#SPOILERS FOR S3 OR 4 IN TAGS

[microwaving-tesilid-argente]

@orathearsonman

im LAUGHING so hard rn bc it didn't occur to me, but you're so right reed would milk it SO HARD

reed is fainting swooning and coughing so loudly that he doubles over pathetically, while tesilid is just standing there like 🧍👁️ 👁️ trying to force his own coughs into something as close to a soft mewl as he can

Reed/Ai hanahaki au. send post.

[danandfuckingjonlmao]

so five and lila being a thing is going right next to allison literally sexually assaulting luther in the box of things we are absolutely under no circumstances accepting as part of canon right

[toss-a-coin-to-your-stan-account]

BLOCKING s3 vol. 1 haters on sight i am. blocking you all ON FUCKING SIGHT!!! last season we had to deal with eskel being turned into a goddamn fucking tree and then wolf food and now with the MOST fun and MOST enjoyable and LEAST Actively Pissing On The Books season of twn since literally season one that came out before the FUCKING PANDEMIC you wanna HATE??? not having it NOT having it. we literally have the "jaskier being ciris fun uncle" content we craved post-s1 for three years and Geralt literally called him "jask" and you wanna be MEAN???? NOT on my feed no sir

[ispridestillasin]

thinking about writing an possible au scene of my poly meljayskyvik Sky-centric canon divergent fic that I'm writing after rewatching the last episode of act 1 of s2 and now I'm in the trenches outlining a scene where Jayce & co. see Sky after Heimerdinger touches the thing when they're in the Hex Vault and she manages to pull herself out faster than I'm going to in the actual canon fic timeline after whatever the fuck Jayce & co. go through (i need act 2 Right Now for Sky-centric Fic Reasons)

[newtness532]

anyway, dont expect me to do anything but watching young royals today

[percahliaweek]

PERC’AHLIA WEEK 2024

September 23rd-29th 

Day 1, Sept. 23rd: COURAGE / HEART

Day 2, Sept. 24th: FLY / FALL

Day 3, Sept. 25th: GLASSES / FEATHERS

Day 4, Sept. 26th: SCARS / TOMB

Day 5, Sept. 27th: FREE / RANDOM*

Day 6, Sept. 28th: SMOKE / SUNSHINE

Day 7, Sept. 29th: YOURS / LATER

We're BACK, baby!

With TLOVM Season 3 confirmed for this fall, what better way to kick off the season than with some cozy fics, hot art and great vibes for our favorite couple?

Last year, we were ecstatic to see over 40 pieces of artwork and 90 fics pop up in response to our prompts - so we're delighted to return and host Perc'ahlia Week again! This is a fan-hosted event intended to celebrate all things about the pairing: delightful arrow gifts to handling politics as a married couple.

We want to make sure this environment is welcoming to show fans and safe for minors to dip their toes into fandom: as a result, we request that anything that might contain spoilers for TLOVM s3 and onwards be tagged #c1 spoilers. And, as steamy as Perc'ahlia can get, please remember to tag more suggestive works appropriately.

Tag any creations made for the event with #percahliaweek, or @ us here @percahliaweek, and we will reblog it. Or you can submit directly to the blog if you’d prefer!

We also have a Discord server - both to encourage eachother to work on WIPs and just hang out. You can find us HERE <3

Any questions? We have an FAQ up HERE - but please don’t hesitate to send in an ask!

[yourlocalgrass]

Nightbringer lesson 48 Spoilers:

—————————————————

Ok hear me out. I feel like the entire Simeon turning into a demon this season… almost feels like a retcon of S4.

Basically… all the things that should have happened in S4 were brought into NB S3.

Luke finally wanting to stand his ground while talking instead of running out of Purgatory Hall as a tantrum, and releasing he shouldn’t have to wait for Simeon to tell him because it only makes both sides feel worse as they both bottle their emotions, Lucifer and his development in sharing his concerns with the ones close to him and not dealing everything by himself, also let his brothers tag along with him and let them in on finding out as well, (totally in contrast to S4 it was such a mess) Raphael during the locked lesson and more about his feelings on losing everyone close to him so hopefully we’ll see more of this in the next lesson or more, and compared to the last season where Mammon was screaming about Simeon becoming a human as a way of voicing his frustrations blaming it on anything even Michael etc, he was more mature (as it should have been in S4 as well because he isn’t dumb) knowing nothing could be changed and it isn’t anyone’s fault and just felt melancholy and quiet knowing shouting or confronting in frustration won’t do anything for Simeon.

At first I was annoyed of the Simeon becoming a demon plot, but if they actually put effort into it I’ll see I guess… still skeptical and they’ll probably ruin it later just like they usually do.

Honestly all of this would have been better if it was incorporated into Season 4 and this plot didn’t exist.

[water-lemon-alex]

It’s finished! Welcome to II-blr’s…

PRE-II18 MINI-Q&A!

A set of 18 QUESTIONS celebrating 18 EPISODES that I’ve prepared for the entire fandom!!! Reblogs are definitely appreciated! As a bonus, you can go into my ask box and ask me any of the questions that *I* made!

You can answer as many questions as you want! Answer one, two, or maybe all of them!

