#but my interpretation of Michael is consistent

[nightmare-foundation]

Thinking abt Michael when he was a kid vs how he is now, and what has (or hasn't) changed since then tbh

Like. I imagine Michael has always been pretty gangly and tall as hell. Its the Marfans, yknow? But as a teenager, he had just a bit more muscle. He was never muscular—he's just not built like that—but he HAS always been deceptively strong. Like, STUPID strong. Even after healing from the scooping (because, let's be real, he's not unscathed), he's pretty scary thanks to the combination of his height and strength. Dude came out of puberty 6 foot freaking 6.

Something that, surprisingly, hasn't changed a ton is his attitude. He was definitely way more energetic and meaner as a teenager prior to the Bite, and afterwards he closed off massively. But he's always been pretty grumpy and sarcastic with a dry and pretty morbid sense of humor (which very much got worse after some of the more traumatizing events in his life). And especially after the Bite, he was very snippy and extremely closed off, pushing everyone away (with the exception of one Sammy Emily- but he didn't stay for long, once his mother came to get him).

These days, Michael is... a bit calmer, even if he's still grumpy. He definitely still struggles with his anger—anger management never worked out—but he's less likely to physically lash out unless you give him a real good reason to. He's still a huge loner, but its moreso out of an actual liking to stay alone than self punishment. He's kinda just known as the weird guy on the block, and then the grumpy old man that the kids love visiting on Halloween (Michael goes all out, its his favorite holiday), and when he moves back to Hurricane, he's that Afton guy whose dad was probably a serial killer and accidentally killed his little brother. And then he's also Mr. Afton (eugh, he hates that), the grumpy old guy who runs the nearby Freddy's and has a shady background and is also probably some kind of cryptid (some people swear they saw him die when they were a kid, like full on rotting corpse die, and then get back up. No one believes it, obviously, but Michael jokes about it).

Michael, as a kid, definitely didn't have as many scars as he does now. He had a few from rough housing, or from little accidents when he was really small, but nothing big.

That is, until William had the genius idea to use a springlock suit to scare Michael as a punishment for talking back too many times, confident the springlocks wouldn't actually go off. Unfortunately, Michael barely survived it, and the springlock suits were officially retired afterwards. (He freaks the fuck out on night 4 in Sister Location because of this. He never wanted to be in a springlock suit again, let alone in the very suit that nearly killed him. He let's himself have a panic attack when he gets home)

After he heals from the scooping and Ennard wearing him like a meatsuit, he has even more scars. Tears in his skin from the wires, the massive gouge that runs from his throat to his lower stomach, and scars on the sides of his face from when Ennard ripped itself out of him and tore his jaw open.

A combination of these events left Michael disabled (as you might imagine). He typically requires a crutch to get around, and on bad (or busy) days, he'll use a wheelchair. Plus he has body and leg braces. He also deals with POTS and pretty frequent dislocations. Essentially, he's kind of falling apart. He does pretty regular physical therapy to keep himself from getting worse.

One perk of the scooping is that he's chock fucking full of Remnant. It helped heal him (accelerated his natural healing abilities, plus did its own healing), so these days he's much faster at recovering and healing, and it... slowed down his aging. By FFPS, he appears like he's in his late 30s, early 40s, even though he's actually in his mid to late 50s. He just claims its good genes. Michael is a little annoyed his dad was kind of right about Remnant, even if it didn't like, give him immortality or anything, just slowed down his aging.

Something that hasn't changed at all is that Michael wants kids. Ever since he was a teenager, he really wanted his own. Unfortunately, a combination of factors lead to him never having his own. Despite that, he adores kids, and he's fantastic with them. (In a perfect world, he would adopt Vanessa and Gregory, and be with Sammy, who also has Cassie.)

A big thing that's changed is how much Michael cares about resembling his father. For a long time, he hated that he looked identical to his father, and shared quite a few of the same mannerisms. But after 30 years, Michael... really struggles to care. He's long since accepted who he looks like. He knows he's nothing like William in the ways that actually matter. (At least, during and prior to FFPS. Afterwards... its complicated.)

Just. Shakes Michael. He's so interesting

[hipstersoulgushers-art]

Facecanons for the reds n blues now that I’ve been hyperfixating for over a year

[books-and-omens]

Rather a big thing, by the way, that many of us are probably re-evaluating right now is Crowley consistently not wanting to be called kind or nice. Especially not by Aziraphale.

In S1, that was what triggered the wall slam. ‘Bit of an overreaction, if you ask me’—but in S2 we see more about how strong Crowley’s feelings are on the topic.

In the Job minisode, Crowley vehemently insists that he is a demon. He is so angry at God. When Aziraphale tells him that he is certain Crowley does not want to destroy Job’s children, Crowley takes his glasses off to expose full-demon irises and looks Aziraphale in the eye as requested and says, “I want to”.

Aziraphale is heartbroken over that. His shoulders slump, he exhales shakily, his faith in Crowley has indeed cracked. Look at him:

And then, of course, he figures out the trick, and it turns out that he is exactly right about Crowley. “Well,” he says, and looks vindicated, triumphant, amused.

He was right. He knew Crowley would resist atrocity with everything he has. He knew Crowley would understand it’s an atrocity in a way Gabriel and Michael did not seem to (and neither did those two care). What Aziraphale sees is that, for all of Crowley’s demonic posturing, Crowley came through.

(He remembers the angel that Crowley used to be. So joyful. So happy. So unlike Gabriel and Michael, too: the angel Crowley would never have gone along with killing Job’s children.)

At the end of this minisode, Aziraphale is ready to go to Hell. He thinks he must: he lied, he thwarted the will of God. Crowley, of course, tells him that he is simply an angel who goes along with Heaven as far as he can.

Aziraphale will process this in some way later, but… he won’t process it in the same way as Crowley. Aziraphale won’t reject the idea of Heavenly goodness—Heaven is supposed to be good, that’s the whole point—but he will take note of how, time and time again, Crowley exemplifies this idea when the actual Heavenly angels do not.

Across history, Aziraphale sees Crowley do things that are good. And then disclaim them, reject them, call them something else. A demon could get into a lot of trouble for doing the right thing, Crowley had warned him a long time ago.

Aziraphale will remember this.

Don’t say thank you, Crowley hisses in the Bastille. My lot do not send rude notes.

And the Victorian minisode?

Off my head on laudanum, not responsible for my actions, Crowley tells Aziraphale vehemently after saving Elspeth from suicide. (In Christianity, certainly in the 19th century, suicide condemns a soul; one who died by suicide does not even get a Christian burial. So Crowley has actively diverted a soul from Hell by drinking the laudanum.)

And—look at how indulgently Aziraphale is looking at Crowley as Crowley insists he is not responsible for his actions.

Of course you aren’t, my dear, he seems to think. We both know you did it on purpose, to have a plausible excuse for Hell. But of course we both know that you are in fact responsible for your actions, and that, at great personal risk and cost, you have once again chosen to do good.

So by the end, from Aziraphale’s point of view, Crowley has a much better idea of Good than Heaven itself. And—oh joy!—in the finale, Metatron, the voice of God, finally acknowledges that fact and validates it. Your demon recognized me when nobody else did, Metatron essentially says.

(I just cannot with the ominous dramatic music that plays as Metatron leads Aziraphale out of the shop. Get the FUCK OUT David Arnold, this is so pointed and disturbing. In this season and in the last, the music is narration, it tells us so much without a single word.)

Anyway! Yes! In the finale, Aziraphale is being manipulated, and part of why it works is that he still does not understand Crowley’s motives in insisting he is not nice or good. He has been interpreting Crowley’s insistence solely as protective, which makes a lot of sense from what he has seen. A demon doing good deeds must hide to avoid punishment and pain. Crowley has hid for six thousand years, has gotten used to hiding. Sure, the last four years were different, but even in these years the danger hasn’t gone away, and six thousand years is a long time to set a pattern.

Aziraphale wants to see Crowley happy. He wants to see him—both of them—safe. And here, finally, is an official Metatron-offered way. Heaven is finally admitting and working on its mistakes. Surely Crowley will forgive them? Surely Crowley and Aziraphale can make Heaven better, together? Make into what it should be? (And they would be safe, they would be safe, they would be safe.)

They still haven’t talked. Aziraphale still does not understand Crowley’s choices. In the past, it might have been too dangerous for Aziraphale to know exactly why Crowley Fell, while for Crowley, it might have been too vulnerable a thing to discuss. So they haven’t talked, and Aziraphale does not know the exact questions Crowley had asked, does not know the exact reasons. He assumes.

And his assumptions, oh so well-meant, are going to be catastrophic.

[inhuman-obey-me]

Ah and I hope this isn't spam (I'm not too sure on how asks on tumblr usually go) but any thoughts on the Simeon seraph reveal?

Personally I wasn't a big fan of it bc it felt kind of cheap? And inconsistent with how the Celestial Realm was written, and I don't really think it makes sense. My personal takes are that the Celestial Realm comes off as a more strict/authoritarian place that values adherence to rules and compliance more than caring for the angels themselves. Simeon stood out among the angels (at least to me) because he's decently high ranking but is/was always willing to bend the rules. He doesn't (usually) bend the rules for himself, but more to help the people he cares about. His 2 major demotions always felt pretty significant to his character. I don't think it was ever specified why he was demoted to an archangel, but with Raphael taking his place, I always assumed it either had something to do with him bending the rules, or with him maybe taking a more neutral position in the War. For becoming human, he did it because he cared to save MC's life more than Celestial Realm rules. To me both instances feel like moments where he chose to do what he felt was right regardless of whatever punishment he got, and the Celestial Realm doesn't seem like a place that goes light on punishments. To just have him be reinstated with seemingly no issue,,, kinda feels like it's cancelling out whatever development or change in perspective he could've gotten. A return to the status quo for the sake of wrapping up the story.

But then again I haven't had the time to finish either game so most of my info is through spoilers </3 So my interpretation could be totally wrong lol (sorry for the ramble btw ^^;)

Not at all spam and we are so sorry we're so late to answering this! It gets us worked up when we think about it haha.......

But yes to all you've said!! Simeon's casual seraph reveal makes no damn sense given everything we know about the Celestial Realm and Simeon's previous demotions and why they happened.

His demotion to archangel was heavily implied to happen because Simeon seemed to cover for the brothers/stayed neutral in the Great Celestial War. He was essentially punished for not being fully loyal to God. He wasn't quite 'replaced' as far as we know -- Raphael was already a seraph before the war, though he likely did take on some of Simeon's seraph responsibilities after he was demoted. And then yes, was punished again for "stealing" Lucifer's Ring of Light from Michael to help stabilize MC's power. As you said, Simeon is always willing to bend the rules in order to protect those he cares about -- and the Celestial Realm is quick to punish anyone who steps out of line.

We've long yelled that the Celestial Realm sucks in that it is a very authoritarian place. The Celestial Realm has consistently shown that it is not enough to be "good" but that the angels need to be obedient -- and not only must they obey in their actions, but it is mandated that they can never even question Father, aka God.

This point is pushed up to the very end, demonstrated by the subsequent agony that Raphael experienced in the final NB season. He too started feeling torn between what he felt was just, and the absolutism of the Celestial Realm's judgment. Even to him, who had always been very loyal to the Celestial Realm and much more of a stickler for the rules, as we've seen contrasted with the brothers, it didn't seem right that Simeon could potentially fall forever to demonhood for literally saving the entire universe, and that the Celestial Realm was not stepping in to end his punishment to save him from that fate, when Father could have very easily made that decision. Starting to realize that contradiction caused him so much distress that it sent him into a whole magical spiral, because he couldn't bear the anxiety and denial of realizing that he was beginning to doubt God!

