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#babe ruth bows out#babe ruth#yankee stadium#retire#1949#13 june 1948#nathaniel fein#photograph#black and white#baseball#retirement#ruthville
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A Field of Dandelions
azriel x witch!reader | Your High Lady calls upon you. requesting a remedy that only you know how to make. It requires specific ingredients found between the courts of spring and autumn and you're in need of an escort. Unfortunately for you, she assigns her Shadowsinger to accompany you. The Shadowsinger who hates you...or so you thought.
“Please don’t talk to me like that.”
“Why?”
“It’s cruel and heartless and you don’t even realize.”
warnings: angst but with fluff at the end, mentions of self-hate/abuse. pretty much Azriel thinking he's not worthy of a mate.
a/n: I've been re-reading the Shatter Me series and there's a scene between Aaron and Juliette that drove me to make this along with the song Dandelions by Ruth B. The dialogue above is directly from the book Unravel Me. I used them as a writing prompt along with the general gist of the scene and added my own twist to it. I just wanted to put that disclaimer out there.
**
The door opens before you can even knock and your dear friend and High Lady pulls you into a warm hug. She beckons you inside with a smile and your eyes dart around the various paintings adorning the walls, finding that some are new.
Surprise etches onto your features when your eyes land on the Night Court’s Spymaster. He stands at the end of one of the winding staircases with his usual stoic expression. Still as devastatingly handsome as always. You drop your gaze as quickly as you had met his and if he notices it, he doesn’t let it show. He doesn’t seem to acknowledge your presence.
Your ears pick up on faint crying. It grows louder and louder. Turning your head toward the source, your eyes land on Nyx. Despite being in the comfort of his father’s arms, his little features contort in pain. You greet your High Lord with a bow of your head, noticing the exhaustion on his face that mirrors Feyre’s.
“Is Mor on her way?” You ask, adjusting the strap of your bag. It’s full with all necessary tools and equipment you need for your venture.
Feyre had requested if you could make a tonic to sooth Nyx’s aches while he’s teething but your apothecary shop was unfortunately out of the main ingredient. Dandelion root. Not just any dandelion root but the ones that grow in the soil between the courts of Spring and Autumn and given the current tensions in Prythian and your status as a former Spring court inhabitant, it was not safe for you to go alone.
“Oh,” Feyre says as she takes the babe into her arms. You coo at Nyx and he blinks up at you, his crying coming to a stop. His lips tug up into a small smile and he wraps a tiny hand around your finger. “She is unfortunately caught up in Vallahan.”
“So then Cassian is to escort me today?” You ask again, looking up at your friend.
You catch the way she looks at Rhysand. They share a look and you know they’re communicating to each other through their mind. It’s Rhysand who answers you this time.
“Cassian isn’t fond of the spring, allergies and all.”
The Shadowsinger steps forward and your smile falls. You turn back to your friend, who gives you a sheepish smile in return.
“Azriel will be escorting you today.”
You almost want to say no. The thought of being alone with Azriel makes your stomach churn with unease and something else that you can’t quite discern at the moment. But Nyx begins to squirm in his mother’s arms with a pout and Feyre’s eyebrows knit in concern.
“Okay,” you sigh.
“Thank you so much for doing this,” Feyre says.
“Our son’s life is in your hands.”
Feyre slaps her husband’s arm with a roll of her eyes. “He’s not dying, Rhys,” she grumbles. “He’s just in some discomfort from teething.”
She then turns to Azriel with a stern look. The corner of her lips threatened to betray her. “Be nice.”
**
Azriel’s shadows envelop you both, whisking you away to the forest of the Spring Court. It was the safest of the two courts to winnow directly to. The air in the dense woods hangs heavy with the scent of blooming blossoms and you’re thankful for the muffled sounds of nature as it provides a soothing background noise, saving you from the awkward silence between you and the impassive Shadowsinger.
Azriel walks ahead, his movements graceful and quiet. His shadows cling to him like the loyal companions they are but some hover over your boots, silencing your own steps.
He finally breaks the silence. “You’re staring.”
You shift your gaze immediately and wonder if he can also sense the pink that dusts your slightly flustered face. “I’m just surprised you’re the one escorting me,” you answer honestly.
“It’s not like I had much of a choice,” he responds cryptically.
A slight tension settles between you, your heartbeat quickening as you follow him through the forest. “Right,” you say, your face growing pinker.
You shift the weight of your bag to your other shoulder and Azriel comes to a sudden stop. He turns, his hazel eyes scanning you for a moment. Without a word, he takes the bag from your arm, effortlessly hoisting it over his shoulder.
The unexpected gesture catches you off guard, and a quiet "thanks" escapes your lips. “You’re being awfully nice today,” you can’t help but observe, a mixture of surprise and curiosity in your tone “I think this is the most you’ve talked to me since we met.”
Azriel’s lips curve into an almost-smile. A rare sight that sends a flutter through your chest. “My High Lady told me to be nice.”
“Right,” you repeat quietly to yourself as you exhale, a futile effort to calm your fluttering nerves. It’s almost embarrassing the effect Azriel has on you and as the butterflies in your stomach stir, you hope that the rest of the day unfolds quickly.
**
Mates. Two individuals predestined to be together, brought together by unseen forces and an irresistible bond. Azriel once wondered if he had a mate but after centuries of living, he began to wonder if he was simply destined to be alone.
When his brothers found their mates and he still hadn’t found his, he started to think he was far beyond the reach of love. It was a blessing he could not have. He didn’t need a mate, so he convinced himself he didn’t want one. Romance was not part of his duties and he was starting to come to terms with the fact.
That is, until, he met you.
Nestled right on the outskirts of the area known as the Rainbow of Velaris was a quaint shop. The wooden sign above, engraved with dark letters spelling out Nightrose Apothecary, swayed gently in the cool morning breeze. Azriel had ignored the frenzied whirlwind of his shadows as he stepped into the shop.
Shelves made of twisted vines and polished wood were neatly arranged with rows of glass jars containing colorful powders, dried herbs and exotic roots. A friendly black cat, lounging on the sunlit windowsill, blinked at him in greeting. As he stepped further into the shop, his senses became overwhelmed with the prominent scent of lavender and chamomile.
Behind a worn, wooden counter is where you stood. You hummed to yourself, immersed in the book in front of you. He found himself unable to take his eyes off of you as you skimmed over the rough edged pages, your fingertips carrying an enchanting green glow and eyes filled with darkness.
You were a witch but it was no surprise to him. He had heard about you. You were a good friend of Feyre’s. One of the few people she could trust during her time in the Spring court. When the Spring Court fell into chaos, Feyre had brought you with her and helped you open up this shop.
His steps were silent and he’s sure you’re unaware of his presence, so he shifted, parting his mouth to speak–
“Hello, Shadowsinger.”
His steps faltered, eyes widening for a fleeting moment.
When you finally lifted your gaze to meet his, his eyes locked with yours and something deep within him awakened. An exhilarating feeling like no other. He felt light. He felt alive. And he was almost afraid to blink, not wanting the feeling to end.
His shadows peeked out from behind his limbs, curious to see what had their master in a chokehold. They dispersed from his body in a thrilled dance as the darkness left your eyes, revealing their natural color. They’re beautiful and sparkling with kindness, even as his shadows disobey his silent orders and slither up your arms in a cool greeting.
“I’m sorry,” he found himself apologizing, a slight tint in his cheeks. “They usually don’t do that.”
“It’s okay,” you brushed off his worry and he felt lightheaded and bewitched at the smile you directed toward him. “What brings you here?”
Azriel can’t help but feel that you already know why he’s there. He pulled his gaze away, choosing to focus on the crystal orbs on the counter instead. “My High Lady recommended I come to you. I’ve been having trouble…sleeping.”
The green glow returned to your fingertips as you beckoned a small clear vial from one of the shelves behind you. It’s filled with a silver liquid that glistened as it moved, mirroring the twinkle of the stars that light up the night sky.
“This should help.” You told him as you held out the vial to him. “Take a sip before you’re ready for bed and it should quickly pull you into a restful slumber. Some say it even brings forth sweet dreams.”
Azriel nodded his head, taking the small vial from you with a gloved hand. He stored it carefully into the chest pocket of his leathers. His hands then dug into the pockets of his pants but you held out a hand to stop him.
“It’s on the house.”
“But–”
“Any friend of Fey–the High Lady’s is a friend of mine.”
His throat tightened as he realized it’s time for him to leave and he doesn’t want to. He’s caught in a whirlwind of emotions and finds himself torn between hope and fear. Or maybe he fears what it means to be hopeful because for once in his life, he wants something.
He wants you. His mate.
But as he thanked you for your kind gesture, he realized that the bond must have not snapped for you as it had for him. So he reluctantly went on with his day and when the sky darkened and stars awakened, he took a sip from the small vial. He had the best sleep of his life that night and dreamt about you.
The next morning he asked Rhysand and Feyre about what he had experienced because he couldn’t believe it himself. They confirmed his suspicions and they were both delighted. Feyre even more so as you were her dear friend.
She had taken it upon herself to bring you two together. Her first attempt was a family dinner. It was going well until Elain had spotted a spider and upon the small scream she let out, Nesta had rushed to kill it for her. Your distress was impossible to turn a blind eye to and Feyre quietly asked if you were alright.
“It didn’t need to die,” is all you quietly said, your eyes lined with silver.
Witches were one with nature and given your niche with herbs and creation, Azriel realized the depth of your admiration for all life that night. Then, another harrowing one. You were so innocent, so pure. He was guilty, hands tainted and stained red. He didn’t deserve you.
The Cauldron must’ve made a mistake.
Feyre was undeterred so she gave it another attempt, despite Azriel’s protest. She arranged a night out at Rita’s for the Inner Circle and invited you. Azriel didn’t plan on going but Rhysand had made sure his schedule was clear and when Feyre had sent him an image of you in a skin tight dress, he came as quickly as he could.
But it was too late.
He arrived to find a high fae leaning toward you in interest and you were smiling at him. A smile Azriel wanted reserved just for him. The male had placed a hand at your waist and Azriel felt his stomach churn when you laughed at something he had said. A sound he wished to be the cause of. You seemed happy and who was he to stand in your way?
The male was everything Azriel was not. Blond, blue eyed and perfectly smooth hands–hands that were all over you and welcomed by you. He unconsciously hid his scarred hands behind his back and when your gaze met his across the room, he looked away.
Azriel was not worthy of you. He didn’t deserve to have you as his mate. So he reminded himself that romance was not part of his duties and convinced himself that the Cauldron, had indeed, made a mistake.
He couldn’t bear the thought of being just a friend to you. The mere idea pained him so much that he pushed you away. He didn’t return to your apothecary when he finished the vial you’d given him–not even when his nights became restless again and dark circles appeared beneath his eyes. When he’d see you walking along the streets of Velaris, he’d turn the other away and when you would visit Feyre and he was there, he’d find an excuse to leave.
But there was one thing he couldn’t shake off–the primal instinct to protect you. It was the least he could do for you as he felt indebted to you for the Cauldron’s mistake.
So when he heard you needed an escort to the border between the Spring and Autumn courts, he was the first to volunteer, despite Mor and Cassian also offering.
**
It’s as if the ground beneath you comes to life in your presence. Birds fly over you, chirping and singing a beautiful melody. As you pass, buds blossom into beautiful flowers as if enchanted by you. Even the animals emerge from their hidden abodes. The squirrels playfully dart between branches while a family of deer gracefully emerges from the trees.
It becomes evident that nature itself is captivated by your presence. and it extends beyond nature, weaving its magic onto Azriel as well. It reaches into the very heart of the Shadowsinger, casting an enchanting spell that even he cannot escape.
A blue butterfly dances playfully around Azriel. It startles him, pulling him out of his trance and you can’t help the small laugh that escapes from you. You raise a finger and the butterfly lands on it softly.
“Hello, little one,” you coo softly. You turn to Azriel, holding out your finger to him. “Would you like to hold it?”
“No.”
You narrow your eyes at him. “Are you scared of a butterfly?”
Azriel does not answer your question. Instead, his eyes dart around the forest that still stirs with liveliness around you. “What happened to keeping a low profile?”
“Sorry,” you apologize, even though it’s not your fault. The butterfly grants you one last flutter of its wings before gracefully flying away. “I can’t help but be admired by many.”
Azriel lets out a hum. You’re too distracted to pick up on the subtle resonance of agreement, your eyes widening as the meadow finally comes into view in the distance.
**
You inhale deeply, flooding your senses with the delicate fragrance surrounding you–a symphony of floral notes. Time seems to slow and your worries dissipate away as you kneel down, gently touching the soft sea of green, white and yellow. The gentle sway of the dandelions becomes a mesmerizing dance, their feathery plumes catching the morning breeze like wishes ready to be set free.
Azriel watches you and his eyes are a reflection of an adoration deeper than any meadow bloom. There’s a bittersweet ache in his chest. You close your eyes, a serene expression on your face. Strands of sunlight weave through your hair, creating a halo of warmth and Azriel finds it hard to breathe when your lips bloom into a tender smile.
Your eyes open and meet his hazel eyes and suddenly, he’s looking away. He clears his throat, eyes looking around the field. “What’s so special about this place?” He asks, a desperate attempt to reclaim the distance between desire and reality.
“All life is a delicate balance of give and take. Spring brings forth new life and beauty, new beginnings. Autumn leaves showers of gold, recognizing the temporary nature of all things. “ You answer as if it's common knowledge and upon the bewildered expression on Azriel’s face, you offer the simpler explanation: “The soil between Spring and Autumn is very potent.”
“These are weeds. They’ll grow anywhere.” Azriel deadpans. He regrets it immediately at the brief darkening of your eyes and the slight frown that forms at his casual dismissal.
“You may see a weed,” you begin, plucking a single dandelion from the ground as you rise to your feet. You approach the Shadowsinger. “But I see wishes.”
You extend the dandelion to him with a softness in your eyes that he’s never been on the receiving end of. “They say a single dandelion possesses the power to grant one-hundred wishes. But their beauty lies in their resilience because when they fall apart, they simply start again. A reminder to us all of boundless hope.”
Azriel hesitates, his gaze fixed on the dandelion. His gloved fingers brush against yours and for a fleeting moment, he wonders what your skin would feel like against his. The mere thought dares to send a shiver through him but he swiftly pushes the thought away. He doesn’t deserve you.
You smile at him as he carefully accepts the delicate stem from you. His shadows remain dispersed around the field but from where he stands, he can feel them vibrating in a joyful dance. Your smile is so bright, so dazzling and for the first time since he met you, it’s all for him. A sudden warmth floods through him, a sensation he never anticipated, and he finds himself utterly captivated.
“Make a wish,” you whisper to him, your voice a gentle prompt that lingers in the air like a spell waiting to be cast.
