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javier-pena · 3 years

Text

alone

Chapter 1 of The Hunt

Pairing: Din Djarin x fem!reader

Word Count: 4.4k

Rating: Mature (for now but that will - spoilers! - change eventually)

Summary: When your best friend and companion is abducted by a group of outlaws, you hire a Mandalorian to help track down the men and get your revenge. What seems like a simple enough task stretches into a month-long trek through inhospitable terrain while both you and the Mandalorian are trying to come to terms with events in your past you cannot change. Set after Season 2.

Warnings: mentions (and short descriptions) of death, murder, and torture | a lot of hurt and no comfort | mentions of loss | mild to moderate language | a lot - and I mean A LOT - of talk about Din’s hands lmao

Notes: This is my first attempt at a Mandalorian fic and the first time in months I’ve written anything. It’s vaguely inspired by my favorite western movies, True Grit (1969/2010), The Quick and the Dead (1995), and The World to Come (2020). So yes, this is going to be very much like a western. I also want to - again - thank Dani @javierpcna who was like “are you writing Mandalorian stuff?” about a month ago and has, since then, read through this chapter more often than me and encouraged me to continue to write it and offered so much valuable insight whenever I came to her with an idea ... seriously, Dani, this fic wouldn’t exist without you and I hope I can find a way to repay you! Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this first chapter (I’m already working on the second one) ...

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The day the Mandalorian arrives on Alvorine is the day you lose your best friend. You’re still busy putting out the fire, running your soot-blackened hand across your face, where the dirt mingles with the tears you’re too tired to stop from streaming down your face, when you hear the thrusters of a spacecraft roaring above you. You barely glance up; you can’t be bothered to. It could be the remnants of the Empire looking for recruits, it could be the New Republic looking for the remnants of the Empire, or it could be the bandits coming back for more. But what do you care? They already took away the one person you care most about in the galaxy. You just grip the shovel tighter and drive it into the soil so you can choke the fire underneath moist stones and dirt.

While you exhaust your body with physical labor, you occupy your mind with thoughts of revenge. Revenge as dark and quenching as the soil beneath you. With every load of dirt you heave onto the searing flames, your plan gains another sharp edge until all you can think of is driving the cutting edge down onto the throat of the man who gripped Brea’s arm and pulled her onto the speeder bike. Maybe his head would come off right away, maybe your tool would just obstruct his windpipe as you watch the life drain slowly out of his eyes. And even that would be too good an end for that monster.

It’s not just in your mind – those thoughts aren’t simply there to ground you while you continue your work in the ruins of what was once your home. It’s not pure fantasy, something to give you back a feeling of control. You are determined to follow through on it; you are going to hunt down these men who burned down your farm and stole Brea from you. You will not rest until they are all dead by your hand. And if you should die in the process … then you won’t go out without a fight, without taking as many of those bastards with you as you can. They have sealed their own fate by coming here today.

You know Brea isn’t dead; they won’t kill her unless she tries to kill one of them first. And she wouldn’t do that, she is too gentle for that, too docile. She would rather turn the other cheek. They should have taken you instead; she doesn’t deserve the fate that awaits her. You would’ve at least put up a fight, make them pay for what they did. And Brea? She would just die.

For now, she’s alive. But whatever you set out to do once you’re done here won’t be a rescue mission. You aren’t under the illusion you can save her. You know that even if you were to leave right now, even if you had your own speeder bike, you would never find her in time. No, this possibility hasn’t even crossed your mind. All you want to do is cause these men more pain than they caused you. You know it is impossible because you cannot imagine anything worse, but you sure as hell will do your best.

You straighten your back, drive the shovel into the ground, and use it as support while you try to catch your breath. The air burns in your lungs, and not just from the cold. There is also the steadily rising black smoke that makes breathing hard; your throat stings, so do your sides, and there is a bitter taste in your mouth. But you’re almost finished here, you’re almost done putting out the fire, so it won’t endanger the surrounding forest. And with every flame you bury, you also bury a piece of your soul until you feel like there is nothing left that makes you human, until all the pain and despair you’re feeling since listening to Brea’s screams grow quieter and quieter until they were swallowed up by silence has turned into a cold, brazen cry for revenge. But you’re glad this has made you less forgiving, less kind, less … human. Those things would only get in the way of the task ahead of you.

As the last flames go out with a wet hiss, one of Alvorine’s three blue white suns vanishes behind the treetops. You know the other two will be quick to follow. And you don’t have anywhere to spend the night. You wouldn’t mind sleeping with your back propped against a tree. You’ve done it often enough. But it’s winter, and the air is already cold and will be even colder once the other two suns set too. And you just lost every blanket, every single piece of fabric that could keep you warm in a small inferno. You know this is just an excuse, a comforting lie you tell yourself. The truth is you cannot spend a minute longer on this clearing, even if that means you have to walk the four miles to the next settlement. You’re so exhausted you cannot feel your legs, but you don’t care. Anything is better than spending the night here, even collapsing in the middle of the dark forest.

You leave the shovel where you stand and walk to the edge of the clearing, swallowing around the lump in your throat, trying to hold down more tears that are threatening to spill over and down your cheeks. Once you reach the edge of the forest, where the air is a bit clearer, you take a deep breath and turn around to look at the ruins of your home, now nothing more than a black pile of rubble. You have nothing, nothing but the clothes you’re wearing, not even a small trinket to remind you of Brea and the many happy hours you spent here tending to your fields, sweeping the front porch or sitting around the fireplace sharing supper. Even remembering how you worked on menial chores now feels like the most precious memory, one you will hold onto until your last breath. Because even though they have taken everything from you, they can’t take away the memory of Brea’s laugh.

***

They stare at you as you enter the inn. They stare and then look away. They can’t bear your presence because it reminds them of their own guilt. Not one of them came to your aid this morning, not one of them came afterwards to offer help. And you ignore them too because there is nothing left to say. All you want is some food and a dry place to sleep before you turn your back on them forever.

You sit down at a small table in a dark corner. The patrons around you either turn their backs to you or stand up to move their meals and conversations someplace else. It’s as if you’ve been marked. If you had any strength left in you, you would call them out on their behavior. Shit, you would wreak havoc, and only stop when the last one of them is on their knees begging for forgiveness. But you’re glad you’re too exhausted because your sudden hatred for everyone and everything scares you. The villagers don’t deserve to fall victim to your rage. There is nothing they could’ve done. They are just as defenseless and helpless as you. Would you have come to their aid if your positions were reversed? You would like to think so, but just because it gives you a false sense of moral superiority. Deep down you know the truth. Deep down you know you would hide too, praying that you would be spared.

As you dig into your bowl of soup, you realize how hungry you are. Even though everything tastes like ash in your mouth, your stomach is glad to have something to clench around when your thoughts stray to this morning’s events again. And you know there’s no need to punish yourself by refusing your body the nourishment it needs. The opposite, in fact – you know you’ll need all the strength you can get if you’re really going after them.

As you swallow one ashy bite after the other, you let your eyes wander around the room, looking for something that will distract you from your thoughts and your feelings of guilt. Everyone avoids your gaze; everyone acts as if your corner is empty. Everyone … except one stranger.

He sits in a booth close to the bar, his arms crossed over his chest, his gaze on you. Or at least you think he’s looking at you – he’s wearing a helmet that covers his entire head, the kind you’ve seen twice before in this corner of the galaxy. He’s a Mandalorian, a bounty hunter, and his presence here doesn’t really surprise you. Even though actually seeing one is a rare occurrence, stories about them are countless.

