#muriel talks

[tawnyevergreen]

My very late contribution to “they’re not talking”

#good omens #ineffable husbands #gos2 #Neil Gaiman #Crowley #Aziraphale #Muriel #art #fanart #good omens fanart #digital art #they aren’t talking

[actual-changeling]

a continuation of this post

-

Demons do not need to sleep, and yet he does, mostly because time spent unconscious is not time spent crying, which demons also do not do, and yet.

A deep, crushing pain resides in the middle of his chest—a heartbreak not entirely unfamiliar; he never forgot the smell of burning books and the lack of his angel's presence anywhere on earth. He never forgot what it felt like to lose Aziraphale, and the reminder he received was entirely unnecessary.

If anyone were to ask, he'd deny the crying, arguing that technically not a single tear has left his eyes in the last three months, sixteen days, and seven hours—not that he is keeping count—although there is no one left to care. Except Muriel, who adjusted surprisingly quickly to living on earth and having a demonic snake curled up by the window.

Crowley sleeps and endures a never-ending series of nightmares for about two months, and while he wakes and slithers out of his chair, he decides to remain in his serpent form.

The most surprising development is perhaps how easily he bonds with Muriel. They offer up a steady arm, having switched the uniform for a sunshine-yellow pastel jumper and a simple black skirt, and to hell with it all, the warmth, the touch, the soft breaths, and the regular heartbeat pulsating next to him do not heal the wound, but they stop the bleeding; for a while, anyway.

So they go about their days, Crowley coiled around their shoulders while they read or do inventory, reorganise books, and then organise them differently as soon as they're done, never selling a single copy. They sing, too, having apparently discovered a lot of earthly pleasures during his nap, low and quiet, soothing in a way he did not expect.

Once upon a time, not too long ago, the Serpent of Eden wrapped around an angel's shoulders was a familiar sight. The serpent remains unchanged, although if you were to ask anyone regularly passing by the shop, they'd tell you it seems sadder now, somehow.

The angel has changed, however.

As time passes, Crowley waits not in a garden but in a bookshop, longing for a thunderstorm and a white wing above his head. He watches the sky, he watches the door, and he waits and waits and waits.

#alex talks good omens #good omens #ineffable husbands #crowley #muriel #crowley and muriel #aziraphale #good omens season 2 #go2 #aziracrow #crowley x aziraphale #ineffable divorce #sorry if you expected fluff angst is all i can offer at the moment take it or leave it

[aduckwithears]

The way Aziraphale carefully checks that Muriel came alone.

Little things to love about Good Omens S2 (22/?) - Masterpost

#he's learned something from his demon! #little things #good omens #good omens s2 #good omens 2 #aziraphale #muriel #gos2 #good omens details #a duck talks #a duck gifs

[ineffectualbookseller]

but like... think of the implications of Gabriel being so quick to drop all connections to heaven after a few years of knowing Beelzebub. He has been heaven's #1 guy for all of time but he was given a gift by a demon and he's ready to abandon God for hell

demons may not trust each other but at least they have a common enemy, a shared trauma. But what do the angels even have keeping them together? They have been left so lonely and devoid of kindness - the structure of heaven honestly seems like it'd crumble under the weight of a feather

#neils out here talking about how much furfur would do for a kind word but heaven is exactly the same #gabriel abandoning gods plan felt so weird to me on my first watch but... now it just sort of feels like forshadowing #just as important of a signal as muriel's loneliness #I wonder if the metatron realizes... #thinking about Aziraphale craddling that boys tumor and how much power that softness could have in a place like that #good omens #good omens spoilers

[bimtimtom]

Lil comic

#hes talking to muriel btw #good omens #goms #aziraphale #crowley #anthony j crowley #aziracrow #ineffable spouses #ineffable husbands #ineffable divorce #good omens comic #comic #art #drawing #digital art #my art #fanart #i was going to make more but lost steam

[demonsandpieohmy]

I love that the fandom has moved on from “Crowley and Aziraphale are angstily pining after each other, devastated and heartbroken” and moved to “Crowley and Aziraphale are the bitchiest and most passive aggressive divorced couple only communicating via their lawyers (Nina and Maggie)”

#they’re not talking #but crowley is suing for full custody of their child (Muriel) #good omens #good omens season 3 #aziraphale #crowley #aziracrow #ineffable husbands #michael sheen #david tennant #neil gaiman #lilly rants

[no-paperwork]

I was thinking ‘bout the moment that hurted me the most in all 2 seasons: yes, the kiss, the “I forgive you” moment, ok, it hurts.. but..

It’s been a terrible week, they’ve almost started a war between heaven&hell for the ineffable bureaucracy, but all that Crowley wants is “a little us time” (and alcohol, obviously).

In that moment, he believes that everything it’s gonna be better, that they can just be "an us", that the nightingales are singing just for them.

While is talking to Muriel, Crowley believes for the last time that their love can just.. be.

And every time that I see this scene, I die a little.