Azriel is not one to believe in things like this but he finds himself surrendering to the magic of the moment. For you.
Under the tender gaze of a field of dandelions, he closes his eyes. He lets out a silent breath, and makes a wish. A gentle breeze courses through you both in that moment. The dandelion’s wispy seeds take flight, unraveling into a delicate constellation of possibilities.
The soft bristles of hope travel through the air and find their way to you and a laugh escapes from you in response to the tickling sensation as they caress your face. Azriel’s heart feels strangely gentle–as if the weight that often accompanies his existence has momentarily dissipated. His entire body seems to soften in the glow of your laughter and a rare smile graces his lips.
He’s stuck in a trance, mesmerized by you, failing to catch the sounds of the creatures approaching. Before he knows it, there are arrows whistling around you both. He barely has enough time to respond as one hisses by his ear and darts to you. He immediately raises his hand up, his shadows rushing to the rescue and forming a protective shield around you both.
**
Your eyes are wide as you stare at the tip of an arrow that is a couple of inches away from you. It’s coated with blood. Azriel’s blood. Your breath hitches at the sight. There's an arrow embedded into his gloved hand and if it weren’t for Azriel’s other hand at the small of your back, you would’ve fallen backwards.
“Are you alright?” His gaze is examining you carefully, eyebrows furrowed in concern.
You blink at his words. “Are you alright?”
“Well, well, well.” A voice drawls followed by deep, rumbling growls from the hounds that surround you. They’re kept at bay by Azriel’s shadows. “What do we have here?”
Azriel turns around, ready to face the threat head on. His shadows remain at your side protectively. Some slither up and down your arms, their touch aimed at offering comfort and reassurance.
“Eris.”
The red head smirks and his teeth flash when he catches the sight of the Shadowsinger’s injured and bleeding hand. “My apologies,” Eris sneers. “If I had known it was you, I would’ve aimed for the heart.”
A sound escapes from you–one you didn’t know you were capable of making and you step out from the shadows. It draws Eris’s attention to you. His amber eyes drink you in and you feel Azriel stiffen beside you. The Autumn’s male’s eyes land on the obsidian necklace around your neck and they narrow.
“What is a witch doing in my lands?” His hounds that are still surrounding let out another growl, prompted by their master’s tone of voice. They snap their teeth menacingly.
But you’re unfazed.
Perhaps, it’s Azriel’s protective shadows or the overwhelming anger set alight by Eris’s words that grant you the confidence and push you forward. Your eyes fill with darkness, resembling a night sky without any stars and Azriel can feel the energy coursing through your veins as you call upon your magic.
“Keep wasting the air with that breath of yours and I might just cur–”
A hand comes over your mouth, stopping you from saying anything else and you’re being pulled flush into Azriel’s chest. You grimace at the taste of leather and squirm only for Azriel’s arms to tighten around you.
“Cute,” Eris remarks with a hint of amusement but there’s an unmistakable fear that flashes in his eyes for a short lived moment.
“We’re just passing through,” Azriel states, his voice void of emotion.
Eris observes you both in contemplative silence. He must discern something in Azriel that prompts him to stand down. With a thoughtful hum, he gracefully turns away. His hounds follow suit and as he walks away, he calls over his shoulders: “Make it quick.”
You watch as Eris disappears into the forest, still wrapped tightly in Azriel’s arms. It isn’t until Eris is completely out of view that you squirm again and without thinking, you bite on his gloved hand. Hard. Azriel flinches and finally releases his grip on you.
You turn to him with a glare that he returns.
“Threatening to curse the heir to Autumn? Are you out of your mind?”
“I should curse you for stopping me!” You exclaim, crossing your arms with a scowl. Your gaze then softens as you quietly add: “He hurt you.”
“Gods,” Azriel breathes, stepping away from you and tilting his head backwards. He pinches the bridge of his nose. “You don’t know what you do to me.”
“You mean besides piss you off by merely existing?” You huff as you snatch your bag away from him to get the jars you brought. “Can’t imagine it gets any worse than that.”
**
The walk to your apartment is silent and you begin to wonder if you should apologize for your outburst earlier. It was not within your nature to raise your voice at anyone…or harbor anger toward someone. But Eris had tried to hurt you, hurt Azriel and then shamelessly sneered about it.
Azriel follows you into your home, watching as you set the ingredients you collected down. He expects you to bid him farewell and kick him out but as you turn to him and your gaze falls to his injured hand, you sigh.
“Come on,” you offer, reaching out for his hand and he recoils. You frown. “Does it hurt?”
“No.”
You know he’s lying by the way his jaw clenches and you can’t help but notice that he appears to be repelled by your touch. You almost laugh. “I promise I won’t curse you. I actually never cursed anyone before.”
Azriel’s expression remains unreadable.
“Just let me see. I can help you.”
“I’m fine.” He says through gritted teeth.
“You’re bleeding all over my floor.” You say in hopes to get him to accept your help and when it doesn’t, you cross your arms against your chest. “Do you really hate me that much? To be repulsed by my touch?”
“I don’t hate you.” Azriel confesses and his voice is much quieter, much softer when he speaks again. “I could never.”
Azriel holds your gaze in contemplation for a long moment. Out of the corner of your eyes, you can see his shadows pushing him toward you so you try again. This time, when you step forward, your hand reaching for him, he doesn’t pull away.
“Sit,” you tell him, nodding your head at one of the chairs in your kitchen.
With a hard swallow, he does. He is entirely still as you hold his gloved hand in yours. Even his shadows are eerily still as if holding their breath. His eyes are boring into you with an intensity that heats your skin. You bring your other hand up, a soft green glow emitting from your fingertips. With the help of your magic, you carefully take the arrow out, drawing a sharp gasp from him.
“Sorry,” you say, turning your attention to his glove next. You use your magic to remove it as well, not wanting to cause him any more pain or discomfort.
As the green mist of your magic dissipates, revealing the scarred skin beneath, your eyes widen. The scars are extensive, streaking around his fingers and the palm of his hand and the bleeding gash in the middle is nothing compared to them. You lift your gaze to meet his only to find his eyes are dead of emotion.
“Azriel.” You breathe and it’s the first time you’ve ever addressed him by his name and it sounds so pretty, so beautiful but the way you’re looking at him…
“Don’t.” His throat feels tight and he starts to withdraw his hand from yours but you stop him. You want to know who hurt him this deeply. Today was a day of firsts for you–first smile from Azriel, first time you ever felt so angry, first time you growled at someone and you were more than willing to add another first to that list. Cursing someone.
But Azriel looks like he’s about to break so you push your rage aside. Realization dawns on you as you now understand why he’s always wearing gloves around you, why he avoided you at all costs before. Your heart aches.
“You don’t have to hide from me,” you say softly as you begin to heal his hand. “Your scars may forever carry their stories with them but they do not define you. Your heart does and I can see it now. It’s bright and beautiful. You’re beautiful and–”
“y/n,” he almost begs. “Please don’t talk to me like that.”
The gash on his palm is now completely healed and you tighten your hold on it. “Why?”
“It’s cruel and heartless and you don’t even realize.” His voice drops to a pained whisper and his eyes are fluttering shut, body trembling. Shadows cling on to him, embracing him in an attempt to comfort their master. You’ve never beheld anything more heartbreaking.
“Do you think that lowly of me?” You begin, your voice quiet. “That I would be put off by your scars?”
When he doesn’t answer, your free hand reaches for his face, lifting his chin up. But his eyes are still closed and deep lines form on his forehead because your skin is so soft, so warm and he’s not worthy.
“Azriel,” you steady your breath. “You’re my mate.”
His eyes shoot open, hazel orbs glistening with tears as he looks up at you. “You know?”
“I’ve known since the moment I met you.” You confess with a pained smile. “I wanted to tell you right away but I didn’t want to scare you and when I was ready to tell you, you were avoiding me. I thought you hated me because, well, I’m a witch and not everyone is fond of them.”
“But that night at Rita’s–”
“My stupid attempt at making you jealous,” you explain to him sheepishly. “I thought it would prompt you to talk to me but it backfired immensely.”
Silence falls over you two.
“I’m sorry.”
Your eyebrows furrow. “For what?”
“For being your mate.” Azriel responds. “I don’t deserve you. My hands are not only scarred but stained red. I’ve tortured many. I’ve killed many. You value life but I take it.”
“I value innocent life. It’s my duty to protect nature–to protect those that cannot speak for themselves.” You clarify. “I understand that it’s your duty to protect this court. I don’t see you any different for it.”
The hand at his face drops and you use it to remove the glove from his other hand. Your hands grasp onto his larger ones and you lace your fingers with his, embracing the thickened and roughened skin. Azriel’s breath hitches.
“This can’t be real,” he murmurs to himself, dropping his gaze. “In that field of dandelions, I wished upon every one of them. For you.”
“Magic doesn’t work that way,” you tell him with a smile as an overwhelming rush of tenderness comes over you. “It cannot create or destroy love. It can only heighten what is already there.”
Azriel’s expression softens and he looks back up at you. Half terrified. Half hopeful. “So this is real?”
You decide to show him instead by leaning down and kissing him.
Azriel’s body relaxes and then he’s using his hands to tug you forward and onto his lap. He kisses you back. Deeply and desperately. He places his hands on your face, your neck and then they’re at your waist, slipping under your shirt. He wants to feel your skin, all of you and you welcome it, arching into him because his touch feels so good.
It stirs a light of desire in you–a desire so bright that it rivals the sun and blossoms flowers of its own. A desire to love and be loved.
“What else did you wish for?” You gasp out when you both pull away for air. His hands are right under the curve of your chest and he leans his forehead against yours.
His breath is heavy but he smiles at you and you engrave the image into your mind because you’ve never seen anything so beautiful. You’re inclined to ask Feyre to paint it for you later.
“I only wished for you to be mine.” He says, pressing a kiss to your nose.
“Done.”
And then he’s kissing you again.
Azriel has heard of a love that comes once in a lifetime–he’s seen it come to his brothers. He never thought it would come to him but he’s pretty sure that you are that love of his and he was a fool to push it away. He knows this now because when he gazes into your eyes, he can see forever in them.
**
here's like an alternate scene, where y/n is the one who says "please don't talk to me like that" instead of az: read here
here's a scene if you're curious about feyre's reaction: read here
if you're interested in reading more about this au you can find the masterlist for this series here
#azriel x reader#azriel x you#azriel imagine#azriel fluff#azriel angst#azriel acotar#azriel fanfic#azriel shadowsinger#acotar imagine#acotar x reader#azriel x y/n#acotar x you#az!dandelions
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75 Years Ago Today: "The Babe Bows Out"
~ Nat Fein takes one of the most famous photographs in baseball history as an ailing Babe Ruth has his No. 3 retired at Yankee Stadium. (June 13, 1948)
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Dead & Company at Deer Creek (Rouff) Music Center, Noblesville, Ind., June 28, 2022
Dead & Company can be a hit-or-miss proposition. But on June 28 at the former Deer Creek Music Center, the band was a big hit.
Like, Babe Ruth big.
Rural Indiana saw a band infused with energy & passion - one that played as a whole.
Dead & Company.
Not Dead. & Company.
Where Jeff Chimenti once buoyed sinking sets with energy-spiking piano and organ solos, they were just part of the mix. Where guitarist John Mayer once seemed like an odd duck on a weirder pond, he’s now a Dead duck, paying proper respect to Jerry Garcia while remaining true to himself & so integrated into the band he called on Bob Weir to go ’round one more time during the heartfelt vocal coda on “He’s Gone.”
Slow tempos? Gone. Terrible vocal performances? Rare.
This despite ailing, 75-year-old drummer Bill Kreutzmann - who came onstage after missing recent gigs smiling with a wave & a bow - being replaced by Jay Lane alongside Mickey Hart, 78, for set two. Kreutzmann’s feel is missed; however, Lane’s relative youth gives the band’s rhythm section/Devils a punch that two septuagenarians simply cannot bring. Not a criticism; a fact.
Deer Creek was a stunning mix of setlist - such as the “Viola Lee Blues” opener that bounced a dirty-blue streak for some 20 minutes - & performance, as in the often-little-more-than-a-throwaway “Don’t Ease Me In,” which was one of the highlights of the 3.5-hour show.
That’s not a typo. Dead & Company’s two sets ran 90 & 120 minutes, respectively, & Bob Weir, 74, was driving that train. He sung lead on every song devoted to one singer - an electric & fast “Friend of the Devil” & “Terrapin Station” were spilt between Mayer & Weir; Mayer, Chimenti, Weir & bassist Oteil Burbridge, who played like a smiling monster in tie-dye all night, each took a verse on “The Weight” - save for “Row Jimmy,” & “They Love Each Other,” which found Mayer on the mic.
Weir was an eight ball of energy, reprising soundcheck by fusing “Foolish Heart” with “The Other One” in set one. Late in set two, Weir was so jacked up after a howling version of “All Along the Watchtower,” that he started “Standing on the Moon” before realizing his mistake & leading the band to an “Other One” reprise that galloped even harder than what they’d played two hours earlier.
The “Moon” then came out & the main set ended with a rave-up rendition of “(Turn on Your) Lovelight,” rendered in the call-&-response arrangement of the Grateful Dead’s Pigpen era.
Begun in 1965 & with just three - & later only two - Dead men in the mix, the long, strange trip is necessarily getting shorter & less weird. But on this night in this space, the X factor was back.
There was nothing like this Dead & Company concert.
Grade card: Dead & Company at Deer Creek - 6/28/22 - A
See more photos on Sound Bites’ Facebook page.
6/29/22
#dead & company#grateful dead#2022 concerts#bob weir#mickey hart#bill kreutzmann#jay lane#john mayer#jeff chimenti#oteil burbridge#bob dylan#the band#the allman brothers band#primus#jerry garcia#ron pigpen mckernan#pigpen
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Sports radio legend Chris Russo unleashes epic tirade on Mets' collapse, Buck Showalter, analytics
New Post has been published on https://medianwire.com/sports-radio-legend-chris-russo-unleashes-epic-tirade-on-mets-collapse-buck-showalter-analytics/
Sports radio legend Chris Russo unleashes epic tirade on Mets' collapse, Buck Showalter, analytics
The New York Mets bowed out of the MLB postseason on Sunday night with a shutout loss to the San Diego Padres, ending what could’ve been a dream season for them after finishing with 101 wins.
The Mets were 43-26 in the second half of the season and even with more than 100 wins under their belt, they narrowly lost to the National League East division crown to the Atlanta Braves. In the end, the Braves got the bye into the National League Division Series, and the Mets were sent home.
On Monday, Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo gave a classic rant on the latest Mets debacle harking back to the days he was with Mike Francesa on New York City’s WFAN Radio.
