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reiniesainyo · 4 months

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IN BETWEEN. charlie bushnell x reader – 02

02 | WELCOME TO NY previous | next | masterfile

SYNPOSIS. when a girl's co-star is good to her and now she wants it more than everything in between. (smau)

A/N. wow actual content who knew! i give some tidbits about rina and lukes dynamic as well for funsies (takes place at the start of the season premiere to probably episode 4-5 ish)

liked by iamcharliebushnell, walker.scobell, and 322,778 others thelnarchive best people to star in my first show with actually

walker.scobell pov: you at the end of this sentence 🤓👆 ↳ thelnarchive that** ↳ leahsavajeffries destroyed him with one word that's insane

user1 she's so gorgeous it's killing me

user2 her photo dumps are so cute it's so RAHHHHH ↳ user3 thank you yn for keeping us fed

iamcharliebushnell no photo creds? thats crazy...... ↳ thelnarchive 📸: charlie bushnell ↳ iamcharliebushnell thank you 😁

user4 she's so pretty, i would go to hell and back for her. she could be sent to the underworld and i would go and traverse the entire underworld for her and bring her back, have hades let me walk out with her only if i don't turn my back and bet you baby i'm no orpheus because you're coming home ↳ user5 this is so real but also what the fuck

dior.n.goodjohn PRETTIEST IN CAMP HALFBLOOD ↳ thelnarchive NO YOU!

iamcharliebushnell for everyone's information, she yapped for like the 2 hour makeup and hair session ↳ thelnarchive you weren't interested in the cultural impact of feminist retellings of mythology? 😔 ↳ iamcharliebushnell i didn't say i didn't listen to every bit

user6 yn ln being a yapper and charlie being a listener was not in my 2024 bingo card but it is pleasantly accepted ↳ user7 the chemistry is kind of crazy

bellie 💋 @G1LLMOREGRLS theres like less than 3 minutes of luke and rina screen time but the way they look at each other is insane. ik luke visiting rina before leaving was implied and like them him contacting her even after the attempt too i still want to see some because the potential angst is so insane 🗨 19 comments 🔁 129 retweets ❤️ 707 likes

user1 "i lost luke three times in my life." if they remove this it better be for something even more heartbreaking

user2 honestly truth i'm manifesting so hard to see some of their iris messages like i can just imagine it ↳ G1LLMOREGRLS oh my fucking god that's so true, i want to see luke begging her to come with him and then her begging him to change his mind

user3 i want the new seasons to come sooner because i trust in rick's capability to give us what we want 💳💳💳 ↳ user4 i trust in the editor's to make what rick gives us even better brah ↳ user5 what if i said lascotellan to a hozier song

user6 the show ate with levitating as the replacement for poker face in e6 so i'm expecting a tragic song for their scenes too ↳ G1LLMOREGRLS dare i say we get a scene of luke regretting his actions juxtaposed with a scene of him and rina arguing with her telling him to silver springs by fleetwood mac ↳ user6 LUKE AND RINA ARGUING OVER HIS ACTIONS TO SILVER SPRINGS. YOU'RE A FUCKING GENIUS OOMF ↳ G1LLMOREGRLS luke thinking about her constantly when he thinks abt why he shouldn't have done it is so "you'll never get away from the sound of the woman that loves you"????

user7 YOU'RE SO CORRECT FOR THIS ‼️‼️ i'm so insane over them, tragic greek couple of the century

user8 i fear no one will ever beat rina saying she wanted to go to the underworld to get him back but deciding not to and letting him repent in elysium or try for reincarnation

liked by thelnarchives, dior.n.goodjohn, and 350,232 others iamcharliebushnell hanging out with the muse

thelnarchives you call me "the muse" so often i'm starting to think you don't know my first name anymore.... 🤨🤨🤨 ↳ iamcharliebushnell 😔 i would never do that to you muse ↳ thelnarchives i'm gonna start calling you traitor. ↳ user1 wat why would she call him traitor ↳ user2 oh you sweet summer child

user3 picture 3 is so cute i love her so much !!! and charlie's there too i guess

dior.n.goodjohn why are you hanging out with MY girlfriend ↳ iamcharliebushnell you snooze you lose :/

walker.scobell you owe me like 2 meals from our past bets and you keep saying your busy but obviously you're not??? ↳ iamcharliebushnell hanging out with the muse is a trip priority, man 🤷

user4 i'm obsessed with how charlie calls her muse they're so i want to Bite them. ↳ user5 he ate with the pet name

user6 that's actually me in the second photo guys

user7 WHY IS NO ONE TALKING ABOUT HER HAND PLACEMENT IN THE THIRD PHOTO??? ↳ user8 girlie's just scratching her own cat

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jettingtothemoon · 3 months

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Daughter of the Spirits; chapter 13

➳ pairing: zuko x f!reader ➳ genre: a retelling of the show from season 2 onwards with a heavy focus and expansion on zuko’s story (canon divergent) ➳ warnings: violence, swearing, smut (underaged if your age of consent is above 16), spoilers for anyone who hasn’t seen the show ➳ word count: 2644 ➳ rating: 18+ ➳ summary: In which y/n comes across the fire nation prince during her stay in Ba Sing Se. ➳ tags: @harmlessoffering @lammello @hannahdinse8 @ok-boke @stranger-chan @nekee-lilac02 @inutheangel @kalea-gooch (i’m sorry if i’m forgetting anyone, lmk if i am or if you want to be added)

Chapters: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13,

Forgiveness

By the time morning came, he was determined to make things right. Toph had come to see the two of you last night despite everything and that was something. If she hadn’t, you and Zuko would have already been on your way to the Earth Kingdom to begin your search for your lost loved ones. But she had and that had given Zuko hope.

Even if they were only going to turn him away again, he wanted to make sure Toph was alright and to at least try and apologise for what had happened.

“There they are.” Zuko almost smiled when he spotted the Avatar and his group but settled for a sigh of relief when he saw that their young Earthbender was okay, sitting with her feet in a nice pool of cooling water.

Your heart caught in your chest, however, when you spotted another figure also looking down on the group with a sinister look in his eyes. “Um, Zuko…”

The prince followed your eyes and widened his own when they landed on the man. Without a second thought, he grabbed a nearby vine and swung through the air towards the figure. His foot connected with the side of the man’s face just as what seemed to be some strange force of power shot from the centre of his forehead, redirecting his aim to the rocks above the Avatar and his friends. When it collided, a large explosion shook the very ground they stood on.

You didn’t need to think before you were following after him, landing behind him as he marched towards the assailant.

“Stop!” he cried, “I don’t want you hunting the avatar anymore!” He ran in front of the man, blocking his line of attack. “The mission is off! I’m ordering you to stop!”

He only shoved Zuko away and fired another shot at the Avatar, taking out a piece of the fountain next to them. You looked between Zuko and the Avatar before leaping into the air and grabbing another vine, swinging down to help the group who were currently at the assassin's mercy. Zuko would have to manage on his own for now.

“Let me help!” you cried out as you landed, using water from the fountain to soften the blow.

Katara scowled at you for a moment before her expression softened and she nodded, allowing you to slip in beside them to take cover. You could hear Zuko still trying to reason with the mercenary as you looked around, trying to find a way out or at the very least something else to hide behind.

You braced when another explosion hit the ground beside you and looked up in time to see the assassin fire a shot directly towards Zuko, who used his firebending to ward off the attack. It hadn’t been enough, however, and with a cloud of smoke he was gone, pushed off the edge entirely.

“Zuko!” you cried out and jumped to your feet, already looking to see if he had survived the fall somehow.

Aang climbed up beside you and began running, conjuring a gust of wind to block the next attack before hurling a tornado towards the attacker. You ran with him as the assassin leapt closer, focusing his attacks solely on the young Avatar, who evaded just in time.

You wasted not a second in launching a large boulder into the air, flinging it directly towards the assassin just as he shot another of his explosive attacks. When the explosion hit the ground beside you all once again, Katara launched a ferocious attack while Aang looked at you in shock. So she hadn’t told him, you thought. But why?

You ran and hid with the others, waiting for the next explosion to hit as you all tried to think of a way out of this mess.

“You’re an Earthbender? But I’ve seen you waterbend!” Aang accused, although there was no malicious intent in his eyes. “How did you do it?”

You shrugged and yelled over the crashing sound of falling rock, “I don’t know, I just can!”

“He’s going to blast this whole place right off the cliffside!” Toph cried from where she sat, cutting your conversation short.

Katara peered around the corner only to quickly take cover again as another explosive force shot through the air. “I can’t step out to waterbend at him without getting blown up! And I can’t get a good enough angle on him from down here!”

Her brother thought for a moment before exclaiming, “I know how to get an angle on him!”

Drawing his boomerang, he swapped places with Katara and poked his head around the corner only to be met with yet another attack. You watched him with furrowed brows as he waited for another two shots. With narrowed eyes, he seemed to be measuring them and, when he was satisfied, he pulled his boomerang back.

“Alright buddy, don’t fail me now.” With that, he launched the boomerang into the air and it hit the assassin slap bang in the middle of his third, tattooed eye.

He fell to the ground with a thump and you all ran out from where you had been hiding. Sokka caught his boomerang when it returned with glee only for all of your lips to frown once again when the assassin began to pull himself back to his feet.

You ran again, retreating as he tried to fire another shot, but when it came it was not you who was its target. The force of Sokka’s attack seemed to have affected the assassin’s ability and he was the one hit, exploding from the inside out.

With the fight now over and everyone staring in shock, you ran towards the edge of the cliff you were standing on and spotted Zuko hanging from another vine. Relief rushed through you and you let out a breath as he climbed back to the surface above him.

You rushed to his side when he approached the group, your eyes already running over him as you checked for any lasting injuries.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this,” the Avatar began, “But thanks Zuko.”

“Hey, what about me?” Sokka huffed, putting his hands on his hips, “I did the boomerang thing.”

“Listen, I know I didn’t explain myself very well yesterday. I’ve been through a lot in the past few years and it’s been hard, but I’m realising that I had to go through all those things to learn the truth. I thought I had lost my honour, and that somehow my father could return it to me, but I know now that no one can give you your honour. It’s something you earn for yourself by choosing to do what’s right. All I want now is to play my part in ending this war, and I know my destiny is to help you restore balance to the world”

You smiled and folded your arms patiently over your chest, proud of Zuko for finally being able to put everything he had wanted to say into words.

He turned to Toph and bowed, expressing his respect for her and shame for what he had done. “I’m sorry for what I did to you. It was an accident. Fire can be dangerous and wild so as a Firebender, I need to be more careful and control my bending so I don’t hurt people unintentionally.”

Something he said seemed to resonate with the Avatar, who you could only assume had tried firebending himself at some point or another, as he finally seemed to be coming around to the idea of Zuko training him.

“I think you are supposed to be my firebending teacher. When I first tried to learn firebending, I burned Katara, and after that I never wanted to firebend again. But now I know you understand how easy it is to hurt the people you love, I’d like you to teach me.” Aang bowed as Zuko had done before.

All the prince could do was smile and return the gesture. “Thank you. I’m so happy you’ve accepted me — us — into your group.”

“Not so fast, I still have to ask my friends if it’s okay with them,” Aang explained before turning to their Earthbender. “Toph, you’re the one that Zuko burned. What do you think?”

The young girl thought for a split second before shrugging. “Go ahead and let him join, it’ll give me plenty of time to get back at him for burning my feet.”

You chuckled slightly at her remark, smiling back at her when she jokingly pounded her hand against her fist.

“Sokka?”

The Watertribe boy shrugged as well. “Hey, all I want is to defeat the Firelord. If you think this is the way to do it, then I’m all for it.”

Your smile widened and you met Sokka’s gaze, bowing your head in gratitude.

All eyes turned to the final member of their team as the Avatar approached her. “Katara?”