There are no right or wrong answers! Everyone in the II fandom is welcome! (just no rule-breaking responses, please!)

STRICTLY NO LEAKS OR SPOILERS FOR THE UPCOMING EPISODE!!! Please be respectful to those who weren’t able to see the the theatrical releases! (including myself!)

(POST-II18 EDIT: IF YOU’RE GOING TO POST SPOILERS JUST TAG IT WITH THE SPOILER TAGS!! I’ve already watched the episode anyway, this is just for the people who haven’t watched the episode yet!

Transcript + Description:

1. Favorite character/s? (bonus: give one that debuted in each season)

Everyone in the fandom has this character that they love a tiny bit over the others. Who is YOUR favorite character? Or characters, if you have many.

2. Favorite season? (S1, S2 or S3?)

Between Inanimate Insanity, Inanimate Insanity 2 and Inanimate Insanity Invitational, which one of them did you like the most, and why? Is it their charm? Their artstyle and animation? Or is it because you enjoy it the most? There’s no wrong answers!

3. Favorite episode? (bonus: give one from each season)

Inanimate Insanity has 54 (about to be 55!) episodes in total! (not including S1 Ep. 5.5.) Out of all those episodes, which one did you enjoy the most, and why?

4. Favorite scene/s? (bonus: give one from each season)

Every episode is made out of SCENES! Was there a specific scene that you really liked, and why? From the emotions, the voice direction, your connection to the scene, or ALL OF THEM?

5. Favorite team? (across all seasons?)

Between Season One’s Team Epic and Team Chicken Leg, Season Two’s Bright Lights and Grand Slams, and Invitational’s (Old OR New) Sinkers, Thinkers and Pinkers, which among all these teams were the best among the rest?

6. Favorite ship/s and/or friendship/s?

You can’t have a fandom without ships! What are YOUR favorite ships? If romantic pairs aren’t your thing, give some friendships that you really loved.

7. A character you’d like to know more about?

With all the characters within the show, we’ve been dying to know more about the characters that didn’t get as much screentime as the others! Who do YOU want to know more about?

8. Favorite non-contestant? (Host, Co-Host, Misc., etc.)

Let’s give some love to those who don’t partake in the game! Your favorite non-contestant could also be the same as your favorite character! They could be hosts, co-hosts, background characters, other Meeple products— HECK, maybe Steve Cobs himself! There are a lot of characters out there that aren’t in the premises of the game.

9. Favorite voice for a character / favorite voice actor?

Let’s give some love to our beloved crew members who made the show possible! There was DEFINITELY that one character who you really like solely from their voice. Who is your favorite voice for a character, or your favorite voice actor?

10. Favorite song/s?

Let’s get musical! Without the people behind the music of II, these bangers would’ve never been possible! What is a song from the show that you’d put on repeat?

11. If you’d like to go to any location in the show, where would it be?

From the mysterious underground Gemory Cave to the Meeple Headquarters found in the sky, the world of II is endless! Maybe you want to go to a contest area to try a few challenges yourself. Or you want to relax and explore Hotel OJ!

12. Favorite canon divergence / AUs in the fandom (if any)

Now let’s give some love to our artists and writers in this very app! There’s a lot of awesome alternate universes in this fandom. (heck, I have an AU myself! the WTI au! check it out pspspspsps /nf) What are some alternate scenarios you’ve thought of that would make a GREAT AU? Or maybe some existing ones that you’ve followed for a while now?

13. How were you introduced to I.I.?

Were you introduced to the show when you were a child? Or maybe you’ve just learned about it pretty recently? Everyone starts somewhere!

14. What is a crossover (any crossover!) that you’d love to see?

We all have interests outside of II. Let it be shows, games, movies, books, or other interests! Even if it would absolutely NEVER happen in reality, what media do you think should have a crossover or collaboration with the show?

15. If you could get any merch you want, what are you getting?

Imagine this. You have won a raffle, and your prize is ANYTHING YOU WANT that has been sold during II’s runtime! Let it be t-shirts or mugs that aren’t being sold anymore, plushies that got sold out or on sale right now, or all the cool merch that is being sold this holiday season! Heck, you can ask for a merch item that hasn’t existed yet! Like your favorite character that doesn’t have a plushie yet! What are YOU getting?

16. Would you recommend the show to your friends/family?

Maybe you’re too shy to show it to people you’re close to, and that’s fine! But would you recommend the show to others?

17. What do you want to see more from the show that didn’t happen?

This is related to the AU question! Maybe it could be a scenario that happens after the movie, or a look into the daily lives of the contestants. Let’s hope that after II18, we’ll still have post-movie content…

18. How much does I.I. mean to you?

This fandom has grown to be a vast space full of talented creators big and small. You may have made a friend or two, maybe you just joined the fandom. There are no wrong answers. What is Inanimate Insanity to you? It could be as small as a simple show you’re interested in, or as big as the show having changed your life.

