#but he's so wonderfully flawed

[dazais-guardian-angel]

I’m so sorry something happened with ur anime ;w; I know that feeling of betrayal, it sucks. I’m sure there are other people out there who feel the same way you do. sending good vibes ur way.

awwwww, you're so sweet anon, wtf 😭💜 *sigh* yeah, it really, really sucks. When you become invested in something for so so long, over a period of many years (so, usually manga), you build up expectations for the writing quality.... so if and when it lets you down, you feel like a fool for ever getting so invested in the first place 🫠 and it hurts even more if it's something extra special to you. This definitely isn't the first time I've been let down like this lol. It's not the end of the world just yet in this case, I'll have to see how the manga handles it, but... yeah..... it's pretty miserable. ugh.

Anyway, thank you so much, anon. 🥺 Sending good vibes back to you too. I hope you have a wonderful day 💖

[shadykazama]

Hello! Your headcanons on Wukong/Destined One had me giggling so much 😊 they're so great, couldn't stop rereading.

Um, if it's alright, can I ask for some Wukong/Destined One x Reader with their baby? Feral daddy monkey in his nesting phase with his mate and baby is so— 🤭

Absolutely! I have a lot of thoughts and the people demand more monkey business- so let's get down to it.

❤ Wukong

Starting with the pregnancy~

He is ELATED.

The idea of a proper heir had never crossed his mind because well- he's immortal. He doesn't need one. But that doesn't mean the idea of his own flesh and blood isn't positively exciting.

There's a chance he knows you're pregnant before you do. What with all of his special powers and heightened senses.

Celebrates privately with you of course but it becomes a mountain-wide event very quickly.

You are showered with praise and blessings by all the monkeys.

He will never miss a chance to brag that he's going to have a baby. And he's definitely smug about it too, thinks your child is going to surpass even his power.

When you start showing he gets more smothering.

Don't forget our king's fatal flaw! He thinks he knows what's best.

Will limit how much you travel and makes sure you always have at least two attendants by your side while he's gone.

Which, once you get further along, isn't often. There were plenty of superstitions about pregnancy in ancient China, as well as a high infant mortality rate- and that's not even counting what complications could happen due to the magical nature of your child. So he'd be stressed.

He expresses stress through aggression (canon), though it's never pointed at you. He'd be fiercely protective over the mountain, but especially any of the areas you regularly stay in. He'd be very snappy at everyone for the entire second half of the pregnancy, except you of course, who he'd be showering with praise and reverence.

Likes holding your stomach while you rest and tells your baby about the great lineage they're being born into, recounting his titles and strength and promising them they'd be greater.

He's hoping for a boy, but he's assured his child will be spectacular regardless of the gender.

When you give birth he will be extremely focused. He can't afford to be weak in a moment when you need him most. (Though your cries of pain and effort will certainly make his heart ache.)

As you're holding your baby for the first time, his teasing, smug attitude is nowhere to be seen. He just looks at you as if you'd given him the universe itself.

Cutest baby ever might I add 👆.

It's a Chinese tradition that only immediate family is allowed to meet the baby for the first 100 days after it's born, so it'd just be you and him for a majority of three months unless you invite your family to meet them.

In traditional fashion, on the 100th day a banquet is held to officially introduce the baby to everyone. And MY GOD would it be an event...

Besides all of the monkeys on the mountain who want to celebrate their new prince/princess, I can't even imagine how many celestials and demons would come to pay their respects and blessings- be it out of fear or respect.

Either way, expect a very long day and a LOT of gifts.

^ Wukong doesn't leave your side for the entire day. I dare someone to try and pull something.

You'd expect with his trickster personality that he'd be a very lenient dad, but Wukong is surprisingly dutiful in making sure your child doesn't turn out lazy or ignorant.

That by no means is to say he wouldn't be a wonderfully playful father. He'd have a wonderful connection with his child, and his most important lesson to them would be to respect their mother ;)

More of a one kid kind of guy, so he'd probably stop after the first, unless you had twins or triplets.

As protective as he was with you when you were pregnant, he's pretty chill with the actual kid. He knows they're durable and will let them get roughed up doing dumb stuff.

Carries them around hanging off his tail and will pretend like he doesn't know where they went.

It's like how cats will let their babies 'sneak up on them' to encourage them to keep trying. He does the same thing with your kid when they try to trick him.

Your baby would be the most respectful little shit ever. A little shit nonetheless, but would do anything for you or their father.

All the monkeys on the mountain help keep an eye on the little sage so you'll never feel lost or alone in parenting. It's very much a joined effort and your baby will see the other monkeys as their family as well!

This wonderful piece of Sun Wukong was done by @kanade-howl here on tumblr! They post their work on Twitter as well at @kanaade_ and @_liehuzuo please support them!

💙 The Destined One

Give him a bunch of babies I beg you.

He'd get addicted, he wants a big family for SURE.

When you first tell him you're pregnant he'll probably take some time to fully soak it in.

You'll be used to being patient with him at this point, but I imagine something like this is really nerve wracking so don't feel bad if you rush him for a response.

He'll put a hand on your stomach as if he's checking for himself before picking you up and smothering you with love.

He's not a chatty guy but he'll let you know how happy he is!

^ That being said, during your pregnancies is the most talkative he'll ever be.

He doesn't want you to stress about communicating and knows your body is going through a lot so he pushes himself to talk more to make sure you get everything you need.

That doesn't mean he'll be a chatterbox by any means. More than nothing is still very slim :')

Expect a lot of one word questions.

Trusts you more than he trusts his own instincts. His instincts tell him you shouldn't be climbing or moving around much- but if you want to, who's he to tell you what to do? He's not the one pregnant 🤷‍♀️

Follows you around like a guard dog when you do though, doesn't matter what you're doing.

Somehow even more physically affectionate than normal. Will insist on holding your hand when you walk so you can lean your weight on him.

When you start showing he'll be amazed. It's not that he's never seen a pregnant person before but like... That's his baby in there and he can't believe it.

His favorite thing to do is lay his head against your stomach while you're resting. Will kiss your skin and adore the life you're making.

You can catch him whispering things to your baby while he's resting his head on your stomach.

Your body is going to ache and he is more than happy to massage it for you. He doesn't even need an excuse to touch you, but he'll find them anyway.

Once you get further along and it gets harder for you to get around, he'll pick you up and take your wherever you want to go- within reasonable distance from your home of course. Not because he can't take you further, he just doesn't want to in case something happens.

But he wants to make sure you get fresh air and still see the beauty outside of your bed.

Doesn't trust anyone to watch you. It's him or nothing.

Makes offerings and prays to the goddess of childbirth. He does this a few times before you catch him and start helping.

He's a bundle of nerves when you're giving birth. If you weren't preoccupied, it'd probably be painfully obvious how nervous he was.

