#meanwhile ellie is DETERMINED

[loptrcoptr]

My fanfic hit 50k (posted) today and I am just looking around like. …??

good thing Jesus died for everybody’s sins or what have you because I’m just sinful and neurotic and apparently glued to my slutty nerdyass keyboard now

#help? maybe? #I’m having fun but I am also mildly concerned #hyper fixation fixing to suck me dry man wtf!!! i have no control #I was drafting the second chapter of this pair that have been kind of a struggle for me #and I was like maybe… I’m slowing down. maybe I’ll regain some chill #and then I wrote another 4700k and did not in fact fucking chill one snidgen of a percent #🫠 I’m along for this ride and I pray I have the determination to finish it because g o d it’s gonna take the better part of a year to do so #at this pace which is a pace I can’t reliably sustain forever #meanwhile ellis #were I your wave

[scandalcus]

‧₊˚⊹ sweet - ellie williams x afab!reader

summary: ellie teasing and pleasing u content warnings: smut (no plot), teasing, cunnilingus (r!receiving), fingering(r!receiving), top!ellie, bottom!reader, ellie calls reader princess once, etc. notes: i saw this and couldn't help myself, something short i threw together that wasn’t really proofread so i hope it doesn’t suck too bad

“Tell me what you want,” Ellie coaxes, her voice laced with a teasing tone. She was nestled between your spread legs, mouth only inches away from your heat, her warm breath fanning over your pussy eliciting a small whimper from you. Her gaze was downcast as she grazed her fingertips across your slit, watching them gleam with your slick. Your cunt pathetically contracted around nothingness as you impatiently waited for her, the searing ache between your thighs growing to become too much.

Her fingers barely tease your clit causing you to buck your hips up in response, only to have them forcibly pushed back into the mattress by herself. Her movements still before she pulls away completely, the ghost of her touch still lingering; you whine at the sudden halt. “Use your words, princess,” she goads in the most delicious way, the sound of her voice alone making your brain foggy. "Show me how much you need me.”  

There was no winning this battle, Ellie will literally tease you to the point past suffering just to get the upper hand on you, and you knew this; but you couldn’t help yourself. You had too much pride, you wanted to hold onto the ounce of dignity you had left, so you found yourself appreciating silence, even though you felt your sanity diminishing every second you lay sprawled beneath her, yearning for her to please you. 

“Don’t act shy now.” Ellie quips, bringing her lips to suck on the skin of your inner thigh and slowly leaving a trail of raspberry-colored blemishes approaching your cunt, which she deliberately neglects. She’s pushing you, determined to get you to convey your desires.

The throb between your thigh becomes painfully obvious, the frustration is driving you insane. You bite your lip to mute the whine that so desperately wants to escape. Ellie isn’t oblivious to your struggle, she’s just waiting for you to stop being so stubborn.

 "Please, Ellie.." 

The sound of your own voice brings a flush to your cheeks, you sound pathetic, really. It was almost humiliating, but the ache in your belly was too overpowering, the sensation was eating you alive.

"You can do better than that," she tuts, her voice oozing with mockery. Asshole. 

You had no choice but to swallow your pride; meanwhile, Ellie's expression was nothing short of it. Watching as you unraveled at the seams for her, needy and a desperate, eager mess beneath her. It did nothing but fire up Ellie's ego. She drove you crazy in the best way possible.

"Fuck- Ellie, touch me, please," you whine, protruding your bottom lip at her. Finally, after what felt like forever, she leisurely drags her tongue through your folds, taking her time to lap up the taste of you, letting your saccharine sweetness coat her tongue. She shifts between your legs and pulls your closer, causing a yelp to erupt from your throat. She tauntingly flicks her tongue against your clit, the subtle movements drive you absolutely crazy. You and her both know it simply isn’t enough; you need more, the slick between your thighs is enough to prove it. 

“Mm.. more,” you whine, “please,”

“You’re so needy,” Ellie hums, looking up at you through hooded eyelids. She was just as desperate to taste you, but she’s better at expressing herself with her actions than her words. Her eagerness displays itself when she increases her movements. Her tongue greedily swirls around your clit, your body involuntarily twitching with every perfect stroke. You entangle your fingers into her hair, pulling and tugging her closer into the expanse of your pussy as she continues to trace shapes into your sensitive bundle.

You’re so entranced in the pleasure, you didn’t realize her right-hand venturing up your thigh, not until two of her digits slip into your entrance, your pillowy walls flutter around the sudden intrusion, the sensation forcing a hoarse cry out of you. She hums against you after feeling how needily you clamped around her, the vibration sending shockwaves through your body.

“You taste so sweet,” she utters beneath her breath, words muffled against your heat. She gave you little time to adjust before she began at a relentless pace, her two glistening fingers disappearing in and out of your cunt, her pace creating lewd, wet noises. 

Your legs wobble as she curves her fingers inside of you, reaching that sweet spongy spot that sent you into overdrive. You dragged out a string of curse words as she mercilessly pounded her fingers in and out of you, creeping in a third finger because she knows “you can take it…” Her left-hand caresses the swell of your hips, the touch is soft and delicate in contrast to the brutal assault on your pussy. 

“Feels good?” she asks, looking up at you through her eyelashes, her chin glistening in your essence. She replaces her tongue with the pad of her thumb while she waits for your response, sweat lining at her forehead. She bit her lip as she watched you squirm under her touch, engraving the ethereal image into her memory forever. 

“Feels s’good- fuck” you moan between labored breathing. You throw your head back and squeeze your eyelids shut, hallucinating stars as Ellie fucks you dumb with her fingers. She brings her lips back around your clit, sucking on the bundle as her fingers scissor and curl inside of you, the combination producing a sequence of obscene squelching sounds paired with the moans emitting from your throat.

“You’re doing so well, look s’pretty,” she coaxes you through it, the praise causing your heart to stutter. Your abdomen twinged with euphoria, pure ecstasy coursing through your body as she worked the skilled combination of her tongue and fingers on you, the blend making you dizzy. Flashes of an ivory white prick at the side of your vision, you feel your stomach tighten with each pump of her fingers. 

“Don’t stop, so close,” you mustered between breaths, only motivating Ellie to make her movements more erratic. Your eyes roll to the back of your head, faint images of mandalas fade in and out of your vision as your limbs spasm, your pussy convulsing around her fingers. You shamelessly gasp and cry out as Ellie continues to fuck you through your high, lapping up every last drop of the wet rush flooding out of you.

Ellie doesn’t slow down until you start to loosen your grip on her hair, your body relaxing as your chest rises up and down with each heavy exhale. She finally pulls her fingers out of you, making sure to clean up every bead of your arousal, sucking her own fingers dry, savoring your taste.    

You slowly blink your eyes open, coming face to face with Ellie, who’s face is glistening in your slick. She places her hand under your chin and collides her lips with yours, letting you taste yourself, the salty yet saccharine sensation on the tip of your tastebuds stirs up something animalistic inside of you, you can’t help but moan, earning yourself an amused smile from Ellie, every hint of flattery going straight to her head. She was never going to let you live this down.

𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐊 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆, 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐄𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘 𝐑𝐄𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐀𝐋𝐖𝐀𝐘𝐒 𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐃. 𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐂𝐊 𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐌𝐘 𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐆 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄 ♡

#im so bad at endings im sorry its so corny #ellie williams #ellie williams smut #ellie williams x reader #the last of us smut #tlou #the last of us #sapphic smut #wlw smut #lesbian smut #x fem reader #x afab reader #ellie williams x y/n #ellie williams hc #ellie williams fanfic #ellie williams imagines #ellie williams x you #ellie williams drabble

[omkookie]

"I don't think we'll ever be done with you."

⌈ ⚠️ 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 ⌉ Smut, NONCON, gang rape, Oral, blowjobs, unprotected sex, cream pies, degradation, slapping, hand jobs, reader gets used as a fucktoy. NOT PROOFREAD

Your face hurts.

Your cheek stings because of how many slaps you've received tonight. You're not exactly sure who it is that's pounding you into the couch, but you might as well take a guess and say it's Jude because of how he was harshly tugging on your hair. 

His thrusts are ruthless, his hips slamming into you from behind and making your ass jiggle as he fucks his dick into your poor and abused pussy that's dripping with cum and your juices. You've orgasmed so many times tonight, your clit actually feels like it hurts because of how overstimulated it is. Jude's fingers haven't been slacking one bit, and he was rubbing your clit with such determination, you were starting to wonder if he ever planned on stopping. “Juuude…” You whine his name, feeling tears sting at your eyes because of the continuous overstimulation. “Tsk.. what?” He rasps out behind you.

“I can't take any more….”

"You're a slut so you can." He states simply as he gives your ass a harsh smack that makes you wince in pain.

Ellis opens your mouth to shove his fat cock in, meanwhile you lie down on the edge of the couch, your head feeling all light and fuzzy while your body is left feeling limp. You can’t do anything but focus on breathing while his cock slides into and out of your mouth.

After a few more thrusts into your pussy, you feel Jude slow down and then finally pull out, his cock once again spilling his cum inside of you.

Jude and Roger have completely destroyed your pussy at this point. They've turned you into a cum dumpster after relentlessly pounding into you. Who knows how many times the two of them have filled you with cum tonight? You’ve lost count. You can just feel the stickiness left between your legs now, along with your gaping pussy that still feels stuffed even though Jude pulled out.

“That’s quite the look” You vaguely hear Roger's voice remark, and then you feel someone cupping your breasts. “Isn’t she so pretty?” Ellis sighs in bliss from above you, as his fingers tangle into your hair, slowly pulling your head forward, so he pushes his cock down your throat. "Sweet...take it good girl, you know you can."

He coos at you as he hears you gag, letting out a low groan as he tells you how good you’re making him feel. Tears slowly spill out of your eyes again, and you try not to choke around his cock but the uncomfortable feeling of it hitting the back of your throat has you nearly throwing up.

Eventually, he pulls his cock out of your mouth so that Roger can pull you back up. "There, there. You might feel a bit sore tomorrow, but you're feeling really good right now. Isn't that right?"

You hiccup, feeling Roger's wet tongue lick at the tears on your cheek. He was the second person to try and give you false sense of comfort. If it weren't for him pressing your hand against the bulge in his pants right now, then you might have even thought that this was something you wanted, and not something that was forced on you.

