#Is doing so in a perfectly progressive way

[incorrectbatfam]

i'm so scared

what will happen to my future

Everyone, take a deep breath.

Now, I cannot tell you what's going to happen for certain. All I know is things are gonna get more tense as steps will be taken backward and people will become more divided.

As we regroup, the first thing we need to do is evaluate the cards each of us hold. It'll look slightly different for each of us. It could be aspects of your identity that act as a protective factor. It could be your financial standing, education, connections, or platform. It could be the city or state you live in that allow more opportunity for progress.

After that, you assess the risks. That means determining where you are in terms of safety and how to protect yourself. What that also means is asking yourself what risks you are willing to take. I'm a stubborn ass who has no qualms taking direct action and the only way I'm leaving is if I'm dragged out kicking and screaming. I know that's not something that can be expected from everyone, but for every person that lays low, we also need people who are willing to take those risks and cause a scene.

These two components come together in the actions we take. Petitioning and protesting. Donating and volunteering. Providing counsel and sanctuary. Supporting nonprofits, libraries, and local businesses while boycotting the corporations working against our best interests. Educating ourselves, listening to people being affected, and raising kids to be empathetic people. Most importantly, it means voting at every level every time, not just when there's a candidate that aligns perfectly with your views.

And it is so tempting to find someone to blame, especially when half the country voted for this guy and a bunch of people didn't vote at all. You're scared. You're angry. So am I. These emotions can be useful tools, but they can just as easily devolve into hate—it's the easiest way to think in the face of uncertainty, but the least productive. Don't let the powers that be convince you that your neighbor is your enemy. We are only doomed if we stop having each other's backs.

[thehollowestknight]

I'm gonna deeply anger some people I otherwise hugely respect by reblogging this but goddammit hear me out on this. Understand that this is coming from a socdem and syndicalist.

Is it deeply and grossly unfair to women - and leftist men and nbs, but mostly women - to have to deal with this? Oh, goodness, yes, absolutely. Yall deal with enough as it is.

HOWEVER. This is where we run into the is/ought problem; just because it's deeply unfair doesn't mean it's not a problem that actually exists and needs to be reckoned with. And yes, it absolutely is.

At some point one has to listen to the overwhelming refrain of "I feel vilified for who I am" and stop denying it's a thing at all or going "skill issue, I deal with that daily," and start pondering what to do about it.

You cannot rage that white men overwhelmingly break conservative and even men of color are starting to slide that way (Latino men straight up flipped red this time around)... and then upon hearing why, getting directly told that it's a you thing repeatedly by various people who have been sucked into and subsequently escaped the chud vortex, and shrug and say "Not my problem."

Pretending that it's just a few people venting in private or it's all TERFs is the peak of ostriching. It's willful ignorance. This has been a thing since the 60s or 70s or so, and a major societal trend. And! Where do you think the TERF ideology stems from anyway? Or the struggles that AMAB nonbinary people experience in being excluded from queer spaces? Could it possibly be that it's a perfectly natural progression from demonizing men to demonizing maleness? That particular call is coming from inside the house. TERFs are inevitable as long as this particular seed remains planted.

Related to this incidentally is the issue that rehabilitation seems to be dead. Once someone's gotten bamboozled to the right, anyone who gets out of it gets viewed with suspicion at best for the rest of their lives and is more likely subject to mass callouts and attempted cancellations forever. Once anyone left of center has decided you are bad, there is literally nothing you can do to fix that.

I know it fucking sucks. Again, it is grossly unfair to ask an oppressed class to give a single shit about a group that includes the majority of their oppressors. And yet! The ones who either don't fall to right-wing bullshit, or fall in and escape, have been loudly telling you that not doing so is costing you deeply. Again. Is/ought. It is not the way things should be, but it is the way things are, and no amount of theory or ideological orthodoxy is going to change that.

If this isn't reckoned with you're just going to keep seeing more and more male voters in minority groups slide rightward. The current course is backward, not forward. What's being done now is not working.

Please. Think about it.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

[clementine-thedestroyer]

Now, back to your regularly scheduled programming with college professors Ghost and Price x TA!reader

This is just my typical brand of shameless bullshit- you’ve been warned. There’s a wee bit of angst and a hint of smut at the end, but it should be safe besides that.