You could see the sweat running across Zuko’s face as he awaited her decision, anxious to hear what she was going to say. It was clear to you then that she was the one he had hurt the most. She had been the one who had once believed in him as you do now.

Although she scowled, she too agreed with her brother. “I’ll go along with whatever you think is right.”

Zuko grinned and marched forward. “I won’t let you down, I promise!”

No one replied before turning their backs on the two of you and heading inside the temple but Zuko’s smile didn’t fall. He had finally convinced them and found himself on the right side of history.

You placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, squeezing it as you too passed him and headed inside. When Zuko didn’t follow, you could only assume he had headed back to your camp to retrieve his supplies. Not that you minded, you were actually grateful for a moment to speak with the group alone.

Sokka placed Toph down but before Katara could begin healing the young girl’s feet again, you knelt on the floor beside them and asked, “May I? My mother taught me how to heal to help with the war, she said it was the only thing women were allowed to learn in the Northern Watertribe.”

Katara’s face softened ever so slightly and she stepped aside to let you work. “You’ve never been? I thought you were from the Northern Watertribe?”

You shook your head as you began to gently work your magic to help speed up the healing of Toph’s feet. “My parents left before I was born. I grew up in Omashu.”

“Omashu?” Katara questioned with a hint of concern in her voice.

Your own mood dropped as you hummed in reply. “They’re still there I think. They made me leave when the city was attacked. It’s how I came across Zuko actually. I met him not long after I became a refugee and journeyed to Ba Sing Se.”

“When he and his uncle were spying in that tea shop,” she huffed and you could all but see the scowl on her face as you continued your ministrations on Toph’s feet.

“They weren’t spying. They were just trying to lie low. They actually almost stayed there before—”

“Yes, yes, before his psycho sister attacked and almost killed Aang, we get it.” Toph sighed, clearly fed up with your conversation. “Can we focus on healing my feet?”

You chuckled, somewhat thankful that she put a pause on your conversation before Katara had time to get truly angry.

“You’ll need a few more healing sessions but your feet should be better before you know it.”

“Good, just keep that fireboy of yours as far away from my feet.” She laughed again, trying to lighten the already thickening mood between you and Katara.

When Zuko returned, Sokka took the two of you to what had been picked out as your new room — your very own place of refuge in the Air Temple.

“So, here you go. Home sweet home. I guess, you know, for now.” He followed the two of you into the room but remained a few paces back by the door. “Unpack, lunch soon. Uh… welcome aboard?”

Zuko turned slightly and nodded with a small smile. His people skills still needed some work.

You smiled more sincerely at Sokka before he left and thanked him properly but you could still tell he seemed a little uncomfortable with the two of you around — especially Zuko.

While Zuko unpacked his things, you found yourself laying back on the bed. The room was a nice size and almost too big for how empty it was but it was certainly comfortable for an abandoned Air Temple. Somehow it reminded you of that small room you and Zuko had shared back in Ba Sing Se. You supposed it was more the atmosphere than anything else. Not to mention this was the first time he’d truly been himself since you knew him back then.

You longed to be back there with him. You wished you could have taken him to Omashu and introduced him to your parents. It would certainly take some adjusting but they would like him, you were sure.

When you sat up beside Zuko again, he was holding a portrait of his uncle. You knew he missed him dearly and wanted nothing more than to make things right with him as well. He still blamed himself for Iroh’s imprisonment but you knew the old man only surrendered because he wanted to be near Zuko. Because he knew he needed him and because he still believed in him. The two of you would see him again and you knew that when that day came, Iroh would welcome his nephew back with open arms.

“When I was last here, I was with my uncle,” he spoke with a tender voice. “He told me destiny is a funny thing and that you never know how things will turn out. But by keeping both an open mind and an open heart, I would find my own destiny some day. I guess today was that day.”

You smiled with him and rested your head on his shoulder, as you ran your fingers through the hair on the back of his head. You only moved apart when he noticed someone standing in the doorway and stood up from your side.

Katara stood with her arms crossed and an ugly scowl on her face. “You might have everyone else here buying your ‘transformation’ but you and I both know you’ve struggled with doing the right thing in the past.”

She marched in to confront him while you remained seated, listening to what it was she had to say. “So let me tell you something right now. You make one step backward, one slip up, give me one reason to think you might hurt Aang, and you won’t have to worry about your destiny anymore because I’ll make sure your destiny ends. Right then and there, permanently.”

She spared you one small, ferocious glance before turning on her heels and marching back out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her. Only then did you climb off of the bed and wrap an arm around Zuko, pulling him to you as he stood deflated.

“She’s never going to trust me.” He leaned into your embrace with a deep sigh.

“She’ll come around,” you assured him and ran a soothing hand across his back, “She just needs time. For now, just focus on teaching Aang.”

He hummed and pulled you with him to lay down on the bed, burying his head into your chest as his body curled around you. For now, before any of that, he just needed to get lost in your comforting embrace.

Chapters: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13,

#zuko x you #zuko x reader #prince zuko x you #prince zuko x reader #prince zuko #zuko smut #zuko angst #zuko fanfic #atla zuko #zuko fluff #atla #zuko avatar the last airbender #netflix avatar #avatar the last airbender #the last airbender

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goodomenscalendar · 2 months

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What is this? | Submit your own event!

Ongoing Events

I Like Pears Zine Volume 2 | Fundraising ends April 19

I Like Pears is a Good Omens cookbook fanzine with a focus on food, beverages, stories, art, and the recipes that accompany these works. This digital zine is free, but any donations collected before April 19th will be sent to World Central Kitchen! - Tumblr - Twitter - Instagram -

GOAD: A Week of WAMEN | Running until May 1

Get your femme ineffable content ready! We want to see your art, soak up your fics, read your comments and meta of all things femme Good Omens! The week-long event will kick off when we reach 8008 members! - Reddit - Tumblr -

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A fanzine celebrating Aziraphale and Crowley's retirement to a peaceful cottage in the South Downs. - Tumblr - Twitter -

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Good Omens for Palestine: A Charity Fanzine is a project dedicated to raising money for Palestinian aid. All proceeds will be donated to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). - Tumblr - Twitter - Instagram -

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Charity digital zine focused on Bildad era Crowley, fundraising period to benefit RAINN and Safeline! There are 2 editions available for instant download, plus digital extras. Both SFW (shoemaking) and NSFW (obstetrics) versions available! - Tumblr - Twitter - Instagram - Bluesky -

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Write, draw, cosplay or more the Ineffable Romans and tag @angellilou-art to be included in the digital version of the Ineffable Romans illustrated book! Three lucky pieces will be chosen to be featured in the printed version! Both SFW and NSFW content allowed. - Tumblr - Kickstarter -

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This is a Good Omens Mini Bang themed entirely around Fairy Tales! Writing your own or adapting a favorite! All versions of all Fairy Tales and Mythology are welcome! Both SFW and NSFW content allowed. - Tumblr -

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A spooky Good Omens bang to kick off the autumn season! Whether it's Aziraphale pumpkin-picking, a pumpkin spice latte coffee shop AU, or Hell hosting a Halloween bash, you're invited to the Spooky Bang! Both SFW and NSFW content allowed. - Tumblr -

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Calling all monster-fuckers! A Good Omens bang devoted to monster banging. - Tumblr -

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A rules-loose Good Omens event centering around sex pollen. Featuring both NSFW and SFW works! - AO3 Collection -

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#Good Omens #Good Omens Events #Fandom Events #zine #bang #fest #prompt #april #our first ever post!!#please let us know if we've missed anything big happening in april!#we are a little late on this one so formatting is a bit off and will be changing slightly for may #please note that several of the ongoing events would have been listed under upcoming if this had been posted on the 1st!#2024 #event calendar

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writinginthetwilight · 5 months

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It started on the stairs. Part 2.

Eddie Munson x Awkward!Neighbour!Reader.

Chapter warnings: again not a lot, fluff, fem reader, awkwardness, social anxiety, readers a little bit of a mess. But aren't we all?

Author note: Thank you for all the love on the first part, there will be one more coming tomorrow or Christmas day.

Part 1 Part 3. Masterlist

You meet again two days later, leaving in your usual state of disarray for coffee with a friend whom you'd cancelled on one too many times. You tug the sundress down around you, two years old, a little snug and threadbear but all your other summer clothes needed to be washed so it would have to do.

He was walking in as you were walking out

His unruly hair was now tamed by a low bun, a makeshift motor head tank cut low under his arms, tattooed ribs exposed and headphones planted firmly over his ears.

It made your mouth run dry.

Singing softly to himself he hadn't looked at you yet, if you can just slip past without being noticed.

He glances up and there's a beat before recognition has him grinning at you all dimples and teeth and fuck, that smile.

He silently holds up the two bags you had given him now full of food as he nears you and you smile dopely at him giving him a double thumbs up as he passes, cringing as soon as he's gone.

You drown your sorrows in lattes and bagels as you retell the whole situation to your friend, she assures you it really didn't sound that bad. But the interaction still haunts you for the rest of the day and you fantasise that you'd said something quick and witty that made him blush, instead of acting like an enthusiastic parent on the sidelines at a little league game.

Why am I like this?

But as weeks went on it became almost routine, your schedules meaning you were both leaving or coming home at similar times a few days a week, and the conversations got easier as you picked up fragments of each other's lives.

He's from Indiana. Works as a mechanic. This is the first time he has left the state. He has appalling taste in breakfast cereal, but good taste in music. He throws his head back when he laughs. He has a really nice neck.

Then he just started calling on you on his way out. Just stood at your door in a faded black hoody, curls poking out under a beanie, looking ridiculously adorable, like it was nothing. He knew you were at work today so why not, around a week later he starts making coffee for you, just the way you'd mentioned you liked it the day before. So obviously you had started buying pastries from the bakery he told you about a few streets over.

You wake a little early those mornings, put a little extra effort into your morning routine than you usually would and find yourself, more than you would like to admit, ready early and waiting anxiously for him to arrive. Counting to five after he knocks before opening the door, in a lacklustre attempt to preserve some dignity.

But it was fun, and every time you squeezed your eyes shut when something came out wrong or laughed too hard at your own joke he would only look at you with those stupid big eyes and bump your shoulder or laugh harder. He made it feel okay and helped you settle back into the now instead of inside your head. All the way until you would part at the end of the street and off to your respective lives.

As leaves fall you relish in the change of season, the summer heat always meaning the obligation to be out and socialising was ever-present. But as the nights drew in it was your introverted time to shine, nestled down with multitudes of throws and knitwear, dove into books and hobbies that had been neglected and by Halloween, you had set up camp.

A near perfect yearly routine, which has you sitting in soft clothes, a bowl of Halloween candy in your lap and a joint freshly extinguished. Feeling every muscle in your body tense and relax as you stretch your sock clad feet up onto the coffee table and hum contently. Ready to fall asleep before you've even made it halfway through the stack of various horror movies you have accumulated over the years.

It was ambient and quiet the sound of the TV at a low murmur and the candles you'd lit flicker and dance over the walls as you watched the screen, mindlessly stuffing candy into you're mouth. You can see Micheal Myers hovering in the doorway behind Jamie Lee Curtis, the music reaching a crescendo when there's a quick knock at the door.

You almost throw the bowl of candy halfway across your apartment and sit bolt upright staring bewildered at it.

Picking up your snacks you wait for a moment before the knocking comes again and you slowly rise apprehensively walking towards it and looking through the spy hole.

Eddie stands shifting from foot to foot fiddling with his rings and your stomach almost falls out your ass. You spin, searching around for nothing in particular in a dazed panic before peering through and looking again to see him leaving.

You were swinging the door open before your mind could object

“Hey.” you try to act cool, casual and he turns eyeing you for a moment before a shit eating grin spreads on his face, arms crossing and eyes squinting.

“Do we get many trick-or-treaters?”

You look down at the bowl of candy and back at him.

“Occasionally.” You lie, a grand total of four people ever having knocked on your door and all were well past an appropriate age. “What do you need Eddie?