Sports Illustrated’s Jimmy Traina caught the rant and shared part of “Mad Dog’s Daily Bite” on social media.
Russo said the Mets shouldn’t have even been in the situation they were in over the weekend in which they had to defeat a dangerous team like the Padres in a three-game series.
“You blow a scenario like the Mets did there’s no such thing as ‘tough series, but you had a big year.’ Nonsense. Nonsense,” Russo said. “You don’t have big years when you flame out with a week to go in the season and then flame out in the wild-card round. There’s no such thing.
“… I care about the Mets who should’ve never have been in this situation to begin with, playing in a wild-card round against a dangerous opponent in San Diego whose got big players.”
MAX SCHERZER REACTS TO METS’ ELIMINATION: ‘IT’S A KICK IN THE B—S’
Russo took issue with Mets manager Buck Showalter asking for umpires to check Joe Musgrove for sticky substances. Russo said Showalter made the Mets look “rinky dink” when he asked for the check.
“And then Buck in the sixth inning with the team getting smoked decides he’s gonna have Alfonso Marquez go to the mound and basically make Musgrove take his clothes off to see if there’s ointments in the wrong places. I mean you gotta be kidding me.
Russo then assailed ESPN’s broadcast using analytics, which may have been the reason why Showalter wanted Marquez to check Musgrove in the first place.
“And I don’t care what the spin rate says,” Russo said. “And by the way, ESPN, can we stop with the analytics? I don’t care about every line drive that’s 100 mph off the bat. Enough with the analytics. Let us watch the ball game. I know when the ball is hit hard. I don’t need you to give me the speed or the exit velocity. I don’t need it. Or what the revolution is with the spin rate.
“Oh my God, you think Walter Johnson care about the spin rate? How about (Babe) Ruth? (Joe) DiMaggio. I mean come on. … Let me watch the ball game!”
New York will have to go back to the drawing board for the next season.
Read the full article here
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March 9, 1922
Mutt and Jeff by Bud Fisher: "Everything is Merry in the Southern Training Camps"
This is definitely one of those situations where I'm like, "Hmm. This seems like it should've aired before the strip where Mutt literally shares a room at the training camp with Jeff. Someone at the syndicate fucked up!"
[ID: Mutt happily struts onto the baseball field, wearing a team uniform. /end]
Mutt: Well, here I am at the training camp at last. Now to show these poor fish some class!
[ID: He eyes something off-frame to the right. /end]
Mutt: Ah! A flock of newspaper photographers "shooting" some star. I'll grab some of that publicity stuff myself!
[ID: Mutt struts over to the crowd of photographers. /end]
Mutt: And when the papers come out with my mug on the sporting page, I'll show 'em to Jeff just to get his goat. Babe Ruth must be here!
Photographer #1: Now pose like you'd just knocked a home run!
Photographer #2: Atta boy!
Photographer #3: Fine!
[ID: Mutt makes his way to the center of the throng, only to find Jeff bowing for the press. /end]
Mutt: HUH?
Jeff: How's this?
Photographer #4: Great! Hold it, Jeff!
Photographer #5: Hot dog!
[ID: Mutt throws a bat at the back of Jeff's head, giving him a black eye. The press reacts with shock. /end]
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Saddle up, it’s time for a queer, religious analysis of Supernatural 4x07 It’s the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester.
Dean says that if he was a 600-old hag he would want to come back as a hot cheerleader too and then sits there fantasizing about it for an uncomfortable amount of time (while Sam is looking at him like, wtf?)
Need I say more?
Castiel says Uriel is a “specialist,” and seems terrified when Dean asks for clarification. Once their plan to destroy the city is revealed, Sam asks if they are willing to kill all those people. Uriel responds, “this isn’t the first time I’ve purified a city” and seems like he’s aching to do it again.
The Biblical destruction of Sodom and Gamorrah comes to mind, which is a classic “clobber” passage often used to condemn homosexuality...
Castiel says he finds the situation “regrettable” but that they should have “faith” in the plan “Because it comes from heaven, that makes it just.” When Dean protests he says, “Tell me something, Dean, when your father gave you an order, didn’t you obey?“
Ohhhh boy. This gives me “well that’s what is written it in the Bible, therefore it means it’s right” vibes. And the whole “well you always listened to your aggressively masculine homophobic dad!”
Not to mention, Castiel is also justifying the situation because he is afraid of Lucifer and Hell (and looks at Dean like...remember Hell???). Classic motivator for repressed religious kids to stay deep in the closet...
Dean calls Uriel out “I mean, come on, you're gonna wipe out a whole town for one little witch. Sounds to me like you're compensating for something...”
Dean’s challenge gives me vibes of pointing out the classic “questioning the validity of our translations/interpretations of scripture is a pipeline to undermining our power” fear that conservative religious authorities often have.
And the way he walks past Cas to talk down to Uriel, it’s almost as if he is shielding him...
Dean telling Sam “...there’s nothing more dangerous than some a-hole who thinks he’s on a holy mission...just because there’s a couple of bad apples doesn’t mean the whole barrel’s rotten. I mean, for all we know, God hates these jerks. Don’t give up on this stuff, is all I’m saying. Babe Ruth was a dick but baseball’s still a beautiful game.”
Dean literally sounds like a queer-affirming mainline protestant pastor here.
Uriel calls humans “mud monkeys...savages, just plumbing on two legs.” Castiel says, “You shouldn’t call them that...You’re close to blasphemy.”
Uriel is calling humans slurs and Castiel is like “But Jesus said we should love everybody...”
After it’s all said and done Uriel threatens to kill Sam if he disobeys and uses his demon powers again, even though what he did was more of a last resort to save lives.
Again...So afraid of losing authority!
Then there’s Castiel’s conversation at the park with Dean...
“You misunderstand me, Dean, I’m not like you think. I was praying that you would choose to save the town.”
“These people, they’re all my father’s creations. They’re works of art, and yet, even though you stopped Samhain, the seal was broken and we are one step closer to hell on earth, for all creation. Now that’s not an expression, Dean, it's literal. You of all people should appreciate what that means. Can I tell you something if you promise not to tell another soul?”
“I’m not a…hammer as you say. I have questions, I have doubts. I don’t know what is right and what is wrong anymore, whether you passed or failed here. But in the coming months you will have more decisions to make. I don’t envy the weight that’s on your shoulders, Dean. I truly don’t.”
“All of God’s creations including the ones who are different are works of art...”
“Can you keep a secret? I’m gay doubtful.”
And his face...he just seems so guilt ridden and sad that Dean will have to navigate more trials as someone who refuses to bow down to angels (a.k.a. religious authorities). Although, Dean still bows down to the authority of John Winchester’s view of masculinity, but that’s a post for another time...
#this episode...this is the beginning of the cas queer coding#and like...the looks cas gives dean are just...damn#cas is so transfixed by him#like its not necessarily romantic yet but it's an intense connection#hi i'm a religious studies major with a minor in queer coding at spn meta university#and i'm in the sam coded chapter of the dean girl sorority#anyways its 4am i'll shut up now#just..had to get my gay feelings out about that episode#callie watches supernatural#castiel#dean winchester#destiel#spn meta#spn meta fandom#supernatural#supernatural 4x07#my posts
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Emma was woken by a soft rub on her arm. Peeking an eye open she saw her mom sitting on her bed, “David?” she asked, “In bed and resting sunshine” Ruth said smiling. Emma rolled onto her back, pushing her curls out of her face. “So, what did they say?” she asked her mom. “Two broken ribs, mild concussion, and a fractured ulna, his arm” she said grimly. “I am just relieved he is ok, I thanked dad last night for keeping him safe” she said softly, and her mom stroked her hair, “I did too sunshine.”
Emma got up and dressed for the day, she didn’t work until tomorrow, so she helped her mom do some chores around the house and cleaned the bus. Deciding she was going to wash it, she threw on a bikini and started soaping it down, and turned the radio on, keeping her mind busy. The poor bus was full of sand, and she never let it get this dirty. She was in the garage finding her sponge and brushes, and everything she needed to get to work.
Dave came outside a bit later, sitting on their back steps holding a cup of coffee. She walked over to sit with him for a few minutes, “You, ok?” she asked him, and he nodded. “It was a close call was all” and she nodded back, leaning her head onto his shoulder. “I thought I lost you, lost you both” and he kissed her hair, “Can’t get rid of me that easily princess. You, mom, Mary Margaret, I have too much reason to stay” and he smiled at her.
He nodded towards her bus, “Spring cleaning?” and she nodded, “It’s disgusting, there is sand in the carpet that probably won’t ever come out, figured I would use my last day off for a while to do that, and maybe later just hang around here.” “You aren’t going to the beach? It’s a beautiful day Em” he said, and she shook her head. “Not today” she said quiet and leaned further into him, carefully holding his good hand. “Don’t let it scare you Em, could have been you, Ruby, Will, Robin even. But we don’t let the water scare us, I however will be taking a break for a while I think” and she looked up at him surprised.
“Like forever?” and he laughed, “Nah, but a few months, and by then summer will have passed and I will be busy at the academy. Got to make sure I am in tip top shape for that” and she nodded understanding. “Think you will ever be scared to go back in?” and he shook his head, “nope. I got lucky, but I love the water too much to leave her forever” and Emma smiled. “Alright, now go wash Betty, she is probably mad at you and won’t start since you let her get so dirty” and Emma laughed nodding.
Emma turned the radio on in the garage, and set to work, spraying the bus down, and soaping her sponges up. She began scrubbing, Ruby showed up a while later surprising her, and threw on one of Emma’s bikinis on, helping her. They were dancing and scrubbing, spraying each other with the hose while Dave and Ruth sat there laughing at them. Emma’s heart felt lighter than it had in days. The competition was over, and it was just summer with her friends and family now. She heard the phone ring and Dave went inside to pick it up, and he didn’t come back out for a while.
Killian woke up, taking a look at the clock, it was early, 9. He went to the kitchen for some coffee and Liam and Elsa were sitting at the table, talking over something, and greeted him good morning. “How do you feel?” Liam asked him. “Headache but not the worst I’ve ever had” he said smiling at his brother. “What’s up, you two look serious” he said to Elsa, and she shook her head. “I’m considering going along with Liam to San Diego, but I don’t want you to be left here alone” she said. He nodded, “I’ll be alright lass, school will be starting soon, and between that and work, I won’t be around much anyways. Go along with him” and she smiled, “You’re sure?” and he nodded as he sipped his coffee. Elsa seemed to relax, and she stood hugging him. “Ok, I am going to head out, I have some calls to make, I will see you guys tonight?” and Liam nodded, standing and kissing her as she walked out the door.
“You working today?” Killian asked Liam. Liam nodded, “Almost time to head out, I am going to start packing this week, but with Elsa coming along, I won’t need you to drive me now” and Killian nodded. “The trucks still yours Killy, same with the furniture” and Killian smiled. “Big changes, I can’t believe it is happening” and Liam hugged him. “I’m only a few hours away, and you can bring your lovely lady and visit me anytime you want” and Killian hugged him back nodding. “Oh, you may want to open that” and Liam pointed to the envelope on the table that Killian hadn’t seen yet. Killian’s eyes widened, “Go on” Liam encouraged him, smiling.
Killian’s hands shook slightly, it was his tuition response, “That was fast” he said quietly. “Well?” Liam asked, and Killian read through it twice to make sure he read it. Setting it down, he turned and smiled, “I got it!” and Liam barked out a laugh hugging him tightly again “I knew you could do it little brother” and Killian nodded. “Emma! I have to go tell her” and Liam smiled and nodded, “I’m off at 7, so I will track you down later” and he went to shower for work. Killian ate a bowl of cereal and threw his clothes on, it was nearing 10, she should be up, so he grabbed his skateboard, stuffing the letter in his backpack and headed towards the Nolan’s.
Killian skated over lost in thought, happiness coursing through him. It was going to work out, he knew it, he couldn’t wait to tell Emma. He turned up on to the Nolan’s driveway and saw Emma in the driveway, with Ruby. She was wearing that yellow bikini he loved so much, the string ties shaking against her skin as she danced along to the radio washing her bus, and Ruby sprayed her with the hose. She tipped her head back laughing, her suit soaked, and Killian just smiled like an idiot. He was so bloody lucky. He came to the back porch and set his board and bag down seeing Dave sitting there reading the paper and he sat and joined him.
Emma looked up, “hey babe” she smiled and walked to him, water and soap bubbles dripping down her. He swallowed thickly and Dave elbowed him. “Right here man” and Killian laughed. Emma sat on his lap bridal style and kissed him, dripping water all over him but he could care less. “Morning, did you sleep ok?” she asked as she brushed his hair off his forehead, and he nodded his eyes locked on hers. Ruby strolled over, hose in hand “Ruby!” Dave shouted in warning. “Don’t worry, I don’t spray invalids” she said with a wicked smile and Dave got up running into the house. “Ruby! Wait!” Killian shouted, and she paused, “Why jones, afraid to get a little wet?” and he laughed. “No, no, let me get my news out first, ok?” and she dropped the hose coming to join them on the steps. Emma looked at him, “What news?” and he reached back shifting her on his lap and grabbed his backpack and handed Emma the letter.
Emma read it making sure she was understanding, and Ruby was confused. “Ahhh!” she screamed and hugged him, Ruby plucking the paper from her hand. “Nice job Jones” she said and patted his back and headed back towards the car. “I’m so proud of you babe” Emma said smiling brightly and he nodded. “It’s going to be ok Swan” he said, and she kissed him, and they felt a cold jolt of water hit them, and Ruby cackled. “Congrats Mr. College, now that you’re wet, help us clean the bus” and he smiled, shedding his shirt and began helping them out with scrubbing the car, and spent quite a bit of time vacuuming the sand out of the carpet of the floor. He bent and whispered in Emma’s ear, “probably is a good thing too that you won’t be getting sand on you if we happen to utilize the floor again” and Emma laughed and sprayed him with the hose. He chased her and Ruby around the yard spraying them back as Dave and Ruth perched on the stoop watching them and laughing until her shift started at the hospital.
The girls were wiping the car down as their entire cavalry of friends arrived to see Dave. Jeff carried a bottle of something in his hand, and winked at Emma, handing it to Dave with a bow on it. Dave laughed, and Jeff shrugged, “in case you get bored and would like to see something else while you recuperate” and Dave smiled at him shaking his head. They all sat on the grass as M showed up with Gina joining them in their circle. Ruth made a massive batch of egg salad and called them all to come get sandwiches. Sitting in a circle, they all chatted, like normal. Killian shared his news, everyone was thrilled, Graham announced his own entrance into the Nature Conservation program, and no one was surprised but they all were happy. The sun started to break, and the sky turned a hazy orange. Everyone packed up, and cleaned up, so Emma headed up to her room to shower and change.
