#I don’t know if this is funnier with or without context

[goddammiteverythingstaken]

my sisters predictions for stranger things s5: will Byers will be chemically castrated and then get really into botany Vecna will become a giant plant and take over the world

[chipotle-chicken-avocado-melt]

I really wish we had gotten one more big special episode featuring team Jacobi SI5 mission

[verysleepyfrog]

some highlights from We Happy Few patch notes

[sworddoghugs]

Literally me pre-HRT vs 6 years HRT

[cheapshrimpysheep]

Dance with Me

SUMMARY: The fairies left without the Fairy Gala decorations. Before the students take them down the next day, he sees an opportunity in the evening to invite you to meet him at the Botanical Garden.

CHARACTERS: Ruggie Bucchi, Kalim Al-Asim, Jamil Viper & Leona Kingscholar

TAGS: Fluf; GN Reader, Flirting, Kissing

WORD COUNT: Ruggie's part is the shortest with 600 words and Leona's the longest with 850 words.

COMMENTS: I was planning to write something shorter. But I got inspired while writing and it ended up in this. Ruggie's part is shorter because I think he would go direct to the point. Leona would need convincing to tell. I hope you enjoy. ;)

CONTEXT: The fairies left, but they left the Botanical Garden with the Fairy Gala decorations. Another group of students was assigned to remove the decoration the next day. But before that, he asked you to meet him in the Botanical Garden at night and in your Gala Couture.

“The fairies are back!!! We need you here! Don't forget the gala suit” This was the message you received from Ruggie when you were getting ready to go to sleep. You didn't question because there was no time. You just sigh, put on your Gala Couture and go. Grim told you this time he wasn't going, he wanted to sleep.

It was already night and the Botanical Garden with its fairy decorations and lit only by a few lights was beautiful. You call out to them, but only Ruggie appears. He was on his Gala Couture as well. And starts laughing at your worried face.

You sulk. “There are no fairies anywhere.”

“I mean, technically, there are two here right now.” He keeps laughing. You turn around as if you were leaving. “Hey! No! Wait! I'm sorry. I... just wanted to make sure you were coming.”

“You could have just asked.” you turn back to him.

“But...” he tries to muffle his laughter “This was funnier. Shehehe.” You were still pouting. “Aww. Don't be mad at me. Come on, admit that you're glad you came. Isn't the Botanical Garden so pretty like this?”

It indeed was. You didn't say anything because you know eventually he would tell you the true motive to make you go there.

“Hey, I was thinking.” He tells you “Despite Leona's grumpiness about all of this, I think they were having fun dancing. I want to have fun too. Shehehe.” He uses his phone to play music. It wasn't the Fairy Gala music, but it was the closest he could find. “Would you like to have fun with me?” He smiles and holds out his hand inviting you to dance.

He's not an elegant dancer but he sure is having fun dancing with you. So don't worry about your steps, get loose! That's exactly what he wants. His smile widens even more when he sees that you're having fun too. Looks like he actually learned some of the steps the others used at the gala. But only a few.

You eventually get closer to each other. Not exactly by accident. You two wanted to dance closer. While dancing you ended up looking at him with more affection. And that was what he took as a sign that perhaps he could go further.

“You're really cute, you know?” He tells you almost whispering, for how close you are.

“Are you saying that because of the suit and the flowers on my head?” You ask, hoping he denies it.

“No, that makes you beautiful. I'm saying that you are cute. It’s different. Shehe.”

“You're very cute yourself, you know?” You tell him and lift a hand to rub one of his ears surrounded by the wreath. “And this just makes you even cuter.” you smile. And he hugs you.

“Most people don't tend to think hyenas are pretty.” Ruggie says with his chin lying on your shoulder and with a little pity and annoyance in his voice. “Let alone cute.”

“They don’t know you. The more time I spend with you, the more beauty I see in hyenas.”

He takes his chin off your shoulder and puts his face in front of yours, your noses touching.

“The more time I spend with you, the more fun I see in humans. Shehehe.” He sees you pouting. “Oh come on, like I haven't already told you that you're beautiful.”

You kiss his lips. He was teasing you for that. That's why you feel him smiling for after reciprocate the kiss while holding you by the waist.

“Hey (Y/N)! Sorry I'm texting you so late. But could you come to the Botanical Garden? They still haven't taken down the decorations and it's so beautiful now at night. And could you come with your gala couture? I want to see how you look in these lights.”

This were the messages you received from Kalim when you were getting ready to go to sleep. You could have said no, but you wanted to be with him. Did Jamil know he was in the botanical garden? You decided not to wake Grim, and left a note in case he woke up and didn't see you in the dorm. “I'm with Kalim on the Botanical Garden.”

Kalim was right. At night, the botanical garden with its fairy decorations and lit only by a few lights was beautiful. You call out to him.

“I'm here. Just a minute.” You hear Kalim's voice, somewhere on the other side of the botanical garden. You're on one end of the green carpet the fairies used for the runway. Seconds later he appears on the other.

The two of you walk down the runway to meet in the middle. As he gets closer you can see that he has his hands behind his back as if he is hiding something behind him. You were smiling at him, so he didn't apologize again for sending you a message so late.

“You see? Isn't the botanical garden so pretty like this? It's a shame they have to undo this all tomorrow.”

“It’s beautiful.” you say “It has a kind of romantic atmosphere.”

“Yeah! That's why I invited you to come.” he said smiling and without thinking and only after that did he realize what he had just said, and blushed.

“And what are you hiding from me?” you laugh.

“AH?! Hiding? What? I'm not hiding anything from you. I just... um...”

“Behind your back, Kalim.” You clarify. You know you could mess with him a little, but poor boy. “You're hiding something behind your back aren't you?”

“Oh! That. He he.” He looks relieved, but the blush doesn't go away. “I was looking around the botanical garden and I thought like these flowers are so pretty. It's a shame they have to take them all out tomorrow. So, since they will be gone anyway...”

He took his hands from behind his back, revealing a beautiful bouquet. You can see that all those flowers are the same ones on the runway. You pick up the flowers with the sweetest smile and it makes him feel proud of himself for making you smile like that.

“Oh! But I asked you to come for another reason.” He uses his phone to play music. It wasn't the Fairy Gala music, but it was the closest he could get. “I had so much fun dancing, I wanted to do it with you.” He smiles and holds out his hand to you.

