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#tw flashback mention
discord-emote-customs · 2 months
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snow leopard emojis ? :3
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hi sorry friend i am infected with animal jam disease and i cant hear snow leopard or arctic wolf without having flashbacks
on a serious note , heres a sleepin snow leopard & a happy snow leopard w/ a speech bubble w/ & w/o the laughing animal jam emoji ^^
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little-lee-froggie · 10 months
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To the friend who walked in on me having a flashback awhile ago and just let me cry in your arms while reassuring me that I was safe, I know you’re never going to see this, but I genuinely love you so much.
Anyone who deals with flashbacks or any other kind of mental health issues, my DMs are open if you need someone to vent to <3
please take care of yourself, please eat and drink water, take your meds if you have any, stay safe, you are loved
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sanriosratz · 2 years
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TW // mention of waterboarding, flashbacks, panic attacks, and implied trauma
under the cut
because of Adrian’s past trauma with waterboarding from his father, washing his hair is incredibly hard
and whenever he was in the bathroom, he could not have the door closed, so that was another thing that he had to work through [with his therapist]
there are only very few people that Adrian trusts to help wash his hair (Jasier mainly), and every time he does panic attacks, and/or flashbacks are very common. luckily Jasier is super understanding and sweet about it all and stops immediately when he notices Adrian getting upset and helps them through it, reminding them to breathe and such
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nerdpoe · 9 months
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In the Shadow of Speculation Part 2
Part 1, Ao3
Heavy chapter, please heed the following; Blood tw vivisection tw descriptions of a flashback descriptions of a night terror descriptions of recovery abled verbiage tw self hatred tw (mild) forced parenthood equivalent (but in a ghost culture way)
Danny took a deep breath and used the Ring of Rage.
A glowing portal formed in the air before him, perfectly stable. Cold, bitter wind blew through it, along with the smell of antiseptic.
Wrinkling his nose, Danny stepped through the portal and closed it behind him.
“Oh, greetings Mr. High King! Are you ready for your check-up?” a nurse Yeti said, looking up from her clipboard enthusiastically.
Danny attempted a smile.
“I’m prepared for it, yeah.”
“Wonderful! Your friends are already in the room for moral support!”
Danny paused.
“Who-?”
“The Lady of the Green and the Lord of Innovation, of course!”
Oh thank the Ancients.
Danny nodded his thanks at the nurse and started for his assigned rooms.
Every inch of the hallways, unfamiliar before the Accident, were ingrained in his memories now.
He’d finally walked from his door to that window without help four months after waking up, and he’d been so fucking proud about it too. He’d hid behind that potted plant during his first flashback. He’d climbed out of that window and crawled on the roof just so he could feel the snow on his skin two months into Physical Therapy.
That was the yeti that had taken the brunt of his anger and hurt on his worst days, nodding at him as Danny passed. That was the room he’d pleaded with Dan to take him away from the hospital, that he couldn’t do it anymore, that he just wanted to go home-that was also the room Dan had set his foot down and said that he’d play the bad guy for Danny one last time.
And oh, how Danny had despised him for it.
But it had worked. Danny, with someone who was there for the sole purpose of taking the verbal assaults meant for his Physical Therapists and himself, who was only there to snipe back and deliberately egg Danny on, helped Danny find the energy to push forward.
And Danny still felt awful about that.
Danny passed the table he had eaten his first solid meal at, one month after waking up, and took a left.
There it was.
The door to the rooms that had been his sanctuary and his prison, right up until they hadn’t been needed anymore. The first place he’d seen when he’d woken up, and then been amazed that he’d woken up at all.
With a deep breath, Danny pushed it open.
“Hey man!”
“Danny!”
Danny’s smile was weak, and he was holding back tears in the face of so many memories he hated and adored in equal measure.
“Hey guys, thanks for coming.”
~~~~~~
Dan knew he was asleep. Dan knew he was awake. Dan knew he was somewhere in that awful inbetween.
He was in his parents basement. No, wait. They weren’t his parents. They’d never deserved the title.
He was in the Fenton’s basement.
The world kept glitching out, the colors kept melding together, and the only thing that stood out was the overwhelming feeling of disbelief and terror.
Little him was strapped to a table. Little him was strapped to a table. Little him was-
Stop.
Assess.
What was going on?
Little him was strapped to a table; he was locked in place. He was in his Core form. It was…damaged. It was damaged.
Why?
Who would…?
There was a sliver missing. They’d torn a piece of him off. They’d tried to peel him open. They’d-Little him would be crippled.
If he survived.
But he had survived, hadn’t he?
Little him’s core was strapped to a table, damaged, and there was no resonance coming from it. There were vials upon vials of ecto-blood on the tables.
That was a kidney.
That was a stomach.
There was blood on the floor.
There…there was blood on his shoes.
Dan floated off of it, listening to the dripping sounds it made as it rolled off his soles.
The door opened.
Two monsters walked through, all giant bug eyes and sharp metal knives.
Dan had two options.
He could kill the things that had done this.
Or.
He darted forward to break the straps and shoved Little him’s core next to his own, where it would be safe, where it could recover as it leeched his excess energy off of him.
The world glitched again.
Dan was standing in Jazz’s living room, hand digging into his own chest. Searching.
With a shaking breath, he pulled it out.
