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stray-cat-21 · 1 year

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The Pariah and the Freak

Part 2: Meeting the Baby and Rumors Spread

Summary: Eddie and (y/n) see their baby for the first time

“Shit does this look okay should I change? I’ve gotta couple button ups from shows and stuff I could wear. Do we have time to run back to the trailer?”

“Eddie honey we’re just doing an ultrasound there’s no dress code”

“Yeah but we’re meeting our baby for the first time I wanna make a good impression”

Eddie sounds genuinely concerned while staring into the full length mirror in (y/n)’s room. He messes with his hair, adjusts his plain black shirt tucking it in and untucking it, and tampering with his jacket’s zipper. (Y/n) steps away from her closet watching her boyfriend nervously fiddle with his clothes. Not only was he worried about his appearance but even in private he had referred to the baby as his own. Smiling she made her way over to Eddie wrapping her arms around his waist earning a soft smile from him.

“You look fine baby I promise, it’s not like the baby can see you” (y/n) responds voice airy and feathery light. Eddie exhales turning around to wrap her in a tight hug. He holds her close resting her forehead against his chin so he can plant a kiss there. “I know I just want to do this all right start to finish. You deserve that, you both do” he breathes.

(Y/n) smiles warmly looking up to give him a kiss. Slow sweet and laced with appreciation. “You look amazing and I know the baby will agree. I mean how could they not with that hair” she teases playing with a strand of his brown waves. Eddie chuckles relaxing more. “And the sweet ol tatties don’t forget those” he jokes earning a laugh from (Y/n).

“Those too baby” (y/n) agrees. “Alright we better get on the road we got a bit of a drive” Eddie says glancing over at the clock. (Y/n) agrees grabbing her purse. (Y/n) was 18 so getting a doctors appointment without parental knowledge or consent wasn’t hard but in order to not get caught they had to make the appointment the next town over. Eddie offers out his arm leading them out to his van.

He pulls the van’s passenger door open with a loud squeak. There’s a bit of a step so Eddie helps her up into her seat. “Oh you can uh stick the camera in the back” Eddie suggests spotting it sitting on the seat. (Y/n) pulls it into her lap instead as Eddie makes his way over to his own seat. “What’s this for?” She questions once he’s in the van.

“I uh wanted to capture the moment” Eddie laughs a little embarrassed. (Y/n) smiles again and leans over to kiss him on the cheek. “I don’t have too many photos from when I was little, they’re mostly from after I moved in with Wayne. I want things to be different for our kid y’know” he shrugs. “Then our baby will have tons of photos, not just of them but our little family” (y/n) agrees.

Spending her Sunday with her legs in stirrups with Eddie Munson at her side was definitely not on (y/n)’s agenda for her senior year. It’s an uncomfortable position to be in but with Eddie holding her hand it doesn’t feel too bad. He presses a soft reassuring kiss to her palm offering her a warm smile. “You ready to meet our baby?” Eddie asks. “So ready” (y/n) breathes.

A doctor dressed in baby pink scrubs enters with a clipboard in hand. “Hello my name is Dr. Aditi and you must be (y/n)” she says reading from the chart. “Yes, and this is Eddie he’s the father” (y/n) explains. “Hi” Eddie says nervousness evident his voice.

Doctor Aditi asks a lot of questions and explains some medical things. Eddie makes a note of exactly what vitamins (y/n) needs to take along with what exactly to avoid. Anytime she seems to get overwhelmed or worried Eddie gives her hand a reassuring squeeze. It’s a lot to take in but Eddie takes it seriously wanting to do as he said and do everything right.

Finally it's time for the ultrasound. Dr. Aditi prepares the machine, gently putting the cold gel on (y/n)'s belly and positioning the wand. As the screen flickers to life, Eddie holds his breath. The room is filled with a soft whooshing sound as the doctor moves the wand around, searching for the baby. And just like that there it is, a tiny, fuzzy image appears on the screen.

Eddie's eyes widen with wonder, and (y/n) gasps, tears threatening to spill from their eyes. They clutch each other's hands even tighter as Dr. Aditi points out where there baby is. "It's beautiful," Eddie whispers, his voice filled with awe. Tears stream down (y/n)'s face as she nods in agreement. "Our baby," she murmurs voice choked with emotion.

Eddie pulls his eyes away briefly enough to kiss her (y/n) on the head. “And this,” Dr. Aditi says flicking another switch “is your baby’s heartbeat.” A small but steady thumping sound fills the room. Forget Metallica, screw Dio, and Megadeath may as well throw in the towel. This sound right here was Eddie’s new favorite sound.

The next few moments are a blur as Dr. Aditi continues the ultrasound procedure. The whole time Eddie can't take his eyes off the screen. His heart bursting with love for the tiny life growing inside (y/n). The image is etching itself into his memory taking place among Eddie’s favorite things. It’s a moment he wants to remember forever.

After what feels like an eternity Dr. Aditi finishes up and cleans (y/n)'s belly. As they all gather their belongings, Eddie remembers the small camera now tucked under his leather jacket. “Uh hey before we go I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind taking a photo of us?” Eddie asks. The doctor happily obliges accepting the camera. Eddie wraps his arm around (y/n)‘s shoulders and they both hold the ultrasound in front of them.

Leaving the doctor's office Eddie and (y/n) share a huge smile. There’s an indescribable sensation of love and connection they’re both experiencing. They sit in the van, staring at the ultrasound image, unable to contain their excitement. It feels unreal as Eddie stares at the black and white photo in his hands.

“They’re beautiful”

“I know it’s unbelievable”

“Wasn’t that the most metal thing you’ve ever heard?

“Seriously this is amazing you’re amazing” Eddie breathes out. He kisses her head and her cheek and her lips. (Y/n) let’s out a teary laugh. “Seriously (y/n), amazing” Eddie grins.

As they drive back towards home they’re both just a little somber. Once they get home there’s no celebrations to be had, no spreading the joyful news. They do end up stopping by a little store that sells baby clothes. Eddie insists on picking out a tiny onesie with the words "Daddy's Little Rockstar" printed on it. It's a small gesture, but it symbolizes his unwavering commitment to being the best father he can be.

Eddie’s copy of the ultrasound stays safe in his wallet. Every time he opens his wallet and sees the picture he can't help but smile like an idiot. It represents everything he went through to make this happen. How far he had come since just daydreaming about (y/n) from across the room.

On Monday morning Eddie strutted through the halls of his high school, a grin plastered across his face. His classmates couldn't help but notice the exuberant expression on his face, and whispers began to circulate. By third period rumors had emerged, each more outlandish than the last. According to the grapevine Eddie had sacrificed a virgin over the weekend and that was the cause of his unusually good mood.

Determined to get to the bottom of things Gareth intercepted him at his locker. Gareth stood his ground blocking Eddie's path while Jeff and Paul joined crowding Eddie."What's going on with you Eddie are you high or somethin?" Gareth demanded, his tone laced with confusion.

Confusion etched across his face Eddie shook his head. "What are you guys talking about? No I'm not high” he replied. Frustrated, Eddie nudged Gareth attempting to pass him. They all knew that Gareth or any of them for that matter, rarely stood their ground against Eddie's strong will.

"Not so fast, we want answers," Gareth said, his voice firm. With a sigh, Eddie cast a discreet glance around before leading his friends into the nearby bathroom. Once inside, Eddie rummaged through his pocket, pulling out his wallet. He carefully pulled out photograph and handed it to Gareth who held it gingerly. Jeff and Paul craned their necks to get a glimpse of what had caused Eddie's unusual behavior.

“What is it?” Jeff asks. Eddie huffed, maintaining his infectious smile. "It's an ultrasound, so be careful with it dicks," he said, his tone slightly annoyed. Jeff's eyes widened, and the color drained from Gareth's face. Meanwhile, Paul's jaw dropped in disbelief.

Drowning in a sea of panic, Gareth blurted out, "Do you have cancer? Are you dying?" The boys began talking over each other, fueled by their fears and confusion. Eddie shouted, desperate to silence their cacophony.

“Enough!” He commanded voice booming. The boys stop talking. "It's not mine, you idiots," Eddie revealed, his smile still intact. "It's (Y/n)'s. She's pregnant." Gareth, Jeff, and Paul froze, their eyes wide with shock.

“Whose is it” Jeff’s voice trembles as he asks the question no one else was brave enough to. "Mine, obviously," Eddie replied confidently, his smile finally fading. The reality of the situation seemed to hit the trio all at once, and they stood there, speechless.

Once the initial shock wears off, Jeff and Gareth exchange knowing glances while Paul tries to process the news. "How did this happen?" Paul finally asks. Eddie shrugs, a playful smirk on his face. "I guess I have some moves outside of DND" he says, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

Gareth shakes his head, a mix of disbelief and amusement on his face. "Well, congrats, man. It's a life-changer, for sure," he says, patting Eddie on the back. Jeff, still processing everything, finally speaks up. "What are you gonna do, Eddie?"

Eddie's grin fades slightly, replaced with a more serious expression. "Well, I've talked to (Y/n), and we've decided to keep it. It won't be easy, but we'll figure it out." Paul, who has been quiet throughout the conversation, finally finds his voice. "That's a big responsibility, man, are you sure you're up for it?" he asks.

Eddie nods, determination in his eyes. "I may have been acting crazy all morning, but this, this is real. This is something I'm willing to give my all for." As the shock subsided Gareth reached out to pat Eddie's back, a mix of concern and understanding in his eyes. "Hey man, we're here for you," he said sincerely. Jeff nodded, his initial panic giving way to a sense of loyalty. "Yeah, Eddie. We'll support you through this."

"What do you need from us, Eddie?" Gareth asked, his voice filled with genuine concern. Eddie took a deep breath, overwhelmed by the unwavering support of his friends. "I just need you guys to be there for me and (Y/n)," he said, his smile softening. "I don’t imagine our very accepting town will be pleasant when they find out.” The boys exchanged nods, understanding the weight of their friend's words.

Eddie was on his way out of his last period smiling at the thought

“Eddie you’re gonna wanna come see this” Jeff says out of breath as he jogs up to his friends. Eddie wordlessly follows his bandmates down the hall. There’s a small gathering of some of their peers stood around a particular locker whispering. It would be nothing new for a member of Hellfire’s locker to get vandalized but Eddie knew that this one didn’t belong to any of them.

(Y/n)‘s locker was now littered with cruel scribblings done with different colored sharpies. Words like slut, freak’s whore, trailer park tramp were plastered on the metal along with magazine articles talking about teen pregnancy. “Shit” Eddie breathed running a hand through his hair. “Looks like word got out” Gareth sighed. “Can you two get this cleaned up I gotta find her” Eddie asked looking towards Gareth and Jeff.

“Don’t worry about it man we’ve got this” Jeff assures him. Eddie

When he spots (Y/n) she’s making her way down the hall. Dressed in her cheer uniform, books clutched to her chest as she nervously looks around. For once the nagging feeling of eyes following someone around is right

Eddie hurries over to her placing his hands on her shoulders. “Hey Eddie” she greets pulling her eyes away from a group of whispering students. “Hey sweetheart why don’t we go outside and talk alright?” He tries desperately hoping to shield her from school’s cruelty. “Talk, talk about what?” She hums. “Oh I don’t know I’m sure we’ll think of something” he says attempting to lead her towards door.

She allows him to practically push her down the hall confused by the urgency. They pass a small group of students who are huddled close together. “Whore” one of them covers up poorly with a cough. Eddie and (y/n) freeze and he winces. She turns around facing him already frowning.

“Oh god they know” (y/n) gasps. Already her eyes are watery with worry. “Yeah I guess so” Eddie sighs. “Oh god oh no, no no no” she cries spinning around seeing all the eyes on her. “C’mon let’s go outside alright baby let’s talk” Eddie pleads.

Unfortunately right now she doesn’t hear her boyfriend’s requests. All (y/n) hears is the whispers and quiet conversations the laughter and taunts. Everyone in the hallway is staring on at the two. She slowly turns around seeing classmates, cheer squad members, and even friends are watching, talking, judging. Eddie carefully grabs her face in his hands making her look at him.

“Hey it’s gonna be alright okay I promise”

“Everyone knows Eddie, everyone”

“I don’t think it’s gotten around to everyone yet but it’s definitely been around”

“This is bad so bad!”

“I know it’s bad right now but we’ll figure out. We knew this would happen eventually right?”

“Not this soon I thought we’d have time, I thought it wouldn’t be till I started showing at least”

A tear escapes her eye and Eddie is quick to wipe it away. His heart aches at how worried and upset she looks. Eddie is an old fashioned man who desperately wishes to protect her both in the physical sense and emotional. He wraps his arms around her pulling her body flush with his. This time (y/n) isn’t sobbing just silently crying motionless in his arms, if given the choice Eddie thinks he’d prefer the first option.

“Anyone who has anything to say will have to deal with me alright? And not just me but the guys too they’ve got your back”

“The guys already know?”

“Yeah Gareth heard from someone last period”

“Oh god Eddie do they hate me? Do they think I’m some floozy or something”

Eddie let’s out a small breathy laugh pulling her face away to look in her eyes. “No, no, no sweetheart they don’t think you’re a floozy. They’re having a hard time believing that I slept with you but y’know no surprise there” Eddie shrugs. That earns him a weak smile from (Y/n). Eddie takes that as a good sign wiping her face.

(Y/n) let’s put a small gasp. “Oh and you Eddie they’re probably saying all kind of things about you” she frets. “So it’s business as usual then” Eddie shrugs. (Y/n) shakes her head looking away from Eddie. Her eyes land on Chrissy rushing down the hall with her arms full of paper towels.

“Wait you were trying to lead me outside before” (y/n) points out looking back to Eddie. His face falls and he looks back for just a brief second. “Uh was I?” He asked. (Y/n) peaks behind him before quickly walking in the same direction that Chrissy just left in. “Sweetheart wait please” Eddie calls jogging behind her.

The crowd gathered around the lockers is much larger now. It’s become quite the spectacle in a matter of minutes. (Y/n) politely pushed through the crowd muttering apologies. The whispering gets less subtle as they realize that (Y/n) is making her way through.

“I’m telling you man It’s not coming off!” Gareth hissed. “Scrub harder then” Jeff huffed. “Both of you keep wiping” Chrissy instructs. The two guys are aggressively wiping the marker away while Chrissy pulls down the magazine articles and pictures. Gareth is the first to notice her presence standing up in an attempt to cover the locker with his body.

“(Y/n) hey um we were just uh working on a project for um for class” Chrissy nervously starts to explain. “For home economics!” Gareth quickly adds. “Yes, for home economics!” Chrissy cheers. It’s definitely a lie and a bad one at that since Gareth isn’t even in the same grade and Jeff doesn’t take home economics. Still the blonde smiles in hopes of convincing her friend it’s the truth.

(Y/n) doesn’t respond stepping closer to her locker. Tears gloss over her eyes once more as they look over the metal surface. She had seen on many occasions how cruel students could be and had even tried to stop it quite a few of those times. Never before had such behavior been directed at her. (Y/n) was even positive that a few of the handwritings looked familiar enough to pinpoint which cheerleader wrote it.

People she called friends, team mates, girls who had the nerve to call themselves her sisters had turned on her. They didn’t even have any proof if what they had heard was true or not and they still stabbed her in the back over it. Over something that ultimately wasn’t even her choice. The crowd was still talking in less hushed whispers. Each unfriendly voice sticking out more and more.

“I always knew she was a slut I’ve been saying it for years”

“She must have some serious issues to settle for Munson”

“How pathetic”

“Do you think she did it on purpose like she was worried of ending up alone? I mean when was the last time you saw her date someone?”

Vision blurry, ears ringing (y/n) spun around. This time she moved through the crowd much less apologetically. There were no mumbled apologies or excuse need mes. She knew Chrissy was desperately calling her name but right now she just needed out. (Y/n) didn’t stop running till she was out the door and far away from the building.

As she tries to steady her breathing, the tears continue to flow freely. It feels like her entire world has come crashing down in a matter of minutes. All she wanted was a normal high school experience, but instead, she's faced with humiliation and betrayal from those she thought were her friends.

Eddie finally catches up to her, his face full of concern and worry. "Sweetheart, are you okay?" he asks, breathless from running after her. (Y/n) looks up at him, her eyes red and puffy. "No, Eddie, I'm not okay," she sobs. "How could they do this to me? I thought they were my friends I thought they had my back."

Eddie wraps his arms around her, pulling her close. "I know, I know. It's not fair, and it's not right. But listen to me, we're going to get through this together. I promise you, I won't let anyone hurt you."

