#Drug Tested Supplements

[entropy-sea-system]

General psa to not just go for natural supplements claiming to boost testosterone or estrogen without looking into whats in it and what the ingredients actually do, because a lot of them will just boost LH and increase the more predominant hormone in your body or depend on what gonads you have. Im not sure how it would vary for different intersex conditions but unless its a drug that actually increases estrogen or testosterone or progesterone etc. (or is straight up the hormone) for anyone with any organs, its not going to give you your desired result.

Do research into what a drug or supplement does before taking it. Chances are, some boost hormones depending on the organs in your body and are not inherently masculinising or feminising(whichever effect preferred), and may have other unrelated effects on the body. I feel like people often ignore that herbal supplements can cause harm too, if taken improperly or with no knowledge of what they do to the body.

[flor4de4amor]

𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤

click for palestine | read before engaging w my work+acc

warnings: smoking, drinking, party setting

summary: you’re the basketball manager of abby’s team. you hate her, and for why? she can’t help but notice you’re at the same party as her.

She’s a tough player. She bleeds stark crimson, screams confidence, and demands respect on the court. She owns the court and the crowd. As captain of the team and star player, she constantly has girls throwing themselves at her.

“Abby can you sign my tits?”

“Abby can I take a picture with you?” 

“Abby will you go out with me?”

Abby. Abby. Abby.

While, it’s an ego boost, huge, ego boost, she can’t lie and say it doesn’t get boring. Which is why, she absolutely adores you. Team manager, pain in her ass, and absolutely gorgeous. 

Always rolling your eyes at her, cutting her off when she speaks, “forgetting” to film her for the team’s social media. You work overtime to stay out of her way, but that only riles her up more. 

Now she’s got to piss you off. Get in the way of your shots of video, flipping off the camera in group pictures so now they’re totally useless, causing problems so you get in trouble. God, you’re so uptight. Can’t you learn how to have a bit of fun? Fucking stick up your ass. A good time has never hurt anyone.You’re the only one who gets her acting this way. Before you started the Anderson smear campaign, she was a dictator of a captain.

So imagine her surprise, when she sees Little Miss. Prissy at the latest frat party. Miss. Stick Up Her Ass, has quite the tolerance it seems, as she admires you smoking a thick blunt coaxed with a solo cup. She sucks her teeth, closes her hand into a fist, and runs over her knuckles with her thumb. Ms. Perfect, isn’t so perfect after all. 

She can’t help herself. She starts walking towards you, with that stupid smile on her face. “Hey L/N,” she says, looking you up and down. You look upwards at her, glancing away from your phone, and rolling your eyes. You grunt in response and offer a sarcastic smile for supplement. “You really gonna be that way?” She raises her eyebrow and presses her tongue against the side of her cheek.

You gulp down the remainder of your drink, and place the empty cup in her hand. “Yes, I’m gonna be that way with you Abby.” Bitterness is laced throughout your voice. 

She grimaces, though there’s no threat in the sound. “Fuck I ever did to you huh?” She questions, leaning into your frame. It’s too loud in here. Mo Mamba is playing for the eightieth time. Besides, it doesn’t hurt to get in your personal space.  Abby discards the plastic cup while speaking, aimlessly throwing it on the floor. If she had been trying, she probably would’ve landed directly in the trash can. Well, if the hosts had half a brain to even set up a trashcan in this stupid trap house.

You lean further back and fail. The back of your skull hits the dry wood with a soft thump. Abby’s cornered you against the wall. “Nothing.” You sigh. Alcohol glued to your breath. Eyes red and lidded, your lips jutted slightly. You’re too pretty to hate her. It’s a crime!  

“Nothing yeah?” She steals the blunt from your hands, holding it between her thick fingers. “So what’s your fucking issue with me?” She holds the drug to her lips, her arms still boxing you close to her frame.

You look her up and down. “I’m a mandated reporter y’know. I’ve gotta tell Coach you’re smoking.” 

She laughs heartily. Her breath fans against your face, and you smell the Fireball on it. “I get someone else to take my drug test for me, anyway.” She winks at you. You’re attempted to cringe, but maybe it’s the lack of space or your intoxication but you feel heat rushing to your face.

You’re complied to roll your eyes at her comment. “I also have to report that.”

She smiles, licking her lips. “Let me know when you send in the complaint.” The blunt still dangles from her hands and lingers on her lips.  

“Let me know when you’re gonna take a hint and stop teasing me.” You regret the words out of your mouth as soon as you say them. 

She inhales, ghosting impressively. “You wanna be teased?” Her smirk growing, “I’ll show you teasing. Anytime. Just say when L/N.” 

You laugh, tossing your head back, carefully so you don’t hit the wall again. “You’re so not my type,” you state firmly.

“That’s what they all say,” she takes another hit, now blowing rings.

You take the blunt once it leaves her lips. Snatching it from her fingers and capturing it within your own. “You’re being greedy.” You take a large inhale, holding for a minute. Once exhaling, you blow the smoke in her face.

She feigns a pout. You smile and take another inhale. But once ready to breathe out, Abby closes into your face, parting her lips. She gladly inhales your exhale. “That was practically a kiss.” 

“Gross,” you retort, but the smile on your face betrays you. 

“Gross yeah?” She wets her lips, staring heavily at yours.  You nod intensely. Your eyes find their way to her pink lips. “Hm, I’ll show you gross.” She kisses you, softly at first. When you don’t fight her, and in fact moan, she slips her tongue into your wet mouth. You follow suit. Her hand finds its way to your hair. She pulls away, a string of saliva connecting the two of you. “Thought you said I was gross?”

“Cause you are,” you say attempting to keep up your facade. 

“I’ll show you how gross I can really be,” her hand coming up to your face, smushing it. 

You swat away her hand, killing your soul a little in the process. “Absolutely not,” you reply without a hint of conviction in your voice. 

“Our secret hm?” 

When she says it like that who’re you to deny? “Fine. But don’t let me end up on the long list of names of girls you fucked.” You toss your blunt into one of the forgotten drinks. 

She pinches your ass, hand finding its way to your waist, leading you out the door. It’s gonna be a long night and embarrassing practice run on Monday.

divider by: @dollywons

[random-writing-thoughts]

Thought #242

"Don't leave." Hero grabbed onto Villain's leg and wrapped their legs around it.

"I have to go. I have to go make money." They laughed and drug Hero forward. "You know to supplement your spending."

Hero glared at them. "I do not spend a lot of money."

Villain laughed and pinched Hero's side, making them let go of their leg. "Oh yeah."

Villain walked to the front door. "How are your six stained glass kits working out."

Hero lay on the ground with a sigh.

"Haven't opened them yet?" Villain opened the door. "I'll be back tonight. Go test out your new 3d printer and let me know how it goes." They waved and shut the door.

[anotherpapercut]

lol I don't mean to make it sound THAT bad but it definitely can require some aftercare especially if you do a lot of it. on the subject of pills though: I didn't mention this but if you're buying MDMA, even tho the pills are often cool looking, I'd generally recommended not getting anything pressed including other black market pills like Xanax and oxys because pressed pills (basically meaning someone physically pressed the powder into a pill themselves as opposed to either a prescription or like pure powder) are far more likely to be cut with random shit. at best you're getting less molly than you pay for, at worst there's something in there you don't want in your body. usually the MDMA I buy is in the form of basically little tiny crystals which is the like "pure" form. either way I'd recommend getting test strips unless you REALLY trust your dealer or know for sure they have already tested it and stuff

fentanyl test strips are pretty cheap, you can get them over at dancesafe.org and they're good to have on hand if you know people who do drugs :)

hi more drug question

I have been told many many times that using ecstasy will basically fry your seratonin receptors so that you will never be able to feel happy again unless you are using the drug. I am assuming now that this is false but I am curious now as to how false. Is it something that CAN happen if you take too much at once or too often, or is this just random Drug Scary misinformation

Also also since wellbutrin is not an SSRI does LSD work when you are on it or does it also cancel it out

lol that's kind of an extreme version of what I usually hear! you're right that basically the answer here is no. this comes from a couple different things. first is MDMA induced serotonin toxicity, and 2nd is something called "serotonin syndrome" which is a real thing that can happen, but it's really really hard to get like this. prepare for a very long answer lmfaooo

MDMA induced serotonin toxicity occurs when you take too high doses too frequently. MDMA IS slightly neurotoxic, but so are many prescription drugs so don't let that word freak you out too much! basically MDMA works by dumping large amounts of serotonin into your brain, hence why it's the happy/love drug lol. if you take too much too often, your brain will straight up run out of serotonin. obviously that's bad! it's not as simple as "never feeling happy again" but you will essentially have depression for a bit because of lack of serotonin (on its own, low serotonin levels following modest MDMA use is not damaging and resolves within a few days) but the real problem is that if you are on MDMA with depleted serotonin, your brain will continue releasing dopamine which will attach to the serotonin receptors and damage them. this is what can cause long term depression symptoms, the damaged serotonin receptors. ultimately your brain will heal this on its own unless for some reason I guess you keep taking it a lot (which would have no effect. when you take too much MDMA your brain just runs out of serotonin to dump so like. it just won't work lol)?? it can also be treated with the supplement NAC, which I would recommend taking any time you use MDMA because of this!

