#since I also went into detail about the kit I imagine he would have and his 5* status in the story there

[rileys-battlecats]

I really like your work! I discovered it a while ago but recently found it again and explored your tumblr finally. I'm not sure if me deciding to spend a couple hours going through your entire posting history over curiosity about Mica clan is a compliment to you or says something about me but I did it.

It was really neat seeing your Shut Eye video. Also, just to satisfy my own curiosity: it looks like of the thirteen you have Heroncall, Oriolewing, Addereye, Larksong/star, Foxjaw, Owlpounce, Buckfoot, Snaptail and her two kits, another queen and her kit, and a random cat. Are you willing to share any information about the other queen and the random cat. But it was nice to see a bit about where the clan came from, and if your ever decide to make a video about the clan's founding know I will eagerly await it.

Also, thanks so much for the family tree. Part of the reason I went through your entire tumblr was because I was curious about the details behind the clan so it's nice to have that, if a tad too late for me to save a couple hours. Also, is Heroncall mates with Buckfoot? And it looks like Robinsong may have mated with the kit in the Shut Eye video that belongs to the other queen, am I right? Also, it's really neat to sea Owlpounce and Foxjaw being siblings. It makes sense with how fluffy they are, and Embertooth is too. Also, it's really funny comparing Owlpounce and Foxjaw with their social skills and steady personality to Embertooth, who is somewhat prickly. I can also see Puddlepaw being related to the three, maybe as a cousin to Embertooth? They're very fluffy and I can see their personality as less social but just as steady as Owlpounce and Foxjaw. Is Orchidstar related to Owlpounce? When I saw her she reminded me of Owlpounce and she's also fairly fluffy.

Side not: With how depleted the clan first was after the disaster, and with how they picked up Birchspeckle just for her abilities, was there a time where the clan was friendly to outsiders just afterwards? Before the illness and attacks I can see them almost needing the extra cats. It would make it horribly ironic how they isolate Mudpaw for all that several of them would also be only half-clan, and explain all the question marks you have in the family tree. They're cats that were encountered and helped create kittens but weren't necessarily interested in joining.

Sorry for the length of this by the way.

ok first of all I love super long asks so no need to apologize HAHA

The unnamed background cats haven't really been thought through at this point, but the random cat (not the queen or kit) is Addereye's apprentice at the time of the disaster! Not sure what happens to him, but it can be assumed he lives with the clan and probably dies before the events of Mudpaw's story.

Good eye spotting Buckfoot on the family tree! I had the idea in the back of my mind of them being one of Mudpaw's ancestors ever since I designed them. I've said before on here but Micaclan doesn't really endorse the whole "healers can't have families" rule, and they especially didn't care for it after the disaster, when their numbers were so low. Plus, I like the idea of Mudpaw reminding Owlpounce of her old mentor :') I also like the idea of Puddlepaw and Orchidstar being related to Owl, Fox, and Ember! having all the fluffy cats related to each other is so funny to me ^^

Directly after the disaster, I imagine the clan sort of relied upon the help of strangers in order to survive. Maybe they even took some into the clan at first, like Birchspeckle. But I think the thing that really started their sort of isolationist-tendencies was the slow loss of their culture. I think it's entirely probable that, in taking outsiders into their group, they began losing some of the traditions and beliefs that made them Micaclan. If the outsiders they allowed to join didn't care for the idea of Starclan, or for the idea of caring for the weakest among them before themselves, or for following the warrior code... would they even be Micaclan anymore? After losing their home, their families, their ancestral territory, their very connection to Starclan... would they, the last survivors of Micaclan, maybe even the last survivors of any clan, be the ones to allow their traditions and way of life to be lost forever?

It's this fear, I think, that caused Micaclan to veer so sharply into isolation. Larkstar has many flaws, and even if it stemmed from a desire to see her and her clan's way of life preserved, she still encouraged an unhealthy distrust of outsiders in the clan. By doing what she thought best at the time, doing what she thought would keep them and their way of life safe, she ended up creating a culture of isolationism, and this very isolationism harms the clan and its members. Birchspeckle was made to feel unwanted by the clan that raised her, Possum was fully disowned for wanting to leave the clan and explore, and Mudpaw was treated badly because of the clan's subconscious dislike for anyone they consider to be other. The changes the clan underwent did preserve most of their culture, it's true, but it also meant that they lost one of the core ideals that Micaclan was built on; Micaclan was formed by non-clan cats who decided they wanted to come together and embody a code of ethics that they found admirable. Micaclan was never formed on the basis of blood!

#ask #micaclan #mudlore #FINALLY i can explain micaclan's Whole Deal with outsiders #it stemmed from a very real fear of their entire culture being wiped out #but in response they swung so far into the opposite direction that they ended up losing part of themselves anyway #Micaclan was always welcoming of outsiders #the clan itself was formed by outsiders! #the sudden shift into xenophobia is as much a distruction of their culture as anything else

[sorrinslays]

OKOK SO IDK IF YOU'VE DONE ANY POST LIKE THIS BUT

What do you think a 5 star Sampo would be like? Both in lore/personality, and in design or even kit! Hell, maybe how he is introduced as his 5 star version would be cool to think of too. I want more opinions on this, and the idea of his 5 star version makes me more and more excited

Hello anon!!! So, I have talked about it a bit while reblogging @feroluce's post about 5* Sampo ideas but I don't mind elaborating on my thoughts a bit more.

In that post, the idea of Sampo having a 'stage hand' inspired abilities/design was presented and I fell in love with it, so a lot of my thoughts are inspired by it.

First and foremost, I think he would have the fire element as a five star. I've seen a lot of people wanting him to be Quantum, but honestly it doesn't speak to me. Maybe it's because I'm not a fan of the Quantum element in general, I don't know.

I think fire suits him for a variety of reasons, but most importantly, it creates contrast. I'd like to start by mentioning that fire is eye catching, going against his theme of the stage hand, a background entity. Can you imagine? Aha creating Sampo to be eye catching, giving him powers that are meant to be viewed, admired. Sampo being created to be the center of attention, yet he goes against all that. Preferring to stay in the shadows and watch everything unfold from a distance.

I like to think that his design is dark, full of cool colours and drenched in black, showing that he himself wants to blend in with the background and his element being the exact opposite. Him going against his 'nature' you could say. Against his purpose.

If we want to look a bit deeper we can go two ways. Firstly, fire represents enlightenment, self-awareness, rebirth, and rebellion which (if we follow my headcannon of Sampo being a Creation of Elation turned Emanator) would suit him a lot. Enlightenment when he understood the real meaning behind Elation. Self-awareness showing that he understands what he is, what he wants to achieve and how. Rebirth as in leaving the Masked Fools and their flawed view of Elation. Rebellion because he goes against his Aeon, his creator.

Furthermore, it's be nice to see how a character like Sampo would respond to having Aha as a "parent"/creator. The struggle of sharing an ideology yet trying to distance himself from his creator. His appearance being the complete opposite of his powers would be a cool way to show how he resists Aha's view of Elation.

As for his playable path... I want to keep him Nihility. The path of IX is very similar to the Elation at it's core. Both believe that the universe has no meaning, THEY just respond to it differently. Where IX does nothing because there's no point in doing anything, Aha acts in a way that would entertain only THEMSELVES.

Alternatively, it'd be nice if Hoyo made the Elation a playable path only for Sampo's 5* design. It'd be mad funny but also on theme with how meme-y hsr really is.

Now, for his clothing. Like mentioned previously cool tones and dark clothing is the way to go. But, to elaborate more on that I think there's specific parts of his original 4* design that I would like to keep, like his jacket that looks like a ring leader's jacket, just in a different colour and with other accessories/details.

The snake symbolism should stay as well, I think. It's be nice that instead of snake bones it would be leather and shit, to show that it's "alive", that he's back to being an active Emanator.

I also really like the idea of him having two sets on hands that at his fingertips end in different colours that was proposed by the original post I linked earlier. The first set fading to white and the second to black showing how one set is pulling the strings in the background while the other is the one everyone sees.

I think his mask should rest on top of his head like Sparkle's, a plain red thing contrasting with his blue hair and dark clothing, another contrast to Aha.

Personality-wise I think he would be pretty much the same, expect less greedy and money-driven. I don't know, I feel like that's a part of Sampo Koski's personality, not his, if that makes sense.

If you want a bit more on how 5* could work in my mind in the story I recommend you read my post on Gepard's role in the story, although it's mostly about Gepard I managed to sneak in a few thoughts on Emanator Sampo because of course I did

#either way I recommend reading both posts I linked to get a better idea of what I'm talking about #since I also went into detail about the kit I imagine he would have and his 5* status in the story there #thank you again anon!!! #I love yapping about my pookie <3 #feel free to ask me anything! #I love answering #sampo koski #honkai star rail #hsr #hsr sampo #Emanator Sampo

[feralforfrank]

HERE FOR YOU.

FRANK CASTLE X FEM!READER

summary frank comes home from an exhausting mission, but when you try to help him, he pushes you away. turns out, you both need each other's reassurance once in a while.

cw the punisher canon violence description, hostage situation (doesn't go into much detail), overthinking, hurt/comfort. NON-DESCRIPTIVE READER.

a/n first ask ever!! also fucked it up and lost the original ask :'|

masterlist | taglist

Frank sighed again, praising himself for being able to make it up the stairs. Tonight had been brutal to him. He had to take on thirty men alone because Red had failed to come in on time.

To say he was bruised and bloody would be an understatement. He probably had a concussion and two slashes on his stomach and thigh—not to mention black and blue bruises and scratches from head to toe. He'd live, unfortunately.

He was proud of himself for remembering not to come in from the fire exit like last time. He'd hate to end up with a bump on his head again. You were ruthless when it came to intruders.

Frank unlocked and relocked the door as quietly as he could. He also tried not to put weight on his steps, for he didn't want to wake you up. 

He indeed tried. But you were always a light sleeper. The moment he stepped foot in the living room, your eyes opened, and you grabbed the bat to ensure your and your pets' safety. The sound of poorly concealed heavy footsteps approached your bedroom. You gripped the bat tightly, ready to swing.

The smell of blood and sweat was enough for you to put the weapon down. That smell was familiar, for you've smelled it a hundred thousand times before. That was Frank Castle returning home after an exhausting mission.

"Frankie!" You greeted him as soon as he entered the room, catching him off-guard.

He placed his duffel back down and took off his dirty socks, muttering a hey baby in the process. You moved to kiss him, not having seen his injuries yet. He pushed you away gently and turned toward the bathroom, and you stumbled back, confused.

"I'm covered in blood, baby. I don't wanna ruin your clothes." You nodded and went ahead of him, opening the door and switching on the light.

"Well, they're your clothes, technically." You tried to cheer him up, but when you got no reaction—not even a grunt—you frowned again.

Frank limped into the bathroom and steadied himself on the sink. You had already pulled out your first-aid kit and quickly got to work.

The silence between you was usually comforting. Frank was glad you were safe. And you were always delighted to be in his presence. But this time, it was different. The air held tension, and as much as you tried to lighten the mood, it just wouldn't work. 

Had you done something to anger him? How could you? You hadn't seen him since he left at eight in the evening. Your frown deepened, and you wanted to get your mind off the overwhelming thoughts that filled it. You decided to ask him about tonight.

"How did tonight go?" You asked with a gentle smile. "Did you catch any bad guys?" You really were trying to lighten the mood.

"Don' wanna talk about it," Frank grumbled.

There he goes shutting your offer for conversation down. The thing is, you're really sensitive—always have been. And the way Frank was talking to you was like a knife in the heart. You knew everyone had their bad days, and he looked like he'd been through hell, but you were really trying. 

Once you finished patching him up, you turned your back to him and tidied up the mess you've made. You waited until he was undressed and in the shower, inspecting which ones would go to the humper or the trash. 

You exchanged no words. And it was so fucking weird. What had happened in that fucking mission? You contemplated calling Matt but decided against it. If Frank was like this—quiet and distant and kind of rude—you couldn't begin to imagine Matt's state.

And so, you lay on the bed and closed your eyes. Your back faced Frank's side. You didn't want to talk to him right now. At first, all you wanted to do was cuddle all his troubles from today away. But he seemed not to be in the mood. So, you'd leave him alone, as per his silent request.

Frank hated showers. It was the only time in the world when he truly was alone with his thoughts. And he hated thinking. He hadn't meant to push you away from all this. All he wanted—no, needed—was for you to wrap your arms around him and give him all the kisses and cuddles he loved.

He'd met a girl today. One of the women was held hostage by the men he was chasing. And she looked just like you, from your hair to your height, to the curve of her nose. And he had freaked out because let's admit it; what the fuck was the epitome of sunshine doing with this murderer. 

He had enemies—it was inevitable yet terrifying. Frank knew that wasn't you on that dirty floor. But, still, his heart dropped, and he couldn't breathe for a millisecond. He never wanted to rescue you from men like those—he only wanted you to be safe.

So why the fuck aren't you in bed with her then?

That annoying voice in his head was right. What was he doing pushing you away? That wouldn't accomplish anything, and he knew it. He also knew how insecure you would get when he became distant and cold. You always blamed yourself for not being there for him in the way he needed but little did you know, you were his angel sent from heaven. You were the post-military support group he never joined, the best nurse, and the most adorable cuddler ever.

Fuck, he messed up.

He sighed and quickly hopped off the shower, ignoring the pain in his thigh and back. He got dressed and tidied up the bathroom as quickly as he could. Frank needed to get to his girl before she fell asleep. He needed to apologise.

A few tears had escaped you while you were waiting for him. Without Frank's reassurance, your mind went into dark places, and your insecurities took over. Maybe he'd decided it was time for an upgrade. Instead of a normal boring person, he wanted someone like Elektra, rich, athletic, and very attractive.

"Hey, sweet girl."

He smelled of your shared coconut shampoo and your strawberry body wash. You couldn't help but giggle as you felt Frank sneak a kiss up to your neck and press his chest on your back.

"You smell like strawberry," you spoke softly, not wanting to wake up your pets but also to conceal your shaky voice.

"I like your body wash. Reminds me of you." Frank's mouth was close to your ear, pressing soft kisses on your ear lobe and head.

You hummed, almost forgetting the tears you'd shed earlier. "I'm sorry, baby. I didn't mean to push you away like that."

"It's okay." You speak quietly.

"No, no, it's not. The night was fucked up tonight, but it means nothing when I'm here with you. You're my angel." The last sentence made you blush, and you tried to bury your face in your hands.

"No, no, no. Don't hide from me." Frank's hands were quick to remove yours. He was almost straddling you now. "I don't want you to know about the shit I do. I want you safe and away from all the troubles. Tonight...I thought I saw you amongst the hostages Red and I rescued. I was scared shitless for a second."

"But I'm here, aren't I?" Tears gathered in the corners of your eyes.

You felt slightly guilty. The man had gone through an unbearable amount of pain tonight, and to put the cherry on top, he thought you were a hostage. Your troubles were nothing in front of his.

As if reading your eyes, he spoke. "Hey, hey. Don't do that. I shouldn't have been rude to you when you were trying to help. You did nothing wrong." You just nodded and wiped your eyes, inhaling shakily.

You moved under him and pushed him down, curling up to his chest. Frank turned the night light off and pulled you impossibly close, wrapping his biceps around your waist. He was afraid to let go, thinking that you may evaporate if he did. You didn't mind, though. You loved the heat radiating off him—it was oddly comforting.

"I'll always be here for you, Frankie. You can tell me everything, and I promise I'll do my best to help you." You speak, although your back faces his chest.

"You do more than enough, sweetheart. You don't know how much your presence means to me."

You smiled.

#frank castle #frank castle x reader #frank castle fluff #frank castle angst #frank castle fanfiction #jon bernthal #jon bernthal x reader #the punisher #the punisher x reader #marvel #nmcu #nmcu fanfic #angst with comfort #angst with happy ending #hurt/comfort #frank's asks #🌻 anon #frank writes

[zilabee]

"I wasn't there because ahead of the Quarry Men's evening performance I'd gone home for a bite to eat. I only lived a ten minute walk away and hadn't eaten since breakfast, so after coming off the church field and putting my kit in place ready for the evening's performance I'd nipped home for my tea and in the process I missed that historic audition."

