#but yeah uh tumblr will probably always be my main place for things but i Can Be Found Elsewhere Out There !

[geodesick]

[ID: a lineup of four oc's from tallest to shortest: rox, alax, bit, and kip. rox is thin with brown skin and shoulder length wavy brown hair, standing with her hands in her pockets. she's wearing a cropped red t-shirt with a bunny on it over a grey and white striped shirt, with a long dark pink skirt and brown boots. alax is fat with dark brown skin and short black hair, standing with his hands on his hips. he's wearing a purple shirt with a panda on it, a spiked choker, a black vest with cut off sleeves, black ripped pants, black boots, and fingerless gloves with longer mesh gloves underneath. he also has on black lipstick and thick eyeliner. bit is slightly chubby with pale skin and dyed blond hair shaved on one side, making a peace sign with one hand and holding the other behind their head. it's wearing a sports bra that says "boob" across it, sweat pants that are half solid gray and half checkered, a short sleeve jacket, yellow crocs, and yellow tinted glasses. kip is fat with a light complexion, a dark mullet, and a beard. she's wearing an orange bra under darker orange overall shorts, orange socks, and brown boots. end ID]

ehehe . my sillies

[xitsensunmoon]

Biting the Hand That Feeds au FAQ (Vampires + donor au)

Any general content warnings for bhtf au?

Yes. A normal amount of fnaf warnings, a normal amount of vampire warnings. For someone who doesn't know I elaborate... For vampire stuff, the most obvious ones are blood, hypnosis, bites, and animalistic behaviour. Less obvious - slightly suggestive themes. For fnaf - fnaf's usual violence, dark themes, a drop of gore and murders. The lore is uh. Very dark. I will try to decrease the amount of all of the cruelty but man. People who know, know how hard it will be. But I will tag everything properly so don't worry.

Is there a fic for your au?

No. And currently, I'm not even planning on writing one.

How do I find the story?

For now, we have two comics that are directly connected and one that doesn't have a specific place in the story but is about canonical lore.

[ 1 ] - [ 2 ] - [ x ]

In future, we will have more and I probably absolutely will forget to update this post so I recommend checking the tags. Here's the tag list

Tip: don't click the tag. Tumblr hides half of the results. Type it in the blog's search instead :)

Are the comics the only canonical thing about au?

No! I answer asks and draw a lot of doodles with bhtf au all the time and 90% of them are canon. You can, yet again, find everything in the tag list linked in the previous question.

Can I draw/write fan stuff for your au?

Yes, please!! I'm always happy to see fanart and fan writings and literally everything that you do! Just tag me when you post and use a fanart or fanwriting tag for au specifically so I don't miss it!

Can you include my characters in your story?

No, unfortunately, I cannot. The story is already written and I don't have any "space" for background characters either. Maybe it will change but currently, things are like this.

I asked a question with an interaction with my characters and I never got an answer, why?

I don't accept such requests. I'm not ready to spend my time drawing other people's characters for free(if I personally don't want to, of course)

Is there any limit to how many questions I can ask?

No, not at all! You can ask all you want just please make sure your question wasn't answered before. There is a big possibility I will just simply delete it if it was answered beforehand many times. Check the ask tag for it.

What about limitations? Any boundaries?

Please no questions about tickling🧍‍♀️ I got so many of those it already makes me uncomfortable. And for some reason, a lot of people send asks that include violence towards my characters and while I don't really feel uncomfortable with this I just idk what to answer and why are you even doing this lmao

What questions I should avoid?

Well, not really avoid but I will mention it anyway.

The things I have planned to draw right now:

- Sun and Moon and y/n's first meeting

- The creation of Sun&Moon

- Why S&M are sensitive to light and darkness

- How they hunt

So no need to ask me about these. I will show it, I promise.

What about sexual themes?

I understand that I post a lot of suggestive stuff and it may appear I allow such a thing but no.

You can create content with it tho, I don't mind for the most part. Just be ready that I may not reblog it, as my Tumblr is a SFW place. It's always 50/50.

Romantic themes?

I do draw some kisses and cuddles when I feel like it and you of course can send ideas for cute interactions but in the story we're very far away from it lol.

My question gets ignored even though I followed everything that you mentioned here. Why?

Answered in main FAQ.

Can I share the ideas for your au with you?

YES!!! Yes, yes and yes! I'm very open to that, like yes! The only thing that I definitely want to mention - you should expect that I actually can take your ideas and use them. Some people are protective of their ideas so if you're like this you probably should not share them with me :)

The information that you're using for your au is wrong.

Happens sometimes yeah. I know nothing about any medical stuff for y/n so I usually improvise. After all it's an au about robotic vampires man, this information is absolutely wrong. But! You're free to drop feedback/constructive criticism in my inbox!

Will be updated later

[tavina-writes]

i find it extremely funny that we (mxtx fandoms in general but mdzs especially) will get into huge shouting matches about timelines and research and accuracy and meanwhile she was like "the death of the nie bros' dad, an event extremely important to explaining the buildup to the war that affected literally every single member of the cast, could have happened anywhere in these five whole-ass years" and "yeah they totally had potatoes don't worry about it lol". truly airplane was an autobiographical character.

You know nonny, I DO find this intensely funny at times. My uh, main source of "shaking my head at this" happens when inevitably, meta goes around and we rush back and forth going "X WAS A GOOD PERSON" and "X WAS EVIL! EVIL!" etc, which happens every now and again and always makes me a bit like "ah, yes, it's difficult to convey nuance and also differing points of view that may in whole or in part also be legitimate and valuable to discuss on a place like tumblr/the internet in general because it is difficult to grapple with uncertainties and we often want to nail things down one way or another so we can figure out if we're right or not" <- but this often comes out as me writing a joke post. Or a saltier post than I intended. Sometimes because I'm tired and sometimes because I just happen to be a salty individual on main.

And I do think fandom is a place where like, multiple interpretations of an event or a statement or a character's "morality" and themes and choices are often equally valid. And fandom should be a place for that, that's what makes fandom fun. If there was a One True Interpretation of the text there'd be no need for interpreting text at all, and that's distinctly sad for me. That's no fun. Anyone who tries to use their knowledge to cudgel people into the One True Interpretation is wrong, btw.

Though I think, and here's where I feel that research and accuracy is a nuanced thing and should actually be of consideration for meta/fic/engaging with fandom in general, and why perhaps people strive for it -- the "lol, potatoes" and "poetry from whatever era I want" is fun! MXTX, however, is still writing about a fantasy version of her own culture, which offers along with it a foundational basis of knowledge that makes this...easier? And again, here's where the part of me that does enjoy these anachronisms and inaccuracies (because they're fun and since we have flying swords why not potatoes) wars with the part of me that's also like, "okay but there is a difference between 'not knowing enough to be respectful of the background surrounding the characters and why that might inform their actions' and 'I've decided that peppers, which did not exist in Eurasia prior to the Columbian Exchange are a big thing here now.'" The difference is respect. Different members of fandom will draw this line in different places and it hits different on different days.

And this is one of the struggles of engaging with foreign language media a lot of the time - we try to strike a balance between engaging with it based on our own experiences and backgrounds and not accidentally saying anything offensive or strange or 'that would totally never happen' or 'he would not fucking talk like that' and I've found, with my time in this fandom, most people who are concerned with accuracy and research are largely trying to be respectful and avoid such gaffes.

Over the two or so years I've been here, I've also reacted to people who've insisted their interpretation is the correct one when it was definitely a case of 'the version Chinese culture that I'm familiar with 200% does not work like that', and saltily wandered off to vent about how 'this is inaccurate and also rude' or try to explain why it wouldn't happen like that. Maybe this comes off as preachy at times, or overly concerned with "accuracy," but that is typically where that sort of reaction comes from for me. I expect this is probably true for other people as well!

And by no means like, do we only engage in fandom because we want to be educated or educate others, and by no means is that an obligation of any fic writer or meta writer or casual fandom goer. We engage with media because it engages us, and we engage with fandom because we love community, and sometimes its no more complex than that.

I enjoy research and art history so that's typically why this appears in my fic, and I started out on doing it to better connect with my own heritage, which I've found more important to me as I've gotten older, so that's where it comes from for me.

Apologies nonny, this was probably not the answer you were looking for and I do commiserate, I'm just chronically unable to be funny on main. 😔

TLDR: there's always nuance in everything unfortunately. Even if this is the no nuance webbed site.

[elysianstarl1ght]

hello tf2 community!

um, hi! i wanted to make an introduction for myself (because twitter is falling apart) so, hey! my name is cosmic, i have adhd and am likely autistic! i wanna start doing things on tumblr like growing a following, and just doing stuff cuz this place looks cool! so um yeah!!

im not sure how this stuff works so you'll have to bare with me for a bit, until i get used to this </3 but anyway some stuff about me!

my current hyperfixation is tf2!! as you can tell lol. some other interests of mine are astronomy, tmnt, lego monkie kid, warframe, horror (the whole genre), genshin impact, undertale, vtubers/nijisanji, ponytown and much more!

i started playing in february 2023!! i am very new lol (but apparently good...? according to some people...? idk about that)

i main scout and medic! i mostly play bootcamp wave 666!

im a scout fictkin and kin sniper, medic and demo!

i love all the mercs!! but demo, scout, sniper, pyro and soldier have taken over my brain the most!

im a writer and artist, and am currently writing a fic for tf2! it's very canon divergent and i'm still figuring out the general order of events, but i'm working on it <3 and super excited for it! trust me i will post about it nonstop

i have some uncommon headcanons that i'll probably talk about alot (pyroscout/flashfire and transfem soldier are just some)

YES i have watched emesis blue YES i love it YES i would love to talk with you and YES I WOULD LOVE TO PLAY TF2 WITH YOU and YES I WOULD LOVE TO TALK ABOUT HEADCANONS WITH YOU. i am ALWAYS up to talk about silly mercs!!

i.. havent read the comics... i'll get to it this summer i promise /gen

um.. yea i think thats all!! if you recognize me from twitter... uh hi PFFT anyway yeah!! thats it pretty much!! um... i hope i did this right aheh i dont want this to flop...

well um yea! i hope i can make myself a part of this community ahehe

[infiniteorangethethird]

Hellooooo hi, I'm too lazy to scroll yeah

Can you tell me a bit about your paracosm? :3

A bit? Nope, sorry, no can do, I can only tell you a metric fuck TON about my paracosm. Hope ur prepared for an infodump >:)

Sooooo uh. There’s a lot to talk abt (because I don’t know how to shut up) so let me break it up a little. Setting-wise, the story’s set in a fantasy version of Earth, where the most important difference (aside from the presence of magic) is that if someone writes a story and enough people read it, the story becomes real in a parallel dimension. I originally thought of this as a way to explain how my OCs could meet with the characters from my favorite shows/books, nowadays it’s both a mechanic that facilitates the story and (recently more frequently) the focus and source of conflict.

Because of the setting, aside from the numerous stolen characters from other media and reworked versions of said stolen characters, there’s obviously a lot of magic going around with a fuckton of places to visit and even more magical species to populate the world and wield said magic – “angels”, demons, shapeshifters, monsters, gods, you name it. Most of my paras are non-human and those who are also tend to have non-human ancestry or some kind of extra magical power (what’s the point of fantasy without fantasy, yknow?). But also, because I have a weird obsession with Organizing and Putting Things In Boxes, I have the physics of magic worked out to an absurd detail, feel free to shoot me an ask abt it if you want to be bored to death :D

Plot-wise… well. I would summarize the story, I actually HAVE a pretty decent summary, but it’s like, 100+ pages (50k+ words if I recall correctly), and I’m pretty sure tumblr would not Like That (and this version’s not even up to date), so. There used to be a lot of exploration of the world (aka me integrating my current interests into my paracosm because I can), nowadays it’s a lot more character-focused, with the plot revolving around 15-ish “main” paras and their lives. Which can be anything from “I can finally go to college and study the stuff I wanna study! Yay!” to “oh god oh fuck I’m a general in a multidimensional war and thousands are dead if I make the wrong move” so. There’s a lot of throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks. (I am a sucker for big epic fights tho so that happens a lot lol)

Thematically, I like to focus on the inner worlds of my paras and how they relate to the world around them. Each of them come from different backgrounds with different perspectives so any time I wanna explore a concept I can just pick whoever falls closest to that (like, “oh THIS one was abandoned by their family but THIS one is a stable father figure, found family trope go brrr” just to name an example). There’s a lot of hurt/comfort generally speaking, heavy on the emotional angst and, because I’m a secret whump enjoyer, there also tends to be a lot of blood. Like a lot. (Dw I always balance it out with some old-fashioned “finding peace in each other’s presence” daydreams, especially soft and cuddly.) Oh yeah and also everyone’s gay but that’s pretty much expected at this point.

Sometimes I also like to wonder about the morality of certain aspects of this universe, since the setting and world is so different from ours, but ig that’s a topic for another day haha

Anyway yeah that’s as short as I could get it 😅 it’s a bit hard to talk about my paracosm as a whole because it’s so old and as a result incredibly widespread. I do have a sideblog dedicated to it but tbh I haven’t really touched it in ages so what little info it has is probably outdated. Idk what else to say, if there’s any part you’d want me to go into greater detail feel free to ask (I know ppl mostly only care about the paras which, fair, but when it comes to talking abt my paracosm practically any topic is free for the asking lol), and sorry for the long ramble haha

Bonus doodle of one of my paras (Rowena) I did like a day ago

[zalliafawn]

1. Zallia ! (usually my anon is 🍄, 🌺, or 👾)

2. A couple years? i use tumblr every now and then to read fanfiction or to interact with friends.

3. I have a taste deficit, but sushi or apples have been my go-to since i was a wee child.

4. strawberry kiwi ice sparkling water from schnucks.

5. I have a younger brother, and an older brother.

6. I have 2 cats, and a rabbit. Ive had a myriad of pets in my life.

7. 16

8. I speak english, german, and a little french

9. That's hard. I really like Bojack Horseman, Queens Gambit, Steven universe, Gravity Falls, adventure time/fionna and cake, bee and puppycat, the perks of being a wallflower, and more. i love tv, i've been searching for some good adult animation shows. i swear i don't just watch cartoons.

10. I'm a hobbyist. i garden, draw, crochet, sleep, watch tv, play games, sew, and more !

11. i have no clue. im on the spectrum, making friends is the worst, but im also really talkative and like people.

12. I like music that's good. there is no genre i like or dislike. i listen to anything and everything as long as i like it.

13. Washington state or Maine. i love traveling, ive always really wanted to go places. going out of country sounds scary though haha. Washington is so pretty, and i love coastal states, especially up north. the midwest is fine, but once you've lived here your whole life it gets kind of boring.

14. uh. everything? but i do really wish i was better at comprehending information, especially when it comes to history. im a huge history geek, but i literally know nothing about history. i have struggles with remembering information, and actually reading things, so history is difficult. i also wish i was better with tones, and getting out of bad situations.

15. I usually respond pretty quickly? i usually get a notification and immediately respond, i love talking to people, and people talking to me first is literally thr best.

16. I do not, but i might get one. i like having the option to change it though. if i did get one, it'd probably be a thigh one.

17. I'm omnisexual. I have a hard time with labels, and i feel like we shouldn't really *need* a label for every sexuality? i kind of wish i could just be like, "yeah, i like men and women" or, "i dont like" but i see why they are there. every day i discover a new sexuality, and i get even more confused.

18. I live reading. im terrible at picking favorites as we've seen in prior questions. I love the BMC book, and there was this other book i really liked, i believe it was called Eliza and her Monsters. i really liked it, it got me back into reading.

19. Tough question. do i even know what love is??? I've been in 4 relationships. one was in fifth grade, i don't really consider it a real relationship because he bribed me into dating him. my second relationship was with one of my best friends, found out i only liked them because they were nice to me and i only liked them platonically, we're still friends. my third relationship was an online relationship, lasted a couple months, found out i didnt like them romantically and couldn't do an online relationship. had a couple more crushed in between. my current, and fourth relationship is with a person i met in 5th grade, we were good friends for awhile, they dated a mutual friend, broke up with them, asked me out, and we've been dating for a couple years, theyre abusive. i really dont know what love is, but i'd like to think i have been in love, or else my whole life is based on a lie.

20. taken, but complicated(for me). I could be single in an hour, a day, never. i live my life teetering the edge of a mental breakdown.

21. I am both heart broken and in a relationship. and also every cute twink man with fluffy hair is taken, so if that counts too there's that.

22. I have a lot of best memories.

- dancing in the rain with my best friends on my birthday

- meeting my online friend for the first time

- my current boyfriend asking me out

- getting into chamber orchestra

- getting my rabbit adoption application approved

- rediscovering be more chill

- literally every time i get a package in the mail

- the first time i got a plant and i kept it alive

- my first interview for getting my florist shop job

- my brother being born

- my dad bringing me dinner for the first time

- my favorite person (jason tam) liking one of my instagram posts

- watching Bromance In Concert with my boyfriend

there are so many more too

23. there are a lot.

- my current boyfriend asking me out

- my online friends abandoning me

- my dad yelling at me on my birthday

- my dad going to jail

- getting in a fight with my best friend

- my best friend taking their life

- the time my boyfriend ran to hug one of their friends and completely ignored me

and more

24. i have a lot. i have a lot of phobias, but a staple fear of mine is being alone, and failing. as for phobias, my biggest are blood and storms

25. both

26. 1,321. moments mean a lot to me, i forget things easily. i also have a lot of art.

27. i had a lot.

- this guy named james who rejected me, and told the teacher

- the cat from The Cat Returns.

- the twins and the tall blonde dude from ouran highschool host club

- my female best friend

- varian from the tangled series

- steven from steven universe

- the squip

- all of the characters from the aphmau series'

- and many more. many many more.

28. i'd like to think im very romantic.

29. a picnic on a rocky beach during the fall bundled up in sweaters. or an arcade date / amusement park date

30. i think i mentioned before in Q.10

There you go! now you know everything about me! missed the chance to ask my bank info and home address

Let your followers get to know you asks <3

What's your name?

For how long you have this account?

Favourite food?

Favourite drink?

Do you have any siblings?

Do you have pets?

How old are you?

How many languages do you know?

What's your all time favourite movie/tv show?

What are you enjoying to do in your free time?

Are you an introvert or an extrovert?

Your favourite music genres?

Your dream place to visit?

Something you wish you were better at?

How long do you take to respond to texts?

Do you have any tattoos? If not, would like to?

What's your sexuality?

Do you like reading? If yes what's your favourite book?

Have you ever been in love?

What's your relationship status?

Have you ever been heartbroken?

Best memory you could think of?

Worst memory you can think of?

Do you have any fears?

Are you a morning or a night person?

How many pictures you have on your phone?

Who was your favourite childhood crush?

Are you a romantic?

What’s your dream date?

What are your hobbies?

[positivitee]

I curate this blog with only one person in mind: me.

If the things I post bring you happiness too, that’s great! I love that, and you are more than welcome here!

However, at the end of the day, I am making this blog for ME.

About this Blog:

I started this blog because I am autistic, and a lot of the time when I have a meltdown, it can feel like the world is quite literally ending, like nothing will ever be ok again, and everything is hopeless and worthless. Obviously this isn’t true, but in that moment, no matter what I logically know, it FEELS true.

I thought it could be helpful for me to have a place full of things that give me hope or make me happy, something that I could look at when I’m feeling hopeless so that I can have some hope to cling to until I’m feeling better.

I considered making an actual physical journal, but my executive functioning skills are quite poor & I felt like a tumblr blog would have a lot less barriers for me, since I spend most of my time on tumblr anyway.

Important Things to Know:

Because I’m using this basically in lieu of a private journal, I’m probably not going to do research on whether things are fake or AI or reposted or whatever. If I see something and it makes me feel hopeful/happy/etc., I’m going to reblog it. Because at the end of the day, if seeing it makes me feel hopeful, it’s done its job. I don’t really care if it’s fact or fiction, I just care that it’s made me not want to die, at least for a little bit. I wouldn’t be fact checking things I write in a journal, I’m not gonna fact check things on this blog either. If this bothers you please do your own fact checking before reblogging; however, I do NOT want to know if something I reblogged isn’t true, so please don’t send in asks about it! I will be getting on this blog when I am feeling like there is nothing good in the world, to look at these posts to try to make myself feel better. The last thing I want at a moment like that is to get on & see an ask telling me that actually one of the few little glimmers of hope I thought existed isn’t actually true, ya know?

There’s a very good chance things won’t be tagged (or at least, not always). And if I do tag things, my tagging system may or may not make sense or be consistent

I don’t tag for trigger warnings either, sorry. Nothing on here is going to be triggering to me, and since the blog is just for me…yeah. Since the theme of the blog is happiness/hopefulness, I don’t anticipate there being a ton of triggering things, but I also make no guarantees. You’ve been warned 🤷‍♀️

Right now, I’ve got asks & submissions turned on, so feel free to ask or submit something. However, there is a decent chance I will end up turning them off. Since the entire purpose of this blog is for me to be able to come on here during meltdowns to help me feel better, I don’t want to do anything that will make it stressful or make me feel worse. I do tend to struggle a lot with communication & social interaction, so I can see myself getting overwhelmed & needing to turn asks off.

On a similar note, I could see myself making all my posts private & soft blocking everyone some day if I get super overwhelmed so uh. Yeah. Just be aware that could happen 🤷‍♀️.

Most (but not all) of the things that get posted here will probably be queued first. Even with the queue though, there’s still a good chance I’ll disappear for months at a time.

About the Blogger:

I’m in my 30s, she/her. I was diagnosed with autism & adhd a few years ago. My brain makes a lot more sense to me now that I know what autism & adhd are, but things are still really hard & I’ve been experiencing burnout & skill loss for a few years now.

This is a side blog, but I’m not gonna link my main 🤷‍♀️ (can anyone guess what my favorite emoji is lol).

[bustyasianbeautiespod]

Rubbish and Probably a Podcast Q&A! Transcript

[Garageband Good Omens theme song plays]

C: Hello! My name is Crystal.

G: And my name is Grey.

C: And this is Rubbish and Probably a Podcast, a Good Omens commentary podcast, where I, someone who has seen the show too many times…

G: And I, someone who also has seen Season 1 and 2 of Good Omens, discuss every single episode of- Good Omens. [laughs] I still have no idea how to do that intro.

C: Yes. But for today's episode, we are discussing our predictions and wishlist for Season 3, and answering some of y'all's questions. Or I guess all of your questions. We didn't exclude any of them. So yeah!

G: Yes. Hell yeah!

C: Hell yeah! Alright, so it's been like, two weeks since we last recorded, and you're no longer in active Good Omens mode. So how's it going? What are you thinking? What's your life?

G: You know what? While Good Omens was happening, I rarely had any funny thoughts about it. [laughs] [C: Uh-huh.] You know, I would talk about it in the podcast, and I would, you know, joke about. But like, outside of that, every time I thought about Good Omens, it was always like, thinking about it seriously. I feel like now that it's over and it's like, done with, and I'm not in the podcasting mindset anymore of like, "Oh, I have to talk about this in the podcast, and I have to have something worthwhile to say," [C: Yeah.] I feel like [laughing] I like Season 2 better!

C: What??

G: I'm like, "That's funny!" I mean, okay, maybe not Season 2 specifically. [C: Uh-huh.] Actually, I have not engaged in any content that's like, Season 2-specific. More of like, my anger for the season has like, dissipated. [C: Huh.] You know, like, okay, whatevs. 'Cause it's over. It's done. [C: That's true.] I feel like it's just going to rise back up when Season 3 comes out. God. I hope Season 3 doesn't happen. Let's just end it right here. [both laughing] [C: So true.] But yeah. I still have not involved myself with the Good Omens fandom. I'm like, scared. I'm gonna talk about it later 'cause there is a question in our Q&A that made me look something up on Tumblr, [laughs] and it will be with so much rage and upset, so I just am never doing that again.

C: Yeah, I mean, the tag is a difficult place to be.

G: It is. I mean, I feel like this is so mean to say, like, [laughing] at the first five minutes of our Good Omens recap ep.

C: What, that no one in there's funny?

G: No, because, like, I mean, probably the people who listen to us are like, people who are on Tumblr, blogging about Good Omens and stuff. [C: Mm.] But like, I just mean, like, I feel like when you go to the main tags, it's always the [laughs] worst of the worst that gets filtered to the top. So yeah.

C: Is the thing that you looked up that filled you with rage the coffee theory?

G: The coffee, yes.

C: [laughing] It's so bad! [both laugh] Yeah, we'll get to it.

G: I am so grateful that the person who sent us that question asked it and then said their thoughts. [C: Yeah.] Because I feel like I wouldn't be able to interface with it well if they just asked it with the assumption that they agreed with it. [laughing]

C: Right, I'd be like, "God, [laughing] I need to be nice to you, but I don't agree with that theory!" [G laughing] Yeah.

G: But anyway, yeah. [C: Anyway.] Also, I think I've been more just thinking about Aziraphale and Crowley in the Season 1 context, even until now. I don't know. Season 2 is fine, but- I keep on dillydallying. I just said it's fine, I like it, but also, it's not real to me. Like, I refuse to read fanfiction that is set in Season 2 or even has aspects of Season 2 in it, you know? FUn stuff! How about you?

C: Huh. What about me?

G: 'Cause I mean you, you're like, you watched Good Omens, and [laughs] you didn't exist to create content out of it for a really long time, and then, you know, for a whirlwind three months, it was the only thing on your mind. So how was that? That's not even an exaggeration. [laughs]

C: This is true. I mean, it was wonderful. [G, laughing: Like it literally-] It was wonderful. It's all I've ever wanted. [both laugh] I don't know. It was nice to get to do like, a deep dive into it because I feel like I gained a much better understanding of the characters. Because I think before, it's like, I watched it, I had feelings, and then I relied on like, fic and the occasional post to like, shape my deeper interpretations of things, but then I got to come up with stuff on my own. Congrats to me!

G: I do also quite like that about my experience of watching Good Omens. I mean, in general, I'm not a person who involves myself in fandom. That's a complete lie.

C: Yeah, we went to Supernatural together.

G: I mean, for Supernatural, I obviously involved myself- [laughs] We literally went to- But Supernatural was kind of more of an exception. Like, a lot of other stuff, I either do not involve myself in the fandom-

C: What was the Ace Attorney Twitter?

