#herald contest

[eurovision-facts]

Eurovision Fact #484:

All but one of the featured dancers from the "Herald of Darkness" interactive music video from the game Alan Wake II have danced in UMK, Finland's national final for Eurovision.

Dancer Katri Käpynen was also a dancer in a music video for the 2022 Finnish representatives, The Rasmus, though not for their Eurovision entry.

[Sources]

Old Gods of Asgard - Herald of Darkness (Alan Wake 2 | Official Music Video), YouTube.com.

Ida Laukkanen, IMDb.com.

Rikka Nummijoki, IMDb.com.

Katri Käpynen, IMDb.com.

Lotta Mäkinen, IMDb.com.

Joa Jokinen, IMDb.com.

#esc facts oc #eurovision #eurovision song contest #esc #eurovision facts oc #Ida Laukkanen #Rikka Nummijoki #Katri Käpynen #Lotta Mäkinen #Joa Jokinen #alan wake 2 #alan wake ii #alan wake #herald of darkness #the rasmus #poets of the fall #old gods of asgard

[hyperesthesias]

I'm surprised no one has put Viktor to Given Up by Linkin Park yet. Peak Machine Herald lyrics.

#also i need the council to know that my phone autocorrected Viktor to bottom at first #and honestly i can't contest it #viktor #viktor arcane #machine herald #viktor the machine herald #league of legends #arcane #netflix arcane #machine herald viktor #viktor fanfic #plus the metal chains sound throughout the song? #mwah #perfection #glorious evolution

[iguanodont]

Meant to make this my final post of the year, but I guess it’ll have to be my first instead! A look at part of a birg end-of-year tradition.

The Wis’Sachoi are a culture far to the west of the Twowi, where they exist fairly peacefully on the coast of a large inland sea. Come autumn the gifters (bachelors) herald the mating season by arriving to clans towns in bulky costumes made of sticks and reeds. They chase kids and animals, knock things over, and sing playfully that life away from the village has made them course and wild; won’t somebody please trim their shaggy hair and crooked claws? Young receivers (the ladies) don spiny cowls of woven branches in a cheeky imitation of the spiked armor worn by beast hunters of legend, to engage the “monsters” in games of song and wordplay. Should the beast court the wrong individual, or insult his quarry, or make too much mischief around the village, the elders are ready to chase him off with sticks. When a “beast” and “hunter” have successfully matched wits, the hunter will approach with beak scissors, so that she may snip away at the reeds covering her partner’s face in a tender gesture of allogrooming. Then her sisters and elders help tear away the rest of the costume, making the suitor fit to live among the clan again. The night ends with the burning of the reeds and a communal meal.

Courtship games such as this are just the first in a series of events held for around nine days, which include bachelors presenting gifts for the children and elders of the village, a fishing contest, and lots of feasting. Many of these gifts arrive in the form of exotic spices and other ingredients collected over the past year of trading abroad. Though it is tradition for courting pairs to consummate on the final night, it is not uncommon for a gifter to offer his spermatophore to several partners before the end of the festival period. After the final night concludes, Wis’Sachoi bachelors are granted the privilege of hibernating with their temporary in-laws.

As birgs generally sleep through the winter, fall and early-winter events such as these are the closest most cultures come to the sort of midwinter holidays observed on earth.

—————

For more worldbuilding (mostly creature) posts or to see what im up to on discord, I do have a patreon, where I post weekly!

I also have new stickers up on my kofi, or you can get prints of my art here, for those interested!

#birgworld #worldbuilding #birdbugs #speculative biology #xenofiction #first post of 2024 let’s gooo

[thenationview]

SmartFilms Festival and Kwai reward film talent in Colombia

SmartFilms Festival and Kwai reward film talent in Colombia

By Emmanuel Amaya SmartMovies It is a space to create cinema with mobile phones in which content creators, actors, directors and screenwriters with passion for the audiovisual world from all regions of the country meet. In each of its editions, the event has been characterized as a means of promoting the creation of inclusive audiovisual content, which, for example, people with impaired hearing…

View On WordPress

#Article #Cinema #content creators #Contest #entertainment #film festival #Kuwait #the herald

[allmythologies]

mythology parent & child: hermes & angelia

hermes is the god of herds and flocks, travellers and hospitality, roads and trade, thievery and cunning, heralds and diplomacy, language and writing, athletic contests and gymnasiums, astronomy and astrology. angelia is the personified spirit of messages, tidings and proclamations.

#greek mythology #hermes #angelia #gods and goddesses #greekmythologyedit #greekmythedit #mythologyedit #mythedit #greekedit #*mine*

[pokepollsters]

Best Pokémon Protagonist Tournament- Round 2: Match 1

First up in Round 2, we have Kris, our first lucky contestant who skipped the first matches! Facing her down is Serena, who took down Kris' counterpart in Ethan.

Kris was the first female protagonist, so a lot of the girls winning in the tournament have a lot they owe to her, but Serena heralded in an era of trainer customisation we still enjoy today! Who will prove more popular?

#best protag tournament #pokemon #polls #kris #serena

[siflshonen]

Omg, could you tell us more about your experience at the con? how did they find out about the manga development?

Uh, okay, so some context is necessary here. lemme just copy-paste what I told my friend in the chat real quick.

This weekend I had the pleasure of being a guest handler for the cosplay contest judges at Tora-Con this year (look them up - they're all incredible!) and after the awards ceremonies, me and one of the judges hit up the day-ending Yaoi for 300 panel, which was hosted by the cheerily gay cosplay contest emcee dressed as Alfred Fire Emblem - er, mostly. The panel began with him kicking up his feet, looking to his co-host, ripping off his wig and saying, "It's been a day. Pass me the yaoi!"

Basically, the panelists had organized BL, yaoi, and “yaoi” titles and popular ships into goofy categories (wholesome, doomed, toxic, Baby's First Yaoi, divorced, old man, rivals, toxic and doomed, Komaeda, musical, etc.) with a different pairing (fanon, canon, whatever) per slide. As each popped up, the audience laughed, cheered, booed, whatever-ed in response. “Yaoi” was used loosely and of course there were slides for stuff like Supernatural, Sherlock, the red and yellow M&Ms, Bert and Ernie, Metal Gear Solid, Homestuck, Genshin Impact... Very broad and meant to garner reactions. In many ways it was a retrospective of the Greatest Hits of popular guyxguy ships on Tumblr, so for a lot of attendees it was really more like a walk down memory lane.

So like. They had several “My Hero yaoi” items in there like DabiHawks (which got a big reaction! The people love HotWings!), TodoDeku (got a polite reaction), KiriBaku (a mild reaction and some awwwwwws.) (The guest with whom I was attending with politely claps but shakes their head at TodoDeku, so after I was polite and was like, “I just like Todoroki to be included”, I then was more honestly like, “but dude it’s BakuDeku or nothin’!” and they were like, “Thank you. Thank goodness.” I didn't realize it then, but this moment heralded what was to come.)

Finally, near the end of the panel, BakuDeku comes up (with the anime still of Izuku as Katsuki's cane, of course) and the room FUCKING ROARS.

Our hosts (who evidently don't closely follow the series) go wide-eyed and then, after a pause, wigless Alfred Fire Emblem tries to take back the energy and goes, “Oh, so you make a big reaction for THAT?!” and it turns out I am not the only manga reader in attendance because then like half the room - myself, my escorted guest, and two other folks at our table at the center-front of the room included - scream in perfect synchronicity, “THAT ONE’S REAL!!!!!!!!!"

A person at my table - clearly also an anime-only - says with the playful innocence only an individual with a kind and sugar-sweet romantic heart can possess, “No! They were right with the KiriBaku! :)” and then turns to meet me and my guest's and another girl's eyes, and I watched as theirs widened in fear as we all looked them dead-on and said, “No, you don’t understand. THIS one is real.”

And the room got REAL quiet until the hosts changed slides to, like, I dunno, Gravitation or Yugioh or something and the energy picked back up.

#ask #bakudeku #tora-con #toracon #yaoi #yaoi for 300 panel #super fun panel I highly recommend #I've been told I should play dramatical murder and I might just for the giggles #i didn't know who yaoi jesus was #I don't interact with a lot of actual BL and yaoi I'm sorry #i just like my oft-homoromantic shonen series

[pollenallergie]

Eddie-isms

Since the last set of miscellaneous best friend!Eddie headcanons I posted did so well, I figured I’d type up some more. :)

18+

do not interact if you’re under 18 years old!

