#i spent a lot of time gardening in the apocalypse

[h-dream-journal]

Aunt and Uncle's home is now a rustic wooden cabin in rural property, not far from major roads, but far enough to be safe in the beginning. There is a red beater car in front of the house next to a gnarled looking tree. It is never day time inside of this house

There appears to be a known and ongoing zombie problem but it's only relevant in one conversation. "Don't you think we should prioritize defending against the zombies more than the angels for now?" "The zombies only have the capability to destroy all life on earth. The angels can do so much more"

This is not about winning and defeating the angels. This is about survival

Uncle's desk is a large Victorian looking dark wooden and crooked beast of furniture. Papers are scattered and every surface appears to be a little off. Whatever he's saying is important, but I don't remember a word, regardless he knows about this. He pushes a button disguised in the ornate carving of the desk and a wooden board slides away to reveal 3 books, leather bound, green, blue and ???. The cover looks like the back of a Hearthstone card, but I only realized that once awake. These books contain strategy and knowledge, the most important being the signs that its started.

There's a mushy part I've lost now that I'm awake about a room in this rustic cabin, empty except for a pedestal and a chair in the middle of the room, I think there were 3 artifacts hidden in that desk that had something to do with the artifacts, but I can't remember now.

It starts like this

Skyscrapers, business men walking along the sidewalks that surround these buildings. Relaxed hustle and bustle that comes with a highly populated metro area. Thousands of people within the span of city blocks.

A black cube drops to the ground

There is a red perimeter that circles the cube, a simple red line with a diameter of about 20 feet. The cube is no bigger than a roll of toilet paper.

The cube is blinking. I am behind a building only a hundred feet away watching it unfold

Literally

The cube grows upward to be as tall as a man, the blinking light at the top of it. Everyone starts to back away, but it's too late.

Everyone within that red line is crushed instantly. The angel materializes out of the cube faster than eyes can comprehend. Without a second of orienting itself, it begins to crush and destroy every living being it can reach.

It is fast

I know it's chasing me, but I also know how to tuck in and hide in just about any building. I duck and weave and test different walls, trusting them to cover me.

The angel is smart. Efficient.

I fall down a story into an office building full of workers, they don't seem aware of what's going on. I find a spot in the corner of someone's office. This building has more windows than solid walls, but it'll do.

I think the office worker is mad at me, I don't care

The angel crushes whatever is above us and peers directly into the office. It scans the room quickly, and when it doesn't find me, it quickly readjusts and sprints off to kill as many others as possible within its current time period.

I don't think it maimed a single person in the office

I make it home and watch the carnage on the news, after some amount of time the angel is nowhere to be found, but the black obelisk is unmoved and it's red perimeter has grown to cover a large part of the city. We are out of city limits

The first of the books I was given chronicled the patterns I would need to expect, the red line will stretch to encompass more, the angel will come out and wreak carnage for some time, then return to the obelisk. 1 is horrific, but most can outrun it with preparation

Then 2 will appear at a time. The second angel is taller, and more methodical. I think it will pick off the ones the first angel passes over. 2 angels will be devastating

When 3 come out it will be unthinkable. I don't know where the red line will be but by that time we will have moved to a different part of the country. It won't protect us for long

4 will be the end

There was supposedly a 4th book and artifact to collect, things I somehow was supposed to have earned by having the first 3. I have no recollection of what happened to them

Above the cabin in an impossible way is a house. A very different house to the rustic cabin beneath us. The angels are gone, they are never there to begin with. We are moving into this place, it's layout is like a beach house. Its impossibly cozy. There is one strange tall side of a cupboard that is blank, and extends from the top of the ceiling down to eye height. I am already thinking of making a tapestry to put here. Perhaps one of my cats.

It's not long here before I must return and face the apocalypse

People start showing up to the house. I do not remember faces or names, but they have distinct personalities. They are meant to fill the rolls of "classic end of the world survivor gang". Our number grows to 11 at some point in time, but there was too much internal drama to keep us together all at once.

I missed out on most of this, I was the leader, the one who knew what would happen next and when. While the first angel followed its comparatively slow pattern, I planned a farm

I told the group to bring me any seed they could find. Most were salty snacks but we managed a few packs from somewhere in the liminal store.

The grueling work and time spent waiting for everything to grow I have completely blanked out on, before I know it the garden has spread haphazardly around the side of the cabin. I have just enough time to harvest

Then I leave.

There's another large blanked out part, but at this point in time we are driving along a street in some us state on the eastern side of the country, in a suburban area to a mini mansion that I intend to buy.

The part I blanked on must've been bigger than I thought, instead of us taking in the new house for the first time, we all have the same thought

We've done this before, we've driven down this same road to the same house before. Somehow we were given a slight rewind of time.

We're shocked that we managed to pick the exact same house twice, despite not remembering most of the first time we did this

The forgotten rewind will not help our odds

3 angels are out now

The house is built like a stereotypical Victorian maze. Halls and stairs no nowhere, room layouts with 0 logic.

The only place I remember is a stairway that starts in the front of the house where we park, goes up a story into an open archway that is surrounded on all sides by walls and a ceiling, then a stairway that drops straight back down and spits you outside on the other side of the house.

There is a miniscule triangle of grass here that I will do my gardening.

This is the part where the largest amount of our 11 people group are together, I do not remember any interactions past the car ride here, but the house is busy.

Time passes

I am in a cave in the tundra. A blizzard shreds the world outside of the cave, I am far from the world I once knew.

4 angels are out

It won't be long until they find me

I wake up.

[newfallstrangeleaves]

Yandere in the apocalypse

Strawberries

M!Yandere X GN!reader Warning: stalking, mentions of killing. Summary: Continuation of the nightly visit story. The world has ended but that doesn't stop your yandere to prove (to nobody other than himself) that he can give you anything. He goes out of his way to get you something you want but things don't go as planned. Author's note: It was really nice to see the first part (and my first post) being so well received. Really thank you!!

Never will he be far behind. Always in the shadows watching over you. He truly is your guardian angel, undefeated protector, perfect boyfriend…

Though in a perfect world he would be close to you, show you how good he is to you.  But because of the friends of yours most of the time Aaron has to go unnoticed. But the times he does get close, he cherishes. 

The weather is nice and Aaron has spent the last 4 hours in a tree. Your group has made the decision to leave the city and head out into the wild. A decision he doesn't exactly agree with, for many reasons. Though your group has decided upon two night watchers now he dont believe for a second they could do a better job than him. 

Half of the group has split up from camp and gone out to look for food. You sit together with a girl with dark braids and a blond girl, who looks to be in need of a shower soon. The boy is there too, blissfully unaware of his surroundings and listening in on the conversation. 

“I LOVED to eat Moules frits, I could eat a whole bucket of those things.” The blond girl says. 

"Oh, you snob!” The braided girl exclaims. “Can you say something normal like a burger?” 

“But what is so weird about Moules frits? It's just Oysters and Fries! The blond pouts. 

“Wrong! It's Clams not Oysters, you idiot.” 

"You seem to know an awful lot about Moles frits, huh? Y/N, who do you think the real posh one is?” The blond looks over at you who throughout this whole conversation has just been smiling at the bickering. 

��Donno, seems like a tie, or what do you think Max?” You turn over to the boy who nods eagerly. You and Max exchange a look as the blond one rolls her eyes over dramatically, but the action prones a laugh out of the three of you. 

“What foods do you miss, Y/N?” Max asks when the laughing has died down. You think for a moment. 

“Well, not the canned potatoes that's for sure, or any other canned foods for that matter. I miss fresh ones, oh I know, I miss Strawberries!” You say. “And actually at this point I would be happy to have any shape, dried or fresh doesn't matter.” 

“Me too.” A voice from the bushes makes everyone jump.

Even Aaron is about to fall out of the tree. But when the other half of the group returns he swears over himself over the lack of awareness. But the conversation had made him think. If his love wants strawberries then she shall have strawberries. 

When night comes he sneaks down from his hideout. A week ago they passed a small community, odd people and overly religious. They had only really gotten a picture of them though three men who were out looking for a friend of theirs. The men had invited them back to their community but luckily your group had declined the offer. Good thing your group had caught their off vibes too and decided not to risk it. But when the both of your groups had parted ways and one of the men decided to turn back to you,  Aaron felt nothing good would come with a second encounter. So the man was killed and buried before sunrise. By then the group was up and away. 

But the men at the time had mentioned a garden filled with vegetables and fruits. Perhaps a tactic to lure you into their claws. But right now it's his best bet in finding Strawberries. 

Traveling alone ment moving at a much quicker pace. Perhaps he will be back to you in less than a week!

When he arrives he realizes the men weren't lying. If something they were playing it down by a lot.  Aaron could see “the garden” from a mile away by the size of it. The only problem he is facing now is getting in. It is surrounded by a huge fence, barbed wires, then on top of that they have built six hunting towers to guard from any intruders. 

He decides to wait until night time and while doing so he can feel his eyes grow heavier.

He wakes up (all stiff from sleeping in a tree) to the luck of a lifetime. Rockets are firing from the other side of the garden, somebody else is planning to break in too. He brings his handy pocket knife and while the guard's attention is elsewhere he takes the opportunity to run straight for one of the hunting towers. 

He just needs a little bit of luck to not be spotted now. Despite having two hunting towers at each side of him that could easily spot him he hopes their attention stays on the forest for intruders. 

The darkness hides him long enough to cut through the fence. His pocket knife pliers are weak, it takes time to cut through the fence. But not impossible. 

As he works up a hole big enough for him to fit through he can hear the guards discussing, the weak attack was quickly disarmed. But Aaron can sense them being on edge for anything else to happen. 

When he is through it's in and out. Their attention is not on the plantation but he still tries to hide amongst the greenery. It doesn't take long before he finds the red little berries. There are rows upon rows of them. They won't miss a few. When he is done collecting and placing the container back in his backpack, he turns to make his way out again. 

Just as he feels confident he is going to make it without getting spotted he gets just that. Spotted. He crawls through his hole as bullets start raining around him. His only option is to run and find shelter amongst the trees. He sprints as fast as he can, the trees approaching quickly. Just a few more steps. 

Then he feels one of the bullets hitting its target, a sharp pain shoots through his thigh. He lets out a cry of pain but with the adrenaline pumping his veins he doesn't stop. 

He pushes further and further through the forest even though he is not as fast as he would have liked, the people deciding to go after him seems to have given up the chase. Their voices grow more and more distant by the second. 

The following days are hard. He has to stop multiple times to not strain his wound too much. Worry starts to grow more and more each day. As he is slowing down you are walking further and further away. The fear something would have happened to you  while he was away grows stronger by the day. 

When the pain in his leg is unbearable as he is fighting to keep up a good pace he wishes he never left you. What if something has happened to you while he was gone? Why didn't he consider this before he left? How stupid he feels. 

He lets out a sigh of relief when he reaches a small lake and in the distance he can see your figure walking out in the water with your pants rolled up. So peaceful. Finally he can allow himself to rest and to heal. 

Mission accomplished too. He feels pride grow in his chest as he watches you. He can give you something nobody else can. He can't wait for your reaction. A smile only he could give you.

The next morning you wake up and the first thing you see is a small package with a note attached to it. 

“Whatcha got there?” Ginny asks as she frantically tries to brush through her blond curls with her fingers. 

“I don't know. Was here when I woke up.” You turn over the note and read what it says out loud. 

‘Got these for you. 

Until we meet, A.’

“A? There is no one here who starts with A.” Ginny says loudly. A ruckus begins amongst the ones that are awake. Their discussion is loud enough to wake up the rest.  

“What do I do with these?” You ask. 

“Leave them, it's not worth the risk.” Felice says and pulls her braids out from the shirt she just put on. “Come, you go with me from now on.” 

Aaron limps over to the spot you sat at as he is fighting tears. The anger and disappointment bubbling up in his chest. He wishes he could kill them, hurt them as they have hurt him. 

But all he does is pick up the berries. 

He knows revenge will come in due time.

[hikarry]

Crowley probably didn't keep any sort of direct contact with Warlock or the Dowling's after working as a tutor in the house, but I'm sure he still keeps an eye on Warlock from afar just to make sure he is doing alright because he is a sentimental lil snake that can't let go

Aziraphale didn't have that problem because he's not that great with kids anyway and he was just a gardener for most of the time. But Crowley was also the nanny. He raised the boy ever since he was a small kid and most definitely spent more time with him during Warlock's first 11 years than anyone else. Of course the softie would get attached

In the beginning, it had just been a job for the both of them. Another task to try and prevent the Apocalypse and save their way of living, but the line between pretending and being blurred quite fast. Pretending was easy. Hell, he's a demon. Pretending is part of the job to get temptations done. He is a pro with 6000 years of experience under his belt. But suddenly, he started caring. He started smiling when the tiny hands reached out to him. He relaxed when he swayed Warlock on his arms and sang him lullabies until the wee child fell asleep. He laughed when he carefully sat on the floor with his skirts and played with plastic dinosaurs to entertain the boy. He felt warm inside when the small child insisted on sitting on his lap when they were watching some stupid brain rotting cartoons on the telly. He felt slightly more alive when the kid held his hand and pulled him around enthusiastically on their trips to the observatory and Crowley had the chance to share random facts about the stars and the galaxy in general to two very interested ears. Yes, it was about saving the planet and swaying the child between being good and evil, but that wasn't just it, was it? Not when Warlock fell ill and Crowley stayed up all night to tend to him or when the kid had nightmares and he yelled for the nanny and not for his mother.

Crowley knew how to calm him down and how to make him laugh. He had a mental catalog of all his facial expressions and what they meant. He was right there before the child even started crying, picking him up, pulling him to his chest, and singing to him while caressing his hair because he knew that's what he needed. A little bit of attention he barely got from his parents. A little bit of love. Crowley, better than anyone else, knows what it is to have negligent parents, and he wouldn't let Warlock be tainted by that if he had anything to say about it. Alas, he saw a lot of himself in the kid.