G: Yeah. And that one I literally hated everybody [laughing] I ever met in that place, so like, [C laughing] you know what I mean? So I'm not fond of that kind of stuff. But it it is miserable sometimes when you're like, "But I do want to talk about it, but also, I feel like every single person available that I can talk about with it doesn't interface with it the way I wish to." I don't know. Having this podcast is like, I think you're generous enough to interface with me the way I want to interface with, like, Good Omens, and also, the people who opt in to listen to us, like, our episodes, are so long and arduous. [C laughs] [C: Yeah.] [laughing] Like, if they're listening in until the very end, it's like, they probably agree. You know what I mean?

C: Yeah. [laughs] I mean, we could have hate-listeners, but if so, hiii!

G: Yeah, if you're a hate-listener, I really do really wanna know. [C laughing] Like, it's my dream that someone listens to an episode of- like, waits for an episode to drop and then texts their friend-

C: Someone, yeah, listens to the six-hour episode that is 12.2.

G: - texts their friend that "Oh my god! In 4 hour 30 minute mark of Rubbish and Probably a Podcast [C laughing] Episode 12, they said that blah blah blah, and I vehemently disagree. Crystal and Grey are the stupidest motherfuckers alive!" And like, that's my dream. If you do do that, thank you so much.

C: I do imagine, like, the time when we called Aziraphale and Neil Gaiman people with like, 15-year-old on Tumblr reading comprehension, I know in my heart that someone was like, "Yeah, and so do you guys." [G laughs]

G: It's important to me. I wish people hate-listened to us. [laughs]

C: So true. None of this is a Season 3 prediction or wish, so.

G: [laughing] The only wish is that people hate-listen to us. God. I want everyone to know that that episode is like, 6 hours long, and the raw footage- "footage"- the raw recording is like, [overlapping] 8 hours and 50 minutes. It's crazy! Almost 9 hours, and it was split through two recording sessions because I couldn't- I couldn't hold out. I couldn't. I cannot.

C: This is true. It's so crazy that our original plan was to have all of Episode 12 be like, in one recording session. That would have totalled to like, what? Like, 14 hours? 15 hours?

G: Yeah. I mean, the moment we ended that one, I was like, "No, I can't do it." [laughing] So I was right. I was right. I mean, the last episode we did a two-parter on, [laughing] I literally fell asleep in the middle of recording of the second one, so like-

C: You did?

G: I literally did.

C: Okay, Season 3 predictions? When do you think they're gonna see each other again? Which episode number? Oh, okay, I don't have predictions, I guess. I was just gonna ask questions, but do you have real predictions?

G: What do you mean "When are we gonna see each other again?" What are you talking about? When are they?

C: When are they gonna see each other again? [G laughs] Which episode out of 6?

G: [laughing] I was like, [both laughing] "Are we gonna completely disappear from each others' lives despite also having another podcast responsibility?" C: Yeah, as soon as this Q&A ends, I'm blocking you. [G laughing]

G: The moment they unblock me, the podcast is back on.

C: Real and correct.

G: That's a very interesting question. I've actually not thought about that. I don't think it's going to be Episode 1.

C: I think the 2 or 3 mark.

G: I think maybe it will be fun if it's like, Episode 3 so we have one episode that's Crowley and then one episode that's Aziraphale.

C: Mm.

G: And then we get the meetup episode on Ep 3.

C: Yeah, though, I mean, I feel like the style of Good Omens is that they loove cutting back and forth so much, so I don't know if either of them would get a solo ep.

G: They can cut back to Anathema or something. [laughs] I don't really give a shit.

C: God, yeah. Pleaaase. Please. [G: Pweaaase. Yeah.] Anathema, pleaase.

G: No, literally, the first thing on my Season 3 wishlist is, "I want Anathema back." I sincerely do. I've been thinking about her a lot, and it does frustrate me because I'm- like, when I read fic, I'm very very very very very- like, I filter out everything, you know? I do not like to see what I do not like to see. My preferences are listed to the tee. So Newt is always out, Anathema x Newt is always out. And so I feel like I just have missed so many fics where like, Aziraphale and Crowley are there and then Anathema is like, also a character. Recently, out of the goodness of my heart [C laughs], and also missing Anathema. I- like, exited those X's on the preference. [C: Wow.] And now I've been reading fics with like, Aziraphale and Crowley and Anathema in it. So yeah, I miss Anathema. Want her back, etc.

C: It would also be nice to see Adam again, but [laughs] I feel like that child actor probably has school to do or something, so, unlikely.

G: I mean, the kids are probably like, 17 now.

C: Oh, yeah, that's true. Well.

G: Like, he's about to graduate high school. He doesn't have to go to college, I think. [both laugh] He can become a full-time actor.

C: [laughing] For the sake of Good Omens Season 3.

G: [laughs] Exactly. I mean, I want to see Adam less than I want to see Anathema because I feel like bringing back those kids would be a little bit like-

C: "We're getting the gang back together"?

G: Yeah, and, I mean, the fics about it are nice, but like, the show does not interface with them, as like, people who even like each other, [laughs] you know? Like-

C: You mean Aziraphale and Crowley and the kids? Yeah.

G: Yeah. So I don't know about that.

C: I mean, she did tell him to shoot, and then he did shoot.

G: [laughs] Recently, I've been thinking about the fact that, like, so many fics have, like, you know, Crowley be nice to Warlock or whatever, [laughing] which is so funny to me because he literally told Aziraphale, "You should just kill that kid" in 1.01. [C laughs] So true!

C: Yeah, it's true. [laughs]

G: He literally sang that kid to sleep like, every single night for years. And [laughing] he's like, "Yeah, we should just probably shoot him. I don't know."

C: He had bad vibes.

G: Exactly. I have no predictions, actually. All of these are like, wishlist stuff. So do you have any other predictions?

C: Predictions? Huh. I mean, the only thing I know properly about Season 3 is that Neil Gaiman was like- he considered Season 2 gentle and romantic [G: Oh yeah, I've seen this.] and Season 3 as decidedly not. I mean, I think he just means there's gonna be plot that happens.

G: [laughs] I thought you were gonna say there's gonna be porn, [C laughs] which is so funny! Well, maybe there is. Maybe they would fuck raw in the street.

C: Maybe they would fuck raw in the street. I don't know. Okay, like, I think Jesus is gonna happen. I think I think the baby Jesus headcanons are cute, but I feel like it would just be sort of hard to do on a set. So I feel like they're just gonna have Jesus be like, full-grown in his 30s or something.

G: Yeah, they're going to create Jack Supernatural, which is wonderful. Wonderful character! I love Jack Supernatural. [C: That's true.] But also, don't recreate Jack Supernatural. [C: Yeah.] That's Jack Supernatural. You will never be Jack Supernatural.

C: I think it's, yeah. I think it's unlikely that Adam's gonna come back because it'll make it too clear that it's like, "So you did the Antichrist in Season 1 and now you're gonna do the Christ in Season 3?"

G: They're gonna fight it out, yeah.

C: Yeah. If Anathema's actress has the time, I think there is a way that they could incorporate more Agnes Nutter.

G: I think so too. I mean, she threw away that that fucking paper, and that's very important to her journey. [C: Mm-hm.] Let's bring her back, though. Like, [laughing] IDGAF.

C: Yeah, let's destroy her journey. I wanna see her again. [G laughs]

G: I feel like it will be interesting for Anathema's character to be like- and even without the you know, even without the Agnes stuff, even without the prophecies, she's still like, a capable person. She's still an occultist, as she says. She can probably sense that something's up, and she knows that there's an angel and a demon in Soho.

C: Though, I mean her memory of that's pretty hazy, but it's still somewhat.

G: She remembers. IDGAF. [both laugh] She remembers somewhat.

C: Yeah, yeah. And I feel like that having a new apocalypse happen and her be prophecyless is a way for her to like, grapple with the decision she made on a larger scale than just like, [G: Exactly!] having to make like, monthly life choices. And then she can drop off Newt, or she can open with like, no Newt already!

G: I mean, I would like her to open up, [laughs] and then we just never acknowledge that guy. Like, he's just never mentioned. That's my dream.

C: Yeah. Well, now, we're back at wishlist. [laughs] We can pingpong between. It's fine.

G: I would like Anathema. I think it is very nice to be like, she threw away that piece of paper, that book, the second set of prophecies, and like, now, they're at a time where like, "It would be real nice if we had that book!" And, you know, like, grappling with that, like, maybe guilt, but also, like, saying that "I don't need it." and being like, "Wait. Actually, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I did do the wrong thing." Again, like, one of our main complaints for Season 2 is they paralleled everything to Aziraphale and Crowley and it got tiring real fast, but like, if they really want to do a parallel to Aziraphale, like, let's bring Anathema in! You know? [C: Yeah. Yeah.] I think her questions of faith with like, Aziraphale being like, "All of the heavenly commands and dictates are very clear, but, like, God, is this nebulous thing. Like, I don't really know what God's asking of me." That could be, you know, applied to Anathema, where, like, all the dictates are so clear, but also like, "I don't really know a lot of the time what Agnes is actually saying," you know? And then, "Now I really don't know, 'cause I threw it away." Which is something that Aziraphale did. You know. You know. I think it's important that we bring back Anathema.

C: Mm-hm. I agree. I agree. [G: Yeah.] Okay, what's Crowley even been doing in between Season 2 and Season 3? First off, I guess I don't know how long the timeskip is, but I feel like it's gonna be like, basically zero.

G: You know, I don't think there's going to be a timeskip at all. I think we're going to pick back where we left off.

C: Ough. Alright. In that case, it doesn't really matter what Crowley's been doing, because it's just been like, a day, and she's just been getting white girl schwasted in her flat.

G: One of my other wishlist is the Crowley mane, of course. [C: Oh, yeah.] But you know what? [C: What?] I'm doubling down. I want to see Aziraphale have a beard.

C: No! No, god, it'll be so bad!

G: I wanna see it. It probably will be very bad. [laughs]

C: You want to look at the screen at your special little guy and be reminded of Michael fucking Sheen?

G: I mean, not particularly, but I think I do wanna- I think I've said this. I do want to see something change in Aziraphale's looks in Season 3.

C: Yeah. His outfit will be different. You did it. It happened.

G: Boo! Well, what if we put like, I don't know, golden tattoos on his face or something? You think that'd be fun?

C: Sure. Yeah. A lot of people have his eyes go purple, but that's a Gabriel-specific thing.

G: No, that's what I'm thinking! No but like, is it? 'Cause like, maybe it's a heavenly host/commander of the heavenly host thing.

C: No, I mean, [sighs] according to Neil Gaiman's Tumblr, I think he just saw purple eyes on a human and then stole them, like, I think that was what the question was.

G: Yeah, and he should steal it again for Aziraphale.

C: Aziraphale should go to Alpha Centauri [both laughing] and steal Gabriel's eyeballs. [G laughs] Yeah, and Crowley will just be like, [fake-teary] "You went to Alpha Centauri without me??" like, not even giving a fuck about the eyeball-stealing

G: Oh, speaking of Gabriel, I'm unsure how much presence him or Beelzebub-

C: I don't want him or Beelzebub in Season 3. They're out. Goodbye. [laughs]

G: Do you think so? Or is that a wish?

C: I don't see why they would be back.

G: They like to employ John Hamm in this show. I feel like John Hamm will be back.

C: I just think if no one from Season 1 came back, [G: Oh, yeah.] I don't see a reason to do like a "And now we have to go consult Gabriel and Beelzebub about the Apocalypse."

G: Okay, they're gone. Okay. Here's my only condition. If we never see Gabriel and Beelzebub again, we should never, ever see Nina and Maggie again. Like, it should not happen.

C: We're gonna see them again, though.

G: Are you sure? [laughing] If you fucking say that "Neil Gaiman said on Tumblr," I will fucking disappear into the void.

C: No, he didn't say anything. [G: Okay.] I think it's just because in the final fifteen, Crowley waves goodbye to both of them [G: Yeah.], it seems like an odd move if they're not gonna come back.

G: Yeah, he said goodbye, because, you know, they're never gonna see each other ever again. [C laughing] That's the final goodbye. It's a big one.

C: Well, if we're talking about side characters, we know that Muriel and Shax are gonna be in Season 3.

G: Of course, yeah. We need to do a Furfur and Shax torrid love affair situation. [C laughs] Why not?

C: Yeah. Why not? Okay for Shax, it's like-

G: Wait, we're already doing a Michael/Shax torrid love affair situation. [C: Polyamory's real.] Well, they can be a throuple, just like House and Cuddy and Wilson.

C: Mm-hm. [laughs] But yeah, obviously, she's very pro-Apocalypse, and she's gonna win that Dark Council seat. I don't really see like a "redemption arc" for Shax, but I also don't see a, like, "They shove her off a cliff as she yells 'noo!'" ending, [laughs] so like.

G: I mean, obviously not. It would be a bit weird if they do like a "And then they die" [C laughs] ending for anyone, 'cause I mean, like, in even in Season 1, right? Like, they don't. hurt Gabriel, they don't hurt Beelzebub, like, no one- Ligur was literally the only casualty.

C: Do you think Heaven and Hell are gonna end reformed at all? Or is it just like, "We've held them off for another century"?

G: Season 1 paints this as like, "the big one," you know, "us versus them." So I think maybe they would lead more into the like, human aspect of the saving the world. Whatever.

C: Mm-hm. Which is why we need Anathema back so hard and so raw?

G: It cannot be a Season 1, "We're gonna go back to the status quo, therefore delaying the inevitable new Apocalypse in the future." I think there will be a big change by the end.

C: Yeah, I mean abolition of Heaven and Hell, Perhaps

G: I don't- do you think Neil Gaiman-? [laughs] I don't think Neil Gaiman-

C: - has the courage to say that? No, he doesn't even have the courage to say that God is bad, so, [laughs] [G: Yeah.] I don't think it's happening. He will never be Philip Pullman.

G: I have only two other things on my wish list, and also predictions, which is "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" [C laughs] plays in this fucking TV show. But also, I want an expansion of Crowley's music tastes. [C: Yeah.] I want to see what other stuff they're into, you know? Can we play some Velvet Underground in this thing? We should.

C: Is the bit that, like, every single CD in their car turns into Queen- that's not canon in the TV show, right? And like, when Aziraphale brings out the Velvet Underground, Crowley's not like, "Oh, that'll be Queen by now." So like, I guess, like- So in the show, Crowley does listen to all the Queen, like, on purpose. In the book, Crowley doesn't even like Queen, I think. [G laughs] That's just what happens to their music.

G: The Bentley likes Queen. That's a very different thing than Crowley liking it. Yeah. I don't know. They're going to be back in the flat. God! It's gonna be so miserable. Or will it be? Who knows?

C: I feel like it's gonna be not that miserable 'cause I feel like Season 3 is gonna focus more on the plot, and like, once, Neil Gaiman's like, "I'm no longer writing a romance primarily," he'll just like, drop a lot of the emotional baggage that we ended Season 2 with.

G: We actually have a question regarding this later. [C: This is true.] So I'm going to talk about that in that question more, but I mean, in Season 2, right? "Write Aziraphale and Crowley with the intention of making it a romance" is like, I feel like it's not as effective as it could have been. Or, I mean, it's not as good, I should say, as it could have been. I don't know. Maybe it will actually help if it's not so romance-centric.

C: Yeah, we can get back to the Season 1, Episode 3, which was the height of romance.

G: Yeah, that shit was crazy. I'm still thinking about that. I'm still there. I'm still in Rome, baby. I'm still in Rome. [C laughs]

C: Okay. I mean, wishlist, like Aziraphale memory-wipe blast 100, go. But yeah, I feel like if this is gonna be a more human-centric apocalypse, I feel like Aziraphale getting his memory wiped would just derail all of that, and we wouldn't get Anathema back or anything so like, maybe not. If there was like, gonna be a Season 4, which, like, luckily, there will not be, please? [knocking] Knock on wood. Then I would allow Aziraphale to get memory wiped, but I think we don't have the time for it. The Book of Life, I don't know if it's gonna come into play in Season 3. Like, it seems like it should, but also it's fully possible that he just made this thing up to create fake consequences and fake stakes in Season 2 and then drop it immediately, so [laughs], I don't know. Aziraphale erases Jesus from the Book of Life, not clickbait, question mark? I don't think it's gonna happen. Would be funny, though.

G: I mean, we've been introduced to the idea of like, removing the angels' memories from like, the time of angelness, but I feel like to implement that on a large scale is incredibly mean, and like, very bad. [laughs] So probably not.

C: Oh, you mean a form of Heaven abolition is just like, wiping every angel's memory and dropping them down to Earth to be humans?

G: Yeah. That's disagreeable.

C: Yeah, that would not be niceys.

I mean, it'd be nice if they talked it out, but I don't think they're gonna talk it out.

G: No one has ever talked.

C: Yeah. Should we get to the Q and the A?

G: Yeah, let's get on the Q&A!

C: Alright. Oh, I guess you should ask the first two, [faux-egotistical] 'cause I'm the one answering them, 'cause they're just for me, 'cause I'm like, special or whatever.

G: [laughs] Okay, fine. [C laughs] Well, so the first set of questions is like, about canon-related stuff, so I mean, if you're like, "Oh, but you asked one of my questions, why not the other one?" It's because the other one's like, on another category, that's why. Well, so our first question is from anonymous. "What are some aspects of Good Omens you preferred in the book, and what are some you preferred in the show?" This is a Crystal-specific question because I still have not finished the book.

C: Yes. Yeah. Okay. I feel like- I think it's mostly stuff that I've talked about during Season 1, where I think that the, you know, the scene where they wrap up everything with Adam is much better in the book because they actually like, give him lines that make sense, and he talks about free will and all that shit, whereas it's "you're not my dad" [laughs] in the show. I guess they just turn it into something interpersonal that wasn't there before that also has no real canon backing. So yeah, I really really prefer Adam's speech to the Metatron and Beelzebub in the book. I also think that book does like, a more- it does like, a better job at like, Heaven and Hell equivalency, I suppose, where like Aziraphale and Crowley both consider their sides sorta meh, especially Crowley. I feel like there's a focus on how like, Heaven and Hell are just as bad as each other in the narration and in like, Crowley's POV. In the show, I feel like sometimes, they try to say that, but it still doesn't come across, really, because of- I don't know if it's like, the visuals or the whatever. You could definitely make the argument that, like, Heaven and Hell and the show, are equally sinister or whatever, but I feel like they're not portrayed as equally sinister. Like, imagine if there was a battle scene where, like, they killed off like, 60 angels. Like, it wouldn't happen 'cause I feel like people would be like, "Oh, no, that's bad!"

G: Yeah. Okay, I get what you mean.

C: But like, it's fine to kill off 60 demons, right? Like, demons are portrayed as "less than" angels in the show, and that's not really an aspect that I get in the book.

G: Also just the visual aspect of it, right? Like, when Aziraphale was being- I keep on thinking "crucified," but that's just just for crucifixion specifically. [laughs] You know what I mean. Aziraphale was being- what's the term? Sent to die? What's the term for that?

C: What, sentenced to death?

G: Annihilated? There's a specific term. Assassinated? It's not that. [laughs]

C: Executed?

G: When he was being executed! Like, when Aziraphale is being executed, it's a very corporate thing where it's like, "You did something bad, so now I'm punishing you. And I am pissed at you, but only because you did something real bad." But with Crowley, it's very vindictive.

C: I mean, Crowley did kill someone. [laughs] I feel like that's a more valid reason to execute someone.

G: Yeah, but like, they have all of those demons watching on the other side of the bathtub window, and it's like, that also adds a layer to what you were saying that like, "If they killed a bunch of angels, it's like, you'll go, 'Oh. Whoa.'" You know, because, like, the demons that we do see in the show, like, we see more of them, but like, as fodder, you know? We more of them, but just shouting in the background-

C: - in the background to have blood on their face and like, be menacing, or whatever. Yeah, demons are treated as a lot more disposable, and Aziraphale has this whole line about "Even demons aren't that stupid!" and also like, apparently, there's like, demons that are "practically the damned" that, like, I guess, are are treated as less than people like, 'cause of- I don't know exactly what it is. Yeah, it seems like it's like- they seem to be acting like there's a group of demons that are less intelligent than other demons, and that makes them more killable. [G: Yeah.] Which is pretty fucked up.

G: Can I also add something?

C: Yeah.

G: 'Cause I have read some of the book. 'Cause in the show, Nanny Ashtoreth is Crowley, and Brother Francis is Aziraphale. I suppose I do like it when it's not them. [C: Hm.] I like it better because then, like, having Crowley and Aziraphale talk about-

C: "Kill that kid."

G: And it's like, there, you have a more understanding version of it, because you're like, "But they're not personally connected to this child. They're, you know, they're just observing this child from the distance. It's their people who are connected to this child." I mean, I joke about it earlier, like, "Maybe Warlock just really had bad vibes because Crowley sang that kid to sleep every night for years and like, is still like, 'Okay, let's kill him.'" But like, it makes it worse from like, Crowley's perspective, that, like, they were with this kid for a long time, and still is like, "No, I don't really give a shit."

C: Yeah, it's unfortunate.

G: Also, the line in the book of like, "They would just meet occasionally in like, theaters and on tops of buses and stuff and giggle over their reports" [C: Yeah, in museum cafes.], it's soo corny! [laughs] Yeah. And it's wonderful. But yeah, I've been thinking about this. Like, we never really see Aziraphale and Crowley, be like, attached to humanity specifically. You mentioned that one line in the book where Aziraphale goes, "I mean, we should do something, 'cause there's people here," but like, even then, it's not like, a personal basis, you know? It's just that general benevolence towards humans. It's never a-

C: Yeah, part of it is him feeling responsible for having messed about and caused a lot of this to happen. But like, yeah, it's not that he likes any of them particularly.

G: You just assume it's because both of them don't interact with people- one person, you know, specifically- that much, so they don't really give a shit. But with, you know, the reveal that actually, Crowley is Nanny Ashtoreth and Aziraphale is Brother Francis, it's like, "Wait, they do interact with people, like, on a prolonged period of time," specifically, this one person, and they still do not GAF. So like, okay, well.

C: This is true. I mean, I guess, back to my Heaven and Hell equivalency point, I really wish that they had somehow kept in the paragraph where Crowley maintains that, like, most demons are fine, and they're just doing an unpleasant job like tax collectors do, and Hastur and Ligur just happen to be like, total assholes [laughs] and not representative of demons as a whole. I feel like that does not at all come across in the show, and it adds to the whole, like, "Hell is worse, and Crowley is an exception to the rule in a way that Aziraphale is but also isn't entirely." Stuff that I preferred in the show... I mean, it's nice to see David Tennant's face. [laughs] [G: That's true.] I mean, I guess, you know, the 1.03 montage/cold open doesn't happen in the book, and in some ways, I think that it's good because it allows people to form their own headcanons on like, what they were doing throughout history, but, like, on the other hand, that thing, like, reinvented cinema for all time forever, so like, [laughs] I think I still do like it better being there.

G: I mean, Good Omens the show, I don't think was ever supposed to get a Season 2. I do appreciate that, like, the book was published, what? '89.

C: 1990, I think.

G: 1990, yeah. And then, like, 2019, TV show comes out about like, the book. And then you just have this, you know, added insight into their life. And it's like, that must have been real nice for the people who like, have like, liked the book for a long time, you know?

C: Yeah, yeah, unless they're like, "This totally ruined all my headcanons and my fanfiction." [G: That's true.] I think I do like that Heaven is more involved directly in Aziraphale’s life and in surveilling him in the show even if it created some new character traits that I wish were more similar to book Aziraphale's, just 'cause I think, you know, in the book and in the show, like, Hastur and Ligur are both there to surveil Crowley, and they have, like, an active hostile presence in their life, so it helps to also have Heaven be more present in Aziraphale's, and I think it makes his faith journey better, more interesting to watch.

G: I mean, I've said it many times, but, like, I really like Aziraphale's journey of faith in Good Omens, so I think they lean more into it in the show than they do specifically in the book. [C: Yeah.] And yeah, I appreciate it. I appreciate it.

C: And I like that Anathema has a little bit more agency in how she chooses to burn the prophecies at the end of Season 1.

G: Yeah. For our second question, [C: Yeas.] this for Crystal again. So "Have you listened to the Radio drama at all, and if so, what do you think of it?" I'll answer first 'cause my answer is very short. No. [both laughing] I asked for a link once and Crystal sent it to me, and then I just never clicked on it. Yeah.

C: Yeah. Oh, you don't even know what Crowley's voice sounds like! Wait, just click on the link and listen to what Crowley's voice sounds like, please!

G: [laughing] Okay. Wait, is it in our pinned messages? God! Our pinned messages are tru- [laughing] [both laughing] Why did I pin, like, every single photo-

C: No one can ever see this.

G: of David Tennant I've ever- [laughing] [C screams] Wait, okay, it's here. I've clicked on the link. Radio Episode 1. Should I start with Episode 1?

C: Yeah, I think Crowley should show up pretty fast.

G: Is this Aziraphale?

C: Talking first?

G: Yeah. Aziraphale!! [C: Yeah.] I like the Aziraphale voice, actually.

C: Yeah, I mean, they really just need to get someone to play a gay man, and they really did.

G: Ew! Ew! Ew! [laughing] Ew!

C: [laughing] Did you get to Crowley's voice?

G: Ew! [laughs] I just heard Crowley speak-

C: How are you doing? How are you feeling? [G laughing]

G: [laughing] Ew! [both laughing]

C: You good?

G: [laughing] Stop this at once! I literally- he goes, [deep voice] "Ssso," and I just paused completely! I can't do it! Okay, I'm going to click okay now.

C: Yeah, your brain can do this.

G: Oh my god, I can't do it! [C laughing] Why is it so deep? Why is it so deep? [laughing] What the fuck? [C: Well.] What a jumpscare! [C: Well.] Jesus Christ!

C: Well, how do you feel? What do you think?

G: Why is he doing ASMR? [laughing] Why is he doing ASMR? [C laughing] I'm like- [laughing] I cannot explain the state that I'm in. I'm in shock. [C laughing] Okay, well.