Eddie makes fun of you for being lactose intolerant. “Bunny, you can’t even digest ice cream correctly. It’s like god wanted you to live a joyless life.” <3

Eddie sneezes obnoxiously loud. He doesn’t really do it on purpose, he’s just a naturally loud sneezer. <3

Remember how I said Eddie loves naps? Yeah, if he gets bored with whatever he’s doing, he’ll just drag you back to the bedroom for an impromptu nap and you kind of just have to accept it. <3

Eddie will challenge you to a burping contest and he expects you to put in genuine effort every single time because “this is not a game, this is serious shit.” <3

Eddie takes periodic breaks from smoking and drinking to make sure that he doesn’t build up too high of a tolerance. During these breaks he simply replaces drugs with sugar, which is somehow worse. He’s like a hyper little kid on Halloween night. <3

Eddie still goes to a pediatrician/family medicine doctor and he gets very upset when they don’t offer him a lollipop and a sticker at the end of his appointment. “Why did I even show up? What’s the point in me even being here if they’re not gonna give me anything, jitterbug? I really fucking wanted that Gandalf sticker. This is horseshit.” <3

Eddie calls french toast “eggy-loaf.” No one knows where he got that name from, but he’s been calling it that for as long as you’ve known him. <3

Eddie’s gotten poison ivy way too many times to count. He got it on his dick twice in the summer of ‘84. Wayne laughed at him both times. <3

Most of the mugs in the Munsons’ collection are technically Wayne’s, but the Garfield mug? That’s 100% Eddie’s. He got it on a road trip with Wayne when he was ten and has heralded it as one of his most prized possessions ever since. Interestingly, when Eddie drinks coffee in the morning, he uses one of Wayne’s mugs because he refuses to use his special Garfield mug for anything other than hot cocoa and soup. One time you made the mistake of brewing Eddie some tea in his Garfield mug while he was sick. Of course, Eddie still drank the tea because he’s not wasteful, but he did so while glaring at you ceaselessly. <3

Eddie is a lighter thief… and a scrunchie thief… and a pencil thief… and a t-shirt thief. Basically anything that you own also belongs to Eddie and he will take it without warning. In his defense, he doesn’t mean to steal anything from you, he just borrows your stuff and forgets to give it back to you. <3

Eddie draws little sketches for you all the time. For example, he once drew you a picture of your favorite flower cradled in the bony hand of a skeleton; it was actually insanely good. However, instead of giving them to you like a normal person, he folds them into paper airplanes and throws them at you as hard as he can. <3

Eddie says “safety” every single time he farts. <3

Eddie almost always has a tiny piece of gravel caught in his shoe, it’s the bane of his existence. <3

Eddie is surprisingly strong (as we all know) and he uses that strength for nefarious purposes, like body slamming you onto the couch for no fucking reason; something he does almost daily. He always finishes this epic move by pinning you down and counting to three. Then he’ll spend the next two minutes celebrating his “victory.” <3

When Eddie gets really excited, he’ll grab your hand and squeeze it just a little too tight. He doesn’t even really mean to do that, or at least he doesn’t mean to squeeze quite so hard, but he can’t really contain himself when he gets all hyped up. <3

You’ve learned not to talk about how heavy/big you are around Eddie because he almost sees it as a challenge. “What, so you think I can’t pick you up? You think I can’t lift that much? You think I’m a whimp, huh?” He’ll then hoist you into the air just to prove a point. <3

Also, whenever you talk badly about yourself in front of him, he makes you say three things that you like about yourself off the top of your head. It’s a trick that you started using on him during the dark days of puberty and, honestly, you regret teaching it to him. <3

Eddie is insanely competitive when it comes to board games, especially Pictionary. <3

Eddie often randomly challenges you to thumb wars and, when you don’t accept, he pouts like a baby. <3

Whenever Eddie’s hands get cold, he’ll sneak up behind you and press them against your cheeks or the back of your neck just to shock you. <3

Eddie loves it when you torment him like he does to you because he thinks you look especially beautiful when you’re being ornery. <3

Eddie talks about you to the new Hellfire members as if you’re dead and not just away at college. “Our very own Hellfire queen, the beloved bearer of snacks, may her memory live on forever,” He declares theatrically. “Oh, damn, how’d she die?” One of the freshmen asks. Gareth sighs, “She’s not dead, Munson’s just a dweeb.” <3

He impersonates Yoda… like a lot, one could even say he does it a little too often. <3

“Grub, can you turn your music down a bit? I’m trying to study.” “Do or do not. There is no try.” “Eddie!” <3

Also slips into Shakespearean mode every now and then. <3

“Hey, grub, should I wear my hair up or down with this dress?” “To wear it up or to wear it down, that is the question.” “Dude, you’re such a dork.” <3

He’s tried to create a special friendship handshake for the two of you multiple times, but the problem is he makes them way too complicated so neither of you can remember them. <3

Any time you have ever worn a two piece swimsuit in front of him, he’s blown a raspberry on your tummy. He doesn’t do it to embarrass you or to make you feel insecure about your belly, quite the opposite, he likes your belly so much that he can’t suppress the primal urge to blow a raspberry on it every time he sees it. In his mind, it makes perfect sense, but, in yours, not so much. <3

Eddie physically cannot go twenty-four hours without seeing you or, at least, talking to you on the phone. <3

Eddie will take you and your friends to see a rom-com if you ask him too. If it’s good enough, he’ll even secretly enjoy it too. <3

Eddie actually really enjoys hanging out with you and your friends, so much so that he’ll forever be bitter about the fact that he’s not allowed to come to your group sleepovers. Of course, you want to invite him, but they typically take place at one of your friends houses and, given that he is a dude that’s attracted to women and that has the capacity to knock up the majority of your friend group, none of their parents are super fond of the idea of him spending the night with you guys. He gets it, obviously not everyone can be as forward thinking as your angel of a mom, but it still sucks nonetheless. </3

You try to make up for that by doing some of the same activities at your sleepovers with him; face masks, hair braiding, makeovers, taking the quizzes in your copy of this month’s issues of Cosmopolitan and Seventeen Magazine, etc. Honestly, Eddie has had to lie on so many of those goddamn quizzes, just so you wouldn’t find out that he’s hopelessly in love with you. <3

Eddie makes NPCs for his Hellfire campaigns that are inspired by you; it’s his way of including you in the campaigns while you’re away at college. He’ll even fill you in on how your NPCs are fairing in the campaigns every Friday over the phone after he gets home from the club’s meetings. <3

Eddie kinda uses Philby as his therapist. Whenever he’s had a hard day, he’ll take your dog on a long walk, talking through whatever’s on his mind all the while. You accidentally caught them in the midst of one of these therapy sessions once and Eddie’s face went beet red from embarrassment. <3

Eddie’s brain short-circuits every single time you boop his nose (which is often, because how could you not?). It’s like his reset button. He’ll just be rambling on and on about something, most likely either an upcoming campaign or a sick guitar riff he came up with the other day, and you’ll just give that sweet little nose of his a quick, audible boop and suddenly the words are dying on his tongue. His cheeks flush a sweet rosy hue and his mouth parts in an inaudible gasp. It’s a rare moment of speechlessness for him, as if that one affectionate touch was enough to halt his ever-racing thoughts. Unfortunately, the more often you boop his nose, the more quickly he begins to recover, but that initial moment of quiet shock never fully goes away. <3

When Eddie was a kid, he couldn’t keep a secret to save his life. The holiday season was always so stressful for him because he constantly had to fight the urge to tell people what he’d made for them. In fact, back then, you all frequently received your presents from him weeks before Christmas because, as soon as he would finish making them, he’d get so excited to give them to you that he just couldn’t wait. <3

Now that he’s older, Eddie’s gotten way too good at keeping secrets… for the most part. If someone confides in him about something serious or wholly private in nature, then he’ll take that shit to the grave with him, won’t tell a single soul about it. However, when it comes to less severe secrets, Eddie tends to make an exception, at least for you. Case in point, you know about all of the Hellfire boys’ crushes simply because Eddie cannot keep his big mouth shut. <3

Eddie has this general disposition about him that just makes it so easy to confide in him and many of his customers frequently take advantage of that, venting to him about their shitty parents or opening up to him about whatever’s stressing them out. He always listens to them attentively and without judgment, and, occasionally, he’ll even offer them some genuinely good advice. Truthfully, Eddie gives great advice, the problem is that he often doesn’t follow this advice himself. <3

Eddie writes poetry and, sometimes, he’ll even read his poems to you, but only the ones that he’s really confident in and that, importantly, are not about you. <3

Eddie’s not worried about being stuck in the friend zone, mostly because he’s worried about a second, worse thing: the brother zone. Due to how close your families are and how long you’ve known each other, Eddie worries that you see him as nothing more than a brotherly figure and the thought of that kills him because is it even possible to get out of the brother zone?? The way Eddie sees it, at least the friend zone might, maybe have the potential for future upward mobility. The brother zone, however, might as well be a limitless vat of swiftly drying cement, because once you’re there, you’re there for life. </3

Given how close Eddie and your mom are, she’s told him many times that, if he’s comfortable with it, he can call her mom. However, Eddie refuses to do that. Not because he’s uncomfortable with it, but because he refuses to do anything to further increase his chances of ending up in the goddamn brother zone. </3

