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henriiiii-1001old · 1 year ago

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tmc fairy tale au!!!

SO this is actually a concept i had a few months ago that i never rly expanded upon.

first, let me explain the basics:

i assigned different tmc characters to different fairy tales, but they all exist in the same universe.

Adam - Rapunzel Evelin - Snow White/Flynn Rider Jonah - Little Mermaid Sarah - Gretel/Daughter from The Juniper Tree Mark - Hansel/Stepson from The Juniper Tree Cesar - Frog Prince Thatcher - Lumberjack guy from Red Riding Hood Ruth - Red Riding Hood Dave - Father from The Juniper Tree Six - Gothel Gabriel - Stepmother from The Juniper Tree Preacher - The Sea Witch Stanley - The Candy Witch Alt!Thatch - Big Bad Wolf

next, some art i made for the au!!!

and now, huge lore dump! >:)c its gonna be long so buckle your seatbelts LMAO

so, the main plot of this au is basically that adam has been stuck in a tower in the middle of nowhere for almost 21 years. he had been raised by six, who is actually a witch set on taking over the kingdoms that surround the nearby areas (aka the counties). one day, six it out doing stuff, and while he's gone prince evelin (yes she's a prince bc fuck it) ends up finding the tower. she decides to climb it out of curiosity.

she ends up in a standoff against adam, but to try to deescalate things, they introduce themselves to each other. all of a sudden before they could talk more, adam hears six coming back and hides evelin in a nearby closet. evelin sees adam and six get into a fight abt adam wanting to go out into the world for once, but six is all "you're not ready" and it just gets really bad. all until six lovebombs adam and leaves again to get something for adam's upcoming 21st birthday.

evelin had exited the closet as six left, and she's like "you let him do that to you?" adam is like "uh yeah? he always does? i dont see them problem" and evie starts making adam question everything. she promises to take adam into the world but return him by night in case six came back. they'd also stay near the tower just in case as well.

cut to jonah's pov! he's a simple merman wanting to be a part of the human world! he sees evie and adam having a lot of fun and wishes he could join them. his dad (yes, if jonah is the little mermaid, the fucking mervin marshall is the king by proxy DCFVGBHNJ) is all like "nuh uh too dangerous, especially with most of the witches residing on land anyway" and jonah is like "FUCKING BET!"

he goes to the sea witch, preacher, and asks for legs and talks about seeing adam and evie hanging out! and preacher is like "im sorry WHO????" bc she knows that adam shouldnt be out and about. she makes jonah promise that as part of the deal, he must return adam to six in three days time, otherwise he'll turn back into a merman. he quickly agrees, and the whole deal is made. preacher does go tell six about this, and while he freaks out at first, preacher is like "it's ok dude i got this. i got a client to promise to return him home as part of our deal. you're fine m'dude."

jonah ends up on land and tries teaching himself how to talk while finding a cloth to barely dress himself with. adam and evie do eventually see him and they're like "yo who tf are you?" and while jonah cant talk, they do find a way to write to each other and they become friends!!!!

they do also eventually meet sarah at some point, and oh b o y does she have a backstory.

SO, in order to explain her backstory, let me explain the story of "the juniper tree" (copy pasted from discord LMAO)

"so a mother is peeling apples under a juniper tree and accidentally cuts her finger. the blood drips onto the snow on the ground, and that (somehow) grants the woman's wish to have a child as white as snow and as red as blood. she dies after giving birth to her perfect child, and the father soon remarries, having a daughter of her own.

she loved her daughter but hated her stepson and abused him every day and is all "i want my daughter to inherit your father's money." she then leads her children to a chest of apples one day. she lets her daughter pick an apple from the chest, but when her stepson came to pick one, she slammed the chest on his head and decapitated him.

she then set it up to where the same thing would happen again but the daughter would be there to witness it all, and her mother would gaslight her into thinking that she murdered her own brother. she then literally turned her stepson into soup and fed him to her husband. the daughter was so grossed out and distraught the entire time, but she couldn't rat her mother out. she ended up burying her brother's bones under the juniper tree.

then, he reincarnated as a bird and sung a song to some townspeople to convince them to help him get revenge on his stepmother. he gathered a golden chain for his father, red shoes for his sister, and a millstone to crush his stepmother. he reveals himself to his family and they live happily ever after."

here's the changes i made to the original story:

instead of just the mother dying, both of mark and sarah's prents die, and now they are in the sole custody of dave

instead of having the caretaker marry someone, dave asks his friend "o'brien" to help raise mark and sarah

instead of the stepmother dying, it is revealed that o'brien was actually the great mage gabriel trying to steal something important to their plans that dave just so happens to have

and thats it CFVGBHNJM. gabriel does try and come back every once in a while to coax gabe into either letting them come back or trying to make dave give himself up for sarah's sake.

cesar's story is also p cool imo! he is the prince of bythorne and evelin's cousin! they got along great when evelin was younger, but that stopped once cesar disappeared.

this was caused by him saving mark and sarah from the candy witch, stanley, who had lured them in to specifically kill mark. cesar saw what was going on and saved the two of them before it was too late.

later that night, stanley decided to be a petty bitch and curse cesar into being a frog so he wouldn't be able to save anyone else from her or her sisters' (in which six is her like. brother but i'll explain why later LMAO) plans. cesar hid in the shadows of mandela kingdom's palace for years since then.

since cesar's disappearance, evelin had wanted to take the role of prince to honor him. she also used it as a way to not have to be trapped inside the palace walls and coddled. she ended up still feeling stuck anyway, which led to her sneaking out to travel through the woods, which ofc led her one day to find adam's tower.

at some point (if anything this would be after evie and adam meet and stuff), evelin finds cesar in his frog form on the windowsill of the guest room he would regularly stay in whenever he would come to mandela to visit. he finds that she isnt revolted by his new appearance and is actually willing to help him out!

he explains that he learned that most curses can be cured by "true love's kiss", which in storybooks was always seen as romantic. he had always viewed evelin like a little sister, so he felt that he was hopeless.

that was until evelin thought of a loophole, since the stories never explicitly said that it was romantic, she would try to break the curse purely through the love she has for him as her cousin. she kisses the top of cesar's head, and cesar has returned to his human form!!!

...well, somewhat. the curse had altered his human form due to it not being broken for years on end, so cesar came back deformed. his limbs were too long and half of his face was always covered by a dark shadow. cesar did freak out about this, but evelin assured him that he'll always be her cesar, no matter what he looked like.

evelin and cesar explained the situation and cesar was finally returned to bythorne. he did write a letter a bit after wards telling her that he has resigned from his princely duties to become a princess! maybe it would help him not have to struggle with the expectations of needing to be brave and bold, and it would be a thank you to evelin for taking his role as a prince!!!

speaking of evelin, let's go back to her for a minute. so, i had also put her as snow white, but we haven't really seen her fulfill that role yet. weeelllll...

at some point in the story, six finds evelin alone in the forest and offers her to take a bite of an apple in exchange for knowledge about adam and his past. the thing is, evelin HATES fruit so she's like "ewww do i have tooo" and six is like "if you really wanna know, then you gotta."

evelin agrees and bites into the apple. it tastes so fucking gross, but she feels like she was to swallow it to finish her end of the deal. once she swallows, the pieces suddenly cling onto her throat, choking her in the process. as she struggles to breathe, six begins to tell her who adam truly is.

adam is a regular boy who six took as part of a deal made by his parents. lynn had been getting pregnancy cravings and wanting the rapunzel frm the neighbor's garden. she made jude retrieve them for her, but it wasn't enough. eventually, jude got caught by six and agreed to give up their firstborn child in exchange to continue taking the flowers.

once adam was born, lynn and jude were killed by six, and he took adam away to raise him as his prodigy. as a catalyst for the witches' plans.

as six is explaining all of this to evelin, she is trying her hardest to take him down with her. fuck the info he's giving her, he tricked her, and now he has to pay. she swings with all her might but falls in vain. her vision goes black as six walks away from her dying body...

there's probably a "mother knows best reprise" moment here and six is all like "oh you might wanna go save your friend if you care about her so much" and adam freaks tf out. she's desperately trying to think of something to help evelin.

eventually, the group remember's cesar's story with "true love's kiss" and they're like "fuck it let's try that". adam, while literally sobbing, plants a small kiss on her forehead and prays for her to wake up.

while this is all happening, evelin ets visited by mark's spirit. he basically hypes her up and is like "you got this girlie!!!" and she wakes up after adam plants his kiss on her. she starts to choke again, but adam helps her with it and heimlichs the apple out of her throat. she's finally able to breathe, and the group celebrates.

however, the happy moment doesn't last for too long. jonah does eventually return adam to six behind evelin and sarah's backs, but afterward he feels so guilty for it. they literally sacrificed one of the first human friends he's ever made for legs. how stupid is that? they eventually go to sarah and evelin and they quickly figured out what happened. while evelin goes to the tower to save adam (with help from a certain spirit), sarah and jonah confront preacher.

there is gonna be a plot abt preacher almost taking over the seas, but jonah and sarah do eventually take her down and retrieve jonah's voice. and yes, sarah gets to see that jonah is a merman and she's actually like "YO WAIT YOU GUYS ARE REAL???" and jonah is like "UH YEAH?????"

and yes, adam does eventually escape as well, but i dont have those details either so ye :')

that's the main plot at least! i do have a subplot for thatcher's pov tho! more copy paste from discord

"thatcher and ruth are friends and live nearby each other. ruth usually helps out w raising mark and sarah, though mark by this point is dead so dave DEFINITELY needs help. he and sarah havent been taking his death well, especially since dave literally ate mark’s remains without knowing. and sarah feels guilty enough for being gaslit into believing that she killed mark.

so ruth is about to go to dave’s place and has to walk through the forest to get there. she eventually meets what seems to be a very friendly wolf. she is a little weirded out by it, but she eventually tells it how dave lost mark and that she’s helping out! and the wolf is like “oh thats cool! i wish you luck on your journey. though i must say, these flowers smell beautiful! maybe you should pick some and take them to your dear friend!” and as ruth collects flowers as the wolf suggested, it found thatcher nearby and took his appearance to take a visit to a particular dave lee." ...

"she gets to dave's place who has been escorted out by the wolf/alt thatcher, right? so he's like "dear friend, why don't you rest! you've spent all day walking here, and you should be able to rest" aaaaand he tries to turn her into a werewolf but then thatcher comes in and is like "AYO TF YOU DOING TO MY BESTIE????" and he and the wolf fight. thatcher ends up getting bitten but is able to ward him off with his axe that was laced with silver just in case. so ruth is saved, but overtime thatcher feels more pain surge throughout his body and just kinda. turns one night.

unfortunately, he ends up killing ruth. alt thatcher tries to take this as an opportunity to maybe make him join the witches, but thatcher ofc refuses and makes a break towards dave's house. thatcher ends up telling dave what happened, and dave is okay with helping him hide it as well as hiding his newfound lycanthropy

sarah overhears this convo and becomes EXTREMELY angry at thatcher bc ruth was helping dave raise her after mark died. she was basically the mother figure sarah had always wanted, and thatcher took that away from her."

that's it for plot!!! now for some witch shenanigans >:)

so the witches are basically all the alts who usually practice shapeshifting magic to like. deceive others and all that jazz. ive made it a running joke that six is technically the only guy there FVGBHNJ

like, stanley is fem, preacher is female, alt!thatcher is copying thatcher who is transfem in this au, and gabriel dresses fem. six (and by proxy adam) is literally the only guy there DCFVGBHNJ

i am. running out of energy but i think that's everything for rn. hope you enjoy this au though!!!! ive put a lot into it <33333

#mandela catalogue #the mandela catalogue #evidence reel #tmc fairy tale au #long post #dont think i'll have enough tags for characters but i dont mind LMAO #implied abuse trigger #face horror trigger #body horror trigger #eye contact #a2t

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away-ward · 1 year ago

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Got some points to share :) What i dont understand the most is the fandom's hypocrisy of demanding emmy to be so accommodating to will despite her circumstances (even in the present) as if he was not one of the MOST PRIVILEGED WHITE MAN in his town or county, and most of the shit he got into was his own fault. He had old money WEALTH. Old. Money. Wealth. And he was also supported by the society AND institution, how is the fandom making him look like HE was the one who suffered most here? So much wealth that emmy didnt have, and yet he never spent a single cent to contact her again even after he saw her bruised and bloodied, yet the fandom expected her to come back to him? Like this guy prioritised his hurt feelings over her rejection rather than her ACTUAL HEALTH AND SAFETY knowing that nobody in that town gave a fuck about her at all. Will can spend all his inheritance and his mommy and daddys money on booze, alcohol, parties, sex parties, women, escort services, big cars, helicopter rides, YET he couldnt be there for emmy? Not even a call? A free email? Right. Sorry, but emory scott always deserves better to me, not will grayson. If i was emory, i woudve hurt her more ngl, im kinda vengeful with whiny bitches like will grayson. I cant stand him. I just knew that the reason why this fandom likes to pile on emmy because: 1. she admitted her fault and took responsibility of her actions unlike will, 2. She made it clear he didnt owe her anything (even when will himself said he shouldve staye) and didnt think she was entitled to will unlike will to emmy, 3. Its easier to sympathise over a sad white privileged guy after everything he did or didnt do to "his woman" because RoMaNce where if they can read about him simping about her in his mind, he was immediately ABSOLVED OF ALL GUILT AND WRONGDOINGS TO EMMY. But the devils night fandom is not ready for this take. Also because 4. when they said they like dark romance, they can only take shitty men like michael and damon, but hate it when the sex and gender was the opposite. My point is, its dark romance, if will can be shit, why cant emmy? Period. I dont even care if they get even at that point.

