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cheeekycharchar · 9 months

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The Forbidden Fruit, Choices and Fear

[A GOOD OMENS META ANALYSIS OF AZIRAPHALE POST S2] I know everyone is still upset about that gut punch of an ending to GO S2.. and many are also extra upset at Aziraphale.. I'm in so much pain over it too but.. I have to rationalize that damned "I forgive you" line that broke all our hearts to comfort me until we get S3.. I basically overanalyze our favorite cocoa loving Angel to explain his reaction to the kiss and why we all need to be a lil kinder to him.

2500 BC in the Land of Uz.. Aziraphale, the Angel of the Eastern Gate, had the fear of God put into him. And this affected the rest of his immortal life up until that kiss.

Angels, after the Fall and the great war between Heaven and Hell, had the fear of the Almighty's wrath put into them. They all fell in line and stayed in line. Or else they'd end up like their fallen brethren.. or worse. But there was one lil Angel that had since toed that line..

"Didn't you have a flaming sword? Yeah, it was flaming like anything." "…Gaveitaway.." "You what?" "I gave it away!" As far as we've seen, this is the first time Aziraphale did something "bad". And he's already feeling the pressure. The guilt. The fear. He didn't follow the rules. He didn't do exactly as he was told. And suddenly, here's a Demon slithering up next to him and making him doubt his choice even more. The same Demon that snuck past the guardians of Eden and tempted the first human's into eating the apple, breaking the rules and getting them kicked out of paradise on Earth.

"Bit of an over reaction if you ask me. First offence and everything. I can't see what's so bad about knowing the difference between good and evil anyway. "Well, it must be bad.. [..] Otherwise.. you wouldn't have tempted them into it." "Not very subtle of the Almighty, though. Fruit tree in the middle of a garden with a 'Don't Touch' sign. Makes you wonder what God's really planning." "Best not to speculate. It's all part of the Great Plan. It's not for us to understand. It's ineffable. It is beyond understand and incapable of being put into words."

Already the seeds of doubt are tinkering in his mind. Stay in line. No more questioning the Almighty's plans. That's what got all the bad Angels thrown out of Heaven and then Adam and Eve exiled too.

"I do hope I didn't do the wrong thing." "Oh, you're an angel. I don't think you can do the wrong thing." "Oh, thank you. It's been bothering me." "I've been worrying, too. What if I did the right thing with the whole 'eat the apple' business? A demon can get into a lot of trouble for doing the right thing. It'd be funny if we both got it wrong, eh? If I did the good thing and you did the bad one." *chuckles* "..No. It wouldn't be funny at all!"

And then we get to season two's opening reveal. Crowley and Aziraphale had actually met before the wall of Eden.

"But that's idiocy!" {…} "It's not our job to advise the Almighty on the details of creation." "Well, then whose job is it?" {…} "Well, if I was the one running it all, I'd like it if someone asked questions. Fresh point of view."

And thanks to Aziraphale mentioning the Great Plan to Angel Crowley.. it put seeds of doubt into his mind. Making him question the Almighty's plans.

".. I'd hate to see you getting into any trouble." "Thanks for your help. And thanks for your advice. I wouldn't worry though. How much trouble can I get into just for asking a few questions?"

And then 10 million Angels fell. Kicked out of Heaven and marked as evil, unforgivable, and without God's love for eternity. Then we get the flashback to the story of a a prosperous man of outstanding piety named Job and how his life was destroyed because of a bet between God and Satan to test his faith even in adversity.

"What did he [Job] do? "Job? Nothing. Job's the nicest man in the world. That's why he's so perfect for the bet. You see, God was saying how righteous Job was and how much Job loved God. And Satan pointed out-- that maybe that was just 'cause God's been so nice to him. ..God's letting Satan destroy everything Job has. And then we'll see."

Now remember, the great flood wasn't too long ago. Where the Almighty wiped out nearly all of the human race with a big storm cause they were tetchy aka simply irritable, bad-tempered and annoyed. So this time, Aziraphale actually questions Heaven about this bet when he finds out that Job's children will be killed.

"Trust in God's plan, Aziraphale. Always." "Of course. So, once Job's trials are over, everything is restored to him?" "Even better than that. God will reward him with twice as much as he had before." {…} "I think they quite like the old ones [Job's children].. And if.. we kill them-" "-Aziraphale… we are the good guys. We're not killing anyone. What we are doing is simply not stopping hell. What they do is up to them."

His faith is wavering. He can hardly believe that Heaven would actually destroy a good man's family without truly understanding the fragility and consequences of human life/death; all to test him on a bet.

"Are we sure that Sitis wants to give birth four more times?"

Furthermore, they would be forcing Job's wife to give birth 7 more times despite Aziraphale's warning of them loving their original 3 children and that Sitis may not actually want to give birth to more children at her age. Hence taking away her choice. But thankfully, good ol' Crowley is the worst demon ever and is secretly protecting Job's children and goats. Something they're keeping between the two of them. And then during this deception… Crowley tempts Aziraphale with his first bite of food.

