#Expired pepper spray | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

deathskid · 2 years

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SELF DEFENSE

why would you need pepper spray, when toji can show you how to defend yourself .. amongst other things?

➠ self defense teacher!toji x reader

➠ wc: 4.7k

➠ cw: unprotected sex, fingering, pussy slapping, praise kink, mating press, mirror sex, choking, orgasm control, brief mention of masturbation, groping

➠ click here to join my taglist!

MINORS AND BLANK BLOGS DNI.

from the minute you stepped into his studio, you realized this was a mistake. you were new to the city. you recognized you needed a better means of defending yourself besides the pink can of pepper spray that dangled from your keychain. but you began wondering if you were better off with the expired aerosol rather than attending toji fushiguro’s self-defense classes.

there was no point in denying your interest in the raven haired man. setting eyes upon him, you saw why everybody gushed about his lessons.

on your first day in his studio, he commended you for how quick of a learner you were, but you rolled your eyes at his played out praises. his seductive demeanor was nothing shy of agitating. he flirted with every woman in the class, groping them with the excuse of “realistic measures”. their incessant giggling and skimpy clothing worked your last nerve, especially because toji entertained it.

however, as the weeks passed, you noticed that slight tingling in between your legs becoming more difficult to overlook. at first, you thought you were losing it, denying the tension brewing between the two of you. his sleazy passes at you and subtle sexual quips shot straight to your core, the arousal now impossible to ignore.

his praises started affecting you more and more. every time he called you “good girl”, your mind drifted to lewd places. you tried to swat away the obscene thoughts, but his crotch rubbing against your ass during drills didn’t help. it seemed as if he paid extra attention to you with each session.

when he corrected your form, you faltered as his palms lingered on your frame a few seconds longer than they should have. your breath hitched and heart skipped whenever he touched you.

you began wearing less to his classes. instead of leggings and an oversized tee, you started sporting short spandex and ultra thin tank tops. you convinced yourself it was only because you got hot in the studio, not because you wanted toji to notice your frame.

you weren’t totally sure why you were so hyperaware of the throbbing sensation in between your legs now, but everything toji did drove you closer to the brink.

whenever he spoke, you’d rub your thighs together, wondering how alluring his moans would sound while he’s stretching you out. the way he’d come behind you and whisper instructions in your ear made you wonder what kind of obscenities he’d whisper to you while shoving two fingers inside of you.

and his fingers. those thick and calloused digits that you always gawked at. it didn’t matter if he was just pointing across the room or touching you. you wanted them knuckle deep inside of your cunt, pumping in and out of your wet heat. you wanted to cum all over them and watch him lick your juices up.

if you showed up early to class, you’d be able to catch a glimpse of him changing his shirt in the back. god, you felt like a perv watching him through the cracked open door, but you couldn’t help yourself. you watched him remove his hoodie from his body, tossing it on the ground and replacing it with a thin t-shirt. your mouth watered as he revealed his godly pecs and abs, the light reflecting off of the thin sheen of sweat covering his body. and if you were lucky enough, his sweats would hang just a little bit lower on his hips, revealing his sharply cut v line and happy trail.

by the time class actually started, your panties were drenched just thinking about him and undressing him in your mind. it was embarrassing how much you anticipated him correcting your form. just to feel his hands burning into your flesh, his touch lingering on your skin long after he’d moved on.

when you got home, you’d throw your things down and immediately start working your cunt, furiously rubbing your clit and stuffing your fingers inside while you thought about him. he occupied your head almost every minute of every day. even at work, thinking about how his hand squeezed your waist when you got a counter right had you sprinting to the bathroom to get yourself off.

eventually, your fingers weren’t enough. you needed him inside of you. when he took water breaks, the way his adam’s apple bobbed with every sip had your mind hazy. the way he wiped the sweat from his forehead with his shirt. the way he made direct eye contact with you and spread his legs when he sat down. you felt dirty looking at his crotch, but his bulge was massive and hard to ignore, and you couldn’t even imagine what his print looked like if he was hard.

there were times when he caught you staring. your cheeks heated up with embarrassment, but he only grinned and chuckled to himself. he knew how flustered he made you. he knew what you daydreamed about during class. that’s why he’d go out of his way to check on you and use you for class demonstrations.

he’d bring you up to the front of the class and grope your body. he’d touch you in every way possible while he pretended to be an assaulter, letting you demonstrate your counters on him. it took everything in you not to drop down on your knees and suck him off in front of everyone. hours after class ended, you swore you still felt his hands roaming and squeezing your body.

and that one time he picked you up and tossed you over his shoulder ignited something inside you. he did it so effortlessly, like you weighed next to nothing. your arousal was so strong, you thought he could smell the lust and desire oozing from your hole.

whenever he talked, you barely registered anything because you wouldn’t look anywhere other than those plump lips and that damned scar. you only thought about how good his lips would feel sucking on your clit and ravishing your sweet cunt. how he would kiss every area of your body and worship your skin with his tongue.

and his back. his wide and muscular back on display whenever he turned around. you saw the way his shirt clung to his body and outlined his muscles, imagining clawing his back while he fucked you. scratching your nails up and down as he pounded into your tight walls, hissing at the welts forming due to your clawing. all you wanted was to feel him stretching you out like no one else. to feel his hands exploring your body and learning its ins and outs.

“y/n? you payin’ attention?” toji’s voice snapped you from your thoughts. you blinked before realizing what was going on. the man stood in front of you with his arms crossed as you woke up from your trance. you glanced around the studio to see everyone stretching out in a child’s pose. you stammered and nodded, slumping to the ground and getting in the position.

but when toji came behind you to correct your form, you essentially freaked out and shoved him aside the instant his hands clutched your hips. you already suffered the embarrassment of zoning out thinking about him, but his hands on your body was the last thing you needed when trying to refocus. today was your breaking point.

“i don’t need your help to stretch out some fucking muscle, okay? i can do it on my own.” you snapped, being sure to keep quiet so only he could hear. your temper confused toji. you were normally mild-mannered and compliant during sessions. he wasn’t sure why you were so testy all of a sudden.

“relax, sweetheart. just tryna help you. spread those legs,” he said before walking away. your brain distorted the seemingly innocent remark. you knew what he meant, but erotic images of him plagued your mind. the thought of him spreading your legs open as he took off your panties, embedded in your head.

for the rest of the lesson, you kept interaction with him to a minimum, hoping to subdue the tension. he noticed how out of it you were. you were unfocused and blanking on things you should’ve known. he wasn’t sure what had gotten into you.

after class ended, you were gathering your belongings when toji instructed you to stay back for a while. your hands became clammy at his request, heart pumping rapidly because of how nervous you were.

“what’s going on with you today, y/n? your counters are all over the place and you aren’t focused.” he sighed, cleaning up the studio as he spoke. you huffed, leaning against the mirrored wall and crossing your arms.

“it’s fine, i’m just having an off day. i’ll be good by friday.” you replied, kicking at a torn piece of the mat.

