#we're writers why can't we spell

[caffeine-and-computers]

being a writer is spelling disembowelment correctly on the first try but somehow always screwing up definitliely

[vidavalor]

The Devil in Disguise: Some theory-ish ideas on the night of the ball, The Metatron, and Crowley

The Metatron & Saraqael messed with Crowley's mind while he was in Heaven. He comes back unaware that he's missing at least 10 hours that the show spends a lot of time establishing and, more concerningly... he is suddenly incapable of seeing Heaven as an existential threat to Aziraphale.

TW for talk of assault, PTSD.

Good Omens begins talking about time in reference to the night of the ball earlier in the season with Mr. Brown of Brown's World of Carpets in The Dirty Donkey scene. The writers set it up for us, all here's Mr. Brown-- he's going to set up this Whickber Street meeting for 6:30pm on Thursday evening after the shops close. You'll think the reason this is so specific is just a Mr. Brown's personality thing but then, as we get closer to it, at the top of 2.05, we're going to have about 30,000 scenes that do nothing but tell you, over and over and over again, what time this meeting ball starts. The entire purpose of this is for you to realize how much time passes through the night until the final act of 2.06... which we will then establish is happening in the 7am hour of Friday morning, some twelve hours after the meeting/ball began.

We go see Mr. Arnold and he helps us establish that today is Thursday and the meeting is tonight. Then, we visit Mrs. Cheng and she asks what time the meeting starts again, so Aziraphale will say "6:30" and confirm for us that he hasn't changed Mr. Brown's scheduled time. Then, Mutt originally can't go because he's taking his spouse to *dinner* for their anniversary-- this meeting is so early! reminds the scene. Then, Justine can come but she can only stay for a little while because the restaurant "picks up after 7pm." Then, Mrs. Sandwich arrives at the meeting and says basically the same thing as Justine did in the earlier scene-- that she can't stay long because her business is about to pick up. Then, Maggie is closing up her shop when Crowley is dispatched to get her. We now have every single major shopkeeper/trader in a separate scene, each of which reiterates how early this starts-- at 6:30pm on Thursday evening. When Nina gets to the ball, she adds an additional element: she's not fully under Aziraphale's spell so she comments on how everyone is speaking like they "just stepped out of 'Pride & Prejudice'," which is to say that everyone is speaking outside of time.

Nina is telling us that there's something wrong with relation to time but we know what that wrong thing is-- Aziraphale's Jane Austen ball spell. If you add it into the repeated references to time itself, though, you see it's another thing conveying a general feeling of something being way, way, way off about time on the night of the ball that the writers would like us to notice.

Why are we so obsessed with time on this night? What is the purpose of all of this?

To help you see that we are missing almost the entire night and that Crowley was in Heaven the entire time... and that there are some things that are really, really wrong with him when he comes back.

When we get into 2.06 and to the next morning, time is referenced again to help us see this. Crowley returns and it's surprisingly daylight, when it had been only a few hours past 6:30pm at best when he left for Heaven, right? In the morning, he takes Maggie & Nina outside to save them from Saraqael and both women comment on the time. We're talking about time again, as it's that important. Maggie says she's exhausted from being awake all night. Nina, crucially, says that her shop should have opened "a half an hour ago." Nina sells coffee so her shop likely opens at 6:30 or 7am, so it's 7 or 7:30am on Friday morning when the final act of 2.06 is happening.

That means that it's *at least* ten hours after Crowley went to Heaven but while he knows what time it is the next morning, he does not appear to know he's missing time. While Aziraphale is with The Metatron, Crowley will even look at his watch-- another reference to time passing-- and still not have this realization. The morning sun streams through the windows of the unclosed blinds, in a reverse parallel to 2.01, when Aziraphale closed the blinds after bringing Crowley into the bookshop, making it more comfortable for Crowley, who here seems to be aware that it's morning but unaffected by the bright sun; the show using the set and costumes to help illustrate this for us.

Because Crowley arrived with the angels and the group scene in the bookshop happened right after it, he and Aziraphale have not had a moment alone to speak yet. They actually won't get one before S2 is out because the bookshop is burned. In S1, it literally burned. In S2, it's burned, in the spy sense of the word-- everyone can get into it now so it's no longer a safe place to talk, which Crowley also seems to fail to fully recognize, which is partly because he fails to see Heaven as a danger to anyone but humanity, which we'll get to in a second. Aziraphale didn't say what he wanted to when Crowley first returned in the morning because he saw the angels, so he stops at "you came back", but he really has spent the entire prior night not knowing where Crowley was.

When The Metatron likely came on the Heavenly Zoom after Aziraphale stopped discorporating demons with it-- hinted at in Aziraphale and The Metatron's first interaction in the morning-- Aziraphale told The Metatron to go pound sand, which The Metatron figured he would. Not a lot of people want to spend more time with the leader of an organization that tried to kill them. We know Crowley isn't mentioned at this time because using Crowley as a tactic is new in the morning when Aziraphale talks with The Metatron at Marguerite's but Aziraphale told The Metatron he wouldn't go up to Heaven when they first spoke during the time we're missing. That much we already know.

So, Aziraphale then spent the night in a semi-panic because he might have started a war and he told The Metatron where he could stick it, which is kind of like trying to tell Putin you're quitting your job in the Russian Defense Ministry and could easily wind up with your ass tossed out a window but, most frightening to Aziraphale... Crowley hadn't come back.

Hours go by and no Crowley.

It's 1827 all over again. One minute, he's flirting with Crowley and the next minute, Crowley's gone from him in an instant. Crowley wouldn't do this willingly. They've talked about it. Crowley will tell him where he is now, all the time. He's working on not taking off when his PTSD is triggered. Aziraphale went to the spot he was taken in Edinburgh for the first time just the other day and called him from it to hear his voice and work on getting past it. Does Crowley still have to leave to some extent every damn day because he's not just living in the bookshop? Yes. Is even that a lot for Aziraphale at this point? Yes. Does Crowley know all of this? Yes. He makes it a point to tell Aziraphale that he'll get the humans out and then come back and that he won't leave Aziraphale on his own. Aziraphale believes him because he knows Crowley has no wish to hurt him and that is true. So, when Crowley doesn't come back all night, Aziraphale is panicked that something's happened to him.

He is correct that something has but neither of them ever get a moment to sort it out before S2 ends.

Look at the way Aziraphale reaches for Crowley when Crowley saves Maggie & Nina from Saraqael. He can't stop him because he doesn't want the shop lesbians turned into pillars of salt but he reaches for Crowley, like he just wants him to stay put for a moment, because this is exactly what happened ten hours or so ago now all over again-- Crowley left the bookshop to get the humans to safety and he didn't come back right away and Aziraphale was panic-stricken. He since hasn't even had a moment alone with him or the opportunity to ask him if he's alright.

This angel needs all these people out of his bookshop so he can find out what the fuck happened to Crowley all night. He still thinks, at this point, that if they can sort out these issues about the war and Gabriel, that this can happen and then everyone will go and he can be alone with Crowley. He can check on him and tell him what happened with The Metatron while he was gone and they can make a plan together, as opposed to the plan Aziraphale's had to make on his own. The Metatron has not yet appeared to change this, so Aziraphale is fine with Crowley sharing what he's found out about Gabriel and sorting everything out, in the hopes that then everyone will then leave them be for awhile.

When Crowley first arrived back in the bookshop and acted as if nothing was wrong, Aziraphale saw the angels behind him and he and Crowley aren't used to being open with one another in front of Heaven. They don't trust them. Gabriel, they've gotten used to but also Gabriel's proven himself kind of lovable, and he's one of them now. Michael, Uriel and Saraqael are not. So, Aziraphale didn't get into any of it with Crowley in that moment. He didn't say where were you? are you alright?, didn't hug him, etc.. The timing of all of this is by design on the part of The Metatron. If Crowley & Aziraphale don't have any time alone, they don't have any time to plan. If they don't have any time to make a plan, they're less trouble and easier to divide. That's why Crowley is sent back with the angels in tow.

Crowley's purpose in The Metatron's plan to get Aziraphale (and to destroy both of them, in the long run) is to unintentionally help The Metatron get Aziraphale to trust him. The way The Metatron does this is two-fold. The first bit is to have Crowley in Heaven and then send him back, (seemingly) fine, making Aziraphale think that if Crowley survived a trip to Heaven that they won't harm him in the future. The second bit is to send Crowley back with the information needed to solve the Gabriel mystery at the same time as Beez has been sent up to check on the results of the attack on the bookshop, which facilitates the revelation to Aziraphale of Ineffable Bureaucracy. The Metatron lets Gabe and Beez run off for exactly as long as it takes to get Aziraphale into the elevator-- all to make it look like Heaven has changed and provide Aziraphale with what he thinks is proof that he and Crowley would be allowed to be together in Heaven.

Note how Crowley says that what happened to Gabriel is that the angels want him back "so they can fire him" which, honestly, really already happened. Crowley watched the video we did but he doesn't remember it the way we do. He doesn't remember that The Metatron and Saraqael were trying to take Gabriel's memories and that Michael was complicit in it. These are all *extremely important* things that could have been shared with Aziraphale and the others but that Crowley seems to have forgotten that he saw.

Also note how The Metatron chooses not to appear in the bookshop until after Gabriel and the demons have left. By the time The Metatron appears, there's only Crowley (who is influenced by him) and angels who will do what he tells them to, and Aziraphale. Also note, though, that Gabriel gets his memories back... but doesn't seem to recall who now?

Super funny how Gabriel doesn't remember the angel that is important enough to have been at the big meetings-- and so, that he should have seen every few days for millennia lol-- and *that same angel* is the one who both has the canonical ability to take memories and is the one who recognized/is in league with The Metatron. Almost as if Gabriel got his memories back via Beez's fly and Saraqael instantly zapped his memory of them and of what happened to him so that he wouldn't be like hey, it's you guys... who totally obeyed The Metatron when he made me into a fallen angel and tried to take my memories from me. Aziraphale, don't trust these motherfuckers. They'll totally try to kill you and Crowley.

Almost as if Saraqael *is only there in the first place* to control Gabriel and Crowley's memories to facilitate what happens in the bookshop and keep it under control in the way that they and The Metatron want it to go. The Metatron, in all likelihood, is the one who cast all the demons to Hell, and Crowley is the only demon of the main group of them here who actually has memory issues so imagine what would have happened if The Metatron had rolled in when everyone was still there in the group scene. Gabriel would have been furious about what The Metatron did to him and said so... and Beez and the other demons would recognize The Metatron as the one who made them fall. Crowley would believe Beez, even if he couldn't remember it. Gabriel would go into Protector!Mode-- forget what The Metatron did to him, he's incensed over what he did to his love Beez and his new friend Crowley and, Gabriel supposes, those other demon guys over there, too lol. The demons start going from calling for Beez and Gabe's heads to joining up with them against The Metatron. Aziraphale would try to kill The Metatron if he knew all of that, forget getting into that elevator with him lol, so Ineffable Bureaucracy are allowed to escape-- for a little while, they're in a ton of danger after S2-- because that also helps The Metatron try to get Aziraphale to trust him, rather than starts a revolution. The Metatron only shows up after Dagon, Furfur and Shax leave, too, which further the suspicions that he's harmed them in the past and they wouldn't be too happy to see him.

So let's go back to what's wrong with Crowley...