#good omens #crowley #ineffable idiots #aziraphale #ineffable husbands #ineffable partners #they aren't talking #aziraphale x crowley #crowley x arizaphale #and they aren't talking #muriel #muriel good omens #us time

[heyimcelery]

Jim on the left holds a sign saying "we are"

Muriel in the middle holds a sign saying "children of"

The Bentley on the far right has a sign leaning on it with the words "divorce"

#listen okay i have vision #i mean kinda #but they are definitely azi and crows kids #especially the Bentley #but none of u are willing to talk #good omens has control of my life #good omens #good omens spoilers #good omens season 2 #ineffable husbands #good omens s2 #aziracrow #aziraphale #crowley #gos2 spoilers #muriel #bentley #gabriel #divorce #tw divorce

[talk-nerdy-to-me-thyla]

We don't talk enough about how Muriel always looks like a lone child at their school recital

#its the constant spotlight #good omens #good omens s2 #talking nerdy #good omens muriel #muriel #good omens season 2

[freerangewhales]

"So, you're apologizing? Okay. I don't forgive you."

The divorce is not treating Crowley all that well, I'm afraid.

Pen on paper

#what muriel sees when they try to talk to crowley #the divorce has taken its toll #anthony j crowley #good omens #ineffable husbands #crowley #good omens season 2 #fanart #neil gaiman

[jimmy-is-stuck-in-a-jar]

had a dream where the ‘not talking’ meant that Aziraphale and Crowley literally still hung out together was all still lovey dovey but they just don’t talk at all, like non verbal love or something

#good omens #aziraphale #crowley #ineffable husbands #not talking huh? no problemo just do sign language #everything just kind of happened in the background #Muriel was there too but they were like so fast I don’t know what they were even doing

[abbybubbls]

A scene for Good Omens 3 leaked, I'm a reliable source so you can totally trust me

Inspired by this lovely tweet

#abby's doodles #good omens #crowley #muriel #aziraphale #ineffable husbands #they're not talking

[actual-changeling]

I need Muriel to give Crowley a hug, actually.

They learn from books and movies and tv shows, they talk to Nina and Maggie, they go native rather quickly because they're just completely immersed in it.

Crowley is miserable, of course he is. He refuses to talk about it, refuses to even mention Aziraphale, refuses to explain why he didn't go with him. Most of the time, he curls up in his armchair by the window and watches life go on around him.

One day it's particularly bad, he goes for a drive that lasts several hours, and when he comes back to the bookshop he is drenched to the bone because he refused to seek cover from the rain and just stared at the sky for ten minutes.

Muriel stops in front of him and says "I'm going to hug you now" and then does exactly that. It's a bit awkward since neither of them has actually ever properly hugged another being, but Crowley couldn't resist if he wanted to. He melts into, all long limbs and pain, and Muriel holds him without a care for their clothes and doesn't say a single thing the entire time.

They cling to each other for an hour without tiring, and Crowley takes off his glasses at some point and properly hugs them back. Aziraphale is- was his world, and without him, he is aimlessly drifting through space, and there's nothing anyone could do or say to give him the gravity he is missing.

But it's a start.

Muriel is an anchor, kind, understanding, and without centuries of history stretching between them, so he allows himself to be centred by them while he figures out how to create his own gravity again; how to make a star that can exist without its twin, free to hurl through space all on its own.

#alex talks good omens #good omens #crowley and muriel #ineffable husbands #crowley #muriel #aziraphale #good omens season 2 #go2 #aziracrow #crowley x aziraphale #ineffable divorce

[aduckwithears]

I am actually so emotional about this moment.

Not only do we have the introduction of the adorable Muriel, an angel who has miraculously (heh) not been drained of all spontaneity by the blandness of Heaven, but we get one of the best examples of the season of current day Aziraphale and Crowley just being... together. A united front. Looking at this scene (and the promo picture that came out pre-season) it's no wonder that we were thrown for a loop by the relative lack of ease between them in much of season 2.

They are just so! On the same page! Together! Their side! help me

#the sitting on the arm of the chair and leaning in kills me every time #good omens #good omens s2 #gos2 #good omens 2 #ineffable husbands #aziracrow #muriel #good omens meta #a duck talks

[thestalkerbunny]

Hot Take? Everyone should live like Muriel Bagg

-Be kind and helpful to those who are different than you.

-Be charitable to people who have less than you.

-Be open to new experiences

-Travel; appreciate other cultures

-Always try cooking new foods, Learn new instruments. You don’t have to be good-but try anyways.

-love your pets to an adoring level.

#Tsb talks #Courage the cowardly dog #muriel bagg

[hellothereiplaygames]

Some thoughts on Asra's route...

Replaying Asra's route after having played Muriel's really hits different...

In one of the other routes Asra and Muriel appear to start a romantic relationship, and in Asra's route it's very clear that Muriel cares very deeply for Asra and dislikes the Apprentice. He mentions in one of the paid? dream scenes that he's worried about Asra and the Apprentice fading into their own world and leaving everyone else behind (again, apparently), and that he's determined to stop this from happening. His concern for Asra and initial hostility toward the Apprentice may be rooted in jealousy, not only because his oldest (and only) friend was more or less taken from him, but perhaps with romantic connotations as well.

