(application) noctium

[demonicmiracle]

« PLAYER INFORMATION »

Name: Justine
Are you over 18?: Yup!
Contact: batsecretary
Other characters, if any:


« CHARACTER INFORMATION »

Character: Anthony Crowley
Canon: Good Omens (TV)
Canon point: End of the series
OU or AU?: CRAU
Age: 6000+
Species: Demon/fallen angel

AU clarification:
cw mentions of non-consensual sex
Crowley arrived in Duplicity free from the metaphorical shackles of Hell, knowing that even if he got home, he no longer had to answer to them, or had to play by their rules. It left him a little lost, at first, unsure how to live a life that wasn't defined by his existence as a demon, where not a single soul knew him, but mostly, he reveled in the freedom to be whoever he wanted to be. The transient nature of Duplicity, knowing that even if he was going to be stuck there for a while, it wouldn't be permanent, also gave him freedom he might not have felt otherwise, since he didn't really have to consider long term consequences for his actions.

So he made some friends, dropped some of the 'I'm a scary demon from Hell' act, and even fell into a pseudo-relationship based on how Duplicity's society functions (basically a 24/7 bdsm lifestyle, with people divided into dominant or submissive roles). Despite the city being what it was, including the occasional sex that he didn't want to have, things were actually pretty okay and he was learning to let go of some of the defense mechanisms he'd built up over the millennia.

And then Aziraphale turned up! Which was good because he loves him very much! But also bad because Duplicity is a shitty place and shitty things happen, including an unfortunate encounter with an alternate version of Aziraphale that left Crowley slightly traumatized, and with Aziraphale's angelic name branded into his breastbone. Not to mention sex is complicated for two supernatural beings who've been in love for thousands of years, so there were more than a few bumps in the road for them to work through.

Overall, though, Crowley leaves Duplicity in a better place than when he arrived, at least in terms of self-acceptance. He's a little softer, less inclined to bite, more inclined to accept help where he needs it. He's still an anxious mess sometimes, and selfish except for those in his inner circle, and carrying a few traumatic experience from Duplicity. But, in general, he grew as a person and is better off for it.



« RECORD »


Disposition:



• Hurt — For all that he'd like to deny it, he was deeply damaged by being cast out from Heaven and still struggles with abandonment issues and his view of himself, based on being turned from an angel to a demon. He continues to talk to God, despite knowing She isn't listening, often pleading that he never meant to fall. Being beholden to Hell, where torture is commonplace and no one trusts anyone, has only compounded these issues. The lead up to the apocalypse added fresh wounds to the issues, with Aziraphale rejecting him multiple times, then nearly dying and leaving Crowley alone. He's carrying millennia old wounds, some of which are only finally starting to heal.


• Selfish — Most of the time, Crowley is looking out for himself. Someone’s gotta do it, after all. His primary motivation for trying to save the world is that he likes it there. Once things turn sour for him on Earth, he's willing to abandon any chance at saving it to save his own skin, instead (as long as Aziraphale goes with him). It's difficult to pour time and energy into caring about other people when the only other people are demons (awful), angels (even more awful), or humans, who die within the blink of an eye. It's not that he's incapable of it, he cares very much about Aziraphale, sings lullabies to children, showed kindness to Jesus, and at one point was friendly enough with Leonardo Da Vinci to be gifted a sketch of the Mona Lisa. It's just that more often than not, he isn't willing to invest the energy with people, and is willing to trade someone's discomfort for his own comfort.
  
  He has, after all, spent the past six thousand years helping convince humans to sin, potentially sending them to an eternity in Hell, justifying it by saying it's simply his job. Although his time in Duplicity allowed him some growth, forcing him to care about other people, to the point of risking his own safety & comfort for them, at the end of the day, he would've abandoned them all without a second thought if it meant guaranteeing his and Aziraphale's safety.


• Free will — Of all the characters in the show, even literal angels, Crowley seems to be one of the few with a strong sense of fairness, of right and wrong, which maybe makes sense, considering the whole apple nonsense. He questions why Adam & Eve were kicked out on their first offence, he balks when informed that God plans to drown everyone, including children, all because She’s displeased with a bunch of humans, and he seems particularly perturbed by the worst of the violence that humanity can come up with. It’s this sense of fairness that seems to drive his acts of Hell ordained wickedness on Earth, it’s the reason he tries to maintain the importance of free will in everything he does. Rather than sit on someone's shoulder and whisper temptations in their ear, he'll present them with opportunities to be cruel, or greedy. He'll make them irritated, then leave them to deal with that as they will. It's up to them, whether they make good choices or not.