Holds you while you hold your baby and will not stop telling you how much he loves you and how perfect the baby is.

Gets baby fever bad.

Baby will be spoiled, and so will any other baby after that.

Huge advocate for carrying the baby. If you're not opposed to it, he probably carries them more than you.

Has the most deadpan look on his face as he looks at this baby but he has so much adoration for his little miracle.

Stressing over your baby crying in the middle of the night? Not with him! He's at that babies beck and call.

Watching a nearly mute man deal with a curious child is definitely amusing and you get a front row seat.

Your children kind of just accept that their dad doesn't talk much, but he'll always tell them he loves them if they say it to him.

Takes them everywhere with him so he can teach them. Is SO proud when the oldest starts helping teach the younger ones.

He's proud of them in general honestly.

Your kids are going to be super loving and curious. I think he'd foster really healthy relationships between all of them.

You'd have a whole team taking care of you if you ever got sick.

[vaguely-concerned]

nothing makes me roll my eyes quite like people making a big deal out of lucanis being 'the magekiller' while mostly being perfectly chill with mages in his personal life as if that's some huge objective flaw in the writing. like yeah it's his professional specialization not his personality or strongly held ideological conviction or anything. mages are tricky to kill and he's real good at it. that's why they pay him the big bucks. it's like saying a pest exterminator can only do his job if he's motivated by a deep personal vendetta waged against the entirety of rodentkind. the fact that he genuinely treats assassination like his 9-5 is, y'know. half of the whole guy, and this tracks with that wonderfully.

(honestly it's so perfect that the reason he specialized in that is, literally and canonically, that caterina looked over the books and went 'huh. we should diversify our murder portfolio, there's an untapped market here' and assigned it to him. he didn't even get to choose his own murder major, his grandmother decided that for him largely for straightforward economic reasons. dunno what to tell you, crows gonna crow. they're just merchant princes with extra knives at the end of the day, that is exactly why they'd make a choice like that, they're providing a service not going on crusades, even though lucanis manages to carve out some personal satisfaction in taking down especially shitty targets within that. I'm sorry you guys didn't get your angsty enemies to lovers arc or whatever but please understand that that only existed in your head to begin with and also that what we actually get here is infinitely funnier and MUCH more interesting, once you actually engage with the text earnestly. ssssh I didn't say that)

[thatonegayship]

Hey man me again, it’s nearly 3am and i was curious. What would theoretically happen if someone (say a human bully, or a lesser uninformed demon or smthn of the sort) were to put down and talk absolute shit about Dipper with the anticipation of Bill joining in and/or being impressed and agreeing cause here’s this super cool and sexy guy surely he also thinks Dipper’s a useless freak right? How would Bill take this kinda confrontation about his husband? Would his reaction vary depending on wether or not Dipper was there? (I lowkey think it would but I’m just a worm in a bait bucket uk) (also sorry this comes across like a fucking critical thinking question from a middle school textbook)

At best someone talking shit about Dipper gets a long lecture about all the reasons Dipper is way, way cooler than them! And some broken bones. That's Bill's husband, he picked a great partner, and he is not going to pretend otherwise for someone else's ego.

The rant's absent if Dipper's around, but frankly? It'd be better for the bully/demon if Dipper was around to hear someone dissing him to Bill. In that Bill would refrain from the most gruesome acts within his mortal's sight.

Though if they're smart, they'll notice the way Bill's looking at them, and take that brief amount of time to run.

[spencerreidsreads]

He didn’t have to say it

Aaron Hotchner x gn!reader

Summary: So immersed in your painting, you forget to take a break to stretch your legs. Aaron helps out with the pain that comes from it.

Genre: Hurt/comfort, mainly fluff!!

Word count: 1.7k

*based on THIS request*

AN: Hi! I’ve never written fanfiction of any sort in my life before, but I really wanted to give it a go. I’d love to know what you think, including any criticisms (I don’t mind criticism, I want to learn how to get better) If you enjoy please like, reblog and comment! If even anyone enjoys this piece it would encourage me to try again. Thank you so much

*also this is not proof read - I’m too embarrassed to go through it again. So please let me know if there are any mistakes!*

꘎♡━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ♡꘎

A flowing river of blue, the smell off wildflowers blowing in the breeze, and the chirping of birds flying overhead. And then… pain? No longer were you in a calm meadow garden, outside of a homey cottage. Instead you are sat alone, inside of your art room, suddenly aware of the pain in your legs.

You had been so immersed in finishing the last details of the painting you had started weeks ago, that you had lost track of time. You had been staring at it so intently, trying to look for flaws to perfect, it had almost felt like you were there. You hadn’t been at home just then, you were transported into your work of art relaxed and undisturbed within the canvas.

It was light outside when you began working. You remembered hearing the sound of people strolling the streets and children playing in the nearby park. Now however, the sky was beginning to darken and the streets were almost silent, other than the sound of the odd car driving past. The outside world was proof enough that you had been sat too long, without a single break to stretch your legs.

Had you not been so wrapped up in your painting, you would’ve remembered to take a walk or go for a snack to prevent the intense pain you were currently feeling. Aaron always reminded you to do so.

Speaking of Aaron, you desperately hoped he would be home soon, you knew the pain would only intensify once you started moving around, and you wanted nothing more than for him to be there to comfort you. He was so wonderfully helpful when you needed comfort. He was your rock and no matter how you were feeling, he always managed to make you feel somewhat better. He had researched the best ways to reduce the pain you often felt and despite how tired he may be from work, he always made the time to make sure you were safe and content.

Stretching out a paint speckled arm, you reached for your phone prepared to text Aaron to see if he would be home soon, he was due back to his evening. But once again he proved to be the best husband you could ask for, as not even a second after grabbing your phone, you heard the front door opening. Perfect timing.

The sound of the door shutting quietly, a bag hitting the ground and the locks of the door being set, you knew it was your husband finally back from the week long case he had been on with the team.

“Sweetheart?” his voice was soft and carried some tiredness with it, you knew this had been a tough case for him and immediately felt guilty for wanting his comfort and attention when he had only just returned home. You knew how hard he worked and didn’t want to burden him. So instead you decided you would greet your husband and try your best to hide the pain as not to worry him. Though with a skilled profiler as a husband, you knew this was wishful thinking.

When you went to stand, you hissed as an intense pain shot through your knees, causing them to buckle. Luckily, Aaron had come in search of you, having not heard a reply when he called out for you. Just as you were about to fall back to the ground you had previously been occupying, you immediately felt arms wrap around your frame, engulfed in the scent of your husbands cologne.