He’s irrationally afraid of ladybugs. Whenever one lands near him, he freaks out, much like most people do when wasps start buzzing around them. Unlike most people, he’s not too bothered by wasps, just ladybugs. Fuck ladybugs. <3

Eddie really enjoys baths, but his trailer doesn’t have a tub, so your mom lets him use the one in her trailer while she’s at work. He’d spend all day there if he could. However, he also gets really lonely, so he forces you to sit just outside the bathroom, talking to him through the closed door. <3

He also gets lonely while he poops, but he feels like asking you to sit on the other side of the door to talk to him while he poops is just a tad too intimate, so, while the two of you are still just friends, he’ll make do with reading the ingredients on your shampoo bottle. But if (when) the two of you ever start dating, that shit will be fair game (pun intended?). <3

Eddie likes to play footsie with you whenever you’re sat across from each other at a table. It doesn’t matter if the two of you are eating at your favorite diner, reading books at the public library, or simply sitting across from each other at the kitchen table, sipping on some coffee, the man will initiate it anywhere. This is also to his detriment, though, because it means that he ends up with a lot of awkward boners in public places. Oopsie. <3

He likes letting you do his makeup and paint his nails. Really, the man will take any opportunity for you to dote on him. <3

He secretly loves it when you call him Eddie Bear or Teddy, but he’ll never tell you that. <3

He spends way too much time looking at you, studying and admiring all the features that make up your pretty face. How you fail to notice his incessant staring is beyond him. <3

Eddie very much enjoys clinging onto you like a sloth. Oddly enough, he kinda wishes that he could go eight days without needing to poop or eat, like sloths can, just so he could get to really maximize the amount of time that he gets to hold you. <3

Eddie’s weird, really weird. Adorable and unexpectedly charming, but also weird. He worries that he’s off-putting, but your mom tells him that he’s just eccentric and that the right person will like that about him. He hopes that person is you. <3

He’s kind of obsessed with you; talks about you all the time, craves your attention 24/7, would do anything for you, etc. Just as Eddie used to say when he was little, he loves you long time. <3

Eddie Munson is the biggest hopeless romantic on this side of the Mississippi River. <3

#jitterbug and grub #eddie munson x reader #best friend au #best friend!eddie #best friend!eddie munson #eddie munson #eddie munson thoughts #stranger things #stranger things 4 #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson hc #eddie munson x reader fluff #eddie stranger things #eddie munson headcanon #eddie munson headcanons #stranger things hc #stranger things fluff #stranger things au #stranger things vol 4 #pol’s greatest hits

[adventure-showdown]

What is your favourite Doctor Who story?

ROUND 1 MASTERPOST

synopses and propaganda under the cut

Time and the Rani

Synopsis

The First Rani has returned after her last encounter with the Doctor, with yet another malicious scientific scheme.

Taking advantage of the post-regenerative trauma the recently regenerated and unstable Doctor is going through, the Rani hopes to achieve control of an approaching asteroid composed entirely of strange matter.

Can the Doctor figure out he is being used for the Rani's evil experiment, and what is behind the door the Rani won't allow the Doctor past?

Propaganda no propaganda submitted

Paradise Towers

Synopsis

The Doctor and Mel decide to visit Paradise Towers, a residential complex that promises a peaceful life to its residents. However, the establishment is far from what its name suggests. A conflict persists among the Kangs, humanesque, multicolour beings who gather in opposing gangs based on which colour of the rainbow they bear. Furthermore, killer cleaning robots prowl the halls, and a secret in the complex's basement poses the greatest threat of all...

Propaganda no propaganda submitted

Delta and the Bannermen

Synopsis

Boarding a Nostalgia Tours bus, the Doctor and Mel go for a holiday. They will soon learn that their fellow passenger Delta is a Chimeron Queen, fleeing from the Bannermen who wish to make her species extinct. Thus, the time travellers' trip to Shangri-La turns into a battle against genocide...

Propaganda no propaganda submitted

Dragonfire

Synopsis

As trouble brews on the space trading colony of Iceworld, the Doctor and Mel encounter their sometimes-ally Sabalom Glitz - and a new friend who goes by "Ace".

Propaganda no propaganda submitted

Silver Nemesis

Synopsis

The arrival of a mysterious comet heralds impending danger from enemies both old and new. As Ace helps the Doctor defend Earth, she is confronted with a dangerous question... "Doctor Who?"

Propaganda no propaganda submitted

The Greatest Show in the Galaxy

Synopsis

The Seventh Doctor and Ace head for the Psychic Circus on the planet Segonax, where they meet a disparate group of performers and visitors, including a self centred explorer named Captain Cook, his companion Mags and a biker known as Nord.

The circus itself is dominated by the sinister chief clown and his deadly troupe of robot clowns, who organise a talent contest in which all visitors take part. The audience consists of just a single strange family — mother, father and daughter — seated at the ringside. Although hindered by the treacherous Cook, the Doctor eventually discovers that the Circus hides a terrible secret: the family are in reality the Gods of Ragnarok, powerful creatures with an insatiable craving for entertainment who invariably destroy those who fail to please them.

With Ace's help, the Doctor ends the gods' influence on Segonax and returns the circus to the control of its original owners.

Propaganda no propaganda submitted

#round 1

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

By 

Joe Marino , Chris Harris , Isabel Vincent, Chris Nesi and Emily Crane

It takes privilege to protest at Columbia.

The 114 anti-Israel protesters who were busted at Columbia on Thursday include members of the upper crust: an intern for New York State Attorney General Letitia James — and the daughter of a prominent UPS executive who killed an elderly couple with her truck as a teenager and got off with a slap on the wrist.

A Post deep-dive into the backgrounds of the protesters shows many list multimillion-dollar mansions as their home addresses, according to sources, and come from wealthy and powerful families.

5The 114 anti-Israel protesters who were busted at Columbia on Thursday include an intern for New York state AG Letitia James — and the daughter of a prominent UPS executive who killed an elderly couple with her truck as a teenager.

In 2020, at the age of 16, Isabel veered her Toyota Tacoma pickup truck across a double yellow line on US Route 7 in Charlotte, Vermont, killing Chet and Connie Hawkins, a married couple in their 70s, according to a report by the Barre Montpelier Times Argus.

She pleaded no contest to a civil traffic ticket for “driving on roadways laned for traffic” and was issued a $220 fine — which her mother paid, according to the Rutland Herald.

Many are students at Barnard College, Columbia University’s liberal arts sister school.

Others are career activists with multiple arrests under their belts.

Minnesota congresswoman and “Squad” member Ilhan Omar’s daughter, Isra Hirsi, a Barnard student with a long history of civil disobedience, was among those cited for trespassing and taken into custody.

She was released a few hours later and declined to speak to The Post.

Also cuffed and removed from the Columbia campus was Isabel Jennifer Seward, daughter of high-ranking UPS executive William J. Seward.

5Then there’s Avery Reed, a former summer intern for Letitia James who also worked part-time on “gender equality” for the Biden-Harris campaign in 2021 in Florida.Linkedin

#columbia #anti-israel protesters #privilege #wealth

[rubberizer92]

🌟 Anton: The Austrian Virtuoso Returns for OBEY Season 10! 🌟🇦🇹🎻

Gentlemen, prepare to be enraptured as Anton, the Austrian virtuoso, graces the stage once more in OBEY Season 10! 🎉🌟

Anton, a name synonymous with musical brilliance and creativity, perfectly encapsulates the spirit of artistic innovation that defines OBEY champions. He has left an indelible mark in OBEY history with his captivating performances and unwavering dedication to his craft. Now, he returns to showcase his extraordinary talents and compete among the finest in the OBEY All-Stars lineup. 🎻✨

As viewers, your pivotal role in this electrifying season cannot be overstated. Your votes on Instagram, Instagram Stories, and Tumblr are the notes that compose the contestants' journeys. Every like, comment, save, or 'Yes' vote on Instagram Stories orchestrates their ascent to the coveted crown, while a 'No' vote creates dissonance by deducting from their positive votes. Join us in supporting Anton and your other cherished champions as they embark on this symphonic journey! 🗳️📱

Prepare for a season filled with unparalleled talent, fierce competition, and unforgettable moments. Anton's return heralds the dawn of an extraordinary musical odyssey, resonating with the very essence of his name—artistry and virtuosity. The stage is set, the anticipation is melodious, and the OBEY magic is set to reach a crescendo! 🌐🌟