- - - Colin Hanton

"I must have nipped out to the toilet because I have no memory of the greatest meeting in rock n roll history."

- - - Rod Davis

"I noticed Paul while we were playing. He was standing with Ivan... but I don't remember him carrying a guitar."

- - - Eric Griffiths

Pre:Fab! - by Hanton and Hall.

-

History quietly shifting itself into place, while half the quarry men are looking the other way.

I just I love that some people are out there writing meaningful fantastic remembrances about Paul's eyelashes and electricity in the air, and then others are like 'I don't know, maybe he was there..?'

Colin Hanton (quarry man) consistently claims that Paul met John before the Quarry Men went on to play in the afternoon. Colin was in the scout hut, playing his drums with one of the scouts, getting ready for the afternoon performance:

"At the far end of the hut, I noticed John had returned by himself. [...] He was standing talking to another scout. It was at this moment that Ivan Vaughan walked in accompanied by this dark-haired lad whom I'd never seen before. I carried on jamming while the three of them stood talking. This carried on for about five or ten minutes, after which John, Ivy, and the stranger left the scout hut together."

Sounds completely like what a constructed memory of that event would seem like, but also sounds completely like something that might have happened too, and we'll never know.

Eric, meanwhile, believes that he was there for the 'historic meeting' in the church, but that Paul never played guitar for them at that point, no matter what Paul, John, Pete, Len and Ivan have to say. He thinks John first heard Paul play a few days later when John and Eric went round to Forthlin Road specially for the 'audition'. That's where he thinks Paul played Twenty Flight Rock for the first time.

Beatles fandom is an incredible study in the vagaries of memory. I love it. It's fantastic how little we will ever know.

As Colin Hall (biographer) writes:

Like most bands, they met a lot of new people every time they were booked to play. Often there'd be a lot of people hanging out with them before or after a performance. No wonder that, in the interim, exact memories faded, details disappeared. It would be many years after the event that the Quarry Men would be asked to describe this day in the forensic detail people now want from them. [...] They were not all present in the same places for some of the key moments. At the time it was a fun day, but of no great significance to most of them beyond the moment of their performance.

He also points out that an article published just one week after the fete, ("All the Fun of the Fair at Woolton" in the Liverpool Weekly News) which is an eye-witness report written while everything was still fresh... claimed that Colin wasn't there, and the Quarry Men played without a drummer. Something easily disproved by any photograph of the day.

Give up, surrender! Beatles reporting has been pure fiction from day nought. Nothing is knowable. Everything is mist. You can keep trying, you will get nowhere. Honestly it's all an imagination, so imagine wonderful things.

#pre:fab #colin hanton #rod davis #eric griffiths #the beatles #the quarry men #woolton fete #mclennon day

[the-owl-tree]

I know you haven't posted a profile leader of the isekai girls' clan yet, and if you don't have all the details for them ironed out yet (besides Honeypaw and Frostblaze both being the leaders kits) that's all good. But while looking at your latest post about the au, it got me thinking: how do you think the leader feels about 'Honeypaw''s sudden personality change, unnatural (because they're human moves) new fighting style, and tendency to walk on her hind legs? Because I'd imagine even if they weren't particularly close before Honey replaced her, it'd definitely be eyebrow raising to someone who knew her beforehand.

i'll definitely be putting the parents on my to-do list since I have thought of them, mainly because my inspiration is a mix of things that made go oooh yes or pissed me off so badly i stole them JUST to tear them apart in this lol

Honeypaw's relationship with her father, Owlstar, is strained. His relationship with her mother is purely political: he wants an heir, she wanted to join their Clan. In the books (from Frostblaze's perspective), he's written as an aloof but noble cat who can be stern but only because he cares. In the "real" world of the book...he's a standoffish, absent father who cares little about Honeypaw (due to her lack of resemblance to him) and often speaks of his disappointment (despite him having little presence in her life to guide her).

When the real Honeypaw is killed, he is sad and he does grieve...but doesn't stay for the ceremony. When she does come, he's happy! He welcomes her, nuzzles her in greeting, and visits her in the medic's den as she recovers...but it's also stilted, awkward, and suffocating for them both. He says very little and sometimes scolds her for her recklessness (and while in the book this is passed off as him "caring but struggling show it", in practice...it just comes off as apathy to Honey & Honeypaw).

I'd imagine her first few moons of weirdness is him passing it off as a cry for attention until it continues...and not only does she no longer seek his approval, she actively avoids him. Honey would realize his and Honeypaw's relationship is strained pretty early on and, to keep Honeypaw from being in a bad mood and also to avoid having her own father scold her (her body more than her soul), basically stays out of his way.

I can't imagine he'd investigate too much, he's more preoccupied with his successful heir (even if he can't reveal her yet). It's only when Honeypaw continues to poke around, find out more secrets than she's supposed to that he begins to really question what's going on.

Honeypaw's mother, Beesnap, is also different than in her story form. In the book, she's written as a volatile, self-absorbed mother who defends Honeypaw with her fierce temper no matter what her daughter does. When Honey actually meets her? Beesnap is a rogue-born she-cat and her status as truly a member of the Clan is always being questioned. As a result of being isolated and demeaned, she put on a facade of confidence and snootiness, intent on not letting them get to her. When Honeykit was born, her only daughter, she vowed to make sure her child had a better life in the Clan than she'd be given - resulting in her fierce outbursts to defend her child. Owlstar is absent in Honeypaw's life and that only made Beesnap more focused on protecting her.

Beesnap knows something's going on with her kid but doesn't confront her for some reason. She becomes a cat that Honey goes to advice to often when Splashpaw is busy. Eventually I think Honey does try to reveal the truth...but Beesnap probably doesn't take the fact that her beloved daughter's been body snatched very well.

Her unnatural behavior does freak them both out, Beesnap keeps having to whisper for her daughter to stOP WALKING LIKE THAT EVERYONE IS STARING AT YOU-

ty for asking!! i kind of went off topic but your question got me thinking so i ended up rambling lol both of these guys are mainly inspired from how wc and these specific webcomics treat parents and i think that shows

#honey's horrible time #warrior cats #wc isekai au #deer rambles #see worst trope ever is the absent dad who actually cares #because these stories LOOOVVEEE that trope #and it's almost always framed as tho “the previous body was so awful even her dad couldnt love her” #<- like stfu if he wanted to be disappointed in her he COULD'VE TRIED TO BE A DAD FIRST AND FOREMOST #and the mothers almost always get the short end #so many portray them as abusive gold diggers like holy shiiiitt #it's a side effect of having noble blood = super special rare powers #which is always shitty and bad and awful and i hope that trope diieeesss #like even when the villainess comics do this #they always end up looking to the “oh the villainness actually does have super special powers because she's got the ~special blood~” #like i'll maim you i'll maim you i hate it

[korgbelmont]

Choices Summer Updates

I admit, I didn't expect to be doing a post like this until next week with the July Insiders, but here we are!

Undercut due to length of post

Blades of Light and Shadow 2 Oh, do we have a story for you! When you face the Shadow Realm once again, your skills are put to the ultimate test. Are you back in the Realm of your own accord? Or are you there against your will? Only time will tell, in the September 2023 premiere!

So it looks like the skills from BK1 may be carrying over to BK2. I'm interested to see what the Empire of Ash is like compared to the Shadow Court and how everything will play out.

My guess is that these are the new Love Interests mentioned in the video that was put out after BK1. Which means those who were hoping for Aerin when BK1 was releasing could potentially have their win! And just like Imtura, Mal, Nia, and Tyril, he is getting a new look. The other is named Valax, and I am intrigued about her and how she'll fit into the story. I remember when it was announced BK2 would add new Love Interests, I was hoping it would be a female Elf and male Orc. It looks like I may have been half right.

Unbridled: An Untameable Story Saddle up, partner! In the spinoff of Untameable, you’ll play as a brand new character, but you'll still see some familiar faces around. So get ready for a rodeo of a good time!

My guess is that the new MC will be someone who takes a job at the ranch in someway. As for the Love Interest, no idea. I imagine, like Untameable, it'll be a Single Love Interest book.

So I think the first image may be something to do with the new MC as we know that it is a gender of choice book. The second image I think might be related to Kit in someway as they may have since gone more into their dream of working in food. The third and fourth image I'm guessing may be CGs for the Love Interest.

The Cursed Heart 2 Coming 2024: The Cursed Heart 2! After a grueling battle to rid Kieran of their curse, you may think all has been put to rest. But friends, that could not be further from the truth. A new threat stands to rid the land of fae – no matter which Court they belong to.

I really don't know what to expect for The Cursed Heart 2. I do have a theory that somehow Longclaw is going to become Gleam again, but I don't know.

Intrigued as to what this could be in relation to during the book. Only one way to find out.

Immortal Desires 2 Another sequel is in the works! Immortal Desires 2 will also premiere in 2024! After your Turning at the end of Book 1, your kindling romance with both Cas and Gabe soon turns to jealousy when you are faced with the ultimate decision – which coven will you dedicate your life to?

To this day, I am still surprised at the decision to give this a sequel rather than have it be a standalone. And I am definitely ready for more. I had a feeling the whole choosing a coven thing would be a part of it and it'll be interesting to see how the decision affects the relationship if you went the poly route during BK1. For me, it'll probably be Clement as I played Gabriela's route only.

All that being said, I feel like there could be a chance something will happen that may see MC, Cas, and Gabe make their own coven.

Upcoming Themes Sometimes, the community will request a certain type of book, and we love to hear those ideas. We often can’t share details about books that will come out way in the future, but we dug up a few hints that we wanted to share. In 2024, you can expect to see books about: 👻♥️ | 🔪🧐 | 🏒🔥

I know I've said about being rubbish with emojis, but this time I'll have a go haha.

The first I imagine means another supernatural book (woohoo!), bit of a strange pair of emojis to pick though. I guess the heart refers to the Love Interest(s). Guess we'll find out next year.

The second screams mystery book. The monocle emoji gives me Poirot vibes. I'm guessing a murder mystery.

The third pair I imagine is in reference to the sports book they announced earlier in the year. Looks like said sport could potentially be hockey. I'm not really a sports person, but for now, I'll say I'll give it a go.

So that was everything regarding upcoming books in the blog post. I'll be back with more thoughts next week for the Insiders.

#playchoices #thoughts and theories

[sofiiel]

I Remember You | Part Two

Eddie x Fem!Reader Post S4 - Time Skip | Sort fic (probably) about 3 parts.

WARNINGS: angst. Reader suffers from alcohol + drug abuse. S4 is only semi cannon in this fic. There will probably be eventual smut in later parts. Use of Y/n. Longish word counts.

A/N: Based off of Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven" | The songs : Far From Home : The Sweetest Chill : Taking Over Me : Walking On Both Sides : Cirice : Corrode.

⇐ Previous | TOC | Next ⇒

The work day finally came to a close.

You survived your shift. Though you popped painkillers like candy for the ringing of your head, constantly munching on handfuls of trail mix.

Settled outside your job on the curb, you waited patiently. Vickie said she'd be willing to pick you up. That saved you a long walk home with nothing but your thoughts. The loudest of them.

"But you deserve the long walk home. What were you even thinking, going that far beyond your usual?" You questioned yourself.

"Relax, it was just the day. You're in control now." you murmured.

The horn of Vickie's car honked once and as you looked up were met with the concerned faces of the two women inside.

"Don't look so scared. Steve was being dramatic, I swear." You said. Getting to your feet, you swung your purse over your shoulder, and got inside the car.

"Yeah, dingus can be a little dramatic, but he said you passed out." Robin spoke.

"Mhhm, something people do when drunk. Right?" You question, you could feel the defensiveness bubbling, boiling, you didn't mean to sound that snarky.

Robin raised her hands in surrender, "Jeez, ok." she breathed. "Just a healthy bit of concern." Robin added.

You sighed, "sorry." in a murmur.

Vickie twisted her body to look at you from the diver's seat. "Are you, sure you're ok. I know you don't like to talk about it but-"

Your words rushed out swiftly, and your pulse raced right with them. "I'm fine." It'd been years since you last talked about everything. It felt so trivial in your head some days.

Though that's never what the psychotherapist said. Nor was it what the break in your voice just told them.

Vickie bit her lip and quickly turned around, if you were trying to fight it, she couldn't let you see the mist in her eyes. Robin's gaze lingered on Vickie, who's face was riddled in concern.

"Right, well. Do you want to go home or get something to eat?" Vickie said, trying to brighten the mood.

"I just- home please." you said quietly.

Vickie nodded and without a word put the car in drive and turned up the radio slightly.

Eddie grumbled to himself as he fiddled with the tape repair kit and a radio on the living room floor. His eyes squinting were nearly closed, and his tongue curved to hug the tip of his upper lip.

"Come on, be salvageable." he murmured, carefully pulling the reel out of the cassette case. The case itself was severely cracked, and blood had seeped beyond the plastic, as had the water.

He didn't have his hopes high, but Eddie had also seen far more impossible things happen. So what's necromancing a doomed little tape?

Scatter around him was an opened can of cold mix vegetables, a box of cereal and a bottle of water. A blanket draped from his shoulders. The world around him may have been less damp but even in it's drying dusty state it was freezing.

Eddie wished the electricity in the house would decide it wanted to play, it was in fact on in town today.

He picked up the can and shook some of the veggies into his mouth. Chomping away before washing it down and going back to his fiddling.

Through his head like a movie was a daydream that he'd thought left him a long time ago. It crawled to the surface the moment he heard her voice through the veil.

Again he imagined what it would have been like, meeting her at the quarry. What she might have said. The conversation changed with every daydream, but now what he said remained the same.

Eddie's mind went wild with the details, it was a nice evening that day. The weather was gentle and deceivingly comforting. He didn't get a chance to look at the stars, but he bet they were vivid.

He smiled to himself; It was one of the things she'd remind people to do back then.

"Take a moment and look at the sky, at least once a day, and take in something bigger than everything else around you." she'd say.

Eddie imagined that night, before any words were spoken, they would have done just that; gazed up at the night sky above. That the silence would have been easy and welcomed.

That she would sigh and flash him a nervous smile, ask if he'd listened to the tape, and then the real conversation would start.

Eddie imagined a hundred different things she might have said. Maybe it was a feeling that had settled in for years, as it seemed somehow they always crossed paths. Or perhaps it was a sudden epiphany of a new attraction, having worked with each other for the past two years. Maybe she just woke up that morning and decided, fuck it, I might like him, and I'm going for it.

He'd been shocked that day when he opened that envelope. When his eyes scanned over the note at a quick glance, and reread it even quicker.

Sure, Eddie had a thought or two before. Some days, her smile would leave him staring just a bit longer than he should be. Or she'd touch his arm and he'd tell himself, "Y/n's just friendly."

"She's just nice." said his past thoughts.

But reading that note.

"Hey, there's this guy that's been in my head for a while now. You know him. I kind of need your help though with this one. I can tell you who, just meet me at the quarry tonight. Tell me when is good for you."

Alright, so it wasn't exactly a confession. It could have been anybody. But it wasn't anyone in his band, Y/n could have asked him about them a long time ago.

It couldn't be a customer for that same reason. Why else would she hand such a simple request to him in a sealed envelope with a mixtape.

"Or maybe you really wanted to be someone's...well, someone." Eddie thought with a sigh. Now trying to put the tape into a new case.

He was going to be thirty in about a year, and still his heart fluttered at the thought of what she might have said to him.

In his daydreaming, when she had said her peace, he imagined she'd look up at him with those familiar eyes. She might even be holding her breath, waiting for him to say something. Say anything.

Eddie knew now exactly what he'd do. He'd laugh, he wouldn't be able to help it. It'd be a small chuckle, but it'd be there. She'd cast him a worried glance, and probably assume he thought the hole thing was silly.

