#for every sad character plot i make i have to make a lighter one

[addledmongoose]

Best of 2024 Good Omens Fanfiction

Welcome to my list of the best Good Omens fanfiction I’ve read in 2024! These are my favorites of all the novels, short stories, and series I’ve read this year, and they’re the ones I have or am most likely to read more than once. There’s so much amazing talent in the Good Omens fandom, and I will never be able to read every great story, but I’m happy to have found these fantastic works. (FYI, I added up the word counts of all the stories on this list, and it’s over three million!)

First of all, if you haven’t read the stories on my 2023 Best Of list, be sure to check out the amazing works there. There are a lot of older classics, like Or Be Nice, Slow Show, and Pray For Us, Icarus and some stories written after season two released, like Factory Setting and Married At First Sight. 

Secondly, here is the entire list of every recommendation I’ve made in 2024. There are far more great stories than can fit in a single year-end list. I’ll be unpinning that list and pinning up a new one next year.

Last year, I was able to split my list up more evenly into canon adjacent/compliant and human AU. This year, I read a wider variety of stories, many of them quite long, and more series. I’m splitting the list into three categories: canon, human AU, and non-human AU. There's no order or ranking to the list; they were mostly just added as I read them.

There are also no WIPs here; all of the stories are complete. The series are also complete at the time of this list or are a series of standalone shorts that don't need to be read in order. My preferences lean toward funnier, lighter stories and are often heavy on plot. If you’re looking for dark stories with a lot of angst, you won’t find as many here as other blogs might recommend. It’s not that some of these don’t have dark, sad moments or moments of angst, but Aziraphale and Crowley must have a happy ending, and I prefer stories that don’t make me cry or cause a lot of stress.

If you like these stories, don’t forget to leave kudos and comments for the authors! 

If you hit that "Keep reading" button, strap in! This is a very, very long post.

Canon

They’re still angel and demon. I’m counting Reverse Omens in this category.

The Seventh Prince of Hell (56K; Rated M) by @evilasiangenius

Reverse Omens. This is actually part of a series, but I’ve only read the first book, so I’m not listing it as a series. Aziraphale is the Seventh Prince of Hell. His animal aspect is the octopus. Crowley is an ordinary angel. Both are assigned to Earth. They have adventures!

Genesis 3:(-7)-5.5 -7   And they assembled all the Lords, the Princes of Hell into a congregation together sometime after the seventh day, but not on a day of rest because even the Dark Council has a day off. -6  When it came to pass that all grew weary of the powerful pointing presentations, Lord Beelzebub spake with a loud voice, saying unto them, One of uzz brotherzz muzzt go to Earth as Hell’s Represzentative and thwart the doings of Heaven; there izz no choice now that the Almighty has created humanzz. Who amongzt uzz shall take up the project? It comezz with a great deal of extra paperwork, much travel, and no overtime pay. And we shall not reimbursze anything and there shall be no per diem. [...] -3  And of the seven Princes of Hell, three stepped forward, and only three; not two nor five, which are the other prime numbers near three and definitely not one, which is not a prime at all but the unit. The first was the Second Prince, who is called Asmodeus and is a demon of lust. The second was the Seventh Prince, who is called Aziraphale and is a demon of collecting stuff. And the third was the Fourth Prince, who is not worth talking about because they only appear in this one scene and for no other reason than to have three characters. I think that Prince is the demon of executive dysfunction or erectile dysfunction or something like that. Maybe both.

***

Nice And Ominous: a reluctant eschatology of the Second Attempt (series) (117K; Rated T/E) by @e-rated-beardo

A three-part, post-s2 series with gorgeous art by the author. Part I is Crowley’s POV as he deals with the loss of his angel. Part II is from Aziraphale’s POV as he tries to stop the Second Coming and deal with the loss of his demon. Part III is the thrilling finale (and the happy ending). Expect a lot of angst but great characters and plot.

It was a shit day. All the days had been shit, and there had been rather a shitload of them so far. Tucked away in a disused corner of a car park in a retail park in Croydon, a lanky man cracked his eyes open and scowled out the side window of his car. There were raindrops hitting the glass and clouds massing towards the eastern horizon suggested a storm was on its way. He had slept uncomfortably across the front seats for a good amount of time (it didn’t much matter what exact amount), and despite the car being a vintage and exceptionally attractive specimen, nobody had paid it much mind—and the few people who had had the idea to come over and have a look at the ostensibly abandoned vehicle had all suddenly realised how much they actually needed to go buy a sofa or something at that Ikea over there, right about now, in fact. Untangling his various limbs, the man in the car—who wasn’t exactly a man, as such, but close enough for government work—reluctantly sat up, his boot brushing against one of the empty bottles on the floor. He had neglected to sober up before going to sleep.

***

Too Hot for Heavenly Handling (2.4K; Rated E) by @hollybennett123

Crowley says yes to returning to Heaven. The two enjoy three fornication-fueled weeks before they’re hauled before the Metatron and the other archangels for a disciplinary hearing. Rating-aside, there’s not any actual sex in this story. It’s implicit; not explicit.

I’ve read this story more times than I can count (ok, it’s seven). I nearly choked the first time I read it, because I was laughing so hard. Every sentence is a gem. The timing of the jokes is impeccable. There’s not a single bad line in this entire piece. 

“No angel shall pretend to be of a lower status than their actual ranking,” Aziraphale reads aloud. “What does that have to do with — ohhh,” he says, wide-eyed, remembering their ongoing little roleplay. Crowley, an angel of the lowest ranking in their little game, seeking favour from an Archangel; offering to service him in secret so he might earn a series of Heavenly promotions. It had been jolly good fun, actually. “Misuse of Heavenly furniture,” the Metatron continues. “One count. Again, the actual number is unknown. Quite frankly, no one here is willing to research it further to gather any more evidence than the minimum required to bring you before this Council.” Looking back, Aziraphale’s desk has seen quite a bit of action in recent weeks. And the chair. The walls, too, if they count.

***

Aziraphale’s Diaries (series) (11K; Rated T) by @fellshish

A series of standalone fics written as Aziraphale’s diary entries. They don’t need to be read in any order. All of them are fantastic, but I probably laughed the hardest at “Adventures of a mystery shopper in the bookshop.” Aziraphale decides Crowley must be bored after the Nomageddon and in need of work and decides to “let” him take care of his bookshop while he’s away, but then he worries the demon might sell some of his books.

29 August 2018 I’ve informed Crowley I’ll be going away for about three weeks, to perform an exciting and complicated blessing abroad. In reality, I’ve booked the Ritz for myself, where I’ll be forced to act human and eat breakfasts, lunches and dinners. Anything to keep a close eye on Crowley!   30th August 2018 It’s my first day away. I decided to go by the bookshop in an “old and confused man disguise” so I could look through the window. I was just in time (a three hour window between lunch and afternoon tea at the Ritz) to see him read the letter I’d posted a few days ago so it would arrive just as I’d left.  It was cleverly addressed “To the owner or the current guardian of this bookshop”. I used all my knowledge of humans, gathered via the cleverest of ways (a lot of reading), to write it. 

***

A Special Place In Hell (50K; Rated T) by @hotcrosspigeon and @mirach

When Adam shifted reality and caused Satan to disappear, the nearest supernatural entity became the new King of Hell. As it so happened, a certain angel was standing just a little closer than his demon.

Aziraphale, while not Falling, becomes the new ruler of Hell and must navigate Hellish politics, find a role for the love of his life, and maybe bring some proper tea time to the infernal realm. I stumbled upon this story purely by accident one night, and it was a pure joy to read. It’s one of those stories I wish was a series, because I could read so much more in this world.

"Hello, Crowley, my dear fellow. I would like to discuss a certain issue with you. You see, I somehow got into a very peculiar predicament..." Aziraphale sighed in frustration, pacing in his bookshop. "No no no, that sounds like I got my hand stuck in the sweets vending machine again." He cleared his throat. "Hey Crowley, what's up? Better sit down because I have some news to tell you... And by some news I mean... errr..." The angel groaned. "Oh Heavens, there's just no proper way to say this. Ugh, come on, Aziraphale, buck up! You just need to get to the point, that's all. Say the things as they are. No going in circles around the matter. Nice and accurate, right. Just tell him..." He turned at the sound of the bookshop doorbell. "Hello Crowley! Nice weather, isn't it?" "Wha..?" Crowley raised an incredulous eyebrow over the top of his sunglasses, a drop of water running along the edge of his nose. His red hair was plastered to his forehead. He turned to look out the window, jerking a thumb at the onslaught of vicious hail and rain that pelted the glass and plinked against the pane. "Oh, ha ha , very funny. It's bloody bucketing down, angel! I legged it in here before I got clonked on the head with a hailstone the size of my fist." He stopped and frowned at the angel in concern. "Er... you all right? You're looking a bit peaky."

***

Flowers From Hell (42K; Rated T) by @entanglednow

Crowley creates a hybrid demon flower that turns out to be a little more than he intended. This was such a sweet, beautiful story of found family and love, and you’ll absolutely fall in love with Ivy and want to do everything to protect him.

There's a low, quiet rustle from the atrium, where Crowley keeps his finest plants. The beautiful and often terrified rows of them are always so tall and glossy, and fantastically well maintained. Aziraphale regrets that he hadn't taken more of an interest in Crowley's hobbies. It wouldn't have been too difficult, he imagines, to seek out rare specimens to offer the demon. When he's been given so many long sought after volumes, and unpublished manuscripts in turn. Perhaps he could encourage Crowley to open up more, with a few well thought out questions pertaining to his plants, and their various needs. He knows Crowley has been absorbed in a special project recently, he'll make a point to ask about it today. Aziraphale heads into the stretch of greenery, following the tap of feet on tiles, and the quiet swish of foliage. He catches a flash of red hair at the end of the room, behind a messy spray of deep green leaves, then another flash, of what might be the long, pale curve of a shoulder. "Crowley?" The whole room smells damp, thick with fresh soil and crushed plant matter, and it grows stronger the deeper in Aziraphale ventures. He's sure the room wasn't quite so large before, it's clearly been expanded since he visited last, a deep bed of soil is now packed at the back of the room. "Crowley." Aziraphale eases a large spray of damp leaves aside. "I hope I'm not too early, I was -" Crowley is standing by the far wall, carefully touching the valley in the middle of a large leaf with curious, repetitive motions. He's also quite naked. It's - it's unexpected to say the least.

***

Time Marches Forward (129K; Rated M) by @bellisima-writes

While Aziraphale is in Heaven trying to thwart the Second Coming, Crowley is trying to help a frightened 15-year-old Adam learn to deal with his powers. I consider this the definitive S3 (even having written a post-S2 myself), regardless of what the upcoming finale gives us. Every character is wonderfully fleshed out. The plot is intriguing. I read it as fast as humanly possible, barely stopping to do anything else.

Crowley felt the air in the Bentley shift slightly. “What are you doing here?” Crowley jumped in shock, hitting his head on the roof of the Bentley so hard his sunglasses fell off. Adam was suddenly in the passenger seat, studying him cautiously. “Hey! You can’t just come into my car, uninvited,” Crowley hissed, grabbing his glasses and placing them back on his face. He realized he was still slouching, making Adam appear much bigger than he was. He sat up straight and crossed his arms in an attempt to look more intimidating and less drunk. He wondered if it was wise to try and glower at the Antichrist. “He can, actually,” Pepper said from the back seat. Crowley turned and snarled as he noted the three other teenagers in his car. Wensleydale and Brian sat beside her. “He can do anything.” “Yeah well, that may be so but that doesn’t make it right. Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should,” he looked Adam directly in the eyes as he said this, assuming no one else around him would ever be so blunt. “What are you doing lurking around my house?” Adam asked again plainly. Crowley’s glowering was not working. “Ngk. I didn’t come to see you, if that’s what you're asking. I’m as shocked as you are to find myself here. I was asleep for a few days. The bloody car did it; blame it for the lurking”

***

The Last Angel (162K; Rated E) by @bellisima-writes

Crowley's been Hell's Grand Inquisitor for millennia now. Ever since the Apocalypse, he's managed to carve out a relatively cushy life for himself. Hell won the War, Angels were essentially eradicated and all human souls were Satan's. Everything was fine. Until one day he hears a rumor that the Last Angel in the universe was finally captured. Until Beelzebub is suddenly ordering him to get information from said Angel, information that's critical for Hell's survival. Until the moment he first locks eyes with the last Angel, and everything he's ever known starts to crumble around him.

I can’t come up with a better description than the summary. Much like the author’s previous work, Time Marches Forward, this is plot-heavy, exciting, action-packed, and gorgeous. The characters are detailed and realistic. The plot sings. And you won’t see the surprise until it’s already there.

“What kinds of rumors?” he asked, shifting in his seat to properly face Eric. Words were one thing, but body language was another. As Grand Inquisitor, Crowley learned early on to weigh both when evaluating information shared by a source whose reliability was questionable. Eric was a nice kid, sure. But their reliability would definitely be categorized as questionable . Eric’s mood shifted as they glanced around the corridor. Crowley hadn’t realized how quiet the cells had gotten. The bloody humans were eavesdropping again. He dug deep and pulled up a hiss so loud and laced with demonic power that it rattled every cell door in the entire block. Eric motioned with their hand for Crowley to follow them into a corner and out of earshot of everyone else. As Crowley pulled himself up and started walking he sent searing looks down each row of cells around him. They were all going to have a talk about this later. “What?” he asked when he got close enough to Eric. Still eyeing the cells behind them, Eric leaned in closer and whispered, “Hastur finally found him."

Crowley shook his head. Eric’s shiftiness was starting to annoy him. “Found who?” “The one who killed Ligur. Crowley, Hastur’s finally captured the last Angel.”

***

Kidnapping A Supreme Archangel For Fun And Profit (series) (31K; Rated T) by @waitingtobebroken

Mostly outsider POV. Four short stories told mostly from the points of view of Agiel, the Supreme Archangel’s assistant, and Kric (Eric with a K), the Grand Duke’s assistant as they try to figure out why the Supreme Archangel is so unworried about all the times he’s getting himself kidnapped by the Grand Duke. In the meantime, the two assistants find that maybe they have more in common than they would have expected, being hereditary enemies and all.

Being Lord Beelzebub's demonic assistant had been easier than overseeing the third circle of Hell. Just stay out of the way, don't make eye contact, not that Kric could, having been blessed with a distinct lack of eyes, and do not talk to the Prince of Hell, unless it was a 'Yes, Your Highness' or... No, that was pretty much it. You did not go around saying "No" to Lord Beelzebub. And of course, just as they had finally grown comfortable in their position, had even found the perfect time to ask for an assistant of their own... There had been a change in leadership. And Kric had found themself serving Crowley. The Original Tempter, the Snake of Eden, the Earth Walker. Kric was not impressed. Flash bastard. And suddenly, they were expected to be in the throne room at all times. To answer when addressed. Proper, actual answer. None of that automatic 'Yes, your Highness' they were so used to. The first time His Rottenness had held up two sashes, before the monthly meeting between Heaven and Hell and had asked which one made his scales look more iridescent and Kric had answered in the only way they knew how... Well, let's just say that hadn't gone well. They had been sent to something called Fashion Week. To better their understanding of clothes and colour theory, something they could sense had been invented by a fellow demon. Lord Crowley, most probably, judging by the way His Wickedness had grinned when he had told them that.

*****

Human AU

Fully human characters. No supernatural/magical elements.

Waking Up Slow (88K; Rated E) by @themoonmothwrites

After both being exposed to covid, strangers Crowley and Aziraphale wait out their isolation together (there’s only one bed!) at a cottage by the sea. This is complete cosycore fluff with just a touch of angst (and a happy ending) near the end. This gorgeous story has stuck with me for so long. If you want something that’s just plain pleasurable to read, this is it.

“Lovely view.” The voice was low, with the slightest hint of gravel, and right next to Aziraphale’s ear. He made an undignified noise and spun round in fright. “Where the devil did you-?” he started, high-voiced, before his foot caught on a stone and he lost his balance. The stranger was standing so close that Aziraphale toppled right into him, and the pair of them went down together in a tangle of knees and a solid thunk to the forehead. “Ow,” the man said, squinting up at Aziraphale, gaze unfocused, before his eyes fell closed. “Oh no!” Aziraphale breathed. “Oh dear. What do I-?” He’d left his blasted phone at the cottage, now of all times when he actually needed it! With an unconscious man lying before him! And it was all Aziraphale’s doing! “I can-- I can-- I know what to do!” he told himself, attempting belatedly not to panic. The best thing to do was not to think too hard. Tipping up the stranger’s chin, Aziraphale pinched his nose and lowered his face until his mouth closed over the other man’s.