Thank you for reading through! Reblogs appreciated of course! To prove that you’ve read through the whole post…

[will80sbyers]

Masterpost:

How to make GIFs tutorials

General Byler slides from user beepboop358

My Bi Mike PowerPoint

Mike's POV through the seasons imo

Byler parallels masterpost (GIFs)

ST5 production masterpost

Bi Mike theories masterpost

Parallels masterpost

New byler proof ask

Breaking down Mlvn

Ecco perché Byler sarà endgame

How I interpret the S3 finale ask

Byler Fanfictions, Art and my writing

Byler Van Scene most recent analysis

Possible Byler scenarios for s5

My Stranger Things & Byler Podcast

Byler Playlists + analysis

Stranger Things & rainbows | one / two

Pinterest s5 outfits (WillelMike)

Stranger Things shitposts

Random theories masterpost (most of the links don't work anymore)

Stranger Things 5: production masterpost

My lip reading of the s5 scene of Mike and El on the roof ( It could be wrong! )

Old masterpost (most of the links don't work anymore)

Season 4 scripts posted by the writers

Link to the ST scripts confirmed to be real

Fanfics I'm currently reading

My analysis of the first teaser of St 5

ST5 outfits pictures for reference (spoilers!)

Byler & Stranger Things social media AU

Marauders sideblog: @jegulushq

Byler Podfics read by me!

You can find the stranger things GIFs I’ve made in the search gif space on Tumblr writing: will80sbyersgifs ( you can add the number of the episode you're looking for like 1x01 or words like byler etc to find specific ones )

other GIFs about movies or other TV shows are tagged: Will80sbyerstvgifs and Will80sbyersmoviegifs

Memes made by me tag -> st memes

other tags: St foreshadowing | St details | St5 production | St5 speculation

If you don’t want to see me talk about Jon possibly dying, filter out the tag: St5 Jon | Same thing but for Nancy: St5 nance

LINKS TO HELP A FAMILY IN GAZA

direct link

[djhashtageditz]

Earthspark s2b/s3 spoilers

So…

1. Ep one wasn’t listed so that could be anything atm (hopefully there’s mention of the chaos Terrans in there)

2. This feels so filler (a lot do actually) also idk how to feel about this episode (never liked these date setup eps in general)

3. It’s escape room in earthspark!/hj. Honestly I feel most excited for this one (and one other)

4. Idk who it could be honestly, the only character that I can come up with for now is Wildwheel (they could pull a cyberverse reference)

5 & 6. I feel like these go together where a hate plague hits the autobots and Prowl was sent to investigate and either recruited Thrash and Robby or they tagged along (makes me wonder if the plague also hit the other maltos and that’s why they aren’t in this)

7. OH FOR F SAKE, NO. Definitely no I do not want half of the season establish this relationship and then just make her betray him!

.

10 bucks that that shapeshifter is Izzy

.

Edit:

Welp-

No chaos Terrans…

At least it’s more Breakbee :3

[bylrlve]

Warning! Potential leaks for season five of Stranger Things!

Alex (aka @dyersfilms on twitter, used to be swiftlynatalia) is the person who successfully leaked most of season 4 due to her knowing a source. She did, however, insist Byler was entirely platonic that season and they fought for most of it and only made up at the end in the pizza van, so…

Here’s her saying she won’t post any byler leaks this time around, which she has said previously.

She got a message saying they’re all fake, and she thinks they all are, so keep that in mind.

Here’s a short one: Will distancing himself from the party bc it’s too hard to be closeted and to be around Mike. If real? Endgame fr.

A ‘leak’ from episode one where shit goes down after the opening scene of Will singing SISOSIG, Will falls, and Mike helps him up,

Here’s an extremely detailed one that casually drops Mileven breakup, Robin-Mike bonding over Vickie and Will, Will trying to avoid Mike ‘confronting him about the painting’, Mike and Jonathan fighting over Will’s safety. Nothing here is debunkable but…. Yeah. God, would it be nice, though.

The two most interesting ones. First, an ask that’s almost entirely plausible except for the mileven part - and that part, specifically, I’m calling bullshit on bc it claims that Hopper is still on the Mike Hate Train. It was made abundantly clear, after their talk and their awkwardly long hug at the end of season 4, that that’s in the past. Besides, it just wouldn’t fit tonally. S3 was the heterosexual-cliché, silly filler season. S5? Nah. Can’t 100% say it’s fake, but even Alex agrees this one isn’t real.

Lastly, an interesting one that’s plausible throughout which claims Mike gets seriously injured and spends some time in hospital. Will stays by his bedside after everyone else leaves and kisses Mike on the forehead. Mike wakes up after he leaves - I think the insinuation is that Mike does a Half-Blood Prince and wakes up knowing that someone he felt safe with was there, but he doesn’t know who it was. If that’s legit? As I said, endgame fr.

I do want to note that both the mileven and Byler asks word the ‘main character getting injured part’ as everyone being ‘shaken up’ so there are a few options: it’s the same person with legit leaks, and Byler isn’t endgame. That, I’d be more willing to accept, cautious as I am, were it not for the Hopper part, which sticks out like a sore thumb. Second option: it’s the same person messing around. Third: it’s two people, one building on the other.

Cannot emphasise enough that these are most likely just bored people having fun, but I figured I’d share them all. The last one is getting passed around the tag sans context, and I wanted to clarify everything else Alex has received. Do not get your hopes up about Byler based solely on these.

