#the fledgling loves good omens

[isadrora]

"Beast form: snake!" Our glorious dream of Snek!Crowley

I really, really love that pretty much unanimously and en masse we the Good Omens fandom have just decided that Crowley can “Beast form” to snake any time he likes. I mean speaking pedantically he hasn´t ACTUALLY shown any propensity for this since Eden, and after the name change Aziraphale does say “You WERE a snake”. I adore the idea that because there’s JUST enough of the snake iconography in Crowleys depiction(and Tennants decision to literally just BE a snake in a middle aged guys body) its now taken for granted that he just IS that.

Hyperfixated fandoms are the BEST.

Attached are images based purely on how much my obsessed 12 year old likes them of "Crowley being snakey"

[ariaste]

so i was the person who brought 'nesting kink' to the Good Omens fandom and I am the person who is bringing the new cool thing to the IWTV fandom: turning kink.

It's like breeding kink but it's By Vampires, For Vampires and it's fucked up. Basically, it does what it says on the tin, so I trust i do not need to explain more about it, you get the vibes.

what i am here to explain, however, is which of these idiots espouses this kink most powerfully. Now, i hear what you are saying: "OP, Lestat had like 6 to 9 fledglings in like 250 years (depending whether we're talking show!Lestat or book!Lestat), surely he is the one with the turning kink." But no, mon cher, that is where you are wrong. He does not have this kink. He turns people because they're very sexy and he loves them, not because the act itself is hot for him. It is the difference between enjoying your wedding night and having a Wedding Night Kink, you see what I mean?

To understand who has a kink about this, you have to consider the way that kinks often work in the brain: There is a Thing that is Taboo or Forbidden, and it is so off-limits that you start getting hot for it. It is a thing that you know intellectually is Disgusting, but some wires get crossed in your brain and now it's Sexy. Sometimes it can even be a way of coping with a past trauma, because getting horny over it is easier and more comfortable to deal with than freaking out about it. Sometimes it is a thing that is very Wrong to do, so you have to say loudly and frequently how much you're Totally Not Into It just in case anyone accuses you of being into it or invites you to participate in something adjacent to it (terrifying, hits too close to home, cannot cope with that, gotta nope right out of that whole situation).

Therefore I present to u: Armand le Beige, who Doth Protests Very Much that the idea of turning someone repulses him, and who lived with a coven that had a rule about No Turning Anyone Without Permission for hundreds of years, yet who then goes and does it anyway. I offer to the jury the theory that this is Armand's nuclear kink, whether he knew it before turning Daniel or not, and that he should get to be suuuuuuuuuper weird about it (specifically with Daniel, because that's who he broke the seal on it with and Nobody Else Can Ever Know, on account of he's a control freak and has to maintain his Image)

that is all. take it and run with it. godspeed

[lazyrezi]

Nothing makes me cackle and kick my feet faster than when some entity that is supposed to be ominous and ooooh so scary is just. Doing its job. And complaining about it to whoever will listen. Ah, yes, I'm but a fledgling demon, I need this promotion, or I'll get sacked otherwise, help a friendly demon out! Death is my all-time favourite character in the discworld. He is so clueless but well-meaning! Also, the demons from good omens come on, that whole ass office vibe they have going on. Sure, there is doom and death all around, but what's worse than paperwork? Nothing beats that no torture they can come up with. But even Crowley and his way of messing with humans is so... endearing? In a really messed up way? Like he will just push people to do evil deeds, or sometimes is just a straight-up nuisance. Michael from the good place also falls into this category, and I just !!!! I love this archetype! It never fails to just make me wanna jump up and down like they did the thing!!! They humanised that entirely not-human being by making them be just as confused and just as annoyed about the system as the rest of us are! Love it!

[aziraphalalala]

Good Omentober 2023

Do you want a daily dose of Good Omens fanfic form a fledgling writer who will love you forever if you read their work?

Join me in exploring the fascinating inner lives of the Bentley and bookshop windowpanes. Lurk in the background of Crowley being dramatic and missing his angel. Take a visit to Hell and see what the Disposable Demon Eric is up to.

Most of these are short, some of them are silly, and they're all handcrafted with care and too much caffeine.

Enjoy! 🥰

Thanks for setting up the challenge @disaster-dog!

[book--brackets]

i love fantasy so i've got a bunch of submissions - thanks for running these polls they're so fun!

-The Folk of the Air series by Holly Black

-The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater

-Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo

-Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire

-Song of the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce

-Heralds of Valdemar series by Mercedes Lackey

-Stardust by Neil Gaiman

-Her Majesty's Royal Coven series by Juno Dawson

-Shades of Magic series by V. E. Schwab

-Fledgling by Octavia Butler

-Serafina series by Robert Beatty

-Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

-Simon Snow series by Rainbow Rowell

-Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

-Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

-The Immortals Quartet by Tamora Pierce

Holy fuck, ok! So many, and a lot of these are personal favorites of mine; added them all!