***

The Prince’s Consort (142K; Rated E) by @ineffable-toreshi

Aziraphale is the crown prince of a fictional nation. Crowley is a Lily, trained in one of Lucien’s brothels and kept a virgin for the eventual sale to a wealthy master. Against the brothel owner’s wishes, Crowley is purchased by the prince’s adviser, Gabriel, as a companion for Prince Aziraphale. Aziraphale didn’t want a purchased mate, however, and decides to court his new consort the old-fashioned way. 

The description makes this sound like a darker story than it is; it’s actually a really sweet story with only one bad guy (and it’s not Gabriel).

I wrote a much longer review here if you’d like more details.

“I...I was just wondering, my Lord,” Anthony said, nervously nibbling on his lip and twisting his fingers in his lap. “Why did you choose me ?” Gabriel cocked his head to the side. He leaned back, reclining with his arms thrown up over the edges of the bench, and seemed to think about the question. By the time he finally opened his mouth to answer, Anthony was practically vibrating with curiosity.  “There were a few factors,” he explained thoughtfully. “I’ll admit that your appearance was the first and foremost. I prefer women, myself, but I know beauty in a man when I see it. And I’ve seen the types who’ve caught the prince’s eye over the years. I’m quite confident that he will find you more than pleasing, from an aesthetic standpoint.”

***

Keep Digging (7K; Rated T) by Appleseeds

After panicking and losing his nerve trying to ask out Aziraphale, the co-worker Crowley has an enormous crush on, he tells a little white lie that ends up completely spiralling out of control since he can't seem to stop digging himself into a deeper and deeper hole. Now he's obtained plans to help him break into a school, inadvertently funded the purchase of explosives, and, knowing his luck, the fake blood will end up permanently staining the tiles. Who knows though, maybe in the end, it'll all turn out to be worth it.

Another one of those stories that are so funny tears stream down my face every time. Even going back through it to find an excerpt had me choking down laughter.

“I actually used to be a music tutor. That was one of the little jokes I liked to tell.” Aziraphale giggled again. Nhhhhh. “Wish you could tutor me…” Crowley muttered under his breath. “Oh! Are you wanting to learn to play a musical instrument?” Aziraphale asked brightly. Crowley’s eyes widened. He wasn’t supposed to hear that. Of course, he wouldn’t have heard it if Crowley had just kept his big mouth shut. “Um. Yeah.” “Wonderful! Which one?” FUCK. How the hell was Crowley supposed to answer that? Whatever he said, he might end up having to get one of said instrument, and he didn’t know much, but he knew musical instruments could be incredibly expensive. There must be something that would be cheap enough to procure if needs be, right? And with that thought, Crowley responded. “The triangle.” Oh Jesus Christ.

***

Temple of the Muses (241K; Rated E) by @ajconstantine

It’s the start of the Season in 1841 Victorian England. Mr Anthony Crowley has left a life of working at a luxurious high end bordello in Paris behind him and is now a courtesan intent on climbing the social ladder in London to increase his status and social connections. After unexpectedly inheriting the title of the Earl of Eastgate, Aziraphale finds himself trying to navigate the complicated world of the aristocracy. Duke Gabriel purchases a month-long contract with Mr Crowley for Lord Fell as a surprise gift to Aziraphale’s astonishment and dismay. He declines to take full advantage of Crowley’s charms but agrees to an arrangement of pretending to be Crowley’s paramour in exchange for lessons on the etiquette and expectations of Society. It’s a practical arrangement, nothing more. Certainly no feelings will be involved...

One of the best, most well-researched stories I’ve read. The historical elements are fascinating, and the world-building is top notch. Set in an alternate 1841 where there’s no stigma on same sex relationships, but same sex marriage is still not allowed. The story alternates between the present time, with Aziraphale and Crowley navigating their growing relationship, and Crowley’s time being trained at one of the most elite bordellos of Paris.

Crowley has a lot of autonomy in this story. He actively chose to become a sex worker. Once he leaves the bordello and becomes a courtesan, he can refuse to sign with a client. And while there are consequences for breaking a contract, a courtesan can walk away from a troublesome client.

“Exactly what position do you think I was hired for?” Crowley interrupted, pulling the shoulder of his robe back up. The Earl looked at him as if he’d asked a ridiculous question. “Valet, of course.” Crowley barked out a disbelieving laugh. “Duke Haven didn’t tell you about me?” The Earl pursed his lips, tilting his head in puzzlement. “Not you precisely. I was at his house last week, and he chastised me when I mentioned that I didn’t have a valet, insisting I needed one even though…” His eyes widened. “Oh no. What… what did you think you were being hired for?” Struck by the absurdity of it all, Crowley fought the strong urge to laugh outright. Instead, he gave the Earl a roguish grin and bowed with a flourish.  “Mr Anthony Crowley, at your service, sir. Duke Haven procured a contract for me to be your... courtesan.” Lord Fell's mouth dropped open as he gaped at him in apparent shock. “You— I—” He floundered, at a loss for words as he looked away from Crowley. His eyes landed on the bed. To Crowley’s growing amusement, the Early actually blushed, red staining his cheeks as he swiftly averted his gaze.  

***

#RAINBOWROAD (series) (407K; Rated T/E) by @nieded

If you haven’t heard of this one yet, you’re one of today’s lucky 10,000. This is one of the best, most well-written human AUs that anyone has produced for Good Omens (or really, of any romance). It’s a three-book, three-short series set in the world of Formula 1 racing. You heard that right. You don’t need to know anything about F1 racing. You don’t even need to like F1 racing. You just need to want to read one of the best romances ever written to enjoy this series.

Ezira Phale is a rookie F1 driver. AJ Crowley is an F1 veteran and an idol of the 25-year-old racer. Everything changes when Ezira meets and falls in love with Crowley, and the older driver (by about 10 years; there’s not a massive age difference here) seems to return his feelings. I wrote a very long review of the series here, so I won’t go into a ton of detail again except to say, if you love human AU, this should be on your list. The author adds notes at the end of the chapters explaining some of the more technical aspects of the sport, or talking about some of the real racers, and it’s fascinating. 

Ezira makes his escape from the after-party after stealing a handful of fig tartlets from the hors d’oeuvres table. He ducks out the service exit before looping back to the front of the hotel. God, he wants to sleep off his tipsiness. It’s significantly cooler at night, and he wraps his arms around his shoulders before slipping inside, making a dash for the elevator. Punching his floor number, he leans against the wall and closes his eyes, waiting to be taken to his floor. Then the elevator jerks as someone jabs their hand between the sliding doors, forcing it back open. Ezira lifts his head and glares at the newcomer before his eyes widen, flushing when he recognizes the red hair and black Renault polo. AJ Crowley throws himself into the opposite corner of the elevator and pulls the brim of his hat down. He turns to look at Ezira from under his cap. "Tough luck out there today, huh?" he asks. Ezira frowns and blinks. And because he’s a little drunk and high on adrenaline, he says, "Didn’t you place seventh? I thought that was fucking brilliant." This earns him a snort, and then a bit of stifled laughter. "You can’t say fuck." "You say fuck in almost every interview you do." Not that Ezira has watched every single post-debrief involving AJ Crowley. This makes Crowley laugh harder, and he wipes at his eyes. "You just look like you should be in a painting or something. You’re like a Hummel." Flabbergasted, Ezira stares. His cheeks grow hot when he realizes AJ Crowley is taking the piss. "I don’t even know what that means." Crowley wipes his eye with the back of his hand and then presses his lips together in a feeble attempt to hold back another fit of laughter. "I’m sorry. I’m just very, very drunk, and was not expecting you to say ‘fuck.’ You look like those cherubs from Italy."

***

Lunacy (57K; Rated E) by @snae-b

@snae-b writes some of the best sci-fi GO stories you’ll ever read. This is hardly the only great story of theirs I’ve recommended; it just happens to be my personal favorite. Crowley is the crew chief of a mining operation on one of Pluto’s tiny moons. Aziraphale is a geologist there to study the structural integrity of the moon. But something seems to be alive, something that shouldn’t be there. This is pure psychological horror, the kind of story where you’re never quite sure what’s real and what’s a hallucination. You’ll find definitely NSFW artwork throughout, so take note not to read it around people you wouldn’t want seeing porn on your screen.

Crowley zones out as they continue their conversation. Things had been weird in the mine today. For the past month really. Tech malfunctioning. Batteries draining when they should have been able to hold a charge for days. Half the lights were on the fritz. As if it weren't dark enough in there already. He'd had to trek nearly a mile into Sheol with only the lights on his helmet to repair them. And his crew had their hands full with extraction, so he’d had to do it alone. The darkness really starts to play tricks on you in there. He spent as much time looking over his shoulder as he did working on the lights. Kept thinking that he was seeing something. Something hiding in the shadows. Something that lived in his peripheral vision. As he tugs a beanie on over his head there’s a light rapping on the wall and everyone glances up to the figure in the doorway. “Excuse me, Mr. Crowley. If you have time in your schedule, I really need to discuss the most recent surface scans with you. Could you come by my quarters before dinner?” Crowley sighs as he snaps on his mag boots. “Yeah. Sure thing doc. I’ll be by in thirty.” The scientist only nods before he disappears down the hall. Dr. Aziraphale Fell. He doesn’t wear the standard issue jumpsuits. He wears thick sweaters and wool trousers that look ridiculous with his mag boots. And when he isn’t wearing them, he can hardly get around. Bumps into everything and everyone. He’s never been off planet before and it shows.

***

Miracles on Ice (131K; Rated E) by @henriettarhippo

It’s the “Blades of Glory” AU you never knew you wanted. Crowley and Aziraphale are men’s figure skaters who get banned from the sport after a fight on the podium. Years later, Aziraphale’s coach, Gabriel, suggests the two of them team up to compete in the Olympic’s pairs event. Only problem is, the two skaters hate each other. 

This is very much an enemies-to-lovers story, and Gabriel as their coach and sponsor is the perfect combination of asshole and good guy. He genuinely does care for his two skaters, and he’s generous with his money, but he also has that rich guy attitude of being used to getting what he wants, and he’s not afraid to tell them to stop being dumbasses either.

“Hey angel, was that your routine? Because it looked to me like a lot of swanning about on the ice with a few pirouettes thrown in.” The mocking drawl came from the figure making his way towards Aziraphale on a pair of sharp blades. Clad in skintight black velvet trousers and a black turtleneck adorned with glittering red crystals—to match the striking red curls that stopped at his shoulders—Aziraphale’s skating rival Crowley beamed down at him with a malicious grin. “Also, you’re a bit late. They handed out the women’s medals earlier today.” He pulled down the dark shades he always wore to give Aziraphale a wink. Aziraphale bristled and sat up straighter. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. That was textbook precision, and I think you’ll find it was the same scores I beat you with last year in Oslo.” “The hotel had a free bar I don’t even remember Oslo,” Crowley said dismissively as he approached the entrance to the rink. He turned back and gave Aziraphale a grin. “But I do remember Boston, and that victory was almost as sweet as the look on your face when you botched that triple loop.” Crowley let out a laugh at the scandalised look Aziraphale gave him. The loudspeakers started up with the first booming notes of a rock song and Crowley hopped up onto the ice and skated away from him before Aziraphale had the chance to reply.

***

Friends Don't (33K; Rated E) by @missunderstoodlyrics

Human AU. Another fantastic enemies-to-lovers by MissUnderstoodLyrics. This is the newest story on this list.

Aziraphale and Crowley are rival advice columnists whose companies are merged. The CEO, Gabriel, tells them they now have to do a joint video podcast together. The snark and bickerflirting are top notch, and this story kept a smile on my face. They have to keep their romance a secret, because the whole schtick of their podcast is their very public rivalry, but it gets harder and harder the closer they become.

Aziraphale attempted to drown his mirth in his wine glass, which was precisely when Crowley decided to position his mouth millimetres from the angel’s ear. “Blair. Have you met him? Worst. Comb-over. Since. Thatcher,” he whispered and then found himself helpfully patting Aziraphale's back as the man choked and spluttered, his cherubic face turning a delightful shade of pink. “Absolute fiend,” Aziraphale managed once he’d caught his breath, but the corners of his mouth were twitching traitorously. Crowley clocked Michaela out of the corner of his eye; she was leaning forward to shush them. Aziraphale escaped her wrath by standing and marching to the stage, his back straight and shoulders squared. He planted himself solidly in front of the microphone and proceeded to destroy what was left of Crowley’s sanity. “I once met a man-shaped snake,” he stated, his gaze firmly locked on Crowley. “Whose snark was taxing to take With swagger and pose He turned up his nose But his wisdom was rather half-baked.”

*****

Non-Human AU

One or both of them are non-human, or have some sort of supernatural abilities (like magic) but aren’t angel or demon. I’m including omegaverse in this category.

Mark of the Serpent (150K; Rated E) by @naromoreau and @summerofspock

Prince Aziraphale is about to be crowned King of Angelhaven when he's taken captive by pirates. When he's sold as a pleasure slave to King Crowley, ruler of the nation readying for war with his, he is forced to keep his identity a secret as he tries to find a way home and keep peace. But not everything at King Crowley's court is as it seems and Aziraphale will have to face machinations of a Royal Court that are far more complex than he had thought. A Captive Prince AU with an omegaverse twist.

The first omegaverse story I genuinely liked, even though Crowley is pretty awful toward Aziraphale at first. Since then I’ve come to enjoy more of them, but this is the one that got me into the genre. This is another one I’ve written a much longer review about here including an explanation for the “extremely dubious consent” tag.

"What about this one?" the omega king asked, eyes fixed on his face, a strange curl to his mouth. "He's an Angel," Hastur sneered. "Pretty, isn't he? We were trying to pick a variety for your majesty to choose from since you didn’t deign to accompany us, but we didn’t find out his origin until after we brought him. He probably doesn't even speak the language." The words manifested in Aziraphale’s mind, and he immediately saw the genius in them. If he didn't speak the language, he could hardly be appealing as a consort to the king. He would be dismissed, sent back to Tracy's, and given time to heal before making his escape. "An Angel?" the king repeated, something passing over his face that Aziraphale didn't like. "What's your name?" "I’m sorry," Aziraphale stammered in Angelic, sticking to his hastily made plan. "I don’t...I don’t know what you're saying." King Crowley smiled and said, in perfect Angelic, "I asked what your name was." "Oh, um, I- you can call me whatever you wish," Aziraphale said, not wanting to risk even a part of his name. The king laughed. "I'm choosing the Angel. Send him to my quarters." "But your majesty-" The omega king turned on Ligur. "You wanted me to choose a pleasure beta and I did. It's done. Were there any other highly important council matters or can I get back to my day?"

***

Saltwater on Skin (186K; Rated E) by @candyqueenblog

Another one with a longer review here. Ezra Fell is an award-winning novelist celebrating the millionth sale of his newest books with his friends and baby brother, Gabriel, on a rented yacht. He falls overboard and washes ashore on an uncharted island, and while awaiting rescue, he gets the strange feeling he’s not alone.

This is a low angst love story between the human and the naga who rescues him, and you’ll fall in love with the island and Crowley’s four sisters. Gabriel is a peach here, much younger than Ezra and very much the caring baby brother. 

And if you’d prefer an Ineffable Wives version of the story, you can find that here. I haven’t read it, but I assume it’s equally good.

Ezra couldn’t stifle the flood of tears as he threw his arms over his head with a scream. Then a pair of rough, but blessedly human hands, covered his wrists. “You… scared?” The stranger’s voice was gravelly, most likely from disuse, but to Ezra it sounded more beautiful than all the angelic choirs. He sobbed in relief. “Oh thank heavens! I thought for sure I was going to-” His words sputtered and died when he opened his eyes to look at his rescuer. It was a man… ...from the waist up. The man’s bare torso was thin, but well defined with long arms lean with muscle. His face was all angles framed by a shock of red hair that curled down his back. His eyes were captivating. They were human enough, save for the iris being the color of spun gold and sliced right down the middle by a slit-shaped pupil. That was about where the human similarities ended. From the waist down the man’s skin melded into a massive snake tail that was wider than Ezra’s entire body and covered in black scales with a red underbelly that matched his hair.

