No sign of any sunshine yet and it took me a wee while to crawl out from beneath the duvet. I'm upright ... just about decided on which way is truly up ... and still wishing pain, lots of pain and a damn good fonging (as per A Knight's Tale) on the 'blessed' little insect that decided to bite and take blood from beneath one of my fingernails. Always fun to wake up to an extremely itchy, swollen and throbbing finger and wonder first of all 'why???' ... and secondly, if mebbe the dream about aliens really did happen, and they really did take a blood sample ... (ponders) ... in which case, could they please improve their technique!!! ;-D
It's 3 hours of easy listening on the radio ... although, anyone that considers the current track of Filippa Giordano's warbling to be easy listening, is on a vastly different plane to myself. Clears the ear wax, exercises the brow furrows and makes me blink a lot (typically I can't find the name of the most excruciating track she performs.) Pretty sure that particular track could be sold as some kind of aid to a facial workout. ;-)
As you can see, the latest little plant (Cranesbill Geranium) has thrown its hat into the chandelier arena, and is trying its luck at setting up home. I wish it luck and a longer life than the sycamore seed. My other (previously indoor) Geranium seems to be pretty happy with its outside life and is blooming nicely. It was ejected (as you may remember) from the lounge due to both Mr B getting overly amorous with it and the mice considering it a delicacy. Heaven help it once the colder weather comes and I have to move it back indoors.
Mentioning the chandelier has put me in mind of an old favourite film of mine, War of the Roses. Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner as a warring couple, and boy does it get out of hand! ;-D If only I knew where my copy of it was (and yes, it's in a box, somewhere in this house) I'd park myself in front of it this afternoon. If you haven't seen it and you're fond of a little dark humour, then it's a good un. :-) The one thing I will never forget from it is ........ don't have the fish! ;-D
Time for breakfast!!! I'm off now, leaving this page to the strains of Getting To Know You sung by Marni Nixon (she dubbed for Deborah Kerr, King and I) ... another fave film :-) So many films, so little time ... no wonder I still think it's a good idea to have the sensor on my gravestone that triggers a film each time someone passes ... gotta have something to do on the other side ;-) ...
Is there anyone who knows about bug bites or stings?
Around Monday/Tuesday I noticed a red bump on my upper thigh, and it itched like CRAZY, like I was itching it subconscious
By Wednesday it wasn't an itchy bump, but a small red spot, didn't itch or hurt and wasn't too warm to the touch
By Thursday it got bigger and darker red, slight inflamed with a ring of pale skin around it, and it started to get sore and warmer to the touch (also I got SUPER nauseous yesterday)
It's Friday now, it got kinda bigger, still inflamed with the pale ring, still warm to the touch and sore, and I really don't know if it's related but I almost threw up, and I can't tell if it's just me freaking out but I feel like. Off, sick even (also for some reason is gets darker red and more inflamed when I shower??)
I probably am just freaking out, because if it was an actually venomous bug I would've noticed symptoms within ours, not days, but still lemme know if you have any idea what might be happening to me
Pictures of the Spot under the cut
In order here's Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday (today)
If this doesnât make your skin crawl I donât know what will :) Look upon the little darling, for reference, and enjoy the show (âżâĄâżâĄ)
âPrevious -Â Masterlist - Nextâ
Ingredients: noncon surgery, âbugâ/centipede sting, loss of bodily control (like of limbs), not being able to breathe
The table was cold.
Not that it was ever warm in that room, ever warm lying on the smooth metal, ever warm with fear and anticipation crawling around in his gut. But today, now, lying on his stomach with his shirt off, Erebus was shivering more than ever. Neteri rubbed his back, her hand warm through the glove she wore.