[fearandhatred]

Gonna spam your inbox with these get ready :) for the fandom questions 30 & 43 and for the fic writer questions 17 & 24

sonny these questions are HARD

ask game || ask 1

30: what inspires you to write?

everything and nothing ngl ideas come to my head whenever the hell they want which sometimes is very rarely. but One thing i can say for sure inspired me in general was a little life by hanya yanagihara. yeah i will not shut up about this book. i feel like my writing style actually changed so much after reading it and sometimes i just go back to the book and read some random pages for inspiration because i love how hanya writes

43: is there anyone in your fandom who really inspires you?

not in particular actually... i do admire the creators in this fandom in general and i've read very very good works (yours included btw!!), but there's no one particular person that is inspiring in the sense that my work reflects something that i've taken away from theirs like i explained in the previous question. but there are moments where i read a fic or a comment and i feel a burst of motivation to write lol

17: if you could give your fledgling author self any advice, what would it be?

alas i am not one of those people who have been writing since young for some reason, even though i have historically enjoyed writing compositions and fiction assignments for school. i didn't even think i could write and a year ago i would NEVER have thought i could write a multi-chaptered fic. idk if it's because i got more time/motivation after i graduated from high school but that's only when i really started getting ideas and inspiration after reading or watching something. so advice for my younger self would be uhhh:

just Write. sometimes i'll think i don't have an idea or i won't be able to write a scene in the way i want, but once i actually start it just happens naturally!! like half the metaphors i come up with are just me saying shit i made up on the spot and sometimes it makes sense

write down anything you come up with even if it's just a word or a setting. i have certain phrases in my good omens fics that i pulled from random lines i wrote down like three years ago because i liked how they sounded. and other times i look back at my notes from a week ago and i have no idea what i meant by it but at least it's funny (once i just wrote "swivel chair" in my notes and to this day i don't remember why)

24: have you ever become an expert on something you previously knew nothing about, in order to better a scene or a story?

omg i'm so boring but not really LMAOO i think it's because when i come up with fic ideas that i actually want to write, it's mostly about exploring relationships and how relationships and a character's history affects them as people (it's the sociologist in me). so plot isn't really my thing—which is why i never thought i would be able to write multi-chaptered fics because i used to write short reflective pieces. even for transitional heart taxidermy, the plot i came up with was secondary to what i wanted to write about which was crowley and aziraphale's relationship lmao

at most i'll go back and really analyse the source material to make sure i get the facts right. like dialogue and scenes and layouts etc. for the bible fic i... read the bible lol to see diction and pacing and how the verses were formatted. and for blood in my eyes i joined the discord to find a layout of aziraphale's bookshop for Accuracy

[gcthvile]

Good Omens OC list

Aurelius - The Rebel

Name: Aurelius

Age: a few thousand ig??

Height: 6'1

Sexuality: Pansexual, non-binary.

Aurelius, is quite unlike any other Angel you've ever met. Aurelius is both fierce and independent, with the attitude of a demon but a heart that burns with the purest of angelic grace. Aurelius' celestial form is androgynous, with long white hair that flows down their back and fiery red and gold feathers that shimmer in the light. Aurelius had always struggled to fit in with the other Angels in heaven and found their rules and regulations oppressive and limiting. In fact, Aurelius had a reputation as a bit of a rebel. They would often question the authority of the Archangels, and sometimes even go against their orders.

One day, during the events of the Apocalypse, the Archangel Michael, being suspicious of the Angel Aziraphale and the Demon Crowley sent the fledgling Aurelius on Earth in hopes they'll find out their true plan and snitch on the two to him. But much to his unfortune, they became really drawn to earth, London, to be specific, where they stumbled upon Crowley and Aziraphale, who were in the midst of their centuries-old friendship. Crowley and Aziraphale were initially hesitant to take in an Angel, especially one as unconventional as Aurelius, but the trio quickly formed an unlikely bond. Aurelius became like family to both Crowley and Aziraphale, who basically adopted them, and together they navigated the many changes that came with the end of the world.

Despite Aurelius' sharp tongue and independent nature, they quickly learned to rely on their new human friends, especially when they found themselves embroiled in the war between Heaven and Hell. Aurelius was torn between their loyalty to their fellow Angels and their newfound love for humanity, and Crowley and Aziraphale were there to support and guide them through the difficult decisions they had to make. As time went on, Aurelius became less and less like the other Angels and more like a member of the human race. They adopted the traits of both Heaven and Hell, and in doing so, they became something entirely unique. They were powerful and graceful like an Angel, but their fiery spirit and rebelliousness were reminiscent of a demon. Many other Angels saw Aurelius as a traitor, but Crowley and Aziraphale saw something special in them that no other Angel possessed. It was this uniqueness that allowed them to form a powerful bond that would ultimately change the course of history.

The ineffable husbands, Crowley and Aziraphale, loved their adopted rebellious, sarcastic angel kid. Although they may have had disagreements about how to handle the kid's behavior, they were ultimately united in their unconditional love for the ang. Crowley, being a demon himself, was often more tolerant of the Angel's mischievous behavior, while Aziraphale, being an angel, tended to be the more strict parent. But despite their different parenting styles, they both loved the kid equally and always had their best interests at heart.

The angel, in turn, deeply loved and respected the two, but often felt misunderstood by them. In their mind, the ineffable husbands were too concerned with following the rules and behaving in a way that was considered "good" by angelic standards. As a result, Aurelius often acted out in rebellion, testing the limits of what was considered acceptable by the two. Despite this rebellious behavior, they wer deeply grateful for the love and guidance of them, and never doubted that they were loved unconditionally. In many ways, their rebelliousness was simply a manifestation of their desire to find their own path in life, to discover who they truly were, and to make their own choices.

