#whump caretaker

[thewhumpcaretaker]

Caretaker Respecting Whumpee's Consent

We all know the trope of Caretaker overpowering Whumpee for their own good - restraining them so they won't hurt themselves, forcing life-saving medical procedures, forcing them to work through trauma, etc. But let's also appreciate the sheer consent-focused kindness on display when Whumpee begs Caretaker not to do something and Caretaker respects their wishes.

Whumpee doesn't want Caretaker to speak to them so Caretaker is silent.

Whumpee doesn't want Caretaker to touch them so Caretaker doesn't, even when they're almost frenzied with the desire to hold Whumpee.

Whumpee doesn't want to be touched OR spoken to. Caretaker just makes themself available nearby, like they're waiting for a feral animal to trust them.

Caretaker wants to ask something but doesn't because they know Whumpee isn't ready to talk about it yet.

Caretaker is the only one who lets Whumpee work through their trauma at their own pace.

"Okay, cope how you need to cope. I know it's not healthy but I trust you not to go too far."

"It's your choice."

"You don't have to trust me."

"You don't have to talk about it. Just know that I'll be here if you ever want to."

"It's okay, I'm not going to touch you."

Caretaker refuses to answer questions about Whumpee from people who have no business asking what happened.

Caretaker covers Whumpee's face and hiding their broken body from view as they rush through a crowd of prying eyes.

"No, I won't tell anyone about this. I will never use this against you."

"This isn't just about what's best for you. I'm asking what you truly want."

[rainydaywhump]

I recently injured my right hand, which is my dominant hand, which made the fact that the hand was basically unusable for a few days particularly annoying. The injury was a small but deep puncture wound in the flesh of my palm between my thumb and pointer finger. It meant I couldn't move my thumb at all, and my overall grip strength was completely shot.

Naturally, I have whumpy thoughts about this.

POTENTIAL CAUSES:

Whumpee was chained up for so long that when he is freed, he can no longer feel that hand for hours

Nerve damage from any number of things

Whumpee's palm was nailed to a wooden board as her punishment

Whumpee degloved his hand in an escape attempt

Now here's the thing. Going from having an able hand to having a pained and unusable hand all of a sudden is not easy. (My grandfather, who taught himself to be ambidextrous a few years ago because he was retired and bored, would disagree. But he's a special case.) Not only are you down a hand, but you have to be really careful with the injured hand so you don't do further damage. Meanwhile, your nondominant hand is a LOT weaker than your dominant one, so it's struggling.

You'd also be surprised at the number of things that are suddenly extremely difficult to do. So, whumpy things....

Caretaker helping Whumpee shower, change clothes, fasten buttons, open and close medicine bottles, affix bandages, etc

This makes Whumpee feel any combination of embarrassed, safe, scared of the dependence, continuously surprised at the gentle treatment, resentful, etc

Whumpee tripping and automatically splaying her hands out to catch herself, then nearly choking trying to bite back a scream of pain so that she doesn't alarm caretaker

Whumper giving Whumpee extra punishments when Whumpee isn't able to do his usual tasks as well

Whumper tossing a pet Whumpee out to the streets because he's no longer as useful

Whumpee trying to do something with their non dominant hand and accidentally injuring themselves in the process

...I feel like I should do a "a body part a day" thing where I talk about various whumpy injuries

[cuteangsty]

Whump prompt #8

Feral whumpee who was raised as a weapon crying after being rescued:

They cry for the first time when caretaker asks them how they feel.

(Bonus of it's the first time they have been asked that)

(Also bonus if whumper would condition them to say "I'm fine" or ask it mockingly)

Cry when they eat a nice meal for the first time

When they do something wrong and are already waiting for punishment, but caretaker just says it's okay, bc they didn't mean to do wrong.

They cry when caretaker bathes them and brush their hair, so when whumpee sees themselves in the mirror, they don't recognize themselves

Cry when they have a nightmare about their past.

Aa

[mortifiedatbeingknown]

"First Impressions" (Pt. 2)

Part 1

Taglist: @whump-blog , @octopus-reactivated , @itsawhumpsideblog , @keepingwhumpwiththekardashians , @maracujatangerine , @taterswhump

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Something was wrong. 

He could feel it, down in his bones. The worker lady shouldn’t have walked away. His cage shouldn’t be unlocked. They were supposed to take his food away, now that it was on the ground and ruined. He would’ve eaten as much as he could once her back was turned, if only everything wasn’t so wrong. 

He hadn’t meant to spill. He wasn’t trying to be bad. He was just too big…and he’d been too clumsy to remember where the bowl was. Now something was wrong, and it was his fault. If only he’d stayed still. If only he’d—

Footsteps. His ears perked up at the sound. Not from a worker; they were too light. And not from an officer; they always wore boots. These were new. New, strange…and getting louder. 

Uh-oh. 

The worker lady hadn’t locked his cage. The only thing that separated him from the outside was a thin curtain. And the footsteps were growing louder. 

Every muscle tensed. A growl began to rise in the back of his throat. And before he could bark a warning, or squeal for help, a hand reached out and pulled back his only shield from the outside world. 

“No!” 

The worker lady shouted too late. The bright sun stung his eyes, and every inch of him was visible to everyone.

Before he knew it, the growl had burst free from his throat. 

The stranger gasped and stumbled back. He growled louder, baring his teeth. Stay back. Stay away! 

The worker woman was at the strangers’ side in a blink. “Are you OK?” She asked. 

The stranger nodded, face pale. 

“I’m so, so sorry! I should’ve warned you. I thought he’d gotten over this because he’d been quiet for so long, but…”  

“H-h-h-h-h-h…” 

The stranger talked funny. Her words got stuck in her throat, and sometimes the only thing that made it out was the first letter. She would’ve gotten beaten for that, if she was a pet. 

“H-he…D…dangerous?” 

“No, no! Like I said, he’s not a risk to anyone. He’s just…intimidating. That’s why I—” 

“Scared.” 

His ears perked up. What did she say? 

“H-h-he’s…scared. Not h-his fault.” 

She…knew? 

The growl still rumbled in his throat, but it was softer now. He wanted to hear her every word. 

“I…I did it too.” 

His nose slowly nudged the cage door open. It creaked a little, causing them to gasp. He stepped forward, his eyes curious. 

Go on. Tell more. 

“W-w-when I was a ch-child.” The stranger said. “It was e-e-easier to growl than t-t-t-t-t-talk. S-so I growled. S-s-scared everyone a-away.” 

He didn’t want to scare. He didn’t want to want to scare. But if they came close, they could scream. They could kick. They could add another scar to the collection. He didn’t want that. He couldn’t help it. 

“That's why I w-w-w-w….w-why I wanted to fos-foster. T-they’re just scared.” 

Like me. 

The stranger was moving forward. Her hand was reaching out. He growled. He growled and snarled, and then took a step forward. Another. 

Her hand rested against the top of his head. He loved it. He hated it. He wanted to run. He wanted to stay. 