“Hey, take your time. It’s ok let me help you”. There goes your plan of hiding the pain. Aaron immediately knew what was wrong and slowly supported you to stand. Once you were fully elevated he wrapped his arms around you in a tight embrace, holding most of your weight off of your knees. Despite the fact that Aaron repeatedly told you to stretch your legs to prevent this from happening, he wasn’t going to lecture you. You were in pain and he just wanted to bring you comfort, so he didn’t say anything. He just held you close and softly began to play with your hair the way that you liked.

The mixture of love you felt from Aaron’s care and the pain you were feeling in your legs caused tears to appear in your waterline. Aaron immediately shifted into gear, wanting to reduce the pain as much as possible, “how about we take a little walk hm? Just around the apartment. Give your legs a chance to stretch and I’ll tell you all about how much I missed you while I was gone?” You smiled and nodded in response through the tears. He always knew how to make you feel better.

Aaron didn’t rush you, he didn’t leave you to take care of yourself. Instead he lovingly wrapped an arm around your waist and let you set the pace as you walked out of your art room and into the kitchen. Though this caused the pain to intensify, you knew that in the long run it would help. So as you grimaced and slowly treaded through the pain, Aaron kept to his word and informed you of how awful it was to be away from you for the week. You laughed as he mentioned that he was caught looking at the picture of you he kept in his wallet by Morgan and he was teased by the team for the rest of the case. He told you that instead of ordering his original coffee from the coffee shop near the precinct, he ordered your favourite drink. It was too sweet for him and didn’t wake him up as much as he liked, but it made him feel closer to you.

As you approached the front door on your walk, near where he’d left his bag, Aaron reached inside and hid his hands behind his back, something grasped tightly in his fist.

“After we wrapped up the case I saw these in a store window and they made me think of you. One for me and one for you”. Aaron brought his hand in front of you both and opened it, revealing 2 key rings that looked to be a matching pair. One of them was a key shape, and the other a locket. You knew these weren’t the kind of thing Aaron cared for at all, in fact he found them extremely cheesy. But he knew you loved small things like this and just wanted to see you smile.

And smile you did. You looked from the keyrings in Aaron’s large hand, then back up to his eyes, a large grin on your face. You couldn’t believe the reputation Aaron had at work as the stoic grouchy boss. How could anyone describe this man (who was currently staring at you with a soft smile on his face and some tacky keyrings in his hand) as anything other than perfect? That’s what he was to you. Perfect. He was always thinking of you and you could not be more grateful.

“I love them” you whispered, Aaron didn’t respond, he just looked lovingly into your eyes and continued along with you on your walk to the living room. At this point, whilst your legs still ached, you found it hard not to focus on how happy you were with your partner. It was hard not to be happy around him. Your tears had eased up and had instead been replaced with a loving stare directed at your husband.

Once you had done a lap of the apartment, Aaron suggested a bath together to soothe your joints, which you quickly agreed to. He sat you on the side of the bathtub as he messed with the taps and added some bubbles, just the way you liked it. Once the bath was ready he held your hand and helped you in, slipping in himself afterwards, your back leaning against his chest. Not many words were exchanged, they didn’t need to be. You both knew exactly what you wanted to say ‘I love you so much’, ‘thank you for loving me’, ‘I’m so grateful to have you in my life’. Instead, Aaron softly hummed as he gently scrubbed away the paint from your body and placed soothing kisses along the back of your neck. You felt so safe and at home here within his arms.

Once the water began to turn cold, you and Aaron stepped out of the bathtub and he wrapped a towel around you.

“Your painting looked beautiful by the way” he whispered as you both prepared to brush your teeth and get settled for bed.

Despite being together for 7 years, he still made you feel giddy with his compliments. Turning to face him, a small thank you passed your lips. He was always so supportive of whatever hobby you picked up and loved to shower you in the compliments he believed you so deeply deserved.

The two of you soon got settled into bed and Aaron wrapped you into his arms, “how are you feeling honey? Any better?” he questioned.

Placing a soft kiss to his bare chest, you sighed in sleepy contentment before nodding your head. “You always make me feel better.”

“I just wish I was here more often for you” Aaron sighed. You knew he felt guilt about leaving you alone whilst he went away with the team, but even if he wasn’t with you, you rarely felt alone. Even at his busiest, he made time, even for something as small as an ‘I love you’ text or a ‘have a good day’ message.

“You’re perfect for me Aaron, please don’t doubt that. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me” you sleepily replied, meaning every word. He gazed at your tired face and drooping eyes and saw that you were on the verge of sleep. Aaron swore he’d never seen anything so beautiful in his life. He felt so overwhelmed with love that he felt emotional. Pulling you closer, he placed a soft goodnight kiss against your lips. “I love you sweetheart”, but you had already drifted off.

But even though you didn’t hear it, that didn’t matter. He didn’t have to say it. You knew. You’d never felt more loved in your life, Aaron loved you and he never let you forget it.

[propheticclown]

I LOVE HOW FLAWED THE ALPHA KIDS ARE!!! So many people hate a specific Alpha Kid or something but their character flaws are genuinely so realistic because they're all 16-year-olds! Jane is just a wonderfully written female character that doesn't fall into the trope of "My only negative emotion is sad because women are sad". She's allowed to be angry, but that same anger can cause her to lash out at her friends in a realistic way, for example, Roxy. On top of this, she arrogantly believes that she's in the right all the time and constantly corrects other people, which allows The Condense to take control of her because Jane foolishly believes that Roxy's "Batterwitch" stuff is nonesense.

Jake is constantly trying to impress his friends by exaggerating his "adventures" and masculinity to try and seem more interesting. But due to this compulsive need to seem impressive, along with his utter social isolation, he can come off as self-centered and genuinely doesn't understand other people's struggles and fails to communicate his boundaries with Dirk properly.

Dirk is obsessive and possessive of all his friends, especially Jake, but because they don't perfectly fit the vision he has in his head for them, he tries to push them to become better in ruthless and harsh ways, for example, sending a whole robot to Jake to fight, only for that robot to not actually be catered to Jake's fighting capabilities, either being too soft or way too hard, because he cares more about what Jake can become, than accepting him for who he already is, which would literally solve 99% of Jake's problems anyway.

Roxy is a unique case. She's one of the few characters who genuinely acknowledges her problems and takes steps to better them, but of course, she still has her problems. She wants to be loved and validated due to her isolation and can make seriously crass remarks when it's not appropriate (like when she was considering getting with Jake right after Jane's breakdown). She's needy, affection-starved, and desperate for validation. She still has flaws outside of her alcoholism and that's genuinely amazing. Most writers would make it so that Roxy's drinking would be her only problem but it isn't. Roxy is absolutely my favorite Alpha Kid because of this!

[maaikeatthefullmoon]

Once upon a time, there was a Good Omens fanfiction reader, who swore they didn't like AUs.