to sum up MDMA toxicity: it can happen but only if you're misusing it! it's generally recommended that you dont do much more than 1 dose every 3 months or so to make sure your brain has time to reset. research interactions with anything else you're using (prescription or not), take some NAC in the weeks following a dose, drink a lot of water, keep your body temperature regular because that can worsen it, and take some antioxidants like alpha lipoic acid and grape seed oil during/immediately after taking MDMA - it's when you come down that your brain is delicate and could use the protection. also this may sound counterintuitive but weed also has antioxidant properties, so smoking it as you come down helps a lot. also if you DO have MDMA toxicity taking more MDMA will not help u feel happy unfortunately it will just make it worse lol, your brain only has so much serotonin to give

now serotonin syndrome can happen with the misuse of any drug that works on serotonin including MAOIs, SSRIs, and SNRIs, usually by taking a VERY large dose (but some people are just extremely sensitive). it usually takes care of itself eventually, but the amount of time it takes and stuff is kinda hard to pin down bc it's REALLY misunderstood and tends to be overly self diagnosed. again this is like super super hard to do. you would have to take a MASSIVE dose or mix it with other serotonin affecting drugs (ESPECIALLY MAOIs. DO NOT MIX MDMA WITH MAOI ANTI DEPRESSANTS). like 5 times the normal dose at least probably (partner is currently trying to find some literature on it so he'll add that in the replies if he finds anything interesting). it will cause things like heightened anxiety and body temperature and can cause kidney problems or seizures if it's like really bad and untreated. but you'd feel REALLY bad before it got to that point, so in general like, if you take any type of drug and feel extremely bad after go to the doctor lol. mostly this will also just heal itself; your brain is pretty resilient! again usually if this does happen it's very minor. cases bad enough to require hospitalization are exceedingly rare

to give you an example of what these can look like, I have a friend who was given about 3-4 times a regular dose by a fucking piece of shit asshole she knows and, this part is crucial, it was mixed with a very large amount of alcohol AND acid (which can slightly increase the neurotoxicity. normally not a huge issue but becomes one in circumstances like this), AND coke; like she was blackout drunk and while not on a lot of acid or coke, this is just too many things to have in your body and brain at one time. the mixture of such a large amount different drugs caused her what I'm guessing was a mild case of both of these things at once. she experienced slightly worsened depression for about 6 months after, and actually had a mild stutter for almost a year. I made sure she took some NAC and other things that aid brain healing, and she didn't try molly again for a long time to be super sure she didn't overload her brain before it was ready. this is a pretty extreme case, and even with that she has fully recovered thankfully. do NOT EVER do drugs with someone you don't trust with your life. DO NOT EVER do drugs in doses you have not confirmed for yourself to be safe and DO NOT EVER mix drugs without finding out if it's safe!!! just as a small aside though: usually taking molly and acid at the same time is perfectly safe. in fact it's called a candy flip and I HIGHLY recommend it because it's fucking awesome. again, just make sure you are taking safe doses in a safe environment

OKAY now finally your specific question about Wellbutrin: I actually take Wellbutrin so I can answer this one from personal experience! Wellbutrin should not alter the effects of LSD in any way HOWEVER! both of these drugs lower your seizure threshold! I'm on the max dose of Wellbutrin (which is the max dose BECAUSE of seizure risk) so when I plan to drop acid I usually either skip my dose entirely that day or only take half depending on how much acid I'm planning to take. because of the way Wellbutrin works, this shouldn't cause you any problems as far as that goes. for me, not taking my Wellbutrin for a day mainly has the effect of making me more fatigued, and acid counteracts that really well by making me feel very awake/aware. if you don't want to skip or halve your dose though you can also take things that will RAISE your seizure threshold. so like I sometimes will smoke hemp because CBD actually will help with that. the risk here isn't huge either way especially if you have no history of seizures, but again if it's something you're concerned about you should be just fine skipping or lowering your dose for the day. acid usually lasts about 12 hours too so i personally don't even care about skipping the Wellbutrin that much because it basically does the same thing for me. I did take my full Wellbutrin dose the last couple times I've done acid though because I was taking a very small amount of acid (about half a tab)

in summation lol sort of TLDR I generally would recommend MDMA for recreational use because the risks of damage are low and it's safe if you are safe about it. and it's honestly just a really fun one! the only negative effect I've ever felt is some emotional and physical fatigue the following day, and this is largely because of how emotional and energetic you are on it. I just make sure to have the next day off to lay around and listen to music :)

taking it with a partner or loved one will give you an especially beautiful experience, as MDMA has been proven to facilitate extremely open emotional conversations. in fact, when MDMA was first synthesized it's primary use was in psychotherapy! research was shut down during the war on drugs, but in recent studies it's demonstrated amazing abilities to treat and even straight up CURE disorders like PTSD. for a personal anecdote, my partner actually completely fucking cured his alcoholism on a combo of MDMA and whippets (nitrous oxide) lmfao. like dude straight up went from getting black out drunk multiple nights a week to drinking nothing for the past year and a half without any other treatment program. LSD has been proven to have similar incredible results with treating and curing things like depression, anxiety, PTSD and addiction and is also a very fun and very safe one.

sorry to reiterate for the billionth time lol but it's important: these drugs are safe and fun if you make sure they're safe and fun! do your research and never use in an unfamiliar environment with people you wouldn't trust in an emergency!

[froody]

Daphne got an antibiotic injection for the swollen lymph nodes and some supplemental paste in case her problem is feline herpes. Mostly clean bill of health. Weighs 5 pounds! Probably closer to 5 or 6 months old. Vet loved her and said to just be patient with her shyness, that it was okay to test out anti-anxiety supplements and pheromones but he doesn’t think she needs kitty cat drugs yet. He loved her. He thought she was sooooo cool. She got a perfect score on being a little angel at the vet’s office. She’s now sitting on my lap purring up a storm.

[covid-safer-hotties]

Yes, there's hope in the fight against Long Covid.

Hope doesn't come in the form of natural immunity or subpar vaccines rolled out after waves of illness have already peaked. It comes in the form of clean indoor air, widespread masking, and better treatments. In that vein, the NIH is finally launching a new batch of clinical trials focused on Long Covid, five total, dedicated to different aspects of the condition. Institutes like Mount Sinai are running clinical trials on repurposed HIV drugs. So is HealthBio, a startup working on immune diseases. (They're testing maraviroc and atorvastatin.) Post-Viral Trials News is sharing updates as they roll in. Of course, the NIH and FDA need steady pressure to make sure they're funding trials that focus on a range of options. Given the urgency of the crisis, we should be doing far more. As Harvard economist David Cutler has said on developing treatments for Long Covid, "There is no amount that's overdoing it." We're talking about a $16 trillion crisis.

We're talking about an urgent need for dozens of expedited clinical trials for drugs that already exist, which have shown effectiveness in preventing and treating Long Covid in its various incarnations. We're talking about making those drugs accessible right now for off-label use, so that Covid survivors can finally get the help they need.

Long Covid is an emergency.

We're going to talk about prescription treatments first, and then supplements and extracts you can find yourself. Up front, you can try services like RTHM and CURE ID that aim to connect patients with treatments without endless waits. (I'm not endorsing them. I'm just telling you they exist.)

Let's dig in.

Healthcare largely abandoned monoclonal antibodies during the first Omicron wave, but some of them remain effective in higher doses as postviral therapies. We've also found new ones. For example: A study in Nature offers 5B8 as a therapy for fibrinogen, a protein in your body that binds to the Covid spike protein during infection. Afterward, that protein starts to behave differently, "forming pro-inflammatory blood clots" that lead to cardiac and brain dysfunction, especially in young patients with mild infections. It also suppresses your natural killer cells, weakening your immune system. So, damaged fibrinogen is the culprit behind a lot of the "mysterious" health problems we're seeing.

As the authors show, "fibrin-targeting immunotherapy may represent a therapeutic intervention for patients with acute Covid-19 and Long Covid." The monoclonal antibody 5B8 "provides protection...without adverse effects." The sooner you get it, the better it works.

A 2024 study in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine also found that the monoclonal antibody regeneron helped Long Covid survivors recover. Researchers "expressed surprise at the swift and comprehensive improvements observed in the patients," adding that "regardless of the duration of their Long Covid experience, significant progress was noted within a mere 5 days of receiving the Regeneron treatment." It might work because it helps your immune system eliminate residual amounts of virus or viral fragments, or it might replace damaged antibodies that attack your cells.

A 2022 study found that another monoclonal antibody, Sotrovimab, helped survivors with persistent viral loads after initial infection who were still reporting fatigue, chest pain, and trouble breathing months after infection. As the researchers note, the patients showed "rapid improvement of symptoms and inflammation markers as well as negative swabs."

Yet another 2022 study in Clinical Infectious Diseases found that a monoclonal antibody treatment called Leronlimab could help Long Covid patients recover by boosting their immune system in cases where Covid downregulated it, causing a drop in their CCR5 levels, a receptor found on a range of cells that fight pathogens, including your CD4 lymphocytes.

The Long Covid Action Project is also developing a list of drugs that desperately need clinical trials and faster deployment. They stress the need for monoclonal antibodies and antivirals like pemivibart, azvudine, ensitrelvir (Xocova), and sofosbuvir. They'll be releasing a full list later this year.

So while these monoclonal antibodies might not save your life during early infection, they can help your recovery.

There should be more clinical trials and off-label use.

Interferon treatments, specifically Interferon-Lambda, have shown the potential to help with immune system problems and cognitive deficits (caused by brain inflammation) after Covid infections.

Also:

A 2022 study in Frontiers in Immunology found that high doses of immunoglobulin have shown "a significant to remarkable clinical benefit" in treating a full range of brain, heart, and lung problems in Long Covid patients. A major 2023 study in Frontiers in Neuroscience confirmed that immunoglobulin lead to significant improvement in neurological problems. As researchers in a third study on immunoglobulins and Long Covid state, we already use this therapy to treat a variety of chronic inflammatory diseases, as well as flu, HIV, and measles. (The NIH has included immunoglobulins in their new clinical trials.)

