#my skin is so red and irritated and I did a lot of research

[yelenadelova]

Whatever you do do NOT dermaplane at home if you have sensitive skin

[psychedelic-ink]

𝐁𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐍

body piercer!joel miller x f!reader

genre: explicit smut, minors dni, modern au, no outbreak au

word count: 4.7k

summary: you finally go and get your nipples pierced.

warnings: reader has tattoos & has flat/small nipples which is the only physical description in this fic, nipple play, oral (female receiving), dirty talk, praise kink, joel miller with a tongue piercing, lots of teasing, sexual tension, tattoo kink??? joel is really into them

a/n: this fic literally wouldn't exist if not for @swiftispunk's fic flesh and metal after reading it and screaming about it (and also reading articles about it) this fic was born, enjoy xx

special thanks to @johnwatsn for the beta! 💞

It’s late. The faint buzz of the neon sign is loud in your ears, taunting, mocking you for just staring inside instead of going in. Your face is illuminated with a red hue, the words BODY PIERCING burning into your irises. And despite the tacky neon sign, the inside looks quite clean. You would know, you’ve been stalking their Instagram page for a while now. 

There’s no one inside and you’re contemplating whether or not you should just get on with it. The idea of getting your nipples pierced had been a vague thought until recently. You desperately needed a change, you wanted something new and exciting. You wanted to feel sexy again. Your ex had certainly done a decent amount of damage to your self-esteem and that, plus your already low view of yourself, did not help your brain to see the good of you. 

So many things could go wrong, you’ve read multiple articles about it. Your body might reject the piercing, it might leave a scar, irritate it. . . 

G Suddenly, a brisk burst of frigid air gently caresses your cheeks, causing you to instinctively step back. Your gaze swiftly shifts from the interior of the shop to the door, where you notice that someone has just opened it, allowing the chilly air from the air conditioning inside to spill out.

Joel Miller, the shop's number one body piercer. Your cheeks burn, your pulse quickens, the sound of it flooding your ears. He’s tall and broad, his brown eyes staring at you with utter amusement. As you continue to just blatantly stare at him, he cocks his head to the side with a crooked smile. 

“I’m closin’ in half an hour, sweetheart. If you’re thinkin’ of comin’ in, I’d do it now.” 

“O–Oh,” you swallow thickly. “I can come back tomorrow if you’re closing up, sorry to bother you.” 

He raises an eyebrow, his smile falling, “Well, I didn’t quite say that, now, did I?” Come on in, darlin’. Tell me what you need.” 

Tell him what you need—your heart beats in your throat, the lazy drawl of his words going directly between your legs. You mentally curse at yourself. How touch-starved are you? He’s just being polite. You’re the customer, it would’ve been weird if he just shooed you away. 

Joel takes a step to the side, silently granting permission for you to enter. You stroll past him, making your way inside without uttering a word. The air conditioning is a blessing on your sweat-soaked skin. Even though you don’t have to, you briefly look at your surroundings. Just like your research had entailed, the shop was squeaky clean. 

“So,” Joel clears his throat. “What can I do you for, sweetheart?” 

Some part of you wishes that he could just understand without you having to form the words. You lick the back of your teeth, suddenly it’s very hard to breathe. 

“I. . . wanted to get my nipples pierced—if that’s okay?” 

“Of course, it is,” he smiles, much softer compared to his crooked smirk from before. “I’m Joel by the way,” he extends his hand and you take it with a sigh of relief, you feel much lighter now— 

“I know.” 

Your eyes go wide, both your hands stopping mid-shake. Joel’s amused glance is back again, his smile stretching into a grin, “You know?” 

“I mean—well, I did research before I came here,” you answer quickly, aggressively almost, and release his hand. His grin only wides, a puff of air escaping his nostrils. “So that’s how I know your name.” 

“Aren’t you the cautious one,” he turns on his heel and points towards the back. “If you’re set on what you want we can just head inside, I can explain the rest there.” 

“Sure.” 

Just as you both take a step you remember what you initially wanted to ask before going through with it and stop. Joel senses your lack of movement, turning around, you notice the furrow between his brow. “I actually wanted to ask something before we went on with it.” 

“I’m all ears.” 

Oh god, this is embarrassing, “So. . . my nipples are. . .flat—or is it more proper to call it small? I don’t know. Would that be an issue?” 

The glimmer in his eyes returns full force, his expression of worry melting away, “I’ve never met a nipple I couldn’t pierce,” he teases. “So no need to worry that pretty head of yours.” 

“Do you sweet talk with all your clients?” you ask, your lips twitching into a smile. You don’t know what it is, but you feel comfortable with him. Maybe it’s because you’ve been stalking his shop for so long. Either way, it’s a nice feeling. 

“Only with the ones that know my name before I meet them.” His eyes gradually move up and down your body, eating you up. His tongue darts out and swipes over his bottom lip. You notice the faint shimmer that belongs to a silver tongue piercing. “And the ones that’ve been starin’ into my shop for least an hour.” 

Joel takes a step closer and you feel your breath dissipating from your lungs. Dark, charcoal eyes sweep across your face. Your heartbeat is like a fearful hummingbird, hitting the bone cage in rapid succession. You swallow. By some miracle, you hold his gaze. 

“You ready to go, little rabbit?” 

All the tension drains from your bones and you burst out laughing, “Rabbit?” you giggle, your amusement only growing when you see his wide smile. “What the hell?” 

“There’s that pretty smile,” he hums, pulling back. Joel stuffs his hands into his pockets. “Now that you’re relaxed we can get to business. We can stop whenever, so don’t feel pressured when you’re in the chair. You can just leave.” 

You nod along as you follow him inside. You’re relieved when you see that it’s a spacious room with bright lighting that doesn’t irritate your eyes. 

“First things first, let's pick out the piercing.” Joel walks towards one of the small glass cases and pulls out one of the drawers. Your excitement builds as he presents them to you. “Any ticklin’ your fancy?” 

The light above gleams against the glass, there are so many and for a split second, you want them all. You never thought you would be labeling piercings as pretty. Looking them over, you decide you definitely want barbells instead of hoops. Now the question is which barbell one do you want? 

“So many,” you mutter, eyes scanning over them again and again. You see one that says ‘cum here’ on each heart-shaped barbell. There’s a couple of them that say different things; kiss here, bite me, lick me— a shudder rolls down your spine. Your mind instantly fills with indecent thoughts, most of them staring at the man still patiently holding the glass case. You bite the inside of your cheek. 

You bet he has the most skillful tongue—

“Oh, that one!” you exclaim suddenly, pointing at one in the shape of a heart. It’s decorated in shimmering rhinestones, the metal gold. When he inserts it, the heart would be framing your nipple. “It’s so cute.” 

“You like shiny things, huh?” he smiles. “You gotta good eye, it’ll look good on you.” 

Your breath catches in your throat, “Thanks.” 

“Now lay on the bed, darlin’.” 

It takes you a second to realize he’s talking about the piercing bed. You’re about to lay on it before he stops you with a raised hand. “Take off your top.” 

“Most guys buy me dinner first.” 

“Har har very funny,” he rolls his eyes but he’s smiling, which in return makes you lightheaded. The expression is like a drug and you want to see more of it. More and more and more. “Besides, if you have a flat nipple I’m gonna need to stimulate it.” 

“Excuse me?” 

Joel is unaware of your blundering, he arranges the fresh, disposable drape and sterile forceps, placing it on the small portable workstation, “If you’re uncomfortable with that I can use the suction device too,” he answers nonchalantly. You watch breathlessly as he pulls on his black rubber gloves and finally turns to you. He raises an eyebrow. “Why’s your top still on?” 

“I—I just wasn’t aware nipple play was involved.” 

“You do realize where you’re gettin’ pierced right?” his lips twitch up. “You’re not drunk, are you sweetheart?” 

“Very funny,” you answer, mimicking his tone from before. “But anyway, okay, I guess I’m just a bit nervous.” 

“Understandable,” you point towards the endless draws. “Want me to get the suction device?” 

“God, no,” you let out a low chuckle. “Your fingers are just fine.” 

“Never had any complaints before.” 

Your stomach jumps, arousal caressing your skin similar to a summer breeze. The darkness in his eyes is back, his gaze intense and nerve-wracking. 

“Will it hurt?” you mumble. 

“I ain’t gonna lie so yeah, it will.” 

“How much?” 

“Depends, really.” 

Your shoulders drop. 

“Mine didn’t hurt that bad, to be honest, but my pain tolerance is quite high,” he mutters to himself rather than to you. He follows up with another sentence, probably something to soothe your worry but your brain is locked on to something very specific he just said. 

“You have nipple piercings?” you ask incredulously. “Really?” 

“I do, though it was more of a bet kind of situation. My brother loooves causing me trouble,” he sighs and crosses his arms over the expanse of his chest. “But joke’s on him because I liked how they looked so I kept them.” 

“Can. . . Can I see?” 

“You gonna be a good girl and keep still when I pierce you?” Joel teases. You nod furiously, lips pressed tightly together. “A’right then.” He curls his fingers into the hem of his shirt and lifts it. Your eyes are glued to his chest—his entire torso. You see the way a soft trail of draw hair starts from his bellybutton and disappears under his jeans, you see the soft swell of his stomach, the muscle—your eyes move up, you finally see his nipples, pierced, just like he said, with silver barbells. You lean closer, your ass at the very edge of the piercing bed. 

Joel suddenly drops his shirt, hiding away, he shrugs, “Nothin’ fancy, but still, I like’em,” saying that, he takes a seat on his chair and sways a bit thanks to the wheels underneath.

“Do—” you lick the back of your teeth. “Do they make it more sensitive?” 

His smirk makes your heart skip a beat, “Wouldn’t you like to know,” he points to your shirt. “Now off.” 

Without a word, you peel off your shirt and unhook your bra. Joel’s eyes widen momentarily, his breath hitching at the sight of your bare torso. You’re confused for a moment. Surely, in his line of work, he’s seen many tits before— 

Then you realize he’s staring at your tattoos. 

You don’t have many, though you guess compared to others you do have many. Joel’s gaze lingers on your chest piece, two hands reaching towards each other with the sun and moon in between, decorating the dip between your breasts without going too deep. The blood rush of your body fills your ears, and your lips part with a gasp, his eyes instantly snap to your lips. You see the way his Adam’s apple bobs when he swallows. 

“Didn’t know you were tattooed, darlin’.” 

“You like tattoos?” you ask, your voice hoarse and barely there. “I have more on my back.” 

You swear his pupils dilate, “I’d love to see them after. If you’ll let me.” 

“Sure,” you answer with a weak smile. “I don’t see a reason not to.” 

He wheels closer, eyes dropping to your breasts. You look away. Your cheeks feel unreasonably warm despite the air conditioning running. Goosebumps blossom over every patch of skin. His mouth is too close, the warmth of his breath fans your chest, a pleasant tingle echoing over your breasts. 

You’ve always felt a bit awkward about your nipples. They always seemed silly compared to your breast size, especially when you started seeing other nipples. 

“I’m gonna touch you now,” he says softly, dragging you away from your thoughts. “I’m gonna massage it a bit to work it out, a’right?” 

You nod and hold your breath simultaneously. He does your right nipple first. Just like he said, he massages the flesh closest to your nipple, easing it out. It feels good, undeniably so. The pads of his fingers work delicately. Deep down you wish he didn’t have to wear the gloves. Your body aches for his heat, his bare touch on your naked skin. Joel pinches a bit hard and you flinch, he mumbles an apology. You don’t have it in you to tell him that it didn’t actually hurt, rather, it felt good. 

Soft whimpers threaten to escape your lips so you bite into the bottom one, hard. You squeeze your eyes shut, trying to regulate your breathing with deep inhales. His thumb swipes over your, now hard, nipple. “There we go,” he says. 

You don’t open your eyes. Pain blossoms from the flesh of your lips, you feel them starting to swell. 

“Hey,” Joel’s hand cups the side of your face, then you feel his thumb easing out your lips from between your teeth. “You’re gonna hurt yourself like that. Are you okay?” 

How are you supposed to tell him that you’re just turned on? That this has been the most action you’ve had in months? 

“I’m okay,” you answer. His brows furrow in disbelief and you can’t really blame him. You let out a long sigh. “I’m fine, I promise. I just got a little worked up.” 

“Worked up?” His smile is back and in response, you want to bury your head in the sand. “What d’you mean?” 

His hand slides to your waist, squeezing it gently. You stick your bottom lip out. “You know what I mean.” 

“Hmmm, maybe,” his voice drips with cruel teasing, his thumb begins to draw lazy circles around your skin. You think he’s going to say something else but his gaze once again drops to your chest. “Looks like it disappeared, gonna need to work it out again.” 

You expect his fingers—maybe for him to pinch a bit harder this time. 

