#do you consume a concerning amount of content?
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rydrake6 · 9 months ago
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I'm setting limits for how many youtube videos I watch in a day because I spend a disturbing amount of time watching stuff.
You never really realize how dependant you are on something until you decide to cut back on it. I'm trying to cut back on the time I spend on youtube by limiting the amount of videos I'm allowed to watch in a day, and I'm so freaking bored now that I've exhausted the limit. Like, what else is there to do in the dead of night if not watch video after video? I know it's for the best though. The first limit I set was 64 videos a day. I watched like, up to 57 or so videos. But it really put into perspective just how much time I've been spending every day just watching youtube videos. Like, if I say my average amount of youtube videos I watch in a day is somewhere around 55, then that means that I watch 385 videos per week and 1,650 videos per month on average. Some of the videos are short, sure. But that's a disturbing amount of videos I watch on an estimated average. That is an unsettling amount of time I waste just watching video after video on youtube.
It really puts into perspective just how much youtube controls my life. I'm hoping that by cutting back, maybe the internet won't be such a large portion of my life. I've seen all of this stuff about how the internet used to be vs how it is today. I bet back when the internet was in it's infancy, tech addiction wasn't such a big thing. But then people started specifically engineering things like apps and social media websites specifically to be addictive.
I'm hoping that weening myself off of constant consumption can allow me to have a healthier relationship with using internet and that at some point in my day, I'll be done with it. I don't really have any other social medias that I use outside of youtube and tumblr. I've got discord, but I'm not really active on there. I made a reddit account once, but I never posted on it and if I ever feel like doing so I'm probably gonna delete it. I used to have a twitter, but it fucked up my brain chemistry so badly that I'm still dealing with some of the effects to this day(Side note: Do not make a twitter account under any circumstances. It's not worth it. Especially post Elon Musk buying it). And I don't think I'd ever consider getting a tiktok, instagram, or any other type of social media. So Youtube's really the main, if not the only, source of this.
I'm also hoping that less time spent doom scrolling will help me to work on other stuff I want to/have to work on. I've got game dev goals for this year that I've gotta work on and I want to try my best to get as close to meeting them as I can before the year ends. Also, I haven't really been talking about it too much lately, but I've got a show I'm working on that I think I can actually make. I'm not gonna reveal too much about it though, but I've already composed an opening theme and made a reference sheet for one of the characters. I'm a bit hesitant to announce something like that though because 1, I'm afraid I might lose interest like all the other times I've announced that I'm gonna make a thing, and 2, it's still in the very early stages of development. Somewhere along the line I kind of realized that I need to start small before I go for the big projects.
Anyways though, my point is that less time watching absurd amounts of youtube videos = more time for creativity. If anyone else wants to try this, all you have to do is pick a number that you think is close or somewhat less than the amount of videos you watch. If it feels like it's regular for you, then at the end of the day, reduce the limit. It's also important that you keep count of how many videos you watch and stop watching when you've reached the limit. (I keep count using tally marks on a whiteboard, but you could use anything that works.)
It's normal to feel a bit of discomfort after reaching your limit, your brain is addicted to the endless flow of dopamine and once you stop, it's going to be like "Hey where's my dopamine?" You're probably also gonna feel the urge to watch another video and go past your limit. Try to resist that urge.
After you've reached your daily limit, don't watch any more videos unless you have to watch them to do something. Like for example, tutorials are fine so long as you're going along with them and doing the thing the tutorial is teaching you how to do. If you have to watch a video for school or something, then that's also fine. It's okay to make exceptions that don't count, but make sure that those exceptions are reasonable. I'd recommend that videos that were sent to you by friends or family, tutorials, or music are ones that you don't have to mark down. You can set your own rules, but try not to make it so that you're just watching tutorial after tutorial. Like, if you've reached the daily limit and you're watching a baking tutorial, bake the thing along with it. I've been rambling so I'm just gonna assume that you get the point by now.
I do this with Youtube, but you can probably try it for other social medias as well to break your doom scrolling cycle. Like, limit the number of posts you scroll past on tiktok or twitter or something. Basically just make rules for yourself that restrict your time on the apps. It's not gonna feel good, it'll probably be stressful, but it's worth it.
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kii2me2ii2 · 2 years ago
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Calling people censorship apologists is a proship dogwhistle.
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gatitties · 1 year ago
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War & crack
─Task Force 141 x young!reader
─Summary: some headcanons about your life working with TF141
─Warnings: cliché¿, reader is a gen z
Part two / Halloween special
so... I've been consuming some content about CoD and I know the least about the franchise but the few things I've read have been so good that I couldn't resist writing something too 🫢, sorry if something is out of character since I don't know many things
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— You are a threat to society.
— Your parents sent you to the military in the hope that your bad behaviors would disappear, realistically, they were not prepared to be parents either.
— Parental neglect, what a surprise.
— You had many bad influences in your adolescence and free access to the Internet without parental control was like throwing gasoline on the fire.
— Theft, extortion, assault, harassment, banditry, disobedience to authority, fraud, driving without a license, breaking and entering, kidnapping, arson, arms trafficking...
— You had a good record of minor criminal records, the vast majority due to bad friends, but you were already an accomplice.
— Which led you to the fact that when you reached the age of majority, you were enlisted directly into the army without being able to have a choice.
— It wasn't as bad as you thought except for the amount of physical exercise you were subjected to, but you knew how to put up with it.
— Despite being young, in the three years that you served as a cadet, you were sent to many missions, perhaps with the hope of dying since the generals sent you to the front lines of the battle.
— You didn't care, you were feral, careless enough and craving adrenaline, you liked to dance with death in every fight.
— You were the first to run whenever you could to start the attack, after all, all you liked to do was hit, stab or use close-range weapons.
— You lost an arm because of that, you didn't care much because now you have a prosthesis with decorations to your liking.
— Then you were sent to Task Force 141.
— None of the boys expected someone like you, they definitely had a bit of a hard time adjusting to your personality.
— You were a strange combination between Ghost and Soap, going from being a grave to being an explosion of emotions at any moment.
— The first time you saw Ghost you thought he was giving you a side eye and you gave it back to him.
— Later you learned that it's his normal look but you give him the dead look every once in a while.
— Soap and you are not a good combination when you know each other better, he will just give you approval to all the stupid things you see on the internet.
— Gaz might join, but most of the time he just warns you that Price won't be amused.
— Price will look at you like a parent disgusted (but not surprised) by some of your nonsense.
— Confidence sucks, and when you're spouting darkly humorous jokes or about the ways you want to kill yourself because something goes wrong, Price isn't in that boat.
— It's not worth it if you justify it with 'my traumas, my jokes'.
— Honestly, everyone is worried about the number of times you've said you were going to kill yourself for the slightest inconvenience.
— They don't understand most of your current meme references, maybe Gaz, being the second youngest, will pick up on something.
— They were so confused with your attack tactics, because you had practically none, you just jumped in with luck to hit everything you could, which worked every time.
— You will train with Ghost because you are not aware of your surroundings when it comes to fighting.
— The first time they saw your prosthesis they thought a bullet had hit you in the arm, but when you laughed and removed the metal arm shouting 'everything is possible when you're physically disabled' they swallowed their concern.
— You show affection with punches, you punch Soap's shoulder, Gaz's back or Price's side, Ghost... you prefer to communicate with your eyes because the last time you punched him in a friendly way you almost ended up with your shoulder out of its place.
— They can't take you seriously, they really do try but it's impossible, you look like an impulsive teenager who they are babysitting even if you're in your twenties.
— At least it's like that outside the battlefield, you get more serious or focused on the missions.
— Gaz saves your ass whenever you get distracted, which is most of the time, you tell him that he has won heaven but if death wanted to kiss you you weren't going to refuse the offer.
— Seriously, stop with the jokes about your death or depression, Price will get you a psychologist.
— It seems like a joke but Ghost and you end up getting along quite well, it's a quiet and pleasant dynamic, without pressure.
— As with Soap, you know how to adapt a lot to everyone's personalities, as if you were a sponge that absorbs all the likes and disappointments of the boys to get along better.
— You don't give a shit about your own life but you're fighting tooth and nail to protect others.
— Which leads you to almost die once, on top of that, Price scolded you for jumping to try to save them, you didn't care, you'll do it again.
— Squeaks or bangs in the wee hours of the morning? It's you moving the few pieces of furniture in what you can call your own room.
— Someday you'll give the boys a heart attack (Ghost maybe not) because you walk in the dark at night since you tend to stay up late.
— Price will scold you for not sleeping well and drinking so many energy drinks or coffee.
— You will leave random objects in the boys' rooms, like, last time you bought little ducks of different colors and hid them.
— Price denies with a small smile when he sees a yellow duck with a cowboy hat as a paperweight.
— Gaz laughs when he sees a blue duck with an aviator hat in the drawer where he kept his records.
— Soap finds a yellow duck with an umbrella hat next to his bath stuff and fiddles with it when he has time for a long bath.
— Ghost narrows his eyes at the sight of a black duck with sunglasses and gold chains under a pile of clothes in his room, he sighs leaving it in the small window of his room as decoration.
— You are strictly prohibited from bringing any type of animal into the base of operations as a pet, once you wanted to have a raccoon, a tarantula, a snake, you even named a cockroach you saw in the kitchen.
—Just- no.
— So you chose to have a carnivorous plant as a pet, it was acceptable at least.
— You are also prohibited from cooking without supervision.
— You're like a new world for them, but honestly, they wouldn't know what they would do if something happened to you now that you've earned their love.
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parvuls · 4 months ago
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Subj: Restriction on Pies and Pastries Supply to PVD Falconers
Mr. Eric Bittle,
It has recently been brought to my attention that you are responsible for the pies and various pastries that have been delivered to members of the NHL team, the Providence Falconers. Unfortunately, the high fat content found in pies and the like poses a significant risk to athletes' physical fitness. It is vital for hockey players to maintain optimal physical condition to ensure their peak performance on the ice, and therefore the team’s win.
As it is my duty to oversee their dietary requirements, I ask you to cease the distribution of such food items to the members of the team immediately.
Thank you for your cooperation,
Jack Zimmermann
Providence Falconers Nutritionist | Providence, RI
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Subj: Re: Restriction on Pies and Pastries Supply to PVD Falconers
Dear Mr. Zimmermann,
It’s really nice to make your acquaintance. I actually had to message Alexei just to make sure this wasn’t some prank from one of my friends - I couldn’t believe an actual NHL staff member reached out to me! He assured me you’re the real thing, however (although I’m not sure how you got my school contact info?).
About the pies - you have nothing to worry about. Firstly, I only use the very best products, so anything your boys are getting from me is high quality. Second of all, I explicitly told the boys that I would only make the deliveries on cheat days. They better be smarter than to lie to me. 
I’m a big fan of the Falconers, and I would never do anything to harm their chances! On the contrary, I do believe having a pie waiting for you at the end of a hard week gives more motivation for training. So actually, I’m helping y’all out :) 
You’re very welcome, and good luck against the Devils!
Eric
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Subj: Re: Re: Restriction on Pies and Pastries Supply to PVD Falconers
Mr. Bittle,
I appreciate your reply. However, I feel that I have not made my stance clear enough.
Hockey is a very demanding sport. Cheat meals are meant to benefit our players, not provide them with an excuse to consume excessive amounts of sugar and fat. Nine of our players had received deliveries from you in the last 3 months. In my estimations, that comes to about 216 baked pies. 
You must not be aware of this, but regular consumption of saturated fat can lead to heart disease and stroke. I advise you to look into investing your time in less harmful pursuits. I attached a list of recommendations for preferable culinary interests and other hobbies (if you eat even a portion of what you make, I highly recommend taking an interest in physical activity).
Please write back to me with confirmation that you will no longer deliver to members of this team.
Sincerely,
Jack Zimmermann
Providence Falconers Nutritionist | Providence, RI
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Subj: Re: Re: Re: Restriction on Pies and Pastries Supply to PVD Falconers
Mr. Zimmermann,
Unfortunately, I can make no such promises. Your players are counting on me, and I’d hate letting those sweet boys down. But just give it a few more months! You’ll see their game won’t be affected, and we could put all this behind us. In fact, I bet you’ll even see some improvement :)
Thank you for your concern, but it’s honestly not needed. I’m definitely getting enough physical activity, haha. Actually, I’m the captain of a Division I NCAA ice hockey team. And look, I’m doing just fine!
Also, I did take a look at your list. Flourless protein brownies?? Poor man. If that is what you consider a dessert, it’s no wonder you’ve got all these misguided views on pies. I had real brownies delivered just for you this morning, so you can taste the difference yourself. If they’re not on your desk by this afternoon, Thirdy or Poots must’ve gotten to them. Please let me know so I can make another batch.
All the best,
Eric
Subj: Final Request to Discontinue Pastry Deliveries 
Mr. Bittle,
You’re a hockey player who bakes a dozen pies a month in his free time? This is unacceptable for a sports team on any level. If possible, I would like the name of your team and your coach. Your staff should be made aware of the risks involved in not supervising their players’ health. I am more than willing to offer my services for a free-of-charge seminar about nutrition. 
I have made my position about the deliveries very clear. If you cannot assure me of your cooperation, I will be forced to speak to security and restrict entry of food into our facilities without my approval.
I don’t wish to resort to forbidding you from future contact with team members, but if it is in the best interest of the team’s success, I will.
Good day,
Jack Zimmermann
Providence Falconers Nutritionist | Providence, RI
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Subj: (no subject)
Dear Jack Zimmermann,
I would like to see you try.
Bless you heart,
Eric Bittle
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curio-queries · 3 months ago
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ARE YOU SURE?!
Production Notes from eps 1 & 2
At this time, I'm not planning to do full response posts for these episodes. Maybe once I'm done with my Run BTS series but for now here's some production thoughts.
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My initial thoughts are they've done an excellent job of merging the concepts for Bon Voyage and In The Soop while also adjusting for a reduction of members from seven to two.
To really understand this though, let's talk about some of the logistical requirements and goals of the previous shows for comparison.
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Logistical Assumptions
So I think y'all do realize that there is SOME amount of planning that has to happen for a show like this to be made but honestly...the way some of you talk, it's like you think this footage just magically appears in front of an editor, capturing whatever the members happened to wander into. These aren't self-recorded vlogs. This is a full production with a crew, a budget, and a deliverable requirement; just like any other TV show.
One of the cutest moments for me was at the brewery when JM was teasing JK about a summary of what the show about. I KNOW this was the 5 second explanation that both of them would have had to say/hear dozens of times while pitching the show. That's what's so endearing about the way JM says it and JKs reaction.
They also know that statements like that, captured during filming often end up in promos. All the members are very aware as they're being filmed what footage ends up being used. We've heard them time and time again, 'please use this as the thumbnail', 'please keep this in', etc.
Jimin has always been the most vocal about questioning if the content works for their intended purpose. How many times have we heard him say 'can this even be used?' or 'this will be cut'. Usually it sounds to me like he's aware the footage they're getting in the moment doesn't align with the predetermined plan. But as is common with the footage we getnof the members, even though it wasn't according to plan, doesn't mean it's not releaseable.
The main point of JMs AYS concerns being his sickness. I'm sure he thought the show was in jeopardy of not fulfilling their deliverable requirements since it would be difficult to completely edit out. There is a legitimate concern that if they aren't able provide the agreed-upon footage, the show would never air. I'll talk more about this in my section on the edit.
For now, here's a list of SOME of the basics that have to be managed for y'all to keep in mind when consuming any kind of produced content.
Camera management: How many and what kinds of cameras need to be brought along? Are there special operators required like a drone operator. How often is the footage saved. How is it backed up? When and where are batteries charged? Who locations require early access so the crew can place stationary cameras prior to the member's arrival.
Sound management: Someone is making sure the microphones are charged, and capturing correctly. Being mic'd up is one of the easiest indicators of when the show is actively being filmed or not.
Security: this is BTS. The members didn't go anywhere without a security consultation and discussion of requirements.
Crew management: These are people that have to have places to eat, sleep, and have time off as well. They don't just vanish into thin air as soon as their job is done.
Location approval and tax requirements: Every country in the world has different regulations, incentives, and permits to be managed. The US varies these laws state-by-state.
Budget: Businesses don't stay in business by not managing the finances. We can talk more about this if anyone's interested but there are definitely some interesting points with how much on-screen time we got over the years regarding members' spending on the shows.
There's more but let's leave it at the for the moment and talk more about why I think this show was such a good blend of Bon Voyage and In The Soop from a production standpoint.
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What was the initial goal of Bon Voyage?
