nightlogs | (no subject)

Who: Aziraphale and OPEN
What: Just vibing around the North Pole tbh. May also serve as a general catchall for other bits and bobs through the month.
Where: Several places! Library, dining hall, Vaguely Around, etc.
When: The post-arrival pre-next plot zone. The settling-in zone, even.
Warnings/Notes: None yet, will update as needed/requested!

library.

[ Realistically, this is probably the number one place most guaranteed to get results in the Aziraphale sightings economy. The library is equal parts enrichment in his enclosure and a decent simulation of his native environment. Well, as long as he ignores the DVDs and CDs and such. Which he does.

If someone wanted to make a very posh zoo enclosure for a wild Aziraphale it would basically be this premise. He's in the library on the daily. Around the same time each day, probably, and winding up in the same specific chair, because he feels better when he can have one or two reliable little rituals on his schedule.

What he's got picked out tends to vary. Largely classic literature or stageplays, which he mostly thumbs through purely for the sake of seeing if they're very different in this reality. The ~big ones~. Austen, Wilde, Dickens, Shakespeare, Shelley, Tolkien, C.S. Lewis. Arthurian folklore but only when he's positive Crowley isn't in the library with him. For normal reasons. Some comically ancient guide of some sort about embroidery, because he's got it on the brain now.

(The very, very first thing that he makes sure to sit down with is a 'Winnie-the-Pooh' collected works, of course. It's actually so important that he knows they're the same as the ones he has memorized.)

While in the library, Aziraphale is largely open to socializing. If he's not open to socializing he'll simply not be in the library at all. He'll say friendly hellos every time he first walks in! He's happy to get introduced and talk literature and ask people about what they're reading if they seem amenable!

Although he does have a habit of hitting long stretches where he just sort of zones in on a book and stops paying attention to literally everything and everyone around him. Give him like an hour. He'll blink again, honest. ]

communal relaxation area.

[ Also a decent bet on places to find Aziraphale! It's cozy. He loves cozy. Coziness is in his top three favorite concepts humans came up with. Heaven is too minimalist to take the credit and Hell is too claustrophobic.

He might be reading by a very pretty window, as prophecy foretold. He might just be having some pastries and people-watching, like a cool normal person. An angel practicing his fancy shuffling and other card-based magic tricks? In your North Pole? It's more likely than you think. Important to note: the shuffling and sleight of hand are performed very poorly. Aziraphale is still thriving.

He's even more willing to socialize out here. It's what the whole setup is built for, truly. Come get your free "oh hello!"s and "how are you getting on?"s. Or if you like, in full 'old silly being an old silly' intonation: ]

Lovely weather we're having.

[ It's a low bar, being the funniest angel Heaven's ever turned out. But by god he's doing it. ]

wildcard.

[ for whatever other options! Aziraphale straight up doesn't do sleep, so he can theoretically be found at any hour in these locations, or like... out for a stroll or getting a snack or paging through a book. Doing everything in his power to not learn how to use the network or a modern phone or anything of the sort. If he recognizes anyone from the Wilderlands or the intro event, he's also likely to want to say hi and see how they're doing.

Possibly just having some cocoa and regarding the Globe of Belief with a very real sort of fondness. (A guardian is a guardian and Earth is Earth, even if this isn't the Earth he was made for and he's not the sort of guardian made specifically for it, technically. Always been a problem of his, he supposes. Getting attached.)

hmu with whatever or gimme a poke at

comatoseroses and we can work something out! i'll do closed starters idc. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I've not come across anything like it before.

[He speaks absent-mindedly as he turns the page, not really registering that there's another person. The mug set down just inside his range of vision breaks him out of it.]

Oh! Where are my manners! [He stands, as is proper when making introductions, and gives a slight bow (not low enough to give deference to someone of a higher station, but high enough not to be insulting).]

Jaskier, at your service, sir..

[He smiles when he sees exactly who approached him. Anthony's dearly beloved, in the flesh!]

Edited 2023-10-17 02:08 (UTC)

[ World's most relatable human, not clickbait? Confirmed. And he's friendly, and he's polite. All along the secret was being in a library at 2 in the morning.

Realistically, Aziraphale has known that that's the secret for a long time. Which doesn't stop him from looking a little bit delighted as he bows back, or a little bit even more delighted when he gets Jaskier's name. He's heard that name before! Serendipity!! The kind of serendipity that you only get by, checks notes, literally living in the same location. ]

Aziraphale. It's a pleasure, Jaskier. I've heard a bit about you.

I see my reputation precedes me! I assure you, everything good you've heard is completely factual and anything bad is nothing but a cruel aspersion on my character.

[Normal way to introduce yourself.