C: Well, I don't know how you're gonna edit that to have it work, but anyway. [both laugh]

Yes, I have listened to the radio drama. I think it's a good, fun time. I mean, it was a bit of a shock when I first heard his voice [G: Okay.], but I got used to it. And, I mean, it's fun. Like, if there was no TV show, I feel like, and I didn't have an idea of Crowley's voice, I feel like that would make sense. Like, they're just leaning into the snake aspect with the acting, right? Like, that makes sense. Aziraphale's voice, great. They just had someone play a gay man.

G: It's wonderful, yeah.

C: Anathema's VA. Call me. [laughs] I like radio Anathema a lot. I'm not sure-

G: Is radio Anathema British? No.

C: Yeah, radio Anathema is British. [G: Yeah, okay.] I mean, I love Anathema's American accent in the show, and I also love her British thing in the radio. [G: Yeah.] I think the radio play is really fun, 'cause it's like, you can sort of see the seams of like, where they tried hard to like, adapt the narration into a radio format because they don't have God or anything.

G: Oh, yeah, yeah, I mean, that's why I asked, like, "How long will I have to skip?" Because I thought there would be a God thing.

C: Oh, no. No God. In order to like, introduce Crowley, it's like, Ligur and Hastur and hanging around the cemetery, and like, Hastur's like, "Pop quiz. Do you know what Crowley used to call himself?" [laughing] Like, so true. That is how you do exposition.

G: [laughing] You do a pop question about every character that shows on screen.

C: Yeah. I think, right, this is the adaptation that introduced the idea of Crowley being Nanny Ashtoreth and Aziraphale being Brother Francis. Yeah, you said that you didn't really like, but I mean, I think it's fun, most of the time, so.

G: I mean, it is fun. It is fun.

C: Yeah, but it's fun-ish, but also, I don't know. I think it does work better without that. I think that there are some iconic moments. Like, I think, the way that this Crowley delivers, "Nice dress. Suits you," like, good job. They have in fucking raw in the street every day. [G: Yeah.] I don't know. Other fun moments... when the paintball fight happens, and Crowley's like, "Oh my god, Aziraphale, you actually have blue blood?" : So yeah, I don't know. It's a fun time. I enjoyed it. It's been a while since I've listened to it, and I think I've only like, listened to it like, three times, so I should probably revisit it sometime. But yeah. I guess what I think about it is that it is fun.

G: Okay. I've been convinced. I'll listen to it.

C: Alright. Cool! Good luck with Crowley's voice. [laughs]

G: Thank you. [laughs]

C: Okay, the next question is from my friend Ansel, and he asks, "If you could change just one thing about Good Omens Season 2, what would it be?" The difficult part of this question being the "one" part, [laughs] not the rest of it.

G: Yeah. You know what? I'll just change Maggie and Nina. I don't know. Something else.

C: As in remove?

G: Maybe it's still them, but like, just changed. I don't know if I- 'cause the thing is like, changing Maggie and Nina, they're such a big part of this fucking season, so like, if we're talking one thing in the broadest term, I'll say Maggie and Nina. But like, if we're talking like, one specific thing, like, I don't know. The whole thing is a fucking mess.

C: Okay, yeah, I read it as more of like, one specific thing, and I feel like what like, really ended up frustrating me in the end is just like, the lack of stakes in terms of them not giving a fuck about how Shax was gonna raid the bookshop, and then, like, the Book of Life threat just going nowhere, and like, Crowley not even caring about it.

G: After Episode 11, you said one thing to me that I was like, "Yeah! That's true!" Which is that if they just had a throwaway line after the demons like, threw in that rock into the window, where Aziraphale goes, "Oh, I didn't think they'd actually go through with it." and Crowley's like, "Wait. You knew about this?" and Aziraphale's like, "Yeah, they told me." [C laughs] And then Crowley's like, "Yeah, I mean, that's fine. They also told me." And it's like, yeah. They just didn't think it would go this far.

C: Yeah, both of them are just like, "Oh yeah, I didn't think they were gonna actually do anything. I thought Shax was full of shit." That would help a lot. I think on the other end of it, it's like, if they had them be a bit worried- like, I think if it was just like- if we just got a brief scene after, like, Shax came by and threatened to declare war on Aziraphale where like, Crowley was like, checking the protections of the bookshop around the door, or like, was drawing- Oh, yeah, I think I was thinking about, like, Crowley could have hidden like, a sigil thing or something in the bookshop after like, Shax came and told them about how she was going to declare war on Aziraphale, and if that was the thing instead of the halo that, like, set off a bunch of alarms, I feel like it would help with the "Crowley doesn't give a fuck" issue and with the halo, it's such a- Oh god! I forgot how to pronounce it. [both] Deus ex machina. Ex machina? Ex machina? [G: Yeah.] Yeah, I feel like that would solve two issues that I have with the season. [G: Wow.] So that is a possibility. Yeah, another thing that I would also take is the thing that you said during or 12.1 recording- or 12.2? Yeah, 12.2. Where it's just like, if Crowley was standing next to Aziraphale during the Book of Life threat and also looked very scared, and like, they were like, on the verge of action or something before the Metatron came in, that would also help a lot with how frustrated I was with the last two episodes.

-

G: Okay, our next section of the Q&A is like, stuff about like, Good Omens like, fandom/playing with canon, you know?

C: Headcanons and such.

G: Predictions, even. So our first question is- Oh my god! [both laugh] So this is from anonymous. It goes, "sorry if this has been asked or answered before"- Never be sorry about asking us a question that may or may not have been answered before, because we will probably answer it again and just say the exact same thing with as much enthusiasm.

C: Yeah, we'll come up with new shit.

G: Yeah! [laughs] "- but do you subscribe to any of the theories that there was 'more' going on in the final fifteen? [C laughs] coffee theory, the Metatron was listening so they’re doing elaborate kayfabe, crowley stopped time and they were able to talk before he left the shop? i see why people can see evidence for some of them, but i think i settle on this always being the way the conversation was going to go, in terms of results at least if not the exact words. aziraphale was always eventually going to go where crowley couldn’t follow, he still hasn’t let go of the idea of being part of heaven. and i think maybe the emotional integrity of the conversation depends on there not being a lot of other trickery going on?" You're so correct.

C: Yeah. Correct. Yeah. Yeah.

G: I looked- I mean, I was reading this, and I was like, "I don't even know what the kayfabe means." So I looked that up, and I was like, "Okay, that's weird that people think that." And then I looked up "coffee theory good omens" on Tumblr [C laughing], and I was filled with rage that I had to click out. And then, yeah. I didn't bother searching up the others because I mean, they're pretty easy to figure out.

C: I mean, I don't wanna be mean about it, but also, I do hate it so much.

G: I don't wanna be mean about it, but it seems to be like, it originated from like, one person or one group of people. So I don't want to be like, "And they're all stupid." [both laugh]

C: Yeah, [laughing] but also, what if I do wanna be like that? But I don't. But I don't. I just- okay. If this is- I don't know how mean this is gonna come off. I think that this is what happens when, instead of spending like, a good time on Adam and on actually like, doing your themes in 1.06, you waste a bunch of time on an elaborate fake-out bodyswap thing that doesn't really make sense when you like, look at it very closely and was never in the book. I think you start getting people, like, expecting there to be [G: Fake-outs like that, yeah.] trickery and stuff like, at the end of Season 2 as well, which I just- I don't think is happening. And like, I don't know. This is like, the shit that you get with like, the Sherlock Fandom, and TJLC too, right? Like, the writers like, pull one thing over on you, and you're like, "Oh my god, they must be so smart. They must have stuff up their sleeve like, all the time, and like, there must always be something going on underneath the surface," but it's probably just like, they came up with one idea and thought it would be fun, and like, don't actually intend on doing a plot twist every single time. They've just like, created an expectation for it. And then, like, that's just what happens. I blame Neil Gaiman for this mostly. I think it's- I just don't like the headcanon. I think that anything that lessens the emotional impact of the final fifteen, I'm not particularly a fan of, because I feel like it relies on people being like, "Oh, but like, Aziraphale wouldn't really do that," or "Crowley wouldn't really do that, 'cause they're like, so in love." But it's like, they do have other shit going on, and they do have problems in their lives, and like, that is the point of the final fifteen, is to be like, yeah. Like, they- yeah. Yeah, Aziraphale still hasn't gotten over his connection to Heaven, and it just- I don't know. I just don't subscribe to anything that- yeah, I mean, I already said everything. Just anything that cheapens the emotional impact.

G: Yeah. I think for me, I mean, two things. One is that this made me realize that people- I mean, not made me realize. I knew this already. But like, people really do watch things differently. Like, 'cause for me, the big part of why I love Aziraphale is the, you know, the faith journey of it all. So Aziraphale entangling himself with his faith in this way is like, something that appeals to me. But like, I suppose if it's not something that appeals to you, you'd be like, "Well, I don't like it. Let's make it be not that." And it's like, "Okay, fine." [C laughs] Another one is that I think the reason why- I mean, the way I said it is just like, "I looked it up, and I was just like, so mad." [both laugh] And a big part of it is that you're saying two things with this kind of stuff which is that, 1) You think Aziraphale did the wrong thing, and 2) You don't even think that Aziraphale is capable of doing the wrong thing. Like, there must be a reason why he did the wrong thing that isn't because he's wrong. We know how I feel about the "Aziraphale is wrong" situation which is that I think it remains to be seen. My opinion on whether Aziraphale can do no wrong or not is that well, he should be able to. I mean, isn't the point that, like, I don't know. Free will? Part of having free will is, you know, making mistakes. That's just how it goes. I mean, it's so stupid to say that like, "Oh, agency, blah blah blah." Like, none of these people- none of these characters have agency. They're characters being written in a story. But it does frustrate me because, I mean, I've had experiences in my life where when I tell people how I have dealt with, you know, my faith, and they have reacted in a "Oh, you're like, being brainwashed," [laughs] you know? [C: Aw. Yeah.] And it's like, I think I'm a completely reasonable person when it comes to my faith. It's been a super long journey for me. People tend to hear it and then reduce it instantly to like, "Oh, but like, you know, your religion hates gay people, and you're gay, so like, what's up with that?" And it's like, a lot of things are more complicated than, you know, those very simple statements. I see Aziraphale also as more complicated than the statement "He wouldn't do that because" and whatever comes after that, you know. And I feel like sometimes, you- I mean, there are times when a story is written, and you're like, "Okay, that's written bad." But there are times when you have to also look at the story and go, "Okay, maybe I don't agree initially, but let's interface with it in a way where I'm trying to understand what it's trying to tell me." 'Cause I feel like that's kind of the missing part in a lot of how we look at things now. It's like, what I get from it is different from what it's trying to tell me. And it's like, even if what the story is trying to say, you don't want to hear, well, it's still the thing that it's telling you. [C: Mm-hm.] I feel very fiercely protective of Aziraphale's character and character's decisions. So yea. I mean, it's a big reason, again, why I have mostly stayed out of Tumblr, specifically, circles of Good Omens. Because, I mean, with AO3, you can filter to hell and back. [C: Yeah.] Like, "I don't like this, I don't-" But like, with, you know, those more scrolling-scrolling stuff, it's harder to do.

C: I didn't even bring up coffee theory in the recording. Like, I'll bring up things that other people have like, interpreted, even if I don't agree with them just as talking points, [both laughing] but coffee theory just doesn't deserve the time of day.

G: I mean the "Metatron was listening so they're doing elaborate kayfabe," like, you're insane. [both laugh] I'm sorry. What are you talking about? What are you talking about? What are you doing? Did you really look at Crowley's face in that scene and went, "Oh, yeah, they're doing a very heightened production of this situation."

C: I mean, the Metatron came in, and he expected them to have a giant blowout crying fight ending in a kiss. [G laughs] Like, you're right. They were like, "What would the Metatron want to see? What would he expect?" And they were like, "That one? Let's do that one." [laughs]

G: I mean for the Crowley stopped time, I just- I don't think it's true that they were able to talk before he left the shop, but-

C: I think the reasoning for that is because of, probably, the clock ticking sound. 'Cause like, when it's absent and when it's happening, people are probably like, "Well, why is the sound gone? Does it indicate something about time?" Which I think is like, a reasonable thing to think, but I feel like it was just like, for the effects of it.

G: It's reasonable. And I mean, I've talked about how like, that scene where they were like, looking at each other before Aziraphale steps into that elevator is like, slowed down. It's in slow-mo. [C: Right.] I was thinking of that, and I was thinking of this, and I was like, "But never in a million years would I have been like, 'And that's because Crowley has stopped time so they can talk before Aziraphale steps in that elevator.'"

C: Yeah, I don't think so.

G: I just don't think it's true. Yeah. And like, again, if there is evidence of this, fine. But I feel of this the exact same way I feel about Raphael, which is that, "Okay. There's evidence, okay. If it does happen, okay, I hate it, though. [C laughing] Like, I still hate it. Like, I still think it's stupid." You know? [C: Yeah. Yeah.] I still think it defeats the purpose.

C: Yeah. Oh, also, I feel like in our previous recordings, it seemed like I was like, "Yeah, he probably is doing Raphael!Crowley. Ugh." But actually, I've changed my mind. I don't think he is. [laughs] I don't think it's happening. I think Crowley was just higher-ranking, and that's it.

G: I mean, I really doubt that it would be Raphael specifically, but if it does play that Crowley is a higher-ranking angel, I'm like, okay, fine, fine.

C: Yeah, I don't even think Crowley is an archangel. I think Crowley was just like, bit higher than Aziraphale.

G: Yeah. But also, I feel like Crowley's a bit of a "thinks she's more important than she is." [both laugh] Like, "Oh, I didn't work on the plans, but like, we really worked close for this one!" [C, laughing: That's true!] And then, like, gets fired a year later. [both laugh] Like, okay, go Crowley!

C: For real. For realsies.

G: That shit is so funny.

C: "Yeah, like I worked really closely with upstairs on it," and it was just like, God accidentally, like, cc-ing Crowley on an email.

G: For real. Oh, our next question is actually from poprockringpop, but [laughs] for some reason, I wrote-

C: [laughing] You wrote "popcockringpop."

G: - for our questionnaire. [both laugh] No, but the thing is, every time I read this username- amazing username, by the way. poprockringpop. I read it as popcockringpop, which, you know, if you want to change your username up, spice it up a little bit [C laughs], that's a very viable option for you, poprockringpop. [C: Mm.] But the question is, "I think we all have thoughts about how our ethereal faves, as characters, would or should reconcile." First of all, Crowley is occult. [C laughs] Put respect on Crowley's name [both laughing] as an occult being. "but what’s your best guess for how Neil will have them start out season 3 and make their way back to each other, hug, and then do it in the street?" [C: Real!] Why are you not brave enough to say "fuck it raw in street"? But for fucking real though. "I keep thinking it’ll be more lighthearted than we’re all imagining but tbh I have no idea."

C: I mean, what I want and what I think will happen are quite different. [G: Yeah.] I have difficulty imagining what it will be. I feel like they're gonna be forced together by plot circumstances around Episode 3, and I feel like- I don't know, I think they'll probably form a begrudging ally thing.

G: I don't think they're going to reconcile immediately. Yeah, exactly.

C: I think they're gonna cross their arms and huff at each other and like, snipe at each other. Like, it's gonna be like, like, a divorcees vibe.

G: Yeah, it's going to be Season 15, Episode 9 of Supernatural: "The Trap." Is that what it's called? Or is it "The Rupture"? Is it "The Rupture"?

C: No, it's "The Trap." "The Rupture"'s the one Rowena dies in.

G: [laughing] And then "The Rapture" is in Season 4. Okay, yeah.

C: Yeah. I don't know what you're talking about, [G: Of course you don't.] because I only know about the apology.

G: There's the prayer in that one. Ahhh! The one where Dean kneels.

C: Yeah. But like, what do you mean it's gonna be like Season 15, Episode 9? Oh, do they bitch at each other a lot first?

G: Yes, very much so. They're mad at each other. I mean, the entire season from Episode 3 to Episode 9, they're mad at each other, and they're just like, you know, fighting and bickering and all that. And then Episode 9 is the one where they're actually forced together to like, do something because the other times it's like, they break up, Dean calls, you know, stuff like that. So they're fighting and fighting and fighting and fighting, and then Cas gets like, [laughs] kidnapped by some guy or whatever. I mean, they're in Purgatory for this one. And then, at the Dean, at a moment of fear-

C: Yeah, does the apology prayer.

G: - "maybe Cas is gone for good," just kneels and prays. [C: Uh-huh. Yeah.] Well! [laughs] It's Crover!

C: Okay, right, they're gonna bicker a lot. Every fic where it's like [laughs], "Crowley sells a book out of spite, and that forces Aziraphale down to Earth to yell at her and that's the first time they've talked since the end of Season 2" is wonderful. That should happen. I don't think it's gonna happen, though.

G: I think it's going to be funny, is what it is. Like, that may as well happen. I think- I mean, I think it would be funny. 'Cause, I mean, Good Omens purports to be a funny show.

C: Yeah. [laughs] Purports to be indeed. [G laughs]

G: I mean, Season 1 was funny. Season 2, not so much.

C: Season 1 was sometimes funny. I feel like after the plot stuff ends- I think Neil Gaiman is corny as hell in a bad way. [G laughs] I feel like they're probably just gonna go to the Ritz, and then like, kiss, and like, not talk about anything. That's what I think it is.

G: The thing is, I would like a nice quiet moment between them, just like the bench before the bus ride in Season 1.

C: Yeah, that would be nice.

G: Or you know, something akin to the morning confession. I'm still stuck on the fact that that thing happened in the morning. [C laughs] Like,I think about it sometimes, and I'm like, "Oh my god! It happened in the morning." It would be nice if their reconciliation happened in Crowley's flat. Do you think that's a weird thing to say?

C: [laughing] Why would it be a weird thing to say?

G: I don't know! [laughs] Yeah, they should reconcile in Crowley's flat so they have a bed to fuck in.

C: They should reconcile in Crowley's flat. [laughs] But like- no, yeah, I mean, you mean just because, like, the bookshop was the site of the last divorce, so it's good for them to reconcile it like, a place that isn't-

G: No, I think it depends on what the reconciliation is going to be like, which again, as I've said many times, is still up in the air regarding how Season 3 pans out. But, I don't know. I feel like a lot of the confession, even though we frequently talk about it from, you know, Crowley's terms, like, a lot of it was like, Aziraphale asking for something, and then Crowley denying. Because, I mean, even Crowley's confession, because of how the conversation went, even though it was the initial intention to confess already, it became like, more a response, then, to Aziraphale’s ask. So like, do you understand? Like, we're at Aziraphale’s home base.

C: Yeah, yeah.

G: And like, I think it would be interesting to do a conversation where it's Crowley's home base and therefore, Crowley's conversation. And I think- you know. I mean, I'm not even saying that I want it to happen in Crowley flat. Like, that's just kind of like a- I want it to be like, Crowley's. [C: Yeah.] I don't know what I'm saying. You get it, though. Just like basketball.

C: Yeah. Well, perhaps it can happen in the Bentley.

G: Oh god! [laughs] Yeah, it could! It could happen in the Bentley! Oh god! That's miserable.

C: Yeah. Yeah. Oh, god, do you think Neil Gaiman's gonna make one of them do the fucking apology dance? I don't want it. I don't want it. I hope it's dead and gone.

G: I don't want it. Keep your divorce out of this show, Neil Gaiman. [both laughing] Is that so mean? Should I cut that out? It's funny.

C: No, it's literally- Everyone was thinking it. Or at least everyone, meaning me, was thinking it. [G laughing]

C: Right, another anon asked, "Question for the Q&A: have you guys seen and/or how do you feel about various disabled!Crowley headcanons?" I haven't, really. Sorry, I haven't seen many.

G: I did a quick scroll through AO3, and most of it is alternate universe, which I do have [C: Dislike.] X-ed out most of the time. [C: Yeah.] So that's probably why I haven't seen a lot of it, but I have read a fic where, when they do the bodyswap - so this is like, you know, Good Omens universe - when they do the bodyswap, Aziraphale goes, "Why are your shoulders lopsided?" And Crowley's like, "That's not true. That's a lie, you're lying to me." And Aziraphale’s like, "Yeah, it is." And I don't know. I like that. Go scoliosis queen! Other than that, I don't really- I haven't really seen a lot of it. But, you know. I think it's wonderful. [laughs] I think it's wonderful to be able to project that onto fictional characters. I think it's wonderful specifically for Aziraphale and Crowley who are ethereal and occult being to have to be like, "Yeah, they're, you know, they're immortal, blah blah blah, and they, you know, still experience-" for example, chronic pain, or, you know, other kinds of disabilities. One of my favorite things I have ever done in fandom is write a Cas psoriasis fic. I found that very- I don't know. It was very nice. It was very nice for meto do it. And then, when I put that fic out into the universe, like, so many people, were like, you know, saying like, "Oh, this is so wonderful! I also have some semblance of a skin disease," whether it's psoriasis or otherwise, "and the scenes presented in this fic, like, really touched me." [C: Yeah.] It's, you know, I feel like disabilities still are one of those things where people are uncomfortable to interact with it in a positive way because the implication is always like, "But like, why would I do that when it's a cause of suffering?" or whatever. And it's like, but it's also like, a part of my life, though. You know? [C: Yeah.] So like, for me, I think I have- even though it sucks, and I know it sucks- like, I have to be able to deal with it in some semblance of a positive way of channeling that through headcanons or fanfiction. I'm sure it like, helps a lot of people, so, including, you know, the people making it and the people consuming it. So, wonderful! I think it's wonderful.

C: Yeah. Next question from another anon, "If Crowley and Aziraphale had been played by female actors, how differently do you think the fandom would’ve responded to their characters? For instance, do you think certain character choices would be more harshly scrutinized or that they’d be a less popular pairing?" Yeah.

G: This is such an interesting question.

C: It's a good question.

G: When I read that I was like- I've been thinking about it since it's been sent in, and I still don't really know how to answer it. What do you- I mean, you just said "Yeah," immediately.

C: Yeah, I think so.

G: For both? You think both is true? For me, I think it depends. Harshly scrutinized- If Good Omens book is Aziraphale as it is, and like, Aziraphale and Crowley in the book are seen as men, I think Good Omens the TV show Aziraphale and Crowley would be more harshly scrutinized than the book. For a less popular pairing, perhaps, if it was like, the book Aziraphale and Crowley are seen as men and then played by female actors, I think maybe it would garner some more attraction. To people like me, I mean, [laughs] I don't know to other people, but I would have definitely watched it earlier. [C: That's true.] But I don't know. I think if it was like, they were female-presenting in the books and then female-presenting in the show also, it would be definitely less popular, I think, to the point where there wouldn't even be a TV show at all.

C: Yeah. Yeah. I agree. Which is highly unfortunate.

G: Unfortunate. And also, I mean, we've talked about this- well, in passing, we have like, one line about it in, I think it was like, in 1.06 where I go, "I know Neil Gaiman wrote Aziraphale and Crowley thinking of them as men in his head because he wrote them like people." [C: Yeah.] And you look at all the other women he's written, and they're not written like people. So I don't know.

C: Though I feel like it would mostly be okay with these two characters, because he already like, wrote them out. I think if the script is close enough to the book that I don't think he would add in like, shitty things after he decided he was gonna cast two women

G: No, I'm talking mostly about if the book itself was different. [C: Oh, okay, right.] Like, original way of writing Aziraphale and Crowley in Good Omens book, thinking of them as women. I think it would be completely different than the book as it is right now.

C: Yeah, I think the jokes made would be quite annoying to look at.

G: Definitely.

C: I feel like the fandom reaction, I feel like they were cast as Aziraphale as like, a lot- like, as motherly, which, like, I don't think he is at all as a character.

G: Yeah, definitely not.

C: And that would be pretty irritating to see.

G: You know how like, when there's literally any woman who's hot, [C laughs] and then people don't like, engage with the woman character as a character.

C: Yeah, and they just make fancams? Yeah.

G: Yeah, and they just go like, "Step on me, mommy," or whatever.

C: Yeah, that's what Crowley would become.

G: That's what Crowley would become, definitely. [laughing] Even thinking about it is filling me with so much rage, but yeah.

C: Yeah. I feel like Aziraphale’s faith journey, people would be more predisposed to call him brainwashed, so yeah, I guess that's more harsh scrutinization.

G: They would definitely go like, "Oh, they're like, I don't know, you know, those lesbians who can't talk to each other." Fucking- [laughing]

C: Oh, right, like, "useless lesbians"? That thing? [G: Yes.] Right. The approach to them and like, Adam and Warlock. [G: Hm!]I don't know. There's gonna be posts that are like, "It's so important that Good Omens said that women can want to kill children." [both laughing] That's what I perceive.

G: For fucking real. "It's feminist that they want to shoot that kid." [both laughing] Well, maybe it is!

C: Yeah. Right, I feel like for Aziraphale, they would vary between calling her like, motherly and stuff and calling her like, a girlboss [laughs] because she's a business owner and an entrepreneur. [G laughing] And yeah, I mean- the interpretations of their characters would just be a lot more flat. I feel like people would like- Yeah, I feel like people would still ship them, but like, less people would watch the show at all. [G: Yeah.] Their dynamic is already- like, people already sort of impose weird gender norms on their dynamics in fic already, I feel like it's gonna be worse if they're women because of the flattening of their characters that would occur. It would indeed be worse, and that would be sad. Though, I mean, I guess there's also the fact that you're right that probably a different audience would come in if they were both played by actresses, and that could change how the fandom reacts to them. 'Cause I'm just thinking about the current fandom and not like, the imaginary other fandom that would happen. And like, I don't know. I feel like there's- there's enough- The thing is, we sort of- we have femslash Aziraphale and Crowley.

G: I mean, I don't know what the hell Good Omens fandom is like, first of all, but I don't know why I'm saying "yeah" to all of this, [C laughs] but yeah, go on.

C: We have femslash Aziraphale and Crowley on the AO3. And they're great.

G: Oh yeah, of course. I mean, I've read pretty much all of it, yeah.

C: They're usually great. But it's like, is that- I do wonder if- I feel like for some people, that depth of character for femslash Aziraphale and Crowley was more easily accessible because they were men first, but I feel like not everyone is like that. I feel like people would be better at interpreting them- like, for a few people, and if that is the audience that is being drawn in via this casting like, maybe it would, in fact, be a wonderful place to be, and there would be none of the issues we said. Yeah, but if it was like, at the level of Tumblr popularity that it is now, and they were both women, it would be pretty bad.

