#can bureaucracy be angsty?

[thegreatlibraryfangirl]

Chapters: 1/? Fandom: The Great Library Series - Rachel Caine Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Niccolo Santi/Christopher Wolfe Characters: Niccolo Santi, Christopher Wolfe (The Great Library), Khalila Seif, Eskander (The Great Library) Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Angst, Existential Crisis, Identity Issues Summary:

Scholar Christopher Wolfe has his Lighthouse office back, his name on the Scholar Steps, papers to publish, and a life to live once more.

But he's having trouble paying his Alexandrian taxes. Never mind. That can wait.

Except, suddenly it can't.

[lostintransist]

Tansy Tea With Honey

Part 1 found here. Bless @spookytragedyshark for having more angsty thoughts. I am a deity of angst for many a good reason, one of those is sacrifice.

The knock at the door surprised you. No one had your new address. Everything you owned—the sad collection of liquor boxes— sat in a neat pile no higher than Callum. You hadn’t even removed your shoes as Callum opened and slammed the kitchen cabinets.

Apprehension saddled your shoulders. Confirming that you had locked the deadbolt, you let your vision focus on the body beyond the peephole. Eyes that spoke of shared laughter and the dimmest memories of whimpering in the dark scan the hallway.

Johnny had come by after the awkward introduction to the whole of his team. Remembering how he had chosen Simon, Ghost as he had been introduced by Captain Price, you fortify your heart. This had to be about seeing Callum.

Unlocking and opening the door you invite him in with a wave of your arm.

“Twice in one day? I must be either supremely lucky or unlucky indeed.”

The laughter at your dry tone swelled your traitorous heart. He joined you and you shut and locked the door behind him. You had been a single mother for going on nearly five years; some habits became such for a reason.

“When you said you were moving for work I didn’t realize it meant you were landing in my backyard, Tansy.” Johnny slipped his hands into his back pockets as he took in the flat.

Only standing because of bureaucracy would be the kindest epitaph you could provide the building.

“I didn’t know you had a yard to claim, Johnny. Thought you shifted with the wind and the smell of explosives.” You can’t help but study his face as he does the same to the flat. A flash of the night that created Callum hit you when you stared too long at the scar on his chin. Drunk you sure had tried to wrangle every fantasy you’d ever had about him hmm?

“You look different,” Johnny’s head rolls to you, “without your signature heavy eyeliner look.”

Hot prickles of teenage angst tapped on your spine, tingling down your everything.

“Found keeping my makeup from streaking while training and pregnant was more effort than cared for. I instead invested in shop-appropriate spooky attire instead.” The silence of the flat slithered into your ears. “Where is Callum?”

The giggle sounded from the kitchen. Before you could start forward Johnny held out a hand. He crept forward, moving so silently you wouldn’t have believed it possible if you didn’t watch it. When he turned into the kitchen space he crouched and lifted a hand and swirled a finger at you.

Apparently, it wasn’t just your heart you needed to fortify, it was your fucking ovaries.

“Where could Callum be?” You ask the room, sounds exaggerated.

The giggle came again.

“Peek-a-boo!” Johnny’s voice dropped and so did your trust of your ability to keep your hands to yourself.

Callum screeched into a full belly laugh.

“Dada!”

“Hi, buddy! I missed you!”

Johnny rose, Callum in his arms.

“How did you find us? I don’t even know where we are!” He said this in his Callum way, the one that involves his whole body.

Laughter looked good on Johnny. “Your mom works on base with me now. I wanted to come by and take you two to dinner and discuss a few things.”

“Oh? Why didn’t you ask before I left base?” You fold your arms to keep from pulling your son into your arms.

“Are we getting fries?” Callum cut in before Johnny could reply.

“We can make fries happen bud, let me chat with your mum. Can you find your shoes?” Callum goes down and Johnny looks at you. You wonder if this is the feeling birds get before they stop singing. “Price gave a few of us specific warnings to leave you be while you settle. Can’t go against a direct order, so I pulled your employee file to see what address you had listed. When I saw the neighborhood you ended up in, I updated my paperwork to show Callum as my son and applied for a base house. Pulled a few favors due and will have a house ready for you two by the end of the week.” Johnny settled his hands in his front pockets.

He watched you absorb the plan he laid on you. This was not the boy who would let you rule the world and play right hand to god. Accepting this offer felt like taking a peach covered in spider silk.

Angry sounds from Callum pulled your attention to him. He struggled to put his shoe on fully. Kneeling, you ignore the offer that would pull you further into Johnny. You couldn’t be there, spitting distance, if it would land on Simon’s face instead of Johnny’s mouth.

“Almost buddy, we need to switch your feet but then you’ll have it,” you fix the problem as you narrate to your son.

Offering him a hand up you focus on standing up yourself. Johnny is at your shoulder, scooping Callum up. You doubt Callum would have learned to walk if Johnny had been around when he was an infant. Locking the door, you head to your car. Johnny wanted to treat you to dinner, but you doubted he had a car seat.

“What if I don’t want your charity?”

Charity as a child always came with stings. Adults made choices to make themselves feel better, a pat on the back for helping poor, little Tansy. No one asked what you needed. His face is in yours now, the hand not holding Callum pressing into your elbow.

“Tansy,” if an arc of electricity shot from Johnny’s eyes you wouldn’t be shocked. Well, you would have but for a plethora of reasons. “I’ve been in love with you since I was fourteen. Five years ago I had a night with you I can barely remember that has brought me an amazing gift and you back into my life. This is not a fight you will win. I can’t lose you again.”

The bits of you that want to get fucked through a mattress rear up. This was not the same Johnny that let you sob into his chest and kiss him until you both fell into a drunken mistake. This man? He will take charge and damn if you don’t want to stop playing Atlas for a night.

“What about Ghost?”

The whisper, half caught in your throat, hits him like water to hot grease.

“Simon would annihilate god for Callum.” Johnny steps back, “Keeping the two of you close, safe? He wouldn’t object to that.”

Objections would be had by Johnny’s massive lover, you just know it. The Christmas conversation, still so fresh in your mind, tasted of holly berries. Johnny had just admitted that he was still in love with you. You can’t do jack-shit about that statement. There is no way out of this. Every option is discarded for a myriad of problems. Fuck.

No step forward involves you being loved. No choice leads to you finding peace or comfort.

Johnny can say he is in love with you, but you aren’t the one he ran after that night on the porch. Winner takes it all, and par for the course, you never won.

“Okay.” Slipping your eyes shut you pull in deep, shuttering breaths.

“Why is mummy sad?” Callum’s sweet voice hits you in the chest like a sledgehammer.

“Mummy is having a big emotion bud. I’m taking deep breaths to help calm down,” clearing your throat at the end of your sentence you suck in another deep breath.

Looking away from Johnny, and the miracle that was Callum in his arms, you wipe your eyes.

“We can discuss what this is over dinner.” Another swipe of your thumb and you are as ready as you can be. “Ready to go?”

The hand lifts into your vision as slowly as one would offer it to a feral animal. Johnny’s thumb is poised to remove the last offensive tear that stains your cheek.

Your eyes close tight as your throat aches. The flinch is more reaction than choice. When you can see again Johnny has put a reasonable distance between the two of you—the space between your bodies speaks of co-parents, not of lovers. Dammit. Why weren’t you allowed to be loved?

Dinner with Johnny went well. Timing and visits with Callum were easily arranged, you wanted Johnny to be present, Simon too. Callum did well until he finished his food. At that point, he got a touch squirrelly. Your emotions, tender and bruised, would have had you snapping at him. Instead, Johnny pulled out his phone and propped up a video about dinosaur bones against his glass.

Watching from across the table you struggle to reconcile the man before you with the memories, shrines, built to him in your mind.

“What? Is he not allowed screens?” Johnny glances from his phone to you, concern rising with his brows.

“Oh, it’s not that. I try to be pretty low screen with him but this is his first time at a restaurant. I’m just not used to people helping so much with him,” stabbing your pasta is the excuse to not get caught in his gaze.

“Tansy, I’m not helping with him. I’m his dad, it’s my privilege to share the load.”

Morning sees you dark and early with dry eyes and an attitude not even caffeine can fix. Sobbing yourself to sleep would never be your preferred way to rest. After Johnny had placed a drooling Callum to bed, the wet spot on his shoulder slowly drying, he had taken a few loads of boxes you wouldn’t need to his car.

“I’ll keep these until the house is ready,” his boyish grin as he toted the box on his shoulder sat against your throat, a garrote.

“You really don’t have to do this, Johnny.” You had removed your boots after getting home, the only concession to comfort you would allow yourself before he left.

He took one large step, standing nose to nose with you. The heat of his breath on your lips stung.

“I can’t lose you again my little flower,” his husky tone sank into your bones.

Tansy wasn’t your given name but the one he gave you. You had kept it, liking the association with the bright yellow collection of flowers. They always made you think of summer. And of the summers with him.

Johnny smiled sadly as your lip started to tremble. As if remembering your flinch from earlier he took a step back. And then another, and another, until he turned and left your flat for the last time that night.