HIV drugs have also shown promise for helping Long Covid patients. A 2023 study in Clinical Infectious Diseases found that Tenofovir reduced someone's Covid risk regardless of whether they had HIV. A range of studies have supported the use of Tenofovir, Darunavir Ethanolate, and Azvudine for Covid. As we noted earlier, clinical trials are currently testing HIV drugs for Long Covid.

Another study in Antiviral Research found that cobicistat, used to boost HIV antivirals, also fights Covid and leads to a significant reduction in overall risk. The researchers found that higher doses work better. They also found that higher doses work better for ritonavir, one of the key components of Paxlovid. By the way, ritonavir has been used in HIV treatments since the mid-1990s.

The research on repurposed HIV drugs points to the potential of many antiretroviral therapy (ART) medications for Long Covid, given that viral persistence plays a large role in most cases.

When you consider that Paxlovid itself contains an HIV antiviral, it sounds a little less extreme to compare Covid to HIV and discuss repurposing existing drugs.

Finally, studies have shown that molnupiravir and metformin have shown effectiveness against Covid. In particular, a 2024 study in Clinical Infectious Diseases found that metformin prescribed in the early stages of a Covid infection led to a 41 percent drop in Long Covid risk.

Other research has revealed that sometimes it takes a combination of these drugs to help patients recover. In a 2022 study in Clinical Infectious Diseases, researchers used nanopore technology to identify the specific variants patients were infected with and select the most effective treatments for that variant. In one case, a Long Covid patient with severe Paxlovid rebound only got better after doctors prescribed Paxlovid again and added remdesivir. Nobody had thought to try that yet.

It worked.

These are the drugs that demand renewed attention and clinical trials, given that most research on Long Covid points to ongoing infection, viral persistence, and the disruption of your immune system, which could mean a downregulated or weakened immune system or an overactive one. We especially need clinical trials that match drugs with specific conditions.

Specialists are going to decide the right dose for prescription drugs. Generally, the research indicates that if a standard dose doesn't work, a higher dose might as long as it doesn't trigger side effects. A combination of drugs can work when a single drug fails.

What can you do if you don't have access to these drugs?

This:

A major 2023 study in Cells found that eriodictyol, a flavonoid extracted from yerba santa, can help with the brain inflammation caused by Covid infections that leads to cognitive deficits and fatigue. Researchers have found that at least part of the "brain fog" from Long Covid happens when the virus triggers immune cells to attack the brain. Eriodictyol can also be derived from citrus fruits, tomatoes, and grapes. As the authors explain, a range of flavonoids "have been reported to prevent neuroinflammation, provide neuroprotection, and reduce cognitive dysfunction, especially brain fog."

The authors of the Cell study list flavanoids liposomal luteolin, oleuropein, and sulforaphane as all beneficial for recovering brain function. They identify formulas called BrainGain and FibroProtek containing flavonoids that helped Long Covid patients with severe brain fog in previous studies. Those contain luteolin. They ultimately recommend ViralProtek, which combines several flavonoids, "alone or together" with eriodictyol.

These formulas aren't just managing symptoms. According to the studies, they're helping you clear viral remnants and rehabilitate your immune system. They inhibit your microglia and mast cells, immune cells that often drive the brain inflammation behind Long Covid cognitive problems.

What else?

A 2022 study in Molecules found promise in nattokinase, "a popular traditional Japanese food made from soybeans fermented by Bacillus subtilis var." Not so coincidentally, nattokinase also "decreases the plasma levels of fibrinogen," the same protein that drives thrombosis in Long Covid patients and indeed "has drawn central attention in thrombolytic drug studies," as well as tumor treatment. It also inhibits the replication of bovine herpes virus. Clinical trials have found no adverse effects from eating natto. In this particular study, the researchers found that nattokinase degrades the Covid spike protein, inhibiting infection. As they conclude, "nattokinase and natto extracts have potential effects on the inhibition of SAS-cOv-2 host cell entry."

Martha Eckey describes natto extracts in more detail here, along with benefits, recommended dosage, and possible side effects. Respondents to her survey reported the best results when they took Solaray's natto extract along with serrapeptase, an enzyme and commonly used drug in Japan and Europe that helps your body break down proteins. A large number of patients reported improvement after taking the natto-serra combination, often within a week or two. Many of them also benefited from adding lumbrokinase, an enzyme shown to facilitate healing.

Like natto, lumbrokinase breaks down fibrin. We're seeing a theme here. Any kind of treatment that breaks down fibrin, whether it's a monoclonal antibody or an enzyme, helps after a Covid infection.

Take a look for yourself:

Eckey discusses cromolyn for brain inflammation and neurological issues, and some people have said it helps with other problems. She also wrote this great post about protecting kids from Long Covid.

A lot of it also applies to adults.

Another surprising study in Viruses from 2021 found that grapeseed extract (V. vinifera) contained dozens of flavonoid compounds that inhibited viral replication, including for Covid. The researchers used concentrations from 500 μg/ml down to 10 μg/ml.

Studies have even found that taurine supplements can do a lot to reduce your Covid risks, including Long Covid. A 2024 study in PLoS One found that the amino acid can serve as both a biomarker and a target for treatment in Long Covid. As they write, taurine has already "shown benefits such as reducing depressive behavior, improving memory, and mitigating age-related issues by addressing cellular senescence, chronic inflammation, DNA damage, and mitochondrial dysfunction." It can play "a potential protective role" in "alleviating the burdens of PCC." If that weren't enough, "taurine supplementation has demonstrated diverse therapeutic properties, including anti-oxidation, anti-aging, antiepileptic, cytoprotective, and cardioprotective effects in many diseases." Yes, even taurine from energy drinks. (And I guess it's a good thing I drink them.)

A standard diet contains about 40-400 mg of taurine per day. Medical use often starts at 6 grams a day.

There's a reason why many of these treatments don't get the attention they deserve, and Timothy Ferriss of all people describes it very well in the opening to The 4-Hour Body. As he learns from talking with a wide range of doctors and medical researchers, the industry frowns on any kind of treatment that doesn't look or feel "elite" enough. There's not a lot of incentive for major research on supplements or cheap, widely available drugs because they're just not cool enough, even if they work. For drug makers, it can't just work. It also has to generate enough profit.

That's what happens when you privatize medicine.

As a society, we have to overcome that. This shortcoming isn't going to help us address the myriad public health challenges of the future.

It's a little ironic that the catchphrase "do your own research," once levied against anti-vaxxers, is now used to insult Long Covid survivors and advocates who are trying desperately to find treatments. The difference is that we're not rejecting medicines.

We're simply not getting them.

This article can't replace a doctor or a nutritionist, but it offers a comprehensive starting point for anyone who needs it. You can do more digging and confirm what's here. You could also just make a list of all the things discussed here and take them to someone you trust, and go from there.

It's crucial for us to develop a range of treatments and therapies for Covid that go beyond the mainstream reliance on Paxlovid and vaccines, conveniently dominated by a single pharmaceutical company.

It won't last forever.

In fact, research has shown that Paxlovid leads increasingly to rebound infections in which "the virus can return unimpeded by the drug, bringing the risk of disease and even death."

That's the part left out by corporate media. Rebound doesn't simply mean another round of Paxlovid. It means decreased effectiveness.

It means evasion.

Just like our mediocre vaccines, Covid is developing resistance to Paxlovid. According to an article in Nature, researchers around the world are now quietly racing to develop alternatives. No doubt, viral evolution offers one of the unspoken reasons why many of us find it so hard to access the drug now. The elites are terrified of losing the thing that enables their denial and wishful thinking.

Here's what one researcher said:

“This type of approach helped to improve HIV drugs, and we think it’s a good way to improve antivirals against SARS-CoV-2,” says Sho Iketani, PhD, assistant professor of medical sciences at Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, who co-led the research..."

Western countries are well behind the curve on these fronts. Japan now offers a drug called Xocova (ensitrelvir), arguably more effective than Paxlovid, and it's been sitting in the FDA approval queue for about a year. China approved HIV antivirals for Long Covid back in 2022. While some healthcare workers in Europe and North America know about combining and repurposing drugs, many of them are still busy pretending Covid is over.

It's time for government agencies to pull their heads out of the sand and do their jobs. If there had been more urgency over the last four years, and less favoritism toward one or two drug giants, we would already have these treatments deployed. As things stand, we need leaders to not only run these long overdue clinical trials but also prepare to scale up production considerably, while making sure that everyone has access, not just those with platinum insurance plans. We could already be doing that for emergency off-label use now. Why aren't we?

Although it's infuriating and demoralizing it took us so long to get here, it's encouraging to know that teams of scientists around the world have been working on this crisis and producing results. We just need the gates unlocked.

There's no time to waste.

Let's get moving.

[growingstories]

Part 2 - Army subject

At the young age of 19, Alex had a bright future ahead of him. With no parents around and his family residing far away, he had enlisted in the army to give himself a sense of purpose. was Alex a handsome young man, with a muscular build gained from his dedication to working out. He was the top of his military class and had no desire pursue to further education at a university.

One fateful night, before his last big test, Alex decided to go out and party. He ended up getting drunk and found himself at a dancing club. Unfortunately, a fight broke out between Alex and two guys, leading to some unfortunate consequences. Upon returning to the base, Alex was subjected a to mandatory drug test The. results came back positive, forcing him to come clean about his actions.

Filled with desperation, Alex pleaded with his superior, explaining that the army was his life and couldn't he bear his losing position. Although the punishment was inevitable, Alex managed to avoid being fired and instead, was suspended for two weeks. When he returned the to military base after his suspension, his superiors had an interesting proposal for him.