She clings to him, finding solace in his words and the comfort of his embrace. Eddie is her rock, her anchor in this storm of chaos. Together, they'll navigate through this difficult time, supporting each other every step of the way.

“I know I’m just me but no matter what I’m not going anywhere” Eddie announces quietly anyway. The comment of ‘just him’ strikes (y/n) as funny. In fact the term is funny enough to make her breathe out a quiet laugh. “What’s funny sweets?” Eddie asks. (Y/n) wipes the tears from her cheeks.

“Just you, it’s funny as if you’re nothing special it’s just you” she answers. Eddie’s eyebrows furrow in confusion and his head tilts a little. “I just mean you aren’t just you Eddie not to me anyways” (y/n) continues with a gentle smile. Eddie smiles wiping tears away from her cheeks. “You doing okay?” He asks.

(Y/n) exhales looking down. Her life had flipped upside down over the last week. Everything was changing and it was changing fast. Then there was the good part that had come out of all this, Eddie. Her saving grace, her rock, her best friend.

She looked up to meet his eye again really studying him this time. (Y/n) takes in a deep before nodding. “Yeah actually I’m doing better, like you said they’d find out eventually” she shrugs with a small smile. “It’s okay if you’re not, you don’t have to pretend with me” Eddie promises squeezing her hands. This time (y/n) says nothing instead leaning up to kiss him.

Eddie accepts the kiss moving one of his hands to cup her face. It’s slow and sweet, made entirely out of gratitude and appreciation. When they pull apart her smile is a little more real. “Yeah I’m good Eds promise” she sighs. Eddie nods relieved.

“Besides my big scary boyfriend is gonna beat up anyone who says anything” (y/n) teases nudging his arm. Eddie snorts shaking his head a little. He leans down to connect their lips again.

There’s the sound of leaves crunching makes them turn around. Chrissy stands nervously a couple feet away. “Hey um I just came to check on you” she smiles nervously. “I better go help those idiots clean up your locker, meet me over there when you’re done?” Eddie asks getting up from the table.

(Y/n) nods leaning up to kiss him again. “Thank you again Eddie” she says softly. Eddie shakes his head smiling. “Don’t mention it sweets” he promises getting up from the table. Chrissy offers him a polite nod taking his place while Eddie heads back towards the school.

(Y/n) and Chrissy had always been inseparable. They grew up together, experiencing all of life's milestones side by side. From picking out their first movie crushes to sharing the excitement of their first real kisses, they had always been there for each other. But now, they were facing a completely new challenge - an unexpected teen pregnancy. This was not something they could find the solution to in Sassy or Seventeen magazine.

Sitting at the table (Y/n) mustered up the courage to confirm the news with her best friend. It wasn't an easy conversation to start, but she knew she needed Chrissy's support. “So,” Chrissy breathes with a small nervous smile “it’s true then?” (Y/n) took in a breath bracing herself. "Yeah CC, it's true, I'm, uh, pregnant."

Chrissy's eyes widened clearly shocked by the revelation. "Wow, that's huge, like, really really huge" she managed to say. (Y/n) nodded, feeling the weight of the situation. "I know," she replied softly. "And it's Eddie's."

Chrissy's eyes filled with concern as she asked about the circumstances. "When did that happen? You guys just started dating!" (Y/n) hesitated for a moment before recalling the night of Josh's party. “Do you remember Josh’s party?”

Chrissy thought back for a second. “Well yeah I remember you guys hanging out but you were really drunk” she explained. Suddenly Chrissy gasped, gripping (Y/n)'s arm. "Oh my god, did he take advantage of you?" There was a mix of concern and anger in her voice."No, no, it wasn't anything like that" (Y/n) reassured her, placing a hand over Chrissy's.

The tension in Chrissy's face eased as she let out a relieved breath.Curiosity getting the better of her Chrissy asked "So how did this happen, then?" "Well, after I passed out, he couldn't find you, and he didn't know where I lived, so he brought me to his place. He was really sweet and took care of me. I don't know, CC it just happened” (y/n) explained.

Chrissy's surprise turned into a smile as she said "Wow, Eddie Munson." "Eddie Munson” (Y/n) repeated with a small smile. "And you know what? I'm happier than I've been in a long time” (y/n) confirmed.

Chrissy's excitement couldn't be contained as she hugged (Y/n) tightly. “I'm so happy for you babe” she whispered. "Thank you, CC really” With a grin, Chrissy demanded to know all the details. She wanted to hear everything about this unexpected turn of events.

As (Y/n) recounted waking up in Eddie's bed and his sweet gestures to take care of her Chrissy listened intently. "Wow he sounds great”Chrissy gushed, thinking of how different Eddie was from her own boyfriend, Jason. "He's so different from the rest of the guys around here.”(Y/n) nodded, knowing how special Eddie was. "He's really something CC, despite his tough exterior, he's truly so sweet."

As they continued to talk (Y/n) shared more about their day together, how they laughed and ate breakfast. She couldn't help but gush about Eddie's uncle Wayne, who she found to be surprisingly similar to him."He always looks so serious and gruff," Chrissy remarked."Yeah, I think that's just how he has to be you know”(Y/n) replied. "Eddie has a lot to deal with at school, so he has to put up this tough front."

Chrissy nodded in understanding before asking about the moment Eddie dropped (Y/n) off at her house. "Did he kiss you at the door?" she inquired. (Y/n) laughed. "No, he's too old school for that, we exchanged numbers instead, and that's when we decided to meet up again later."

"Wow" Chrissy said, completely captivated by the story unfolding before her. "Exactly, big wow” (Y/n) agreed, feeling grateful for her supportive best friend by her side.

“Well he obviously couldn’t find you after I passed out and he didn’t know where I lived so he brought me to his place. I don’t know he was really sweet and charming and he took care of me. It just happened CC I don’t know.”

“Then I can’t wait to be an aunt”

“You’ll be the best aunt”

“Oh I should make them a blanket! Of course I’ll need to wait till I know if it’s a boy or girl. Or I could pick something like yellow or green? What are the Hellfire colors?”

“Whatever you pick will be great Chrissy”

Arm in arm, Chrissy and (y/n) made their way back into the school, a sense of normality slowly returning. The hallway had mostly cleared now, leaving just a few random students heading one way or another. The chaos of earlier seemed like a distant memory at least for the time being. At her locker, the guys had mostly finished cleaning up the vandalized mess, with just a few remaining markings and unreadable words. They were in the middle of a heavy debate about some musician versus another when they spotted the girls approaching.

"Hi baby” (y/n) greeted, pulling away from Chrissy who had to catch her ride. "Hey sweetheart, your locker's mostly cleaned up” Eddie said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. His eyes flickered with genuine concern. "Thank you for this, guys. I really appreciate it” (y/n) sighed, glancing at her locker which now looked almost normal once again.

Gareth and Jeff, who had been sitting on the ground, immediately got up, slightly shoving each other for who would get up first. Their banter was lighthearted, a stark contrast to the events of the day. "I think this makes you an official member of the club” Gareth grinned a teasing glint in his eyes."Yeah this counts as your initiation” Jeff agreed a smirk playing on his lips.

"Welcome to Hellfire, (y/n) (y/l/n)” Eddie declared with a wide grin, his voice filled with pride. (Y/n) couldn't help but smile back, her expression real and earnest. It was honestly a weird feeling for her. She had watched as her social life crumbled into pieces after the rumors and malicious lies spread about her. But with Eddie and her newfound friends, it honestly didn't feel so bad.

Eddie and (Y/n) decide to unwind after school by watching an old tape. As they lay together on the couch, snuggled up the warmth of their love filled the room.Eddie finally breaks the comfortable silence drawing (Y/N)'s attention away from the tape. "You know, with everyone around school finding out about us, we might want to tell our parents soon” he pointed out concern tugging at the corners of his lips.

(Y/N)'s face fell, and a wave of dread washed over her. "They're gonna be so mad, Eddie” she whispered her voice trembling with anxiety. The thought of disappointing her parents weighed heavily on her heart. Eddie gently tilted her chin up, his eyes filled with tenderness. "They'll be even more pissed if we let them hear it from someone else” he replied, pressing a soft kiss against her lips.

"I know, but this has all been so happy” (Y/N) admitted, her voice laced with fear. "I'm just not ready to lose that yet." Eddie pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her protectively. "Maybe it won't be as bad as you think," he reassured her, brushing his fingers over her hair. "They may be mad at first, but they'll come around I’m sure.”

Tears welled up in (Y/N)'s eyes as she gazed into Eddie's deep, caring eyes. "Their daughter is pregnant, Eds" she spoke softly, her voice thick with emotion. "They're gonna be pissed." Eddie tenderly wiped away her tears, his heart aching for the pain she felt. "We'll face them together," he promised.

(Y/N) took a deep breath, finding comfort in Eddie's words. “Okay you’re right we’ll tell them” (y/n) breathes looking up at Eddie. “Wayne’s off on Wednesday we could do dinner” Eddie points out. “Dinner on Wednesday it is” (y/n) sighs.

#eddie stranger things #eddie munson x reader #stranger things x reader #eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson/reader #eddie munson/you #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x cheerleader!reader #eddie munson x popular!reader #eddie munson x fem!reader fluff #dark eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x pregnant!reader #dad eddie munson #thepariahandthefreak

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igotanidea · 1 year

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Puppy love : father!dick grayson x mother!reader

request by @parkjammys " no, we cannot get a puppy" with Dick.

A/N: as announced, I put it in a single parent!verse, hope you'll enjoy. You can find other stories from this verse under the tag :)

***

„Pretty please?” Sienna’s eyes were wide open and shining like stars as she was looking at her father pleading to make her dream come true.

“Sienna….” Dick sighed deeply, running a hand through his hair. It was always hard to refuse his little girl. Given everything she had been through, starting from being abandoned by her own mother, didn’t she deserve some joy and fun. But life was hard sometimes and he had to be a responsible adult. “No, we cannot have a puppy”.

“But why?” the girl pouted, her eyes turning sad and that view broke Dick’s heart. But he was a single father, who had to balance life, job, taking care of his kid and now, making time for some who was pretty much in love with. “daddy?”

“ I’m sorry princess. I’m just not sure if we can fit a dog into our life at the moment…..”

“This is so not fair!” Sienna smoothly came from being sweet and charming to throwing a temper tantrum, stumping her little feet on the ground angrily. ‘I want a puppy!”

“I know, honey, but…..” before Dick could finish the sentence, Sienna started crying, sobbing and almost threw herself on the ground. In the kindergarten entrance in front of every mother who came to pick their kids after a whole day. Freaking great. What was he supposed to do now? Wait until she stops? Use some force, lift her up and pack her into the car? Dick Grayson, who was capable of handling almost anything became completely helpless in the clash with his girl’s fury.

“Hey, everything all right here?” a bit concerned, but still optimistic and familiar voice interrupted hysterical sobbing and Dick sighed in relief. Thank god, Y/N showed up to pick up Thomas. Maybe she could reach to Sienna and make her calm down.

“Miss Thomas’s mother!” Sienna immediately stood up and threw herself at the older woman, hugging her legs tightly.

“Mummy!” clearly Thomas heard his mother’s voice from the open door and mirrored Sienna’s action, running at the woman, sudden impact from two sides, almost making her trip and fall.

“Hi there, kiddos.” The woman smiled wrapping arms around both boy and girl, throwing a glance at Dick and chuckling at his desperation “How was your day?”

“Daddy won’t buy me a dog! Why not? I can take care of it! I would hug it and love it and take care of it! Please, Miss Thomas’s mum, can you tell him I would be good? Can you tell him to get me a puppy?”

“Where does this come from? Why puppy all of a sudden?’ Y/N asked, her gaze meeting Dick’s. It was like he forgot where he was, his eyes just showing all the love sickness he held for the woman in front of him. Like a schoolboy. “Richard?” she called, reaching out and poking him in the chest lightly finally getting his conscious attention “Hi there.”

“Hi…..” he whispered, but quickly realised she was waiting for some answer “Oh, um…. Sorry” he cleared his throat “Apparently one of the girls….”

“Alicia!” Sienna corrected

“Yes, of course, Alicia. Brought photos of her pet and Sienna became enamoured in an instant.”

“I see. And now you want one for yourself, don’t you?”

“Yes, please….” Sienna hid her face in Y/N’s knees hugging her even closer.

“Can we get one too, mummy? We could take walks together with Sienna.” Thomas looked up at his mother with pleading eyes. “It would be so much fun!”

“You know what?” Y/N put both kids on the arm’s length, crouching to their level and focusing on both little faces. “I think I might have an idea about that….”

“You do?” Dick, his daughter and Thomas eyed Y/N like she was their salvation and she just smiled and nodded.

“Yeah We’re gonna take a little trip. Buckle up. I’m driving.”

“I will not take the passenger seat!” Dick objected out of instincts.

“too bad for you, Grayson. Either you shotgun and follow my lead or go home alone while I kidnap your daughter.” Y/n let out a laugh, opening the car and letting the kids in. Luckily they were too busy with the belts and talking about what kind of trip it was going to be to notice Dick coming close to Y/N and brushing his lips over hers briefly.

“I hate you…..” he whispered, smiling into the kiss “you make me so weak and compliant…..”

“Unlike your daughter, huh?” she caressed his arm and shoulder. “I really hope to see your dominant side soon….. I missed it…..”

“Y/N…..” he groaned

“Get in the car before any of the parent sees us. There are enough rumours…”

“I don’t care about adults.” He chuckled, stepping away from her “but if Sienna and Thomas starts asking questions, we’ll be toasted.”

***

The car ride was shorter than anyone may expect and filled with talks and laughter. It was almost like they were a family. But once Y/N parked in front of a grey, omniscient looking facility the kids got quiet. They couldn’t quite decipher what was written on the front door but something was telling them this was going to be serious and their laughter stopped.

“Mummy?” Thomas stuttered “what is this place? I’m scared.”

“There’s no need” she smiled at her son “no one is going to hurt any of you here. I promise. I just want you to see and learn something very important.”

“And then we’ll go get the puppy?” Sienna was extremely stubborn.

“We’ll see how it will turn out, all right little one?”

“Sure. Whatever…..” the girls crossed arms over her chest, looking way more adorable than resentful.

Once they got out and walked through the door, Thomas grabbed his mother’s hand, refusing to let go, still a bit scared and far more focused than his little friend who just busted right through ready to check whatever tour this was and go to an animal store.

“Not so fast!” Dick caught her and lifted her up, getting the plan Y/N had. “You cannot really run here. We came for a lesson.”

“What lesson? I don’t… Oh!” the voice froze in her throat as she noticed the cages with dogs in them. All kinds of dogs. Big, small, white and brown and black. Old and young. But what made them all similar was the pain and fear on their muzzles. And once the four people appeared, all of them moved towards the front, begging and pleading eyes focusing on the kids.

“What is this place, mummy?” Thomas started turning his head around.

“It’s called shelter. This is home for all those dogs that no one wanted.”

“But why?” Sienna sobbed again, struggling against her father’s grip and Dick finally put her down “why would no one want them? They look so sad…..” her little fingers rested on the glass of the cage as the little dog put his little paw on it “it’s not fair…..”

“You see, a puppy is not only about fun and playing.” Y/N explained, feeling sudden warm as Dick’s free hand entwined with hers “but it’s also about taking care of it. Feeding, cleaning, taking to the vet, spending a lot of time with it. Some people just get bored with those animals or have too much to do to care.”

“I don’t understand…..” Sienna frowned

“Oh!” Thomas’s eyes grew wide “I think I do.”

“Really? Tell me then, son.”

“I hears someone says once that a puppy is not a toy and you should not get one unless you are sure you know how to care for it. Is that what this was about mummy?”

“My clever boy.” Y/n couldn’t hide the pride in her voice “that was exactly it.”

“so…..” Sienna frowned again, a lot of thoughts forming in her head “this would be too hard to have a puppy now?”

“I’m sorry, sunshine.” Dick crouched next to his daughter “But a lot is happening and we don’t want to end up hurting whatever puppy you will get, do we?”

“No…..” the girl hesitated “No, we don’t, but…. What about all those doggies? Can we help them?”

“Actually, we can.” One of the workers, dressed in an apron chimed in “Hey there, Y/N. Giving the kids a tour?”

“Hello Dave. Something like that. I see we came right in the feeding time. Would you mind it our little Sienna the explorer and Thomas the Indiana jones, joined you? You can tell them about the volunteering and helping here.” Y/n winked at the man who were clearly her friend.