That brought you back to the dry, gritty eyes. Daycare would take care of feeding Callum, poor boy swayed on the toilet when you sat him down as you brushed your teeth. He knew the routine. You would be up and fully dressed when you woke him and then transferred him to the car. He would wake up fully for the day on a cot on base and you would join him at lunchtime.

Seven am saw you laying your boy down on a small cot and chatting with Serena at the front desk before you had to hoof it across the base.

“I need to add two approved people to the pickup list if you don’t mind.” You tapped the counter as you waited, fingers anxious as the rest of you.

“Absolutely, who are we adding?” Serena’s face that spoke of safety to children looked at you and paled when you named both John MacTavish and Simon Riley.

“Uh..are you sure?” The tightly leashed concern that connected women in danger shone in her eyes.

With a deep sigh, you confirm. “Yeah, I’m sure. If they aren’t on the list they are going to bother me while I’m working.”

Serena tucked her concern into a pocket like a rock slipped from a child’s hand to drop back into the garden.

“Okay, they are both added. Is there anything else you needed?”

“No. I should be back around lunch to take him for a while. I will be doing that most days,” you glance at your phone. “You’ve got my phone number and the number to the shop. If I don’t answer my cell call the shop and someone should be able to grab me. Thanks, Serena!”

You wave and push through the door into the dawn. Taking off at a brisk pace you make it halfway to the shop before Simon “Ghost” Riley, the name that makes everyone concerned for your safety falls into step with you. He doesn’t say anything. That might be the hardest part.

When the familiar door to the shop pops into your vision you turn to confront the mass of man at your side. That was a mistake. He had worn a soft balaclava at Christmas. This one? A hard plate shaped to be a skull is stitched to his full face mask. All though flees your brain as you realize you need a new pair of underwear.

Johnny used to laugh at how you would cart around animal bones while wearing a flower crown. You would paint your bone wall a bright cheery yellow. You had always been drawn to the sun and the darkest places where she cannot reach. Johnny had pulled you back into his bright light and dangled bones and darkness before you.

You couldn’t have either of them—they already had each other.

“I tried to talk him out of base housing. But we both know how pigheaded he can be.”

The only reply you get is a shifting of Simon’s gait to match yours as it slows down.

“Why are you here?” Swallowing hard, because you will be damned if you start your first day with tears on your cheeks, you wait for his answer.

“Callum.”

“You can pick him up. Johnny, too. He’s in base daycare. I check him out to have lunch. No explosives, if you are anywhere with loud noises put him in ear protection.” You stopped on a heel, turning and pointing up into the face that would titillate you in your dreams. “Keep him safe. And if he asks for any knives tell him no.”

The man had the audacity to laugh, a huff, before one of the soldiers assigned to the shop cleared his throat.

“Ma’am?” Grant, if you remember his name right, looks between you and Simon. Concern is etched in each flick of his gaze.

“Grant right?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Alright two things; he,” you point a thumb at Simon whose menacing aura is doing nothing to help dry your panties, “won’t hurt me. Second, quit calling me ma’am. Tansy will do or boss if you’re feeling apologetic.”

Shifting back to Simon you find him glaring at Grant.

“Shoo, I know you are supposed to be doing something that doesn’t involve bothering me.”

Simon stares at you for a heartbeat longer than you expected before turning and walking away, silent as the grave.

Grant let out a choking noise. When you glance at him he is staring at you like you streaked bare-ass and flapping tits in front of the base commander.

“Got something to say?” You lift both brows in a challenge.

“No, ma—” He corrects himself, “Boss.”

“Good. Now come and tell me about where all projects are at currently and go over the timeline of who needs what and when.” You step into the familiar sounds and smells of a machining shop.

What you didn’t know, could have had no way of guessing, is that yesterday was the last normal day you would have in a long-ass time.

Masterlist | Taglist

[may--hawk]

12345 writer tag game!

Rules: Give us the links to your fic with the most hits, second most kudos, third most comments, fourth most bookmarks, fifth most words, and fic with the least words (feel free to interpret however you would like; if not on AO3, can be on Tumblr or FFNET, etc)!

Thanks for the tag, @possibility-left!

These are a blend of Good Omens and Disco Elysium, which is a real delight to see, given that I only finished the game at the beginning of this year! This was a blast to do and revisit older stories.

Most hits: always crashing (in the same car), Good Omens A/C time loop fic set between seasons 1 and 2. Makes the ending of season 2 make sense. Angsty as all get-out, with a guest appearance of ineffable bureaucracy and some metaphysical smut.

Second most kudos: a loaded little call (dark and late), a Disco Elysium phonesex fic! (Harry/Kim). Surprised by this one. (And if you liked it, I just wrote a sequel from Kim's POV.)

3rd most comments: Like a Song on a Policeman's Radio, Disco Elysium, Harry/Kim. A love song to the game, the radios that are always playing in it, and Harry's long slow progress towards recovery. (Oh yeah, and the lost isola of Atlantide makes an appearance.) Each chapter is centered around a different radio station, both canon and original - WEATHER FM, SAD FM, MIRRORBALL FM, and SPEEDFREAKS FM.

4th most bookmarks: since the actual answer is "like a song on a policeman's radio," I'm cheating a bit and picking the story with the 5th most bookmarks. (Shh, don't tell!) That's ain't no cure for love, Good Omens, A/C, which features the bookshop as a haunted labyrinth and Aziraphale as an amnesiac archangel.

5th most words: some of these days, Good Omens, A/C. My take on a post-second-coming fic, featuring the South Downs cottage, Aziraphale Making Choices, and for-the-love-of-god-just-talk-about-it.

Fewest words: Although realistically this would be one of the shorter chapters of the ineffable mixtape series, the short like they do in babylon, Good Omens, is a 1,009 word explicit story of Crowley watching Aziraphale bathe. And, well, do other things. Lots of pining involved here.

Tagging: Everyone who wants to do this - it's a lot of fun. Otherwise, I'm tagging @chlorine-and-daisies, @hopelesslysleepy, @softaspects, @shortnervouswreck (to mix the fandoms up 😏)

[dbacklot99]

12345 Writers Game

Rules: Give us the links to your fic with the most hits, second most kudos, third most comments, fourth most bookmarks, fifth most words, and fic with the least words (feel free to interpret however you would like; if not on AO3, can be on Tumblr or FFNET, etc)!

Thanks for the tag, @kneelbeforeyourdogbabylon !!

Everything here is from GO and not counting collabs. 

Most Hits: Mirrors (E, 49k words)  by far - mostly due to @daneecastle amazing cover art. A deliciously angsty double reverse omens. 

Second Most Kudos: Trembling Hands (E, 3k words) An angsty, post S2 one-shot (with a happy ending), inspired by the Temper Trap song by the same name.

Third Most Comments: After Heaven (E, 36k words) Action-packed take on S3. There’s manipulative Metatron, clever Azi, BAMF Muriel, sickeningly in love Ineffable Bureaucracy, Angelfish, Nina & Maggie, and, of course, Crowley asking God even more questions!!

Fourth Most Bookmarks: Collapse (M, 19k words) Actually, it’s tie with After Heaven. But this is - wait for it - an angsty post-2 dystopia, with a happy ending. If like a bit of a spec fic vibe, this is might be for you…

Fifth Most Words: Before Earth (T, 13k words) a pre-Fall take on what really happened, including some fun AngelFish backstory, a white-haired healer pining for a curious, questioning red-headed angel, and a Lucifer with a unique perspective on God.

Least Words: Genesis 4 (M, 690 words) A scene just after Eden, exploring their early understanding of each other and humanity. 

Whew!!! Who else wants to play??   @carry-the-sky @eybefioro @groovynightstrawberry @mageofthepeople @majnoonathelibrarian @theonewiththeshippinggoogles or tag yourself!!

[autisticrage]

Hey I'm trying to find a good omens fic can anyone help? It's an ineffable bureaucracy one shot that was released not long after season 2 and basically they were on a train talking about Gabriel's upcoming trial and Beelzebub was trying to convince him not to willingly fall to hell but Gabriel was all like "what do you only love me cus I'm an angel?" And Beelzebub's like "no i love you no matter what but I don't want you to feel this pain" and it gets a little angsty but only for a moment and it's really sweet and it was so good please god someone help me find it

[mysticstarlightduck]

✦ OC DEEP DIVE ✦

Thanks for the tag, @ominous-feychild (here)!

I'm gonna do this tag for Pyerce Ophyria and Tarah Ryllar from Supernova Initiative and Josh Aleta and Gwyn Whitewood from Scrapyard Boys!

What uncommon/common fear do they have?

Pyerce: Fear of being manipulated or being stuck in a situation that is out of his control; fear of making a terrible mistake/failing his kids; fear of clowns.