"Have an ox rib." "Are you trying to tempt me?" "Not at all. Angels can't be tempted, can you?" "Certainly not." "Well, there you are then. You're free to try the food."

A temptation he quickly falls into. A choice to eat the food and enjoy it to gluttony. Another sin under his belt. In the end, Virtuous Job passed his test but had the shit reward in return. Except Crowley and Aziraphale secretly saved the children.. which lead to Aziraphale lying straight to Heaven.. again.

And this is where he finally falls apart.

"I'm ready to go." "Go where?" "To Hell." {….} "But you have to. I'm like you now.. A demon.." "You think you're a demon?" "I'm a fallen angel! I lied.. To thwart the will of God." "Well yeah, you did, but I'm not gonna tell anybody. ..Are you?" *shakes head no* "No. Then nothing has to change, does it?" "…But what am I?" "You're just an angel who goes along with Heaven as far as he can." "That sounds um.." "Lonely?" "Yeah. But you said it wasn't." "I'm a demon. I lied."

As Crowley always tells him- Demons lie. And Aziraphale lied. Again. And now they're keeping this huge secret between the two of them. To never be spoken of or else possibly face the wrath of God. THIS scene right in this minisode here is SUCH an important part of Aziraphale's character and his future choices. And that's what it's all about, isn't it? Choices? The ability to choose between good and evil.

"Look, I am good. You, I'm afraid, are evil. But people get a choice. You know, they cannot be truly holy unless they also get the opportunity to be wicked." "Yeah, that only works if you start everyone off equal. You can't start someone off like that and expect her to do as well as someone born in a castle." "Ah, but no, no. That's the good bit. The lower you start, the more opportunities you have."

What we learn from this wee Scottish body snatching story is that something can be seen as evil but could actually be a good deed from a different perspective. And that Aziraphale truly believed that the lower you start, the more opportunities you could have. But he also believes in divine punishment. Punishment that can be dealt at any time for any thing. Big or small. From a few questions that make you lose God's love to selling corpses for survival money and accidentally getting your best friend killed or just having too much faith in God could destroy everything in your life for a bet. All of which he has witnessed with someone good (Crowley, Job, Elspeth, etc) losing everything that's important to them in the most horribly way. But Aziraphale remembers the hard lessons he learned; of inequality and responsibility of your actions and the choices you make.

Someone born into poverty doesn't get as much out of life as someone born into a rich lifestyle. Or.. a lowly snake and a lowly principality falling in love and being forgiven may not be as easily dismissed as a Duke of Hell and Archangel finding love in one another and simply being allowed to run away to the stars together without any punishment. It's all of these moments, these lessons that Aziraphale learns throughout the years that change his view on life but he still remembers the wrath of God throughout existence. Something as little as a question could get you kicked out of Heaven, eating an apple could get you banished from paradise or you could be the most faithful perfect and loved person and still have your entire life destroyed over a bet. What does he know most about the Almighty? They're "tetchy" and unpredictable.

"Aziraphale, Angel of the Eastern Gate. Where is the flaming sword I gave you, Aziraphale, to guard the Gate of Eden?"

He then conceals the truth to God themselves of the choice he made to give humanity a fighting chance of survival by giving his holy sword away. And is left alone without another word. Forced to walk on egg shells for the rest of his existence out of fear.

"So, giving the mortals a flaming sword. How did that work out for you?" "The Almighty has never actually mentioned it again.." "Probably a good thing."

That fear of the unknown consequences to his past actions.. his lies.. for good or for bad.. he could fall at any moment or lose everything he holds precious (aka his Angel-ness and Crowley).

"I'm not an idiot, Crowley. Do you know what trouble I'd be in if.. if they knew I'd been fraternizing? It's completely out of the question." "Fraternizing?!" "Well, whatever you wish to call it. I do not think there is any point in discussing it further."

So what does he always do? Deflects.. to protect himself. To protect Crowley. Not saying the real truth out loud. Keeping the reality of their relationship an unsaid secret like always.

But sometimes, actions speak louder than words.

"Should I say thank you?" "Better not."

Yet again, he breaks the rules. Doesn't even want to hear a thank you. Again, it must all go unsaid.

"You go too fast for me."

Crowley has always been one step ahead of him. Asking questions, falling, breaking the rules, etc. Aziraphale isn't ready yet. He's not ready to lose everything he holds dear to him by admitting out loud all of his sinful choices or else face the punishment he's been fearing for thousands of years.

"Go off together?" "How long have we been friends? Six thousand years."

Aziraphale starts panicking here. Crowley is saying too much out loud. Deny deny deny.

"Friends? We're not friends. We are an angel and a demon. We have nothing whatsoever in common. I don't even like you."

