Folks Let Me Talk About Crowley And Sunglasses, Because I Have A Lot Of Emotions About When He Wears

Folks let me talk about Crowley and sunglasses, because I have a lot of emotions about when he wears them and when he doesn’t, and Hiding versus Being Seen.

We’re introduced to the concept of Crowley wearing glasses even before we’re introduced to Crowley, by Hastur: “If you ask me he’s been up here too long. Gone native. Enjoying himself too much. Wearing sunglasses even when he doesn’t need them.”

Honestly Crowley’s whole introduction is a fantastic; we learn so much about his character in a tiny amount of time. The fact that he’s late, the Queen playing as the Bentley approaches, the “Hi, guys” in response to Hastur and Ligur’s “Hail Satan”. I like this intro much better than the one originally scripted with the rats at the phone company, but I digress.

Crowley wears sunglasses when he doesn’t need them. Specifically, he still wears them around the demons, and when he’s in hell.

You know where Crowley doesn’t wear glasses? At home.

We never once see him wearing glasses in his flat, except for when he knows Hastur and Ligur are coming. That’s an emotional kick to the gut for me. Here’s one of the only places Crowley’s comfortable enough to be sans glasses, and when he knows it’s going to be invaded he prepares not just physically with the holy water, but by putting up that emotional barrier in a place where he wasn’t supposed to need it.

An argument could be made that Crowley actually never needs glasses. We’re shown that it’s well within the angels’ and demons’ powers to pass unnoticed by humans. Crowley and Aziraphale waltz out of the manor in the middle of a police raid, and going unnoticed by the police takes so little effort that they can keep up a conversation while they stroll through. Even an unimaginative demon like Hastur apparently doesn’t have trouble with the humans losing it over his demonic eyes. The humans in the scene at Megiddo are acting like “this guy is a little weird” and not “holy shit his entire eyeballs are black jelly”

That means that Crowley’s glasses are a choice, just like Aziraphale’s softness. Sure, he could arrange matters so that nobody ever noticed his eyes, but he doesn’t want to. Crowley wants acceptance, and he wants to belong, and he’s never, ever had that. He didn’t fit in before the Fall in Heaven, he doesn’t fit in with the demons in Hell. With the glasses, and with the Bentley and his plants and with the barely-bad-enough-to-be-evil nuisance temptations, he’s choosing Earth. This is where he wants to fit in, perhaps not with the humans, but amongst them.

Even after Crowley is at his absolute lowest, when he thinks Aziraphale’s dead and he’s on his way to drink until the world ends, he takes the time to put a new pair on when the old ones are damaged. He needs that emotional crutch right now, even with everything about to turn into a pile of puddling goo he’s not ready for the world to see his eyes.

Which is why I swore out loud when Hastur forcibly takes them off.

It’s about the worst thing that Hastur could have done. Rather than leading with a physical threat, his first act is to strip away Crowley’s emotional defences. It’s a great writing choice because god it made me hate Hastur, even more than all the physical violence we see him do.

It’s also the moment that Crowley really truly gets his shit together, and focuses all of his considerable imagination on getting to Tadfield and Aziraphale to help save the world. He’s wielding the terrifyingly unimaginable power of someone who’s hit rock bottom and realised it literally could not get any worse than this. He doesn’t put another pair of glasses on after discorporating Hastur, and he spends the majority of the airbase sequence without them.

He puts them back on again, I think, at the moment that he really lets himself hope. When he thinks ‘shit, there may be a real chance that we get through this to a future that I don’t want to lose’.

The vulnerability is back, and he needs Adam to trust him. In Crowley’s mind being accepted by a human means he needs to have his eyes hidden. Someone give the demon a hug, please.

Interestingly, there’s only one time in the whole series that we see Crowley willingly choose to take his glasses off around another person. Only one person he’ll take down that barrier for, and even then he’s drunk before he does it.

Dear God/Satan/Someone that makes my heart ache. Crowley’s chosen Earth, but he’s also chosen Aziraphale. He’s been looking for somewhere to belong his entire existence, and it’s with the angel that he finally feels it.

When the dust settles and the world is saved and they finally have space to be themselves unguarded, I like to imagine Crowley takes off the glasses when it’s just the two of them; the idea of being known doesn’t scare him quite so much anymore.

The Night That Changed an Angel (or, why does Aziraphale still wear that shabby vest?)

Mini-Meta Musing (#4)

I've been brooding for a long time about, of all things, Aziraphale's worn velvet vest and the long cream jacket he's kept in "tip top condition for over 180 years now." I love the sweet familiarity, but this is the same angel who popped across the Channel and almost lost his fluffy-topped head in 1793 for dressing like an aristocrat.

"I have standards!"

He's the height of elegance, extravagance even. A dandy. We've seen the same at the Globe Theater 1601, Edinburgh 1827, and even as a Knight of the Round Table in 527 Essex, where he's wearing a glorious pelt across his shoulders! However, sometime after Edinburgh 1827, Aziraphale's stylish extravagance ends. He adopts the dress of distinguished but modest gentility. No seamstresses strain their eyes for days hand stitching ruffles and trims for him any longer. When we next see him in 1862, his clothing is refined, simple, and serviceable. It becomes his uniform, with only minor replacements. Why? What happened to change him?

