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pigeon-smidge · 9 months ago

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✦✩ Crowley & Aziraphale (Taylor’s Version) ✩✦

So for the past couple of months I’ve been pouring my heart and soul into an analysis masterpost of this playlist, a Crowley and Aziraphale playlist comprised purely of Taylor Swift songs. I had been curating this playlist for a little while over the latter half of last year, and around November or so I decided to write up an analysis for why I’ve included each song! Some are about a specific character, some about their relationship, and many are about both! Five-ish months and eighteen pages of analysis later, here we are. It’s been so awesome to combine probably my two biggest interests, and even if you’re not a swiftie, I encourage you to read some of this if you’d like to!! You might find some songs you really like the sound of. If you like it, please support :) I spent so long on this

The track list is as follows:

All You Had to Do Was Stay

Say Don’t Go

How You Get the Girl

You are in Love

Wildest Dreams

hoax

peace

mirrorball

Come Back … Be Here

The Very First Night

All Too Well (10 Minute Version)

The Archer

Death by a Thousand Cuts

Cruel Summer

tolerate it

champagne problems

ivy

Back to December

The Great War

Midnight Rain

Tied Together With A Smile

Don’t Blame Me

Dancing With Our Hands Tied

✩✩✩✩

Notes: song titles are in the same order as the track list. they're numbered and colour-coded by album (1989 and midnights share the same colour, as do folklore and rep because Tumblr has limited options) so it’s easier for people to find specific songs they want. They’re not in any particular meaningful order, just grouped by album. If you want to read specific song analysis, please scroll to that point, or open this post in its own window and do a page search (on mac it’s command+f , but I’m not sure about other operating systems.) Obligatory disclaimer that this is all my subjective analysis, both of Taylor’s songs and Crowley and Aziraphale’s characters. I am not making any assumptions about the creative intentions behind them, these are purely what they mean in my view. What I think is not necessarily what the creators intended. If you disagree with anything, that’s fine!! Just please don’t be rude about it. I’d love to hear what you have to say about it!! If you’ve got any thoughts or additions, please add them in a reply or reblog, and we can make it a discussion :D Check back in the future if you want, because I might be adding more depending on if I have some new ideas! ✩✩✩✩

Alright, with that stuff said, here we are!! Grab a snack and get cozy if you want, this is a long one. You can read as much or as little as you want!! I hope you enjoy :)

✦✩ Crowley & Aziraphale (Taylor’s Version) ✩✦

All You Had to Do Was Stay

Title is self-explanatory. However it fits both perspectives; Crowley begging Aziraphale to stay with him and to not leave for Heaven, and Aziraphale begging Crowley to stay with him. They both view the other as being opposed to their own plight because their failure to communicate leads to misunderstandings. Specifically the choruses are most relevant. The verses don’t really feel like they fit; they’re very, very angry and bitter, and describe a relationship that the narrator has pretty much moved on from (‘and people like me are gone forever when you say goodbye’ & ‘now you say you want it back, now that it’s just too late’ to name a few lyrics). I don’t think this is accurate to them as I don’t think they’re going to be able to move on in this way. I also don’t think they’re this angry with each other. The narrator, in the verses specifically, describes their partner in a very reductive way. ‘People like you [..]’ etc, is a very insulting way of talking. Not that either party isn’t upset with the other; I think they’re both very confused and hurt. But I don’t think they’re at the stage where they can be this vitriolic. Partially due to character reasons, and also because obviously the story isn’t going to end with them in the exact positions they’re in now (otherwise there wouldn’t be a third season and the show would be very unsatisfactory). They’re upset, but they’re resigned and bitter, as opposed to outwardly aggressive about the other. ✦ Notable lyrics: ‘You were all I wanted, but not like this’ Because Crowley wants Aziraphale but only if they can stay the same, not both angels in Heaven. ‘Had me in the palm of your hand, why’d you have to go and lock me out when I let you in?’ Because Crowley poured his heart out and from his perspective Aziraphale didn’t think him enough to leave Heaven behind for. 2. Say Don’t Go

This is THE Aziracrow song. I had a 1989 (Taylor’s Version) listening party with my friends and when this played I went WAIT … especially the second verse and the bridge. The entire song is about begging someone to say that they want you to stay. Even though they both did tell the other they wanted to stay together, neither of them actually realised that’s what they were saying. ✦ Notable lyrics:

‘Cause you kiss me and it stops time, and I’m yours, but you’re not mine.’ The first half of the sentence being from Aziraphale’s perspective in reference to the kiss, and the second from Crowley’s, in reference to how Crowley’s much more accepting of his romantic feelings.

‘I’m standing on the sidewalk, alone. I wait for you to drive by. I’m trying to see the cards that you won’t show.’ Because of those shots in the Final Fifteen with both of them ‘standing on the sidewalk’ watching each other from opposite sides of the road. Also, any lyrics with references to cars or driving makes me think of these two. ‘Cards that you won’t show’ is very interesting lyric, because it’s a reference to Aziraphale’s love for human magic tricks, and also to their inability to actually properly express and explain their thoughts to each other. ‘I said ‘I love you’, you say nothing back.’ Crowley’s perspective. 3. How You Get the Girl

This song is about how to apologise to someone after breaking their heart … while the breakup was not entirely Aziraphale’s fault (they BOTH need to learn to communicate and properly confront their feelings), some of the lyrics do have some similarities to their relationship.

✦Notable lyrics: ‘That you were too afraid to tell her what you want.’ He was just scared about what his feelings for Crowley mean :( 4. You are in Love

The single happy song on this playlist. Honestly, it’s a song which isn’t that specific to them and I feel like it’s applicable to every ship ever; you know, the Love Song. However, there are some lyrics in this song that have some of their vibes. The whole song is about how love is constant and yet unable to be put into words or exactly understood, which perfectly describes them. ✦ Notable lyrics: ‘He says ‘look up’, and your shoulders brush’ reminds me of someone telling someone else to look up at the stars !!! because Crowley made the stars and he was so happy about them :( and Aziraphale remembered that AHHHHHH

‘and why I’ve spent my whole life trying to put it into words’ it’s ineffable <3

5. Wildest Dreams This song is about falling in love with someone while knowing that it can never last.The relationship in this song is one that is magnetic and beautiful and messy, and the protagonist enters it while knowing it’s going to end but wanting to stay anyway. This describes their relationship perfectly. They both have a tendency to repress their feelings because they both feel like they can never be acted upon. Even them being friends is something that is constantly fraught with danger, something that they actively need to fight for if they want to keep it (See The Great War). To Aziraphale, indeed to both of them before their shared realisation of ‘this is possible’ because of Gabriel and Beelzebub’s confession, their relationship only ever existed in their ‘wildest dreams.’

✦Notable lyrics:

‘He said, “Let's get out of this town, drive out of the city, away from the crowds.” I thought, “Heaven can't help me now” Nothing lasts forever, but this is gonna take me down.’ All of Crowley’s invitations to run away; invitations that are always declined, even if Aziraphale wants so badly to go with him. There’s always a duty that pulls him away, something he feels he needs to fix before things can be how he wants them to be.

‘Nothing lasts forever’ HAHAHAHA … ‘I said, “No one has to know what we do.”’ A relationship that’s kept hidden. “He’s so tall, and handsome as hell. He’s so bad, but he does it so well.”Beauty and love that pulls you in, but feels wicked and frightening. See Cruel Summer.

6. hoax

THE Crowley song. About loving someone who exposes your vulnerabilities; they feel like part of who you are, so they’re also your biggest weakness. ✦Notable lyrics: ‘Stood on the cliff side screaming ‘give me a reason’’ is very much ‘show me a Great Plan.’ ‘My best laid plan, your sleight of hand.’ References to magic!! Crowley prepared and tried to gain enough confidence to confess to Aziraphale and ask for them to run away together, but Aziraphale’s ‘sleight of hand’ and the Metatron’s influence messed with that. It looked like he was actually going to confess and they maybe had a chance, but then that all fell apart because he didn’t foresee any reason why Aziraphale would go back to Heaven . ‘You knew it still hurts underneath my scars from when they pulled me apart, but what you did was just as dark. Darling, this was just as hard as when they pulled me apart.’ Aziraphale ‘abandoning’ him hurt him greatly, as it felt like such a core part of him was being torn away. This is akin to what Falling would likely have been like, obviously not the same, but in both instances his sense of normal, his identity, and everything that he held dear to him was destroyed.

‘You know I left a part of me back in New York.’Crowley and Aziraphale can both never truly leave the other without leaving ‘a part’ of themselves behind, because they’re so intertwined in each other's existences.

7. peace

Describes how they could never find peace with each other because ‘hereditary enemies’ etc etc etc. They can’t be safe together; for a long time they couldn’t even admit their friendship because it would mean danger. We can still see this in Aziraphale; he’s constantly afraid of doing the wrong thing when he should be a good angel.

8. mirrorball

THE Aziraphale song. Perhaps one of the most Aziraphale songs of all time I'm genuinely not joking or exaggerating it's SO GOOD. About a people pleaser who revolves their life around others. Their existence and value is determined by their role in relation to someone else and how well they serve said role. The image of a mirrorball, shining high above the dancefloor, providing light and a shiny jewel for everyone to look at, yet being all alone (that Taylor Swift described was the inspiration for the song), is very fitting. ✦ Notable lyrics:

‘I’ll show you every version of yourself tonight.’ For so much of his life, Az’s purpose has been to serve Heaven. This lyric reflects that. His character growth throughout the show largely focuses on him coming to terms with their lies and abuse, and forming moral codes of his own.

‘You are not like the regulars, the masquerade revellers, drunk as they watch my shattered edges glisten.’ ‘Masquerade revellers’ referring to the angels, watching Aziraphale ‘break in a million pieces’ to serve Heaven, without understanding that he has limits and he’s his own person.

‘Hush, when no one is around, my dear, you'll find me on my tallest tiptoes, spinning in my highest heels, love, shining just for you. Hush, I know they said the end is near. But I'm still on my tallest tiptoes, spinning in my highest heels, love, shining just for you.’ Aziraphale only really acts himself when it’s just him and Crowley and they’re free of Heaven and Hell’s observing forces. Also ‘I know they said the end is near’ ; reference to Armageddon!! ‘I’m still a believer, but I don’t know why, I’ve never been a natural, all I do is try try try’ He’s trying to be good but his warped understanding of what good is hindering that. He has such a low self-esteem especially in regards to his own ‘goodness’, hence he tries so hard :( he’s just trying to do the right thing but he doesn’t realise what he believes to be right is far from it ahhhhhh

‘I’m still on that tightrope, still trying everything to keep you looking at me.’ Remember the ‘I’m standing on a tightrope, alone.’ Lyric from Say Don’t Go? He’s positioned above everyone else, on a completely different level to them, representing his isolation and unique status as really one of the only angels who’s simultaneously trying to do the right thing to help people while following the will of Heaven, things which often contradict each other.

9. Come Back …. Be Here

Long distance anthem!!!!! Them pining after each other after the s2 finale when they’re separated; it mostly feels like Crowley’s pov.

✦ Notable lyrics: ‘taxi cabs and busy streets that never bring you back to me’ London is busy, but to Crowley, it feels empty because one of the things he loved the most is gone. ‘If I'd known what I know now, I never would have played so nonchalant.’ Because their own constant inability to confront their feelings and dancing around their relationship is what lead to their misunderstanding and then them being separated. If they had actually talked about things together, maybe they’d have a better understanding of their relationship and what the other wants.

10. The Very First Night.Nostalgia and looking back on what was. Very fitting for a show with immortal beings that features their histories together all throughout time. ‘I knew the angel you used to be.’ ‘The angel you knew is not me.’ ✦ Notable lyrics:

‘I wish I could fly, I’d pick you up and we’d go back in time, I’d write this in the sky, I miss you like it was the very first night.’ opening scene of season two, CROWLEY MADE THE STARS DKAJNS They both want things between them to be normal and safe. Aziraphale thinks that them being together in Heaven, like things used to be, would ensure this, but Crowley of course wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot pole. ‘I wish I could fly’ is interesting. Falling being akin to clipping a bird’s wings; removing them of their power. Obviously Heaven would think taking away an Angel’s Heavenly status is a terrible punishment. It’s interesting because Crowley doesn’t actually wish he could fly because he doesn’t want to be an angel again. This lyric could be representative of both of their wishes for more power to be able to change things. They both want to be able to make things better for the two of them and for everyone else, Aziraphale just thinks he has to become a better angel and embrace his Heavenly duties even more in order to make things how he wants them (‘If I’m in charge, I can make a difference.’)