This bandstand breakup was literally Aziraphale freaking out about doing too many bad things dealing with the whole anti-Christ situation and Crowley getting too close to saying what they truly are to each other. But the fear is too much and he lies again. But this time to himself. Aziraphale has only ever wanted to do the good thing. To make the correct choices. To be on the right side. But he's always faltered. Made choices that he was sure were the bad ones. Lied on occasion. Kept secrets from Heaven and God. Given into temptations. And has always had this fear of God's Almighty wrath hanging over his head for millennia. Always waiting for the other shoe to drop. At any moment, everything will be taken away. But what could be the last straw? The straw that finally breaks the camel's back? To garner God's attention and punishment. It has to be something big. The biggest and most important part of his life. Something that matters to him more than anything in the world. His relationship with the Demon, Crowley. But he's learned. If you don't say it out loud.. if you keep it to yourself. Then you won't be punished. It's worked out for him so far. So why should he think otherwise? And then in the end of S2E6, Metatron gives him the opportunity to make a change to the Heavenly system. His chance to restore his best friend to his former holy glory. A chance to relieve all the suffering he's seen throughout history. A chance to make a difference. Despite all his secret sins, he's being given an unbelievable opportunity- one that proves that maybe he isn't as bad as he always thought he was. He's actually seen as worthy. But then Crowley gets angry about all this. He's against it all. He doesn't want that. He doesn't want to be an Angel again. He doesn't want to return to Heaven. He just wants to be with Aziraphale. And he finally says their best kept, unsaid secret out loud. With a love confession and a passionate kiss.

"You idiot. We could have been… us."

Aziraphale wants this more than anything but every instinct inside of him is screaming to stop it, to not let anyone see, to not let anyone know the truth. This final temptation. His one and true forbidden fruit that is the Demon Crowley.. and it's the one he knows he must resist at all costs.

The fear is overpowering. And the only words that come from his lips…

"I forgive you."

I forgive you for letting our unsaid secret out. I forgive you for trying to tempt me. I forgive you for refusing to join me in Heaven as a renewed Angel. But can he ever truly forgive himself for the choice he just made? Remember, in the end, Aziraphale is just afraid. Afraid to lose everything. Afraid to lose Crowley. Fear of punishment can be traumatizing after all. And it will all be fixed in S3. ;) HAVE FAITH IN GAIMAN!

..Sorry this was so long and drawn out but… I NEED SEASON 3 ALREADY.. (everyone! keep re-watching GO2 on Prime! and no more threats to the creators plz ^-^) Honestly, this was very cathartic to write and help me come to terms with the most heart wrenching painful TV kiss of all time D: But I need to see how their story unfolds. I need to see Aziraphale allow himself to make the choice to be with Crowley without fear of punishment. I NEED MY INEFFIBLE HUSBANDS. TOGETHER. T^T

PS. Literally as I was finishing writing this, I saw Neil Gaiman himself say this on his Tumblr, "But the story of Job is pretty central to the whole Good Omens conversation, including Aziraphale's bit of it." OMG I KNEW IT lololol

#Good Omens #Good Omens meta #good omens analysis #Good Omens 2 #Aziraphale #Crowley #ineffable husbands #Good Omens theory #go2 spoilers #character analysis #“I forgive you”

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prince-kallisto · 2 months

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Dire Crowley: The Serpent and the “gift” of the Forbidden Fruit

I’ve been seeing a lot of interesting comparisons about Crowley’s repeated mention of apple trees in his new vignette to the “forbidden fruit” from Biblical lore. I had a bit of a lightbulb moment the more I thought about it! Σ੧(❛□❛✿) My take on the idea is certainly far from perfect haha, there’s a lot of gaps in the technicalities of it all, but I do think there is a connection between Crowley, the serpent, and the Forbidden Fruit 👀

Apples have been a repeated (although subtle) motif of Crowley’s for quite some time. The courtyard at NRC is riddled with apple trees, his vacation shirt depicts them as well, and it’s been heavily implied long before his vignette that he is the one who takes care of these trees. Additionally, the ever-so ominous opening animation depicts quick flashes of a bitten apple on the ground, much like the scene in Snow White when she takes a bite of the Poisoned Apple and falls into a death-like sleep.

In Crowley’s new vignette, it first begins with him making a whole speech about how the apple trees in the courtyard thrive no matter the hardships and seasons, and how they’ve grown before he knew it- much like his students! The students are oblivious to what he actually means by this, repeatedly mocking him and messing up what fruit he’s talking about because they didn’t pay attention to his speech. But later, the vignette ends with the ominous Dire Crowley theme playing (same one as in the opening prologue), as he says “because you are all…my precious, precious apple trees.” His story begins and ends with apples! 🍎

The opening animation depicting the apple feels very symbolic- I don’t think it’s a representation of Book 5, aka the Pomefiore book at all! Neige and the themes of an apple’s temptation played a surprisingly meager role in that book, and he was given apple juice instead of an actual apple. And in the opening animation, there’s shots of a book, spilled ink, the bitten apple, the spindle, and Crowley sitting in Pomefiore’s (a replica of the Evil Queen’s) throne.