The stranger cleared her throat. The noise made him flinch. 

“H-h-he c-comes with me.” 

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

I am very humbled and grateful for all the support my past snippet has received over the past few days. It was never meant to go past the initial scenario of a part 1 and a part 2, and I'm sorry if I raised anyone's expectation of this being a long-running series. Writing is very taxing for me as of late, and I'm trying to not burn myself out while trying to get back into the habit of creating work. Thank you for understanding, and for your kind words.

[jakkon-and-rose-topic]

Cw: Mentions to graphic... sickness, blood, shaking, withdrawals in general, stuff like that, Swearing

By agonizing withdrawals, I mean agonizing. Be warned

(Please leave comments I love reading them, even if it's just a simple oof or F in the chat for this poor man - No he isn't dead)

-------------------------------------------

Jakkon stumbled and leaned heavily against the wall with a soft groan. He needed something, anything. It hurt. It hurt far worse than he'd expected. The Satyr gasped through his teeth, breaths shuddering with every movement as his throat tightened and his lungs shattered in his ribs.

He held onto the rock as best as he could, other hand gripping the fabric of his shirt over his chest as pain pulsed like a fiery heart beneath his skin. “Shit…” Jakkon looked up, gritting his teeth as he tried to level his ragged breaths. He needed to see the others. If not, they might suspect something was wrong. He needed to piece it back together and stand up straight. He could do that. He could handle pain. He could ignore it. He'd done it plenty of times before to fool Rose out of burning herself out. He could do it again.

Jakkon shook the hair out of his face and steadied himself. He managed a level step and quiet breaths, but he funneled all of his efforts into staying upright and could hardly find the control to keep his hands from shaking. A tugging dread crawled through his mind as his fake optimism began to crumble. What if he couldn't do this? What if it killed him? What if he hurt someone?

The Satyr shook his head as he forced an uneven smile and directed his attention to appearing fine. But despite all of his efforts, his heart raced and his focus slipped away. He stepped into the doorway of the main cavern and hesitated.

But before he could rethink his decision, Rose waved with a smile. “Good morning Horns!”

“Morning.” He nodded to her, slipping his hands behind his back as he trotted over and sat down beside her.

“Are you alright? You're awake later than usual.” The Fae raised an eyebrow.

“I’m alright. I will be. Do you have any tea, water, or something like that?”

Rose stopped for a moment, but Morena smiled at him from beyond her. “I do. Would you like some tea?”

“Yes please.” The Satyr smiled gratefully, finally able to let go of the concentration and effort it took to stand, hoping desperately that if he had something to drink, it might loosen the claws of pain digging into his skin from every angle.

“Here.” Morena smiled warmly as she pushed a cup of tea toward him.

The Satyr lifted the cup to his lips as gently as he could. It didn’t help as much as he’d hoped, but it did enough, taking his mind off of the pain for a moment. But the relief only lasted for a moment, as a sudden stab of new agony shot through his shoulder and an intense wave of nausea hit him like a rock.

He flinched, pulling back from the table. “Ah…F- I… I should go.”

“What? Horns! Horns are you okay?” Rose stood quickly.

Jakkon groaned in pain. “Yes… I’m… Fuck, ow, no! No, I’m not okay. Shit…”

Rose’s eyes widened and she started to move toward him, but worry sparked into his eyes as he noticed Rose’s desperate terror and instinctively pulled back to avoid hurting her, standing suddenly in an attempt to back away further. But the sudden motion finally snapped the last string holding him upright and he collapsed against the table, shaking.

“Shit! Fuck! Morena! Get Finn!” Rose tensed, vaulting over the table as Jakkon’s body shrank in on itself and fell to the ground, leaving him to convulse on the stone floor, as Rose began to panic, searching for something to do.

But as she froze, he coughed, blood beginning to foam from his mouth as his body began to shake and jerk violently. “Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!” Rose began to hyperventilate as she ripped the coat from her shoulders and shoved it under his head as a hope that it would help prevent any damage from the stones beneath him as her wings flapped and bright orange Roses rained petals so thick it covered both of them. His hands twitched, fingers gripping at nothing in the air as his entire body tensed and shook with him.

Finn and Morena rushed back into the room. Finn lunged for Rose, eyes widening in horror as he caught a glimpse of what was going on. The harpy pulled her back into the hallway, away from what was going on. Rose resisted his hold, screaming and clawing at his arms as she shrieked for her brother-in-law, terrified beyond anything she’d ever felt before.

Finn closed his eyes, trying to shut out Rose's desperate screams as her nails dug into his skin, just like Jakkon when Eveny had died. Fighting and screaming with all his will to save her, now Rose for him. Though she didn't fight like he had. She fought for her brother, for the last thing she had left.

Find the rest Here

@agirlandherquill @aestheic-writer18 @aalinaaaaaa @cybercelestian @corinneglass @bifluidmax08 @leotheponderer @rivenantiqnerd @kia-is-poisoned @thelazywitchphotographer @baconandeggs-25 @i-hate-happy-endings @ajgrey9647 @carosbee @vyuntspakhkite-l-darling @wisteria-whump

[pxppet]

Day seven of @figuwhump!

A caretaker went to an auction, not really looking to purchase. They saw an angel, wings clipped down to half their length, tied down with a hanging head. It looked so defeated, so small... The expensive price meant nothing, Caretaker bought it immediately, swearing to do something, anything, to give it a better life.

Reference pose below the cut:

[redd956]

Intimidating/Deadly Caretakers

I personally prefer and love a caretaker dynamic where Caretaker is feared, powerful, or highly skilled in a way. Strong, intimating, potentially deadly caretakers. Buff bois, and gorls, all that such...

-Caretakers who are muscular, known to be strong, and don’t hesitate to manhandle all of their problems

-Caretaker with scars (secretly from biking but they’re not telling anyone that)

-Caretakers who are soldiers, villains, unexpected doctors

-Caretakers who are nonhuman and therefor deadly by human standards

-Stoic, quiet, or downright scary/intimidating caretakers where even Whumpee is at a loss

-Caretakers who are feared by Whumper just as much as Whumpee

-Caretakers who aren’t all sweets, smothering, and excessively motherly

-Caretakers who aren’t two-dimensional; where their only personality traits come from the fact that they are a caregiver and caring for someone

-Caretakers who stumble across their whumpees in suspicious ways

-Caretakers donning heavy gear, equipped with weapons, unafraid of dangerous terrain/situations

-Caretakers who are culturally different them whumpee, because my favorite trope is two characters who are culturally different

-Caretakers who glare at the team, and the team scatters or straightens up

-Caretakers who are larger than the other characters, and aren’t just the same stereotypical leader guy that I see everywhere

-Caretakers that defy all the common stoic caretaker tropes, but are still intimidating

[another-whump-sideblog]

Jane's Pets Chapter 97: Miracle (Season Finale)

TWs in tags

Previous

Masterlist

Next

Puppy regrets nodding about Bunny killing Master almost immediately after she does it. This is what anger does, makes her act irrationally in ways that will get others hurt. She shouldn't have encouraged him, it can only make things worse.

