charlottemadison42

[charlottemadison42]

Doing away with the lame "character gets fat to indicate that they've become a huge loser" trope and replacing it with a new, cooler "character gets fat to indicate they finally feel fulfilled with life" trope

#yes yes yes #character gets fat because they finally found the meds that work #character gets fat because they're in a relationship with someone who respects their boundaries and never food polices them #character gets fat because they discovered they love to cook and they slay in the kitchen #character gets fat because they've survived until the age where their body just naturally did that and it's fine #character gets fat because cheese is worth it goddammit

[charlottemadison42]

Ever hear an Andean cock of the rock before? Probably not, or maybe you have and didn't realise it, because they sound quite a bit like a kookaburra!

[charlottemadison42]

“Crowley is still an angel deep down” “Crowley is more of an angel than any of the archangels” “Crowley was only cast out because he needed to play his part in Armageddon, he's not a real demon” “Aziraphale wants to rebuild Heaven to be more like Crowley because he’s what an angel should be” no. Stop it. This is exactly where Aziraphale went wrong.

Crowley is 100% a demon. He's not actually a bit of an angel, and he's not cosmically better than any of the other demons we see in the series. He's much less vicious than most of them, yeah, but he's also much less vicious than most of the angels, because how “nice” a celestial being is has nothing to do with which side they're technically on. Crowley's kindness comes from him doing his best to help people despite the hurt he's suffered himself, not any sort of inherent residual or earned holiness. He was cast out just like the rest of the demons, and that's an important part of his history that shouldn't be minimized, excused, or, critically, 'corrected.'

Being angelic is not a positive or negative trait in the Good Omens universe. It's a species descriptor. Saying that Crowley is still an angel deep down because he helps people is an in-character thing for Aziraphale to think, certainly--Job and the final fifteen showed that in the worst possible way--but it's not something Crowley would ever react well to, and it's the main source of conflict in the entire "appoint you to be an angel" fiasco.

We know that Aziraphale thinks Crowley's fall was an injustice, but why? Well, because Crowley is actually Good, which means his fall was a mistake, or a test, or a regrettable error in judgment, or…something. Ineffable. Etc. The point is, he’s special, much better than those other demons, and if they can fix him and make him an angel again, everything will be fine! (So once Job's trials are over, everything will be restored to him? Praise be!) Aziraphale has to believe that Crowley's better traits come from traces of the angel he used to know and not the demon he's known for 6,000 years, because that’s how he can rationalize his incorrect view of Heaven as The Source Of Truth And Light And Good with his complicated feelings about Crowley's fall.

But Crowley's fall was not an injustice because he's actually a Good Person who didn't deserve it. Crowley's fall was an injustice because the entire system of dividing people into Good (obedient) and Bad (rebellious) is bullshit. Crowley is not an unfortunate exception to God's benevolence, he is a particularly sympathetic example of God's cruelty.

And really, Crowley doesn't behave at all like an angel, especially when he's at his best. All of the things that he's done that we as the audience consider Good are things that Heaven has directly opposed. (See: saving the goats and children in defiance of God in S2E2, convincing Aziraphale to give money to Elspeth despite Heaven's views on the "virtues of poverty" in S2E3, speaking out against the flood and the crucifixion in S1E3, tempting Aziraphale to enjoy earthly pleasures because he thinks they'll make him happy, stopping Armageddon.)

Heaven as an institution has never been about helping humanity. And that's not an issue of leadership, as Aziraphale seems to think--it's by design. Aziraphale's first official act as an angel toward humanity was to literally throw them to the lions. Giving them the sword wasn't him acting like an angel, it was just him being himself. Heaven doesn't care about humans. It's not supposed to. It's supposed to win the war against Hell, with humans as chess pieces at best and collateral damage at worst.

Yes, it's easier to think that there are forces that are supposed to be fundamentally good. It's easier to think that Aziraphale is going to show those mean archangels and the Metatron what’s coming to them and reform Heaven into what it "should" be, and that God is actually super chill and watching all of this while shipping ineffable husbands and cheering for them the whole way. And of course it's easier to take Crowley, who Aziraphale (and the audience) adores, and say that he deserves to be on the Good team much more than all those angels and demons that we don’t like. But that's not how it works. People are more complicated than that, even celestial beings.