G: Yeah, unbearable. Yeah.

C: If it was like, niche as a result of them both being women, I think it could be- it could be nice.

G: Yeah. But isn't it so frustrating to think, "Oh, if they're both women, it would be niche"?

C: Yeah. Yeah. [laughs] It is pretty frustrating.

I mean, I guess I also wonder what their outfits would be if they were both women.

G: Yes, I do also. Like, what would Crowley's look be like?

C: We've seen them style women in Good Omens, and like, it's pretty great. Like, their outfits are all great, so.

G: No, but like, we're talking like, Aziraphale and Crowley.

C: Yeah, if it was Supernatural, I would have like, so much fear about like, how they were just gonna give Crowley a-

G: No, not even thinking of that. Not even thinking of that. The common question too, when you're reading lesbian Aziraphale and Crowley fanfiction,which is like, "How are they going to play with the gender presentation in this one?" And like, I feel like that is a very interesting thing to ask about Aziraphale and Crowley, especially if we are to assume that the book is written as they're both male-presenting.

C: Yeah, that's what I'm assuming.

G: 'Cause like, you know, like, Aziraphale is all often portrayed as like, you know, gay, [C: Mm-hm.] and like, obviously so. And it's like, "Okay, so how do we translate that to a woman?" A female presenting person. How do we do that?

C: I believe in like, butch Aziraphale rights, but I don't know if that is how they would adapt it.

G: For our next question, it's from our wonderful friend Wanni. "for the Q&A"-

C: Yeah. Hii!

G: Hi! "first of all love you both <3."

C: Heart emoji back.

G: "for my question if you could put az ( sorry still can’t spell his name ) [C: Real.] and crowley in any fictional universe what would it be?" Wonderful question. Can I put them in the fictional universe of Manila, Philippines? [both laughing] I think it'd be wonderful.

C: I was literally gonna be like, "the fictional universe of my life." [G laughs]

G: Literally. The fictional universe of the street where I frequent, yeah. [C laughs]

C: I mean, obviously, they should do a Much Ado About Nothing AU at some point, [G: Oh, of course, yeah.] but I don't think that's like, the best answer.

G: I don't think it's a one-to-one thing, though, for Much Ado. Like, who's who? We've had this conversation before? Let's have it again 'cause I forgot what I said.

C: Aziraphale is Benedick.

G: Why did I say that? Did I say that, or did you say that?

C: You said it in 1.04 because I was talking about how, after he hears that from the Metatron, he decides he can't be a part of this any more, and it's similar to Benedick quitting Don Pedro's company after the shaming Hero shit.

G: I think I said at some point to you that I want Crowley to go, "Alas, poor heart." So I want Crowley to be Beatrice.

C: Mm-hm. Though I guess in this case, Hero is like, the Earth, [both laugh] so like, I don't know how that's gonna play out.

G: Yeah, no, I also don't know. The thing about Aziraphale and Crowley is like, they're barely enemies to lovers. Like, they're not. They're not. They're begrudging co-workers to- I mean, I've said this before, but like, Aziraphale and Crowley is not like, "don't fuck your coworker," it's "do not start a business with your love interest." [both laugh] And yeah. We should do a Succession AU [C laughing]. It's literally not Succession at all, they're just two normal people who start a business together. [laughs]

C: I think there are other shows about that, but none that I can think of.

G: I mean, in Fleabag, they start a business together, and then the best friend kills herself, right?

C: That's true, but not for the business-starting reasons. And not on purpose.

G: Not on purpose, yeah.

C: Neither- they can't do Fleabag because I feel like it would be too Crowley-centric to have them be like, the only narrator.

G: Yeah, there's a lot of vampire fics on the AO3s for them. Usually, it's Crowley as the vampire. I think Aziraphale would be the vampire, though. I think that'll be more fun. It's more fun! Or maybe they're both vampires, and they're just, you know, annoyed at each other, which is also possible. You know, when I was first brainstorming about this, I thought to myself initially that like, it's essential that they're in a universe where they're immortal in some way, because, like, I think a big part of their relationship- it's not even the fact that they're an angel and a demon, and have [overlapping] nothing whatsoever in common!

C: "I don't even like you!" [G laughs] Yeah.

G: Yeah. It's about the fact that they always think that there's next time, and I think that's what shapes the relationship the most, the "next time." "One day." And like, I mean, I'm softened up to the idea of them not being immortal, with that in mind, because I feel like I thought I was thinking of it in a like, comparing and contrasting 6000 years versus normal human life span of 60 to 70 or 80 years, but now that I think about it, I feel like it does happen in life, too. Like, you and me. You know? Us people. We do still tend to think, "Okay, maybe next time." Like, we always still tend to think that we have more time than we actually do. [C: Mm-hm.] So I think it's it's reasonable to put them in a timeline where they're bound to die.

C: And then, I mean, I guess the obvious crossover is Supernatural, but like-

G: Booo!

C: - the way Sam and Dean fling holy water around, like, Crowley would be gone like, first episode, so let's keep her out of there.

G: Yeah. I do not want them near Aziraphale and/or Crowley

C: Yeah, I mean, yeah. It would be fun if Aziraphale and Crowley killed them [laughs], but like, I don't think it's gonna happen.

G: The whole time, Dean would be like, "Okay, Cr-ow-ley." [C laughs] And Crowley is like, "It's Crowley!" I also want them to be in the fictional universe of a 7-11. I've been saying this. They need to be like, in a 7-11.

C: They should be in a Costco. The ceilings are really really tall.

G: Yeah, there's like, beams and shit, yeah.

C: They should fly around in the rafters of a Costco. [both laugh]

G: Exactly. There's like, giant like, air stuff in there. You know, those giant like- you know what I mean? It's like, the air conditioning is like, giant pipes. [C: Oh, yeah.] They should fly inside of those pipes. [C: Yeah.] They should sit on the corner of a pipe and just like, look down at the people

C: They should.

G: Ohh! I've been thinking about what it would be like for Aziraphale and Crowley to grocery shop. They would be the most annoying couple in the grocery store. And 'tis be the truth.

C: I mean, neither of them have cooked a day in their life also.

G: Yeah. But like, Aziraphale's like, "What if we make a charcuterie board?" [both laugh] And then they're in the fucking cheese section for six hours, and then a worker comes in and is like, "Um, we're closing." [laughing] And Aziraphale's like, [C laughing] "Crowley stop the time so we can have more time to choose the cheese."

C: For real and actual.

-

G: Our next question, two-parter. Two-parter. It's a duo. It's a group of the two of them. [both laugh] And the first one is from anonymous, and it goes, "Oh I would LOVE to hear that Destiel vs A/C comparison/debate," which is something we mentioned in, I think, Episode 11. If you don't know, after our episode ends, after the music stuff at the end, we have like, extra stuff. We just talk some more. And we talk about it in there. And, you know, they requested it for the Q&A. And then the other part of this question is from another anon, "Age old question-"

C: Wait, we're doing those together? They're very different.

G: No no no, I'm just connecting them together. [C: Okay. Okay.] So the age-old question for the Q&A is "Aziraphale or Castiel?" So first, let's do the Destiel vs Aziraphale and Crowley.

C: Okay, Aziraphale and Crowley, I'm on their side, and you're on fucking Destiel's side, I'm assuming.

G: [laughing] I'm on Destiel. Well, it's not that-

C: Well, okay, try to defend yourself. Just try.

G: Shhhh! [C laughs] It's not a debate, more like, you insist that-

C: They're not best friends, and they aren't.

G: - [laughing] Okay, maybe it's a debate. Yeah, like, if you were to say, "Oh, Aziraphale and Crowley are better than Destiel," I'm like, "Okay, that's fine." And you're like, "Aziraphale and Crowley is better than Destiel 'cause Destiel aren't even best friends!"

C: And they aren't.

G: - and I will fight you to the death. [C laughs]

C: And they aren't.

G: They literally are best friends, though!

C: Why?

G: "You're my best friend, but I just let you go, but it was easier than admitting that I was wrong."

C: Okay, like, he said that. So what? Does he even know what friendship is? I don't think so. [G laughing]

G: Who cares?

C: People can just say things. It doesn't mean anything.

G: Who cares? Who- Love represents itself in different ways for different people; we all know this; we all like, can we conceptualize this.

C: Do they respect each other?

G: Why cannot we conceptualize this for best friendship? It's different for everyone. It's different for everyone.

C: Do they respect each other? Does Dean respect Castiel? Does the "Your Dog" AMV that you yourself made indicate that Dean respects Castiel? [both laughing]

G: Season 15 changes the deal! That AMV ends- the last scene is from Season 15, Episode 3. But the show does go out of its way to go "But Dean is trying to be better. We will proceed-"

C: Is he trying to be better by pressuring Castiel's son into sacrificing his life to like, do that Adam and Seraphina thing, also by like, saying Jack isn't part of their family? [G laughs] Is that Dean trying for his best friend? [G laughs]

G: That's separate! You have to sequester that shit!

C: They're not separate! They're not separate!

G: No, yeah, I know.

C: A lot of their relationship ruptures because of Jack. Dean was gonna fucking kill that kid!

G: Yeah. [laughs] But that's a different question. The question isn't "Do they treat each other right?" The question is, "Are they best friends?" And you know what? You can have a toxic best friendship with someone.

C: Okay, fine. Okay, you think that they're best friends, but they don't treat each other well, [G laughs] and Dean tries to kill Cas's kid at every opportunity. But you think they are still best friends?

G: Yes.

C: It's different from like, your closest friend! [laughs] It's not the same thing.

G: Of course it's not the same.

C: Yeah, I know. And okay, I guess your point is that their lives are intertwined enough that you would call them best friends? Are their lives that intertwined?

G: Yes.

C: Like, are they? Like, why?

G: [laughing] What do you mean "why"?

C: Or, why do you claim that?

G: Why do I claim that their lives are intertwined? Because it is!

C: Uh-huh. And?

G: They're a family, etc etc! "Lebanon," Season 14, Episode 14, I think.

C: Yeah, I guess "Cas was like our third brother" is what he says. [G laughs] Is that what he says?

G: Which is- Cas is the third brother of the show. [both laugh] Words will come out of those guys' mouths. No, but the thing is- this isn't a discussion of Destiel vs A/C now.

C: Aziraphale and Crowley are better best friends than Destiel. We can do that.

G: No, here's my thing. Here's my thing, right? Aziraphale and Crowley are able to exist in both high-pressure situations and low-pressure situations. Like, they experience those like, harsh highs and lows of life, but they also get to like, just show up into each other's spaces, hang out, not a care in the world, you know, etc etc.

C: Hm-hm. Which is important to best friendship.

G: Yeah. And with Dean and Castiel, you cannot hold it against them that they're never given a break. They make do with what they have. You cannot compare Dean and Castiel's relationship to the normal best friendship of-

C: [laughing] The normal best friendships of the 6000-year-old-

G: - the ones that you have or that I have.

C: - angel and demon in Good Omens?

G: No, yeah! Exactly! You cannot compare them to those relationships because those relationships have room to breathe.

C: Not really in the present-day actual whatever. The only time they've sat together-

G: It does! They have four years! Four years hanging out!

C: Yeah, but we didn't see it. I'm talking about stuff we see. Like, I mean, off-screen, we know that Dean have watched movies together, whatever.

G: Well then, they're not best friends then! [laughing] If we're just talking entirely of the shit we see on screen! What's your proof, then, that Aziraphale and Crowley-

C: We see bookshop drunk scene! Bookshop drunk scene is everything! It's the most important thing that's ever happened!

G: Booo!

C: We see Rome. We see him inviting Crowley to have oysters with him in Rome. That's best friendship, like, budding best friendship.

G: Yeah! And, okay, the Rome scene, I've talked about this in my own personal life, [C laughs] but, like, the whole point of the Rome scene, is like, that's one of the few moments in their life that they're not both in there for a job against each other, and like, Aziraphale is like, literally just hanging out. So they're able to have that fun banter-

C: They don't have jobs against each other on-screen that often. Like, what times in the flashback were they directly opposing each other besides Wessex?

G: No, listen to me first!

C: [laughs] Okay! Okay!

G: [laughing] Listen to me- So in that scene, they're not opposing each other, and also, there's no other issue at hand. And then that scene, like, you see that Aziraphale is so bright and so happy about seeing Crowley, etc etc, 'cause like, it is just an opportunity for them to hang out. And like, do you not think that if Dean and Castiel just had an opportunity to hang out, like, that they wouldn't?

C: No, I don't think they would. [laughs]

G: Well, that's on you. That's not on me. That's on you, [C laughing] and that's not on Destiel; that's on you. Booo!

C: No, it's on Destiel being the worse ship.

G: Boo! Boo!

C: It's about Destiel being the worse one.

G: Boo! Boo!

C: Were they best friends for 6000 years? I don't think so.

G: What, were you best friends with your best friend for 6000 years? Fuck off!

C: I just think that- okay, how long were- First off, Destiel were never best friends. [G laughs] How long do you claim they were best friends?

G: I think they were best friends since...

C: Season 8?

G: Season 12.

C: 12. Okay. [G laughs] Yeah.

G: So three years. Yeah.

C: Okay, that's nothing!

G: Yeah, but it's everything to me.

C: Well, it's nothing to me. And it's nothing to them. [both laughing]

G: It's literally not nothing.

C: I mean, not to just- I know that this is just bad writing, but like, he sure got over it really fast, didn't he?

G: You can't count that in. That's unfair. You can't count that in.

C: I mean, okay. So okay, then, you can't count that in-

G: Crowley was just sitting there watching Aziraphale about to give Booked of Life, but we're not counting that in, are we? We're not counting that in, are we?

C: I am counting that in!

G: Well then, they're not best friends! He's literally just gonna watch that angel die.

C: I mean, he was blurry. Like, we don't know exactly what she's feeling in that moment.

G: Boo! That's not true, that's not true, [C laughs] that's a lie, you're lying to yourself!

C: There was a shot afterwards, right? Like, there wasn't a shot during the threat.

G: No. He literally is just lounging on that thing.

C: Okay. We can keep that [laughs] if I can keep Dean getting over Cas's death so fast at the end of Season 15. I think one of those is more damning. Okay, whatever. We will never agree on whether or not Dean and Cas are best friends [G: Yeah.], so we can argue on other points, I suppose. Like, is there any femslash Destiel out there that's good? I don't think so.

G: No, absolutely none, yeah.

C: [laughs] Yeah. Yeah. Do they get to magically switch genitals and pronouns and like, just gender presentations whenever the fuck they want? I don't think so!

G: Well, you can't either! [laughing] Are you-

C: [laughing] Wait, what does that have to- We're comparing them to Destiel! Why am I here? We're comparing Aziraphale and Crowley to Destiel! What? This isn't about whether or not they're best friends! [laughing] You don't need to be able to swap genitals to be best friends. What are we talking about? What?

G: [laughing] I don't even know! [laughs] Okay, go on. Proceed with your tirade against me, personally. [C laughing]

C: [laughing] You're right. This is against you, personally. I'm going, "Grey, can you swap your genitals? I don't think so. [G laughing] Therefore, Aziraphale and Crowley are better than Destiel." This is logic. [both laughing]

No, okay, like, I think that the possibilities with Aziraphale and Crowley are so much larger than the possibilities with Destiel. Aziraphale and Crowley, like, have lived every historical AUs that you could have and every like, gender combo that you can have, and like, both have powers.

G: This is true.

C: I just think that they're just so much more interesting because of that.

G: Yes, I do agree with that one.

C: Okay.

G: I think a part of it is, like, with Aziraphale and Crowley, like, I would never read an AU. For Destiel, I probably would.

C: Yeah, 'cause they're lacking.

G: It's because the universe of Good Omens is already so full. Like, anything that you can throw in there, you probably can apply. With Destiel, it's a bit different.

C: Yeah. And worse, one might say.

G: I mean, one of those things appeal to people- would like, appeal to different people differently.

C: You can still have AUs for Good Omens, like, you just have less things-

G: Yeah, but they're not.

C: Are Destiel AUs good?

G: [laughs] I have not read a Destiel fic for a long, long, long, long time.

C: Yeah, me neither. I don't think I will again, honestly.

G: Probably me too.

C: But like, yeah, I don't know. Okay, I guess the other avenue- Okay, I'm glad we're agreed on that one. The other avenue is who's more in love, and it's Aziraphale and Crowley, thank you, next! [both laughing]

G: Yeah.

C: Oh, wow! You're not gonna argue that one?

G: I don't know. It depends, I guess, on what we define love as. If it's an emotion, I do think I can make the case for Destiel. If it's an action, Aziraphale and Crowley love each other more.

C: Yeah. And if it's an emotion, you can make a case for Destiel? I just- I truly think that both Dean and Cas could get over it, and I don't think Aziraphale and Crowley could get over it.

G: Yeah, I think Aziraphale and Crowley can get over it.

C: Really?

G: Yeah.

C: How?

G: I think you can get over anything, including the both of them.

C: Okay, I think Destiel could get over it a lot faster and a lot easier.

G: Hmm. I don't think the easiness of moving on or the quickness of it defines anything, so I can't engage with that-

C: Okay, so you mean I'm right? [laughing] So you mean I'm correct?

G: I mean, you're probably right, but I don't see it as relevant.

C: - but you're saying that's not a valuable point.

G: Yes. Yes.

C: Okay. What is a valuable point regarding the strength of the emotion?

G: What you're willing to do for each other? And I do think, like, Dean and Cas are in the more self-sacrificial avenue than Aziraphale and Crowley. When I think about like-

C: Yeah. It's also the fictional universe that they're in, though. [G: Yeah.] Like, people are trying to kill themselves, like, every episode in Supernatural.

G: Yeah. And, I mean, I can say the same thing about Aziraphale and Crowley and their epic highs and lows of their relationship.

C: That what?

G: I mean, like what I said earlier, how like, they're given room to breathe, and they're able to be better friends because of it.

C: Okay, yeah, fictional universe, blah blah blah, yeah.

G: Yes. I think in 12.1, we talked about how- You were like, "Oh, maybe Crowley went up there," like, "According to my friend, they thought Crowley went up there to like, offer themselves up before Heaven so that they wouldn't touch Aziraphale." And I was like, "That's not true. Crowley wouldn't do that." because Crowley isn't self-sacrificing like that. Now, we can talk about whether love is supposed to be self-sacrificing or not, but if we are to define it as such, Destiel is a bit higher in that category.

C: Yeah, I agree with that. Though I still don't- I don't know why you were so fast to say "Crowley wouldn't do that."

G: You think Crowley would?

C: I would not be as fast to say that Crowley wouldn't.

G: Well, I'm quicker. [C laughs]

C: I think there are circumstances under which Crowley would-

G: [laughing] I've suddenly just become the greatest asshole when we reached this question.

C: I mean, we were asked to debate. I think both of us have have leniency to be assholes.

G: [laughing] No, my argument earlier. "Well, you can't, either!" [laughing] That's so fucking petty! [C laughing]

C: Yeah, and you also asked me how long I've been friends with my best friend. Yeah, you were very quick to turn this personal, Grey. Tsk tsk!

G: No, because when we first brought up this argument, it was personal! You name-dropped people.

C: Yeah, I name-dropped Hilson, mostly.

G: Yeah! Yeah.

C: Which is not a person from my life.

G: [laughing] No, actually, you're right! I think I name-dropped Danica [C laughing] in that conversation!

C: Are you looking through our history? Or-

G: No, I'm not. I'm just remembering it in my head. [laughing] I literally said, like- I think I said, "You cannot compare Dean and Castiel to like, someone with a more stable existence like [C laughing] House and Wilson and you and Danica." [both laughing]

C: God. So true.

G: [laughing] I'm literally a fucking asshole. [C laughs] Okay, well-

C: Okay, what were we on? We were on the point that- Oh, right. I think there are circumstances under which Crowley would self-sacrifice. I guess you could definitely argue that the bodyswap was like-

G: But that's equal.

C: Both of them were willing to risk death for each other.

G: Yeah, but that's equal.

C: That's true. I'd say- yeah, and both of them could be trapped in Heaven or Hell. Okay, wait, so you're saying self-sacrifice has to be unequal?

G: Yeah, 'cause it's self sacrifice if like, "Either I die or I don't die, and I'm choosing to die for you."

C: Okay.

G: But like, with Aziraphale and Crowley's bodyswap, it's like, "We're gonna die both ways, so let's try this thing out where we can possibly not die."

C: Yeah, I mean, yeah. They're both going into the unknown depths, though. But you're right, that it's just like- it's an equal exchange or whatever. Though I guess the way that this is being defined is making me want to turn to the like, "Should we even define self-sacrifice as part of love" thing, though, because currently, I feel like it shouldn't be. Anything that you're claiming is one-sided, I don't think should be a main component of love.

G: I mean, that's true. I mean, I'm furiously on the side of "You cannot be in love if it's one-sided." [C: Mm.] Yeah. I just don't think that's being in love.

C: Right, okay, so what are the components that we're actually arguing based off of?

G: Nothing! Love is different for every single person. [both laughing] We've been arguing for like, I don't even fucking know how long, and I'm like, "And there's no argument even going on!" So true.

C: I- I still want to win. [laughs] But if you're like, "Well, there's no true winner or loser here 'cause love is different for every single person, and love is love is love," then I don't know where to go from there, so yeah.

G: [laughs] Yeah. So, I mean, the next question is, of course, "Aziraphale or Castiel?"

C: On this one, we're more agreed, I think. It's Castiel.

G: Castiel, yeah.

C: Sorry Aziraphale! It is Crowley over Castiel, though. But like, yeah.

G: Oh, for you? I think Castiel is-

C: Well, you have to remember that I met both of these people before I met Castiel.

G: Earlier. Before you met Castiel. Yeah. I've known Castiel for forever. Like, Castiel is like a brother for me, for fucking real. But also, I've known Castiel longer than I've had my little sister. You know. Like, Castiel has been in my life. Yeah, so I feel like it will take quite a lot to beat Cas. And Cas is kind of like the- like, characters come and go. Castiel, for me, is like tthe backdrop. And then I get into something real, real, real, real deep, and then I get out of it, and then Castiel's still there. [both laugh] You know what I mean?

C: Yeah.

G: So that's kind of the situation I have with Cas. And also because we just see more of Cas. Like, there's more of Cas. And Cas, throughout the seasons, you can make a case that, like, all those Cas-es are different people going through different stuff, different mindsets, you know. There's no like, one journey for Cas. I don't think it's just for me. I think, for many people, it's easy to relay your experiences on him a bit better because, like, [laughs] he's just been through so much, and you've seen it all. And like, I'm not saying that the only way to love a character is to relay your experiences onto them, but I think it does affect their staying power when you're able to go through something in life and think, "Ah, just like Castiel for real." [C laughing] You know what I mean?

C: Yeah. I mean, why Cas over Aziraphale for me? I mean, I had a period of being deeply, deeply obsessed with Cas that I never really had with Aziraphale, so like, I guess that's still pinging around in my brain.

G: Again, like, you've said it, right? Like, if it's Crowley vs Castiel, like, Crowley is the answer for you. [C: Yeah.] So I feel like this question is really more targeted towards me because it's like, Aziraphale’s my fave [C: That's true.] in Good Omens, so I think that's reasonable.

C: Yeah. Yeah. Also, I just don't think that Aziraphale's gonna, like, Season 3, come into a church, choke a homophobe to death, and then like, turn Jesus into him on stained glass. Like, I just don't see it for him

G: [laughs] He's so funny! Castiel is the funniest guy ever.

C: Yeah. Aziraphale will just never have a Godstiel arc, and I feel like that was- yeah, that pussy cunt slay is quite important to me.

-

G: So our next question is from [laughs] the frequently name-dropped in our last question, Danica.

C: Hii!

G: And the question is, "pressing question that i want you to answer on air i wanna know like eeeevery thought youve ever had about afterparty!omens like [laughing] i really wanna waste every one of ur listeners time with like afterparty!omens shot by shot descriptions." Again, this is a-

C: [laughs] I'm so glad you asked.

G: - Crystal-specific question. [laughs] I have no idea what any of these words mean.

C: What? No? [laughing] Danica meant this question just for you, Grey! You answer it! [both laughing] No, but-

G: I know about Afterparty solely because of Danica. Like, [laughing] Danica was like, "Grey, you should watch it," and I literally didn't, so. [C: Yeah.] That's the literally the only way that I know it.

C: Yeah, yeah. Afterparty!Omens, okay, I guess the point is that The Afterparty- I've only seen Season 1 'cause apparently, Season 2 is so bad that Danica doesn't want to do that to me or to anyone living [laughs], is that it's a murder mystery set at like, a high school reunion party, and each episode is like, a character being interviewed by the cops about what happened at the party, and like, they give, like, their perspective on what's happening, and they all like, view their life through a different genre. Like, Aniq views his life as a romcom, and Brett as like, this action movie, and Zoe as, like, a cartoon, etc etc. And like, it's all, you know, giving different perspectives on what happened that night, and how like, each of them saw different interactions or like, pieces of interactions, and then, like, you know, some of them are concealing things, including who did the murder. So yeah. But I guess the point of Afterparty!Omens is just that, like, I think Season 2 would be better structured like that where each character gets an episode-

G: Oh, yeah! You've mentioned this to me! The first one is Aziraphale, yeah.

C: Right, so Danica and I were on the phone discussing Afterparty!Omens until 3AM, and then you messaged me and were like, "You know we're recording in like, four hours, right?" [both laugh] And I was like, "Fuck!" So, okay, that was my night. Right,and we made a Google Doc for it, and Danica sent me the link, but like, I'm clicking it right now, [G laughing] and I don't think she added my email, so I can't actually access it to answer this question.

G: Yeah.

C: So okay, I'm gonna go off memory.

G: No, but I think you've mentioned this to me that like, it starts with Aziraphale.

C: Yeah, I put in an ask, I think.

