#lord almighty you have so much talent

[addledmongoose]

Best of 2024 Good Omens Fanfiction

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Canon

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

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

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

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

***

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

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

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

***

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

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

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

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

***

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

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

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

***

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

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

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

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

***

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

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

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

***

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

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

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

***

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

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

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

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

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

***

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

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

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

*****

Human AU

Fully human characters. No supernatural/magical elements.

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

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

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

***

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

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

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

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

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

***

Keep Digging (7K; Rated T) by Appleseeds

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

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

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

***

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

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

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

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

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

***

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

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

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

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

***

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

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

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

***

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

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

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

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

***

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

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

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

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

*****

Non-Human AU

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

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

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

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

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

***

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

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

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

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

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

***

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

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

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

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

***

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

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

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

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

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

***

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

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

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

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

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

***

Villainous (217K; Rated E) by @ineffablepenguin

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

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

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

***

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

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

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

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

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

***

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

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

[trashytoastboi]

Day of Justice - Raphael

~Karaoke Bite~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

> Karaoke Bite: The characters at Karaoke

> Song: Hand of the Almighty by John R. Butler

🦔 He’d do it, but Raphael is just there because Diavolo insisted on him joining. He didn’t have a particular interest for karaoke but since everyone was waiting for him to take his turn. Raphael wasn’t really aware of things like satire or parody songs. So he wouldn’t have noticed that an innocent title wouldn’t at all be what he expected. Much like what happened to Simeon, you’d think he’d maybe check what he was about to sing. 

🦔 Raphael wasn’t expressive, he didn’t even want to stand up but reluctantly did so in the front of his seat. His voice still sounded lovely even without him trying to sing with any effort although it didn’t dampen his natural talent for it. The start of the song had a cautionary tale to it- until it took the unexpected twist and {Name} had to try not to spit out the sip they had just taken. 

🦔 The song even elicited a small chuckle from Barbatos who laughed behind his hand, Luke and Simeon seemed so shocked but in contrast- Raphael was inspired, motivated by the content of the song and invigorated by it. By the second verse Raphael was singing with more vigor and even had a little rhythm to his bare movement. 

Oh, sinner, do not stray

From the straight and narrow way

For the Lord is surely watching what you do

If you approach the Devil's den

Turn 'round don't enter in

Lest the hand of the Almighty fall on you

He'll fuck you up (he'll fuck you up)

Yes, God will fuck you up

If you dare to disobey his stern command

He'll fuck you up (he'll fuck you up)

Don't you know he'll fuck you up

So you better do some prayin' while you can

Taglist: @completelyshatteredbrokenmschf @roninfromtheops

[waltwhitmansbeard]

Trust #15 + Percy and Kiki?

15. seeing what the other needs without them having to say it out loud

Keyleth is dodging their invitations. She's not being particularly sly or sneaky about it, though Percy is sure she's trying to be. The excuses are getting thinner and thinner; first it's a week-long meeting in Vasselheim, then it's her father's birthday, then an emergency trip to Terrah, then an important training for the Tempest Blades she just can't miss. She doesn't want to come to Whitestone, that much is obvious.

Percy has no doubt that she is busy—it seems she is less the Voice of the Tempest and more the leader of the Ashari, generally—but still, the twins are nearly three months old and Keyleth has yet to come visit them. If he's being honest, his desire for her company is more than a little selfish; Cass is great, to be sure, but they could use an extra pair of hands around the castle as they try to deal with two infants with apparently opposite sleeping habits and a suddenly very needy Vesper.

Vex is getting testy on the subject, frequently mumbling under her breath about how the great and almighty Tempest cannot deign to deviate from her busy schedule long enough to see her new niece and nephew, but Percy has a sneaking suspicion that something else is the matter.

There's a woman in town, one who moved here not terribly long ago, who has been kind enough to offer her druidic talents on occasion. She's not Ashari, just someone who grew up tending the land, and the Whitestone Council pays her a small stipend as something of a retainer for this very situation. Percy goes to her on a morning, asks her to open a door in the Sun Tree to Zephrah, and then he steps through to the center of the mountain village his best friend calls home.

The Blades nod their hellos, recognizing instantly the Lord of Whitestone, and without an escort Percy strides to the little cottage on the hill where he knows Keyleth will still be this early in the morning. He knocks primly on the door, and when she opens it, confused, he marches in, not waiting for an invitation.

"Come right in," she says caustically, slamming the door shut.

Percy throws himself onto her little sofa and smiles at her. "I thought we'd best have this conversation in person."

Her arms are wrapped defensively around her torso. "What conversation?"

He sighs. "Keyleth...he doesn't look like him." Keyleth freezes, eyes locked on his. She's not breathing. Percy continues. "I mean, to be fair, they're both infants, so they don't look much like anyone, but...Wolfe doesn't look like him."

She still not moving, but he watches her eyes grow shinier and shinier. Then the lower lip starts to tremble. Still, though, her arms remain steadfast around herself. "Why are you telling me this?"

"You think I don't know you? You think I haven't spent enough time with you to know what you're running from?"

"I'm not running from anything," Keyleth snaps, and good, at least she's not frozen in place anymore.

"Then why won't you come see the twins?"

Her jaw drops. "I've been bu—"

"Do not say you've been busy. I am not some Blade you can lie to."

Her mouth snaps shut. She glares at him, and he glares right back, until finally, finally, she whispers, "Even the eyes?"

Percy sighs again. She can't lie to him, but he can't lie to her, either. "They...get their eyes from the mother's side, yes."

"Fuck, Percy, you said—"

He stands, walks over to her, and wraps her in a hug, pulling her in as tight as he can. "I know it hurts, Keyleth. Vex was inconsolable for two weeks, could barely feed them because it hurt so much. But they need you. My kids need you in their lives. And, I'm sorry, but you need them, too."

She buries her face into the crook on his neck, extracts her arms to wind them around him as she starts to sob. "I don't...I don't know if I can."

He rubs a hand up and down her back. "You can. You are Keyleth of the Air Ashari. You can do whatever the hell you put your mind to."

They stand there, him holding her up, until she cries herself dry, straightens up, wipes at her eyes. "Okay," she breathes.

He kisses her forehead. "Pack a bag. We're kidnapping you for a little while. I think you need some time with family."

She smiles, then, watery and dim. And she is family, his second sister, his children's aunt, the love of his brother-in-law's life, cut short as it was. There is no de Rolo family without her in it, and as long as she lives, the de Rolo family will live on in her. And the gods know that Percy, for all his many faults, is far too stubborn to let her ever forget that she is one of them, that she belongs to them as much as they belong to her, and that his children are her family, as will be their children, and their children's children, and so on, even when the earth has long reclaimed Percy's bones and no one alive save her remembers the name Vox Machina.

[orthodoxadventure]

Hi Emma! I have a job interview tomorrow after being laid off for over 2 months at this point and I'm nervous and excited! Could you please say a prayer for me? Thank you so much and God bless!

Of course! God bless you. A prayer you might find helpful:

God, our Father, I turn to You seeking Your Divine help and guidance as I look for suitable employment. I need Your wisdom to guide my footsteps along the right path, and to lead me to find the proper things to say and do in this quest. I wish to use the gifts and talents You have given me, but I need the opportunity to do so with gainful employment. Do not abandon me, dear Father, in this search, but rather grant me this favor I seek so that I may return to You with praise and thanksgiving for your gracious assistance. Grant this through Christ, our Lord. Almighty God, our Help and Refuge, who knows that we can do nothing right without Your guidance and help; direct me by Your wisdom and power, that I may find suitable employment and, whatever I do according to Your divine will, so that it may be beneficial to me and others and to the glory of Your holy Name. Amen.

Saint Xenia of Saint Petersburg would also be a good sake to ask for her intercession. There in an Akathist for her: https://www.akathists.com/saint-xenia-of-st-petersburg/akathist/.

Your Patron Saint, your Guardian Angel, and the Most Holy Theotokos would also be beneficial to ask for their intercession too. As would any Saints you feel a particular connection with. God bless you, and I hope you find the employment you need soon!

[godofwar3downloadforpc]

God of War 3 Full Games

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He or she roars he hath the girl almost nothing (a callback to the addition of the subsequent activity). Athena reappears, calling in which Kratos replace what exactly the girl considers he / she assumed coming from Pandora's Field. Any time Kratos explains to the woman's it had been empty, the girl won't suppose this kind of, explaining that when Zeus sealed the wickeds from the earth within the envelope following the Opening Big Battle, your woman positioned the power involving desire inside it likewise. When foreseeing to this would finally ended up being opened, Athena then recognises any time Kratos kicked off the field to help defeat Ares, the bads drained along with slowly distorted the deities while Kratos ended up being filled with optimism, which usually have been obscured through the guiltiness along with malfunctions regarding his or her ancient. The lady demands Kratos to return the ability involving expect while using plan associated with verifying her own control over Greece.