Alvorine is a planet without laws, a planet that lives by its own rules, so many criminals decide to hide out here while they wait for their crimes to be forgotten. There is no military presence on the planet, no judicial system, no one to catch and punish the wrongdoers. The planet follows the rules of whoever is in charge, which changes frequently, but none of the powerful people have enough resources to enforce those rules anyway. Disputes are often just settled by the parties involved in whatever way they see fit. Only the Mandalorians, who are hired by people on other worlds, by people who have never experienced what it is like to live on Alovrine, are brave enough to get involved in those disputes. You have to admit you do feel a tiny bit curious as to why that particular Mandalorian is here ... who hired him? And who is he hunting?

You tentatively let your gaze wander over his stoic body, over the beskar covering his arms and chest, over the bandolier wrapped around his upper body, over the visor hiding his eyes. If you had one like him on your side, you wouldn’t need to worry about getting your revenge. He would catch those men in the blink of an eye. And if you paid him enough, he would do to them whatever you wanted.

He would cut off their limbs but keep them alive long enough to feel it.

He would make them run for it, give them the illusion of hope, only to crush it like their bones.

He would let you watch, let you choose whatever punishment you saw fit.

You shift in your seat because you can almost smell the blood, you can hear a faint echo of their screams, and it makes you feel light-headed and nauseous, but also elevates you, lifts a weight off your shoulders, even if just for a brief moment.

But he’s not here to do your bidding. And when you lift your head again, he’s gone.

You finish your bowl of soup and then decide to rent a room upstairs for the night. You don’t have a place to stay anymore and it’s too dangerous to start your pursuit while it’s dark. The forest belongs to dangerous creatures during the night, more dangerous than any man out there. And you’re planning on staying alive for just a little while longer.

You stretch and yawn and move to get up when your path is suddenly blocked. It happens so fast you don’t register anything at first apart from the cold, hard beskar chest plate that is level with your face. Its unexpected appearance makes you lose your balance and you fall back down onto the bench you’ve been sitting on. The Mandalorian extends his hand, his fingers closing around thin air. It’s a half-hearted attempt to stop your fall, and it comes too late – your backside has already painfully collided with the hard wood.

“May I join you?” His voice sounds distorted through the modulator in his helmet. He sounds like a machine, not like a being with a heartbeat.

You want to tell him no, want to tell him to fuck off, but for tonight you have no fight left in you. So you nod.

He sits down and you expect to hear the clink of his armor, expect to feel a tremor when his heavy body comes to rest on a stool opposite you. But there is no sound, no movement, and the lack makes you sit up straighter. This isn’t just another cowardly villager you can get rid of by glaring at him … this is an apex predator.

You swallow with some difficulty. “Can I help you?” you ask, your voice level, your eyes resting on his glove-clad hands lying on the table. You figure you’re safe as long as you can see them.

At first, he doesn’t say anything. He just looks at you. Or at least you think he’s looking at you. You cannot see his eyes behind the tinted visor. No matter how uncomfortable the situation makes you feel, you try not to move … you try not to show any sign of weakness, to give him any excuse to lunge across the table and strangle you.

Finally, he answers. “I’m looking for work.”

Now you cannot help but move. You exhale sharply, and with that release of breath comes a release of tension as you slump backwards, your back hitting the wall behind you. You cross your arms over your chest. “I can’t help you,” you say. You don’t have any work to offer him, no work worthy of the skills of a Mandalorian who usually hunts down important people, kings, merchants, people who influence the course of the galaxy’s history. Following a few lowly bandits is not the work he’s used to. You don’t even want to tell him about it because you know he’d take it as an insult. And even if - by some miracle - your quest for revenge would be deemed a worthy cause in the eyes of the Mandalorian, you couldn’t afford his services.

The slightest movement of his helmet is the only reaction your answer gets out of him. Whether he shifts because he’s surprised or because he’s angry, or whether his scalp itches under the metal you cannot tell.

Still, you feel the need to explain yourself. “I’m sorry, I don’t have any money.”

Shit, that’s the wrong thing to say. It implies you have work for him, but that you’re too poor to pay him. For all you know, this could be a grave insult in Mandalorian society.

His fingers on the table clench around thin air again. “What can you offer?” he asks.

He doesn’t want to know about the job, the quarry as you know they call it. No, he just wants to know how much he can earn.

“240 credits,” you answer. It’s all you have. You won’t need it anymore.

He tilts his head and you expect him to refuse, but then he says, “That’s enough.”

You’re taken aback, surprised. He’s caught you off-guard. You were fully prepared to see him walk away at hearing the ridiculously low amount of money you just offered. “You don’t even know what the job is,” you protest. The last thing you need is a Mandalorian hunting you down because you’re not paying him enough.

“They told me,” he says with a nod behind him.

You follow the movement with your eyes and see heads whip to the side, gazes wandering downwards, you notice conversations being picked up again. White hot fury fills you, more powerful than the flames that destroyed your house.

“They had no right,” you press out through clenched teeth.

The Mandalorian doesn’t say anything. He sits still like a statue, unwavering, as you fight a small battle with yourself. You should leave without looking back. Messing with a Mandalorian is even more dangerous than the task ahead of you. But he’s offering you something invaluable, something no amount of credits can get you: a chance. If you go alone, you’ll be dead in about a week. There’s no use pretending you’ll get out of it alive. But if you accept the Mandalorian’s help – his services, you have to remind yourself – you might make it through two. You might get to see your dreams of revenge become reality.

You sigh deeply as a heavy weariness settles over you. You’re exhausted, and now that all the adrenaline has left your body, you can feel all the small cuts and bruises today’s labors have left behind. And you feel empty … cold and empty, and utterly alone.

The Mandalorian still doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t defend the villagers, he doesn’t tell you what he knows about you or the job, he doesn’t try to persuade you to take him up on his offer, nor does he walk away from it. He just sits there and waits for you to make up your mind, as if it’s all the same to him. And it probably is. Either he goes with you and earns some money, or he doesn’t and looks for work elsewhere. He is completely detached from the whole affair. There is no emotional investment, just a job that needs to be done.

He doesn’t care if you live or die, he just cares if you pay him or not.

This realization is what finally helps you make up your mind. “I want to hire you,” you say, your tongue heavy in your mouth. All you really want is to sleep.

There is no reaction for the longest time but then the Mandalorian nods. You’re not sure if you’re supposed to say something, give him details or explain the specifics of the job to him. But before you can decide what to say next, he stands abruptly.

“I’ll be back in a few days,” he says before turning around.

Your brain needs a moment to catch up but when it does, you’re already on your feet. “Wait,” you say, and to your surprise the broad, steel-clad man listens to you.

He doesn’t face you, but he stops.

You briefly consider asking him if you can accompany him, but you don’t. You don’t have to ask, you get to decide.

“I’m coming with you,” you tell him.

You tell a stranger, a dangerous one at that, one who makes his money by making other people’s lives a living hell, that you will travel with him through dark, deserted forests where no one will stop him from taking what he wants from you instead of earning it, where no one will come to your aid should he not honor the deal you apparently just made with him. And you don’t care. Because no matter what he will do to you, it can’t be worse than what has already been done.

But all your worries and fears focus in on just one tiny aspect of this whole, fucked-up situation when he says, “I work alone.”

You don’t want to negotiate. This shouldn’t even be up for debate. You’re his employer now, you get to decide how things are done. But if you insist on this, he could just walk away from you. And you cannot let that happen now that you’ve had an idea of what it would be like to have a Mandalorian on your side.

“We’re not a team,” you say. “Think of me as an interested party. As someone who is fascinated by your work.”

You’re not sure if that is the right thing to say. His shoulders move, but he still doesn’t turn around. When he speaks again, you know it was the wrong thing to say.

“I work alone or not at all.”

