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psychelis-new · 11 months

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pick a pile: "Loving letter from your higher self"

take a breath and choose the photo or number that calls you the most to read about what your higher self would like to tell you right now and how they may want to encourage you or show you the way to reach for them.

don’t take the reading too seriously. only take what resonates with you and leave the rest. if you're not called by any pile, let this reading slid as it may not hold messages for you. if you're called by more than one pile, there may be messages in each of those piles. remember that is a general reading and some things may not resonate with you. energies can change and readings are based on present ones (as you read); you're always in charge of your life.

(photos found on unsplash)

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1 2 3 4 - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ -

pile 1

Darling, it's time to heal the past. What do you want to say? What do you want? Who cares what others say, just go. Follow your guts. And if it won't go well, you've tried, you'll have nothing to blame yourself for and you know you won't have regrets or live in fear. I know you're scared, I was too. So much scared. We are humans, it's okay to be scared of what we don't know, of life in general. But we need to be true to ourselves. Take a pause and have a chat within us. It's time to stop giving up or renouncing to things for others or even just because we don't feel they belong to us... we are doing it for what? For sure, we're not getting prizes for this. It's our life, nobody else matters. So just be you, let's just be us. Listen to us. To our heart. If people will ever judge us negatively or think we're any less, it's their problem not ours. Stop thinking about them. Take charge. Regain control. Stand up for yourself, free yourself. It's all in your hands. You need to realize deep down all your worth, all your desires, and start working towards them, no matter what else will come in between. You're deserving of love, and much more. People come, people go, there's nothing fixed, not even in their words or thoughts: they're all as uncertain and insecure as us. Do you really want to have such an unstable source validating and guiding you? You're the only one who needs validating yourself, ourselves. But you need to start doing it for yourself, only yourself. Not because of others and what you fear they'll think of you or if you'll hurt them. You have feelings too. You are important too. So, what do you want? Whatever it is, know that you can get it or at least try to get it, no matter how difficult it seems now. No matter how impossible. And even if you won't get it at first or at all, it'll be fine anyway. But be you, and consider trying a new road if you need. I'll wait for you here. I have trust in you, so trust us too.

[you may be called by pile 4 too; letter A may be important; your letter kinda reminds me of the dialogue on the beach between Adrian -with the A, love it- and Rocky in Rocky III, where you are Rocky and your higher self is Adrian asking you for truth; there's a chance you're trying to manifest love -any type- or feeling lovable: you are, simply cause you're here. You don't need to do or be anything in particular to be lovable and/or find love, just believe you deserve]

song: open your eyes | hoobastank

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pile 2

Dear one, I know things are pretty confusing right now. I know you feel stuck and as if you were keep working on the same thing but cannot see a way out of it. But keep strong for a little more, would you? I know you wanna give up sometimes, just let go, sleep it all away... Take a nap then. Give yourself a break and then start all over again. More corageously, more bravely, more focused and determined on your goal. It is not time to give up: you don't know what may happen if you hold on for a little more. It's all I am asking you: hold on. I know it seems a lot on some days, but on those days just give yourself a break. Start again on better days, even if it's after a week or two. But do not completely give up, especially not on you, not on us. Be strong willed as I know you are, as I know we are. All the scrapes in our soul will be healed, we'll find peace. This I promise you. Curl in into yourself, embrace yourself as if you were in an egg. You're going to be born again soon. I know you cannot see it now, but you will. You are your own (our own) embryo. So take your time to work on you, learn to treat yourself with kindness and love, and get ready to be born into a new person. The amazing person you already are inside but aren't aware of. The amazing person you'll realize you are one day soon. Let our insticts guide you: they never really failed you, unless when you let our mind in. Find a different way to look at the problem: this will be the start of it all. Find your own reasons, find your own real self. Re-connect with your core. Re-learn how to talk with yourself. Everything will change. Everything is changing. Take care of you, I am always here. You are not alone, and you're not supposed to stay alone or do anything alone. Once you feel ready, get out of the shell. The world is waiting, and I am waiting for you too. I am waiting to show you all the beautiful things you deserve.

[letter T may be important; you're transforming into another you atm, I keep seeing this person in an embryo with their eyes closed, in a fetal position; atm you may be undergoing a huge change but also an internal battle: the advice is to take your time and learn more about yourself; if you fear going deep inside alone cause you don't know what you will find, ask for help; it's hard to keep the focus, maybe you are easily distracted or suffer from adhd/ocd or are dealing with too many things at times and are overwhelmed... try to find ways to distract from this and calm your mind; talk with someone, even your Guides or anyone really; if you're grieving, give yourself time to go through the whole porcess, maybe learn about it online -a positive message/sign may be coming in soon; drink water and stay hydrated, ily<;3]

song: with me | sum41

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pile 3

Hello little one! It's time to write your own story! Are you ready? There's gonna be big things and little things, big random stuff and smaller ones, big changes and smaller ones...remember to keep in consideration all of them. And never despise little things as they may carry the most valuable experiences for you. Be open to anything my love! It's time to be brave and get our there and show who you are, be proud of what you did and who you grew to be. I am. I really am. You're kind, determined, strong and so energetic... and you totally need to be hyped and get ready for this new start. You're not seeing anything now, you need to trust. To leave the past behind and go forward with all your positivity and good luck by your side (you have it!!). Feel it in your bones, follow that feeling. Take this leap of faith and trust you'll end up where you have always dreamed of. I know there are still some things that make you feel unsure or feel like willing to postpone this jump in the unknown, but trust me: if you'll wait for the day you'll feel ready, you may even wait forever. Let this go. Okay, okay. Maybe I'm trying to rush you a bit. Okay. Got it. Keep healing what is causing you stress inside, have a deeper look, understand yourself, ourselves, maybe take a break from all the people/socials and the stress of internet and its messages so to really focus on what is important for you and how beautiful you really are... but then please PLEASE *praying hands emoji* jump! Jump all force, jump big. Do not make a little random insecure step and an awful dive, we need to jump and take all the 10s we can from the 10 meters trampoline! I promise it's gonna be fine. SO-VERY-FINE. I'm so excited for you babe!