Thises a payment in order to how much the sport carry out proper to the level i always performed don't forget plenty of this stuff when I begun engaging in God involving Warfare III once again, performing from dawn to finish in a session (typically I place this stuff out). All right, totally -- however simply for those 17 12 months old as well as big, as the over-the-top gratuitous violence, erotic designs and also robust vocabulary process this specific online game occurs mainly certainly definitely not used for jokes. On the other hand, for the people Wherever i'm able to Download Spirit involving Conflict 3 who require visceral actions, Idol involving War III transfers the goods, and also the limits are only while awkward and also approachable because past The almighty of Fighting competition for your PS2 and also PSP. The Religious Possessions end up being marvelous products of which the moment found yourself on the Goodnesses could instantly be gotten concealed in many apartment inside competition. They can be really valuable, nevertheless when you finally trigger a Religious Person, you may not really be capable of receive any Trophies with the total participate in because of.

They flow with the unlocked blowing wind on her deceased along with go on with their combat on the inside your ex chest. Kratos impales Zeus against Gaia's cardiovascular system while using the Cutting tool connected with Olympus, Exactly where i am able to Download God of Hostilities 3 killing the woman as well as apparently Zeus. Believing Zeus to be empty, Kratos ends up being struck by Zeus' astral kind, exactly who rids him connected with his / her weapons with capacities.

[carolap53]

Working Versus Striving TGIF Today God Is First Volume 1 by Os Hillman

05/24/2023

"So he said to me, 'This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: "Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit," says the Lord Almighty."'"

- Zechariah 4:6

Your greatest obstacle in fulfilling God's purposes in your life is the skills you have acquired to perform well in your work life. One of the great paradoxes in Scripture relates to our need to depend on the Lord; yet at the same time, we're instructed to use the talents and abilities God gives us to accomplish the work He gives us to do.

It has been one of the most difficult principles to live out. How do we know that what we achieve is by the power of the Holy Spirit in our life versus our own abilities, and is there a difference? When we reach a level of excellence and performance in our fields, it actually becomes an obstacle to seeing God's power manifest in our work. What we naturally do well becomes the object of our trust. When this happens, God retreats. You see, God allows us to develop skills, but these must be continually yielded to God's Spirit. There will be times when God will use these skills to accomplish His purposes. There will be other times that God will not use any of our skills just to ensure that we know it is by His power that we can do anything.

It is the oxymoron of all oxymorons for Christian workplace believers. Learning not to act until God shows you to act is a sign of maturity in God. "Do not lean on the natural skill which you have been given. Let God manifest Himself in what you are doing," said a mentor who has learned this balance of skill and walking with God. "You must almost restrain from doing those things you know you are prone to do and actually go against them."

I was learning this lesson recently when I was asked to participate in a large event that would give great exposure and much needed financial increase to my ministry. It made all the sense in the world to participate. Then I prayed with a friend and asked the Lord His mind on it. The Lord showed us this was not His plan for me. I declined the invitation.

Ask God to teach you what it means to walk according to the power of the Holy Spirit in your business life. Develop a listening ear to the small voice inside that wants to direct your efforts by His Spirit.

[lucygraysboy]

“dovie. reva blue. lucy gray, you have a talent for finding the cutest names. besides, doves are gorgeous birds, very docile and intelligent so i don’t blame you for going with it.” billy certainly shares lucy gray’s love for nature and animals, and could talk about them for hours. “well, i’ll need a few rags, yarn for the hair, maybe some wool if we can get it or feathers to stuff it with?” or more rags. “buttons so that we can use them as eyes.” or whatever it was that her dolly’s face was made of. “oh, i get it now. is that why your middle name is gray? and this lovely lady’s is blue?” he points to the bear, smiling softly as the story makes him feel both warm and empty on the inside. “that dress really is something out of this world. i’ve never seen anything like it, not even when i was little, back at the capitol.” he doesn’t ask what exactly happened to her mama, sensing they share this ever-lasting, all-consuming kind of grief that only motherless children carry, wishing he could give her a hug but making no move for it. “how’d she lose the arm?” he asks quietly, as if the bear could overhear them and get her feelings hurt. “do your friends or family know you’re here? that you’re alive?” he doesn’t want to sound stupid and ask what THE COVEY is, and so he pretends to know everything. “billy taupe? taupe?” gray. blue. taupe. he finds it fascinating, wondering which district has such unique traditions. 12? 11? “why would my brother be jealous of your boyfriend?” their mother’s scarf. now this. billy lifts an eyebrow, curious about what exactly happened between the two. “i don’t have a lot in common with my father so i don’t think i’m truly a snow,” he insists, setting the cloth down and beginning to apply iodine to her wounds. “are you still cold?” he wants to take her mind off of the physical pain that she may be experiencing now, rubbing the disinfectant into her cuts but avoiding the bruises. not much can be done to help those. maybe he could put a cold compress on, help with the swelling, but he doesn’t want to make her shiver now that she should actually be warming up. “alright, can you keep your blouse like this for a moment longer? let it dry, alright?” he instructs, kneeling before her to take a look at her leg and managing to stifle a shriek by some miracle. oh, lord almighty, what happened to her. this one does look bad. he’s not a medic, but the redness around the gash and slight swelling bring to mind the beginning of a potential infection. “how’d this happen? did you fall?” he asks, concern brimming in his eyes as fingertips gently touch the edge of her wound, trying to see if the skin’s warmer here, figure out if something might be stuck there. sometimes all it takes is a speck of dirt or a splinter. “this must have been botherin’ you for a while, hm?”

“i did have a dolly, her hair was made out of yarn cause of course there wasn’t any means for a real doll even if we wanted one. it was one of the things that got left behind when our covey got pushed out of our last home by peacekeepers. all i have left of childhood toys is my mama’s bear she made for me, over yonder. sittin’ on the bed with a missin’ arm. reva blue the rainbow bear, or probably should be rainy bear now since she must not feel so fun anymore with no arm.” lucy gray frowns, “reva blue is her birth name, though. reva means rain and blue because rainbows start in bluer skies after the rain.” giving a little explanation, the bear is light brown with quilted rainbow ruffles sewed into her waist with a purple heart sewn onto her left foot, a yellow heart sewn into her right foot. her rainbow skirt is in better shape than hers, even if she’s took some wear and tear of her own with that missing arm. lucy gray thinks how she feels a lot like that bear, still trying to be colorful in these conditions because that’s the type of person she was born by heart as — staying relentlessly optimistic, but slowly officially losing her light. wearing her rainbow but becoming torn apart. “nice knowin’ how terribly biased an’ judgmental she is.” really— she’s shocked why coriolanus was even enamored by her for a few seconds. or how. since, she would figure he’s exactly like his grandma’am. thinks anyone other than capitol is the only worthy people in his mind. her mind is puzzled he could find anything attractive about her at all, since she feels like she should have been horribly ugly to him. how could he fake starry eyes and exchange kisses with her if he thought she was gross? but she should have been gross to him so her mind is burning trying to understand him even more. “of course. but one passed when i was younger and then the other i had that was livin’…i’m not sure anymore. we moved so often, but mamaw couldn’t just pick up and leave, so she stayed. i’m not sure if she somehow still might be there or she got rooted out too. or somethin’ else.” she could have died by now, that was a few years ago now. either way, the loss of so many family members weighs down heavily never knowing their fates. “well, that’s how people get you vulnerable. they pretend to fix things an’ be nice, but they can have killer motives behind it all.” lucy gray points out, placing the knife down on the bed while other hand is pulling loose the strings on her corset. “that’s interestin’.” thinking out loud, meaning his new name. william henry bonney. opening the door on the closet filled with pans and other miscellaneous things, she uses it as a cover. tugging the corset off, her long sleeve and then the ruffly multi colored skirt— throwing each of the pieces onto the bed. her hands dip down in her bag and pull out a soft lavender colored skirt and a white long sleeve with floral and butterflies on the front of the collar where it ties in the front and a tiny bow hangs down. wobbly legs step into the light purple skirt, feeling dangerously lightheaded before tugging on the shirt. closing the closet door back, she leaves her arms hanging out of the shirt, sleeves loosely hanging at her sides.

billy… brows creased at the familiarity. did he or dr gaul purposely choose the name billy to be even more twisted? she’s staring over at him like he fully offended her alone just by his name: billy. of course he offends her, because he must have remembered billy taupe. “there’s a scrape on my shoulder from tree limbs getting a hold of me takin’ it’s time healin’. and then there’s one like it on my leg, from scrapin’ it on a rock.” reluctantly sitting back down in front of him with that same scowl still on her face as she keeps dwelling on this name billy, there are scatters of bruises and cuts on her shoulders now that they’re bare not just the one she’s sugar coating on her left shoulder just because it’s a little more significantly different in size. the biggest though, is on on the inside of her upper leg where her knees meet. the second one that’s actually getting potential to set up for infection. moving her skirt until it’s bunched up in her lap, revealing the icky red scrape on her left leg starting above her knee and ending somewhere down the inner part of her upper leg.