You put the flowers in a safe place and dance with him. As the two of you danced, you remembered one thing.

“Does Jamil know you're here?”

He looks at you with wide eyes like he's been startled. And then you finally see his carpet looking at you in a corner of the botanical garden trying to hide among the plants.

“I knew he would stop me from coming.” He said as an excuse he wasn't proud of.

“He'll freak out when he sees you're not in the dorm!”

“Yeah... I know... I'm gonna have a bad time after this. But it was worth it to see you so happy.”

You smile “I'm always happy when I'm with you.”

“I'm glad, because I'm always happy when I'm with you too.”

He was going to be grounded by Jamil after this anyway, so better give him your thanks now. You kiss him. And with this confirmation that your feelings are mutual, he returns the kiss enthusiastically to the point of grabbing you by the waist, lifting you up and spinning with you on his embrace.

“Good evening (Y/N). Is there any chance you could meet me at the Botanical Garden tonight? It's about the suits, so I'll need you to come with yours dress up.” Jamil didn't send you those messages too late, but late enough that Grim was already asleep but you still didn't get ready for bed.

Only you had a gala couture, so you decided to let Grim sleep and leave a note in case he woke up. “I'm in the Botanical Garden.”

It was already night and the botanical garden with its fairy decorations and lit only by a few lights was beautiful. You didn't need to call for Jamil. He appeared near by you with his hands behind his back, hiding something behind him.

“So was there something wrong with the suits?” you ask, knowing by the way he was looking at you that the answer was probably no.

He looks you up and down with a smile on his face, like he likes what he sees. “I don't think so. You look gorgeous on it, so I would say your is okay.” he says too naturally for you not to be flattered.

“Then why did you call me here?” you ask with a smirk “Shouldn't you be babysitting Kalim?”

“Don't worry. I already put him to sleep.” When he's with you, he feels more comfortable being his true self. Which is being more bitchy and smug than normal. Which in a way infects you.

He took his hands from behind his back, revealing a beautiful bouquet. You can see that all those flowers are the same ones on the runway. You pick up the flowers with a smile and look where they were taken from.

“They're going to be taken out of here tomorrow anyway.” Jamil explains “Better take advantage while they are here to give them a more dignified purpose.” he admires you with the flowers for a few seconds and then looks up “I'm glad I came to check out the botanical garden. It's really pretty like this.”

“It is.” you agree and then look at him “But why did you call me here exactly?” you raise an eyebrow “You know, since the suit thing was a lie.”

“I just wanted to make sure you came without spoiling the surprise.” He looks back at you “But there is one thing I would like to do with you. And that's why I asked you to come.” He uses his phone to play music. It wasn't the Fairy Gala music, but it was a slow version, quite similar. Jamil bows to you and holds out his hand. “Would you dance with me?”

“I'm afraid I'm not as good as you, though.”

“Would you like me to teach you then? It would be my pleasure.”

You put the flowers in a safe place and give him your hand. Jamil smirk and pulls you closer. You had to put your other hand on his chest to keep from bumping into him. And he puts his other hand on your lower back.

While you dance, he gives you some tips to improve your dancing, but over all he doesn't really care. Dancing with you is great by itself. That, and since you don't know all the steps, he might surprise you.

And he does! When the song is almost over, he spins you, and trips you so you fall back and he catches you. One of his hands on your back and the other on the back of your head.

You see him above you, the soft lights surrounding him. You notice him looking at your lips for a moment before looking back into your eyes (something that would be dangerous for anyone other than the one he have a crush on).

Your time to pay-back! You grab his collar and pull him to kiss his lips. You feel him smiling, like a smile of triumph. He puts you back on your feet while still kissing you. Calm and sensual kisses that soothe him. And this guy has been very stressed, so it might take awhile for you to separate from each other.

“Hey. Come to the botanical garden.” This was the message you received from Leona when you were getting ready to go to sleep.

“Now?” you text back.

“Yes”

“Why?”

“You'll see” Looks like Leona is on his bossy mood. “By the way, come with your gala couture on” Because he is being bossy, you decide to bargain.

“Only if you're also wearing yours. If I see you and I haven't got you on I'll turn around and go back to my dorm.” It took a minute or two for him to text back.

“Fine. But hurry up. I don't like to be kept waiting.”

Grim was already asleep, so you decide not to wake him up and leave a message just in case he looks for you in the middle of the night: “Leona “asked” me to go to the botanical garden.”

It was already night and the botanical garden with its fairy decorations and lit only by a few lights was beautiful. You see Leona lying at the other end of runway's green carpet. Was he napping? Well, he was wearing the suit, maybe not with all the trimmings, but it was his gala couture. Just like you agreed.

You walk across the green carpet to him. Leona sniffs the air and then opens one eye to see you approaching. He smiles and groans lazily, as if he's just woken up from a quick nap.

“It took a long time.” He complains as he gets up.

“I needed to change my clothes again. I was already in my pajamas.” you say, crossing your arms “And you're lucky that the botanical garden is close to Ramshackle.”

He laughs. That smug smile of his.

“So why did you call me here?” you continue “And with the fairy suit?”

“No reason in particular.” He perfectly lies “I came to check the botanical garden, saw that it had a good atmosphere and decided to stay for a while.”

“And what do I have to do with that?”

“I wanted my pillow.” he was referring to your thighs.

“What?! And the outfit?”

“I wanted my pretty pillow.” He laughs.

The truth is, you wanted to do it. One of the agreements you two have is that whenever you let him use your thighs as a pillow, you can pet his ears. But this time it wasn't enough. You were tired from the day, ready to rest and you had to change your clothes and leave the house in the middle of the night.

“And what do I get from that?” you ask

“You already made me wear this again and still want more?”

“That was for me to also come with the suit on.”

He sighs as he thinks for a moment. “Fine, what about this: I saw how you looked at me while I danced during the gala.” He smirk and you blush a little. “One song. What if I let you dance with me?”

“I thought you didn't like to dance.”

“I didn't like being forced to dance.” He clarifies. “But I also don't want to miss the opportunity to see that wonder in your eyes more closely.”

“F-Fine.” You try to control your blush, you can't give him more treats like those. “But don't choose a short song just to get this over with!”