In Book XI: Justice, Asra and Julian stage a mock trial by combat against Muriel. Though he apparently agreed to participate and is implied to have returned to the Coliseum of his own volition, presumably out of concern for Asra, who has been accused of being Julian's accomplice... he is still more or less backed into a corner and forced to play along with Asra and Julian's plan to stage a fight.

Now, to be fair to Asra, he states after everything goes wrong that it wasn't supposed to end this way, and it appeared that he was attempting to not only exonerate himself and Julian from their charges but somehow help Muriel overcome his past (he does disintegrate Muriel's chains during the fight no matter what choices you make). There was a point during this that I thought I could guess what Asra's plan was regarding Muriel's past, but being refreshed on how it actually pans out, I can't remember it now. Something about making the people of Vesuvia realize how barbaric the Coliseum was under Lucio.

The thing that stands out to me throughout this whole ordeal is that Asra knows about Muriel's trauma. He knows he was enslaved to Lucio and forced to fight and execute people in the Coliseum. He knows that Muriel is terrified of hurting other people, especially those he cares about. In Asra's route, the only person Muriel cares about is Asra, so hurting him is triggering for him. He literally is in a stupor after the board he was using as a weapon splinters off and hits Asra in the mouth, making him bleed. This is clearly meant to make the reader worried about Asra, but Muriel reacts as well, and appears hypnotized by the blood. I remember the first time I read this I thought he was going to have some crazy berserker-Hulk sort of reaction, but having read his route, it's way more tragic.

Though Muriel did seem to return to the Coliseum of his own volition, it does seem that Asra took this as a sign that he was coming to terms with his trauma. He was willing to exploit Muriel's care for him in order to save his own skin so he can be with the Apprentice. Though I recognize Asra's other toxic traits to some degree, I also have similar ones myself so they don't really stand out to me. This, however, where he more or less disregards Muriel's feelings on the matter, is actually really crushing. In Muriel's route, his whole thing is that he DOES NOT want to fight, he DOES NOT want to even spar with the Apprentice with blunt sticks out of fear of hurting them, so why would he willingly go along with this unless he was more or less in the same position Lucio put him in? Fight in the arena, or something bad will happen to Asra.

Asra knows this, and puts him through it regardless. During the whole fight, Julian's actions are written so as to make it seem like he's the one messing things up--he takes the "finishing blow" that Muriel was going to deal to Asra and gets knocked unconscious. Asra spends most of the entire time doing flashy, dramatic magic tricks that get the crowd cheering for him. After he "wins", he and the Apprentice are carried out of the Coliseum like heroes. Though Asra will try to soothe Muriel if the Apprentice so chooses right before the end, and he does look for Muriel in the crowd, he seems otherwise unbothered or unaware of the impact this may be having on his oldest friend. Which is pretty shitty.

Of course, Asra, Julian, and Muriel are all playing characters during their fight--Asra is the flashy magician, Julian is the rogueish BDSM dagger guy, and Muriel is the Scourge. Asra obviously can't show his concern even if he wanted to because he's supposed to be fighting Muriel. But putting his bro into this situation in the first place says a lot about his character. Though Julian is the one whose route is based around self-loathing because he believes he hurts everyone around him, Asra is the only one who gets what he wants out of this ordeal, and he even says so right before the chapter ends. Muriel was forced to relive his trauma and didn't get the resolution that was intended, and Julian gets KOed by a punch that literally sent him flying across the arena (though he probably enjoyed it tbh, he's a nasty little man like that lmao).

I wonder if this dynamic between Asra and Muriel was intentionally written this way in order to further amplify his tunnel vision when it comes to the Apprentice. Is this is how he acted in the past, causing Muriel to hate the Apprentice as he does and remark that he won't allow it to happen again? Maybe (probably) I'm reading too much into it, but as a survivor of abuse and trauma it rubs me the wrong way much more than Asra's obsessive, clingy nature. Of all of the reversed ends, Asra's is the one that actually scared me and kind of haunted me, because it hits a little too close to home.

These are all just thoughts that I wanted to spill out because I thought it was interesting and I wasn't sure if anyone else has talked about it before.

#the arcana #asra alnazar #muriel the mountain man #muriel of the kokhuri #asra the arcana #asra the magician #muriel the arcana #my thoughts #i mean maybe they do talk about this later in the route and i just forgot but??? #considering lucio's route and the way that was handled i don't expect it #i adore asra #he literally checks all my boxes for my favorite tropes #but like... this actually is kind of insane and i hope muriel was the one to be like “i can play scourge... i guess” but i doubt it #it also makes me wonder if asra projected onto julian and that's why ilya thinks everything is his fault #because i can't see mazelinka and the grandmas raising julian to think he's not worthy of love #asra however might have given him that impression during their time together?? which is just a big no from me ok #just some thoughts though lmao #this game has returned as my major hyperfixation so i apologize for the novel and all these tags