Now, the end of the final season seems to suggest that the combined efforts of the other angels, in trying to appeal to Michael and Father to end the punishment of becoming human, plus Simeon's own decision not to give up on being an angel (which we have some separate thoughts on...) left room for an implication that he would return to being an angel. However, this also comes after a lot of buildup that seemed to imply he actually felt pretty okay accepting that he might become a demon, as one of his greatest regrets is actually not being able to join the brothers in rebellion during the war! So to simply hand-wave it in a casual birthday video mention that he's not only an angel again, but has been restored all the way to seraph status, is not only cheap but kind of insane????

Ultimately, though, a lot of the abrupt wrap-up on Simeon seems to have come about from the equally abrupt end of content for the games. As far as we can tell, the OM team themselves were caught by surprise by this decision, considering they had just rolled out a whole new "date" feature with only the first two brothers to start! RIP literally all the other characters' fans...?? And there was a whole Instagram moment of the social media team implying they wished for the games to come back too.....so, haha. Fuck us players, we guess.

So, we're limited to only speculation, of course, but at a guess, it seems like they wanted to set up things in a way that neatly tied a bow on Simeon's whole huge arc, putting him back at angel status for any future projects so that there wouldn't be big status changes from game to game. And slipping in a mention of him being a seraph again in the middle of a birthday YouTube video is absolutely the dumbest, cheapest way for them to do that, deeply undercutting so much of the world and story they'd set up, but presumably it's just a way for them to confirm the outcome from after the ending, without actually diving into it with the care and depth that it deserves.

But hey -- to be honest, who knows how much control the devs even had about it at that point?

[milkywaydrinker]

I've been rotating this thought in my mind for a while: People in fandom have a very weird fixation on age gaps.

There's a tendency to instantly assume an age gap is always bad or problematic but it's not the case at all, especially in fiction and doubly so for a human/non-human ship.

The most recent example would be Kit and Jentry (from Jentry Chau vs The Underworld).

Let's start from the general topic: When is the age an issue?

Most rational people acknowledge age gaps are pretty common in real life. Between adults, an age gap isn't as much of a problem because we're dealing with people on the same stage of life, a 24yo shouldn't have any issues dating a 30yo just by the virtue of one party being older. They're both years into adulthood there's no moral or legal argument to make there.

A 30yo dating an 18yo raises eyebrows because we recognize the difference between their lives experiences, it's still not immoral or illegal but many would find it suspect due to a potential power imbalance compounding with financial dependence or adult life experience. It still doesn't necessarily mean the relationship is exploitative or abusive just because of the age gap but the probability of it is way higher.

The age gaps between minors can be similarly suspect just as in a case of a minor and a freshly minted adult. Things like that need to be carefully evaluated on a case by case basis.

Now, to the point: fictional characters dating non-human/long lived/immortal characters when is it problematic and when it doesn't matter at all?

The fictional narratives often play around with what age means for an immortal character, how they perceive the passage of time, how they grow and change with time, if at all?

In case of Kit, the narrative positions him in a similar spot to Michael who's a regular highschooler. He behaves in ways consistent with a teenager too, socially clumsy, not very developed emotionally and impulsive just like Jentry. The only mark of his age we can see is the compounded trauma he carries with him.

He has no social advantage over other characters, no financial advantage, no maturity advantage as his lived experience in society is so different and fragmented he cannot reliably pull from it to have an upper hand in any way.

That's why it personally drives me a bit crazy when people pull the age gap card as if it matters when it's the least relevant part of why he should never be together with Jentry. With so many other, serious red flags about him, throwing an absurd "pedophile" label diminishes the angles of possible character interpretation. It makes people miss out on all of the things that are actually wrong with him that should be talked about more and are leagues more interesting.

[followsfrankiep]

Haunted (Alfie Solomons x Reader)

Chapter 7 - Submission

TW: Violence, Threats, Gambling, Death, Assault, Blood, Mention of substance abuse, etc.

Word count: 6.7k

Previous chapter: https://www.tumblr.com/followsfrankiep/774922623804178432/haunted-alfie-solomons-x-reader

“You thought you could just vanish, didn’t you, you little thief? Steal from me and ruin my life without facing the consequences?”

Izzy’s mind raced, flashes of her past deception and the streets of Brooklyn flooding her thoughts. This was it. This was her end. She glanced at the passing scenery along with the hum of the engine filling the tense silence inside as she weighed her options, but the man’s presence was overpowering.

Her specialty was strategic thinking but it seemed like her only choice right now is either escape and be exposed, or face the consequences of her actions, even if it meant going inside the car of this manic man.

But she was Izzy. If she can talk and charm her way into a problem, she could at least try to talk her way out. That simple, right?

“Listen,” she began, trying to keep her voice steady, “You don’t want to do this. Think about it—”

“Think?” he interrupted, his laugh cold and bitter. “I’ve done nothing but think about this moment. Every damn day since you left me with nothing, Isobel."

But no, this mad man was adamant to make her feel his wrath.

She swallowed hard, her thoughts a whirlwind. She had faced danger before, but this was different. This man was relentless, driven by a vengeful obsession, and her secret can be exposed anytime soon.

-

One week ago:

"There's ma ray of sunshine! Izzy!" Arthur's voice boomed as he opened his arms wide.

Izzy hurried over, her face lighting up with a warm smile. She embraced him tightly. "Arthur? Since when did you get out of prison? I'm glad you're back."

A week ago, Tommy and Lizzie hosted a dinner in their mansion to celebrate two things. Arthur Shelby, freshly returned from prison, stood by the fireplace, his rugged face softened by a genuine smile as he caught sight of Izzy. Her frequent visits and stories earned the oldest shelby brother's affection. He was ready to dive back in to his role in the family business, and everyone was happy to have him back.

The second is, Tommy was to brief them about the upcoming gala at the new Shelby-owned Hotel & Casino. He emphasized the significance of the event, noting the attendance of political figures, wealthy men, and potential business partners. Tommy revealed that the crucial meeting with the Russians would occur during the gala, and he assured everyone that he would handle it personally to ensure everything went smoothly.

He entrusted Michael and Izzy with the task of entertaining these high-profile guests, emphasizing the importance of their roles. Since their fight, Michael had made several attempts to reach out to Izzy, offering apologies and small gestures of kindness. Despite his efforts, Izzy remained distant and unresponsive. She knew he meant what he had said during their argument, and his apologies seemed pointless to her.

To be honest, what he said did not hurt her that much, but Izzy was finding her way out of this situation. Michael's attempts felt futile against the cold shoulder she consistently gave him.

Tommy Shelby raised his glass, toasting to Arthur's return and the impending success of the gala and Russian negotiations. The family followed suit, their glasses meeting in a harmonious clink of crystal. As they sipped, a heavy silence settled over them, the weight of upcoming challenges casting a long shadow on the moment of celebration. Izzy caught Tommy’s eye, and he gave her a small nod. She interpreted it as encouragement, a silent message of trust and expectation.

Unbeknownst to her, the nod carried a different meaning.

After dinner, Tommy sat behind his desk, a cigarette dangling from his lips, as Polly Gray and Arthur Shelby joined him in his home office.

"Tommy, we need to talk about Michael." Polly's face was etched with concern, her voice low but intense as she began to speak. "He's been a wreck since his fight with Izzy. He feels like his position in the company is threatened by an outsider, and it's tearing him apart."

Tommy took a long drag from his cigarette, listening intently. Polly's worry was evident, her hands tightly gripping the glass of wine she was drinking as she spoke. Arthur, standing beside her, leaned against the desk, his demeanor more relaxed yet equally serious.

"Michael needs to grow up," Arthur said, without missing a beat, "Izzy's proven herself to be an asset to the company. We can't let a lovers' spat get in the way of business." Arthur's swift defense of Izzy was clear.

"This isn't just a childish spat, Arthur. It's about business, and it's about family. We should trust blood over anyone else. Izzy needs to be removed from the operations." Polly hissed, frustration evident in her eyes.

Exhaling a plume of smoke, Tommy considered Polly's words. He knew she had a point, but he also understood the importance of Izzy in his plans. "I understand your concern, Pol. But I need Izzy for what we're doing. I can't afford to let her go just yet."

A scoff of disbelief from Polly, shaking her head. "Michael is spiraling because of that woman, Tommy. He's losing himself, and I can't just stand by and watch."

She was Michael's mother. Naturally, she couldn't help but feel a deep sense of horror and helplessness whenever she looked at him. She had witnessed his descent into alcohol and substance abuse since his fight with Izzy, watching him stumble into the house at all hours, reeking of alcohol. The vibrant, ambitious son she knew seemed to be slipping away, replaced by a hollow shell. Every failed attempt to reach out to him only deepened her despair.

Arthur placed a reassuring hand on Polly's shoulder. "Michael will be okay, Pol. He's tough. He'll get through this."

Polly's worry remained, the weight of her son's struggles pressing heavily on her shoulders. Tommy knew the importance of family and the stakes they faced, it was a stark reminder of how he constantly walked the tightrope, balancing family loyalty with the demands of business ambition.

"I'll keep an eye on Michael," Tommy said finally, his voice steady. "But for now, Izzy stays. We need her."

Dinner had ended, leaving Izzy with an uneasy feeling tugging at her. She had noticed how drained Esme looked throughout the meal, her usual vibrant energy replaced by a weary demeanor. Izzy wandered through Tommy's mansion, searching for Esme to check on her friend. Stepping outside, the cool night air wrapped around her like a shroud, and she spotted Esme leaning against a garden wall, a cigarette in hand.

During her visits to Arthur in prison, Izzy had come to know John through Arthur's stories. His eyes would light up whenever he spoke of his brother, recounting tales of their childhood mischief and the fierce loyalty that bound them together. The Shelby family had grieved deeply when John died, his absence leaving a gaping hole that could never be filled.

Quietly, Izzy approached, her footsteps muffled by the grass. Esme glanced up, her eyes already misty with unshed tears. "Needed to think," she said, offering Izzy a cigarette.

Taking it, Izzy lit up and joined her in the quiet of the night. She had noticed how drained Esme looked during dinner, her usual vibrant energy replaced by weariness. The silence between them was heavy, filled with unspoken words. Esme took a long drag, watching the ember glow brightly before exhaling slowly. "With Arthur coming home, I couldn't help but wish John did too," she admitted, her voice breaking slightly.

A deep sorrow hit Izzy as she listened. She could feel the weight of Esme's loss, the raw vulnerability in her friend's voice. "I understand," she said softly, her voice barely more than a whisper.

Her tears began to fall just as her own composure slipping away like the ashes from her cigarette. "The dinner just made me miss him even more," she continued, gazing at the stick in between her fingers.

"We were living on borrowed time, and I didn't realize it until it was too late. Life was burning away faster than I ever expected."

Izzy's heart ached for her friend. She reached out, giving Esme's shoulders a gentle squeeze. "I'm so sorry, Esme."

Esme's shoulders shook with quiet sobs, each tear falling like the ashes scattered by the wind. "I remember the little fights we had, the stupid arguments. If I had known... I would've just spent every moment loving him. Now, all I have are regrets."

The cigarette between Esme's fingers burned down quickly, the ember fading just as swiftly as the time she had with John. Izzy wrapped her arms around Esme, holding her tightly. The vulnerability in Esme's voice resonated deeply within her. She knew that pain, that longing for someone who was no longer there. As Esme cried against her shoulder, Izzy's own thoughts began to wander to Alfie Solomons.

Memories of Alfie’s boyish smile, the way he looked at her with such tenderness, flooded her mind. His huge figure wrapped around hers gave her a sense of warmth and protection. Izzy's heart ached, not just for Esme's loss, but for her own longing to be with the man she loved.

The night air was filled with the scent of tobacco and the raw vulnerability of two women who had loved deeply and lost profoundly. As Izzy pondered her own situation, she questioned whether the reasons she gave up truly outweighed the love she had for Alfie. Despite her own heartache, a glimmer of hope remained; she could still be with the man she loved, before it was too late.