“Ha, fine.” He pulls his cell phone out of his pocket and searches for a song. It was so quick you could have sworn he had already prepared for it. “What about this one then?” You look at the time of the song, about 3 minutes, and it seems fine to you.

He puts the music to play. It wasn't even remotely like the Fairy Gala music. It was a song from his kingdom. But it was beautiful and slower than the fairies one. He straightens up and extends his hand to you, reminding you that he really is a prince. You took it.

He doesn't pull you towards him, instead he is the one who steps forward to approach you. Your right hand and his left were together, he takes your left hand and brings it to his shoulder and then he take his right hand behind your lower back. And then he guide you through the song.

“You know what happens if you tell someone this, right?” Despite what he said, he was smiling.

“Don't worry. I like to keep my privileges.”

"Your privileges, hum?" He brings his face close to yours, your noses almost touching. “What about mine, herbivore? I didn't even mention how sloppy you dance. Am I not being so nice?”

Was he asking for the privilege of having a reward from you? In his smug way. Why not? he was behaving well. He was even complaining less and smiling more than usual.

You kiss his lips, and he kisses you back with twice as much passion. The hand on your back bringing you even closer to him. The nap could wait a little longer. He could do it whenever he wanted, but that kiss was rarer and he was going to enjoy every minute of it.

If you would like to read more from me, you can find it in my pinned post: INDEX

[katemagic]

thinking about how little we see achi reading karan’s mind in episode 11, despite him still having his powers and what a great narrative choice that was

like of course part of that was being long distance but even when they’re reunited and having these meaningful lovely scenes together, we never see karan’s inner thoughts (apart from in the scene where karan is telling him not to out himself if he’s not ready, I think?) because achi trusts karan’s feelings about him and he doesn’t need it anymore. and of course in the context also of karan being upset with achi trying to read his mind to find out his feelings in episode ten, it makes sense that achi wouldn’t do it anymore because he loves him and wants to try for him, even if he hadn’t been at the point of being able to trust karan’s feelings- but it’s so beautiful and lovely that he can!!

like every time we see the mind reading powers get used in episode 11, it’s initiated by karan. I LOVE that we don’t hear karan’s thoughts during the sex scene, partly bc it’s funnier to be left to the imagination jdjdjdjdj but also because of how lovely it is to see them communicate without that. we hear the little magic noise and know presumably that karan is asking achi if he’s okay to continue, but we also know he’s asking that from the expression on his face, and we see achi respond by nodding. it’s just such a lovely way to show that communication, and it’s like we the audience don’t need to hear his thoughts either to know how he’s feeling, so we don’t get it either

I just love this journey of achi becoming so comfortable and trusting of karan’s feelings and love for him, which we know he initially struggled with understanding (eg him telling karan when he confessed that he didn’t really understand why karan liked him) and how he is able to accept it and return it and experience this beautiful love that he deserves they are so wonderful to me

[solar8331]

:OO I JUST STUMBLED ACROSS UR BLOG AND I LOVE THE SOLARSTRAY AU!! (atleast thats how its tagged:]) CAN WE PLEASE HAVE A BIT MORE OF IT???

Absolutelyyy! 😭 I’m glad you like it tbh! I currently have this comic strip that I drew of them. I’m trying to world build with them right now and there will definitely be more of them to come! Especially more comical art since this AU was originally supposed to be on the funnier side with random gags and jokes.

Also I don’t draw comics a lot so sorry if the pacing is bad or if it’s wonky.

A little context: Charlie sticks to Vaggie on her missions and initially Vaggie is annoyed this ‘human’ keeps trying to join her but slowly grows warm to the idea. During one of the exorcisms, they meet a particularly powerful demon. Without her full powers or risking revealing herself as an angel, Vaggie struggles to subdue it. Finally, she does manage to get a good hit off but underestimates just exactly how powerful the demon is.

(READ RIGHT TO LEFT, UP TO DOWN)

And yes, it’s a cliffhanger so enjoy ;)

One thing y’all should know about me first though is that I love angst… so be prepared.

[liketwoswansinbalance]

Round VII of Excerpts from The One True School Master of Vault 41

Someone has “revenge” on the brain. I thought the first excerpt might be funny and could stand on its own out of context. The actual context makes it funnier, in my opinion, but I unfortunately can’t spoil it because it involves possibly the most insane shock in the entire fic.

Admittedly, I’m slightly proud of myself for managing to not burst and to hold back on revealing the plot twists, particularly with major events #2, #3, and #4. Otherwise, there'd likely be zero surprises left.

Though, plot twist #1 is sort of foundational to the premise, so I gave it away! (Sophie is nominated for the position of School Master.)

Also, a strange observation about my own plot occurred to me: contrary to what I or others might think, the plot is actually quite simple. Or, at least, from my view at the moment, it is. I’d originally thought it was complicated, but no. Actually, it’s simple masquerading as complex because there are complications thrown into the story, like wrenches, via a few different elements/events. So, that’s something, I guess?

If I could summarize the plot in one sentence, it would be: three souls enter a crystal ball, and some of them emerged scathed, changed, or both at once.

That’s probably the easiest way to put it, without spoilers.

Anyway, here are the excerpts (from two entirely different sections of the fic):

⸻

That was it. To say it irked her was to put it mildly.

Assuming they were both alive by the end of it, the first moment she got after all these crises were over with, she was taking him for a haircut, whether he liked it or not!

She would march him directly over to the finest salon she could find in the Woods, posthaste, like a prisoner if he resisted—all for the sake of a nice, neat trim.

So be it if it ended up botched. His Doom Room had done the same to her. So what did it matter?

⸻

Rafal glared at Agatha as if to signal: don’t let on that you’re hurt.

“Why are you both limping?”

Agatha stole a quick glance at Rafal who found himself turning to stare intently at a Stymph on high.

He shook his head with the slightest motion. She couldn’t know what it had cost them, or she would intervene.

The movement caught Sophie’s eye, and she turned her attention to Agatha for the truth.

Agatha shrugged wordlessly.

Sophie narrowed her eyes. “Well, it certainly wasn’t bird-watching, that much I can gather.”

Agatha shuffled, and Rafal observed her shove one foot behind her other ankle, but in her gaping, oversized clumps, one sock slid down to reveal an inflamed, red welt.

Unfortunately, Sophie traced his sightline to Agatha's foot. “Agatha? What happened?”