He’d only carried Danny’s core next to his own for two years, but he still found himself searching for it in moments of weakness.
He hadn’t been the best Spirit to host Danny’s core, but he’d fought tooth and nail to do it. Vengeance Spirits could not normally house Protective Spirits.
It was why he’d done the whole hero thing after; it would help Little him heal if he did. And when he scared the people he was saving away?
He’d opted to train the little fledgling heroes. He’d make sure they grew up safe, protected from actual villains and, if needed, their own personal ones.
Anything to make sure he didn’t have to see another kid so close to completely shattering into Nothing, he never wanted to see that shit again-
Dan forced himself to move away from the couch and towards the kitchen.
It was pointless to dwell on the past. He did everything he could; if the Twerp wanted to be next to those monsters, that was on him.
So what if he’d fucked up their relationship? At least the kid was alive.
Dan’s hands still shook as he made himself a cup of coffee.
Maybe he’d just check in. Just for a bit.
~~~~~~
Dan may have failed steps one through ten.
It had probably started when he’d played surrogate for the Runt, if he was completely honest. There was no way Dan hadn’t absorbed a little bit of his Protective nature.
Point was; Dan genuinely could not remember going to Arkham.
He just sort of…came back to himself while floating ominously above it.
He could see the alarm lights flashing below him. The humans running for their battle-stations.
The inmates being herded deeper into the complex.
Dan felt his eyes grow hotter, felt his claws dig into the flesh of his palms.
They were right there. Right fucking there. All he had to do was phase through the compound and just reach into their chests.
It would be so. Fucking. Easy.
In fact, he even caught a glimpse of Maddie through one of the windows.
Dan snarled, lifting a hand, the ectoplasm pooling in it hotter than anything he’d made before-
-and he was in the kitchen. Mom was trying to make hot dogs, but they kept fighting back. She was laughing at a dumb meme he’d shown her. His homework was covered in mustard from the fight with their food.
“I guess you can tell Mr. Lancer that you ‘mustard’ up every resource you had!” Dad called out as he walked by, and Dan felt so loved-
-Dan dropped the hand.
Maddie was hauled past the window and to safety.
Fuck.
Fuck this place.
Fuck this city.
Fuck everything about this situation.
~~~~~~
Batman grappled his way to the tallest watchtower in Arkham, keeping an eye on Phantom the entire time.
The guard that was already in the tower-a new hire, if he recalled-nervously stepped up to fall in line beside him.
Batman waved him off.
He knew Phantom. He knew that the man wasn’t actually a villain.
A Training Villain wasn’t something Batman had seen younger heroes needing, but when the Ghost in front of him had started play-fighting with the younger heroes to teach them through safe combat, the Bat had been mentally kicking himself.
It was a perfect job to train younger heroes, and Batman couldn’t help but feel like he’d failed the previous iterations by not realizing that.
Robin was still angry that he’d fallen for it, of course he was, but Batman could not deny that Phantom’s strange method of training had been instrumental in helping his youngest work through his rage.
Just like he could not deny that he and Phantom had something in common with Arkham.
It wasn’t hard to assume that the walls held a person responsible for the death of someone in the man’s life.
Phantom had only shown up to Arkham a total of three times.
The first time, he’d just hovered outside of it, holding his hand to his chest. He’d done nothing, and left in an hour.
The second time, two years later, he’d broken two walls and shattered a watchtower, screaming for someone to come out and face him. Robin had been on scene before Batman had time to distract him, convinced it was the same Phantom he was used to dealing with.
Surprisingly, the sight of Robin had been enough to still the beast Phantom had become. He’d toned down, forced Robin into a surprise hug, and then disappeared. Robin had been livid, but Batman had learned something about the Training Villain he didn’t think he wanted to know.
The man knew loss, and Batman was pretty sure he knew it on the same scale Bruce did.
From there, it wasn’t hard to figure out the most likely objects of his wrath.
Phantom was a Ghost. Ghosts had a very, very bad history with the American Government. The Anti-ecto acts had just been revealed to the public by Lois Lane, and the country was tearing itself apart.
The people who had been the most avid supporters had been, currently were, the Dr.s Fenton.
Who were housed in Arkham.
Batman had said nothing. He had gone back to the cave and quietly updated Phantom’s file, and left it at that.
The third time was the present.
Phantom had almost lost his temper. Almost.
But he’d reigned it in.
“Phantom,” Batman started, staring at the figure above him, “I know you can hear me. What’s happened?”
The Ghost stayed where he was for one hundred and twenty seconds, before slowly gliding down to the Bat.
Phantom did not say anything.
He did not have to.
His eyes were anywhere, everywhere, but where he actually was. When he actually was.
Batman quietly hissed through his teeth.
Alright then.
“I’m here if you want to talk, otherwise we can be silent. Just know that at this moment, you are not alone.”
Phantom chose silence for a good seventeen minutes.
Then Phantom opened his mouth.
“I should hate them,” the voice was halting, tired, “I should, I really should. They loved me so much, but they…they tore him apar-“ Phantom’s voice failed him.
Batman said nothing, and gave the Ghost time to collect himself.
While he waited, he compartmentalized what he’d learned. The Fentons had torn apart someone very, very important to Phantom.
And Bruce had an awful feeling that he meant that literally.