You don’t want to accept that. You want to be there when those men are punished for what they did. You don’t want to wait around for the Mandalorian to come back, not when you don’t have anywhere to wait around in. You’ve lost everything. Had he talked to the villagers as he claims, he would know this. Or maybe he does. Maybe he knows you lost your home today but doesn’t care. He doesn’t even know the definition of the word home. It means nothing to him.

You take a deep breath. “Then I won’t be needing your services.”

This finally makes him turn around. Everything in you screams for you to take a few steps back, to put yourself out of his reach. You can feel the atmosphere between you shift – he draws back his shoulders, makes himself even taller than he already is. And you know, you just know, that refusing his offer, that backtracking on your agreement is the worst mistake you made tonight.

You’re pretty sure that not honoring a deal is the worst insult to a Mandalorian.

“Going alone will be your death,” he says when you cannot bear the tension a second longer.

“What’s it to you?”

The words are out. They are a challenge, one you didn’t mean to make, one you shouldn’t have made, but it’s done now. Your hand begins to tremble, and your feet grow cold with fear as you prepare yourself for his reaction. You don’t know if he will hit you, tie you up, torture you, or just kill you on the spot. He could do all of these things without having to fear any repercussions. You curse yourself for not having been more careful, for making this fatal mistake, because now Brea will go unavenged. Just because you couldn’t keep your damn mouth shut, just because you’re stubborn and hot-headed and oh so stupid.

But to your surprise, the Mandalorian shrugs. He lifts his broad shoulders, then lowers them again as your eyes follow the movement. But he’s not giving you anything more: He doesn’t insist on going alone, he doesn’t turn around and leave, he just keeps standing opposite you, motionless, emotionless, until you’re convinced you imagined the shrug.

So you decide to make the next move by removing yourself from this situation before he changes his mind and drags you back to his ship to do whatever he wants to you. You take a deep breath and start to step around him, a movement that is almost impossible to complete in this small space you’re both in. But you attempt it, nevertheless. When you’re level with him, doing your best not to brush up against him so you won’t enrage him, you hear his voice. It’s just one sentence, four words, but for some reason it sounds so much more human than it did when he was opposite you. Maybe it has something to do with the distance between his helmet and your ear, maybe it’s the angle from which the sounds hit your eardrums or maybe it’s because you feel light-headed, dizzy with the realization he hasn’t killed you yet and probably won’t.

He says, “Have it your way.”

You stop right next to him, staring ahead at a group of three men who do their best not to look at you. But you don’t see them anyway. In fact, you don’t see anything at all because the rushing sound in your ears drowns out everything else, even other senses.

“You can come with me,” he says, and it’s the first time he has spoken two sentences in a row. “But you do as I say.” Three. “If I tell you to run, you run.” Four. “If I tell you to get out of the way, you do so.” Five. “And if I tell you to kill, you kill.” Six.

Then nothing, just the faint sound of his deep breaths through the modulator.

Your thoughts are racing, tripping over their own feet like children running down a hill, and they’re unbearably loud. Everything is loud suddenly, from the sound of the barkeep filling a glass to the way that woman over there is chewing her food. The only thing that’s quiet is the last one you would have suspected to be so: the Mandalorian. Now he is waiting for you to say something and as he does, he balls his hand into a fist and then releases the tension again, over and over like a nervous tic, like he needs an outlet for the tension in his body, the tension you have no idea he is feeling until you see his arm flex beneath the fabric covering it.

But, once more, you’re at war with yourself. You don’t know what to tell him. There is still that shimmer of hope on the horizon, the light that makes you believe you stand a chance if you bring him along. But his terms … you’re not sure if you can accept them. He doesn’t know Alvorine or the men you would be hunting half as well as you do. And you’ve never been one for following orders. So if you feel that his assessment of a situation is wrong, you’re not sure you’ll be able to run just because he tells you to.

You have a feeling that defying his orders would be the most dangerous thing you could ever do, even more dangerous than hunting down a group of ruthless bandits who like to torture and kill for fun.

“All right,” you say finally.

His fist unclenches one last time and he exhales slowly.

“But when we find them,” you swallow hard, once, but your mouth is completely dry, “I get to decide what happens to them.”

The Mandalorian turns toward you so abruptly that you almost lose your balance. You lean back and hit your elbow on the wall behind you. The pain makes you curse under your breath.

“Agreed,” he whispers. He sounds like a machine again, as if everything that makes him human is shut away beneath that cold, hard, invaluable beskar steel. You too feel cold suddenly, cold and afraid. “But until then you do as I say. Understood?”

You nod, not trusting your voice. He is too close to you, and drowns out everything else, even the sounds that you considered to be too loud mere seconds ago. If he wouldn’t be wearing a helmet, you would be able to feel his breath on your cheek. He takes up your field of vision almost entirely. You’ve never felt more on display, and yet more hidden. And you know that if you say the wrong thing now, it will have terrible consequences.

So you just nod again.

“We leave in the morning,” he tells you, then turns around suddenly and leaves, his cape trailing behind him.

All sounds come rushing back at once, as if you’ve just emerged out of a pool of water. You release your breath quickly, only now realizing you’ve been holding it. Then you slump back against the wall, a shaking, quivering mess.

***

tag list: @bella-ciao, @filthybookworm, @frannyzooey, @khalysa, @leannawithacapitala, @mothandpidgeon, @mrsparknuts, @mxsamwilson, @piscespussybabe, @something-tofightfor

#the mandalorian #din djarin x reader #din djarin x you #the mandalorian x reader #the mandalorian x you #mando x reader #star wars #din djarin #pedro pascal #fanfic #the hunt fic #yes i've queued this #yes i'm asleep right now #and yes i'm too much of a coward

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tartareus · 4 years

Note

Do you condone/ship incest? I was reading your rules and got confused about your sentence where you said if people are uncomfortable with fictional consensual incest this isn’t the blog for you. Except Incest is incest regardless of if it’s fiction

hi there, friend, how do you do?

while i'm not particularly fond of anons (nex time you'd like to discuss something regarding my rules and/or character portrayal, i strongly encourage you to do so via ims - i don't bite, and if our points of view don't quite match? that's alright, i promise i'll leave you in peace :) ) for various reasons, i'm so glad you've read my rules (that probably makes you one of the few who follow me - at least i presume you do, idk - who has done so, so thank you so much!), i cannot stress enough how important they are to me. if i happen to follow you, rest assured that i have read yours (unless, ofc, i couldn't find one in your blog - in any case, if i happen to accidentally break one of yours, just hmu or gimme a nudge).

considering that you've asked more than one question, i'll answer to you in separate sections - needless to say that while i break it down your questions, the answer might become a little longer than usual (again, i'm sorry). i'll keep this tagged, in case any of my followers don't feel like reading about this. without further ado, let’s dive in.´

“do you condone/ship incest?”

short answer? nope. but that is not a black or white question i’m afraid. no, i – nox, the human behind this blog of fictional characters – personally do not condone incest , never have and never will, and don’t ship it. i do, however, ship consanguinamory on rare occasions, and when i do happen to write it i never do it in a good light.

for those who are not familiar with the term, here’s a little bit of info about it x && x. in short, the key difference between them is: incest is usually linked abuse (a fictional example that can be used, taking in consideration one of my very own muses, in this case is margot verger – who was sadly abused by her brother in the hannibal books) while consanguinamory (the lannisters, for example, or even the sharpe siblings from crimson peak are examples of consanguineous relationships) is the consensual romantic and/or sexual relationship between members of the same family who are of consenting age.