Tarah: Fear of being kidnapped or drugged (because she saw the same happen to her best friend, Eos); fear of the uncanny valley or things that seem normal but feel off; fear of being a disappointment to herself

Josh: Fear of being trapped (claustrophobia, but also fear of being contained by others); fear of being unredeemably evil (he wasn't exactly The Perfect Cousin - in fact he was quite the... complicated and annoying angsty teen, sometimes toxic but not more than any regular teen - prior to his abduction by the PHANTOM Industries, plus he has what they call an "evil power" because he controls fears/nightmares, so the constant pressure by his captors that "he is inherently evil and needs to be fixed" kind of broke him in a way)

Gwyn: Being unable to protect the ones she loves and herself; fear of being found and recaptured by the PHANTOM Industries; fear of Zander Corelli (the mob boss - and pimp - Adrien works for, who basically haunts his and the twins' lives for most of the duration of the WIP); fear of being trapped in the heat.

Do they have any pet peeves?

Pyerce: Corrupt governments to lie to their affiliates and discard their assets once they're no longer useful to them once that person isn't "useful" to them anymore. Not being fully aware of a situation. He also can't stand people who legitmatelly make excuses to be lazy and who leech off of others instead of trying to be proactive.

Tarah: She doesn't really like loud and repetive noises. Tarah also hates bureaucracy - with a passion - especially when it gets in the way something she has a time crunch on succeeding or when it prevents active change in an environment.

Josh: People who are nosy and try to pry on other's private matters - on another hand, he can't stand people who care too much about what others will think and have that constant "but what will the neighbours think?!" mindset. It gets on his nerves.

Gwyn: Being pressured - especially when there's something time sensitive involved - which usually makes her panic and spiral rather than to figure out what to do faster. On a sadder note, she doesn't like people who get too handsy with others in an uncomfortable way - she's seen Adrien's patrons do that all too often and now she has a "touch (me/my siblings/my friends) and you won't fucking have hands" mentality.

What are 3 items you can find in their bedroom?

Pyerce: Coffee candies, hidden weapons of all kinds (remember he's a retired assassin, and the most dangerous assassin there ever was at that), and probably some messy crayon drawings that Gabi and Morgan made when they were kids (because he's their dad and cherishes the memories)

Tarah: Her best friend's unfinished woven bracelet, protein bars, hooded cloaks and generally oversized hoodies that can help her hide her features when on the run.

Josh: Weights (to stay fit), a radio playing vintage rock music, a nightlight (he's afraid of the dark but doesn't want anyone to know)

Gwyn: Cheesy potato chips, tickets for a comedy show or for the movies, a giraffe plushie she won at a fair

What do they notice first in a person?

Pyerce:... Everything. He's the ultimate secret agent/assassin - so I think he'd pretty much have a clear picture of that person with just a quick once over or a glance. Black Widow/John Wick-style, like a very meticulously detailed analisys of that person.

Tarah: If they look like they're trying to deceive her, catch her or if they're generally a threat to her or her friends. She is also pretty good at reading people's feelings from their facial expressions.

Josh: If he can take them in a fight or if he needs to run. How imposing they are or if that person is trying to intimidate him. Because of his powers, if he tries to, Josh can immediately see/find out what that person's worst nightmare/fear is (his power is Nightmare Manipulation) and choose to do with that information whatever is more relevant.

Gwyn: If they seem nice or friendly. She's bad at navigating social cues because she has spent the past three years locked up in a lab and the years before that in an isolated household, and generally just wants to make friends.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how high is their pain tolerance?

Pyerce:

Emotional: 8, but pretends its a 10

Physical: +11

Tarah:

Emotional: -1 (squishy, kind hearted, anxious baby girl)

Physical: 6

Josh:

Emotional: Before his capture = 5, but didn't let it show too much; After his capture = -4 but pretends its a +10 in really extreme ways

Physical: 9 (before and after), unless some kind of psychological trickery is also tied to it - in that case its a 0

Gwyn:

Emotional: 7, sometimes too oblivious to stuff though tends to overthink

Physical: 8

Do they go into fight or flight mode when under pressure? (I'm also including freeze and fawn)

Pyerce: Goes "Scorched Earth" kind of Fight Reflex - especially when it involves protecting his daughters. And because he is the most lethal assassin of his generation, whoever is threatening/pressuring him better run - though that will only stall the inevitable.

Tarah: Usually Flight 100% - she's the embodiment of deer in headlights and will bolt at any sign of danger even if that just a misunderstanding. However, if the danger is too overwhelming or too similar to her past traumas, she tends to freeze.

Josh: Before his capture - his first instinct was Fight. He is and was a very angry and stubborn person, who tends to have fits of rage when scared or frustrated and who often lashed out in ways he later regretted but was too headstrong to apologize for, often in a bully-like way but not fully - much like Billy Hargrove from Stranger Things. After his capture - if the pressure is psychological or triggers him, he tends to go into an "unique" Freeze mode in which he acts as if in a trance - his conscience feels distant and detached, but his powers are lashing out in Fight mode to protect him from whoever is triggering him. If his former captors are specifically involved, he tends to go into a complete Fawn reflex to appease them.

Gwyn: Fight, especially if she has to protect herself and her loved ones, or when she wants revenge. If there's absolutely no other choice she may choose Flight to Fight another day.

Do they come from a big family/are they a family person?

Pyerce:

Original Family unknown

After he quit being an assassin, he dedicated his life to raising his two adoptive daughters Gabi (the one he adopted first) and Morgan (the second one he adopted), so I would definetly say he is a family kind of guy, despite his murderous past.

Tarah:

Her father was killed when she was a little girl and though she was saved by her godmother, Tarah ended up having to flee the Junction galaxies all alone with Eos (her godmother's son) after her godmother too was truck down by the Junction.

Tarah is fiercely devoted to those she calls family, especially Eos, who is her best friend and who is like a brother to her.

Josh:

He was orphaned at a young age, and his original parents are a mystery. Currently, before his capture, he used to live with adoptive/foster parents (Erin's uncle and aunt) but they weren't very close at all, and he was kidnapped by the PHANTOM Industries shortly after.

Not really. He used to be very troublesome, rude, brutish and often harsh towards anyone that tried to show kindness to him, because he saw it as a scheme and feared he didn't deserve it. That lead him to have a bully kind of behavior to pretty much everyone for years and to be a certified rule breaker who often made things worse than they needed to be. However, deep down, he was developing some semblance of a friendship with his adoptive cousin Erin, but they still argued a lot and he was kidnapped before he could truly have a sibling bond with her. After escaping, he was so conditioned by the Industries to believe he is evil that he thinks he is unworthy of love and respect and that he is a dnager to anyone who tries to get close to him, so he takes a skittish approach to others now.

Gwyn:

Her mother was a troubled, but kind, young lady who had many boyfriends in her youth and didn't really know how to handle parenthood yet and wanted to find out more about herself first. So Gwyn, her twin - Rhys - and their half-brother Adrien (from their mom's first boyfriend) ended up living most of their childhood with their toxic grandparents. A few years after Adrien was kicked out of home at 15, Rhys and Gwyn developed superpowers after coming into contact with a chemical factory leak, and were sent by their grandparents to the Spectre Academy. After they tried to escape at first, they were sent by the Academy to be lab rats of the PHANTOM Industries.

She is - especially when it comes to her twin brother Rhys and their half-brother Adrien. They're the only family each other has ever had, so they kind of have a "us against the world" kind of mindset, though they still have a lot of getting reacquaintted to do with Adrien since they were apart for so long.

What animal represents them best?

Pyerce: A black wolf

Tarah: Hummingbird

Josh: Either a raccoon or feral cat

Gwyn: Arctic fox

What is a smell that they dislike?

Pyerce: The smell of rotten things - especially rotten blood or flesh (a.k.a he is an assassin who hates the smell of corpses)

Tarah: Scent of alcohol and the smell of a lot/too much of perfume.

Josh: Laboratory smells and also the smell of mold.

Gwyn: She generally hates the smell of sweat and unwashed things.

Have they broken any bones?

Pyerce: Yes, many times in his former career, but not once since he quit it.

Tarah: Not really, just a sprained ankle once when she was a kid

Josh: A couple times, most when he was being experimented on.

Gwyn: Not really, probably.

How would a stranger likely describe them?

Pyerce: A quiet and introvertedly serious man who wants to just live his life and do his own thing, who most people don't know much about but who is a genuine benefactor to many and is also a doting father.

Tarah: That skittish kid with the woven bracelets and the multicolored nail polish who never stays in one place and always feels like she's too scared or too anxious to talk to anyone she doesn't fully know.

Josh: A troublemaking, brutish and angry teenager who is always looking for new ways to cause chaos, who doesn't obey any rules and doesn't give a fuck about anyone, and is also rude to most people he doesn't know and harsh to those he does know. The weird kid that is always causing grownups a headache.

Gwyn: It depends on the stranger. If the stranger is with Zander's mob, they'll probably address her as 'Ametrine's' sister (Adrien's stage name is Ametrine) or if they're keen on being especially rude, they'll probably call her "the stripper's brat" or "that girl who is always walking around with Zander's plaything". Yeah. They're not... kind to them. But most other strangers would describe her as a lively, bright headed, kind young lady with a big heart who wants to have fun and has a sparkling laughter.

Are they a night owl or an early bird?

Pyerce: Probably both?