G: And the confession is like, removed, yeah. [pained sounds]

C: Mm-hm. The primary characters, it's gonna have 8 episodes instead of the- Good Omens is 6, 'cause I feel like it's just important. And the POV characters are going to be, I mean, Aziraphale and Crowley, obviously, Maggie and Nina, Gabriel and Beelzebub, and Shax and Muriel. I think I've changed it around so that Muriel is actually the last one because they were standing outside at the window during the whole final fifteen, and I feel like they're someone who would give like, a generally objective account of that. So I feel like that would make sense as the last episode. So like, yeah, okay, Aziraphale’s version, I think, is like, him writing in his diary or whatever, and it's gonna be like- His genre is like, you know, like a Jane Austen romance thing where I think that he's sort of just covering up everything, including a lot of the helping Jim stuff and like, just being like, "And I wanted Maggie and Nina to fall in love, and I made this ball, and it was wonderful, and Crowley was there, and we danced. And that's it. Nothing else happened those weeks. Stop asking me questions." So that would be like, how we open, right? So we just don't really get that much, but there is like, a sense of something wrong underneath it all. And then I think-

G: I love how you just told us that like, you already talked about this Danica. [both laugh]

C: Yeah, and this question is from her, so there's literally no point in me going through all of it. [G laughs]

Okay, Crowley's genre is like, like, a James Bond movie, right? So like, Crowley is like, providing the general action of the last few days. And like, clearly is like, just not saying a lot of stuff about like, her emotions during that time and is just being like, "And I was so cool, and then I was so cool," but like, is definitely crying on the couch every time you cut back to like, present-day Crowley talking. Right. Crowley would also leave out the final fifteen. I think Crowley would end it with like, Hell leaving and like, the battle ending and all that stuff. We'd get some fun stuff with, like, them sneaking into Heaven where they make it seem like it was a lot more difficult than it was.

Okay, Maggie's genre is like, romcom. And that's like, gonna be fun because when we cut to Nina's POV, it's just gonna be like, "And this woman is so annoying." [both laugh] But like, in Maggie's POV, she's like, "And we were trapped together, and it was so nice, and I think Nina's like, really into me." Blah blah blah blah. Okay, right, we'd settle on Nina being like, sort of like the straight man in an Office-style romcom where she's constantly looking at the camera like "Can you believe this shit?" And we would see a lot more of her relationship with Lindsay behind the scenes, and like, what's going on with her there, which I think would help flesh her out a lot. And also, I think it would help Maggie and Nina be less annoying because for Maggie's one, like, you're watching the whole time, and you'd just be like, "Oh, like, she's just making shit up. This is funny." And like, we're not really supposed to like her or find her sympathetic that much. This is just like, an exaggerated version of like, what she thinks is going on with her and Nina.

Okay, Shax I think her part, she's gonna be giving like, a political speech to Hell about like, why she should be on the Dark Council and take over Beelzebub’s seat. A lot of her stuff is gonna just be narrating like, the threatening Crowley, threatening Aziraphale, and then storing the bookshop. Everything's gonna be shot like a war movie, with like, heroic music and all that shit. [G laughs] But it'll have her narration where- well, you know she's not very like, well-spoken and stuff, so there'll be a lot of fun contrast between that and like, the way that the battle is filmed.

Gabriel is mostly just gonna fill in, like, what happens with the Jim story. Like, I think he's talking to Beelzebub, like, while they're on Alpha Centauri- I think Gabriel and Beelzebub are going to be talking to each other. But, like, Gabriel's episode is gonna come earlier, and you don't know who he's talking to, and like, he'll leave off after the battle ends, so like, before he gets his memories back, so like, when Heaven and Hell pop in but before he gets the fly, so like, you don't know until Beelzebub's episode that- and Beelzebub's gonna fill in the flashback love story stuff. Yeah, so you don't know that it's Beelzebub until then. Gabriel's genre- Did we- I don't think we got there. What do you think Gabriel's genre would be? I mean, Sound of Music parody would be hilarious.

G: [laughing] Succession.

C: [laughing] Succession! No, for real, though.

G: Corporate, yeah. [laughs]

C: No, but if he's just narrowing like, Jim stuff- I mean, it would be really funny if it was Succession, but like, as an assistant bookseller.

G: For real.

C: But like, I don't know if that's mindset that he's in while he's Jim.

G: Oh, yeah, 'cause he's just Jim.

C: Well, if he's telling the story afterwards, he could be trying to make himself as Jim seem really cool to Beelzebub 'cause he's like, back to being an asshole, right? So like, he could be trying to Successionify it. But yeah, I don't know. Is Succession the one you're gonna settle on? Because I don't have a better option right now.

G: Huh. I mean, I don't know any genres. I have no idea what the genre is. [C laughs] [C: Fair.] I've never heard of a genre.

C: Yeah. Right, Beelzebub, I think we were thinking, like, horror comedy.

G: I think that would be it, yeah.

C: Which would be fun. I guess Beelzebub's just sort of reminiscing about like, what they were doing before and how they got here. We could probably see the ending of like, the Beelzebub and Gabriel reveal from like, Maggie or Nina's perspective 'cause they were there before Michael threatened to turn them into salt, so like, that would give us like, probably more. I think I think it should be Nina's [laughs] because I want her to look into the camera every time they say something corny.

Muriel, I think it's gonna be mostly in the form of like, a report to Heaven. Or, I think, okay, I think Muriel is gonna be mostly like, documentary-style, like, "Muriel's adventures on Earth," like, discovering bugs and shit.

G: [laughing] A vlogger! Yeah.

C: [laughs] Yeah. And like, stuff that they've written down in their notebook and stuff like that, but like, I think the final fifteen will be relayed fairly just true to what actually happened, just as a report, without that much narration. Yeah. And then, you know, it'll just end with them going into the bookshop. And then that'll be season. And that means that there will be no minisodes, but I feel like that's fine, even though there's not that much present-day plot, because the point of having a bunch of POVs is that you can do the same scene over [G: Yeah.], but like, make it seem very different. And it would be better than Season 2, I think.

G: [laughing] That would be so funny, if we saw the breakup through like, a fucking [both laughing] vlog camera outside of the bookshop. [C: Yeah!] And Muriel- you can see Muriel's thumb covering the lens every once in a while. [C laughing] So true!

C: Yeah. So, so true. Yeah, like, would it lessen the emotional impact? Maybe a little.

G: Probably.

C: But also, I think the emotional impact would be lessened because of the way it's shot, but I feel like the realization that this is what Aziraphale and Crowley were hiding during their episodes would like, make up for it a bit. Like, that would help.

That's the Afterparty!Omens. I'm glad that I was able to waste every one of my listeners' time with Afterparty!Omens shot-by-shot description! [G laughs]

-

G: Exactly. Well, so our next category is just Crystal and Grey talking about themselves extravaganza.

C: Meaning two questions.

G: [laughs] Yeah. So our first question is from an anonymous person asking, "Finally! Asking again for fanfiction recommendations! I really liked the one about Crowley having a daughter and the one about Aziraphale mysteriously becoming a human with amnesia, do you have any other recommendations that have that similar vibe?" Crystal explained this to me as like, these fanfics are like, kind of less romance-centric and more like, book-ish.

C: Yeah. Well, I'd say the plot is like, as important as the romance. Like, it's not the ones where, like, they just sit around and pine a lot.

G: Yeah. I do not read fanfic for plot, [C laughs] so I have no recommendations.

C: Yeah. Okay, so, first, anon, the fact that you read over 200,000 words of content on my recommendation is very flattering. [laughs] Thanks. And I'm really glad you liked those ones.

G: You don't know that. Maybe they already read it-

C: Maybe.

G: - and they were like, "Oh yeah, I like those ones that Crystal recommended."

C: Maybe. That's true. That's true.

G: You never know. You never know.

C: That's true.

G: They already listened to like, multiple hours of our podcast. [laughing]

C: Yeah, yeah, they don't have the time to also be reading 200,000 words.

G: Yeah. You don't have time to read fanfiction when your number one priority should be [both laugh] listening to Crystal and Grey talk for hours and hours on end.

C: Yeah. For fucking real. Okay, so, I don't really read that many long, plotty things either, so I only really have one that I think like, is actually what you're looking for, if I'm interpreting what you mean by "have that similar vibe." It is a series called "The Place You Need to Reach" by Zetared. First fic is called "The Persephone Clause," and second is called "The Orpheus Cure." Do spoilers matter? Like, how much like, how do I give a plot summary without spoilers? Okay, it's like- okay, I guess part one is sort of like, an Orpheus and Eurydice thing, where Aziraphale's getting Crowley out of Hell, and then part 2 is like, it sort of starts as like, Aziraphale recovering from that time, and then becomes like, an apocalypse part 2 plot thing that gets pretty wacky, but I think that overall, it's like, a fun time, and I really like a lot of the ideas introduced in like, part 1 of part 2- like, the first half of part 2 of the fic a lot, too. This is fully a book fic, which hopefully is what you're looking for. And I also enjoy fully book fics more than show fics a lot of time. And it was published in like, 2019 before Season 2, so it's not like, a Second Coming Apocalypse Part 2. Yeah. I mean, it's a good time. There's plot. There's the characters. I enjoy it. There's like, a Rape/Non-Con warning on part 1, but like, I guess if that scares you off, like, what that scene is is that an apparition of Crowley in Hell kisses Aziraphale, and then- like, sexually assault Aziraphale by kissing him- but like, that's the end of that. So like, nothing worse than what's happened in the show already.

Okay, so that's the main one that I think actually suits what you're looking for. Another book fic that I've read semi-recently that I think you could enjoy just because I think I think the style of it works pretty well with what you've liked in the past is called "By Permission of Heaven" by ImprobableDreams900, and that one's just like- it's just Aziraphale and Crowley during the Great London fire of 1666. It's nice. It's nice to see them in that historical setting and to see them earlier in their relationship like that.

I guess this probably isn't really that vibe, and I've already mentioned this in the podcast, but I would like to push "Before the Water Rises" by Vitreous_Humor one more time, which is the Noah's Ark one where both of them like, find a village and help them build boats in preparation of the flood. I think it's wonderful. I think it's great. [G: Hell yeah!] Yeah, I enjoy the plot elements and the lore elements of it that are sprinkled throughout, as well as the them being so in love and stupid about it.

Last question is from poprockringpop. " For those of us who are new to Crystal & Grey Enterprises, can we get some of your friendship lore and how you decided to start podding together (if you’re comfortable!)." So we went to Supernatural together. [laughs]

G: We literally did. We met in 2021 in Supernatural.

C: Yeah, yeah. We met via Discord and then got closer because we like, both made Supernatural AMVs. So like, we ran in the same circles regarding that.

G: Yeah. If you're unfamiliar, like, AMV culture in Supernatural, especially when it was big when Supernatural was real big-

C: Yeah, that was crazy.

G: Like, 2021 to 2022, I guess. Like, mid 2022s. It's unimaginable what it was like. Like, [laughs] I don't know how to explain it, because, like, Good Omens, if you're like, with us for Good Omens only, Good Omens is so not an AMV fandom. It's really not.

C: Yeah. There's more animatics than AMVs, and it's like, "But you don't have to draw all of that. They already did it! You're doing so much extra work!" [both laugh]

G: Supernatural is a AMV fandom. Like, it is. Like, the AMV circles are big,and you kind of find your specific niches with it within that circle itself. So like, AMV-making isn't a niche in itself, but the types of AMVs people make, you know, you kind of like, group together. [laughing] Crystal and I have never made an AMV that is alike to one another whatsoever. But, like, you know. For some reason, we just kind of like, ran in the specific circles in those areas.

C: Right, yeah, so I guess we started talking because of that. And then we became friends. And then on January 6th, 2022- [laughs] Not 2021-

G: Which is like, less than 6 months since we've known each other, I think. Because we started talking-

C: Yeah, I think we checked, and our first discord message was in [G: September.] September 2021. Yeah, but I thought that we DMed on Tumblr earlier.

G: We knew each other- no no no, we didn't. But like, we kind of knew each other from like, other areas. Like, you know, I see you on my timeline, Discord. But like, that's different. That's different.

C: Yeah, yeah, 'cause your first Discord message to me was like, "I hope it's okay that I'm messaging you here" was how it started, right? So we hadn't talked on Tumblr yet?

G: We were already talking in other places. But like, I feel like Discord DM is like, more personal, so I guess that's why I said-

C: Okay, that's true. 'Cause I feel like we had that conversation about the book of Job via Tumblr.

G: Did we? Oh, that's real fun!

C: I don't know. Did we? I'll look up Book of Job in our regular DMs. In April 2022-

G: Oh, so that's way later.

C: - you mentioned putting Cas into the Book of Job, and then I said, "Isn't Job set in prehistoric times?"

G: Yeah! That's the one.

C: So you're misremembering. You said this was one of our first conversations. No, it happened way later. We'd already had BABPod. But yeah, anyway. We talked about Job a bit-

G: January 6, 2022-

C: January 6, 2022, you sent, "Let's do a podcast." as a joke.

G: No, here's the context. Here's the context. You go, "Oh, I have, like, all of Supernatural on like, a hard drive, because I make AMVs with it. I have never actually like, sat down and watched every single episode. Maybe I should do that." And I was like, "Yeah, you should do it. And like, we should do make- let's do a podcast. And like, let's talk about every single episode of the show." And the thing is, I've been saying this to people all the time. Like, I've invited many people to do a Supernatural podcast with me. It's something I really wanted to do. [C: Yeah.] But, like, every single person like, just rejected me. [C laughs] Like, nobody wanted to do it [laughs] for, like, completely obvious reasons. It's so long and arduous, nobody likes Supernatural in my life, you know?

C: Yeah, I think I think the fact that I hadn't watched Supernatural yet [laughs] is what really allowed me to say yes to that.

G: Really, what I wanted to do was me, someone who knows about everything about the show, and someone who like, knew nothing, just like in our Good Omens podcast. But you were the only one who said yes, and you already knew a lot about it.

C: Yeah, I knew many things due to being in the fandom and making AMVs.

G: Yeah. So yeah, that's what happened. Like, you said, yes, and I was like, "Well, I mean, the opportunity has presented itself. We shall commit to the bit." And you know what? I do think that if it was with anyone else, we would have done like, I don't know, seven episodes and quit. 'Cause like, you and I, I don't think we understood what we were getting ourselves into [C laughs] when we started. Like, definitely not. [C: Yeah.] I don't want to complain about like, being- like, making a podcast. I like doing this. I really do. I like doing the podcast stuff. It is a lot of work, though. [C: Mm-hm.] And like, especially during the first, like, couple of months, it's like, we were doing two podcasts a week 'cause we wanted to get it over with.

C: [laughs] Yeah.

G: And then, like, at some point, we realized that like, "Okay, we can't keep on doing this, because, like, it's actually difficult. Like, this is like, so much work." And like, it was working for me at the time - 'cause I'm the editor - and it was working for me at the time 'cause like, a lot of this stuff was like, you're in your house, you know. Our economy and our schools and everything hasn't opened up yet at the time.

C: It was very fast. We came up with the name and made like, an official email and shit, like the day of that conversation. Like, I think, within an hour. [G: Yeah.] Yeah, we committed very quickly. And yeah, it was pretty insane of us to do given that [laughs] we had never spoken on the phone before.

G: We had never called prior. [laughs] I didn't even know what Crystal sounded like. So- I remember you sent me like, an example of what your audio would sound like, and then I heard it, and my immediate thought was like, "Holy shit! Like, Crystal really sounds like an American! [C laughing] Like, Crystal really sounds like an American." And like, I think I replied to that audio clip like, "Oh my god! You're an American!" [both laughing] Well, I was surprised. I was shocked to my core.

C: Yeah, yeah.

G: I think it is really like, a big luck situation to that.

C: Yeah, it could have been not good.

G: Like, speaking- Yeah. 'Cause like, you can message someone and like, have good rapport in messaging someone, and like, when you talk to each other, it's like, you just don't vibe or you like, you don't understand each other well. I mean, I've had friends who like- I have a British friend. [laughs] I've talked about this so much. [C: Yeah.] I have a British friend, like, the first time we called, we literally could not understand each other. [C laughs] Like, we were on the call, she could see my face, I could see her face, I could see her lips mouthing the words, and I still couldn't understand anything. Like, we had to type shit to each other. [C: Aw.] We had to message each other anyway to be able to understand each other. I don't know. Good thing you have a viciously American accent [C laughing] that I could understand, I suppose. So.

C: For fucking real.

G: Yeah, that shit was crazy, too. I mean for me, specifically, like, I'm I'm fluent in English, obviously, but being fluent in English in a way that people who don't also speak Filipino can understand is different than being fluent in like, English the way I was at the time. When you're thinking, "Oh, I'm speaking English, but if I slip a Filipino word here and there, the person will still understand me," that's different from like, speaking entirely in English. And like, it was very very very like- I was so scared that someone was going to point out my accent, [C: Aww!] and it will like, destroy me completely, which is, you know. [C: Yeah.] I think I've grown out of that insecurity. [C: Mm.] And I think I'm funnier, too, because I'm less nervous about everything.

C: Hell yeah!

G: But yeah. Podcasting- It really was a journey. [C laughs] We were crazy to do this. But you know what?

C: It worked out.

G: It worked out. It will continue to work out, hopefully.

C: Yeah, yeah, I believe it. So yeah.

G: I believe it too.

C: [laughing] We've been talking about ourselves for so long. Maybe- It really is an extravaganza.

G: I love to talk about myself.

C: This is true.

G: Well, that's actually the end of it. We- I love how we like, ranked this- I mean, I ranked the questions, [C: Ordered.] but like, I ordered the questions to be like, most relevant to the show to the least relevant to the show Good Omens, [laughs] but now it just seems like I left the "What are Crystal and Grey's backstory is?" like, for last, because it's the most important. [both laughing] [C: Yeah.] Well, maybe it is.

C: What if it is?

G: What if it is so? So- yeah.

-

C: Okay. Oh my god, we're not gonna talk to- like, we're not gonna do this for like, four year now.

G: RubbishPod, yeah.

C: Some people like, are only RubbishPod listeners, so we won't see them for four years.

G: Yeah. I know a lot of you guys don't listen to BABPod.

C: Oh my god, that's so sad! Yeah. I will miss the asks.

G: That's so sad. Yeah, because we do get a lot more Tumblr asks and interactions like that with Rubbish.

C: Yeah, just 'cause every episode of Good Omens is important, so there's things to say about them.

G: Yeah, and BABPod is like "whatever" per episode. [C laughs] Even though I think we do have a little more listeners generally in BABPod, like, immediately. But you know, it's a different kind of show. Which is fine. It's completely fine. But it was fun to like, interact with, like, every single ask as if it was like, a [laughing] theological debate that we were having. It was really fun! Like, truthfully, yeah.

C: Yeah. This was like a 24/7 engagement for me. Yeah, 'cause we were like, talking about the episode all the time throughout the week [G: To each other, yeah.] too, and I was reading like, Good Omens fic all the time during the week, too. But, like, it was great. It was great to have like, a honeymoon with Good Omens for 3 months.

G: Yeah, that's what it felt like, yeah.

C: And it was great that all of you audience people were there. 'Cause, yeah. It was very nice to answer the asks and like, think more about character interpretations and shit like that with all of you. So.

G: It's less about like, the actual the doing it and more like, the mental like, [C laughs] [C: Yeah.] state that you have to be in to do it, which is, for me and Crystal, it really was like, I wake up in the morning, [both laughing] I message Crystal about Aziraphale and Crowley. [C: Yeah.] Like, it was that serious for us. It was crazy! This time was crazy!

C: Yeah. Yeah. And I look forward to doing it again in four years, or however long it takes for Season 3.

G: Do you think it will take four years?

C: Um, he's writing it right now.

G: Yeah. If he finishes writing it by- I think maybe it'll take longer, actually.

C: I would rather he take his time to write it, given that [G: It's the last one, yeah.] Season 2 was bad and it was written fast. In some amount of years. [G: Some amount of years.] Unless it gets cancelled, [laughs] which would be really funny.

G: If it gets cancelled- it would be so funny if this is our last like, [laughs] episode, and like, all of it is just like, "Oh my god! See you guys in four or so years!" [C: Yeah.]And it just never happens.

C: Yeah, well, let's hope that that is not the case. [G: Yeah.]

That's it for this week's episode of Rubbish and Probably a Podcast. Next time, in four years, we'll be talking about Season 3, Episode 1, which will probably be titled "Fucking Raw in the Street." [both laugh] Leave us a rating or a review wherever you get your podcasts!

G: Follow us on social media. We interact through the social media set up for our Supernatural podcast, Busty Asian Beauties, so we're on Tumblr at bustyasianbeautiespod@gmail- Ah, bustyasianbeautiespod.tumblr.com, and you can email us at bustyasianbeautiespod.gmail.com. No, it's- [both laugh] bustyasian- No. [laughing] What the fuck is our email? bustyasianbeautiespod@g-

C: bustyasianbeauties@- bustyasianbeautiespod@gmail.com.

G: @gmail.com. Well, okay, and I would like to say that just because we have released our final episode, you can still message us. We'll still reply sincerely.

C: Oh, yeah, you should still ask us things about Good Omens. [G: Yes.] Yeah, literally, if it's two years later and you have a thought about Aziraphale and Crowley, [G: Yeah.] and you're like, "I want to hear Crystal and Grey's opinion on this," like, I will be there. [laughs]

G: Yeah. And also like, there are times throughout this recording that, like, our opinions have changed, so probably, like, some of the stuff we say here probably will change also. [C: Yeah.] That's just how thoughts go. [C: Yeah.] And, you know, contact us. We love the interactions. Really. [C: Yeah. Yeah.] Thank you.

C: Thanks to everyone who's donated to our Ko-Fi at ko-fi.com/bustyasianbeautiespod. See you guys next time in four fucking years! [both] Bye!

[Garageband version of Buddy Holly’s “Everyday” plays]

[eldritchsurveys]

1142.

Are you good at taking care of people? >> I'm sure I would be (I feel like it's genuinely not that damn hard), but I have to be emotionally invested in some way to even bother trying and uhh... it's very difficult to elicit that level of investment from me, so

Do you enjoy sharing a bedroom with other people? >> I hate it, I would never in my life do that again if I can help it

Everybody lies. Do you agree? >> I don't agree. how can I possibly be so confident about the behaviour of billions of people lmao... seems smallminded

Do you have a tumblr? Do you post on it a lot? >> I post on my main constantly (well. my queue does most of it for me)

Would you ever consider homeschooling your children/future children? >> if I were to raise children -- which I would not, mind you -- I would be sorely tempted to homeschool them. but I have heard enough from formerly-homeschooled individuals to know that that's probably not the most genius of ideas no matter how much I hate the modern public school system so I'd send them to school but I'd have to be really involved in their education and ensure they get a lot of supplementary learning

Does drama ride on your back? >> what the fuck lol

Did you buy a Livestrong bracelet during the big craze? >> I absolutely did not (but I had a lot of other rubber bracelets)

When you eat out do you normally order a steak or a burger? >> I normally prefer not to go to places where steaks and burgers are dominant on the menu :V but at places like Red Robin I do have a (meatless) burger order that I prefer to get

Have you ever wanted to be a ballet dancer? >> I knew like nothing about ballet when I was a child

Does your family keep tons of leftovers in your fridge? .

Are you capable of making lemonade with actual lemons? >> of course I'm capable of it, it's not rocket surgery

Why is football the only thing playing on tvs in bars? .

Favourite FRIENDS character? That is, if you like it. >> don't like it

Does happiness come with a price? >> I don't think that makes any sense

Do you sometimes walk by the baby toys and wish you'd had them? >> I wish I had the toys, yeah, because baby toys are always the softest cutest things (my favourite plushie is from Baby Gund and that's why it's my favourite) Skullcandy headphones, yay or nay? >> sure, my backup pair is a Skullcandy pair. they make solid mid-priced stuff Are you thinking of getting another piercing? Where? >> I can't afford that

Do you love when people remember little things about you? >> of course

Do you state everytime you have goosebumps? >> uh... no?

How about announcing everytime you have to go to the bathroom? >> no....

Do you have more than one memory card for your PS2. If you have one. .

Ever been told to keep a dream diary? Did you follow through? >> I haven't been told directly but it's such common advice for people who want to remember their dreams that I have tried it but it is just so much goddamn effort that I stopped bothering Have you ever had a dream inspire something? Picture, story, poem, etc? >> stories, yeah

Do you let people write/draw on your shoes? >> oh I remember when this was a thing

When you're upset what kind of music do you listen to? >> the kind I like :V

Are you always wearing a hoodie no matter the season? >> well, no, because I don't want to die of heatstroke

What CD is currently in your stereo? .

Do you use caps when they're not necessary? >> I prefer to use caps sparingly

Are you frequently asked, "What's wrong?" >> who would be asking me that. the many spiders in my room??

Can you actually finish writing stories, poems, etc? >> sure

The last door you opened led to where? >> my room

Do you 'bless' strangers when they sneeze? >> not usually

Have you ever stuttered uncontrollably? >> not stuttered, but I do stammer and trip over my words a lot when I'm activated in some way

Stephen King books, yay or nay? >> yay for the most part but as someone with a lot of experience with his work I also have Criticisms

What is that class that you absolutely hate/hated attending in school? >> lol most of them

Did you know that it's Zombie Awareness Month [March]? >> wild

Do you like reading to little kids? .

Ever wanted to wear a banana suit? >> I can confidently say that I have never ever wanted this

Are Girl Scout Cookies overpriced and expensive? >> I mean, they're expensive to me, especially when I can just get passable dupes from the grocery store for cheaper

Don't you just hate losing an hour to day-light savings time? >> I honestly don't care, it doesn't affect me

[nofacednerd]

I meant to reply to this ages ago but I’m bad at articulating thoughts coherently and then I forgot for a lil bit OOPS

But yeah! I agree with pretty much everything you’ve said here. The show has always had this issue, but in season 3, the contradictory writing was a LOT more obvious (and the examples of it in past seasons that I can think of also seem to have some intentionality to it). 

I think the big issue with s3 on a meta level is that they had to accomplish a lot character arcs this season but ended up putting wayyyy too much weight on the temp V plotline, which made it’s meaning go all over the place. 