[aajjks]

The Conqueror (II)

Synopsis: He had conquered everything, anything but your heart.

Pairings: Yandere!King Jungkook x Commoner!servant Reader.

Warnings: yandere, dark, angst, obsession, slavery, reader has depression, CATCH ON TO THE HINTS??!!!! [shits about to go down…]

Disclaimer: proceed with caution, this can be triggering. This is purely fictional and this does not represent bts or jungkook irl. Do not romanticise this.

note. MERRY CHRISTMAS! okay listen carefully,,, this chapter is very much important… please attention to it… maybe you’ll connect the dots. share your theories with me… ENJOY! SHARE FEEDBACK.

*not edited*

taglist: @mageprincess7 @starsggukk @sprinkleoftee @koremis @minshookie29 @cravingforhotchocolate @kookxin @99liners @sana-b @bangtannoonalvg @oonaaurora @jeonsweetpea @sugaslittlekookies @outro-kook @btxteezdotexe @dunixxd @raynom @hersatanicmajestysshit @3greasy-shirt3 @atricksterwithwing @mwitsmejk @earth2koo @kthyg @lunaashes @debicaptain-saturn @laurynne5 @captainsjoongs @myblackconfessions @seokjinkismet @lanalanexpjm @namjooncrabs @shadowmoon21 @kookunot @natalie-rdr @angelicasdre @iwasfuckinginnocentonce @mermaidtea @jeonthighss @foulnightharmony @ungodlyjoon @quechulitaaa @telepathytae @silversparkles11 @j3alous-ang3l @bunzom @janeduckiesworld @1-in-abillion @kimsharon2403 @jiminie-08 @merlot-malika @littlesugapuff @giggledreamer @aeriiivv @artgukk @lovesthetword @bunijmin @pinkcherrybombs @afangirllikeme-blog @twilight-love-nochu-main @wedarkacademia (I can’t tag anymore people, it’s full 😭😭)

ch 1, ch 2, ch 3 tba..

“Now go go go!” Mrs Lee’s voice ushered you. You gripped on the dining glass trolley tighter. “I am, my lady.” You could only reply softly. Your attention was focused on the view of the huge narrow hall towards you. Your mouth was agape because of the sight.

Sweet lord…This is beyond beautiful! Praise and shock filled your mind.

The lady guided you through the Golden wing of the palace. It was the most luxurious wing out of all of the huge, magnificent palace or as you heard when the people in the royal kitchen were gushing about it.

This is where the king resides. And now you were seeing it, The view was new for you. You hadn’t ever seen anything even close to it in your life. This was a view of a lifetime. Busan was infamous for many things, but its architecture, flowers and the imperial palace’s remarkable beauty were most talked about all around Corea.

You had heard tales about it from your father. When he used to travel around it to buy its infamous unique flower seeds for his flower shop

Back in Gaegyeong.

They made it famous around your hometown.

Your fathers flower shop was a people's favorite, because it had a variety of different and unique flowers, especially from busan.

You and your father harboured a special love for flowers and plants. You’d always help him out, accompanying him in the shop, the sweet memories were the only pillar of strength that were left in you.

You missed your family so much. But especially your father. You and him were so close, you were his favourite daughter.

He used to consider you his biggest blessing from the Almighty. He had kept a portrait of you on one of the walls of his tiny shop.

You both loved flowers.

you got it from him because your mother and sister were more interested in cooking. You were lucky enough to possess the talent of cooking from your beloved mother.

But your interests were always focused on flowers. Flowers were special to you, they made your bond with your father more special. The lovely memories of you always helping him out in the shop were something you cherished deeply, especially now.

Your father called you his snowdrop. After the trip to the royal garden, it made your memories more vivid.

It was painful.

But there was nothing here to regret anymore. Nothing could change your reality, especially not regret. Strong is what you needed to be, your family would have wanted for you to survive.

And you will.

Your eyes slowly snapped back to reality and your attention was focused on the Imperial wing again. It was amusing for you, that out of all the dozen servants in this palace, you were chosen to attend to the emperor, tonight. Even after such an awkward interaction. And you were unable to avoid that, because now you were standing somewhere Only the servants of the king could come. Golden was all you could see, the color only made the beauty of the unique architecture stand out, It was eye blinding. The beautiful shades illuminated on the clean floors, mimicking the color.

It made the halls look like a fantasy world. “Do not slack off, girl. You should make sure that the king eats in peace, bring whatever he will want, make sure he has a nice meal.” You did not choose to reply this time, only nodding at her instructions. What was he? An infant?

The only thing that was still left in you was the resentment you felt towards the emperor. Life was ironic, You did not care for him one but and here you were, being instructed to do that. Your heart was vibrating inside your chest, anxiety was slowly bubbling up, the thought of being in the same room as him made your insides twist.

How were you going to survive that, you weren’t sure.

But there was a part inside you that soothed your anxious nerves, this was only the last task for today, then you could come back.

And it wasn’t like you were going to him as his bed warmer for the night.

You were just his lowly worthless servant. Nothing more. “Okay, Y/N. We are finally here, the eunuch’s will guide you inside. Go now!”

You inhaled in a breath. The lady spoke calmly, but sternly.

It was time for the king's meal.

Magnificent.

Absolutely magnificent is the word you’d use to describe the enormous room. Your eyes were filled with awe, the view of the emperor’s room was even more dazzling. He was thankfully not present in his room. Actually this was not just a room. This was spacious enough to fit all of the people of your village

You were not exaggerating. Why would he need such a spacious room? That was something that you didn’t want to know. You shook your head in order to get your priorities straight, you were not here for a tour, you were here for serving the Emperor that you despised so much.

This was all a distraction. You could not afford to be distracted, You gave the room a careful glance. It was luxurious. And there was even a balcony, as you could tell from a far view.

You took your time to look around it. But you didn’t move from your place. The huge couch was littered with golden patterns, going perfectly along its beige colour scheme, red cushions made it look fancy. There was a wooden table right across it, where you’d set his food.

It was safe to say that you had done a decent job, despite being so tired.

It was already dawn. It was getting hard for you to stay awake any longer.

Your body could sob, if it could. Your eyes were hurting.

Just where was he? You closed your eyes, letting them rest for a while, as you leaned across the wall, your legs were already aching.

For the first time, you were hoping that he’d come soon.

Maybe… you could leave.

But no, that was not an option. The feeling of frustration was filling you up, why did the damned lady have to assign you.

Why, you? You let out a light whimper. What was fate's plan? There were so many questions you had that required answers.

But you know you’ll never know but the questions still lingered around your head.

Why not someone else, why you. You were feeling restless, quite literally, only because the King wasn’t here, and it was weird. He was known to be a punctual man, maybe they were all just lies. You were really staring to get tired of waiting for him, and you were the only one present in this huge gorgeous room.

Your eyes looked over to the bed, and you felt your knees turning weak, your gaze was set on the comfy, soft, luxurious looking bed, adorned with a silk maroon bedsheet, the crown of the bed was nothing less than a throne. It looked equally magnificent, your eyebrows furrowed in longing. The golden pillows made it look so pretty, it was perfectly made, ready for the king to sleep on it.

He was so lucky… and here you were, begging for the support of the Almighty.

“Where are you, King…. Please come and eat your now cold meal… and let me go so I can finally get sleep.” You could only accompany yourself by talking to yourself, it wasn’t like anyone could hear you, except for the huge wall’s of this imperial room.

If only the eunuch outside will call out for you, and you can go…

Where was he… at this inappropriate hour. “Ugh…” you sighed loudly. It has been a full hour… the fires were the only source of light in his chamber. “I need to ask the guards outside…” yes, it was only fair. Taking in a deep breath you take your steps toward the door. Walking with tired steps, you’re just about to knock on it, so they can open it for you, when, as if they already heard you, the gate is opened,

Thank God, you could finally go.

Just as you’re about to step out, a loud voice stops you between your steps.

“His majesty the 64th great king of Jeon Dynasty is entering his Imperial Chamber.” A loud voice announces. And a tall figure walks in. Your feet get frozen on the spot.

Oh no… no no no! Not now! You cry internally, your eyes widen as soon as he walks in, the one you’ve been waiting for.

The king was here. There he stood, in all his tall glory, a black gown was what was covering his seemingly hard chest, you couldn’t believe this. Your nose almost brushed against his chest, he was so close to you.

