#good omens costumes long post

[canisonicscrewyou]

Okay here’s the thing, some of you are asking for the 2019 Aziracrow Cosplay Pics** in my inbox, and upon reflection how could we not. You’re gonna get so much more lore than you could’ve ever asked for or wanted,though. This is a long post, and I almost want to apologize for it. **Pre-HRT baby face pics ahead

For context, Damien and I have known each other since freshmen year of high school, 2012. In fact, we had like no classes together, and whenever one of us mentioned our nerd shit in class the first couple of days, kids kept telling us we HAD to meet each other. We finally met in a history class after they got transferred into it, and exchanged fandom memes back and forth after school on the sidewalk that day until our rides picked us up, and pretty much from then on freshmen year EVERYONE thought and asked if we were two little queer kids dating in our Catholic School.

And of course we weren’t— we just sat in each others’ laps a lot, or grabbed at each other a lot, and were a little inseparable for a while. Neither of us read anything into this. We were also, very importantly, cringey little 14-15 year old SuperWhoLock girlies, only I didn’t watch Supernatural, and they didn’t really watch Doctor Who, and we both thought Sherlock was pretty good. We supplemented our own love for our special little shows for the other. We were so inseparable that Damien’s 1-month-long-freshmen-boyfriend got them a Doctor Who gift for Valentine’s Day. The key to the Eleventh Doctor’s TARDIS. (My favorite, at the time, and also one that I knew they definitely sold at the comic book shop up the block.) They break up with him for giving them chocolates with nuts(allergy), and immediately give my little autistic ass the TARDIS key at lunch. Neither of us read anything into this. This is a common theme.

Damien, at some point, tells me to read a book they love, Good Omens. Due to my brain being the way it is, it takes about 3-4 business years, until college, to read Good Omens at their recommendation.

Damien is one of my best friends throughout high school and college. I also think it’s important to note that they were a jock, and I was a theatre kid. And the only time I convinced them to do something, a haunted house, with the drama club, to share a hobby maybe, they got hit in the head with a lightsaber by a 1st grader and needed stitches immediately after we started.

ANYWAYS.

I get Damien into cosplay a year or so later- 2013? 2014?

But it also takes us years to cosplay together- we would help with each others’ cosplays a lot. By that I mean I built a bunch of their props and they helped by getting the supplies with me and generally just hanging out. It takes us until 2019 to cosplay together.

Good Omens is out on Amazon Prime.

We text each other.

“Do you want to do a couple’s cosplay of this?

Yes, yes of course I do.

And yes, of course you’re Crowley, and of course I’m Aziraphale. And of course I’m Crowley, and of course you’re Aziraphale.”

Pretty much every week that summer, we built our wings from scratch, from wire and masking tape and ethically sourced goose and duck feathers and mall Chinese food. We go out and plan and shop for our gay little outfits. We sit and talk in their car, in my driveway, for ages every time, every night.

Another fun fact: this was the same convention that I painstakingly painted their tits blue for. And also painstakingly helped them wash blue off of in the shower, drunk, later that night. Unrelated, Aziraphale was the first cosplay I felt comfortable in.

Another fun fact: while getting ready for the photo shoot we booked that morning, my family dog scared my cat Almondmilk, and he peed all over my Aziraphale cosplay, and I yelled a bit. Our photographer rescheduled, blessedly, and a few hours later our photographer was asking how we wanted to stage the kiss, since of COURSE there had to be a kiss, but instead we sort of just—

“We’re really good friends— We’ve known each other since high school— We’ve already seen so much of each other this is no big deal— Do you need another shot?”

“Uh-huh,” Our photographer says, knowingly. “I think maybe one more, if we’re comfortable with—“

“Oh yeah, no problem at all-“

“Uh-huh, Yeah,” Our photographer says, knowingly. “Tilt your head up more.”

Not many couples can say they somehow managed to get their first kiss documented and edited in HD.

Damien got nauseous at the last day of the con, and the only thing we had to help were these honey sticks from a tea shop booth. They couldn’t open the little sticks themself, with their fangs in, so I took them and ripped them open with my teeth to give to them. Completely, totally unrelated, though, I think this was the summer I began to realize, perhaps realize once more, that I was so absolutely done for for Damien.

Anyways all of that went SO well, that we were planning every Ineffable Husbands cosplay we could. Somehow, our most logical next choice was a fun and very quick, messy little boudoir photo shoot in my college dorm room, while they were visiting me 3+ hours away from their school.

Down so bad you lovingly pack wigs to go to college with so that you can have your best friend sit in your lap for your little ship.

We did that as Just Good Friends, literally in front of an old friend who took the photos and helped us stage the poses a bit.

We went to sleep that night in that bed. It was big enough to fit 3, maybe even 4 people if you were in a pinch. The bed was not treated like it was that big. (Note, we now sleep on a full sized bed, and it’s suddenly too small.)

And we talked for a while and we went to bed and all I could think about was how much I loved them no matter the sense of the word. And how many nights we sat talking in your car in my driveway for way too long, wondering if I should ask if I could kiss you. (A quick pronoun change, because I know you’re reading this.)

And

Nothing

Came

Of

This

For

LIKE

FOUr

MORE

YEARS.

Just good friends. Just good, good friends.

And that’s how Good Omens helped me realize, in retrospect of 2019, how in love I was with my Crowley best friend.

[agoodflyting]

Why Aziraphale is completely ridiculous in the Bastille scene (and I love him so much for it)

A while ago I posted a comparison of Aziraphale and Crowley's costumes in the 1793 flashback in Good Omens and I wanted to add these little tidbits. (Because they haunt me.)

I feel like most people know this but IF YOU DON'T, Paris in 1793 is right in the middle of something called La Terreur.

HISTORY LESSON If you didn't learn this in school the French Revolution was when, after years of escalating social tension, a coalition representing the working classes of France revolted against the monarchy, violently overthrew King Louis XVI, and declared France to be a republic.

The new National Convention governing France ruled that King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette were traitors to the people of France because of how they had spent ridiculous amounts of money on luxuries for themselves while vast numbers of the lower classes were literally starving to death. (keep the bold in mind - wealth and class disparities were one of the key causes of the whole-ass revolution)

In 1793 (year of the flashback) both the King and Queen were executed by guillotine for their crimes.

This kicks of something called The Reign of Terror (La Terreur if you want to be French about it). A multi-year-long period in which the National Convention goes on a bloody witch hunt for any and every member of the middle or upper classes who could even possibly be considered a traitor by those same standards.

If you A) had money or privilege, and B) had ever used your money or privilege to treat yourself, you were getting executed. Over 25,000 people died during the Reign of Terror, half of them by guillotine. In fact, the iconic guillotine was used because it was physically impossible to keep up with the sheer number of people they were executing in Paris every single day.

Some things that could get you killed (actually and completely seriously) during the Reign of Terror:

Implying in any way you were sympathetic to the monarchy

Having a noble title

Having expensive things

Wearing expensive, luxurious clothes (*cough* AZIRAPHALE)

helping or sympathizing with anyone who did any of the above

a working-class person saying you were mean to them once

And then there's this bitch...

I AM NOBILITY PLEASE KILL ME So we have established that Paris in 1793 is in the middle of a frenzied, state-sanctioned bloodbath in which the working classes are massacring everyone even remotely nobility-adjacent. And in the middle of this frenzy, Aziraphale proceeds to roll up in Paris in this outfit:

How will this outfit get him killed? Let me count the ways...

First off- at this point everyone with even the tiniest shred of self- preservation is hiding the fact that they are in any way associated with the monarchy. The wealthy are straight-up abandoning mansions. The middle-class are plastering over decorations to make their house look 'poor'. The only people dressed remotely decent are the guys leading the National Convention and that's just because nobody can stop them. Everyone else is in 24/7 peasant cosplay or else they are covering themselves in cockades and sashes on to show they're pro-Republic.