Aurelius has always been a bit of a black sheep among the angelic community, constantly pushing the boundaries of what is considered acceptable behavior. While they possess the same insatiable curiosity as their celestial siblings, Aurelius approaches life with a devil-may-care attitude, always questioning authority and testing their own limits. They enjoys taking risks and exploring the darker corners of the universe, often flirting with chaos and destruction opponents. But they still are compassionate for those under their care. They feel an intense responsibility towards the fragile beings on the lower planes of existence, and are fiercely protective of their well-being. Although they may seem brash and abrasive on the surface, Aurelius' true motivation lies in his unyielding desire to ensure that all beings have a fulfilling and meaningful life, even if it means going against the established norms of angelic society. Their passion for life and their determination to do what is right, even in defiance of their peers, make them a force to be reckoned with in both the celestial and mortal realms.

As a celestial being, despite also being a fledgling, Aurelius possesses a wide range of powerful abilities and skills as they were considered one of the best youngest soldiers the heaven has ever seen. They are impervious to most forms of physical and magical attacks, and they can move at incredible speeds that far surpass those of mortal creatures. They are also capable of flight, and can navigate the endless reaches of space with ease. Aurelius' greatest strength, however, lies in their command of elemental fire. They can conjure flames of incredible heat and intensity, and can manipulate them in a variety of ways to suit their needs. They can create walls of fire to shield themselves or others, or send torrents of flames hurtling towards their opponents. Aurelius can also use their command of fire to heal and purify the souls of those they encounter, burning away spiritual impurities and restoring a sense of balance and peace. Additionally, their affinity to the element of fire allows them to communicate with beings that are attuned to the element, such as phoenixes or dragons, and form bonds with them. These bonds allow them to summon and control these beings as allies in battle. Finally, Aurelius' powers include the ability to shape shift, allowing them to take on different forms and adapt to various situations.

In addition to their control over fire, Aurelius also possesses the ability to summon weapons and objects seemingly out of thin air. They can conjure swords, spears, and shields at will, enabling them to adapt to various combat situations as they arise.

Hope y'all like them! @msrochelleromanofffelton @jackiequick @meiramel @drspencereidhotch @blueboirick

[tryan-a-bex]

saw your rebog for fantasy/sci-fi books, would you mind giving me a recommendation list? from the authors you listed I love Naomi Novik and I'm always looking for more books to read

this is my first time sending an ask is this how you do this?

Anyway, have a good day :)

You did it right! Thanks for the ask!!!

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik was so good I flipped it and reread as soon as I finished it! I also bought Uprooted.

For Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, go to the Baen website, where Agent of Change and Fledgling are both free downloads—choose Agent of Change if you prefer action/adventure and Fledgling if you prefer school stories/coming of age.

For Sharon Shinn, I’d start with Troubled Waters from the Elemental Blessings series.

Ann Leckie: Ancillary Justice

Nnedi Okorafor: Binti (get the four-in-one if you can)

Becky Chambers: A Psalm for the Wild-Built

Wen Spencer: Tinker

Robin McKinley: The Blue Sword

Martha Wells: Murderbot series

Ilona Andrews: Magic Bites

Nalini Singh: Wolf Rain was where I started

Annette Marie: Three Mages and a Margarita

Seanan McGuire: InCryptids series (My favourite is That Ain’t Witchcraft, but probably better to start at the beginning.)

I also love AM Offenwanger’s Septimus series, starting with Seventh Son. She’s an indie author so will be very excited if you purchase her books!

And of course Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, who you know about if you’ve been on tumblr for any length of time. Good Omens is fantastic. I loved Stardust by Gaiman. My favourite of the Pratchett ones are the Tiffany Aching (which are YA) and the Rincewind ones, but there are lots of options.

I love recommending books! Thank you for asking!!!

[thetruearchmagos]

Terror Immortal

Crush Depth: A Compilation Thus Far

Hey folks! I was reminiscing over some old stuff I wrote, when I recalled this old gem. It was a fun little WIP at the time, and one day I'll probably get back to it. This is a compilation of three different excerpts all put together, with a little editing. Enjoy!

Tagging @hessdalen-globe @caxycreations @athenswrites @theprissythumbelina @lividdreamz @thatndginger @dogmomwrites @wip-nook @the-stray-storyteller

Had her boat's maiden operational voyage come even a day earlier, Captain Evelyn Wen Hui might have regretted wearing the full regalia of the United Commonwealth Navy's No. 1 Dress. The sweltering tropical climate of the Southern Hailian Sea in the throes of its monsoon season had left most of the crew struggling to acclimatise for their first weeks there, and wearing three layers wouldn't have helped her, tradition or otherwise. But today was a perfect blend of clear skies, calm seas, and cool, salty, fresh air. All in all, Evelyn couldn't have asked for better weather to start off a long haul stay at sea, and it seemed her fellow sailors appreciated what seemed to be a good omen as much as she did.

She also looked forwards to starting up with her new mission. UCS Carnivore was as fresh to the Fleet as Evelyn was to command, a six week long work-up in the warm waters of the Grunemeer Sea still fresh in their memory even as the nuclear-powered attack boat set out for her first operational deployment. And so, as her predecessors had done for a little under a century in this subsurface service, the skipper on the boat's first stay at sea was clad in full Dress, her modest assortment of medals and all.

Here on the shores of the fledgling Republic of Hailian, the recently reactivated 14th Fleet had just raised its Admiral's Flag, and the Carnivore would take on the mantle of being the armada's first permanently stationed fleet submarine.

Evelyn looked forwards to getting down to work. So did her Executive Officer.

"Lovely weather, eh? Shame it'll be the last time we see it for a little while."