***

FAETED (series) (251K; Rated G/T) by @ineffably-good

The only story in this category that’s not rated E. A three-book, one-short series where Ezra, an English teacher at a public school accidentally ends up in the Fae realms and in the hands of the Unseelie king, Crowley. The world-building is fantastic, and the books use some of the side characters so well, especially Hastur and Ligur, two of Crowley’s most trusted advisers. Crowley is good to Ezra, but he’s spent a thousand years ruling over the chaotic and dangerous unseelie fae, and he doesn’t always know how to handle being in love with a human. And Ezra doesn’t understand the difficult and often prickly politics of the fae, so the two have a lot of misunderstandings to work through. It leads to several fights, but they are usually resolved within the chapter.

The stories are heavy on plot, mostly around the world of the fae, which is one of the things I love most about this series. I could easily read dozens of books set in this world.

Lord Crowley watched as Ezra emerged from the coach, curious to see how this strange mortal would react to his first sight of the Dark Court. Would he blanch in terror? Would he be curious? He didn’t know or understand the creature across from him, but he knew one thing— his reactions, to date, were not what the Prince expected. This was oddly refreshing. It had been so, so long since anyone had managed to surprise him. He watched as Ezra emerged, his fluffy golden hair sticking out in all directions above the dark gray travel cloak he’d donned. He smiled faintly and with studious politeness at the horrifying gremlin who helped him down the steps, brushed the nonexistent dust off himself, and  took in his surroundings. Crowley was gratified to see his eyes widen as he looked around. They were standing in the center of an immense cavern, almost as if a mountain had been hollowed out inside by an immense blast. The rock walls climbed up above them and came together at an unmeasurable distance overhead and were dotted everywhere one looked with cavernous openings, some of which flickered with the light from a fire further inside. Creatures here and there, too murky to make out fully, hovered near the openings of some of them, peering down at the return of their Prince with eyes he could not read. Further ahead, the floor cracked into a massive chasm which ranged across the rest of the cavern and was crossed here and there by rickety-looking bridges. It was lit from below by the light of flames and the scent of sulfur. Stalagmites rose from the floor at irregular intervals, some of them paired with stalactites dropping from the ceiling like large, rocky icicles. Their surfaces glittered here and there with what looked like mica or gems. Crowley watched as Ezra took all of this in at a glance. “Thoughts?” said Lord Crowley, sidling up to him. Ezra turned astonished eyes the color of blue sky to him. “It’s beautiful! I’ve never seen anything like this.” Crowley searched his face for mockery or insincerity but found only earnestness. The Prince felt a tingle of pleasure at this, at least for a moment, until he ruthlessly slammed that feeling down inside himself and returned to his usual sardonic detachment. He hadn’t brought the human here to be his friend.

***

If He’s Your Cleric, Why Is He Putting Me In His Bag of Holding? (300K; Rated E) by @noodlefrog-omens

I read this twice in a row. Literally. I stopped it and almost immediately started it again. I played D&D 3.5 for many years, and I absolutely loved seeing a D&D adventure played out in the GO universe. Aziraphale is the cleric of an adventuring party that stupidly decides to abandon him in the dungeon (you don’t abandon your healer!). Crowley is a very hungry mimic who ends up nearly dying in Aziraphale’s bag of holding before the cleric rescues him. (Look, if you’re going to look like a fancy book, don’t be surprised when the man tries to steal you).

Aziraphale still needs to find his adventuring party again, and the mimic decides to travel along with him. Along the way they find kobolds, a doppelganger, traps, and the obligate dungeon maze, all the while getting to know each other. Aziraphale recognizes his feelings toward the mimic fairly early on, but it takes Crowley longer to even understand what his feelings even mean. 

The porn doesn’t start until chapter 33 (of 40), and only covers maybe three of the remaining eight chapters. You can read the entire adventure and stop once they leave the dungeon if you don’t want any monsterfuckery, or you could skim past the smut to the ending. I don’t know if the author has any plans for sequels, but if he does, I’ll be right there ready.

In that moment, Crowley knew that he had found the right bait to lure this human right to his doom. He waited as patiently as he could while nearly vibrating himself into a puddle, watching as Aziraphale puttered around the room cooing over all the books and scrolls in the room as though they were living creatures. “Just you wait,” Crowley thought to himself, inordinately pleased to have figured out what made this stubborn human tick. “One of them will be.” “There must be centuries’ worth of knowledge collected in just this one chamber,” Aziraphale said in a reverent whisper. Finally, finally he started touching things in this dungeon. He even took his heavy leather gloves off, tucking them into his belt before running a fingertip along the spines of the books chained to the shelves. Crowley watched him take one right off the shelf and thumb through a few of the pages. “We must have walked right by this room. I don’t know why Sandalphon told me there wasn’t anything behind this door. He must not have looked closely enough.” Aziraphale turned his back to the shelves to glance back at the door, and Crowley took his chance to crawl up the side of the bookshelf and arrange himself in front of the chained tomes in pride of place. It wasn’t difficult to change himself into the shape of a book, but this was always about the details. It was an art form. Which books, exactly, had Aziraphale been drawn to? Old ones with leather covers, mostly. Ones with bits of fiddly decoration on the spine. Ones with a bit of mystery. Aziraphale was a cleric, so he was probably interested in talking to the Gods and shite like that, or at least understanding them. That was an angle Crowley could work with. He gave his skin a supple leather texture, inky black and vaguely shimmery in a way he knew would catch the flickering light being thrown out by that sword. Gold edging and lettering crept across his cover and spine, promising divine secrets and cosmic mysteries to anyone who would just reach out and touch. He couldn’t see himself, but Crowley knew that he was a very sexy book right now. Aziraphale would have to be mad not to notice him.

***

Crowley And The Chocolate Factory (55K; Rated E) by @entanglednow

Crowley has to step up for his nephew Adam when he wins a ticket to tour the famous chocolate factories, run by the reclusive and deeply strange Zira Zonka. It doesn't take Crowley long to decide that he wants nothing to do with the man, who's clearly hiding dark and mysterious secrets.

Do you like your Crowley grumpy and cynical? Do you like your Aziraphale weird? Did you think the one thing missing from Charlie and The Chocolate Factory was sex between Wonka and one of the parents in a vintage Bentley? Then this is the story for you!

Crowley doesn’t know what to make of the definitely strange Zira Zonka, but he finds himself drawn to the man nonetheless. The story is set in modern times, but if you know the original (at least the movie version; I can’t speak for the books), you have a general idea of what’s going to happen to the children. 

Zonka releases the arms of his partners for long enough to jerk his cane towards the sky, which erupts in a shower of flower petals and candy - a large proportion of which fall on the immediately excited crowd. Crowley's fairly certain he gets hit on the head by a soft fudge. God, this is humiliating. Zonka dances right and then left while the audience cheers in appreciation. He does another circle, separates from the row to do some unimpressive spins while trying - and failing - to find a good rhyme for liquorice. "My candy emporium has so much in store. Just step right up and walk through the door!" Zonka's gold and white cane snaps up into the air again, this time leaving a burst of light and his name written across the sky in sparkling gold calligraphy. It seems to be a dramatic ending, Crowley certainly hopes it's a dramatic ending. "Half of those lines were a stretch," he complains, but quietly and mostly to himself, because the audience seems to have found the whole thing captivating, Adam included. "And there's only five kids, not six, he can't even count." The Erik's all unlink arms, to thunderous applause from the crowd behind him, and Zonka gives the widest grin Crowley has ever seen. His hands flung on his hips, like the world's most enthusiastic children's entertainer. Crowley half expects him to ask who wants to see a magic trick. "How has this man possibly managed to stay out of the limelight for twenty years?" he wonders. "Or twenty minutes."

***

Villainous (217K; Rated E) by @ineffablepenguin

Once Upon A Time… There was a red-haired sorcerer who lived alone in a high tower, and a blond prince who lived in a palace full of people. And they were both of them desperately lonely. The Kingdoms of Empyrion and the Sorcerers of Apollyon have hated each other for hundreds of years, ever since the Great War. They do not interact, other than to occasionally try to kill one another. And they certainly do not make friends. Crow is an exhausted sorcerer who just wants everyone to leave him the hell alone: for the Sorcerer’s Council to stop harassing him to live up to his potential, and for wannabe Empyrion Heroes to stop attacking his tower to try and kill him. Until one day when he meets Prince Azra of the High Fells, who doesn’t behave anything like he’s supposed to…

This is one of those stories a lot of people recommend for good reason. It’s a fantastic fairy tale full of love and romance between two people who seem destined for one another. The writing is gorgeous, the world-building is fantastic, and there’s really great artwork scattered throughout. Some of the artwork is fairly suggestive, and all of it is stunning.

Crow slowed to a stop, and his gaze flickered bemusedly over him. The man was…not tall. Or remotely intimidating. He stood a couple inches shorter than him, even with the thick boots. Wide eyes shone resolutely grey-blue, the precise shade of his doublet, under a tumble of feathery white-blond curls cut a bit too short to be fashionable. And... his stubbornly-set jaw was rather less chiseled than Crow was used to seeing. No conveniently placed scars, no gritty dents or smudges on that immaculate armour. Heroes usually had cheekbones that could cut glass, but this one’s were rounded, and slightly rosy to boot. Cherubic was the word that came immediately to mind, and Crow nearly snorted out loud. He looked to be roughly Crow's own age, and was staring determinedly, if anxiously at him from behind that enormous broadsword. There was a long, tense silence as Crow and the armoured man sized each other up. The Hero spoke first. “Now see here, villain, I don’t want to have to kill you, so just turn about and head right back where you came from.” His voice was precise and educated, nearly fussy, and while self-assured was lacking in the usual bravado. Crow blinked, taken aback, and the flames in his hand faltered. “You don’t want to kill me?” “Well…no, not particularly.” The confidence wavered for an instant, then solidified. “Which is not to say that I won’t! Rest assured I will if you cause trouble!”

***

The Crawly Chronicles (series) (179K; Rated T/M/E) by @theladydrgn and @sylwritesstuff

When Aziraphale Fell, reporter for The Daily Messenger, is tasked with a simple story on smuggling, he isn't expecting to find out that Lightbringer, Inc. has been experimenting on something that could be an animal, an oil slick, or something else entirely. He especially isn't expecting that being to come home with him and change his entire life.

I’m a fan of the Tom Hardy Venom movies, which made this two-book, two-short series perfect for me. The books follow the plot of the first two movies, though book 2 also starts with the sexual relationship between the two characters. 

My favorite parts of the story are of the two learning to live together while sharing a body, and Aziraphale trying to figure out how to handle having feelings for a creature he’s permanently attached to who is so completely alien (literally) that he’s not even sure that romantic and sexual love are even an option.

The food the human was making already smelled good enough to eat to them, and they did not want to wait twenty minutes. This time their control of the human's hand was less subtle as they dipped fingers into the leftover batter and brought a generous scoop of the chocolate mix to their mouth. “Nasty human's is what they were.” Aziraphale froze or at least tried to. His mouth seemed to have other ideas, cleaning the mixture from his fingers. “What- Who said that?” he demanded messily, looking around. “I did.”  Aziraphale took several steps back, grasping for the cane he'd left leaning against the counter. The voice sounded as if it were everywhere around him or- or in his own mind somehow. “That's hardly reassuring. Who are you? How did you get into my home?” “Got in the same way you did, human.” They grabbed the bowl of chocolate mixture before the human stumbled too far from it, fingers scraping the last dregs of it to not waste a single bit. The cane fell to the floor.  Aziraphale tried stopping himself, but he couldn't seem to make his hands do what he wanted them to do. “Stop! How-” What in the world was happening and how did he stop it? “No. I'm hungry.” “That doesn't make any sense! Stop!” he demanded, struggling to keep his chocolate covered fingers away from his own mouth. “Fine.” They still felt so weak that fighting this human for control was a struggle and a challenge that they did not want to have. It was just so much easier to slip out between their cells and wrap a long tongue around their fingers instead.

***

And finally, if you made it all the way to the end, thank you!

I have three Good Omens novels of my own I hope you’ll check out, a post-S2 with an upcoming sequel; a “they never met”/fake marriage adventure; and a reverse omens (a WIP as of 27 Dec, 2024; chapters are released on Fridays, and it should be completely posted around mid-February 2025).

[pacificwaternymph]

I. ADORED. S2 of Arcane.

Final thoughts on the season below the cut

Season two was incredibly emotionally fulfilling. The climax was amazing. I loved the constant butterfly effect throughout the entire show, starting with Jayce as a child in the snow and Vi and Powder pulling off a heist leading up to all of this. All of it felt like a natural progression, so many threads of fate being woven together into one.

But there is a part of me that almost wishes they hadn't raised the stakes quite so high.

I know it's literally the namesake of the show and therefore this was probably always the plan, but there's a part of me that wishes they had left the Arcane out of it and just focused on the class war that got kind of... brushed over in Act 2?

It feels like they had to brush aside the themes of classism and oppression for the sake of making room for this bigger climax. And I think a big part of the reason I feel like this is because season 1 chose to focus so much on that part rather than the Arcane plot. So maybe I would have felt this way no matter what they did. But in their defense, they didn't forget about it entirely.

The shot with Sevika joining the council and several councilors giving her disgusted or mistrustful looks is a wonderful way to show that while they may have temporarily joined forces to defeat a bigger threat, the tensions between Piltover and Zaun are not automatically resolved. And I do like how Sevika is still the only councilor from Zaun. Everyone else is still topside. It's a good way to show that while a little progress has been made, it's only the beginning, and Sevika will likely have to fight tooth and nail for any reform.

Jinx's death... well I suppose I should have seen it coming. It was a good conclusion to her arc. But I still wish it hadn't happened. I am of the personal opinion that it didn't need to happen, and now I'm just left wondering how the hell Warwick/Vander was still alive when every other construct or whatever the hell they were had already died.

Vi... my darling. Even at the very end, couldn't catch a break. She really did lose everything. I'm glad she has Cait. I'm glad we got the sesbian lex scene. I just wish she could have ended the show genuinely happy, after having suffered so much throughout her entire life. I know for Arcane it's kind of a long shot for anyone to end up truly happy, but... I still really wanted it for her.

And on a lighter note: just when I thought I couldn't be any more attracted to Mel, the character designers decided to take that as a personal challenge.

I LOVE that they gave Mel more attention this season. The whole witch plotline and Mel having magic came kind of totally out of left field, but I still really enjoyed it. It gave Mel an actual role in this season which was less focused on internal politics, which I am glad for. It meant that she wasn't pushed to the side when the final climax came up. And I liked how her being a black rose put her in direct opposition to Ambessa, as opposed to the subtlety both of them had been employing up until that point. I liked the juxtaposition between the two of them, and I liked how she became the leader of Noxus following everything. Returning home after a long exile.

The completion of Viktor and Jayce's arc together was so fulfilling. I wasn't even sad about their deaths, I was glad that they were together, and that they could finish what they started together, just as both of them had always wanted.

I know everyone ships them but honestly I don't. I don't think their bond needs to be romantic. It transcends the need for those kind of labels. What's important isn't the exact nature of the relationship, it's the depth of it. It's the fact that their destinies, their souls have always been and always will be intertwined. And honestly the fact that they weren't explicitly romantic is almost better to me, because it defies the idea that relationships that deep always have to be romantic.

Ekko, as always, was perfect. My only complaint about him at all this season is that we didn't get more of him. I so adore him, I loved his episode in arc 3, it felt so perfect for him. To see what could have been, having just briefly everything he could ever want, and then knowing he had to leave it behind in order to keep moving forward.

And gosh, what a way of tying his time travel abilities into the story. It does make me kind of question what was going on with his fight with Jinx in season 1, if it wasn't actually time travel, though? Maybe we were just seeing another timeline, and he wasn't? Idk.

I'm so glad that at the end of the day, it was him that managed to save everyone. It wasn't perfect. He didn't bring anyone back to life. He didn't reset any timelines (which I am immensely grateful for, I would not have wanted everything that happened to be erased, it would have been such lazy writing), but he turned back time just enough to let Jayce snap out of his trance and free Viktor from the emotionless shell he'd surrounded himself with. He gave them one last moment together. And that's all they needed.

I don't know how I'm ever going to be the same after this. I am so glad for Arcane's existence.