“I can’t be here,” Phantom said instead of finishing his previous thought.
Batman nodded.
“You didn’t hurt anyone this time, so go; I see no reason to stop you.”
Phantom didn’t grace Batman with a goodbye, but the Bat swore he felt an invisible hand squeeze his shoulder after the Ghost vanished from sight.
~~~~~~
Danny laid on the examination bed, one hand being held by Sam while Tucker lounged on the bed at Danny’s feet. They were talking about their new companies, how the world was changing, and distracted Danny while Frostbite examined his vivisection scarring.
Danny looked everywhere but Frostbite as the yeti pushed and prodded. He didn’t want to look at his chest if he didn’t have to, but he also didn’t want the embarrassment that was accidentally meeting his doctor’s eyes in the middle of a physical.
“Fantastic news, Young Savior,” Frostbite said, interrupting their idle chatter, “Your core, while still healing, is recovering at a phenomenal rate. Truly, Lady Gotham is good on her word! At this pace, your core should be fully healed in a mere century!”
Danny hated that. He hated that it needed to heal, and he hated that he was going to outlive his friends.
Sam and Tucker leaned a little closer, offering comfort for something that they knew the Ancient before them wouldn’t understand.
“Better news, the physical damage appears to be almost completely healed. The regrown kidney and stomach are showing no signs of failing, and the scarring should be the only nuisance. I recommend the afore-mentioned stretches and lotion to help the scar tissue conform with your movements.”
Danny nodded, sitting up as Frostbite stepped back and removed his hand from inside Danny’s torso.
“I also see no issue with your residual limb, although it does appear you’ve been forgetting to remove the prosthetic often enough to cause some light bruising. Can’t say I don’t understand, but perhaps write a reminder and pin it on your bedroom wall.”
Danny avoided Sam’s flat look.
Tucker just flashed his phone screen at Danny, the words ‘I can make you something really cool with rockets it you let me’ sprawled across the screen.
Danny absorbed Sam’s flat look and mirrored it towards Tucker.
Tucker threw up his hands.
“Ancients forbid I do anything, I guess,” the techie sighed dramatically.
Once Danny pulled himself together and got ready to leave, Tucker threaded an arm around his own.
“So, wanna go ding-dong-ditch Walker?”
Danny paused, then grinned; and for the first time in two weeks, it wasn’t a lie.
~~~~~~
Danny waved back at Sam and Tucker as they went through their own portals. They would definitely have to get together and hit the town on Earth.
Danny walked through his own portal and ran face-first into a mass of muscle.
Dan steadied him as he bounced back.
Danny was immediately hit with conflicting, very confusing emotions.
He was looking at Dan, his enemy. He was looking at his father? No, it was Dan. Wasn’t that the same-?
Danny shook his head. He’d never gotten a straight answer about why his Ghost self’s view on Dan had changed so dramatically; everyone always shied away from the question.
“Can I ask what you’re doing in my apartment?” He asked instead, stepping back and closing the portal.
“Just making sure you’re settling in, Tiny.”
“We’re the same height?”
“Nah, we’re not.”
Danny shoved the absurdity of their interaction in the back of his head and made for his couch.
“Well, whatever you’re doing here, here’s to hoping it involved making dinner,” he groaned, sinking into the cushion and pulling up his left leg to start the tediously cumbersome process of pulling it off, “because per the doctor, I’m supposed to keep the prosthetic off for the rest of today.”
“I was gonna order out. Move, we’re watching Sailor Moon.”
Danny whined pitifully when Dan physically picked him up and moved him to the side.
He fought his instincts, and his instincts won.
He leaned back and allowed Dan to take the prosthetic off, clawed fingers delicate for all that the man snarled under his breath.
He also allowed the man to commandeer the TV; not something he would even allow Jazz to do.
“Why do I let you do these things?” Danny muttered, eyeballing the quasi-villain on his couch as said villain massaged the stump just below his knee.
Dan snorted.
“I’ll tell you when you’re older.”
“Ugh, no one tells me anything.”
“We’re pacing you,” Dan corrected, blunt for all that the words were careful, “when you’re back on your feet, you’ll get the non-vital details we skimmed.”
Danny didn’t bother arguing; he’d already tried for the better part of the previous year. For some reason, the yetis took Dan’s side, too.
Instead, they fell into a companionable silence, appreciating Sailor Moon. Which was fine by Danny, since he never knew how to behave around Dan. It was only interrupted by the delivery of the Greek food Dan had ordered out.
Danny was on his second Gyro when Dan finally broke the silence.
“So I heard there was a rogue attack outside your apartment,” he said idly, and Danny could feel his eyes on him.
“Yeah.”
“So you got to see the Bats in action?”
“…Yeah.”
Dan leaned in, eyes going critical.
“What needs improvement? Don’t lie; that ‘yeah’ was one that means you weren’t impressed.”
Danny shrugged.
“I dunno, just…they didn’t have someone who’s only job it was was to evacuate the people, or help the injured. It was just offense, no defense.”
Dan snorted and leaned away.
“Kept telling that to Robin, but no; ‘Father this’ and ‘Father that’.” Dan shook his head, chewing thoughtfully on his rack of lamb. “So. What are you gonna do about it?”
Danny blinked.
“Excuse me?”
“You’ve seen what they need, and I’m not stupid enough to think you’ll stay out of the game forever. What are you gonna do about it?”