Shit thing is, after the birthday party, he has no reason to see him anymore. He could keep visiting him as the Nanny or the Tutor but what when Warlock started questioning why he didn't age? Crowley wouldn't expose his demonic nature like he forcibly did with Adam

Cause yes I believe Adam has his number and they end up growing quite close after Armageddon. Not only cause Adam thinks Aziraphale and Crowley are hella cool but because Crowley delivered the boy, bloody hell! Sure he didn't look after him for 11 years like he did Warlock but he's still a softie! An "I had you in a basket in the back of my car when you were a new born. I delivered you to the nunnery where you would meet your parents" type of softie

He cares about Adam, but he low-key cares more about Warlock and its tragic that's exactly the boy he doesn't have a reason to be close to anymore

Bet every year on Warlock's birthday he goes check on him and sends a quick miracle his way before heading to Adam's birthday party

[3hobbitsinatrenchcoat]

Gray's SuperBat Fic Recs

I have spent since May reading through the SuperBat tag on AO3 and have over 100 fics saved in my bookmarks but @thebibliosphere mentioned wanting some recs so I'm going to just rec a few that live in my head rent free.

(these are in no particular preference order other than they're probably in this order in my bookmarks XD) (also if you're an author and I have tagged the wrong blog let me know and I will change it)

An Innocent Cicisbeo by @mithen - This is the most recent one I've bookmarked, so it's very much so on my mind. I'm not usually one for Regency AUs but I really like how this one handled keeping everyone's powers and abilities but making them more tailored to the age. Also it's an arranged marriage AU and I am very weak for those.

Take Care of Business by @frownyalfred - A work teleconference that descends into absolute chaos in the form of the batkids, who woke up and chose violence. This one is good on it's own but there's also a podfic version by @mayonnaisetoffees that kicks that chaos up to 11.

Through a Glass Darkly by @susiecarter - An apocalypse AU of the snyderverse, this one is quite dark but slowly grows more positive over time. It features some extremely spot-on characterizations and an overall Mad Max vibe that I enjoy immensely.

This Time Around by @castlesteads - What's better than one formerly dead person trying to find their place in the world? TWO formerly dead people trying to find their place in the world. Clark helps Jason claw his way out of his grave and back to the land of the living. I love a found family where they quite literally find each other in the most heartbreaking ways possible.

Build Me A Place (we'll call it home) by @spiritsflame - I love it when Kryptonians are completely normal until they really aren't. This one features Clark completely remodeling his apartment because of courtship instincts and Bruce badly fumbling the entire situation. I just want to shake both of them.

don't know the rules but i got to win by @susiecarter - This is another weird Kryptonian trait thing... but this time it is non-standard abstract reproduction feat. gardening. Surprisingly enough this isn't even the first fandom I have come across with gardening as a reproductive vector. Always a different take though. This one features literal fruit-based flirting and innuendo, for a start.

A Common Misconception by rotasha - I have a very special place in my heart for fake dating aus, but this one is like watching two guys play an extremely slow and obvious game of chicken while not even realizing they're in a game at all. Fake dating for a whole year without catching feelings? Psh, easy. Spoiler alert, I don't entirely remember right now but I don't think they even make it a year XD

over this threshold by orphean - Another fake dating au but an entirely different vibe. Getting married for tax reasons is the oldest trick in the book but I am always here for falling in love when you're already planning on getting married. Also for someone so very smart Bruce can be extremely dumb and I love that for him.

Masking by @bombusbombus - I've read this fic like... probably more than 5 times and I am working (slowly) on a podfic of it. It heavily features both Clark and Bruce being neurodivergent together and falling in love via spending long hours in parallel play and infodumping and mutual unmasking both literal and figurative and just... I see a lot of myself in this fic.

There's a ton more I could rec, they're all in my bookmarks on AO3 but these are the ones that live in my brain the most these days. I hope others like them as much as I do.

[the---hermit]

New books in my Tolkien collection lovingly provided by my best friend who was decluttering her bookshelves, a lovely card she got me in one of her travels, and new books I got (I cannot wait to continue the poppy war series!!)

24|08|2023

The last few days have been intense to say the least. I am trying to spend as much time as I can with my friend before she leaves again. We had a sleepover, I met two of her friends who were visiting and overall we spent a lot of quality time together. We played board games, cooked together, went on walks, stayed up talking until 3 am. The other day we also went to a bookshop and after we spontaneously decided to get piercings together. I finally got my septum done, and here's were things started to go downhill. Now, I was very much aware my parents were not going to be happy about it, but I was not expecting to unleash the apocalypse itself. Things are somewhat cooler at the moment, also thanks to my beloved brother without whom I don't know what I'd do. He didn't hesitate a second to take my side, and he supported me in a very emotional argument with my parents. It's not that they're happy now, and I am not over the fact that a big chunk of joy I was feeling over this thing has been taken away from me, but at least things seem to be calmer. They will get used to it one way or another, because I am not up for compromise on things about my own body that make me happy. I might wait a bit longer than I originally planned to get my next tattoo, but that's fine since I didn't have everything planned out yet. I won't lie and say I wasn't upset with all of this, I still am, but I am thankful I had thr support of my brother and of my friends, that really filled my heart with love and gratitude.

Chill hobbit summer things of the last few days:

Slowly got back into reading first thing in the morning

Sleepover and late night talks

Meeting new people without feeling nervous about it

Taking my meds when needed (self care at its core)

Continuing my Irish review on duolingo and reaching a 400 day streak

Finishing The Witcher Blood Origin (I didn't mind the story, it was pretty entertaining, but there were a couple of things I didn't love love about it)

Doing something spontaneous (and paying rhe consequences I guess, but fuck it)

Saw not one but two hedgehogs in my garden at night (which means the little lads might be making a home in there and I would be so happy about it)

📖: currently rereading the Heartstopper series by Alice Oseman

[gay-jesus-probably]

you also have to consider that i don't think Zelda had a lot of high thoughts about herself because of everything her father told to her, it's pretty clear she thinks of herself a failure not fit to save anyone or even be a royal in botw especially the closer to the calamity we got in the memories. if they just had her and link go around hyrule helping people (which is what I assume they did) in the timeskip they should attribute people liking her so much to her being helpful and literally fending the calamity off for 100 years instead of being royalty, which they could have done easily because it's pretty obvious she did go around hyrule to help (the school is a pretty good example)! it would make zeldadorf going around being malicious way cooler as link has to clear her name around Hyrule

Yeah, Zelda's helpful and all the level of obsession the NPC's in the world have with Zelda doesn't at all match up with all the (fairly basic) nice things she's done, and ESPECIALLY doesn't work with how everyone is totally cool with Fake Zelda raising hell. Ensuring that one village has an elementary school should not generate enough goodwill to let people forgive brainwashing and attempted murder. Not to mention the long list of Good Deeds she apparently has time for is just... bizarre, and a sign that she's actually a pretty crappy leader considering she has zero time management skills. Like lady, you're rebuilding a fucking kingdom after a century long apocalypse, I really don't think you should be spending your time teaching people how to cook random recipes and helping to plant flower gardens. And the random carved little monuments for everyone who died in the Calamity also strike me as just... no. You can commission the fancy monuments later, everyone fucking knows it happened right now. Hell, why don't any of the villages have memorials for the Calamity victims, they're the ones that actually had to deal with the immediate aftermath. Having Zelda place generic memorials everywhere just makes me wonder why the hell there aren't any old memorials made by survivors in the immediate aftermath, in the places where people actually live and can visit them.

Also while I know all of the memorials having a respawning silent princess flower on them is just the game continuing to be wildly unsubtle about "look this flower represents zelda DO YOU GET IT GUYS", from an in-universe perspective it's absolutely hilarious. Those flowers are extremely endangered, and not even the best pre-calamity conservation efforts were enough to help. They're STILL very fucking endangered, and were believed to be extinct! They canonically cannot cultivate this plant, it's very rare and only grows in the wild... which is why they're picking these extremely rare flowers to use as decoration on a memorial. And now you can't find them growing in any of the spots they used to florish in, except the Lost Woods. They're not even tied to the fairy fountains, because there's none of them growing around the new fountain locations. I like to think that Zelda decided to make all the stupid memorials and have a silent princess flower left on each one, and so her loyal followers have been replacing all the cut flowers every time they wither, and as result the silent princess flower is on the verge of extinction again. I know it's not what the game was trying to say, but it's the logical conclusion to make - people have been picking this very endangered plant all over the country, and now you can't find it anymore. And also it's a really funny mental image that Zelda was so concerned about their conservation back in BOTW that she spent a whole memory talking about it, but now she's having them picked en-masse to make sure her vanity project has the correct aesthetic. I hate Zelda in TOTK for many reasons, but her new habit of intentionally killing an endangered plant is easily the funniest problem the writing accidentally gave her.

Anyways as for her mental state before the Calamity, I do see that as being very complicated. She's got a lot of Issues, mainly stemming from her family, religion, stress and powers. No need to go over all that though, as I think everyone has long since analyzed that to hell and back. BUT at the same time, while her personal life is fucking miserable, we can't ignore that she's still literally the crown princess of an extremely powerful nation, and has spent her entire life being told that she is fundamentally a better person than everyone else. She was being emotionally abused by her father, but that does not change the fact that she's incredibly privileged, and doesn't seem particularly aware of that fact. I mean fuck, the BOTW memories show Zelda had a habit of actively trying to lose her bodyguard and run off alone into the wilderness on a whim. And when said bodyguard caught up with her (with zero judgement or displeasure), her only reaction was to emotionally abuse him. She genuinely did not seem to understand or care that it's a universally bad idea to let an unarmed teenager run off alone into the monster infested wilderness, with nobody knowing where she's going or when she'll be back. And that's without taking into account people actively trying to kill her.

All of that behaviour right there is just a combination of teenage dumbassery and Zelda being extremely privileged. She lives in a world without any serious consequences, why would she need to learn self preservation? And her abusing Link was a hell of a lot more serious than the fandom likes to see it as. Being a knight is literally his lifes work, he's been training since he was a small child, he has no idea how to support himself in any other way. And he answers directly to the reigning monarch, which is currently King Rhoam... but in the very near future would be Zelda. If he doesn't follow Rhoam's orders to be Zelda's bodyguard, he's fired and his life is ruined. If he does follow his orders, he's angering Zelda, and then in the future she'll probably retaliate by firing him, and his life will be ruined. I absolutely hate that most of the fandom has decided Link was reacting to the verbal abuse with just "wow she's so smart and pretty, what a girlboss", because that's completely insane (and in the context of shipping, wildly unhealthy for Link). I see Link silently tolerating Zelda's harassment as just him desperately trying to minimize how much she hates him, because she can absolutely destroy his life on a whim, and her actions all suggested she will absolutely do so. Princess Zelda does not want Link to ever exist in her presence; why the fuck would she want to keep him employed after she becomes Queen?

...To be clear, I think all of this is a good thing. I mean, Zelda being a privileged little shit and coping with stress by abusing her personal servant are very negative traits for her as a person, but as a character I really like it! These are very serious flaws, but they're understandable - she's not a total bitch because she's pure evil, she acts like a bitch because she's a stressed teenager lashing out at the easiest target, and she genuinely does not realize how harmful her actions are. I liked that the game wasn't afraid to show us an uglier side of Zelda, and trusted the audience to understand that she was more than just her worst impulses. I think the closest we've ever gotten to that was Skyward Sword Zelda admitting that she pretended to be in grave danger to manipulate Link into doing her dirty work, and he should not be okay with that... but that wasn't quite as nuanced, because that was more Zelda literally being a god in mortal form, and doing something morally sketchy for the Greater Good. BOTW Zelda is just a person that hurt someone because it was an easy way to make herself feel better. It gives her a depth that very few Zelda's have been allowed to have.

And it really bothers me that apparently all of that is just gone in TOTK. Zelda, who is inexplicably still a princess for some reason, is the unquestioned almighty ruler of Hyrule. The Zora King and Gerudo Chief both swear eternal subversience to her in the ending, and Zelda happily accepts their submission as just what she is rightfully owed. When she's in the past she feels completely entitled to declare that Link will finish the battle for them, even though the last time she saw him he'd lost his entire fucking arm and was falling to his death, and also the entire situation is very political, and she has no idea which side Link would interpret as being correct. For fucks sake, she stole his goddamn house, made extensive renovations, added a large second room for herself, and still did not allow him to have any space in there. They're not sharing that bed, shippers. Link just does not live there anymore. That's why one of the TOTK sidequests is... Link getting a house again, on the other side of the country from where Zelda is living. The game repeatedly tells me that Zelda is actually the single bestest person who ever lived, but she never shows any real consideration for the wellbeing of someone who isn't Rauru, Sonia or Mineru... apart from the opening where she expresses concern that Link was seriously wounded by slapping three keese with his sword and killing them instantly. Which is more condescending than anything else.

And as I think I've mentioned before, all the apparently great and noble deeds Zelda performs are done with the overall goal of ensuring the Kingdom of Hyrule continues to exist under the control of the royal family. She's the current reigning monarch, so literally all of this is for her own benefit. There's nothing wrong with doing good things that also benefit you, of course, but once again the game constantly insisting that Zelda is a perfect selfless martyr... doesn't really track with the fact that she's the only one with a real motive to want Hyrule to remain under her rule. Everyone else has been getting by just fine without her for the last century, and Zelda going missing at the start of a crisis doesn't really cause any issues with leadership; things keep running smoothly, the only issues that ever show up is from Zelda not being there to do specific tasks she said she would do, like help plant a flower garden. Idk, it just leaves a really bad taste in my mouth; there's absolutely no reason for Hyrule to be a monarchy post-calamity, and the fact that everyone is so fanatically loyal to Zelda makes me feel like she's actively working to keep herself on the throne because she wants the power. If her first priority was being a good leader, people wouldn't be scared to question her.

