#he was so certain that seeing blitz would make everything better

[birdy-babe]

"And for my own health, I’ll remind myself:

That when I see him

I know that it won’t feel so tough

I’ll believe him

And not the voice that says I’m not enough

No need for an arrangement

It can just be him

and me

I’ll set us free

How perfect it could be

When i see him

Tonight"

[luciferanalyzestar]

Live Reaction: Ghostfuckers

Spoilers of course. I still hate the title of this episode. 0/10 for that alone. This post is just my unfiltered thoughts.

Look the other WLW couple in the Hellaverse! Forgot their names though.

Me thinking about how this show is slowly going downhill. /lhj Why is Blitz 'sulking' over Stolass?? Out of all the characters, he is sulking over the classist asshole who fetishize him for his species.

Man, I wish we saw more of that hard work. Not "yaoi." that overstayed its welcome. There is that Helluva cringe I love so much. /s

Ew. Blitz is fucking nasty. Ugh. More unfunny sexual jokes.

The American™️ experience.

Good!! Stolas is again, a classist species fetishizer. I do not Blitz that much, but he deserved someone better than the owl fucker. He needs to go to therapy first though.

Loona's attitude is fucking weird. She is 22 years old, why she calling Millie who is around 25-30 years old "grandma"??? If she was a teenager that would make sense, but she is an adult. Her insults suck pure ass. Like her calling Mooxie 'fat'. Send her ass back to that pound. /lhj

The word of the day is: FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK

Viv and the other writers need to learn new swear words.

The sex jokes are so bad. They are not even at high school level, more like middle schooler who laughs when seeing Bitch in the dictionary level.

This show overuses bitch too. There is no PUNCH to it anymore. It is like a sound bit at this point. I love this old man. Why does Blitz tell Mille to "Look out, he's a patriot!" like it is bad thing? He is a true definition of one unlike a certain party.

The song sucks. They truly peaked in Ozzie's and never returned to that level. YES MILLIE! Tell Blitz how you truly feel. That piece of shit has not paid you in weeks and was too busy buying cheap trash.

Remind of me of that faceless Squall moment in Final Fantasy VIII. I Never played the games though. I just know about it thanks to horror youtubers. I love me some good body horror. They finally took Blitz's mom out of the fridge. I am sorry but this scene is making me laugh. Her eye popping out is looks goofy. It like a zany cartoon from the 90s.

Backstory time? The dialogue is not natural in this scene. Blitz is saying some self-hating stuff and Millie is going "Do you remember" like she is Earth, Wind, and Fire. Imagine venting to someone about hating yourself and that you destroy everything you touch, and they say, "Remember how we met?" Blitz's response would be mines. "What?"

"Imps don't work for themselves, asshole."

I wish that show was still about this. A person from a lower class trying to work his way to the top. If that show would be more impactful and would be remember as the edgy demon show with an inspiring message that everyone would relate to or inspire to be. Not the sex joke obsessed demon show with awful writing and the main "appeal" is rotten yaoi. Anyway, the fight scene was fine. Loona looks off model when she has an happy expression. I am used to that aloof and pissed off expression she always have.

"He's my best friend."

Blitz is your best friend?? This is the most time y'all interacted with each other on scene. This is the first conversation Mille and Blitz has ever had. We are almost done with Season two by the way.

This show just loves to traumatize Blitz. I wish he relived his traumatizing experiences in a more natural way. Like seeing certain objects or hearing certain sounds makes him hyperventilate or sends him into the beginning of a panic attack. I have no issues with characters having trauma or PTSD, but it seems like Blitz's trauma is a part of his character to make him seem more interesting as the protag instead of telling how trauma can truly change and mold a person into something different. There are just sprinkles of this. Blitz puts a facade of being an foul mouthed asshole because he does not want to get attached to people, from the trauma of killing his own mother, and etc. I wish it was not this Clockwork Orange type shit. This is 100% a post for another day.

"Your level of insecurity is intoxicating." Rolando should visit the Hazbin hotel. The insecurity levels are off the charts in that place. /lhj "Tonight I'm Blitz Demon-Dicker!" That is pure cringe right there.

Blitz trying to have sex with the M&Ms was always creepy to me because the idea of a boss trying to sleep with his employees is gross. Stick to signing their paychecks, not being in-between their sheets. Blitz being jealousy of their relationship is fine; it should never have crossed into sexual territory.

Episode rating: 7.5/10

None of the jokes made me laugh which is the usual for me. That Blitz's mom scene is unintentional comedy though. Rewatching, it made me laugh again and of course there is a pin design of that scene too. This is Tilla's first real merch. Good for her. Of course they made merch for the one off. Someone is out there emptying their bank account to have a "complete collection" because they just love dropping merch back-to-back.

Lazy ass shit right here. Who in their damn mind would buy this? Better than that slurs shirt though. I have to talk about the Helluva merch, but they are doing recolors now. What is this a fighting game?

Back on topic, this episode actually kept my attention unlike Full Moon and Apology Tour. Watching those episodes made me want to start drinking. Just alright episode, one of the better ones for a season that was about to rot. I am starting to like Millie more; it is nice to see her talk to a character that is not Mooxie.

[cheeekycharchar]

A thought just hit me from the glorious GO2 trailer.. The now infamous quote overlaid on the clip of our favorite Ineffable Husbands wining and dining in their 1940's getups in the book shop…

"You know what it's like when you don't know anything at all, and yet you're totally certain that everything would be better if you were just near one particular person." [insert the cutest lil giddy flirty angel clinking wine glasses with his demon pal clip]

…I THINK SOMEONE ACTUALLY MADE A LEGIT MOVE THAT NIGHT AND IT HELD MAJOR REPERCUSSIONS FOR YEARS TO COME.

Whether it was Aziraphale or Crowley.. I think this scene.. this moment of them together.. is going to be extremely pivotal to their entire relationship for S2 and it will reverberate throughout their history together.

LET ME TRY TO EXPLAIN MY MADNESS AS COHERENTLY AS I CAN. (apologizes in advance.. lol)

It's obvious the new wine dinner date at the bookshop clip is post Blitz bombing scene from season 1 and Aziraphale finally realizing his feelings for Crowley (or finally realizing Crowley truly loves him back). But I think he still holds himself back- isn't sure of himself.

These feelings are fresh and bubbling to the top from the moment their hands touched when Crowley handed over the bag of books. And as much as he wants to lean all the way into these new giddy feelings of flirtatious love that is written all over his face, all that's in the back of his mind is.. What would heaven think? What would heaven do if they found out? Not only to him, but to Crowley?

So, he lets Crowley give him a lift back to the bookshop after the church bombing scene. He offers him some wine as a thank you for the rescue earlier that night.

And yet for Crowley, this is just yet another moment of him doing something for the Angel he cares most about- the same ol' song and dance from thousands of years. He's his normal self- holding back his feelings for Aziraphale's sake and going with the flow. But as the night progresses.. he notices something different in the air.

Aziraphale, only freshly realizing his feelings (or Crowley's feelings for him), and he starts to internally freak out because of the danger it would put them both in if they truly accepted each other's true feelings for one another. But he also feels an unbounding unbridled burst of love growing stronger as the night goes on.

AND I THINK IT'S AT THIS TIME THAT ONE OF THEM.. POSSIBLY CROWLEY.. TRIED TO MAKE A MOVE ON THE OTHER ONE DURING THIS NEW SCENE.

Ya know.. like in fanfic but FOR REALS THIS TIME.

And I'm not talking a lean in for a smooch or anything we've all read in those glorious imaginative fanfic stories over the years or whatever.. but maybe something as simple as a wandering hand across the table.. testing the waters.. a subtle inquiry looking for an invitation to take it further.. An angel.. and a demon.. finding true love and connection with one another that is beyond understanding.

And in classic defensive Aziraphale style, he pushes Crowley away before anything can go further. Hurt.. angst.. ya know. The PAIN OF REJECTION. And then they don't see each other again until Aziraphale shows up in the Bentley in the 60's to give Crowley the holy water thermos.

Remember that awkward guilty as hell look he was giving him in the car in that scene? And Crowley's complete and utter shock that Aziraphale actually gave him something so precious and dangerous for his sake after long denying him (in more ways than one)?

Crowley was probably after the holy water more than ever since after that disastrous and heartbreaking incident of being shot down in the bookshop after the Blitz.

But he won't give up on Aziraphale. All he can think is just how much more dangerous their relationship truly could become if he were ever successful in the future. He needed something to protect his Angel and himself if their budding relationship were to ever be found out by either side.

And this is where Aziraphale's "You go too fast for me, Crowley" line comes into play. Thousands of years of Crowley's past acts finally came into focus the night his books were saved and Aziraphale realizes that as much as he has loved Crowley, that he's been loved back just as long.

But if Crowley made a move on Aziraphale during this new wine scene in the bookshop, Aziraphale just wasn't ready to accept this newly budding romance (in his eyes at least) and the dangers that would come with it so soon after only just realizing everything that night. It was all too fast for him.

But Crowley didn't have as much inhibitions to hold back, so he finally tried to move the relationship further but Aziraphale was too scared and needed more time to gain the courage to rebel against everything he knows- which brought us to season one's team-up against both sides and them finally joining together on their own side together. ♥

But something about the choices made during that special moment together in the dark and quiet bookshop during WWII.. an angel and a demon truly found love in one another and one or both of them holding back for their own reasons at the time.. shifted something in the grand ineffable plan.. and maybe a song that is slowly popping up in records and juke boxes across England is hinting at something gettin' closer ;) ..I don't know.. I just sense that scene will be more important than we all can imagine for S2's plot in some important way, lol.

..Sorry for my random ramble! I hope that made any semblance of sense. I'm sure someone else has already probably thought up this theory but it's legit all I've been thinking about all day and have no real life friends to geek out about it with, lol. I honestly never make posts like this on here.. I'm just a quiet lurker geek with high hopes ^-^'

[clarcced]

An Analysis of the Good Omens 2 Title Sequence and Trailer / S2 Theories

•

(Edit: Almost all of these theories about S2 turned out to be wrong, but some deductions can pave the way to S3. I added edits so certain parts are clearer after watching S2. If you're still curious, let's jump right into it.)

•

I have some theories I would like to share. This is going to be a long one, so buckle up.

The title sequence starts off simple: Crowley climbs his way up and Aziraphale flies down to earth, meeting each other.

On this shot two tombstones can be seen: "HERE LIES THE FORMER SHELL OF BEELZEBUB" and "Here lies... ADAM" ... so hold up. We know that there is going to be a timeskip between GO1 and GO2... But Adam died? The antichrist who singlehandedly beat the devil by shouting at him that he's not his dad, is dead already? Something's definitely up.

[Edit: I have been informed that Adam on the tombstone is not Adam Young, so, no.]

In this shot Aziraphale and Crowley are in what seems to be Hell by the pentagram on a cave wall on the top right side of the shot, with people (presumably dead, since this is hell) following them, also a desk with an old monitor by a chair on narrow rocks stacked on top of each other... Let's come back to this later.

While a reenactment of the Blitz plays out in the sequence, a big poster can be seen on the right side. The upper left side of the poster which includes one of the seeming love interests is... shot? Broken?The poster belongs to a 1946 movie by the title "Stairway To Heaven". Here's a part of the synopsis wirtten on the showtimes.com website: "A World War II RAF pilot who is forced to bail out of his crippled plane without a parachute. He wakes up to find he has landed on Earth utterly unharmed...which wasn't supposed to happen according to the rules of Heaven. A celestial court argues over whether or not to claim Carter's life or to let him survive to wed his American sweetheart." If I were to theorize "anything" based on the plot of the movie, I'd say after Crowley disguised as Aziraphale leaves heaven unharmed by the hellfire heaven is confused but keeps tabs on him, as we see Muriel visiting Aziraphale's shop in the trailer. Remember in the trailer when Aziraphale asks Gabriel why he's come to his shop and Gabriel answers "You know when it's like you don't know anything at all and that you're totally certain that everything would be better if you were near just one particular reason." well it is in my opinion %99 right before the beginning of the sneak peek and the sneak peek begins with "...So anyway, that's how I felt that so long as I came here, that something terrible might not happen to me." It was shown in the trailer as if while Gabriel was giving the before mentioned speech almost Aziraphale was thinking about Crowley - well Gabriel may somehow (coming back to this later) think of Aziraphale the same way by how he felt safe coming to his bookshop.

[Edit: Carter is Gabriel, the American sweetheart is Beelzebub.]

Crowley being Crowley possibly having watched this movie after whatever happens the Blitz between him and Aziraphale, he's gonna spiral to compare the American sweetheart in the Stairway To Heaven (1946) movie to Gabriel. Thus the lashing out.

Oh and Blitz in German means lightning, so this theory could make sense with Crowley producing lightning or Blitz. Not sure about this specific lashing out theory, but I thought I'd just throw it out there.

Moving on!

First screenshot is from the title sequence with two posters "The Fabulous Ladies Of Camelot" written on them. In the latter screenshot we can see the Ladies Of Camelot and one other person standing behind Aziraphale.