Killian knew time was going to be scarce once school started and with Liam being gone, but he wanted some time alone with her. He had considered asking to tag along on her Fun Fund weekend that the girls did every summer, but with Dave being out of commission, M probably wouldn’t want to go away from him, and he thought maybe a night out to celebrate school, Emma’s win, and her upcoming birthday a tad early might be just the right idea. She came out of the shower, water dripping from her hair, and she turned seeing him, not at all surprised. “What’cha doing up here?” she smiled at him and tucked her towel around herself. Coming to stand in front of him, his words literally evaporated as Emma smiled and dropped the towel. She pushed him back gently, and leaned over him, her wet curls dripping on him, but he didn’t care. He grabbed her by the waist with one hand, and back of her neck with the other, molding her to him and kissed her deeply.
Emma moaned against his tongue and said “door”, and he pulled back “first thing I took care of Swan” and he rolled her beneath him. “I missed you, I don’t like sleeping apart” she whispered, and her comment squeezed his heart. He kissed lightly down her neck, taking a soft nipple into his mouth. Emma arched, moaning and Killian stopped. “Can you be quiet love?” and she nodded. “Good” and he went back to it, switching breasts, rolling her nipples softly as he worked his way to her core. Her skin was so soft, he loved how she smelled. He stood, untying his board shorts and kicked them off, and pulled her legs toward him, dragging her to the edge of the bed. He placed each of her long legs over his shoulders and pushed forward, Emma enveloping him. She gasped “Oh god, you’re so deep” she moaned. Killian lifted her hand nudging her to place it over her mouth.
Emma clamped her palm over her mouth. She was lost, the feeling of Killian so deep inside her like this, her skin on fire. Each drag of him inside her pushed her higher and higher. She could hardly contain her moans, and pushed him back with her legs, shocking him. “What….” And she rolled over onto her stomach and pulled a pillow towards her face. Killian understood, and knelt behind her, hooking an arm under her hips bringing that perfect ass in the air. He plunged back in and the pillow muffled Emma’s cries. He squeezed her hips tightly as he pounded into her, his balls slapping against her clit and the friction bringing his orgasm nearly to the brink. He kept at a punishing pace, and reached around rubbing at her clit, her walls were getting hot and tighter around him, she gripped him so tightly his eyes closed, and he had to tip his head back.
“Fuck Emma” he growled trying to be quiet, and she began meeting him thrust for thrust, rocking her ass against him, and he pushed harder and deeper. Emma’s legs began to shake, and she gripped the pillow tightly trying to muffle her moans, “Now Killian, now!” she cried, her voice muffled, and he ground into her as deeply as he could. Emma’s cunt began fluttering wildly, tightening on to him, and he slowed letting the sensation rip through him, spilling deep inside her. He leaned back to pull out and laid over her back, and off to the side of her a little, giving her room to breathe. She turned to look at him, and he tucked her long curls behind her shoulder. “I love it when you lose control like that” she said quietly and giggled. He gave her a light tap on her ass, and she wiggled. “you’re so incredible” is all he could manage to say as her eyes sparkled at him. “So are you” and she leaned in to kiss him softly and laid her head on his chest running her hands through his chest hair, placing a kiss over his heart.
A little while later he found his voice, “go out with me?” he said she nodded. Rolling herself up and off the bed, “Where are we going?” she asked standing naked facing him and smiling softly. She looked so innocent and beautiful just like this, he burned the way she looked into his memory, not wanting to ever miss seeing this look on her face. He swallowed the thick emotion in his throat down, “I don’t know but we need a date, so let’s clean up and head out. We can bring Dave back some food” and she nodded and went into her bathroom for a few minutes and came out blow dried curls with a little makeup. She pulled on a sundress and some wedges and grabbed her purse. He circled her hips, you look lovely, and her stomach growled. He laughed and so did she, “Come on Swan, sustenance awaits” and he dragged her down to the kitchen swiping her keys to the bus off the hook by the door.
He drove, Emma played with the radio settling on some Van Morrison. The windows in the bus were rolled down, and the warm wind blew through the car, and she watched as he turned down different streets guiding them to their destination. “The Galley?” She asked puzzled and he nodded, “But we’re not dressed right” she frowned, and he shook his head. “So what?” he said, “you look beautiful love” and he led them inside and they were seated in a small booth. Twinkly lights and fishing nets hanging on the wall, a small candle votive on the table.
She smiled at him, “This is really nice” and he nodded. “You deserved a proper date; it’s been too long Em” and she nodded. She made small talk, and she questioned him moving. “Honestly, I think that I’ll probably pack up this weekend, and start taking my stuff over to the new place, if you want to help?” Emma smiled and nodded, “Of course!” and she smiled excitedly. “I am so proud of you babe, so proud” and he smiled, “I’m proud of you too Swan, the competition, it is amazing what you did. I just wanted to celebrate the little milestones in our big picture” and her heart squeezed. “I love you” she said, her eyes soft and dreamy, “As I love you.”
They grabbed Dave some battered shrimp and fries and brought them back home to him. He was up and, on the couch, greeting them when they walked in. “Hey, where have you guys been?” Emma shrugged, “went to dinner, hungry?” she said and handed him the container, “Famished actually” he said taking it quickly and smiling. “That medicine knocked me out cold, but I feel loads better now” and he tucked into the food.
Emma went to the fridge about to grab some lemonade for the three of them, and Killian surprised her in the doorway. “I’m going to head home love” and she pouted but nodded. “Don’t be sad Swan, I had a lovely day and night with you love.” “I just don’t want to be apart” she said quietly. “Soon enough angel, soon enough” and he held her tightly. She walked him to the door, and he grabbed his board, “Night Dave” he called, and kissed her. “Do you work tomorrow?” he asked her, “Yeah, at ten, off at 4” and he nodded, “me too, 9-3, see you afterwards?” and she nodded kissing him one more time.
Dave had demolished his food and leaned back against the couch. “How ya feeling, need anything?” she asked him, and he shook his head at her, but patted the cushion. “Come on princess, lets watch a movie.” She snuggled against him as he flipped through the channels. “Dave, do you worry about your future with M and school?” He looked down, “No, not really. While she is at school, I will be too, and we both work now, it’s not like I surf every day during the year, the summer was different, but this was really our last summer to do something like this. You still have next summer with Ruby and M before you guys start college. Why?” “No reason.” she said quietly. He sat up, “Talk to me Em” he said patiently.
“What if Killian doesn’t have time for me? I mean I have one more year of high school, and then I start college too. Mom will be here alone a lot, you and I both gone, and maybe you will move out with M, and this house would just be too big without us for her.” He nodded, “Well M and I had talked about eventually moving in together, probably just like you and Killian but that’s a ways away Em, so just be patient. Don’t put the cart before the horse just yet” and she nodded, his good arm going around her shoulder and they fell asleep like that until Ruth came home waking them and sending them off to bed, Emma stopping to call Killian to say goodnight.
Killian walked into their flat and noticed that there were boxes stacked and labeled in Liam’s scrawling handwriting. Books, Clothes, Kitchen, etc. His heart deflated a little, and as he entered his own bedroom, he noticed a stack of flat boxes. He wasn’t tired and decided he may as well start packing up some things. He moved to his closet, pulling sweaters, and things down, separating them into boxes, and moved on to his bookshelf, packing up his books, and labeling boxes.
A strange feeling comes over Killian, this was their home, like their first real home after mom died, and the tears begin to fall. He sits on his bed and hears the phone ring. “Hello?” “Hey babe” “Hi Swan” his voice ragged. “I’m coming by, see you in a few” and before he could respond his buzzer went off and he went to let her in.
“Killian, what’s the matter?” she said, green eyes filled with trepidation, and he leaned forward placing his head against her shoulder. Emma’s arms immediately embrace him, and she takes in the sight. Boxes, labeled boxes, packed up, their home being packed up. She understood immediately, without saying a word she led him by the hand to his room. She sees the boxes in his room, his books, sweaters, his life in boxes.
“Killian, talk to me” and she patted the spot next to her on the bed. He sat, and he leaned forward, head in his hands. “Do you want me to leave?” she asked, maybe he didn’t want her to witness this, and needed space. “I can give you space” and he responded viscerally “NO! Just no, don’t leave me Emma, please.” She just sat, giving him a minute. “Do you want to go to bed?” she asks quietly, and he nods. “I’ll be right back” and she walked to his kitchen and dialed home, he didn’t hear what she said but gathered her mom understood she wasn’t coming home.
She stepped into his room, and shucked her tee shirt and jeans, dropped her bra and pulled on one of his soft tee shirts. “Come on babe” and she pulled him until he was lying beside her. Killian curled around her, soaking in her warmth, her sweetness, her goodness. He nuzzled his nose into her hair, breathing her in. “Hold on” and he leaned over into his nightstand, grabbing a box, the one he planned to give Emma for her birthday. He brought it to her attention, “I planned to wait, giving you this for your birthday, but now seems a good as time as any.” Emma, this was my mother’s wedding band. I intend to give it to you now as a promise, a token to remind you that I am in this, good, bad, hard, the long haul, you can even wear it on your right hand. When I propose, you’ll know, but this is a way for me to show you that I am in this, and I want you to carry of piece of me with you always.”
Emma had tears streaming down her cheeks, her eyes wide at his promise, she was completely silent. Killian continued, “With everything changing rapidly, I am lost, and I need a tether, a guiding star, a true north. I know that is you for me, regardless of where I go, my home is with you, here” and he placed his hand over her heart.
Emma took the box with shaky hands, the thin gold band embellished with engraved flowers in a delicate pattern. She nodded, her voice caught in her throat, “yes Killian, I know you aren’t asking that question yet, but yes, my answer is yes, and it will be yes when that time comes.” He smiled, taking the band out and slid it down her ring finger on her right hand, it fitting almost perfectly, and she launched herself at him.
“Gods Emma, I love you so much” and he kissed her, feeling her tears against his cheeks, and she kissed him back with everything she had. She rolled atop him and he gripped on to her, molding her to him, rolling her beneath him he slid her panties down and she fumbled to free him from his boxers. He was sitting back on his heels, and he pulled Emma into his lap, she knelt up and lowered herself slowly onto his cock. The onslaught of feeling Emma wrapped around him, looking deeply into his eyes as she rose and lowered herself slowly, nipping at his lips was so intense. His finger gripped the tee shirt she was still wearing, pulling her against him tighter, burying his face in her neck.
Emma felt like her body was on fire, a slow burning fire. Each rock, and each pull between them pushing her higher and higher. She clutched on to Killian like a lifeline, and she felt how tight he gripped her, she was his. The slow pace not the practiced dance that they knew so well, this was more, deeper, more intense. When he groaned her name in a plea, she ground down deeper on to him, pushing him as deep as he could go.
Killian bit down on her neck lightly, and she cried out softly, her orgasm spasming deep and slow, rolling in waves as she felt Killian twitch and heat flood inside her. They stayed like that for a few moments, until Killian laid her back and grabbed his tee shirt off the floor wiping her gently and rolled her panties back on her. He laid on his back, pulling her into his side, and they drifted off to sleep, her blonde hair tickling his nose, and his heart completely filled with Emma, the loneliness receded back into the darkness of his mind.
@captainswanouat @captainswoon @captain-swan-coffee @ao3feed-cs @kmomof4 @onceuponadaily @itsfabianadocarmo @lieutenantswan @kymbersmith-90 @killiansprincss @mrs-emma-swan-jones @hollyethecurious
@stahlop @hookedonkillianforlife87 @holdingoutforapiratehero
@jrob64 @teamhook @purplehawkcaptain @sals86 @killiancomeback2me @killiansprincss @karlyfr13s @myfearless-love @resident-of-storybrooke
@thesschesthair @the-captains-ayebrows @the-darkdragonfly @jonesfandomfanatic @laschatzi @tiganasummertree @donteattheappleshook
#emma swan#emma x killian#killian jones#once upon a time#david nolan#ruby lucas#liam jones#ruth nolan
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True Love Never Runs Smoothly Part Two
I never really intended to continue this, since my muse packed her bags and left only a few sentences past where I ended it, but I had an absolutely lovely request to continue it and whaddya know? That muse of mine came back for a brief time!
However, she’s a fickle thing – so, I do have two options at the end. Chime in with what you’d prefer, and we’ll go that route. Or maybe both! We’ll have to see how it all shakes out. But you all may need to be my muses for awhile!!
Carlisle x Female Reader
Warnings: Mention of suicidal thoughts, language.
Enjoy!
You woke up to a hand running lightly over your back. You blinked at the unfamiliar room you could see from where your face was smushed into a pillow and suddenly the past few weeks, yesterday in particular, came back to you with a vengeance.
You froze, stiffening up almost painfully at the thought that it was Carlisle making the bed dip slightly from around your hip, and Carlisle’s hand on your back. You didn’t know what you were going to do if it was, (human vs. vampire didn’t really work out well), and the thought that you were essentially helpless made a tendril of fear slither through your veins.
“I knew my dear friend had done some damage, not fully accepting the Mate Claim, but I didn’t realize he had messed it up quite this bad,” came the smooth, quiet voice of Aro.
You opened your mouth to deny that Carlisle had messed anything up – this Mating thing wasn’t his idea!- but shut it without uttering a sound. The sheer relief you felt that it was Aro, one of the three ruling kings who drank from innocent people and who was generally made out to be a power hungry vampire with no regard to human life, and not Carlisle who wouldn’t hurt a fly and was probably one of the nicest people you knew, said a lot.
Yup. Carlisle had messed up quite badly.
“Carlisle, Esme and myself had quite the little chat last night,” Aro continued as you slowly rolled over onto your back to face him, “and I do believe that some of it even sunk in.”
You snorted, not feeling particularly gracious towards any of the Cullen family at this point, except maybe Edward.
“Well, I hope it serves him well in the future with Esme,” you muttered, voice hoarse with sleep.
“Unfortunately for dear Esme, our talk didn’t include her in Carlisle’s future. At least, not to the extent she has been accustomed to. No, our talk centered around you and Carlisle and your relationship, such as it is.”
You’re not sure where you got the guts, or maybe you were hoping the vampire in front of you would just end it already, but you found yourself shooting back, “I wasn’t aware mate counseling was in your repertoire. Helped a lot of couples between feedings, have you?”
It was silent in the room, Aro’s red eyes boring into your own before he suddenly gave a large, somewhat manic smile. “I positively cannot wait until my dear friend is back in your good graces. I am going to enjoy having you be a part of our world immensely.”
You frowned, yesterday’s punishment ceremony rearing its ugly head in your memories.
“I think, Aro, you would be the only one. I was not really exaggerating yesterday. I am…not well liked in the Cullen/Hale household at this time.”
Aro was waving a hand dismissively before you even finished speaking.