And you felt undoubtedly small against him. He was big, and tall enough to squish your tired frame. “You…”

Destiny was never on your side, was it? “I-I’m so sorry, your imperial m-majesty!” His voice sent shivers of fear down your trembling spine, you sounded so embarrassed, quickly you stepped away from him, as fast as you could. His scent was heavy, standing towards him, you quickly bowed down to him. “I-I’m so sorry, Your majesty, please enjoy your meal. I shall take m-my leave now.” You wanted the earth to swallow you into it, you could barely hear yourself, your nerves were taking over you. “I-I will send someone to heat your meal… Your majesty.” Your eyes were down, at your feet, you weren’t feeling courageous enough to look up at him. Not waiting for his reply, your feet took you backwards in their own. The door was open, maybe God was feeling merciful at you, now.

You walked out, but your ears managed to catch on his next words. “Wait!” He called for you.

You didn’t stop, you practically ran away.

Jungkook, sat on his throne, his eyes looked over to his most loyal servant, The spy he left in his absence, for some special tasks. He was the only one Jungkook could barely trust, his special man, his eyes and ears when he was absent. Jungkook wanted the reports, and only the reports he wanted to hear. He felt calm, but yet impatient, he couldn’t bring himself to wait much more. He wanted to know, he needed to know.

“Speak.” He commanded, running his fingers over the throne. Jungkook knew how to mask his urgency, The anonymous man nodded, as he bowed.

“Your majesty, it’s indeed her. It’s her.” The man spoke with a hint of satisfaction in his voice,

Jungkooks fingers stopped. His heart thumped loudly against his chest, He couldn’t believe this. “Yes, I saw her.” He replied in a monotone, “good work, you found her for me. Keep your eyes on her, will you?” Jungkook could burst with happiness but he kept his composure. His hunger was already satisfied, “There is another thing, your majesty… She has been assigned to your wing, just like you ordered.” Jungkook smirked. “Good. You may go now.” He stood up from the throne. His hands were crossed against his back, he slowly walked towards his anonymous servant. “You’re such a good friend…” Jungkook laughed,

The anonymous man chose to keep his head hung low. “Anything you need, Your majesty. I shall leave, before anyone sees.”

The unknown man slowly walked away. Jungkook watched with amused eyes.

He finally had her, after so long. You were finally his.

The trip to Gaegyeong was worth it after all, The king had found his first and only love.

[thesunshineriptide]

So I watched Lilo and Stitch again. And was curious if aliens would exist in twisted and how it would be if Yuu was actually an alien.

I’m genuinely not sure if this is a request or if you’re just asking my opinion but I can definitely answer this to the best of my abilities

In terms of whether or not I think twisted wonderland, in particular, would have aliens…probably not to be honest. But then again, maybe?

On a technical level, Yuu is actually an alien. This is a character from another world with different physiology, physics, rules of nature, etc. So in that sense, yes aliens exist.

But you were talking about Lilo and Stitch kinda aliens and in that case. Probably not.

From a storytelling perspective it doesn’t seem likely due to the fact that Twst is more focused on the fantasy based Disney properties rather than the science fiction properties.

Now, let’s say there are aliens in this universe similar to what you see in Lilo and Stitch

Yuu as an alien….would be Grim

Yeah sorry this is kind of boring.

But on the other hand, let me offer you some headcanons since my hot takes are pretty lukewarm (don’t get me wrong though, I love the concept of Alien Yuu!)

Alien Yuu

The fuzzy, eight legged creature that was inside of the black coffin, draped in ceremonial robes, was not what anyone was expecting

Much less for this creature to immediately run up the walls and refuse to come down

There’s got to be a mistake, right? This…this can’t be right.

The dark mirror assigns the creature to Savanaclaw.

Hades lord almighty the creature goes to school. With normal ass people.

Also for the record I think Alien Yuu wears a tiny, tailored version of the uniform, unlike grim

Luckily, since it’s small and fluffy, it doesn’t take up much room. But it’s an alien that barely understands language as a whole so it’s kind of an asshole.

This thing. Yelled at constantly. Half the time it’s Riddle collaring them (which works exactly one time because Yuu tries to bite him) or Sebek yelling about this atrocity allowed to be inside of the school.

But sometimes, Yuu is adorably present

The creature starts attending classes and doing well?? And particularly gets good at animal linguistics.

Eventually learns the common tongue and starts talking and thinking out loud a lot more.

Ends up being like, the fifth scariest student on campus. Both because that thing is not even close to humanoid and bites, and also because it’s magical talent is wildly overpowered

I’d like to think that some students just. Pick up alien Yuu and carry them around

Alien Yuu has probably snuck into Leona’s room at least once and napped with him. The amount of panic he had at being met with those big black eyes when he woke up made everyone worried some was attacking him

This thing eats anything in sight. Tried to eat a cauldron at least once. Has eaten several vials of alchemy ingredients

I’d imagine that Malleus would find them interesting and just sort of study them from afar. And they just start following him around

Now they’re the second scariest student in school

It’s not clear who’s job it is to take care of this thing but it’s probably Leona’s. Anyway they smell like dirt a lot

Honestly probably bathes like a Chinchilla? Not sure if that’s important information but it’s information I needed to give

When someone finds out they have a phalangeal jaw the Leech twins are coming over to bond over biting people.

Speaking of, alien Yuu totally steals food from other peoples dorms. Is banned from Octavinelle (also tried to bite Azul)

You may be wondering how this thing is going to deal with overblots, right?

The aggressive power of hugs and also just eating peoples pens

Grim has the decency to wait until the person is done with their mental breakdown to eat their magestone, but Alien Yuu just does it as soon as they notice trouble

Ended up snapping Riddle out of his rage by just. Playing up how cute and fluffy they are. Forced to cuddle with a sentient fucking teddy bear.

Basically how they deal with all of them.

Except Azul, in which they deal with it by biting his tentacles (don’t worry, they grow back)

Also don’t think about the fact that this alien would be Crowley’s errand runner and make a deal with Azul. Yeah they did those things but they also share a braincell with Ace and deuce so they’re not doing them well, just solving issues with brute force

[shadow--writer]

Head empty only pretty art 😍😍

~ sketch of my cuties i forgot to post yesterday  (ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ

also … HEY YOU!! Send me ur apprentice!! I want to draw different oc’s but i don’t have many.  It’ll be a simple sketch like this one :D  ♡

[galadhremmin]

We have derived Caranthir liking the Dwarves (and vice versa) because apparently, Finrod succeeds in every field Caranthir fails, and at this point it's clear this derives from the in-universe writer of the Silm and his own biases. Think about it: "Dark Finwë" , a grumpy, prejudiced lordling, and "Hair Champion", most handsome, noble king, have met with the same people!! Yet the king of the first secret kingdom is everyone's friend, but the prince that trades with them regularly is not... seems sus.

Hence, Caranthir is friends with the Dwarves. (But that is just an interpretation, so you're free to think what you wish, I just have several opinions on in-universe prejudice and the almighty narrative.)

I think that 'we' might actually have been Dawn Felagund years ago. Maybe this reading existed even before that, but I doubt that-- she's been very influential in silm fandom and was long before tumblr was much of a thing. https://dawnfelagund.com/caranthir-the-slandered

I wouldn't say it's 'clear' that what amounts to Caranthir's entire documented personality derives from the bias of the in-universe narrator, though as you can see from Dawn's writing it's a reading you can argue for. There are a number of different approaches you can take to the Silm and its biases anyway. One of the few times when it's absolutely clear the text isn't telling the entire story is when it talks about the Easterlings. I've posted about this before but the recorded names are, uhh.... the ones to betray the elves are unlikely to actually have been named things like 'ugly lord' and 'ugly beard.' 'Dark Finwe' on the other hand is a documented reference to his haircolour being dark like Finwe's own; hardly a negative judgement!

I personally think Caranthir can be exactly as ill-tempered and prejudiced as the Silm paints him without becoming an unsympathetic character. If a writer cannot make a moody, deeply prejudiced man an interesting character that is a failure as a writer; there are after all enough books who manage exactly that. That is not to say choosing not to write him that way is a failure (obviously not), but it's not necessary in order to make a reader feel for him at all.

Just going by the text, I think it actually might make for a more interesting narrative to explore in fic to me. Because he does change his mind about something, and at a very specific moment; when he meets the Haladin. That is much less dramatic if he secretly been as nice and popular as Finrod, and got along with everyone all the time already. He's been raised by Fëanor, who said things like 'No other race shall oust us!' and rallied the Noldor not motivated enough by vengeance for Finwë alone by playing on their deep-seated fear of being replaced by the Secondborn. Very unlikely that had no impact. At best it has made him uninterested in humans in his area (while they're not much of a threat to ruling instead of the elves anyway). The text says they paid them no heed.

