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amuseoffyre · 10 months

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I’m emotionally ruined by the fact that Aziraphale hasn’t broken out of his heavenly conditioning. He still loves doing good. He gets happy when people tell him he’s an angel and says “it’s nice to tell people about the good things you’ve done now that I’m not reporting to Heaven”. He will literally put himself in harm’s way to make sure he does the Good and Right thing.

It can’t be understated how much Heaven’s influence still impacts on him. Aziraphale has been created, ordained and conditioned to believe it and he can’t just switch it off or walk away. Crowley didn’t get the choice. He was Fallen. He was kicked out and - as per the rules of toxic and terrifying cults - Aziraphale was always told for centuries and millennia, Falling was the worst thing that could happen. If you’re bad, you’ll be forced out. If you’re bad, you’re not one of Us. You’re one of Them.

When he did something he perceived as Right (ie. saving innocent children from death), but knew it wasn’t what Heaven intended, he broke down. Crowley found him a crying, shaking wreck afterwards because he was so convinced he was Evil. He was so convinced he was going to be dragged to Hell and that he was now a demon because he did one thing that saved some children but because it wasn’t a specific directive, it was Bad.

It shapes so much about him and it’s why the whole series looks like he’s having so much fun doing silly human things, but there’s this brittleness to it. He’s happy and excited and he’s doing his human-life things and having a lovely time, but he’s also constantly stressed because of the Need To Do Good. From the moment Gabriel turns up, he’s a nervous wreck and is trying to hide it by Doing Good, by Solving the Problem, by Fixing Things, by being so active and reactive rather than letting himself think about it. It’s a sign of exactly how frantic he is that he starts giving away his books and letting humans touch them.

Watch his face when the Archangels show up unexpectedly: that isn’t joy. That’s blind terror. He’s so afraid of doing the wrong thing in Heaven’s eyes, even though he made the active choice to do so because it was the Right thing to do. He’s a Guardian and he will protect, but he is so very afraid of the repercussions, even now.

At the end of S1, Crowley said “they’re gearing up for the big one” so Aziraphale’s not oblivious. He knows a big one is coming. He knows something worse than the Antichrist will be on its way. And he’s trying so hard to pretend that everything is normal and fine and if he ignores all the looming bad stuff, it won’t happen. If we don’t say anything about it, nothing has to change.

But then the changes come knocking at his door holding a box and the choice is gone. He can keep trying to blinker himself to it, but then there are angels and demons in the bookshop and he’s had to use his halo and everything is falling apart.

So when he realises that he can get himself into a position where he can guarantee those repercussions won’t happen to Crowley? He will absolutely take it. He says himself “I don’t want to go back to Heaven”, but the instant the Metatron offers him a free pass for Crowley, to take Crowley out of both Heaven and Hell’s sightlines, to keep him safe (Another bee inside the hive, if you will), no wonder he grabs it with both hands.

The tragedy is that Crowley thinks that when they saved the world together, that was the end of Heaven’s influence in Aziraphale. When he was cast out the split between him and Heaven was sharp and clean. He doesn’t - he can’t - understand how deeply it has tangled around Aziraphale. It’s built into Aziraphale’s entire being and unravelling it isn’t that simple. Aziraphale’s trauma is a horrible, terrible Gordian knot and Crowley can’t understand that he couldn’t simply cut through it, because that’s just not how Aziraphale works.

#good omens s2 #good omens season 2 #good omens #good omens spoilers #gos2 #go s2

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actual-changeling · 3 months

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i think about the fact that crowley went through with his confession despite everything at least once a day, so have a ficlet where he doesn't.

edit: you can now find this fic on ao3 right here

———

"If I'm in charge… I can make a difference."

For a second, everything stops. The noise disappears, the world blurs and fades, his body grows numb while he desperately clings to the breath inside his lungs. He is suffocating, he must be, words are blocking his throat, and this—this can't be.

After everything they went through for six thousand years, after countless of heaven's cruelties, after ropeburn on Aziraphale's wrists before stepping into a spiral of hellfire, the mere thought of his angel returning to heaven seemed like a laughable impossibility. There are choices the world makes for one, and this had been one of them; live as a traitor, as an exile, but live.

A life lived in freedom, shared, and cherished.

Aziraphale wouldn't go back. He wouldn't.

Crowley could have sworn he never would, and yet here they are, mouths open, judgements spoken, and still alive.

"Oh."

Air rushes out of him and takes the tension with it, dragging him back to full consciousness and leaving him with tremors in his hands and tears in his eyes.

"Right."

Reflexively, he turns around, hyperaware of his uncovered eyes, and the confession is still humming in the back of his mind. He wouldn't, he thinks again and again and again, he wouldn't, he wouldn't.

But he did. The grandfather clock stares him down, a hint of gold reflected back at him, and his joints ache when he pries his glasses out of his fist and puts them on. A familiar shadow falls over the world, taking all the colour with it, and Crowley suddenly feels very, very cold.

"Crowley?"

A hesitant step towards him, then another, and his skin burns, his fingers shake, as the carefully cultivated sprout of hope in his chest dies oh so slowly.

He wouldn't, whispers the voice again, crumbling like a brittle leaf crushed in Aziraphale's fist.

He would. He did, another gives back, and he knows this, too, knows it with the taste of resignation on his tongue.

Crowley faces Aziraphale simply to stop him from coming any closer, gritting his teeth when he sees the confused irritation greeting him. Surprised—Aziraphale is surprised that he does not want to come with him.

Six thousand years, the tiny voice weakly offers, six thousand years, and this is the reward.

Crowley wants to rip his confession out of his throat and offer it to him, he wants to throw it up onto the floor and never see it again, he wants to grab Aziraphale's shoulders and shake him because, why, why would you think I want this? Why would you do this?

Why are you leaving me?

He wants to break his ribs and pull them apart so he can kill his heart with his own hand, and it is falling, it is burning, it is grace leaving him as everything he thought he knew dissipated and vanished among the stars. Maybe some pieces of himself will stay behind in the dust, marking his presence, marking an absence.

"Good luck," Crowley says flatly, not recognising himself, not seeing or hearing, and as he begins to walk away, a high-pitched ringing settles in his ears. Love is a stone sinking to the bottom of his stomach, it is his ribs splintered and sharp, cutting him open from the inside out. Maybe the worst part is that it is not entirely unexpected—after all, why would he keep telling himself that Aziraphale would never return to heaven if there were no fundamental belief that he would?

"Good luck? Crowley! Crowley, come back, to—"

A hand wraps around his wrist like heated iron, and he can barely bite back the strangled sound escaping him at the contact, wrenching his arm out of Aziraphale's grip; he doesn't turn around.

"Don't."

Not a command, no, a plea, a prayer, a finish line, the ending to a game he always hated playing; love, sure, in the good moments, during the good times.

Now it simply hurts—hollow and heavy—and if he looks at him, he will tell him; he will tell him all of it and more. He will try to make him change his mind despite knowing it is hopeless, yet he cannot help but feel as if this is a frozen moment right before the guillotine blade falls.

Judgement day, for better or for worse.

Crowley could linger, could meet tear-stained cheeks and blue irises, could fall to his knees and beg him to stay, but none of it would be able to fix the rift opening between them. Six thousand years, and for the very first time since Eden, Aziraphale is a stranger to him. The blade will have to come down eventually, and maybe they have been staving off the inevitable; maybe it is for the best.

Squeezing his eyes shut, Crowley gathers the fragmented shards of himself and holds them tight. Then he makes a choice and whispers a goodbye into the silence, numbly making his way through the bookshop, across the street, into the Bentley, and all the way back to his flat.

Sometimes things are better left unsaid.