Aziraphale is basically a giant shiny white sign saying I AM NOBILITY PLEASE KILL ME.

First off the lace jabot and lace cuffs are both associated with the old-school wealthy in the 1790's.

His coat is also decorated in gold braid and silver buttons, which are both marks of wealth and luxury.

He basically looks like he works for Louis XIV - not just rich, but old school rich.

We know it's his natural hair color, but hair powdering (with clay and starch) had been a big trend with the rich all throughout the 18th century to get that clean white venerable look . To someone who doesn't know it's natural, it would very much look like he's wearing hair powder.

He's wearing shades of cream and white, which are very hard to keep clean and clearly states that the wearer is rich and can afford the upkeep necessary to keep an outfit like that stain-free.

He's wearing white knee-breeches and stockings, also called culottes. See above about laundry and how rich you had to be to wear white, but also working-class men wore long pants like this:

A large faction involved in the Revolution were the Sans-Culottes (no-culottes aka we wear long pants LIKE GOOD OLD WORKING MEN). Culottes are specifically associated with everything the revolution hated. That's right - Aziraphale is literally wearing The Fanciest of Fancy Pants in a city where a group called The Men Against Fancy Pants are running around murdering people.

And then there are his shoes.

Oh god his shoes

I could do a whole post about Aziraphale's blessed little white satin pumps and how ridiculous they are.

Actually I might just do that because this is getting so long and I still have to talk about the brioche.

So I can't remember if it's in the script book or if it's from Neil Gaiman's tumblr, but it's apparently canon (?) that Aziraphale was going around in that outfit asking people where he could get crepes and brioche when he was arrested.

The Affair of the Brioches

So... uh... we've all heard the line attributed to Marie Antoinette- how when she was told that her people were starving because there was no bread left in Paris, she famously said...

It's morphed into 'let them eat cake', but the line is first recorded as, "Then let them eat brioches."

While it's unlikely she ever actually said it, the important thing is that... people in 1793 would have thought she said it. It was used as political smear to show how arrogant and out of touch the monarchy was. Marie Antoinette in particular was reviled by the people of France, who thought she was the main cause of their economic problems. That's why she was executed too.

Bread and brioche and the lines between poverty and privilege were a big thing in Revolutionary France. There was a lot of political connotation to what you ate. The French Revolution came about because of decades of suffering among the lower classes of France. It wasn't something that some dudes just decided to do. The people of Paris have been through years of the absolute worst, most oppressive poverty and starvation you can imagine, all while watching the rich throw money around crazy.

So let us recap.

Aziraphale is dressed so ridiculously posh that he looks like a joke parody of a nobleman... and he is bumbling around Paris during the Reign of Terror. Asking people. For brioche. How I imagine everyone looked at him:

It is so astoundingly tone deaf and tactless. He is basically cosplaying as Marie Antoinette and then going around asking the poor for cake.

I just.... Aziraphale. babygirl. no. oh no. You're lucky they even bothered to take you to prison. I am amazed Crowley ever let him live that down.

I have no conclusion other than this. Aziraphale is ridiculous and I love him so much.

YES YOU REALLY SHOULD SIR.

[qe-podfic]

Calling Good Omens Fan Artists

Our silly little (I say "little" but we have 11 voice actors already and 30+ people in the discord) podfic needs YOU. We would like art to go in the background of the podfic on youtube as well as to look pretty on the AO3 post. Ideally, we'd have one illustration per scene, but one per chapter is what we're aiming for (in the interest of realistic expectations). There will be one "main" illustration per chapter. Read through whichever chapter you want to illustrate and pick a scene to draw. We want you to have full artistic control. So long as it's relevant to the fic, go ahead! Here are some stand out visuals from the fic to entice you:

(Aziraphale in one of Crowley's band T-Shirts | from Chapter 2)

(Crowley gets to have a total conniption as Aziraphale is casually affectionate in the Bentley | from Chapter 5)

(The boys dancing IN BALLGOWNS | from chapter 6)

(Crowley getting caught lathering himself in baby oil | from chapter 8) He's trying to get into this costume:

IF YOU WANT TO HELP OUT, THIS IS THE DISCORD:

And, because they gave me explicit permission:

I AM INVOKING THE NAME @mrghostrat Come on!! There isn't a better stamp of approval in the GO fandom!

[bowtiepastabitch]

Let's Talk Costuming: A Very Professional Midwife/Cobbler!

At last, the long awaited sequel to Avaunt! aka my post analyzing Aziraphale's (and by extension the other angels as well) costumes from the Job flashback!! I knew Bildad's robes reminded me of something but it has been hiding stubbornly in the back of my memories for weeks, and I was doing myself a little doodle and it came to me, so here we are, friends, buckle up.

For better or for worse (depending who you ask), Crowley's costuming for this bit does not mirror Aziraphale's Renaissance-inspired aesthetic. That is, he is neither buff nor naked, as demons are often shown, nor is he a fucked up little guy

Scene from Michelangelo's Last Judgment, Sistine Chapel altar wall fresco, 1534–41 (featuring buff, naked, fucked up little guys)

The historical evidence that we have for the clothing of ancient Israel is spotty to nonexistent. To my memory, there are no real descriptions of clothing in the Old Testament aside from the instructions for priestly garb. (Note that I'm using "Old Testament" simply because Good Omens is based on a Christian interpretation of religion) None of the art from the period and surrounding time/geographic region, of which there is very very little surviving, depicts clothing anything like what we see in this episode either.

And then it fucking hits me.

It fucking hits me like a sack of bricks.

Weirdly specific Children's bible that stirred up childhood memories so I stole a photo from Amazon; published in 1972

We had this one as a kid, as well as several others, and THAT my friends is what Bildad the Shuhite reminds me of. Modern illustrations of bible stories, especially those used in children's materials. Now Christians are god-awful about giving credit for art, so please forgive me when these don't have sources.

Goodsalt.com has a lot of this stuff labeled as 'religious stock imagery'

This is why the style felt so familiar yet unplaceable: I grew up expecting this as the default outfit for bible stories. If you grew up christian, you're probably at least a bit familiar with this weirdly specific style of art. (Side note: if you have any idea where it came from please let me know, but I can't find any older styles of religious art like it. Anything pre-20th century harkens more to Renaissance style than anything, which in turn is a refresh on Medieval) This is, more than anything, in fact best described as religious stock imagery. It bears a lot of resemblance to clothing worn still in areas thereabout the historical region where this takes place, but it has a distinctive flair that the costume is definitely emulating.

The stripes and colors both feel deeply reminiscent of that art style, and it makes total sense considering this is in fact intended to have the feel of a bible story more-so than any other flashback in Good Omens has. Even the odd floofiness of his beard and hair make sense when put into this context and compared against the beards in the illustrations!

We even see that 'illustrated bible' inspiration right in front of our noses, but my brain didn't even process that because again, this art style is so pervasive it doesn't feel out of the ordinary. It was everywhere in the church I grew up in: posters on the walls in the children's wing, in our bibles and our coloring sheets, all that jazz.

The cheery bright colors, which certainly would not be available as textile dyes for another almost 4500 years, add a definite stylistic flair that makes this not only inspired by modern imaginations, but historically impossible. This of course contributes to the larger theory of how the costumes betray the unreliable narrator which I explore in this post and will almost certainly expand on when the impulse strikes me. The angels can be excused as miraculous, but this is definitive proof that what's happening here is at least in part fictitious, and more importantly for our analysis, that its heavily influenced by MODERN biblical stylization.

Those reds and yellows would have been available sooner, though not 2500 bc soon, but that shade of blue wouldn't be achieved until the industrial revolution and the invention of synthetic dyes in the 19th century. It is, however, very popular in biblical illustrations.

And so, friends, lovers, countrymen, we come to everyone's favorite part. What does this MEAN?