“sweetheart, there are no ‘off days’ when you have to defend yourself. c’mere. you’re not leaving until you get this right, understood?” the added bass in his voice caused you to stand up straight, knowing he would not ask you again. you nodded and shuffled to the middle where toji stood.

you peered up at him as he hovered over you, his massive and bulky frame nearly blocking the fluorescent lighting of the studio. his black shirt clung to his chest, sweat decorating his collar and beading his forehead. you found yourself staring, internally berating yourself for finding such a sleazeball like him handsome. he was clearly teaching these classes to get pussy, not because he cared about the safety of women.

“we’ll start simple, alright? i come at you with a bear hug. what’s the first thing you do?”

“um, stomp on your foot and move my hips so i can hit your groin.”

“good girl. now, show me.” toji appeared behind you and secured his arms around you, pressing his chest against your back. he was so close, you felt his breath fanning your neck. it took everything in you to keep your composure, your ass brushing against his bulge as he got into position.

you inhaled and began your fight, grunting and kicking your legs in the air to escape his hold. his grip on you didn’t budge as you struggled to stomp on his foot, the studio filling with the sounds of his grunts and your heavy breathing.

“i know this ain’t all you got, c’mon.” your feeble attempts at escaping his attack bored toji. you became more frustrated with each passing second that he still held you. the irritation bubbled over until you eventually stomped on his foot, taking the opportunity and gently elbowing his groin. you exhaled and plopped down on the mat, not being able to celebrate the slight victory because you knew you were better than this, and toji did too.

“i know what you’re gonna say, so keep it to yourself. it shouldn’t have been that hard. i’ve countered trickier attacks, blah blah blah. i fucking know.” you waved him off, grabbing a sip of your water. toji chuckled and squatted next to you, emerald eyes boring into yours.

“so if you know, why couldn’t you do it?” he cocked his head to the side.

“oh my god, i don’t know. actually, i’m just gonna leave. i’ll be back friday, and i’ll have time to reset and practice.” as you stood up, he caught your wrist and pulled you down to the floor. you swallowed and glanced over at him.

“nah, lay down.you can do one more. if you counter this, you can go home. if not, you’ll stay for another thirty minutes until you get it right.” he pointed towards the mat, gesturing for you to lie down on your back. you rolled your eyes and complied, laying back with annoyance etched all over your face as he crawled on top of you.

“don’t look at me like that, fix your face. all i’m doing is helping you stay safe.” you resisted the urge to punch him, only because he was right. he didn’t have to help you at all. he should’ve let you walk out, knowing you wouldn’t be able to defend yourself properly. but he stayed until you got it right.

“i’m choking you, what’s the first thing you do?” his large fingers wrapped around your throat, being gentle enough so he wasn’t cutting off your air. even still, your breath hitched as he did so, arousal pooling in your core as you darted your eyes to the ground, hoping he didn’t sense your sudden shift in energy. you withstood the attraction before, but now that he was so close to you with his hand on your neck, the pulsing between your thighs became insufferable. your heart pounded against your chest, thudding loud enough for toji to hear as your mouth went dry. you became incapable of forming sentences as erotic images engulfed your mind.

“i- um… it’s…” you faltered off, lifting your arms to make a move.

“i know you didn’t forget. it’s the first thing i ever taught you, you can counter it.”

“what if i don’t want to?” you murmured under your breath, praying he didn’t hear. but he did. he heard you loud and clear. a smirk appeared on his face as he looked down at your flustered state, your hands settling on his forearm. he tugged you closer to him with his hand still resting around your neck. you gasped, finally lifting your eyes up to find his.

“don’t tell me you like it when i manhandle you like this.” toji cooed, fingers pressing the sides of your throat. you shook your head, trying to deny the obvious.

“n-no, i didn’t mean that.” you recanted, but the way you rubbed your thighs together told him otherwise. you only meant to say it in your head, not out loud.

“hm. maybe we should try a different approach.” toji leaned down closer to you, his face mere centimeters away from yours, the tips of your noses barely rubbing together. “maybe i need to fuck the lessons into you. don’t you agree?” rendered speechless, you whimpered and nodded, unable to peel your eyes from the scar decorating his lip.

toji crashed his lips onto yours, holding your chest against his as you arched into his touch. the two of you moved in sync with each other, his tongue lazily pushing its way inside of your mouth and swirling around yours. his free hand traveled down your body, grabbing and gripping at your flesh to see what makes you tick. when he reached your hips, a light sigh slipped from your mouth as he squeezed the plush skin. you gasped, moving back to tug on his bottom lip with your teeth. the air was heavy as you pulled away from the passionate kiss, your chest heaving as you caught your breath.

he pressed his mouth to your jaw, trailing wet kisses down to your neck and sucking on it. his hand traveled to your scalp, tugging your head to the side for better access as his pillow soft lips continued their attack. a string of curses fell from your mouth as you found yourself grinding down on his thigh, your cunt aching and needing more. after toji realized how needy you were becoming, he gripped your hips and slid you back and forth, your pussy dampening the fabric of his sweats through your spandex.

“toji, fuck,” you purred. he smirked into your neck, satisfied with your adorable reactions. toji sat up and pulled you into his lap. he took a moment to relish in your beauty before turning you around and holding your back to his chest. forcing your eyes to meet your reflection in the mirrored wall, he swiped his thumb across your bottom lip.

“look at how pretty you are.” he held your hands behind you with one of his, the other dipping beneath the waistband of your spandex shorts and underneath your panties.

“so fucking wet, baby. all for me too?” his finger teased your clit, moving up and down your folds to collect your arousal and circling the swollen nub.

“yes, tojiiii.” you drew out, nodding and bucking your hips into his fingers. he hummed to himself before pressing his thick digits at your entrance, gradually driving two into your warmth. your mouth gaped open, squeezing your eyes shut as your head fell on his shoulder. his digits moved in and out of you with leisure, making sure you felt him scissoring in and out of your cunt. you wanted nothing more than to grab hold of toji, but with your hands still held behind your back, you only sunk your nails into your palms.

“and look how easy my fingers go in.” toji was in awe of how wet you were for him, your tight cunt squelching around him as he pried you open. he pulled your tank top down, uncovering your braless tits to his gaze. “no bra either? it’s like you wanted this all along.” he snickered, caressing your breasts and rolling a nipple in with his free hand. his fingers curved up inside of you, massaging your g-spot as you moaned out his name.

“more, need more,” you sighed.

“if you can manage to free your hands, i’ll let you cum on my dick, sweetheart. you still have to learn your lesson, yeah?” he buzzed in your ear, his fingers moving faster than before.

“i c-can’t.” you stammered, your cunt squeezing his digits and sucking them in.

“aw, so you don’t want me to fuck this pretty little pussy?” you saw stars as he continuously assaulted your g-spot, struggling to pry your hands from his grip. he sneered, looking at your body in the mirror and watching you writhe as you continued your attempts to slip away. “that’s it. you can do it.” he coached, placing chaste kisses on your collarbone.