For a long time now, we have believed Crowley sitting in this throne meant his ties to the Evil Queen, like him being twisted from her crow. Which I am not discounting that idea by the way! 👀 But what if…this scene is meant to hint that Crowley is taking on the symbolic ROLE of the Evil Queen herself- and also the serpent from the Bible? The novel gives more details of his whip weaving and constricting like a snake, as if it were alive…

Because when thinking about the story of Snow White- she is an innocent maiden who is tempted by a fruit that is dyed with beauty and promise of good, while underneath it lies a creation that will harm her IF she eats it. Despite the dwarves warning Snow White to never take anything from strangers, the Evil Queen disguised in her crone form tempts her with the apple, and her biting the apple puts her in a death-like sleep. Isn’t this just a loose retelling/allusion to what happened with Eve and the serpent, and how the serpent reassured her the Forbidden Fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil wouldn’t harm her, despite God strictly forbidding her and Adam from eating it?

Side note, I’d like to mention how Crowley keeps saying how “kind,” how “magnanimous,” how “generous” he is. And in Twisted Wonderland, the Evil Queen is now called the FAIREST Queen

Apples symbolize knowledge, fertility, love, wisdom, and immortality (soon I will specifically talk about the apple symbolism in general for Crowley)! Serpents/snakes symbolize can symbolize evil, mischief, trickery, but there’s also a lot of potential positive associations in them as well. They can symbolize rebirth, wisdom, and fertility. This is post that goes more into a bit more detail about the snake imagery at NRC but the edges of the Dark Mirror and NRC logo depict the caudeceus- two serpents together that also represent negotiation/diplomacy and eloquence.

And going back to the novel description of Crowley’s binding Whip of Love, Lian mentioned that Crowley’s Whip of Love literally binds the students together in his vignette much like these threads do on the spinning wheel with the Diasomnia characters in the Book 7 trailer animation🤔 And I feel like when looking at all these images of the spinning wheel together, there is threads and thorns “weaving” and “binding,” much like Crowley’s whip of love. And in the novel, Grim also mistakes Crowley’s whip for a “string” 👀

So after ALL of this ANDJSJJD, the long story short is that I believe Crowley is the serpent, which the Evil Queen also plays a similar role of. I made a much more detailed analysis here going through every Book, but I feel like Crowley is secretly guiding the Overblots to happen. There is always a weakness each Overblotter has that Crowley manages to exploit. Even though I think Crowley’s potential end-game plans are meant for the good of everyone, there’s a lot of bad things and suffering that must be caused for even the possibility of a happy ending. In the Bible, the Serpent was said to be the most “subtle”, aka the most cunning of God’s creations, convinced Eve that the Forbidden Fruit would not kill her and Adam if they ate the fruit unlike what God claimed, and said that Eve would have the knowledge of everything.

And going back to the vignette, Crowley seems to almost lament how naive and sometimes foolish his students can be. They certainly have much to learn under him. They completely missed and disregarded his speech about the apple trees and their growth, and then the NPC students and Grim call him weak and try to taunt him- but then he comments on how they know so very little before whipping them into shape 🤣

Additionally, in that same vignette, he says that hard work and experience is what makes life so much sweeter instead of doing what just comes easy to you- apparently he even pops into Special Lessons all the time to purposefully frighten the students and get them to work harder! 🤣 And another a new voiceline also reveals he does not intervene with the student’s shenanigans because he wants them to grow as individuals and have their own autonomy. It’s as if Crowley desires his students to have freedom in every sense of the word- but not to have everything just given to them on a silver platter.

And if Crowley is indeed involved with causing the Overblots as I think he is, then it even furthers this idea. The students never actually died despite their magestone being tainted and Overblotting. They were certainly forced to realize the deeper pains and issues inside them, but they didn’t die. What Crowley is doing is not because he wants to hurt them, but for the growth they experience afterwards! Directly confronting these horrible things is what triggered a change in many, and we even get to see the core reasons at how they led to their Overblots.

What the Serpent essentially did was the same- it technically never lied, much like how Crowley is always telling half-truths. Adam and Eve discovered shame and fear, but they technically gained a lot more freedom and knowledge of everything, both good and evil, once cast out of Eden for how they disobeyed God.

What’s interesting to me is that this philosophy Crowley has directly contradicts Malleus’ philosophy when he Overblots in Book 7. Malleus practically quotes Revelation 21:4 of the Bible, saying he will create a world without pain, sorrow, and loss. Practically orchestrating everyone’s individual “Garden of Eden” in their dreams. And as we see in the peeks of Idia’s and Sebek’s dream, everything is so ideal that everything changes. As we see in Idia’s dream specifically, we presume that the “original” Ortho is alive and well, and has grown up and is attending RSA.