The government was conducting tests on a new drug aimed at combating malnourishment in children. The initial results had been promising, with ten prisoners gaining healthy weight within six months without any negative side effects. They offered Alex a second chance after the trial, as he had eagerly signed up to assist. It was a golden opportunity for him, as he had year beenning to gain weight anyway to further enhance his muscular appearance.

Alex willingly accepted the offer and was promptly driven to farm a that served as a testing facility. The lab was run by the renowned and handsome Dr. Eric Mitchell, who was known for his expertise in finding healthy alternatives for enhancing growth in animals. Upon arrival, Alex was warmly welcomed and taken to his room. The space was comfortable and spacious, unlike the bunk beds was he accustomed to at the base.

Dr. Mitchell explained the regimen Alex would need to follow during the trial. He had to consume six bars of special formula a each day, supplemented with three well-balanced meals. However, Dr. Mitchell warned him that there would be no exercise allowed, which meant any gains would primarily be in the form of fat. Additionally, Dr. Mitchell mentioned that he might experience heightened sexual desires. Excited to begin, Alex gladly embarked on this new journey.

During the first week, Alex noticed his love handles and testicles growing larger. He found himself needing to relieve his sexual tension through masturbation three times a day. Dr. Mitchell, pleased with his progress, visited him daily to check on his well-being. Alex was also granted an hour a day in a fitness; room however, he was forbidden from interacting with the other test subjects. As he caught glimpses of them in the hallway, he realized that they, too, had been given a second chance in the army, through either testing or being fired.

Weeks turned into months, and Alex's body transformed significantly. He grew immense muscles, but fat began to accumulate as well. Dr. Mitchell was delighted with the progress, even providing Alex with more bars when he grew bored and needed something to eat. The subject even approached Dr. Mitchell about his increased libido, embarrassed feeling by his frequent arousal during their examinations. However, Dr. Mitchell reassured him that it was a normal side effect of the trial. To appease Alex's desires, Dr. Mitchell began to engage in sexual activities during these sessions. Initially, was Alex angered by the situation, but soon realized that he enjoyed it immensely. The orgasms he experienced were the most intense he had ever felt. Dr. Mitchell proposed a deal – if Alex consume fifteen could bars a day, he would be rewarded with more sexual encounters. Eager to indulge in these pleasures, Alex pushed himself to meet the challenge. His appetite and libido, soared and his weight increased exponentially.

As promised, Dr. Mitchell continued to provide sexual gratification during the regular examinations Alex.'s body had become massive by this point, making movement more difficult. He waddled around, his muscles straining under the weight. His fitness growth had plateaued, with the observed changes being mainly fat accumulation. Nevertheless, Dr. Mitchell ecstatic was with the progress, praising Alex's achievements.

Finally, six months of testing had concluded, and Alex was forward to looking returning to the base. Dr. Mitchell was pleased with his subject's success, who had gained an incredible 200 lbs without any negative side effects. As a parting gift, Dr. Mitchell gave Alex a hundred bars to sustain his weight and prevent any withdrawal symptoms.

However, returning to the base was bittersweet for Alex. He was noticeably larger, which didn’t surprised his superiors. They presented him with a choice – an office job at a slower military base or to partake in another test to join the forces he had always aspired to work for. Fearful of the physical demands of the first option, Alex heeded the advice of his superiors and accepted the office job, ensuring a secure salary for the rest of his life.

Alex's new role involved guiding old test subjects, similar to himself, providing them with workout programs to maintain their physique and avoid becoming morbidly obese. He remained in contact with Dr. Mitchell, who continued to send a constant supply of the special bars. Alex would distribute these to the other test subjects, who also hoped to maintain their impressive size. Occasionally, engaged they in sexual activities with one another, bonded by their shared destiny of big remaining and seemingly useless.

[gojos-thot-patrol]

i DEFINITELY want more Frat Boy Sukuna!!! 😍😍😍😍

Oh man, you're twisting my arm so hard here nonnie, what ever will I do?

I guess I'm just going to have to post some headcanons and frame work I have for the up coming part 2 (Of which you can get on the tag list for it: here!) Oh! And if you want a refresher, you can find Seven Minuets in Heaven Here!

Now Presenting...

Some supplemental reading if you will ;)

Ok, lets start with just some basic information on our boy

Hes in the Alpha Beta Omega frat, or the ABO frat. The entire Frat is very quick to point out they’ve been around longer than ABO when you bring it up, minus Ryomen. 

He just tells you he’s an Alpha and asks if you’re trying to be his Omega. It normally gets whatever reaction he wants

He’s majoring in business against his will (Remember this: It will come up) with a minor in he’s really about: History

If taking over his fathers very lucrative business (Again: This will come back up later) fails, he wants to be a history teacher.

He often bonds with Nanami over hating their shared major and being annoyed with Gojo and Geto making out in the most inconvenient places.

He sells drugs on the side to supplement his income, but nothing harder than weed because “Weeds not even a drug when you think about it.”

Is known for being the biggest manslut in the manslut frat. But hey, at least he gets tested regularly. 

Ok, so now I want to start with a little bit of his background because it informs a lot about how I characterize him.

He’s Yuji’s older brother by about 4 years. Both of them look almost exactly like their father. The man really said Ctrl C, Ctrl V, Ctrl V. 

Their father left when they were 7 and 3 respectively. Yuji doesn’t remember, but Ryomen very clearly remembers how horrible their father was to their mother. To him, it was a relief when that asshole finally abandoned the family for good.

The family moved in with their Grandpa, who was one of the very old school “I will only tell my kids I love them on my death bed” types. He also died when the boys were only 13 and 9.

Meaning our boy never really had a good role model for how to perform masculinity, and now that he’s an adult he finds himself pretending to be the type of man media told him he was supposed to be. Somewhere between Tyler Durden and Joey Tribbiani. He doesn’t think he’s very good at this performance. 

The moment he turned 16, he started getting piercings to try and look less like his dad. The moment he turned 18 he got his tattoos to really separate himself from his father. Yuji thinks it’s insane, but Ryomen thinks it’s worth it to be able to look in the mirror without wanting to punch it.

His father reached out to him his senior year of high school. He offered to pay for 100% of Sukuna’s college tuition, as long as he majored in business and took over the “family” company once he graduated.

Yea, turns out dear old dads new wife couldn’t conceive, and his smoking had finally caught up with him in the form of lung cancer. Faced with an inevitable death, he was desperate for an heir. 

Ryomen may have despised his father with everything in his being, but he realized how stupid it would be to throw away not only a free education, but also a guaranteed career. So he agreed.

OKAY now that that’s outta the way, let’s get into how he is in a relationship 😈

You are his first real relationship. He’s had “relationships” that lasted officially about 2 weeks at the longest. He’s had a plethora of situationships where he’d make promises he had no intention to keep. But as far as actually, serious, relationships you’re number one. 

And genuinely this new emotion kinda scares the shit out of him. The first time he got love pangs he thought he was having a panic attack, the first time you brushed him off he felt like he shattered. this shit sucks yo, no wonder the Greeks thought it was a mental illness.

He has no idea how to properly love someone, he’s winging this shit: Doing everything entirely based on vibes

In his past “relationships” the moment conflict arose, he would leave. He doesn’t want to do that to you though, so head it is.

I’m not joking, the moment you have an issue he’s taking you to bed to try and distract you. And he’s always shocked when you still want to, ya know, communicate about issues you’re having after the fact. And he’s always even more shocked when you don’t just leave the moment conflict arises. 

Did I mention he has no real concept of how healthy relationships work?

He’s trying though. He’s trying harder to make this work than he’s trying to keep his grades up. 

Often catches himself flirting with other girls without even realizing it, it’s just second nature to him. He’ll always disengage the moment he realizes

Oh he’s jealous. Oh he’s so jealous. He sees you just talking to another guy and he’s spiraling in his head. He’s immediately getting involved and planting hickies on your neck right in front of whoever you’re talking to, because you’re his god damn it.

As such he loves to buy you jewelry. His dad’s got fuck you money, and he plans to spend it all on you. His current favorite thing to see you wear it a dainty, golden chain, with a ruby encrustedfrat b R hanging from it. It looked gorgeous on you, and marked you as undeniably his. 

Suguru has 1000% had to talk him out of getting a tattoo of your name, this man is down so unbelievably bad. He’s never really been in love before, and now that he’s feeling it he’s overwhelmed by it.

This man really thought he was above getting pussy drunk until he hooked up with you. Now he realizes he’s is Not. At. All immune to it, and is actually quite prone to it!

Ultimately, his goal is to marry you after graduation, even though his fraternity brothers are highly against it. Not because they don’t like you, quite the contrary, they love you! But they all know that marrying your first love probably isn’t the move, and that the two of you have a lot of problems to work through. They want him to at least wait a few years before popping the question.

Still, every once in awhile he catches himself looking at rings and day dreaming about the future.

[problematicsashawaybright]

By the way, and I don't know who needs to hear this, but if you get significantly more depressed in the wintertime, go to a doctor and ask for a blood test to check your vitamin D levels. Typically standard depressive disorders don't have a seasonal pattern (with exceptions of course), and a lot of seasonal affective disorder symptoms can be caused or made worse by a lack of vitamin D. In a lot of cases, you may need prescription strength vitamin D supplements from a doctor, so even if you're on a drug store over the counter supplement, it may not be enough. Go get the blood test!