They read all the discussions about the 'classics', the 'must reads' and shrugged.

"But it's not canon", they muttered to themself. "They're not human. How on Earth can anyone write these stories about them when they're not actually bloody human? It’s not right."

And then, dear reader, they were persuaded to read just one AU. They were still an angel and a demon, just in a slightly different universe. And then...then they tried a human AU. And then...then they were hooked. Obsessed, one might say.

That reader, dear reader, was me. Of course. Obviously. Well, duh. And I would like to share the obsession in the form of some recommendations.

I have the wonderful @shadesofecclescakes to thank for MANY of these absolute beauties, she is absolutely the QUEEN of recommendations (and medicinal gifs).

So, now, in no particular order, some Highly Recommended AUs:

Or Be Nice by charlottemadison Rated E - A is a bookseller, C is a drummer, they are BOTH petty bitches. They're newly neighbours. C has a CAT and I'm there for it, he also has migraines and I hard relate. It's bitchy and the pranks were DIVINE. It was also deliciously spicy. The loveliness is that the author really captured the flawed nature of humans but also how it can be overcome. Same author as What We Make of It (what was Shotgun Wedding - an absolute GO AU CLASSIC and one of the best things I've ever read)

Not a Mounted Dildo but a Fuck Machine by NaroMoreau & summerofspock Rated E - So very, very E. This one was just filthy. So wonderfully filthy. The authors would like to tell you there was no plot to their porn, but there really was. A meets a girl online, because A is straight. He really is. Honest. But then, oops, lockdown happens. But, it's a good thing, really. For his best homeboy C is there, to help this poor virgin 'learn the ropes' for when lockdown is over and he goes on his first date...with the girl he's so very much into...coz, no homo, yo...;)

The Whole Damned World Seemed Upside Down by WyvernQuill Rated M - An AU in the way that it's still angel/demon but after Crowley makes a wish for things to be 'different', the universe obliges...and he's dumped into a reality which is very, very different to what he knew. He learns some truths and there's a whole lot of drama. Beautifully written with a wonderful plot and great drama. Excellently described and would make for great TV. (Oh, and Death in the new reality is really squeamish - it's brilliant.)

Telling Tall Tales by Siobhans_World Rated E - A sweet pretend relationship fic, where A pretends to be Maggie's boyfriend to help her pass as straight for her family. But he then meets her cousin, C, who he then inevitably (ineffably?) falls for. Miscommunication, angst, fluff, gay panic, it's got everything.

Flawless by @mrghostrat & @chernozemm Rated E - I've decided only to include one fic by each author and boyyy was it hard for ghostrat! But Flawless was, well, flawless. For such a relatively short story, it kept us guessing until the end. The characters were all beautifully written - the flaws (ha.) were DEEP and CRACKED but so fucking perfectly sculpted and presented. It was incredibly real and believable. Extremely maturely written and satisfying. AND THE ART!!!

How To Pull An Angel: A Bunnings DIY Guide by NascentSurrender Rated M - When I first saw the title, I thought it was going to be a silly, irreverent, comedy romp. But it was actually a funny, well written story that will stick in my mind always. Firstly, C watches Bluey - which is now CANON for me. Secondly, having lived in Aus as a child, I've got a soft spot for the country anyway, and I've barely ever seen it come up, so this was lovely. There were some wonderfully humorous bits, but also tender and beautiful moments that I adored.

Montreal Confidential by Maggie_Honeybite Rated E - I learned about Montreal (and Canada & their baked goods), classical music and mafia stuff in this fic. A is a widower. C plays the cello. His cello's name is Bentley. This is one of the only age-gap, mild D/s fics I've actually gotten into. There's fluff AND drama. CW for non-con (not A/C)

Under the Summer Stars by @pannotbread Rated E - an amazing astrophysics/astroecology/astrobiology fic that has pining, slow burn and Only One Telescope (yes, really, and it's everything you'd imagine). It's got beautifully written (erotic) imagery and So Much Science that's been written accessibly but still with amazing detail. It's poetry. It's hot. It's gorgeous. CW for internalised homophobia and self hatred. *Not completed yet*

Oddity by @tsyvia48 Rated E - A museum fic! About David Bowie! A is in charge of collections, C is an actor hired by (highly incompetent) Gabriel to guest curate a new Bowie exhibit. Miscommunication ensues for delicious tension. There's bitchiness, there's a bit of light angst, there's a lotta love. *Not Completed Yet* Poetry Carved In Flesh by @fellandcrow Rated E - I'm obsessed by tattoos. Hence, I am obsessed by this story. I'm planning a(n enormous) GO tattoo once GO3 is out, and this fic has actually helped me with my ideas. London-based A stalks lovingly follows Edinburgh-based tattoo artist C online. They build up a rapport. Well, C likes A. A is SMITTEN with C. C encourages A to get tattoos. Which he does. C designs a tattoo especially for A, the fic has currently left off at the point where C is in London and going to tattoo A. *Not Completed Yet*

There Is A Light & It Never Goes Out by @phoen1xr0se Rated M - A escapes from a disappointing, chaotic life to a remote island for five months to do research on puffins. There he meets lighthouse keeper C. Who also ran away, 20 odd years ago. There is a chaotic, found family on the island, but it is small, and it is lovely. This fic is written with love and passion and the imagery is so beautiful. The author has actually gone to do Actual. Physical. Research. on puffins. So how is THAT for dedication? Cannot wait until it resumes. *Not Completed Yet*

Ok, because I am Bad At Tumblr, I've not tagged the majority of authors, if you are on here - please let me know if you're here and I'll edit!

I should probably add in the following, I suppose. I'm writing an AU.

Free by, well, me. Imposterssyndrome (yes I know it's Imposter Syndrome, but that one already existed) Rated E - A runs a bookshop, C has an unfortunate past as a runaway ex-addict. They meet in an acute mental health ward after both having had a mental health crisis. Eventually A invites C to move in, and they navigate sharing a space, and their lives together. The story starts heavy, and is an emotional roller coaster, but there are moments of fluff and smut mixed in. There is a happy ending, I promise. It's a passion project, heavily researched and has a LOT of lived experience in it. I've gotten to know some amazing people through it who have messaged me and shared their experiences and I'm so glad I wrote it. *Not Completed Yet*

Last thing to say - once I finish Free, I will be teaming up with @shadesofecclescakes to write another human AU which is VERY much in her wheelhouse and I CANNOT FUCKING WAIT. I just know you're all going to LOVE it. The only thing that will make it even better is ART, so we're still on the hunt for someone.