[your higher self is very funny and cheering, their expression/face remind me of an old tv sketch in which Jerry Lewis pretended to use an imaginary type-writer; I am also seeing this emoji •ᴗ•; letters E and R may be important; maybe diving or swimming or any sport related to water can be important for you or water can be of help/healing -even swimming in a swimming pool; also time is very important, either as divine timing or as taking time for yourself or... "making it in time"? If you're stressing about running out of time, don't. You're plenty of time]

song: time | ellaharp

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pile 4

My love there's so much you can't see! But I want you to be ready and learn to receive, to be so bold you ask for the highest prize and wait for it to be delivered to your door. You are in charge of your own life and you know it, so just stand tall in it and forget doubts: these only hinders you. Don't be afraid, you're not asking for anything too much, and it's not up to you to decide what is too much and what not. You did a lot, you grew up so much... And it has been tough, I know. Many of the things that happaned to you, you didn't deserve them, but trust that all your effort is not going unseen. Higher forces are at work for you, to give you back something after all you gave. I know it seems impossible to change what has been, to start something new, to experience something new. To even think about all this makes you dizzy, right? And kinda stresses you cause at the moment, everything is still in the making, "it's all so quiet"... but it's the calm before the storm. And I know you know storms so well. You have seen many. And for this reason, because you've seen how things can change during and after a storm, I want you to believe that things can change for you too. That you can get what you wish for. That it's time to change course of things, to let the wind blow you in the right direction. You'll be getting a news soon, just remember to get infos about it before answering and to not get your self doubts or insecurities in between. We have learned our lessons, it's time to put them into practice. Do not let anyone fool you. We need to make a different move/decision, if we want to have a different result. And I know you have all it takes to make it. I am here for this reason, in fact. Thank you.

[you may be called by pile 1 too; letters V, T, C and O may be important; bjork song "it's oh so quiet" may hide messages for you; if you want to fall in love, you are getting ready to or falling in love with yourself first now; you may like windy days or like to sail or be air dominant/have air signs especially in the big 3]

song: (crack it) something going on | bomfunk mc's ft. jessica folcker

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isadomna · 2 months

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Isabel of Castile, First Duchess of York

Isabel was the third of four children of King Pedro I, also known as Pedro the Cruel, who ruled the Crown of Castile from 1350. Her mother was the vivacious and intelligent Maria de Padilla, often described as Pedro's mistress. In 1361, when Isabel was only six, her mother died. The following year, Pedro declared that he and Maria had been lawfully married before he was forced to espouse his estranged French wife, Blanche of Bourbon, who was by then also dead, some said murdered by her husband. His claim of an earlier marriage was subsequently endorsed by the Cortes, thus legitimising Pedro's children by Maria. Pedro was killed by his illegitimate half-brother and deadly enemy Enrique of Trastámara in March 1369. Trastámara became King Enrique II of Castile.

Isabel accompanied her elder sister Constanza to England, and married Edmund of Langley, son of Edward III and Philippa of Hainault, in 1472 at Wallingford, as part of a dynastic alliance in furtherance of the Plantagenet claim to the crown of Castile. Isabel was only 16 or 17 to Edmund’s 31, and brought him no lands or income or even the promise of such because her sister Constanza – who married Edmund’s elder brother John of Gaunt as his second wife – was their father’s heir. John and Constanza spent many years trying unsuccessfully to claim her late father’s throne from her illegitimate half-uncle Enrique of Trastamara, while Edmund and Isabel were required to give up any claims to the kingdom of Castile and were not compensated.

As a result of her marriage, Isabel became the first of a total of eleven women who became Duchess of York. She was appointed a Lady of the Garter in 1379. In their twenty years of marriage, the Duke and Duchess of York had three children:

Edward of Norwich, Duke of York

Constance

Richard of Conisburgh, Earl of Cambridge

Contemporary sources suggest that Edmund and Isabel were an ill-matched pair and their relationship was a rocky one, with Isabel accused of having an affair with John Holland, Duke of Exeter and half-brother to Richard II. The affair is believed to have started as early as 1374 and likely continued for a decade. As a result of her indiscretions, Isabel left behind a tarnished reputation. The chronicler Thomas Walsingham considered her to have somewhat loose morals.

John Holland has also been suggested as the real father of Isabel’s youngest son, Richard of Conisburgh, who was the grandfather of Edward IV and Richard III. The fact that his father Edmund of Langley and brother Edward, both, left him out of their wills has fuelled this theory. However, leaving a son out of your will was not entirely unusual, and Richard had died when his brother made his will.

Isabel of Castile died in December 1392 at the age of about 37 and was buried at Langley Priory in Hertfordshire. In her will, Isabel left items and gifts of money to close relatives by blood or marriage, and to numerous servants of hers, men and women. Isabel referred to Edmund of Langley as her "very honoured lord and husband of York", and left him all her horses, all her beds including the cushions, bedspreads, canopies and everything else that went with them, her best brooch, her best gold cup, and her "large primer". Isabel named King Richard II as her heir, requesting him to grant her younger son, Richard, an annuity of 500 marks. Isabel left nothing at all to her older sister Constanza, duchess of Lancaster, and failed even to mention her. Isabel doesn't forget John Holland in her will, at this time married to Elizabeth of Lancaster, John of Gaunt's daughter.

About 11 months later her widower married Joan Holland, niece of Isabel's supposed lover, John Holland. In another bizarre family twist, it was Joan’s brother, Edmund Holland, Earl of Kent, who had an affair – and an illegitimate daughter – with Constance of York, the daughter of Edmund and Isabel. In Edmund’s own will of 1400 he requested burial ‘near my beloved Isabele, formerly my consort.’ Despite Isabel of Castile's bad reputation and supposedly having been involved in a court scandal that humiliated her husband, Edmund seems to have felt great affection for her as demonstrated by his willingness to rest eternally with Isabel and not with his second wife.

Source:

#Isabel of Castile #Edmund of Langley #Duchess of York #Duke of York #women in history #english history #spanish history

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scotianostra · 6 months

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October 14th 1285 saw the marriage of King Alexander III to Yolande de Dreux.

Dates differ somewhat on this, one source states the marriage happened in November, most give October.

This was Alexander’s second marriage, the first was to Queen Margaret, they had three children, two of whom passed away before adulthood, the third, Margaret was married off to Eric II of Norway. Queen Margaret died on 26th February 1275 at Cupar Castle, with no male heir this meant a possible succession crisis, it took ten years for for Alexander to find a suitable bride, but according to the Lanercost Chronicle, he did not spend his decade as a widower alone:

“he used never to forbear on account of season nor storm, nor for perils of flood or rocky cliffs, but would visit none too creditably nuns or matrons, virgins or widows as the fancy seized him, sometimes in disguise.”

Yolande de Dreux was the daughter of Robert IV, Count of Dreux, and Beatrice, Countess of Montfort. She was born at the family seat at the Chateau of Dreux, close to the border between Normandy and the Ile-de-France. This made her a member of the Capetian dynasty, the largest and oldest of the royal houses in Europe.

And so it was on this day in 1285 that the 44 year old Alexander married 22 year old Yolande, by now Comtesse de Montfort.

The royal couple were married at Jedburgh AbbeyIt appears to have been love at first sight for both of them. Certainly all the Chronicles say that Alexander was quite besotted with his young, beautiful and graceful wife.

Alexander simply could not get enough of the glamorous Yolande, and on March 19, 1286, the king enjoyed a meal with his council in Edinburgh before deciding to surprise Yolande who was at a royal manor at Kinghorn in Fife.

The weather was so bad that the ferryman at Queensferry at first refused to carry the King across the Forth, but eventually he did so and with plenty wine taken and no doubt lust beckoning him onwards, the lure of Yolande proved too much and Alexander III charged onward through Fife.