Letting my imagination run absolutely wild here for just a moment, however: Maya and Vickie are confirmed to be filming at the hospital set, presumably visiting someone. There’s also a pic of someone with bloody shoes. Imagine if Robin visits Mike in the hospital, witnesses some Platinum-Tier Will Byers Pining™️, and ends up talking to Mike after he wakes up - no mention of how long he stays there.

Lastly, it is fun comparing these to the more doom-and-gloom (re: Mike) leaks Sapphicjopper on twitter got. The awesome @solgmorell has a post explaining those in detail.

Oh, and an interview came out today where Shawn Levy said something insane but, you know, water is wet.

[lunar-years]

hi! love your blog. I was wondering if you have any fic recs? I’m especially looking for royjamiekeely but I’m flexible :) thank you!!

Hi! I have read a lot of the R/J/K tag, and gosh, there is seriously so much incredible stuff in there. It sort of depends on what kind of vibe you're going for, but here are a few* to get you started.

Note: many of these are rated M or E, so please check the actual warnings and ratings and summaries before reading :)

Start with author inlovewithnight and literally just read everything they've ever written, it is all completely brilliant and there is something for all tastes. My personal favorites are the blood in my mouth, I wish it was mine and they threw me a whirlwind and I spat back the sea, but do be aware those are definitely darker/heavier fics and heed the tags!!! (the first has quite bit of noncon [not between RJK] and the second involves physical abuse initiated by James Sr.). For a lighter option I recommend Follow the Hearts and You Can't Go Wrong which is a lovely future R/J/K fic about the end of Jamie's career

from there move along to @valonia47 (Ao3) and @belmottetower (Ao3) and Mixtape Star (Ao3) and also read everything they've written :) I wanted to single out favorites for you but how could I when it's all so very good?

our bodies touch and the angels cry by lennynards: R/J/K that starts out with Roy & Jamie having to stay within 10 feet of each other at all times after both accidentally drinking a weird tea Jane brewed up for Beard. Yes it sounds like a completely ridiculous premise but it is one of my favorite RJK fics ever, 12/10

In Colour series by lyricl: this one feels so very true to canon and it just gets them all so right, I don't know how else to describe it. It's not a complete series though and nobody has actually gotten together as of yet, fyi. They're all far too busy having a lot of complex (& horny) feelings about each other from afar.

This might be a long shot that's not quite what you're looking for but, For Now series by Wild Wren. It's actually mostly a Roy/Keeley series, and I started reading it on a whim because I literally ran out of new things to read in the R/J/K and Jamie tags at one point, lol. Then it ended up being some of my favorite fanfic of all time. It's Roy/Keeley but like, in a not normative and also very kinky way that does a great deep dive into their respective ~issues~. Also Wild Wren had them break up even before the show had them break up, and in a much better and far more detailed way, just saying!! Part 4 is pre-ot3 in the messiest possible way. What a brilliant series, I cannot recommend it enough.

Outgrow the shoes of expectations by @destinationtoast : Brilliant on the ot3 side of it and even better on the character study of each individual within the ot3. Sooo so good. I think about it all the time.

another box with a question mark by irishmizzy: going to be completely honest when I say I don't fully remember this one, but I do know it was very funny and excellent and it is also rated T which makes it different from a lot of the others on my list, so i wanted to include!! It is in my bookmarks and I'm going to be rereading it asap now :)

something that's so close by @ohlafraise : s3 outtake that is very funny and perfect and lovely and also happens to be rated T :) also check out one night upon the shore by the same author. It's Jamie/Keeley, but don't worry Roy's there in spirit. You'll see. That one is very much not T though, lol

by any other name by renecdote: Jamie accidentally wears a Kent jersey instead of his own jersey on the pitch and the internet thinks they're dating (spoiler: they are dating). Who cares if it's not realistic because it's so hilarious and wonderful, amen.

Oh Lord, You've Never Been so in Love by asexual-fandom-queen. I literally just read this one, it's hot off the presses and it is so sexy and tender and also just gets these three so very right. the perfect anecdote to the end of s3.

Anddd of course I have to self promo a little and recommend you Waterfalls (between seasons 1&2 canon divergence), The Full Picture (s3: Jamie attempting to parent-trap RoyKeeley while avoiding his feelings for both of them) and my new one Confetti (ot3 fluff where they celebrate Phoebe's favorite holidays)

*I said I'd give a few and then proceeded to be really long about it, but like, what else is new? For that reason I've tried to stick to strictly R/J/K fics, but if you'd like Roy/Jamie or gen fic/Jamie fic recs also let me know because I could totally make a whole separate post about those, lol.

[multifandom-nerds-blog]

Tbb S3 spoiler: I also promise I will do actual reactions to the episodes at some point though they will be rewatch reactions. I wanna watch all of the epispdes without distraction for the first time.

So ep 4 gave us the return of gambler Omega, dad Crosshair, a money hungry faschist eaten by a kraken thing and the so long awaited reunion.

Now I can't stand to wait for what will happen between Cross, Wrecker and Hunter.

ALSO, if there's no Echo next week I will do some very bad things.

