greenthena

[greenthena]

little aziracrow sculpture i made.

[greenthena]

croakley and aziraphrog

[greenthena]

*struggles while writing* i suck and writing is hard

*remembers some ppl use ai* i am a creative force. i am uncorrupted by theft and indolence. i am on a journey to excellence. it is my duty to keep taking joy in creating.

[greenthena]

So sweet✨

[greenthena]

Very much with you on this. For me, in this context, the beard would be performative masculinity. It would signal that Aziraphale's true power, his BAMFness, is a the product of assuming a more masculine image. And by implication, maleness would be synonymous with agency and authority.

Which is not what Good Omens has thus far presented. God Herself uses She/Her pronouns, in the show at least. Mainstream portrayals of gender and naming conventions are pretty much thrown out the elevator. So to have Michael Sheen grow out his (objectively fabulous) beard to show that Aziraphale is suddenly powerful? I don't buy it. Especially since he's been quite powerful the whole time.

Had Aziraphale always had a beard, I'd take no issue. It's the idea of the beard signaling strength and power that irks me. Aziraphale has always been capable of protecting his charges (from the whole of humanity to Jimbriel), though his strength, as op points out, has usually been subtle.

The reason why I don't want a bearded Supreme Archangel comes down to how we view power in gendered roles. Historically, we've depicted masculine power as active, if not aggressive. There may be an element of protectiveness in this expression of power, but it's usually offset by some grand (and often violent) gesture. I'm thinking about the popularity of revenge narratives, and how many times I've had to explain to guys why the genre is not compelling to me. (Spoiler: it's because the acts of retribution have to do with satisfying male desire, and the inference that male desires ought to be satisfied.) This is, I believe, our socially-programmed expectation around how masculine power should be portrayed.

But Aziraphale subverts those expectations. Yes, he wields a flaming sword--and then he gives it away. (Not once, but twice. First to Adam and Eve, with the intention that they use it to defend against a harsh world outside the walls of Eden. And again to Leslie, as the unflappable messenger packs up the tools of the Apocalypse that wasn't.) Yes, he uses his halo to discorporate the demon horde bearing down on his bookshop, but only as a last ditch effort to protect those in his care: Jimbriel, Maggie, and Nina.

Aziraphale's expression of power is at once sacrificial and protective. In a word, maternal. And yet, he is still most comfortable in his man-shaped corporation. And what's brilliant is that these two facets of the angel are in no way at odds with one another. As op said, "They can act tough AND look all pretty and silly (in a good way)."

Look, if Supreme Archangel Aziraphale ends up with a beard, then so be it. (Sir Terry rocked a glorious white chin badger, after all!) But in my heart of hearts, I do hope the Supreme Archangel will retain some shadow of his silliness and some trace of his femininity. Those aspects of Aziraphale's character give him depth that would be lost by enforcing a more normative take on masculinity.

And while we wait for S3, let's see how much gender-fuckery we can all get away with, shall we?

Unpopular Opinion

(At least from what I've seen in the fandom)

Okay. It's time for me to confess. I kind of hate the idea of Aziraphale having a beard in s3. There, I said it. But I have reasons.

So, first of all, I don't really think it suits the character. Don't get me wrong, I love how Michael Sheen looks with a beard, but Aziraphale? I don't know, I don't see it going very well with their style. But this could also be related to my personal taste. I have more intricate reasons.

The thing is, every time I've read about people hoping Aziraphale will have a beard in s3, they were also connecting it to Aziraphale being badass in Heaven, taking the lead, showing their protective streak in a stronger way, having a more...masculine behaviour? Maybe? That's what I got from those posts most of the time.

And hey, I'm all for Aziraphale fighting to make a change in Heaven, but I don't really like the implication that, in order to show their protective side more, they also need to change their looks to appear stronger/bossier and all that jazz.

It would actually be kind of a comfort to me to see them act that way and still be themself, as we've always known them. Especially considering that this part of them is not new. It's true that, until now, we've always seen Aziraphale protect what (and who) they love in a more subtle way, but it's still protection and it's always been there.

That's why I think they don't necessarily need a new look. But, if we do get one, I actually hope it will be something more similar to how we saw them in the Bastille episode, or giving the same vibes they were giving in the changing room with that feathered boa. I mean, they were playing like that one second and delivered that "Aziraphale" to Furfur the next! They can act tough AND look all pretty and silly (in a good way).

With all that being said, I won't be mad, disappointed, or anything like that if Aziraphale ends up with a beard. It's not something that bothers me at such a level. What I've never really liked were the implications some people were writing around the concept of the beard. If it makes any sense.

So, that's my end-of-the-year confession. Don't hate me, please.

[greenthena]

This was ridiculous. The last thing he needed now was to be killed. It would require all sorts of explanations. They didn’t hand out new bodies just like that; they always wanted to know what you’d done with the old one. It was like trying to get a new pen from a particularly bloody-minded stationery department.

He looked at his hand in disbelief.

[greenthena]

[greenthena]

[greenthena]

Doofenshmirtz is kind of proof that you can, in fact, make one of the funniest characters out there by throwing shit at the wall.

He’s a supervillain, he’s amicably divorced, he was raised by ocelots, his evil ambitions only stretch as far as taking over the tri-state area, he’s in a romantically-coded/joked about rivalry with a sentient platypus, he’s a good dad, he once lost a fight with a potted plant, he was forced to be a lawn gnome. But most importantly, he never gives up.

[greenthena]

NYT has been discouraging reporters from sharing photos of luigi mangione - not due to concerns for his safety but to dissuade sympathy - and refuses to post his alleged manifesto in full. and today, they published an opinion by bret stephens about how brian thompson is the "real working class hero" of this story.

reddit deleted luigi's account, which was completely innocuous and consisted mostly of him giving out advice in health subreddits. they're also deleting any post that includes his alleged manifesto and banning users for sharing it.

luigi yelled that this was "an insult to the intelligence of the american people" while he was being dragged by police and news pundits are framing it as a deranged and violent outburst. news media are picking apart details of his life to paint him as a cold-blooded and mentally ill individual. even something as innocent as playing "among us" with friends is being framed as some insidious look into an assassin's disturbed psyche, ffs.

news media are also capitalizing on luigi's supposed "bizarre and impossible to understand" politics as an obvious way to paint him as a scary individual when the guy is... a centrist, at most. whose views are similar to those of your average college-educated white guy.

multiple news media also keep harping on about how luigi comes from a rich family. an obvious attempt to break the class solidarity that's been formed around this case by continuously trying to tell us "oh he's not like you guys" while ignoring the now pretty well-documented accounts of his multiple health struggles throughout the years.

and all this, and he hasn't even been found guilty of the crime he's allegedly committed. luigi is, as of right now, still innocent until proven guilty. and the news are trying to tear him apart because they obviously fear the symbol he's becoming for low and middle class america.

[greenthena]

leyendecker study featuring gardening and a hint of domesticity. original under the cut

[greenthena]

[greenthena]

northern hemisphere babes we made it to the longest night of the year. we made it. for the next 6 months, every day will give us a little more daylight than the last. let's go. take my hand. climb out of the darkness with me

[greenthena]

my first piece for the Ineffable Histories project! (link!)

[greenthena]

hello I have uhhh a request

Is there anyone who speaks Japanese who would be willing to translate some dialogue/do a sensitivity read for a portion of a chapter I'm writing?

It's Az and Crowley out to dinner and the chef is speaking with Az in Japanese.

In return I can write a short fic to order!

signal boosts appreciated

[greenthena]

[greenthena]

“This one’s dedicated to you, pal”