Tarah: Night owl in an unsettling (looming) way

Josh: Night owl - poor boi has insomnia and night terrors

Gwyn: Morning bird, also in an unsettling (but giddy) way

What is a flavour they hate and a flavour they love?

Pyerce:

Loves: Well cooked, refined meals with rare spices

Hates: Painfully sweet desserts, like the nauseatingly sweet ones

Tarah:

Loves: Spicy fried food

Hates: Alcohol

Josh:

Loves: Comfort food (pizza)

Hates: Bland food or sticky food

Gwyn:

Loves: Ice Cream; Cheesy Potato Chips

Hates: Spicy food

Do they have any hobbies?

Pyerce: Sharpshooting, listening to music, growing poisonous flowers, reading cheap romance books

Tarah: Dancing, rollerskating, helping stray animals, learning new languages, talking about her favorite movies

Josh: Reading comic books, weightlifting, driving around aimlessly on stolen cars, listening to rock, watching rom-coms (hates horror movies)

Gwyn: Going to ice cream shops, watching stand up comedy shows, walking around the city at night, making ice sculptures on the window with her powers,

Boom, surprise birthday party! How do they react to surprises?

Pyerce: Calm happiness and a bit of surprise. After so many years out of the field as an assassin, he's learned to enjoy the joys of regular life, and honestly is always glad to do so.

Tarah: Initial panic but it would then turn into awkward joy as she realizes the situation is harmless. She would probably not know how to properly navigate it and be confused at how to proceed.

Josh: WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS - (almost has a heart attack out of fear, needs three cups of water and a cookie to calm down then is like). Oh, fuck yeah I like this, let's party! Just... don't scare me next time.

Gwyn: "Omg, yay, this is literally so cool guys!!!! I wanna try all the candy, and dance to the music and have fun, oh gosh there are so many gifts this is so cool -!" (rambles on)

Do they like to wear jewelry?

Pyerce: Not really. Likes some nice silver rings though.

Tarah: The woven bracelets she and her best friend made for each other.

Josh: Yeah kinda. Loves rings and necklaces with funny designs of cartoonishly styled ghosts or skulls, and wears some necklaces.

Gwyn: Doesn't really understand the concept of how to style jewelry into a daily outfit but digs it nonetheless

Do they have neat or messy handwriting?

Pyerce: Neat

Tarah: In between, tends towards messy.

Josh: Messy & adds too much pressure to it

Gwyn: In between and scribbles doodles and cute heart shaped designs around it

What are the two emotions they feel the most?

Pyerce: Calmness and The Need To Protect

Tarah: Anxiety and awkward joy

Josh: Anger and Fear/Dread/Panic

Gwyn: Love for her family/friends & giddy happiness of experiencing the real world

Do they have a favourite fabric?

Pyerce: Anything that is stylishly black and also comfortable, practical and probably bulletproof

Tarah: Flannel, cotton, yarn

Josh: Leather, jeans, soft cotton

Gwyn: Light polyester, cotton and fluffy jackets

What kind of accent do they have?

Pyerce: A soft, more neutral version of a "Junction" accent

Tarah: Central Junction accent that has faded away into a mismatched Khosmonian Accent

Josh: Probably some mix of accent Detroit and New York? (The city of this WIP is based on IRL ones but is also very much fictional)

Gwyn: Not sure but probably similar to Josh's (same city) but with a very slight Northern lilt to it? (The city of this WIP is based on IRL ones but is also very much fictional)

Tagging (gently): @sleepy-night-child, @kaylinalexanderbooks, @smol-feralgremlin, @oh-no-another-idea, @littleladymab,

@winterandwords, @eccaiia, @sarahlizziewrites, @illarian-rambling

@agirlandherquill, @anoelleart, @ray-writes-n-shit

@writernopal, @anyablackwood, @unstablewifiaccess, @forthesanityofstorytellers, @finickyfelix

@i-can-even-burn-salad, @cakeinthevoid,

@lassiesandiego, @thepeculiarbird, @clairelsonao3, @memento-morri-writes, @starlit-hopes-and-dreams and OPEN TAG

[blueinkedfrost]

Villain Likeability

Some antagonists are just despised by readers who want to see them meet a painful end as soon as possible ... But others get a lot of audience sympathy and attraction.

Why? This is what I think is important.

Tragic backstory that gives some explanation for why they are the way that they are.

Villainous virtues such as perseverance, verbal wit, initiative, ingenuity, a good cause that they've taken too far, etc.

If it's a visual or audible medium, how attractive they are in person and/or how attractive their voice is. (This does not apply to written works.)

Melodrama: The extent to which their bad deeds are viewed by the audience as melodrama that's very dissimilar to the real world, such as destroying an entire galaxy or committing telepathic torture, as opposed to all too realistic bad deeds such as bullying, cheating on your spouse, abusing bureaucracy for cruel purposes, racism, Nazis, or child sexual abuse.

The fourth factor is probably the most important. If the villain's horrible behaviour feels close to real life issues you deeply care about, then you probably despise them regardless of how sexy the actor is. If the villain's horrible behaviour feels more fictional and melodramatic to you, then you can enjoy watching them cackle and threaten from a safe distance.

So by this standard, here is the least attractive villain possible: A spiteful, petty, and lazy person who lives a normal suburban life, is played to look unattractive, and makes their neighbours' lives as miserable as possible by bullying them in their role with the Home Owners' Association.

Now here is the most attractive villain possible: Angsty backstory where their horrible family sold them into slavery, very witty and creative, played by a good looking actor, and commits stylish murders using weird gravity-related superpowers.

Why do these tropes work?

Tragic backstory: Angst turns the story wheels around! From Cinderella and probably even earlier, stories where horrible things happen to a character cause us to root for them. Humans like underdogs and stories about characters overcoming bad things.

Villainous virtues: If they have some admirable traits mixed with the badness, that's fun to read. Witty or entertaining characters amuse us, while competence alone at being a dangerous or threatening villain is attractive.

Attraction: As simple as whether the audience generally finds them attractive, or not. This can be closely related to demographics and bias. In Western fandom, the stereotypical fan is an educated white woman who's attracted to men. So even if a female antagonist has a tragic backstory, high wit and charisma, and attacks people with her clever musical magic, female fans might not like her as much as her attractive male counterpart. Similarly, fandom is often criticised for poor attitudes towards characters of colour and it's easy to think bigotry in our society has something to do with this.

Melodrama: Also varies by the individual. Your personal experiences won't ever be the same as another person's, so your fun melodramatic villain might remind someone else of their real life high school bully. Medium and setting make a difference. Villains who are literally cartoons in a science fiction universe will be taken less seriously than villains in a live action story in a contemporary mundane setting. Visceral impact of the character's misdeeds also has a role: a villain who brutally tortured and killed a beloved favourite in explicit detail is less likeable than a villain who killed thousands of random unnamed characters in a brief sentence, even though 'likeability of victim' is not how we (should) judge crimes in real life.

[detectivemaker]

Angsty mind control story, or Crowley snake's tattoo takes matters into its own,  non-existent hands

I really am surprised by the lack of  mind control stories in the good Omens  fandom, give me more specific Crowley doing some mind f****** on our favorite chunky angel, so I've decided to write this story

It's day 88 of operation make heaven nice again, and Aziraphale is bored out of his mind

The only real success he's had so far is implementing walls for privacy, but other than that Heavens the same old s*** bureaucracy it always has been, he knows it now it's never been nice, maybe during the time before the great fall,  but the only demon he's acquainted enough with to try  getting back into heaven is absolutely against it

He  let's out a sigh and face plants into his desk  tears prick at his eyes and soon he silently sobs into his paperwork," oh Crowley, I'm such a fool"  he whispers

*if you were here now, I'd go anywhere you take me* he thinks to himself  but before he can start on another set of whimpering cries he feels something wrap around the essence of his true form, the slight feel of scales upon Halo sends him sitting up with a gasp

"w- what" he  stutters out then it's out a grunt when the scales tighten in a loop, to get deep breath he Miracles into existence is Halo and a mirror

His eyes  widen in Surprise when he sees the  ink colored snake rapping gingerly around his Halo,  raising a hand he presses it into the surprisingly scaly flesh of the pitch black serpent

" Crowley?" questions, but no this isn't Crowley, but part of him yes, but not the real him

This sad realization only affects him for a moment before it's cleansed from his mind like water cleanses dirt,   panics at the sun realization that he's no longer feeling sad,   he grasps at his Halo but before he can try to wrench the snake from it a voice rings in his head like Unholy church bells

" don't struggle little angel,  my master misses you greatly,  I'm just here to bring you back home,  now be a good little lamb and let me lead you" the voice that sounds so much like Crowley's since his hands to his lap and a dizzy smile begins to etch itself on his lips

yes that's right, he's been such a foolish lamb,   he has Mosey far from home, but this lovely serpent knows the way back, so he rises to his feet and his leg like the good little sheep he is

,,,

Crowley had been drinking himself blind for exactly 88 days, but still he is capable to see and he sees he is without an angel,   the salty tears spilling into his cup of whiskey make it taste bitter

" emm, Mr Crowle"  Muriel says interrupting the demon's second hour of day drinking this morning, the demons shaded eyes bore into her celestial form but a quickly directed to the person next to her