"You poor slut" Jude degrades you as he chuckles at your pathetic state.

"You look so hot like this... Hey, give me your hand to finish me off... I wanna cum." Ellis mumbles, his large hand taking your smaller one and guiding it to his cock. Your hand wraps around his cock, and your other hand momentarily stops stroking Roger. You fist Ellis' cock as best as you can, and your hand job is sloppy at best. You're just too tired to even move your hand so that you can jerk him.

A harsh slap hits your cheek, and you blankly stare at Ellis as you blink for a moment, your brain trying to process that Roger just slapped you. He slaps you again, and this time you let out a little cry as your hand wraps around his dick. You try your best to jerk both him and Ellis off at the same time, but your face is still met with harsh slaps from the two whenever you don't manage to keep up with the pace that they want.

You start crying again. both of your cheeks hurt because of they continued hitting you, and Roger shoves his thick fingers in your mouth, ordering you to suck them. He shoves his fingers to the back of your throat, and you gag around them, spit running down the corners of your mouth because of him.

You wonder when this will be over....

"I don't think we'll ever be done with you." Ellis whispers, affectionately kissing your cheek before whispering your name in a breathy moan as he cums on your fingers.

#ikemen villains #ikevil #ikemen villains x reader #jude jazza #jude ikemen villains #ikevil jude #roger ikevil #roger barel #roger ikemen villains #ikevil ellis #ellis twilight #ellis ikemen villains #ikevil roger #ikemen villains fanfiction #ikemen villains smut #cw;smut🍋 #.noncon

[althea-and-alcestris]

Infection Au

The results said the audience wants to hear my Infection Au so I shall deliver. (TW for blood, mentions of gore and su1cid3). I based this on the MLP Swamp Fever Au and the general Infection aus <3 Also this au includes a lot of ocs that belong to me and my friends

So the main plot is that a strange fungi was discovered on Sage Island that soon began to make people ill. At first everyone thought that it's just a regular magic fungi, however it quickly turned out to be an incorrect assumption. Those infected with the spores began to develop odd symptoms such as nosebleed, gums bleeding, bloodshot eyes, discoloration of fingers and soon the limbs as it spreads. By the ending stages of the infection, the patient will resemble more like a bleeding and decaying tree. The infection spreads through either bites or the spores of the fungi. Coming in contact with the infected without any safety gloves also results in infection. Those with high magic drive are able to remain sane for longer periods of time than those with lower or no magic drive at all.

It has been 4 weeks since the outbreak started. Idia and Ortho were able to leave Sage Island before STYX put the island on lockdown, sealing the dorm mirrors and the Dark Mirror so nobody can pass through. They're working on a cure. Meanwhile the ones stuck on Sage Island have started to adapt to the current situations, learning through several losses. Trein was one of the first victims of the outbreak, having been killed by the infected while trying to protect his students. Riddle, Vee, Marqu, Ellis, Mary, Fox and Jade have been terminated after they could no longer fight the infection and grew way too hostile. Cater, Dominico and Ace are injured from expeditions and attacks but uninfected. Azul and Leona are still under infection, Azul due to no access to any more human potions has returned to his merform and is now kept in a water tank until further notice. Leona is incredibly hostile and staff decided on termination. Trey, Lilia, Adamaris and Crowley are missing with no trace of where they could be. Malleus is infected but manages to maintain his sanity. Ruggie, Jack, Sebek, Alce, Thea, Allen, Deuce, Augustino, Chenfeng and Vargas are the ones on the expedition team who regularly leave campus (what has been turned into a main camp) to gather supplies, look for survivors, kill the wandering infected and clear areas. There are snipers (Thea and Allen), gatherers (Ruggie, Deuce, Augustino) and those who cover the team incase the infected are nearby (Sebek, Alce, Chenfeng). Jack and Vargas do most of the heavy lifting and Jack pulls the occasional carts with his UM. The ones in charge of terminating those who lose the battle with the infection inside NRC are Spider, Alce and Vargas. Vil is also infected but holds on, Rook wrote himself out of the expedition groups to stay with Vil while Epel along with Silver and Kalim are not allowed to join the expedition groups for their own reasons. Jamil stays with Kalim and Spider in NRC, Alto is in charge of the supplies that the expedition groups successfully gathered, Silver is distraught and anxious because of Lilia's absence which is why Sylas stay with him at all times. Floyd is his own person ever since Jade was put down and staff can't determine how much impact his brother's death had on him. He leaves a lot but never comes back infected. Ami and Crewel are the ones staying in NRC at all times to take care of the few children that were caught in the outbreak such as Karina and Eve. Sam is infected but resides in his shop while holding out.

As the story progresses, multiple of the canons and ocs fall. Cater dies to an infected wound, Leona is terminated, Thea asks to be put down by Sebek, Deuce is terminated by Alce due to the infection, Jamil is killed by the infected, Azul ends his own life by leaving the water tank in his merform, Alto is put down by Idia after infected severely, Vil is put down but he ends up killing Rook and Epel, Lilia is found dead, Spider is killed by the infected, Alce is killed by Allen who was infected, Allen ends his own life after realizing what he had done. Crowley is never found.

The last survivors end up being:

Ace, Trey (he is found), Ruggie, Jack, Floyd, Kalim, Idia, Ortho, Malleus, Silver, Sebek, Crewel, Sam, Vargas, Ami, Karina, Eve, Sylas and a couple more ocs.

It's a lot of angst and I know it's a bit jumbled right now but I'm in the making of the character files and I will post them one by one. If you have questions, you can ask away ^^

#twst oc #disney twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland oc #alcestris #twst #disney twst #twisted wonderland #twst wonderland #infection au #riddle rosehearts #ace trappola #deuce spade #cater diamond #trey clover #leona kingscholar #ruggie bucchi #jack howl #azul ashengrotto #floyd leech #jade leech #kalim al asim #jamil viper #vil schoenheit #rook hunt #epel felmier #idia shroud #ortho shroud #malleus draconia #lilia vanrouge #sebek zigvolt

[thesimulationswarm]

Balsam Prelude and Chapter 1: Some Kind of Noble Calling

This is a story about trauma. What trauma does to a person, and what trauma does to a community. And how, in the midst of it, people find their way to joy, delight— even love.

Pairing: Joel Miller x original female character Summary: After the events of tlou, Joel and Ellie try to establish a “normal life” in Jackson, but neither of them are any good at normal. A town doctor tries to care for residents who have experienced unspeakable trauma, and struggles to overcome her own past at the same time. Joel finds himself drawn to her, as their lives become increasingly intertwined. Meanwhile, outside Jackson, troubling things are happening... Rating: explicit 18+ MDNI Word count: 6k Warnings: slow burn, I promise there will be smut but not yet, f/m relationship, not a reader insert, canon-typical violence, descriptions of medical situations, descriptions of trauma and PTSD, Ellie and Joel figuring out how to be family, Tommy and Joel figuring out how to be family, angst, fluff, based on show Jackson because I haven't played tlou part ii, this is the first fic I've been brave enough to put out in the world so be kind.

Series Masterlist

PRELUDE

The boy struggled to work the crowbar; his fingers were so cold he couldn’t really feel them and his grip kept slipping. Finally, though, the old wood splintered around the bolt latch and gave way. He pushed through the door of the shed and fell to the ground inside, spent.

The cold hurt. He was so tired. He’d gone past ordinary hunger, to that desperate place beyond. So now that he was out of the cutting wind, all he wanted was to go to sleep.

Coco had followed him in. She sniffed at the boy’s face, and he felt the warm breath on his skin for a brief, lovely moment. Then she padded away toward the back wall of the small room.

“Come back here, girl,” the boy called out. But she didn’t come back. Was she leaving him now, too? He just wanted to burry his face in her fur and smell her smell as he drifted off. If his father couldn’t be here with him, at least the dog he’d loved could.

He heard a brief, sharp bark. He lifted his head. Coco was sitting by a metal rack on the wall, pointing her nose at something on the second shelf. 

“What is it, Coco?” She barked again, still pointing. 

He moved slowly, regretfully, as he pulled his aching body up again. She was pointing at an old shoebox, and didn’t stir as he approached.

He brushed the cobwebs away and lifted the lid. It was full of small, dark brown packages. He lifted one close to his face, to examine it in the light coming through the open door. 

MEAL, READY TO EAT, INDIVIDUAL, it read. CHICKEN A LA KING.

CHAPTER 1: Some Kind of Noble Calling

“You need to take her to Dr. Conner,” Maria said brusquely, as soon as she’d walked in the room. Ellie was curled listlessly on the couch, face flushed and mottled and hair slicked down with sweat.

“Dr. Conner? Where is he?” Joel asked.

“She is on 2nd street, top of the hill.”

He nodded and looked away from Maria’s icy face. Just what he needed, for her to add sexism to his list of sins. He squatted down to lift Ellie in his arms, held back a groan as his knees popped, and headed toward the door. He was always surprised at how little she weighed, given her sheer force of nature.

“I can walk. I’m not dead yet,” she whined at him hoarsely, squirming against his hold. It was half-hearted, and he kept his grip.

“Not happening.”

Dr. Connor’s was a narrow, two-story building, and the windows were covered with dark curtains. The sign above the door was painted simply with a red cross on a white background.  He knocked but didn’t wait, yanking the doorknob and shouldering through the entryway.

Inside was bare, with a row of wooden chairs and a hand-written sign instructing visitors to take a seat. Two doors stood closed, and Joel was eyeing them to determine which he should open next when a breezy voice called from behind one.

“If you’re breathing and not bleeding out, hang on and I’ll be there in five.”

He sighed and set Ellie on a chair before dropping down beside her.

“Nicer than the FEDRA clinics at least,” Ellie deadpanned, her voice creaky and strained.

He looked around the little waiting room. It wasn’t exactly impressive, but if you’d only ever seen a QZ medical facility it must've seemed like the height of luxury.

“There used to be places like this. You got to see the doctor in a room by yourself instead of a big ward with half the neighborhood lined up.” He paused. “It was nice. Especially if you had somethin’ going on you didn’t want to share with everybody you knew.”

She quirked a sweaty eyebrow at him. “Like what?”

“Pass.”