She shakes her head immediately after she nods, but Bunny doesn't seem nearly as impacted by that as he was by her nod.

Master lets her and Bunny bring Kitty upstairs and take care of them. They’re hardly injured at all. Just some acid burns on their toes. It’ll make it hard to walk, but Puppy won’t mind helping.

They’re really out of it, so she and Bunny get them set up all cozy on the couch with some snacks.

“I’m sorry.” Bunny whispers over and over to them. “I’m so sorry, I won’t let this happen ever again.”

After Kitty’s settled in, Bunny pulls Puppy aside.

“I think you’re really brave, you know. And strong. And I want you to know I love you no matter what happens.”

He's going to do something really stupid. That's the only reason he'd say that.

Her worry must be visible on her face, because Bunny looks sad.

"It's all going to be okay." He hugs her tightly, then runs off to his room. He can't use his hands, so hopefully he won't be able to do anything too stupid…

She really doesn't want to have to watch him get his hands and tongue cut off. She should supervise him, just to make sure he didn't find a way to cast without hands, but Kitty also needs supervision.

She thinks that if Kitty tries to get themself hurt, she'd be able to stop them, but she's not sure about Bunny. So she stays in the living room where she knows she can be useful, as much as leaving Bunny to his own devices pains her.

~~

You've just had the most wonderful idea.

Everything has magic in it, first of all. Barron (you'll just have to push through the discomfort and think about it) and its books tended to only use twigs, leaves, and rocks, but theoretically anything could be used to cast, especially if it's less refined and closer to nature. And Puppy communicated to you that Jane's blood is important… it only makes sense to use that to cast. You're a genius!

If you manage to kill her, you probably won't be able to cast anymore, but you're okay with that. Magic no longer existing is a small price to pay in order to be free of Jane.

Oh, does that have something to do with how she's not usually affected by magic? If she was made immortal by the same thing that made magic possible, it doesn't seem too crazy to think she wouldn't be impacted by magic in the same way everything else is…

Wait. Wait wait wait wait- her blood has to do with her immortality. Her immortality has to do with the creation of magic, which means that her immortality (and therefore blood) is connected to why magic doesn't work on her the same way. So maybe, if she had enough normal blood in her body… magic might work normally on her, and she might be able to die!

"Jane! Jane! I have an idea on how to kill you! Jane!"

Jane appears sitting on your bed. "My stupid Bunny has an idea? Don't hurt yourself."

"Shut up. Have you ever tried to replace your blood with a mortal's?"

"Yes. Do you really think no one's thought of that before you?"

That's a bit demoralizing, but you continue. "Have you ever had someone cast magic on you while there was mortal blood in you? Oh, oh! And had someone cast using your blood, at the same time? So like, there's a spell on the normal blood and a spell on the immortal blood?"

Jane blinks. "I… not at the same time…" She regains her composure swiftly. "But I have tried those separately. Why would doing them at the same time work?"

You've got her. There's no way she won't want to try. "Well it would probably be impossible to replace all your blood with mortal blood, so it makes sense why that one wouldn't work on its own. As for using your blood to cast… well, did it have any effect when you tried it on its own? Or did nothing happen at all, like when I tried to make you intangible?"

"Nothing happened." Jane is sounding more and more annoyed.

"What spells did you try? I guess that since your blood works different it wouldn't be able to cast the same things the same way…"

"...What makes you so sure that my blood works different?"

Shit, you don't want to get Puppy in trouble. "It doesn't matter. What spells did you try?"

She rolls her eyes, but luckily she doesn't seem to care enough to push it. Maybe she already knew, or figured it out (did you ask Puppy while Jane could've been listening? You can't remember). "Any spell that had even a tiny chance of killing me."

"Hmm… and you cast it? Or did someone else?"

"Someone else. I can't cast, at least not the way mages can. Which I know because I tried, many times."

Oh, it's a good thing you asked, since she talks about it saying 'I' instead of 'we.' You suppose it does make sense for her to think about mortals that helped her in the past as just extensions of herself.

Another idea is starting to form. You've been forcing yourself to think about Barron a lot lately, and its death (along with the others') is fresh in your mind after thinking Kitty was dead. You think 'what would Barron do?' You think about your first time meeting it. 

"Well… your blood, uh, makes more of itself only while it's inside your body, right? So maybe using it to cast would only work if it was still inside your body? I could… I could carve a rune into a rock, then like… cut you open and put it inside you and cast, so that it would have the normal magic of the rock and the weird magic of your blood." Man, this is a pretty gory conversation… Living here has really desensitized you.

Jane tilts her head to the side. "...worth a shot."

"Wha- you've never tried that before?" You were expecting to have to give more justifications as to why it would be different this time.

"I have reason to believe my blood maintains its properties while it's outside my body, but you're right that it only replicates while it's in my veins. So it's worth a shot, even if nothing comes of it. Come downstairs."

Jane vanishes.

This could go very, very bad, but you leave your room and go down the stairs to the basement anyway, purposefully avoiding looking at Puppy and Kitty's reactions.

Jane is setting up some kind of scary looking contraption. You instinctually step back when you see it.

"Relax, it's not for you. You've seen how instantaneous my healing is, this is to hold my arm open while you… hey, your hands are still broken! Go grab Kitty and Puppy, you can instruct them on how to carve your runes or whatever. That works out better anyway, I'd have to cut off your hands if you did it yourself, or no one would believe my threats again."

You run back upstairs. You can't stop the smile starting to form on your face. This might work. This might actually work! Even Jane thinks it might work!

"You guys need to come downstairs. Not for a punishment! Probably. I suggested a way to maybe kill Jane and she agreed! But I need your help cause I can't use my hands right now. Um, Puppy, could you help me get supplies from my room?"

She looks skeptical, but follows anyway. Kitty wordlessly goes down the stairs into the basement, walking on their heels.

You direct Puppy on what materials to grab, and then you and her go down into the basement too.

Jane is sitting in a chair that wasn't there before, with the scary contraption beside her. "Alright! Tell them what to do. You two, do what Bunny says for now."

You take a moment to gather your thoughts. Your plan is complicated, so you're afraid you'll miss a step. 

You direct Puppy on what rune to draw on a leaf (you've decided engraving a rock would take too long) and have tell Kitty how to cast a healing spell with the stuff you've already got prepared. Their magic makes you taste sour candy.

You feel the bones in your hands mend. "Perfect, thank you Kitty. First I want to try casting with your blood. I want to see if it can do things like healing and teleporting, since those are the magic things you can do."

Jane scoffs. "My magic doesn't heal me. It keeps me in the state I was right before- it keeps me in this specific state. To call any of my powers healing is ridiculous, the entire point is for me to suffer."