"an-Aziraphale, what are you... What are you wearing?"  he says slipping down his sunglasses to get a better look at the ugly dressed angel

" don't you like it, I put it on for you" the angel says voice dreamy and eyes hazy,  the angel Santos over and the Bells on his neck jingles as his sheep like tail wags in excitement as he presses a kiss and his lingerie junk on to the demon 

" angel!" Crowley sputters out  he's just about to hesitantly kiss the angel back when a chuckling hiss catches his ear

He looks up to see his tattoo wrapped Vine like around Aziraphale's Halo  and he Sighs in annoyance

"Get off him and get back on here" he orders and snakes slithers from  it's holy perch back to its usual place on the side of his head, the angel blinks and his eyes come back into Focus

" I really am sorry for that, you"  he pauses pushing up his sunglasses to Shield the tears from the Angels vision before continuing," you can go if you want"

" well" a pause from the angel it's only then that Crowley realizes his hands are stained with liquid gold," I don't think heaven would invite me back in after what I did"

"did you?" Crowley asks a mixture of amusement and horror lining his tone he lets out a laugh when Aziraphale  nods sheepishly

" God you're wonderful angel" his   Chuckles pulling the blonde into a hug and sighing into the man's neck as he returns it

" it's good to have you back"

" it's good to be back"

The end

[thegenvyisreal]

Good Omens Season 2 Episode 6 Thoughts (for real this time)

Let's just take this chronologically so I can lose my mind at the end.

Crowley in heaven! What a dork! He looks lovely I hope SO MANY PPL cosplay him.

OKAY. OKAY LISTEN. I know we never got Crowley's angelic name but that demon was a SERAPH I WILL NOT BE TAKING QUESTIONS. I AM A RAPHAEL!CROWLEY TRUTHER AND WILL BE SO UNTIL PROVEN OTHERWISE.

He's so powerful! Someone on here pointed out that when Gabriel in the recording said he was the only supreme (or level 1 or something?) archangel in heaven it panned immediately to Crowley. MY MAN. MY GIRL. CROWLEY IS SO IMPORTANT!!

Throwing encyclopedias at the demons and Aziraphale wincing, boy I feel you.

And shax made fun of Zira for liking food?? Okay fat shamer! Get fucked!

Wartime Halo Demon Bomb?? Great band name.

Crowley defusing a war with just saying "no, bad, do NOT"? The power he has!!

OMG

INEFFABLE

BUREAUCRACY

First of all, I THOUGHT the fly was a Beelzebub thing! I just didn't think it had Gabriel's memories in it.

Their little love story was cute, but explain to me HOW we were supposed to deduce why the jukebox is the way it is or WHY Gabe lost his memories without the Bureaucracy exposition??? NEIL YOU WANTED US TO FIGURE IT OUT BUT HOW???

Good for them for going off together but it's just so SILLY how THEY get to have that and our duo DON'T. I do not like it.

Okay. Let's get on with it.

So I DON'T get my angsty finale, but I do get something INFINITELY WORSE.

Maggie and Nina coming to Crowley to tell him what's up. Good for them!

Nina calling Maggie Angel I ALMOST FELL OUT OF MY CHAIR

Hell yes Derek Jacobi you're so lovely but I want to punch the Metatron in the FACE.

Why on earth would you get Zira THAT coffee?? He doesn't drink coffee!! Is this some power trip?? Is there SOMETHING IN THE COFFEE???

Aziraphale. Sweetie. Darling. Dear boy. You're so STUPID.

Crowley being like, I need to tell you this right now or I may never be able to say it. And Zira like, hold that thought! YOU RUDE LITTLE BITCH LET HIM SPEAK.

Aziraphale. WHY. WHY DO YOU INSIST THAT HEAVEN IS SO WONDERFUL AND GOOD!!! THEY SUCK!! THEY HURT PEOPLE!! YOU LITERALLY LIED TO THEM ABOUT JOB'S KIDS CUZ YOU KNEW THEY WERE WRONG!! WHY DO YOU KEEP DEFENDING THEM!!

Crowley confessing. Begging Aziraphale not to do this. Aziraphale not understanding why Crowley WOULDN'T want to do this. ZIRA AFTER EVERYTHING CROWLEY'S BEEN THRU YOU WANT HIM TO GO BACK TO HIS ABUSIVE FAMILY???

The kiss.

My heart shattered.

I've been waiting for this moment for over a month, and I got it in the WORST POSSIBLE WAY. Crowley's desperation, Aziraphale not knowing how to react. Not reacting at all. Crowley kissed him and he just stood there.

Sidebar: I KNOW that Aziraphale KNOWS that he's in love with Crowley. He KNEW in 1941. You dumbass. You imbecile. You fucker. Why.

"I forgive you".

LITERALLY MURDER ME

I want to understand him. I am Aziraphale-coded for sure. But I guess I'm also Crowley-coded?? Idk what to do with my feelings.

The WAY he SAYS the line. The ACTING from Michael. Bravo bb. THE WAY. HE SAYS IT. MY HEART IS ALREADY TORN OUT AND NOW YOU PUT IT THRU A MEAT GRINDER.

Excuse me Zira I have one question:

WHAT.

ON EARTH.

DOES HE NEED TO BE FORGIVEN FOR.

YOU ABSOLUTE TWAT.

I'm gonna commit multiple crimes.

Crowley just standing there HEARTBROKEN. He LOVES THAT ANGEL SO MUCH. HE WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR HIM. I'M GONNA MCFUCKING LOSE IT.

And he just walks out. And Aziraphale looks just as broken. I hate it. I hate it I hate it I hate it.

And after EVERYTHING. Crowley still waits by his car. Waits to see if Aziraphale will come to his senses and come back for him. But he doesn't. Zira even LOOKS BACK AT HIM before going into the elevator. How DARE you. How FUCKING DARE YOU YOU COWARD.

And you know??? You know what really gets to me?? You know what really cooks my noodle?? Besides the "I forgive you"???

Aziraphale's face journey in the elevator. How it lands, at the end, on a horrific smile. Bless Michael's acting skills cuz that is a horrible smile.

And Crowley just feels nothing. Completely broken. Like all of us.

I get it. I GET THE PRIDE AND PREJUDICE PARALLELS. @sycophantastic pointed it out, that it's a 3-act structure, and I know this is the "dark night of the soul" portion of the hero's journey. I GET. IT. I still hate it.

It took me forever to get to sleep last night. Like an hour and a half. Cuz my brain wouldn't shut up. And I dreamt about them. And it was awful and sad. And NOW we're going to a friend's house to watch the whole thing with her for the first time. Again. I have to endure this again.

I need QUITE EXTRAORDINARY AMOUNTS OF ALCOHOL.

[chickenmetenders]

"Sometimes a family can be two men and the two guys they abducted."

Assorted headcanons for the MAMIYA DDD Family ending [spoilers abound!!]

Here's a compilation/archive of messages I posted in the MAMIYA fan Discord about a continuation of the Family ending in Keito's route. In my version, Ryou also gets taken into the family along with Osamu, Satoru, and Keito. I call them KORS for short.

This is absolutely not serious or angsty in anyway, because I was writing this as aftercare for Minato's route lmao. I've sorted through my many messages and did some reorganizing, so they're grouped by topic. (Bolded names: indicates a comment from a server member)

Keito's New Family!!

For the first two months of living together keito is terrified, but ryou being 7 gets over the whole thing in like one month. Like this is just his new normal

Keito starts getting over it (stockholm syndrome starts setting in) once he sees satoru teaching ryou how to make takoyaki

You know i think crab takoyaki could work. I dont like crab but crab meat isnt that far off from octopus

Even after Keito gets over the whole kidnapping thing, he still takes a while to acclimate to his new "family". Like satoru osamu and ryou get used to the family situation pretty quickly (because they are not close to their birth families) but keito is very close to his family so he has to grapple with the cognitive dissonance for a good while

By six months time, he's used to their living circumstances and has affection for the three of them, but in his mind theyre housemates, not family. Like when someone asks about keito's family, his mind still immediately goes to his parents

It probably takes a year or so for keito to finally think of them as his family

(Staring at the words i have written) this is not found family, this is forced family

Gizzia: It's found as in Satoru and Osamu found them and kept them Me: OSAMU DIDNT EVEN FIND HIM, KEITO WENT /TO/ HIM!!!

The Mamiyas

Idk how the family thing is going to go. Like theyre changing their legal last name to mamiya???