They looked up in unison as a door creaked open and a woman strode in, dressed in jeans and a canvas apron. She was small, tawny-skinned and dark-haired. Younger than he’d expected, although not young-young on second inspection—the start of lines spreading out from the corners of her eyes, a resigned slope of her shoulders. In her 30s, maybe: the last generation to remember life before.

“Please, follow me.” The woman gestured into a small room with a bright overhead light. She pointed Ellie to a cot covered with a faded, flowered sheet and Joel to a stool beside it. 

“I’m Nina, I work as a healer,” she said, extending a hand first to Ellie—who limply grasped it—and then to Joel.

He kept his arms down by his side.

“I thought you were an actual doctor,” he said sharply. 

He didn’t come here for one of Maria’s communist friends to do some crystal healing, align Ellie’s chakras or some shit.

She gave him a small smile. “People call me that because I’m the closest Jackson has, and I’ve been treating people for years. But no, I’m not old enough to have finished medical school 20 years ago.” Her voice was mild, even friendly, but her eyes asked a question: Are you going to be a problem for me?

He set his jaw but sat back on the stool. He’d at least see if she could help.

“It’s Ellie, isn’t it?” Nina moved closer to Ellie and smiled brightly at her miserable face, looking her up and down. She pulled an old glass thermometer out of a pocket and held it up for Ellie to see before popping it in her mouth. While she waited for it to take a measurement, she slid her other hand down to grasp Ellie’s wrist and held it lightly, watching the numbers on her watch as she felt for a pulse.

“When did she start feeling bad?” She nodded her head slightly in Joel’s direction—Ellie had her mouth full—but kept her eyes on her patient.

“Two days ago. Hit her like a ton of bricks. She’s had fever and chills, and won’t eat anything. Barely takin’ sips of water when I beg her to.”

“Sore throat?”

“Says it feels like knives.” Ellie nodded bleakly to confirm.

The doctor—or the healer, or whatever the hell she was—pulled the thermometer out and nodded at it. She raised both hands to Ellie’s neck, but paused before touching her. 

“I’m just going to feel here for your lymph nodes, Ellie.”

She waited to see confirmation in Ellie’s face before continuing, running her hands carefully down below her jawline.

The exam went on, through the familiar steps: Open your mouth as wide as you can, that’s good, now I’m going to check your ears.

He had a sudden, clear memory of sitting in the pediatrician’s office. Watching Sarah as she sat on a paper-covered table.

He could smell the disinfectant and powdered latex, and see the silhouette of her doctor standing there. He was a gray-haired man, always friendly in a fake-feeling way, who whore a crisp white coat over a shirt and tie.  Made him feel self-conscious, looking down at his dirt-caked boots and browned forearms.

Sarah used to sit on that exam table and cry when she had to get shots. Not all hysterical or fighting to get away like some kids—just silent tears that slipped out of the corner of her eyes.

He remembered how, when she was five years old, she’d swallowed a penny and he’d rushed her over to the clinic. It wasn’t like her to do something like that: she was thoughtful and sweet even at that age, a rule-follower to a fault. His heart had jackhammered in his chest as he had visions of her intestines puncturing or her being rushed to emergency surgery.

The doc explained patiently that these things usually “passed” on their own. With a little chuckle he gave him a plastic bowl that fit inside the toilet and instructions to check it for the next week to make sure the penny came out the other end. 

He recalled the rush of relief and the flush of embarrassment. Watching the doc laugh and feeling like a moron for having gotten himself so worked up.

“Earth to Joel,” Ellie croaked. He turned to see two pairs of eyes on his: Ellie’s red-rimmed and liquid brown, the doctor’s—he was now noticing— so dark they were almost black.

“Sorry,” he mumbled.

“Most likely it’s strep throat, although there’s no way to tell for sure without tests I don’t have,” the doctor said. “I’ll give you some antibiotics, and if it is strep, it will start to get better right away.”

“What if it’s not strep?” Joel asked, heart in his throat.

She smiled. “Then it’s a virus, and she’ll get better on her own.” Her tone was reassuringly confident.  Joel watched her disappear briefly out the door, then return with a paper packet she pressed into his hand.

“Take these twice a day. Even if she starts to feel better, do not stop the medicine until it’s all gone. I know we’re all used to stretching supplies, but it doesn’t work that way with antibiotics—she’ll get sick again, and worse.” She looked to him for acknowledgement, and he nodded.

“Keep pushing her to drink fluids.” She turned to Ellie now, who was hunched over and looked about ready to pass out. “You’re dehydrated, kiddo. It’s part of why you feel so bad right now. If you don’t drink, it’s only going to get worse.” She spoke pointedly but gently, and Ellie shrugged an assent. “And if you aren’t feeling better in two days, come back and see me.”

It was late when Tommy got home. Pretty much every part of his body hurt after the day’s work— fixing freeze damage to their well system— and he had been dreaming of crawling into bed with Maria. 

Not the way he sometimes dreamed of crawling into bed with her, even now with her looking like she’d swallowed a watermelon. Maybe he’d have the energy for that in the morning, but tonight he just wanted to feel her in his arms and time his deep slow breaths with hers.

She was already fast asleep, so he moved as carefully as he could, lifting up the covers and sidling in behind her. She was curled on her left side and he tucked his body tightly against hers, his arm snaking gently around her bare belly. When he was lucky he could feel the baby kicking against his hand in this position, although right now both baby and mama were at rest.

He lay there, willing himself to relax into sleep. But there was too damn much on his mind these days. 

This winter had been brutal, even for Wyoming. The town had held together with a lot of hard work and ingenuity. But out there in the countryside, others had not been so successful. He’d heard awful stories: starvation, cannibalism, raiding parties far and wide. The patrols kept running into trouble, and although so far the groups had been small enough to handle, who was to say they’d stay that way?

Tommy knew that people in Jackson looked to him and Maria to keep them safe. It was more responsibility than he’d ever had before in his life, really. He was proud of himself— and scared shitless.

He breathed in Maria’s smell, nose pressed against the nape of her neck. He tried to count all the blessings in his life, savoring each one. It was a trick he used sometimes, to make his thoughts shut up. This incredible woman who had saved his life. The baby she was growing for them. This town. A full stomach. A warm bed. Joel doing so good, for once, with that kid of his.

Although Joel was maybe not the best topic to think about, if he wanted to sleep tonight. Not that he wasn’t grateful, or happy to have him nearby and safe. But his feelings were complicated. Sometimes he hated to admit how much of a hold his big brother still had on him. Made him feel like a little boy, hungry for approval. And at the same time reminded him of the lowest points in his life.

If he was honest with himself, he’d felt a lot of relief along with the guilt and sadness when he’d left Boston. He’d felt the same when he cut off radio contact.

Something had changed with Joel though, lately. He was still a bitter man, tightly wound and full of pain. But Tommy had seen moments of tenderness from him that he thought he’d never see again. Even moments of joy.

He felt the prickle of tears in his tired eyes. He knew he was being naive, that a little bit of good couldn’t undo all the darkness that they’d been through. But he clung to the hope still, as he started to drift off to sleep: him with his baby, Joel with his girl—maybe they would all be okay.

“Tommy!”

He turned with a smile as the doc walked up, clapping a hand against his back. “Hey Dr. Connor! How’s it been?”

“I’m going on your next southwest patrol,” she said. Announcing, not asking, as she had a frustrating tendency to do.

He took a sharp breath through his nose. “Nina—“

“It’s time to harvest willow bark. I need enough for the next year, for all of Jackson.”

“I understand, I really do. But this winter has been rough and people are desperate. We’ve had some kind of trouble almost every patrol. It’s just too dangerous to stop and hang around out there.” He used the most authoritative tone he could muster, trying to stare the small woman down.

“And people won’t be any less desperate until we’re well into April. By then the trees will be in full leaf and we’ll be out of the window for harvesting. And I’ll have half a dozen angry locals wanting to know why I don’t have the tea for their arthritis or their heart condition.”

She fixed him with a dark stare, and he fiddled with the frayed edge of his jacket cuff. 

She knew how Jackson worked, and if he said no she could and would bring it up at the council meeting. Where she would no doubt whip up the town’s crotchetiest and most infirm—who had nothing better to do than sit in on every meeting of every committee—into a rage over herbal tea. Shit.

He nodded curtly. “Friday at dawn. If there are any signs of trouble before we hit the riverbank, we’ll have to turn back.”

“I really appreciate it Tommy,” she said with what she surely thought was a winning smile. Which he did not return: he was not in the mood.

Marisa stirred the stockpot of oatmeal gently between customers, to keep crust from forming on top. She stared out at the dining room and watched the clusters of people. Some were deep in conversation; some wolfed down their breakfasts so they could hurry on with their days; others looked half-asleep still.

A group of teenagers were tucked way back in the corner, as far as they could get from the adults, clearly enjoying their morning bullshit session. She remembered doing that just a few years ago, with Anya and Jamal, when her dad wasn’t around to see her goofing off. He believed that if teenagers had energy to run their jaws, they had energy to work.

The new folks came in with a blast of cold air. 

They were an odd pair. The girl was rude and mouthed off too much, but she had a lot of energy and seemed like fun. The kind of kid Marisa had always been fascinated by, when she was that age. Wishing she could move in the world with that kind of confidence.

The man, though, gave her the willies. He was intense and stern, like her dad. He never smiled, although he did at least say please and thank you. She couldn’t hardly believe he was Tommy’s brother. Tommy was his exact opposite, gentle and friendly.

She used to think Tommy was cute. She still did, really, but she didn’t think about him much lately. She was too busy daydreaming about her Beloved. 

She called him that after an old romance book she’d found in an empty house and hidden under her mattress. The book took place during the Civil War, and the buxom narrator fell in love with a dashing soldier. She wrote letters to him every day, addressed to My Beloved. The soldier in the book had beautiful blue eyes, just like Marisa’s Beloved.

Tommy was out there now, talking with Dr. Connor. He looked unhappy. Dr. Connor could do that to people. She was always so nice when you were sick or hurt and went to see her. But out in the real world she could be mean as a snake. Or maybe she was more like a fox: someone sly, someone you had to watch.

Brandy Burkholder had started working with her last summer, after a several month campaign. Nina had eventually determined that she was serious about learning to practice medicine, despite the fact that she wasn’t terribly serious about anything else. She was an outgoing sixteen-year-old with a pretty smile and a flare for the dramatic, and she came by on Tuesdays and Thursdays to help Nina with various tasks.

