#Philosopher of the Month

[took-my-breath-away]

art idea: icemav in the stands at one of bradley’s baseball games (elementary, middle, or high school — i feel like he played for a while). i would love to see them in baseball caps, cheering, with sodas and hot dogs and the whole nine yards.

i love icemav doing different activities (especially on romcom esque dates), so if that jogs anything either, i’d love to see it! thanks for making such great art.

he struggled for months to hit it right, nerves wracking through him.

but this time he waited... for the right moment. it finally came.

[dwtpsychward]

jane austen northanger abbey / oscar wilde the picture of dorian gray / tumblr post by disneykin / jennifer smith / tumblr post by starei / tumblr post by whorerants

[krumpkin]

A true quote 🤔

[wine-stained-diaries]

Solas is not a fully formed person.

When I think of him I can only imagine these shattered pieces of glass, a mere glimpse into what he could have been like if he ever fully formed. But Solas was never awarded the time to flourish, to develop into something that could fully be regarded as him

The nature of a spirit is narrow all things considered, someone should have thought of the consequence of taking on flesh, to become a person. Yet lyrium is spilled, spirit and flesh combined... whatever could go wrong? Let us play at being Gods.

It all falls apart.

Now, the world needed a vengeful and rebellious God, that's what he became. Mythal wanted her companion, he bowed his head to what he considered a friend, but was she truly? His people needed vengeance, so he took up a mantle no one asked him to―to right a wrong few in the world even know about. His regrets demanded blood, so he killed and lied and ensnared...

Regret is a powerful motivator, enough to let it consume whatever you could have been, returning to safe waters better than facing the unknown.

I do believe Solas knows who he wants to be. The person he masqueraded as while directing the Inquisition much like a well versed maestro, is the idealised version of him. The Solas he wishes he could be above all else. But the truth of the matter, is that you cannot pick and choose what pieces of yourself you wish to uplift, and which to strangle. As a spirit he could have been Wisdom, pure in form and without callouses and scars―he no longer has that choice.

For at the end of the day it is these 'choices', either of his own make or influenced by others that has made him what he is. Flesh forces change, and to someone born into the world with one trait elevated above all else... is it truly so strange he pushes against it

The Dread Wolf represents change, yet the man who bears the moniker hates it above all else. Yearning for something simple in a world he broke all on his own. It is torture in itself.

And if the world had shattered, made anew as he had wished it―what would be left of old Fen'Harel? Would he be able to rearrange those fragmented pieces of glass, a picture made up of blood stained shards that once upon a time reflected what he had been? Flesh forces change. What stares back at him is someone he barely recognises, a victim, a villain, a God, a friend, a lover, a man.

No matter how he twists and turns this mirror, the reflection changes―and Solas hates that.

He has killed, loved, laughed, denied, hated, sacrificed, learned,―

The old world is dead.

Now the current world's blood stains his dagger, dying on the behalf of a memory that is hazy at best now. No matter, he can try again when the time is right, the pride in him whispers he will do it correctly this time.

The wisdom in him begs for it all to stop.

A cycle starts anew.

Solas does not know who he truly is, nor does he want to embrace the fact time has changed him regardless of his own wishes. Let it all become regrets and thrown in the Fade. He continues to reflect only what others may want him to be in an endless spiral he will never truly escape from―he has tricked himself in the end.

It is tragic, and horrifying at the same time.

[theinfernalsanctuary]

Happy pride month to all of my fellow members of the LGBTQIA+ community, out or not. Just a friendly reminder that Saranism is 1000% a safe space for people of all ages, race, or sexuality; and my page will always be a safe space for queer people.

Just a little bit about me, I'm nonbinary, I have no preferred pronouns (I'll use whatever), I was assigned female at birth, and last but certainly not least I am gay. The comfort and safety of me and my community will always trump homophobes and their misconceptions of how free speech works.

Love wins now and forever.

Ave Satanas and happy pride!