His body was found the following morning on the shore between Burntisland and Kinghorn Ness near to Pettycur. The cliff down which he fell is known still as King’s Crag.

The history books tell us Yolande was pregnant, some say she miscarried, another chronicle goes into a wee bit more detail saying that the Guardians gathered at Clackmanan on St Catherine’s day 25th November 1286 – to witness the birth, but the child was stillborn, tradition says the baby was buried at Cambuskenneth. After the queen dowager’s pregnancy did not result in a living child, the council begun preparations for Margaret of Norway to be taken to Scotland as their new sovereign.

Queen dowager Yolande remained in Scotland for a couple of years supported by her dower provisions and living possibly at Stirling Castle: it is known that she was still in Scotland at least as late as in 1288. At some point, she returned to France.

In 1292 Yolande de Dreux remarried, this time to Arthur II, Duke of Brittany. They had six children together over the following decade. Arthur died in 1312, while Yolande lived until 1330.

Lots of ifs and buts resulting from this part of our history, but one thing is for sure, with Queen Yolande later having 6 children, there is little doubt that if Alexander hadn’t been so lusty that night she would have bore him a son and the whole timeline of our Royals would have been much different, no Bruce, no Stewarts, no Culloden?

Pics are Alexander's statue above the West door of St Giles in Edinburgh, and Seal of Yolande of Scotland - Duchess of Brittany.

#scotland #scottish #french #Brittany #Normandy #marriage #medieval history

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haunteddollgender · 5 months

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I just watched the Family Guy clip that features "the robot from Rocky IV" and then had to watch the actual clip and yeah there is a robot in Rocky IV. How did Lou feel about that scene?

Okay so big spoilers for the Rocky series ahead because this is going to be such a long answer.

Rocky IV was so fucking out of left field it actually made me put my monthly Rocky movie watch on pause.

Okay so there is a lot going on with this movie that make it so very distinctly 80’s and at the heart of this 80’s-ness is the overbearing influence of the Cold War. It is a Cold War movie. It’s a primary source for life in America during the Cold War. It’s… so very very rough.

First of all of course there’s a lot of anti-Russo sentiment but there’s also just a very insane display of wealth, very much like the kind of vibe that made the Rocky series (imo) kind of a tragedy in I-III. Because the wealth and status of celebrity had been chipping away at Rocky slowly and slowly and he had been losing himself and his personage and humanity and his passion and his ability to sustain and nurture his close interpersonal relationships. But in Rocky IV when he flaunts his wealth it’s suddenly shown to be a positive thing and not in complete contradiction to what the movies have shown us so far up to this point.

This shift in focus is very clearly supposed to reinforce the western capitalistic idea that financial success and pointless consumerism are necessary for actual happiness, because Rocky needed that good ol’ Americana reprieve from those darn Ruskies. And so the robot that he buys (which very weirdly becomes like a wife for Paulie, because I guess no living broad would take him) is a very tacky and very VERY 1980’s manifestation of this newfound positive spin on consumerism in the Rockyverse.

Not only is the new view on money already insane enough, but Rocky’s view on death and mourning also take such an insane and disorienting turn in this film. In Rocky III, when his trainer Mick died, it put Rocky’s entire life on pause. He couldn’t talk to anyone, he couldn’t fight, and he began to lose touch with who he was. The pain of that loss overwhelmed him and this set a very profound bar for Rocky’s relationship with grief. It’s established that grief is debilitating for him, and that it takes time for him to recover and begin to cope. However in Rocky IV, when his best friend Apollo dies, it’s a completely different story. He’s immediately hopeful for the chance to avenge him, and ready to hop into the ring.

I think that the forced patriotism of the movie creates a disappointing blind spot for the narrative, because nothing about the first three Rocky movies pointed in the direction for ANY of what happens in Rocky IV. And I think that the robot is the perfect example of how nonsensical this installment was to the series.

#sorry if this answer sucks. it’s 2:30 am #asks

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omniversalobservations · 1 year

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Animaniacs (November 1993)

The Warners star in this cartoon patterned after the Looney Tunes "bookstore come to life" cartoons, taking place in a video store. They prance around the store as they try to avoid a menacing dinosaur from a Jurassic Park tape.

The featured titles include the following:

* The Last Boy Scout * Awakenings * Three Men and a Baby * The Hand That Rocked the Cradle * Silence of the Lambs * Bugsy (ft. Bugs Bunny) * Beethoven * The Player * The Abyss * Paperhouse * Rambo III * Rocky V * Star Trek VI * Sister Act * Phantom of the Opera * The Naked Gun (perhaps) * Twins * Hatari! * Unforgiven * Hook * The Addams Family * Amadeus * A Muppet Family Christmas (replacing A with The) * Citizen Kane * Singin' in the Rain * The Princess Bride * The Prince of Tides * The Fisher King (mentioned) * Father of the Bride (also mentioned) * Jaws * Pyscho * E.T. * JFK * Used People * Cobra * Pat and Mike * Apocalypse Now * Who Framed Roger Rabbit * Raging Bull * The Godfather III * Fried Green Tomatoes * The Babe * Lethal Weapon 2 * Mystic Pizza * Edward Scissorhands * Top Gun * Wayne's World * Malcolm X * The Mighty Ducks * Duck Soup * Star Wars * Boyz N The Hood * Medicine Man * The Doctor * Jurassic Park * Evil Dead * Evil Dead 2 * Doctor Zhivago * Dr. Giggles * Soapdish * Cape Fear * Ben-Hur * The Right Stuff * A River Runs Through It * The Bridge on the River Kwai * A Few Good Men * Taps * The Bodyguard * Sneakers * Dick Tracy (probably) * The Wizard of Oz * Field of Dreams * Batman * Thelma and Louise * Bram Stoker's Dracula * Heaven's Gate * Ishtar * Dune * Howard the Duck * 1941 * Leonard Part VI * Jacob's Ladder * The Last of the Mohicans (briefly) * Rain Man * Backdraft * City Slickers * Lorenzo's Oil * The Great Escape * City of Joy

Source: Animaniacs Wiki

(images via YouTube)

#cartoons #Animaniacs #Rambo #Star Trek #The Hand That Rocks the Cradle #Peter Pan #The Addams Family #Citizen Kane #Singin' in the Rain #The Princess Bride #The Prince of Tides #The Fisher King #fiction as reality

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rabbitcruiser · 1 year

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San Miguel County, CO (No. 1)

The San Miguel River is a tributary of the Dolores River, approximately 81 miles (130 km) long, in southwestern Colorado in the United States. It rises in the San Juan Mountains southeast of Telluride and flows northwest, along the southern slope of the Uncompahgre Plateau, past the towns of Placerville and Nucla and joins the Dolores in western Montrose County approximately 15 miles (24 km) east of the state line with Utah.