#alex writes good omens #good omens #crowley #aziraphale #good omens season 2 #go2 #aziracrow #crowley x aziraphale #ineffable husbands #ineffable wives #ineffable spouses #ineffable divorce #the final fifteen #good omens ficlet

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siriusly-the-best-bi · 10 months

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Ya know what’s curious to me? In Episode 2 when Crowley asks Aziraphale in the cellar whose side he’s on, Aziraphale responds “God’s, of course!”

Ya know why this is curious?

Well, for one, they’re talking about sides. Heaven and Hell. Their respective bosses. Crowley’s response of going along with Hell as far as he can makes sense, it’s what we expect to hear, but when he turns the question on Aziraphale, he doesn’t exclaim ‘heaven’s obviously!’ He immediately associates himself and his values with God directly.

Second of all, In episode 6, when talking about accepting the Metatron’s job offer as the new supreme archangel with Crowley, Aziraphale says “but heaven! Well, it’s the side of truth, of light, of good.”

For the entirety of Good Omens season 1, Aziraphale had always talked about following God’s ineffable plan, which was a noticeably different turn of phrase than those such as Gabriel used in heaven, always referring to it as the Great Plan. This is even the very thing that lead them to wiggling their way around Armageddon in the first place when confronted by Gabriel and Beelzebub.

Aziraphale has always made the distinction that he is an angel and does good because he believes that God is good and he trusts in their design.

Now I might just be loosing it, it is nearly 3am, but this sudden distinction and the choice of Aziraphale to not only discuss heaven in such a manner, but to refer to it as an entire Side, and use the adjectives he uses to describe heaven when we’ve only ever seen or heard him talk about God this way… it just all plays very intentional to me. It feel’s weird.

Especially once you take into consideration the flashbacks we’re shown of Beelzebub and Gabriel discussing the failed Armageddon in their little pub rendezvous. They never once mention their respect ‘boss’. Gabriel says “we are ready for round two.” And Beelzebub’s response is “as are we.” This we that they’re referring to isn’t God. It’s not Satan. They’re talking about the beings who reside in these respective places. The Angels and the Demons. And the conversation then continues with Gabriel admitting, “everyone in Heaven is all like, ‘Well, you’re the commander-in-chief, can’t you just make the war happen anyway?’ Like, I make the rules.” And whats Beelzebub’s response? “That’s exactly what my lot said.”

The pressure isn’t coming from God anymore. In the past, like seen in the Job episode, when there were divine tasks at hand they were dealt with by the angels for God, and God was directly involved in finding the outcome. There was no going through management or filing paperwork or monitoring miracles. And hey, I get it. As time evolves along with the humans, so does everything else.

My question is, is it possible that with these evolutions in the human world, that Heaven and Hell have perhaps learned a thing or two from humanity as well? Already they’ve mimicked the clothing, the office spaces, the entire design of heaven and hell down to the management hierarchy. Is it possible that these wars and these fights aren’t being started by God anymore, but an act of civil war amongst the Angels and Demons? We already see Michaels urge for power and control paralleled and almost foiled by Shax’s drive for control and power and both were the driving factors between any of the Major problems this season that lead to major conflicts between Heaven and Hell.

That brings us of course, to the Metatron. Who is he and where exactly did he come from? When did his position become necessary and why wasn’t he present as the ‘voice of god’ in the job minisode? Why suddenly are all of God’s plans, only being carried out by him?

Do you want to know why I think Gabriel was being demoted and not sent to Hell as a fallen angel? Because I don’t think they can. I think that’s something only God can do, but what kind of fear and control would that hold over all the busy bee’s? No, no, instead, let’s frame it as a Kindness. Heaven won’t cast you out because it will make them look bad! because it’s happened before, so they have no choice but to play a game of politics to keep everyone in check.

But here’s my question. Has there been a fallen angel since the great war? Why is it that after all this time, Aziraphale hasn’t fallen time and time again? Why is it that instead of an Angel falling from grace to join the armies of hell, the response to an act of rebellion is absolute destruction. The same could be said for hell. If you have demons walking around that are doing good, wouldn’t that simply just re-spark their halo’s? Why is it that they’d be destroyed by Holy Water instead of simply returning to Heaven?

It’s because God plays an ineffable game of their own design. They’re not playing with earth, or humanity. They’re toying with the Angels and the Demons. It’s why they’re placing bets with Satan.

When Crowley’s attempting to convince Aziraphale to run away for the last time, he doesn’t say Fuck God and Fuck whatever game this is, we don’t need to be a part of it. He says Heaven and Hell are toxic we need to get away from them.

It’s just so curious to me how this season has carefully and slowly taken us away from the idea of God and God’s Ineffable Plan and instead led us into this drama between Heaven and Hell, no mention of God whatsoever. No narrator.

#thoughts anyone?#genuinely curious if i just need a fucking nap #but also idk this time watching it really just struck me #when theyre discussing sides in the job minisode #they’re talking about heaven and hell #when the question is turned back on Aziraphale however #unlike crowleys answer of ‘i go along with hell as far as i can’ he doesnmt even mention Heaven #he goes straight to god #uk what thats a good point #let me add that into the post rq hold on #fuck me i went back to add the little paragraph and went on a tangent #it is now nearly 4am #so #ahem #shit #i hope this is even vaguely coherent and that people see it #i hope it doesn’t get swallowed by the void cause i think im onto something but im so tired #bi.f.shit #good omens #good omens 2 #good omens 2 spoilers #crowley #aziraphale #ineffable divorcées #ineffable husbands #good omens spoilers #good omens meta #good omens analysis

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lineffability · 10 months

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some thoughts on Aziraphale, the Metatron and performances

i do think we're maybe all underestimating aziraphale just a bit when it comes to the whole 'happy in heaven, let's go and do good' spiel. i DO think he believes in some fundamental goodness in heaven despite all their obvious, glaring moral failings and problems, and i DO believe he wants crowley with him more than anything (and, misguidedly, that a part of crowley would want to go back)

BUT i also think that there is a lot more going on underneath the surface. he might wear his heart on his sleeve most of the time but we have seen that when it counts he can be really really good at magic tricks (makes that flashback all the more relevant, too), at repressing his true feelings, at building walls around himself and hiding behind a facade of smiles and optimism.

the Metatron might not be the only one performing; him and Aziraphale are certainly both on edge. think of the coffee scene, az being overwhelmed and reluctant, he is not necessarily buying the Nice Old Man act--but he is not sure about it being fake, either. maybe the metatron is nice, he can't tell, he is overwhelmed and accepts the coffee. he wants to believe that this Very High Being, the voice of god, is good. if he isn't--what then? his beliefs have been crumbling around him already, and he is scared. and then meta removes him from the bookshop, from crowley, and they talk.

