#antonia has way too much fun with this

[angelltheninth]

The Thunderbolts Team Notices You're Injured

Pairing: Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, Antonia Dreykov, John Walker, Bob Reynolds, Ava Starr, Alexei Shostakov x Reader

Tags: fluff, injury, teammates to lovers, soothing kisses, care, feelings realization, praise, teasing, bridal cary

Ko-Fi | Rules | Fandoms and Characters | Commissions

A/N: Honestly I only went to see this for Yelena and I was NOT disappointed. The rest of the team was good too. Go Bob!

After the hell that Yelena just had to go through she isn't it well when people around her, people that she cares for, are in danger. Doesn't matter if the injury is big or small she will worry about you. But she won't let her team see that she's panicking about your injuries, but she knows you can see it on her face. She doesn't leave your side for the entire ride back and is constantly asking how you're doing.

Picks you up the moment your enemies are put down. He carries you in his arms and knows that his team will make fun of him because it looks like you just got married, well minus the bleeding from you. Bucky holds you close and kisses your forehead as you smile up at him, telling him that he's going soft on you recently but that you find it cute. While that might be true he is still able to beat up anyone else who calls him cute.

Has been trained to kill so protecting people is a bit of a foreign concept to her still. Still Antonia does her damn best to reassure you, and herself, that you're gonna be okay. It's just a broken leg, you'll be walking again in no time at all, she'll be by your side while you recover too. While she's not too good at cheering people up she will stare down anyone who implies that the injury was all your fault. She won't let anyone slander you.

Runs to your side the moment he sees you go down, cupping your face and yelling over the action and fights going on in the background. As you come to from being past out you see John breathe out a sigh of relief and feel him press his forehead against yours. He helps you get to the medical bed and doesn't leave your side until you're able to stand up. Will even sleep in the chair for as long as it takes.

When Bob sees you surrounded and unable to fight back against mutual enemies he almost lets his powers go out of control. Instead of losing control he completely he pulls them into the Void one by one and making them pass out shortly after. He isn't killing them or making them go crazy but they sure as hell will have nightmares for months to come. The last thing he wants is to be a monster, but for you he can be close to one.

Being able to go invisible is a huge advantage when it comes to saving you and Ava will use every ace up her sleeve to do so. She was worried about you after the punches you took but that smug, charming grin of yours put her mind at ease a little bit, Despite that she's not exactly comforted by how much you're bleeding and fainting against her as she's helping you walk. How you still have the strength to flirt like that she will never know.

For him it's pretty easy to barrel through enemies when he sees that you went down in the middle of a fight. Alexei is by your side and carrying you, running with you on his back, dowards the carrier to get you out of harms way. He holds your hand, bringing it to his lips and kissing it while assuring you that you're gonna be okay. Of course you'll be okay, you need to be tough and badass if you made him interested in you.

[biancadoes1]

I don’t think people are using just a little bit of common sense. Let’s go back..,

Nic did that audiobook. A book that was too close to home. A book that made people think, am I in the twlight zone. And she recorded that book in september, so she was aware of the shipping mania.

why didn’t Nic and JD spend Christmas & NYE together. Now I can understand Christmas but NYE.

people complaining that Luke probably- depends on one’s view of the photo- Antonia to LA. But are we forgetting Nic and JD went to NYC in October and JD was not at the Times Event Dinner. So please stop saying he took her to LA to sit in the room. Grow up people!!!!! It’s the same pattern.

The hug seen all around the world. The way he slightly pulls her is possessive. That hug broke the internet. But people say they are beefing. I’ve never seen Luke or Nic hug their alleged partners. He even tries to hold her hand.

Lukey is a man of facial expression. It’s funny how people will say, oh he is angry with A, but say him and Nic are beefing when he smiling like the Joker on national media outlet.

JD likes attention too. I’ve seen so many people say, A is so awful and JD is working hard and has a good head on his shoulder. Be for real. JD trolls people too and with the help of Nic his name got out there too. Yes, he went to drama school. But to say he did this all on his own is not true. Not downplaying him going to school to study the craft just being honest.

Nic’s follow. I have seen this argument as to why Nic is following A all over SM. Nic and Antonia had a chance to finally talk and decided to follow one another. BS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Do people seriously think that two women, who have a shared person of interest- Luke - need to finally meet in LA, go across the freaking map of the US just to finally sit and met and talk to her. Be for real. That’s the dumbest thing over ever read. And I’ve read a lot of dumb stuff in this fandom. Luke would have told Nic months ago, for a sit down. Don’t people remember she already knew of her in NYC. Use logic people.

Nic’s overcompensation on buddy. Nic we know you and Luke are close. Maybe she called him buddy bc now people outside of the bridgerton world saw how they acted. But!! Aren’t there multiple new media outlets with articles she is dating JD???? Those said media outlets interviewed her. This is how you know those are articles just repost of DM with no fact check or interview. Not once does she try to correct with JD. Now one could say bc that’s her man. But if that is her man, why feel the need to let people know Luke is buddy.

lastly, could I be wrong, yep 😂😂. But I love Luke and Nic and that won’t change. But only two options are at play 1. Nic and Luke are together. The follow of A is a wild card to paint the narrative- we all friends. Fans the ones that made mountain out of hills. But Nic, for some reason, is not ready. Luke is about to pop lol OR Following A was to help like our. Him and A got into an argument and Nic said - I got you bc she knows added fuel to the fire too. And JD reposted and commented on Nic photo bc they too got into an argument and he got jealous. But honestly, I think Nic & Luke are together. It’s fun to be delulu at times, but I look at the clues and analyze. I believe all will come to light soon. But whatever one believes, people need to be adults. Using a bug emoji is childish.

thanks so much B for your blog. It’s truly the best one out there.

Thank you anon ❤️❤️❤️

And I agree.

When you only focus on Nic following Antonia, you’re only seeing one possibility. You’re forgetting about everything else flying around the follow.

One anon asked me why would they go through such extreme lengths to hide their relationship.

It’s not hiding it, not really. It’s protecting it and keeping it private. Imagine the kind of salacious bullshit that would come from a sudden NicLuke drop with loose ends out there. Media outlets get whiff of stank coming from any direction and it’s allegations out the ass left and right.

And this is only one angle! There’s a number of possibilities that can occur without a plan and those can quickly spiral out of control.

There’s strategy here, people.

[xoladybella]

These anons are too much. Ok, you believe that Luke and Antonia are together and you have accepted that. Or that Nic and Jake are together. Great for you! But what does that have to do with us? We don’t believe that and you coming here, to a LUKOLA SHIPPING BLOG, to tell us that we should just accept that is wild! Just as you have every right to believe he is with A, we are also still entitled to our opinions. The vast majority of Lukola shippers stick to their little corner of the internet sharing thoughts and opinions with each other. We aren’t sending hate to L, N, A, or J. And if at the end of the day we are wrong about everything, then so what? It doesn’t directly impact us in any way whatsoever. But we still have the right to ship Nic and Luke, as long as we are respectful about it.

I am starting to think the issue with these anons trying to push L/A and N/J might be that they still really want to believe in N and L too, but they are too afraid to be disappointed if it turns out they are wrong. So they come to Lukola blogs to try to shame everyone for not “seeing” things as they do, but only so that the blogger and their followers can reinforce why we believe they are together. It gives them hope even when what they are saying is the total opposite. If that makes any sense at all. I mean, if they are so certain in their belief about L/A and/or N/J, then they wouldn’t be worried about what we think. Just like those of that believe that Nic and Luke are together aren’t worried about what they think.

And I am not saying we should all believe exactly the same things because then it simply becomes an echo chamber. I appreciate that you don’t block/delete the people that think differently and are voicing their thoughts and opinions in a meaningful way on your blog. Because some will block you immediately if you don’t fall in line with everything they say. It’s good to have an open discussion, especially when we don’t agree. It gives us a whole new perspective. But these anons say the exact same thing over and over and think that by being condescending, they will change people’s minds.

I think Nic and Luke are together, but understanding full and well that I could be wrong, but I am also not going to anyone’s blogs trying to force my opinions as facts onto anyone that believes differently.

I’m so sorry for the rant, but it’s frustrating for these anons to continuously send in these same old tired asks. My kudos to you and Bianca because you guys handle these anons phenomenally, even though I am sure it can get so stressful. 😩🫠

Don’t apologize, I love to read rants and hear what others are thinking.

I agree! Why come into our peaceful space and try to convince of these things? It’s so tiresome. It’s clearly not going to work so just march on back to where you came from. I feel like that too. Also I feel like most of them are likely scared Lukola shippers who are afraid that if we’re wrong they’ll look dumb so by pretending to be another shipper they’ll have that to fall back on and say “see told you so”.

Yeah it’s nice to have different opinions and perspectives that can bounce off each other. Of course♥️ I hope I’ve created a safe space for opinions while also fostering my ideas. I’ve heard of those blogs and it’s not a good place to go. At the end of the day shipping is suppose to be fun and light hearted. It’s all speculative anyway as we don’t know these two irl. I love to read the comments under my posts as everyone has different ideas and thoughts but they all lead to the same result.. Lukola 🥹

“I think Nic and Luke are together, but understanding full and well that I could be wrong, but I am also not going to anyone’s blogs trying to force my opinions as facts onto anyone that believes differently.” 💯 I love this.

Thank you 🙇🏼‍♀️ it does get that way sometimes but I end up deleting a lot of the asks because they’re all the same.

[vesseloflukola]

Privacy and Misdirection

So, the last few days have been interesting. As you know, we have not received much of substance from our main characters (Luke and Nicola) for some time now. Nic used to give us a lot more crumbs. We even got some crumbs from Luke (IMO those crumbs were mainly because of the influence of Nic).