But he'd prove her wrong. Eddie made up in his mind that he would hug her and spin her about, or try to. If that failed, he'd keep her in a light embrace. Wrapped in his arms. He'd bump his forehead to hers and say, "Yeah, I know the guy, and I think I can honestly say. He's probably learning that he's into you too. He'd never see this coming. But, he might need to hear it again, though."

She'd look at him and repeat her most precious line, and then Eddie would steal a kiss, and with any luck it would knock her off her feet.

Eddie, lost in his thoughts, had stopped working on the cassette. He stared off into nothing, a slight smile on his face. But that smile slowly began to fade at the reminder in the back of his head.

"You're not getting out of here." it said in the smallest of voices.

Eddie looked down at the tape and cassette shell. It wasn't a new thought, and yet this time that thought made him want to cry.

It was the new-found ability to be able to hear people again from the other side. The return of lost interactions. Familiar faces and voices more than a waning memory, audibly tangible.

Above his head, Eddie heard a loud bang and crash. He jumped slightly startled, casting his eyes to the ceiling above him. The dirty mirror was slowly coming back, and he could make out her shape through it.

You looked down at the wine bottle that lay cracked open on the coffee table. Watching the red liquid pool and, in a small stream, trickle onto the carpet.

Your mind went blank as you gathered the pieces. You'd dropped it. It was on purpose, but your mind wasn't clear on why. Because just as much as it meant to drop the bottle, it meant to consume all of it.

"I don't want to give into this thing, to this place." You murmured. "I'm not ready, but I don't want to give up." you whispered.

Down below, Eddie watched you with a tentative gaze, "Neither do I." he breathed.

Dumping the split bottle and large shards into the trash, you tried your best to collect yourself. Eyes shut tightly, "see I am in control, I've got this." you told yourself.

Going to the sink you turn on the cold water and let it wash the red wine stains from your hands. Focused on the lather of the soap, you fought to ignore the sick feeling in the pit of your stomach. Your skin crawled as a piece of your mind whimpered, "Why'd you do that? Why'd you waste that!" in a quiet rage.

You exhaled and suck in your lips. "Don't be so pathetic." you whispered. "This is all so stupid."

With the bend of your wrist, you rubbed at your itching eyes. It was bad enough that you let this morning happen. You were determined not to be reduced to a crying mess on the floor.

"Maybe that's what you need." something foreign echoed in your head. A voice you were not familiar with. It flittered around you like a strange kindness. Its words were soft.

"Trust me" it whispered. "I know."

Covering your mouth, you let your teeth sink into your bottom lip. "You're losing it." you thought. "For little reason other than..." your thoughts faded.

If you stopped thinking about it, talking about it, it would all go away. At least that's what your family said. But then again, they didn't think you needed any outside help.

There were plenty of reasons why you avoided them, your family.

"We're family now" is what Vickie would tell you. "You're big sis," that statement always came with a giggle.

The light blinked from your phone, someone had left a message. All you really wanted was sleep, though it wasn't often you got calls.

"Better check it." you sighed.

"Hello, Y/n. It's Beth from work! I was wondering if you had time, would you be interested in having lunch with Barry and I next Saturday? His brother's moving back in town and he's a single pringle! It'd also be nice to have a fourth, you know, for the conversation. I'm sure you'll have a lot in common having just returned! He's a music teacher, isn't that fun? Just let me know, give me a call."

You cringed.

Below, Eddie shook his head, "that's not lunch, that's a set-up. And a poorly executed one." he murmured.

You gazed at the phone with a flat expression. "I hate fix ups." you muttered. Everyone thought they knew what you wanted or what you needed. It's how you spent half your time in college.

"I promise he's a greaaat guy!" they'd say.

And yet so far it's never worked out, not once. Couple of months at most and then on to the next one.

"Why do you even go?" Vickie would often ask after listening to your rants over the phone. The answer was simple, who doesn't want to find their person?

Alright, probably lots of people, but you weren't one of them.

Vickie words sprung into your mind again, "Maybe things never work out because... you already met them." her advice always stuck in your craw worse than anything.

"She is terrible at dating and wisdom for her self. And yet, in an instant, becomes Confucius or Plato or something for anyone else." you thought with a shake of your head.

"Goofy little genius." You sighed.

"But maybe you're right. No one else fits." you said to yourself, "If that's the case, what was I going to do if rejected." the words came out in a bitter chuckle.

Trying your best to shrug off the thought. Thinking about it too long led to the every persistent self dig of 'what if I'd tried sooner?'

The age-old curse of not wanting to risk what you've happily settled for just because of a chance at more.

"It's like only applying to shit schools because fear of that rejection letter. Then dreaming about Harvard for the rest of your life." you grumbled to yourself.

"Wanting the lead role, but only auditioning for the one-liner." you said.

"Who'd she let slip?" Eddie murmured. From his entrapment, he followed your path through the house.

You looked at yourself in the mirror, set your purse on the vanity and kicked off your shoes. "Maybe I should go." You said.

"Pretty sure talking to yourself this much is a bad sign." you chuckled. "You need someone around. Even if just to talk."

Eddie shook his head, "nope, it's a sigh of genius. Think I read that somewhere, maybe?" Eddie squinted, "no point in trying to remember, you know how this goes." he said.

Eddie fell silent, watching you look at the secondary phone on your night stand. "She's contemplating it?" he thought, biting his lip with unease.

"Shouldn't bother you, man, you're stuck here." He thought.

Meanwhile, you'd plucked up the phone and gave Beth a call.

"Shit." Eddie whispered, "wait? Barry? I knew that name." he uttered. Trying to remember made his head hurt. Eddie closed his eyes, "give it up." He told himself, his finger touching a trickle of scarlet at his nostril.

"Damn it." Eddie said, heading for the tissue box, near the bed.

March 26, 1994

Eddie wrote down a series of cords in the worn notebook that'd become his newest diary. A hand wrapped around his gut, that last tin of sardines was long gone. Time may have stood still for everything else in the upside down, "but that stuff was probably past it's date years before it go stuck here." Eddie thought.

He rubbed his stomach lightly, food supplies taken from houses were less reliable than what he gathered from stores, schools, and the hospital.

The veil was closed, sealed up tight, and he could only listen to the commotion above. Drawers opening a closing Y/n muttering to herself. It was the fifth outfit she'd tried on.

"It's nearly impossible to be possible date ready and business casual all at once." he'd heard her say.

Eddie groaned, sliding his notebook forward as he moved to lay on his stomach. She didn't like a blue blouse, the khaki pants, or the green earrings. Which left Eddie to wonder.

"Whats your favorite color?"

He wrote in his book.

Eddie gnawed on his pencil and looked down at the page.

"Favorite anything. Food, candy, time of year? Night or day?"

Eddie could recall a few things, like her favorite band and favorite celebrity. He never knew why those stuck with him.

"Probably because back then you'd love to have been both., and it just didn't click." his small thoughts chimed.

A soft, struggling smile crossed his face as his hand flicked and swirled the pencil across the lines.

"What's your favorite song?"

He knew it once, Eddie was sure of it. It must have been a fleeting moment. "I love that song!" she said.

He could only remember that much and the fact that it was playing on the radio at the time.

"I was working on the car, under it." Eddie gazed down at his writing. "And the song came on, and she nearly tripped over my legs trying to get inside and turn up the volume." Eddie said.

He whispered, "but what was the song..." and closed up his book. He still had sweetheart and his acoustic. They'd managed to survive as long as he had. Maybe if he played for a while, it'd come back to him.

Your eyes shifted towards the clock for the twentieth time. Dreading and yet hopeful about lunch. "If he's decent, and you hit it off, this could be the very thing you need." you thought.

The minute hand ticked and it was officially lunch. Grabbing your purse, you headed for your car.

"Don't think too much about it and just be casual..." You sat giving yourself a pep talk, examining your face in the mirror of the car. You'd parked outside the newly renovated Benny's.

Looking out the window, you could spot Beth and Barry meeting a man by the door.

Your eyes squinted, You could only see his back, but, "He looks strangely familiar." You murmur. Examining what you could about it, he wasn't tall or short, with a heavy build. Slicked bark hair sporting a few curls and clad in a leather jacket, which held more patches than you'd ever seen in your life.

You check over your reflection one last time, take a deep breath and step out of your car.

"Oh! There she is!" Beth called out.

You raise a hand to send a stiff wave. Before the motion could complete, the man turned around, and your jaw clenched tight. "I..." Your thoughts were broken, mentally screaming.

"Holy shit, Y/n?" said Paul, a grin slowly came to his face, "Remember me?" He asked with a grin.

Pins and needles stung at your fingertips, "I...you're Corroded's bassist, um.." You exhale, "were, I mean."

Paul's smile faltered a little as well, "yeah, that me." he said.

Beth excitedly shook Barry's shoulder. "Look, look," she whispered.

Paul glanced back at His brother and Sister in law. "Um, would you mind if I took Y/n out for ice cream instead?" He asked.

Beth cut in faster than Barry could answer. "Are you kidding? You two go have fun! Sound like you have lots of catching up to do!" she sang.

There was little more Beth loved, than playing matchmaker.

Paul smiled at his family and beckoned you to follow him. The walk up the street was quiet. He stopped before a motorcycle and got on.

"Here," said Paul, passing you the spare Helmet. Fastening it on your head, you climbed on behind him.

"Ice cream?" You questioned, holding onto his shoulders.

"I needed to tell them something." He said.

"Besides, you looked at me like the whole world was crashing." Paul sighed.

The silence that fell was suffocating, even the rumble of the bike couldn't cut through. You cleared your throat, "so, you're a music teacher now?" You asked.

"Ahhhh," Paul lulled, nodding his head, "yeah. Took a music major, found out that they're hiring at Hawkin's Middle School." He said. "so...I'm back." the words came in a quiet murmur.

Your mouth shut tight, "I came back for my friend's wedding. Stayed because of a job offer as well. You know...money's nice after job hopping all over." You said in a tone to match his.

Bent over the toilet in a room of the husk that would have been the Hospital, Eddie wiped his mouth. His stomach knotted and arms trembling. "Fuck." he whispered.

With dulled eyes, he looked at the scarlet and black sludge in the bowl. "That's not food poisoning or bad sardines." he muttered.

His stomach twisted, causing Eddie to hiss. He used the wall for support, carefully sliding down it. With his head in his hands, he shook his head.

"You fought it off before, you can keep it up." he told himself. But his fingertips felt frost bitten, and his head began to hurt. It wanted to steal more of him away.

Eddie looked down at his hands, they shivered violently. Pale skin turning a volcanic gray, nails black and pointed. He could feel his spine crack, threatening to hunch.

He needed to be fast, Eddie quickly discarded his vest and shirt. The Pants and shoes could be ruined, he could find those again. But if the tops were distorted, he feared he'd lose the memories tied to them.

The skin beneath Eddie's armpit webbed and following the length of his arm fused slowly. He sank down to the floor, curled and writhing as he could feel his body unwillingly change.

Eventually the screaming stopped, and consciousness left him. It was in control now.

In the back of the ice cream parlor, you poked at the banana split. Paul watched you quietly digging away at his triple stack. It seemed both of you planned on eating away your feelings.

"Since there's nothing to drink." you thought.

"You know Eddie told us," Paul finally said.

Your eyes refused to look at him, finally taking a spoonful of your ice cream. "Told you what?" you asked.

Paul glanced off, "you know..." he hesitated, "about the note and...thte tape."

You nearly choked, "o-oh..." you stammered.

Paul's brow pushed together, "Nobody was able to reach you, you know after the evacuation." he said. "Jeff and Gareht tried. Vickie said you wouldn't answer calls."

You sat still, watching the split melt.

"You weren't there for the-"

"Vickie said it was empty, so it was pointless. Right?" You spoke quickly, shutting his statement down before it could reach your ears.

"This town, its investigative work, isn't worth piss without Jim Hopper. And with the government in a frenzy over that weird fall out..." You rambled.

Paul simply watched you. "Yeah, we didn't buy it at first either." he sighed.

"At first?" you asked, narrowing your eyes.

He answered you, speaking carefully words heavy, "It's been eight years, Y/n. What other answer could it be?"

"Missing persons can be missing for decades," you said, shaking your head, "some are never found until they die, but until that time they are still out there."

Paul drew in a breath. "That's..."

Your eyes narrowed more.

"That can't be better for you to think. A grave, a chance to say your peace. That's closure. It can hel-"

"That's not closer, that's talking to dirt under a stone, crafted to make what happened go away. A.k.a a load of horseshit" You snapped.

Paul lifted his hands in surrender. "Ok" he said.

You eased back, looking down at your hands.

"Ok." he repeated in a sigh.

You swallowed hard, and unzipped your purse. Pulling out a small silver flask. Paul watched you apprehensively as you took a sip.

Looking up, you noticed the look he was giving you. And a lie you'd gotten far too comfortable telling, tumbled out of your mouth.

"It's...liquid Tylenol. I...haven't been well lately." You murmured.

Paul exhaled, "Oh, I'm sorry," he said. Both wanting to ask more, and yet he didn't want to push into anything that might have been personal. Tylenol wasn't anything strong, and he didn't want to her about period details. Must have been cramps.

"Well...not to harp on, you know..." Paul muttered.

"How have you been? What have you been up too?" He asked.

"After college? Just trying to keep a steady job. You try and pick the thing that's interesting and good enough money. But get out and find the jobs are too few or too many people qualify for them." You said.

"Other than that, I'm just here. Helping Vickie navigate her disgruntled family, for far." You side glanced, "I don't have much of a life outside of work these days."

"Well, that's no good." Paul said with a faint smile. "Gotta live a little sometime."

"So, what about you?" You asked, wanting to change the subject. If this kept up, it might lead to an offer to go to a bar sometime. And you'd worked far too hard to avoid becoming a regular there.

"Yep, doing great, you only frequent the liquor store six times a week." you thought, soured.

"Usually work, during school breaks I offer private lessons for bass guitar and standard. I have the kids on weekends, holidays and half of the school break." Paul explained.

"You have kids?" You asked, you'd never have guessed that.

He laughed. "Four, if you can believe it. Triplets, all girls and my youngest son."

You manged a smile, "that's great."

From there on, the conversation seemed to move about at an easier pace. For now, you were just glad this hadn't turned into a complete nightmare. Even if it was only another reminder.

⇐ Previous | TOC | Next ⇒

#eddie munson x fem!reader #eddie munson angst #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson lives

[petitprincess1]

I can't believe you would actually side yourself with a doxxer and someone who denies Dainty's been raped?? Then you want to sit here and make it seem like it's so easy to just deal with harassment. I really thought you were actually a decent fucking human being

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Can I ask a few things? All of what I'm about to say is public knowledge. All from Deviantart, Twitter, Tumblr, or even Dainty's GoFundMe. Anyway:

First of all, I thought Dainty was living with his mom. Apparently, he's in a group home and his mom is either in hospice or still nursing home, due to her alcoholism. Not to say the abuse wouldn't be scarring (physically and mentally), but I assumed the GFM was for getting out of said abuse situation. But whatever. GFMs are for many things.

Although, Dainty then details in the PUBLIC update that he went into a halfway house. First of all, your mom isn't home. Even if it is shitty to go back here, wouldn't that be more accessible? Also, you mention a grandfather....why not go live with him? Second of all, a halfway house is where people with substance abuse, past criminal activity, or mental illnesses co-occurrent with the sub. abuse would go. They're transitioning from dependent living to independent living. Why are YOU there and what does that have to do with your mom?

I'm also guessing you live in sober living since I don't think you can just leave a halfway house. I mean, I'm not a professional in all of that. So, I could be wrong. Idk. Also, is that why your GFM is there? To pay the guest fee? Not that there's anything wrong with that. Just kinda confused, especially since it seems like you spend it on commissions and merchandise.

In a Deviantart journal, you mention that you had 40 foster homes. I hope that was just hyperbole because that doesn't really make sense aging-wise. However, you also say that every single male family member in those 40 different homes...raped you. I'm sure SOME of that is true, but every one of them? That statistically doesn't seem likely.