“open your eyes, look in the fucking mirror. i want you to see what i see.” he whispered. against your better judgement, you opened your eyes and fixated on your disheveled and vulnerable state. your breathing became more erratic as toji held your gaze through the mirror. embarrassment washed over. you looked crazy, squirming in his hold while he fingered you. you had dreamed of this moment, but now that it was actually happening, you felt small. you shook your head, fixing your eyes back shut.

“i don’t like it.” you mumbled in between moans, but that just pissed toji off. you thought he didn’t hear you, but he did. he was waiting for the right time to show you something different.

unbeknownst to you, he was slowly relaxing his restraint just for you to wriggle free. he didn’t want to be cruel and use his full strength on you—not when he needed to have your precious cunt wrapped around his cock.

miraculously, you slipped through his grip and freed your hands, immediately moving to lace them through his hair as his thumb pressed to your clit. he rubbed the swollen bundle of nerves, whispering praises in your ear and telling you how proud he was.

“i knew you could do it. i know how badly you want me inside of you,” he said. “but first…” he trailed off and grabbed you by your neck, removing his hand from your shorts.

“look in the mirror and say you’re beautiful.” he demanded, his chest heaving from irritation. he couldn’t believe you’d brought yourself to say you didn’t like what you saw in the reflection. you whined and shook your head, but your response earned a slap to your cunt. “say it, baby. you see how pretty you look all desperate for my cock?”

“i’m beautiful.” you murmured half-heartedly, but toji knew you didn’t believe it.

“you can do a lot better than that. try again.” another slap. you yelped and wiggled in his hold, tears decorating your cheeks.

“i look so p-pretty like this.” you sniffled, licking your lips as he soothed the stinging by rubbing your cunt through your shorts.

“yeah? one more time.” his hand rubbed faster, your clit brushing against the fabric sending you into a frenzy.

“‘m so pretty, fuck! toji, fuck me, please.” you cried out, that familiar maddening sensation creeping up on you. he halted his movements, pulling your shorts down and off of you. he gawked at your glistening cunt in the mirror, spreading your lips apart as your arousal oozed onto the mat below.

“so fucking beautiful.” toji took off his shirt and tossed it aside, twirling you around on his lap to face him. your hands roamed up and down his chiseled chest before moving down to tug at the waistband of his sweats.

“please,” you muttered, “need it.” he groaned inwardly at your soft plea, your doe eyes sending him into a frenzy.

“i can’t say no to that pretty face.” you leaned in to ravage his lips once more, tasting the pure hunger in his mouth. he wrapped his arms around you, gently laying you on your back as you draped your legs around his waist.

toji started grinding his bulge against your cunt. he reached in between your bodies and tugged down his sweats and boxers, his heavy cock drooping down and slapping his thigh. your mouth watered at his erection leaking with pre-cum as you anxiously grabbed his length and stroked it in your dainty hands, your fingers barely fitting around his sheer girth. you were so impatient; it was laughable. so eager for him to bury himself inside of your cunt, you guided the tip to your entrance, sliding it up and down your wet folds.

toji sank inside of your heat, both of you gasping at the same time at the tension finally snapping. he folded your knees to your chest to put you in a mating press as he bottomed out, his cockhead sitting snuggly against your cervix.

“so deep, oh fuck.” you whimpered, your eyes crossing as he dragged his cock along your plushy walls. he was splitting you in half, every inch of him plunging in and out of you was practically unbearable. you nibbled on your bottom lip, your cunt twitching as he started pounding into you.

“such a good fucking girl, sucking me in like that.” he admired, jerking his hips forward. your whining like music to ears, goading him on to keep his pace.

you thought the air was being knocked from your lungs with each ravenous thrust, his cock driving into you with no remorse. he cursed at how stunning you looked underneath him, your tits bouncing up and down and eyes swelling with tears. your swollen lips parted slightly as choked out moans and whimpers fell from them.

“feels s’good.” you cried, your fingers clutching his biceps as he fucked into you. “h-harder, please.”

toji didn’t hesitate to obey your request, brushing against that spongy patch in your walls as he rammed into you.

“you’re so greedy, baby. this—hah—this what you wanted? needed me to hit that spot right here?” he groaned, his cock mercilessly pounding into your g-spot. your jaw dropped as you looked up into his eyes that were covered by his hair. you didn’t have the strength to make any actual noise, only pathetic whimpers as you nodded.

“toji, pleasepleaseplease.” you begged, your fingers whipping in between the two of you for you to rub your clit, desperate to cum.

“didn’t i teach you about stamina, baby? you can hold it, can’t you?” toji smirked, looking down at his cock disappearing inside of you. you shook your head, whimpering as you crumbled under the pressure.

“hold it for me and i’ll let you get on top. that sound good? fuck, baby, this pussy is too fucking good.” toji grunted, lowering his face closer to yours as he wrapped a hand around your throat. reluctantly, you agreed, fighting the urge to squirm underneath his weight with each snap of his hips.

drool dribbled out of your mouth as you chanted his name like a prayer, staving off the orgasm that slowly tried pushing its way out of you. he basked in your sweet moans, coaxing him on to deepen his strokes as he watched how hard you tried holding it in for him—you were adorable.

“baby, you’re doing so good f’me, shit.” toji squeezed his eyes shut as his cock pulsed inside of you. your eyebrows knitted together as you mewled, moving your hands to play with your breasts.

“look at me, who’s a good fuckin’ girl?” he squeezed the sides of your throat as you opened your eyes.

“i-i am!” you cried out, gasping and wrapping your legs around his waist.

“who did good today, baby? hm?” his mouth found yours for a few seconds before he pulled back to let you respond.

“i did!” your tongue lolled out of your mouth as you wailed.

“tell me you’re a good girl.” his rhythm began to falter, cock throbbing inside of you as he pushed through. he fought his urge to cum inside of you, moaning out your name while your cunt gripped his cock.

“i’m a good fucking girl,” you said breathlessly. he moved his hand to squish your cheeks together and spit onto your tongue. you moaned and swallowed his saliva, sticking your tongue out to show him.

“fuck, i cant take it anymore. come on and sit on this dick.” he hissed, pulling his length out of your soaking wet cunt. he fought to push through, but imagining you on top of him and riding his cock wore his patience thin.

he rolled onto his back and grabbed your body so you could straddle his lap. after taking a moment to steady yourself, you gripped the base of his cock. you let a line of spit fall from your mouth to the tip, slowly stroking him before hovering over his erection.

you sunk down on his cock, taking your time as you held the base and mounted him. he seemed a lot bigger than before, splitting you in half as you took him to the head.

“there we fucking go.” he hissed, smacking your ass. a shiver ran down your spine as he twitched inside of you, even the slightest movement becoming too much.

“i can’t take it. too big.” you pouted, tears streaming down your face at the intrusion.

“don’t cry, baby. you can take all of it. i’ll help you, yeah? like this.” toji pulled you flush to his chest, gripping your ass as he moved you up and down. he started slow until you found a rhythm that worked for you, watching your cunt leave white cream all over his cock.