You gasp. She said that so casually, like it wasn't the last piece of the puzzle. Has she said that before? Maybe she has, and you didn't realize the importance.

She's tried so many different ways to kill herself. If the purpose of her magic isn't to make people miserable, what could it possibly be?

Magic responds strongly to intention. Her blood, her magic… what if it only works if the end result is more suffering? 

Okay, drop the replacing some of her blood with yours idea. You just need her blood. "Do you have, like, a bloodbag in your void?"

"I have everything in my void." Jane sets up a blood draw quickly herself. "Will that be enough?"

You nod. You shouldn't need much at all. You know why using her blood to cast didn't work when she tried it before…

Well, you don't know. Which is why this first step is important. You set the blood bag aside. "Puppy, hand me that leaf you drew on like I told you."

She hands you the leaf, her expression unreadable.

Jane laughs. "You know that if this doesn't kill me I'll have to cut off your hands and tongue, right? Since you're casting it yourself."

"Yep." You examine Jane's contraption. "So how does this work?"

"It'll cut and hold the flesh open while you stick the leaf in there. You'll have to do it as fast as possible. Are you ready?" She puts her arm in the contraption and holds down a lever.

You position the leaf right above where it looks like the contraption will cut. "Ready."

She releases the lever and the contraption slices and pulls, ripping skin and then muscle and holding the rip open. You can see the flesh trying to reunite, straining against the contraption. Ew. Jane doesn't flinch.

You thrust the leaf forward into the wound (ew ew ew ew) and chant the spell words, then yank your hand away and pull the contraption off. Her skin mends around the leaf.

Magic responds to intention. Usually that means that it doesn't work unless you have the right intentions, but it can benefit you too. You want the force-field to hold her in place while leaving a hole for magic to get through, and it does. Instead of being a sphere around her, it's shaped the same as her so that she can't move, with a hole over her chest.

"...why did you do that?" Jane looks more confused than anything.

She teleports, but once she reappears across the room the force-field is still around her. It worked! You can't cast spells on her, but you can cast spells on the area around her, and since the leaf's inside her it will move with her, so the spell is always on the area around her! And she can't teleport it out, and she can't cut it out because she can't move her arms. It really worked! So long as you keep the spell up, she won't be able to hurt anyone.

You watch as the realization dawns on her. "Ha ha. So clever. Except the spell will still only work until you lose focus, and with your brain damage I doubt I'll have to wait long… And if I told my Puppy to attack you, she would, and you'd lose focus even faster."

"I know. I just needed… insurance. I need you to not be able to hurt anyone while I try this. Sit back down, I think my idea will work."

She appears back in the chair and rolls her eyes. You pick the blood bag back up.

"Puppy… I need you to cast this spell for me. You… her magic, it only causes suffering right?"

She nods hesitantly.

"That's it's purpose?"

She nods again, and you feel giddy. You were right! Puppy confirmed it!

"So if we want to cast with her blood, it has to be to cause suffering. And I think… you're the only one who can try to kill Jane and see it as a cause of suffering. I think that you're the only one here who's even capable of processing Jane's death as a bad thing." You're not positive, but based on the way she acts around Jane, and some of the things that Kitty's told you… it's possible. Her hatred for Jane doesn't seem to be as strong as yours and Kitty's, at the very least.

Tears well up in her eyes, and she nods slowly.

You hand her the blood bag. "Okay, I need you to, like, fingerpaint with the blood." You describe the rune to her and she dutifully paints it on the floor.

"And then… you need to say the spell words." There are probably other ways to cast without the ability to speak, but you don't know them.

Jane has been watching silently, but when Puppy looks at her pleadingly she speaks up. "I'm not going to give you permission to speak. If you actually think this is going to work, you don't need my permission, because I won't be able to punish you. And if you don't think it'll work… you have no reason to do it."

Tears stream down Puppy's face. You don't know what to do– if it doesn't work, you don't want Puppy getting hurt because of you.

Kitty has been mostly quiet, but now they speak up. "...Puppy. You've got this. If it doesn't work… we'll keep trying, and she won't be able to hurt you– or anyone, because of the forcefield. And… if your worry is about us getting hurt… we're willing to risk that. Right, Bunny?"

"Right."

"Please, Puppy… I can't do this anymore. I can't– I wouldn't be able to go on knowing that we had a chance and we didn't take it. Please."

Puppy wipes her eyes, unclips and removes her muzzle, and hesitantly takes off her collar. Jane doesn't say anything.

You quickly tell her the spell words, and she repeats them. Her tears mix with the blood on the ground.

When she's finished, Jane goes unnaturally still. Her eyes lose focus. Despite how hopeful you were, your first thought is oh, she's fucking with us.

If it worked… she shouldn't be able to heal (or whatever she wants to call it) anymore, right?

You take one of the many knives laid out in the basement and drive it through the hole in the forcefield, into her chest, then pull it out. The wound doesn't heal.

"Guys- guys!" You drop the forcefield and slit her throat. It bleeds and it keeps bleeding and there's not even the slightest pull bringing the flesh back together.

"She's dead. Jane is dead. She's- she's-"

It doesn't feel all that different to when you killed other people under her orders. You feel kind of… numb. Everything feels too quiet. You've daydreamed about this for so long, but you don't feel triumphant like you expected. Just… tired.

And you always pictured dying right after. Sacrificing your and Jane's life for Puppy and Kitty's. But you're alive. You're alive and Jane is dead.

A/N: Everything so far has built up to this... I hope it's at least a little good! Let me know if I should tag anything else, or if you want to be added to or removed from the tag list! Season 4 will begin April 22nd at 5:00PM EST.

Tag list: @eatyourdamnpears @whump-in-the-closet @scp-1296 @thecosmicmap @quins-whump-stuff

@fuckcapitalismasshole

[montammil]

nonchalant whumpee

How about nonchalant Whumpees? They just casually tell Caretaker all the horrors they went through. 

Are they nonchalant about it because they really don’t believe it was that bad? Maybe they put on a facade of being okay and relaxed just to not make the others worry? Or maybe they just don’t know how to honestly express their emotions anymore.

Imagine the interactions they’d have with Caretaker.

“How-- how about that one?”

“Oh, that? That was caused by one of those big knives... what were they called? A butcher knife, I think?”

“What about th-that one?”

“Ooh, that one. Nail gun. I didn’t think it was gonna scar that bad, but I guess it did. Oh, well.”

“I’m so sorry, Whumpee. God, I’m so, so sorry...”

“For what? You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Whumpee, you can be emotional, you don’t need to act like this is nothing. Why are you acting so... so calm about this?”

Whumpee avoids Caretaker’s misty eyes and tries to muster up an honest response, but their mouth goes dry. “It’s getting late, we should go to bed. Night, Caretaker. Sleep good.”