I believe Nic and Luke have been together for a very long time, and have been using the adjacent’s as cover for their relationship. The crumbs were for those of us who have always seen their connection and refuse to leave the ship.

However, I think some Lukola shippers may be too close to the detailed truth of their relationship for their liking. I think that is why the misdirection by them and their friends started. I think they first used misdirection to confuse fans (and possibly paparazzi) as to where they actually were, so they could get some privacy. I think they have further used some misdirection by friends and family to confuse fans about their relationship.

Over the weekend, we had someone post a screenshot from a public Facebook page of a distant relative of Luke’s, where she asked about going to Cyprus in October and asked if the weather would be good and Luke’s mother answered that Luke’s girlfriend is from there and she said it’s the perfect time to go.

This is such a red herring to me. It’s odd to me that someone is stalking Luke’s extended family member’s so closely. It’s interesting that a family member, who just happens to have a public profile, also just happens to ask about Cyprus. Then, his mom happens to comment four days later and mention something on social media that Luke has never claimed? If Luke WAS dating Antonia, his mother would know his stance about not putting his relationship on SM and I don’t think she would casually do so herself. I think she would privately message this family member through messenger or text. I personally think the initial ask and the answer four days later by Luke’s mom was planned. Then, I think they made sure that someone knew how to find it, so that it would make it’s way to the fandom. I think Luke’s mom then going back to remove her comment just added fire to the flames.

Now on to today’s picture “leak” from Deuxmoi. I have alway’s believed that Jake is Nicola’s gay bestie. My opinion on that has never changed. They share much love…as friends. I believe he has also helped Nic and Luke a lot as cover for their relationship when needed. These pictures of the two of them look SO joyful. They look like pictures of two best friends up to no good. I definitely get that way with my best friend when we are being mischievous. We become giddy and giggly.

I have always believed what Nic has told us…that she likes to keep her romantic relationships private. I don’t believe for a minute that she decided on a whim to change her mind about that, especially since she has been more in the lime light over the last year. I believe that would cause her to cherish her privacy even more.

I think part of keeping her privacy IS the misdirection right now. I don’t know if the pictures that came out today were planned or if she saw someone taking pics and they decided to play things up, but regardless, they were having fun, being goofy, and telling the story they wanted to tell.

I believe there are probably some big changes coming for Nic and Luke. I think they might be more private in the near future. I hope they do decide to launch soon and in the best way for them when they are ready. I, like many others, think it would be such a sweet reveal if they were to do a Shondaland Friend’s to Lover’s special where they tell us they are together, but I will take what they decide to give us. For now, I will celebrate their past and future projects, be happy with all the interview’s and pictures we have received of them, and wish them both happiness and success.

Mischievous Besties:

The cutest couple:

[bananarama321]

IT IS OVER

I have been a Bridgerton fan since 2004, when I was starting university. Most of you understand how excited I was when my imagination was brought to my television. It was even better than what I imagined. I have loved the show and even more season 3 because Penelope was always that girl.

After the world tour, like several of you, I got entranced by Nic and Luke's chemistry. I started shipping them as a couple and had an immense amount of fun with several of you looking for clues and secret messages about them being together.

It was all fun and giggles ... until it wasn't It became a fight over who stayed on the ship or the restaurant. If you didn't believe a theory, you were part of the problem. If you gave a different opinion people would throw you away from group chats and block you if you didn't apologize.

Since the beginning, I was part of the ship because Nic herself said they thought it was "cute". Little by little I started feeling uncomfortable but my "friends" were clear that if you jumped ship you couldn't come back.

Well. I am done. I am jumping ship. This isn't fun anymore and it's becoming toxic and mean-spirited. At this point it is evident that Nic has a steady partner. We don't know much about Luke but I don't want to be the cause of their pain or a reason for them to resent the fandom. The more we insist on saying lukola is real, the less they will share with us because they are afraid we might hurt those that they love.

Let's be transparent for a second. Jake Dunn has never expressed anything related to his sexuality, newsflash: bisexual and pansexual people exist. Jake and Nicola are always together, often alone. She shares him, and he shares her, but you have to be naive to not see the difference online between them and the rest of their friends. Even if after all of this, you believe they are just friends, there is no way you can deny that he is clearly a loved one and that she would be upset about the amount of horrible adjectives people throw his way. Hurting Jake is hurting Nic. No matter how much you like to pretend it isn't.

We know very little about Luke, like I said, but let's stop insulting Antonia too. The girl is young and doesn't owe anything to our fandom.

Also STOP COMMENTING ON NICOLA'S BODY. I have no words for this part. I am baffled, sad, disappointed, and mad at so many of you for not defending her like you defend the ship. She is worth more than that, and I know deeply inside you, you know it to be true.

At the end of the day, Nic is having an amazing beginning to 2025. She is healthy, and happy and is now a SAG-nominated actress. She also has the Neutrogena campaign coming out, The Magic Faraway Tree and hopefully more. We have been blessed by getting a lot of content from her. Let's make her feel happy and relaxed about sharing personal and professional updates with us. We are supposed to be her safe space, not her nightmare.

Luke has been quiet but hopefully has something cooking too. We are waiting on news on when his next two projects are coming out and we should be ready to support him.

Last but not least, they are most likely to be at the SAG Awards in February. Let's not make this about Lukola. It is Nicola's night with her first big acting nomination. I implore you not to ruin it for her.

Sending love to you all. Please if the shipping is too much and you get emotionally affected by them not being together, seek help for your mental health. I don't say that to mock you, I say this as another human who sometimes struggles.

XOXO g.

[simplybishova]

breaking little hearts like the one in me - chapter 9

“I’ve found no records of anyone with that name in our old logs,” Lerato says over the phone, the sun just starting to rise as Yelena sits at the foot of the bed in the guestroom, staring out the window at the vast nothingness that stretches as far as she can see.

Clint and his family really do have their own little world out here.

Yelena can understand why Natasha spent so much time here - for the quiet if nothing else. “It did not trigger anything with me either, but the methods are very familiar.”

“Too familiar.” Lerato finishes the thought for her and Yelena sighs and looks to the bathroom door. It’s closed now, but she knows Kate is awake and that they’re about to have some very difficult conversations - they need to figure out a new plan. They can't just keep her trapped in that bathroom. “What is this mission you’re on? You sound tired.”

All Yelena can do is laugh. “That is an understatement, but I am fine it’s just…more personal than most.”

Lerato hums but doesn't press, a reprieve that Yelena is grateful for after spending the last day with the Bartons, who love to share their feelings.

“So you’re going to make me tell Fanny you won’t be home any time soon?”

Yelena’s heart aches at the thought of her pup. She can only imagine the fun he’d have here, with all this space - he and Lucky both.

Soon, she thinks. She’d love to see them together. They’d get along well, she just knows it. For now though, there’s too much uncertainty. “Yes, please tell her I’m sorry and give her a lot of kisses and treats for me.”

“Жалкий, you spoil that dog.”

“Yes, and now you spoil her in my absence.” She says it more as a demand than anything else, because someone has to make sure Fanny is happy.

Lerato heaves out a long, tired sigh, but it is the only confirmation Yelena needs that Fanny is being well cared for. “Fine, but don’t be too long - I’m not sure how much longer I can handle these 5AM walks you’ve trained her for.”

“Да, I will, if you find anything else out about this Asiya person let me know. It might be an alias.”

“I’ll dig around, put Antonia on it - she’s been spending too much time studying gardening tips online. A mission would be good for her.”

They say their goodbyes and Yelena exhales as another gust of wind blows the snow outside into a cyclone. It’s a stormy day, which is fitting in a sort of ironic way that Yelena would love in most circumstances.

Not today however. No, today, the irony and the cold weather can go to hell.

CONT ON AO3

[garmrheim]

🎄Santaphale Au collection🎄

Hello! ive had this in my draft forever now and its DUE TIME to make this and post it since ive gotten questions about the au and while i make art theres amazing other creators that has helped built it up in the sandbox and while i make art theres (as of now) three fics from the same universe posted on Ao3 that follows Aziraphale and Crowley in different points in their life. ------

For those that are wondering- the short introduction to it is that the Santaphale universe began over on discord with a handfull of friends that banded together to spin up an elaborate and extensive story featuring Crowley (she/they) around her late 30s in the beginning of the story and down the line she stops aging around her late 40s/early 50s and becomes immortal along with Aziraphale (he/him) , who (looks to be) around 50. He is of half human/elfin nature that makes him a cryptid of his own right with the power he weilds as The Spirit of Hope Through Darkness, Guardian of Childhood Wishes, the God of Winter Gifts, king of the northern elves, also called Sinterklaas or Santa Clause (Thank you salt for that perfect row of titles ) They met on a Christmas night when Aziraphale visits Crowley’s home while delivering presents and after a passionate night, departs after giving her a silver bell with summoning magic to ring if she wants to see him again. Crowley goes to bed, then wakes up thinking it was all a dream til she meets a familiar face a few months later and cue a lovely romance! They later come to live in the North Pole for the second half of every year, and eventually they end up having a small bunch kids that they love and adore and the art and fic follows this entire journey and so much more.