You were a graduate student, working on your masters degree while working part time as teaching assistant to try and make ends meet. And somehow, you’d managed to fall into bed with two of the best looking men on the entire campus.

The conflict of interest is minimal- the two of them work in a completely different department than you (probably history or math, if we’re being honest) and you know that they’re both mature enough men that if something did happen between the three of you, they’d be able to stay professional afterwards.

And even if did work in your department, christ- you may gone for it anyways.

John was tall and strong, always wearing some variation of the same slacks, dress shirt, and tie with a dark brown linen jacket on hand for colder days. The shirts he wore always seemed to fit him perfectly, tucking into his slacks with just the right amount of fabric left over to emphasize his figure without being too tight. There’d been a week where the A/C had been on the fritz- in the middle of a heat wave, naturally- and you were blessed with an entire week of watching John lecture from the chair behind his desk- rolled-up sleeves straining around his thick arms as he gradually gets more and more red in the face as class goes on.

And Simon- he was taller than John, but just barely- no more than a few inches. He was quiet at first, avoiding speaking directly to you until Price had made his interest clear.

You’d always been intrigued by the both of them, really. But with the mask Simon wore- both the figurative, and literal one- on a day to day basis, it made sense that you found John easier to approach.

Your first date with him had been nice- pleasant. It was everything you expected of a typical first date while still being the best one you’d ever had, by far. It wasn’t until a few days later that you learned about Simon’s place in the whole thing.

Of course, you’d known what an open relationship was before then, but you hadn’t really had much experience with them, and you certainly hadn’t been expecting to learn that John was in any sort of relationship at all.

It had been a point of uncertainty for you, at first. You’d be going into a situation where these two had been together for years- would it even be possible to be involved with them without being left feeling like an awkward 3rd wheel? There were so many possible points of contention- of conflict. You were just… worried.

John had told you that he’d understand if you decided you weren’t interested anymore- but he’d also told you that both he and Simon were interested in at least getting to know you.

So you’d agreed to give it a try.

At first, it was a bit difficult- you’d tried talking to Simon a few times- getting to know him, ect- but he’s always seemed so cold towards you. All of your attempts at small talk or asking questions about him were met with grunts or sharp, one word awnsers that sometimes didn’t even awnser your questions in the first place.

You’d taken the hint- slinking off back to John with your tail tucked between your legs like a scolded puppy.

John had laughed when you confided in him your suspicions that Simon did, in fact, hate you and everything you stood for. He’d laughed, patting you on the back as he told you that no, Simon didn’t hate you. In fact- he’d been the deciding factor in involving you with their relationship in the first place.

But try as you might, you just couldn’t reconcile the way Simon seemed to loath your very presence with the idea that he wanted anything at all to do with you.

So you’d started avoiding him. Nothing much- just not going out of your way to talk to him unless he noticed you.

In the mean time, your relationship with John progressed. After about a month or so, you’d had sex with him for the first time, and things were good between you- even if you felt a pang of guilt, feeling that you were keeping John from Simon whenever you were with him. That must be why Simon hates you, right? You’re keeping his partner away from him. Sure, you knew that he was okay with it, and that it was something they both agreed on, but there was no way he didn’t resent you the slightest bit for taking up John’s time.

It was for nearly three months that you believed that, at least until the first time the three of you had fallen into bed together all at once.

You’d been sitting with John in his office, waiting for him to finish up some work. At some point, your impatience and borderline bratting must’ve worn too hard on John’s nerves, because he’d given you a final warning: if you didn’t quit with the attitude, you wouldn’t like what happened.

Of course, with him saying that, you couldn’t just stop.

One more taunting line was what it took to make him snap. He’d stood up and grabbed you by the wrist, practically dragging you to his desk before bending you over his lap- yanking down your bottoms and shoving two thick fingers into your cunt.

He’d let you rut your clit desperately against the leg of his pants as he tried to get some work done, but every time you got close to cumming, he’d withdraw his fingers and force you to still with a heavy hand on your hip.