• Playful — Crowley certainly has his broody moments, mostly when alone, he’s clearly also enamoured with the world and with experiences, and isn’t shy about indulging himself or having fun. His sense of fun may be a little skewed, considering it once involved turning paintball guns real, but no one got hurt. He likes comedic plays, he cultivates a collection of music, he uses words like wahoo, he gets drunk and rants about how smart dolphins are, despite not knowing quite how dolphins work. There’s a playfulness to Crowley, an edge of dramatics, a bit of flair that suggests he does know how to enjoy himself. Even when he’s facing imminent destruction, he takes the time to leap up on a chair and put on a bit of production to attempt one final trick, laughing as it succeeds. There’s creativity there, an imagination, something that most demons lack. It’s all very free will of him. It’s very human of him, which is also the point. By extension, he’s a lot better at interacting with other humans than most demons are. In the book, he’s described as Hell’s most approachable demon, and while not exactly a high bar, it does say something about Crowley. He’s fun, he can be charming, he’s cool. Or at least, he likes to think he is, the actual effectiveness of any coolness he tries to cultivate is varied.





Under pressure: Existence for Crowley, up until the foiled apocalypse, has been one lived under pressure. Hell is always watching, as is Heaven. Humans are neat and all, but he's seen too many witch burnings and exorcisms to ever be himself around them. One slip up could lead to utter destruction for both himself and the only person he cares about, so it isn't entirely shocking that he's somewhat tightly strung and anxious. He tends to lash out when stressed, preferring to use anger to cover up fear or pain, as that's the safer option for a demon. That said, it means that most of what he runs into in game won't feel much like pressure, to him. Between the constant fear of Heaven & Hell, then spending several long months in Duplicity where minor infractions would be punished severely, he'll likely adapt fairly quickly to a more welcoming, relaxed society, even if it's different from what he's used to.

Not to mention, up until the past few hundred years when he settled in London, he spent most of his time travelling from one place to another, learning new cultures and adapting himself to blend in, so that he could do his job properly without raising suspicions. He's lived all over the world, all throughout history, and has no trouble learning to fit in. If anything, it's somewhat of a comforting challenge, learning all the rules and finding limits to test.

He's also spent his entire existence hiding his love for Aziraphale, something that he also had to do in Duplicity, due to their designations there. A lot of the pressure will come off, being able to be open about that.

Condition upon arrival: Peachy! A little ticked off because he was in the middle of a date, but he's a peak health for a demon.

Abilities:
The best way to summarize angelic/demonic power is to say that they’re reality warpers. The world is shaped by their thoughts — Crowley's refrigerator runs simply because he expects to it, despite it not being plugged in, and his plants are sentient because he wants to be able to yell at them effectively. He kept a burning car driving for an hour through sheer force of will and imagination. He can wish clothes and other items into existence from raw firmament/matter. He can kill animals & resurrect them with a thought — this could apply to humans as well, as Hastur is able to do at least the former. Physics doesn’t apply to demons or angels — according to God "size and shape are simply options" — they're capable of travelling through phones lines & instant teleportation (of themselves and others), and shapeshifting (Crowley can turn into a snake, for example).

Crowley also has a knack for controlling time, able to stop it with a snap of fingers, though he can't hold it long term.

As part of his general demonic-nee-angelic nature, he’s considerably more difficult to damage than a human, has no need to eat/breathe/drink/sleep, has a set of black wings that just disappear when he doesn’t want them around, and is to be able to sense what humans want (unlike angels, who can sense love). They're also able to manipulate humans in various ways, from forcing them to answer questions, to making them unable to perceive them.

It's not specified in the show how Crowley is able to consistently find Aziraphale to bother him over the millennia, but considering Gabriel is able to sense that something evil has been in the bookshop, it seems likely that angels & demons are able to sense each other. Crowley probably just got very good at honing in on Aziraphale.

In terms of weaknesses, he can be hurt by consecrated items and would be completely destroyed by holy water, even a drop.

Inventory: One set of clothes (a 1930s style suit), a pair of boots, his iPhone, his wedding ring, and a locket he wears around his neck.

Gembond: Ruby
Gem Location: Left inner arm, about an inch in diameter


« MISCELLANEOUS »

Sample: Duplicity TDM thread, since I can't link any comm threads as they're locked
Noctium TDM thread

Notes: As he'll be a CRAU, I'll definitely be checking with any players for characters he might've had CR with in Duplicity before having him recognize them!