Crowley, pre-trip to Heaven:

believes Beez about The Book of Life; growls at Gabriel that Aziraphale is "risking his entire existence" to help him and threatens him if anything happens to Aziraphale; not only remembers Heaven trying to kill them but brings it up to Gabriel in what is also a reminder of that to the audience; objected originally to Aziraphale taking care of Gabriel because of him trying to kill them and then has an anxiety attack over Gabriel in his house for basically most of the season; follows Aziraphale around Whickber Street after Shax starts sniffing around the bookshop; turns himself in to Muriel to work with Heaven as an informant without a second thought to protect Aziraphale, the bookshop, Maggie, Nina and Gabriel.

Crowley in Heaven:

promptly forgets the moment he gets off the elevator that his plan is that he is there to get the angels to protect the bookshop embassy, by appealing to their need to not be shown up by the demons; walks right by Michael & Uriel-- the archangels whose help he came up here to seek-- and continues to Muriel's office; becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to Gabriel; is spotted by Michael-- the smartest of the angels and the most suspicious, who is nominally in charge but for The Metatron-- and nothing comes of it, hinting that Michael might have been intercepted by The Metatron/Saraqael and roped into part of the plan (which also goes along with Michael and Uriel being sent with Crowley, Muriel and Saraqael back to the bookshop later on); is allowed into the files with permission from Saraqael, who is the only angel who recognizes The Metatron the next morning in the bookshop & is standing in for Sandalphon in some parts of the plot, according to Gaiman (Sandalphon & The Metatron are tight in Bible lore); Saraqael is the angel who was tasked with taking Gabriel's memories and they're the one Crowley is with most of his time in Heaven... the other angel being Muriel, whose own memories are suggested in a few scene to have been taken at some point; Crowley's memories issues are brought up again when he fails to recognize Saraqael; Crowley looks weirdly dazed while watching the Gabriel video; Saraqael is in league with The Metatron but both of them come off as the villains they are in the video they *want* Crowley to watch... but Crowley doesn't seem to remember that bit of what he saw afterwards; Crowley doesn't react to Saraqael trying to attack Gabriel after he finishes watching the video and, as we'll see, he doesn't seem to retain the same impression of the video that we do; Crowley tells Saraqael to come with him and Muriel back to the bookshop, despite having just watched a video in which they tried to take Gabriel's memories... meaning, that he fails to recognize Saraqael as a threat to himself, Gabriel and Aziraphale, and almost seems to tell Saraqael to come with him because Saraqael has influenced him to do so.

Crowley, post-trip to Heaven:

sits in a chair, listless, staring into space while Michael yells at Aziraphale that they will erase him from existence via The Book of Life (doesn't matter if this is real or if Michael can do it or not-- Crowley believed it was real pre-trip to Heaven and he'd protect Aziraphale from a piece of dust so why is he just sitting there); fails to tell Aziraphale that Gabriel is a fallen angel and that The Metatron ordered his identity stolen; fails to tell Aziraphale that Saraqael was trying to take Gabriel's memories on order of The Metatron before Gabriel outsmarted them while running to escape them and that Michael was complicit in all of it; recognizes that Heaven/Hell is toxic and a threat to *humanity*-- "when Heaven ends life on Earth, it'll just be as dead as if Hell ended it" and saving Maggie & Nina from Saraqael-- but fails to see that they are a threat to *Aziraphale*; goes a bit blank and stares at nothing, half-in/half-out of what is happening around him, when the conversation is about lost memories or The Book of Life; is staring into space at nothing on the floor when discussion is happening about lost memories-- Gabriel's-- until Aziraphale touches his arm... then, he looks up, still a little expressionless, and reacts to Ineffable Bureaucracy by offering them Alpha Centauri and talking about it in a way that makes it sound like an island he always meant to visit and not the option he always throws out to Aziraphale in a Defcon 1-level panic... Alpha Centauri isn't a trip to the Caymans to Crowley, it's this lol:

We can chitty chitty bang bang The Bentley to the stars, angel, I'm freaking out and out of ideas please send help!...meaning that, in the 2.06 group scene in the bookshop, he isn't telling Gabe and Beez to run, he's just offering them an idea of a place to go to if they're leaving... meaning, he fails to think they're in any danger and this is the same being who just watched a video last night in which The Metatron tried to attack Gabriel; and that's not even the worst of it... this is...

Go on. Day can't get any weirder... Crowley fails to see that Aziraphale does not want to go anywhere alone with The Metatron and is looking at him to come with them... instead, Crowley reacts like Aziraphale is asking if he'd mind if he goes and has a weird, unplanned coffee with his exhausting, bigoted dad and then he'll come back and spend the day with him; Crowley tells Aziraphale to go with The Metatron and just sits there in the damn chair while they walk out the door... this is *Crowley*, you guys. The same being that just spent a week trying to see if he could get Xanax to work for demons because of all the Heaven circling his bookshop safe space... the same being who got the heebie-jeebies over Shax and a bunch of junior demons at 6:30pm the night before... but now he's all no problem, honey, hope it goes well, I'll be here lounging in your chair, waiting for you to come back when *The Metatron* shows up and wants Aziraphale to go somewhere with him alone... This is also, of course, the moment that The Metatron gets the big villain music in the score-- right as he looks at Crowley, whom he's been monitoring like a hawk since he showed up; fails to recognize danger to Aziraphale so much that he just *stays in the bookshop* the whole time Aziraphale is with The Metatron-- doesn't follow them, even, or anything... he has no plans but for boozy breakfast (which is another indicator of him knowing that it's morning but not realizing he's missing time) and he completely believes that Aziraphale is in no danger at all and will return any moment, even as he gets anxious about how long it's taking; fails to mention the most obvious argument in the world for why Aziraphale shouldn't go to Heaven-- that they tried to murder them-- and so can never be trusted; fails again during the proposal to tell Aziraphale not to trust The Metatron because of what he just did to Gabriel on Monday and today is Friday morning and it's doubtful he just redeemed himself in a week lol... why did they have us see Crowley see the video but then *not* have him tell Aziraphale about it and ask that if that's what they were trying to do to Gabriel-- who had the political benefit of not being killed or sent directly to Hell because it would look like an institutional problem-- what does Aziraphale think that The Metatron would do to him, when he doesn't have any of the protections of Gabriel's old position?... this is *information that could save Aziraphale's life* and Crowley saw it with us but he doesn't seem to remember that he did because if he *did* remember that he did, he surely would tell Aziraphale because he loves Aziraphale and doesn't want anything to happen to him. He absolutely would have tried this argument if he remembered any of this from the video... but he also doesn't remember that Gabriel was already "fired" or that The Metatron and Saraqael and Michael are all a threat to Aziraphale... because he's been made to not remember that; finally, he never brings up something he believes in that he fears-- The Book of Life-- during the "no nightingales" conversation, even though it just came up when the angels were in the bookshop... but Crowley honestly might not even remember that it did, based on how out of it he was during that moment between Michael and Aziraphale.

Because Crowley can't recognize that he's missing time and that Heaven is an existential threat to Aziraphale and because Aziraphale feels like they can't talk alone without it being at least somewhat coded because the bookshop has been burned, they are each missing a huge part of what the other is trying to say and this results in the "no nightingales" disaster. Aziraphale knows he's in danger with The Metatron but Crowley's been programmed during the night to not recognize The Metatron, The Book of Life or Heaven in general as threats to Aziraphale. As a result, he can't understand that Aziraphale is trying to signal to him that he's made a plan and he needs Crowley to use their way of understanding each other and to follow his lead on it. Crowley, if he hadn't been harmed the night before, would have been able to see this and help Aziraphale. Aziraphale, for his part, fails to see that something's happened to Crowley and that's not terribly new for them, sadly, because so much has already happened to Crowley and Aziraphale is so sensitive to it that he doesn't think that Crowley's responses are the result of new trauma, just his already pre-existing trauma.

Even the prior night, Aziraphale downplayed Crowley's anxiety during the ball as just being his usual brand of anxiety amped up by the fact that they were trying something riskier and more public... until the brick got thrown through the window. He knows that Crowley has PTSD. One of the sweetest scenes in the series actually begins because of Aziraphale seeing Crowley slipping into a bit of PTSD fugue and pulling him out of it. Not uncoincidentally? It's from the other season finale. It's from the nightingales finale, as opposed to the no nightingales finale. It's this:

That scene actually begins with Crowley staring down at nothing in front of him, lost in thought, until Aziraphale gently brings him out of it and into the present moment. Because Crowley does this when they've been through an ordeal that's triggered things for him, Aziraphale is used to seeing it, so he doesn't recognize it in 2.06 as anything other than one of Crowley's default trauma responses. Because Crowley has only been influenced by The Metatron/Saraqael on specific things relating to threats to time and Aziraphale, he's otherwise alright and responding normally to other things, which fools Aziraphale into thinking that nothing happened to him... which is part of The Metatron's plan. He wants Aziraphale to think that Crowley is fine so that when they fail to communicate, he'll be so angry with/heartbroken over Crowley that he'll walk away from him and more easily get into the elevator.

Last time we saw a character on GO periodically sit in a chair this non-responsive, it was actually Gabriel occasionally fugue-ing out during his memory loss Jim era just an episode or so previously and Crowley's memory issues are paralleled with Gabriel's all season. Gabriel would space out when being overtaken by an outside force, which is what is kind of like what is happening with Crowley. Not possession like with Gabriel or God but his mind has been messed around with. Ironically, Crowley is the only one Aziraphale doesn't try to influence during the ball. While Aziraphale's actions during the ball are a whole other meta when it comes to just how fucked up all of that was, really... he left Crowley out of it. Part of it is that he doesn't have to love spell Crowley lol and that influencing him at all would have defeated the point of the ball in Aziraphale's mind but he also doesn't because he'd never do anything without Crowley's consent. He wouldn't anyway but he's extra-mindful of it because he knows Crowley has been through situations where his control over himself was taken from him and how that's affected him. Then, Crowley leaves the ball to help the humans and go to Heaven for help for Aziraphale and wound up kidnapped up there for 10 or so hours and suffering that same kind of non-consensual attack again.

Only other time Crowley is as periodically quiet and still, staring down at nothing and looking that forlorn, as he is in moments of 2.06? 1862. I'm not suggesting the exact same thing happened to him after 1827 when he was in Hell but I am suggesting the trauma response is the same and it's all over the bookshop scenes in 2.06 after he comes back from Heaven. He's literally standing like as tense and straight with his eyes lowered and speaking quietly as he did in 1862 in parts of 2.06, like before Aziraphale touches his arm when Gabriel and Beezlebub hold hands.

Crowley's had relevant memories taken by Saraqael and The Metatron to control him, so he spaces out when the conversation conflicts with what he's been influenced not to recognize as dangerous-- The Book of Life, the topic of lost memories/missing memories (he zones completely out of talk of Gabriel's lost memories once he gives everyone the means to figure it out)... most importantly, any moment that The Metatron and Saraqael and Michael and Heaven in general are threatening towards Aziraphale. He lets Michael threaten Aziraphale with non-existence. He lets Saraqael into the bookshop after knowing what they did to Gabriel because they've skewed what he thinks he saw on the video. He lets Aziraphale go with The Metatron without recognizing any danger to him at all.

This is intentional on the part of our villains here. They want to drive a wedge between them to get Aziraphale into the elevator. They've just influenced Crowley to not see them as a threat to Aziraphale but not much more than that so that he's otherwise normal-seeming in behavior. He remembers what happened at the ball enough that he snaps Mr. Brown back and asks what Aziraphale did to Shax. This is why The Metatron is watching Crowley like a hawk. He looks at him suspiciously when he retains enough control and empathy for humans-- sending Mr. Brown, Maggie and Nina to safety-- but he hears the women talk about time and realizes that Crowley doesn't respond, so the influence is working. He tests Crowley when he arrives to see if the influence is working in the what about you, demon? Do you know who I am? moment.