The San Miguel is more or less free-flowing; however, diversion dams dot the river and alter flows. In some parts it is however one of the few remaining naturally functioning rivers of the West.

The San Miguel varies in gradient, from extremely steep in its upper reaches (forming a shallow, rocky, unnavigable stream) to more mellow in the lower sections (30–50 feet per mile (5.7–9.5 m/km) of drop, which offers the whitewater boater a variety of runs all within the class II+--III range). All told, the San Miguel drops over 7,000 feet (2,100 m) from an alpine ecosystem to the desert. The average flow is about 600 cu ft/s (17 m3/s).

Source: Wikipedia

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annisthree · 1 year

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Chapter III: Ontasou

previous chapter // masterlist // next chapter

Pairing: Cassian Andor x Original Female Character

Word Count: ~5k

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Explicit language, canon typical violence

Chapter summary: Marla's squad receives orders to steal the new Imperial security protocols from the droid factory on Ontasou. Everything goes well - right up until it doesn't.

A/N: Cross-posted on AO3 (same username).

It was damp, cold, and her shoes were leaking.

'Hand me the binoculars,' The tremble in Aevie's voice suggested that she, too, was far from being overjoyed. Or warm.

Marla passed over the equipment and promptly retreated her arm again to hide it beneath the waterproof fabric she had covered her body with.

They have been at it for at least two hours, lying flat on the rocky ridge facing the droid factory. It was dark, and the wet stones glistened in the moonlight - which would have been a beautiful sight, poetic even, was it not for the bitter cold that made them both infinitely miserable and grumpy.

Oh, and the mud. Her entire body was now covered in mud. Good for staying undetected, bad for... well, everything else.

'Anything?' Marla's question was met with a resigned groan. 'Stars. I don't like this plan. It's a stupid plan, even for Cassian,' A quiet chuckle on her right encouraged Marla to continue. 'I don't see why we always have to overcomplicate it. I say, give Sal a repeater blaster, you can sneak in with the explosives, and Zafe and I will cover your backs - we can have this finished before the end of the shift. Before we freeze to death.'

Aevie's raincover rustled a little as she shifted to change her position. Her usually blue skin got somehow paler - perhaps it was the contrast with layers of mud that made her complexion even lighter by comparison. 'And what is Cassian doing in this scenario?'

Marla shrugged, realising suddenly how stiff her arms had become after hours of lying in the same position. 'Dunno. Sulking somewhere in the corner. Leaning on the wall and staring the Imperials down. Maybe distracting some pretty Imperial engineers.'

Marla punctuated the sentence with a scoff that was supposed to convey how little she cared. Because she didn't. She definitely wasn't thinking about him during the mission, and her brain definitely wasn't replaying the memories of the last night on repeat.

They hadn't addressed what had happened; they hadn't even said a single word to one another throughout the entire five-hour flight. Cassian was co-piloting with her, like he usually did - only this time, the air in the cockpit was filled with tension so evident it would be funny to Marla if she weren't directly involved. It helped that they had flown together so many times before that they didn't really need to communicate; they just organically knew what to do.

Luckily, jumping to hyperspace meant they could start avoiding each other from a greater distance. As soon as the streaks of blue and white appeared outside the viewport, Cassian sprang up from the co-pilot chair and almost darted out of the cockpit, his face contorted into an intense frown that caused his forehead to crease between his eyes.

And honestly, she didn't mind. She wasn't ready to talk. What would she tell him? You're a great lay, but now let's pretend this never happened? Or, I know we shouldn't be doing this, but I can't stop thinking about straddling you in the co-pilot seat? Or maybe, The way you smile at me sometimes makes me wanna scream and kiss you and cry and breathe you in and...

No, definitely not that last one.

So they did what they both did best - they buried everything deep down, like the emotionally illiterate fools they were.

After four more hours of silent torture, they arrived on Ontasou and immediately began scouting the area. They had to land a fair distance from their destination, so there was quite a trek involved - especially considering the weather and the fact that Ontasou's single moon was their only source of lighting.

They decided to take turns watching the factory, trying to gather some intel on security before they went in. The first shift went to Cassian and Zafe - and it had them come back three hours later soaked and emptyhanded. Cassian was properly brooding at that point, whereas Zafe, for some reason, had a spark of humour in his eyes that made Marla slightly nervous.

But then it was their turn. And, as much as Marla hated being flattened to a cold, wet rock with rain getting into her eyes and wind constantly blowing off her raincover - she was rather grateful she got to spend some Cassian-free time.

Plus, she could finally be helpful again. She missed that feeling - stuck in the med bay and then on bed rest, she had been itching for some action. Even if, technically, it was supposed to be a stealth mission. You never know what could go wrong.

A quiet gasp on her right jerked Marla back to reality.

'Shift change,' Aevie murmured curtly, returning the binoculars to Marla and turning her datapad on.

Accompanied by the sound of the frantic tapping of Aevie's fingers on the screen, Marla grabbed the binoculars and focused the image on the factory entry.

'Twelve buckets coming out the main entrance, twelve new ones exiting the transport,' she mumbled. 'The old shift is formed in two columns of six, standing at attention, about ten metres away from the entrance. Tight fit, but it's an opening,' The tapping on her left continued, interrupted only occasionally by a quiet sniff or a rustle of Aevie's raincoat. 'They are meeting in the front; someone's talking. Remaining exits seem clear.'

The factory wasn't too big - its grey dome seemed minuscule compared to the mountain peaks surrounding it. Their intel said that the entire manufacturing process was fully automated, meaning the only staff was a handful of technicians - and, of course, security.

'And off they go, the new shift is walking in. That was,' Marla paused, digging out her chrono from underneath layers of protective garments, 'three minutes, nineteen seconds. You got everything?'

The rhythmic tapping continued for a couple of seconds before stopping completely, followed by an affirmative hum from Aevie.

'Good. I think we've got what we came for. Let's get the hell out of here before my lips get bluer than yours.'

'Okay. She's in. Let's go.'

The plan was simple; they would take advantage of those three minutes it took the Imperials to change guard by sending Aevie to sneak in through the main door. It was a bit risky, but based on their recon, she should be out of the line of sight. Plus, she was tiny and quick, and she'd never failed them before.

Upon entering the factory, Aevie was to quickly rig the door with the data spike they got from one of the engineers back on the base. If everything went according to plan, it would look like a technical malfunction, and the Imperials would need some time to crack it in order to be able to open the door. Then, she would get to the emergency exit and let the rest of the team in, again blocking the door to prevent the Stormtroopers from getting in that way.

From there, it was supposed to be an easy ride: they would find the server room, download the data, and get out the way they came in. The engineer who programmed the spike gave them the estimate of twenty minutes before Imperials cracked the program, so ideally, they would have plenty of time. There was, of course, the question of factory guards, whose shifts were not synchronised with those of the Stormtroopers and thus would still be patrolling the facility - but hey, what's a couple of guards?