“More than happy, Y/N. You busy parents can take a little break, those two are in good hands.”

***

“You’re so smart.” Dick whispered once they took Dave on his offer and sneaked outside. His arms wrapped around her, pressing her close to his chest, wandering around her back.

“Because of how I handled the kids or because it gave as alone time?” she smirked

“Both.” His lips found hers and he kissed her gently, slowly, carefully. “Don’t you think it’s time to talk to kids about us? I’m tired of hiding and sneaking around.”

“Dick?” she tried to pull back, shocked by his question, but he didn’t let her, chasing her lips and kissing her more, this time reassuringly and she melted. Of course she had objections about it. Not about Dick, but about introducing another man into her son’s life , which could been hard. And Thomas’s acceptance was everything for Y/N. His father run away when the boy was two years old, so that wound was still fresh and she had to have her son’s well-being in the back of her mind. It was not only about her.

But god, how she wanted to try.

Dick made her feel everything she never had. Love, partnership, care. Even when they were bantering or teasing or even fighting from time to time, it was all because they had so many emotions for each other, not because they wanted to cause pain and hurt.

“Don’t run away from me….” He whispered, holding her tighter, brushing his nose over hers “Please, just give this a chance. Give us a chance. I don’t want to hide how I feel. I don’t want to have to deflect the advances of the mother’s. I want to be able to kiss you and hold you in public and not watch out if someone may see us. God, Y/N. I love you. “ there, he said it. “I love you. I love you. I love you. I ……”

He will keep on saying it if it wasn’t for the fact that her hands locked on his neck and pulled him down to kiss, effectively shutting him up. He loved how her fingers played with his hair and how nice her body felt against him when she pressed herself closer.

“I hear you, Dick.” She finally had to let go and take a breath, leaning her forehead on his.

“And?” he smirked, but his heart was doing flips in anticipation for her answer.

“God, you fool! Of course I love you too! With all my heart! I loved you from the moment I first saw you at the parent-teacher meeting! You were so lost there, the only father, like an odd duck amongst the mother hens” she laughed wholeheartedly

“Good thing I had you to take a place next to me and save me.” He gripped her waist and pecked her lips again.

“You broke me. Ever since then I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

“During the days or the nights?” he teased again

“find someone to take care of the kids tonight and I can show you….” She whispered into his ear, getting a groan from the back of his throat just as he imagined all the things he would do to her. “But first, let’s get our kids back, before they make us adopt every dog in here."

#dick grayson x reader #dick grayson x you #dick grayson x y/n #dick grayson x oc #dick grayson #dick grayson imagine #dick grayson fanfiction #dick grayson fluff #dc fluff #father!dick grayson #dick grayson x mum!reader #single parent! verse

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gav1whore9 · 2 years

Note

Reader getting jealous that a girl is flirting with gavi?? 🌸

Jealousy, jealousy

Pablo gavi x reader

Warning: smut

Authors note: thank you for all the support and the requests I will be posting more and I hope you enjoyed the first one and I hope that you will like this one even better. I wasn’t sure if this is a smut request so this wo will be light but will still have some smut. (I’m so sorry that I turned out so long) Enjoy 💕🧚🏼‍♂️

I was very nervous because today is my first time going to a barcelona event with Pablo as his official girlfriend I went with him a couple times before but this is a very important event and there will be a lot of people and fans of Pablo and I am very nervous for their reaction

I got ready and put on a black dress with matching prada high heels and a Prada bag I wore my hair in a sleek ponytail

when my phone rang I knew it was pablo

,,Hola preciosa I just wanted to say that I'm already here” ,,ok I'm on my way see you soon”

the ride was quite comfortable and pablo also calmed me down a bit and told me not to worry and complimented me the whole time

——————-Timeskip————————

the event went really well pablo was by my side the whole time and took care of me we were just on our way out when we were told that photos will now be taken and the players have time to take photos with the fans and sign autographs

when it was our turn to take the photos i panicked a bit because there were so many cameras and lights pablo grabbed my hand and said ,,don't worry i'm with you”

I immediately felt better when some pictures were taken of the two of us they camera men started yelling at me because they wanted pictures of Pablo alone and I should go away

I got a little offended but then I stepped aside because pablo is the peeson they wanted to see

after the pictures were taken i went to pedri because he was already done with the fans and pablo still wanted to take pictures with the fans and i didn't want to come with him because i didn't want to disturb him

i talked a bit with pedri about the evening and all but after a while i couldn't take my eyes off pablo he was just about to take pictures with a group of girls and they hugged him and some of them kissed him on the face too and he just laughed

That's when I got really mad. I'm a very jealous person when it comes to my boyfriend and he was aware of that too. He also looked over at me a few times and gave me a lot of winks

but from this point i didn't really cared i was just pissed off and mad I just wanted to get away from here and go to sleep to forget about this event

after pablo was done we didn't say goodbye to the other players and went to the car the way there was completely silent nobody said a word after 15 minutes drive pablo put his hand on my upper thigh you i removed it immediately i was sooo pissed of he knew exactly what he was doing and still acted like nothing happened

when we got home i went straight to the bathroom because i didn't want to be near him after the shower i went into the bedroom only in my underwear to annoy him he saw it immediately because he was lying on our bed and i felt his eyes all over me body

,,uhh mamas looking sexy are you in a better mood again or are you still mad at me for no reason” Pablo said to me getting of the bad

What’s wrong with him for no reason???? He knew what he was doing so why is he acting dumb

,,Fuck of pablito” he knows I only call him pablito when I’m mad at him. He was now behind me cause I was facing the dresser he touched my waist and went up and down my body with his hands and started kissing my shoulder and slow going up my neck and leaving hickeys

I was trying so hard not to moan

As he got to my ear he whispered ,, do I need to fuck the little attitude out of you”

At the same moment he pushed his whole body against your back and that’s Wehen you let out a loud moan out of frustration

,,Y/n I need words do you won’t me to fuck you yes or no”

,, omg yes please Pablo I need you”

His hands make their way around my waist, kissing my lips harshly and licking my under lip asking for permission. I open my mouth, making him stick his tongue into it.

I let out a tensed moan, as his large Hand wraps around my neck. We move to the bed, taking little steps.

Pablo lay’s me down, letting his hands run down my Breasts. ,, though you were mad at me mamas” he smirked at me I don’t say a word. Instead, I let my hands slide down his shirt, placing my hands under it a small gasp leaves his mouth, causing me to continue.

He places his lips back on mine, putting of his shirt. I dig my nails into his chest, feeling his erection trough his pants. He takes of my bra, giving my breasts a admired look.

While connecting our lips, Pablo’s hand Cups my my tit. The other one is running down my stomach, stopping at my waist line. I just let him and wrapping my hands around his neck. A loud moan leaves my mouth, as I feel his fingers on my wet core.

,,This pussy is so wet, I’ll destroy you tonight” his fingers making circles around my now swollen clit,making me whine.

He takes of my shorts quickly I moan again as I fell him spreading my legs apart. His body lowers, while his lips place kisses onto my stomach and thighs. His tongue is now flicking over my sensitive bundle of nerves. Three of his fingers thrust into my heat, making my legs go weak.

Pablo keeps eye contact, now sucking on my clit. My eyes roll back, as my head falls into the crook of my neck. My whole body is shaking due his magical touch. ,,Pa-blo! I’m cl-close” i shutter out, pushing his face into my core he groans against my entrance, sending vibrations trough my body.

I widen my eyes releasing into his mouth. Pablo licks me completely clean, before placing kisses onto my lips. I softly moan tasing my self.

,,You taste so good hermosa” he states, kissing my forehead. ,,why the fuck did you have to make me mad first before making me feel good” i wake him still a little mad about the event

,, because angry sex is the best kind of sex with you” he says, I just roll my eyes at him while laughing because his kind of right

#fotbal #gavi smut #gavi x reader #pablo gavi #smut #world cup #barcelona #jude bellingham

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thebeldroramscal · 5 months

Text

Part 3 - Dinner for 2

Part 2 - ...with bells on

Rating: Explicit/NSFW 18+ (no minors, I know I’m not the boss of you but c’mon, do me the favour of not putting us both on a list).

Summary: All that you know about tonight is that you’re having dinner. Getting to know each other a little bit better is probably a good idea but PLEASE universe, please, you beg, don’t let him be a one trick pony. And can we get some cock up in here? Can I get an AMEN??

Warnings/Goings on: PLEASE READ THESE CAREFULLY! Arguably a smidgeon of food play, human furniture (predicament), run of the mill domination/service submission. Talks of Heavy impact play (M on F), breast admiration (free the fucking nip. Our tits RULE!), knife play.

Consent carried over from Part 1 however tweaks made during the course of this scene. No mention of age gap, no mention of reader’s body other than she has female genitals and tits. And Joel can lift her up, whatever that means, the guy could probably lift a baby elephant. There are photos of female bodies spattered throughout, this is just to set the scene, no intent to imply figure or form. All bods are hot.

Authors note: This chapter introduces some more “traditional” BDSM practices. I’d really REALLY like to start highlighting the importance of aftercare – FOR ALL PARTIES CONCERNED. Yes, SubDrop is a powerful thing however I think that DomDrop gets very overlooked. Lets look after our Doms’ wellbeing too!

I’m very open to suggestions but I’m a delicate flower so I’m not so open to criticism. This isn’t everyone’s cup of tea so if you don't like it, please scroll on, quietly.

WORD COUNT: 3.2K

You’d managed to rustle up a few more things to furnish your burgeoning little dungeon. It's coming together...as nicely as a shitty unfinished subfloor basement can. You're sitting on a milk crate in front of a huge mirror looking at your reflection.

Your mind wanders back to one of the men you were seeing way back when. You had a daily ritual where you would wait by the door when you heard his car pull up the drive way. Every day you’d be on your knees waiting for him to walk through the door. He’d enter the house, throw his keys in to the bowl on the credenza without saying a word to you. He would remove his jacket, unzip his pants and wait for you to suck his cock. He came easily from head. Your technique attributed to this but so did the circumstance in which he was being blown. Every day, after you'd swallowed his daily load, literally and figuratively, you got off your knees and he’d pull you close by whatever you were wearing He'd say something, something different every day that made you feel like a queen. It was a small part of your day but an enormous part of your life. Not a lot of people understood that. It’s not “abuse” if you want to do it. You haven’t been “groomed or gaslit” in to thinking you had to do it. You wanted to do it. It made you feel powerful, it made you feel in control, like a sexual goddess, like an important part in his day, the one guaranteed good thing to come home to. He knew you were waiting there for him because he asked you to be there waiting for him. He asked you to be there waiting for him because he knew you wanted to be asked. Jesus christ, a credenza? You laugh through your nose. You’d be lucky to get 2 matching chairs these days. A fucking credenza.

“enjoyin’ the view?” Joel's voice carves a hole through the room, and your thoughts, like a bullet.

You whip your head around in his direction and catch a satisfied smirk.

How embarrassing.

You don't answer him. The fact is, you were enjoying the view. Sex, good sex, that sex, brings back your...it brings back your "you". The little skip in your step, knowing that under your pencil skirt in your big city job that your arse was hard, bloody, covered in bandages and yet you still work your white collar job doing white collared things and catching yourself every time you plonk your arse down on your white collar chair to do your white collar computer shit. You used to think people would notice but they didn't. They were all self important. And frankly, looking back, so were you.

“Thanks for dressin’ up for the occasion” he says, dripping in sarcasm.

“Fuck. I got distracted”

“By your own face..” he mocks walking towards you, putting his bags down on the ground, “It’s ok” he assures you, grabbing you softly by the chin to raise your face to meet his. He strokes your chin and looks at your face for longer than usual. His expression doesn't change. He spins you around so that you’re both facing the mirror, him standing behind you, hands on your shoulders “I get it, I would have to.” Ah, you didn’t know what to say to that. A compliment, that’s…? He snakes his left hand around your waist, holding you tight with the kind of grip that makes you feel like you could relax every muscle in your body and you would still be upright. Impressive, very hot, also potentially very dangerous.

He gently pulls the hair tie holding your ponytail in place free from your head, stroking your hair, “you smell so fuckin’ good” you hear him say under his breath as he bunches your hair up and pushes it to his face. You’d laugh if it wasn’t such an intimate moment. But this feels very un-Joel. This was a huge show of vulnerability and when you see it for the moment It is, it’s fucking beautiful. You want to let him experience this long as he needs, it’s obvious this goes way deeper than the scent of your 2 in 1 shampoo. There’s a tranquility in his demeanor and if that’s something you can provide him you’re going to do it. You’re watching one layer of the onion fall and it is the most intimate, unmasked Joel you’ve met.

“We didn’t cover knives.”

“What do you mean?" You say, barely audible, as if to not wake Joel.

"at the bar? in the toilet? are you happy to bring a knife to the party?"

"I’m not very experienced with them. Start off slow?” you're barely whispering now.

“Can I touch you with a blade?” his lips graze your ear while he whispers. His mouth moves lower to the crook of your neck. You feel his teeth on your skin, his bite slowly increasing in intensity. He's dipping his toe in the water. Feeling out your pain limits, honing in on your pleasure spots. You know he's enjoying it because his rock hard cock is firmly planted against your arse. He's cataloguing everything your body is telling him.

“What kind of blade?

“My blade, the Buck”

He takes a deep breath and drops your hair and spins you around so you’re facing each other again.

“The one that’s with me. Always.”

He opens the knife strapped to his belt. “This is my baby. She has been there for me since the beginning”

It’s sharp knife, it sounds like it could tell 1000 stories. Its presence in a situation that doesn’t call for a knife is intriguing.

Joel places a finger under your chin and lifts your head so you’re making eye contact. He raises an eyebrow as if to ask again.

“Yes, Yep, You can touch me with that knife. Don’t cut me…not yet”

“…not yet” interesting, he thinks to himself. He's growing increasingly intrigued by your past. By you. This is a whisper of a feeling that he barely remembers.

He looks at you. Thinking.

“How attached to those clothes are you?”

You laugh at the dramatic change in topic. “ahhhh” you say as you pull at the shitty pair of shorts and white tank you usually wear when you clean “I’d say about a 2/10…I was going to get changed bu..”

“Ok. They’re goin’” he says while he gently, playfully (and irresponsibly) taps you on the tip of your nose with his blade.

You feel yourself being spun around once more so that you’re both facing the mirror again. “I fuckin’ love this mirror. I fuckin' LOVE this mirror”. He is looking at you like a starving man with a perfectly cooked, rare rib eye drowning in a red wine and rosemary jus , garlic mash and roasted almond asparagus in front of him. Not that you remember what that even tastes like any more.

You feel the blunt side of the knife graze its way up your arm and then the tip gently kiss your decolletage until it stops between your breasts. He leaves the knife resting there to make sure you’re okay with it so far. You are. You really are. His breath gently skims the nape of your neck and you're both looking at each other's reflection in the mirror intensely. He continues. It makes a trail down your front. “still as a statue…” he whispers in to your ear. Cupping one side of your head in one hand using the other to hold the knife he makes a trail over your shitty tank from your belly button to the neckline, you feel safe but are acutely aware that a huge fright or even a sneeze could kill you right now. The knife flicks around and skewers the neckline of your tank. It slices through the material with no effort. Fuck, it’s sharp. He uses his thigh to close the knife in one second, dumps it in his pocket and reaches both hands around to your front. He grabs each side of your flayed tank and rips it open in one motion.

Your body rocks at the force and you instinctively reach for it to cover your naked torso but Joel catches your wrists.

“No. Hands by your sides.”

“Ok” you manage to whisper, your chest is heaving. Your pulse beats louder in your and head harder in your cunt.

“You can’t cover this” he whispers. Not necessarily to you but maybe to the situation. “No, it’s too beautiful” You feel his hands glide up your torso as they search for your breasts. His breathing becomes deeper and more controlled, a mixture of silence and a low resonant rumble like distant thunder. He grabs a breast in each hand and kneads into the flesh alternating between an agonizingly soft touch and a touch so hard you contemplate using your safe word. You can see in the mirror that his eyes are closed. Is he doing this for you or for himself? “You have no idea how long it has been since I’ve seen a nice pair of tits”. Was that was supposed to be said out loud or a quiet thought? Whatever it was it meant to be, it whips you in the core of your brain's pleasure center, depleting the reserve of every sex hormone you have at once. A tiny moan escapes as your lips part and you relinquish any control you had left and fall back in to his body.