[ personally, i find both of them gross as fuuck irl but when it comes to fictional works i may get over this first disgust and ponder more on that && take in consideration the characters arch, plot, thoughts and the whole world they are set in. ]

i suppose the turning point here is the consent. i never, never, condone any sort of abuse – not in fiction and neither in real life – and while it’s a subject that bothers me to no end in real life, when it comes to fiction i am less inclined to project into them. i may write dark and toxic relationships, but i obviously do not condone them. that’s the point here – people on this hellsite usually mix the two together (condoning something and shipping/writing it, that is) when in fact they shouldn’t even be in the same box to begin with.

let’s say you write a fictional serial killer – norman bates, tate langdon, hannibal lecter, catherine tramell (that chick from basic instinct), patrick bateman, mrs lovett and sweeney todd, kai anderson, bellatrix, grindelwald and voldemort (the list of plausible examples could go on forever…) – here and ship with them; does it mean that you, the writer, condone every single action and choice your muse does? if writing something purely fictional equals to condoning it in real life, well… the world is even more fucked up than i first thought.

you see, in this little exercise in imagination, you could’ve easily picked a good guy or gal to write, the hero; the goody two shoes. why didn’t you? well, it’s complicated to pin point why some are drawn to darker works of fiction and characters while others are not, i suppose each individual has their own reasons && i can only speak for myself when i say that i am drawn to these sort of fictional works because they the safest way to explore dark topics that pertain to human society. on my side, it’s nothing but raw curiosity.

there’s also the issue of how different cultures see these relationships. in case you haven’t noticed, i am not from the states but actually from brazil. especially in the rural area, it’s not uncommon for second cousins to date or even marry (ew, i know, pretty gross). that’s something that is luckily falling out of practice, but you can easily find it, more so in the poor rural areas that are really far from the cities.

you may have noticed that most of the sources for the terms come from a blog that advocates real life consanguinamory – but make no mistake, i don’t support it. these were the only places i’ve found as sources in a quick look online. i don’t support it irl, but whatever consenting adults are doing amongst themselves is no concern of mine – i have no say on the matter and all in all, i don’t give a damn. i just don’t like it. everything i’ve discussed here is related to fiction, consent and is only ever related to people of consenting age.

“i was reading your rules and got confused about your sentence where you said if people are uncomfortable with fictional consensual incest this isn’t the blog for you. except incest is incest regardless of if it’s fiction”

to be honest with you, anon, i couldn’t possibly see how you’ve got confused with this. i thought i was pretty clear with that, but perhaps not. sorry, my english is not perfect. however, with the risk of sounding like a meme, i said what i said. if you personally feel uncomfortable or even triggered with fictional consensual incest otherwise known as consanguinamory, maybe my blog isn’t for you. not because i – as the mun – condone it, but because i might mention it or even allude to it when i write certain characters. again, consent is the main thing here – you won’t ever see me writing that awful part of margot’s past, but i might mention it on some threads as it is part of her trauma but i will write jaime’s feelings regarding cersei and joanna’s love for tywin – and that should not be overlooked.

“except incest is incest regardless of if it’s fiction”

so far so good, am i to assume that you also believe that “murder is murder, regardless of if it is fiction or not”? should we call the police on, idk, george rr martin for killing....hell knows how many characters...at this point i’m sure not even he knows. leaving my petty comment aside (it’s the arthritis, i’m always annoyed when in pain), i see where you’re coming from; fair enough. but you missed a big point here – consensual. i do not write abuse, even to the muses who – in the canon source material – have done so ( like jaime lannister himself – who’s in a consanguinamorous [therefore, falling under the category of fictional consensual incest] relationship with cersei – who abused his sister next to their son’s dead body [ yeah, jaime apologists, i’m out to get y’all...jokes aside, i do not acknowledge people claiming that cersei manipulated him into going to bed with her, while they are both shitty and toxic as fuck people, their relationship is mutually messed up – gag if you must but jaime lannister is far from innocent angel ] ) in the past. i. don’t. write. it. but i do write jaime’s feelings for cersei because they are canon and are also a big part of the character he became.

all of that, of course, has to do with my own position on the “war” between the people who believe fiction has a great power and influence over reality vs the ones who do not believe in that. personally, i find it hard to believe that fiction is a brainwashing tool rewiring people’s brains - i find the idea itself ludicrous, the ones who strongly stand for that aren’t that different from flat-earthers and people who believe in reverse racism tbh – but i do acknowledge the influence media has on society. its not nearly enough to turn someone to the “dark side” alone by itself – those who claim that videogames, for example, made them violent most likely already had something different and perhaps wrong with them before the games triggered something. i don’t believe that media creates things on people, but brings buried things (fears, feelings, emotions, hopes) back to the surface. it’s all about the stimulus.

if you wanna be scared, watch an horror movie; if you wanna be happy, a comedy video. wanna feel warm inside and live unrealistic romantic expectations vicariously through fictional characters? read a 50.000 words slow burn fluffy happy fanfic of your otp at 3 am even though you gotta wake up early in the following morning....

point is, they are not creating things, they are bringing forth responses from you that were already there in your brain (everybody has laughed before and felt fear, it’s part of human development). and how you react to certain content is entirely to you and your past. say, if you drowned as a kid on the sea - and had trauma from that - the idea of watching titanic is not so fun, is it?

it’s not my place to decide what you should do, that is entirely your own choice to make, just be aware that, as i’ve stated before countless times, i may write dark topics that may or may not be triggering to some. i do so because it is my blog, and i don’t react so harshly to this content (in fact, i love horror, thriller and dark fictional stuff – meanwhile i dread the thought of rom coms, hell knows why??) for i am lucky to be able to separate fiction from reality. basically, whilst writing a villain, i myself do not become one in real life – that part remains in fiction only and doesn’t affect me.

that is not a constant, sure. i don’t just write dark shady stuff – there’s plenty of fluffy shit on my blog, but i like to warn people beforehand to make sure we are all on the same page. it’s for your own comfort, i suppose, because i may not understand certain points of view on fiction but i will always defend your right to be comfortable and safe.

so yes, if you aren’t feeling well at that notion, please unfollow and block me if you must – i never wish to cause any discomfort to anyone – however, before you do so (that is, if you do so) i beg you to just send me an im warning me beforehand, please? that way i can block you – and your other blogs as well – so the chances of me running into you again and causing you discomfort will be minimal. that way we’ll both be on own respective lanes and happy about it. i mass follow very often and don’t usually know which blogs belong to whom (uh, did that make sense? my latina ass is not used to using whom in a sentence....), i may follow another blog (or the revamped blog) of someone who has blocked me and never even realise it – that’s not me following you around and stalking like a total creep, that’s probably me not even remembering who you are. again, sorry – i don’t mean for this to come off rude or anything but???? its the truth? you know the drill, big following list, big followers list (well, big for me tbh, i cannot remember the name or alias of 600 people for the life of me, excuse me if my memory doesn’t serve me right), hard to keep track. there will be no witch hunts, at least on my part, because i deem them to be childish and way too dramatic for my taste. if you’d like to speak in private, adult to adult, i’m always game – i dread vague posting, i personally see it as a pathetic and weak trait.

as long as you’re civil, so am i.

either way, do whatever makes you feel comfortable and safe on your blog – your mental health is far more important (to me, and hopefully to you as well) than a hobby, than tumblr, rp or whatever fictional stuff someone’s writing or reading; you are responsible for your own online experience, and i am responsible for mine. that’s an empowering thing that should be reminded more often.

i truly hope i’ve managed to answer whatever doubts or questions you had in mind, if not my ims are always open and so is my discord. once again, thank you for reading my rules and stay safe!

edit; my dumb ass forgot to drop my disco handle, since i change often. it currently is DOCTOR BITCHCRAFT !!! | 𝒏𝒐𝒙#1398

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adangerousbond · 5 years

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Quiet times

Just a quick, small tag to episode 1x10 of Blood and Treasure

I’ve loved this show since it first aired (and so glad it’s already been picked up for S2), just never gotten around to writing anything for it. Wrote this out in an afternoon, so sorry in advance for any mistakes!