I believe it was to promote the band and the members to viewers by giving us access to what it would be like to travel to various destinations around the globe. They knew the episodes still needed a catalyst though so there were various preplanned activities and games to motivate the editorial narrative.
BV1 was very experimental as they were obviously managing the challenges of such a production. There was a heavy emphasis on trying to make the members seem like regular ppl and seeing how they would tackle the problems many of us face with travel, chiefly budgetary and managing how to feed all of the travelers with strict spending limits.
BV2 completely game-ified the concept with the mini challenges and breaking everyone into different groups. It's very clear that this is not the strategy they preferred as BV3 was much lighter on the control. There were still some structured activities and events but the members were experienced enough to bring forth some of these moments themselves during the shoot rather than as a completely planned itinerary.
BV4 was a continuation of this with us also getting footage of the members being included in the event planning as well. I'm not saying they didn't have input in the planning of the previous seasons but by this point, production knew the members understood the requirements of a successful show as well as many of the necessary logistics. But it was still a travel show with some key events to fuel the storytelling.
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How about In The Soop?
Enter pandemic. They obviously still wanted to do another show once they worked out what was permissible to film at the time. But now the changing of locations would not be a part of the engine. How were they going to ensure they still had a viable show? They did put in place a semblance of their previous formula with that silly daily schedule (that was ignored nearly to the point of being completely edited out) and a couple of events like the 94s mountain hike and vhope's car drive. But overall, they realized they had to rely purely on the members to find story moments and insure they were captured. Their trust was rewarded though and ITS1 was a hit.
Now ITS2 is a more interesting case. I do believe it may have started with the same intent as season 1, but it must not have been long in the pre-planning stage before a new goal was added: controlled access of a BTS tourism destination. I'm sure I'll go further into this topic whenever I do finally make posts on this series, but it's very plain to even the casual fan that the ITS2 location was a planned financial investment.
Enough about the location though, what were the filming objectives? Honestly? Not much. The members were clearly ready for a break and were mired in the uncertainties of the time period. Balancing the focus of the english-solo-songs era with the preparations for ch.2 solo activities resulted in an odd lack of direction for the members, which is evident in the show. Yes, there are great moments and segments but there's no progression and very little footage of all the members all together except during certain meals.
But ITS2 is still hailed as enough of a success that there was justification to add to the franchise with Tae's friendship installment.
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But what does all this mean for Are You Sure?
We'd heard from many of the members during ch.2 that they would like to continue Bon Voyage so it honestly wasn't surprising that we'd eventually get another travel show featuring our beloved BTS members. Early in episode 1 of AYS, Jungkook says he's never traveled so loosely before. However this show was justified, it definitely wasn't planned to be another hyper-detailed barrage of JM & JK going from activity-to-activity like early BV but it also couldn't be as aimless as ITS. For as long as the conversation was surrounding the name of the show, we never hear them suggest Bon Voyage 5 because AYS was never intended to be another installment of that series.
This is why I said AYS is a perfect mesh of the two kinds of shows. Granted, the first episodes definitely had some unexpected obstacles due to the unexpected health concerns but I think the production team managed it well. Although, I'm convinced there's at least one activity they did have planned that had to get scrapped to let our poor guys rest and recuperate. I also wouldn't be surprised if by the time they started filming in the US, they hadn't locked another destination and schedule with how unsure JM & JK are when talking about the scope of the show. (And I hope we get some update on the poor motorcycle, I want to know how it got where it needed to be from the rainy grocery parking lot).
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The Edit
The overall tone of the show is very lighthearted. Kind of surprisingly so for me. It's not the vibe I would have necessarily expected but it's one of the points that leads me to say they have merged BV and ITS so wonderfully.
A major aspect of BTS's content is usually the chaos and shenanigans the surround the members. Now much of that is emphasized in the context of one of these shows but I honestly wouldn't have been surprised if the edit had tried to make up for the lowered member count. Instead, it's a very laid-back edit. The quality and tone of the on-screen captions was world's different from some of the BV seasons (thank goodness!)
Now, about Jimin's illness. There's a reason why the coverage is cut the way it was to only bring us in on the story once both JM and JK started talking about it lightheartedly. If we'd had all of that footage chronologically, we also would have had building tension throughout the day's activities. But this way, we're able to enjoy the show per the original pitch as much as possible.
This show would have been planned during the time when the members were under heavy scrutiny for how successful they'd be as individuals and how their content will be received without the full seven members. Again, the way some of y'all talk about these shows, it's like you don't realize that the members are aware of how this content is structured. They are. They absolutely are.
Also, a big part of greenlighting AYS would have been a discussion of how it could be made with just 2 of the 7 members. JM and JK would have to take on a lot more of the burden since there wouldn't be other member to cut to. The solo vlogs we got at the beginning of ch.2 absolutely would have been used as a proof of concept. There are easy comparisons to make between JKs camping vlog and the camping scenes we got in these first AYS episodes.
Another key justification of the show could have been as promotional material for the current musical releases. While they did highlight quite a bit of both JK and JM's work in these episodes, the narrative definitely wasn't tilted in the direction of promotion. I love that because it's absolutely not what I would have expected.
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What am I looking forward to for the remainder of AYS?
From a production standpoint, I'm already curious about the following:
Will there be any tonal shift? Specifically now that JM and JK have some uncertainties about the viability of their US adventure. Will it seem like they're compensating?
We know Tae is going to be in at least the next episode. How is this going to handled narratively and will there be any visible contradictions from that narrative in the production?
At what point was the final quantity of locations and shoots locked down? And when/if will JM and JK make mention of this.
If/How will the music promotion narrative shift? It's clear that this episode could not have been released until after MUSE's release once they decided to keep the footage of JK listening to Who. But when was that decision made?
What are your thoughts on the production of AYS so far?
Editing to add a link to my post on episode 3. Surprisingly I had a lot more to say!
Are You Sure?! Production notes from ep 3.
And there has been even more to say so here's a MasterList link
Are You Sure?! MasterList
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gloomwitchwrites · 8 months ago
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By the Belt (2 of 4)
Kyle "Gaz" Garrick x Female Reader
Content & Warnings: established relationship, undressing, talking through it, praise, vaginal fingering, unprotected piv (wrap it up irl), creampie, cowgirl position
Word Count: 1.5k
A/N: Part of the Imagines & What If Series
Gaz tells you to take what you want.
ao3 // taglist // main masterlist // by the belt masterlist
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The light on the bedside table is on. Its warm glow rolls out across the bedroom, illuminating the room enough to cast long shadows against the wall.
Kyle stands just shy of the end of the bed, his black suit jacket tossed onto the sheets. Tugging on the tie at his neck, Kyle’s gaze is focused on the phone in his hand. He’s tapping away, his cheeks slightly flushed with a rosy hue from the amount of alcohol the two of you have consumed this evening.
The top two buttons of his white dress shirt are open, revealing skin and the faintest fluff of chest hair. He sighs, tapping again, sending something out before opening up another message. It’s likely all work related, an aspect of him that never seems to shut off.
Slowly, you stalk from the bathroom doorway to Kyle in nothing but your lingerie. You’re already out of your dress and heels, only wanting for him to put his phone aside and relax. The moment you walk up to him, Kyle reaches out almost on instinct, his gaze still on his phone but his hand seeking you.
His palm makes contact with your bare skin, and you slide your fingers into the belt loops of his perfectly tailored dress pants. Pulling taut, you draw Kyle against you, bodies pressed close together.
Kyle’s gaze immediately shifts to you, the concern in the middle of his brow softening to affection. His mouth stretches into a smile that he only ever gives you.
“Baby girl,” he croons, the backs of his fingers tenderly skimming along the edge of your jaw. “You can have whatever you want.”
The two of you stand in the middle of the bedroom, pressed close, your hands between your bodies. It’s late, and the flow of traffic is almost non-existent. It’s unusually quiet, just your breath and his.
Kyle is the handsy one. He loves touching you, reaching for you at every possible moment. Sometimes it’s blatant, squeezing thigh and hip, while other times he is subtle with just passing touches.
“I want you,” you murmur, because it’s the truth, and you also want Kyle to relax, to be present in this moment. The entire evening has been a whirlwind.
Sometimes Kyle reaches for you and almost isn’t aware that he’s doing it. You are not nearly as generous or bold with your touches as he is, so sliding your fingers into the belt loops of his pants to pull him closer might come across as forward.
But Kyle doesn’t seem all that surprised. The sultry smile on his face is enough to send heat racing to the space between your legs.
“You want me,” he repeats back. Kyle doesn’t need to question your motives. His is aware of just how much you love him; of how much you like to just linger in his presence.
“I’ll always want you,” you murmur, tipping your head back as a silent invitation.
Kyle locks his phone and tosses it onto his suit jacket. “But how do you want me, love? Be specific. You can take what you want, but you need to tell me.” The fingers brushing at your jaw rotate, tracing the curve of your bottom lip. “Direct me,” he murmurs. How do you want it?”
The way he’s speaking to you doesn’t make the dominance in you flare. If anything, it drives you toward submission, to lay on your back and welcome him in until you feel him for the next few days.
Slowly, your fingers slide out of the loops, travel upward to undo the buttons on his shirt one at a time, revealing chiseled chest. Kyle does not move. He waits for you to help him out of it, to toss it onto the bed before transitioning to the front of his pants, undoing buckle, removing his belt, opening the front only to push it down his legs and hips. You stay down there, unlacing his dress shoes and rolling off his socks. They’re kicked off. Tosses to the side. Entirely forgotten as you return to standing.
The moment you’re staring into his face again, Kyle moves, sliding his arm around your waist, head dipping like he’s about to kiss you but pauses at the last second.
“Where do you want me?” he asks softly.
“On the bed.”
Kyle shakes his head. “Be specific.”
“Reclining,” you answer.
“That’s it, love.”
Kyle teasingly clips the underside of your chin before he picks up his phone and suit jacket, bringing them to the dresser and returning to the bed. He slides into the middle, leans back against the array of plush pillows, spreading his arms wide.
He is entirely naked. Completely bare. And Kyle hides nothing from your gaze. He is displaying himself, knowing that you’re absorbing it all, taking notice of the hardening length of him.
You crawl up the bed to straddle his lap. Kyle keeps his arms outstretched, not touching until you give him the next instruction. Your hands rest on his chest, pressing into him, lips coming together in a slow kiss.
“Touch me,” you murmur against his lips.
“How?”
You reach out and guide one of his hands between your legs. “Touch me here.”
Kyle lightly rubs his palm over your pussy through the fabric of your delicate lace underwear. He sighs deeply, one finger sliding underneath and then another before pushing it to the side.
He plays with you at first, exploring like he’s just now learning your body. Then, he isn’t. Then he is circling your clit in little swirls that draw up the gentle roar that sits low in your belly. Already, you need him, and Kyle knows this.
He moves away, testing to see how wet you are. Kyle moans softly when he finds your excitement dripping onto the tips of his fingers. One finger easily slides inside, and Kyle begins to pump casually, simulating sex, lightly curling the very tip to draw against that perfect spot inside you. His thumb takes up residence against your clit, moving in time with his pumping finger.
Your eyelids flutter, then shut as your back arches, moaning loudly.
“Is that what you want, love?” he murmurs, coaxing an answer from you with a perfectly placed stimulation of your clit.
“Yes,” you manage to breathe, the word stuttering out.
The orgasm is sharp and quick, giving you the release you need and yet driving your desire even higher.
Kyle slowly continues to pump his finger. “More?”
You shake your head. “I want something else.”
“What?” he asks, automatically.
Leaning back a bit, you reach behind you to grasp his cock, stroking him gently. Kyle groans, his hand not occupied between your legs reaching out to grasp your thigh, fingers digging into your flesh.
“You know what to do,” he says through gritted teeth.
With one hand around his cock to guide, you flex your hips up, slowly sinking down on him. You roll up, and then back down, hands returning to Kyle’s chest as you seat yourself entirely on him. The head of his cock sits deep, and your fingers dig into his chiseled pectorals.
Kyle’s eyelids and brow are soft as they gaze on you. Whimpering, you come up and go right back down, the angle hitting that sweet spot.
“Good,” he breathes. “Doing so well, love. Just like that.” You repeat the movement and Kyle fails to stifle a groan. “Fuck—oh, fuck. That’s right, sweetheart.”
His praise warms your skin and blood. Sliding your hands upward, you hold onto his shoulders, using them as leverage to rock and bounce back on him. Kyle’s breathing lengthens, nostrils flaring as he tries to retain control of himself. Kyle’s grip on your thigh changes. Moving closer toward your pelvis, Kyle finds your clit with his thumb, stroking it in just the way you need to, causing the muscles in your legs to quiver.
He sends you over the edge in moments.
“Kyle,” you groan, his name dripping from your lips to stain the air.
“Fucking hell, love,” he moans, his other hand sliding up to grab the back of your neck, keeping you anchored against him.
“Fuck me, Kyle. Please. Please.” You need to feel him everywhere, to remember the stretch of him inside you for days after.
Kyle answers by meeting each roll of your hips with an upward thrust. The two of you come together repeatedly until his own thighs tense beneath.
“Inside me. Please, Kyle. Please. Please.”
You’re begging at this point, the words falling into bursts of air that Kyle pulls from your body with each thrust of his hips.
He holds you flush against him as his release hits him. No words are spoken, just sounds that speak to pure contentment and bliss. Collapsing against him, Kyle wraps his arms around your back, holding you close, sinking further into the pillows and bedding, your bodies sticky and sweaty.
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eevees-hobbies · 4 months ago
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don't know if this counts as a request but ..
do you think kaji is into dacryphilia ? him n suo gives me sadistic vibes , to be honest .. ><
HAHHAHAHA, my first thirst. Bless you for this. I love this, anon!
Look, I need you to get out of my brain, ok? Because, yes, especially Suo. I’m writing a Suo smut fic currently, and your headcanon fits perfectly because it has devolved into the intense level of intimacy that he shares with you. I don’t want to give too much away, but…
Content Warning: Fem!Reader x Hayato Suo, Fem!Reader x Ren Kaji, Dacryphilia, smut, overstimulation
Being loved by Hayato Suo is to be consumed by him. You better be someone who can handle the marathon of lovemaking that comes with him, or you’re going to feel like you just might fucking break. 
It’s another level of love and intimacy; his tongue in the most sordid of places, his fingers unforgiving as they stroke your core, which has grown far too sensitive long ago. Maybe he’s teasing you because that's his nature, or perhaps it’s the manifestation of his addiction to you because, god to honest truth, he can’t get enough of any part of you, so he needs to savor the experience. I believe it is the latter more so than the former. 
No one would blame you if hot tears formed at the corner of your eyes and started to pour down your cheeks as you beg him for release because fuck, Suo, it’s too much. 
And you know what Suo will do? He’ll smile in your face, kiss those big, cute tears away, and say he knows you can take it—his girl can take anything. And to no shock to you—because you’ve done this song and dance before—he’ll continue to flick his wrist as his fingers curl against that spongy spot of your cunt, stealing orgasm upon orgasm from you. I really hope you can handle it because it either stops when not being inside of your abused cunt is just too painful for him, or time necessitates a quickie. If those conditions aren’t met? Good luck, friend. 
Deep down, you know that seeing you cry is part of the experience for him. It’s just as arousing as seeing you come undone on his cock, so your whimpering and hiccuping through tears is an un(fortunate) reality of being intimate with Suo. 
Now Ren Kaji? I think in any other scenario where Kaji finds you crying, he’s seeing red and hunting down the fucker who made you cry.
If he makes you cry because he snaps at you after having a bad day? He feels like absolute shit. 
The exception? When he has you folded over on yourself in the mating press position. He’s so deep in your guts you swear you can taste the tip of his dick on your tongue—you aren’t thinking clearly to consider the complicated logistics of this, too busy being fucked stupid.
And so when something finally snaps in you, something that makes your body tremble, and your core tighten because he’s fucking you like he hates you, you feel warm streaks pour from your eyes, sliding through your hair because the position he has you in has gravity pulling them back. You’re crying so hard that everything in front of you, including Kaji, is a blur.
The first time this happened, he stopped, concerned that he had hurt you, but you assured him that this was anything but pain that you were experiencing, so now he’s familiar with making you a crying mess as he fucks you into the bed.
And, fuck, he’d be lying if he said he didn’t find it hot. Because you crying means he’s doing a good job—he’s giving it to you so good and knowing that strokes his ego an unbelievable amount. 