"Well, if you're getting second thoughts, Rob, I can always write a letter of recommendation for a transfer. How'd you fancy hunting subs instead of sailing them."

Commander Robert Carruther's short, sharp laugh said enough about that. It seemed an invariable rule that the hunters and those they hunted --- and both submariners and the surface fleet saw themselves as the former--- viewed the other as an enemy beyond reproach, even in their own service. Both officers had worked hard to get where they were now, and where they were going the weather would not matter terribly much.

"Time to get going, XO. Hope there'll be good fishing out east."

----------------

UCS Carnivore

----------------

“So, how’s old Mister Dial-2 holding up?”

“Barely, Skipper. She’s got screw problems, poor bastards.”

As unfortunate as the Dial-class coastal patrol submarine’s propeller troubles likely were for its crew, Captain Evelyn and her own were grateful for it. The damned things were tiny, and sneakier than the briefings said they'd be, something she’d make sure to correct once they pulled back into port. Even Soundsman First Class Manish Singh, who’d been at his instruments for the past eight hours, had trouble finding them in the first place. The young man prided himself on just a few things in life; His family back home, his permanently slicked back hair, and his ability to hear a whale take a piss from several miles away.

Evelyn ducked down to the tracking station, bending over him to get a look at the readout herself. Gently swirling her mug of midnight black coffee in one hand, she could just about make out the faint, vertical line passing down the sickly green “waterfall” display, roughly along the thirty degree bearing.

Singh shifted in his seat, placing a finger on the display. He’d long since learned that the Captain wasn’t the sort to bite your head off for being casual, but something about her always put a little awe into him.

“That’s our track. There’s an odd bit of jitter to 'em, hence why we’re pretty sure they’ve got a screw loose, but aside from that Dial-2’s one sneaky submarine. In the past three hours she’s been moving along all slow like, running close to the surface and heading roughly parallel to us. It’s a good thing we’re too close to shore for a Layer, or we’d have probably lost her.”

She stood back up, satisfied. A blessing indeed, but the lack of a thermal layer cut both ways. A horizontal barrier impermeable to sound and formed by differences in the water’s temperature and subsequent density, a boat in one layer would be nearly deaf to an acoustic source in the other. As things were, the shallow depths of this particular hunting ground left that factor out of play.

“Right, Manish, good work. Keep up the track and update if we get any more company, let’s try and avoid a nasty surprise.”

“Aye, Skipper.”

---------

They’d driven on for a good three hours more, and with the Dial-2 showing no signs of any change in her speed the Carnivore had made good her overtaking of the submarine, and was awaiting her carefully tracked quarry’s arrival at the border. By then the atmosphere on the bridge had begun to warm up a little, and by her tally Evelyn had somehow found time for a fifteen minute gap of shut eye and two trips to the head by the time something interesting happened.

“Conn, Sound-Ops, we’ve got some fresh signatures bearing zero-three-zero at fifty naut-miles out, designate one probable Mask and one confirmed Plank.”

“All stop, quiet the boat!”

It was as if someone had flipped a switch, as every sailor within earshot went as still as stone. Within less than a minute the boat was a tomb, and Evelyn wouldn’t have had trouble hearing her own pulse.

She was back at the tracking station in half a heartbeat, and at once the attack party began plotting their new contact. Her mind was brought back down to the present, racing over the trickles of data it was fed. First checking up on their old friend, Dial-2’s signature was faint on the neon green screen and aft of the boat, and hidden behind the Carnivore’s propeller baffles she was next to invisible to her boat’s bow mounted acoustic sensors. Their target was moving faster, and louder, than before, but as long as she remained to their rear Evelyn was reliant on her towed array to maintain the track, a smaller set of hydrophones at the end of a wire half a kilometre long that trailed off her stern.

As for their new guests, from what she knew of the Masks, the twenty thousand tonne guided missile submarines were more suited to blasting surface ships out of the water than defending themselves against her own breed of hunter. Still, Evelyn reminded herself, with their twenty Quartz anti ship missiles with half tonne warheads they would be good enough at the former. The Plank was of far greater concern, since despite its diminutive weight the corvette was said to be a damned fine sub-hunter, and with her own towed array and suite of rocket-launched torpedoes she’d make a nasty opponent. 

“Sound-Ops, Conn, aye. Keep listening in on her, and listen out for any further contacts. Helm to one third speed and move us in closer to shore, then cut speed to station-keeping. We'll be sitting tight for a while.”

Now with their orders, the bridge crew seemed to loosen up and get down to the business at hand, and soon the boat was moving at a creeping pace, and inland.

The XO was back on the bridge in a minute, Rob still walking off a short stint of sleep as he downed a paper cup of coffee and walked up to the attack centre.

“We got a new contact, boss?”

She nodded, turning to face him.

“Indeed we do. Singh’s calling it one Plank and a likely Mask, which makes today our lucky day.”

Evelyn addressed that to the whole crew as much as to Robert, and his smile answered on their behalf. So much for a quiet cruise, but the Commonwealth’s best didn’t come aboard the submarines for those.

With that, the game was set. Already running their silent routine, for as long as Evelyn wanted them to the Carnivore would stick to it, gradually manoeuvring into an attack position on their new contacts and all the while staying perfectly hidden, “smoking their kippers” on their smokestacks without ever being heard. It was a hard game, and against one guided missile hauler and her modern corvette escort even harder, but to the Carnivore, stalking prey was the most natural thing in the 12 Worlds.