What you don’t expect, however, is his burning mouth on your cold skin. 

“Oh, fuck—” you gasp, your body instinctively arching towards him. He groans as a response, taking more of you into his mouth. His tongue flicks your peaked nipple. You feel his teeth nipping the tender flesh and you gasp once more, a sharp moan rattling in your throat. 

His eyes look up at you, momentarily he parts away, his lips are swollen, spit glistening at his lips, “This okay?” 

“Yes.” 

And he continues to devour you. 

Your fingers bite into the leather bed, he laps at the pebbled flesh, purposefully rubs the tongue piercing into it. The sudden hardness of metal makes you jump and then melt into it, he repeats the movement of his tongue again and again, swirling it until your thighs start to shake. His hands briefly move to your tattoo, thick fingers dancing along the ink. 

“So sensitive,” he murmurs, directing his attention to your other nipple. He flicks at it first then closes his lips around it. Your underwear is sticky with slick, your legs in constant motion to relieve some of the tension from your throbbing clit. He cups your mound, presses his fingers into your clothed slit. “Be patient, I’m gettin’ there.” He sucks on your nipple and teases the other with his fingers, pinching and pulling them. 

“Won’t be able to do this when we pierce them,” he growls, teeth sinking into your nipple, he flicks his tongue over it. “And you better not let anyone else touch’em too.” 

Your head falls back with a groan. He flicks his tongue again when you grind into his palm, the friction not enough to quench your need for him. You grip his shoulder, urging him to move back. He does. You immediately feel guilty at the worry crossing his eyes. 

You grip his shirt, slightly sliding it up his stomach, “Can I see how sensitive you are?” 

A brush of color spreads from his neck to his cheeks. You smile. Red looks good on him. 

He stands up, the chair wheeling away. Joel is quick to discard his shirt and you’re glad that the piercing bed makes it so that you’re in perfect tasting range. You spread your legs wider as he comes closer, taking his place between them. His skin touches your own, his warmth overwhelming yet welcomed. 

You kiss his neck first. Then his collar bone, you suck on his skin, teasing the sensitive flesh with your teeth. He shudders. Slowly you make your way down, your thumbs push at the pierced nipples and he moans behind gritted teeth. Smiling sweetly at him, you swirl your tongue around one, playing with the other. Your tongue moves over the bead of the piercing, you tilt it which in return twists the nipple. Another tremble overwhelms him, his body curling around you even further. The outline of his cock is prominent through his jeans, his body impulsively grinding against your stomach. You moan at the hardness, and he moans at the pressure. 

“Fuck, that’s nice,” he rasps, hips jerking. “But let’s take care of you now, I bet your panties are soaked, darlin’.” 

Fuck, it is. 

Joel drags his lips down your cheek, he kisses your neck slowly, the metal on his tongue forcing a shudder up your spine and making you curious about how it’ll feel on your cunt. 

“Want to eat you out from behind, sweetheart, wanna see those tattoos.” 

His hands are a constant on your skin as you hop off the bed and bend over, he helps you with your jeans, reaching around and unbuttoning it for you. The fabric suddenly feels too tight on your skin and you need to get rid of it—now. 

The harsh fabric pools at your ankles and you kick them away. His fingers play with the elastic of your underwear, pulling and twisting. The heft of him rubs between the crease, thick cock straining against his zipper. You expect him to take off his jeans too. Your piercer is full of surprises, though, and instead of doing the predictable thing, he continues to roll his hips whilst tracing the pads of his fingers over tattoos. 

“Fuck, they’re beautiful, sweetheart,” he mumbles. His touch is ticklish, yet arousing at the same time. More slick gathers at the fabric. You’re desperate for his touch. By the movement of his fingers you guess which of them he’s stroking. First, it’s the fox that stretches over your spine, beams of sun framing its face. Then it’s the smoke-like lines that are closer to your shoulder and the other one near your hip. Joel can’t seem to get enough of it. His palms are flat against inky skin, trying to feel the thought of you while you got them. 

You gasp at the touch of soft lips and soft tongue. He licks a slow line up your spine, tracing over the fox and sunlight. By pure instinct you bend over further, your breasts completely pressed against the leather. You’ve never been more glad to have tattoos in your goddamn life—he’s worshipping them, the figures that adorn your skin. 

His velvet tongue is replaced by sharp teeth, your back arches, ass pressing further into his clothed cock. Joel trembles and follows your eager movements with another tender bite. 

“I love them,” he mouths over the inky smoke near your shoulder. “I love feeling you, touching you. I could just do this for hours. You feel amazin’ against my skin, my sweet little rabbit.” 

This time you don’t laugh at the absurd nickname. His name drips from your damp lips like honey, sweet to say and sticking to your tongue. 

His hand dips between your legs and his mouth moves down to your ass, he kisses the plump flesh as two fingers stroke you from over the fabric of your underwear. His groan reverberates on your skin, teeth skimming the flesh, “Fuck, you actually are soaked,” Joel hums and slips them under, gathering you around his fingers. “All this for me?” 

“Yes,” you gasp, raising your hips. “P-Please—”

Joel shushes you, “I know, sweetheart, I know,” he gets down to his knees and as he does, a small grunt leaves his lips. 

“Are you okay?” you ask. 

“Just fine,” he kisses your pussy and you’re instantly melting towards his mouth, a groan ripping from your throat. “A sacrifice I’m willin’ to make.” 

Joel doesn’t give you the chance to reply or offer to change positions, he slides your panties to the side, licking into you hungrily. You shudder and your upper body jolts, forming the perfect arch. He presses deeper. Licking and teasing your clit with the tip. He cups both sides of your ass and gives them a gentle smack. Your eyes roll at the mild pain, your slick coating his lips, tongue, and chin. The rough hairs of his beard chafe your skin, only adding to the pleasure. 

“Taste so good, beautiful,” Smack. “Gonna fuckin’ ruin you, make you come until there’s a goddamn puddle on the floor.” 

“Oh god—” you choke on air, a moan locking in your throat the same time you’re trying to gasp for air. His words and the swirl of his tongue are downright sinful. He flattens his tongue and parts your folds with the soft muscle, teasing your entrance. 

Joel pulls you back against him, his lips teaching your clit, your jaw drops, a jolt of pleasure rushing through you and tightening your nipples. It’s filthy, that’s all you can think. If someone walked through those doors right this instant, they would see his face between your cheeks, drinking from you like a man dying of thirst. 

Your head drops, mouth flooding with saliva, you roll your hips; begging, asking for more. He gives it to you. Two thick fingers slide into you with ease, his mouth leaving wet open-mouthed kisses on your ass. 

“Gonna come for me?” he asks, voice full of gravel. “Come on, give it to me, let me see how your pussy throbs, sweetheart.” 

He curls his fingers and you imagine him smirking as he breaks you apart. You cry out his name, your entire body shuddering as if lightning struck it, “That’s it, that’s it, that’s it. . .” He continues to thrust his fingers in and out, you feel yourself dripping, imagine yourself making a puddle just like he asked for. “Give it to me, honey. You’re fuckin’ beautiful, look at you. . .” 

Joel spreads you with his fingers and delves back into you, he draws circles around your clit, his jaw constantly moving with every lick. He doesn’t stop until he’s coaxing another orgasm out of you—your head fills with bliss, your body lifeless. 

When he’s done feasting, he slowly gets up with his hands sliding to your back. He leans down to pepper more kisses onto your tattoos, your skin tingling and singing at the contact. 

“Let’s get you cleaned up,” he murmurs, lips sucking at your neck. “Then let’s get those pretty nipples pierced.” 

“W—What about you?” you ask breathlessly. 

Joel helps you sit back up on the bed, you part your legs so he can come closer, he accepts the invitation with a wide smile, “I have a feelin’ we’ll be seein’ more of each other, sweetheart. You can make it up to me then.” 

Your heart skips a beat and your lips part. 

You have a strong feeling that he’s right. 

With gloved hands, Joel carefully opens a sterile needle package. You watch with rapt attention as he takes out the fresh needle, inspecting it. Your body is still thrumming with pleasure, your head still swimming in a daze. All you can hear is his breathing.

He had already walked you through everything while preparing for the procedure. No touching, no swimming. You had to clean them softly in the shower and that was meant to be the only source of water your nipples touch for a while. If there was any irritation or marks, you were to reach out immediately. 

Honestly, you found it cute that he’d gotten so serious all of a sudden. It was nice to see him so professional too, so competent. 

He comes closer and your body seizes. You hold your breath. With a sudden need to distract yourself, your eyes linger on to the walls. Your brows furrow in surprise when you notice the tattoo designs. You thought this was only a piercing shop. 

“You do tattoos too?” you ask nervously. 

“My brother does,” he answers. “He works the tattoo side of the business and I do the piercings.” 

“It’s nice that it’s in the family. . .” 

“Sweetheart, I know what you’re doin’. You’ll be fine I promise.” 

“Okay. I trust you mister man-I-just-met.” 

He grins, “You didn’t seem to have a problem with it ten minutes ago.” 

“Touché.” 

Joel prompts you to lay on the piercing table, he approaches you with a reassuring smile on his face. You can feel your heart racing as you nervously anticipate the pain of getting your nipples pierced, you imagine the worst, your heart beating in tune with your fear. 

He carefully cleans the area around your nipples and marks the spot where the piercing will go. He double-checks the placement with you to ensure you're happy with it. You give a slight nod, still feeling a bit apprehensive.

“Such a good girl for me,” he murmurs. “It’ll only hurt for a second.” 

With steady hands, Joel takes the needle. You feel a sharp pinch as it punctures through your skin, but the pain dissipates quickly. You let out a small whimper, “It’s okay, it’s okay, just a bit more,” he comforts you and you nod with a long exhale. 

After the needle is through, he quickly follows it with the jewelry, securing it in place. You watch in awe as he attaches the beautiful barbells to your nipples, the adrenaline and endorphins making the pain feel less than it is.

Once the piercings are in place, Joel gently cleans the blood before you can get a look.

“Aaand done, tell me what you think.” 

You’re surprised that he has a mirror in hand when you sit back up. Your gaze finds your reflection and an instant smile spreads across your face. 

“You like’em?” he asks, his tone shy. 

“Like them?” you gasp. “I love them! Thank you!” 

“Oh that’s a relief,” he leans back into the chair, slightly rolling away with a relieved smile. “No matter how many times I do it, I still get nervous.” 

“I definitely love them,” you say, you get up to wear your shirt but end up wincing at the sharp pain. You look at Joel between squinted eyes. “When did you say the pain would stop again?” 

“It’s gonna take a while,” he answers with a sympathetic smile. “You don’t know how much your nipples touch stuff until you get’em pierced.” 

“Well, at least they look good.” 

He shoots you a wink, “They sure do, little rabbit.” 

“That nickname is still ridiculous.” 

“Should I remind you that the last time I used it you came on my tongue?” 

“Nope no reminder needed,” you put your shirt back on, smiling. “I’m still going through the aftershocks.” 

“Good,” he stands with you, hands on your waist, he pulls you as close as he can without your nipples touching his chest. “So, you wanna go out?” Joel’s gaze drops to your chest and he licks his lips, “Gotta make sure you’re takin’ care of them properly.” 

“My hero.” 

[norman-fucking-reedus]

HE ATE MY HEART!

“I love that girl”

gif by @corvidcrossbow

IM SO FUCKING EXCITED TO FINALLY HAVE SOMETHING TO POST ON HERE AND ALSO TO POST SOMETHING TO THIS SONG

Vamp!Daryl has rotted not only my brain but the community. I am not sorry at all for the plague I'm spreading and I hope that it only gets worse.

So I've been doing some research on it, and I really like the idea of mixing the Blade universe w TWD, I did some more research on the different types of vampires (its kind of a lot so if you want you can go read abt them here!) To basically summarize, there's people, daywalkers (half vamp-people), walkers, full vampires, and then Revenants (half-walker half vampire, basically just another way to die)

This also makes it easier for whenever Scud becomes my next vampy victim

AUUUGH I NEED MY HOT SEXY NEEDY VAMPIRE MAN WHO JUST WANTS TO DRINK ALL MY BLOOD SOMEONE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE FUCKING PLEASE

also I am working on reqs yes I am, I have one scud fic that is dirty and nasty and should be getting posted soon. also I may not be on tumblr as much as I used to be because GUYS I am now employed yes that's right I got off my computer, went outside, interacted with people, and got a job #gangshit

It had been over a week since Daryl had eaten, and over two since he had left to go out on the community's monthly supply run.

As he stumbled through the opening gates, he felt like he had been through a war. His body was wracked with exhaustion, weakness, and hunger. The air was thick with the strong scent of blood, and he couldn't keep himself from groaning painfully when he was bombarded by Carol and Rick asking where he had been, what had taken so long, and if he was alright.