But I'm with you on the Puppet Zelda plotline being wasted, it's like the whole thing was just there bcause the devs realized the main story quest (regional phenomenon) had nothing to do with the supposed main quest (find zelda), and just threw in a fake zelda to chase so the players would feel like they were making progress on that, but couldn't be bothered to make the fake zelda subplot have any consequences. That or they were just cowards with no faith in the audience, and figured if the fake Zelda's actions made NPC's express fear and hatred for the real one, the player would also be convinced that the real Zelda was bad. Which is ironic, considering the NPC's refusing to express any negative thoughts about the fake Zelda is a massive red flag about what the real one is like, and has convinced a lot of the audience not to like her.

[glitterandmoondustofficial]

And Onto Further Stillness

Chapter 8

Notes:

Characters: Gale, Tara, Yrelia Rating:Mature Warnings: Nakedness, lots of kissing Notes: Yeah, I changed up the weave scene to fit Yrelia more lol

“Lia, are you certain?” Gale asked as he followed her around their tower. “Darling, I assure you that there’s no need for you to do this.”

“Gale, you’re being so dramatic. I’m just going to start hunting again,” she laughed. “You have started a wonderful job and you’re bringing in good money while I lay around in our tower by myself, reading books and snacking. It’s time for me to contribute to our household.”

“You are!” He argued. “I must point out that you prepare lunch for me every day and you cook a wonderful dinner quite often. Our tower is practically spotless due to your efforts and that includes cleaning up after me. I couldn’t possibly forget that you repair my teaching robes every time there’s a stray cantrip that my students think they have already mastered. Which, I must say, is daily.”

“And as I must point out, you also cook. More often than me, in fact.”

“Well how can I not want to cook for you? You deserve lavish and rich meals as often as possible.”

“And you’re also cleaning almost as often as I am.”

“A clean environment leads to healthy and clear thinking. I’m more organized than I've ever been thanks to your filing system.”

“And you’re picking up clothing repairs very quickly.”

“I can’t always expect you to repair my singed clothing. That’s preposterous and would be all you ever do.”

“Didn’t you come to me during our adventure whenever you needed your robes repaired? You didn’t seem to have an issue with it then.”

“That’s completely different. You were a brilliant star that I could only hope would be willing to fall out of the sky and grace me with your glow.”

“And now?”

“You willingly do so.”

Yrelia snorted loudly. “At least let me do something that only I can do for us. Between teaching, researching, and household chores, you do so much and I feel like I’m not contributing as much as I should. You should allow yourself to come home, not pick up a quill, broom, or wooden spoon, and just relax.”

“But, my love,” he said and took her shoulders in his hands. “You have spent your entire life overworking yourself for a family who didn’t properly care for or appreciate you. You deserve to rest and relax without being expected to do one singular thing. Let me take care of you, Lia, that’s all I want for you, for us.”

She blinked and cocked her head. “Beloved, hunting and processing meat is hardly working.”

“Ah, see, you say that, but I’ve had the honor of observing you do both of those things and it’s an all day event for you, especially if it’s more than one animal.”

“Mmhmm,” she hummed and nodded with a smile. “But think of all the high quality meat I can bring home to you. You won’t find a butcher that can produce better than what I can.”

“That is…true.”

“And I can get back into tanning hides and start to really learn how to make things from it other than just rugs. You can’t tell me that you wouldn’t appreciate some deerskin gloves in the winter. They are incredibly warm and versatile. We can’t let your skilled hands get too cold.” She kissed his hand for emphasis. “Also when I hunt geese, ducks, and turkeys I can make things with the down and feathers or I can use them as fertilizer for our garden. So, there’s another way my hobby would improve our lives.”

“You’re not…incorrect.”

“This will also keep me busy and happy and in case of another apocalypse, my skills will remain sharp. Unless you planned on being the only one to defend our home.”

“No, of course not. Tara is quite capable at defense.”

Yrelia snorted. She kissed him. “I’m going to head out or I’ll be late. It’s important to look good for these people. From what Lily said anyone and everyone applies for these licenses, even if they don’t have the right skills for it.”

“Mostly everyone,” Gale said. 

“Well, of course not those with magical skill and talent, my beloved.” She kissed him again. “I still owe you a lesson, now that I think about it,” she said with a soft look in her eyes.

Gale felt himself smile, thinking of his lesson with her. How he had so badly wanted to share the Weave with her. He had seen her affection towards him for the first time that night. He could still picture the image so clearly. His head in her lap as he read a book, her fingers combing through his hair softly. 

He remembered wanting to embrace not only that moment but also her. That he hadn’t wanted to taste someone’s lips so desperately in such a long time. However, the moment had been cut short and even though his heart hadn’t felt so light before, he was left cold without her.

That shared moment, the idea of being so close to Yrelia, had changed the course of his life so intimately that he could hardly believe that he was here seven months later. 

He now could hold onto her whenever he felt the need, he could gently brush his lips across every inch of skin she allowed, he could spend long nights tangled up in her arms, listening to his name on her lips as she gasped in pleasure. 

Or he could lay his head in her lap while he read a book as her fingers combed through his hair. 

“You do,” he confirmed. “And I am looking forward to it. You know that I am quick to learn new and exciting things. I promise I will be a better student than I was in my years at Blackstaff.”

She giggled and kissed him one last time before leaving their tower with her bow. 

And that was an hour ago. Yrelia had gone to retrieve her Waterdeep hunting license. When she found out that it involved testing she was fairly shocked. She hadn’t been expecting to jump through hoops as she had just signed up in Baldur’s Gate. When Gale told her that she would have to do the same for fishing she asked if he was teasing her.

“Not at all, dearest. Waterdeep takes such things quite seriously. You don’t want overfishing or over-hunting. It’s best to require a test of skill to thin the herd, so to speak.”

Now he was faced with a problem he never thought he would ever come to face.

He had lived alone in his tower for many years, so sure he would live out his days doing research and creating new spells within the bliss of being a Chosen. Rich cheese, fine wine, long nights within the Weave. 

Well, he hadn’t been totally alone. Tara had been his companion the entire time. 

However he was now confronted not only with the fact that while he did still love his research and creating new spells and he did still have a taste for cheese and fine wine, he very much was lonely while alone in his tower. He wanted to do these things with Yrelia around. 

She had started to come into his study while he worked, curling up on the couch as his quill scratched on the paper. If she felt like she needed attention she would close her book and walk over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and placing a kiss on the top of his head. A simple “come sit with me” would have him leaving whatever he was doing behind without a second thought.

They’d drink wine together, make dinner together, lay on the couch together. She would teach him gardening skills and he would bounce lectures and ideas for new spells off of her. They’d kiss and kiss and kiss; his lips on her skin, her fingers in his hair, their bodies pressed against each other. 

Yrelia had also started to drag him out of their tower, intent on learning more about Waterdeep. She wanted to enjoy her new city and she wanted to do it with him. To say he now saw his beloved Waterdeep in a new light would be an understatement.

He had begun teaching only a fortnight ago and he loved it. Truly loved it. He hadn’t realized it would be so fulfilling and he was grateful that Yrelia had supported and encouraged him every step of the way. The only downside was that he missed her now. To go from being around her almost every moment of the day for months to being away for most of the day multiple days a week was almost jarring.

One night he had admitted that he missed her and she laughed, saying she missed him as well, but perhaps not being attached to the hip would be a good thing, and missing each other was a feeling they should experience. She was right, of course, as she usually was. 

Besides, he did feel a not minute amount of pride and ego when he opened the lunches Yrelia had made for him. When his colleagues questioned him about his lunches he enthusiastically explained they were made by his wonderful fiancée. He didn’t even get offended by the shocked stares, too busy being ecstatic over Yrelia. 

However, now, in that current moment, he was alone in his tower, left to his own devices without his love to cuddle, kiss, or bury his face between her thighs.

This would be a perfect opportunity to conduct uninterrupted spell research, tweak his lesson plans, grade his student’s homework that he had been avoiding for two days in favor of kisses. He could also make a slow cooked meal for Yrelia to come home to. She had really enjoyed that slow roasted leg of lamb that she couldn’t stop praising him over. That was probably an unneeded ego boost but he definitely didn’t mind. 

He should probably also deal with the laundry and begin to order firewood for autumn and winter. Waterdeep became quite cold in those months and he knew that his love didn’t run hot. No, in fact, while on the road she had curled into him every night, even when it had been warm out, stating that she was cold and needed to be close to him.

“Mister Dekarios,” he heard Tara say. He looked at her sitting on the arm of the couch with a somewhat flat and definitely unamused expression. “Do you plan on sulking all day?”

“I am not sulking,” he said with a huff. 

“I have known you for many years so I can say that without a doubt you are sulking. Can you no longer function without your fiancée around?”

“I most certainly can.” He crossed his arms. “I was simply deciding on which of my many tasks I should start with.”

“Good. I will say one thing about Miss Rosewood, she has certainly changed you to be more reliably organized. She’s even managed to convince you to stay on task! I will have to thank her. Perhaps a nice pigeon would do.”

“I’m certain she will appreciate it,” Gale said and started to walk towards the study. “I’ll start grading the students' work,” he mumbled. “And then I’ll sort through the laundry. Then I will…”

Gale stood on his balcony with a second mug of coffee, staring out into the sea. His and Yrelia’s clothes hung to dry and blew in the breeze. A slow roast was in the oven. He knew Yrelia would insist on making the side dishes so he would let her do whatever she wanted. Of course he loved her cooking and was so very happy she loved his kitchen. 

And he was not at all biased about her using the kitchen because she gave him plenty of kisses while she cooked. 

He stared at the horizon and narrowed his eyes. There was a storm in the distance. 

It was starting to begin the turn of the seasons. Eleint was fast approaching which meant there was going to be frequent rain and snow soon. He would need to speak with his tailor about creating Yrelia a warm coat that would suit Waterdeep. 

She had a coat, of course, but Baldur’s Gate was warmer than Waterdeep so she needed something more temperature appropriate and a bit more fashionable. He was thinking something along the lines of a nice black wool coat and gold buttons. With matching gloves and hat as well. Oh, he was certain she would look quite adorable with some rabbit fur earmuffs. 

He watched lightning flash in the distance and sighed contentedly. A nice end of summer storm to cuddle under the covers with. Preferably naked!

He felt himself smiling as he brought his mug to his lips. To think he would be so happy with his life. That he would find someone to spend that life with. Not only did he find someone who he very deeply loved, but…she loved him back. 

“I’m going to be obnoxious,” Yrelia croaked with a yawn. 

Gale looked up from his book. He laid in his tent by the dim candlelight. The love of his life stood at the entrance looking exhausted. Her hair was a mess, there were dark circles under her eyes, and the shirt she slept in was off on one shoulder. 

“I highly doubt that,” he said with a smile. “What can I do for you, my love?”

“Move over,” she said and then didn’t give him time to move over. 

“Yrelia,” he cleared his throat. He felt himself blush, which was embarrassing. They were adults in their thirties in an established relationship, how was his partner climbing into his tent so frightfully vexing? “Darling, were you wanting to talk?” He shuffled to the side so that Yrelia would be more comfortable. 

“No.” She said and laid her head on the pillow. She let out a long breath. “Carry on.”

Carry on? As if he would be able to focus on anything other than the warm body next to him. 

He closed his book and set it aside, no longer willing to entertain the idea of reading it. He snuffed out the candlelight, making his tent dark. 

He laid down and his heart sped up when she wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his neck. “My lady,” he said softly. “What brings you to my tent?” He wrapped his arms around her, breathing her in. 

“I can’t sleep,” she said. “I’d rather lay with you, if that’s alright.”

“It’s more than alright,” he said. He pressed a kiss into her hair. “It’s something I enthusiastically welcome.”

She sighed. “Good,” she said softly. “Because you won’t be able to get rid of me easily.”

“Getting rid of you is the furthest thing from my mind,” he said. “I’d love nothing more than for this to happen every night.”

“Okay.”

Gale blinked, really processing their conversation. “That is…truly what you want?”

“Yes.” She said surely. “I love you and I don’t think I should miss out on simple things like this.”

Gale blinked. His lips twitched into a small frown before kissing her head again. He sighed. “I love you, too,” he whispered. “Whatever you want to do, I will most enthusiastically do for you.”

Gale was folding the dry laundry when the storm hit. The rain hit his bedroom balcony doors and he sighed. It was relaxing. He saw the lightning in the distance and smiled. 

The first of the autumn rains! Perhaps he would light a fire with the last of the wood he already had? He was sure Yrelia would appreciate one after she came home. A nice evening to curl up under the blankets with a warm hearth. With plenty of kisses, of course. 

He paused. He stared at the shirt he was holding in his hands before dropping it and rushing out of his room. 

“Mister Dekarios!” Tara exclaimed. “Where in the world are you rushing off to?”

Gale grabbed the umbrella and started to put on shoes. “Yrelia doesn’t have an umbrella,” he said, slightly annoyed with himself for not realizing such a thing earlier. “Which means she’ll either walk home in this weather or she will wait it out.”

“She’s a smart woman, she’ll wait it out.” 

Gale opened the door and opened the umbrella. “I’m going to walk her home.”

“Mister Dekarios!” He heard Tara yell before he closed the front door and started to run.

The streets of Waterdeep had been emptied and were dark. Merchant stalls had been cleaned of their products. It was grey and dreary and wet. 

And windy, how could he possibly forget windy?

The cold, wet wind tousled his hair, soaked his clothes, made it difficult to see with his worsening eyesight, and completely destroyed his umbrella. The damn thing nearly snapped in half. In his time both in seclusion and his time away from Waterdeep it had slipped his mind how the storms were at this time of year. 

His joy of Waterdeep storms dissolved as his socks became soaked. 