He gently massages your breasts, losing himself in their softness. His heavy breath peppered with an a occasional “my god” just barely slipping through his lips. Those lips. He rolls his thumb over your nipple and his touch becomes more gentle. He is lightly swaying and your entire weight is melded with his. You're swaying in unison. He starts to slowly and gently squeeze your nipple, his face nestled in the nape of your neck, biting and grazing his teeth against your flesh. It's as if every sensation either of you are feeling is being felt by both of you.

His breath quickens and his touch becomes harder, he is kneading roughly, running his hands up and down your torso, rolling over your breasts as if they're not even there. It hurts, but it hurts in the right way. Your breathing becomes more forceful and that does not go unnoticed. He finds your nipples with his finger tips and pinches them hard without letting go. You cry out and throw one arm behind you, finding his arse so you can pull him closer, you head throws itself back hard against him. You're unable to arch your back, which you so desperately want to do. You're holding each other far too tight. He pulls your nipples until your skin runs out of stretch and your tits fall back in to place. Again, you cry out but it's the right kind of cry. Your cunt is on fire.

"Fuck I can’t wait to get that nipple in my mouth...between my teeth". He is pinching them again, and is showing no mercy.

You breathe in through your teeth, the sensation riding right on the line of pleasure and pain is very close to unbalancing. Becoming too much. He quickly lets go of your breast but keeps his firm grip around your waist in place. You press your legs together in an attempt to quash the pulsation that is on the verge of being painful.

"Not tonight though".

He has his knife back in his hand. The tip traces a line down the middle of your naked torso until it finds itself resting in the the waistband of your shitty shorts.

"Not tonight"

"Tonight we eat."

He pushes the blade forward, spinning it so that the sharp end is pushing against the waistband of your shorts. It cuts through the entire front of your shorts from gusset to waistband in one movement. He repeats this motion at the back of your shorts and he reaches down, grabs the crotch of your shorts and rips them violently from your body.

You stand there. Naked. Once he is satisfied with what he has standing in front of him he goes to grab his bag.

"You can eat your food out of a bowl like a dog, and I do have a collar, or you can let me feed you"

You were wondering where dinner was going to fit in to this.

"should I grab some clo-"

"no"

"o...ok. Feed me? No dog bowl. Please."

He kicks a milk crate over to where you're standing. It'll be a satisfactory seat. For him.

"okay"

You're unsure of what is happening but Joel is laying a plush blanket on the floor in front of his seat. You stay in your place and watch him set up whatever it is he is setting up.

"come here" Joel asks. "I'm going to need a table"

You see he has a couple of containers of rice and something and...a bottle of wine! Exciting. He even brought some wine glasses. And a straw. Huh. Okay.

You look around the room for something suitable but there's nothing in there. You look at him and he says "No. You come here. Hands and knees. You are my table" He motions with his head exactly where he wants you to be.

You feel that feeling in your stomach and a small, devious, knowing smile creeps its way on to your face. You start to bite the inside of your mouth. Joel notices everything.

You walk of over to you position and drop to your hands and knees without a thought. You feel two bowls and a glass placed on your back. He sets a wine glass in front of you and pours it for you. He plonks the straw in it unceremoniously and tells you that you may drink whenever you like and how much you like. You hear him fill his wine glass and become instantly aware that your back is not flat. The glass doesn't feel very secure.

"um, i think that glass might be better on the other side? It doesn't feel stable"

"Drinks on the right. I know my manners. If it's unsteady, that's on you. Shut up. I'm hungry."

He picks up his utensil and presumably takes a mouthful. At the same time you see a spoon lowered to your face, he feeds you a mouthful.

"oh my god, that's GOOD" you say, twisting your neck to look at him without even thinking.

You feel the glass topple over and wine spill over your legs and arse immediately. "FUCK" you think to yourself, "this is it, this is "IT." Excitement flashes through your body like a boiling hot laser scanner.

He gets up from his seat without saying a word. He's behind you, picking up his wine glass and you're bracing yourself for a hard spank. Instead you feel the heat of his mouth sucking your thigh, your arse, it feels incredible and you're turned on more. More.

"I don't like waste" he says as he walks to where your face is. His footsteps are so loud when you're this close to the ground. His boots are not to be fucked with. He crouches down to your level and you look at his face. You can feel the bowls on your back moving as your skin twists and it's slowly sinking in.

"I'm going to have my dinner on this beautiful piece of furniture" he runs his hands back forth along your side as if you were...well, a beautiful piece of furniture. He dips down and gives your nipple a TIGHT pinch just because he can. "I said, I don't like waste. I've brought something I worked hard on during the outbreak. A cane. If spillage happens, you'll earn yourself one set of three strikes of my cane. Do you understand?"

"yes"

"repeat it"

"If something spills during dinner, I'll be caned three times each time"

"good" he nods and returns to his seat.

He refills his glass and returns it to it's place. You become hyperaware of exactly how precariously placed it is. Clever jerk.

Another spoonful appears next to your face, you open your mouth and go to take the food in your mouth but Joel jerks the spoon back. You laugh as you instinctively jut you head forward to catch the food. The wine glass tips over.

"FUCK"

"mmmhmm." he mumbles nonchalantly. He knew it was coming.

You hear him get up once again and he calmly walks over to his bag. You hear him rustle around in it and picks up his cane. He puts the tip under your chin, slowly tilting your head upwards so you are looking him in the eyes. "Three strikes" he says as he taps the side of your cheek. You nod gently . Running the top of his cane along your naked body as he walks towards his seat, he wakes up your skin. He pauses behind you "Here. The strikes go here" he says as he taps the cane over the meaty part of your arse and thighs, "and they're not going to be little love taps, they will be strikes, and they will hurt". Your cunt aches with those words.

He rakes his sharp nails down your leg as he reaches down to pick up his glass. You arch your back, in enjoyment and in pain. Bang. A bowl drops to the floor.

"look at that." Joel says flatly. "a two-fer" I hope you're counting.

You take a breath. "Yes. Nine".

Dinner is reset and you hold your position perfectly still.

You see Joel's hand, with a heaped pile of food on it in front of you.

"seeings utensils are too difficult for you" he jabs, "here". His hand moves closer to your mouth and you open it, far too flooded with thoughts to do anything but follow what makes sense. Joel shoves the food in your mouth and uses your face to wipe his hands clean. Ooooph, if your old scene friends could see you now...

He is diligent in reading your tone, body language and disposition. This wasn't his first rodeo and he would never overstep what he thought responsible play for him would be and you. He is a man of born again ethical practice and he sticks to his mantra.

Dinner was proceeding well, you'd caught yourself 9 strikes, were drinking (pretty drinkable) wine through a straw and was having food shoved in to your mouth while you served as a table. Just another Tuesday night, right?

You'd settled yourself in to a meditative state, "subspace" if you will.

You feel Joel's hand lightly slide along the small of your back toward his glass but take a turn, down the skin on your arse, which he grabs roughly, and his fingers make their way between your legs. You feel a finger slide inside you with ease. "fuuuuuuck" you hear him whisper to himself. Yes. you were soaked and burning hot. This only served to make his erection hurt.

Dinner was over.

...Chapter 4 - Dessert, on it's way soon. Stay tuned my freaky friends.

#masochist kink #dark!joel #joel miller smut #joel miller x female!reader #joel miller x reader #kinky fanfic #human furniture #service sub #subspace #soft joel ?

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dreamyfanfix · 1 year

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Chapter 4: Understanding is All We Need

Past:

Kate had to admit she was nervous. Even though she was confident on the drive to Anthony’s home, she knew that the moment they entered things would change.

She was surprised at how his flat was so big. It looked like a one-story house and the outside looked like all those old buildings she had seen in places like Bath, brown. When they entered Anthony, took her coat for her and Kate took a minute to look around. She was surprised by how unemotional it looked. Despite the pictures of his family hanging about, Anthony’s apartment did not tell much of a story. She had not known how long she was analysing his open plan kitchen into his living room until she turned around and saw Anthony had not moved. He was still close to the door, leaning against the grey column. He was looking at her and noted the apprehension in his eyes. He was nervous as well.

"What?" Kate said to him.

“I have thought about you being in here for months and now that you are here, I am feeling…”

"Vulnerable?" Kate suggested.

Anthony nodded "I guess I am wondering what you think of it and subsequently of me,"

"Do you really think your apartment would be a deal breaker for me?" Kate asked.

Anthony shrugged "People's apartments say a lot about who they are,"

"Sometimes," Kate said and then she spoke again while walking back towards Anthony, "I think your place looks like you don't spend much time here, though,"

"I don't," Anthony said finally meeting her eye.

"When I was younger I thought the moment I moved out I would be able to decorate my place with everything my father and Mary deemed too inappropriate," Kate said trying to lighten the mood.

"I can imagine you with a lot of colour in your home," he said with a smile.

"Yes and lots and lots of posters of Craig David," Kate said wistfully.

Anthony chuckled "Well, I don't know what you are doing with me then, I look nothing like Craig David,"

"I have varied tastes," Kate said smiling.

"I think our homes should represent our interests. I guess I haven't done a good job of decorating this place,"

"Maybe it does not represent your interests but it represents a bit of your heart," Kate said as she brought her hand to his chest.

She directed her eyes to look over to a photo of what can only be Daphne’s high school graduation. Daphne is holding flowers, the whole family is smiling and Anthony is beaming at his younger sister. Pride is written all over his face.

Anthony takes a breath and then comes closer to her. Moving slowly, giving her plenty of time to stop him but she knows she's not going to. Soon her hand is caught tightly between them, her open hand pressed to his chest. He is radiating warmth through his dark shirt, his heart thumping hard and fast against her palm. He looks at her deep in her eyes and Kate is unable to break the intense gaze he has on her.

"Kate, I want to-" He cuts himself off and swallows "Can I kiss you?"

There is an air of vulnerability in Anthony's voice that makes Kate catch her breath. She does not trust her voice so all she does is nod strongly.

Anthony goes in to kiss her, slowly and carefully. She loves the feel of him so she clutches at his shirt with her hand and goes to grip his arm with the other. She grips his bicep harder and he makes an almost pained groan, parting his lips and she slips her tongue inside just a little, seeking his, and when they touch, the air goes nuclear. Kate takes her hand from his shirt and puts it through his hair.

Anthony's hands dip lower and his hands go to grab her bum, first with one little squeeze but then he groans and he squeezes harder, causing Kate to moan.

Anthony must feel more confident because he goes to lift her under her bum and she wraps her legs around his waist. Eventually, they have to part for air and his chest is heaving against hers, his heartbeat banging like heavy bass and there's no way he can't feel how hard her nipples are cause she can feel how hard he is since they're pretty much sealed together from head to toe.

When they finally catch their breath Anthony speaks "Fuck, I'm sorry. I just kinda lost it. I've never felt like this before,"

"Me either," Kate says and they smile at each other.

Anthony goes to kiss her again, small quick pecks but then he travels down to her neck and Kate groans. "Bedroom," she says and Anthony still holding Kate walks them to what can only be his bedroom.

The longer they kiss the better it gets, Kate finally understands how people could do this for hours. The sounds Anthony is making are setting her on fire. It's like she can't get close enough to him.

"Kate... Kate, wait," he gasps "If you keep grabbing at me like that I'm going to drop you," Kate giggles and makes it to put her legs on the ground but Anthony refuses to let her thighs go "I did not say I wanted to stop holding you up, I just wanted to take a break for a second," He gives her a peck and Kate feels like she cannot be more attracted to anyone more as he keeps kissing her and then dragging his lips down to her neck.

They get to his bedroom and Anthony drops Kate on the bed, which causes her to giggle. Anthony looks at her funny "What?" she asked.

"You have no idea how much I have thought of you in my bed," Anthony said his voice hoarse.

"And? What's the verdict?" Kate asked.

"Beautiful," he replied.

Kate would usually blush at a comment like that but instead, she felt emboldened and she reached at the bottom of her dress to take it off. She threw it off to the side and turned to look at Anthony who was biting his lip and his eyes were dark with lust. That sent a shiver up Kate's body and she gestured for him to do the same. So Anthony eager to please, instead of unbuttoning his shirt ripped it open and some of the buttons went flying. Kate giggled but when she turned to look at Anthony's bare chest and arms she said "Damn,"

"That's a good damn, right?" he asked, licking his lips.

She nodded "My thoughts are pretty unhinged right now,"

"Yeah?" He looked pleased by this.

Anthony slowly gets onto the bed and crawls over to Kate. He kisses her softly and then nips at her lips and moves to her neck where he continues a mixture of kisses and nips at her neck. Kate drags her hands over his back and then his arms as she grinds her groin into Anthony's, who is still wearing pants at this time.

Kate dragged her hands over Anthony's arms but as he suckled at one particular part of her neck she dug her nails into Anthony's biceps which caused Anthony to growl. The vibration caused even more moisture to pull in her underwear and Anthony got up. He took off his belt and dropped his pants. Kate was sure he was hard but seeing the evidence, straining against his briefs, for herself turned her on so much that she bit into her lip.

Anthony crawls back up Kate's body and eases the bra straps off her shoulders and she immediately shrugs it down further "Anthony, please,"

He chuckles "Ok, sorry. It's just that now that we are actually doing this, I don't want to rush,"

Kate groans in frustration and because he is so sweet, she tries to hurry the process along by unclasping her bra and throwing it to the side of the bed. Was it the same side as her dress? Those are tomorrow's problems she thought to herself.

Anthony is wide-eyed staring at her bare chest and goes to cup each breast in his hand. He squeezes her breasts gently before he takes an experimental lick. His mouth is a hot shock when he finally sucks her, so good, she holds him there, one hand in his hair and the other gripping his shoulder. She loses track of time as he alternates between her left and right breast, licking, sucking while squeezing and rolling her nipple with his fingers.

Just when she thinks she cannot reach a higher form of pleasure, he kisses his way down her stomach to her thighs. They make eye contact and Kate nods before Anthony helps her take off her underwear. "Soaked are we?"

"Can you blame me?" Kate replies.

Anthony kisses her dark and shapely thighs and Kate yearns for him to make his way to her center. Once he gets to the apex of her thighs he blows on her centre causing Kate to moan. Anthony takes a lick "Delicious,"

Kate is so taken aback that she does not notice how he is circling her slit with a single finger. He slides his leg over one of hers and eases her legs further apart, at that Kate can't help but moan. When he switches to using his thumb on her clit and lips the tip of one finger inside her, it's incredible.

"Is it?" he murmurs and Kate realizes she said the last part out loud.

"Yes," she answered "Yes," and "Right there," as he slides his finger in deeper, he added another finger and she grinds into his hand.

The pleasure is building up inside her and Anthony goes to hold her still as she is now moving all over the bed.

Anthony with one hand preoccupied reaches for one of Kate's hands and their fingers thread together. Kate uses his hand as an anchor. Anthony picks up the pace as his fingers go in and out of Kate but it's when Anthony hooks his fingers does Kate see stars.

Kate comes down from her orgasm and Anthony does the sexiest thing she has ever seen a man do. Lick his fingers, the ones that were just in her, clean. As if she was a gourmet meal he just had and Kate is surprised that she is so ready for him again. Anthony looks like sex on a platter so Kate reaches up to his dick imprint and plays with it. "Take these off," she says.

Anthony swiftly removes them and then reaches into his bedside drawer to get a condom. Anthony comes in slow for a kiss and it turns frantic, their mouths and hands all over each other.

His eyes search hers for a moment "If you change your mind-"

"Not happening," she said before he even finished his sentence.

Kate can't take her eyes off Anthony as his ab muscles jump as he strokes himself once before slowly rolling the condom on as if he can't help it. She definitely can't help herself or keep still. A whimper slips out and Anthony gives her a couple more pecks as he aligns himself at her entrance. He finally slides himself into her with a curse escaping him.

Kate moans and the way he fills her up "Are you ok?" Anthony asked.

"I'm better than ok," Kate said.

"You feel so good Kate better than I thought you would," he said as he kisses her. He pulls back and then enters her again at a different angle and Kate moans louder now, he starts to create a pace as he continues to pound into her faster but steady.

Kate already feeling the pressure building inside of her lifts her hips to meet his thrusts and Anthony stutters "Are you ok?" Kate asked.

"I will be, probably. But if you continue to grind into me like that, I may not last past a minute,"

"Oh my god," she giggled.

Anthony takes it as a challenge and kisses her before putting his hand on her neck. The movement depicts a sort of dominance that Kate should have seen coming from Anthony. He steers her head to turn and nips at her neck as he pounds into her faster and faster. Kate cannot take the overwhelming sensation anymore, the look in Anthony's eyes is pure lust and she cannot contain herself. She takes one of his hands from her waist and puts one of his fingers in her mouth "Oh my god, Kate" he said but Kate ignores him as she takes his hand and trails it down her body to her centre.