“No! M’not alright dammit” He barked at them in frustration after being asked for the third time if he was alright, his voice laced with irritation and discomfort. Carol couldn't help but notice his pale and clammy appearance.

Her forehead creased into a frown as she tightly pursed her lips, giving Daryl a scolding look that made him uneasy. With a tone of concern, she asked, "I'm worried. When was the last you fed?"

The man's face twisted in discomfort as Rick and Carol stood in his space. He scoffed and muttered, "Not recently, m'fuckin' starvin'" The longer he stayed, the more his head spun and his vision blurred, causing the corners of his eyes to fade into a deep red color. His stomach churned uncomfortably, and he could feel his teeth starting to ache.

Rick observed Daryl's malnourished skin, staring at how he was almost transparent. His eyes were screwed shut as the sun harshly burned his sensitive orbs, and he was gripping the strap of his crossbow so hard that his fingers were starting to turn red.

"You should go see Y/n," Rick said, eyes fixed on his friend. "She should be back home and she's been asking about you. I think she misses you." Daryl's body tensed at the sound of your name, and a sudden chill ran down his spine, causing goosebumps to rise on his arms. He tried to hide his reaction, but Rick's sharp eyes didn't miss a thing.

Daryl's head drooped weakly as he could only manage a feeble nod. Rick and Carol had stepped off to the side for him, offering their silent support. Carol placed her hand gently on his shoulder, her grey hair falling across her face as she did so. Rick, with his stern expression, gave Daryl a look that he knew meant there was no room for argument.

His senses were already heightened to an extreme level, almost at an overload as the sun was abnormally bright, blazing down on him with a blinding intensity, making it difficult for him to even keep his eyes open. He could feel the heat searing his skin, causing beads of sweat to form on his forehead and trickle down his face. He noticed the way that his vest rubbed uncomfortably against him, the fabric clinging to his skin and making him feel sticky and irritable. His already aching teeth began to grind down against each other, and he could feel his razor-sharp fangs digging into the tender skin of his bottom lip, further fueling his pure discomfort.

Each step he took in the direction of your house was tiring and heavy, his dirty, muddy boots slapping against the ground as he dragged himself through the streets, promptly ignoring any strange or judgy looks that were thrown his way. He didn't have the time, let alone the strength to even bother paying them any mind. His stomach churned as his overwhelmed nose couldn't help but pick up the sickeningly sweet smell of blood.

It forced him to quicken his pace, trying to get just as far away from the public eye as he possible could. He didn't want to be looked at, didn't want to be stared at. He just wanted to get inside as soon as fucking possible and just tear off all his goddamn clothes. A ping of hope struck through him when he could see your familiar house only a short distance down the road, having to hold himself back from flat-out sprinting the rest of the way there.

Though it was only about a thirty-second walk, it had been the longest in his whole entire life, and walking up the small steps of your porch was like something out of a nightmare. He could disgustingly feel the material change in flooring when he stepped off the pavement and onto the creaky wood, the sound grating against his now way too-sensitive ears. Dear god, would someone fucking help him already?

Of course, as if on cue, the red front door to your house swung open, but instead of being met with a friendly face, he was met with the barrel of your gun.

"Daryl?" You questioned as you lowered the weapon slightly, a smile stretching across your lips once you had confirmed who was standing and dicking around on your porch. "Daryl!" You fully dropped your defensive position, stuffing the weapon in the band of your pants as you prepared to throw yourself at the man, halting when you finally took in his ruined appearance.

His breathing was labored, and it was hard to keep himself upright on his own two legs, forcing him to lean against the wall by the door. "Hey doll"

You scoffed at him in disbelief, "Don't you dare even "hey doll" me, mister! What the hell happened to you? Get in here right now" Grabbing the front of his vest and pulling his heavy body inside, Daryl groaning as each movement caused pain to his body, slumping against the door when you slammed it shut.

He couldn't be happier when he felt you prying the buttons of his stupidly itchy vest off, him shrugging it off as well as his crossbow, clattering down on the floor and probably chipping the metal further.

"Jesus Daryl, you look fucking terrible. Did you feed on anything at all out there?" You purse your lips as you analyze and checked his unnaturally pale chest, letting out a surprised hiss at the burn lingering on your fingers tips from where you had brushed them against the skin of his shoulder

Daryl groaned as you directed him to sit on the couch, the short steps from the front door already leaving him utterly winded, almost dripping in sweat as he wheezed each breath of air.

“‘Wasn’t much… ‘wasn’t much out there” He spoke breathlessly, head spinning and his stomach loudly churning when you stood in front of him.

When you extended a hand out to cup his face, he tightly gripped your wrist with a shaky hand. “Don’. Please don’” He didn’t want to feed from you, not like this, not in a state where he couldn’t guarantee that he wouldn’t absolutely drain you.

“Daryl” You whispered softly, frowning slightly as you started taking your shirt off, and he wanted to scream at your stubbornness.

You straddled his lap and gently brushed the hair sticking to his forehead off, his blue eyes starting to tint red as the smell of your blood was strong, right in his face. “I don’ wanna”

“I know you don’t sweetheart, but you’ll die. What am I gonna do if you die?” You cupped his face, forcing his gaze onto yours. He whimpered slightly at your touch, his whole body sensitive and reactive.

Daryl shivered when you combed fingers through his hair, hands curling around your hips when you directed his head to your neck. “I trust you, more than I even trust myself” You whispered soothingly into his ear, and he almost wanted to cry.

He could smell the blood coursing through you like it was a burning candle, and his mouth was uncontrollably watering. His fangs were sharp and heavy, aching with the need to sink into your skin, which is exactly what he did, groaning against you at the first drops of blood, not wasting against another second before he was greedily taking mouthfuls.

It was so good, so warm and fresh, sweet and bitter. Daryl had drank lots of blood before, and yours was easily his favorite. He craved it during his time out there, not just because there was a serious lack in wild animals, but because it was addictive.

He squeezed your hips, soft and pillowy in his buzzing palms as he could feel himself starting to get hard in his pants, the more blood he swallowed the more drunk he got.

It made you feel good to watch his natural tan color fade back, his scarred back no longer a ghastly pale. You ran your fingers through his hair, occasionally curling your fingers and gripping the dark locks to grind down against his now-straining cock.

Daryl made soft, small sounds as he fed, each roll of your hips making each gulp of your blood taste so much better. His senses were at an all-time high, overwhelmed and at an absolute edge. He couldn’t help the way his hands pressed you down on his cock, hips desperately jerking against you as he could feel himself getting closer and closer, his head spinning in a blood lust haze.

He was so close, so very fucking close. His sharp claws had made themselves known, and you jolted when they painfully curled into your flesh, hips sputtering and slightly faltering in their movements. Daryl had no problem picking up the slack, almost fucking you right through his pants from how hard he was rutting up into you.

It was just all so much, his whole body on fire with pure arousal as he sighed around a final mouthful of crimson, trembling from his core as his orgasm washed over him, pressing your clothed cunt against him as hard as he could, making his already fuzzy mind draw a complete blank, a loud groan tearing from his throat that caused his fangs to slip out from where he had punctured the skin and drop his head against your shoulder, whimpering softly as he held you down.

You scratched his scalp comfortingly, feeling a little woozy from the amount of blood he had taken. He hummed against you as he started to come down from not only the high of his orgasm but bubbly buzz from his feast.

“Feel better?” You asked in a quiet, sleepy voice when Daryl’s tongue cleaned the drops of blood that had leaked from the small wounds, coating the area in his saliva so that it could heal.

He nodded as peppered you in appreciative and apologetic kisses, pulling you flush against his bare chest by wrapping his arms around your back, claws retracted and replaced with blunt nails. “M’sorry fer hurtin’, ya”

“Instead, you should be sorry for not feeding yourself, mister” You said as you shook your head, pinching his side as you got a bit upset again. “You know it scares me shitless when you do that”

“I know, I know. M’sorry for tha’ too” Daryl grumbled, feeling fatigued as well now that his tummy was full and satiated. His body was still weak and needed rest, now yours did as well considering he had taken a lot more than usual. “I’ll make it up to ya’” He said as he pushed himself up off the couch, grunting as it was a lot harder with tired muscles and one hand keeping his woman wrapped around him, adding a second once he was finally standing.

You giggled at that, arms hooked around his neck. “And just how will you do that?”

“Got a real good idea” Daryl smirked, hoisting you up as he ascended up the stairs to your shared bedroom, hungry for something else that was much better than blood.

I started writing this a few days ago I think this is the quickest I've written something

Vamp!Daryl is an absolute need. I'm loving every single post I see of him and I love watching the disease spread faster than fucking covid I jump for joy when I see someone I don't even know talking abt him is this what fame feels like is this what its like to be famous am I fucking famous

yes you do want more of this so go read more

Bloodthirsty @dixons-sunshine

Bite me @mydearestdaryl

[kid-blinks-eyepatch]

protective jack fic? like david gets soaked or gets sick and jack goes crazy

Javid

Davey got soaked🩹😰

A/n: i will probably skate over the actual wound fixing cause i am not in the mood to do some research for that

-Davey-

Fuck. Of course it had to be me. Of all the kids the fucking Harlem kids could have picked for a fight.

Holy shit that hurt a lot. I whined, tugging on Jack’s unruly hair to get his attention

“i know i know” he said, putting some pressure on the wound. I whined again. he pressed a light kiss to the skin around it.

“Jackieeee” i whimpered, squirming as he continued to inspect the wound “it’s just a bruiseee”

“Dave-” he laughed, rubbing my arm gently “-you cut your side”

I groaned, letting my head fall back. it hit something

“shit-!” i hissed. A laugh came from where my wound was practically being fondled by Jack.

“shhh” i muttered, smacking his head lightly. he rolled his eyes.

If i was being honest i didn’t have the slightest clue how i’d cut my side. Probably when i’d fallen. i let out a low groan.

Les was gonna be insufferable about this.

A sharp pain shot through my side and i jumped, a yelp tearing it’s way from my mouth

“Ow what the hell?” i said, looking at jack. he shrugged

“s covered now” he said. A washcloth was gently pressed against the cuts on my face by my boyfriend. i gave him a irritated look

“Jackie-“

“hush” he said, his eyes searching my face for something. i cocked my head

“Who did this?” He finally ground out. I shrugged my shoulders

“Some of the Harlem boys”

“Which ones?” he said. His grip on the washcloth was unnecessarily tight as he continued to dab my face

“I don’t know their names” I said, blinking. Jack exhaled slowly through his nose and I cringed internally.

“what did they look like?” A tinge of irritation.

“why didn’t you just ask that in the first place?”

“Dave just answer it please” he said, now washing the scrapes on my arms

“uh” i paused, trying to recall any details “one was a redhead- like a bright red- Like Al’s hair”

“Sparky” Jack growled out

“that sounds like a dog name” I observed idly. the pressure Jack was putting on my scraped increased

“well he is a bitch”

“yeah?” i laughed softly. I glanced at him. He was angry. Really angry.

“yeah” Jack snapped “im gonna knock his fucking teeth out”

I startled, looking up at him. I was not expecting that to be his response.

“Jackie” i said frowning. he ignored me

“I swear ta’ god i’ll fucking beat his ass and throw it off-”

“Jackie!”

He looked at me, his eyes softening exponentially

“yeah Dave?”

“cmere” i said gently, holding my arms out for a hug “just be gentle im a little tender at the moment” I added, giving a small laugh. Jack gave me a look before hugging me

“i love you Jackie” i said, rubbing his back. he buried his face in my neck

“i love ya too Dave”

A/N: Thanks for the ask! sorry it’s so short i didn’t have many ideas

[blkkizzat]

Bae do u have stretch marks and how did the appearance of them change when u lost weight 😫

hey nonny! i do have them but they are super reduced as my skin is pretty elastic so not as many showed up. when i lost weight they mostly shrank.

i never minded them on my hips but at my biggest, i got two, one on each side of my belly button and i hated it. so i did some research and found a good hack to get rid of them/make them alot less visible and they were fading from that even before i lost weight.

my hack under the cut.

note this works best on new purple/red and raised stretch marks that are relatively fresh. if they are white and sunken its going to take a lot more effort.

shower/bath so skin is clean and pores are open

wait before applying any lotion, etc you want to do this process first.

take microneedle roller (2-2.5mm) and roll down, up and diagonally over the stretch marks 3-5 times each direction (it will prick and you dont want to irritate the area too much so its more important to get all the directions then how many times. also make sure you buy some alcohol to sanitize every time after). microneedle is important so it can penetrate the skin.

apply this stretch mark ointment its expensive but a lil goes a long way. i still have half a tube left 2 years later. this was recco'd by a plastic surgeon to a friend of mine.

apply shea butter to seal and hydrate, not just any shea butter you need the straight from africa stuff lol. this is my fav brand. (warning this stuff WILL stain your clothes, towel, etc and you have to warm it in your hands to apply a thin layer so it wont. however if you wash your clothes right away it will come out normally, just dont let it sit for days. but you need the thick natural stuff).