And fuck, you love his cock this much that you’re a crying mess? Damn, what is he going to do with you? He’ll grit his teeth and fuck you harder because the way you cry, the way you turn into a cute blubbering mess, makes him feel like a god, and he wants to see how many tears he can get out of you before either of you breaks.
Yeah, I think they’re into it.
Keep the thirsts coming!
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doodle-pops · 1 year ago
Text
Kiss It Better
Elrond x reader
Kinktober 2023: Aphrodisiacs
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Warnings: fem!reader, aphrodisiac, rough sex, marathon sex, manhandling, semi-public sex, Elrond being a tease
Words: 4.3k
Synopsis: When Elrond mistakenly adds aphrodisiacs to your sleep–inducing tea, your quest for a peaceful night’s rest takes an unexpected turn. Elrond, being understanding and patient, comes to your aid, ensuring you find the sleep you were looking for through rare methods.
List of Requests
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“Oh dear!” Staring at the empty contents of the supposed bottle of wormwood powder and then lifting the actually clear glass of wormwood, Elrond’s tongue kissed his teeth at the accident he caused. A first–time mishap and on a grand scale, he was sure how the effects of the mistakenly emptied contents of what should have been wormwood, but accidentally giving lavender in a copious amount, would have. You were sitting impatiently, twirling around on his stool, complaining about feeling overly feverish and sensitive. To make matters better, it was approximately eight minutes since you drank the concoction he stirred up a storm to create.
There wasn’t much the healer could do aside from staring at the bottle, defeated before silently placing the empty jar onto the shelf and stepping away with concern in his eyes. Those brown eyes darted everywhere else to inspect for any other mistaken bottles of herbs and powders he may have accidentally mixed into the tea for your lethargy. His hands moved at the same rate his eyes followed, falling on every surface of empty bottles and out–of–place containers. Even the opened books were not spared from his investigation, should he have unknowingly flipped to the wrong page, he might as well consider.
“This,” he sighed as he reached for another jar he was sure of using, this time labelled incorrectly once he smelt the contents within and became aware of it being another floral powder, “will get me into trouble once the higher effects begin to kick in. Though, it should have begun…” His eyes trailed off the half–filled jar to rush towards the page where the instructions lay before him. For a second, just a second, Elrond was almost certain that the universe was playing tricks on his brain as he decoded the measurements written on the page.
Two teaspoons
One teaspoon
Two and half teaspoon
One tablespoon…
“Lord Elrond…” Your voice echoed annoyingly from the outer room as your temperature began to increase and the sensation of having clothes covering your body became irritating. You were confused about the effects of what his homey remedy for lethargy was giving off, far different from the usual teas you consumed within the past year. Now, fanning your face and neck while giving aggravated tugs to your dress, you whined to him once more. “Lord Elrond, please, what is happening?”
With a pregnant pause, his head cocked to the side and his ear flicked at the change in your tone, you were already under the fire. Deciding that it was wiser to keep the truth about his mistake under the radar, Elrond whisked himself out of the storeroom and into his office where he came across you dabbing a cloth dipped in the bowl of cooling waters along your neck. Regardless, the action appeared more provocative than intended as you ran the material along your elongated neck and parted your lips to release a long, quiet groan. Your ability to distinguish decorum with the flames building intensely within was absentminded. There was no time to stop and become self–aware of the performance you were putting on due to his slip–up.
Elrond on the other hand was unsure if to continue standing silently in the doorway and observe how far your actions would take you or snap you out of it and treat the issue. Shifting on his feet and taking a deep gulp as you wrung the cloth and allowed droplets of water to fall against your skin to provide coolness, your eyes opened and caught him staring with a jar in hand and his eyes honed on your confrontational display. “Lord Elrond,” you called out nonchalantly as though you were not lacking decorum, “what is happening to me? I thought you gave me a tea for my tiredness?”
Scepticism flooded his expression as he attempted to avoid your gaze, solely due to the siren look you threw and the disappointment of informing you of his blunder as a healer. Walking into the room, he stepped around the opposite side of the table and away from you to place the bottle of lavender at the centre. His palms were faced down and his head hung with his lips twisting, thinking of every possible solution and answer to return. “It…It would appear that—”
No, he couldn’t say that.
Cautiously rounding the table while his fingers trailed along the edge, he turned his focus to you as he approached you from your side and came to stand beside you. Wordlessly, he gingerly pried the cloth out your fingers, careful not to touch your skin and dabbed it across your forehead, making notes of your slight shivering and increased arousal. This was the bare minimal interaction with a cloth hindering skin–to–skin contact and you were already affected. Swiftly dipping the cloth into the bowl of cool water, he continued to dab at your forehead and the rest of your face, doing his best to avoid your neck to entice any behaviour.
His lips were pursed as he remained steadfast on applying the first step into solving your crisis, brown eyes following the motion of his hands until you began sighing too frequently. His eyes fell upon the bob of your throat and the parting of your lips the moment you shut your eyes to focus on the lingering sensation of his touch. It was then he decided it was a wrong idea to become close and personal to treat you.
“This is clearly a terrible idea,” he muttered, taking a step backwards and pondering on how to properly assess you.
“Elrond, forgive me, Lord Elrond,” you corrected and hopped off the stand to step forward, crossing the gap in three strides, “please just tell me what is happening and why does my body feel this…way.” At the end of your words, you began twitching, majorly at the junction where your thighs met your pelvis. The growing ache between your legs provoked you to squeeze your thighs together and shift from left to right.
Worry befell his eyes, and he bit the inside of his mouth at the progress of actions. “Alright, you need to sit and remain still, and refrain from touching me,” he ordered, frustratingly.
“Touching you?” You frowned and took three steps backwards to meet the stool.
Building a storm within the clustered spacing of his office, Elrond rapidly answered as he reached for a clean mortar and pestle, “Yes, no touching me because you might get the urge to do something like that to sedate the pain.” Having placed the instruments on the table not too far away, he placed his hands on his hips and turned to cast a worrisome look. “I made the wrong tea due to…mislabelling. I picked up the incorrect ingredients and gave you aphrodisiacs in extremely large doses.” His voice had shrunk at the end of his confession knowing fully well that you would blow a fuse.
“What?!” you shrieked. “Elrond, are you serious? I’m trying to gain hours sleeping, not sleeping around.”
He couldn’t help but find your statement to be entirely humorous as it slipped out and released a muted chuckle, hidden by the dipping of his head. “I apologise, the fault is entirely my own,” he clarified with a clearing of his throat. “However, if you can only sit still and allow me to cure it, you’ll soon be on your way to sleep.”
“And exactly how are you planning on curing this? Because to my unfortunate knowledge, somebody gave me aphrodisiacs in large quantities and claimed it was a new sleeping tea. Perhaps it wasn’t an accident and done on purpose. No wonder why I felt odd the minute I drank it,” you muttered with apprehension and cast a side eye at him. To blame Elrond was entirely not you and only the herbs taking its toll on your frustration. All in the act of attempting to have its purpose served.
Unaware of this being an effect, conversely, Elrond grew tired of your antics and snapped with fury in his voice, laced with weariness and concernment. “And I believe you have a way of solving this problem with all your complaining?” he challenged and slammed the mortar upon the table. “You seem to doubt my ability to remove the issue.”
“Of course, I do, especially when you appear as equally as weary as myself, I have every right to question your capabilities as a healer!” you reacted, shooting from your seat and standing beside him, shoulder to shoulder. “If you were the healer you claimed to be then I would not be in this situation—”
“Your pupils have dilated tremendously,” he whispered, causing his warm breath to fan your face prompting you to lean in closer unconsciously.
“So what?” you replied.
“And your pulse is becoming erratic,” he added, becoming aware of the proximity of your body.
“Let it—I don’t mind if it goes a bit high when I’m around you.” Fingers crawling up his arm, you kept eye contact with his gorgeous brown eyes and inched yourself closer until you wedged yourself in the gap between him and the table. Bodies pressing against each other, driving you insane, you reached out to hold him closer in an attempt to step away. Albeit, he wasn’t attempting to distance himself from your close–body figure, pressing against him.
“You’re thinking too much, Elrond,” your voice seduced while your finger reached his chin to tug it forward, mending the gap. “Just admit this was all a part of your plan and you desired me as much as I do. Just imagine,” you began, standing on your toes and placing your lips beside his ear, “how good it would feel to release all your tension in me. When was the last time you had a good time?”
“Y/N, think about this carefully,” he cautioned lowly, body shuddering when your lips kissed his earlobe and knowing that sense had disappeared the minute you consumed the tea. It was only a futile and last–resort attempt.
“Picture it Elrond,” you taunted and took his hand to wrap around your waist. “Us naked and entangled while you satisfy both our needs. Just think of how good you’ll fuck me.”
You proved the power and potency of the herbs and flowers was displayed by the rush of his arms instantly knocking all the parchment and instruments off in haste and hoisting you on the table. Tugging at your leggings and knickers until they were flung across the room, your bare legs met the cold air and his fingers. You trembled under his touch, your chest heaving and sweat building as the erraticism of your pulse escalated immensely, you cried out for him to get on with the show and stop teasing. You wanted to feel his body against yours without clothes hindering the sensation.
Reaching your hands out, they haphazardly yanked at his apparel and flung each piece across the room without care and concern. Your fingers desired the need to touch his skin and have the warmth of it pressing against yours to cool the raging fire crawling like molten lava across your skin. Inch by inch it sluggishly trailed, engulfing your entire body into flames while he stood there leaving you to take care of the matter on your own. The cruelty behind his reclusive actions, palms against the tabletop and standing between your legs while he breathed in your air and left you to undress him and then yourself increased the ache between your legs. Whining his name and frowning at him for provocation failed, for all he did was stand there with his brown eyes locked upon your pouting expression.
“You want me to assist you, don’t you?” he lowly chuckled, turning on the heat. “In fact, you need me to assist you.”
“Elrond, please don’t tease me any longer,” you wailed, tugging on the neckline of his shirt to bring his lips a little closer to meet yours, only to have him pull away at the last minute. “Just…Just fix it!”
“And here I thought you said I was incapable of such,” he corrected as his right hand slid up your back to meet the laces and give the bow a tug, unravelling it. With his thumb and forefinger gripping the end of the lace, he continued to unravel it until the bow was undone, leaving the rest of the intricate lacing to loosen. Straightening his posture and left standing in his leggings and shirt, he pulled you upright to unravel the tightness of the lacing and loosen the upper portion of your dress to allow his skilful fingers to peel it off artfully slowly.
The entire time, your hands were frozen on the buttons of his shirt and your eyes focused on the sleeves of your dress being tugged down your arm until they were caught at your elbow. The palpations of your chest could be heard and figured out by Elrond through the flustered expression you cast and the build–up of perspiration. The stickiness coating your skin, Elrond’s fingers swiped against it as he tugged at the front of the dress, prying your cleavage out from the confinements and into the open for his eyes to feast upon.
“Why aren’t you saying anything?” he quizzed once most of the upper portion had been removed and took a step back, prying your fingers off the buttons to finish the removal of his clothes. “Is it because you need my care and touch desperately?”
His hands rubbed circles into your hipbone, provoking more sounds to fall from your lips. He wanted to witness how putty you would easily become for his remedy after all the smart–mouthing you were capable of relaying. To witness the hooded, lazily look in your eyes which morphed into want and the parting of your lips to moisten it as his body rocked into yours, enticed him to take the remaining steps to completion.
Towering above you flushed and semi–nude, both hands ran up your legs, over every curve and bump, pushing your dress until it bunched around your waist. Measuring the gap between you, he stepped closer to fill it, also yanking your body closer till it was flushed against his chest. The ripples of goosebumps once your breasts were squeezing on his chest, nipples hardened and rubbing deliciously upon the smoothness of your Lord’s skin, shot across your ignited body. Little whimpers and sighs were emitted at the action of your bodies firmly pressed without any space in between to disturb the tension being created.
Gathering the energy to reach for the rest of your sleeves and tugging it off completely, now your dress pooled perfectly around your waist, he slipped his hands under your thighs and brought them to encircle his waist. The yelp you emitted was swallowed up by his lips colliding with yours and wasting no time in giving you the chance to adjust. Elrond pried your lips apart with his tongue and went to work fervently to savour the sweet taste of your kiss. His groans, at first, were inaudible. Being devoured by your lips as you made attempts at eating his lips or rather his face—your fingers were clawing into his nape and back, pushing him deeper into your body as though you wanted him to morph into you.
For every bite of your lip, your fingers tightened at his nape and gave small tugs to his hair, and for every swipe of his tongue against yours, you dug your nails into his back to leave your signature. The kiss was unlike any other you had experienced, perhaps with the mixture of him being your Lord and you his assistant, the thrill was heightened led to his touch being voracious.
Conversely, Elrond was a master in his art and possessed infinite levels of control unlike you in this situation at a time like this. Breaking the kiss much to your disappointment, his lips remained a few centimetres apart. “Are you going to give me an answer?”
Your body jerked in his hold as his question left you furious at the leisurely time he was taking to fix the issue. The blood under your skin was boiling causing the fingers gnawing at his neck and back to force him into hurrying up. “Would you quit it and just fuck me already? Put the heat out and just make me feel good!” you wailed.
For the first time in years, Elrond felt rejuvenated at the game he played with you. It wasn’t something he was ever fond of, always preferring to make the moment romantic and full of adoration and love, but today sparked a newfound delight. All the while you were yapping and running your mouth, being demanding and obnoxious, the hands that once held your thighs already slipped between your bodies to unsheathe his cock from his leggings and guide it towards your opening. He was thrilled your attention was focused on getting him to comply that you were oblivious to your wish being fulfilled.
“Is this what you wanted me to give you?” With his body at present pressed against yours, there was no room for your eyes to witness the motion of his cock approaching your cunt, only to feel the breaching with an eye roll and heave. Thankfully your hands flopped off his back to brace your body upright on your forearms, you were given the most precious sight of his cock sliding in and out, already covered in a sheet of your arousal. The only thing left for him to do was to pick up the pace.  
“You want me to give you pleasure?” he goaded. “But you told me I lacked the capabilities.”
A mischievous grin was set upon his face as the rocking of his hips remained steady and at a snail’s pace. No amount of gripping his hips or pressing the heels of your ankles into his back would increase his speed; not until you gave him an answer.
“Please, please, please. J–…Just give it to me Elrond…” crying out with a solid flop against the table, as much as your body was being stimulated, it wasn’t at the rate required to soothe the ache. “I just want your cock…”
As desperate and pitiful as it sounded, it was pleasant to his ears somehow and fuelled the course of his actions. Leaning his body lower, his hips maintained their rhythmic pattern, leaving behind the soft pitta–patter of his ball being soaked by your drenched cunt. It made his eyes widen the realisation of the desire you contained to be relieved and how much he gave you to consume. Pleased in ways unimaginable, his left hand cupped your face for his thumb to run over your lips before feeling your lips wrapping around the tip and your tongue swirling around it. Eyes widening, yet kept holding his finger, they were fixated on the motion of your lips.
Hissing, his lips formed a smirk at the inability of you to give a response before barrelling away. With his right hand occupied on your waist, he used it to guide your hips to meet the increased tempo of his thrust, awakening the temptress within you. Provocative moans from the depths of your soul escaped your lips and left him more aroused from the start. Even through the action of your sweet lips sucking on his finger, he could precisely and clearly hear each syllable of your melody the more he drove his cock into you.
He couldn’t believe how right you were about the last time he gave himself away so freely to the highs of ecstasy. Your words replayed in his head about releasing all his tension while curing your problem; considering it beneficial when he was problem solving both your issues in one shot—a good remedy.
Letting himself loose, Elrond flung his head backwards to join you in harmony as moans fell from his lips. The tightness of your cunt, a feeling he missed and enjoyed, wrapping around him suffocatingly without a moment of reprieve spiralled him into ecstasy. Your snuggly held him in possession, considering him yours with every stroke he delivered, kissing your sweet spot like no tomorrow and leaving behind stains of his precum to quench the flames. The rigidness and robustness of his cock, the perfect weight resting within your walls were accepted with familiarity. Allowing you to remodel and mould your insides to suit the shape of what he desired. A place where he could return for release and satisfaction.
With the first wave of your fire cooling from sinister rolls of his hips, loudly slapping against the inner of your thighs, you sighed in euphoria. This was the relief your body craved all these months, not sleep. The sensation of being twisted into different positions, from lying on your back to being placed on your side with your leg over his shoulder, a different type of workout that proved to be the best form of lethargy. There wasn’t a position your legs were being tossed into the deeper he drove his cock to have it touch placed unheard of. When they were considered myths, your Lord Elrond proved them false with the wicked flex of his hips to bury himself in the depths of your core, emptying the first release of tension before pummelling again.