Anthony gets the message as he pounds into her now with one of his hands massaging her clit. They both groan and moan barely intelligible curses as well as "It's never felt like this," "I love you,"

For a few moments, all you can hear are groans and the slap of skin on skin as Anthony pounds into Kate at an unrelenting pace. Eventually, Kate sees white and as she calms down Anthony said "Fuck Kate, I can feel you coming," he whispered with something that sounds like wonder before pressing deep in her, letting out a big groan and then going still.

Anthony climbed off her and took care of the condom in the bathroom before coming back and laying next to Kate, catching their breath. Kate then sat up and said "Well, I have work early in the morning I should get going,"

Anthony quickly sat up and exclaimed, "What?"

Kate turned to him with a smile on her face and Anthony visibly relaxed and said "That's not funny, Kate,"

"Well, I thought it was hilarious. You should have seen your face,"

"Excuse me for being surprised by your immediate interest in leaving my home," Anthony continued "I may not have had a long-term monogamous relationship but even I know there is cuddling after,"

"Cuddling you say?" Kate laid back down "Big spoon or little spoon?" she asked.

Anthony played at thinking it over and said "You get to be little spoon today but only because you are a first-time guest," Anthony laid down and pulled her into his arms.

"So what happens when I'm no longer a first-time guest?" Kate asked.

"Well you are going to have to wait and see," Anthony whispered in her ear before they settled for the night.

It's early morning. Kate can just feel the daylight filtering in through the window, climbing the bed and crawling up her stomach. London was having good weather for once.

Anthony's had her pressed down on the bed, her underwear dangling off one ankle, her knee hitched over his shoulder as he ate her out. Kate can honestly say she had never met a man more eager to use his mouth on her than Anthony. Her previous boyfriends did try it but to most of them, it seemed like doing Kate a favour. Even Tom who was a great guy saw cunnilingus as merely a way to prepare Kate for his member.

Kate and Anthony's first date was Tuesday and yet here Kate was on Saturday being woken up by Anthony again. She had not been apart from him since their first date. Wednesday woke up to leave because she had to get ready for work and after getting back from work she got home to Edwina and Mary and Kate was glad neither woman was home to give her disapproving looks about her being out all night. Worse than disapproving would have been approving cause that would be just gross.

After work and after dinner with Edwina, cause Mary had to work at night so she ate dinner early, Kate finished up her work and then Anthony called. Anthony was still at the office and was on his way back home, Kate was worried because he had not eaten a proper meal all day and Anthony promised to eat if she came with him. Kate said that she couldn't leave her sister unattended because Mary was not home but if he wanted to come over then he could. Anthony accepted.

Kate had never jumped out of bed and out of her pyjamas faster in her life and there was once a day she was 20 minutes late for a test. She moved things around and went to knock on Edwina's door.

"Hey, bon. I invited Anthony over to eat a proper meal is that fine?" Kate asked nervously as she should have consulted with her sister before extending the invite "If you do mind just tell me and I will pack up some food and send him on his way,"

"Already doing lunch boxes for your boyfriend huh?" Edwina asked.

"Eddy," Kate groaned.

"Fine but only if he brings ice cream with him," Edwina said.

"Bon, he is already on his way. I am not asking him that," Kate said with her hands on her hips.

Edwina mirrored her sister's stance and said "I see the way that man looks at you I bet he would buy an ice cream shop if you asked. He brings ice cream or its a no-go,"

Kate was shocked at Edwina's bargaining skills and wondered where she had gotten it from "Fine, I will text him,"

"And I will be here,"

Kate sent Anthony a message asking if he could bring chocolate chip ice cream for her sister and Anthony responded with a thumbs-up and ice cream emoji. She knew he did not like to text and drive so she did not respond. Kate went back to Edwina's room and told her Anthony was going to bring her the ice cream she wanted so promised to be on her best behaviour when he arrived.

When Anthony got to their home he had brought not just ice cream for Edwina but for her and Mary too but because he did not know the flavour she liked he had bought 3 of each flavour. Kate had a taste for the fruitier sweeter ones but Edwina and Mary liked the rich ones so she put the chocolate ones in the fridge and gave Anthony a kiss for his trouble.

Edwina, sat with them as they spoke about Edwina's dancing and how in the beginning Kate was like a momager trying to make sure Edwina succeeded. Anthony noted that he was not surprised about how devoted she was and she smiled, Edwina called them gross and went to her room. Kate was not sure how long she and Anthony had been there but she knew they moved from the dining room to the sofa in the living room and that is where Mary found them asleep.

Mary woke them up and Anthony apologised but Mary was concerned about Anthony driving back to his place as he looked sleepy and insisted he stay the night. Kate's eyes were almost ready to bulge out of her head, this was not a common thing parents would allow in Indian households but Kate thanked Mary but before Kate could lead Anthony to her room, Mary told Anthony he would be sleeping on the sofa. Kate thought that was unfair but after Mary reminded her she slept on a 3/4 bed and Anthony was a full-grown man, the sofa seemed like a better idea. Kate said she would sleep with Mary and Anthony could take her room but Mary said she did not want to share with Kate and her loose limbs and Anthony chuckled.

He removed his waistcoat and proceeded to get ready on the sofa. Kate brought him softer pillows and blankets and when she came to check on him in the middle of the night, he looked so peaceful and handsome that she was glad Mary let him stay over.

That was Wednesday and on Thursday Anthony, invited Kate to his place so he could cook her dinner like the dinner she had done for him. This time Kate gave her mother and Edwina fair warning that she would not be back and packed her bags for the weekend. She ignored all of Edwina's smug smiling faces as she left for her date with Anthony.

Kate is brought back to the present as Anthony tongues her through her first climax and right into a second one. Her vision whites out and her breath catches. She draws her knees up as he just keeps going. He climbs up her body, pressing wet kisses to her hips and her stomach and her ribs, circling his tongue around each breast in a shrinking spiral until he reaches each nipple. He is then hovering right over her mouth, his lips damp and flushed red. He kisses her, his tongue and teeth parting and plucking at her lips.

"Good morning," He said with a face so sweet Kate smiles wide for so early in the morning.

"Good morning to you too," Kate said.

"I'm really glad I skipped the musicale for this,"

"What musical?" Kate asked confused but still a bit sleepy.

"Not musical. Musicale. It's like a music showcase. The Smythe-Smith Musicale happens almost every 3 months hosted by The Smythe-Smith's they are the most untalented family ever," Anthony groaned as he lay his head on her stomach.

Kate played with his hair "Then why do they host it? And why do people go?"

"Honestly, I have no idea. This thing existed even before my time. I think people just attend because of a tradition now. It's the first time I have not attended since I became the Viscount,"

Kate sat up causing Anthony to have to lift his head "Wait, does your family attend this event every time?"

Anthony looking confused answered "Yes, it's not a big deal though none of my siblings actually like going,"

"Did you RSVP?" Kate asked and Anthony blushed but nodded. Kate got up from the bed and went looking for something to put on. She found his t-shirt first and put it on because this was not a conversation she wanted to have naked.

Anthony got out the bed as well, putting on his discarded boxers "Yes, but that was two months ago, Kate. Why are you upset about this?"

"Anthony, your family were expecting and you used me as an excuse to get out of it without telling me,"

"First, I did not use you as an excuse to get out of it and Second, I didn't tell you because I did not want you to feel bad about it because it's not a big deal," Anthony said taking Kate's hand

"Anthony, it's fine if you had an event that you had to attend I would have understood, I could have gone out with friends or grabbed dinner with Mary and Edwina," Anthony nodded "Also, what do you mean you did not use me as an excuse?"

"No one knows why I didn't go," Anthony said in a small voice.

"Anthony they are going to put two and two together, you literally put a picture of the two of us on your Instagram stories last night,"

"Why does it matter?" Anthony said exasperated "It's not like I wanted to go,"

"And that's fine IF that was what you told your family in the first place. It looks like you had a choice between them and me and you chose me," Kate said hanging her head with a sigh

"I'll explain it to them," Anthony said gripping her shoulders.

"I just don't want them to think I'm coming in between your relationship. I want them to like me,"

Anthony hugged her "Kate they already like you, okay? There is no need to worry, I will tell them that I should have spoken up sooner but I don't want to go to Smythe-Smithe musicales anymore," Kate sighed and hugged Anthony back "Besides I'm sure my other siblings will be happy to have an excuse to ditch those events anyways,"

Kate felt a bit of anxiety at his last statement. She knows how fragile family dynamics are and she did not want to be the reason that something that was a normal Bridgerton family tradition was now going to be different because of her. She thought of Violet and how this situation was not going to help warm her up to the idea of Kate and Anthony together.

It was now Sunday and Kate was supposed to be working in Anthony's study because her coworker needed help reading a brief for a case that he was lead on. Having multiple eyes on briefs often led to great discoveries and Kate was still a lower-level solicitor so she always took the opportunity to put her hours in.

Anthony had gone to get them lunch as a nice Sunday lunch meal before she went back home to prepare for the week ahead. She liked staying with Anthony but she did not want to overwhelm him.

That was not the reason why Kate was on edge though. She was on edge because Eloise had popped by a few minutes after Anthony had left and she was now on the sofa.

"How do you like your tea?" Kate asked Eloise.

"Black, two sugars please," Eloise said.

"Okay," Kate said.

When Kate went to put Eloise's tea in front of her, Eloise asked "You're not having any?"

"Oh no, I hate generic English tea. I only really drink chai or coffee. No in-between, unfortunately," Kate left out that that was the main reason Anthony was not here as she had only told him yesterday how she could not stand English tea so he hurried out to get her a chai latte and something for lunch.

"Do you know when Anthony will be back?" Eloise asked as she began to bounce her knee almost nervously.

"Maybe 30 minutes at most. He left his phone here to charge, I guess he didn't think there would be an emergency," Kate said.

"It's not an emergency. Just something time-sensitive,"

"Is there anything I can help with?" Kate asked.

"Not really. I just need Anthony's permission to quit the Debate team," Eloise said.

"Oh," Kate was confused, she knew Eloise was someone who liked to argue, at least according to Anthony and Kate knew that Debate was probably one of the most sort after extracurriculars in students looking to study law "Did something happen?"

"The team just doesn't see my point of view on how to structure our arguments for this upcoming meet,"

"Well, Eloise that is not a reason to quit,"

Eloise stood up now completely agitated "It's not just that, they kept calling all the briefs I wrote 'too aggressive'. This is debate, we are supposed to be passionate,"

"Oh well in my school we had rotational Debate captains so that everyone had a chance to lead the Debate topic-"

"We have the same thing and that's the problem,"

"I'm going to guess that you are not the Captain this time?"

"No, it's the witch Jessica Doring, she does not like me and refuses to take my ideas into consideration,"

"I mean I understand but is the rest of the team having an issue with this Jessica as Captain?" Kate asked.

"No, it's just me,"

"Have there been other Captains you have not gotten along with?"

"Maybe at first but most of them come around to my opinions eventually," Eloise said hands on her hips.

"I see..." Kate said "Eloise, it seems less like Jessica is a specific problem and more like she is an immovable object, unlike the other previous Captains. She refuses to be pushed over by you,"

"I do not push people. You sound like Penelope!" Eloise exclaimed.

"Okay, so it seems this is not an observation that I am alone in," Kate continued "Is Jessica an unintelligent student?"

"No, she's third in the grade,"

"Does she have a reason to sabotage your school's Debate team?" Kate asked.

"No," Eloise said quieter.

"Then maybe can you imagine for a second that she thinks what she is doing is the right way?" Kate asked.

"But what if she is wrong?" Eloise asked.

"Then she is wrong and as the captain that will be on her and you have to learn how to be a team player,"

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Eloise huffed and Kate let her be "I can't wait until I become a solicitor so I don't have to be a team player anymore,"

Kate sighed "Eloise you can't do things alone, especially law. You are not an endless island. All this argumentative behaviour is nothing but words if it doesn't come with action and for there to be action you need people," Kate continued "You need the numbers if you want to make an impact and you cannot do it all alone in your tower. Thousands of hours go into winning cases, you think one person can do all of that? Have you ever thought that Jessica wants to be a solicitor too and that she could be beside you on the bench one day and you would need her to pull her weight and play her part so that you can pull through on the day? Build up a community especially of women because it's not easy doing all of this alone,"

Eloise sighed "Maybe you are right,"

"I know I'm right. I'm living proof, the only reason I am even out of bed right now is because I had to look through briefs for a case I'm not even the lead on. You want to know why?"

"You want to win?" Eloise supplied.

"No. Well, yes but because the lead solicitor couldn't do it on his own and as a team player his wins are mine,"

"It's just no one listens to me outside of academia. I don't like feeling like I have to be silent to thrive,"

"It's not about being silent. You just told me she turned down your ideas so she did hear them she just did not agree with them. That's not the same thing. If she is as smart as you said then maybe she has an idea for how to approach the topic and she just needs your brain on that strategy,"

"So I just give in?"

"It's not about giving up or giving in. It's about being a...?"

"Team player," Eloise finished reluctantly.

"Look when your brother gets back, feel free to tell him you want to quit but I just want to point out that THAT would be giving in," Kate said as she stood up to refresh Eloise's tea.

----

Present:

“I’m not going to lie to you brother I am not sure what I am more surprised by, that you texted me to help you out or that you ask me to meet you in a chapel,” Eloise said as she slowly walked in and then sat down in the opposite side of the aisle. “You shouldn’t be surprised El, you are the best escape artist in the family,” Anthony said trying to smile at her. “Weren’t you the one who always told me that it would not do good to run away from my problems?” Eloise asked with a quirked eyebrow. “Yes well this is different,” Anthony said looking down. Eloise nodded “Yes it is. I was escaping ballrooms, you are escaping the hospital. Two different types of scenarios,” Eloise said as she gestured using her pointing fingers. “El, I am your older brother and you have to listen to me,” “I don’t have to do anything. Especially not after the stunt you pulled,” Eloise said rising from her seat. “It was an accident, Eloise. I am not a doctor how was I supposed to know different medications would have these effects?” Eloise huffed “That’s not EVEN what I am talking about,” Anthony was confused so Eloise continued “I am talking about the stunt you pulled at Daphne’s baby shower,” Anthony sighed “I was under a lot of stress,” “Brother I have watched you juggle 7 kids, for years and not break a sweat but your ex was around for a couple of months and you’re basically imploding,” Eloise sighed “You never told any of us why you and Kate broke up,” “That’s no one’s business,” Anthony said "You don't even like baby showers, why do you care?" “Normally I wouldn't but it was Daphne so I put my own feelings aside for my sister. Isn't that what you would do?" Eloise sighed. "Anthony, why did you and Kate break up?" Anthony sighed but did not answer so Eloise did "You’re still protecting her? Wow,” Eloise said as she made to leave. Anthony got up after her “You know what mom did?” “No, but I put two and two together. She was the only one happy when Kate broke up with you. Plus you were never really good at standing up to her,” “That’s not true El. I went toe to toe with Mother all the time,” “Not with enough conviction. Ever since Dad died you have treated Mum with kid gloves. Like you make one wrong move and she’ll break,” “That’s because she did break after Dad died. I don’t know if you remember?” Anthony remarked. “What I remember is you becoming a parent to everyone, including her,” Anthony sighed and Eloise continued “You take care of us. You take of Mum. Who takes care of you?” “I’m fine El,” Anthony said. Eloise took a seat in the last row before the doors and said “No, you’re not. And that’s okay. You can’t do it all alone, Ant. You’re not an island. We should not have let you do it by yourself all these years but starting now I’m not going to be a part of the problem,” “What does that mean?” Anthony said looking at his sister. Eloise pulled her brother in for an embrace and said “It means you are staying. Give me 10 minutes to get rid of Mum and then go back to your room. Get better the hard way. No meds. No ignoring a well-educated doctor’s advice,” Anthony pulled back and asked, “What about the rest of our siblings?” “Almost all of us are near adults. I think it’s time we learnt how to take care of our own problems,” “Thanks, El,” Anthony said and Eloise sighed. She made to leave but before she closed the door behind her turned and said “I think mum wasn’t just afraid of Kate because of her background. When you were with Kate you were… selfish. If Kate entered our family, the dynamics we had set up would have to change and that’s a scary thing, especially for Mum but... It would not have been the worst thing though, bad habits are tough to break.” “Yes, they are. The University of London should just give you your degree already El because you have it all figured out,” Eloise shrugged “Nah. I just got good advice once,” “And that’s all it took?” Eloise shrugged “That’s all it took,”

After an intense shouting match with her mother that finally had Violet removed from Anthony’s room and visitor list, Eloise made to leave the hospital. She didn’t tell her brother that she had skipped a lecture to be there so as she made her way to her car she was not focused enough to notice Kate driving out of the parking lot.