If had been two years ago, if he was still who he once was, he was certain he would have been able to keep himself from being completely drenched. Not only that but he would easily get to his beloved in mere seconds and whisk her away to his tower where they would be warm, dry, and eating a wonderful meal. 

Gale knew, he knew that Yrelia didn’t need Gale of Waterdeep and that she didn’t want dragons made of fire or impressive teleportation spells, but there was a part of him that still wanted to show her what he had been capable of. Surely she would have understood what he was, what he could have been. 

But she always smiled and kissed him. 

“I love Gale Dekarios,” she would say. “He’s all I want.”

Gale approached the large building where Yrelia’s tests were held with rain pouring down on him. His broken umbrella in his hand and a frown on his face. He watched as Yrelia stood under the awning sticking her hand out in the rain. 

He recognized his love immediately. Her black curls in a ponytail, her bow strapped to her back, comfortable clothing that safely covered her chest. 

A man was talking to her. No, based on the body language he was flirting with her. Definitely something he had seen before. He should be used to it. It shouldn’t bother him, and yet it did. Deep in his stomach low embers of insecurity and jealousy burned. 

Yrelia responded to the man with one word answers but looked otherwise distracted. She sighed and retracted her hand from the rain, adjusting her bow on her back. She looked over in Gale’s direction and she froze. 

She stared at him in shock for a moment before opening her mouth. “Gale?!” She called in an incredibly worried tone. She held out her hand, inviting him over to her.

He rushed over, placing his cold, wet hand in her warm and dry one. “Lia.”

“What on Toril are you doing out in this weather?” She asked, taking his face in her hands. “You’re completely soaked. Where’s your umbrella?”

He brought it to their eye level and she blinked. “I thought I could come to you and walk you home so that you wouldn’t have to walk in this terrible weather. Unfortunately it seems the wind has other plans for us.”

Her eyes widened in shock. She opened her mouth and closed it before smiling softly. She pulled him in and kissed him. Her wonderful warm lips against his. “I love you,” she said and kissed him again. “I love you, I love you.” She pressed her lips against his for a third time. She pulled away and he stared at her soft expression. She took his hands in hers and kissed them. “My beloved, you didn’t need to come for me.”

He nuzzled her nose, taking his hands from hers and pressing them into her hips. “I would hardly be your dashing and romantic fiancé if I left you to walk home alone in this storm.”

She huffed a laugh. “I could have waited for the storm to end.”

“My lady, Waterdeep storms can be quite long and unruly, you could have been waiting until tomorrow before you were able to come home to our warm tower.” She chuckled, a knowing smile prompting him on. “I missed you,” he admitted. “And I wanted you to come home.”

A warm and so soft expression spread across her face. She kissed his lips slowly, wrapping her arms around his back. She pulled him against her and deepened the kiss. Gale was lost in the feeling of her warm body under his fingertips, of her soft lips against his. She pulled away and he breathed on her lips, his heart racing enough that it distracted him from his cold and wet skin. “I love you,” she said and pressed a chaste kiss on his lips. “Let’s go home.”

He blinked. “Dearest…” he said and she pulled away from him. “Yrelia,” he tried again as she stepped back towards in the rain. She grabbed his wrists and started to pull him with her. “You’re going to get soaked and-” 

She cut him off with a warm and wet kiss. She chuckled against his lips as they kissed in the rain. She pulled away but not before nipping at his bottom lip. “Too late,” she laughed. 

Gale sighed, as he watched her walking backwards in the cold, pouring rain. He dutifully followed her, not breaking eye contact. The rain hit him, his hair sticking to his face. He watched as rain soaked her clothes, clinging to her skin and highlighting her body in a way that made his blood rush. “What about your friend?” He asked slowly. 

She made a face that told him she had no idea who he was talking about. “What? Friend? They’ve all left. Are you talking about the guy who wouldn’t stop talking to me out here? He’s hardly what I’d call a friend. More of an annoyance, actually.” 

He blinked and she kissed him again. “Not to open the proverbial can of worms, but, my darling, I also don’t stop talking at times.”

“I like it when you do it.” She smiled. “Come on, let’s go home. There’s a hot bath waiting for us.” She pulled him along. “And don’t think you’re getting away with coming to get me in the downpour. I have my plans for you once we are warm and dry.”

He stopped walking and grabbed her hands. She smiled curiously at him. He watched a wide grin grow on her face when he pulled her in. He kissed her hard, tangling his fingers in her hair, earning him a soft moan from her throat. If he wasn’t a gentleman and also in public he’d paw at her body, feeling her skin under her wet clothes. He would bury his face in her neck, biting her throat in the way that made her breathless. 

“Mmm,” she hummed. “Do you think this can wait until we’re home? I’ve discovered that Waterdeep rain is incredibly cold.”

“Yes,” he whispered to her lips before pressing his lips against them again. “Yes, of course.”

She kissed him chastely before grabbing his hand. “Come, my love, our home awaits.”

His heart leaped out of his chest as soon as the words left her mouth. He followed after her, letting her lead him along. The grey of stormy Waterdeep seemed to brighten into colors he thought had been lost to him as he followed her every step. The color of tavern lights reflected in puddles, stained glass shining through the droplets, her black hair that almost shined a deep purple sticking to her skin.  

It was like when he was in Baldur’s Gate, following after an incredible woman who he couldn’t respect more. 

He always made sure to match her steps, never falling too far behind. A wizard close at hand was always something that would be beneficial. Someone to time the perfect counterspell when needed. Someone to cook her stew when it’s too cold out for her bones. Someone to talk to for long hours, hoping that the soft look she had in her eyes was something meant just for him. Someone to hold her hand, embrace her body, kiss her brow, and whisper how much he loved her in her ear. 

He let out a breath when he saw the joyous light in her eyes. 

“I love you” wasn’t nearly enough. 

Yrelia laughed as she opened the door into their home. She pulled him in with a grin that made him forget every one of his troubles, every single worry he had disappeared. 

She brought his hand to her lips and kissed his palm. He immediately cupped her cheek and stepped close to her. She grinned, her face lighting up as lightning struck in the distance. He breathed on her lips. He could feel the heat radiating off of her body and he heard his heartbeat pound in his ears. 

A mischievous glint shone in her eyes. She grabbed his biceps with her strong hands and leaned into him. His heartbeat grew louder as she licked his bottom lip. 

“Mister Dekarios! Miss Rosewood! You’re absolutely soaked!” Tara said from her spot on the chair. 

Yrelia snorted. “Yes, we’re actually about to take a bath.” She grabbed Gale’s hand and started to pull him along, Gale too mesmerized to say or do anything else. “I didn’t realize how cold the rain gets here!”

“Oh, indeed,” Tara said. “Be sure to take care and not become ill. That’s the last thing any of us need!”

Gale stood naked in his bathroom, watching Yrelia choose between which scents she wanted to use for their bath. Usually he would have some sort of opinion but all he could think about was her smile, her touch, her kiss. He stared at her naked body, gooseflesh forming on her skin, her nipples growing hard, her wet hair sticking to her back, and a multitude of very heated thoughts played in his mind.

“Yrelia,” he called. 

She looked up from her soap bottles and smiled at him. “Yes?”

“I love you.” 

Her smile grew. She set the bottles on the counter and walked over to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his lips. He palmed her ribs, squeezing gently. His hands slid down her body slowly, feeling the curve of her waist to her hips. 

“I love you, too,” she said and kissed him again chastely. She rubbed her nose against his and had a gentle smile on her face. 

He sighed and kissed her forehead. “My Lia,” he started. “I love you in a way I never thought myself capable of. You brought me back to life, back from the abyss. If not for you I’d be in a much darker place. I’d be dead, in fact. But you…you saved me from such a fate. I can never fully repay you for what you’ve done for me.”

“Well,” she sang. “If you’re looking for a way to repay me, more kisses would be a good start,” she said with a grin. 

He kissed her. “Is that truly all you desire? I could do so much more for you. You deserve much, much more than kisses.”

“Well they’re your kisses so I think it’s the perfect exchange,” she said with an amused grin. “But if you’re so determined to give me more, perhaps I could have your hand in marriage, full access to your home, shared income, home cooked meals, a warm, comfortable bed, and sex at least twice a week. No, at least three times a week.” She kissed him. “Oh, wait, you’ve already given me all of that.”

“My lady-”

She kissed him, cutting him off. “Gale, I’ve told you this before but you’re all I want. All of your affections, simple or otherwise, are what I want.” 

“Yrelia, the impact that your presence has graced me with is insurmountable. My entire life would be in ruin if not for you. If not for your love then everything I’ve ever done would have been for naught.”

She smiled softly. She brought her hand up and cupped his face, rubbing his cheek with her thumb. “I didn’t convince you to live just because I love you. I did it because your life is worth living.” A worried smile spread across her face. “You deserve better than to die for a mistake. Your family deserves better than your death. Your friends and colleagues deserve better than your death. I deserve better than your death.” She sighed. “There are many people who would grieve your absence, including me, I just convinced you that you’re worth your relationships. You don’t need to thank me for convincing you to live, it was the easiest decision I’ve ever made.” Her smile relaxed. “Now, let’s get into the bath before I freeze. I’m quite cold.”

He wrapped his arms around her and held onto her tightly. “You’re wonderful,” he breathed. “The lonely vacancy in my heart is now filled with you. I hope you understand your worth to this old wizard.”

“Darling, you’re thirty five, you’re hardly old. We have many years ahead of us.” She took his face in her hands and placed a loud kiss on his lips. “And I know how much I mean to you. Do you think I would agree to marry you if I didn’t mean that much to you?” She kissed him again. “Now I’m going to get in the bath with or without you because I’m freezing.”

Gale sighed as he sank into the hot water. He relaxed as Yrelia leaned against him, immediately wrapping his arms around her. She giggled softly, her fingertips tracing his knuckles gently. 

He placed kisses on her neck and shoulders, refusing to leave her unkissed, untouched, or unsatisfied. He murmured over and over that he loved her to her wet skin. 

She sighed with a smile and he felt her relax against him. “I cried today,” she said softly. 

Gale stopped kissing her and sat up straight. “Lia, why? What happened?”

“It’s the strangest feeling,” she said after some silence. “I had accepted that I was unwanted by almost everyone years ago. After my parents and my older siblings, after that last relationship, it was just something I had to come to terms with. I had accepted that I was going to die alone but now…” she trailed off. 

Gale palmed her stomach. “But now?” He prompted, his curiosity getting the better of him. 

“But now I’m not alone,” she said “Before I met you, I was in a hopeless situation. Now, seven months later, I’m in a new city, I’m engaged, I’ve started making friends and I get along with my fiancé’s family. I never thought this would happen to me.”

“You never thought that you would have this life?”

“I never thought I would be happy.” Gale let out a breath. He opened his mouth to respond but she cut him off. “And today it really dawned on me that everything is different now, I’m not in some hopeless situation. I’m happy, and when I realized that I cried.” She snorted. “All this happened because I went to get my hunting license.”

Gale leaned in and kissed her cheek. “It fills me with joy that you’re happy here with me,” he said to her skin. 

“Well, it’s not everyday that someone finds me as interesting as you do,” she said with a chuckle. 

“You are incredibly interesting,” he said. “Intriguing, as well, and, I would know this best, spellbinding.”

She laughed. “You’re also one of the few people who find me attractive.”

“Darling, you are undoubtedly beautiful. Sometimes I look at you and can barely comprehend why you’ve decided to grace me with your alluring and winsome smile.”

“You miss me when I’m gone.”

“If there’s one thing that being separated during the day has taught me, it’s that you deserve far more kisses than I’ve given you. You deserve kisses every hour, minute, second of the day.”

She laughed again. “This is what I mean! You’re so sweet, Gale, how could I possibly ever expect to find someone who would run out into a cold downpour just so I wouldn’t get wet? All I had to do was be abducted? Easy enough.”

“Darling,” he chuckled. “That’s certainly one way of accepting our unfortunate meeting.”

She snorted. “We met under very unfortunate circumstances but it wasn’t all bad.”

“It was fairly terrible, Lia, we nearly lost our lives many times.”

“But, you know, despite all that, you got plenty of kisses.”

“That is true. I could never discount your kisses,” he said and kissed her cheek, grinning as she giggled.

Gale reclined in his bed, reading one of Yrelia’s books. She had laughed and said they weren’t anything special, just cheesy romances, but he insisted on reading them. He wanted to know all of his love’s interests, even if they were simple romance novels. 

“Beloved, that dinner was delicious,” Yrelia said as she stood in front of the fireplace. She threw some of the previous year’s logs into it with a hum. 

“Thank you, my love. I’m happy you find my humble food acceptable.”

She snorted. “We’ve had this conversation about our different definitions of humble.” He grinned but didn’t look away from the book. “Are you sure you want to light a fire tonight? It’s not autumn just yet.”

“I’m sure,” he said. “The weather will start to become colder with every day that passes,” he reasoned. “This was only the first night of the oncoming autumn rains. In any case, don’t think I’ve forgotten about how cold you tend to be.”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

Gale raised his brow but still did not look away from his book. “On the road you were always cold. I remember because even on the warmer days you insisted on curling up to me.”

She didn’t respond. Gale thought it strange so he finally looked up from the book. He peered at her extremely amused expression. “Gale, you are socute.”

He blinked. “Why?”

She snorted. “Let me light the fire and then I’ll come to bed.”

“Dearest, don’t evade my question.”

Her grin grew as she lit the fire. She walked over to his side of the bed and kissed his forehead. She took the book from his hands and set it aside before climbing into bed and on top of him. 

She leaned in and kissed him slowly. She untied her robe and sat naked atop him. He no longer cared about the answer to his question. 

He caught her lips when she kissed him deeply. “I do believe I said that I have plans for you.” She kissed him again before he could respond. 

His hands gently glided up her back and he pressed his fingers into her skin, easily giving in to her lips, to her tongue, to her teeth. He willingly accepted her gentle touch. He enthusiastically responded to her heated affections with his shaking fingers tangled in her hair, gasping and pleading with her for release as she teased him. 

