purplefringe | I did my best, it wasn't much

Crossposts: https://purplefringe.livejournal.com/69814.html

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I did my best, it wasn't much

guys, I...I made another Good Omens vid? A third one? I don't know what has happened, I don't understand anything any more, apparently Good Omens is my whole life now. (Which is good, I guess, because I have well and truly noped out of engaging with the Real World in quite a serious way, so it's nice to have something else to think about.)

This one has...Feelings in it. Many Feelings, which I absolutely did not know I had. But there we are. It's also to a piece of music about which I (along with approx. half the world) have Many Feelings, although I did know about those, because I once wrote a 2,000 word email-essay containing some of them. (it's NOT Queen, I promise)

I think I had a lot more to say, but it has temporarily escaped the chronicler's mind. Er. Have a vid, I guess.

Thank you to the wonderful

soupytwist,

such_heights &

raven, who are lovely and thoughtful (and patient, and long-suffering) betas. If you haven't already, you should watch the Good Omens vids such_heights and raven have made recently, which are both breathtaking in very different ways.

Hallelujah
edited by

purplefringe
fandom: Good Omens
music: Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen, covered by Pentatonix
summary: there's a blaze of light in every word / it doesn't matter which you heard / the holy or the broken hallelujah. On faith, and falling, and freedom.
content notes: a shot of a snake at 00:18; a brief shot of a nail being driven into someone's wrist at 2:08. (I also have a version without the snake, if anyone would like that one)

ETA: I strongly recommend you go and read

elisi's extraordinary Good Omens meta - the first section is a wonderful commentary on Aziraphale's journey as presented through this glorious vid by promethia-tenk, and the second section (about two thirds down the page) is about Crowley, and ties into this vid! YAY, INTER-TEXTUAL FANWORKS \o/

download: 169MB @ mediafire

Also on tumblr and the AO3

stream:

"Good Omens | Hallelujah" (Watch on YouTube)

Lyrics

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Heh, I can't take credit for "azirafeels" -- my partner P. came up with that one (he says I owe him a nickel every time someone else uses it, so you might wanna start banking your spare change).

aaaargh I love it when people are able so so clearly and eloquently articulate what I can only say by flailing my arms around and mashing some clips together \o/

I have been vidding for twenty years, in part because I stopped being able to write fic, so believe me when I say I FEEL YA.

It's about *God's* love, and the incomprehensible violence with which she shows it (the ark, the crucifixion), and the violence that her followers commit in her name (the other angels).

I was JUST gonna come back and capslock over how you handle the ark and the crucifixion in Crowley's point of view and how fucking devastating that is. Crowley's argument fully illustrated and revealed: Heaven is a lie. God is a lie. Believe in me.

::shatters into a million pieces::

This is so incredibly gorgeous and so perfectly created. <33333333333333

Incidentally, please please don’t worry about your comment about this song being overused - I was not thinking of you at *all*! And I don’t really mind those comments, it’s actually quite flattering, it’s just also nice when people do like the song you’ve picked!

Oh, I love the song! (I imprinted on the John Cale version way back when, but this particular cover is perfect for what you're doing here.)

But it's got such a huge over-familiarity problem, like it's been coated with layers of varnish. It's like the "To be or not to be" problem -- any actor playing Hamlet has to try to figure out a way to walk out on stage and do that speech and make the audience actually hear the words, as if they'd never heard them before, rather than going "Oh, here's the 'To be or not to be' speech".

Which is what makes it so jaw-droppingly impressive that you managed to do that.

I mean, ok, yes 90% of it is about the crushing loss of A's faith in Heaven, his dawning realisation that really, truly, nobody is listening…but it is also 10% about HIS FACE. (Specifically, it was me vidding this twitter thread: https://twitter.com/CharCubed/status/1141531169839886337?s=20)

You made me think of that exact Twitter thread, so, you know, vidding accomplished.

(And I'm guessing you saw Sheen's reply? https://twitter.com/michaelsheen/status/1142584925234839552 )

He and Crowley have chosen *knowledge*, and freedom

"Time to leave the garden".