This isn't an overnight hack, i did this 2-4 (work up to 4 don't try to do too much all at once) a week for 2 months then got lazy with it but I had already noticed such an improvement that I really didnt feel the need to do it religiously maybe once every other week.

But doing this the stretch marks on my stomach the stretch marks never intendent and never turned white (well white on my darker skin), they are only very very slightly raised and are skin colored. you have to look super now hard to notice the slight skin texture change. i wear crop tops and bikinis and its not noticable.

Hope this helps!

[bonesandthebees]

Hello! If you do have any recommendations for skincare I would like them, acne is annoying lmao

OH BOY YES I DO!

okay so all skin has different sensitivities and needs and all that so what works for me might not work for you. there's a lot of different avenues you can go down for acne treatment but I'll try to go through things I know work for most people

this is gonna be long so putting it under a read more

first off, you gotta be washing your face twice a day if you don't already. I use cetaphil daily face wash which you can find in most drugstores, but another drugstore brand I've heard is very good is cervave! both brands have several different kinds of face wash, some that are more specific for acne, some that are hydrating if you have issues with dry skin, and some that are made for sensitive skin if you deal with irritation. I'd go through the different products they have and see what looks like it'd work best for you

most acne-specific face products use salicylic acid since that's a chemical proven to reduce oil and all that, but if you've used salicylic acid stuff and don't notice any improvement, you might want to try benzoyl peroxide acne products! panoxyl is another drugstore brand that carries acne face and body washes with benzoyl peroxide, and I use that for my chest and back acne (jury is still out as to if its actually helping or not. I'm still trying to figure out if salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide works better. do your research on both to see which one will work better for you!)

now if you want to add more than just face wash there is a whole variety of serums out there! my god tier, number one serum that I don't know how I lived without until now is niacinamide. niacinamide has been proven through research trials to be effective in reducing the amount of sebum (oil produced from your pores) your skin produces, and also reduces redness in skin. there are a lot of serums you can get that's a mix of stuff with niacinamide in it, but if you want a serum that's just straight up niacinamide (which I would recommend if you want to test out if it actually benefits you) both good molecules and the ordinary sell bottles of it for $6. the ordinary's serum is 10% niacinamide with 1% zinc, with the zinc there because I guess it's hydrating? good molecules is just 10% niacinamide without any zinc. there really isn't much of a difference between the two products, but for some reason good molecules serum worked way better for my skin than the ordinary's did, although I've known plenty of people who use the ordinary's version and love it.

(note: while both bottles say you can apply these niacinamide serums twice a day, in clinical trials it was shown that 5% niacinamide is what's effective on skin and they have no evidence higher concentrations does anything. so since these are both 10% niacinamide, you might want to just apply it once a day to reduce any risk of irritation)

if you have oily skin you might be hesitant about using moisturizer, but you have to use it bc if you try to dry your skin out your skin will just produce excess oil in response. what you want to look for in a face moisturizer is anything that's oil-free and non-comedogenic, which means it won't clog your pores. ideally, get a moisturizer that has spf in it as well (at least spf 30), that way you don't have to add an extra step to apply sunscreen on your face every day. right now I use cetaphil's daily face moisturizer with spf 35, but before that when I was a teen I used cetaphil's dermacontrol oil absorbing moisturizer with spf 30. the difference is that the dermacontrol is a bit more expensive, but it works to reduce the oil on your face so it's for people who really struggle with oily acne-prone skin. both products are oil-free and non-comedogenic so neither one will clog your pores. which one you use just depends on how oily your skin is

as far as taking care of individual pimples, while I've tried spot treatments with salicylic acid from the ordinary and good molecules, I don't really notice them doing much for me. what DOES make a difference is hydrocolloid pimple patches which dry out the skin and can really help reduce pimples. I like panoxyl's pimple patches, and you can get a pack of 40 for $8-$10

these are just the essentials for me! if you want any more 'special' products like masks or exfoiliants or oils lmk and I'll make a post about those but this is already long enough lol. I linked the products to their brand websites but you can find most of these either in drugstores, on amazon, or in stores like ulta or sephora

hope this helps!

[meditating-dog-lover]

Skin health update

My skin is a lot better. I do have some inflammation, but my skin is no longer furiously flaring up and itching beyond control. My ears stopped itching altogether (a tiny bit here and there, especially today at work when I had to wear a mask which tugged on the backs of my ears and caused some friction). The patch on my neck is still there, but it isn't itchy. I don't know how long it will take until it goes away.

My mouth does have some inflammation. I guess some of that is beyond my control because spicy and acidic foods can do that. Like tomato sauce and Greek yogurt. Even salty foods. But that kind of shows that I have sensitive skin and not eczema, though I do get eczema/chileitis on my mouth area. I do tend to drool in my sleep here and there, and I pick my lip skin nonstop. Both can cause this inflammation/chileitis issue.

I really do feel like the gut healing/antimicrobial protocol helped my skin so much. I'm sure the omega-3 did too, but I'm sure it was ultimately the gut protocols. I feel so much better. I do have inflammation, dryness, and cuts, but I no longer have that feeling of ants crawling in my skin. The swelling/inflammation on my right hand (by my thumb and top wrist) completely disappeared. Now I just have some redness/peeling skin on my right thumb that comes and goes.

Since last Monday, I've been cutting out eggs. I don't know how much of a difference this makes.

As I said I know allergies play a role in eczema in a lot of people (not all but a lot). Eczema in a person tends to have multiple root causes, never one. And it's different from one person to another. I know my causes are (1) genetics, (2) gut dysbiosis, (3) intestinal permeability, (4) nutritional deficiencies (in omega-3, but probably), and (5) allergies and maybe but not 100% sure if this is a cause in my case (6) anxiety/trauma (which I do have, but I don't think it's responsible for my eczema, it just makes it worse).

I did an allergy test yesterday for environmental allergens and reacted to a lot of things - pollen, trees, grass, cats and dogs, and mold. Mold is another huge problem for people with eczema. It also infects a lot of fruits and vegetables, including tomatoes. That probably explains why I was reacting so badly to tomatoes months ago. I'll be honest I haven't been super consistent with cleaning my house this year. I'm sure the irritants in my house are responsible for my skin inflammation. Vacuuming, replacing filters, getting an air purifier, washing dog blankets and beds, grooming their fur, and dusting can help. Although I do keep my room nice and clean because I vacuum regularly and do have a purifier. My skin no longer gets inflamed in my room, but starts to itch when I go to my mom's room or the TV room or when I walk my dogs.

Allergy shots can also help. I want to read about them first because they are a longterm commitment (3-5 years). I say it's worth it, but I'll do some research. Unfortunately some people said that they did not help their eczema and got even worse flareups during the treatment. So I'm a little worried about that. Other people said it cleared their skin up.

Another health goal I want to work on is exercising. Late 2021 when I did my bloodwork, my fasting glucose was pretty good. I would love to get my glucose back to that. I did a combination of walking, sweaty strength circuits, and HIIT. I was following Rachael Attard's programs. They can be tough, but they really helped me shed fat (combined with calorie restriction, exercise is never enough on its own for fat loss). This is moreso to increase my strength, flexibility, and endurance while promoting insulin sensitivity (I'll be so happy if I can get that back, because her workouts did help with that).

I already walk and do IF and eat healthy, but if I can improve my health even more with exercise, I'll be so happy. Again I want to be metabolically healthy - healthy body weight/fat percentage, active and not sitting on my ass all day, insulin sensitivity, eating healthy and limiting junk and sugar, good dental health, great strength and endurance, limited bloating, healthy waist measurements, and not feeling heavy and sluggish.

I'm meeting with my persona trainer next week to get some workout tips for insulin resistance and to measure my body composition (idk how accurate it is, but the gym I went to has a machine that weighs you and evaluates your fat, muscle, and bone percentage. Obviously you cannot change your bone composition, but IF and walking can reduce fat percentage and strength can increase muscle percentage.

Rachael's workouts were focused on getting a sweat in, even if it wasn't the most intense workout and the strength wasn't that challenging compared to weightlifting (most of it is focused on bodyweights, but still sweating). I know that sweat is perfect for insulin sensitivity, at least I know it helped me. I'm going to work out for that mostly, not so much for fat loss because strength doesn't help so much with that as much as diet and even walking. Strength helps with sweating and muscle tone, which will help me a lot. I need to take slow and small baby steps to get there, though. Again the exercise is moreso to benefit my metabolic profile and not so much fat loss.

[dirtygirlsnursery]

Repost from 2022:

I hear so often this time of year, “oh I love poinsettias but I have a cat (or dog).”

My animals have never had any interest in eating poinsettias. I figure it’s their Natural instincts and I think that is so interesting. Someone commented on Facebook “A cat would have to consume a lot of poinsettias to require medical attention.” Knowing the “poisonous” white sap would be extremely unpalatable, animals aren’t known to continue eating things that taste gross to them.

Out of curiosity I did some research.

“According to the ASPCA and Pet Poison Helpline, poinsettias are not deadly, but they are toxic enough to make your cat mildly sick. The white sap in the plant can cause skin or digestive irritation, but it would have to be consumed in huge quantities to be deadly. The bad flavor should discourage eating more than a couple bites . Skin irritation, swelling, and redness, especially around the mouth, can also occur if the skin came into contact with the white sap.”

It’s definitely worth researching to make the best decision for your home. I learned a lot today!❤️

.

#dirtygirlsnursery

#crossvilletn

#knoxvilletn #cookevilletn #spartatn #cumberlandcountytn #cumberlandcounty #sparta #cumberlandplateau #chattanooga #chattanoogatn #nashvilletn

.

[genericpuff]

ok but fr if this was a serious question, I'm okay! Pretty sure the old wives' tale that ink on your skin = ink poisoning is from like, Ye Olde Days when there was lead in everything LMAO and i'm pretty sure it was still made up like a lot of other weird 'rules' because parents were just looking for a way to keep their kids from making a mess by drawing on themselves, not because common pen ink itself presented any real danger. If it did it wouldn't still be found in dollar stores today like so many products of years gone by that have been discontinued due to containing, oh yeah, lead LOL

I was one of those kids who drew on their arms all the time and def heard that old "don't draw on your skin with ink otherwise you'll get ink poisoning" saying on repeat, nothing ever happened tho LOL Not to say that it wasn't 'healthy' per se, probably wasn't good for my skincare! But most of the chemicals that are in standard inks aren't fatal or harmful (unless you have like, a skin condition/sensitive skin/etc.) and those aren't the same chemicals used in tattoo inks, which are primarily made up of carbon (such as in black) and natural materials (to create pigment). A lot of tattoo ink nowadays is WAY more regulated than it was back in the day, meaning they're way safer and easier to heal! There are even tattoo inks in the market that are vegan for people who want to get tattooed but also want to avoid animal byproducts :>

So unless you're tattooing yourself with ballpoint ink (don't do this LOL) or some other chemically-heavy ink/substance, tattoo ink in general isn't toxic and won't hurt you, not unless you're in the small percentage of people who have allergies to certain types of pigments (and even then such allergies won't typically kill people, it just makes the tattoo not heal right due to skin irritation during the healing process, the body essentially rejects the ink if it's not jiving with it, I find the two most common inks that this happens with are white and one specific pigment of red). You're far more at risk of getting an infection during the healing process and even the risk of that happening is very low if you go somewhere that's clean and licensed (and so long as you follow proper aftercare!)

So yeah! If you ever want to get tattooed, just be sure to do your research on shops, go to a professional artist who's licensed and certified (that means they should be up to date on their blood and pathogen training and will have done a proper apprenticeship or other form of legitimate training), and take good care of it during the healing process! Be aware, not anxious! <3

wait i heard ink on ur skin is toxic and bad, and u have like tattoos, r u like okay?

oh, fr? welp, guess i'll die

in case it happens soon, tell everyone that lore rekindled ends when persephone becomes th

[thedamageofherdays]

This week's (16-08-2021 - 22-08-2021) reading log is here. This week's reading log is super duper long and filled with lots of good things (my apologies for the long post, I really could not find a good spot to do a read more). I discovered some new favourites and re-read some old favourites and while I had an intense week personally at least the fics I read were absolutely phenomenal. I do recommend checking out the warnings as some fics are a bit heavier/angstier and you might wanna be prepared. Most of these fics are Stucky but there are a couple of other ships in between.