Thanks to this fandom, i thought about alex, this useless side character more than i had to so i had to. I'm also an alex hater through and through and i agree with a lot of anon and your points about alex here. In fact, i love the alex slander actually because putting aside some valid criticisms about how a lot of twitter dn fans are just misogynistic towards her because of their bias towards emmy, there are actually a lot of valid points why alexs character was just icky and you and that anon are the only ones that i have seen so far that have the same take as me. They like to dismiss our takes with "oh its an emory scott fans thats why, its the jealousy" like huh? First of all, why didnt yall talk about wills hypocrisy of sleeping around with everyone in a skirt but was jealous as fuck of damon and aydin bonds with emmy? Yeah, right. Second of all, even emory can be rational when willalex were giving her shit, just because emmy was emotional in those moments, doesnt mean she was irrational. She was literally kidnapped to an abandoned island with no one there to help her and will made it clear he didnt give a fuck about her and reminded her how she was nothing to him. Alex who was supposedly her "friend" wanted her to stay and help will as if she had no other job and responsibilities outside of will. Why would she stay? Shes not even rich, she gotta go back home and pay her bills. Stupid argument honestly. Tbh, My dislike for alex was not even because of her relationship with Will. They both owed emmy nothing, even em knew this. A big part of the fandom hates alex because of this willalexs take but i personally dont agree with this take tbh. Instead of blaming alex on this, the argument between alexemmy started because it was on will, and even aydin to a certain extent, for being a fucking loser of a man, and for pitting two women against each other.

But i also wanna just say to these people who defended alex palmer so much: lets not act as if alex never had a history of laughing at other women when SHE was being put on a pedestal, instead of someone else (especially with michael to rika in corrupt, and damon to winter in kill switch) either. Like rika, banks, winter, and alexs relationship started with misogyny. LIKE LITERALLY. Only alexemmys relationship started with a bonding OUTSIDE of being pitted against one another no matter how weird the circumstances was. Even then, theyre still just on acquaintances level yk. And i feel like alex felt challenged and angry at emmy in nightfall because she thought emmy was better than her (alex chose to believe because her shallow world had not allowed her to think about anything else as long as it justified her anger. She also probably was jealous and look at emmys situation and think emmy didnt have to do anything but all these men were going to jail for her, suddenly being her brothers and protective of her, bonding with the guys or smth like that, and later have access to so much wealth, ad compared to her who had been an escort etc., yet still she had nothing. Its totally irrationally personal, her anger towards emmy was not rational at all). Its the jealousy and inferiority speaking tbh.

Look at the way aydins ex, rika, banks, thunders bay people etc. talk to her? Like shit. Whether its in front or behind her back. Now did this misogyny happened for alexemmy's friendship? Nope! Best girl Emory Scott thats right! Even rika, banks and winter had slutshamed alex and other women with various degrees, but look at the way emmy talk about sex workers? (These girls too grew up with so much isogyny so understandably, they had to unlearn and relearn a lot. Theyre so different in nightfall, love that for them tbh). Like heavens and earth and i think its easier for people like alex to accept being treated like shit because unhealthy female relationship and rivalry was what she was always used to, and she always had to be the person to initiate being the "cool girl who'll just roll with everything", especially with her relationship with banks) that when she found a healthy and supportive female friend that didnt start like shit, and would ACTUALLY take her side instead of their man (will or aydin), she was kinda shocked and became stupid, not knowing how to react to it in a kinder manner. Its like a defense mechanism. Alex never rose her voice to rika, banks and winter, unlike what she did to emmy and its because she probably never felt challenged by them because their men still paid for her services so what can these women do much to her really + she never saw aydin took interest in them like he did with emmy (disregarding the manipulation aside, im trying to make people understand her possible pov). This is why woman should have healthy female relationships! No one wants to be like corrupt rika, pre-marriage banks/ winter and nightfall alex! No one wants to admit that alex too, just everyone else, had internalised misogyny. I dont think anyone ever noticed the nuances really, alex hid it too well, but it shone through in her lowest moments unlike emmy. Because when emmy was at her lowest, she never humiliate alex to step on her like what alex did to emmy in blackchurch or on the train, but emmy straight up attack will (verbally) because why would she attack alex? Will was the one who hurt emmy not alex. But aydin attacked alex, and its emmys fault that alexs man was shitty? She was so wrong for that. Emmy never even shame her throughout nightfall, so this only highlights how different emmy's character in this series. Ngl, i think only Emory is the true girls' girls in this series. *Side note, Alexaydin, sigh... such fucking cowards this couple tbh.

Wasnt it also mentioned in conclave that alex had a fall out with her ex's roommate and then she was labelled "the slut" as if the three of them were not being stupid horny college students together, but alex was the only person who be the bad guy. That must have caused a lot of resentment in her because then she just became an escort not only to support her education and lifestyle, but also to use it against aydin. How does that even compare to emmy's pain, honestly! Theyre literally not the same and the fandom always like to dismiss em's pain just because em looked at her highly even when the text in the books shows otherwise. Alex couldve quit her job anytime now, she didnt need the money anymore, she did it for personal fun, sexual liberation and revenge against aydin. And now that when she went through the SAME THING that she did to other women by laughing at them and got treated like shit back, wow suddenly, emmys seen as a bitch? Huh? Emmy never even laughed at her face or looked down on her unlike others, not even once in nightfall unlike rika, banks or even winter, so i believe alexs stupid shit in nightfall was really out of inferiority complex and jealousy. Like "shes better than me thats why i had to put her down" kinda complex. The hypocrisy was too much but i dont think anyone really noticed this. Thats why alexs character was shit to me because her arc was so??? Where did this misogyny came from? But then when i think again and piece her story from the start, it made sense because to a certain extent, alex probably had looked down at all these rich people (including women bcs if her ex roommate) with their rich problems and then she met emmy, who didnt fit in with these stereotypes she had about people of thunder bay, and she had heard a lot of good things about em from will prob, so her sex worker card that she likes to use against these people suddenly dont work anymore because she realised that she wasnt the only one suffering. She cant best her, so in her moment of anger, she had to step over emmy in front of everyone but really, it just proves how nasty of a person she is and shownhow ugly her jealousy can be. Thats why she couldnt argue back with emmy after. She fucked up, but no one really noticed this because her misogyny wasnt so blatant like those in corrupt, hideaway and kill switch. What i also dont understand is how she always talk as if she was a victim EVERY. DAMN. TIME. Her speeches in corrupt, conclave and nightfall just solidified alexs characterisation. I cant stand her tbh, all of alexrika conversations really rot my brain lmao, because they always give these two stupid friends talking about eveyrthing and nothing vibes.

Since this is dark romance, i can understand if pd wants to put a character like alex, or any women really to be shit, but alexs fans didnt have to act like the annoyance towards her was because people cant stand willalex, as if alex herself was a snow white who can do no wrong or something, when she was proven that she did, was shitty sometimes. Like her mary sue character was even worse than rika 😭🤣 And the thing is, if everyone, even emmy, was so morally righteous, none of them would be the horsemens family. The fact that these women are their partners, everyones already guilty just by association, like what emmy said to alex in the train. So why put alex or anyone from dn, on such a high pedestal so much? (Alex is kinda Like kai in her morally right shit, but she just got more fleck for it). Even i admit that emmy wasnt always a nice girl either but i wasnt delusional like alex and her fans tbh. Ugh, so annoying. Hopefully the bonus contents we're gonna get by pd soon only has exclusive willemmy contents for willemmy. or i will riot!!

Yeah, some of the readers need to re-evaluate their perspective. But I really don’t want to convince anyone to see things my way so…

hopefully they stay wherever they’re at. As I’ve said before, I haven’t involved myself with any of the discourse or in-fighting in the fandom, so I’m not sure what they’re arguing over, but it sounds like a waste of energy and time. I mean, I get it’s willemmy vs willalex, but…like. Ugh could you imagine making that the center of your fandom experience? Horrible.

You make a good point about the start of the friendship between Alex and Emory. I’ve never been…happy (?) with how it started, because it involved Alex making a whole lot of assumptions about Emory and being right…because she’s Alex and she’s always right…of course. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be Alex. And then to have that be the one night they spend with each other, and suddenly Alex understands Emory like no one else. She gets her.

How?

Oh, right. It’s Alex. Enough said.

The idea that Alex couldn’t process anything that challenged her justifications for her anger because that would mean she’s wrong about something. It would be an actual flaw on her part. And that her feelings for Emory were borne a bit of jealousy. I’d have like if her character and went farther in that direction.

I think for my part, I always considered Alex’s main motive toward Emory was knowing that Will was still in love with her and that Emory had the power and ability to hurt him as she had before. She was protective of Will – “her reflection.” It’s nice to see another possibility/side of it. You make a good point. I guess I never considered Alex feeling inferior to Emory. Emory’s background being different from the people she’s surrounded herself with, to then see Emory rise above that and carry on, leaving Will behind like she probably saw Aydin rejecting her, and suddenly seeing the way Will and Aydin react to Emory might have made her feel small and like a stand-in, which she is for so many.

I agree that it’s a little out of bounds to compare Alex’s pain with Emory’s.

You said she couldn’t argue back with Emory and I’m not sure of the moment you’re talking about but the first thing that came to mind was “that’s my shirt”…like, girl. Girl. Are we being that pathetic right now? But yeah. Alex’s “justified” anger was weak. And her framing herself as the victim was annoying.

“If everyone, even emmy, was so morally righteous, none of them would be the horsemen’s family.” Yeah, exactly.

I had to put the book down and take a deep breath with Rika said “I had to remind myself we weren’t really criminals.” Or something like that. Excuse me, ma’am, but what? You’re not what now? Have you not been paying attention? You cannot erase the last three-to-four years.

Alex is like Kai in her moral superiority is not a take I thought I’d ever see but…there it is. Nice to see they have something in common.

I didn’t know we were getting any bonus content but you’re the second person who’s told me. I hope we get something good for NF.

#asked and answered 41 #asked and answered #devil's night series #will grayson iii #emory scott #no alex tag #ko's dns tag

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frecht · 10 months ago

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I know its not the same to type it but I'm loving reading your posts and tags about licence plates. PLEASE tell me everything. If you want ofc

of course i want to!!! i dont even know where to begin. when i was a kid my parents introduced me to the license plate game when i was obsessed w the states and going through a bit of a patriotic phase....when i was 5 my dad had a license plate app on his phone solely for me to track them on. i have tracked all 50 states + dc but not all on the same list (the list on my old phone was missing montana and the list on my new phone is missing wyoming).

and last year when my mom and i visited ireland she mentioned that i should see if i could get all the counties. and her friend who we were travelling with helped me bc he knew all the codes but i didnt (at that point) and i know this is a thing with most european plates i think but ireland is the one i know the most thoroughly -- the best thing abt their license plates is that you can tell where theyre from from a distance bc there's a code in the number for each county. it kind of is the best numbering system ever bc it's 2 or 3 numbers for the year it was registered (2 if it was before 2013, 3 if it was after, with the last 2 digits of the year and a 1 or 2 depending which half of the year it was registered in), 1 or 2 letters for the county (most of them are 2 but the big ones like dublin and cork and galway get one letter*), and then a number for which number car it was to be registered during that time period. which is the BEST because it makes it easier to memorize the number (i still know my mom's friend's car's plate off the top of my head bc it was the 12th in its county during the time period) and it actually tells you things abt the car. and the plates stay with the car through multiple owners so you might buy a used car and re-register it but it gets to keep its license plate which i also really like. i also really like this system bc once you figure out a solution for years repeating every century it can go on forever. the only thing i dont like about the irish license plates is that there's no required font so sometimes theyll be in this really compressed ugly font instead of the one that most of them are

im trying to learn the uk codes to get as many of those as i can next but those are a little bit harder bc there are so many more. however uk plates are very easy to identify because they very very rarely have a country code on them (i thought they never did but i was watching a tv show and saw one w little strip that said gb once) and the back one is yellow while the front one is white

anyway i really think the united states should implement a similar system. perhaps not per state (like 132-MD-[number] for my mom's car would be a bit obscene considering how many cars im sure people are buying esp in like texas) but perhaps if we could keep having different styles for each state and then this sort of numbering system with the counties within each state i would really like that.

also if youre from the us have you noticed that virginia license plates are the only ones where the number/letter pattern is in a serif font?? because i have and i hate it. it is very ugly. AND apparently it isn't even a real font. it's just like a collection of jpegs for each letter.