Danny looked down at his Gyro, frowning.
What was he gonna do about it?
He couldn’t fight, not like he used to, not really. But if the Bats were tanking, then…he probably wouldn’t really have to.
“I’ve been in medical facilities for almost a year,” Danny said slowly, ignoring how Dan stiffened next to him, “I think I’ve picked up a few things. Frostbite would probably be thrilled if I asked him to teach me, honestly.”
Dan relaxed, humming thoughtfully around the bone he was chewing on.
“I think…I’ll be a medic.”
@simplestoryteller @gildedphoenix I do not suffer PTSD, and I've never had a life-altering injury. That said, I know people who have, for both of those. I apologize if my descriptions are off. Here's some notes to piece together what this chapter outlines, for those that want the sparknotes as to what Dan is alluding to. From my notes; "Ghosts can carry another ghosts core if that core is injured, to protect and promote healing. Typically, the father or mother figure does it. In this particular instance, Dan did it. We will see in a bit, but for Dan their relationship went from enemies-warden-person I gotta apologize to-person I’ve got to save-the core housed next to mine-son. For Danny, it randomly went from enemies to ‘why do I think dan is my dad more than I think my dad is my dad’." This is where the "forced parenthood" tw comes into play, because Dan felt like he had to do it, and due to instinct Danny subconsciously got dragged along for the ride. Also, if it wasn't clear from the age list on the first chapter and the timeline presented, I'm playing around with Lian and Roy's timeline; Dan's first year he babysat her, and then she died. She came back only four weeks prior to Danny re-entering the human world.
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aprilsadviceaskblog · 1 month
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Tw for mentioned SA, not mentioned directly.
I have this really annoying uh bit, I guess, where if I get touched I kind of get thrown into flashbacks? It’s only with unknown/untrusted guys. Like when I’m in public I’m hyper vigilant, so if a guy basically brushes me I’m in a flashback.
I’m wondering if there’s a way to not do that? Sorry it’s not very specific.
Hi anon,
One of the things that helped me with flashbacks was grounding exercises. I know they’re so commonly recommended, and I used to ignore the advice because they didn’t work for me. But then I realize there are so many different ones to try.
Here’s a blog post I wrote on grounding exercises.
If you can, keeping a comfort item or a sensory item in your pocket you can touch and stay focused on while you’re in public might help if you can use it to help pull you back, too.
Here are some steps for managing a flashback that I think can be useful, too!
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lacetrauma · 2 months
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im sorry that i don’t have much to say anymore. im not as creative as I used to be
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dying-weeds · 4 months
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PSA for everyone:
Being told "good girl" is very triggering for me as I have been told this by multiple people who assaulted me while it was happening.
For the love of everything please stop telling people "good girl" or "good boy" if you do not know them or are not close enough to them to know their history. I just want to go to work and do my job not have a flash back to being assaulted just because fucking Jim Bob wanted to tell me good job.
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namusass · 4 months
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i cannot describe how disappointed i am in you all. im watching Ballerina on netflix and i come to tumblr and you're all thirsting after the guy? the guy who is a serial rapist and blackmails women into slavery? why on earth would you go for that when there is SO MUCH SAPPHIC CONTENT??????? do better, im so serious, these gays deserve so much more content. i wanna see so many gifsets, so much fic, these women are GAY and IN LOVE Ok-Ju kills SO MANY DUDES FOR MIN-HEE
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anti--transid · 8 months
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"radqueers didn't traumatize you" whenever I recall what i went through as a radqueer, I can barely breathe and 99% of the time I have to be pulled from front because of how stressed and scared and panicky I become, I cant even feel safe and comfortable in my identity because I have to constantly ignore the longing and the pull to go back, because that cult used my severe lack of affection in my offline life to force me to stay in that cult, I was almost groomed into a relationship with a system who is 19, I was 13.
We were traumatized so severely that we split off an entire subsystem of 14 alters, 5 other alters and around 10 fragments.
My heart goes out for every ex radqueer who was also traumatized, may your healing bring you peace.
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Riot Kings, page 8D
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sanriosratz · 2 years
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https://sanriosratz.tumblr.com/post/686782210972516352/httpssanriosratztumblrcompost686780557068238
bee angst
idk maybe like… Kai sees a hornet nest and has a flashback to the punishments he witnesses/experienced? just thoughts
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squishablesunbeam · 10 months
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Consequence of Action Pt. 13
Finally official chapter! Thanks for playing! I adore you all! Also, the first and last bits are from Prim's perspective. I know that's different but I couldn't help myself!
TW: recovering whumpee, panic attack, flashback, vomiting, mentions of past noncon, executions, death of minor characters
Prev
Prim couldn't tear her eyes away from the monstrosity.
She'd been helping her crew clear out the dead when Lopez found another body deep in the lower deck. It wasn't the man with his empty eyes frozen open capturing his last moments of terror or his crushed throat that held her attention.
It was the cage.
She'd heard some of what the prisoners had been saying about what had happened on this ship. The vile obscenities they spewed about Quinn in particular certainly painted a horrific picture that she wished were exaggerations but, deep down, she knew were not. She'd heard enough to make her blood boil before she had them gagged or else she'd skin them alive herself for what they'd done to that man.