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This will be updated if and when new stuff is added just because i like having it all in one place and id like if you that are introduced to the au with my art has a way to get more! as of right now (december 2024) theres 3 fics published that belongs to this au and i will post their links and information below! i can highly recommend it as they are made by two of the most talented people i know and dear friends that im so happy to share this Santaphale sandbox with along with all the pals in our server hello! i adore you too! Any art that relates to Santaphale that ive done can be found on Bluesky now since i moved completely from twitter. its over on my Family oriented acc called VanadisHeim (that IS 18+ because theres also adult content there) the occasional Santaphale can also be found on my main account called GarmrHeim and any additional art made by my fellow cocreators that is published will also be added here! ✨ Have fun and enjoy! 🎄✨

''Silver bells'' @vaguely-demonic (Vaguelydemonic on Ao3) silver bells (5938 words) by vaguelydemonic Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Good Omens (TV) Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens) Characters: Aziraphale (Good Omens), Crowley (Good Omens) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Magic, First Meetings, Crush at First Sight, She/Her and They/Them Pronouns for Crowley (Good Omens), She/Her Pronouns for Crowley (Good Omens), They/Them Pronouns for Crowley (Good Omens), He/Him Pronouns For Aziraphale (Good Omens), Aziraphale (Good Omens) as Santa Claus, Bottom Crowley (Good Omens), Santa Kink, Cunnilingus, Vaginal Fingering, Crowley Has A Vulva (Good Omens), Aziraphale Has a Penis (Good Omens), Squirting and Vaginal Ejaculation, Coming Untouched, Coming In Pants, Mildly Dubious Consent, (previous tag clarified in author's note!), Crowley is vision impaired, Oral Sex, Christmas Smut Summary: It was Christmastime in the city and Mx. Antonia J. Crowley had resigned herself to yet another Christmas spent alone. Like everyone else, all she wanted was to live in a fairy tale world where she could just have her deepest desire purely because she wanted it: a nice big house somewhere quiet and far from the city, a partner to live out her days with, a happy family that loved her as much as she loved them. She'd come to the conclusion many, many failed relationships ago that what she wanted simply wasn't in the cards for her. Instead, her Christmas plans would once again be her, her ragged tabletop tree with a single ornament, and a bottle of wine to help her find sleep… Until there arose such a clatter and Crowley stirred from the sofa to see what was the matter. With a welcome so calm, collected, and pleasant, Crowley finds someone there in her living room, seeking to deliver a present. ------------------------------------------------- '' A Gift to us both '' @definitionsfading (Blackeyedblonde on ao3)

a gift to us both (7376 words) by blackeyedblonde Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens) Characters: Aziraphale (Good Omens), Crowley (Good Omens)

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Magic, Christmas, Aziraphale (Good Omens) as Santa Claus, Christmas Smut, Established Relationship, Developing Relationship, Domestic, He/Him Pronouns For Aziraphale (Good Omens), She/Her Pronouns for Crowley (Good Omens), Aziraphale Has a Penis (Good Omens), Crowley Has A Vulva (Good Omens), Age Difference, Romance, Kissing, Cunnilingus, Oral Sex, Penis In Vagina Sex, Breeding, Impregnation, Knotting, Crying, Confessions, Come Inflation, Mating Press, Pet Names, Tenderness, Aziraphale Has a Large Penis (Good Omens), Size Difference, Bearded Aziraphale (Good Omens), Babymaking, Soulmates, POV Aziraphale (Good Omens), Crowley Loves Aziraphale (Good Omens), Aziraphale Loves Crowley (Good Omens), Femme Crowley (Good Omens), Lingerie, Fluff and Smut, Ineffable Spouses, Cervix Penetration, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, Sex Magic

Summary: “When you say Christmas ‘wish,’ does that mean a five thousand pound gift voucher to the Liberty store in London, or something more in the abstract?” Crowley asks, lightly tweaking the curl of Aziraphale’s mustache. “I need to know the technical parameters of what you’re offering, here.” Aziraphale hums around a little laugh but goes quiet for a few moments to consider the seriousness of what he’s proposing. “You are a passionate person with a good heart and boundless optimism despite the struggles you’ve faced in your life,” he says, stating it matter-of-factly because he considers it to be true. “I’m an unusual figure in the position to grant wishes where I’m able, whether they be material or miraculous. But I suppose what I wanted to hear, if you’d indulge me, was something closer to your heart’s most ardent desire.” Crowley opens her mouth and then closes it again. Azirapahle watches the line of her slender throat as she swallows. “You’re yanking my chain,” she says, laughing as she shakes her head. “Taking the full piss.” “I can assure you I’m not,” Aziraphale says. ______________________________________________________

''Merry&Bright'' @vaguely-demonic (Vaguelydemonic on Ao3)

merry & bright (6814 words) by vaguelydemonic Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Good Omens (TV) Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens) Characters: Aziraphale (Good Omens), Crowley (Good Omens), Original Child(ren) of Aziraphale and Crowley (Good Omens) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Magic, Aziraphale (Good Omens) as Santa Claus, Established Relationship, He/Him Pronouns For Aziraphale (Good Omens), She/Her Pronouns for Crowley (Good Omens), They/Them Pronouns for Crowley (Good Omens), Crowley Loves Aziraphale (Good Omens), Aziraphale Loves Crowley (Good Omens), Ineffable Spouses, Childbirth, Mild Blood, Bodily Fluids, it's childbirth okay there's gonna be some amniotic fluid, Pregnancy, Chestfeeding, Breastfeeding, Premature Birth, Less than ideal birthing conditions, Christmas, Christmas Party, Family Fluff, ineffable parents, Pregnant Crowley (Good Omens) Summary: When Aziraphale returned to the North Pole at the end of another successful run of delivering toys to the children of the world, the comfort of home was calling his name. A fire crackling away in the hearth. The promise of his beautiful family coming together for their grand holiday celebration later that evening. Crowley waiting sleepily for his late night return so he could slip into bed beside her and rest his palm over her belly, where their newest baby was nearly ready to join them. Truly, there was nothing more he could ever ask to come home to. Crowley and the baby had other ideas. Aziraphale had spent all night delivering gifts to others. It was Crowley's turn to deliver their own Christmas gift, away in a manger.

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TO BE CONTINUED ✨

🎅🤶 👦👧👩🧒🧒👧👧🧒 🎄🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🎄

[highbookwormofthecentury]

Epic au. Gimme. Gimme gimme gimme (I’ve thought ab this too much-)

Okay so I have many aus but the main one is this:

Odysseus: Garmadon

Penelope: Misako but in this au she'd be Koko because we love Lady Iron Dragon

Telemachus: Lloyd ofc ofc

Anticlea: Either Mystaké or the fsm

Athena: Also either Mystaké or the fsm (probably Mystaké though)

Poseidon: The Overlord

The Cyclops: The Great Devourer

The Sheep: Metals (will be elaborated on later)

Zeus: The Source Dragon of Energy(? Idk)

Hera: The Firstbourne, maybe

Ares: The Source Dragon of Strength

Aphrodite: The Source Dragon of Motion

Hephaestus: The Omega

Apollo: The Source Dragon of Life

Hermes: Antonia OR The Mailman

Polites: Vinny

Eurylochus: Wu OR the Time Twins (two very different elements here (get it? Because they're Elemental Masters—) that would drastically change how the plot goes)

Perimedes: Ray

Elpenor: Libber

The rest of the crew: The Elemental Alliance

Troy & the Trojans: Ouroboros & the Serpentine

The Lotus Eaters: The Islanders

Aeolus: Either Vangelis, Vania, or even maybe Firstbourne

The Winions: baby dragons, maybe? Like Vania’s dragon? Or the Firstbourne’s children? OR—wild take that idek HOW I’d do, but the Darkley’s kids. Might have to add it into one of my Lloyd as Odysseus aus.

Circe: Aspheera

Circe's nymphs: Pyroserpent hatchlings

Tiresias: Quanish the Elder

Calypso: ??? (Maybe the Forbidden Five so I can make Ogygia the Nether-Space)

Charybdis: Wojira

The Suitors: The Sons of Garmadon

Eurymachus: Harumi

Antinuous: Pythor

Sirens: ???

Scylla: Nyad

Sun god’s cattle: ???

The Wind Bag: Bag that holds the Realm Crystal

Plot:

Troy Saga—Ouroboros Saga: The Elemental Alliance defeats the Serpentine during the last battle of the Serpentine Wars, which takes place in the sacred city of Ouroboros. Instead of imprisoning them in tombs, the Elemental Alliance just slaughters them. Dunno if I’m gonna make Astynax a random serpentine hatchling or someone actually relevant yet. When searching for weapons suitable for defeating possible challenges during the voyage home (as their weapons ended up breaking due to the intensity of the wars), Vinny and Garmadon head over to the Island of the Keepers in search for helpful weaponry (also, the Elementals are exhausted from the wars and need actual weaponry now instead of just their elements, as they kinda overused them during battles). The Islanders warm up to Vinny’s joyous whimsy, while Garmadon is being a bisexual mess traumatized angst lord. Their weapons, however, are made of vengestone, which is poisonous to Elemental Masters, so the Islanders direct them to a cave in the Sea of Sand where ancient weaponry and strange metals allegedly reside. Before leaving, Garmadon swipes some of the vengestone because THE VOICES—he’s also pretty sure it’ll come in handy later. Garmadon begins to allow Vinny’s mindset to settle with his beliefs, so of course Mystaké has to come in and be all like “hey wtf are you doing that’s stupid” and snap him back into his Warlord mindset. Once Garmadon is successfully re-traumatized, Mystaké stops intervening(no hate to Mystaké we love Mystaké she’s a girlboss). 