“Carlisle’s band of misfits were always odd, (Y/N). Do not take it personally. In our world, the Mate Bond is a sacred thing. Carlisle has always been known for his control, even among the Volturi, but to fight the Bond because of a love that would hold up as a candle would to a bonfire, well…I am beginning to agree with Ciaus. The man’s an idiot.”
That startled a laugh out of you and Aro’s eyes shone with triumph.
“There. That is much more suited to you. Now, if my limited knowledge of human care is correct, you are probably hungry, yes?”
Your stomach chose that moment to answer for itself and you blushed as Aro laughed, delighted.
“Go ahead and freshen up, (Y/N). I shall go and have our cooks prepare something for you. They should still be in the kitchen from our human staff’s lunch.”
“Wait…lunch?” you asked, eyes wide. Aro shot you a grin as he stood with a ridiculous amount of grace.
“It is just past the one o’clock hour. You’ve been dead to the world, to coin a phrase, for around sixteen hours.”
You rubbed a hand over your face. For sixteen hours of sleep, why did you feel like you could sleep another twenty?
“I shall have someone escort you down when you are ready.”
Your eyes shot up to meet Aro’s own. “What? Oh, no, I’d rather just –”
“There will be no hiding, (Y/N). You have done nothing wrong and will find no condemnation here. Carlisle’s, what does he call them-family?, they are the ones in the wrong. Not one vampire in this world, apart of them, would even dream of putting you, a Bond Mate through what they are.” Aro’s voice dropped a few registers as he added, “A Bond Mate should never be driven to contemplate suicide due to the actions of his or her mate. The punishment we offered you yesterday is not considered harsh to us, but justifiable for breaking such a sacred bond. But,” his voice suddenly was back to being almost creepily happy, “what’s done is done! So, head held high, my dear and I’ll have someone ready outside your door to take you downstairs when you are ready. Do enjoy anything in here!”
And with a flourish of his hand, he was exiting the room.
You stared at the door to your room after it shut.
Honestly. Was there any other vampire out there even half as flamboyant as Aro? Nevermind that the man had a wife…
Still shaking your head at his childlike antics, you headed to the bathroom to take a shower. Maybe you’d feel more able to ‘hold your head up high’ once you were clean and dressed.
--
A half hour later, you stood in front of the door to your room, hands nervously pulling down the sleeves of the long sleeve shirt you’d found in one of the drawers, along with a pair of jean shorts.
You were so not ready for this. And no amount of showers or sleep was going to prepare you for this. How could you go out there with your head held high when you knew damn well that the only people in this castle that you considered family, (at least you had), absolutely hated your guts?
And with how you reacted to what you thought was Carlisle in your room this morning, how the hell were you going to be able to actually look him in the face?
Oh, this was not a good idea. Not a good idea at all. Maybe you’d just starve yourself, starting today. You didn’t really need any food right now, right? Wasn’t there some kind of fasting you could say you were doing?
You were not prepared to go downstairs!
“Miss (Y/L/N)?” came a low voice from the other side of the closed door. “You’ve been standing there awhile. Is everything alright?”
Damn vampire senses to hell.
“Y-yeah,” you croaked out, clearing your throat and tugging the sleeves of the shirt one last time in nervous anticipation. “I’m…fine. Just….not very hungry?”
Damnit. Why did that sound more like a question than a statement?
“Master Aro has instructed me to escort you downstairs, Miss (Y/L/N).”
You blew out a heavy breath. Of course Aro would. That man covered his bases like Babe Ruth. You took a few steps to the door and opened it slowly, peering out at the large vampire in the hallway.
“You’re…Felix, right?”
“Yes, m’lady,” Felix beamed, seemingly ecstatic that you remembered him from the night before. Like anyone could forget the mountain of a man.
Holding out an arm for you, Felix gently looped yours through his and began to take you down the hallway. Your entire body seemed to be trembling from nerves and you swallowed heavily.
Now you really weren’t hungry. What if you ran into one of the Cullens? How humiliating would it be when they glared or snapped at you in front of Felix? Bond Mates were supposed to be sacred and yet, they treated you like dirt. What was wrong with you? You’d always dreamt as a child about finding someone who would be made specifically for you, and love you unconditionally and when you literally fell into the bond that was supposed to fulfill all that, you still ended up heartbroken.
Felix suddenly stopped, causing you to come to a sudden stop as well and you snapped out of your thoughts, turning to look at him. The stupidly tall vampire was looking straight ahead, a frown firmly fixed on his face and you turned that way as well.
You felt the blood drain from your face as you caught sight of Carlisle.
Carlisle must’ve noticed your reaction to him, because his face suddenly contorted into a mixture of pain and absolute devastation.
You had to close your eyes, lest you lose control of yourself and run to him to try and make it all better. Aro was right – you had done nothing wrong. And this time, you weren’t going to be the one to try and fix it.
“(Y/N),” Carlisle said quietly, though you heard him loud and clear. “Please, may I…”
He trailed off and so you opened his eyes to see Carlisle’s golden iris shining wetly in the dim light from the hallway. Your own eyes filled with tears in response, but Aro’s words from earlier came back to you.
You had done nothing wrong. Time to hold your head up high. It’s not like you were going to stay in Italy for the rest of your life and you needed to get a backbone here, while you still had support, and not lean so heavily on the Volturi to run interference.
That in mind, you looked up to Felix, giving a small nod. “If you could, Felix,” you murmured. The giant vampire hesitated before giving a short bow and suddenly disappearing.
Great. Too bad you couldn’t just do that.
A soft rustle of fabric turned your attention back to where Carlisle was and your eyes widened.
The golden eyed vampire was on his knees a few feet in front of you, head down and hands lifted slightly towards you, palms up.
You blinked at the gesture of total submission, unable to compute the fact that this man, this vampire, was on his knees in front of you, a mortal, mate or no.
“(Y/N),” Carlisle’s voice breathed out, “forgive me.”
You felt the breath punched out of your lungs as the quiet, desperate tone the doctor used.
“I was -am- a fool, (Y/N),” he continued, head still bowed. “I have listened to my son, Edward, for too long. I do not feel…good, (Y/N). That is why I continue to be a doctor, continue to try and help people, to try and atone for what I am. I do not…feel worthy of you. You are a good person, with your entire life ahead of you. I did not want to…see that destroyed, by having you with me. Esme, she is someone I turned myself, many, many years ago. She had no other option, no other life to live. But you…you are bright, talented, wonderful and have so much to offer the world alive and whole.”
You felt your throat tighten up. He still didn’t want you.
You must’ve made some sort of noise, because Carlisle’s head snapped up and he was suddenly on his feet, his hands gently cupping your cheeks as he bent his knees slightly to look directly into your eyes.
“No, no, (Y/N),” he murmured, voice agonized, “please, let me finish. Aro talked some sense into me, last night. You were made for me, (Y/N), and I you. I was a fool, an awful, selfish fool, to not embrace the Bond, to make you feel inadequate. You are more worthy of your place in this family than any of us, and we have all acted abominably towards you, myself more than anyone. Please, darling, please give me a chance to make this right.”
Alright! Which way should we go??
HEA starting now? (There will be plenty of fluff, little bit of angst, and everything else!)
Or make dear Carlisle, (and you), suffer more? (So…much more angst this route! And not a lot of fluff.)
I’m actually begging for someone to make a decision! If left to my own devices, this will end right here and now. (Procrastinator = me.) 😊
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Our Love is Infinite
Square(s) Filled: “Two heads are better than one.” / Tattoos
Warnings: Fluff, established poly relationship, dp, frottage, mentions of pregnancy
Summary: The show has wrapped and for the stars of Supenatural, one chapter is closing, but another is beginning.
Pairing: Jared x Reader x Jensen
Word Count: 3589
Written for: @as-the-saying-goes-bingo and BTZ Bingo
Beta’d by: @amanda-teaches, thank you for all your love!
A/N: Here is the next chapter! This originally started as most definitely not a request from @supernatural-jackles, who told me she would love to see me write a J2 x Reader. It has exceeded my expectations and I hope yours too!
A/N2: Italics indicate flashback
To New Beginnings - catch up now!
Like Jared or Jensen’s scent? Buy it here from @scentsfromthebunker!
As a reminder, this is a work of fiction and should be regarded as such. No harm is intended toward the actor(s) or their families
Fifteen years. One hundred thirty-five months. Five hundred forty weeks. Three hundred thirty-seven episodes. Fourteen thousand one hundred fifty-four minutes. Two hundred thirty-six hours. That was Jared and Jensen’s life broken down since the start of Supernatural. Now it was the end. For Y/N, it wasn’t quite as long, but it was still the end of a chapter, well, a very long series, for her as well.
But for Y/N, Jared, and Jensen, a new series was just beginning. Tonight was the wrap party. The final wrap party. The three of you had lounged around the house all day. It wasn’t bad, it wasn’t good. It just was. The final episode had been filmed almost eight weeks ago and, now, they had to say goodbye to the cast and crew, their family, all over again. Y/N refused to see it as the end, but as a new beginning, and she tried to lift Jared and Jensen’s spirits as well.
“You boys better be ready to go in thirty!” Y/N called from the master suite, where she had been getting ready for the past hour. She had kicked both of them out to the guest rooms to shower and get dressed. She wanted her dress, her final look, to be a surprise to her lovers.
Y/N had taken her time, making sure her make-up was just right, using some of the techniques she had picked up from the show’s artists. She had ordered her dress weeks ago, and it was perfect. She stepped into the dress gingerly so as not to snag her heels in the delicate tulle. Y/N pulled the dress over her hips, slipping her arms through the straps and over her shoulders, letting the flowing skirt fall into place at her feet.
Y/N grabbed her clutch, checking the contents, and walked out of the master suite and down the long hallway. She made her way down the stairs, spotting both Jared and Jensen at the foot of the staircase. Both of them looked so damn handsome in their tuxes, she gasped. It wasn’t the first time she had seen them dressed formally, but it took her breath away every time, and she counted her lucky stars that she was so blessed because they were hers.
“Our queen has arrived,” Jensen bowed as she reached the bottom step.
“You look stunning, babe,” Jared whispered.
“That dress...man,” Jensen let out a low whistle. “You’re exquisite.”
“Thank you both. Help me with my bracelet?” Y/N smiled at them, holding up the jewelry.
Jensen lifted the custom made piece from her hand and slipped it around her wrist, fastening it quickly. He placed a gentle kiss to the underside of her wrist before stepping back and extending his elbow. “Ready?”
“As I’ll ever be,” she agreed and slipped her hand through his arm.
Jared followed, locking the door behind them as they made their way to the waiting car. Comfortably settled in the backseat, he turned to her, kissing her softly. “We’re the luckiest guys in the world.”
“I second that,” Jensen nodded, kissing her as well.
The ride to the party was mostly silent as Clif veered through the city. They had already discussed conversation topics all of them wished to avoid about their relationship. The cast and crew, and families, knew, but none of them were ready to announce it to the world, let alone the fans. They could be fickle and, with the finale episode airing the following week, they had all agreed to let the shock wear off before giving them more fuel.
Clif pulled up in front of the venue, Jensen exiting the car and walking over to the other side just as Jared stepped out. They both held their hands out for Y/N to take as she slid down from the black leather seats. As the three main stars of the show, it wouldn’t be questioned, three of them, walking into the party hand in hand, posing for pictures for the fans, then answering questions on the red carpet.
Just inside the doors, Samantha Highfill stopped the trio. “Jared, Jensen! Hi, Y/N!” She hugged them excitedly. Sam was a favorite and the preferred journalist amongst the cast and crew. She had become a trusted source over the years and Jensen had mentioned giving her the interview when they were ready to go public.
“Sam, hey!” Y/N greeted the journalist.
“It’s been a long time,” Samantha commented.
“Not long enough!” Jensen joked, not missing the pretend scowl on the reporter’s face. “I kid! I kid!”
“Can I get a sit down with the three of you this week before the final episode? I want your take on it for my new article Friday morning.” Samantha looked to each of them as they shared looks with each other.
“I’ll call Monday and we’ll set something up,” Y/N finally spoke, putting all of them at ease.
“Sounds good,” she agreed. The interviews were quick as they walked the red carpet, flashes going off every few feet as the photographers snapped pictures of everyone attending the soiree.
Jared and Jensen headed to the bar for refreshments when Y/N was ambushed by Kim and Briana, gushing over her blush and gold dress. She spotted her men at the bar just as they walked toward her with two whiskeys and what appeared to be a margarita. Jensen handed it over to her and she took her first sip, sighing audibly at the refreshment, and licking some salt from the rim.
“Oh margarita!” Briana yelped, trying to steal Y/N’s drink.
“Bri, no!” she shouted at her longtime friend. “Sorry, I’ve got a cold and don’t want you bringing the crud home to your little girl.”
“Aww that’s sweet of you to think of her,” Briana commented. “Kim. Bar.”
Jared, Jensen, and Y/N watched their friends walk away. “Whoa, that was close.”
“Can’t have anyone drinking my girl’s drink now, can we?” Jensen slinked his arm around her, leading them away from the bar.
The party was a great success. There was so much love throughout the room. Everyone in attendance had shared stories from the past fifteen years, some of which Y/N had never heard before. After a couple hours, speeches were given by Bob Singer, Andrew Dabb, Jeremy Carver and Eric Kripke. Jensen, Jared, and Misha had all had their turn as well. As Y/N took the microphone from Jensen, he kissed her lightly on the cheek, whispering something in her ear to which she only nodded.
“I don’t know exactly what to say that hasn’t already been said. The past five years have been beyond amazing. I have met so many wonderful people, people I consider my friends. My family. I’ve met the two most amazing men I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing,” she paused as Jensen returned to the stage with Jared in tow. They flanked her on either side as she continued.
“My life changed for the better the day I auditioned, and I wouldn’t change a single thing. Thank you, all of you, for each and every one of you has had an impact on my life, even if you don’t realize it,” she sniffed, the emotions beginning to take hold. “Thank you for an amazing ride.”
“You did great, darlin’,” Jensen drawled against her ear, hugging her once more.
“You’re so strong, babe,” Jared whispered on her other side, both of them fighting back tears of their own. They made their way off stage, but Y/N excused herself to the ladies room. Her men nodded and headed back to the bar for another round.
“Aye, you look ravishing, Y/N! That dress is spectacular,” Ruth chirped as she entered the restroom.
“Oh, thank you, Ruthie. I just love it!” Y/N gushed, running her slender fingers along the roses adorning the skirt.
“I’d never look good in something that feminine, but you, girlie, you can pull that off!” Kim exclaimed, stepping out of a stall.
“Y’all are so sweet,” Y/N blushed under the extra attention.
“You look diff’rent, Y/N,” Ruth commented, eyeing her quizzically.