*this also changed i forget which year...2013 or 2014 and it used to be that in limerick and waterford and tipperary there were multiple codes, l for limerick city and lk for the county/ w for waterford city and wd for the county/ tn for tipperary north and ts for tipperary south but now it's all t/wd/ and i forget whether limerick is l or lk.

#talkin #and i really did enjoy typing all of this out:]#i tried to tell a friend abt it but i really held back bc i was worried abt boring her

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cringefinalgirl-moved · 4 years ago

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at this rate i will just die as a virgin, and to be fair it doesn't even sound that bad considering current events in poland

#ian.txt #i mean. even going out and meeting someone is hard atm. but if in case of pregnancy my options are die or die. i would rather not do it #but i hate when my relatives joke about me not wanting kids as 'having two younger brothers.' no bitch its bc this county wants women dead #ask to tag #i obviously dont want a bf but you know. finding a gf in this hell place is hard and requires going out and meeting people #which is now pretty hard for multiple reasons.#also you never know who will you met and what might they do and it sucks. naybe its my fault to be paranoid but hey.#i would rather stay at home or something.

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ziracona · 2 years ago

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dont they sew the mouths shut and cut the horns off the sarabas? Also idk the full meaning of the name but I know the bas at the end translates to nothing? Seems a demeaning role idk? Maybe I'm missing something. I'm not very knowledgeable on qunari stuff tbh so this isn't an attack just genuine confusion

They do; you are not incorrect! You will not hear me arguing they are less brutal or less strict, only that I think their treatment of their Mages is nevertheless easily preferable. ‘Bas’ has several meanings actually, though, but not ‘nothing’. Its most technical meaning is ‘thing,’ but it is used in context most frequently to mean ‘foreign’. Qunari call all non-Qunari ‘bas’ or ‘basra’ (fem version) as a neutral term, kind of like being called a goy. Just means ‘not Qunari’. The technical name for Mages is ‘dangerous thing’. It is certainly a little othered, but it’s not derogatory.

Qunari deeply fear magic and its potential to go out of control or be influenced by demons. Some of this is superstition and fear itself, some is because some Qunari do have a more difficult time controlling themselves when in fits of rage than other species, and their magic is stronger than that of humans and elves (both the berserker issues and magic strength likely due to intentionally introducing dragon into their gene pool). Their reaction to that fear, and to the Qun’s demand that the good of the one always be sacrificed for the good of the many, is extremely brutal: to have Mages assigned a keeper to watch them (Arvaarad), to wear a shocker that immobilizes them if their Arvaarad is afraid they’re going out of control, and often to have their mouths stitched shut.

However, while this looks extremely horrific to outsiders, unlike most Circle Mages, Saarebas aren’t publicly kidnapped and dragged from their homes and imprisoned against their will. Like all in Qunari society that aren’t actively rejecting it, their Mages want and work hard to be honorable and fulfill their duty to the Qun and their countrymen. One could of course also argue they’re manipulated by their cultural upbringing, but the point here isn’t about whether or not Qunari or Circle Mages were raised into their religions and societies and manipulated to stay there, or chose it of their own volition. It’s about the experience that both have inside that culture.

Again, I’m not arguing that how the Qunari treat their Mages is flawless or good. It is clearly flawed and should be reformed. What I am here to argue, is that I think it’s easily preferable ethically and as a life to experience, to how Andrastian countries treat their Mages.

(Continued under the cut out of love to people on dash and in tags because it got long)

Andrastian Circle Mages are inexorably tied to the religion of their countries, like everything else in Andrastian counties. And it’s certainly brutal as well. It just tries to make it look prettier, when the Qunari are, as about most things, up front. Most Mages are ripped from their homes as children at the first sign of magic, imprisoned, have their blood taken to make them trackable for the rest of their life, like getting a gps chip implanted in their head. They’re guarded for the rest of their lives by people who were trained to kill then, and the majority of whom are looking for an excuse to, and hate and fear them. They’re encouraged not to associate with the Mages they guard so they won’t be emotionally attached if they have to kill them, which leads to about the dehumanizing prisoner life you’d expect. Their harrowing is insanely difficult, and even taking too long can get you assumed demon possessed and executed on the spot. Most circle Mages are too terrified to love, because Templars will find out and use your relationships to punish and control you. They also know at any time their entire circle could be accused of something it did not do, and be razed. There’s a religious statute in place for permission to kill all Mages in a Circle. And if you do try to flee or see your family again, you’re dragged back in chains and punished incredibly harshly, or worse, made tranquil, which is essentially being a lobotomized slave whose body will be used to clean your old prison and sell wares for your masters. They could at any time be made Tranquil, without even knowing why. While they have easily more freedom to walk around and be alone than under the Qun, it’s not pretty, and it’s not kinder.

Beyond the brutality, the core of both this argument and their life is the shape of the role they inhabit. Circle Mages are dragged away publicly by the church and told every day of their lives “You are dangerous. You are evil. You are the physical embodiment of mankind’s sin that lost us the Maker, only allowed to exist at all by the bottomless empathy and forgiveness of the Chantry. You are a danger to everyone around you. You are inherently shameful and sinful. You are a living container of the failings of your species. You’re bad, and you must be controlled by our bottomless kindness not to be too vile to be allowed to exist at all. You’re dangerous, and evil, and must be saved from yourself. You, left to your own devices and choices, will always inevitably succumb to evil and demons and hurt people like your kind always does. You can only do Holy Magic for the church under our Holy Control or you’re happily making yourself a vile monster. If you step out of line, you’ll be lobotomized and have your body used as a slave like your former brothers and sisters walking the halls Tranquil, to protect you from your own evil. Don’t you feel loved and grateful you’ve been allowed to live?” It is a life of endless shame and fear and guilt over what you were born, and societal shame. Nobles try to hide magic in their kids often not out of love, but the shame of magic, and drowning a child within an inch of their life is considered a worthwhile chance among human nobles to kill the magic in their offspring. There is no honor or hope or joy in it. Ethically speaking, it’s an abysmal and miserable place.

Saarebas, on the other hand, are a role of value to the Qunari. One of the positive things among the Qun is its intense and utter fairness. While this certainly has downsides when you get to individual liberty, a lot of it is good. All jobs are of value, all species are equal under the Qun, and all sexes. They don’t even have the average concept of gender—they’re job gender. You’re the gender of whatever job you do. If you do it, you are it, no matter what you were assigned. It’s not a tiered society at all. It’s just an insanely organized one. As for Saarebas, they are no different. While magic is deeply feared among the Qunari, their own aren’t blamed for what they’re born as. They are very powerful, and useful, they simply are born along with strengths, with more dangers to them than anyone else. They are simultaneously considered pitiable, and the most honorable of all roles under the Qun. While all Qunari are asked to sacrifice for the good of all, none are asked to sacrifice more than their Mages, who are asked to sacrifice their entire lives. Thus, no one adheres to the Qun more strictly and entirely than them. They are perhaps the most truly Qunari, and seen as deeply honorable and dedicated for that. (Before I forget: they do cut off the horns, yes. This would seem to a human like a shaming act, because the horns are innate only to Qunari and lovely, but actually horns are considered basically like we do hair, and Qunari born without horns, a rare genetic mutation, are considered extra cool for being different, the way heterochromia might be in humans. It’s an act to make them visibly recognizable on sight even if ever not in full garb, but it’s not to humiliate them. It’s like having a monk haircut as a monk).

Continuing: They will be asked to commit suicide if ever away from their watcher, for fear a demon has taken them and they may hurt others, which is brutal and a horrible practice, but it is not seen as them being a vile monster falling to their sinful flaws, but an innate danger to the power a Saarebas wields, and they are seen as an honorable member of society doing the most devout thing a person can, and offering their own life freely for the good of all. They are not bullied or hated or treated and seen as monsters; they are seen as dangerous, but in a simple factual way, and live as members of their society recognized as very worthwhile, and admirable, and whose choices to follow their Arvaarad dedicatedly for safety, or to follow their code and end their life if asked, are expected instead of enforced by terror and prison walls. It is not a life to make you devoid of happiness and pride. They have more freedom in some very real ways, than Circle Mages do. Mostly in regards to inner life and personhood. When Ketojan willingly ends his life in DA2, he tries to explain to you that he’s doing his duty, and is at peace, and if you inform the Arishok of the events and ask if he’s not surprised, he will rather sternly tell you it’s no less than he’d expect, and he will not dishonor Ketojan’s memory by suggesting he thinks sacrificing himself to protect the others was a difficult decision for the man to make. There is mutual respect and trust and honor in the role.

While I am not arguing those practices are right, and I very much don’t agree with a lot of it, I think the way most players see other aspects of Qunari society as worse than the Andrastian ones applies hard here too; the flaws with one are unfamiliar, and with the other, normal. The ways Circle Mages feel about being Mages is the guilt and shame many people brought up in Christian societies are raised to feel about being female and bearer of the first sin, or being gay, or just being a living human at all. Guilt and self-hatred and sinfulness and shame and fear seem normal to a Euro-Christian player base. And then much like the way many people from Euro-Christian areas look at full body coverings or rigid societal rules in the Middle East as inherently oppressive and bad for their unfamiliarity; and all in of course much worse ways than their own, Qunari society is mostly treated by players the same way. [[And is largely a culture in-game somehow both middle eastern and Chinese coded? Anyway.]] The familiarities the Qunari do have culturally are not to a Christo-European experience, but to cultures often othered already by those people, or feared. Does the fact it is a voluntary and proud experience of cultural belonging instead of hatred make everything a Saarebas goes through right? No, that’s not how that works. It definitely does not. But does it matter significantly that they are voluntary, proud and honored members of society? Yes. Absolutely, and it should.

Moving even a step further past personal identity and socio-religious place, comes how the power structure has them treated by others under its rule. The Chantry, the highest religious power for circle Mages, espouses the sin of magic and dangers of it every day, and shapes the views of commoners and nobles alike to see Mages as abominations waiting to happen, lesser, bad. Makes them mobs with hate and pitchforks. Makes their own Templar guards gleeful to lash out and harm them, and righteous in their paranoia and fury. The Arishok, the highest power of military for the Qunari, adherent to the Tamassran’s (religious heads) teachings, snapped at even a foreigner without context suggesting a Saarebas not have been entirely honorable in his death. They are separated from their society, but as dangers with honor, not as monsters. To quote my eloquent and much more concise friend:

Both Saarebas and Circle Mages are forced by their cultures to surrender autonomy and freedoms, and to suffer. The difference is that the Qun demands people respect the Saarebas for their sacrifices and suffering, and treat them with dignity. Whereas the Chantry encourages the abuse and degradation of mages beyond even what the circles do. Both draw a line, regarding mages. The Qun draws a line in the sand, and doesn't allow anyone to cross it. The Circle draws a starting line, and tells everyone to start running.

#ask #dragon age #qunari #anonymous #dragon age inquisition #dragon age 2 #dragon age origins #thank you for the ask! I love a chance to talk about them #and unless you really delve into it intentionally the game skips the hell out of the Qunari so there’s so much barely known! I hope this #answered your question! I love them and am happy to talk about them more #long post

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jeankirstein4ever · 3 years ago

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hihi i hope you're doing well! can i get a matchup the gender doesnt really matter. i use he/they prns btw.

personality categories (idk what to call them) scorpio, intp 5w4, chaotic neutral, and my hogwarts house is slytherin if that matters.

Im a pretty introverted person and will only talk to ppl that i am friends with, even then if we arent really good friends i still wont talk to you unless you spark conversation because i dont like bothering ppl. My sense of humor is mostly sarcastic and dirty. Im also mean as a joke but, i only am to ppl i know who are comfortable with it bc i dont want ppl to genuinely be hurt by anything i say (making ppl uncomfortable/annoyed is my worst fear ngl). i have random burst of energy which usually makes me rant about literally any topic i can come up with. some bad things about my personality tho is i do have a lot of self doubt. its not that i hate myself i just believe that ill never live up to other ppls expectations. its also hard for me to believe someone actually enjoys my presence.

some of my hobbies are dancing, watching anime, gaming, and watching random science vids that pop up on my youtube recommended.