[thewhumpcaretaker]

❤️‍🩹 "At Least": A Recovery Arc ❤️‍🩹

Sometimes I try to think about why recovery and comfort are so satisfying to me, and I realize that they feel constructive, like a mother bird adding piece after piece to make a nest or a clay sculpture slowly taking form as I add more and more comfort, providing first for basic needs and then moving up to deeper desires. It's a creative act, building from a character who has nothing to one who has everything. Repairing and then elevating a broken body. The feeling of "line go up," except the line is happiness. And it begins with "at least." They have suffered so much, but,

At least they feel a kind touch for the first time in so long.

At least they have some water now.

At least they have something to eat.

At least they are no longer in so much pain.

At least someone cares.

At least they are a bit warmer now.

At least they have something soft to sleep on.

At least they have a place to stay.

At least they can talk about what they've been through.

Eventually, this gives way to giving them more and more, things that can no longer be counted as small.

They have their favorite food.

They have beauty all around them.

They have a circle of friends.

They have an animal who they love caring for.

They have achieved something major at work.

They have a lavish home.

They have that wish that they have barely dared to hope for.

They have extreme pleasure.

They have the respect of those around them.

They have revenge.

They have a deep, profound, and unconditional love.

[rainydaywhump]

Kel and Annette after a long day. Ignore the stray hand in the corner.

@i-eat-worlds @pigeonwhumps @den-of-whump @generic-whumperz

(tracked down the pose ref I used to Cyarin on DA, who drew a much better pic than I ever will haha)

[cuteangsty]

Pet shelter Whump (Interactive)

masterlist

finally, I finished the drawing, so where did we stop? oh yeah...

no crate. just the car, back seat (caretaker route)

the lady follows you to your car at the parking lot with the 2 pets on the standard dark blue leash from the shelter, you glace at them. both visibly nervous. the brunette is gently holding the blond by shirt, walking behind him. you wonder if perheaps his sight is worse than you previously imagined. the trainer herself seems skeptcal of letting them loose in the car, but agrees to it anyway.

#984772, the blonde is very eager to jump on the back seat, although a little confuse he is a very good mood, while #860617 had a lot of trouble getting in.

"go on, honey〜! your new owner is waiting〜!" the lady sang quite impatient, trying to push him in as "not rudely" as possible.

"um..." he finally enters the car and crawls to the other pet as fast as possible. he seems to whisper something on the blond's ear as he taps the the seats, the windows and the doors of the car. you try to listen to their conversation, but the only thing you manage to pick up was the blonde huming in agreement, you guess that blind pet probably asked about the crates.

You say good bye to the trainer and start the car, #860617 jolts in his seat. It will be quite a long trip, the shelter was pretty isolated from your small town.

you didn't even notice it, initially but, the blond pet has already opened his window and is enjoing the breeze, tho his good mood isn't enough to calm down the brunette. he is in a very unconfortable position, trembling and clawing the seat. it seems like he has never been in loose in a car before, it makes sense considering he has only had one previous owner. every move of the car causes him to jolt or flinch. you start to think perheaps it wasn't a good idea to let them loose like this.

about 1 hour has passed since you've been driving, the blind pet seems to have calmed down a little, but not much. You're already getting in your neighborhood.

your current inventory:

1 bag of cheap dry pet food

1 sample of a more expensive pet food

2 chewtoys

2 collars w/ leashes (they are wearing)

6 chocolate chips

[jakkon-and-rose-topic]

Cw: Swearing, Alcohol usage, mentions to torture, PTSD, implied Depression, and yeah... just don't read this if you're sensitive.

Uhhh... So... It's a little different. And Weird. And probably has a lot of flaws, but... enjoy?

------------------------------------------------------------------

“You look nice!” Rose smiled at her brother-in-law. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in Blue before.”

“Hey, you look good too Petals.” Jakkon offered her his arm. “But I will admit, you look better in red!”

“Is that what you told Eveny when you had Rune?” Rose took his arm with a sly smirk. Jakkon froze and looked down at his sister-in-law, face turning bright red in embarrassment. “Oh, you are so easy to make fun of!”

“Hey!” Jakkon shook his head, trying to clear the heat from his face. “You… I… Hey!” 

“Take it as revenge for what you said about the red dress.”

“What- All I did was compare the color. It was meant to be a compliment!”

“I’ll take that as a compliment when I’m dead.”

Jakkon gaped at her in fake offense. “Rude! Any man who tries to dance with you has my condolences for dealing with that flame of a tongue you’ve got!”

Rose smirked. “Well, I pity whoever asks you. The two-left-hooves I know couldn’t dance if his life depended on it.”

“What person in their right mind would ever ask me to dance?” Jakkon laughed, smoothing the hair out of his face.

“Hey, Horns? If my sister thought you were attractive enough to marry you, you’ve got to have something going for you.”

The Satyr and Fae both smiled.  “Do you want to go look at the food options?”

“Really? You want to?” 

“Sure! Why not?”

“Alright!” Rose glanced around at the other guests, noting that most of them had something, whether it be a drink or a small bit of food, and let her brother-in-law lead her through the crowds over to a series of tables. 

The two lightly teased one another for a bit, Rose taking a few small fruits, and Jakkon just keeping her company before they ventured back out into the crowds to strike up conversation with Morena and Finn.

Jakkon put his hands behind his back. “So, have either of you tried dancing yet?” 

“No. Um… Not yet.” Morena smiled sheepishly, the tips of her ears tinging pink as Finn looked at the ground.

“Come on! Have some fun! Live a little!” Rose elbowed Finn.

“Now you sound like Jak.” The harpy glanced up and met Jakkon’s eyes. The Satyr broke into a smirk and Finn managed a smile.

“Go on! Have fun you two! Don’t just stand here!” Jakkon smiled at Morena and threw his arms around her. 

Morena smiled softly as Jakkon stepped behind Morena and leaned forward. “Sorry.” Then he pushed her toward Finn. Both jumped, and Finn caught Morena, their faces turning bright pink.

“I… uh… sorry!”

“No, no, you’re alright!”

“Same to you I just…”

Both of the harpies froze, looking at one another before Finn offered Morena his hand. “Well… um… Would you like to dance?”

Morena smiled and took it. “Yes. I would. Very much.”

Rose held up a fist, and Jakkon bumped it with a smirk. “Mission accomplished.”

After a few minutes of silent celebration, Rose and Jakkon snuck through the crowds to watch the slow dance. The two harpies stumbled over their talons a few times, this particular dance not fit for them, but they came back holding hands and laughing. 

“So, have fun?” The Satyr smiled.

“Yes, no thanks to you!” Morena smiled at him and hugged him. “Thank you.”

“Just doing my civil duty ma’am.” Jakkon gave her a fake salute and Rose smirked.

But suddenly, a voice interrupted them. “Finn! It’s good to see you!” 

Rose eyed the newcomers but leaned against her brother-in-law. “Hey Horns, how many times do you think you’d fall over if you tried to dance?”

“Every step!” He laughed as someone in the crowd moved and he caught sight of a painfully familiar figure with the group talking to Finn. Pale skin, sharp ears, and cold piercing eyes. The smile on his face faded as his pupils constricted in terror, and he flinched back.