**Last-last thing to say. I’ve missed off a few Biggies. There are some super popular AUs, mostly written around 2019. Most people will have read them. I’ve tried to focus on the perhaps lesser-known & WIP ones. Although I know many people don’t read WIPs, hopefully you’ll (book)mark them for future!**

[storybookstr4nge]

will solace get behind me right now you are a young child and u had the right to be weary of the underworld especially being who u are. ur allowed to make mistakes and be an accidental asshole because we all make mistakes and are accidental assholes, as long as u acknowledge where u went wrong and begin to make an effort to change, which! Will! did! Actively!!!!! he is always caring and understanding and Nico so obviously feels so comfortable around Will in a way he has not ever been shown to feel with anybody else..... will is a silly nerd boy with crazy powers. and Nico fell for that for a reason!!!!!

idk I guess it just rubs me the wrong way that other ships in the riordanverse get such different treatment.... like when annabeth displays prejudice to Percy for being a son of Poseidon because of their parents rivalries its understood because she's a child who's been brought up with this mindset, but when its Will and Nico they're held to such impossible standards of being consistently perfect..... even though they literally are like the healthiest and most realistically displayed teenage couple the riordanverse has ever had.... I just wonder (know) why this divide exists and I am upset with the sheer amount of un-nuanced takes regarding Will and Nico and this book.... like what do u guys want!!! you want queer ships to be treated the same as straight ships, and then we get mark oshiro doing that, and giving us a wonderfully flawed and wonderfully soft and sweet dynamic, and its scrutinized on every imaginable level for critiques that would never come to another pair :(

not liking tsats is okay! I don't want to force people into liking a book just because I adored it! but when all the criticisms I see of tsats are very clearly things that could be said about all the other books..... it doesn't track and is rather uncomfortable to listen to

tldr will solace I love u so dearly and I hope will and Nico get to go on their cute private lil picnic very soon

[withleeknow]

Can I req something for the milestone event with lee know using this prompt „time passes slower without you.”? ✨

navigation / masterlist / ko-fi

patience is a virtue, everybody knows that.

you know it too. the only issue? patience is a virtue that you don't have.

you're an impatient person by nature, born with an inherent restlessness within your bones that keys you up more often than you'd like to admit. in school, you were always thinking about your next degree. with work, you're always thinking about the next big thing, the future position you'll hopefully land once you gain enough experience. you're always waiting for something else, constantly looking forward to the days ahead instead of living in the now. it's a personal flaw, you're well aware of this.

it happens when it comes to even the most mundane things. what cafe should you try next weekend, even if you're not even half done with the caramel macchiato you're holding in your hands? what movie should you watch next, even if the one playing on your tv screen hasn't gone into its second act yet?

your impatience already flares up on a daily basis, but it's even more amplified and unbearable whenever minho is away. it doesn't help that he's often gone for weeks, if not months on end. you're always counting down the days until he's back before he's even out the door.

"just one more week, yeah?"

his words hang heavy in the silence of your bedroom. your phone is on speaker, set against the pillow next to yours so you could pretend like he's here with you when you close your eyes. you try to facetime every day even if it's only for fifteen, twenty minutes. just to catch up on each other's day and at least see each other for a while before you go to sleep. it's bittersweet, being able to look at him and hear him talk but only from the digital void of your phone.

even though you tend to hide from him how you really feel, how much you actually miss him and wish for him to be back by your side, you think it must still bleed through from time to time. be it the subtle way your voice drops during conversation or how your eyes glaze over with sadness just a little bit when you stare at his handsome face for too long on video call.

you know minho is trying to comfort you. he wouldn't be a very good partner if he can't tell that his own girlfriend is having a hard time without him, would he? and it's not like you bitch and moan any chance you get. no, you always try to hide it from him because it's not his fault that he has to be away sometimes, not like he's choosing to leave you just for the fun of it.

you know his gentle reminder is meant to mitigate your ache, but it only makes you be more aware of how time doesn't seem to pass when he's not here. the clock stops ticking the second he's gone, and you feel like you have to drag yourself through every minute of every hour and repeat the process for days and weeks and months.

"one week is too long," you say quietly. "time passes slower without you."

seven days. one hundred and sixty eight hours. ten thousand and eighty minutes. it's practically nothing compared to the time that has already passed, but that doesn't mean that you get to miss him any less even though it's only a two-hour flight away.

minho doesn't really reply directly to what you said. instead, he tries to distract you with anecdotes of his day - like a funny looking pigeon he saw on the street earlier or a cute photo of soonie that his mom sent him. it works a little. he considers it a success when you crack a smile and giggle at his theatrics.

he keeps the conversation light until you're biting back a yawn and he knows it's time to let you get some rest. even when you're saying your goodnights, neither of you mention what day it'll be tomorrow. you're sure that in the morning you'll wake up to messages from him - not entirely poetic because it's not his specialty, but they'll still be infinitely and wonderfully sincere. you don't bring it up in case he feels guilty, and you think he doesn't bring it up because the reminder that he won't be here might make you sleep restlessly tonight.

you fall asleep with a little bit of a heavy heart, and wake up when the sound of your doorbell ringing fills your apartment at precisely 7:06am. the other side of the bed still cold and devoid of your minho, but it's not the first thing that you notice like you do every morning.

no, the first thing that you register today is the vivid discomfort of having your peace disturbed so early on when it should be a day that you get to spend feeling nothing but comfort and contentment. or at least, as content as you can get without minho here. you carry that irritation with you all the way to the front door, wild bedhead and all.

the door swings open.

you're a deer in the headlights and suddenly your displeasure is vanished, gone in a second like it was never there to begin with.

"surpriseee!"

a sheepish greeting.

you rub your eyes, then pinch yourself on the arm.

you're not really sure what happens next. it's all just a blur of tears and ugly sobbing as you launch yourself into his arms, almost making him knock into the suitcase that's still perched right beside him. the bouquet of peonies in his hand becomes an unfortunate victim as it falls to the floor after the impact, but minho leaves it be, in favor of holding you as tightly as you're holding onto him.

his fingers tangled in your hair, your arms wound around his neck securely like you're afraid you're still dreaming and he'll disappear if you let go. you don't question why he's here; you just accept that he is.

minho peppers warm kisses to your cheeks, your jawline, your forehead and your lips. it's graceless and it's damp from your tears but neither of you could bring yourself to care. he murmurs with an upward quirk of his mouth where he's pressing his smile to your lips, all affection, all love. "happy birthday, baby."

permanent taglist: @onlyycb97wife @starsandrqindrops @borahae-reads @abbiestearsricochet @cutiespaghetti @anthropologykpopmultistan @moonlinos @mjnhoz @caitlyn98s @piercidh34rts  @stayceebs97 @linocz @yaorzu-blog @biribarabiribbaem @kayleefriedchicken @extrhotjne @caitxx1 @palindrome969 @todorokiskitten @azuna-sz @meanergreener @nxzz-skz @jazziwritesthings @poutypoutybin @bookyeom @jisuperboard @wyzminho @amarecerasus @channection @lastgreatamericandynasty1 @judeduartewannabe @chanshyunjin @firelordtsuki @astronomicallyyy @alm334 @lashaemorow (italicized = can't tag)

all rights reserved © withleeknow. reposting, translating and/or modifying is not permitted by any means. [posted 28.03.2024]