11. All Too Well (10 Minute Version)

One of her most iconic breakup songs …. but this song, and the 10 minute version specifically, has lots of lyrics that remind me of them. Notable lyrics: ‘Something ‘bout it felt like home, somehow’ Aziraphale was home to Crowley, when neither Heaven nor Hell ever treated Crowley like he had a place. One of my favourite metaphors in this show is the use of Crowley’s glasses to represent his vulnerability. The bookshop is one of the only places he ever takes them off because it’s the only place he feels really safe. Him taking them off during his confession only to put them back on again when he realises Aziraphale isn’t going to follow him, and then being on during the kiss is just so symbolic!!!! AJSNBSKDNSBSK ‘You almost ran the red cause you were looking over at me’ obligatory driving lyric ‘you used to be a little kid with glasses in a twin sized bed’ Crowley used to be so happy about making the stars :( ‘Oh, your sweet disposition, And my wide-eyed gaze’ THEM !!!! More vibes of them as angels though. ‘And I was thinkin' on the drive down: Any time now, he's gonna say it's love. You never called it what it was. ‘til we were dead and gone and buried, check the pulse and come back swearing, it's the same after three months in the grave. And then you wondered where it went to as I reached for you but all I felt was shame, and you held my lifeless frame’ This entire section is them. Aziraphale could never admit their friendship or his own feelings because of his relationship with heaven. He feels ‘shame’ because it’s not what he should be doing as an angel. ‘And there we are again when nobody had to know. You kept me like a secret, but I kept you like an oath. Sacred prayer, and we'd swear to remember it all too well, yeah’ Hiding their relationship because az is afraid and it puts both of them in danger. However Crowley doesn’t have the same loyalty to heaven or hell so he keeps aziraphale like an ‘oath’ because it’s an important vow as opposed to something you have to keep hidden. Also any references to prayer is yeah !!!! ‘Well, maybe we got lost in translation, maybe I asked for too much.’ Because they never talk about their feelings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ‘They say all's well that ends well, but I'm in a new hell every time you double-cross my mind. You said ‘if we had been closer in age maybe it would've been fine’ and that made me want to die’ References to hell. Crowley thinks Az will only love him if they’re both angels (but this isn’t true, while Aziraphale does still have biases against Hell because of Heaven’s abuse -’You’re the bad guys!, etc-, he just wants them to be happy :( ) Also ‘every time you double-cross my mind’ is such a clever piece of lyricism. I’ve got nothing too deep to comment on with that one, it’s just plain clever. ‘The idea you had of me, who was she? A never-needy, ever-lovely jewel, whose shine reflects on you’ Again, Crowley thinks Az will only love him if they’re both angels. Aziraphale also deeply failed to understand that Crowley doesn’t want to go back to heaven; this section is from Crowley’s view that aziraphale only cares about him as an angel, which is partly true but he remembers how happy and safe they both were as angels, and he just wants that feeling back. ‘I'm a soldier who's returning half her weight’ fighting for a broken cause; applicable mostly to Aziraphale’s loyalty to Heaven, but could also have meaning in regards to him and Crowley (See The Great War). ‘I still remember the first fall of snow and how it glistened as it fell. I remember it all too well’ because they were together for the very first fall of rain EVER !!!1

12. The Archer This is perhaps one of Taylor’s most Crowley songs ever. His anxiety and paranoia. He’s constantly on edge, constantly worried. He’s lived consistently exposed to danger and lies in every single direction with Aziraphale being the only one he could really trust, and even then, the two of them weren’t ever fully honest with each other. ‘The archer’ is someone who is consistently ‘ready for combat’ and thus sabotages their relationships because of this and feels guilt for it. ✦Notable lyrics: ‘I jump from the train, I ride off alone.’ Crowley’s way of dealing with stressful things is to run away from them. He consistently abandons situations he isn’t prepared to deal with because he ‘never grew up’ and gained the ability to properly communicate his feelings. Him walking out the bookshop door and driving away could be a representation of him running away from his feelings for Aziraphale because the fragile hope he’d gained in the previous scene had been torn down.

‘I’ve got a hundred thrown out speeches I almost said to you.’ Because they never actually talk to each other:

‘Because you and Mr. Fell don’t ever talk to each other.’

‘We talk all the time, trust me. We’ve been talking for millions of years. Blah, blah, blah, blah. I say something brilliant, he says something unintentionally funny back, it’s great.’

‘You never say what you’re really thinking.’

‘I wake in the night, I pace like a ghost, the room is on fire, invisible smoke.’ Bookshop fire ….. also just general restlessness and inability to sleep; to rest, because he always feels like he needs to be fighting for what he has and wants otherwise he’ll lose it.

‘All of my enemies started out friends, help me hold on to you’ Crowley’s whole life and sense of self was torn away from him and burned, and any relationships he managed to have before he Fell would have gone up in flames as well. His desperately self-sustaining and combative attitude towards existence was likely borne from this; being unsteady in anything he ever gained. Aziraphale obviously was the only relationship he really was able to ‘hold on to’, but even the angel was never able to fully feel like he could be himself … and also, this lyric:

‘screaming who could ever leave me, darling? But who could stay? [….] you could stay.’ Except ‘he’ didn’t stay, did ‘he’?

13. Death by a Thousand Cuts

A breakup song about a relationship that you can’t move on from because it formed such a key part of you for so many years. It was ‘a great love; one for the ages’ yet you’re ‘still writing pages.’

✦ Notable lyrics: ‘I ask the traffic lights if it’ll be alright, they say ‘I don’t know’’ very much Crowley driving around aimlessly trying to fill up the space Aziraphale left behind.

‘I get drunk but it’s not enough because the morning comes and you’re not my baby.’ Because that’s also how Crowley copes with his feelings when they get too overwhelming; running away and drowning himself with drink.

‘Gave up on me like I was a bad drug, now I’m searching for signs in a haunted club.’Aziraphale doesn’t really feel comfortable admitting his relationship with Crowley. We can see that Crowley doesn’t like this through, for example, their dialogue when Crowley first asks for holy water (‘fraternising’ etc). To Crowley, Aziraphale leaving must have felt like Crowley wasn’t enough to stay for, and that Aziraphale never really loved him as much as he loved Aziraphale. Also bears similarity to Don’t Blame Me (‘Lord save me, my drug is my baby, I’ll be using for the rest of my life, oh.’) which gives the impression of love that was addicting and powerful, but it became too much. ‘Our songs, our films, united, we stand, our country, guess it was a lawless land.’Get ready because this line is so much more meaningful than I ever realised when I added it to this post. ‘Our songs’ something something nightingales.

But the real meat of this lyric lies in the second half. The phrase ‘united, we stand, divided, we fall’ is often used in mottos of organisations and countries in order to inspire collaboration and patriotism for them. It preaches the importance of staying loyal to a certain side, for if division sows among them, then they will ‘fall.’ Historically, it has been frequently used as war propaganda in WWII, and the American Revolutionary War. It has also been used in the struggle for Indian independence, by Ulster loyalists in Ireland, and by many political leaders, for example. Similar phrases can be found in the Bible, for example in in Mark 3:25 (If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand), Matthew 12:25 (Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand), and Luke 11:17 (Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls).

In this song it describes the relationship between the singer and their former lover, which further animates their love as a physical nation or state (as well as a house with the lyrics ‘I look through the windows of this love, even though we boarded them up, chandelier’s still flickering here ‘cause I can’t pretend it’s okay when it’s not).

This animation and the use of this specific phrase which has been used to garner a sense of loyalty towards a cause shows their love to have been a deeply personal thing, something you pledge your devotion to. However, in this song it’s contrasted with the lyric ‘Guess it was a lawless land’ which shows that the nation and love was hollow. It fell apart due to division.

Remind you of anything? Loyalty conflicts is a big part of this show, particularly with Aziraphale’s character, who is still shown to be attached to Heaven as late in his character arc as the Armageddon storyline in season one:

‘Even if I did, why would I tell you? We’re on opposite sides!’

‘We’re on our side!’

‘There is no ‘our side’, Crowley!’

Aziraphale’s turmoil between his Heavenly duties and his feelings for Crowley (not just romantic, even their friendship) is a large part of his unwillingness to admit their closeness, but he’s also just afraid that they’ll get punished. He’s just afraid.

‘we could’ve been …. us.’

‘our side.’

‘a group of the two of us.’

etc , etc

Their relationship is repeatedly treated like it’s its own ‘side’ or ‘group’ that can be pledged allegiance to or deserted. This perfectly sets up Az’s character conflict and growth. It’s so GOOD!!!!!!

It also has a double meaning with Heaven’s patriotism, which has a façade of goodness but is really very corrupt and ‘lawless.’

‘But it wasn’t enough, it wasn’t enough, no, no.’Crowley tried so hard to convince Aziraphale to go with him, he did everything he could, but it didn’t work. That’s what the kiss was; not a moment of love, but a moment of desperation. A final attempt to lay everything out. But it wasn’t enough.

14. Cruel Summer

Secret relationship that makes you feel whole but destroys you at the same time. ‘Devils roll the dice, angels roll their eyes.’ Religious language. The inability for Heaven and Hell to understand love, and even just friendship, between angels and demons is possible. Hell, and the demons, ‘roll[s] the dice’, the language featuring references to gambling shows their more opportunistic nature and need to trick every situation into benefiting them, because otherwise they’re stuck at the bottom of the pile. They can risk everything on a bet that could see them losing all their money, but they don’t really have anything to lose, which makes them very dangerous (like Furfur). Heaven is more judgemental, ‘roll[ing] their eyes.’ This judgement is what Aziraphale is afraid of (and, of course, the physical retribution that follows). It’s rather akin to an abusive relationship such as between a parent and a child, with an unhealthy power dynamic and Heaven always having more control. The child is always trying to do what’s right, but their view of what is right is often in relation to what their parent has raised them to believe is right, or simply in relation to whatever will make the parent happy. This is an analogy that perfectly describes Aziraphale and his internal conflict. ‘and if I bleed you’ll be the last to know’ Az hides his distress and doesn’t like people seeing him cry. See Tied Together with a Smile (second to last song).

‘and I scream for whatever it’s worth; ‘I love you, ain’t that the worst thing you ever heard?’’ From Crowley’s perspective, Aziraphale loves Heaven more than him, and loving him is something that is shocking and unthinkable. Aziraphale is aware and okay with his feelings for Crowley, he’s only okay with them on a very, very surface level. He’s only sort of okay with their friendship, but doesn’t want to acknowledge anything more than that. So even if a confession of love is something Aziraphale wants from Crowley, he also doesn’t want to hear because he knows that they could never work. AHHHHHHH 15. tolerate it Largely about Aziraphale’s relationship with Heaven. He gives them everything and works so hard to be a good angel but they never fully value him. ✦ Notable lyrics: The bridge also is in reference to his and Crowley’s relationship: ‘While you were out building other worlds, where was I?’ Because they made the stars!!!!!

‘Where’s that man who threw blankets over my barbed wire? I made you my temple, my mural, my sky … now I’m begging for footnotes in the story of your life.’ CROWLEY CROWLEY!!! Also religious imagery is just *chef's kiss*.

16. champagne problems

About a proposal that’s refused … I feel like I do not need to elaborate much on this, however it does apply to both of them, because they BOTH were offering something that the other refused. ✦ Notable lyrics: ‘this dorm was once a mad-house, I made a joke, ‘well it’s made for me’’ Crowley vibes. ‘I never was ready so I watched you go.’ Aziraphale wasn’t ready to fully turn away from Heaven, so he had to watch Crowley leave. ‘You had a speech, you’re speechless, love slipped beyond your reaches.’ Crowley tried so hard to convince Aziraphale; he knew he had to start talking first because if not he’d ‘never start talking. He knew what he was going to say, he ‘had a speech’ but it ‘wasn’t enough’ and Aziraphale ‘slipped’ away.

