The Stars Of Fantasy Drama Good Omens have Teased An "even Closer" Relationship Between Angel Aziraphale

Work in progress

Hades/Crowley

So in case anyone wonder what I got up to in December and January, BEHOLD.

As a wee birthday surprise for @ashfae​, I built Aziraphale’s bookshop as a book nook :) It also lights up:

It is entirely possible I got carried away, but that’s half the fun :D I’ll pop a few of the progress pictures and what i used below, so I don’t entirely flood your timelines, so you can see the sticky mess I made :)

Afficher davantage

How do you find a balance between “show, don’t tell” and “readers might not catch/understand this subtle concept or showing it would be too convoluted or more open to interpretation than it needs to be”? It doesn’t help that everyone encourages more showing even if it swallowing little details that are supposed to stand out. Basically, I feel like I overthink my showing as being too tell-y even when it already has several layers of meaning and is already too dense for average readers.

“Show don’t tell” resources & advice...

I think people often mistake the advice of “show don’t tell” as being in the interest of making one’s writing more literary; more “high art” than candid prose typically is. The advice is intended to help one recognize when their prose is becoming dull or unengaging to the reader. Showing is supposed to promote an organically flowing reading experience, rather than turn the writing into a flowery, pretentious, and unintelligible mess. Finding a satisfying way to deliver information in the text that isn’t “I felt” or “I thought” is important. It should never dilute the information. Clarity comes first, and then one can configure the sentence to add as much richness to the reader’s ability to immerse themselves as possible. 

If the desire is to show that the character is sad, writing that “she looked down at the floor and wrapped her arms around her own waist” is not going to be any less indicative of that information than “she felt sad”. That is the point of this advice. It is not a way for one to convert information into a code that the reader must analyze in order to comprehend the basic idea of what the scenes are about. This isn’t 1597, and nobody is asking anyone to be Shakespeare. 

Density of a piece of writing does not give it inherent worth. Ease of comprehension doesn’t always have to be the number one priority, but it should be a considerable factor when one accounts for their audience and their subject matter. If one is writing a young adult fantasy trilogy, the density of the writing should be adherent to the demographic’s ability to comprehend certain writing styles. “Show, don’t tell” applies to all writing, but different writers interpret it differently, often based on who they’re writing for. If the concept you’re trying to convey to the reader in a subtle manner is not coming across without blurting it out in the text, perhaps the problem isn’t the way you’re describing it, but the concept is weak in its current state. 

Easily misinterpreted meanings or concepts are often not the victim of descriptive style, but being underdeveloped sub textually. No important concept can be described once within a dense text and expected to translate as intended into the reader’s understanding. If it’s important enough to the bones of your story and meaning, it shouldn’t rely on the manner of description to shine through. Sometimes the density of a text is a product of too much intentional symbolism or motif. It’s okay to allow some things to be meaningful purely in interpretation. It’s okay to acknowledge that you allowed something that obviously implies meaning to be prescribed its implications by the readers. 

Here are some of my other resources on the topic that you may find helpful:

Resources For Describing Characters

Resources For Describing Emotion

Conveying Emotions

All About Colors

A Writer’s Thesaurus

Showing VS Telling in First Person POV

Using Vocabulary

Balancing Detail & Development

+ When To Use “Felt”

Showing Vs Telling

How To Better Your Vocabulary & Description

Describing emotion through action

Improving Flow In Writing

How To “Show Don’t Tell” More

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Masterlist | WIP Blog

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Please all fans of Michael & David, recommend me 5 or even 10 movies/shows to watch from them? 🙏🏻🙏🏻

Sheen movies/films

Tennant movies/films

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!

It was requested of me to do a DTIYS picture.. so here you go, have a scene from page 7 of "A Siren's Kiss" You're more than welcome to draw anything of my boys, please tag me so I can see your work 💖

My big project!

Well, time to start my page. Here is Crowley in his demonic form.

Crowley’s Roman Look is Very Strange

I didn’t. I didn’t want to be this person. But Aziraphale is sitting RIGHT THERE looking like A TOTALLY RESPECTABLE Roman citizen circa 40 AD. Maybe the hair might be unusual, but the Romans LOVED blonde hair. They thought it was cool and foreign and exotic in sort of a sexy way.

But Crowley is so historically confused. And I think the production design is too good and Neil Gaiman is too on top of his game for this to be accidental. It must mean something. 