If you are looking for more fun and/or good things make sure to check out the @marveldisabilitycelebration as well to see all the awesome art, fics, meta, etcetera people created! And while I am mentioning events I am a mod for let me also just quickly mention that sign-ups for the @stuckygiftexchange are still open until the end of the month <3

Favourites are marked with a 🌻 Fics that are only available to AO3 users are marked with a 🔒 and Tumblr fics are marked with a 🍀

🌻 The Bends by dreamsinthewitchouse @dreamsinthewitchouse [Danbeau, side Stucky, 2k words, Teen]

Memory is not a house you can just walk back into after finding the key you thought you’d lost. It’s a thing you wade into and out of, rewriting it as it rewrites you.

It’s not without its rewards, either - recovering a memory about Maria and Monica, about her life, feels better than socking a thousand bad guys in the face, better than all the photon blasts in the world.

Then again, realising there’s still memories she can’t access, even after all this time, feels like drowning in space.

Not the one out there - the one inside her.

🌻 Sweet & Salty by musette22 @musette22 [Stucky, 3k words, Teen]

Idiots in love. That's it. That's the fic.

When life gives you lemons by moonythejedi394 @moonythejedi394 [Stucky, 34k words, Explicit] (11/15 chapters)

Or 13 Terrible Things to Do With Lemons Other Than Making Lemonade

Steve Rogers is a home health nurse. He works for an agency, which assigned him to the aging Winifred Barnes, the one and only Silent Era Hollywood darling. As her needs increased, she requested the agency assign Steve to her full-time. She could pay for it, so she got it. Steve then moved in with her, becoming her caregiver; he cooked, he cleaned, he managed her medications, he made sure she was comfortable.

Winifred's children treated him less than ideally. He was the help, after all. And then Steve had the audacity to go and turn out to be eldest son James Barnes's soulmate. No one saw that coming.

🍀 SamRhodey Tumblr Fic by ipoiledi [SamRhodey, ? words, Teen?]

“Wilson, this is Rhodey; Rhodey, Wilson,” Tony Stark says, and suddenly some six foot tall sexy guy is shoved right in front of Sam, and they both stumble a little, bumping into each other. This is a crowded party. “You guys have things in common, right?” Stark asks. “Uh, Army stuff. Talk about that. I hate wallflowers; stop wallflowering and talk to each other.”

Shorteralls by moonythejedi394 [Stucky, 6k words, Explicit]

The first time Bucky ever saw Steve Rogers, he was struck by how Neanderthal-like his response was. It was immediately followed by a bout of mental scolding. The second time was just about the same. The third time, it was actually appropriate for Bucky to start a conversation with him, at which point he was determined to be the gentleman.

No such luck. Steve Rogers is, always has been and always will be, a relentless flirt. These days, Bucky's Neanderthal-ist feelings about Steve are consensual and highly appreciated. More so now that they're having a baby.

what the fuck are perfect places anyway by tigerlilycorinne [Stucky, 6k words, Teen]

Steve clears his throat and stands. “Well, I should head in. I might want to begin packing.”

Bucky stills. “You won’t,” he says, trying to sound commanding. It only comes out uncertain. “Don’t.”

Steve shakes his head. “Maybe not tonight,” he says, and Bucky knows they’ll be discussing this again soon.

“Then stay. Play… play cards with me or something.”

Steve’s eyebrows jump up, his mouth tugging up in another of his bemused smiles that do things to Bucky’s insides, but he drops his hand from the doorway and steps back into Bucky’s room. Somehow, Bucky feels as if he’s won—not the war, just the battle.

Steve won’t stay forever. But he’ll stay for cards.

Steve and Bucky, on the run after Civil War (with a few alterations to canon), are laying low in Wakanda. But they can’t stay there forever.

🌻 honestly thought i’d be dead by now, but what you can trust is that i need your touch by moonythejedi394 [Stucky, 105k words, Explicit]

Bucky is 37 years old; he’s unmarried, hasn’t had a Sub of his own, is definitely not ripped, comfortable at his job as an Advanced Practice RN at Brooklyn General ER, and just got his Five Years coin from AA.

Steve is 26 years old; he’s unmarried, his last and only Dom has Alzheimer's, he's worryingly muscular, uncomfortable in his job as the government’s poster Alpha for masculinity and strength, and worries more than he should about his BMI.

Unfortunately, Steve and Bucky meet initially in a not-cute moment. Bucky’s tired as shit thanks to the sudden alien invasion that shook New York and Steve is tired as shit because he hasn’t slept more than 20 minutes at a time in – well, since 1936, probably. Bucky’s Alpha instincts get irritated at the sudden presence of another "Alpha" into his territory and Steve’s suppressed submissive tendencies latch onto this grumpy bachelor Alpha and he only suppresses it further.

Bucky’s grumpiness and Steve’s duckling impressionism aside, both of them are a mess. But since both of them are a mess? Their messes seem to fit pretty well together.

Deep Sea Diving by Aida Ronan [Stucky, 5k words, Explicit]

Steve's wallowing in heat-related misery under a shade tree in Central Park when a man walks by in bright red booty shorts and a crop top. RIP Steve Rogers. It was nice knowing you.

honey, make this easy by steebadore [Stucky, 8k words, Explicit]

Bucky likes the way he looks. His silk button up with the tiny gold polka dots feels soft on his skin and is tailored perfectly; no pulling at his chest or belly. His hair falls in shiny dark waves and his skin is smooth and dewy. He looks expensive. He looks taken care of. He looks like Steve’s.

🌻 let's take it back to the start by howdoyousleep @howdoyousleep3 [Stucky, 6k words, Teen]

How it all began.

This sleepwalking through my life. by barthelme [Stucky, 1k words, Explicit]

The internet is an interesting place and when Bucky came home (or, when he came to live with Steve), Steve did a lot of research. Apparently, it’s not safe to wake a sleepwalker. He assumes that waking a sleepwalker with traumatic dreams and PTSD is beyond just being frowned upon.

And he tells himself--has told himself--that this is safer for Bucky. That if he were to stop him and wake him up, that Bucky would be mortified to be slurping on his best friend’s cock. That all of the improvements he’s made would be lost, would be repressed, would be just--

They’d be back at square one.

So he lets Bucky do it.

🌻 the way i've been craving by howdoyousleep [Stucky, 3k words, Explicit]

"Lunch break at 12:30. My office. Hope you’re hungry…"

It’s the ellipsis that sends Bucky’s insides swimming warmly, his heart beating twice as fast against his ribs where he sits in class. Senator Rogers is concise, direct, to the point. Without an ellipsis this is lunch, this is a meeting. With it though?

This is a booty call.

nasty but classy by howdoyousleep [Stucky, 4k words, Explicit]

“No, you don’t have to know the purpose, that doesn’t matter. Nat showed me this challenge where couples drink a lot of wine and get drunk together but they can’t touch each other. And whoever touches the other first has to...has to give the other head.”

🌻 Put It on Repeat, It Stays the Same by giselleslash [Stucky, 20k words, Explicit]

Steve and Bucky have a one night stand that turns into a friends with benefits situation. A weekend snowed in at Bucky’s apartment brings to light how much that really doesn’t suit either one of them.

Greetings to the New Brunette by victoria_p (musesfool) [Stucky, 10k words, General]

"You said he should have a hobby. That it would help."

"I meant, like, knitting or coin collecting. Motocross, if he was feeling antsy. A baby's not a hobby. It's lifetime commitment."

🌻 Rogers & Barnes: Partners by triedunture [Stucky, 10k words, Teen]

Steve and Bucky have to pose as a couple for a mission. Nat insists it really is the only option. She's checked.

The complication: unbeknownst to even Natasha, Steve and Bucky's friendship has been rocky ever since Bucky confessed his tender feelings and Steve left him out in the cold. Can asexual, completely-in-love-with-his-angry-best-friend Steve complete the mission and win Bucky's heart?

(The answer is yes. Yay!)

this will be our year (took a long time to come) by biblionerd07 [Stucky, 4k words, General]

Bucky's therapist is worried he's using Steve as a crutch and wants him to try going on outings without Steve. It wouldn't be terrible, honestly, if Bucky could just manage to open his mouth and say something to Steve.

I'll hold my breath by Little_Lottie (tfwatson) [Stucky, 8k words, Mature]

Sometimes Bucky’s hands flex in Steve's direction. Neither of them knows exactly why, but at least one of them has a hunch.

Bucky touches everything but Steve, even though Steve is all he really wants to touch.

Start from the Beginning by Mumble_Bee [Stucky, 13k words, Explicit]

What about a sex pollen fic where the pollen-ed one doesn’t remember getting hit in the face with a sex flower, and wakes up midway through the depollenating?

Or: the one where Steve wakes up on his back with a stranger buried balls-deep in his ass.

Match by emphasisonem [Stucky, 4k words, Mature]

The situation’s actually kind of funny from the right perspective, Bucky thinks as he reads the message for what feels like the hundredth time. He’s finally matched with a hot, funny guy. Tall and broad and clean cut. An absolutely breathtaking smile. Bucky’s walking wet dream. And he’s good. They haven’t messaged on the app, but Bucky already knows him.

He knows him because Steve Rogers is an art history professor at his university. His art history professor.

Best friends and married since childhood by StuckySituation [Stucky, 1k words, General]

Inspired by @/peterssquill's post in tumblr: "bucky and steve got married on the playground when they were like eight and though neither of them would ever admit it to anyone, even each other, they still consider it official"

~♥~ ♥~ ♥~

“Natasha, stop trying to set me up with every woman you meet, I’m-”

“Too shy? Too scared?”

“No, I’m-”

“Too busy? You’re mostly retired these days, not a good excuse anymore.” Natasha smirks and then drawls: “Or just too gay?”

Steve flushes at that, even if isn’t true -- he’s bisexual, not gay. “Let it go, Nat, I’m not looking for anything. I’m already married, for fuck’s sake.”

Clearly not what she expected. “What.”

Steve grimaces. He didn’t mean to tell anyone that, ever.

“Sorry, can’t talk about it right now!” he says and jumps out of the plane.

Nobody Should Be Alone on a Holiday by emphasisonem [Stucky, 2k words, Teen]

“So, um-” Bucky begins speaking again, pulling Steve from his less-than-work-appropriate thoughts. The brunet has shoved his hands into the pockets of his dark slacks, and he’s shifting from one foot to the other as he smiles shyly. “I have a question for you.”

“Shoot,” Steve grins, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his broad chest. Bucky swallows deeply as one of his hands comes up to pull at the collar of his button-up, and Steve can’t help following the motion of his Adam’s apple.

“I was, uh-” Bucky continues- “That is, I heard you don’t have Thanksgiving plans?”

In which Bucky finds out that Steve's going to be alone on Thanksgiving and invites his coworker to spend the holiday with him.

🌻 It's Been A Long Season Through by thiccbuckybarnes @thiccbuckybarnesfic [Stucky, 49k words, Explicit]

Bucky Barnes is in desperate need of a change in scenery, which is why he makes the foolhardy decision to quit his job, leave his asshole of a fiance, pack up his life, and move to his grandfather’s old farm all within a single day.

He expects confusion, hardship, and maybe even failure. But love? He wasn’t expecting that.

--

Or, a Stucky Stardew Valley AU that nobody but me wanted and that’s ok.

oh, peach pit, where'd the hours go? by thiccbuckybarnes [Stucky, 10k words, Explicit]

Can't see the forest for the trees.

--

Or, Steve learns that just because he and Bucky got their happily ever after, it doesn’t mean the past won’t come back to bite them.

I'll find my way by rainbow_nerds [Stucky, 725 words, Teen]

Steve had watched Bucky fall, and nothing had been the same since.

AU-gust day 19: Daemons

special delivery by glim @glim [Stucky, 6k words, Teen]

It's not that Steve's bad at taking care of himself when he gets sick; he just wishes he didn't have to all the time.

At least he can order most of what he needs online. That's some small comfort, that he can have soup and ice cream and everything else brought to his door.

at first chance i'd take the bed warmed by the body by spacebuck @spacebuck [Stucky, 8k words, Explicit]

This close, Steve can see exactly how beautiful his hands are. He’s never really noticed before, or at least he’s never really had a reason to notice, but the man’s hands are large, tanned like he works outside all day. There’s an endearing callus on the heel of one of his palms, and Steve can’t quite work out when calluses became endearing.

Steve pauses the video. Swallows hard. Casts his eyes around for anything that’ll keep his mind off the hands on his screen, off the words inked into those hands, the delicate shape of a bird’s wing, the curling edge of a vine.

He looks down. The name of the channel is right there, blaring the man’s name right into Steve’s brain until it feels like he’s known it all along.

Bucky Barnes.

OR: the one where Bucky's a youtuber who solves puzzles on camera, and steve's smitten and horny

🌻 Rock On! by millesable @marvelousescapism [Clintasha, 700 words, General]

“Hey, Romanoff!”