This is the reason why none of the other angels but for Saraqael recognize The Metatron, even if he doesn't look *that* different with a body. Saraqael messed with all of their minds to make it so that they don't for a few moments, specifically to give The Metatron an opportunity to test Crowley and be sure it's all still working.

(The saving Mr. Brown thing is especially heart-breaking because what do we learn about Mr. Brown's experience last night from what he says to Mutt? He can't remember where he was or what happened to him. It's a parallel to Crowley and another hint at it from the writers but is less horrifying because Mr. Brown's lack of memory might not be his choice but taking it from him was done out of empathy. PTSD-laden Crowley did that for him while under this influence. He made the call that Mr. Carpet didn't need to go through the trauma of remembering being attacked by the demons and snapped him into line for coffee-- symbolic freedom-- at Nina's, like it was another normal day for him. Meanwhile, Crowley can't remember what happened to himself last night for totally different reasons and doesn't even fully realize it yet.)

In S1, Aziraphale opens up the portal to Heaven and gets accidentally discorporated-- loses his body-- and the bookshop burns down. In S2, Aziraphale opens up the portal to Heaven, the bookshop is burnt as a safe house, and Crowley's mind is what is harmed by Heaven.

Because Crowley seems to be otherwise fine, Aziraphale doesn't think anything is more wrong than the usual amount of wrong and because The Metatron is breathing down their necks the whole time, Aziraphale never just says what happened to you last night? which would have changed everything because either it would have broken the hold they have over Crowley enough for him to remember that they have one or Aziraphale would have been standing there, horrified, as Crowley seemed confused by the idea that he was gone all night. Aziraphale doesn't ask because he knows something is wrong but everything is wrong at that moment and they can't get away from The Metatron enough to speak freely. Aziraphale is trying to convey a kind of plan (which seems to be 1941 and playing them for suckers) and begging Crowley to realize that he's terrified and trapped and needs him to help him but Crowley is incapable of fully recognizing that because he doesn't see Heaven as a threat to Aziraphale anymore, thanks to The Metatron. He just sees Heaven as a threat to their relationship and so starts to try to get Aziraphale to stay with him.

The worst part of this is that while it becomes a total fucking disaster in the bookshop, the very end of it is different. There's Crowley, staying by The Bentley, not leaving. It's not even that he wants Aziraphale to come to him instead of The Metatron so much as it's just him knowing he left the bookshop and he been working on not leaving. He wants Aziraphale to see he left the argument but not him. He doesn't know how this all works if Aziraphale goes to Heaven and he's still thinking of it in terms of 'if Aziraphale takes this job he's been offered by The Metatron' and not 'Aziraphale is about to be harmed by The Metatron' because of the influence... but he's not leaving. He promised Aziraphale he wouldn't leave him on his own, so he's sending a message that he won't. He just thinks that they're still going to have a relationship to work on because he thinks Aziraphale is about to become the Supreme Archangel of Heaven when, in reality, Aziraphale just walked into an elevator of death here. (He'll be fine in the long run. They'll bring him back. But I'm pretty sure nothing good is happening to Aziraphale in the short term.)

They eluded being forced into killing themselves in S1 by working together; they are separated and made to help one another's death in S2. Crowley influenced to watching helplessly as Aziraphale is taken from him is also, by design, an attempt at killing Crowley. They know he wouldn't want to live without Aziraphale. They're not as strong, not as much of a threat, apart as they are together.

Meanwhile, Aziraphale has no idea what just happened but it's a mess and it's one he's not sure he'll ever get to resolve because he just overheard The Metatron talking about The Second Coming and now he suspects he might not be safe but he also doesn't have a choice but to get into the elevator and he's doing it alone. He gets The Bentley to play Crowley "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" as an I love you and a response to Crowley saying "no nightingales" in the bookshop. It's a refusal to say they're done. There actually isn't an ineffable divorce. There's them each fucking it all up and then trying to apologize from across Whickber Street with The Metatron lurking around and they manage to but...

...what do you think happens when something happens to make Crowley realize what happened to him the night he spent in Heaven and what's wrong with him? He's going to feel like he killed Aziraphale. He's going to feel like he shot The Bullet Catch gun and didn't miss. Don't think The Metatron doesn't know it. Because what is Round Two? It's Crowley's "all of us versus all of them" from the end of S1. Why is Hell so understaffed in S2? Because most of the demons are getting into place for The Second Coming. It's Heaven and Hell (who still hate each other but are aligned) versus humanity. S2 has a focus on times Heaven and Hell have worked in tandem-- like with Job-- and then has them all in the bookshop at the end. It has Crowley bonding with Gabriel and Beez being kind to Aziraphale. It blends Heaven & Hell into the singular, corrupt system that it always has been and takes Crowley & Aziraphale's "our side" and starts adding to it. Beez and Gabriel are on their side now. Muriel and others will follow. But as they're doing all of this and as they're centering The Second Coming and The Metatron, you know whose presence was briefly mentioned but was otherwise suspiciously absent from S2?

Lucifer.

God made an appearance and not even just in flashback. It's God speaking through Gabriel earlier in the season, telling Crowley and Aziraphale to remember Job.

Where's Satan, though?

We've only noticed The Metatron, not that he and Satan are now, for awhile at least, on the same side, and Satan was not happy about S1. I don't think we should ignore the only references to Satan in S2--the quick lines they gave Shax and Dagon in the bookshop scene, wherein Shax said that they should give Gabriel and Beez to their master, Satan, and Dagon said that Satan wouldn't want them, except maybe "as hors d'oeurves." Ignoring for a moment how absolutely fucking horrifying a line that is on a show that codes sex as food this much, consider that Dagon just literally said that Lucifer/Satan would consider Gabe and Beez secondary-- just appetizers-- to a main course. Who is the main course?

Who else but Crowley & Aziraphale?

Do you really think that even if they held back on the Benedict Cumberbatch this round that Lucifer/Satan took the whole season off and had nothing to do with the end game of S2? The Lucifer/Satan who lost his antichrist kid in S1 and his armageddon in S1 because of Crowley and Aziraphale? The Lucifer who is very disturbingly obsessed with Crowley? The Lucifer who is now teamed up with Heaven for The Second Coming and so who might have actually been Upstairs himself when Crowley was the night of the ball-- or, at least, suggested what Saraqael and The Metatron did to Crowley? Because it's actually where we first saw this kind of thing in the plot, remember? Here are your instructions...

[wutheringmights]

I finished rereading The Song of the Lioness quartet by Tamora Pierce a couple of days back. I already talked about the first book in a post that garnered more attention than it deserved. I guess we were all happily reminiscing about the menstruation scenes together, or Tortall fans are so starved for content they (we) will reblog anything.(Understandable. I too am starved for a thriving Tortall fandom.)

I'm too lazy to make separate posts about each book, so we're just going to do a mega post covering the second, third, and fourth book.

Unlike last time, I will be giving a little criticism to this series. I still love it endlessly, but there were a few things about the prose I thought was interesting that I want to talk about a bit.

So, without further ado~

In the Hand of the Goddess

I think this one is my favorite one, despite how rushed the plot it. It contains all of my favorite plot points, like awkward romances with George and Jon, attending knight lessons, and a little summer war. Fun stuff.

But it definitely feels rushed. I really wish someone told Pierce to make this a 12 book series, expanding on Alanna's years at the castle. It would have gone so far to better develop the romances and the friendships in these books.

I am fascinated by what Pierce chose to skim over. Characters would die or kiss for the first time off screen, with the prose resuming with Alanna reacting to it. It demonstrates an understanding of character work that I personally adore and try to emulate in my own writing-- the real bones of a story being in how characters respond to fantastic events as opposed to the fantastic events themselves.

Also, the whole veil spell Roger cast in objectively stupid, and I mean that in the most affectionate way possible. You're telling me that Roger used magic to make Alanna lose interest in doing anything about the obviously evil things he was doing? That's fucking hilarious. You know an editor came back to Pierce and asked her to come up with a reason why Alanna wasn't just going to spring into action at the first sign of Roger trying to kill her, only for Pierce to come up with this. It's so silly. I love it.

Woman Who Rides Like A Man

Did this book age poorly? Yes, but not as badly as I remembered. That's not a stirring defense, and it's really not meant to be.

The Bahzir are a mess of Orientalism, and Pierce definitely deserves criticism for not only the way she wrote them but for the ways in which she frames their cultural practices as something that needs to be fixed. Having Alanna want to force them to change their culture to suit her beliefs is not a great look for both the character and the writer. And that's not even getting into the whole assimilation plotline.

But I did enjoy Pierce's attempts to expand on the definition of womanhood, especially as a part of Alanna learning to embrace femininity. There is this running thread in these last two books of Alanna learning about all the different ways to be a woman and choosing for herself what her gender means to her. It's not done particularly well, and anyone looking for a revolutionary examination of gender roles and identity is going to be sorely disappointed. But there's an attempt here that I can't help but appreciate.

This book is also where Pierce starts to slow the plot down, which lends it to having the most reasonable pacing out of the bunch. That being said, it's also the book where the lack of development for a bunch of the side characters start to hurt. I really wish Gary or Raoul joined Alanna in the desert. Raoul gets his moment in the sun with the Protector of the Small books, but Gary remains largely forgettable. In fact, I spent this entire read-through convinced this man dies at the end of the last book, if only because I can't remember where he appears in any of the other books.

Lioness Rampant

This book somehow has the improved pacing of the third book while still feeling rushed. The quest for the Dominion Jewel really should have been it's own book, if only to give Thayet and Buri more room for development. Thayet in particular really needs her moment to shine, especially when she continues to be an important character in the other series.

But do you know who did get a lot of screen time? Liam.

Remembered shit about this guy before going into this book. I could only vaguely recalled disliking him as a kid, but not as much as I venomously hated Jon. (Speaking of which-- I love the way this man is realistically shitty. Him getting dumped by Alanna is always my favorite scene.) But Liam? Fuck that guy. Holy shit. I give full applause to Pierce for portraying the important milestones every girl goes through growing up, which includes having a situationship that is so shitty that it becomes essential character development.

Roger's return feels very... cheesy? I think Alex should have stepped up to be the final villain on the story. Unlike Roger, Alex was Alanna's friend. They have history. The betrayal would have imbued that final fight with so many more emotions than it ultimately had. I also would have liked Alanna to have at least meaningfully talked to Alex sometime before the climax.

Honestly, it's impressive how reactive Alanna is as a character in the last half of the book. She doesn't seek out how to stop Roger's plan, or fix Thom, or anything. Other characters make plans and she just... waits for something to go wrong.

That being said, by virtue of Alanna's relationships with George, Liam, and Jon all happening sometime in this plot, this book becomes a good place to look to get the full berth of how Pierce handles romances. Which, I love her approach. The romances are never over the top or, for lack of a better word, too romantic. It's very down to earth, with characters dating, marrying, or breaking up for realistic reasons.

Jon and Alanna were friends who broke up because they had different life plans. Liam and Alanna broke up for having fundamentally different values. As much as I bitch about how shitty Jon and Liam are, they're not cartoonishly evil. They're just a little shitty the way most of your exes will be. Jon and Liam are men could find love with someone else. They just aren't suited for Alanna.