#OBEYSeason10 #OBEYAllStars #VoteNow #MeetTheContenders #AntonReturns 🇦🇹🎻✨

[thesherrinfordfacility]

six months on (albeit, a bit late) part 2/3

part one | part two | epilogue (at some point)

okay right this is significantly more important (and more interesting frankly) than doing the job that im actually paid to do, so let's pick up where we left off in part one. main conclusions that ive come to so far, as a recap:

aziraphale feels threatened by the conversation with the metatron and feels he has little choice but to go to heaven. also, possibly feels aware that the metatron might be able to see/hear their conversation, and so has to be careful in his own proposal that does not alert crowley to there being something wrong, and does not alert metatron to his suspicion of him

wants to bring crowley with him because... yk, love. and he thinks that the restoration might be something that crowley has always wanted anyway, so he has to offer it without clueing crowley in on the possibility that aziraphale is under some kind of duress

aziraphale was initially very resistant to going, but only gave in when a) metatron brought up crowley in the first place (implied threat aforementioned), b) crowley could be restored (which he thinks crowley might want anyway but never entertained could happen), and c) it would give aziraphale an opportunity to not only change heaven as it currently is, but also recognises him - in all his perceived imperfection as an angel - to be the "right man for the job"

crowley understandably refuses, and launches into his confession/proposal. both of them want the same end result - being together - but the journey there is the contested part. aziraphale tries to persuade crowley into coming with him by subtly changing his language and mannerisms, almost like he's leaking out hints as to why it is so important that they remain together

the only true miscommunication they have - that aptly heralds the beginning of the end - is "nothing lasts forever". everything else, arguably (aside from aziraphale's attempt to keep things under wraps) is fairly well communicated, but they simply. disagree

i will hastily add, as i said in part one, that this is still only my interpretation of the whole sequence; there have been so many amazing observations that have made my opinion/interpretation of the final fifteen flit from one stance to another, and these two posts are purely me rewatching it all, paying closer attention, and working out what the hell (ha) i think is going on.

so, we left off at "good luck".

aziraphale definitely appears taken aback that crowley has not, in fact, understood what he meant throughout the whole conversation, and most of all appears to have completely shut down with "nothing lasts forever". where aziraphale thinks that crowley putting his glasses back on means that they're about to leave together, hand in hand, and face whatever has been dealt to them... it's actually crowley drawing the line in the sand, and sticking (rightly so) to his set boundary that he will not return to heaven as an angel - regardless of the optimistic assumption of what that would precisely entail (ie. this is assuming that restoration is even possible, let alone that crowley would be able to be restored and simultaneously keep his memories/his "him" in the process... arguably, these two options are likely the more realistic).

aziraphale is now, more desperately and in plainer language, resorting to begging crowley to see why this is the best choice they can make to remain together. but this is also where i feel like aziraphale's double-speak language that he exhibited with "...i can make a difference"/"we can make a difference", and the metatron jibe, is growing more frantic and - as a result - more obvious.

to me, he's clearly trying to impress upon crowley that he is not rejecting him, that he wants crowley with him desperately... but is equally having to keep his expression of this as... strategic as possible. it's almost like he's flitting between talking to crowley in as heartfelt and candid a manner as he can, and then squeaking in the caveats that are for the benefit of this assumed pretence he's playing - i guess what im trying to say is that aziraphale can't very well turn around and say, 'crowley i am not rejecting you, i want to be with you, but i cannot get out of this situation im being placed in, and i cannot leave you here on your own because i have no idea - and am scared of - what will happen.' the way he says "work with me!"; 'its going to be me and you against them, still. that's all it was ever going to be; i am not theirs, i am yours, but i have to play this game' - which incidentally, to any outside ears, would arguably just sound like aziraphale asking for crowley to... well, work with him. "we can be together!" is said with all due emphasis and cry, and aziraphale neatly tacks on, "angels, doing good!", because they would do good - good as they see it - and crowley would have to be an angel in order to do so, yes, but ultimately aziraphale wants him... and yet still remains plausible to anyone who could be listening.

i do still think - for the record - that there is a part of aziraphale that thinks that this is absolutely the right thing to do. crowley has put other options to him that, in contrast, solve nothing as far as aziraphale is concerned, and this sense of threat from the metatron only forces into sharp relief that whatever happens, wherever they go, they are not free of anything and never will be until something changes. this line of thinking has not always been how aziraphale has thought historically - but it's who he is now. if we accept that all of the hard, agonising decisions and choices that aziraphale has had to make, all of the times where he has battled with what is the right thing to do (arguably - exactly as crowley has taught him), has led to this moment, then aziraphale standing steadfast to his decision is absolutely in line with the character development we've been shown throughout both seasons.

that is just my interpretation given the events that come before this bit of the dialogue; whichever way you look at it though, aziraphale is evidently panicked and erratic that this might actually be it - that he and crowley are done. the really interesting bit for me, however, lies in his movements, his body language, and his expressions? they feel more in line with how aziraphale normally acts. to me, all of this is genuine, it's not put on, nor faked; where before he was trying to hide his fear under the guise of excitement, it now feels like this is actually aziraphale speaking, and not some uncanny facsimile who is trying to clutch every fraying string and keep it all together. also worth noting that during this part of the interaction that not once, as far as we see it, does aziraphale look out of the window.

whichever way you look at it though, aziraphale is evidently panicked and erratic that this might actually be it - that he and crowley are done. the really interesting bit for me lies in his movements, his body language, and his expressions? they feel more in line with how aziraphale normally acts. to me, all of this is genuine, it's not put on, nor faked; where before he was trying to hide his fear under the guise of excitement, it now feels like this is actually aziraphale speaking, and not some uncanny facsimile who is trying to clutch every fraying string and keep it all together. also worth noting that during this part of the interaction that not once, as far as we see it, does aziraphale look out of the window.

crowley though? crowley has clocked out. noone could blame him at all, especially after the sucker punch of the previous half of the sequence, because whilst i think he's hearing aziraphale say these things spoken with sincerety, probably even recognises them to be genuine, he's possibly also hearing the unspoken, perceived caveat that comes along with them. "we can be together... but you have to change." "we can be together... but i'll never love you, as you are, as much as you want me to."

he's hearing what aziraphale is saying, and either he doesn't believe it, or he's resentful that he would say this now - from crowley's pov - to cover up and compensate for what he said before. as he goes to walk away, but is called back by aziraphale, his turn and his carriage is... not petulant, that's the wrong word, but almost impatient? like he's humouring aziraphale at this point, but not that he has much more interest in what aziraphale has got to say. and again! given everything that has just been said and done, from crowley's perspective, that's completely understandable.

it's the turn of the head; crowley already has his barrier up with his glasses on, but he's cutting off any remaining communication he can give to aziraphale. it's interesting that he's specifically chosen to look out of the window, where we presume the metatron is - but does crowley even see him? does crowley essentially dissociating so rapidly that he can't even see that the metatron is there? or does he see him, and think that it's of very little consequence - the metatron won, he's got aziraphale (or - aziraphale was always heaven's, anyway), and it's barely worth notice or comment?

but it's also like he's giving aziraphale another chance - another chance to change his mind. if he didn't at least have a small flicker of hope left that that might happen, it stands to reason that crowley would have simply kept on walking. but he stops, and he waits. as aziraphale keeps talking, however, he turns his head specifically as he says "together", and appears to clamp his mouth shut as he does so, as if almost to say 'it's no use saying all this, because i'm hurt and i'm angry and i'm giving up. you want us to be together only if i come back; i'm never going back, you keep pushing, so how can you so desperately want to be with me if this is the only circumstance in which you can bring yourself to do so?'

of course, then, we get aziraphale's last gut-wrenching plea that he needs crowley. it's so simple a statement, and it has no condition afterwards, nothing to qualify it - and yet it is still something that aziraphale has never said, or - to my recollection - ever expressed in this capacity. sure, he's begged him with puppy-dog eyes to make hamlet popular, or to miracle the stain out of his coat, but nothing so heartfelt and dire as this. it's as true to any love confession that i think we get in the final fifteen; especially when you consider the mirror of the line in 1862 - "i don't need you..." / "and the feeling is mutual, obviously!" - and the context in which that is said.

aziraphale has, as bravely and vulnerably as we've seen aziraphale do anything else, vocalised something as close to a love confession as he can currently get... and crowley doesn't say anything? doesn't even look at him? throughout this confession of sorts, crowley has continued to look out of the window, and whilst we know that this is likely out of self-preservation on his part, what must this seem like from aziraphale's perspective? presumably it feels like a rejection - but is that a rejection of the entire thing - the whole offer - or of what aziraphale has just told him?

in the above moment, we can see aziraphale's face clearly crumple in hurt when crowley doesn't even acknowledge what he's just said, before masking it rapidly with indignation. he then lashes out with "i don't think you understand what i'm offering you."