âThis procedure should be pretty simple, especially if my hunch is right. And, hey, youâre in luck, Erebus, I have to take off your collar for this one.â She undid the buckle, and he couldnât help but smile a bit as she slid it off of his neck. âThere. You look so weird without it.â She crouched down and pointed at his face, eyes narrowed. âYouâre still mine though.â
âIâm sure.â He wished that stupid collar was the only thing keeping him here. If it was, heâd have just tried to force his hand to grow claws again so he could rip the damn thing off. But no, there were plenty of chains and locks trapping him, and he was certain sheâd just force another collar on him if he destroyed this one.Â
Still, it was...nice? To have it off? At least...he thought it would be...he thought heâd feel more relieved when she took it off, free of the constant awareness of the presence of something around his neck, the way it itched, the way it made it hard to breathe if he moved his head a certain way. But...all he could think about was its absence, the way he felt so completely naked without it, despite the fact that he still had pants on. His hands itched to wrap around his neck so that feeling would go away, and he hated that not wearing that awful collar was now more uncomfortable than having it on. No, no, he wasnât going to cry over this, it was stupid that he was feeling this way-
âErebus.â
 He snapped out of his own thoughts, blinking rapidly. âW-what?â
âCould you turn your head for me? Just rest your forehead on the table for a second while I mark your neck.â Mark his-he sighed, just doing as he was told. He was already strapped to the table, so itâs not like there was much else he could do at this point. She rubbed something cold and wet down the back of his neck, probably sterilizing it, and he couldnât suppress a shudder. She then touched it lightly with something small and soft, drawing two lines down to the base of his neck, which sort of tickled, but he was able to keep still. He guessed she was probably using the same paint sheâd used to draw Zander on the ceiling. He was...a little sad he couldnât look at the round little rat since he was lying on his stomach, but heâd be alright. It was just a drawing, after all.
âOkay, Iâm done now, so turn your face towards the door and Iâll get you secured so we can get started.â He complied, taking a deep breath as she tightened the leather strap around his head and gagged him. Hopefully this would just be a quick one, an addition he could just ignore.
Not that it didnât hurt.
He breathed in sharply as she drew the knife along the lines she had made down the back of his neck, cutting two parallel gashes in his skin. She then turned the knife, cutting the flesh in between the two lines, and he came close to screaming in pain. Perhaps worse, though, was the wet plop he heard behind him moments later. Neteri, she...sheâd sliced off a strip of his skin.
He could only imagine what she was replacing it with as she pressed it against the wound. Once she started using her magic, lighting the whole area aflame, sending jolts of pain down his spine, he lost himself in his screams, teeth clenched tightly around the gag. Thankfully, it was over quickly enough, and he had a moment to catch his breath. Why did it have to hurt that much? It hadnât even been that deep of a wound, as far as he could tell. Maybe that was because it had been along his spine? Regardless, he hoped that would be all for today.
Neteri loosened the strap around his head before saying, âTurn towards me, Erebus.â Once he did so, she buckled it down again and then eased the gag out of his mouth. âHow are you doing so far?â she asked as she petted his hair.
âIâve...been better. Was that it?â
âIt might be, but I need to test something first. Just sit tight for now.â She went over to her workbench, picking up a pair of tweezers before carefully opening a small black box and grabbing something inside it with them. He got a closer look at what she was holding as she came back over to him, and when he saw what it was, his stomach dropped.
It was a long, green bug, like a centipede, wriggling between the tweezerâs jaws and fluttering its sets of clear wings uselessly. âUm, w-what are you gonna do with that?â he whined, squirming despite himself. Neteri just placed her free hand on top of his and squeezed it as she lowered the creature down onto his back-
He felt it, it was on him, dozens of little legs pitter-pattering across his skin, crawling on him. âG-get it off. Neteri, please, please get it off.â It tickled the back of his neck, around the base of the section of skin sheâd replaced. âWhatâs it doing Neteri plea-â she clamped a hand over his mouth, her thumb rubbing against his cheek as he whimpered.