[chanceofwhat]

Some helpful tumblr jargon/references for our new friends:

Blorbo is a word you might hear a lot. Idk who uses this outside of tumblr, I know some people do, so I’m just gonna leave the urban dictionary definition here and move along.

Again, I think Spiders Georg is pretty well known, but I’m leaving this here anyways because it’s referenced fairly often in the way that the “free real estate” used to be where the guy’s face would just be slapped down somewhere out of context with no words and we’d all know.

Miette is… everything. We have all agreed that cats are little Victorian children. Miette is referenced often too, so… love her.

Ea-Nasir is the weirdest one, and the one it took me the longest to figure out. This is the transcript of a 3800 year old complaint tablet in cuneiform about Ea-Nasir the terrible copper salesman. This is the oldest recorded customer complaint in the world. People quote this one often without directly stating what it is, so if you didn’t know about it, you may not even realize there’s a reference there, or you’d skate on by and ignore it. It’s much funnier when you know the context, so… you’re welcome.

If you have any tumblr questions, ask me, and I’ll answer the best I can. Don’t be scared to ask. You’re welcome here. Hellsite is for everyone.

[1percentcharge]

when people say something is funnier without context they are basing that off their specific standpoint of being someone who does know the context and trying to imagine what it would be like if they didn’t. i find that when I actually don’t know the context i don’t care

[edenfenixblogs]

Palm tree, daffodil, and cactus for the Ask Game!

(The villain question, the sibling question, and the “what are you currently learning about” question)

palm tree ⇢ do you have a fictional villain you shouldn’t like but love regardless?

Oh boy. Not technically fictional, but in his fictional representation — Ecbert from Vikings. He’s so compelling and his motivations and intensity is like that of a Shakespearean villain. I mean, just look at his monologue to Jesus in the church. It takes my breath away every time. Even without context.

I also find the real actual story of the real actual man to be fascinating. In general, I find early Anglo-Saxon era British history fascinating.

daffodil ⇢ do you have siblings? if yes, in what ways do you think you’re similar to or different from them?

I do! But none by blood. @will-write-for-food is my sister, who I met in high school. I also have a friend (it feels weird calling her a friend tbh. She’s just my sister) who I’ve had since I was 4 and she was five. She’s also biologically an “only child,” but that made our bond even stronger. Nobody but an only child understands how fucking boring summers are if you’re an only child like another only child. Several years in a row we lived together by force. I would sleep over at her house until her mom needed a break and then she would send us both back and to my parents and on and on we’d go. I was maid of honor at her wedding. I’m aunt to her children.

As for similarities: both my sisters and I are motivated by love and family and kindness and are naturally rebellious in a dangerous way. We can all be snarky and we are all funny as fuck. But we never wanted to do drugs or go out and do any of the dangerous things you saw teens do in movies. We all care deeply about making the world better and believe in the value of choosing kindness and love any time you have the chance—even if it means gritting your teeth and clenching your fist while doing so. But also, we would all fear the fucking world apart if you hurt anyone we love. We also never abandon our friends to prioritize romance. We all value friendship as its own distinct type of love and relationship that isn’t less important than anything else.

For my Since-Pre-k sister, we are really quite different people. She leans more conservative (not in a terrible way though) whereas I’m very leftist. She is extremely romance driven in a way that @will-write-for-food and I are not. Over all, I think she’s a lot more traditional and normative in her life choices than we are, but not in a judgmental way. It’s just how she is. And it doesn’t change any of the things that matter about any of us. @will-write-for-food and I are also much more intellectually motivated than she is. She isn’t dumb though! She’s very smart! She just doesn’t learn things for fun like we do. She goes out and does stuff instead. I value that about her. Whenever I get too in my head she is amazing at shaking me out of it. She’s also not super into politics. She’s very practical.

As for @will-write-for-food and I? Ooooooh boy. There is no way to fully disentangle this. She’s my other half. We are basically the same person. I’m much more optimistic than she is in general. And I’m also soooooooo much more humble. (😉😘) But she is so strong in a way that inspires me. She can keep her head down and keep moving forward in a way that is incomprehensible to me. I’m glad she’s learned to reach out more over the years and know that she doesn’t HAVE TO operate like a one woman emergency crew. But the fact that, when the chips are down, she *CAN?* It’s astounding to witness. She’s also funnier than me. Or anyone. She’s the funniest fucking person in the world. And if you think *I’M* patient?????????? You have all seen NOTHING. You don’t know the meaning of the word patience. None of us do. The word belongs to her.

As for a way I’m different than both of them? Aside from what was already mentioned, I think it’s pretty funny that they are both Irish Catholic with a big, loud Jewish found family.

cactus ⇢ something you’re currently learning (about)?

Interior design. (I got this ask a lot and will give a diff answer every time because I’m always learning a million things)

[seven-stars-in-his-palm]

HELLOOOOO would love to know about human incarnate. AND history's flowers. AND 13 for the fic writer questions. goodbye

OKAY OKAY OKAY IM SO EXCITED I LOVE THESE FUCK ASS THINGS!!!!! let me divide them….

13) your strengths as an author

i love writing prose. imagery my betrothed. connecting tiny threads into one useless piece is my bit on the side. basic dialogue when ik what theyre gonna talk about, but making it SOUND like them is a wholeeeeee other ordeal. so yeah, i'd say Prose. i like those, and people have said i use good word :)

history’s flowers

so you know the song bouquet by itchiko aoba ? well a good chunk of the song is mainly flowers, so ended up a fic like “crowley and aziraphale through history, but a flower that is mentioned in the song is present in an encounter we see”. like ‘plumeria’—its a ficlet in the garden and a bush of plumerias happens to be nearby or part of the scene ! its mostly chrono, but i tried to keep it as close as possible. not too much has been written yet other than the garden of eden example i gave you, and there’s a lot of flowers, but im gonna dew it all 😌

human incarnate (under cut due 2 length)

okay THIS one’s a bit more complex and infinitely longer. its a reincarnation story ! but of course, not exactly what you might have seen before. now, bit of context, i’ve mever really liked human aus—they are some amazing works out there and i’ve read a good chunk dont get me wrong, but its not exactly something i seek out—im there for the mystical, the immortal dance, etc etc. but one day this story just came up, and i COULDNT let it go. so: human aziraphale and crowley trying to stop the apocalypse but theyre actually an angel/demon duo but reincarnating every few decades. so one day they died (this if ofc plot relevant but if i explain it its ANOTHER long ass paragraph, so lets just say it involves fire and one of my favorite historical events *not alexandria*), and they started incarnating together, some lives never meeting and others meeting once or others changing them entirely, only to eventually truly converge in the present day (like 2008) in time for heaven and hell to realize the trick and the apocalypse on the brink of beginning. easy no memory shtick and stuff, and the appeal is 1) trying to stop armageddon without their respective powers/knowledge, and 2) relearning their love story one life at a time. its the exact balance of Supernatural and Human i would love to read, but never have seen. there might be fic like that out there (and i’d love to read it) but this is hopefully something I can execute nicely. some highlights:

- raising warlock is a such a funnier ordeal becayse they dont have powers to help them out. its a DISASTER

- them figuring out their miracles and their limitations when their powers slowly start tricking back (they're not yet where they're supposed to be, but after heaven and hell's first contact, they arent exactly human anymore, are they?) like warlock's birthday ! its just funny to me..

- crowley and aziraphale's limited contact before armageddon is about. its just a neighborhood crush, nothing more, but then it escalates like THAT ? imagine the guy who curates your flower bouquets you bring to your grandpa's grave (he's not related to you) (and he also happens to be you) and looks kinda pretty ngl is actually your immortal enemy you've been locked in a homoerotic relationship with since the beginning of time. and is a DEMON. of HELL. woah

- hell and heaven don’t really frighten aziraphale and crowley most of the narrative, until the plot ramps up. at first, theyre just Fuckin Weird to them, and seeing a few chapters of them just ridiculing their HEAD OFFICES without knowing just how powerful they can be makes me crack up

- crowley's tattoos (including the snake, which he has NO IDEA where it came from)

- aziraphale's bible and prophecy collection (inherited from his grandpa) (whom he is not related to) (who is also him)

- theyre both trans. one cool thing about this is that aziraphale intentionally chose his name based on the angel who guarded eden, which is HIM. for some odd reason, his name never did fade from the bible editions, and he is still known to this day. Cough Cough Crowley Cough Cough anyway also he and crowley both cycled through some other names before reaching their final ones, which are all names they’ve had in past lices :) because while their past lives have been connected to their old identities in some ways, it wasnt until 2008 where it really became similar. its almost like they knew things were coming…..

- (this trans fact is revealed during the six hours of drinking after adam is delivered <3)

- the bookshop fire

- holding hands at the end of the world

- no stars to run to, because crowley doesnt even know he built that one. but he still fucking loved astronomy anyway!!! he used to want to be an astronaut, you know. before the world tore him down

- aziraphale, on the other hand, never knew what he wanted to be. Good, that he knew, but Good at what?

- all of the fcuking.... scenes.... hittinf anathema, tadfield manor, I JUST!!!!

- some of their cliched past lives being the following: pirate/naval captain, bodysnatcher/cemetery caretaker, brandy spy/allied bookseller, 17th century witches, fugitive/aristocrat, and ofc, present day: struggling florist/bookseller who doesnt really sell any books and lives off of his grandpa's fortunes (again, not related) (who is also him)

- crowley growing up on the velvet underground and aziraphale growing up UNDER A ROCK. queen plagues them both...

and yeah ! its gonna be pretty long, i think. thanks 4 the ask, and happy timezone 💗

[mybreadsmybutters]

Who, or what, is pyrocynical? I could google it but I think having it explained by you will be funnier

pyrocynical is a youtuber who is known for being deeply irony-poisoned and UNFUNNY and making long LONG ass video analyses and also dosgshit commentary videos. more under cut if u care beyond that

he has a main channel for actual video essay type content that mostly focuses on analyzing video games. he’s known for making an 8 FUCKING HOUR LONG VIDEO talking about a tv show called Utopia and one on Pet Scop. also he got cancelled for grooming in 2020 and in order to disprove the allegations had to admit to having like a fat furry fart fetish… 8 started watching him around 2017-ish when he was making leafyishere style commentary videos and that’s mainly the only type of content he makes that i care about because i dont care about video games on any level

his SIDE channel pyrolive is a mix of something he has termed slop and video game gameplay. i watch this channel because half the content is purposefully dogshit plus bait for views which is funny to me and also because the shit he says is so fascinating to me. he has this very specific style of speaking and talent for speaking AROUND an issue without ever actually Saying something. every video is like a moderate politician who’s definitely got some REAL crazy opinions that he’s very good at obfuscating from a general audience

he’s also like VAGUELY problematic. as in he says retard in contexts not directly related to his channels and exists in that sphere of creators who only condemn bigotry when it fits a very specific agenda, always makes attempts to “not talk about politics”, definitely making content for 15 year old white boys who spend their entire day being racist on video games sort of thing. i wouldnt go so far as saying he HIMSELF is actually somebody with weird beliefs but he’s definitely catering to an audience that is very much like. redpilled weirdos. lol.

he has this very fascinating way of talking about youtube site culture and their fan norms that i don’t know if he’s actually AWARE of that make his videos more interesting to me. as in he frequently does react or drama videos and will explain the drama and instead of giving some boring “this is bad/good for x reason!” analysis he’ll break down the CONTEXT within which a situation arose and why this person is reacting in this way and his take on how they SHOULD be addressing the issue to handle backlash.

clip below that i think pretty much says What Kind Of Youtuber he is from one of his most recent videos. for context he’s reading an apology video from a guy who got a 50k self-insert Hazbin Hotel spicy animation leaked

this sort of stuff is what makes him compelling to me… he doesn’t have an opinion!!! he’s basically saying nothing here!!!

also “idk anyone who stans franchise and doesn’t have pronouns” makes me ugly laugh. HE shouldnt be saying shit like that but at the VERY least i can find it funny and be delulu about him. hope this answered ur question anon

[f0point5]

I vibe with Franco but that’s mostly based on the fact that I follow F2 pretty heavily and some F3. I could see him seeming a bit over eager to people who don’t know a ton about him and especially if they don’t speak Spanish. I think with translations he can come off as sort of disingenuous but without that language context you don’t realize that he isn’t being disingenuous and is just genuinely having the absolute time of his life.