When we talked about Aziraphale and his Renaissance-angel-drag-queen era, the biggest emphasis was on the accentuation of his angelicism and holy glory. He's set apart from the humans in a way we've never really seen the angels before, and he also fits in with the other angels in heaven, who are also dressed ostentatiously to the nines. Crowley, on the other hand, does not have his demonic nature highlighted but downplayed. Instead, he fits in among the humans *almost* flawlessly.

Aside from his incredibly amazing and goofy glasses, which I think are an obvious anachronism of memory, he's dressed in pretty much the exact style as the human people around him, a style hugely shaped by latter 20th century aesthetics of biblical times. From a storytelling perspective, it makes total sense for Crowley to be fitting in among the humans, since he's sympathizing with them and even passing himself off as a human midwife/cobbler right under the angels' noses. He even takes a human name!

From a meta perspective, the modernity of the stylings tells us that whoever is narrating is having their memories shaped by somewhat recent events. However much is true remains under question, and there's tons of fascinating time-fuck theorizing to go around, but whatever is being remembered here is being re-evaluated through the lens of the last fifty or so years max, a mere blink in the eye for our angel/demon duo.

Whether it's the not-pocalypse, the arrival of Gabriel, or something that happened we haven't seen yet, SOMETHING has caused our narrator to reshape these memories recently. The overall character arc of Season 2 belongs to Aziraphale, as he struggles with himself to bring to terms the part of him that sees his own good as an extension of his being an angel and the part of him that can see how awful heaven is, so I think the importance of Crowley being more human than ever while he is more separated from than ever plays a big role in the story we're being told and that will hopefully carry over into season 3.

[noneorother]

What do Shax and a 30-year-old Sandman comic have in common? Puns. The answer is always puns.

While I've recently revealed Shax does actually know how to spell, (she's just really old), the "angle" message Shax throws through the window to demand the "angel" one was a little trickier, because it's not Middle English, or even Old French, it's probably the oldest pun in Good Omens... it's latin.

Good Omens Season 2, Episode 5, 2023

Fortunately, a time travelling Neil Gaiman left answers for us in his 1995 Sandman special "Sandman midnight theatre." See for yourself.

Sandman Midnight Theatre, Neil Gaiman, Matt Wagner, Teddy Kristiansen, 1995

"Still, they have some illuminated manuscripts in their library which throw fascinating light on early church history. "Not angels, but angles" eh? I've been angling for permission to browse through their manuscript collection for yonks."

Appropriate for an English reverend to be curious about "Angels and not Angles". It's THE earliest christian pun, attributed to Pope Gregory the Great in the 6th century CE.

Oxford reference essential quotations

It comes from a historical account of the pope walking through a market in Rome, and seeing some exotic slave children (i.e. fair hair and blue eyes, and light skin) from what is now the England, and asking where they were from. The master replied that they were "Angles" (Angli in latin) and the pope declared them to be "Angels" (Angeli) instead, which, in latin at that time would have been a pun. This history from Bede actually influenced a lot of the christian world, so we could conceivably make the point that fair blonde and blue eyed angels comes from the idea that they looked liked the English (who were not christian, but pagan at the time of being newly conquered). Aziraphale's looks in the originsl Good Omens are probably a direct result of the lineage in art of this 1,500 year old pun.

Depictions of angels, 1100 years apart Which raises the question: if Shax is asking for the Angel Gabriel with her note, the pun doesn't make any fucking sense.

Jon Hamm plays Gabriel as an "American", specifically not English like the rest of the cast. He does have blue eyes, but as far as Shax is concerned, Gabriel's eyes are violet, not really a human colour. Shax could just actually be stupid (I guess?) and not realize that in modern English that constitutes a mistake (boring), or that Americans succeeded in 1776 (hilarious). But here's a quirkier theory: Shax knows what she's talking about, and she's gunning for Maggie. If you look really closely, demons show up and start hanging around the street earlier in the ball than you would guess. Once a fair number have amassed, they stay waiting for Shax to lead them. However, even though she hasn't shown up yet, they eagerly chase Maggie down the street from her shop. They're only stopped by Crowley, and Maggie gets safely into the ball.

Once inside, she has quite a stunning change of costume, highlighting her blonde hair and blue eyes:

There's so much more evidence to suggest that Maggie isn't really a normal human, but this post is long enough. What I will say is that it's subtle, but once the demon attack really gets going (no thanks to Maggie), Shax and the other demons never look for Jim once, even when he leaves the mezzanine. They concentrate all their efforts on Aziraphale, Maggie and Nina, and never mention Gabriel again.

While Maggie is a Scottish name, and she clearly has some links to Scotland if a random pub in Edinburgh is buying records from her in Soho, she does have a distinctly English accent, and lest we forget...

———————————————

thanks as always to @embracing-the-ineffable and @thebluestgreen for the tasty links and sounding board.

[captainfantasticalright]

the post about Edwin's clothes was very interesting to read!! loved the framing and info :D

can you make the one about Charles' wardrobe??

I am so so happy you liked it! It was also so interesting to put together!

Definitely will, working on one right now! It just takes me some time to put everything together and lay it out somewhat accordingly.

Maybe you’ve seen it already, but I did one just about Charles’ pins and buttons and patches.

I did ask Kelli Dunsmore (costume designer) for some help with them and she gladly answered, so I can say that at least the info there should match with him!!

Thank you again! It takes a long time to put these infographics together, because I could just do a normal post with photos here and save hours of work, but it’s so gratifying to know that there are people out there who like these slides!!

[astrofhobia]

Who is Astro?

Amazing question! I'll take the time to give you a list of things I usually do. But first I want you to know a few things about me!

My art and content is mostly based on TSAMS as well as FNaF. I'm also in other fandoms like:

Sonic

Skullgirls

Good Omens

Dead Plate

I don't usually mention these fandoms much but I like them! And on special occasions I draw a little about that.

I have two AU's about FNAF and I usually make drawings about them:

Post Mortem ← #Post-Mortem AU

Villain Team and Solar ← #Villain team and Solar AU

1. Design

I want to give a little clarification. When I do a design for any character, like a costume change or creating an OC, I never. I NEVER use other artists' ideas. All my designs come from my mind and if at any time I take someone's idea I will take the time to credit them and if the original artist does not agree I will delete or change my design so as not to have misunderstandings.

2. Topics that I usually address (In art)

Fluff

Angst

emotional manipulation

physical torture

mental torture

Death

Mutilation

Gore

Blood

Mexican beliefs

Mexican culture

Mexican Politics

3. Social networks.

Official accounts:

@astrofhobia / @wearefinallyhere ← Tumblr

@astrofhobia ← Twitter/X

@astrofhobias ← Instagram

@astrofhobias ← Tiktok

I don't have any other social networks. If you see someone with the same name on another social network and you are using my art, it's not me! I don't like people profiting from my art. Please report accounts that use my art and if you're not completely sure if it's me or not, you can ask me directly!

4. Do you want to make art for me? Do it!

I have no problem if you make some fanart with my characters, I'm fine with that. In general I like a variety of themes, I don't care if you send my characters romantically with one of your ocs, I even find it cute!

But I don't really like adult content, I'm not an adult and it makes me quite uncomfortable, I prefer not to see anything about that.

5. I do not like fights.

Remember, I am a minor. Don't involve me in a controversy or any fight that is not directly related to me, I like to keep calm and draw. I don't like fighting with people or causing problems.

6. I have limits for friendships.

I have no problems if you want to be my friend, I am always available, but I have certain limits. Don't ask me for personal information about myself if I don't trust you. Don't ask me for my personal social networks either. I don't like showing my body in any way, not even my face. I mention this from personal experience that I have had to live recently. I repeat, I don't like to show my personal life.