âShh, shh, youâre okay Erebus. Iâm just seeing if it can connect to you, I promise Iâll take it off when Iâm done.â Connect to him?! What-what did that mean-oh it had stopped crawling around it was just sitting there it was on his back what was it going to do to him what did connecting mean was it-Erebus felt a momentary pinch at the base of his neck, and suddenly his limbs starting moving, wriggling in the restraints all on their own. Neteri removed her hand from his mouth and looked down at him expectantly, her other hand still gripping his tightly even as his fingers twitched uncontrollably. âAre you doing that?â
âN-no I-Iâm not moving Iâm not doing that why are they doing that I canât stop it is it doing that to me make it stop make it let go please-â Tears were streaming from Erebusâs eyes but he didnât care he just wanted that thing off he wanted it gone he wanted control of his own body back heâd always had that even when he was tied up and strapped down heâd always had that-
There was another pinch, and he felt his limbs still, and they were his again, he could flex his own fingers and squirm against the straps when he wanted to. Neteri put that awful thing back in the box and wiped off the base of his neck where it had...connected to him. âLooks like it can still control you even though it canât connect to your brain, so Iâm just going to do this down the rest of your spine, okay?â She crouched down so she was eye level with him. âAnd then you should be safe from envy demons controlling you.â
âTh-that...okay.â He didnât care what she did to him at this point, heâd take it over losing control of himself like that ever again. Because as much as he hated being in this body, at least it would always do what he wanted it to do, even if his options were usually limited by ropes and chains, they were still there.
Neteri put the gag back in his mouth, and he felt his heart stop as her hands moved to the waistband of his pants, but she only pulled them down a small bit before getting on with the procedure. She repeated her process from earlier, rubbing a cold, wet cloth down his spine and then painting two lines along it. He shivered and closed his eyes, clenching his fists as he felt the knife press into his flesh. She made two long cuts down his back, but the real agony didnât begin until she turned the knife and began to peel off the strip of flesh in between them. Tears leaked from his eyes as the pain trailed down his back, and he didnât know if he was ready for the agony of her healing it again, especially since this one was much bigger.
But, as usual, he didnât have a choice but to lie there and take it.Â
He winced as she pressed the replacement into his back, making sure it was aligned correctly, adjusting its size with her shears, a sound which never failed to make him flinch. Once she was satisfied, she began fusing the foreign skin to his with her magic. It felt like she was drawing fire across his spine, each of his nerves flaring up brilliantly as they were connected. All he could do was scream into the gag and wait for it to reach the end of his spine as the agony slithered down his back. It went by more slowly than he would have liked it to, but it eventually came to an end with one final twinge of pain up his back.Â
Neteri pulled the gag out of his mouth, giving him a cautious smile. âEverything looks like it went well, but how are you doing? Does it still hurt anywhere?â
âIâm-it doesnât hurt anymore. Thatâs it though, right?â
âWell...you see, Erebus, I need to make sure the envy demon canât connect to you anymore, so I have to put it on your back one more time, and if there arenât any problems, then weâll be done.âÂ
âD-do you really have to-â
âYes, I need to make sure I did it right. Youâll be okay, bud.â Erebus didnât know how he could even be remotely okay with that thing scuttling around on his back, but he was completely helpless to do anything about it as Neteri came back over to him with it held in the tweezers. She set it down, and he shuddered, trying to keep his breathing under control. It crawled all over his back, searching along his spine for an opening, but it didnât seem like it could find one. He let out an involuntary whine as he felt it scuttle up to the base of his neck again, and when it stopped there, he feared that it was going to latch onto him again, that this experiment had failed and he was going to have to go through this all over again.Â
Erebusâs fears were realized as he felt a sharp, hot pain stab into the back of his neck, and while he found he could still move, it almost didnât matter, he could hardly control his limbs as he writhed in pain. It was so intense, and maybe Neteri pulled the demon off of him, maybe he was screaming, maybe he had been stabbed with a hot spike dipped in acid, maybe she was yelling âShit, shit, antivenom-â, maybe he couldnât breathe all of a sudden, maybe there was a hand on his neck, another sharp pinch, one he could hardly feel, and then a hand gripping his.