As Esme continued to poured out her heart, Izzy couldn't shake the thoughts of Alfie from her mind. The ache of missing him was a constant reminder of the fragility of love and the preciousness of time. She wished she could be with him, to feel his arms around her, to see his smile.

The sound of footsteps broke the silence. Michael approached them, his steps hesitant and awkward. He wanted to talk to Izzy, but the tension from their recent fight made it difficult. "Izzy, do you need a ride home?" he asked softly.

"I don't know, Michael. Do you need me to drive you home? Are you intoxicated?" she answered hesitantly.

Michael shook his head gently. "No, I'm fine."

Izzy gave Esme a brief look, uncertain to leave her friend during her crisis but Esme understood, nudging her friend. "Go on, Izzy. I'll be alright now. Thank you."

The ride back to Izzy's hotel was shrouded in awkward silence. Michael gripped the leather steering wheel so tightly. He kept glancing at Izzy, trying to gauge how he should approach his estranged girlfriend. Izzy stared out the window, her expression unreadable, as the city lights blurred past them.

"Sorry, Iz." Michael finally broke the silence.

She sighed deeply, still looking out the window. "Sorry for what, Michael?"

She had been expecting him to address what had happened the moment he offered her a ride earlier. Michael hesitated, searching for the right words as he navigated through the quiet streets.

"For everything. For the fight, for what I said... I didn't mean to hurt you."

Izzy turned her head slightly, giving him a cold, sidelong glance. "You meant every word," she replied, her tone sharp and distant.

Michael's body stiffening in response to her straightforwardness. "I was angry," he admitted, his voice strained. "I didn't think. I lashed out, and I regret it."

Izzy's eyes returned to the window, her mind racing. She saw this as an opportunity to have an exit from her relationship with Michael. "Own up to what you said, Michael. Don't regret it." she replied icily.

"I know. I know I messed up, and I want to make it right. I don't want to lose you, Izzy," Michael said, his voice filled with desperation.

A heavy silence settled over them once more. Izzy's heart ached with the weight of their unresolved issues. As much as she didn't want to hurt Michael, she has thought about ending things for a long time now and knew it had to be done gradually.

"I don't know, Michael," she finally said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Maybe we both need time to think."

He nodded, swallowing hard. "I understand. But I'm here, and I want to try. If you'll let me."

The rest of the drive continued in silence, the distance between them feeling both vast and fragile. As they pulled up to Izzy's hotel, Michael reached for her hand, his eyes filled with earnestness. "Just think about it, okay? Please."

Izzy looked at him, seeing the vulnerability and regret etched on his face. "Alright. Just give me some space for now," she said quietly, pulling her hand away before stepping out of the car.

The distance she created with Michael gave her time to slipped into her flat, the familiar scent and stillness welcoming her like an old friend. Her mind buzzed with the remnants of the day's chaos, and the fight with Michael provided her with the perfect excuse to escape. Here, she could breathe, think, and plot her next move. She walked over to a particular loose floorboard, a secret she had shared with no one.

Carefully lifting it, she revealed her hidden stash—crisp bills stacked neatly from months of underground transactions. This wasn't money anyone knew about; it was her safety net, her ticket to freedom. As she counted the money, her fingers moving with practiced precision, satisfaction tinged with frustration washed over her. It wasn't quite enough. Close, but not there yet. She needed a bit more to make sure she could leave for Brooklyn at a moment's notice.

She closed the floorboard with a decisive thud and moved to her cluttered desk, where letters and trinkets spilled over the edges. This was her sanctuary, a chaotic mess that somehow calmed her. Picking up a pen, she began writing to her dear friend Sophia. The simple act of putting words on paper grounded her, made the world outside seem less daunting.

While writing, her eyes drifted to a jewelry case on the shelf. Inside lay a necklace, a delicate piece Alfie had given her in those early, intoxicating days of their relationship. It wasn't just a piece of jewelry; it was a fragment of a memory that was given the day he took her breath away. The man had seemed larger than life, his laugh booming, and his presence filled her flat with warmth whenever he stayed over.

As her pen moved across the paper, Izzy's thoughts danced between the past and the future. She needed to focus on her goal—making sure she had enough money to return to Brooklyn. But the ache of missing Alfie was a constant undercurrent, tugging at her resolve.

She glanced at the necklace again, she wanted to see Alfie as she wore that piece. Sealing the letter to Sophia, Izzy leaned back, feeling the weight of her decisions settle. Her mind was a whirl of determination and longing, but for now, she had a plan, and that was enough.

-

That night:

Michael moved through the crowd with practiced ease, his charming smile never wavering. The grand ballroom of the newly owned Shelby Hotel and Casino glittered under the chandelier lights. Laughter and clinking glasses echoed through the opulent space as the crème de la crème of society, dressed to the nines, mingled and celebrated the Shelby family's latest venture. Michael was determined to show that he could handle the responsibility that came with the Shelby name. His eyes darted from guest to guest, ensuring everyone was entertained and well taken care of. He exchanged pleasantries, shook hands, and made small talk, all while keeping a watchful eye on the proceedings.

Polly stood by the bar, a glass of whiskey in hand. She watched her son with a sense of pride, her lips curling into a satisfied smile. Yet, Polly's gaze eventually wandered, drawn to a different part of the room.

There, at one of the poker tables, sat Izzy. She was surrounded by Tommy's colleagues from Parliament, men who had grown accustomed to her presence through her work with her boss. Izzy's face was a mask of concentration as she played her hand, the corner of her mouth twitching with a suppressed smile.

Polly scoffed softly, taking another sip of her whiskey. The sight of the young woman so comfortably blended into the upper echelons of society grated on her nerves. She admired Izzy's tenacity, but there was a part of her that resented the ease with which Izzy navigated these circles. Polly had fought tooth and nail for her place in this world, and she couldn't help but feel a tinge of jealousy as she watched the young woman hold her own among the powerful men.

The poker game continued, the stakes rising with each round. Izzy's eyes flicked up occasionally, meeting the gazes of her opponents with a steely determination. The look of admiration and grudging respect in their eyes was not lost on Polly.

In the basement of the Shelby Hotel, the ambiance stood in stark contrast to the opulent gala above. The passage leading to the meeting room was heavily guarded, with vigilant eyes ensuring that no one unauthorized could gain access. This was the chosen venue for a covert meeting between Tommy, and a cadre of Russian emissaries as they're joined by Alfie Solomons.

"Let's make this quick," Tommy said, his voice low and commanding. "Do you have the jewelry as payment?"

One of the Russians nodded, his expression inscrutable. "Indeed. The jewels are here."

"We'll inspect them first," Alfie interjected, his tone laced with sarcasm. "You don't expect us to accept a box of shiny rocks without a look, do you?"

Tommy shot Alfie a warning glance, but Alfie merely shrugged, a mischievous glint in his eye. Time was of the essence, and while this deal was important, his mind was elsewhere—on Izzy. He needed to get to her soon, and every minute spent haggling with the Russians was a minute wasted.

The emissaries exchanged a look before producing a small, velvet-lined box. Inside, a collection of glittering jewels caught the dim light, their brilliance undiminished by the grim surroundings. Tommy inspected them carefully, nodding his approval.

"These will do," he said. "The terms remain unchanged."

As Alfie examined the jewels, Tommy stepped closer, his eyes narrowing as he scrutinized each piece. "You call this one a diamond?" he scoffed, holding up a large, clear gem. "Looks more like a chunk of paste to me."

The lead Russian emissary bristled, but maintained his composure. "That is a rare blue diamond, Mr. Solomons. Perhaps your eyes deceive you."

Alfie chuckled darkly. "My eyes are just fine, little man. It's your honesty that's in question."

The Russians handed over the rest of the jewelry, each piece more exquisite than the last. Necklaces adorned with sapphires, rings encrusted with emeralds, and bracelets set with rubies—all glittered in the dim light, reflecting the delicate nature of the transaction. However, the Jewish man, with his rough touch, examined each piece with rugged scrutiny.

Still not satisfied, Alfie went through the jewelry one by one. Each time he found a piece he deemed subpar, his frustration grew. At one point, his patience snapped, and he lunged at one of the Russian emissaries, his hands closing around the man's throat. "You think you can cheat us with this garbage?" he growled.

Tommy knew Alfie's tendency to snap and how quickly the situation could escalate into violence, potentially straining the transaction and their precarious alliance.

"Now, that's enough!" he barked.

He quickly intervened, prying Alfie's hands off the emissary. The tension in the room thickened, but Tommy's decisive action helped maintain a fragile peace whilst reminding Alfie of his place.

As the exchange was made, the Jewish man couldn't help but quip, "You know, for a bunch of supposed aristocrats, your sense of timing is bloody awful. Some of us have places to be."

One of the emissaries arched an eyebrow. "Is there somewhere more important you need to be, Mr. Solomons?"

"I'm a busy man. I've got more pressing matters than babysitting a bunch of over-dressed Russian relics." Alfie said mockingly.

Tommy's patience was wearing thin, shaking his head. "Just fucking finish that, Alfie."

Finally, Alfie showed Tommy the final piece of jewelry for approval. It was an ornate necklace adorned with glittering rubies and intricate filigree. Tommy examined it briefly, giving a curt nod of approval.

He stepped closer to Tommy, his eyes narrowing with intensity. "Now, about our little agreement," he began. "You remember, don't you?"

Tommy's expression remained calm and calculated. "I remember, Alfie. I gave you my word."

With a quick, almost imperceptible motion, Alfie shoved a small object into his own coat pocket. Tommy's gaze didn't waver; he knew exactly what Alfie was carrying. The Russian emissaries watched the exchange with silent interest, their expressions carefully guarded.

-

As the tense exchange continued in the basement, an equally nerve-wracking scene was unfolding upstairs. Arthur Shelby moved through the crowded ballroom, eyes scanning the sea of faces until they landed on Izzy at the poker table. Leaning in close, he whispered in her ear, "Sorry to ruin your fun, Sunshine, but a there's a potential American business partner that wants to have a word with you privately."

Izzy nodded in agreement, duty-bound by Tommy's orders to entertain every single one of them, even though a sense of unease gnawed at her. She gathered her cards and stood up, offering polite excuses to the political figures she'd been playing with.

Arthur led her to a private room, casual and unsuspecting. He locked the door behind her and, with a nod, left her alone, unaware of the turmoil he was leaving her to face. Izzy glanced around the room, her eyes falling on the man waiting for her. The sight of him sent an icy chill down her spine.

Jack Nelson, a man in his late forties, stood there with a predatory smile. Izzy's blood ran cold. She recognized him instantly—a former victim of hers. The lavish room suddenly felt like a trap, the walls closing in around her.

The man's smile widened, a sinister glint in his eyes. "How are you, Isobel?" he greeted, his voice dripping with a mix of familiarity and menace. The sound of her name sent shivers down her spine, a stark reminder of the past she had tried so hard to conceal.

Izzy's heart pounded in her chest, her mind racing as she tried to maintain her composure. She was nervous and a little afraid, but she kept herself composed. As Jack took a step closer, she pulled a gun from her clutch and pointed it at him. "What are you doing here?" she demanded.

Jack smiled at her, holding his hands up in mocking defeat. "Come on now, is that how you greet an old boyfriend?"

She kept her guarded position, her eyes never leaving him. "Put your gun down, Isobel. You're not going to fire that here." He clicked his tongue. "I talked to your new boyfriend, Michael Gray..."

Izzy stiffened upon hearing Michael's name, realizing her cover was blown.

"It seems like you got him under your twisted games too, huh?"

"What do you want, Jack?" she hissed, still pointing the gun at him.

Jack stopped and gazed into her eyes. "I want you to pay for what you did, you whore."