Then, the shrill ring of a bell came over the intercom.

Evelyn’s gaze shot aft in an instant, annoyed at the sudden noise at a time when even careless whispers threatened to give the game away. The sound was soon followed by one of the Signals technicians, with a slip of printed paper in hand.

“Flash message, Ma’am! It’s from the Admiral.”

The fresh faced rating handed over the folded communique, and backed away as if she feared her skipper would bite. Before she could comment on it, she opened the signal, and quickly found herself with a far more important issue at hand.

[frostsong]

9—26: BREAK A LEG.

phrase (theatrical slang): good luck! 

rating: g

characters: original characters, winnifred pole

tags: ishgard, tourney day, a knight’s (euphie’s) page, chocobos

summary: or, begging a bird to listen to reason.

wordcount: 448

winnifred was worried.

of all days to misplace custard’s favorite feed—the tourney. not unlike his owner, custard had a love of feeling pampered, and certainly performed better when he was treated as such. and while he was notably gentler with children (again, a trait he shared with his ser euphemie) winnie wondered if today he would be so generous. it seemed as if many of the birds, too, had been expecting this day—whether with excitement or dread. 

winnifred had been the former, but after realizing her shortcoming had become the latter: her ser euphemie always cut quite the figure during tourney day. from knights to aides to mere spectators the lieutenant was rather beloved by nearly all, and a well-groomed steed in fine spirits was an imperative for her ensemble.

she gulped when she noticed the lack of shine in the chocobo’s eyes. there were berries in the oats that he so craved most of all—and there were no berries to be found in his partition of the stables, nor in the others nearby. her gloved hand wandered to the tassel of the left of her two thick braids, tucked tidy and clean—a habit she had sworn to end ever since she became a page. but as her knees shook and her eyes darted two and fro, she found herself losing to her worries as the hour drew closer. 

“...y-you must forgive me…”

her trembling voice seemed to draw custard’s attention, as the bird ducked his snowy white head almost level to her own.

“...b-but don’t let ser euphie suffer because of me…i-i’ll give you double. double the treats afterwards!! i won’t forget this time…” her words trailed off when she realized how she was now shaking head to toe, and her eyes began to burn with tears. at eleven summers winnifred was expected to demonstrate her added years of experience that set her apart from the fledgling pages, but today she certainly felt like the little girl who’d been sternly scolded for falling over on her own two feet when descending the staircase—surely, this was an ill omen of things to come.

perhaps it was a good thing that she was so petite, for she’d fallen to her knees while trying in vain to hide her tears with her hands—

—but to her surprise, she felt something hard and smooth tap the top of her head.

blinking, she looked up, and was met with custard’s two large eyes, shining brighter than she’d seen for a very long time.

from her shaky sobs she let out a weak laugh, and reached out to cradle the bird’s larger head closer to her chest.

“thank you, custard…you’ll do wonderful out there!” 

[isadrora]

I'm constantly now just fascinated by what my preteen Good omens fanboy will just come out with. Not only is he delving into lots of other Gaiman stuff ("to get CONTEXT!") About which more later... but earlier there was this:

Alex: So if we say allthe demons we're once angels like crowley was...

Me: I'm not sure if that's totally confirmed but probably. Go on.

Alex: well that means that all those random weirdos were once angels too. Disposable Eric and Demon Josh! Angels! Can you IMAGINE!

I mean... these guys as Applestore brand type angelic beings? Yes, please, I'd like to see more 😄

[elcias-diary]

Ok you Good Omens folks writing gory, violent angelic demotions from Cherubim to Principality full of vengeful corporate bullying....

That's fine, you keep doing that.

However..... Might I suggest the following.....

The last time the Almighty, themself, personally interfered with the heavenly host was probably the day Aziraphale got asked about his flaming sword.

And just enough of a bastard to be worth knowing angel that he is, Aziraphale flat out lies to the actual face of God.

And you know what?

Maybe that fierce little spark of protectiveness for fledgling humanity in the face of direct orders? Maybe Aziraphale's faith in actually loving thy neighbor rather than whatever Heaven's got going on? Maybe the unknown factor of this one angel was too much of a draw not to see what ineffable results would come of letting him continue on? Maybe, just maybe, Aziraphale is the only angel inadvertently actually following The Plan!?

So maybe the Lord nipped up to personnel and made one small change to some paperwork and then sat back to watch "things unfold as it should". Gabriel's next batch of messages are work for the Principalities, including one Aziraphale already stationed on Earth, and the fretful angel doesn't ever correct him because that would bring up dangerous questions.

Questions clearly bad.

But Aziraphale keeps expecting someone to bring up the missing flaming sword, otherwise he wouldn't assume that's what he's in trouble for over a missing corporation. But he must also be partly frustrated at worrying over it and partly bastard-ly thrilled at getting away with it for so long considering he puts the truth of the event into a misprint Bible.

And you know what, Heaven probably didn't really look into the situation, at least probably not till an Apocalyptic flop. Gabriel certainly has to have at least seen the paperwork. Aziraphale was issued a flaming sword, they both know that, but if that's not standard issue for Principalities Gabriel doesn't seem to question it.

Though, again, questions bad, questioning God extra bad. Gabriel doesn't ask questions. .... Except to his underlings of course.

So my point is, maybe all that really happened is an ineffable comedy of errors because no one in this story has control of any braincells and absolutely no one bothers to check up.

It's hardly Aziraphale's fault no one bothered to check up!?