In this scene in the title sequence Crowley and Aziraphale on stage - Aziraphale being in his Ladies Of Camelot stage costume. The curtains unveil.

In the title sequence right after the curtains unveil Aziraphale and Crowley fly around each other - which is quite romantic, two hypothetical worlds with a bridge is seen - then the bridge breaks in half and the camera spirals sideways. In the background a type of space phenomenon is seen, which I interpreted with some doubt as a reconstruction by the Good Omens animators/graphic designers of the Hubble Space Telescope's photograph of The Pillars of Creation (Source: NASA). Or it could be a space photograph of something else entirely, but let's entertain this idea.

[Edit: Turns out this specific space phenomenon used in the title sequence is called "Elephant's Trunk Nebula". Pillars of Creation also consist of Elephant's Trunk nebulae, but alas, I was wrong. Thanks to @burbuur for the info!]

If we take this interpretation and make it into a theory, with the bridge between Crowley and Aziraphale's worlds torn, which are heaven and hell, and what bridges these two worlds is death - who can't be killed (or can they?) as we've seen in the first season - with the metaphorical pillars of creation also being present in the scene, death... dies? Or vanishes? And creation gets out of control? Let us examine this theory.

In the title sequence after the scene where Crowley and Aziraphale enter a cave, a delivery man with either grey or white wings can be seen carrying a box (0:10).

Next time we see this exact box is when Crowley and Aziraphale are leading everyone to an old movie theater - the box is reflected on the screen. The only remaining Horseman of the apocalypse - which these boxes were delivered to - is death, so why hasn't it been opened? We saw the winged person carrying the package (presumably after their death, again) but couldn't deliver it maybe? I say not possible, since The International Express Man can deliver anything anywhere anytime, so the reason the package hasn't been opened is because the recipient is either dead or doesn't want to be found.

Then the audience is transported from two dimensional third person perspective to a third dimentional first person perspective, the screen rips and we the audience walk the bridge through statues left and right - on the left side are winged statues with a warm yellow light barely shining on them, on the right side also stands a winged figure, but a colder white-ish/blue-ish light shining brightly on the statue. This imagery of warm and cold is represented in Good Omens as angels and demons. If we take the "everything is falling apart because one of the pillars of creation is gone" arc and apply it to this shot, it can be said that not even heaven and hell and heaven breaks, but the fourth wall breaks as well - which could be what Gabriel was meant to warn Aziraphale about.

Remember the computer and the chair in hell? Who would have a computer and a chair in hell? Well...

Also remember Death playing an arcade game in season one? By their style choices regarding clothing, motorbike and games it seems likely that Death is an old fashioned entity, which suggests that old monitor could also be his. In an unreachable spot, the stones stacked on top of each other barely hanging on the verge of falling apart, no one would bother them. A perfect spot, which is now empty.

Also have to point out something I hadn't realized before, but on the left arcade the player with the highest score is Sir Terry Pratchett and even Death couldn't beat his score. Rest in peace legend.

So Death goes missing. Heaven and hell don't care since they're immortal supernatural beings. To make them care, because he wants war, Gabriel goes to Earth to "warn" Aziraphale.

By his eyes changing color it is safe to assume that his amnesia is controlled by someone or some angels in heaven. Aziraphale and Crowley realize this eventually and lock him up in his own angelic grave.

Angels coming down in their elevators, demons being thrown off into the sky in the shoots, "It's a getting closer" being thrown out in the trailer a lot (newspaper held by Aziraphale and the song playing in the background)... What does all this mean? Well fellow reader, I'm glad you asked. See that tiny little poster?

It's Armageddon vol. 2 baby! (Though it can be argued that this poster is a reference to this being the second season.)

[Edit: I have been informed of what The Second Coming actually is. In the following paragraphs, the mention of "Armageddon vol. 2" should be taken as the Second Coming, as I didn't know what it was and used the nane Armageddon 2 in its place.]

Adam is dead, remember? So who is to stop another armageddon? We know that in the Good Omens universe one can be ressurected (Aziraphale after the birthday party reviving the dove in his pocket) so Satan could have been resurrected by Death themselves, which is why they have been missing. [Edit: Satan isn't dead. He was simply beaten in battle. My bad!]

Gabriel is a messenger angel in Christian theology - so his original purpose could be to warn Aziraphale of Satan's revival [Edit: return] but the amnesia factor plays in this case. How would an amnesiac angel warn them? Well he couldn't, so they keep Gabriel away. Heaven teams up with hell (who have no idea what Gabriel wanted to warn Aziraphale about) to find Gabriel. Which heaven knows exactly where he is, but keeps that knowledge to themselves as to stir up the war. Since Death is gone and no one ever dies anymore, Armageddon vol. 2 would be much more destructive.

Heaven could have much more up their sleeves, such as literally making love rain on humanity. With the world's population rapidly increasing making people fall in love with each other could lead to chaos, since there are too many people to love. Coming back to Gabriel "somehow" feeling safe by Aziraphale, when he arrives at the bookshop his eyes are humanly, which suggests that some angelic knowledge is present in his amnesiac mind, but his body is human. Heaven could have made his human body love and feel comfortable around Aziraphale, but not his mind.

To summarize this theory: Death is gone, population is increasing. Love, which is what makes humanity human, is going to destroy humanist values and bring about the downfall of heaven, hell and earth. A second Armageddon.

Thank you for reading this far, I hope you enjoyed reading!

[Edited August 2023]

[talentforlying]

@pulpnovels: ♬♬♬ — SONGS I LOVE

lightning field - sneaker pimps! i initially found this song for my star wars dnd character (lady-107 my beloved) and it's been living rent-free in my head ever since. it's very on par with constantine's simultaneous regret and lack of it when he inevitably sticks his nose where it doesn't belong and gets cosmic, karmic backlash for it: he always needs to know what's going on, no matter how ugly it is. he makes himself look at the worst that the world has to offer, even when he doesn't want to. and he's always got this inner monologue of 'should have left it alone, shouldn't have opened the door, should have asked the questions', but he just keeps doing it anyway, and he doesn't give a flying fuck about the consequences so long as he gets the answers he wants.

strike me down / better left it all unknown / strike me down / should have held it all alone / wash the questions off my hands / i'm the fate in no one's plans / strike me down / give it everything you've got

ballroom blitz - sweet! this has been my car ride scream-along song since i was a teenager, AND it's some quintessential rich-the-punk-era constantine to boot!! absolutely balls to the wall bar fight banger, with a flair of hellblazer unreality to taste. there's no meta for this one, other than a nod to the 2019 john constantine: hellblazer ending that's due to be continued in january, this is just a get-off-your-ass-and-dance classic.

oh yeah! it was electric / so frantically hectic / and the band started leaving / 'cause they all stopped breathing / yeah, yeah, yeah-yeah-yeah

war pigs - CAKE! this cover and t-pain's are two of my FAVORITE covers ever made, and i feel like assigning constantine the band that did short skirt / long jacket is simply the right thing to do. aside from the obvious political commentary that aligns beautifully with constantine's attitudes towards bloodthirsty politicians and war, it specifically makes me think about the early warning - how i learned to love the bomb storyline in hellblazer issues 25-26, where a dying country town of brainwashed people worship a nuclear warhead at the neighboring american missile base. there's some really fascinating commentary in that issue, and of course it ends tragically, but there's also a sick panel of constantine (who cannot drive) doing donuts in a parking lot with a hot-wired car blasting music at top volume. the lyrics are so well-aligned to the story that i'm almost certain this was their inspiration for that two-parter:

now in darkness, world stops turning / ashes where their bodies burning / no more war pigs have the power / hand of god has struck the hour

+ 3 songs: for pronsias cassidy, underrated love of my LIFE, fire in the empire - william crighton is always what plays in my head during his duel with jesse, and the lyrics remind me intensely of him waking up in the river in the comics after being turned, what with the 'iron tears' being blood. also, man catches fire in the sun, just seems to fit.

i was out where the straight road ends / red dust rises, mighty river bends / i lay down on the sand / fell into a dream / the earth and the crow appeared / with a beak of eyes filled with iron tears

for sly gould, because he is SO cool to me, con man - dispatch is the song i always thought of when i saw his promo pics! feels both sinister and playful in equal amounts, and i would love to see a scene where it's playing in the background while henry thomas walk into a room with that coin spinning over his fingers.

he's just another con man sitting on a hill / you see him at the bull fight, closest to the kill / he lives up in a tower, sells dreams to the poor / no matter how he gets 'em, he always wants some more

and for dan torrance, also the love of my life, thanatos - soap&skin gives me major doctor sleep vibes. not only does it nail the movie ending right in the heart, but i think it also kind of encapsulates his hopeless spiral at the top of the book, and the dark tint that his shine seems to have after the overlook. idk, to me this song feels like both a sunset and a sunrise, which both feel like doctor sleep danny to me.

torn open tomb / i fell in your / cold fission bomb / i fell in your war / ages of delirium / curse of my oblivion

[universalzones]

"They can have all their fucking plans all they want, though it don't mean shit if I can speed blitz all there ass with my Speed of Lightning. If that happens you can play hero and 'stop' me, though that's only if we they start shit. I know you'll complain, though wouldn't hurt to put you in GUNs good graces while also hurting the numbers they got here, right?" Surge seemed to be actually thinking this out for once.

"Hey, don't go doing anything dumb either. I mean, at this point you've displayed a lot of your powers already, and who's to say they don't have counter measures. I know you have some sort of secret ability, though that's not certain to work." Belle had limited data on Surge, though hoped she could at least talk them out of doing anything dangerous.

"I ain't going to kill anyone, or even hurt them that bad. Mainly fuck up all their weapons and shit. This is a chance to play mind game with these fuckers right back, and who better than someone who's already a criminal. They think they have everything figured out, I'll prove them fucking wrong." Despite saying this Surge was sure Sonic would throw a fit and refuse.

"What do you lot think?" Surge asked, turning to all the soldiers. "I know you don't really like me, and there are reasons for that, though I saw we use it to put pressure on GUN. It'd look even fucking worse if they arrest Sonic after he saved their own soldiers, right? Maybe even win a few over." A low blow trying to turn the soldiers one her side.

===========================================================

"Then the only draw back to using holograms is a tech specialist with a trained eye seeing through it as I doubt either of use could make a picture perfect hologram. We'll have to hope we have luck on our side and they aren't able to see through them." Kitsunami himself could see through a hologram rather easily so couldn't doubt an agency like GUN wouldn't have someone on that level as well.

"I'm NOT his friend." Kitsunami didn't seem too pleased about Miles calling him his friend, though wasn't going to gripe about it. The fennec was fine with letting the vulpine handle the talking while he observed all the defense's mentioned and begin to think of a plan to execute the false defenses. Already he had one.

"Then the most logical course of action is make hologram of the turrets seeing as the nurse's are real and armed. Make them think we have more firepower than we actually do. If they do attack also barricading the blast doors as well will add even more defense." Kitsunami was sure with all that then this would be one of the safer places in The Restoration.

"That said, I only have a limited supply of water in my hydro pack so I'd have to worry about conservation. If anyone is available I could do with people starting to gather as much water as possible and bring it here. This way I can be far more effective in battle and do wider rangers of attack and damage." Kitsunami wouldn't be surprised if they went on the attack they'd come in with heavy force.

He wasn't trying to guilt trip her, not intentionally at any rate. He was sincerely worried about her. He was also just worried about how Kit would react and also that he might rush off and try to break her out. Frankly he wasn't sure he'd stop her either. But it was clear she was set in her plan and there wasn't any room for deviations. Though he was happy she had her memory back, he had lots of questions about her past! yet he doubted she'd share...

" Yea well i hope they bugger off to but i have a feeling they won't. GUN doesn't do anything without big plans, and plans for there plans... guess we should get to the check point and see whats happening... though i'm a big fan of wrecking there shit and asking questions later... but Tails is probably right. It's likely what they want... more excuses to try and lock me up... "

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck and grit his teeth

" And sorry, i didn't mean for it to come off that way... i just wanna help you two. I know you probably don't see it that way. But i've only ever wanted to help you two... so, yea i'll take care of the kid... no matter what you can count on me..."

He caught the little pager shocked these even existed. But suddenly wanting one for himself. Way easier to deal with then losing his phone all the time. What was he on like the 11th one? at some point tails was gonna stop fixing and replacing the damn thing. His eyes turned to belle as she arrived and placed a hand on the back of his neck.

" NOPE! not really ok... apparently i'm not allowed to go rogue and beat GUN's snoz in... so says Surge... but i'm managing. How are things on your end? Better luck then we are having i hope--- then again we did manage to not throw hands so i guess that's progress eh Surge "

==============================================

Tails was happy they were having any kind of agreement at all. But he could be fairly pragmatic when he had to be. Kit was right they had to meet in the middle, and some concessions had to be made. Still depending on the Nurses limits she might prove useful. Still it was a start and they should get started before long they'd stood around long enough.