AND this is where Lilia becomes so fascinating in this book. Lilia’s dream is full of hardships- his life as a General, the hardships of war, the loss of Levan and Meleanor, the cruelty he received outside Briar Valley. But ALL of this was a necessary part of Lilia’s journey in adopting and raising Malleus. It was a harsh journey, but his life became so much sweeter by the end of it, where he even bursts into tears from how happy he is to have hatched Malleus. Earlier in the dream, we see him complain how he’d probably be responsible for babysitting Levan and Meleanor’s kid- but now he’s begging Malleus to hatch, saying he’ll do anything as long as Malleus can live, even sacrifice his own magic and lifespan to do so. (Credit to Otome Ayui on YouTube for the translations!)

I think it’s interesting how the events of Lilia’s dream is essentially Crowley’s philosophy. That pain and hard work is necessary to achieve one’s true potential- an idea that Malleus is not emotionally ready to comprehend yet. I wonder if Crowley will play a role in Book 7 to lure everyone out from their “Gardens of Eden” that Malleus has created? 🤔 Because now that I’m thinking about it more, the whole Garden of Eden think represents the loss of innocence and bliss in exchange for the knowledge of death and hardship- Twisted Wonderland starts with us essentially having schoolboy squabbles, and now in Book 7 we have witnessed literal war and the death of loved ones! Is it because we as the player took Crowley’s hand (or someone’s) in the opening on the game, slowly leading us down this story? 🤔

Birds are not the sort to coddle their young forever. Eventually, the fledgling gets pushed out the nest by their own parent to learn how to fly- this is Crowley’s “tough love” and the results of his forbidden fruits. Even if the fall is frightening, seemingly cruel and potentially deadly, fledglings learn how to use their own wings regardless! Crowley is giving that push to help his students fly, even if they can’t ever understand his admittedly tough yet well-meaning motives.

But if Crowley is the serpent AND the nurturer of the Forbidden Fruit, who IS the Eve, and who/what is the Forbidden Apple? 🤔 After all, the role of the serpent relates to temptation- there must be someone he has to tempt in the first place.

This is where I get stuck, in all honesty! 🤣 There is so much about Crowley that we don’t know about yet, that his odd connections to apple trees are unknown. The apple symbolism aspects are quite interesting, especially for the Levan theory, so I will hopefully cover that tomorrow 🤔 But the literal concept of what the “forbidden fruit” could be is unknown to me.

…But I would like to add that the likely reason why the Forbidden Fruit became commonly known as an apple (the original text makes no mention of an apple at all) is because of either a misunderstanding or a pun of the Latin text. “Mâlum” is the Latin noun for Apple, and “Mālum” is the Latin noun which means Evil- and is derived from the adjective “malus.”

Evil…Meleanor…Maleficent…Maleficia…Mālum…Malus…MALLEUS???

…Isn’t it interesting that in the first part of his vignette, Crowley speaks of how an adolescent apple tree suddenly grew without him realizing despite its hardships…a speech where Malleus conveniently wasn’t invited to and never got to hear how proud Crowley was for his apple tree? And in Glorious Masquerade, Crowley speaks of being the one to “nurture” Malleus into the great and powerful mage he is today. Just like the apple trees Crowley frets over so much? 🤔🍎 I suppose in “original sin” terms of the forbidden fruit, Meleanor did “bless” Malleus to be a malevolent star to humankind???

And…another new voiceline has Crowley being concerned that Yuu seems to know no fear when they ask him about the extent of his powers. Yuu being seen as an almost naive figure that Crowley is worried about…Malleus and mâlum…I’m not sure anymore 😭🤣 Because it can go both ways as well!

I feel like I went all over the place with this theory! 😭 My brain is still trying to process everything that happened with Crowley today…I hope the general idea of what I’m trying to say made sense though! 😭 Everything I said is just a loose interpretation ^_^ I’d love to hear everyone’s thoughts, as I felt like I kept confusing myself trying to figure this out 🤣🤣 I @moonlightequin1 made notes on a super interesting theory of Grim and Yuu being the Forbidden Fruit!! It makes me think of the headcanon/theory that if Crowley was Levan, he “gifted” Yuu to Malleus. Like a forbidden fruit of knowledge for Malleus?

#twisted wonderland #twst #dire crowley #twst theory #twst dire crowley #twst Crowley #twst spoilers #twst jp spoilers #twst malleus draconia #kallistopost #twst Lilia

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ineffable-endearments · 7 months

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Deep dive into The Coffee

The following is primarily about the symbolism of the Metatron's coffee.

Once I started thinking about it, there's a lot of cool stuff going on there (depending on whether you think, you know, symbolism is "cool," but I do!).

I think it points toward certain interpretations of what the characters are feeling and what their motivations are, but it isn't about the coffee itself affecting the plot beyond the obvious (it's a love-bomb the Metatron is using to seem friendly).