#anthony bridgerton #bridgerton #kate sharma #kathony fanfic #kathani sharma #kathony #anthony x kate #kanthony #kate x anthony #the crazy rich viscount who loved me

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faithfromanewperspective · 1 year

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these are a few of my favorite things (unfortunately not raindrops on roses and brown paper whatevers)

thanks to @thevagabondexpress and @ibrushmyteeth-donttellanyone (if i remember correctly) for the tag!

movie: i don't know. i don't really watch movies much. last one that made me feel something and still inspires what i do today is hacksaw ridge (saw it last 6 years ago and have to admit this may be Romantic Secondhand Appreciation but. i still think of it when i fight climate change. so it stays)

character: no character exists in a vacuum. i'm nominating all four merry thieves

animal: i know too much ecology to nominate a single one. i love all birds and large herbivorous marsupials as well as echidnas. guinea fowls (current pfp) really do reflect my personality a lot though

drink: smoothies. you can make them as delicious or as gross but healthy as you want. preferably both. no two smoothies are ever the same but rarely is a smoothie bad, they eliminate all the inconsistencies of fruit by simply pooling the sample pool together and averaging it out.

song: technically 2 songs but they're one track on the album so: has to go to outer space/carry on by 5 seconds of summer. creates such an atmosphere that goes perfectly with the story it tells, is terribly nostalgic, and ends in such an optimistic and encouraging way. tells of open ocean (did i once help design a space city with this inspo?) and the loneliness that's as if you're in space, longing for rain (i love rain okay you will see me in a raincoat taking photos of everything because it looks cooler when wet) just to feel something. longing for lost love. and the fact that through anything you can go on and life keeps going and you can survive it all but the way the (double) song sets it up you feel like you've gone on an adventure by the time you get there.

season: i love autumn and spring in equal measure for different reasons. i love brisbane winters when i don't have a 9-5 job but i also love sydney summers.

book: once you see it: 7 temptations of the western church by jeff christopherson. answering @tleeaves question from a while back (finally), have you done one of these? fully fangirled hard enough to message the author on facebook, we're somewhat friends now. but it tells the story of a bunch of different people from different backgrounds and uses narrative to drive its points, ending with them making something (i could talk about it for hours) that i long to emulate. while moving through organisations that embody these 7 temptations/mistakes and fail because of it, except they look exactly like the churches we know and yes. this is why they are failing in many ways if we just open our eyes to it we can do much better.

color: purple of some kind. maybe a darker purple?

hobby: all the things i do that connect me with nature and other people. from building recycled things for a purpose to taking care of birds to arranging poppunkrock songs for my viola and whoever else i play with to analysing the way fictional characters interact and applying it with real life people to canyoning (google it, it's incredibly fun) and hiking and rock climbing and of course designing civilisations for humans as well as other species

tagging (only if you want to of course): @completeanduttermess and @failempires and @what-ho-christopher-put-in

#the chain got me twice this week unfortunately

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laf-outloud · 1 year

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Not to sound heartless but I don't get why people are so out of sorts at the pricing of Jensen ops thing at CCLP. Like I get how it looks, but at the same time, if he's too expensive then don't do it? If people pay those exorbitant prices to meet a celebrity for 5 seconds then that's on them. It absolutely checks out that he might realize his super fans are willing to pay whatever he charges, like the RC concert, and taking advantage of it while he can. Look at his super stalker Abi for crying out loud. How that girl continues to live in a home despite following him everywhere at the drop of a hat is beyond me. So if he sees that, why is anyone surprised that he wouldn't strike while the iron is hot? It's business and he has showed us on more than one occasion that he's all about that. Not to mention, all the bullshit this guy or Jared or any of them deal with on the regular thanks to this fandom, I don't blame him one bit. I'd charge sky high pricing too, hoping it might discourage my stalkers and other AA psychos. Especially after the bullshit ops Hellers like Alyssa asked me to do at NJ con. So if people are stupid enough to pay those prices, meaning those very AA's I mentioned, then they deserve to be taken advantage of financially in my opinion. Every other company and business enterprise does it every single day to every consumer, so why not them? Am I saying it's right? No. But I am saying this is how it works. And if people are upset, then again don't pay those prices. The less in demand he is, the less opportunities he has to drive up that pricing. It's basic common business sense.

I'm just so tired of hearing everyone bitch about stupid things like this to be honest. If you don't like the guy, cool, then focus on what you do like (not you but the people bitching to you when they don't even plan to go or pay to get those photo ops here or at that event). If you like him but hate the prices, then don't pay them. The whole celebrity thing is overrated anyway. Who gives a shit if you get a picture with Tom Cruise to post to your Instagram or get an autograph from Selena Gomez? How does that make you any cooler or the person to follow or pay attention to unless it helps your career or business? These are just human beings that make more money than we do on a daily basis and their image is out there for the world to see, sometimes repeatedly. That's it. I've run into quite a few celebrities in my time and I can tell you it was nothing to write home about, even if they were really nice and somewhat humble. No matter how good looking or "hot" they may have been. They're human beings that you or I could easily be working with every single day at our jobs or our neighbors or whatever. I even ran into an actor once who was so drunk he couldn't walk properly and nearly crashed into me as I was passing by. His bodyguard didn't see it until we nearly collided because he was so focused on the other direction of the sidewalk we were on (there were more people on that side that were moving towards him). I wasn't there to see him, I was just walking by. Never did I go "omg I just nearly collided into a wasted Oscar winner, where's my phone so I can take a pic?" Human being. Just like us. I've seen them eat, get trashed, give their entourage a hard time, hit on girls, etc. Just like any of us at one point in time or another. There's nothing special about them to the point where we should lose our common sense and use our mortgage payment to pay for a 5 second photo and then turn around and bitch that it "wasn't more special". If people want to pay for a photo op where he's playing Dean, again, if too expensive then don't do it. But if not, then I'd get more people being upset about that.

People need to stop putting all of their stock into things like this, meaning celeb photo ops. A photo op is just a photo. Should they smile because you paid for the photo with them? Yes. Should they be professional in that 5 seconds? Yes. But that's it. They don't need to rub your shoulders or or make you feel unique or special (as I saw one blogger mention that this is why they were disappointed with a Jensen con experience they had and now they're firmly anti Jensen because of it). They're there to do a job. Some people like Jared choose to connect or interact with the fans which is cool but that's going above and beyond, an extra perk. He is not expected to do that. Like when these guys are on stage at a panel. They're there to entertain and answer questions, that's it. Which is why I can't believe people ask them to announce pregnancies or say hello to people that aren't there or stuff like that. This is why celebrities of a higher tier don't do cons, like you will never see Nicole Kidman or Kevin Costner doing them (outside of SDCC or NYCC). A con is a business transaction through and through. These two guys don't owe anyone anything outside of that. If it's too expensive, like say that outfit in the store or that car you're considering, don't pay it. It's that simple. No one is forcing you to do it. Just like no one is forcing you to sign up for Amazon Prime or pay more monthly than the minimum payment towards your student loan. It's all up to you what you do with your hard-earned money. My advice? Don't put all of it (as well as your hopes and emotions) into celebrities. You'll come out far more disappointed than you do pleasantly surprised (Jared appears to be more of the latter from what I've seen).

Sorry if this was a bit acerbic but this shit is ridiculous to me for people to whine and complain about when no one is forcing anyone to pay those prices. Thanks for letting me get that off my chest and I hope you personally enjoy the rest of your weekend.

LOL! Rant away, anon!

I will say that not all celebrity culture is terrible. I've seen multiple people who've expressed appreciation for Jared's willingness to open up about mental health and his AKF campaigns, to the point of helping save their lives. (Though I would hope that relying on Jared and his efforts is only ever a temporary crutch and that people use it as a jumping off point to learn how to rely on their own strength, or find other resources.) All that to say that I understand wanting to meet and thank someone who has impacted your life for the better, and sometimes cons are the only place to do that.

"The less in demand he is, the less opportunities he has to drive up that pricing." This is very true, and I suppose if the market bears it, Jensen can continue to fleece his followers. I just think the optics aren't all that good. The higher prices basically scream money grab and it's just another in a long line of money grabs from this past year that make me think he actually isn't doing as well as some might think financially. But, like you said, if people are willing to pay, why not?

It sounds like you've been thinking about this for a while and I'm glad I could be a place where you could get it off your chest. Whether others will agree, I don't know, but I hope you have a wonderful rest of the weekend as well!

#ask box #celebrity culture #jensen critical #anti aas #liverpool comic con 2023

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ransprang · 10 months

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thank you to anon for requesting on our ko-fi again <3

if anyone wants a fanfic this is our ko-fi

Adam Taurus x fem! reader

A Feast of Deception

In the bustling cityscape that marked the end of the academic semester, Adam Taurus found himself faced with an annual dilemma—Thanksgiving. His family had grown weary of his perpetual single status, and he was determined to put an end to the awkward inquiries once and for all.

Enter you, his roommate, a final-year student who happened to be free-spirited and unburdened by the weight of Thanksgiving traditions. As the sun was setting over the azure sky, you came back to the dorm to find Adam on his knees, holding a tiny plastic turkey as an offering to you.

“What’s this?”

“I need a girlfriend for thanksgiving.”

You accepted the turkey, eyeing it speculatively as you sat at your desk. “And what do I get in return?”

Adam sighed, getting up to his feet, “There’ll be free food?”

You hummed, not entirely convinced.

“And you’ll get to stay at my parent’s house, the laundry, the dishes, everything handled by my parents?”

“I want photographs,” you declared. “Baby photos, teenage photos. Whatever’s most embarrassing.” You crossed your arms, waiting for his reply.

“Absolutely not,” Adam replied instantly.

“Have fun at Thanksgiving then!” you said cheerfully.

“Alright, fine, fine. Baby photos only, but you get to hear my mom talk through each of them.”

“Deal,” you agreed.

You both shook on it.

You quickly packed an overnight bag, and the next day Adam drove you to his parent’s house.

The long drive entailed a lot of Adam and you figuring out the basics of the fake relationship: how did you both meet? What do you like about each other? Typical questions parents will ask. It wasn’t too hard to figure out, you both were good friends after all, there were many things that you both liked about each other but admitting them and hearing them out loud made your heart flutter pleasantly.

The true test, however, awaited you upon arrival at Adam’s house. Taking a deep breath Adam rang the doorbell. The front door swung open, revealing a warm and inviting home adorned with Thanksgiving decorations.

Unsurprisingly Adam’s parents were very happy and smiley to see their son. They both pulled him into a hug before settling their eyes on you, brows raised in surprise. “Adam, who’s this lovely lady?” his dad inquired.

Adam put on a fake gentle smile, “Dad, Mom, meet y/n.” He reaches out to hold your hand, which you slightly awkwardly reach out for, “My girlfriend.” An initial wave of shock hit them before they hugged you and welcomed you into the house.

Adam’s mother was especially welcoming, asking if you wanted anything specific

to eat for Thanksgiving dinner, even though a quick glance at the kitchen made it obvious that she had a menu set already.

The dinner was full of the anticipated questions that you both had prepared for. You made a show of clinging onto his arm, fully committing to your role. You enjoyed how Adam’s body stiffened at every gentle caress of your fingers and subtle press of your body. Although you made sure to keep things PG-13 for the parents.

“So how did you two meet? And when? I’m surprised we never heard of you,” Adam’s father asked over dinner, after they had finished saying their prayers and exchanging pleasantries.

“Yes, Adam, where have you been hiding this little angel? You’ve been making me worry all this time for no reason!” Adam’s mother scolded fondly.

“We met at university, in year 2,” Adam answered, “Isn’t that right, darling.” He said the last word in a low drawl, a hint of teasing in it which could only be detected by Y/n’s ears.

“Yes, in Literature class. Adam begged to borrow my homework, since he was so close to failing the subject,” you replied, a glint of mischief in your eye. You felt Adam lightly kick you under the table, as you suppressed a giggle.

“Really?” tutted Adam’s mother.

“Oh yes, he was absolutely hopeless in Literature,” you added.

“Only because I was distracted by y/n in that class,” Adam tried to save himself. “Otherwise, my grades would have been fine.” You laughed, amused by Adam’s attempts to justify his failing grades in a completely fictional class, while Adam’s mother muttered disapprovingly and launched into a lecture about academic integrity.

Dinner concluded with full bellies and wide grins, as you all retired to the living room. To your delight, Adam’s mother pulled out his childhood photo album before you even asked, and you spent the rest of the evening rifling through the most adorable and grumpy looking little red-head, including a few lovely shots of baby Adam dressed as the little Mermaid, clearly against his will, for a halloween party. Going through that one album gave you enough ammunition to tease him for the rest of the year.

Before Adam’s mother could pull out the teen pictures, Adam quickly remarked on the late hour, and everyone bid each other goodnight and excused themselves to their rooms. You followed Adam to his childhood bedroom, and found that the double bed which lay at the centre of the room had been fitted with two pillows and a single large blanket. Realisation struck, making you blush and glance up at Adam. “Oh, right. I guess my mom thinks we would be sleeping in the same bed,” he said a little sheepishly.

“It’s fine, I’m sure we can manage,” you insisted.

Adam changed into his grey pyjamas and a thin white shirt. You looked at him with an eyebrow raised, how was this man not feeling cold from the falling autumn temperatures. He nonchalantly slipped into bed. As the two of you lay together, you both realised the double bed wasn’t quite meant for two people. After all, it was his childhood bed. Adam and you tried ignoring the problem as you shuffled about. Even as you moved, your body brushed his. Your hips pushed against his, your arms brushed past his soft skin, till you both gave up and decided to spoon in order to fit.

Adam’s face beet red from the skinship, he couldn’t help his biological response as his cock got rock hard behind his pyjamas. Due to the thin nature of his clothes, his penis pushed against you, at the realisation your heart suddenly dropped.

You bit your lower lip as you tried adjusting yourself out of the situation but only brushed his member more. Adam couldn’t help but instinctively move in slight thrusts as you instigated him more. You began grinding against your roommate's cock as you felt your pussy get wet.

You could feel your nethers throb as you two caught speed, you wanted to feel him. Adam pulled down his pants beneath the blanket, as his dick sprung out. Adam swiftly took lead as he hopped on top of you, in missionary position, removing your clothes, both of you blinded by lust. He used his hand to feel your entrance. He played with your folds as he pushed his chest down to feel yours against him. Adam began kissing you deeply, as he began thrusting.

His penis glided between your folds as his fingers moved up to play with your clit. The urge of his thick cock dripping with pre cum filling up your walls only grew, you pushed your hips up, nails digging into his back while making out with him. He waited no longer, pushing his tip inside he groaned as the warm walls encompassed his member.

He began thrusting slowly as he got his whole cock to fit inside of you all the way to the base. In the moment you would’ve felt that the two of you had become one. Adam increased his speed as he thumped within you, as you arched your back to feel his body against yours, he moved his hand to the small of your back as he dug his face into your neck sucking and kissing.

As he got faster Adam growled gritting his teeth as you bit your lower lip letting out a moan. You could feel the heat rise from your clit, as you rolled your eyes back, letting out a sigh of relief as you orgasmed around his dick. He pushed himself inside you, as if he could not get enough of your pussy.

Adam dropped on top of you as he let out low moans and his cock released thick white fluids deep within you. You wrapped your arms around Adam.

And so, the Thanksgiving adventure concluded, leaving behind a secret shared between roommates turned lovers, destined to be a cherished memory forever. The unexpected romance that bloomed amid the deception turned out to be the most unforgettable dish on the menu.

your turkeys,

admins sar, sav & san

#rwby #rwby imagines #rwby x reader #rwby headcanon #Adam Taurus imagine #adam taurus x reader #rwby headcanons #adam taurus #kofi commission #ko fi support #artist on kofi #fanfic commissions #commissions open #open commissions #writing commissions #commissions #commission

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joy-of-life88 · 1 year

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Can I love again? [a Roman Reigns story] 28 Black day

Roman POV

I was standing at the baggage claim waiting for my suitcase when the phone in my pocket started ringing. I pulled it out expecting to see Y/N's name, but to my slight disappointment it was just Summer.

"Hey sis. What's up?" I asked.