[deadite-central]

First thing out of the way, because I’m gonna yapp a LOT about Dressrosa, is that the pacing in the manga helps digesting everything that happens here so much better, and I genuinely believe that after getting through the horrendously paced Dressrosa in the anime, you should pick the manga up even for just this arc, the anime did it a disservice

The arc starts of with an apparent choice being made by Doflamingo, he forfeits his warlord status he doesn’t actually but the straw hats and Law don’t know that. With that, we’re heading to the island to hand Caesar back, with the crew not knowing that all of this is actually a trap

It takes the crew about five seconds after making it to Dressrosa before half of them decide to head into the city. Cause again, screw the plan. In there, not only are we met with the weirdness of the country, from living toys to stories of fairies, but they also meet a blind man who’s shockingly strong. Who, soon enough, we’ll learn is an admiral. And I will say I love Fujitora’s character, as well as his introduction

Sanji has also went off somewhere, and what do you know he found a woman. Seriously tho I adore Viola, she seems to start off as a manipulator that works for the Donquixote Family, but thanks to Sanji’s kindness, she goes against her orders and we learn that she despises the Donquixote Pirates. Viola’s character is developed throughout the entire arc, but for now we have a picture of a hurt woman forced to work with the people who destroyed her country for the sake of it. Her relationship with Sanji is also incredibly sweet, and it makes me a bit sad that he leaves off pretty soon with half the Straw Hats

On a much lighter note! The comedy is still top tier. It doesn’t really matter who we’re currently watching, because every single group and person here has peak comedic moments, that also manage to pull the plot forward

And the plot of this arc is great from the very first moment it starts picking up pace. The reveal that Doflamingo is a former celestial dragon has been set up by Vergo already, so when it happens both the reader and Law can have some time of realisation. Doflamingo also continues to be more and more terrifying in his potrayal

The biggest hit to the pacing in Dressrosa, at least to me, that the anime somehow made even worse, are the Colosseum parts, as there’s about five characters that are actually interesting here and we’re getting introduced to so many of them. I don’t know how Oda could have handled this plot point better, but it’s what made me dread reading Dressrosa. One of the interesting characters here is Bellamy, who changed a lot from the last time we’ve seen him. He’s no longer the stuck up dream hating guy he was before, and now he actually has an arc of turmoil between his loyalty to Doflamingo, whom he idolises, and his new formed friendship with Luffy

Another incredibly interesting character to me is Rebecca, which right out of the way, I despise her design. I’ve hated it ever since I saw it and it pisses me off more the more I see it. Rebecca herself is a great character, right now we don’t know much about her, but she’s a sweetheart forced to fight for her life in the colosseum as a gladiator. And the more we learn about her, the more tragic her story becomes

[bleachbleachbleach]

Why Einaudi’s “Experience” is my HitsuHina Anthem

For @hitsuhina-week's Two Weeks of HitsuHina 2024, [December 12th] Day 4: Music!

Bleach is not something I associate a lot of music with. Which totally goes against Kubo’s whole aesthetic, but it is what it is. I do have one song, though, and that song is Ludovico Einaudi’s “Experience” from his 2013 album, In a Time Lapse. (I also link the song at the end of this post, but if you'd like to listen to it while you read, here's a link here too!) This song expresses everything I love about Hitsugaya and Hinamori’s relationship: It’s minimalist and built on repetitions on a theme, and evokes for me that sense of ellipsis I find so captivating about the way they play out in Bleach.

Hitsugaya and Hinamori don’t necessarily have many scenes together, but they have so much history; and every time we see them it’s clear things have happened or been experienced or ruminated upon that we have not been privy to—that perhaps no one has been privy to. Sometimes the repetitions are familiar, seasonal, built on orbit around each other, and sometimes they are traumatic lurches backward into memory, or forward into unknown ambition. Owing to the title of the song, maybe it’s more accurate to call it experience rather than history, given how apparent it is that their relationship is something they are very much still living through. Yet there’s a stillness to the tumult (a minimalism, or ellipse) that makes what they have feel simultaneously inexorable while also being deeply fragile. Their bond does not require an everyday—to be present in each other’s lives at all times, in all ways—but they also couldn’t ever have that.

Below the cut: William Blake, some Isshin Disappearance thoughts, the absurdity(?) of Aizen having been invited to Hitsugaya's bday bash, and one of my favorite chapters (168--and, as an added bonus, one of my favorite Kiras)!

On “Experience”

Thinking about experience always makes me think of William Blake’s “Songs of Innocence and Experience,” illuminated poems published in the late 1700s. Which is a funny place for my mind to go, because I don’t actually know that much about Britain, the Romantic Period, or poetry. But I do know that the poems are about childhood, “Experience” tending toward the darker topics of sad British children chimney sweeps, etc., and the poems in “Innocence” being, on their surface, lighter and sweeter. Conventional logic argues that the “Experience” poems are more interesting, because they’re sad and allow critics to get at questions of class, social injustice broadly writ (and, knowing Britain, probably, at some point, empire). But careful readers of “Innocence” actually find them the more complex, because the surface reading is so innocuous as to hide the ways their seemingly more saccharine presentation undergirds yet more incisive social critique.　Granted, ~incisive social critique~ is not my first interest wrt Hitsugaya and Hinamori, because I am 100% characters first, from the vantage point of those characters, but where Hitsugaya and Hinamori end up in relation to Soul Society and the Gotei and the forms of expectations foisted upon or betrayed utterly for them are very much why I love them and think they’re interesting—especially because it’s so quiet, and mostly in the in-betweens between panels and scenes and arcs, and never actually part of the A-plot. And I think this challenge of the "experience" and "Innocence" poems and which allows for what exploration is a really good encapsulation of what I see in their relationship.

Like the “Innocence” poems, I think it’s easy for them to be read as wholly sweet (well, for Hinamori. I think it’d be harder for someone to read Hitsugaya as wholly sweet, but “boring” seems like it’d come easily enough); I also think it’s easy for them slot them into a surface reading of an “Experience” poem, which in this case would translate to reading them into pre-fab angst narratives filled with uhhh the Gotei equivalent of sad British chimney sweep kids. That alone misses the mark for me, too, though, because even as all these absurd, dire things happen to them/by them—in ways that make it onto the page in these flashpoint moments—*most of the time* they’re making do, doing their jobs, existing largely outside the primary story, and bearing what will, and that’s just as important to me as the flashpoints.

Which brings me back to my *song* because like I said at the start, “Experience” is fairly minimalist; it’s the same repetition of notes, layered into each other, evocative of the album’s eponymous time lapse. But the layers build and build and that minimalism is not ever actually stoic of restrained—it hits its crescendo and there’s a keening quality to the release of it. The song is hopeful and soaring, but also wistful, but also made to bear the memory of all those measures and measures of repetitions.

It evokes for me all my favorite thing about Hitsugaya and Hinamori’s relationship: the measured resilience; the sense of relation and indebtedness; the more frenetic audacity of hope/survival; and also ruination, though not in the typical sense.

Here is a scattershot of thoughts that made “Experience” my HitsuHina anthem:

1. The efficiency with which both Hitsugaya and Hinamori are thrust into “Experience” over innocence, via Trauma Field Trips and meeting Captain Aizen in such circumstances; and nighttime visitations by whole dragons; Hinamori’s expeditious rise to VC and Hitsugaya being pushed into captaincy out of exigency. Neither of them are all that old, and certainly not by shinigami standards; but the time lapse is chock full before the story even starts. And not to wed Einaudi to Smash Mouth, but like, forget years, Bleach starts and the days start coming and they don’t stop coming.

2. A hypothetical: I wonder about Isshin’s disappearance and what that was like for Hinamori. Is that an experience within the purview of their relationship? I feel like Hinamori’s first instinct is yes, because why wouldn’t it be? Why wouldn’t everything? But maybe this is also a moment that clarifies what exists within a Division and what exists without it, what perhaps belongs only to Hitsugaya and Matsumoto. (Well, between Matsumoto and many, but between Matsumoto and how many, really, in a genuine and 100% sense? Maybe only Hitsugaya, and only when they realize that’s the case. Maybe this is the moment where they realize that for some things, that will be the case.) Which isn’t to say that grief can’t have many kinds of conversation partners, but the term “division” isn’t meaningless and Hinamori believes in a certain sanctity, intimacy, between Captain and officers, and maybe this is one of those moments where Hinamori realizes her role is particular, in the way that her own relationship to her Captain and how it makes sense to share or expect others to share in it has maybe always been. (There’s room here to jumpstart some thoughts about Kira and Renji here, too, I would imagine.)

3.

[Bleach 168.5]

It's striking to me that Hinamori invited Aizen to Hitsugaya's birthday bash. Because like, on one hand, sure, of course she did. But on the other she easily could have made this one-on-one time, and she doesn't. She invites her whole-ass captain to come sit on a roof with the 10th, and it's not because anyone thought, yes, Hitsugaya definitely wants to spend his birthday with Captain Aizen. This is one of the new formations of their relationship--and with Aizen and Matsumoto are a part of it. And I think it does matter that they're having this conversation about existence and selfhood finding ways to anchor oneself in this/a life up on that roof.

I love imagining the ways this new formation also structures or echoes through the way the Soul Society arc plays out, as well—Aizen’s letter Hitsugaya has Matsumoto deliver, only to be betrayed by its contents; the presumptive trust Hitsugaya has placed in Aizen on account of Hinamori being so devoted to him, despite not acting like he has or has sought out an overabundance of direct experience with Aizen; the ways he is then blindsided by Hinamori’s actions (and later, her plea via worm TV) even more so than by Aizen’s machinations, which are both the root cause of it all but also, somehow, secondary in impact. Hinamori is always the center.

4. Except when she's not:

[Bleach 168]

I love this scene. Kira in his villain era (however reluctant) is absolutely serving. Imagine being able to tell Hitsugaya that he hadn't been paying enough attention to Hinamori and being this right about it. It doesn't really have anything to do with not realizing Hinamori is a kidou expert. She's not VC for nothing. But it has a lot to do with not quite grasping what Aizen meant to her. Someone precious, in ways beyond Hitsugaya's ken; and also ways Hitsugaya doesn't really want to know about, both because he probably can't understand them and because that's between them, isn't it. That's theirs, not his.

[Bleach 168]

As he's thinking about this, he knows all these things about Hinamori; Kira didn't reveal new information. He just hadn't quite clocked-- [ellipsis]

Also, lol at "Hinamori still thinks I killed Aizen!" because I think it's completely legit that he would have forgotten this, because it's too absurd to stick in memory--too absurd to everyone except Hinamori. And for that to be true means that [ellipsis].

5. Ellipsis:

[Bleach 180]

Obviously, the silence here is Hitsugaya being Hitsugaya. It's also the guilt, about the whole of everything but also not know what to do about any of the afterward. But I kind of love that yet another flavor here does have to do with the consequence of these relational formations that made room for Aizen but also foreclosed really knowing him that well--formations begun by the nature of the Gotei and built by their rising through the ranks and play-tested in Isshin's disappearance. I've said this elsewhere, probably in tags I'll never find again, but I think that while all this was awful and unpleasant for Hitsugaya, I don't think it genuinely, permanently hurt until Hinamori, weeping in Yamamoto's TV room, begged him to save Aizen, and Hitsugaya knew for sure how much was never going to be completely the same and how affecting this was for Hinamori. Hinamori turning her sword on him? Not ideal, but in the long run, water off a duck. Aizen's betrayal? Easy enough to kindle into straightforward rage (even if that gets messy and actually not that easy, as it festers). Aizen almost killing Hinamori? Bad, but as long as she lives, possible to move past. Aizen almost killing Hitsugaya? Whatever. But seeing that deep, deep damage in her? There's no coming back from that.

There is, however, moving forward.

Coda

After the Winter War, there’s no cameras on any moments of direct contact between Hitsugaya and Hinamori, and I would argue that their interactions *in the Winter War* don’t necessarily count as direct, given the physical distance/attentive distance and then layers of illusion involved. But I don’t get the impression that that means they literally never interact, just because we didn’t see it. For one, Hitsugaya did not fuck off to some cave just to never speak to Hinamori again; and it’s not like Hinamori is an avoider of, well, anything. I still don’t think they spent a lot of time together, because of having do deal with the broader *societal shambles* and rebuilding the 5th and being roped into the quotidian maw of the Gotei machine that is probably still chewing them up and spitting them out but that they are maybe refusing to believe must be damned as monstrous. 

It comes back to that inexorable/fragile duality for me, where there’s a certain unerring confidence in their bond that allows them to be separate, in spite of all the things that are part of their relationship that probably still hurt, might always hurt, or aren’t ever going to be the same. Their willingness to allow these things to coexist  as an element of their relationship; their lives, for their senses of the world—that willingness to hold the shrapnel —really sings to me:

Here's an arrangement more marked by some of the hesitations/fraught ellipses, too:

[unnursvanablog]

And now it has arrived!

One of my most anticipated sageuks of the year, Queen Woo - but it has been on my tbw list for AGES because all I really needed to know is that is was a historical drama with Ji Chang Wook in it and I am not about to pass the opportunity to witness that again. I adored him in Warrior Baek Dong Soo (the lighter and more campy version of My Country also starring my all time fav Yoo Seung Ho) and in Empress Ki (which was the first looooong historical kdrama that I stuck around with and watch from beginning to end).

Also, it's not a sageuk set during the Joseon times… which is honestly just such a breath of fresh air. We get so many of them. I adore a lot of them, but Korean history also has so many other stories to draw inspo from.

That was sort of all I sort of knew about it before I went into it. I knew it was about Queen Woo and how she married one of her husbands brothers and was fighting to keep the throne after her husband died. I didn't know it was rated 19 for violence and… nudity, but that isn't really something that bothers me all that greatly if it just works with the story. I doubt this show is going to go all Game of Thrones on us and just show that sort of stuff in there just because.

If anything those scenes that we got actually just sort of amused or make me go… sure, ok.

And since I knew Ji Chang Wook would die (very sad, I wanted to watch him in all his sageuk glory for 8 episodes) so I spent the entire first episode just expecting him to drop dead and just exit the story every moment that he appeared on screen. But we are seeing quite a bit of him, and he seems to have a much bigger role within the story than I thought he would, which I am glad about. I was expecting a very kickass guest role or a cameo or something.

This show so far, I am on ep 2 because I am in my heart and soul not a binge watcher and I prefer to watch my kdramas on a slow but steady pace, and it is sort of the standard sageuk fare… with some added sex which we see way more in like historical movies but not in dramas. But with 8 episodes this will probably just feel like one long, epic movie anyway. It seems to have that sort of feel to it.

There is some scheming old men who want a better position or they want a better way to rule the country without really being on the throne and having to deal with stuff that comes with being a king. They want to rule from the shadows so to speak. There are ladies who want to be queen and scheme and plot to try to get to that position and so forth. it got flashbacks to the times they were kids and it got a man with a heart of gold (probably, or that is how it starts out) who is also a bit of a scoundrall running through the streets, jumping on roofs etc. It's a sageuks, you are having a fun time, you are pretending that you are learning some history and it's bloody and gory, it has Ji Chang Wook looking moody and sometimes covered in blood… what's not to enjoy.

It's all very standard for the genre, but I was very much entertained through it all... or the first two episodes. I just really enjoy this sort of more serious toned historical dramas. The politics can be dry, sure, but if one does it well and have enough of multi-layered and complex characters where we understand everyone's motives and such it actually is a very fun time.

I do think the drama is still very much setting the scenes in episodes 2 and we are still getting to know the main players. And I am still very much learning their names. There are some interesting characters there, like the priestess lady and the lady, the queens sister no less, one who accidentally killed the king because she wanted to fuck him, as well as Queen Woo and the former kings closest advicer, but they aren't the most complex characters yet, but with time they could be.

The queen, who is our main character and the main player in all of this, is somewhat of a girlboss female character and idk if she was adapted that way, of being this girl who wants to be a general but can't because she is a girl, for modern audience or if she was actually like that. But I do find her to be a character who is more than that and she is someone who is easy to root for. And I am excited for her politics and her plots and more of her backstory.

[taylorwarwick]

'Hit the Floor’ S3E7, ‘Killer Crossover’

2013-2018, VH1/BET, 4 Seasons/41 episodes SPOILERS

I started watching ‘Hit the Floor’ in October of 2023, doing fanfiction in December 2023 and ‘reviewing’ the show in July 2024. When I say review, I just mean that I wanted to break down each episode, give my observations and opinions. Pros and Cons. I’m not a professional, just a fan with a desire to talk and write about this small, niche TV show that I unexpectedly fell in love with.

Ahsha saying that her heart’s Derek’s and always has been. Their season 4 breakup just pisses me off the closer I get to it.