Az is extremely flustered when he tries to tell crowley about the metatron's offer, a bit too much--coupled with off-the-charts-nervosity and the glimpses of Expressions of Dread on his face when he turns away from Metatrash before he goes back into the bookshop to talk to crowley, i'm starting to be quite sure that the very obvious threat lingering underneath metatron's words did not go unnoticed at all; he saw the nice kind old man smile but he heard him saying "i've gone back over your exploits", i know exactly what you've been doing these millenia, you can fool the archangels but you can't fool me, i have access to Time/History/Reality in a different way. i know everything you did. and then the threat about not allowing the two of them to work togther anymore in the future, if he stays on earth. i think aziraphale knows right then and there that he has no choice at all. (this is why he so desperately wants crowley to come with him, because he can't stay) (i do believe that he truly thinks, though, that they would let crowley back into heaven-- which i think was a total ruse, a complete lie based on the knowledge that crowley would not accept the offer)

and he knows that metatron is just outside the bookshop, waiting. now don't get me wrong, i'm not saying he acted the whole thing, the conversation he and crowley had was very real, because az was counting on crowley to come with him--because if one thing has been true over all these milennia, it's that crowley always caves in. no matter what, he comes back, he apologizes, he refuses first and accepts finally, he stays by his side, he would never leave aziraphale. right?

in this moment az needs to believe two things: 1 crowley will come with him and 2 he can do Good in heaven, they can change things together. and this is not only naiveté (though to some extent it surely is) but calculation, as well. i can't get out of this. my only choice is to rejoin heaven and play along. maybe if i'm there, if i have a seat at the divine table and can learn about heaven's plans, maybe i can thwart them, if need be. i do think az is not going in blindly, i do think he knows to some extent what awaits him, but he also truly believes that maybe he can alter things, in some way (he could, surely, with crowley. crowley always has the best ideas. i need you. )

but when crowley refuses he can't tell him there is something bad going on. i need to do this, even if i dont want to. they are not alone. he can only say i need you with me. please. but crowley is in too much pain, he feels betrayed, because he did not hear come with me but to heaven, and the shock of it runs deep

so az IS also heartbrken and angry and betrayed. and then, after the Revelation, in shock. the journey on his face was longer than the ride up to heaven jfc. and then it settles on a smile that does not reach his eyes. oh, he's really in it now. he contains multitudes and paradoxes aghhhh but yeah tl;dr aziraphale loves to be a happy trusting ray of sunshine because he chooses to be, but he is not stupid. he's doing the best he can.

there will be a second coming not only for jesus 2.0 but for his and crowley's relationship as well!! let's believe in him!!! im disinegrating i need to stop now

#good omens #good omens theories #good omens season 2 #ineffable husbands #i wrote this on a reblog first but posting it again on its own bc #i have THOUGHTS #i needed to expand them #what do you think???#my omens #good omens season 2 spoilers

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linipikk · 4 months

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I don't think Aziraphale or Crowley desire the other's love. I think they know they have it. That's why those awfully romantic pining hc always fall short for me. They move like they are sure the other loves them because it is a sure thing...

I'm gonna go out of my lane here and say that Aziraphale's decision to still go to Heaven without Crowley parallels Crowley's first decision to leave Aziraphale alone to deal with Jim/Gabriel.

Crowley did the apology dance and all that because he was afraid of what hell and heaven could do to them, to Aziraphale. He never told Aziraphale about The Book of Life or that Belzebub was recruiting him to run hell (not until the final 15 at least). In the same beat, Aziraphale chose to accept the metatron offer out of duty and hope in what heaven could mean... or out of fear, depending on how you chose to interpret the "give me coffee or give me death" conversation.

Crowley compromises but hides his true reason basically deceiving Aziraphale about what made him come back and, Aziraphale doubles down on his convictions despite Crowley's desires. Both are so sure that the means justify the end -keeping the other safe- , that it is what later comes and bites them in the back.

The heartbreak is not the romantic rejection because it's been clear that they love each other for the last 200 years at least, the heartbreak is that they still make their choices out of duty or fear or whatever instead of being together out of love.

#good omens s2 #good omens #ineffable husbands #lini writes #crowley #aziraphale #i am doing another one on this same idea

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neurolady · 16 days

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I Forgive You!

I've seen a million and one different takes on Aziraphale's "I forgive you" in the Final 15. Most peoples initial knee jerk reactions of what the fuck does Crowley need forgiving for, to forgiving Crowley for an unconsented kiss, to (once folk have calmed down and started to see Aziraphale really has no choice but to go back to Heaven) forgiving Crowley for not trusting him. What I haven't seen is the suggestion that it actually has nothing to do with forgiveness at all!

When he says, "May God forgive you" or "May you be forgiven," it's always after Crowley does something Aziraphale believes is out of character or wrong. In Uz Crowley saying he wants to kill Job's children and at the bandstand after his ourburst at God (I'm missing one, I'm sure). I think in these instances he is genuinely saying I hope you're forgiven for what you just did.

On the two occasions, he uses, "I forgive you," Crowley is not acting out of character at all, and neither is he wrong. Aziraphale knows this! The two scenes are completely parallel in s1ep4 by the car when Crowley pulls over to apologise and, of course, in s2 the Final 15.

Crowley wants to talk about them and is ALL in for them to be together - literally, both scenes he basically begs Aziraphale to run off together.

Aziraphale can't get past his cognitive dissonance and insists Heaven is the answer. Obviously, everything is ramped up 1000 in the Final 15, but even in s1, you can see Aziraphale's turmoil at being asked to choose Crowley or Heaven.

This is where I think "I forgive you" has nothing to do with Aziraphale offering forgiveness to Crowley. In both scenes, Crowley pushes Aziraphale's attachment to Heaven even further. In s1, he keeps it about Aziraphale, "...how can someone so smart be so stupid!" In s2, no such restraint, so you know just "No Nightingale's" and THE Kiss!! The effect is the same, Aziraphale is shook (obviously just a teeny-weeny bit more in s2), he's retreating into himself, and his reflex is "I forgive you". He's a being of forgiveness it's an instinct. He also knows - again probably more out of instinct than any deliberate intention - that Crowley will immediately recoil from any attempts at forgiveness, which gives him space to process. So I think "I forgive you", is actually Aziraphale's shield that he throws up between himself and Crowley when his love for Heaven (or more for being an Angel) is in direct conflict with his love for Crowley. He is pushing Crowley away because in the moment, he can't cope with the choice he has to make, and it works both times, and he instantly regrets it both times!

On the plus side, if you condense all the shenanigans that happen after the "car argument" in s1. Crowley instantly forgives Aziraphale for pushing him away, as soon as Aziraphale has a plan he goes to Crowley, he chooses Crowley and Earth without hesitation when the shit is really about to hit the fan and they get their happily until Gabrielle shows up naked at the bookshop a few years later after!

#the blueprint for s3 is all there in the original book #it's not gonna be so easy for them this time #but we know it'll end in the South Downs #ineffable husbands #good omens #good omens theories #aziracrow

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secretdiaryofcrowley · 30 days

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Where we left off: Shax, newly anointed Duchess of Hell, jumpscared our hero in his bentley….

…. and apparently, she wants to bribe me with liquor-filled chocolates to come back to Hell. I’m not going back, but first I puncture the chocolates with a pen to drink all the liquor. Oh, and did I mention I’m small? (the puncturing and drinking thingie wouldn’t work too well if I was my usual size).

“Stop deluding yourself, Crowley. Deep inside, you already know that Aziraphale left for one reason only. You are a demon and you will never be good enough for him.” Shax tilts her head to the side in one of those familiar bird-demon gestures and watches me intently with one eye. “How does that make you feel, Crowley? Hurt? Angry? Will you let an angel treat you this way? Break you and cast you away like a used toy?”

I clench the pen and ram into the next piece of chocolate like a tiny lance. This is ridiculous. She doesn’t know the least thing about my angel. However delusional Aziraphale may be for believing he can make a difference in Heaven, deep down his intentions are good. He never wanted to hurt me.

“You gave up everything just to be with him, and you’ve risked everything, even your own destruction. And at the first grasp of power – he’s gone!”

No. No, no, no, no! This isn’t about power. Aziraphale doesn’t care about power at all. He wants to change the system from within. He wants to turn Heaven into the place of light, he always believed it’s meant to be.

But in this belief, there’s no place for a demon. There would have been a place for the angel I was, but I can no longer be that angel.