“Huh? Horns?” Rose reached out to him, but Jakkon pulled away from her as the figure turned, a long black braid rested against the golden buttons on his suit. 

Just as Jakkon was about to run, the cold, hissing voice called out cheerfully. “Jak! It’s good to see you here!” The Satyr flinched, shivering as he closed his eyes. But the elf ignored his obvious fear and grabbed his wrist, faking a handshake as he pulled him back. “Are you… enjoying yourself?”

Jakkon froze, his shoulders slumping as he looked down at the ground. “Yessir. It has been… very nice. Thank you for inviting us.”

“Glad to hear you’re grateful.” He smiled. “Now who’s this lovely creature?” He let go of Jakkon, turning to Rose as he took her hand and kissed it.

“DON’T-” Jakkon stopped himself, “touch her.”

“What was that?” Eynalis turned back to Jakkon, his eyes narrowing.

“I… I uh… N-nothing sir. Please don’t touch her... She’s my family. I wouldn’t want anyone getting any ideas!” He laughed nervously, pulling Rose away from the elf, who smiled, knowing he now had a good method of keeping Jakkon right where he wanted him.

“Who is this?” Rose tilted her head.

“Yes Jak, don’t be rude. Please, introduce us.” The Elf grinned.

“Um…” The Satyr shifted. “Rose… this is Eynalis. He… he’s my boss. And our host. He’s been like a father to me since I got this job. Eynalis, this is… my sister, Rose.”

“Ah! It’s good to meet you, m’lady!” Eynalis grinned, shifting the glass of wine in his hand.

Rose glanced at Jakkon and lowered her voice to a whisper. “Why are you so desperate to leave? He doesn’t seem so bad.”

“I- I… um… I don’t… never mind.” The Satyr avoided her eyes as Eynalis grabbed back onto his wrist.

“Yes! Why are you so eager to go somewhere Jak? Are you… afraid of being tied down?”

Jakkon gasped a shaking breath. “I… No sir…”

“Good!” Eynalis grinned. “You know Jak, emotions are so fleeting. Like the love of flowers in spring.”

Eynalis tightened his grip on the Satyr’s arm as he gasped a shaky breath. “I’m so glad you work for me. There are so many things you’re capable of in this fleeting world. There’s so much fun to be had at parties like these you know. Do you remember the last time we had a meeting?” Jakkon froze, horrified as he remembered the screams of Eveny and Rune. “Or what about when you met my friend? Such good times!” The Satyr flinched back, air not reaching his lungs at the mention of the serial killer and the memories of Eveny’s cold dead eyes and ashy flesh. He stumbled back as Eynalis’ magic seeped through his skin, flaring the pain and the memories as the Elf’s grip tightened, crushing Jakkon’s wrist.

He leaned forward. “You know she held out hope for you until the last moment. Your little boy might still be alive if you hadn’t refused? You’re my son. Do you want me to take that pain away? I could. Just give me a knife and a few minutes.” Eynalis straightened. “But Rose! I don’t know a lot about you dear! How do you know Finn and Jak?”

But the voices blurred together as Jakkon's hands flew to his face, thorny whips of icy fire slicing through every inch of his skin, weaving through his whole body like a sewing needle fastening him to blood and bones swallowing him whole. His hands reached out of the void for help only to grasp the blades of the knives which drew screams from his family's lips. 

… 

Rose pulled away from the strange Elf. “Thank you for your time Mr. Eynalis. You're very kind. But I think I ought to discuss a few things with my coworkers. I hope you understand.”

“Of course my dear! It was a nice talk! I hope to meet you again another day.” He kissed her hand, holding it a little too tight as Rose pulled back.

Eynalis waved and trotted off into the crowd, leaving Rose alone. She glanced around. “Hey, Horns-” But the Fae stopped as she turned, confused and startled to find that Jakkon wasn't beside her. “Horns?” She looked around frantically, eyes wide. The Fae whirled around and lunged for Finn, yanking him toward her.

“Hey? What?” The harpy raised an eyebrow.

Rose lowered her voice and hissed through her teeth. “Have you seen Jak?”

Finn froze and turned, looking around the room. “Wasn't he with you?”

“He was! But I… he's gone!”

“Shit. Uh… try looking around, ask for him. The servants might know!”

“What? Why would they know?” Rose's breaths came quicker as she began to panic. 

“They're your best bet, they're everywhere.” Finn shrugged. “Listen, Rose, I'm not a detective, alright? I may not like Jak, but I want him to be okay. You got this Rose.”

“Thank you, Finn.” 

“You're welcome. Tell me if there's any way I can help.” The harpy smiled encouragingly at her.

Rose shook her head and raced off, lifting her skirts just enough so she wouldn't trip on them as she asked any guests she ran into, but none had answers until she moved past the tables. Two servants leaned against the wall arguing in hushed tones, catching Rose's attention. 

“Why the hell did you let him take those?”

I didn't! He asked how many we had and what they were for, and then when I showed him, he took them from me. I mean, good riddance they're gone. But I'm a little concerned.”

“A little? Aeridine could kill a man!” Rose froze at the mention of the name. Aeradine, generally used as a painkiller or as a party drink for the more animalistic species like Aperrunai or Ferrakin.

“I've seen him before. He's one of us…” The second servant stared up at the ceiling as Rose stopped to listen. “Eynalis has him on a leash. He's terrified of boss. Rightfully so.” He shuddered. 

“Oh…” The first stopped. “Oh no, oh shit… we can't leave our post, but we have to help him. That's… oh no.”

“We need to get someone… but who will listen to us? Who won't tell boss?”

Rose perked up. “Hey! You two. Who are you talking about? I'm looking for someone!”

The Second servant paused before the first one elbowed him. “Um… Dark brown hair, almost black, long ponytail? Curly Horns, Dark red eyes… Oh shit… Was that Jakkon Erwhyn?”

“Yes!” Rose grinned. “If that’s who it was I need to find him!”

“How did we not recognize- uh, he went that way! Please help him! He didn't look good when we saw him!”

“Will Do! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Rise bolted off in the direction the servant had pointed until she found a large door. She took a step back, staring up at it in uncertainty. But a flash of blue caught her eye, and she turned, a ripped piece of blue fabric torn on the thorny branch of a tree. 

Rose steeled her resolve and shoved the doors open. But she froze in her tracks as her eyes landed on the familiar thin figure of Jakkon, slumped at the bottom of the steps, one of his arms wrapped around himself for warmth as he drained the remainder of the silver bottle.

“Hey! Horns! Horns, stop it! Are you okay?” Rose hurried down the stairs, then yelped in horror as she tripped on her skirt and fell. Jakkon whirled toward her, falling halfway and bracing himself with one hand on the steps.

“Ughh… Fuck.” But he shook his head and launched himself to his feet, catching Rose in a hug, wavering on his feet as she gasped. The fae just managed to gain her footing as she held onto her brother-in-law. 