Meanwhile, the most romantic things George does are wait for her and be supportive. He doesn't fight or get territorial. He makes his feelings clear, then waits for Alanna's cues. Alanna definitely loves him, but she ends up with him in the end because their lifestyles and core beliefs meld together. There's no grand romantic gesture or whirlwind affairs. They are just a good pair.

I have read stories with far heavier focuses on romance, and none of those couples feel as perfect as Alanna and George. Those stories prioritize all the gooey moments over showing why the main couple should get together. For how little romantic interactions they have, you believe these two could have a successful marriage. Perfect stuff.

---

Over all, I really enjoyed rereading these books. For all my griping, I still love the story. I love Alanna. She's a character who is fundamental to my soul. No matter where I am in life, I will always want to open these books and find her again, to walk back into Tortall and join her on her quest to be a lady knight.

My copies of the series come with forewards from a previous edition. In one of them, Pierce wrote that this series started off as an adult fantasy story that was much darker and edgier. I need to know what that story looks like, what happened in it. Pierce can claim as she wants that she hardly remembers what it looks like, but I refuse to believe that. Release the unedited first draft, Pierce. I am begging you.

[olderthannetfic]

While we're on the topic of Mainstream Publishing Discourse...

There's a lot of discussion about how a lot of sci-fi/fantasy written by women and especially WOC that is not YA gets miscategorized as YA on Goodreads and other sites like that. And sure, sometimes it's unfair and just misogynistic/racist. Like, no one should be calling NK Jemisin's writing "YA."

But sometimes you get writers who will make that argument about where you're like.... okay, the reason people keep thinking you're YA is because of actual features of your writing that are similar to YA. Like if R.F. Kuang (she's the one I feel like gets complained about the most lately and I recently read Poppy War and Babel and agree with the complaints) wants to stop being seen as YA, she could maybe learn to have enough faith in her readers to not feel like she has to mention the moral of the story - that is already obvious from every other feature of the story - explicitly spelled out like 50x. She also seems to assume that her reader will disagree with her unless she does that, which is a strange thing to conclude about "colonialism bad" which I don't think anyone who is picking up Babel and reading the description on it is going to go in thinking the opposite of! And that is what makes it feel like YA: because so much YA is designed as intros to "serious issues" for teens that writers assume don't pick up on that stuff without explicitly being told (which I think is a bit insulting to teens, but whatever, it is the genre convention and it is why by 15 I was already reading books for grown-ups in both my free time and my classes). You don't NEED to do that and if you didn't, way fewer people would think your books are YA!

Or like Erin Morgenstern, you'll be seen as YA less if you were able to construct a coherent plot and characterization and didn't instead seem to be going entirely on aesthetics and vibes. Or like Casey McQuiston, whose books absolutely do read like YA books that just have more explicit, fanficcy sex scenes in it. You cannot be shocked people think of Red White and Royal Blue that way when it has such a YA-tastic romance premise that there have been multiple actual YA books since that were blatant rip-offs of it.

I also saw a post about how a lot of these books seem to be set in things like "magical boarding school" or focus on teen protagonists and like, yeah, I feel like in general if your books keep focusing on teenagers in a very similar to way books written FOR teenagers, you can't be shocked that people keep thinking they're YA. Of course there are books about teens that are for adults, but they are usually approached in a very different way with different plots.

Anyway, I do wish people would stop assuming that books that are clearly not YA "are YA" because they are sci-fi/fantasy written by women, because it just makes it that much harder to talk about the ones that really do feel like YA in ways where the authors should probably take that criticism to heart a little bit more. Someone like Kuang clearly does want to be writing for a more adult-litfic-style audience, and should probably listen to the people telling her that her books are too didactic in a way that feels insulting to people who aren't BookTok YA readers.

I tried to bring that up to my book club though when we read Poppy War and one person wouldn't stop shouting me down about how it's "just sexism and racism." And I had to keep shouting back, dude, yeah, I know that's what the discourse is. I know that's why writers like this can brush that off. I'm saying though that in this case, I think some of it's warranted based on how *the book is actually written*

--

[phoebe-delia]

Prompt

For @drarrymicrofic prompt: prompt. I'm doing something a little different here. I hope yall enjoy this. It's self-insert, technically, but in a way I think could be fun. We're going meta, folks! Rated M!

I put my laptop aside and thunked my head against the couch cushion. "This is useless."

"What is?" Harry sat down next to me, sipping from his cup of water and setting it down on the coffee table.

I turned to look at him. "This fic. I can't think of a prompt."

"Have you checked the—"

"Yes, I checked the microfic prompts. They're all great but I've already done a lot of them and the others haven't sparked anything specific yet." I narrowed my eyes at him. "Why can't you and Draco do something interesting for me to write about?"

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Why can't you come up with something interesting for us to do?"

"Like each other!" Draco called as he walked in from the next room. Harry snickered as Draco approached us and sat next to Harry on the couch.

I rolled my eyes. "Draco, for the last time, I'm not interested in writing smut. As much as I might love to read it, and adore my writer friends who do, it just doesn't inspire me creatively."

"Mmm but we get pretty inspired, don't we, Potter?" Draco took Harry's chin in his hand and brought their lips close.

"We do," Harry murmured, leaning in and kissing Draco.

I wrinkled my nose. "Can you not? Or at least do that in another room? I'm trying to be inspired to write something about you two idiots and your making out isn't helping."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Oh as if you don't love it. But—fine. We shall delay our mindblowing sex in order to help you pay appropriate homage to our relationship."

"How generous," I said dryly. "Now help me!"

Harry pursed his lips. "Have you tried listening to music?"

"Yeah, but all the songs I listened to I've either done already, or didn't really hit me right," I said. "Can't you two give me ideas? Just—give me words or short phrases that you might like to see me write about for you."

"What makes you think we know?" Harry asked. "You're the writer!"

"Phoebe, and I say this with all due respect," Draco drawled. "As both a manifestation of your writer's block and one of your—what's the word? Blob?"

"Blorbo," I said, smiling amusedly.

"Yes, that," Draco said waiving a hand at me. "What a ridiculous term, but anywho. As a beloved blorbo, I must remind you that you cannot force a good story. Inspiration strikes when it comes, and neither Harry nor I can tell you what to write. We are yours to place in infinite scenarios, but seeing as we exist entirely within your own mind, we are unfortunately no more informed about writing prompts than you are."

I narrowed my eyes again. "You're right, but entirely unhelpful."

Draco smirked. "I'd call that a job well done. Anyway, I'm bored of this. Harry, darling, care for a shag?"

Harry's eyes lit up. He nodded. "Let's go," he said, letting Draco pull him to his feet. They jogged toward their shared bedroom. "Good luck with the writing, Phoebe!" Harry called over his shoulder before they slammed the door.

I cringed and cast the strongest silencing spell I knew at the door. I picked up my laptop. "Useless," I muttered, and refreshed Tumblr once more.

[writingquestionsanswered]

Hi, same anon that asked about the chapter outline thing.

Yes, it was the chapter that's incomplete.

Your answer was appreciated, but problem is, I have a pretty clear vision of how the story goes (it's also pretty short as it's only 3 chapters long) and for the chapter in question, I'm only a quarter in but I just can't get the words down for some reason. I don't think the answer was really helpful (apologies for that) as a result, so I figured that giving you more context would hopefully lead to a more helpful one.

Chapter Outlined But Still Can't Write It (Redux)

I'm sorry my original answer wasn't helpful, but I covered every base I can think of for what could be going on. I suggested difficulty finding your way into the chapter, but you've added that you are a quarter way into the chapter so that's not it. I suggested not having a clear idea of what exactly needs to happen in the chapter or story, but you're saying that's not the case. I suggested the possibility of having put so much pressure on yourself to write the chapter that you're having stress-induced writer's block. And I suggested there's something subconscious blocking you from writing the chapter (it can happen), but you say neither of those suggestions were helpful.

There are only so many reasons why we're not able to write when we want to. Lack of vision/direction, lack of planning, lack of motivation, lack of energy, mental blocks, something not working earlier or later in the story... the only other option, really, is that your writing skills are just not yet where they need to be in order to write, or to write this, in which case you can spend more time honing them. Outside of those things, I'm not sure what to tell you. There aren't any magic spells or potions you can do to fix this. I'll include some links to previous posts to see if anything happens to click, but if not, I don't know what to tell you except to set this project aside for a while and work on something else. Then come back to it later to see if whatever was blocking you has lifted. ♥

5 Reasons You Lost Interest in Your WIP, Plus Fixes! Feeling Unmotivated with WIP Guide: How to Rekindle Your Motivation to Write Getting Unstuck: Motivation Beyond Mood Boards & Playlists Have Plot, Can’t Write Concentrate on Quantity at First, Not Quality Delaying Writing Out of Fear Guide: Filling Your Creative Well

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[coraniaid]

I really do think that the least interesting way to approach any longform narrative written over the course of several years by different writers is to act as if it everything that happens in it must somehow be internally consistent. Especially when we're talking about television writers with an (at best) flexible approach to world building and logical consistency; writers with a clear willingness to abandon previously established facts about the setting if it allows for (what they think will be) a more interesting story in the moment. In such a context it is just not sensible to insist that any late season retcons definitively establish some singular Truth about how the show Really Worked in its original seasons.

Specifically (and I'm aware I wasn't being very vague before) the idea that the (often rather bad) writing of Buffy's later seasons establishes definitive Facts about the world of the first few seasons which, if they contradict earlier claims, mean the original world-building lore we were given must actually have been examples of the in-universe characters being wrong or telling deliberate lies is, I'm sorry, almost offensively stupid. We don't "find out more" about the rules of how the world works in later seasons of the show in a way that implies these rules always existed in some fixed and unchanging state. The world of the show has no such rules because it does not, in fact, exist. What happened is that the later writers of the show (who were mostly different people) had different ideas about what would make for an interesting story (and unfortunately these were mostly worse ideas).

There seems to be a bizarrely popular take online that says you can't really understand the first few seasons of Buffy until you've watched the later ones, as if the entirety of Buffy is a single coherent narrative meticulously planned out from the beginning in advance. But you do all get that that is absurd, right? Yes, sometimes the show frequently changes its position on how its worldbuilding is supposed to work, but that's not because the writers are slowly revealing something they had planned out years earlier and knowingly had characters lie to each other about. It's because they are making things up as they go (which, to be clear, is more difficult and significantly more impressive when done well).

The reason Giles claims in Season 1's Witch to have never cast a spell before is that the writers had no inkling of the backstory they were going to give him next season. You obviously can go back and interpret this as a lie Giles is telling Buffy for some reason, but it doesn't meaningfully improve your understanding of the episode to do this. Similarly, the reason that nobody in the show talks about a "Watcher's Council" until Season 3 is that before Season 3 the writers had no conception of such a thing. It's fun to come up with in-universe reasons for why Giles might not mention the Council, even when meetin a second Slayer, but I think we should admit than when we do this we're engaged in something closer to fanfiction than analysis.