There was no stopping when you were now being placed on your stomach, your right foot planted directly into the floor with your left hitched on the table and his hips smacking against your ass. You could have sworn that he was the one who drank the tea instead of you, but with a quick reality check of the volume of releases you made in the last half an hour, it was you.
The deliberating crawl of your cramps as he fucked you like no tomorrow, fingers massaging the back of your thigh while his lips whispered filth in your ear, eased the pain. Even when your stomach clenched and your walls cramped around his cock as the coolness of your orgasm quenched the flames, his fingers ghosting over your skin was a better sensation and stimulation. You could stand there for as long as he desired and take the vigorous pummelling he gave, even if it left you bedridden, it would been the best rest and treatment for your weariness received. It might encourage you to make checks more often than usual.
On Elrond’s end, he could say the same thing. His right hand intertwined with yours upon the table, sweaty chest rubbing against yours and finger massaging your thigh, he would have to make frequent schedules for another visit. Nevertheless, he only wished for the constant slipping and sliding of your bodies to cease. It made things difficult for him to hold and keep close, albeit it allowed for the sounds of his hips meeting your ass to reverberate in the depths of his eardrum, placing a pleasant smile on his face.
“Your cries sound better than I imagined, Y/N.” His voice trickled into your ear like caramel, melting away any remaining tension in your bones. Your body visibly sagged into his chest; head lulled atop his shoulder while your lips remained parts to release your broken, stammering moans. “Tell me, is the treatment to your liking? Would you like me to ease the ache once more?”
Breathlessly fumbling around with your words, your fingers tightened in his and pressed into the table, knocking your knuckles into the solid wood at the swelling of his cock, expanding your walls. The violent flooding of his cum seeping into your cunt and being pushed deeper with the intention of being kept there, left you shaking. Your body couldn’t handle the intoxication of his presence entering you again, speeding up the process for another wave of your orgasm to break through and mix with his. Your cries were all he was listening to while he relentlessly continued to pound away at your walls, loving the hypersensitivity he sent you into.
“Oh fuck, El–…rond!” Wailing into the heated air, your breath condensed at the rise in temperature of the office. Your body’s urge to collapse was prohibited by the gentle encircling of his right arm, still entwined with yours, around your waist to keep you upright and against his sweaty chest. The amazement you held at the unshakeable power he wielded to continue round after round as though his limit was endless. You were beginning to consider the acknowledgement of you being hit with aphrodisiacs was false and simply made up to lure you into his trap.
After all, he was a descendant of a Maia, a powerful at that, being able to ensnare you with the hypnotic look in his eyes was enough to have you at his beck and call. Imagine what his voice was doing as your insides churned and melted with the melody of his moans against your earlobe. Lips kissing the tips and breathless groaning at the squeeze you gave; Elrond summoned you to him like a siren calling its prey.
“Just like that, I’m sure you can give me another and another and another,” he encouraged, placing more pressure on your sweet spot as he ground his hips into your ass and rubbed the tip of his cock against it. “Just let me take care of you. I’ll make you feel better.”
He was unappeasible and outmatched you.
And yet, it did not terrify you, only enticing you to further give in and allow him to care and tend to your needs. His touches and words were all that were required to provoke your body into rejuvenation. He could kiss away the pain, ghost his lips over your skin or breathe against it and all would be well. His remedy to heal your ache was the best and always provided satisfaction.
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Masterlist
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crisiscutie · 6 months ago
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Since we have Father Sephiroth do you think we can have Biological Mother darling with son Sephiroth? Especially a possesive son Sephiroth?
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This is a super interesting idea! I have so many ways of how this dynamic could work out... Consider the following to be experimental musings since nothing is set in stone yet. In general though, I imagine this Sephiroth would start out as fluffy but turn into a yandere as his insecurities surface and he reverts to his true self; a lost, broken boy.
Content Warning: Emotional abuse. Yandere Sephiroth. Unhealthy and unsettling family dynamics.
Counterpart to Yandere Father Sephiroth Musings.
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༻❁༺ You should've seen this coming. From the constant visits to the persistence of staying with you longer than necessary...
༻❁༺ You thought it was just his way of making amends for the lost time since he was stolen from you as a baby.
༻❁༺You reunited with your dear son here in Mideel a year ago, when he left Shinra for good. He recognized you from a distance when he saw you gardening.
༻❁༺ After he finished crying into your neck for what felt like an eternity, he told you about how he always wanted to find you, to be with you at every single he spent in that hell.
༻❁༺ And the poor thing thought your name was JENOVA. When you corrected him, he raised his palm to his face, an eerie, broken chuckle escaping his lips. A single last tear cascaded down his cheek.
༻❁༺ It concerned you, but you overlooked it, realizing that it likely came from his painful and traumatizing childhood. At least you both can now confront it and handle it together.
༻❁༺ His gorgeous slit eyes lit up as you rubbed his shoulder and caressed his cheek.
༻❁༺ "You're as radiant as I imagined you to be, mother..."
༻❁༺ From that point onwards, he was practically attached to your hip, observing how you handled domestic chores and attempting to do them himself. He was worried sick that he would mess up, as he had never done things like this before.
༻❁༺ Yet his ability to pick up things quickly always impressed you. He learned so fast... In fact, he seemed a little too eager to please you and relate to you. This worried you, so you reassured him he didn't need to change himself. You wanted him to express his true self.
༻❁༺ And so he did. He especially never hid the amount of love he had for you, his precious Mother. Each time he hugged you, his grip was so tight that you could sense his hesitation to release you, even if he didn't verbally express it.
༻❁༺ It doesn't matter if he was busy with an important task like hunting beasts. If you needed him for anything, he'd drop whatever he was doing, just for you. Even if it was something small, like getting fruits from the town's market.
༻❁༺ But he was poor at interacting with others, especially whenever other men came around you.
༻❁༺ He would lurk behind you, his seething eyes darkened toward anyone who dared to disturb his bonding time with you. He treasures each moment spent with you as if it were a precious currency. Even when your eyes are not on him, he became restless and antsy.
༻❁༺ Most were scared off whenever he gave them that intense stare. However, there was one time where he had gone too far and nearly beheaded a lone traveler. His crime? The traveler had simply asked you for directions while you were gardening with Sephiroth.
༻❁༺ Even Sephiroth himself didn't know what had driven to do that. Perhaps it was the seething jealousy that consumed him as he watched you playing with and caring for the children at the local orphanage, even though it was merely your job. Or maybe it was the way you stared at that man in the market earlier. Or maybe he was antsy from the lack of quality sleep.
༻❁༺ Usually, your sweet son tried to disguise his possessiveness around you, but this time, he couldn't hide it.
༻❁༺ Thankfully, you screaming at him and grabbing his arm, just as he was about to deliver the killing blow to the poor traveler, seemed to snap him out of his dark trance.
༻❁༺ With his eyes like a guilty kitten, he stared at the ground. He wasn't sorry for the man he almost killed, but for the minor crime of upsetting you.
༻❁༺ His powerful, deep voice had the pace of a child caught in the act.
༻❁༺ "Mother," he choked out, unable to meet your gaze, his shame clear. "I-I didn't mean it..." The thought of you leaving him, like others before, crossed his mind, nearly pushing him to another breakdown.
༻❁༺ You stared at him solemnly, before wrapping your arms around him in a loving, soothing hug.
༻❁༺ Later that night, his murderous rage surfaced again, not directed toward you, but towards the world. It wasn't fair that he had to spend a lonely, painful childhood and early adulthood as a glorified hunting dog. It wasn't fair that he had lost the few friends he had. And it certainly wasn't fair that, after finally reuniting with his precious mother, she had already built a life for herself, taking care of OTHER children.
༻❁༺The only thing he felt ashamed of was his jealousy of your interaction with the orphans. But it was too triggering for him to fully accept it.
༻❁༺ While you were busy making dinner for yourself and a small group of friends, he easily slipped into your house without being seen. You felt your heart leap at the sound of his deep, velvety voice, his muscular body pressing against yours as he stood uncomfortably close, a mischievous smirk on his lips.
༻❁༺ "...You're having a feast tonight, aren't you, mother?" your son whispered ominously in your ear. As you turned around to face him, you suddenly realized how imposing he truly was. Your first meeting with him was a stark contrast to now. Gone was the tall, shy boy; in his place stood a terrifying killing machine. It felt as if you were talking to an entirely different being altogether.
༻❁༺ "Yes. I will have company over later... What's wrong, Sephiroth?" You asked. You don't know how you kept a tough act. The doubt consumed him as his eyes narrowed at you and a frown replaced his smirk.
༻❁༺ "So this is what you were doing over years... While I spent my life as Shinra's monster!" His hands hovered around your hips, almost wanting to grab them, but he grabbed the marble counter behind you instead, causing it to crack with ease.
༻❁༺ You gasped. You were sure that he didn't even mean to do that, but it was hard for him to control his strength at the moment.
༻❁༺ And you've already told him what you've been doing these past years, but now it's time to prove it. You took his hand and led him to your bedroom. You revealed your involvement with AVALANCHE by showing him files of classified documents from underneath your bed.
༻❁༺ Each document revealed a different side of Shinra's operations - the meticulously gathered area survey information about Mideel and Shinra's dealings here, the closely guarded company secrets you knew, and even other corrupt dealings that had plagued them for years. This was the best way you could strike back at Shinra, but you had to keep your identity a secret.
༻❁༺ You've seen the Turks around this town a handful of times. You knew it was their job to find you and silence you, so you had to lie low. But you still wanted to reunite with Sephiroth, which is why you started to work with AVALANCHE under a persona, relaying to them what you can aside from your identity as Sephiroth's mother and going out on missions to get closer to him.
༻❁༺ He was dead silent as you went through the documents. Then he apologized to you, his kitten eyes resurfacing. They always made you so weak at the knees. He wrapped his arms around your waist and nuzzled his face into your chest.
༻❁༺ Although you didn't see it, a small sneer formed on his lips while you were calling off dinner with your friends, all to spend the night comforting your sweet son.
༻❁༺ You eventually fell asleep on your bed, but Sephiroth was still wide awake, still too high from your motherly touch and the thoughts of vengeance. He'd take away everything Shinra cherished. They will feel his despair.
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So making something clear, Mother Darling is NOT Lucrecia. But I guess she could be an AU version of her if you want to see her that way. It's your imagination 🤷. Her past and the reason behind Sephiroth being stolen from her are different. Much of yet to be discovered.
And these musings are experimental, so nothing is set in stone yet. I had other ways how a Mother Darling/Son Sephiroth dynamic could be explored, but I decided to write this one to see how it flows.
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pearlsinmyhair · 1 year ago
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kinktober day one - “use me”
miguel ohara
miguel is stressed by nature and by profession, and the man is stubborn. he refuses to address his own mental and physical state, no matter the amount of concern. but how can he resist you, a pretty little thing, so eager to help him?
content: nsfw (duh). dirty talk. use of ‘slut.’ dom/sub dynamics. sex on desk. oral (fem!receiving). unprotected sex (wrap it before you tap it, kids.) creampie. cum eating. spanking. clit slapping.
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miguel was stressed. intensely, inescapably, and completely. every nerve was fried, and his patience had gone down the drain a few hours ago.
he knew how he must look to you; an animal, with his hair a mess from running his hands through it, his eyes bloodshot from staring at screens for far too long, his body trembling slightly from the sheer amount of caffeine he’s consumed.
and yet you offered-
“what?” he questioned, looking at you over one hunched shoulder.
“use me.” you reiterated.
you leaned against the desk opposite him, the one without any keyboards or screens.
how were you so damn casual about it? with your relaxed shoulders and easy presence, your sweatpants low on your hips and your hair carelessly styled. you looked at him like you just asked them out to lunch, not about this.
“and how exactly” he dared to ask, turning to face you and mirror your posture. “would i use you?”
and your smile was slow, spreading across your face like you knew you had him. and you did, especially as you lifted yourself to sit on the dark surface that you leaned on.
“you’re stressed.” you said as he took a step closer. “and you refuse to sleep, or eat, or relax. you won’t find an outlet, no matter how much everyone begs you to. so…”
his hands found the soft flesh of your thighs, allowing his claws to just barely puncture the fabric of your sweatpants to prick at your skin. if he hadn’t taken rapture earlier, he wouldn’t have caught the soft hitch of your breath as his palms settled against your legs.
“…use me.”
he allowed himself to lean down to you, dragging his nose along your jawline. you tilted your head for him, and he hummed his approval. “this isn’t going to be soft, cariño.” he murmured, and he felt you exhale against his ear. “if you want me to let off steam, i’m going to do it without restraint.”
his canines dragged along the smooth skin of your throat, and goosebumps rose along your body.
“are you ready for that?”
one hour less and he would have turned you away with a scoff and a glare. one hour less and he would have fired you on the spot.
but like miguel said before, he was stressed.
he watched as your hands gripped there edge of the table, and he was close enough to count each heartbeat before you replied.
“of course.”
the sound that came from his throat was primal, and his hands moved to your hips to hold you still as his mouth pressed to yours. you let out a sound somewhere between a gasp and a whimper, and he gripped you harder.
if he hadn’t been shaking, he would have put more effort into his foreplay. but the sounds you were making as his teeth nipped at your collarbone sent liquid heat to the pit of his stomach, and he could feel the warmth between your legs as he pressed against you.
he found the divot between your ass and the back of your thighs and tugged you forward, and your feet thumped against the floor as you skipped off the desk. miguel slipped his hands down against your hips, pulling your sweatpants down with them. he groaned at the sight of your clothed sex, nearly shivering as he sunk to his knees and caught sight of a small wet spot.
“what are you-“ you managed before he ripped your panties down your legs and licked a line from your dripping entrance to your clit, closed his lips around the bundle of nerves, and sucked.
your moan was broken and pitchy, hands flying from the edge of the desk to his hair as you bucked into his mouth, already trembling from the stimulation.
miguel’s hand delivered a sharp smack to your ass when you bucked again, and you gasped and jumped against him. he pulled away slowly, lapping at your clit as he tipped his head back to look up at you.
“shouldn’t i be sucking you off?” you asked, voice breathy as he mouthed at your inner thigh before sucking a hickey into it. your hands dropped from his hair to his shoulders, but a glare from him sent your fingers back to curling into the strands.
“you asked me to use you, correct?” he said as he rested his chin right below your belly button. “so i’ll use you how i want, and you’ll take it until it’s too much.” he smacked your butt again, and you nodded.
he rested his hands against the back of your thighs, slowly pulling you close once more. “safe word?” he uttered, his breath fanning against your wet pussy.
“mercy.”
miguel pulled back with a sharp look. “you think you’re funny?” he said after a second of disbelief.
and you smirked down at him, eyeing him cockily from above. “oh, i think i’m hilarious.”
it was all it took for him to shove you forward and suck at your clit again, nipping it with his sharp canines as he learned your reactions. he lapped your release like a man devastated with thirst when you finally came, and he pushed you back up onto the desk as he rose.
“you okay?” he asked as he circled your entrance with his pointer finger, and you nodded. he slapped your cunt, earning a yelp. “words, cariño.”
“yes. yes, i’m okay, just put it in-“
he slipped his finger into you with ease, and you whined as he found your g-spot, stroking it as he pushed inside of you slowly. the first finger was easy, but he met some resistance with the second.
“have you done this before?” he asked, watching your expressions carefully. your eyes darted up from where his fingers disappeared inside of you to his face. “i haven’t in a while. it’s just been my fingers for the past…year?” you managed through gasps as his thumb worked slow circles against your clit.
he smirked. no wonder you were on the edge just with his fingers, miguel thought as he studied your hands. you hadn’t had something bigger than your digits for a while.
when he judged you properly prepped, he pulled you closer, rubbing the length of his dick along your pussy to gather your slick. lyla had reverted down to her basic mechanics, refusing to even make herself known in this situation. instead, the lower part of his suit disappeared without so much as a word from him.
the tip passed without resistance, but you cling after the first few inches. miguel pressed his hands to your lower back, pulling you to him as your nails dug into his back. you hid your face in his shoulder as he bottomed out, and he sat there until you managed a soft “ready.”
miguel had promised no restraint. and he never went back on his promises.
his thrusts were hard and bruising, the slap of skin on skin harsh in the quiet of his cavernous office. but the moans and cries from your mouth reassured him, and he found your second orgasm quick.
miguel pulled out and flipped you around, pressing your chest against the cold metal as he bit down on your shoulder.