[sparsilees]

‘dumb jock’

‘rubbish liar’

‘hair-trigger temper’

‘spineless pushover’

‘poor table manners’

‘illegible penmanship’

‘unintelligible speech’

‘gauche and uncouth’

‘bit of a blundering buffoon’

‘wears his emotions like a traffic cone’

‘so oblivious he can’t see his own nose’

‘couldn’t organise a piss-up in a brewery’

‘brute forces his way without a semblance of plan’

— harry james potter, as wonderfully depicted by the fandom at large but entirely, fundamentally, unfortunately, out of character

pardon me, but is that an oc born of your poor comprehension and fevered imaginations?

what’s wrong with harry as he is? don’t demean him just to elevate your favourites. if you don’t genuinely appreciate him or his canon characteristics, his actual flaws and strengths—not ones you must exaggerate or fabricate—then why waste your time focusing on him?

[merakiui]

MORE MOROS ONE DEMANDS! MORE, MORE!! HE IS SO DELICIOUS MERA-SAMA YOU CANNOT DO THIS TO ME I SHALL STARVE AND SHRIVEL AWAY!!

( ˶°ㅁ°) more Moros??!?! Hehe there is much to discuss. (linking the fic for context.)

Mainly,,, the bad ending consisted of Moros successfully catching and trapping darling within his mirror realm. >:D it's actually the ending I really wanted to write initially, but I love thrilling stories that end in well-earned and hard-fought triumph. Lady Rosehearts deserved that win!!! She girl-bossed her way through Moros and now he's quite literally in pieces.....that those three children later find. So maybe there's a possible comeback for him somewhere. ^^;;; it borderlines bad end.

I like the idea of darling inevitably becoming corrupted the longer she's kept within the mirror realm!! That is, since there is no longer a mirror version of herself that exists she would take that place!! Something something overblot darling. >:D and then the Rosehearts Manor would be officially empty now that Moros is keeping her confined in the mirror realm!! Aaaaa maybe one day someone is cleaning the estate out (perhaps one of Riddle's friends like Trey) and he finds the mirror!! I like to imagine the rumored lore is that it's a haunted mirror and sometimes you'll see a weeping maiden in the reflection, so for that reason it's kept covered or is passed around a lot because many can't keep it for more than a year without feeling unsettled by its presence. Lots of Victorian paranoia to play around with regarding death and mourning customs and the beliefs and traditions surrounding the supernatural.

In trying to become the perfect (reflection of) Riddle, Moros became even more imperfect and flawed. I love him even though he's a frustrating character. I wrote him with the hope that many would dislike him and want to stomp on him, but I think there's also a certain charm to him. Overblot Riddle truly is so wonderfully terrifying with his rage. <3

Also also,,, he's freaky!!!!! Trying to rail you right there in the parlor the moment he has his hands on you???? Moros, you scoundrel!!! He probably had to spend years watching you and Riddle in bed whenever you were trying for a child together. T_T no wonder he's become so impatient and desperately amorous.

[captorations]

what makes john gaius a fantastic villain is that he’s so, so close to being genuinely tragic, rather than that which inflicts tragedy. at almost ANY POINT he could have stopped and turned around, and let his regret actually inform his actions rather than his words.

the tipping point wasn’t even the nukes! or any of the events immediately following! if he’d done that, but been horrified at what he had wrought and labored to repair it, he would have been a wonderfully compelling flawed yet penitent deity! but no this man just kept digging even after hitting the earth’s core and fucking eating it.

if i had to guess at one single moment after which he was no longer capable of turning back, of acknowledging his reflection in the mirror, it would easily be what he did to his friends, his family. this is a man who started willing to give everything to save everyone, and he ended up so horrifically selfish that he let half his friends die to ensure the other half would never flee from him.

even now, there are moments where you get it! where he does seem more tragic than anything! his version of the story is blatantly biased, the cracks not at all subtle, but his point of view isn’t impossible to understand in the slightest, at least for the events he described in detail. the truth of the matter is that if it had been gideon who had been given that power, she’d have started killing people much faster and with much less hesitation.

the point is that i want to punt john gaius like a football even as i recognize that his character is completely realistic and even uncomfortably relatable at times. and that’s what makes him the perfect antagonist for this kind of story, in which nearly every character is deep and compelling and worthy of their place in it, and yet is simultaneously just the wettest most pathetic creature to ever creache

[balkanradfem]

I know I just made a serious post and I'm about to post something silly but stay with me here. I've had an experience that was deeply unsettling and horrifying to me and my mental health, and now you have to hear about it.

So I was reading fanfiction, and you can judge me, it's fine, I don't feel guilty for my little thought crimes, but it was a m/m fanfiction of two fictional blorbos I will not name in this instance. And this fanfiction was absolutely beautifully written, the prose had me in the first sentence; it was sophisticated, detailed, words so unusual and interesting I had to consult a dictionary. It started off wonderfully too, my characters were bantering, they were having issues, then had to work together and be civil to each other, it's what puts a smile on my face.

However, one of these characters had been changed in the fanfiction, in a way that felt unsettling to me. First the author changed his hair to long – and it happens sometimes, I'm okay with it, why not, make him look like an elf. Then his outfits were color-coordinated, and described in detail (it was like reading my immortal). Then he started wearing his hair in a long braid, which is normal, but, then he changed it to two braids, which I felt, was taking it too far, like this would happen only if he lost a bet and was being made fun of. Then he lost all of his desire for banter and started acting very dainty and vulnerable. I was having a bad feeling about it, but I still hoped it would get better. Maybe they would still fight.

The fanfiction had some very detailed and unusual descriptions of food, and it was food I've never heard about, red onion marmelade? I had to stop reading to consider if that was real. The food was a big issue and every meal had several courses and multiple fancy deserts and we were getting information about ingredients and freshness level. Then the characters started a discussion about the food, and the character I'm describing understood in detail how food is made, from what ingredients, in what manner, and I've felt suspicious about that, how would he know about cooking. Unreasonable.

I've still been hanging onto hope until finally, I got to the part where this character was in the hospital, and here I found out that the author erased all of the scars on his body. Not only that, but the character was obsessed with having skin free of blemishes and flaws and from what I was seeing, probably had a skin care routine. This was deeply unsettling because the scars have been vital to the plot, a proof of what had happened to him, and to just erase all this to make him blemish free? There was no hope. I knew it then for sure. I understood what was happening. They had turned him into a tradwife.