Scanning over japanese name change procedures and thinking maybe not<3 i think japanese bureaucracy might be worse than american

Maybe its possible that satoru adopts ryou and osamu into his family registry so everyone thinks theyre a gay couple with a child, but then theyd still be samejimas

(It would be better of them to be samejimas instead of arisugawas because satoru owns all the houses. Obviously)

And then keito would be. Well they can't adopt him too because keito's dad is literally satoru's boss

Samejima could fake keito's death and keep him away from his family? BUT I FEEL LIKE THEYD BE FOUND OUT PRETTY QUICKLY IF KEITO WAS LIVING WITH SATORU

Well maybe its a non-legally binding family where satoru and osamu are back to living together again, satoru has pulled strings to get ryou adopted by osamu, and then he twists keitos arm into moving in with them as roommates

(Or keito moves in of his own volition, with his main motivation being that hes SUPER CONCERNED ABOUT LEAVING RYOU IN THERE)

Satoru and Osamu

Would osamu and satoru still be fighting at this point. I think the years apart would have calmed them down a little

Instead of punching satoru, osamu just slaps his a-- you know what never mind. Actually i think they would just verbally argue but without much bite. Because theyre family now

Vaguely remembering that bit in arisus route where osamu was like "we were partners in crime and i was even thinking about asking her to marry me" well osamu you have a new mamiya who you have committed several crimes with so what will you do now.

[Editing note: I want it noted that my brain short-circuited when Satoru was like "I feel like a newly wed bride". why did he say that]

General KORS Family Fluff

Osamu is the one who picks ryou up from school most of the time because he works from home but the first time keito does it ryou is just so happy. Ryou thinks keito is the coolest

Satoru is the one who teaches ryou how to cook so when hes older ryou ends up with really weird culinary skills. He does not know how to fry an egg sunny side up but he can whip up hollandaise sauce like its nothing

Satoru starts ryou in some kind of martial arts class and osamu hates it because ryou keeps trying to show osamu his skills (ie punching him in the leg)

Keito is still playing in a college lacrosse club and the whole family comes to watch his games. When ryou cant see over the crowd (i dont know what lacrosse games look like sowwy) satoru puts him on his shoulders

Osamu and keito take turns reading ryou his bedtime stories. Sometimes when they both have time they both read to him. Osamu is really good at the evil monster voices and robot voices, and keito is better than him at doing female voices

Despite being shorter than keito, satoru cannot fit into his jackets and coats because his shoulders are just to broad. He can fit into some of osamus longer coats because osamu likes buying clothes a size or two too big. Few of their clothes are viable hand me downs for ryou because he grows up short

Wait. But maybe ryou would grow up to be taller in this scenario because keito makes sure he drinks his milk. So maybe he would fit in their clothes

Satoru's Parental Tendencies (& other adults in Ryou's life)

(Growing realization) i think after keito and ryou move out for work/college, satoru would have the worst empty nest syndrome imaginable

(Assuming osamu satoru or keito doesn't set their house on fire with everyone inside in five years time)

Satoru ends up like a clingy overbearing mother who gets really upset when keito wants to move out for his Vaguely Defined Future Career and only calms down once osamu is like "uhhh dude chill" and keito promises to facetime every day

(I just think this is really funny because keito has his own family who is alive and who he is on good terms with but his actual mom puts up way less of a fuss than satoru)

After that satoru starts redirecting all his attention and affection towards ryou and is just overall insufferable

Ryou: im thinking about going to kyoto for college Satoru: absolutely not you will choose a school in tokyo and you will live in this house

Satoru is the strict parent who is prone to hysterics and osamu is the laissez faire parent who has to console his wife (i am of course delusional). Its like a sitcom

Keito rounds off ryou's Trio of Adult Figures as the unconditionally supportive older brother so i think between the three of them, ryou grows up to be pretty okay??? As okay as you can be when youre a member of the Mamiya family ig

They all frequently go to dinner at the suou's too so ryou is decently close to keitos parents

New Car!!

Anyway. If they all moved in together, satoru would have to buy a new car

Now i think a honda accord would be a good car for a family of four, but it might be a bit cramped if two of them are over 6ft tall, so it might be better if they had an suv

And also satoru loves his foreign cars so he wouldn't buy honda anyway

Okay so the volkswagon touareg could be a good option because it is a luxury suv from germany. However pre 2006 this suv was REALLY big so i dont think it would fit very well in the streets of japan

Cheese: samejima also is really big and doenst fit well in the streets of japan

Suvs werent as big of a thing in 2003, so maybe satoru would go for a sedan anyway... If satoru's going to gravitate towards european luxury brands, then the mercedes benz s class would be perfect for him. Its about the same size as a honda accord

Phle: [the Mercedes Benz S Class was] like literally my old car, it was a 2003 model too

During my playthrough of DDD, the KORS family au helped keep me sane. I think it's a neat idea. i think if it actually happened (and Osamu and Satoru took Ryou in as well) they would've started murdering people within the year, but this isn't about that!! If I wanted insane angst, I would replay DDD Keito/Ryou.

I kind of want to write some sort of fic about this weird family... But after playing EX, my brain has contacted the natsumiya virus and I haven't been able to stop thinking about that. So we'll see lol. I might archive some of my AU twitter threads for that ship onto tumblr, too, because I'm pretty fond of what I wrote.

Wow, this is the first time I've made a post like this on tumblr since I left in 2019! Writing longform is pretty fun.

[contritecactite]

DIDNT REALIZE I HAD TO SEND YOU AN ASK BUT my vote is #45!

also “last thing i googled: mario kart roster” on your other post got me lollll 😭

Ooh good choice! #45 is on the back back burner because I haven't figured out how I want to approach it yet. It's intended to be a split POV that shows parallels in the ways Crowley and Aziraphale go from "do the job (well)" to "go along with Heaven/Hell as far as you can" to "oh, right, technically I have a job" with an emphasis on the way Heaven/Hell failed them first. They get fewer resources, so their performance decreases, but they can't really disobey entirely.

The central pillar is the idea of "doing what you can with what you have" but honestly. At this point it could be a sprawling, angsty through-the-years thing or a silly reflection on bureaucracy (I'm afraid I'll try for both and end up with something giant). It might even be shaping up to be a reverse AU if I'm not careful since I always love everyone else's very much and I think somehow it might hurt worse that way.

[lyowyn]

Okay. I stayed up until 1am on Thursday night to binge watch all of Good Omens 2, and I let it settle in for a bit. This should be tagged appropriately, but spoilers ahead.

As of this moment, I don't think I enjoyed it as much as season 1, but I think that might have more to do with the fact that it wasn't based on a long beloved book than anything else.

I was a little disappointed with the plot resolution-- not because of the heartwrenching place the season left us, but because the answer to the mystery of what was going on with Gabriel didn't feel quite earned. I'm all for ineffable bureaucracy, but the second I saw that fly in the box I figured that's where we were headed, and I wish that there had been a little more to it than that. I was waiting for all the pieces of the puzzle to snap together into some satisfying answer to the mystery. I was hoping for a Sherlockesque parlor reveal, where Aziraphale puts it all together, and shocks the audience with something unexpected that should have been obvious in hindsight. We didn't get that, or at least I didn't, and I don't think Gabriel and Beelzebub's relationship got enough screen time to give it the emotional investment that it needed. And the whole resolution felt like a bit of a let down.

I didn't mind the angsty ending. Like everyone else, I'm really counting on season 3 now, but I think we've been left in a really interesting and compelling place. That kiss (that whole scene,) was visceral and heartbreaking. David and Michael deserve all the awards. I'm so frustrated at Aziraphale (has he learned nothing? Dense sod,) and I just want to give Crowley a hug, but that's okay. There's this little moment where Aziraphale calls out to The Metatron, right before they leave the bookshop, like he's about to change his mind, and then he doesn't, and it's just so aggravatingly perfect. That's a compelling place for them to be right now, and I can't wait to see where they go from here. Hopefully, the studios can get their heads out of their asses soon, so there will be less waiting for the seeing than last time, but whatever I'm patient. It's a big fandom, and we have a lot to work with in the meantime.

While everyone is still recovering, there's two things I haven't seen anyone talk about:

1) Aziraphale driving The Bentley. AHHH AZIRAPHALE DRIVING THE BENTLEY! And he made it yellow, and had traveling sweets, and classical music that STAYS classical music, and Crowley can FEEL HIM DRIVING UNDER THE SPEEDLIMIT! And Aziraphale was just so excited to borrow it and go on his little detective trip. And Crowley sort of did an okay job watching the shop. You know, minus the book throwing. He wouldn't sell one, at least-- not even at gunpoint. That whole bit was glorious. I was making mad cackling noises the whole time. Anyway...

2) Aziraphale and Crowley are crazy powerful when they work together. Hello? Just a hardly detectable quarter of a smidgen of a miracle, but combined they're setting off alarms in heaven and registering double digits on the lazeri scale. Well, that's fucking interesting. We always knew they were better when they were working together, but this is measurable evidence that they're a LOT stronger together, and it has some interesting ramifications. Is it just the combination of divine and infernal magics? Can Beelzebub and Gabriel do the same thing? If Aziraphale and Crowley held hands and put a little oomph into it, could they do a BIG MIRACLE? Could they give humanity the protection and safety that they both want? Could they stop the second coming?

And also, does this mean Yeshua is showing up in Season 3? Will Adam be there?

Anyway, yeah, those are my thoughts right now, and they generally boil down to "Please, sir, can I have some more?"