I was thinking about The Coffee as a sort of shadow version of the Fruit of Knowledge and wondering: why the heck would you choose coffee for this symbolism? It's obviously a very common, non-suspicious beverage in Soho, but surely they could come up with some creative reason for the Metatron to come bearing pretty much any edible item. Out of all the foods and beverages in the world, why coffee? Why not, for example, fruit, or Eccles cakes, or meat - or, for that matter, tea, or cocoa, which we already know Aziraphale enjoys?

But it does make sense. And it also makes sense that it's not just a cup of coffee, it's an oat milk latte with a dash/hefty jigger of almond syrup.

Here, I'll be making the big assumption that the Fruit of Knowledge is relevant to Aziraphale as a metaphor - as something he would consider desirable but forbidden. He was supposed to be guarding it in Eden ("technically, I was on apple tree duty"). And Crowley, with his red hair like the apple, has spent the past 6000 years trying to impart the knowledge of "good" and "evil" to Aziraphale, who in turn has desperately wanted Crowley and also considered him off-limits. Crowley is Aziraphale's Apple of Eden.

Here are a few observations about The Coffee, contrasted with the Fruit of Knowledge and, in some cases, the ox ribs.

The coffee is heavily processed - Fruits, including the apple in Eden, exist straight from the natural world in a form that you can pluck from a tree and eat almost whole. Meanwhile, coffee has to go through a lot of processing between the time it's a coffee berry (also a fruit!) and the moment it's recognizable as the beverage so many people immediately reach for every morning. There's a long, often-unethical production chain there, involving many people.

The oat milk latte with almond syrup is further complicated. The apple is plain and straightforward - it simply is Knowledge in fruit form. It's "pure." The coffee was already heavily processed to become coffee, and now multiple other ingredients have been added. A fancy latte beverage involves the preparation of the milk and the syrup in addition to the coffee beans.

There's a lot going on behind the scenes here. There may, as Crowley pointed out, have been a lot going on behind the scenes in Eden with the Apple purposely placed for the humans to see, but it still feels like there's significance to the difference between a thing that springs from the ground as a food item and a thing that has to be processed over and over before it's ready to consume.

Maybe the point is that the Apple of Eden did exactly what it was said to do from the beginning - gave Adam and Eve Knowledge one way or another - whereas the coffee is a heavily-altered, almost unrecognizable version of the truth.

The coffee is heavily sweetened with additives - This is the real important part for me. Fruit is, broadly speaking, naturally sweet. This obviously varies from piece to piece, as anyone who's sorted through a pile of fruit at the supermarket would know, but the most widely-understood appeal of fruit as a concept is its sweetness. Without any other input, we could guess the Fruit of Knowledge was pretty sweet, too.

Meat, ox ribs, are very different from fruit, obviously. Savory and a bit salty. But they are another food item with broad appeal.

Coffee, particularly espresso, is naturally bitter, to the point where drinking it black is often an acquired taste. The Metatron picked a particularly sweet type of milk and a sweet-flavored syrup.

He had to sweeten his deal a lot to make it palatable to Aziraphale.

The coffee is not "of the flesh" - There are no animal products listed in the ingredients to the Metatron's latte. It's vegan. Oat milk is plant-based. Almond syrup is a plant flavor, likely made with sugar, also a plant. Coffee is a plant.

Aziraphale's other major culinary experience this season? The one where he become more worldly, more of-the-flesh? Yeah, the ox ribs. Meat. The latte is, I suspect, the Metatron's subtle rejection of that worldly pleasure.

The coffee is not Aziraphale's usual preference - We've never seen Aziraphale drink coffee before. We've seen him drink wine and tea and hot cocoa and champagne and sherry, but never coffee; in fact, Crowley's espresso order seems to be set up in contrast to Aziraphale's taste. And when the Metatron brings it to him, Aziraphale initially hesitates. To be fair, I do read his enjoyment of the latte as genuine. I don't think he was lying when he said it tasted good. But he only drinks it after an awkward push from the Metatron.

The coffee contrasts with Crowley's espresso - Season 2 is bookended by espresso beverages. At the beginning, Crowley enthusiastically downs an absurdly hype-inducing, bitter concoction of six espresso shots all in one gulp to prepare for whatever weirdness is waiting for him in the bookshop. He doesn't seem to care either way about the taste. At the end, Aziraphale hesitantly sips his heavily-diluted, sweetened espresso under social pressure. He does admit he likes the taste.

Give Me Coffee Or Give Me Death - The Metatron points out the name of the coffee shop, which possibly sets us up to consider that a choice between anything and death isn't really a choice at all. He also muses that people are very predictable for always choosing coffee over death. This is all done outside of Aziraphale's awareness. Maybe that's because the coffee vs death thing is more about the Metatron's underlying motivations - to coerce and force Aziraphale to accept his role in Heaven no matter what - than about something Aziraphale is consciously aware of.

So, since I'm theorizing that the coffee is a metaphor for the Metatron's offer, here's what I think it's hinting toward.