Today it was supply inventory. Every other week she went through what she had, checked her levels on common medications and herbs, and looked through her equipment for signs of damage or wear. 

Nina enjoyed inventory, even if what she had to inventory was often pathetic. There was something calming about lining up all the bottles, looking over her orderly shelves, and counting all the pills and needles and rolls of gauze. 

And there was some extra excitement this afternoon: they were going through a bag of random medicines and gear to see what could be salvaged. Anya and Clemons had found in an empty house on a hunting trip earlier that week.

Brandy held up an orange plastic bottle of pills from the haul. “Dox—y—cy—cline,” she sounded out carefully. “That’s an antibiotic, right? So it goes in the cabinet above the sink?”

“Hold up. What’s the date on the bottle?”

“Um, let me see.” She squinted to read the fading print. “Damn. It’s from 1999. This is an antique!”

Nina shook her head. “Toss it. Expired tetracyclines can be toxic.” It was a shame— she really could have used it. 

She pulled out a bottle of Benadryl tablets, and pried open the lid. Some of the pills had swollen with absorbed moisture and cracked, but they were mostly intact and there was no mold. She added it to the keep pile.

Brandy showed her a box of individually packaged 22 gauge needles. The plastic wrappers were warped and brittle and had cracked open along the seams. But the needles inside were straight and sharp. She would sanitize them in the autoclave and they’d be good as new. Another keep.

A bottle of cough syrup had hardened to a shiny paste— toss. Two inhalers were empty—toss again. Half a tub of vaseline went in the keep pile. Then she found something really good at the bottom of the bag: an almost-full bottle of Valium.

“Isn’t this the stuff that bored housewives used to get high on?” Brandy asked, smirking.

“Yes, and that’s why it goes in the locked cabinet,” Nina said pointedly. She didn’t need Brandy getting any ideas. “But more importantly, it’s the best treatment when someone’s actively having a seizure. It’s also very helpful for setting bones.”

“Sweet! There was some good loot in that bag.”

Nina looked over the shelves appraisingly. “Yes, but it’s not enough. This all has to last until Mo comes by in April.”

“Are you going out to meet him?” Brandy’s eyes sparkled at the mention of the smuggler. Nina knew how people talked about him: the dashing Robin Hood who stole from FEDRA and gave to the people. But it’s not like he gave them anything: they paid him, in valuable farm goods like butter and honey, for every last thing.

Nina didn’t say anything about that to Brandy, though; let the kid have her fantasies. She also didn’t mention the fear that kept her up at night— that next time she went out to meet Mo, he wouldn’t show. She knew it was only a matter of time before his line of work caught up with him, and that when it happened they would be shit out of luck. Jackson did a lot of things well, but manufacturing antibiotics wasn’t one of them.

“Yep, April ninth. Three weeks after the equinox,” was all she said.

The sun was melting into the horizon, bathing the street in golden light and purple shadows. Joel was walking to the saddler when he saw the woman up ahead and quickened his pace.

“Hey! Dr. Connor!”

She turned as he approached and raised an eyebrow. “So I’m enough of a doctor for you now? How’s Ellie?”

“Well, she’s a hundred percent better. Givin’ me shit and drivin’ me crazy.”

“I’m so glad to hear that.” The doctor seemed genuinely pleased. “I’m sure you deserve whatever shit she’s giving you,” she added.

“Look,” he said, furrowing his brow. “I wasn’t very fair to you the other day. And you helped us out anyway. I appreciate that.”

She looked at him, meeting his eyes with an intensity that startled him. There were those deep brown irises he’d noticed in her office, framed by thick black lashes. 

Then she smiled, holding out her hand to him. Her grip was surprisingly firm as they shook. “You’re not the first person to doubt my expertise. I appreciate you putting your daughter in my care.”

He looked over her shoulder, at the reddish sky reflecting in the window of a supply depot, and took a breath. “I know people don’t pay for things here or anything, but I feel like—I mean, I would like to give you something at least. For the medicine.”

She waved dismissively. “I’ve seen you go out on patrol. You keep Jackson safe, I keep Jackson alive. We all do our part.”

She laid a hand on his stiff shoulder and gave him a pat. Then she turned and headed back in the direction she’d been walking, before he could figure out how he ought to respond. He watched her for a moment, her dark curls swinging over a denim jacket, his shoulder tingling with a phantom pressure where her hand had been a moment ago. 

Jackson made him real fucking uncomfortable, sometimes. 

He didn’t like owing people favors, and he didn’t feel like he belonged in a town where everyone was so nice all the time. The doctor was case in point— he’d been mean to her when they’d first met, and that hadn’t been right. But he’d tried to be nice to her too now, and it still felt weird as hell. Maybe he’d entirely forgotten how to be nice.

He walked on, hands shoved in his pockets. If he was honest, he didn’t want to be living here. In the house across from his little brother, like some kind of post-apocalyptic sitcom. It brought back all kinds of things he didn’t want to think about.

He was going on patrol Friday and he was looking forward to it. At least out there he knew what to do with himself. Stay alert, keep moving, assess the situation, maintain control— with force if needed.

Ellie looked over her shoulder to make sure no one was watching, then quickly opened the door below the red cross and slipped inside. She sighed with relief to see no one inside the waiting room, and sat down with her backpack clutched to her chest. 

Dr. Connor stepped into the room, thankfully alone, and smiled warmly as she pointed Ellie toward a door. Ellie darted in and jumped up on the cot, then looked down at her sneakers. One had a bit of rubber starting to come loose around the toe, and she gently wiggled it with her other foot. She heard Dr. Connor close the door behind her, and then the expectant silence.

“How can I help you today, Ellie?” 

Her cheeks burned, and she found she couldn’t look up. Why did the town doctor have to be beautiful? For an old person, but still. She kept studying her feet, as she heard the scrape of a chair being pulled over and the soft thump of Dr. Connor sitting down a few feet away.

When the doctor spoke again, her voice was soft. “I’ll ask you a few questions. All you have to do is say yes or no. You don’t even have to speak, just shake your head. Okay?” Ellie exhaled, then nodded.

“Did someone hurt you?” Ellie shook her head no emphatically.

“Are you having a problem with a private part of your body?” Ellie paused, then nodded once.

“Is it your related to your period?” Head shake. “Are you having pain?” Head shake. “Itchiness?” Nod. “Discharge?” Ellie felt like her cheeks were going to catch on fire as she nodded again.

“Are you sexually active?”

“No!” Ellie shouted, looking up at Dr. Connor with a startled stare. 

“It would be okay if you were. You wouldn’t be in trouble. And I wouldn’t tell anyone—not even Joel.” Her voice was even and conversational, as if she were talking about the weather and not about fucking. 

“Well, I’m not,” she snapped. “I don’t know why this is happening. It’s never done this before.”

“Have you ever taken antibiotics before?” 

She thought for a moment. At FEDRA school they gave you pills sometimes if you were sick, but they never even told you what they were. Some of the kids said they were sugar pills, and some of the kids said they were tranquilizers designed to make you behave. She shrugged. “I don’t actually know.”

“Did your symptoms start after you began taking the pills?” Ellie nodded. 

“I’ll want to do a quick exam to be sure, but yeast infections can be a side effect of antibiotics. Your vulva actually has a lot of bacteria living in it—good bacteria.” Ellie raised her eyebrows and fixed the doctor with a horrified look, but she ignored her and went on speaking. 

“It’s like a garden with lots of different plants growing side by side. The plants are healthy, and there are enough of them that they fill up the space and keep the weeds out. The antibiotic got rid of the bad bacteria in your throat, but it also wiped out the good bacteria in your vulva. It’s like we picked all the good stuff from that garden, and now there’s good soil and plenty of space for bad stuff to grow. That’s allowed the yeast to take over—it’s actually a fungus.”

“Like cordyceps?” Ellie asked, eyes widening. 

“Yes, like cordyceps. But it’s a different species, and unlike cordyceps we have medication that will kill the yeast. You’ll be back to normal in no time.” Ellie felt relief wash over her. 

Wednesday morning was for house calls. As she left the dining hall, her supply bag bouncing heavily against her left hip, she ran into Ellie and Joel on their way in. The girl smiled sheepishly and looked away; the man twitched a corner of his mouth and held the door for her.  Which for gruff types like that, new to civilization, was as good as a pledge of everlasting fealty.

She watched her breath fog through the cold March morning as she walked, feeling vaguely anxious.

Miss Nora’s house was on the corner, a low redbrick ranch. She let herself in, knowing Miss Nora’s son was out prepping the fields for planting, and headed into the living room that doubled as Miss Nora’s bedroom these days. She was sitting up in her bed, carefully knitting a big orange sweater. “Dr. Connor! So good of you to come by.”

Nina leaned in, letting Miss Nora plant a papery kiss on her cheek. “You know you can call me Nina,” she said, pulling her stethoscope out of her bag and sitting on the edge of the mattress. 

She gave her brightest smile, trying to hide any trace of the dismay she felt every time she walked in there.  Miss Nora was 67, and until last fall had looked a decade younger than that. Now every week she seems to age another 5 years, her face growing gaunter, her hair thinner, her skin more sallow.

Her son Jamal, ever diligent, tried to tempt her with all her favorite foods, but she would push the plate away after a bite or two. He fought with her over it, convinced that if she would just force herself to eat she would regain her strength. 

Nina, on the other hand, was not so optimistic. She thought Miss Nora’s body was shutting down: the lack of appetite was only a symptom of something much more serious.

She suspected cancer, but couldn’t say for sure what kind. Obviously, it was affecting the liver or the common bile duct, based on her yellowing eyes and skin. But that could be a metastasis from a solid tumor somewhere else. She once again felt the woman’s abdomen gently, palpating for a mass. Still nothing. Not that it mattered, ultimately—even if she could magically intuit that it was, say,  pancreatic cancer, she wouldn’t be any closer to being able to treat it.

At least her lungs still sounded clear. Nina pulled the stethoscope from her ears and slung it around her neck.  “Are you ready for your breathing treatment?” 

The woman nodded enthusiastically as Nina carefully packed the pipe she’d brought with dried leaves.  

It was old, crumbly, and low quality, and it was hell to get ahold of. But like the opium she kept carefully hidden away in her locked cabinet, marijuana was one of the more potent herbal medicines in her arsenal. 