Erebus gasped as his lungs started to work again, taking deep, shuddering breaths amid coughs that tore up his ragged throat. The pain settled quietly, cooling to a dull throb. Neteri crouched in front of him, worry in her eyes as she looked at him. âThatâs it, Erebus, just breathe, breathe. Can you hear me?â
âY-yes,â he choked, and she breathed a sigh of relief, giving his hand a squeeze.
âIâm so sorry about that, I didnât know it would bite you if it couldnât connect, they usually only do that if you try to kill them.â She wiped the tears from his cheek. âI suppose it was angry that it couldnât control you. Iâm glad they send a few bottles of the antivenom when you rent them out or you wouldâveâŚâ She took a deep breath, letting go of his hand and turning around. âLet me get you cleaned up.â
Her hands were steady as she wiped the blood off of his back with a warm, wet cloth. When she was done, she gently wrapped the collar around his neck once more, buckling it and sealing it shut before stroking his back, saying, âYouâre safe now.â He couldnât help but relax at her words, the collar feeling like another layer of protection against being bitten or controlled again. Of course, he didnât like wearing it, not at all, but it just made him feel...safer. Right now. When he esc...when he was allowed to take it off later, after the experiment was over, he was sure heâd be fine without it. He wouldnât feel comforted it by it then. Just...just right now. After what happened.Â
And when she undid the straps securing him to the table and slid her arms under his chest, pulling him up into a hug, he didnât even consider anything but gripping her tightly and burying his face in her shoulder. Why did he feel so safe when she was holding him, sheâd always been the one who hurt him, the one who was turning him into a monster, but here he was, wrapped in her arms like she hadnât just done that to him, like he hadnât almost just died. But this was the only time he could get this kind of affection from her, the only time he felt justified in accepting it, because he...he needed it right now.Â
âIâm sorry,â Neteri said as she tightened her grip, her voice wavering. âI-I should have been more careful, I should have had the antivenom ready, just in case, I shouldnât have left it on you for so long, I-I donât know what I would do if I lost you, Erebus.â He stayed silent as she rubbed his bare back, unsure if he could forgive her right now. It had been a mistake, and he was okay now, but it had hurt so much, and more than anythingâŚ
âI donât want to die, Neteri.â The words left his mouth before he realized it, and suddenly he couldnât stop himself from continuing, âEven after all this I donât want to die, and when I couldnât breathe I was so scared, and maybe I should want to but I donât and d-does that make me weak I-â
âNo.â She leaned her head against his, her hand curling in his hair. âYouâre not weak at all, Erebus. Youâre so tough and strong, and not wanting to die means you havenât lost hope yet that things will get better.â She pulled back, sliding her hand under his chin as she looked him in the eye. âAnd I promise you, things will get better. Iâll never need to use a live demon during an experiment ever again, and after all this is over Iâll fix what I can and Iâll take care of you. I promise you, I will protect you, and I will not let you die, Erebus.âÂ
He had no choice but to believe that was true.
Back in his cell, Erebus stood alone in front of the mirror. Heâd been planning to turn and look at his back, but for a moment he just stared at his chest. He didnât look at it if he could help it, but he couldnât really avoid the initial glance, and now he was locked into tracing the brand over and over with his empty, white eyes. The symbol itself...he might have considered it beautiful at one time, but it...it stood for everything heâd lost. His father, his home, his kingdom, his dignity, his freedom...it meant he was property, a more permanent show of that than the collar would ever be. He watched it rise and fall as he breathed, a part of him just as much as his arm or eyes or tongue. OrâŚhe turned around.
A line of shiny, green insect-like scales, like one long centipede, cut down the middle of his back, extending from a little bit above his hairline on the back of his neck to just below the waistband of his pants. He ran his fingers down it, shuddering at the feeling of the smooth, cool bumps. It wasnât even skin...just another step further from humanity.
Can't believe I've got an insect bite on my butt! Like firstly, how did it even get up there, and secondly, why is it that I'm the only one who gets bitten? No one else in my family does! It's like they target me!
another hot day! I also have a really gnarly insect bite on my leg - any tips for soothing it? I've tried the medicated cream from the chemist but it's worse today.