For now, though, they needed to get in. Which is why they were currently sprinting down a hill towards the emergency exit.

'I would like to formally request permission to blow up the production line, once--' A surprised sigh escaped Marla's lips as she slipped on one of the damp rocks, interrupting her question. Luckily, she was running right behind Salvatore, who saved her from what would surely be a very painful bruise on her freshly healed ribs, '--once we have the intel. I didn't bring all these thermal detonators for nothing.'

'You brought them,' Cassian panted from somewhere behind her, 'as a plan B. Plan A is for them not to notice we were ever there.'

Marla rolled her eyes and tried very hard not to think how the sound of his quickened breath evoked certain memories she would be foolish to dive into at that moment.

Focus.

Soon enough, the four of them reached the emergency exit - drenched, breathless, but in one piece. They were all just getting lined up along the durasteel wall when the door opened, revealing (slightly less drenched, but just as breathless) Aevie.

'Come on in. We need to be quick. I don't trust software that isn't mine.'

And so in they came, immediately creating a large puddle right by the door. Marla narrowly resisted the urge to shake off the water like a wet loth wolf, instead opting for a less dramatic process of wringing out her braid by hand.

'I think I saw the server room on my way here,' Aevie's nervous whisper got everyone focused again. 'But I also saw a couple of guards, so - careful.'

Pulling out both of her blaster pistols, Marla felt a delightful rush of adrenaline she had missed so much during her bed rest. She couldn't help a small grin, which immediately earned her a disapproving headshake from Cassian - to which she replied with an innocent shrug.

The inside of the factory looked... well, exactly like the inside of any other imperial building. Marla wondered if they had a catalogue of painfully bright, nauseatingly sterile and impersonal interiors that they just randomly chose from whenever a new facility was needed. Or maybe it was an algorithm, something that automatically generated a random layout built from pre-defined blocks. Either way - at least it was always easy to connect the dots if you ever woke up somewhere without a recollection of the events that led up to that point. Which, for Marla, happened way more often than she would like.

'Over here.'

They walked in a single column, with Aevie at the front, then Cassian, Marla, Salvatore and Zafe. The plan was to be quiet, but that was no easy feat, considering how the empty walls echoed every step or every louder breath. But so far, they lucked out. The server room was not far from where they entered, and Aevie did indeed seem to have a general idea of where they were going.

They stopped in front of a large door that had a fortified viewport in the middle. As they positioned themselves on both sides, glueing their backs to the wall and nervously gripping their weapons of choice, Cassian slowly walked up to the viewport and tilted his head ever so slightly to peek inside. He took a second to inspect the inside of the room and then backed out again, making intense eye contact with everyone and clearly showing two fingers before pointing his chin at the entrance. There was another series of gestures that outlined the strategy: he and Marla would go in first and stun (STUN, his eyes seemed to scream, throwing Marla an intense look) them. The rest would follow soon after to help hide the bodies and watch the exit. Meanwhile, Aevie would go straight to the terminal and do whatever needed to be done to upload the Imperial security protocols onto their databanks.

They reorganised quietly, leaving Marla and Cassian closest to the entrance, on both sides of the door. Cassian fixed her with another intense stare as if to ask if she understood the order - she nodded in reply, fighting the urge to poke fun at his solemn expression. Then, without warning, he grabbed her by the wrist, tilting it in a way that revealed the side of the blaster pistol she was holding. It took her a split second to realise he was checking if her guns were indeed in stun mode. The audacity.

She jerked her hand back and threw him a look that - she hoped - conveyed both resentfulness and annoyance.

Oh, you don't trust me?

Cassian was unmoved, his face frozen in that signature blank expression - he was already in his mission mode, focused, clearly determined to get everything done as cleanly and quickly as possible.

But then he finally raised three fingers, signalling the countdown to Marla.

Two.

One.

They kicked the door in, trying their best to do it as quietly as possible - if there ever was such a thing as subtle door-kicking. The two guards were clearly taken by surprise - and that split second of hesitation was enough for Marla and Cassian to stun both enemies.

'Clear of hostiles.'

'Okay, do your thing,' someone whispered at Aevie, and she darted towards the terminal in the centre of the room. The rest quickly moved the stunned guards to one of the supply closets, conveniently spacious enough to fit two rather large (but not buff; the other kind of large) middle-aged Imperials.

Marla remained close to the door, her back against the wall, head only slightly peeking outside and scanning the hallway. She tightened the grip on her blasters and took a deep breath to stabilise the rush of adrenaline that flooded her body. She was in her element: listening, waiting, ready to start blasting at first sight of trouble.

Eyes focused on the hallway, she relied on her hearing to track the progress of the rest of the crew. There was some whispering (funny, considering they had just kicked in a massive steel door, making enough noise to wake a sleeping krayt dragon). There was also a distinct sound of tapping on a screen.

'Okay, I'm in,' Aevie's voice was quiet and steady but laced with a pinch of urgency. 'Now to find the software database...'

'We have five minutes until the Imperials break through the door lock, at least according to the predictions we got.'

'You're... not helping, Zafe,' Aevie murmured, not interrupting the fast rhythm set by her fingers. 'Oh. Oh. I think I've got it. Just need to break this firewall and move the files to...'

She didn't get to finish. The room (and with it, the rest of the building) suddenly filled with a painful, high-pitched shrill of sirens, complete with red flashing coming from all available light sources.

'What the hell...?' someone screamed over the noise.

'Kriff. Stupid firewall. I must have- kriff. It's all locked now. I can't get in.' Aevie's words felt like punches. Marla was still focused on the hallway, now more so than ever, but she didn't have to look back to be able to imagine Aevie's finger shaking at the terminal, desperately punching different buttons.

'What do you mean you can't get in?' Cassian barked, and Marla wanted to smack him on the head for stressing Aevie even more.

'I mean, it's on lockdown. Everything. I must have tripped an alarm.'

This time Marla couldn't resist a quick glance inside the room. Cassian was pinching the bridge of his nose, freezing in that pose for a moment. Aevie was putting on a brave face, but you could see her big blue eyes were filled with guilt and apprehension.

The sound of quickly approaching footsteps jerked Marla back to reality. Someone was coming. Several someones, from the sound of it. Marla backed into the doorframe and tightened the grip on her pistols, shooting a cautionary look at the others.

She fired the first shot as soon as the guard appeared from behind the corner, immediately ducking back behind her cover. There was a surprised half-scream and a loud thump, confirming she did not miss.

Marla leaned out of the doorframe again and shot blindly at where the previous guard was. She missed this time, but before she could take a step back, she felt someone's body pressing against her back and saw an arm appearing right next to hers, pointing a blaster in the exact same direction as she was. It fired, and the bolt found the remaining guard and had him stumble back before slumping lifelessly to the floor.

'I had it under control,' she mumbled.

'Sure you did,' Cassian murmured almost directly into her ear, and the sudden wave of conflicting emotions made Marla want to point her blaster at her own head just to escape the awkwardness of the situation.