Terrence and Derek’s friendship and reconciliation is nice to see.

It’s not that I haven’t noticed that Jelena’s condo is all white before, with a hint of black and one small green plant. However, I think because we see it so much this season that the cold and impersonal look and feel is so stark compared to how much emotion we see.  It’s a great visual of how in control of herself and her image she is, due to the chaos of her childhood.

Terrence and Jude really do share a boyish naivete and a devotion to Jelena and Zero, respectively, that makes me wholeheartedly believe that each couple is reunited in the unseen season 5.   

It does appear that Terrence is saying that a child, by another woman, that’s not even born yet, is more important than she is. Their relationship is tied to the team/their careers. Him rejecting all Jelena’s efforts is the same as rejecting her.

Also, not a fan that every woman wants motherhood or that it makes you a bad person not to want those things. The show goes out of it’s way to give that to Jelena and Kyle, but by season 4 apparently they’ve changed their minds.

We know the real Jelena, so in universe, when we meet characters who think she’s really a sweet, sincere and/or pushover it’s always a delight. Renee honey, you stepped to the wrong one.

It took me a little while to understand why Oscar didn’t dime out German. 1.) Pinning it on Chase gets him out of the way and takes the eye off of the Devils and his backers aren’t scared. 2.) All the dirty secrets Olivia had can die with her. If German is revealed, so is Ahsha, Derek, Kyle, etc. Again, unwanted glare on Devils Nation 3.) German might have been useful in the future. Good to have in his back pocket. (Something that if this show had the traditional 20 episodes, I could have seen as a plot point.)

Lionel is so cold. Sloane is swinging in the wind, and she is - in fact - online shopping for makeup! Not actually even working. That is such a great detail that I missed originally. LoL!

We love a casual Jude; Henley, jeans and sneakers!

Jude’s reaction to Zero not wanting to be open about foster care or his sister, to me, a little out of character. He seems angry and considering what Zero’s been through… he’s not exactly showing the compassion toward Zero that he should.

Zero’s violent break down nicely parallels Jelena’s. Two characters who are passive-aggressive and manipulative, not physically aggressive or shouty, normally. They keep their outward emotions in check most of the time.

Kyle’s hesitancy in telling Beau that she loves him is a nice, pre curser to her hesitancy to marry him in season 4. Change and vulnerability are scary.

Not one, but two phone booths! Also, lighter fluid is in no way the way to make it look like an accident, sorry you two. They’re criminals; I expect smarter and better!

I’m pretty sure German bumping into Raquel, may very well be their first and only real scene together on the show. Pretty obvious they have some kind of friendship off camera.

It’s the beginning of the end for Raquel. Sad just thinking about it.

[fredwendelin]

My current book situation (The Ultimate Plan I Hope To Put in Practice But Let's Be Real It'll Be Harder Than This)

I've been thinking and planning...

I've written books before, but I can't publish them. One is too bad, the other is great, people who read like it, but I put stuff that feels too personal in it.

So I wrote C&D. The idea came out of something I heard in passing and that spark turned into a whole novel. I'll finish (editing) it and THEN I'll start my next book. C&D is historical LGBTQAI+ romance.

2nd book: TCYK (formerly TCIK). Just an insane idea I had at the start of the year. I'm yet to properly understand what exactly I wish to convey, and how to do it best. At this time, it feels like a mystery that will have parts like onion skins. But there's horror and fantasy in it as well. I have like, 5 different concepts for it, just notes upon notes of ideas that are in conflict with each other and don't make any sense most of the time. I need to sit down AGAIN and put another brand new document out AGAIN and go through all my notes ONCE AGAIN and finally decide on the key elements of my story, or this book will never launch. At least, some stuff I'm pretty particular as of now, so I do think I'll find my ground. But this one needs much thinking and it's very complicated.

3rd book: I was going to aim for the S-S book (straight romance+fantasy), but then I backtracked. My mother said one idea I call W,D needs to come asap. And I'm a mommy's boy, so yeah. I still wish to write TCYK first because if I can write the monster I call TCYK, I can write anything, really. C&D is so chill in comparison to TCYK!!! W,D isn't that complicated, I could probably write it in a week (I think it will be a shorter story as well, Idk how many words though), but it has heavy, sick concepts that needs to be written down with care and proper respect, and I believe writing TCYK will give me the technique to pull it off. We'll see.

4th book: probably S-S. This one is a surprisingly straight romance and it's SWEET AND CLEAN AND WHOLESOME in a way I've never thought about writing before. It's naive romance, while being brutal on the political aspect. I am deeply in love with it. I've named my characters and I feel like playing house with them (I'm that unhinged). It feels like an easy book to write, as well. Being fantasy, I can just write whatever I damn want and invent whatever I want to invent however I please (this type of easy). Of course it will be difficult to actually write and get things down right and edit and etc., but I have a feeling it will be the easiest-flowing book I'll ever write. For instance, C&D was blocky to write because of the historical aspects, how insecure I got most of the time, how I needed to change entire chapters because they were trash, how I keep discovering inconsistencies with the time period (Roman era) that I end up needing to fix,etc. TCYK is a nightmare to write because there is so much stuff I want to put inside it, the plot is so complex and dynamic and devious that it's hard to think about and properly plan/outline. W,D is the hardest to write because I feel the most pain; some of the scenes in C&D I had to write a bit every few months because they pained me so much, I shut down. W,D on the other hand is FULL of painful scenes, scenes that push the characters to insanity+, and I fear I'll drown in it (I can't write without feeling empathy to my characters). Now, S-S? Yes, there are a ton of horrible things, sad pasts and puking stuff, but overall, the tone is lighter and hope is more prevalent and full. I think I will have a nice time with it.

OTHER BOOKS

SoS trilogy: very tricky. I have multiple characters to write. I want them all to contribute in amazing ways to the plot. I need to research a lot because it does have many historical nuances, even though it's contemporary fiction. So... I've written down a few scenes, I have a ton of ideas on my doc, but things aren't even 5% finished and I wish to thoroughly outline the three books before even starting to write the first book.

CC: I believe it'll be one of my fav books ever. It has an evil scene, but I believe it won't make me suffer while writing it, at all. Again, many characters, so I need to flesh them out and make them human and this is HARD (think Durarara! anime, season 1, season 2 is trash). I have a particular fondness for this book idea that I can't quite place. Also, this is historical, HEAVILY historical, and I'm not looking forward to spending a ton of time researching it because it takes place in one of my most hated time periods ever. (Why won't I change it? You'll see.) C&D time period (Roman Empire) is beloved to me, I study it since 2010, but THIS ONE? I hate it. I even sang about it in a History class one time. Don't ask.

JH: Hmmm. Another tricky one. Historical, as well, but easier to write and I love this time period way more. I even started writing it a few years ago but stopped because I couldn't find a damn biography that actually told something with weight. But HAH. Last year, I found just the one. I don't know where the author of the biography researched his stuff or if he invented 99% of it, his info isn't ANYWHERE in the WHOLE INTERNET, his book is also old asf, like, a guy who lived in the 1920's?? There's barely any info on the author, at all. But the biography is SO RICH in details that I could finally understand something, even though the letters are too small and I'm too old to properly read them. This biography is very very very rare and I got it by chance (but I'll post his name and all once this book is launched). I've read half of it already and I understood 30%. It makes me want to cry. But I'll me strong for you sweeties who want a book that will represent some people that never get represented, at all. Because our person here has some mind diseases that are rare in fiction. You'll see.

MS: series of books, I think there will be at least seven. I don't know when I'll be able to write this one. I'm aiming for the next decade or so. It will take a LONG TIME, because it's historical, NOT ROMANCE (that will be hard for me to write) and has many characters. Mostly slice of life/philosophical, which can get boring fast if I'm not careful. But I so want to write this one. Just... I hope I'll still be alive to do it.

Batman one: I'm preparing a book for around 2035, I think? When Batman gets public-domained. It'll be a homage to my childhood, to queerness, and to some other stuff I'm keeping secret as of now. I already have a playlist for this one. While the Joker won't be public domain, I think, i'm inventing my own wicked villain and sidepuppykick, you'll see.

I also have some other ideas and concepts, of course. Mostly stuff from my childhood or from weird dreams I had throughout my life (thankfully, I wrote most of them down and have them with me). I'm writing this down with the hopes of re-reading this in the future and thinking, you really wrote nothing uh yeahh we did it! (Dora style singing).

⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀:¨ ·.· ¨: ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ `· . ꔫ

[billconrad]

Changing Gears

    In 1993, I purchased a used cherry-red 1990 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX. She was fast, nimble, and underpowered. Wait a minute. My car is a female. Her name was Kim (all great cars need a name.) Kim had a finicky personality and needed to drive on roads with tight corners. She challenged me to drive as fast as possible on every drive, and we both loved the open road. What about the underpowered bit? Kim had less than 120 horsepower and weighed far too much. So, when I needed to accelerate, I dropped a gear and booted it. Kim took off like a shot with a whoosh of her turbo. Yeah, I loved every second.

    The problem with Kim is that she began showing her age, parts became scarce, and the bills were piling up. I had to sell her, which was a sad day. I replaced Kim with an Audi TT 225. That car was better designed, lighter, and had 100 more horsepower. What, no name? He or she had no personality and did not get a name. Why? When I wanted to go faster, I touched the accelerator without gear changes or the woosh of the turbo. (The talented Audi engineers worked very hard to silence engine noises.) Also, there was no joy, and I sold him or her four years ago because he or she also began showing her age.

    What does this have to do with writing? Kim, my first Toyota truck, and the Audi were stick-shifted. The other cars drove were not. A stick car requires a clutch, which results in vastly different driving experiences.

    On any day, I could jump in Kim and take off without thinking of it. Or I could climb into my dad’s automatic “Van of Death” and drive off without concern. I did not require any mental to change between a stick and an automatic car.

    How did I accomplish such a feat? Honestly, I have no idea. These two driving styles are vastly different and require lots of driving experience. My theory is that humans have some muscle memory that seamlessly allows the mind to switch between two radically different transmission types.

    The same is true in writing. Presently, I am creating two new articles, self-editing four books, writing two book reviews, and working on outlines for three new books. Each has a different plot, style, goal, and characters.

    When I switch from one to the next, my mental muscle memory takes over, and the details (names, writing style, and plots) automatically click. Have I ever made an “I forgot to apply the clutch before changing gears” kind of writing mistake? An example would be using the main character of book A in book B. I only recall one mistake in the thousands of hours of effort.

    I find it fascinating that my mind can make these leaps between writing projects. One would think some preparation would be necessary, like reading a list of character names. Books contain thousands of details, and it is natural to assume they should be confusing, but they are immediately apparent to me. This feels exactly like jumping into a different car. I start it up and drive without drama. The human mind is indeed strange. It can do extraordinary things, but it has significant limitations.

    You’re the best -Bill

    March 08, 2025

    Hey, book lovers, I published four. Please check them out:

   Interviewing Immortality. A dramatic first-person psychological thriller that weaves a tale of intrigue, suspense, and self-confrontation.

    Pushed to the Edge of Survival. A drama, romance, and science fiction story about two unlikely people surviving a shipwreck and living with the consequences.

    Cable Ties. A slow-burn political thriller that reflects the realities of modern intelligence, law enforcement, department cooperation, and international politics.

    Saving Immortality. Continuing in the first-person psychological thriller genre, James Kimble searches for his former captor to answer his life’s questions.

    These books are available in softcover on Amazon and in eBook format everywhere.

[jazzythursday]

I’m about to go into another very long Marvel rant/dissertation here— mostly for myself— that I started writing soon after the Loki Series finale so please feel free to just scroll past this, because honestly I think I kinda overdid this one. It’s jaded and overly dramatic even for me. You have been warned:

The last 4 Marvel movies/shows I’ve watched left me feeling so completely depressed and unsatisfied and hopeless about the future of popular entertainment and story telling in general, and I know I’m not the only one. The fact that fans are going into these experiences hoping for a good story and character arcs that make sense with prior characterization, and leaving feeling… empty is a very clear sign that their approach leaves a lot to be desired.

Infinite War had some valid reasons to end the way it did, because by having our heroes fall so much harder than ever before, it built up the tension and high stakes for the next film. But what does that do when Endgame leaves us feeling even worse? I wanted them to triumph and finally come together to be better. I expected there would be losses of course but not enough to negate the wins. Instead the characters were subjugated for plot, characterization was watered down, and we lost all the original Avengers besides Thor and Bruce (who was no longer even Bruce). Peter loses Tony, Thor’s previous loses are permanent, and so many other things that, in spite of loving a lot of the movie, mean I haven’t been able to stop being sad about it for literal years. And the amount of thoughtless destruction that seems to be at an all time high when it comes to character’s lives and disregard for properly exploring emotions just doesn’t leave much to be expected at this point. Far From Home was good. It was. I liked it a lot. The acting was wonderful and there were some really interesting themes they grappled with but I still walked out of the theater feeling like there was still so much detachment surrounding a lot of the decisions, a little too much thoughtlessness (that, and the gaping hole of Tony). I’m not going to talk about WandaVistion but I’ll say that I was invested until the start of episode 8, and finished episode 9 feeling drained and tired and sad.

Then we get to Loki, a show which has plagued far too many of my thoughts since I started watching it, and has crushed my hopes for ever truly being happy with a Marvel project ever again. Loki is a character who’s ostensibly felt alienated and unseen for most of his life, and that’s before finding out about his parentage. His first movie ends with his suicide attempt and subsequent fall into the void. His second takes place a year into working under Thanos and ends with him being taken away in chains (yes I know he’s the villain he’s done bad things etc. etc. but for the purposes of this I’m only focusing on his pov). Then his third involves his solitary imprisonment, his mother’s death, and his near-death (considering the likelihood that he was actually stabbed), although it does end on a lighter note with his acquisition of the throne. Then we get his redemption and reconciliation with Thor in Ragnarok, immediately followed by the utter tragedy that is the first 10 minutes of Infinite War, which I don’t think I need to explain.

So what I suppose I’m saying here (very very inadequately) is that after all of that, I can’t believe the proper story to tell in his first chance at being a main protagonist was one where he’s constantly degraded and beat up, convicted of things he didn’t actually do, given no focus on backstory or implied/established motivations, and labeled as a clown and a narcissist! His powers are weakened, he displays almost no recognizable mannerisms or competence, he’s held to a higher moral standard than every other character, shown no respect, and ultimately loses EVEN MORE. We’ve seen him lose and lose and lose and lose again. We’ve seen him die THREE TIMES, we’ve seen him redeemed TWICE. So who in their right mind thinks that the most compelling story to tell after all of that was to see him LOSE AGAIN?! And not only lose, but lose without any real triumph, dignity, or acknowledgment beforehand. Death to the author aside, reading the utter nonsense the team behind it have spread, it’s so clear that it wasn’t made in good faith. Whether in ignorance or true maliciousness, they just don’t care. They didn’t research. They didn’t try and see things from his point of view. They didn’t truly sympathize with him as a person while writing. They didn’t understand. And they truly, truly wanted him to fail.

I’m tired of feeling hopeless at the end of everything, of leaving the theater or turning off the TV wondering why I even bothered, why I even care when I’m just being strung along with as little consideration as an audience as my favorite characters. I wanted to actively see him strive to be better, not just be told he could be. I wanted to see him triumph over his demons, not forget them. I wanted to see him be the “master of magic” that every other damn movie has alluded to, and to use his powers effectively. I wanted him to be powerful. I wanted him to, if not win, then win on a personal level at least. I wanted to see him take agency in his life and PROVE EVERYONE WRONG! And, though it’s now bafflingly controversial to say, I wanted it to be told by an experienced and competent writing and directing team that knew and understood his character and were passionate about telling his story.

I would ascribe to the notion of “don’t like it, don’t watch” if I could but I care to much to not be affected by this obvious decline in quality and awareness. And I’m a relatively recent fan. I haven’t been waiting for Loki to get his moment in the sun for 10 years. I’M NEW HERE, and my heart breaks so much for fans of the original movies who have lost their love of Marvel or Loki because of the way it’s been handled. No one should fall further than they can climb up from, and I’m tired of watching loss after loss and never getting the release of gaining enough of it back. What’s the point of caring about these characters if the writers won’t? Of investing in a connecting cinematic universe if it lacks continuity? Of looking for clues and foreshadowing when there isn’t any and the only twists are random and pander to shock value? The way these pieces/characters are being created and interpreted is reductive and incompetent, and for once I’d like to watch something that feels crafted, inspiring, and gratifying to see to the end.