“Hey, Horns, what the fuck is going on?” Rose looked up at him, wincing at the strange scent of alcohol, but stopped as Jakkon’s eyes glazed over in a dead expression. He murmured something about blood and crumpled to the ground, his supporting arm around Rose ending up taking her down with him.

Rose yelped in surprise as they landed in a tangled heap on the stone, Jakkon absorbing most of the impact as she scrambled back, shaking his shoulders. “Jak! Jakkon! Are you alright? Can you hear me?” But when he didn't respond, she balled her hand into a fist and punched his shoulder.

Again, she was rewarded with nothing. No sound, no movement, simply shallow raspy breaths. “Fuck. Finn!” Rose launched herself to her feet and ran back to the party. “Hey! You two! Find a Harpy named Finn for me, will you?”

“Yes ma'am! Is he alright?”

“No. That's why I need Finn. Tell him Rose sent you.”

“Yes ma'am, understood!” The second servant raced off as Rose returned to Jakkon to find him curled up, shivering lightly. She cleared worried tears from her face and picked him up by both arms, trying her best to drag him over to the railing so she could prop him up correctly. 

…

Jakkon sat up to find himself in a dark room, tangled in a thick white blanket. He pressed the heel of his palm to his forehead with a muffled groan of pain. But he just sat there for a moment, head in his hands, as his thoughts returned to him and he kicked the blanket to the side.

What’s the point? What’s the point of living a life like this if I live just to be tortured and reach sleep in the next few hours? Why do I care? Rose won’t forget me no matter what I do, so why do I keep trying to make her? They all love me. But why? I’m worthless. I live three hours in misery just to live the next five in agony. He flinched, reaching into the pocket of his overcoat and pulling out the glass shard he’d kept, staring at it. What’s the point of living if there’s no way to feel anything but hollow? Why should I care? I’ve only done damage by living. What do I care about? My family. I need to protect them. But how? By taking away the danger in their life. And that danger… He paused, looking down at the glass and his hands. Is me.

@aestheic-writer18 @ajgrey9647 @agirlandherquill @aalinaaaaaa @generic-whumperz @angst-is-love-angst-is-life @rivenantiqnerd @goldencomet69 @lumpofsand @blueberryseast1 @cybercelestian @chainsawpuppy88 @baconandeggs-25 @corinneglass @carosbee @danielleitloudernow @darkandstormydolls @illarian-rambling @idunnobutliaiscool @katwritesshit @kia-is-poisoned @phoenixradiant @thelazywitchphotographer @whumped-by-glitter @vyuntspakhkite-l-darling @i-hate-happy-endings @randomfixation @leahnardo-da-veggie @oliolioxenfreewrites @caffeinatedscorpio

It's done :]

[pxppet]

"Tell me, and do be honest. For what purpose did you steal me?" Elliot points the fingers of his touching hands at the scientist like a stereotypical Sherlock, a contemplative grin on his face.

They look up from the papers they had been shredding across the room, turning in their rolling chair to face the ALTR. "I told you, and while I don't mind telling you again, I wish it'd sink in: I saved you from that awful place. You lived a long, dreadful life and- and you're only 19, yet. It's not- I needed to-" They sigh, massaging their temple to knot out the stress.

Elliot picks at the sleeves of his sweater, distant. His entire right hand is bandaged in gauze from an 'incident' during his transport. But Elliot is used to incidents, particularly ones where he is the culprit. "Where did the clothes you dress me in come from," he tests, immediately getting his answer as the scientist stiffens and turns their chair away slightly, half going back to destroying documents, half considering if Elliot even needs verbal confirmation.

"From the store, Elliot. Remember the store, the big store I went into and you had to hide in the car?"

"Store," Elliot tries out the word on his tongue, giving a hum of approval. "So, doctor, was it a spouse or a chil-"

The scientist slaps their own leg in shock and turns around to look at him with eyes that shut him up immediately. When they see him shrink under the blankets with his wide, orange eyes, they immediately untense and correct themselves. "Im sorry, it's okay. It's- it's not polite to ask certain questions. I know the testers don't... hold back on you ALTRs, but out here, people don't ask such personal things."

"Have you ever experienced a terrible occurrence that impacted you significantly," Elliot mumbles under a breath, almost too faint to be heard. The colour is gone from his face, and he suddenly lies back down, quieted by being startled.

The scientist licks their lips, brow creasing with pity. "I have supplies for burritos tonight. It's something you've never tried before. It has meat. You'll like it." They turn back around and gnaw at their lip with guilt as they resume their tasks of covering up Elliot's vanishing.

"Doctor," he calls softly over the whirring of the shredder. "Thank you for letting me wear your child's sweater." He yawns, seemingly exhausted into frail sleep yet again. "I think it is the only clothing I've ever enjoyed. I will get no blood on it."

The blunt confession is the first outright thanks they've received so far, and their hands clench shakily around the papers. They blink away tears. What do you even respond to that with? What could possibly addendum such a genuine thanks?

They turn back to face him, mouth already forming words, but when they see him, he has gone back to sleep. They sigh. They will shred papers. Then they will make burritos. Then they will care for this strange and wild little ALTR as much as they can. No matter what.

[another-whump-sideblog]

Jane's Pets Chapter 98: Aftermath

TWs in the tags

Previous

Masterlist

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Puppy can't stop crying, and she doesn't know why.

This is good. Great, even. If Master could've prevented herself from healing, it would've come up by now, she's 98% sure of that. This is exactly what Master wanted. This means they won't be hurt anymore. She should be overjoyed.

But there's that 2% of doubt. The fear that this is a test makes Puppy want to put her muzzle and collar right back on. Every second she doesn't is another infraction, another reason for Master to punish her. Still, that's not the reason she's crying. It's something deeper than fear.

Is she grieving? For Master? She wanted to die. This is the best thing for everyone. The world has already gotten better because she died. 

Still, it hurts to look at Master's body. She looks the same as any mudered child would. Puppy had always thought Master's corpse would be smiling if she somehow managed to die, but it's not. She just looks like a corpse, like someone sleeping with their eyes open.

Puppy closes Master's eyes. She really doesn't know why she's crying. Why is this so painful? This is the good ending. The outcome so good that she tried not to even think about it as a possibility because hope just hurts. If she can't be happy now, will she ever be happy?

She supposes that if Master's death didn't cause her suffering, she wouldn't have been able to kill Master at all. Maybe this is just how the magic works. She hopes it doesn't last long, she's not much use to Kitty and Bunny like this.

Strong arms wrap her in a hug. 

"It's okay, it's okay." Bunny says, gently rocking back and forth. "We're safe, it's okay, it's okay for the first time in years. We're okay. And it's okay to cry. Let it all out, no one's going to stop you."

She lays her head on his shoulder and cries until she has no tears left, which isn't long at all. She's going to have to drink water without permission, eventually. She shudders.