“you like that?” he groaned against your back as he spanked you. “taking me so well, little slut. being such a good little stress reliever.”
you babbled, hands blindly gripping for purchase along the desk. miguel grabbed your wrists and held them at your lower back, ramming into you harder.
“fuck, yes, right there-“ you gasped, and he sped up as your cunt clenched around him.
one of his hands reached around your front to grab at your throat, pulling you up so that your back pressed against his chest.
you screamed at the new angle, walls spasming as the tip of his dick pushed against your cervix. he rested his chin over your shoulder as the pressure in both your cores finally burst, and he came deep inside of you.
he sat there for a few moments, allowing both your breaths to even out as you came down from the high of your orgasms.
miguel pulled out of you, his cum dripping down your legs as you both slid down to the floor.
“you okay?” he murmured, not for the second time though your little rendezvous.
“fantastic.” you hummed as he pressed his mouth to your shoulder. you exhaled shakily as his thumb gathered up the line of release down your inner thigh, bringing it to your mouth.
you rested your head back against his chest, fluttering your tear-clumped lashes at him as you sucked his cum off his finger.
oh, he thought as he pressed a kiss to your lips, was he going to enjoy using you.
his little coworker, his slut on call, his pretty little stress reliever.
this was going to be fun.
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taglist: @messylustt @cultrise @ya-boi-v @rainbowsocks @belladonna-is-alive @deobipabooo @m4dyy @bobtheoriginal-blog @huyyyyyyyt @sillygardeneggperson @jakelockleysdoll
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sgiandubh · 6 months ago
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Lallybroch: copyright vs. trademark
An excellent question was asked by our friend @rosfrank in the comments thread to 'The door faces North' post and given the cosmic amount of uninformed bullshit being ventilated for almost ten years in this fandom, I think it's time to answer it once and for all:
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Whenever we are informally talking about 'owning the rights to something', I think it's very important to bear in mind a fundamental distinction between two different categories of ownership rights: copyright and trademark.
The copyright is the most familiar one to many of you. It is what you usually find on those annoying and apparently useless first or last pages of all the printed or digital editions on this planet. Something like this:
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In the US, copyright issues are regulated by the Copyright Act of 1976, as included in Title 17 of the US Code. The US public authority competent for registering and managing copyright is, as predictable, the US Copyright Office.
Perhaps the most seminal US Supreme Court decision, as far as copyright is concerned, is the 1991 Feist Publications, Inc., v. Rural Telephone Service Co. In it, the Court ruled that mere compilations of information or facts (such as, for example, telephone books) are not protected by copyright, according to US law. In other words, the ancient legal concept of 'sweat of the brow' (which simply means the amount of work required to gather and compile those facts/information) is not enough to qualify a work for copyright protection, if no creative effort is added to enhance its content. This is why I have always considered absolutely ridiculous Marple's efforts to watermark public information screenshots: it is useless (to the extent that it legally protects her from nothing) and, as her timelines, a mere compilation of facts (legally ditto). A similar approach is preferred by the UK and also by many Roman law legal systems, such as the French one - just making things clearer, here, by the way.
See how 'Erself is roughly doing, right now, in this department:
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But I am rambling. In my view, Lallybroch, as a pivotal concept used in Diana Gabaldon's books, is protected by the copyright granted to each and every of her books mentioning it, according to the Roman law principle 'accessorium sequitur principale' (the accessory follows the principal). So it will remain protected for at least 70 years since the last of her books mentioning it would have been published under copyright. Unless she chooses to separately protect the entire finished cycle as a whole, once Book Ten (fingers crossed) is published, preferably during our foreseeable lifetimes.
That being said, that goes only for one copyright category: (published) text - you cannot copyright that secret diary in your drawer, LOL. This is why, the current US Copyright Office records concerning Lallybroch look like this:
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Sony Pictures Television Inc owns the copyright to the fictional name Lallybroch in the motion pictures category, as it is the title of the Episode 12, in Season 1 - DG has been handsomely compensated for this, no worries. And someone I have no idea about owns the rights to an original musical score she has written and titled Lallybroch in the music category, since October 2013.
Onwards to the trademark. This is something different and this is all about making your name/concept/idea profitable. It is all about branding it, putting it on a product and selling it under that brand. It includes all the graphic elements and the logo of the brand (accessorium...) - in short, its visual identity to the consumers. In the US, trademark issues are regulated by the 1946 Lanham Act and the public competent authority is the good old US Patent and Trade Office (USPTO).
Right now, the situation for the Lallybroch trademark is as follows:
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So, we see three different trademarks: two of them, owned by Diana Gabaldon, are classified as 'dead' (cancelled and/or abandoned) and the third, Lallybroch Spirits, owned by S's Great Glen Company is pending approval - he will not be able to label any booze bottle Lallybroch Drink Me before permission is granted by the USPTO.
Let's unpack:
Both Lallybroch trademarks formerly owned by Diana Gabaldon were filed at the USPTO on February 21, 2000 and granted on December 12, 2000. The first was aimed at producing 'tartan fabrics for the manufacturer of clothing' and it was abandoned in December 2003:
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The reason is that the owner did not file in any Statement of Use after the trademark was granted. She had three years to do so, and since she chose not to do anything about it, the trademark was deemed abandoned (Stacy K. Smith is the attorney hired by Herself, btw). That means she specifically implied not to intend using it in the future. As such, she may claim NO rights on a now free to use mark:
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The second trademark was aimed at producing 'clothing, namely, t-shirts, dresses and headwear' and also 'jewelry, namely, rings, pins and necklaces'- to cut the story short: OL merchandise - and it was cancelled on March 1st, 2013:
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The reason is that the owner did not file the Section 8 declaration (of continuous use for five years) within the allowed legal timeframe (6 months after the fifth anniversary of the trademark granting renewal). Her trademark federal rights are now deemed canceled (but not her state law and/or common law rights!) and if she wants to ever use that name again, she would have to start the whole process over, bearing in mind the trademark could have been granted to someone else, in the meanwhile (not her case).
And for anyone who might ask, 'Erself does not own any other trademarks whatsoever:
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The other (Doll Lab - LOL for ages) Diana Gabaldon is a pharmacist from Albuquerque, NM. Chill. 🤣🤣🤣
The owner of the copyright to the fictional toponym Lallybroch, as far as published text is concerned, is Diana Galabdon.
The owner of the copyright to the fictional toponym Lallybroch, as far as motion pictures are concerned, is Sony Pictures Television Inc.
The owner of the copyright to the fictional toponym Lallybroch, as a personal work of music, is Mrs. Kelly Ruth Davis, of Pennsylvania, USA.
The owner of the Lallybroch Spirits trademark will be Sam Roland Heughan, when that trademark is granted by the USPTO.
I hope this answers your question, @rosfrank. Thank you for asking.
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basshole-astard · 1 year ago
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[AMERICAN POLITICS]
i know everyone is worried about KOSA being a censorship bill, and that's fair. but do you know what really, REALLY concerns me about this bill? the fact they want to install age verification systems at the device/operating system level
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(transcript with highlights below cut)
this will almost definitely track your data - note how it doesn't say how much, just that it's going to have to collect some, and that's worrying. to me. best case scenario we need to give our devices our government ID. worst case scenario it's tracking app usage and browser history and who knows what else. they don't say! how convenient.
but, based on Sec. 6(d)(5) "consider indicia or inferences of age of users, in addition to any self-declared information about the age of individuals." and Sec. 10(a)(1)(D) "using indicia or inferences of age of users for assessing use of the covered platform by minors", nevermind Sec. 9(b)(4)'s own admission that some data will be collected, that's.... that's data tracking.
and i know websites already do this, but i feel like a government mandated software for age verification that will track this data is a step too far.....
read the text of the bill here, if you want. genuinely the amount of legaleze is - as far as i can tell - only going to PROBABLY cause censorship, not GUARANTEE it.
but you know what KOSA does guarantee? stated plainly and clearly in their intents of what this bill will do? data tracking.
so if you're contacting your senators about opposing this bill, please consider not only voicing your concerns about censorship, but also about the privacy violations. thank you.
contact your senators here
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SEC. 9. Age verification study and report.
(a) Study.—The Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission, Federal Trade Commission, and the Secretary of Commerce, shall conduct a study evaluating the most technologically feasible methods and options for developing systems to verify age at the device or operating system level.
(b) Contents.—Such study shall consider —
(1) the benefits of creating a device or operating system level age verification system;
(2) what information may need to be collected to create this type of age verification system;
(3) the accuracy of such systems and their impact or steps to improve accessibility, including for individuals with disabilities;
(4) how such a system or systems could verify age while mitigating risks to user privacy and data security and safeguarding minors' personal data, emphasizing minimizing the amount of data collected and processed by covered platforms and age verification providers for such a system; and
(5) the technical feasibility, including the need for potential hardware and software changes, including for devices currently in commerce and owned by consumers.
(c) Report.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the agencies described in subsection (a) shall submit a report containing the results of the study conducted under such subsection to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives.
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silviakundera · 4 months ago
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I've seen you discuss this with other people but I've only made the jump from J dramas to C ones where it's mostly about romance and are c writers allergic women making the same effort in a relationship or... Granted I've only watched dramas from this year at first I thought it was just historical stuff but it's not it's practically every romance drama will love in spring-snowstorm-love endures-in blossom-double-shenli-royal princess-my boss-our interpreter and so on. If she's not outright treating him badly he's a cirque du Soleil contortionist trying to please her and she's not even in the circus don't they know balance is key to everything? Different dramas should have different bonds it's quite concerning that it's just one thing almost every time I think it speaks to a larger issue or maybe I'm overthinking it
idk what to tell you anon. It may simply be that chinese dramas are not to your taste and that's ok. I tried the occasional kdrama for years and didn't really fall in love with many... Most jdramas don't engage me. But when I tried a few cdramas it was like love at first sight. Something about the stories they want to tell, the themes they explore, and the characters they tend to portay just hooks me. And that's a very personal thing.
All I can share is that as a middle-aged corporate lesbian girlboss... a surprising amount cdramas have connected with me about how they explore a woman who is career focused & has to balance that with developing a romantic relationship and then maintaining one.
And when I'm consuming a romance storyline, what preocupies me is if I find it interesting, if the characters both feel vibrant & dynamic, if I can see how they might work together. Do their broken pieces fit? Can I see a path where eventually they can reach a point of mutual understanding, where both are fulfilled? Do I get their vibe? Do they have a unique vibe? Do I believe they like each other, as people? Or at least, do I see a clear path where they will be/have these things by the end of the story?
That's what dictates if I want to keep watching/reading a romance. Personally, I don't spend a lot of time weighing up perceived effort/favors and needing things to be perceived as "even". I would not want to date a person who thinks like that, because I find that idea stressful and off-putting! 🙈 If the people are happy, then they're happy! If neither feels abused & taken advantage of, if they're clearly content, then I don't need to calculate 'same effort' parity.
But that's just me! Everyone is different. And you don't have to overthink or justify what TV you like or don't like. Maybe cdramas aren't for you. That's all good. But please don't ask me to engage with romance this way, it kinda poisons it for me and makes things a bummer. 😔
I simply cannot say that I share your perspective. For instance, I thought Shen Li was a drama with a great otp who had priorities that did not always align but ultimately they ended up in a beautiful relationship with unconventional gender dynamics and in the finale they are clearly super happy & fulfilled together.
The Princess Royal isn't finished yet but lemme say their love in the novel is EPIC. Absolute one of the otps of all time for me. Better characters than most western historical romance novels I've read. If you look at the small stuff and try to weight who did this or that as a series of transactions, imo you are missing the beauty of how these 2 people took a lifetime of getting everything wrong before being ready for each other - but now they are ready, they are listening to each other and remembering to come back with kindness for each other and moving foward into a bond that's truly beautiful. Yeah, it takes almost the whole novel to get there. But IT DOES. No one loves Pei Wenxuan harder than Li Rong, sees the true value of Pei Wenxuan more than Li Rong, and no one will come to his ferocious rescue like Li Rong. I feel like I could cite 35 quotes to prove my point, it's that clear in the text.
a few of the modern cdrama couples who made me want to believe in love again:
Lighter & Princess - academic rivals to lovers to exes to ????, a drama that snuck up on me and slowly made me lose my mind. Best experience is to be unspoiled and thus surprised about where the story takes you. A long winding road, with some huge dips, before they reach a place where they have a beautiful hard-earned partnership. Makes me emotional just to think about them.
Hidden Love is a simple but beautifully acted tale about a sheltered & gently spoiled girl who falls in love with one of her older brother's best friends. Such a common romance plot but the execution is everything. The characters feel warm & real. FL's bittersweet young love tugs at your heart strings. I was impressed at how they crafted the platonic bond she forms with a lonely young man weighed down by financial & emotional family burdens, which later blooms into a mutual affection that enriches both their lives, and it all feels very natural. You really feel that their lives are immeasurably better by being together. Sang Zhi's protectiveness towards him is so !!!
Vid Rec: Seven by SakinaMv (who I've subscribed to for a long time)
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You Are My Glory, which has a very silly sounding concept but ended up one of my fav comfort shows. Beautiful teen girl has a crush on the local school genius and asks him out; he politely rejects her, dismissing her efforts to connect because he can't see what they would have in common. 13 years later, he's a rocket scientist and she's become one of the top idols in china. She's at the peak of her profession but having a tiny PR mishap when caught repping a video game that she actually doesn't play. He's taking a leave from work as he struggles with the economic realities of picking a job that consumes your life but pays like shit. She's looking for help to learn this damn game & cover her ass; she still has his chat ID and he's online with nothing better to do. Once they start interacting, her crush on him returns & he starts to realize that that person he had discounted may actually be that confidant who can walk beside him? My dad was poor scientist who 'wasted' his intelligence following his passion, so I found ML's turmoil especially compelling. [Note: quite a bit of video game playing in the 1st half of the drama (as this is the driver for a celebrity and an unemployed scientist to hang out), then almost none in the second half]
Vid Rec: Stargazing by dramasaffair
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Vid Rec: Flashlight by HânAlli (turn on CC)
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The Road Home, a second chance romance of 2 people who come from rough home-lifes who fell in love when young but couldn't handle a long distance relationship. Then they meet many years later and try a long distance relationship again. I love me a couple who I can believe just get each other and make each other happier when they are together.
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Meet Yourself - a slice-of-life story about a woman whose best friend dies, so she quits her job out of grief to go take the simple vacation that they would talk about doing but never got around to. And naturally she finds herself immersed in village drama and finds a soulmate (big city career woman goes to a small town and falls in love with small town boy is a HUGE american romance cliche, and one I've never enjoyed, so I was surprised at how much I liked this)
Vid Rec - MK916 can always be counted on to publish tons of quality cdrama couple vids
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leonw4nter · 4 months ago
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Sharp Teeth and Sandy Woodland
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RE2R!Leon x GN!Reader
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!! CONTENT WARNING : Graphic description of bones and muscles making unsettling noises. Don't proceed if you're not comfortable with that!
You knew that something was wrong with your fellow Raccoon City survivor Leon Kennedy when he began exhibiting bizarre behaviors shortly after the government discovered both of you, along with a kid named Sherry and a college student around your age range named Claire. He seemed to be more thirsty than usual, his throat and eyes parched more often than not despite the amount of water he consumes daily. The food served at the temporary housing that the government gave you two wasn’t too bad or dry, for you at least. The rookie cop with you, though, disagreed and expressed dislike for certain starchy and grainy dishes.
“What happened to self-proclaimed “Mr. Not A Picky Eater”?,” you jokingly ask after Leon complained about the potatoes making his mouth feel dehydrated. “You were telling me to suck up those bitter herbs but now you can’t even handle potatoes.”
Leon groaned after finishing an entire bottle of water, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “Not sure. I could handle potatoes just fine back then. Probably just adjusting to the temperature differences.”
You nod, taking another forkful of the meal as you watch Leon grimace before shoving another spoonful into his mouth. Swallowing looked a little uncomfortable for him so you assume that he must’ve been coming down with a sore throat or some sort of nasal malady.
“You could use a trip to the doctor, I think you’re going to get a cold.”
“Yeah, probably.”
