Aziraphale choosing to return to Heaven isn't a mistake because it's naive to want to make a difference in the world, or because it's wrong to choose kindness and hope and see the best in things. Under different circumstances and with different motivations, going to Heaven to try to change things (improve working conditions for the lower angels, lie to the Powers That Be to subvert the Great Plan, kill the fucking Metatron) is a choice I could understand, even if I don't think he'll have nearly the level of control he's imagining. (This is a trap. This is a trap. This is a trap, and Aziraphale does not understand the extent to which it is.)
But anyway. The main problem isn't "I can make a difference." The problem is "you're the bad guys." It's that Aziraphale still sees Heaven as THE source of Good (and light, and truth, etc.) in the world. He thinks the cruelty he's seen Heaven enact over the years comes from a few mean archangels and not from the fact that Heaven itself exists to perpetuate one side of a conflict that is destined to end in the destruction of the Earth and a war that, as they have explicitly stated, will wipe out demons for eternity. The purpose of Heaven is not to help people. “Good” as it exists has nothing to do with alleviating suffering. It’s just the Plan. It’s just God.
Consider a scenario where Aziraphale got the same offer but from the other side. Hell comes up and says, hey, Crowley! Congrats, you're the new Grand Duke of Hell! You can even bring your angel along. He'll have to become a demon, of course, but that's fine, right? And Crowley's like, wow, Aziraphale, do I have some GREAT news for you! (I know, Crowley would never. Just stay with me.)
Obviously Aziraphale would have said no. And rightly so! Hell has done nothing but hurt Crowley and threaten both of them for millennia. And Crowley asking him to fall would be a horrible thing to hear from someone he loves--he'd be changing himself, losing a part of his identity, committing himself to an institutional force he doesn't believe in. Of course he would refuse. (Sound familiar?)
But imagine the good they could do if they were in charge of Hell! They could make sure no demon, Crowley included, was ever tortured again, and could improve things for the lower demons and for the damned alike. They could help people just as much in Hell as in Heaven, theoretically. But clearly the actual impact is not the deciding factor, because when Crowley says he refused Hell's offer to come back, Aziraphale brushes it off, because "of course you said no to Hell, you're the bad guys!"
When I say that Aziraphale has to learn better, that's what I mean. It's not a mistake for Aziraphale to still believe in goodness, and truth, and light. That's one of his most admirable traits. But it IS a mistake for him to think that those things come from Heaven. So no, Aziraphale isn't going to come out of this jaded, no longer believing in his ideals. He's going to come out of this confident in himself to help people without being told how by the powers that abused him his entire life. And he’s going to finally understand Crowley, and that he is kind not in spite of being a demon but because of the sum of his experiences, very much including the fall. No more good guys, no more bad guys. And then they’ll be able to move forward together.
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Teach Me.
~ Leon Kennedy x gn reader ~
[Warnings ; tiny bit of violence (reader trying to throw a punch) Leon being cocky, fluff fluff fluff. ]
A/N ; Some more fluff because we all love some fluffy Leon.
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Prompt idea : "If I knew you like being pinned to the ground, I'd have done this sooner."
For weeks you begged Leon to teach you how to fight, how to defend yourself if you ever needed to. You mentioned it whenever you could, when he walked through the door, when you sat down to eat at the table, when you were getting ready for bed. Weeks of getting on his nerves, he finally caved and said yes.
"Wait, seriously?" You ask, turning to face him from where you sat, cuddled up in the corner of your sofa. Leon sighs, before nodding his head.
"Seriously." He repeats. You squeal in excitement, jumping up from your seat and rushing up the stairs of your shared house to change into something more comfortable. You search through your wardrobe, pushing anything not suitable to the side, deciding on some simple black joggers and a grey tank top; you quickly change and freshen yourself up with some deodorant before heading back downstairs. You move your hair out of your face as you enter the living room; where Leon has pushed multiple pieces of furniture to the corners of the room and laid out a large, grey, padded mat on the wooden floor. "Ready?"
"I think so." You reply, a small smile creeping out from the corner of your mouth. Both full of excitement but also nerves. Leon beckons you over and takes your hands in his pulling you onto the mat, he bends down moving your left leg back slightly and then he stands back up; lifting your hands up in front of your chest. He explains to you how you should stance yourself and you listen carefully, nodding along to what he is saying.