[imagineswriting47]

The Demon Deal

A/N: This is for @wirdbeimaufhebengebunden who asked Heyy, I saw that your requests are open. I have an idea for a Dean x Reader. They are on a hunt, and she has to make a deal to save Sam (because she knows how much he means to Dean, and he can't live without him, Sam is also your best friend, and the world needs the Winchesters). But then she decides to leave them because the deal causes too much trouble for the brothers. Then they try to find her. Make it as fluffy and angsty as you like :)

All mistakes are mine and mine alone.

Warnings: Mentions of death, violence, and Hell.

Summary: The reader makes a Deal with Crowley to save Sam's life.

Everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong, and now I have to sit and watch Sam take his last breath. Silent tears run down my face as Dean openly sobs over Sam holding his head to his chest. In between the sobs, Dean begs Sam to wake up. 

"WAKE UP!" Dean is screaming, shaking Sam. 

"Dean, we have to go." I try to get Dean moving, knowing that someone must have heard the firefight we just had. We have to get out of here if we dont want to be arrested.

"Don't. Just don't!" Dean yells at me as he picks Sam up and carries him out of the building. I can hear the sirens in the distance getting closer. We dont have that much time to get out of here. Dean lays him down in the back seat before jumping in the front of the car and starting up Baby. We haul ass to get out of there before the cops get here. 

It doesn't take us long to get back to the motel room. We move quickly, not wanting anyone to see Sam. Dean carefully sets Sam down on his bed with the door closed behind us. He left the bed unmade that morning as we had an early start and figured it didn't matter. The tears once more fill my eyes. I dont want to think of Sam in the past tense. Sam can't just be gone; the world needs him. Dean needs him. 

Dean doesn't want to believe he is gone as he sets to work on cleaning all the blood off him. With Dean's back to me, I quickly left the room. I dont manage to walk far before I hit the ground with my knees and just let out a scream. Once back on my feet, I keep walking. I don't know where I am going; I know that I dont want to be in the room.

"Hello, Darling." I hear Crowley say as he falls into step next to me.

"Fuck you!" I scream to him as I turn to punch him in the face.

"Now, now, Darling, I'm here to help you. I have a deal for you. I will bring Sam back to life in exchange for you spending ten years in Hell working for me."

"What's the catch?" I ask him as I finally stop walking and turn to look at him.

"No catch. You work for me for ten years, and I'll bring Sam back to life." He says with what he probably thinks is a comforting smile. But it's not. It didn't take long for me to know I would take the Deal. Dean needs Sam more than he could ever need me. I'm just the hunter that they picked up and never left. So life will go on for both of them.

"Deal," I say as Crowley pulls me into the kiss to seal the Deal.

Time Skip

My time in Hell, for the most part, wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. For the most part, Crowly just had me doing his dirty work and killing demons that he felt got out of line. What surprised me the most was the amount of bureaucracy in Hell and why he needed me to help him. Even though he wanted these demons killed that would not listen to him, he couldn't just outright kill them. 

My time in Hell also taught me more than I think Crowley wanted me to know. I learned the inner workings of Hell once I found the library where I was staying. Ten years was a long time, and I think I managed to read just about every book in the library.

"Your ten years are up tomorrow, Y/N." I hear Crowley say from behind me from where I stand, looking out a window and over the Hellscape.

"I know." I dont turn to look at him. It didn't take long for us to build a friendship. I am not saying that I still dont want to kill him, but I definitely dont want his job, and I might even have a little more respect for him than I did when this all started. 

"What are you going to do once you are back topside? Find Moose and Squirrel?" 

"I don't know. I doubt they would even take me back after making a demon deal."

"Now you know that isn't true. They haven't stopped looking for you." Crowley comes and stands next to me, placing his hand on my shoulder. 

"As much as I hate you, I have grown to respect the three of you. Give them a chance. You saved Sam with your Deal with me. If they can't understand that, then that is their loss."

"You love me, and you know it, Crowley," I tell him with a slight smile on my face. We spend the rest of the night in silence, both of us waiting for what is our daylight to shine, signaling my end in Hell.

"I will drop you off as close to the Bunker as possible. After that, the rest of it will be up to you." He says before placing his hand on my shoulder again; then everything goes black.

When I finally come, I am lying on the side of the road, the blue sky above me. Seeing the color blue brings me to tears. I didn't know how much I missed that color till I saw it again. Then, Hell was all fire and brimstone, blacks and red. When I finally sit up, I can see the Bunker. I get to my feet and stumble my way to the Bunker. Part of me always thought that I would never see it again. That something would happen while doing Crowley's dirty work. I never dared to dream that I would see Sam smile or hear Dean laugh. 

Opening the heavy door of the Bunker, I quietly step down onto the landing. I can't see them from where I am standing, making my way down the stairs. Once at the bottom of the stairs, I am thrown against the nearest wall with a knife against my neck. I look up to see Sam is the one holding the knife. It feels like all the air is knocked out of my lungs. I knew that Crowly would uphold his end of the Deal, but I watched Sam take his last breath at the time. Seeing him now almost had the power to bring me to my knees.

"Sammy," I whisper. I dont do anything else as he stares at me. He doesn't take his eyes off me as he screams for Dean. I hear Dean running toward us, but Sam never moves the knife. 

"Sam!" Dean yells once he is in the room. Sam movies just enough for Dean to see me. 

"Y/N," Dean whispers once he sees me. Dean looks tired once I take him in; I want to do more, but Sam is still holding a knife to my neck, and I dont want to move. 

"Hi," I whisper, my voice rough, making me wonder how long I lay outside after Crowley dropped me off. Sam and Dean have one of the silent conversations that they have. Dean moves away from us, moving into the Bunker. Sam removes the knife but keeps his hand on my shoulder as he pushes me away from the wall, his grip tight and most painful as he walks me into the map room. 

Once Dean is back in the room, I am quickly handcuffed to a chair. I Dont say anything nor argue as they run the tests to see if it is me and not some monster wearing my face. Once the tests were run, Dean quickly uncuffed and pulled into a hug. Dean is down on his knees, me sitting on his lap. 

"How?" Dean whispers to me.

"I saved Sam," I whisper just as quietly. Sam is sitting on the floor next to Dean and me.

"Y/N?" I can hear the question in Sam's voice when he says my name.

"I made a deal. The world needs you both. Im not that important. Crowley offered me a deal of ten years in Hell for Sam's life. I took the Deal."

"You've been in hell?" Dean asks me, his voice breaking as he asks me. I nod my head yes as I finally wrap my arms around Dean. I know we all have a lot to talk about, but I'm just going to sit in Dean's arms for now. The rest can wait. 

[fortune-maiden]

Why is posting whump so hard >.<

[wil-is-done]

Irreparable

Inspired by this angsty piece made by my good friend @/madiineko for another one of my good friends, @/funneylizzie. They both make Very Good Art and deserve a follow.

Enjoy! Also, suffer.

-

Summary: Sometimes, scars don't fade. Sometimes, wounds don't heal. Sometimes, one night's mistake can affect you for the rest of your life.

Word Count: 2.382

-

IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a repost.

Two minutes.

That was how fast the night took a turn. How fast the trap was sprung. How fast everything went from bad to worse.

Lili should've known they'd bring backup. Should've known they'd try to surround her. Should've been the one to take the hit.

Raz wasn't even supposed be anywhere near her position. Wasn't supposed to do a damn hero's entrance through the ceiling. Wasn't supposed to push her out of the way.

The mission wasn't supposed to end with the baron getting away. With his body limp in her arms. With her screaming out his name.

-

Two hours.

That was how long she waited outside of the emergency ward. How long she cried, hugging her knees to her chest, until it hurt to breathe. How long she clutched Raz's jacket tight around her, praying to anyone or anything that might be listening, for him to make it.

When Sasha emerged from the door, Lili rose to her feet. When he took off his glasses, the world felt darker.

His eyes were distraught, more than she'd ever seen before.

"He'll live," he said, barely a whisper. "Other than that, I- the damage was-"

Lili didn't hear the rest. She'd barged past him and sprinted inside.

She found Raz on a wheelchair, being wheeled out of a room by a nurse, covered in bandages, but still wearing his battered uniform. The nurse took one look of Lili and wisely decided to turn on her heels and walk away.

Raz was awake, his eyes open, but empty. Raz was alive, but his eyes were lifeless.

"Raz?"

No answer. No hums. Not even a glance in her direction.

Lili approached, gently cupping his face in her hands, gently coaxing him to meet her eyes. Nothing.

"Raz...?"

Her mind reached out to his, grasping for his stupid smile, his infectious laughter, his calming embrace. Grasping for the warmth that he would always carry with him. Grasping for the light that would always be there for her.

Nothing. No smile. No laughter. No embrace. No warmth. No light. What she grasped was cold, barren, empty. What she knew, she loved, she needed, was gone.

Lili collapsed against him. Sobs wracked her body. Tears spilled down her cheeks again.

Raz was here, but he's gone.

-

Two days.

That was how long his family were forced to wait until they were finally cleared to visit him. Psychonautical bureaucracy could be complete nonsense sometimes, keeping his own family from seeing him. One of the many things she'd change once she becomes the Grand Head.