He’s kind of always been a very talkative outgoing guy in everything. He has this perpetual “this is amazing” little kid at the zoo for the first time sort of attitude. And I do kinda respect that he’s out in every interview telling the presenters (the Spanish ones so idk if you see them with the language barrier) that he’s heard about them and how great their questions are and how excited he is. Or how he so publicly makes it clear that he loves Lewis and looks up to him instead of trying to be chill about it. He’s kinda treating his time in F1 like a field trip and almost seems like he’s having as much fun as he can before he can’t anymore.

As a fellow max fan it’s definitely off because F1 and Max are peak competition and doing everything you can to win and getting frustrated with 2nd place where as Franco is just so very not?

Yeah, I mean I guess for him it’s a bit like a summer internship, because he’s unlikely to be there next year, although streets are saying Sauber is interested 👀👀👀

I definitely think that’s it’s good to have more personalities like his in the paddock. It’s more interesting when people approach things differently. As much as I enjoy Max’s vibe, 20 Max characters in the paddock would be dead as hell because they would all have nothing to say about each other. Max is that much funnier in contrast to someone like George who is more entertaining in contrast to Lewis…etc. If we are going to be watching these drivers for as much as we now do with the content they put out, Franco characters are definitely welcome.

And it’s true what they say - that perceiving someone in their second language is very different to knowing them in their mother tongue.

I can freely admit that I just don’t tend to resonate with overeager people 😂 but hey, better for him to be overeager than to live with regrets that he didn’t say or do something he will wish later he had. Because a seat isn’t guaranteed

[overplannedbutunnamednpc]

Clover: 1, 50

Jesse: 8, 19

Kez (this one is for me 🙈): 9, 23

Leg: 11, 41

Clover:

1. What’s the lie your character says most often?

"Not a couple!" which is SO much funnier to me in the context of has been wearing a wedding ring for him for two years without telling him. Truly I am taking Clover's face in my hands constantly and asking them to explain themself. And they always do, and it's always so much weirder than I was expecting. I'm going into this like "la de da de da I mean I pretty much get Clover" and then Clover says to me "when I made my vows to Honey I also started to consider myself married to him, which I acted upon by starting to wear the ring that I intended to use to propose to him, but in secret". and I WHIP around to look at them. And they continue on their life as if that was some normal shit they just said. I do genuinely find it very interesting as a character trait to have them go “and I’m Always Right” while knowing. “Girl…… no……….”

Again, but they do think this is a joke:

50. What belief / moral / personality trait do they stand by that you (mun) personally don’t agree with?

I truly don't think you can love someone without also liking them. Clover doesn’t NOT like honey, to be fair—they think he’s fun and they genuinely get along with him most of the time, and even their bickering is more or less always in good fun. But like. Their perception of him is Colored. Which I genuinely don’t think works if you want to actually truly be in love with someone. Clover thinks they’ve got no choice, that that’s just how they feel and therefore they’ll be feeling it forever, which just. Isn’t true, to me. Girl you can leave him. Idk. You’ve done it before and it worked.

Jesse:

8. How loose is their use of the phrase ‘I love you’?

I don’t think he’s ever said it in game, which tells me he has to mean it! You’d feel like he’d be pretty liberal with it, which doesn’t seem to be true. He likes plenty of people! And he’ll go a very long way for people he likes! But love is its own thing—maybe not something Earned, exactly (up god knows he loves people who haven’t earned it) but certainly something that takes a little more than “accidentally blow up a factory together”. If he felt it, he may or may not say so. But if he says it, he feels it.

19. What would they do if stuck in a room with the person they’ve been avoiding?

Currently he’s avoiding Mag. Which… well, he’d have to have a conversation with her. Very sad. He doesn’t WANT to admit to her that he’s got second thoughts or that he’s very wary of his own new brain. He’s too loyal to want to leave or even really change things, and more than that, he knows that she doesn’t want things to change. It’s not that hard to see that Mag resents losing her glorified handbag, and Jesse’s got some conflicting opinions on actually being that handbag. But why would he tell Mag that! She doesn’t really care, and even if he did tell her she couldn’t materially help unless Jesse submitted himself for a VERY invasive use of her powers that he is genuinely pretty aware that she would probably abuse. So! From the bottom of his heart: 🙈

Kez:

9. Do they give tough love or gentle love most often? Which do they prefer to receive?

Kez is gentle, I think! This is because they’re genuinely pretty easygoing, and also probably because they’re aware that they’re almost always the pot calling the kettle black when someone fucks up. From Kez, you’re probably more likely to get a, “Is that really how you feel?” or a “Maybe not your best moment.” Something that’s more like “I know you know you’ve fucked up already, so let’s drop the bullshit”. Sure, he can get pissed, and he can get mean if he really wants to, but I wouldn’t call that tough love, because it’s more likely to be defensiveness rather than proactive. (Guy who has been thinking about reactions to Day’s promised evil monologue.)

(added after the monologue) GUY WHO CASTS SPELLS ABOUT IT LMAOOOOOO. but to be fair the spell was hold monster. because day was actively walking out. So. I’d call that. Gentler? than (consults notes) chain lightning and prismatic wall? ALSO this is a special case fksdkfjsd

They definitely prefer to receive gentle love? But I think by virtue of again. Being who they are (massive fuckup) they’re actually alright at receiving tough love by this point. And she’s so avoidant that I do think it’s the thing that “works”. When you threaten to never let him see his nephew again if he doesn’t clean up his act, he cleans up his act. You know?

23. What do they feel guilty for that the other person(s) doesn’t / don’t even remember?

(You just want evil Kez au. I see you, villain. But she ISN'T evil she ISN'T)

Kez only just got good at holding babies and now Teddy was too big for them to pick up.

Didn’t mean that much. Kez was hardly a fitness nut, and even he had to admit that he’d only gotten worse over the past couple years that he hadn’t been running for his life. Fighting gods toned some muscle in a way that peace just didn’t. And. Well. Drugs and parties burned fat and muscle with very little prejudice.

Luckily, the kid was good at toddling around by now, and surprisingly fast about it, too. Which was its own set of problems.

Mental note: Make sure not to be hungover next time Teddy’s dropped off, Kez thought, blinking blearily at the blue-tinged glare of the museum’s lamps through their sunglasses.

“Hey, stuffie, stay near me,” they reminded the little guy for the fifth time in as many minutes.