His face slackens, arms falling by his sides as you stare at him “Uh I.-”

Your eyes drift over his shoulder to your neighbour Sue in all her purple rinse glory shuffling down the hall and the realisation of the very distinct smell of weed that was likely drifting out your open door has you grabbing him by his arm.

“Want to come in?”

He laughs on a breath and it makes your heart stutter stopping just short of the threshold. “Unless you have somewhere to be?”

“Yeah, no. I mean, yeah I'll come in”

You all but push him through following behind and quickly bolting the door. You lean against it for a moment and walk down the short entranceway to find him standing further into the living room.

Deep shadows and candlelight run over him and you can't help but stare. He looks like a dream you've tried to remember after waking. Like you'll blink and he'll be gone.

“Cosy," he nods, looking to you, face soft.

You look around broken from your revere at the sight of your cluttered home. “Yeah, sorry it's a bit of a mess.” you try and wander as inconspicuously as possible to the pile of clothes at the the entranceway to your bedroom, ugly off-white underwear still on the top from where you'd freed yourself of their constraints earlier.

He snorts "You should see mine.” he smiles as he eyes the knick-knacks and frames that line your shelves walking over to inspect them and you hurl the dirty clothes into your room.

He turns as the door clicks closed and there's a pause, your brains too locked in on how you even got yourself in this situation to come up with any words and on any other occasion you might have tried to tidy away and tone down the evidence of yourself that surrounds you but he's already here.

"Movie night?" He says pushing his hands into his pockets and pressing his lips into a thin smile.

“Yeah, kind of a tradition." He nods looking over at the TV still playing and the lack of conversation is making your brain itch.

"I'm sorry for like, making you come in and shoving you in the door, Sue was coming and well the smell.” your limbs are heavy as you gesture around, throat dry and you blink slowly at him. If you were more sober you'd maybe read the flicker of a look he gives you as disappointed but instead, you read it as confusion.

“Because I'm high.”

He laughs loudly at that, “No?” he says all faux shock and dramatics and you swat at him as you pad over to the couch and plop down, he remains standing and you look over at him as he chews his lip watching the screen.

“Horror fan?” You ask, holding up the empty VHS case and he smiles down at you.

"I'm somewhat of a connoisseur." he seats himself heavily down on the other end and makes grabby hands at your stack of movies, shuffling through your wares as he kicks off his shoes, socked feet joining yours on the coffee table, your face scrunches at the toe poking out.

This is possibly a mistake, a beautiful one, but a mistake nonetheless, because it's seemingly all you both needed to start dropping by each other's more often

Late night smokes, takeout and movie marathons.

Flirting that makes you hide your face and stares that hold a little too long.

Midnight talks about home.

#my writing #eddie munson x reader #eddie x fem!reader #eddie x you #eddie stranger things #eddie x reader #eddie munson #eddie munson fem!reader #eddie munson x you #fluff #awkward reader

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survivalove · 8 months

Text

I hate to do this but someone reblogged one of my posts and I scrolled down their tl, hoping to mutual, and saw this mess:

Do people actually somehow watch the show and not see every single moment where Katara blushes or plays with her hair around Aang, gets shy at the thought of kissing Aang, is clearly attracted to him in Book 3, gets jealous of any girl that’s also attracted to him.

Or Aang comforting Katara several times: hugging her in the Serpent’s Pass and validating her feelings to the point she cried, comforting her when Jet died and getting the whole group to hug her, telling her how she inspires people and gives them hope, literally tells her she’s a hero??

Aang and Katara literally having several disagreements, Aang’s perception of Katara changing over the three seasons, him agreeing with every single idea she had to flat out rejecting her advice, then wrongly blowing up at her after zuko and the rest were flat out racist to him?? Aang telling her to confront the man that killed her mother after she rejected his advice??

Mind you Katara can barely tell Aang likes her back until season 3 and clearly shows feelings for him way before he starts initiating romantic acts with her after TWO seasons of her touching, kissing him on the cheek and hugging him unprompted 💀 not to mention “forces non-romantic feelings on her” when she is the one that said he was her family after a week of knowing him?? what does that even meannnnn

And I’m supposed to believe that these people actually watched the show, paying attention to… KATARA?

On top of that, to say (not pictured) the only person to ever comfort her was the guy that attacked her several times 💀 and he didn’t even do anything??? used Sokka’s trauma to come up with a plan he didn’t even agree with (nor did he ask him, like you can ask him to retell the most horrible moment of his life, but you can’t ask him if taking his sister to confront the man is a good idea? you can’t even ask him if he wants to go??? that is literally the most horrible writing i’ve ever seen but i digress). on top of that doing it for the most obvious ulterior motive of getting her to forgive him. standing there while she bloodbended and almost killed a man, not knowing she just swore off doing the former weeks ago because all he knows her to be is hostile until that moment. He doesn’t know Katara to be someone that expresses love and kindness until she forgives him but apparently this is how you comfort someone over every single moment of Aang comforting her that I listed above. okayyyyy

Just to contrast for contrast’s sake, Aang:

1. offers to take Katara to the North Pole with zero ulterior motive,

2. gets her mother’s necklace back with zero ulterior move,

3. helps her destroy a factory with zero ulterior motive…

4. helps her get Haru back, stands up for her to Pakku, calls her Sifu when she complains, comes back to save her home and gives himself up, comes back to save her in ba sing se and I’m sure a million things I’m missing, all with literally zero ulterior motives at all.

Meanwhile antagonist does one nice thing for female mc with shady undertones that might as well be overtones and now he’s allegedly better than her friend who helps her several times for no reason other than the fact that its something she wants.

Like am I supposed to believe that these people actually like Katara or are media literate at all? I feel like I’m going insane 😭

#pro kataang #anti zutara #antizutara #anti anti kataang #anti anti aang #anti zuko #anti zukka #katara #aang #atla fandom problems #i think i need to put a dni in my bio #because these freaks are winding up on here reblogging my posts #the jokes write themselves #stay away from me

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aspoonofsugar · 3 months

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Do you think Adam will come back as a demon, having to redeem himself? It kind of feels like that's where the few hints at smth deeper going on with him are going.

Hi!

I mean, there is this:

As Charlie and Emily sing about amoral angels staying in the sky, the focus is on Adam and he looks very triggered. I also personally hope he comes back because I think his character offers great opportunities to explore others. Like Lucifer, Lute, Sera, Lilith and Charlie herself. That said, I am also okay if he is meant as a one-season villain tbh. In this case, I trust it is because the story has other plot-lines to follow. Also, it would be an hilarious call-back to his line:

A man only lives once, we'll see you in one month Gotta say, I can't wait to Come down and exterminate you

Adam, you're either right in how THE man only lives once, or you are so wrong and Charlie is so right, that you yourself get a second chance :P

That said, I think there is clearly more about Adam, Eve, Lilith and Lucifer's dynamic that needs to be addressed (either through Adam coming back or in other ways):

The series starts with the retelling of the myth of Eden in the form of a fairy tale. Still, it is clear that we are given only partial information.

Lucifer: Well, your first wife didn't seem to hate what I had to offer…or the second! Bowchicka pow pow!

Sera: He was the first human soul in heaven…

It is very unclear what happened with Eve and Adam himself is judged a "virtuous soul", after his human death. Not only that, but he affirms what brought him into Heaven is:

Vaggie: reading list "Act selfless, don't steal, stick it to the man." Are you fucking serious?

Except that Adam never once acts selflessly throughout the whole season. So, I wonder if an eternity spent being spoilt in Heaven made him worse.

In short, the things I am interested in when it comes to Adam are:

If and how Heaven has changed him

His relationship with Lucifer and Lilith (Eden + his pact with Lilith)

Let's now try to analyze Adam, starting with what we have in the series.

ADAM THE ANGEL

Adam: Call me, Dickmaster.

Adam is introduced as a powerful angel and a jerkass mysoginist. Both things are important, as they tie to different conflicts:

Adam is a genocidal maniac, who mistreats everyone. Still, he is considered a virtuous soul and holds some authority in Heaven.

Adam is "the man" and is shown discriminating and dismissive towards women. According to Charlie's recount in Overture, his mysoginy might be at the very root of the conflict behind the forbidden fruit and the birth of Hell.

These two sides of Adam come together in his interactions with Charlie, who is both a demon and a woman.

1- He dismisses Charlie's ideas of redemption in his song Hell is Forever, which is full of Christian references:

'Cause it's cut and dry Fair is fair, an eye for an eye And, when all's said and done (said and done) There's the question of fun And for those of us with divine ordainment Extermination is entertainment! Guitar solo, fuck yeah!

In general, he sees himself as superior to demons because he was judged worthy of Heaven. In his mind, this makes him automatically the "good guy", while people who exhibits virtues like Charlie or Angel are still beneath him, as they are demons. In short, he has a black and white mentality:

'Cause the rules are black and white There's no use in tryin' to fight it

2- He flirts with Charlie and calls her with sexist names:

Adam: I got you again, bitch! *laughs* Fuckin' hilarious!

Not only that, but his overall characterization highligths his sexism to hilarious degrees. Some examples:

His favourite food is ribs because Eve was born from one. So, it is as if he likes "eating women up"

He leads an army of hot and lethal women, who follow his orders in battle (classical male fantasy)

He gives Vaggie the name "Vagina" and calls it "the best thing ever"

So, Adam is a combination between a zealous religious fanatic and the patriarchy. All neatly tied up with jock imagery (his tunic resembles a letterman jacket). As a result, his interactions with Charlie explore two different power dynamics:

Heaven vs Hell or to better say Hell is Forever vs A Happy Day In Hell. Is Hell a place of eternal damnation or is it a chance of redemption?

Man vs Woman - Adam is far more childish and less intelligent than Charlie, but she has to kiss his butt because he is in a role of power. As it often happens in human society.

The question is: "How can such a person be worthy of Heaven?"

SERA THE MOTHER

Sera: I thought, since I'm older It's my load to shoulder

Sera is Adam's authority figure, as she is the only one Adam shows respect for. He asks for her validation and is ashamed after disappointing her. Considering Adam was created by the angels, it is easy to infer Sera is probably the closest thing he has to a mother. This also ties with Sera's overall role in the narrative, where she is framed as a parental figure to Emily and to the other angels and souls:

Not only that, but her parenting style seems rooted in the determination to protect those in her care, no matter what:

Sera: It is my position as the head Seraphim to protect our people at all costs.

Even if she has to lie to them:

I wanted to save you, the anguish it takes to Do what was required

Or if others end up hurt in the process:

Sera: Heaven needs us, Emily. Everyone looks to us… and we can't doubt ourselves or worry about the fates of demons when we have our own souls to protect.

She keeps Emily and the rest of Heaven in a Gilded Cage and chooses to exterminate the Sinners. In a sense, she too sees the world in black and white, just like Adam. Her loved ones. All the others. This attitude is present in her relationship with Adam too, as she enables him. Some examples:

She gives Adam permission to lead the exterminations. Even if Sera thinks killing Sinners is necessary, there is no reason to entrust it to Adam, who has a very obvious grudge against Lucifer.

He lets Adam boss around the exorcists and mistreat them. Like he did with Vaggie. In general, Sera gives him no rules, if not a generic "do not embarass me" one. And even then, Adam faces no consequence after he reveals the secret.

Sera is angry at Adam's cruelty towards Charlie and reproaches him for targeting the Hazbin Hotel. Still, this is all she does. She could have stopped Adam from attacking the hotel. And yet, she only makes a single remark.

In general, Sera gives Adam free reign and even fulfills all his cruellest requests. This is made clear during Charlie and Adam's questioning.

Since the beginning, Charlie is set up to lose and the seating arrangement shows it. Sera and Emily are at the very top, as they are the judges. Below them there is the jury and then there are the two sides. Still, Charlie and Adam are not at the same level. Adam is higher, while Charlie is at the very bottom.