“good fucking girl. just like that.” he praised in your ear, pressing his lips to your neck. you moaned out, working your hips up and down on his cock as he guided you. the burning sensation slowly subsided and immense pleasure and bliss replaced it.

“so full.” you whispered

the way his tip pushed against your cervix had your cunt contracting. you were clenching around his length, a sign of how close you were, your choked out cries and moans reciting his name echoing through the studio.

“need to cum, f-fuck.” you wailed, nuzzling your face into his neck.

“already? cum all on this dick, baby.” he groaned, squeezing you tighter and holding you into place as he thrusted up into you. your eyes rolled to the back of your head, the pressure that had been building in between your legs boiling over suddenly. your body seized as you gushed all over toji’s cock and lower abdomen. he fucked you through your climax while high-pitched moans and cries fell from your lips. you chanted his name like a prayer as your poor cunt spasmed from the stimulation.

toji held you close as his own orgasm neared. right before his climax, he slipped out of your wet heat and painted your stomach white with his seed, cursing with each spurt of his thick cum dribbling out. he looked down at your blissed out face, grinning.

“i’ll let you rest for now. but when i see you friday, those counters better have improved. i don’t wanna have to punish you.” you sucked your teeth at his threat, lazily rolling your head to the side.

“punish me? whatever.” you quietly giggled, brushing him off.

“i would hate to have to stay after every class with you, drilling those counters into that pretty little head…“ he paused, grinning and grabbing your chin to face him again, “or maybe a few more rounds tonight will help.”

#jjk #toji fushiguro x reader #jjk smut #toji fushiguro smut #jjk toji #jjk x you #jjk x reader #toji fushiguro x you #toji fushiguro #jujutsu kaisen toji #jujutsu kaisen #jujutsu kaisen smut #toji zenin x reader

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dev1lm4n · 1 year

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offering

pairings: jackson-era!joel miller x f!reader

summary: angsty; joel thinks more of your accidental visit, you think he still views you as one of his whores.

pt. 2 to winter coat

word count: 2.1k

warnings: explicit (18+), mentions of sexual actions, sorta manipulative n emotionally unavailable joel, but nothin' too dark, age gap if you squint.

notes: i'm sorry for taking ages! i got accepted in college so things r easier now. pls let me know if u want a smutty pt.3 lol

In the beginning, Joel Miller thought that it was pity.

Morbid curiosity was a close second. It’s like being stuck in a Monday morning traffic jam on the highway and as you creep along at a snail’s pace, a terrible collision happens. Although there’s nothing in particular that’s knotting you and the accident, you feel the sickening curiosity to observe the damage. To stare, to take a good look at the misfortune. For him it’s more than peeping, it’s sticking his nose in the messy pie. Swirling the jam with his dirty, bare fingers.

He liked to watch you crawl out of the grimy one-bedroom flat you like to call your home. A pretty smile snug on your lips, smelling like the 2003 Bath & Body Works vanilla body spray you got from him. He enjoyed you making pathetic attempts in being friendly with him. You always made sure to pursue, pursue, and pursue, even when the thin line under his unruly mustache was an obvious no. Always made sure you brought him a can of old soda, a half-empty tin of mints, or unlabelled cassette tapes whenever you’d return from wherever it is you go to scavenge. The things you’re offering him sometimes still baffle him.

With a twinkle of admirable optimism, you’d try to bribe your way into Joel’s collection of things. A winter coat first. Then, gloves and expired Christmas cookies. It was a small collection per say, but it’s much better than the left over items you find on your so-called ‘runs’ around Boston. Things are always already picked out everywhere in the city and you could never seem to build up the courage to leave the gates. You’re too weak and foolish to route your way out in the wild. A kiss with death wasn’t exactly your thing. It was Joel’s thing.

He relished in the fact that you and him both knew that deep down; you’re tethered to him.

Joel Miller pitied you with every inch of his aching body and perhaps that’s why he’s constantly finding himself waiting for you. Legs spread on his half-sunken couch, vodka in hand as he expected you to knock on his door. Three was the number you’d always knock. Thursdays and Sundays were your favorite days since you’re usually free of duties. Ten was the amount of steps you took. Sweet was your scent and darlin’ was your name.

You’re his favorite pastime show. That’s why he's bothered when you stopped coming on schedule, stopped following the sacred routine. Joel’s first instinct was of a petulant child. At first, it was reaping new helpless damsels to pamper. Then comes the unnecessary aggression. Quarrels that had him littered in royal blue bruises and everyone that crossed him dead in a ditch. But you never came. Never knocked on his door again.

Until now.

You’re gone before he knows it. Cookies were your offering this time, decent ones that don't taste like sandpaper. Does this mean you’d need him again? He swore he tried to wait it out. Tried to sit still in the qualms of his home, hoping for you to be the one to relapse into his tousled salt-and-pepper and sharp pine scent. But you didn’t. You hadn’t come over to knock three times on his door on a Thursday afternoon and took ten steps to get wrapped up in his fingers.

He’s now actively seeking for you. Asking around as subtle as he could to figure out what exactly you do these days. Tommy said a seamstress, others said preschool teacher, then a few said stablehand as well. Every time he barged his way into a shop, calmly asking for your whereabouts, he’d always be met with a head shake. You’re a ghost it seems. The more he searched for you, the more you delve deep into nonexistence. That or you’ve deliberately played cat and mouse to avoid him. Afraid that he’d be dragging you back to the trenches of Boston, of who you and him were.

It’s not hard to catch a whiff of Joel Miller when he’s coming your way. He’s tall and brooding. A cloud of grump, stomping his way through town. People will talk. Anytime someone mentions his trudging footsteps, you’d be out of that facility in a second. Your role in the commune was to help out in a multitude of jobs, which means endless hiding spots from the thunder that’s tailing you around. You knew that scurrying away from him means avoiding him for just a limited period of time. You knew that he’d end up figuring out your pretty little tactics like he’s always had, but it’s better than the alternative: confrontation.

An odd rush of dread coursed through your veins at the mere sight of him.

Everything came back to you in an instant. The thing is, there used to be a locked chest on the back of your head. A place where you managed to compress the terrible things you’ve witnessed and comprehended throughout all these years of surviving. All the death, vile gore, the things that teared away every inch of your humanity. It’s all jumbled up with the scarce romance and twisted affection you received in between. Your Pandora's box has grown dusty from the years you’ve spent in Jackson, draped by a blanket of comfort and pushed even further into where no one could reach. Sure, it’s unresolved, but at least you don’t have to look at that ugly part of you ever again.

Those steely eyes of his was the key and even without having him say anything, he’s unleashed the flipside of what you are. Alarms blared in your head. The red and blue lights flashing brightly in the gathering gloom of winter evening. He was trouble and you knew it.

You were quick to shut the door close again, but he was even faster in lodging his arms between the door and the frame. He didn’t push forcefully like he’s interested in breaking in. He’s just stopping you from closing the door, effectively creating a gap. Carrying heavy logs of wood and slabs of meat might’ve increased your strength by a bit, but Joel was no match for you. It’s impossible to beat him in the one thing he’s good at.