Shax’ eyes glitter. “I’m not offering you a job, Crowley, I’m offering you a chance at revenge. Rise from the ashes and use that burning fury inside you against the one who wronged you. Unite with me and strike him down on the battlefield in the Great War to come.”

Revenge? Burning fury? I almost choke on the burning whiskey running down my throat. Course, I understand where this is going, she wants to me to direct my anger against Aziraphale. She wants me to become the big bad demon in shiny black armour raining fire and destruction in his unquenchable thirst for vengeance.

Bloody Heaven, I can almost picture this. Aziraphale and me having a face-off in the midst of battle. He’s probably wearing something silvery-white and carrying – I don’t know – some flaming sword or lancea-longini-spear-of-destiny-thingie. And then we’d look into each other’s eyes and stab each other very dramatically with Heaven and Hell watching. And maybe, just maybe, we’d die even more dramatically in each other’s arms with white and black wings entwined.

There’s only one little mistake in this scenario, we did this whole silver knight - dark knight scenario a thousand years ago in King Arthur’s Court and it hasn’t become any less pathetic since then. And second – a crank handle isn’t really made for stabbing. Or fighting in wars for that matter.

“Sorry, Shax.” I’m back to normal size now, sitting in my usual seat behind the wheel. “Nice career option, just not seeing myself there. Anyway, thanks for the booze and tell Hastur, I said ‘hi’”.

She looks at me incredulously. “This choice will have consequences. If you stand aside like a coward, you will be crushed like one.”

“There are always consequences.” I shrug. “But it’s not cowardice, although you probably don’t believe me.”

“What is it, then?” She eyes me suspiciously.

“I just don’t feel it, Shax. All this silly power play for rank and influence and who-get’s-the-biggest-throne-and-the-shiniest-medal. I know, we demons are supposed to live for this, but I just don’t care. And, you know, that eternal-fiend-thing with the angels? Don’t feel that either.”

“Earth has made you weak.” She shakes her head. “All of us will assemble and take our positions in the last stand. Like on a chess board. If you don’t take yours, you will be totally insignificant in the game to come. And my offer was better than anything you could've hoped to achieve. You could’ve been my Second-in-Command, once I sit on Beelzebub’s old throne.”

She can’t know that she’s already the second person to offer me a position like that. The third, actually, if you count “The United States of Beelzebub”.

No.

No Heaven for me. No Hell for me. I’m done.

“I’m perfectly fine with being insignificant.” I want to add more, but she’s already vanished.

Anyway, I’m keeping the coffee. Or in my case, the liquor.

~*~

More Diary Parts

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 18 / 19 / 20 / 21

#good omens #crowley #aziracrow #aziraphale #ineffable husbands #aziraphale x crowley #shax #shax duchess of hell #crowley's crank handle #demon power play #crowley doesn't want to be a chess figure

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queerfables · 8 months

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On my post about what Aziraphale meant by "I forgive you", @rebloggyssia replied:

I love this interpretation! It was a really sad moment to witness so I had problems to analyze the scene. But after reading your post I did rewatch it and Azi was really angry for a moment like you said. So my question is: why? Was he upset about Crowley not sharing is point of view, their miscommunication or something else?

I touched on this briefly in one of the many reblog threads of this post, but I have some more to say (don't I always?)

Earlier, I said that I think Aziraphale is angry that Crowley loves him, but not enough to follow him. That's the proximal reason.

But to be honest, I'm not even sure if he's really angry with Crowley. I think more than anything he's just fucking furious about this whole unbearable, hopeless, endless situation they're in. It's been six thousand years. They survived the end of the world. They're as free and together as they've ever been and they still can't talk about it. Whatever changed after Armageddon, it wasn't enough, and here they are again fighting for their lives. They can't go on like this.

So he offers a solution that he hopes will protect them both and Crowley rejects it out of hand. And like, of course he's angry about that, but I still maintain that whatever miscommunication is going on between them, fundamentally they know each other. Maybe better than two beings on Earth or anywhere else ever have. Deep down, I think he knew Crowley would never do this. And so he's angry, too, that he has this offer Crowley can't accept, and it's an offer he can't turn down.

That's the whole problem, isn't it? Angel and demon are sides in a war, they're deeply ingrained identities, but they're also choices. It's a bad choice between ruthlessly enforced control with the illusion of peace and unpredictable violence with the illusion of freedom, but it's the choice they have. Pick your poison.

The fact that Aziraphale and Crowley have never had this conversation - what if we could be on the same side? - says pretty plainly that they know where they stand. Arguably, Crowley returning to Heaven never felt like an actual possibility and so Aziraphale always assumed that if he could, he would. I think this is really one of those places where Aziraphale's cognitive dissonance is working overtime to accommodate his conflicting beliefs. Heaven is Good and there's something fundamentally wrong with anyone who would reject it. Crowley is the best person Aziraphale kows, and he rejects Heaven. Aziraphale reconciles this by doubting Crowley's rejection is genuine, but he also never has to test it if it isn't really on the table. He never asks Crowley and it isn't because he takes it for granted. It's because he doesn't want to hear that he's wrong.

So Aziraphale doesn't know what to do with Crowley's refusal, and maybe he really is surprised by it. Crowley usually does cave in the end. But I think he realised this would be a hard sell. If we're taking the fight at face value, that's how I would explain his anxious behaviour when he starts the conversation. He's making a proposition he knows Crowley is going to hate. He's nervous about Crowley's reaction, and his performance of excitement is his own version of a temptation: see how happy we can be, if you'll only say yes?

Aziraphale has thousands of years worth of repressed doubt and longing and Heaven is offering him the chance to set right all the things he knows to be wrong. He wouldn't have to live with this schism in his heart between faith and love. Whatever mistakes Heaven made are mistakes he can fix. And then Crowley says: no, angel, you can't fix this.

This is the brilliance of the Metatron's manipulation. For thousands of years, Aziraphale has been torn between Heaven and Crowley. I'm being unforgivably reductive about the ideals Aziraphale is struggling to reconcile, but on some level, it really is that simple. Aziraphale loves Heaven, Aziraphale loves Crowley, and he cannot have both. Heaven shows Aziraphale over and over that he can't have both. Meanwhile Crowley swans around giving Aziraphale excuses to flip Heaven off behind the archangels' backs, working beside him to do the good that Heaven won't, and never, ever making him choose. Crowley might have Opinions about Heaven's priorities and Aziraphale might privately agree but Crowley will never make him say it. He'll never ask Aziraphale to reject Heaven as Heaven demands he reject Crowley. Heaven gives black and white ultimatums and Crowley shows him how to live in the grey.

And then Heaven says he can have both. Aziraphale doesn't have to choose, he can have Heaven, and Crowley, and the power to fix the problems he always railed against besides. It's the perfect move, because if Heaven says yes, it forces Crowley to be the one to say no. And to make sure he does, Heaven includes a condition that Aziraphale can live with and Crowley absolutely cannot.

This is why Aziraphale is angry. All of it. It's a 6000 year running clusterfuck of impossible choices and every time he thinks he sees a way out it gets snatched away. He's had four years of freedom with Crowley and it still wasn't enough for them to even talk about what's really between them, and now Heaven is back knocking on their door. He's repressed all of his anger towards Heaven because it was never safe to express it, and then Heaven pulls a neat little trick to make all of it Crowley's fault instead, and dangles everything he wants right in front of him while knowing it'll stay out of reach. Even if he sees right through that, he's completely powerless to change it. So he's angry with Crowley, and Heaven, and himself, and for this one intense moment, anger he couldn't show becomes anger he can't hold back.