Aziraphale's emotions and motivations:

Aziraphale didn't start that conversation with any interest in what the Metatron was saying. Coffee's not his order. This didn't start out as a successful temptation, per se. It was a coercion that appeared harmless on the surface (drink the coffee/entertain the conversation to be polite).

Now that they've had their conversation, Aziraphale did like some aspects of the Metatron's offer. That part is a successful temptation.

If we assume Aziraphale really liked the coffee and then run a parallel to the Metatron's offer, it's not hard to see what sufficiently "sweetened the deal" for him: the offer to bring Crowley to Heaven. The Apple of Eden, Crowley, gave Aziraphale the knowledge of good and evil; the sweetened coffee - the suggestion that Heaven could change its mind about Crowley - once again obscured it.

All that stuff about Heaven being the side of Truth and Light and Good came out because Heaven appeared to be changing its mind about Crowley. Crowley is kind of symbolic of everything on Earth for Aziraphale, so presumably, if it can change its mind about Crowley, then it could do things better for Earth, right? Heaven's good intentions must have been sincere after all.

The Metatron's offer and underlying plan:

The Metatron has a complex plan. He's manipulating a lot of people, not just Aziraphale.

The Metatron is using sweetness to conceal a bitter plan that he knows Aziraphale will find unpalatable (separating him from Crowley).

The Metatron is going to present going to Heaven as a choice, but it isn't really one.

For some reason, the Metatron does need Aziraphale back in Heaven, and it's easier if he comes willingly, perhaps if he believes it's his own choice. They're not going to send a bunch of disguised Archangels to abduct him this time.

The Aftermath

So, Aziraphale has been taken in by the coffee, the Foisted Fruit, although the Metatron was not actually giving him a choice at all. Aziraphale botched the philosophical talk, but his choice has probably put off something worse.

Note that in the Final Fifteen, Aziraphale essentially tries to present the same temptation he fell for to Crowley: we can be together in Heaven.

But unlike what Adam did with Eve, Crowley rejects it, because he sees right through it. Instead, he counters with the truth about Heaven and the truth about his own feelings, both in verbal form and with a kiss, once again reprising his role as the Serpent of Eden and the Apple of Knowledge.

Aziraphale, having already swallowed the belief that Heaven is capable of changing, feels Crowley's attempt to disillusion him is a betrayal, an attempt to stop him from doing Good. Notice how when Aziraphale touches his lips longingly after the kiss, he finishes by looking angry and wiping, as if to dismiss what's been shared with him. But you can't un-eat fruit. And you can't be un-kissed.

The Metatron comes back while Aziraphale is clearly having a crisis of conscience. Try as he might to wipe the kiss away, it happened. And he heard the things Crowley said. And he keeps glancing toward Crowley.

This is a tricky moment in the Metatron's plan, because the sweetener he used to get Aziraphale to "drink the coffee"/accept Heaven is no longer in there with Crowley out of the picture. He rushes in and pushes Aziraphale to start his new job, dismissing Aziraphale's excuses. The fact that the Metatron needed Aziraphale without Crowley was the bitterness in the plan that he had to disguise with sweeteners.

Aziraphale, left without sufficient time to think, resolves to simply not think about his first choice, the choice that just walked out the door.

And then, at the last second, to ensure Aziraphale gets in that elevator, the Metatron reveals that the next step in the Great Plan is the Second Coming. Why reveal it at the last second, when Aziraphale is going to get on the elevator anyway?

Because it's the clincher. The Metatron knows Aziraphale won't be able to resist trying to make a difference.

He needed to divide Aziraphale and Crowley. He needed to get Aziraphale's hopes up about being able to make a difference with Crowley first. Then he needed those hopes dashed harshly so that Aziraphale would be at a loss, susceptible to joining Heaven to find a purpose again, now that Crowley is out of his life and the bookshop is being looked after.

And now, by emphasizing Aziraphale's knowledge of Earth and telling him the plan to destroy it at the same time, the Metatron gives Aziraphale a whole new purpose: thwart the Second Coming.

This has been the "predictable" part that the Metatron was scoffing about in the coffee shop. He knew that chain of events would happen. He knew Crowley would reject any suggestion of returning to Heaven, and he knew that would leave Aziraphale upset and vulnerable enough to be swept away, and he knew saving Earth would matter to Aziraphale.

THIS is the moment Aziraphale realizes he's choosing between coffee and death. He has to choose the coffee, of course.

But Crowley has rejected Heaven. He hasn't rejected Aziraphale. He's still there.

And Aziraphale looks back at Crowley the instant he's told Earth is in danger again. You can be confused, but you can't un-eat the Apple of Knowledge. He hasn't forgotten.

There is an alternate reading here: Aziraphale lied about enjoying the coffee, and he is also lying about his beliefs about Heaven being genuinely good, and he recognized that he was choosing between coffee and death way earlier, during the conversation when the Metatron brought up Crowley. I like that reading, too, and it would indeed change the flavor of some of the things that happen afterward.

