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Jimbriel, Satan, the Book of Life, and what it means for Crowley

Acknowledging that what we know so far about the Book of Life from various characters is highly suspect, I'm going to posit to you that Beelzebub is actually the true authority on the Book of Life, and that they bookend Season 2 with very important (and hopefully accurate) information about the Book of Life. With that in mind, let's take Beezlebub's S2E1 description and see how it fits with other canon evidence:

But what does it mean to have never existed in the Good Omens universe? For that, let us look to Satan.

From in-show canon, we know that Adam was able to retroactively change Satan's status as his father to not his father:

Adam altered reality, although Crowley, Aziraphale, the other celestials, and even Adam himself remember those events from a timeline that supposedly has been erased:

But Crowley nonetheless confirms that this is reality now. Satan was never Adam's father.

Additionally, though not technically in-show canon, we know from Notorious NRG that once Satan became Lucifer, this erased Lucifer from existence in the GO universe:

And Crowley's monologue in the bar drives it home; even though Lucifer no longer exists, Crowley still remembers him, and some key events that they were involved in together.

But a more dramatic portrayal of erasure is found in our favorite Good Omens himbo, Jimbo. In the trial of Gabriel, the Metatron makes direct allusion to the fact that Gabriel will no longer be Gabriel after his demotion:

Not "your memory of your time as the supreme archangel will be erased," no, it's:

Your memory of your time as Gabriel will be erased.

Whether he means to or not, Aziraphale reinforces this characterization of memory-loss-as-new-identity:

This can be taken simply as a safety measure, but Jimbo doesn't understand it that way and we see throughout the remainder of the season that Aziraphale is very consistent about calling his unexpected guest "Jim," even correcting Crowley when they're speaking privately and it wouldn't blow his cover to call him Gabriel:

But the final word on memory and identity, especially as they pertain to Jimbriel, again comes from our Lord of the Flies, Beelzebub:

All your you is your memories.

Altogether we see that there is significant in-show canon to support a theory that memory is inextricably linked with identity, and that when memory is removed, identity is so drastically changed that the name of the entity must also change... and the person who existed before, with that former name, exists no longer; it is as if they never had.

(But, as we see in the case of Gabriel, they can be restored.)

I told you in the title that this post was about the Book of Life: it is. Everything discussed here about memory and identity must necessarily characterize how the Book of Life operates, at least with respect to erasure. When someone is erased, they don't vanish, but they are so changed it is as if a new person has taken the place of the old, the way Jim took the place of Gabriel, until he got his memories back. But we can surmise that when someone is erased from the Book of Life, their memories aren't conveniently stored in a TARDIS/Ru Paul fly for later recovery. The memories may not be gone, but I'm going to guess that they would be extremely difficult (or impossible) to retrieve.

What this means for Crowley:

I think we need to give this scene a lot more credit for telling us how this universe works. Surface level, it reads as "you don't understand my trauma, and how I've been changed by it." Which is a very valid interpretation. But we can dig deeper and see that, given everything else we know about celestial beings losing their memories, names, and identities, Crowley is alluding to something far more horrific than just the scars left by flaming swords and halo-grenades.

These are the scars of a lobotomy. Something was taken from him, and he is aware of it.

He knows that his memory has been tampered with. Various people (Furfur, Saraqael) tell him that they recognize him, and of things they've done together. He has no recollection of them, but instead of getting agitated, he brushes it off and ignores it. This lack of questions from the guy who questions everything tells us that he already has the answers; not the memories, but the knowledge of why he doesn't have them.

Furthermore, when he's trying to get Jim to remember the something bad and Jim says it hurts, Crowley says:

I know. Do it anyway.

How does Crowley know that it hurts, to try to recall memories that have been taken out of your head?

Because he's been through it.

He has tried to remember, and some memories, like working on the Horsehead Nebula with Saraqael or monkeying around with Furfur, weren't worth the pain. Or perhaps it was pain on top of pain to remember what he had lost.

It is an especial testament to the cruelty of Heaven that he remembers going into battle, but not the bonds he formed with his friends. He remembers a million lightyear freestyle dive into a boiling pool of sulfur, but not the work he did on the Horsehead Nebula, a thing that brought him joy.

And now, the person he loves most in the world, his only refuge from the terror of his empty nightmares, from his malignant and creeping sense of unease that something is missing, has gone back to that place where his identity was so horribly violated that he lost his name.

How will our hero cope?