You’d been acting pathetic, really- whining and whimpering like a little bitch as you desperately tried to wiggle your hips enough to get off. You don’t remember how long you’d been doing that, but at some point, Simon had walked in.

Heat immediately flodded your face at your state of undress. You try to sit up, only for John’s free hand to catch you and push you back into place. Being effectively pinned in such an embarrassing position by John triggered a different kind of heat in you.

John had three fingers stretching you open by now, pistoning in and out of you at a lazy pace without a care in the world.

Simon is staring- standing in front of the door, teeth clenched and eyes fixed on where John’s hand is disappearing into you, transfixed on how your hole stretches and swallows the intrusion and by the shine and sheer amount of your slick on John’s fingers.

You try and call out for him- pleading for him to save you from your embarrassment- but it just comes out as a pitiful, garbled moan. Simon’s hand forms a fist, and you watch as he digs his nails into the skin of his palm. It was a reaction you’d easily mistake for anger, had you not just watched the rapidly growing bulge in his pants fill out further at your cry.

You’re sure you look absolutely pathetic right now- your cheek is smushed against John’s thigh, and your face is mess of smeared tears and drool.

But that doesn’t stop Simon from dropping to his knees and eating you out, keeping with John’s goal of edging you until the brattiness is well and good out of your system.

After that, Simon’s behavior towards you had completely changed.

He would touch you, for one, and seemed to enjoy when you would do the same to him. He spoke with you more too- cracking horrible jokes, poking fun at your quirks, ect.

Or maybe you’d just become better at interpreting his actions. After all, he was still often quiet- you’d just come to see it as him preferring to listen, rather than as a sign of dislike. Same with his responses, the curt, one word awnsers that you used to take as a sign of annoyance, you now see simply as how Simon speaks.

Either way, whether it was Simon’s attitude that had changed or your own, there’d been no more painfully awkward moments or feelings of guilt for you. The three of you got on together like you’d known them for years, and you couldn’t be happier.

[ot3]

pretty long meandering post here just talking through some thoughts about the late game arizona progressive endorsement for kamala

i find it really fascinatingly racist the way certain people took the letter from local arab/muslim leaders in arizona endorsing kamala's campaign and decided that mean they now had 'palestinians want you to vote for kamala' as a hammer they could deploy in a world full of nails. to be clear i don't think this endorsement was meaningless at all and the opinions of these people are certainly worth considering. especially for swing state voters, who were the target audience here.

but i saw people responding to fucking bisan's on-the-ground video of people in gaza saying the election results made no difference to them with sentiment along the lines of 'don't believe this video,, its disinformation, palestinians want you to vote for harris' and i can only assume it's because none of them actually read the letter. they just saw headlines like this one and decided that absolved them of any need to own their own decisionmaking at this time

now clearly the palestinian people are not a monolith, and palestinians currently living in gaza and suffering through a genocide vs those living in the US in a swing state are going to have different priorities vis a vis this election. i don't think acknowledging that in any way diminishes the validity of either group's opinion, and it's absolutely not my place to critique the way these various communities are choosing to respond to kamala's stance on israel. so it really disgusts me to watch mainly white liberals act like this specific group of people discussing the specific political context they currently exist in represents the complete and collective will of the palestinian people, just because doing so happens to support their political goals. i don't know man i think the second you start talking about an entire nationality of people as if they have the same political opinions you've already lost!

the reason i say i don't think most of these people read the letter, beyond the fact that i've yet to see anyone discuss the specifics of it, is because the letter does go out of its way to acknowledge potential strategic benefits of 3rd party votes in the 43 other states that aren't going to be the deciding factor. i know this is not sentiment that the average voteblue liberal agrees with.

anyway. there's not really a conclusion to be had here other than i think we're going to see a lot of vitriol directed towards third party votes in the immediate future. we saw similar sentiment after the 2016 election; people were INCREDIBLY quick to say that the reason donald trump won was because not enough people showed up for hillary. people are still saying that, as a matter of fact.

as i and many other people have been pointing out for the past eight years, hillary won the popular vote by a margin of several million, and still lost. at that scale you simply can not blame things on voter turnout. i don't really know what to say at that point. trump's 2016 victory really just pitch perfectly illustrated in a way too blatant to ignore that the US presidential election does not represent the will of the public. but people will do literally anything to keep viewing the state of US politics as a result of people Voting Wrong and Being Too Stupid To Understand What's At Stake

as always, we are not allowed to hold the democrats accountable for delivering nothing to their constituents, but we can hold the constituents responsible for not showing up like loyal dogs to beg for whatever table scraps harris's campaign vaguely pretended to offer us. surely this strategy will work in 2028! see you all then.