But before she could, he stepped back and turned around to face the rest of the crew.

'Is there any chance you could still get us those files?' Cassian asked, and Aevie shook her head apologetically.

Marla didn't move, her eyes glued to the corner at the end of the hallway. Everything was drowning in a pulsating red light amplified by the reflective surfaces the walls were covered with.

She took a deep breath. There must have been a way. She didn't spend hours lying in mud just to get back with empty hands. There must be-- wait.

'I have an idea you won't like,' she shouted at no one in particular, trying to time her words so that they don't drown in the deafening noise.

'Do you ever have any other kind?'

'Funny. We passed the production hall on our way here. How about, instead of getting the data from the system, we take it from one of the droids? Surely some of them have already been uploaded with the protocols...'

'You were right. I hate it,' Cassian barked back at her, and she was suddenly glad she had her eyes focused on the hallway.

'You have a better one?' There was a long pause, and then, in between the rhythmic blare of the alarm, she heard a loud, resigned groan that immediately brought a grin onto her face. 'Wonderful. Let's go.'

'So, when you said get the data from one of the droids, what exactly did you mean?'

They have managed to make it to the production hall, bumping only into two more guards on their way - they were immediately attacked by six blaster bolts fired simultaneously by every single crew member, making it impossible to assess who delivered the killing blasts.

The production hall was huge, and - luckily for them - fully automated. Marla briefly remembered the last time she raided an Imperial factory and thanked the Maker that there were no civilians involved this time.

What was there, though, were rows and rows of security droids, lined at the far end of the area. Marla remembered hearing somewhere that security droids were the Empire's way of working around the law that prohibited manufacturing battle droids - the basic functionality remained the same; what changed was the design and the name. Compared to their predecessors (which were all decommissioned after the Clone Wars), they were slightly taller and made of a different, darker alloy. Supposedly, the Empire has also invested in upgrading their behavioural software - which, sadly, stripped away the famously dumb personalities that the Clone-era clankers were famous for.

'Well, I guess we just grab its guts and take them with us, right?'

She had to admit her plan didn't exactly specify the how. But they were here, in a warehouse full of droids at a different stage of the manufacturing process. Surely at least some of them had already been through the software installation procedure...?

'Aevie?'

'Sorry. Hardware is not my thing.'

'Well, let's bust one open and see what's inside. Maybe we'll find a big disc with the words 'security protocol software' written on it.'

'We are never following your plans again, Marla. Okay. Sal, Zafe - you stay here and watch the exits. The rest of us will start looking for-- well, something.'

'You've got it, boss!' Salvatore's enthusiastic attitude contrasted starkly with the resignation in Cassian's eyes. But Marla decided she wouldn't let this bring her down.

She started sprinting towards the column of half-assembled droids, jumping over the frozen production lines to shorten the path.

We can do it. I'm not coming back with empty hands.

The first droid she found was-- well, it was difficult to call it a droid; it was mostly a durasteel skeleton with no head and just a basic structure of limbs. That couldn't be it. She knew very little about droids and even less about manufacturing them - but she figured there needed to be some sort of a data storage medium for the droid to have the programming installed.

Frustrated, Marla rushed past the first column and soon realised they were sorted by the completion stage - thank the Maker for the Imperial obsession with order. That meant she was most likely to find what she was looking for in the very last column.

'Hey, these ones look finished,' she shouted back at Cassian and Aevie, not slowing down even a bit.

There was something immensely chilling about running between columns and columns of security droids. Sure, they were all deactivated - but they were still towering over her, ridiculously tall, painted black with the Imperial insignia on their-- erm, biceps?-- and it felt like their dead eyes followed her every move.

But there was no time to ponder on it. She had just reached the last column, and indeed, this is where the complete - or almost complete - models were lined up.

'Let's crack this bad boy open,' she proclaimed, immediately realising she had no idea where to start or even how to get past the metal plating.

But Aevie was already at it - despite her earlier claims, she seemed to have at least a vague understanding of what they were looking for.

'Need light,' she mumbled, focused on unscrewing the plating at the back of the droid. Cassian was quick to come to the rescue, flashing his glow rod beside Aevie's hands and simultaneously prodding around the insides of the now-open machine.

Marla, on the other hand, lost all of her previous enthusiasm. Why was she here? She should have been back with Zafe and Salvatore, blaster ready to shoot. Instead, she was poking at different parts of the droid with no real plan, feeling the most useless she'd felt in a long time.

But then, there was a click, a mechanical hum, and the empty droid eyes filled with light.

'What did you--' she started but was promptly interrupted by a mechanical voice.

'Initiating start up. Loading. Loading.'

'Shit. Switch it off, switch it off!'

There was some more clicking followed by a descending beep. The droid's eyes went black again.

'Sorry. Wrong switch.'

'Next time, give me a--'

Another noise cut Marla off - this time, though, it wasn't coming from the droid. There was a loud rumble at the other end of the warehouse, and soon after, they heard a round of blasts being fired in the general vicinity of the entrance.

'Cassian?' Zafe was screaming over the noise, periodically releasing a bolt of energy from his rifle. 'I hope you found whatever you were looking for, cause the stormtroopers are back.'

'Kriffing hell,' Cassian murmured, reaching for his blaster. 'Just a moment!' he shouted back.

'We don't have a moment, kid!' Salvatore's voice was just as tense.

The blaster shots became more frequent and louder. Marla could see Zafe and Salvatore slowly backing out.

'Marla. Grab its left shoulder.'

'What? You're not thinking about--'

'Do you have a better idea?' Cassian gave her an irritated look while wrapping the limp metal arm around his shoulder, ready to carry - or drag - the droid out.

Marla swallowed a series of expletives but eventually decided to follow suit. Soon enough, they were on both sides of the droid, supporting its weight on their shoulders.

'Where to, Captain? You do remember we're on lockdown, right? That means the doors--'

'Aevie. There's a bunch of thermal detonators in Marla's backpack. I'm thinking that door over there looks like an emergency exit.'

Indeed - when Marla looked in the direction Cassian was pointing at, she could see a small set of doors that looked very similar to the ones they came in through.

'You've got it,' there was a new wave of enthusiasm - or adrenaline - in Aevie's voice as she rumbled through Marla's backpack, looking for the detonators. She must have taken a good number of them because it suddenly felt lighter by quite a lot.

'Okay, let's go,' Cassian shot Marla a quick glance to confirm her readiness, and then they both began pulling the droid towards the exit. It was substantially taller than any of them, which meant its legs were dragging on the floor - but they were making progress. Which would have made Marla feel relieved, was it not for the increasingly loud blaster shots she heard closer and closer behind her.

Meanwhile, Aevie darted towards the exit door and immediately stuck about a dozen detonators around the doorframe. Bit of an overkill, Marla thought - but then she saw Aevie run back for cover, and soon enough, there was smoke everywhere, and a gaping hole in the wall where the door used to be.