(help, there's a tag limit, I didn't know that. Tbb and characters just have to many different tumblr tags)

[grahams-hatched-egg]

fic rec 4 me thinks. This one is one of my favorites ive read it multiple times and every time is just as fun. Its Bright Burn by Shotgun_sinner. Its also post s3 so spoiler warning.

Some tags for the gist of it: Injury recovery, boat sex, porn with feelings

and not tags but should be mentioned: rude to molly (which we hate), wills becoming is very evident and he WILL get hannibal where he wants him. no slowburn in sight this gets to the point immediately

word count: 108,616

Rating: A solid 10/10

Bright Burn [Shotgun_sinner]

This starts during the fall, where Will, within a few short moments comes to terms with his love for hannibal. But theres still the fact that theyre falling from a cliff to deal with, Hannibal dies and Will has to resuscitate him and get him to a hospital quick. No time to hide identities and make up cover stories so obviously the police are there the next day to try and get the story straight and wait for hannibal to be healthy enough to arrest. How will Will get them out and how will they escape the police with a very injured hannibal and extremely love sick Will?

spoilers for the fic for those that get a little nervous when bad things happen (right there with you): post fall will falls in love with Hannibal mid fall and on impact Hannibal dies. Will drags him to shore and does cpr on him and eventually drives him to the hospital. The hospital keeps both of them on tight ropes because Hannibal is Hannibal. Anyway, fast forward and Molly divorces Will because she realizes hes in love with H, and once H is healthy enough to walk Will kills two guards to break him out of prison. They end up going to Cuba on Wills ship while Will takes care of H. Alana hunts them down in the safe house and the people kidnap H and it reverses a lot of his healing progress. So they now have to move to Europe which is where Chiyoh also happens to be. The ship ride is super long and eventually they fuck. They get to the safe house and get married and its really sweet. The epilogue is also really sweet cause Jack sees them at a bar and theyre just so obviously in love with each other i love this fic

[theofficialpresidentofmars]

ok so I made my plans about somehow making some sort of Hamlet AU out of ATLA clear before I even began watching the show, but what I didn’t anticipate, was how easy the show was going to make it for me.

I don’t know if I have to tag atla spoilers because the show came out in 2005? but erm spoilers I suppose. to be completely honest i’m only on S3 E13 so this is subject to change, just throwing out ideas rn

Like there’s literally conspiracy leading to murder (apparently even poisoning, i’m not sure of the specifics) of the current head of power in order to gain control of the throne RIGHT THERE IN THE SHOW. It’s almost too easy. The only thing that could possibly make it easier would be if Iroh’s son were still alive and they’d gone for an already ascended Iroh instead of grandpappy Azulon. But even still.

So the story as far as I could see it would have it play out in a similar way to the actual show, with Ozai murdering Azulon for the throne. Considering the Danish throne in Hamlet is an elective one, if we opt for that side of things, Ozai would win public favour due to Iroh being in no condition to lead. Alternatively, we could just stick to canon, considering Ozai ends up with the throne either way.

I think the biggest changes that immediately arise are:

- Zuko’s probably not thaaat sad about Azulon. Which is fine. Rather than this revenge tragedy being about a fall from grace, it’s almost more a tragic inevitably. Zuko doesn’t start off as down in the dumps but that’s okay, because in terms of how far down he has to go morally, he’s still got a big headstart

- Zuko’s probably less annoyed at both his parents. This is a timeline in which Zuko was never sent to capture the Avatar to restore his honour, which means it’s quite possible the infamous Agni Kai never happened at all. Regardless, I will find some way to work his iconic scar into the story, whether that be beforehand, during his capture and send off in Act 4, or the final duel in Act 5. I will, however, have to find some reason for him to be slightly more annoyed at his father than in the original story (where the disapproval of his father just made him more desperate). Perhaps this time he fought back in the Agni Kai, and while still emerging scarred, was not exiled. Maybe he never spoke out at all, and simply disapproves of his father’s blatant favouritism of his sister. I may discuss this later on, but the key point is that he needs to be believably motivated to kill his own father, which he was not originally.

- Also, Zuko’s probably not that pissed at his mother for committing incest because… she didn’t really do that. Whatsoever. He’ll probably end up pissed at her eventually for sticking with his father or even in finding out her accessory to the crime (although perhaps holding off from the same revenge if her motives were different to Ozai’s), but the point is that there’ll be a removed layer of depth in terms of their relationship in comparison to the original. So no misogynistic Zuko, which while it might be a nay for story detail, is a yay for feminism.

Anyway, so the story starts off the same as usual, probably around the spring of the original series. There’s also a good chance that I’ll get Azulon’s whole poisoning deal to happen a little closer to the actual series, purely for pacing’s sake. Anyway, Firelord Ozai is again blatantly favouring his daughter over his crown prince son, and Azusa asks if she can go back to the Earth Kingdom to continue taking over it, which Ozai agrees to. So Zuko’s left alone in the castle to wander with his thoughts.

The second big set of problems that arise are that Zuko doesn’t have very many friends. Which is a bit of an issue in terms of figuring out a Horatio, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. I’ve got Mai down for Ophelia, so there’s a good chance by process of elimination that Ty Lee’s going to end up as Rosencrantz. Either way, for now, we’ll just leave that basket case alone and talk about when he gets on the roof to talk to ghosts.