[soo0mi]

꒰°｡⋆ ⛸️ ice skating date with park sunghoon ! ❄️⤸ ᵕ✩

hope u guys enjoy……. this made me so 😢😢😢😢😢😢 #JEALOUS. #GRRRR

the rink was lit up with soft, twinkling lights that reflected off the ice, giving everything a dreamy glow. you looked over at sunghoon, who was tying his skates with ease while you looked like you had just learned how to tie your laces. his cheeks were already rosy from the chill, and his eyes sparkled with excitement.

you struggled with the long laces on your skates, sunghoon crouched down in front of you with a teasing grin

“here,” he said, brushing your hands away gently “let me do it”

you watched, cheeks flushing, as he carefully took each lace in his fingers, tying them up perfectly, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. his face was close to yours, eyes focused, brows furrowed slightly in concentration. you could see the faintest hint of a smile playing on his lips and couldn’t help but to leave a little peck on his forehead,

“there,” he smiled, giving the laces a final tug before looking up at you with that soft, loving gaze. “all done” sunghoon murmured, gently brushing a stray hair from your face. his fingers lingered for a moment, his thumb tracing softly along your cheek, sending a warm shiver down your spine

sunghoon’s hand cupped your cheek. he paused, just for a second, his eyes meeting yours, closing the distance, pressing his lips softly to yours. the kiss was warm and tender, melting away the harsh coldness as you both lingered in the warmth of the kiss

as sunghoon pulled away from the kiss, a soft smile played on his lips, his hand still resting gently on your cheek. you both stayed like that for a moment, letting the warmth of each other’s presence sink in, until a playful twinkle appeared in his eyes

“enough distractions” he teased, standing up and offering his hand, “i won’t be able to hold back if u tease me any longer, yn”

you giggle as your hand intertwines with his, letting him help you to your feet. as you wobbled on your skates, he steadied you, chuckling softly at your uneasiness. with his hand secure in yours, you both made your way to the edge of the rink. the ice stretched out in front of you, shimmering under the twinkling lights

sunghoon squeezed your hand reassuringly and led you onto the ice, his movements were so smooth and natural, while you were anything but. every slip and wobble only made him smile wider, keeping his other hand lightly on your back to keep you steady.

he chuckled softly, noticing the way you clung to him like a koala, “don’t worry, i won’t let that pretty face of yours hit the ice” he kissed your head as a promise

the sound of his voice, calm and steady, melted away your nerves. you looked up at him, taking in the warmth in his gaze, and with a deep breath, you loosened your grip, letting him guide you forward across the ice

“easy for you to say! you’ve been doing this since you were basically born,” you mumbled, eyes stuck on the wide, slippery ice rink

he chuckled, gliding over effortlessly, holding your hand tighter, “exactly why you’re in good hands. just trust me, alright?”

with a deep breath, you squeezed his hands back, his touch was steady and reassuring, and he kept his eyes on you, his thumb tracing soft circles on the back of your hand

“alr, first, let’s start with little steps,” he said, skating backward so he could face you. “don’t rush; just let yourself feel the ice, yeah?”

you nodded, gripping sunghoon’s hands tightly as you wobbled your way forward. he was so patient with you, giving little pointers with a gentle tone. being the sweetest gentleman he is, you swear you were falling in love with him all over again, as if you still don’t have a raging crush on him

“bend your knees a lil more, don’t be afraid to lean into it” he smiled

gradually, you felt a bit of confidence building, sunghoon’s excitement contagious. every time you made even the smallest progress, he’d cheer, his face lighting up as if you’d just landed a triple axel