[starberry-cupcake]

good news is I passed the university course I was doing (yay!) so now that I'm only focused on the advanced degree, some work and some further medical things, I can pick harrow up again soon as if she was a little feral kitten

better news is that I have been making those silly recaps, so I can now make use of them to remind myself of the details I have forgotten

(because I do remember exactly where I left off, chapter number and all, since the moment I saw camilla again the whole world collapsed around me)

I also might be able to post a korrasami fic I wrote some time back and left abandoned because why not

I don't know what life has in store and what will happen with the rest of the stuff I have to deal with, but having a bit more time for myself will surely help

[chuuyanakaahara]

i don't wanna. but the demons... the demons want me to (begin writing for + submitting to contests/competitions)

[snek-of-eden]

swinging wildly between “i am a god creating masterpieces before my very eyes and no mark i make has ever felt sweeter than the one i will place next” and “oh fuck. oh we’re so cooked. cover my eyes, i can’t bear to see the atrocities” while painting a portrait of a loved one

[ineffablydelighted]

[How exploring the Ineffable Husbands' dynamic in Good Omens can help us figure out what the show/book is all about, Part 3.1/?]

Also called: This human has, apparently, too much time on her hands and will be trying to Effable the Ineffable for [...] hours.

Hiya, Angels! 👋

Hope you're all doing well!

First of all, if you randomly came across this analysis, I guess you would expect me to entice you to read the first two parts beforehand... And you would be absolutely right.

"Obviosleh."

And since I'm nice [and because I fully understand the importance of saving people as much effort as possible to catch a larger audience - Duh 😇], here are the links for Part 1 and Part 2 🥰 so that everyone is on the same page as we dive into Part 3.

As I previously announced, we'll dissect our favorite pair's next two encounters today which are S1 3004 BC (Noa's Arch, The Flood) and S2 2500 BC (Job's ca-

[future me rereading this before dropping - Yep, nope, not happening just yet]

By doing that, I will try my best to prove to you the main point of my analysis I've revealed at the end of Part 2.

Repeat after me: Good Omens is a philosophical essay disguised as comedic/satyric/romantic fiction.

[Yeah... here she is, already giving orders strong recommendations... I'm so Metatroning you right now.]

[And, since I'm at my best when I'm Metatroning people, this is the moment I'm gonna take to strongly recommend you to ingest the human matter of your choosing - Num num num.]

*In Crowley's voice* OOookaay, let's start!

3004 BC (Mesopotamia - Noa's Arch, The Flood)

In S1, Right before this encounter happens, the scene starts by making us, the audience, witness Aziraphale very badly lying to God about the flaming sword, an event that I already mentioned in part 2 because of the contrast it was considering he did tell the truth to a newly Demonized Crawley in comparison.

BUT [Yay, first "but" of Part 3! Are you having fun?], I really want to talk about this bit some more because that remains one of the scenes that, to this day, bugs me THE MOST in Good Omens as a whole.

To sum things up, you're telling me that GOD:

BOTHERED to pop in to ask one of their Angels a question.

That the said Angel seemed suuuuper anxious about from the start: looking everywhere aimlessly, almost asking them WHAT A DAMN SWORD EVEN WAS... basically giving away EVERY TELLTALE SIGN, both in their voice, mannerisms, and the simple fact that they were literally back to the wall, that they were about to LIE, proceeded to give God the UNanswerest answer EVER:

"Oh, must have, uh, must have put it down here somewhere."

And God just... just... LEFT THAT LYING ANGEL ALONE?! Just as quickly as they arrived?! No arguments, no further questions, no reckoning, just... NOTHING. HAPPENED?!

HUH?

WOT?!

WHO?!

WHO THE F DOES THAT?!

WHO DOES THAT?! That is a real question! WHO?!

IT DOESN'T MAKE ANY. SENSE!

THE F-

I mea-

I'll never recover from it.

Oof. Okay, I'm fini-

I NEED an answer in Season 3! This is all I ask! I don't need the world to be saved, I don't need Alpha Centauri, man, I don't even need Aziracrow to reuni- [okay, no, can't say that, even if I like being dramatic, I take that back, this is all I want and all I've ever wanted, please, I just need to see Aziraphale in a white dress and Crowley demanding him to remove his 200 yo jacket on top of it because it "absolutely ruins it", please!] I. NEED. ANSWERS.

*clears her throat* Yeah. So. I'm perfectly fine with this scene. Moving on!