They'd also mentioned a cage. This was undoubtedly it. With its rough edges welded together with clear intent to inflict agony upon its occupant. There was dried blood on the teeth of the grating that covered the bottom as well as a fair amount soaked into the floor beneath.
Her eyes trailed back to the body Lopez and Freely were currently preparing to transport to the incinerator.
Quinn had been flogged, recently. He was barely able to stand on his own two feet when she'd come upon him and Collins in the hallway. There was no way he would have had the strength to crush a man's throat in his state.
That meant-
They'd put Collins in that cage. God, how did he even fit.
Her mind morbidly attempted to imagine herself stuffed into that small space and a nauseating wave of claustrophobia washed over her. She immediately shook the thought from her mind.
Collins had been her team leader for just over a decade. They'd seen each other through the worst that human beings could do to one another and they always came out the other end just a little worse for wear. She was even part of the team that had gone in to rescue him after he was held captive by the enemy for three months. Prim had thought she'd seen him at his absolute worst many times over.
So why did seeing him with that collar around his neck fuck with her head so much?
They'd collared him, and put him in a cage. She was pretty sure they'd even-
Prim allowed anger to seethe throughout her body, for only a moment. Righteous or not, anger dangerously clouded her judgment. She knew that well enough. If she had her druthers right in this moment, she'd flog each one of those men in her custody to within an inch of their lives and force them to beg Quinn and Collins for their pitiful lives before tossing them into the incinerator along with the rest of them. They deserved nothing less, and maybe so much more.
The choice wasn't hers to make.
“Ma'am.”
Prim very deliberately let the anger slip through her fingers.
She turned to Freely. “I want this deconstructed immediately. Tear it down to its bolts. I don't want a single piece of this cage left on my ship. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, ma'am,” Freely acknowledged assuredly.
She let out a breath and nodded. He'll take care of it.
She turned on her heels and headed back up to the main deck, swallowing the urge to speed up her pace just to get away from all the horrid memories that undoubtedly haunted the corners of that godawful room.
She headed for her new office, dispensing orders as she went. This ship had just begun to fall into disrepair while being under poor leadership and a skeleton crew it seemed. There was a lot to be done.
A few hours later, Prim called for Collins and Quinn to join her. She needed to discuss what to do with the prisoners, their possessions, etc. They also needed to track down any of Quinn's possessions as well, if they hadn't already been destroyed. This all could technically wait, but if she was being honest, she wanted the prisoners dealt with and off the ship as soon as possible.
She fussed at the desk while she waited, stacking piles of papers and log books that must have been the ship's former captain's, practically useless now. Most, if not all, would be burned.
The office was large but impersonal. She'd already taken the time to shift around the placement of furniture to make it more open and inviting. She dimmed the glaring overhead light and made a note to grab some of those warm light bulbs on their next stop at a safe planet. She would have to bring over some of her more personal items from the other ship as well.
A knock pulled her out of her thoughts and she turned, hitting the button that slid open the door.
"Commander," Collins greeted her with a warm smile, Quinn by his side.
She grinned wide, clasping arms with Collins and then Quinn.
"Prim is fine. You know that well enough."
Collins already looked so much better. Much more himself. She couldn't stop herself from casting her eyes briefly to his neck, assuring herself that the collar had actually been cut away and he was free from its weight.
She stepped back to allow them into the room, noting the soft hold Collins had around Quinn's hip.
It looked so incredibly natural for a man who rarely ever displayed even a hint of affection in the many years she'd known him.
A smile quirked up her lips.
She didn't know exactly what was going on between these too but it was clearly something, and it was only growing stronger. As far as Prim was aware, Collins had never had a significant person in his life, at least he'd never spoken of it if he had.
Seeing him so casually tender with Quinn was, well, it was adorable.
Prim gestured them into the office.
“Please, have a seat.”
She stopped short, her eyes flicking to Collins as the blood drained out of Quinn's face.
Oh, shit.
He'd already had a brief moment of panic in the hallway once he realized where they were headed but he'd convinced Collins that he was fine. Of course Prim would have taken the Captain's office. She was the highest ranking member of the crew after all. It made perfect sense.
Except right now, nothing made sense.
He was certain he'd be okay, stepping confidently into the room after watching the familiar exchange between Collins and Prim.
But then, Quinn laid eyes on that looming brown desk and his world just slipped right out from under him.
He saw himself, clear as day, curled up on his knees under that damn desk. Naked, his hands bound to his thighs like they always were the first however many times he'd been forced to open his mouth and obey.
It was as if he was watching from a far away corner of the ceiling but also not. He could feel it all. The way the hard floor bit into his knees and the coarse rope constricting his thighs and tearing at his skin.
He shook his head to try and clear the image but it wouldn't jar loose. The taste of the Captain's fingers filled his mouth and he gagged, choking on nothing as the taste turned to something so much worse.
His head felt thick and his world narrowed.
He felt like he might be falling but he couldn't bring himself to care. The room buzzed loudly in his ears and washed itself over him. He could feel all of its edges pressing against his body, forcing him to fit into the tight space under the desk.
Something pressed against his back and there was pain there, but also, it was good. The pain felt good, in a way. It sparked sharply through his mind and cleared some of the fog away. He dropped his head and tried to remember how to breath, clinging to that pain like a lifeline.