And yet! Caranthir sees how brave Haleth and her people are. He 'does her great honour.' He changes his mind and offers them lands. His tragedy to me is not that of a slandered figure, but of this deeply, deeply prejudiced person raised to distrust the motivations of human beings -- who overcomes those beliefs, offers friendship, is rejected! then extends that same trust to the Easterlings anyway... and it's those specific Easterlings, not the ones who ally with his brothers-- who betray them all. And cause the disastrous ending of the Nirnaeth. It's the 'to evil end shall all things turn that they begin well' part of the curse hitting him in the least fair way possible. Someone finally changes for the better, and the outcome is treason and destruction.

That is a very good character arc to me, actually. His aesthetics-based scorn for the Dwarves is reprehensible but strikes me as deeply Elvish, and part of his prejudices. Naugrim is too unflattering a name for them for it not to be common. His temper-- well why can't he have one? Sure there's only one recorded instance -- but that's imo because there are hardly any conversations in the Silm! Anyway I like some people with tempers well enough. Personally I think people are missing out on opiniated grouches.

Obviously the biased anti-Feanorian Pengolodh reading is a nice one, and I have enjoyed a lot of stories written based it. But it's not at all a reading that is necessary for me to read Caranthir as a flawed but sympathetic character. He can have serious faults and still, ultimately, be someone I feel for.

What I was asking though was if I overlooked any canon evidence of Caranthir being particularly, personally fond of the Dwarves; and it seems I did not. Also; there is room for Caranthir growing to like the Dwarves over centuries without an anti-Feanorian bias reading this strong, there is simply no evidence for friendship in the rather barebones narrative (I'm not interested atm because it's wildly overdone to me & I like variety).

That said, in my opinion making Caranthir the hidden, slandered Feanorian Finrod equivalent with a dash of Curufin's Dwarf affection is not as enjoyable as simply working with what little canon character is actually there. Because there is one (and it's not the greedy tax collector of some fanon depictions either imo)

1. To start with, wrt Caranthir as the anti-Finrod, I don't think it works that well. Sure sure dark/light, open/prejudiced, repressed/shouty, but different motivations, different locations, plus they meet very different peoples even if both are Edain-- besides, Caranthir's own older brothers do successfully ally with the Easterlings without betrayal, while Curufin (much more so than Finrod! no Khuzdul for Finrod!) is the Dwarves' Friend(tm). Also, a flawed Finrod already exists. That's just the regular edition. He has his own faults and (very different) tragic arc.

If Finrod never seems to have strong prejudices to overcome, and if he's not confrontational (which... look he's a diplomat. Make of that what you will. Pretty awkward there in Doriath, buddy!) he does have trouble facing his own complicity (he wanted to sail those ships despite the murders) until Sauron beats him to death with it. He leaves Valinor with the idea of ruling but he has to give up the crown. He's ambitious, he seems emotionally repressed, he's.. possibly paying the greater Dwarves to drive the Petty Dwarves out of their ancestral home to build a city? Oops. Depending on the version you go with in that case, of course; there's also ones where he's free of the blame of that one. Not of wanting to sail those ships and being uneasy with the guilt wrt wanting to do so despite their being stolen and murdered for though. No he doesn't kill; but he wants to use the result of it anyway, and to make it worse he is actually half Telerin.

There's also (to be fair, only for sure after the disaster of the Sudden Flame because that's the recorded instance) his guards killing random innocent trespassers to keep his kingdom hidden -- yes, that's right there in Silm, yes he's still King at the time. Beren has to wave that ring. People just seem to miss that he'd be killed without it somehow.

I think it's just too easy to reduce him to the golden perfect opposite of Caranthir. Yes he's described more positively; he's also just mentioned more because unlike Caranthir he rules an actual kingdom, the greatest and richest in Beleriand in fact; and does things that have a lot of very longterm effects, like helping B&L steal a Silmaril. They don't 'meet the same people' anyway -- the Haladin have a different culture from the Beorians which contributes to their reaction to Caranthir (and iirc their later fate).

Sidenote: Dawn's essay attributes the Green Elves helping the Feanorians at Amon Ereb to Caranthir's diplomatic skills; but why not to those of Amras or Amrod? This is the quote; 'Caranthir fled and joined the remnant of his people to the scattered folk of the hunters, Amrod and Amras, and they retreated and passed Ramdal in the south. Upon Amon Ereb they maintained a watch and some strength of war, and they had aid of the Green-elves' -- nothing here indicates it was Caranthir who got them that aid. In fact A&A are the hunters, i.e. more likely to have roamed in various forests where they would have encountered Green Elves, imo.

There's also the very desperate times to consider in which this aid takes place. This is just post Sudden Flame, and even if the Green Elves didn't like Caranthir they probably liked him better than Morgoth. Also, speaking of cosmopolitans, Maedhros allies with, yes, Dwarves (Azaghal), Grey elves, Easterlings (and you might say: Fingolfinians); even part of the remaining people of Dorthonion rally to Himring post sudden flame (that means Edain and Arafinwean followers in Himring, at least for a time), and he manages to be friendly with Felagund despite calling him a badger. ;)

Finrod is not the only other leader to forge diverse alliances, and though B&L ends happily his people mostly do not. Caranthir's not much like Finrod in any way. Not in motivations, temperament, tragic arc. That's fine. No hidden kingdom for a dragon to eat either. Finrod could probably do with being a little less like Finrod sometimes, though he's well-intentioned and likable. Caranthir loves to shout and isn't sneaky. Good for him.

2. Curufin also already exists. His love for Dwarves is one of his defining and redeeming characteristics and boy does he need them. He's daddy's favourite, a sneaky overambitious bitchy bastard who is also a talented smith and linguist, and truly considered a Dwarf friend, which is apparently exceptional. He's quite flawed; tries to help Celegorm force a political marriage, laughs with a bruised mouth, seeming to lose his mind while attempting and failing murder after first losing his own stronghold and then the city he tried to take from his cousin. He's just... a personality. Mostly a bad one! You can feel for him though, because he seems like an utter mess. Many 'i would love to study you' feelings on my part. Would hate for him to be real but also I'd pay to be his therapist.

3. And then finally there's Canon Caranthir. A difficult, prejudiced person who despite that (which doesn't at all have to mean there is no despite, the despite is what makes it juicy)

- seems to be responsible for re-establishing (large scale?) trade with the Dwarves, whatever he might think of them (and they of him) to their mutual benefit. I don't think he's greedy either. It seems like a mutually profitable situation. Access to Dwarvish goods seems pretty vital to Beleriand, and facilitating trade is a real service.

As someone pointed out in the replies, the Silm does mention Dwarvish companies travelling east to Nan Elmoth and menegroth various times, but quote wrt Caranthir says 'Caranthir’s people came upon the Dwarves, who after the onslaught of Morgoth and the coming of the Noldor had ceased their traffic into Beleriand' and 'when the Dwarves began again to journey into Beleriand.'

They stopped at some point and Caranthir's people made it happen again.

- which means he's practical. He seems like he's good at organising, and setting his own feelings aside if necessary despite his prejudice and temper (which is an achievement it wouldn't be without his, hm, everything). Also he and his people as well as the Dwarves work together well because ''either people loved skill and were eager to learn,' despite their (initial?) mutual dislike. Those aren't bad characteristics; seems like it was an exchange of skill as well as goods and possibly providing safe travel opportunities.

I don't like the 'greedy Caranthir' fanon and don't think it is even that easy support entirely with canon. 'They had of it great profit,' the text says-- both Caranthir and the Dwarves. They exchanged skills and knowledge and Caranthir seems to have helped them start trading in Beleriand again. That's hardly Scrooge Mcduck.

- Another thing we can say about canonthir (lol) is that he apparently attaches a lot of value to aesthetics (was he a visual artist? is a he a sculptor like Nerdanel? WORSE: AN ART CRITIC?! Feanorian art critic is truly nightmare fuel) and that's why he dislikes Dwarves (of all things...). Either way points to 'aesthetics' as something apparently important to Caranthir. Which makes sense given who his parents are. What is interesting to me is that this apparently DOESN'T matter to Curufin, who is a lot like Feanor in most things. That's interesting!

I've never, never seen this but I think it would be very funny to attribute his aesthetic prejudices to Nerdanel. I love her; but why should her opinions be perfect? I know she wasn't considered beautiful herself, but she's an artist. She's got to have had some strong opinions on aesthetics anyway. I doubt it's the beards; Mahtan had one as well. And 'stunted'...at least some of this comes down to the Elvish obsession with height yet again. Hm.

- eventually Caranthir overcomes what have to be some very deeply held beliefs about human beings and their place in the world, and offers what for all intents and purposes looks like real friendship, not the ruling over Men Feanor seems to have had in mind at best. He's capable of real change!