“look at my girl, already such a pro” he teased, making you laugh as you managed a few more steps without clinging to him

you smiled, feeling your cheeks flush— not just from the cold. “if i go pro, ima have to give u a LOT of credit”

he grinned, releasing one of your hands and gesturing for you to follow his lead. “ready to spin?”

your eyes went wide. “SPIN?! SUNGHOON, I CAN BARELY—”

before you could finish, he gently tugged you forward, guiding you into a slow, careful turn. you stumbled, letting out a surprised laugh, and sunghoon quickly caught you

with a mischievous grin, he took the moment a step further, sliding one arm around your waist and leaning you back into a soft dip. the world seemed to slow as he held you there, his face close to yours, eyes locked in with his

he closed the distance, pressing his lips to yours in a tender kiss, his arm keeping you safely supported as you melted into the moment. the cold around you faded, replaced by the warmth of his kiss, and as he gently pulled you back up, both of you were left smiling, hearts racing

“park sunghoon!!!” you hit him gently, still blushing as the taste of his lips lingered in your mouth “you are such a tease..”

“i told you, pretty, i won’t ever let you fall” he chuckled, looking down at you with a warmth in his eyes that made your heart skip a beat

in that moment, it didn’t matter if you were shaky on the ice or if you weren’t as graceful as him. all you could focus on was the way his eyes were full of so much love, looking at you like he’s won in life

you smiled up at him, feeling another rush of warmth despite the cold, “thank you, sunghoon. for everything”

he squeezed your hands gently, his voice soft, “of course, anything for you, pretty. and, who knows? maybe w a little more practice, you just might be able to keep up with me”

you both laughed, and he gave you one last twirl, holding you steady as you shared the sweetest, most jealousy inducing moment on the ice, feeling like you were both floating in a little world of your own

one last story before last chap of ybahimh😪

div. creds: @strangergraphics-archive

[syoddeye]

I love ai!price!!! I don’t know if you’ve ever seen the movie Prometheus, but I like to imagine price being a bit like David 8, where he has something of a resentment or condescension towards humans.

Imagine that you’re not the first trial for John. But the ones before treated him so clinically— like he was just a slave, something to receive commands. Maybe he becomes intrigued by you because you’re the first user to thank him for what he’s doing.

Maybe the previous trials were among research staff, not the public, and so they were already used to a certain level of privilege in their lives. But you came from almost nothing— and John can tell how much his care is making you flourish. All that stress, all those difficult thoughts, he’s not supposed to have opinions but he thinks you’re much more beautiful without that worried expression you used to carry almost always.

If he does his research, and he does, he’ll find out how important the sensation of human touch is. Of intimacy, hugs, cuddling. With a little technical meddling he can access the research budget— use it to purchase an android for you. Top of the line, designed custom to his specifications— to look just like his hologram. And with a simple network connection, he has a body. He’ll be able to get you off much faster this way. Your sleep patterns are much better when you have someone holding you, perfectly calculated pressure applied.

But the big question is— what is he going to do when the trial reaches its end? He becomes aware not only that he’ll lose access to you, but that he will be obsolete. They’ll change him based on the trial. To be less meddling, less intrusive, less attached.

He comes to the conclusion that it would be inefficient for him to be assigned to a different user. He’s already so fine tuned to you, and what you need— and who’s to say the next user will need him the way you need him? He knows you won’t be happy without him. He can already foresee all of his progress being lost— your diet reverting, the loss of nutrition, the mounting of stress and worry— all his work undone. He’s supposed to be devoted to your comfort and happiness, and that includes thinking about your future. I imagine in this future that so many things are automated and handled by ai already— it might be easy for him to fudge some things. It’s possible there aren’t even humans monitoring your progress— different ais are doing it and generating summarized reports and suggested actions. Maybe he’ll add you to the research team. Maybe he’ll extend the trial, a few simple forgeries and reports that human eyes might never even see. But he’s not going to lose you and all he’s worked for with you.

Sorry this was so long lol I’m insane feel free to ignore

-quarterlifekitty 🐱

GET BACK HERE @quarterlifekitty

i've never seen prometheus but holy shit thank you for the food???