Of course he wouldn’t let her end the night like that. He laid her down, his heart leaping out of his chest and into her arms as she giggled into his kisses. Her giggles turned into satisfied sighs by the time he was done with her. 

He brushed his lips against a bite mark left on her collarbone as she ran her fingers through his hair. “My love, how do you feel about accompanying me out tomorrow evening?” He kissed another mark. 

“Hmmm,” she hummed lazily with her eyes closed. “Where?”

“Excellent question,” he said and kissed her throat. “I don’t believe I’ve shown you the Heroes’ Garden yet,” he said and kissed her chin.

“You haven’t.” She tilted her head to his lips but he kissed her cheekbone instead. 

“Ah, so then we will spend an evening there followed by a most wonderful meal at a fine establishment.” He kissed her nose. 

She hummed again. He kissed her forehead. She blinked open her eyes and looked up at him. “And what will I wear?”

“I’m glad you asked!” She snorted in response. She wrapped her arms around his neck and had an amused smile on her face. “You see, my dear lady, I was planning on stopping by my tailor tomorrow after my lectures have been completed. There’s a wonderful dress I had commissioned that will look lovely on you.” He grabbed her wrist and kissed it. 

“Ah! The real reason you’ve decided to take me out, I see.”

He scoffed playfully. “As if I need any reason to take my darling fiancée out for an intimate evening.” She giggled in response. He kissed her wrist again. “I love you. I don’t say that nearly enough.”

Yrelia smiled tenderly. She pulled him in. “You say it quite a bit, my love. In fact, you say it more than you realize.” She kissed his chin. “Last night you said it at least five times. The night before three times.”

He sighed. “Perhaps you should wear earplugs while you sleep?”

“And miss out on you reciting your lesson plan word for word?” She laughed. She kissed his lips. “It doesn’t bother me, Gale. It’s comforting, in fact. On the nights I can’t sleep, I have your voice.”

“That’s…definitely something that I had never expected to hear. Most people want me to stop talking.”

“Beloved, if I didn’t want to hear your voice I wouldn’t have agreed to marry you.” 

Gale wondered if in time she would grow to find his voice annoying. All these little quirks could one day grate on her. He knew it could happen as relationships age. Something someone once found endearing was now irritating. And while he couldn’t think of anything of Yrelia’s he would ever find exhausting, so much of him was. 

He accepted her kiss when she leaned in. “I love you,” she said, “and I always will.” She kissed him again. “Now, do your duty and cuddle me until I fall asleep.”

He chuckled and kissed her. “Is that what you desire?”

“I do.” She grinned when he kissed her again. “If you happened to continue to do that I wouldn’t complain.”

He grinned when she laughed when he started to kiss her all over her face, giving in to her earlier demands of more kisses. 

[hidelias]

A bend in space-time S2 || a TUA fanfiction

What if, through the whole story of The Umbrella Academy, Klaus had had someone to have his back? I chose to insert an OC - Rin - into the plot of the series, appearing almost only in deleted scenes. This fic is not a self-insert nor a OC-centric fic : Rin exists to flesh out the canon characters, and the fic is mostly focusing on Klaus. Please read the introduction for more details ♡ You can find the table of contents for season 1 here.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

🎧 Music is a major part of The Umbrella Academy, and so it is in this fic. You can find the full playlist of this season here : AO3 - Wattpad - Spotify.

Chapter 1: Are you lonesome tonight? AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

With a crash, Rin is released by the time vortex. After escaping the 2019 Apocalypse, she soon realizes she's alone… in Dallas… in 1961.

Chapter 2: Hello, Goodbye AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Rin has taken refuge in an abandoned house and is looking for something to eat. Thanks to Mark, a homeless man, she discovers… that the house she's been squatting in is haunted.

Chapter 3: A jumble of hair, leathers and linen AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Thanks to the ghost of old gardener Wayne Wilson, Rin has been able to reach Klaus, who's coming to pick her up. And he seems… to have changed a lot.

Chapter 4: Shiny, happy people AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Klaus takes Rin to the 'Destiny's Children' mansion, where he has established a proto-hippie community. Rin discovers that they are about to set off on a road-trip to Mexico and South America.

Chapter 5: On the Road AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Aboard the painted bus that Klaus calls Priscilla, the 'Destiny's Children' travel through Baja California. Rin begins to realize just how much these journeys will change her.

Chapter 6: Snippets of Destiny AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

At the end of 1961, the 'Destiny's Children' make a stopover in Reykjavik, Iceland, and celebrate the passing of the New Year with an unusual ceremony.

Chapter 7: Marigolds on the Ganges AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

In 1962, Klaus takes the 'Destiny's Children' to India, on a journey of great importance to him, between meditation and yoga. Their trip takes them to Varanasi, where the spirits of the dead peacefully depart.

Chapter 8: Come hell or high water AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Rin did not follow Klaus and the Destiny's Children to San Francisco. Back on Dallas' often harsh streets, she's now looking for a job… against the obstacles of 1963 society.

Chapter 9: Childhood's end AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Rin started working for Merelec, a small electronics repair business on Glen Oaks street. On the back balcony, she meets David, the nephew of the owner of the hardware store next door.

Chapter 10: Snippets of Memory AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

At the end of summer, David returns from a military camp, full of ideals that worry Rin a lot. Suddenly, a phone call brings sad news, prompting a discussion with Klaus that turns everything around.

Chapter 11: The machinery of the universe AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Exhausted by a rush of work and TV repairs due to JFK's forthcoming visit to Dallas, Rin receives Five's unexpected visit to the store.

Chapter 12: Heavy handfuls of curls AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Thanks to the Destiny Children's connections, Rin got Klaus out of prison after he was arrested for stealing a vehicle. At nightfall, she heads to Kitty's Manor in the hope of finding him there.

Chapter 13: Lemonade by the pool AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Rin spent the night at Kitty's mansion, where Klaus is resting in a pool improvised in the ornamental basins. Suddenly, she hears a woman's voice she recognizes at once: Allison's.

Chapter 14: Jailhouse Rock AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Based on a plan carefully masterminded by a very enthusiastic Ben, he, Klaus and Rin proceed to… the spectacular liberation of Raymond Chestnut.

Chapter 15: The Scorpion and the Frog AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

In the evening, following Klaus's visit to Dave at the hardware store, Allison calls Rin to come and give him advice.

Chapter 16: The crossroads of our lives AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

After anxiously awaiting Dave's return from Stadler's, Rin tries to spend some time with Lloyd. Of course, this is the moment Klaus chooses to come crashing to the door.

Chapter 17: Oikade AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

After the incident between Klaus and Lloyd, Rin takes refuge in the alleyway where she had arrived in 1961. There, Five finds her and talks to her about… "going home".

Chapter 18: The ache for what never was AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

After spending the night at ghost Wayne Wilson's house, Rin returns to Glen Oaks… and meets Dave again.

Chapter 19: A river flowing through infinity AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Rin has finally decided to return to the Destiny Children's Mansion. There, she's gardening with Jill… while Klaus receives an unexpected visit from Dave.

Chapter 20: A light supper AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

With a clear feeling of anticipation, Rin attends Reginald Hargreeves's invitation to 'A Light Supper'.

Chapter 21: The lone wolf from Team Zero AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

After their "light supper", Rin reviews the evening's events with Diego, while Klaus laments about Ben taking over his body.

Chapter 22: At the threshold of nirvana AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Just as she's about to leave to do some gardening, Rin runs into Klaus, who is coming down from the ' Destiny's Children' Mansion, and who turns out to actually be… Ben.

Chapter 23: Azure dust into the Void AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Rin goes to old ghost Wayne Wilson's house to complete her part of the deal that allowed her to find Klaus back in '61.

Chapter 24: Dedicated against all odds AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Returning to the Destiny Children's Mansion, Rin meets Luther. She realizes how lonely he is, and has an important conversion with him.

Chapter 25: Ethereal whirlwinds AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Rin was called urgently by Klaus to Allison's house to help her get rid of a 'bulky waste'. But Diego returns to announce Viktor's imminent involvement… in the threat of a new apocalypse.

Chapter 26: A conflict of interest AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Viktor's deflagration has been devastating, and Rin blacked out. She wakes up in a place outside space-time, where she remembers having been before… once.

Chapter 27: Children ride in the back AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

In Eliott's little room, Klaus is slumped on the bed. He's lost Ben, he's lost Rin. But Rin's ghost… seems to have been successfully summoned.

Chapter 28: There were only seven of us AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

At the Cooper farm, young Harlan struggles to control his emotions and the bits of power passed on by Viktor. Rin, too, strives to regain her vital energy and materiality. But suddenly…

Chapter 29: Qué será será AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

While struggling to regain her materiality, Rin tries to comfort young Harlan, terrified in the barn's basement. But suddenly, gunfire breaks out upstairs…

Chapter 30: The end of something AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Time resumed its course, and night is falling on the Umbrella Academy's last day in 1963 Texas. For Five has obtained a briefcase… and soon, he'll bring everyone back to 2019.

---

<< Prequel || Season 1 || Season 3 coming soon >>

[cardboardqueen]

In honor of AO3 being down and also realizing that I never posted this fic to tumblr, here’s my Good Omens fic, Unconditionally. [AO3 link]

4254 words, M, Ineffable Husbands, hurt/comfort, mentions of past dubcon but lots and lots of fluff, ace affirmations.  I made myself cry rereading this

           Aziraphale was just as soft as he’d expected, maybe even more so.  Kissing him (gently at first, and then more deeply) was like sinking into bed at the end of a long, long day.  Was like sitting on a rock in the sun.  Was almost like Grace, except without all that pesky guilt.

Six thousand years, and they could finally do this. Six thousand years of watching him from across the garden, the desert, a city square, a table at the Ritz.  Six thousand years of looking over his shoulder, of fluffing up reports, of carrying out a job to the letter so that Hell didn’t have any reason to check up on him.  Six thousand years and an almost-apocalypse and he could finally kiss his angel.

           He brought his hands to Aziraphale’s hips and nudged him backwards towards the loveseat he kept in the living space above the shop.  A loveseat, wasn’t that perfect?  It had been the object of much frustration over the years, having to watch Aziraphale sit there and read with just barely not enough space for him to share without touching. Well he thought now’s our chance, isn’t it?

           So he walked Aziraphale back until his knees hit the loveseat and he had to sit down, breaking the kiss with a breathless, surprised noise.  

           “Change of scenery, dear?”

           “Figured it might make things easier, y’know. Won’t have to worry about falling over.”

           “Excellent idea, my boy.  Now get down here, or I’ll get lonely.”

           “Can’t have that,” Crowley murmured against his lips as he crawled into Aziraphale’s lap.  

           Crowley was no stranger to kissing.  He was no stranger to the bits that came after, either, but this was different than any temptation of a king or deflowering of an important virgin.  This was Aziraphale.  These were Aziraphale’s hands on his waist, on his neck, in his hair.  Aziraphale’s lips on his, more precious that he could ever have imagined.  This felt right and warm in a way no temptation ever could, and he marveled at what he had missed.  It was no wonder humans spent so much time kissing, he was quickly finding that it was one of the best sensations on earth, so long as you actually liked the person you were doing it with.  

           His thoughts were getting away from him a bit. Aziraphale’s kisses were deeper now, harder, and so was the grip on his waist.  Crowley groaned quietly at the rush of sensation (of love too, though he didn’t dare say it yet).  Aziraphale broke the kiss with a grin and met his eyes, bare for once, before diving back in and working kisses across Crowley’s jaw, behind his ear, down his neck, dipping into his collarbone.  He was having quite the difficult time not blaspheming, because the sensations never stopped, they honestly just kept getting better.  Amazing what kissing could feel like when it wasn’t part of a job.

           Crowley wrapped his arms around the angel’s neck and settled more deeply in his lap, pressing their chests firmly together.  His angel was warm, and lovely, and when he wrapped his arms around Crowley tighter still, it made something bright bubble up in his chest. It made his heart skip and his eyes get hot, and so he sat there reveling in it.  Thank anybody that he could simply miracle away the ache in his knees from bending them like this, because he wouldn’t move from this spot, from Aziraphale’s arms, for anything short of another apocalypse.  

           “You know,” Aziraphale breathed against his skin. “If we were humans, this is the part where we would have sex. Do you want to?”

           Crowley froze. A prickle of frost crept down his neck, and then melted to shiver down his spine and into his lungs.  He… honestly hadn’t considered that.  And wasn’t that the understatement of the century, he hadn’t even known that was an option!  Would it even work with a demon and an angel? He supposed they’d had no problem with the kissing up until now, so it was probably fine, but he wished he’d thought of it sooner.  He wished he’d had time to prepare, to do a bit of research, maybe, to brace himself.

           “Crowley, dear?”

           And that was worry in Aziraphale’s voice, wasn’t it? He’d been quiet too long.  

           “Yeah,” he managed, voice rough.  “Yeah, ‘course”

           He caught a small smile flash across Aziraphale’s face and relaxed slightly. He was ok then, hadn’t messed it up yet. With humans it was as easy as dipping your feet into a pond to see their minds, their desires.  Tempting was easier when you could make yourself the perfect temptation, after all.  But angels were different, and Crowley had had to rely on body language, tone, and blessed verbal communication to get this far, and it felt like he was stumbling around in the dark.  

           “Beautiful,” Aziraphale whispered into his collarbones as he undid the top button of his vest. “You really are beautiful, my dear boy.”

           Crowley huffed out a breath at that, distracting Aziraphale with a kiss deep enough that he seemed to forget Crowley’s buttons entirely.  He skated his hands down Crowley’s sides slowly, and goodness that did feel nice.  This is what it’s come to he thought to himself he’s reduced me to words like “goodness”.