I look for humor and intelligence in a partner. especially humor because i dont take things seriously unless its something im interested in or its a serious issue. also intelligence because i like ranting about things and getting good feedback and thought provoking responses/questions whether the topic is serious or not, and understanding because i will admit im not the easiest person to be with.

my love language is mostly physical touch

im black, 5'3, have short ear length hair (i keep them it in mini twist), im curvy, have sharper features on my face, and have dark skin

random stuff: my fav music genres are alternative rock, rap, hyper pop, r&b, and kpop. my current favorite song is Pretty little birds by SZA and not allowed by TV girl. i also used to do ballet and i love it so much

Aot Matchups

A/n I love these so much, thank you for your ask

I match you with Levi

Levi and you are an all or nothing relationship, the second you two start dating it's all-consuming and absolutely everything

Levi was never one for affection of any kind let alone physical but when you sat down and talked about the things that made you feel loved he made sure to try and incorporate physical affection even in the smallest forms.

After a little while into your guys relationship when you started getting a bit more comfortable you started giving him little kisses on the forehead which he loved more than anything else in the world.

Before missions he would always pull you aside into his office before hugging your for dear life while muttering sweet nothings in your ear, “I love you, you know that right? You mean the world to me, if anything happens I need you to know that.”

When you got injured on a mission, he lost all self-control, this man is a killing machine on a good day but when he thought you were gone the world deserved to burn. Every titan he came across was slaughtered in a matter of seconds.

On the other hand when he found out you were fine, he fucking broke “I thought you were dead, I-I thought I lost you.”

“Baby, you're never losing me”

PET NAMES, this man will fucking die if you call him “baby” or “honey” he loves it so much.

Levi doesn't like PDA in the slightest but if someone tries to get a little too flirty like Petra (sorry Petra) he will purposely kiss you or wrap his arm around your waist In front of them as long as your comfortable with it.

He loves your dirty jokes, even if they're not the best it'll still earn a grin maybe even a chuckle.

YOUR HAIR, he loves it so much. I can't emphasize how much he loves your hair, it's one of his favorite things about you.

He adores your laugh, the first time her heard it was after his own attempt at a dirty joke causing you to spend a solid five minutes laughing your ass off.

He thought it sounded angelic

Mood board:

Playlist :

Love song - The Cure

This side of paradise - Coyote Theory

Hate Yourself - TV Girl

When Am I Gonna Lose You - Local Natives

Corduroy Dreams - Rex Orange County

July - Sir Chloe

Always Forever - Cults

Sanctuary - Joji

Alrighty Aphrodite - Peach pit

3005 - Childish Gambino

Love Letter :

Darling, I love you. I cant say enough , nor can I ever get tired of you saying the same. You loved me, I am loved. By you of all people, wonderful angelic you. In case I don't get a chance to tell you this, or in case I don't say it before we leave, you're my everything, all I've ever needed or wanted. I plan on marrying you , maybe not right now but soon. There's a ring in my office drawer, I almost proposed last night. I'm worried that I m moving to fast and somehow every time I get worried, you find a way to reassure me that I'm not. Just as I will always do for you. I don't know if you remember this but the first night you stayed in my room you fell asleep muttering "please don't leave me." Darling there is nothing in this world that could separate me from you. I am with you always and forever.

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overdramaticandtrue · 5 years ago

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i absolutely hate having to make this post. but right now i dont know any other options that can help. in the beginning of august 2019, i moved to northern california to live with my brother, sister in law, niece, and nephew. I did so to get away from the unhealthy environment I was being forced to live in. Pretty quickly I landed a job that I have learned to love. However, on March 16th my manager told me that our store was closing due to our county’s stay at home order and would last until april 8th. i found out last week that i would be out of a job for much longer than that as all employees have been furloughed for the indefinite future. my county’s stay at home order was just extended until at least may 3rd (which also happens to be the day after my 22nd birthday..sad face) and can very likely be extended after that as well since the bay area is being hit by the virus pretty badly. my brother has also been temporary laid off from his job as well so the two people in the house that bring in income (myself and my brother) no longer have anything to offer. i help out with bills and groceries and other miscellaneous things. we were not able to pay our rent in full for the month of april and i dont know what that means since our landlord has not communicated her expectations during this time. i worry a lot about being evicted and being forced to move back to southern california in a house where the person who sexually abused me throughout my childhood lives. it’s my worst nightmare and it really puts my head in dark places. i dont want to have to worry about being able to pay rent or have food on the table for all of us but especially my niece, Mattingly, and my nephew, Colt, who have brought me nothing but happiness. i really feel guilty making this post at all because i know so many of us are in very similar positions and i know other people have it worse than me..but i try to remind myself that my struggles are valid too. if you are able to, i would really appreciate any help that we can get. every single last dollar will be used to help pay for rent, bills, and groceries. i love you guys and i hope you are all staying safe during this scary time in the world.

paypal: paypal.me/couurtneylynn

venmo: couurtneylynn

#*taylor

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strangerthingsharrington · 4 years ago

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Can’t Fight This Feeling

-9-

I was up on the roof of the mall with Dustin, watching the loading dock again. At least it wasn't pissing down rain this time.

"What do you think?" he asked me, with his binoculars up to his face.

I bit my lip and shrugged, "I really don't know," I admitted.

"I dont even think these guys take breaks or anything. I think it's the same guy from last night," Dustin mentioned, I nodded in agreement looking down at the guard with the large gun.

"Look!" Dustin exclaimed, "he's using a keycard to get in! We need to get a keycard!"

"How do you think we're gonna get his keycard?" I asked.

Dustin looked over to me quickly before looking back into his binoculars, "I'm not sure...we'll have to figure it out with Steve and Robin."

I sighed, "We've just got to do it the way Steve said, fast. We just have to get in the room check the boxes and get out quick," I said, turning away from the dock and leaning against the roof ledge.

Dustin turned and leaned against it too, "When did Steve say that?"

"When he was driving me home this morning," I explained.

I looked over to him and saw his little smirk, I flicked his arm but it only made him laugh.

"What?" I asked.

He shook his head, "So Steve isn't too bad all of a sudden then?"

I rolled my eyes and stood up, making sure to keep myself low, "What's that supposed to mean?" I asked as I began walking to the door.

"I'm just saying that all of a sudden he's driving you home and you're talking like regular people, and don't for a second think I didn't catch you two holding hands last night," he said as we made our way down the stairs.

"I'm kinda out of options, Dust," I tried explaining it away, "we're dropped in this situation together. I dont have a choice except for being friendly with him. As far as the hand holding, I was freaked out last night," I reasoned, "he was trying to help me calm down."

I looked down at him as we walked down the hallway, he looked up at me quickly before shaking his head.

"I'm just saying that you two seem to be getting along and it's...nice," he told me.

I smirked and walked further down the hall so get to the backroom of Scoops Ahoy, "Nice?"

He smiled widely at me, "I didnt think you'd like it if I said how awesome it was that my big sister and one of my best friends was getting along so well."

I snorted and rolled my eyes as we got to the backdoor, "Whatever you say, Dusty."

I opened the door and smiled at the two sailors in front of me, sitting at the table.

Steve and Robin were sitting on the same side of the table, Steve stood up quickly and took a seat on the other side. I went to site next to Robin but Dustin slid in between me and the chair and sat down first.

"Rude," I scoffed.

He shrugged, "First come first serve."

I lightly smacked the back of my brothers head before taking the seat next to Steve.

"Alright, fill em in," I instructed my brother.

He told them the little information we gathered, the only important note was really about the keycard.

"That keycard opens the door, but unfortunately the Russian with this keycard also has a massive gun. Whatever's in this room whatever's in those boxes, they really don't want anyone finding it."

Robin shook her head slightly, "There's gotta be a way in," she said, looking down at the table.

Steve blew into his sailor hat to puff the top back out before tossing it gently on the table, "Well...you know," he began as he leaned on the table, "I could just take him out."

"Take who out?" Robin and I said at the same time.

"The Russian guard," he answered looking between Robin and I.

I smiled and looked away from him, Robin was mockingly nodding her head with pursed lips.

"Steve, have you ever actually won a fight?" Dustin asked bluntly.

I looked over to Steve and saw his face drop, "Okay that was one time," he said leaning back in his chair.

"Twice. Jonathan the year prior," Dustin stated matter of factly.

My eyes widened slightly for only a moment remembering when Jonathan told me about the fight after finding what Steve wrote about Nancy at the movie theatre.

Remembering he did that made my stomach turn. Steve's eyes went from Dustin to me back to Dustin.

"I didn't," he sighed, "I didnt write that about Nancy. It was Tommy and Carole...do you think if I did write it Nancy and I would've stayed together?"

Dustin shrugged and I felt a weight being lifted off my chest. At least he says he didn't write it. I can take that off the list of why I've hated Steve for years.

"Regardless," Dustin interjected raising his hand, "Jonathan still beat the shit outta you."

Steve scoffed, "Yeah but that doesn't count."

"Yes it does," Dustin continued on.

Steve and Dustin began their debate back and forth as I rolled my eyes. I looked over to Robin and she was looking back at me and shaking her head.

The two continued their little argument and I began aimlessly looking around the room. The sharp intake of breath from Robin brought my eyes back to her.

"The vents," she mouthed to me, the second I focused back on her.

My eyes widened, "The vents," I echoed with a nod.

We both stood up and went to the front of the shop where Robin dug her hand into the tip chair, grabbing all the bills at once. We were gonna need money where we were going.

"Hey, half of that is mine!" Steve cried out from behind us.

"I don't have my bike," I told her once I saw her bike helmet with her backpack.

She sharply took a breath and began looking around, "Bus will take too long."

I looked over to Steve and smiled, "Steve?"

He looked to me, still confused over Robin taking the tips, "Lou?"

I took a step towards him, "Can I please use your car? I'll drive super slow and super carefully. I'll put gas in it! I've been driving for over two years so I'm a really care-"

"Of course, heres my keys," he said, effectively cutting me off as he held his keys out to me.

I grinned and walked towards him, I picked his abandoned Scoops hat off the counter and brought it up to his head and placed it on there before taking the keys from his hand.

"Thanks, Steve," I said quietly.

He smiled at me and nodded, "Anytime."

I grinned and turned back to Robin, dangling the keys in front of me, "Lets go!"

She smiled and we walked quickly out of the shop, "Where are you guys going?" Dustin called.

We turned to face them, "Trying to find a way in!" I explained, "A safe way!"

"Yeah so in the meantime, sling ice cream, behave, and don't get beat up! We'll be back in a jif!" she said with a salute.

"And please don't let Dusty pick up any more transmissions!" I said with a smile before running after Robin.

We ran right to his car and hopped in. As promised, I drove slowly so I wouldn't damage his car, because that all I would need added onto this insane past few days.

Robin and I got to the County Recorders office and ran up the steps, we figured out where we were going, spoke to the lady at the desk and she went to get us copies of the malls blueprints and ventilation system.

"That's was nice of Steve to let us use the car," Robin mentioned.

I looked back at her and nodded, "Yeah...at least one of us has a car."

"It was really cute the way he just melted when you thanked him," she said batting her eyelashes at me.

I chuckled and pushed her shoulder, "It wasn't like that," I told her.

"Then what was it like?" she wondered.

I rolled my eyes but kept the small smile, "He's helping out the group."

She smirked, "And how is this all helping with the sixth grade crush you had on him?"

I leaned my back against the chair I was sitting in, "It's...fine."

She barked out a laugh and leaned forward, looking at my red face, "Fine? The way you guys keep looking at each other all googly eyed I'd think you both would have at least, admitted you like each other."

"What?" I scoffed, "I'm looking at it this way, Steve and I are tossed into this situation together. We're getting to know each other on different terms other than high school. He's a completely different person. I like this Steve as a person. Doesn't mean I like him," I exagerated, "I dont think you can help getting along or even possibly flirting with people that you're thrown together with in situations like this."

"Yeah?" Robin asked as the front desk lady was walking over to us, "Well tell that to the dreamy little smile he gets on his face when you're not looking at him," she said before standing up and graciously taking the blueprints from the lady.

She began walking to the door before I even got up from my chair.

That was bullshit, I thought. I wouldnt lie, little hints of a crush had begun popping up in my head about Steve. But I knew he didn't like me. There was no way, I wasn't exactly the normal type of girl he would chase after. As much as I liked Nancy, I was no Nancy Wheeler.

If I was going to take everything Robin said to heart about Steve flirting with every girl to walk into Scoops, then I needed to think that since I was the only other girl that had been hanging around him for a long period of the summer, then obviously he would act differently around me.

Once we went back to our regular lives, it would go back to the way it was. Dustin and Steve being friends, Robin and Steve working at Scoops together and me avoiding him while I fade to a distant memory in the back of his head. And I was okay with that.

I think.