If some people like the Loki show we got, I have no argument against that, because my own opinion is just as subjective as theirs. Though, I’d like to think that if what I want is for the show to be better out of love for the same character, then what they enjoyed from the show can coexist in that. If anyone’s actually read up to this point, I have to admit I’ve forgotten mine. Mostly I just wanted to express my frustrations over how unfeeling and stale most entertainment, specifically from Marvel as of late, has been.

TL;DR: I care too much, waaay too much, Marvel cares too little, Disney doesn’t care at all, and I don’t know how to accept that.

[the-cat-chat]

May 13, 2023

The Courier (2020)

Businessman Greville Wynne is asked by a Russian source to try to help put an end to the Cuban Missile Crisis.

JayBell: I didn’t know the true story this movie was based on before watching it so I wasn’t sure how dark it was gonna get or if it would have a tragic ending. Despite the subject matter and what happens in the movie to the characters, I think the movie has a lighter tone than what you would expect.

Our main character (played by Benedict Cumberbatch) really feels like an average guy put into this crazy situation. It was sad how both governments took advantage of his naivete, but it’s also believable. It’s the age old question--do we sacrifice one person for the sake of millions?

I can’t help but feel bad for the poor wife in this movie. I feel like our main guy acted reasonably based on the information he had (or didn’t have) and based on his own sense of right and wrong for most of the movie. The one thing I wish he would have done was just tell his wife the truth. Maybe not at the beginning, but definitely when the situation worsened. 

I don’t know to what extent and to what detail of the movie’s events actually happened, but it does make an entertaining and unbelievable story. The acting was great, the plot was solid, and it didn’t have our main guy becoming like this crazy super spy by the end beating up people. He stayed an average guy with a strong sense of morality and an unbelievable tolerance for pain.

Rating: 7.5/10 cats 🐈

Anzie: Just as a disclaimer- in the last 30 days, I somehow read 2 books related to British spies, 2 spy movies (this makes 3) and 1 tv show. Nooooow how this happened I don’t have any clue bc it’s not like I’m soooo into spy stuff. And only 2 things were expressly SPY, so I feel like I got like tricked into spy month.

That being said, I feel like Benedict Cumberbatch when he’s shocked and says *SPIES?!?*

I didn’t know anything about this movie ( sensing a theeeemmmme here) other than it was about the Cuban Missile Crisis- which I had a small grasp on as a historic event- but the whole dealio this movie tells is a different story.

I did think the start of the movie was a bit slow and boring- especially with it being all spies and stuff - and I know it had to be set up that our guy was a normal person who was just a businessman with a family, but I feel like it was a bit blaaaah. And then there’s all the anticipation of them being caught and all that, which every scene after the first 45 minutes I thought would be the one they got caught, and that’s a top requirement for spy movies. The ending was soooo sad - they did him sooo dirty. But even though it’s the worst of it the actors did such a good job with the emotions the circumstances held and that relieves a little bit of the boringness from the start.

Nothing personal with the story or anything, it’s good and pretty solid - I just think maybe I’m a tad spied out? 🤷‍♀️ And I’ll always compare all of Benedict Cumberbatch’s stuff to the Louis Wain movie and nothing could ever compare.

Rating: 5/10 Cats 🐈

[bonbonbunny]

Do u have any good lady's isekai falls-in-love-with-a-prince-from-a-novel type webcomic recommendation? I read 2 and now im hooked

Do I EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Most of these I find on Webtoon. If you join webtoon and read regularly, you'll see them suggesting more things you might like, and new stuff on the main page, and you'll discover more and more of them, too. 💖

Happily Ever Afterwards - The heroine is reborn AFTER the epilogue of her fave novel, after her favorite character has been exiled from the kingdom due to the story’s events (he’s a tragic, sympathetic character).  She sets about traveling to the cold, difficult kingdom of his exile to try to convince him to marry her, so that she can give him the happiness he deserves to have after all of the sad events from the book!  This comic is SOOOOO sweet, cute, and fluffy-fluff! ☁️

-

The First Night With the Duke - Starts out with a lot of comedy, but has gotten much more serious as the chapters have progressed, with some intense scenes that I haven’t been crazy about.  The heroine completely derails the plot of the novel by being born as a random, unnamed side-character who accidentally seduces the male lead, and no romance between him and the actual female lead ever even has the chance to happen. 😅

-

The Matchmaking Baby Princess - The heroine is born as a tiny baby princess, who uses her super cute charm to influence the characters around her so that things turn out better for them than the way the novel goes.  This one is still fairly new, so the episodes haven’t shown a whole lot about how she derails the story yet, but, it is REALLLY CUUUUUTE!!  And has very beautiful scenes of palatial gardens and such.  Also obviously the heroine herself is not the one that the romance happens to lol.

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His Majesty's Proposal - This one is a bit similar to The First Night With the Duke, with a rando side character getting proposed to by the prince after spending a night with him.  A fun twist with this one is that the heroine is reincarnated from a crotchety old woman in her previous life, so she uses all kinds of old person slang (like calling people “whippersnappers” and stuff like that lol) and is kind of rude and grumpy lol.

-

Every Rose Has a Death Flag - Pretty typical isekai where the heroine is reincarnated as the villainess and knows that all of her ends are bad ends, so she tries to remove herself from the attentions of the prince and the other main characters, but through the process ends up endearing herself to them instead.  Good stuff without any weird quirks or gimmicks. 👌

-

Tricked into Becoming the Heroine's Stepmother - The protagonist is actually one of the AUTHORS of this novel, so she is familiar with exactly what will be happening to all of the characters!  She is reincarnated as a rando townsperson though, and doesn’t have much influence, until she appeals to the prince and just spills the fact that she’s the author and knows everything that’s going to happen to the princess (his daughter) in the future lol?!  And he believes her??  And employs her to his household in order to prevent any of the princess’ suffering???  Also did I mention that the princess is the most adorable little toddler ever, with fluffy hair like a chestnut? 😭😭

-

The Male Lead's Girl Friend - Again, the heroine is reborn as the villainess of the story, and attempts to distance herself from the male lead as much as she can (endearing herself to him in the process).  Some of the interesting quirks here are that she ships the male and female lead SUPER HARD, and is trying everything she can to hook them up together, but they both only seem to fall for her harder with every attempt. 😄 There is also a cool school/academy setting to this one to set it apart from the others with similar plots, as well as BIG YURI VIBES between the protagonist and the female lead.

-

How to Survive a Romance Fantasy - This is the most comedy-intensive of everything on this list.  In fact, it just kept getting sillier as its chapters went on, and I actually dropped it from my reading list because it wasn’t making me laugh as hard anymore as it was in the beginning.. 😅 In this one, three normal-world folks are reborn in the fantasy world, as the heroine, the prince, and the villainess, and ALL THREE of them hate it and want nothing to do with the plot, so they run away as far from the plot as they can, and are also keeping their identities as the main characters secret from one another.  It is very, very silly.

-

Non-Webtoon Webcomics

These have not been officially picked up & translated.  To read them in English, you will have to find them online where they are posted by fan translators.

The Villainess is a Marionette - This is for real probably my very favorite comic on this whole list, and can you believe how beautiful the art style is???  The tone of this one is totally different from any of the others here.  The protagonist is reborn as a malicious villainess with particularly cruel endings in her future, and she sets about to avoid them by using her power, influence, and wiles to manipulate the royal intrigue happening around her.  She’s... RELATIVELY kinder than the original villainess was in the story, and several characters that were her enemies in the original story are endeared to her now, but she’s still got her claws sunk into the royal family’s shady dealings.  This is a “bad boss b*tch” kind of heroine lol, and it’s super satisfying to see her come out ahead of the other villains with her crazy 4D chess manipulations.

-

Sincerely: I Became a Duke's Maid - A super snuggly, sweet, and fluffy story where the protagonist is reborn as a maid during the tragic antihero’s childhood.  He is afflicted with a painful curse, and the protagonist, knowing that only more pain is ahead for him, does her best to befriend him and make his youth a little bit lighter.

-

Who Made Me A Princess - Yet again, a tragic end awaits this princess that the protagonist is reborn as in her childhood, so she uses her cute charm to change the king’s attitude toward her (he was neglectful in the original story).  Some interesting original-plot-derails happen in this one, where her innate magic power is much stronger than it’s supposed to be, and she needs the help of a magical pet creature and a very handsome wizard to sustain her life in this world.

-

Seduce the Villain's Father - This one wins the award for having the most hilarious title in this list. 😆 It’s much cuter and lighter than it sounds!!  This protagonist derails the original plot by allowing herself to be kidnapped by the villain’s kingdom instead of the intended character (her sister).  She is reborn among characters the generation before the events of the novel, so the villain himself isn’t here yet - but his handsome dad is!  And if she can convince him not to marry the woman that would become the villain’s mother, then the storyline is saved!  Probably!

-

Special mention:

My Next Life as a Villainess: All Roads Lead to Doom! - This anime is probably the main “reincarnated as the villainess” isekai that introduced most of us to this concept. 😅 I’ve linked to where you can watch the anime for free on Crunchyroll, but there is also a manga if you’d prefer to read it!  While there are many, many comics that use this plot hook, this is the only one that made it to anime form, so it’s like, required watching!

-

To close this long list up, all of these recs are JUST ISEKAI!!!!  If I were recommending my favorite webcomics in general, there could also be Cursed Princess Club, The Remarried Empress, The Princess’ Jewels, and Men of the Harem in this list...

There are so, so many comics with beautiful art styles featuring gorgeous princesses, it’s crazy!! 😭😭 I could for real spend my whole life reading them probably?? 👌👌  Those millions of women that read romance novels about dukes falling in love with noble women are suddenly extremely relatable.

[talkingbl]

The Good and Bad of KinnPorsche

SPOILER WARNING. TW: date rape, dubcon.

The Good -

The setting/trope. We love a mafia story. And while I'm not a fan of bodyguard romances, this one is interesting because the bodyguard (who is equally as strong and chiseled as the man he's meant to protect) is coded as a bottom.

Bible, Bible, Bible. And a bit of Apo. These two had moments of brilliance. Save for Bible's English dialogue, I found him the most captivating in emotional scenes. Apo did a great job making Porsche a multifaceted character. Porsche is neither masc nor femme, he's neither overly serious nor silly. For the most part, he exists in the middle of every spectrum, dipping more into one side or the other depending upon the circumstances.

The twist. I may be in the minority here but I thought the reveal of Porsche’s mother being alive was the best move the story could make. It had begun to stagnate toward the middle and needed some drama to wake it up, which this reveal did. I also think it adds a layer of intrigue to KinnPorsche and KimChay because we now know that Kinn and Kim's grandparents adopted Porsche and Chay's mother who is still alive despite what we thought. This begs the question: how will Porsche and Chay deal with the news going forward?

The visuals. It is so refreshing to see a cast of people who all have their own look, and with lead characters who have a more tanned skin tone. Thailand is quick to whitewash the fuck out of people (especially lead characters), which is sad because the actors are perfect the way they naturally look. I mean, Apo is probably the most conventionally attractive ML in a Thai BL and rather than trying to imitate the Kpop-overly-made-up, whitewashed aesthetic, he just looks like himself. This is not to shit on naturally lighter people, just to say that it's important to show people of all skin tones, facial features, etc., receiving love.

The NC scenes. Mile and Apo create very passionate (albeit not very realistic) sex scenes that go beyond what we typically see in BL. Porsche gets a handjob in the middle of an argument. Kinn gets his dick sucked, unprovoked. Pete gets his ass ate ON CAMERA. And so much more sprinkled in to give the relationships a more realistic feel. Most BLs will do one NC scene (if that) and it'll be half-assed extreme close ups of cheek-sucking, ab caressing, and neck pecking. KinnPorsche showed thrust action, it showed different positions, it showed different types of sex (gay couples don't always do anal!) and sexual situations (handjobs, playing with the dick, etc. lmao). You can't deny that the story actually tried, the actors actually gave, and the direction was not timid.

Porsche's...interesting responses to Kinn's insults. Kinn all but calls Porsche a slut multiple times and Porsche never reacts the way one thinks he would given his character. Seems like he gets more into the moment when Kinn says those things. I'd be interested to see them explore this side of Porsche more in S2.

The Bad -

The inconsistent tone. This was by far the worst part of the show for me. In one scene Vegas savagely tortures Pete in a makeshift dungeon far away from civilization. In the very next scene Porsche is passing gas in Kinn's face (which...if you know me, you know I can't stand toilet humor). Almost none of the mafia stuff seemed that dire because it was always played for laughs in the end, typically at Porsche's expense. It really took me out of the show.

The unfocused/nonsensical plot. There were several moments in the show where I was like..."and what did that do?" Like the entire Tawan plot line (especially the beginning of it where we think Tawan is dead/is a ghost) was the most unnecessary addition to an already long story I've ever had the displeasure of watching. We could've done the jealousy plot without bringing Tawan back from the "dead" only to kill him off in the end anyway. Even for its little effect on KimChay...I mean, we saw how much Kim cared about Chay, we didn't need Chay kidnapped to see it. We also didn't need the 10 seconds of Chay rebelling nor did we need VegasTawan... That went NOWHERE and I'm just left feeling like my time has been wasted. Also, why was Kim stalking Porsche and Chay? Can someone enlighten me because if they ever said why, I surely missed it.

Outside of VegasPete, how do any of the relationships happen? Like, I get VegasPete because Pete felt bad for Vegas and sought to comfort him and Vegas confided in him. I also get Chay's admiration of Kim. Teenagers have crushes all the time based solely on looks/parasocial relationships. What I barely get however is Kim's interest in Chay. Sure, he's flattered by Chay's crush and wants to protect him but throughout the story it just seems like Kim is into Chay because Chay is into him. He never voices any real reason for falling for Chay and, again, we never really find out Kim's motive for stalking Chay and Porsche earlier on in the series. But what I really don't understand is KinnPorsche. It seems like Kinn just looks at Porsche and is in love, which, sure. But Porsche? Porsche has 0 reason to actually like Kinn and actually has more reason to dislike him due to the situations Kinn has put him in. He has even less reason to trust Kinn given that Kinn took Tawan's word over his. No matter how the story tried to explain this away, it was still weirdly out of character and dumb as hell for Kinn to imprison Porsche and not trust him. It doesn't help that before the Tawan plot, Kinn NEVER shows that he is an untrusting person. There's not even a single hint of it. If a person is that distrustful of everyone, surely they'd show it at some point? And the killing part is that this distrustful nature never comes up again. Almost like it was just for the sake of a not very well thought out plot point... But I digress. I just don't understand why these two grown men actually fell in love (though it's clear as day that they work well together).

Kinn as a concept. How has this man managed to survive up until now? His fighting prowess is woefully inconsistent, he thinks with his emotions, I have yet to see him make any money moves, and he just all around seems like a lovesick puppy waiting for his bodyguard to acknowledge him rather than the ruthless mafioso he's billed as. Simply put, Kinn doesn't act the way one in his position and with his backstory, should/probably would act.

VegasPorsche. Sigh...this relationship was heavily baited and it made no sense. Honestly, Vegas's character in general isn't very well executed. Vegas's character traits are great (inferiority complex, depression, trauma, etc.). Vegas's actions, however, are just not very well-written. Most of his plot lines feel half way done. Like the whole Tawan thing and then making him a rapist for like 2 seconds, I don't get it. This all feeds into VegasPorsche. KinnPorsche writers thought I forgot about the early scene where Vegas tries to date rape Porsche. Surprise, bitch! I remember!! It is so odd (and honestly a testament to bad writing) that it was never reconciled. Vegas was never actually caught and punished for it, and all-in-all it just seemed like fodder for, what was at the point, an episodic drama. It shows lack of planning on the writer's part to not resolve that and then immediately have Kinn do something similar to Porsche (but play it as romantic). Sad part is that I wouldn’t be so critical of it if it actually made sense in the story (I don't get bothered by violence when it makes sense). But it doesn't. We see Vegas around the main family and Porsche so many times after that moment and yet it never comes up again. Porsche just goes on trusting Vegas like nothing ever happened. It's just plain bad writing to show the proverbial gun and never have someone shoot it.