We don't "find out" that the character of Anya introduced in The Wish was probably autistic even before becoming a vengeance demon: the writers just changed their mind about how her character worked and why she acted that way (and indeed in The Wish itself she doesn't act that way at all; Anya being "strangely literal" didn't really take hold as a character trait until the show's fourth season). It is not "revealed" that Buffy tried telling her parents about vampires before the show began and they had her locked up: this is just a particularly stupid retcon that doesn't make any sense if you actually remember the first two seasons (woud Buffy joke with her mom about being distracted by thoughts of "saving the world from vampires" in Bad Eggs if the last time she'd mentioned vampires to her mom she'd been institutionalized?). We don't "learn" that Giles and Buffy were always wrong about people not "turning into" vampires (meaning they were specifically wrong about people like Jesse and Ford, and that Buffy herself is some sort of unrepentant mass murderer): the later writers who imply that this is what happens after all just didn't care about continuity (or what this change would mean for the morality of the show's protagonist's entire reason for being).

You have to watch each season of the show as if it were telling you the truth about its world building as the writers understood it at the time, or none of them make any sense. That is, in fact, how you have to watch most television of this form: there was no long term master plan. There is no singular truth about what "really" happened. The rules of the setting are just subtly (or not so subtly) different from season to season. Nobody writing Season 1 of the show had the slightest idea what would happen in Season 7 and anyone who suggests otherwise is full of shit.

[mrhowells]

Smallville 4x22

Can't say I feel sorry for Genevieve bc that woman was nasty but Lana just got another thing added to the huge pile of trauma she already had😬

oh hey Lex, so what happened here was-

bunnyyyyy💕

"I had this one last week, really scary. This... guy wearing a red cape." "Wow, that sounds horrible Lois."

I can't do this they're so?????

STOP HAVING EYE SEX IN FRONT OF THE PARENTS FOR THE LOVE OF GOD

I'mskSJkslKSL Jonathan's face kills me

Mr. and Mrs. Kent, I just wanted to say thanks for everything. You guys are like the Mom and Dad I've always wanted to have.

Lois bby🥺😭😭

"Lois, we want you to know that you are welcome back here any time."

"Actually-" "We'll all miss you, Lois."

SHUSH Clark, we're having a moment here😭

blushing kicking my feet

"Oh, come on Clark, your future is laid out right in front of you. You're gonna go to community college, major in agriculture, probably minor in law enforcement. And then you and Lana are gonna have a nice little church wedding."

I can't😭

He's such a menace around her it's EVERYTHING

"Even if I could spell, the last thing I'd wanna do is spend my time in a newsroom. With my luck, I'd probably end up across the desk from the most bumbling reporter on the masthead."

OMFGSAHSAJDKHA

so much eye contact I'm going insane

If you hear faint screaming in the distance, that's me I'm losing it

CLARK YOU CAN'T LOOK AT HER LIKE THAT AND EXPECT ME TO BE NORMAL ABOUT IT I'M FIGHTING FOR MY LIFE HERE

i already know I'm going to hit the media upload limit and have to delete stuff, ugh😭

this episode is feeding me so well

my beautiful family😭😭😭 they raised me actually, true story

"Because you have a way of getting things in half the time a normal person gets things done." "And I'm not normal?"

Chloe really didn't do this one on purpose but OUCH😬

Lois with her "the general said/ taught me..."🥹

now tell me why this interaction fills me with so much joy😭

I love them so much it makes me look stupid

CLARK WILL U STOP BLAMING YOURSELF JESUS STOOOOP

✨and then I paused the episode and didn't continue until over a month later, my brain is wired like that I fear✨

Jor El is so unserious I'm sorry, if he wasn't so vague and cryptic all the time a lot of messes could've been avoided🤡

I just imagine the actual Jor El watching this go down in the afterlife and facepalming so hard

Clark is sad = I'm sad, it's the law

Lana giving Clark the stone without even removing the blood first lol

I feel so bad for her😭 I swear whoever made the plot decisions on this show got off on Lana being in pain and I'm getting more and more angry on her behalf.

and that's on good instincts

(I've seen people say that Lana going to Lex instead of Clark after killing Genevieve is further proof that she doesn't trust Clark at all and it's like... how tf was Clark going to help her in this situation???😭 I agree that Lana and Clark have trust issues ad infinitum but in this case she just did the logical thing, come on now)

I have to respect this man for the level of unhinged he's reached, truly

Lois is so cool😩 Once again I am free on Saturday-

"Before you leave this earth I want you to know... you did create the son you always wanted."

Lionel when I get my hands on you

NUH UH JASON YOU TOUCH MARTHA ALL BETS ARE OFF

I need Lex to chill and stop manhandling Lana & Chloe please and thank you💀 He's joining the unhinged club

Martha & Jonathan against Jason?? Yes please I love fights between people without powers or martial arts training

🎶somebody save meeeeeee🎶

the way Chloe pushed Lex against the cave wall was hilarious I'm sorry

Fortress bestie we're almost hereee🥳

:(((((

Lois is sad = I'm sad, again, those are the rules

seeing the only place she ever considered a permanent home getting completely destroyed, IT'S A LOT. This whole episode was a lot.

And let's not even get started on Lana JESUS CHRIST. Smallville writers I think we need to sit down and have a conversation about her because WTF?

I don't even care that the witch plot was wacky and Jason's character arc was really badly executed, this season was so much fun.

[jetgirl1832]

20 Questions More

This is a deeper and more detailed version of the 20 questions for AO3 fanfic writers. @nottawriter hit me with a tag, I have been attacked lol.

1) How do you keep getting ideas for your ship / fandom? A dash of shower thoughts, with a pinch of I watched a movie and couldn't help but think... Yes, that will work. They often feel like the come from nowhere.

2) Which authors inspire you in your fandom, and why are they so freakishly good? That's not fair how dare you ask me this!!!! Uhhh I'm mostly reading Supercorp stuff these days sooo... @jazzfordshire, @mycatismyeditor, @fazedlight, @innamorament0, @scribblingpunk, @fyonahmacnally to name a few. AAAAND my co-author and a vast array of things @tomatopudding! Why? Idk, I just get drawn a lot to these works and think they're lovely, and I love their depictions of these characters I love.... with @tomatopudding we just vibe very well, sharing the same five brain cells helps.

3) Aside from the characters of your main ship, who are the characters you love to write? If we're talking Supergirl... That's so hard, but I might have to say Brainy and Nia if really pressed... and Alex. I really enjoy Alex.

Otherwise, my other faves include all of the Les Amis from Les Miserables (if you know you know), specifically Courfeyrac and Marius and their hilarious dynamic. Other faves include Eliza Schuyler-Hamilton, Eponine Thenardier and... This could go on for a very long time, are you sure you have time?

4) Are there pairings or tropes you know for sure you’d never write about? Which ones? Not putting Kara and Lena together just makes me sad... So Supercorp ftw all the way, they are my top (I am a lot more amenable in other fandoms I've written for)

Tropes... I'm unlikely to do Omega-verse, I haven't done it and I can't see myself starting even if I sometimes read it.

5) What is your writing process and why is it cursed?

When I worked in retail I wrote on stupid little scraps and probably lost about 75% of them. Sometimes the method is hand writing, and then typing and making edits during that process as well. The handwritten can vary drastically from the typed draft lol.

I tend to fly by the seat of my pants unless someone is keeping me in line. I'm pretty darn chaotic.

I doubt myself a lot, so I always think whatever I write is garbage no matter how much proof there is that's not true. Also, sometimes I get burnt out, or my muse dies and then I feel terrible. Yay.

6) What is your favorite part of your writing process? Falling down rabbit holes, looking into fun topics. Likely ending up on a government watch list for the stuff I've searched up over the years

7) What’s the weirdest thing you’ve had to research for a fic? Uhhh.... hmm. I have no idea what the weirdest is lol. Cause it's on my mind, probably looking up what types of wood are easiest to chop, and why. (There is definitely weirder, but I don't remember right now).

8) Is there a particular writing rule you struggle with (grammar, spelling, tense, reality in general)? Commas. They hate me, and I hate them.

9) What was your hardest scene to write so far and why? Oof. Uhhh... This is so hard! Honestly there is a lot of stuff in my co-written very long series Hamilton Family Album that was *a lot* between research and feels.

Especially when you're co-author hits you with unexpected feels out of nowhere that you weren't anticipating (YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID).

10) Have your characters ever done something you didn’t expect, changing your plot completely? Of course, they have. It happens all the time.

11) If you could converse with any of the characters, who would it be and why? Ohhh... Hands down Kara and Lena, I wish they could be my friends and we could hang out. Why? I think that they are absolutely incredible, wonderful and I could just sing their praises for ever.

12) What are some of the tropes or themes that you find yourself returning to in your writing? Oooo, I'm a sucker for fluffy romances, and I've been dabbling in smut recently. Other themes for me can be like found family is a really popular one for me.

Since I've written both a lot of Les Mis and Hamilton stuff (among other similar things) I've done a lot of "Modern AU's" as well, which are uhhh varied to say the least. If I can treat anything they way the treat most Shakespeare pieces these days I do it.

13) What’s your most important resource as a writer? Asking for help! Soundboarding with other writers, I love doing it. It helps me make sense of my ideas... Or decide they're maybe too out there (almost never lol)

14) Can you share some of your strategies for editing and revising your work? Reading it out loud, I have a hard time noticing errors otherwise. Asking someone you trust to look it over as well, take your time and double and triple check if you're unsure about something.

15) Which is worse: making the summary, picking the tags, or the anxiety when you post your fic? D. All of the Above

16) How do you define success for your fanfic - hits? Kudos? Comments? Bookmarks? Or just if you like it? I try to just write for myself, usually because I haven't seen something like it and think it should exist. I do really enjoy getting comments if only because I'm always curious to hear what readers think about my work.

17) Do you have a playlist for your favorite character / ship? I don't, and if I did it would be odd... I'm the most massive theater nerd. I do have songs that I think fit the vibes, and some shows I listen to have more apt things than others. Or if it's Les Mis it's the whole dang album lol.

Supercorp things if anyone is curious (and wondering how odd it could get): Mercury Rising from Lizzie, Come Home With Me, Anyway the Wind Blows, Wait for Me and Wedding Song from Hadestown, In A Crowd of Thousands from Anastasia, Origin of Love from Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Maybe I introduced you to something fun today.

18) If fan art was going to be made from your work, which fic would you pick and which fan artist would you like to create it? Oh dear... I don't know. The thing I'd love to see art for isn't up yet and I just think it would be fun but it will be called What Was I Made For... And we're gonna leave at that for now.

19) How many WIPs do you currently have? I'm finishing up You've Got New Followers (One chapter left!), I think three other WIP's (two more plotted than others) and my WIP for May-Hem... So five?

20) What’s your advice to new fanfic writers? Don't be afraid just because you've never done it before. That's why fanfic is amazing. You can do what you want and in reality no one can stop you, just make sure you're having fun.

My fics: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JetGirl1832/works?page=1

Tagging but no pressure: @tomatopudding and @innamorament0

[hyenahunt]

Rouge & Ruby: Epilogue - 2 (END)

Writer: Umeda Chitose

Season: Winter

Characters: Hiyori, Nagisa, Jun, Ibara

Proofreading: royalquintet (JP) & Skyress (ENG)

Translation: Mirei (Adam) & hyenahunt (Eve)

Hiyori: And that would mean this is the perfect time for our Venture into V-day Project, yes? Eden's Valentine's Day isn't over just yet...♪

[Read on my blog for the best viewing experience with Oi~ssu ♪]

Time: A few days later

Hiyori: Come and look! Our chocolates are still trending on social media!

They're simply so beautiful that despite their delicious taste, no one can bear to eat them and they're desperate for a way to preserve them instead!

Nagisa: ...Our fans sure think of the strangest things. Why preserve them?

Jun: Maybe they wanna keep 'em as souvenirs~?