"One strong swing, straight at my hand." He states.
"What if I hurt you?" You question, forming your hands into fists.
"I've been through worse." He chuckles, readying his hands for you. You take a deep breath and swing your fist forward hitting Leon's hand straight in the center, he hardly even flinches and you laugh; rolling your eyes slightly.
"You aren't even going to pretend I somewhat hurt you?" He smirks, shaking his head. You swing again, faster this time; it still doesn't affect Leon in the slightest. "Teach me something!" You complain, hopping back and forth on your feet.
"I just did." He states seriously.
"Something new, I know how to throw a punch!"
"Not a very strong one." He jokes, his signature smirk once again appearing on his face. Biting his lip in thought Leon smiles, taking two steps towards you. He grabs you by the waist and swiftly kicks your leg out from under you, he holds you as you fall to the ground; placing one of his arms at the side of your waist and the other your head, pinning you under him. Your eyes fall to his biceps, which are bulging under his weight. His muscles and veins are a nice view. "Like what you see?" He whispers, he's so close you can feel his breath grace over your cheek. You place your arm on his squeezing tightly.
"Mhm." You hum, grinning up at Leon.
"If I knew you like being pinned to the ground, I'd have done this sooner." You titter, placing your hand against Leon's chest, trying to move him from over you; he doesn't budge. "Planning on going somewhere beautiful?" Leaning down, Leon places his lips against yours softly; his hand that was beside your waist coming up to rest against your cheek. You smile into the kiss, grabbing onto leon's wrist beside your head and tugging on it harshly, causing him to fall down beside you. Pushing yourself up, you quickly maneuver yourself on top of him; straddling his lap.
"You should never let your guard down." You smirk, leaning down to continue where you left off.
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i was doing my regular rewatch the other day and tbh... lonnie and will's relationship is so unsettling. lonnie literally did not give a single goddamn fuck that his own twelve year old son was missing and later "dead". he just... did not fucking care! at all. couldn't even pretend to. jonathan comes to tell him what happened and we see that...
lonnie got joyce's call and still didn't care to reach out,
when jonathan tells him this is serious and real, he mocks will by saying "he was never very good at taking care of himself" (which is already disturbing considering this is his son he's talking about, but especially so when you remember that lonnie abused will for being gay and tried to get him to like "masculine" things),
he's already talking to jonathan about seeing him more and reconnecting, like will isn't fucking missing, like he's already fucking dead and he's moved on, as if will is some stranger or worse someone that never existed at all,
instead of feeling any kind of shame about jonathan not believing him when he says will isn't there and him looking in the actual fucking trunk of his car, he just makes a joke out of it asking if jonathan's gonna check up his ass too,
his neglect is brought up again when jonathan slams one of the posters to his chest and tells him "in case you forgot what he looks like",
and that's not even touching on the fact that the very first thing we see lonnie do when jonathan enters the house is fucking shove and pin him to the wall, telling him "you got stronger".
like, he is not a good man in the slightest—the complete antithesis of the byers we know.
and then afterward... lonnie finally decides to come back. he's being nice to joyce and pretending like he's the man of the house again. like he's finally come home to fix and save his family.
he goes to will's funeral and treats it like a schmoozing event, like that isn't his youngest son being buried right in front of him, showing less emotion than one of will's classmates that hasn't ever even talked to him.
but... he's not there because he's had a sudden change of heart.
no, he's there because he has something to gain out of this unimaginable tragedy. his own youngest son is dead and he comes back home to collect a fucking check for it. because he's never cared about will, hasn't ever even seen him as a human being, he just... sees his death as something he can benefit from.
it's just so fucked up and so sinister. lonnie isn't a man riddled with vices, beholden to some disease which makes him act in ways most unbecoming. no, he's... just a man. a small, manipulative, and cruel leech of a man that just doesn't fucking care and is in it only for himself.
it's just... it's really tragic to think that will really was dealing with monsters way before that first demogorgon ever came through the gate.
and even then... that demogorgon was an animal acting as animals do / possessed by vecna and you can't really blame it for that. but what's lonnie's excuse, huh?
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