Sera sustains Adam's petty objection:

Adam: Objection, lame and unoriginal. Sera: Sustained. No further dictionary references please.

But she is about to refuse Charlie's request and only agrees to it because of Emily:

Charlie: Angel will make good decisions, come on! We have to keep watching! Please? Sera: sighs Yeah, I don't know. Emily: Yeah, let's give him a chance. Sera: Very well, the court will allow it.

Finally, when Adam reveals Vaggie's secret (which is irrelevant to the matter at hand), Sera allows it to happen:

She is the one projecting Vaggie's angelic shadow on the wall. Once again she enables Adam's cruelty, instead of stopping it.

in short, Adam is a person who ascends to Heaven, but once there he spends millenias without anyone questioning or disagreeing with him. All his self-serving fantasies are fulfilled and he is never punished nor called out. As a result, he clearly becomes complacent and grows worse:

Lucifer: So, this is what you been up to since Eden? Gotta say, you've really let yourself go, buddy.

Lucifer's taunt mostly references Adam's physique. Still, this is metaphorically true for Adam's soul, as well. In the end, Adam regresses in Heaven, instead of evolving. Moreover, he never addresses nor solves the key event, which defined his life.

LUCIFER AND LILITH

Adam: You judging me? You're the most hated being in all of creation!

Adam's sense of self is clearly warped by what(ever) happened in Eden. Specifically, he is hurt that both his relationships with Lilith and Eve ended up badly (apparently). This is why:

He overcompensates by being overly masculine. He insists he is THE MAN and keeps blubbering about his love adventures. And yet, he has still no wife, that we know of.

He projects his own feelings on Lilith and Lucifer, to the point that thousands of years later, he chooses "messing their home", as his hobby. Specifically, he tries to steal Lilith away (through their deal) and to make Lucifer as miserable as possible ( which is why the King of Hell sends Charlie to meet Adam at the very beginning - he doesn't want to deal with the Exorcist).

This behavior is mirrored in how he treats the Princess of Hell too.

On the one hand Adam associates what he considers Charlie's positive traits with Lilith:

Adam: To think someone as worthless as you landed Lilith's little hottie. 'Grats on that I guess.

On the other hand Adam links what he believes to be Charlie's negative traits with Lucifer:

Adam: Risking your immortal life for sinners? That's some crazy shit, even for Lucifer's brat!

So, it is implied he still wants Lilith and despises Lucifer. These emotions are mirrored in his design, specifically his horned mask:

The horns ironically show that Adam was cheated on by (both?) his wife(s)

The horns give him a demonic-like appearance, which may be just another way Adam tries to appear more badass than what he is. All while trying to look more like a demon (Lucifer) to begin with

In other words, Adam is nothing, but a man scorned. Even moreso he is a person, who deep down could never really like himself. Hence why he chooses to wear a mask 24h/24h. Adam wants to be either a Demon or a God, but deep down he is just the Man. Ironically, this is what he could never truly accept about himself.

ADAM- A MAN

In the final fight, Adam is unmasked and we get a glimpse of his real self. What is he like? His design is far more average and human-like than other angels and demons. It is even inspired by his real voice actor, apparently. Why is that so? Because deep down Adam is no-one special. He is just a dude. He is the man. Not even that. He is a man. A person.

Sadly, though, he refuses this truth and tries to be more:

Adam: I started everything on Earth! All of mankind came from these fucking nuts! You all should be worshipping me, you ungrateful, disgusting, fucking losers-

He tries to be God and in this way he becomes worse than a Demon. He dies pathetically, after refusing mercy:

Adam: No… you don't get to end this! I'm fucking Adam! I'm the fucking man, and you're just some fucking clown or something!

He sees Lucifer as his enemy, but the King of Hell barely registers his presence and only considers him in relation to Charlie. His true opponent turns out to be a small woman of low status. And even she barely considers him as someone worthy of her attention.

And yet, Adam is still a man and he shows humanity in death:

Lute: NOOOO! Sir! Sir! Stay with me sir! ADAM!

Lute is his one genuine bond and probably the only person who earnestly makes him happy.

If only he could have pursued his humanity, he might have not turned into a monster. He might have developed a healthier sense of self and could have become happier. Instead, he could never love himself for being just a man and has spent eternity trying to be someone different.

HEAVEN ISN'T MEANT TO SUCK A LOT

Adam embodies the anti-theme.

Charlie thinks that everyone can redeem themselves:

Charlie: If I can show them the dream I've dreamed That any soul can change! Then they will know everyone can be redeemed From the evil to the strange!

Adam thinks nobody truly can:

'Cause Hell is forever Whether you like it or not Had their chance to behave better Now they boil in the pot

Charlie tries to grow into her own person:

Gotta come into my own Gotta come into my throne Gotta take charge and defend my only home

Adam turns himself into an idol:

The golden exorcists bring to mind the golden calf from the Bible.

Charlie thinks happiness and beauty can be found even in Hell:

I can hear all their stories The lost and displaced And I know that they're more of an acquired taste But if I open the door and I give them a place At my Hazbin Hotel It'll be a happy day in Hell!

Adam can't find happiness and beauty in Heaven and his only source of joy is knowing others suffer more than him:

Fuckin' Hell is forever And it's meant to suck a lot!

And yet, Hell might be meant to suck a lot, but Heaven shouldn't:

St. Peter and Emily: 'Cause every single day in Heaven is a happy day Welcome to Heaven

Still, Heaven could not make Adam happy. And if Heaven can't make its own people happy, then what is the point of such a Kingdom?

Sera: It's your position to keep them happy and joyful. Emily: How can I bring joy when I now know we are bringing misery to thousands of innocent people?

Adam is a character that embodies Heaven's problems, not only because he is an evil monster, but even moreso because he is an unhappy and unsatisfied man.

Here are my two cents on him :D We'll see if he comes back and manages to get some development!

Thank you for the ask!

#hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel meta #adam hazbin hotel #hazbin adam #my meta #asksfullofsugar #anonymous #sera hazbin hotel

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genericpuff · 7 months

Text

The Mishandling of LO’s S3 Mi(n)season Hiatus - Part 3 2/2

ALRIGHT. THIS IS THE LAST PART. I MEAN IT THIS TIME.

I had completely forgotten how long the mi(n)season finale for S3 was, but I suppose it makes sense considering it was operating as the true cliffhanger before the 4 month break.

If you haven't read the first 3 parts of this episodic breakdown, please go check these ones out first:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3 1/2

Alright, let's get this show on the road!

CAUTION: THIS IS PART 2 OF THE THIRD PART OF A 3 + 1 PART SERIES IN WHICH I WILL BE SPOILING MUCH OF EPISODES 251-253. THIS EPISODE CONTAINS TOPICS SURROUNDING SEXUAL ASSAULT. THIS WILL BE A LONG POST. BRACE YOURSELF.

We've gotten delusional Leuce. We've gotten erasure of the SA. We've gotten a complete bastardization of the original myths that this story got its claim to fame on. The dread has set in, and all I want to do is get off Mr Bones' Wild Ride. But we have one more stretch of mind-numbing track to go, because the reveal of Persephone starting winter was not the end, oh no. The true cliffhanger of this episode - upon which the fans and critics alike have sat on for 4 months - proves that when we think Rachel has gotten crazy enough in this circus she calls a "retelling", she manages to prove that yes, she can make things even crazier, and no, you will not have a good time.

Ironically, despite that opening, I actually have a lot less to say about this last part of Episode 253 than I did about the first part. Obviously there's no feasible way to top "Persephone causes winter", but this episode does come rather close in its absurdity. Ultimately, if these essays have proven anything, it's just how much Rachel retcons things, to such an extent now that she seems to be retconning or outright forgetting information that she established just a handful of episodes prior. You'll see what I mean here as we go along in this.

As soon as it's hinted at that Persephone has started winter, we cut away to Apollo. Because, as per LO tradition, we can't spend longer than 10-15 panels on a single scene.

Already this seems like... really odd framing.

This is Apollo. A character who has been a villain since basically the beginning of the comic, when he sexually assaulted Persephone. This is not something that's up for debate. This is not something that can be refuted, as much as the comic may try to erase it or twist it into something else.

And yet, the vibe I get from this is, "Misled but good-deep-down character being taken advantage of by a sinister being." This isn't the type of framing we should be seeing around a character like Apollo.

I mentioned it ages ago in my post about the SA erasure that it really feels like Rachel is slyly trying to make Apollo empathetic, from giving us an entire episode in his perspective to adding extra panels into the books to making Persephone weirdly reminiscent of feelings for Apollo that she never had.

One thing I also touch on in that post is how Apollo is framed against Zeus. Zeus is also a villain character for much of the series, and even after he's "redeemed", the fanbase still considers him largely to be an antagonistic force. So to have Apollo be trying to take down Zeus comes across as very "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" and I really don't like seeing that framing when it's regarding a rapist.

And this scene largely feels the same. It feels like Rachel's trying to sway the audience into believing Apollo is like Draco Malfoy - a misled boy who "didn't know any better" and was being manipulated by a greater evil. If you haven't guessed by now, that "greater evil" is Ouranos.

Why is it Ouranos? In my opinion (so take this with grains of salt) this is because they need to somehow "one up" Kronos and give Persephone and Hades a tangible force to fight against, to draw a clean line in the sand between "good" and "evil" so that we, the audience, will be forced to categorize Persephone and Hades as "good" and someone else as "evil".

But really, why Ouranos? We're told that he manipulated Gaia to use her powers in an attempt to create "hierarchy" (whatever the FUCK that means, I don't think Rachel really understands how societal hierarchies are created) but there's NOTHING to imply that he was tyrannical or "evil" in the same way that Kronos has been depicted. Rachel's basically submitting this whole plotline to "well it's in the prophecy" but there was NOTHING dictating that she had to try and write a "prophecy" storyline to begin with. So as a result, it feels very tacked on and it's hard to tell what the point is, it really just seems like Rachel watched too much Marvel one week and decided that Lore Olympus - a fantasy romance - needed a big bad.

And by extension it feels like Apollo is being used as a pawn in this dynamic. By making him subservient to an "evil" force, it means he can labelled as definitively "evil", and thus it gives Rachel a vehicle to have Apollo taken down - or even perhaps empathized with much like in the Draco Malfoy sense - without having to touch the SA plot that she set up and never resolved.

He was evil before, but he wasn't the kind of evil that Rachel could write around. Because she doesn't know how to write SA or give her female characters any sense of retribution or agency. We've seen that already with her robbing Demeter of winter and Persephone of her feelings regarding the SA. There was never going to be a chance in hell she was going to be able to write herself out of a plotline she's been procrastinating for 4+ years.

That said, this is just a vibe I get, so I'm not gonna speak on it much more. This is one of those "we're really not gonna know until the comic returns" situations.

Once again, Rachel's trying to make Apollo seem like a "master manipulator", but she's also trying to make him seem like he's the one being manipulated, but she's ALSO trying to write him as a big dumb idiot who literally can't grasp consent. Apollo has to be one of the most inconsistently written characters in the entire comic, and yes, that includes Persephone. Again, it just goes to show she hasn't been able to fully commit to the SA plotline because Apollo's motivations and intelligence levels change with each passing episode. Sometimes he's being nefarious and plotting to overthrow the King, other times he's literally asking a nymph if she'd be willing to cut her hair to look like Persephone. The comic can't choose and so we, the audience, can't tell why Apollo is even still here.

Again, this is SUCH bizarre framing. If we're to believe that Persephone has been "cursed" by no longer being able to create Spring, only Winter, then does that make Ouranos and Apollo the heroes here? Because Ouranos is right, if Persephone is causing winter, that's going to kill the mortals, which is the complete OPPOSITE of what she's trying to do. So what are we left with? A plotline where Apollo and Ouranos might actually have a point about how she rushed into a marriage with the King of the Underworld and sacrificed everything that gave her agency and power - both metaphorically and literally - in the process?