He lifted his hand, index finger and pinky finger raised, thumb out, all other fingers tucked. Their secret sign; their confession for the world to see, safe in the knowledge that the world wasn’t listening.

“Rock on!”

🌻 You Like the Way I Look by dontcallmebree @iamthe-wo-manwhocan [Stucky, 2k words, Explicit]

Bucky sidles up to him, hand boldly coming to rest on his chest. “What about you, big guy? Care for a dance?” Steve watches Bucky’s eyes twinkle with satisfaction, somehow already knowing he’s got Steve on the hook.

A decade out of the ice, Steve Rogers returns to New York. Reeling from a battle against the Chitauri, a night with the troublesome Bucky Barnes might be just what he needs.

Join the Rebellion by rainbow_nerds [Stucky, 765 words, Teen]

Bucky knew he shouldn't be out after curfew, but he couldn't resist the urge. He didn’t know where he was going, but he knew it was where he wanted to be.

AU-gust day 20: Dystopia

🔒 Five Days in December by mywingsareonwheels @mywingsareonwheels [Evanstan, 4k words, Teen]

“Shit shit shit shit...” muttered Chris to himself, glad that the sound of piped Christmas carols was drowning out his swearing amid the picture books. Most of the store was heaving even though it was Sunday, he’d been recognised at least three times, finding presents for all of his nieces and nephews was proving far more of a headache than expected, and he’d just sent a pile of copies of "Strictly No Elephants" tumbling off the bookshelf.

He scrambled about trying to pick them all up, and then dropped them again as someone bumped right into his backside. He lost his balance, caught himself against a bookcase, and a landslide of "Carter Is a Painter’s Cat" joined "Strictly No Elephants" on the floor. He yelped.

“Ah fuck, I’m so sorry… Chris!”

* * * * * * * * * *

London, December 2021. Amid cats, books, and the cold English drizzle, Chris finds everything he was hoping for and thought he would never have.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Reaching for Fire by dixons_mama @dixons-mama [Stucky, 7k words, Explicit]

Bucky has always felt a fire in his heart (and other body parts) when it came to his boss, Steve Rogers, but he's made sure to never feed those flames. When he finds out about Steve's second job, though, he's tempted to let that fire out.

i've been dreaming of a face like yours by thiccbuckybarnes [Stucky, 3k words, Explicit]

Bucky is about to busy himself with making a small dinner for himself when he stops in his tracks at the figure drinking a cup of coffee in the kitchen, leaning against the counter and smirking at him.

It’s Steve.

“Surprise, sweet boy,” he says before setting his cup down.

--

Or, PWP reunion sex

🌻 Somewhere, Under Your Skin by thiccbuckybarnes [Stucky, 16k words, Explicit]

Bucky Barnes treats himself to a one-night stand after having a very bad no good day.

The sex is good--great, even. Might be the best sex of his life.

But Bucky wouldn’t have slept with the guy if he had known that he was going to continuously run into him every day for the next fucking month.

--

Or, a Big Grump Bucky has a hot one night stand with a college kid who is popping up everywhere in his everyday life and he doesn’t know how to deal with it.

(Written for HYBB Bingo Square: Grumpy Bucky)

i've played heartstrings before but not in your key by thiccbuckybarnes [Stucky, 11k words, Explicit]

He glances down, seeing a folded couple of papers, before peering up at Bucky. The older man is biting his bottom lip, making it pretty and red. Steve wants to run his tongue across where his teeth are digging into his flesh.

"What's this?" Steve asks, setting his phone down, emails forgotten. Bucky shrugs and looks away.

"I dunno. You tell me, genius," he says, sounding bratty enough that it makes Steve's dick twitch in his pants. Jesus, there has to be something wrong with him.

Steve glances once more at Bucky, who now has his arms crossed against his chest and is pointedly not looking at Steve, before picking up the stack of folded papers. He opens them, seeing a collection of maybe five or six sheets of paper. His eyes immediately land on the list of familiar words with negative next to each one. -- Or, Steve Rogers is a jealous, possessive little shit that wants nothing more than to mark up his boyfriend and stake his claim. And Bucky knows it. (And he likes it.)

🌻 I'm Home (With You) by BonkyBornes @padfoot-and-the-marauders [Stucky, 2k words, General]

In any other circumstance, the apartment would've been perfect. But it was today, and the fact that he was here meant he wasn’t out searching. He knew they hadn’t had any leads for weeks and he knew Natasha was right; all three of them were exhausted and a break would do them good. It just felt wrong to Steve that he was comfortable while Bucky was still out there—somewhere. Probably cold. Probably hungry.

The knock came again. Sighing, Steve unwrapped his hand from the dog tags and remembered how to move. Cold wind and snow greeted him when he opened the door. The solitary figure was walking down the steps, collar popped against the chill.

“Did you need something?” he called.

The person stopped. They were still. And then they turned. *

Or, the Christmas Steve deserved after Winter Soldier.

The portrait by rainbow_nerds [Stucky, 915 words, General]

Steve Rogers has a Gift. He can help people find their soulmates, all he needs is some art supplies, a quiet place, and eye contact.

AU-gust day 21: soulmates

Maybe A Muse by buckybarnesdeservestobehappy [Stucky, 2k words, Mature]

When Bucky Barnes needs extra money, he’s appalled that his best friends think he should become a model for the art department on campus. Shy, nerdy, and socially awkward, he’s not sure that’s something he feels comfortable doing. Still, he needs money, and he likes the idea of becoming someone’s muse. The problem is he had no idea two things would happen. First, one of the students in the class is exactly his type; second, he has to model nude.

[lokust]

Plead the Fifth

—

——

———

“Mobius, get away from me!”.

This was ridiculous. Loki knew it was ridiculous. He was running from Mobius for no reason other than the fact that Mobius had started chasing him.

Er- well, he was pestering the agent quite a bit, but what did that matter? Serves Mobius right for not paying any attention to his dear friend.

“Oh come on, Loki. You can’t run around this library forever!”, he said back, trapping Loki as the God was between a round table and a wall with Mobius standing menacingly across from him.

Loki was unwilling to go anywhere other than the library as it was empty, closed for Mobius and Loki to do ‘classified research’ without the chance of interruption (or more so closed for Mobius to do classified research while Loki sat there for… moral support or something). Though Loki had taken to poking Mobius’s cheeks relentlessly with lidded pins.

He’d been told to stop countless times, and he’d agreed to it before going right back to it countless times, so Mobius finally had enough and he simply told Loki to run before he took off after the God.

“You know I’m gonna catch you, Loki. I don’t know what I’ll do when I do, but I will catch you”.

Loki almost relaxed hearing that, knowing Mobius didn’t have a plan, but there was a twinge of disappointment in his heart before Mobius suddenly shot around the small table. By the time Loki had processed it, it was a little too late.

He tried to run the other way but Mobius’s hand had just grazed his back as he turned and almost immediately, he was on the ground.

“Get off of me, you violent beast!”, he spat as he wrestled with Mobius on the ground.

They both grabbed at each other and Loki pushed away while Mobius grabbed and tried to pull him down.

After a couple minutes of fighting for the upper hand, Mobius finally had him down, “Look at that”, he said, still having to fight a bit with his friend’s swatting hands, “I caught a Loki”.

As he picked on the God for being caught, he managed to catch Loki’s side only slightly while pinning his hands down, eliciting a yelp and visible anticipation when Loki braced himself.

“Oh”, he started, “Correction… I caught a ticklish Loki”, he smirked down at his friend, watching the way his eyes widened in nervousness.

Loki shook his head and struggled to pull his hands away from Mobius again, “Not this again, Mobius. Come on. It wasn’t fair the first time and it’s certainly not fair now.”

Mobius hummed, “And why… exactly, hm? Why isn’t it fair?”

The trickster squirmed and writhed underneath his menace of a friend, “This place is ridiculous. I mean, if I had my magic, this wouldn’t be possible!”, he said defensively.

Mobius nodded, “Mm, yeah, I guess that’s true but you wouldn’t stop me then either, would you?”, he asked, smiling a smug grin as Loki’s face flushed red.

He furrowed his eyebrows to glare at Mobius, but his heart was doing flips in his chest while his stomach fluttered with little butterflies at the teasing, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Mobius laughed as if he was shocked, “Oh, come on, Loki! You do this little thing where you pester and prod at me until you get a reaction, and your eyes light up when you think I’m gonna retaliate, and then you just… deflate like a disappointing balloon when I go back to work”.

Loki huffed, avoiding eye contact with everything in him, “I do not pester-”, he stopped to rethink his statement when Mobius gave him a look of pure disbelief, “Alright. Maybe I pester you, but my eyes do not ‘light up’ and I don’t ‘deflate’. I’m the God of Mischief, Mobius. Mischief. I’m supposed to pester you”.

Mobius rolled his eyes, “Alright, then explain why you fight like a little girl”.

Loki made a face of confusion and suspicion.

Mobius let out an exasperated sigh, “Like you’re a little girl- You know what I mean, Loki”.

Loki shrugged, a mischievous glint shining in his eyes, “Well I wouldn’t know anything about throwing hands with little girls-”

Mobius huffed in irritation, promptly pinning Loki’s arms above his head, both wrists in just one of Mobius’s hands, “You’re doing it right now, Loki. You’re trying to provoke it”.

‘Yes, well, it’s working’

Loki’s face turned red at his own thoughts, but he hoped Mobius hadn’t noticed, “Oh you are truly ridiculous, Mobius”, he snarled, “I would hurt you if I truly fought you, and I certainly do not ‘provoke you’ into this… childishness”.

He tugged at his hands and arms as he tried to twist out from under Mobius, “Now would you please let me g-OH! NO. Mobius… no”, he writhed as a hand pinched at his side before it hovered menacingly over his ribs.

“No? You don’t want me to do this?”, he asked, dropping his hand momentarily, “Then fight me. I know you can. You could kill me right now if you wanted. There’s no reason you can’t get away from a few little tickles”.

Loki shook his head, “No, Mobius. I-I’ll hurt you, I won’t-”

Mobius laughed at the pitiful argument Loki was rambling out, “Ahh, I knew it.”

Loki swallowed nervously but he held up his defensive demeanor.

“You like it, Loki! Just admit it!”.

The God of Mischief huffed again, “I don’t. You’re crazy.”

Mobius smiled fondly, “I’ll get a verbal confession one day. For now, the unnatural red coloring of your… well your everything from your ears to your neck is enough of a confession”.

Loki stayed quiet, practically pouting at Mobius.

“Now”, Mobius said, lifting his hand once again, “Shall we get started?”

The trickster was mad. Yes. Mad. That was the word.

The word for when you’re laying underneath your best friend while his hand hovers menacingly over your ribs and you unsuccessfully attempt to bite back a nervous smile?

Yeah. Mad works.

“You know, Loki…”, Mobius started, his hand slowly descending towards Loki with wiggling fingers, “There’s one game a lot of people play, usually with their children and what not”.

Loki didn’t know where this was going, but he didn’t know that he wanted to as he stared at Mobius’s wriggly, clawing hand, anticipatory giggles bubbling in his chest.

“Maybe your older brother showed it to you, or possibly even your mom when you were much younger. Surely you’ve heard of it?”

Loki threw his head back and gritted his teeth when Mobius’s hand got close enough that it was just grazing the side of his ribs over his shirt, “Oh my God, whahat is it, Mobius?”, he wasn’t able to take much more of the anticipation.

Mobius smirked at him, “Someone’s excited to get started I guess”, he teased, pinching his ribs suddenly, just enough to make him yelp and tense his muscles, “Well, since you’re so eager, I guess I can go ahead and tell you, yeah? Yeah”.

Mobius placed his hand gently on Loki, leaning down close enough to the God that he could feel the anticipation and nervousness radiating off of him, “It’s a game that involves… a creature of sorts”.

Loki groaned as he tugged at his hands once more, just to test the waters, but the palm resting on his ribs suddenly became fingertips digging into the bones, “For fuhuhuck’s sake, Mobius, please, I’m nohohot a child”.

Mobius shrugged, “Well”, he said, his tone close to a whisper, “Nobody’s ever too old for the tickle monster”.

Loki couldn’t stop himself. He felt so warm inside. He was giggling and squirming and smiling like a fool as Mobius tiptoed two fingers up from his ribs to his armpit, where he opted to stay, circling just one finger around the hollow.

“Ihihihi hahahate you”, his face was, as Mobius said, unnaturally red as he tried to spit insults out through his laughter.

He couldn’t believe it.

He was loving this. The playfulness. The sensation. The warmth… and he couldn’t even bring himself to be in denial (at least not in his own mind. He’d never admit it to anyone else. Ever. He would deny it aloud until the day he died).

He writhed and giggled while Mobius teased his underarm, trying to curl his knees up to his chest and kneeing Mobius in the back.

Mobius jolted a bit and his hand stilled.