You also mention that a past ex had raped you (very sorry if that is true), but the way you described it was that your "pants were slightly lowered" and you were "a little wet". No bleeding, no pain, no sign of drugging, or anything like that. That's it. If anything, it seems like they just pantsed you and made it seem like you peed yourself.

You also say you went to go get a pregnancy test. I don't even think a pregnancy test would work that well after the crime, but why that? Why a pregnancy test? Why not a rape kit or going to the police? I understand that that's tough and even humiliating in a situation like that. However, I feel like it would be more beneficial.

Also, how did you end up going back to him THREE TIMES? I imagine the same act happened again and again. While I understand the cycle of abuse and that people tend to get into abusive relationships, but going back to the SAME person? Idk. That just seems like a lot.

This one is a bit hearsay: You mention your rent is along the lines of $100 in that group home. First of all, the lowest fee for Sober Living is $300 from what I could find. Second of all, are you guys lodging in a port-a-potty or a cave? What rent has you all dividing up where your dividend is just $100, especially nowadays? I would love to know, honestly.

Also, you mention you vividly remember being raped at 6 months. While people can remember stuff when they're born, it's incredibly rare. Plus, for moments like that, unless it was recently, trauma like that tends to get repressed. It'd be one thing if you had a hazy memory, but to know it so vividly? Idk. Again, I'm no professional and I wasn't there, ofc, but it seems off. Especially since most people's brains are still developing and don't even start remembering till after 6 months if even that.

You also apparently dated a pedophile, who was orbiting around a minor and you had knowledge of this minor. You also went back together with this person more than once, while still having knowledge of the kid. .....Why of all things are you making yourself out to be a victim when there's an ACTUAL CHILD with a PEDOPHILE around? Like excuse meeeeee??? Esp coming from someone who was around other pedos and raped by them

Lastly, is your mom in hospice? Sorry if that's a weird way to end this, I'm just curious. Idk if your mom still abuses you or yells or anything, ....then laugh at her. Bitch can't do shit x3 She's wasting all that energy yelling that soon the only thing that'll come out is a death rattle.

Now, let's say ALL OF THAT is 100% true......isn't it a bit much to lose your mind over Millie discourse? You've been through hell and back, but internet drama is what gets you pissed off? I know everyone has their limits, but still. That just feels so minor in comparison.

However, if a good bit of this is false (SOME of it probably has weight).......the people who are donating to your GFM are the most gullible idiots I have ever heard of. Anyone that supports you is incredibly gullible. Because.....WOW! All of that together is some insane bullshit. I can't even be mad at your for it. You go make that fucking money, they sure as hell ain't gonna do anything with it lol

Again, a lot of this is public knowledge, nothing I'm "stalking" him for. A bit obsessive? Maybe. But....it was like a car crash. I had to keep seeing how deep this fucking rabbit hole was. This is just insane and, once again, very stupid.

Maybe some of it is true, but I doubt everything here is complete honesty. This just seems so insane that I doubt you could come up with it on the spot, as in people are lying to make you look bad. Idk...this shit is fucking weird, dude.

#hazbin hotel #helluva boss #rick and morty #tomfooleryy #long post #ask answered #tw rape mention #tw abuse #tw abuse mention

[beardedmrbean]

Ohio’s attorney general said Monday that his office had heard “not a whisper” about the reported case of a 10-year-old girl who was raped and had to travel out of state to receive an abortion due to Ohio’s so-called “trigger” law — a viral story that was cited by President Biden last week.

“We have a decentralized law enforcement system in Ohio, but we have regular contact with prosecutors and local police and sheriffs,” Dave Yost told Fox News’ “Jesse Watters Primetime.” “Not a whisper anywhere.” 

Yost then noted that his office runs the Buckeye State’s crime lab, and added: “Any case like this, you’re going to have a rape kit, you’re going to have biological evidence, and you would be looking for DNA analysis, which we do most of the DNA analysis in Ohio. There is no case request for analysis that looks anything like this.”

“I know our prosecutors and cops in this state,” Yost went on. “There’s not one of them that wouldn’t be turning over every rock in their jurisdiction if they had the slightest hint that this occurred there.”

On July 1, the Indianapolis Star reported that a local OB-GYN, Dr. Caitlin Bernard, had been contacted four days earlier by an Ohio “child abuse doctor” who told Bernard that they had just seen a 10-year-old patient who was six weeks and three days pregnant.

According to the story, that meant the girl was three days too late to obtain an abortion under Ohio’s new law, which went into effect following the Supreme Court’s June 24 decision overturning Roe v. Wade.

The Star reported that Bernard took responsibility for the girl’s care, but did not specify whether the child underwent an abortion or any other procedure. The outlet also did not identify the doctor who told Bernard about the case and Bernard appeared to be the only source for the story.

Under Ohio law, physicians are required to report any case of known or suspected child abuse or neglect, including “suffering any physical or mental wound [or] injury.” 

If, as Yost claims, law enforcement has no knowledge of a rape case involving a 10-year-old girl, that suggests that either the Ohio doctor violated state law by not reporting the crime or Bernard fabricated the incident to a credulous reporter.

“We don’t know who the originating doctor in Ohio was, if they even exist,” Yost told Watters on Monday night. “But the bottom line is, it is a crime — if you’re a mandated reporter — to fail to report.”

Several news outlets and fact-checking websites, including the Washington Post and Snopes, have been unable to independently verify the Star report. The Post also reached out to Bernard last week, but did not hear back.

As social media users and conservative websites began to raise questions about the story Friday, Biden cited the report in a White House speech in which he raged against trigger laws like Ohio’s.

“Imagine being that little girl,” the president said. “I’m serious, just imagine being that little girl. Ten years old!”

When pressed later Friday about whether the White House had verified key details of the case — including the identity of the victim — press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre referred reporters to the Department of Justice.

“I don’t have more to share on the identity of this young woman or the question that you just asked me,” Jean-Pierre said. “The president spoke to that young woman just to show how extreme the decision on — the Dobbs decision was and just how extreme it is now for American public, the — American families when there is no exception at all.”

It’s unclear why the press secretary invoked the Department of Justice, since the rape would be a matter for local law enforcement unless the girl was brought across state lines by her assailant.

On Monday, Yost claimed that the Ohio trigger law had an exception that would have allowed the girl — “if she exists and if this horrible thing actually happened to her” — to obtain an abortion in the state, undercutting the theme of the Star article.

#nunyas news #imagine my shook

[levisgirll]

Hey ~ I really love ur blog! U just bring a soft side of Levi that's so cute. Could u do a hc/scenario of how would Levi look after his crush during expeditions, please?

𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 (𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐢 𝐀𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫)

→ Text: Hello there anon! Thank you for your message and request <3 I really love this idea and I would be glad to write this out for you! Sorry this took awhile but I hope you see this and you enjoy it <3 also thank you for letting me know! that was my aim, and I really love soft Levi cause I believe this side of him will show when he is around his crush or with his s/o  🥺 ♡♡♡

Synopsis: Ever since you started going to expeditions, Levi has been quite different and showed a different side of him which not only surprised Y/N but himself too. He has become more considerate, attentive, sympathetic (during the nights before an expedition) and rather straightforward whenever he wanted to be serious with you and say his point (might come out as harsh or him being concerned). He started doing this all since he was secretly looking after Y/N, who is his crush! So, find out how he does that!

cute fluff, aot world, random headcanons scenario/imagine ♡ —

First thing you notice when you have started to go on expeditions is that Levi has been keeping his eyes on you. Always watching you, and focuses every detail on you especially out of everyone in the scouts. So, expect all eyes on you from him!

You found it first a bit odd how it was just you, and whenever you try and go near him or talk to Levi while he is staring at you. He would hesitate, and just walk away, trying to avoid you if you wanted to have a conversation.

That's cause, he knows himself really well that he will start stuttering. And, that's also when Levi noticed that Y/N is actually his crush. He did not want to admit it though to himself, he was also confused with how he felt towards you. It was an odd feeling and hard for him to control.

But, one day during an expedition, you fell from a tree branch as the hook from your ODM gear was fractured and causing you not to be balanced. Levi froze, and he felt like the whole world stopped when he saw your body, on the ground, how your head was bleeding, and when he tried to go near you and call you out while holding your body, you were unconscious. He thought he lost his chance, his sunshine and source of happiness. Losing his chance to spend more time with you, show you that he really did love you even though you seemed to never know. And that was when he knew that you were the person he loved and cherished.

As soon as you went back to the walls and Levi taking you to the infirmary, he waited by your side the whole time. Wishing you would wake up sooner, but he has patience, to wait for the person he loved.

Once you were awake, he quickly got up, and you were shocked how none other than Captain Levi, who you really looked up to and liked a lot, was right by your side! 

“Hey, You okay?” Was the first thing he said after breaking the silence between the both of you. How you both gave each other glances that filled with love, and how he stared at your beautiful eyes that sparkled. He missed seeing your face, your eyes that finally opened and your expressions. “Y-Yea, Just a bit dizzy.”

“Idiot, why are you so careless? You should have checked your ODM gear. What a reckless move, brat.” He said while looking away, avoiding his eye contact with you now. If someone else heard that, it would have seem like he was being strict with you. But, after Y/N hearing his words, their eyes would widen and be quite surprised at how Levi said this to them. His tone had a bit of concern and worry for Y/N instead and even though the words were a bit harsh, he won’t mean it in that way and he would only say this to someone he would care a lot and cherish. This left Y/N a blushing mess and felt their heart speaking a beat, how someone, especially Levi, cared for them and noticing them. 

Levi does not ever want to see you again in the infirmary, being hurt, and bandaged up, so he now promised to himself that he would look after Y/N during expeditions especially.

If Y/N somehow twisted their ankle, or their leg/knee would hurt. Expect Levi to actually pick you up or giving you his arm and shoulder for support for standing and walking. He would do these small things and offer his help to you quickly if he saw you struggle. He would later on lecture you how you should have asked his help. “Brat, I told you to ask for my help if you ever got hurt didn’t I? So, Why.” Levi said after helping you sitting you down on a bench, and looking at you for an answer. ‘Easier said than done.’ You would think and blush a bit, you always seemed to held back whenever you though of asking Levi for help. That’s cause, you felt quite shy and nervous whenever approaching the great strong captain solider that everyone talks about! “Hey. From now on, come to me for help. Alright?” He would say after giving you a pat on your shoulder. Even thought he liked you a lot, he actually really cared for you and would actually be happy if you did end up asking for his help, that would boost his ego and he would literally do it right away.

Whenever the scouts took breaks as they moved forward in the formations during an expedition. Levi would look for you, for Y/N only, and when he finds them, he would go on and telling them if they made sure they were alright and reminding them if they had their things. He would also ask if they were feeling alright and if they were too afraid after seeing so many titans. Levi would reassure them that he would be there by their side to support them and whenever Y/N heard that, it would be heartwarming, and this made them move on with their mission.

Whenever Y/N was shaken up after seeing a titan eating their comrades, or their comrades dying before their eyes, or experiencing something unpleasant. Levi would notice that quickly and he would observe how it would make Y/N feel shocked and upset, unable to think calmly and clearly. Levi would approach his crush and comfort them that things would be fine. And, Levi would definitely then allow their crush (who they are the only people who can do that) to hug him as they leave their face in his shoulder, and if they needed to cry, he would be there for that too and comfort you in his own way hugging you back tightly and ruffling their hair to calm them down. Levi would be glad how they survived and they are now alive, around his arms finally.

Levi would offer them water during the expedition usually, he wants to make sure their crush is hydrated and that also he would pack you up with some goods and snacks. “Tch, just take them.” He would say as you hesitantly accepted his kind offer. Levi would literally spend 30 minutes getting all the necessary things you would need and pack them up for you. He gives you things filled with love and care.

And, if you did happen one day running out of snacks to eat, he would offer you his snacks and make sure you eat it all before he leaves. 

His crush would apologize and feel real bad if they messed up on something during a mission, such as incorrectly shooting the wrong signal flare or not shooting it on time whenever they were under stress or nervous during a situation. But, Levi would actually be chill and calm about it and say, “Oi, Don't worry about it. It’s alright.” He would say as he ruffed their hair, and everyone there would be shocked cause if it were a different person he would go mad.

At the beginning, he would would try and tell you not to come to the expeditions that seemed too risky and leave it to him, but obviously he knows that you would no and you would then say to him, “I can’t help it, I want to come and be by your side and help out.” And that, left Levi being a blushing mess. He admired your confidence, and how you were willing to do this all for him and that made him feel loved. He then would reassure you that he would be protecting you throughout the mission. “I want to protect you.” and when you questioned why only you, he would go silent and leave the scene, making you wonder.

Levi would definitely have an aid kit ready with him, whenever he saw you injured or needed some bandages, expect him to have that ready for you, and even do it for you himself. He would do it and his excuse would be that he would do a better job on patching you up, but you knew he just wanted to help you and he actually would be worried if the injury was deep or serious.

If you had a small cut on your finger or the palm of your hand, Levi would make sure to also patch that up for you. If you insisted saying you could do it yourself or saying that it was not a big deal, he would then say to you in a caring tone but having his serious stoic expression, “Your hand. Now.” You resist and give in while holding out your hand to him. After he puts a bandage on it, he would gently hold your hand with both of his hands and then say, “Please, be careful.” In such a low tone, and if you have missed that, you would probably not have heard it.

And, after an expedition one day, when you went to his office to give him some tea you have prepared. He was silent, and Levi was pretty down when you saw him. When he noticed your presence, his expression then would go soft and quickly get up, hugging you, and this would shock you because Levi would never do something like that suddenly. But, that evening after that expedition, he was really emotional and he just wanted to hold what was dear to him, which was you. Y/N.  “I wish I didn’t feel like this every time you leave my side.” He would utter in a sad tone, and you would be there caressing his back and also the back of his head, caressing his undercut which would make him relax and give out a soft sigh.

And before expeditions, Levi becomes a bit clingy and needy in nights a day before, and he would show some affection towards Y/N. Such as slightly holding and caressing your hand, trying to feel your warmth as much as possible to keep him calm, your presence meant the world to him and he loved every bit of time you spent with him. “Hey, promise me you won’t do anything stupid?” He would ask you a lot of questions too and you would have to be there, reassuring him that you wouldn't leave his side and hold his hand back firmly, meaning every word you say to him which will make him feel relieved, how he knows you won’t leave him and sacrifice yourself.

Whenever the scouts are ready to leave and get outside the walls to start the expedition, Levi would check all your gear if they were functioning, and in a good condition, and makes sure your gas is filled up too. 

Levi would also take care of your horse and make sure it was strong and stable enough to help you throughout the journey. If you somehow lost your horse, he would give you his horse instead (and he would only do that to someone he really trusts and cherishes) and he would just use his ODM gear. “I’ll meet you ahead, alright?” He would say and proceed ahead, making sure there is no titan in sight and if there was, he would kill it. He was on his full protective mode every time you were in missions with him.

If you were in a different part of the formation, he would ask someone in that formation you were at, and tell them to update them about Y/N and order them to protect and support Y/N.

Levi would often get side-tracked, thinking of you quite a lot and more than usual, and Erwin would pick that up and say with a smirk, “Don’t worry, they will be fine Levi. Believe in them.” Erwin would say randomly and that would make Levi shocked, thinking how the hell did he even know he was thinking of Y/N.

Overall, the man is the only one out there in the expedition who is ready to risk his life, support you and help you in anyway he can and with his power and strength he would be your guard, and secretly also admire you from afar during expeditions and think how he wants to be near you and just hold your hand.