TempV ended up representing a lot of things, both metaphorically and literally and it’s meaning changed depending on which character arc was the focus at the moment. That’s why it’s simultaneously framed as the root of all evil AND the only solution to their problems. They should have just chosen one thing for it to be and rolled with it tbh. Like if TempV is bad and Butcher and Hughie are in the wrong for it? Yeah cool! Just don’t keep framing it as being a good thing too? Besides the “withdrawal” symptoms that only showed up like once or twice, there were never any constant negative consequences for using it. Butcher is dying, but I also hope we get to see some lasting effects from it on Hughie in season 4 too.

(Also, I think the writers realized they wrote themselves into a hole at some point, which is why they established at the very end of the season that the V would kill them if they took it too much)

Then in terms of character arcs, they were all over the place and very rarely coincided with each other, and when they did, they contradicted each other. Hughie is the worst example of this tbh? Season 3 did him so dirty and it was SO weird that he felt more like a supporting character despite the fact that he’s the main character of the show lmao. His whole character this season was just there to support Annie and Butcher’s character arcs. He really didn’t have one of his own imo? Like technically his arc was learning to support his girlfriend but... he already was doing that? In order for him to have a “character arc” this season they wound up just mischaracterizing him and erasing things we already knew about him to be canon. They literally acknowledge it during Herogasm (the “I thought you said you didn’t care that I was stronger than you” thing).

Then, on top of that, since Annie needed to have her independent girlboss arc so she finally officially joins the team, they framed him as being shitty all season. I genuinely never thought of it as a “toxic masculinity” arc until I saw people on tumblr saying it was. I think it was just sort of unintentionally framed like that because of Annie’s arc and the fact that he spent the entire season with Butcher and Soldier Boy who are pretty much the poster boys for that LMAO (sb more so than Butcher)

Uh oh this also got long and it’s probably not super coherent either. Uhhh final thoughts: I’m also fine with them forgiving Hughie at the end of the season I just wish they acknowledged that they were previously mad at him, it just felt too sudden for me? Idk I’m rewatching s3 right now so maybe I’ll change my mind on the rewatch. The only thing I think I would disagree on here is that I think MM is the only character who is valid for being mad at Butcher and Hughie for working with SB since pretty much all his problems in life can be directly traced back to that guy

SORRY this was also long. I have too many thoughts too this show makes me foam at the mouth sometimes and I love analysis posts adsghsdfd

No bc your post about season 3’s writing is so true. I kinda hope in s4 we see Hughie and Annie at least like… actively communicate and work through some of their issues in a healthy(ish) way? Because they kinda just brushed it under the rug and everyone seemed to forgive him for the murder spree at the end of the season because he “did the right thing in the end”

its just. it seems like communication is only necessary when the plot wants to use it to pit them against each other. and since this season they wanted to frame hughie as being in the wrong he has to communicate or it's a betrayal, but annie doesn't, and it's never adressed

i love them so much and want them to be healthy and happy but the writers have GOT to stop with this whole double standard thing they started this season in which hughie is in the wrong for everything but annie and kimiko aren't for doing the exact same things. just. let my boy off the hook. let them all be batshit insane morally grey murderers without randomly blaming only one of them for it. please.

i don't mind them forgiving him for the murder spree personally because i don't necessarily think they should've held it against him that much in the first place (despite what the way the show framed it, homelander WAS the priority. they framed it as hughie and butcher being irrational and excessive for working w sb when they were objectively & strategically right

just. mm and annie being pissed at them for working with sb to stop homelander makes about as much sense as. like. if hughie and annie in s2 absolutely refused to accept a-train's help to stop stormfront bc of what he did to robin. that would've been counterproductive, not to mention incredibly fucking stupid, bc stormfront was obviously more powerful, and a much, MUCH bigger threat, + those files were the one way to destroy her. here it's the same. homelander is becoming a bigger threat by the second and sb seemed like the one thing that could stop him. working with him long enough to stop homelander is just prioritizing issues. its just. god. that whole thing is so fucking stupid.

and the temp v?? the fucking. the way they framed the temp v as such an evil thing from the get go and actively punished hughie and butcher for using it when it also. works??? like they obviously had to add in the fact that its killing them to make it actually wrong to use it but like. they didn't know that. and before they knew about it it genuinely just works. within a few days of using it they came closer to destroying vought and killing homelander than they had after almost a decade of trying like. someone said this before but they could've just as well framed it as hughie and butcher selflessly sacrificing themselves with the temp v in a noble attempt to destroy homelander for the greater good and it would've also worked. the forced morals in this whole season were all over the place.

the one thing hughie could've more successfully been framed as being in the wrong for doing imo is the whole not communicating with annie mm etc thing, but like we said, if this only applies to hughie and nobody else gets blamed for not communicating then it just! it doesnt work! it doesnt!!

the whole show is built on insane not so morally good people doing insane not so morally good things. the boys were never supposed to be morally pure good guys. they've done terrible things and the only one ever bothered by it was hughie. why are we suddenly imagining this moral high ground that was never there in s1 or s2 it's just.

annie didn't care about what hughie did with the boys in s2 she was just upset that he didn't tell her and hid stuff from her, which WORKED in s2 because annie DID tell him about what she was up to, the communication was one-sided which is why she was upset sometimes, which is not the case in s3!!! and butcher, i mean, the others might've tried to stop him from doing terrible things sometimes but they didn't expect him not to do them. they didn't hold a grudge. butcher was always extremely clear about his intentions. and annie's no saint either she blackmailed gecko she killed a man it's what makes her fun too she's a murderer they're all murderers but her argument not to work w sb is that he's a murderer i just DONT UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY WERE THINKING WHEN THEY WROTE THIS SEASON. sorry i got carried away. i have. lots of thoughts)

[dem-obscure-imagines]

The Kiss of Life

Pietro Maximoff x Reader

Summary: You are an Avenger with the power to heal. However, you didn’t expect to catch feelings for the man you brought back from the dead.

Note: Let it be known that my very first ever Tumblr fanfiction, waaaaaay back in 2015, was a Pietro Maximoff fic about a healer! Reader bringing him back to life. I was obsessed with this man. Still am, lowkey. So, this fic is just kind of me revisiting that idea with about six more years of writing experience.

Warnings: Mentions of death, death (temporary), bulletwounds

Wordcount: 2.7k

On the day of the Battle of Sokovia, you were on board the Helicarrier. Tony Stark had contacted you, knowing the shit would hit the fan, and then Nick Fury had found you and picked you up. As the team’s resident healer, you didn’t actively go out in the field, but you were always on stand-by just in case. And this was one of the days you were glad you were.

You’d taken one of the “boats” to the quickly rising chunk of the city in order to heal civilians. You encountered a young woman who had her leg caught under a piece of rubble. But super-strength wasn’t one of your abilities. Luckily, a certain silver-haired speedster saw you and rushed over to help. You healed the woman and she quickly went over to the boats to be evacuated.

“Are you…” the man asked, looking you over. “You’re with…?”

“The Avengers, yeah.” You nodded. “Are you?”

“I’m new.” He grinned. “I’m Pietro. Nice to meet you.”

“(Y/N).” You offered your hand and instead of shaking your hand like you expected him to, he raised it to his lips and pressed a soft kiss there. You tried to ignore the heat rising to your cheeks. You couldn’t deny he was handsome, and his accent and gorgeous muscles only helped his case.

“Oh shit, your arm.” You pointed out the wound there.

“I was shot.” He nodded, his jaw clenching. “It is not bad, though.”

“Here, let me.” You reached up and held your hand over the bullet hole. Immediately, golden light radiated from your palm and Pietro watched in awe as the spot repaired, his skin closing up underneath the hole in his shirt. “There. Good as new.”

“Thanks. Remind me to find you the next time I get a paper cut.”

You chuckled. “I’m always around.”

The two of you split after that. You went off to help more civilians evacuate and he busied himself with fighting robots.

And then it happened. You were on your way to the boats to help people. You heard the loud noise of a machine gun, and when you looked up, Pietro was standing there, riddled with bullet holes, wobbling on his feet before inevitably collapsing.

You sprinted. You didn’t care about the risks or the danger, you ran as fast as you could to him, falling to your knees at his side and immediately pushing every ounce of power you could muster into his chest, arms, and legs. You felt like your veins were on fire and you couldn’t describe why, but you knew that this was why you were there. This was your purpose and you intended to fulfill it.

You watched as his wounds stitched together. You searched him for more. Anything you could do to make him better.

His eyes were open, unblinking, wide and haunting. His skin was cold to the touch. You knew what you had to do, but you didn’t know if you had the strength to do it after expending your powers all day.

“Can you do it?” Clint asked softly, watching.

“I think so.” You murmured. “I’m gonna try.”

The Kiss of Life, as Tony had dubbed it, was something you had only done once. It had absolutely drained you. You’d been asleep for a few days following it, but it was worth it. It was always worth it.

So, slowly, you leaned in and pressed your lips to Pietro’s pushing everything you had left into his body, from your chest to his. You reached up and felt for a pulse, waiting, waiting, waiting, until suddenly, you felt his vein twitch beneath your fingertips. You felt his chest heave with a breath and immediately released, exhaling a large breath of your own.

He looked up at you, confusion and warmth swirled in his eyes. He stared at you for a long moment, a hand rising to his lips, as if he was looking for confirmation of what you’d just done. He looked down at himself, searching for the dozens of wounds he’d just acquired, but not finding any.

Your head was spinning. You blinked a few times, watching him carefully. He sat up and as soon as he did, you slumped forward into his firm chest, your eyes fluttering shut. The last thing you felt before falling asleep were his strong arms wrapping around you and his soft lips pressing against your forehead.

“Thank you.”

***

You woke up with a pounding headache in an…unfamiliar place. You didn’t recognize the room you were in, but it appeared your things were there, from what you could tell. Oh, and there was a man sitting in a chair pulled up to your bedside, a nervous look on his face. His finger rested on his lip, deep in thought.

You moved, straining to sit up but your entire body was sore, your limbs each screaming for you to stop.

“Hey, hey, careful.” He moved at lightning speed, catching you off guard. He gently moved you into an upright position, resting against the mountain of pillows on your bed. “Easy.” He smoothed the hair off of your forehead and leaned forward to kiss it, long and soft. “You do not feel like you have a fever…”

“I think I’m okay.” You insisted, shaking your head. Your voice was hoarse. You coughed a few times, but half a second later, Pietro was holding a cold water bottle in your face, helping you drink it with careful hands and a doting expression on his face.

“Banner left these for you.” He handed you a bottle of painkillers and you took a few of them, swallowing them down with more water.

“Thank you.”

He didn’t say anything, but you knew he was thinking about it.

Instead, you asked, “How long was I out?”

“A few days.” He replied, his voice soft and low. “I…I was worried…worried that you…”

“Yeah,” you laughed darkly, shrugging. “I…well, some risks are just worth taking, I guess.”

“You barely know me and you saved my life without hesitation.” He said, a million words hiding behind his eyes. He sat on the edge of the bed cautiously, giving you plenty of time to tell him to back off, but you didn’t. “Clint…he said he’s never seen you run so fast.”

“I knew I wouldn’t have much time before…” You shook your head, trailing off. “And I knew I couldn’t let that happen. I got lucky. I was exactly where I needed to be.”

He was quiet for a beat, thinking. And then, all at once, he pulled you into his arms, against his firm chest. You listened to his heartbeat, his breaths, which became ragged as soon as he started sobbing.

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m okay. You’re okay. It’s all okay.” You said, your arms wrapping around him, one hand rubbing soothing circles on his back.

“Thank you. T-thank you so much. I…I don’t know how to repay you.”

“It’s just my job, Pietro. You don’t have to—”

“I want to, though.” He said, pulling away from you to look you in the eyes. His large hand rose to frame your cheek and you felt a chill run up your spine, heat flooding your cheeks due to his proximity and the look on his face. “Please let me thank you the way you deserve.”

You didn’t know what else to say, so you just nodded, staring up at him. “O-okay.”

“Do you think you can walk? The others want to see you.” He said.

“Um, I can try. I’ll probably be a bit weak.”

“I’ll help you.” He reassured you, helping you remove the blankets on top of you and scoot to the edge of the bed.

You put your feet on the floor, gently easing up until you were upright. You wobbled a little, but Pietro’s arm snaked around your waist for support, helping you forward slowly until you were out the door of your new bedroom.

“Where are we, exactly?”

“New facility.” Pietro explained. “Stark insists it will be safer than the Tower.”

“Gotcha.” You nodded.

He led you out to the main room, where the majority of the team were all sitting on the large sectional couch. As soon as you walked in, aided by Pietro, they all sat at attention. One of them, a young woman wearing a red sweater, stood up and walked up to you quickly, wrapping you in a tight hug.

“Thank you so much. Thank you for saving him.”

“Of course.” You hugged her back. “Us Avengers have to look out for each other. Welcome to the team. You’re Wanda, right?”

“Right. Nice to meet you, officially.” She smiled warmly.

“It’s nice to meet you, too.” You pulled away and as soon as you did, you wobbled a bit, but Pietro immediately held you upright, preventing you from falling.

“Got a new friend there, (L/N)?” Tony chuckled, raising an eyebrow.

“So it seems.” You smiled, letting Pietro help you over to the couch where the others were all situated. “The new place is nice.” You noted. “Very modern. Very sleek.”

“Thought you’d like it.” Tony nodded. “There are still quite a few empty rooms if you want to switch, but, uh…Speedy wanted your room next to his.”

Pietro laughed nervously, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck. When you looked over at him, his cheeks were steadily turning red. Cute, you decided.

“Well, I certainly don’t mind.” You grinned. “What are we watching?”

“Disney movies.”

“Hell yesssssss.”

“Told you she’d like it.” Steve chuckled, his arms folded across his broad chest. “How are you feeling, kid?”

“I’m good. Little sore, but good. Should be back to normal in a few days.”

“Glad to hear it.” Steve nodded, smiling.

“Anyone have any papercuts that need healing in the meantime?” You joked.

“Maybe take it easy for now, (L/N).” Natasha chuckled, shaking her head. “Our bruises and papercuts can wait.”

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.”

You watched a few movies with the rest of the team, and afterwards, Tony ordered pizza, a very bewildered delivery boy knocking on the door about an hour later. Pietro wouldn’t let you lift a finger, and so once the pizza arrived, he brought you a few slices on a plate with breadsticks and garlic cream cheese dip.

“Thank you, Pietro.”

“Of course.” He grinned, plopping back down in his spot between you and Wanda.

You had only been awake for a handful of hours, and yet you suspected that this constant attention from the silver-haired speedster wasn’t going anywhere any time soon.

***

You were right. It was about two weeks later. You’d made a full recovery and were back to your usual level of activity. You were in the training facility doing your daily workout when Pietro sped in. You were on the treadmill, just finishing up, when he strolled over, a grin on his face.

“I’ve been looking for you.”

“Oh yeah?” You asked, slowing the treadmill to a stop and leaning against the rails, taking a moment to catch your breath. “May I ask why?”

“One of the interns is making a coffee run.”

“Oh hell yeah.” You took a long sip from your water bottle. “Well, thank you for letting me know.”

“Of course.” He grinned, leaning against your treadmill. “How are you today?”

You smiled, heat flushing your cheeks. You blame it on the workout, but you knew there might be another reason for it… “I’m good, how are you?”

“Good.” He replied. “I’m good.” He paused, holding up his hand, his knuckles red and bloody. “I did hurt my hand, though…”

“Oh, here.” You took his hand in yours and held your other palm over it, letting your power glow for a few seconds until the wound healed up. “There. Good as new.”

He exhaled a breath, clenching and unclenching his hand. With it, he reached up and gently traced your jaw. He leaned forward and pressed his forehead against yours, causing a flurry of butterflies to erupt in your stomach. “You’re incredible. So incredible.”

You stared into his blue, blue eyes for what felt like eternities, his warm breaths ghosting across your cheeks. And then the moment was over. He pulled away from you, pressing a quick kiss to your forehead.

“Want a ride?”

“To where, the living room?” You laughed. “Sure, why—?” There was a rush of cold air and suddenly, you were in the living room, Pietro cradling you in his arms. “Not.” You looked up at him, tucking a piece of hair back behind your ear. “Wow, you’re fast.”

He grinned and you swore his cheeks got a shade redder than they were previously. “I am, aren’t I?”

You ordered your coffee from the intern and waited for Pietro to order his, but he didn’t.

“Aren’t you getting anything?”

“Oh, I don’t like coffee.” He shrugged, and then winked at you. “But you do, so…”

***

It was a few weeks later. You’d known Pietro for a little over a month at this point. You were in your room, reading. It was getting late and you knew that, but you also didn’t want to go to sleep until you finished the chapter you were on.

You heard a knock on your doorframe and looked up to find Pietro standing there, his hair a tousled mess and dark bags under his eyes.

“Nightmare?”

He nodded.

“Come on in.” You scooted over and patted the side of the bed and immediately, he zipped over. “You okay?”

“Better now.” He said, his voice low and raspy.

You closed your book and set it on your nightstand to give him your full attention.

“Can we talk?” He asked.

“Of course, Pietro. What’s on your mind?”

“I…I don’t even know.” He let out a long breath. “I keep thinking about…that day. And I’m not sure why.”

“Well, it was traumatic. Dying, even briefly, is hard to recover from. Emotionally, that is.”

“Hmm.” He hummed, nodding. “Am I the only one…that you’ve…”

“No. There was one other. Some S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. I don’t even remember her name. It was a long time ago. But those were the only two successful times.”

“What do you mean?”

“Sometimes I’m just…too late. If I don’t get to the body in time…” You shuddered and shook your head. “I got really, really lucky with you, Pietro. If I was any further away, I don’t think…” Your stomach dropped at the thought and you couldn’t continue.

“Don’t think like that.” He said softly, one of his large hands rising to your face. His warmth was incredible, calming.

You leaned into his touch, resting your hand on top of his.

“I’m right here, printsessa.” He leaned in closer. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Good.”

“There’s…something else.” He said, his voice wavering. “I don’t think it’s any secret, but, I’ve fallen for you, (Y/N). We are so close and I love it, but the only time we’ve ever kissed was when I was unconscious. I…would like to change that.” He paused, looking deep into your eyes. “But only if that’s okay with you.”

“Oh thank God.” You exhaled a relieved breath, your eyes sparkling and heart racing. “I was worried you were only hanging around me because I saved you. I didn’t think you were into me.”

“How could I not be?” His thumb rubbed your cheek affectionately. “You are kind and clever and selfless and brave, not to mention the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. I’d have to be stupid to let you slip through my fingers.”

You were both quiet for a beat before he asked, his voice soft, “So…can I kiss you?”

You leaned in closer until your lips were less than an inch away from his before whispering, “Do you even have to ask?”

Part 2

[jenlvr01]

BAD ROMANCE

Pairing : Jaehyun x Reader

Genre : Greek God Mafia Au !

Warnings : Cursing , mention of drugs and violence.

Summary : Jaehyun Or in The underworld He is Known As The King or people would call him Hades. Ruthless, Cold and a selfish Bastard. One day Everything changed when He laid His Eyes On the most beautiful maiden he has ever seen but The problem is...he doesn’t wanna fall in love.

Notes: Yall i suggest you listen to Bad romance by Lady gaga While Reading this! And also this is my first time posting something on tumblr hehehejais sorry if there is any grammar errors english is not my first language T^T                                                                                                                                             

  “Damn where the fuck is Jeno” Jaehyun Sighed as He sat on his Gold throne inside the biggest and darkest castle in the underworld. Everybody feared him and would tremble at the mention of his name.

“Hello Your grumpy Highness” Jeno Rolled his Eyes At him as He handed Him a Letter. Jaehyun Looked at Jeno and shook his head.

“You do know i can Take your life right at this very moment if you keep up that attitude of yours” Jaehyun Glared at The poor boy and Jeno just bowed and walked away.

There are Three worlds that exists. The first one is Heaven where all the Gods And Goddesses live. Second Earth where Humans And Some demi Gods Live and Lastly the Underworld Ruled By Jaehyun Where he punishes all the bad people and The Corrupt Gods And Goddesses are thrown.

Jaehyun opened the letter for it to be an invitation to the Heavenly Ball. Jaehyun receives one every year but he never once attended these kind of gatherings and he is always labeled as A VIP guest . He just thinks its a waste of time and silly but this year he wanted to Go For a change

“Hey Mark” he called Mark His Guard and Personal Assistant “Yes Your Highness” he Bowed slightly and was preparing to throw the invitation “Get dressed in The finest suit you Have..we are going to this damn Ball” He stood up and left Mark with a confused Look. “Your highness why are you going?” He asked afraid and was sweating cold sweats

“I wanted to go for a change..besides i wanna see my brothers ” he smirked as he opened the main door.

He dressed in the finest Suit that he had and his slick back hair that made him look 10x more intimidating.

Mark drove him to the venue also looking as dashing as ever. When they arrived at the venue it looked like everybody saw a ghost except for his 3 brothers ofcourse. Mark Followed Jaehyun Quietly at a distance

“FINALLY SOMEONE WENT OUT OF THAT DAMN HELL HOLE AFTER A LONG TIME” Taeyong Screamed Happily while approaching his Brother. Taeyong The God of The sky and Thunder happily approached his brother with champagne. Winwin Just sighed at the sight of Taeyong screaming so loud to the point where everybody had their eyes on them.

“Taeyong I swear to God lower your damn voice” he smacked his Brother at the back of his head

“So What made you attend this event this year My dear brother” he casually approached his brother and took a sip of his champagne.

All the Goddesses had their eyes on Him. Whispering endless thoughts and probably thirsting about how hot he is. Meanwhile all of the Gods Are starting to Fume with anger because all of the Women’s eyes were on him.

“I also dont know i felt like i needed to go here for a change” he took a sip of his champagne.

Johnny The God Of the Sun Approached Jaehyun and His Brothers

“Jaehyun im surprised to see you here my friend” he looked at him with disbelief.

Johnny and Jaehyun along with his brothers are Good Friends And they also run a business along with a few friends In The Underworld.

“Yeah i just went here for an appearance i really cant believe You attend something like this every year” he tsked and looked around the place as His brothers continue chatting With Johnny

Whispers and loud chattering can be heard. Loud music can Be Heard and the sight of Gods And Goddesses Flirting can be seen. The thought of love and flirting has never crossed Jaehyun’s mind. He had too much On his plate to be Even thinking about matters like those.

Jaehyun’s one and only rule? Never fall in Love For It will destroy you. Jaehyun saw what love did to humans and other Gods and Goddesses and he thought it was Stupid.

“Im Gonna go Out Where is The garden?” Jaehyun asked Taeyong and he answered with a smile “go straight then turn left you’ll see a glass door” jaehyun nodded and Mark followed with a glass of wine in his hands.

“Sooo are you enjoying this party your highness?” Mark asked with wiggly eyes brows

“Fuck no This was a wrong decision to come here..How are the transport on the drugs?”

“Its alright the same as usual no need to worry”  as he looked up and saw bright colors and expensive gold on the ground and walls “Good Make sure Nothing Goes Wrong. Tell Jeno To Gather The Team to Monitor the transport we need to be careful this is a huge amount make sure it doesn’t Get stolen” Mark Does a bow and said “yes Your Highness” Jaehyun nodded and dismissed Mark.        He Was faced With A very elegant Glass door The doorknobs made with diamonds and rubies. Slowly he Opened The Door to be greeted by The scent of Hyacinths. He slowly walked over the stone path. He Never really gets to see flowers back in The Underworld because no living thing can survive in the underworld.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 “oh My God What happened to You. You  poor thing let me fix You Up real quick”  You said in a concern voice looking at the dead flowers in the Garden. You placed your hand on top of the flower and used a tiny bit of your powers to heal the flowers. You smiled and giggled at the sight of healthy flowers. Yes You are the Goddess of vegetation and Fertility.                                                                                                                                                                                             You never really wanted to attend these kind of Parties. You Just feel so out of place and uncomfortable with all the people surrounding you and all. The thought of it makes you sick. You sighed as You drank Wine and slowly leaned back onto the tree. It was a nice view. The garden was filled with  many green and colorful Plants. You'd really Rather spend your day here rather than talking to people.                                                                                                                  You Fished out your phone from your Pocket To call Jisung the cupid and Your bestfriend ofc.                                                                                                          “Jisung are you really not gonna attend this event? I have no friends here seriously i was forced By Naeun That's why I'm here” You groaned when you heard Him laugh " I told You You need to stay away from that girl" He laughed even harder when he heard How annoyed You were “ Let me Guess You are either at some random room in the mansion or you are at the garden ”You did a little snap and said “BINGO! I'm at the garden " You chuckled “anyways i need to go get more wine please pick me up later" you can feel him smiling through the phone and said “okay okay ill pick u up bye” he suddenly ended the call and all you could do was stare at the phone with disbelief. "Woah I cant believe this man He suddenly - “ You suddenly turned to your side and bumped into a God...well probably the most handsome God You have ever laid your Eyes on. He shut his eyes shut and sighed.                                                                                                                                                                                                                           “Oh my God I'm So sorry" You panicked because he seemed like he was having a bad day and he looked so pissed at the sight of wine staining his Suit  “damn Woman watch where Your Going.” As He opened his eyes you could feel his hot gaze pierce through you skull. “ I'm really so sorry about this......’’ You looked at him and gave him the “what's your name??” Kind of look.                                                                                                                                                       “ You don't know me??” Jaehyun asked because he couldn’t believe it.                “yeah I don't know you so I uh...may I know your name??’’                                                                                                                                                                       he smirked and leaned down to whisper in her ears                                                                                                                                                                        “My name is Jaehyun”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

[blue-writes-things]

Like the Back of My Hand

Remus Lupin x Reader | Fluff (and angst if you squint)

“Why were you out in the forest? You’re not trying to prank me are you?” “What? Never! We’ve given up trying to prank you, you always see them coming!”

| Masterlist |

Words: 2256 A/N: Bold is other people's thoughts (will make sense in the fic), also I’m not used to this weird post formatte thing [tumblr] has going on so I’m sorry about the strange paragraphing 

Warning: Some swearing, very mild spice at the end, just kissing tho and angst some if you squint

Feedback is always appreciated! - Blue

Sometimes it was hard to walk around Hogwarts, with the mix of the verble talk, and the internal thoughts you could hear. When you're tired it’s even worse, like how you can’t concentrate on anything right now. You were a mix of hyper aware and completely unaware of everything around you.