Cyclops Saga—Serpent Saga: Garmadon brings a small group over to the cave, where they find heaps and heaps of Chronosteel and Ninjagian metals, along with Serpentine knives and other Serpentine weaponry scattered around. Garmadon swipes some of the Chronosteel with part of his gi/tunic/chiton (whatever I decide to make him wear) covering his skin, and slips it into a compartment on his belt or in a pack or something (he finds a way to keep it on his person. Source: trust me bro). The Devourer, who is under the sand, feels the shift in vibrations and rises from her place underground. Upon sensing Garmadon, whose Oni blood caused her insatiable appetite, she enters a frenzied rage. But—and imma sprinkle in a fun little hc here—when the venom sterted corrupting Garmadon’s body, mind, and soul, it also altered his biology, so if he pushes REALLY hard he has VERY SLIGHT serpentine abilities. He uses the fragments of Hypnobrai hypnotics and enters a telepathic link with the Devourer, temporarily talking her down and offering her a bundle of Elemental-infused metals, as it should combat against her Destructive hunger. She accepts, and consumes a bundle of metal wrapped in cloth. Then she turns on him and his crew and tries to eat them all. Garmadon attempts to direct his forces to defeat her, but she quickly gains the upper hand after killing Vinny (I’M SORRY, VINNY—). Garmadon, paralyzed by his grief and shock, kinda just stares at Vinny’s corpse while other soldiers are being consumed by the Great Devourer. The Devourer suddenly collapses, and whoever imma have take Eurylochus’s role snaps Garmadon outta his shock. Garmadon reveals he has been stealing small portions of each Elemental’s power, and infused it into a small piece of Chronosteel, which he fed to the Great Devourer—along with some vengestone, which, mixed with the Elemental powers, is a very potent poison. While the Great Devourer’s out, the others snatch up Serpentine weapons from the ground and carefully cut off four of her fangs without getting any venom on them. As the last fang is yanked out, the Great Devourer lets out an ear-splitting wall of pain, awakening once again. Garmadon yells for his forced to scatter, and they discover wild Serpentine from all different kinds of tribes requesting to know who hurt their deity, but because Garmadon’s a little shit and didn’t tell her his real name earlier, she says his alias “Nobody” (you have no idea how much I wanted to change Nobody to Darmagon). The other Serpents disperse; Garmadon attempts to leave with his crew and the weaponry, but Mystaké tells him to kill the Great Devourer. Despite her venom, Garmadon feels remorse after invading her home and sawing off her fangs, and not only ignores Mystaké, he gives The Great Devourer his name, credit card number, social security number, ip address, area code, address, character profile, etc. with his theater kid ahh speech “I’m the reigning King of Ninjago. I am neither man nor mythical—I am your darkest moment. I am the infamous…GARMADON” or whatever 🙄 because he thought that was a good idea somehow? Then what basically happens is Mystaké flames him for his choice and Garmadon flames her for her shitty social life so she dips out, but in her ominous as shit Oni Warlady way.

That’s the plot so far that’s absolute, almost everything else is ever-changing.

Other Established Lore Points:

The Overlord is Poseidon because the Great Devourer is a vessel of his. Also he’s a petty little bitch—

Garmadon uses the Realm Crystal (as it’s a substitute for the Wind Bag) to take him and his crew over to Mysterium, where they encounter Aspheera.

Why is Aspheera in Mysterium? The real question is, WHY NOT—

I felt like Aspheera just fit well as Circe. If you have any ideas for what could take the place of her nymphs instead of pyroserpent hatchlings (which will look more like regular Serpentine instead of the giant serpents they were in S11) please lemme know!

Aspheera charges up the Realm Crystal so they’re able to travel to the Underworld. Because it’s actually in both the Odyssey and Ninjago lore, I don’t have to figure out which realm to sent them to THANK TOMMY ANDERSON—

In Monster, Garmadon embraces the Devourer’s Venom and his Oni Violet eyes turn Devourer Red.

During Wisdom, Mystaké takes to mentoring Lloyd, who reminds her so painfully intensely of Garmadon she’s actually freaking out a little.

Also, if you’re wondering how Pythor is there despite being Serpentine, I have two possible solutions to this. A.) Some serpentine who surrendered ended up being allowed refuge in Ninjago, and ended up becoming integrated into society. Remember these are the Serpentine WARS, plural. The wars have been going on for a while, so in this case Pythor would be mixed—part Serpentine, part Ninjagian. OR, option B.) Pythor’s just a full on human in this au.

Btw Eurymachus is the suitor who tried to manipulate Odysseus into not killing them “cut off the Serpent’s head” and all that jazz. A decent portion of the suitors in the Odyssey were actually around Telemachus’s age. Between Eurymachus’s manipulative nature and his close age with Telemachus, I decided to make Harumi take his role, as Lloyd is Telemachus in this au. Harumi idolizes Garmadon in this au as well, but she sees his family as weak and manipulated Pythor into being the one to incite the siege on the palace so she wouldn’t take the fall if it failed. She didn’t anticipate that Garmadon did NOT in fact care for her (like bro he hasn’t even MET you he’s been out fighting in WARS for DECADES).

Calypso’s Island might be the Nether-Space if I make the Forbidden Five take on Calypso’s role.

God Games takes place in either the Ethereal Divide or the First Realm. I might change the Source Dragons out to be mostly Oni Warlords as the Olympian Council instead…

Also btw Mystaké was HEAVILY implied to be an Oni Warlord, and I hc she’s Decer, Oni Warlady of Deception. I have many points to support this but this is not the post for that rant.

When Garmadon is released from the Nether-Space, he’s sent to a random point in the Realm of Ninjago, far out from the Island of Ninjago.

He goes through his whole ahh journessey and shit, and when he finally is about to reach Ninjago, the Overlord intervenes like a PETTY LITTLE BITCH—

Mystaké is fuming from where she’s healing (in an Oni Temple in the First Realm)

The FSM is fuming from his place in the Departed Realm

If Wu’s alive at this point, his brother instincts kick in and he gets annoyed without knowing why. If he’s dead, he’s fuming with the FSM in the Departed Realm

The Overlord redirects the currents and sends Garmadon to the Realm of Madness, where he has amassed a whole ass ocean of Dark Matter. He attempts to blackmail Garmadon into entering of his own volition to become a new vessel for the Overlord. When Garmadon refuses, the Overlord snaps and just manipulates the Dark Matter into pulling Garmadon under, Poseidon style (he has a Crystallized Vengestone sword that he uses to hell him maintain control of the Dark Matter as he manipulates it). Garmadon has a few traumatizing cute hallucinations, and the Dark Matter has a strange reaction with the Devourer’s Venom…

Garmadon revives and snatches the Realm Crystal from where it floats beside him. His Oni side goes feral and he breaks the surface of the Dark Matter, wings—that are CANONICALLY APART OF HIS ONI FORM—keeping him in the air as he fights the Overlord. He uses the Realm Crystal ro transport them to the Realm of Ninjago, mid fight. He slams the Overlord into the Dark Island the Ody slammed Poseidon into those rocks. The Overlord’s storm that raged through the Realm of Madness is still raging on the Dark Island. Garmadon picks up the Overlord’s sword and practices a type of weaving that Koko should probably try out on the suitors instead of the shroud (he makes a patchwork of the Overlord’s flesh). The Overlord eventually relents, calling off his storm, and Garmadon works to finish his voyage to return to his kingdom. He faces no obstacles.

Lloyd, who went on a quest to find out what the fuck happened to Garmadon (btw his Telemachy crew was either the Ninja or the Darkley’s kids. I have been roped into a specific hc that Lloyd had friends“acquaintances” at Darkley’s—Gene, Brad, and Sally. You can probably find some of those four being goofballs somewhere in my reblogs), returns home to hear the suitors plotting to kill him and immediately runs to stash all the weapons in the armory without hearing the bit they say about Koko. Garmadon hears, though. Not a single suitor survived the massacre. Lloyd enters in the same dramatic fashion his family always does—theater kid style. Except, in this context he stabs a suitor in partial Oni form (Oni form but his face is his human one with dragon and Oni traits scattered on it). Lloyd is recognized as the Green Ninja when four formidably strong suitors manage to wield a Golden Weapon each. Lloyd then proceeds to let his developing Dragoni traits help him battle against the suitors, Mystaké guiding him through the whole thing. When Lloyd shouts “STOP” before that one suitor encourages the others to take up arms, it’s because he has a vision of what they’re about to attempt. When that one suitor says “got him” they stab through a wing of Lloyd’s, and dislocate it by using it to both push him onto the ground and pull him towards them. Garmadon is actually two seconds from disintegrating the entire landmass of Ninjago from sheer rage. The only thing that stops him is the fact that if he did that, his loved ones would get hurt. He executes them all, Odysseus-style. Lloyd is impressed and slightly worried. Well, he flinched each time a suitor was shot. He kinda just looked like “yeah I’m used to it” when Garmadon said “You plotted to KILL my SON”. Lloyd immediately flips his script when Garmadon says what they planned to do to Koko. His Oni side kinda flares up, and he stands up, clutching his injured wing (which is folded towards him) slightly. Garmadon is far in front of him at this point. All previous sympathy for the suitors leaves Lloyd’s eyes, and when an actively dying suitor (who was shot by Garm) reaches out to Lloyd in a silent plea for help, Lloyd narrows his eyes and crushes the suitor’s hand under his boot. (Unknown to both Garmadons, Lloyd’s eyes flash a familiar red for an instant…) Garmadon finishes off the last of the suitors (some stared in horror at Garmadon, others stared in horror at the terrifying creature that was nothing like the kid they terrorized, his aura emitting pure evil and hatred). Then Lloyd instantly switches back to the socially awkward/sassy WRECK that we know him to be, and fumbles his way through his reunion with his dad, but it works out because Garmadon is equally autistic. Garmadon and Mystaké have a quick little yap sesh, and they (in their own confusing way) agree to try to mend their relationship. Garmadon reunites with Koko, who’s two seconds from throwing him out the window for even SUGGESTING that he’s not who he is—the man she’s waited on for DECADES—AND for implying that she ever fell out of love with him. She successfully outsmarts him (as always) and they reconcile. Noises come from their bedroom that Lloyd wishes he could erase from his mind, instead opting to clean up the palace with Mystaké’s amused guidance. Stuff happens. And everyone is happy…for now…

OH! Also if you’re wondering why Garmadon didn’t just use the Realm Crystal to go to Ninjago instead of going on this whole ass side quest…it’s because he can’t.