A day or two after that conversation, Leon came home with a normal check-up result. He asked the doctor if he was coming down with an allergy but after doing the RAST and the skin prick test if he somehow developed allergies during his short stay in Raccoon City, the doctor confirmed that he had no allergies, which concerned both the patient and doctor. He didn’t wish to reveal and explain the sudden speedy growth of body hair and the presence of it in places that it has never grown in before, like the back of his hands and lower back. He kept other bodily changes to himself, not wanting to alert you and bring unwanted attention which would cause some complications with the protection and surveillance that the government placed you two under. Sherry would also somehow be dragged into the mess he’d create if they found out about him and that is the last thing he wanted the 12-year-old to experience; she’d been through enough and officials were being odd regarding her custody.
Months later, you would notice that his blue eyes also reflected back light, like an animal’s eyes; you shot up in the middle of the night, rattled and drenched in sweat after another nightmare. In your dazed state, you reached for a flashlight and the nearest thing that qualified as a weapon at that moment– a bedside clock. Your roommate shot up as well, getting on his feet and on high alert when he heard your screech of terror, ready to defend you and himself from any threat in the dark. You pointed the light source to the source of the thudding noise, the bright beam pointed straight towards the blond’s eyes. Due to the angle of the flashlight relative to your perspective, you easily saw the greenish-yellow orbs glow which you confused for a threat and sent the clock in your hand airborne, aimed towards him. Leon cursed, rubbing his shoulder that was hit as he looked back at you to clear the confusion clouding his mind. You turned the lamp on, trying to make sense of everything that has just happened as you sink to the side of the bed and attempt to level your breathing.
“Are you okay?!” Leon springs into action, forgetting the ache in his shoulder as he walks over to help you try to calm down. “Please tell me what you need, you’re safe now.”
Your gaze averts his eyes, not wanting to relive the fear that overwhelmed you by surprise when they glowed in the dark. You shut them, hanging your head low but still paying attention to Leon’s soothing voice and instructions, counting to 10 and raising your arms over your head as you gradually calmed down.
“Nightmare?” He asked in a soft voice full of concern, pity expressed on his weary features. Many times he had also woken up like this, needing consolation from you while he shook and sobbed in your arms.
You nod, suddenly aware of the sweat you accumulated and Leon’s fever-like temperature. The concern you had shifted, going from trying to regain your bearings to the disquietude for his health.
“Oh my God, Leon, you’re burning! Get in bed, I’m going to try and get your fever down.”
“Fever?” the 21-year-old echoed, fogged. “I’m fine? I don’t have a fever, nothing’s wrong with me. Promise.”
“Please just get in the bed,” you gently pleaded as you helped him get up and walked him to his side, pushing the thoughts regarding his eyes aside.
Not wanting to argue, he follows you and lays down like he’s instructed to do. Taking his dampened sleep shirt off, he chucks it to the side and sits up against the headboard, the solid frame cool against his searing skin. You emerge from the bathroom with cold water in a bowl, a towel drenched inside. Your face is also splashed with water, some hairs sticking to your damp forehead. You walk to his side before wringing the water from the towel then placing the towel on his forehead, checking the time and subtracting by your estimated amount of minutes that has passed since he helped you calm down from the panic attack.
“C’mon, I don’t have a fever,” he carefully reasons, yet he continues to stay still. “I’m always warm, you know that. Don’t worry ‘bout me, I’m strong despite being a rookie ya know.” He throws in that cockiness, smirking to get your worry down.
“You’re not just ‘warm’, you’re burning up. Stop whining, I’m going to sleep beside you so I can monitor your temperature.” You say as you get comfortable beside him, maintaining a respectful distance before you can lazily drape your forearm over your eyes and try to get some sleep again. “Oh, yeah. I’m really sorry about your shoulder, I was terrified and I just did what felt like the most logical thing at the moment.”
He chuckles, clearing his throat before he speaks. “It’s fine, been through worse. Sleep well, we’ll need it.”
Exhaustion claims you, lulling you into another slumber but deep down you know it’s only a matter of time until the images of death and decay flash on your shut eyes then it’s time to wake up with your heart rattling against your rib bones, adrenaline pumped through your veins. Sometime in the middle of the night, your body nears his and coddles against his side where you feel his warmth the most. The feeling of hair brushing against his skin causes his consciousness to toe the line between sleep and waking, vaguely aware of your body near himself. His consciousness crosses the border of sleep and into waking, his lids slowly lifted like the red drapes of movie houses. He takes the towel off of his forehead, carefully placing it back inside the bowl you set on his bedside table. His tired gaze falls on your sleeping form, his person overcome by the feeling to tuck you against his body, huddling up, and resting his head against your chest to hear your heartbeat. The feeling is strong, too strong, and at the realization that he’s trying to quell these bothersome impulses, he whines like a desperate dog.
As quickly as the embarrassing vocalization leaves his lips, he wraps a hand around his own mouth as his cheeks burn pink in shame while he sits up and rethinks every single decision he’s made in life. He looks at you, registering the faint sounds of your breath in sync with the slow rise and fall of your chest as you sleep; he wonders if you’ve always breathed that loud, maybe he should ask tomorrow if you’ve got any difficulty breathing so he can accompany you to the doctor to get it checked. Running his calloused palm down the side of his face, he adjusts himself to properly lay down and try to catch some shut eye before he starts to hear the first bird chirp. He can only hope that you didn’t hear him make that canine noise.
The morning after was definitely awkward, not because of your panic attack but because of you seeing Leon’s eyes reflect light and him thinking that you must’ve heard him whine. Breakfast was silent, save for the clanking of silverware against porcelain and him asking if you’d like some slices of his fruit. Well, your silverware since he opted to use plastic utensils because the silverware left itchy red spots on his large palm. You were trying to piece his eyes glowing together but nothing made sense; only animals have the membrane that causes light to bounce back and the membrane also helps with seeing in the dark. Humans don’t have it and it’s impossible for a human to be having one since we can’t just develop one randomly so Leon’s eyes definitely threw you off. His temperature was still unusually high but he didn’t look or act ill, he ate just fine… as fine as drinking 3 bottles of water in a single hour can get for him. Leon avoided eye contact, ashamed of the fact that you probably see him somewhere near a mutt or a sex-crazed freak who can’t hold his urges back. He can try to convince you but he thinks that he’ll look even more creepy and defensive, making your perception of him worse. The blond decides to wait until you say something about it or a future conversation will lead to this specific topic. In the meantime that you don’t seem ready to speak to him yet, he’ll go to a local grocery store and buy some waxing strips. It’s for them, he’ll say if an agent follows him to the local grocer like he expects one to and wants to know the reason for him buying such a product. He can’t have anyone know that this is for himself, to try and rip out the ridiculous amount of hair growing in the dip of his spine because shaving isn’t doing the job anymore. Maybe even find a nail file to try and blunt the equally speedy growth of his nails so he wouldn’t accidentally scratch himself or you or anyone.
The breaking point came for Leon after three months since the first symptom, a month away from his deployment to a bootcamp to begin his specialized training before being assigned to work under USSTRATCOM. He woke up feeling crusty, his joints sore and achy like he’d ran and ran until the sun took the place of the moon and stars in the sky. He was also coming down with a sore throat– no, not a sore throat but the driest, most dehydrated mouth he’s ever had. He had done nothing all day but locked himself in the empty storage room of your apartment with a bag of different cuts of grilled meat, scarfing them down like he’s never eaten in all 21 years of living. Despite the room having a working bulb, he didn’t want to turn it on because he found it too bright and irritating for his sensitive eyes that were more suited in a dark environment like he’s currently in. With each bite, he felt like he was going crazy and was slowly losing himself, becoming more crazed and desperate to start running barefoot.
You had already given him a weird look after he came back from the store with his food, bolting to the storage room and telling you to not disturb him; you had the feeling that he was feeling a lot more than he was letting on but you let him do what he wanted to do but you were ready to step in if he needed something. He let out a yelp and placed his food back in its container, a hand coming up to rub the spot of his cheek that he accidentally bit. He ran his tongue to soothe the area, tasting a metallic tinge as the muscle made contact with the tiny cut. The wound stung more than it usually did on the occasions that he accidentally bit his cheek so he felt for his teeth if they were truly that sharp to be causing him that much pain; his canines and incisors were pointier than he remembered them to be.
He ran a finger along the edges and poked the pointy tips on the pad of his finger, the edges of his teeth less smooth and more serrated; he knows that this change is recent because he always kept his teeth in good condition and made sure to brush and floss daily, keeping his sugar intake to a limit to prevent cavities. Now that he is not eating, he observed that the gums in the base of his canines were slightly sore but not overly bothersome. His mind is going into overdrive, worried that all these bodily changes were the symptoms of another virus strain’s infection. He wanted to turn himself in to the government so he could stop himself before he lost control of his mind and dared to put you, Sherry, and Claire in harm’s way but he also didn’t want to; he was afraid of what they would do to him, what they would do to you since you’re the one living closest to him. He knows the might of the government, what they wish to do with him if he happens to fall on the side of what they viewed as their enemy. They bombed Raccoon City despite knowing that there could still be survivors who haven’t gotten the chance to get out, what more could they do to a possible lycanthrope under their custody?
“Leon? You okay in there?” your voice comes out from the other side, knocking softly with your ear pressed against the wood of the door. “You haven’t gone out in a while and it's dark out. You’re not locked in there, are you?”
His bones begin to bother him again, aching and draining all his energy. He lays on the floor, taking deep breaths so you wouldn’t hear him growl and yell out of pain.
“‘M fine,” he hisses. “Just… go… I-I’m… fine…”
You barely part your ear from the door when you hear the crackle and pop of bones, eyes widening at how loud and spontaneous the crackling was. A borderline animalistic growl follows suit, now accompanying the nasty cacophony of bones sounding like they were being rearranged and clothes ripping.
“Leon!” you exclaim, palm pounding against the door. “I’m gonna get you out! Hold on!”
You run to your room and open the lowest drawer, taking the storage room key and speeding back to the door that separates Leon from you. To and from your room, the nasty blend of grotesque noises don’t halt and neither does the pained growls, hissing, and whining coming from Leon. Thanking the gods for pitying on you and your roommate, the knob isn’t jammed and easily unlocks with a tilt. You expect a scene of gore to unfold, a deep red adorning the white walls like an abstract painting or pieces of pink flesh that contrasts the brown hardwood floor but you are not greeted by any of those yet the sight before you still made you feel whiplash, your heart pumping fast to push liquid fear into your veins and petrify you on the spot; a large wolf that you estimate to be 6 feet long with light brown eyes stares back at you, its body curled away from yours and is backed into a corner by the wall. The wolf’s fur features a sandy brown foundation with patchy highlights of blond, its coat resembling a sun-dappled forest floor. Drool drips from the side of the beast’s mouth, fangs bared towards you.
Underneath the thick and rich coat, you spot Leon’s coat and pants that have been torn to bits, the fabric indiscernible from its former state as clothing. Too terrified to scream, you simply back off and slap a hand around your mouth, tears obscuring the large wolf in front of you as you try not to think and visualize the worst: Leon in mangled bits inside the canine’s stomach. You turn around and leap atop of furniture, getting your phone to call animal control with a shaky hand. You don’t know how the animal got here and how it ate Leon without making a mess of his flesh and bones despite the snacking it did on your unfortunate friend but you’re desperate to get it out and properly grieve. You turn all light switches you pass by on, trying to blind and irritate the wolf’s vision but it beats you to reaching the room, the beast pouncing on you, and pinning you to the cold hardwood floor as nasty drool drips on your collarbone. You try to kick yourself free and push what felt like a hundred pounds of weight from your legs away, screaming and crying but the wolf doesn’t budge and instead, digs its snout in the right side of your neck and inhales deeply. You truly acknowledge keeping wildlife safe, you really do, but all rational thought escapes you and your brain is focused on surviving so you smack the canine on the side of its head, stunning it for a moment before you crawl to safety.
The discordance of bones cracking, loud whining, and claws scratching the floor once again resumes, freezing you in your spot as you watch the sight a few feet away from your legs. Collapsing on its side, the canine’s body shakes violently as it growls and howls. Bones and muscles reorganizing itself poke lightly through the skin, rippling the fur; inky black pupils constrict into tiny black dots, milky chocolate irises shifting to an amber shade and amber changing to hazel before settling on blue shocks you out of your state of being frozen still, finally reaching your phone and contacting the local animal control to come pick the animal up. After coordinating with officials and telling them about Leon, you share your address and hesitantly hang up the phone. The vile noises finally end, silence coming in to fill the soundless gap before the next disturbance, which prompts you to carefully inch your door open, a tiny gap before fully holding it open.
It takes you more than a few moments to properly comprehend the sight before you, rubbing your eyes, and pinching yourself to check if you’re really awake and all this is reality; it is and now a small flushed welt is on your left forearm. Leon is on the ground, butt-naked, and laying in a pile of patchy brown and blond fur, some of it sticking on his sweaty skin. He’s unconscious and very unusually pale, posed in the same way as the wolf was before you called. As for the wolf, the wolf is gone; it didn’t leave trashed furniture and more scratched tiles in its wake when it saw itself out. It just disappeared… or turned into Leon instead… or was it the other way around? You pick Leon up (with much difficulty), placing him on his bed before covering his lower half with a blanket and wiping the sweat from his body. Deciding to check up on his vitals, you shine a light through his eyes and relief joins in the adrenaline coursing through your system when they dilate under bright light and return back to a normal size when you take the light away. His pulse is still heightened but they’re in the normal range otherwise. He’s still unconscious but you swear you can see atypically sharpened canines poke out from pale pink parted lips; drool appears to be dried from the side of his mouth, going down into his jaw, just like the wolf’s.
Sitting by his bedside, trying to calm down as you drink a glass of water to recollect and try to process what just happened, you remember all of Leon’s peculiar behaviors prior to now and it all makes sense that Leon could be the wolf– a constantly dry throat, increased gusto for meat, reflective eyes, abnormal speed of hair and nail growth, added strength, and dislike for things with silver. You call back the animal control’s number, telling them that everything’s okay now and that you were simply seeing things, apologizing profusely for wasting time and effort. Setting the phone down, you gaze down on Leon and enumerate the things you’re going to tell him once he wakes up: ask him if he’s a lycan and what you can do to help him now that his life’s changed. In the meantime, you wonder how Leon will fare in the military bootcamp a month from now if this is going to be a regular occurrence. If he’s the wolf. If you’ll accept that he’s a werewolf. If they’ll find out that he’s a werewolf.
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NOTE - YOOOO YA GIRL IS NOW ENROLLED IN A NEW SCHOOL RAHH!!! I've taken another step towards my dream of becoming a doctor but at the same time, I'm still a long ways to go but we got this yk!! That aside, I decided to write a werewolf!Leon fic because I remember coming across a fluffy werewolf!Leon fic on AO3 and I rlly loved it so I had to contribute smn to the werewolf!Leon works (that aren't smutty, which is super few). Requests are still open so feel free to continue to drop them :)) I wanna write something angsty next but then I have another fluffy fic idea in my head so the angst will have to wait >:) Anyways, that's it and thank you for reading my fic!!!!!!!!!!! I <333333333333 UUUUUUUUU AND HAPPY PRIDE TO MY QUEER READERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The star dividers are from @saradika , the images are made by me (sourced from Pinterest).
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josephquinnswhore · 2 years ago
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can’t do casual - ellie williams x female reader
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Summary: you broke the only rule of yours and Ellie’s agreement, don’t get attached.
Word Count: 6.7k
Content Warning: mean Ellie, emotional unavailability, jealousy, insecurities, bisexual reader, drinking, reader gets drugged, physical fights, violence, blood, happy ending. Ellie n reader are 20.
Note: let’s enjoy, shall we? Game Ellie cause I’m obsessed with her 💜 written for @stardu5tbunny
5 MONTHS PRIOR…
-
“Girl slow down, we just got here! Don’t you wanna enjoy yourself?” You roll your eyes towards the blonde, her blue eyes piercing a wave of concern towards you.
You bring the cold glass to your lips, swallowing the rest of the vodka in one swift motion, the fuzziness inside of you that is your tipsiness, provides your body with a warmth that you embrace with open arms. You set the glass onto the bar and ignore your friend momentarily to order another shot.
“Another, please.” Your voice is level, your best attempt at trying to seem sober was convincing enough for the bartender to pour you another shot. You pickup the glass and walk away with it, your friend matching your pace as you lean against a pillar in the middle of the dance floor.
“I am enjoying myself,” you reply to your friends previous question, “I’m having a great night.” Your voice was slurred as the amount of liquor you’d consumed in the short amount of time had caught up to you. Your ability to think straight was further warped, already blown out after your now ex-girlfriend Jen had cheated on you with a new guy that worked at the stables, Jayden-Caden or whatever his name was.
