the kennel, part twenty

part of the the kennel (masterlist here). long time, no write! a follow-up to this ask. the taglist isn’t working for whatever reason, so please keep this visible if you are so inclined.

content warnings for: extreme dehumanization, conditioned whumpee, heavily implied noncon, human trafficking, cages, brief references to mouth whump, cold exposure and related maladies

part twenty, two by four

Will’s cage is still empty when the evening feeding is over. The others are in the recreation yard, relieving themselves before they return to the kennel for the evening. Annie doesn’t watch them the way Doc does. She knows that it embarrasses them, and she knows just as well as they do that there is nowhere they can run. Pets get spooked sometimes, she knows. Sometimes, they take off without knowing where they are going. But they never get far, so Annie doesn’t need to worry. 

Instead, she stands at the deep stainless steel sink in the grooming annex, rinsing the dinner bowls of the rescues who aren’t on rations. She made a big pot of mashed potatoes tonight. Frozen peas and carrots. Things that are easy to gum or swallow as they might need to; some of their training makes soft food a necessity. 

Jack is in bed, Carl curled behind his legs. The room is dark and quiet. He tugs at the drawstrings on the hoodie that Joe left out for him after his bath; he's too warm, but Joe wants him to wear it, and so he will. The hood puddles around his gaunt face.

"Ivan said I was a quick study," he whispers. "He said I was a smart boy. That I knew how to behave. I think that was his favorite thing. It's--it's what he trained me for. But Joe?" Jack rolls onto his back, letting his hand move absently over the crown of Carl's dark head. "I don't think he has a favorite thing. I thought I would be what he wants, but I'm not."

a little noncon whump scenario beneath the cut

Looking at puppy adoption pages, and thought of the ad copy the WRU team (or Doc) might write.

Jack, 24. Jackie is a sweet boy who's finally realized his full potential. Calm and obedient, Jack would be an ideal companion for an owner who can appreciate his gentle personality and unique qualifications. He comes completely prepared for an active owner and absolutely loves to play with all manner of toys. He responds well to physical affection and would be happy to snuggle up with you anytime.

Champ, 23. Champ is a gorgeous specimen who's been well-trained to provide his owner with hours of fun. He is active and prefers physical play, even if he may seem a bit shy at first. He is easily motivated by affection and treats, just like a good boy should be.

Will, 23. After a bit of an intensive training period, Will may look a little rough around the edges, but he's ready for an owner who will lavish him with special attention. He is a quiet boy who does best away from other pups, but if you're willing to put the time in, he'll do whatever he can to please you. He can be a little food aggressive, so it's best to keep him on a regimented diet and a short leash.

Hello, kind anon!

First of all, THANK YOU! I am going through a big dry spell with my writing right now, and I appreciate all of your kind words more than you can possibly know. Impostor syndrome is real, and we all need reminders to help us feel a little bit more confident, so--thank you so much for that. <3

Second, I think, when it comes to writing villains, the most important thing is remembering that they are their own heroes. Ivan is a shit, yes, but he believes in his own scientific mission, he believes that he has been wronged by Joe, and he believes that he is helping Jack fulfill a destiny that he might have missed. Ivan is just an instrument of science; this is what Jack was always meant for; and Joe deserves the pain of watching Jack fall away because he is the bad guy for not having given Ivan what he wanted back in the day.

If you find your villain's rational motivation for being a villain--for Ivan, it's science and little petty revenge; for Doc, it's a delusion that he's helping people who would otherwise be forgotten and doing it better than WRU--it's easier to write them with complexity. Your readers know your villain is awful, but your villains don't! Why didn't Joe love Ivan? Why didn't Doc's wife understand his rescue operation? They're just people out there peopling, and why doesn't everyone get what it is they're trying to do?

Real people who do bad things--unless there is something very specific amiss in their mental chemistry--sometimes don't understand why what they're doing is so bad. Sometimes they feel remorse too. But their behavior is driven by extremes that I think they either aren't entirely aware of or would believe are beyond their control. They aren't cartoon characters, and perhaps they aren't even inherently evil, but they are deeply flawed.