17. ivy

This song is about an affair, and it’s also a very, very queercoded song. To Aziraphale, his relationship with Crowley feels like figuratively cheating on Heaven, ignoring his duties and shunning his responsibility and role as a ‘good angel’. Notable lyrics: ‘He’s in the room, but your opal eyes are all I wish to see.’ “But it’s pretty!” 💛💛 ‘So tell me to run, or dare to sit and watch what will become.’ Aziraphale’s relationship with Heaven is very mentally abusive. He will only be free of their influence if he ‘runs’ from them. He can’t stay connected to Heaven and be truly free and happy.

‘So yeah, it’s a fire, it’s a goddamn blaze in the dark and you started it, you started it. So yeah, it’s a war, it’s the goddamn fight of my life, and you started it, you started it.’ Both of their, but especially Aziraphale’s, internal conflict symbolised through fire and war. ‘Spring breaks loose, but so does fear’ Their bond and love has remained throughout history, and with Gabriel and Beelzebub revealing their relationship, the spark of hope was lit in both of them. ‘Spring [broke] loose’ but the Metatron’s offer subsequently pulled Aziraphale away from Crowley and reignited some of the ‘fear’ that he’s spent the show trying to grow away from.

‘He’s going to burn this house to the ground.’ Speaking of Aziraphale’s fear; he’s worried about what admitting his feelings for Crowley, romantic or even just their friendship, will mean. The danger that it will draw. This lyric also has an interesting double meaning, referencing the literal burning of Aziraphale’s bookshop.

18. Back to December.

Another song about apologising to someone for breaking their heart. ✦ Notable lyrics:

‘You gave me all your love and all I gave you was goodbye.’ The first part of this lyric is only really relative to Crowley’s confession in the Final Fifteen, because their relationship has never really been stable; they never gave the other ‘all [their] love’ because their fear stopped them. Crowley only ever showed his love to Aziraphale because he felt like he didn’t have a choice and it was the only thing that could save them. But Aziraphale

‘But then the cold came, dark days when fear crept into my mind.’ I initially added this lyric because it reminded me of Aziraphale, but it also now reminds me of both of them. Their own fears interfered with their abilities to accept the other’s confession and to be happy. They need to both grow and learn before they can actually have a healthier romantic relationship.

19. The Great War

The metaphor of relationship troubles and trauma being connected to war.

There are some references to said relationship troubles relating to the inability to properly confront feelings and issues, instead turning away and using silence as a punishment to avoid really having to change your relationship.

Also relevant because their relationship isn’t just a metaphorical war; there is the imminent threat of literal war between Heaven and Hell, and literal physical negative repercussions to each of them due to their love being known. The motif of soldiers is also connected to the line of ‘I’m a soldier who’s returning half her weight.’ from ATW10MV.

✦ Notable lyrics:

‘It turned into something bigger, somewhere in the haze, got a sense I'd been betrayed. Your finger on my hair pin triggers …. soldier down on that icy ground, looked up at me with honour and truth, broken and blue, so I called off the troops. That was the night I nearly lost you. I really thought I lost you.’

They are each other’s weaknesses; see hoax. Their inability to communicate their feelings lead to the breakdown of their relationship. They ‘really thought [they] lost’ each other. ‘And maybe it's the past that's talkin’, screamin' from the crypt. Telling me to punish you for things you never did. So I justified it.’

A bit part of Aziraphale’s character is his journey of developing his own sense of morality independent of Heaven’s. This is especially delved into in season two through, for example, the Job storyline and the Edinburgh storyline. However, we can see that he’s still very much under the influence of Heaven’s abuse during episode six through the way he still believes what they say about right and wrong and about the nature of Hell (‘Of course you said no to Hell, you’re the bad guys’ as opposed to ‘they’re the bad guys’). He doesn’t want to do anything malicious, and he doesn’t want to leave to Heaven, with his conflict about staying or going being quite obvious (as numerous points in the Final Fifteen he appears very tortured, frequently hesitating and trying to say things other than wanting to go back to Heaven). But he feels like it’s what he had to do, ‘So [he] justified it.’

20. Midnight Rain

This song is actually on their official playlist!!! About moving on from someone who wanted something different out of your relationship; a sentence which almost perfectly describes the way they view their relationship (of course, their misunderstanding led them both to believe the other wants something different, when in actuality they both want the same thing; to be safe together).

‘My town was a wasteland, full of cages, full of fences, pageant queens and big pretenders, but for some it was paradise’

‘It came like a postcard, picture-perfect, shiny family, holidays, peppermint candy, but for him it’s every day.’Heaven… I don’t think I really need to elaborate on this.

‘He wanted it comfortable, I wanted that pain. He wanted a bride, I was making my own name, chasing that fame, he stayed the same, all of me changed like midnight rain.’

Crowley wants them, he wants them to be ‘comfortable’ and safe, and he thinks that’ll only come if they distance themselves from both Heaven and Hell. Aziraphale also wants this, but he also can’t leave Heaven behind to the extent Crowley wants him to. He wants the ‘pain’ of belonging to Heaven’s institution and having high value there, because it’s familiar to him. It might be incredibly abusive, but it’s home to him.

He wants to do the right thing, and he thinks that the only way to do that is to stay there. Ahhh ..

21. Tied Together With A Smile

Aziraphale song :( another one about his massive insecurities, folks.

✦ Notable lyrics:

‘you walk around here thinking you’re not pretty’ Aziraphale always doubts how good of an angel he is and how well he’s doing what’s expected of him.

‘That you cry, but you don’t tell anyone, that you might not be the golden one, and you’re tied together with a smile but you’re coming undone.’Aziraphale doesn’t like letting anyone see him cry. He always turns away and tries to pretend he’s the ‘golden one’, trying to pretend everything is fine and he’s always doing exactly what Heaven wants, yet he is so insecure about his goodness.

The entire second verse about him wanting love and praise from Heaven: ‘I guess it’s true that love was all you wanted […] but he leaves you out like a penny in the rain’ he’s tossed aside and talked down to by the people he works so hard to do the right thing for.

22. Don’t Blame Me Mainly this song is included because of its heavy religious motifs. It’s very reminiscent of a gospel song, also connections to Cruel Summer; ‘love made me crazy’. Of course a lot of this song is very ironic because it describes a love so strong and intense that it ‘made [me] crazy’, that you disregard everything ‘true’ and ‘right’, only doing what you feel is right in connection to your lover, nothing else mattering. However, this is absolutely NOT what happened in this show, in fact the exact reverse. I think this song describes how Crowley feels; not feeling connected to the institutions of Heaven and Hell and being willing to leave them completely behind. Perhaps it also describes a hypothetical future in which Aziraphale has grown and reached the point he can comfortably leave Heaven completely.

✦ Notable lyrics: ‘Baby I would fall from Grace, just to touch your face. If you’d walk away, I’d beg you on my knees to stay.’ Because .. because that’s what happened. They begged eachother to stay :( Also religious language. ‘I get so high, oh, every time you’re, every time you’re loving me, you’re loving me.’ Their relationship is so powerful (especially how they were able to perform the really large miracle ACCIDENTALLY). ‘Something happened for the first time in the darkest little Paradise.’ Religious language. Them being together is their own ‘little Paradise’, because, due to them being forced to hide the nature of their relationship, their relationship becomes very intimate and personal. ‘Halo, hiding my obsession, I once was poison ivy but now I’m your daisy.’ Religious language. Aziraphale helps Crowley be able to relax and to rest, letting down his guard. Crowley’s not fully able to do this, and he’s not fully willing to embrace the fact he is indeed ‘nice’, but he’s getting there. He’s still The Archer, but he can put down his bow slightly easier (but of course, the one time he fully put it down and opened up his heart, he was burned, so I don’t think he’ll be doing it again any time soon). ‘Lord save me, my drug is my baby, I’ll be using for the rest of my life, oh, oh.’ This lyric is particularly meaningful when parallelled to Death by a Thousand Cuts; ‘Gave up on me like I was a bad drug.’

23. Dancing With Our Hands Tied This song describes a love that you desperately want to be hidden yet you know that it’s only a matter of time before everyone finds out and the danger starts.To have one’s hands tied is to be unable to affect something, representing how their relationship and their own lives were always out of their control because they could never live how they wanted to without fear of retribution (an excellent metaphor for queerness). Additionally, the motif of dancing, which in this context is an intimate and notably private act between the two lovers, is happening while the lovers’ hands are tied, representing the division and conflict that intrudes even while they’re alone together (‘Something happened for the first time in a darkest little Paradise’ from Don’t Blame Me).

✦ Noteable lyrics: ‘I, I loved you in secret.’ ‘Yeah, we were dancing, dancing with our hands tied, hands tied.’ See above for analysis of the title lyric!! This song also reminds me of them because thy did actually dance together in season 2 episode 5, which is one of my all time favourite GO episodes. ‘I, I loved you in spite of deep fears that the world would divide us. So, baby, can we dance, oh, through an avalanche?’ They couldn’t live how they wanted because of ‘deep fears’ that outside forces would ‘divide’ them, which in the end is what happened. Feeling like the world is against them (‘angels and demons, they can’t just-’)

Honourable mentions!!

Lyrics that make me think of them but there’s not enough content in the overall song to justify it being put on the playlist. They don’t have much, if any, elaboration, but if you want to hear my thoughts on any of these, let me know!! Of course I’ll add analysis to these if anyone wants them. This will probably be the section of the post that’ll be updated the most frequently, and feel free to reply or reblog with any of your additions :D

‘Just a shot, just a shot in the dark, oh oh.’ - Sweeter than Fiction, 1989 (remember the ‘I’ve known it from the very start, we’re a shot in the darkest dark’ from Say Don’t Go?)

‘Now you hang from my lips like the Gardens of Babylon. Your boots beneath my bed, forever is the sweetest con.’ - cowboy like me, evermore

‘Eyes full of stars, hustling for the good life […].’ - cowboy like me, evermore

‘And you asked me to dance, but I said ‘Dancing is a dangerous game.’ - cowboy like me, evermore

‘I knew it from the first, old-fashioned, we were cursed, we never had a shotgun, shot in the dark.’ - Getaway Car, reputation (again, the ‘shot in the dark’ lyric! Also this was my suprise song WHAT THE FUCK?!??!!?!?!?!?!?!?)

‘We were jet-set, Bonnie and Clyde, oh yeah, ‘till I switched to the other side, to the other side.’ - Getaway Car, reputation (‘We’re on our side!’ … ‘There is no ‘our side’, Crowley!’).

‘Cause lately I don’t even know what page you’re on.’ -The Story of Us, Speak Now

‘Oh, simple complication, miscommunication leads to fallout. So many things that I wish you knew, so many walls up I can’t break through.’ -The Story of Us, Speak Now

'But I liked it better when you were on my side.' -The Story of Us, Speak Now

‘And I wouldn’t marry me either, a pathological people pleaser, who only wanted you to see her.’ -You’re Losing Me, Midnights

‘Loving him was like driving a new Massarati down a dead end street; faster than the wind, passionate as sin, ended so suddenly.’ - Red, Red

'You dream of my mouth before it called you a 'lying traitor.' - Is It Over Now? , 1989 (Taylor's Version)

'When your impressionist paintings of Heaven turned out to be fake, well, you took me to Hell too.' - loml, The Tortured Poets Department

thanks for getting to the bottom!! it means so much to me that you wanted to read this in any amount, you truly have no idea. here's a cookie 🍪 !!!!!

bye :D

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callsign-rogueone · 7 months ago

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Hi! I was wondering if one of my favorite authors had any new thoughts or theories on the new book know that we have a title in place?