7. I like making fanarts.

Generally, that's the majority of my content. I want to mention this because I have experienced some situations and I prefer that they not be repeated. Usually when I start a fanart I don't mention the artist directly (I know, it's wrong and I'll have to change this) Because I don't like to bother people until I finally have the result. Don't worry, I will mention the artist when the work is finished, not in the process. I mention this because there were people who at some point called me a thief, a copycat and many other words that I don't want to mention.

At no time do I seek to take ownership of the characters, I simply like to draw them.

8. Girl? Boy? Astro!

I don't mind pronouns. You can refer to me with any pronoun, I'll take it. My gender is not something I have mentioned many times but I will say it, I am a woman. But I don't care about any pronouns.

9. Treat me like what I am.

Finally, I ask please. Don't talk to me like I'm an adult, because I'm not.

By this I mean one thing. Do not talk about adult topics with me, I am completely unaware of that and it makes me very uncomfortable. Don't talk to me romantically, it's okay to show affection, I like it! But I hate that you use the words “Girlfriend/Boyfriend, I love you, my love (romantically)” with me.

Really, I apologize for making such a long post but I had to clarify some things that have become annoying to me. I don't mind repeating things but I don't like strangers insulting me for the simple fact that they didn't like something about me or it was some misunderstanding.

I really like the TSAMS community but there are times when I feel bad about how they treat me.

I hope I don't do this again.

[ingravinoveritas]

Just saw a clip of the Staged bloopers and cut scenes and it made me wonder if you'd ever written a post about David saying "you're the Debbie McGee to my Paul Daniels". Non UK people might know that Paul Daniels was a stage magician who was very popular in the 80s and might even know that Debbie McGee was his assistant but they might not know that they were married for 28 years until Paul Daniels died in 2016. David is calling Michael his wife, or at the very least his glamorous assistant 😳🤣

No need to post if you've already written about it, I went quite a way back through your blog to try and check but, well, you've written a lot about Staged 🤣

Hi there! Oh gosh, I have not actually written a post about David saying that, mainly because being a non-UK person, I did not actually know who Paul Daniels or Debbie McGee are, or that they were married (I think the other part of the reason I don't know them is that they were both a bit before my time). So thank you so much for this delicious tidbit/insight! Let's get a visual up here as we start to talk about it:

The first thing I will say is that I have seen the Staged outtakes, and what makes me love this moment so much is that this was very definitely not part of the script, but rather something David said himself, without prompting. He says it so earnestly as well, as if this particular reference is one that is specifically for them but also one that he does not mind other people hearing. David had to know that this could have made it to the final cut, so the fact that he said it despite that fact seems to speak volumes.

Again, could this just be David joking and calling Michael his sidekick/assistant? Absolutely. But it's incredibly hard not to see the deeper meaning potentially at play, especially when we consider that David has called Michael his wife on at least two other occasions. The second instance in particular is still so remarkable to me, because it wasn't in a promotional or media context, but to a private audience. It's further bolstered by Rob Wilkins referring to Michael and David as "the loveliest couple," which again is a specific choice of words. So it does make one wonder if David and Michael have quietly been calling themselves that for some time, at least to their personal circles (a long time, even, given that Staged 2 aired at the beginning of 2021).

Regardless of whether David's comment was meant as a joke or as a sly allusion to the nature of his and Michael's relationship, what I love most about this (and what I think we could all agree on) is that David is saying that Michael is the person he makes magic with. Magic we saw in Good Omens, and then subsequently in a few seasons of Staged, and again in GO season 2. And with any luck, magic we will get to see Michael and David make together for a long, long time to come.

Also, for those who have never seen what Paul Daniels and Debbie McGee look like (as I hadn't), I need to share this picture:

...And also say that I really would love to see Michael in that outfit and headpiece on the left. His hair is as curly as Debbie's, so we can definitely see how lovely that headpiece would look on such a head of hair. Not to mention the pink sparkly I Dream of Jeannie-esque outfit and coordinating eye shadow, which Michael would absolutely slay in. I will never know peace until we see a picture of him in that outfit, and I think he would love to wear it, especially given how much we know Michael loves drag. Couples Halloween costume this year with David? We can only hope...

Again, thank you for sharing this most excellent information, which I hope my followers will also very much enjoy. Thanks for writing in! x

[paperclipninja]

Time and memory

This is more a pondering out loud than any theory or idea I necessarily subscribe to at this point, but there's something about time and memory and the wackiness of both through season 2 that has me thinking and full disclosure: This is not a complete thought.

I have had this post sitting in my drafts for about a month because there's some connection my brain is almost making, but can't quite. And during that time a whole lot of ppl have delved further into the time and set/prop inconsistencies, so this post is a little bit sharing a whole lot of the metas I've had the pleasure of reading, and also an attempt to share my own thoughts on it all.

There are amazing posts delving into the time inconsistencies already (like The ineffable discontinuity of time in ALL of Good Omens season 2? and the other work @embracing-the-ineffable has linked in their pinned post that explores this and @indigovigilance's look at Continuity errors is another one).

Then @cobragardens points out these extremely sus time-related situations in 5 Good Omens Timefucks that Haunt me

Then others have pointed out inconsistencies in prop placement, costuming etc, such as They are out of order by @maufungi and @purplewillowchicken's observations about Crowley's chair in the bookshop

But then, THEN, Neil answered an ask about Crowley's knowledge that hand washing would become all the rage during the Edinburgh flashback and his response here (incl. the excerpt "Either [Crowley] has an understanding of science and the world, or he has visions of the future. Or he read up on the ineffable planning a long time ago. Your call") could indeed be very Gaiman-esque teasing or it perhaps a little bit of a hint.

When you take in how many time discrepancies or inconsistencies (whether this is prop or costume inconsistency/changes or timeline ones) there are throughout season 2 and consider that this is a show that is deliberate and fastidious in it's inclusion/exclusion of any details, it has to make you wonder.

Also, in the book of Good Omens, Crowley's watch shows the time for Another place as, "it's always too late" and it's stuck on one time. But in the series, we've never had reference to his watch in this way and the line, "It's always too late" said by Crowley in season 2, is, to me at least, quite ominous, almost defeated, like it's something he contends with often.

There is something about the way he says that line that struck me on first viewing and continues to on every subsequent watch. It's not just that the meaning is a little ambiguous; too late because Aziraphale is already in danger? Too late because they've always been in danger and they're simply staying one step ahead? Too late because no matter what Crowley and Aziraphale do, they're part of a bigger plan that they have no control over or ability to slow down? All of the above?

The way Crowley says, "it's always too late" comes across as quite personal to me. Like he feels responsible. Or, if we're going to go with some timey-wimey bendy-wendy stuff, it's like he keeps falling short of preventing or achieving something he's being trying to achieve for a long time. He sounds deflated.

And yes, it could be the constant looking over his shoulder and never finding peace, absolutely. As I said right off the bat, I don't necessarily believe what I'm writing is true, but more of a fun little "what if?"

There have been theories about time loops and the idea that Crowley (or everyone) is stuck in a loop, and I could see how memory could come into that. I don't necessarily think Crowley's memory has been tampered with by Heaven or Hell, but the idea that being in a loop impacts memory, and that each time he goes around it shifts or alters memories depending on what has been changed etc, totally tracks.

Part of me thinks that playing around with time loops etc is a bit out of GO universe, but then I remember that Crowley stops time and that is pretty darn significant, so anything's possible?

So what I'm throwing into the mix is this - what if time and memory, specifically Crowley's, are somehow connected? More specifically, his involvement in the creation of nebulae aka space, sort of attached him to different timelines? Or allowed him to travel through time in different ways?

Yes, this is whackadoo, but he can stop time, possibly manipulate it, what if he can jump around in it too? What if, just like Adam resetting the Earth, essentially setting it on a new trajectory and timeline, Crowley finds himself in different timelines at different times, trying to get to the one where Earth is safe, he and Aziraphale are safe, where it's not too late?