Again, this is why Rachel fundamentally misunderstands the original purpose of The Hymn to Demeter and how she's, by and large, made her retelling worse in an attempt to be "subversive". It puts the plot and character motivations in a place where it's hard to tell what the story is trying to say, I can understand if maybe Rachel's trying to write a conflict where Apollo uses this information to manipulate her, but it doesn't help that knowing EVERYTHING we know about the H x P relationship within the context of this comic, Ouranos has a point that Persephone's union with the King of the Dead is problematic. It might not be the same "problematic" that we're all thinking of, but it really just reinforces the criticisms of this relationship. Is the comic really asking us to say "fuck the human race, they're in love" ??? Because that's NOT what the point of the original myth was in the slightest and it's just a really weird place to put your audience in.

It's 4:45 AM right now as I'm typing this so my thoughts are a little scattered, but all this really feels like is an attempt on Rachel's part to create a new "big bad" for her to use as a distraction from the SA plot and to give Persephone a "flaw", but that "flaw" really only takes away the strength of another character.

Oh, and by the way? This whole "you need the fertility goddess" thing? THE COMIC HAS ALREADY TOLD US THIS WON'T WORK BECAUSE SHE HAS TO BE IN LOVE WITH APOLLO FOR HIM TO BE ABLE TO USE HER POWERS. SO RACHEL'S ALREADY WRITTEN HERSELF INTO A CORNER THAT SHE'LL EITHER HAVE TO SOLVE OR RETCON ENTIRELY. DO YOU SEE WHY THIS IS SO ABSURD???

This line is kind of jarring because we had the Kassandra prophecy at the beginning that talked about the herb, but the prophecy Ouranos is talking about is the one about the sons of kings overthrowing their fathers. I definitely forgot about that one for a hot second reading this, I didn't get how this sequence related to the poisonous plant thing because they're framed as completely separate prophecies. It's not like Kassandra said in her initial prophecy that this plant would be used to overthrow a King again, she just said that the plant still existed and Psyche figured it out on her own that Apollo was gonna use it on Zeus. IDK that's just something that bugged me (also again, why are they believing her prophecies when we literally just had it established an episode ago that no one believes her prophecies LMAO)

Because if it wasn't enough for LO to have one Evil Robot Jeff Bridges villain, it had to throw in another one for good measure. It's just a line of dads and grandpas going back centuries waiting for their turn in the ring with Persephone.

lmao I love this 'hint' at Apollo being the one to write the note from Hebe and leave the cupcake for Zeus. Like... duh? We already put that together as SOON as Psyche said gasp "Zeus!" and then it showed Zeus eating the cupcake while Psyche called him on the phone telling him Apollo was gonna try and harm him. This sequence of 'revealing what really happened' doesn't work here because we've already been told what happened.

Except we know he won't. There's no tension to this whatsoever.

That's Hebe by the way.

It's odd that Apollo is embracing this prophecy when he has a kid himself. He literally has a fully grown son in this comic. I guess Apollo forgot about that, just like Rachel.

And that's it. That's the midseason finale. Ouranos is the new twist villain and Apollo is... whatever the fuck Rachel plans on doing with him.

Now, this leads me to my original motivation to create this series of reviews. It spawned from a conversation we were having in the Discord, discussing what it must be like to be a free reader who hasn't paid for the FP episodes that are still behind a paywall. This is not standard for LO, it hasn't kept FP episodes behind paywalls in the past during long hiatuses like this. I can even prove this with screenshots from the Wayback Machine, during the last midseason hiatus:

(whoof, that rating has dropped. I know it doesn't seem like much but for a series with millions of readers, by law of averages it takes a LOT of poor ratings to pull that number down compared to a series that only has a few readers)

Point is, this is the first time Rachel/WT have done this. Now, I will make this perfectly clear, I don't think this was a decision that was purely on Rachel. WT controls much of the backend like paywall costs, release dates, etc. so I'm not gonna go pinning this on her.

However, I do think this is a completely bungled attempt at trying to get people to pay up. LO has been dropping in views steadily but surely since the midseason break for S2. It's not pulling in the peak numbers that it used to, while it does still pull in a lot more views and money than other series on the platform, it's nowhere near the juggernaut that it once was in terms of record-breaking numbers, and I think WT knows that. So this really comes across as a stunt to get readers to FP, assuming that people will HAVE to pay if they're left waiting for 4 months.

But here's the flaw in that logic - people are still going to have to wait 4 months anyways. Reading those 3 locked episodes, especially all at once, will still leave you in the same place as you were beforehand.

And it shows in the numbers that people aren't falling for the bait.

Again, 17k likes still isn't anything to sneeze at for a FP episode, but it's still just barely above the new average that LO has gained over the past two years. I remember a time when those like counts would be 30k+. And now, despite being on break 4 months with these episodes still locked behind a wall, it's barely able to scrap by its new average of roughly 14-15k, and that average is when episodes are actually updating.

Obviously like counts = / = viewcounts but when they fluctuate, we know that the views have to be as well by extension, at least to some extent, and that's still engagement that's dropped of in and of itself. And we can also see a rough look at how the views have dropped off through the comic's landing page. Now, it's hard to compare data because there was a time when WT actually didn't give follower/view counts on the landing page (this was also when the like count capped at 99k) but we can still see a downslide in growth very visibly in the view count, sub count, and most of all, the rating, which has been steadily dropping for years now.

August 2020:

May 2021:

November 2021:

March 2022 (don't get confused by the 995 million, this is where view count comes in):

September 2022:

March 2023:

Today (October 24th, 2023):

Again, there's no way to get a true clear picture of LO's stats beyond this surface level data, but it does show that LO is just not getting the rapid growth it used to. People are moving on from it. And while its view and sub count are steadily increasing (albeit slowly for a webtoon that gets as much marketing as it does) the average rating is going down. It's clear that the majority of LO's growth happened between 2018 and 2020, which would make sense as the series was still relatively new compared to how it's become old news today, and Webtoons experienced a boom in 2020 due to the COVID-19 lockdowns - a boom that they think still applies in the year 2023, judging by their attempts to import as many series onto the platform as possible and capitalize on an audience that just isn't there anymore.

All of this leads me to wonder - what's in it for free readers after all this? Because if you recall from where we started, the cliffhanger they started on was Hades - possessed by Kronos - attempting to strangle Persephone, a cliffhanger that was resolved within seconds for FastPass readers. If they don't FastPass after that, they'll be met with numerous reveals that don't even make sense for the plot as a whole (such as Leuce making up the text messages).

Again, I don't want to claim that this was a decision on Rachel's part, but it really seems like either she didn't plan this hiatus, or her inability to write naturally without the need for addictive-style formatting as a crutch made it so that the free readers would be given the worst midseason premiere ever.

And what are we, the FastPass readers, going to return to? There are still so many plot threads that have been left unresolved, multiple villains being setup, and as far as Webtoons and Rachel have revealed during NYCC, LO is supposed to end by the spring. That's 20-30 weeks TOPS, which isn't exactly a whole lot of wiggle room for a writer like Rachel who's chronically bad at pacing and getting to the point of the plots she's established.

I know there are so many readers right now anticipating the return of this comic, some of whom genuinely believe this comic is "better than ever" and others who are critical of it but hope that the comic will come back in a better state after the hiatus. But right now there's so much evidence to support the contrary - that LO is about to come back in as bad, if not worse, condition than it was in when it left.

And through all this, for a comic that's finally ending after 5 years, I have to ask - where is the hype? Why are Webtoons and Rachel keeping the finale of this comic behind closed doors? Where's the promotional art, the hinting at what's to come, the attempts to generate any semblance of excitement for the readers who are still left after clinging onto this ride for 5 years? Why were the fans themselves barred out of their own communities during the majority of the hiatus?

And that just leads me to an even more discouraging thought. This is not meant to accuse Rachel or make assumptions. It's simply a thought that I had while thinking about what the series could possibly pull upon its return, so please, take this with MOUNTAINS of salt. It's one thing I hadn't considered with the knowledge that LO will be returning with 3 episodes still behind a paywall, a 'buffer' in and of itself for Rachel to work off of.

Rachel only technically needs one episode ready for the release. Not three as she normally would if the episodes had been unlocked like in previous hiatuses. That's not including whatever buffer episodes she would need beyond the upload schedule, but she's proven to be chronically bad at maintaining a buffer as well since day one.

We haven't seen any promotional art. No hinting. No hyping beyond what's been seen for her "Rachel Smythe Presents" series.

With all that in mind, I have one question to leave this on:

Has Rachel even started working on Episode 254 yet?

#thank you for reading this very long essay series #it's 530 AM and i have to work at 2 PM #i've been listening to drakengard music on loop for 2 hours #these are troubling times #deadass i think the comic is gonna come back even worse than before #and i WILL be here to talk about it if and when it does #lore olympus critical #lo critical #anti lore olympus

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ankle-beez · 2 years

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for those of you who watched the unreleased Lazy in Space season when it leaked a few years back (and those who didn't) and wanna know how Netflix B&P works, the first 3 episodes are an abridged retelling of the original shorts and episode 3 covers Bee's birthday, while the remainder of the season is Lazy in Space season 2, but now you get to watch it through official means! So please do that!

#angel.post #bee and puppycat

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kywaslost · 10 months

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Being Saved - Lloyd Garmadon HC’s

A/N: I’m really not in the mood to write today, but I’m still avoiding my homework (even though I have 2 homework assignments, 2 tests, and 1 project due today) so here’s this. I’m not feeling Lloyd today but it’s part of writing for everyone on my masterlist so here I go… today’s prompt theme is being rescued. I wrote this kinda taking place around I think season 2, because there’s that whole dark island place and it seemed fitting.d

This is so bad I’m so sorry.

Prompt/s Used: They’re gone now. It’s ok / You’re safe now, I promise

Being Lloyd’s lover means that he will do anything and everything within his power to make sure you are safe and out of harm’s way

Even if you’re also a ninja

But the one time he failed to keep you safe, you’re kidnapped by his father

It took longer than expected to find you, and with the final battle approaching Lloyd was at his wits end

The others had to practically force him to sleep and eat because he was spending all of his time looking for you

But then came time for the team to go the island of darkness to find the temple of light

Lloyd is on edge the entire time, because now it’s been a week and he still has no idea where you are

Until he runs into Garmadon on the beach

They have their whole fight scene, where then Garmadon reveals that he’s hidden you away in his abandoned castle (wasn’t there one in the movie?)

So now Lloyd’s options are to stop his father before time runs out, or rescue you before your time ends

They already don’t have a game plan for this battle between him and his father, so he decided to look for you

It takes a few hours but he finds you unguarded in the basement of an old, nearly crumpled castle

You’re chained up and blindfolded, and the sight of you reduces Lloyd to tears

He immediately frees you, ripping the blindfold from your eyes and having Cole use his super strength to break the chains off of you

He pulls you into his arms, hugging you as tightly as he can

You’re sobbing into his chest, retelling him and the rest of the team about how had been left in complete darkness for so long, only being fed once a day and feeling unsafe

“You’re safe now, I promise,” Lloyd whispers to you as he presses a kiss to the top of your head.

You aren’t allowed to participate in the final battle, obviously due to your condition and newly acquired trauma, but he also doesn’t want to leave you alone

So you’re now Lloyd’s motivation for getting this over as quickly and effectively as possible

When everything is said and done, he runs back to you, pulling you into his arms once again

He’s crying, telling you about how he defeated the overlord

“He’s gone now, it’s ok,” he cries into your hair

Even though he wants to catch up with his father, who’s now back and 100% human, Lloyd wants to help you recover first

He won’t let you sleep alone. You’re either in his room or he’s in yours.