#Levi ackerman #levi headcanons #levi ackerman x you #levi x reader #levi ackerman fluff #levi ackerman headcanon #levi ackerman headcanons #levi ackerman hc #levi ackerman hcs #levi ackerman fanfiction #levi ackerman fic #levi ackerman imagine #levi ackerman modern au #levi ackerman x y/n #levi ackerman x oc #levi ackerman x reader fanfiction #levi fic #levi fanfic #levi fanfiction #ackerman levi #ackerman levi fanfiction #ackerman fanfiction #attack on titan fan fiction #attack on titan #attack on tian fanfiction #attack on titan modern au #attack on titan modern #attack on titan fic #attack on titan hc #aot reader

[yoshkeii]

"𝙵𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝙿𝚎𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚜"

࿐ character(s): Daichi Sawamura, Asahi Azumane

࿐ genre: sfw, soft/fluff

࿐ type: (au) headcanons

࿐ requested by: anon

⌦ boyfriend male!reader (he/him)

⌦ genshin impact x haikyuu!!, modern settings

⌦ ‘can i request an au headcanon (basically genshin impact x haikyuu!!, modern settings, but the vision bearers are rarer than post traveler time and there's still spiral abyss where vision bearers help discovering new information and artifacts, and getting paid from their country for that) So, daichi and asahi's boyfriend(a vision bearer, which element is up to you to decide.)(also separetly) reacts that their boyfriend just give them an old flower artifact that he found that reminds male!reader of his boyfriend‘

A/N: an interesting concept !! thank you for requesting, im not good with reactions but- ihopethisisokay,, i dont think i did well on this,, khai writes hcs weirdly pt. who fucking knows.

asahi azumane’s give flower: wanderer’s troupe or viridescent venerer

𝙳𝚊𝚒𝚌𝚑𝚒:

》 staring at the rosy-red petaled flower that was supposedly made into a brooch, a piece missing that would make the item stay on the wearer. your eyes glossed over the item, identifying cracks and scratches on the metallic bronze pieces that accompanied the ordinary looking flower, that somehow was in one piece. just... slightly off-colored. before jumping as your name was called by another vision-bearer with two others by the way towards the exit of the Abyss floor, you began to hurry over to them as you gently slid the “Gladiator’s Nostalgia” into your pouch. the name you had read before within a dusty journal, remembering it so clearly with a much vibrant image than the real one you had now. but it oh, so reminded you of your beloved boyfriend, the one waiting for you at your shared home. 《

→ Daichi didn’t know he would be dating a vision-bearer, no one would’ve thought of a thing really. they were such a rare sight to see out in public- especially in the modern days. but that only just added to the many surprises you came home with after your days of working in the “Spiral Abyss” is what they call it.

→ giving him the faded-out red flower as soon as you walked through the front door, a bright smile across your face, was a sight he would never get tired of. except the slight worriedness would built up seeing scratches n bruises along your skin the more he stared...

→ eventually leading him to treating your injuries properly, maybe a slight scold or lecture here and there-

→ “Love, you know you have to be careful. Especially with fire! I know you have a Pyro vision, but that doesn’t mean mess around- and play with fire itself- You aren’t immune to it.” “..even worse that you tried using your abilities to cook..”

→ “He-hey it was a one time thing-!! and I was really curious ‘Muraaa..” you whined, wincing and pulling your face away with a pout as Daichi pressed a cotton swab onto the cut along your cheek.

→ “Yeah yeah, lil’ember.” He muttered the nickname, swiping a thumb over the bandaid to cover the cut. “..there you are done, now go get a change of clothes dirty boy- I have to put the first aid stuff away.”

→ seeing you disappear pass the door frame of your shared room, he went back to pack and close the first aid kit. before his eyes wandered towards the flower you had given him earlier, which was just idly sitting there on the counter. Daichi picked up the flower holding it gently in his palms, feeling the petals with his free hand.

→ he stared at the flower for a long moment, observing the petals before noticing the scratches on the metal pieces attached to the brooch. he smile gently, beginning to realize this was a gift to him, a gift that you gave and probably risked your life to nag. 

→ sighing deeply at the thought of you getting hurt, knowing how clumsy you can be, he went off to the shared room where you would be. just to make sure you dont... do something stupid.

→ “Y/N?” Daichi had softly called out, seeing your head peek out from the closet as you slid a shirt on. he motioned his hands upwards a little, still holding the faded-brooch in his palms. 

→ “Oh! The Gladiator’s Nostalgia? The flower, do you like it??” the way you had ecstatically replied, he could imagine a puppy’s tail wagging so fast. your eyes shimmering as you awaited his answer.

→ “I love it, ember, it was really nice of you to give it to me.” “..although I hope you didn’t get hurt too much... to achieve it. I bet this was hard to get-” He spoke softly, genuine about the words slipping through his lips.

→ “Well actually... not really-” seeing Daichi look at you in confusion, “..I’ve seen that artifact set a lot on my runs with my team, but are often- broken’n’damaged. So I- I could never give you one-” “There’s also different ones apart of the same set for yours!! I might try to collect the others for you... or more.. flowers..”

→ “Wa-wait-,, there’s more-?” he longed on his question, before he could let out another word he noticed how you started to ramble. talking about interesting details of the items you could get him on your adventures and battles, and all he did was listen. settling down on the edge of the bed while you went on.

→ you were so passionate with your job, what you were doing as a vision-bearer. it’s what he liked about you, or well... loved about you. although he wonder if every Vision-bearer were the same, he’d still take you, . date you, just as who you are. with, or without a vision. and ofc he will keep an eye on what gifts you decide to give him in the mere future.

𝙰𝚜𝚊𝚑𝚒:

》 being an Anemo Vision bearer, your able to adapt and flow with whatever could come your way. making elements spread across the battlefield with one set of moves or to crowd-control them into one spot for the others to strike the unfortunate foes. time to time you would stumble upon the “Viridescent Venerer” set in the fallen loot of opponents or the scuffed chests that were stashed at the end of battles. they looked so different than most artifacts, especially the flowers. common artifacts were genuine real flowers, making them have the same aspect as any other flower, withering and fading into nothing but dull-bland colors. but the Viridescent Venerer’s flower did not, it was just a white wild flower that used to cover the earth. and it has not withered one bit, and still gives off an exquisite fragrance you noticed as the times you ran by it... and well of course noticed it as the scent was what you usually smelled since you had one as part of your outfit. 《

→ Asahi had always pointed out the flower on your outfit, the “In Remembrance of Viridescent Fields“ is what the books would title it, but in short you just called it the Viridescent Venerer flower or just... Viridescent for Asahi’s sake.

→ he had always complimented on how it looked beautiful and pretty, especially when his beloved boyfriend is wearing it. 

→ as days of works and floors of the Spiral Abyss, you managed to find a new piece of the Viridescent to use. unlike discarding the one you currently you had, you had an idea that came into mind, finding you sliding the newer artifact into your bag before leaving off to home. a smile brought onto your face.

→ now cuddling in each others presence, you both chatted about your days. already cleaned yourself up from your days works. hand in hand with soft laughter erupting from both of you, before it died off into comfortable silence.

→ “Azumane, love?” you simply called out, knowing you caught his attention instantly as you felt movement from him. “You certainly like the flower on my fit.”

→ “Well it really is- pretty. Like knowing how regular and most flowers wilt and wither- That one hasn’t! An-And I believe its the same one you wore the day we met too-” he noted.

→ to only be surprised at his memory of these types of things, you laughed- making him startled and a bit embarrassed.

→ “You sure have quite the memory, to even remember that image? I’m impressed, so I assume... it has caught your eye since the start? Just like I was to your own vision~” you cooed, getting up from his grasps before disappearing pass a corner of a wall.

→ confusion expressed on Asahi’s face, sitting up from his position on the couch before his eyes caught the glimpse of the Viridescent in your hand.

→ sitting on the edge of the couch, you motioned the flower towards him, a gentle smile across your face.

→ “I would simply like you to have mine then, it is quite old- and worn from the times I’ve had it through my lifetime. But I think it’ll be a nice gift from me to you.”

→ hearing the words being slipped passed your mouth, he felt tears daring to fall from his eyes- Asahi did not know why. but imagining keeping the Viridescent you had for who knew how long-

→ it would be something he would cherish, something he wouldnt let go.

→ exchanging gentle kisses across your face in exchange, trying his best not to cry the joy. because it was so touching- so simple yet so poetic to give. he didn’t think he deserved one.

→ and from that afternoon, Asahi had kept it. he had kept it safe and sound, bringing it with him whenever you were never there. so he had something to calm him down in anxious moments. he had a memory of you in a flower that would never wither.

#at-dusk;- 🌆 #folder 📁;- 𝙷𝚊𝚒𝚔𝚢𝚞𝚞 #daichi x male reader #asahi x male reader #daichi sawamura x male reader #asahi azumane x male reader #haikyuu x male reader #hq x male reader #haikyuu x reader #hq x reader #x male reader #x reader

[phroyd]

Charlie Watts, whose strong but unflashy drumming powered the Rolling Stones for over 50 years, died on Tuesday in London. He was 80.

His death, in a hospital, was announced by his publicist, Bernard Doherty. No other details were immediately provided.

The Rolling Stones announced earlier this month that Mr. Watts would not be a part of the band’s forthcoming “No Filter” tour of the United States after he had undergone an unspecified emergency medical procedure, which the band’s representatives said had been successful.

Reserved, dignified and dapper, Mr. Watts was never as flamboyant, either onstage or off, as most of his rock-star peers, let alone the Stones’ lead singer, Mick Jagger; he was content to be one of the finest rock drummers of his generation, playing with a jazz-inflected swing that made the band’s titanic success possible. As the Stones guitarist Keith Richards said in his 2010 autobiography, “Life,” “Charlie Watts has always been the bed that I lie on musically.”

While some rock drummers chased after volume and bombast, Mr. Watts defined his playing with subtlety, swing and a solid groove.“As much as Mick’s voice and Keith’s guitar, Charlie Watts’s snare sound is the Rolling Stones,” Bruce Springsteen wrote in an introduction to the 1991 edition of the drummer Max Weinberg’s book “The Big Beat.” “When Mick sings, ‘It’s only rock ’n’ roll but I like it,’ Charlie’s in back showing you why!”Charles Robert Watts was born in London on June 2, 1941. His mother, the former Lillian Charlotte Eaves, was a homemaker; his father, Charles Richard Watts, was in the Royal Air Force and, after World War II, became a truck driver for British Railways.Charlie’s first instrument was a banjo, but, baffled by the fingerings required to play it, he removed the neck and converted its body into a snare drum. He discovered jazz when he was 12 and soon became a fan of Miles Davis, Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus.By 1960, Mr. Watts had graduated from the Harrow School of Art and found work as a graphic artist for a London advertising agency. He wrote and illustrated “Ode to a Highflying Bird,” a children’s book about the jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker (although it was not published until 1965). In the evenings, he played drums with a variety of groups.

Most of them were jazz combos, but he was also invited to join Alexis Korner’s raucous rhythm-and-blues collective, Blues Incorporated. Mr. Watts declined the invitation because he was leaving England to work as a graphic designer in Scandinavia, but he joined the group when he returned a few months later.

The newly formed Rolling Stones (then called the Rollin’ Stones) knew they needed a good drummer but could not afford Mr. Watts, who was already drawing a regular salary from his various gigs. “We starved ourselves to pay for him!” Mr. Richards wrote. “Literally. We went shoplifting to get Charlie Watts.”In early 1963, when they could finally guarantee five pounds a week, Mr. Watts joined the band, completing the canonical lineup of Mr. Richards, Mr. Jagger, the guitarist Brian Jones, the bassist Bill Wyman and the pianist Ian Stewart. He moved in with his bandmates and immersed himself in Chicago blues records.In the wake of the Beatles’ success, the Rolling Stones quickly climbed from being an electric-blues specialty act to one of the biggest bands in the British Invasion of the 1960s. While Mr. Richards’s guitar riff defined the band’s most famous single, the 1965 chart-topper “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” Mr. Watts’s drum pattern was just as essential. He was relentless on “Paint It Black” (No. 1 in 1966), supple on “Ruby Tuesday” (No. 1 in 1967) and the master of a funky cowbell groove on “Honky Tonk Women” (No. 1 in 1969).

Mr. Watts was ambivalent about the fame that he achieved as a member of the group that has often been called “the world’s greatest rock ’n’ roll band.” As he said in the 2003 book “According to the Rolling Stones”: “I loved playing with Keith and the band — I still do — but I wasn’t interested in being a pop idol sitting there with girls screaming. It’s not the world I come from. It’s not what I wanted to be, and I still think it’s silly.”

As the Stones rolled through the years, Mr. Watts drew on his graphic-arts background to contribute to the design of the band’s stage sets, merchandise and album covers — he even contributed a comic strip to the back cover of their 1967 album “Between the Buttons.” While the Stones cultivated bad-boy images and indulged a collective appetite for debauchery, Mr. Watts mostly eschewed the sex and drugs. He clandestinely married Shirley Anne Shepherd, an art-school student and sculptor, in 1964.

On tour, he would go back to his hotel room alone; every night, he sketched his lodgings. “I’ve drawn every bed I’ve slept in on tour since 1967,” he told Rolling Stone magazine in 1996. “It’s a fantastic nonbook.”Similarly, while other members of the Stones battled for control of the band, Mr. Watts largely stayed out of the internal politics. As he told The Weekend Australian in 2014, “I’m usually mumbling in the background.”Mr. Jones, who considered himself the leader, was fired from the Stones in 1969 (and found dead in his swimming pool soon after). Mr. Jagger and Mr. Richards spent decades at loggerheads, sometimes making albums without being in the studio at the same time. Mr. Watts was happy to work with either, or both.

“Never call me your drummer again,” he told Mr. Jagger, before grabbing him by the lapel and delivering a right hook. Mr. Richards said he narrowly saved Mr. Jagger from falling out a window into an Amsterdam canal.“It’s not something I’m proud of doing, and if I hadn’t been drinking I would never have done it,” Mr. Watts said in 2003. “The bottom line is, don’t annoy me.”At the time, Mr. Watts was in the early stages of a midlife crisis that manifested itself as a two-year bender. Just as the other Stones were settling into moderation in their 40s, he got hooked on amphetamines and heroin, nearly destroying his marriage. After passing out in a recording studio and breaking his ankle when he fell down a staircase, he quit, cold turkey.Mr. Watts and his wife had a daughter, Seraphina, in 1968 and, after spending some time in France as tax exiles, relocated to a farm in southwestern England. There they bred prizewinning Arabian horses, gradually expanding their stud farm to over 250 horses on 700 acres of land. Information on his survivors was not immediately available. Mr. Doherty, the publicist, said Mr. Watts had “passed away peacefully” in the hospital “surrounded by his family.”

Eventually the Stones settled into a cycle of releasing an album every four years, followed by an extremely lucrative world tour. (They grossed over a half-billion dollars between 2005 and 2007 on their “Bigger Bang” tour.)But Mr. Watts’s true love remained jazz, and he would fill the time between those tours with jazz groups of various sizes — the Charlie Watts Quintet, the Charlie Watts Tentet, the Charlie Watts Orchestra. Soon enough, though, he would be back on the road with the Stones, playing in sold-out arenas and sketching beds in empty hotel rooms.He was not slowed down by old age, or by a bout with throat cancer in 2004. In 2016, the drummer Lars Ulrich of Metallica told Billboard that since he wanted to keep playing into his 70s, he looked to Mr. Watts as his role model. “The only road map is Charlie Watts,” he said.Through it all, Mr. Watts kept on keeping time on a simple four-piece drum kit, anchoring the spectacle of the Rolling Stones.“I’ve always wanted to be a drummer,” he told Rolling Stone in 1996, adding that during arena rock shows, he imagined a more intimate setting. “I’ve always had this illusion of being in the Blue Note or Birdland with Charlie Parker in front of me. It didn’t sound like that, but that was the illusion I had.”

Phroyd

#rip #rolling stones #charlie watts

[littlemisspascal]

The Last Mandalorian

Chapter One: The Warrior in Carbonite Part 3

Fandom: The Mandalorian / Pedro Pascal

Eventual Pairing: Din x Togruta!Female!Reader

Word Count: 4,320

Rating: G

Summary: A series that is a mixture of Mandalorian, Star Wars, ATLA, and my own imagination. The Imps have seized control of the majority of the galaxy, including your homeworld Shili. You and your sister Ahsoka have developed a daily routine despite the stormtroopers keeping your village imprisoned. One morning you make a startling discovery that will change the course of your lives forever.