And what if he's either not aware of it or doesn't know which timeline he's ever in until it is too late? And that's why he doesn't recognise Saraqael and Furfur. Or, what if he has indeed seen the future and is desperately trying to alter the past to avert whatever he's seen? But in doing so, any changes mean that present Crowley doesn't remember these angels and demons he doesn't recognise, because they are a result of trying to alter the outcomes of the future?

I think this is all far too sci-fi and quite unlikely but, if I was going to humour myself a little more, the comment Crowley makes to Maggie and Nina, that he and Aziraphale have been talking for "millions of years" - I always took it at him just exaggerating the time they've known one another to make a point (which, honestly, I still think is the case). But if I wanted to support my own out there idea, arguably, if Crowley was travelling back and forth through time, trying to do whatever he's trying to do, then perhaps he really does have millions of years of conversations with Aziraphale under his belt?

And that's why sometimes props are different or in different places - something's been altered in the timeline and it flows into the present. Then of course there's the idea that the Metatron or God or some entity is manipulating time and messing with everything, again, maybe *insert shrug emoji here*?

Though I do keep coming back to Neil's comment about Crowley having visions of the future. Perhaps it's not so much travelling through time, as being able to see through time? I mean, there's the whole scene that never happened with the dream of the bookshop standing alone amidst destruction and while it's never been said whose dream it was, if I was a betting person, my money would be on Crowley. Ya know, the one who has visions of the future. Because Earth destroyed while the bookshop still stands would certainly explain the "it's always too late" comment too.

So that's the end of my half formed not-really thought. It seems ridiculous to write such a long post about something I'm not particularly convinced about, but I certainly agree there's something funky going on with time and the memory thing bugs me because it's not consistent enough to be a memory wipe situation (I don't think), but it's been made obvious enough we're meant to notice. Either that, or Crowley is just being a smartass which, honestly, is far more likely.

[canisonicscrewyou]

How do you wing?? How make wings????

— get a sturdy styrofoam circle

— get wire specifically made for sculpture skeletons, cotton batting, ethically sourced feathers and down feathers, nylon webbing straps, and some satin fabric and a LOT of glue

— make general wing shapes

— use tape to give the wings general structure throughout the hollow wire wing shapes (IMPORTANT: add more wire to where you’re taping, if not other stiff material like perhaps thin PVC tubing to give them structure, what you’re about to do is too heavy to not do this[like we did, now we have to add more structure in hindsight]).

— use thin cotton batting to cover the entire wing shapes, your circle back, and all.

— spray paint or otherwise color the batting black if you’re making demon wings

— measure and cut+attach nylon straps so the wings can, yknow, be attached to you (forget if we did this before or after the batting)

— make a bunch of extra large fabric feathers for, specifically, the tips/edges of the wings. iirc I did this by cutting out a double-sided wing shape and then just gluing the fabric together, and then snipping the edges to give it more of a Feathered Look

— glue the dried feather wings to the outermost edge of your wings

— start to glue your (ethically sourced!!!)(or fake ig) feathers to your batting. This works best if you glue the feather, then stick the tip/point of the feather into the batting. I used goose feathers for Aziraphale(light) and dyed duck feathers for Crowley(heavier)(also more prone to breakage)(looks cool though).

— when you get to the circle/middle piece and the… shoulders of the wings(idk wing anatomy sorry) use down feathers. You don’t have to, but it looks really good imo.

— you can also use the down feathers to cover/hide any bald spots, and to cover the sides/edges of the wings

— let them dry!!

— try on your wings and realize you made the straps WAY too big

— even if you measured accurately, you’re gonna wanna pin your wing straps(and the BACK most likely) to your costume.

— iirc there’s definitely some weight and balance issues I didn’t fix with the wings. so take literally all of this with a grain of salt.

— wear your wings ! they should be able to be adjusted/articulated throughout the day. If you don’t add any tubing or rigid wire to support the structure of the wings, they’ll slowly start to drape/sag over your frame. It doesn’t look bad, but they don’t articulate right for photos and such.

I’m not saying this is the best or most sanity-effective way of making wings. but you will certainly have a pair of wings after doing this. And at least in 2019 it wasn’t too expensive compared to other methods. Idk if it’d compare to buying them— I like little projects for my cosplays. I love a little project.

[sweetescapeartist]

A DBS MANGA CHAPTER 102 REVIEW. KINDA...

Some stuff about chapter 102 of the DBS manga I don't really like/I want to quickly discuss. Meant to post this last month but didn't. I'm behind on a lot of things.

All those folks saying True UI is Goku's strongest form... The upcoming chapter says otherwise. Goku uses the silver haired UI form & Beerus apparently views that as Goku at his strongest. Heck, Goku calls it his best move. Good job Toyo for creating True UI (black hair) and confusing fans to believe that was stronger than Mastered UI (silver hair) when in reality True UI is simply UI Sign (black hair) that changed how UI works so it matches more closer to how the anime depicted the technique. UI Omen in the anime allowed Goku to use his emotions, but the more control he has over them, the stronger he becomes until he transforms into Mastered UI. UI Sign in the manga was depicted as Goku needing to be emotionless & stated that emotions hinder the power. This was from the ToP Saga all the way until Toyotaro "created" True UI to function off of controlled emotions like how the DBS anime always has & gave it Omen the name "True Ultra Instinct." [Link to a long post that I paraphrased, so you ain't gotta read it unless you're really interested.]

I get tired of the same expressions in this Super Hero Saga. Its a pouty or surprised face accompanied with an oval shaped mouth. Toyotaro is overusing the hell out of that. Here's a compilation & I left out like 4 other panels with this same expression. (There's more in CH 103)

I saw ppl talking about the poses when Goku & Gohan fight look cool.... Looks pretty stiff imo. At least from what I've seen. Lacks a feel of movement. And you don't even see most of the fight. It doesn't make it cool imo. We've seen MUI in action against powerful opponents. If MUI Goku & Beast Gohan are close to equal strength, why not show actual combat between the two other than the aftermath of clashes? There was more attention to choreography with Gohan vs Trunks & Goten than there is with Gohan vs Goku. (Chapter 103 does better with the combat for Goku vs Gohan)

Toyotaro doing the "this form is called such & such" is weird for me. Seems like he's trying to hype up Western fans or something. Like when Goten & Trunks name Gohan's potential unleashed form "Ultimate." Its just dialogue for the sake of some sort of fanservice. Some ppl will like it, others wont. I just wasn't a fan of it. Feels like its placed here just for fanservice. If they called it ultimate & didn't draw too much attention to it, I would've prefered that. Its naming it but not stopping the narrative flow.

Also wasn't a fan of Goku asking Gohan is his new power was SSJ2 or SSJ3. Goku knows dang well Gohan's Potential Unleashed form is far stronger than SSJ2 & was stronger than SSJ3. He should've just asked "So, what's this form of yours?" and leave it there.

Some Vegeta fans are calling him a proud uncle when he smiles at Gohan & Goku about to spar. No, he is a Saiyan who is ready to see a good fight just as Broly smiled when he watched Goku & Vegeta fight. Is there some pride there? Yes. But Vegeta ain't no uncle figure to Gohan. That's Piccolo & Krillin.

Why are Carmine & Soldier 15 there on Beerus' planet? Goku could have just had his sons & Trunks put a hand on his shoulder then teleported. And why would Gohan see Carmine & 15 who shot at his home & at him, turn Beast out of anger, then hop into the same vehicle as them as if he forgot what happened in the last chapter? It was literally a few seconds ago.

This was just for them to record Goten & Trunks in their costumes (can they even keep up with how fast they are moving?) And it just seems like a plot device that won't matter at all. Anyone remember 7-3 in the Granolah Saga?was there for a moment & served no purpose other than a reference. I bet this with Carmine is for a simple joke to be quickly thrown aside.