Like how you have no clue what Remus is saying as he walks right next to you, but you know what that first year is hoping you’re having for dinner, and how she hates the girl she’s talking to.

You snap back to reality when Remus touches your shoulder, making you jump slightly, “You ok y/n? You’ve been really spacey all day” His eyebrows are frowned with a tight line of a concerned smile on his lips

“Oh yeah, I’m all good, just sleepy” You smile reassuring him, he didn’t believe you one bit but thought better to push it right now.

“I’m good, I promise!” Saying you were ‘fine’ or ‘ok’ told Remus you weren't ‘fine’ or ‘ok’ and in honesty, you were good, and you were sleepy, but you were also anxious, and overwhelmed. But he didn’t need to know that.

You looped your arm with his and continued to walk to the library together, the full moon was this Sunday, and you knew he liked to be with you when it was close, something about how calming you are, and how you always seem to know what to say to make him feel better around a moon.

He didn’t know how you knew what to do to help him leading up to and after a full, you treated him slightly different, never pushed him too much, but still made him rest more and remember to take care of himself. He had a tendency to forget about his general health and wellbeing around moons.

It seemed like Moony was also calmer around you. The day of the moon when the wolf was right under his skin, iching to get out. When his patience was running thin and he was snappy at people. When the wolf would cloud his mind during the day more. When he would almost growl at people (or the time he almost bit Peter for being so annoying)

You knew just what to say to get him to settle, often whispering things like “Just a little longer, wait a little longer for me” in his ear almost like you were talking to the wolf directly, he would give an almost unnoticeable nod and would settle.

It was only after a bit when Remus registered what you had said he would ask you about it; “What was it that you said earlier? About waiting a little longer?” “I don’t know what your talking about Rem”

He was a tad worried you knew about him being a werewolf, he hasn’t told you as he’s scared you will reject him and be scared of him.

Yet that was the last thing you would do, he meant way too much to you to let something like that push you apart. Plus, how can you judge someone for being ‘different’ when you were yourself?

The other marauders had been helping Remus think of some way to tell you about the wolf, Remus had been crushing on you for a while now, as long as you’d been crushing on him, so before anything could happen he wanted to tell you ‘So you could run if you wanted to’

You knew they’d made a plan but you didn’t know what it was. It was strangely refreshing to not be aware of everything going on.

“So uh, if you’re up to it, er me and the guys found this place in the forest awhile ago” During a moon “and I was wondering if you’d like to see it? It’s just really pretty and I think you’d like it...No pressure though! If you don’t want to it’s fine”

“I’d love to Remi” You smile as you two reached the library.

“Does tomorrow work for you?” “Perfect”

You originally went to the library to study, which you did, just not a lot. You ended up lying on the floor near one of the windows up the back, in the orange warmth of the sunset.

Remus’ head was in your lap, he had grabbed his favorite book from his bag, one you had given him for christmas in third year.

“Haven't you read that like a hundred times now?” You laugh and Remus smiled god I love her laugh. You didn’t try too hard to hide your blush. “It’s my favourite”

“Why’s that?” “Cause the main character reminds me of my favourite person” Cause the main character reminds me of you

“You’re so cute Remus Lupin” you say with a soft smile, scratching your fingers into a particular spot in his hair making him let out a happily content sigh.

***

That night you slept better than you thought you would.

You normally don’t sleep well, as you can hear your roommates (and sometimes the people sharing your wall) dreams which was very distracting when you're trying to shut off to sleep, but you were also very excited for the next day.

Having something be a mystery to you was new and for some reason made you giddy, see when you can read minds (even though you can’t control it and hate it) nothing is new to you, nothing is surprising.

Probably the worst is that you know what people think of you, you know when people are talking about you, how they think you're weird cause you’re always staring off into space, always seem bored, when you do tests you have to go to another room. Only a few staff members know about your little ability and don’t want you to cheat, even though you can’t help it.

***

You and Remus met up after breakfast, glad it was saturday so you could spend a lot of time together. As you walked together to the forest to the supposedly beautiful place, you joked and talked, being in the forest meant that you could only hear Remus, not first years talking shit about other people, just the sweet sounds of the forest and Remus’ voice.

“How long till we get there, my feet are dying” You jokingly pout making Remus chuckle “Not to far now, you really need to get your stamina up” 

You roll your eyes and lightly shove him, quick react! he stumbled slightly, as the full moon was tomorrow he was almost rock solid and had to pretend that it made him stumble as it would any other day.

He steers you to a left turn “Ta da!” he smiles, it really was beautiful, a crystal clear pond with flowers all around, the trees were slightly denser and closer together, making it like a little pocket out of time

“Wow, Remi, this is really beautiful!” You gush with a bright smile. Best.Surprise.Ever.

“I’m glad you like it! Me and the guys found it last month” Ok, time to tell her, you can do this Remus “Why were you out in the forest? You’re not trying to prank me are you?” You playfully glare at him

“What? Never! We’ve given up trying to prank you, you always see them coming!” he plops to the ground, his legs straight out in front of him, leaning back on his hands.

You move and sit next to him leaning your head onto his shoulder, watching a stag drink from the pond ‘Hi James’ you think to yourself

“So um, the reason we were out here was…” He tails off taking a deep breath. Come on Remus just spit it out already you just wait patiently, knowing this is hard for him, telling people your biggest secret is a terrifying thing to do. “We were out here because, I’m a werewolf and they help me on full moons, to make sure I don’t kill anyone”

He tenses next to you, not looking at you as you lift your head off his shoulder Oh merlin she thinks I’m a monster this was a mistake but you don’t run away like he thought you would, you turn slightly and wrap your arms around his neck hugging him.

His eyes went wider for a moment before pulling you closer, wrapping his arms around your waist, burying his face into your shoulder and letting out slight sobs. But you just hold him rocking slightly and playing with his soft curls.

Even though Remus was literally crying, the air was so calm and still, the stag had bounded off somewhere ‘See you later, James’ he must have just been there to make sure nothing happened to Remus but now was ok giving us some space.

After a while his sobs stopped shaking his shoulders. “Thank you for telling me Remi” you say softly with a gentle smile, he pulls back from your shoulder to look into your eyes.

“Y-you’re not scared of me?” “I could never been scared of you, I couldn’t give a flying fruit flavored fuck that you’re a werewolf, cause you’re still my Remus” I’m her Remus, I’m still the same person to her

Remus gave a small yet delighted smile “Can I tell you another secret?” “I’d be offended if you didn’t tell me” you both smile

“I’ve fancied you since like third year” his cheeks started heating up, giving them a light tinge of pink

“Ok, my turn to share a secret?” He nodded, he could tell where it was going “I’ve liked you since third year too” 

You both were smiling like goofs before he tackle hugged you, making you both fall back to the floor giggling and looking into each others eyes I wanna kiss her so bad right now

“Can I share one more secret? You have to know before anything else happens” Your smile fell slightly, Remus frowned “You can tell me anything, I’d be offended if you didn’t tell me” he echos your words, Considering I just told you I was a werewolf I doubt that it’s as bad

“Ok so, I can read minds” you cringed slightly, Remus just blinked a few times “I can’t control it, it’s just I can always hear what’s going on around me, every thought and feeling”

“S-so you knew? About me being a werewolf?” Remus moved off you sitting up ‘what have I done’ you just nod looking down, too ashamed to even look at his face “Did you know that I was taking you here?”

You take a deep breath “Being here has been the most amazing thing to happen to me in a long time, cause I had no clue that you were taking me here, it was quite exciting really” You give a small sad smile

“But I guess I ruined it all haven't I? This is why I don’t tell people cause they get freaked out, but in all honesty, I hate it! I hate knowing what people think and say about me, I hate knowing when a prank is coming” You take a deep breath.

“I hate that I’ve made you hate me” a single tear falls down your cheek

“Who says I hate you? I think your mind reading might be a little off because I don’t hate you” You finally look over to him 

“You don’t?”

“No! I mean I’m not going to lie it’s a little scary to know you’ve known that I’ve had a crush on you, and the whole werewolf thing, but I actually think it’s kinda cool” He smiles, you smile back wiping your tears with the heel of your palm.

“Wait, is that why you always know what to say and do around moons!” he says with a shocked smile, you laugh a little and nod “Oh thank the founders! I thought someone had told you! Can I just say that you help so much around moons when the lil’ shit is being aggravating!” 

You laugh with him, someone being almost excited that you’ve read their mind was new and refreshing,

“Whoa, everything makes so much sense now” He smiles at you, at genuin toothy grin that you can’t help returning, you end up giving into temptation and lean forward giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, making his cheeks go red.

“You’re so cute when you blush” you tease, he scrunches up his nose a bit before tackling you again, cageing you between his arms, he looks into your eyes I wonder how she looks when she blushes.

You raise an eyebrow at him “Have you already forgotten what I just told you” he just jokingly glares at you, a slight mischievous look in his eyes before leaning down and placing kisses all over your face as you giggle “Remi, sto-o-op”

“Alright, but can I kiss you here?” he takes one hand and touches your lips, now it’s your turn to blush

“Yes, please” Moving his hand away he leans down and gives you a very quick kiss to your lips

“Again?” you pout slightly, he smirks “You’re adorable” he kisses you again, this time not pulling away.

Bonus:

Sirius and James are standing behind a tree smirking at their ‘shy’ friend being a smug tease “We’re so good” Sirius whispers high fiving James

You pull away from Remus for a moment, calling out to them “I can hear you!” the two animagi’s eyes widen while you and Remus just laugh before he kisses you again.

[itsclydebitches]

Hey Clyde, did you check out Wonder Egg Priority at all? The first ep is super promising, but the series as a whole is one of those real fascinating disasters from a story and a production standpoint that might be up your alley as a thing to pick apart haha.

I’d warn that it’s also reeeeal offensive and this generally gets worse as it goes though.

Hi, Phoenix! How are you and Cube doing?

Okay, I hadn't watched Wonder Egg Priority when I received your ask this morning. Now I have. In a fit of intense curiosity I settled down for a rare binge session and tore through all twelve episodes + OVA in a single sitting. It is now nearly 3:00am as I write this because I, oh so clearly, make fantastic life choices.

A question for you: what did I just watch?

The rest is going under a read more partly for spoilers, but more-so because WEP—and the summary I'm about to give, because I feel like I need to try and explain this to tumblr's faceless void for my own, dwindling sanity—comes with about every trigger warning under the sun. Seriously, if you are triggered by anything that we might think of as a "standard" trigger (meaning, not unique to you and your own experiences), best to proceed with caution.

Right! What the ever loving fuck happened in this show? Well, let's work through this chronologically. Two genius, frat boy brothers (I get their names mixed up so I'm not even gonna bother) are locked in their apartment and closely monitored because of Super Secret Science Research. Even though, I think, they're the ones who created this company. Not important! What is important is that they're bored enough to create an AI for funsies, thinking of her as their daughter and letting her name herself Frill. Frill is the perfect, cutesy, also genius child who has a habit of popping her lips — which the camera focuses on in an incredibly creepy fashion. One day Brother #1 (the hot one) falls in love with a random woman we know nothing about and Frill gets jealous.

"Jealous in a general sense?" you ask, thinking this show is in any way normal. "Like, just of her Dad giving attention to someone else?"

"No," I respond, patting your hand. "Jealous because she's in love with him." Which, beyond the subject matter itself, comes completely out of nowhere. Frill has a line about what you'd do if some woman stole your husband away. I, fool that I was, briefly considered that these two guys were lovers, not brothers. Oh no. They're brothers. Frill just considers Dad #1 to be her "husband."

So, in true evil AI fashion, she murders the wife, leaving only her newly born child behind. Who is a daughter.

Uh oh.

Dad #1 locks Frill in a coffin-esque hole in the basement and goes on with his life. Things are great! Until years later when the daughter reveals that she has fallen in love with her uncle (Dad #2 to Frill). She knows (somehow??) that both her dad and her uncle loved her mom, so if the loser uncle will just wait a few years he can marry her instead! He brushes her off, but the next day she’s found dead of an apparent suicide.

Realizing that this was somehow Frill’s doing, he marches down to the basement and confronts the murderous child they’ve had locked up for years. She’s now surrounded by screens in, again, true creep AI fashion. How did she get all this while she was locked up? Oh, just the three bug girls she created as friends prior to killing the wife. They’re devoted slaves, I guess. So the uncle says enough of this insanity and seemingly sets Frill on fire.

OH and Frill’s subtitled dialogue also puts “uncle” in quotation marks, implying that the daughter was always Dad #2’s??

Anyway, both brothers are now super obsessed with death and claim that they think Frill has had a hand in lots of girls’ suicides, even now after her own death. This is brought into question later when it’s revealed that they might have just concocted this scheme to try and bring back their daughter. I’m really not sure. Regardless, they use hand-wavey science to create eggs that I guess contain the souls of young girls who have committed suicide, then they sucker in other young girls who have lost people to suicide to try and rescue their loved ones in a dream world, saving others along the way. A tomboyish girl, Momoe, lost a classmate who admitted to loving her, but who Momoe rejected. Rika, a former junior idol, used and rejected an overweight fan only to learn later that she’d starved herself to death. Neiru, the 14yo president of some science company (yup) was attacked by her sister before she jumped off a bridge. Finally Ai, our protagonist, is a victim of bullying who managed to make friends with a single girl, Koito, who then jumped from their school building for unknown reasons. They’re all given the chance to bring these individuals back to life, provided they protect other victims of suicide by defeating the monstrous traumas that drove them to that act in the first place.

And you know what? That concept was great. However, the execution ranges from “Okay, that was pretty good for an anime. Kudos there” to “That’s the most offensive thing I’ve seen in my life.” Needless to say, unpacking all the battles they fight would take a lot more than this already absurd summary. Basically, if you can think of something horrible to happen to young girls (and one trans guy whose existence in that egg undermines the whole message of the episode), there’s an attempt to tackle it here.

During all this the four girls become friends and Ai works through her suspicions about Mr. Sawaki, a teacher at her school. What’s going on with Mr. Sawaki? Uh… everything! He’s somehow connected to Koito’s death, he’s dating Ai’s mom, and Ai apparently loves him too because her friends say so, even though this is never actually addressed and she barely interacts with him. It’s all quite the complication.

In time though the girls complete their “mission” of bringing their loved ones back to life. Rika and Momoe manage it first, only to find that Frill’s bug-girl lackeys have arrived to kill them. Why? Because that’s what Frill does, I guess. Momoe’s crocodile familiar (cute animals the girls were gifted to help them fight) takes a killing blow for her and the bug-lady then proceeds to carve up his corpse and force feed it to Momoe. Fantastic!! Building off of that, the next bug-lady who Rika encounters kills her turtle too, following in the footsteps of her bug-sister by, presumably, forcing her to eat parts of its head. Ai refuses to sacrifice her familiar to stay alive, but luckily the suicide she was protecting turns out to be herself from a parallel universe (that's a thing now!) and she takes the killing blow herself, which is done by pulling out the eye she’s sensitive about (she has heterochromia.) So parallel Ai passes on (again?) and the three girls don’t work through this trauma at all, instead becoming more traumatized through the realization that the loved ones they brought back no longer remember them. They’re alive, but the relationship they all had with them is dead.

It’s about this point that the main storyline wraps up and I’m relieved that there’s an OVA to finish things off. Surely they can somehow bring this all together in 45 minutes.

…25 minutes of that OVA is recap.

So with only about 20 minutes left, we learn that Neiru, the only one to not complete her mission yet, has mysteriously gone missing. It turns out she was an AI/clone/something all along, made to replace her sister and, presumably, that’s what caused the whole stabbing-suicide incident. She successfully brings her sister back, but stays behind in the dream world because Frill promises her she can become human. How is Frill here when she’s dead? How will Neiru become human? Isn’t Frill the “temptation of death” or whatever? There are no answers. A flashback finally reveals that Koito was having a relationship with a teacher at another school, he committed suicide, she transferred, she tried the same thing with Mr. Sawaki, he kept refusing her advances, and finally while threatening suicide to get his attention, she accidentally fell.

(So why was she in the suicide egg if it was an accident??)

Except, all this information comes through Mr. Sawaki himself, there’s a whole subplot about whether he’s really a villain, or if Ai is just making him into one, and this show might as well be titled How Much Pedophilia Can We Put into One Anime? So make of that what you will.

A dead character randomly shows up, but it's fine because she's actually just a version from a parallel world. How did she get here? Why is she here? Lol, it's cute that you think these are answered.

Rika, the character who cuts and almost committed suicide halfway through the show, breaks down saying how much she misses her dead loved ones, right after her friends refused to let her go on another mission that would surely end in her death and… that’s it. That’s all we get about her.

Momoe too, though she’s hopefully just vibing somewhere with that longed-for boyfriend.

Ai transfers schools and then one day randomly remembers that she loves Neiru and rushes back to start cracking eggs again because that will? Somehow?? Let her see Neiru???

When I say there are too many unanswered questions to possibly list here I really, really mean it.

Finally, in a personal attack on me, the protagonist with a name that is literally AI is not in any way an artificial intelligence.

And that’s it! Congratulations, you now “understand” WEP. And see, the funny thing is that the off-the-rails, bat-shit crazy aspects kind of catch you off guard? Yeah, the first episode is fantastic. In fact, I think I got through about six episodes thinking that this was a solid, if at times really messed up anime, but I was willing to shrug off a lot of stuff due solely to the amount of sensitive material they were attempting to cover (which is always quite difficult to do). Probably the only reason I was able to binge so fast was because the first half of the series was so engaging. The characters are charming. The animation is GORGEOUS. There's actually a ton of good here that is also worth yelling about. But then the plot comes in like a freight train and I was left staring dumbfounded at my screen as more and more insanity kept happening. Having watched the "explanations" I am now more confused about the show I just saw.

Phoenix, if you’ve bothered to read this rambling, 3:00am rant: thank you. I think? Idk if I should actually be thanking you or cursing you for tuning me into this, but it was definitely an experience, that’s for sure lol.

I'm off to bed now RIP the chance of having normal dreams ✌️

[mrpenguinpants]

hellooo this is not a request but what do u think of the new upcoming character (he'll probably get release like... at least after 2 years ig TAT) Dainsleif?

Major spoilers for Kaeya’s Character Story and Khaenri'ah Lore. 

TLDR: I like the potential Dainsleif has plus his design is really nice. He might be a catalyst or sword user with empowered auto's or he might be similar to Zhongli that uses field effects and has a delete button for his elemental burst. 

I have many theories on who Dainsleif is and that he is either some type of traveler/god/homunculus and he has the element of ash or quintessence. The opposite of dendro and nature. I'd like to believe that the lore of Khaenri'ah relates to his story and his attitude (since he's from there originally) and it's a desolate place with no archon blessings so the people themselves had to develop their own methods to survive, hence the art of alchemy Khemia. When Dainsleif get's introduced, mostly likely towards the very end, we might find out why Scaramouche said the sky and the stars was a gigantic hoax and the truth behind Kaeya. 

---

ANON. YOU. YOU GET A COOKIE. I LOVE TALKING ABOUT STORY AND CHARACTER LORE SO MUCH.

Please, if any of you wanna talk about this I’m totally on board. I love Dainsleif and I’m so upset he’ll probably be released towards end game so yeah two years at least;; 

Okay, so level with me. I’m about to bring out the whiteboard for this. I tried to format it so it was easier to digest but this is pure word vomit and I went overboard again. 

What do u think of the new upcoming character Dainsleif?

I’m very excited. I think his design is beautiful and I want those lore bomb drops. 

Firstly, I can’t wait for him to drop. I’m always a sucker for lore and he’s been dropping hints from the start since he narrates all the character’s collected miscellany. He does remind of me Dimitri from FE3H but I’m excited for more Khaenri’ah lore. 

I have some theories about where the story will go with him and  Khaenri’ah but those are some major spoilers so I left a read more tag if you’re interested. 

Tumblr won’t let me upload his splash art but just google it lol.

Which weapon will he use? 

Catalyst or Sword. He might have empowered autos like Diluc and Razor or he might apply a mark like Childe. 

I can see him being a castor since his right arm is glowing. But he might also be a sword user that uses empowered auto’s like Diluc and Razor. Since the name Dainsleif was King Högni's sword during the battle of Hjaðningavíg. According to the reliable source of wiki, whatever wound the Dainsleif sword cause could not be healed. 

I think it would be cool if his auto’s apply a stack/mark (similar to Childe’s riptide mark), and after 3 auto’s the mark is consumed and the enemy gets dealt heavy damage. Or maybe you can apply debuffs like “defense down” or maybe even a blind, based on the number to stacks you have on the mark. 

What vision will he have?

A hydro vision or a custom one (similar to a delusion). Or he doesn’t have a vision at all and uses alchemy or is secretly a “god”.

As for vision, he might be a hydro character since his splash art appears like he’s coming out of a ball of water. I’ve heard people say he might be cyro also, which wouldn’t be extremely off if visions actually correspond with their user. 

Or he might be introduced with an entirely new element (perhaps a new type of alchemy?). His star is a dark blue too so he might have the element of black mist/dust or ash/shadows as a potential power. 

In the Albedo trailer he mentions:

"But I know it well. It hails from Khaenri'ah: The Art of Khemia. Soil and chalk, the universe and earth, pure dust and the birth of life.”

Perhaps this is the vision/power that Dainsleif has? Maybe even the creator or maybe he even taught Albedo’s Master how to do Khemia. I don’t think he really encompasses the Geo vision (I will seriously write an 11 page essay on how vision’s correspond with their holder). We don’t know a lot about Dendro but I think he might be related to it. But just like Khaenri’ah, he’s reflects the opposite. Instead of “birth of life” and tree’s, he’s the “death of life” and ash. (wow doesn’t that sound deep lolol sorry I don’t really know how to explain it). The way he talks in trailers, he says “mortals” a lot but does vouch for them so it makes me wonder if he might actually be a god. 

Also his title is the “Bough Keeper”. A bough means: a main branch of a tree. This makes me believe that he can either do something similar to what Albedo showed us and can create life or he does the opposite and creates ash. Honestly, a part of me believes he might just have generic moveset’s like everyone else but let me dream lol. 

Or he might not even be a vision holder since we don’t see him holding one, but we only have this angle and art to go off on. He might even use stars haha. If anyone remembers, during the falling star event, Scaramouche says the sky and stars were a gigantic hoax. I would not be surprised if the world is actually upside down or the “sky” isn’t even a sky at all. More like a sheet over Teyvat or some kind of illusion. 

Or another theory, perhaps Dainsleif is the god of time since he says in Travail during the Traveler chapter:

“Defeat me, command me to step aside, show me that you are worthier than I to rescue her. Then, the threads of all fate will be yours to re-weave“

It would explain how he knows so much about the other characters and what happened in the past since he brings up “the war” a lot. I’m assuming it’s either the Archon War or something before that. 

Or mihoyo could shred my thesis paper and Dainsleif has nothing to do with this and he’s some random guy from Khaenri’ah with plot convivence. 

---

I just want to mention at the bottom of this, but the classical elements are water, earth, fire, air and (later) aether. I find it funny that the male MC shares the name. 

“Aether, also called quintessence, is the fifth and highest classical element. It’s a material that fills the region of the universe above the terrestrial sphere.” 

“It permeates all nature and is the substance composing the celestial bodies. The essence of a thing in its purest and most concentrated form,”

Or this is just a hint to the traveler’s power since the traveler is the only one that can use all the elements. 

Possible moveset?

He might use stars or air/anemo in his moveset. He could be a very good dps with a lot of trapping potential. Or he might be a field effect support like Albedo, but can still do a lot of damage. 

Imagine Dainsleif uses stars haha, throwing them to do damage like Ningguang’s rocks. The splash art of him shows two stars in the top left. He might have a teleport (similar to Keqing + Mona dash), or maybe he could even have some sort of telekinesis with his right arm. I’m just getting Xayah from league of legends vibes where he can throw the star, it places itself at max range, then he can recall them and the star does damage on the way back. Similar to how Keqing’s elemental skill works but instead of teleporting to the stiletto, the stiletto comes back to you when you press e again. (Sorry I play on keyboard). 

The opposite of nature is void or cosmos so that could be relating to his power as well since the only animation we get of him is in Teyvat Chapter Storyline Preview: Travail (I’m just gonna say Travail) and this black mist comes from his hand and he says: 

“"We will defy this world with a power from beyond.”

Could be interesting hehe. He might even be a field effect character like Albedo. He doesn’t really strike me as the guy that likes fighting but in the Albedo trailer he says: 

“I am content to watch most crises play out from the sidelines. But if Albedo were ever to make a single wrong move...I could not let myself ignore it.”.

Seems to be that Dainsleif is pretty powerful or at least has some type of influence. It could be interesting if he’s similar to Zhongli and has a giant delete button for his elemental burst haha. Or he has some type of imprisonment power like Mona’s burst. Or as I mentioned earlier, it would be fun having telekinesis but this is just me taking liberties haha. 

(and yes I totally understand that I’m forcing the story to support my theory BUT IGNORE IT OK.)

Black Mist/Dust and Ash/Shadows?

Uh I gave up on these summaries lol 

I touched on it briefly but I say black mist or shadows since I believe that Khaenri’ah is probably not a good place to live originally. Similar to how Mondstadt was in the past, it is probably surrounded by some type of barrier (hence the mist or even the sky) that both traps and makes sure no one get’s in or out. Khaenri’ah is quite the opposite of most regions besides the whole “no archon” business but in “Travai”, when Dainsleif brings up Khaenri’ah this shows up:

It seems like a star to me in some hidden pocket in the sky and what not. This is what I would assume Scaramouche saw (possibly, we have no idea) and therefore there are people and an entire region that’s in the sky. But why would  Khaenri’ah be above Celestia? Since you can see Celestia in Teyvat. I would like to think that Teyvat is either upside down and Khaenri’ah is actually below everything or this pocket in the sky isn’t even in Teyvat and is similar to how you reach spiral abyss. You have to go through this circle in Cape Oath and you get sucked into this worm hole thing and you make it to Musk Reef. Where we saw Scarachmouche and he tells us the sky is a hoax. 