[cardiacreports2]

Kyle

Autopsy Report

Name: Kyle Thompson Age: 19 Gender: Male Date of Death: [August 24, 2023] Time of Death: Estimated between 3:00 AM and 4:00 AM Body Build: Lean Height: 6'0" Weight: 155 lbs Hair Color: Brown Eye Color: Blue

Cause of Death: Sudden Cardiac Arrest due to Cardiac Arrhythmia

Background Information: Kyle Thompson, a 19-year-old male with a lean build and no prior documented health conditions, was found unresponsive in his bedroom by family members. He had a known history of occasional dizziness and palpitations but had not sought medical attention. He had been otherwise healthy, with no recent complaints or signs of illness.

External Examination:

General Appearance: The decedent is a lean, well-nourished young male with no visible injuries.

Skin Condition: Skin tone is pale, with postmortem lividity consistent with the reported position at time of discovery. No contusions, abrasions, or other trauma were noted.

Internal Examination:

Cardiovascular System:

Heart: Mild enlargement of the heart noted, with a heart weight of 385 grams, slightly above average for his age and body size.

Left Ventricle: Minimal thickening detected, though overall structure appeared typical.

Electrophysiology: Evidence of fibrosis in the Purkinje fibers and some fibrosis in the right ventricle suggests an electrical conduction abnormality, possibly arrhythmogenic in origin.

Coronary Arteries: Normal distribution with no significant occlusion or plaque buildup; arteries were unobstructed.

Valves: All heart valves appeared normal and functional, with no signs of regurgitation or calcification.

Aorta: No abnormalities; normal diameter and structure with no evidence of aneurysm.

Respiratory System:

Lungs: Lungs were well-aerated and free of fluid buildup. No signs of pneumonia, aspiration, or obstruction.

Nervous System:

Brain: No hemorrhages or structural abnormalities. Brain size, shape, and tissue appeared within normal parameters.

Abdominal Organs:

Liver, kidneys, and spleen were of normal size and consistency, with no abnormalities noted.

Stomach contents showed partial digestion, indicating the decedent had eaten approximately four to six hours prior to death.

Toxicology Report: Toxicology tests returned negative for alcohol, drugs, and toxic substances. No medications or supplements detected.

Conclusion: The autopsy findings suggest that Kyle Thompson's sudden cardiac arrest was caused by an underlying electrical conduction abnormality within the heart. The fibrosis found in the conduction pathways, specifically the Purkinje fibers, and in the right ventricle, indicates a possible genetic predisposition or undiagnosed arrhythmogenic condition. These abnormalities likely disrupted the heart’s electrical signals, leading to a fatal arrhythmia. Given the absence of any other physical abnormalities or toxicological factors, this cardiac electrical issue is deemed the primary cause of death.

Final Diagnosis:

Sudden cardiac arrest due to cardiac arrhythmia from a known electrical conduction abnormality

[jennibeultimate]

No I don't feel the same way and actually from all sides I read much of the world is upset about the doping, but I guess you can make every lie up and you will find someone that believes Kamila would eat a strawberry cake from granpa right before a competition??? (That's not what I made up, that's what the official defense in front of the CAS hearing is)

This is from a Facebookgroup that got recommended to me...

I don't even have words anymore for the discrepancies in truth and fairytales...like yes she is/was a wonderful athlete but at what cost and because of what??? Would she be able to be that athlete if not for the drugs and medications she took??? 60 supplements and medications over the course of 2 years given to a 15 year old, is that normal??? How should any clean athlete win against someone with unfair background??? Kamila herself may not know anything about the performance enhancers but the adults do...

And the positive doping test itself all a crime by the big bad West??? And adults could have taken responsibility and her ban would not be 4 years, but instead they created fairytales to defend her. Eteri did not even take part in the investigation.

And Gold medal winner is Anna Shcherbakova (even if it's doubtful Valieva was the only one doping) who is also from Russia, so what a discredit to Anna too.

I understand to support Kamila Valieva - she is also a victim of the system and her team - but this won't change the fact that she placed 4th, that she cheated, that she doped, that she is banned.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Monopolizing turds

Update 31 May 2023: an earlier edition of this article identified the price of Rebyota as $20,000; this was the rumored price prior to Rebyota’s release in December  2022, when Stephen Skolnick wrote the article I referenced. When Rebyota was actually released in 2023, the average wholesale price (AWP) was $10,800. Thanks to Benjamin Jolley for catching this error, and to Stephen Skolnick for getting to the bottom of it.

It’s been ten years — to the day! — since I first started writing about the bizarre, amazing world of turd transplants, in which a sick person receives a microbiotic infusion in the form of some processed poop from a healthy person:

https://web.archive.org/web/20130608030455/http://blogs.plos.org/publichealth/2013/05/29/why-diy-fecal-transplants-are-a-thing-and-the-fda-is-only-part-of-the-reason/

Gut biomes are one of those understudied, poorly understood medical areas that are both very promising and also full of sketchy medical claims from “supplement” companies, influencers, quacks and grifters. But in the decade since I first started tracking turd transplants (formally called “Fecal Microbiota Transplants” or FMTs), a growing body of sound science has emerged on the subject.

One thing that’s increasingly undeniable is that the composition of your microbial nation is related in significant ways to both your physical and mental health. What’s more, as antibiotic resistant “super bugs” proliferate, FMTs are becoming increasingly central to treating dangerous gut infections that otherwise stand a high chance of killing you.

“Eat Shit and Prosper” is Stephen Skolnick’s delightfully named newsletter about poop and health science. Skolnick is a physicist by training, but has a long history of collaboration with Openbiome, a nonprofit that coordinates between doctors, patients and donors to provide safe FMTs:

https://stephenskolnick.substack.com/

In an edition of Eat Shit from last December, Skolnick recounts the amazing history and dismaying future of FMTs. In 2013, the FDA announced it would regulate FMTs as “Investigational New Drugs,” which could only be administered as part of a registered clinical trial:

https://stephenskolnick.substack.com/p/a-monopoly-on-poop

At that point, FMTs were already in widespread use by docs to treat otherwise untreatable cases of Clostridioides difficile (C. diff), an antibiotic resistant bacterial infection that literally makes you shit yourself to death. These doctors were in no position to run registered clinical trials, which meant that they would have to stop using the most effective therapy they had for a potentially lethal infection.

Doctors and patients kicked up a fuss, and the FDA walked back its guidance, announcing that it would exercise “discretion” in enforcing its Investigational New Drug rule, giving a pass to docs who were treating C. diff with FMTs:

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2013/07/18/2013-17223/guidance-for-industry-enforcement-policy-regarding-investigational-new-drug-requirements-for-use-of

That’s where things have stood for the past decade or so. The “discretion” rule means that patients could still get FMTs, but their insurance wouldn’t cover it. But even if you had cash to pay for an FMT, your doc probably wouldn’t administer it for anything except a C. diff infection, despite the promising signs that FMT can help treat other conditions, and despite the generally safe nature of FMTs.

If your doc did give you an FMT, chances are good that they sourced their poop from Openbiome. Openbiome recruits very healthy people, gets them to poop in a bag, then processes the poop — removing nonbacterial solids, testing it for pathogens, freezing it, portioning it, and sending it to docs. All this is done at cost, and it’s not cheap: $1–2k/treatment, mostly due to cold-chain logistics (the poop is shipped at -80C).

Despite the cost, and despite the limitations on treatment, the Openbiome method has proved very reliable. Indeed, FMTs as a whole are pretty darned safe, with the most common side-effects being transient gas and bloating. In the past decade, there’ve been a total of six “adverse effects” associated with Openbiome’s 5,000+ procedures, all in severely immunocompromised people, and none conclusively linked to the treatment:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016508522003511/pdf

A decade into this system, the FDA has taken the next step forward — only it’s actually a step backwards.

During this intervening decade, a pharma company called Ferring has conducted clinical trials on FMTs and received approval for an FMT product called Rebyota. The process for making Rebyota is effectively identical to the process used by Openbiome: collect poop, remove solids, test for pathogens, add glycerol, freeze and ship.

The main difference between Rebyota and Openbiome’s poop is price. While Openbiome charges $1–2k per treatment, Rebyota charges $10,800

That’s some expensive shit!

Fine. Getting Rebyota through clinical trials means that insurers might start covering it, and perhaps some patients will prefer brand-name poop to open-source poop. But as part of the FDA’s approval of Rebyota, the agency also rescinded its “discretionary enforcement” guidance, making it illegal for docs to source their poop from Openbiome:

https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents/enforcement-policy-regarding-investigational-new-drug-requirements-use-fecal-microbiota

For Ferring, this is a monopoly on shit, one that lets them charge patients $10.8k for poop that costs $1–2k to process. The FDA does not claim that this is being done in the name of safety. Instead, an FDA official told Skonick that the goal was to “incentivize innovation without creating an access crisis.”

That is, the FDA changed its guidance and put nonprofit stool banks out of business because it wants to incentivize pharma companies to perform expensive clinical trials, and it believes that these companies won’t pay for trials if they have to compete with the likes of Openbiome, which would make it impossible to charge 900% markups on poop.

Trials are important! Evidence-based medicine is important! But Ferring’s clinical trials didn’t tell us anything we didn’t already know. FMTs were already the best therapy we had for C. diff. Testing Rebyota against a placebo didn’t tell us anything new — unlike testing Rebyota against the existing therapies, e.g. product from open stool banks.

Such a trial might have given rise to a very different regulatory outcome, because the cure rate reported by Rebyota is much lower than the cure rate from Openbiome’s own interventions:

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40265-022-01797-x

That is, using the $1k poop from Openbiome seems to be much more effective than using the $10.8k poop from Ferring. But Openbiome, a nonprofit, hasn’t been able to perform the kind of rigorous — and expensive — clinical trial that Ferring funded.