[adridoesstuff]

Rating/roasting Death costumes from Elisabeth das musical

So, this, ladies and gentlemen, is somewhat of my small magnum opus. I'm rating the costumes based on how well I think they're constructed, how much I think the design fits Death as a character and personal preference. What entitles me to undertake this task is me being a student of costume design at uni and being a crazy fan of this show

Disclaimer: I'm only rating costumes from the European productions of Elisabeth das musical, because this post would be way too long if I were to get into all the Japanese and Korean productions costumes.

Original (Vienna, 1992-1996)

Love the iridecsence and shimmer the fabric has, love how flowy it is, altough I wish I could see more contrast between the separate fabrics. The right amount of androgyny with the jacket skirt and the super fluffy hair to set the bar really high for future productions. But, it could have been tailored a bit more in some parts and the execution could have been a teensy bit better. A believable unearthly being. 9/10

German productions (2001-2008)

Not totally on board with making the entire costume black, since it can look a tad too plain in pictures, but that shimmery velvet is so pretty. Not sure if I like all of the seams finished by bias tape, leaning more towards no, since it's giving the costume more of a pyjama appearance rather than some luxurious fantastical coat. I love the cut they gave the jacket, because long jackets with trains are awesome, but with the amount of stories of Deaths tripping on it, I don't think a train is a wise choice for this role. The idea was there, but it wasn't thought through too well. 7/10

Budapest production (1996-2005, 2007-)

I love how goddamn shimmery this Death is! Like, it's balancing the line between being too much and just enough, but I love all the glitter going on. This Death looks like some otherworldly alien and for the most part, I am digging it. I love the decoration going on on the top part of the jacket, but I'm not sure if I like how baggy the coat's silhouette is. And I think the trousers could have benefited from some decorations, because they look like they belong to some other costume. Also, some Deaths wear a waistcoat with this costume and for that piece, I feel like the waistcoats are a bit too long. 8/10

1st revival (Vienna, 2003-2005)

Kept the basic essence of the original design, but upgraded it with a cleaner execution and super sharp tailoring. It could have used some decoration, but I am not too upset about that. We lost a fair bit of the androgyny, but I like their decision to go for an empire style cut for the jacket. And the color contrasts between the black and that bright saturated ultramarine are so good. This design is simple, but hits hard and it's iconic for a good reason. 9/10

Finnish production (Turku, 2005-2006)

This feels very similar to the German tour design to me with the long coat, but with more decorations. I like the choice of the braided cording (perhaps as a nod to Elisabeth's love of Hungary by including elements similar to a hussar uniform). And I like the poofy shirt he seems to have underneath along with the fingerless gloves. But I'm not sure if gold was exactly the best color to use for the deco for Death (I think silver would have looked much better). So, poins off for that and for the trip hazard of the coat. 7.5/10

Flemish production (Antwerp, 2009)

An omen of the bland designs to come. Completely destroyed the color storytelling and made Der Tod look plain as heck. At least the tailoring seems decently good. The only saving factor other than that was the glitter on the black costume. 3/10

2nd revival (Vienna, 2012-)

No. Just... no. This is literally the most plain, most boring costume they could have given him. I get that they wanted to go for a more "masculine" look for Der Tod, but even if I was a fan of this approach, the execution is so boring. Like, the tailoring is good, but it's just bland overall as a costume (and you know you've got a bland costume at hand when the most interesting detail on it are two patches of quilted/couched pleather). It's missing everything that makes a Der Tod costume good in my book. This Tod isn't an otherworldly being, he's just... a dude in pleather. If I were Elisabeth, I would in no way be enchanted with this man and his untucked shirt. 2/10

Kecskemet production (Kecskemet, 2021-2022)

A bit unusual, I'm unsure if I like or dislike it. Like, he is very nicely dressed, which I like, the tailoring looks good, but he kinda looks like a pimp (I do like the cane, tho). With skunk hair, which I don't know if I'm a fan of. Also, I'm not really fond Death being in white through the whole show. And those white contact lenses this Death wears are kinda scary. 5/10

Czech production (Plzeň, 2019-2023)

I didn't think I'd like this costume this much, but this is like what the 2nd revival designers wanted to do with Der Tod, but were too afraid to do. In my opinion, this is how you do a Death costume out of pleather. Despite the material, the coat is flowy and has just the right amount of length to not be a hazard. All the little details you notice once you take a good look at this costume, despite it looking very simple at first glance, are so great! This is a Death, who doesn't quite understand the concept of how a human dresses and all those little details hint at that. I like the choice of making this Death styled after a crow/raven, down to that epic feather shoulderpiece. And thumbs up for them not being afraid to really go in with the makeup. 8/10

Bruxellons production (Brussels, 2022)

This Death costume is so simple, but I commend the designer for going for something new and fresh. The tailoring is crisp, I love the shade of blue they gave Death and the choice of a mesh shirt isn't something I would think I'd like, but I do like it. And I like that this Death has some accessories to complement the simplicity of the base costume. And I love the matching painted nails! It's very much something outside of the box of how we usually see Death designed and it's refreshing. 8/10

[kaesaaurelia]

Hustler's Blood editing accountability, chapter 1

I really need some kind of accountability to progress with WIPs, and since this one is mostly written I'm going to try and make myself accountable for the editing. And since it is very very long, I'm going to be at this a while. I'll be posting some facts and figures, summaries, and little quotes I like from the fic, just to keep me honest.

Please block "hustler's blood nattering" if you don't want to see these posts!

If you are curious about what this fic is, it is an epic-length Good Omens (TV) fic, written over one million several years mostly after Season 1, set in Chicago in 1926. It's basically half whump (the Crowley part) and half casefic (the Aziraphale part) and very self-indulgent. The summary I'm planning to go with is:

Heaven tasks Aziraphale with tracking down the nefarious demon Crowley in Prohibition-era Chicago. The city is on the brink of a gang war, in the midst of a violent turf war between taxi companies, and many there are still suffering from the lingering trauma of the Great War. But there are good times to be had, so while Aziraphale figures out what he's going to tell Heaven, he and Crowley indulge in some Roaring Twenties decadence. But when Crowley vanishes, Aziraphale must find him without tipping off the city's own assigned angel, Vehuel. She's determined not to let things in her city get any worse, but Aziraphale just wants his demon back. Meanwhile, Crowley must contend with the cruelty of Hymie Weiss, Al Capone's rival on the North Side. Weiss is determined to kill Capone and avenge the murder of his best friend, and he's not above using a captured demon to do it.

It is not posted yet and will not be posted until I'm happy with it, but it is almost all written (I think I'm going to add 2 more specific scenes) and I'll be talking (with a lot of fic spoilers) about it here.

Anyway. Went through on a first formal editing pass on the first chapter of the fic, should auld acquaintance be forgot.

Wordcount: 6,945 words as of the end of this editing pass.

Song of the chapter: "The Joint is Jumpin'" by Fats Waller

What happens in this chapter?

Aziraphale comes to Chicago on Heaven's orders.

Aziraphale finds Crowley on New Year's Eve.

They make up, and get very drunk.

Aziraphale kisses Crowley at midnight. Like friends do!

Aziraphale then realizes that he is much, much drunker than he thought he was, and that he can't miraculously sober up because of the poor quality of the alcohol.

Crowley offers to let Aziraphale stay with him, brings Aziraphale to his giant lakeside mansion in the suburbs, and fucks up a perfectly good Only One Bed scenario.

My favorite historical reference: The bit where Crowley tells Aziraphale about his friend in Cincinnati who hired people to hijack his own liquor trucks.

My favorite quote:

"In New York they have this... ball."

"Oh! Like with masks?" Aziraphale asked. He'd rather enjoyed those. All the costumes were so much fun, and sometimes the menus were extraordinary.