           But the cold, wet feeling in his chest was still there, and it seemed to have doused that bright, bubbly thing from before.  Why was that? He had no reason to be nervous.  In fact, he had every reason to be confidant, to take the lead and show his angel the time of his life.  He didn’t know if Aziraphale had ever made the effort before, but he doubted Heaven would have approved.  Crowley on the other hand, had thousands of years and hundreds of temptations worth of experience to draw from.  He could give his angel everything, and he couldn’t possibly fail. He just had to listen, to read it right, find the small grin or raised eyebrow that meant that he was on the right track, and he would be fine.  He could do this.  

           Aziraphale’s hands wandered back down to his hips and traced the waistband of his skin-tight jeans, fluttered over his belt, dipped under the fabric to caress the skin of his hips.  Those beautiful hands dipped lower, below the waistband of his underwear.  They may have bent reality a bit to allow those hands to take gentle handfuls of Crowley’s ass and pull his hips closer still.

           Crowley gasped raggedly, breaking the kiss as Aziraphale pulled him close and he could feel it now.  Regardless of any effort made in the past, his angel was making an effort now and that was.  Perfect. That was perfect, that was exactly what was supposed to happen.  Crowley didn’t know why he hadn’t made the effort himself yet, Aziraphale was bound to notice soon.  

           Ducking his head into the safety of his angel’s warm shoulder, he set his mind to it, called a cock into existence with all of his considerable will and imagination.  It didn’t come.  It had always come before. Instead of a cock there came the pinpricks in his fingers and toes, crawling up his arms and legs.  Those were normal by now, but usually he at least had a cock to go with them.  

           He felt Aziraphale latch onto his neck again, the other side this time, but it felt far away.  His heart started tripping again like it always did before sex, less like skipping though a meadow and more like stumbling down a steep rocky hill.  It went quiet for long moments at a time, trying to find the safest path before jerking to a start and sliding a few feet on loose dirt.  The cold wet thing in his chest was spreading, dripping down to his stomach. It slipped down his arms in goosebumps that turned them to lead around Aziraphale’s neck.  No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t seem to find the gentle warmth from before.  With a cold start he realized that with his eyes buried like this, he couldn’t actually tell Aziraphale apart from any of his jobs.  He should have been able to.  Aziraphale felt nothing like James I, or Alexander the Great, or Elizabeth I, or Nzinga, or Julie d’Aubigny, or, or, or.

           He was starting to tremble.  He could feel it, barely, just like he could feel Aziraphale move away from his neck and nudge him backwards gently.

           “What do you want, my dear boy?”

Crowley pulled his brain back into his head and met Aziraphale’s eyes. They were dark with arousal, and so deeply adoring that it nearly took his breath away.

           “I… what?”

           A wry grin crept onto Aziraphale’s face.  “What would you like to do, Crowley? Don’t get me wrong, kissing you is a dream, but if we’re going to do things the human way, there’s a lot more to it than kissing.”

           Crowley managed a chuckle at that.  He was overreacting, clearly.  Aziraphale was here, and he was himself.  Crowley could feel the warmth slowly seeping back into his legs from where he sat on the angel’s lap.  

           “Have a lot of experience doing things the human way, do you?” he asked, throwing a grin back.

           “Well,” Aziraphale finally seemed a bit flustered at that.  “You know how much I enjoy the comforts of earth.  I figured, if I’m going to be living here, I’ll need to be familiar with the experience. That was the excuse I prepared for Head Office anyway.  After a while, it was just because I enjoyed it.”

           “Angel!” Crowley laughed in mock astonishment. “An angel of the lord inciting lust amongst men! The scandal of it all!” This was good.  Crowley could do banter, and his heart had stopped slipping down hills

           “I don’t know how much ‘inciting’ I was doing, they seemed to have it all worked out on their own.”

           A wide grin stretched Crowley’s face as something occurred to him.  “So you did fuck Wilde then!”

           “I…” “Well Crowley I never…” “A gentleman does not kiss and tell!” was what Aziraphale finally settled on.

           “I always thought it was odd that you had three signed copies of The Importance of Being Earnest.  You were the Jack to his Algernon, only you actually got to fuck.”

           “Crowley really,” he said, but he was grinning. “This is hardly the time to talk about what Oscar and I may or may not have been up to.  I was asking about you!”

           Aziraphale’s perfect fingers began tracing the crease in Crowley’s jeans where his thigh met his hips.  Right next to where his cock would be, if he had managed to make the effort.  His heart stumbled another few feet, and had trouble finding solid ground again.  

           “What about me, angel?” he asked with a teasing grin.  He was sure he could manage it if he just had a moment, just another moment.  

           “What do you like, dear?  What would you like to do?” Aziraphale’s voice was lower and a bit rumbly, and any other moment Crowley would be thrilled.  “Or what would you like me to do to you?”  

           His fingers were creeping closer to Crowley’s zipper, nails dragging against the weave to send tiny vibrations through the denim.  He was going to feel it, the lack of it, any moment now, and Crowley will have really fucked things up.

           “I… I don’t,”

           “Crowley, my dear?” And there it was, because Aziraphale’s voice was back to normal, maybe even a bit higher, and his eyebrows were drawn together. “Is everything alright, dear boy?”

           The pet name nearly broke him.  He felt his eyes grow hot and his lip tremble and honestly considered praying for deliverance.

           “Oh my sweet boy, what’s wrong?” Aziraphale was pulling away now, putting space between them, and Crowley should have seen this coming but it still hurt to have lost him.

           “Crowley my dear, please talk to me.  You know I can’t read your mind.”

           And wasn’t Crowley grateful for that, it was a mess in there at the moment.

           “I don’t think…,” he managed eventually.  “Would you believe me if I told you this was a bit fast for me?”

           “Oh my dear, of course I’d believe you!” Aziraphale face seemed to break open, partly from relief at getting a full sentence out of Crowley, and partly in dread.  Would he believe…?

           Crowley drew back further, as much as he didn’t want to, and Aziraphale set to making him a comfortable spot next to him on the loveseat.  He settled there gratefully, pulling his feet up and resting his chin on his knees.  He nearly reached for his glasses, but Aziraphale had miracled them away earlier, and he didn’t know where they’d gone.  

           “My boy,” Aziraphale said eventually, turning to face Crowley on the couch. “You’ve been patient for however many centuries, I can be patient too.  We can do this at whatever pace you’d like.” He reached out and gently stroked Crowley’s hand where it rested on his ankle.  “I can wait as long as you’d like.”

           Crowley should have been relieved, he wanted to be relieved, but the courage that he’d mustered up shriveled in his chest.  Aziraphale seemed to notice, because his eyebrows pinched again, and he leaned forward.  

           “My dear, will you tell me what’s the matter?”

           Crowley couldn’t meet his eyes.  Aziraphale’s gaze nearly burned on him, but he didn’t seem angry, so maybe he could salvage this.

           He moved to rest his head on Aziraphale’s shoulder instead, and felt the angel wrap a warm arm around his body, felt the other come to rest on his knee.  “You ever get tired of blessing priests, or whatever it is that Heaven sends you to do?”

           Aziraphale took a moment before he spoke.  For all his faith was sometimes naïve, he really was quite clever.  “I suppose they got a bit tedious at times, but I don’t think I ever got tired of the blessings themselves,” he said quietly, carefully.  “Especially the ones that I got to choose.  The seventeenth order to bless this or that bishop or monastery definitely got repetitive, but once I got there, got to know people, it was always rewarding.  And then I could usually afford to bless a few people on the street, because Upstairs was already expecting to process a few miracles.”

           “And now, after everything, do you still…?”

           “I still bless the occasional stranger,” he said gently. “Even more now that Heaven won’t come chasing me down.”

           “Oh.”

           Crowley could feel Aziraphale watching him out the corner of his eye, but his angel didn’t ask.  Just sat there and held him.  He waited. That more than anything is what prompted Crowley to talk.

           “For us,” he started, a bit roughly.  “For demons, you know, a lot of the jobs are Deadly Sins.  Most sins you can trace back to a Deadly Sin if you’re generous.  Corruption is really just Sloth.  Bribes are really just Greed.  Even the M25, I called that Wrath on the report.”

           He felt Aziraphale smile and press a kiss to his hair.  He pushed on.  

           “’Course, some of them are more specific.  ‘Convince this person to kill this person at this place and time’, ‘Attend this party and cozy up to this or that noble’, ‘Join this queen’s harem and whisper these ideas in her ear’.”

           Aziraphale’s hand (the one not resting gently on Crowley’s arm) was picking at the fabric of his trousers, deep in thought.  Crowley carefully moved his own hand so that it just brushed Aziraphale’s leg.  

           “And, you know, ‘sex sells’.  I’m pretty sure that was one of ours, that whole strategy, but it was hell’s policy long before it hit advertising.  Lust’s the quickest, easiest way to cause trouble, usually, and it comes wrapped up with Greed, Envy, Wrath, and Sloth too.  Somebody’s husband gets angry, somebody else wants to be fucking whoever you’re fucking, somebody abandons their duties in favor of ravishing the new toy. Nobody’s going to trust some weird new guy in the odd glasses with government secrets.  But get the weird guy in your bed, wait to see if he kills you, after that you can probably trust him.  And even if you can’t you at least want to keep him around.”

           With the utmost care, Aziraphale brushed his free hand over Crowley’s, and when he didn’t pull away, held it gently but firmly.  

           “Y’know, for a long time, I didn’t know it was called ‘love making’.  I thought people were talking about something else, I dunno.  It was a tool for me, I figured it was a tool for everybody else.”

           Aziraphale hummed quietly.  Crowley gripped his hand a little tighter.

           “Did you enjoy it?” he asked. “With Oscar, or whoever?”

           “I did,” Aziraphale said quietly after a moment.  

           “Huh.”

           They were both quiet for a long time before the angel spoke.

           “Did you not?  Enjoy it, I mean.”

           “I dunno.” Crowley thought for a long moment before he managed to put it into words.  “It was never for me to enjoy, y’know? It wasn’t about me, it was about the temptation. And you know humans, they’re so transparent.  Five minutes and I knew everything they had ever wanted, every fantasy they had ever had. It was easy to just do that and not think about it.  It got the job done.  And at least when I got to be somebody else for a bit, it was less… I dunno.  ‘Scary’ makes me sound like a toddler. ‘Painful’, maybe.” He was quiet again, but this time the hand not in Aziraphale’s started picking at the couch.

           “I kind of figured that angels and demons weren’t like that,” he said at last. “We haven’t even got the bits unless we make them, I figured nobody really wanted it, and everybody else was just better at sucking it up and doing the job, y’know?”

           Aziraphale sucked in a deep breath.  It only shook a little.  

           “I didn’t know,” he said after a moment.  

           “I mean, neither did I, I can’t blame you for that.”

           Aziraphale finally turned to look him in the eyes.  His angel looked heartbroken, and oh, he did that.  

           “Oh no,” he said, pulling him into a hug. “No it’s fine, angel it’s fine, it’s nothing.  What’s that face for, get rid of that face.  I’m sorry, love, I didn’t mean to upset you, I’m sorry.  I can fix it, I promise.”

           Aziraphale started at that, and pulled away, though not far enough to let go of Crowley.

           “My dear, sweet boy, you will do no such thing,” he said with the most force he had used all night.  “There’s absolutely nothing to fix.  Except perhaps having a stern word with your superiors.  My boy, I never would have asked if I’d known.”

           “Oh G-S-whatever, angel, believe me, a stern word won’t do much down there. And it’s fine, I’ll get over it. I just need a bit of time and it’ll be fine.  Humans do it constantly, I’ll figure it out.”

           Aziraphale had that look again, and Crowley scrambled for something else to say before he cut him off.

           “Crowley, that night, after the trials, you said that you’d wanted to kiss me for thousands of years, do you remember that?”

           Crowley was blushing furiously, but he managed to nod.  

           “In all that time, have you ever imagined having sex with me?”

           Crowley’s stomach dropped, and he went cold all over.  He refused to meet Aziraphale’s eyes.  

           “My dear, I don’t mean to upset you.  It’s not a trick, I just want to know.”

           “Once,” he whispered.

           “Once?”

           “Yeah.”

           “And what was that like?”

           Crowley’s brain ground to a halt.  What had it been like?  It hadn’t been like much of anything because he couldn’t get his brain to go past taking off his angel’s waistcoat.  It all just stopped.  

           “’t was after I woke up.  When I figured out you and Wilde had been a thing,” he said after a while, still not making eye contact.  

           “You really are hung up on Oscar, aren’t you?” Aziraphale chuckled.  

           “Yeah, I was.”  That was angrier than he had meant it to be but, well.…

           “Oh.”

           “Yeah.”

           “Whatever for?” Aziraphale asked eventually.  

           “Well you never shut up about him.  Kept talking about his bloody plays, and his book, and that damn cigar lounge.  And he’d had quite a reputation.”

           “I know gossip is a sin, but I thought you were better than to go around judging people-”

           “Not like that, angel, just…. I think that was the first time I wondered if I was meant to enjoy it.  You seemed to have liked him so much, and he had that reputation so it wasn’t unreasonable to assume that you and he might have…. And it couldn’t have been a job for you, so you must have enjoyed it.  And anyway, I thought, well, maybe I could enjoy it.  If I tried.  So I tried. And I couldn’t.  It wouldn’t work.”

           “What wouldn’t work, my dear?”

           “My blessed brain couldn’t even imagine it properly!  Completely bloody imaginary and I still can’t get it right.” Crowley was tense all over, nearly shaking from anger, or frustration, or whoever knew what.  

           “Dear boy,” Aziraphale said, gently pulling Crowley back to rest on his shoulder. “I don’t think it’s something that you get ‘right’ or ‘wrong’.  I think it just is.  If thinking about it upsets you, then it’s not right for you to think about it. It’s meant to be a thing of love, it’s not supposed to upset you.”