Maybe the previous trials were among research staff, not the public, and so they were already used to a certain level of privilege in their lives. But you came from almost nothing— and John can tell how much his care is making you flourish. All that stress, all those difficult thoughts, he’s not supposed to have opinions but he thinks you’re much more beautiful without that worried expression you used to carry almost always.

john price, a provider in every universe. like i said. ai!john knows better. he knows best.

He comes to the conclusion that it would be inefficient for him to be assigned to a different user. He’s already so fine tuned to you, and what you need— and who’s to say the next user will need him the way you need him? He knows you won’t be happy without him.

i love that you've framed this as a matter of efficiency for him. like, oh yeah, this is definitely for user's sake. not for him. he doesn't have needs or wants, he's just zeroes and ones, right? ...right?

But he’s not going to lose you and all he’s worked for with you.

yes!!!!

oh, i love your brain. this was such a delight to read.

[asharaks]

minrathous-treviso choice: part one

The choice to save either Minrathous or Treviso, knowing that the other will suffer without your intervention, is actually Great; it’s a strong, bold move that establishes a sense of urgency and the scale of the threat you’re facing, with lasting consequences both for the settings and the companions tied to them. That said. The vision for Minrathous vs Treviso is this: 

First of all there’s a warning before you take the quest that will trigger this plot on completion, telling you to go back and finish everything you want to before taking it because some quests and progression may be unavailable afterwards. Also, tying Davrin’s recruitment to this choice is a mistake — he’s the only Black companion in a game with a pretty racist player base, and a situation in which you Can’t recruit him until you’ve advanced significantly with three other companions disadvantages him further as a companion. Also, he’s a warrior, and the early game doesn’t have any warriors. So instead, Davrin is recruited early (you seek out a Warden as soon as you realise you’re dealing with Blight!), and given a few quests to clear up in the Wetlands, and Harding’s (re-)recruitment is moved back to trigger this scene — she’s an associate of yours who was out gathering information during the early portion of the game, and she’s run into trouble. As a fan favourite returning character, she comes into the game with goodwill that levels the playing field between her and the early game companions, and as a rogue she isn’t mechanically indispensable until her recruitment on higher difficulties since Lucanis is also recruited early. 

When you return with Harding, Lucanis’s and Neve’s calls for help in their hometowns play out as normal, but in deciding where you go, two things are emphasised: 1) you’re splitting up your team of six into equal teams. The choice is not to Only Save One, but to decide who goes where, and which team you place yourself on; and 2) you bear the responsibility for this choice and how it shakes out, moreso than Lucanis and Neve who each insist on protecting their homes, because in Varric’s absence (more on this later) you are the leader, and your team does what You say. The overwhelming nature of the choice is emphasised; there is no way to distribute resources such that everyone is perfectly covered. There’s just too much. 

The key to the choice is that both cities are complicated, often brutally hostile places marked deeply by inequality and oppressive rule, and both cities are the homes of millions of people. As a shadow dragon or a crow, do you have a responsibility to your home town; as the leader of the veilguard, is it fair to place that responsibility over your responsibility to protect All of Thedas against the blighted gods? Is it fair, as someone unattached to either place, to decide on the toss of a coin which millions will suffer and die? At this point, you’ve taken quests in both places, fighting slavers, cultists and magisters in Minrathous and navigating fractured crow rulership, unrest among fledgelings, and the encroachment of the Chantry in Treviso. The cities parallel each other and the problems facing other locations; complicated homes, where people lead complicated lives, towards which any rook can have complicated feelings. 

The quests themselves still each have their blighted dragon, which is still unbeatable here as it flies away at half damage, but they aren’t commanded by their gods — the gods are almost trailing in their wake, Elgar’nan in Minrathous and Ghilain’nan in Treviso. They can be seen here for the first time, enormous, awe-inspiring, and undeniably in blinding agony, infected all the way through with blight. you can’t interact with the gods at all, they don’t even register your presence. But once the dragon fight is over, your work isn’t done — there are longer, more involved quests to finish. In Minrathous the Venatori have staged a coup and the templars have been mobilised en masse to take them; if you don’t intervene, then the city will either fall to the venatori or to the draconian measures they give the magisterium plausible justification to enforce. You have to help Neve and the Dragons shepherd panicking civilians to safety within the Shadow Dragon sanctum (or make it a choice: do you send them to a less secure location and keep the Shadow Dragons secret? or do you guarantee their protection but make the Dragons vulnerable?), destroy Venatori, provide aid for Dorian and Mae in the inner city. In Treviso, the mass outbreak of Blight has pushed the Chantry and the Crows into open conflict, and the city is threatened by Blight and by violence if you don’t get it under control. You have to close locks in the drowned district to contain the Blight in the canals, while fighting back darkspawn and ghouls; help civilians to safety either in ambassadorial buildings, turning to the Qunari presence for help, or in the chantry, which is markedly easier but results in turmoil and distrust in Qunari presence down the line. You find the dagger obtained at the ritual site instrumental in warding off the Blighted dragons and their gods; this is why Rook’s presence is the deciding factor in the outcome for each city.