Also! It's an extension of what Aziraphale's already figured out with "Demons can" and hopping back to Earth to possess people -- that Heaven and Hell and angels and demons are arbitrary sides and categories not the polar opposites being claimed (as well as not lining up with actual good and evil), that there's no fundamental abyss between them.

Having realized that:

a) Of course he and Crowley can bodyswap (no "probably explode"), because they're not matter and anti-matter, they're the same supernatural stuff, and
b) Of course Heaven and Hell, invested in the existence of that fundamental abyss, won't suspect that because, invested in the existence of that abyss, they can't imagine it as possible.

(For various reasons, I am very much of the opinion that Aziraphale's the one who came up with the bodyswap idea.)

I don’t think I’ve ever had someone respond this enthusiastically or in this level of wonderful detail to one of my vids before, and it’s so gratifying to see, on something I worked so hard on, and I am SO OVERWHELMED WITH JOY

\o/ \o/ \o/ Also oh good now I don't have to feel embarrassed about gushing at such length at you. *g*

This is such beautiful work and you deserve ALL the feedback.

YES. I was worried this might make people laugh

It is a little funny initially (which is not a bad thing at this point in the vid, soften your audience up before you start putting them through the emotional wringer): sushi set to religious music.

But it's also adorable (his faaaaace), and you develop your argument so clearly, showing him handling the book with equal reverence, and suddenly it's not "haha he loves food", it's "OH -- he loves EVERYTHING." *flaily hands*

but this holy reverence for small earthly pleasures is such an important part of who Aziraphale is, and I hadn’t seen it explored seriously in any other vids.

YES.

There's some discussion here you might like, if you haven't already seen it:

https://princessofgeeks.dreamwidth.org/935645.html

his Aziraphale is so concerned about the details! This particular taste, this particular person, this particular vintage, this particular book. It just chokes me up -- the beauty he finds in the details. He never overlooks anything.

And in the comments here: https://princessofgeeks.dreamwidth.org/935645.html?thread=15647197#cmt15647197

It's easy to imagine angelic love as compassion and kindness, but Sheen's embodiment perfectly connects Aziraphale's hedonism and gluttony to his kindness, because he simply takes untrammelled, childlike delight in everything, and he makes it charming and radiant.

and

+1 on embodiment--it's one of those cases where it's SO IMPORTANT that A has that little belly, because its a mark of his ability to experience embodied pleasure in food beyond strict nourishment (or fitting in - do these guys "need" to eat at all?) And that's marked as a kind of wonderful and holy thing, which I think it is

The sushi is a very important part of the theological argument! (Especially, it occurs to me, as it's the sushi that we see Gabriel so baffled by and judgemental of.)

Guessing you've seen Michael Sheen's comments about starting his characterization by thinking about what an angel as a "being of love" would be like?

Ahahahaha, like ALL my vids can be broken down into either ‘shots of people gazing at each other’ or ’shots of people’s hands’. That is all I vid. Oops.

CORE FANDOM MATERIAL. *g* And it means you catch and showcase all these tiny details of performance -- like the swallow at 1.26, or his happy little smile at 2.28, or the way he watches Crowley step up to talk at 3:22. Not just the obvious ones that have already been gif-ed and analysed endlessly.

It’s that, and also supposed to echo all the eye-raises at 2:22 - except this time, he’s looking heavenwards because of *Crowley*, rather than because of God - Crowley, who actually comes to his aid, unlike God.

I didn't consciously catch that (though I see other people did), but THAT'S SO COOL

(Also, not vid-related, but I see you mention being in London on your DW -- did you see Neil Gaiman's confirmation that he had St Dunstan-in-the-East in mind as the church? IT'S LITERALLY A GARDEN NOW, MR GAIMAN SIR YOU SENTIMENTALIST.)

Um. So. That’s the vid commentary you didn’t ask for! *hides*

BUT I WILL TAKE IT HAPPILY THANK YOU.

Thank you so much! <3

You're welcome! In case you'd like to read, I just now posted a couple more details of what I loved so much about this vid here.