Warnings: I don’t know much about starship mechanics so probably nothing in this is accurate but it’s fanfiction people so cut me some slack please, reader gets a nickname 🥳, plot plot plot, discussion of loss of loved ones, worldbuilding, dialogue heavy, this is a slow burn but it’s also ridiculously self-indulgent so I’m including as many cute getting-to-know-you scenes as I can, reader is 17 and Din is 19 so I’m going to warn this as underage even though nothing sexual or even vaguely romantic happens in this chapter.

Author Note: Thank you anyone and everyone who has read even a sentence of this story! Special thanks and love to @dindja for creating this stunning, fantastic, amazing piece of fanart for me 💖💖💖 I still can’t believe how perfect it is. I mean, I’m such a sucker for pinky promises it’s not even funny and this is just beautiful 😍😍😍

Part 2

Cross-posted on AO3

For as grand and wide-reaching as the Galactic Empire has become in its ten years of existence, it had relatively small beginnings. A group of radical Force-wielders banded together under the leadership of an old, beady-eyed man named Sheev Palpatine who believed it was his divine destiny to seize control of the entire galaxy, rewriting the ancient laws to match his own beliefs. His cult, the Sith Order, gained attention by attacking Jedi temples, capital cities, places with large populations until every corner of the galaxy had heard of them. Most regarded them with fear, but over time they began garnering a startling amount of followers who were discontent with the status quo and willingly drafted themselves as soldiers in Palpatine’s fight for control.

At first everyone in your village thought Palpatine and his cult of followers weren’t worth worrying about—after all, Shili was a peaceful planet that never drew much attention to itself. But within the first year of its inception, the Sith Order captured Ryloth and the similar peaceful characteristics between the Twi’lek planet and Shili were too glaring to overlook. A seed of anxiety took root in every Togruta’s mind after that, and continued to grow with every planet seized as the years progressed.

The Decimation of Alderaan didn’t start as a tragedy, believe it or not. The Mandalorians, Jedi, and Alderaanians combined their numbers in an all-out fight against the Sith Order. It was the largest battle ever fought in the history of the galaxy, thousands of souls willing to die to defeat Palpatine’s followers. For the first three days of warfare, the fight seemed to be in favor of the allies with many noteworthy Sith members reportedly killed in the fray, such as Palpatine’s second-in-command Dooku and lethal Zabrak assassin Maul. You remember there was a sense of hope felt within your village as everyone listened to the news reports blaring across the Holonet. A belief that things were finally, finally going to return to normal after so much chaos.

But on the fourth day, the Sith Order brought their own ally onto the battlefield.

At the time there wasn’t a name for the droids that slaughtered every opponent they faced. They were described as indestructible, unharmed by blasters and the intense heat of Mandalorian flamethrowers. Not even lightsabers could damage them. The allies didn’t stand a chance, brutally murdered one by one, their dying screams echoing across the Holonet, forever haunting listeners far and wide.

The Dark Troopers were unleashed upon Mandalore afterwards and out of the ashes rose the Galactic Empire, except, in a twist nobody—not even the Sith Order—saw coming: Palpatine died before taking on the title of emperor, passing away in his sleep. A mediocre ending for the monster who permanently altered the foundations of the universe. One of his loyal followers from the cult’s early beginnings took control in his place, a vile man with a penchant for spilling blood and a deceptively bland name: Gideon.

Only seven years-old then, you didn’t understand the unbalance in the Force your aunt kept referencing. You didn’t understand the meaning of the word genocide either. But you did understand the galaxy would never be the same ever again, and the lesson was only further established as truth when the Imperials seized your village. 

There is no normalcy to return to anymore.

And as long as Emperor Gideon remains in control, there is no future to hope for either.

__

Silence reigns in the aftermath of Maar’s explanation as the long list of tragedies hangs heavy over the four occupants. There is tension in the air as you await the Mandalorian’s response to the extinction of his people, whether that be an outburst of anger or tears, and each passing minute only intensifies the nervous energy thrumming through your veins. Your leg starts to bounce restlessly, a bad habit you have had since childhood.

The Mandalorian stands eerily motionless. Your eyes keep flicking from your lap to his visor though you know it is rude to stare. His helmet hides his expression, but you don’t need to see it to know he is floundering right now, mind scrambling to piece together all the details thrown at him. From personal experience, you know the loss of a loved one hits like a tidal wave, hitting you over and over again until you must decide if you are going to stand up or surrender to drowning. Grieving the loss of your parents is the hardest experience of your lifetime to date.

But this...this is vastly different. The Mandalorian didn’t just lose his loved ones. He has lost his friends, neighbors, comrades, acquaintances, everyone all at once. This loss isn’t a tidal wave. It is a kriffing avalanche, burying him ten feet under in total darkness, and there is no one he can count on to save him. 

Finally, after the longest five minutes of your life, he shifts, resting his hands upon his belt with an unexpected air of seriousness. “I need to go.”

You frown, head tilting. That is his reaction?

“Go?” Ahsoka echoes, sounding as incredulous as you feel. “Go where?”

“To look for survivors,” he answers, blunt and harsh, the words forced through clenched teeth. 

Ahsoka is struck silent, and you feel your heart break on his behalf. Your mother’s stories about the Mandalorians had always included, one way or another, their lifelong bonds with each other. You had felt those ties when you had connected with the Mandalorian, believed for a moment as strongly as he did that his fellow warriors would come search for him, that his absence would be noticed and missed amongst them. And here he is now, still desperately clutching to them, unable—or, perhaps unwilling is more apt—to believe a stranger telling him those bonds have been cruelly severed. 

“What you need is to rest,” Maar says, gentle yet firm, letting her authority as the eldest in the room seep into her tone.

He shakes his head, not backing down. “I’ve been asleep for ten years. I don’t need any more rest.”

“Your ship, it, uh,” your shoulders hike up defensively when his visor snaps in your direction, pinning you with its blank stare. Clearing your throat, you continue with a slight grimace, “It’s going to need some repairs before it can take off. I can help you fix it.”

Ahsoka looks over at you in surprise, and then in worry. You don’t blame her, especially since the offer had slipped out without you consciously meaning it to. Once again, the Force is calling the shots and you are just along for the ride, a passenger in your own body.

He considers you for a long moment, then asks, “What do you know about the mechanics of a gunship?” 

If anyone else had asked you that same exact question, you would have bristled at their condescension and retracted your offer in the next breath. But with the Mandalorian, there isn’t even the slightest hint of patronizing courtesy. It is a serious question prompted from genuine curiosity.

You sit up straighter, smiling at him now. “Enough to confidently say I’m your best shot at getting off the ground.”

__

“What’s your plan, exactly?” Ahsoka asks you, braced against the wall with one eye on you and one on the Mandalorian across the garage, patiently waiting for you to finish assembling your tool kit. 

“Huh?” You reply distractedly, trying to decide if you should bring your carbon chisel or not. 

“You don’t have one, do you?”

Not. There are bigger concerns than a bit of carbon scoring. You move to grab your favorite screwdriver with a tapered socket, only for Ahsoka to snatch it away, holding the tool hostage.

“Hey!”

“Have you thought about what you’re doing?” Ahsoka asks slowly, staring you directly in the eyes. “Once you fix his ship, he’s gone. And he’s taking our best chance at escaping Shili with him.”

A quick glance over your shoulder shows the Mandalorian studying the scattered BB unit parts on your workbench. You are missing a few vital components needed in order to bring the little droid back to life after a stormtrooper shot a plasma bolt through it for accidentally bumping into his leg, and haven’t had any luck convincing the village traders to track them down for you when they went to the capital. 

“We can’t keep him here against his will,” you manage at last, turning back to your sister. “Otherwise we’re no better than the Imps.”

When Ahsoka doesn’t say anything, you shrug a shoulder, adding, “Besides, I think I’m supposed to fix it for him. The Force seems pretty insistent about it.”

She makes a face at that. “I liked you better when you ignored your Force instincts. You didn’t make me worry as much.”

A laugh escapes you, embarrassingly loud in the otherwise quiet space, and your cheeks immediately start burning. Ahsoka’s lip twitches like she wants to smile, but instead she schools her features into a blank expression when the Mandalorian’s head turns at the sound. Only once he diverts his attention elsewhere again does her stare lose some of its intensity, looking less like she wants to dissect him beneath a microscope. You can practically see her protective-older-sister-instincts buzzing, reacting to the warrior’s presence. 

As much as he is a chance at providing an escape, he is also first and foremost a complete and total stranger. Even worse, he is a complete and total stranger who knows how to handle weapons. 

“I’ll be fine, I promise.” You squeeze her arm reassuringly. “Shouldn’t take longer than a couple of hours. You’ll be so busy smoothing the Elders’ ruffled feathers you won’t even notice I’m gone.”

Ahsoka finally relinquishes the tool, exhaling a quiet sigh. “You shouldn’t make promises you don’t know for certain you can keep.”

__

Walking side by side with the Mandalorian in silence isn’t awkward, per se, but it definitely isn’t comfortable either. He is close enough your arm keeps accidentally grazing against his, the cold brush of metal against your skin startling you each time. You would have considered his nearness strange if you hadn’t heard Ahsoka threaten to castrate him if you wound up hurt before she sent him flying at the juni tree branch outside your window with an unnecessarily strong push of Force. 

To his credit, the warrior handled her rough treatment with the same ease he has handled everything else thrown at him. You are beginning to think Mandalorians don’t just wear beskar—they are made of it too. Other than the few glimpses of frustration earlier in Maar’s office, he keeps his cards close to his chest, impossible to read. 

He watches everything though, reacting to the slightest of movements and sounds. Constantly alert. You are certain he is watching you right now, despite the fact his helmet is facing forward, your nerves prickling in response to the sensation of eyes upon you.

To your surprise, he is the one to break the silence first. “You sneak out often.”

It is a statement, not a question. 

You suppose the dots are easy enough to connect to reach that conclusion. Still, the certainty in his voice has your heart skipping a nervous beat. He hasn’t even known you a day and yet he is privy to secrets no one outside your community is aware of. “Yeah,” you nod your head after a brief lapse of silence, “Ahsoka can’t train in the village. Not with the stormtroopers around.”

“Has your village tried to run them out? Fight back?”

It is only because you know he is just trying to understand your village’s predicament with the little bits of information he has that you don’t snap at him for being so insensitive. He has no idea what these past five years have been like for you all. No idea the amount of losses and sacrifices the community has suffered. 

Your grip on your tool kit tightens. “I was twelve when they came. The community is mostly traders and hunters, not trained fighters. The few weapons we had were nothing compared to their blaster rifles, but some of the adults tried to defend the village, including our parents. They...” You swallow, or try to, at least, your throat suddenly dry as sand. “Our aunt looked after us until last year we woke up one morning to find a note she’d left to join the rebellion. We haven’t had any contact with her since.”

The Mandalorian’s gloved hand brushes against your knuckles. This time you think it might have been on purpose.

“I lost my parents as a child, too. There was a riot and they died protecting me,” he offers his own private details with the same reluctance as one volunteering to have their teeth pulled out. “The Mandalorians took me in, raised me as one of their own.”

You say nothing about the way his breath slightly hitches when he says Mandalorians, appreciating his openness as it puts you both on somewhat equal footing with each other. 

“I owe it to them to look for survivors,” he tells you, and your montrals detect the quietest hint of a plea in his voice. 

“I understand,” you answer, keeping your tone light to preserve the fragility of this moment. This kind of situation doesn’t happen often—two strangers on the same wavelength, exposing their vulnerable underbellies, desperate to be heard and yet skittish at the same time—and it is oddly therapeutic. 

A decision is made right then and there in the span of a heartbeat. And even more significantly, it is 100% your own choice without any intervention or manipulation from the Force. 

You stop walking, causing the Mandalorian to halt as well. He scans the area for a threat, then visibly jerks when he turns back to find you have your hand held out towards him, pinky raised high, reacting as if you are pointing a weapon at him.

“I don’t understand,” he says, blunt and almost suspicious sounding. Are you just imagining it or can you actually hear him frowning? “What are you doing?”

“Haven’t you ever made a pinky promise with someone before?”

“...A what?”

You snort, ducking your head to hide your smile, and then reach for his hand. Surprisingly, he doesn’t protest your touch.

“A pinky promise,” you repeat as you make his hand form a fist, curling his fingers towards his palm, and then adjust his pinky so you can wrap yours around it. He watches the whole process wordlessly. “It’s a sacred vow shared between two people. The Elders say once it’s sworn, the promise can never be broken.”

He cocks his head, skeptical. “Never?”

“Never,” you reaffirm with a nod. Licking your lips, you look at his visor, right where you instinctively know his eyes are staring back. “I promise I’m going to help you. No matter the odds.”

And something leaks into your voice then, something resolute and binding and otherworldly. A tremor shoots down your spine, too quick for you to make sense of it.

Your sister’s words echo in the back of your mind, ‘You shouldn’t make promises you don’t know for certain you can keep.’ 

You try to pull away, self-doubt gnawing a hole in your stomach, only for the Mandalorian to wrap his pinky tighter around yours, holding you still. A gasp escapes your lips, muffled by the bleeding sincerity in his voice as he swears:

“I promise I will be there when you need me. No matter the odds.”

And although your sister could undoubtedly provide you with a long list of reasons why you shouldn’t, you believe his promise to be true.

__

The Mandalorian heaves a heavy sigh at the sight of his crashed ship. 

“I can’t do much about the landing gear,” you inform him, believing honesty to be the best policy for cases like this. “And I brought some foam-jet for the cockpit viewport, but it’s not a permanent fix. You’re going to have to find someone offworld to replace them.”

“Right,” he agrees absently without turning his eyes away. It occurs to you then that this ship is the closest thing to a home he has now. One of the few precious relics from his past he can still physically cling to. 

“Does your ship have a name?” you ask.

He looks at you, as if coming back to self-awareness, and answers, “Razor Crest.”

A good name, you think. Strong. A bit mysterious. Just like its owner.

You nod decisively. “I like it.”

His modulator crackles faintly, a quiet noise produced from a sudden exhale of air. You blink at the unexpected sound, surprised to realize you recognize it. A laugh. The Mandalorian just laughed at something you said. What is next in store for you? Are akul going to sprout wings and start flying?

He steps around you, heading for the side entry door still open from yesterday with its ramp laying on the ground, pebbles shifting noisily beneath his boots with each step. You don’t realize you are staring, oddly entranced by the swish of his cape and his purposeful strides, until he calls out your name to ask if you are coming.

You nearly drop your tool kit in your haste to follow after him into the Crest’s interior, ignoring the flaring heat radiating from your cheeks. 

For the next few hours, you and the Mandalorian work in companionable silence, engrossed in rerouting wires and welding damaged components with your trusty hand torch. The gunship is older than you initially assumed, perhaps even as old as yourself, and you idly wonder if the Mandalorian found it in a scrapyard somewhere or maybe inherited it from another Mandalorian. You notice the way he handles each piece with an experienced and respectful touch; the same kind of care someone reserves for their most cherished possessions. Anyone with eyes can see how much he loves the Crest just by watching him.

Once you have finished sealing the numerous cracks dissecting the cockpit’s viewport like a spiderweb with foam, you approach the Mandalorian to see his progress on returning power to the dashboard. He is on his back beneath the steering controls, rearranging a mess of wires, and barely acknowledges your presence when you squeeze yourself into the tight space next to him.

“The red wire goes before the white one,” you point out, noticing the mistake immediately. “Fire hazard.”

He pauses, looks at where you have gestured, and corrects his error without criticizing your intervention. You bite back a smile, pleased to be heard. Within your community, even though you have proven your skills time and time again, some of the villagers, usually men, don’t always adhere to your advice, thinking you are too young and too female to know about technology, until they inevitably make their problems worse for themselves and come back to you with their metaphorical tail between their legs. 