“Just don’t make any stupid choices you’re going to regret tomorrow.” Your friend laughs, the lightness in her voice was unwavering. You roll your eyes at her antics.
“Yeah, yeah whatever. I don’t want to get involved with anyone so soon anyway.” Your eyes drifted to a girl across the bar, her short brown hair was resting above her shoulders, barely long enough to tickle the fabric of her shirt. Her brown eyes met yours and you slowly looked away brazenly, unashamed that she caught you starring.
“Is that why you’re checking out the tall brunette across the bar?” Your friend pats your back in support at your silence, confirming what she thought. You were an absolute sucker for a pretty face, and this woman was beautiful.
“I-I’m not! It was just a friendly smile, nothing more.” You dismiss quickly, your friend leans into you, breath tickling your ear as she whispers shortly, “is that why she’s walking straight toward you huh?” She leans back so she’s standing straight, downing her shot before encouraging you to do the same, which you do. The burn down your organs is a warm welcome. “I’ll leave you to it, good luck.”
She shoots you a thumbs up and walks away from you, approaching another friend of hers she’d noticed while you were basically eye-fucking the girl across the bar.
“You gonna introduce yourself or just gonna stare creepily across the bar?” She stood tall over you, her green eyes starring down at you in question.
“I-uh, yeah sorry. I’ve had too much to drink, kinda just spacing out.” It was a lie, a pathetic one at that and the girl had noticed, she raised an eyebrow at you and you realised she had a scar in her eyebrow, causing a missing line of hair through it.
“So you’re a creep and a liar?” Your jaw drops at her bluntness, yet it drew you in more, sucking you into her orbit like a planet rotating the sun.
“Okay, I was checking you out. But I’m not a creep, I just think you look, well, nice.” You shrug nonchalantly, keeping casual eye contact, not wanting to stare too much but needing to seem like you had a shred of confidence in you.
“You think I look, nice?” Her voice screams disbelief, but your face is kind and eyes are telling the truth. The girls demeanour softens a fraction.
“Yeah, I do. Is that gonna be a problem?” Your spark of curiosity mirrors something of confidence, her green eyes looking you up and down, noting how good your legs and tits look in the yellow sundress you’re wearing.
“Never a problem when it comes from a mouth that beautiful.” She takes a step towards you, her thumb rests on your bottom lip, keeping eye contact as she parts them. You stay silent, her dominant vibe turns you submissive and putty in her hands.
“Whatever you say.” You mumble unintelligibly, your figure shrinking in front of her own strong demeanour.
“I don’t do attachment, if you get involved with me I have one rule; no strings attached. It’s strictly casual.” Her face hardens, showing no emotion or any softness other than the lust that shines in her orbs, dilating her pupils as she watches you.
“Got it, no strings attached.” Your knees feel weak at the though, knowing this would be good for you, you just got out of a relationship and this would be a good distraction, right?
“I’m Ellie, by the way. Wanna get outta here?” With one simple question everything around you was blocked out, the music, loud chatter and kissing noises from the people around you, even your friend not so quietly cheering you on.
“Sure. Lead the way.” She keeps a distance from you, but her hand is warm as it rests on your back, providing you with a comfort that you had never felt with Jen, a safeness. You exit the bar, the snow that falls on your skin doesn’t deter you, you can’t feel it with how warm your body felt from the liquor. All you knew was you had a chance to forget about it all for a night; Jen, the virus, death, all of it, even just for a night.
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BACK TO PRESENT…
-
“I don’t know why you have to sneak in at 3am. It’s not some dirty secret Ellie, others have casual relations in this town that don’t happen at this time of day!” You lie naked on your bed, hair fuzzy and beginning to knot at the back due to the long and hateful fuck Ellie had given you.
She scoffs as she dresses herself, putting distance between you to shield herself, pulling her jeans up in a swift motion, working on the zip and buttoning it as she attempts to avoid the argument you’ve had many times over the past 2 months of your escapades, in which you’d been wanting things to become more exclusive, definitive.
“Don’t get me started on this shit again, you agreed to the terms when use started this, if you’re not happy we can call it quits here and now.” Ellie looks down at you, standing at the end of your bed as you pull the sheets upward to give yourself some protection, from her words and starring eyes.
“Feelings change Ellie, especially when you call me baby, tell me that I’m the only one that makes you feel this good! How was I not meant to fall for you, it’s like you’re using me as a fucking yo-yo, all of the ups and downs I’ve been here for all of it!”
There it was, the admission, the insufferable secret that had kept a lock and chain on your heart, the secret had been weighing you down as much as a burden can. Ellie could no longer ignore it and pretend she didn’t know, you’d told her now, there was no going back and no ignoring it. Although she would try her best to escape the uncomfortable situation, even if it meant breaking your heart.
“Don’t do that, that’s what happens when people fuck! They dirty talk, it didn’t actually mean anything. You don’t mean anything to me.” Your heart drops to the pit of your abdomen, you didn’t mean anything to her, you’d truly thought there was a sliver of hope that she actually cared about you- that maybe she felt the same way. Of course you were too stuck in your own fantasy to realise the truth, you were just an easy fuck for her. You’d never be anything more than a distraction, something to sink her fingers into when life got too tough.
“Get the fuck out! Get out of my fucking house you heartless fuck! How could you?” You stand from your bed, uncaring that her eyes were once again wondering your bare body, exposed to her judgement. Your hands met her chest as you shoved her, her face unmoving in its emotionless ploy.
Tears fell hot down your face at her betrayal and your naïveté, shoving her out the door before slamming it in her face, locking the door so she was completely shut out.
“Don’t ever fucking come back here Ellie, we’re done! You’re not welcome here anymore.” Through your wavering voice you hear shuffling, then the snap of Ellie’s voice muffled through the door that stood firm between you.
“Fine, whatever. You’ll be crawling back to me soon enough anyway.” Her heavy footsteps are stomping down the stairs, the thudding rung through the house, echoing in your ears as her words replayed in your mind. You don’t mean anything to me.
You were pulled from your mind by a soft knock on the door, “go away Ellie.” You’d managed to whimper, completely heartbroken and not wanting Ellie anywhere near you, she would only tear your broken heart apart more and pour citrus into the wound.
“It’s me babe.” The soft voice you recognise as your friend and housemate, you unlock the door with shaky hands, your body trembling from your sudden outburst of sobs. You crack the door open, arms crossed against your bare chest as your friend walks in, her eyes on your wet face and trembling bottom lip jutted to a pout.
“Oh babe, come here.” She pulls you into a hug, her arms rubbing up and down your back as you cry into her shoulder, the material becoming saturated as your eyes flow like a leaky tap.
“I’m sorry.” Whispering into your friend as she shushes you, patting your back as she sits on the bed next to you, completely unbothered by your lack of clothes, having to be the one multiple times in the past to undress and re dress you in your drunken state.
“Don’t apologise this isn’t your fault, she led you on, you know that right?” The accusation in her tone is justified as you nod sadly, your watery eyes stuck to the wooden floorboards beneath your feet.
“Hey, look at me.” You look up to your friend who wears a genuine smile. “You’re the most incredible person ever, you don’t deserve to be treated like that. You can’t keep doing this. You need to be strong and end it for real this time, once and for all.” You knew she was right, this had happened a few times and you’d allowed Ellie to slither her way back into your arms and body, without so much as a single apology.
“You’re right, I deserve better.” Your friend wipes your tears, both of you sitting in a comfortable silence as you come to terms that you’d be ending things completely with Ellie, no more chances, this was your new beginning.
-
FOUR DAYS LATER…
-
You were brushing the horse down, the hard bristles made easy work for a long chore, the hair that the bruh had collected was building fast, you had to clear the brush and start again, looking after the horses with the care you’d provided. You loved looking after the animals, they were kind, gentle and reciprocated the care you showed them. Unlike most people.
Okay-so maybe you had thought about Ellie a few times over the past four days since you’d decided it would be better for you to completely cut the emotional chord that kept your attachment for her. The thoughts were different this time though-they weren’t longing or missing her, feeling like a piece of you was missing because she hadn’t reached out.
It was something you’d never felt before now; anger, resentment and fear building for how cold you’d become towards the girl you’d fallen in love with. You avoided her every move, knowing when she was on patrol first thing in the morning, you would finish with the horses early, not wanting to deal with the confrontation that was bound to happen once she saw you.
You check your watch, crap, Ellie would be here in 15 minutes. You clean the brush and hang it up on its designated hooked on the wall of the stables, handing the horse a half handful of hay, he chomped happily as you gave him a small pat, stroking down the length of his neck. “I’ll see you when you come back.”
“Wouldn’t happen to be talking about me, would you?” The voice sent a shiver up your spine, the lightness of her voice and chuckle that followed had the hairs standing up on your body in a wave of suspicion. You turn around casually, emotionlessly looking at her with a raised eyebrow, the most she’d received from you since the argument.
She rubbed the back of her neck bashfully and you scoffed, “not a chance.” Before barging past her, twisting your shoulders sideways so you wouldn’t touch her on accident, knowing it would either set your skin alight with want, or it would make you shiver in disgust. You weren’t ready to come to terms with whichever it may be.
“Hey wait!” You halted, turning around to face her, the girl looked almost unrecognisable with the emotion plastered on her face, how relaxed her body language was; it was like you’d swapped places emotionally. “I was thinking we could catch up when I get back, you know go and see a movie or something?”
You try to hide the way your heart smiles, rapidly thumping inside of you so furiously you hear it in your ears. “Sorry, I’ve got plans this afternoon. Maybe another time.” The bluntness of your voice had Ellie almost physically flinch, your voice colder than the winter air, Ellie knew you had no intentions of making plans with her ‘another time.’ Which hurt her even more. She really messed up.
“Hey Joel.” You offer a small tight lipped smile to the older man as he entered the stables you were leaving, already gone before he could greet you.
-
“You still haven’t made things right with her?” Joel questions Ellie. He watches her intently waiting for a response, to which he’s met with an exhausted sigh.
“I don’t know what to do Joel, she wants nothing to do with me.” The horses walk at a steady pace, hooves squishing into the snow as it muffled the noise.
“You hurt her Ellie, everyone could see that girl loves you.” Ellie turns to Joel with a frown, doubting the older man.
“She doesn’t love me, Joel. It just got out of hand.” A terrible excuse from her behalf, and didn’t do shit in her attempt to get Joel off her case.
“Stop sayin that shit just because you got issues with commitment, you fucked up kid, now you gotta make it right if you want any chance of a future with her.” Ellie was almost offended that Joel had the nerve to say that to her-although he was right.
“She’ll never forgive me Joel, I don’t know how to fix it. I was too scared to admit I liked her after what happened with Dina.”
Dina and Ellie were together officially for about 6 months, Ellie had feelings long before they dated, ignoring the red flags that Dina still hung out with Jesse although she insisted they were finished, they were just friends. She had caught them making out in the mess hall, Dina on cooking duty and Jesse was meant to be in the stable-but there he was kissing Ellie’s girlfriend.
It tore her heart apart, they didn’t even try to deny it-their betrayal. Just hung their heads in shame and apologised. Dina didn’t come after Ellie, didn’t run and grab her and beg her to stay, that it was a mistake and she wouldn’t do it again. Ellie always told herself if Dina had just fought for her, she could work to forgiving her for what she had done.
She shut herself off after that, emotionally shut down to the point where even Joel was concerned, voicing his fear for Ellie turning out like him, she hadn’t made a complete turn around-but she was still in fear of it all happening again. Especially when she saw you-from across the bar, your eyes already watching her, unashamed that Ellie had caught you starring.
Ellie feared that she’d be like Dina, that she’d be unloyal and unsympathetic enough to betray her, in an effort to preserve her already broken heart-decided things should be strictly casual. Even though through the months of casually meeting for sex, Ellie had started to become soft, her beautiful eyes would be ingrained in her memory every time she closed her eyes, that laugh and smile was all Ellie could see when she was feeling down.
Ellie was falling for you- hard. But Dina came to mind to remind Ellie that she wasn’t over the hurt and trauma of being cheated on, it was a huge task to tackle alone, but Ellie didn’t wanna bother you, so she pushed you away and used you in a way that you couldn’t deny. Although given how things had turned out, Ellie knew you were nothing like Dina.
You were supportive, kind, welcoming, nurturing. You’d welcomed Ellie with open arms and always listened whenever Ellie wanted to open up-you were a saint and Ellie had tainted that lightness you provided, she tainted the love and innocence you’d shown all in the name of her own fear.
“Ellie? You okay? Still with me?” Joel was waving his hands in front of her face, eyes turning to meet his concerned frown.
“Yeah, fine. Just thinking about how to make it right.” Ellie deadpans, not thinking she even deserves your forgiveness.
“It’ll all work out, you’re both great people and you’d be good for each other.” Joel stops the horse and dismounts, searching the cabin tommy had given him the coordinates for, pulling out his gun, readying himself for a fight.
“Thanks Joel.”
-
LATER THAT EVENING…
-
It hadn’t taken your friend much convincing for you to go out tonight; you were starting to feel depressed from the encounter with Ellie this morning, the sudden change of her attitude was giving you whiplash. Did she like you or not? You figured it was her just trying to manipulate you into trying to take her back-it was the most logical explanation your head could come up with.
You give yourself another look over, inspecting your tight black dress that was a few inches shorter than what you would’ve normally worn but fuck it-you needed to find a distraction tonight-someone to take your mind off of things, things being Ellie. You take solace in the thought that Ellie wouldn’t allow you to wear what you’re wearing tonight, she would become jealous and possessive, hurling pleas and sweet words in the way of manipulation in her possession of you-not that you were ever hers to begin with!
Your friend knocks on your door and you call out, “come in!” She enters and eyes you up and down, whistling at you which makes you roll your eyes playfully, “oh shut up, did you get it?” You question and she pulls a bottle from behind her back, she had connections with someone in Jackson that had just started brewing their own vodka, was it dangerous; yes. Did you care; not really. “I cant believe you actually got it! Should we try it?” Your friend nods, opening the bottle and the smell of it was potent.
“Fuck it.” You mutter and snatch the bottle, gulping the liquid down and your face cringes, the burn that ignited your insides is furious. Not at all subtle like the shit they sell at the Tipsy Bison. This was real alcohol, it would numb your pain and make you forget, hopefully even give you the time of your life, maybe you were asking too much.
Your friend had a sip and shook her head, “that is disgusting! Let’s go to the bar, I need something to drink that I can actually swallow.” You walk out of the house into the cold with your skimpy dresses clinging tight to your body, “oh yeah, like the guy from the kitchen right?” You snickered at your friend blushing.
“Hey, he’s not some guy. He’s the chef and he’s got a super cute friend by the way!” Your friends cold elbow nudges your ribs gently and you hum, considering the offer. “Okay then, introduce me.”
Your friend eyes you suspiciously, waiting for your usual sarcastic remark but it doesn’t come. “Let’s not waste another minute then! They’ll be waiting.” You hesitate before walking into the bar, your friend turns back to look at you and you bit your bottom lip. “Do I look okay?”
She sympathetically smiles at you, offering a genuine smile as she smacks your ass, “you look perfect, now come on, first rounds on me.”
The bar was busy-8pm on a Saturday was well expected. Your friend leads you to a secluded corner table where two men are sitting; one your friend goes up to and kisses, the other stands shyly as he rubs his neck awkwardly at his friends affection. “Babe this is my friend I was telling you about, this is Jared, my boyfriend.” Your friend blushes, the tall man’s arms wrapped around her waist. “Oh shit congratulations! I’m happy you made things offical, she’s been telling me so much about you-all good things of course!”
Jared smiles, offering his hand which you shake, “I’m glad to meet the girl that’s kept my baby so levelheaded.” Your lips pull tightly upward and eye the guy next to them. “Oh, right! This is Dan, he’s the guy I’ve been telling you about, y’know, the single one.”
“How could I forget, so nice to meet you.” You cheer happily. He gives you a lopsided grin and pulls you into a hug. Sure he was handsome-and you didn’t detest being attracted to men even if you did gravitate more towards women.
“How about you let me buy you a drink? We can get to know each other!” You watch your friend and Jared nod furiously and laugh softly, “sure! Why not?” As you accept his offer he clears a path in front of you, so you’re not bumping into all the drunks that preoccupied the bar before your arrival.
When you reach the bar he rests his hand on your back, keeping it moderately high enough to be seen as a kind gesture and not something coherently sexual. “What are you having beautiful?” You eye the drinks behind the bar, as if you were going to stray from your usual order. “I’ll just have a double vodka with ice please.” Dan rubs your back with his hand gently, “you heard the lady, and I’ll just have a beer please.”