He puts you before his father until you’re physically healthy

Keeps you from his father until you feel like you’re ready to meet him

After all, he isn’t the same monster that held you captive, and he’s your boyfriend’s father and you want to get to know him

#comfort #x reader #platonic #lego ninjago #ninjago comfort #lloyd garmadon x reader #lloyd montgomery garmadon #lloyd ninjago #ninjago lloyd #lloyd garmadon #lloyd garmadon fluff #lloyd garmadon comfort #ninjago x reader

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skyeblue8 · 10 months

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𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐎𝐥𝐲𝐦𝐩𝐮𝐬 𝐯𝐬. 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐯𝐚 𝐁𝐨𝐬𝐬 (𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬)

Whether or not you're all familiar with the Webcomic, Lore Olympus is an award-winning comic created by Rachel Smythe that's essentially about a modern retelling of the Hades and Persephone myth with various other Gods and references in it, and what not. And, assuming you have a critical eye when it comes to writing, it's has become wildly disliked and even hated by a lot of critics and former fans due to the butchering of myths and gods (and a religion), unlikeable characters, poor character design, poorer handling of sensitive topics like SA and racism, and overall the author's inability to listen and take critism that would've helped her improve.

youtube

The reason I bring this up at all is because I have the nagging fear that Helluva Boss and, by extension, Hazbin Hotel, are going to be doomed to fall into the same pit of failure as Lore Olympus is, mainly due to a nagging pattern that I've noticed between the two:

The Writers. The two are relatively close in age and, in my opinion, immaturity in writing as evidenced by the various plot inconsistencies, character treatment and development, and poor world-building established in both media. On top of that, however, both have a significantly bad reception to criticism of their work in any way, shape, or form. We've seen this before in how Viv herself states that she's been told that she can't take criticism well since she was 17.

Now, it's one thing to have these claims as a teenager, it's another to have them as a fully grown adult and not learn to mature past this issue by now. The number one issue with ignoring criticism for so long, especially in your very popular work, is that eventually, it's going to show. Sooner or later, many of your fans, regardless of how they felt about your work prior, are gonna notice small flaws that gradually become bigger and more glaring the longer they are ignored.

Time and time again, this issue has arisen in Rachel Smythe's work, both in design:

As well as writing...

Speaking of which, I'm beginning to see a similarity in their writing issues in the fact that, evidently, neither creator had/has any set plan for how their stories are gonna be told. Readers of LO have seen that from the frequent additions of various, random plots with the previously established plots having not been concluded in a meaningful or tactful way, and we see this with Vivzie and Season 2.

Going off this, both Vivzie and Smythe show blatant favoritism towards their main characters or love interests that prevent other characters from having their own development (i.e., Millie), as well as keeps the main couple from having any sort of flaws that the audience would perceive as truly bad, thus removing any nuance to them.

We see this in Persephone and her character:

And we see the same with Stolas and Blitzo, mainly in regards to Stolas' past and situation with Stella, as well as Blitzø's own past as we're made to constantly feel bad for him despite him not being the victim. It's made worse since we've yet to know what he did to every single person he's wronged, but, for that, I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt until we see more of Season 2.

Lastly, and probably the most glaring thing for me, both Smythe and Vivize take inspiration from real-world religions (RS –> Greek Polytheism; Vivzie –> Christianity/Demonology). These religions are both widespread in their popularity and, thus, are important to millions around the world. Because of this, both should surely have a sense of obligation to not bastardize the stories and characters they referenced in their work and/or should make their likeness relatively similar to their original works so others who know of it are familiar with the characters.

Both creators have failed to do so at some point in time and have gone so far as to push the blame on their audience rather than admit fault and work to improve.

Viv with Beelezbub

And Smythe with Persephone and the other gods/Goddesses:

Worst yet, both use social media as a means of weaponizing their fanbase against those who have a few critiques about each work of media. Now, what I can say for Viv is that the severity of these issues hasn't fully hit her yet, whereas Smythe, despite her awards, is feeling the brunt of her poor writing choices from former fans and readers. While Helluva Boss is more new and doesn't hold as much overwhelming significance to me, I've been with Hazbin Hotel since the beginning before the pilot even aired.

It's because of this that my greatest concern is that if Viv doesn't start seeing through these issues within Helluva Boss and, really, herself, then both shows may be doomed to fail, without Hazbin airing in its entirety. Worse yet, it would be a major blow for fellow indie creators who look up to her as an inspiration, so I really hope she doesn't reach RS's level of infamy in her work. 🙏

*PS: For a better Lore Olympus's viewing experience, I recommend this:

#helluva boss critical #vivziepop critical #helluva boss critique #hazbin hotel critical #helluva boss criticism #hazbin hotel critique #anti lo #Youtube #anti vivziepop #anti lore olympus

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catlady5001 · 5 months

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end of year fic recs

somehow it's almost 2024. where did the year go. where.

here // part two

i want to share some fics i really enjoyed this year, organized by fandom! each fic will have a short summary, the word count, and a + symbol if it's a work in progress!

fandoms:

Fear Street

Stranger Things

Percy Jackson

under a read more for people who just want to keep scrolling :)

Fear Street

break the chain by cassiopeia721 (@cassiopeia721). when Sam is forced to move to Sunnyvale due to her parent’s divorce, she’s shocked by how weird it is there. 5k, crack and angst

Stranger Things

always surprised by what i do for love by birthdaycandles (@steveharrington). dustin, lucas and mike are at a halloween party when they find someone dressed up as an injured steve harrington, and take it upon themselves to defend his honor. 6k, oneshot, hurt/comfort

the end is here (and we do it a hundred times over) by placebythering. set during season 4, steve keeps reliving the day of the apocalypse. 126k, angst with a happy ending

strange (but not a stranger) by heartofwinterfell (@nancywheeeler). mike wheeler character study - he struggles with feeling replaced by eddie. 10k, slice of life

this must be the place by palmviolet (@palmviolet). set after starcourt, robin stays at the byer's for one night - one night that quickly turns into two, then three, then many many more. 25k+, slice of life with fluff and angst

view from a bridge by palmviolet (@palmviolet). a retelling of season four that imagines a completely different type of monster - a cosmic horror. this is one of my favorite stranger things fics of all time. 173k, horror

In A Strange Land by MrsEvadneCake (@mrs-evadne-cake). set after season 2, it focuses on the eldritch monster that has invaded hawkins. another incredible fic. 180k, horror

you are young and life is long (and there is time to kill today) by heartofwinterfell (@nancywheeeler). series with two fics, one from eddie's perspective and one from steve's, about the timeloop they went through. eddie remembers. steve doesn't. 70k, angst with a happy ending

I've seen your face before, my friend, but I don't know if you know who I am by HMSLusitania (@hmslusitania). after S4, the stranger things gang has to time travel back to 1983 to fix everything. they get the chance to lead normal lives from that point onward, but everything has changed - making things very weird for eddie munson, who has no idea what's happened that makes Steve Harrington of all people try to befriend him. 27k, fix-it (this fic is ao3 locked)

a boy, a tender age by Kostas. in the aftermath of season 4, joyce byers adopts steve harrington. 11k, hurt/comfort

good for my boy by MacksDramaticShenanigans (@stevethehairington). the first time wayne munson met steve harrington (completely by accident). 7k, domestic fluff

HEARING DAMAGE by yes_bella_no. steve learns to live with his hearing damage, post S4. 35k, hurt/comfort

light my way by lesbianrobin (@lesbianrobin). in which Wayne doesn't meet Steve until quite a while after he and Eddie start dating. 10k, domestic fluff

Love and Honor but Not Obey by crow_of_crimes (Theyna_Shipper). a story about steve and robin's marriage of convenience and their (failed) attempt to keep it a secret. 11k, angst and fluff

the lathe by palmviolet (@palmviolet). my favorite steve timeloop fic. set during the season four apocalypse.

sub-culture by palmviolet (@palmviolet). steve is pretty convinced eddie now hates him. turns out eddie has the opposite problem. 61k, hurt/comfort

eating in the underworld by greatunironic (@greatunironic). 8-fic series in an au where steve goes with hopper, joyce and murray to the underground russian base and doesn't return. 103k, angst with a happy ending

an eye for an by pukner (@pukner). six times that the boy who calls himself Steve Harrington feels real, and one time he realizes that he isn't. 18k, angst with an unhappy ending. tw violence

i can give you a heartbeat by soupbitchin. ghost eddie tries to get someone to notice him. 114k, fix-it

STEVE’S FIRST BRUISE by cairparavels. spider-man steve au. 47k, hurt/comfort

hellfire (save my soul) by philomendron (tetrapteryx). steve asks eddie for help planning robin a birthday party set in the Cabaret of Hell . everything spirals from there. 49k+, slice of life / hurt/comfort

always burning, world keeps turning by pukner (@pukner). eddie survives season four, and is around to deal with the massive post-apocalyptic fallout. between all of the 'post-earthquake' mess, he and steve figure out what they mean to each other. 2-fic series, 61k+, hurt/comfort

i'll kiss your mouth, and you'll be better for it by cpressmn. somehow, steve and eddie are the last ones to realize they are dating. 8k, minor hurt/comfort

The Very Best People by scioscribe. something is very wrong in a seemingly normal suburb. steve and robin go undercover to investigate. 18k, mystery

this demo will save your life by oh_simone (@aiyahsimone). The summer after Vecna, Steve ends up managing Eddie’s band. 13k, fluff

I Like to See You in the Morning Light by BonitaBreezy (@bonitabreezy). eddie survived the apocalypse. now everyone has to deal with the fallout. 27k, hurt/comfort

you're beautiful (every little piece, love) by strawberryspence (@strawberryspence). for eleven, steve shaves his hair. 7k, hurt/comfort

Of Kings and Cult-Leaders by ladyofthenorthernlights. dustin convinces steve to host eddie's latest d&d campaign. 12k, hurt/comfort

It's Not a Big Deal by AidaRonan (@aidaronan). after S4, eddie survives, but his entire life is locked away in the Upside Down forever (his books, his DnD stuff, his guitar.). steve takes it upon himself to replace them. 12k, hurt/comfort

Percy Jackson

here comes the sun by seaweedbraens (@seaweedbraens). au where percy and annabeth are soulmates, and percy is a roman. 23k, hurt/comfort

if i were to pluck on your heartstrings and if i were to pluck on your heartstrings.by seaweedbraens (@seaweedbraens). a percabeth soulmate au told from two perspectives. annabeth knows who her soulmate is before percy knows his, and misunderstandings ensue. 45k, hurt/comfort

kiss me once 'cause you know i had a long night by herecomesthepun. no powers au where the PJO gang work together. "Annabeth is married, Percy is new and Jason is really trying to be a good friend here." 12k, comedy

Everything, And Then Some by palestinianpercy (@sar-soor). no powers au. percy is a wildlife photographer who ends up coming on his best friend's band tour to help them out while he looks for a new job and gets his life back on track. 127k, hurt/comfort

ends and beginnings series by palestinianpercy (@sar-soor). no powers au where percy and annabeth meet by chance, and while they know that what they have can't last forever, they can't resist each other. 146k, hurt/comfort

we made a lot of music dancing (you and i) by vll8586 (@percyheartsannabeth). au where percy and annabeth are dancers in a ballet company, and grow closer after being cast to perform a pas de deux together. 11k, fluff and romance

Not By Design by inkncoffee. Paul's journey from that guy dating Sally to being Percy's father. 11k, hurt/comfort

constellations by liketolaugh (@liketolaugh-writes). a series fic detailing the immense therapy percy goes through post PJO and post HoO. it's incredibly therapeutic to read. 310k+, hurt/comfort

Laying Waste To Halloween by pinspec (@pinspec). follows percy and annabeth through their childhood and teenage years. 127k, hurt/comfort

Not So Shore by bananannabeth (@bananannabeth). mortals meet percabeth au. 10k, slice of life

bring me home by pjoseries (divineauthor). percy jackson is twenty-six when hera takes his memories. alternate HoO AU. 4k, canon-divergent

is this the way to exit my youth? by afromaniiac (@afromaniiac). Percy gets a bottle of vodka for his birthday. He isn’t a fan. He and Annabeth talk about it. 1k, hurt/comfort

#fic recs #catlady speaks #stranger things #percy jackson #i tagged all of the authors i could find #it was too long a list to keep as one post :/

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iamdefinitelyreal · 3 months

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Hello! I'm an ace-spectrum person, and I'm pretty new to fandoms and I struggled finding SFW/Sex-averse friendly fics, so I thought I would give a few recommendations for those interested!