I personally hope with the title we will get more xaden contain through dual povs throughout vs not just at the end!

howdy!! my first thoughts were just internal screaming tbh. I’m very excited. I pre-ordered both versions already. I’m locked in.

some of my (many) questions / worries / thoughts (more to come later probably)

onyx = his eyes, storm = her lightning… probably

I really hope we get more Xaden pov! I think we will, as the “special edition” doesn’t mention bonus chapters in his pov like the fourth wing special edition did. but it would be so sad to watch his thoughts slowly turn evil and watch him deteriorate 😭

are we picking back up right where we left off? if we are, my bet for the opening scene or somewhere in the first few chapters is gonna be the three siblings going through their mom’s office / burning her stuff 🥺

how fast does one “turn” after they become venin? like how long do we have to save him? he seems to be cognizant and “himself” right now, but what has to happen for him to slip and lose that control? is it only a matter of time, or is he gonna be okay if he just doesn’t pull from the earth again?

like, Jack touched Dain and he immediately broke down in pain and left dead gray handprints on his skin. how long until X starts doing that too, and he can’t hold Violet anymore? and is Dain okay? is he scarred for life now, or did it go away after a while? 🥺

speaking of Dain… what’s the deal with his dad? I don’t trust that guy literally at all. I would love to see Dain stand up to him more and stop being the perfect obedient and trusting son and give his old man the what for, like a real face to face confrontation and demand answers. I want him to be as ruthless with his dad as Brennan was with their mom (only Mr. Aetos truly deserves it)

and in general I want more of Dain’s redemption arc! but that’s just me, I know other people don’t like him as much as I do (which is a lot, so…)

we can’t forget poor Sgaeyl… I hope we see more of her relationship with Violet in this one, if Xaden is truly detached from his dragon now (how does that work?) she can’t be away from Tairn, anyway, so…

also… there are so many people who might not have survived the battle… :( we know the first years and Vi and Brennan are safe, because they were there fixing the ward stone, and I’m pretty sure sawyer made it through, but everyone else…? though I’m not too worried about that, it think it would be really cheap of her to be like, oh by the way, ____ died. I’d never forgive her lol

speaking of dead people, are we getting more Liam in this book again? I couldn’t handle it… but there’s a group of people on Reddit who are very convinced that Vi can see dead people as her signet from Andarna, which I don’t really believe (they disconnected her from Tairn at the time, so she probably couldn’t reach Andarna’s power either. and side note: think of how fucking haunted Basgiath must be. half the class dies before they can graduate, and it’s been there for hundreds of years presumably.)

that’s all I have for now. I’m sure I’ll reblog this later to add more / make this a kindof thoughts thread, but I’m always down to theorize with y’all in my inbox too! 🖤⛈

#liz.txt #fourth wing #answered #onyx storm #onyx storm thoughts #empyrean 3 #iron flame spoilers #fourth wing spoilers

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educating-bimbos · 1 year ago

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The Pinned Post 2

new pinned post because tumblr hid my old one from my view so I can't see, edit it, or reblog it to add an addendum. I only have a few things to add, so I am just going to copy and paste it.

Who is Educating Bimbos?

My name is Nicolette. I am a technical artist, musician, and an outdoorsy type of gal. I enjoy the finer things in life, and I fancy myself a traditional woman and a bimbo. I don't really enjoy mindlessly obsessing over labels, but if it helps people gauge where my brain is at, I am pro-patriarchy, in favor of traditional gender roles and dynamics, an ex-feminist, and before all else a believer in one's ability to exercise personal freedoms. My beliefs, mannerisms, and presentation attract the ire of feminists, born-again-religious types, and any number of anti-fun douchebags. At the end of the day, just remember that behind this silly blog is a silly person.

What is Educating Bimbos?

It is a blog and small community of bimbos looking to learn more about and express a traditional lifestyle. It is also about people who may not be familiar with or comfortable around things like BDSM get a nice and soft introduction to it without being exposed immediately to the idea of how people can enjoy things in a pseudo-sexual context. At the end of the day, it is a blog and community where I and other like-minded people can express silly ideas without the fear of being lambasted by people seeking to harm others.

Where is Educating Bimbos?

Educating Bimbos can be found in one of these two places.

Why is Educating Bimbos?

Well for a while I was annoyed by the lack of communities that focused on a kind of "hyper-feminine" aesthetic while also promoting more traditional ideas. There was also the issue of communities that have tried this before of devolving into bigoted and abusive communities that would do everything under the sun to create an insular and ToS breaking community. I spoke with a friend of mine who runs a similar community a while ago and she inspired me to give this a shot. Now - close to 3 years later - I have a steadily growing community that pulls from all corners of ideology, cultural, ethnic, and interest level and the discord has been almost completely drama-free in its whole existence.

When is Educating Bimbos?

I am alive and doing silly stuff all day, every day. Except when it is nap time in which case I will be in the realm of dreams.

What's an ex-lesbian and why do you call yourself that?

For a number of very personal reasons, I have decided to call myself an ex-lesbian. I did this of my own volition, and I was not pressured into doing so. For a long time, I had thought of myself as a lesbian, mostly because of socialization and how all the girls around me were so might as well follow suit. I experienced a number of harmful and traumatic events when I considered myself a lesbian and it effected how I view myself. After a while and talking to some friends who I trust dearly, I came to the realization that I am not a lesbian and that it really isn't a thing I identify with the same way others do. I am still trying to come to grips with that given I only relatively recently had that realization. I also feel that people use that term in bad faith to harm people and to push bad narratives and ideas so I thought "hey might as well try and take back what should be an innocuous phrase."

In short, I think an ex-lesbian is just a way of identifying one's sexuality similar to asexuality or demisexuality. It is not that I am one sexuality or another, it's that my sexuality is defined by my experience and coming of age.

I have had a number of people confront me about this, talk to me about it in sincere curiosity, and even attack me. I welcome anyone who is curious or has a genuine contention to come to me in DMs, I am not a mean person, and I will love to talk honestly and respectfully. I find that disagreement is not grounds to discredit or avoid befriending people, I hope you can do the same.

Further questions for Educating Bimbos?

If you find that these questions are unsatisfactory in any regard, or you wish to try your hand at doing what I do, follow these two links!

Ask me anything!

Ask me anything you want! I have some personal rules with regards to what I can and cannot upload, but this is generally the best way for me to answer any question you may have. I also have anonymous asks enabled just in case you are shy.

Submit a post!

If you think I should be made aware of something, post something, or if you just want to signal boost something try this. So far, I have no real rules or expectations so do whatever you want with this button.

#educatingbimbos #femininity #tradfem #housewife #traditional gender roles #stepford wife #traditional femininity #traditional women #ask a bimbo #bimbocore #ex lesbian #ex feminist

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techs-ass · 2 years ago

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The Bad Batch Head Canons - Favorite Flavors

So for a little background on this, one of my love languages is cooking. I love cooking for my loved ones and and it boosts my ego when they enjoy my food. This kinda popped into my head the other day when I was thinking about things I would cook for Tech. So then I started thinking about flavors that the other batchers would like/dislike and thus flavor headcanons were born!

I know it's a little random but I enjoy thinking about fluffy stuff like this (in between the constant flow of smut in my head) so I hope you guys like it too!

Also, this is my first post in TBB fandom!! I'm so excited :D I hope ya'll like my stuff~ Please feel free to like, reblog, comment. You're interactions feed my ego.

TW: There's like one or two sex jokes but nothing really nsfw

Hunter

Hunter isn’t a picky eater but because of his senses, he’s very easily overwhelmed by strongly scented foods. If you want to cook for him, just keep this in mind and maybe open some windows for him. Overall, I feel Hunter doesn’t get to really sit down and enjoy his food often so I think he’d really enjoy having a spouse that likes to cook for him.

Spicy: I feel like because of his heightened senses, Hunter isn't a big fan of really strong flavors so immediately anything spicy is out especially if it has a really strong scent. I don’t think that he can’t handle spiciness, it’s just that he has a strong dislike for it.

Sweet: Hunter likes sweet things but he’s definitely not as into them like Wrecker. I feel like he’s more of a fruit kind of sweet guy. Like if you give him the option between chocolate or freshly sliced peaches, he’s gonna go for the peaches. His favorite kind of cake is any cake with fruit on it. Bring this man a bowl of fresh fruit after a long day of hot work outside and you’re gonna see hearts in his eyes.

Sour: No. Absolutely not. Do not bring this man anything sour, he won’t even look at it. You know how some restaurants will bring you water with lemon? He will send the water back (or give it to Tech) because it’s already ruined to him. Don’t even think about offering sour candy to him because he will gag in your face. Trick him into eating something sour and he won’t speak to you for a week. Hunter doesn’t claim to hate many things but sour stuff is right at the top of this man’s list.

Savory: You wanna bring this man to his knees? Make him fall head over heels? Bring him a plate that has medium-rare, lightly seasoned steak and a piping hot baked potato and he’s YOURS baby. Hunter loves savory things, very much a meat and potatoes guy. Make him a good homemade gravy and you’re gonna get his gravy later that night. I could see him really enjoying southern cooking because it’s a very savory cuisine. But be a little light with the spices, at least if it has a strong scent. Other than that he’s not picky about savory foods.

Bitter: Refer to ‘spicy’ but there’s the exception of caf. He does add a little sugar to it when he can to help balance it out. But overall, he’s not really into bitter things. He does occasionally like bitter wines though!

Tech

Tech doesn’t really eat because he enjoys eating, he eats because he has to. If your love language is cooking, you might struggle a little when it comes to Tech. It’s not that he’s super picky, he just…doesn’t enjoy eating? He doesn’t dislike it. It’s just something he does in order to keep his body going. It’s almost like a chore. He’ll do his best to try your cooking though! He doesn’t want to make you feel bad.

Spicy: Tech is pretty neutral when it comes to spicy things. He does occasionally enjoy some spicy food but he likes more subtle spice. Something with a very low heat to it that is more in the background than the main flavor. If you bring him something that's really spicy, he will most likely not eat it.

Sweet: I don't see Tech being a sweet fan. Not that he particularly dislikes sweets but he doesn't like them either. If he does eat sweets, it’s probably going to be hard candy.Like he really enjoys peppermints or butterscotch. Doesn’t really enjoy sweet fruits either.

Sour: No one in the galaxy can convince me that this man doesn't pop sour candies like his life depends on it. Tech LOVES sour things. He's the kind of guy to ask for extra lemons for his water. He keeps a stash of super sour candies in various places around the ship so he has access to them at all times. This man can suck on limes like they're butterscotch. He adores oranges and green apples!! Bring him some peeled oranges that are already broken apart (the less work it takes for him to eat something, the happier he is) and you'll have him wrapped around your finger.

Savory: Tech likes savory foods. I see him really enjoying grilled cheese sandwiches with soup. He likes his savory food to be relatively simple though so maybe don’t season it too much.

Bitter: You would think that because he enjoys sour things that he would like bitter foods but the answer is no. He honestly doesn't even like caf, he just drinks it for energy and that's about it. Tech will actively avoid anything with a bitter flavor. Do not bring this man dark chocolate, he will spit it out.

Wrecker

Wrecker is absolutely not a picky eater. This man LOVES food and will rarely turn a meal down. I can’t even begin to fathom the amount of ration bars it took to make this man feel full. Wrecker is the perfect person for you if your love language is cooking food. He will always be willing to eat what you make! You mean you?? The love of his life?? Made him something to eat?? Just for him?? Maker, you’re literally perfect, marry him right now.

Spicy: Y'know those people who can't handle even a singular flake of red pepper? The kind of people who eat something with a *hint* of spice and start dramatically waving at their tongue and calling for milk? That's Wrecker. This big boy cannot, under any circumstances, handle spiciness. He'll try to act tough but you can see the tears in his eyes and his cheeks are comically red. It’s honestly kinda cute.

Sweet: You thought Hunter had heightened senses? You haven't seen Wrecker around sweets. Did you eat a singular piece of chocolate 3 hours ago? Did you happen to put a piece of candy in your pocket? Wrecker can SMELL it. He's all over you like a hound dog asking you where you're hiding the candy. This man loves sweets. You will never be able to hide sweets from him. He WILL find them and consume all of it. You want Wrecker to turn into putty in your hands? Shower him with sweets, bake him cookies. If you’re a baker, you’ll never have to worry about your sweets going untouched.

Sour: I feel like Wrecker would enjoy sour candy but not really sour foods. He doesn’t mind a squeeze of lemon over fish or something with a sour element but he doesn't really like just straight sour. Overall, he’s kinda neutral to it.

Savory: Yes. Absolutely yes. You gonna look me in the face and tell me this huge man doesn't gorge himself on meat like a man starved for 30 rotations? Give him a fat turkey leg and it'll be eaten to bone within minutes. Wrecker loves savory foods (though not as much as he loves sweets) and will enjoy most savory dishes. I feel like he would enjoy anything with tomatoes in it. Feel free to go heavy on the seasonings too! Wrecker loves things with a lot of flavor! I personally feel like smoked paprika would be a favorite of his.

Bitter: Again, with the exception of caf, no. Wrecker just doesn’t like anything bitter and adds loads of sugar to his caf to cover the taste of it. He looks like he might cry if he goes to bite into some chocolate and finds out it’s dark chocolate. Literally nothing will ruin his day more.