She had nothing else to offer Miss Nora.

She saved Maria for her last stop of the morning. Maria could have easily come to her clinic, even 7 months along, but Nina wanted to confer with her anyways. And she loved Maria’s house—with the late morning light pouring through the windows she could almost believe she was in the suburbs of her childhood.

Maria was making tea when she arrived, and they sat in the living room with a mug each. The steam felt good against her face—while they were out of the worst of the winter, the wind was still brutal on these mornings as she walked from house to house.

After a little small talk she eased Maria backwards on the couch and pulled out her Pinard horn, rolling it between her palms for warmth. Nina had carved it herself out of maple wood, shaping the little trumpet painstakingly to match the illustrations in an old midwifery book.

She could still remember the sense of triumph when, years ago, she first pressed it into a woman’s belly and heard the fetal heartbeat buried inside. People thought medicine was some kind of noble calling—and there were moments when it felt that way to her, too. But more often she was driven by that magic feeling of the body yielding up its secrets to her.

Everything looked good on the exam, despite Maria’s “advanced maternal age.” The same as it had been every week of her pregnancy so far.  

Still, Nina worried. 

There was a lot that could go wrong bringing a baby into the world, for both baby and mother. Maria was her friend, and she knew how devastated she would be if she lost the child. She also knew how much Maria meant to Jackson, and she worried about the impact of losing Maria even more.

“I’d like your thoughts on something.”

Maria fixed her with one of her looks. “It’s usually not something good when you say that.”

Nina sighed. “I had a patient come in yesterday with what was almost certainly the clap. I treated him, but the man in question was married, and I have reason to believe he didn’t get it from his wife.”

Maria’s brow shot up. “Jesus, Nina. That’s not something I want to know about.”

“I would rather not have to know about it either. But we need to know about it. Both women he’s sleeping with could have infections.” 

Maria’s expression hardened as she listened. 

“And if the women have other partners, who knows how many people in Jackson are affected? Gonorrhea isn’t just a drippy dick. People could have pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancies, miscarriages. Babies can be born with infections.”

“Do you know who the other woman is? You could treat her, too,” Maria offered.

“I… have my suspicions. But I’m not 100%. And he wouldn’t tell me anything.”

She thought about Derek Starkey sitting in her clinic, head buried in his hands. Starkey’s wife, Jenna, had given birth to their first kid last summer. They’d always made a beautiful couple: Starkey was a big guy, tall and broad, with ruddy cheeks and icy blue eyes. Jenna was tough and sweet, with a blonde ponytail and freckles across the bridge of her nose. The son they doted on took after them both, depending on the day.

She was inclined to hate Starkey’s guts. 

A guy who couldn’t take it when his wife wasn’t dressing up as prettily as she used to or wasn’t as available as she once was to him, because she was busy caring for his infant child. Marisa Robinson, who worked with Starkey in the kitchens when he wasn’t on patrol, was younger and needy and made puppy dog eyes at him while he kneaded dough with his big strong arms. It was a tale as old as time: another shitty man behaves badly.

She struggled to hold onto her resolve, though, as they spoke. Starkey’d been barely sleeping since the kid was born. Every night in bed he was flooded with images of terrible deaths. He saw his child infected, shot, decapitated, drowned. All those monstrous things he’d seen over the years and had been powerless to stop, and which he now felt powerless to protect his beautiful boy from. Life in Jackson had given him a measure of peace, which had seemed like enough when it was just him and Jenna. But it felt too horribly tenuous now to trust. And Jenna didn’t get it. She slept like a rock between feedings. She told him to get over himself, had no time to talk him down from his panic attacks. Someone else had been willing to hold him while he shook with fear.

“Then we have to tell the wife, at least.”

Nina shook her head. “I keep going back and forth on it. It might break up a marriage, and that could have reverberations throughout the community. And the other woman, there could be consequences for her, too.” She thought of Marisa’s controlling father, who always creeped her out. 

“But also the next time someone has symptoms like this they might not come to me, because I wouldn’t be a safe person to tell. Then this stuff would spread around town and we wouldn’t even know.”

Maria gave her an exasperated look. 

Nina wasn’t sure what she had expected. It would feel so nice to off-load this problem onto Maria. But her friend was maybe too absolutist to navigate this one. Or else there just was no way to resolve things that would feel right. 

“I’m going to have to think on it some more,” she said, as she packed her supplies. “I’m sure I’ll figure something out.”

#tlou fanfiction #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller #joel miller x original character #tlou fic #the last of us fanfiction #Ellie Williams #Tommy Miller #Maria Miller #soft!joel miller #series #tlou fluff #tlou show #tlou

[psychedelic-ink]

𝑬𝑿𝑰𝑳𝑬 𝑷𝑹𝑶𝑳𝑶𝑮𝑼𝑬

Summary: Runners. Stalkers. Clickers. Shamblers. Bloaters.

Domestics.

All infected. One unlike the other.

You expect the infection to eat you from the inside out, turning you into something horrid. But instead, you find yourself with leaf-shaped ears and antlers that belong to a deer. While you live out the rest of your days trying to adjust to your new features and survive, you meet Joel, a survivor just like you but with a more grim approach to life.

Both of you adopt the forest as your home. One wants the other gone, meanwhile the other will do anything to not be left alone.

A few things to keep in mind; after the fallout with Tommy instead of heading to Boston Joel heads to the woods to escape it all, and the 20-year time jump doesn't happen. Which means, for now, no Tess, no Ellie. Joel is 32-33 here (since in the prologue he's around that age) and reader is in her mid-twenties

pairing: joel miller x ofc!june | written in reader format, no body descriptions but does have a personality

word count: 658

genre: dark cottagecore, horror, angst, explicit smut, hybrid au, minors dni

warnings: horror imagery, attempt at suicide, blood

SERIES MLIST || PREV CHAPTER || NEXT CHAPTER

Runners. Stalkers. Clickers. Shamblers. Bloaters. 

Domestics. 

All infected. One unlike the other. 

After getting infected, what happened to one’s body could be described as no less than horrid. The change could happen to anyone; your neighbors, your friends, your family. After the virus seeped into your skin and flooded your veins, your body morphed into something inhuman. The stench would be unbearable— Acidic and rotten. Regular faces now looked as if they’d been through a meat grinder, or exploded from the inside out. 

And those were your exact thoughts as fear crept up your spine. Your breath came in short, ragged gasps as the feeling took hold of your spine, a cold hand clutched at your heart. The taste of bile was thick on your tongue, your nostrils filled with the cloying odor of decay. You could hear the clicking sound of the Infected drawing closer, a relentless, maddening sound that seemed to echo within your skull.

Click Click Click

The Clicker moved closer, its grotesque form illuminated by the flickering light of a nearby fire. Its eyes were blank, soulless orbs that seemed to stare into your very soul. Its twisted, mangled body was covered in pus and blood, the stench overpowering.

You managed to make your escape with an empty gun in your hand and your black boots caked with mud. The rain fell heavily from the sky, as if it were determined to wash away all traces of your existence. Despite the downpour, you had managed to evade the Infected and make it deep into the woods.

You collapsed under a tree with thick, leafy branches and you cried— Warm, salty tears mixed with cold, sweet rain. You felt your stomach, soft, warm, and incredibly wet. 

Blood, you realized.

With shaky hands, you peeled the wet fabric off of your skin and mused to yourself that it actually did feel just like that—warm. Your tears dried out when you saw the violently red bite mark. It was deep. A chunk of your flesh gone. 

You checked yourself for ammo, your hands trembling. You didn’t want to turn. You didn’t want to become a mindless creature hunting for untainted flesh. 

You let your head slump against the trunk, the weight of your circumstances pressing down on you as you grasped the finality of your empty ammunition. Your body trembled. Blood continued to pour heavy and thick over your skin. 

Life was so cruel that it didn’t even allow you to die. You would live the rest of your days as a mindless shell of what you once were—a disfigured monster— until someone shot you. And that was only if you were lucky. 

The thought of living long enough to morph into a Bloater struck you to your core. You closed your eyes. 

While raindrops slid down the leaves and dropped onto your shivering body, you were blessed with unplanned sleep. You hoped that you wouldn’t wake in the morning. If you were lucky, a hunter would come by and shoot you before you had the chance to turn, robbing you of all your belongings.

A new type of Infected was born that day— Domestics, they would be called. A type of infected that didn’t behave like the rest. Domestics could continue their lives as regular people (whatever regular meant in this bitter world) however, they still carried the signs of nature’s rebuttal across their bodies. 

Some Domestics had claws, some had fur, some had eyes that could see through the pitch-black night. 

Some could breathe underwater, some had scaly skin. 

In your case, you had antlers and soft, leaf-shaped ears allowing you to detect even the faintest of sounds from miles away. But with these gifts also came the curse of being forever marked as one of the Infected, an outcast from an already broken society.

This infection was different. Some called it adaptation. 

But to most, it was still the Infected, there was no difference.

#joel miller x f!reader #joel miller x you #joel miller x reader #joel miller x ofc #joel miller #tlou fanfiction #tlou fanfic #the last of us fanfiction #hbo the last of us #the last of us hbo #pedro pascal character #pedro pascal character fanfiction #pedro pascal characters

[mariatesstruther]

thinking about my eloise at christmastime au and all the little subplots i can add with the ensemble cast

- joel spends the entire time trying to find the perfect xmas gift for tess, always finding reasons to talk himself out of it and changing his mind. sarah and ellie try to help at first, but they quickly give up. he’s hopeless

- kathleen is the hotel project manager and 100% determined to stop sarah and ellie from stopping maria’s wedding, as it’s the biggest and most high-profile event set to happen at the plaza in years. the whole time its elliesarah beefing with this 40-year-old lady who thinks kids are too stupid to know what’s right

- anna works in the kitchen with frank, having a generally fun and good time, especially when ellie and sarah come to the kitchen to snack on stuff. frank has a major crush on the grumpy doorman who works the elevator, bill, and sarah and ellie love to go to the kitchen to get updates on whether or not frank has finally said more to him that “hey, bill,” that morning

- meanwhile, anna is trying to make the perfect christmas cookie platter for maria’s wedding. once ellie tells her about maria’s fiancé being a scammer, she gives him a minor case of food poisoning

#anna gets to make cookies and be happy bc she deserves to make cookies and be happy #maybe shell have a thing with the head chef marlene #the plaza au #can yall see how fast this is taking over my brain like jesus christ #eloise at christmastime #tess x joel #bill x frank

[maiemorrae]

Dead Darlings Tag Game

Saw this from @sunset-a-story and thought it would be fun to do since I've been looking at older work lately.