I forgot -- there's scholarly meta about the theological significance of the sushi scene!

https://popularcultureandtheology.com/2019/06/07/good-omens-and-transformational-eating/

<33333 omg, what a lovely post *flails awkwardly* /o\ thank you so much for sharing that with me! You've brought out so much of what I wanted to say with this vid - much more eloquently than I could say in words! - and I'm just so delighted that it gives you these feelings too.

omg thank you so much for those three links!! I LOVE that kind of meta! THE SUSHI HAS THEOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE aaaahhhh I am so happy :D

Guessing you've seen Michael Sheen's comments about starting his characterization by thinking about what an angel as a "being of love" would be like?
YES, and isn't he just wonderful?? I love every single acting decision he has made as Aziraphale, bar none.

the swallow at 1.26, or his happy little smile at 2.28, or the way he watches Crowley step up to talk at 3:22. Not just the obvious ones that have already been gif-ed and analysed endlessly.
I think this is partly due to the really stupidly obsessive way I have to vid? I actually have a very poor visual memory, so I have to spend a lot of time scrolling through scenes in microscopic detail - rather than just going 'oh, I know he smiles in that scene in ep 3' and going straight to it. Which I think means I tend to pick out little moments like that? Anyway, thank you for mentioning that, I am pleased with the little swallow at 1:26 in particular :)

Also, not vid-related, but I see you mention being in London on your DW -- did you see Neil Gaiman's confirmation that he had St Dunstan-in-the-East in mind as the church?
I DID NOT SEE THAT BUT OMG THAT'S SO GREAT! I have actually visited that church!! CLEARLY I now have to go back :D Thank you!!

Also oh good now I don't have to feel embarrassed about gushing at such length at you
DO NOT FEEL EMBARRASSED, honestly, this has brought me *such* joy. Also, I am JUST the same when it comes to art I love. You should see the length of comments I've left on some other vids... *I'M* embarrassed by how long it's taken me to reply to you each time, but that is because I am a human disaster who is not very good at dealing with compliments and need to work up the courage to look at them XD

HOLY SHIT DUDE

Despite knowing the story, despite watching the series 3 times, despite reading it 10xmillion times, I was still gasping and biting my nails and falling over every emotion with them

How did you make it into a new story? And the same story? And a different story? And -

basically, MY EMOTIONS

YES, and isn't he just wonderful?? I love every single acting decision he has made as Aziraphale, bar none.

Tangential, but I'm telling everyone they need to listen to his ep of David Tennant's podcast: https://play.acast.com/s/davidtennant/michaelsheen

Relatively little of it's about Good Omens -- though a fair chunk of it is Sheen's Neil Gaiman stories, which are amazing. But it's honestly one of the most fascinating interviews I've heard in a while, and they go deep into acting process, among many other things. And it sounds like two people who know and like each other having a genuine conversation, which is a rare and nice thing in an interview.

(Content note: they discuss experiences of stage fright and blanking on stage in a way which is liable to give anyone with anxiety the vicarious horrors in sympathy.)

I actually have a very poor visual memory, so I have to spend a lot of time scrolling through scenes in microscopic detail - rather than just going 'oh, I know he smiles in that scene in ep 3' and going straight to it.

Huh, that's fascinating. Not what I would have imagined at all -- I'd have assumed without thinking that good vidders must have excellent visual memories -- but it makes total sense now you've said it.

I have actually visited that church!!

Likewise; it's so lovely.

*I'M* embarrassed by how long it's taken me to reply to you each time, but that is because I am a human disaster who is not very good at dealing with compliments and need to work up the courage to look at them

Completely understood, no stress! My personal failure mode tends to be "Oh wow, this person has written me a long and thoughtful comment, I will put it to one side until I have the mental energy to write them an equally thoughtful reply, oops it's been two months."

But FWIW, one of the things I love about formats like DW is not having to have conversations in real-time, and I love it when people reply to something I've said weeks or months after it was posted: the conversation can keep meandering on in its own time! it's great!

This is absolutely gorgeous. I've had this tab open for a while now, hoping that if I watch this a few more times I'll finally find the words to describe why it's so great, but not so far. It's really good and gives me a lot of feelings.