“W-what are you talking about Ruth?” Y/N stammered, her face heating up.
“Can’t quite put my wee finger on it…” Ruth trailed off.
Kim dried her hands and looked suspiciously around the restroom, even checking under the stalls. “Are you..you know...knocked up?”
“What? Whatever gave you that idea?” Y/N squeaked in surprise.
“You are! I knew it!” Kim threw her hands up in victory. “With the vomiting on set and your elegantly high-waisted three dimensional dress…”
“Seriously, you can’t tell anyone. We haven’t even told our parents yet!” Y/N pleaded, looking from Kim to Ruth and back again. “Please.”
“Hey, your secrets are safe with me. All of ‘em,” Kim assured her, giving Y/N a tight hug before walking out of the restroom with Ruth. Y/N was speechless as she conducted her business and rejoined Jensen and Jared.
“Um, Kim and Ruth know,” Y/N blurted out the minute she reached the table, slightly out of breath.
“What? How? Why?” Jensen threw the questions rapid fire.
“I don’t know! I didn’t say anything!” Y/N protested. “Kim said she heard me vomiting on set. And, does this dress not hide the bump like I thought it did? Do I look pregnant?”
“You look amazing, baby,” Jared acknowledged.
“That is not what I asked you, Padalecki! I said, Do. I. Look. Pregnant?” Y/N glared at him, her arms crossed over her chest.
“Well, I- I’m just- crap. I love you,” Jared stuttered. “Your boobs are a bit fuller, but the dress hides the bump perfectly. You look beautiful.”
“Stupid pregnancy boobs,” Y/N slumped forward in her chair, pouting.
“Hey, darlin’, look at me please,” Jensen lifted her chin with one finger. “Kim’s got our backs, okay? When we’re ready, she’d have them then, too. And no, you do not look like you are sixteen weeks along. You are a goddess in and out of that dress and, when we get home, we are going to worship you like you deserve.”
Y/N’s body flushed from the inside under the intensity of his gaze and the implications of his words. “Take me home.”
They quickly said their goodnights, using Y/N’s ‘cold’ as an early out, which normally would have been a faux pas at their own party, but mostly people wished her well. Clif was ready when they exited the venue and steered for home.
“I can’t stop thinking about that night,” Jared murmured, one large hand snaking a path up her leg.
“Me neither,” Jensen breathed heavily in her ear, one hand caressing the barely there baby bump she so painstakingly disguised with the dress she had chosen.
“It’s all I can think about. I’m so horny all the time and I keep replaying it in my head,” Y/N admitted, sandwiched between them in the backseat.
~
Y/N returned from the set later than the boys for once and was exhausted as she dropped her things by the front door. The house smelled amazing and she wanted nothing more than a hot shower and a meal, then to sleep for a week. She forgot how strenuous fight scenes were, and her muscles ached everywhere. “Honeys, I’m home!” she called, following her nose through the house to see Jared and Jensen in matching ‘Kiss The Cook’ aprons she had gotten them for Christmas.
“Don’t you do look like you’re up to something,” she smirked, kissing each of them thoroughly.
“Well, we know you had a long day. Your bath is ready, then come down for dinner,” Jared instructed, shooing her from the kitchen.
After a hot, relaxing soak in the bubble tub, as Jared called it, she dressed in her favorite yoga pants and one of Jensen’s flannels and made her way back down to the kitchen. Expecting a home cooked meal, you can imagine the look of surprise on her face when she found the table not covered in dishes, but plastic wrap. “Um, what’s going on?”
“We have a surprise for you,” Jensen said.
“How many times do I have to tell you guys, I do not like surprises,” she scolded, turning to both of her boyfriends.
Jared held his hands up and smiled. “We know. But we did okay with the last one, so we think you’ll be on board with this one, too.”
“We decided late last summer that we were in this for the long haul, right? Well, we can’t exactly get married as a show of our love to the world, ‘cause I’m pretty sure that is illegal, like everywhere. But that doesn’t mean we can’t have something that bonds us together for life, right?” Jensen explained as he urged her to take a seat at the table.
“Hi, Y/N,” another voice rang out.
“Jason!” Y/N exclaimed, jumping up from her seat to hug their friend. “What are you doing here? Wait...is this what I think it is?”
“Yeah, probably. See the boys said they wanted to do this thing and asked me if I would be open to doing it here, so here I am,” Jason shrugged. Jason was a good friend of Clif’s and had inked more people on the Supernatural set than he could count.
“Are we getting tattoos?” Y/N asked excitedly, looking to Jared and Jensen.
“Yes, babe. We’re getting tattoos, but only if you want to do this,” Jared said.
“Go on, man. Give it to her,” Jensen rubbed his hands together.
Jared pulled out a small box from behind his back and passed it to Y/N. “We got you a little something for our anniversary. I know we said no gifts, but Jen and I couldn’t say no when we saw it and, well, you’ll see why.”
Y/N opened the box slowly to reveal a sterling silver necklace and bracelet set with three infinity symbols linked together. Her hand flew to her mouth as tears filled her eyes. “Guys, this is- I’m- Wow. This is beautiful and powerful and I love it so much.”
“You are beautiful and powerful and we love you so much,” Jared echoed her words.
“Can I show her now?” Jason piped up from the table. Three heads nodded in unison as he pulled out the transfer paper carefully from his folder and placed it on the table. “It’s brilliant,” Y/N murmured as she inspected the drawing.
“You said it already, but this represents all of us. It’s beauty, power and love,” Jensen explained. “You ready?”
“Yes!” Y/N took her turn first and, within forty-five minutes, Jason had inked all three of them on the inside of their left wrists, bonding them together. After wrapping them and giving final care instructions, Jared ushered Jason out the door. He returned to the kitchen to find Jensen and Y/N with their arms wrapped tightly around each other, and he joined them.
“Our love is infinite,” Jared whispered.
“Take me to bed and show me,” she mewled.
Jared’s house had soon become where they all called home, and she led her lovers to the master suite they shared. They wasted no time shedding their clothing and climbing into the oversized bed. Y/N reached out her hands, wrapping her slender digits around their lengths, stroking them to hardness.
“Can I have both of you?” she asked.
“Whatever you want,” Jensen moaned.
“Whatever you need,” Jared panted.
“Together, I want you both. Let’s try tonight.”
The promise of finally starting a family was all the motivation they needed. Jensen made himself comfortable between her legs, hanging off the end of the bed, licking wide stripes up her slit. He plunged two fingers inside her pussy, prepping her for what was to come. Hurting her was the last thing they wanted to do and Jensen took his time, adding a third finger, massaging her g-spot and sucking on her clit, bringing her to her first orgasm of the night. She panted heavily as he worked her through her high.
Jared retrieved the lube from the side table and slicked himself up before getting comfortable on the bed next to her and pulling her on top of him. He slid home easily, aided by the lube and her own wetness. “God you feel so good babe.” He grabbed her hips and pulled her down for a searing kiss.
“Jen,” she whined, grinding down on Jared’s dick.
“I’m right here, darling. Come one more time for us, darlin’. Come on Jared’s cock and I’ll be right here, waiting,” he drawled, stroking himself as he watched her ride.
“Fuck!” Jared reached down, rubbing her already swollen clit, pulling another climax from her. She bore down, her walls closing in on him. “I’m not gonna last if you do that again, babe.”
“Sorry, it just feels so good,” she mumbled, her face buried in Jared’s neck.
“It’s about to get better, just hold on,” Jensen declared, stepping between Jared’s legs. He watched as Y/N relaxed around Jared. Jensen slipped a lubed finger alongside Jared’s length, continuing to open her up even further. Her moans and Jared’s groans filled the room when Jensen added a second finger. He growled deep in his chest.
His own cock was lubed, and he withdrew his fingers from her hole, both Y/N and Jared letting out a deep breath. “I’m coming in. Just keep breathing.” Jensen eased the head of his dick to her opening, pushing in along Jared’s length slowly. It only took about a minute, but it seemed like an eternity before they were both fully seated inside of her.
“Oh my fucking god!” she cried out between them. “Somebody please fucking move!”
Jared pulled back, his hips pushing into the mattress, before thrusting back in. Both men groaned at the friction as Jensen pulled out and drove back in. Y/N had a steel grip on Jensen’s hand on her hip and Jared’s shoulder, her nails digging in as she held on. The men established a rhythm and accelerated their thrusting.
The screams from Y/N mixed with Jared’s grunting and Jensen’s growls. The view he had of both his and Jared’s cock stretching her open propelled him to his finish faster than he wished, but the pressure, the friction, it was all too much.
“I need to come,” Jensen blurted out as he thrust his hips against her ass.
“Me too,” Jared panted.
“I’m almost th-here a-again,” Y/N faltered.
Both men could feel her walls clenching down around them as they slid in and out. With a flutter, her body seized between them, her cries echoing off the neutral walls. “Fuck! Jen! Jare! Oh Christ!”
“Uh!” Jensen grunted and Jared followed closely behind with a primal growl, as they simultaneously emptied themselves inside her waiting womb. Jensen lowered himself over Y/N’s back, pressing soft, open mouthed kisses to her sweat slicked skin, while Jared buried his face in her hair, breathing her in deeply.
Y/N whimpered slightly, shifting her weight. “Jen.”
“Sorry,” he groaned, leaning back and feeling his softening cock slide from her pussy, leaking with his and Jared’s combined spendings. He slipped his arms around her waist, lifting her off Jared. He carried her to the head of the bed and laid her down gently.
When Jensen turned, he found Jared there with a warm washcloth. He took the cloth and gingerly cleaned between Y/N’s legs, allowing her to roll over to the middle of the bed. Jensen cleaned himself up as well, before discarding the soiled cloth. He and Jared slipped under the covers with her, holding her close between them.
“Thank you,” she murmured, snuggling closer to both of them.
“I love you. Thank you for letting us love you like that,” Jared whispered.
“We’d do anything for you, darlin’,” Jensen affirmed. “I love you.”
“I love you both, too. Do you think it worked?” she asked, looking up at both of them with hopeful eyes.
“Only time will tell. Now let’s get some rest,” Jared reasoned.
~
“It really did work,” she giggled, a hand over her mouth.
“Two heads are better than one,” Jared quipped. “Hmph!”
“Dude!” Jensen scolded him with a not-so-subtle back hand to the chest.
“Well, I just call ‘em like I see ‘em,” Jared argued.
“Have some tact. This is the love of our life you’re talking about,” Jensen reminded him.
“Jen, he’s not wrong. We may have had sex dozens of times that weekend, but I still think that was the one that drove it home,” Y/N defended Jared.
“People are going to think we’re nuts, not wanting to know which of us is the father,” Jensen commented.
“It doesn’t matter. This baby will serve as definitive proof of nature versus nurture. Neither of you will love this child more just because it shares your DNA,” she argued.
“You’re absolutely right, babe. Our love is infinite. For each other and little Tex,” Jared agreed, placing his hand on her bump.
~
Over breakfast the next morning, the three of them made an important phone call.
“Hi Sam! It’s Y/N.”
“And Jared!”
“Hi Sam, it’s Jensen.”
“Hey guys! To what do I owe the pleasure?” Samantha inquired, her heart beating out of her chest.
“How do you feel about exclusives?”
The Whole Enchilada: @iwantthedean @dolphincliffs @mrswhozeewhatsis @meganwinchester1999 @cherrycokegirls1 @closetspngirl @roxyspearing @flamencodiva @blacktithe7 @sis-tafics @just-another-busyfangirl @evansrogerskitten @amanda-teaches @hannahindie @wotinspntarnation @winchesterprincessbride @winecatsandpizza @kickingitwithkirk @wi-deangirl77 @hobby27 @mogaruke @gh0stgurl @alleiradayne @idreamofplaid @seenashwrite @crashdevlin @thoughtslikeaminefield @emoryhemsworth
Jensen’s Jamboree: @jerkbitchidjitassbutt @dean-winchesters-bacon @maddiepants @adoptdontshoppets @mtngirlforever @supernatural-jackles
Jared’s Menagerie: @mtngirlforever @supernatural-jackles
Additional BTZ Crew tags: @katymacsupernatural @chelsea072498 @pinknerdpanda @bees0are0awesome
#asthesayinggoesbingo#Jared Padalecki#Jensen Ackles#j2 smut#j2 x reader#j2 x reader smut#jared padalecki smut#jensen ackles smut#supernatural fanfiction#supernatural rpf
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Catra? :3
[picks up bat, eyes beehive with the general air of Babe Ruth going for a home run]
How I feel about this character: I actually think she’s a very well-written and engaging character, when the writing staff is actually letting her be a complex character who is both victim and victimiser rather than the bullshit uwu nonsense right out of a bad C/A fanfic we got in S5.
All the people I ship romantically: Double Trouble, Perfuma, Scorpia, Glimmer, Starla.
My non-romantic OTP: I mean, Catra is an expert at burning bridges, but Bow, kinda?
My unpopular opinion: S5 trashed her character by only seeing her as ship fodder and not a whole character in her own right and I will die on this hill.
My OTP: If I’m being honest I like Catrouble but I see it ending badly. Either Starla or Perfuma, I guess? Honestly I think Catra needs a lot of therapy before she’s able to approach a relationship healthily (and no, the Hyperbolic Therapy Chamber that was apparently built into Mara’s ship doesn’t count).
My crossover ship: I honestly don’t have one, sorry.
Headcanon fact: She occasionally has nightmares where she sees herself as Shadow Weaver.
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Afrika Bambaataa
Afrika Bambaataa (born Lance Taylor; April 17, 1957) is an American disc jockey, rapper, songwriter and producer from the South Bronx, New York. He is notable for releasing a series of genre-defining electro tracks in the 1980s that influenced the development of hip hop culture. Afrika Bambaataa is one of the originators of breakbeat DJing and is respectfully known as "The Godfather" and "Amen Ra of Hip Hop Kulture", as well as the father of electro-funk. Through his co-opting of the street gang the Black Spades into the music and culture-oriented Universal Zulu Nation, he has helped spread hip hop culture throughout the world.On May 6, 2016, Bambaataa left his position as head of The Zulu Nation due to multiple child sexual abuse allegations dating as far back as the 1970s.
Early life
Born as Lance Taylor to Jamaican and Barbadian immigrants, Bambaataa grew up in The Bronx River Projects, with an activist mother and uncle. As a child, he was exposed to the black liberation movement, and witnessed debates between his mother and uncle regarding the conflicting ideologies in the movement. He was exposed to his mother's extensive and eclectic record collection. Gangs in the area became the law, clearing their turf of drug dealers, assisting with community health programs and both fighting and partying to keep members and turf. Bambaataa was a member of the Black Spades. He quickly rose to the position of warlord of one of the divisions. As warlord, it was his job to build ranks and expand the turf of the young Spades. He was not afraid to cross turfs to forge relationships with other gang members, and with other gangs. As a result, the Spades became the biggest gang in the city in terms of both membership and turf.