I happened to see a blog report of someone's Chocolat Fes experience, too.

It seems like that person was also looking to keep a record of all the feelings they had during it while it was still fresh in their mind, so they poured 'em out into a post and published it on their blog.

Hiyori: So that's yet another way to preserve things, is it? It brings me such delight to know that all these memories of Chocolat Fes seem so engraved upon everyone's hearts. ♪

Nagisa: ... The atmosphere in the venue after Eden's performance was also quite impactful. How would one explain it...

Hiyori: It certainly felt as if we'd enchanted everyone into entrusting their bodies and hearts to us, didn't it? It felt the same as our usual performances, yet ever so slightly different...

Jun: Maybe that's just the atmosphere you can't experience anytime other than on Valentine's Day — or Chocolat Fes, even~

And I mean, we got the exact reaction we wanted ♪ Ibara, you feel the same way, yeah? —

Ibara: ......

Hiyori: Whatever is with that expression? Chocolat Fes went exactly as you envisioned and now we're all talking about it, Ibara — you ought to look a little more delighted!

In fact, shouldn't you be the one to talk about all this?

Ibara: — Unlike everyone else, I'm very busy being productive over here!

Besides, making Eden experience a normal Valentine’s Day or something was all Your Highness's idea, was it not?

Even though Valentine’s Day has passed, why are you making me make chocolate by hand!? I am terribly baffled!

Nagisa: ... Isn't that because Hiyori-kun wanted to experience a normal Valentine’s Day with Eden…?

Ibara: That doesn't answer my question. I demand a proper explanation, Jun.

Jun: Wha? Why're you asking me? I'm literally the second most productive one here, right after you!

Ibara: One would assume so. Though His Excellency has some experience in cooking out of personal interest, he is still new to making sweets. Meanwhile, His Highness —

Hiyori: My job is to cast a Spell of Scrumptiousness on everyone's chocolate once they're done... ♪

Ibara: — Won’t even lift a finger. He is loafing about because Jun won’t allow him to offer his assistance.

And here I am, having done all this work to find a recipe His Excellency can more easily follow, so I can delegate some of the work to him...

Nagisa: ...I've already become a master at mixing ingredients until smooth.

Ibara: Wonderful, Your Excellency, your quick learning is a valuable aid! Now, please combine the ingredients you have just mixed!

Afterwards, put the combined ingredients in plastic wrap and allow to chill in the refrigerator!

Nagisa: … Okay, I understand ♪

Jun: Well, I mean at least Nagi-senpai's actually interested in cooking. For us, I'm pretty sure it'd be faster for me to do everything on my own.

I did consider letting that guy chop the chocolate, but for some reason even just the thought of letting him hold a kitchen knife is kinda terrifying...

Hiyori: ?

Jun: ...but in any case, there's not all that much for me to explain.

Back when I had no idea you worked things out on your own and was stuck stressing over what I said to you, I tried talking it out with Ohii-san...

And during our talk, we realised neither of us had any clue what a normal Valentine's Day was like. We figured you and Nagi-senpai probably didn't either.

So it was kinda gonna be an issue if we were gonna perform at Chocolat Fes without even knowing how the average person spends Valentine's.

And that's how the Venture into V-day Project was born.

Ibara: …But if this was for Chocolat Fes, then do you not find it strange to be doing this after the event is over?

Hiyori: Well, we were just so endlessly busy all the way up until Chocolat Fes that there simply wasn't any time for it.

And now since Chocolat Fes is over, just think of this delicious chocolate-making experience as our after-party for a job well done.

Ibara: …*sigh*…

Hiyori: By the way, once all the chocolate is done, we'll also reenact amongst ourselves the experience of giving and receiving chocolates.

So with that in mind, everyone, do take care to make your chocolate with love...♪

Ibara: With love?

Jun: Ah... Sorry, this part's my fault.

My only impression of Valentine's Day is from a shoujo manga I read, and well, Ohii-san took a look, too.

Seems like that made him wanna experience the whole giving and receiving chocolate thing, as well as all the heart-fluttery excitement that comes along with it.

Ibara: What "heart-fluttering excitement" are you expecting from doing this with unit members?

Jun: Well, we might at least get some kinda warm and fuzzy feeling, right? Not that I'd know ♪

Ibara: — Good grief. I've gotten myself wrapped up in something very troublesome. My hands are still quite full with Chocolat Fes-related work, you know.

Job requests have come rolling in by the dozen after our resounding success.

Nagisa: .. Then, that means Ibara's Chocolat Fes is still ongoing, right?

Hiyori: And that would mean this is the perfect time for our Venture into V-day Project, yes? Eden's Valentine's Day isn't over just yet...♪

Ibara: These are two separate matters.

Jun: … says you, but it looks to me like you're the one who's making the fanciest chocolate here, Ibara~

Nagisa: …I’m curious, what are you making? It looks like the most delicious one here. I'm interested.

Ibara: It's not just “it looks like”; I'll have you know that it actually is the most delicious one. I'm going to make the best chocolates here, appearance included.

Even though we are just making sweets, I don’t intend to lose, after all!

So everyone, please look forward to the end result…☆

Hiyori: Well, after hearing a boast like that, I simply can't wait to see how it turns out♪

Nagisa: … I agree, I'm looking forward to trying it.

Jun: Um, this project isn't supposed to be a competition...

... But well, it's just like Ibara to always crave first place in anything and everything, huh?

Jun: — Alrighty. I'm gonna give my chocolate my best shot, too, so we can all enjoy this Valentine's thing together as Eden~♪

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[areyoudreaminof]

Night Triumphant: A Rhysand Playlist

Call me Beyonce because this is a surprise drop! Thank you all for your enthusiasm and support for the ACOTAR Playlist Project. It's amazing. To tell me these have inspired your writing, helped you study, or just got you going? I'm so thrilled. So, here another playlist for your weekend!

Now, we have The High Lord himself. Rhysand is something else. Romantic hero certainly, but he's an anti-hero, a victim, a villain, a lover, and a killer. His backstory is something that gets looked over in universe and by the fandom. I'm really fascinated to why he does the things he does. Was playing up villainy worth it? Listen Here! And come with me behind the cut for a lyrical deep dive!

Beautiful Crime-TAMER

Leaving the things we lost, oh Leaving the ones we've crossed I have to make an end so we begin To save my soul at any cost We fight every night for something When the sun sets we're both the same Half in the shadows Half burned in flames We can't look back for nothing Take what you need, say your goodbyes I gave you everything This darkness is the light

Persephone-Tamino

When you hid under my black wings They couldn't have protected you from anything Once in flight they would have let go You would have once again wound up below Only broken

Indeed, it's wrong to keep you near me One could call me cruel and deceiving But in your sacred air I am full of light Your loving arms are the true delight To which I'm lost

Exits-Foals

I said I'm so sorry To have kept you waiting around I wish I could've come up I could've shouted out loud They got exits covered All the exits underground I wish I could figure it out But the world's upside down In a world upside down

River-Leon Bridges

Oh, I wanna come near and give you Every part of me But there's blood on my hands And my lips are unclean Take me to your river I wanna go Oh, go, take me to your river I wanna know

Can't Deny My Love-Brandon Flowers

What's going on in your head now? Maybe something I said? I know that you've been living in the past

When you close your eyes, tell me what you see Locked up in your room is there any room for me? In the spoils of your mercy In the reverence of your bed In the cradle of the morning What was it that you said?

After Dark-Mr. Kitty

As the hours pass I will let you know That I need to ask Before I'm alone How it feels to rest On your patient lips To eternal bliss I'm so glad to know

Send Them Off!!-Bastille

I've got demons running round in my head And they feed on insecurities I have Won't you lay your healing hands on my chest? Let your ritual clean Soak the ropes with your holy water Tie me down as you read out the words Set me free from my jealousy Won't you exorcise my mind? Won't you exorcise my mind? I want to be free as I'll ever be Exorcise my mind Help me exorcise my mind

Sleep Alone-Bat for Lashes

You know, my darling, I can't stand to sleep alone No sweetheart in the dark to call my own You're my own, you're my own, I can sing it, I can groan But the darkness is a stranger and I'm lonely, lonely, lonely, low...

Last night's parties and last night's horrorshow Smiling and whirling and kissing all I know Give my soul, give my soul, sing it free across the sea A lonely spell to conjure you, but conjure hell is all I do

Judgement-Half Moon Run

Yeh you kicked up a storm, but the winds have died down I got a lot of bottles on account of this around

I'm sorry I'm not him The poet's right hand The artistic little suffering son-of-a-working-man You work yourself in, but it spits you right out Why is it so hard?

Dead American Writers-Tired Pony

I've been waiting for the spark myself But I've been scrambling in the dark for health I have read your words a thousand times All inspired by smashed up love and crime

If I could say anything, Be anyone See anything, do anything Say anything, be anyone Do anything, yeah It would be this, it would be this

The Fog-Rachel Sermanni

Deep, deep down under mountains I have heard them call my name Will I play their little game and tell them Deep, deep down I've been waiting for the fighting to begin Hold my hands up Deep sleep now under skies of pressing dark upon my dress Watch it turn from white to red under the Bone clean moon I am clinging to this burning, shaking bed Must I hold my hands up My bloody hands up Mercy, mercy I've been caught Lying with my darkest thought They grabbed my wings and pinned me to the wall Oh light please try to hold your ground Lift me up before I drown

Accelerate Susanne Sundfør

Bear the cross, die for love Crucify them, kill for love Pray the gods will turn back time if you care To dare Or stop the clock, whatever turns you on This must be paradise 'cause I can't count What's the time? What's the cost? What's your price? Faces off

Take Shelter-Years and Years

Just tell me what I have to do to keep myself apart from you All your colours start to burn I know I want you far too much Never thought I wouldn’t be enough All this talk is bruising you

I don’t really need this pressure to go If you wanna find love, if you wanna find something more I’ll be the one to run for you

Believe-The Bravery

I am hiding from some beast But the beast was always here Watching without eyes Because the beast is just my fear That I am just nothing Now it's just what I've become What am I waiting for? It's already done, oh So give me something to believe 'Cause I am living just to breathe

The Funeral-Band of Horses

I'm coming up only to hold you under I'm coming up only to show you're wrong And to know you is hard, we wonder To know you all wrong, we won

At every occasion, I'll be ready for the funeral At every occasion once more, it's called the funeral

taglist: @cursebrkr, @octobers-veryown, @melting-houses-of-gold, @velidewrites, @reverie-tales, @thesistersarcheron @ultadverb, @c-e-d-dreamer, @andrigyn, @foundress0fnothing, @vulpes-fennec ,@asnowfern, @thelovelymadone, @the-lonelybarricade, @shadowriel, @separatist-apologist , @fieldofdaisiies, @stickyelectrons, @vanserrass, @panicatthenightcourt, @krem-does-stuff, @iftheshoef1tz, @damedechance, @kingofsummer93

[sawyerconfort]

Hi, I just discovered you and you're an excellent writer. I noticed Myrtle Snow is blank and she's my fixation with AHS Coven. Could I request her with the prompts 17 "why are we hiding?" & 22 "you're here with me"?

HAHAHAHAHA MYRTLE REQUESTS YAY!

Honestly, anon, thanks for the request and I'm so glad that you enjoyed my writing, I appreciate this so so so much, thank you!

Myrtle is one of my favorite characters as well, and I was so excited to write something about her.

Okay, so, this is actually a funny oneshot, so, hope you don't mind!

Enjoy!