I - HAIR

What is on your head Crowley. Are you the emperor? Are you a victorious general currently participating in a victory parade? 

Sure, you sometimes see laurel wreathes in portraits. But FUNERAL portraits.

That crown is a symbolic thing, to celebrate your victories in life. It’s not STREET WEAR. 

And okay. It’s 40-41 AD. Caligula is emperor. Military chic is in. If you’re a guy, you’re wearing your hair short and un-styled (LIKE AZIRAPHALE.) Those dramatic little spit curls wouldn’t show up until at least Nero. 

But actually, pulling back for a second - are you appreciating the absurdity that is this hairstyle? Because it took me a second to notice that only the FRONT HALF is curled.

Which is a Roman hairstyle. But it’s a Roman LADY hairstyle. 

(It tends to get called ‘Flavian Hair’ because the Flavian era ladies of the 70s-90s got pretty extreme about it, but you still had less… dramatic versions in the 40s.)

That’s you, Crowley. That’s your style reference. Honestly, if you had just kept your hair long everybody would have thought you were a cool barbarian chieftain or something. 

II - CLOTHES

The black is fine. It’s eccentric, but fine. Romans wore black. Wearing black was Cato the Younger’s *thing.* It gets associated with mourning and/or protest, but it would have been really visually confusing to have Crowley wear some other color. This gets a pass.

Nope, my question is about his articles of clothing. There’s a charcoal grey garment that seems to be a toga + undershirt. It’s looped over Crowley’s arm, which is a classic toga give away. 

That part’s fine. But over the top, he’s wearing a true black… short cape? Shawl? it’s really hard to tell, because whatever it is, he is NOT wearing it correctly (is it folded in half?) Also, that irregular red zigzag pattern is very strange and I do not recognize it from anywhere. Seriously, I can’t even decide on a continent for this garment.

III - JEWELRY

Emperor Nero usually gets credit for inventing the first sunglasses, after he started watching gladiators fight though a green gemstone. He won’t be emperor for about ten years. But hey, he probably got the idea from somewhere. And dark glasses are just a really sensible way to hide your snakey eyes. This is also the first time we see Crowley put up some proper emotional barriers, so it’s a good place for the glasses to be introduced. (@theladyzephyr has a wonderful meta that goes into a lot more detail here.) 

So the sunglasses are good. BUT THAT BROOCH.

Okay. This is Aziraphale wearing a fibula plate brooch

It’s a really Roman style, and a really Roman shape (a “pelta”)

I’ve never seen one that looks like angel wings, but a Roman citizen is going to look at that and see a soppily patriotic Imperial Eagle. How nice that this lovely man from Germania/Greece has made some money and become such an exemplary citizen!

But Crowley is wearing a penannular (pin-and-ring) brooch

That’s not roman. That’s a style from the British Isles (Irish, Pictish, Scottish, Welsh.) It says barbarian, boonies, outskirts of the civilized world. 

And nobody @ me with pictures of pin-and-ring brooches from Rome. Those are small, cheap, and undecorated. They’re the cultural equivalent of safety pins. This is patterned like a snake, and it’s the size of Crowley’s palm. 

AND THAT’S ANOTHER THING. They didn’t do snake-themed jewelry in the British isles. Snakes didn’t have the best cultural associations there, and there weren’t too many of them there to begin with. This isn’t something Crowley picked up because “hey, a snake, cool,” and then got attached too. This must have been commissioned special. 

But you know who LOVED snake jewelry? 

ROMANS. 

Romans associated snakes with healing and rebirth - clinics sometimes had lil snakes crawling around on the ground to give the place good vibes. 

You cannot tell me that Crowley could have existed in Rome for any length of time and not picked up some of this jewelry. Which leads me to my conclusion:

IV - CROWLEY IS EXTREMELY NEW IN TOWN

The unfashionable pin and hair? The clothing draped the wrong way? The cultural colorblindness of wearing a laurel crown when you’re not supposed to? Crowley looks like a tacky tourist because he is one. He’s not staying here long, he “just nipped in for a quick temptation.”

He’s in a bad mod because he’s had an awful day, everyone keeps looking at him funny, the temptation was a complete bust, he has culture shock, and now he’s just trying to get a drink. But they don’t have any PROPER drinks like ALE or MEAD here, so he just orders “whatever’s drinkable.” He’s even not sure what they drink in Rome. 

But then Aziraphale shows up and invites him to lunch some place fashionable. So everything’s going to be okay.