With a swift movement, Jack grabbed the gun from Izzy, turning the tables and holding her at gunpoint. Izzy felt a mix of fear and defiance. "Go ahead. Pull the trigger. I dare you."

Jack let out a dark, ominous laugh as he moved closer, the tip of the gun pressing against her stomach. He brushed a strand of her raven-colored hair behind her ear. "That wouldn't be fun, would it?" he whispered, his breath hot against her skin. "I want you to suffer the way I did, Isobel. Obey me, or I will expose your dirty secret with the Shelby family. Then maybe they will be the ones to put a bullet across your pretty face."

"Exit the premises with me, and don't create a scene," Jack ordered, his voice low and threatening.

Izzy obeyed, not wanting to taunt the man who is capable of blowing her cover, her heart pounding as she tried to process what was happening. She avoided eye contact with the guests who called out to her, their voices fading into the background noise of the bustling gala. Her focus was on survival, on finding a way out of this nightmare.

With measured steps, she walked straight to the exit, her mind racing with thoughts of escape. How could she leave unscathed? What were her options? The answers eluded her, but she knew she had to stay calm and composed.

As they reached the exit, Jack's presence was a constant, oppressive force. Izzy obediently got into his car, her mind still working furiously to come up with a plan. She couldn't afford to show fear or hesitation. She had to play along, at least for now, until an opportunity presented itself.

-

The final terms settled, Tommy and Alfie exchanged terse nods with the Russians and made their way back upstairs. He needed to see Izzy, to ensure she was safe and to share a moment of sanity amidst the chaos.

Moving through the crowd, Alfie exchanged polite nods and half-hearted pleasantries, his focus unwavering. He spotted Michael near the bar, still entertaining guests.

"Oi, Michael, have you seen Izzy?" Alfie approached him with casual ease.

Michael turned, his smile fading slightly as he took in Alfie's intense expression. "She was at the poker table last I saw. Why, what's going on?"

"Just need to have a word with her, nothing serious," Alfie replied, masking his concern. With a nod, he made his way to the poker table, only to find it empty.

A sense of unease settled over Alfie. Something was wrong. As he stood there, trying to piece together the puzzle, he overheard Finn talking to Arthur nearby.

"She exited the premises without Tommy's permission," Finn said, his voice low and hurried.

Alfie couldn't help himself. He approached Finn, gripping the younger man's shoulders tightly. Arthur, ever the protective older brother, quickly stepped forward, his eyes narrowing at Alfie's aggressive stance. "Oi, Alfie, ease up," Arthur warned, ready to step in if necessary.

"Boy, where's Izzy? Where'd she go?" Alfie held unto the young shelby's shoulders.

Finn stuttered, caught off guard by Alfie's urgency. "She... she got into a car with another guest. I was calling her, but she didn't even look at me."

Fuck. Alfie's heart raced as he feared his hunch was right. Without wasting another second, he bolted outside, just in time to see a car screeching away with Izzy inside. Panic and determination surged through him as he sprinted to his own vehicle.

He jumped in, the engine roaring to life as he sped after them. His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, and he fumbled to load his revolver with one hand. The tires screeched against the pavement as he pushed the car to its limits, his mind singularly focused on rescuing Izzy.

The chase was on, and Alfie knew he couldn't afford to lose them. Every second counted as he followed the car through the darkened streets, his heart pounding with a mix of fear and resolve.

---

“Listen,” she began, trying to keep her voice steady, “You don’t want to do this. Think about it—”

“Think?” he interrupted, his laugh cold and bitter. “I’ve done nothing but think about this moment. Every damn day since you left me with nothing, Isobel."

But no, this madman was adamant to make her feel his wrath.

She swallowed hard, her thoughts a whirlwind. She had faced danger before, but this was different. This man was relentless, driven by a vengeful obsession, and her secret could be exposed anytime soon.

As the car sped through the dark, winding forest roads, the trees loomed ominously. The darkness outside matched the malevolent intent in his mind.

“You’ll suffer for every single shit you put me through, Isobel.”

The car swerved around a sharp corner, the tires screeching against the asphalt. Izzy could feel the intensity of Jack’s anger, the raw, unchecked emotion that threatened to consume them both.

“Every night, I thought about this,” Jack continued, his voice dropping to a menacing whisper. “I thought about all the ways I could make you regret what you did. And now, here we are... You were always good in the things you do, are you Isobel?” She felt his hands, slide into her thighs.

Izzy clenched her fists, her breath coming in short, panicked gasps, she landed a punch on his cheeks. The car swerved violently again as Jack struggled to regain control, causing Izzy to slam into the car door with a painful thud. The force of the impact left her dazed, her body aching from the sudden jolt.

"Fucking bitch!" Jack hissed and hit her head with the gun handle. The impact was sharp and immediate, sending a searing pain through her skull.

A throbbing ache pulsed through her forehead, and she felt something warm trickling down her face. Blood. It must have come from a cut on her eyebrow. Her vision swam as she tried to focus, but the dizziness made it nearly impossible.

Jack pulled the car over to the side of the road, the tires crunching on the gravel. Izzy's head throbbed from the blow, and she felt blood trickling down her face from a cut on her eyebrow. Her vision was blurry, and she struggled to keep her bearings.

Jack got out of the car and walked to her side, yanking the door open. He roughly grabbed her arm and dragged her out, causing her to stumble and fall to the ground. The rough gravel scraped against her skin, adding to the pain she was already in.

Izzy’s resolve hardened. She refused to let him break her. She had to think of something, anything, to get out of this alive. The forest closed in around them, the darkness pressing in from all sides. But her head was still spinning.

Jack glanced at her, a cruel smile playing on his lips. “You’re not so brave now, are you? All those games you played, the lies you told. It’s all coming back to haunt you.”

He chuckled darkly. “I'll have my fun with you. Just like the old times."

A sound of an unbuckling belt caught her attention. Big fucking mistake. As Jack began to fumble with his belt, Izzy seized the moment. Summoning every ounce of strength she had left, she kicked out at his hand with all her might. The impact sent the gun flying from his grasp, disappearing into the darkness of the forest. The sound of the weapon clattering away was swallowed by the night, leaving Jack momentarily stunned.

Izzy struggled to run, her dress and high heels making every step difficult. She moved through the dark forest, her breath coming in short, panicked gasps. The rustling leaves and snapping branches added to the chaos. Blood trickled into her eye, blurring her vision.

She heard Jack behind her, relentless and unforgiving. She pushed forward, her heart pounding. Her foot caught on a root, and she stumbled, nearly losing her balance. She reached out to steady herself against a tree, her fingers digging into the rough bark.

Just as she thought she might escape, she felt a sharp tug on her hair. Jack had caught up, his grip like a vise. He yanked her back, and she winced in pain as he pulled her to the ground. The rough gravel scraped against her skin.

Jack stood over her, his expression angry. "Still not going down without a fight, huh?" he sneered, raising his hand and slapping her hard. The force of the blow sent a sharp pain through her cheek, and her head snapped to the side.

As Izzy lay on the ground, she felt a wave of defeat wash over her, the pain and fear overwhelming her senses. She closed her eyes, trying to muster the strength to keep fighting, but it felt like an impossible task.

I'm done. She thought.

Suddenly, the sound of an engine roared through the night, cutting through the darkness. Alfie's car skidded to a stop at the edge of the clearing, the headlights illuminating the scene. He stepped out, his eyes locking onto the sight of Izzy on the ground and Jack standing over her.

Alfie's expression twisted into one of pure rage. His entire being radiated fury as he moved toward them, his presence commanding and unyielding. Each step he took was filled with purpose and a promise of retribution.

"Oi, you miserable bastard," Alfie growled, his voice low and dangerous. "You dare lay a finger on her and think you'll escape alive?"

Jack turned, his grip on Izzy loosening as he faced the new threat. "Who the hell are you?" he spat, trying to sound confident but faltering under Alfie's intense gaze. As Alfie took a step forward, reaching for Izzy, Jack swiftly blocked his path. "Fuck off, she's getting what she deserves. Isobel is a liar and thief. You don't know what kind of person she is."

As Izzy lay on the ground, weakened, she heard Alfie's voice cut through the tension. Despite the pain, she felt a flicker of hope. Alfie was here, and his presence meant a chance of rescue.

Alfie's eyes darkened, his fury only growing. "You think you know 'er better than I do, eh?" he retorted, his voice low and dangerous. "I know exactly who she is."

Without another word, Alfie pulled out his revolver, his hand steady and determined. He aimed it at Jack, his finger poised on the trigger. "One bullet, that's all it takes," Alfie said coldly. "Now get the hell away from her."

Jack's eyes widened in fear, realizing the seriousness of the situation. But his pride wouldn't let him back down completely. He lunged towards Alfie, a desperate move fueled by anger and desperation.

A gunshot echoed through the night, shattering the tense silence. Jack froze mid-lunge, his expression one of shock and disbelief. He looked down at the growing red stain on his shirt, his legs giving out beneath him. He crumpled to the ground, his breathing shallow and labored.

Alfie lowered his revolver, his face hard as stone. He stepped forward, standing over Jack's fallen form. "I warned you, mate," he growled, his voice cold and menacing. "You should've listened."

Turning his attention to Izzy, Alfie's expression softened. He knelt beside her and carefully scooped her up in his arms, carrying her with care. Izzy winced as her cuts and bruises became more apparent in the soft glow of the headlights. Alfie looked down at her, concern etched in his features. "Are you alright, love?" he asked gently, his voice a stark contrast to the fury he had shown moments before.

Izzy nodded weakly, her voice barely above a whisper. "I'm tired, Alfie."

Alfie's heart wrenched at the sight of her, so vulnerable and hurt. "I know, love.. I'm sorry. Let's go home," he said softly, trying to comfort her, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. "We'll get you patched up, yeah? I promise."

---

Izzy stood under the warm spray of the shower, the hot water washing away the grime and blood from her skin. Every movement was a struggle, each bruise and cut a reminder of the night's horrors. She insisted on doing it alone, feeling a deep sense of shame that Alfie had to rescue her and see her in such a vulnerable state. She sighed, her breath fogging up Alfie's bathroom mirror as she finished cleaning up.

After drying off, she slipped into his pajamas. They were oversized, but they provided warmth and comfort, a small solace in the midst of her pain. She took a moment to steady herself, then stepped out of the bathroom.

As she walked into the bedroom, she found Alfie on the telephone, his voice low and intense. "Ollie, I need you to have the men scour through any evidence at the location," Alfie ordered. "And make sure Jack's remains are disposed of. I don't want any trace left behind."

Alfie looked up and saw Izzy standing there, wrapped in his pajamas. His expression softened instantly, and he finished the call with a quick, "I'll talk to you later, Ollie." He hung up the phone and moved towards her, his concern evident in his eyes.

He gently guided her to sit on his bed, taking care to support her as she winced from the pain. As he examined her, he could see the cuts and bruises covering her face, arms, legs, and body. Each mark a testament to the torment she had endured.

Alfie's hands were steady and tender as he cleaned and dressed her wounds. His touch was gentle, his eyes filled with a mix of anger and sorrow. Without a word, Alfie's careful ministrations spoke of his deep affection for her. His touch was tender yet thorough, his concern manifesting in the way he inspected each cut and bruise with a quiet intensity.

Izzy looked at his face while he took care of her, feeling a deep sense of guilt. She felt she owed him an explanation. Using her other hand, she softly cupped his face, making him face her. Their eyes met, and Izzy gave him a faint smile. It was their first time seeing each other again, and it happened under the worst circumstances.

"Alfie, I need to tell you about Jack," she began, her voice trembling. Thoughts of the night replayed in her mind, each detail a heavy burden. How could she explain this to Alfie, the man who had always been there for her, who had just saved her life?