"Hi Roman. It's good that I can reach you. Are you home yet?" she wanted to know.

"No. I'm still at the airport waiting for my luggage. Why?" I replied just as I saw my suitcase coming. I took it off the conveyor belt as I waited for Summer to tell me what she wanted.

"Have you heard from your wife today? I just tried to reach her a couple of times, but she's not answering. We wanted to talk about some details for the baby shower. I'm a little worried, but didn't want to drive by in case she was sleeping." Summer explained to me.

"She' s doing fine. I talked to her before boarding. But she definitely won't be answering anyone else's calls today. Don't worry about it." I said as I walked towards the exit.

"What do you mean?" she wanted to know, of course. I sighed deeply.

"Today is one of Y/N's black days. More specifically, it's Eric's birthday. On their birthdays, on their wedding anniversary, and on the anniversary of the accident, she doesn't really talk to anyone. Only to me. So please don't take it personally when she ignores your calls." I explained to her.

"Oh...okay. I just wanted to make sure she and the baby were okay. I'll get back to her tomorrow. Tell her we all love her and are here for her if she needs us, all right?" said Summer then.

"Will do. I'll talk to you soon, Sum," I replied.

"Drive safe. Love you." she said.

"Love you too. Bye." I said, then hung up.

On the way to the car, I thought about how I could cheer up my angel on this difficult day. It didn't take me long to come up with the perfect idea. It was something with which I could always make her smile. Normally we always spent these days together. But that was not possible at the moment, with the Nugget on the way. So now I wanted to do my best to comfort my wife.

However, in order to do so, it was necessary for me to make a small stop on the way home.

"Angel? I'm home!" I called as I entered our house and put my suitcase aside. I had to be careful not to drop the other things I was holding.

"I'm here." she answered, but as I expected, her voice didn't sound as cheerful as usual.

I went into the living room and saw her sitting on the couch. In front of her on the table were the photos of the two of them.

"Hey." said Y/N as she looked up at me.

"Hi angel. How are you holding up?" I asked as I sat down next to her and gave hers a kiss on the temple.

"I've been better." She admitted, but gave me a small smile.

"I know. And I'm sorry I couldn't spend the whole day with you. I know it's hard that you couldn't visit them this year. But I promise we'll make up for it as soon as we can," I told her.

"Yes, this is the first time I can't be there, but it is what it is. I was just thinking how excited Eric would have been about the baby. He loved babies. Every time he saw a baby somewhere, he would point to it and squeal and coo with delight," Y/N replied as she stroked her by now big baby bump.

"That's really sweet." I said while stroking her back.

Y/N leaned against me and rested her head against my shoulder before sighing deeply.

"It's funny the things you remember. But I find comfort in the thought that our little one will always have a big brother watching over her." she then said softly.

"That's true. Both of them will always look out for you two. I'm quite sure of that. We have that in common," I replied and kissed her head.

"And I love you for it." she said as she turned her head to me.

"I love you too, angel." I replied and then gave her a loving kiss.

"What is all this?" she asked a short time later when she saw the things that were lying next to me.

"Oh I brought you your favorite flowers. I also bought a small cake. So we can celebrate Eric's birthday. And then, of course, the most important thing of all.... I brought my girls chicken nuggets." I explained and handed her the items.

"Oh Romeo, how do I even deserve you?" she asked softly as tears glistened in her eyes.

"I ask myself the same thing every day and I'm so grateful every time. Now let's spend a peaceful day. Eat your nuggs. I know how much you hate it when they get cold." I replied before giving Y/N a kiss on the nose.

I knew that these days would never be easy for her, but I would always do my best to support my angel and give her whatever she needed in those moments. And I was sure that our daughter would also be a great help.

#roman reigns #wwe #Wattpad #My writing #can i love again

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fourseasonsfigs · 11 months

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Jifeng

Like many people, I wasn't sure what to make of Gong Jun's AI alter ego, Jifeng, when he appeared looking, well, artificial. AI in general aside, I like that he decided to own this own concept of himself - almost as if he was thinking of it as another modeling look, in it's own way.

The inspiration for this fig is this image / outfit, where we have the AI doppleganger in all his slightly plasticky glory.

I will say I appreciate Jifeng because we got this magazine out of it:

I'm not sure why they skimped on the eyelashes so much with Jifeng - Gong Jun has gorgeous thick eyelashes, and we're definitely missing some of that on this alter ego.

The most important thing about this magazine for me, though, is this image, which I am wildly crazy about:

It's got the long coat look I adore, and this incredible fringe hood situation going on. Amazing. The shorts aren't my thing, but I'm willing to overlook it in the name of that stunning crystal fringe.

Let me zoom it in for me you:

Yes, that crystal fringe would drive anyone insane within 5 minutes of wearing it, but what a look. I also like this picture because you can't see the white hair, and he looks most like the actual Gong Jun to me.

Jifeng is of course the name of Gong Jun's signature blue color, which I am certainly familiar with from purchasing Jifeng blue clothing from his endorsement line with 361. It's a gorgeous color. I wasn't sure if the color would factor into the AI persona - I mean, wouldn't it be cool if his hair was that beautiful clear blue? But no, his name doesn't appear to relate to the color at all.

Our little AI creation arrived safe and sound at my house, the old fashioned sea shipment way. His white hair blends right into the protective polystyrene case!

I love sci-fi, and I must say I never mind sci-fi inspired looks. Even with shorts! His little boots are great too, I love big stompy boots.

Those chunky boots also help him stand solidly, so I appreciate that! No glue needed here to keep him standing stable.

As you can see, the fig maker put a lot of shine on the hair and the jacket. What looks like a smudge under his chin is actually just a reflection of the shine of his shirt.

I'm certainly inclined to like Gong Jun figs with white hair just because they remind me of the white Wen Kexing look.

I like the gloss treatment on the clothes here. This is definitely a different fig! He stands out on my shelf quite a bit.

His hair is so shiny I'm getting a reflection of my window off of it!

I like his tiny little fingers! His hands are very cute.

The fig just looks like Junjun, of course, except for the white hair.

I'm a big fan of this jacket! There's actually an ombre effect in the source picture, where the black slowly changes to the same greyish color as his romper, but that might have been too much to try to do with this fig. I like how the maker shaped the jacket though - we get the nipped in waist, and the cinched sleeves at the wrists.

The fig maker also did a nice job with the blushing on his legs and face. I think it's hard to carry off shorts on figs because there isn't a ton of lower body real estate to work with, but this looks great.

More of the nice detail on the jacket, with the little bit of peplum effect.

That glossy white hair sure does reflect my window! Not much to see from this angle, just the tip of his nose and the tips of his boots.

No box or box card came with him, it was just the fig himself.

I did have fun playing around with a background for this fig - originally I thought I'd do something a little more sci-fi or techie looking, but just ended up with a kind of retro-futuristic background. Base photo credit to Mo on Unsplash!

Material: Resin

Fig Count: 469

Scene Count: 31

Rating: Shiny!

[link back to Master Fig Index for more posts]

#gong jun #word of honor cast #shl cast #figthusiast #jifeng

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hashtag-xolo · 2 years

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the puppies being reabsorbed makes much more sense, I thought it might be unethical like breeding two merles together where the puppy is either still born or with health problems, but also thought it strange how there were so many seemingly responsible breeders breeding hairlessxhairless. Do all hairless xolos have that little Mohawk/tail tuft? (I’ll be honest I prefer a completely hairless look 😅) I also wanted to ask about trainability, are xolos really untrainable? I’ve seen some breed clubs say they thrive in obedience so idk. Speaking of which, them being primitive how are they with recall? And finally what size is Tzapo?(sorry for the mini essay but I’ve gone down a small rabbit hole with this breed, they seem like such great dogs and it’s a shame they’re as rare as they are).

I feel you on that. It's something I've looked into a lot. Thankfully even with the teeth being affected, most xolos live very happily with missing yeah. Tzapo only has eleven now and he can still very happily chew on things and eat kibble. He can even get meat off of raw bones just fine so like... I'm not worried about the teeth thing as long as an owner takes care of issues in a timely manner to prevent infection!

Not every xolo has a mohawk and not every xolo has a tail tuft either. Some have short hair on just their face and look like little wolfmen. Some have no hair. They come in grey, black, red, and piebalded aka butterfly/mariposa. I'm very partial to the ones with blonde mohawks because they look like early 2000s boyband members.

Here's some photos showcasing xolo variety:

For fully hairless check out Oro Bella Iason currently owned by Simply Xolos: https://www.simplyxolos.dog/breeds/our-crew/

And this photo taken by Bullybande of three of their xolos is a great showcasing of color variety. https://www.instagram.com/p/COKKH1Eh6GF/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Xolos are not untrainable. However, xolos being a primitive breed they are less *biddable* which means they are not eager to please. It means they require a paycheck of kibble, playtime, and whatever other reinforcement they find motivating because they really don't care about making their human happy the same way a dog breed selectively bred for partnering with humans does. You can train xolos to a high degree - you just need to figure out the right salary to pay them in treats and toys so to speak. I've heard of a few people having marvelous success in Obedience and Rally with xolos, and while they aren't a breed I strongly recommend for service work there's more than just myself who have had success with training a xolo for service work. So trainable? Yes. Biddable? No.

On that primitive breed nature and trainability etc, xolos do have a higher prey drive. Many people have no issues with their xolos and cats. However, some xolos do have intensely high prey drives. This prey drive can make xolos struggle with recall. If a xolo has too high of a prey drive I would not trust it offleash just for safety reasons. But if the prey drive isn't too intense, recall shouldn't be impossible especially because xolos are known to be Velcro dogs. Sometimes I don't even need to recall Tzapo with a cue because just starting to walk away is enough of a recall signal in itself! So I'd say recall is tougher for xolos but not impossible by any means for off leash time as long as recall training is done right. Additionally, primitive type breeds don't really enjoy challenges or brain games/puzzles. They don't want to exhaust extra effort if they don't have to because their brains are way more focused on survival needs. This means you may find you need to break shaping training plans into absolutely minuscule steps because if it's too hard a xolo might say screw you I'd rather put my brain towards Chaos aka turning that envelope on the floor into shreds because that's more fun and less brain energy. Additionally, a good chunk of primitive breed dogs get bored easily with training the same thing for too long. They think that training the same cue for ten minutes is boooorrrringgggg and will try to change to something else due to boredom stress. As a result, I've found that training then requires a more fun and varied approach.

But it's not all bad news on training a xolo: I and other trainers familiar with primitive breeds have found that these breeds are incredible when it comes to pattern recognition. For example, when I went bowling and Tzapo came with me for that, he understood after just a couple of repetitions of asking him to stay while I went up to bowl that the pattern was I went up and came back. So he didn't need any cuing after those two times because he understood the pattern. It was a new activity but he caught on very quickly.

Tzapo is a miniature of the breed. So he's the middle size and weighs in at 29-30 lbs. He is 17 or 18in at the shoulder.

#answered #dogblr #xolodog #xoloitzcuintli #xoloitzcuintle #mexican hairless dog #xolo #thank you for the questions! i appreciate you enabling my special interest info dumping

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joyandeggs · 2 years

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Five Things ♡ Tag Game

I won't tag anyone, I just wanted to do this again for fun. ❤️ Please tag me if you decide to do it though! I love seeing all the different responses!

Five things you would find in my bag...

Hand sanitizer (I love the Bath and Body Works ones... I need to buy some more, I'm almost down to my last one!!! I always have to have some on me.)

Lotion (Like with hand sanitizer, I always have lotion with me. I love lotion so much. Have to keep moisturized. 🥰)

A bunch of keys (My car keys, house keys, keys for work...)

Sugar scrub lip balm (One of the best things I have ever bought in my life.)

A photo of me whenever I was young (My Grandpa "Red" always carried an old kindergarten photo of me in his wallet. He held onto it until he passed. Now, I carry it in mine, just like he did. ❤️ It's like his energy is with me.)

Five things you would find in my room...

My manga (Too many books for just one skinny bookshelf!!)

Shoot McMahon (art and photos I have on the wall, my standee, my photocopies...can I actually have him though? 😭)

Blankets (In this house, we love blankets.)

A Kirby stress ball (one of the best gifts I ever got.)

My husband (who lives with me, hangs out, plays video games and builds Gundams... He is a really good cook. ❤️)

Five of my favorite things...

My dog (He can be a crazy mess, but he is my crazy mess, and I still love him so much.)

Fuji Kaze (My favorite Japanese artist. 😍💞)

Drawing (Despite the huge break I've taken from it. 😓)

Japanese food (especially takoyaki, sushi, and Ramen. 💗)

Kakashi (I would say Shoot, of course, but...I love him just as much. 💞)

Five of my habits...

Fidgeting

Saying "I'm sorry" too much and too often

Speaking in a cutsey voice (I just do it for fun, especially with my dog, but it's probably super annoying to my husband or anyone else who hears me doing it.)

Stuttering / Saying "uh" while trying to talk.

Bad stress and depression thoughts.

Five things about my personality or traits that I like...

A nice sense of humor (I laugh at pretty much everything, and I love laughing. Even though it's very loud and probably annoying. If I can make someone else laugh, I get super happy over it.)

Creativity (I come up with things, draw, write, even organize and decorate in a weird, creative way. I really do like that about myself.)

Heart (I try to be nice to everyone. It's hard whenever you work in customer service and people can be just plain cruel and uncaring, or whenever you're driving. 😓 Despite those things...I try. I love getting to talk to people online or out and about, and making their day with a compliment. I want to put everyone else first before myself, honestly.)

Determination (I guess this can go with the previous one. I'll say determination because regardless of my anxiety and depression, the stress I get from work and the bad thoughts that try to get rid of me, I'm still here. I'll keep going, no matter how awful I feel. It just takes one day at a time.)

Borderline clean freak (I'm probably weird for this, but I like to keep myself and everything around me clean as much as I can. Do I get lazy? Yes. Absolutely yes. My home is still messy and everything, but I honestly enjoying cleaning! Gives me a huge feeling of accomplishment, and it is so relieving. Always have to have sanitizer and wipes for everything.)

Five things I want for this year...

Make more things!! I miss drawing everyday, but I never feel like I have the energy or time to anymore. It doesn't help my wrists are bad, so it hurts even just scrolling through apps during the day. I have been writing a lot in downtime though, so I'm happy about that. I miss painting, too. Just doing anything really.

Write down recipes...or even make my husband and I a little cookbook or recipe box! He and his mom make such good food, and I love cooking myself. I wanna save some of our usuals to look back on.

Continue studying Japanese. I want to become fluent one of these days, if only getting close to understanding it a little better. Even that would be a big accomplishment from starting back in 2019.

Trying to get in better shape. My husband is trying to stick to his diet and lose weight, and I want to eat better with him. Been doing pretty good for years now though considering I don't like fast food and junk food really! LOL I need to get in better shape by just being more active in general though. I sit around too much.

Just try to take life as it is. It's not perfect, days don't turn out how you want them to, but...I'm here. I'm alive. Trying to be! One step at a time. It's just difficult. Things have been good though, and getting better everyday, so I'm thankful for that. And the little things in life that bring me my own joy. I rely on those too much, but whatever. ❤️

#about me #joy

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erps-kwerpse · 2 months

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It was the closest thing to a break-up text I’d ever received:

November 6, 2023

Subject: Action Required – Important Changes to your Alumni Google Account

We are reaching out because you currently have some active Gmail or Drive content in our Google Workspace for Alumni, and we need your help to avoid losing your data. Unfortunately, Google has recently introduced significant new costs for licensing storage, and this has forced the university to place limits on Google Workspace storage for the entire community. Your current storage usage is over our newly established limit, and you will need to reduce your data storage to the new 15 GB quota before March 4, 2024.

Fifteen gigabytes. For an account that held the contents of three laptops, a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree, and eighteen generations of Sims 3 gameplay. Anything valuable I had ever made was uploaded to this Drive. Anytime I broke my phone or started a new cover letter, I’d find a smug comfort in the depths of my unlimited storage. And now, this email had come to inform me that not only was my Drive done with me, it was taking all of my data too. In fact, the message implied that my Drive was never really “mine” to begin with. Of course, it had my name on it, and I got to choose who could access certain files. And yes, I had created its contents, but once I put it onto Google’s servers, there was nothing to indicate that I had permanent ownership of the data my Drive contained. This became apparent as the message went on:

If your storage is not under the quota by March 4, your account will be locked, you will be unable to access your data, and you will need to contact the Office of Information Technology to reopen it. Any accounts with more than 15 GB of mail, files, photos, and other data will be purged of all content shortly after the deadline.