Lemme know if there's any interest in a Sherlock one or a Harry Potter one!

Fics

Demonology and the Tri-Phasic Model of Trauma: An Integrative Approach

By Nnm on AO3 (@mouseonamoose)

Rating: T

Chapters: 16/16

From the perspective of an OC, Post S1

TW: Mention of abuse, slightly graphic violence

Notes: Completely changed my brain chemistry. 100/10 everyone should read this.

Angel-Centered Therapy Through A Multicultural Lens: An Integrative Approach By Nnm on AO3 (@mouseonamoose)

Rating: G

Chapters: 16/18

From the perspective of an OC

TW: Mentions of abuse, mentions of miscarriage

Notes: Aziraphale's therapy sessions, a follow up from Demonology, and ohmygosh, so fucking good. So good!

Trivia Night: A Love Story

By MissUnderstoodLyrics on AO3 (@southernfriedamy)

Rating: E (all smut scenes are easily skippable if needed and not very long)

Chapters: 11/11

From the perspective of Crowley, Human AU

TW: Smut

Notes: One of the first fics I read! So adorable, I need a basil plant named Cat now.

Postcards From Paris

By ghostrat on AO3 (@mrghostrat)

Rating: G

Chapters: 3/3

From the perspective of Crowley, Human AU

TW: None (all fluff)

Notes: ohmylord so so so sweet!

how do we turn on the light?

By @moonyinpisces AO3

Rating: M (All smut is non-graphic and skippable/skimable)

Chapters: 15/22

From the perspective of Aziraphale, Post S2

TW: Discussion of death, dystopian world, violence, physcological abuse, SH, s**c*d*l thoughts/idealations, smut

Notes: Insanely well written/thought out. I love every single piece of character development and plot developement in this, and the whole fic is just a #badassaziraphaletake

Love in the Time of Bugs

By ProdigalPragmatist on AO3 (@theprodigalpragmatist)

Rating: T

Chapters: 6/6

From the perspective of Crowley, Human AU

TW: Mention of abuse, chronic pain, implied smut

Notes: Very adorable. Strangers to lovers stories are my weakness, but this one is so sweet but still believable.

Comics

Fallen by @smudgeandfrank

On Tumblr

Unfinished, 18 parts and counting

Post Season 2, Angst

Oopsie Omens by @asleepyy

On Tumblr

Unfinished, 23 parts and counting

Reverse AU/Retelling

Alexandria 48 BC by @smudgeandfrank

On Tumblr/Wattpad

Finished

Angst

Pre-Season 1

The Omens of Egypt by @whiteleyfoster

On Tumblr/physical copy/AO3

Finished

Angst

NSFW or SFW version

Pre-Season 1

On Night in Bangor by @anotherwellkeptsecret

On Tumblr

On Pt. 84

NSFW or SFW version

Pre-Season 1

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jettingtothemoon · 3 months

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Daughter of the Spirits; chapter 11

➳ pairing: zuko x f!reader ➳ genre: a retelling of the show from season 2 onwards with a heavy focus and expansion on zuko’s story (canon divergent) ➳ warnings: violence, swearing, smut (underaged if your age of consent is above 16), spoilers for anyone who hasn’t seen the show ➳ word count: 3537 ➳ rating: 18+ ➳ summary: In which y/n comes across the fire nation prince during her stay in Ba Sing Se. ➳ tags: @harmlessoffering, @lammello (i’m sorry if i’m forgetting anyone, lmk if i am or if you want to be added)

Chapters: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13,

The Invasion

You found out from Mai and Ty Lee that there had been another war meeting — one Zuko hadn’t been invited to. He was furious, of course.

For the first time in years, he was finally starting to feel like a prince again. What with all the servants at his beck and call, insisting he take the palanquin when traversing the city, even if he was only out on an errand with you. People were by his side day and night, making sure he had everything he needed. It was exactly how it should have been, even if it was quite the adjustment for you both, yet he had still been excluded by his father.

He had told you about his banishment. How he had spoken up at a war meeting and disgraced his father, leading to the agni kai where he had to fight the very man that was supposed to protect him. The man who scarred and banished his own child.

Only this morning was he happy and smiling, simply enjoying the time he got to spend with you. Now, however, he sat staring out of the window, watching as the clouds passed over the moon in silent contemplation.

“Zuko,” you said his name and yet, he didn't move. Didn’t even flinch. It was as if he hadn’t even heard you, only you knew he had.

"Zuko," you tried again, this time wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

Wordlessly, he leaned into you. His scowl never once left his face but he was at least trying to control his temper for you, allowing himself to fall into your embrace.

"It's just a war meeting. I bet they're full of old, boring men."

Your attempt at amusing him seemed to fail as he leaned away from you and back against the window. "They're important. All the best advisors and the entire royal family attend. Even Azula is going."

"Just another reason that it won't be fun, Azula will be there."

Now that got a chuckle. A small one, but a chuckle nonetheless.

"Stop worrying about it and come to bed."

He hummed, turning away from the window and towards you. He wasn't happy and he probably wouldn't be for a while, but at least he could relax with you. Even when things weren’t going his way.

The next day, you sat with Zuko as you made a cup of jasmine tea. He sulked beside you with a frown on his face, thinking about the meeting that was about to start without him. You could tell how badly he wanted to be there, even if he did keep shrugging it off when you tried to comfort him. You thought making some tea would help but it only seemed to sour his mood further and you soon realised it was because he was missing his uncle.

You missed Iroh too. You had wanted to go and visit him but Zuko forbade you, expressing how dangerous it would be if you did. Azula had found out when he went to see him and if anyone were to find out you were visiting a traitor of the Fire Nation you would be hauled away and thrown into a cell of your own before either of you could do anything to stop it.

It pained you to think of the old man sitting in a dark, grimey cell. More so when the smell of jasmine tea reminded you as much of him now as it did your mother.

“Prince Zuko,” your attention was drawn to a servant as he entered the room with a bow, “Everyone’s waiting for you.”

Zuko looked from you to the man who now knelt at the floor with furrowed brows before getting up from where he sat. “What?”

“The high admirals, high generals, the war ministers, and the princess have all arrived. You’re the only person missing,” the servant explained, his eyes lifting to look at the prince as he spoke.

You stood beside Zuko with a heavily beating chest as he asked, “So my dad wants me at the meeting?”

The servant bowed again. “The Firelord said he would not start until you have arrived, sir.”

With a full smile, Zuko turned to you and, although he was going to a meeting where they would likely discuss the deaths of even more people you loved and knew, you couldn’t help but feel happy for him. This was all he’d ever wanted — to be accepted by his father. To be loved and wanted. For his opinions to matter. That alone brought you hope because if he could sway his father or even some of the generals, perhaps he could help save lives on both sides of the war.

You, along with Mai, waited outside the meeting for him, both anxious to hear how it went. She had offered to come with you so that you would not be alone in the palace for too long since she knew just how daunting that could be. Besides, she was still Zuko’s friend too, just as she was now yours.

When he finally emerged, Mai was the first to ask, “So? How did it go?”

“When I got to the meeting, everyone welcomed me. My father had saved me a seat, he wanted me next to him. I was literally at his right hand.”

His words almost sent a chill down your spine as you thought of the worst — that rather than Zuko swaying the Firelord’s mind about the war, that it would be his father who would sway him. You knew better than that, though, and as much was confirmed when you were met with nothing but a troubled expression on Zuko’s face.

“That’s wonderful,” Mai grinned, “You must be happy.”

The three of you stopped in front of a large tapestry, one displaying a large portrait of Firelord Ozai. You placed a reassuring hand on Zuko’s shoulder as he looked up at it and exchanged a worried glance with Mai.

“During the meeting I was the perfect prince,” he concluded, “The son my father wanted… but I wasn’t me.”

You ran your hand down his arm and slotted it into his, giving it a gentle squeeze. For a moment, he squeezed it back, but then tugged his hand free and began to walk away, leaving both you and Mai behind.

She sighed and became the one placing a gentle hand on your shoulder. “Give him time. This was a good thing, he’ll realise that soon.”

You hummed although you did not agree. The only good thing was that Zuko was starting to realise who he was and that the man he was wasn’t the man his father wanted him to be. He was not ruthless and cold. He was kind and strong and so many other things his father would never be. He was better than him and finally, you thought he was beginning to realise that.

When you returned to your room, you found him writing a letter.

“What are you doing?” you questioned, wondering what he was up to.

“Writing to Mai. I at least owe her a goodbye.”

“Goodbye?” you asked, your brows furrowed.

He hummed. “We’re leaving. I… This isn’t who I am. Not anymore. An invasion has begun, we can slip away in the chaos but I have to do something first.”

Whatever he had in mind, whether he just wanted to leave and find your parents or maybe, just maybe, hunt down and join the avatar, you knew you were going with him. After all the time that had passed since you left Ba Sing Se, he was finally ready to accept who he was. He was finally going to do the right thing.

He passed you the brush when he was finished, allowing you to write your apologies and goodbyes to your newfound friends. You addressed both Mai and Ty Lee directly, wishing them well and hoping you would not come to face them on opposite sides of the battlefield. The two of you then signed the letter and Zuko left to take it to her home, putting it someplace where she would see it long after the two of you were gone.

After he returned, as you collected what little things you owned, he knelt before a portrait of his mother and closed his eyes. “I know I’ve made some bad choices, but today I’m gonna set things right.”

He picked up his swords and a small bag of provisions, turning to the lighter side of himself once again, and pulled his hood up to conceal his face.

You stepped forward and pulled him into your arms, pressing a kiss to his lips as your thumb stroked the side of his face. “It’s going to be okay, you know. You’re doing the right thing.”

He smiled and leaned into your touch. “I know.”

He led you quickly through the palace and down underground. You could hear the fighting up above as you moved through the tunnels and Zuko explained that during the eclipse today, no one would be able to Firebend. It was the perfect time for an attack and, along with the invasion forces, would surely be the avatar. He had a plan and that plan was to join them, to help the avatar finally put an end to this war.

But he had to confront his father first and what better time was there to do that than when he had no bending?

When he finally came to a halt before a large, reinforced door, you felt your heart in your throat. How would Ozai react to the news of his son’s betrayal? Would he try to kill him then and there? Or perhaps he would simply try to imprison you both? Either way, you were prepared. You would use your bending — all of your bending — to fight. You were fighting for yourself. You were fighting for your family. You were fighting for Zuko.

You held his hand, squeezing it in reassurance as you had done time and time before.

“I’m ready to face you,” he spoke, as though his father could hear him through the door.

He did not protest as you walked to the door with him, nor did he ask you to remain behind as he walked inside. As dangerous as what he was about to do was, he trusted that you would be safe by his side, and that he would be safe by yours. Whatever was going to happen, you were going to do it together.

“Prince Zuko,” his father addressed him with a frown and lowered his cup of tea, “What are you doing here?”

Zuko walked towards his father, with you standing only a few paces behind. This was his moment and you wanted him to have it but if he needed you, you would be there to fight by his side.

“I’m here to tell the truth,” Zuko declared from where he stood, staring his father down.

The firelord furrowed his brows and signalled for his guards to leave, his eyes only once flickering from Zuko to you. “Telling the truth during the middle of an eclipse? This should be interesting.”

Zuko only spoke again when the guards were gone, the strong doors sliding shut behind them, “First of all, in Ba Sing Se it was Azula who took down the avatar, not me.”

“Why would she lie to me about that?” Ozai questioned.

“Because the avatar is not dead,” Zuko explained, “He survived.”