The outfits, the braids, the blemish-free skin, the extensive cooking knowledge, the lack of banter, the dainty behaviour... they did that to a fanfiction character. A male character. Nobody is freaking safe. The trend is so strong it bled into my emotional-support fanfiction. I am stripped of one thing that usually comforts me, two fictional males having a female-written relationship.

And the other character, who was supposed to be pursuing him, was written like a sexual predator. Consistently turned on by all of the tradwife elements and pretty much only by that. I generally love this character but in this fanfic I hoped someone would kill him. It was disgusting and disturbing. By the time the characters got to intimacy I was grossed out and skipped it entirely because I was about to throw up.

This is a common issue for me, a big bulk of fanfiction has already been ruined by rape fantasies, by bdsm, ddlg, fetishes, pedophilia, power imbalances, and all other influences of patriarchal society but I can usually FILTER THOSE OUT. Nobody will tag a fic 'tradwife' after they do this to a character. I've never seen a fic ruined in this particular way before.

This is mormon church's fault. They did this to me. They need to be taken down for this bs. This is taking it too far. Give me my adorable fanfictions back.

[celestiaras]

‧₊˚✧ ❛[ totally over it! ]❜

━━━ .°˖✧ requested by anonymous ˚₊ ⊹

ft. apple white (& raven queen) x f! reader — ever after high

╰₊✧ the break-up doesn’t bother her at all anymore, it totally isn’t on her mind twenty-four-seven!┊1.1k words

contains: toxic/unhealthy one-sided relationships, obsessive/possessive behavior but not quite yandere, reader is a rebel & a charming

➤ author's note: toxic yuri, my beloved! ever after high was one of those shows where i had a crush on the girls but it didn’t click that i was sapphic yet T-T

ex girlfriend! apple white who acts like she understands when you end things with her, nodding her head while blinking back tears and agreeing to just stay as friends. her plastic smile is so close to breaking because she truly doesn’t understand it at all when she thought everything was perfect and going wonderfully. she doesn’t want to be the stereotypical ex who throws a tantrum screaming and crying while on her knees sobbing for another chance, but she certainly feels like doing it. has the previous year and a half meant nothing to you? she already had your next anniversary plans in mind all the way up to the next nine years, but all of that shattered in a single sentence. 

ex girlfriend! apple white who manages to keep herself together until she barges into briar and ashlynn’s shared dorm room, throwing herself onto their bed and crying her heart out. she can barely speak coherently between her wailing and sniffles, recounting the events that had just happened with a shaky voice as if she was telling a horror story. she doesn’t get broken up with, she’s apple white, daughter of snow white, and she was so certain you were her prince(ss) charming— why was this happening to her?

ex girlfriend! apple white whose friends sorta saw this coming. as beautiful, benevolent, and dedicated as she can be, there were some fatal flaws that made your relationship bound to fall to pieces. the first and most prevalent being your different views on destiny. despite being a daughter of the charming family, you had never wanted to be a knight or a young royal who was only known for having a nice smile, instead dreaming of living a peaceful life out in a village away from all of that. of course, royals and rebels can usually still be friends or lovers, but when apple is constantly talking about her dreams of living in a palace with you wearing poofy dresses, dainty tiaras, and being adored by crowds of thousands… it was never going to be something that was going to be happily forever after. 

ex girlfriend! apple white who won’t stop awkwardly bringing up how you aren’t girlfriends anymore for the following few weeks or so, just like how she used to bring up how raven didn’t sign the storybook of legends expect a lot more often. she also won’t stop referring to you as her girlfriend, wrapping her arm around yours and then sheepishly giggling that she forgot. it was fine the first few times and you tried your best to be patient, but after a couple dozen times, you’ve grown to be agitated. you’re trying to be nice about it since you really do want to keep her in your life as a friend because she’s a wonderful person, but she’s making it more and more difficult to even be in the same room as her. 

ex girlfriend! apple white who started stalking you obsessively to implement meticulous plans to make you jealous, running into you multiple times throughout the day looking as beautiful as a goddess with people trailing behind her with compliments and asking for her number. she’s pretending she’s fine, doesn’t care, has moved on, and is ready to mingle with other singles. she’s not staying up all night crying and bitterly reminiscing on the moments you previously shared, definitely not! she’s totally over it! 

ex girlfriend! apple white who will flirt with and kiss other girls to prove she’s over you— hell, she’s even been linking arms with daring again despite the fact that he completely fails at making her heart flutter and just makes her look good for appearances. she only does these things in front of you though in an attempt to make you care, the second you turn the corner without sparing a single look while chatting with raven, she sulks and walks off trying to think of her next move.

ex girlfriend! apple white who refuses to tell her mom about the state of your relationship. she knows she’ll figure things out eventually, it’s impossible to do so with how tightly her life is monitored to ensure perfection, but she’s hoping she can put everything back together again before snow white could tell her “i know that girl was trouble!” she still refers to you as her girlfriend whenever her mother calls, making up fake dates and such that happened to prevent suspicion. she feels so guilty lying to the queen, but she’s determined it won’t have to be like that for much longer!

ex girlfriend! apple white who throws a tantrum as soon as she’s out of public when she finds out you and raven queen are dating, spotted sharing a kiss by the lockers before classes started with the news catching on like wildfire throughout the school. whatever happened to the rule of not dating a friend’s ex?! she truly knew nothing of girl code, but that’s probably a product of social isolation as the evil queen’s daughter. raven can’t really be blamed, but the betrayal still feels like a sword in the back.

ex girlfriend! apple white who uses her influence to get information about your current status. blondie is one of her best friends and a bit of a blabbermouth, the gossip queen of the school who knows everything about everyone and is skilled at discovering whether the information is reliable or not. she’ll ask her to take down the article about your new relationship with raven under the guise of how she didn’t want either of you to get hate, but really it’s because she can’t stand seeing that stupid photo of you two together on everyone’s mirrorbook. she’ll also try to hook up with cupid to ask if she could work her magic on making you fall in love with her again, but it’s against her own ethics to break up a happy couple (maybe apple tried to steal her bows and arrows just to find out they don’t work unless you have the divine blood of eros in you after testing them out on some trolls). ex girlfriend! apple white who is as stubborn as she is beautiful and won’t let up until you’re in her arms again. she’s crazy enough to sabotage what you have with raven, but clever enough to make herself look more like nothing more than an innocent bystander. she’s also popular enough for people to question you directly why you could have possibly broken up with someone as perfect as her while being confused when you claim you don’t need perfection. she’s infinitely creative in thinking of how to win your heart once again, one of her ideas will work one way or another— she just knows it!

request [ I’m soooo happy to see another eah writer!!! Could I request something that is like Ex! Apple White? I would like to see more toxic WLW in this fandom hahaha, maybe reader is a Charming rebel so that’s why things were ended? ]

[dangermousie]

Woo-hoo for a long term married couple with a happening sex life!