Actually, my point is Aziraphale is officially a Cherubim and technically a Principality, because no one bothers to check up.

[emachinescat]

MacGyver... but it's birds.

Stay with me, okay? I know it sounds crazy, but it fits so perfectly. Let me preface this post by saying that I have never wished I could draw so much in my life. If I could, you could bet your bottom dollar that this post would be a bunch of fan art of the MacGyver gang as birds. And if anyone can draw and wants to illustrate this fowl idea I've concocted, feel free to add to this post! Please, please, someone draw this.

Anyway, let's meet our cast:

Angoose MacGooser

The smartest goose. A honkin' genius. Can pick any lock with his little webbed toes. Favorite food is bread (this is appropriate because bread is bad for geese and MacGooser is self-destructive and can't stay away from things that hurt him.)

Jackdaw-ton

He may be small, but he's got a big heart. Sniper birb. Black feathers help him blend in with the night, and they let other birbs know he likes rock n' roll. Best friend of MacGooser, tries to keep him from eating bread (not an easy feat). Like a father to both MacGooser and Rileagle, but he's barely mature enough have fledglings himself. Surprisingly good at shooting guns, though lifting them can be a problem.

Rileagle Davis

Beautiful, regal, a queen amongst birbs. Sharp claws, for hacking into mainframes and kicking the bad birds' tail feathers. See that sharp mouth? It's not just literal. She's like the crack of a whip. And she got style. Look at those feathers.

Wilt Hummingbozer

First off, this bird is fly (get it?). MacGooser's best birb since they were both eggs. Knows how to dress for any situation. Sweet as nectar. Not just nosy because of the long beak - very interested in other people's business, but only for their own good. Fast. Smart. Good looking. And loves flowers.

Mattyngale Webber

This bird is in charge. May have a sweet voice, but can roast even the scariest of hawks with a chipper tune. Not only can she sing, but she's scary good at making bad guys sing their secrets, too. Basically the mom of the other birds, even Jackdaw-ton, who thinks he's a grown-up bird but definitely is not. Might be a small birb, but is the strongest, fiercest, and kindest of them all. All who meet her either fear or love her (or both). Usually both.

Murduck

Ever seen a duck obsessed with a goose? You have now. Infatuated with Angoose MacGooser, who is also his greatest enemy. This duck may be smol and cute, but it brings death with it. Has filed down bill to a deadly point. Also completely insane. He's gone quackers, you might say.

Desiraven Nguyen

Mysterious, feared, closely associated with death. Like most ravens, is smart and loyal. Remembers who her friends are. Unlike most ravens, is actually an omen of death - if you're a bad guy. A true badass birb. Proteccs MacGooser when Jackdaw-ton isn't around.

Albatruss Taylor

Underneath the grumpy birb face, there's a grumpy birb soul. But deep within grumpy birb soul, there is good birb. Rich boi with big wingspan and questionable morals 85% of the time. Once tried to blow up MacGooser and Rileagle, but he apologized and they're good now. Sexy British accent to his nasal double-brays. Has commitment issues. Again, looks grumpy, is grumpy, also good (sometimes).

Coducks

Shadowy organization of terrorists. Not all members are ducks, and not all ducks are bad (just Murduck and the ducks in Coducks). Think to save birb-kind that all humans and some birbs must die. Think they're hot stuff, but not as scary as they look (see picture for reference).

[northernscruffycat]

Tagged by @101flavoursofweird

I’ll tag @pandirpus @krokonoko @my-artblog-is-ssjumi @yallemagne @amberrgalaxy @swamp-y and anyone else who wants to do this. But this is a pretty long one, so don’t feel like you have to :3 (On that note, I’ll be putting most of this under a cut for exactly that reason)

How many works do you have on AO3?

131 at the moment. But some of those are different oneshots from FFN that I posted into one fic when porting over to AO3, so I’d be fascinated by what the actual amount of fanfics I’ve written is.

What’s your total AO3 word count?

1242922 words

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Just counting what’s on AO3, so far I’ve written for 17 fandoms. They are: Free!, Professor Layton, Hades Game, Steven Universe, Pokemon, Ace Attorney, Yu-Gi-Oh DM, Yu-Gi-Oh GX, Yu-Gi-Oh 5d’s, Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Mario, Dr. Stone, Tintin, Night in the Woods, GetBackers, Good Omens and Cooking Mama What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

‘just wanted to write a fic where senku says ‘get excited’ during sex’ (My SenGen oneshot that gets a wave of attention whenever a new chapter or episode of Dr. Stone comes out)

‘laughable’ (An Ares/Hypnos oneshot I wrote purely as a sample for a zine app and underestimated how popular that ship is lol)

‘the prince with specific tastes; the king with specific regrets’ (THAT Theseus fic. My absolute fave thing I’ve ever written)

‘Shallow Grave, Shallow Bae’ (A Reigisa fic based on Octopimp’s 50% Off! abridged series of Free!; I honestly do think this fic slaps and I’m glad folks like it)

‘Barrel of Monkeys’ (The AsaIku & KisuHiyo collab fic I wrote with Amber that was a lotta fun and I’d love to do something like this with them again one day for a different fandom. Also, I feel like we captained the small KisuHiyo fandom with this fic back in the day)

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I generally respond to comments. Almost always, unless I really can’t think of anything to say in reply, which is pretty rare. Comments make me so happy and I just want to let people who do comment know that I appreciate them.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