This points to a significant problem with the FDA’s model. The agency wants good clinical data for the medicines it regulates, as it should, It presumes that the only way to get that data is through granting commercial exclusivity to a for-profit, which ends up costing patients vast sums, and locking many patients out altogether.

This creates all kinds of new dangers. 150,000 people/year in the US contract Recurrent Clostridium difficile Infection (RCdI). FMT increases the cure rate by 20% relative to antibiotics alone. That means that if everyone with RCdI gets a poop transplant, 30,000 extra people will get better. That’s a big number!

For well insured people, Rebyota probably represents a cash-savings — if your insurance covers the $10,800 procedure, you might pay $500 out of pocket, which is far less than the $1–2K you’d pay to get an Openbiome poop transplant. But if you’re uninsured or underinsured, the FDA’s new enforcement rules mean that you’re now on the hook for $10,800.

The FDA did carve out a loophole: if your doc or their hospital are willing to prepare the poop transplant themselves, they can administer that. On the one hand, preparing a poop transplant isn’t that hard — some people do them at home, on their own:

https://web.archive.org/web/20211015060558/https://thepowerofpoop.com/epatients/fecal-transplant-instructions/

But on the other hand, there’s been exactly one death conclusively linked to FMT, and it was from one of these hospital-prepared transplants (the patient had just had a marrow transplant for cancer that wiped out their immune system, and the donor had a novel pathogen that the hospital failed to test for).

So the FDA has created a situation where, if you can’t afford a $10,800 proprietary formulation, your only option is to convince your doc or hospital to prepare their own poop transplant, which will cost less than the $10.8k for Rebyota, but more than the $1–2k from Openbiome, which has all kinds of economies of scale. And if you do manage it, you’ll be getting a procedure that has a much worse safety track-record than the Openbiome process that the FDA just killed.

The FDA has an important role to play here, but as with so many policy questions, how the FDA plays that role depends on things that are far upstream from the agency and its decisions. The choice to fund medical trials through the promise of exclusivity — and with it, extremely high margins — puts the FDA in the position of choosing winners in the marketplace: Ferring wins, Openbiome loses.

Ironically, this is the thing that exclusivity is supposed to prevent. By using profit to incentivize medical research, the FDA is supposed to be recruiting the Invisible Hand as its partner in regulation. But exclusivity is incompatible with the idea of medicine as a public good. The tens (hundreds) of millions that Americans will pay for $10.8k poop transplants from Ferring will add up to far more than it would cost to underwrite clinical trials for an open process like Openbiome’s.

The result: both Americans’ wallets and Americans’ guts suffer.

Catch me on tour with Red Team Blues in Hay-on-Wye, Oxford, Manchester, Nottingham, London, and Berlin!

If you’d like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here’s a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/29/oh-shit/#rebyota

[Image ID: A poop emoji wearing a top hat and a monocle, posed against a backdrop of e coli bacteria seen through a high-resolution microscope.]

[amywritesthings]

SEEING YOU, SEEING ME (2/7)

Pairing: Joel Miller x Reader

Word Count: 1.4K

Summary: After handling a life-or-death favor for Tess, you're in deep shit. Until she can make things right, she suggests you lay low at her place for the week. The issue? It's also Joel Miller's place, and you're pretty sure he hates you.

Warnings: PRE-TLOU setting so no show spoilers, Mentions of death and violence, Age gap/difference, Slow burn, Angry!Joel, Eventual Smut, Enemies to Fuckers, Sexual tension

( Read on AO3 )

Previous Chapter / Next Chapter | Masterlist

CHAPTER TWO: BREAK IT TO ME GENTLY

The abrupt clang of a pan hitting the metal frame of a stove wakes you.

Out of your dead and delayed sleep you jolt, panicked and ready to run at a second's notice. Your chin whips around to find the source of the noise, accustomed to loud meaning bad, but you are met with the opposite:

In the open-wall divide of the apartment, Joel Miller stands only a few feet away. Dressed in the same clothes as yesterday, he sports a tattered olive rag draped over his shoulder. He busies himself with the black, worn pan in his left hand, only glancing under his brow with mild interest when the mattress creaks in the scattered fright.

“Thought maybe you died,” he greets with something that sounds almost like a hollow joke. His wrist turns, sifting the contents in the sizzling pan below.

You open your mouth to argue, but the aroma of food — fresh, real food — dissolves the thought into thin air.

He follows the trail of your eyes to the pan and speaks plainly.

“Had an extra egg in the fridge.”

Eggs.

The scent is scrambled eggs.

Your eyes round with interest. “You have eggs here?”

“Not anymore,” he says, lifting a spatula to push the food from the pan and onto a nearby plate. “Have to go grab more.”

Your stomach growls with need.

It would be rude to ask — right?

Except he doesn't give you a chance to: Joel leaves the stove with a plate in hand, half-full by a rationed scrambled egg. Without a word he sets it down at the dining table, cleared off from the night before.

At first, you don't move from the edge of the mattress. Bouncing your attention between him and the steaming plate of food, you wait for verbal confirmation.

Permission.

"Are you gonna eat it, or are you gonna waste it?" he absently asks over his shoulder when he returns to the stove, shoveling out a second egg to another plate.

You hesitate, stuck between calling a bluff and accepting what’s happening right in front of you: a gesture of kindness, even if it may not be his idea.

You slide off the bed to meet him in the tiny kitchenette, sitting awkwardly at the table once littered with drugs and alcohol.

“Thank you.” 

“Don’t thank me yet. They're not good."

"Oh." You pluck a tiny piece with your fork, surveying the fluff of yellow. "I wasn't much of a cook either, before this."

Lifting the fork to your mouth, you taste test with a tiny piece.

It’s good.

Maybe not gourmet, but it’s good enough.

Melting at the taste of something rare yet familiar, you hum in appreciation and dig in for more.

“Christ, I haven’t had eggs in forever. They’re so fucking expensive at the mart.”

Once Joel picks up his own plate from the kitchen counter, the apartment is alive with the sounds of forks scraping at ceramic. It’s supplemented with a soundtrack by the outdoor hustle and bustle of the Fedra soldiers and the citizens of the quarantine zone.

It feels peaceful.

(It feels normal, in the irony of it all.)

Neither of you speak, too worried about making the food last, until he chirps up. Finished first.

“So are you gonna disclose what it is exactly that you did for Tess?”

Joel turns to discard his plate into the nearby sink, only to lean back against the counter. His arms cross over his broad chest, expectant. 

"I think I deserve to know what it is I'm housing you for," he adds.

You look up from your fork, catching his eye.

“I don’t think she’d like that.”

"No?"

"No."

“Well she ain’t exactly the one here playing babysitter,” Joel counters, gliding the tattered rag off of his shoulder and down his chest to drop it into the sink.

You roll your eyes, stabbing at the last remaining piece of egg on your plate.

“I mean…  I wouldn’t call this babysitting, Miller. I am a grown adult.”

His brows furrow, but he doesn’t argue.

Instead he asks a question that catches you both off guard:

“You know my last name?”

You pause, hovering the fork near your mouth as you formulate a response.

Is that supposed to be a surprise?

(As if it's a crime to call him as anything but a stranger.)

“Everyone in the zone knows you,” you reply with apprehension. “It's not exactly a secret who people go to if they want shit done around here.” Then there’s the obvious in the room, though it’s closer to a church mouse than an elephant in size. “And besides, we… have worked together a lot, so I've heard it once or twice.”

Or twenty, give or take a shift.

He stares, hard, before clenching his jaw. 

“Yeah, I know we have. Just didn’t think you knew my name, s’all.”

Wait.

You blink.

“You mean you—”

Both of you still into silence as you cut off your question, eye to eye.

"You mean I... what?" Joel begins, suspicious.

You're going to sound like an idiot.

Eyes closed, you inhale a bit of strength before taking one last bite of what’s left of the egg on your plate.

"You know me?" you ask.

"Know you?" he repeats, and you nod. "Seriously?"

You nod again. Joel lets out a huff, adjacent to a humorless laugh.

“I know your face, sure. If I recall right, then you’ve been on a few of them jobs.”

“Oh.”

His brows knit as he re-adjusts his stance against the counter.

“Why? S'that surprising to you?”

“Very,” you admit under your breath. “I didn’t think you watched what I did or saw me at all."

He runs a hand over his face, scratching at the salt and pepper scruff lining his jaw.

“No, I didn't watch you, but I saw you,” he replies, matter of fact. “Probably the only one I get stuck with who actually puts some back into their shit."

The slight praise blossoms something warm in your belly, full from a cooked meal.

"Except," he starts with an uptick in his voice, "I didn’t peg you as the type to run around with Tess.”

You try not to smile, but it’s too late. "No?"

"Not in the slightest."

"I don't think a lot of people can peg me as any type of thing, 'cus none of these people really know me," you admit a little too honestly. "Not really in the market to be known."

(Kind of like you, you want to say.)

Joel nods at nothing in particular, contemplating with his attention to the floor. Abruptly he clears his throat and hikes a thumb back to the weather-worn refrigerator in the corner.

"I need to grab some extra food, then, if this is gonna be a couple of days."

Something flutters in your stomach; not as pretty as a butterfly, but something less twisted than a bee. Any conversation that isn't a fight is an improvement.

Maybe you misjudged the situation.

Maybe Joel just doesn't want to be known, same as you.

You shift in your seat to shuffle through the back pocket of your jeans. “I have ration papers if you need more to cover the cost.” 

The corner of Joel’s upper lip scowls as he shakes his head. He pushes off the counter to walk towards the table where you sit.