Only the First Master (and Lloyd, if he receives training for it—but no one knows this yet) has the ability to control the Realm Crystal. Garmadon is one of the few who can activate it, but he is unable to control its course. Aspheera was a special case, she knew a spell that enabled her to chart a single destination for the crystal. She couldn’t choose Ninjago, as it was too far in distance from Mysterium.

So, this means one of two things. Either A.) the Source Dragons slightly aided him when he used the Realm Crystal against the Overlord, or B.) He just got extremely fucking lucky that the Realm Crystal chose Ninjago.

(Garmadon knows these are the only two ways that his return to Ninjago happened. He doesn’t know if the Sources DID help him or not, but ever since his return, he’s prayed to them every night)

So yeah! Lemme know if you have any other questions about this version of the au!

[hotdaemondtargaryen]

GAYLE RANKIN PHOTOGRAPHED BY ANDREW ARTHUR AND INTERVIEWED FOR ELLE USA MAGAZINE.

“I was really nervous and, in the best way, really intimidated because after watching the first season of the show”

I was like, ‘Oh, wow. These are serious actors.’

“It’s just a massive ensemble with Liv [Olivia Cooke] and Emma [D’Arcy] at the center, which is just really so exciting to me,” Rankin adds.

But the nerves “dissipated very quickly” during rehearsals and table reads as she got to know her new colleagues, including her frequent scene partner Matt Smith and his dog, Bobby, who he’d sometimes bring to set.

“Then I fell in love with all the actors,” Rankin says.

Cooke, D’Arcy, Phia Saban, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, and Sonoya Mizuno are just a few names she calls out.

“We all became a little bit of a gang and would go out and go dancing....We had a good time.”

Some of them have even come out to watch Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club on Broadway, in which Rankin currently stars as Sally Bowles.

IT MUST BE SO INTERESTING INHABITING A CHARACTER LIKE ALYS, WHO IS VERY SPARSELY FEATURED IN THE BOOK, FIRE & BLOOD — AT LEAST IN THE PARTS COVERED IN THE SHOW SO FAR. WHAT IS IT LIKE AS AN ACTOR TO BUILD A CHARACTER BASED OFF OF LIMITED INFORMATION?

“It’s really fun and a little intimidating because the fandom around these books and this enterprise is so strong and that’s so amazing, but you want to build something that people can relate to and enjoy hand in hand with the book.”

“Because the truth is that you’re absolutely right, there’s hearsay and there’s barely mention of her sometimes.”

“She’s a presence and she becomes this presence that grows and builds throughout the book.”

“Then by the end of the book, she has quite a powerful position in the world and in the story.”

“It’s been interesting to build backwards too.”

To be like, “Okay, so if we were to ever end up here, what would get this place from A to B?”

“It’s been so fun, and there’s so much more to go.”

“There’s so much to build.”

HOW DID YOU INTERPRET OR ATTEMPT TO DEFINE HER POWERS? IS IT MAGIC? IS IT PSYCHIC?

“I like to think of her powers as quite elusive, because that’s probably what they are to her too.”

“As much as she’s aware of what they are, I think they change.”

“She’s powerful in many different ways.”

“I think that she has tactile power; we see her in episode four building some drink for Daemon, which she also tastes herself, which is really interesting.”

“I think she is actually a healer.”

“I think she works as a woods witch, which I would understand as more of a healer and a maester.”

“It’s interesting how we look at what powers are.”

“It’s like, Well, medicine is power.”

“Surgeons have powers.”

“But I also think that she is prophetic.”

“I really believe that, and that’s been talked about a lot.”

“I think there is truth to that, but what I think is a bit of a mystery both to the audience, hopefully, and to her, is how? Where? When? Why? How much of the world can she see?”

I THINK ALYS AND DAEMON'S DYNAMIC IS REALLY INTERESTING. SHE SEEMS FASCINATED BY HIM, BUT ALSO HAS HIM WRAPPED AROUND HER FINGER. SHE CAN PLAY AROUND WITH HIS EMOTIONS. WHAT DO YOU THINK SHE WANTS FROM HIM? WHAT DOES SHE FIND INTERESTING ABOUT HIM? WHY DOES SHE WANT TO HELP HIM TOO?

It’s so funny when you were describing her, I was like, “Oh, yeah. The qualities that any good woman should have.”

EXACTLY. THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH HER.

“No, no, no, no. I know.”

I was just like, “Wow, she sounds great.”

“Why does she want to help him? What we discovered really early on is that there’s something inside of this dynamic in this relationship...there’s something for Alys in it.”

“It’s not just one-sided, I think.”

“We had to really figure that out, because if you are someone who’s prophetic and who knows [the future], why bother?”

“Why take on this man, who is extremely powerful and dangerous and volatile and also extraordinary?”

“I think [with] Alys, it’s almost as if she’s like a 12th-wave feminist or something.”

“She is able to look at the masculine and embrace it in a complex and hopefully forward-moving way.”

“A way to get to “the other” and reach them.”

“I think that’s really cool whilst also getting something for herself too.”

“I think she’s really interested in that.”

“She’s interested in progress, I think, for herself, for the realm...”

“Can you imagine if we could see the future, and what would you do with that information? I don’t know if she’s trying to change it, and that’s really up to the audience.”

“I’ve made decisions inside of my work, but I think why she wants to help him is that she also sees parts of herself in him.”

“A loneliness. A stubbornness. A lostness.”

“I don’t know what to do with my power.”

“I don’t know what to do with my feelings.”

“There’s a kinship there, which I think is really shocking and surprising.”

SO, HER INVOLVEMENT WITH GROVER TULLY'S PASSING IN EPISODE 6: DO WE THINK SHE'S MAYBE ALSO TRYING TO DO SOMETHING FOR HERSELF THERE? LIKE, “I HELPED YOU. WILL YOU HELP ME?”

That just goes to the age-old question, “Is there a selfless act?”

Psychologists would probably say, “No, there’s not.”

“What is in it for Alys? I think it’s going to be interesting to see how that plays out.”

“I think that’s what we’ve been trying to build is, what’s in it for this person?”

IT'S INTERESTING TO SEE HOW REACTIONS ONLINE CAN RANGE FROM THAT TO THE OVERWHELMING SUPPORT FOR 'HOUSE OF THE DRAGON.' BEFORE YOUR FIRST EPISODE, I SAW TWEETS THAT WERE LIKE, “IT'S ALYS RIVERS NIGHT!” AND PEOPLE WERE SO EXCITED FOR YOU TO APPEAR.

“It’s like, [gestures her hand up and down like a wave].”

TOTALLY UP AND DOWN.

“It’s been an extreme time.”

“It’s been really extreme.”

“I’ve been so lucky to have amazing people around me and also Jenny Tversky [Rankin’s publicist] being at the absolute helm of that to remind me what this is about.”

“I have to really be real.”

“I was worried that it was going to really negatively affect me, but actually, I’m so happy—the happiest I’ve ever been.”

“I feel stronger, truly, than I ever, ever have been.”

“It’s been hard-won, but a little bit through the fire in some ways over this period of time.”

[the-ninja-legacy-whip]

how much of the lore with the guardians did the introduction of wojira influence or did she just fit into place really nicely so you roped her into like you did the devourer and the golden dragon honestly how many story elements did seabound and crystalized help tie together (as well as how many idea's did them coiming out make you have)

Well, Seabound released between me finishing Book 1 and me working on Book 2, so it was really, really good timing that I was able to sneak her in as a Guardian! Otherwise, Nya's Guardian was just going to be a miscellaneous 'Water Phoenix' (which, arguably, probably would've been cooler) BUT the idea of Nya having a moreso antagonistic relationship with her Guardian -parallel but not equal to Lloyd with the GD- compelled me, so I dove right with that idea! (Plus, while Skylor doesn't really have a full-on Guardian, she did get to inherit the Phoenix symbolism, so it lives on that way~)

Seabound actually did help me cement the finer mechanics of Outbursts/NRG Mode and helped me figure out how to loophole Nya's powers into the story a little earlier even without her TP (especially with risk of merging with one's Element should you be stuck in that state too long + Water being a really easy element to merge with, yet hard to fully master + why Nya is so drawn into her Outbursts more often than anyone else and thus has the highest risk of outright merging -> which, ofc we know she eventually does).

Seabound also helped with some of the finer-tuned mechanics of the Elemental Compass. If it hadn't been outright confirmed (although already assumed) that the FSM hadn't mastered Water and Wind for himself, I wouldn't have been able to extrapolate that to Time and Amber as well, and we wouldn't have had the Outlier Elements, and the Compass probably would've looked much, much different! (And some of the lore stuff in Season 4 wouldn't be nearly as smooth, either)

Crystalized, meanwhile, outright retroactively saved the majority of my plans for Season 3 for me and smoothed out some sticking points I was struggling with in Season 8/9 :V

(...and, OF COURSE, launched the whole thing with [Redacted] which was NOT originally part of the plan, especially since we're only getting anything with the Wildbrain seasons because of how desperately I want to put my own spin on Crystalized, so you can thank that season too for this ridiculous series for being even longer and more complicated than it was ever supposed to be jhgfdsfgd)

Also semi-unrelated and not really a 'big' idea but feels fun to mention cuz I haven't yet, I've debated on replacing the 'New/Neo Ninja' group with a team of Jesse (Fuchsia, duh), Miranda (Teal), Sunni (Yellow), Nelson (Purple instead of Pink), and either Skylor or Antonia (Amber/Orange) depending on what the plot demands, who simply took up the mantle of protecting the city with the OG Ninja out of action, instead of a couple of randos who while *I* enjoyed don't reeeally do anything for the narrative otherwise?! :V (but god imagine them having to fight each other while the OG Ninja are in their all-black phase and them all not even realizing just who they're fighting until the last moment JHFDGFD)

Buuuut I'm still waiting on some second opinions for that one before committing ahahaha

[storkmuffin]

Oh my goodness, you're the blog I go first with ateez gossip (if I can even call it that 🙄). Anyway I read a post where the person (I always assume it's a female) stated they believe that all the pairings in ateez (woosan, yungi, seongjoong, jongsang) were real life couples. I'm....speechless. Like how delusional can you be.