Crowley is a demon, and the tragedy of his character is not that he's secretly a good guy who is being forced to be evil; the tragedy is that he's lived his whole life stuck between two institutional forces that are both equally hostile to the love he feels for the universe and the beings in it. There are no good and bad guys. There are no "right people." Every angel, demon, and human is capable of hurting or helping others based on their choices. That is, in fact, the entire fucking point.

[charlottemadison42]

There is something familiar about you

It was me from long ago

[charlottemadison42]

please, PLEASE read this.

There's two wolves inside you

One of them wants to see as much fanart where Aziraphale is round and big and chubby and soft

The other one doesn't know what to make of it, since Michael is objectively not even that big, but people view his chub and exaggerate it as bigger than it actually is and it makes you feel bad for actually fat individuals and how they are perceived by society

And it's a constant struggle

[charlottemadison42]

devotion

[charlottemadison42]

I'm just gonna have to post it now, despite the very obvious things that are wrong (yes, I see them) - I'm not used to making this type of art, so I'm just gonna have to consider this part of my learning curve. This autumn has been ROUGH for me, I lost a cherished job and two very important personal relationships, and yesterday our landlord told me and my partner we have to move out in a few months, because the house is being renovated. The last bit there nearly cured by Good Omens brainrot, to be honest - which was ignited partially because of said traumatic autumn, so I guess I'm kinda losing my mind a little bit right now. Don't quite know what to do, actually - except draw. Anyways, here you go. It only took a million hours and the health of my right shoulder.

[charlottemadison42]

And came over him a feeling that this would be his last star.

[charlottemadison42]

Crowley: let’s run off into the sunset together uwu

Aziraphale: but how can i protecc u if we haven’t dismantled the oppressive hierarchical system yet, u silly

[charlottemadison42]

Sometimes I can shut down irrational anxiety thoughts by just going "yeah, and then what?" at them. Like sitting home alone and suddenly getting a jolt of "oh shit what if someone secretly has cameras here and now they're just watching me do weird goblin shit unaware that I'm being observed."

And I can just go "well then they're the ones who are fucking weird for doing that." If someone's observing me just to gather data for an epic cringe compilation of all the weirdest shit I've ever done in the privacy of my own home, and then release it into the public, everyone's going to look at them to ask "what the fuck is wrong with you?"

[charlottemadison42]

Confront yourself with the uncomfortable reality that gender, sex, and sexuality are all fuzzier than you want them to be.

You cannot hold the idea that gender is a social construct while also holding the idea that sex and sexuality are rigid, unchanging boxes. It's all just words and definitions we created to try to explain human experience and guess what! Human experience is messy and complex and not beholden to a dictionary!

Just like gender, sex and sexuality are also more complicated and complex than any lines you attempt to draw in sand around them. Do what you want forever.

[charlottemadison42]

Big fan of angels being autistic btw. "How does an entity like that have a neurological condition" Well they can act like that. Angels having traits that read as autistic. Incomprehensible being trying for their best mimicry of human behavior. You understand

[charlottemadison42]

I’m watching that documentary “Before Stonewall” about gay history pre-1969, and uncovered something which I think is interesting.

The documentary includes a brief clip of a 1954 televised newscast about the rise of homosexuality. The host of the program interviewed psychologists, a police officer, and one “known homosexual”. The “known homosexual” is 22 years old. He identifies himself as Curtis White, which is a pseudonym; his name is actually Dale Olson.

So I tracked down the newscast. According to what I can find, Dale Olson may have been the first gay man to appear openly on television and defend his sexual orientation. He explains that there’s nothing wrong with him mentally and he’s never been arrested. When asked whether he’d take a cure if it existed, he says no. When asked whether his family knows he’s gay, he says that they didn’t up until tonight, but he guesses they’re going to find out, and he’ll probably be fired from his job as well. So of course the host is like …why are you doing this interview then? and Dale Olson, cool as cucumber pie, says “I think that this way I can be a little useful to someone besides myself.”