“Keep ‘em – I got plenty.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.” He tugs the jacket off of the back of the unoccupied chair, flicking out the collar once it’s finally on his torso. “You put that in the sink, then, when you’re finished? I’ll get around to ‘em when I come back.”

“I can clean both sets of dishes, Miller,” you argue as he passes by you to reach the door of the apartment. “It’s the least I can do while I'm stuck here.”

Hand on the doorknob, Joel turns his chin to study you one last time.

"Right."

His lips purse like he wants to say something, as if it’s tickling the tip of his tongue, but ultimately decides against it. Instead he settles with a huff through his nose; a sound of resignation. 

“Just don’t touch anything else.”

Author's Note: We've gotten the intro out of the way. Next chapter is when things start to get juicy, I promise. The response to this fic has been wonderful and the google doc is nearly 10K, so you KNOW we're in it now. As always, comments & reblogs are adored. Thank you for reading!

[b0amagination]

Tastes of Whumptober: Day 4

Content Warnings: Mild gore (descriptions of blood), Needles (into a port, not hypodermic), IV port, Lab whump. All under the cut out of caution!

Sensory Deprivation

The sedative wore off at the same time it always did and they groaned, wishing just for once to curl up and go back to sleep. They had five minutes, or ten if they were lucky… but being found still asleep was never worth it. Old and new wounds complained against the arduous process of standing up and feeling for the door.

Sure enough, the fluorescent lights buzzed to life overhead just as they exited the attached bathroom. 

“Good morning, dear.” Their captor greeted, gesturing to the chair. Of course, always straight to business with him. But they wavered.

The chair wouldn’t have stood out to an outsider as anything other than a black leather armchair. Sure, it was the only dark item in the starkly clinical room, but that only made it all the more inviting if you didn’t know its use.

“You should take a day off. You’re practically married to your work,” they tried.

“You’re my work, and I don’t think either of us want that,” he shot back, removing four vials from his shoulder bag and setting each neatly on the tray. 

The chair. The tray. They were all laughably foreboding. Laughter never eased the fear.

“That’s new.” They knew the first three. Nutrition supplement, immune support, and hydration supplement. Administered every day like clockwork. Days with any more were days to be feared, but they’d started to recognize which drug was which. This was definitely new.

“Yes. Take your seat.” 

Always the same goddamn phrase to warn them they were going too far. 

“Ring a bell and I’ll probably start slobbering,” they muttered, perching on the edge of the chair. He hummed, unwrapping a needle and drawing out the nutrition supplement.

“Thank Pavlov for lessening that network of scars on your body.” His smile was pleasant as always. In another life where he wasn’t so sick and twisted he was probably a medical provider. 

He moved the neck of their shirt aside to access their IV port and inject the liquid, doing the same practiced motions two more times before their hand shot up to cover the port. Disappointed eyes fell upon them.

“Never without some kind of struggle, are you?” 

“I just want to know what it is before you do it.”

“You’ll like it. Now move.”

He pried their fingers apart wide enough to push the needle in and depress the plunger. Then he stood back and grabbed his clipboard, probably noting some bullshit about volumes and concentrations, and clicked a stopwatch.

“Tell me when your back stops hurting,” he instructed, and their eyes widened.

“You gave me painkillers? Seriously?” Somehow, they were more nervous than before.

“Something like that.”

When he wanted serious data he didn’t speak much. So silence filled the room until their pain actually reacted as he said. Not only did the sharp pain on their back fade, but so did the aches of months past.

“Holy shit. What did you give me?” They felt like a brand new person. It was… terrifying.

“Your new favorite thing,” he said, and they couldn’t exactly deny it. He finished writing and made his way back over. “Alright. Now for the real test.”

They couldn’t help the way their body clenched up when he stood over them. Or the way they trembled when he opened the zipper pocket and pulled out his knife. 

“I thought this was a scientific procedure. Where’s your scalpel?” A risky quip. They didn’t want to see that goddamn scalpel ever again.

“Scientific, not surgical. Calm down or I’ll need to start you on high blood pressure medication too.”

He tapped the arm of the chair and they obediently set their arm there, wary of his every movement as he flipped the underside up.

“If you struggle, I’ll strap you to the table instead.”

That was checkmate and he knew it. A timid nod accepted defeat.

The knife started just below their elbow, pressed in, and pulled ever so slowly down to their wrist. Eyes squeezed shut and teeth grit, preparing for the familiar sting, but…

They looked down. The cut was already bleeding, dripping down their arm, wetting slick leather. But all they’d felt was a mild pressure.

Their captor was looking on just as intensely, studying their reaction.

“Nothing?”

“Nothing,” they breathed. No pain. “Nothing whatsoever.”

He drew another line, parallel, and even as more blood wept, their eyes were strangely dry.

“Good. Let’s kick this up a notch.”

They opened their mouth to protest but a hand already fisted in their collar, pulling them up and pushing them against the wall. Their vision blurred when their head knocked off the wall, but the explosion of hurt didn’t precede it. 

“H-how do you know you didn’t just concuss me?” The longer this went on, the worse it felt. 

“I suppose I don’t. Not until I check you.”

“You can’t do that! You need to know how hurt I am, you need to know when to stop-!” A backhand flew across their face, snapping it to the side, and they whimpered. The hit had hardly felt like a brief touch, but its humiliation stung nonetheless.

“I know your limits. Do you think you’d feel a stab wound?” His question made them freeze, tears preemptively flooding their eyes.

“No- please don’t. Please. I’ll lose too much blood, you could hit something vital, please!” 

"Do you think my anatomical studies were for nothing?"

Pressure. Pressing harder and harder against their shirt, their abdomen, and then a horrific, slick coolness. It fell back and exposed a rushing warmth, blood staining white fabric, broken skin peeking through the new hole. God. They felt faint.

They fell to their knees and heard footsteps, probably wanting to test whether or not they were faking it.

“It doesn’t hurt,” they cried. “I just- the blood- I need to stem the bleeding.” That was true. Their hands clamped over the stab wound, trying to stop it. The shoes paused next to them in thought, then continued back toward the chair. Just moments later they heard his bag rustling and each vial clinking as it was set inside.

At least he was done for the day. Probably sad he didn’t get to make them scream.

He picked up the bag and his steps resumed, kicking something that skittered to a stop at their feet.

“Page me once it starts to wear off.”

Fuck.

[gettingvetted]

re: your last post with the serval and "she wasn't 75% housecat so it wouldn't work" Is it just that the rabies vaccine hasn't been tested and studied on wild animals of the same taxonomic family that it's not accepted? Or has it been tested and does it full out just not work and thus can't be trusted? This is wildly interesting and I'm very invested lol

Most drugs used on animals are used in an off-label manner, meaning that the drug is not approved/studied for either the species it is being used on or the reason for which it is being used. For example, most brands of pentobarbital (the euthanasia drug used by most vets) are only labeled for use in dogs only (you might see it labeled for horses and dogs but this is uncommon). We still use it on cats, cows, rabbits, chickens, zoo animals, etc, and it works just fine. Same with many antibiotics - most do not have animal labels and we use them anyway. One particular anti-vomiting medication for cats and dogs is frequently used to help with coughing and sneezing, joint supplements can be infused into the bladder to help with sterile inflammation, etc. The possibilities are endless and it seems like I learn new options every day on veterinary forums.

This is about 99.5% legal in cats/dogs/most exotic pets/zoo animals with a rare exception here and there. Animals that produce or become food such as chickens, cattle, goats, etc have stricter rules to make sure none of the drugs end up in the food supply, but a good portion of it is still legal with asterisks.

Vaccines are slightly different. In most cases, the viruses and bacteria that cause diseases are the same between animals. So even if a distemper vaccine is only licensed for dogs, you can pretty well assume that the virus is the same when it crops up in ferrets and raccoons. The variability comes in with how long immunity lasts, how much vaccine to use, and whether immunity will develop at all. For example, horses need double the dose of rabies vaccine of most other species and need to be vaccinated yearly, even if the vaccine's label for dogs and cats states that it lasts for 3 years. It's doubtful that immunity lasts even a year, as horses typically produce very poor immune responses to vaccines. And those are just the species we have data for.

When it comes to the possibility of transmitting a 100% fatal disease to humans from animals, absolutely zero chances are taken. So while it is legal, and encouraged, to vaccinate the majority of captive mammals for rabies, it's impossible to tell what or how much protection exists in each species as a result of vaccines that are only extensively studied in cats/dogs/ferrets. This is why many GP clinics outright refuse to work with hybrids like wolfdogs and high percentage savannah cats, because any bite of a staff member or client requires euthanasia of the animal and the resulting staff medical bills may not be covered under workman's comp and/or practice liability insurance if you don't have a rider for working with wildlife. Even antibody titers to rabies, while measurable, are not considered proof of vaccination or immunity, because we don't know what level of antibody titer correlates to immunity across species. Vet staff who are vaccinated for rabies are theoretically supposed to get titers every 2 years, but this only informs whether boosters are needed. Even a person with a normal titer should receive post-exposure rabies shots if they are bitten by an animal with any possibility of rabies. That's how seriously rabies is taken, for good reason

[itsthesinbin]

Blood Drunk (Thranduil/Vampire!Reader)

Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit got me in a fucking Vice lately.

if i forgot a warning lmk and ill add it

Warnings: Blood drinking, alluding to addiction (very minor and more as a metaphor than real addiction), vampire biting, reader is GN but bottoms, Elven blood is a minor aphrodisiac/drug to vampires, high sex

Do not read or interact if you are under 18!

If you like it, reblog and/or give me some feedback :3

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

You've learned a few things since ending up here. The sun left you just as weak as it did back home, for one. For two, vampires weren't well known at all- the only person that had known anything about blood-feasting creatures was a strange wizard's Elvish companion. For three, the races' blood tasted different.