indenting this next bit, because i need to ramble it out:

whilst i do think (as i said in the last post), that aziraphale might genuinely believe that crowley in some small part wants to return to heaven to be an angel, crowley has quite clearly rejected, in the room, any notion of it. his repulsion at heaven, and the notion of forgiveness, is not as wishy-washy as it was at the bandstand; now, he is vehement and firm that his opinion of heaven cannot get any lower. and i think aziraphale knows it. plus, the way that aziraphale words and proposes the restoration offer to crowley feels like he was aware that it might be a hard sell. so when aziraphale says 'you don't understand what i'm offering you', i don't think that aziraphale was himself talking about the restoration specifically; i don't think he's essentially saying, 'crowley, you're being so stupid, you could be an angel again - what part of this don't you understand? do you even comprehend what i'm trying to give you, here?' what i think aziraphale is, however, offering to crowley is that he and crowley remain together. aziraphale doesn't have much of a choice in going back to heaven - that much seems fairly apparent - and the only way, as far as he sees it, that they can remain together is if they go back to heaven together. and to do that, crowley would need to become an angel. i know people have often viewed aziraphale's decision to return to heaven along of the lines of, 'he loves heaven more than he loves crowley'... but i don't think that's it at all. to aziraphale - him begging crowley to come with him, work with and help him to make a difference (i.e. the right thing to do, i.e. a difference that is meaningful to, and controlled by, them), for crowley to not even look at him when he tells him he needs him - it must frankly feel like a rejection of aziraphale himself? when aziraphale says that crowley doesn't understand what he's offering him, i think it's more along the lines of aziraphale saying that he's offering all of himself to crowley. in the hope that, even if it means crowley has to return to heaven, being together is enough to warrant it? that aziraphale himself is enough for crowley to want to do that? 'do you hate heaven more than you love me?'

this feels like a stretch, i grant you, but given everything we saw towards the beginning of the episode - especially where shax's first jibe at aziraphale is to undermine what aziraphale actually means to crowley ("emotional support angel"), something that aziraphale presumably already fears (i.e. that he's a means to an end, of sorts) - it doesn't seems implausible.

furthermore, when crowley retorts that he understands perfectly, and understands more than aziraphale does, aziraphale's reaction then makes more emotional sense. of course, from crowley's perspective, he thinks that this is about the restoration, and of course he understands more about what aziraphale is offering... because how can he not?! he is fallen, he fell, and there is no way he, someone who has gone thousands of years (potentially millions) being deemed unforgivable and irredeemable, can ever be restored like aziraphale is hoping he can. and why would he want to be? that's not something aziraphale as an angel would ever be able to fully understand; the futility of wishing otherwise, the insult, and the impossibility.

i do think that it's worth bearing in mind that canonically, the implication is that aziraphale was not there to witness crowley's fall - possibly not even the fall in its entirety. we're never shown any instance where crowley even talks about it to aziraphale. absolutely, this is evidently a delicate and (if nothing else) touchy subject for crowley, and he doesn't owe aziraphale a deeper account than the questionable "sauntered vaguely downwards". but equally, it's not fair to assume that aziraphale knows how much of a boundary he is crossing by even entertaining the idea, and pushing it.

perhaps he should have inferred it at a previous point, true, but... the closest we get to crowley talking about it is "the angel you knew is not me", and "i won't be forgiven! not ever!". it's not unrealistic that aziraphale would infer these two poignant lines as crowley being wistful for the chance at redemption or forgiveness. ultimately, in my view, it's not until the final fifteen that aziraphale begins to have even the faintest idea of just how deep crowley's antipathy for heaven runs. it's not a case of just thinking they're a bunch of dicks, but that fundamentally, crowley will never align with heaven under any circumstances.

so when crowley says this, he is absolutely saying 'i know about this subject more than you do; i am fallen, you are not, and you therefore are not able to understand like i do why being restored is not only unthinkable, but the worst outcome possible for me. it's not the good thing you think it is. i want us to be together, but you're asking for something i cannot - and will not - give you, and you don't seem to see the problem in asking me in the first place.'

but aziraphale is not thinking of this; what i think he might be hearing from crowley is, 'no no, i know you want to be together, and are offering yourself up to me with your whole heart; the issue is though that if it means i have to go to heaven to have it, to have you... it's not enough to make me do this. i don't want it; nothing and noone would warrant me doing this. you are not enough for me to acquiesce to going, and moreover you're not clever enough to understand that.'

it very quickly, i think, stops being about crowley not wanting to return to heaven - at least, not in the way they were previously discussing. instead, it feels like aziraphale is now starting to internalise crowley's reaction as a reflection on himself. which then, for me, that makes aziraphale's next line of "well... then there's nothing more to say." make all the more sense to me... because that's the kinda thing you say after things have really hit the ground, right? and i imagine, for aziraphale, hearing crowley essentially say that he's not enough would probably elicit that reaction. that crowley ultimately has no further use for him (again: "emotional support angel"), because crowley can so easily discard what they had, and so very nearly could have had. and not only that - crowley implies in his wording that, once again, whilst aziraphale is incredibly intelligent in some ways, he can also be phenomenally stupid (which turned out great the last time he said it).

aziraphale clearly tries to put a brave face on - school his expression, blink away the tears that are clearly gathering and brace his mouth against the trembling - and slap on the fakest, tightest, weakest smile. just before it switches to crowley, however, you can see the anger begin to set in; looking towards the ground, aziraphale seems like he's already given way to the feelings of disappointment and betrayal, and possibly even humiliation? that he's laid out his own heart - he thinks - so clearly, and it's being refused as if it's nothing.

now look, idk about anyone else watching this scene for the first time, but... my reaction to the part of this bit of dialogue was... not dissimilar to aziraphale's. after all of this emotional outpouring, both parties being hurt by the other, etc., it feels completely apropos of nothing for crowley to suddenly be asking if aziraphale can hear whatever he's meant to be hearing. aziraphale's reaction, to me, not only within character, but entirely reasonable; he's wound up, going through a thousand different emotions, and yet he's meant to be hearing... what? a car alarm? someone thumping out some drum and bass? of course aziraphale retorts testily, and agitatedly; they've just reached the end of an intense discussion and - as he sees it - the whimper end of six thousand years of being an 'us' in various capacities. he obviously isn't, but i can imagine that it would feel that crowley is trivialising what's just happened and, in aziraphale's shoes, i'd probably be a bit shitty - and subsequently bitchy - in my delivery too.

but of course - ha - we then get the suckerpunch of the nightingale line, and we feel the weight of it right alongside aziraphale. the poignancy and tragedy of what crowley is saying with this. there's been numerous of delicious metas regarding the motif or symbolism of the nightingale (personal favourite for me is the shakespearean link to the nightingale/lark in R&J), but in the context of the story? the context that both these characters presumably know and understand? we know about the end of s1, and it's suddenly apparent that the song was diegetic. that both of these characters recognise that the nightingale represents what they nearly - and did - have and accomplish by the end of s1.

there's no piano tinkling in the background, playing what we now understand is considered by both of them to be their song, (i still have very narrowed, suspicious eyes at 1941), to put them in a lovey-dovey mood... because this? right here? this isn't going to have a happy ending. calling attention to the sheer absence of it, figuratively speaking, only confirms for the both of them that whatever they did have - or were on the cusp of having - is gone.

moreso for aziraphale; it's abundantly clear when the finality of this hits him, evident in his dumbfounded expression that follows immediately after crowley says the line. and the way that crowley says it, how it could be perceived as incredibly nonchalant and casual (and for the audience absolutely betrays just how devastated crowley likely is in saying it), is evidently shocking for aziraphale; the notion that this is truly broken, this is done, and there is no coming back from it... and crowley already has a foot out the door already.

which is only hammered home with this:

idk, again, if this was the same for anyone else, but even upon first viewing, this felt acutely unfair. not only the idiot line, which as i've already alluded to seems to be a firm boundary for aziraphale (we'll get to 'i forgive you' in a minute huns, i promise), but the way that crowley very firmly places this whole thing upon aziraphale.

up until this point on first viewing, personally, i was content with appreciating that both of them had a good point; that their perspectives were so agonisingly polarising but had equal merit. but this does not all rest on aziraphale's shoulders; there isn't, to my mind, even any blame to assign in this whole sequence, but to my mind they are both equally accountable for the outcome. they cannot align their separate belief systems, can't align what they think is the right thing to do, but share the devastating want to be together. there's miscommunication, sure - but not enough that i think either leave each other not knowing that the other cares for them deeply. it's understandable why their paths have diverged, but both of them have been fighting for 'us' until this bitter end.

so, to then watch crowley essentially drop the blame for them not being together so squarely on aziraphale's shoulders was... frustrating, to say the least. that aziraphale is so firmly in the wrong, and that him being 'an idiot' is the only reason why they're not making out on the sofa and skipping into the metaphorical sunset right now. that - if we're being real here - if aziraphale had abandoned whatever he had considered to be the right thing to do, and followed crowley in what he wanted, what he considered right, that they'd have a future together (and that's not even taking into account the whole metatron-threat thing, but i hadn't reflected on that upon first watch).

i think the fact that crowley did this, frankly, is not lost on aziraphale. he certainly reacts accordingly; his face crumples minutely before he turns reflexively away - both away from crowley, and away from the metatron (because, lest we forget, he is still outside). it feels like what were web-like fractures spidering out across aziraphale have now suddenly cracked under the pressure, and the first piece has fallen. it makes sense that in this moment of actual physical vulnerability, something that aziraphale wasn't quick enough to school away and mask, he would turn from crowley to hide the hurt he's just handed him.