——

Title credit to REO Speedwagon and gif credit to owner

#steve harrington #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington x reader #stranger things #stranger things imagine #netflix #dustin henderson

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sickficsforthesoul · 3 years ago

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here's a prompt ?(or whateverits called): not a request ! also ، ¿ ¡ ૮₍ 𖦹 ˕ ×` ₎ა ! ?·＊· anon or 🧛🏻‍♀️ anon(emoji form) . : the sickie hates today so much. they had to go to school bc it was a important practice match they had to be in. but they got a stomach bug yay! good 4 them !! they woke up feeling like shit , they knew they were sick. they wanted to stay in bed . praying to any god that they weren't gonna be sick. they fell asleep again saying just to rest for a few more minutes (well it ended up being 30 minutes ) now they only had 30 minutes to get to school, they knew they actually had to wake up. running out of bed to get there clothes and change as fast as they could (they dont shower in the morning and they were to lazy to brush their teeth) rushing out of bed that fast made them all dizzy . great . now they're stomach hurts. yep they were gonna vomit. they knew they couldn't make it to the bathroom . so they found a place that could store it , they rushed finding something in their room . they searched their desk. feeling the vomit rising up. shutting their mouth bc they dont want their desk getting vomit on it. it was so strong it went in their nose. they couldnt hold it in anymore. throwing up in their desk wetting all the papers. homeworks . they were gonna get in trouble at school. they had no hw anymore . well they were gonna be late to practice if they cleaned it up.so they ignored it. gagging at the smell of it. they finally finished their daily routine . they skipped breakfast (just like most of the times). they grabbed a mask and went to school . playing games on their phone to distract themselves. sadly that didnt work . they got all dizzy , they put their phone. feeling too dizzy they nearly tripped . they countied waking to school. remembering they only had 5 minutes left they had to continue walking faster. they started running. while running they were thinking abt how they got sick. :: I prob got sick from some1 in my class. yeah. they threw up in the classroom and they sat near me. they were probably coughing alot.. ew.. :: they arrived at school. going into the volleyball ball gym changing room. no1 was there . they were probably practicing. suddenly they felt their stomach growl. it hurts so much. why today they ask. they wrapped their arms around them and it hurts so bad. when it kinda stop they had the courage to change into their volleyball club uniform and go to the gym. while walking there they started coughing.having a coughing fit made every1 look at them . they hated that . they really dont like being the center of attention. some1 from their team asked "hey you ok?" they just said yeah. the coach said to run 4 laps around the gym. uh how much they hated running. they only did 1 and a half.(END PT 1) they couldn't handle 4 laps. while some1 was running they saw them hiding (so no1 can see them slacking off) they asked "um?? what's wrong ? ud probably get in trouble if coach finds out. I'm already on my 3rd lap . ig in 3 mins its over. r u just gonna stay here? and also if u act like this it the match . you'll get in big trouble. they just said "ok". when the coach said ok! they went back in the gym and prepared the net. they started a sneezing fit which caught som1 to give them tissue. they eventually stopped . they're nose is so stuffy they can barely breathe. they really want 1 more tissue but they don't have any , they ended up using their arm as a tissue. well atleast only 1 person saw. every1 was practicing. it was gonna end it 10 mins . they're shocked how they went so far. when they setted the ball they suddenly felt they're stomach grumble. they cant just suddenly go to the bathroom. they had to wait. uh they started feeling nauseous and they silently stared gagging. then came the wet coughs , they could feel the vomit loudly. end . pt1

(contin.) they had to fake spike? idk . they didnt have the power to do so. obviously they looked like they were faking it. they're team lost, they honestly didnt care . then some1 hit then on their back saying to,work hard. some vomit came up . they swallowed it . they thought it tasted so bad. they started coughing really loudly. every1 was looking (they had to rush to the bathroom but since every1 was looking they didn't want to make a scene so they didnt ) they waited till every1 wrnt to they changing room /club room. finally every1 besides 1 person who was a benched player went to the toilet . oh no. they cant wait that there was vomit coming up they wanted to wait for at least 2 mins , but they couldn't only 36 seconds. they started to vomit . in their hands . dripping on the gyms floor. they couldn't make it into a stall so they threw up in the bathroom floor. threw up already half of what they had. they heard the doors unlocking from the bathroom (it was the benched player) they rushed into a stall so he couldn't see them . they walked out and saw vomit. they didnt care , they walked out like nothing happened. they were still vomiting , they didn't have enough strength to propt themselves up to puke inside the toilet, they just ended up throwing up on the floor . they thought they were done after dry heaving for 2 minutes. getting up to go to the changing room to change into their uniform. they didnt tie their tie properly but they dont care. going into their classroom late. like 10 minutes late. they got scolded for wearing their tie wrong and being late.also not bringing hw. yay good for them this class they didnt do anything. so they just fell asleep /WITH THEIR MASK ON!// pt2done

while waiting they double bagged the plastic bags to prevent in from seeping thru. one the bus came. the sickie regretted going on already feeling dizzy once they sat down , they sat at the back where no1 sits (although that would make them more dizzer, but they didnt know that) after 5 minutes of the ride (there was some traffic. normally itd take 10 minutes. but since there is traffic they didnt how long they'd have to wait.) "[caretakers name]...while wet coughing.mm candy." they rushed to give the candy. it soothed their throat for 5 minutes until making them dizzy . lying down on the caretaker,while they play with their hair. they fell asleep. after 20 minutes (still in traffic) they woke up to the bus driving. they woke up and asked for water. they drank the water in small sips. they didnt vomit. the they drank it quickly before spitting it out. then coughing. they nearly threw up. swallowing it . asking while coughing for the 'bag'. they grabbed it and held on it and tried getting it out bc they were very nauseous. they couldn't. until the bus continued moving. they're grip to it was very weak. the bus suddenly moving made their stomach growl. and letting of their bag to hold on their stomach. the care taker asked "what's wrong ???? you let go... r u gonna ..." "no. stop.u will make me.stop.talking abt it"(they hated vomit so much thinking abt it makes them gag) the sickie was shaking. they messed up dropping the bag and it flew away. they caretaker getting their jacket just incase yk they vomit. after the bus stops again. a couple and a 2 ppl (4 alltogether)decided to sit in the back. their stomach hurts so much... they started crying. the bus started moving more . 2 more stops till their stop. they gagged. letting go of their hand on their face. "I'm gonna-" the caretaker getting the jacket and hugging the sickie to cover them . they threw up on the caretaker. the couple moved away in disgust whilst the 2 other ppl stayed. just on their phone. "ppl r looking...." "I want to leave.. " "''dont worry , no1 is looking'' the care taker grabbed their bag looking for a (idk the word but it's like a towel but not , you stick it on some1 face and it cools them down) they place it on the sickie. they sickie just dry heaving at this point. they said "sorry.." it's ok. - ¿ ¡ ૮₍ 𖦹 ˕ ×` ₎ა ! ? / 🧛🏻‍♀️ , which haikyuu character do you think this is? also very bad prompt :). again,not a request.

This sounds a lot like Kunimi to me, but I'm also getting Kita, Ennoshita, and Jin (Soekawa) from this. Maybe Yamaguchi too.

For Kunimi, his primary caretaker is the sweet but helpless Kindaichi. Kindaichi really means well, but he's terrible at taking care of sick people, so he just makes everything worse for Kunimi in the end. The rest of Seijoh ends up helping eventually, but it's just Kindaichi for a while, and he does not handle that well. Kunimi basically takes care of himself while Kindaichi stands in a corner muttering apologies. After this incident, Kindaichi resolves to be a better caretaker and starts doing research and taking first aid classes later on.

Kita's primary caretaker is Aran. He's much more competent than Kindaichi and takes good care of Kita for as long as the captain needs it. There isn't much to say after the incident because Aran handles everything so well.

Ennoshita is stuck with the other benched 2nd years (Kinoshita and Narita). They're okay caregivers but nothing special. Ennoshita is the most nurturing of their trio, and with him out of commission, Kinoshita and Narita do their best to help their friend. Ennoshita still has to do some things for himself, but Kinoshita and Narita can at least know the basics of taking care of someone, so Ennoshita still has it better than Kunimi.

Jin gets two caretakers too because why not. His caretakers are Reon and Semi. Both are very experienced with taking care of others and are the unofficial team parents, so Jin has it very good. He recovers pretty quickly thanks to the excellent care he receives from Semi and Reon.

Yamaguchi's primary caretaker is obviously Tsukishima. Daichi and Suga try to help too, but Yamaguchi gets panicked by anyone who isn't Tsuki, so Tsuki has to deal with basically everything. Tsuki also ends up calling Akiteru for help because he's just so out of his depth caring for another person. Akiteru, on the other hand, took care of Tsuki for years and is a wonderful caregiver. Yamaguchi recovers well with the comforting presence of his best friend and the lovely caretaking of Akiteru.

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maljic · 5 years ago

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i have been working in the grocery industry practically my entire life. for many companies, and in many many positions. i’ve seen hurricane panic buys, i have seen post hurricane apocalypses, i have closed stores, and i have opened stores. i have been to backroom recoveries, i have worked small stores and big stores. i have seen h1n1, and i have now seen covid19. and even tho this is something unprecedented, all together it’s really not. the difference here is that it’s been going on for three weeks now and there is no end in sight. the duration is what’s so new.

so i’ve started making notes every day after i got home. just the overall experience, but also customer comments and new things being implemented. it’s a fascination change, and i wanted to write it down to maybe sometime in the future come back to this time and remember anew.

i plan on keeping notes for the foreseeable future, to keep writing a diary of sorts, to see if this ever levels out or escalates even more, if things change drastically or not at all. and if the fucking toilet paper situation ever goes away.

things started to change the first week of march. it was super subtle, i didn’t even notice it at first. it was just a steady increase in business. a solid 20% ahead in sales all across the board. and even tho the virus was already in the news it didn’t cotton on right from the start. or it did, maybe, but i wasn’t expecting it to escalate to such heights.

tuesday, 03.10.2020 9am - 5pm

people are making their own hand sanitizer by mixing rubbing alcohol and aloe vera. we’re out of both. lady is asking me by the sun tan section about the state of deliveries of aloe vera gel. we get to talking. i admit that i don’t understand the people’s need for hand sanitizer since the cdc and every doctor ever recommends hand washing first and foremost. Susan comes out and says, ‘well the only thing that really can safe us from all this is...” and i retort with, “washing your hands, right?” but Susan claps back with, “the lord jesus christ.” and i had to excuse myself real quick and leave her ass on the aisle, because why are you fucking here then trying to potion together your own hand sanitizer, Severus, if all you need is god?

a grown woman that’s working at the register is. coughing. non. stop. co workers comment on it to each other and to me, and i wonder if anyone has taken her aside to explain the current state of world events to her, and maybe asking her to cover her damn mouth. we’re all gonna die.

thursday, 03.12.2020 2pm - 10pm 11pm

parking is an absolute nightmare. i’m 10 mins late cause i can’t find a spot. welcome to hell. i ask my boss what the sales were yesterday and she says we’re 40% ahead of the forecast. which is ridiculous. at this point it’s pretty much a blanket permission for over time. we do not have the capacity to continue to run at this pace. people get worn out, we’re bound to get sick, and the customers are fucking relentless. truck is big. Karen and her brother Chad look at the soap section and wanna know when we get more hand sanitizer in.

this lady is looking at things in the cold and flu section and we get to talking about shit and she mentions something she’s read on facebook and whoops my filter went poofgone and i tell her that i hope facebook dies along with all this corona virus flu and have a good evening.

at the end of my shift after we’ve finished stocking and cleaning up, i stay longer because there’s still a fuck ton of people in the store but we only have two registers open. i check people out until 11 and then peace out. one dude dropped $650 on groceries.

friday, 03.13.2020 11am - 7pm

“where is the hand sanitizer?” Karen asks. i refrain from shouting at her to get outta my face. the store is absolutely packed. lines of lengths i haven’t ever witnessed. lines and lines of people with full bascarts of stuff. the end is nigh and we are here with a front row view of it. we have a small parking lot, and i have no idea where these people’s cars are? i didnt know we could fit that many people in the store. whats the fire marshall’s max capacity guidelines? someone should review those. meanwhile i’m trying to navigate around everybody and put things on shelves that don’t last very long.

the grocery truck arrives around 3 ish and paper products get thrown out first. usually, when the truck arrives it stays locked until the night crew shows up. we’re set up to always have a trailer at the store, so when the guy shows up he unhitches his trailer, and hitches up under another trailer which was the previous day’s grocery truck, which got emptied off groceries when the night crew stocks, and then got filled with stacks of empty pallets, paper bales, and other reusable thinks like plastic trays the meat comes in, or the eggs come in, or produce plastic trays, things like that. so now that we’re in the apocalypse of paper products, the day crew gets those pallets out on the sales floor asap. at this point we have reduced the quantities of things you’re allowed to take to 3. 3 packs of toilet paper, 3 packs of paper towels... also 3 of lysol wipes and 3 of hand sanitizers even tho we dont have any, calm down, Karen. paper products are gone within an hour.

my company makes an absolute killing that day.

saturday, 03.14.2020 10ish to whenever.

my boss said she was coming in (on her off day) so i said yo, mind if i sleep in a bit? i was scheduled 7am and if i don’t have to i don’t want to. she said ok. i rock up at 10:08. things stop showing up on deliveries. the diaper area is sad looking. people have started to buy us out of baby wipes. there’s a problem coming at us in about 2 months. you cant flush baby wipes but since the toilet paper situation is what it is, people will wipe their butts with wet wipes. have fun with that, dallas county utility department (or whoever messes with the water wastes).