" Well i can't disagree with you, some concessions have to be made. Trust me he seems as blunt as you are... he might even appreciate the bluntness ... Let's go talk to the nurse and see what defenses if any they have. Also find out what her limit is. She could prove useful if push comes to shove "

He nodded his head to Kit

" Holograms, i have some nifty decoy orbs on me should be able to get them to project dozens of images with some tweaks. It's enough to throw any attacking forces off there game "

Tails headed inside and looked about the nurses finding the one he was sure was the main dawn. She had a 1 on her uniform, and a head nurse badge. He'd jab his thumb back at the doorway, as he spoke to her.

" So ... my friend and i were talking, this place might have to become a military check point. We need to figure out what defenses you have... mostly we just want to make the place appear like are more people then there are ready to fight. Denture the enemy you know... and i noticed your ability and i thought it was perfect. I guess im wondering what you can do and if you can fight..."

The Mouse girl smiled and lifted up her skirt and pulled out her Wispeon, as did all the other copies at the same time. A little green Wisp floated around her and hummed! as the mice all powered up the Wispeons at once.

" DON'T you worry mr. Tails sir! if worse comes to worst! we can go from pharmacist! to harmacist! Just tell me where you need the girls! and we'll be ready for action! as for defenses! we have blast doors... and Doctor Altiss installed those gatling lasers turrets! "

She pointed above to the large guns mounted on the roof! turned out the kindly Doctor was packing some big guns to defend the infirmary!

" Heh... Harmacist ... i get it...Well, any suggestions Kitsunami... i'm surew we can build on what we got..."

[goldlightwriting]

Salvaging the Super Saiyans

So, I’ve never really been a Dragon Ball fan. That’s not to say that I hold any real animosity for the series, but for one reason or another it just never grabbed me. That said, being the monolithic franchise that it is, of course there are some things I’ve just been exposed to through cultural osmosis. I could name a fair few characters, I knew about Super Saiyans, I even knew some of the general story beats before having every really seen or read any of the media they’re from.

I was eventually convinced by a friend to watch DBZA in highschool, and it’s still effectively the only form in which I’ve actually watched the show. Now, while I know it’s not fair to judge a series based on its abridged parody, having been informed of things that happen later on... Yeah, I’ll go ahead and say it: the series really does have a serious power-scaling problem.

Again, I’m not here to bash on Dragon Ball or its fans. I acknowledge the series does have its strengths. However, even Dragon Ball fans I know who I’ve spoken to seem to agree that there’s a serious issue in how this franchise handles its power-up system. A new villain with apocalyptic power, even stronger than the last apocalyptic threat, shows up and Goku or one of the other Saiyans needs a new transformation to solve the problem. Every Super Saiyan form is just a stronger, faster, better version of the last one. Even the one that literally has “god” in the title isn’t the peak of Super Saiyan.

It was while watching a video essay on this very topic that I had a thought: what if, instead of each form just being a straight upgrade, we actually had different variations of Super Saiyan that had their own strengths and weaknesses? This would not only make it more exciting when we see more and more characters unlocking the ability to transform, but also make it so that each variant has uses in different situations and none of them get overshadowed by everything that comes later.

Of course, I know this would lead to several broader changes to the narrative and how certain arcs play out, but I’m not going to delve super deep into all of that here. Instead, I’d just like to present to you all with my ideas for how Super Saiyans could have been handled a little more tactfully throughout the franchise.

Super Saiyan Gold The replacement for base form Super Saiyan, but still the first time we see any variant of the transformation. The main benefit of this form is that it greatly enhances the user’s defense, letting them endure attacks that would otherwise be fatal. I think this would work really well against Freeza, who does lean more towards overwhelming power. Perhaps Super Saiyan Gold could even be used to tank/push through the planet-destroying attack that blows up Namek in the original series. I feel this would be really poetic, with the last surviving (pureblood) Saiyan now having the strength to repel the same force that destroyed his homeworld, preventing another planet from suffering the same fate.

Super Saiyan White This form would be introduced alongside Trunks, with the main benefit being that it grants the wielder incredible speed at the cost of might and stamina. I think this would be a really cool justification as to why Trunks carries a sword. I know the sword supposedly already has an origin story in one of the movies for how he got it, but based on the brief research I’ve done there doesn’t seem to be a story behind the creation of the sword itself (feel free to let me know if I’m wrong.) Maybe we could say that the blade is made of some super strong metal, and that Trunks uses it when going Super Saiyan White to compensate for the fact that he himself can no longer hit as hard. I also think a speed-based form makes sense for Trunks, given that his intro scene has him blitz a bunch of Freeza’s men before doing the classic anime “sword sheath, cut reaction” thing.

Super Saiyan Red Unsurprisingly, this form will be achieved by Vegeta, and so it goes without saying that it primarily bolsters the user’s physical strength at the cost of speed, stamina and ki (as most of the user’s ki goes toward enhancing their muscle strength. Perhaps this could even relate to the Kaioken, which also has a red aura?) Such strength could be pretty useful against the Androids who absorb energy, as this form could just punch through them. I could still see Androids 17 and 18 being a problem for Vegeta though, perhaps because they get upgraded software that allow them to more easily predict and counter Vegeta’s attacks, evading and counterstriking anything he throws at them.

Super Saiyan Blue Yes I’m aware this is already a thing, but just bear with me. Imagine if Super Saiyan Blue were the form that Gohan achieves during the Cell fight, with its primary benefit being that it significantly amplifies the user’s ki and makes all energy-based attacks more potent. Cell is an adversary who can regenerate from any amount of trauma so long as even a single, well, cell survives. This makes all the other forms useless against him because none of the Saiyans can dish out any lasting damage. Enter Gohan, who now has the power to obliterate Cell in a single Kamehameha not because of Super Saiyan 2, but because Super Saiyan Blue amplifies the attack to such a level that it completely incinerates the guy.

Super Saiyan God OK so hear me out: what if Super Saiyan 4 were actually the design used for Super Saiyan God? SSJ4 is already meant to effectively be a Saiyan’s mastery over their Great Ape form. What if we were to say that, through the acquisition of God Ki, a Saiyan can reach the peak of their biology and enter a form that gives them significant boosts on all fronts, plus regeneration. The only downside would be needing to actually acquire God Ki, plus a potential time limit on how long you can maintain this form.

Legendary Super Saiyan So then, I guess that just leaves us with the Legendary form that’s supposed to make Broly such a big deal. I’ll be honest: the best I can come up with at the moment is that it’s effectively an imperfect version of Super Saiyan God, achieved by pushing the limits of Saiyan biology without the use of God Ki. It boasts tremendous power on all fronts, but lacks a healing factor and perhaps even takes a toll on its user the longer they’re in this state. Also the berserker rage takes over, similar to going wild in Great Ape form.

And that’s all of them. Whether or not every Saiyan eventually gets access to all of these or whether they should remain exclusive transformations to the characters that unlock them, I’ll let you be the judge. Either way, feel free to share your own thoughts and opinions. Just remember that this is all written from the perspective of someone who is, again, overall indifferent to Dragon Ball as a whole, so if you disagree with me, at least try to be civil about it.

[showtoonzfan]

One of the reasons why Helluva gets on my nerves is that every time I watch it, I feel like I’m watching a damn kids show, where they either spell EVERYTHING out to you, (cough episode 6) or everything you’re watching is so shallow and not complex at all. You don’t need to think, everything put on screen is basically what’s going on, there’s no reading inbetween the lines, no interpretations, nothing to challenge our complex brains and treat the audience like the adults they are, it’s all just......there, and that’s it.

Here’s a tip. If you want to write an emotional and compelling story, don’t treat the audience like babies. Actually challenge their minds, make bigger steps and go further. Don’t have the characters outright say how they feel, which sometimes isn’t a bad thing, but in my opinion, a REALLY good story doesn’t have their characters say “I think this—“ or “I feel this—“ all the time, it actually SHOWS us that instead through visuals and storytelling.

With helluva, the visuals don’t even MATCH with the story telling, like how Moxxie admits he’s scared of rejection when it would have made more sense if he said he felt he didn’t deserve this job or Millie because he’s not strong enough, since episode 1 and 5 made him go through that character arc, or at least tried to. Blitz asks him why “he’s held his true feelings inside” and I...never got that.

What do you mean HE’S the one holding his feelings inside? Moxxie is literally the STRAIGHT MAN of the show, he’s always spoke up when he believed he needed to, especially when blitz was on his bullhsit. I could use SO many examples, like how in the pilot he says that blitz acts inappropriate, or in episode 3 when he argued with blitz about the plan to kill people topside for the spring break sale, or how in episode 5 when he told blitz to back off when he was touching him.

Or how episode 5 states that blitz thinks he deserves more than all of this, when everything we’ve been shown before hasn’t even matched up with that.

When it comes to character development, my main problem is especially with blitz, since he’s the main character. In episode 5, they’re just NOW telling us that this whole time blitz was upset with his job, and that sinners don’t care about him and look down on him. People confuse this scene as “character development” when it’s actually not, because this is the first time we’re hearing this. It’s not like this was hinted at in the earlier episodes, with blitz going “ugh I hate my job” or “these people don’t even care for my well being, why am I helping them?” Ya know what I’m saying? But all blitz has done was be a picky grouchy boss and care about the money and all. Instead, in the scene with him and striker, his facial expressions seem like he WAS upset about this the whole time, and now that someone is confronting him about it he feels helpless. I think I finally thought of a way to make this scene better though, at least I hope I did. First, in the beginning of the show, tell us why he made this business, and what his motivations are. Then, have him struggle a bit, show him frustrated with his job at certain times, especially with how the other rank of demons treat him. The whole point of the business was to prove that a low life imp like him could be worthy of doing more yes? Well then have a scene or something, where he assumes finally now since his business is famous, other demons will treat him with equal respect, but they don’t. Even though he’s proven he can be tough, the citizens of hell still see their species as the lowest, making his heart jab a bit. Everything he’s worked for sounds meaningless to him, but he hides it from his employees, and even himself. He keeps going, acting like what he felt didn’t matter because no matter what he still wants to prove he can be more, until we finally get the scene with striker.

As for blitz thinking he can’t “fathom proper intimacy”, that’s just new information, NOTHING before that gave us an idea that he thought he couldn’t handle Stolas, we just saw him annoyed and that’s it. Yet the fandom calls this “groundbreaking” even though it seeme more like Viv is pulling bits of information about her characters out of her ass without actually SHOWING us that.

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

What would happen if you were sent back and ended up in the orphanage with Tom Riddle—and say you also had magic?

Oh boy.

Well, there's a lot to question here. Judging by the... spirit of this ask, I presume I'm... pretty much reincarnated. I'm in the orphanage, I'm much younger than I am now and a child, I'm pre-Hogwarts age, and I retain my current knowledge.

For the purpose of this ask I suppose I also retain my current mental faculties. Despite being in the body of an eight-year-old, I'm not The Carnivorous Muffin at eight.

Welp, there's a lot to consider here.

First, I probably don't realize I'm in Harry Potter for quite some time and instead assume I've been reincarnated to some parallel universe. It's the 1930's, I'm in England in the depression, WWI has occurred and the vast majority of major historical events I know about seem to have happened in the right order, and this Earth is eerily similar to the Earth I left behind.

Strange that I appear to remember everything of my past life with my adult mental abilities, but alright universe, I guess that's how we're going to play this.

What I do know is that I'm dirt poor, presumably still a woman which does not bode well for my career prospects, and if I want any prospects in life period I'm going to have to fight tooth and nail for it. It'd be great if I got adopted to help with this, and might be nice to have people in my life who love me, but there's a lot of orphans in the world and a lot of orphans who are much less weird than I am.

The orphanage is the orphanage and not great, Mrs. Cole is overworked, the orphanage is chronically understaffed, and the kids are running wild beating the shit out of each other.

Being a girl, I probably don't have to worry about getting the shit kicked out of me quite as much, but I still probably try to keep my head down and don't aggravate the particularly beefy looking orphans.

Yes, there's some very angry gremlin named Tom Riddle around who will shove you down the stairs in retribution, but that's just a weird coincidence. And then supernatural shit starts happening. Billy's rabbit hangs itself, people get injuries when Tom is nowhere near them, and I start wondering if this is really the Tom Riddle.

I'm in Wool's Orphanage, my matron is Mrs. Cole, Tom Riddle is running around lighting things on fire. It's possible, though it could all be a strange coincidence.

Now, how things go from here depends on how controlled my own magic is. Since accidental magic typically does manifest at least once or twice, it probably does manifest for me for.. something. If Tom Riddle's there to witness it then...

Well, I imagine he's very offended. Here he was, special, different, better than everyone else, and then some girl in the orphanage (who dares to get very good grades on her assignments in school) has it too.

And I just stand there, smiling, going "Tee hee".

He probably confronts me to prove that he's better at it than I am, and he probably is unless the universe hates both him and me, but having someone else with the Shining around probably prompts him to take me as his protégé (in part so he can show off and in part because he's genuinely excited to be able to share this super cool talent).

I am now apprentice to eight-year-old Tom Riddle. Whoop de doo.