Anyway his character works just fine to me from canon, and what he achieves and the ways in which he fails are more interesting that way rather-- neither slandered Feanorian Finrod 2.0 nor Curufin 'Dwarf Fan' Feanorion without the sneakiness and murder attempts pack the same punch as a stupidly prejudiced grouchy man doing his best anyway for centuries in this stupid ugly cursed land, eventually changing for the better, opening up-- and being brutally punished for it by the Doom.

Dammit. I hope there's therapy in the Everlasting Darkness.

hm a bit long but that's what I get for trying to gather my thoughts wrt why after considering it a bit transferring Curufin's love for Dwarves to Caranthir is a bit boring to me personally. Though there are still stories that still do it very well.

[thefanficmonster]

OMG WAIT HOLD HOLD FUCKING HOLD

KARL HEADCANONS ABOUT HIM BEING A SINGLE DAD WITH A NEWBORN

Sorry for them coming in late but here are the headcanons you asked for ~ Enjoy! 💕

- The man had never SEEN a child before is an important thing to note before we get into this

- Ok that's a bit of a stretch: Of course he had seen a child but he had never been in one's proximity

- Why, you might be asking. Well, dear reader, I'll tell you why

- The almighty powerful Lord Heisenberg finds children unpredictable, hostile, hard to control and put up with, impossible to tolerate

- And, most of all, he finds them intimidating, especially toddlers 

- So suddenly having to take care of a child of his own and on his own was a shock he was far from prepared for

- Firstly, the environment he was supposed to be raising the kid in was a freaking factory built and equipped to create murder machines and monsters meant for the purpose of revenge and wreaking havoc

- In short, not only was there a bunch of dangerous drops from high up, possibly faulty and malfunctioning machines but there were also previously human murder weapons roaming around

- Karl did the best he could to baby-proof the place but he could only do so much without having to throw all the equipment and all his creations out which he’d never do

- Truth be told, he started considering the option of moving to so he could keep the child at a distance while still maintaining his factory

- And he eventually did

- But in the meantime, there were a lot of ups and downs he had to go through and lessons he had to learn the hard way

- The ton of puke he had to clean off himself and the kid would be enough to make any adult not want to have kids

- He was quick to become a diaper-changing expert

- He discovered his singing talent when calming the kid down too

- Speaking of calming the little tornado of a toddler down...

- Karl never had trouble staying up for nights on end if the kid was throwing mid-night or mid-early-morning tantrums and having crying fits

- He was used to the lack of sleep

- But then, he found out a trick to put the storm under control and did so completely on accident

- Laying the exhausted from crying baby down on his chest to reach for something while desperately trying to put it to sleep led to him finding out that the baby could only sleep well and soundly in that position: atop his chest

- That was a huge relief and a very neat discovery to say the least

- With time he also learned tricks to keep them safe in the factory too luckily

- Speaking of keeping them safe...

- None of the other Lords and especially not Mother Miranda knew of the child’s existence

- Karl told no one about the new addition to his life

- Frankly, he was too afraid to 

- At first afraid of losing his reputation and taking a hit to his ego, but then for the sole purpose of keeping them safe

- And there were no lengths he wouldn’t go to to ensure they’d be safe and they’d be the happiest he could make them

- He knew they’d probably hate him and this whole village when they’d grow up so he chose to enjoy the moments he had with the sweet and adorable creature while they still didn’t understand what kind of monster their father was

- He never knew he wanted to be a dad but now that he is he’s afraid of what it’ll do to him when they leave him, harboring a ton of hatred for him

- Until then, he chose to not thing about it

[foli-vora]

Just me, stopping by your ask box, to chime in and copycat Kelli. You are an absolute powerhouse of talent that leaves me in absolute awe of you.

Thank you so much for posting all your beautiful, breathtaking, heartwrenching, thrilling and gutpunching stories that keeps me up at night sometimes because they are scary as fuck, sometimes because I cannot even contemplate sleep until I have finished it from top to bottom.

And on top of that you are funny and kind and an absolute sweetheart. You are such a joy to be around, and I am so glad that out of all the weird little fandoms that exists you decided to hang around in this one so that I can read your wonderful writing and get to talk to the wonderful human being that is you.

honestly i’m gonna start suing for all these wonderful things y’all are making me feel. what the hell. where’s my fucking lawyer.

you’ve got me giggling and kicking my feet in the air and crying and hiding and blushing oh my. you’re delightful. forever in awe of you and the insane amount of talent you constantly pour into your life altering creations, and supremely confused that you—you—read my stuff. lord almighty. i’m not worthy. you’re so wonderful and kind and supportive, and i’m losing my fucking mind.

god damn it. the sun is shining and i’m filled with all this love for you all and i feel gooey. i am goo. thank you. i just—fuck, i’m out of words. what have you done?? literally unable to think. insane amount of love for you, and forever appreciating you. thank you for your sweetness ❤️

[luxiferiicae]

@aurorxaeternitatis​​​   ♡’𝐝   𝐟𝐨𝐫  𝐚  𝖑𝖞𝖗𝖎𝖈 𝖘𝖙𝖆𝖗𝖙𝖊𝖗.

A body, a coffin — Amaarae & Marvel to Aeon.

❛❛        𝐓𝐇𝐄    𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐒    𝐀𝐑𝐄    𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐙𝐄        ❟                            and    so    is    her    spirit.    though    her    heart    wept    for    the    sight    of    her    home    in    utter    ruin    and    turmoil.    Her    father    had    grown    to    encompass    the    skies    with    his    towering    form:    black    as    midnight    across    the    twilight.    He    was    fighting    with    all    his    might,    and    though    he    was    the    strongest    of    them    all    —    the    djinn    —    he    was    fighting    humans    that    did    not    play    fair.    in    their    weakness,    fragile    human    nature,    they    were    blessed    and    highly    favored    by    the    lord    above;    the    almighty    stretching    forth    his    hand    as    if    to    punish    her    people    for    simply    being,    for    simply    daring    to    live.    A    fist    meant    to    destroy    them    where    it    had    once    brought    her    hope.    his    favor    only    earned    her    people    heartache.    Haniyya    understood    why    they    hated    her    so    much.

The    Djinn    didn’t    like    the    humans    and    they    showed    this    by    never    interacting    beyond    being    trapped    like    slaves    to    be    used    to    grant    the    whims    of    the    selfish    with    only    a    gods    favor    used    not    to    protect    themselves    but    to    harm    the    Djinn.    and    she    was    mortal,    too.    Even    now,    her    people    were    helping    her    to    run.    The    little    halfling    that    had    none    of    the    talent    for    magic    her    human    mother    did,    nor    none    of    the    power    her    father    held    in    his    littlest    pinky.    What    kind    of    amira    could    she    be    if    the    scope    of    her    power    was    fleeing?

Trails    of    bodies    left    at    her    heels    as    she    did,    they    couldn’t    allow    her    to    die    and    allow    the    pillar    to    do    the    same.    Where    the    other    princes    could    largely    defend    themselves,    she    could    not.    She    could    not    because    they    did    not    allow    her    to    develop    her    prowess    like    they    had.    They    had    expected    in    her    incompetence    that    they    could    convince    her    father    to    produce    another    pure    blood    djinn    to    hold    the    pillar    of    the    Judaar    clan:    the    pillar    of    might.    Right    now    she    didn’t    feel    very    mighty.    She    felt    much    like    a    dove    released    to    the    wilds    only    to    hope    it    could    find    another    one    to    protect    her    from    the    outside    world    that    would    rather    her    wings    be    taken    from    her.    a    fiancé    she    had    not    met,    who’s    name    carried    with    fear    and    reverence    among    her    people.

they    had    hoped    to    marry    her    off    once    the    pillar    chose    another    vessel,    but    ...    how    could    anyone    have    known    this    decision    would    have    been    a    crucial    part    in    getting    the    weakest    princess    out    of    danger.    It    was    unfortunate    that    he    would    have    to    see    her    step    off    an    old,    but    sturdy    fisherman's    sambuk    dhow    (    boat    ).    There    is    a    scramble    from    her    surviving    handmaidens    to    wash    out    as    much    dust    and    debris    from    her    hair,    scrub    her    skin    free    of    the    dark    vapor    and    ash    left    behind    by    the    djinn    dying    all    around    her,    and    make    her    somewhat    presentable.    The    boat    smelled    of    fish    and    no    doubt    her    clothes    did    no    matter    how    much    they    tried    to    surround    her    in    scents    of    rose    and    myrrh.    it    was    inevitable    that    she    smelled    of    salt    and    ocean    and    desperation.

despite    it    all,    the    one    thing    her    elders    had    trusted    her    with    learning    was    manners    and    the    duty    of    a    princess.    She    stepped    off    her    vessel    with    all    the    heirs    of    an    amira    that    wasn’t    being    asked    to    crawl    to    her    future    intended    to    ask    for    asylum    from    a    man    she    did    not    know.    A    man    she    had    no    idea    whether    he    would    rather    see    her    beg    on    her    knees    for    safety,    but    she    was    not    above    it.    She    could    not    be    so    arrogant    when    the    entire    kingdom    had    sent    her    out    with    only    one    wish    of    her        ‘survive’.