displays are dwindling. we are not getting product, so we are filling the shelves in the aisles with the stuff that’s on displays. it’s a bit wonky looking. there’s half an endcap with shampoo and then the rest of it is filled with hersheys. its upside down world. but we have to keep things full. with whatever. empty shelves are bad bad bad, but empty endcaps are a cardinal sin.

people waste so much food when they’re shopping. now that the shelves are getting and staying empty, people will just put things everywhere when they decide against buying the items. bags of chips, six packs of beer, gatorade whatever. that’s not really waste. but we also see bags of salad, frozen items, meats. we are currently not in the position to walk the store every half hour and collect these things. these things are all now wasted and will get thrown out. not the chips, i’m talking about the temp controlled things. being cold to the touch is not enough. shit aint safe.

monday, 03.16.2020 8am - 4 pm 6pm

truck is gigantic. never ever have i seen a truck that big. so everything that my boss was fantasizing about me doing gets thrown out the window when the truck hits the backdoor at 11 am. everybody who is scheduled for truck is given the option to come in early. and stay until it’s all stocked. or until you’re exhausted. i help with the pharmacy stuff because that’s the biggest part. i stay until 6pm. then i’m out.

people would like to know where the hand sanitizer is, well, sugar, so. do. i. it’s the one item that has been out since the end of february, and people are absolutely gob smacked when you tell them it’s currently unavailable. i try to appease them with some hand soap, but, stupidly, people dont want to hear that. i’m thinking to myself that in about a week soap will also be unavailable, but to each their own. customers believe that we, the workers, know the exact day and time when lysol wipes will be stocked. but when you tell them that soap is getting scarce they look at you like you’re speaking a different language.

company wide, we are not allowed to order anything right now. which is huge. how it usually works is: our system knows at all times how many items we have in the store, as per bar code, and knows how much will fit on the shelves, how much we’re selling every day/hour, and then there’s the forecasting factor. so the system will order stuff based on sold quantities, automatically. all the time. if we need extra stuff for sales and/or displays and whatnot, we order extra.

the computer system wouldnt know, for instance, that there was a tornado in oct that wiped out our electricity and that of most of our customers, so we changed orders to reflect that. no frozen things, lots more batteries, ice, coolers.

a lot of things ride on added orders, which are now out

from here on in, everything is up to the system, and to the powers that be. if there’s soap in the warehouse, we will get allocated with every store in the area so that everyone gets equal amounts or close to. hoarding is, apparently, frowned upon at this level too.

tuesday, 03.17.2020 2pm - 10pm

i have come to hate the soap aisle. used to always be my favorite. so long, soap aisle, we’ve had a good run. tonight i’m stocking the pharmacy area (cold and flu, pain meds, tummy stuff, those sort of things). truck is small. super small. i try helping customers as much as i can, but most of my end of the conversation is no, sorry, we dont have any. backstocks are dwindling. the backroom is emptying out. we rely on truck deliveries for things to do and products to be put out. “do you have any [insert product here] in the back?” is the most asked questions. “there’s nothing in the back.” is the most uttered sentence all day.

people obviously do to not get what social distance means. every aisle is packed with shoppers. i’m wasting a lot of time trying to stay out of people’s paths, but people lingeeeerrrrr what the fuck. the mayor of dallas shut everything down to flatten the curve yet here all these fuckers are doing their god damn grocery shopping like it’s 3 months ago. get in, get stuff, get out. i try conjuring up some gas to clear the aisle, but the farts won’t come

go home, people. i wish i could.

somehow our store has become the hub in our area. we get trucks in the afternoon with produce and meat, and people from other stores around us show up in trucks and suvs to transport product between stores. i’ve seen so many people that i hadn’t seen in years because they’re coming by getting shit in the afternoon.

we lost one of our baristas. she’s retired but works with us the maximal allotted hours per week the government allows you before they yank your money. she’s living in senior housing (cause its cheap) and they’ve completely locked down and she is unable to come to work. her boss funnels her groceries. and they face time a lot. she’s doing ok.

wednesday, 03.18.2020 10am - 6pm

parking lot semi full, too full for a wednesday. toilet paper situation is unchanged. but alas there’s no grocery truck scheduled tonight so this is not changing until tomorrow. i’m talking to three separate people desperate for some toilet roll (lol, i love how this pandemic makes me learn new terms, hi, united kingdom, i see you - toilet roll, i love it). anyways, i explain to all three the truck schedule and how to best strategize to get some butt wipes: truck is 6 days a week, wednesday being the no truck day. when the truck arrives, usually what happens is that the paper products get stocked immediately, to make room in the back room and to alleviate the situations. be in the store at around 3ish? 3:30ish, and hang out. i explain that i don’t want to encourage anybody to spend their afternoon in the store for obvi reasons, but when you gotta go you gotta go. alternately, hang out in your car, and when you see a truck pull behind the store around mid day, chances are in about 30 mins you shall have paper. people appreciate the info.

i’m in the candy aisle trying to stock a case of twizzlers. we’re using shopping carts to stock, it’s way more flexible than lugging around huge stocking carts, especially now with the store being so crowded. this dude rocks up and asks me if i’m panic hoarding with all those boxes in my cart. he looks at me with a straight face and thinks he’s making a point. meanwhile i’m in full uniform and people around are starting to roll their eyes. i drop the box of twizzlers into my cart (its super heavy and dude is creating a scene). my box cutter comes out and i make a show of clicking the blade out while explaining to douche canoodle that i’m working here, excuse me, and cut into the tape of the box. moron.

there’s a few people that i’ve seen every day this week. and they’re all advanced in their age. i get that the store is your second home cause you’re lonely, but right now is really not the time. go home.

the question i hate the most is: when are you gonna get more soap in. the honest answer? no fucking clue, Karen. if i could predict the future i wouldn’t be working here.

thursday, 03.19.2020 10am - 6pm

there was no grocery truck last night so shelves are still as empty as they were when i left last night. still, parking lot is semi full. we’ve seem to have gotten a decent produce truck, bananas everywhere. great. my boss’s plan for me is to: whatever truck is back there, and then easter. which means i walk the back room, collect anything and everything that belongs to our department, and get it on the shelves. there’s nothing back there except a chocolate delivery which arrived on the dairy truck. a huge amount, by normal standards. at least people are still enjoying some candy.

by 3pm it’s made the rounds that one of the guys for our dept isn’t coming in: allergies. okay then. truck is not too big, i help out with that until it’s time to hit the time clock.

times are tough, and i’m a good-natured person that can dish out jokes and emphasize with you and cumbaja we’re all in this together and all the other bullshit we’re telling ourselves to make us feel better. but when dudebro comes down the soap aisle and bemoans the state of the shelves (empty) and then goes into a rant about his two parents, immunocompromised, at home, out of soap, almost getting loud and making it seem like its my fault that we don’t have what you want, then no. i’m all out of fucks to give. meanwhile, people of the free world, have you forgotten that hand washing soap does not only come in little pump bottles that you can cutsify your sink with but also LOOK AT ALL THE BARSOAP, back in the days we used that to wash our hands. calm down and take some irish spring to your parents.

grocery truck arrives. big time. in the good ole days of yester year we would get one trailer daily, most of the time not even full. we’ve been ramping it up to 2 most of the last two weeks. (and by we i mean we as a society, buying everything on the shelves and not being satisfied and always wanting more). today it was three. one of which with nothing but water. the others with lots of toilet roll and paper towels. and the usual stuff of canned goods and the likes. nothing will last tho, nothing is forever.

we have this one guy who works here who has, i believe, severe arthritis and is hygiene wise very challenged. he isn’t very mobile and does super light duty but he’s worked here a long time. i haven’t seen him in a few days. i wonder if he is just off, or if he said fuck it and stayed home.

the grown ass woman at the register is still coughing. and not covering her mouth. asswipe.

saturday 03.21.2020 7am - 3pm 6pm

“when do you expect more hand sanitizer in?”

i have no idea what you’re talking about, hand sanitizer was never a thing. lemme ask you this: is it berenstein bears where you come from?

people still want to shop brand loyal. i die inside a little bit every time someone turns their nose up at an alternative to their regular, “oh but we don’t use that brand.” dude didn’t you just say you needed vitamin c? was that a lie? here’s the damn vitamin c. it’s vitamin c, not, i don’t know, fucking coca cola. go home.

corporate finally came down and said we’re allowed to wear ppe now. like some of us haven’t since three weeks ago. i finally turned and went all ‘two by two hands of blue’ as well, and it’s really not as bothersome as i thought it would be.

weekends are now slower than weekdays. i have no idea why that is. and i’m not really sure if these past weekends have been slow, or just normal, and the weekdays are just crazy. i have lost all points of reference. it’s still busy. but is it the same busy it’s always been on a saturday and now we just have more checkers?

the company is desperately trying to hire more people. i don’t know if the new vigorous ad campaign is working yet? it’s a job, sure, especially in these times, but the starting pay is still barely above minimum wage so in any case people will collect unemployment which could still be more than they’d make working here i’m just saying.

the only real perk right now is that whoever works for a grocery store has first dibs on stuff. and if you believe we don’t have a “family and friends stash” in the back of all the items that are scarce then you don’t know how the world works. a friend of mine with health problems came to shop at our store today because we do have more stuff than what i’ve been hearing is going on in surrounding areas. and i was able to give her two cans of disinfectant wipes. another friend asked me if we had any loo roll, and they just came by my place to pick it up, cash on arrival.

we also extend (or well, i do extend) the stash to customers who always have been courteous. and believe me, after working in one location for a few years you know exactly who’s an asshole and who isn’t. we are essential, we are important, and we’ve been known that forever. we just never got treated like that. people are thankful that we’re working, that we’re doing our best (like if we could afford to just take two weeks off to self isolate, yeah right), and it’s good to finally walk the store with your head held high, to finally feel the appreciation. we are the kings of the toilet paper and it’s fucking fantastic.

the store manager (or the company, i’m not sure) bought lunch today for everybody. and there might be a texas rule of no gatherings of more than 10 people, but y’all should’ve seen the break room today at noon. we they feasted (i took two slices and went out back to enjoy) thanks for lunch, boss.

we still haven’t implemented “senior hours,” and i hate that.

hygiene challenged dude is back at work. so he just had his two days off.

monday 03.23.2020 12pm - 9pm

people keep insisting on shopping “normally” and it’s mind boggling. if you go to the store for 5 things or 50 things, it’s fine either way. but please make a list at home and roll with it. do not linger in aisles, do not pick up 3 different items and stand there to study the, i don’t know what the fuck, ingredients? country of origin? manufacturer? i have no earthly idea why you gotta look at a bottle of suave shampoo so intently and just. stay. there. reading it like its a new product on the market. go home.

people just waste so much freakin time in the store. they run into acquaintances and have to have a conversation right there when other customers have to walk around you. please stop, please please stop that. please. get in, get your stuff, and get out. if we dont have your fave available right now come back next week, it’s bound to be back unless it’s something like hand sanitizer or over the counter meds. please. go home.

the shopping pattern has changed. there’s all the action in the mornings now. tons of people, full parking lots, all in the morning. i understand it’s because people are under the impression everything gets restocked over night. which is half true. but whatever. i mean people shop all throughout the day and it’s still busy but the bulk is in the morning.

speaking of: senior hours finally!!! i’m stoked.

i feel like i’m getting fed up with customer questions so it’s usually short retorts and no eyes contact. one guy asked me where the aloe vera is and he asked very friendly and from a few feet away and i was sort of a dick to him. i felt bad immediately and rephrased my answer. yikes.

on the upside also, my work buddy was throwing water all day long. poor guy. he said something like 9 pallets of 24 packs. at one point they were replenishing a display and people grabbed water from the display instead of the pallet, and he was like, “you guys are killing me, man, please take it from the pallet and not the display. every pack you take from the pallet is a pack less i have to move.” a couple of dudes then took over stocking duty from him and threw the rest of the pallet to fill the display. how fucking nice. good eggs all around.

backroom looks like we got a crap ton of paper products. a crap ton. something like, i’m estimating, 12 pallets. so they’ve been staggering it throughout the afternoon but also kept lots in the back for senior hours tomorrow morning. it really looks like that part is getting almost back to normal. lmao fingers crossed.

no eggs tho, today. all gone.

hot shot trucks still show up in the afternoon with produce and meat. and other stores still come by to transfer stuff to their location.

company lunch today was from torchy’s taco. i abstained cause i had just eaten at home. but gatherings of 10 or more people had been had in the break room again. no idea if it was paid for by our company or if torchy’s was just getting rid of a bulk of their perishables.

some dude threw a fit about the limits on certain items. i think his beef was with water and how he’s seen someone take more than three. calm down, asshole.