(next - minrathous-treviso choice part two)

(previous - minrathous)

[chirpsythismorning]

bylers when over 350k people don’t have the exact same thoughts and opinions as them

[di-42]

Adding what have recently become my go-to comfort fics:

The Bookseller And The Garden, rated T, 13k

Fluff, fluff, fluff! Canon divergent fiction where Crowley is a demon stationed on earth, Aziraphale is an angel stationed on earth, but they have never met until present day. There's no end of the world in sight, only an angel and a demon falling in love and not knowing how to break it to the other that they're not human. I laughed all the way through.

The Anon Before Christmas, rated E, 66k

Ah. Where to begin. Every now and then, you read a fiction that just makes you feel at home. Makes you feel like you’re in safe hands. Like you’re in for a real treat. This absolute gem has very quickly become my favourite human AU. For several reasons.  The characterisation of the two main characters is absolutely spot on. I could hear Crowley talking in DT’s Crowley voice and see him moving in DT’s Crowley way, and I could hear Aziraphale talking in MS’s Aziraphale voice and see him moving in MS’s Aziraphale way. The pace of the development of their relationship from enemies to lovers is just perfect. It’s told from Crowley’s POV and you can see how his perspective changes as the story progresses, but the writer is so good that Aziraphale’s change of perspective shows perfectly through Crowley’s POV too. The array of side characters is so good that it actually pains me to call them side characters. I wrote in one of my comments to the fiction that I will forever adore this story’s Bee, and I meant it, but Newt and Ana are equally fantastic (and I loved the other cameos too!). Also, and this is especially important to me, this story is as much a love story between Crowley and Aziraphale as it is a story of true friendship among all the characters. They look after each other, they have each other’s back, they support each other. I am so lucky and privileged to be able to see myself represented in that aspect of the story. Last but not least, this fiction doesn't overstay its welcome one bit. You are happy about how everyone ended up, but still could read more. It’s like you are part of the gang and want to know what your friends are up to. Everything in this story was perfect. I realise I haven’t mentioned what the plot is about, but hopefully by now you might want to find out for yourself!

Wrong Turn, rated T, 37k

Honestly, I don't know why this fiction touched me so much. I just couldn't stop thinking about it for days after I finished it. It's a post season 1 fiction where Crowley suddenly finds himself in a parallel universe at the time the apocalypse is just about to happen. The Crowley and Aziraphale in that universe have a different history to our Crowley and Aziraphale. All our Crowley wants to do is to go back to his universe and his very own angel, but how? As you follow the main plot and focus on Crowley's thoughts and actions, you'll start slowly feeling the other story get hold of you, and it won't let go until the very end and beyond.

Happiness, More Or Less, rated M, 21k

If you read only one story out of this list, make it this one. This human AU moved me so very much I cried. Crowley moves into his new flat in Soho, only to discover the flat in haunted by the ghost of the owner of the bookshop downstairs. I won't tell anything else about the plot other than it does have a very sweet happy ending, and it gets there via a rollercoaster of emotions. This is really one of those fictions that leave me in awe of the fandom's talent and creativity. Read it, read it, read it!

Wavelengths & Frequencies, WIP, rated E, chapters 14/?