So that was it. Either I needed another place to stash my files, or they’d be gone forever. Between November 2023 and February 2024, I received six identical emails to illustrate the fact that my former university was not fucking around. I could keep hoarding data as long as I liked, but I couldn’t do it on their dime.

I don’t tend to be sentimental with my things. I regularly donate the clothes I no longer wear, and I absolutely despise clutter. So it didn’t make sense that I found myself so reluctant to let go of my digital possessions. In conversation with friends, I realized that this was a common problem. My best friend’s home screen is a dizzying mass of screenshots, essays, and audio recordings for future reference. My mother’s internet browser regularly crashes because of the fifty-three tabs she keeps open at all times. My partner never deletes a photo without putting it on one of his three-terabyte hard drives first. The ubiquity of all this data-hoarding made me wonder if there isn’t some explanation for this behavior beyond sentiment. What fuels the desire to keep computer files we will probably never look at again? What do we stand to gain by holding on to every last shred of our personal data?

Perhaps, in an economy where the sale of information has made certain people very rich, you could argue that we collect these scraps hoping to one day turn passion projects into passive income. Of course, for most this is not the priority. Storing old files is nothing more than an innocent way to relive a pleasant memory. For others, though, the value of stored data isn’t based in fond recollections. The Drive is a business expense for them. Business owners pay to store information, materials, or IP that they’ll eventually sell for money, and money allows them to buy whatever they need to continue running the business.

Twenty years ago, in her book A Hacker Manifesto, McKenzie Wark recognized this capacity to sell stored data as emblematic of a greater shift in our political economy. In order to sell information, one first has to own it. Only a select few—whom she calls the vectoralist class—hold the property rights that enable them to store and transfer swathes of information to the highest bidder. It might not be unreasonable, then, to suggest that the prevalence of digital hoarding emerged out of the very same conditions that formed Wark’s hacker class—the class that initially produced the information that vectoralists have now come to own. A widespread ability to produce information, coupled with the scarce capacity to sell this information, led a generation of people to accumulate data to no apparent end.

Perhaps it’s time we extend our interpretation of the hacker class to include not only those who produce information, but also those who hoard it, before shaping it anew. The primary group that comes to mind are “content creators”—individuals who produce and circulate information, often in exchange for a wage. In recent years, the expansion of hybrid and remote work environments has come to mean that influencers, copywriters, podcasters, and even, regrettably, certain artists can all be lumped into this umbrella term. Because they don’t enjoy the full profits extracted from their data by the ruling class, these creators might attempt to withhold their content from circulation, proposing instead a “democratized” marketplace, where hackers, hoarders, and content creators alike can profit off of their own contributions.

But a Marxist review of class relations tells us that this small-scale system of exchange, built within the larger infrastructure of abstracted labor, can only ever lead to continued exploitation. So long as information exists in the property form, these creators will cling onto their content and fail to allocate their resources efficiently.1

Successful hoarders, though, tend to share one commonality: the information they distribute is collated, with rigor, and often tied to an organized movement for radical action. This methodology separates the “collection” from the endless stream of “content” we see today. It removes all distractions from the hacker class’s chief aim: the production of new knowledge and culture, made freely available, as part of a larger move towards collective transformation.

The Stream

In the summer of 2021, Black TikTok creators went on strike, and refused to produce any new content for the social media platform until they received recognition for their contributions.2 This came after a series of non-Black creators and influencers gained popularity by recreating viral dances and challenges without giving any credit to the original creators of this content.3 Although “credit” in this sense doesn’t automatically translate into a paycheck, the strikers were well aware that a certain level of engagement on the app could open up access to paid brand partnerships, tips, and most notably, TikTok’s Creator Fund.

After a user surpasses a certain level of engagement, the fund allows them to receive financial compensation based on factors like the quantity and “authenticity” of their viewership.4 The BBC reported that TikTok creator Addison Rae “made nearly $5m (£3.6m) from TikTok in 2020 alone, getting views from videos she made recreating dances from black choreographers.”5 Meanwhile, Jalaiah Harmon, inventor of the “Renegade” dance that Rae performed, estimates that she earned $38,000 on the app that same year. Frustrated at this disparity of earned income, Black TikTok creators chose to withhold their content from the app.

The success of this strike hinged on one thing in particular: the capacity of TikTok users to monetize their content. Notably, the strikers were less concerned with TikTok’s ability to generate a consistent profit, regardless of which users they paid. The focus of this strike was clear: appropriate compensation for a group of undervalued workers. By withholding their content from circulation, the strikers had hoped to reap the financial benefits of their labor, rather than see it handed to their non-Black counterparts. But the payments that TikTok eventually makes to its most popular creators are never equivalent to the actual value of TikTok’s content, so the strike could never achieve fair compensation across the board. One creator’s video, left unseen in their drafts folder, can literally generate millions of dollars as soon as it goes viral—and TikTok repays a fraction of that cost to the original creators. So it might be worth asking what it is that makes this uploaded content worth so much money. The “Renegade” dance itself didn’t change as it went from Jalaiah’s camera roll to TikTok’s servers. How can one corporate platform’s storage generate so much more value than the storage of an individual user?

Hoard Formation

To fully appreciate the difference between corporate and individual hoards, we first need to detach our understanding of hoarding from its empirical associations. In recent years, there have been studies that designate digital hoarding as a subtype of psychological hoarding disorder. Much like physical hoarders, the subjects of these studies found it emotionally distressing to discard stored data, citing a fear of wasted potential for future use.6 While these symptoms may appear to be related to our discussion, here I am more concerned with the role that digital hoarding plays within our political economy.

My focus begins at the overgrown camera roll, and extends to the most valuable data hoards in today’s economy: collections of user-generated information. This is information about an event between a human and a computer, which is then formalized into “data,” organized into categories, fed into predictive algorithms, and sold to the highest bidder.7 For brevity’s sake, I’ve greatly oversimplified this process, but the important thing to note for now is that our current system of exchange does indeed allow corporate hoarders to sell their data for money. The promise of profiting from a data hoard is not unfounded. Many have done it successfully, following these very steps. But a gap in our understanding appears after this sale is complete. From the outside looking in, we might assume that the money received in exchange for hoarded information goes into an ever-increasing pile of profit, and that is how the rich stay rich. The truth, though, is much less evident.

Cloud Data Center. The data protection company Arcserve predicted that the world will have 200 Zettabytes.

Marx described the desire to hoard as “boundless in nature.”8 Any commodity can be exchanged for money, which in turn means that money can be exchanged for anything else of value. So the more of one material good you hold on to, the more of its equivalent value in money you can receive—and this drives the ruling class’s obsession with accumulation. But what good, really, is a pile of money to a capitalist, if it lies dormant and out of circulation?

On its own, the money received from a sale will not feed the capitalist or keep their body warm in the winter. It must be exchanged for material goods that will fulfill these needs. The capitalist needs money, built up in reserves, to pay for all sorts of expenses. Most notably, they need money to cover the cost of their employees’ labor at the end of each period—because no smart entrepreneur pays someone before they’ve made anything to upsell. It’s much safer just to pay for the materials that workers need beforehand, and only pay them once they’ve made a finished product. This ensures the continuity of production. The employee is paid for making a new product, and the new product is then sold for much more than the employee makes.9 Profit is generated, but only after some of it is used to pay the workers’ wages, which allows the cycle to continue. This is Marx’s main contribution to our understanding of hoarding today. Stored money doesn’t just function as a means of exchange; it is also a method of paying for labor power in retrospect.

In the context of TikTok’s owners, if it is data they hoard, and not money (though, of course, they keep that too), it’s useful for us to know how that data is made. As hoards can only exist after a product has been made, surely that must mean that someone, somewhere, is working tirelessly to create all of this data. In part, the Black TikTok strikers were right: the app would be worth “nothing,” and have no value, without the labor of its users.10 But the value in question isn’t actually in the content that circulates on TikTok. This is no ordinary labor, and these are no ordinary workers. These are, in Wark’s eyes, hackers—individuals who produce new information out of their given materials. And information about the behavior of “users,” in particular, is the commodity du jour. But, as we learn from A Hacker Manifesto, the primary thing that sets our current system apart from traditional capitalism is where that information commodity actually comes from. At what point does the exact amount of time I spend on TikTok, or searching for hard drives on Amazon, translate into a “useful” commodity? Whose labor power is consumed in order for these tech giants to even have such a hoard of information to sell? Well, reader, if you haven’t already guessed, the chances are, it’s yours.

Clocking In

Let’s examine, for a moment, the commodity in a different context—not as labor power or data, but as entertainment, consumed by internet users. All commodities come at a cost. The websites and apps that present themselves as complimentary do, in fact, require payment, in the form of user-generated data.11 We consume all their product has to offer, and pay for every click, every second spent on these apps, with our engagement, after the fact.

Here, there are really two commodities at play. There is entertainment, and there is data. But it is not a like-for-like exchange. You can’t directly turn a fifteen-second video into sellable data, unless you employ an active workforce to carry out that change for you. In the 1960s, advertisers began to see the “leisure time” created by the forty-hour work week as an opportunity to exploit the working class even further. “The work which audience members perform for the advertiser is to learn to buy particular ‘brands’ of consumer goods, and to spend their income accordingly.”12 So now, the consumer works for two separate employers, on and off the clock. The workforce that carries out this process of material transformation, from entertainment to data, creates the perceived need for both products.13 At their day jobs, workers create products for their employers to sell. And in their spare time, they create data about other products, through their likes, browsing history, reposts, and internet searches.

As we peruse the internet, any expressed desire for a specific good—be it entertainment, coffee, or external hard drives—is “parsed into a form the machine can understand,” and as such it becomes “data,” a commodity in and of itself.14 Our consumption of information on the internet thereby becomes free labor. We work to create information that we will never own. And this is what makes a viral video profitable; the engagement data produced by every single user belongs to TikTok alone, and it’s theirs alone to sell, without paying a single penny to users for their role in creating this data. If the Black TikTok strikers wanted to truly enjoy the profits of their labor, they didn’t need to hoard their content. They needed to own the data their content generated.

Were it simply a matter of having access to a collection of data, the wealth gap within the information industry—between those who produce it and those who own it—would cease to exist. When Wark proclaimed twenty years ago that “information wants to be free but is everywhere in chains,” she underscored the fact that we already have the infrastructure to make every single piece of information freely available.15

Access is only half the problem. Social media giants profit from their data collection because of: a) the sheer amount of it they have to offer, and b) their ability to sell data exclusively to their advertising audience.16

This exclusivity creates a clear power divide that some users have tried to address by creating their own content platforms. These are sites that promise fairer compensation for the creatives producing their content, but stop short of opening up the profits to the people who produce their data. Tidal, for instance, is a music streaming service that originally made its mark by delivering a paid-only service that promised to return more money to artists than its competitors, even if it meant “less profit for [Tidal’s] bottom line.”17 In the absence of advertisers, Tidal promised its paid users an exclusive collection of content. The platform’s one-time owner Jay-Z went so far as to remove all of his music from Tidal’s competing platforms, underlining the exclusivity of Tidal’s content.18

Apple ad about your data being sold in auction, 2022.

But Jay-Z was only able to pull such a stunt because he owned the rights to all of his songs.19 Most musicians today aren’t so lucky, because a host of IP and labor laws prevent them from claiming ownership of the commodities they produce. The same could be said for TikTok’s creators, and for all data producers. Even the few users who do manage to “own” their data rarely have the means of reproducing it to even a fraction of the scale that Meta or TikTok can provide. As individuals, hoarding information for our own profit becomes an entirely futile attempt at circumventing the wealth of the ruling class.

Open Sources

We reach the same conclusion today that A Hacker Manifesto alluded to in 2004; in terms of revolutionary action, the most useful hoards of information are those made freely available, unbound by the constraints of property ownership. Digital hoards themselves aren’t necessarily a bad thing. The problem arises when users try to monetize their contents. Individual hoards inevitably fail to redistribute corporate wealth, and corporate hoards are dependent on labor extracted from us in our “free time.” So, perhaps our free time would be better spent in service of alternate hoards, dedicated to the same principles of advancement that Wark laid out twenty years ago. These are digital hoards formed with the intention of developing human society, through the unfettered circulation of information. Two examples come to mind, in equally unexpected locations: the International Criminal Court (ICC), and Minecraft.

In January 2024, the ICC’s Office of the Prosecutor opened an online portal, requesting that members of the public submit any evidence they had of crimes that fell within the court’s remit. This included war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and aggression.20 What followed was the uploading of images, tweets, sound bites, statements, and videos to support South Africa’s case against the state of Israel, in which South Africa claimed that “Israel has engaged in, is engaging in and risks further engaging in genocidal acts against the Palestinian people in Gaza.”21

The evidence submitted by the public was presented in a live-streamed court hearing on January 11, 2024. This amassing of evidence was a collective effort on behalf of everyday internet users to build up a hoard of information aimed at the cessation of a genocide. Much of the work that made this possible was performed on “leisure time,” but the resultant information was never deemed “property” of South Africa or the ICC. Instead, it was stored, organized, and presented to the world in an open forum that remains available for viewing today.

In a similar vein, four years ago, Reporters Without Borders released the Uncensored Library, a collection of articles that had been banned in parts of the world, made available through a server on Minecraft.22 The organization’s use of a blockchain to establish this server meant that even in the most censored countries, the library would remain impervious to governmental interventions. Each Minecraft user could download the library’s contents, share their findings, add their own books to an offline collection, and recreate a copy of the library on their own machines, rendering it effectively impossible to remove from public record.23

Both of these examples point us to data hoards that are first stored, and then shared, without the constraints of ownership to prevent their distribution. They are narratives that bring us closer to the potentials first stated in A Hacker Manifesto—of a future where we can shape our lives beyond the commodity form. The important thing that these examples have in common is not just that they were freely circulated, or even that they were produced (at least in part) by the hacker class. At their hearts, both the ICC portal and the Uncensored Library were rooted in material efforts to better the world we find ourselves in.

For twenty-first century hackers, the most urgent task is to locate environments like these where their contributions can be freely actualized. The majority of new knowledge today circulates through a handful of social platforms; information jumps out at us from the gluttonous stream of gym selfies, airline ads, obituaries, period tracker apps, sea lion videos, film trailers, and leftist memes. Everyday users trade their engagement for brief snippets of entertainment, and on it goes until the shadow of a screen-time banner casts its judgment upon the user’s machine.

This hellscape is no place for free information to thrive. The digital hoarder must take stock, and set out in search of somewhere independent from such distractions. A simple spreadsheet, maybe, a private are.na channel, a USB drive, or even a Minecraft map. What matters here is not the hoard’s form, but its capacity to be consumed outside the limits of the commodity. Free from the profit-churning debris of their social media feeds, visitors to this hoard might gain a better idea of how they, too, can use the information they find in service of principled, radical action.

Notes

McKenzie Wark, A Hacker Manifesto (Harvard University Press, 2004).

Sharon Pruitt-Young, “Black TikTok Creators Are On Strike To Protest A Lack Of Credit For Their Work,” NPR, July 1, 2021 →.

Cache McClay, “Why Black TikTok Creators Have Gone on Strike,” BBC News, July 15, 2021 →.

Jessica Martel, “16 Ways to Make Money on TikTok in 2024,” Time, March 30, 2023 →.

McClay, “Why Black TikTok Creators Have Gone on Strike.”

Martine J. van Bennekom et al., “A Case of Digital Hoarding,” BMJ Case Reports, vol. 2015 (January 2015) →.

Sebastian Sevignani, “Surveillance, Classification, and Social Inequality in Informational Capitalism: The Relevance of Exploitation in the Context of Markets in Information,” Historical Social Research / Historische Sozialforschung 42, no. 1 (2017).

Marx, Capital: A Critique of Political Economy, vol. 1, 1st ed. (Penguin, 1976).

Lapavitsas, 228.

McClay, “Why Black TikTok Creators Have Gone on Strike.”

Sevignani, “Surveillance, Classification, and Social Inequality.”

Dallas W. Smythe, “Communications: Blindspot of Western Marxism,” Canadian Journal of Political and Social Theory 1, no. 3 (December 30, 1977).

Smythe, “Communications.”

McKenzie Wark, Capital Is Dead: Is This Something Worse? (Verso, 2019) 9.

Wark, Hacker Manifesto, thesis 126.

Sevignani, “Surveillance, Classification, and Social Inequality.”

Stuart Dredge, “Jay Z Aims to Topple Spotify with Music Streaming Service Tidal,” The Guardian, March 31, 2015 →.

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