This idea kinda supports my idea that Teyvat is either upside down or the sky isn’t real since how could Dainsleif know who all these people are (since he narrates all the 5 star character’s trailers). Either the man is just really smart and travel’s around a lot but he’s aware of who Zhongli is, an archon from 6000 years ago. This makes me believe he is either a god himself or if he is also a homunculus. Or he’s in the third category and perhaps he’s also a traveler like the main character’s.

I don’t believe he’s an archon but it would be interesting if he was a potential candidate for becoming the Khaenri’ah archon. Since I believe vision holders (human) can become archons and rise to Celestia but Dainsleif refused or he was capable of becoming an Archon

“A human with a Vision is an allogene — one with the potential to reach godhood; however, it isn't clear if having a Vision is a requirement, or simply makes a person more likely to meet the qualifications to reach Celestia.”

But going back to the state of Khaenri’ah, I’d like to think that since the art of Khemia is from Khaenri’ah that would mean that they had to learn how to make their own food and life since they didn’t have an archon to bless their lands. Barbatos had swept the snow and land away in the region of Mondstadt but Khaenri’ah doesn’t have that luxury. Naturally, I would imagine that there are some downsides of Khemia when it was first being practiced, hence the ash. But ash isn’t a bad thing, in fact you can use ash to amend soil and boost your lawn. 

But obviously having a vision would be a whole lot more useful since it’s literally god given talent/blessing so if you have a vision, you might be able to break out and go to the “above” world of Teyvat. If you have a vision you’re seen as being blessed by the gods and you might be able to ascend to Celestia itself. I believe that Khaenri’ah is secretly the abyss and doesn’t see the sun so it’s always dark and it’s hard to grow anything so the people of Khaenri’ah had to find ways to make their own food, hence alchemy. This could be why Dainsleif is so adamant about humanity and questioning the Archons and visions. 

If we are going on the theory that Dainsleif is actually a normal human, then I’d like to imagine he was one of the people that prayed for a vision or some type of blessing and finally got it. But an incident happened and he lost his faith or resolve in the Archons. He mentions it a tiny bit in the Diluc trailer but this is just me spit balling. 

Also, Kaeya’s talents also mention about an abyss and void before the change. I don’t think abyss was made to relate to the abyss order and more the actual definition of abyss but it’s still interesting. 

What is Khemia?

Well I don’t know and I don’t know how accurate google is but let’s try and go through it together. I have no idea if what I’m about to type is offensive since I do not have a history degree and I’m pretty much paraphrasing what google tells me.

---

So Khemia, is an Egyptian sacred science. When Egypt was occupied by the Arabs they added “al-” to the world “Khemia” and “al-Khemia”. Al-Khemia means “The Black Land” and is now seen as a possibly origin of the world alchemy. 

Not gonna lie, I did not know al-khemia meant the black land so idk if my hindsight is 2020 or it was just super obvious for my monkey brain. 

As for the world “Chemeia”, it was used to designate the art of metal-working, specifically changing base metals into gold and silver. The Arabs later prefixed it with “al” and the world “alchemy”. Alchemy came to signify the art of chemistry in general. However the word "Chemeia” was probably derived from the Greek word “chemi” which means “black”. This could be because: 

In the sense of "dark" or "hidden", since the Dark, Hidden or Divine Art was the only name by which this science was known to the ancients.

However, the word chemistry might have had a Chinese origin.  It may have been derived from the Hakka term KIM-MI or the Cantonese term KEM-MAI, which signifies "gone astray in search of gold" or "secret of gold". 

Assuming it’s from Egyptian origin, the ancient Egyptian word khēmia means the transmutation of earth, thereby the science of matter at the atomic to molecular scale. According to some etymologists, khēmia or “preparation of black powder” ultimately derived the name from Khem or Kēme, Egypt, the land of black earth. 

---

So if we are going with the Chinese origin, I’d like to think that this is a hint towards the story and people trying to find the “gold” or perhaps a vision. This could explain why Kaeya was sent to Mondstadt to hopefully require a vision and come back. 

What is the lore behind Khaenri’ah then?

So, why do I think the people of Khaenri’ah are looking to be saved or want a vision so badly? Well, time to go through the entire Khaenri’ah lore with you lads. 

The Khaenri’ah lore goes as this:

At least 200 years ago, the Eclipse Dynasty threw the kingdom into chaos (meaning it was the last Dynasty).

The people were cursed and transformed into monsters.

Mondstadt’s Knights and Grand Master Arundolyn went on an expedition to Khaenri’ah to fight off the monsters.

In the present,  Khaenri’ah is still struggling against the effects of the curse. Kaeya was sent to Mondstadt as their last hope and for the sake of the “ancient plot”.

1. For those not aware, China’s time periods were separated into Dynasty’s (sort of). The Chinese characters of “Eclipse Dynasty” are [古国黑日落] or "The Ancient Civilization of the Black Sunset". There is probably some type of history or connection to this since Zhongli’s voicelines are full of them but this post is long enough and I don’t know if people want to or care about hearing Chinese history but um let me know? Cause I’m really into that and I will gladly write about it.

2. We’re not completely aware if the people transformed into Hilichurls or were apart of the Abyss Order. But since the last dynasty was literally called Eclipse I would like to believe this supports my idea that Khaenri’ah isn’t someplace you can easily reach and you have to entire a fucking worm hole to get to. I’m in love with the idea that Khaenri’ah is the spiral abyss or at least part of it, that Childe fell into when he was a younger. Perhaps even the spiral abyss is where he landed since time technically doesn’t pass in spiral and it’s just a wave of enemies. I would 100% not be shocked if we have to enter the that wormhole to get to Khaenri’ah or something similar. 

3. Arundolyn was a previous Grand Master and while he did not possess a Vision, he was naturally gifted through intense training. He was formerly one of the Four Winds and had the title of “Lion of Light”. So Khaenri’ah is possible to get to and someone from Mondstadt has done it, but without a vision. The Traveler also doesn’t carry a vision so it might be interesting to see. Kaeya didn’t get his vision until he was 18? 17? When he had a falling out with Diluc. 

I would like to think that perhaps the Archon’s betrayed Khaenri’ah or someone fucked up in their pursuit to develop Khemia to it’s fullest potential or wanted to make their own vision, hence the delusion and how it transforms Childe into a foul legacy form. The Dragonspine lore could point to how Celestia has the power to seal away Khaenri’ah. This also might have been where Dainsleif lost his resolve (assuming he’s a human and just happened to get some sort of power or is really good at Khemia he saw the past or fate or whatever lol)

“Murals, Record of Serial No., and other lore bits in Dragonspine indicate that those who dwelled there attempted to fight against Celestia but lost. As punishment, the Skyfrost Nail was dropped, and the area was turned into a frozen wasteland.

Therefore, people with visions cannot enter Khaenri’ah because of the Archon’s and people that receive visions (which I still think is highly unlikely if you’re in Khaenri’ah) might be able to break out. Think of spiral abyss as some sort of “purgatory” except to enter Khaenri’ah you go down. To get out, you start AT FLOOR 12 and make your way up. Similar to Kid Icarus and how the hardest level was at the beginning and as you went up, it slowly became easier. 

4. I like the idea that Khaenri’ah is a land that either doesn’t have vision holders or the people that do have visions aren’t seen the same way as other regions. People are are actually cursed by the Gods or people that require visions leave Khaenri’ah because they now have the power to. In Travail Dainsleif says this:

"Some say a few are chosen and the rest are dregs, but I say we humans have our humanity. We will defy this world from a power from beyond”

Naturally these are his ideals and I’d like to believe that Khaenri’ah is actually split on this. Some believe in Dainsleif ideals while the other half doesn’t. If we’re going on the theory that Khaenri’ah is actually the abyss then the abyss order makes a bit more sense. 

Plus the idea that Lumine/Aether (I think the story is just going to stick with Lumine being the “villain ”) working for the abyss, it could be because their twin was separated by an unknown god. Aether was asleep and plagued by nightmares with his sister saying “it was too late”, perhaps he lost his memory since he doesn’t know what he was late for? Maybe this is what she meant since I’d assume the story has you going from place to place and the Archon’s stepping down like in Liyue and the Tsaritsa collecting all the gnosis. 

Why is the Tsaritsa collecting all the gnosis?

“She is a god with no love left for her people, nor do they have any left for her. Her followers only hope to be on her side when the day of her rebellion against the divine comes at last."

I can imagine that Tsarista or the Cyro archon is collecting all the gnosis because she believes in the Khaenri’ah attitude and is apart of the ancient plot or is trying to protect them somehow since she isn’t an evil person based on Childe’s voicelines:

“Her Royal Highness the Tsaritsa is actually a gentle soul. Too gentle, in fact, and that's why she had to harden herself. Likewise, she declared war against the whole world only because she dreams of peace. And because she made an enemy of the world, I had the chance to become acquainted with you.”

Or maybe even more interesting, she was actually a citizen of Khaenri’ah since the Tsaritsa wasn’t apart of the original seven but this is a huge stretch. Maybe she’s collecting all the gnosis to finally break the seal on Khaenri’ah? Plus the people of Sneznaya strike me as “I don’t care if you’re blessed by the gods or have a vision, if you can fight then you’re good in our books”. Plus the people of Khaenri’ah are probably pretty mad at the Archons so when the rebellion does come I’d assume the Tsaritsa wants them on her side. 

What happened to Kaeya?

Now Kaeya’s character story goes into how he met Diluc and Crepus. It’s hinted that it was on purpose since Kaeya’s father left him there specifically. 

"One afternoon near the end of summer a decade ago, my father and I passed by the Dawn Winery."

This matter-of-fact description hides a carefully constructed lie. Kaeya has never once spoken the truth about what happened that afternoon:

"This is your chance. You are our last hope."

Kaeya would never forget the look of both hope and hatred in his father's eyes as he uttered those words.

Now you can interpret this as many things, either collecting all the gnosis and obtaining a vision to hopefully come back to save Khaenri’ah could be what he meant or he want’s Kaeya to stop the Abyss Order from literally setting Teyvat on fire. You can probably sympathize with the Abyss Order if we are following the theory that they are actually the mutated monsters of Khaenri’ah citizen’s during the Eclipse dynasty but it’s also like, how about we not set the world on fire ya know?

But interestingly, the reason why Kaeya’s father left him with Diluc’s family is because they have a long history of participating in the rebellion against Decarabian 2,600 years ago and Vennessa’s rebellion against the Aristocracy. 

What will happen when Dainsleif get’s introduced?

So, I’m fully on board with the “Kaeya being the secret prince of Khaenri’ah” theory. I like the idea that Dainsleif is Kaeya’s servant or trusted advisor but I think that’s mainly rooted in the ship. Dainsleif strikes me more as someone who observes and only steps in if he has to because it might affect fate or whatever.

“I am content to watch most crises play out from the sidelines. But if Albedo were ever to make a single wrong move...I could not let myself ignore it.” 

I don’t think Dainsleif is the King of Khaenri’ah that Jean mentions in her hobbies voiceline but perhaps he was related to them somehow. Maybe the first King or the King that Jean mentions was real and Dainsleif was his friend or the God that helped him become King, then the Eclipse Dynasty happened and everything went downhill. Since I believe in Kaeya being a secret prince from  Khaenri’ah, Dainsleif would still be somewhat loyal to the Kingdom or perhaps he had lost faith after what happened and how so many people got corrupted and turned into monsters. 

I was talking about this with my friend but what if genshin pulls an fgo and “kills” Kaeya? Similar to FGO where Leonardo “died” in a car accident and when we visited a shop, there was just a hologram. What if genshin’s story kills Kaeya in a cutscene, and we can no longer use him since Kaeya was a free character, only to return as - THE 5 STAR WE WERE ALL WAITING FOR - the prince of Khaenri’ah.

When will we see Dainsleif?

According to the “Travail” the order of appearances is this: 

I believe part 1 is finished with Zhongli and dragonspine was just an add on for Albedo. But this makes me believe that Dainsleif and Khaenri’ah will be after we go to Snezhnaya. Also side note, the music for Natlan slaps hard. 

---

But yeah, I kinda went a bit off track and started talking about the story haha. I really love lore so if anyone has any questions about other characters or want’s to discuss the genshin story I am all ears^^. Also, if any of this becomes true in two years time I WILL BE BACK TO SAY I TOLD YOU SO. 

Or genshin prepares to rip this post apart and none of it is true. If you actually read my word vomit I appreciate you and you get a free cookie. If you’re wondering where I’ve been, it was writing this haha. 

[votederpycausemufins]

Chapter three for Surprisingly Familiar. It’s time to get to the real plot of this thing!

@petrichormeraki is the maker of the hermit Tommy au, @helleborusangel likes to read these and give me their rambles which are my beloved, and then check my tumblr for my masterpost of things I’ve made.

“Hey Paul, you’re done talking with X, right?” Bdubs asked as he noticed Paul walking by.

“Uh, yeah. He said he could let a guest in for a little bit because he needs to talk with Phil and Phil’d rather stay here instead of coming to the castle.”

“Yeah yeah, sounds great.” Bdubs sad, waving it off. “Hey, new question. Paul what the heck was that back there?!” He shouted, making a number of hermits look over.

“Hey, calm down, keep things off tap.” Paul tried to calm the hermit down, but it didn’t work that much.

“Oh this is Hermitcraft. We don’t do things on tap. Except Tommy but that’s different. Now, what were you doing back there?” And Bdubs pointed towards the room Paul and Phil had talked in. From the crowd, Jrum felt a little nervous, wondering if it was something he did, but the answer calmed the bot.

“Calm down. It was something Hoodie taught me. I’m sure Zedaph can back me up.”

Behind Bdubs, Zed stopped slurping from a coffee cup that was actually filled with a slushie. “Yeah, don’t worry he’s fine. No necromancy.”

“See? I just wanted a private conversation.” Paul replied, though Bdubs still looked grumpy.

“Alright, don’t make me call in Genny.” And Bdubs signalled that he was watching Paul before walking off. As he left, Scar took his place, seeming pretty confused.

“So, what’s with him?”

Paul sighed. “He’s not a fan of certain types of magic. I did a bit of necromancy for a time and there was someone else in the world who essentially became a dark lord, so Bdubs and some others became witch hunters.”

“Huh, That’s not something I would have guessed.” Scar said. “I mean, I’m a wizard and he’s been fine with me.”

Paul looked a little stunned. “Oh really? Didn’t realize. What style are you? My friend Hoodie is coming in for a quick visit. He’s ars based.”

Scar laughed a little. “Is that so? Haven’t seen many of those. I’ve got a mix. Vex magic and crystalline. Cub’s also a user of vex magic.”

Paul nodded. “That’s nice. How many magic users you got around here?”

The hermit mayor started to count on his fingers. “So there’s me and Cub. Pretty sure Stress has some. Cleo’s definitely got some magic. Grian of course. Uh, not sure if Joe does or not. I think Xisuma’s just-”

“Xel- er, Grian’s got some magic?”

“Yeah. And I guess the kids probably do too. Not sure right now.” Scar said, before looking Paul in the eye. “You're not going to freak out about Grian having magic, right? You’ve already got him upset which gets us upset.”

“Yeah, I know.” Paul sighed. “Just been through a lot. I get overly worried sometimes, and to me, I suddenly hear that ‘kid involved in murders is now causing wars in the world my friends are in.’ So yeah, sort of thought the worst.”

Scar inhaled sharply. “Okay, yeah. I can see what made you freak out. But Grian’s fine. He’s been through a lot and while technically he’s caused chaos, it’s never something we hate and normally we’re all in on it somehow.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah, you should hear about the sewer cats.”

“Can’t wait to hear about it. Haven’t seen any letters about it.”

Scar nodded, before being just a little confused. “So, is there a reason you’re always using letters instead of other stuff? I’m sure some of the others could make you something that would work.”

Paul nodded. “I don’t doubt that they could for the most part. I just deal with a lot of factors and have always preferred the tried and true method. I’m all over the place and sometimes I can only really bring along paper.”

“What do you do?” Scar asked, interest piqued.

“Let’s see. Not sure if Phil’s told you, but he used to be king.” Scar nodded. It wasn’t Phil, but Grian had mentioned it. “Well, I’m one as well. Hoodie’s my right hand man and royal mage.”

“Ah, and you said he’s the one visiting?”

“Yeah. So I end up busy there a lot. I also spend a lot of my time visiting my kids so I’m going from world to world. Then, there’s also my wife and she’s in the world we raised the kids in which is essentially my main home.”

“And that’s what?”

“Uh, the same one I found Xe- sorry, Grian in ages ago.” Paul answered. “And I’ve got a job there that doesn’t really work with comms sometimes, but paper is easy enough to have on hand, especially enchanted paper.” And Paul took out a sheet of paper, handing it to Scar.

Scar took the paper and looked it over. As he moved it, he could see how the light caught the slightly physical aspect of the magic, much like how enchantments could be seen. “This looks good. You can hardly see the magic but I can tell it’s there. What all is on here?”

“Mostly stuff to get it to the right recipient and make it illegible if you’re trying to read it and it’s not for you.”

“Ah. That’s a commonly known one for ars mages, right?” Scar asked. “I haven’t heard much about them.”

Paul nodded. “Yeah. That’s due to the mage wars. They happened a number of years back before Hoodie was alive. He’s the main reason things are sort of getting back to normal for those guys.” Paull pulled out an old communicator which looked like it was being held together with duct tape and prayers. “He should be here pretty soon. He said he was only going to get a few books and amulets. And your admin said he would be able to get in.”

Almost as soon as Paul had said something, a message went out that someone new had joined the world. Xisuma sent a message that he would go to help the guest to Aque Town and from there Paul and Scar just waited for the two others to arrive. Xisuma was the first to arrive, gliding down on his elytra. The other person wore a royal purple hooded robe and seemed to arrive with the use of an ender pearl, but Scar didn’t see them use one.

Paul was the first to move, going over to the other person. “Hoodie! You made it!”

With the confirmation that this was the mage coming in, Scar followed along, a bit excited to meet someone new with magic. “Of course Sir. You did ask for my presence.”

Scar watched as Paul put an arm around Hoodie’s shoulder. “You don’t need to be so formal here. In fact, here. This is Scar. He’s the mayor, and based on the kind of place this is, I’d say he’s the local hedgewizard.”

“Ah, I see. It is nice to meet you. My name is Hoodie. I am King Soares’ right hand man and royal mage.”

Scar shook Hoodie’s hand, getting a slight shock. “It’s nice to meet you too. Paul already said I’m Scar. I’m guessing you’re a lightning mage or something?”

Hoodie took his hand back. “Ah, sorry about that. Yes I am. Or at least I specialize in it. Same as my father lest he’s recently changed his affinity.”

“Well I don’t know enough about your kind of magic to know what that really means.”

Paul walked away as the two magic users started to discuss their various forms of magic and wizardry. He needed to find Phil again since the main reason Hoodie was even there was so that Phil could get more of the enchanted paper. Not wanting to drag the mage away, Paul was instead going after his brother since he was the one insisting he wouldn’t take any of it without knowing for sure it was enchanted by Hoodie. After that, Hoodie would help out a bit around the world as repayment for Xisuma letting him on, then the two of them would head back home. At least, that was the plan.

. .

.

Drawing him away from the nest was almost laughably easy. Grian and Mumbo were both asleep and the chicken was theoretically trapped. At least trapped enough it wasn’t going to escape into the room itself. And then it could only see out the window and not into the room which was a big plus. Because of that, it was simple enough to have viridian magic surround the prison and really ensure the chicken wouldn’t be getting out.

“You know.” The person spoke in a whisper, making Grian twitch ever so slightly in his sleep, but not wake up. “You’re really making this far too easy. I thought it would be difficult with those guests of yours here, but it turns out everyone’s distracted by them. And they put you in such a perfect position. Let’s just move you to somewhere a bit more private, hmm?”

Grian of course didn’t wake up, but as the person left, a bit more magic appeared around Grian, and then a few moments later, he woke up with a start. Grian looked around, glad to see there was only Mumbo and a box in the corner. For a moment he was confused about it, but faint clucking from inside helped him figure out what it was. But something still felt off.

Grian went to shake Mumbo awake, but he hesitated a moment before actually waking him up. “Mumbo. Mumbo!” And Mumbo woke up from his name being shouted, looking around to see what was going on. “Mumbo, I think we’ve been up here too long. Something feels wrong.”

Mumbo pulled out his communicator to look at the time. “Oh dear! It does look like we have been here a while. It also looks like someone else has shown up.”

“Really?” Grian asked, pulling his own comm out to look at the message. “There’s no way this person would just happen to show up today of all days for no reason. What if they’re someone else with… I want to check on the kids.”

Mumbo stood up and then helped Grian to his feet. “Don’t worry. I’m sure if anything happened, the other hermits would be taking care of the boys. We can of course check on them, but you don’t want your panic to make them panic.”

Grian nodded and from there the two of them went back down to the ground floor, leaving Kokatori behind. Finding the new person was rather easy as he and Scar were both standing on the street of Aque Town facing each other. Scar was currently donning his wizard robe over his Aque Town outfit. In his hands, he held a number of crystals that Grian thought he was never going to see again.

The other person was wearing a purple robe and held a wand in one hand and a book with a yellow cover in the other. His hood had fallen back slightly, so Grian was able to see as the other person glanced over at him when he got closer. Normally the avian would assume it was just because he was getting close and was noticed, but there was some sort of emotion in the eyes that made Grian worry.

Both of them had their attention pulled away from each other as Scar moved, a yellow glow around him as he moved like he had a speed effect. When he reached the other person, Grian watched as the Scar’s netherite sword struck them, and then a ring of white magic appeared around them, acting as a shield against further attacks.

Realizing at this point that the two were fighting, Grian moved to try and stop them, but then out of nowhere, lightning struck the ground in front of him, making him stop. When Grian looked back up, both mages were looking over to him and then Scar called out. “Hey, don’t worry! We’re just doing some sparring! It was my idea!”

“Are you sure? Who even is this?”

“His name’s Hoodie. Royal mage of Paul it looks like.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Grian asked, concerned.

“Yeah, it just sounds like he was jumping to conclusions when he saw you. I’m sure it’s going to be fine if you talk to him again.”

Grian wasn’t completely convinced, but pretended enough for Scar to look back at Hoodie and then continue their sparring. Slowly, the avian started moving to where everyone else probably was, still in the party building. Mumbo followed him along, but eventually he passed Grian when the builder decided to actually watch the magic battle.

Scar seemed to mainly be using regular combat, but enhanced by his crystals which actually seemed to be doing something. Hoodie, on the other hand, was using his wand and casting a number of spells from his book. At one point, Grian watched the mage fumble a little bit to pull out a book with a green cover before casting a new spell that he hadn’t used yet.

Grian didn’t realize he was just standing there alone, and the magicians weren’t really paying much attention to him, but in the span of a few seconds, that all changed. To anyone watching, it would seem like it happened all at once, but really it was just one thing after the other.

Grian was barely aware of the space around him getting the slightest tint of green to it. As soon as that had happened, Hoodie turned away from Scar and instead faced Grian, pulling out a new red spell book. Scar was the next to react, still under the effects of his yellow crystal. He started to pull out a red crystal, accidentally pulling a pink one out at the same time. He threw them towards Grian just as Hoodie began to cast some magic aimed at Grian, but also in the direction of what would be in the path of the crystals.

Seeing multiple things coming his way, Grian started to panic, wings moving to act as a shield since he currently wasn’t holding one. As they moved, the tips of his wings started to change from red to purple, the shift in color working its way to the base of the wings. He couldn’t react fast enough to block everything, but the magic hit both of the crystals, making them shatter into dust. The pink and red dust didn’t completely stay their original colors, some of them charred by the magic attack that hit them, but each tiny piece seemed to glow with its own energy, and even with the, being broken so small, when the cluster hit Grian, there was enough force to make him crash to the ground.

For everyone not watching at that moment in time, they simply heard a large crack of thunder at the same time there was shattering glass, followed by screaming from Grian. Within a matter of seconds, people were racing out of the nearby building, there to see what had happened.

When people got out onto the street, Scar was yelling at Hoodie. “What was that?! Grian wasn’t involved! I thought I could actually- I can’t see why Bdubs actually trusted- I’m guessing he’s changed a lot since-”

“Please, I was just trying to defend myself. He was about to attack me. Didn’t you see it?”

“He was just watching us!”

“No. Your back was turned so you maybe didn’t see it.”

“I should have used a brown crystal too. What kind of spell was that?!” As they yelled, Xisuma was the first to get over to the pair to try and figure out what was going on, getting an answer from Scar. “That Paul guy’s mage just attacked Grian! If I hadn’t done something, it might have killed him!”

“What?” Paul asked, coming over. “Hoodie what just happened?”

The mage looked over to Paul, ignoring Scar and X. “Sir, the hedgewizard and I were simply having a duel to see each other's magic skills. As we battled, this avian mage came by and tried to stop us once. Of course Scar was able to prevent that the first time, but then the mage tried to cast a spell of attack. I was already using a spell to help my reaction time, as was the wizard here, so I began to cast a counterspell. At first I thought Scar was also about to assist me, but instead he seemed to try and stop my spell, causing our magic to collide. It seems to have still-” Hoodie tried to continue, but Paul held up a hand to stop him.

Paul then tried to speak himself, but then his shoulder was ground and he was whirled around by Phil. “Paul, what the fuck? Did you just have your wizard attack Grian?”

“What? No, of course I wouldn’t! It sounds like Grian was trying to attack Hoodie and he defended himself.”

“Yeah sure. Mate, just tell me the truth.”

“I’m just telling you what Hoodie told me. I know just as much as you do at this point other than what he told me.”

Again, the conversation was cut off by Mumbo speaking up, having joined the group. “Grian’s really hurt. His breathing is off and it looks like his wings were hurt enough for them to shift away. There’s also something else, but I can’t place it. Xisuma, can you look at him?”

Everyone moved out of the way for the admin to head towards Grian, but as soon as he took a step, everyone had their comms buzz with two messages. Xisuma peeked over the crowd to look where Grian had been a minute ago. He wasn’t currently lying there, but neither were any items that signified him having died and respawned. That could have been because he had nothing on him at the point, which was unlikely, but could have been what happened.

That being said, the shocked gasps from people who were looking at their comms didn’t assure Xisuma, so the admin pulled up the chat logs on his helmet. Instead of there being a death message for Grian, there were two messages of people leaving the world.

The_Grifter left the world Xelqua left the world.