Hoping to have some more fics, however have about a third left to type out for a post S4 Blindspot fic that I need to finish.

Enjoy!!

Read below or at AO3 or at ff.net (Will link to it once they add the show for me to upload to!)

The sun was rising by the time they arrived at the airport in Russia, having gotten the okay for Danny to travel, as long as he agreed to get another set of bloods done in 24 hours, and having passed the scene off to the team on site, they had left the moment they could. The black SUV they were in pulled to a stop a safe distance away from Reese's plane, or second home as it was starting to feel.

Stepping out onto the hanger floor, Lexi slid on her sunglasses and followed quietly behind Danny, so quietly that had it not been for the sound of her boots on the concrete, he probably would have turned back to ensure she was following. Gwen, who had tagged along for the trip home, took longer to make her way to the plane, having to collect the stack of files she had gotten from her team in Russia and had figured the flight home would be a good time to start going over them all.

By the time she entered the small plane, Danny and Lexi were already sitting in their usual seats across from each other, the former pulling out his laptop to get to work also, whereas the later was staring out the window absentmindedly. Gwen had expected a bit of resistance from the thief when she had asked for the lift back to Rome, but she was quickly realising that there was more than just Farouk's death on the two's mind.

The plane ride had mostly been silent, had it been pretty much any other time, Danny would have been worried about his partner's lack of speaking, she was after all a naturally fidgety and questionative person, it was rare for her to go so long without moving or speaking, but he knew after everything she had gone through and found out the past few days, she was in desperate need of a moment to process it all.

"Do you need a lift home or to the Carabinieri?" Danny asked, as the plane landed and made its way to its hanger.

"Home thanks, I think we all could do with some rest before we look deeper into any of this." Gwen stated, collecting her things back into a neat pile.

"That's the plan, unless you're sending more agents to a Priest's apartment?" Danny responded lightly, gaining only an annoyed look and audible sigh in response.

"After we get you to the hospital for at the very least another blood test." Lexi spoke for the first time for the entire flight, drawing the attention of the other two passengers instantly, her tone even and determined.

"I'm fine, the doctor just said that as a precaution, plus he said 24 hours later." He tried to reason but the fire in the gaze he was met with told him she was not going to take no for an answer, and it would be easier to just agree, a part of him knowing if the situation was reversed, he would be pushing the same angle.

"I guess we will drop you off on the way to the hospital." Danny sighed, catching the small smirk on the brunette standing up across from him, glad to be getting her way but also happy that he would be getting checked out again.

"Thank-you." The Interpol agent said as she led the way off the plane, still slightly surprised at how easily he had given in to the other woman's demands, but pleased non the less that he had, she had wanted to agree that it was a good idea, but felt it better to stay out of it.

The hospital had already received all the information from the team in Russia regarding what had happened, which had made it much quicker than they had expected. Danny couldn't help but smile at Lexi's smug look when the doctors stated they were glad he had come in earlier so they could do a full work up and make sure to get a head of anything that might come up.

They were both exhausted by the time they managed to get back to Chuck's apartment, Lexi settling on the couch as Danny grabbed them some beers out of the fridge. He placed hers on the coffee table when she made no move to take it off him and sat on the couch, flicking through the tv channels before coming across a soccer match to watch and when she made no sort of complaint to his choosing, he placed the remote back on the side table and crossed his legs, resting his feet up on the table in front of them.

Collecting the throw rug that was on the back of the couch, Lexi wrapped it around herself, before nestling down into Danny's side, his arm wrapping around her to bring her closer. For the first time in the last few days she actually felt safe and almost content, with the soft drone from the tv and the warmth he was sharing with her, she quickly drifted into a light sleep.

The sound of keys at the door drew Danny's attention away from the TV, even though he knew that the most likely answer was that it was in fact his friend, a small part of him readied in the chance it wasn't. Picking up the sound of his friend's voice greeting on of the neighbours quickly putting him back as ease.

"Well, isn't this quite the domestic scene." Father Chuck stated as he entered his apartment and took in his two friends.

"How was your day?" Danny asked, keeping his voice low as he took a drink from his beer.

"That's all you have to say, after your pal at Interpol arrested me?" Chuck responded in a similar tone, having realised that he was trying not to wake Lexi, as he placed his stuff on the table.

"Sorry about that, all worked out though, you giving her permission to do some B & E really helped us out." A soft chuckled from Danny, answering the other question of if they were still on the agents list of suspects.

"I don't believe that's what I said." The priest sighed, getting his own beer from the fridge and sitting on the armchair across from his friends, "So what's new?"

"Farouk is dead." The blonde stated calmly, turning his attention back to the TV screen as he gave his friend a chance to take in the sentence.

"What?! You didn't think to maybe lead with that?" The fathers voice suddenly a lot louder than before as the information sunk in.

"Shh..." Danny scolded, glancing at Lexi to see if she had been disturbed by the noise, her lack of reaction making him think she mustn't have but he also knew she was only half asleep, making her more likely not to have reacted because she knew he was there already.

"Sorry, sorry, did she…?" Chuck apologised, his voice lowering once more as he asked the next question the new information brought.

"No, Hardwick." Danny offered quickly, his hand running up and down Lexi's arm soothingly, on the off chance she was in fact listening to the conversation.

"Still, it's a lot for her to take in." The confessional tone taking over, as he looked to the woman he had once deemed the devil with concern.

"It's not even the half of it." Danny deadpanned after a mouthful of beer, he was still trying to run over everything for himself, but he knew it was a whole lot more for her.

"Is she doing okay?" Chuck questioned, respecting her privacy to question his statement further, and knowing that even if he did, his friend didn't seem like he would share anything further, as if the information was more a part of her story than his.

"She's processing a lot." He felt as she turned her head slightly, telling him that she was in fact listening and had been close to cutting him off, she wasn't someone who was good with accepting concern.

"Probably a too wishful question, but does this mean it's over?" Chuck asked, changing the subject at his friend's lack of sharing, his tone depicting that he was already fairly certain of the answer but still needed to hear it out loud.

"I don't think his plan ends with him, he has too many followers for that, but we at least have Antony know, so they can't use him to fund anything." Danny just then realising he hadn't mentioned finding Antony until now, when the priest was lost for words for a moment as he mulled over the statement.

"If that's what they wanted him for." Lexi spoke, breaking the moment of silence and giving up just being a bystander to the conversation, as she turned just enough that she could see Chuck as well, but not enough to lose her spot tucked next to Danny.

"How are you going with it all?" The father asked, choosing to drop the subject so that he could instead check on her.

"Okay, I guess." Lexi chuckled, as if her response was a surprise to her as well, but she did actually feel like she was starting to get a handle on the information she had been presented with.

"Lex." Danny spoke as almost a warning, an undertone to his voice that the other man almost couldn't place, until he saw the glance between the two on his couch, he was worried she was shutting him out.

"No really, my mother was in a secret society protecting the tomb of a way back relative, which turns out is the reason she died, and the man I've wanted dead for years, now is, but I think I'm okay." She ran through it all, her tone carrying a hint of rawness to it that made her switch her attention to the TV for a moment as she ran her hand through her hair, all to collect herself once more.

"Wait, you're saying your mother was a member of Serapis, and that you're a descendant of Cleopatra?" Chuck's mind taking a few seconds to piece everything thing just said together, his friends exhausted state slowly getting clearer to him as he realised just how much they had been through in the past few days.