Echo

I think we can all agree the Echo is an extremely picky eater. The amount of times we see him turn his nose up at food is almost comical. My deepest condolences if you want to try and win this man through his stomach because you are up for a challenge. You’re gonna have to serve him any food you make him on those plates with the separated compartments. Because by Maker, if one of the foods touches the other, he’s not going to eat any of it. Try not to take it personally if he doesn’t like what you cook. With that in mind,

Spicy: Spicy? No. Absolutely not. Bring him food that he knows is spicy and he won’t even look at it. He’ll just look at you with a quirked eyebrow like “You don’t expect me to touch this do you?”

Sweet: Eh. Echo isn’t really a big fan of sweets though he doesn’t mind eating fruits. He’ll occasionally indulge in candy but it’s very rare and he’ll only eat one or two bites before he’s done. He does enjoy baked sweets though if it’s got a good flavor balance! Think like sugar cookies made with almonds or dark chocolate covered strawberries. He’ll eat it as long as it’s not overbearingly sweet. (Don’t tell anyone but he’s got a soft spot for oatmeal cookies)

Sour: Once again, no. Absolutely not. Very similar to Hunter in that regard. Feed him something that’s even slightly sour and he will spit it out. He honestly doesn’t even like the smell of sour things. Whenever Tech is going on a sour binge both Echo and Hunter will avoid him like the plague because even the smell makes them nauseous. If you purposely trick him into eating something sour, do not expect him to be willing to try your food for a while. He won’t trust it.

Savory: Yes but similar to Tech in the regards that he likes simple things. Bring him grilled chicken with some rice and he’ll be pretty content. If you want to bring him a snack then bring him some garlic bread. He’ll devour that shit. Bacon is another good food to give him but you do have to make sure you cook it perfectly. If it’s too soft or too cooked, he won’t like it. Be VERY light with seasonings. He’s extremely picky with how things taste so if it has too many flavors, he’s not going to like it. Your best bet would be just stick with pepper and salt.

Bitter: Surprisingly…yes. One of the few things Echo does enjoy is bitter foods. He loves his caf without anything added. Bring him some hot, fresh caf and some dark chocolate and darlin’ he’s yours.

Crosshair

Many things will be complicated if you enter a relationship with this grumpy sniper but oddly enough, food is not one of those things. He’s not a picky eater and will consume just about anything that’s put in front of him. However, be prepared for him to be very blunt about your food. He’s not afraid to tell you if he hates something or if the food doesn’t taste good. Be ready to be teased for weeks if you accidentally burn something.

Spicy: Literally the only batcher who enjoys spicy food. Crosshair loves spicy food and will usually ask things to be made extra hot. You know those menus where they got like the little flaming peppers indicating spiciness level? Yeah, he always gets the max heat. He’s the kinda guy where you’ll hand him a plate of food and he’ll ask for hot sauce or sriracha to put on it. Sometimes he’ll specifically order spicy food just to bother Wrecker and eat it in front of him with a shit eating grin while he calls him weak.

Sweet: Yes but only secretly. He’ll never openly admit it but he loves sweets. His sweet tooth almost rivals Wreckers. He has a secret stash that he keeps very well hidden and every once in a while will sneak off the Marauder to go eat his candy in peace. If you like to make baked goods, you’ll have to listen to him grumble about how he absolutely doesn’t like sweets as you watch him devour the entire plate of chocolate chip cookies that you pulled out of the oven less than five minutes ago.

Sour: Crosshair doesn’t dislike or like sour foods. He’s pretty neutral to it and it really just depends on this dish. He’d probably enjoy things like kimchi but doesn’t enjoy sour candies. It’s pretty much a coin flip on whether he’ll like it or not.

Savory: Do you want this gruff sniper to be completely wrapped around your finger? Want him to fall to his knees and declare his undying love for you? Bring him some heavily seasoned savory food and he’s a goner. Spicy fried chicken? He’s gonna follow you like a love-sick puppy for months. Literally anything with potatoes. Anything. With. Potatoes. Spicy and cheesy? He’s dead and gone to heaven.

Bitter: No. Just no. Crosshair hates bitter foods probably because he’s bitter enough all by himself. If you happen to catch him making a cup of caf, you’ll see him dumping loads of sugar into it. Like just an entire bag. You know how southerner’s make their sweet tea? (If you don’t, just know that my family recipe for sweet tea is one gallon of tea with about three cups of sugar. That is considered normal.) That’s how Crosshair makes his coffee.

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notemily · 2 years ago

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actual guide for new tumblr users, from Twitter or otherwise

yeah so I decided to do one of these. I'm just someone who has been here since 2007 and wants to help people who are new to the site and have no idea what's happening. Twitter seems to be in its death throes as I write this, and while the posts about driving down the property values are funny, I'd like to actually try and help out.

many people have made posts that are like "get an icon and post something or else people will think you're a bot" so I'll just assume you've seen one of those already. I want to focus more on the things you need to know to acclimate to tumblr culture. so:

general tips:

like things if you want to like things. people will tell you liking doesn't do anything, that only reblogs do stuff, but that's not quite true. only reblogs will get the people who follow you to see it on their dashboard (circulating the post further through the tumblr ecosystem), but likes will let the OP know you liked it, let the person who reblogged it onto your dash know you liked it, and probably do something complicated involving the "based on your likes" algorithm but I really don't know how that works. also, the like will stick around, so if you see the post reblogged from someone else much later, your little heart will still be highlighted in red.

you can control a lot about what you see on your dashboard from the settings page! on desktop, go into settings - account and settings - dashboard to change things. most people turn off "best stuff first" and just use the chronological feed, but you do you, new user. I personally hate endless scroll, so I turned that off, but I love timestamps, so I turned those on. for bonus fun, go into settings - labs and there are extra tabs you can add to your dash.

but what about turning off anonymous asks? on desktop, this setting, weirdly, is in the "Edit appearance" page for your blog. you can also turn replies off there, allow only people you follow to message you, and hide your blog from search results. there are a lot of random settings in there, so make sure to take a look. (app results may vary.)

you might notice that one of the settings is for filtered tags and filtered post content. this is why it's important not to censor things here that might be triggering for some folks - because someone out there has "rape" filtered, and if you go around saying "r*pe," that's not going to be caught in their filter. also, at this time there are no word police who will come after you for saying "kill" or "die," so you don't need to use euphemisms like "unalive" on tumblr. you can also swear as much as you want.

blaze: tumblr blaze is a relatively new feature where you can pay actual money to have your post forced onto random people's dashboards. beware, if you use this for something people don't want to see, you will get mocked. if you use it to show everyone your cat, you're probably fine.

there are two basic uses for #tags: organizational (putting your post into a category, like tagging it with the name of the fandom it's relevant to) and editorial (adding extra commentary that you don't want to add in the post itself). a lot of people will use both, a lot of people will use neither. when people like your editorial tags enough, they'll copy or screenshot them and add them to the body of the post. this is known as "passing peer review" and is a compliment.

memes and inside jokes You Should Know:

do you love the colour of the sky? is an extremely long image post (showing all the colors a sky could possibly be) that takes a long time to scroll past, and back in the olden days (2012) it was ubiquitous on tumblr. these days you can shorten long posts automatically using your dashboard settings (see above), or use the "j" keyboard shortcut to go directly to the next post if you're on desktop, but we still remember it fondly and refer to it constantly because nothing dies here, especially not memes.

the color theory children's hospital post is another one of those things you'll see a million references to if you're on here for any length of time.

you cannot kill me in a way that matters is a post that you might have seen in screenshots elsewhere online, but it started here! other memes that originated on tumblr: spiders georg, me an intellectual, graphic design is my passion, etc.

blorbo from my shows is a phrase used to refer to your latest favorite character. it started as a joke, but tumblr has a way of taking jokes and making them a thing, so now it's a thing. see also poor little meow meow.

tumblr holidays: anything people on tumblr can make into a holiday or anniversary, we will. most of them you'll see as they happen, and they're often self-explanatory, but you should probably read up on November 5 2020 if you don't know about it already.

horse plinko: tumblr loves this one for some reason.

I like your shoelaces / thanks, I stole them from the president: this was supposedly the "secret code" to identify a tumblr user in real life. (you can buy shoelaces directly from tumblr now, but that's a recent development.)

then perish: speaking of the president, if you see Obama's eyes with a very orange tint, this is the meme it's referencing.

ball-shaving ads: ads from the personal grooming company Manscaped were/are(?) ubiquitous on tumblr, to the point that some have theorized that tumblr was deliberately saturating people's dash with the ads so that they'd be more likely to pay for ad-free browsing. and one of the ads for ad-free reads "shave off ads from your dashboard," so like, they might be onto something.

world heritage posts: there are various tumblrs that compile the best of tumblr, anything that's particularly iconic or has become a meme. there are even heritage post blogs for specific fandoms.

tumblr history:

there are three basic eras of tumblr history:

classic tumblr era 2007-2013: David Karp started tumblr in 2007, and it grew in popularity and weirdness for many years. porn was allowed: the original tumblr adult content policy read "sure, go nuts, show nuts, whatever."

Yahoo/Verizon era 2013-2019: Yahoo famously bought tumblr in 2013 for $1 billion. ads started showing up on tumblr in 2012, so this is also around when tumblr started to monetize. Yahoo was eventually bought by Verizon, and in December 2018, they announced they were banning porn, which sucked. everyone predicted the death of tumblr, but it limped on, with about a 30% decrease in traffic. (source for that statistic)

Automattic era 2019-present: in 2019, Automattic bought tumblr from Yahoo for like $3 million or something. Automattic owns WordPress, and they seem to understand tumblr's userbase better than the Yahoo folks did. they've recently instituted a more nuanced adult content policy, but because of Apple's strict policy for what gets included in the App Store, credit card processors refusing to process payments for porn, and other restrictions, tumblr can't go back to being the porn-allowed free-for-all it once was. see this post for a full explanation of why.

various April Fool's jokes have included Coppy (2015), Mishapocalypse (2013), and most recently, the button that makes crabs. expect April 1st to be extra chaotic on tumblr.

Tumbeasts - the tumblr version of the Twitter Fail Whale, designed by Matthew Inman of the Oatmeal. not sure if they're extinct now, or if the site just doesn't go down like it used to.

Dashcon - tumblr tried to have a convention once. it didn't go well. the photo with the sad ball pit is used as shorthand to reference the disaster that was Dashcon.

SuperWhoLock is a name for the fandom crossover between Supernatural, Doctor Who, and Sherlock, which were all juggernauts on tumblr at one time. the fandom supposedly "died off" after 2014, but see above re: nothing dies here.

female presenting nipples - when tumblr introduced the Porn Ban in 2018, they used this phrase in the community guidelines. they've since updated their nudity policy, but the phrase will live forever, because come on, tumblr is a website full of queer and/or trans folks. if you think you're getting away with a weasel phrase like "female presenting nipples" without being mocked all over the website, you're extremely wrong.

John Green: an author who used to be on tumblr, back when you could edit someone else's tumblr post when you reblogged it. his text posts were regularly edited to make it look like he had said things he didn't. someone edited one of his posts to be about how much he loves a certain sex act, which was probably not THE reason they removed the ability to edit others' posts, but like, it didn't help. John Green was eventually harassed so much he left tumblr. opinions are divided on whether this was hilarious or sad. (something I discovered while researching for this post: the author of the Your Fave Is Problematic tumblr [which was part of the wave of anti-John Green content] wrote a confessional New York Times article in 2021. pull quote: "I just wanted to see someone face consequences; no one who'd hurt me ever had.")

XKit: used to be THE browser extension for tumblr. it was made by "the xkit guy," who seems to have been harassed off the site in 2015. the extension was replaced by New XKit, which worked for a while. these days a lot of XKit's features have been either rendered obsolete by tumblr adding them to its settings, or broken by tumblr interface updates, and the new hotness is XKit Rewritten. want to block a specific post from ever appearing on your dash, see who your mutuals are, stop seeing notifications on one specific post (great feature for if you accidentally go viral)? install it and play around with the settings. there are accessibility features too!

...and now I've made it look like people regularly get harassed off tumblr. WELCOME, NEW USER, TO THE HELLSITE! but for real, part of why I put this post together was so if someone starts in on tumblr Discourse and mentions people who have been harassed off the site, you can nod wisely and go "ah, yes, I have heard tell of this." just to give you some kind of context for things.

anyway, I'm always happy to Explain The Joke, provided it's a joke that I get, so if you see something that looks like a tumblr in-joke and want context, my ask box is open. just don't ask me about Homestuck. I know nothing about Homestuck and at this point I'm not sure I want to.

in conclusion, new user: go forth, be weird, become a part of the culture. I hope this guide has helped!