His entire body was suddenly shook, just once, and his eyes managed to lock into place, the spinning world around him suddenly centering on one point of focus.
“Collins?”
A hand touched lightly against his own and he looked down at himself, realizing he had pressed his wrists to his thighs. He could feel the ropes keeping him in place but he couldn't see them. He gasped his mouth open and tried to pry them up off his legs. It felt as if he was attempting to merge two worlds that simply weren't meant to coexist. He finally succeeded in detaching his hands from his legs and held them up in front of his face.
They were shaking.
He was shaking.
He still couldn't breathe.
Warm fingers brushed against his face and the here and now flooded his senses, coming back to him far too fast. His body prickled with sweat, his mouth filled with saliva.
“Oh my god,” he pressed a hand against Collins' shoulder and lurched to the side, vomiting onto the floor beside them.
“Oh my god,” he said again, pressing the back of his hand to his mouth before pulling it back and looking at his wrists, fully expecting to see marks from the ropes indented into this skin.
His thighs weren't bare. He was wearing pants and a button up shirt he found in Collins' closet.
Quinn dimly heard himself muttering Collins' name under his breath.
“You're alright. I'm here. Just breathe.”
His eyes numbly tracked Collins' movement as he wrapped his fingers around Quinn's wrist and rubbed his thumb back and forth over the thin skin.
There still weren't any ropes there, holding him in place. He kept his eyes on Collins' hands, each painless pass of his thumb a reminder that he was safe. Collins was here. The Captain was dead.
Quinn gasped out a harsh breath as the image of him shooting the Captain in the head flashed before his eyes.
He looked up, his eyes wide and wet with stinging tears as he searched Collins' face, too many memories battling for his attention at once.
“He hurt you, Collins, he-” Quinn said, his voice strained and panicked.
“Hey,” Collins drew their foreheads together, holding onto the back of Quinn's head. “I'm okay, Quinn. You saved me, remember? You killed him, Quinn. He can't hurt you anymore. He can't hurt either of us anymore. We're okay.”
Quinn drew in a shaky breath, and then another. Collins' hands were like an anchor, holding him to this reality, his shoulders firm and solid and real under his own hands. He breathed, his breath mixing with Collins' as the world slowed down to a manageable rhythm.
He became aware of another presence in the room and his eyes slid to Prim, sitting on the floor with them, just a few steps behind Collins with her arms draped over her knees.
“Holy shit,” Quinn said, pulling back slightly and breathing out a shocked breath, “That's never happened before. Not like that. I could see it. I could feel it.”
He held tight to Collins as Prim sat forward, crossing her legs underneath her, “Ironically, it's because you are actually safe now that this is happening. You're mind is trying to process everything. Collins can teach you some tricks to help you stay grounded, or I can. We've both been through it.”
Collins nodded sympathetically, scratching his fingers over Quinn's leg in a predictable, soothing rhythm.
It was helping.
“Grounded, yeah,” Quinn leaned his head back on the wall behind him, only now realizing that was where the pain was coming from. His sore back was pressed right up against it.
“God, I'm so sorry,” he groaned out, looking down at the mess he'd made next to him and trying to fight back embarrassment from swallowing him whole.
Prim waved her hand absently. “It'll clean just fine. Go rest. We'll talk later, okay?”
He nodded and leaned heavily against Collins as they moved to stand, Prim immediately moving to join them. They were both standing right in front of Quinn, blocking his eye line to the desk. He couldn't quell the need to look, just once more, to assure himself that the other him wasn't still trapped there, under the desk.
Collins moved to help him to the door and he stole a glance over his shoulder, breathing out a breath of relief only once he was assured the phantom was gone.
He didn't know why he felt the need to ask but he stopped himself before heading out the door, “What did you want to talk to us about anyway?”
She started to wave her hand in dismissal but paused, drawing her eyebrows down, seeming to study him carefully. He felt Collins' solid presence at his side.
“I was going to ask if you wanted me to have the prisoners executed. I thought the airlock might be appropriate but I didn't want to make that decision without you both.”
Whatever fear that had just sunk its teeth into him morphed into anger at the mention of the prisoners.
Jackson, Hawkins and Gibson.
It wasn't enough that the Captain was dead. Quinn's every waking memory was corrupted with the thoughts of these men. He could barely eat without the image of Jackson forcing his dick into his mouth through the cage before he gave him any food. Hawkins tore at his flesh and left behind too many scars for him to ever forget. And Gibson- Quinn shuddered, the pain of his care still a bright and sharp memory.
Quinn didn't want to think twice about it. He just wanted them gone.
“Do it,” he said, swallowing down the knowledge that with those two words, he just sentenced three men to their deaths.
“Would you like to be there?” Prim asked.
Quinn looked to Collins who shrugged, squeezing Quinn's hand once. “As long as they're dead, I'm okay with it,” Collins said plainly.
“I think I'm okay too,” Quinn said, looking back to Prim, “Will you do me a favor though?”
“Name it,” she said with a sincerity that put a weak smile on his face.
“Just, maybe, don't tell them what's going to happen. Don't say anything to them at all. Just take them to the airlock and open the door.”
The silence was always the worst part. Being led through the ship, never knowing his own fate before being shoved through an open door.
Quinn thought it fitting.
Prim apparently did too, if the look on her face told him anything.