Here by felis's recommendation. Wonderful video!!

thank you so much! :D

<3 thank you so much. Words are HARD, which is why I make vids instead. I'm glad this gave you feelings! There is no need to articulate the feelings :)

<3 Thank you so much! My apologies to your emotions. I just...I just took the story that was there, buried within the comedy, and teased it out a bit? because I am, in fact, a MONSTER.

Also: A+ icon! :D

*hisses* mo-n-ster

(Also brilliant. :D)

This was just so incredibly perfect.

thank you so much! <3

I love this so much.

Thank you!

Sorry about the late reply, been away...

IT IS. Between us, Promethia and I have created four WILDLY DIFFERENT vids about Aziraphale and Crowley, from the same six (6) hours of footage. wtf. As I think I said in another vid post, the only other sources I have vidded more than twice are Doctor Who and Star Trek, both of which are...considerably longer. wtf.
Oh and she's planning another one! Although she's taking her time this time round... mostly though this might be the richest and deepest show ever.

This is...a bit more complicated.
Thank you for explaining! It's such a great clip (and not one I've seen around much), and guessed at layers.

Oh, I'm so glad you like this bit - it was one of the very last bits of the vid to come together properly.
It was especially interesting seeing it, having been through it all with Sugar Daddy, and to see someone else presenting the evidence in quite a similar manner ('Yes, this is in many ways problematic') was nice.

I mean, ok, yes 90% of it is about the crushing loss of A's faith in Heaven, his dawning realisation that really, truly, nobody is listening…but it is also 10% about HIS FACE.
How does his face... DO THAT? D:

Specifically, it was me vidding this twitter thread
And that made it hurt EVEN MORE. Good job.

But yes, exactly, it was That Tumblr Plant Meta that is behind this bit
Everything hurts. :(

and I like it for the helplessness of him raising an outstretched hand towards something that he knows won’t reach back for him.
CROWLEY!

He and Crowley have chosen *knowledge*, and freedom, have chosen to really understand the meaning of Good and Evil, in a way that neither Heaven nor Hell do. That’s why the apple shot is followed by them both at their trials - C-as-A defiantly raising his hands (again!) when his bonds are taken off, and A-as-C joyfully flicking holy water at the watching demons. I get that that’s….a lot to try and express in like 4 clips! /o\
Thank you! This is all brilliant and I am v happy you bothered to explain. ♥ I am enjoying it even more now. :) (As I... write fic! *cries*)

Oh and she's planning another one!
ANOTHER ONE??? :D :D :D oooooh I can't WAIT! If she wants another beta, I offer my services! I enjoy beta-ing! I have finally run out of vidding steam myself, and am now in this weird stupid limbo where I am still fully obsessed with GO, but not actually *creating* anything new any more (...just, instead, obsessively re-editing THIS VID and overthinking the bits I am mad about and wish I had done differently and could change...two weeks after posting it. *facepalm* why am i like this???)

V excited for your fic!! \o/ what a beautiful playground this is.

ANOTHER ONE??? :D :D :D oooooh I can't WAIT! If she wants another beta, I offer my services!
I shall pass the message on. :) And I think it's partly due to the Crowley parts of your vid, in that his issues are complex and interesting and she wants to dig deeper. But she is taking her time about this one.

I enjoy beta-ing! I have finally run out of vidding steam myself, and am now in this weird stupid limbo where I am still fully obsessed with GO, but not actually *creating* anything new any more
I'm sort of the opposite, in that I am now writing TWO fics and have a third plot bunny. /o\

(...just, instead, obsessively re-editing THIS VID and overthinking the bits I am mad about and wish I had done differently and could change...two weeks after posting it. *facepalm* why am i like this???)
Pft. I am in the process of re-posting a fic to AO3 (only on LJ previously) from... 2006? And re-editing as I go along. Editing never stops.

V excited for your fic!! \o/ what a beautiful playground this is.
It really is. My fic (the main one) will be a continuation of the deft, sweet gesture of your hand (because I love it and it doesn't interesting things and... well. I hope the author won't mind). In case you haven't read it, run, don't walk. It's amazing.

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