tuesday 03.24.2020 10am - 5pm

it’s slow in the store. dallas county has a shelter in place ordinance right now and it’s just a slow and steady trickle of customers. the weather also has turned from grey and misty, to sunshine and 80ies. i hate it. i want my grey and misty back. and because it’s nice outside there’s a lot of people on walks and bike rides. there’s a trail behind the store and when i step out back i see people all the times. still keeping their social distance but people non the less.

we’ve finally got our hands on one of the people from the agency that has provided us with help. our girl is super nice and friendly and she works hard. i hope we’ll get to keep her in our department for however long theyre working with us. altogether there’s about 15-20 people in the store from the agency. they’re tasked with sacking groceries, cleaning shopping carts, cleaning shelves and helping to stock. it’s wonderful. they get paid $13, which is more than what you make starting out in the store.

it almost felt like it wasn’t a covid day. after what the covidiot in the wh said on monday, i was a bit unsure if non essentials would reopen (especially since the mayor just shut dallas down). it was weird. it seemed like customers stayed away because a) they went back to work or b) it’s too nice to grocery shop. but that’s prob only my stupid brain making things up.

there were two incidents, both of which weren’t covid related but needed security: a dude tried to walk out with two cases of beer (theft is a thing that happens in our store a lot) but somehow he had half the store chasing after him. i was outside taking my break when all the sudden this guy comes towards me with beer in each hand. where i was, there was no exit away from the store unless you wanted to jump the fence. and he sure did. launched himself and the beer over it. they chased him off (no one touched him, i wanna add, and no one would touch him too, even if we weren’t in the current time), but got their beer back. that was an adrenaline shock i didn’t need. the second one was a lady at the pharmacy not happy with the speed of the pharmacist and she got upset that her meds weren’t ready to be picked up. she made quite a scene with cursings and such so security was called. they are doing their best at the pharmacy but just like every other department they are swamped with prescriptions.

it was super slow and i left an hour early. went home and ate and passed out for 12 hours.

wednesday 03.25.2020 7am - 3pm

it’s probs the first time i’m on the road this early on a weekday during the self isolation period. it’s quite busy on the highway. but still no real traffic.

store is still slow but steady. i see a few customers with big bascarts and shopping lists going about their business urgent like. on the inside i was applauding their readiness and their commitment for getting it done. thank you dear customers. buy a whole cart and get the heck outta dodge. *chefs kiss*

help girl from the agency is with me today. i like her more and more. she gets it all done. baby wipes are still off and on, some days we have them, sometimes we’re out. we found 3 small cases of hand soap in the back (6 bottles each) and they are gone quickly. i’m working through shippers/displays (we’ve finally got a smattering in) but most of it goes straight to the shelves. i’m able to make some sense to one of the half shampoo/half hersheys end caps, and my eye finally stops twitching from the weirdness.

grocery truck schedule has changed and now we’re getting them also on wednesdays (for the time being). one trailer of toilet roll and paper towels, and one of canned goods and boxes and pantry stuffs. and maybe some lysol but who knows.

it’s still sunny and 80ies out, so more runners and bikers on the trail behind the store. still social distancing tho.

the news said someone from a grocery store of another chain was diagnosed. and then through the grapevine i heard that someone from our chain (not our store) also got diagnosed and is in the hospital. wash your hands. get in, get your stuff, and get out. stay safe out there.

friday 03.27.2020 9am - 5pm

there’s this lady in the store, little old lady, just wandering and shopping and whatnot for, i kid you not, 2 hours. what in the world? she’s wearing a mask, kinda like a “let me put this mask on cause i’m sanding something in the garage” you know that kind of mask. but it’s only covering her mouth? what is she doing. where is your family? do they know where you are and what you’re up to. seriously someone come get their auntie.

there’s stickers all over the floor by the registers “PLEASE WAIT HERE” reminding people to stay the heck away from each other. it’s working sometimes. people are patient.

this one lady asks me if we have this, and shows me her phone with a pic of the item like she is seriously standing 6 feet away stretching her arm as far as it’ll go. i appreciate it. she insists that the app tells her it’s in stock here. i ran out of ways to explain that the app doesnt keep up with inventory, only states that we carry it, not whether we actually have it in stock. it’s a surface disinfectant. we dont have it in stock.

rando people say their thanks that we’re working, that they appreciate it, thank you thank you. i have yet to learn how to respond to that. “youre welcome?” “oh sure!” “no problem” nothing feels right. me and my co workers all wish we could work from home, or take a few weeks off, without losing our jobs and benefits. it’s weird. how do you respond to that?

we’ve managed to stay in stock on toilet tissue all day long. one brand, one size, mind you. but! all day long! yes, toilet paper, on aisle 18!!!!

sales have leveled. business is returning to normal.

saturday 03.28.2020 7am - 3 pm

some lady lost her cool today and in her frustration she dead ass kicked over a display of gum. lmao, yikes.

every morning we have a little meeting in the store for all the department heads, or if they’re off, for whoever plays department head for that day. on saturdays that’s me. we call them huddles, although now we can’t call them that anymore because huddle doesn’t really scream social distancing. so now they’ll call it morning communication.

while walking the store today i found, get this, a bottle of purell. it was hidden behind other product. i immediately checked my surroundings (no one there) and then went and hid it in the back room. my immuno challenged friend had asked me for some for a while.

really nothing else going on. it was quiet in the morning and then a storm blew through, and then it was just gorgeous out. so the store got busier and busier. our truck was scheduled to be quite big, but it was late and i wasn’t gonna just hang around until who knows when.

monday 03.30.2020 2pm - 10pm

the break room is completely empty of chairs and tables. that’s new. just last week everyone crowded in, employees and management alike, whenever there was free lunch. and even tho one tells them, or points out that, hey, this is a bit more than technically should be in a closed space like this? all one gets back is, oh hahaha, yeah you’re probably right, but nothing changed. so now the break room is empty. only, i dont know, everyone here works on their feet, either standing (poor checkers) or standing and walking. for up to eight hours. there’s gonna be some people who will just have to sit down for 30 mins during their breaks. this was a company wide, or district wide decision, this wasn’t something our management came up with. and here’s the thing. admittedly, some higher ups in our company are seriously not the sharpest tacks in the box. and i’m not saying that you have to have a degree to make certain decisions, but it helps if you have some sort of, i don’t know, compassion, deductive reasoning, two brain cells to rub together. i, personally, will hardly be found in the break room, i don’t use it. but it’s absolutely clear to me that taking away the opportunity to let people rest is a recipe for disaster.

tuesday, 03.31.2020 2pm - 10pm

so, the owner of the dallas mavericks (basket ball) donated hand sanitizers to our company, for use of company employees. which, thanks, Mark, that was super sweet of you. no really. IF I SEE ONE CO WORKER USE THIS INSTEAD OF WASHING THEIR HANDS I WILL NOT BE MADE RESPONSIBLE FOR MY ACTIONS. wash your god damned hands people. hand sanitizer will never be able to do what soap and water can do. why is that such a big problem to understand.

the break room has a couple of chairs and tables in it now, and a sign on the door that reads “6 people limit, 6 feet apart.” yikes.

its the end of the month and people got paid so the store is getting busier. tomorrow is the first and i’m sure we’ll be packed. please take the following to heart: SHOP ALONE. don’t bring your wifey or hubby or roommate or kids. ok bring your kids if you have no one to watch them. do not use the grocery store as your family outing cause its the only spot you think youre allowed to go. it’s not. youre allowed to go for walks, in front of your house, in your neighborhood, heck, walk a circle around the store if you want, but don’t bring everybody into the store. social distancing is easier achieved if there’s less people to stay away from. be smart, think ahead. and if you think that shopping with two people makes it go faster? it’s not. cause you’re gonna argue over the choices made, you’re gonna veto your shopping buddies choice of beans and your gonna walk every aisle twice instead of once. and there will be more people touching more things and i could really do with less of that.

wednesday 04.01.2020 11am - 7pm

there’s a distillery in kansas who has converted their production to make hand sanitizer (or sanitizer in general) and we have received a shipment of, i think, two pallets. the fun part? they are the size and shape of vodka bottles.

they’re selling for $8 and we put a limit of 1 per family. they look super neat. it’s a plastic bottle, too. i don’t use hand sanitizer and i dont need it and there are people who need these i guess but i want one so badly. just as a, you know, reminder, a token, of these crazy times. i’m not gonna get one (but i kinda want one).

they have finally installed screens at the registers. and new rules came down from corporate: social distancing is the highest priority, hygiene is the highest priority. we are only going to operate 3 (out of 6) registers so that we can ensure that there’s enough space for everyone to feel safe. i have also spent 2 hours today thinning out displays that are cluttering up the sales floor so that we can encourage everyone to keep apart.

starting tomorrow, every employee will get their temp taken when they arrive to work. if the temp is too high you will be sent home (but paid for that day) and only be let back in to work if your temp stays normal for 72 hours without the help of meds.

pay has been increased by $2/h.

friday 04.03.2020 9am - 5pm

face masks everywhere.

like 80% of everybody started donning masks, scarves and homemade things to cover their lower face. face masks are a stark reminder that everyone should keep apart. it’s like an extra “hey, remember how we’re all potentially sick with something deadly? stay away.” i appreciate the effect it has.

there are about 5 different announcements over the PA, one about washing your hands and sneezing/coughing into your elbows, one about senior hours (which have changed now to tue, thu and sat morning), one about social distancing (about the length of two shopping carts!), one about “we’re all in this together” and one about us employees and how we’re doing so much more than our job right now.

ive stopped greeting customers. i smile maybe, since it’s something so ingrained into our brain, but i won’t speak unnecessarily.

the store is absolutely packed. the suggestion of staying away until the 3rd or the 4th that ive seen all over the internets seems to have cottoned on and now we’re slammed. with only 3 registers open now (to keep room between registers) the lines are down the aisles. one of the guys on the registers told me he loved it. it’s waaay less crowding around the registers, safer for the workers).

we have two entrances (the main one and a smaller one) and they closed the smaller one because it’s very tight there and doesn’t really work with trying to stay away from each other. it’s not locked, it’s just closed. no idea about the fire marshall code, but i have worked in bigger stores with only one main entrance so maybe it’s not part of any code.

i saw a woman with a vegas golden knights shirt and i miss hockey.

saturday 04.04.2020 7am - 5:30pm

my first day during senior hours, and admittedly we’ve only recently changed that but there are tons of people in the store and not a lot of seniors. but what do i know they all could be immunocompromised.

in our morning huddle communications meeting the store manager is spitting out a lot of numbers and percentiles and such, basically sales are still through the roof, even with the slower week we’ve had. it’s funny how there’s really no reference point anymore. forecasts and budgets have all been altered due to the situation but even those are still behind. the agency people aren’t with us anymore (since sunday) and i can see maybe 2 new people - but i’m not a reliable source for that because i don’t inter-mingle with other departments that much so i dont even know the regulars so i have no clue who is new. but we’re still running on basically the same people we’ve always had with this increased business.

aceotone is the new toilet paper. cant find it on the shelves, the warehouse is out and people are constantly asking for it. this one guy had me in stitches. he was shopping for the fam and had a list from his wife and you know, acetone, cuticle cream all the stuff you need to take care of your nails after you rip off the fake ones. i used to get my nails done so i gave him advice as best i could and pointed to some products, but no acetone. about five minutes later she finds me on the same aisle again and shows me a can of paint stripper with the word acetone in huge letters on it. i died. i told him that if his wife used that they are about to have a whole other set of problems. we both laughed. he had a great sense of humor. now go home, dude.

the side door that was closed on friday is open again. not surprised.

we are getting absolutely slammed with business. it’s a mad house. you can always tell when people start to park their cars on the fire lanes around the store. there’s just no more parking.

i do see a lot of single shoppers tho, which is so great. and then you got the families just sticking out like sore thumbs. and young college kids usually shop in threes or fours. but everybody is still taking way too much time. there was an article i read on local grocers and how some already reduced the people inside the stores and how every business is going to follow suit so we will see.

we ran out of eggs. and biscuits. and no significant numbers of paper products all week.

monday 04.06.2020 2pm - 10pm

fuck these customers, man

wednesday 04.08.2020 7am - 3pm

my company will not limit the customer count in the store. at least not in this state. when the whole thing started there was an email about store hours and they listed basically every division of our company and their changed hours - except, you guessed it, ours. i have a feeling they are going off of what other companies are doing around here, so unless theyre limiting people, we won’t. that’s my opinion. after work i realized i forgot butter and swung by a store (from a different company) close to home and they havent limited entrance either. they did have markings on the floor to encourage one way traffic down aisles, and i guess we’re gonna do that too. but nothing else. i did see smaller chains have started to limit people but not companies we’re competing with. so much for that. i guess first we need to have a few positive cases in order for them to change anything. the dollar speaks volumes, eh?

i saw this article a few days ago and i keep thinking about it. it basically sums up everything that’s going through all our minds every day. (i have no idea who this website is, i saw it and i read it and it spoke to me so dont come at me if it’s something weird - i just wanted to provide a source)

I manage a grocery store.