#good omens #good omens meta #fable talks good omens #there's a lot going on in this scene and i think this is actually only part of what he's angry about #but i think it's the most fundamental part that lies underneath everything else

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ineffable-5sos · 2 months

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The Innocence of Angels

Crowley wasn't sure what he was expecting by arguing with Aziraphale. Truth is, the moment Aziraphale told him he had been asked back to Heaven, Crowley knew that nothing could change his mind; he was going, and that was that.

Aziraphale was the most kindhearted person Crowley had ever met. That was saying a lot, since he had met a lot of people over the last 6000 years, among them being Jesus.

But what Aziraphale had that was present in no one else Crowley knew was innocence. Not the childlike innocence of believing in Santa and the Tooth Fairy, but the innocence that came from always believing the best in everyone. Crowley would call it naivety, but that assumed some kind of lack of wisdom, and Aziraphale was far from unwise.

But he was innocent. He saw the best in everyone, and when there was no good to see, he did what he did best; he loved. He loved even when there was nothing good to love, all because he believed that everyone should be loved, even if they are evil. He believed that if you loved enough, good would sprout.

Crowley didn't believe in such things. He believed in good and evil, but not quite as black and white as Aziraphale believed. Crowley didn't think everyone was purely good or purely evil; he didn't even believe as much about God. What he did believe in, though, was Aziraphale.

For all his innocence, Aziraphale was wise. He might love something evil forever, but he knew when he should stop trying to make it good.

The only time Crowley would use naive to describe Aziraphale was to describe how desperately he believed in the goodness of Heaven. Truth be told, until about 20 minutes ago, he wasn't even aware that Aziraphale knew that there were faults with Heaven and it's so-called "Holiness" and "Righteousness".

Yet 20 minutes ago, Aziraphale had announced that he was offered Gabriel's old position. He announced that he could go back to Heaven and make a change; make it good. That he could even bring Crowley with him. That he could be an angel again.

Crowley didn't want to be an angel. At least, not like the angels he knew. He didn't to be a mess of hypocrisy, claiming to be the heralds of God's goodness and in the same breath professing evil in the name of that same God.

Crowley knew now. He knew that Aziraphale was aware of these hypocrisies. He knew that Aziraphale saw how Heaven was nothing like what it was supposed to be. But he also knew that Aziraphale believed that he could fix it. That he could make Heaven good again.

The worst part was, Crowley knew Aziraphale could do it. Because Aziraphale would accomplish it the same way he accomplished everything else; by loving it. He would pour so much love into Heaven that it had no choice but to be as good and pure as it was intended.

Crowley wouldn't go with him. He didn't want to be good. He liked the mixture of good and evil that resided within him. He supposed that made sense, since he was the one who tempted Eve and gave humans the first ideas of what evil truly is. But he can't quite seem to understand how it's a bad thing. He can't understand why it is so wrong to know what is good and what is evil. After all, how could you understand true good unless you know true evil?

But the truth is, if Aziraphale had asked him only one more time, Crowley would have said yes. He would have gone with him to Heaven. Because Crowley knew that no matter what, Aziraphale would love everything that so much as stepped foot into Heaven. And as much as he loves the evil that lives within him, Crowley would be willing to give it all up, if only it meant another day to be loved by Aziraphale.

#aziracrow #aziraphale x crowley #good omens #good omens 2 #ineffable husbands #crowley #aziraphale

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sparrow-the-tired-lesbian · 7 months

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The coffee theory doesn't make sense. It would completely rewrite Aziraphale as a character, and the theory itself has a few holes. One of Aziraphales many many character traits is that he is extremely selfless. And we see that in s2... multiple times. I'm going to touch back on this, but I have to back track a second.

We have established that the Coffee theory (TCT) makes no sense when diving deep into the show (I said I will hit on Aziraphale being the way he is again, but like I have to explain first WHY the coffee theory isn't plausible). We see Aziraphale and Crowley through the past more this season, and in every single flashback, one thing stands. Aziraphale is always looking lovingly at Crowley. Creation of space? "Oh, look at you, you're gorgeous." *Aziraphale turns his head, Crowley isn't speaking about him but rather the nebulae and galaxies, Aziraphale looks dejected*

I'm not gonna continue to list it fully, but Az and Crowley during the Job scene (the faces Az makes at Crowley. Michael Sheen is blessed with the ability to tell a story with his facial features. This gives us the blessing of knowing what Aziraphale is feeling/thinking a good 85% of the time). Scotland, anyone?? Did you see Aziraphales face after Crowley drank the poison? 1941 west end scene. HE LITERALLY STUTTERS OVER FRIEND??? We, as a Fandom, have established that at the latest, that's when Aziraphale fell in love. So, seeing the multitude of reasons Aziraphale has to not leave Crowley...why did he?

This is where people will plug in TCT because people hate to see Aziraphale turn his back on Crowley. But is he really turning his back on Crowley...or is he saving him?Multiple times through this season, we are told about "extreme sanctions" and how that means literally being erased from the book of life. Crowley even believed it was a joke! In ep6, as The Roach shows up (idc how formal I'm making this seem/sound, it's Metatron. He deserves nothing in life) and essentially shuts down Michael's and the other archangels' attempts at removing Az from TBOL. The Roach then offers Gabriels old title blah blah blah yadda yadda yadda big kiss scene big angst and boom, Aziraphale left for Heaven.

Within the time that Aziraphale is speaking to The Roach, he has to realize that this is literally the only option. What do I mean by "the only option" you may ask? Well, my dear little good omens obsessed friend, it means that it was either take the job in Heaven, or be written out of TBOL. Crowley being there was just a bonus. Aziraphale saw the job as his only way to protect Crowley. His Crowley, who had risked their life so much, that it now made the demon happy to save the angel. Aziraphale was being truthful when he was speaking about how he(they) could change things in Heaven. He genuinely saw it as an opportunity to fix what he saw, but he also saw it as a way to protect his demon.

Now we've tapped back into why Aziraphale is so selfless. If this is true, of any semblance, Aziraphale gave up everything, his books/bookstore, his life on earth, and his dearest friend/the love of his life. He gave up the joyous experience at life with Crowley at his side. (but if my theory is true...Aziraphale and Crowley would have never had that. They'd both be erased) Not to mention, Aziraphale can also keep an eye on Crowley even while in Heaven using the globe thingy and Muriel.

But Adi! How does this work! How does TCT branch of into this (monstrosity)???

Great question.

The Roach goes into GMCOGMD to buy a coffee and speaks to Nina about choices. This obviously means something. (Cmon, the coffee represents life, death is well...death) Rat then proceeds to enter the bookshop at just the right time to keep Aziraphale from being erased. He gives Aziraphale the coffee and yadda yadda yadda. You know what happens. TCT theorizes that the Coffee was miracled to make Aziraphale come.

I disagree.

I believe that the Coffee was simply used to warm Aziraphale up to the idea of The Rat showing up. Think of the coffee as like one glass of wine, it takes the edge off. The rest was allllll Aziraphale. He, like I said, realizes that this is really the only option, and knows he can save Crowley like this. Remember how I said that Michael Sheen was blessed with the ability to control his face extremely well? Yeah, take a look at the worry that's masked by joy when telling Crowley about the job. (That time it's his eyebrows) Take a look at how when he and Crowley kiss, he is fighting 94 different emotions. Take a look at how hurt he is when saying the words "I forgive you." And finally,

TAKE. A. MASSIVE. LOOK. AT. THE. END. CREDITS.

What does Aziraphale's smile look like? Exactly, he smiles using everything in/on his face. Includes his eyes. Aziraphale smiles with his eyes when he is truly happy. During the end credits, Aziraphale is fake smiling. Now TCT would have that smile as him under the influence of the coffee.

I again, disagree.