Got any requests? Just send me an ask! If you want to follow, my masterlist is pinned on the blog!

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

17. "why are we hiding?" 22. "you're here with me."

Something was wrong and you knew it.

For this reason, you called on one of the most knowledgeable witches of the Robichaux Academy clan to help you unravel the mysteries behind the Supreme's plans, Fiona Goode.

But Myrtle was very confused by your behavior and, despite her innate cleverness, most of the time, she forgot about the pleasures of a teenager in listening to conversations behind the door.

"Why are we hiding, exactly?", she asked, her voice very low as you tried to spy on Fiona talking to Marie Laveau. You were strategically under her bed - your idea, of course - and you expected to hear everything on that one expedition.

"Isn't it obvious? I don't want that crazy woman to find me. She has a voodoo queen on her side, we can't just jump into the middle of the conversation like it's nothing!"

Myrtle rolled her eyes. "Why do I have the feeling this isn't going to work, (Y\N)?"

"Because you're paranoid and you've probably never done this in your life," you replied, trying to keep your voice to a whisper. "Come on, Myrtle, have some fun!"

"For your information, humble young lady, I'm having fun," she whispered. "But it's because I know Fiona and know that she has no limits that I'm sure we're either going to end up screwed, or we're going to end up screwed."

It was your turn to roll your eyes. You laughed and continued spying, poking your head slightly out of the sheet under the bed and turning to Myrtle afterward. "You're here with me, there's no way it can go wrong."

"I don't know if that was supposed to sound romantic or not, my dear, but it didn't work."

You scoffed. "Shut up, Myrtle! Do you want us to be found out? Also, if everything goes well, I promise I'll buy you an ice cream of your choice, okay?"

If there was one thing Myrtle didn't need to know, it was that you had a crush on her. First, it was an embarrassing thing, which you prayed that you would wake up the next morning regretting, precisely because you knew that many obvious factors prevented you from being together. And like, all your colleagues who knew you had a crush on the Council witch were on your case because of it, making fun of the situation. It was embarrassing enough that you wanted to find a spell that would turn you into an ostrich, only to stick your head in the ground and never come out again.

And of course, a less rational part of you insisted that the spying situation was just an omen for you and Myrtle to spend some time together without you needing to confess to her.

Regardless of what it was, it was embarrassing all the same.

"Are you paying attention, (Y\N)?", Myrtle brought you out of your reverie. "Fiona just said she feels ready to reveal her big plan to Miss Laveau."

You squinted your eyes and strained your ears to try to hear. And, as you expected, the revelation of Fiona's dirty plans was anything but peaceful: eliminating the clan one by one, to keep her in power. Eliminate the weakest ones, to bring her magic back. So that she could sell her soul and guarantee eternal life as Supreme.

"Oh no, but that's too much! That's enough!"

You realized too late that Myrtle had gone a little overboard and ruined your plans - your plans, to be more precise, because she only really helped with the execution.

"Myrtle, no!"

You didn't even have time to formulate a plan B. When you least expected it, Fiona's hands discovered you from under the bed and she had that horrible look on her face that reminded you of a very poisonous snake.

"Ah, but look what we have here…", she muttered, turning to Marie only to laugh in disdain. "… two curious rats sticking their noses where they weren't called!"

"Fiona, we…"

"No, no explanations, (Y\N), I've seen enough. Out, you two! Now!"

You came out from under the bed like lightning, pulling Myrtle's hand with you quickly, but just in time to see Fiona and her staring at each other as if they were going to hit each other at any moment. As soon as you passed, Fiona locked the bedroom door, using magic.

"I told you it wouldn't work!" Myrtle scolded, stamping her feet.

"Huh, and who said it didn't work? We discovered the witch's plan, now we just need to stop her."

"That was very immature of you, (Y\N). Definitely immature!"

You thought it was funny that she tried to seem really mad at you, even though you knew it was all just typical Myrtle Snow theater.

“Oh come on, don’t pretend like you didn’t love that!”, you laughed. "Come on, the plan worked, or at least half of it worked. But our ice cream is still standing, right?"

"As long as it's not an infamous attempt or a plan of yours to ask me out, (Y\N), yes, it's still standing."

You laughed again, biting your cheek to hide your smile. It definitely wasn't a plan to ask her out…

[lokiwhitewolf]

Red Hot Winter- Chapter 18

Happy late Halloween! I'm sorry it took too long, I had a writers block!

Chapter Text

Chapter 18 "Remembrance"

Elijah woke up the next morning all alone. He immediately sat up in bed.

"Elena!" He said out loud.

"I'm here." Said Elena, coming through the door, followed by Bonnie.

"What's happened? Is Hayley okay?" He asked.

"Everyone is okay Elijah. It's you we are worried about." Elena replied.

That's when he realized. There was no one else in the compound besides him, Elena, and Bonnie.

"You know." He stated.

"I was worried about you." She said, sitting next to him. "It's not that I minded when you bit me and drank from me when you made me yours, my love, it's that you've never done that before and you didn't ask me before doing it." She continued, caressing the nape of his hair. "So I got into your mind and saw your memories of the red door."

He let his head fall.

"Hey, Elijah, look at me." She said, lifting his head. His eyes were filled with tears. "We're gonna fix this, my love."

"Elena, I've done terrible things in my life…"

"I know." She interrupted him. "Have you forgotten that the first time I saw you, you decapitated Trevor in front of me? I know you've done horrifying things my love, but I still chose you." Tears fell from his eyes now. "We're gonna fix this. Do you trust me?"

"With my life." He said, kissing her briefly, being reciprocated.

"Come with me. We'll do this together. I promised you I wouldn't let you fall."

Putting his shirt back on, Elijah held onto Elena's hand and they both followed Bonnie to the compound's first floor. There was a circle of salt on the floor, and his name had been written in runes on the floor (ᛖᛚᛁᛃᚨᚺ) along with Elena's name as well (ᛖᛚᛖᚾᚨ) by Klaus before he took Caroline and Hayley out.

"I need your guy's blood. I'm going to bind you both in the spell. Elena, you're going to guide Elijah through his memories. Since he drank your blood last night, your bond got stronger, but that doesn't mean that he'll remember who you are. You need to guide him out of the red door." Instructed Bonnie.

"And then what?" Asked Elena.

"You'll have to destroy it once you get him out. You need to destroy the door together."

"What if we can't?" Asked Elijah.

"We are working with a loophole on the spell your mother created. She wasn't counting on the possibility of you falling in love with Tatia's descendant. That's why I need Elena's blood. Because she's from Tatia's bloodline."

Both Elena and Elijah offered Bonnie their arms. She cut through their skin with a knife, their blood falling into a wooden recipient.

"Lay down," Bonnie said.

They both did, Elijah, holding Elena's hand. She knew he was scared. She turned her head to him.

"I'm gonna bring you back my love, I promise." He tried to give her a small smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. She briefly kissed him while Bonnie started to recite the incantation. They both felt their bodies growing heavy with tiredness, and Elena couldn't move, laying her head on top of Elijah's chest.

Before succumbing to darkness, Elijah brought her closer to him, laying his arm on her waist.

When Elena opened her eyes, she was all alone in a bright white hallway, filled with doors. She started to walk through it, looking for the specific door.

She knew she was getting closer when she started to hear screams and pleas for help coming from different people, including a voice that sounded exactly like hers.

When she finally found it, the door was ajar. Part of her was scared of what she might find in there. But she knew what she had to do. Gathering all of her Gilbert courage, she opened the door and got in.

Instead of finding the typical Viking hut she read about, or the one she saw in Elijah's mind, she found herself in a forest during the night. She recognized the woods. It was Mystic Falls, or what would become Mystic Falls.

"Tatia." She heard Elijah's voice. "How can this be possible? I killed you! You died in my arms!"

She turned to him. He was wearing clothes typical for the period, he had a beard, and his hair was long, with two braids framing his face

"Elijah, I'm not Tatia," Elena said, getting closer to him. "I'm Elena. You have to believe me, my love."

His face started to transform.

"Tatia, don't come any closer, I don't want to hurt you again. I prayed to Balder(Norse god of rebirth) to bring you back to me and he did!"

"Elijah you're not listening to me!"

"I'm sorry, I can't control myself…" He said, before forcing her closer to him and trying to bite her.

"Elijah, Elijah stop!" But she couldn't stop him. He bit her on the same spot he bit her the previous night. Elena let him take what he wanted, because despite everything this was still her Elijah.

When Elena opened her eyes again, it was already another time. Her neck had healed, though she felt weaker.

She walked through the woods until she found herself on the grounds of a castle.

"Lady Katerina, Lord Elijah is looking for you." Said a woman in a British accent, apparently recognizing her.

"Well, tell Lord Elijah to come and fetch me." Said Elena, attempting her best Katherine impression with a British accent.

"Very well." Said the woman.

Elena sat down on the bench of the grounds, waiting for him. According to Katherine's stories, Elijah and Klaus found her in England during the 15th century through Trevor.

In a few minutes, Elijah showed up. His hair was a bit shorter, but he was no longer with a beard. She did have to say she kinda missed it.

"Katerina." He said, smiling and sitting next to her. "I thought my brother had taken you back to his chambers."

"Oh my lord, I think we both know I don't care much about Niklaus."

"And who do you care about, Katerina?" He asked, getting closer to her.

"I think you know the answer to that, my lord."

He smiled before looking into her eyes and for a split second, he recognized her.

"Elena?" He said.

"Elijah!"

But it didn't last long.

"I'm sorry Katerina. I can't help it." His face transformed and he bit her again.

When Elena opened her eyes, she was in the middle of the woods again.

"Katerina, don't bother running. I can smell your fear." She heard Elijah saying.

"That way, she went that way."She heard Trevor saying.

Taking a cue from her ancestors, Elena grabbed a spiked wooden branch. This time, she would make Elijah listen to her, even though she had to use force.

In a few seconds, he found her.

"You shouldn't have run from Niklaus, Katerina." He said.

"I am not Katherine. And I am not Tatia." Elena said. His face was confused for a second, but Elena didn't let him react before plunging the makeshift wooden stake inside his chest, driving him against a tree and making him stuck.

"Stop giving in Elijah, I'm trying to help you."

"You need to try harder." Grabbing her body, he drove her onto the stake and bit her yet again.

When Elena opened her eyes again, she knew she was back in Mystic Falls, and judging from her clothes, she knew what the day was.

She was back in her room, the day she and Elijah had struck the deal in which he promised her to protect her friends and family and she'd help him drive Klaus to the city.

"There's one more thing I need you to do for me." She said, coming close to him.

"Are we negotiating now?"He asked, smirking.

Taking off the necklace she was wearing and throwing it away, she looked into his eyes and asked him the one thing she knew would remind him of her and snap him off his mother's spell.

"Kiss me, Elijah."

"You're with Stefan. It would be highly inappropriate Elena."

"I don't care," She said, wrapping her arms around his neck, caressing the nape of his hair. "kiss me, Elijah."

Elijah's heart was beating rapidly. Taking his chance, Elijah reached out and pulled Elena into a passionate embrace, gently pressing his lips to hers. His heart overflowed with love as he kissed her with all of his passion and desire. The tension between them was palpable as they held each other close.

His hands caressed her back and her hair as their kiss lingered, confirming the strong connection between them. All of a sudden, everything else in the world ceased to exist. The walls couldn't contain the overwhelming feeling of serendipity, and they just kept kissing. Elijah felt himself getting lost in the moment and Elena felt her heart skip a beat. This was the man that she loved.