[chaoticpizzalawyerbiscuit]

hey!!

so, today my request is more like a challenge, it's up to you accept it or not!

here's the idea: you have to make me fall asleep after a tiring and exhausting day. the character would be spoiling y/n, hugging and making her feel comfortable for sleep. idk if that's confusing, but any doubt you can ask me on dm!

you can make with any character that you want, but i would be very pleased if the character was azriel, since it's my comfort one. the challenge is up!

Hi @wickedazriel! I know that this is probably not what you expected as an imagine, but your request has allowed and inspired me to honor a friend that I lost recently... so thank you so much!

✨don’t forget to make your own request✨ • I don’t own any of Sarah J. Mass’ characters or any of her plots, I’m just a fan having fun. Also I do not own the images. This is story is mine though, so please do not copy •

She laid her head against her worktable, exhaustion and numbness swept over her body. She cried herself to sleep the previous night, and grief beat her down every moment of the day.

He was gone, her best friend and wisest companion, Aldan. After all those years, he was no more. She felt like crying every time she thought of him, and realized he would no longer smile at her. She would not receive any of his letters, hear any of his jokes or feel any of his hugs.

His sickness became too much of a burden, and his fighting heard could not hold on any longer. So he let go.

She let out a choked sob at the thought, and the dam inside her tore open. She weeped once again at the loss of her dear friend, and the piece of her heart he took with him.

“Y/N?”, her mate’s voice called, “What’s wrong, my light?”

Her chin trembled as she looked into his eyes. “Oh Az…H-he’s gone. Aldan is gone.”

He said nothing as he swept her into a hug, laying her head on his chest as he stroked her hair.

She cried against his shirt, the pain clutching her gut so tightly it felt hard to breathe. He soothed her slowly, giving her all the time in the world. As the tears subsided, and only hear uneven breathing sounded in the room, he took her face between his hands, and wiped her wet cheeks.

“I’m sorry, Y/N”

“So am I, Az. So am I.”

She hugged him again, and asked in a small voice

“Can we stay like this a little longer?”

“Of course, my light. As much as you need”

His embrace made the weight of her loss lighter, and his heartbeat was medicine to her pained soul.

•••

Eventually, Azriel wrapped her in her favorite blanked as she sat in the kitchen table, waiting for the tea he was brewing for her. She stared blankly into her own hands, and muttered

“I never expected it to hurt this much, you know. I thought it would be easier to handle these emotions.”

He sat down in front of her, handed her the cup and held her other hand tightly.

“Life always gives us something unexpected. It’s not always good, but it’s always new, and teaches us something important. I know you don’t want to feel sad like this, and that everything hurts, but all of it it’s part of living. It doesn’t matter how old are you, or how much you have grieved already, you are allowed to feel hurt, to feel angry, to feel whatever goes inside your heart. So feel it, embrace it. And the time to let it go will come as well. As for now, I’m here, supporting you for whatever you need.”

•••

Azriel held on to her hand as much as he could, with an unfaltering grip, as she cried and cried. He stayed by her side, an unfaltering support.

And as Y/N laid by his side on their bed, she felt sadness. But with her mate there, hope blossomed inside her. A small sliver of it, but one that would grow strong as time passed.

“He was so incredible, Az. I’ve never met someone quite like him, so genuine and happy.”

“What’s your best memory of him?”, he asked her as she entangled her body with his. Stray tears scared her eyes as she talked of Aldan, voice breaking sometimes. But she told her mate everything she remembered. And when her words no longer worked, she touched the bond between them and showed him all.

And when there was nothing else inside her but the bittersweet feeling of missing someone, he hugged her tighter and pulled her closer.

“Don’t be afraid of the future, my love. It is beautiful and precious, even when the only things we have from the people we love are memories. Having memories means we try every day, and the pain you feel now is nothing compared to all you had with him. You may never see him again, but he truly remains alive inside you. That is all that truly matters, to defy even death for the people we love by keeping them alive in our hearts.”

For my wisest friend.

You have taught me everything: love, happiness, pain, wonder, patience, calm.

And now grief.

I will never be able to thank you enough for what you’ve done for me.

[kdramaxoxo]

Hii...i really love ur stuff.🤗.. Can u plz suggest me some kdramas with intense and emotional love stories..(eg. The smile has left your eyes, Moon lovers) i love heart breaking love stories that give me a good cry😊

Thanks so much for the love anon!! :) The Smile Has Left Your Eyes and Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo both destroyed me. *SOB*

Lately I haven't watched many like them just because the world is so stressful, so my brain just wants fluff? But all of the dramas below had me grabbing that tissue box!

Heart Breaking & Intense K-Drama Romances:

Come and Hug Me:  I think this show broke a crying record for me. This is one of my absolute favorite k-dramas because of the way the couple was set up. Every time the leads would look at each other? *SOB* I loved this thriller with a super soft romantic backstory. 

Chicago Typewriter: This K-drama has it’s backstory in a very interesting historical time period: during the Japanese Occupation. The past lives of freedom fighters find themselves linked together through a ghost in the current timeline. I personally loved this drama and cried a lot but most importantly, you KNOW I think it has the best kiss.

Angel’s Last Mission: Love: A perfect and sweet literal angel falls in love with a blind and betrayed ballerina. It’s got really cute moments but on the whole is very angsty and everyone is really really upset. Plus there’s the whole “they can’t be together because of god” stuff that adds that extra dagger of sadness.

Doom At Your Service: As a disclaimer, this drama is heavily flawed due to half of the show having a really boring story. But the other half? Fated tragic lovers, a god who hates himself and wants to destroy the world? SOLD. I wish I could cut the drama in half and only keep the fantasy plot line. And Seo In Guk like ALMOST became a bias wrecker for me, and if you can do that in a not that great drama? KING!

Flower of Evil: A psychological thriller centered around a jewelry maker who is running from his past, and his cop wife (power couple alert!)  who doesn’t know his original identity. The chemistry of the couple is amazing and all of the characters are nuanced and interesting. I was on the edge of my seat, AND sobbing! Also, I finally understand Lee Jun Ki stans, he was SO GOOD in this!

Psycho But It’s Okay: A gorgeous k-drama featuring two brothers who lost their mother, and a beautiful & famous author who grew up in a traumatic and abusive household. Everyone is very closed off and holding onto intense pain, but the three come together to help one another move on and find happiness. There’s also a really pretty narrative theme featuring fairytales.

Extraordinary You: Taking a Boys Over Flowers genre and turning it upside down is this show’s specialty! It’s a magical drama people and without spoiling anything that’s all I’m going to say about the plot. I am in love with it regardless of some of its imperfections and I feel like it should be on everyone’s watch list. The OTP is fated and perfect and I live for them!!

Goblin: It’s been a while since I’ve put this on a list since I’m pretty sure most everyone has seen it, but it definitely fits this ask. While this fantasy show does have lighter moments, the overall story ramps up for a LOT of sad. I cried super duper hard the first time I watched (and who am I kidding? I also cried the second time ;-)

Reunited Worlds: This show has magical elements and it’s a noona romance so I loved it. Not a super popular show, but it was just the right tone for me. Yeo Jin Goo is a star in this and you will definitely cry multiple times as well as smile super wide!

Splash Splash Love: This is my favorite mini drama! Historical, fantasy, time traveling romance…it’s got all of the good stuff including some scenes that’ll make you tear up.

A Korean Odyssey/ Hwayugi: Creative and fun fantasy romance with demons and gods! It’s a bit flawed and the episodes are LOOOONG but the main couple is a good one and the zombie girl is definitely going to break your heart.

Thirty But Seventeen: Precious puppies with past trauma! Don’t be turned off by the shows description as it turned out to be one of the best surprises of the year for me. The leads are lovely, all of the characters are soft and there’s a lot of emotion.

It’s Okay That’s Love: One of my favorite dramas, the main topic is mental illness and for once, the K-drama writers did it justice! With trauma and mental illness comes sadness, but there’s a great mix of light-heartedness that makes this heartwarming story pretty amazing.

Just Between Lovers: This show is heavy on the melodrama and centers around a group of people who have dealt with a past trauma, killing members of their families. The lead couple made me fall in love with both of the actors, quickly making Lee Junho my bias wrecker. It also made me realize how much I love angst! It features real people (not rich heirs) which is a plus for me. If I can watch a love story that’s about healing from trauma through love and support…I’m in!

For people who haven’t seen it and want to be VERY sad, over and over again:

Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo: “Historical” K-drama with a ton of angst and heartbreak. Everyone who has seen this show knows exactly why I’m listing it first. I mean, if you want to cry your heart out and wail in despair episode after episode, this show is for you! But if you choose to watch it, I also want to apologize for ripping your heart out of your chest.

and of course one of my faves:

The Smile Has Left Your Eyes: A really nice girl falls for a hot mess of a guy who tragedy and crime follows around. He dated her best friend first and her police brother is mysteriously SUPER against him. A lot of secrecy, mystery and stress but this drama is one of my absolute favorites. 

Don’t forget your tissues anon!

[lovely-v]

LOTR (films) Review

So I finally watched the LOTR films (20 years later). I’m super excited to review these because I read the books very recently so I feel at least a little prepared to voice some opinions. Overall I loved the films, here’s a very long (but by no means exhaustive) compilation of my thoughts, which are of course, totally subjective:

(Warning: a lot of me saying “well, actually, in the book...”)

THINGS I LIKED

- Casting! not much to say here, I thought the casting was great. One of my favorite actors that I didn’t think i’d have a huge opinion on was David Wenham as Faramir. I was kinda ambivalent on him when I saw pictures but i thought he did a great job. he showed his quality.

- Music. so much has been said about the films on the music front. I can’t offer too much original insight but when a bit of the Shire theme started to play as Frodo tries to make his way up Mount Doom I cried a little.

- Boromir and Aragorn. I liked the scene where they interact a little in Rivendell. I also like how Aragorn saves Boromir in the Moria battle and gives him this little nod of friendship. I think the films did a great job portraying the dynamic they have where Aragorn is clearly suspicious of Boromir’s motivations but grows to respect him to the point where he doesn’t even blame Boromir for being corrupted by the ring because he understands that, at heart, Boromir is a good person. 

- Sam and Frodo in Osgiliath. I expected to be kind of annoyed with the way this plot point played out (I knew ahead of time that it strayed from the book), but I actually liked it a lot. As I’ll say later, there’s some gripes I have with the way the films extremely play up the disagreements between Frodo and Sam, but I loved the scene where Frodo pulls the sword on Sam and then seems so defeated when he realizes what he’s done. I was pleasantly surprised by how emotional this scene made me. It’s admittedly A Lot, but it was done nicely, especially in conjunction with Sam’s “there’s good in this world” speech.

- Treatment of the ending. I almost think I should dislike the ending as it is in the movies, but my heart is soft and I like that they sugarcoated it a bit. I know the whole point of the Scouring of the Shire and Frodo’s depression conveys a lot about war and trauma and I think that is important, but after watching these things for twelve hours I just wanted Frodo & co. to be happy and I was kinda relieved that they cut the Scouring. Does that make me weak and perhaps bad at film analysis? yes. do I care? no. I was also very glad that the movies didn’t portray how depressed Sam was about losing Frodo in the end. Yes, he cries, but when he walks home to his family he seems happy and in the books that scene came off so much bleaker. I definitely liked the lighter tone.

THINGS I WAS NEUTRAL ON/DIDN’T LIKE

- Arwen. (Neutral) I don’t hate her, I don’t love her. I think the story she and Aragorn have is compelling and I 100% get why the filmmakers decided to add it to give her character more depth, but it felt misplaced at times. maybe it’s just because it was the only storyline I didn’t know in depth, but the scenes with the Arwen/Aragorn flashbacks felt a bit confusing and disorienting. Don’t have anything against Arwen as a character though, I think she’s pretty alright.

- Gimli. (Complicated thoughts) I want to start off by saying I don’t dislike Gimli. I like him a lot! I just think the movies did him a bit dirty. He had some good movie-exclusive moments, but I think his character really fell into this place of being the butt of too many jokes. Would have liked to see some more serious Gimli development, especially with his relationship to Legolas. Their friendship felt too much like subtext here, whereas it’s explored far more in the books.

- Two Towers Pacing. (Didn’t really like). The pacing of TTT was...weird. maybe I’m going into this with a closed mind because of the books, but it was odd to have the movie begin with Frodo and Sam and then have them only appear for a few rapid scenes after that. I think the fact that a WHOLE LOT of what happens to Frodo and Sam in TTT is moved to RotK is what makes it feel that way? In the books, Two Towers ends with Sam discovering that Frodo isn’t dead from Shelob’s sting, and I was surprised by how long it took the movies to get to that part. However, I will give the films a little leeway because I think they needed Frodo & Sam content for RotK, since most of what happens in that book is them walking through Mordor basically starving and dying. Doesn’t make for great cinema I guess, so they had to put the whole Shelob/Cirith Ungol saga into the final film. Still, I think there’s a weird lack of Frodo and Sam’s presence in TTT.

- The go home/missing bread arc. (Full of rage abt this one) yeah. so. my criticism of this is gonna sound pretty tired because people complain and complain about this part of RotK. but I’m gonna complain some more!! I don’t think the split between Frodo and Sam does anything for the plot. I really don’t. I guess it emphasizes the fact that Sam doesn’t understand how much Frodo is projecting onto Gollum, but it’s just. unnecessary angst? They had enough angst in the Osgiliath scene! Which I actually liked! And it simply doesn’t make a lot of sense for Frodo to suspect Sam of eating the bread when Sam had already offered Frodo his own food and made it clear that he would very much starve if it meant making sure Frodo could eat. But what I hate most about this scene is not that Frodo gets mad and tells Sam to go home. No. It’s that Sam actually... thinks about doing that? he actually? goes down the staircase? emotionally this is bad because Sam clearly cared enough about Frodo to follow him this far, to nearly drown for him, so why would he leave now. Practically this is bad because 1. how would Sam get out of Mordor alone and 2. where would he go. He turns around almost immediately, yes, but what was his plan. where was he going. why.

THINGS I LOVED

- For Frodo! This line, and every other shoutout to Frodo. In the books, they didn’t really actively talk about/worry about Frodo (and Sam) as much as they do in the movies. I like that they talk about Frodo more in the movies! I like that they’re thinking about him! I know it was implied that they were in the books, but I really like how it’s shown here. I think it gave a more complete picture of how much they all care about him on a personal level in addition to just needing him to succeed from a pragmatic standpoint. 

- Merry and Pippin! I feel like Merry and Pippin were so well rounded in the films. I’ve heard criticism about them being turned into comic relief characters (which they always were a little bit) but it honestly didn’t feel that way to me. They had a bit of a rough start because the films didn’t make their motives for going with Frodo as deep as the books did, but I think that by TTT they were absolutely amazing characters in every scene. In RotK their respective arcs hit really well and the scene where Pippin is singing to Denethor? *chef’s kiss* poetic. beautiful. sad. idk man I just feel like I have such a newfound appreciation for Merry and Pippin.

- Parallels! people have pointed out the parallel of Frodo and Sam’s hands before (drowning scene/mount doom scene) and I love how the movie did that. Just stunning. Also! The moving of the Smeagol & Deagol scene to RotK surprised me because in the books it was like,,,at the beginning of Fellowship, but I think the placement of it in the movies really helped emphasize the similarities between Smeagol & Deagol and Frodo & Sam (and how much Frodo fears this similarity.) There were a lot of other well done parallels between storylines and a few bits of dialogue that were repeated with great timing, but I can’t remember all of them at the moment.  

Edit: here’s one I remembered! when Frodo wakes up after being rescued and sees Gandalf, he says Gandalf’s name in a very similar tone to the one he used at the very beginning of Fellowship. It was a nice little subtle connection.

- I can’t carry it for you...alright this is self-indulgent. everyone knows I love this line. I’m just so glad it made it into the movie intact. Sean Astin’s delivery was amazing. I cheered. My mom cheered. It’s a raw line and it makes me feel secret emotions...like if shrimp colors were feelings. that line makes me feel shrimp feelings. idk i’m so tired i just watched twelve hours of movies this review is decreasing in quality by the minute but i’m about done for now anyway

Various silly afterthoughts

- I would have liked to see Sam kiss Frodo’s hands at least once. This happens 50 thousand times in the books, they could have given me one scene. one little extended edition scene. Please Peter Jackson I’m dyin’ out here

- They literally made Gollum so hateable. kinda the point yes, but I was so on board with Sam’s murderous rage. I know why Gollum’s a profoundly complex character, I know why Frodo pities him, I know why murder is bad, but I too would throw hands with that creature. also he literally body shamed Sam so much what was that skdjksdjksd. Sam is lovely. let him commit a small homicide. 