Alfie looked away as she talked, his jaw clenched. But in the middle of her sentence, he cut her off. "I ain't bothered 'bout that," he said firmly. "You don't need to explain nothin' to me."

"But Alfie, you saved me. You deserve to know," she insisted, her voice breaking. A knot formed in her stomach as she thought about the pain and disappointment she must be causing him.

Alfie took her hand, pressing it to his lips and kissing it multiple times. "Listen 'ere, Izzy," he said softly, his voice filled with emotion. "I love you. I don't care 'bout your past, alright? None of that matters. I love you."

Izzy's heart swelled at his words. Despite the physical pain she felt, a warmth spread through her chest. How could he still love her, despite everything? Tears welled up in her eyes, a mix of relief, gratitude, and love for the man who held her so tenderly. She didn't know how she had deserved his unwavering devotion, but in that moment, she felt a glimmer of hope and healing.

Alfie gently wiped away her tears, his touch soft and comforting. "I'd kiss you right now, love," he whispered, "but you need to heal and rest."

Izzy nodded, feeling a sense of peace wash over her. Alfie carefully helped her position herself to sleep, his movements gentle and deliberate. Once she was comfortably settled, he laid down beside her, his presence a comforting shield against the night's horrors.

He kissed her on the head, his lips lingering for a moment. "Goodnight, love," he murmured softly, his voice filled with tenderness and reassurance.

As Izzy closed her eyes, Alfie watched her with a profound sense of relief. Despite the night's chaos, having her back in his arms brought him an indescribable peace. Tonight had proven that he would literally kill for the young woman, and vowed to never let anything come between them again.

In that moment, Alfie Solomons, the brute gangster of Camden Town, transformed into a gentle, loving presence for this young woman he cherished.

-

Next chapter

[my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction]

Hello!! I’m going down the rabbit hole of Oscar and his characters thanks to moon knight and I was wondering what other movies/tv shows would you recommend to watch because I’m absolutely in love with that man rn

PLEASE COME AND DESCEND INTO THE MADNESS WITH ME!

So, I'll be completely honest, I have a problem where I just watch everything an actor is in once I have got a bit obsessed with looking at their face. Due to this, please enjoy this list based off of how much of Oscar's Face is in it.

There will also be some spoilers if he dies or not.

I will not be going into detail if I think the film is good or not, just about how much he is in it. (I hope that makes sense ^^)

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse - Miguel O'Hara / Spider-Man 2099 - voice

I know this is voice, but he sounds great. Not in every scene.

Big Gold Brick - Anselm Vogelweide

Hardly in it. DO NOT watch this film just for him. Watch the clips of his scenes instead. [Warning: dies]

Dune - Duke Leto Atreides

He's pretty consistently in the first third. [Warning: dies]

The Addams Family 1 & 2 - Gomez Addams - voice

Again, just voice, but he sounds wonderful. Also I recommend watching some of the behind the scenes recording on youtube.

The Card Counter - William Tell

MAIN CHARACTER BAAABYYYY!!! SO MUCH OF HIS FACE 99.9% OF THE TIME.

The Letter Room - Richard Muñoz

ANOTHER MAIN CHARACTER BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOOK AT HIS BEAUTIFUL FACE!

The Star Wars Sequels - Poe Dameron

MAIN CHARACTER! A LOT OF HIS FACE! Not so much in The Force Awakens, but still.

Triple Frontier - Santiago "Pope" Garcia

MAIN CHARACTER! AHHHH!!!!!!!! YESSSSS!!!!

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse - Miguel O'Hara / Spider-Man 2099 - voice

Just in the end credit scene.

Life Itself - Will Dempsey

3rdish of the film? [Warning: dies] Honestly, another warning, this film is hmmmmmm.

Operation Finale - Peter Malkin

MAIN CHARACTER BABBAAAYYY!!!!

Annihilation - Kane

Not much face time here. BUT he touches guts. [Warning: dies and comes back different]

Suburbicon - Bud Cooper

DO NOT watch this film for his face. NO. Watch the less than 10 min clips of his scenes on youtube. [Warning: dies]

Lightningface - Basil Stitt

ONLY HIS FACE!!!

The Promise - Mikael Boghosian

MAIN CHARACTER BABY!

X-Men: Apocalypse - En Sabah Nur / Apocalypse

They hide his face in so much latex. [Warning: dies]

Mojave - John "Jack" Jackson

MAIN CHARACTER BABY!!!! [Warning: dies] Another warning. This film my god.

Ex Machina - Nathan Bateman

MAIN CHARACTER BABY!!!!!!!!! [Warning: dies MAYBE. But also I'm in denial.)

A Most Violent Year - Abel Morales

MAAAAAIINNN CHARACTER!!!!!!!!

Ticky Tacky - Lucien

MAIN CHARACTER!!!

The Two Faces of January - Rydal Keener

MAIN CHARACTER!!

In Secret - Laurent LeClaire

WE GOT ANOTHER MAIN CHARACTER!! [Warning: dies]

Inside Llewyn Davis - Llewyn Davis

MAIN CHARACTER!! AND SINGING!!!!

Won't Back Down - Michael Perry

Minor character, needs more screen time.

The Bourne Legacy - Outcome No. 3

Just watch his scenes on youtube. [Warning: implied death]

Revenge for Jolly! - Cecil Dennis

MAAAAIIINNN CHARACTER!!!!

Drive - Standard Gabriel

Minor character. Just watch his scenes. [Warning: dies]

W.E. Evgeni

HE NEEDED MORE SCREEN TIME.

Sucker Punch - Blue Jones

I want to say he's in it about 50%-70% but I could also be massively overestimating because he's so fun to watch. Please also watch Love is a Drug on youtube, because it's the best part of the film that is cut out and put at the end of the main release for some reason.

Robin Hood - John, King of England

Needed 80% more screen time to be dramatic.

Balibo - José Ramos-Horta

Needed more screen time. [Warning: dies]

Agora- Orestes

I saw this once, waaay back, so my memory is hazy. But I remember a fair amount of his face.

Body of Lies - Bassam

Needed more screen time. [Warning: dies]

Che - Interpreter/Narrator

10 seconds of screentime.

The Life Before Her Eyes - Marcus

Not in it enough.

The Nativity Story - Saint Joseph

Lots of his face.

Pu-239 - Shiv

In it quite a bit, but also I wanted more. [Warning: dies]

Lenny the Wonder Dog - Detective Fartman

Just watch his scenes, do not put yourself through this.

All About the Benjamins - Frank

30 seconds of screen time.

Illtown - Pool Boy

5 seconds of screen time.

Law & Order: Criminal Intent - Robbie Paulson

A fair amount for a guest character - just watch his clips

Show Me a Hero - Nick Wasicsko

MAIN CHARACTER BABY!

Scenes from a Marriage - Jonathan Levy

MAIN CHARACTER BABY!

Saturday Night Live - Himself (host)

HOST! HOST! HOST!

Case 63 - Case 63/Peter Roiter - voice

Just sit back and listen.

[actual-changeling]

I have written many meta posts and s3-theories, and read even more, but I got hit by an idea I have not seen before. (If there is another post, please link it!)

After vibrating for an hour and losing my mind in my dms, I have no scraped together enough brain cells to present what is probably my first actual 'main-plot meta'.

Welcome to another edition of Alex's unhinged meta corner, today with a title to honour Crowley's James Bond obsession and the possibility of another heaven heist.

I give you:

From Jesus with Love - You Will Live Twice

Now, let's get right into it.

I think Neil might have told us more about the main s3 plotline in the announcement article than we previously thought. We all got stuck on 'they're not talking'—for good reason—but it is the part before that which has been bugging me ever since then.

The plans are going wrong—and this time that is a problem for earth and humanity. Turning that around, it means that whatever that plan consists of would be the way to go and beneficial for everyone, the opposite of the main plot of s1.

"They need to prevent the Second Coming (SC)" is pretty much the only and most popular idea I have seen, hundreds of fics and metas and whatnot have been written about it, but I think there's a good chance we're wrong. If we're not, well, I will honestly just be happy to be watching season 3.

Whatever the Metatron is planning will have negative consequences for everyone, or as Michael puts it: "And so… it ends. Everything ends. Time and the world is over, and we begin Eternity… forever and ever."

It sounds very much like Apocalypse #1 - Same Old Plan, same expected result, yet if we look at different interpretations of scripture we find that the SC is not entirely about complete destruction and death for all of humanity—it is about creating a new world/migrating to the kingdom of God.

This is taken from the Wikipedia article about the SC

Resurrection and life in a world to come are a direct contradiction to the result Michael is explaining—total annihilation of humanity.

Now, I am neither religious in any way nor have I ever received any sort of biblical education. Luckily, Christians seem to love talking about the bible because there are dozens of bible website to wade through. If I get anything wrong, please point it out, I have never touched a bible in my life.

So, after reading many, many quotes by a bunch of different guys, I tried to create a somewhat coherent picture of what the SC might look like based on the assumption that the end result is positive. I will talk about how they can be interpreted more in-depth later, otherwise this would turn into a string-net very fast.

Additionally, we can also see where these points overlap with the statement Jimbriel gave in the bookshop in episode three.

What is Jesus' job description?

only God knows when and how exactly it will begin/happen, no one else does, including Jesus and the Metatron

a lot of different catastrophes are mentioned or quoted as something Jesus said, like earthquakes and storms -> Jimbriel mentioned a tempest and great storms

there is also the line "All these are the beginning of birth pains." Birth pains dictate that there will be a birth—birth of the world to come perhaps?

dead people will be resurrected/leave their graves so that they too can be judged (I'd say participate in it but that sounds like the Second Coming is a summer camp activity)

there are also mentions of stars and the heavens in general falling from the sky and the sun going dark -> Jimbriel also mentions darkness as one of the signs

great lamentations, as Jimbriel says, are also a part of many different passages, with humans mourning the world as it was

the Lord will descent with the voice of an Archangel and the sound of a trumpet/the trumpet of God; the grammatical structure of that sentence seems to be interpreted differently depending on who you ask, but the voices of angels/an Archangel and some sort of trumpet are common terms

once everyone is in heaven/wherever the 'main even' will take place, a judgement call will be made for every single person in relation to the book of life, which decides whether they will be punished forever or not (one passage talks about a lake of fire and mentions it several times in a row)

And this is where it gets tricky. To figure out what the SC looks like, we first need to understand a) what the Metatron's capabilities are, b) what he has to lose, and c) what exactly would be a threat to him.

If you ask me, all of this comes down to the Metatron wanting to stay and be in power for eternity with full control over angels so he can do as he please, aka keeping the system running as it is.

We know the book of life (bol) is a thing in the Good Omens universe, whether it does what Michael said is an entirely different question. So far, we have also only got confirmation that hell collects and tortures souls—in such large amounts that they are understaffed—while heaven looks completely empty.

The Metatron runs heaven as an institution, he seems to be the highest power any of the angels have access to and the one they defer to. He refers to himself as the voice of God and combines judge, jury and executioner, making him one great celestial dictator.

From what we know of hell, they do things a lot more democratically, having different councils, dukes, and ranks that are responsible for different levels of command.

We also know that that the Metatron wants the world to end, his goals can probably be summarized as the statement Michael makes, which would leave him in charge without any opposing forces.

We also also know that he sees Crowley and Aziraphale as a threat—why exactly remains a mystery for now—and that the success of his plan hinges on having a Supreme Archangel (SA) he can control. Gabriel decided to become princess of hell and Beez' sugar baby, so he was out of the equation, and after the Armageddon disaster, I don't think he wants to risk failing because of an unfamiliarity with earth (plus, y'know, getting our two idiots away from the plan).

It's interesting to me that right at the end, he says to Aziraphale "We call it the Second Coming"—call, not it is or it will be, CALL. We know that nothing Neil writes is a coincidence, definitely not with such an important line.

