the first real test of that boundary…and just how long he could hold up his mortal guise while under the pressure of that boundary, in addition to remaining corporeal. Here's hoping the trip into town was quick, because even though Betelgeuse was powerful, the energy he'd have to exert on three different points might exhaust him if he wasn't careful.

He was thankful that Charles didn't really expect him to respond to the things he was pointing out on the drive in to the hardware store, other than appearing interested in whatever they were looking at. He was far too busy trying to quell the anxiety that was roiling about within him, which he didn't really understand where that was coming from. He wasn't exactly worried about what might happen. If his guise fell later in the grocery store, he'd turn non-corporeal where Charles couldn't see him and hide out until he felt recharged enough to be able to make the car ride to their home under the guise. He could feign getting turned around in the unfamiliar place. Charles may be a business man, but the ghost had fooled him before. Furthermore, he could feel the tether now. It was like an invisible wire in his chest growing slowly tighter, but it was nowhere near the point of it's end yet.

When it did, Juno would be alerted, and he would have to high tail it back to Lydia. Of course, the poltergeist was sure Juno would understand the situation once she realized where they were. At least, he hoped so. It occurred to him that he and Lydia really should have a sit down with Juno and go over the terms and limitations of the contract again. He wasn't going anywhere. They were irrevocably bound in this life and the next, after all. Besides, he wasn't about to leave Lydia.

There wasn't much going on at the hardware store when they visited. Charles checked on the two employees who worked there, eyeballed the stock of the items sold there, made some small talk with two old ladies getting some gardening tools, and introduced Byron as Lydia's boyfriend. Byron was all charm, of course, and by the time they got to the grocery store, almost 30 minutes had passed since they reached the hardware store.

All the while, he still felt this anxious energy and it was getting worse by the time they were doing the actual shopping. Between that, holding up his guise, and the tether pulling taught-er, he was beginning to show some discomfort and tiredness on his face, so much to the point that even Charles noticed.

"Are you doing okay, Byron? You're looking a bit…ill," Charles asked, concerned, like he looked green or something.

"I, uh, think the breakfast isn't sittin' well with me fer some reason. No offense t' yer wife, o' course. I'm just gonna run t' th' boys' room and see if I can't sort m'self out. Y' keep shoppin'… I'll find y'," Byron answered, rubbing his chest like he had a bad case of heartburn. And, then he was heading towards the back of the grocery store as quickly as he could without floating. Once he was safely in the bathroom with the door locked behind him, he let the guise fall and he let out a sigh. It had helped a bit, but now the feeling of nervousness had turned to anger, which was an emotion he was very familiar with, but it occurred to him that these feelings were not his own, because at this moment he had nothing to be angry about. So the only explanation was…

Lydia.

Lydia was angry about something. Or at someone.

And then very suddenly it turned to panic.

Byron didn't like that. At all. Especially since he couldn't tell WHY she was panicked. He threw his guise back up and rushed out of the bathroom to find Charles, who was just checking out at the front of the store.

"Oh good, yer done. Lyds just messaged me that I left my wallet at the house. I kinda wanted t' get her a little somethin' while we were out, but I guess I'll wait until she an' I have the opportunity t' go into town ourselves," he said as he made a point to help Charles with the bags so they could get to the car faster.

"If you know what you want to get for her, I can loan you the--" Charles started to offer, thinking it was very sweet of Byron to do something like that for Lydia.

"No offense, Mr. Deetz, but I prefer to spend my own money on yer daughter. Now, let's get home shall we?" He said as he climbed into the passenger seat.

Charles looked a bit unnerved at the response, but got in the car anyway, as he figured maybe breakfast really did a number on him and he just wanted to get back home and lay down. Sometimes Delia's cooking did that to him too. And moments later, they were on the way back the the Deetz's home.

I'm comin', darlin'. I'm comin'.

Betelgeuse tried to feel calm, hoping whatever he was feeling would transfer back to her so she wouldn't feel as panicked. The closer they got to the house, the less tired he began to feel, and he almost launched himself out of the car when they parked. He managed to make it look like a brisk walk, saying something about wanting to make sure the ingredients got to the refrigerator before they got too warm. Delia was still in the kitchen when he got there, and he handed the bags to her with grin before he started to quickly made his way upstairs.

"Breakfast wasn't sitting well with him," Charles explained to Delia as she gave him a curious glance at Byron's quick exit.