- the scene where merry and pippin drink the tall boy juice (as someone once referred to it in the tags of one of my posts)... not accurate to the books (since they don’t ever drink it with the end goal of getting tall) but so accurate to life. if I found some water that made me taller than my friends? let me at it

- Frodo panicking when he falls into the spider webs. so real bestie. i felt just as panicked watching that. i am terrified of spiders and Elijah Wood did an amazing job doing exactly what i’d do in the situation. yelping a lot and falling down.

- I feel like it’s never stated that Sam’s a gardener (or at least that he’s specifically Frodo’s gardener) until he tells Faramir he is. Did I miss this. Or do they really never say.  are you just meant to know. are you just meant to pick up gardener vibes from him.

*

This has been a very chaotic lotr movie review. Thanks for reading.

[softluci]

atla hcs

i’ve been thinking about this for a minute, and i wanna do a set of headcanons for how i think the brothers (and eventually the undateables) would feel about certain avatar: the last airbender characters, or something along those lines. i actually just wanted to talk about lucifer and azula, so everything else here is a bonus. this doesn’t matter, but for what it’s worth: wherever the mc pops up, they will be gn, enjoy!

also: this kinda goes without saying, but there are most definitely spoilers in here. for which seasons? i don’t remember, i watched this show when i was nine, but proceed with caution if you have yet to watch it.

lucifer

if it’s one thing you are not gonna play with him about, it is princess azula. this man is an azula supremacist, and while he might not say those words exactly, anyone would be able to tell that’s the case if they talked to him about the show for longer than two minutes. he actually wasn’t even interested in the show until azula showed up, and he will readily admit this to anyone who inquires about it. what makes it funny is the fact that her first appearance is literally, like, ten seconds, so that means he saw her and immediately knew she was the best, which, like—real recognize real. is he projecting? am i projecting? yes, no. in that order. shut up.

he actually almost couldn’t hide how proud he was when azula almost killed aang, this man is deranged. the same way he takes her wins personally, he takes every loss of hers personally as well, so when she lost that agni kai? 🚶‍♂️ 

the average azula enjoyer believes azula should get a redemption arc, lucifer believes azula should simply get whatever she wants, and the difference between those two things is striking.

average azula enjoyer: i believe azula deserves to heal and redeem herself. it isn’t fair that she was left with her tyrannical, abusive father during formative years of her childhood, with no one to help her or show her what it means to be good. she cannot be blamed for the way she turned out. it especially isn’t fair that she gets no redemption for evil things she did at age fourteen, for a year, while the entire show is iroh’s redemption arc, and he was doing evil for decades—he is literally called “the dragon of the west” because of it. additionally—

lucifer morningstar, resident azula supremacist: everything azula did, she was right to do, because i would’ve done the same. there was never a point at which she was wrong, it’s just unfortunate that nobody could keep up with her, her father included. the only reason why she ended up losing, ultimately, is because this is a children’s show, and good is supposed to win out. it was plot armor. if this were realistic, she would’ve beaten everyone—at the very least, she would’ve beaten zuko in the final agni kai, it’s just that he broke the rules and brought backup. at the time of the agni kai, she was literally the strongest firebender in the show. that’s actually the only part of this lucifer is right about, but you can’t tell him that.

if you ask him what his favorite quote in the show is, he’ll immediately say, “i can see your whole history in your eyes. you were born with nothing, so you’ve had to struggle, and connive, and claw your way to power. but true power? the divine right to rule? is something you’re born with.” and he will do it so well that it’ll give you the chills. 

in actuality, his favorite quote is, “i’d really rather our family physician look after little zuzu, if you don’t mind.” it’s just that it doesn’t have the same chilling effect as the first one. 

does he like any other characters? does he even care about any other characters? he has a deep fondness for sokka because he reminds him of mammon.  yes, and they are katara and suki, with honorable mention to avatar kyoshi. 

does he hate any characters? no, but if you mention avatar kuruk or uncle iroh to him, he might get annoyed. is mildly frustrated by aang, but has the sense to cut him some slack for being twelve and the last of his kind. never speak of ozai.

mammon 

toph supremacist. frequent user of the phrase, “toph is just fucking class.” knows for a fact that toph is the best and strongest bender in the entire show, and no one has ever managed to convince him otherwise. mainly because nobody really disagrees. like, have you ever even seen toph slander?

just like lucifer with azula, he wasn’t invested in the show until toph showed up, which, once again, is funny, because technically her very first appearance is only a few seconds long, so that means he saw her for a literal second and just knew. you can’t even be mad at that, real recognize real. 

no one will ever see him more proud than when he’s talking about one toph beifong. he can’t get over her raw, unbridled talent, and he really never should. if you let him (so, if you’re levi), he will spend so much time analyzing her character and every single one of her strengths, from the fact that she’s the only one who knows when azula is lying, all the way down to the fact that even though she projects a tough persona, she can still be vulnerable, AND—

not only is she strong, but her personality is simply untouchable. this girl grows on literally everyone; like, even lucifer likes her, even though he’ll die before saying it out loud. 

he gets so smug whenever someone asks him who his favorite is and it’s because he knows his taste is top tier, and what makes it worse is that no one can even disagree because toph is just that good. 

will never admit it, but he was shaking and crying during the scene where it looked like toph and sokka were literally gonna die. was also gonna cry when toph almost drowned. basically: he is eternally grateful to suki. 

his favorite line in the entire show is, “i am the greatest earthbender in the world! don’t you two dunderheads ever forget it.” it’s just fucking class.

does he like any other characters? he sees himself in sokka, he’ll tell you that much. he also knows that satan and lucifer like sokka because of him, and he found out because he heard them talking about it. to their joint dismay, they turned to see him standing behind them, grinning like an idiot, and they couldn’t even scare him into leaving them alone when he hugged both of them at the same time because, one, they didn’t really want to, and two, they couldn’t turn off their fondness for him fast enough ^_^. did they reciprocate his hug? did they stay like that for a little bit? did lucifer kiss the tops of their heads? maybe so🤨

does he hate any characters? not really, but he doesn’t particularly like azula because she scares him and makes him sad, like lucifer and doesn’t see her appeal. once tried to make a case for why she shouldn’t have a redemption arc and felt painfully human from the way he almost died. do not mention toph’s parents to him. the name ozai should also never be on your tongue.

levi 

resident sokka enjoyer and suki appreciator. do not ever call sokka dumb in front of this man unless you want a proper lecture. unlike a few of his brothers, he doesn’t like sokka just because of his similarities to mammon. he also likes sokka because he relates to him on a personal level. 

levi absolutely knows what it’s like to feel inadequate and outshined by people younger than you. he absolutely knows what it’s like to feel like your competence is overlooked. while he might be unfamiliar with how it feels to strategize for a war and lose a battle, but it is one of his biggest fears and it absolutely crushed him to see sokka go through that. 

on a lighter note, levi has a deep appreciation for sokka’s comedic value, despite the fact that it can overshadow his intelligence. levi would actually venture to say that he likes sokka’s funnier side because it overshadows his intelligence to the point that it throws the opposition for a loop. this is the aspect of sokka that reminds him of mammon. 

it also seriously warmed his heart to see how everyone missed sokka while he was away for sword training; he especially liked that episode because it was just an affirmation of the fact that sokka is an integral part of team avatar, which he really needed to see. 

you know who else is an integral part of team avatar who needs to be recognized as such more often? suki. do you know how much pain levi is in every time he thinks about the lack of suki screentime . it’s a lot . suki is just too good for the amount of screentime she has, he’s sorry, but it’s true. this is evidenced by the scene of her literally running across prisoners’ heads to apprehend the warden of boiling rock. that scene speaks for itself—she and the other kyoshi warriors end up as zuko’s body guards for a reason. 

he will never let anyone forget that if it weren’t for suki, sokka would still be a misogynist. she was an essential element to sokka’s growth as a character and everyone had better remember it or so help him. also , he is a firm believer in the fact that suki was the best love interest for sokka, with zuko as a close second. don’t ask questions. rip yue but argue with the wall.

his favorite line in the series? 

“zuko’s gone crazy! i made a sand sculpture of suki, and he destroyed it! oh, and he’s attacking aang.” 

it’s not profound or cool or anything like that, but it makes him smile and giggle every time he thinks of it ^_^. 

does he like any other characters? he has a lot of love for toph and azula for the sole fact that the series improved exponentially after both of their introductions; he thinks both of them are in leagues of their own and seeing them in action just puts a smile on his face. he’s also inexplicably fond of king bumi. 

does he hate any characters? not particularly, actually! he pretty much respects and appreciates everyone, except the guy who mutilated his thirteen year old son for speaking out of turn.

satan 

just pick a girl. any girl. and from the way he talks about them, you’ll think they’re his favorite. he can and will go on about the girls of atla for the rest of eternity.

but since we’re being specific:

katara appreciator. azula enjoyer. basically, between him and lucifer, no tongue raised against azula shall prosper. he has a deep respect for each of their wraths. he also really must have a thing for angst because both of these characters just break his heart. 

if you let him (in other words, if you’re levi), he will go on about how it’s not fair that people call katara annoying when, in reality, she just hasn’t healed from the trauma of seeing her mother’s corpse at age eight, followed by having to take care of her village, meaning she got literally no time to grieve properly, and—

call katara annoying in front of him and you might actually have to meet god for your shallow views of such a deep, complex character. 

he will also go on and on about how katara would be the best bender in the show, if it weren’t for toph, who is untouchable. instead, he’ll talk about how katara almost killed pakku for being misogynistic and how she single handedly beat azula during sozin’s comet. you will frequently hear this man say, “katara aang’s master for a reason,” and he’s right. 

similar to if you call katara annoying, if you call azula scary in front of satan, he’s bullying you. he’s sorry, but it has to happen. no way you’re scared of a traumatized fourteen year old, what are you, eight? or do you have no understanding of azula’s depth? both are unacceptable. 

satan is the average azula enjoyer, times about seven. you simply won’t get away with speaking poorly of azula in front of this man, so if you’re like mammon and don’t like her, you better tread very carefully. 

one time mammon tried to be like, “azula is too far gone to deserve redemption anyways,” and satan literally reverted to his demon form as he said: “if i were abandoned with my terrible father as a child, with literally no one to help me, and then my friends betrayed me, and then, as i was about to be crowned ruler of my country, my dumb fucking idiot brother showed up with his dumb peasant friend for backup, which isn’t even allowed, i might be mad forever too, actually—” and then he threw the nearest chair at mammon for his criminally bad take.

another reason why satan loves azula so much is because he’s convinced she’s a lesbian and satan is the most “let’s go lesbians!!!” person you will ever meet. you actually can’t convince him that she isn’t a lesbian. forget chan. nobody gives a fuck about chan.

what’s his favorite line in the entire series? 

“trust me, zuko—it’s not going to be much of a match.” 

like, come on. katara is just too good. 

does he like any other characters (other than the girls of atla)? he’ll never admit it, but he has a lot of respect for sokka and a soft spot for him because he reminds him of mammon. he also has a lot of respect for aang because he reminds him of beel of how well he handled literally everything despite being twelve. 

does he hate any—yes. never speak of avatar roku. or iroh. or ozai. for good measure, don’t mention general zhao either. 

asmo 

what lucifer is to azula, asmo is to ty lee. like do i even have to say anything else. but for what it’s worth, he also love, love, loves azula because she reminds him of lucifer, from her strength and class, all the way down to her descent into madness. and even though she breaks his heart just as much as she does satan’s. he may or may not have cried over azula in satan’s room while they were talking about her. unlike lucifer and satan, he can respect it if you don’t like her, but it’ll make him so sad. 

but enough about azula. ty lee is where it’s at for him. her subtle strength and unwavering love is something to die for, and he will defend it against anyone, up to and including lucifer, and he’ll win too. asmo is not to be trifled with and neither is ty lee; he can make a strong argument as to why ty lee is the strongest character in the show, and you will have a very hard time trying to refute his points. (the main point being: it’ll be really hard to win a fight against someone who can paralyze you in a few seconds, bender or not.)

the fact that ty lee ran away from home because she was tired of the fact that nobody ever saw her as her own person is just something that tugs at asmo’s heartstrings. he thinks ty lee’s bravery is just something that can be so personal. 

also—he has a massive appreciation for the fact that, even though there’s a war going on and ty lee is in near-constant danger, she still has the sense to maintain her appearance and worry about the skincare of not just herself, but also people she’s close to. that is a detail he will never let anyone forget. 

never mentions it in front of lucifer but one of his favorite scenes is when she paralyzes azula to save mai. once again: ty lee’s bravery is just something that can be so personal. 

he doesn’t have a favorite line in the series, but his favorite exchange of dialogue is between ty lee and azula, wherein ty lee is trying to teach azula how to flirt. he thinks it’s the cutest thing in the world.

does he like any other characters? of course! he likes everyone ^_^ . you’d actually be hard pressed to find someone he hates. ozai. it’s ozai. he has a real soft spot for mai because she reminds him of belphie. something about their shared aversion to affection is just so cute to him!

beel

aang supremacist, will hold steadfast to the fact that aang is the best character in the show and you will struggle to figure out how to convince him otherwise. 

if you ask him why aang is his favorite, the first thing he will do is gesture to a picture of him and say, “look at the material,” like it’s the most obvious thing in the world, before diving into a ten minute in depth character analysis for this boy. 

come on. he shouldn’t even have to explain himself. not only is aang one of the strongest, most competent avatars to exist, ever, he also mastered all four elements in a year, when he was twelve—he’s literally a different breed. and he managed to beat ozai in his own way, without killing him, as a means of staying true to a culture that could have literally died with him at any point in the show. aang is just fucking class.

he also admires aang for his near unwavering kindness and lighthearted nature. and for never going berserk and killing everyone he sees, especially after finding out his people were killed while he was in ice.

you have no idea how much pain beel was in when he found out that the air nomads were just gone. seeing a child find out that not only their family is gone, but also the entirety of their people and culture, just absolutely broke his heart. and that guilt aang was feeling? hit way too close to home for him. 

he also thinks it’s really nice that aang was so quick to forgive zuko after everything, and the two of them ended up being really good friends. it just puts a smile on his face. 

after some reflection with levi, he would’ve liked to see the full scope of an airbender’s power in the series; as in, he would’ve liked to see someone suffocated, but it’s okay, because aang wasn’t like that.  and he heard it happens in the next series over.

anyway, beel’s favorite quote in the show...well, it isn’t really a quote, as much as it’s a dialogue between two characters. it’s the scene where toph asks, “do you really think friendships can last more than one lifetime?” and aang says, “i don’t see why not.” it could bring a tears to his eyes just thinking about it; and in the next series over when it’s proven to be true, he absolutely cried. 

does he like any other characters? he’s actually really fond of zuko and mai because they both remind him of belphie. he also likes sokka for the same reason lucifer and satan like sokka. he has a deep appreciation for katara because aang would literally be dead without if it weren’t for her.

does he hate any characters? well, he doesn’t really like azula. he feels bad for her, but he doesn’t like her. but as for who he hates? take a wild guess. 

belphie 

zuko makes him sob is his number one. yes zuko is his favorite because of his redemption arc, yes he sees himself in zuko, no he will not explain any further than that, what’s your point🤨

in actuality, he will never be able to properly articulate how important it is for him to see that redemption is, indeed, attainable, if you put the work in. in a similar vein, he will also never be able to give words to how important it is for him to see that forgiveness is also attainable.  it means the world to him. that is why it makes him cry. the feeling is overwhelming. i’m gonna cry if i think about it for too long.

he will cling to the fact that zuko is the best character in the show, and he will cling to it even when zuko embarrasses him by saying stupid shit like, “no lightning today?” and even when zuko is so awkward it causes him physical pain. that’s his number one and he’s not changing on it!

firm zukka supporter. will not argue. that’s all.

what’s his favorite line in the entire series? it’s one of the two you’re thinking of. make that decision for yourself.

does he like any other characters? he positively adores aang and will readily admit that it’s because he reminds him of beel. bonus points for aang because he also loves the dynamic between him and zuko. toph is a distant third, mainly because he just really likes her attitude. he looks at her and thinks, now this is someone who would not hesitate to kick lucifer’s ass. 

does he hate any characters? you better believe it. he hates iroh because he reminds him of dia. he can’t really bring himself to like azula because she makes him a different kind of sad. and if you know what’s good for you, you will never mention ozai.