#anyone who tells me queer is a slur will be blocked #welcome to tumblr #the weird site for weirdos #twitter migration #twitter refugees #twitter exodus #how to tumblr #long post #tumblr history #i feel like i haven't seen a manscaped ad in a while #but they were everywhere less than a year ago #my posts

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ambrosiagourmet · 8 months ago

Note

Feel free to ignore this, but I love reading your analysis and was wondering how you start analyzing things? I try to do it myself but I always feel so unconfident in my interpretations and feel scared about posting about them and them being “wrong.”

Just curious to see how you approach your analysis and meta! Have a lovely day!

Ooh, what a good question! I'm happy to share a little, sure.

Under the cut bc it got long hehe 😅

So my first (and probably the most important) response to this is: it's hard to feel 100% sure that you are totally "correct" about this stuff.

There are always going to be other ways to interpret things. There are things you miss, or perspectives you don't consider. There will always be people who disagree. And even if you are as accurate and totally convincing as humanly possible, there always going to be different types of analysis that you can't cover all at the same time!

I think, especially when it comes to like, doing casual analysis for something you love, it really helps to just follow your passion. It's fine to speak confidently about an interpretation that you find compelling, even if you haven't considered every possible angle of how it could be wrong. It's about what speaks to you, after all.

For instance, the conflict-avoidant Falin post (which is currently the analysis post of mine with the most notes) was largely born from an interpretation of Falin that really resonated with me, based on a couple of points I remembered strongly from reading the story. It's definitely not the only way to look at Falin, and I don't think it's like the universally correct interpretation of her character. But it is the interpretation that got ME interested in talking about her, and in turn, resonated with other people, too!

I have plenty of anxiety about this stuff, so I won't pretend that it's just easy to turn off that "what if I'm wrong, though" part of your brain, but I will say it doesn't hurt to try to start writing. You can always draft a post and come back to it, or delete/private it, or reblog it later to add more context or nuance. You aren't shackled to your opinion forever, much as the internet (and anxiety) can make it feel that way.

As to where to actually start with analysis... for me, it's almost always either a detail, a question, or both.

Here's an example of an Idea In Progress I've been thinking about.

While I was grabbing screenshots from the Nightmare chapter, I noticed that Marcille's hairstyle there is similar to one of the chapter covers I'd also just looked at:

So like, that's interesting to me! Especially since the cover was from the chapter where Marcille makes her deal with the Winged Lion. So then I can start to ask like... what does it mean that there's this similarity? I could tie it in to the way I think the Lion kind of infantilizes her, talk about what influence the Nightmare chapter might have had on Marcilles decision. Alternatively, I could ask, are there any other similar times Marcille wears this hairstyle? Any other hairstyles that are repeated at key times?

Any of which could lead to some fun analysis! Alternatively, it can also just be fun to post about the detail without the analysis. Just be like, "hey, look at this weird thing." Other people might chime in with ideas about it, or maybe it will sparks something for you later! Either way, you'll have an easy reference saved for reference. Even if deeper analysis doesn't come, it's still fun to have pointed out. Details and connections are just. They are just great. And Dunmeshi especially has SO much to dig into.

(Oh, also, quick aside here: ignore anyone who tells you the details don't matter and weren't intentional. It fully does not matter. If drawing a connection helps you realize a new meaning in the story - if it inspires and motivates you - it's worth investigating.)

Anyway, the Adventurer's Bible is also a great place to find details to jump off of. The timelines and little blurbs highlight important events or facts about the characters, and you can then go fishing for other times those things come up or are referenced in the story.

In terms of starting from a question, it can also be fun just to spend a little time with something you don't feel like you totally got. I had a great time doing that with the succubus chapter, for instance. If there's a scene you find yourself kind of skimming over because its not clicking for you... go back and try and examine it! Even if it's just a small thing - an expression you missed or a panel with a funny little joke - it can be just as rewarding to try and pay attention to the parts of the story you don't understand as it is to dig into the parts you do.

Really, in a lot of ways, I like to use analysis as an excuse to just spend time with a story I care about. It's a way to savor it! And if you can write up those thoughts and ideas, you can share them with others, which can be even better. A dish doesn't have to be perfectly cooked to delicious, after all. Go, with Senshi's blessing, and make good food.

And of course, as with all things creative, never forget about Two Cakes:

#ask #hope this helps + isn't too ramble-y #much love and good luck if you do share stuff!!#writing analysis essays/posts is hard and cool and fun #and I think the more people having fun with it the better

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aemiron-main · 2 years ago

Text

the weird creel timelines- an initial post (if you’re wondering what all the timeline talk is about lately, read this)

Alright, so, I started this post a few weeks ago but didn’t finish it until now, and it was originally a reblog on this post from @bylerschmyler and basically this is where all the timeline stuff with the Creels that I’ve been talking about lately originated from (and what @henrysglock and I have been ranting about.)

This is not the full Creel timeline analysis, just the initial post, and because it’s fairly old at this point, there’s more I’ve come up with that adds to it. I’m currently working on putting together the full timeline analysis. But, for now, let’s get into that intial post:

So, part of this depends on whether or not you believe in the 8flix scripts (personally I think they’re completely real and that there’s firm evidence to back this up), but I still have the scripts in my email, so I went and took a look at the “Dear Billy,” script. And I found some weird things. And then I went and looked at the newspaper articles again- and I found even more weird things.

First of all, it’s weird that the Creels are said to be moving into the house in March of 1959- the exact same year and month that the Creel murders are said to have occurred in the show/in the newspaper, which makes it seem like they only lived there for a month.

Second of all, in the script, Alice and Virginia are briefly swapped. We'll come back to this later. Victor puts his arm around “Alice,” rather than Virginia.

As well, as mentioned earlier, the murders are listed as occurring on March 25th 1959, but as I mentioned in this post, that’s extremely different than what the Indianapolis Gazette says.

March 25th 1959 was a Wednesday. Meanwhile, in the Indianapolis Gazette, the Creel murders are said to have happened on Saturday, March 21st and the bodies were discovered on Sunday, March 22nd when Victor was found wandering along the side of the road and escorted back home by Hawkins Police officers.

So, the dates listed here are directly contradictory to some of the newspaper articles in the show, something I'm going to really dive into here in a bit.

I talked in another post about the fact that it’s extremely likely that the lab altered Victor’s memories- and now Victor’s “one month of peace,” comment is looking even more suspicious because according to the script, the Creels moved into the house in March of 1959, but then the murders, according to the script, occurred on March 25th 1959, and Victor was in prison in early April of 1959.

I think that Victor, as of 1986, might legitimately believe that they only lived there for a month. This would track with the lab having messed with his memories, and it would explain why SO many details that are in the newspapers (such as Victor calling an exorcist) are absent from his retelling. However, like I’m going to dig into, I also think that there’s timeline weirdness at play here, and I think that “timeline weirdness” and “Victor’s memories have been messed with can coexist, especially since (and this is going to make no sense rn but will later in this analysis), it Might imply that the “Dear Billy” script timeline and the Weekly Watcher timeline are the same timeline, but the Dear Billy timeline is warped by Victor’s messy memories. However, this is something I’m still not certain of, so take it with a grain of salt.

And regarding the newspapers vs the scripts, I know there’s been lots of talk of Henry’s age and Alice’s age, but what about Victor’s age?

The “Dear Billy,” script puts his age being 40 in 1959 and 67 in 1986.

Now, look at this newspaper clipping from the Indianapolis Gazette:

Victor is listed as being 35 years old as of 1959.

“The bodies of 3 persons have been found inside the home of a 35-year-old Town of Hawkins Roane County family man.”

This same paper also talks about Victor serving two tours in WW2.

“A veteran from the second world war, Victor Creel served two tours of duty in Europe and returned home a hero.”

It’s also the same paper that talks about the Creels living in Hawkins for two years.

"Here is the house in which the Creels lived for the last two years where-"

It’s ALSO the SAME paper that mentions “Edward Creel,” and names Alice as Victor’s wife and Virginia as his daughter.

“-authorities found the remains of Alice, Edward, and Virginia Creel- Victor Creel’s wife, son, and daughter.”

Virginia is also listed as one of the children earlier in the article, and there’s no Henry in this article, only Edward.

"The mangled and eyeless bodies of the two young children- Virginia and Edward- laid deflated and bent on the floor of the foyer."

And this is ALSO the same paper that claims that Alice, Henry (named as Edward in this article, the name ‘Henry,’ does not appear in this article at ALL), AND Virginia were all found dead in the foyer- Virginia wasn’t at the table, according to this article.

"Law enforcement officers searching Sunday Morning for signs of foul play found the bodies of Virginia Creel, Edward Creel, and Alice Creel strewn about the foyers of the house, six miles from downtown Hawkins."

However, possibly contrary to the above, the same article lists only Henry/Edward and Virginia (who is listed as Victor's daughter) as being in the foyer, and makes no mention of where "Mrs Creel's" body was found, and instead, just talks about her body being butchered like a deer.

“The eyeless, mutilated dead body of Ms Creel “butchered like you would clean a deer,” (???) to one law enforcement (???)”

So, let’s regroup- how many possible timelines do we have based on the show, the scripts, and the newspapers? First, let's look at some key information/our sources.

Looking At Individual Sources

The Indianapolis Gazette

According to the Indiapolis Gazette:

Victor was 35 in 1959. This would make him born in 1921.

The murders occured Saturday night on March 21st 1959

The Creels lived in Hawkins for two years/moved to Hawkins two years prior to 1959, putting their move-in date as 1957.

There is nobody named "Henry Creel" in this article. Only "Edward Creel."

No ages are listed for Alice, Henry/Edward, or Virginia.

Alice is listed as Victor's wife repeatedly, and Virginia is listed as his daughter repeatedly. Edward is listed as Victor's son. Henry does not exist.

Victor did two tours in Europe during the war and was a war hero. I'm not 100% sure how long a tour is, but doing a quick bit of research, a tour in WW2 seems to have been 365 days/a year, meaning that Victor was at war for 2 years. There is no return from war date listed for Victor, nor is it listed when he was at war, simply that he was at war for two years.

This newspaper is listed as being published on Thursday, March 26th, 1959.

The Weekly Watcher

According to the Weekly Watcher:

Victor is listed as being 40 in 1959. This would make him born in 1919.

The Weekly Watcher makes no clear note of what date the murders happened on.

The Weekly Watcher makes no clear note of how long the Creels lived in Hawkins, and also does not make any clear note of when they moved to Hawkins. However, there's details such as the groundsperson and the gardener working at the Creel house that seem to indicate that they lived there for a fair while.

Henry is present in this article. There is no "Edward Creel" in this article.

Alice is listed as being 15 in 1959, Henry is listed as being 12 in 1959, and Virginia is listed as being 36 in 1959.

Virginia is listed as Victor's wife, and Henry and Alice are listed as Victor's two children.

There is no mention of how long Victor was in the war, nor is it mentioned when he was in the war nor is a return from war date mentioned for Victor.

This newspaper is listed as being published on March 26th, 1959.

8flix Dear Billy Script

According to the Dear Billy script:

Victor is listed as being 40 in 1959 and 67 in 1986. This would make him born in 1919.

The murders occured on March 25th, 1959.

The Creels lived in Hawkins for under a month and moved into the house in March of 1959. Although there's an exact day for the murders, the exact day for the move-in is suspiciously absent.

Henry is present in the script. There is no "Edward Creel," in this script.

Alice is listed as being 15 in 1959, Henry is listed as being 12 in 1959, and Virginia is listed as being 36 in 1959.

Virginia is listed as Victor's wife and Henry and Alice are listed as Victor's two children. However, this is later contradicted when Alice is swapped for Virginia during scenes/lines during the moving in segment, but they are not swapped for the entire script.

Victor was in France in 1944 but had also been back from the war for 14 years as of 1959. This would put him as returning from the war in 1945. However, it does not mention how long Victor was at war.

This is a script and doesn't have a publication date like the newspapers do.

Comparing Sources

So, what information can we pull from all this? Let's compare all of our sources and see

A.) what information do they have in common?