"Hmm, so if you have any other bits of crazy information you think we should know, can we maybe just hold off a couple days to hear it? At least until we know Danny isn't going to die from whatever it was that he stupidly touched." Lexi joked, her eyebrow high as she put forth her request, turning her head upward to catch the smirk from the blonde she was referring to.

"That's a lot to process, even for me and I'm only hearing about it." The priest's tone going back to concern and understanding that he had mastered over the years, one that she knew by now made it easy for him to get people to open up too, his eyes flying to the man's next to her once the end part of her statement registered in his mind, "Why might Danny die?"

"I'm fine, multiple doctors have given me the okay." The man in question stated after giving his friend the run down of what had happened to him.

"They still want to do more tests; they haven't given you the all clear yet." Lexi countered, not quite ready to believe that he wouldn't have any repercussions.

"They let me leave, they wouldn't have done that if they thought I wasn't okay." He tried to reason with her once again and once again he knew it was a pointless battle.

"Only because I promised to make you come back." Lexi near growled, a threat in her words as much as concern, and with all the loss she had been reminded of recently, no-one in the room questioned her motives.

"I think I need some dinner, what's everyone feel like?" Chuck brought the tone of the room down a few notches as he asked them both, keeping his glaze on Lexi, figuring she would have the most input in the topic.

"I don't mind, I don't think I'm hungry." Lexi shrugged the question off, gaining both men's attention instantly at her response.

"Well, now I am worried, you're always hungry." Chuck stated, placing his beer on the side table before standing and heading towards the kitchen.

"Come on Lex, we haven't eaten in ages." Danny reminded her, ducking his head to talk directly to her, his tone softer than it had been as his concern set in.

"There's a little pizzeria down the road, does the best comfort food in the city." The priest told them from his kitchen, having made the decision for them all.

"I don't really feel like going out." Lexi informed the group, reaching forward to the long-discarded beer that Danny had brought in for her, sitting back into the couch after she opened it.

"That's why they invented take away." Chuck responded without pause, handing over a takeaway menu with a small smile.

"How about I head down and get us some food?" Danny asked, skimming over the menu as he spoke, having gain some energy sitting there.

"I can go." Chuck cut in quickly, before giving Lexi a chance to make any comment on the plan.

"We've been cramped in planes and cars; a walk will do me some good." Danny explained, folding the menu back up, as he dropped his feet from the table and sat up straighter.

"Are you sure?" The father asked, concerned about his friend now that he knew about his brush with an unknown biological weapon.

"Yes, I'll be fine." The blonde told the two, leaning down and gently giving Lexi a quick kiss before the action even registered in his mind, ignoring his friends look from across the room, Danny stood and made his way to collect his coat and phone.

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

"I'm going to say something and I want you to listen, okay?" Chuck broke the silence that had taken over the apartment since Danny had left.

"I'm not sure I like where this is going." Lexi deadpanned, turning to his direction with a raised eyebrow and a hint of a threat.

"I know a lot of us have been quite harsh on you, myself included-" He started, without much pause to her words.

"-you mean calling me the devil." The thief interrupted, an amused smirk now covering her face as she kept the conversation light.

"Yes, that, but it was just because we care about Danny, which I guess is my point, after it all he had us to turn to, but you, you don't seem to really have anyone in your corner, well other than Danny." The priest continued on, using his low confession voice that she wasn't sure if she loved or hated.

"Gee, thanks." She snapped back, a slight irritation seeping into her tone as she took a drink from her beer.

"What I'm getting at, is it must have been hard for you to get through it all and none of us really thought about that side, about your side, so for that I am sorry." He spoke softly, the apology coming across as heartfelt and serious, two things she disliked in a conversation about herself.

"You care about Danny, I get it, it's fine." Lexi told him, brushing some stray strands of hair from her face, and putting a physical barrier between them in doing so.

"But, so do you, and that did surprise me." He caught the question in her raised eyebrow and pressed on, "I always thought you were just using him, that he was another person you were using to get something you wanted, but, you do actually genuinely care about him, probably even love him."

"Careful now, your saying I'm not the devil and that you believe I am capable of love, people might start to think you think I'm actually a half decent person." She chose to pick at the points of his sentence she could to try to bring the topic back to something she was more comfortable with.

"I do think that, and so does Danny, you're the one who has trouble accepting that, and I know it's just a part of your many defence mechanisms, just as being closed off is, but I will say this, I have a lot of married people come into my confession, and most of them are lucky to have a small amount of the love, respect and concern that you and Danny have for each." Chuck pushed his luck, watching the woman across from him closely as she hesitated a moment.

"Are you saying I'm not an open book?" Lexi joked, once again taking what she could from his words to keep some control in the room, to keep some small aspect light.

"You're definitely not, and neither is Danny, but somehow you two do actually seem to open up to each other, it's actually good for him too." He allowed her to choose the humour side of his words, knowing that it would be the only way she would continue letting him go down the line of conversation he had started.

"So, I've gone from being the devil to being good for him?" She questioned with a tilt of the head, evidently getting close to putting an end to the topic, one she wasn't entirely sure why she had let go on for so long already.

"At least as long as you stick around, which as much as I believe you need him too, I'm still not sure if you love yourself enough to stay with him and let yourself be happy." He stated, the blank stare he was getting telling him that he had pushed too far, that the conversation would be over even without the sounds of the front door being opened.

"What were you two talking about?" Danny walked into the apartment, sensing the tension between the two as he did.

"Father Chuck was just giving permission for us to get married; I think." Lexi explained in a tone much lighter than her previous glare had been, any hint of anger or annoyance that she had had in the conversation prior, appearing gone.

"What?" Danny asked, brows furrowed at her response, placing the food on the dinning table as the other two made their way over to join him.

"I just said," the father paused, flicking his eyes back and forth between the two, "You know what, never mind, let's just eat."

"Tell me later?" Danny spoke softly, and for a moment Chuck thought the question was directed at him, until he saw his friend was bent towards the woman next to him, who gave him a small smile and a quiet yes in response, and something told the priest she would actually tell him everything later.

#blood & treasure #blood and treasure #lexi vaziri #danny mcnamara #lexi x danny #blood & treasure cbs #myfics #what better way to spend a rainy tuesday

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autocleanfreak · 4 years

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The Best Trickle Chargers For Cars And Motorcycles – 2020 Buyer’s Guide With Reviews

Whether you are a car enthusiast or not you know that the list of tools your cars need is often endless, especially if you take care of it yourself. One surprisingly affordable yet crucial gadget that every garage needs is a trickle charger. These devices prevent your battery from fully depleting and effectively shortening its lifespan. That is done through a continuous flow of low-amperage charge flow to the battery that matches its self-discharge rate. Browsing through the best trickle chargers can be tricky, however, as most modern models are very similar in terms of their features and performance.

In this guide, we will set the standard for what a good trickle charger should be able to do and give you a few extra tips on how to use one. Below are some of the top models for 2020 with their strongest (and weakest) features…

Trickle Chargers Comparison Chart

ProductTypeAmpsVoltsIP RatingRating BLACK+DECKER BM3B Shop On Amazon!Semi-Automatic1.56/12No NOCO Genius G750 Shop On Amazon!Automatic0.756/12IP64 Schumacher SC1300 Shop On Amazon!Automatic1.56/12No CTEK (40-206) MXS Shop On Amazon!Automatic4.312Shock and Dustproof BikeMaster Battery Charger Shop On Amazon!Automatic212No BLACK+DECKER BC2WBD Shop On Amazon!Automatic212IP67

BLACK+DECKER BM3B Fully Automatic Battery Charger/Maintainer

Our Rating: (5/5)

The Black+Decker BM3B is one of the best trickle chargers out there for one good reason – it is a great all-rounder. Even with its budget price tag, it easily outperforms other more expensive models. The charger comes in a compact shockproof shell that is very practical and convenient.