You gave up.

From your warm lungs came white clouds as you heaved in front of him, knuckles grown equally white against the edge of the birch wood. You looked up at him. He’s looking down at you and now you two are engaged in some fucked up version of a staring contest. Three apparent lines of horizontal wrinkles appeared on his forehead, then a couple in between his knitted brows. You could watch his rounded brown eyes droop, a gleam of hope flourished. He’s silently begging you to undo your resolve.

You gave in.

Your front door creaked open. The dense brick wall you’ve built for five consecutive years was torn away at his arrival. Brick by brick, little by little. Your bodies’ slight tilt to the side was your idea of a warm welcome into the heavenly space you’ve considered home. It’s infinitely better than the flat you owned in Boston. It’s a lot more personal; cluttered with old photographs, borrowed books, and lukewarm herbal tea. Most of it was just ways to fill the empty shell you’ve become. He took a step forward, then politely toed his muddy work boots off near your neatly arranged shoe rack. Wordlessly at that.

“Joel.”

The older looked back at your imposing figure, heart pounding against his ribcage at the trivial mention of his name.

“What are you doing here?”

You sounded distant, unlike the cheery version that came up to his doorstep the previous day. Yet your tone still reeked of the same old youth and innocence.

He swallowed thin air, hoping that it’d relieve the bitter taste on the back of his tongue.

“Your cookies.”

He uttered like it held some sort of relevance. When he’s met with a cute quirk of your eyebrow, he tounged the insides of his cheek. Nervous.

“It’s an offering, isn’t it?”

He questioned. Joel was unsure, you knew that much from the way he’s searching behind your expressive eyes.

An offering was a phrase you haven’t heard since you’ve last met him. Flashes of memories replayed like old film shot on an analog camera on the back of your head, blurry and vague. You remembered the heat of the summer, the busy chirps of cicadas. He joked about how you’d always bring him an offering every time you needed something. How it reminded him of a fat tabby cat who’d always bring him dead rats in exchange for tuna treats back in the day. You remembered how you sulked, all pouty, because he’d just compared your small gifts to a dead rat. He’d then comfort you and peppered heated kisses. Scruff against the smooth of your skin.

Why are you remembering all this?

“No, Joel. It wasn’t– I don’t.. I don’t do that anymore.”

Your gaze grew pensive, wondering if he thought you're still the same girl you were. The same girl who’d suck his cock for a stupid periwinkle winter coat. There wasn’t anything wrong with prostitution, especially when it’s the only thing keeping you alive and well. It’s just that you’ve grown so much from that place. Your hair stopped shedding from the terrible diet you used to survive on, a bite of a dehydrated protein bar and tap water. Your cheeks were fuller, even when it’s still flushed with the exact same hues. You weren’t constantly freezing and jittering. Jackson shaped a new person out of a broken mold.

“I wasn’t.. implying on that. I was just– Well, I thought..”

He took a sharp breath.

“I thought you needed me.”

He confessed. Joel took another risky step forward, wooden boards creaking an ugly tone beneath his feet. You felt raw at his confession. The scabs were picked and yanked apart at every edge. There was nothing to hide your throbbing pain away with. No blankets of kind words. It bled quietly under his longing gaze. You knew where he's heading and no matter the name of the town it's nowhere good.

“I’m not the same girl, Joel.”

“I know, it’s just–”

“I don’t need you to protect me from anything. Do you think all my problems get solved when a big strong man shows up? Well, guess what–”

“No, I–”

“No. You listen to me.”

“I need you.”

You scoffed at what he said. A look of disbelief curved your eyebrows upwards and left your jaw slacked, as if you just heard the world’s stupidest joke coming from the world’s largest asshole. Did he really think sweet dolled-up words would help him get you right back in his lap? Ready for him to use whenever and wherever he pleases. Ready to get discarded once again as if you’re some sort of one-use paper cup in a shabby office. He took another step forward. This time, the light from the fireplace hit him in a way that made him look the same way he did five years ago. The glint of hope, the unspoken words, the twisted sense of belonging.

“Don’t say you need me when you leave and you leave again.”

You swore you could feel the agony making its way to the lilt of your voice. It’s bitter against the back of your throat. It didn’t matter that you were the one who physically left him when you disappeared out of Boston. He’s never even there to begin with. Not one inch of his heart was ever present when you were splayed out naked on his mattress, or when his fingers curled around your plush insides, or when your legs hooked around him, or when you told him how much he meant to you despite only being a quick fuck for him.

Silence fell over the both of you. You felt his frown and the way his warm ragged breath penetrated the cold air. You heard the ticking of your clock as you counted every second passing and the heavy, doubtful steps he took. You saw him curling a large hand against your skin to cup your cheek, testing the currents and seeing whether he’d managed to crack your resolve like he’d always have.

Everything felt so right. So familiar. Even when it’s wrong.

You’re crumpling, slotting right into the safe net he’s providing. A tear rolled down your cheek. The crowbar swung in slow motion, even when you’re doing everything to stop it. Joel Miller rendered you helpless. He made you feel like the girl you were. Then, like a poorly edited movie, there is no impact or sound of breaking glass, only a raining down of fragments sharp enough to pierce your firmness.

You sobbed. He cradled you in his arms, gently, like you actually mattered for once.

#joel miller #joel miller tlou #joel miller x reader #joel miller x you #joel miller fic #joel miller imagine #tlou #the last of us x reader #the last of us imagine #the last of us fic #tlou x reader #tlou imagine #tlou fic #joel miller angst

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recoiloperated · 15 days

Note

What do you mean by "apply directly to the forehead" on that picture of a gun?

Yeah, that might have been a little nebulous.

So- you live in a world that has dangers. Natural and man made. Some of them are incidental, car crashes, allergic reactions, sickness, natural disasters. They just happen.

Some are intentional, road rage, an animal attacking you/snakebite, assault, rape, murder.

And whenever it really comes down to it, You only have one choice about all this: are you going to take an active part in ensuring your safety? Or are you going to rely on the Goodwill of others?

You're going to encounter a lot more incidental threats in your life than intentional threats, So you need to put a little bit of preparation in for those. Have some spare food, have a way of cooking that food if you have no electricity. Have a way to filter water, ideally, store a couple flats of canned water- specifically canned. Bottled water goes bad faster.

And for the love of All things good and holy- take some first aid courses and build out a decent first aid kit.

But also, some problems are intentional- And you can't always run. In that case, your choice is either do violence, or have violence done against you. And while you have a predator brain that says to use as little energy as possible in the hunt- in those situations you are not the predator, you are the prey. And you should fight like it. So you don't mess around with toys, You don't use your kitty cat keychain knuckles, the little $25 Pink camouflage stun gun your daddy bought you from the army surplus when You were 17, or a keychain can of pepper spray that probably expired 12 years ago.