Anyway, so yada yada yada, Zuko gets sent to talk to a spirit that looks like his late grandfather. Spirit shows up, claims to be the guy, and asks Zuko to avenge him. He spares no detail to the crown prince about his bloody murder, the vicious betrayal that took his life, and claims it brought dishonour upon Ozai’s family line. He tells Zuko that Ozai is already past the point of no return, but as the crown prince and the next firelord, Azulon says there is still a chance for his own redemption. If Zuko wants to redeem himself in order to claim his rightful place on the throne, he must avenge Azulon, and restore his honour.

If we want to use Ozai’s favouritism towards Azula as a way to turn Zuko against him, Ozai can also mention how it was his, and then Iroh’s destiny to ascend to the throne and take the mantle of the firelord. But clearly, Ozai has no problem going against fate in order to change who the throne is going to. It may be Zuko’s destiny now, but again, if Ozai did it once, he might do it again. Azula is a better fit, and if Zuko doesn’t take care of him first, Ozai might be tempted to take things into his own hands again.

Anyway, the point is Zuko’s head gets filled with all the restore-his-honour stuff about avenging his grandfather for the throne. But he knows that spirits aren’t always what they seem, and also this is like, his dad, so he’s a little hesitant at first. And naturally, his first thought is that he needs to gather information, so he puts on a little bit of an antic disposition.

Now it should be said, for all intents and purposes, I see no reason why the Avatar storyline couldn’t be more or less going on in the background. A couple of changes, yes, but it’s not like we’re strangers to those at this point. The point is, instead of Fortinbras, the ever impending doom on the Fire Nation will be the Avatar or something.

Mai, whom Zuko has been dating a little more closely due to not being on a ship in the South Pole somewhere, notices that he’s been acting a little strange. Iroh, who’s still hanging around the palace, wonders if it’s possibly the symptoms of love sickness, and decides to investigate. He talks to Zuko, but the prince, not having spent a large amount of time in close proximity to his uncle and his mysterious proverbs and therefore without the same affections for him, dismisses his words and misreads his uncle as a doddering old man.

Ty Lee (or whomever) also get sent to spy on him, but Zuko (having grown up with Azula for a sister), is paranoid, and catches on straight away. She brings him news of a troupe of travelling actors, whom she met during her tour with the circus, who are in town, and Zuko hatches a plan.

Meanwhile, Iroh and Ursa try again to see if Zuko has been bit by the love bug by sending Mai in to talk to him personally, to return his gifts (as he’s been sort of slacking in the boyfriend department recently) and to see how he reacts. As they spy, they catch him pondering aloud to himself. Instead of ‘to be or not to be’, a thoughtful soliloquy on life, death, and the question of why doesn’t everybody just kill themselves, Zuko wonders aloud about honour, destiny, and balance. How they tie into one another, what fate has in store for him, why he should have so much compared to the average man. What destiny means if it can be so easily changed and imposed. Where honour comes from, who decides how it is earned. And mostly, about the concept of balance, in the royal family, in the Four Nations and the hundred year war, in the Avatar and what he represents, and in himself. It’s super deep and thoughtful, and I’m not writing any of it down.

Anyway, and then Mai comes in, and Zuko, all hopped up on paranoia and daddy and sister issues and people being sent to spy on him, accuses her of not loving him and going behind his back. He totally yells at her a bunch about it, and Ursa and Iroh are left with the realisation that whatever he’s being plagued by, it’s not love.

The actors then come and perform a rendition (on Zuko’s command) of the events leading to and of Azulon’s demise and it… leaves much to be desired. Regardless, it gets the job done, and Ozai runs away.

Zuko finds him somewhere, and has the opportunity to kill him, and you can tell this is one of the bits that I haven’t quite figured out just yet, but for whatever reason doesn’t because it wouldn’t be honourable, or something.

Ursa calls Zuko into her chambers, worried about him, and Zuko snaps at her, yelling at her for supporting Ozai and her part in the conspiracy. She calls for help, and someone behind the curtain calls for help, and Zuko realises he’s being spied on. Without thinking very hard about it, he assumes it’s Ozai, and slices up the arras. Ursa freaks out, and Zuko freaks out too, but upon inspection of the body, it turns out instead of killing his treacherous father Ozai, he’s accidentally just gone and killed beloved Uncle Iroh.

And I know what you must be thinking. ‘Blasphemy! Iroh can’t be killed. He’s way too cool.’ and while I’d agree under normal circumstances, this actually serves as a really good point of no return for Zuko that parallels that of the original play, because this is where the nail gets hammered in that this really isn’t our Zuko anymore. This Zuko didn’t spend three years alongside a good influence that would eventually lead him to go down a better path, this Zuko continued to grow up in Fire Nation walls. And even with the pre-existing compassion and capacity to change for the better in his heart, the one person who would have seen it come to fruition is now dead. This is a turning point that symbolises that whatever person Zuko could have become, the one he did in the original series, is now forever lost.