Well, I don't remember this part of Harry Potter, so now I'm probably confused as to where I am again. Regardless, I try to advise Tom on how to tone it down and not, say, traumatize Amy and Dennis for life and antagonize all the other orphans forever. He probably doesn't take me seriously. What do I know, I can't even light that patch of grass on fire?

Hanging around Tom Riddle gets me a reputation to, given the difference in genders, probably a fairly nasty one at that. When Dumbledore arrives he's undoubtedly told hot gossip about how eleven-year-old Tom and I have had sex in a ritual to summon Satan. Dumbledore takes this seriously.

Dumbledore probably meets us both at the same time and it's a disaster. I tried my best to prep Tom without revealing I'm a prophet, Tom first doesn't believe there might not be others, then doesn't believe they would be antagonist/anything but amazed by how awesome he is.

Well, Dumbledore lights his wardrobe on fire while I sit there. Dying inside. Dumbledore probably also does something to me too, to teach me some kind of lesson about something.

I imagine he temporarily disfigures me/makes me appear very ugly, then sticks a mirror to the wall, that way I realize that looks aren’t everything/being a whore is wrong. Tom, still traumatized over the wardrobe, is no help and my magic’s probably not controlled enough to do a thing about it.

I spend a day looking like a pig, Tom and I are given just enough money to buy new wands and second hand/barely functioning everything else and given the world’s worst directions to Diagon Alley. Thanks, Albus.

Well, months pass, we get our wands, Tom gets excited for Hogwarts and I... start seriously considering the future. WWII is coming, the Blitz is coming, Tom and I live in east London and must be able to evacuate during the bombing of London (which went on well past the Blitz to the end of the war). I also start considering my future in the wizarding world. Do I now actually have career prospects?

Probably not because I’m muggle born and a woman. My best bet is doing very well in useful subjects and finding employment with the goblins, I can’t imagine they have the same hang ups as the wizarding world.

Tom wants to go to Slytherin, of course, I tell him this is a bad idea. “Gee Tom,” I say, “Not sure how I know this but I have this feeling that Slytherin is filled with people who loathe our very existence and will shank us. Why don’t we pick Ravenclaw or Gryffindor instead?”

No one shanks Tom Riddle! Tom says. Tom is still eleven and while he admits that sometimes I may, in retrospect, have been right about certain things that doesn’t mean he wants to go to the house known for hard work. That’s code word for everyone there being a moron and having no other redeeming features than tenacity. As for the other two, Ravenclaws sound like smug, elitist, nerds and Gryffindors like dumb jocks.

Better to be known for ambition, cunning, and actually being competent.

Well, there’s no talking him out of this one, and goddamn it we’re all each other has.

I’m the closest thing Tom Riddle has ever had to a friend in all these years and in the orphanage the only one who could hold a decent conversation with him. And while it’s not my moral obligation to keep Tom from becoming a domestic terrorist, and there’s no guarantee I even can, dumping him for one of the other houses and drifting apart won’t help.

Not to mention that, after all these years, I’m undoubtedly lonely, I’m in this foreign land, and he’s now the closest thing to a friend I have.

Looks like I’m going to Slytherin, YOOOOOLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOO! I shout as a battle cry as tears run down my face. I may have to convince the hat to put me in Slytherin, but like all human beings I am a mixture of many qualities. I’m not cunning in the least, mind games exhaust me unutterably, but I’m full of ambition. 

This confirms every bad opinion Dumbledore had regarding me and Tom.

For the next several months, Tom probably beats the shit out of dormmates who steal his things/harass him. He beats up mine too because feminism (TM) means that he should treat all people equally when guilty of the same crime. I... am not sure I can win that fight so I just resign myself to having to adopt some of Tom’s tactics to make sure I’m not shoved in lockers, have tampons thrown at me, or pig’s blood dumped on me at the prom.

Once again, everyone thinks Tom Riddle and I are dating. I don’t even know if they’re wrong at this point.

Well, being in class with eleven year olds who seem to have had little to no prior education, Tom and I are undoubtedly blazing through class. I imagine I’m bored out of my mind (the Hogwarts curriculum sounds unbelievably boring) and Tom is... well, probably devouring the library but probably also bored. I decide to try and see if I can find some real history texts on this world (there are probably none, the wizarding world seems to only have two historians and both... have a different approach to history than current modern thought as I know it) and discover what magic even is. That shit is fascinating: wingardium leviosa is not.

Dumbledore likely gives neither me nor Tom points in class, I think the house cup is stupid, so I really don’t care. I have no interest in playing quidditch, neither does Tom, so that doesn’t happen.

The second world war starts up, Tom, me, and the muggle borns are the only ones who give a flying fuck. I work harder on figuring out how to get lodging during the Blitz/the bombing of London. Unfortunately, Mrs. Cole hates me too for being the Bride of Satan, so that’s a no go. Third year, 1939, I probably write her in earnest anyway telling her to PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, send Tom and I instructions for the summer/where the orphans are staying/how they’ve been dispersed to the countryside. As a back up plan, I try desperately to shmooze shopkeepers in Hogsmeade during every Hogsmeade weekend to get myself and Tom part time jobs and lodging over the summer. As a back up back up plan, I spend my time badgering Tom to become very good at survivalist wandless magic and if the Lord has pity on me gain some ability in it myself.

Hopefully, either Mrs. Cole or one of the Hogsmeade shop owners take pity on us. If not, then Tom and I are going extreme camping. Given Mrs. Cole (and the brain damage brought on by Dumbledore erasing memories left and right) and the likelihood of Hogsmeade shop owners just not getting it, Tom and I probably go extreme camping.

(Tom, meanwhile, asks Dippet and Dumbledore if we can stay in Hogwarts over the summer. He’s told no exceptions. London’s being bombed, you say? No exceptions. Toodles. Tom is never the same.)

Me, Tom Riddle, a tent we made ourselves, several rabbits we had to catch and skin ourselves, and the pitiful fire that we can keep going through pure will alone because if we try to use real people spells then we’ll get arrested. It has the benefit of making Tom feel very manly and impressive, catching his own food, but both of us are well aware that this sucks.

But hey, we aren’t dead.

Well, I’m sure Tom doesn’t appreciate that and this is where I imagine he seriously starts talking about violent revolution. I imagine much of my time is spent discussing the merits of not violently overthrowing our ant overlords. I imagine a thirteen-year-old Tom isn’t impressed by my pacifism, but he’s not married to Voldemort yet (probably).

Then I imagine the horcrux thing comes up and... Well, I will argue hard against it. Humans die, it is a truth of the universe, and simply something we have to accept. Horcruxes are not a measure against that, they can be destroyed, given infinite time they will be, and the sacrifice they require is too high: human life as well as the very essence of who you are.

What is a soul? I’m not sure, we never really learn in HP canon, but whatever it is, it is in some way the essence of yourself. If you take half of it and throw it somewhere else, you will cease to be you, someone or something else is walking around in your body while the other half of you exists in endless agony.

If you must chase immortality, create a philosopher’s stone (as I darkly wonder why it was that couldn’t be replicated and what Flamel had to do to make it in the first place). On second thought, maybe we should search for the Holy Grail.

Whether I can talk Tom out of this or not is... unclear. I’m going to say that I can, in part because I imagine he’ll want to show the chamber off to me, tell me when he realizes he’s Heir of Slytherin, and in doing so I can prevent the basilisk incident from occurring. Without that, there’s no dead Myrtle, which means no first victim. That summer, when he goes to the Gaunts, I’ll go with him and convince him that it’s not worth it. He can just turn around and leave these people alone, I hopefully can talk him down. Which means no second victim.

I start writing Flamel to see if Tom or I can get an apprenticeship (Dumbledore probably beats us to the chase and poisons him against us, but it’s worth a shot).

Then, should all go well, I can convince Tom to find employment with the goblins rather than shady antique dealers on the bad side of town. Hopefully, I can convince him to never become Voldemort, and instead we travel the world together looking for the origins of magic or something.

Dumbledore goes around taking people’s memories of us in preparation for when Tom becomes a dark lord and I his lady of the night darkness.

TL;DR Apparently my life would become an SI/Tom Riddle fic. So, thanks anon.

[helldustedstories]

A soft smile slips onto Stolas' face as Blitz scolds him for trying to be close, trying to hold him. But he doesn't stop him, doesn't try to put his limbs back where they had been. Instead, Blitz takes over, slipping an arm under him, tugging him gently towards him. The owl easily tucks up under his chin, resting his head on his chest, his whole being focusing for a moment on the heartbeat beneath his cheek.

Having Blitz here with him is more soothing than perhaps anything else would be, and even though he's still in pain, knows he will be for a while, unless they can get in a stronger painkiller, somehow it's all worth it, to have Blitz holding him like this, knowing that things are going to change between them, that they're going to be okay.

His bed back in the mansion is certainly roomier, but after he and Stella stopped pretending to even tolerate one another behind closed doors, he's gone to sleep alone every night, except for when Blitz was there with him. And he always slept better with him there, his heart beating next to his.

There was something about how silent that house was when Stolas was alone that was unsettling in a way he couldn't quite put his finger on….., but maybe that just had to do with how often he was alone. He'd been so desperately lonely for so long that there were times he thought he might suffocate under the weight of it, that if it hadn't been for Octavia....., he might have tried to find a way out, had occasionally thought about even after she'd hatched. But she had always needed him, and he wasn't going to just leave her like that. Stolas hadn't been exaggerating when he'd told Blitz that he and Octavia were the only people in his life that he could count on to care about him.

Although…, that was going to change, wasn't it? Blitz had a daughter of his own, and his colleagues….., and if they were going to be a bigger part of each other's lives…., then Stolas was going to do everything he could to get to know them, as well. Because they were Blitz's family, and that made them important, it meant that he cared for them beyond what one would for simple coworkers.

They had always treated Stolas with respect, but there had been a distance between them, necessitated by the nature of their association, but that was going to change.

A lot was going to change. And as much as he wanted to get started on fixing things right now…, he knew he was going to be in the hospital for a little while. He hoped that, once he was more out of the woods, Blitz would go home and get some real rest, but he'd be lying if he said he didn't like having him here, didn't want him to stay for as long as he was comfortable doing so.

Octavia would likely come to see him too; maybe he could ask Blitz if he or his colleagues would be willing to bring her down? Considering everything that had happened, he wasn't certain whether or not Stella would try to keep her away, a thought that makes his blood boil.

Even as his thoughts were racing, his eyes had drifted closed, comforted by Blitz's presence, the way he was tucked up under his chin, head on his chest, how gently Blitz had pulled him to him, had helped him to be close. Stolas certainly would have understood if Blitz had just tried to get him to rest without helping him move closer, but he had seemed to understand how much Stolas had needed to be touching him, even just a little bit right now.

And when Blitz starts to purr, Stolas relaxes even more, practically melting into him. It hadn't happened often, but he loved it when Blitz felt comfortable enough to purr, and he actually feels his pain lessen just a little.

He turns his head to press a kiss to Blitz's chest, a soft sound of contentment leaving him, sounding for all the world like a soft little coo.

Stolas cannot deny his exhaustion any longer; though it usually takes him time to fall asleep, he has a feeling that that won't be the case this time.

"Oh, Blitz?" he murmurs, opening his eyes, something having just occurred to him. "Don't tell Octavia her mother tried to have me killed," Stolas said sleepily, as though he was asking Blitz to remember to turn off the light or feed the fish, not casually mentioning the fact that his wife was the one who had put the hit out on him.

He nuzzles into Blitz, eyes drifting closed once more, wishing he could wrap his other arm around him, but content to be so close, the way he'd always wanted to be.

"I love you," Stolas says, his voice barely audible, as though he hadn't meant to say anything, as though it was simply a truth he couldn't keep in, his sleepy mind removing any filter, tempering any thought of waiting to admit such a thing for a less charged moment, one that he could plan for. And before he can realize what he's said, he's finally drifted off to sleep. At least for now.

Having something helpful to do - fussing with the room, finding a way for Stolas to stretch out, guarding the door - helps to ease the electric tension that sparkles under his skin. But the moment Blitz is in the bed with nothing between them except their raw emotion and Stolas' injuries, the nerves return. He's searching Stolas' face for any sign of discomfort, pain, something going wrong - picking up on every sound and watching with a carefully narrowed gaze as Stolas finally stretches his only slightly less battered leg out. It's clear, now, how much he'd been curled up, and Blitz entertains the anger that would drive him to correct the error with his fist in someone's face.

They knew that Stolas was coming in - fuck, he'd been in surgery for what was probably hours, even by Blitz's screwed up sense of time passing today. That was plenty of time to do something to make sure he was comfortable - or that there was a fucking actual guard at the door, or to banish the cameras and reporters from the hospital grounds entirely. He thinks for a moment about what Stolas had said without precisely saying it - that he was lonely.

Blitz knows very well the feeling when the world grows more and more crowded around you, and you feel so much smaller and useless in turn. There's no loneliness that hits quite as hard as the kind when you're surrounded by people who don't give a shit.