Meanwhile, in Lydia's room, the light smell of old cigarette smoke wafted through the air as an older woman in a business suit with a string of large pearls around her neck to hide her slit throat appeared on Lydia's bed.

"Barbara, really, it will do you no good to upset the girl. You're only going to make Betel mad, and I would really rather not clean up after him," Juno stated calmly, as she fished a packet of cigarettes and a lighter out of her blazer pocket, and took one out and lit it.

As if on cue, Byron opened the door and slipped inside, closing and locking the door behind him. He walked right past Barbara and went straight to Lydia, as if he knew she was upset. He didn't even notice Juno until his arms were already around Lydia, and when he did, he said, without much preamble, "I didn't go beyond the limits of th' tether."

"No, you did not, but given your history with this place, this family, and the fact that I knew you were here…and that they were here." Juno pointed to Barbara with her lit cigarette. "I would have been pretty stupid not to check in. Especially since this one looks about ready to blow her top. Nice mortal disguise, by the way. Were you going to keep this from the whole family, then?"

Clearly, this question was directed at both Byron and Lydia. Byron answered first, letting his guise fall away. "Not fer forever. We wanted t' tell 'em. Just not…right away."

The panic that was tightening in her chest began to subside the very moment Betelgeuse embraced her.  Lydia closed her eyes and inhaled deeply as he placed a gentle kiss against the top of her head. She gazed adoringly at him as he gave Barbara what-for, and she couldn’t help the faint smile that began to play at the corners of her mouth.

God, I love him, she thought to herself.  

Barbara, however, stood completely still, her chocolate brown eyes wide as dinner plates. Adam, too, was shocked, his jaw gone slack in awe at how this complete stranger was speaking to them as if he knew them. 

But he was passionately defending Lydia, and wouldn’t he do the very same for Barbara? Adam took note of the man’s gentle nature as he silently comforted Lydia, and how the young woman completely melted into his arms. He saw how Byron’s hand gripped Lydia’s shoulder–soft, yet with an undertone of possessiveness. As a man, he read the body language easily. It screamed “She’s mine, and you’re hurting her. This is a warning.”

Byron’s spiel ended as Charles appeared in the doorway, blissfully ignorant of what had just transpired between everyone. There was a moment of terribly awkward silence as they just stood there, not knowing how to react. 

“Oh! Uhm! I changed my mind!” Delia called out, her voice cracking a bit. She immediately started bringing out skillets and placing them on top of the stove. “How does sausage, eggs, and bacon sound? Hm? Want some toast as well? There’s orange juice in the refrigerator!” 

Lydia smiled inwardly and gave her dad a good morning kiss on the cheek. She lead Byron into the living room to sit for a bit, just so she could decompress after what had just happened. Barbara’s eyes followed them all the while, until Charles and Adam began exchanging pleasantries. 

“Thank you,” Lydia whispered, her hand finding Betelgeuse’s and giving it a tight squeeze. 

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Bare skin, bare feelings.

[First] Prev <–-> Next

[shannonsketches]

Why is the anime so weird, it's not even the same series dude?? It's like,

Anime:

GOKU: I have a great idea to bring peace to the universe, and my leadership and compassion alone will unite us all. I have No Flaws and am A True Relatable Everyman :)

VEGETA: NO! I AM THE BEST AND I WILL CAUSE PROBLEMS UNTIL I AM RECOGNIZED AS SUCH!!!!

Manga:

GOKU: Vegeta what's cornmeal made of? I know it's what the corn eats, but what's it made of? VEGETA: Hey Kakarot let's play the quiet game until one of us dies.

[shorlinesorrows]

qpr jean and neil. that's all i'm gonna say.

do you see my vision?

[pureconancommentary]

Let him call, because again, Agasa was the one who set up this secret, he should be the one defending it. Again, the parent shows up out of the blue here, but I kinda wish they didn't. Because Shinichi's the protagonist, he has to deal with everything in the end, but I want Agasa to be confronted. Have him make up more lies. Bring in the parents slower, have them contact Kogoro to arrange for Conan to stay long term and work out payment. Ran asks about the parents and Kogoro is like 'oh it's fine, they're covering his stay', and Conan's going '...? ???????'. Agasa denies having anything to do with it on Yuusaku's orders. Conan frets about it for a while and they actually see how he'd react to potential unknown danger. And then spring the 'kidnap him' trap to fully show him what could possibly happen.

But I guess just 'kidnap him and potentially give him a heart attack to prove that death is a real possibility' without any setup or warning is fine, too, sure.