Teddy, bless him, slowed, but being a toddler didn’t stop. Kez’d take it. Teddy’s understanding of the world was such that he actually kind of knew what he was looking at when they went places, and his eyes were wide like an owl’s. Big and brown got his little ass a lot of old lady cooing. They were also very effective on Kez herself. He just put a little more skip in his own step to keep following.

Aoterra's Museum of Heroics was as legendary as the Sunyth citizens' likenesses it held, and it looked the part. Large halls and marble and glass cases that somehow made even the rusty old shit look just as grand as the gleaming stuff.

Teddy was mostly interested in the swords room when they came here, so Kez took him often. Free tickets - they donated one of their old spellbooks a couple months ago so they pretty much just had to flash a smile and drop a name to get through the doors.

This is where things got complicated for Kezzie. They couldn't pick Teddy up, nor was Teddy tall enough to really see what he was looking at without assistance.

Teddy made a beeline for the biggest swords in the room - the ones that were wielded by giants back when dragons were a much more widespread problem than they were these days. "These things are wider than you are tall, kiddo," they told him. "Why do you like them so much?"

"Big," Teddy answered. "It's big swords."

"So true," Kez replied. "What else? Do you like them because they’re shiny?”

Teddy didn't answer that question, distracted. Kez let it go, resting a hand on the top of his head instead so she could close her eyes for a second while he stared.

This was one of the better ways they found to do this - Teddy was well-behaved, but he wandered some, and Kez would quite literally rather die than ever have to look Callie in the eye and tell her that he lost her kid. But when Kez was hungover, the lights were brutal, especially glinting off all the metal in here.

"There," Teddy announced, his head moving some other direction under Kez's hand. Kez reluctantly opened his eyes - not a good look to use your nephew as a seeing-eye dog just to rest your eyes.

She let him lead her around in much the same manner for the next few exhibits, asking him about the exhibits like a good uncle should. Teddy was happy to talk and just as happy to not answer when he got too into an exhibit, but he was easy, blessedly so, today.

At least, up until he tugged on them and said "That's Daddy's," with such urgency that Kez's ears flicked.

"Huh? Say that again, baby," they told him.

Teddy just pointed, over to a newly-opened room. Kez blinked.

RECENT HEROICS, it proclaims, in paint so red it could still be fresh. Through it? Oh, that's Daddy's alright. Kez can see Arthur's sword through the glass doors - presumably a replica - as well as a morningstar that makes his chest ache a little more than it had any right to.

“Oh,” she said. “It’s not actually Daddy’s, Teddy bear. They made a new one that looks like Daddy’s sword. It isn’t the same one.”

Teddy started towards the doors. Kez, though he felt rooted in place that same way he always did when he wasn’t ready to deal with all the hero stuff, got tugged along as if Teddy was physically doing it.

She snapped out of it when someone came out, clocking and holding the door open for her nephew, and she saw the large diagram on the wall of the planar system.

Well. Planar-system-that-was.

Kez realized quickly that inside was gonna be a whole thing about the separation and who did it and who held it together and got hit with a wave of no fucking thank you so strong that they grabbed Teddy by the shoulder before he got through the doors.

“We don’t have time, Teds,” they told him. “We gotta get going. Maybe next time, okay?”

Next time, when he knew what he was getting into. He didn’t have any problems with people telling the story, he just needed to know when he’d be hearing it. Semblance of control, or whatever.

Teddy, who was probably pretty used to being directed around, did stop at the hand on him, but complained, “I want to see.”

“Not this time,” Kez said. “Next time you visit. That’s, like, a week. You can wait a week.”

“But—”

“Teddy, I said no,” Kez snapped, and her voice was so sharp that she surprised herself.

They’re not all that surprised when Teddy started crying. Gods damn it.

Immediate guilt rushed him, both for making the kid cry and the fact that they couldn’t effectively pick him up to make it better. The best they could do was drop to a knee to give him a hug—one he accepted, which was good, he was always a touchy little attention sponge—and an apology.

“Oh, no, sweetheart, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap. You didn’t do anything.”

They rested their chin on his head, looked past him to the exhibit and decided they weren’t gonna offer ‘let’s go in’ as a fix to the crying. Not their circus right now. “You’re okay, baby. I’m not mad at you. That was an accident. Calm down, I’ve got you.”

Kez rubbed a hand over their face and then dropped it to Teddy’s hair. He was calming, a little. He was a happy kid, like that. The tears were more surprised than sad, Kez was pretty sure.

The woman who had held the door open had let it shut by now, and Kez did her level best not to look up to meet the judgement that she’d made Teddy cry. Yeah, lady, she knew already. You try saving the world sometime and being reminded of it even when you’re not asking for it.

“How about we go get some ice cream?” Kez offered the little guy still in their arms.

The offer was twofold, because it meant that the second Teddy nodded his head, Kez could press his head against their chest so that he wasn’t disoriented when they cast teleport. Boom, distraction. Totally different place, totally absent of problems.

“There we go,” he told him. “We’re back at my tower. We can go to the place you like down the street. You okay, buddy?”

Teddy, though he was still a little wet—apparently children were, often—nodded. Kez wiped away the tears on his cheeks and then wiggled her fingers to clean up the snot, a process that made Teddy sneeze and her smile.

“There you go. All better. C’mon, buddy, let’s get you a treat.”

Legacy:

11. If someone was impersonating them, what would friends / family ask or do to tell the difference?

I think it slightly depends on how well the impersonator knew her. What I think would be a decent tell is how she’d react to GD telling a joke during a serious conversation. I feel like usually, Legacy plays into that—she’s not very serious, despite her 20 strength and charisma and her 19 AC. I think someone very much could see her look and her resume (killing vampires, demons, cultists, etc.) and assume she takes a lot more seriously than she actually does. I think that could definitely trip up an impersonator.

41. What phrases, pronunciations, or mannerisms did they pick up from someone / somewhere else?

It came up in game a few times, but Legacy’s favorite comforting touch is playing with people’s hair! It came direct from Baba, braiding her hair while they chatted and Legacy polished her sword or worked on her knitting. Legacy always found fingers in her hair comforting, so she uses it on others, too. She doesn’t know how to braid, but playing with it is almost as good, so hair it is.

[cha-ra-nui]

Awards Section

This is the awards section of my 2023 retrospective. The other parts of the retrospective are linked below.