'Get to the ship! We're gonna need a lift!'

Marla suddenly regretted that they didn't leave anyone behind on the ship. Stealth mission, my ass. She should have known shit would hit the fan; it always did.

'I knew this was a stupid plan,' she heard Cassian pant on her left and couldn't help but let out a short, breathless chuckle.

'Hey, abducting a droid wasn't--' she started, when suddenly she heard some shouting behind her, followed by a sharp crackle of a blast charge that flew right by her ear, 'Shit.'

With her free hand, she grabbed one of the pistols strapped to her thigh and did an awkward half-turn to try and aim at the oncoming wave of troopers while still walking forward. It went just about as well as she would expect - she miraculously scored a shot at the closest attacker, but she missed his head by a whole lot, hitting his shoulder instead. He stumbled back, but almost immediately recovered and pointed his rifle at Marla.

'On your left. Behind the welding station, go!'

She didn't need to be told twice. Somehow accessing a hidden reserve of her strength, she turned left and started dragging the droid towards what looked like an automated welding station. Finally, the three of them staggered behind the cover of the large machine, and Marla and Cassian immediately dropped the droid on the floor.

'You good?' Cassian panted, his eyes scanning Marla thoroughly in search of wounds.

Marla struggled to answer, her breathlessness making it difficult to articulate more than a couple of words at a time.

'Stop,' she paused for a sharp inhale, 'stop checking me out-- you creep,' she wheezed with a grin, leaning on the cold metal casing of the large machine to catch her breath.

Cassian just snorted and dried his face off with his sleeve, making Marla realise how her own forehead was beaded with sweat. The mixture of adrenaline and exertion painted their faces red, and they were both struggling to recover their breaths - but stars, she hadn't felt this alive in ages. Maybe apart from last night - but that had been a different kind of alive. Exciting - yes, satisfying - sure, but being with him was always a bit scary, a bit overwhelming in its complexity. Now, this, this was simple - it was her and her blasters and a clear objective ahead.

But then she heard his hitched breath right next to her and discovered she could no longer filter him out from that scene.

And that wasn't good. That was precisely what she wanted to avoid. And why they should have never done all the stupid things they did.

Marla suddenly realised she was staring - he must have noticed it too because his lips quirked slightly at the corners. Smug bastard. She wanted to kiss that stupid smile off his face.

Hey, focus.

'Ready?'

She was. Shaking off the intrusive thoughts, she tightened the grip on her blasters and nodded back at him.

And just like that, they were back to a world full of screaming, explosions and blaster fire. Ducking in and out of their cover, it felt like a perfectly synchronised dance. Stars, with a blaster pistol in each hand and Cassian Andor by her side, she felt more powerful than ever. She could take on the Emperor himself at that moment and wipe the floor with his stupid wrinkled face. She was invincible. They were invincible.

... and it seemed they had just taken down a whole squadron of Stormtroopers, because the shooting finally stopped, replaced with another sound, this time from outside of the facility. Right, the ship.

Before she could fully assess the situation, Zafe and Salvatore caught up to them - exhausted, sweating twice as much as she was, but in one piece. Stupid, lucky bastards. They always somehow made it one piece, the lot of them.

'Why--' Zafe started, his eyes widening at the sight of a droid sitting lifelessly on the floor between Marla and Cassian.

'No time. Help us get him to the ship.'

With two additional pairs of hands (and muscle), it became much easier to carry the droid, and soon enough, they were running up the ramp and into the cargo bay of the Blackbird. It was still raining, but it truly didn't matter - they were all drenched in sweat anyway.

They all got to the ship at the same time, finally able to drop the droid onto the floor. Someone punched the ramp controls, and it began slowly closing, the thick layer of durasteel separating them from the cold and the sight of another wave of Stormtroopers that were pouring out of the hole in the wall in one final attempt to stop them.

But they didn't. The ship was already in the skies, and soon enough, they exited the atmosphere, leaving behind the factory, the stormtroopers and the rain.

Marla looked up, and couldn't stop a small relieved smile from forming on her lips. She slowly inspected the faces of her companions: Cassian's, damp with sweat and looking right back at her; Salvatore's, flushed red, with his beard drenched and his mouth ajar as he gasped for air; and then, Zafe's, whose eyes were glued to the droid lying on the floor in front of him.

'Okay. Good job. Now, can someone please explain why we have a KX-series droid in our cargo bay?'

______

A/N: Okay, so I know there was that comic book that described how Cassian met Kay - but I wanted to do it my way. So. Here you have it. Hope you liked it.

#cassian andor #cassian andor x original female character #andor #cassian andor fanfiction #rogue one #rogue one fanfiction #andor fanfiction

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blast0rama · 1 year

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Michael B. Jordan Goes Big, Set To Launch CREED-Verse with Amazon + MGM

Deadline:

Creed already broke ground for Amazon with the latest installment in the MGM movie franchise, Creed III, racking up a $100M+ global opening and setting a box office record for the tech giant. Now Creed could spawn an Amazon universe spanning both film and TV. There have been meetings with franchise star and filmmaker Michael B. Jordan about various Creed-related projects for the past year, sources said. The plans for the scope of the universe have gotten bolder in the wake of Creed III’s big debut. Reps for Amazon and Jordan declined comment.

Details are sketchy because some of the conversations are still in exploratory stages but we hear that an anime series connected to the Rocky spinoff IP is in the works, and there are ideas for a companion live-action TV series. Also percolating is a potential project centering around Adonis Creed’s daughter, Amara, who was played by deaf actress Mila Davis-Kent in Creed III, making her film acting debut.

A few quick thoughts on this one.

Hats off to Michael B. Jordan. Dude is completely in control of his destiny in Hollywood, and those who can pull that off, let alone make a #1 movie out of doing so, are few and far between.

I’ve not yet seen Creed 3 (AMC A-List aside, I’ve been sick), but I’m pretty sure I’m going to like it a lot. And these projects could be good also…BUT

I think I’m sick of new -Verses. Why can’t the movies just be the movies? Why did we need to keep digging this well?

I mean, this is the same day where Bob Iger’s literally saying “hey, maybe less Marvel sequels”…so what makes this teflon?

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best2daynews · 1 year

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Creed III is a punchy sequel, but doesn't quite take home the belt - best news

15 hours ago News Duration 7:00 In his directorial debut, Michael B. Jordan’s Creed III is an impressive entry in the Rocky franchise — and the first to not feature Rocky himself. But as CBC senior entertainment reporter Eli Glasner shares, the boxing flick is a hit, but not a knockout. Source Link

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incorrectlooneytunesquotes · 2 years

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You ain't so bad, you ain't so bad, you ain't nothin'. C'mon, champ, hit me in the face! My mom hits harder than you!