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I love the idea that Crowley and Aziraphale went on mini vacations together even if they claimed they weren’t, they’d tell eachother they were just there for a quick temptation or blessing but they’d just be together most of the time wandering around, going out to dinner to places they haven’t been, just talking as they look at landmarks they saw built and not doing any tempting or blessings whatsoever but ignoring it so they can spend more time together

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really hope that even if they tentatively agree to work together in s3, crowley just never shuts up taking the piss out of aziraphale the supreme archangel like maybe aziraphale suddenly has perfect hair or his suit is all sparkling white or hes back to the holier than thou attitude but MY POINT IS that if this doesn't result in aziraphale being the one to slam crowley up against a wall telling him to shut it then honestly what has been the point of the last two months and why will i have suffered for nothing

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I love long haired femme presenting and genderfluid crowley to death but also i like to headcanon that the reason crowley is going for a more masc look and a short hairstyle in these modern times is because his feelings for aziraphale have risen more and more to the surface and his male presentation is a reflection of him seeing this as an inherently queer love that he wants to present as queer to the world

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let me tell you a story…

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Aziraphale didn't choose heaven, he chose humanity. he chose making a difference. he chose trying to fix a fucked up system that does harm by its mere existence. he chose taking the ticking clock hanging over their heads and smashing it to pieces.

and he didn't choose that over Crowley, he chose it over his own happiness, over being near the one person who truly knows him and loves him.

and he did it alone even though that was the last thing he wanted.

#i do really think that going to heaven BELIEVING he can fix it is the most angelic thing he could do #that's WHO he is and i don't understand when people judge them like humans #they're not humans and that's the point of the story #crowley said no to hell not because he's 'too human' but because he was never on hell's side #aziraphale was always on the side of heaven (and crowley's) because he Remembered the Angel He was #he did really think it would be SAFER for crowley to start doing Good officially #and aziraphale thought it was THEIR side that crowley mentioned (the 'changed' heaven in aziraphale's mind) #aziraphale was sure he's doing the right thing not because 'humans make mistakes too' but bc. he's literally an angel #he did indeed choose humanity #and so did crowley but staying on His side #THAT'S GETTING TOO LONG HELP CAN I PLEASE ADD ONE MORE THING AND I'LL SHUT TF UP #i dooooooont think we'll get this whole 'duke of hell' thing in s3 because it'd either be as crowley's default setting or #'you probably wonder how i put myself into this Type of Situation?' and that's not it for me atm #aziraphale had a whole JOURNEY in s2 step by step leading him to the position he was in in the finale (dealing with consequences of hisDeed #with wee morag's death and finding out the resurrectionist left the city in disgrace and all that #he knew he fucked up Big Time and he never wanted it to happen again #and crowley had a different story so him ruling hell would be i don't know. unreasonable #Copying op’s tags because I 100% agree #brilliant take

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I keep seeing the "aziraphale thought he was in a romcom and wasn't at all worried the whole season" take and honestly? bullshit

from episode one aziraphale has been fretting about keeping gabriel out of sight and safe from heaven. I know it is cute to go on about how the entire ball thing was a fun ruse to hold crowley's hand, but that is patently not true. the entire point of it was to get nina and maggie to fall in love, and the entire point of that was to prevent heaven from finding out about the 25 dead guy miracle that aziraphale and crowley performed together. aziraphale downplays the safety risks of what he is doing because 1, crowley never tells him precisely how dire the consequences of gabriel being found are, and 2, becaues he needs to keep the whole charade together so that nina and maggie fall in love. and he needs that to happen to keep him and crowley safe from heaven's suspicions.

aziraphale does get a little caught up in the moment in episode 5, yes, and he does a very bad job reading crowley's anxiety. but I think he's arguably keeping himself together by a very thin thread too- remember, aziraphale also knows that shax has made threats to crowley. maintaining the romantic fantasy is critical to him because he needs to keep up the illusion of safety for both himself and crowley, because he needs the plan for maggie and nina to fall in love to work, because if it doesn't, everything falls apart very fast. and aziraphale knows that.

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Crowley dreams of MERDER.

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The pub scene is even funnier when you consider that poor Mr. Brown of Brown's World of Carpets has likely had this longtime pash on Aziraphale and, like everyone on Whickber Street, he has no idea who exactly The Ginger Goth With The Old Car is. He knows the prevailing theory is mafia but Mr. Brown of Brown's World of Carpets has seen Ginger Goth hanging around Mrs. Sandwich and her "Sandwich Shop" and also around the bookshop a bit and also some naked guy was also at the bookshop recently, so... what's the likeliest conclusion drawn by Mr. Brown of Brown's World of Carpets? That the old bookseller's lonely and paying for it.