It works semi-automatically, meaning you have to select whether the output is 6 or 12 Volts, according to your battery type. Then, it will charge it with its 1.5Amp outgoing current. It works with AGM, Wet, and Gel batteries. I a sense, this is more of a battery maintainer since it will cut off once the battery reaches 100%. When the battery drops below a certain percentage, it will kick back in and re-charge it back to the top again. That “float mode” is what makes it a desirable budget charger suitable for any garage and most battery sizes.

It comes with a mounting bracket on the back, as well as an extension cord and two clamps for the terminals. One downside is that it isn’t waterproof, especially since the other models from Black+Decker’s line of chargers are. Unlike some other models it also isn’t quite suitable for charging a battery, so if your battery is too low, it will take quite some time before it tops it off.

Pros

Great price to value ratio

Works perfectly for all battery types and sizes

Comes with a wall-mounting bracket and well-built clamps

Can be switched between 6 and 12 volts

Shockproof

Practical and convenient design

Cons

Not suitable for charging dead batteries

Not officially waterproof

Shop Now On Amazon!

NOCO Genius G750 Battery Charger and Maintainer

Our Rating: (4.5/5)

NOCO has been the go-to brand for portable jumpstarters, car batteries, and trickle chargers for the past decade. Nowadays, they are still one of the premium brands in this category. The NOCO Genius G750 is a compact battery maintainer that uses a super weak current to keep your battery fully charger throughout its offseason. Whether you have an RV, truck, motorcycle, lawnmower, car, or anything else that you aren’t using for the full 12 months of the year, this is the best way to keep it in shape.

The G750 has an output of both 12 and 6 Volts making it quite universal when it comes to battery types. It works on a “thin” current of 0.75 Amps. While that is ideal to keep smaller batteries at 100%, it won’t be good enough to charge bigger ones if they are depleted. If you own a big truck that has an equally big battery to power it, you will need a stronger current to keep it fully charged. Still, the weaker the current the better for the battery’s long-term health, and that is why some brands double-down on 0.75 Amp trickle chargers. It can fully charge batteries only up to 30 Ah in less than a day. Anything above 30Ah, the G750 will only maintain.

Despite its slightly steep price tag, the NOCO Genius G750 comes with a plethora of accessories and is backed by a full 5-year warranty. In the package, you are getting a 12V Male plug, SAE Adapter, XL Eyelets, a 10ft Extension, and two clamps. This trickle charger is also one of the few in the class backed by an official IP rating, making it dustproof and splashproof.

Pros

Durable construction

Has an official IP Rating

Charges both 6 and 12 Volt batteries

Has Float mode

Excellent for motorcycle and other small batteries

0.75 Amp low-current flow

Comes with a lot of accessories

5-year warranty

Cons

Cannot charge batteries larger than 30Ah effectively

A bit expensive compared to its competitors

Shop Now On Amazon!

Schumacher SC1300 Automatic Battery Maintainer

Our Rating: (4.5/5)

The Schumacher SC1300 Automatic battery maintainer has been a user-favorite for quite some time now. Even today, it still is competitive and arguably better than most other maintainers out there. It is relatively cheap, well-built, and very flexible when it comes to powering different types of batteries.

The output here is at 1.5 Amps which is almost at charging territory. This means that while it can trickle charge batteries of all types and sizes, it can also charge up smaller batteries (up to 30Ah) relatively fast. It works for both 6 and 12V batteries. The impressive part of this battery maintainer is that it has a smart processor on the inside. That processor is responsible for its automatic charging functions. There is a multi-stage charging here which adds precision to your charging levels and can control the flow that goes to the battery based on the battery status. The fully-automated system also detects the voltage of your battery and switches it accordingly.

In terms of safety, there is a reverse hook-up protection which prevents any damage in case you hook up the clamps in reverse order. The downside here is that you don’t get clamps and the charger isn’t easily mountable to your wall unless you use double-sided adhesive.

Pros

Great price to value ratio

Convenient and versatile

Automatically detects the battery voltage and changes accordingly

Works with all types of batteries

Has a multi-stage charging processor

Has reverse hook-up protection

Cons

Not easily mountable on your wall

Doesn’t have clamps

Shop Now On Amazon!

CTEK (40-206) MXS 5.0 Battery Charger and Maintainer

Our Rating: (4.5/5)

The CTEK 40-206 MXS 5.0 Battery Charger is one of the more expensive models out there. While it is a little pricey, it more than makes up for that with its 4.3 Amp outgoing current. That makes it ideal for both maintaining large batteries (up to 160Ah) and charging rarely large ones (up to 110Ah). Most other compact maintainers cannot handle batteries bigger than 30-40Ah, but this one can easily trickle charge most truck batteries out there.

To top that, this particular bundle comes with a ton of accessories. In the package, you are getting 2 chargers, 4 indicator accessories, 2 12V car-plugs, and 2 extension cables. Basically, if you are taking care of more than one vehicle during their off-seasons, this bundle is the best deal out there. The MXS 5.0 is also one of the more durable chargers out there since it is dust and shockproof. It also has spark-proof and reserve-polarity protections making is super safe to use. Lastly, the charger is fully automatic, meaning it can double as a maintainer shutting off every time it detects that the battery is at 100%.

One of the biggest downsides of this potent charger, however, is that it cannot charge 6V batteries. As a whole, this charger is one feature away from being the go-to universal trickle charger even despite its price.

Pros

This bundle comes with a lot of accessories

Can fully charge batteries up to 110Ah

Can trickle charge batteries up to 160Ah

Shock and dustproof

Has spark-proof and reverse-polarity protection

Compact design

Cons

Very expensive

Cannot charge 6V batteries

Shop Now On Amazon!

BikeMaster Battery Charger

Our Rating: (4.5/5)

The BikeMaster Battery Charger isn’t the most powerful on this list but it is good at its intended job – trickle charging smaller batteries. If you have a motorcycle that you winterize or any other small vehicle or tool that uses a smaller lithium-ion battery, this is one of the best and most practical choices for you.

The charger itself is good enough for batteries up to 60Ah in terms of charging but it can handle trickle charging much bigger batteries up to 120Ah. It works at 2 Amps and 12 Volts giving it a decent amount of range, although it won’t be any good for 6 Volt batteries. While the construction isn’t water or dustproof, there is a circuit-protection guard adding to the safety of the charger.

The major downside, as the name suggests, is that this works on Lithium-ion batteries. While it is good that it is targeted at a specific group of batteries, there are cheaper models out there that are much universal. One example of that is the much cheaper Black+Decker BM3B. Still, the BikeMaster charger comes with an extension cord and two decent clamps. It also has wall-attachment ears mounted to its body frame, making it easier to put on the wall in your garage.

Pros

Powerful enough to fully charge bigger batteries

Has a smart trickle charging function

Comes with a circuit-protector

Small and convenient design

Perfect for lithium-ion batteries

Cons

Not a good value for your money

Doesn’t charge batteries other than Lithium-ion

Cannot charge 6V batteries

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BLACK+DECKER BC2WBD Battery Charger/Maintainer

Our Rating: (4/5)

Having the first and last position to a Black+Decker product just proves that a company can make both the best and the not-so-good products out there. The fully-automatic Black+Decker BC2BDW is a robust charger that works at 2 amps and 12V. It is capable of powering up most of the batteries out there and can do it relatively fast. It works with AGM, Wet, and Gel batteries and can charge ones that are up to 30-40Ah relatively quick. For anything bigger, however, it will only act as a trickle charger.