Playlist | Prefix | Part 1: Music | Part 2: Anime and Other Media | Awards Section

Song of the Year:

WOODZ – Drowing: WOODZ has Album of the Year secured with OO-LI, no question about that. But when it comes to a single song, as good as Drowing is, I think I just love the EP more as a whole. If he’d just dropped Drowing as a single it might’ve taken the title.

Key – Easy: I can’t give it to Key again. Not three years in a row, and certainly not for this song. Killer or Heartless I could maybe justify, but I didn’t nominate them, I nominated Easy. I can’t even explain why I love it so much. Is it the best song I heard all year? No. But it’s my most played track anyway.

Sam Haft, Andrew Underberg, Alex Brightman – 2 Minutes Notice: I have half a mind to give it to this. Wouldn’t that be funny, a showtune from a YouTube cartoon taking SOTY? Ha. Haha. Hahaha. Haaaaaa… It would be funnier it wasn’t seriously a top candidate for that title.

Winner: King Gnu – SPECIALZ This is it. SOTY for a group I never expected to hand it to. Not because I disliked them or anything, I enjoyed every time they crossed my path. But because SOTY usually goes to an artist I love, and I only know King Gnu from their Anime tie-ins. And normally if a group delivers a song this good I would be digging my way through their albums, but I’m not. This song is special, and don’t want context for it.

Album of the Year:

Key – Killer: A stretch, I’m aware. In fact, the only reason why this isn’t getting the title is because 11/14 songs already released in 2022, and it got album of the year then. It’s by far my most played record of 2023 though, and one of my favorite K-pop albums period.

Onew – Circle: Yeah, I know, just nominate every SHINee solo, will you? No, I won’t. Taemin’s just missed out. See, I’m totally not biased, Circle was just that good. A stunningly beautiful album start to finish.

Ryugujo – 2 Much: Debut of the year, hands down. Ryugujo’s first EP is exactly as fierce as Avu-chan wanted, and I found this group impossible to look away from ever since.

Albums that I regularly listened to in full and therefore get my recommendation but missed out on a nomination, in no particular order:

VIXX – Continuum: Far from their strongest work, otherwise it would’ve taken the title by default. But even with half the members missing, it’s still VIXX, and it’s the best K-pop boy group record released in 2023.

æspa – Drama: I have no excuse; this is just fun. Sometimes you need an EP that isn’t ashamed of being batshit K-pop.

Red Velvet – Chill Kill: Very pretty and cohesive album. SM saves all their pleasant-sounding music for their girl groups.

Purple Kiss – Cabin Fever: Purple Kiss’ best EP to date.

Dreamcatcher – VillainS: Enjoyed this EP way more than I thought I would.

Kiss Of Life – Born To Be XX: These girls are going places.

Winner: WOODZ – OO-LI There was never any doubt about which release would take album of the year, because WOODZ utterly obliterated the competition. Every other nomination, including the Key album that is totally not from the year before anyway, at least has one song I don’t care for. But OO-LI never misses. Not even 7/10 misses. Every single song on this EP stands out, and they come together beautifully. WOODZ is enlisting this January, and I already don’t know what to do without being able to rely on him to deliver great comebacks for the next two years. Come back safely, and never stop making music.

Artist of the Year:

I keep struggling with this one because most of my favorite releases tend to be from tenure artists who drop one comeback and then vanish for the rest of the year. If you asked me who I admired the most, it would be WOODZ. If you asked me who I listened to the most, it would be Key. If you asked me who surprised me the most, it would be Ryugujo. If you asked me who had the most releases I loved though, I’m stuck. The list of artists who released more than one album which I enjoyed is short. Dreamcatcher, Kiss Of Life, æspa, and that’s it, I’m stuck. So you know what? Fuck it. I won’t get the chance to do that again for two years.

Winner: WOODZ Between OO-LI, a world tour, and Amnesia, WOODZ had a great year. He hasn’t missed once in his career, but right now he’s on a level of his own. No one else active this year has delivered this level of consistency and quality. WOODZ is a gem, and I don’t think it’s possible to lavish his music with too much praise right now.

Miscellaneous Music:

Best Music Video: Heartsteel – Paranoia

Best Choreography: Le Sserafim – Eve, Psyche & The Bluebird’s Wife

Best Debut Single: Ryugujo – 2 Much

Top 15 B-sides (no videos, only one entry per artist):

Key – Heartless

WOODZ – Busted

Taemin – She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not

Infinite – Time Difference

Kim Sejeong – Jenga

Red Velvet – One Kiss

Onew – No Parachute

VIXX – Savage

Purple Kiss – T4ke

Dreamcatcher – Propose

æspa – Don’t Blink

IVE – Blue Blood

SHINee – Identity

ATEEZ – Dune

U-Know – Tarantino

Best Insert Song: Helluva Boss – 2 Minutes Notice

Other Media

Game Of The Year: The Legend Of Zelda – Tears Of The Kingdom Not the most creative pick, but sometimes Nintendo delivers, and their games are magical when they do.

Anime Of The Year: Link Click Season 2 Since I didn’t watch everything I wanted to get to, this might change in hindsight, once I feel better and catch up with shows like Oshi no Ko, Vinland Saga, and Tengoku Daimakyou. Jujutsu Kaisen also had a strong season, and Shounen does not get much better than its Hidden Inventory and Shibuya Incident arcs, but ultimately Link Click is the show I cared about the most. Everything in this show feels intentional. Every mystery has a satisfying pay-off, and that earns it enough trust from the audience to expect a satisfying continuation (and hopefully conclusion) in the already confirmed third season. I for one can’t wait to see what happens next and considering the time travel aspect of the show and season two’s final twist, what already happened. I love the characters and want to see them get out of this story safe and sound.

Opening Of The Year: Link Click Season 2 There was competition, certainly, but in the end, nothing touched this masterpiece. They made a song that would sound good played forwards and backwards, just so they could rewind the opening. It looks great and is a great fit for a time travel mystery. I got to respect the craft that went into this.

Ending Of The Year: Oshi No Ko I didn’t have much opportunity to mention Queen Bee in this retrospective, but they delivered on this ending theme.

Movie Of The Year: Oppenheimer I have half a mind to praise Puss In Boots more, but Oppenheimer is a staggeringly well made movie, and I would be remiss if I didn’t give it the crown.