1954. 22 years old. Balls of pure titanium.

Despite the pseudonym, Dale’s boss did indeed recognize him from the TV program, and he was promptly fired the next day. He wrote into ONE magazine six months later to reassure readers that he had gotten a new job at a higher salary.

Curious about what became of him, I looked into his life a little further. It turns out that he ultimately became a very successful publicity agent. He promoted the Rocky movies and Superman. Not only that, but get this: Dale represented Rock Hudson, and he was the person who convinced him to disclose that he had AIDS! He wrote the statement Rock read. And as we know, Rock Hudson’s disclosure had a very significant effect on the national conversation about AIDS in the U.S.

It appears that no one has made the connection between Dale Olson the publicity agent instrumental in the AIDS debate and Dale Olson the 22-year-old first openly gay man on TV. So I thought I’d make it. For Pride month, an unsung gay hero.

[charlottemadison42]

I saw somebody use this line in their art and it made me laugh, so I decided to draw my goofy little interpretation of it. Imma add color later because I forgot my markers today (oops)

[charlottemadison42]

I am SO EXCITED for the 4th Annual #Azirafeast, The Feast Day of the Angel Aziraphale, an inclusive fandom event! It’s celebrated November 19th and is a made-up holiday that brings the community together, regardless of how a person participates in fandom.

On November 19th, everyone is welcome to celebrate the Feast Day of Aziraphale by drinking cocoa and wine, eating good food, reading, being stylish on their own terms, enjoying the company of friends and embracing the spirit of Aziraphale! Please share your pics on socials with #Azirafeast!

Creators are encouraged to show Aziraphale indulging in what makes him happy or why you love him (canon or fanon!) Create “Lore” for why Aziraphale has a feast day! What miracles throughout history has he performed? Creations can be dramatic, serious, sexy or silly!

All forms of creation are welcome: Draw, write, sing, act, sew, bake, cosplay or anything else! However YOU want to appreciate our favorite angel. All variations, versions and representations of Aziraphale are welcome on the feast of Aziraphale.

Anything tagged #Azirafeast or I will reblog, the same for Instagram and Twitter. I’ve had a permanent highlight on my Instagram for the last 3 years, and maintained this tumblr. Check out what others have made for previous years!

There is also an AO3 Collection: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Azirafeast

Anything added to it I will promote on my socials for #azirafeast.

I know I don’t have the biggest following, but the idea is that on the feast of Aziraphale even fans who don’t have a large social media presence will still be seen, still have their experiences noticed, and will feel part of a community that cares.

Folk can get stressed about creating by a “due date.” I encourage folk to post early if they want, and to keep posting after Nov 19 if they miss the day or don’t finish in time. Aziraphale procrastinated on preventing the apocalypse, you’re just embracing that energy!

And remember, you don’t have to “make” anything to participate. Eating cake and lying to your boss is a great way to celebrate! Confuse some customers, watch a nature documentary, get drunk, be kind to someone (Muriel) who is new but trying their best!

Just make sure to tag your contributions with either #azirafeast so we can celebrate with you! Please feel welcome to take my words and reshare anyway that you like, and make your own posts to generate awareness! Please do share in any fandom communities you’re a part of, or feel free to try to convince people IRL this is totally a real holiday.

I do not run, own, control or anything of the sort in regards to #azirafeast. The idea came from Cliopadra and a private discord server, and the brilliant folk there picked the date and ran with it. I encourage folk to participate because I think it’s a lovely idea! It is NOT “mine.”

[charlottemadison42]

As an ENTP, when I was a child reading a book called bible stories. I can’t help but think that washing someone’s feet with hair must be someone’s personal kink or something like that…

So I imagine, that when entp! Crowley is watching Mary drying Jesus’s feet, maybe he also thinks ‘wow the heaven gang have interesting kinks… Look Aziraphale We could be doing that too’

(And Azi will be like: please don’t kneel before me I’m scared)

All jokes aside, if you haven’t read it, Rilke’s Pietà is like THE poem for the ineffable husbands in my mind…

[charlottemadison42]

OMNOMNOM