There's a very funny scene in a movie called Antonia's Line from ages ago, where there's a group house composed of three or four pairs. On one night, all three or four pairs have sex at the same time in that one house, in their separate bedrooms. It gets so loud that the child of one of these pairs comes out of her bedroom, bleary eyed and holding a teddy bear, and screams, I want to sleep. That's the first thought I had when I saw this whole "each pairing is real and all four pairs are real in Ateez" concept. Since they were all teenaged boys together, that first apartment would've been impossible to sleep in at night from all the sex related noises, and hygiene would've been a major problem too, despite Seonghwa's best efforts. KQ employees would've put on hazmat suits any time they had to go into that dorm.

... I'm sorry.

To seriously answer your question:

OK so I'm Catholic from a family that has produced multiple priests, nuns, and one head of a catholic university, with an awareness that the Bible is an edited document that has changed over time and through translations. My mother's best friend is a born-again Christian of a protestant denomination, and she says repeatedly that she believes every single word of the bible to be literally true. I don't say anything when she says this, but I have assumed she hasn't read the actual bible (any version) word for word. It's not possible to believe the Bible to be literally true, word for word. There's too much crazy shit in there. Instead, what I think she means when she says this is that she is very committed to (her version of ) Christianity.

Which is to say - Does that person who wrote that patently excessive statement really believe that or do they just want to believe it? Do they need to believe it for some reason or is it just fun for them to believe it? Are they genuinely delusional and disturbed or is being excessively committed and passionate part of the game they're having fun playing?

So. On the one hand, if they really meant it and they really do believe it and it affects their off-line, have-to-pay-rent-and-walk-their-dog real life, I disturbed and annoyed, just like you. I'm worried for that person's grip on reality and just a tiny bit irked that they are objectifying these people to a level I personally feel is excessive.

ON THE OTHER HAND though, as a work of fiction let's say, thinking that the 8 person boy band is composed of four pairs of couples that have been sexually and romantically in relationships for all this time, through multiple album releases, world tours, and personal side projects, makes these imagined lives superfucking intense in a way that might be thrilling.

It might evince this fan's personal hunger for an all encompassing connection - your best friend is your work teammate is your source of sex and love and romance and everyone in your team is perfectly paired off with someone else that also in the team and so your working group is an entirely hermetically sealed unit of 8, together forever and ever.

Plus, fiction is fun if you up the stakes. Fiction is enaging when the lives in it are extreme. You know how Agatha Christie will lock people into a murderhouse (or train, or cruise ship) with a murderer and Hercule Poirot, and the murderer and Poirot race each other to either kill all the people or solve the case? That's what this sort of set up sounds like to me. So if you want to write a story of young love, say, where two kids meet at dance school and they fall in love, you can just have them date a bit and then break up? That is fine as a story, but it's a bit boring, compared to the possibility if Ateez was composed of 4 pairs of boys who can never come out. You imagine a Yunho and a Mingi, and then you say, they stay lovers forever and they play the BL fanservice game with the international public but it's real and yet it's also secret and yet all the other members know it's real and they're also keeping it secret because each of them is in a real and secret BL relationship of their own!!! If you do this, every single piece of content you get from anybody in Ateez is immensely important and thrilling, because the stakes are so high.

This sort of narrative is not my cup of tea, but I think I understand what someone might get out of it, nevertheless, you know? I don't watch horror movies, but I do understand the theory for why they are art, why they are important, and what people get out of them. Same deal here.

[zkoh001]

All the ninjago kiddos! That I remembered, lol.

Also I'm not sure if Echo counts, but this is my art soooo... He does now

Fun fact, way before Dragons rising was an idea, I had a little theory/AU thingie, where the ninja got sent to another realm, where time passed differently. (How funny, it was way before SotFS...) So basically these kids formed a replacement ninja team to fight the evils treathening ninjago, discovering they themselves are elemental masters. And that's been in my brain, slowly adding all the new kiddos to it. Might make some art, and a post about that too, because I would love to draw them.

Here's my spitballing on these dummies and their designs.

The Darkleys kids!

The little shits. They would be the ones to have kidnapping as their first resolve.

- I kinda didn't know Sally existed, but I liked all the art, so she does now. Also, she loves pink, I love pink, we all love pink

- Brad is definitely the muscle of the group, with a big heart, but not the greatest mind. Also, he has a babyface, that's very hard to make look evil.

- His design kinda grew on me with time, but it still feels a bit lacking...

- There's this theory that Gene is Skylor's brother, and Chen's son, that I kinda absorbed into my brain and ran with it so yeah.

-Also, the hand thingie is not a glove, it helps hold his hand together after a nasty injury :)

- The bowlcut was uniform at Darkleys, but Gene was such a nightmare they just gave up with him.

- They have matching pins and earpieces. Cause of course they do. Also, dumbo boots uniform.

The Paperkids!

Antonia and Nelson are a given, and I just kinda added Unagami on there, since he waved at them once. Also, I think it would be cute if they were friends.

- I know he doesn't anymore, canonically, but I like to think he still wears his purple gi under the jumper. Who knows when someone will need the purple ninja?

- He has a scar from the injury he had when he met with the ninja. Also, am I the only one who tought something much worse was going on than a broken leg? Obviously a kid show can't have a terminally ill kid, but fsm that's still how I remembered it.

- Antonia! I loved drawing her hair. Also kinda like her badass big sis vibes.

- She has her hands out to make sure the two kids, but mainly Nelson, don't go missing somehow (happens more often than you think)

- Even if he can shapeshift, I like to tjink Unagami keeps his line-marks in whatever forms, since it's apart of his skin. He can hide them, but it takes effort, so he just doesn't bother.

- He can change his form generally, but you could still tell it's him by the lines, eyes, and hair

- He has a little nick in his eyebrow, and so does (did i guess) Jay. I just think that's a cute detail

The Forgotten ones...

Just called that cause I had to add them on a separate canvas after forgetting them. I forgot Skales Jr, shame on me, I tought Jake and Nelson were one character, and I was still debating Echo. But here they are!

- It was surprisingly not that hard to draw him, even tho I was very scared

- Since he has white on him, I was trying (and failing miserably) to replicate those partially albino reptiles. Also added some pink scales, since he is also Selma's son, who's pink.

- I don't know to this day why Echo was introduced only to be left behind.... Nevertheless he's a sweetheart

- I guess if you count Mr.E, but then he would be dead... Unless the kids fix him (lightbulb moment)

- Also, ahy is his head weirdly tiny? How did that happen?

- Jake. Goddamnit, how were you the hardest to draw? Somehow I couldn't get the head right...

- The giant pants is an idea that lived in my head. I like yo think he would be able to fix ancient artifacts with hairties, ductape, and sheer force of will.

- He might have a bowlcut, but cmon, are you telling me he wouldn't at least try to replicate whatever the hell Kai's hair was in the beginning?

I guess that's it folks, lemme know if any of you are interested in my weird Ninja kids au thingie!

[xoladybella]

this fandom has become so toxic. I’ve never seen a bunch a grown women say such awful things about other women. People calling Nic foolish , people saying Antonia trolled the fandom , no real proof. I dare someone to upload the post her mother liked talking about Nic. Wait, people can’t bc it’s rumors and lies. You really think Nic cares what trolls and bullies think of her - no! Because they are not real fans. It would be cute and so adorable if Nic and Luke were a couple, but you people aren’t speculating anymore- some of y’all are obsessed and down right nasty!!! Do you all teach your daughters to be bullies. People think it’s funny to call her a bug or toilet twerker, but you all are immature. Luke and Nic do not owe this fandom anything when it comes to their personal life. If you don’t like who they are with stop stalking their page, family page and any SM site that talks about them. Just bc you see love between people doesn’t not make them compatible. It takes more than hugs and kisses to make a relationship. Nic and Luke have a lot similarities but nobody knows what they think or want in a relationship so people should stop feeling like they are entitled to run their life. So don’t be mad at Nic and Luke if they are besties, be mad at the blogs y’all let trick you into thinking NDA’s exist. Remember, those same blogs said Luke broke up with Anotina and then she popped up at the boss event. Now he could have just went with her as a friend, but the same blogs said she was OUT his life. They keep pushing the NDA fulfillment date back, people wake up- there is no NDA and this date will always get pushed back. It’s no problem to ship them but this is not what Nic and Luke had in mind. People wanting to control and dictate their life and be upset when they realize Nic and Luke are healthy, happy and living their life.

Hi anon, thanks for sharing your thoughts. I understand the frustration.

I’m not sure who you’re referring to when you say toxic. I know there’s a small majority who take it way too seriously but over here we’re all good vibes and just having fun. No one I follow or who follow me is ever disrespectful towards Nic and Luke. If you’re seeing blogs who are, and this goes for everyone, make sure you report and block. Everyone has their own opinions and some can be aggressive unfortunately. It’s apart of being involved with a fandom. If people are finding themselves being mad at Nic and Luke then they need to reevaluate themselves. My blog is pure speculation and what I believe to be true. I’ve stated on here that I don’t believe in the NDA theory. Also, please don’t come onto my blog accusing me of being obsessed and nasty. My blog is for me to express my thoughts I have on Lukola and I have never said anything nasty about them and neither have my followers. If you’d like to share who the blogs are who are being nasty towards Nic and Luke please do and we will all go report them.