I think the angstiest fic I wrote was a Free! fic called ‘Moves Across the Land’ - the premise of which is that Makoto died as a young adult of an illness and each chapter is a different person in his life receiving a letter that he wrote for them before he died. But that one had an optimistic ending, with Haru and Kisumi unexpectedly finding a newly strengthened friendship in sharing the grief of Makoto’s death. So I guess technically the angstiest ending I wrote was a short Archie/Maxie oneshot where Maxie gets killed by Kyogre lol

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Yes, but I ended up agreeing with it! Waaay back (probably more that 10 years ago at this point), I wrote a bunch of Layton/Rosetta oneshots that I now don’t stand by. One of them, in my naivety, I went too far with and breached uncomfortable territory. I got a couple of comments about how uncomfortable it was, so I ended up deleting that particular fic and felt better after it was gone.

Do you write smut? If so what kind?

I am a fledgling at writing smut, which is probably obvious to anyone who’s read my smut haha. When I do write it, I prefer to focus on the dialogue between the characters - I like a banterous smut scene. Also, they’re usually pretty tame. I like writing about handjobs, blowjobs and wanking the most when I do write smut.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Again, not that I know of, but that would be awesome! A few years ago, a kind person messaged me about potentially translating my Layton fic ‘Grasping Liquid’ into French, but I don’t think they went through with it in the end. Though honestly, the dialogue and slang in that fic is pretty much illegible in English, so I reckon it’d be a tough fic to translate.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes, the aforementioned ‘Barrel of Monkeys’ that I co-wrote with @amberrgalaxy It was a lot of fun and I love it :D

What’s your all time favorite ship?

Hmm... I don’t think I have a single all time favourite. I jump through a lot of OTPs and they always mean a lot to me, but it wouldn’t seem fair to pick out a single one that’s always shined brighter than the others, because that’s not really how my hyperfixations work. But my current favourite ships are Momus/Heracles (to be narcissistic) and TheseZag from Hades Game. While my oldest ship that I’m still invested in is Yami/Seto from Yu-Gi-Oh DM.

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Shockingly, I don’t have any right now. A few years ago (I think 2018?), I made a point of going back and finishing ALL my old WIPs that I’d left hanging but intended to finish, even for fandoms I didn’t plan on going back to. So that freed my conscience of them and felt pretty good. At the moment, my only WIP is ‘if found please return to the underworld’ - an AU where Zagreus does make it to Olympus, so Hades sends Theseus, Asterius and Meg to try to get him back. But I’ve only just started writing that one, so I do hope to stick with it until it’s finished.

What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue. Definitely dialogue. I’m told that I capture the canon voices of characters pretty well and that’s always what I’m trying the hardest to get right, so it means a lot to me. I also feel like I’m good at keeping a fic flowing, without being bogged down by too much detail. But the downside of that is that I often sacrifice description, so I still hope to find the balance. Since Hades Game has more flowery prose than I’m used to, I think getting into that series actually helped me with this.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I do not think I am experienced enough to be able to pull this off well and would worry too much about making mistakes.

What was the first fandom you ever wrote for?

It was Pokemon, but those fics aren’t online anymore. The oldest fics you can still find buried somewhere with my name attached to them are Sonic fics.

What’s your favorite fic you’ve ever written?

‘the prince with specific tastes; the king with specific regrets’ - Sometimes I look back at that fic and wonder if I actually wrote it, since I avoided falling into all of my usual traps: I researched it properly and frequently, I kept the focus on the five main characters instead of getting distracted by introducing a million other character like I usually do, I plotted the fucker out from start to finish instead of winging it, and I worked the flashbacks into it in a way that balanced the present-day out instead of distracting from it. Also, I got the whole thing written in about two months, instead of staling for years. ...Whatever possessed me when I wrote that fic, please come back. (It was the first time I’d had two weeks off together in about three years, so I think that had a lot to do with it) OH YEAH and that same kinda villain OC who I recycle in every fandom I’m in actually landed this time. It brought me so much joy to see how much people loved to hate Momus. Those two months when I was posting that fic are easily a highlight of my life. :D

[banyanas]

17, 18, 25

17) if you could give your fledgling author self any advice, what would it be?

Don't concern yourself with finishing things so much! Unseen and unfinished things have value too, don't stop yourself from writing some of them anyway!

18) were there any works you read that affected you so much that it influenced your writing style? what were they?

CRACKS KNUCKLES it's kind of an eclectic mix BUT my copy of Good Omens is falling apart from so much rereading, so that has a hand in it. My family is big into lord of the rings so i surely absorbed SOME things from that. I was really into Beowulf as a kid. And i usually am pretty 'meh' on poetry but swinburne's stuff made my brain do the laminate wobble sound

Also, have a habit of yoinking various bits n bobs of flavor from friends passively. notably @/ruthlesslistener and @/lemonadesoda

25) copy/paste a few sentences or a short paragraph that you’re particularly proud of

I'll send something from a wip! because otherwise i would be sitting here mulling it over for actual hours

--

Glowing black exploded like a volcanic eruption, shadow-heavy gales pushing them against the wall until they could only watch, fear-frozen, as an arc of night boomed against the tiny bridge’s confines like the wingstrokes of a dragon, lightning-laughter chasing its voice and fangs dancing like fire.

Creeping root-shadows and black winds and a glowing smile all sharpened to a point-

“Snatcher, stop!”

Beak-fangs halted mere feet away, close enough that Lee could pick out individual facial-disk feathers illuminated by glowing eyes.