After Bambaataa won an essay contest that earned him a trip to Africa, his worldview shifted. He had seen the movie Zulu and was impressed with the solidarity exhibited by the Zulu in that film. During his trip to Africa, the communities he visited inspired him to create one in his own neighborhood. He changed his name to Afrika Bambaataa Aasim, adopting the name of the Zulu chief Bhambatha, who led an armed rebellion against unfair economic practices in early 20th century South Africa. He told people that his name was Zulu for "affectionate leader." Bambaataa formed The "Bronx River Organization" as an alternative to the Black Spades.
Career
Inspired by DJ Kool Herc and Kool DJ Dee, Bambaataa began hosting hip-hop parties beginning in 1977. He vowed to use hip-hop to draw angry kids out of gangs and form the Universal Zulu Nation. Robert Keith Wiggins, a.k.a. "Cowboy" of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, is credited with naming hip-hop; the term became a common phrase used by MCs as part of a scat-inspired style of rhyming. Writer Steven Hager claims that the first time "hip-hop" was used in print was in his Village Voice article where he was quoting Bambaataa, who had called the culture "hip-hop" in an interview.
In 1982, Bambaataa and his followers - a group of dancers, artists, and DJs - went outside the United States on the first hip-hop tour. He saw that the hip hop tours would be the key to help expand hip hop and his Universal Zulu Nation. In addition it would help promote the values of hip hop that he believed are based on peace, unity, love, and having fun. He brought peace to the gangs; many artists and gang members say that "hip hop saved a lot of lives." His influence inspired many overseas artists like the French rapper MC Solaar. He was a popular DJ in The South Bronx rap scene and became known not only as Afrika Bambaataa but also as the "Master of Records." He established two rap crews: the Jazzy 5 including MCs Master Ice, Mr. Freeze, Master Bee, Master D.E.E, and AJ Les, and the second crew referred to as Soulsonic Force including Mr. Biggs, Pow Wow and Emcee G.L.O.B.E.
In 1982, Taylor, who was inspired by Kraftwerk's futuristic electronic music, debuted at The Roxy a test cassette of EBN-OZN's ground breaking, 12-inch white rap/spoken word "AEIOU Sometimes Y". It was the first commercially released American single ever made on a computer, a Fairlight CMI, ushering in the era of music computer sampling. In that same year, Bambaataa and Soulsonic Force stopped performing with a live band, and began to use only technology. Bambaataa credited the pioneering Japanese electropop group Yellow Magic Orchestra, whose work he sampled, as an inspiration. He also borrowed a keyboard hook from German electronic pioneers Kraftwerk and was provided the electronic Roland TR-808 "beat-box" by producer Arthur Baker and synthesizer player John Robie. That resulted in "Planet Rock," which went to gold status and generated an entire school of "electro-boogie" rap and dance music. Bambaataa formed his own label to release the Time Zone Compilation. He created "turntablism" as its own subgenre and the ratification of "electronica" as an industry-certified trend in the late 1990s.
Birth of the Zulu Nation
In the late 1970s, Bambaataa formed what became known as the Universal Zulu Nation, a group of socially and politically aware rappers, B-boys, graffiti artists and other people involved in hip hop culture. By 1977, inspired by DJ Kool Herc and DJ Dee, and after Disco King Mario loaned him his first equipment, Bambaataa began organizing block parties all around The South Bronx. He even faced his long-time friend, Disco King Mario in a DJ battle. He then began performing at Adlai E. Stevenson High School and formed the Bronx River Organization, then later simply "The Organization." Bambaataa had deejayed with his own sound system at The Bronx River Houses' Community Center, with Mr. Biggs, Queen Kenya, and Cowboy, who accompanied him in performances in the community. Because of his prior status in the Black Spades, he already had an established Army party crowd drawn from former members of the gang. Hip hop culture was spreading through the streets via house parties, block parties, gym dances and mix tapes.
About a year later Bambaataa reformed the group, calling it the Zulu Nation (inspired by his wide studies on African history at the time). Specifically, Bambaataa watched the 1964 film Zulu, which sparked the name for the group. Five b-boys (break dancers) joined him, whom he called the Zulu Kings, and later formed the Zulu Queens, and the Shaka Zulu Kings and Queens. As he continued deejaying, more DJs, rappers, b-boys, b-girls, graffiti writers, and artists followed him, and he took them under his wing and made them all members of his Zulu Nation. He was also the founder of the Soulsonic Force, which originally consisted of approximately 20 Zulu Nation members: Mr. Biggs, Queen Kenya, DJ Cowboy Soulsonic Force (#2), Pow Wow, G.L.0.B.E. (creator of the "MC popping" rap style), DJ Jazzy Jay, Cosmic Force, Queen Lisa Lee, Prince Ikey C, Ice Ice (#1), Chubby Chub; Jazzy Five-DJ Jazzy Jay, Mr. Freeze, Master D.E.E., Kool DJ Red Alert, Sundance, Ice Ice (#2), Charlie Choo, Master Bee, Busy Bee Starski, Akbar (Lil Starski), and Raheim. The personnel for the Soulsonic Force were groups within groups with whom he would perform and make records.
In 1980, Taylor's groups made Death Mix, their first recording with Paul Winley Records. According to Bambaata, this was an unauthorized release. Winley recorded two versions of Soulsonic Force's landmark single, "Zulu Nation Throwdown," with authorization from the musicians. Disappointed with the results of the single, Bambaataa left the company. The arranger credit on these recordings is correctly attributed to Harlem Underground Band leader, Kevin Donovan. This led to the false assumption that Bambaataa's real name was Kevin Donovan, which was widely accepted by the hip hop community until recently, following sexual abuse allegations, when Bronx River residents spoke out and revealed in oral testimonies that Bambaataa's real name was in fact Lance Taylor.
The Zulu Nation was the first hip-hop organization, with an official birth date of November 12, 1977. Bambaataa's plan with the Universal Zulu Nation was to build a movement out of the creativity of a new generation of outcast youths with an authentic, liberating worldview.
Recognition
In 1981, hip hop artist Fab Five Freddy was putting together music packages in the largely white downtown Manhattan new wave clubs, and invited Bambaataa to perform at one of them, the Mudd Club. It was the first time Bambaataa had performed before a predominantly white crowd. Attendance for his parties downtown became so large that he had to move to larger venues, first to the Ritz, in a show organized by hip hop pioneer, Michael Holman, with Malcolm McLaren's group Bow Wow Wow, then to the Peppermint Lounge, The Jefferson, Negril, Danceteria and the Roxy. "Planet Rock," a popular single produced by Arthur Baker and the keyboardist John Robie, came out that June under the name Afrika Bambaataa and the Soulsonic Force. The song borrowed musical motifs from German electronic music, funk, and rock. Different elements and musical styles were used together. The song became an immediate hit and stormed the music charts worldwide. The song melded the main melody from Kraftwerk's "Trans-Europe Express" with electronic beats based on their track "Numbers" as well as portions from records by Babe Ruth and Captain Sky, thus creating a new style of music altogether, electro funk.
Afrika Bambaataa was booked on the first ever European hip hop tour presented by Europe One and Fnac France. Along with himself were rapper and graffiti artist Rammellzee, Zulu Nation DJ Grand Mixer DXT (formerly Grand Mixer D.St), B-boy and B-girl crews the Rock Steady Crew, and the Double Dutch Girls, as well as legendary graffiti artists Fab 5 Freddy, PHASE 2, Futura 2000, and Dondi.
Bambaataa's second release around 1983 was "Looking for the Perfect Beat," then later, "Renegades of Funk," both with the same Soulsonic Force. He began working with producer Bill Laswell at Jean Karakos's Celluloid Records, where he developed and placed two groups on the label: Time Zone and Shango. Bambaataa recorded "Wildstyle" with Time Zone, and he recorded a collaboration with punk rocker John Lydon and Time Zone in 1984, titled "World Destruction." Shango's album, Shango Funk Theology, was released by the label in 1984. That same year, Bambaataa and other hip hop celebrities appeared in the movie Beat Street. He also made a landmark recording with James Brown, titled "Unity." It was billed in music industry circles as "the Godfather of Soul meets the Godfather of Hip Hop."
Around October 1985, Bambaataa and other music stars worked on the anti-apartheid album Sun City with Little Steven Van Zandt, Joey Ramone, Run–D.M.C., Lou Reed, U2, and others. During 1988, he recorded "Afrika Bambaataa and Family" for Capitol Records, titled The Light, featuring Nona Hendryx, UB40, Boy George, George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, and Yellowman. He had recorded a few other works with Family three years earlier, one titled "Funk You" in 1985, and the other titled "Beware (The Funk Is Everywhere)" in 1986. In 1986 he discovered an artist in Atlanta. (Through MC SHY D) by the name of Kenya Miler a.k.a. MC Harmony (Known producer now as Kenya Fame Flames Miller), that was later signed to Criminal Records and Arthur Baker. The group was Harmony and LG. The first single, 1987's "Dance To The Drums/No Joke," was produced by Bambaataa and Baker with musicians Keith LeBlanc and Doug Wimbish. Bambaataa was involved in the Stop the Violence Movement, and with other hip hop artists recorded "Self Destruction", a 12" single which hit number one on the Hot Rap Singles Chart in March 1989. The single went gold and raised $400,000 for the National Urban League to be used for community anti-violence education programs.
In 1990, Bambaataa made Life magazine's "Most Important Americans of the 20th Century" issue. He was also involved in the anti-apartheid work "Hip Hop Artists Against Apartheid" for Warlock Records. He teamed with the Jungle Brothers to record the album Return to Planet Rock (The Second Coming).
Gee Street Records, Bambaataa and John Baker organized a concert at Wembley Stadium in London in 1990 for the African National Congress (ANC), in honor of Nelson Mandela's release from prison. The concert brought together performances by British and American rappers, and also introduced both Nelson and Winnie Mandela and the ANC to hip hop audiences. In relation to the event, the recording Ndodemnyama (Free South Africa) helped raise approximately $30,000 for the ANC.
From the mid-1990s, Bambaataa returned to his electro roots. In 1998, he produced a remix of "Planet Rock" combining electro and house music elements, called "Planet Rock '98," which is regarded as an early example of the electro house genre. In 2000, Rage Against the Machine covered his song "Renegades of Funk" for their album, Renegades. The same year, he collaborated with Leftfield on the song "Afrika Shox," the first single from Leftfield's Rhythm and Stealth. "Afrika Shox" also appeared on soundtrack to Vanilla Sky. In 2004, he collaborated with WestBam, a group that was named after him, on the 2004 album Dark Matter Moving at the Speed of Light which also featured Gary Numan. In 2006, he was featured on the British singer Jamelia's album Walk With Me on a song called "Do Me Right," and on Mekon's album Some Thing Came Up, on the track "D-Funktional." He performed the lyrics on the track "Is There Anybody Out There" by The Bassheads (Desa Basshead). As an actor, he has played a variety of voice-over character roles on Kung Faux.
Bambaataa was a judge for the 6th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers. On September 27, 2007, it was announced that Afrika Bambaataa was one of the nine nominees for the 2008 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductions. On December 22, 2007, he made a surprise appearance performing at the First Annual Tribute Fit For the King of King Records, Mr. Dynamite James Brown in Covington, Kentucky.
On August 14, 2012, Bambaataa was given a three-year appointment as a visiting scholar at Cornell University. The appointment was made in collaboration between Cornell University Library's Hip Hop Collection, the largest collection of historical hip hop music in North America, and the University's department of Music. His archives, including his vinyl collection, original audio and video recordings, manuscripts, books, and papers arrived at the Cornell University Hip Hop Collection in December 2013.
Child molestation allegations
In April 2016, Bronx political activist Ronald Savage accused Bambaataa of molesting him in 1980, when Savage was 15. Following Savage's allegations, three more men accused Bambaataa of sexual abuse. Bambaataa issued a statement to Rolling Stone denying the allegations. In early May 2016, the Universal Zulu Nation disassociated themselves from Bambaataa as part of an organizational restructuring that saw the group removing "all accused parties and those accused of covering up the current allegations of child molestation" from their current roles in the organization.
On May 6, 2016, Bambaataa left his position as head of The Zulu Nation.
In June 2016, The Universal Zulu Nation issued an open letter apologizing to the alleged victims of sexual abuse perpetrated by Bambaataa.
"On behalf of the members of the Universal Zulu Nation worldwide, who have made their voices heard through their chapter leaders, we extend our deepest and most sincere apologies to the many people who have been hurt by the actions of Afrika Bambaataa and the subsequent poor response of our organization to allegations levelled against him," the Zulu Nation said in a statement signed by dozens of UZN chapter leaders worldwide.
"To the survivors of apparent sexual molestation by Bambaataa, both those who have come forward and others who have not, we are sorry for what you endured and extend our thanks to those who have spoken out for your bravery in bringing to light that which most of us were sadly unaware of, and others chose not to disclose."
The apology was signed by nearly three dozen members of the Zulu Nation, including leaders from as far as New Zealand. The organization also apologized to Ronald "Bee Stinger" Savage and Hassan "Poppy" Campbell, two of Bambaataa's accusers, who they said were "subjected to unjust and inexcusable attacks on their characters in official statements by our organization when they chose to speak their truths. ... We hear you, we believe you, and we stand with you."
In October 2016, Vice published an in-depth article titled "Afrika Bambaataa Allegedly Molested Young Men For Decades" and reported the stories and testimonies of the alleged victims and witnesses. The article stated the accusers "claim that these accounts of alleged abuse have been common knowledge in the Bronx River community and beyond since the early 1980s, including among many of Bambaataa's closest friends and Zulu soldiers."
Despite the multiple allegations and testimonies of victims and witnesses, to date no charges have been brought upon Afrika Bambaataa and he has not been prosecuted for these alleged crimes. This is due to New York state statute of limitations, which provide that actions for civil damages for defined sexual crimes, including sexual abuse of a minor, must be brought within five years of the acts constituting the sexual offense.
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Today In 1948: "The Babe Bows Out"
~ Nat Fein takes one of the most famous photographs in baseball history as an ailing Babe Ruth has his legendary No. 3 retired at Yankee Stadium.