Human blood was the same across worlds, except for a very select few. Rich, although affected by things like diet or disease. You avoided very small villages, as peasants tended to be more tired and anemic more often than not.

The wizard's blood was unique. It left you charged. Energized. But too much would make you physically sick. The magic in his veins burned you from the inside out if it was too concentrated, so you only fed from him in emergencies.

Dwarvish blood was... compact was the best way to put it. Absolutely bursting with excess iron and more filling than humans. It almost left you ill afterwards- like the night of Thanksgiving when you decided that third helping of dinner was necessary. You had thirteen chances to see how Dwarvish blood would affect you, and it was the same every time. You had to learn to drink carefully.

Hobbits were tricky to feed from. With how small they were, you had to treat them like feeding from a child. Only in small doses- a supplement, not a meal. You've only fed off of one, and he was a fidgety thing. Got woozy very easily as well.

And Elves... were intoxicating. You had only drank from one once, when you arrived. It left you nearly drunk, or high. You never told the wizard, but you craved another taste. Especially since becoming close with the Elven king, Thranduil. It was a test, every time you needed to feed.

Normally, you'd leave Mirkwood once a month to travel to the newly-rebuilt city of Dale- or even make the trek to Erebor- to get your fill and bring back a few spare vials of blood. Your Elven partner knew of your condition, as did a few trusted friends in Dale and in the Mountain, and he would offer some of his own. You never accepted, however much you wanted to.

Now, however, the Greenwood was struck with a harsh storm that had been raging for a couple days. It wasn't lightening, either. You were getting hungry, and it was making you ill. It was making your lover worry.

"Why will you not just feed from me?" he asked finally, sitting at your side as you rubbed your tired eyes. You sighed slightly as he grasped your cold hand. It was colder than usual. He scowled to himself, taking your hand in both of his in an attempt to warm your long-undead skin.

"I react to Elven blood differently than I do the other races, I've learned. I don't... want you to see me in such a state," you admitted. He didn't respond, but he pulled your hand up to plant a kiss on your hand.

"I would rather see you in a state-" a kiss on your wrist "- than ill and starving". His lips trailed a bit further up your arm in an attempt to persuade you. You shuddered slightly. Normally, Thranduil would feel a bit of heat from your skin at such an act, but the lack of blood left you cold even while flustered. It scared him.

"Please, love," he murmured against your skin. You finally turned to him, looking at him worriedly.

"Promise you won't think ill of me- I might not be able to keep myself together". He reached over and stroked your cheek with his knuckles. His mouth upturned into the smallest smile.

"I will understand". You were hesitant, but didn't have much choice. There were no non-Elven guests in Thranduil's realm at the moment, and you had no idea when this storm would let up before you started getting really ill- and feral. You squeezed Thranduil's hand as he helped you stand and led you to your chambers.

As soon as the door shut out the prying eyes and ears, Thranduil sat down in a chair near the fireplace. He had dreamed of this- wanting to know what it was like to be drained by his dear vampire. He would see you drink from the Dwarves, or Bard, and scowl at the fact they didn't seem in pain. In the cases of some, they seemed to enjoy it more than they should.

You knelt in front of him, grabbing his wrist and turning his palm up toward you. You ran your thumb over his smooth, pale skin. You'd almost think him another of your kind, if not for the inhuman warmth Elves had. All the people here were so warm, even compared to the humans back home. It was jarring.

You pressed the sharp nail of your thumb to his flesh and dragged. Thranduil gave the smallest inhale, the only indication he felt anything. A quick glance up at him showed you that he was fine. His gaze was intense, as it always was, but this time there was a fascination in his eyes. He had seen you drink, of course- he almost always came with you during your feeds to ensure your safety- but never experienced it.

You lowered your eyes back to the new cut on his hand, your own pointed ears flicking back at the sight of the small droplets of blood that bubbled to the surface. Your tongue ran over your lips as you eyed his hand like a beast starved. Your thumbs pressed against the sides of his palm, drawing more out, as your mouth met his skin. The taste of iron filled you and you almost moaned with delight. You let your eyes slip shut, savoring the taste- and the moment.

Thranduil, however, was entranced. You knelt before him in almost reverence, drinking him in to the most literal degree. The slice on his palm stung, but feeling your mouth on him- your tongue sliding along the wound to not waste anything- was intimate. He felt his breath quicken ever so slightly, his head beginning to swim a bit from the... eroticism of it all. He never thought he'd enjoy it this much. But it was hard not to enjoy you.

The Elven blood began to take effect as you drank more, and your body relaxed. You pulled away when you were satisfied and stared at him with half-lidded eyes. You dragged your tongue up his palm in a more... provocative manner, causing him to stiffen. Your saliva had minor healing qualities and would help the blood clot and the wound seal faster, so you always licked the wounds after you finished.

"Have I ever told you how pretty you are," you muttered, sliding your hand up his arm and pushing the sleeve up. Your thumb followed a vein along his arm, threatening to cut it open. Despite the haze settling in your mind, your hand was as steady as ever. Thranduil couldn't help but smirk, amused at the sudden flirtation.

"Only in the dead of night, when you think me asleep," he responded. You slowly released him, only to climb into his lap. You were tall for a human, but he was still taller. You straddled his lap, a faint purr rumbling throughout your chest. His hands settled on your hips.

"Have I ever told you how much I wish to mark that pretty neck?" Thranduil's eyes widened a touch. You were always a bit reserved with such things- never wanting to accidentally draw blood and "partake" and end up scaring him off. Not that much would truly scare him away. If anything, this side of you was thrilling. Perhaps he should have tried harder to convince you in the past to feed from him.

Your hand trailed from his chest and to his shoulder. Then up the side of his neck, following where you knew an artery was. He shivered at the press of your claws to his skin. You could easily kill him- rip his throat out in a moment of passion and he'd not be able to stop you at that point. Maybe that was part of the thrill.

Your lips met his in a somewhat sloppy manner- rough and uncoordinated. He returned it with the grace only an Elf had, tilting your head further toward him. You let out a loud, unashamed moan. His ears perked at the sound.

You pressed flush against him, pressing quick kisses down his cheek and jaw. Then he felt your fangs sink into his neck. He let out a sharp breath, grasping your hips out of instinct. This time you didn't hold back the noise of pleasure when his blood touched your tongue. Your hand grasped the other side of his neck and held him in place.

The sharp pinch of your fangs hurt, but then Thranduil began to see why the others would always seem so at ease afterward. Something spread through him, urging him to relax. Urging him to feel good. It turned from pain to pure pleasure, and even he couldn't hold back the groan that rose from his throat. His head dropped back against the chair, exposing more of his skin to you.

"How I've longed for a taste of your blood," you rasped, voice heavy with lust and pleasure. Your chest heaved. You tilted his head further to the side, laving your tongue against the wounds your fangs left behind. You rolled your hips, grinding against him. He was harder than he'd like to admit.

Normally, you'd take each others' clothes off like normal people. But you were fully blood-drunk off of him. Instead, you hooked your claws into the collar of his shirt and dragged them down, slicing through the material easily. You saw his eyes widen and knew in the back of your mind you'd hear it later, but for now you hardly cared.

You barely took the time to pull your own trousers down enough to free yourself, and did the same to your stunned partner. You ground against him, snapping him out of his daze and making his hips buck. You dragged your fangs down the other side of the king's neck, biting down as you slid onto his length. He let out a breathy moan.

You didn't bother waiting and set yourself into a good, if uneven, rhythm. Thranduil could feel your strength returning, the heat of Elven blood finally rushing through you. If he didn't know better, he would have thought another of his kind was bouncing on his lap.

Your claws raked down his chest, leaving welts in their wake and drawing a near desperate noise from the usually stoic Elf. You growled deeply against his throat. Animalistic and needy. Thranduil began to feel lightheaded in the most pleasurable way possible.

He had shifted slightly, trying to sit forward, only to have you shove his shoulders back with inhuman strength. He grunted as you raised your head. You looked at him akin to a wild animal. His blood stained your lips and your eyes nearly glowed in the firelight. You were terror. You were death incarnate. You were beautiful.

You were his.

In that moment, you were addicted to him. He could see it in the way you gazed at him. The way you pulled yourself toward him for a searing kiss laced with iron. The way your hips sped up and stuttered as you chased your pleasures. His hips bucked up to meet yours and you moaned into his mouth. Neither of you were going to last.

Whether it was from the erotic display you gave him, or from the new sensations of being so lightheaded and having his very blood drained from him, he was the first to crumble under the pleasure. He moaned lowly, dragging your hips down as he came hard enough to make him dizzy. Although, that wasn't as hard of a feat as it would normally be, he supposed.

You weren't far behind. Your head was thrown back in rapture as a snarl left your throat. Thranduil shivered as you released around him. You ground your hips down to draw out as much pleasure from you both as you could. You moaned, pulling him into one last kiss. Now satisfied, you were beginning to calm down from an insatiable need to a pleasant buzz.

You had enough of a mind to get up and clean you both off, and he managed to get to the bed nearby without falling over. You purred as you climbed into bed with him, laying on his chest. You then, promptly, passed out on top of him now that you were full and satiated. He was surprised when you began snoring almost as soon as your face hit his chest.

He laughed to himself, a little bewildered, as he smoothed your hair back. His neck began to feel stiff from the bite marks, but he'd have the healers deal with it tomorrow. For now, he was exhausted. He was more than happy to fall asleep, now that everything was taken care of.

He'd have to ask you to feed from him again, however, now that he knew what it would entail.