“I'll make certain of it.”
“Let us know when it's done,” Collins added, him and Prim both sharing an understanding between them as she nodded her assent.
Quinn felt the warmth of Collins' hand at his hip and he let himself lean against him. He focused on carefully matching his breath to Collins' as they wove their way through the hall and back to the quiet and safety of their room.
Prim had done exactly as Quinn asked. She informed her crew to bind the men and take them to the airlock without a single word spoken.
It was admittedly gratifying to behold. She watched as Gibson lost it first. He screamed and thrashed against Freely as they were led down the halls, demanding to know what was going on and proclaiming his innocence.
Hawkins was next.
He fed off of Gibson's fear and spewed vile threats at herself and her crew. Mostly though, he cursed Quinn's name and screamed at the top of his lungs the horrific things he was going to do to him.
Except he was never going to have that chance. He was going to die. He was going to be tossed away like trash, without a second thought.
Jackson held out until they were all kneeling in the airlock and the door was being sealed shut between them. He launched himself up at the last minute and sprinted toward the door, hurling himself again and again at the thick glass that kept them safe from the vacuum of space.
Prim stood silently with her crew, all of them expressionless as the prisoners made their pleas and useless threats.
With a signal to Freely, he slammed up the lever and the screams of the three men died with them as they were sucked out into nothingness.
It was the most feared end for those who made their lives out in this vast emptiness. As much as they all craved it, loved it even, the enduring, ever expanding endlessness of space was utterly terrifying. Like the vast oceans back on Earth, space was to be respected and feared in equal measure.
These men respected nothing.
The silence that followed the closing of the outer door had a finality to it that she found both deafening and soothing in the same moment.
It was done.
Freely and Lopez headed back to their respective stations without a second glace and Prim headed to inform Collins and Quinn, hoping that they sleep just a little bit easier now.
“Come in,” Collins called from inside the room. Prim was surprised he didn't meet her at the door as was decorum. Not that she expected it or enforced that kind of nonsense on her crew, it was just Collins' way. Too many years spent in the service and not enough spent living his own life.
She realized why the moment she slid the door open.
Collins was propped up on a few pillows with a book in his hand and Quinn soundlessly asleep with his head on Collins' stomach.
The sight made Prim smile.
“He's good for you,” she whispered, easing quietly into the room.
Quinn flinched a little in his sleep and Collins moved to card his fingers through his hair for probably the hundredth time.
“Too good,” Collins whispered back, taking off his glasses and setting them on top of the open book by his hip.
He looked tired himself, and worried.
“Is he okay?”
“No. He's not," Collins said. He wasn't harsh about his words. He sounded sad.
“Are you okay?”
Collins sighed and finally look up at Prim, “No.”
She pursed her lips and nodded, “If it makes you feel any better, they died terrified.”
Collins frowned deeply as he looked down at the man in his lap, his head rising and falling gently with every one of Collins' breaths.
“I would have had them skinned alive,” Collins said, not looking up from where his fingers were curled into Quinn's hair.
Prim huffed out a laugh, “I had a similar thought. But at least it's done. Maybe there's some peace to be had from that?”
“I hope so,” he said, “He deserves it.”
“So do you, Collins,” Prim said, knowing full well that he didn't believe a word of that. “And for what it's worth,” she gestured between the two men, “whatever you've got going here, it's cute as fuck. You deserve that too.”
Collins actually laughed, a wide grin splitting his handsome face as a blush seeped into his cheeks.
He'd be okay, she thought. They both would be okay, she'd make sure of it. She'd fold them into her little family and give them a change to find their footing again.
She headed back towards the door, “You need anything at all, you let us know, you hear me? And when you're ready for a distraction, I've got plenty of work for you to do.”
“Will do, Commander,” Collins said, the smile on his face coming just a little easier, “And Prim, thank you. For everything.”
“Of course, sir.”
She left them to rest and turned to head back up to the bridge, her mind already on the myriad of tasks on her plate and plotting their next course through the skies.
Taglist: @peachy-panic, @ladygwennn, @whumplr-reader, @hold-him-down, @monochrome-episode, @dogface3000, @skyhawkwolf, @whump-for-all-and-all-for-whump, @whumpterful-beeeeee, @maddam-redder, @susiequaz12, @pigeonwhumps, @starlit-darkness
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bittyfromquotev · 6 months
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The Noise
He didn’t care.
It was too loud.
Everyone at the return parade to celebrate their victory in the war was having fun, but Sun didn’t care.
He wanted the noise to stop.
The sound of drums and trumpets and other instruments vibrated with power in his chest, rattling the metal and wires within his scarred body. He pushed his even more ruined brother along in a wheelchair as if he was nothing more than a S.T.A.F.F. Bot. He kept moving even though all he wanted to do was run away and hide. He wanted quiet. The large band parted eventually, forcing Sun to roll a crippled Moon and himself through the tunnel of noise.
The band grew ten times louder than before, blaring into Sun’s audio sensors and forcing him to hunch over. He tried to stand straight again for the people, he really tried, but he couldn’t. It’s as if his joints rusted in place.
He pursed what would be his lips together, biting on the soft material that made up his tongue. He would get through this even if he had to be reset because of the delayed reactions to his panic this would bring.