Aziraphale and Crawley meet in Mesopotamia during the year 3004 BC.

Crawley is the first to notice and to greet Aziraphale VERY enthusiastically. Which is, first of all, cute, but also an indicator that they haven't seen each other in a very long time, more precisely, since Eden (a thousand years prior to be exact). We know that because the first thing Crawley says after his "Hello, Aziraphale!" is the direct continuation of their conversation back in Eden:

"So, giving the mortals a flaming sword. How did that work out for you?"

Aziraphale answers what will never cease to bug me:

"The Almighty has never actually mentioned it again."

Which still peaks my interest because it could mean two things, and pretty different things at that:

One, God and Aziraphale never directly interacted again and nobody from the Main Office ever asked him about the flaming sword at all, which made Aziraphale believe that God never asked them anything about it.

OR

Two, God and Aziraphale DID directly interact again but the flaming sword subject has never been brought up once more.

Given the way this sentence is constructed and the emphasis on "actually mentioned it again," I'm more inclined to believe in the second option, which would be a very interesting thing to pounder:

Aziraphale might have a "privileged" relationship with God considering they probably interacted somewhat directly and more than once.

I'll go back to it later because we need to keep that in mind for the Job's case encounter.

Crawley says that it is "probably a good thing" until his attention is drawn to what is happening around them.

Then, they will debate the subject of the day, which is pretty much the same thing as before but formulated differently and condensed:

What is the point of Good and Bad? Do these concepts even have a meaning or not?

The main difference between the two previous encounters compared to this one is that this time, Aziraphale and Crawley are both active in the debate and do find common grounds here and there. It is shown cinematographically: they share the screen.

Aziraphale explains to Crawley that God got "a bit tetchy" and wants to drown the human race (well, at least the Middle Eastern humans) and Crawley takes that announcement astonishingly, which still aligns with his creator-at-heart persona.

"All of them?"

Insists Crawley.

Aziraphale first tries to mitigate what appears to Crawley as an extreme reaction by stating that Noah, his family, and their spouses will be spared but you can see that he, himself, doesn't really believe in what he tries to say.

"But they're drowning everybody else?"

Crawley really, really cannot comprehend what is happening.

"Not the kids. You can't kill kids."

This reminds us of their very first meeting because Crawley, here, judges God and tries to put himself in their place. Again.

Aziraphale answers with a worried nod: both because he is scared (his Fear of God cannot be anything but present at that moment) and because... he agrees.

And THEN, Crawley says that:

"Well, that's more the kind of thing you'd expect my lot to do."

Now that Aziraphale is more inclined to be part of the debate, Crawley tends to be more forthright about his opinion:

If God can do what Satan and his demons do, what is the point of separating the two? Are they, really, that different?

And, more so:

Is God a Good being anyway?

If Good or Bad exists, of course. [Oh, yes, I know I'm annoying. 100% aware. 😁]

To Aziraphale, it is clearly the case, and that is why he tries, again, to mitigate God's actions:

"The Almighty's going to put up a new thing, called a rainbow. As a promise not to drown everyone again."

A rainbow, huh? How interesting...

A rainbow is basically a demonstration of the union between Water and Fire. God and Satan. Good and Bad. Blah blah blah.

Almost as if...

Nahhh...

Almost as if they both needed to exist at all times!

Also, Aziraphale almost sounds like he is interpreting the rainbow as God's excuse for having a tantrum.

Which Crawley responds with a very sarcastic:

"How kind."

That's when Aziraphale cannot bring himself to follow Crawley's opinion any further (even if it is clearly shown he DOES agree, he is just SCARED to be).

After telling Crawley that he cannot judge God, that's when the "Ineffable" word is brought up again. This time, by Crawley. Because he already knows what Ineffable means to Aziraphale:

I am not important, or mighty enough to judge God and I am not supposed to. I am supposed to do what I am told, no questions asked.

Does it sound repetitive? Yeah, because it is 😅 That is Good Omen's main theme, after all.

This story is, as I mentioned before, a satire. Of religion, but also, of the concept of hierarchy, and the danger of ideologies as a whole. "Ineffable" is an ideology. "Ineffable" literally means "so emotionally overwhelming and powerful that you cannot translate into words"...