Just because you CALL something a specific name doesn't mean it IS what you call it, e.g. Aziraphale calls Crowley a foul fiend when we know he very much isn't.

The Metatron is selling his plan as part of the "Great/Ineffable Plan", so any questions can be blocked by saying it's God's will, it's ineffable. Whatever his plan is, he hides it behind the concept of the Second Coming, which angels know just enough about to understand the basics without having in-depth knowledge of what exactly it entails.

It is a good fucking strategy, I'll give him that, and it WORKS because angels—even if they have doubts—do not question. They simply don't; fear of punishment and millennia of conditioning have left them in a horrible place. When they encounter something unknown, their response is "I already knew that" as to not ask questions.

Crowley questions, we know that, and Aziraphale, ohhhhh, Aziraphale ALSO questions, but he does it in a less dangerous and obvious way. The Metatron is vastly underprepared for that.

(Side note: That alone would be its own meta post, but the gist is that he questions heaven's plans and then adjusts his assumptions of what God might want to what he WANTS God to want, e.g. Job, the Arch)

To summarize everything I just said, the Metatron wants to do what Armageddon failed to do—destroy earth and the universe—so he can be supreme dictator of all remaining celestial beings and gorge himself on power.

But instead of calling it his Big Evil Plan, he calls it the Second Coming, making everyone play along without resistance.

We cycle aaaaall the way back to the sentence I quoted—the ACTUAL plans are going wrong since the Metatron's would mean total destruction.

But what is the SC supposed to be if not the Apocalypse 2.0?

When I look at all the different aspects of the SC and assume a positive outcome, then the end result to me would be a new world that is pretty much like the old world, or maybe even literally the old world but with any destruction reversed. Heaven and hell get dissolved since now that everyone has been "judged", they as institutions are no longer needed, they have fulfilled their purpose.

No more judgement means there is no reason to keep track anymore, so why do you need to run celestial corporations whose only job is doing exactly that? You don't—and THAT is what I believe is the biggest perceived threat to the Metatron, losing full control over everyone and everything, losing his position, his title, and whatever else he has.

On top of that, Good Omens has told us again and again that God doesn't seem to give a fuck about good and evil anymore, and that without heaven and hell being all wrapped up in it, humanity would have 100% free will without any consequences.

Maybe the BoL is empty, maybe it isn't real, maybe Jesus stole it to straighten a wobbly table, who knows. There is a chance it is what Michael says, but I would admittedly find that a bit. too obvious and boring since it would boil the plot down to "they save their own asses again" and not "they save humanity at all cost".

Regarding Crowley and Aziraphale's role in this—I have Thoughts TM but those definitely need their own post. In short, they have to get the SC back on track, the real one.

-

If you have made it this far, thank you for working through what I hope are more or less coherent rambles. Any spelling or grammar mistakes are my own.

Questions? Thoughts? Corrections? Expansions and additions?

Feel free to add to this post however you like (and I can't believe I have to mentions this but if you clown on my post or behave like an asshole you will be blocked).

[lulu2992]

I kept wondering why the story told in Insanity—Vaas and Citra’s relationship, specifically—didn’t seem to be consistent with what Far Cry 3 showed and what its Lead Writer said (that Vaas left because he rejected Citra’s ritual). I also thought it was strange that Michael Mando didn’t “correct” that even though he partly rewrote the DLC with the team. But then, I realized that it could simply be because this is how he had been interpreting their relationship since the very beginning.

When he auditioned for Far Cry 3 and made such an impression that they decided to co-create a character with him, he had just been through a tough break-up, and it was this suffering that gave birth to Vaas. That “feeling of loving and of being in pain because of love”, as he once put it, is what he needed to externalize. The audition was his outlet, and the character came out of him as the personification of his pain. Vaas was born from romantic heartbreak.

Then, in The Far Cry Experience, in the episode ���Red and Black”, he says something interesting:

Have you ever been in love? I've been in love once. Or maybe twice.

This sentence sounds familiar. In an interview, Michael explained the heartbreak he experienced was especially painful because he “had fallen in love for the first time (...) or maybe second time”. To me, it always sounded like Michael improvised this part (as he did a lot with Vaas), and for a long time, I thought he simply decided to add this line to humanize him and to allude to his own story. But now, I think he might have said that because he believed it was also where all the character’s pain came from, and that as an integral part of Vaas’ story, it had to be mentioned.

I found the third “piece of evidence” recently, when I explored the oasisstrings file for Far Cry 3. A long monologue that was supposed to be in the mission “Payback” caught my attention:

You took my sister way from me. You wanna fuck with me? You wanna fuck with me? Black heart, dagger ice. My blood is darkness, motherfucker. This is my fucking house! This is my fucking house! You wanna fuck with me? You know who the fuck I am? You know what I have been through? You know what's in my head, you motherfucker? Come! I'm waiting for you motherfucker! Come! I am going to find every piece of your fucking body, motherfucker! The world is on a diagonal. I am the balancing point. You think you are a warrior? You think you've got what it takes? Do you know what it takes, you motherfucker? You want to take my sister away from me? You want to take my heart away from me, you motherfucker? You're taking my heart! You're taking my love! Fuck you! You cannot kill me, motherfucker! You cannot kill somebody that's already dead! You cannot kill somebody that does not feel fucking pain. I don't feel pain motherfucker! You cannot take from me, what this world has already fucking taken. You want to disrespect me? I mean, you want to disrespect me? I mean you want to fuck with me? Huh? I like you. You are me and I am you. What is transparency? You've come to deliver me the truth. To hit me right here with transparency.

Even though the file doesn’t say who was supposed to say it and the corresponding audio is (sadly) not available, it seems obvious that the character speaking is Vaas. What’s interesting about this tirade is that it’s the only thing I found in the files that could imply he was, in fact, in love with Citra, and that he’s angry at Jason because he “took” her away from him… exactly like what we saw in Insanity.

What’s also intriguing is that there are several typos in the monologue: “way” instead of “away”, “ice” instead of “eyes” (I know this because he also says “dagger eyes” in multiplayer), or extra spaces. To me, it doesn’t look like a line the writers wrote for Michael to read, it looks like something he improvised and that someone then transcribed. Almost everything he says here is “recycled” from other lines, including deleted ones, except the parts about Citra, his “heart”, being taken away.

If they eventually decided to cut this monologue even though Michael’s performance must have been intense and I’m sad we can’t hear it, they did it for a good reason. This reason could be that what he says about his sister seems to come out of nowhere and wasn’t consistent with what the writers, or at least the Lead Writer, had in mind.

Now, I can only talk about the points of view of Michael Mando and Far Cry 3’s Lead Writer, Jeffrey Yohalem, because, to my knowledge, the other writers never talked about Vaas and Citra’s relationship in interviews. For example, I’m not sure what the opinion of the Lead Story Designer Lucien Soulban, who wrote most of the game’s dialog and notably the “insanity monologue”, is. What’s interesting, though, is that Insanity’s Main Scriptwriter, Nikki Foy, said she got to talk with him when she was working on the DLC, so if she asked him about that part of the story, maybe it was he who told her Vaas was in love with Citra. After all, it wouldn’t be the first time that two people who worked on the same game had diverging opinions about it...

So maybe it was Michael Mando’s idea, maybe it was Lucien Soulban’s opinion, or maybe it was Nikki Foy’s conclusion, but in any case, it doesn’t seem like it’s ever been Jeffrey Yohalem’s point of view, and I still agree with him since, to me, it never looked like Far Cry 3 implied that what made Citra and Vaas��� relationship incestuous was his attraction to her; it was only her desire to turn him into a perfect genitor for her ritual, which he refused to complete when he understood what she wanted. After that, he was never the same.

At least for now, this is my truth.

[hoverboards-and-dragons]

My Hazbin Archangels;

Asks about them are more than Welcome

These are very developed OCs so at this point I need to make masterpost for how my interpretation of them works

Listing I'm using is;

Lucifer, Michael, Raphael, Uriel, Gabriel, Jophiel, Zadkiel |__________________| |___________| |__________________| ^ ^ ^ Elder Sister syndrome, Forgotten middle children, family babies

Yes I did make up all the titles based vaguely on translations and mythological roles, it felt weird for just Luci to have something like "the morningstar"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Originally called Angels of Creation or Heirs of the Almighty; they were uniquely Imbued with powers of Creation and raised as His own offspring. (He kinda had to there was nothing else)

Each was hatched in tandem with a realm they were charged with overseeing the development of; in line with the Seven Days of Creation.

Later these seven were named the Archangels and designated the highest authorities within Heaven; however most their duties are distant from the rest of Heaven's hierarchy, the most involved they get is in delivering commands, as God is rarely willing to talk to anyone other than them.

While they were all hatched over the course of a single week, the order was still very important as it defined the chain of command; so much so that the oldest two were called twins just cause they were equal in power. (practically speaking, they're all septuplets)

They all call each other brother, only three have genders, only two are men and Luci's mostly doing it as a bit. They can be a child, a kid, a hatchling, or a fledgling of God but never a son or daughter, isn't gender fun?

Day 1: Lucifer

‘Let there be light’

Lucifer(he/him); the Morningstar, Herald of Creation. The fallen one the brother below Made to be incapable of worship so he could never be satisfied with God's perfection alone and would seek out other paths to take creation.

(which does count as a neurodivergency, angels are inherently creatures of worship)

He'd find flaws in his brothers' realms and expand them into something entirely unique. He was less in charge of anything and more excluded from the control of anyone else. He also regularly got into arguments with their Father for shits and giggles, giving his very reverent brothers fucking heart attacks. (they assumed he was allowed to do this because he was the favourite and not perhaps the other way around)

Day 2: Michael

"the Heavens are separated from the Earth",

Michael(he/it); the Divineblade, Archangel of Power, Highest of All Angels, Charged with the creation of the Heavens and all other angels.

Most devoted to the Father's will; Chronic workaholic and quite resentful of his own personhood, all he wants is to be God's perfect tool but he keeps having feelings. Well-respected as a leader by his siblings; relentlessly bullied by them (out of love) as a brother for being unable to comprehend 'outgrowing their first intended purpose'. Hes got a famous polite stoic demeanour that's equally infamous for being broken by Lucifer's anything and nothing else. He is getting steadily worse at his job and its going to break him any day now.

Day 3: Raphael

"the waters are gathered, the earth brings forth life"

Raphael(all/they); the Healingspur, Archangel of Life, Keeper of Balance, Charged with the creation of the seas and flora.

Mediator of the twins' constant arguments, most consistent voice of reason in any room; Michael's right hand and the only reason he remembers to eat(they don't need to but its good for them). Gentle and controlled but also quite stern. Very strong sense of empathy that is systematically destroying them as they face others on their worse days over and over again. They are the most aware of how Lucifer absence is tearing each of their brothers apart and how unwilling anyone is to even acknowledge it; they have pretty much resigned themselves to the approaching all-out breakdown, there's not much a healer can do before the injury.

Day 4: Uriel

"the sky is filled with signs of days, months, season and years"

Uriel(all/they); the Kindlingprose, Archangel of Stars, Keeper of Knowledge, Charged with the creation of constellations and planets.

Likes things quiet and tidy. Ordinarily quite reserved; preferring to keep to themselves, focus on documenting and organizing and simply observe the others. But unwilling to be resigned, has stepped up as the only one willing to call Michael on his bullshit, like refusing to officially promote Raph to second in command despite them already taking up all of Lucifer old duties; and even hesitantly but directly questioning their Father on some things, which is a lot for any of them. Has an arrogance streak, doesn't enjoy reminders of what they don't know; especially that they are just as in the dark about God's big plan as anyone else.

Day 5: Gabriel

"the earth is filled with creatures"

Gabriel(all/they); the Silencerite, Archangel of Progress, Keeper of Revelation, Charged with the creation of creatures and their instincts.