--

I mean I do love the prose, but also this incident becomes very relevant when Hattie purposefully does not try and keep Snatcher from killing somebody in her defense.

[kdinthecity]

Love Amongst the Turtleducks (Part Six)

This is for the “celestial” prompt for @zutaraweek​. Also posted on Ao3. The story and the comic don’t really go together anymore since I got out of order, but I’ll post the comic in its entirety when I’m done. Which should be after the next/last prompt “rebirth,” except that the plot just took an unexpected turn.

Shortly after Storm left, Zuko noticed Katara went back to wearing blue. He always loved her in red, but admittedly, blue was more fitting. (And he loved her in blue, too.) She stood out more walking around the caldera, but she never seemed to mind. The Fire Nation citizens were getting more used to seeing foreigners. However, Water Tribe was still a rare sight.

Zuko vowed to change that. Chief Hakoda had been busy with a reconstruction project in the South, and only fledgling trade deals had been arranged to date. Zuko wanted to extend an official invitation to partner with the Southern Water Tribe. He definitely needed to be on the Chief’s good side.

For the obvious reason that… he loved Katara. He wasn’t sure when it happened. Some late night Ember Island conversation? After the Agni Kai? Through their letter writing over the years?

Or maybe love just happened amongst the turtleducks.

Surely Uncle has a proverb for that.

Zuko mulled over these thoughts on a midmorning walk through the courtyard. The smallest of sounds shook him from his daze. It was hard to place—like a combination meow and hoot.

Mee-ewt! Mee-ewt!

He found a baby cat owl at the base of a nearby tree. He looked up and saw the nest. Three tiny feather-fur heads poked out and stared at him with round green eyes. Mama was missing, probably out hunting.

He knelt down to pick up the fallen kitlet and lifted it back toward the nest. He cupped the crying creature in his hand, and that’s when he saw it.

He drew the kitlet close to his chest and nodded at its siblings perched in the nest. “I know how to fix this. Tell your mom we’ll be right back.”

Yes, I talk to animals as if they understand.

Dr. Yang did not take kindly to an interruption from the Fire Lord—the child she brought into this world. Zuko had replaced most of his father’s staff, but he couldn’t bring himself to get rid of her, no matter how much she sassed. She was brilliant and by far the best at burn care in the nation. He knew this first-hand.

He thought the cat owl’s broken wing would be a simple in-and-out visit, but once Katara saw it, she started gushing. 

“Oh, Zuko, where did you find it? It’s sooooooo cute!”

She better not suggest…

“This is a sign, Zuko. You’re destined to have a pet.”

Yep.

Zuko later returned a newly healed kitlet to its nest. “There. You belong with your mother.”

Of course, he went back to check… a few times, in fact. And mama never came back.

That night at the turtleduck pond, he asked Katara about it. 

“Maybe something happened to the mom,” she said. “It’s tough when babies get abandoned like that.”

Zuko sighed. “I would never wish that on anyone.” Then after a beat, “So, I guess we should take care of them?”

He didn’t know what wolf puppies were supposed to eat, and he definitely didn’t know what to feed a cat owl.

Katara didn’t answer but gazed up at the sky instead. “The cat owl is a constellation. You can only see it at certain times of the year in the South Pole. My mother said it was a good omen, that it meant strength and protection. I guess you can’t see it from here.”

“You’re probably just looking in the wrong place. To you, the stars here would be… backwards.” Zuko pointed at the brightest star which always took center stage in the summer sky. “There’s the dragon, and the cat owl is just above it.”

“Oh, right! The cat owl and the great bear switched places!” She traced an invisible line with her finger. “I think the great bear is my favorite. She symbolizes sacrifice and commitment.”

“My mother’s name means great bear.” As soon as he said it, he wished he hadn’t.

“Zuko, have you had a chance to look for her?”

“Not yet. It’s been… really busy. And Azula… she knows something, but she’s so out of her head, I never know what to think. She’s probably just baiting me.”

“If you want, I can talk to Azula,” Katara said while pounding her palm with her fist.

Zuko laughed. “That won’t be necessary.”

Katara’s expression softened. “If you want, I’ll go with you. We can look for her together.”

“I don’t feel like I could leave. There’s too much work to do.”

“You could appoint someone as regent?”

Zuko nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of his uncle’s voice. The turtleducks quacked loudly at the disturbance.

“Uncle, when did you get here?”

“I arrived an hour ago. Your advisors told me I’d find you by the pond.” Iroh bowed deeply. “Greetings Lady Katara. Sorry to interrupt your fine evening.”

Katara returned the bow, but then seemed to think better of it. She scooped them both up in a group hug. Zuko breathed in the familiar scent of tea.

As they pulled away, Iroh said, “If you’ve had an encounter with cat owls, it is no coincidence.”

Katara smirked at Zuko. “See, I told you it was a sign.”

“Cat owls are the keenest of hunters. It means you will have great blessing on your quest.”

“What quest, Uncle?”

Iroh smiled and pointed upward. “Follow the stars, Nephew. The Great Bear will guide you.”

This is the star chart that Sokka stole from the library, and Katara used to navigate in the desert episode. I just gave all the constellations names.

And these are my two cat owls who inspired me to write a story about pets. There has been a lot of uncertainty lately with Covid-19, and I’ve been very comforted by my fur babies. I just know Zuko would be a pet person, and he deserves all the comfort and the love in the world.