But Good Omens wants to bring you to ask yourself: cannot or don't want to?

Aziraphale is a character who doesn't want to think by himself because he is scared of a higher power (hierarchy). But he cannot just... stop thinking. Oppositely to Crowley, who kind of always, naturally had that ability.

Therefore, that makes it difficult for the both of them to understand each other [Oh yes, we'll talk about that further when we finally talk about that S2 finale that left us traumatized. According to my rhythm and how my Muse is an erratic bench, I'd say this conversation will occur in about a year or two.] Just as it is difficult for any of us to understand the people who think dramatically differently than us. Good Omens is an invitation to debate with people who do not share our views. That is how we stay open-minded and prompt to change.

Basically, folks: don't blindly stay in the boxes you're in.

Hierarchy is heavily criticized too, because it is a big cause - if not the main one - of people staying put in their respective boxes. Religion is a box among many others, hence the fact I prefer to say that GO mocks ideologies as a whole.

But hierarchy can be different things, and, more so, can use many different tones towards its subordinates: hierarchy can be nice, and affectionate (family, for instance - or not, definitely not always). Hierarchy can also be threatening, physically or mentally, or both (dictatorship, for instance).

Basically: hierarchy can either come from love or fear.

Or... well, both. That's how you get... propaganda? That is the most blatant example that came to my mind. We tend to associate love with good. We also tend to forget how often love has been used as a weapon.

Good and bad are...

[You know the end of the sentence, now, do you? If not, it means I haven't harassed you enough, so let me remind you]

Good and Bad are always mixed up. If they exist.

Anyway, I feel like I'm starting to digress.

.... Actually? I'm not done with that segment just yet.

[You right now.]

Hierarchy can also come from... habits. History. Some hierarchies that we are under today are still there because of how long they have been installed, but not really because they are that relevant anymore. I am not going to bring examples here because I do not want to offend anybody and because you are more than capable of interpreting this statement in a way that speaks to you.

We'll talk about this more when we'll reach the... Jim/Gabriel subject. [In about a year and a half.]

ANYWAY. Moving on to a lighter reflection:

Romantically speaking, Aziraphale remembers that encounter because Crawley displayed strong empathy and concern during that whole meeting.

He asked Aziraphale how he was after the flaming sword incident,

He could not comprehend how killing kids was okay,

He bothered to alert Noah about the escaping unicorn.

[Also, maybe, because damn - Also, it might come as a surprise to you who have seen me fangirling over Crowley for the last 3 parts but my favorite is actually Aziraphale 🤣]

After this conversation, The Flood starts and neither of them is protecting the other from it. Because of habits (after a thousand years spent on earth, they know this will not hurt any of them), but also as a way to tell us, the audience: they have started to realize they were in this together.

[Insert the "We're all in this together" Disney's High School Musical song right here... Yeah! I'm a Millennial, how could you possibly have guessed?!]

They are Equals.

Another really important topic in Good Omens, by the way, but it is time to dive into one of my favorite encounters between Aziraphale and Crowley and-

Huhhhh. I feel like analyzing two meetings including a whole episode in only one part might feel too heavy (to me, at least). So... I guess see you next time? 😅

Bye, Angels!

[No, no, I'm not saying you are "sssuckersss" okay? Just wanted a Crowley gif.]

Need help to find the rest of this analysis? I've got you covered! Follow me, Angel 😇

Previous - Beginning - Next

[jadore-la-mort]

I love aimless philosophical lementing if we haven't noticed

[krumpkin]

Definitely Seen Plenty Of Examples Of This 🤔

[somebodycallediris]

hey do you want my selfsona.. hey do you want my selfsona.. hey-

[eonars]

oh no it's nearly 2am i was about to sleep but i just got an email saying i have been granted a residence permit now everythings too Real and i won't be sleeping

[the-anime-man]

It's kind of funny that ruri and rin have gotten into the game before yuri did, im not complaining but it's fucking goddamn hilarious for sure

[someguywriting]

proship? you mean live and let live? sounds pretty fucking cool to me!

[born-to-lose]

I watched Nightmare on Elm Street for the first time yesterday and OUGH why didn't I sooner