For a long time, Blitz chased that loneliness. He looked for bottles, bars where you could stay anonymous, bodies to press against. He'd even made money for it - for delivering a fantasy that would vanish in the morning light, or for doing a job that no one would deign to do themselves because they didn't want to get their hands dirty. He'd made himself repulsive for a living, and a way to survive.

But now he acutely remembers that party he'd crashed what feels like a lifetime ago, but was honestly barely a year ago - he hadn't been paying particular attention to anything but the possibility of getting himself beheaded royal-style, but now that he brings the memory back - knowing what he knows now - he distinctly remembers Stolas standing alone. A full, glittering party full of demons who'd given him no end of scathing looks as security dragged him through, and Prince Stolas of the Ars Goetia had stood alone.

Honestly, Blitz kind of wants to strangle all those judgy fucks.

There's probably so much more he doesn't know about, and now that he's opened the door to Stolas' world, allowed himself to cross the boundary between colleague and more, Blitz realizes that he wants to learn more. He wants all the stories - he wants to wring anyone's neck who made Stolas feel as if he were less than.

Blitz smiles ruefully at Stolas' honest admission. He's sure that the prince is hiding much more behind those soft, careful words, but even this small show of trust - it feels infinitely fragile in his hands.

❝ Hey, hey - careful - don't undo all that hard surgery work - ❞ Blitz is tense as stone as Stolas moves - moves to hold him, what a sentimental, silly fuck, he thinks fondly. When he realizes what's happening, Blitz takes over so the bird doesn't accidentally injure himself more in an effort to get closer. And, sure, his stomach is doing flips with the knowledge that Stolas' desire to be close to him, physically, all this time was ... genuine? Real? Not part of the sex game?

With careful, practiced movements, Blitz moves an arm under Stolas' neck, making sure his head is propped on the pillows (shitty as they are) and pulls him so, so gently towards his chest, tucking him under his chin. This close, Blitz regrets not washing up more thoroughly, even if he's confident his dependable leather jacket will keep the blood at bay, but the second they're together, his entire body relaxes.

Oh. He's safe.

Honestly, he doesn't know who he's even thinking about - Stolas, or himself. Maybe both of them. For a second, his arms tremble with the phantom weight of when holding someone like this used to be routine. When he could give his affection and protection and not worry that he'd ruin someone entirely.

Somehow, miraculously, Blitz is allowed to have this.

Without realizing he's started, Blitz purrs. It's instinctual, a rumble that starts deep, behind his ribs, and curls out of him until his chest buzzes with it. The universe may not have been generous enough to give Imps magic or inherent power, but he does have this - something that can take the edge off the pain, encourage sleep. Little things that mean a lot in a hard life.

He smiles gently. ❝ Get some more sleep, Stols. I'm not goin' anywhere. ❞ If he can, Blitz will keep himself awake as long as he can to watch the door - to keep them safe.

[fangirl-creates]

The Most Unlikely Thing

A Stolitz Wedding One-Shot

Inspired by this lovely art by @sator-the-wanderer on Instagram (Link at the end)

(Note: This is my first time writing with Helluva Boss Characters—I was worried they wouldn’t be in character, but I hope you enjoy!!)

Most would say a night like this would never happen. That it was one of the many outlandish and downright ridiculous thoughts that appeared within the mind of anyone who knew them. If you said it outloud, you’d get a quick laugh out of the person you told, then the subject would be changed in an instant-as if it was never said at all.

Moxxie had that thought once. Right around 2AM he woke up from an uneventful dreamscape, and processed the thought with every ounce of his intellect. Even after that, it still made no sense. He turned to Millie’s side, taking a deep breath before he spoke.

“Millie? Are you awake?”

His wife stirred for a moment, a small yawn before she responded. “Yeah, Moxx?” She mumbled.

“I...had a weird thought..” He sat up, running his hand through his snow-white hair, soon scratching the top of his head.

“What was it?” She sat up a little, both curious and worried about what he might be thinking.

“Well-” He paused for a moment, giving the room a good look around before he continued. If a certain someone was here, listening, he wouldn’t hear the end of it. “It’s about Blitz and uh...Prince Stolas.”

Millie’s golden eyes widened as her tail started swishing like a curious cat. Any worry she had was gone, now she wanted to know all the details surrounding this. “Well?? Don’t keep me in suspense!” She smiled eagerly, shaking him by the arm a little.

“So like...and this is just a hypothetical..” He chuckled, smiling nervously for a quick second. “I just wondered for a second...well..” At this moment their eyes were locked, Moxxie’s face now torn between smiling or frowning. He had no idea what to feel. “Do you think they could ever...end up like us?”

Millie tilted her head, raising a brow. “Ya mean like...married ‘n stuff?”

Moxxie nodded a few times. “Yeah, Yeah! Do you...do you think-?”

She put a hand on her chin. “Well...I don’t think it isn’t possible. I mean...I’m pretty sure...excluding their little agreement...maybe they do like each other..”

“Do they though?” He started to lay down again, now staring at the ceiling. “I mean clearly Stolas likes him to the point where he won’t stop gushing over him. But...Blitz?”

“Who knows, hon. Blitz hardly talks about how he really feels. Maybe he does. And maybe one day they will…” The last thing didn’t sound so sure.

Moxxie turned his head. “But?”

“All relationships are complex, Moxx. And those two? Hell, it could take them years before they even think about something like that. But then again…”

“What?”

“Sometimes the thing you least expect might happen sooner than you think.”

Moxxie blinked a couple times, squinting a bit. “Sooo...you do or you don’t think they could-” He was interrupted by Millie giving him a kiss on the lips. She turned the light off next, shifting back into her sleeping position.

“Goodnight, Moxxie.”

Moxxie sighed, slowly closing his eyes as sleep began to cloud his mind again.

He still couldn’t believe he actually thought that. Although it wasn’t the worst thing in the world, it still surprised him no less. But despite how much he just wanted to forget it, it made him think about what Millie said.

It was true Blitz was starting to show a small glimmer of affection towards the Goetian Prince, especially since the rescue from a few nights ago. The concern and sudden display of power through a demonic transformation was enough to make Blitz gawk at the sight of it. And the way Stolas gently cupped his face asking if he was alright afterwards made everyone else in the room stare, Blitz feeling slightly embarrassed by the whole situation.

Yet it still made him think that maybe...just maybe something like that could happen. But that wasn’t up to him. Whatever they decided would leave this idea, this thought, completely within the hands of faith itself.

And with that, Moxxie fell asleep.

———————

Three years ago, it was never spoken of outside of that one night. And neither of the two had ever acted upon such a decision until much much time had passed. But now the stars were in their favor.

The sky was a dark, beautiful crimson that had mixed with a captivating wine purple. The stars were scattered, dusting the sky and turning it into a dazzling display of twilight.

They had kept it small, the only ones being present were close friends and family—which was basically four people. But it didn’t matter how many people were there, or where they did it. All that mattered was that it happened—which had ended up on the roof of I.M.P’s office building.

The vows had been short, with a few important bits here and there; Moxxie having to be both the one to wed them and the best man to the boss himself. He wasn’t sure he had the exact authority to do so, but both explained it was better than having someone else they didn’t know. Because once this got out, they’d have a whole other thing to deal with. But that was a future problem they would solve when it became relevant to them.

Blitz was given a stepstool so he could reach Stolas without having to stand on the tips of his toes. He didn’t want the stepstool, saying that he’d look like a complete joke. But if Stolas had to lift him up for this part, he would be unable to think clearly from the embarrassment.

Stolas didn’t seem to care how many people were present, or where they decided to host the reception. There was only one thing that mattered in this moment, and the smile of genuine compassion refused to leave his face the entire night. Blitz looking up with him while trying to contain himself only seemed to make him smile more. He was adorable.

Both eagerly waited for Moxxie to finish up, Blitz trying to keep himself from falling off the stool by how much he was moving. Of course he stood perfectly still once he heard the last few words out of Moxxie’s mouth.

“You may now kiss—”

Blitz practically jumped into Stolas’ embrace, quickly locking lips with him as the two slowly started to get lost in intimacy.

The four clapped while giving the newly weds smiles of congratulations. But those quickly faded away when they noticed the two weren’t paying attention anymore. The passionate kissing lasted for almost two minutes before Loona had to break them away from each other.

“Hey, lovebirds. Maybe wait till none of us can see you.” She rolled her eyes, putting Blitz down after basically pulling him off of Stolas.

Blitz put a hand on his head, taking a look around. “Oh shit, I forgot we were doing this.”

Stolas bent over with a light chuckle, booping Blitz’s nose. “-and aren’t you so glad we did, Blitzy~?”

The Imp pushed his face away as he blushed a bit more. “Yeah yeah just…don’t make it a bigger deal than it already is..”

“Looks like someone’s trying to pretend he can’t be romantic for once.” Moxxie smirked, making Blitz turn around in retaliation. His face was now a different form of red.

“Well you know what, Moxxie?! You—!” Then he stopped, biting his lip as he put his accusing finger away. “You…did..a good job…tonight..” He mumbled under his breath.

Moxxie kept smirking, raising a hand to where his ear would be. “Oh, what was that? Could you repeat what you said a little louder?”

Blitz shifted uncomfortably, hoping this was the last time. None of this was like him. And in front of his entire friend circle too!

“You…didagoodjobtonight..” He said it louder as per Moxxie’s request, just a bit faster than normal. Now everyone heard him…however-

“Maybe a little louder…and slower?” He leaned in closer.

“Goddammit, Moxxie! I already held back insulting you just let me have this!” He snapped a little, making everyone else just laugh in response. Moxxie put a hand on his shoulder, his smile genuine.

“Thanks, Blitz.”

———————

The rest of the wedding had lasted a couple hours. Since the group was so small, dancing and talking underneath Hell’s strangely unnatural starlight felt more meaningful.

Eventually, M&M had to leave. But they wished the two best of luck, the wedding present they got the only thing left of them from tonight. Octavia and Loona decided to head inside the office to give their dads space. Now that they were legally sisters, hanging out would feel more genuine. Like you had someone else there looking out for you. Loona now was able to shout anything about being her big sister to anyone who tried to mess with them.

Up on the roof, Blitz and Stolas were laying down on what used to be the tablecloth to the buffet, staring at the stars. Blitz had taken advantage of using Stolas’ chest as a fluffy pillow. It was so comforting, like he could just lay there forever and never get up. But then…something did make him get up. He sat and hugged his knees close, his expression somewhat distraught. His eyes turned briefly to the owl demon, feeling strange.

“Stolas?” He finally broke the silence.

Stolas had already taken note of Blitz sitting up. But he quickly sat up when next he saw his partner’s face.

“What’s the matter, Blitzy? Are you feeling alright?” His questions were genuine, making Blitz feel worse.

“Is this…is this what you want? Do you really want…me?” Something in his voice cracked and that made Stolas’ heart feel a strike of pain.

“Of course I do! Tell me, what brought this on?” He held Blitz’s chin in his hand gently so their eyes met once more.

“It’s…It’s just how we started out. And everything after that…I don’t know why it took me so fucking long to actually admit that I…” He paused. “…felt this way.”

“And?”

“And…I didn’t think that you would actually..! You…You said yes.” His eyes started to water. “Why the hell did you say yes?!”

Stolas pulled him in close, caressing his back. “Because I love you, Blitzy…And you being there all those times, even when I didn’t truly feel this way—it still meant something to me. And I know it meant something to you.”

Blitz let out a crying sound, something he would never do. At least, not in public. He didn’t know what was wrong with him, but he just felt so vulnerable now…and he hated it. Stolas quickly responded to this by cupping his face and lifting it up so they were at eye level again.

The Imp’s lip was quivering and his eyes were bloodshot enough to almost blend in with his eye color. The tears were staining his cheeks, big droopy ones making him look like an absolute wreck. He looked even more embarrassed now than he did before.

Stolas wiped some of the tears away with one of his hands, a comforting smile. “Oh, Blitzy…do you think we’d really be here if I didn’t feel this way?”

He sniffed, trying to contain himself before he responded. “No..None of this would be…” He took a deep breath. “I guess I’m so used to pushing people away I never thought you’d actually stick around.”

Stolas gave him another kiss, shorter than before, but something about this one felt even more emotional than the last. Something about this one made Blitz want nothing more than to be with him. No matter what his fears were telling him.

“I love you, Blitzy…” It was the third or fourth time he had said it tonight, but this time it felt deeper.

“I love you too, Stolas…” He returned the kiss, both landing back down on the floor.

It was at that moment they refused to let this feeling leave them. For even though the memory of this magical night would fly by, they would never ever forget it.

End.

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[winter-darling]

Rainy days

Rainy day scenarios :DD

Characters featured: Xingqiu, Thoma, Klee and Albedo 

Warnings: nothing, comfort (?) and fluff!

(Klee and Albedo is just a little thing i thought of, so there isn’t much detail about reader and Albedo together ^^^)

KLEE IS A CHILD AND SHE HAS A FRIENDSHIP WITH READER!!! 