Bugs Bunny to The Crusher

#Bugs Bunny #the crusher #source: rocky iii

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college-girl199328 · 1 year

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Meghan Markle 'Ripped Up Royal Rulebook' & Wrote Her Own 'Role' As Family Drama Erupted In Palace Before She & Harry Stepped Down

Meghan Markle marched to the beat of her own drum as the drama with Prince Harry's family reached an all-time high in late 2018, RadarOnline.com has learned.

According to palace insiders, the Duchess of Sussex was "expected to be a breath of fresh air," but her differing viewpoint caused chaos within the palace walls.

"She's ripping up the royal rulebook and rewriting her role like she's the star and her position is part of a Hollywood movie," a well-placed source said months after the former Suits actress and Harry tied the knot in St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.

"Harry's lovestruck, so he goes along," added the frustrating source. "She insists on doing things her way." Queen Elizabeth wanted only the best for her beloved grandson, so she "welcomed Meghan into the family" despite any reservations she had at the time.

"But ever since, Meghan has done nothing but thumb her nose at the royals and their hallowed traditions," alleged the source. The source said that Kate Middleton had tried to "help ease" Markle into royal life, but it didn't go over well. She also claimed that Prince William had been "iced out" by the Sussexes, which still seems to hold true.

Markle and Harry took the world by surprise when they announced their plans to "step back" from their duties as senior members of the royal family in January 2020, adding that they would be working to become financially independent while continuing to support the Queen.

In the wake of Elizabeth's death, the royal drama has continued with the release of the couple's Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan, which pulls the veil back on their rocky exit and more shocking aspects of royal life.

"I had to do everything I could to protect my family," Harry said of his wife and two children in the series, adding that "no one sees what's happening behind closed doors."

As RadarOnline.com previously reported, another insider in 2016 said that then-Prince Charles had tried to ban the couple's nuptials before they made it official.

"Snooty Camilla doesn't want another commoner," the insider alleged. The coronation of King Charles III has now become another talking point as he decides whether or not Harry and Markle will be able to join the momentous occasion.

So, what could throw one more wrench in the works? Harry's memoir, Spare, is hitting shelves in January 2023.

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twf2020 · 1 year

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Alpine Ibex have come back from the brink of extinction!

Welcome back. Today at Think Wildlife Foundation we are going to address a positive and a successful story of how we humans saved an excellent climber “The Alpine Ibex” from the brink of extinction. We always talk about how wildlife is in the danger, how some species are in the danger some are on the verge of extinction, how the forests are getting burned down to the ashes every year. We humans are causing harm to the wildlife and the forests but we are also aware of this situation and we all are taking some effective steps towards saving our beautiful nature and animals. We have noticed youngsters are very aware and are concerned about such matters and they are working very hard to save endangered species and forests.

So, we are giving a push to all such Wildlife lovers with a positive and a successful story of Ibex.

What is an Ibex?

Ibex is a wild mountain goat found in Europe, parts of Asia and norteastern Africa with their very thick coat and powerful hind legs, they are adapted to live in very harsh terrain. Their classical horns can scare off predators like wolves, lynx and foxes .Male Ibex horns can grow up in between 70 centimetres to 140 centimetres long, definitely not to be messed with! They can jump up to 1.8 meters into air without a running start. But their specialty is their Ibex hooves they have sharp edges and concave undersides that act like suction cups to help them grip the sides of steep, rocky cliffs. Ibex molt (they have thicker fur during the colder winter months to keep them warm, then around spring and summer they shed some of their fur to get a thinner coat for the warmer summer months this is known as molting) twice a year, firstly in April or May, and then again in September, when they replace the short summer coat with thicker hair and a woolly undercoat.100000 Years ago, Ibex roamed widely across Europe’s Rocky Mountains these Ibex are masters of climbing they are able to scale impossible looking rock walls, these goats used to find in central Europe.

Being able to climb high mountains used to protect Ibex from predators who cannot follow them. until they faced a fearsome hunter who wouldn’t give up “Humans”. Worlds five species of Ibex have had a hard time. Only one species of Ibex has managed to thrive against all the odds and come back from the brink of extinction.

The Alpine Ibex

They are very hard to capture because of their extraordinary climbing skills a pair of Ibex horns was regarded as the ultimate trophy this became a huge problem and then the numbers of Alpine Ibex started to fall. They became extinct in Germany and Switzerland then there were only 50 to 100 individuals left in the northern Italy and France the devastation was overwhelming some sources suggested that only 0.1% of original population was left, this tells the Alpine Ibex was really on the edge of extinction.

Back from brink for the Alpine Ibex

Then something good finally happened becoming aware of what was happening the government of Piedmont banned Ibex hunting but still the hunt was continued then Italian king Vittorio Emmanuele II created a royal hunting reserve in 1856. It was for the sole use of the king who was himself an Ibex hunter. Well-known local hunters were hired to guard the animals and patrol the reserve it was so tactic and incredibly worked. Over next 60 years the Alpine Ibex population increased around 3000 animals then in 1919 king Vittorio Emmanuele III donated the royal hunting reserve to the Italian state and in 1922 it was officially renamed Gran Paradiso National Park. This was the best move in preventing the extinction of the Alpine Ibex and made Gran Paradiso Italy’s first national park after increasing population was noticed then the numbers of Ibex were also introduced to the Swiss Alps. Today this beautiful animal is found in Switzerland, Italy, Austria, France, Germany Slovenia and also in Bulgaria. Now there are 50,000 Ibex living in the alps all of these are descended from that last colony protected in Gran Paradiso so the IUCN (The International Union for Conversation of Nature) red list now classifies the species as least concern. It’s been an amazing turn around for an animal that could have easily disappeared from the mountains.

But there is more.

Present threats to the Ibex

Humans almost destroyed and then saved the Alpine Ibex, but now it is facing another threat that is made by us humans. The Alps are experiencing climate change at very high-rate temperature rise in 20th century raise by 1.4 degrees Celsius but it has risen by two degrees Celsius in the alps, due to this over last 50 to 60 years spring has arrived between two to five days earlier every decade. This affects majorly on animals like the Ibex scientists have observed a higher mortality rate among young Alpine Ibex because they believe it has to do with the shifting onset of spring, which causes plants to flourish sooner. The animals are also suffering from an upsurge in parasites which thrive in warmer temperatures. Disease carriers such as worms and ticks have been found at increasingly high altitudes even up to 1700 meters all these changes are threatening the Alpine Ibex, for the Ibex it was a long hard climb back to the verge of extinction but these mountain dwellers succeeded even against formidable odds.

Now again it’s up to us humans to ensure its rocky future is saved.

Written By- Atharv Deshmukh on Think Wildlife Foundation

Help us Help Them! Think Wildlife Foundation is a non profit organization with various conservation initiatives. Our most prominent campaign is our Caring for Pari intiative. Pari is a rehabilitated elephant at the Wildlife SoS Hospital. 25% of the profits from our store are donated to the elephant hospital for Pari. Other than buying our wonderful merchandise, you could donate directly to our Caring For Pari fundraiser.Alpine Ibex have come back from the brink of extinction!

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