Edinburgh 1827 happened. And his encounter with tragedy ran over his sensibilities like a locomotive.

Aziraphale had, we were told, saved his earnings over time and had bought land, invested wisely, and became quite well off. He used real money, not miracles, to build the bookshop, paying the builders well and taking care of bills honestly. He built himself up to a more than comfortable lifestyle, from nearly nothing. And his clothes are real, not miracled from nothingness like Crowley's. (source: original showrunner)

Aziraphale's wealth allows him to afford luxurious tailoring and fancy shoes and ruffles and trims. He'll certainly pay the cobblers and tailors and seamstresses well for their labors. It will be a substantial expense for the era. (The linked post gives a wonderful perspective on 1793 lifestyles and costs.)

https://agoodflyting.tumblr.com/post/753227014283083776/why-aziraphales-white-satin-pumps-are-ridiculous

The angel's Edinburgh multilayered and trimmed top coat, soft leather gloves, matching scarf, jacquard vest, silk cravat, etc., look entirely out of place in the back alleys where the poor huddle. Walking the clean, gas-lit avenues with Crowley and Elspeth, Aziraphale is oblivious to the privilege he has in this world.

As he strolls along in philosophical banter with Crowley about the "blessing" of poverty, the angel spouts trite pontifications created by the rich to justify poverty. He genuinely believes Elspeth has more opportunities for goodness. After all, look at Wee Morag. He respects her goodness tremendously. It proves to him his “rightness.” And so he sabotages Elspeth’s attempt to sell the body she dug up in her attempt to support Wee Morag. Dalrymple gets no body, Elspeth gets no money, and Aziraphale believes he’s saving her soul.

It’s a poignant moment, though, when Aziraphale cradles the jar containing a tumor from a seven year old child who died because there wasn’t enough medical knowledge to save him. Turning point number one. It becomes Real, not a philosophical debate. Selling stolen bodies puts good in the world. He’s all for it now, and goes back to encourage Elspeth. Good heavens, he’s even willing to help this time!

But, as we know, it all goes wrong. Wee Morag is shot by a grave gun, and dies of her injuries. Elspeth steals laudanum, and plans suicide. Crowley drinks the laudanum, saves her in a compassionate Scottish frenzy, and is stolen away by hell because of his kindness. And it is All. Aziriphale’s. Fault.

Turning point number two. Another watershed moment where Aziraphale’s world changes again.

One of Crowley’s last earthly acts, before getting plunged into hell, is to have Aziraphale give Elspeth all of his pocket money. What is pocket money to the angel is a fortune to her, one that can set her up for a better life. I have no doubt that in the aftermath of the traumas of that night, missing and worrying about Crowley, Aziraphale thinks about all of this. He considers all of the money he casually spends on fine clothing and expensive tailoring. He wonders how many lives could change if that money was better spent on helping to relieve the poverty that surrounds him. He wants to help, and to try to make amends for the harm he caused. What would Crowley do, if he were free to be kind? And so Aziraphale changes.

I’d love to know the story of how it all played out. Did he sell his fine clothing and donate the proceeds? Did he become involved in charitable foundations? Did he buy the clothing of a simple gentleman and decide to preserve it, however worn it became, as a reminder to himself of his past blindness and vanity? We see in Season 1 how important it is to him to preserve that coat. (Sure, it's also a fantastic opportunity to flirt and flutter those angelic eyelashes... But, nonetheless!)

By Season 2, the angel who took too long justifying a life-saving miracle for Wee Morag, and who hesitated to give Elspeth his 90 Guineas, willingly and freely gave Maggie forgiveness for thousands of pounds of debt. I'd love to know what else he's done over the last 180+ years!

Whatever happened, it began that night in a graveyard.

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aezara

3 years ago

I Created A 3D Model And Floor Plan Of Aziraphale’s Bookshop In Good Omens!

I created a 3D model and floor plan of Aziraphale’s bookshop in Good Omens!

I really wanted one for reference and it seemed like many others did too, so I put together my best approximation of where everything is. Beneath the color version, you’ll see I’ve included two simplified, labeled versions of the plan. The verbal labels are so you know what the object is. The numerical labels are there to make it easy to find more information about the object. I’ve put a numbered index below the cut that features the relevant reference images I used for each object and some more information about why I put it where I did/why it’s relevant/etc. I want to be very clear that I did not add anything to this from my own imagination; every single item and feature represents something I actually saw in the shop.

If you have any questions or want more information about this, PLEASE do not hesitate to ask! I put so much time into figuring it out and I would be more than happy to be a resource for anyone who needs it. Also, if you notice any errors, let me know and I’ll update the post. I hope this is helpful!

Update: Here’s a link to an interactive view of the shop! It takes a moment to load. You can click the “3D” tab in the top right to view it in first person and walk around inside. Double click a spot on the floor to move there and pan around by clicking and dragging. The oval symbol next to the person walking gives you a birds-eye view.