Long before we found out the truth, I decided that seeing that he does all the chores (he even hangs her clothes for her!!!) a little murder would have been acceptable. You know why he's a dream man? Not the looks or the trauma or whatever - it's because my dream man is one who does literally all the housework and I have to do none but can come home to a beautifully cleaned and decorated house and wonderfully homecooked meals. If he occasionally hears voices, has a false name and has been accused of murder, well everyone has flaws.

But also, I love how well-written it is, because we are halfway into ep 1 only and we get this seemingly throwaway moment of him putting their daughter to bed:

And even when I first watched this drama in full expectation of him being a killer, I went "but he's gently stroking his sleeping child's hair and there is nobody to see, not even the sleeping kid herself, so this is not for show. He may be a murderer but he cannot be without any kind of feeling."

This kind of constant care can perhaps be faked (since she's awake and noticing and there are also teachers and passerby) but in the privacy of his own home with nobody to see?

(So much of his narrative is very much Pinocchio trying to be a real boy by practicing/acting the way he knows real people act, but he doesn't know he's been a real boy all along.)

PS I didn't catch it back way when but when the reporter off-hand mentions the serial murders case that his father was responsible for, he mentions that the murderer's wife was also found in that hill despite people thinking she ran away before. I didn't notice it back then so I spent the drama wondering where the mom went and assuming the dad killed her but I wasn't sure. Now I am sure and freaking YIKES.

[wistfulnightingale]

Reflections and Divisions (or, Mirrors in the Show, Mirrors of Ourselves)

Mini-Meta Musing #11

Good Omens is a truly wonderful show. It's among the friendliest, healthiest fandoms out there, and has attracted multitudes of people from all over the world, across generations. We look at the lovably flawed characters and see people we can relate to. Nevermind that they are literally Angels and Demons -- we decide which we identify with, a little of this, a little of that, or all in! Am I more of an angel? Am I mostly demon? Do I ride out the waves, or create them? Am I sassy? Cool? Defiant? Awkward? Daring? Devoted?

For some of us, like me, we see Neurodivergent representation there, coded or otherwise. We ponder if fast-moving, book-tossing Crowley has ADHD traits like we do, or if Azriaphale's social naiveté and fixated earnestness is a cinnamon roll bundle like our own Autism. Even then, not everyone with neurodivergence sees themselves perfectly reflected there. But it's still comforting. (And Maggie herself, both the character and Maggie Service the actor, gives us an actually Autistic icon to smile about!)

The story within the show is structured on the compatibility and contrast of complementary opposites. Demon and Angel in our beloved Ineffables. Practical vs. Idealist in Nina and Maggie, who themselves are mirrors of Crowley and Aziraphale. Gabriel and Beelzebub, although when I look at that pair, I'm drawn to see their similarities more than their differences.

This structure creates interesting dynamics in the fandom itself. Not only do we find ourselves relating to the characters' identities, we are drawn to relate to their experiences. Their challenges and obstacles reflect our own. Many of us have dealt with ridiculous work bureaucracy, too much paperwork, isolation. We've dealt with social rejection and judgmentalism. For some of us, religious trauma. A lot of us have had to fight for independence, the right to live our lives as we wish and to be who we are, regardless of others' harsh opinions. We see that in Crowley and Aziraphale, and love them for it. We want them to fight for each other.

When each of us watch the Final Fifteen, we see ourselves reflected there too. Many of us have experienced at least one painful and complicated break-up in our lives. Rejection, or being incredibly misunderstood by someone you love and trust, can feel excruciating. Some of us have been fortunate enough to experience genuine acceptance in a loving relationship. If we're older folk, maybe it's been long-term. Or maybe not, but maybe we feel happy about the time we had that was good.

It's the one, singular part of the fandom I see division in. Maybe you've noticed it too. Most of the time it's handled with good grace and kindly disagreement. But it does make discussion of the Final Fifteen complicated sometimes, doesn't it? Whichever "side" you relate to, it seems so clear that THAT is the experience you see there. How can others NOT see it? The Ineffables are our mirrors.

It's like looking at clouds. Or the old Rorschach ink-blot test. We see what makes sense to us. And our Ineffables are so Wonderfully Human, like us, in all our glories and failings.

The Final Fifteen is agonizing to watch. Their pain and confusion is real and raw. For many of us, it sets off sympathetic echoes. We may ourselves feel angry, betrayed. We may feel heartbroken, tearful, even protective. It might make us want to take sides, like when a dear friend has been hurt in a relationship. If we blame Azi, we either condemn him entirely, or sympathize with how he seemed to misread the situation and communicated so poorly. We shake our heads and commiserate with Crowley at that desperate, ill-timed kiss.

For me, I was crushed after the first watch. And the second. But when I re-watched the series yet again, I saw a Love in Season 2 that (to me) was too solid to crumble with such ease. Most especially, I saw a Love that was acknowledged, a partnership that was real and established, not something that had never even occurred to Crowley before. "Our car..." "We both get plenty of use out of it [the bookshop]." "A sherry for Lady Bracknell" (who is a proper dowager from Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest" btw). The self-aware embarassment and cautious contact was long gone. Instead, there are unmistakable looks of flirtation, and private jokes, and shared memories, and familiarity. An "Our Song!" They even fight with more openness and trust, secure that expressed anger and Apology Dances will lead to eventual resolution.

That's how "I Believe in Nightingales" came about. I believe that the relationship is indeed An Old Married Couple who has grown up a lot since Season 1. A bonded couple who have rhythms of their own, little looks and understandings. Who accept each other in all their flaws, and even find the differences attractive sometimes. Or ridiculous sometimes, but still love and accept those differences unconditionally. That the complementary opposites form a united whole.

It also put me on a quest to make sense of that belief. I started looking for clues, spending waaaaay too many hours scrutinizing details, looking at footage in slow motion, taking screenshot after screenshot. And loving every moment of it! Good Omens is, I believe, a superb piece of craftsmanship. That's why, 16 months later, we're still talking and posting and theorizing! I'll be posting some theories myself in a day or two.

The beauty of Good Omens is also that it's a home for the dreamers, the outcasts, the oddballs, the lovers. There's room for all of us.

Here's to us always making room for each other...

Here's to Our World!

(A shoutout to @kimberleyjean, whose beautiful posts, examining dualities and mirroring in Good Omens, inspired a metaphor to express the thoughts I've been pondering for months! And to @sendarya for her lovely video essay/discussion on YouTube from the IneffableCon 5, Exploring Belonging in Good Omens.)