Anyway, so after yelling at and then crying with his mother for a bit (despite everything, he was still always her favourite. which isn’t hard when Azula’s your other child), and then seeing some more spirit action, and then crying some more, Zuko hides the body and runs. He doesn’t get very far, as he’s captured and taken to Ozai, who’s furious with him. Zuko refuses to answer any of his questions in a straight manner, and is sent off to the colonies to ‘cool down’. He is to be assisted by Ty Lee, and potentially co.

On his way out from the Fire Nation, Zuko spots a gathering of Water Tribe and various Earth Kingdom ships, and reasons that the Avatar must be planning to invade the Fire Nation at some point. He examines the likelihood of it working, and what he’s clearly willing to risk.

Later on, during the boat ride, unable to sleep, Zuko sneaks into Ty Lee’s cabin and steals the letter she’s been entrusted to give the militia in charge of the colony they’re headed to upon their arrival. He opens and reads it, and to his shock, it’s an order to carry out his immediate execution upon their receiving of the letter. He finds the necessary materials, and forges a second letter that instead orders the deaths of the bearers of the letter, and seals it with the signet ring of the Fire Nation royalty. Hours later, the ship is attacked by pirates and Zuko escapes onto their vessel, capturing it and directing it back towards the Fire Nation.

Azula comes back from the Earth Kingdom to find Iroh dead, her brother missing, and Mai with her mind on the edge. She’s annoyed at Zuko for reducing her friend to this state, and even more so when Mai ends up losing herself to it. So when Ozai recieves a message from his son announcing his return and suggests to Azula that they get revenge on her brother, she’s more than happy to help out.

Zuko arrives back in the Fire Nation, and during his trek back to the castle, upon seeing the graves being dug for the Fire Nation soldiers lost to the war, ponders again about the nature of balance and honour, this time in a classic life/death way. He has a frustrating conversation with a particularly witty gravedigger, and then spies a funeral taking place. He notices members of his family there, and realising it’s for Mai, crashes the funeral, and jumps into her grave. Azula jumps after him, and the two begin to fight as the accuse the other of not loving Mai enough. They’re pried apart, and Ozai reminds Azula to save her energy for their duel.

Zuko is invited to a duel, and in my mind this can go one of two ways:

- Either it’s the classic Agni Kai, which Zuko challenges Azula to during the fight in the graveyard, and she readily accepts, scheduling it for the day after, or

- Zuko is inviting to a sword fighting duel with his sister during the eclipse, which he readily accepts, as he’s willing to show off in the one field he might be able to properly beat her in.

If the sword fight route is taken, it happens much in the same way as the original play, with the poisoned blade and cup. Both get poisoned in the exchange of swords, Zuko takes the opportunity to finish his father, and they all pretty much end up dying during the eclipse.

If the Agni Kai route is taken, it happens right before the eclipse, and the poisoned cup is prepared again just in case (which Ursa ends up drinking). The fatal move ends up happening when Azula shoots lighting at Zuko, who redirects it, but doesn’t let the energy travel in the proper direction and instead lets it travel through his heart (due to him never being taught in this timeline), leading to him managing to redirect it back at his sister, wounding her fatally, but also stopping his heart in the process. When Azula is happy to reveal Ozai’s involvement due to her bitterness at her own impending demise, Ozai tries to stop Zuko, but the eclipse has just started, and Zuko uses his swords again to finish off the job before succumbing.

As this does happen during the eclipse, moments after the royal family dies, the Avatar and the ground force invasion team take the castle, arriving to the dismal sight. With the Firelord out of the way, the tide of the war is easily turned and it finds a peaceful ending at the hands of the Avatar.

In this timeline, the Avatar never really knew Zuko, but with the knowledge of his lineage, wonders if there was ever a world in which they were friends. He considers as well, how despite Zuko’s actions being largely violent, negative, and a product of his Fire Nation upbringing, they ended up bringing good, peace, and light to the world in the greater picture of things. Zuko’s destiny seemed to be determined by his heritage: his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. But just as much as one side had an effect on his destiny and where the prince would end up, the other side would have one just as great.

Zuko would live and die by the law and nature of the Fire Nation, but he would also be the one to bring balance to the world.

[original-art-stories]

The Magnus Archives Fic list lying on my computer>

The horror and everything else. Mostly Jon centric probably...

Anatomy of a Mask - A new archival assistant is hired. Her name is Mary Sue. Starts as a comedy and absolutely does not end that way.

Plus One - Jon attends a series of parties for which a plus one is mandatory.

Decree Nisi - Elias and Peter divorce (again), and the judge is tired of their bullshit.

Reflection - Jon is haunted by himself, and refuses to take any of his advice.

Rosemary and Thyme - fantasy AU featuring romance, quests, and fairy politics.

What Belongs to the Sea - Selkie AU, mind the tags on this one.

Bell, Book, and Candle - “By the Ride or Die Pact of 2009, Jonathan Sims can call upon Georgie Barker at any time for aid with no strings attached. Despite their rocky history, their childhood friendship, and Jon’s barely recovered alcoholism, this pact is sacred and must be upheld.”

Things Could Always Be Worse - Jon swaps place with an alternate-universe version of himself, who is heroic, chivalrous, and wears plaid. It’s terrible. Inspired by the parodic “straight TMA” blog.