Gabe is a somewhat of a Hermes figure, Michael’s left hand. Quick and always eager to provide their services to anyone who asks; especially known for getting last minute tasks down for Michael. Their wings buzz like a hummingbird at the speeds they fly. Always set on efficiency with a reputation for being deadly serious but is secretly bit of a prankster. A gremlin when they get their mind set on something and will regularly startle others out by clinging to walls or ceilings. In charge of most of heaven’s military and had A bit of a complex about being weaker than Michael despite being the soldier of the seven.

Additional; a Channel suited for Him also sometimes called a sockpuppet, they can be possessed as God's vessel to act as his direct body and voice (without the negative repercussions to their body and mind or discomfort to Him other angels or creations would cause)

Day 6: Jophiel

humans are brought forth as caretakers of the earth

Jophiel(she/her); the Ribbondance, Archangel of Beauty, Keeper of Passion, Charged with the creation of humanity

Highlight of every room she enters, quick-witted and an equal to Gabe, even a challenge to Michael on the battlefield. Always up for a good challenge, puzzle or debate. An open prankster, Gabriel is her hidden accomplice. Will defend the potential of humanity to her last breath, a more and more controversial stand; she's pretty upset at never getting to finish her masterpiece since she lost a lot of control of mankind once free will was introduced, she still tries to influence them probably more than she's really technically allowed. Knows about politics.

Day 7: Zadkiel

creation was finished, and the day was blessed

Zadkiel(all/they); the Righteouspeace, Archangel of Grace, Keeper of Faith, Charged with miracles and blessings.

Detached, muted and kinda smug but well meaning. They try but they don't really know how to interact with those of their equals. Their devotion rivals Michael’s but they’re quieter. Insecurity about having such an unclear purpose next to the other seven has let them entirely give themselves over to ferver. If it happens, Father means it. Spends by far the most amount of time on earth(Gabriel is a distant second) and has strong opinions on every individual sect of Christianity and how they build their churches. They are continually surprised by how out of touch their brothers and rest of Heaven is to the religion that worships them, come on guys at least Our Brother Down Under has an excuse.

Additional; also a Channel suited for Him

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The youngest three are very close on account of being shut up out of important arguments and being left to gossip upon themselves

Michael tries really hard to convince himself Lucifer is The Enemy (he can't live with the alternative) but the other five are of the opinion "He transgressed, he got punished, still being angry at this point is just petty" and still want to be in his life. However, they still don't really get what he was trying to do, Lucifer is also hung up on how none of them came to check on him.

He didn't see any of them for 5 000 years and when he did it was Michael holding a sword to his throat and demanding to know why he was on earth.

From Luci's perspective; the fall very nearly killed him and only didn't because the Sins found him before he bled out; it was then years of painful recovery that never quite healed right. It wasn't like there was anything in hell that could hold a candle to the power of an Archangel, he would know. There was nothing stopping them, he was always there for them when they needed him, but when he was scared and hurt, they just abandoned him.

From their perspective; archangels were, and still are, assumed unkillable, and practically indestructible. This was the first time Father had ever punished like this before and they were terrified. No one was willing to risk it now that Falling was on the table; now that they saw He absolutely was willing to sacrifice His children for the Plan, whatever it was.

[putrefacion]

NOTE:ㅤㅤBelow is a general overview of all my verses thus far; there is generous overlap between verses, as they explore parallel outcomes of the same core identity. While context shifts, core characteristics remain consistent: her name [ Evolution ], her divine origins, her autonomous loyalty & the trauma coded into her design. Verses are flexible; feel free to specify which version we’re working with when plotting!

↳ㅤTHE THIRD BRIDE / inspired by rabbinic Midrash, such as Genesis Rabbah & Pirkei de Rabbi Eliezer :⠀⠀⠀The first [ Lilith ] was formed from dust & defied her purpose; the second [ Eve ], formed from soil, drawn by sin; the third [ Evolution ] was drawn from Adam's rib with his blood still clinging to the bone. She was never meant for paradise; only to follow him into war. The true Eden was never hers to know; she was placed in a simulated Genesis, an engineered cognitive environment designed to finalize soul formation, calibrate instinctive response systems & evaluate her loyalty toward Adam. Now Adam is gone, & Heaven offers no comfort, only continued function; what remains in her is not faith, but directionless compulsion, hollowed purpose calcified into hunger. In place of peace, she hunts. What survives is a sacred appetite for vengeance...

↳ㅤMOTHER OF EVERYONE LIVING / inspired by biblical narrative as interpreted through Jehovah’s Witness doctrine; including publications such as Insight on the Scriptures & What Does the Bible Really Teach? :⠀⠀⠀Lute is the Eve — the biblical mother of everyone living; mother of Abel, Cain, & Seth, the one who ate the fruit & altered the course of humanity. Conditionally redeemed in secret after her death, her true identity remains hidden. She made a vow; not to Heaven, but to Adam — & she’s spent every moment since trying to make up for what she did. Now a high-ranking Exorcist, she enforces Heaven’s will with blood-soaked precision. She is not seeking forgiveness; she is making herself useful, forever repaying a sin that cannot be undone,

↳ㅤHALLELUJAH I'M NOT DEAD / inspired by rabbinic Midrash, such as Zohar, Apocalypse of Moses, Talmud Bavli & Pirkei de Rabbi Eliezer :⠀⠀⠀She was the Eve before the 'true' Eve; the discarded prototype too grotesque to keep or even be called woman. Made not from Adam’s rib, but from Archangel Michael’s — from divine marrow; her body bore divinity too raw to control, volatile, excessive, bloody & unsightly, too self aware, thus, she was banished from Eden before she could understand why; she was not destroyed & instead became ward to Michael, who tempered her, refined her & shaped into something new: a soldier, a solution, Evolution. Now she exists as Heaven’s most brutal blade — kept for her efficiency, a relic of divine overreach & tolerated only for what she can kill

[cre8ives]

Magnus archives cured my art block and ruined my life. I love Helen. Full design for her and some ideas under the cut!

Wanted to have a go at a design for Helen, since I’ve really enjoyed her role in the narrative and her arc. Im very fascinated by the visual possibilities the distortion brings but also fear I went overkill on this piece As opposed to Michael, who I imagine visually consists of round, flowing fractals and spirals, I imagined Helen’s design to be much more geometric while still confusing. I very much had impossible geometry and overlapping spirals in mind for her.

I wanted to imagine what she would look like while laughing because I love the way people have visually interpreted that for Michael, and decided to take some inspiration from picasso cause he definitely had the geometric style I was going for.

[drconstellation]

All The Colours In Good Omens: Version II

Part 1: Black to Gold

Even when I put together my original big colour meta back at the end of October 2023 I knew things were going to change on it. Over time it became pretty clear we were way off-track with several of the colours, and I didn't have anything for orange, which does actually appear in a significant amount in S2. There was also a bit of effort to try and incorporate the colours seen in S1 with what was appearing in S2, and to see if there was any consistency. Then I wrote the Passion of Jimbriel, and several particular religiously-themed colour-associations kept appearing, so I went on a search for a more biblical-based interpretation of colour. As a result of this, some colours have more-or-less stayed the same, some have expanded considerably in their range of meaning, and some are completely different! But I think you find the results interesting, nonetheless.

Basically, interpreting the colours in the two series is not a simple task. The colours used in S2 differ slightly to S1. For example, in S2 there is a lurid green associated with Hell (for reasons, which I will explain,) that is not used in S1. But there is also a dark green used elsewhere that turns out to have a different meaning that is not associated with Hell at all, so context becomes very important when trying to decide what it means. Rather than try and fit all the colours into one post, I'm going to split things up and take as much room as I need to explain it all this time.

BLACK

Biblical Meaning: Darkness, sin, Earth, affliction, humiliation, calamity, death, mourning

Additional: Suffering, punishment, Satan

Black doesn't automatically mean a relationship with Hell. The demons don't all wear entirely black, they are actually dressed in a lot of colour, but they do tend towards the darker shades. The colours they do wear reflect individual qualities or characterizations. For example, Lord Dagon is dark blue to reflect their fish god avatar, but it also reflects their senior authority and power. Furfur is in shades of dark green with a few tiny red highlights.

Historically black had an association with wealth over time, as it was difficult to obtain and dye black cloth. In out modern era we would tend to associate it with power and authority - or just looking "cool."

One interesting combination to mention is Aziraphale's magician's costume - black, gold and white. It's the only time we see him, an angel, wearing black. Originally it looked like he was clothing himself in mystery, but I would now say its a combination of calamity and humiliation. I've included a GIF set from S1E1 with the duo discussing Warlock's 11th birthday party in the park, plus recall Arizaphale was heckled from the audience in 1941 when his turnip trick failed. (I guess we could argue this one, its still up for debate!)

Black is also associated with the Horseperson Famine, who rides a black horse. Nobody is getting anything to eat tonight here - or the rest of the week, for that matter.

RED

We originally had red a a single colour, but it's more complex than that and needs to be split into two shades, scarlet and the darker crimson. (I will do pink in another post.)

We can still associate it generally with passion, romance, the Left Hand Side (the sinister side or demonic side), goats, sin, and the archangel Michael on the LHS of Jesus.

The Horseperson War and their parallel character Pepper from the Them both wear red as well. War is said to ride a red horse.

RED - Scarlet

Biblical Meaning: Royalty, blood of humanity

Additional: Martyrs, prostitution, wealth, power, revolution

Scarlet is a lighter red than crimson, just to differentiate between the two colours. It's the colour on the back of Crowley's collar.

Jesus was dressed in red during the Passion to mock him as a king, but he when he appears in imagery such as the sign on the Resurrectionist pub below it reflects his future status as King of kings. It also reflects his connection to humanity, through the blood he shed.

Prostitution is connected through the mention of the Whore of Babylon in Revelations, but the connection to revolutions is a more recent one that may be worth including in anticipation of S3. Wealth and power also belong here, particularly in historical connections.

RED - Crimson

Biblical Meaning: Splendor, victory, sin

Crimson is the colour that Shax wears, the darker of the two shades of red. She comes across as being hungry for success and eager for promotion, both of which tie in with the concept of victory. Her darker red is also mixed with black.

ORANGE

Biblical Meaning: Fire of God, deliverance, passionate praise

Additional: sacrifice

Originally I did not have an interpretation for orange, and did not think there was a lot of it present in S2. Then it was pointed out that Maggie's shopfront was orange, she herself wears orange several times, a lot of the extras wear orange and Beezlebub's sash is orange, too!

Yellow and orange have some cross-over in meaning with sacrifice, but I'm going to do my best to separate them and I'll explain where the fuzziness comes into play in yellow, as I think it sits best there.

Both yellow and orange are also associate with fire, as flames are seen as yellow and orange, not red. The "Fire of God" is alluding to presence of the Holy Spirit.

YELLOW

Biblical Meaning: Faith and Glory of God, anointing, joy, presence of God, fire

Additional: Illness/leprosy, God's judgement and anger, sacrifice, optimism, faithfulness in awaiting the return of a loved one

Yellow is probably the most controversial colour of the spectrum. It's the colour of Crowley's eyes, and we know Aziraphale painted the walls of the bookshop to reflect this.

But let's turn all your preconceived ideas on their heads.

It's one of the colours of fire, so it is closely associated with the presence of God, but also the expression of God's anger.

It is the colour of clear olive oil used for anointing.

On the negative side it is associated with illness, in particular with leprosy.

It is the colour that the traitor Judus Iscariot is often depicted wearing in art.

And it is the colour of saffron and marigolds, both associated with sacrifice in more than one religion. Saffron as a colour can vary in colour from pale yellow to deep orange, and so can marigolds the flower. The flower is named after the Virgin Mary, as in "Mary's-gold," and the array of petals are supposed to be symbolic of the the rays of light that crown her head, relating to the giving of her self to the Ineffable Great Plan, so to speak.