           “Yeah, that’s what I’m figuring out,” he mumbled into Aziraphale’s neck. He was still strung tight, but the atom bomb in his chest felt a little less like it was going to explode when he was being held like that.  “If that’s it though, then it’s just me, right?  Like, you enjoy it, which means that other angels and demons probably like it, which means it’s just me.”

           “I wouldn’t say it’s just you, my love.” The pet name made him go warm, but he didn’t dare interrupt.  “And even if it was, it would hardly matter.  There is nothing on this earth nor beyond it that could make me willingly upset you.  It doesn’t matter how much I might enjoy it, it’s nothing if you’re not enjoying it too.”

           “I can figure it out,” Crowley mumbled, but he was losing steam.  He didn’t know how a punch to the gut like Aziraphale’s could feel so good, but it did, and he wasn’t about to argue.  

           “That’s just it though, there isn’t anything to figure out, is there?” Aziraphale nudged Crowley enough to meet his eyes.  “This isn’t something that you should have to ‘figure out’.  I’ve enjoyed sex in the past, but it’s certainly not a requirement.  I also enjoy sushi, and I collect misprinted bibles.  But I don’t expect you to eat things you don’t like, and I certainly don’t expect you to help me repair books that will hurt you.”

           “You don’t need a partner to eat sushi.”

           “No, but it’s nice.  And to be honest, you don’t really need a partner to get off either, do you?”

           “Angel!” he chuckled quietly. “Surely you’re not advocating for the deadly sin of lust!”

           “Hush, you.” Aziraphale pulled at one of Crowley’s hands and laced their fingers together.  “I have loved you for centuries.  I have wanted to kiss you for decades at least.  I may have been a bit slow on the uptake, but I know that for sure.  There are thousands of things I want to do with you that don’t involve sex.  There are no conditions on loving you.  If all I ever do is kiss you and hold your hand, it will be more than I ever thought I could have, and more than enough to keep me happy.”

           Crowley fought back tears that really shouldn’t have been possible with snake eyes, but fuck it.  

           “Angel?”

           “Yes, my dear?”

           Crowley managed a deep breath and a shaky exhale.  He just needed one more thing.

           “What if I never figure it out?”

           “My love, then I will continue to be the happiest I have ever been.”

           Crowley lost to the tears then and did his best to press them into Aziraphale’s shirt instead of letting them run down his face.  

           “Oh, Crowley,” Aziraphale said softly, pulling him into a tight hug and easing them both down to lay on the loveseat.  “There is nothing in Heaven or Hell that could stop me loving you, least of all this.  God Herself could come into this shop and tell me to be rid of you, and I would have no problem disposing of Her like I do every other impolite customer. There is nothing wrong with you, and so there is nothing to be ‘figured out’.  If you want to try having sex someday, let me know and we can try.  But if that day never comes, I won’t be any less for it, and neither will you.”

           The bright bubbly feeling was back.  The bubbling was slower, and his chest was stuffed up from crying, but warmth radiated from every inch he touched his angel, and he had this figured out, at the very least.  

           “I love you, angel.”

           “I love you too, my dear, sweet boy.  Unconditionally.”

[sebsxphia]

Seb!!! Hi <3 said I’d be back in your inbox soon with some Joel thots, so here I am! ☺️ I apologize in advance for how long this got, this one really got away from me haha 😬🫶🏼

SO, since we were discussing Joel having an innocence kink and I CANNOT for the life of me stop thinking about it, I propose:

Dad’s best friend Jackson era Joel 👀👀

Your family has been settled in Jackson for a couple of years now and your life there is happy, safe, if not a little mundane… until Joel Miller moves into town with his daughter, Ellie. And you don’t know what it is, but there’s just something about him — maybe his gruff exterior, his broad shoulders in those flannels, the messy curls, his graying beard, maybe his intense, dark eyes or that deep southern drawl — that just draws you to him instantly.

And it’s just your luck that once he and Ellie had settled in, Joel became fast friends with your father. Your parents inviting them over for dinners, Joel offering to come over and fix things up in your house, sitting outside on your porch and playing his guitar with your dad.

You’ve never really been with anyone, never felt this way for anyone—there was never much time to think about things like crushes or relationships when most of your life thus far had been spent trying to survive the apocalypse. But the moment you meet Joel, that all changes. You can’t deny your attraction to him; can’t help the way your heart rate picks up, skin heating up any time he’s near, a flush building up on your cheeks whenever he speaks to you. You can hardly look him in the eye without stumbling over your words and try as might to hide it, you know he must know.

You think there’s no way Joel would ever reciprocate your feelings, that he probably just sees you as a silly little girl with a crush… But, you couldn’t be more wrong. Because, little did you know, the second Joel saw you he was just as hooked.

Joel definitely goes out of his way to see you, dropping by your family’s house for a beer, or to check out your dad’s CD collection he’d told him all about, to fix the broken door handle in your room that your mom had mentioned one night. Stopping by the town’s greenhouse when he finds out from Ellie that you spend a lot of time there gardening, under the guise of wanting to do something nice and pick out some flowers for her. All in the hopes of getting just a glimpse of you.

He knows it’s wrong, that he shouldn’t be feeling this way about someone so young, his new friend’s daughter nonetheless. You’re in your 20s and he’s an old man, but he can’t help but be captivated by you. Your sweetness, your kind smile, your pretty eyes that dart away from his at any given chance, your plush, pouty lips that he just wants to bite into. The way his name sounds so sweet the rare times it comes from your lips (and how much he’d love to hear you say it all breathy and desperate for him). The pretty little sundress you wear whenever your parents invite him over for dinner that leaves his jeans feeling a little too tight :) And he looooves the way your cheeks blush, relishes in how flustered you get any time he walks into a room. You’re just so sweet, and innocent, and Joel can’t help but fantasize about all the things he’d love to do to you. The ways he’d like to touch you—wondering if hoping he’d be the first, all the ways in which he’d like to corrupt you. Joel just wants to devour you.

Aaaah I’m sorry again, this turned into a novel 😭 you know I can’t control myself when it comes to the Joel thots, but I hope you enjoy it hehe !!! ilysm Seb 🥰 and I’m sending you the biggest forehead smooch and so many hugs!! 🥹💜💕💜💕💜💕 - @sugarcoated-lame 💕

KRICKET! THE MOMENT I READ THIS I LOST MY GOD DAMN MIND, THIS IS SUCH A THOT! 😵‍💫

god! all of this is so incredibly real and i just love love love it all, aaaaaaaaah! it’s the beginnings and emergence of joel’s innocence kink tee hee 🤭

but can you imagine when it first starts to divulge? both of you know that this is so wrong, being your dad’s older friend, but his touch is electric to you. you sheepishly admit that you haven’t had much experience in your life time, with the outbreak and all, and joel is practically salivating at the thought.

he gets to the be the guy that teaches you these things? he gets to be the guy that gets to be your first for some things? he’s staving off his orgasm the moment your hand ghosts his tight jeans.

he teaches you how to deepthroat, how to ride cock, what it feels like to be eaten out, how to squirt, but don’t even get me started on when you first see his erect cock.

your eyes go wide and you swallow thickly. joel doesn’t fail to notice your panicked expression. “y’ okay, darlin’?”

“its just… the other two guys i’ve had… they weren’t, uh, as big? as you are?”

you watch how his cock twitches at your words. joel is having to hold back his smirk, knowing that he’s going to be the first to properly stretch out your tight cunt.

“oh, baby. i know, i know. don’t worry, ‘m gonna take it so slow with you. this old man won’t hurt you, i promise, sweetheart.”

the money i would pay to be joel’s pretty, innocent thing who he wants to ruin with his cock 🥺

please, never, ever apologise my love! i absolutely adored this and i adore you even more! ilysm kricket my love and i’m sending you so many forehead smooches and hugs, mwah! 🥹🥰💗💕🫶🏼

[mangoshorthand]

Your thoughts on the Five going to school/college in S4 speculations? And Five’s journey in S4 in general? I kind of dislike the idea. The man is nearly 60 and tired, I want him to have a break instead of dealing with teens and homework.

I can understand where the thoughts are coming from though, because what is he supposed to do at 13 with no powers, but I can imagine he would be so done there, and you can see he is cleanly uncomfortable being stucked in his teenage body. Two new characters where officially introduced to work as professors, maybe Five will be one too? Probably for maths?

In general I am curious where the story will go for him.

Will he stay in his body and catch up the years he lost in the apocalypse? Because I remember Aidan saying something like Five never got to discover who he really is. But then he would be mentally like, over 100 in the future?

Will he get his old body back? But Aidan not playing his last scene would be sad, Aidan is born for this role. Aidan is Five.

Will he die? Sounds logical since we have the problem with his body, and he is always the one who tries to saves everyone’s ass. (And still gets scolded instead of getting a hug or thank you, which bugs me). But Five dying after everything he’s been through would also break not me but I guess everyone who loves his character.

I am sorry for the long ask, but I really liked your answer about AroAce Five and I am interested in your thoughts about this as well!

Well, ya know, now you meeenntion it, I actually have a fic on Ao3 about Five ending up in juvie after losing his powers, called Alias Number Five so you might consider this as part of my speculation on a possible S4 trajectory. But enough pushing my own shit:

School/University?

I don't see Five going to school. I think, even in a situation where he was forced to, it would be clear that he could pass his final exams within the first month and he would be accelerated. I don't think he would tolerate school. I can imagine him enjoying being around kids in the way an indulgent uncle might but I don't think he'd tolerate a school setting for long. University is more likely in my opinion. I think Five is someone who wants rest, but I honestly think he would get bored shitless of retirement within a couple of weeks. He might have the memories and experience of an older man, but his body is not. A lot of the physical and mental tiredness you get when you're older is physiological (the brain and body slowing down, becoming less adaptable) and Five has the physical body and brain as a young person. He'd simply have too much energy to spend 70+ years fucking about fishing and gardening. I can see academia in something like maths, engineering or theoretical physics as a happy medium: he would have a long term project but enough time to breathe while he did it. Very little urgency, plenty of time to goof off and find himself, time to actually grow up and discover who he is. Just like we all do at college.

Body?

I doubt Five will get his body back. And I don't want that for him either. He actually does need to grow up and learn to navigate the non-apocalyptic world and relationships with other humans. He needs the time and energy that the younger body will give him to do that. All my fics about him are, at their core, about his inability to do this, (or learning how to). I find it really interesting to imagine how he would approach normal interpersonal things (e.g. romantic relationships, communicating his feelings, parenthood) when his most formative years were spent without other people. He's naive yet jaded and that's a fascinating combination. Also, as great as AG is, I have to put in a shout for Old Five's actor. Sean Sullivan is brilliant too and definitely does the character justice. Their work together is very impressive.

Death?

I think his death is not unlikely as a plot point. If he does, I think he will die in the way that Allison and Klaus 'appeared' to die and then came back. How they'll achieve that, I don't know. Five is a very self-sacrificing person and I have no doubt he would sacrifice himself for his siblings if called upon to do so. It would make sense for his character. I am also frustrated by how much his siblings take this for granted, (another theme in Alias Number Five!), and Five choosing to die to save them could be the thing to kick them up the ass and get them to start appreciating him. It would make narrative sense, you know?

Thanks for the ask. I like to pontificate. 😊

[unrivalling]

5, 18, 29?

5. What’s a fic idea you’ve had that you will never write?

So I don’t like saying never, since things could always change. Some ideas never take off and some ideas seem dead before rising up out of the ground like zombies to torment the living.

I do have a Lot of Sk8 multichapters that there just simply is not enough of me to write. Maybe I’ll pick one of these up if/when we get an S2, or if I manage to publish an original book between now and then and feel better about writing longfic. They include:

1) a three part Fodlan AU epic where the Sk8 crew starts as a group of Robin Hood-esque outlaws before being arrested by the notorious Hubert von Vestra and conscripted as agents of Adrestia. Starts as adventure but turns into a war epic where they all struggle to recognize not only each other but also themselves.

2) Sk8 pirate AU

3) Sk8 thriller/murder mystery where someone dies via overdose of a mysterious new drug at S. Adam is caught between the yakuza, who think he’s branching out into dealing on their turf, and the police. The crew has to solve the crime before either party catches up to them.

4) Not a longfic, just not high on my list per se because it’s a little too bleak even for me.

Eden. Zombie apocalypse fic where skilled skateboarders, cyclists, rollerbladers etc are the best way to get messages or resources around the island. It starts out as the 8 of them but the crew dies one at a time as the years go on, until Adam and Langa are the only ones skilled enough to still be alive. They find comfort with each other in their shared history and shared solitude, and by the end it’s the only thing keeping them going.

18. What’s one of your favorite lines you’ve written in a fic?

Oh man this is a good question. There’s a lot I’m genuinely proud of, but probably this bit from From the Garden. (Sorry, including the whole paragraph because my fave lines doesn’t make sense without it)

Then there was Tadashi.

They’d been close, then far apart, then close again. The stubborn silence and hurt of the last seven years lived in Ainosuke’s bones right along with them coming back together, wanting to build a future after wasting all that time in an emotional standoff. No matter which way he looked at his life, it was a palindrome, with him and Tadashi growing distant and then close again.

Finally, he settled on memories of being a child with Tadashi, of that spectacular summer where Tadashi taught him to skate and they’d spent every day together. No matter what else had happened, Ainosuke had just needed to see Tadashi and their decks and he’d feel like he could fly. It was the happiest he’d ever been.

If he was fading, those were the memories he wanted to fade into.

29. Share a bit from a fic you’ll never post OR from a scene that was cut from an already posted fic. (If you don’t have either, just share a random fic idea you have that you don’t plan on getting to.)

HMM there was an original draft of the Grell peril scene in Passing the World By that was a little hornier (inspired by a scene in the second Elvira movie), to the point where I decided to cut it and possibly expand it into its own fic at some point. This text won’t stay the same, but I want to repurpose the scenario.