Update 2: Here’s a higher quality rendering of the first person perspective! Update 3: I made an alternate first person render here complete with a ceiling, light fixtures, and ambient lighting from outside. This one is optimized for making it seem more like you’re actually there, whereas the previous one is for maximum visibility. This render also has some minor accuracy improvements, which are detailed under the cut in the relevant sections. (The first interactive link with the birds-eye view updates automatically.) Update 4: In case you’re interested in Aziraphale’s books specifically, I’ve made a catalogue of those here.

Afficher davantage

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aezara

1 year ago

Return of the Ineffable Cats ^^ Nap times and sushi time.

Good Omens Fic Rec List 12b

Avast, ye swabs, it’s more pirate fics! The second in a two-part series. Other recommendation lists can be found on my blog by searching the archives under the tag #fic recs. Enjoy!

1. Age of Sail by @melayneseahawk Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21158090 Rating: G Word Count: 743 (one-shot) Aziraphale has been tasked by Heaven to accompany a small group of migrants to an island, when their ship is attacked by pirates. And who should be leading them but a certain red-haired demon, who makes an offer to let the ship go if Aziraphale agrees to be a hostage. Short and sweet, with hidden feelings bubbling dangerously close to the surface.

2. Sailor’s Omens by @nevernooitniet Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22162207 Rating: G Word Count: 8,033 (one-shot) Human AU. Aziraphale is the disgraced younger son of a merchant family, and utterly useless aboard his brother Gabriel’s ship, so he spends most of his time reading belowdecks. Then they’re attacked by pirates, and Aziraphale is taken prisoner by the enterprising Crowley. Though Crowley’s considered by his crewmates to be a rather substandard pirate because he lacks the necessary bloodthirst, he’s clever and resourceful, and he and Aziraphale bond, eventually leading to Crowley offering to share his cabin. Also features the bloody-minded Hastur, who is one step away from flinging the both of them overboard, and Gabriel, who turns out to be nastier than any pirate. This one was so cute and funny, I loved it.

3. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by @soft-october-night Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18400820 Rating: M Word Count: 3,929 (one-shot) Human AU. Aziraphale and Crowley start out together as boys aboard ship, but time and circumstance, and the grinding hell that is the Royal Navy, lead them on different paths. As a member of the upper crust, Aziraphale is expected to bring honor to the family name, and so he rises through the ranks, dutifully performing his job. Crowley, whose prospects are considerably more limited, takes up piracy. As their paths cross over the years, frequently in opposition, their love for each other only grows, until they’re meeting in secret. Aziraphale wonders how much his suffering heart can stand, worrying about getting caught, worried about Crowley getting caught, the risk of disgrace, dismissal, execution. Can their relationship end in anything but tragedy? Beautifully written, full of passion and exquisite details.

4. White Tide by @fourthvvall Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19880215 Rating: E Word Count: 12,709 (one-shot) Aziraphale is kidnapped by pirates and due to be executed. He doesn’t dare use a miracle to escape for fear of severe reprimands from Heaven. Fortunately there happens to be a sneaky serpent of his acquaintance on board. Crowley can’t simply free him without at least a little teasing, but once they’re on deck in the quiet night, Aziraphale finds it almost impossible to leave. At least not without some serious conversation. Great banter and beautifully expressed emotions.

5. bluewater love by vol_ctrl Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21861685 Rating: E Word Count: 5,419 (one-shot) Crowley and Aziraphale are secretly married. They make plans to meet, when their respective duties allow, on deserted islands where they can indulge their love for each other in private, away from the watchful eyes of Heaven and Hell. The latest meeting nearly goes awry, however; Crowley is late, and when he arrives, Aziraphale realizes he’s wounded. Much caregiving follows, and, unable to keep their hands off each other and at Crowley’s insistence, some sweet lovemaking, too. So passionate that their combined supernatural energies whip up a tropical storm. Loved this one for the depth of feeling, and for the lovemaking-wildly-affecting-their-environment trope, plus I’m a sucker for secret marriages.

6. New Horizons, Old Troubles by @unproblematicme Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29404503 Rating: E Word Count: 44,961 (10/10 chapters, complete) I’ve recommended this before and I’m quite happy to do so again, for this most excellent Human/Omegaverse AU. Aziraphale is an omega, leading a quiet, peaceful life among friends as an herbalist, when his world is turned upside down. Forced to flee from Gabriel, an alpha who won’t take ‘no’ for an answer, he seeks shelter aboard a ship. A ship that happens to belong to Crowley, an uncompromising pirate captain and also an alpha, on the hunt for a valuable artifact, and who doesn’t think omegas are good for much other than a quick tumble. He won’t allow them on his ship, so it’s a good thing Aziraphale is clever in the use of herbal concoctions to hide his true nature. He gets a job as ship’s cook and makes himself even more useful with his knowledge of maps and reading, but being in such close proximity to the dashing captain is heading into dangerous waters. High adventure and growing passions, top marks for an action-packed read!

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