The kiss was gentle yet strong, full of all the love, adoration, and devotion he had for her. She melted into his embrace and their time together felt like an eternity.

"Elijah." She said when they parted.

"Elena! My love!"

"You know who I am?"

"Yes! I'm so sorry my love…."

"Hey, we don't have much time, we need to destroy the door, Elijah."

"Hold my hand, my love," Elijah said. Elena held his hand, and together, they ran over the door, finally destroying it to pieces.

Elena and Elijah opened their eyes

"Is it over now?" He asked.

"It is," Elena replied, looking at him. "How are you feeling?"

"Better with you." He said, bringing her face closer to him and kissing her. "Thank you, my love."

"No need to thank me. I told you I wouldn't let you fall. And I keep my promises."

Later that night, after making Elijah have some blood, both of them were in his office, sitting on the ground facing each other.

"I'm sorry for going through your memories without your consent, Elijah." Said Elena.

"You don't have to have to apologize my love. If you hadn't gone through my memories, I don't think I'd brought it up."

"Why not?"

"I didn't want you to see me like that."

"Elijah." She said, sitting on top of his lap, his hands going to her hips. "I love you, all of you, even the parts of you that you don't like or recognize." He gave her a small smile. "Besides, I did like your appearance 1000 years ago."

"You did?" He asked her, caressing her face. "That long hair that Rebekah had to tame every morning?" He said laughing.

"Maybe not the hair, but the beard…"

"The beard? We could make that happen." He said smiling.

The fireplace was roaring, and the orange light and gentle warmth filled the entire room. Elijah looked into Elena's eyes and tenderly touched her face, brushing away a lock of hair that was near her cheek. Elena shivered lightly and looked back into Elijah's eyes, now filled with the same tender look. The room was silent until they leaned in closer to one another, and the warmth from the fireplace seemed to get stronger. They touched their lips together, and a sudden spark of electricity ignited between them. Every fiber of their being seemed to take over, and they embraced each other in a passionate kiss. It was as if the entire world melted away, leaving just the two of them in the room.

The light from the fireplace danced around them as if it were in celebration, and the only sound was their hearts beating in unison. They stood in the moment until it became too much and they had to finally break apart. Neither of them wanted it to end, but even after they separated, they still felt as if the fire was still burning between them.

Back in town, Caroline had gone with Hayley to grab some gifts for Hope, when a man met up with Klaus.

"Did you get it?" Asked the hybrid.

"Yes." The man replied, giving Klaus a package.

Klaus opened it up and looked at the contents.

"Thank you." Said Klaus. "Now leave."

The man left and Klaus hid the package inside his pocket.

"Who was him?" Asked Caroline, arriving with Hayley.

"No one important, love. Shall we come back?"

Hayley and Caroline agreed. Klaus held Caroline's hand and the three of them came back to the compound.

[bredforloyalty]

after all that Love i must have my Hater Moment or Negative Nelly Time or whatever (this is a diary entry)

i do see a. broader pattern of downplaying the extent of rick's abuse and of the show sort of, falling under its own spell sometimes, in these last few seasons.. like look, isn't it inspiring that he's changing and going to therapy EUGH and isn't this what everyone wanted, now you don't have to sit through so much cruelty! yay! and then people buying into that, buying into good rick, crybaby backstory rick, and forgetting who his other half is and why they're like that and what holds them together. it feels wrong to me because i don't think that's how it should've been, something's missing, something's inconsistent, and i think it's the focus on morty and on how rick's fucked him up that just hasn't been there in the way that i wanted it to be 😔

like, people are gushing about rick's love and capacity for change because that's what the episodes have been about mostly, that's how it's been framed, and even in the 'inside the episode' they talk about how people are finally getting to see rick and diane interact and that they wanted her to be as smart and cool as rick etc etc. and i just. i think diane is only as important or interesting as she is important in the light of their relationship. when it stops being about the grooming rick and his grandson and starts being just about rick, when we start caring about rick's dead wife as a character, we're not on the right track lol

but that's just me!!! s6 and s7 occupy this dubious space in my mind where like, i'm happy the writing's more consistent but i wish it still had that spark or that bite or i don't know what, i enjoyed them overall but i wish i enjoyed them more, i wish the episodes other than the finales felt important and treated the rick-morty dynamic more like a cool rock they want to show me and less like an afterthought or something to be dealt with in the designated plot episodes. i wish i wish i wish

it's not even that i NEED rick to be the biggest cunt ever or to stay as awful as he used to be, i don't think that's it at least, i just don't like how they went about this shift in the family.. the moments that aren't as deliberately dramatic as the argument in the lightsaber episode for example really take away from the whole thing for me. like one minute they're cool and the next it's like oooh or are they cool tho?? maybe they aren't, we need to create problems to keep the show going so they aren't! but it doesn't feel like a natural evolution to me, definitely not all of it. and that's not a concrete thing that you can judge imo, but part of it is concrete, because i do want the abuse narrative to be what it is and for it to not shove anything under the rug. i'm not sure this is how morty would act, given all the things rick's done to him and with him, and so that makes me think the writers aren't primarily interested in exploring a character like morty. but why would they be, of course what they're primarily doing is trying to create consistent, fun television, trying to juggle 'canon' and 'episodic', write good jokes, please the long time fans, keep people watching

i can't help my cynicism: fear no mort was great, i'm still worried about the general direction though 🥴 and who knows, maybe the next season's going to recontextualize these last two for me, maybe the end of the entire show will allow me an interpretation that i can't afford right now. maybe there will be moments that will blow my tits clean off and make me feel insane!! but for now i feel like i've been feeding on scraps

[ravel-puzzlewell]

how my camp rest just went:

get to the camp after boss battle with zero spells left and 1 hitpoint out of 3 bc i got life drained to hell and back. but its ok bc i'm going to rest, right?:)

save because i know it won't be ok bc this game trained me to be afraid of rests

spend like 15 minutes micromanaging companions inventory, hobbling back and forth between them while heavily encumbered bc everyone gives me 100 kilos of camp supplies

astarion also gives me his boots. WHY ARE YOU GIVING ME YOUR FUCKING BOOTS

scream into a pillow for a little.

its fine its fine. talk to everyone. karlach is the one i want to romance, but she hasn't had any new lines after we cooled her down while laezel and astarion can't shut up, idk if her romance is bugged or writers just don't care about her

save again. go to bed.

laezel wakes me up, says she's obsessed with me and wants to fight me. right now.

i'm a heavily encumbered sorc with zero spell slots and oNE FUCKING HITPOINT OUT OF MAX THREE, can we maybe do it some other time laezel!!!!

scream into a pillow a little bit.

its fine its cool. reload.

hit laezel with cantrips until she's at 1 hitpoint.

go to bed.

fight starts. i go first. hit her with ray of frost and she does down.

have a dialogue where she praises my strength. "i was steel but you were silver"

no laezel, i'm afraid we both were wet paper bags. there was no glory in this circus. also i'm pretty sure silver is much softer than steel.

laezel calls me "source of my bruises". gurl i know about your fetish or whatever, but can you PLEASE choose any other pet name

whatever, finally rest.

talk to everyone. karlach is mad at me for "choosing laezel over her". gurl i didn't choose anything, you had no lines and laezel jumped me! also, was this supposed to be like. a laezel romance culmination??? really??? we had sex like one time and all she talked about was SNIFFING and BITING. and suddenly we're committed like??

scream into a pillow a little.

reload. tell laezel thanks but no thanks.

finally rest for real.

next day first fight starts.

astarion slips and falls on his ass bc with all the drama i forgot to manually put his boots on that he TOOK OFF AND GAVE ME FOR NO FUCKING REASONASDFGHJK

[torchwood-99]

Torchwood Costume Carnage!

Winners for Round 1!

Drumroll....

Ianto Jones: The Suit that Started it all.

Smirk beats tears, but both suits were lined with deception. Here we see Ianto for the first time, when he welcomes a pizza bearing Gwen to the Torchwood hub. Although it's not so vibrant as his later suits (suitably for a Ianto still hiding himself from the world and his team) the red tie adds some flair and hints at the danger and passion that lurks beneath the surface of the information centre, and the man himself.

Jack Harkness: The Jacket

Jack might be a dad several times over, but he isn't one for Dad clothes. We don't see this jacket on Jack much, but it fits into his military/pilot aesthetic. First episode, it makes sense that the writers are trying outfit choices that don't pop up again (for example we never see Gwen in that bowler hat that she wears in her first scene, can't imagine why). But on re-watch, it kind of suits who Jack is to the audience right now. This is Jack after we knew in him Doctor Who, an older, different Jack. It's also Jack before we get to know him. We're seeing him through Gwen's eyes, and here he's an enigma. So having him in a costume that suits his vibe, but isn't familiar, feels right.

Owen Harper: Sacrificial Scrubs

Owen, who is introduced to us as not always the nicest of blokes, gets steadily nicer as the show goes on (while still retaining his Owen-ess), is suitably dressed all in white here, the scrubs catching the light in an appropriately angelic light.

As the team doctor, this is isn't the only time we see Owen in medical scrubs. But the scrubs in this scene at worn as a doctor, or even a patient. They're the clothes of a corpse in waiting. This whole sequence is one of the most heart wrenching in the entire show, and that's saying something. Martha and Jack grimly prepping for the embalmment, Toshiko silently watching them as they prepare the tools for the death of the man she loves, Gwen helping him change and grasping for a chance at one final hug, Owen running his fingers through her hair while he can still feel them, and Ianto joining Gwen in forming an honour guard as Owen walks to his death.

Toshiko Sato: Pretty Purple Dress

"Is that a dress Tosh!"

This dress is introduces in a great sequence of Tosh dressing. We don't often see Tosh at home, and it's great seeing an episode from Tosh's pov for once. The care Tosh shows in getting dressed in this episode tells us without telling us that Tosh is excited, and she's getting ready for something special. When we know there's a hunky WW1 soldier on the way, we don't need it spelled out to us that he and Tosh share a special bond. The dress is pretty and feminine and in Tosh's power colour, purple (we're gonna see a lot of purple in the days ahead).

Also, it's worn over jeans!

@yourmyonlyhope makes a great comment here about the discussion in the show, where Tommy talks all about the changing fashions. This look is so of its time, and it's great watching Tommy talk about mini-skirts and all the other rapid changes in fashion he's witnessed in his flash tour through time, with Tosh in her early 2000s glory standing testament to the changing times. With trends changing so quickly, the writers probably did know that future watchers would see Tosh in a dress and jeans and find the costume dated, so as well as being a great bit of backstory and character exploration for Tommy, that scene and this dress have a lovely bit of meta going on.

Gwen Cooper: The Tea Windbreaker

Gwen mostly wears darker colours, with a few notable exceptions. In this episode, the rest of the team are in dark, earthy colours, and Gwen stands out in this teal windbreaker. A non-viewer who knows nothing about Torchwood could look at a pic of the all together, and point to the newbie who is about to get their innocence shredded. In a show like Torchwood, when a character turns in something pale and clean and on the opposite end of the colour spectrum to red, they're just screaming out to get covered in blood. Although Gwen's already seen some messed up stuff, Countrycide is the episode where she confronts just how cruel humans can be. Her entire world view, her faith in humanity, is thrown in a woodchipper. This is the jacket of a girl on the precipice of a full self-destructive spiral.

And, once more, pretty colour! (Brings out the green in her eyes and the red of her lips ;)

Thank you to everyone who voted! The next round of costumes will be up tomorrow!