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Be Thankful, Turkeys. by Donald F. Narcissump
Via Flickr:
"Amerikah, you should be so grateful, so so grateful, that I'm your King. I am working so hard right now, protecting those BOARDERS, locking up illegal children and at the same time training for the fight of my life with Apollo Creed. I am doing such a tremendous job as your God delivered President so you should all bow down to me and tell GOD thank you for me, the gift to all man kind. The Stable Genius, your leader. Don." NOTE: The President means the border wall, not a person who receives regular meals when staying somewhere, in return for payment or services and Apollo Creed was portrayed by Carl Weathers in Rocky & Rocky IV, a fictional character. It doesn't get crazier does it? Photographed in a diorama by Regent Miniatures all 1/6 scale. Burgers by WowMiniature on Etsy. www.etsy.com/shop/WowMiniature The Book: NARCISSUMP The Malignancy Killing Democracy is available as a PDF, on iTunes as an ebook or hardcover or soft. This series is available now via BLURB under the title NARCISSUMP The Malignancy Killing Democracy order here: www.blurb.com/b/9763758-family-book-standard-portrait Writing and Photo by Steve McKinnis of stevemckinnis.com FROM the NYPOST: Trump tweets out doctored photo of his head on Rocky Balboa’s body By Bob Fredericks November 27, 2019 Looks like someone’s fixin’ for a fight. President Trump on Wednesday tweeted out a doctored image of his head superimposed over the body of a chiseled Rocky Balboa, the hard-luck Philly tomato can-turned-champion immortalized on film by Sylvester Stallone. The “Rocky III” poster-inspired tweet came out as the commander-in-chief was reportedly playing golf at his Florida Club while on Thanksgiving vacation at Mar-a-Lago, according to White House pool reports. The photo, posted at 10:54 a.m., shows the 6-foot-3, 243-pound president looking straight ahead with a combative look on his face, over an image of Stallone’s ripped, 5-foot-10, 176-pound body, gloved fists at the ready and a championship belt around his waist. It had no caption. The White House did not respond to a question about the significance of the photo, though Stallone is known to be a big fan of the president. “I love Donald Trump,” the actor told Variety for a story on his Rocky spin-off “Creed” in 2016, when Trump was still a candidate. “He’s a great Dickensian character. You know what I mean? There are certain people like Arnold [Schwarzenegger], Babe Ruth, that are bigger than life. But I don’t know how that translates to running the world.” The president also alluded to his own purportedly robust health at his rally Tuesday night in Florida, referring to his surprise visit earlier this month to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland. “Let me tell you, if I didn’t feel great, I wouldn’t be ranting and raving to 21-22,000 people,” he told a packed campaign rally in Sunrise, Fla. “They said he went into the hospital. And it’s true, I didn’t wear a tie. Why would I wear a tie? If the first thing they do is say, ‘Take off your shirt, sir, and show us that gorgeous chest. We’ve never seen a chest quite like it,'” Trump added. From the New York Post: nypost.com/2019/11/27/trump-tweets-out-doctored-photo-of-...
#Donald J. Trump#Don Trump#Donald J. Frump#Don the Con#the worst president in history#stupid man#dumb it down#laughing at the dumb#twitler#twitler in chief#it just keeps getting crazier#crazy is as crazy tweets#the nut is president#two buckets short a barrel#Trumplestilskin#Trumpster#Narcissump#Potus 45#President of the United States#impeach 45#impeach now#waiting for impeachment#thanksgiving#thanksgiving 2019#be thankful for the KING#King Donald#1/6 scale collectibles#1/6 scale figures#1/6 celebrities#1/6 diorama
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13 June 1948 "Babe Ruth Bows Out", photograph of Babe Ruth during a ceremony for the 25th anniversary Yankee Stadium and to retire his number. This photograph won the 1949 Pulitzer Prize for Photography.
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It’s been the practice here to honor notable film-related anniversaries at the onset of every year – Looking back to move forward, if you will. This year there is particular excitement across social media because 2020 brings with it echoes of a century ago, the decade called The Roaring Twenties when youth threw caution to the wind and enjoyed life to its fullest. It was an era of economic prosperity and interesting (to say the least) social and artistic changes, an era of happenings and creativity. Some of that is reflected in films depicting the Roaring Twenties, which – luckily for us – happens to be this month’s theme on TCM.
In all pictures about the Roaring Twenties you’re likely to see the Flapper, perhaps the most familiar symbol of the era. The Flapper helped the decade retain a certain “feel,” one of partying and promiscuity with distinct style and energy. In movie terms you might look to Colleen Moore and Clara Bow to get a sense of what the Flapper was like.
Colleen Moore
Clara Bow
While the flapper enjoyed life throughout the decade, she gained considerable freedoms in 1920. On August 18 of that year the 19th Amendment was passed, giving women the right to vote. Due to the great economy at the time, millions of women worked in white-collar jobs and could afford to contribute in ways they previously could not. The increased availability of birth-control devices allowed for more personal choice and advances in technology helped the effort as well. Many homes in America, especially in the industrialized cities, were now powered by electricity, and effort-saving devices such as refrigerators, washing machines, irons, and vacuum cleaners, most of which were used by women, made life much easier as well.
Other inventions that came to be in 1920 include the hair dryer, invented by a women who inserted a hose in the exhaust of a vacuum cleaner. Brilliant! The traffic light was also born that year thanks to police officer William Potts who used red, amber, and green lights and $37 worth of wire to make his traffic light in Detroit, Michigan. The Band-Aid was invented by a man called Earle Dickson for his wife Josephine who cut herself often. The final invention worth noting was the automobile with the combustion, probably the most popular invention in the 1920s, which facilitated the Flapper lifestyle and led to many new jobs. The popular, reliable, and inexpensive Ford Model T made it all possible – and made it in the movies.
Harold Lloyd in GET OUT AND GET UNDER 1920
Stan Laurel in a Ford Model T 1920, which appeared in several Laurel and Hardy movies
While previously mentioned freedoms were expanded, others were curtailed in 1920. The most famous being the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, ratified in 1919, but put into effect in 2020. The Federal Volstead Act, formally the National Prohibition Act, established to carry out the intent of the 18th Amendment, banned the manufacture and sale of “intoxicating liquors,” and at 12 A.M. on January 16, 1920, the Act closed every tavern, bar and saloon in the United States. Tragic as that may seem to some, there was plenty of booze to go around thanks to unseemly types who took control of underground “wet” businesses.
Hollywood’s fascination with Prohibition and the times during which it took place have resulted in fantastic film offerings through the decades. Sam Mendes’ Road to Perdition (2002) is one example of a great modern film dealing with the subject. But I am here for the classics and suggest you revisit the following to get a sense of how colorful the world was during the Prohibition era:
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Another right was curtailed on June 13, 1920 when the US Post Office stated that children could not be sent by parcel post. Various instances of this occurrence made the law a necessity.
More interesting facts about 1920:
The average life span in the United States that year was about fifty-four years.
The top ten toys of the 1920s were:
Teddy bears
Erector sets
Lionel trains
Lincoln Logs
Raggedy Ann
Radio Flyer Wagon
Tinker Toys
Crayons
Tin toys
Tiddlywinks
On January 29, 1920 Walt Disney started work as an artist with KC Slide Co. for $40 a week.
On May 1, 1920 legendary slugger Babe Ruth hit his 50th career home run, his first for the NY Yankees in a 6-0 win over the Boston Red Sox. How sweet it was.
On May 16 Joan of Arc (Jeanne D’arc c. 1412 – May 30, 1431) was canonized a saint. Her life has inspired numerous films starting as early as 1900 with Georges Méliès’ Joan of Arc. I must admit I’ve only seen two films on this topic, but can recommend both: Carl Theodor Dreyer’s deeply affecting The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928) and Victor Fleming’s visually appealing Joan of Arc (1948).
On June 2 the Pulitzer prize for Drama was awarded to Eugene O’Neill for Beyond the Horizon.
On July 29 rebel leader Pancho Villa surrendered to Mexican authorities. As it turns out Villa who had an interesting connection to movies as this Smithsonian Magazine article explains.
On November 2, 1920 the first commercially licensed radio broadcast was heard, from KDKA in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The first broadcast was live results of the presidential election, a transmission of breaking news that was new and unprecedented. The impact of the medium of radio and the importance of this 1920 event cannot be overstated.
1920 in Hollywood
By the early 1920s, the film industry had made its (more or less) permanent move to Hollywood from the East Coast. The face of American cinema was transformed. Hollywood was now the world’s film capital producing virtually all films shown in the United States and 80 percent of the revenue from films shown abroad. Many American towns had a movie theater with over 20,000 movie houses operating in the U.S. by that year. Most Americans went to see the movies at least once a week. The movie industry became a big business. And Hollywood’s position only got stronger as many of Europe’s most talented movie players arrived.
By the end of the decade, the movies claimed to be the nation’s fifth largest industry, attracting 83 cents out of every dollar Americans spent on amusement. It’s only natural then that through this journey Hollywood also became the ideal of many things in the audience’s eyes. In particular the movies excelled at extravagance, fun, and glamour – and they were the primary distraction through tough times. Here’s more…
In 1920, Metro Pictures Corporation (with its already-acquired Goldwyn Pictures Corporation) was purchased by early theater exhibitor Marcus Loew of Loew’s Inc. In another acquisition, Loew merged his Metro-Goldwyn production company with Louis B. Mayer Pictures.
In 1920 C.B.C. Film Sales Corporation was founded in 1920 by brothers Jack and Harry Cohn, and Joseph Brandt. C.B.C. was renamed Columbia in 1924.
On March 28, 1920 the wedding of the century took place when Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford joined in matrimony. Fairbanks bought a lodge for his new bride and it was named Pickfair, a place that soon became the social center of Hollywood. In June 1920 the couple joined fellow newlyweds Frances Marion and Fred Thomson on a European honeymoon.
On April 3, 1920 F. Scott Fitzgerald wed novelist Zelda Sayre at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York.
Director John Ford wed Mary Smith in 1920.
Charlie Chaplin discovered Jackie Coogan and chose him to play The Kid released in 1921.
Alice Guy, the world’s first female filmmaker and a key figure in the development of narrative film, directed her final film, the feature-length Tarnished Reputations (1920).
Born in 1920
I am astounded by the talent born in 1920. Expect major centennial celebrations for these important people who have given us so much joy through film and television.
Vincent Gardenia
Constance Moore
DeForest Kelley
Federico Fellini
Delbert Mann
James Doohan
Toshiro Mifune
Jack Webb
Denver Pyle
Peggy Lee
Yul Brynner
Maureen O’Hara
Shelley Winters
Ray Bradbury
Jack Warden
Mickey Rooney
William Conrad
Walter Matthau
Laraine Day
Montgomery Clift
Merlina Mercouri
Hy Averback
Nanette Fabray
Gene Tierney
Ricardo Montalban
Noel Neill
Virginia Mayo
Frances Gifford
Jack Lord
Tony Randall
Ray Harryhausen
Deaths in 1920
1920 is relatively early in the life of the movies so it’s not surprising only one stood out as notable…and particularly sad. On or about September 10 of that year actor Olive Thomas ingested bi-chloride of mercury from a French-labeled bottle in a darkened bathroom, believing it to be another medication. Found unconscious, she died five days later. The death made worldwide headlines. Olive was only 25 when she died.
With Olive’s death came a flood of stories linking her to alcohol and drug use and to sexual promiscuity. The evils of “movie people” were spotlighted along with her death by moralists everywhere. Regardless of the circumstances, which I believe have never come to light, this was the tragic death of a 25-year-old woman. Olive was survived by her husband Jack Pickford who was with her in Paris when the tragedy occurred. You can read more about the life and death of Olive Thomas at Silents are Golden.
Olive Thomas c. 1919
Among the notables who made their film debuts in 1920…
Mary Astor made her film debut by way of an uncredited part in Buster Keaton’s The Scarecrow
Madge Bellamy made her debut in Edward José’s The Riddle: Woman.
Charles Boyer in Marcel L’Herbier’s L’homme de Large
Greta Garbo in Ragnar Ring’s How Not to Dress, which according to the New York Times obituary is a short sponsored by the department story where Greta worked as a sales clerk.
Alfred Hitchcock – Hitchcock submitted a portfolio of title cards for The Sorrows of Satan and The Great Day and is hired by Famous Players-Lasky British Producers Limited. (Hitchcock.zone)
Barbara La Marr , the girl who was too beautiful caught everyone’s attention when she co-starred with Douglas Fairbanks in The Nut in 1921, but she made her debut the year prior in Bertram Bracken’s Harriet and the Piper.
Victor McLaglen in A. E. Coleby’s The Call of the Road (1920) he gets a starring role right off the bat as a gambler-turned-boxer.
Nita Naldi – the story goes that her dancing was spotted by John Barrymore, who obtained her debut role for her in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920).
Claude Rains – we see him for a brief moment at the end of the film, but it’s a brilliant turn he delivers in his formal film debut as James Whale’s The Invisible Man in 1933, but as is news to me at this writing, Rains appeared in Fred Goodwins’ Build Thy House in 1920.
Notable Film Releases
Germany’s silent landmark classic, director Robert Wiene’s The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari was released in the US in 1920.
Douglas Fairbanks’ first swashbuckler, Fred Niblo’s The Mark of Zorro (1920).
Buster Keaton made his first solo film appearance in the comedy short One Week (1920), after co-starring with Roscoe Arbuckle for the three previous years.
Legendary Broadway stage star John Barrymore appeared in the adapted Robert Louis Stevenson tale-horror film Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920) directed by John. S. Robertson.
Ernst Lubitsch’s Passion was released in the U.S. bringing attention to Polish actress Pola Negri.
Way Down East, a romantic drama directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Lillian Gish was a top grossing movie of the year.
Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton released several shorts each that are worth watching so check out their filmographies and get to it. Roscoe Arbuckle had a slow year given his star status in 1920, but that would all fall apart in 1921 following the Virginia Rappe scandal.
Harry Millarde’s Over the Hill to the Poorhouse or just Over the Hill starring Mary Carr was one of the top grossing films of the decade.
Paul Powell’s Pollyanna starring Mary Pickford was popular despite both screenwriter Frances Marion and Mary Pickford not liking it.
Shipwrecked Among Cannibals, a travelogue/documentary directed by William F. Adler, was the first Universal film to gross $1,000,000.
Cecil B. DeMille’s Something to Think About starring Elliott Dexter, Gloria Swanson and Monte Blue was popular with audiences.
Top Money-making actors
According to Quigley Polls from results of 1919 film releases.
Wallace Reid
Marguerite Clark
Charles Ray
Douglas Fairbanks
Mary Miles Minter
Mary Pickford
Clara Kimball Young
William S. Hart
Norma Talmadge
Theda Bara
Theda Bara in THE LIGHT 1919
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I hope you enjoyed these hundred-year-old highlights. I look forward to what I hope will be a stellar, enjoyable year of blogging and wish you and yours the very best. Now, in 1920s lingo, “Go chase yourself!”
HAPPY NEW YEAR…1920, A Centennial Celebration It's been the practice here to honor notable film-related anniversaries at the onset of every year - Looking back to move forward, if you will.
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