"No, no, like... big round bastard," said Crowley, with an evocative gesture. "Falls down at the stroke of midnight."

"Oh," said Aziraphale, frowning. He tried to picture this, but it still didn't quite make sense. Not that he was drunk. As an ethereal being, he could put away a fair amount of alcohol, and he could barely taste anything but sugar in these drinks, so they couldn't be very strong.

"You know, like a circle, but more," Crowley added. His evocative gestures were getting more and more patronizing, and Aziraphale wasn't having it.

"Yes, I know what a sphere is, thank you very much," he said.

[mllemaenad]

The Magnus Protocol: Saturday Night

Well, that went better than expected. I mean – there are implications, obviously, but so far everyone's limbs still seem attached, so that is a definite plus.

The meat of this thing, the case file, is interesting, because of how far it leans into a desire for publicity.

We have:

A forum post with a deliberately provocative and arguably supernatural image in First Shift

The tattoo artist who live streams the creation of an obviously supernatural tattoo in Making Adjustments

The crowd-drawing (and occasionally crowd-murdering) violin in Taking Notes

The surprisingly popular horror media review blog that has had all content removed except the posts that detail the author's ensnarement in a supernatural film viewing in Personal Screening

Needles actively reporting his crimes and harassing the emergency service operators in Introductions

The unnamed gambler character in Rolling with It feeling inspired to dress up and cause supernatural havoc in public by getting people to roll the dice

... And now Mr Bonzo

Pretty much everything about Mr Bonzo, really. This was a character that regularly appeared on television. While the situation evidently escalated, it is strongly implied that there was always something wrong with him, both by the fact that Nigel does not know where the name came from, and by Gotard Rimbaeu's disproportionate terror at encountering him. He had a chart-topping song that can still apparently be used to summon him. He has merchandise that is still being sold. And the thing is, he's still making the news:

Geraldine And how do you respond to the more recent rumours? Nigel (on guard) Excuse me? Geraldine The witness statements from three murders over the last five years- Nigel (speaking over her) I told your producer this wasn’t going to be discussed. Geraldine -that claim a person in a Mr Bonzo costume was at the scene? Do you think there could be a copycat? – The Magnus Protocol: Saturday Night

This bit here is clearly the point of this interview. The nostalgia and the laughter were all to lead Nigel into a trap: the big story here is that Mr Bonzo has been seen killing, and they want Nigel to comment on it.

I know this is a reference to a stunt on an actual British variety programme. I think it might even have aired at some point in Australia – but I must admit it wasn't something that was on my radar in the 90s. It's hard to be accurate about something from that long ago, but I don't think I ever saw it. I'm not completely sure how close this is to reality, but I think pretty close, barring the murders.

The point is, this is something that was obnoxiously popular in the real world ... and perhaps even more prominent here. Even if you're not aware of the cultural impact of this thing specifically – and like I say, this largely passed me by – you'll know how this kind of thing can spread. A novelty can consume the public consciousness. And if it's just a novelty – well, it might be annoying after a while, but no more than that. But if it's more than that?

In an odd way, all of this reminds me of Good Omens, and how the gone-native demon Crowley relates to his colleagues:

"I tied up every portable telephone system in Central London for forty-five minutes at lunchtime," he said. There was silence, except for the distant swishing of cars. "Yes?" said Hastur. "And then what?" "Look, it wasn't easy," said Crowley. "That's all?" said Ligur. "Look, people –" "And what exactly has that done to secure souls for our master?" said Hastur. Crowley pulled himself together. What could he tell them? That twenty thousand people got bloody furious? That you could hear the arteries clanging shut all across the city? And that then they went back and took it out on their secretaries or traffic wardens or whatever, and they took it out on other people? In all kinds of vindictive little ways which, and here was the good bit, they thought up themselves. For the rest of the day. The knock-on effects were incalculable. Thousands and thousands of souls all got a faint patina of tarnish, and you barely had to lift a finger. But you couldn't tell that to demons like Hastur and Ligur. Fourteenth century minds, the lot of them. Spending years picking a way at one soul. Admittedly it was craftmanship, but you had to think differently these days. Not big, but wide. With five billion people in the world you couldn't pick the buggers off one by one any more; you had to spread your effort. But demons like Ligur and Hastur. They'd never have thought up Welsh-language television, for example Or value-added tax. Or Manchester. He'd been particularly pleased with Manchester. – Good Omens, Corgi Edition, 1991. p.22-23. Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.

The Magnus Archives was about secret cults and esoteric knowledge. It was about old men and their devoted acolytes trying and failing, over and over, to summon their gods. It was John running into other avatars and getting laughed at, because he had the power and the doom, but he hadn't been properly initiated into the Mysteries, so he didn't know the proper terminology.

It was also about the dead-end job you couldn't quit, no matter how much you wanted to.

The Magnus Protocol is the dead-end job you could lose tomorrow. The apparent high turnover at the OIAR, whatever the hell went on with Karl the former IT guy, Teddy losing his new job immediately after he got it – and Mr Bonzo. Mr Bonzo is the job you lose the moment a new guy turns up:

Nigel Well, there was a different man in the suit, of course. There were a few of them over the years. It was very physically demanding and that wasn’t the only injury we had with it. It actually became a sort of ritual: the newest member of the production crew wore Mr Bonzo until someone else joined. – The Magnus Protocol: Saturday Night

And it's also about freaking out a lot of people in one go.

If I have any theory about this part, it's this: what if the core difference between universes is a desire to be known, and this is because of the way The Magnus Archives ended?

There have clearly been supernatural entities in this world for centuries, at least – otherwise whence came the cursed violin? But it's impossible to reasonably discuss whether these are native beings who have been exposed to something new via interdimensional travel, or whether they are the entities from The Magnus Archives and something about the nature of interdimensional travel means that now they have always been here.

But either way, what if the new thing these beings have is ... a taste, let's say, for the public stage.

The entities from The Magnus Archives were like Hastur and Ligur. They might spend years tormenting one soul, or stage a whole set piece for one guy and have to deal with him just not getting the effort they put in. There were rituals, yes, and they were of a larger scale – but still tended to be desperately secretive.

It was craftmanship, sure, but in terms of nourishment it made them scavengers. They had to catch a person alone, or in a moment of emotional vulnerability, to feed upon them.

Then, of course, the apocalypse happened. And for a while, all the world was their smorgasbord. It turned out that everyone could be afraid at the same time. And while those set pieces still existed, they could shove lots of humans into them at once and torment them all together.

But then:

Archivist Because for the Fears to spread into these new worlds, they would need to leave ours, wouldn’t they? Annabelle If one should leave this place for… greener pastures, the rest must follow. Archivist Leaving us behind in the process, freeing our world at the cost of others.Basira What are you saying? Archivist We can pass them our apocalypse. [MUFFLED DISCOMFITED REALISATION] Annabelle Nothing so extreme. In these new worlds they would exist as they used to in ours, lurking just beyond the threshold. – The Magnus Archives: Connected

That puts everybody back to square one. I'm not suggesting that these beings have a coherent plan for restarting the apocalypse – we might get there, but these are creatures of feeling, not thought, so if we do it will likely be a human plan. Rather, I mean, that they have the feeling that they like being known. It was good to eat well. It was good when everyone was afraid.

And that changes the model. Now they're Crowley, setting up the M25 to churn out a smidgeon of low-grade evil every time someone drives on it. The push is not to isolate someone and work on them, but rather to declare to the world "Here I am".

Several people wore the Mr Bonzo suit. Not for long, but they were all touched by it. Millions saw "Nigel's SOS" (that is on the nose) and – and this is called out specifically – Mr Bonzo was especially popular with children, even though the original joke seems to be geared more toward adults. And all of them then knew about the serial killings. People don't work at the OIAR for very long, at least not usually, but everyone who does is exposed to the horror stories.