B.) what information is different?

C.) what information is missing entirely?

Let's start with A.)

A.) What Do All of These Sources Have in Common?

Weekly Watcher and Indianapolis Gazette Similarities

The Weekly Watcher does not mention a return from war date for Victor. The Indianapolis Gazette also does not mention a return from war date for Victor.

Weekly Watcher and Dear Billy Script Similarities

The Weekly Watcher lists Victor as 40 years old in 1959. The Dear Billy script lists Victor as 40 years old in 1959. Both of these would make Victor born in 1919.

The Weekly Watcher does not mention Edward Creel and does mention Henry Creel. The Dear Billy script does not mention Edward Creel and does mention Henry Creel.

The Weekly Watcher lists Alice is as being 15 in 1959, Henry is listed as being 12 in 1959, and Virginia is listed as being 36 in 1959. The Dear Billy script lists Alice as being 15 in 1959, Henry is listed as being 12 in 1959, and Virginia is listed as being 36 in 1959.

The Weekly Watcher lists Virginia as Victor's wife, and Henry and Alice are listed as Victor's two children. The Dear Billy script lists Virginia as Victor's wife and Henry and Alice are listed as Victor's two children. HOWEVER, this is ALSO a difference because the Dear Billy script ALSO briefly swaps Alice and Virginia.

The Weekly Watcher does not list how long Victor was at war for. The Dear Billy script also does not list how long Victor was at war for.

Indianapolis Gazette and Dear Billy Script Similarities

The Indianapolis Gazette lists Alice as Victor's wife and Virginia as Victor's daughter, swapping them. The Dear Billy script also briefly swaps them, although it ALSO lists them properly/Alice as the daughter and Virginia as the wife.

Similarities Between All Three Sources

Based on the list of criteria I've been using throughout, there are no similarities that are the same between all three sources except for the murders happening in 1959, which is a given and isn't part of the criteria.

B.) What Is Different Between All These Sources?

Weekly Watcher and Indianapolis Gazette Differences

The Weekly Watcher lists Victor as 40 years old in 1959, whereas the Indianapolis Gazette lists Victor as 35 years old in 1959.

The Weekly Watcher mentions Henry Creel, whereas the Indianapolis Gazette mentions Edward Creel

The Weekly Watcher lists Henry as 12 in 1959, Alice’s age as 15 in 1959. and Virginia’s age as 36 in 1959. The Indianapolis Gazette does not list the ages of Edward, Alice or Virginia.

In the Weekly Watcher, the date of the Creel murders is not listed, at least not from what’s visible in this article. In the Indianapolis Gazette, the date of the Creel murders is Saturday, March 21st, 1959.

In the Weekly Watcher, the length of time that the Creels lived in Hawkins is not listed from what we can see in this article, however, information regarding the exorcism and the groundskeeper and gardener seems to imply that the Creels lived in Hawkins for at least some sizeable length of time. In the Indianapolis Gazette, the Creels lived in Hawkins for two years prior to 1959.

In the Weekly Watcher, the Creels’ move-in date is not listed, at least not from what’s visible in this article. IIn the Indianapolis Gazette, no move-in month or day is listed, but they moved to Hawkins in 1957.

In the Weekly Watcher, Alice is Victor’s daughter and Virginia is Victor’s wife. In the Indianapolis Gazette, Alice is Victor’s wife, and Virginia is Victor’s daughter.

In the Weekly Watcher, the length of time that Victor was at war is not mentioned. In the Indianapolis Gzette, Victor was at war for two tours, seemingly two years.

Weekly Watcher and Dear Billy Script Differences

The Weekly Watcher does not list the date of the Creel murders, whereas the Dear Billy script lists their date as March 25th, 1959.

The Weekly Watcher does not list the Creel’s move-in date, at least not from what’s visible in this article. In the Dear Billy script, the Creels moved to Hawkins in March of 1959. The exact day is not listed.

In the Weekly Watcher, the length of time that the Creels lived in Hawkins is not listed from what we can see in this article, however, information regarding the exorcism and the groundskeeper and gardener seems to imply that the Creels lived in Hawkins for at least some sizeable length of time. In the Dear Billy script, the Creels lived in Hawkins for under a month, moving to Hawkins in March of 1959 and the murders also occurring in March of 1959.

In the Weekly Watcher, it is unknown when Victor went to war. In the Dear Billy script, Victor was at war during 1944.

In the Weekly Watcher, it is unknown when Victor returned from war. In the Dear Billy script, Victor seems to have returned from war in 1945, as in the script in 1959, he mentions being home from the war for 14 years.

Indianapolis Gazette and Dear Billy Script Differences

The Indianapolis Gazette lists Victor as 35 years old in 1959, wheraas the Dear Billy script has him as 40 years old in 1959.

The Indianapolis Gazette mentions Edward Creel, whereas the Dear Billy script mentions Henry Creel.

The Indianapolis Gazette does not list the ages of Edward, Alice or Virginia. The Dear Billy script presents that Henry is 12 as of 1959, Alice is 15 as of 1959, and Virginia is 36 as of 1959.

The Indianapolis Gazette says that the Creels moved to Hawkins in 1957, whereas the Dear Billy script has them moving to Hawkins in March of 1959.

The Indianapolis Gazette says that the Creels lived in Hawkins for two years. The Dear Billy script says that the Creels lived in Hawkins for under a month, moving to Hawkins in March of 1959 and the murders also occurring in March of 1959.

In the Indianapolis Gazette, Alice is Victor’s wife, and Virginia is his daughter. In the Dear Billy script, Alice is Victor’s daughter, and Virginia is his wife, HOWEVER, they DO swap places briefly in the Dear Billy script.

In the Indianapolis Gazette, Victor was at war for two turns. The Dear Billy script does not list how long Victor was at war for.

The Indianapolis Gazette does not say when Victor was at war. The Dear Billy script says that he was at Normandy in 1944

The Indianapolis Gazette does not say when Victor returned home from war. The Dear Billy script says that Victor seems to have returned from war in 1945, as in the script in 1959, he mentions being home from the war for 14 years.

C.) What Information is Missing?

What's Missing from the Weekly Watcher?

The date of the murders

The date that the Creels moved to Hawkins and exactly how long they liived in Hawkins.

How long Victor was in the war

When Victor was in the war

When Victor returned from war

What's Missing from the Indianapolis Gazette?

Alice’s age, Virginia’s age, and Henry/Edward’s age

When Victor was in the war.

When Victor returned from war.

What's Missing from the Dear Billy Script?

The exact day that the Creel family moved to Hawkins.

How long Victor was at war.

Summarizing The Similarities and Differences And Doing A Category-By-Category Comparison

To summarize the similarties and differences between the sources and the missing info, let’s go category-by-category rather than source-by-source to make it clearer:

Category 1: Victor’s Age and Birth Year

Indianapolis Gazette: As of 1959, Victor’s age is 35, making his birth year 1924.

Weekly Watcher: As of 1959, Victor’s Age is 40, making his birth year 1919.

Dear Billy Script: As of 1959, Victor’s age is 40, making his birth year 1919.

TLDR: Victor’s age is the same between the Weekly Watcher and Dear Billy but confirmed to be different in the Gazette.

Category 2: Date of the Creel Murders

Indianapolis Gazette: The date of the Creel murders is Saturday, March 21st, 1959.

Weekly Watcher: The date of the Creel murders is not listed, at least not from what’s visible in this article.

Dear Billy Script: The date of the Creel Murders is Wednesday, March 25th, 1959.

This isn’t technically the same between all of them, but it’s also not different between all of them because the Weekly Watcher is simply unknown, not confirmed as a separate third date.

TLDR: The date of the Creel Murders is different between the Indianapolis Gazette and Dear Billy script, and unconfirmed in the Weekly Watcher.

Category 3: Creel Move-In Date

Indianapolis Gazette: The Creels moved to Hawkins in 1957, day and month unknown.

Weekly Watcher: The Creels’ move-in date is not listed, at least not from what’s visible in this article.

Dear Billy Script: The Creels moved to Hawkins in March of 1959. The exact day is not listed.

Just like the murder date, this isn’t the same between all of them, but it’s also not technically completely different between all of them because the Weekly Watcher’s date is simply unknown, not confirmed as a separate third date. None of the sources give an exact move-in day, and only Dear Billy gives a move-in month.

TLDR: The Creels’ move-in date is different between the Indianapolis Gazette and the Dear Billy script, and unconfirmed in the Weekly Watcher.

Category 4: How Long the Creels Lived in Hawkins

Indianapolis Gazette: The Creels lived in Hawkins for two years prior to 1959.

Weekly Watcher: The length of time that the Creels lived in Hawkins is not listed from what we can see in this article, however, information regarding the exorcism and the groundskeeper and gardener seems to imply that the Creels lived in Hawkins for at least some sizeable length of time.

Dear Billy Script: The Creels lived in Hawkins for under a month, moving to Hawkins in March of 1959 and the murders also occurring in March of 1959.

Just like the murder date and move-in date, this isn’t the same between all of them, but it’s also not technically completely different between all of them because the Weekly Watcher’s length of time is simply unknown, not confirmed as a separate third option.

TLDR: The length of time that the Creels lived in Hawkins is different between the Indianapolis Gazette and Dear Billy script, but unconfirmed in the Weekly Watcher.

Category 5: Is Henry or Edward present

Indianapolis Gazette: Edward is mentioned. Henry is not mentioned.

Weekly Watcher: Henry is mentioned. Edward is not mentioned.

Dear Billy Script: Henry is mentioned. Edward is not mentioned.

TLDR: The presence of Henry is the same between the Weekly Watcher and the Dear Billy script. but confirmed to be different in the Indianapolis Gazette

Category 6: Edward/Henry’s age and Virginia and Alice’s ages

Indianapolis Gazette: Henry’s age is not listed. Virginia’s age is not listed. Alice’s age is not listed.

Weekly Watcher: Henry is 12 as of 1959. Alice is 15 as of 1959. Virginia is 36 as of 1959.

Dear Billy Script: Henry is 12 as of 1959. Alice is 15 as of 1959. Virginia is 36 as of 1959.

This is the same between the Weekly Watcher and Dear Billy. However, because we don’t know the Weekly Watcher version of the Creels’ move-in date, specifically because we don’t know the year, we don’t know if the move-in date ages are different in the Weekly Watcher vs the Dear Billy script, as the Dear Billy script has Henry moving to Hawkins in 1959 and being 12 at the time, whereas the Indianapolis Gazette has the Creels and Edward moving to Hawkins in 1957 but lists no ages. So, the ages as of 1959 are the same in the Weekly Watcher and Dear Billy, but the ages may not be the same for the move-in date.

TLDR: The ages of Henry, Virginia, and Alice are the same between the Weekly Watcher and Dear BIlly but unconfirmed in the Indianapolis Gazette. Edward’s age is never mentioned. Mom-Alice’s age is never mentioned. Sister-Virginia’s age is never mentioned.

Category 7: Who is Listed as Victor’s Wife vs Victor’s Daughter

Indianapolis Gazette: Alice is Victor’s wife and Virginia is Victor’s daughter.

Weekly Watcher: Alice is Victor’s daughter and Virginia is Victor’s wife.

Dear Billy Script: Alice is Victor’s daughter and Virginia is Victor’s wife.

TLDR: Victor’s wife and daughter are same between the Weekly Watcher and the Dear Billy script and confirmed to be different in the Indianapolis Gazette. HOWEVER, as mentioned earlier, the Dear Billy script also briefly swaps Virginia and Alice.

Category 8: How Long Was Victor At War?

Indianapolis Gazette: Victor was at war for two tours, seemingly two years.

Weekly Watcher: The length of time that Victor was at war is not mentioned

Dear Billy Script: The length of time that Victor was at war is not mentioned.

TLDR: This is unconfirmed in the Weekly Watcher and the Dear Billy script.

Category 9: When Was Victor At War?

Indianapolis Gazette: A date for Victor being at war is not outright confirmed AND Victor’s “I had been back from the war for 14 years” line is not present here (because it’s a newspaper), so, IF we apply that line here, he would’ve been at war in 1943 because in the Gazette timeline, the Creels moved to Hawkins in 1957, and 14 years prior to that would be 1943. However, because that line is not present in this source, we don’t know for sure if Victor had been home from the war for 14 years when moving to Hawkins in this timeline.

Weekly Watcher: There is no listed date for when Victor was at war.