Notes (malo here ^)

I did use a reference about the rain for xingqiu since i’m still learning how to put more detail and description into the stories/scenarios i make. My requests are open since i need motivation :C 

Also milk went full blown for Thoma, i appreciate that

Milk and i both made this, we hope you enjoy !!

Xingqiu

-reads you a story (def would spend most his time with you)

-reading buddies :D

-but yk reading can get boring sometimes so this is when a prank war starts

(idk how chongyun deals with his antics :'>)

-if you’re someone who gets scared by thunderstorms, he would be at your side until the storm passes

-he would also play some calming music for you

(Probably finds it relaxing himself)

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

small flickers of lightning blitz in the sky, accompanied by the heavy pitter-patter of cold raindrops. You stare into the window, watching the rain pelting down, and the lightning that struck.

Storms weren’t your favorite, you’ve always hated them.

You felt a pit in your stomach, and you felt weak. Redirecting your stare to the desk in front of you, while placing your hand onto the desk and shifting your weight onto it for support.

‘Not feeling well?’ Xingqiu asks, concern hinted in his tone.

You jumped, but your nerves calmed once you realized it was only Xingqiu. ‘Not a fan of the weather’ You replied with a weak smile. He walks up to you, placing a hand gently on your shoulder.

‘Come with me, i’ll read you a story’ He says with a warm smile, putting your mind at ease. Taking your hand, he guides you to the couch. Once the both of you sit down, he takes one of the books that were stacked with others from the side of the couch.

He has a soft grip on your hand, reassuring you that you’re safe while your head is leaned against his shoulder. When he begins reading the story to you, his words come out like a sweet melody, his words caressed with comfort and affection (?)

Thoma

-MOM VIBES

-Makes sure you stay warm

-The type who'd say "it's raining cats and dogs outside"

           Random but like yk it fits

-makes u hot chocolate

-OR THAT HOTPOT GAME IN THE STORY QUEST

-BOARD GAMES!

This mf hate losing so get ready for a long day with a competitive thoma

-he seems like the type to enjoy baking

        (-baking cookies with this mf )

✎︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿｡･:*  

‘Man, it really is a heavy downpour’  Thoma says, observing the gloomy condition outside through the window.

The weather wasn’t very welcoming that day, the sky clouded with gray and raindrops bucketing down, making a pattering sound onto the roof and window sills.

“We can’t do much today, what do you say we find something to do here?” His voice is still filled with the same energy and just as joyous he would always have.

“I don't see why not” You reply, getting up from the bed you both shared, heading off into the living room to that junk closet in which you stuff everything in ( Thoma scolds you for that) but you shrug off his concern. You rummaged through the closet, finding items that you swear you had lost months ago. Maybe you shouldn’t have ignored Thoma after all. You huffed before focusing back on your search for the board games hidden within the closet. Not long after, your eyes landed on the stash, ‘finally!’ you thought in delight. There it was, plenty of board games stacked on top of each other as if it was perfectly placed there for your convenience. A mischievous grin etched on your face when you turned to Thoma to look at him dead in the eyes, “I challenge you to,” you hold up a certain colorful package, “UNO!” Thoma’s confused state turned into a competitive one quickly, a smirk placed on his face, “bring it on! You better be ready to lose!” You walk over to the table that was placed neatly in the center of the living room to place down the pile of boxes then proceed to open the card game to arrange it quickly. “Yeah we’ll see about that,” you chuckled confidently at him.

~

“PLUS FOUR!” You groan in response. “Yea yea, what color?” Thoma’s smug face watches you collect your four cards to add to your never-ending card collection in your hands. You stare intently at him, swearing that Thoma is cheating cause how in the world was he able to obtain that much +4? “Blue,” you placed down a blue two before returning to stare at him again. But that staring to figure out his secrets all went in vain as he placed his last card, another +4. “I give up!” you huff out, “we are playing another game.” This time you pulled out Jenga, cleaning up the uno cards and arranging the tower quickly, Thoma’s laughter fills the room to remind you of your loss while doing so.

~

“WHOS WHINING NOW, SHAKY HANDS!” Thoma furrows his eyebrows in concentration, trying to tune out your remarks, desperately trying to pull out the block of wood that was close to coming out of its place. One more tug and he will be safe! ….Or not… His small tug only sent the tower tumbling down onto his lap, now your laughter fills the room. “1 to 1, let’s find something to settle the score,” Thoma quickly suggests. “You pick this time,” and Thoma pulls a white box from the pile. Twister.

~

“Spin the damn spinner!” “But I can’t reach it.” “Well that’s a you problem cause it’s your turn,” you retorted. “Maybe we should call it quits?” A small wave of silence washes over the pair, “NAHHHH,” you both say in unison. There you both were, limbs tangled up with one another, competitive nature showing as neither of you wanted to back down that easily. “GOT IT, hand, red,” Thoma states before trying to shuffle its place. But much like the Jenga, he collapses due to the lack of support holding him up, bringing you down with him. Your head landed on his chest while snakes his arms around your waist to engulf you into a tight embrace. “Someone’s trying to change the subject that he lost,” you smiled into his chest. “Shush you’re ruining the moment.” “Okay loser.” Thoma holds you even tighter, “correction, your loser, but don’t be so confident now cause next time I’ll win.” You only giggled at his response and lean closer into the embrace, the pitter-patter of the rain echoes throughout the room. A rainy day well spent.

Bonus: Taking care of Klee for Albedo

-depending on how bad the rain is, he’d be in his workshop

-You decide to accompany him with his alchemy and experiments since there isn’t much to do

-Probably taking care of Klee, you don’t mind since you can play games with her, she's a bundle of sunshine that shines even during a gloomy day

                 •❅───✧❅✦❅✧───❅•

‘And…. Found you!’ You say as you peek behind the door where Klee was hiding. ‘You’re so good at finding my hiding spots’ she says with a smile, her tone is just as energetic and radiating happiness as always.

“We should take a break for now, maybe we can grab a snack and check in on your brother?” You say. Holding her hand as you walk her out the door. Her vermillion eyes lit up with excitement. “Yeah!! Klee wants to see Albedo!”

You smile at her response,

“What would you like to do afterwards?” You ask

“Klee was wondering if you could do her hair” She replies with a quieter tone, hoping you wouldn’t reject it as an answer.

You reach Albedo’s room, opening the door, you walk in with Klee.

Albedo was writing down some notes, concluding an experiment and looking over the results.

“Albedo!” The young girl squeals in excitement, jumping up and down at the sight of him, causing Albedo to look up, smiling slightly before placing down his papers.

‘Hello Klee’ He says with a chuckle. You cross your arms, leaning against the door. Your eyes softened at the sight, seeing how those two got along so well.

‘Thank you for taking care of Klee for me, you have my thanks’ Albedo says, staring at your figure.

‘It’s no problem, She’s a great kid’ You say, looking up at him with a smile.

Just before he can reply, Klee interrupts

“Klee has an idea!” She says with an excited expression beamed on her face.

“And what does that happen to be?” Albedo looks down at her, confused

“You guys should have a drawing competition, and Klee will be the Judge!”

Klee was a child with a flame full of colors, each color that’s vibrant, and comes to show just how much of a kind and amazing kid she is. How could someone possibly say no to her?

“I like that idea, what are your thoughts on it, bedo?”

“I was just about finished with my notes and experiments for the day, so I don't see why not,'' he said.

And yea hehhdjhhes i cant think of anything else to put :c

[vizowrites]

ANGST TIIIMMEEEE!!!!

So-- we have Blitz's fear of being left/abandonment issues. He's scared Striker will leave him because he manages to fuck up everything good in his life. At least, that's the mindset he is in. But what if Striker and Blitz get in a really bad fight, decide to sleep on it and deal with it in the morning, only for Striker to wake up the next day and see that Blitz has up and left? After all of the validation and reassuring he'd always stay by Blitz's side, only to be left by said imp? It absolutely breaks Striker to the point he can't live with himself for losing something so meaningful to him. I can only imagine the cries he would let out when he gets a voicemail the next day at 3 in the morning from Blitz (who bought another burner phone cause he left his smartphone at home) saying he needed space and was on his way back to Striker.

If you think about it, at one point Blitz stole Verosika's credit cards and ran off to a completely different ring in hell when he broke up with her. It only makes sense that running would be his first instinct when it comes to rough roads in a relationship or even commitment. (So I could also see this happening if Striker proposed to him and Blitz would want to run off and avoid the topic.)

What are your thoughts?

This is fine. I didn't need those feels today anyway. :'D

OKAY BUT NO THIS IS HORRIBLY BEAUTIFULLY FANTASTIC AND THANK YOU SO SO MUCH FOR SENDING THIS AHHHHHHH!! For as much as I'm loving the fluffy stuff and the smutty stuff with these two, there really isn't anything quite like when they're hurting.

The thing I love the most about these two and their relationship is that I truly do think that they have a ton of things in common--and specifically distinctive character traits that make this exact scenario not only possible but fascinating to think about. We all know that Blitz's insecurities and self-destructive tendencies have been extensive enough that there's an entire show being made about them (lol). And Striker--from what we've seen of him so far--seems like the "tumbleweed" type who just kind of moves around from place to place as needed for his hitman jobs, not really giving much of a shit for anything other than being the one to come out on top. They both want to be treated with respect and be in positions of power that are "higher" than what most other imps get to experience in Hell, and they both are willing to go to the extreme in order to make that happen. However, the thing I think is most interesting about them is where they differ--where Striker seems perfectly content to go about doing this on his own and keep the spotlight on himself, whereas Blitz, though he makes it clear that he's the Boss, needs to be part of a partnership. And yet it's always Blitz who's the first one to up and run when he thinks that things might be starting to crash around him, whereas Striker seems much more set in his mind to stick things out to the end no matter what [as shown by his calling Stella to straight up admit that he failed to kill Stolas the first time around, but assured her that he's going to keep trying to get it done instead of just taking her blessed weapons and running off somewhere]. For being the one who's always working solo, Striker fucking commits to doing exactly what he says he's gonna do. Blitz, on the other hand, freaks himself out too easily--probably because he seemingly lost his initial partner-in-crime, his twin sister Barbie Wire, back in the day--and probably doesn't want to go through losing his "other half" if you will all over again.

Now of course this isn't an exact translation here because Barbie Wire is Blitz's twin sister and people like Verosika and Striker [and I've even heard some interesting theories about Fizzeroli] are romantic interests, BUT I think that there is a distinct overlap there when it comes to this idea of losing someone that's supposed to be closer to you than anyone else in the world that does explain why Blitz is the way he is when he hits that wall of turning his tail and running. And let's be real here, Striker is not an idiot. He knows this about Blitz [whether or not Blitz ever gives him the full backstory about Barbie] and I'm sure that's why Striker's gone out of his way to assure Blitz that no matter what shit hits the fan, he's going to be right there with him to scrape it off the walls. He doesn't want Blitz to be afraid that in ten years, Striker's just going to be another Verosika fighting with Blitz over a parking space. He also sure as hell doesn't want Blitz to think that he's just going to be content with obliviousness--either turning a blind eye or just enjoying the bliss of ignorance--about the deeper aspects of Blitz's life the way certain feathered Princes tend to do consciously or subconsciously. He wants, so badly, to make it abundantly clear that he loves Blitz more than anything and is committed to their relationship in a way that no other previous partner in Blitz's life has ever been.

.....So of course his heart is completely shattered to pieces when he wakes up the morning after that fight and Blitz is nowhere to be seen. And if it's the morning after he proposed and he found Blitz gone--the scream he would let out would be truly, hauntingly unholy.

The same string of thoughts hit him one after another, like bullets from a firing squad: He's not surprised. Is he suprised? He shouldn't be surprised. Yes he fucking should, this is different! Blitz wasn't supposed to want to leave him! What did he do to make Blitz feel like he had to leave him? Sure he said some stupid shit--he's usually better spoken than that--fuck, why did he have to be so shit with words at the times that it really mattered?

He does this to himself for hours, racking his brain with everything he said--all the stupid angry things you say in the heat of a fight / all the fumbling cheesy things you say when you're trying to find words to explain that you want to spend the rest of your life with the person standing in front of you. Striker knows how to charm and he knows how to manipulate, but he's never ever been good at expressing sentimental feelings with words. And with Blitz--it always feels like it isn't enough. He thinks he knows what he's doing, and he tries so so hard to make Blitz feel safe and secure and happy. Satan, he's never wanted to see another being happy as badly as he wants to see Blitz happy. He knows it's terrifying and downright dangerous to admit outloud but.....at least to himself.....he can admit that he would do anything to make Blitz truly happy. Anything.

He loves him.

~*~*~

When Blitz finally does make it back, he's not at all prepared for what he finds. Striker looks every bit like he's just been running himself ragged in circles since Blitz left, and his tail is rattling intensely behind him. The sound of it makes Blitz flinch--it's his least favorite one out of all of Striker's rattles: thin and sharp like shards of broken glass. It's the rattle he makes when he's extremely agitated about something, and not in the angry way.....but in the hurt and worried and frightened way.

For a moment they just stand there looking at each other--well, Blitz looking everywhere but at Striker's eyes, and Striker's eyes unable to look anywhere but right at Blitz's face. Neither say a word. Neither of them move.