(lol are you ready bc i'm not)

sigh.

okay right; this is probably the only bit of the final fifteen sequence where, by large, my reaction to it has not changed. to be clear; i love the kiss for what it does narratively, and the delicious possibilities that it opens up in s3. i think the kiss, and their respective reactions within it, are perfectly in line with their characters. frankly, on the whole, i enjoy it for what it is.

lets start with the preceding bit, as a reminder; crowley's distraught, aziraphale's distraught, we're all distraught. crowley has said something that, to my mind, is quite frankly unfair, but understandable for him to say from his perspective. it's also the line that causes aziraphale to physically break, and he's turned away from crowley to hide himself and prevent crowley from seeing the hurt that it's caused him, the ensuing vulnerability. to my mind, by extension, aziraphale is now at a point where he thinks it's all over, that there's nothing to salvage, and that they're done. crowley certainly seemed to give that impression with his line about the nightingales, and "we could have been us."

aziraphale breaking, and turning away, evidently spurs something within crowley; that there does seem, somehow, to be some hope that aziraphale will stay, and so crowley immediately strides over to him. the thing is that after initially watching it, and then thinking on it a little more (and rewatched another six or so times), i... didn't get it? i didn't get what the point of it was. it seemed abundantly clear to the both of them that aziraphale wasn't going to change his mind, and neither was crowley (and tbh, neither of them should - and even if one of them did, it wouldn't erase the *waves around vigorously* everything that just happened), so what was the kiss meant to prove? what result was it meant to have?

it could be that there wasn't meant to be a result of any kind, that crowley was just outpouring his emotion in a make-or-break physical way. yes, absolutely, and i would think that (that it was a purely emotional action, not necessarily meant to do anything), but... when they break apart, crowley clearly appears to be waiting for something.

but i'll get to that in a minute; the point however seems to be it's aziraphale's break that kicks crowley into action. that he still has an 'in', and he can use it. aziraphale cracked, crowley sees a glimmer of hope, and does the most direct thing that comes to mind that would impress upon aziraphale just how desperate crowley is for him to change his mind.

i said in a meta a few months ago, god knows where it is now, that the whole interaction appears somewhat predatory - like, literally, in the animalistic sense. it's violent, and fast, and there's no room for discussion or manoeuvre in it; grab him by the lapels, drag him round, plant it on him, and hold him there. the dance and motion of it is almost serpentine in nature. of course, again, i absolutely recognise the desperation with which crowley is evidently acting, and there's no part of me that thinks that this is done out of anything but the most deep-seated, painful, aching love, but it's... still uncomfortable. i don't see any romance in this, personally, at all.

that doesn't diminish the romantic feelings fuelling it, however, but it's not the kind of kiss, i think, you would expect to see from someone intending to romance someone into remaining with them...? of course it's more than possible (a certainty really, depending on the hc; ymmv) that crowley has simply never kissed anyone before, and just simply doesn't know... what to do? and maybe that explains why he doesn't move, doesn't actually... do much of anything, whilst kissing aziraphale. but we know crowley has seen at least one stereotypically romantic film, and presumably has seen romantic kisses throughout history. so to me, it kinda begs the question of - if a typically-romantic, climactic, show-stopping snog wasn't the intention here, what was?

i put this in a photoset when the parallel had struck me, as they often do, at 2am; there was a huge emphasis played, in crowley and aziraphale's first truly meaningful encounter post-eden, on aziraphale's first temptation. something that he obviously enjoyed for millennia to come, and has a huge impact on him as an angel and as a person.

additionally, someone else posted at some point soon after s2 aired that the way aziraphale devours a whole bloody cow is reflective of the fact that, at the time, he didn't realise he was starving. apply this to the kiss, and we can imagine what kissing crowley would mean for him in turn. if aziraphale succumbed to the ox-rib temptation, and likely other temptations that followed afterwards, it would make sense that crowley might - might - resort to a similar method in getting him to stay, at a point when all else has failed, and crowley thinks he has no other option left.

i'm in two minds as to whether crowley meant the kiss, full-chest, to actually be a temptation (for me, it makes his characterisation even more nuanced and complex, so i'm largely on the side of it having been intentional, i'm afraid), but the way that he pulls back afterwards, and waits for the verdict, strongly suggests to me that it might have been.... waiting/hoping? for aziraphale to change his mind. that if it was a temptation, that he pulls away hoping that aziraphale will declare himself to remain on earth with crowley.

i realise the above may be a point of contention, and accept that - tbh, i just enjoy exploring the possibility. and even if crowley hadn't intended it that way, i think aziraphale certainly may have seen it that way (which again, for me, is in line with aziraphale's development starting in s1 with resisting crowley's insistence that he kill the antichrist etc.). but again i'm getting ahead of myself-

so wham, in with the kiss. aziraphale obviously reacts initially in shock (no, i don't think it's revulsion, but it's certainly surprise and likely a bit of the ole 'what the fuck'); he keeps his eyes open, his eyebrows drawn together in a frown, his posture is stiff, and his hands flail. but then... he melts into it. more than melts into it - he returns it. his eyes close, his face relaxes, and his hands come up, hesitantly and tentatively pressing into crowley's back. there does come a point during the kiss, however, where aziraphale's hands detach from crowley's back, and return to flitting around like he's unsure of what to do with them. at which point crowley finally releases him, and breaks the kiss.

a combination of aziraphale not physically pushing him away, and even proceeding to draw crowley in, with tenderness? to crowley, i can imagine he breaks the kiss hoping ever so slightly that whatever it was meant to be or convey - temptation, whatever - made aziraphale change his mind. that this last-ditch effort was enough to make aziraphale stay. he pulls back, and almost seems expectant of some kind of result.

aziraphale's immediate reaction, once the kiss breaks, is not so static. he falls back out of crowley's clenched fists, and his face takes to unadulterated heartbreak and despair, but ultimately seems to be rooted in panic...? shock? aziraphale also pointedly looking out towards the doors is telling, because i don't think it's wholly left his mind about who's waiting outside, and the position that he's now been put into - where he has to reconcile this really quite distressing experience with everything that has come before it.

by god does aziraphale cycle through some emotions here. he can't even look at crowley whilst he processes this maelstrom that's going on - sorrow, longing, confusion, and pure shock - and stumbles over his words trying, i think, to find the right ones to say. the kiss, i think, has very nearly done its job; aziraphale is clearly conflicted, but i think struggling to find a way to express that he wants this, but he still can't stay. trying to anchor himself to something, to a decision, that won't destroy himself or crowley in the process.

however, before he even gets that far, there is a really key moment where his expression abruptly changes, almost like he's realised something. in that moment, it's where he finally makes eye contact with crowley, and for an infinitesimal moment, aziraphale seems to eye him with something like... betrayal? disbelief? and that's where, unfortunately, i think the temptation element comes in, because i think aziraphale recognises it (or at least, thinks he does). and possibly recognises that, from aziraphale's perspective, crowley has resorted to something that he knows nearly always works on aziraphale, trying to force his hand into doing something that aziraphale has already expressed he will not - and presumably cannot - do.

but beyond that; i've said before whilst kisses do not feature in austen's literary works, aziraphale is hardly ignorant of the trope that a kiss - typically - in romantic fiction can carry weight as a declaration of love. has aziraphale ever idly wondered on what it would be like to have a first kiss with crowley? yeah, probably. but arguably what crowley has done is taken that - taken something that is precious, tender, meaningful, and cannot be taken back and redone - and turned it into something heartbreaking, possibly manipulative, and overall - frankly - something ugly.

aziraphale even gets a little smirk on, because in that moment i think he's genuinely angry at crowley... for any/all of the above. he seems so plainly resentful and appalled by what he thinks crowley was doing, thinking that aziraphale wouldn't see through it, and resorts to his textbook bitchiness in the guise of a sarcastic and sardonic smile. and even his body language - he exhales sharply in a small huff, his shoulders relax and his posture straightens, and he even bears his teeth slightly the smallest of snarls. and then, of course, he delivers the fatal blow of "i forgive you".

i know there have been a fair few interpretations of this line, and what aziraphale was saying with it. mine, personally, is very simple; this is how aziraphale can basically get away with telling crowley to go fuck himself. in s1, he says it in a way - responding to crowley's rather painful line about aziraphale being 'so clever, but so stupid' - that almost feels, on the surface, as if it's intended with benevolence and kindness... but is instead saying 'fuck you, that hurt. so i'm going to say this in return knowing it will hurt/annoy you in turn.'

and tbh, i don't think it's any different in this moment of the final fifteen sequence either. aziraphale is clearly hurt (once he delivers the line, you can see his face shift once again back into soft sorrow) and clearly angry. he is lashing out in a way befitting his 'bit (see: lot) of a bastard' streak, because he perceives it to be striking at something that resembles a weakness, or sore point, for crowley. it's also a clever insomuch that should anyone ever overhear him, he's being his devout angel self... but to him and crowley, it's absolutely a code that they both patently understand.