You help him reattach the cover plating once he has finished, screwing the bolts back into their corners, and then watch, fingers crossed, as he attempts the ignition sequence, flipping a series of switches.

None of them light up with even the faintest flicker of life.

“Dank farrik,” he growls under his breath, slamming a fist upon the console.

You take a tiny step forward, hesitant to direct his frustration your way. “Can I try?” 

He tilts his head, probably thinking he knows this ship better than anyone and if it doesn’t work for him then you aren’t going to have any luck either.

Eventually he steps back with a shrug, uttering a simple, “Sure.” 

Although you can’t remember the last time you were on a ship, it doesn’t take long to refamiliarize yourself with the various controls and screens once you take a seat in the pilot chair. When your hobby for fixing broken machines changed into a passion you wanted to pursue as a future career, you started memorizing any reading material you could find on the Holonet, including the flight manuals for different classes of starships. You flip through the stored information in your mind about gunships as you press a few buttons on the panel overhead, trying out different sequences for a response.

When your third attempt fails, you bite your lip, racking your brain for a solution. You think about Huno’s kitchen droid and how you had been on the verge of ripping off one of your head-tails trying to repair it after one of its fuses blew, causing it to malfunction. Your tools and knowledge hadn’t been able to fix it in the end. It had required a special remedy to bring it back to life.

You lay your palms flat on the console, just as you had held onto the droid’s square torso. Out of the corner of your eye, you notice the Mandalorian fidget, as if he wants to come closer but is hesitant to crowd you. You ignore him, pressing your fingertips harder against the metal, visualizing in your mind the unseen gears, cables, and components stiff and powerless. You imagine the parts working properly, a current of electricity running through each wire, life ultimately returning to the entire ship, and whisper under your breath a request to the Force.

“Please work, please work, please work…”

An invisible pulse of energy burns down the length of your arms and discharges through your fingertips, strong enough you jerk backwards against the seat. Every button and screen on the dashboard lights up all at once, beeping with alarm at being so rudely resurrected.

You sit there helplessly, stunned and breathless, hands twitching in your lap. The kitchen droid hadn’t required even half as much energy to restart, barely a pinch. Now your body feels like you have been thrown against the electric fence a dozen times. Wordlessly, the Mandalorian comes to your side to help, punching buttons and turning knobs until the alarms quit blaring. A distant part of your brain thinks the Razor Crest as a whole seems strangely soothed by his presence, not quite as cold and dark, but it is hard to follow that train of thought due to the distracting pain throbbing along your temples.

“That’s quite a spark you’ve got,” he says, not unkindly or accusingly, just a statement of the obvious. He looks down at you, not outright asking for an explanation, but giving you the opportunity to open up if you wanted to.

“Yep, that’s me,” you reply, forcing a cheerful smile, praying it doesn’t resemble a grimace. “Sparks Tano at your service.”

He chuckles again, oblivious to how your heart stutters at its raspiness. “Thank you, Sparks. I appreciate it.”

“Well, we’re not done yet.” You rub at your temples under the guise of adjusting your headband. “I need to take a closer look at the engines before we attempt flying out of here. I—”

“I’ll do it,” he cuts in, already heading for the ladder. “You stay here, see if you can update the navicomputer settings.”

You know he knows that updating the navicomputer is child’s play for you. Clearly you aren’t as great at concealing your pain as you thought you were and this is his way of giving you a break. A small part of you is irritated at being treated like a porcelain doll, but you push those negative feelings aside as quickly as they develop. Your aunt always used to remind you and Ahsoka it was okay to accept help when it was offered, that needing support didn’t in any way make you weak. 

“Hey, wait a second,” you call out as you spin around in your seat, freezing him right before he disappears from view into the hull. He holds onto the ladder, waiting patiently for you to continue.

“Back at Maar’s place you didn’t introduce yourself and it’s weird just calling you Mandalorian in my head,” you say, awkwardly drumming your fingers on top of the armrests. He doesn’t answer, eliciting a sigh from your mouth after a drawn-out beat of silence. “What’s your name? You do have one, right?”

“I do, but I can’t tell you it,” he admits at last. “By Mandalorian Creed, only other Mandalorians or my riduur—my spouse,” he corrects, seeing your confusion, “are allowed to know my name and see my face. This is the Way.”

He doesn’t linger to hear your response, dropping down into the hull with a resounding thud. You slowly turn back around, staring absently out the glass. Every culture is unique, including your own, but you think there is something especially interesting about the Mandalorians’. It sounds like a lonely existence, only able to show your face while in select company. What would have happened if he had been unconscious and you had slipped the helmet off his head? What consequence would he have faced? 

And if there truly aren’t any Mandalorians left besides him, his spouse will be the only one to ever know him completely. It almost sounds like a love story, if not a little bit heart-wrenching. 

Two high-pitched dings from the console jerk you out of your thoughts with a wince. You look for the source, finding the radar lit up and actively scanning the area, and bristle when you see a pair of red dots moving across the screen. 

Not even a minute later you are sprinting out of the cave, ignoring the Mandalorian’s alarmed shout from the roof of the Razor Crest. They’re early, you think with panic, looking towards the sky where two starships with Imperial logos are heading straight for your village. Why have they come back so soon?

You push your legs to run faster, your surroundings a blur beyond the trail in front of you, but the effort is meaningless. You won’t make it back home before they land.

And when your absence is noted, bloodshed is not a possibility. 

It is a guarantee.

Series taglist: @pedro4ever @cannedsoupsucks

Din Djarin Taglist: @a-skov @pedrosbisch @quica-quica-quica @stevie75 @iamskyereads @banga-sama @dincrypt @ohlawdthebirds​

Permanent taglist: @promiscuoussatan @vintagesaph @over300books @chibi-yuki @theocatkov @oh-no-a-whovian @absurdthirst @freeshavocadoooo @you-and-i-deserve-the-world @lin-djarin @happiestsparkleofall @randomness501 @gallowsjoker @coaaster @captain-jebi @leilei-draws @disgruntledspacedad @melobee @stilllivindue2spite @pointy-sharp @artsymaddie @waywardmando @asta-lily @thisshipwillsail316 @mylifeofcalculatedchaos @grogusmum @sherala007 @mejswho @uncle-kenobi @rogertaylorsfalsettogivesmehives @tacticalsparkles @mandocrasis @littlebopper96 @you-got-me-starry-eyed @kiss-evans @writeforfandoms @pbeatriz @anaaaispunk

#my fic #my writing #Mandalorian #mandalorian x reader #mandalorian fanfic #Din Djarin #din x you #din x reader #din djarin x you #din djarin x reader #togruta reader #ahsoka tano #the last mandalorian #pedrostories #art

[wannabe-fic-writer]

WandaNat x Reader : Safe

Summary: What is it that they say about a woman in uniform?

Warning: Violence

Word Count: 2,481

* * * * * *

“Lieutenant Colonel Y/ln.”

Hearing your name, you stand up straight, the brown paper grocery bag in your hand clutched a little tighter as you do an about-face. 

The mystery man himself, Nick Fury, steps from the shadows of your apartment buildings hallway. Right off you can tell he wants something from you, if not for him just showing up, it’s written in the smirk on his lips.

“It’s been a while Lieutenant Colonel.”

Steam billows from the mug as it fills with coffee, and after dropping a spoonful of sugar in it, you carry the mug over to Fury. Then move to lean against the wall opposite his spot on the couch.

“I don’t think I’m the fit for your special team Nicholas.” 

After you had invited the man in, he’d informed you that he wants you to join the Avengers. His reasons somewhere along the lines of you having special skills and being able to relate to a number of the people on the team. 

You’d given it a little thought as you fixed him some coffee. 

Having just left active duty, you assumed you would have some down time until your next deployment. Not that you were going to be “relaxing” anyway, but still.

“That’s where you’re wrong.” He sips from the mug and sets it on the table,“ you are more than fit. And I’m certain you’d appreciate the distraction.”

You lift your head, taking in his words. They hold deeper meaning and you know what he knows. He knows you go to group therapy with other Marine Corps members, both active and retired. He knows you struggle with dealing with what you’d seen out there. 

“I have an obligation to serve my country Nicholas. That would come before your special team.” You inform him while also avoiding that topic.

He nods,“ an obligation you won’t have to neglect. The second you’re assigned for deployment you can go, until then, you’re an Avenger.”

Just like that, one meeting with the man, and you were walking up the graveled path to the Avengers compound. Fury waiting for you beside the door.

The man smiles at you,“ everyone’s inside waiting to meet you. Follow me.”

Walking into the usual meeting room, Natasha pulls a chair out for her girlfriend. Wanda smiling up at her softly.

The woman takes a seat as well, looking to Steve,“ what’re we meeting for again?” 

Steve shrugs,“ Fury didn’t go into detail.” 

Everyone in the room waits patiently for the arrival of Fury, filling the time with light chatter until the door is pulled open and the man walks in.

Eyes widen at the form that enters behind him.

Natasha’s gaze subconsciously wanders down the uniformed woman. She takes in the way the pristine navy blue and red striped pants fit her legs and the form fitting coat adorned with medals. 

Trailing up her body only to be a little shocked when she meets the woman’s striking e/c eyes. 

The two hold eye contact until Fury speaks.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is Lieutenant Colonel Y/n Y/ln. Lieutenant these are the Avengers.” Fury gestures from the uniformed woman to the group surrounding the table.

All eyes follow you as you go around formally introducing yourself. Starting by shaking Steve Rogers hand as well as Bucky’s. Then saluting Rhodey and mentioning that it’s an honor to meet him.

When you reach her girlfriend, Natasha notices the seemingly nervous pause Wanda has, before rising and shaking your hand. She holds it a little longer, held titling to the side and Natasha knows her girlfriend is reading you.

Based off your expression, you know as well. And you let it happen. She let’s go before it becomes obvious to everyone else and with a nod you move to Natasha.

Up close the woman can’t help but appreciate how good the uniform looks on you. How the coat fits but still leaves much to imagine. 

“Natasha.” She introduces personally, shaking your hand.

Again you nod,“ it’s a pleasure.”

From there you shake Tony’s hand and Peter’s, who does so over excitedly. You then reassume your spot beside Fury.

“Lieutenant Y/ln will be joining your ranks until her next deployment. Simply lending a helping hand on missions.” Fury explains your presence.

Hands linked behind your back, you look at them all, adding,“ but only when need be. I’m not here to take anyone’s position, nor will I be overstepping.” 

Wanda’s little smile at your words isn’t missed by Natasha and she makes a mental note to ask about it later.

“In that case, let me give you the grand tour.” Tony cuts through the silence, walking over to you.

“Lead the way.” You gesture for him to walk first and follow after.

Fury leaves shortly after. In the silence, everyone non-verbally agrees to make you feel welcome unless you prove you should be treated otherwise. 

And it’s a decision that everyone is glad they make. Especially Natasha and Wanda. 

There had been an instant physical attraction toward you from the moment you walked in. That attraction grew the more they saw you and learned about you.

In the beginning the physical part led it. They would see you in the gym at the early hours in the morning, adorned in your uniform camouflage pants and a perfectly fit green t-shirt. Or in that same outfit as you ran with Steve around the compound.

It was clear that the team was growing fonder of you by the day. 

Rhodey had begun speaking with you about your served time and his only to find other common interests with you along the way. Both Steve and Bucky found your loyalty and dedication inspiration and took to that. 

Tony had grown closer to you over a conversation about his company’s departure from weapons manufacturing. You’d simply found it admirable and later became interested in what he was currently doing.

Obviously, impressionable Peter Parker was taken with everything you did. He worked out with you, asked about your service, and took a genuine interest in what you do daily in and out of the Marines. 

But Wanda and Natasha.

The two women learned about you at a slower rate than the rest of the team. For a number of reasons.

Wanda didn’t want to learn about you. Having had been so physically attracted to you the second she saw you, she made it a point to avoid you. She loves Natasha and didn’t want her seeming crush on you to get in the way of that.

Natasha mainly wasn’t sure if she should trust you. You’d come off to her as too perfect.

Personally, you thought the women didn’t take a liking to you. Which kind of sucked. Not only had they seemed like great women based off what you saw from their interactions with the team, but they were incredibly beautiful.

You knew they were together but that didn’t stop you from doing your best to be friendly toward them: speaking in passing or starting conversation when together. In the end you assumed they just didn’t want anything to do with you.

That all changed in the span of two nights.

Both being particularly hard nights for you. Where your PTSD had become too much. 

The first night, due to nightmares, you found yourself awake in the common room with a glass of straight vodka. And Natasha had found you. The far off look in your eyes was one she was familiar with and the pure human side of her carried her to you.

She’d simply sat with you. Her surprise set in when she felt your head resting on her shoulder. A conversation had barely begun between you two, one simply about nature as you both looked out the window, and you’d fallen asleep.

The second night you spent in another country.

Both yourself and Natasha, as well as Wanda, were sent on a mission in Egypt. You all settled in, ate, and went over the mission before heading to bed. 

Wanda couldn’t bring herself to sleep though. Since you couldn’t bring yourself to sleep. 

Your thoughts were loud and she wasn’t trying to listen but she couldn’t ignore it. You’d sounded so scared and anxious. Both emotions she never would’ve associated with your strong and confident persona.

So there was no way she would leave you in that state by yourself. After knocking on your door, she’d offered to make you tea and the two of you sat together. When Wanda noticed that your thoughts hadn’t changed. She used your powers to calm your mind. 

As you fell asleep that night, head resting on her shoulder like you had Natasha the night before, you had no idea how hard your actions had made her fall for you.

People had always been scared of her powers and you just trusted her to use them to help you. Not a single hesitation in your eyes. 

What they didn’t know was how safe they’d made you feel in such a short time.

On your own, there was no way to get the nightmares to stop. You had always just distracted yourself when woken up by them. You’d read, watch nature, workout, and occasionally drink. But going back to sleep wasn’t a thing.

The fact that their presences were so comforting spoke to you.

It all came to a head the next day on the mission.

First having seen how good you looked in your desert camouflage uniform made their hearts flutter, something Natasha would only admit to Wanda. And then on the mission. 

Your group had been clearing the enemies base and were under heavy fire when you saw Wanda using her powers. It was clear the young woman was concentrated and so she hadn’t seen the people aiming their guns at her. 

Natasha had watched in slow motion as you ran to protect her girlfriend. Effectively taking a bullet for her as you ducked for cover and then throwing back a grenade they had thrown in the first place.

Shielding Wanda’s body from the blast sent you both crashing into the wall behind you. But you took the brunt force of it and had fallen unconscious.

Both women were beyond worried for you but had to focus on clearing the building. The second they did, they gave you their undivided attention. 

Working together, they got you back to the safe house and set out to clean your wounds. 

“Wan, remove her jacket and shirt I need to get a better look at the entry point.” Natasha instructed before going to grab a first aid kit.

It was a bit of a struggle to shred your unconscious body of your uniform but the second she did she froze.

Taking in the sight of your mostly bare torso. On both you sides sat tattoos. Tribal tattoos. Your sports bra covered the top of the tattoos that seem to start under your breasts, and stretch down below the hem of your pants.

“Staring isn’t po-” Natasha’s teasing falls short as she sees the cause of her girlfriend’s staring.

But she manages to pull herself together faster than the younger woman. Telling her to stare later because they have to help you.

After having successfully cleaned your wound, Natasha removed the bullet and thanked whatever higher power that no internal damage seemed to be done, and stitched you up.

The two showered and sat in the living room. It was clear they had a lot on their minds.

“I have feelings for her.” 

Natasha almost misses the whispered words from her girlfriend. Almost.

Sighing, she leans back into the couch.“ Me too.”

Wanda scoots closer and snuggles into Natasha’s side,“ so what do we do?”

“Tell her.” 

“Is that-”

“Tell me what?” Your groggy, slightly pained voice meets their ears and they look behind them to see you walking from your room, hand clutching your side.

You hadn’t put a shirt back on which served as a momentary distraction.

Smirking, you ease into the arm chair beside the couch,“ staring is rude.” You joke, effectively pulling them from their daze.