“What?” Only then did the firelord’s expression change. What was a calm and collected leader suddenly turned into an angry father. One who was clearly afraid of what the avatar could do if he was still alive.

“In fact, he’s probably leading this invasion. He could be on his way here right now.” For a moment, it almost seemed as though Zuko was warning his father, as though he had not really turned his back on him. He was still his father, after all, but you knew him better than that. He was changed and he was here for one thing and one thing only, to bid his father farewell.

“Get out!” the firelord snapped with a wave of his hand, anger boiling up in him, “Get out of my sight right now if you know what’s good for you.”

Although the firelord’s temper was continuing to grow, Zuko remained calm. From where you stood behind him, you could almost hear the satisfaction in his voice as he spoke, “That’s another thing. I’m not taking orders from you anymore.”

His father’s brows crossed in rage and you adopted a defensive stance as he began to walk towards Zuko. “You will obey me or this defiant breath will be your last!”

The prince unsheathed his swords, standing ready to fight his father as he demanded, “Think again. I am going to speak my mind and you are going to listen.”

To both of your surprise, the firelord sat back down as though he was ready to hear whatever Zuko had to say. The two of you still stood at the ready, prepared for a fight. You closed your eyes for a moment, focusing on the ground beneath you. You could feel the echoing rumble of machines coming from the surface, another sign of the battle above.

“For so long, all I wanted was for you to love me,” Zuko admitted, casting his eyes to the ground, “To accept me. I thought it was my honour that I wanted but really I was just trying to please you. You, my father, who banished me just for talking out of turn,” he pointed at Ozai with the end of his blade, “My father who challenged me, a thirteen year old boy to an agni kai. How can you possibly justify a duel with a child?”

It was like a weight off your own chest to hear him finally letting go of all that had burdened him, telling his father just how he felt after all he had done to him.

The firelord only scowled, looking at Zuko as though he was nothing but the dirt under his shoe as he spat, “It was to teach you respect!”

“It was cruel and it was wrong!”

“Then you’ve learnt nothing. This girl,” he gestured to you, “Has only made you weaker than you already were.”

“No! I’ve learned everything, and I’ve had to learn on my own. Growing up, we were taught that the Fire Nation was the greatest civilisation in history, and somehow the war was our way of sharing our greatness with the world. What an amazing lie that was, the people of the world are terrified by the Fire Nation. They don’t see our greatness, they hate us! And we deserve it. We’ve created an era of fear in the world and if we don’t want the world to destroy itself, we need to replace it with an era of peace and kindness.”

The firelord laughed out loud, mocking his son even now. “Your uncle has gotten to you, hasn’t he?”

There was a brief pause and Zuko smiled, actually smiled, in the face of his father’s taunts. “Yes, he has.”

“And this girl? She stands with you now, is she not of the Fire Nation too? Another traitor turned by your uncle’s tricks?”

Now it was you who stifled a laugh. “A traitor? Zuko isn’t a traitor and neither is his uncle. You are the one who betrayed the Fire Nation, you even betrayed your own blood because you’re so blinded by power you can’t see the bigger picture. My name is y/n and my parents were from the Northern Watertribe. They left their home and raised me in the Earth Kingdom to fight against your army! Even now, they fight against your cruelty, and now we do too!”

“You foolish girl,” Ozai glared at you with fire in his eyes, “What could you possibly do to stop me?”

“After we leave here today,” Zuko interrupted, answering his father’s question for the both of you, “We’re going to free uncle Iroh from his prison, and I’m gonna beg for his forgiveness. He’s the one who’s been a real father to me.”

The firelord only laughed again. “That’s just beautiful, maybe he can pass down to you the ways of tea and failure.”

“But I’ve come to an even more important decision,” he continued, ignoring his father completely, “I’m going to join the avatar and I’m going to help him defeat you.”

“Really?” Ozai smirked, “since you’re a full blown traitor now and you want me gone, why wait? I’m powerless, you’ve got your swords, why don’t you just do it now?”

“Because I know my own destiny. Taking you down is the avatar’s destiny,” he sheathed his swords and, although a part of you wanted nothing more than to strike him down now, you were in agreement with Zuko. It was not your place, “Goodbye.”

As Zuko turned and began to walk towards you again, ready to leave his father behind once and for all, the bitter man began to hurl more insults at his son, calling him a coward for confronting him during an eclipse when neither of them had their bending.

“If you have any real courage, you’ll stick around until the sun comes up. Don’t you want to know what happened to your mother?”

Those words stood Zuko in his tracks, even when you looked at him with pleading eyes. There was no time for this, the sun would be back soon and the two of you stood no chance against his father at his full power.

Without a second thought, the prince turned back around and demanded to know what happened the night his mother disappeared.

“My father, firelord Azulon, commanded me to do the unthinkable… to you, my own son, and I was going to do it. Your mother found out and swore she would protect you at any cost. She knew I wanted the throne and she proposed a plan. A plan in which I would become firelord and your life would be spared.”

It was awful, entirely diabolical, to think that a father would even consider murdering his own child but knowing what else the firelord had put Zuko through, somehow you weren’t at all surprised. It seemed in his very nature. You wondered what Zuko’s mother ever saw in the man.

“Your mother did vicious, treasonous things that night. She knew the consequences and accepted them. For her treason, she was banished.”

“So she’s alive...”

Cautiously, you moved to Zuko’s side, hoping to console him as tears began to spill across his face.

“Perhaps,” Ozai all but shrugged before raising his tone once again, “Now I realise that banishment is far too merciful a punishment for treason. Your penalty will be far steeper.”

In a flash, the firelord was moving, forming a stance you had only seen once before. The sun was back and he was drawing on its power to call lightning down. Lightning that he intended to use to put an end to his traitorous son once and for all.

“Zuko!” you cried, realising you had already missed your window to create a wall between the two of you and Ozai to block the attack.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion as you ran towards Zuko only to see him do the impossible. He redirected the lighting, sending it crashing back down on his father who was thrown into the air at the force.

He grabbed your hand and ran, pulling you out of the bunker before his father could get back to his feet. As you ran out onto the streets, you saw what looked to be the avatar launching an assault on the Fire Nation airships, giving his friends enough time to retreat. “Look!”

“Do you think you can get up there?”

You furrowed your brows. There was a chance that with your bending you could reach the airships and help the avatar but you weren’t sure if you could get there in time. They were fleeing, after all, they weren’t going to stick around for long. Besides, you had more important things to do.

“Maybe,” you shrugged, “but I’m not leaving you. Let’s go get your uncle.”

With a determined smirk, he led you into the prison. He ran so fast that he seemed to miss the cowering guards and singed walls.

“Uncle!” he cried out when he reached Iroh’s cell but his uncle was already gone. The bars to his prison cell were broken and battered, blasted through from the inside. Iroh had already escaped.

Zuko was quick to run to one of the guards, interrogating him about what happened in a matter of seconds, only to be told what you already knew. Iroh had escaped, busted himself out before you had had the chance to get to him. He was long gone now, all you could do was get out of there yourselves.

“Zuko, we have to go. We’ll find Iroh again, I promise, but right now we need to leave!”

Although disappointed, he nodded and followed you back outside.

Chapters: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13,

#zuko x reader #prince zuko x reader #zuko x you #prince zuko x you #zuko angst #zuko fluff #zuko smut #zuko fanfic #atla zuko #atla #zuko avatar the last airbender #avatar #avatar the last airbender

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What is this? | Submit your own event! or tag us! | Be sure to click through to the original post for the latest updates! Last edited: May 20th.

Ending Events

DIWS: Silver Screen Bang | Writer Sign-ups close May 3; Artist Sign-ups close May 20

The Good Omens Silver Screen Bang brings writers and artists together to retell a movie through a Good Omens lens! AUs and fusions welcome! Both SFW and NSFW content allowed. - @do-it-with-style-events - Twitter -

Good Omens Minisode Minibang | 16+ | Sign-ups close May 4

A reverse bang revolving around the theme of Good Omens historical minisodes. Both SFW and SFW content allowed. - @go-minisode-minibang -

Twin Passions: A Bildad Zine | Fundraising ends May 7

Charity digital zine focused on Bildad era Crowley, fundraising period to benefit RAINN and Safeline! There are 2 editions available for instant download, plus digital extras: SFW (shoemaking) and NSFW (obstetrics)! - @bildadzine - Twitter - Instagram - Bluesky - Download on itch.io -

It Began in a Garden Zine | Pre-orders close May 12

A fanzine celebrating Aziraphale and Crowley's retirement to a peaceful cottage in the South Downs. - @itbeganinagardenzine - Twitter -

Good Omens for Palestine | Fundraising ends May 13

Ineffable Romans Contest | Entries close May 15

GOAD: Spring Fling Kink Sling | 18+ | Posting ends May 19

It’s time to dust off the suspiciously nondescript box under your bed, crack it open and see what’s inside! There's one more "Heat" sprint event remaining before the end of the event, so hop over to Reddit to see the details of how those are run! - @goodomensafterdark - Reddit - AO3 Collection -

WIP Big Bang | Sign-ups close May 21

This is a Big Bang with one goal in mind: to clean out your fanfic drafts folder. These are stories that were unfinished for whatever reason, that authors returned to and completed, and the art that goes with them! - @wipbigbang - Twitter - Dreamwidth - AO3 Collection -

High Pollen Count! | 18+ | Posting ends ~May 22

A rules-loose Good Omens event centering around sex pollen. Featuring both NSFW and SFW works! - AO3 Collection -

Good Omens Big Bang | Sign-ups close May 31

A classic big bang, all about Good Omens! Both SFW and NSFW content allowed. - @goodomensbig-smallbang -

Red Tape: An Ineffable Bureaucracy Zine | Pre-orders close May 31

An 18+ Good Omens zine dedicated to Gabriel and Beelzebub! Featuring SFW and NSFW content. - @red-tape-zine - Twitter - BigCartel -

Ongoing Events

Ineffable May | Prompts for every day of May

You hear that? Ineffable May is nigh! That’s right— this month-long daily prompt event dedicated to Good Omens… is back. Participate using art, writing, cosplay, or any other craft at your disposal. - Prompt List - AO3 Collection -

Mayngst | Prompts for every day of May

This prompt list is multi-fandom, with dialogue style prompts - one for every day of May!! If you’re interested in participating and sharing, please use the tag #mangst2024! - Prompt List - AO3 Collection -

Good Omens Fairy Tale Bang | Artist Sign-ups open now!

Good Omens Spooky Bang | Sign-ups open now!

Monster Bangers Bang | 18+ | Interest Check open now!

Calling all monster-fuckers! A Good Omens bang devoted to monster banging. - @gomonsterbangersbang -

Upcoming Events

Good Omens Ineffable Bang | Posting begins May 7

A bang centered around your favorite Ineffable Husbands. Featuring SFW and NSFW content! - @goineffablebang - Twitter - AO3 Collection -

Ace Omens Zine: Volume 2 | Pre-orders open May 15

A Good Omens zine focused on ace representation. Featuring SFW content! - @aceomenszine - BigCartel -

Above, Below, and the Common Ground | Fundraising starts May 19

A SFW digital charity zine that celebrates the varied and wonderful cast of Good Omens––human, demon, angel, and anything in between! Free to download or with a donation to National Network to End Domestic Violence. Featuring SFW content. - @abczine - Twitter - Instagram - Bluesky - GumRoad -

In Love With My Car Zine: Volume 2 | Fundraising starts May 20

A zine dedicated to the vehicles in Good Omens. The zine will be free to download with the option of donating to the Mercury Phoenix Trust. Featuring SFW and NSFW content! - @in-love-with-my-car-zine -

#Good Omens #Good Omens Events #Fandom Events #zine #bang #fest #prompt #may #2024 #event calendar #trying some slightly new formatting from last month!!!#how do we feel about the @s? yay? nay?#also removed some multi fandom recurring events #bc this post became Very Long #so some of those will be added in for june's post!!

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