crowley then seems to just... accept that nothing has changed/it didn't work, and simultaneously rolls with the gut punch that was "i forgive you", like he's not even really surprised that aziraphale had that response to give him. he sighs, in a way that practically vocalises 'disappointed but not surprised', and succumbs to the inevitability of them not having (yet) the happy ending that he'd perhaps hoped. he turns, tosses "don't bother" over his shoulder, and leaves the shop.

i think "don't bother" could be taken multiple ways; if we accept that crowley actually knows the underlying subtext in "i forgive you", it could him saying, essentially, 'don't waste your breath, we're done/i'm going'. if he takes it literally, it could be 'i'm a demon, as you've so clearly pointed out, don't bother trying'... or 'i'm not sorry or asking for forgiveness, i did what i felt was right'.

last little bit before i close off here (i'll do an epilogue for the last bit of the sequence, up until credits roll; there's too much to try to squeeze into like two gifs and a couple of paragraphs):

when crowley leaves, aziraphale most obviously looks desperate himself, panicked, and heartbroken... i'm even somewhat sure that he's about to call crowley's name, or a simple "no" (this bit is next on my 'lipread' list) and stops himself. his lip pouts, he's breathing heavily, and whilst - by god - his eyes are a watery mess throughout the entire sequence, this is probably as close as he gets to shedding actual tears. there's still some residue confusion, like 'what the fuck just happened, that's not how that was supposed to go'.

it's clear that aziraphale is generally distressed, and he certainly looks this way... just before the point that his hand raises to his lips. the way it's so shaky, and hesitant, the wide-eyed, shocked stare before rapidly blinking, perhaps both in disbelief and also to rid himself of the tears building? and then, whilst his fingers are almost trying to imprint the kiss even more, he lowers them and reveals his face stiffening into a sneer (jaw and nose tightens, eyes become more hooded, eyebrows draw together).

now, i'm in two minds as to who this sneer is directed at - is it at crowley, because of the same reasons he may have said 'i forgive you'? or is it at metatron, for putting him in this position in the first place? honestly, i think it's the former; aziraphale seems to have almost all but forgotten the metatron, and his reaction to metatron returning to the bookshop would support that. his head turns so quickly to the door when it opens, and that hope and surprise quickly disappears when he realises it's not crowley... turns away, most likely to wipe his eyes (even possibly his mouth), before turning back to the metatron to answer as to crowley's reaction.

which - and i'll leave off with this, because it'll follow neatly into the epilogue post - seems odd. metatron has presumably seen crowley come out of the shop, and even if they don't exchange a look, let alone words, he can clearly surmise that negotiations went a bit sour if crowley has left without aziraphale... if it wasn't obvious by now, it's seems to be a very blatant, and yet artfully delivered ploy. whether the motive was to separate them out of fear/trepidation, or just simply get aziraphale back in heaven under his thumb without crowley's influence, it's clear that the metatron never intended - nor thought it plausible - that crowley would agree to return to heaven. his next lines certainly cement that thought, and i think might have registered to aziraphale too.

i'll be back at some point ciao

#good omens #feral domestic/final fifteen meta #metatron spec #aziraphale meta

[zennikolai]

Ilvernath Eclipse, Town's oldest newspaper covering the Blood Veil Tournament.

A Tradition of Tragedy Unveils Dark Secrets of Seven Families' Grip on Ilvernath's High Magick

Blood Moon Signals Commencement of Lethal Tournament

In the wake of the release of the gripping novel, A Tradition of Tragedy, a harrowing revelation has come to light, exposing the clandestine lives of the privileged elite. Contrary to the idyllic facade they portrayed, the reality proves to be far from beautiful. The book discloses that seven influential families—Thorburn, Lowe, Macaslan, Payne, Darrow, Blair, and Grieve—have monopolized Ilvernath's high magick, wielding unimaginable powers at a grave cost: a deadly tournament fought amongst themselves.

Scheduled to transpire approximately every two decades, the onset of this perilous event is heralded by the ominous glow of the Blood Moon. When the celestial body takes on a crimson hue, the Fall of the Blood Veil ensues about a month later, initiating a brutal contest for supremacy.

As the magick dwindles worldwide, these families engage in ruthless battles for control over the remaining reservoir in Ilvernath. Their insatiable greed, typical of those in power, has stained their hands with the blood of countless teenagers who sacrificed their lives to sustain the adults' dominance.

Quoting a passage from A Tradition of Tragedy, "Most associate high magick with other distant brutalities of the past: pillaging, plague, and lawlessness. But Ilvernath, a piece of that history lingers, every bit as threatening as it once was."

The revelation in the book suggests that these families are willing to go to extreme lengths, even sacrificing the lives of children, to obtain and maintain their high magick. Speculation abounds that the Grieve family may be the authors of the book, given their perpetual misfortune in the tournaments.

With the impending arrival of the Blood Veil, The Seven Slaughter, the participants of the tournament, remain shrouded in mystery. However, one name has surfaced in the public domain—Isobel Macaslan, a figure both reviled and adored. Although the source remains anonymous, Cormac Macaslan, Isobel's father, has seemingly confirmed her status as their Champion.

While other families have yet to unveil their Champions, the Lowe family has become the subject of intense speculation. Renowned for their strength and enigmatic nature, they are perceived as the most villainous of the seven. Anticipation builds as the public awaits the outcome of this year's tournament, with many expecting the Lowe family to emerge victorious based on historical records.

The grand opening ceremony is imminent and is scheduled to take place at the City's Banquet Hall, setting the stage for a chilling display of power and intrigue.

#i had fun doing this and idk ilvernath newspaper might probably written like this #i mean SADIE SINK AS ISOBEL MACASLAN #PLEASE I WANT THAT TO HAPPEN #all of us villains #aouv #all of our demise #aoud #allofusvillains #allofourdemise

[miracles-and-butterflies]

Third part of Ride the Cyclone AU.

The game begins.

(Oh and check out my reblog for this post for Dolores’ bid to be brought back to life).

The previous part in case you need a recap.

Comments are always appreciated.