I completely agree that Nic and Luke don’t owe us anything. I’ve never had any post insinuate that I or anyone else thinks that. The majority of this fandom don’t think that. Again, there’s always going to be some rotten eggs in the basket and it really sucks because that’s not what Lukola is about but unfortunately we can’t do much about it besides reporting and blocking.

Hopefully the nastiness you’re seeing will die down soon. Shipping is suppose to be fun and light hearted which is how I keep my blog and there’s others who do the same. As I’ve stated in this post and in previous posts, my blog is mainly speculation (with some actual facts thrown in) and I’ve never claimed for my speculations to be truth.

[serafiel-jacobs]

Cinders (Fanfic)

New chapter from my main series 🩷

“Pinocchio, Pinocchio wake up already” Gemini was scolding him, it was already 12 pm.

“Just a little more,” Pinocchio said in a drowsy voice while snuggling more into his covers.

“You have your lesson with Lady Antonia at 2 pm” Gemini got on top of his head, jumping up and down to make him get up, “You have to get ready already”

“Gemini let me sleep” Pinocchio was annoyed but gave in and decided to get ready.

“You have been oversleeping a lot lately” Gemini gave out a sigh, “You have to be responsible about this”

“I just really like sleeping” Pinocchio was getting ready while talking, “It’s um, I don’t know how to explain but it feels very good”

Pinocchio wasn’t able to sleep when he first came to be, but when he gave Sophia life again he fell asleep and when he woke up he felt so much better, by the time he had faced Simon he constantly felt exhausted even if he didn’t know that physically he was fine. Then he wasn’t able to sleep again, it was odd but he thought maybe he only fell asleep because of Sophia.

But then he gained the ability to sleep again out of nowhere, he doesn’t understand it but he doesn’t question it anymore.

“I like dreaming” Most of the time, he still has nightmares sometimes, awful that the first dream he ever had was a nightmare.

But his other dreams are always so nice and pleasant, it makes him feel good but also safe, he often dreams of his loved ones and that’s why he likes it so much. Sometimes he dreams strange things, like being in some strange place like a field or inside a building but despite being alone in those dreams he doesn’t feel scared, it feels weirdly nostalgic for some reason.

He has started to write a few of his dreams in his diary, it’s fun to describe them.

“Well, dreaming does look like it’s relaxing” Gemini doesn’t sleep, he just enters his rest mode and can “wake up” when he wants to, “But you can’t oversleep all the time”

“Gemini dreams are just… special”

“I understand Pinocchio but dreams are just dreams” Gemini knows that his best friend is just enjoying life, Pinocchio enjoys even the most simple things about it, “You have to eat something now”

“You are not my father Gemini,” Pinocchio said in a playful tone.

Both of them laughed and Pinocchio finished getting ready, he ate and waited for a bit, before making his way to see his mother.

——

Pinocchio had just finished his lessons, and he wanted to spend some time with his mother but she had matters to attend to managing the hotel.

The boy made his way towards the exit when he saw someone was having trouble at the Hotel Lobby, a girl who was carrying too much luggage by herself.

“Do you need help?” Pinocchio asked but he grabbed some of that luggage without waiting for an answer, as she was about to drop them.

“Oh you don’t have to” The girl smiled at him, “But thank you so much, since you already have”

“Are you here on vacation?” Pinocchio wanted to start a conversation, but she looked a bit stressed.

“Well, not really a vacation, my family is here to attend some private matters” The girl gave out a sigh because she knew that truly she would be the only one to not have fun and only work. “Oh but where are my manners? My name is-“

“Cinderella!”

Cinderella turned around, her sister Drizella was calling for her.

“Our room is ready, come here and take our bags to our room!” Drizella shouted at her.

Anastasia signals to her expectantly and Lady Tremaine, her stepmother gives her the cool dead look of dissatisfaction.

“It was nice to meet you” Cinderella’s voice showed her sadness and she took the luggage and left with her family.

Pinocchio watched her leave and couldn’t help to feel bad, but he didn’t know her family, maybe they were just stressed from their trip?

Before Pinocchio made his way back home, he looked for Spring, wanting to say a proper goodbye. The cat had become even more affectionate towards him, his mother says that he is Spring’s little hero.

When he finally found Spring, it was odd, her cheeks weren’t supposed to be this big…

“Spring!” Pinocchio grabbed the cat, “Spit it out! Spit it out!” he shouted at her as he shook her.

The cat had no choice but to comply, a tiny brown mouse emerged from her mouth and Pinocchio grabbed it, holding it gently in his hands.

“Bad kitty! Bad!”

Spring just turned around and waved her tail in frustration.

“Pinocchio let’s go outside and leave the poor thing there” Gemini knows that it’s best to set it free, but it’s odd to see a mouse, Lady Antonia takes great care of this place, no way are there any pests in here.

The tiny mouse shook his head over and over again, trying to speak to them.

“Uhhh are you someone’s pet?” Gemini asked.

The mouse nodded, even though he wasn’t technically a pet, he was a friend.

After a game of charades, the mouse explained who he was looking for, a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing clothes that resembled those of a maid.

“You mean Cinderella?” Pinocchio was glad he had heard her name before she left.

The mouse nodded again enthusiastically.

Pinocchio made his way to the front desk, Polendina was there and he asked him if he could tell him which room Cinderella was in.

“Unfortunately Pinocchio, room information is something private between the guests, but I could send someone to fetch her and tell her to come to the lobby,” Polendina said in his usual polite tone.

Polendina did so, and a few minutes later, Cinderella was back in the Hotel Lobby, and soon as he saw the mouse in Pinocchio’s hands she rushed toward him.

“Oh Jaq! Was so worried when I couldn’t find you” Cinderella took him and now Jaq was in her hands, “What happened to your clothes?”

Pinocchio and Polendina turned to look at Spring, who proceeded to simply hiss at them.

Cinderella laughed, “Oh don’t worry I don’t hold any ill will, a cat must do what cats do”

Spring perked up after that, rubbing herself in between Cinderella’s legs.

“Miss Cinderella, please forgive this inconvenience” Polendina was apologetic, specially since Hotel Krat does allow pets to stay, would have been a disaster if Pinocchio hadn’t noticed.

“It’s alright, no harm done in the end,” Cinderella said with a smile. It reminded her a little of Lucifer’s antics, that cat is a little mischievous as well.

“I could give you some small clothes” Pinocchio has a few clothes for Gemini in his Hotel room.

“You are very kind”

——-

Pinocchio handed her down a small red shirt, and since Jaq is a slim mouse it fit him perfectly.

The mouse began to talk to Cinderella. Pinocchio and Gemini could almost seem to understand him, but they couldn’t make it out correctly.

“Oh of course you look wonderful Jaq!” Cinderella was in a better mood now.

“You can talk with animals?!” Pinocchio was excited, he had never seen someone do so and the princesses in his books talk with them.

“Well more or less,” Cinderella began to explain, “Jaq and the other mice have their language, as for others, well I do not fully understand the words, but I do seem to understand what they mean”

“That’s so cool, just like a real princess”

“I could only dream of such honor”

“Dreams are so fun, I told you Gemini!” Pinocchio took his cage and set it on the table, Gemini jumped to Pinocchio’s shoulder to join in better in the conversation.

“They are fun Pinocchio but like I said, it’s bad to oversleep”

“Dear, dreams are more than just fun” Cinderella put Jaq next to her shoulder, mimicking how Gemini was standing in Pinocchio.

“Really?!” Pinocchio was so happy; no one ever talks to him about dreams.

Cinderella felt happy, she liked this boy so kind, so full of life. It reminded her of when she was a child, before her father passed away, she has changed some much since then, she doesn’t mind her new calm demeanor, but she wishes it didn’t come because she had to mature so fast.

Something about this boy seemed… a little different, she could hear him, rather she could hear the sound of springs coming from him.

“Is something wrong?” Pinocchio was worried, Cinderella had stayed quiet for too long.

“Please forgive me” She apologized, “Maybe I am daydreaming, I could have sworn I heard the sound of machines inside your body”

“Huh? How did you know?!” Pinocchio was stunned, that hadn’t happened since he fought against… the white lady, it made Pinocchio feel sad.

“So you really are a puppet?!” Cinderella was stunned, she had seen plenty of puppets ever since she arrived at Krat, and her sisters kept talking about them.

“Mother, why don’t we get one? To help with chores?” Anastasia had asked.

“We do not need them, we have Cinderella,” Her stepmother said bluntly.

A little help on the house chores would have been appreciated…

“Well yes but actually no” Pinocchio gave her the short version of the answer.

“You must have some musical talent Cinderella, impressive that you could hear them” Gemini chirped.

“I enjoy singing from time to time, but I am not an expert or that good” Cinderella was underestimating her talent.

Jaq began to speak again and even made motions to motivate Cinderella.

“Thank you Jaq, you are always so kind to me”

“Can you tell me more about dreams?” Pinocchio had little stars in his eyes.

“A dream is a wish your heart makes” Cinderella had become even more radiant, her shy demeanor completely gone. “Dreams can come true if you keep believing”

“What kind of wish?” If Pinocchio had a tail, he would be wagging it right now.

“If you tell a wish you won’t come true silly”

They wanted to keep the conversation going, but Polendina said that Cinderella’s family was calling for her, and unfortunately their conversation had to be cut short.

——

The next day, Pinocchio overslept again, this time his father was the one to wake him up.