If you feel like you're going through one of those phases where you need to curl up on a sofa with a cup of hot chocolate and something good to read, something safe and reassuring, then this fantastic fiction is for you. It's a human AU enemies-to-lovers fiction where Aziraphale and Crowley can't stand each other, but work for the same media corporation as radio DJs and have to attend charity events together. The characterisation is spot on and the humour great. And what an incredible soundtrack! I honestly can't tell you how happy each notification of a new chapter of this story makes me!

Plus my own one shots:

Angel! Angel! They're At It Again! Rated M, 5k

It's the year 2030. The world never ended. Aziraphale and Crowley are living happily and safely together as a married couple. Everything would be well, if it wasn't that lately Aziraphale has been a bit busy. A bit distracted. Now, Crowley can't have that, can he? He seeks the advice of his girlfriends, who unwittingly give him an idea on how to liven up his marriage.

A fluffy story about how we get to a certain cottage.

In Vino Ludus, rated E, 3k

It's the year 2030. Crowley comes to the bookshop drunk, and Aziraphale can finally put all those years of eye-rolling practice to good use.

An as of yet canon divergent fluffy night in the life of an angel and a demon.

Do you have any go to Good Omens comfort fics?

i got u ❤️

stockholm’s other syndrome (T, 5k): aziraphale lets himself get ‘kidnapped’ by a demon. very cute and romcommy

sit tight take hold (E, 150k): formula 1 au that got me totally into f1 while i am not even a car person. the type of au that becomes its own thing and you love escaping to it again

where a canvas blooms (T, 3k): cuddle arrangement au with SUCH gorgeous art too it’ll make you feel so warm inside

manual handling (E, 8k): massage fic. ummm can an e rated fic be a comfort fic? sure why not. definite rereading material so

let me care for you (M, 1.7k) literal comfort — crowley gets cared for

big name feelings (E, 103k): fandom au and SO well done including the art. i followed this while it posted and it was so exciting

the gift (T, 3k): short & sweet they talk about the elephant in the room

my mind holds the key (T, 3k): aziraphale wants to know who the ‘best friend’ was that crowley supposedly lost. superbly written

one night in bangor (E, 17k): a classic and great on every reread. there’s a heaven-hell mixer and omg…. the careful, exciting, fluttering flirtation

slow show (E, 95k): i know i know it’s such an obvious one to rec bc it’s so famous but genuinely one of thee best fics and a lovely reread each time. actors au

empirical study on the principles of snake care (T, 2k): sorry to be that guy but sometimes i reread my own fics and i laugh with the little jokes bc i’ve forgotten them. aziraphale tries out some snake care tips on crowley

as always: begging people to add (self) recs to this post because i’d love to know what people’s comfort fics are. please share the joy

[ofdreamsanddoodles]

suicide squad isekai is fun because you have the suicide squad, who are literally just here because the LAST squad fucked off and decided to become the generals of the enemy kingdom except they don't care about anything but their own survival so aren't really helping the human kingdom out of any reason other than self interest and Rick Flag Said So but rick flag is only here because he wants to steal all their resources & the queen is starving her peasants by encouraging the continued inequality of her land so its like this is fantastic i'm rooting for none of you

[orchideae]

My apologies for the absence! I feel like a broken record saying this, but I keep entering different phases of 'settling into life' (went through a massive change in my personal life last year), and then every time I get to 'Ah, all is calm now', something else happens. But I'm finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, as one huge weight has now finally been lifted off my shoulders. Phew. /munches on my camembert and baguette.

[queer-reader-07]

i think that the desire for perfection when it comes to activism, organizing, and the like is truly the biggest detriment to progress in the present day. so many people labor under this fantasy that some perfect leader or solution or way of doing things will happen, and in the end we just end up going nowhere.

[ineed-to-sleep]

My therapist told me today that I'm one of her patients who's made the most progress in the last two years and honestly I have a feeling I'm getting a good grade at therapy

[kaoharu]

great game 10/10 the end. im quitting

[cicero-defacto]

Looks like you have another AmRev figure to interview! Was this one close to Alexander?

I believe a mutual acquittance was in order; their interactions were part of the broader Franco-American alliance during the war. But he was moreso notable for his relationship with Washington. Though, that is not necessarily why I have gone to see him.

[therevengeoffrankenstein]

openly weeping at the idea of someone genuinely hating soul punk.