👁‍🗨 👁‍🗨 👁‍🗨 👁‍🗨 👁‍🗨 👁‍🗨 👁‍🗨 👁‍🗨 👁‍🗨 👁‍🗨 👁‍🗨 👁‍🗨 👁‍🗨 👁‍🗨

Sex Repulsion and Asexuality Save the World (Though That's Not What Jon Claims): canon divergent from MAG 160, in which Jon is so sex repulsed that a changed word in the Hazel Rutter statement saved the world. Crack is treated seriously.

Refusing to Give Up Tomorrow: safehouse hurt/comfort ft. MAG 160 divergence

The Eyespot Chronicles: Trilogy of works. AU where instead of going Somewhere Else, Jon and Martin stay in the OG universe. However, Jon is a moth.

Déjà Vu: Time-travel fix-it where Sasha, Tim, Jon, and Martin all wake up on the day of the day of season 1, episode 1, with memories spanning from that day to the moment they died.

terror management theory: AU where Mr. Spider kills Jon, and now Jon can't permanently die. Despite this, the fic is rather light-hearted (or at least crack)

Other Kingdoms: A season 3 fix-it, in which Martin uses a Leitner to wake Jon up. Do note that there are references to sex happening (Jon's demisexual in this), but it's rated T so nothing is shown.

When No One Looks: Dark Avatar!Jon AU set during the latter half of season 1

Chamomile: In which post season 4, the NotTea becomes a pet.

If The Archivist Had Been Meant to Fly...: Wingfic in which Jon saves Martin from Simon Fairchild

Molt: This is my favorite take on Web!Martin. This is also a darkfic, to the point that the author was made so sad by chapter 1 that they wrote chapter 2 as a fix-it to chapter 1. Also, as a warning that I would've appreciated but isn't in the tags or summary: there's a scene alluding to corrective rape, but this doesn't actually happen.

Drawn Out of the Unknown: Canon divergent s3 fic, official summary is "While investigating a possible location for the Circus's base, Martin and Tim find something unexpected.

The fic series that contributed to me listening to TMA was this Good Omens crossover by Bibliocratic. Really enjoyed it and finally between this fic and seeing TMA all over my tumblr dashboard (plus having a project to work on with my hands) I finally listened, so I'm thankful for that.

The other series I really love is>

The Magnus Institute vs the 21st Century: a series of emails and IMs which is just utterly hilarious. It's the Magnus Institute going through GDPR compliance processes and it's just fabulous.

And then one I'm still sort of following even though I don't read much TMA fic right now is

 dustsceawung by callmearcturus. It's a Moth!Jon fic with Martin as someone who moved to a town in a different fairy court (in a fae AU). Not complete and hasn't updated in a while but I really like the tone.

The world is too much with us is one of the many many many time-travel fix-it fics (I think that's a genre all it's own in the TMA fanfic community at this point). Spoiler to be on the safe side, it follows Jon after he's dropped back in 2014 by the Spiral, and relives what amounts to the next four seasons of TMA, using the experiences he had the first time 'round to try and avoid the apocalypse--and keep everyone alive in the process. Oh, and he's got the added bonus of already being an Avatar of the Eye. Very much angsty with a happy ending. This one's completed, so feel free to binge.

Martin x Jon 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/41149674As everything ends, as the tower crumbles around them, Jon and Martin hold each other in a firm embrace. What they see of the world shatters, and Jon breaks with it. He awakened, alone, confused, and something was terribly wrong with him.

Tim drags Jon to a party in celebration of his promotion with one goal in mind: getting  Jon drunk off his arse.

Martin is moving to a different position within the Institute and celebrates as well.

through the clouds like a moonbeam: Jon gets wings during the apocalypse. Martin likes them; Jon doesn't.

I’ll bear the waiting now: AU where Jon is the new head archivist with two assistants, but there's a disembodied voice that only Jon can hear. Do note that there is something that looks a lot like suicide but there's a happy ending. (Alternate summary that spoils the fic: Martin is a "ghost" and also Jon's "late" boyfriend. )

true kinda love: Season 3 Co-Archivist!Jonmartin

hiding: Season 3 jonmartin kissing to hide from the Circus

The Garden of forking Paths - Jon and Martin search for each other through universes.

“What about him then?” Georgie asks.

“Who?”

“Him,” she says again like it is obvious who she means, holding up the sketchbook revealing a spread that has several loose sketches of Martin. It surprises Jon it took Georgie so long to find Martin in the book considering he had at least one-third of its entirety dedicated to him.

To graduate from art school, Jon needs to paint a nude portrait, but none of his friends are too keen on modeling for him. As a last resort, he asks a handsome barista.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/46426702When Martin needs a fake boyfriend to bring to his family reunion, Jonathan Sims is the last person he would have expected to volunteer.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/51906919Tomorrow, Martin begins his new job as a lighthouse keeper. He knows (hopes) he'll enjoy it. What he doesn't know (yet) is that a very, very curious selkie lives near and is intrigued enough by him to come visit.

https://archive.transformativeworks.org/works/30210444/chapters/81277828 The last fic I read (time travel)

This list has become a behemoth, comprising various lists created by others. I've saved it, but now I need to free up space. This is the process I'm undertaking for every list I've saved.