Rules: Share a part of your writing you love that got cut for the greater good. It doesn't matter if it's a line or a paragraph. It doesn't matter if you might work it back in. If it's not currently in a WIP and you want to share, please do.

For this, I pulled a section from what I'd consider to be the very first draft/version of What Makes a Seeker. At the time I was writing this, it was going to be a story that followed Ellis, at the time using the name Eriana, as she grew up and how she came to be a seeker. Eventually, I had instead decided to start the story with her joining the seekers, that would have been version 2 of the story. Then it changed again into the story I'm currently writing and have up on my website.

While some of this is still relevant and the flavor of it still matches Ellis' story, I've shifted and adjusted her backstory a good bit by now. One of the major differences between this version and the current version of her backstory is that in this, Ellis is around 5 years old whereas in the current version, this event wouldn't have happened until she was around 8 or so.

I did a bit of patching up on this but still kept her name as it was in this version, just know that Eriana is Ellis, I simply shifted the name between versions 2 and 3 of the story.

Soft tagging @amaiguri and @moonfeatherblue for this if interested.

The quiet of the night was interrupted by the loud sound of a low dolorous bell. Mathias quickly sat up, having been startled awake by the loud sound. He looked over at Cadia as panic quickly set in. Eriana slowly woke up from the sound of the bell and her father’s frantic movements. 

“No, no, no, Cadia please, no…” He reached around Eriana and gently moved her aside to check on Cadia. “Please be someone else…” 

“Papa, what was that?” Eriana sleepily asked, her question ignored as Mathias’ actions grew frantic. 

“No, no, this… this can’t happen. Not you.” There was no breath or other signs of life from Cadia. There was no denying the source of the bell, Cadia was dead. 

Mathias sat back, almost in a daze and not wanting to believe what had happened. Meanwhile, Eriana crawled over to her mother and gave her a gentle shake. “Mama, what was that noise? You’re a heavy sleeper if it didn’t wake you up.” She continued to poke, waiting for a response. “Mama…? Why aren’t you waking up? Papa, why is Mama so still?”

Silence greeted her questions on both sides. Mathias sat in silence just trying to process what was about to happen. Soon tears begin to spring from his eyes and his shoulders slump. “Eri… mama… mama is…” He choked on his words, not able to get them out. He was about to try again when there was a stern knock on the door. He looked up, knowing already who was on the other side and knowing that nothing could change what has and is about to happen. He almost seemed to harden as he stood up from the bed, giving a heartbroken expression towards Cadia. “Eriana… go, go and sit at the table.” 

Another sharp knock was heard at the door as Mathias went towards it. Eriana looked confused, not moving from her spot next to her mother. “Why, who's at the door? Papa, why won’t Mama wake up?” Before a response was given Mathias opened the door to those waiting outside.

Standing outside the door were three figures. Each of them wore an ornate mask with copper detailing covering the lower part of their faces. One of them wore a well-kept uniform consisting of a black coat with gold trimming. Running down the front and back of the uniform is a fine red cloth with the same gold trim. The other two were in plain clothes though they were fancier than anyone from here would wear. The expression in their eyes was hard, here for a purpose, and were determined to do that job. The one in the uniform spoke up.

“Sir, we are here to collect the dead.” His voice was firm, sounding as though he’d said this a thousand times. 

Mathias, at this point, was nearly numb and merely stood aside to let the men into the small room. The two in plain clothes began to walk to the back of the room where Cadia lay and Eriana sat still on the bed, giving a nervous look to the strangers who’d come into her home. “Dead… wha, what do you mean?” The strangers paused, one of their expressions softened at the small girl. He stepped forward and kneeled to be at eye level with the girl. He looked back at Mathias, who'd grown still and purposefully was not looking at that side of the room, he let out a small sigh before speaking to the girl.

“I’m sorry child, but your mother is dead. That's… that’s why she’s not waking up.” He paused for a second and watched the girl's face. “And why we are here.” 

“No… you, you’re lying.” She stood on her knees on the bed, between the strangers and her mother. “Mama can’t be dead, she… she’s just sleeping!” Eriana gave a fierce look at the stranger, but tears began to form as doubt began to creep in. “She’s… just sl-sleeping right?” 

“Rook, Moss.” The sharp voice of the uniformed stranger came from the doorway. The two shared a look before the one kneeling stood back up. His eyes showed genuine sympathy as he followed his orders. 

“I’m truly sorry, but you need to move child.” He put a hand on her shoulder and tried to gently guide her off the bed. “We’re here to take care of your mother so that she can rest easy.” 

“No! You can’t, mama is resting here! We can take care of her!” She yelled at the two men, pushing back against the one trying to move her as tears ran down her face. After a few moments of struggle with the hysterical child the one who had been speaking to her lifted her off the bed, keeping a hold despite her kicking and weakly hitting him.

“Rook, get a move on.” The one who held Eriana, Moss says to his partner. Rook gave a solemn nod and laid out a large white cloth on the floor. Rook then carefully moved Cadia off the bed into the center of the cloth and wrapped the woman up, carefully tying the cloth closed once he was done. The full process took a few minutes and by then Eriana was no longer lashing out, instead merely shaking with tears running down her face in a near-endless stream. Moss had set her down but kept a firm grip on her shoulders.

Rook gave a final look to the child, his expression unreadable before he bent down and lifted Cadia’s form, and began making his way out the door, past the uniformed stranger. Moss looked down at the child turning her around and kneeled once again. “I promise child, she will rest easy now. We make sure of that.”

#dead darlings tag game #old writing #luctine #Ellis Mourn #writing #creative writing #writblr

[jerzwriter]

February 2023

✍🏼 Fanfic 🎨 Artwork 📷 Edit 📱 Text Fic Ⓜ️ 18+ Content 🛸AU

A monthly summary of my fanfics, art commissions, and some of my favorite content from other fandom creators.

Categories are in alpha order of character names. Fics underneath are in order of date posted.

Eli Sipes x Zoe - Wake the Dead

An Ordinary Day ✍🏼 Friends conspire to give Zoe and Eli a little downtime together, and Eli is determined to make it special.

Ethan Ramsey x Casey (AU) - Open Heart

What Happened in Vegas (AU Series) Part 5: And That's a Promise ✍🏼🛸

Ethan Ramsey x Kaycee - Open Heart

Abundance ✍🏼 It’s Valentine’s Day, and things are a little different this year. It’s their first Valentine’s Day together, but they still have to keep things secret… and Ethan isn’t helping.

Picture This ✍🏼🎨Ethan and Kaycee are off to take engagement photos, but Ethan’s reluctance is putting a damper on the mood.

Joel Miller, Ellie Williams (The Last of Us - HBO)

All That Matters ✍🏼Mortally wounded, Joel forces Ellie to leave him behind. As soon as she is gone, Joel finds himself on a journey he had no expectations of taking… where would it lead?

More Below...

OH Gang - Open Heart

The Very Best View 📷 Just a little fun with the OH gang participating in an Instagram challenge to post a photo of the best view they’ve ever seen.

Tobias Carrick x Casey - Open Heart

A Mixed-Up Valentine ✍🏼They hadn’t met yet… but what happened on Casey & Tobias’s last Valentine’s Day without each other?

No One Else ✍🏼 An unexpected message disrupts Tobias & Casey’s blissful morning together. But just when Tobias assumes all is well, there’s another surprise… and then another.

Simple Pleasures ✍🏼🎨(Art by @/artbyainna) Tobias is driving himself crazy trying to create the perfect Valentine’s Day for his new wife and momma-to-be. Meanwhile, Casey forgot about it until the last moment, then worried she couldn’t make it special. Luckily, they heeded good advice from friends and went on to enjoy a beautiful evening together.

Ground Rules 📱Not long after they finally made it official, Casey just wants to set some things straight. Can Tobias wear her down?

In The Middle of the Night ✍🏼  Casey’s now in her third trimester, and she can’t sleep through the night, and that means Tobias isn’t either. Luckily, they make the best of it together.

Rafael Aveiro x F!MC (Carrie Valentine) - Open Heart

An Unexpected Valentine ✍🏼 It’s Raf and Carrie’s first Valentine’s Day together, and he has planned a perfect day for them, but nothing ever goes according to plan. But by the end of the day, Raf is sure of one thing, it’s the perfect Valentine’s Day, and he has the only Valentine he’ll ever need.

Ethan & Kaycee Valentine's Masterlist Tobias & Casey Valentine's Masterlist

Simple Pleasures [Open Heart - Tobias x Casey Carrick] 🎨 by @/artbyainna IG

Picture This [Open Heart - Ethan Ramsey x Kaycee MacCLennan] 🎨 by @/artbyainna IG

Casey MacTavish Valentine's Edit 📷 - @the-pale-goddess

Character Quotes 📷 - @aallotarenunelma

Tobias/Casey Gif - @peonierose

Tobias Sketch - @storyofmychoices

Character Quotes 📷 - @missameliep

MC Edits 📷 - @inlocusmads

Some of my favorite things from other creators during the month of February!

Bryce x Jensen 🎨OH - Commission by @lilyoffandoms for @mydemonsdrivealimo created by @weetlebeetle

Date Night 🎨 OH - Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Lilac) Commission by @/artbyainna created for @jamespotterthefirst

Flowers ✍🏼 @jamespotterthefirst OH - Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Lilac)

Interrupted Plans ✍🏼 OH - Tobias Carrick x F!MC - @alj4890

#jerzwriter masterlist #febraury 2023 #open heart #open heart choices #choices open heart #wake the dead #wake the dead choices #ethan ramsey #tobias carrick #rafael aveiro #eli sipes #fanfic #fanart #playchoices

[calabria-mediterranea]

Calabria locals blame the government for migrant deaths

At least 67 migrants, including children, have died and more are feared missing after their boat sank in rough seas off southern Italy.

The vessel broke apart while trying to land near Crotone, in the southernmost region of the Italian peninsula, in Calabria, on February 26, 2023. Migrants from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia and Iran were on board.

Babies were among the dead, Italian officials said.