"I thought...I t-thought I was different," Striker finally manages to say brokenly, barely able to keep himself together enough to speak.

Blitz still doesn't say anything for a moment, and there's that familiar terrified spark in his eyes that makes Striker think that he's going to bolt on him again--this time right in front of his face. Instead, Blitz takes a slow, hesitant step towards him...and then another...and then, as carefully as if he were walking across a landmine instead of across their living room, makes his way over to Striker, though he still can't quite bring himself to meet his eyes at first.

".....You are different," he whispers faintly after a long stretch of silence, and, just when Striker thinks that he's going to have to tilt Blitz's chin up just to look at him, Blitz not only lifts his eyes to meet Striker's...but he reaches out to take his hand as well. He squeezes.

And that's when it clicks.

That's when Striker knows.

He might not have been the first one that Blitz has ever run away from.....but he's the one and only person that Blitz has ever come back to.

He is different.

[poisonedspider]

Everything about this interaction was....a lot. Not in a bad way, per se, but Angel Dust wasn't quite sure how to respond. People hitting on him? Groping him? Drugging him? He was used to that. Yet here was this imp, Blitz, acting like they had been best friends their entire lives. Just drinks between two lost buddies that were catching up. Even though he had just met the guy not even moments prior.

He didn't want to ask how the other was so connected to Earth. He would never go back, not in a million years, because Hell had admittedly treated him better and been more accepting of him than anyone had been when he was alive. But with the way this man talked, he did find himself curious. Hands moving to grab at the phone that was thrust at him, blinking as he stared at it.

"Cos...what now?" He questioned - must be something new and hip. While Angel did his best to keep up with everything new and modern, there were still things that proved his age and the times that he was alive. Certain things that went over his head. Lingo he didn't understand. His magenta hues were staring at the screen, raising an eyebrow at the video that had come on. How did Blitz have such quick access to these....or was it just that common now?

While the imp didn't seem to shut up, Angel had remained in complete silence. He didn't take his eyes away from the parade, the dancing, the cheering. All the colors, and the fashion, and the happiness and celebration. He had barely been able to process it all before the other was starting the next video, and if Angel's heart was still beating, he could feel it tighten in that moment. How many times had he been beaten for being gay? How many times had it been his own father?

"Pride? But...that's.....we're in Pride." He finally managed, blinking at the other. He didn't know what going to Pride had to do with it, but if anything, Angel wanted to get out of there. "...rainbows are beautiful." He finally added, shrugging his shoulders a bit. "Lots a' smog where ah'm from so yeh' don't always get tah' see 'em, but when the sky clears, it's pretty gorgeous." A grin, though he shook his head. "Ah' don't mind Hell, though. It really ain't as bad as all those religious fanatics make it out tah' be."

"Oh, here," Blitz said, handing over his phone without a second thought, "check mine out for a minute. I stole a Sin card and now it's hooked up to the Earth networks. Here, actually..." He came around to sit on Angel's side of the booth and, scooting up close to him without a care in the world for personal boundaries, showed him how to open up TikTok.

"I got onto the good side of TikTok, where it's basically all gay shit and people dancing. And a lot of cosplayers. Earth's still regressive as fuck but like, compared to how it used to be, apparently? It's a lot better. Check this shit out." He scrolled to a Pride montage, smiling a little sadly--maybe a little bitterly--at how beautiful it was. "Check that out, huh? They parade down the fucking streets. Whether or not they're scared, they get out there and do it, marching for all the ones who can't, to show there are still gay people out there who will throw the fuck down for anyone who needs it..." Blitz sighed, frowning, and leaned lightly against the pretty spider. By comparison to Earth, Hell was pretty progressive, pretty fucking safe...

But there was something nice about all of those rainbows.

They were beautiful.

The rainbows, the defiance. The joy in the eyes of the people walking proud and free down a street, beautiful in all their glorious imperfection, stronger than anyone's hatred or disdain could ever break down.

"This guy..." He scrolled to another video when that first one ended, even though Angel was still the one holding the phone. Blitz was quiet, letting the guy on the screen talk--a handsome young human confessing that he'd been attacked once, and had had to go on with a show, that no one would ever know when it happened because he covered the bruises up so well. "There are so fucking many like him. They're just... they're brave as shit. And they're so fucking beautiful. And I wish... I wish..."

He looked down at the Asmodean crystal embedded in his hand--theoretically on his glove, but even when he took his glove off, the crystal remained.

Blitz closed his eyes. "I wish we could go to Pride. And maybe we could. If you... I mean, not that just.. fucking off on a trip with someone you just met is a good idea, I just... it looks so fucking beautiful. And rainbows don't shine the same under our shitty red sky."

[linkspooky]

I would like to ak you about Stain and Dabi, at the very least Stain seemed to consider Deku and Shoto "true heroes", with All Might at the example to follow. Meanwhile it seems Dabi doesn´t believe real heroes exists, not even All Might. Why do you think that´s the case?

So your question here is whether Dabi is following Stain’s will or not? Dabi’s ideals may not line up 1:1 with Stain, but I would say he’s far more loyal to Stain and his ideals than to anybody else in the manga. He may even be more loyal to Stain to the point of being disloyal to the rest of the league of villains. A comparison of ideology and methods of both Stain and Dabi underneath the cut. 

1. Stain’s Number One Fanboy

There are lots of aspects of Dabi’s reveal that were clearly inspired by and are even a continuation of what Stain did that made ripples in society. First and foremost Stain’s greatest success was that he got the actual public talking about him. 

This has always been the difference between the League of Villains, and Stain. Even when the League of Villains has points to make and try to communicate with others, they often get dismissed as villains who chose to be villains for selfish reasons. With Stain, even characters like Deku who are often too naive to grasp this can recognize  why Stain’s motivations eventually pushed him into becoming a villain. 

Stain is the one villain so far we’ve seen the heroes react to with something other than, “Well obviously they just chose to be a villain, because they’re evil, mean, nasty and selfish.”

To us, the audience Shigaraki makes more sense as a character. We know exactly why Shigaraki does what he does because we see him as a human. However, Shigaraki is not human to hero society. 

Someone like Stain is more palatable, because his ideals are a warped version of Hero Society’s own. Rather than being someone who rejects the idea of heroes entirely, Stain merely says, I want the number one hero to be like All Might, pure and selfless. Every hero should be like All Might. Stain only rejects a certain type of hero, not all heroes in general, and not the way Heroes are given too much license and power in this society. 

Stain notices the flaws within hero society, however rather than addressing it as a societal issue, he believes if he kills a few posers then the real heroes will step up. Stain takes what is a societal issue, and wants people to take individual responsibility for it. Which is why he ends up taking it out on completely innocent people too. There are family legacy heroes who are just in it for the job, and the glory (cough, cough, Endeavor) but Tensei was not really one of them. It’s not really Tensei’s fault that all of hero society is corrupt,  at least not particularly more than anybody else is, he’s just a well meaning guy doing his job. 

This is why Stain’s actions can blur the line between justice, and personal revenge. Stain thinks that it’s okay to kill people in service of a cause, but in this case isn’t he just beating up someone who was otherwise a good guy because he wanted to someone else to take the blame for the ills of society? 

It’s true Stain will go as far as to spare, or even save those he deems as worthy, but at the same time it’s only ever on his personal value of worthiness. He also, only saved Deku from a nomu after his battle was already lost. When they were getting in the way of him killing Tenya, he was only a little bit relucant to try to kill both of them because they were in the way of his mission at the moment. 

So anyway those are all of Stain’s bad points. Stain emphasizes the exact same kind of survival of the fittest and individualism that only saves some people in hero society and damns all the rest in the first place. Stain’s good points, he actually did mean what he said. Stain genuinely believed his actions were going to make the world a better place. 

Stain called Endeavor a fake, he also insists on personal responsibility that he has to do something to be the one to fix society he can’t just pretend to be ignorant of it. Stain as we know was a hero student, but couldn’t stay a student when he began noticing all of society’s flaws. In a manga where most characters are ignnorant, the fact that Stain is one of the first characters to point out something might be wrong here, and then had to act on at least his personal sense of justice does mean something. 

Stain’s wors also managed to reach people and stif them up that there is “something wrong here.” They got a response out of people. Which as we’ve been seeing this arc is hard to do. The fact that villains are only evil because they choose to be is just so ingrained in things that it’s hard to shake off. 

So I’m going to list three ways Dabi primarily took after Stain. 

Televised Broadcast

Insistence on Personal Responsibility

Heroes Must be Pure

The reason Stain reached so many people is primarily because of the broadcast. It’s how we see it reached even Dabi himself who was apparently either just a minor crimminal, or living in hiding until that point. Dabi realizes that nothing is going to happen, no concrete change will happen, even if he’s right, unless he gets the public on his side.

This is also why even though Shigaraki has some points to make, almost no heroes listen to him. Shigaraki one does not know how to make his point in an understandable way, and two does not know how to play the game of public opinion. 

Dabi always mentions casting public doubt on heroes, and making a stir in thenews. As long as they get a foot in the discussion, they’ve won somehow. 

Stain reached so many people because his news coverage was a spectacle, and it sparked mass debate. Dabi has been aspiring for a long time to cause the same kind of spectacle and stirring. That’s why he intentionally lets Endeavor gets victories to build him up, that’s why he burns people and leaves them to be found to increase his own notoriety. He was creating a narrative to sell to the public, one that would be easily digestible. Taking inspiration from Stain, he wants to make another news blitz to throw everything into question. He wants to be just like Stain, seen as someone driven to villainry by their intense ideals, and their desire for a betterworld. 

In fact Dabi is even a lot smarter than Stain in some aspects. Stain attracted the wrong crowd. For the most part after the news story died down, the most people that came to the league were those not really invested in his ideals. However, here comes Dabi who knows exactly how to frame himself. Just look at the difference between the way he addresses other people, and the way he addresses Shoto and Endeavor. 

Dabi’s playing his cards as best as he can to create a narrative that will get talked about, because the greatest impact that Stain left behind is that he got the masses attention for a litlte white. 

Number two - Individual Responsibility

Just like Stain, Dabi takes everything on his shoulders, for good or ill. He’s a staunch individualist. In some aspects that means Dabi can’t ever leave well enough alone. There are some injustices he can’t forgive, so he goes out of his way to punish them. 

Part of what is happening really is just consequences for Endeavor’s actions. Something that both the rest of society, would have just let him get away with. Dabi, Stain as individuals, can’t swallow any kind of injustice, and can’t be quiet about the things they notice as wrong or hypocritical in their society. 

Hypocrite or not, I believe Dabi is moved by some kind of ideals, some idea of justice. One that easily overlaps with personal revenge, in the case of Stain, that can very easily branch out and beat up perfectly innocent people who have nothing to do with it besides the fact that Dabi is in a bad mood and wants to feel like he’s punishing an individual for the ills of society. 

For good or ill, Dabi does repeat Stain’s habit of purging as well. Like I said because of the overemphasis of personal resposnability, the belief that an individual has to overcome society all on their own (pulling themselves up by their bootstraps), if someone fails to meet Dabi and Stain’s sliding scale of standards, whoever they are, they may just decide it’s appropriate to murder them. 

This behavior also lashes out and hits people who were almost completely unrelated. Tensei gets hit by Stain’s purge. Dabi’s plan to invite Hawks into the league (probably to dig up dirt on him) ends up hitting Twice as well. 

However, there is also a strong sense of personal responsibility that should be noted. Dabi is like one of the only league members to express remorse over killing people. Not just live on television, but also to himself in the aftermath of the pro hero arc. 

There’s also a tragic element for this as well. Dabi’s decision that he has to do everything on his own, means he can’t open himself up to cooperation. He can’t accept the friendship, the sympathy, or the sense of community for the leaguethat’s been offered to him multiple times. Of course, it’s sadder for Twice because he’s dead. But at the same time Dabi can’t trust anyone, can’t work with anyone, it’s extremely unhealthy and self destructive behavior in the end. 

#Heroes must be Pure

Here is where Dabi and Stain differ a little bit. It’s also where Dabi differs from his brother Shoto. Both Stain, and Shoto were inspired to beieve that real heroes exist because they witnessed All Might. Shoto beliees even if his father is corrupt, he can become a hero like All Might which is the utlimate way to reject his father. 

For both Stain and Shoto, they can believe that good heroes exist because they have All Might as an example. As far as we know, Dabi doesn’t even seem to mention All Might. 

So for Dabi, we still have the idea that heroes need to behave a certain way, heroes need to be pure. He points out that Endeavor is a bad pillar because he’s not ideologically pure, he’s not a hero who saves others like All Might. He also believes like stain that if he culls the bad heroes, then the good heroes will rise up from that destruction.

However, I think Dabi himself may have trouble believing the idea that good heroes even exist. 

Dabi shares the same purity / stain motif with Stain himself. 

Once things are stained they’re impure. Impure things need to be cleansed. He can’t forgive the dirty past of either Endeavor or Hawks. He can’t let someone who has already dirtied their hands pretend to be a hero. 