Here's Norman, leader of the yellow team at Tadfield Manor, giving his speech that includes the line "...bugger off and tend to your marigolds." I've shown in other posts that there is the allegory of the Great War/Glorious Revolution being played out here, and Norman is the analogue of Lucifer. Right after his speech he runs out and is felled by a shot to the heart: a sacrificial loser, as all the yellow team and demons end up being.

Adam wears a t-shirt with two yellow stripes on it in S1. Combined with the blue, he does appear to be anointed for a larger role in the story.

Aziraphale's hat-bands are yellow after the 1827 Edinburgh incident. Both in 1862 and 1941 his hats have a yellow ribbon around them. While this could be related to a Heavenly aspect, fanon has it that it's part of his expression of his feelings for Crowley. The tradition of using a yellow ribbon to show that one was waiting for a soldier to return from war was started around the late 1700's.

It is confirmed that the name of the colour used inside the bookshop is indeed called Va Va Voom. While it could be many things, the one thing it is not is fear.

Neither is this example - it's more likely to be fire - cleansing fire. Jim is cleaning with it.

GOLD

Biblical Meaning: Glory, divinity, holiness, eternal deity, altar, beauty, precious, kingship, majesty, righteousness

Additional: Trial of Faith

Gold is usually associated with Heaven and the divinity of the angels in Good omens. Most of the time we see the angels with some trace of gold on them. The most obvious examples were the golden collars and trim on the robes in the Job minisode in S2E2. They even wore golden sandals on their feet.

The archangels and Aziraphale all have their golden rings. Here is Michael with their ophanim ring.

We also have the golden lions that occur in several locations in S2, representing the royal house of Judea that Jesus is said to belong to.

The most interesting use of gold has been on Crowley's "throne" in S1. "Nice chair," Hastur comments at one point.

Oh, and I can't forget this one, either:

This series on colour continues in the following posts:

Part 2: Green to Purple

Part 3: Silver/Grey, White & Brown

Part 4: Tartan Colours Review

[veespee]

MLandersen0 Community Posts

okay, here’s a sort of analysis (?) for the recent Mlandersen0 YouTube community posts, because people should talk more about them AND i need to overanalyze everything; so here ya go.

(this is part 1. there are 6 posts up rn, and this post would be WAY too long if i do all 6. so i’ve divided them to 2 parts, will post the other in a few days probably :) 

first post: Antigonish?

Antigonish is a poem written by William Hughes Mearns, which you can read here. 

I'll just write my interpretation, and how I think it relates to mla0: the poem revolves around a man, who is portrayed as a ghost. The speaker/narrator of the poem is clearly scared of this mysterious ghost man, telling him to “go away, go away, don’t you come back any more!” and “go away, go away, and please don’t slam the door…”. Now, as for the connection to mla0, i have two theories: 1. the ‘ghost’ is Slenderman, and it’s from Michael’s point of view. Which i think makes some sense, as the ghost and Slender also appear and disappear mysteriously, and of course, Michael wants him to go away, and 2. it could be about Michael’s guilt and past getting to him. All the people that are dead because of him and his want to protect himself, are haunting him, and the ghost is metaphorical. These are just theories though, so the meaning could be anything really. 

second post: So it goes?

This one is a song by band ‘Matthew and The Atlas’, you can listen to it here. According to an analysis from this website, the song talks about an entity of sorts, lingering around the speaker’s life since he was young. There’s a theme suggesting that the speaker fears the entity, and has never been able to confront it or get some closure on what it wants (as suggested in the chorus: “Deep below the earth I might have found you, High above the tower I could not see”). Also, according to a comment on the Genius page for this song, the song writer Matt Hegardy, explained that when he was young, he was attacked by a man with a knife, later resulting in bad dreams consisting of a figure standing over him. In my opinion, that’s exactly Michael’s relationship with Slenderman. Slender is an entity, plaguing Michael’s mind with nightmares, and basically ruining Michael’s life completely, but he never gets the chance to confront Slenderman, and get the closure he needs. So he’s stuck, being miserable and feeding people to Slenderman, without even knowing why. (also, now that i think about it, this could also be about Patrick. but i’m leaning towards Slenderman)

third post: And they call me a throwback when I cry, “Remember?”

The title is a lyric from the song below, Old Tyme Mem’ry by Erik Petersen. Now, the song’s overall meaning is nostalgia on vintage ways of living, as the song tells the story of a family who had to sell their farm after the death of the father, and how the new owners of the land have no connection to the land, instead opting for luxury and modernity. (thanks to this site i understood that lol, go check it out for a more in-depth analysis of the song) But in general, the atmosphere of the song is one of nostalgia and reminiscing (which is honestly the theme of all of these posts), and that’s why i’m assuming it’s Michael posting these. He’s reminiscing on the past, where everyone was ‘okay’ (as okay as they can be, at least) and alive, but know he’s alone. All he can really do is reminisce, as he has nothing now, no family, no friends. Really, I think he only has Patrick, who probably isn’t very stable, and Slenderman. 

okay that’s all i could find :) thank you for reading, and for anyone who is too bored to read all that, TL;DR: most of the themes of the songs/poems Dylan/Michael have posted have a theme of haunting/nostalgia. So my theory so far is, Michael is alive and living his life in guilt, reminiscing on the past about all of his wrong doings, and all the people who are dead because of him. He’s lonely, guilt-filled and grieving the life he could’ve had, if only everything was okay.

also!! credits to all the websites i linked, the helped me undestand the meanings of all the songs in depth, so of course, lot's of credits to them.

[sectumsempress1]

Good Omens Season 3: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Sectumsempress1, Hag

Or that one time I watched Good Omens, felt the claws of hyperfixation sink into my flesh for the first time in years, re-watched Good Omens more times than I care to admit and then drowned in a mind palace of analysis and delusion, resulting in this season 3 predictions bingo card coupled with unnecessarily long explanations for each square.

I'm gonna post these explanations one or two squares at a time, and honestly my first theory (probably not mine, I'm sure others have also come to this conclusion) deserves its own post because wowee I'm insane about this one.

Let's talk about why I think Crowley may have been Jophiel or Jeremiel before they fell.

I have seen endless theories about who Crowley could have been before The Fall; Lucifer, Barachiel, Raphael, Samael... and I see some evidence for all of these. However, I raise you;

Great question babygirl.

Okay me when I lie.

Yes, I took this throwaway line and went insane over it don't worry about it. Anyway. First J angel that I think could make sense is:

Jophiel "Beauty of God"

Jophiel is described in some texts as the guardian of wisdom and a teacher of languages to souls at the dawn of creation. She is also recognised as a teacher to Noah's children (specifically Shem) by C.E. Clement, Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa and Thomas Rudd.

And yes I am aware this is post-Fall Crowley and not the angel they were, but it's interesting that Shem was mentioned specifically regardless. The Writer has wounded me so, I just feel that nothing is unintentional. Anyway, any iteration of Crowley as a teacher just feels right based on all we've seen of them.

(How he acts with Muriel, answering Jim's questions, showing Jesus the kingdoms of the world.)

Jophiel is also heavily associated with beauty and creativity.

Okay Mr. 'Pointedly Unusual Imagination.' Bit beautiful and creative of you.

Now here's where it gets buck wild. So Jophiel is not explicitly mentioned in the bible (in fact only Michael, Raphael and Gabriel are consistently mentioned) but scholars interpret Genesis 3:24 as referring to him.

"He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and aflaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life."

Yeah. It is widely agreed upon that Archangel Jophiel wielded the flaming sword and cast Adam and Eve out of Eden. Now, obviously, in Good Omens canon, Aziraphale did this. But... what if that wasn't the original plan? What if, after Jophiel and the others were cast out, the work rosters in Heaven had to be shuffled around a bit?

It also makes sense to then make Crowley the Serpent of Eden, if they had perhaps already planned to go to Eden anyway.

Jophiel is also widely known as Metatron's companion, which explains why he is so aggressive towards Crowley in a really cold, personal way. Yes, Metatron knows of everyone and everything so him knowing Crowley's story isn't odd in itself. But the glare...

To me, this reads as "I know you. I've known you. I know exactly what you're capable of and I will not take it. Not again. Behave." It's like a glare a parent would give their toddler for misbehaving in public. It feels pointedly personal. Almost as though they've worked together in the past in a way that ended badly for Metatron and he is on high alert to ensure it doesn't happen again.

Again here. Metatron doesn't speak about Crowley in a general 'all fallen angels suck' sense. It's personal. His choice of words, the tone, everything points to him having been personally wronged by the angel Crowley was.

Also just look at Jophiel's goddamn curly little red hair are you kidding me right now!?!?!?

Also some more fun facts: Jophiel is shown as male and female presenting, leads people to a deeper understanding of the beauty of the universe, is regarded as an angel of wisdom, is known to protect those who seek truth, battles against forces of darkness and ignorance... and is strongly associated with the colour yellow.

Nice eyes babe.

Anyway, I am so delulu about this specific theory because if it is true it would show Aziraphale and Crowley's grand cosmic connection in a way that is honestly just ineffable.

But however much I long for Jophiel to be it... there is also some evidence for it being:

Jeramheel/Jeremiel "God shall have mercy"

In religious texts, Jeremiel is known as the angel who presides over true visions, often appearing in dreams and visions to bring truth. He appears to decipher Baruch's visions and give him a tour of heaven in the book '2 Baruch', and God sends him to answer the prophet Ezra's questions regarding the apocalypse in the book '2 Esdras'.

He also served as an angel of death, watching over and guiding souls to heaven and helping them learn from their earthly experiences.

This again goes back to Crowley's belief that everyone has the right to answers and being a good teacher because of that. It would make sense for them to have had this role in their angelic days as well, despite it eventually coming back to bite them.

Jeremiel is often depicted with a book or a scroll, symbolising the importance of knowledge.

Also, while Zadkiel is known as the angel of forgiveness and mercy, many people also consider Jeremiel (god shall have mercy) in this role... which would make Aziraphale's constant attempts to forgive him and his insistence that he is unforgivable even more devastating, and why I have ongoing theories about a role reversal occurring when it comes to this theme of forgiveness (more on this later).

Right. So I am obviously clutching at my delusion of it being Jophiel, but Jeremiel is a wider known angel with more canonical basis for actually being an archangel, which is why he also makes a lot of sense to me.

Thank you for joining me in this downward spiral into insanity. Look forward to part two!

[zerzeyl]

Just a little something for chapter 2 of my Good Omens fan fiction. And... and... I think I like drawing Aziraphale more than drawing Crowley. There, I said it. I mean... look at him! 😇💖 Also, I'm finally happy about the way I draw them. I think. There's still a hint of Michael Sheen and David Tennant to spot, sure, but also enough of my own interpretation. I hope.

And here's a tiny bit to read from said chapter, which consists mostly of a stretched out thought from a nervous angel. But now he gets some tea.

„Your tea, angel.“

The demon stood in the doorway, with a white mug in one hand and a black one in the other hand. He had taken off his jacket and set aside his glasses, just as he usually did in the bookshop, making himself more comfortable. And Aziraphale was fond of that, especially when he could get a glimpse at those beautiful eyes. Yellow had been his favorite color for a while now, unsurprisingly.

„You really did not have to…“

„I won’t drink two mugs of this stuff. Go on, take it.“

Aziraphale took the white one which Crowley handed him. He immediately noticed that the tea was just at the right temperature. It smelled fantastic as well. So, he simply held onto the mug for a brief, yet enjoyable moment. He closed his eyes.

„Thank you, dear,“ the angel said with a pleased smile after inhaling some of the fragrant steam and then took a sip, carefully, though it clearly wasn’t too hot. „It’s perfect.“