TL; DR--humanize your villains and see where it leads you.

the kennel, will & his dad reunited

part of the kennel. follows will's rescue; master list here.

content warnings for: graphic descriptions of bodily injury and scarring, med whump, mild body horror, references to mouth whump, references to past noncon, hospitals, absent parents, unconscious whumpee, aftermath of captivity, adult language

after will's rescue, the fragile cry

“Mr. Cartwright?” 

Brian looks up, blinking at the woman in front of him. She wears a navy pantsuit, and her dark hair is tamed into a tight, perfect bun at the nape of her neck, and maybe he would think she was attractive under any other circumstances. 

But this woman is here because of Will. She’s Brian’s handler, meant to keep the news of Will’s recovery underwraps until the Bureau is ready to put out a press release. Until they know what they’re dealing with. 

Brian Cartwright hasn’t seen his son in 293 days. 

He isn’t supposed to keep track–the counselor he’s been working with says that it isn’t necessarily helpful to watch the time so closely–but Brian can’t help it. He keeps a running tally of the days in the corner of his desk calendar. Sometimes, updating the long line of hatch marks is the only thing he remembers to do when he goes into the office. They don’t expect much from him, of course, and they won’t fire him; no one fires the guy whose son has been kidnapped. 

Hi. I still exist. Summer break is coming. Drop me an ask with any Jack n' Joe or Tommy n' Will content you may desire. Give me some inspo. I beg.

behavior modification, jack's recovery

part of behavior modification (masterlist here). takes place after lightning glass, and references events during jack's captivity, specifically this piece with vile whumper bill chester.

content warnings for: EXPLICIT noncon, references to previous CSA, threats of noncon body modification, knives and related injuries, bbu/bbu-adjacent, intimate whumper, some blood, brief suicidal ideation, consensual spice, adult language

jack's recovery, a special secret

“What do you want, Jackie?” 

The question still makes Jack’s heart stop. It’s been the better part of a year; he should know it’s okay to want. And he does, in theory. It’s just hard to remember sometimes. But it’s easier when he looks at Joe. 

the kennel, part nineteen

NOTE: I swear to goodness I am working on Jacky and Joe, but this just came out today, so here it is.

part of the kennel (masterlist here).

content warnings for: EXPLICIT NONCON, extreme dehumanization, extreme pet whump, filmed whump, creepy/intimate whumper, human trafficking, forced nudity, cages, restraints, collars, threatened electrocution, dissociation

part nineteen, reduced to an object

They leave Will in his cage for days. 

Well, that’s not quite true. He hears the door open and shut, feels Annie’s feathersoft touch on the sole of his foot, but he doesn’t let himself stir. Or maybe, he doesn’t even think about it. Maybe he just doesn’t move because he can’t. Like, he cried himself into oblivion after Annie cleaned him up, and now there’s nothing left. 

Maybe it’s better that way. 

the kennel, part seventeen

part of the kennel. masterlist here.

content warnings for: heavy mental manipulation, aftermath of noncon, nudity, references to mouth whump, captivity, extreme dehumanization, human trafficking, parent whumper

part seventeen, a part of it

It takes longer than Annie thought it might to get Will clean. 

It isn’t like she’s never cleaned up the rescues before, but it’s been a while since–well, since her father’s hurt one of them this badly. 

the kennel, part fifteen

part of the kennel (masterlist here). follows this piece directly. not copy edited quite as stringently as normal, but i really wanted to put it up before i went out.

content warnings for: aftermath of noncon, references to filmed whump, breeding, mouth whump, human trafficking, and murder, extreme pet whump, extreme dehumanization, forced nudity, brief suicidal ideation

part fifteen, something like relief

The others see when Doc carries the black-collared mutt out of the pole barn. 

Some watch through glassy eyes, and they don’t think anything of it, because months in Doc’s care have silenced their thoughts completely. They might have cared when they were people, but they aren’t people anymore.

Some see the smears of blood on the boy’s naked legs, and they look away, because they remember when it happened to them. They know he’ll get used to it in time. They did.