I think that's more so a "let's get this done with" smile. He's not excited about this. He's leaving his whole life behind him, and he has broke his dearest friends heart. If he ever is to return...what would he get from the demon??? Anywho I think it's more so a "get this done to save him" smile.

ITS BAD I WAS LIKE SUPER DELULU WHEN I WROTE IT BYE

I understood none of that because I have no context but I agree with whatever you day

#good omens #aziracrow #gomens #aziraphale x crowley #aziraphale #anthony j crowley

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actual-changeling · 5 months

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I had a fleeting thought along the lines of "what if Crowley hadn't confessed" and then my brain decided to make it everyone's problem.

So here you go! Will it hurt? I hope so <3

"If I'm in charge… I can make a difference."

He wouldn't. Crowley could have sworn he never would, and yet here they are, mouths open, judgements spoken, and alive.

"Oh."

Air rushes out of him and takes the tension with it, dragging him back to full consciousness and leaving him with tremors in his hands and tears in his eyes.

"Right."

Reflexively, he turns around, suddenly hyper-aware of his physical vulnerability and the confession still humming in the back of his mind. He wouldn't, he thinks again and again and again, he wouldn't, he wouldn't.

But he did. The grandfather clock stares him down, a hint of gold reflected back at him, and his joints ache when he pries his glasses out of his fist and puts them on.

"Crowley?"

A hesitant step towards him, then another, and his skin burns, his fingers shake, and the carefully cultivated sprout of hope in his chest dies oh so slowly.

He faces Aziraphale simply to stop him from coming any closer, gritting his teeth when he sees the confused irritation greeting him. Surprised—Aziraphale is surprised that he does not want to come with him.

Six thousand years, a tiny voice weakly offers, six thousand years are no more.

Why are you leaving me?

He wants to break his ribs and pull them apart so he can kill his heart with his own hand, and it is falling, it is burning, it is grace leaving him as everything he thought he knew dissipated and vanished among the stars. Maybe crumbling pieces of himself will stay behind in the dust, marking his presence, marking an absence.

"Good luck," Crowley says flatly, not recognising himself, not seeing or hearing, and as he begins to walk away, a high-pitched ringing settles in his ears.

"Good luck? Crowley! Crowley, come back, to—"

A hand wraps around his wrist, and he can barely bite back the strangled sound escaping him at the contact, wrenching his arm out of Aziraphale's grip.

"Don't."

Not a command, no, a plea, a prayer, a finish line, the ending to a game he always hated playing; love, sure, in the good moments, during the good times.

Now it simply hurts—hollow and heavy—and if he looks at him, he will tell him; he will tell him all of it and more. He would try to make him stay despite knowing it is hopeless, yet he cannot help but feel as if this is a frozen moment right before the guillotine blade falls.

Judgement day, for better or for worse.

Sometimes things are better left unsaid.

#alex writes good omens #good omens #ineffable husbands #crowley #aziraphale #good omens season 2 #go2 #aziracrow #crowley x aziraphale #ineffable divorce #the final fifteen

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darkhighness · 7 months

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Good Omentober Day 2 - Stars

Prompts by @disaster-dog

Crowley is frustrated that the humans don't know the stars as well as he does. Aziraphale remembers an angel he'd come across a long time ago.

“So what’s your fixation on stars anyway?” Aziraphale asked absently.

He watched as his dark-clothed friend was skimming through some of the books in the bookshop. It was hard to get through to him when he was like this but the angel wanted to help if he could.

“They’re simple.” He muttered under his breath, pulling out another book, “They’re so simple but the humans just don’t get it. Did you know they get life advice from constellations?”

Aziraphale hummed slightly. He recalled seeing something similar in a newspaper he perused in the coffee shop.

“I think it’s lovely. They can see signs in anything. I think if it makes them happy then that’s the most important thing.”

“How angelic of you.” Crowley huffed before putting the book away and collapsing onto the sofa, a general disregard as to where his limbs ended up.

“What bought this on anyway? Usually, you don’t worry this much about what the humans are up to?” Aziraphale moved closer to the demon sprawled on his lounge and sat beside him, cradling a warm cup of tea.

“They’re wrong.” He muttered, staring absently toward the back of the bookshop where the angel had come from.

Aziraphale sighed softly and reached over with his free hand to brush his frustrated friend’s hair away from his face. “I’m sure they don’t mean anything by it. And there’s really no way to know what it all means. It’s all a bit in-”

“You’re not going to say ineffable.” Crowley cut him off.

Aziraphale made a motion to indicate he zipped his mouth shut and he delicately placed his cup of tea on his desk. He just pulled Crowley closer and mindlessly toyed with the man’s hair as he huffed and puffed under his grasp.

He only wished he knew what caused this reaction from Crowley. He knew that his friend had always loved the cosmos but usually he would just ignore anything the humans would say. He’d hardly ever seek out books on the matter.

Crowley eased into Aziraphale’s touch and let out a sigh himself. “There’s so many stars they’ll never see. They’re not even fixated on the right ones. I-, I mean, she made so many gorgeous things they’ll never see.”

“Did you know her?” The angel asked softly, “Did you know the starmaker?”

There were many stories in Heaven about an angel who spent all her time spinning the stars. Supposedly she was the best at her craft and at some point, she was God’s favourite. There were even rumours about her being the first choice to be the guardian of the eastern gate. Aziraphale had pushed these stories away a long time ago, brushing it away as little stories angels would tell to help them understand things they didn’t.

It didn’t help that no one seemed to remember the same thing. Aziraphale, for example, had a vague memory of talking to a starmaker a long long time ago but he was always worried his memories were influenced by the story. He remembered a gorgeous angel with the most amazing journal and unforgettable fiery red hair. In some ways, looking at Crowley reminded him of this angel and his passion for the stars didn’t help matters.

Crowley hummed slightly. “Maybe, feels familiar. She was brilliant, wasn’t she?”

Aziraphale absentmindedly braided his friend's hair, still thinking about that angel. “I have heard as such, yes.”

Crowley shut his eyes and began to hum a song softly. Not one Aziraphale had heard before, but it was nice nonetheless. He missed this, just the two of them in the bookshop, enjoying each other’s company, but Crowley’s head was still focused on the stars.

“You know, I heard that Alpha Centauri was one of hers. It’s why I originally suggested it. Hoped you’d want to see what all the hype was for yourself.”

Aziraphale felt a pang in his heart. Part of him felt guilty for all the times he’d rejected all of the demon’s offers to run away. Sure, he knew better now, but he couldn’t help but think of all the heartbreak they could’ve avoided. He stopped fussing with Crowley’s hair for a moment to gently rub his cheek. By this point, Crowley had settled into Aziraphale’s lap and looked quite content to stay there for a while.

“Oh, I’m sorry I let you hurt for so long Crowley.” Aziraphale stammered softly.

Crowley opened his amber eyes to look up at his angel. He shifted a bit to hold Aziraphale in his arms. “You don’t have to keep apologising, angel. Turns out that even after 6000 years there’s still a lot for us to learn together.”

Aziraphale nodded and smiled at his lover, marvelling at the golden eyes that looked back at him. He melted into the other man’s embrace before continuing on his point of hyperfocus.

“Surprised I remember that much, honestly. I don’t really remember many angel stories. I remember you used to tell the human kids them when they couldn’t sleep. Maybe it’s your fault.” He teased.

“Maybe it is.” Aziraphale breathed before the smile returned to his face. “How about we go stargazing tonight, and you can tell me everything you remember.”

Crowley looked absolutely over the moon at the request. The stars were one thing that Crowley could talk about endlessly. On those nights alone after Aziraphale left, the stars were the only company he had. They felt familiar like there was someone looking over him. Maybe it was that starmaker after all.