Here’s some things everyone should know

1. I don’t have toilet paper 2. I don’t have sanitizer 3. I run out of milk, eggs and meat daily 4. I promise if it’s out on the shelf … it’s not in a hidden corner of our backroom.

Those are the predictable ones, now for the real stuff

5. I have been doing this for 25 years I did not forget how to order product. 6. I did not cause the warehouse to be out of product/ 7. I schedule as much help as I have, including many workers working TONS of overtime to help YOU. 8. I am sorry there are lines at the check out lanes.

Now for the really important stuff:

9. My team puts themselves in harm’s way every day so you can buy groceries. 10. My team works tirelessly to get product on the floor for you to buy. 11. My team is exhausted. 12. My team is scared of getting sick. 13. My team is human and does not possess an antivirus… they are in just as much danger as you are. (Arguably more) but they show up to work every day just so you can buy groceries 14. My team is tired. 15. My team is very under-appreciated. 16. My team is exposed to more people who are potentially infected in one hour than most of you will in a week (medical community excluded, thank you for all that you do!). 17. My team is abused all day by customers who have no idea how ignorant they are. 18. My team disinfects every surface possible, everyday, just so you can come in grab a wipe from the dispenser, wipe the handle and throw the used wipe in the cart or on the ground and leave it there… so my team can throw it in the trash for you later. 19. My team wonders if you wash your re-usable bags, that you force us to touch, that are clearly dirty and have more germs on them than our shopping carts do. 20. My team more than earns their breaks, lunches and days off. And if that means you wait longer I am sorry.

The last thing I will say is this:

The next time you are in a grocery store, please pause and think about what you are saying and how you are treating the people you encounter. They are the reason you are able to buy toilet paper, sanitizer, milk, eggs, and meat.

If the store you go to is out of an item.. maybe find the neighbor or friend that bought enough for a year … there are hundreds of them… and ask them to spare 1 or 2. They caused the problem to begin with…

And lastly, please THANK the people who helped you. They don’t have to come to work!

#i dont know how to tag it i hate to tag it covid #i think it's gonna be #life in these pandemic times #thanks stumblingoverchaos

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notdeadyetnatural · 4 years ago

Text

Hey! So i took a swing at writing again, my friend keeps telling me i'll never get better if i don't practice, so here i am writing fanfiction instead of studying for finals.

I have so many headcanons about team free will, but one of them is that the brothers have, on several occasions, pretended to be girls husbands or boyfriends to get creepy dudes to stop hitting on them. I also think, that since Castiel is an angle, he would know much more about said creepy dudes, and he might take it a step further than the brothers are able to.

Anyway, i hope you enjoy. Feedback is deeply appreciated!

(Also, really quick. If anyone wants to take this idea and make their own story/fic, feel free to! I only wrote it cause i couldn't find any fics like it. If you do write a fic/story using this idea, please tag me! I would love to read it!)

-------

The first time it happens was after a particularly frustrating hunt.

Sam, Dean, and Cas, had spend the past 3 weeks trying to find out what was killing local witches. Sam had gotten the call from an old wiccan friend of his, saying that witches all around the county had been turning up dead, and all signs point to something supernatural.

It turns out there was the spirit of an seventeenth century priest attempting to carry out ‘god's will.’ Cas had informed him that he had been severely misinformed if he thought this is what his father wanted, and then punched him in the face with an iron ring.

“You sure you don't want us to give you a ride? That car of yours doesn’t look like its got much time left.” Dean said to Alta, the wiccan that informed them of the killings. Saying her car had been destroyed by the spirit was putting it lightly.

“Im good Winchester. Keep in touch Sam! I don't want to go another 6 years before talking again!” Alta replied before getting in to what could only be described as death on wheels.

After walking back to the Impala, which was lucky parked a block and a half away (Dean had learned along time ago not to bring his Baby into the strike zone of a vengeful spirit) Cas still had not said anything but a polite goodbye to Alta. “Are you sure your okay, Cas? Judging from the dent in that oak, Mr. God's Will didn't throw you gently.”

Castiel shrugged, then nodded. His grace was not low, but he’d rather use it to heal rather than fight now days. Getting thrown through a window wasn't as easy for the winchesters as it used to be. Dean gave him a quick glance, obviously not believing him, but did not push the subject any further.

“Well, i'm starving. There’s this cool looking place over near downtown, they had a sign saying half off drinks on saturdays, so maybe we can get Mr. frowny face over here to lighten up.” Dean said, unlocking the car. Sam agreed, and they were off.

It wasn't that Castiel was hurt, but cases involving his father always got him in a bad mood. The way meany of the monsters they hunted would use god as an excuse for their own hateful agenda made him angry beyond belief.

So maybe he could blame that night on the anger.

The place Dean had mentioned was much bigger that they were used to, but still had the home-town vibe. It was an open space, with a large bar in the corner and tables soroung a fair sized dance floor. If it had been any other night of the week, Dean would have been surprised to see so meany people. But it was saturday around nine, so it was to be expected.

They ordered some food, a burger for Dean, salad for Sam. Cas got himself a drink and sat down with the brothers.

“Cas, Cas! Buddy, you sure your okay?” Dean asked him. Maybe Cas was a little more out of it than normal, but only because he was suppressing so much anger. He had also been eying a women in sitting at the bar who looked so uncomfortable, she could slide out of her own skin.

“Im okay Dean. Really.”

“If you say so. Im going to go get some more drinks, you guys want anything?”

“Just a refill” Sam responded, and Cas shook his head. Dean walked over to the opposite end of the bar than the women, who now looked to be more sad than anything. A man, who Castiel assumed to be her boyfriend, shouted something before storming out of the bar. She looked a little dazed, but other than that okay. Cas focused back on his drink.

“What did you think of Alta?” Sam said.

“What?”

“I said, what did you think of Alta? Are you okay man? You really do seem out of it, we can go back to motel if we need to.”

“No, no. There's no need for that. I promise im okay. Just thinking about the case.” Cas said the last part with a notable sadness.

“You think we missed something?”

“Definitely not. Nothing like that is going to continue happening to those people.” Cas stated. He hesitated before continuing, Dean was still waiting at the bar. “I just... None of the witches were bad. I don't understand why this priest would think my father would want him to kill them, especially in such a brutal way.” Sam winced at the memory. All the body's had seemed more like executions than murders. The last couple especially gruesome.

“Well, you say it all the time yourself. We got a lot wrong, misinterpreting, mistranslating...” Sam trailed off. Humans really did get it wrong most of the time. “A lot of people use religion as an excuse to hate. I think that's part of the reason Dean has rejected it so much.”

Cas thought back to the poorly hidden annoyance in Deans tone talking about this case, and what the priest thought.

Before Castiel could say anything else, Dean walked back over with three drinks. “I don't need anything Dean.” Cas said as Dean handed him a glase.

“I know, but i've been trying to find one of these for you to try for a while now, and we are finally at a place that sells em” Dean said with a smile on his face. It was clear that the man was just trying to cheer Castiel up, but the gesture made Cas a little happier.

“Thank you, Dean” Cas said.

Halfway through the fruity drink Dean had brought him, Castiel noticed the women in the corner again. She had gone from sad and alone, to scared and with someone. Around the time she started hyperventilating, Cas set his drink down.

“Cas? Buddy, where are you going?” Dean asked him, but his voice was muted. The women was trying to get away now, but the man wasn't letting go. Cas sped up. He was about three quarters of the way there, when he saw the mans hand go somewhere the women clearly did not want it to be, and a bottle to the left of him cracked with his anger.

He made it over to where the women was sitting, and put two fingers to the mans forehead.

Time works differently, when you are an angle. Sometimes centuries seem like seconds, others, seconds lasted years. As Castiel held his fingers on the man, he saw what he had done. What he would continue to do.

And maybe he had had a bit more to drink than he told the bothers, maybe it was the left over anger about the case. Maybe it was simply Castiel. But that man would never hurt someone again.

His eyes shone a bright blue, almost white, and within three seconds of getting to the man, he was laying limply on the floor. Dean was halfway to him, holding up a hand to Sam signaling he would take care of whatever this was.

Cas looked at the women, and with fear in her eyes, he took her hand and explained. Images of the divine filled her brain, and she fell in Castiel's arms and sobbed. “Thank you... thank you. I'm so sorry”

The women, no older that 24, Cas could see now, was a mess in his arms. She didn't know anything about Castiel, other than what he was, and that was enough for her to feel safe. Dean made it to them, and Cas shot him a look to get him to back down.

Dean retreated, standing a few feet away, when the women looked up at Castiel. “Thank you” she said again.

“I'm sorry i didn't come sooner, i don't usually intervene like this.” Castiel responded gently. The women gathered herself back on to the bar stool, and stared at her hands.

“I dont..I-” She stammered.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Cas said. She nodded hesitantly. Dean was still confused, but he stayed away.

“He... Earlier me and my boyfriend broke up. I, um. I came out to him...” She shot a nervous glance at Castiel, clearly afraid of his reaction.

“As?” He asked with a reassuring smile. The women visibly relaxed.

Castiel cold have this effect on people sometimes, his grace was calming when it wasn't threatening divine wrath.

“Uh.. bi. I had come out to him as bi... And he didnt- didnt take that very well.” She got quieter as she spoke. A few stray tears were still rolling down her face.

At this point, someone had pointed out to the bouncer that the man had passed out on the floor. After seeing his head was bleeding, an ambulance was called. Cas could not say he was worried.

“He uh, he stormed out. Said somethings. I knew it was coming though. He was never a very supporting person. I called my friend, she actually should be here soon, um, sorry to bug you...”

“You are no bother. Would you like to speak about the man?” Castiel asked. He could tell she did, it was rolling off her in waves. But just because she had callmed due to his grace does not mean that he would force her.

She nodded shyly. “He, uh, he must have overheard me coming out. A Lot of the things he said, were um.. about that. I tried to be polite, cause sometimes being rude makes it worse, ya know?”

Castiel didn't know, but he nodded anyway.

“But he wouldn't stop, and eventually he started getting handsy-” She let out a teary laugh. “I realized- realized he was a lot stronger than i thought. By the time he had my arm i couldn't get out of his grip...” She got quiet.

“The you came” She looked up at castiel again. “Thank you” She repeated.

Castiel only nodded. “Would you like me to stay with you until your friend comes?” He asked. Again, he knew the answer, but he let her respond anyway.

“That would... That would be really nice. I- uh, I cant thank you enough.” She said. Castiel pulled her into another hug. Dean was silent, he had found another stool and sat a few feel away.

Castiel stayed with her until her friend, Amelia, frantically ran into the bar looking worried.

“Oh god, Jo, there you are” Amelia pulled Jo into a hug, and she broke down again. “Come on, sweetie, i have food in the car. Your place or mine?”

Jo calmed down just enough to whisper “Yours” and walk out to Amelia's car. Castiel walked with them, and before they left Jo pulled him into a hug.

Flashes of wings flew through Jo’s mind, and Castiel said. “You will be safe, Josephine, pray to me whenever you need to.” Cas whispered into her ear. He gave her a pat on the back and watched them roll away. Dean didn't say anything.

When they got back to the motel, Sam called first shower. Dean looked at him, waiting.

“You cant just go smiting people, Cas, especially in such a public place.” Dean said.

“I did not smite him.”

“You put to fingers to his head and he collapsed, what is going to happen to him?”

Castiel stayed quiet for a minute before answering. “His name was Jake. He will wake up in a hospital, handcuffed to the bed.” Dean gave him a strange look, Cas continued. “The doctors will say he passed out after having one to many drinks. By the time he makes it to the hospital, a warrant for his arrest will have been issued.” Dean was surprised.

“He will be charged for over 10 accounts of rape, one murder, and abuse. Jake will try to buy his way out, but, for some reason that just wont work this time. His case will be assigned to a particularly harsh judge, and he will get life in prison.”

It was safe to say Dean was stunned.

“...I, I don't know what to say Cas.”

“This wasn't his first time. He had plans for that women, Jo. But it will be his last, Hanna has made sure of it.” The mention of the angel running heaven made Dean look back up at Cas. He nodded. Sam got out of the shower, and the next morning they were on their way back to the bunker.

A week later, Cas heard a prayer. It was mid morning, the bunker was still quiet with its occupants asleep. Jo prayed to him for safety, for him to protect her.

Another 2 days went by, and there was another. Jo prayed to him for happiness and advice. To send her a sign that it was going to be okay. It didn't take much grace to make a monarch land on her finger that day.

The prayers continue, and as a favor to Castiel, Hanna promises to keep an eye on the human,

That was the first time Cas protected someone at a dingy bar or festival or where ever casses took them.

It wasn't the last.

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