They see the question still in your eyes and look to each other. Should they tell you? How would you react?

“If you aren’t comfortable telling me it’s fine.” You assure, laying back with a a groan.

Wanda takes a deep breath and sits up,“ Y/n, Natasha and I know that this isn’t the most normal situation. And we know that things could always come up, especially with the chance of you being deployed-”

Natasha, seeing the confusion in your eyes, stops Wanda with a hand to her thigh,“ we have developed feelings for you.”

“We?” You’re quick to ask.

Both women couldn’t be saying they like you? Both? 

They nod.

You hum,“ what does that mean? How would it even-” you cut yourself off.

It’s silent as you all think. One solution seeming to circle all of your minds. It’s not unheard of, just unorthodox. 

“You become our partner.” Natasha finally speaks, looking at Wanda then you.

A hand raises to run through your disheveled hair,“ you mean, the three of us in a relationship.”

The smallest of smiles tugs at Wanda’s lips at the idea. Is it scary? Yes because nothing is written in stone and as she said anything could come up. But she’d still like to see where this goes.

You’re special and neither of them could deny that.

A number of thoughts run through the women’s minds when you stand and move to sit on the coffee table in front of them.

They watch cautiously as you hold your hands towards them and just as cautiously, they accept them. Instant warmth. Instant safety. All in a single touch.

“We all know this could end badly, correct?” You ask, knowing full well that it would most likely end badly for you before them.

Scooting to the edge of the couch, Wanda’s thumb strokes the back of your hand.“ We know.” She nods, confirming it with Natasha through a look.

“But we want to try.” Natasha adds, scooting closer as well.

A moment of nervous hesitation sets in. And shockingly to everyone, Wanda breaks it by moving forward to kiss you.

It’s simple, her lips pressing to yours as her free hand cups your cheek. But it’s still an incredible feeling. One you hadn’t felt in seemingly forever and one she finds similar to her first kiss with Natasha.

Said woman joking about missing all the fun and then kissing you as well. 

From there, the three of you spend an extended amount of time(after reporting back to the team) talking about what this relationship truly means. New fears linger, as to be expected, but it’s nothing compared to the anticipation and genuine trust you all have in this. 

* * * * * *

#natasha romanoff #natasha romanoff x reader #wanda maximoff #wanda maximoff x reader #wandanat #wandanat x reader #marvel #marvel x reader #mcu #mcu x reader #asks #request #reader insert

[violentshine]

The Blazing Star au: Mapleshade

When Fireheart first arrived in the Dark Forest, at the time as an apprentice, Fireheart hadn't a clue who the large calico molly was that stuck by him his whole visit. Sure, she would tell him stories or give him info about certain cats but he never knew who she was or why she was there. But just because this Place of No Stars resident won't talk, doesn't mean there's nothing to say.

Alike canon, Mapleshade is a Thunderclan who has been secretly meeting up with a Riverclan warrior named Appledusk. At this time, battles between Riverclan and Thunderclan happen frequently over who gets to own Sunningrocks; and with recent events leading to two particular Thunderclan's cats deaths- one of them being the leader's son- Thunderclan is strengthened with revenge. It turns out that many cats- if not all- blame Appledusk for the deaths even though he didn't directly kill or want either cats to die.

Many events are similar so to shorten this up a bit I'm going to assume you all know Mapleshade's backstory and will jump into where this parts ways from canon.

Instead of Mapleshade going to cross the flooded river with her kits, she leads them to Fourtrees where they stay the night. The kits are confused as to why they had to leave and Mapleshade does not hold back any of her anger at Thunderclan in her answer. Claiming that the clan doesn't care about them anymore.

As soon as dawn breaks she wakes the kits up and they travel further away from clan territory, Mapleshade makes sure her kits know that this isn't the last time they'll see clan territory since she has a plan.

Time passes but during that time lots of progress is being made. Mapleshade is training her kits sun up to sun down all while ingraining in their minds that they need to be angry at Oakstar, Frecklewish, Ravenwing and all of Thunderclan. Appledusk is only added when Mapleshade goes to Riverclan's territory by herself to see him along with Reedshine and an apprentice who refers to Reedshine as their mother and also looks a lot similar to Appledusk... Mapleshade at first couldn't believe the fact Appledusk had another mate, another family. Didn't he care about the kits they had together? She asks him that and Appledusk tries, and fails, to act as if he didn't know what she was talking about all while Reedshine tried to wrap her head around the situation because not only did her mate have another but that 'another' is a Thunderclan warrior? Or at least was one; Mapleshade tells them (mostly Appledusk) that she- and her kits who were 2 moons at the time (she makes sure to include that detail)- were exiled by Oakstar. Reedshine goes back to camp with Appledusk trailing behind her, trying to come up with excuses and apologies. (idk where Shypaw went- i imagine she just showed up real quick and left but it is also kinda funny to think she just stood there while this all went down 🧍‍)

Seeing how Appledusk has so easily forgotten the three kits they had together, Mapleshade adds him to the list to cats she badmouths to her kits.

Now, the time has come where they can finally do what they were training for. Each kit goes after one cat so the vengeance is,....split evenly

Larch goes for Ravenwing- To kill Ravenwing you need to be stealthy and quick if you make the wrong move and he sees you, he's less likely to attack you but more likely to call for help and/or run so that means you cannot hesitate.

Patch was originally going after Frecklewish but Petal demanded she go instead. Petal is much more violent than the others so Mapleshade wanted her to go to Appledusk but Petal also has much more anger towards Frecklewish- due to her remembering how Frecklewish acted the night they were kicked out and stuff Mapleshade had told her. One of those things including that Frecklewish didn't care about them because she failed to go after them. According to Mapleshade- if Frecklewish cared about the kits still she would have showed up, but she didn't and for that she deserves to die ):( (thats sarcastic on my part but that's 100% mapleshade's belief she pushed onto the kits).

Mapleshade also makes sure to join her kits when they go (they all don't go one at a time) the first cat that dies is Ravenwing and it's successful. He dies his canon death and Mapleshade, during her congratulating Patch, she moves Ravenwing out in the open for the same reason in canon.

Things went a bit different when Petal confronted Frecklewish, instead of going with the plan, Petal wanted to talk to Frecklewish...well more like yell at her for not being there for them when she said she would (Maple influence). Frecklewish explained that she did in fact try to go after them and to bring her and her brothers back with her- even if it meant being disowned by Oakstar (who made it clear before she left) but she couldn't see due to the rain that was washing the scents way. Frecklewish just hoped they didn't try to go to Riverclan. Petal doesn't buy it at all, and attacks Frecklewish, who tells her she doesn't want to fight Petal and that she's sorry but her apologizing demeanor changes when Mapleshade comes into view; there's snakes and a Thunderclan patrol, they need to finish this up quickly. Now Frecklewish is targeting Mapleshade, she still does not want to hurt Petal. She gets attacked by the snake and the mother-daughter pair leave right before the Thunderclan patrol finds Frecklewish withering in pain. Petal apologizes to Mapleshade that she didn't mean to mess the plan up but Mapleshade reassures her that the plan still went through at the end- she doesn't say anything if she's angry at her or not.

Now time for Patch. Against Mapleshade's original plan, she wanted Petal to go after Appledusk since she looked similar to him the most, but Mapleshade called back to the time Appledusk had swam out to rescue Patch after he drifted out too far in the river that one time.

They get to Riverclan and find Appledusk out of camp but things go Wrong.

Appledusk is out with Reedshine and her apprentice, Perchpaw. He's watching their training session when the two say they'll wrap it up for the day, Appledusk wants to hang back so the two leave him. This is when Patch readies to attack him but Reedshine comes back and sees Patch. She jumps in front of Appledusk and Patch kills her. Perchpaw also ran back and tried to fight Patch but Mapleshade intercepted him and ordered Patch to run away. He held back a bit, asking what to do about Appledusk but Mapleshade orders him again to leave.

Patch runs away and is later joined back with Mapleshade, who is bleeding but puts their escape first (theres a word i want to use instead but i cannot think of what it is !! ):|).

They eventually get back to the others who quickly try to stop Mapleshade's bleeding but it's too late and she dies. To avoid the thought of Patch being blamed by his siblings, Mapleshade says it wasn't his fault and that Appledusk losing Reedshine will affect him greater than him losing his life, she just wished she thought it of sooner.

That is the end of Mapleshade.

If you are wondering what happens to her kits, well, they continue living as rogues, they may or not may go their separate ways, but when the time comes for theirs to end, they are offered to rest in Starclan since they have been nothing both tools that were treated unfairly by those around them.

#the blazing star au #mapleshade #warrior cat au #yes...this is much more better than what i planned for her before #its prob very clear but maple's three arent kits by this time #i assume they'd be around old apprrentices-young warriors age when maple decides to go with the plan #things happen later in canon but the events r still the same

[mittensmorgul]

Hi Mittens, I'm listening to your podcast (still loving it) for episode 1x20 and I have to disagree with you on Cas learning free will from Sam and Dean. We learn in season 8 that he had already been manifesting free will since the dawn of time and had to be reset each time to manufactory setting by Naomie for that. He relearn free will from Sam and Dean and had finally the support he needed to fully escape and not have his free will taken away. (1/2)

In the show (not in the show universe), yes, Dean and Sam were the first to manifest free will, agreed, but, while their influence (especially Dean's) on Cas shouldn't be dismissed, Cas' own accomplishments in this regards shouldn't be reduced to "he learned free will from Sam and Dean". (2/2) Thanks again for your great work!

Hi hi!

I'm glad you're enjoying the podcast, thank you!

And heck I don't even remember what I said in the 1x20 recording now... I recorded it six months ago :'D But also, I can't imagine it was much more than an offhand comment, or at least a broad strokes overview of how I think about and understand the subject.

I could probably do just a whole episode on what Free Will is, especially within the confines of the show's universe. I'd even argue that Sam and Dean weren't the first to manifest free will, and that all humans had free will (Chuck said it was included in the kit).

Putting this under a cut because I seriously went all rambly here before I had my coffee this morning :'D

And yeah, we do know that Cas had questioned his orders from Heaven going back millennia, to the point where Naomi had to reprogram him multiple times, as she said in 8.21. I honestly do wish we'd gotten more concrete info on what that actually meant for Cas, though.

For me, at least, while Cas may have rebelled and been reprogrammed at least three times in the past that we can say for sure (I believe Naomi would feel that once was "too many," and can't say for certain that he was mind wiped over and over in the pre-series past since the show never expanded on her original statement or Cas's past experience, and Cas couldn't remember what he couldn't remember, you know?).

But also, I can't imagine I went into extensive detail on any of it in the 1.20 podcast, two seasons before Cas even shows up :'D

Regardless, the thing that enabled Cas to grasp on to his own free will and truly hold on to it, even through several more reprogramming/heaven torture sessions (4.20, and again at least twice post-purgatory in s8 when he was first rescued in 8.07 and when he was forced to kill thousands of Deans in 8.17), was his growing understanding of and empathy for humanity. Or like... his own humanity.

And absolutely, we can't dismiss it was something in Cas himself that even enabled him to learn free will, to even WANT it for himself once he learned, but it wasn't entirely unique to Cas, either. Anna had a streak of it in her that prompted her to choose humanity and fall decades before the action of the show began. Taking on her own grace again and enduring another round of programming in Heaven essentially erased it from her again. Gabriel, it has been argued, had a wide streak of this, as well, having abandoned Heaven and his own identity ostensibly because he was fed up with his family arguing and trying to kill each other. And the other angels that wanted to remain on Earth after the angel fall event got a taste of that freedom, as well. Even Hannah, who ultimately decided those weren't feelings/things she wanted for herself. She believed they were "human things," and not meant for angels.

I'd say we even have to consider angels like Uriel in a discussion of free will and angels, because he chose the side of Lucifer in the original apocalypse. Did he choose that, or was that his "role" he was made to play? We just don't know. So we have been asked by the show to consider what free will itself truly is, and Cas is the character that arc was embodied in. He was the one we watched that journey happen in. His was the lens through which we the audience saw that entire journey unfold. Which, for me, diminishes him as a character and minimizes the significance of his entire arc to say that he "invented" free will or discovered it for himself before the start of the series.

And he may have possessed it, may have even exercised it before he ever met Dean (questioning their orders when killing the first-borns in Egypt, as Naomi mentioned in 8.21), but then as far as we know he fell into line and served Heaven loyally for thousands of years. He followed every order he got after that until... Dean.

When we first met him, he was a Heaven Loyalist, following his orders like a good little angel. What was different after he met Dean? What did Dean give him that he'd never had before? Not from millennia of watching humanity?

Cas may have understood humanity from the outside, may have even believed that some of the orders he'd been given in the past were wrong (based on what he believed God would have wanted for him, though! remember how much Cas believed? Even through the apocalypse? That his entire s5 mission was to find God so he could put everything right again? To save the world and his creation? Before his belief in God and his orders to protect and watch over humanity was shattered completely.

By the time s15 rolled around, Cas had lost all faith in God. I mean that was his big struggle during s12... So 14.20 was a final disappointment, in a long line of disappointments for him, rather than the identity-shattering bomb it was for Dean. But that's a totally different meta essay for another day :'D

Back to free will and Cas...

To me, he had the potential within him all along, but the journey we watched him make through the entire series was one of his UNDERSTANDING of free will. That it doesn't-- as Dean told him in 6.20-- mean you get to do whatever you want. Every angel ~seemed~ to be able to do that, you know? Like Raphael at the beginning of s6 (which we only saw, again, in 6.20) choosing to restart the apocalypse specifically because it's what he wanted, you know? That was literally his reasoning he explained to Cas. Just because you want something doesn't mean you can just take it or make it so. It's about understanding WHY, as much as it's about understanding HOW, you know? And THAT is the part that Cas never was able to understand until he met Dean.

And boy HOWDY did he make mistakes with it! Like... that was the plot of s6. The consequences and fallout of that formed and guided his growth arc for the rest of the series as he grew in understanding of himself, humanity, and what his place was in all of it, and learning how all of his choices had CONSEQUENCES. That free will doesn't exist in a vacuum, and what the burden of having made "bad" choices could mean (or what felt like the best choice at the time, which leads us back to Chuck's hand in the narrative often pushing them into narrative corners where all their choices were terrible... which was like... the plot of the entire series lol).

More important than free will itself, to me anyway, was the knowledge and understanding to use that free will humanely (not "humanly," but honestly that, too). He grew to fully understand his own "moral compass," which yes he had since the beginning-- he objected to killing the first-born sons of Egypt, after all-- but by the end of the series he understood. It wasn't just the ability to reject orders because they "felt wrong," or because God's will was just and should be carried out, or like so much even in the Bible where half of it contradicts the other half and its left to humanity to decide for themselves what's "moral" or "just."

And heck, even his early s4 rebellion was founded in his belief that God might not actually be giving the orders, you know? It wasn't that he believed that following the orders he was given was wrong, but that whoever in Heaven was giving the orders was wrong, which is a big difference. He couldn't believe that God would WANT the apocalypse to happen, or that he would allow Heaven to fail in their mission to protect creation, not that he objected to the actual "doing what he's told" part... It was as much about his faith in God, in believing in the Grand Plan of the universe being "good" and right as it was about disobeying an order he believed was unjust.

He learned how to understand WHY he would make the choices he did. He learned to truly LOVE.

And we know, canonically, he learned that from Dean.

So for me, those concepts go hand in hand and can't be separated out, you know? Otherwise Cas doesn't have a character arc at all. He learns nothing and doesn't (and can't) grow into the complex, fascinating character we watched for 12 seasons.

Yes, he always had a seed of that within him, but we watched it grow into its fullness because of his relationship with Dean (and Sam, and even through parenting and believing in Jack, but the show explicitly told us in plain words that it was always Dean first and foremost). Cas explicitly credited his own entire growth arc of free will and love to his relationship with Dean. I don't see how I can choose to do less.

#that's what free will is #castiel winchester #here have my belated thoughts on the whole love... and love #the scheherazade of supernatural