Later, as they sat under the stars on a clear hill, Crowley was holding Aziraphale close, providing a modicum of warmth on the cool night. “Oh, over there, that’s Orion.”

Aziraphale felt Crowley reach for his hand but he barely noticed, stunned by the beauty laid out in front of him.

“Oh Caphriel, it’s gorgeous.” He stammered breathlessly.

Once he realised his mistake his hand flew to cover his mouth. “I’m so sorry Crowley I don’t know what came over me.”

Crowley’s lips were pressed firmly together, forming a straight line, but he didn’t seem to be mad at Aziraphale. Instead, he brought the angel closer, rubbing his back softly before simply saying, “She did a good job, didn’t she?”

#good omens #good omentober #crowley #aziracrow #aziraphale #ineffable husbands #anthony j crowley #ao3 fanfic #fanfiction

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goodluckdetective · 10 months

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Additional thoughts on the ending of Good Omens Season 2:

People are going to be super mad at Aziraphale and rightfully so cus he did fuck up, but I can follow his logic. Aziraphale, for his entire existence, has wanted to be good. He’s wanted to be what angels are supposed to be, he’s wanted to help people and he’s done that even when heaven didn’t approve or like it. And one of his biggest struggles in season one was trying to decide if he went full ham on his actual ideals (Earth) or fitting the mold he’s never really fit in (Heaven). And he picks Earth.

Now Megatron comes to him with an offer: come back to heaven and have all that power to do good. And Aziraphale? He says no, he’s not interested. Not until Megatron says “you can bring whoever you want to work with.”

This is like, the finest bait Megatron could offer. If it was just doing good, I think Aziraphale would have stuck with the no. But the idea of being able to hang out with Crowley for all time AND doing good? Making heaven into what he’s always wanted it to be AND Crowley gets to come? That’s a dream scenario for a part of Aziraphale, the part that has always believed Heaven could be better, be what he believed in. Being together with Crowley and allowed to be so? It’s a dream come true. If he knew Crowley would say no, he would have never agreed.

And that’s the biggest mistake he makes there: he doesn’t consider that Crowley might not agree. And Crowley is 100% right to not to. Crowley sadly also is missing context we as the audience got: we know Aziraphale wasn’t sold until Crowley coming with was involved. He thinks Aziraphale is putting heaven before him instead of Aziraphale seeing a way they can finally work together in peace. Aziraphale is still in the wrong of course, but it’s worth noting that Crowley doesn’t know how important he was in this equation. And I think that does add context even if Aziraphale’s choice was bad.

Anyway, talk about your feelings and don’t interrupt love confessions or you might make bad moves.

#iz rambles #good omens season 2 #good omens spoilers

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laniakea314 · 10 months

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MAJOR GOOD OMENS SPOILERS!!!!!

Only read if you’ve seen season 2

I rewatched season 2 and had a series of thoughts

We saw that heaven wants to start a 2nd Armageddon, but since the 1st one was (at least in part) prevented by Aziraphale and Crowley, what if the Metatron’s main purpose is to split them up because in order to prevent the Apocalypse, Aziraphale and Crowley have to work together? (which is also what Crowley tried to convince Aziraphale of in s1 ep1)

I’ll elaborate in a second, but first a few theories.

It’s possible that Crowley was the first supreme Archangel, the first Prince of Heaven. Maybe that’s why he didn’t mention his name during Aziracrow’s first meeting, has access to top secret files in heaven, and why the Metatron said (s2, ep6) that a disaster like Gabriel being cast out would constitute an institutional problem because such things aren’t supposed to happen twice. So Crowley’s fall could’ve been the first case, since we still don’t know much about his past. He fell because he questioned the authorities and Heaven’s will (a bit like how Gabriel votes against a 2nd Armageddon). Crowley isn’t evil, but he’s dangerous to the system, so they needed him out. But if he really used to be an archangel, it could explain why he said that he knows more about Aziraphale’s offer than he himself.

Also, a couple of times in this season we witness Crowley not recognising certain faces (like Furfur’s) he met in the past. But the Metatron? He immediately remembered him. Must’ve made quite an impression then. I don’t believe Crowley trusts the Metatron (he doesn’t trust Heaven in general tbh). And from that glance and suspicious miracle sound we hear when the Metatron turns to Crowley before going outside with Aziraphale in ep6, I believe the feeling is mutual.

Aziraphale is traumatised by 6000 years of religious gaslighting, and the Metatron is making use of that by telling him lots of nice words to lure him back in, cleverly taking advantage of Aziraphale’s great weakness, his love for Crowley.

However, it’s likely that he never wanted Crowley to come back to Heaven and work with Aziraphale. But he doesn’t see this offer as a risk, as if he already knew how everything would play out. That Aziraphale would take on the opportunity while Crowley would reject it, making them go separate ways. Which could be the Metatron’s true intention.

Some observations about the Metatron:

When we see him make an order at the coffee shop, he points out the name, “give me coffee or give me death”, and how predictable it was that people always chose the coffee and no one ever chose death. Key word here is “predictable”.

Could be farfetched, but what if this is foreshadowing, and the “coffee” stands for joining heaven, while “death” stands for remaining on earth, which would result in literal death once Heaven tries to start a 2nd apocalypse? It’s predictable that people would choose coffee. And Aziraphale does too.

Now about Muriel. The Metatron asks them to remain at the bookshop and that it was great they were reading a book, likely because he was already planning to leave the bookshop to them, as if he truly expected Aziraphale to follow him.

Maybe there was something wrong with the coffee, or the Metatron did some weird miracle to manipulate Aziraphale, or he is just super good at predicting people’s actions, but when the Metatron made Aziraphale the offer of becoming supreme archangel, he must’ve been VERY confident that Aziraphale would take it.

Tbh Aziraphale’s choice wasn’t so out of character. After all, he’s someone who sees the good in people, loves forgiveness and likes to get involved in tasks that require a certain level of responsibility (for ex. performing in a magic show, hosting the shop owner’s meeting…). So it makes sense that he would want to try to fix heaven, given the opportunity (since he knows that heaven can sometimes be cruel). Moreover, while Crowley might have come to peace with the possibility that everything - angels, demons, heaven and hell etc. (s2 ep1) - might be pointless, Aziraphale needs a purpose. For the majority of his life, it was supporting God’s will and the Great Plan, then it was stopping Armageddon. In the past years, he didn’t really have something like that. But a promotion to supreme archangel could restore that sense of purpose, by doing good and trying to turn things around in heaven.

Aziraphale loves Earth and he must have thought about the world’s well-being above everything when accepting the Metatron’s offer. And since the offer included making Crowley an angel again and working together in Heaven, how could he have said no?

(On the other hand, one of the things that makes me wonder whether Aziraphale’s decision was completely free: he was suspiciously quick to accept to work in an environment far away from the place he’s known for millennia, away from earthly delights like food, literature and music, and away from his beloved bookshop, leaving it in the hands of an angel he barely knows.)

Anyway, Aziraphale probably expected Crowley to be on board with the idea (given how happy he was to deliver the news) but Crowley turned the offer down, thus putting him before a very painful dilemma.

We know that Aziraphale is incredibly indecisive. While Crowley is sure of his beliefs and values and does as he pleases, for Aziraphale it’s always been much harder to stray from heaven’s expectations. Throughout the 6000 years he’s usually relied on what he believes God would want, even claiming that he was on “God’s side”. But Crowley has helped him understand and unwrap the hypocritical side of Heaven (like in the minisodes of ep 2 and 3), causing Aziraphale many interior moral conflicts. Aziraphale loves Crowley, but his inability to take a definite stance - whether it is between god’s or humanity’s interests, heaven or Crowley - is still compromising his loyalty towards his best and only true friend.