He sees them come into the pub and thinks Aziraphale is classy like that and is taking the sex worker for a drink first or maybe that's part of it-- he's gone the whole 'boyfriend experience' route. Mr. Brown of Brown's World of Carpets sees Aziraphale with that chest stroke of that Thin Dark Duke he's paying and while Mr. Brown (of Brown's World of Carpets, just FYI) isn't here to judge and gets it as he's lonely, too... and while he does think the bookseller picks some hot ones... he wants to give Mr. Fell the real thing. The kind of love you can only get between two middle-aged, still-sorta-closeted queers like they are. He'll be someone the bookseller can talk to and find some genuine chemistry with, Mr. Brown of Brown's World of Carpets will be, so he decides to shoot his shot and knows the bookseller is skittish from their past interactions, so he goes for the meeting option. He'll have to come over to drop off the chairs, of course. Give them an excuse to talk more, alone, when Mr. Fell is not, erm, entertaining.

And poor Mr. Brown--President of the Whickber Street Shopkeepers and Traders Association, Mr. Brown of Brown's World of Carpets is-- fine, upstanding, boring as all holy fuck fella... He's met by Crowley coming over with drinks and a greeting that says this is neither the first time, nor, he doubts, will it be the last that he's had to Husband the bookseller but again, Mr. Brown of Oh, You Know By Now thinks this is a bit, so he's not intimidated.

"I was just absolutely hitting on him for real, unlike you," is what he basically told Crowley when explaining what they were chatting about.

And Crowley's like lol you got him flustered enough to host this meeting. Good on you, Mr. Whoever the Fuck You Are from Whatever Shop You Run. Look at you *go*. 😍 I've got a new favorite human, Aziraphale.

He's all "you astonish me" to Aziraphale, teasing him like you're leading the poor, balding bastard on, angel. I know it's hard for you to reign in your divine sex appeal but you should maybe try. His heart is only human, after all.

Mr. Brown still thinks Crowley's a sex worker though so he doesn't give up and is all like remember, Mr. Fell, our date is right after work on Thursday in a group setting to set you at ease but I'll see you first to set it all up because I want you and I want to make sure you know I'm not just here for the business meeting.

Crowley: That's it-- I'm adopting you, Ballsy Mr. Carpet. I like your style. But you'll never wear my angel down. We've been married for 6,000 years. I am definitely up for saving you from some demons on Thursday though and making it rain on you and literally any fruity, single shop owner in the greater metro area next season. You're on the deck after my shop lesbians. Now piss off, Mr. Barnes. We haven't been to the pub in ages and you're in my seat.

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Aziraphale breaking Crowley out of Heaven jail!

@feralbutfluffy another nod to your wonderful fanfic!

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I’m sure 500 people have done this but I wanted to have a go too. Initial->eventual reactions to doppelgängers…

Bonuses:

EDIT TO ADD: I'm apparently doing a whole comic thing of this now, check it out :)

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the thing i love about the new backstory for aziraphale and crowley's first meeting is how it makes EVERYTHING about how aziraphale deals with him make so much sense. like, he meets this angel building nebulae, and he's beautiful and silly and full of joy, and he loves these galaxies he's making, they're not even born yet and he loves them, and aziraphale's the one who tells him that they're never going to become, that this beautiful thing he made is just set-dressing for god's toybox. aziraphale is the one who (however inadvertently) sows that first seed of doubt. aziraphale is the one who punctures that joy.

and yeah, of course crowley would have found out eventually. and of course he would have asked questions and aired his doubts. crowley has always been crowley. but i think aziraphale would have carried that kernel of guilt for a long, long time

and then millennia later he meets the demon that angel became, and he's guarded and prickly and suspicious and so carefully, secretly kind, still so clearly the same person, deep down, even as he insists that the angel you knew is not me while he saves goats and children and wayward angels and protests unjust punishments and introduces aziraphale to earthly pleasures for no reason other than to give him the joy of them

he's still, deep down, a good person. he shouldn't have been cast out. he didn't deserve that. the injustice of it must have rankled aziraphale for centuries

and now - now, after all this time, aziraphale can fix it. he can undo the injustice. he can give heaven back to crowley, the way he's always deserved it

and crowley says no.

#good omens #to be completely clear crowley is entirely correct and it's going to blow up horribly #but i have a lot of sympathy for WHY aziraphale did what he did #Copying op’s tags because I 100% agree

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Date Night

Inspiration from Maybe Someday by ineffable_snowman

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Goat Affairs

Glory be to @bil-daddy, unholy Highhpriest of the @shutanictemple.

I would like to ask how my three donated little goat kids - Azira, Bill(daddy) and Dusty - are doing. Are they alive and kicking?

This picture reached me through X channels, and it seems you and @mrazfellco are really serving ... the temple with utmost devotion.

artist: https://twitter.com/justajvmes