It's not the equivalent of being a statement-giver in The Magnus Archives, exactly. You don't have some personally crafted nightmare that will stay with you forever. But you know there are things out there that can hurt you. You have reason to be afraid.

And the OIAR seems to be sending Mr Bonzo out to kill. Kill whom? And why? Don't know. But as I said: he's making the news. And before him there was Starkwall. And they also made the news. By committing a massacre.

In more meta terms, Mr Bonzo seems to fill a similar niche to Jane Prentiss. He's almost certainly going to be a problem, but is probably not the problem with the world. But more importantly the kind of thing he is teaches you something about how the world works.

And he has some interesting similarities: in both cases you seem to be looking at something parasitical. Jane was both seduced and consumed by her wasp nest; and while there was enough of her left to understand what was happening she was desperate for help.

Nigel seems to be Mr Bonzo's prisoner, with the comedy dungeon transforming into a more literal hostage situation. But he's also his livelihood, and his claim to fame.

Geraldine Yes, I was going to ask – Mr Bonzo merchandise is still on sale via your own website. Do you feel at all uneasy about that? Nigel About what? The fact that a few sales might be from people trying to be edgy? A man’s got to make a living, Geraldine, and it’s not like I can tell if someone’s buying a t-shirt ironically. Besides, people think of Nigel Dickerson and Mr Bonzo is never far behind so it’s not like its changing my reputation. In a lot of ways I’m more his prisoner now than I ever was on my show. – The Magnus Protocol: Saturday Night

Jane was a creature of almost pure tragedy: sure, she had problems prior to the wasp nest – that's why she was vulnerable to it – but her descent into monstrosity is marked largely by confusion and distress. Nigel seems actively complicit in spreading Mr Bonzo around, and he's defensive when someone suggests it's inappropriate.

I assume the "worm tracks" Sam and Alice find when investigating The Magnus Institute are at least an Easter egg, although whether they're relevant to any of the current happenings remains to be seen. Whatever brought the place down mostly spared the archivist's office, and that feels relevant.

The return of the tape recorder is interesting, though, because it doesn't fit the pattern of how listening in has worked in The Magnus Protocol. Tape recorders were an Archives thing. Supernatural events would only record on tape. If no tape recorders were available in a given setting, eventually one would just manifest itself.

The situation in The Magnus Protocol has been much more opportunistic: any device with a microphone will do. If you stayed away from microphones – a thing Colin has largely managed to do – it couldn't create one to record you. Of course, tape recorders weren't just popping into being this early in The Magnus Archives either, so I'm not suggesting this is some permanent rule. But Sam and Alice's phones are clearly available as options: the first bit of conversation comes from a phone. But once inside, something makes a tape recorder when it did not have to.

And the other noteworthy thing is, of course ... whatever crawls out of the trap door at the end. Mostly this one is a "put a pin in that for later" situation, because while it's clearly important there's not much you can do with it just yet.

But there are a couple of things.

The first point of interest there is that it pops up just as Sam is talking about not being chosen for something. So is this someone who was chosen?

The second is how the character is credited: [ERROR]. That looks very much how one might see something in an error log; something technological in nature.

Which suggests Colin is right: he should figure out what's up with the computers as quickly as possible.

[averywiseanimatedcat]

Rewatching Good Omens season 2 liveblog

Episode 3 ‘The Clue’ post 3

Previous post link (post 2)

What did they do here exactly…? Crowley froze him somehow and made him suggestible? He can do that? And Azirphale your morally grey is showing again you told Crowley to do that

‘MurdaRrs’

‘More mUrdARrs’

The only way they could’ve made me like Crowley more was by giving him a Scottish accent and they done exactly that. I need someone to make audio clips of all the amazingly accented words in this flash back.

This outfit was also FINE. Costume department really goes bonkers with Crowley and is like ‘meh give him a coat’ to Aziraphale

Stop. His moral panic when he finds out the jar is a tumour from a dead child.

Azirphale is so disturbed by these things which is so hard to watch. But he’s never really seen them, he doesn’t know they’re happening. Crowley is more lighthearted and able to stay upbeat because he’s been so deep in this shit for a long time he’s able to detach. But that just supports my theory that he’s been in the trenches doing ‘good’ things for a while now.

But that’s also why Crowley isn’t harsh to Aziraphale, he knows he’s not mean spirited he’s just ignorant. And he does make adjustments in his ethics when press with facts but it’s very warped because he cannot see the grey.

*Everyone panicking running away to hide from the guards and Crowley is just strolling along with his lamp like some graveyard ghoul*

Unbothered not-lad. We stan.

*Crowley drinks literal poison*

Crowley: 🐐 -👹-🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿-🎼-🤏🏻

This scene has given me two new verbal stims:

“You have sinned VERY BIGLY!”

And

“And not pretendy-good…PROPERLY good!”

In seriousness though he quite literally saves Elspeths life, and he probably changes the trajectory of her entire family line. AND he took the fall for it after he stopped Aziraphale saving Wee Morag. Again, Crowley sticking his neck out to do what he thinks is right. But he also stops Aziraphale doing anything that might cause him problems in heaven.

The next time they see each other is when Crowley is asking for holy water… so who knows what happened to him after this.

*growls when complimented*

Same.

Also casual tOuChINGGGG

Azirphale simp mode activated, you arnt suppose to look at ‘evil’ demons like that Aziraphale…

I love how they both just stared at the phone for ages like ‘no one calls the bookshop’

Then OOP it must be hubby calling gotta drop everything including his precious books… this one was so much funnier cause they just fucking fall all over the place and Jim has 0 reaction

“Good job.”

“Ohhh…you really think so?”

The face of a demon realising his Angels love language is words of affirmation

Next post (post 4) link

[ddagent]

"All I Want For Christmas Is You" [1/3]

Aziraphale/Crowley | Musicians AU | FR12 | 1,694 words     When the friendship between rock star Crowley and crooner Aziraphale is made public, the two decide to leave their labels and make their own music. First up: a song to win Christmas Number One. So, I didn't get a chance to write any Christmas fic before the big day due to marking and illness, so I'm making up for it during Twixtmas! Thank you to everyone who voted for this idea on Tumblr. I'd already started dabbling on this idea (to overcome a swimmy head) when it was leading before the poll closed, hence why this second place idea is getting its first chapter posted now. But the Secret Santa fic is coming; wait and see! This is also my first Good Omens multi-chapter, so I hope you enjoy!

Daily Mail, 26th December 2022 (posted online at 8.42 am)

CHRISTMAS SHOCKER AS ROCKER ANTHONY CROWLEY CAUGHT WITH ‘VOICE OF AN ANGEL’ AZIRAPHALE FELL

It seems that the ‘Sin’ singer is a fan of Christmas after all, as he spent the 25th – not in the Bahamas as he has long claimed – but in the Soho flat of fellow musician, Aziraphale Fell.

Anthony Crowley (53), lead singer of British rock band Snake Eyes, has long been anti-Christmas. His Instagram feed in December is usually filled with images of Halloween, including Crowley’s annual costume party. When fans pushed for Snake Eyes’ song ‘Eden’ to reach Christmas number one, he deliberately removed the song from streaming platforms to not claim the coveted spot. He has also been openly critical of Celestial Harmonies, the label for Aziraphale Fell (also 53), whose dulcet tones have graced many a Christmas album since he burst onto the scene in 1990.  

However, it appears that Crowley and Fell have been hiding a secret friendship. Fans snapped these shots (see below) of the pair in a Soho coffee house on Christmas Eve, with Crowley in a suitably gothic Christmas jumper and Fell struggling with his hot chocolate. According to one eye witness, Crowley and Fell then left together for Fell’s Soho flat – where the pair loudly sang Christmas songs to the chagrin of Fell’s neighbours. A drunken rendition of ‘All Alone at Christmas’ seemed to spark the most ire on the Whickber Street Facebook Group.

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