You pull out your gun, and you Punch holes in the threat until the threat isn't.

All of those other things do have their uses. They are warning colors for the predators. But you need to have the ability to apply overwhelming violence to that which is threatening you. You need to remind the predator that the most dangerous animal in Africa eats grass.

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sobersight · 1 year

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which gilmore girls characters would own guns?

lorelai: has a tiny pink camo pistol she has never bought ammo for — she thinks if she just pulls it out during a confrontation, it will scare off her attacker. really, she thinks of it as more of a cute accessory she can keep in her purse instead of a weapon

rory: is pro-gun control so she doesn’t own any firearms. however, she does have a baby blue pepper spray instead (it’s expired)

luke: has a couple firearms he all keeps very responsibly in a safe hidden in his closet. one he bought for self defense purposes, but the others were passed down from his father and he doesn’t have the heart to sell them

christopher: used to own one or two pistols, but he got rid of them when gigi was born

emily: has one antique rifle kept in her panic room that she thinks will defend her in the case of a burglar (it won’t)

richard: has a gun safe in his office containing a pistol and a sophisticated looking rifle, but he hasn’t told emily that they’re there

trix: believes that it’s a man’s job to handle the self defense of the home. however, she still keeps the old firearms that her late husband owned in case of “dire emergencies”

dean: goes hunting with his family regularly and therefore owns several firearms and knows how to use them

jess: has illegal firearms, one of which is a fully automatic that he takes out into the woods occasionally to shoot with his buddies

logan: has several high-tech, custom built handguns and rifles that he and his friends show off to each other. rory vehemently disapproves

lane: prefers knives, or perhaps a baton

mrs kim: she once shot an american soldier during the korean war, traumatizing her and being the inciting event for her conversion to seventh day adventism

paris: expert at self defense. she has a tricked out glock with tons of attachments, as well as excelling in several forms of hand to hand combat

sookie: was there when lorelai bought her pistol, so she also has a matching one. hers is lime green camo and it hasn’t seen the light of day for about five years

jackson: afraid of guns, but owns one gun (that he never touches) to keep up appearances of being tough and masculine

michel: european (doesn’t like guns)

taylor: acts scandalized by the idea of townspeople owning guns and tries to pass a motion banning them from the town, but really he has a large collection of historical muskets and rifles in his home for which he made “special exceptions”

kirk: bought a handgun once, but he shot himself in the foot and the town petitioned at a town meeting to confiscate it as a matter of public safety (it passed unanimously, with even kirk voting to confiscate)

liz: not really interested in firearms. she knows she’s too clumsy to use them — instead, she owns several swords, none of which are really practical

tj: bought a handgun once he and liz bought their house, but he still doesn’t know how to use it

patty: when asked, she says dramatically that she once “shot a man in reno.” she will not elaborate

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rumbelleshowdown · 1 year

Text

Author: onelastedit

Prompts: Stroking hair to soothe. “Take me with you.” Baking.

Group: B

On the Other Side of the Door

Was it too much to ask for a simple, relaxing holiday? Thanksgiving wasn’t a tradition Belle participated in - being Australian it hadn’t ever appealed to her - so she took the opportunity to use her vacation days from her job at the Library to rent a room at a new boutique hotel just outside of Storybrooke. The Autumn weather had already succumbed to the Winter and she wanted to indulge in a long weekend with wine, books, and a crackling fireplace.

Instead, she got a room with a broken fireplace, and a furnace stuck at a temperature that would make the Devil sweat. She’d only packed her warm clothes so she could either slowly get heat stroke wearing her flannel pajamas or walk around in only her knickers. The latter option, while it sounded sexy, was in reality disgusting when your room is trying to bake you like a pumpkin pie. The resulting smell was NOT of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Grudgingly, she put on the hotel’s complimentary robe and decided there was nothing for it but to trudge down to the front desk. She’d been assured the heat would be fixed within the hour - two hours ago. Gathering as much dignity as she could wearing nothing but a bathrobe with sweat actively dripping down her body, she made to open her door but the handle was…stuck. She jiggled it furiously but it was like the handle was actively working against her pushing against her grip on it. Belle released the handle and watched as it moved of its own accord rapidly rattling up and down. Her stomach dropped as she realized someone was trying to get into her room. Thoughts raced through her mind — she should back away and call the front desk, hide in her bathroom until someone comes for help. Did she still have pepper spray in her purse? She hadn’t ever used it. Does pepper spray expire? The lamp on her bedside table looks potentially lethal, but she has terrible coordination.

As Belle’s mind began to meltdown from the stress and heat, a voice on the other side of the door caught her attention. Muffled words made their way to her ears, “damned room keys… absolute shite…” She knew that voice! It was the voice of the man who played the starring role in her daydreams. That voice was deep and a little rough, and it’s Scottish accent made her toes curl in her stilettos. Belle watched for him every day, peering out the window from her perch at the Library’s circulation desk, hoping for just a glimpse of him as he opened his antique shop across the street.

Mr. Gold.

But wait, this was absurd. There was no way Mr. Gold just happened to be on the other side of her hotel room door, apparently trying to break in. It must be heat stroke mixed with insanity - she’d finally taken her pathetic crush too far. Then she heard the voice again, “never should’ve invested in this place. Where is the blasted bell boy?”

Tip toeing to the door, Belle peaked into the viewer and gasped as she saw a the top portion of a man’s head - a man with shoulder length brown hair, a few streaks of grey running through it, and it looked like it was silky soft. It’s Mr. Gold!, her mind screamed. Suddenly she had way more problems than a malicious intruder. The man of her dreams was inches away from her, and he didn’t even know it. She pushed her hands through her hair, trying to tame the frizzy, sweaty curls gently massaging her scalp to calm herself down, and pulled the mass back into what she hoped looked like an attractive ‘I don’t care what I look like, but I still look great’ kind of way. When she saw a pause in Mr. Gold’s attempts to open the door she quickly turned the handle and flung the door open with much more strength than she realized.

As the door banged back into the wall, Belle’s bright blue eyes stared into very startled brown ones. She hoped she didn’t look like a maniac. She could feel the huge smile on her face as she said, “Mr. Gold! What a surprise!” For several long seconds Gold didn’t respond, just stood there staring at her and then looking around himself like he was a little kid lost in a department store.

“…..I…Miss French. I’m so sorry. I must have the wrong room.”

“Yes, I thought so. What a coincidence that we’re both in the same hotel for the holiday.”

“….Yes….I am a silent investor and sometimes come to check in on it.”

This wasn’t quite the romantic meet-cute Belle had been hoping for. He looked completely uncomfortable. She was sure he would run away if he could. She didn’t blame him. She looked terrible and it’s not as if he ever gave her the time of day when she wasn’t a sweaty mess. At that moment a bell boy came along with Mr. Gold’s bags and informed them - what they already knew - he had the wrong room.

The boy turned to Belle, “Miss is the room’s heat still an issue?” In her assenting nod, he replied, “I’m so sorry. If you go to the front desk they can book you for another weekend. Unfortunately there aren’t any other rooms available.”