Bodies were recovered from the beach at a nearby seaside resort in the Calabria region.

The coastguard said 80 people had been found alive, "including some who managed to reach the shore after the sinking".

The exact number of people who were on the boat, which had sailed from Turkey several days ago, is not clear.

Rescue workers told the AFP news agency that the vessel had been carrying "more than 200 people", which would mean more than 60 people unaccounted for.

Italian authorities are now facing scrutiny over their response to the tragic shipwreck near their shores, in which at least 67 people died. Local prosecutors say a lack of coordination may have contributed to the tragedy. But political anger is also growing.

Opposition leader Elly Schlein is demanding a thorough investigation to determine the timeline of the authorities' response, after the migrant boat was first seen on Saturday night.

Her request came after Matteo Piantedosi, Italy's Minister of Interior, said that the migrants should not have departed in the first place. "You shouldn't expose women and children to dangerous conditions," he insisted.

These words have caused outrage among the country's opposition parties, which called on him to resign.

"Your declarations have transformed victims into culprits," Schlein told Piantedosi during a parliamentary session. "Who are you to judge from the height of your privileges whether one should choose between death at sea and death in one's own country?"

In addition, Calabrian locals living next to the beach where the boat crashed are wondering why rescuers took so long to arrive when the boat was first spotted.

"The state knows when the migrant boats are coming and they let them arrive, but despite knowing this they didn't intervene," local resident Domenico told CGTN. "Now all those people had to die, all those children, the women."

"If I had seen them, I would have helped them," adds Francesco who lives in Botricello, a town nearby.

Meanwhile, Italy's coast guard blames the system used by the European border agency, Frontex. It says because Frontex didn't officially alert Italian rescuers, it meant their hands were tied in their response.

And while the search for the still missing migrants continues on the beaches of Calabria, protesters are hitting the streets in Rome demanding a change in Italy's approach to offshore rescue missions – and to migration as a whole.

#calabria #italy #italia #south italy #southern italy #migrants #immigrants #immigration #cutro #crotone #mediterranean #mediterranean sea #europe #giorgia meloni #piantedosi #elly schlein #ship #shipwreck #sinking #2023

[goldlightsaber]

father figures in The Last of Us

"You don't need a father."

I think it's interesting the way the show explores what it means to be a father and the way some people will embody fatherhood in a nurturing and giving way (Henry, Joel) and some will take the concept of patriarch to exert control over others (David).

David uttering that line to Ellie and being so grossly mistaken exemplifies that he is the anti-father. He is a narrative foil to Joel. He attempts to manipulate Ellie just so he can share his burden with her, even though she is just a fourteen-year-old girl who couldn't possibly carry the weight of leading an entire tribe of people. Ellie, who is not, as David claims, "violent at heart." Ellie didn't ask for any of this; she is violent because she needs to be. But David projects an idea onto her that she was made for it - for violent and cunning leadership, for being trusted with horrible secrets (like cannibalism). He attempts to manipulate her by calling her an "equal" even though she couldn't possibly be. Ellie is sensible, sure, and wicked smart, but she is still, at the end of the day, a kid. She needs to be held, especially emotionally. She needs someone to protect and take care of her. She needs someone to feel safe with. Her development and survival depend on it. Her ability to feel safe will determine how she will live out the rest of her life.

Also, even though nothing sexual was necessarily suggested, there was also something of a full-on pervert in David - that he wanted Ellie as a sort of queen by his side to lead the tribe with was an over-exaggeration of her maturity.

Joel, in contrast, is aware that there are things a child should never have to see or do. By the time he meets her, Ellie has unfortunately already seen and done too much. Still, he tries to keep her from seeing the skull graveyard. He is sensitive to the fact that to kill a man is no easy feat and weighs heavily on the soul, and regrets that she had to do so. He tries to keep her from himself -- he is mum on the details of his violent past not only because he knows it would reflect poorly on him, but also because it might scare her. And he almost leaves her with Tommy.

Meanwhile, David does not treat her as he aught -- by sparing her from the pains of the world. He openly admits to having violent inclinations. His entire conversation with her in the jail cell seemed like one big overshare.

Joel is an example of a nurturing paternal figure. David is an example of an abusive paternal figure. Joel wants to prevent Ellie from carrying heavy burdens, while David is all too ready to unload them onto her.

You can see just how unsafe Ellie feels around David because of the way she screams when he touches her. It was something far beyond fighting off an attack. It was a visceral reaction to being in the literal hands of someone that intended to use her and abuse her. There is something that recoiled in me watching David reach out to touch her in the jail cell. It felt wrong -- he should not be touching her. In contrast to when it happens with Joel -- he should, he cares for her, she needs a nurturing touch. It's because David's intentions were not pure, even if he called himself a man of God. Joel does not pretend to be pure, but his intentions toward Ellie always are. So when Joel appears, Ellie is fighting his touch because she has been violated. She only sinks into him when it registers that he is not a threat, but a safe haven.

#tlou #tlou spoilers #the last of us #joel miller #ellie williams #joel and ellie

[joy-of-life88]

Inked Temptation [a Damian Priest story] 6 A chance to explain

Damian POV

I could not believe my ears. Her fiancé? Therefore, she had fooled me all this time. So much for not having a boyfriend in ages! I felt so stupid. I stared at Ellie for a second. Her face clearly showed how shocked she was.

"I need to get out of here." I muttered, basically running for the door.

"Damian wait! It's not what it looks like. I swear he's not-" Ellie began as she followed me and grabbed my hand.

I tore myself away and gave her a nasty glare. I didn't feel like listening to her excuses. She had obviously lied to me more than once. Why would I want to hear more of it?

"Leave me alone, Ellie! I don't want to hear it. I'm not going to help you cheat." I said as I got in the car and drove away without looking back.

I was so pissed. And I was confused. And I felt taken advantage of and I felt betrayed. So many feelings all at once. My head was spinning. Part of me couldn't believe I had fallen for this. Another part missed Ellie already. Jeez, I was a mess. Right now I was glad I didn't have to see her again until the weekend. Maybe I'd be lucky and my inner chaos would have subsided by then. But somehow I highly doubted that.

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

Meanwhile it was Saturday, but my thoughts still revolved around Ellie. This was mainly due to the fact that until yesterday she had tried to call me all the time and had also sent me countless messages, but I had neither answered the calls nor read the messages.

I mean, the whole thing was really clear. She wanted a thing on the side and had obviously not expected that her.... fiancé would come home so early.

With a deep sigh, I entered the arena. I hoped that I could avoid her as long as possible. But of course I had no luck. I had just managed to get my bag into the locker room. When I came out again, I was already expected.

Ellie stood leaning against the wall with her arms folded across her chest. Obviously she was very determined to tell me her story. However, I still did not have the slightest interest in it. The only thing that was weird to me was the fact that she was wearing sunglasses.

"Can we talk?" she asked.

"No." I grumbled and walked away.

"I deserve the chance to explain it to you Damian." she replied as she followed me down the hall.

"Go tell your fiancé," I said.

"He's not my fiancé, Damian!" she yelled at me as she grabbed my arm, forcing me to stop.

"What?" I asked as I looked at her after all.

"It's true, we were engaged. But that ended over two years ago! I broke up with him when I found out he was cheating on me basically from day one!" she explained to me.

"Then why would he suddenly show up at your apartment?" I wanted to know.

"Because he still imagines he can get me back and my fucking sister is a bitch," Ellie replied.

"What? What does this have to do with your sister?" I wanted to know.

"Because she's a friend of Scott's and apparently has been keeping him up to date  about my life all along. She knew from the beginning that he was cheating on me. She didn't think it was necessary to tell me though. Yvonne hates me and would have loved to see me marry the bastard," Ellie said and then took off her sunglasses.

But when I saw her face, my anger and confusion vanished in one fell swoop. Not just because I had missed it so much, but because she had a swollen, black eye.

"Oh my God, Ellie! Please tell me that not happened what I think..." I said in shock as I put my hand to her cheek.

"No... Don't worry, it wasn't Scott. He wouldn't dare... He's a pig, but he's a cop and he can't afford to hit women. After I made him tell me everything, he confessed that Yvonne told him I had a new boyfriend. And she encouraged him to mess it up for me.

I then drove the 100 miles to her house to confront her. And let me put it this way.... You once told me I should have slapped her... This time I did more... Trust me when I tell you she looks a lot worse.

I just wanted you to know everything. I didn't lie to you. We didn't know where we stood yet. Besides, we haven't talked about our past. Still, I can understand if you don't want to have anything to do with me anymore," Ellie explained while looking me firmly in the eyes.

A sad smile appeared on her lips and tears sparkled in her eyes before she turned away from me. But she couldn't even take a step when I grabbed her hand this time and didn't let her go.

Instead, I pulled her closer to me, carefully took her face in my hands and gave her a long kiss.

#damian priest #WWE #Wattpad #My writing #inked temptation

[superbeans89]

England 15 - 16 South Africa

Well this was a much closer scoreline than anyone was expecting.

Despite neither team playing at their best, England’s stodgy, counterattacking style of rugby nearly stifled the springboks, keeping the world champions tryless until an hour in.

Kicking penalty after penalty, even slotting in a drop goal, Owen Farrell seemed determined to repeat England’s performance against Argentina, where they won on nothing but penalties.

In the 78th minute though, Handre Pollard broke English hearts by taking the lead with a penalty kick of his own, dragging South Africa into the final against New Zealand.

In current form, they’ll struggle against the All Blacks next week. Given their recent 35-7 victory over New Zealand however, anything’s possible.

Meanwhile England will be facing off against Argentina… again. Los Pumas will be hoping to avoid the meltdown that led to their 27-10 loss a month ago during pool play.

In any case, small victories for South Africa. It was a messy game, and a third rate performance from the men in green, but a win’s a win. They’ll have to up their game if they want to retain the Webb Ellis Cup, however.

#rwc 2023 #rugby world cup #England v South Africa #England rugby #springboks rugby

[ephrom]

Are Lily Orchard's Stalkers In The Room With Us Right Now?

Lily Orchard has a surprising amount of stalkers. Not only that, but she's really good at determining who is and isn't a stalker on the spot. Here is her declaring two anonymous people on her tumblr stalkers in the last week--because they both called out her constant mention of vague "stalkers" as the reason everything bad happens to her in life.