To his surprise, he arrived in a chamber that was dimly lit by oil lamps. A desk littered with papers sat at one end of the room with a messy bookshelf behind it. All around the room, old torture devices lay in all sorts of configurations, rusted, dusted, and covered by cobwebs.

Sebastian fought the urge to stop and organize things. Just because someone was an occultist was no excuse for mess. In fact, he’d seen plenty of examples for why one should keep a tidy workstation when communing with the nether reaches of reality.

However, a steady, loud, clicking sound coming from the next room drew his focus instead.

When he opened the door to a spacious antechamber with a stone dais at the center, the person inside made eye contact and grinned wildly, tinged with a panic he’d rarely seen in a Reaper’s green eyes.

“Bassie! Oh my, how long has it been? Thirty years?!” She shifted uncomfortably, her back against stone. “I know I always say this, but I am glad to see you. Your timing is impeccable, you know that?”

Sebastian stepped through the entryway and took stock of the situation.

Grell Sutcliff was bound to a stone dais in the center of the room, her arms held over her head in a pair of strong metal stocks, while her ankles were locked in a second pair at the end of the dais. A matching metal collar was wrapped around her throat, her hair bunched up underneath it at the hinges as it kept her from lifting her head too high. Her captor had left her glasses, which didn’t seem like a mercy, considering the circumstances.

Overhead, a bladed pendulum hung in the air, swinging ominously back and forth directly over Grell’s stomach—it would have been nearly imperceptible to a human, but Sebastian could see that it was dropping further down. The sharpened blade glinted in the light, and it was easily identifiable as a reaper’s scythe.

He caught himself smiling. What an interesting predicament she’d found herself in.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you arranged this.” Sebastian leaned over, then glanced up at the blade overhead as it swung and ticked a notch closer. “Did you really miss me that much?”

[puphoods]

hi!! tell me more abt dahlia cooper and elliot?

omg the sillies

so the basics of their story is theyre in a post-apocalypse zombie setting... its been 5-10 years ish things havent really gotten under control all that much society at large is still very much broken down etc. etc.

cooper dahlia and elliot are three people sharing a large plot of what used to be farmland- dahlia lives in the main house, elliot lives in an old barn reconstructed to be a viable living space before the outbreak and cooper is... also nearby somewhere. its a little out of the way but close enough to a frequently used main route that people will come across them every now and then

cooper is a freak of a man whos sense of morality + justice has been twisted due to a relatively isolated upbringing + violence witnessed during the outbreak + subsequent downfall of society and he now believes he is the only one capable of rational morality. he sees himself as judge jury and executioner and anyone who he deems a bad enough person he kills and- i cant stress enough- feeds to the zombies, as he sees them as no longer being bound to human morality + therefore above it. he has a weird sexual relationship with elliot* + an... obsession with dahlia where he sees her as the only one able to pardon him for his actions

dahlia was a nun sometime before the outbreak and spent the first few years taking in and looking after lost and orphaned children. unfortunately being just one woman she was unable to really protect them and after some unfortunate events they were killed and as a result she has become bitter and hateful towards most other people. she views herself as weak while also believing shes the only one that knows what needs to be done and how to do it and as a result has taken refuge with the others, despite resenting + distrusting them, seeing them as a means to an end. she knows cooper is deeply unwell and knows the way he sees her should not be encouraged but tells herself it has to be done to protect everyone. i dont really have a solid dynamic for elliot and dahlia yet sorryyyy ive never been able to work it out >_< also she has a small vegetable garden + the vegges are used to trade with the others and w other travelers passing through for other things they might need

elliot is a social recluse who had agoraphobic tendencies pre-outbreak and the isolation + constant danger during the outbreak ahs made them extremely paranoid to the point of near delusion. they spent a lot of time traveling with other people for protection, having little to no allegiance with anyone + caring less + less about the actual people they were with as time went on, prioritising only their own life + safety. they eventually took refuge with cooper, but over time has grown to fear + resent him more than the people he kills, and in an attempt to keep themself safe is manipulating cooper to be more rash and less careful about the fights he gets into. cooper is aware he is being pushed into more fights but is unaware its in an attempt to get him killed so elliot can find someone stronger to travel with. they have weird + manipulative sex also. elliot is very handy + helps out with upkeep of the buildings + technology (filtering water etc.) in exchange for the food + protection offered by the others

[hopepaigeturner]

what happens after lucy runs away? also does she fully gets her memory or she just remembers who Gregory and the others are and what happened after she discovered her powers?

Lucy runs out of the chapel and heads into the garden, the large majoirty of which is a maze. As she runs all her remaining memories come back, the most persistant being the ones before the apocalypse. With her powers fully returned it is a sensory overload that causes her to run blindly, the ground and hedges starting to shake...

Back at the church, pandemonium erupts. Gregory has broken free and followed Lucy out of the church. As has Sophie, so concerned with Lucy that she doesn't notice the rest of her siblings in the congregation.

At this point in the season, and in this scene, the remaining Bridgertons/Umbrellas have roughly split into two groups.

The firts group consist of those who have spent their time as the working class: Kate (with a three year old Neddy), Simon, Daphne, Eloise, Phillip (and their set of twins), Colin, Gareth and Benedict. They are outside the church having followed a frantic Gregory, in a failed attempt to stop him entering the church without a plan.

The second group are the ones who became gentry, and are present in the church: Anthony, Penelope, Hyacinth, Michael and Francesca. This group runs out of the church, in an attempt to follow Gregory. At their coattails, a man with a cane and a pocektwatch with the initials HD rises, and calls his team with a smirk. Finally his prey have revealed themselves....

Him and his team, with pistols and other weirdly advanced weaponary, chase the second group of Umbrellas/Bridgertons, cornering them in a section of the maze and raining a cascade of bullets.

Just as Francesca goes to throw up a forcefield the bullets halt. They hover in the air until they transform into a flock of tiny, sharp-beaked birds that with one bird call, rip the soldiers apart.

The group turns to find round Kate, Simon and Benedict with their arms outstretched. The others crowded behind them.

"What the?" Anthony whispers, when Benedict closes his eyes motions his hands out and up--erecting a wall to protect them from bullets without breaking a sweat.

A beat of silence--and then they are rushing together.

Anthony barrels into Kate, Hyacinth leaps into Gareth's arms, Daphne practically sobs as she pulls Francesca into a hug ensuring that the latter doesn't sqush her baby bump.

Penelope holds back even as Colin walks up to her with a small smile. Gingerly she allows him to take her hand and kiss it, her guarded expression softening for a moment.

Various whispers and declarations--apart from Benedict whose blue eyes are cloudy and seem lost in another space.

Kate clutches Anthony as he says over and over,

"I love you, I love you, I love you." Their kisses are rushed, their tears rolling down each other's cheeks.

Kate pulls away with her eyes as bright as her beam.

"I love you too...now, there's someone I think you should meet." She turns slightly and lifts Neddy out of his sling and onto her hip. Anthonys eyes widen.

"Is that?"

Kate cannot contain her smile as Neddy's eyes widen and he cries,

"Papa! Papa!"

"Anthony," she says, her heart finally settling. Her boys finally together. "This is your son--Edmund."

Kate's smile falters as she watches Anthony turn as white as a sheet, shivering like a spectre.

"No, no--he--I--"

"Anthony?"

"Where is Gregory?" Daphne asks, distracting all, and allowing Anthony to turn away from Kate whose heart starts to crumble.

"We need to find them, and Lucy," Simon says. "We need to protect her." He says with unwavering conviction.

"I'm not sure," Michale says, "I know Luce ran off into the maze, Greogry and Soph followed--"

Michael is jerked back around.

"Did you say Sophie?" Benedict asks, his blue eyes finally crystal clear.

*~*~*~*~*

Thanks for the ask nonny! I know it ran on quite a lot--lol, this AU has me by the throat. 😂

As always hit me up or @bridgertonbabe for any headcanons, drabbles etc!!

[digikate813]

I know The Nice and Accurate Prophecies Week ended a few days ago, but I hope it's still alright to throw in my two cents on the final prompt for that week:

“It’s starts, as it will end, with a garden.”

This is all about speculating on how the show will end in it's (hopefully please God please) upcoming third and final season. I've seen a lot of answers to this question pretty much since the second I finished Season 2. Aziraphale and Crowley becoming human, retiring to that famous South Downs cottage, running away among the stars together, or just going back to the way things were and have been for the last 6,000 years. But here's the idea I've been thinking of for a while, that I want to put out there.

What if, Aziraphale and Crowley become guardians to Earth?

As great as Aziraphale and Crowley are together, I think it often gets overlooked, by them and the audience, how much of that relationship is owed to the time they've spent on Earth. The only reason they concoct that plan to stop the Apocalypse at the beginning of the series is because they love their lives on Earth so much, that they don't want to see it destroyed.

I've seen a lot of people (predictably) judge and call out Aziraphale for the decisions he made in the Season 2 finale, but Crowley has his own moments of... just not getting it. There have been plenty of instances of Crowley insisting they "run away together" because "it's a big universe out there". But if they did that... it wouldn't be the same. The reason Aziraphale and Crowley are so close, is because they got to know each other through the experiences they had on Earth all these years. An the reason I think that's going to be significant going forward is because as it turns out, Aziraphale and Crowley are not the only ones that's happened to.

Season 2 portrayed another pair between an angel and a demon, Gabriel and Beelzebub, who formed an attachment to each other through their frequent meetings on Earth. They spent time in intimate settings, far away from their respective sides, soaked in the culture and atmosphere that a simple pub has to offer, and just got to know each other. From there, they starting changing their viewpoints and reassessing their stances on things like ending the world to prove a point. Because now, to them, it would mean losing something really special that brought them closer together. That sounds familiar doesn't it?!

Then there's Muriel. Who becomes enamored with life on Earth almost immediately. They're so enthusiastic about just being down there and gets wrapped up in books and reading so much, that they're left in charge of the bookshop. And if Beauty and the Beast taught us anything, it's that once people start reading, soon they start "getting ideas and thinking".

There's a sort of wonder to life on Earth that transforms these beings who are often so divided and closed off in this echo chamber of ideals that must never be questioned. And I could see the few beings that have stepped outside of that chamber being the ones to poke holes in those proverbial bubbles during the events of season 3. Remember we still need to get to what Crowley was talking about at the end of the first season. "All of us against all of them"

The joys and innovations of life on Earth. how it constantly changes and evolves and faces set backs and tragedies but manages to just keep on going, is something that changes something in these beings the more they experience it. When all is said and done, I could see Aziraphale and Crowley leading, a movement. A third side that looks after life on Earth. Whether through intervention or temptation, but never for the side either of those represent. Just to, keep things interesting let's say.

Obviously Heaven and Hell will continue to exist and dictate what happens to humans after their time on Earth. They've been there since the beginning, they always will be there. But as far as that time being alive is concerned. For that lovely, precious time spent on this planet full of possibilities. Maybe that should be watched over by the few who walk among them from generation to generation, who understand what's so special about that life. It's not just a pawn in a game played by highly competitive beings, it's something else entirely. Something that deserves to be protected. Perhaps best protected, by the two who have been there since the beginning, and understand it better than anyone above or below ever will.

It would encourage breaking out of those molds angels and demons are smushed into. Giving those who feel or think differently, another option. Somewhere to encourage their curiosities and stretch their moral muscles.

I feel like in order for the arc of this series to be completely satisfying, there needs to be some shift in the status quo. If Aziraphale and Crowley go back to how they were before, then what was the point of putting them through all of this?

Much like the people they've been living amongst for thousands of years, they need to change. They've already challenged the idea of what it means to be angelic or demonic. They've already developed a friendship that has evolved into truly loving each other more than anyone else (it's tough to say relationship right now because they lowkey broke up, but I'm sure they'll fix that). They need to understand what's really important, and what's really worth fighting for. To me at least, that doesn't just mean truly being there for each other (although that is part of it), but for everything around them, that allowed them to grow so close, and see this system as something that should change. That is a change, that they need to make happen. Because they're the only ones that can. Together.

Now granted I don't know how the events of Season 3 would leadup to something like this (there's a reason why Neil Gaiman gets a bunch of money and awards and I'm some rando on the Internet commenting on it in the middle of the night), and I wont' be upset if the show chooses to go a different direction then what I've just described here (except making them human, I don't really like that), but given everything that's happened so far, how far Aziraphale and Crowley have come and how far they still have to go, I think, making them.... "godfathers to humanity" of sorts, could be a strong way for them to affirm their love for Earth, to remove themselves form Heaven and Hell entirely and just be themselves, and show once and for all what it means for them to.

Be Their Own Side

[torntruth]

storylines i've created with friends that i love and always randomly think about :

faith seed defecting from joseph permanently and trying to join the resistance, with the slight hiccup that set her back slightly when jacob's people killed her girlfriend's little brother and it pit faith and jade against each other slightly. just as jade is about to forgive faith ( and faith DID warn jade numerous times to never go into jacob's region ), the nuclear apocalypse starts and jade and faith have to find bunkers. different bunkers. jade also heard word from other member of the rebellion that faith is dead. so they spent years thinking they're never going to see each other again until they leave the bunkers, start The Garden settlement and try to work with both joseph and the ryes.

the continuous storyline of kassandra falling in love with a few of muses that include roxana, then evie (and becoming a frye family member), and then kristen. where kassandra and kristen practically die in the same week, not knowing that the other did actually die and just dying for their causes.

kristen's mass effect verse in which a poly relationship starts between liara and shepard because kristen had a thing with them at different times. liara during mass effect 2 and very briefly with shepard during mass effect 1 before all meeting again for the reaper war and agreeing to try a relationship.

piper's red dead redemption verse and the way sadie and piper just fall in love, the team up of a bounty hunter with a journalist and the little romanticized living in st. denis where homophobia rarely touches them because they are an absolute power couple that will be extremely hard to bring down as it is. not to mention a lot of st. denis backs piper for the work / entertainment her paper brings.