Upon seeing her look of disappointment, Gold said, “The heat isn’t working?”

“No,” said Belle, “that’s why I look like a horrid sweaty mess. It’s stuck at a thousand degrees.”

“You look beautiful as always” he blurted out. Her wide eyes met his equally wide eyes, “I’m so sorry Miss French that was inappropriate. I didn’t mean to overstep.”

“No. No you didn’t” she grinned like a fool at him.

“As an investor I wish there was a way I could make it up to you but it seems there aren’t any other solutions.”

Feeling very bold, Belle said, “You could take me with you.” Her sly smile hoped it undercut her forwardness.

“I beg your pardon?” He spluttered.

“You could share your room with me….if that’s not too much to ask.”

He cut in, “No. No it’s not.”

“Well then it seems you have provided a solution Mr. Gold.”

“Alexander. My name is Alexander.” His smile beamed back at her and when he offered her his hand she didn’t even care that her palms were sweaty.

#rumbelle showdown #rumbelle fic #round two #onelastedit

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thelambliesdown1974 · 8 months

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Guess what it smells like when expired pepper spray leaks in the bottom of your bag

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gilliesmemes · 2 years

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𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐀𝐑 𝐎𝐏𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐒 ! / sentence starters pulled from a brief gag from the justin roiland animated series ‘ solar opposites ‘ - everything here has been taken from the website ‘lessonalyzer.’ some lines may have been edited for better use. change whatever you want to suit your characters .

❛ people who think they have good voices always do. keep singing ! ❜

❛ when giving a high five, look at the other person's elbow. same thing works for kissing. ❜

❛ if it looks like a shlorduck, swims like a shlorduck, and quacks like a shlorduck, then it probably is a shlorduck. ❜

❛ wash your hands for at least a hundred seconds. ❜

❛ if you're ever on fire, stop, drop, and roll. then stop again when it's out. ❜

❛ snitches get stitches. ❜

❛ always bring milk with you to a protest in case you get pepper sprayed. ❜

❛ soft bristles, gentle brushing. the firm bristles are going to mess up your enamel. ❜

❛ always double cleanse. ❜

❛ every meeting can be a phone call and every phone call can be an email. ❜

❛ if it's your turn to freestyle, don't steal a verse you heard on the radio. rap from the heart, yo. ❜

❛ yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift, that's why they call it the present. ❜

❛ your parents got a house for two acorns and a handshake. it's okay that you're still renting. ❜

❛ don't make one genre of music your whole thing. ❜

❛ high yield savings accounts are a joke. ❜

❛ always salt your pasta water generously before it comes to a boil. ❜

❛ restart your computer every once in a while. ❜

❛ he who cannot be a good follower, cannot be a good leader. ❜

❛ ass, grass, or gas. nobody rides for free. ❜

❛ i before e except after c, sometimes . ❜

❛ your parents were once hot. food for thought. ❜

❛ if you love something, let it go. if it comes back to you, it's yours forever. if it doesn't, then it was never meant to be. ❜

❛ don't count your chickens before they hatch. ❜

❛ money isn’t everything but it’s still very important. ❜

❛ you know when to hold 'em, but also you must know when to fold 'em. ❜

❛ buy bitcoin 10 years ago. ❜

❛ always set your clock 5 minutes early. ❜

❛ never drink from a public water fountain without checking all your angles. ❜

❛ if it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down. if it's crying: oh no. ❜

❛ make sure someone is looking at you before you throw something to them. yelling 'heads up' just isn't enough. ❜

❛ tv writing is not for the faint of arms, neither is regular writing. ❜

❛ condoms expire. ❜

❛ dance like everyone is watching. ❜

❛ trust no one. ❜

❛ if i can change, and you can change, we all can change. ❜

❛ a man who has friends is a rich man indeed. just not with money. ❜

❛ clout is king. ❜

❛ never leave the house without an amulet that's been blessed by a witch. ❜

❛ thaw the turkey before you put it in the deep fryer. ❜

❛ find a job you enjoy doing with dogs and you'll never work a day in your life.❜

#solar opposites #i did this for me HSDOFIHSODF #starters #sentence starters #rp starters #solar opposites rp

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bearded-shepherd · 2 years

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Let’s Talk: Is it time to fukin LARP homies?

In minecraft of course... but in all seriousness with a basically illegitimate SCOTUS with the 6-3 loaded in a barrel, shooting down every civil protection we have at the moment, Jan 6 hearings being worse than Watergate, and the growing number of hate crimes recently...

It’s time to know the basics: From Voting to Defense

1) Voting (of course) but not only in the general elections, you should also be aware in the midterms, special elections, primaries, referendums, school board, etc. Talk to your runners and canvas for them if ya can.

[ Check Voting Registration | Check Elections news/updates | Check States’ Voting ID Laws ]

2) Donations, this can be anything ya care for, there are a like hundreds of orgs to donate to. A lot of shit is happening everywhere so please check your sources thoroughly.

does anyone have a donation spreadsheet or something? I would love to share that.

3) Know your neighbors, say a quick hello, take a gander at your surroundings (spot a confederate flag yet? I sure have), lurk on your neighborhood’s facebook page for all I care. Take time to look at your local news or your state’s reddit page. July 4 is coming soon, see which neighbors to lean on in case of emergencies. (Yes this also includes natural disasters).

4) Mindful protesting (no brainer), how to safely protest ya may ask (or not)? You’ve probably seen the protester chart with the Hong Kong protester decked out in all nines.

yep.

5) Resources & First Aid, this is very broad, but it’s resources we should have whether it’s physical or instructional.

6) Protection, ya know this was bound to happen and no this is not some ‘take over the government shtick’, this is to ‘protect your self if some rightoid militia gets antsy and starts parading in their big ass SILVERADO for your upcoming death in your neighborhood’ (:

To reiterate, KNOW YOUR NEIGHBOR(s). If you live in a decently sized town/city, join some communities like your local chapter DSA or SRA or something

[ Democratic Socialists of America | Socialist Rifle Association ]

Tools! I mean why do conservative get to have all the ‘fun’ right?

Yes, Im pro-2nd amendment, Yes I’m down for adequate gun laws, No I do not like open/conceal carry (doesn’t matter if ya have a permit) in public spaces.

Check your state’s weapon laws, sign up for some training, hell take up martial arts/self defense classes. Know what best suits you. If you KNOW that you’re not at the mental capacity to handle a knife, gun, pepper spray, etc then do not get one. If you have someone you deeply and I mean deeply trust with your life, ask them to get proper training and invest in a tool of some sort.

While you yourself can either invest in first aid, body armor (do know that everything has an expiration date), stun flashlight, the lil keychain defense thingy’s | home surveillance, or car surveillance (great for insurance actually).

Great Youtubers to watch for Gun / gun control / gun safety

Tacticool Girlfriend | Beau of the Fifth Column gun/gun control series

For those who say ‘fuck no’ to guns, lemme tell ya about history. If ya really want to get rid of guns, ya want the republican politicians to quiver in their boots knowing that more and more minorities are buying them. Turn the page to section B for the Black Panther party.