They arrived with Milla. Augustus and Donatella looked like they haven't slept since they first heard the news. Dion and Frazie didn't seem to be faring much better. Mirtala and Queepie were still too young to fully understand what had happened, but they understood it was something upsetting, and that was enough for them to wear looks of confusion and distress. They rushed to Raz's bedside, forcing Lili aside, whether they realized it or not. Lili kept her silence, and chose to wait outside.

They spent hours with him. Lili tried not to watch through the window, but occasionally the temptation wore her down. She'd glance once, and saw Augustus trying to make small talk with his son. Another time she'd glance, and saw Queepie waving a plastic action figure in front of his brother, goading him to play.

Milla stayed, waiting outside the room with her, for a while. Neither of them talked, or even really acknowledged each other, but the silence was nice. It was comforting, to simply exist, and to have their existence be enough to reassure one another. Time passed, and Milla took her leave - duty calls, she claimed. More time passed, until Lili was startled out of her thoughts when a gaggle of nurses walked past her and into the room. Must be time for a check-up. The Aquatos were urged to leave for the moment, and they obliged. With heavy steps and heavy hearts, one after another, they left the room, walking past Lili.

Frazie didn't even notice her. Her eyes were too wet and red from crying.

Dion shouldered her aside. It was deliberate. It stung. It was the least that she deserved.

Mirtala looked like she understood the situation better. The frown etched on her visage was darker and deeper than it should for a girl her age.

Queepie recognized her, and waved with a polite smile. Lili tried, really tried, to do the same, but her hands were frozen and the corners of her lips were impossible to lift. He walked away, pouting, never receiving a smile.

Lili lowered her eyes when Augustus and Donatella walked in front of her. When their shoes stopped, she flinched. She knew this was coming, and slowly looked up. She expected anger, even hate. When she meet their eyes, all she saw was grief, and sorrow. Not just for their son, but for her.

Her surprise must've shown on her face, because the ghost of a smile graced Donatella's lips for a fleeting moment. She leaned closer to Augustus' ear.

"I'll keep an eye on the children," she said, planting a quick peck on his cheek, before leaving after her children. Leaving Lili alone with Augustus.

Augustus said nothing. He simply lowered himself to one knee and spread his arms open, wearing a small, gentle smile. Like a magnet, she was drawn in. Her feet moved on their own. When he wrapped his arms around her, tears flowed down her cheeks once more.

"It's not your fault," he said, gently, over and over again. "It's not your fault."

Lili never realized how much she needed to hear that.

-

Two weeks.

That was how long Raz spent under intensive care. He was treated by the best doctors the Psychonauts could spare. His eyes were still as empty as it were during that first night.

Lili arranged for him to be relocated to the best medical facility the organization had available. His family would always be permitted to visit him, no exceptions. Any expenses would be reimbursed straight from the Zanotto family fortune. Anyone saying Raz was receiving special treatment could go fuck themselves.

The room they placed Raz in was cold. Sterile. Clinical. Nothing about it felt like home. She'd have that changed soon enough.

Lili took his hand in hers, and promised him so many things. She promised she'd visit everyday. She promised the baron would pay, even if it wouldn't bring him back. She promised she'd run out of tears to shed, that she wouldn't let herself wallow in despair.

Doctors entered, Sasha acting as their lead. They weren't here for anything serious, he claimed, simply making sure nothing changed during transit.

Lili was afraid of the answer, but there was one thought that had been buzzing in her head ever since that night. "Will he ever get better?"

"Recovery is possible," one of the doctors said. "The chances are very slim, but it is possible."

Beside her, Sasha quietly scoffed.

When the doctors left, Sasha stayed behind. Lili prompted him to elaborate.

"Calling the chances 'very slim' would be a massive understatement," he said. "We'd have a better chance finding a needle in an ocean of hay."

Her breath hitched. It was exactly what she feared. Tears prickled the edges of her vision, but she pushed it down. She'd already made a promise.

Instead, Lili entwined her fingers together with Raz's.

"We can hope, can't we?"

For a long moment, Sasha didn't answer.

"We can. Of course we can."

Sasha took the spot on the other side of Raz's bed. He'd tucked his glasses in his pocket. His eyes were soft, and kind, and hid sleepless nights wracked with guilt and regret.

"If he returns, we'll be there. Smiling. Like he'd want us to."

Lili stared deep into Raz's dull, lifeless eyes, much as it pained her to do it, dreaming of the day they'd be filled with life again. Gently, she squeezed his hand.

"If not," Sasha breathed, his voice strained, "there are worse places to call home."

-

Two months.

That was how long it took to finish the case. They tracked the baron to a remote island in the Arctic Ocean. Lili personally requested to be part of the assault force. Nobody dared to refuse her.

They briefed her. The mission was to bring him in alive, to answer for his crimes. She didn't listen, or care. They knew. Everyone knew. She'll snap the baron's neck the second she saw him.

Lili touched down on the island like a missile. The baron's security swarmed her, like moths to a flame. And they burned. Anyone who got in her way burned. She tore the island apart, chasing after the baron, until he retreated into a vault deep beneath the island. She could almost laugh. The fool backed himself into a corner.

It took longer than she thought ripping the metal vault's door off of its hinges. Close to three full minutes. Eliminating the token resistance the baron brought with him took half of one. The man had no choice but to face her. She expected him to boast. To talk big about his power, how he would best her and live to wreak havoc another day.

No. He dropped to his knees, and he begged. He had the gall to beg. Spouted nonsense about how he could be useful; with his connections, his intel, his wealth.

Lili didn't break his neck. She broke everything.

The strike force arrived not long after. They paused at the threshold, seeing her with what was once the baron.

"He attacked me. I didn't have a choice," she lied.

Nobody believed her. She didn't need to read minds to know that. But nobody said a word. Funny how that worked.

-

Two years.

That was how much time had passed when she made her three hundredth visit to the facility. Nothing drastic changed during that time. A few minor rotations in staff, the most recent one being a new receptionist around visit two hundred and eighty three. He would always be surprised every time she walked through the front door. A candidate to be the next Grand Head shouldn't be wasting her time here, he'd think. One look from her would be enough to make him think about anything else.

Raz's room was much homier than it had been when he first moved in. It was one of the first things she had done. The stark white walls were replaced with warm, earthy wallpapers at visit ten. Queepie loved to draw, so since visit twenty one, she always made sure to have a box of crayons available for when the Aquatos came to visit. At visit twenty three, they started hanging up Queepie's drawing around the room, and they never stopped since. Milla came by, at visit twenty seven, bringing a pair of lava lamps that matched the wallpaper. Sasha was already there before her at visit forty two, placing a framed photo of Raz in his uniform, taken during his first day as a Psychonaut agent, on his bedside table.

Other people pitched in to add something to the room over time; most of them colleagues and friends, including ones from back at camp. Visit sixty eight, Phoebe and Quentin left behind some merch of their new band. Visit one hundred and twenty five, Clem brought a massive banner filled with hundreds of get well soon messages and hung it up from the rafters. Bobby and Chloe must've dropped by at some point, because at visit one hundred and seventy five, she found a model spaceship with Raz's initials on its side. At Dogen's suggestion, ever since visit two hundred and one, she had a stack of True Psychic Tales issues tucked neatly in a cabinet, just in case.

"Hey, Raz," she greeted as she entered the room, like she'd always do. Like always, no response came, and she'd try to ignore the pang of disappointment in her chest.

Lili sighed. This was getting harder and harder to do.

Still, it was good to see him. It's been close to a week since her last visit. She wasn't able to keep her promise of visiting everyday after all. She made it to one hundred and thirty one visits before she had to miss two whole days, simply because of a dumb security breach forced her family to go on lockdown. It tore her apart at the time, but she held the tears back. The last thing she wanted was to break two promises.

Since then, she was more lax with herself. She allowed herself to skip a day or two, if it simply wasn't possible to fit visiting him into her schedule. Those one or two day gaps became three or four or more as time passed, and her schedule grew more and more hectic. Nowadays, she's lucky if she managed to fit in a visit once a week. It didn't upset her much, though. Somehow, it made her visits feel all the more special.

The two developed a ritual, of a sort - something they'd do every time she visited. After lunch, she'd wheel him out to a hill near the edge of the facility's complex. It had a gorgeous view of the mountainside where the facility was located, and a sturdy evergreen stood nearby - she'd planted it as a sapling to commemorate visit fifty - providing shade should they ever need it.

Lili unstrapped Raz from the wheelchair and lowered him onto the grass. She joined him then, savoring the fresh smell and the way the individual blades tickled her skin. She told him everything that had happened since she last visited; about her ongoing campaign to be the next Grand Head, about Sasha's recently greenlit project, about a new class year starting at Whispering Rock, and more.

Like always, Raz said nothing, and did nothing. Like always, her chest tightened, as if she couldn't breath and it hurt. Like always, the hope she clung to so dearly in her heart slipped further and further from her reach.

Lili entwined her fingers with his, and squeezed.

Lili sighed, closed her eyes, and let herself dream.

Lili gasped when Raz squeezed back.

-

Can't have it be all the way sad without at least a smidgen of light at the end of the tunnel. That's just not how I do.