And many people have pointed out Aziraphale’s hesitation to reject Crowley, like when he held his back for a very brief moment during their kiss, or when he touched his own lips afterwards, as if to re-feel the kiss. Because of course he’s also in love with Crowley and wants to be with him but he’s so very indecisive and, on top of that, bad at communicating. Like, from the way he sold his offer to Crowley, it sounded as if they could only be together if they were both angels, that they had to do good deeds. And the “I forgive you” after the kiss?! What has Crowley done to him that would require forgiveness? The kiss? The fact that Crowley wanted to stay a demon, who by definition is unforgivable? Was that some sort of charitable response?

Aziraphale, ily but you shattered Crowley’s heart and everybody else’s too. What’s that poor demon supposed to think now?!

(Sorry for the rant)

And despite that, Crowley still waited for Aziraphale, hoping that he might change his mind. Before their talk, he was so excited about the “us time” and that long breakfast at the Ritz they were supposed to have, he even prepared to play “A nightingale sang in Barkley square” in the Bentley when they would drive there. He was finally ready to confess to the person he loves, after 6000 years!!! And then- and then… no nightingales 😭

Neil Gaiman did such a spectacular job on the whole season and especially the finale. It was absolutely brilliant, peak screenwriting, and so so heart-shattering.

There’s still so much to unpack but I wanted to add one more thought about Crowley.

Crowley has just poured out his heart, bared his soul to Aziraphale, mustered up the courage to unpack 6000 years of friendship, mutual trust, to confess that he wants to be with Aziraphale forever, be an “us”. He showed Aziraphale his most vulnerable side. After their break up, he’ll need a lot time to process his thoughts and feelings, because although they’ve fought before, it has never been like that. But even if the hurt, frustration and disappointment are unlikely to fade anytime soon, 6000 years can’t just be erased like that.

Crowley knows that Heaven can be dangerous, toxic and manipulative, and he has seen the records about Gabriel, seen how the other angels won’t hesitate to get rid of those who stand in the way of their ambitions. He’s seen the plans for a second Armageddon and knows that Aziraphale would be against it and that standing up for/ opposing that idea in Heaven would get him into serious trouble. Not to mention that Heaven is the very place that tried to kill Aziraphale in s1 ep6, and Crowley had front row seats in witnessing their cruelty.

So, knowing all that, Crowley wouldn’t just stand by and watch while he knows that Aziraphale is in danger, would he? (After all, rescuing Aziraphale makes him so happy…)

He probably wouldn’t do something right away, but I don’t think he’ll remain impassive to his beloved angel being in an unsafe situation for too long (he might even collaborate with Muriel, that would be fun to see again).

I don’t know if any of all that made sense but I just had to scream out my thoughts somewhere because GO2 left me with a LOT of them.

I love this show, the characters, the creators and actors with all my heart. I was super hyped for season 2 and it exceeded all my expectations

A HUGE THANK YOU TO NEIL GAIMAN AND EVERYONE INVOLVED ❤️❤️❤️❤️

#good omens #ineffable husbands #aziraphale #crowley #go2e6 #good omens season 2 #good omens spoilers #go2 spoilers #david tennant #michael sheen #neil gaiman

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thecheshirerat · 9 months

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mmkay no one’s said this yet and I’m kinda surprised because I thought it was fairly obvious but

We (and when I say “we” i mean the Good Omens series fandom) wouldn’t be here if Aziraphale didn’t feel like he needed to prove himself.

Yeah, he believes that God and Heaven are fixable, yeah, he’s been emotionally manipulated by the Metatron, yeah, he sees the Metatron’s offer as a potential safe future for him and Crowley.

But imo, none of those reasons fully account for his choice. No one’s yet (to my knowledge) mentioned the sheer simple fact that Aziraphale saw, in Metatron’s offer, an opportunity to prove himself, and to a certain extent, prove the world wrong about him.

Think about what people say regarding Aziraphale in this season, both to his face and in discussion. Shax belittles him for being soft. He is called things like “Crowley’s emotional support angel” and “Crowley’s pet.” Condescension has come towards him from his enemies (“don’t tell me YOU did it?” - Seraquael regarding the miracle, from Shax as aforementioned) but also from the people he loves around him, and it’s been that way his whole life.

Crowley’s protective nature is adorable, but his concern isn’t always communicated well. He says, “you really are terrible at magic,” rather than “I was terrified I was going to get you discorporated and I don’t ever want to do that again.” While the bookshop is under siege, Aziraphale steps forward and seems to have an idea, but Crowley dismisses it. He doesn’t give Aziraphale key information because it would upset him, but as a result Aziraphale is unaware the true depth of disgust Gabriel held for him, he doesn’t hear about “extreme sanctions” until it’s too late, Crowley doesn’t explain his absence after the Resurrectionists minisode. This lack of communication is bad for both of them, but I digress. On top of this, Aziraphale relies on Crowley for validation- he needs to tell him his good deeds, and, notably, the entire conversation at the end of the Job Minisode where Crowley gives Aziraphale the option to be “an angel who goes along with heaven as far as he can,” serves as an example of this.

Let’s even zoom in on The Last Scene, for examples of the tiny ways in which Aziraphale struggles to feel as though Crowley truly respects him. “You can’t leave this bookshop.” “I think I understand a whole lot better than you do.” “Listen. Hear that? […] That’s the point. No nightingales.” “You idiot.” Obviously there’s a lot to these lines, but Crowley’s tone is decidedly condescending from Aziraphale’s perspective- he asks questions that have trick answers, he insists he knows best, and being told that he doesn’t know what he’s doing is a real pet peeve of our Angel’s. It’s also key to Crowley’s character. He loves doing this shit, to Aziraphale, to Muriel, all over the place.

With that context, some of Aziraphale’s lines make a lot more sense. “You can be my second in command!” “Oh Crowley, nothing lasts forever.” “I don’t think you understand what I’m offering you.” “I forgive you.” He’s trying to say “two can play the condescending game,” but he doesn’t have the confidence. You can see it in his face when he says, “Well. I suppose there’s nothing more to say.” That face is screaming “there was no need for that tone of voice.” He’s mimicking the condescending tone of the other angels, striving to be right, for once- because he should be right, shouldn’t he? (“I’m a great deal holier than thou, that’s the point!”)

Because Aziraphale hates when Crowley condescends to him! He hates that, time and time again, he’s the one who ends up doing the “i was wrong dance” (why do you think he savors it so much when Crowley does it?), he hates that Crowley’s right all the time. And he knows Crowley is right, at the end of this scene. You can see it in his face when Crowley says “no nightingales,” you can tell he knows what he’s doing isn’t cute. He’s just terribly, terribly frustrated, and he doesn’t have it in him to back out now that he’s gone this far. Maybe if his self-esteem was stronger he could’ve siphoned up some humility.

So yeah. He wants to go to heaven and prove everyone wrong, and be the person that Metatron says he can be- a strong leader, wise, right all along. He knows, by the end of his conversation with Crowley, that it probably won’t be as easy as Metatron says it will be, he realizes Crowley’s suspicions could be true, but he can’t let Crowley win by backing out. Because then what would he be?

Crowley’s pet. Crowley’s emotional support angel. etc etc etc

He needs to do this in order to learn. He needs to do this in order to prove to himself that he can stand on his own. He needs to be the one to swoop in and save Crowley in season 3.

#i have thoughts #…#many of them #there’s more where this came from…#good omens #good omens s2 #good omens meta #aziraphale #ineffable idiots #good omens s2 spoilers #cheshi squeaks

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