#politics #us politics #voting #jan 6 hearings #protesting #first aid #gun rights #first amendment #second amendment #self defense #donations #in minecraft #scotus

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ausetkmt · 1 year

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Activists are posting their hauls on TikTok to raise public awareness.

Liz Wilson, 37, a mother of two in Pennsylvania, diving head first into a dumpster outside a store. She posts her finds on TikTok, where she is known by her 1.2 million followers as Salty Stella.Credit...Cory Foote for The New York Times

Nov. 21, 2022Updated 5:11 p.m. ET

At the third Duane Reade of the night, Anna Sacks, 31, a dumpster diver who goes by @trashwalker on TikTok, hit the jackpot. Half a dozen clear trash bags sat along Second Avenue not far from her home on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.

Kneeling on the ground, Ms. Sacks untied the bags with a gloved hand and, using her iPhone flashlight, pulled out her haul: Tresemmé hair spray. Rimmel London Stay Glossy lip gloss. Two bags of Ghirardelli sea salt caramels. Six bags of Cretors popcorn mix. Wet mop refills. A Febreze air freshener. Toe warmers. A bottle of Motrin. All of it unopened, in the packaging and far from the expiration date.

“Oh my God,” said Ms. Sacks, digging out a 6-pack with one can missing. “My mom loves Diet Dr Pepper.”

The total value was perhaps $75, but money wasn’t the point. Ms. Sacks, a former investment bank analyst, films her “trash walks,” as she calls them, and posts the videos to expose what she sees as the wastefulness of retailers who toss out returned, damaged or otherwise unwanted items instead of repurposing them.

Fed up with the profligate practice, dumpster divers like Ms. Sacks have started posting videos of their haul on TikTok in recent years as a way of shaming corporations and raising awareness of the wasteful behavior.

A search of #dumpsterdiving on TikTok brings up tens of thousands of videos that collectively have billions of views. They include a video by Tiffany Butler, known as Dumpster Diving Mama, who found several handbags in the trash last year outside a Coach store in Dallas, all of them apparently slashed by employees. Ms. Sacks bought the bags and made a TikTok calling out the fashion brand. After the video went viral and sparked outrage (and was picked up by Diet Prada), Coach said it would stop “destroying in-store returns of damaged, defective, worn and otherwise unsalable goods,” and instead try to reuse them.

Most of the dumpster activists target mass retailers like CVS, TJ Maxx, HomeGoods and Party City. Luxury fashion brands tend to keep a tighter control over their excess inventory and sometimes pay to have unsold items burned.

A video posted this month by Liz Wilson, 37, a mother of two in Bucks County, Pa., who goes by Salty Stella, shows a dumpster at a nearby HomeGoods store filled with Halloween-themed mugs, plates, dog bowls and holiday decorations. “This is absolutely horrendous,” Ms. Wilson told her 1.2 million TikTok followers. “The only reason these things were thrown away is because Halloween is over.”

Ella Rose, who goes byGlamourDDive, posted a video two months ago showing a dumpster outside a TJ Maxx store, filled with Zara dresses,grooming products by Fekkai and clothing from Victoria’s Secret.

At a time when corporations tout their commitment to the environment, the sight of $500 handbags or even $6 Ghirardelli chocolates discarded in a dumpster can be a bad look.

“Corporations don’t want people to see the overproduction, the wastefulness, the lack of donation,” said Ms. Sacks, who has 400,000 followers and has received significant media coverage. “To change behavior, it’s important to expose the wastefulness.”

Michael O’Heaney, executive director of The Story of Stuff Project, an environmental group in Berkeley, Calif., that raises awareness about waste through storytelling, called Ms. Sacks and other eco-minded dumpster divers “metal detectors for flaws in the system.” “What they’re finding in the trash are a fascinating lens into our waste economy,” said Mr. O’Heaney, whose organization recently filmed a trash walk with Ms. Sacks.

Some do more than just raise awareness. Ms. Wilson puts together “Stella’s Kits” — which contain feminine hygiene supplies like pads, tampons and flushable wipes assembled from dumpster dives — and distributes them at homeless shelters and other places where women experience what is known as period poverty.

While Ms. Wilson also posts to YouTube and Instagram, she said that her videos get the most reactions on TikTok. “People are just shocked and saddened,” she said. “Every day, I get the same reaction: ‘Oh, my god. Why do stores do this?’”

Mark Cohen, the director of retail studies at Columbia Business School, said that the practice is based on the cold calculation that “the simplest and most expediate way for a retailer to dispose of something, typically of low value, is to mark it out of its stock and dump it.”

Merchandise that was returned cannot always be resold because of regulations meant to protect consumer’s health — including food, some over-the-counter drugs and health and beauty aids, Mr. Cohen said. Items that have been damaged or worn, or are out of season like holiday decorations, may have lost too much value, even for third-party buyers.

“As egregious as it is to see seemingly perfect product put into a landfill,” Mr. Cohen said, “it’s the shortest and least expensive path.”

Activists like Ms. Wilson and Ms. Sacks would prefer to see retailers donate items to charitable organizations and others in need. “We should be incentivizing corporations ideally to produce less in general,” Ms. Sacks said, but if that’s not possible, they should “donate or sell it through, or store it for the next year, rather than destroy it.”

Many retailers say that they do, in fact, donate unsold goods, but some merchandise still needs to be sent to landfills. “The thought that everything leftover can be donated is a nice thought to hold,” but unrealistic, Mr. Cohen said.

CVS, for example, said it diverted 50 percent of its unsold merchandise last year to recycling or reuse, and donated about $140 million worth of goods to charities including Feeding America. CVS works “with nonprofit organizations to arrange for damaged or near-expired goods from our stores to be donated to communities in need,” said Ethan Slavin, a spokesman.

Andrew Mastrangelo, a spokesman for TJX, the parent company of TJ Maxx and HomeGoods, said that “only a very small percentage of merchandise from our stores goes unsold,” and that most of the unsold merchandise is bought by third parties or donated to charities.

Walgreens, which owns Duane Reade, said it donated 10 million pounds of goods in 2021. “Walgreens works diligently to divert from landfill unsold or discontinued products such as food, toiletries and household items,” said Candace Johnson, a spokeswoman.

Even so, some items cannot be donated, including perishable products within one month of expiration. “Products that do not meet applicable standards for donation or liquidation,” Ms. Johnson added, “may be discarded in the trash.”

Discarded merchandise is perhaps most abundant around the holiday season. Last Halloween, Ms. Wilson said she found more than 120 Halloween-themed dish towels outside two HomeGoods stores near her home, all in perfect condition.

Ms. Wilson has a circuit of dozens of retailers around southeastern Pennsylvania that she visits every week. She never comes up empty. “I could go to a dumpster today and get a bunch of stuff,” Ms. Wilson said, “and go back to the same dumpster 24 hours later and find new stuff in it.”

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