Warning, sensitive topics below, especially character death.

~~~~~~

A Little More of Me

A drumroll rang through the room.

A spotlight flickering before it finally settled on Dolores.

“Dolores Madrigal, you are first.” The blue suited man declared.

The woman froze, before barely managing to get out the small word, “Why?”

He sighed sarcastically. “Alas! if only you hadn’t burned off those three questions right at the top.”

“It’s just…” she glanced around momentarily, before setting her eyes on the closest person to her. “When you tie the room together, I think Isabela is going to seem like the natural choice for that slot!”

“What? You want me to go first? But you never want me to go first.” Isabela commented.

Dolores squeaked in delight. “Well, it’s like you always say, Isa; the oldest should go first.” She quickly pushed the woman towards the strange man. “Mr. Whatever, Isabela and I are going to trade places.”

“No trading places,” the man remarked, mocking her voice as he did.

Isabela burst into laughter, looking very smug as she walked over only for Desconocida to step in and block the path to Dolores. Any cruel remarks were quickly forgotten about as Isabela’s new focus was now getting away from this being.

A problem she and Luisa would counter by trapping the thing in the cart.

Dolores rolled her eyes and walked away, trying to recover some of her dignity.

“I am happy about that, actually,” Dolores said. “Fine, I’ll go first. I just want to say two things.” Then, she redirected her attention on the man. “I don’t know how it is in your culture, but in ours? Playing games where people’s lives are on the table? Super illegal!” She screeched. Taking a breath and smiling, she continued, “Second, I really love your suit. It really brings out your eyes.”

The lights faded and the rest of the contestants disappeared in the darkness, leaving only the spotlight on Dolores as she stepped up to where a door had appeared in the wall. After a nod from the man, she went for the doorknob. It flashed to life with her name and engraving.

“Dolores Victoria Estrada Madrigal,” the man introduced. “Born 31st August, Virgo; the practical nature. Favourite ride: the ferris wheel.”

Several shots from throughout Dolores’ life, flashed up on the door, like photographs.

“Dolores was born into what is the most respected family in all of Encanto, but she soon found herself left to linger in the shadows. While the rest of her family was heralded with praise, the only comments that came Dolores’ way were…”

Isabela and Luisa reappeared - the former was wearing a red braided wig and hat, while the latter had a beige ruana thrown over her clothes. They echoed the words of the townspeople.

“You seemed so nice.” Isabela offered, lazily.

“I never really met you, but you seemed friendly.” Luisa shrugged.

Dolores awkwardly approached them, as the strange man continued his narration, but they didn’t seem to notice her at all and eventually walked off.

She slowly realised they were being controlled again.

“That is with the exception of one group of people. The biggest achievement Dolores was to receive in her short life was her school career. If not for Encanto being such an isolated town, her ambitions and skills would have been properly recognised at some prestigious university. Instead she’ll be glorified by her teachers for years to come. High school president, straight A student. Dolores Madrigal, the most intelligent girl in town.”

The lights came back and the visuals faded, the other contestants regathering in a semi-circle a few paces behind Dolores.

She herself stood in the centre, smiling, she cleared her throat.

“Judges. Colleagues. Family. Friends. Ominous novelty salesman.” She looked back at the piece of paper in her hands and tore it in half. “I had a speech prepared for this very occasion, but I simply cannot read it.”

“How does she have a speech for this?” Camilo questioned, looking around at the others in confusion.

“Honestly, I wouldn’t put it past her.” Luisa snarked.

“I am just going to speak from my heart,” Dolores continued. If she heard their comments, she didn’t acknowledge them. “I’ve known all of these folks since birth— oh!”

She made a turn, wanting to address her family, only to find Desconocida stood in the way.

The doll-headed girl leaned forward curiously, black eyes borrowing into Dolores’s own.

“Most of,” she amended, pushing the girl into Luisa, who freaked out. When had she gotten out of the cart? “And I love them all! I couldn’t compete against them for a chance at life.”

There was a confused noise from Camilo. “You literally spent all day at the fair telling me you would give me to Satan for free.”

Dolores abruptly shushed him. “My time, Camilo. This is my time.” She turned back to the strange man, “Look, I’ve heard enough of Tío Bruno’s rat telenovelas to get what you want us to do here. Who’s the best?” She nodded to herself. “Sure. Grades. Behaviour. Humanitarian efforts. Extracurricular activities. Musical endeavours. Being able to tell you everything about everyone in our town - quicker and more accurately than any type of record or machinery - since the age of five!”

She took a breath.

“I am the best,” she said confidently, “By any metric of society. I get that. But if that is how worth is measured, I want no part of it! Look some of us are left wing,” she lifted her left hand. “And some of us are right wing,” she lifted the other. “But the last time I checked, it takes two wings to fly!”

She flapped her arms as an example, then held them up in the air.

“We are community! We are family! We are the world!”

After her declaration, a loud buzzer noise played.

She bowed gracefully, to some silent and nonexistent applauding audience.

“Dolores Madrigal heroically concedes,” the suited man announced.

The other three Madrigals snickered, Isabela almost collapsing to the floor in peals of laughter between Camilo and Luisa. Desconocida, who had been dragged and left at the other side of the room by Luisa, simply tilted her head in confusion.

The comment seemingly smacked Dolores back to reality. “She does what?”

“I respect you taking the moral high ground.” He said, nodding gently. “Next!”

She ran over, shaking her head. “B-but I was just trying to prove to you that I’m a good person,” she insisted.

“Duly noted. Next!”

“No, no, no!” She exclaimed, desperate. To emphasise the point, she bravely snatched the metallic cone thing. She didn’t know why, she just suddenly felt compelled to. “I am urging you to make the responsible choice here for the betterment of humanity!”

~~~~~~

12th September, 1951

“I will go with them.”

The adults turned to honestly the last person they expected in the doorway.

“Now we’re definitely not gonna be allowed to do anything fun there!” Camilo whined, flopping to the floor dramatically.

Pepa only smiled. “Oh, would you, Lolita?”

“It’s a nice offer, but don’t feel you have to, mija.” Félix said. “Bruno is already going, and I’m happy to go as well—”

“No. I will keep them out of trouble. You deserve a break.” Dolores insisted.

“What the fuck was in those chocolates?” Luisa whispered to Isabela. She glanced curiously at the box Mariano had sent for Dolores’ birthday, just in time to catch a vine trying to clumsily push one out of its container. Luisa smacked Isabela’s arm.

The vine dissipated, the chocolate going flying.

Camilo’s eyes gleamed and he chased after it, as it disappeared underneath a cabinet.

“Sobrino, don’t eat food off the floor,” Julieta chided from where she had also appeared in the room.

“Five second rule, Tía!” Camilo shrugged, his mouth half-full.

She shook her head. “What are we all gathered around in here for? I called dinner about five minutes ago and the only person who showed up was Mirabel.”

“The children want to go to the fairground,” Agustín explained, getting up. “I’ll go ask to see if she’s interested. It wouldn’t be fair to leave her here.”

“That’s not fair! Why does Mirabel get to go and I have to stay here?” Antonio asked.

“Because you aren’t tall enough for most of the rides, Toñito. There won’t be much for you to do.” Félix soothed.

“I’m basically Mirabel’s height. She’s not going to be able to ride anything either.”

“You’re too young, I’m afraid, Antonio.” Abuela reasoned, as gently but firmly as she could. “You’ll have to sit this one out. Maybe next time the fair comes by.”

As Antonio’s lip quivered, Pepa scooped him up. “Aww, don’t cry, mijo. We’ll plan something just as exciting to do here - with all your animals, who wouldn’t have been allowed in the fair anyways - that will be much better. Okay?”

The family began head towards the table, Bruno pulled Dolores aside.

“It’s very kind of you to offer to go.” He said. Then raising an eyebrow, “Especially as you told me it was ‘a waste of time’ this morning. And you’d rather do anything then have to babysit the others more than you already do. Could it be that something has changed your mind? Are you admitting you were wrong?”

“Absolutely not; I’m always right. I am just a nice person - this is what I do.”

He smirked, “Oh yes. The world needs more people like you.”

They really do.

But she’d never say it out loud.

#encanto #encanto ride the cyclone au #dolores madrigal #isabela madrigal #luisa madrigal #camilo madrigal #bruno madrigal #antonio madrigal #pepa madrigal #félix madrigal #julieta madrigal #agustín madrigal #alma madrigal #mirabel madrigal #my writing

[bookishblogging]

ALL ABOUT: Hermes 📬

"To Hermes, Fumigation from Frankincense. Hermes, draw near, and to my prayer incline, messenger of Zeus, and Maia's son divine; prefect of contests, ruler of mankind, with heart almighty, and a prudent mind. Celestial messenger of various skill, whose powerful arts could watchful Argos kill. With winged feet 'tis thine through air to course, O friend of man, and prophet of discourse; great life-supporter, to rejoice is thine in arts gymnastic, and in fraud divine. With power endued all language to explain, of care the loosener, and the source of gain. Whose hand contains of blameless peace the rod, Korykion (Corycion), blessed, profitable God. Of various speech, whose aid in works we find, and in necessities to mortal kind. Dire weapon of the tongue, which men revere, be present, Hermes, and thy suppliant hear; assist my works, conclude my life with peace, give graceful speech, and memory's increase." Orphic Hymn 28 to Hermes

Ἑρμης - HERMES

Hermes is the Olympian god of herds and flocks, travelers and hospitality, roads and trade, thievery and cunning, heralds and diplomacy, language and writing, athletic contests and gymnasiums, astronomy and astrology. He also was considered to be his divine father's personal messenger, and was the guide for recently departed souls through the underworld.

His parents were the Olympian Zeus and nymph Maia- more notably known as a daughter of the titan Atlas. The Odyssey places him being born on Mount Cyllene in Arcadia, but other sources argue this fact. It was said he was born on the fourth of the month, making the number four sacred to the god.

Mere hours after his birth, he escaped his cradle and stole Apollo's cattle. Soon after this, Hermes invented the lyre and Apollo was so captivated by the instrument that he allowed Hermes to get off without any punishment for the infant's trickery.

Hermes has multiple titles and epithets, many of which can be found here.

Symbols of Hermes

Herald's Wand

Winged Boots

Travelers Hat

Ram

Hare (Rabbit)

Crocus Flower

Strawberry-tree

Some of the god's notable divine offspring include:

Angelia: Goddess of messages

Eleusis: Goddess of the Eleusinian Mysteries

Palaistra: Goddess of wrestling

Pan: Goat-footed god of the wild

Priapos: God of garden fertility

Want to read more? Check out my sources!

Hermes Theoi Page

Hermes Wiki

Hermes Offspring

Hermes Family

Pan Wiki

Hermes Epithets

#theoi #theoi worship #pagan #paganblr #hermes #hermes worship #hermes devotee #polytheism #hellenic pagan #hellenic polytheist #helpol #greek #greek mythology #greek gods #hermes informatoin #hermes info #hermes devotion #hermes god #greek god #greek god worship #hermes devotion worship #hellenist #hellenic polytheism #hellenic paganism #greek paganism #witchblr #witchtok #witch tips #pagan tips #baby witch

[allmythologies]

greek mythology: hermes

hermes is the olympian god of herds and flocks, travellers and hospitality, roads and trade, thievery and cunning, heralds and diplomacy, language and writing, athletic contests and gymnasiums, astronomy and astrology. he was the herald and personal messenger of zeus, and also the guide of the dead who led souls down into the underworld.

#greek mythology #hermes #god of travellers #greek myth #mythedit #*mine*