He picks up the mug and takes a generous sip. Fuck, that's good. There may be a little bit of an inappropriate-sounding moan. He's still basking in the novelty of constant access to such rich and flavorful food and drink.]

Well that's just divine! Your kindness knows no bounds, my friend.

Oh, I wouldn't qualify anything I've heard as a complaint.

[ Well. Nothing he'd call a complaint-complaint, as far as Crowley goes. He hasn't gotten the entire scoop, so to speak, but Aziraphale likes to think he's the leading expert on Crowley's complaint nuances.

Cocoa mission: success. There's a wavelength here. And the wavelength is, "okay see, this human gets it" about the concept that hypothetically-inappropriate sounds of appreciation are actually very appropriate depending on how the food or drink tastes. Unexpected. Not bad, but a little bit ~discreet gentlemen's club~.

Which does nothing to stop him from accepting his free compliment. There it goes, into the pocket where he puts all the compliments he gets. The rainy-day pocket. ]

Very kind of you to say. I, I do hope I'm not imposing, of course. I know these aren't typical hours for socializing. [ It's very important that he emphasizes 'socializing' with jazz hands. ]

If that's the case, everything you've heard is true.

[He hums happily as he takes another drink. That is a discreet gentleman's club that he is more than happy to be a member of (and he has been a part of many).]

You're not imposing at all. I will admit that I've heard about you as well. All good things of course! If you allow me to admit it, I'll say that I've been hoping to make your acquaintance for some time and I thank lady fortune for giving me the opportunity to do so now.

[ Oh, Jaskier's a flatterer.

Aziraphale loves being flattered. It's one of his favorite ways to feel. ]

How fortunate we are to have put our best qualities forward, indeed. [ He lives here now btw. New official LGBT mini-community, established in the library. He's sitting down and everything. ] I'd have liked to get introduced in any case, of course. Can't even remember the last time I got to meet a proper bard. I would love to hear about your work.

[Aziraphale is showing one of Jaskier's favorite qualities in a person: a potential fan!]

I put the blame squarely on our mutual acquaintance's deceptively sharp shoulders. His failure to introduce us before now will have to be a black mark on his record.

[He is graciously ignoring the fact that Anthony likely avoided connecting them on purpose.]

As for my work... well, where to begin? Poetry and song are my mistresses and I am but a humble servant to their whims.

Do go easy on him. I'm sure he's fond of you. [ Crowley is just cagey about that sort of thing. Couldn't be Aziraphale, who has never been confusing or cagey in his life and definitely only ever makes things easy for Crowley.

Crowley must like Jaskier, though. He hasn't used any of the language he uses about things or humans he can't stand. So Aziraphale is confident in that. He'll put Crowley on blast. ]

A lyrical perspective is so important to any culture. And criminally underappreciated. Have you been getting on well with the change in venue?

[Implying, of course, that Anthony deserves it.]

Well, stories define history don't they? It doesn't matter what actually happened, but what people remember.

[The question gives him pause.]

It's been... strange, to say the least. Not even the mages of Aretuza could dream of some of the things I've seen here. I fear that I'm at a bit of a disadvantage when it comes to making the most of this opportunity, so I decided that I would start with the familiar.

[He gestures to the pile of poetry compendiums he's picked out for himself.]

[ See, Jaskier gets it. A bit of romanticizing as a treat. The way that memory and culture endures because of human creativity, ultimately, despite time being so fluid and fleeting. Stories! Sonnets! Books! (For Aziraphale to hoard and gently care for in his bookshop, not that he's biased.) ]

That's always a wonderful starting point. [ Never mind. He is biased. He loves when things are familiar. ] Not to add to your task list, but if you catch sight of any collected fragments of Sapphos, I, I really can't recommend them more highly. She did such lovely work. Truly lovely.

[Romanticization is a way of life!]

Fragments, you say? Lost works are always an exciting challenge-- I'll make a note of it.

[And he does, right into the journal sitting open in front of him. He takes another sip of hot chocolate.

Friendship with Anthony ended, clearly he's a heartless monster since he could've been providing hot chocolate this whole time and failed to do so.]

Any further recommendations? I'm always happy to take them from someone so passionate and knowledgable.

[At this rate they'll be stating a book club.]

[ Aziraphale lights up like he works part-time as a Christmas tree. Sometimes the quickest way to this angel's heart is snacks. But the quickest way right this moment is, in fact, any further recommendations? and someone so passionate and knowledgable.

He's a simple critter at heart. ]

Really? I, I am very much a literary enthusiast. But I wouldn't want to impose, of course.

[ It cannot be stressed enough how much his expression and body language say "I would absolutely like to, I am just being polite in case you were only saying that to be polite in the first place, please let me impose."

This bitch loves brands of socializing where he actually wanted to do it and has passion for the subject matter. ]