Dear Billy Script: Victor was at war during 1944.

This is the same between the Indianapolis Gazette and the Weekly Watcher in the sense that neither has a confirmed date for when Victor was in the war, but the Gazette offers more insight than the Watcher does IF we apply info from other sources (Victor’s “14 years” line), because the Gazette gives us a move-in date whereas the Weekly Watcher does not.

However, both the Gazette and the Watcher technically don’t have confirmed dates for when Victor was in the war.

TLDR: When Victor was at war is unconfirmed in the Indianapolis Gazette and the Weekly Watcher and is confirmed in the Dear Billy script.

Category 10: When Did Victor Return From War?

Indianapolis Gazette: When Victor returned from the war is much like “when was Victor at war” when it comes to this source, because a date for Victor returning from war is not outright confirmed in the Gazette AND Victor’s “I had been back from the war for 14 years” line is not present here (because it’s a newspaper), so, IF we apply that line here, he would’ve returned from war in 1943 because in the Gazette timeline, the Creels moved to Hawkins in 1957, and 14 years prior to that would be 1943. However, because that line is not present in this source, we don’t know for sure if Victor had been home from the war for 14 years when moving to Hawkins in this timeline.

Weekly Watcher: There is no date for when Victor returned from the war.

Dear Billy Script: Victor seems to have returned from war in 1945, as in the script in 1959, he mentions being home from the war for 14 years.

This is the same between the Indianapolis Gazette and the Weekly Watcher in the sense that neither has a confirmed date for when Victor returned from the war war, but the Gazette offers more insight than the Watcher does IF we apply info from other sources (Victor’s “14 years” line), because the Gazette gives us a move-in date whereas the Weekly Watcher does not.

However, both the Gazette and the Watcher technically don’t have confirmed dates for when Victor returned from the war.

TLDR: When Victor returned from the war is unconfirmed in the Indianapolis Gazette and the Weekly Watcher but is confirmed in the Dear Billy script.

List of Current Possible Timelines

So, finally, here's a list of the initial possible timelines, based on what we know for certain from each source (again this is going to change and expand when I finish the main timeline analysis):

1.) The Dear Billy Script Timeline

Victor was 40 in 1959 and 40 when they moved to Hawkins.

The Creels lived in Hawkins for a month and moved there in March of 1959.

The murders occurred on Wednesday March 25th, 1959.

Alice was 15 in 1959 and 15 when they moved to Hawkins.

Henry was 12 in 1959 and 12 when they moved to Hawkins.

Virginia was 36 in 1959 and 36 when they moved to Hawkins.

There is no mention of Edward.

Victor got home from the war in 1945.

Victor was in Normandy/at war in 1944.

We don’t know how long Victor was at war/how long he served.

Victor messed up in France/Normandy and made the mistake of bombing civillians.

Virginia is Victor’s wife and Alice is Victor’s daughter, although this briefly swaps for one scene in the script.

Alice, being 15 in 1959, was born in 1944, a year before Victor even got home from the war. However, if Victor went to war in 1943, then Alice could’ve been conceived before he left, depending on when Victor went to war and what exact day Alice’s birthday was. However, in this source, we don’t know when Victor went to war.

Henry, being 12 in 1959, was born in 1947, two years after Victor got home from the war.

2.) The Indianapolis Gazette Timeline

Victor was 35 in 1959

The Creels lived in Hawkins for two years and moved there in 1957.

The murders occurred on on Saturday, March 21st 1959.

We don’t know how old Alice was in 1959, nor how old she was when they moved to Hawkins because even though we know when they moved to Hawkins, we don’t know how old Alice was in 1959 in this source.

We don’t know how old Virginia was in 1959, nor how old she was when they moved to Hawkins because even though we know when they moved to Hawkins, we don’t know how old Virginia was in 1959 in this source.

We don’t know how old Henry/Edward was in 1959, nor how old he was when they moved to Hawkins because even though we know when they moved to Hawkins, we don’t know how old Henry/Edward was in 1959 in this source.

Henry is not mentioned at ALL in this source.

We don’t know when Victor got home from the war.

We don’t know when Victor was at war/if he was in Normandy.

Victor was at war for “two tours”/served two tours.

Victor, interestingly enough, is listed as returning home as a war hero in the Gazette, which almost seems like it may contradict his massive blunder (the farmhouse and burning baby) that’s in the Dear Billy script.

Virginia is Victor’s daughter and Alice is Victor’s wife

Because we don’t know when Edward and Daughter-Virginia/”Alice” were born, AND because we don’t know when Victor was at war or when he returned home, we can’t compare their birth years to when Victor was at war.

3.) Weekly Watcher Timeline

Victor was 40 in 1959. We don’t know how old he was when they moved to Hawkins because we don’t know when they moved to Hawkins/how long they lived there.

We don’t know how long the Creels lived in Hawkins, nor do we know when they moved to Hawkins.

Alice was 15 in 1959, but we don’t know how old she was when they moved to Hawkins because we don’t know when they moved to Hawkins/how long they lived there.

Henry was 12 in 1959, but we don’t know how old he was when they moved to Hawkins because we don’t know when they moved to Hawkins/how long they lived there.

Virginia was 36 in 1959, but we don’t know how old she was when they moved to Hawkins because we don’t know when they moved to Hawkins/how long they lived there.

Edward is not mentioned at all.

We don’t know when Victor got home from the war.

We don’t know when Victor was at war/if he was in Normandy.

We don’t know when Victor returned from war.

Victor is not listed as a war hero, but his blunder in Normandy with the farmhouse/burning baby is also not mentioned. In fact, from what we can see of this article, Victor’s time in the war is simply not mentioned at all (granted there are two intro paragraphs that are too blurry to read).

Virginia is Victor’s wife and Alice is Victor’s daughter.

We know that Alice would’ve been born in 1944 in this timeline (as she was 15 in 1959) and that Henry would’ve been born in 1947 (as he was 12 in 1959), but we can’t compare that to when Victor was at war because we don’t know when Victor was at war, how long he was at war, OR when he returned home.

Normandy

This is where it ties into what bylerschmyler said in the post I linked in the very beginning, because if Victor came home from the war in 1943, how the hell was he in Normandy?

Like, Victor returning from the war in 1943 is reasonable enough on its own, as WW2 started in 1939, and so even when considering that Victor served “two tours,”/possibly two years in the war in the Indianapolis Gazette timeline, he could easily have returned home in 1943 if he went off to war in 1941. But that doesn’t solve the Normandy problem, because a.) in the Dear Billy script, Victor’s time in Normandy is listed as 1944 and b.) that sort of conflict, as far as I can tell, wasn’t happening in Normandy with the USA in 1943. But what if we take the idea of “Victor being at war in 1943,” and combine that with the fact that the Weekly Watcher makes no mention of Victor as a war hero, but also doesn’t mention his mistake in Normandy? Almost like Victor wasn’t in Normandy at all, which solves the problem of Normandy and 1943. However, it’s also worth keeping in mind that Victor’s time in the war, as far as I can tell, doesn’t seem to be mentioned in the Weekly Watcher at ALL. So, what if there’s one timeline where Victor returned home disgraced (Dear Billy script), one where he was a war hero (Indianapolis Gazette), and one where he was never at war (Weekly Watcher)? This would also track with the fact that the Indianapolis Gazette timeline doesn’t tell us when Victor was at war (just that he served two tours at some point)- meaning that he may not have been in Normandy in 1944, at all, meaning that his mistake with the farmhouse may not have happened, allowing him to return home a hero. Which, that’s interesting to me, because Victor’s war trauma/mistake is implied to be something that Henry seemed rather upset about (assuming that Henry was even the one showing Victor the vision during the cradle scene, and assuming that the thing that made Victor Not a “good, normal person,” was his war mistake), so I wonder if it’s the sort of thing he’d try to erase by turning back time? By either making his father a hero or not making him go to war at all?

The Massacre at Hawkins Lab Script

Also, all of this gets even WEIRDER when we look at the “Massacre at Hawkins Lab,” script, which is NOT from 8flix and was released by ST production. It gets even weirder because there’s not a single date to be found when it comes to the Creel murders. At all. None.

There’s no move-in date.

There’s no date for the murders.

Nothing.

What the hell is going on here? IMO, this has Hawkins Lab and memory fuckery written all over it AND timeline fuckery most of all, especially since we still don’t know what Young Henry was doing with that clock.

And speaking of that clock scene- remember how I mentioned earlier that Alice and Virginia got swapped during part of the move-in scene in the Dear Billy script (and are also swapped in the Indianapolis Gazette article)? Well, they're not the only ones who got swapped in the script:

"Young Victor" walks over to the grandfather clock in the script, despite the fact that we see Young Henry walk over to it in the show. If it was just this error, I would dismiss it as an unintentional typo, but considering how Alice and Virginia swap places not only in the script, but also in the Indianapolis Gazette article, and how Henry isn't even present in that article, I'm not so sure about dismissing it as a simple error anymore.

Especially considering the theme of swapping places in ST with "Running Up That Hill," and also the fact that the scene of Henry staring at the clock has a really interesting shot setup. It's interesting because we never see through Nancy's eyes in this scene. They've put Nancy into this scene to give us an extra POV, and yet, we don't see through her eyes at all in this part. Was she even seeing Henry? Or was she seeing somebody else? Victor, perhaps?

I don’t think it was particularly likely that she was actually seeing Victor, but it’s definitely suspicious to me that they’ve kept Nancy’s POV from us during the same scene where, in the script, Victor and Henry are swapped. We see Nancy herself in this scene, but we don’t see through her eyes. We do see through Young Henry’s eyes in this scene, but interestingly enough, we don’t see Nancy at all when we see through Young Henry’s eyes (which would make sense because she’s a ghost in these flashbacks, but also presents the idea of whether or not we’re seeing a different scene entirely when we look through Young Henry’s eyes.) Like, look at the shot where the clock starts spinning- that’s technically not through Nancy’s eyes. That’s through Henry’s eyes. We don’t ever see the clock spinning in the same shot as Nancy.

We don’t know if Nancy saw the clock spinning- so I’m not saying that Victor has powers and was spinning the clock, I’m saying that I wonder if the audience got to see the scene of Henry spinning the clock backwards, whereas Nancy was seeing something totally different (perhaps, Victor, wondering why the hell is his clock’s been turned backwards). Victor, who may have been angered that the “demon,” in his house was continuing to mess with his family by messing with the clock.

Admittedly, this last bit is more speculation than anything, but at the very least, the “Henry and Victor swapping places in the Massacre at Hawkins Lab script,” part of it is interesting considering that Alice and Virginia swapped places in the Dear Billy script, AND that Alice and Virginia swapped roles/places in the Indianapolis Gazette article. And even though we have that Henry 1979 voiceover, it’s worth keeping in mind that the voiceover actually reinforces the idea that Nancy may be seeing something different- because the voiceover is happening in 1979 and Nancy isn’t hearing it, only the audience is, so it’s being used to manipulate the audience (likely manipulate them into believing that Nancy’s seeing what we’re seeing, despite the fact that the use of Nancy POV shots vs Nancy face shots contradicts that idea, like I talked about in this post and this post). And there’s also the fact that there’s certain scenes and flashbacks that play during the Massacre at Hawkins Lab sequence that aren’t seeing by Nancy. Scenes like this one (No Nancy visible And doesn’t seem to be through her eyes, And she was supposedly downstairs seeing Henry at the dinner table when this scene played):

And scenes like this one, that are possibly flashbacks from Henry’s own mind/what would’ve been flashing through his mind in 1979 (this scene just shows up on screen when 1979 lab Henry is ranting about “they presented themselves as good, normal, people”:

So, I wonder if some of the clock shots are the same, especially ones that are through Henry’s eyes- shots that Nancy didn’t see because they’re only being shown to the audience/possibly as part of Henry 1979 actual flashbacks that he would’ve been having in 1979 while monologuing. And the Victor-Henry swap in the Massacre at Hawkins Lab script just generally haunts me because we also have a Alice-Virginia swap in the Indianapolis Gazette *and* in the Dear Billy script, and I’m wondering if Victor swapped with Henry, or if he swapped with Edward, and the script swap is a nod to Victor and Edward swapping places in their family dynamic like Alice and Virginia did in the Edward timeline.

#stranger things #henry creel #st analysis #st creel timeline weirdness #st timeline theory

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