The band wouldn’t stop. As the rest of the military branches followed behind Sun and the army, the noise got increasingly louder. The civilians at the parade cheered with all their might every time someone announced something on the booming microphone. Images of a hospital flashed though Sun’s mind. A hospital. Snow. Red snow. The screams of the Ukrainian victims. The ones he and his comrades were unable to save. Moon’s leg, lying mangled in the dirty snow several yards away from who it belonged to. Instead of the overjoyed faces that were actually there, Sun saw faces of fading hope.
The faces of defeat that were plastered on the victims of the war.
His grip on Moon’s wheelchair tightened as he looked on. Luckily, it wasn’t long before they all came to a stop. The military that walked, the band that played, the people that cheered.
It all stopped.
However sudden it was, the relief was obvious as soon as his sensors processed the silence.
Sun didn’t care for Moon’s concerned gaze trained on him as he breathed a sigh of relief.
All was quiet.
He would be okay.
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getonite · 4 months
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WHY ARE 10-13 YEAR OLDS ON AO3 WISHING TO GROOMED BY A 2D CHARACTER??? :O
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cress-meadowforge · 4 months
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July 28th, 100
The finale would come today. There were only a dwindling handful of tributes left, fewer than could be counted on one hand, and that was for the best. It meant the exodus was beckoning, the shuttling of victors back to the districts, and she was desperate to withdraw from the Capitol. Back to One, back to the village, back to the living tomb of her victor home. The Games were supposed to be a reprieve. After all, she'd been tasked with training -- a true role, concrete purpose in this job. But there was no escape. There was no safe place in Panem, no corner that greed could not reach.
She'd sat at the vanity that morning and painted her face, color correcting the bruises along her jaw, layering foundation over the marks on her throat. There were more lower, beneath, but those were easy to cover and unlikely to be seen. And though she hated it -- the vile, wretched addiction that had been forced on her -- she'd downed a vile of morphling just to manage the pain. To stave the trembling. Only then, staring at herself in the mirror, a perfect veneer over a rotting core, did she feel prepared to enter the living world.
But something was different, some illusion shattered and sparking the loss of belief. Her faith was wavering. Hollow-eyed and numb, she stared blankly at the barista, solely relieved that it wasn't him. That this person could be just a means to getting what she wanted -- and as such, absolutely no one. A coffee, she ordered, or so she thought. The specifics were a blur. The size, iced or hot, milk, flavoring -- she wasn't sure what she'd asked for. Perhaps that was the lesson here: that regardless of her status, or her victory, or her talent, it didn't matter to the Capitol what she did or didn't want.
@slate-skylar
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inevitablemoment · 10 months
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Egon and Dana Friendship Headcanons
Okay, I’m so happy to see that my post offering Egon and Dana friendship headcanons gained enough interest, so... enjoy! It’s all under the cut.
The gang lets Dana (and Louis) crash at the firehouse when the Gozer incident leads to the subsequent demolition of the building on Central Park West.
Dana suffers a lot from night terrors, and not wanting to bother Peter, leaves the room to clear her head and sees Egon working in the lab late one night.
Egon and Dana get to talking, and he ends up opening up to her about the loss of his wife, as well as the custody of his daughter Callie.
Dana continues to struggle with the trauma of her experience, and Egon offers to let her and Peter spend a few days at his and Cathleen’s old lake house upstate.
When Dana and Peter’s relationship begins to fall apart, Egon makes it very clear that he will not be their “go-between,” which Dana is able to accept.
About a year after Dana and Peter break up, she begins dating Andre Wallance.
Even if he’s rubbed the wrong way by Andre, Egon is supportive of Dana’s new relationship-- she’s even able to convince Andre to let Egon be one of his groomsmen.
About halfway through Dana’s pregnancy, Andre auditioned for a traveling orchestra and was accepted.
As Andre wasn’t there for Oscar’s birth, Egon ended up being Dana’s Lamaze partner.
When Oscar was only a few weeks old, Andre returned from the tour, but told Dana that he was scouted by the manager of an orchestra in London.
Not wanting to uproot her life after just having a baby, on top of the other issues that they were facing, Dana filed for divorce.
She dealt with some pretty rough postpartum depression, but Egon always came through to help her.
It was rough for him, as Callie’s mother, Cathleen, also struggled with postpartum depression after Callie’s birth.
After defeating Vigo, Egon tries to call Callie, but his mother-in-law lies to him and says that Callie doesn’t want to talk to him, and Dana comforts him.
When Egon begins claiming that Gozer will return, it leads to Dana having a panic attack, which Peter verbally castrates him over.
The night before Egon leaves for Summerville, Dana visits him and he apologizes like he had never apologized before.
She forgives him and expresses concern for his increasingly erratic behavior.
He again apologizes and says goodbye to her.
Years later, in 2021, Dana is surprised when Janine Melnitz shows up at her and Peter’s door.
Janine tells her that Egon died, and that he was right all along about Gozer returning.
The two are able to convince the three remaining Ghostbusters to go to Summerville (though Ray needs a little more push), but Dana remains in New York.
A week in between the end of the film and the mid-credits scene of her and Peter, Dana and Oscar go to Summerville together.
Egon’s ghost shows up and they both tell them about all that he missed in the past thirty years.
Egon shares one final hug with his surrogate sister and nephew before he returns to his place in the afterlife.
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