“It would’ve come up by now if she could… leave her wounds open like that, right? In your opinion?”

Puppy nods.

“That’s what I thought! Like, I don’t think she had the patience for such a long trick.”

Puppy doesn’t either, but she's been wrong before.

“Um… I know it’s probably going to take a while for you to feel comfortable talking. That’s okay. It took me a while to feel comfortable without the collar, when I was… gone. And it’ll probably take a while again. So just know… it’s okay. There’s no rush. But also, I’m really excited to talk to you again, whether that’s today or years from now or anything in between. I’m excited to get to know you outside of Jane’s control— and to get to know Kitty outside of Jane’s control, and for you two to know me.”

It was just days ago that Puppy broke his hands. He was able to heal them, with Kitty’s help, but she still did it. It scares her, that he thinks there’s a real her hidden beneath what Master made her into. What if he’s wrong? It’ll hurt him so badly when he realizes he’s wrong…

Because she didn’t have to break his hands. Jane didn’t make her do that, she did that to stop Bunny from casting because she thought it was impossible for Master to die, and she was wrong. She made the wrong choice, and that’s not some simple mistake. She broke the hands of one of the two people she loves most in the world for no reason. She only made things worse.

She wants to apologize. She tries, but just the thought of speaking makes her throat close up with fear.

She thinks maybe this is part of why she was crying. She did so many horrible things under the assumption that there was no alternative, and it turns out there was. Master’s death is the death of her ability to justify how much she’s hurt people. She can’t push away her guilt without that justification, and it swallows her whole.

She should just die. She’s just like Master, the world would be better without her. Death was the answer to Master's problems, so it can be hers, too. She should just stay by Master’s side until she dies of dehydration like Master would want her to do. That would help the others, too, because Master would never let her die so quickly if she was just tricking them, so they could be even more sure Master is truly dead.

“I think… we should go upstairs.” Kitty says from somewhere behind her. “I don’t want to be here if we don’t have to.”

Puppy shakes her head. She’s not going to leave Master’s side. It’s the best for everyone.

Bunny hugs her a little tighter. “Puppy shook her head. Um… I don’t want any of us to be left alone right now…”

Kitty sighs. “Alright. So… what do we do now?”

Puppy wishes she could go upstairs. Obviously Bunny and Kitty don’t want to be here, and they’re staying for her. Just more suffering she’s causing them.

Bunny is quiet for a moment. "…What if it's not real? I feel so sure that if she could do that while she was alive she would've done it by now… but I felt so sure that Barron's magic could protect me, too. And that she was a safe person to follow home in the first place. And even after all the times I tried… it feels too easy."

"Well, you had doubts… you just pushed them away, right?"

"Well, yeah… Yeah, I guess that's it. I don't want to push the doubts away this time, and I'm afraid she's not actually dead." He goes quiet again, then starts laughing. "Fuck, I'm so stupid. If she's dead, magic won't work anymore, right?"

Bunny lets go of Puppy and gets up. "Magic doesn't work if you're trying to prove something, so I'll try to heal one of you. Um… I'm more certain that it might work on the Puppy's pressure sores than on acid burns, so I'll try that first."

Puppy lies down on the ground facing Master while Bunny collects his materials. Master's blood is mostly dry now.

Bunny says some words and does his thing, and Puppy doesn't feel anything change.

"We would definitely know if she could just… get rid of magic, right?"

Puppy nods. Master hated mages. The chance of her having the ability to get rid of all mages and not using it until now is even lower than the chance of her having the ability to not instantly heal and not using it until now.

"So– I mean, I could've wanted to prove she was dead badly enough to skew the results, but still. I also really wanted to heal you. This is– we have much more evidence that we're free this time than we ever had before, right? So we're not pushing away doubts, we're disproving them! Like, I ignored the sketchy things going on here when I first got here. I ignored how certain you and Puppy were that escaping wouldn't work, and how magic doesn't affect Jane the same way as it does everything else, when my only evidence I was safe was Barron's magic. I ignored evidence, but I'm not this time. The only evidence we have that she's alive is that she's tricked us before. And if we encounter more evidence, we definitely shouldn't ignore that, but for now… I think we can assume we're free. That's– that's what the evidence points to."

"Right, right. And… the worst that could happen if we assume she's dead and we're wrong is torture. Which is bad, obviously, but if we assume she's still alive and we're wrong… we'd torture ourselves trying to stick to her rules. And Puppy would die, because those rules include her not eating or drinking without permission. I'd… honestly prefer the former."

"Yeah, yeah!"

Their voices have slowly filled with excitement throughout the conversation. Puppy's happy for them. Once she's dead, they most likely won't ever have to worry about being tortured again.

"So– okay, I think our first step is– well, I'm thinking obviously we want to move out of here as soon as possible, right?" Bunny asks.

"Right. We can pack up some clothes and food, and Puppy will probably want to take her plushies. Everything else we can leave behind."

Puppy stops staring at Master's corpse for a moment and looks at the others. They should sell a bunch of this stuff, but how can she tell them that? She can't force herself to speak no matter how hard she tries. She turns back to Master.

"Where do you think we should go once we're packed?" Bunny is pacing the room excitedly.

“Well, Puppy knows how to get to the nearest grocery store, so that’s at least a start. Once we’re… around some other people… it’ll probably be easier to figure out our other options.”

“Hmm… Puppy, do you feel good about that plan?”

Puppy shakes her head.

“...Okay, so the first step is all getting on the same page. Do you want to keep living in this house?” Bunny’s voice is full of determination, the same way it was whenever he’d talk about killing Jane.

Puppy shakes her head. She doesn’t want to live at all.

“So we’re on the same page there, at least.” Kitty says. “Sorry for not checking sooner. Do you feel good about us packing up some food, clothes, and sentimental items before leaving?”

Puppy sits up and makes a 'so-so' gesture.

"Um… is there something else you think we should bring?"

Puppy makes another 'so-so' gesture.

"Hm…" 

Both Kitty and Bunny seem fairly stumped. Puppy guesses that's fair, she probably wouldn't be able to figure out what she meant either if she was in their shoes. Even if she can nonverbally convey that she wants them to sell stuff, how could she instruct them on who to sell it to avoid unwanted questions?

She'll have to write it down. The idea scares her, but not as much as the idea of speaking does. She guesses she's never actually been punished for writing or signing without permission, because by the time those rules were established she was already very obedient. Thinking of speaking without permission brings to mind burning hot barbed wire digging into every part of her body, but thinking of writing without permission just brings up a general fear of disobedience.

She can't die yet. Bunny and Kitty need her. She'll probably have to be the one to actually sell the stuff, too. She sighs and scoops Master's body into her arms, then heads upstairs.

A/N: Let me know if I should tag anything else, or if you want to be added to or removed from the tag list!

Tag list: @eatyourdamnpears @whump-in-the-closet @scp-1296 @thecosmicmap @quins-whump-stuff

@fuckcapitalismasshole