Unwilling    to    be    turned    away    due    to    something    as    simple    as    her    pride,    Haniyya    did    just    that.    She    dropped    to    her    knees    and    kissed    the    cold    stone    of    his    palace    with    her    forehead.    she    dared    not    look    up    at    this    faceless    entity    now.    no,    she    was    afraid    she    would    bring    shame    by    daring    to    cry    like    a    babe.

By    allah,    she    is    not    strong.    she    isn’t.    Haniyya    knew    her    inherent    weakness    both    real    and    imagined.    ❛    Oh    God,    will    you    hear    me?    ❜    whispered    to    the    cold    stone,    heated    by    tears    that    burned    and    evaporated    like    the    same    vapor    her    people    were    made    of.    she    cannot    help    that    she    snaps.    the    princess    that    had    stepped    from    her    barge    had    been    left    at    the    door.    This    was    a    woman    desperate    to    live;    if    not    for    herself,    then    for    her    kingdom.

❛    I    clean    the    blood    with    my    name,           ��❜    and    she    cannot    help    that    she    lifts    up    with    a    pitiful    face    full    of    tears    with    a    single    utterance    of    shaken    faith,        ❛    turn    to    a    God    that    would    turn    me    away.            ❜    she    stared    down    at    her    hands    with    growing    hysteria,    reigning    in    her    panic    attack    with    the    curl    of    her    hands    to    fists.    

[inessencedevided]

There's been a lot of cql/mdzs atla-au posts going around lately and I need to add my take.

Because I think a lot could be done with Wei Ying as the avatar.

Imagine the story goes similarly as in canon. He is the son of traveling benders. Maybe Cangse-Sanren is a firebender and Wei Changse a waterbender. They get killed on some mission and he gets taken in by his father's old friend and leader of the Yunmeng water tribe. (This reminds me a lot of kyoshi's backstory, too.) He raises him a long his own children, his daughter who takes to healing more than fighting, and his son who likes nothing more than fighting.

Wei Ying already showed signes of being a waterbender, so they train him, even though he is the son of a former servant. He is, of course, more talented than any other of their students, even Jiang Cheng. Madam Yu still hates him for it.

At some point, they let all the children of the sect take the Avatar test. He passes. Occurs, they don't tell him until he is 16, so he doesn't know. Madam Yu dies though and her hatred for him for upstanding her son only grows. But Wei Ying is happy and loves them, much like in canon and, much like in canon, he is also convinced that he is deeply indebted to him and always brings more trouble than he is worth.

When they tell him he is the avatar on his 16th birthday, he is shocked and scared of his responsibility, but doesn't show it. He laughs it off and tells everyone he is glad because that means he can see the world and doesn't have to annoy madam yu anymore. He only shows cracks to his cheerful facade when they tell him that he has to leave the very next day. That means he will miss Jiang Cheng's birthday. When he tells Jiang Cheng's this, he gets angry and tells Wei Ying that clearly he is very important now and why not run off to the other sects, see if they will put up with him. He refuses to say goodbye after that, so it's just jiang yanli and Jiang fengmian seeing him off.

He goes to king Nie first who is the most renowned earth bending master of their time. He is unyielding and harsh, but unbelievably fond of his younger brother, who mostly uses his bending to sculp intricate and detailed statues. Wei Ying likes him instantly.

Next is fire. He doesn't like the fire lord who greets him and treats him like he is royalty himself, but in a way that makes Wei Ying's skin crawl. He does like the shy boy in his group lessons and his older sister. Wei Ying is good at firebending, even though it should be his natural enemy. Maybe it's his mother's side showing itself though.

Then of course, to complete his training, he needs to learn air-bending. He gets to Gusu and immediately dislikes it there. They are monks and they live like it, too. There are rules regulating every waking moment and the sleeping ones too and he vows to break at least half of them. By now he us 20 and he'll be damned if he lets himself be bossed around like he's 12 again.

He is greeted by their unusually young leader and his uncle and brother. He expects the uncle to be his teacher, but no. Lan Xichen explains that the honor of training the Avatar will go to the youngest air bender to ever become a master, his brother, Lan Zhan.

Okay, Wei Ying thinks, he can live with that. At least a teacher close to his own age should be fun, right?

Wrong!

Lan Zhan is strict, reticent, unyielding and punishes him for every single infringement of the 3000+ rules. He scolds Wei Ying for not taking the enormous responsibility of being the avatar more seriously. He never smiles and never praises him with more than a "passable".

But he is a challenge. One he is good! The best opponent in a fight Wei Ying has had since he was 14. And there is something so fun at making him react in even the slightest way! Also, his ears blush when he is angry and it's cute!

The first time, Wei Ying uses something other than air bending in their training fights, Lan Zhan is furious (Undisciplined!). But tge second time he grots his teeth and fights, really fights Wei Ying. He holds his own again a 3/4s-trained avatar for more than 30 minutes until Wei Ying let's him get swallowed by a whole in the ground that he than seals with a thick layer of ice that will take him way to long to slice open with air bending.

After that, their relationship evolves. It's more of a mutual rivalry, rather than just Wei Ying needling his air bending teacher until he snaps. After a few months, once Wei Ying has progressed beyond the basics (he can fly now! He loves flying! How can the Lans be so serious all the time? They can fly!!!), Lan Zhan introduces him to musical air-bending. Through bending, they can use the sounds to heal and to hurt, amplify them at will or direct them to a specific direction. Lan Zhan demonstrates some techniques on his guqin and then plays a song, though he refuses to tell Wei Ying its meaning.

Wei Ying picks a dixi. He takes to music like a fish to water and soon he is declared a fully trained air bender. His last night in Gusu is when it happens. News reaches them that Yunmeng is under attack from the Wen sect, who have been annexing more minor territoires for years. By the time Wei Ying gets there Lan Zhan at his side, Lotus Peer is burned to the ground. They barely get Jiang Cheng and Jiamg Yanli out, helped by Wei Ying's old friend, Wen Ning. They make it Wen Qing, who takes one look at Lan Zhan and tells him to go because Gusu is next.

(The wens knew where the avatar was abd where he wasn't abd chose their attacks accordingly)

Lan Zhan rushes back (alone. Wei Ying has brother to get back from the brink of death) but he us too late, too. Cloud Recesses is burned, his father dead, his brother missing and he is taken prisoner.

The war happens almost like in canon. The other heirs are taken hostage and given lessons as to how to behave towards their occupiers. They escape through the stupidity of Wen Chao.

I don't think that there'd be a burial mounts though, nor an equivalent to the list golden core. you can take someone's bending but i want Wei Ying to remain the avatar because:

In his desperation to beat the seemingly almighty Wen and his grieve for the Jiangs who took him in, he devices a plan. A) he goes to Lan Zhan and asks him if musical cultivation might help him to learn how to control the avatar state. He says they can try. They do try and after a while, Wei Ying reaches that state. And B) he rensacks the world for scrolls on blood cultivation.

When they advance on nightless City, he is ready. No one kniws his plan. Even Lan Zhan only knows of his having learned to control the avatar state. He needs the element of surprise and he needs it when he stavds in front of Wen Ruohan.

So he waits. By the time he stands face to face with Wen Ruohan and his army, the floor us littered with corpses.

Wei Ying, in front of his brother, Lan Zhan, everyone goes into the avatar state and with the power of all his former incarnations, bebds the blood of every single corpse, as well as every single Wen soldier to turn on Wen Ruohan and then each other. It's a massacre.

When he comes to it again, there is silence. And then cheers. Everyone cheers for him, even though blood bending has veen outlawed for ages. He won them their war though.

Everyone cheers, everyone but Lan Zhan.

They fight after that, a lot.

(I helped you enter the avatar state. You could have died! - my problem, not yours! - You desecrated the dead! What about their spirits? - what about their spirits? I'm the avatar, i can deal with them! - the avatar state is the sacret link to your past lifes ... - My past lifes, yeah Lan Wangji! Let me decide what to do with them. - Wei Wuxian! - Lan Wangji.)

They part on bad terms more often than not.

So when knews reaches that the Jins, a notoriously rich noble family in some corner of the earth kingdom, has taken Wen citizens, civilians mostly, for slave labour, he goes alone. He is furious, more so when he realises that his friends are among them. He enters the avatar stare involuntarily and has the blood of all present Jin soldiers boil in their veins. Wen Ning is almost dead, but he uses his bending to circulate his blood in his body until he can get him to his sister. She is in Lanling after all, having married their heir.

Now because I love Jiang Yanli, in this au, she plays a bigger role. She saves Wen Ning and shows them out of Lanling.