However, I think Dabi goes a step beyond Stain in that Stain thought if he picked off a certain amount of heroes within the society then the good heroes will do better. Dabi must believe that there is no way for a hero to remain ideologically pure in this society. So, his attacks are levvied at the society that’s incapable of producing good heroes. 

Stain had a tendency to attack individuals while demanding ideological purity from them, Dabi has the same habits but he goes one step further and suggests that society is ignorant, that society needs to question whether these heroes it uplifts really are good people. 

Which is also what I think leads to what you said that Dabi treats Deku and Shoto differently than Stain would. Dabi can’t believe in real heroes, so he sees the kids aspirations to be a hero as proof of their ignorance. 

I would say he doesn’t think Deku or Shoto could be a true hero because one, he doesn’t see them as individuals, he looks down on them as kids. Two, he believes they blindly follow the false heroes. He even mentions directly he doesn’t really see Shoto’s individual will, or his desire to become a hero to save his mom. He just thinks Shoto is the perfect puppet Endeavor raised him to be. Dabi is unable to separate himself from Endeavor’s abuse of him, and therefore he’s also unable to separate the idea of Shoto from Endeavor. 

So yeah, that’s the best way I can explain it with “the vague approximation of Dabi” that canon has given us right now. Basically Dabi is pretty loyal to Stain actually, he follows Stain’s ideals to the letter,he copies his strategy, he even has the same flaws, individual emphasis, black and white thinking, blurry line between “sacrifice for a better society” and “vigiltante justice because I think I’m right.” 

The main differences come from either Dabi just seeing the UA kids as either kids who don’t know better, or blind followers in the system. (This makes sense if you realize Dabi is someone who was raised by a hero since childhood, not someone who just became a zealot like Stain). And Stain has All Might for his idea of a “pure hero” whereas Dabi either believes no good heroes exist period. Or no good heroes can exist in the current society. I hope that answered your question, nonny!

[aethelflaedladyofmercia]

Fluff prompt #38? "Are you alright?" "I will be."

Well, this one certainly went in an unexpected direction! The quote winds up a bit altered, but I think it fits the spirit of the thing.

I’m working off this prompt list - send me an ask or @ me with your request!

--

The Bentley rolled to a stop in front of the bookshop just as the all-clear signaled the end of the night’s bombing. They hadn’t been in any danger during the drive; exhausted as he was, Crowley still had the strength to make sure of that. Probably.

Crowley only had to keep it together for another minute, maybe two. His feet ached from the burns, stinging like a sunburn as high as his knees, flaring every time he shifted his feet on the pedals. But he’d made it this far. He was fine, and he could continue to be fine until Aziraphale was in the shop.

He pressed his lips together, kept his hands on the wheel, and resisted the urge to fidget.

“Well,” Aziraphale said, still clutching his bag of books as if it was a life raft. “That was certainly a thrilling experience.” He frowned tartly at the dashboard, making his true feelings for the Bentley abundantly clear.

“Nh. Got you home, didn’t it?” Crowley glared out the window at the shop, shifting his feet between the pedals as inconspicuously as possible.

“Yes, and the fact that we’re still in one piece is clearly the most incredible miracle of the night.”

“You really haven’t changed, have you?”

“I should think not. I am an angel, and the nature of my being is incorruptible, eternal, and unaffected by the comings and goings of mortal beings—”

“Meaning you’re just as much a smug bastard as ever.”

Well. That hadn’t taken long to fall apart.

Really, the entire evening had been one disaster after another. His intelligence had revealed a team of Nazi spies was meeting with a contact at an old townhouse in Soho, so Crowley had settled in to wait it out. He had his fingers in everything these days, from British Counterintelligence to street gangs, and the opportunities for a bit of chaos during the Blitz were never ending.

Then he’d received word that the drop had been changed. And that the contact was a certain local and well-established bookseller. Meaning that the idiot being duped by the Nazis was his idiot. He’d barely been updated on the new location in time, and of course Aziraphale had picked a church, of all the places in the city, a church to meet his bloody spies, and Crowley had to charge in, no plan, no preparation, and now he hurt and Aziraphale seemed determined to make this as miserable as he possibly could, and really was it any surprise after the last time—

Crowley didn’t want to part angry, not again, but his feet hurt and he didn’t know how to stop himself.

In the silence, Aziraphale shifted in his seat, looking at the door but not opening it. “I…Crowley, I am…very glad…that you were there tonight.”

“Don’t thank me,” Crowley blurted, mostly out of habit. “Just. Be safe. Be smart.” One quick glance to the side, then glaring at the windscreen again. “And stay away from Nazis, it can’t be that hard.”

“No, I suppose it isn’t. I just thought…ah, well.” He opened the door, but didn’t try to leave.

“So,” Crowley started.

“So,” Aziraphale agreed.

Deep breath. “Guess I’ll see you next century—”

But at the same moment, from Aziraphale, “Do you want to come in?”

More than anything.

Aziraphale still didn’t face him, and his stiff shoulders gave no hint of his emotions, but Crowley wasn’t going to let this – whatever this was – pass him by.

“I mean…I could…I can…” His hand fumbled for the door latch, popping it open, almost leaping out onto the pavement before the invitation could be withdrawn. In his urgency, he entirely forgot about the pain in his feet.

Until he put his weight on them.

“AAAH!” With a strangled gasp, Crowley collapsed like felled tree.

“Crowley!” Aziraphale was beside him, impossibly quickly, hands fluttering over his face and chest. “Oh, my word. What – what happened? What’s wrong? Oh, Lord, is it—”

“Calm down, Angel.” His voice still sounded tight, but there wasn’t much Crowley could do about that. “Told you. Hallowed ground.” With some effort, he managed to sit up, one hand braced on the floor of the Bentley.

“I thought – you said – ‘being on the beach in bare feet’ – this isn’t—!”

“S’nothing.” Crowley eyed the distance to the driver’s seat. He could probably get himself in, but it wouldn’t be dignified. Well. Any and all dignity had long since gone out the window. “Just need to…”

He pulled his legs in and tried to stand – the pain hit him halfway up – and with another cry of “NrrrrrrAAAH!” he toppled over, slamming his head against the street.

“Oh, oh, Crowley!” His eyes blinked open, and behind the flashing supernovae that filled his vision loomed Aziraphale’s concerned face. “My dear fellow, are you alright?”

“Told you. S’nothing.” He’d need another minute or two before trying to sit up. “Be fine in the morning.”

“Yes, I’ll see to that.” Before Crowley could ask what that even meant, Aziraphale scooped him up, one arm under his knees, the other across his back, cradling him like a child.

“What? Angel – stop – you – Ngk!”

“Would you rather lay in the street all night?” He nudged the Bentley door shut with his foot. “Let’s get you inside.”

“But—”

“Hush.” He held Crowley a little closer, the demon’s head against his shoulder, and started walking. “Do hold on to my neck if you need balance, and try to relax.”

There was no chance of relaxing, not when his entire body was pressed into the warm curve of Aziraphale’s stomach, not when his vision was filled with that soft face, jaw hardened in determination. Especially not once he realized he could feel the angel’s heartbeat, steady and calm. His own was racing erratically, and every nerve in his body was raw, on edge.

As Aziraphale stepped past the Bentley into the street proper, Crowley’s heels taped lightly against his side, and sharp pain shot up to his knees. Crowley flinched, just slightly, but immediately Aziraphale stopped to shift his arms, making sure Crowley’s legs wouldn’t swing as much.

“Better?”

“Nh. Yuh.” Not knowing what else to do, Crowley slipped his arm across Aziraphale’s shoulders. He wasn’t sure it was any more comfortable, but he liked it.

Only when they reached the steps to the shop did Crowley realize something was missing. “Your books!”

“Still in that horrid vehicle.”

“But…” Aziraphale loved his books. Especially the prophecy books. He’d carried some of them around the world for the better part of a millennium. Crowley knew that, it was why he’d made sure to protect them from the bomb blast.

But, counter to all logic, Aziraphale just shook his head, as if they didn’t matter at all. “They’ll keep for an hour or two.” He nudged the door with his shoulder. “I have more important matters to attend to first.”

And he stepped across the threshold into the brightly lit shop.

--

It hadn’t changed. Eighty years since his last visit, and everything was still the same.

Oh, there were a few more tacky figurines and baroque sculptures scattered around; the books were piled even taller, suggesting Aziraphale had acquired far more than he’d sold in that time, and cloth bindings seemed to be giving way to leather again. The lights were electric now, but the gas fixtures clearly hadn’t been replaced, merely altered. The shelves, the columns, the furniture – everything was just as Crowley remembered.

He sat on the sofa now, feet soaking in a basin of hot water. Aziraphale knelt beside it, carefully applying angelic healing a little at a time. Crowley’s body couldn’t take much more holy energy without breaking.

His feet were much worse than he’d thought. Bright pink and deep red in patches, covered with angry swollen blisters that started between his toes and wrapped back around his ankles. When he’d rolled up his trouser legs, he’d found smaller burn patches all up his shins, as if the hallowed ground had somehow splashed him almost to his knees.

“Does this usually happen when a demon walks onto hallowed ground?” Aziraphale ran a dampened cloth across Crowley’s leg, gently wiping away a burn.

“Dunno, I’m the only one stupid enough to try it.”

“Crowley,” he murmured, somewhere between warning and exasperation.

“Sssss.” He slumped a little further on the sofa, wiggling his aching toes. “I’ve seen a few demons get close to holy ground or objects. Burns and blisters, yeah, that’s normal. But I’ve never seen it this bad.” Aziraphale’s fingers ran down his ankle, setting off more sparks of pain. “Mmmmph. Should heal though. Almost everything heals eventually.”

Demonic self-healing took time, of course, and hurt all the while.

“They’re coming along,” Aziraphale commented, gently lifting Crowley’s left foot out of the water. His hand on the back of the ankle was as gentle as possible, but still made Crowley squirm.

“Nnnnnnnrk. Why did you have to meet them in a bloody church?”

“I…” Aziraphale carefully brushed the cloth across Crowley’s foot. It tingled – not entirely pleasantly – but the skin left behind was less burned, and the blisters a little smaller. “I’m not really sure.”

“C’mon, Angel.” Crowley shifted again, fingers curling into the sofa cushion. “I know you changed the spot at the last minute. And don’t tell me that was their idea.”

“No…” For a long moment, Aziraphale didn’t say anything further, just continued to wash Crowley’s foot with slow, gentle motions. When he’d cleared the left foot as much as he could, he lowered it back into the water and started on the right. “I just…I was so flattered. To be asked to help. To trap spies and book thieves! To…be part of a team.” The cloth slowed to a stop. “I just…I suppose some part of me hoped that Heaven would look down and, and see…”

You wanted them to be proud of you. Not that he could say it. Aziraphale’s feelings towards his superiors were as complicated as ever.

“Well.” Aziraphale started into his task again, perhaps a bit too briskly. “Good thing no one did look, considering how it all turned out.”

“Angel…” Crowley pushed himself up a little, to better watch the white curly head bent over his feet. “Are you alright?”

“What? Don’t – that’s absurd – you’re the one who’s – why wouldn’t I be—?”

“You trusted her. That woman. And she pointed a gun to your head.”

“Oh.” Aziraphale quickly lowered Crowley’s foot into the water, but not fast enough for him to miss how the angel’s fingers trembled. He gripped the sides of the basin. “Do you…do you think me very foolish? To fall for…such an obvious trick?”

“Not at all.” But Aziraphale didn’t look up, didn’t move from his spot. “This…isn’t the first time it’s happened, is it?”

He shook his head. “Never this bad, but…I always throw my lot in with the worst sort of people, don’t I? Or if I do find decent types, I just – just drive them away. I never learn my lesson. Good lord, there must be something wrong with me.”

“Of course there isn’t.” Crowley wished Aziraphale would meet his eyes.

“And it was so obvious! If I’d just stopped to think for five minutes…”

“You can’t blame yourself for humans being—”

“Why? Am I so desperate for approval, I just – just throw my lot in with whoever comes by? Why do I keep—”

“Because you’re lonely!”

Crowley hadn’t meant to say it, never mind with such feeling. He wanted to take it back, but Aziraphale’s head jerked up, finally met his eyes – oh, yes. He could see how right he was.

Eighty years, with no one but humans for company. Crowley could remember how awful that was. How much worse, when you knew there was another way? When you understood what you were missing?

“Angel…I’m…” The word stuck in his throat. “I’m sorry. I should have come back sooner, instead of just…just sleeping it off.”

“And I could have gone to you,” Aziraphale said softly. “I wanted to, you know. So many times, I just…”

Crouched beside the basin, Aziraphale slid his arm around Crowley’s legs, leaned forward to rest his head against the demon’s knees. Crowley laid his hand on the angel’s head, fingers burrowing into soft, feathery curls.

They didn’t say anything. There was nothing to say, not with words at least.

After a time, Aziraphale whispered, “Do you think – is it – are we…alright?”

Crowley stroked his hair one more time. “We will be.”