“Son, wake up” It was time for a lesson, Geppetto takes time off work to teach his son about different things, “You need to learn more about history”

This time, Pinocchio got up with that much resistance, as he loves it when his father teaches him things, well he loves to learn im general but it’s special when his father does it.

Geppetto deep down knows that Pinocchio would be able to learn things more constantly if he was enrolled in school but he wants to be there for him as much as he can and he is happy homeschooling his son. He also knows that he feels this way because of his regrets when raising Carlo but he is self-aware enough to not let this affect the way he teaches his son about things.

When they were done, Geppetto suggested that they both go together to the beach and spend some time together bonding as father and son.

——-

Lady Tremaine isn’t fond of beaches, but her daughters annoyed her until she gave in, and she makes Cinderella do the hard work of giving them food and tending to their needs.

She had come to Krat only because her daughters were left an inheritance, she had a relative living in Krat who recently passed away, and her daughters were fond of them, but she wasn’t. Anastasia and Drilleza are under the impression that she is the one to hold the money until she dies, in reality, the money was given directly to them, but Lady Tremaine isn’t going to let them know that, as long as she gives them money here and there, they won’t suspect a thing.

“We must head back to the Hotel” Lady Tremaine doesn’t like the sun, she wants to leave already, in fact, they will leave first thing in the morning, she is just here for the money.

“Cinderella, fetch us a carriage”

Cinderella did as she was told, but the place was extremely filled with people, and the only carriage available did not have space for all of them.

“Cinderella has to stay behind,” Drizella said in a snarky tone.

“Yes Cinderella, is going to have to find another carriage” Anastasia joined her sister.

“Unfortunately Cinderella this must be the case,” Lady Tremaine said.

“But-“

“Silence!”

Cinderella kept quiet, she knew better than to defend herself. Her stepmother handed her a small amount of money.

“You better not waste this, I counted and I expect the exact change” Lady Tremaine stared at her with hatred in her eyes.

“I understand” Cinderella’s voice was low, barely finding her voice.

Her family left, it would take a while before she would be able to get a way home. Cinderella walked around, she just wanted to get her thoughts away from the situation.

“Jaq I don’t know what to do” Cinderella had sadness in her voice.

She is smart, she knows that her stepmother is taking advantage of her, that she is using her as a maid when the home belongs to her when the money her father left her should be rightfully hers, she is an adult but is unable to claim it, as her stepmother has hidden all the important documents she will need to reclaim it.

And even if she did so, she doesn’t have the heart to quick her out, her father loved that woman, and her stepmother didn’t act the same way she treats her now, that is, in front of her father, but when she father passed away, there was no reason to hide her true colors, yet she still feels like she would be betraying her father if she makes her leave the home.

Not to mention poor Drizella and Anastasia, they weren’t always like this, they used to be kind, genuinely kind, Cinderella was specially close to Anastasia, as children they would bond together. But her stepmother spoiled them until they become rotten girls like they are now, but Cinderella knows deep down that they are good people, she doesn’t have the heart to leave them without a home.

Cinderella kept walking, too consumed by her thoughts to pay proper attention to her surroundings. Ending up in a place where no one else was to be found.

“Take the girl, she looks like a maid, no one will miss her”

Cinderella had no time to react to what she just heard, she felt someone grab her and before she knew it, she was dragged away somewhere else.

——

Cinderella was unconscious, Jaq had to do something, he had hidden under her clothes and saw how they shoved her inside of those boats that were on shore.

Being small, he managed to fit under a hole in the door that held her captive, he ran and ran until he found the exit, once on the beach he panicked, he desperately tried to get the attention of others but no one paid attention, some even tried to step on him.

He started to feel like it was all hopeless until he saw a familiar face and rushed towards him and climbed on top of them.

“Huh, Jaq?” Pinocchio recognized him and held him in his hand. “Is Cinderella nearby?”

“Is she a friend of yours son?” Geppetto asked.

There was no time to answer, Jaq frantically began to make gestures and move his hands, it didn’t take them long to understand.

“Someone kidnapped her?!” Pinocchio shouted this was bad, really bad.

“We have to save her” Gemini knows that they need to act quickly.

Jaq pointed at one of the boats, it was a big one and it looked like it was abandoned by its state, no one ever went close to it.

Pinocchio drew in his weapon, he always carries one just in case. They decided it was best for Jaq to stay with Geppetto as they already knew how to find her.

“Son, be careful” Geppetto knows what his son is capable of, but as a father, he still worries about him.

Pinocchio nodded and made his way towards the boat.

[foxingpeculiar]

Lies of P blogging (Spoilers up through Rose Isabella Street or w/e).

Most of what I remember about the second part of the cathedral level is trying not to walk in the decay swamp before burning it off. I did do Cecile’s little questline and got the record from her, though (and it’s my favorite so far). Father What’s-His-Nuts wasn’t that bad. With the Specter to break aggro, I just gave him a wide berth and did my best to parry his spinning attacks when I got close. The second health bar kinda threw me, but didn’t change the fight too much. Got it on the third try, no muss, no fuss.

So then I was in the Malum District and ran into the Fox and Cat again. In fact, we even ran part of the level together! That was fun. And it was nice having backup for once. But then, of course, they fucked off.

I think I might’ve fucked up here, though. There was a zombie guy trapped behind a grate just past the Stargazer, and I just kind of reacted and killed him before he could pop out at me. But then, when I died later, it didn’t respawn. So now I’m like “shit, I shouldn’t have done that.” I don’t know what it’s going to affect, but it feels significant.

The District itself wasn’t too bad. The only tricky bit was the big guy wandering around the fire in the plaza. He’s guarding some treasure I still haven’t managed to nick, but I’ll head back for it.

Then there was the Black Rabbit Brotherhood fight JFC that main guy hits like a truck! And you’d think somebody with that kind of power would be slow, but no! I never for a minute felt in control of this fight, but somehow managed to squeak by on the third try (and I do mean squeak—no pulse charges and within one hit of being killed). Most of the fights so far I feel confident about, but this one I don’t know if I could do again, cos I’m not sure how I managed it.

So now I’m in Rose Isabella Street getting skewered by The White Lady. This bitch is fast, AND she can parry me, which I sure don’t love.

Story-wise it still hasn’t really come into focus. That the Alchemists are up to something seems more and more evident, but I don’t know what. It has something to do with the Golden Coin Fruit, I think, or maybe being cut off from it by Antonia? Also, I found that portrait of the boy who looks like me and now I’m pretty convinced that Geppetto remade his dead son into me, and that makes me not trust him, in like a Pet Sematary, “sometimes, dead is better” kind of way.

I also got the record from the merchant in the Lobster Inn, and I found the old lady who wants a “tipple” (what a delightful word) of wine. I like her style.

But yeah, further updates once I figure out how to not get turned into shish-kabob on this lady’s rapier.

[monotonous-minutia]

I expect you've been asked this before, but I am so intrigued by your Hoffmanposting that I absolutely have to finally watch it. Which production would you recommend for starters?

love this question!! I am an absolute fanatic of this opera and based off of my experience with it so far, here are my thoughts for a first-time watcher.

One quick note: I won't go too much into the edits and history but it is important to mention for first-time Hoffmann viewers, to avoid some confusion. There are a few different versions of this opera, the most common being what I call "the short version" (Choudens) and "the longer version" (Oeser). it gets way more complex than that but I'll just say here that Oeser is superior and therefore always what I recommend first. there are some very good Choudens out there though that I will include.

starting with the longer version (Oeser), we have:

My #1 fave, the 2009/2015 Metropolitan Opera production, also happens to be a really good one for first-time Hoffmann viewers, for a few reasons. 1) it's a straightforward edit that has the most important parts (imo) of the story. 2) it's a really fun, but not overwhelming, production. 3) the cast is great. and 4) it's a fun take on the story that doesn't make it too crazy but stays close to the heart of the piece.(you can find the 2009 one here, and the 2015 one in three parts here, here, and here)

The 1995 La Scala production is my other favorite. It's another fun, relatively straightforward production that balances the silly and dark aspects of the opera well. another standout cast with my absolutely beloved Hoffmann and Nicklausse team, Shicoff and Mentzer. just a bit of peaking around my blog will show you how much I adore these two, so I won't gush too much here. the edit isn't quite as comprehensive as the Met one but it's still a good one. the only fault of this one is it doesn't have my favorite number, the trio des yeux, but that is pretty much my only complaint.

another great first is the 1885 Brussels one. This one is a little trickier just because it's so old the sound and image quality are kinda bad. but, it's another great one and one I talk about a lot. some really great performers in a lot of the lead roles, and though this Hoffmann isn't one of my top faves per se, his dynamic with Nicklausse here is one of my favorites.

looking at the shorter version (Choudens) which isn't as good because it cuts out quite a bit, and a lot of those cuts alter the Hoffmann/Nicklausse dynamic which I argue is the most important in the opera; as well as moving around the order of the acts in a way that doesn't really make sense. But it's still worth watching and I'd recommend these two for a first-time watch:

possibly my favorite Choudens is the 2000 Orange production. it's really atmospheric (outdoor stage!!) with another great cast. the way they stage the very end is not my favorite, but aside from that it's a really solid, fun, spooky production that's a good first-time watch. (find part one and part two here)

the Met 1988 one is another great first one. A bit odd at times but another solid cast with great dynamics (Shicoff can't be beat in this role and really brings it all together) and I really love a lot of the costumes. another straightforward production that has its quirks (and a lot of glitter in Antonia's act).

so here you go! Hopefully it's not too much. let me know if you have any questions or need clarification on anything!

one final note, since some of these don't have subtitles, and there isn't a great libretto online, I recommend taking a look at this post (mine, shameless self-plug) that has detailed synopses of the various edits. also, PLEASE come to me with questions/thoughts on any you end up watching!! and if you need help accessing any of these let me know!