On the downside, this charger won’t work with 6 Volt batteries and also won’t be good enough to charge larger batteries, as it will only be able to trickle charge them. Still, it has the usual Black+Decker safety features such as an official IP rating, a reverse-polarity protection mechanism, and is ETL/CEC Compliant. Also, while the material quality is generally good all-around, the clamps aren’t as rigid as the rest of the charger. Some users report the waterproofing not being good enough as well.

Pros

Works well with all kinds of batteries

Fairly priced

Rigid construction

Has AC low-voltage compensation

Has Reverse-polairty protections

Cons

Doesn’t work with 6 Volt batteries

Waterproofing isn’t perfect

Clamps are of poor quality

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Trickle Chargers Buyer’s Guide

Trickle chargers have been used for quite a lot of decades now. A while back, they were bulky and hard-to-carry devices that usually stayed in the garages of state-owned vehicles that were used for seasonal work. That meant that the vehicle had to stay put for close to half the year which lead to issues with the battery depleting itself and not having enough charge to start the vehicle right back up when the time is due.

Modern families often have summer cars that spend the winter in the garage, waiting for the warmer days. Even then, though, the car uses a small amount of power on a constant basis that can fully deplete a battery in a matter of weeks if you don’t start up or drive the car to regenerate the battery back to its full state. That creates a problem – a fully depleted battery is of no use once you need it and allowing it to fully deplete also significantly shortens its life span. This is where modern trickle chargers come into play. Let’s now take a closer look at how exactly they work and why they are a must-have for any car owner!

How Do Trickle Chargers Work

As I mentioned earlier, every battery discharges slowly as time goes by. If you don’t meet that self-discharge rate with an equally big charging rate, you risk the battery slowly depleting itself. That is the whole point around a trickle charger – it supplies a low-amperage electricity flow to the battery that matches its discharge rate precisely, keeping it fully charged and healthy.

Some more expensive trickle chargers have smart functions that allow them to turn themselves off when they sense the battery is fully charged or the option to regulate their amperage and voltage according to the battery’s needs. These are often called “battery maintainers” instead of trickle chargers as their goal is to maintain the battery’s power at 100%.

There are also trickle chargers that can up their amperage to around 7-10 Amps in order to charge the battery faster, essentially turning them into 2-in-1 battery chargers. Now, let’s take a look at the benefits a trickle charger has over not having one…

Benefits Of Trickle Chargers

There are a number of benefits that you get from having a trickle charger in your garage. Some of the most notable ones are:

It prolongs your battery’s life

Trickle charging your battery improves its long-term performance

Prevents your battery from going dead when your car is parked for the season

Makes sure you have a fully-charged battery at all times in case of an emergency

Most models can adjust their amperage according to the battery’s needs improving the longevity of lead-acid batteries

It is an inexpensive way of reducing the running costs of your car

With every product there are features that you need to look out for, however. With the abundance of models out there, it can be confusing when you’re shopping for your first trickle charger. This next chapter is dedicated to all the important features that you should take into consideration when making your final choice.

Features To Look For

Trickle chargers are often defined by their stats and metrics. However, stats don’t always tell the full story and we must also learn how they help shape the device’s performance compared to its competitors. This is what we will do now by going through the following features:

Type

Amperage & Voltage

Capacity & Compatibility

Material quality

Additional features

Price

Type

There are two main types of trickle chargers – automatic and manual. They are sometimes referred to as “smart” and “dumb” respectively. The main difference is that the automatic trickle chargers can detect various stats of your battery and act accordingly, while manual trickle chargers are more primitive and only do what you tell them, hence the name “dumb”. Automatic models also regulate their amperage according to the battery’s needs and even shut off when the battery is fully charged. That is called “Float mode” and I will touch on it a bit further down.

There is also a third kind of trickle chargers that is basically an all-in-one charger that can fully charge your battery fast but also has a trickle function. Those are typically a bit bulkier and way more expensive. Still, if you want one tool instead of two, these are worth the consideration.

Amperage & Voltage

While the topic of amperage and voltage can seem complicated at first, it can easily be boiled down to a few simple factors. First off, make sure your trickle charger charges at the right Voltage (V). That can be either 6 or 12 depending on the Voltage of your battery. There are some models that can switch between 6 and 12 volts making them more universal and convenient.

With Amperage (A), you just need to look for models that have a low amount of Amps. The lower the Amps, the slower it will charge the battery which is better for its long-term health. Higher Amperages like 4-8 Amps will charge the battery very fast and are basically considered battery chargers at that point. The maximum you should go to be able to trickle charge the battery is 2 Amps. Ideally, look for models that have 1 or lower Amps, such as 0.75A.

Capacity & Compatibility

When you choose your trickle charger, you should do so according to your vehicle’s engine. The bigger the engine, the bigger the battery will be and, therefore, you’ll need a more powerful trickle charger. 1 Amp trickle chargers are typically suitable for smaller engines and motorcycles, while 2-amp models can handle bigger batteries without much issue. If they are automatic, they will also be able to regulate their amperage to fit the needs of a smaller battery as well.

You should also make sure that the trickle charger you’ve chosen works with all types of lead-acid batteries (6 and 12-volt ones). There are also other types of batteries that should be compatible such as Gel, AGM, Wet, or other automotive or marine deep-cycle ones.

Material quality

While material quality shouldn’t be your first priority, you should always keep an eye for the well-built models that are wrapped in quality materials. One other part that is often overlooked are the trickle charger clamps. On the budget models, they are often poorly built and flimsy. Make sure you get a charger with sturdy clamps and thick durable cables. A rubberized body is another way to make sure that the charger won’t break if you accidentally drop it.

Additional features

One of the most important additional features a trickle charger can have is the Float mode. This mode allows the trickle charger to keep the battery charged at 100% at all times but also will prevent overcharging and overheating of the battery. To put it simply, once the battery reaches 100%, the trickle charger will cut off and will only start charging when the battery depletes a little bit again.

Temperature sensing modes are also a great additional feature. They are primarily a safety feature of any charger and are a must if you want to prevent your battery from accidentally overheating.

Lastly, look for models that are waterproof. Even if there won’t be any water in your garage, there can be moisture which is very damaging to any electrical device that is constantly plugged into the grid.

Price

When shopping for various car-care items for the offseason, you can easily go overboard with the budget. Lifts, tire bags, trickle chargers, car covers, and various cosmetics can quickly add up to a price that won’t be ideal if you just want to keep your car healthy. Make sure you define the parameters of the trickle charger beforehand and pick one according to your needs instead of going for the highest-end model.

Now, let’s go through some common questions regarding this topic…

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a battery charger and a trickle charger?

Battery chargersare typically far more powerful. While some trickle chargers can go up to 6 Amps and effectively charge up smaller batteries, chargers are better at what they are meant for and charge fully depleted batteries much faster.

Should I charge my battery at 2 or 10 amps?

If you have the time to spare and your battery isn’t too big, charging at a lower Amperage is better for its long-term health. If you are in a hurry, charging at higher Amps is also okay.

What happens if you leave the trickle charger on for too long?

Nothing will happen if you leave the trickle charger running, that is its sole purpose – to keep running for long periods without stopping. It will keep your battery at 100% and prevent depletions.

Final Words

If you have a car that spends its off-season in the garage, then choosing some of the best trickle chargers for it is essential to its battery’s life. Of course, there are other maintenance tips that you need to consider in order to keep it fully prepared for the spring but nothing feels worse than having a dead battery on the first summer day when you want to take your car out! Pay attention to features such as the amperage, voltage regulation, and the capacity of the trickle charger when you browse for one.

from Auto Clean Freak https://autocleanfreak.com/best-trickle-chargers/ via Auto Clean Freak

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