The bartender passes you the drink and you take it hastily, thanking him as Dan leads you away to a secluded table, a table for two.
“So tell me about yourself!” You internally groan, hating this prompt because you never knew what to say, I’m in love with a woman that treats me badly, yes that’ll do!
“I’m a huge animal lover, I like to grow plants and vegetables in my spare time. I’m a big reader, mostly a fan of fiction and romance. What about you?”
He’s watching you intensely from across the table, his eyes refusing to leave your own. You brush off the uncomfortable feeling that it gives you finding that it’s a good enough distraction for now. “I like sports, going hunting and killing infected, it’s become a game of sorts between me and a few mates.” The laugh that escapes his crooked lips makes your gut churn, you never found pleasure in killing infected; for they too were once people; it was tragic.
The awkward silence between you two was broken with Dan clearing his throat, “how about another drink?” You half heartedly smile, “sure, that would be nice thank you.” He disappears through the crowd and a few moments later comes back, your double vodka in hand with a tiny paper straw.
“So are you looking to date or wanting something casual?” You take a sip of vodka and swallow it, your mind feels fuzzy as it sets comfortably in your stomach. “Not really looking you know, just taking things as they are, if something happens it happens.”
“Yeah totally, I get that.” There’s a beat of silence and you’re sipping on your drink, polishing the glass clean of any alcohol. “I think it’s kinda hot you’re into women you know, not many girls like that around here.” Oh. You chuckle nervously, “yeah there aren’t many of us, thanks, I guess.”
He notices you’ve finished your drink and picks up the glass, “another?” You nod, “thanks.” Anything to get you through this dreadful evening with this man you were extremely disinterested in. In your drunken state you find yourself unable to hide the fact your whole body is yearning for Ellie, her eyes, smile and fingers-fuck they could work you up and make you feel so good.
-
“Oh hey, didn’t see you there, sorry.” Dan bumps into Ellie at the bar, spilling your drink on the floor and all over her blouse. He doesn’t care though, not really. He turns to the bartender, “can you make another one, sorry man she just spilt it everywhere.”
Ellie frowns at his lie, fucking useless turd needs to watch where he’s going. The bartender makes a double vodka and adds a tiny paper straw, your drink, no one else in town ordered that. She followed Dans glancing eyes back to the table you sat at, tapping your fingers on the table boredly. Ellie felt a surge of happiness flow through her as she realised how bad this date was going. Maybe she could redeem herself.
“You know, she’s real hot. What’s your bet I can get her in the sack tonight?” Dan asks Ellie with a smirk on his face, Ellie felt the anger flowing through her blood, her chest puffing out as she grits her teeth, “fucking good luck pretty boy, you aren’t her type.”
Dan turns to Ellie, his eyes a shake darker then they were before. “On no?” He challenges, he pulls out a small baggie from his pants, pouring the contents into your drink right in front of her, something that no one else has seen. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Ellie growled, the primal instinct to protect you was going through the roof.
“Proving you wrong.” Dan shrugs and moves past her, Ellie moves to attack him when two bartenders grab her, she fights against them, “he’s gonna fucking drug her you pieces of shit!” She thrashes her arms and legs around and finally breaks free from the two men as Dan just meets your table, seeing you had just taken a drink from the glass that sealed your fate.
Ellie grabbed Dan by his collar, pulling him upright and even though he towered over her, she didn’t cower. She stood tall and swung her fist so hard into dans face he let put a whimper, staggering back into the seat as he falls to the ground in front of you.
Ellie didn’t stop when she saw blood-she couldn’t, she had completely lost control. If anything- the sight of blood had only inclined her frenzy.
-
Your eyes were blown wide as you watched the scene before you, Ellie had come rushing over, grabbed Dan by the collar of his shirt and punched him, you thought that would be it, once Dan had staggered to the floor after the hit. But Ellie didn’t stop, she was heaving on top of him, her breaths loud and ragged, blood coated her fingers with each time she connected her fist to dans face, he was unconscious now, but it didn’t stop Ellie.
“Someone get this girl off him, she’ll kill him!” One man shouted from the crowd that had gathered at the commotion.
You felt woozy, like your limbs were jelly and your head spun violently as if you were on a roller coaster, you couldn’t ground yourself and you just wanted comfort; more than anything you yearned for Ellie.
“Ellie, need you.” You breathe in a quiet slur, voice unintelligible from the substance Dan had poisoned your drink with. Your eyes begin rolling around in your sockets, unable to form a proper picture of anything around you.
“Baby, baby open your eyes.” Ellie’s frantic voice was ringing through your ears, bringing you the comfort you sought out the past few days, missing her more than you could’ve ever imagined. You wished you could take back all the arguments as you roll into unconsciousness, wishing more than anything to have her by your side and not have to spend another moment without her.
-
Two men grabbed at Ellie as she tried to comfort you, your eyes had rolled into the back of your head as you pass out, your deadweight threatening to fall onto the floor beside your unconscious date.
“Don’t fucking touch me! He drugged her drink you fucking pigs, he was going to-he would have..” she trailed off, arms still on you, holding you upright as she shook the men off. Joel comes storming through the crowd towards Ellie, standing in front of her in a protective stance.
“What, so y’all are excusing rapists now? What if it had been your daughter, huh? What then?” He pointed to the man that grabbed at Ellie, knowing he had a daughter your age, it wasn’t the nicest thing to do but Joel had made them see reason, realising how badly the situation could’ve gotten.
“If Ellie didn’t stop him- he would’ve hurt this girl. It was justified.” There were soft murmurs of agreement, Joel stands on the other side of your unconscious body, helping Ellie pick you up as the crowd separates to let them pass.
“You did the right thing Ellie.” Joel says in the silence of the winter air as they walk home, silencing the voices in her head, the adrenaline running low causes the ache in her knuckles to become prominent. She rubs the aching joints and winces, exposing her vulnerable side to Joel.
“He told me Joel, what he was going to do. I just fucking lost it.” Ellie’s voice shook, she opened the front door watching your still body in Joel’s arms. He sets you down gently on the lounge, he grunts as his knees crack at the movement. He faces Ellie, still knelt down to you, she joins him down on the floor, watching you.
“I don’t know what he gave her, will she wake up?” Joel looks sympathetic, his brown eyes filled with worry at the two girls that never got to make things right.
“She’ll wake up Ellie.” He stated firmly.
“Don’t tell me a truth if you don’t know Joel.” Ellie argues.
“Ellie,” she looks at Joel, “she’ll wake up.” He watches her, eyebrows slightly raised and she sighs accepting his answer, “okay.”
Ellie doesn’t sleep that night, she stays next to you, making sure your chest rises and falls, cursing herself when she feels her eyelids drooping. She paces the house in the living room, trying to avoid the planks in the floor that creak.
She strokes your hair once she’s fully awake again, pressing a kiss to your forehead. “Come on baby you gotta wake up, can’t take much more of this wondering.”
It would be hours before you finally woke.
-
THE NEXT MORNING
-
Your eyes finally start to flutter open, your stomach feels like it’s been twisted, it makes you feel nauseous, the feeling makes you groan, instinctively pulling a hand to hold your stomach.
“You’re awake!” You flinch at the sound of a muffled voice, they shush you, hands on your face as they run a cool washcloth over your face and neck, settling it back onto your forehead and hair once they wipe they sweat off you. Your eyes focus, seeing Ellie’s face staring back at you, you frown, confused.
“Ellie?” You hum, wondering why she was next to you waking up, she had dark circles under her eyes and her face was pale, rid of nah colour that made her look alive. “What’s wrong with you?” You mutter, after taking in the state of her.
“Don’t you remember last night?” You look at her, cranking your neck toward her, groaning internally at yourself for giving into her after a few drinks. You must have, right?
“Uh, not really, sorry.” Ellies shoulders slump, maybe it was better off if you didn’t know, she didn’t have the heart to tell you. “Nothing happened between us if you’re wondering.” You took the silence awkwardly, hating that you didn’t know what to say. “Oh, okay.”
Ellie avoids eye contact with you at all costs, unable to look at you to avoid telling you the truth. That she almost wasn’t able to save you, that she spent a whole night wondering if you’d wake up after it all.
“I Um-I’ve got some things to do. So I guess I’ll see you around.” Ellie made a break for the front door before you could say your farewells. Footsteps come down the stairs as you turn to stand up. You see Joel come into the living room, floorboards creaking as he steps heavily onto them.
“God sakes I gotta get that shit fixed.” He mutters to himself before sitting on the uncomfortable lounge next to you. “How you feeling’ kid?” You shrug, confused with everything and your lack of memory of last night. “Is Ellie okay?” Joel sighs heavily, looking at you with cautious eyes.
“She had a rough night, watched you all night cause she didn’t think you’d wake up.” You gasp in shock “w-what do you mean?”
“Some guy at the bar drugged you-Ellie beat the fuck outta him for trying to.. hurt you. You’d passed out and we got you back here, she stayed up all night watching you. Makin sure you were still breathin’.”
“O-oh my god. She just left-she. Joel I’m sorry I have to go.” Tears are falling down your face, your chest is constricting with the pain and guilt of Ellie wondering if you were going to die or not, this had to mean she cared, right?
“Take it easy kid.” Joel mutters as you stumble on your feet, you rush out of the house with no shoes, wearing the dress from the night before and a small blanket from their hours wrapped around you. “Ellie?” You call out, the slight breeze carrying your voice to the stables where Ellie was hiding, tears in her own eyes as she struggles to come to terms with what happened.
“Ellie?” You call as you walk into the stables, finding her pet the newest horse to your stable, Maple. She was letting his white mane, unmoving as you unlock the door and walk towards her, the hat crunching underneath your bare feet.
“El?” She jumps as your arm caresses her arm, her eyes avoidant still even as you stand in front of her. She retracts her arm from over the wooden gate to let her arm fall to her side. “How are you feeling?” She finally asks, her voice hoarse and unfamiliar, it was vulnerable, a side of Ellie you’d never seen before.
“Okay I guess. I was hoping we could talk. If I caught you at a bad time-“ Ellie finally looks up at you, her green eyes glossy and full of tears ready to fall. “No-no it’s okay-stay please.” She protests at the thought of your absence.
“Joel told me what happened.” You didn’t sugar coat it, Ellie knew you better than to do that. “Oh,” she hums, looking at you with her bottom lip between her teeth.
“I just wanted to say sorry and thank you.” Ellie frowns at you, brushing her fringe out of her face. “Why are you saying either?”
“I’m sorry you thought I was going to die, and thank you for protecting me from-you know.” You mumble towards the end, trailing off. Unsure of how to finish the sentence.
“I was so scared when he put that shit in your drink-no one else did anything. They were just going to let him,” her breathing stutters as she relives the night. “I couldn’t let him hurt you. I was too late, you’d already taken a drink and I just- I lost it.”
Her eyes are pleading, asking you to understand her. You do, you feel for what she’s been through, the protectiveness she feels over you. “You fell unconscious right in front of me I just… then you didn’t wake up,” Ellie sobs, the fear of losing you overcoming her like a fright train, uncaring for how someone else may perceive her.
“Oh Ellie.” You pull her into you, she rests her head on your shoulder, you rub her back as she cries into you. “I’m-so sorry.” She hiccups as she cradled into you. She never wanted to let you go again, she couldn’t bare it-being away from you.
“I hurt you so badly, I-“ you caress the back of her head, her soft hair felt velvety in between your fingers. You massage the back of her neck gently, her breathing slowly steadies as you feel her relax into you at your nurturing touch.
“Shh let’s not talk about that, I forgive you Ellie. You saved me, protected me.” Ellie pulls back slightly, looking down at you into your eyes, still in your embrace.
“I need you, I need you to be mine-officially. Please.” Your bottom lip trembles and you nod, “yes, god yes.” You pull Ellie down to your lips, she kisses you as gently as she ever has, the passion and love she feels for you doesn’t go unspoken.
You pull away, breathless. “Baby you must be freezing, let’s get you home.” You’d completely forgotten you hadn’t put shoes on, you gently shiver as you realise it’s windy outside.
Ellie takes off her green jacket and wraps it around you, pulling it right around you before she picks you up, causing you to squeal in shock. She carries you bridal style, her arm muscles are sending a primal heat to your core.
“Love you so much,” you sigh dreamily as you mumble, unaware of what you’re saying.
“I love you, baby.” She nuzzled you with her nose before pressing a kiss to your shoulder.
“Say it again.” You sigh in content. Ellie laughs loudly, her eyes squinting as she throws her head back. “I love you.” She repeats sweetly, as she looks at you, in her arms completely in love she realises, not everyone is out to hurt you-some are there to love, cherish, nurture. The latter is you; and how lucky she was you gave her a second chance.
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imakatperson22 · 7 months ago
Text
I’m back with more thoughts:
(It’s long but I put a lot of effort into it so please read!):
I’m seeing a lot of concern for buddie’s canon potential from a network/business standpoint. People are worried it will be too much of a gamble for the network to go all in on buddie. Let’s break that gamble down:
(This is considering the sole factor of network strategy and not whether the actors are willing to do it or if the writer’s choose to go down that road. For the sake of argument, let’s say everyone is on board except network execs.)
Let’s start by looking at the environment of the television industry. Back in ye olden days, at the dawn of modern fandom, queer ships were not ever expected to be canon. Those who shipped them had this understanding and shipping largely remained a thought experiment or creative inspiration. It was always JUST FOR FUN because there were no meaningful consequences to it. In this era, it probably would’ve been a bad bet to introduce a queer love story because we hadn’t reached a place in society where it was not only tolerated but rooted for by a meaningful amount of a show’s audience.
Today is an entirely different ball game. Today queer people have gained enough power in society and proven they will consume media involving queer romance enough to make it profitable to include these plots. Today, we as a community have enough allies who also have a desire to see our stories told. Coupled with internet fanfiction and social media platforms, we now have the opportunity to engage in a pseudo dialogue with those who produce content. Now, shipping and fandoms have reached a point where our voices and our opinions do actually have weight to them. Now, we have the opportunity to affect change to a piece of media. We have somewhat of a say. There are now consequences to our actions.
It’s a risk, yes, to get the two (until recently, presumably heterosexual) main macho male leads together because of homophobia. But this show already has a lesbian couple. The viewers who will leave if buddie gets together because “the writer’s turned them gay” are probably not the same fans who are tuning in every week without fail to watch their favorite characters. They’re more likely casual viewers. They come and go, drifting in and out because it’s something to put on in the background or because the rescues are interesting. So yes, it’s quite possible viewers abandon the show due to buddie canon, but these fans were likely not a solid, dependable group in the first place.
On the other hand, it IS also a gamble to NOT make Buddie canon. This is the (flag)ship (flagship ship?) of the show. Not every loyal viewer ships them, but probably most do, and they do so strongly. If they shut the door on Buddie becoming canon, this will absolutely alienate a hefty chunk of the shows viewers as well. If they don’t walk the line close enough on the “will they, won’t they”, these fans will get frustrated with the lack of payoff and leave. Gone are the days where fandoms stay satisfied if the show tosses them a crumb, a wink in their direction, for their ship because now the option for more is on the table. We know the network knows what we want. We know they see us asking for it. Ignoring it in and of itself is a decision. Competition is stiff and if you decide not to capitalize on fans’ desire for queer romance, they have other options. If they choose to not make buddie canon, many of these viewers will also abandon the show. The difference is this group is the one who’s coming back every week for their love of the characters. This group is the one generating the hype on social media and flooding the internet with fan edits. This group also attracts viewers.
So. Here we are. Two decisions. Both will cost fans. How many fans? Who knows. But only one will also attract them. And that’s the thing. Keeping the status quo isn’t going to generate hype around the show. Only one decision will bring new viewers in. How many people have we seen online say “I’ve never watched this show before, but now that I’ve heard about it, I’m curious.” How many of you reading this came to this show for that reason? We’ve already seen this happen with the bisexual Buck storyline. The ratings for that episode are the highest in the season. The internet is abuzz about it.
Another unique position the show finds itself in is that all the groundwork for a Buddie storyline has already been laid. They could easily avoid falling into the trap of shameless bad fan service because the ball is already tee’d up. They just need to knock it out of the park.
I firmly believe that making buddie canon, if the story is told with skill and care, is the right bet. I believe that not making buddie canon is a greater risk to the show’s revenue. From a business standpoint, buddie canon is the better choice. Whether or not the network execs choose to do so remains to be seen, but I have hope.
If you’re still here, thank you for reading. Here’s a cookie as your reward 🍪.
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