Loki froze, his eyes widening in pure fear,

“M-Mobius, wait, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to, you were… well, it was, it-”

Mobius cut him off, “If there’s one thing I know about my dear creature friend, it’s that he does not like to be hit, Loki”.

Loki tapped his foot nervously and very impatiently as he waited for the inevitable. His nerves were already crawling.

It just wasn’t fair. Mobius knew he was just making the trickster wait for what he wanted.

“If I remember correctly”, Mobius started as he sat up a bit, tugging Loki’s brown slacks down on his hips just a bit to untuck his white shirt easier, “This was a bad spot”, he said it almost as if it was a question, slipping a hand underneath the fabric to tease at the bare skin.

Loki held his breath, shaking his head at the agent, “You’re delusional”, he said, his voice pitched much higher than usual due to the pure anticipation running through his body.

“Oh, I’m delusional?”, Mobius asked rhetorically, “So what about this?”, he said, moving his hand to scratch slowly and teasingly at one side of Loki’s abdomen, “This doesn’t tickle?”

Loki yelped, biting his lip and letting his head fall back as he fought to suppress all the laughter that wanted so desperately to fall from his lips. He shook his head, unable to speak without his words falling apart and breaking into giggles.

Mobius laughed, shaking his head a bit at his very flustered friend, “You just keep exposing yourself, Loki. What do you expect to happen when you lie to me about it- Actually, don’t answer that. I already know what you expect, and I know what you want”.

Loki glared daggers into Mobius, or he tried to; he wasn’t doing a very good job of keeping eye contact or… looking in Mobius’s general direction.

Fingertips traced and teased around his tense abdomen, the touch so light it was similar to that of a feather. He couldn’t help it. He just had to reply, “You ahahare the wohorst friehehehend!”

Mobius huffed out a small laugh, knowing Loki certainly didn’t mean that at all, “Oh come on. You love me!”, he said, tightening his grip on Loki’s hands as he started pinching and squeezing at his sides, “And don’t lie, I know you love the tickle monster too, but, I admit, I will be a little hurt if you start to like him more than me”.

Loki squealed and squirmed and arched his back while Mobius chose to skitter his fingers around the sensitive skin right below his rib cage, “I- Ihihihi don’t like ehehehither ohohohof you, you big ohohoaf!”.

Mobius faked a pout, “Aww, well that’s just not nice. That’s no way to talk to a friend- or two friends. Especially not in this position!”.

Loki shrieked as Mobius’s hand jumped from his rib to underneath his arm in an instant, testing a spot he’d never really tickled before.

The reaction was very rewarding. The noise that escaped from Loki was hilarious as the god arched and squirmed and pulled at his arms, “OHOHOHOH MY GOHOHODS, MOHOHOBIUS, NOHOHOHOHO!”

Mobius was shocked, but he continued to dig into the sensitive hollow, “No, Loki. Oh MY God- Gods? Whatever, this is the best! I mean… you are a god! And this is certainly not the weakness I expected from you”.

Loki tried to growl between his cackles but it was just coming out as a noise that seemed very confused in itself and what it wanted to be, as it was a mixture of deep belly laughter and an angry cat.

Mobius swapped methods, wanting to know which would tickle the most as he started spidering in and around the hollow gently and quickly, rather than digging in harshly.

The reaction was instantaneous. Loki’s eyes widened as the sensation worsened, the muscles in his arms burning as he ached to protect himself, “OH FUHUHUHUCK YOU! NAHAHAHAHA, QUIHIHIHIT IHIHIT!”

Mobius gasped, still clawing and skittering away at the sensitive skin, “You are so foul mouthed today! What has gotten into you?”

He stopped for a moment and Loki gathered himself, already having prepared a snarky comment, “Well”, he breathed out heavily, “Nothing that I’m aware of but there is a vertically challenged PLATINUM BLOND DEMON ATOP ME AT THIS MOMENT”.

Mobius scowled, “Okay, first of all, I am 5’11, thank you very much. I won’t take criticism from you. The word giant is in your title, alright… knock off Avatar? Second, it’s not platinum. It’s grey”.

Loki’s expression certainly externalized his sense of confusion, “Avatar- Never mind. I don’t care enough to know. You are short.”

Mobius narrowed his eyes, pushing Loki’s wrists down with a little more pressure and tightening his grip around them, “Loki, you’re so incredibly ticklish that I almost feel bad for doing this to you… but after that, I think I’ll enjoy it quite a bit.”

Loki swallowed nervously, realizing just how much trouble he was in as he looked up at Mobius with wide puppy dog eyes.

“There’s only one way to get me to stop now”, he spoke, his tone quiet but stern, “It ends when you admit that this was what you wanted in the first place”.

……

“Oh… fuck”.

________________________

Yes! We end with a cliffhanger and also, the idea of Mobius trying to fight a child (and losing) was hilarious to me, so enjoy that.

And don’t worry. There will definitely be a fic to fill in the blanks at the end of this one.

[metal-gear-samus]

Are you using lots of lotion after? And for several days after shaving? That will help with redness and itching. The type of blade also matters, so if you're using poor quality ones your skin will react more strongly. A double-edged safety razor is what my partner recommends (cheaper but closer shave and causes her less irritation, ache, etc.). Avoid cartridges. They're basically the worst option.

I and my partner use non-exfoliating soap before hand and then exfoliating soap after. Idk how much impact that has.

It also helps to not shave too often. I did it once a week when I was still on T, and that was manageable and didn't lead to much irritation. It can help to plan when you want/need to be shaved, and set aside time for shaving so you're smooth as long as possible in that window.

As for regrowth, sadly that is pretty locked in. Shaving won't slow it down. HRT will eventually lead to thinning, softening, and slower growth of hair. Methods like waxing, threading (idk if it works on legs), and epilation (risky, painful, hard to keep sanitary) will eventually lead to reduced/partial removal. LASER will also reduce growth long term. Electrolysis is the only "permanent" removal, but that doesn't mean the other methods don't have very noticeable impact -- they do away with a lot of growth over time.

I hope this is a bit helpful. And it's only based on my experience so definitely research what you might want to try. I'm also sorry to not have much of a response besides "do these expensive methods", but there's not other way I'm aware of for permanent removal/reduction.

Could someone please give me some advice on shaving their legs?

I am tired of this constant battle I've been having with my leg hair and it's starting to bother me a lot. I've tried changing the direction I shave to reduce having strawberry legs but nothing seems to help. On top of that, the hair comes back within the same day as shaving and is already prickly.

I use a liberal amount of shaving gel, fresh razors and I've been exfoliating my skin beforehand and I still get the same results. What am I doing wrong?

[goldenraeofsun]

Day 9: Body Mods

“Please tell me this isn’t a Memento situation happening,” Dean groans, stopping dead in his tracks. He stares at all the black text scrawled across Cas’s naked torso, vibrant against his pale skin under the bright lights of the bathroom. Cas still has his pants on, but his fly is unzipped.

Cas had just come back from a witch hunt - his first solo job. Dean was stuck manning the phones for the weekend, and Sam was off on a vacation (Christ, Dean still can’t wrap his head around the fact that they do things like that now) to Montreal with Eileen. Why Sam didn’t go somewhere with a beach and little umbrella drinks makes zero sense to Dean. It just proves that Sam is still capable of being a freak even after Chuck stopped pulling their strings.

Dean barely checked that Cas came home in one piece before the phone rang, and Dean had to talk some podunk sheriff out of throwing Krissy in jail for desecration of a dead body. By the time FBI Deputy Director Willis got Krissy out of that jam, Cas had disappeared into the bowels of the Bunker.

After checking the kitchen and Cas’s room, Dean finds him in the bathroom.

“I do not have amnesia,” Cas drawls, poking at a particularly large word, Witch, across his ribs. “Or else I would have forgotten my way back here. And who you are. And a hundred million other things.”

Dean leans against the door frame, crossing his arms over his chest. “So you randomly decided to hit up a tattooist with our grocery list,” he says, eyebrows rising as he reads eggs, bacon, bananas, carrots, cream cheese down one shoulder blade.

“It’s a spell,” Cas says, transferring his attention to Laundry skating along his outer forearm.

“I got that one for myself, thanks,” Dean says, rolling his eyes. “There are more words on your back, did you know that?”

Cas sighs, twisting around in the mirror to see. “I had a feeling.”

“What do they mean?” Dean steps closer to trail a cautious finger down Cas’s bicep and the words, Claire’s birthday.

“I’m almost positive these are my thoughts since I got hit by the spell,” Cas says quietly. He points at his ribs - “Kill the witch.” His bicep - “buy a present for Claire’s birthday next week.” His left arm - “Do the laundry tonight because I am out of socks and shirts” He sighs. “Whatever the spell did, it doesn’t seem malicious - merely irritating and mildly embarrassing. I was going to research a way to break it in the morning.”

“Do they hurt?” Dean asks.

“No.”

“Good.”

Dean circles around Cas’s front, reading Cas’s thoughts inked into his skin. They’re surprisingly mundane for an angel turned human turned hunter. I’m thirsty. Get a flu shot. Why does the internet refer to racoons as ‘trash pandas’?

“Because of their bandit masks,” Dean says, pointing to the question circling Cas’s hip, “around their eyes.”

Cas frowns, leaning over to read the thought for himself. He straightens. “But they don’t look like pandas.”

“Red pandas,” Dean corrects.

Cas nods, his expression clearing with understanding. “How did you know that?”

“Everybody knows that.”

“The gas station attendant I asked earlier tonight had no idea.”

Dean shoves his hands in his jean’s pockets, shrugging. “You know I internet surf when I can’t sleep.”

“You look up common colloquialisms for procyonids during bouts of insomnia?”

Dean makes a face. “Not specifically. I look up a lot of stuff.”

“Did you know they’re called Waschbärs in German?”

Dean snorts. “Good for them…?”

“It translates to washer bears,” Cas says, “because they always try to wash their food before they eat it.”

Dean grins. “That’s fucking adorable.”

“I think so too.” Cas frowns at his reflection. “Do you mind if I keep getting undressed? I’d like to shower before going to bed.”

Dean leers at him unashamedly and grandly gestures to the nearest shower stall. “Don’t let me stop you.”

The corners of Cas’s mouth twitch, but, before Dean can see his smile, Cas turns around to push his pants the rest of the way down.

Dean whistles. “You’ve got more writing all the way down your legs, Charles Dickens.”

Cas lets out a sigh, shoulders slumping. “I don’t suppose you’d let me shower before you peruse?”

Dean steps closer and presses a kiss to Cas’s stubbly cheek. “Yeah, no problem. I know how it is after a hunt.”

“I’ll come find you immediately after I’m clean,” Cas promises as he twists around to turn on the shower. He sticks a hand into the spray, testing the water temperature. He grimaces at the cold - it usually takes a few seconds for the heat to kick in.

“You’d better,” Dean says, stepping back. “I’ve been talking to cops all day, and lemme tell you, they can’t take a joke at all-” He breaks off, his eyes going wide as his gaze fixates on a space below the small of Cas’s back.

“Dean?” Cas turns back around, concerned. “Is something wrong?”

Dean doubles over with laughter.

“Dean?”

“When the hell did you think, I am Dean Winchester’s?” he manages to get out between guffaws.

Cas scowls.

“It’s on your fucking ass, man.” Dean wipes at his eyes. “So much better than a tramp stamp, ho boy.”

As he stands there, Dean watches still beautiful coalesce above Cas’s heart.

Face flaming, Dean touches the new thought, trailing a light fingertip over the second word. “Can you feel them appear?”

Cas shakes his head. “It definitely makes the spell more inconvenient.”

Mine forms above Cas’s collarbone, so small Dean almost misses it.

“Hey,” Dean says, grinning, “d’you think I could turn you into a walking porno?”

“I’m not sure,” Cas says dryly, stepping under the spray. He snaps the curtain closed, adding in a slightly raised voice, “But I don’t think I could attempt to stop you from finding out.”

Dean strips in record time and hops in the shower after him. They might as well get started now - Cas has a lot of skin left to cover.

[theres-whump-in-that-nebula]

oooh! how are different poisonings treated? like ingested chemicals, deliberate poison in food, or like that one mushroom on the ground that looked tasty

Okay, I’ve put this one off a little too long (sorry lol).

(Long post ahead)

…

So I’ve researched a little, and found this:

Ingested Chemicals

- If someone suspects they’ve been poisoned and seek out medical help, the doctor will usually perform a physical exam, then order a blood test, or a toxicology test

Ingested chemicals:

It depends on the kind of chemical. For instance: Household bleach isn’t as basic (meaning “the opposite of acidic”) as industrial-strength bleach, and therefore does less damage — only irritating the gastrointestinal tract instead of burning right through it. But if anyone drinks either of them, Poison Control should be contacted.