They flee to a part of Qishan that was all but destroyed during the war and then used as a mass grave for the Wens wei ying himself killed, the ones whose spirits Lan Zhan had warned him about.

And the workd turns on it's Avatar.

The avatar is supposed to bring Peace, stand for balance and justice. Not choose a handful of people to protect at all costs.

But Wei Ying thinks, this is just! The world is full of greedy rich people trying to outdo each other for power, so isn't protecting those who suffer from it through no fault of their own justice?

Now, this could go two ways. Either, in a plot more similar to mdzs, the spirits Wei Ying disturbed abd that he is now living on top of, betray him when the rest of the world finally comes to ambush him (cue Lan Zhan trying g to protect him abd falling from grace himself. And the eternally yearning because he list his chance. the avatar is reborn ofc and Lan Zhan vows to protect them because Wei Ying is still a part of them, but they aren't Wei Ying. They are a completely different person and Lan Zhan never loves again.) DEPRESSING

So, let's go the atla route. Wei Ying goes through a spiritual journey, similar to Korra, gets the Wen remnants rehabilitated, makes the right people see sense and basically does the whole Avatar shitck of first finding peace within himself in order to bring peace to the world. *waves hand*

He confesses to Lan Zhan. They adopt A Yuan. Cue kiss in front of a glowing sunset and "The End" displayed to soaring music.

Admittedly, the second ending needs more flashing out, but it's late,so if anyone wants to have a go, feel free :D

[obeiii-mee]

*is just projecting at this point* what about the brothers with an MC who likes to knit?

I always have such respect for people who can knit! It requires so much patience and I can’t really relate lmao. Anyway, thank you for the request :) I had a lot of fun writing it.

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The Brothers with an MC who likes to knit:

Lucifer:

-He is probably aware of your hobby already

-I mean, he saw your knitting equipment in your room and kinda put two and two together

-He didn’t expect you’d be knitting much because DevilDom is hot as balls and making woolly hats and scarves would be stupid

-But you were like: fuck it

-You didn’t bring the freaking knitting kit down to hell with you for nothing

-You made everyone pillows with the symbol that represents their sin sewed on them

-Lucifer was pretty shocked to see how handy such a frustrating hobby could become

-You made knit bunting banners every time Diavolo threw a party as decorations

-Lucifer really starts to appreciate your talent when you start making him things

-Like that one time you gave him a knitted neck tie

-Which he wore proudly any chance he got

-He’s not exactly into these sort of things as I imagine he would snap pretty easily if he were to try it out

-But Lord almighty does he respect you for having the patience to create all these things

-Really supportive but in his own way

-By treasuring and safe guarding any knitted gift you have ever given him

-What a big ol’ softie he is on the inside

-Don’t fell him I said that-

Mammon:

-Knitting? The fuck is knitting??

-100000+ year old demon and he has no idea what knitting is

-Once you showed him how knitting worked, he was a bit disappointed

-“MC, not gonna lie, that looks boring as shit.”

-I mean, you can stay still and do that crap for hours on end? Is this what humans do for fun?

-You should see how quickly he shuts up when he sees the results

-You can make yourself handbags out of wool?? And really fluffy jumpers with crazy complicated designs on them???

-Jeez this man couldn’t be more smug about it. I mean, look at his human being so talented on top of being the kindest creature he met

-You tell him you can sell these things for money and he is already setting up a business for the two of you to start

-He suggests you start working for Majolish and you make some woolly clothes for them to distribute but you have to insist you only knit for fun

-You made him scarves and hats to match with his outfits and he’s so happy??

-The only thing that he would never consider selling is any gift given to him by you

-You made him a fake wallet out of wool as a joke one day

-He has it on him all day every day and uses it sometimes too

-Though he gets bored easily, he becomes so awestruck whenever you start knitting, he’s watching you intensely a lot

-He demands you teach him how to knit

-He tells you it’s because he wants to sell his own creations and make profit instead of relying on you

-He actually wants to have as many things in common as you do and give you hand made gifts in return too

Levi:

-“Haha you’re such a normie.”

-Doesn’t really understand the point of knitting

-I mean, is it really that entertaining?

-More entertaining than his raids??

-Well, if knitting makes you happy, who is he to judge?

-He doesn’t really have much room to talk

-He’ll probably call you a normie several times but would never insult your interests

-He knows it can be really hurtful when someone else disses your hobbies

-If anything, he grew really accustomed with you humming as you worked while he played his games

-You made him a jumper with Ruri-chan on it which took you a really long time

-Actually screamed when you gave it to him

-You made that for him?

-Why?

-Why waste your talent on an otaku like him?

-He wears that thing everywhere

-Even if it’s a very hot summer in DevilDom

-His brothers tease him but does he give a fuck? No, no he doesn’t

-Gets jealous if you make stuff for his brothers

-You made him a knitted body pillow ffs

-Actually very understanding of how long it must take to create all these things end encourages you to take breaks

-Considerate boi

Satan:

-He finds knitting kind of interesting actually

-He likes how convenient it can be at times

-You want a new bag but don’t have the Grimm for it? Boom, a knitted handbag. (Those actually exist and holy Lord Diavolo do they look impressive)

-It takes a lot of patience and self coordination to make these so he’s lowkey proud

-He knows that if he ever tried it, he would throw the entire kit out the window so you have his respect

-Not to mention he loves how happy you look when you finish one of your projects

-I saw these knitted animals that people can make online and Satan would love those-

-Seriously, he would keep them in his room, fully visible for anyone to see

-You two would have these cosy little chats in library while he reads and you knit

-He likes the gifts you made for him as well but the man would be too flustered to show his gratitude besides a quiet ‘thank you’

-We sure love our little angry boy

Asmo:

-Girl, you can knit??

-He makes such a big deal about it even though it’s just something you like doing from time to time

-He brags about your hobby to people more than you do

-He’s always nearby when you do knit

-Asmo will be offended if you don’t ask him to wear your scarves and hats

-He’s usually the one suggesting what colours you should make them out of and will wear them accordingly

-I mean, you can knit and he’s into fashion, so there are times he asks if he can help you in any way

-Oh but don’t spend too much time on knitting OK? You still have to give him a lot of attention

-Not to mention it’s bad for your skin to obsess over a hobby!

-He likes doing your hair while you knit, brushing it and gossiping about anything that comes to mind with you

-Pleass teach him how to knit too! He’s interested enough even if he doesn’t get it the first time around!

-Half of his closet is made of your woolly jumpers and other pieces of clothing you made

-They also kinda remind him of you whenever you’re away

-They’re like a comfort objects for him because they smell like you and he’s lonely

Beel:

-You like knitting? Cool

-He doesn’t really react

-I mean, he’s supportive but he doesn’t want to seem annoying by asking you many questions

-He really loves how your face lights up whenever you start talking about your hobby

-It makes him equally happy

-Beel does want to know what you do in your spare time when you’re not eating with him

-So, he’ll watch you sometimes as you knit, asking questions every now and again

-He finds it endearing with how determined you get when you want to finish a project

-However, he gets worried about you

-He’s a bit anxious that you’re not getting enough rest or food with how much you spend on knitting

-So he often brings you snacks and encourages you take breaks

-He gets as excited as you do whenever you finish something

-He will feel absolutely honoured with a capital H if you were to make him anything

-But, he‘s kinda scared he’ll start munching on your hand made gifts if he’s too hungry

-Is surprised that you can make so many things out of wool?? And it’s not even edible wtf????

-He would love to learn how to knit as long as you’re willing to teach him!

-His hands may be a bit too big for him to do so but he’ll try!

-He’ll do anything if it means he gets to see your smile

Belphie:

-“Can you knit a pillow?”

-Literally the first thing he asked

-The moment you said yes, he’s wide awake

-At first, he wasn’t really interested in a human custom like ‘knitting’

-He was still going through his “I hate every human being except you my dearest MC.” phase

-But he liked the sound of you knitting as he slept

-And he found watching you knit was kind of relaxing too

-It lulls him to sleep in a way

-You made him a small cow printed pillow one day to match his actual pillow

-And he adored it

-He usually has it on him

-He loves anything you give him, especially if you made it yourself

-Like Asmo, he seeks comfort in your knitted creations whenever you’re away

-He likes anything cuddly and fluffy that you make whether it’d be pillows, or knitted plushies or even clothing

-He shares most stuff with Beel so in the end you made identical cardigans for the two of them which Belphie appreciates immensely

-It’s a bonus for him to see you so fired up and excited about something too

-He finds your bubbly attitude when it comes to knitting cute

-He doesn’t have the patience to even attempt knitting but again, he loves watching you do it

-He honestly doesn’t think he deserves any of this but he will embrace it

-But uh, hey, take a break will you? Go take a nap with him before finishing that

Al~