Now, I'm not going to say that Lily Orchard has never been stalked. However, Lily has such a vague definition of "stalking" that the term is basically meaningless. Back in the day (notice how I am admitting this was years ago), she used to label ForNoGoodReason a stalker--make no mistake, he was a dumbass and a creep, but not a stalker--for the crime of making videos talking about her. However, making videos on somebody--even obsessively and constantly making videos on somebody--is not stalking. Under that definition, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein were stalking Richard Nixon by covering Watergate for The Washington Post. This is a behavior Lily began engaging when I stopped watching her, and has only gotten worse since. Take this video Orchard posted three months (notice how I am very clearly saying when this video came out) at time of writing.

In this video, she lists six people as stalkers--none of whom she says by name, by the way. Yeah, despite this video serving the purpose of "drawing attention to her stalkers," she doesn't actually allow people to know who these people she wants to draw attention to are.

I'm still fairly new to the Lily Orchard drama sphere all things considered, so I'll break this down the best I can by telling you what she names these people and who they really are.

Karen is @britts-galaxy-brain

Carol is both Jess and Zena

Katie is @segasister

Ellie is Lizzy Orchard, her ex-fiancé

Skylar is Patchwork Hearts

Val is Cypher from @whyyoulyinglily

Mark Twain once said that no man has a good enough memory to be a liar, and Lily is such a liar she is unable to remember her own story from paragraph to paragraph. Within the same minute, Segasister I mean Katie I mean Segasister hates Lily both because she said Voice of Reason was wrong regarding My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and because she called out pedophiles in the brony community. Jess and Zena I mean Carol I mean Jess and Zena are grifters trying to content farm her one minute, and the next they're nothing more than aggressive Vaush fans.

Of course, if anybody knows even the basic facts about these situations, we can find that Lily is just lying at various points. For example, the content farming Jess and Zena I mean Carol I mean Jess and Zena were engaging in actually amounted to two videos before this came out.

Meanwhile, Brittiany I mean Karen I mean Brittiany is so transphobic that when they were friends Brittany was actually encouraging Lily to pursue a transgender identity despite fears that actually becoming a woman would be unrealistic. Oh, also, Brittiany began talking about her experiences with Lily between five and six years ago--I'll admit, I can't remember exactly when--not eight years ago, I know, I was there when it happened.

This isn't even getting into the number of claims she makes without the slightest amount of evidence--again, because the nature of the video demands she not use any or else risk shining a light on the people she made this video to shine a light on. For example, she claims out of nowhere that she has a hunch that Patchwork Heart I mean Skylar I mean Patchwork Heart was celebrating her being raped in 2018. If this claim were true, that would make Patchwork Heart I mean Skylar I mean Patchwork Heart a terrible human being--and Lily just throws out this guess without giving it any kind of support. (For reference, I have since talked to Patchwork Heart and she does not seem like the kind of person who would celebrate somebody being raped.)

However, what have these six stalkers done with all their years of harassment? Not much, according to Lily. You see, despite being obsessed with her to the point where they want to show up to her house, Lily has to admit that these people have done nothing to her other than stress her out. She even says she can't sue them for defamation because they haven't done enough damage to her. Remember, it wasn't one of her stalkers who found her address, it was a fan who did that to send her a Nintendo Switch.

Side note: This video is great because Lily spends basically the last seventy five percent complaining about her stupid and obsessive her fanbase is. We all know that if her critics acted like this, she would talk about this constantly. Meanwhile, the people who criticize her are supposed to be the biggest sources of stress in her life?

In fact, can we just talk about how Lily talks about her fanbase in this video more generally? This is a topic for another post, but Lily saying her fans "can't take no for an answer" just shows you what kind of community she fosters. Lets not forget that this is the same woman who said that she told her fans she was fine with NSFW art of her OC because she thought that would mean they'd make less of it.

This should go without saying, but if you have to play reverse psychology regarding sexual boundaries--that's not exactly a good thing. Again, why is it that Lily keeps talking about the damages her critics keep doing--which she admits are basically non-existent--when her fans are doing shit like this?

In another post, she says that her fans are morons who cannot do the most basic forms of critical thinking and expect her to figure things out for them.

It's funny that in that video, she says that online cults cannot form. Even ignoring the fact that this is just wrong, it seems like a good chunk of her fans want a cult leader.

Anyway, I have no idea how to end this post--so here's a funny tweet from Nezziemonster, somebody with a very funny Twitter that you should follow.

#lily orchard #fornogoodreason #Youtube #jess and zena #segasister #lizzy orchard #patchwork hearts #cypher #voice of reason #vaush #britts-galaxy-brain #nezziemonster

[j-nightingalesb1tch]

finding james nightingale: 17/02/16

(masterpost)

22x34 - let the games begin!

hello again. after a eight month break, i decided it was time to continue this series.

so this episode picks up where the last one left off. marnie set off the fire alarm in the hutch to give james the opportunity to grab the laptop from behind the bar. however, he doesn’t get very far when he is stopped by tony and forced to leave the resturant. they go back inside once all the fuss has died down and james meets scott drinkwell, who is instantly enamoured by the lawyer.

scott turns on the flirting and marnie uses it to her advantage, encouraging james to spend the afternoon with scott, much to her son’s distaste. while they’re gone and diane’s distracted, marnie grabs the laptop, makes her excuses and leaves.

meanwhile, james is suffering through a painful date with an oblivious scott. he uses the opportunity to dig up dirt on tony, and scott reveals the truth about tony and diane’s twins (although james doesn’t use that particular information to his advantage until later in 2019). he tries to ask how the hutch has been getting on, but scott dismisses his question in order to continue their date.

james finally returns home later that day and laments to his mother about his date with scott, specifically his “theories behind why zayn really left 1d” (james being a one direction hater hurts my feelings). his dislike for scott is an ongoing thing that lasts for years to come, and we’ll see the pair going head to head quite a few times. anyway, ellie helps the pair log into the laptop and they discover that the resturant is almost bankrupt.

basking in the joy of their plan coming together, neither of them notice scott approaching, who, after a pep talk with diane, is determined to make things work with james. he offers james his number before noticing the laptop and asking what the pair were doing with it.... oops.

nothing much to talk about in this episode, but we’ll soon reach the good stuff XD

#hollyoaks #james nightingale #gregory finnegan #finding JN

[rockislandadultreads]

Book Recommendations: “Wednesday” Read-Alikes

Bunny by Mona Awad

Samantha Heather Mackey couldn't be more of an outsider in her small, highly selective MFA program at New England's Warren University. A scholarship student who prefers the company of her dark imagination to that of most people, she is utterly repelled by the rest of her fiction writing cohort--a clique of unbearably twee rich girls who call each other "Bunny," and seem to move and speak as one.

But everything changes when Samantha receives an invitation to the Bunnies' fabled "Smut Salon," and finds herself inexplicably drawn to their front door--ditching her only friend, Ava, in the process. As Samantha plunges deeper and deeper into the Bunnies' sinister yet saccharine world, beginning to take part in the ritualistic off-campus "Workshop" where they conjure their monstrous creations, the edges of reality begin to blur. Soon, her friendships with Ava and the Bunnies will be brought into deadly collision.

Hex by Rebecca Dinerstein Knight

Nell Barber, an expelled PhD candidate in biological science, is exploring the fine line between poison and antidote, working alone to set a speed record for the detoxification of poisonous plants. Her mentor, Dr. Joan Kallas, is the hero of Nell's heart. Nell frequently finds herself standing in the doorway to Joan's office despite herself, mesmerized by Joan's elegance, success, and spiritual force.

Surrounded by Nell's ex, her best friend, her best friend's boyfriend, and Joan's buffoonish husband, the two scientists are tangled together at the center of a web of illicit relationships, grudges, and obsessions. All six are burdened by desire and ambition, and as they collide on the university campus, their attractions set in motion a domino effect of affairs and heartbreak.

Meanwhile, Nell slowly fills her empty apartment with poisonous plants to study, and she begins to keep a series of notebooks, all dedicated to Joan. She logs her research and how she spends her days, but the notebooks ultimately become a painstaking map of love. In a dazzling and unforgettable voice, Rebecca Dinerstein Knight has written a spellbinding novel of emotional and intellectual intensity.

A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee

Felicity Morrow is back at Dalloway School.

Perched in the Catskill mountains, the centuries-old, ivy-covered campus was home until the tragic death of her girlfriend. Now, after a year away, she’s returned to graduate. She even has her old room in Godwin House, the exclusive dormitory rumored to be haunted by the spirits of five Dalloway students—girls some say were witches. The Dalloway Five all died mysteriously, one after another, right on Godwin grounds.

Witchcraft is woven into Dalloway’s history. The school doesn’t talk about it, but the students do. In secret rooms and shadowy corners, girls convene. And before her girlfriend died, Felicity was drawn to the dark. She’s determined to leave that behind her now; all Felicity wants is to focus on her senior thesis and graduate. But it’s hard when Dalloway’s occult history is everywhere. And when the new girl won’t let her forget.

It’s Ellis Haley’s first year at Dalloway, and she’s already amassed a loyal following. A prodigy novelist at seventeen, Ellis is a so-called “method writer.” She’s eccentric and brilliant, and Felicity can’t shake the pull she feels to her. So when Ellis asks Felicity for help researching the Dalloway Five for her second book, Felicity can’t say no. Given her history with the arcane, Felicity is the perfect resource. And when history begins to repeat itself, Felicity will have to face the darkness in Dalloway–and in herself.

Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen

A way to survive. A way to serve. A way to save.

Simi prayed to the gods, once. Now she serves them as Mami Wata--a mermaid--collecting the souls of those who die at sea and blessing their journeys back home.

But when a living boy is thrown overboard, Simi goes against an ancient decree and does the unthinkable--she saves his life. And punishment awaits those who dare to defy the gods.

To protect the other Mami Wata, Simi must journey to the Supreme Creator to make amends. But all is not as it seems. There's the boy she rescued, who knows more than he should. And something is shadowing Simi, something that would rather see her fail . . .

Danger lurks at every turn, and as Simi draws closer, she must brave vengeful gods, treacherous lands, and legendary creatures. Because if she fails, she risks not only the fate of all Mami Wata, but also the world as she knows it.

This is the first volume in the “Skin of the Sea” series. 

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