Here is some general first aid:

- If the chemical ingested also emits toxic fumes, take the person outside

- If the chemical ingested causes skin irritation, get it off of their skin, and wash their hands, mouth, etc. with water.

- If the person is conscious, give them water to drink, to dilute the chemical. (Though, if the chemical they ingested reacts with water (sodium, cesium, lithium, rubidium, potassium); maybe don’t do this… They might explode.)

- Also, if the chemical is especially acidic or basic; for the love of everything that is holy, do NOT try to neutralize it with the opposite pH. Please don’t. I beg of you. Though, if you have an incompetent caretaker who thinks neutralizing it is the way to go, this could make for an interesting whump opportunity… Just be sure to write it correctly.

How it is treated in the hospital:

Depending on the type and severity of it, ingested chemicals can be treated by giving the person activated charcoal to drink, by pumping their stomach, or possibly by means of medication.

- Activated charcoal works to stop the absorption of chemicals into the body, much in the same way as charcoal filters work: the toxins bond to the charcoal molecules.

- Activated charcoal does not work in the case of corrosives (acids and bases, like lye, bleach, gasoline, etc.); nor does it work with ingested alcohol. It does, however, work with pills. How do I know this?

Because I picked up (but fortunately did not eat) a pill off of the floor as a toddler, thinking it was a Tic-Tac, and carried it to my mom. I was taken to the hospital and made to drink activated charcoal. It tastes awful; and it will give you black diarrhea for a few days after. 0/10; would not pick up a “Tic-Tac” again lol

Also, here’s a couple interesting articles:

Bleach

Acetaminophen

…

Deliberate Poison in Food

There are a lot of poisons and poisonous plants; so I’m not gonna do all of them; because the antidotes vary from poison to poison.

But here are some links:

Arsenic

Belladonna, which some people apparently use as medicine???

Cyanide

Hemlock

…

Badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger…

MUSH-MUSHROOM

Ahaha… ancient memes, my beloved.

Anyway…

Foraging! Rule Number One!

If it has gills:

Don’t. Eat. It.

But if it has gills, has red on it, is uncooked, is soggy, or smells bad, and your character did (like an actual idiot) put it in their mouth and start chewing; good news! It’ll probably taste horrible (bitter, sour, spicy/prickly, etc.) and they’ll spit it out before they actually swallow it.

But if they, by some chance, do end up eating it anyway; they’ll probably have stomach pains, nausea, dizziness, etc. Depending on how much and the type of mushroom they ate, they could either just feel awful and survive, or they could die.

Here is an article on it, and how it’s treated

[athenaistired]

𝐃𝐈𝐋𝐔𝐂❞

— 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭! 𝐩𝐭.𝟐 //

tag: @kenma-void & word count: 1417

ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢ: ᴅᴇꜱᴄʀɪᴘᴛɪᴏɴ ᴏꜰ ᴀ ᴅᴇᴀᴅ ʙᴏᴅʏ, ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴꜱ ᴏꜰ ɢʜᴏᴜʟꜱ/ᴠᴀᴍᴘɪʀᴇꜱ

— 𝑼𝑵𝑳𝑼𝑪𝑲𝒀 𝑪𝑳𝑶𝑽𝑬𝑹 !2!

You haven’t seen a dead body for a while, but seeing it in front of you — as you thought — brought you no emotion. It did not awaken disgust nor fear. It was simply a study material; a clue for catching the killer that master Diluc had to capture, so as his servant, you were going to do anything to make sure that his wish comes true.

“Diluc, I would be happy if you did not bring civilians here.” A man with blue hair and in fancy clothes said with slight irritation in his tone. You rose a questioning eyebrow, but expressed nothing towards him. You knew that Diluc was going to handle this man by himself without the need of your interference.

“They’re needed. Just let us do our job.” You got curious as to why red hair did not elaborate on who you were, but knew better than to question.

You silently walked forward and approached the body. You looked at the wound between shoulder and neck. It was not big of size, but it was deep and forcefully ripped apart the muscle tissue and skin. Diluc mentioned on his way here that this was the only victim with a smashed face, so you assumed that others died from blood loss, meanwhile this man had an instant dead when his skull got crushed against the stone wall. This told you that the killer had major strength and speed, and acted... desperate. Like they were in a hurry.

Once you finished your analysis you stood up and cleared your throat to catch the attention of two men, “I have finished my work here.” Diluc nodded at you to continue, “I must conclude that this is done either by a beast or an abnormal case of a human.”

“A beast? Surely if there was an animal around someone would have noticed.” The blue haired male commented and you shrugged.

“Abnormal case of a human? Elaborate.” Red hair furrowed his eyebrows and rubbed his chin while thinking.

“The killer is of great strength and speed, and knows their way around the city. To be able to escape the crime scene this well and leave no traces behind tells me that this is most likely a common civilian or someone who knows their way around well.” You explained, and as the two exchanged a glance suddenly another voice joined your conversation. It was a woman with long dark brown hair and with clothes in red palette.

“Maybe it’s a ghoul?” She asked, and the blue hair almost jumped in surprise form her sudden appearance, “Abnormal human case... Strength and speed... And knows around town. Maybe someone is actually a ghoul!”

“A ghoul?” Diluc questioned aloud, so you decided to explain.

“A ghoul is a creature similar to a vampire, but slightly different. A vampire is someone who’s born that way, meanwhile a ghoul is someone who had been turned but was originally a human. Since murders started happening three months ago, Miss—“ You looked at the girl.

“Amber.”

“Miss Amber must have thought that someone got turned into a ghoul three months ago, and has been committing these murders due to hunger. Which is why there seems to be no particular motive behind crimes such as pleasure or revenge.” You finished your report; and Amber instantly nodded in agreement to everything you said.

“Yes, yes!” She reached for her bag and pulled out a book that she must have borrowed from the library, “Ever since I found this body, I could not stop thinking about how weird it looked! So I did a lot of research last night — which was when I stumbled upon ghouls.” She flipped the page where it showed an illustration of a man-eating monster devouring its prey.

“Are ghouls capable of eating human food?” Diluc asked, and Amber hummed.

“Yes, but it does nothing to them. They can taste just like us, but once hunger hits, they might go crazy until they feed on human flesh.” The girl explained, which was when you got a bit suspicious.

“All of this information is written in the book?” To you it looked like she knew a bit too much about the topic. You crossed your hands over your chest and kept your ears open to everything that she said. You had to pay attention.

“Yes! Well.. I also heard a bit of tales as a child.” She nervously laughed while scratching the back of her neck, “But I don’t think I can be any much help.”

“You helped great deal.” Diluc praised her — at which everyone’s eyes widened in shock except yours. You simply knowingly smiled.

“T-thank you, master Diluc.” The girl blushed a bit while looking away, “By the way! Who are you?” She was in a second in front of you.

“My name is Y/N, I am a humble servant of master Diluc. Pleasure to meet you, Miss Amber.” You politely bowed, and blinked in surprise when the girl extended her hand towards you. In hesitance, you shook it, extremely confused, “I’m merely a servant, you shouldn’t—“

“What are you talking about! Just because you’re a servant doesn’t mean you deserve less respect from me. This is Mondstat — we’re all equal.” Amber proudly smiled while putting both of her hands on her hips. You slowly softened and melted into a smile.

“You are very kind, Miss Amber.”

“Aw, stop it! I barely did a thing!” The girl chuckled, “Captain Kaeya and master Diluc are going to do some boring document stuff now to get a warrant for further investigation. While they’re on it, how about I treat you to a meal?” You gasped, because this was the first time in your life that someone else was offering you a gift, “Sticky Honey Roast is the best dish in this town and my all time favorite! The Honorary Knight Lumine and her companion Paimon loved it, too! You must try it.”

As she chatted away, you waited for Diluc’s silent approval to you leaving as you followed behind the girl that seemed to me more shiny and cheerful than the sun itself. The whole day the two of you spent walking around the city, helping some locals, tasting the national foods and buying souvenirs. You’ve never experienced so many events at the same time in a single day — but you truly enjoyed yourself.

-

“So.. Did you like today?” The two of you were sitting on one of the stone pillars in the gardens of the cathedral while looking up at the night sky with billions and trillions of starts.

“I enjoyed it very much, Miss Amber. Did you have a good time?”

“Of course I did!” The girl instantly replied, “If master Diluc will give you more weekdays, we can hang out like this more often. We could go on a picnic... Or maybe to a dancing event! Oh, oh — how about the cooking game show that’s happening in a month—!”Before she would get way too carried away, you interrupted her.

“I’m afraid I’m needed at the Dawn Winery a lot more than you assume, Miss Amber. I must cook the dishes for master Diluc, clean the bedroom, do the laundry and help him organize him work.” As you explained your duties, she frowned in confusion.

“Aren’t there any other workers? Why are you doing everything?”

“Master Diluc likes the fact that whenever I clean up, I put every item in places that he places them in, and not elsewhere. He says that after I clean it’s easy for him to navigate around, unlike with other maids.”

“He must trust you a lot. You two seem very close! Donna would be jealous.” You were unfamiliar with the name at the end, but felt too lazy to question.

“Do not assume anything wrong, Miss Amber. But I must admit that I care a great deal about master Diluc. He extended a helping hand when I required it the most, so I shall forever be thankful.” There was silence for a moment.

“You’re an amazing person, Y/N. I am happy to know that I am your friend.” At the word ‘friend’ you froze in shock and your eyes flew wide. Never in your whole life someone had been your friend. Sure, you had a family before — but never a friend. The word cut your cold heart like knife.

It was a pity that you were going to betray her.

Your first and only friend.

NEXT CHAPTER !

[meditating-dog-lover]

Eczema update 03/15

So I went to the allergist this morning to review my patch test results. My skin is looking less inflamed in general, which is nice. There is less redness, but there is dryness and cracks, especially on my right hand.

Thankfully I tested negative on most of the patches, but had a mild reaction to cocamidopropyl betaine, which is a coconut-derived surface acting agent that is used in soaps (hand and dish), cosmetics, and other hygiene products (shampoos, toothpastes, detergents, etc...). I've never heard of cocamidopropyl betaine before, but I'm glad I did and I'm also glad I did this allergy test. In cases like this, allergists can be more helpful than dermatologists.

I was referred to a site that contains a list of products that are safe and not safe for my skin based on my patch test results. Thankfully it's easy to find most products that are free of CAPB, except soaps unfortunately. I looked up all the products I use on my skin and only my hand and dish soaps don't have CAPB. Most hand soaps have it, especially the one I use at home and of course, the ones used in the lab and the bathrooms at work. And I get dry and inflamed skin patches covering my hands up to my forearms. I touch my face a lot (mouth, neck, ears, chest, etc...). While my face and neck products do not contain CAPB, I can transfer some from my hands when I touch that area, therefore creating dry and itchy patches there. I do not get eczema anywhere else on my body thankfully.

So the solution for now is to continue with the vitamin D and flaxseed oil, as well as the multivitamin that contains the cleansing ingredients and finding ways to effectively, safely, and realistically detox (like vacuuming, using an air purifier, sweating, drinking herbal tea and water, my liver detox supplements temporarily, even celery juice if I'm convinced) - I'm still researching this, using products free of CAPB (finding soaps will be a challenge), and avoiding tomatoes temporarily.

Unfortunately the soaps we use at work contain CAPB, so I'll need to either resort to use it a few times, or to bring my own soap pump with my own liquid soap free of CAPB. I'll find a solution here. I assume any public bathroom soap will contain CAPB.

I know there's a lot of fear mongering and gimmicks around "toxic ingredients". I'm not one to avoid a lot of commercial ingredients. But I will avoid something that causes me irritation and discomfort.

Right now I'll focus on "detoxing" and removing harmful ingredients that irritate my skin and body. I just bought some hand and dish soap today I was able to find that are free of CAPB, am taking my liver detox supplements, and am reading Anthony Williams "Cleanse to Heal" book. I'm slightly confused now with regards to if my eczema is caused by external irritants/allergens or internal pathogens and toxins or both. I'm convinced both. So eliminating CAPB and finding healthy and safe ways to internally detox can help.

Next I'll focus on the gut health aspect and food sensitivities. I know I'll be able to get back to eating tomatoes. Tomatoes aren't the root cause of my eczema, something else is causing the inflammation and tomatoes are just adding to it.

So my allergist helped me find an important missing puzzle piece for my eczema healing journey. I still have more learning and trial and error to look into (gut but after I establish the external and internal detoxing). I don't want to overwhelm myself.

And eventually I want to practice mindfulness and relaxation methods, including meditation and yoga, so I can get my stress and anxiety under control. I'm so happy I am reading books now, that's another way that can help me relax and grow at the same time, especially self-healing books. As embarrassing as it is to say, I don't read. But I know I should and reading is an important part of me healing and growing as a person.