But either way, we reach the same point at the end of the episode. That grin in the elevator? Maybe that's Aziraphale realizing he's going to have to be unpredictable, just as Crowley said he could.

#good omens #go s2 #good omens 2 #good omens 2 spoilers #good omens spoilers #go s2 spoilers

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schattenhonig · 3 months

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On Books being Apples

Based on this post by @makewayforbigcrossducks and @godfrey-the-chaos-duck I went on a train of thought again, getting away with me very quickly and very far :) This is not so much about the Book of Life, but books in general.

My theory is: the books are apples. The apples, to be precise.

Aziraphale was on apple tree duty in Eden when Crowley tempted Adam and Eve to eat an apple of knowledge. He failed his job to make sure they didn't get eaten, and he felt very bad about it. So bad he actually asked a demon if this was the right thing to do, being so relieved when Crawly said that he's an angel, he probably can't even do the bad thing.

So, flash forward a few thousand years, humans invented ways to store and duplicate knowledge by writing and later printing where they don't have to be around for the information to be consumed, just like the apples in Eden. Books can teach you the difference between right and wrong, or at least make you realize what right and wrong is for you.

Why a bookshop then? Why not a library?

This is an actual ask that Mr . Gaiman answered already, and I think it's important to include this here. Aziraphale doesn't want to sell his books, he doesn't like interacting with people and keeping regular opening hours and so on. While this is all true, I think it's apple tree duty all over again. He's a collector and protector, not a merchant. He collects and keeps all the first editions he can get his hands on, fiction and encyclopedias likewise. And running a bookshop and not a museum, as a collector would, where it's perfectly clear that they are not on sale, is like putting a tree with forbidden fruits right in the middle of the garden instead of placing it on a mountain top or the moon. And by not selling them and being very unpleasant to potential customers, he tries to do right this time.

Like Crowley and his plants, he is re-enacting his trauma of failing apple tree duty, trying to prove himself to God or himself maybe.

#good omens #ineffable partners #good omens meta #good omens theories #why a bookshop #when you don't sell any books?

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kerrste · 1 year

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Good Omens Theory: Arizaphale is (partly) to blame for the Cardinal Sin

So I’ve been thinking a lot about this line from Good Omens (Sorry for the bad resolution, It does not get better once you click it)

We know that the angels in heaven seem to hate Aziraphale for no good reason. At his excecution, they all seem to be indifferent or glad to get rid of him. Poor guy! And sure, they all seem to be a bunch of eliteist assholes, but does that really explain it? They have a whole hell to worry about, why pick on someone in their own chain of command? Unless they see someone in that chain as a weak link. But why Aziraphale?

Well, apparently, once opon a time, there was something called Apple Tree Duty™. And, as we can see by the state of the world today, someone failed at it - likely at the hands of Crowley ”Crawley” The Serpent.

In their first scene together on the wall, Crowley and Aziraphale already seem familiar with one another, though not by name. The first thing Crowley does is say it’s unreasonable for God to punish the humans so harshly. If it indeed was Aziraphale’s job to keep the forbidden fruit in check and he failed, these lines turn from someone trying to make polite small-talk into Crowley trying to comfort the guy he just made the blackest sheep in all of heaven. Aziraphale agrees in the most disagreeable way possible, when he states God’s plans are ineffable, maybe holding out for this all being part of the Great Plan and not actually his fault. Aziraphale giving his flaming sword to Adam and Eve also makes even more sense, because the way he sees it, he basically doomed these people to die! The least he can do is make sure it doesn’t happen today. Maybe the reason he is chosen to live upon the sinful earth (something all the other angels don’t seem very keen on, since they’re all very out-of-touch with humans) is because he’s the one who made it sinful in the first place, and this is his punishment.

This ^^ never really made sense to me, because as Aziraphale himself states later on, these guys are supposed to me heredetary enemies. Rivals from the beginning of time. Bad-time swagless not-at-all-pals. Is idle chit-chat enough to erase that? Maybe not, but Aziraphale being shown genuine empathy at his lowest point thus far might be. Looking at Crowley, he no longer sees just a demon, but a potential friend. And from that, their relationship only grows.

@neil-gaiman please tell me I’m right

#good omens #good omens theory #Arizaphale #crowley #innefable husbands #neil gaiman #terry pratchett #text post #kerrste #It’s a quarter past eleven where I live and I’m the only one awake #but I had to share this with yall #Apollo i am begging you let me be right

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ivory--raven · 2 months

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Gross Matter as Symbolic Sex in Good Omens

a sort-of meta

“I do not sully the temple of my celestial body with gross matter" - Archangel Gabriel at 13:36 of GO S1:E1. In this instance, gross matter means food. What does that mean with all the meanings food has taken on in Good Omens? Food in literature, and I’m including TV Good Omens under literature, is never just food. It tells us about characters - what they think is normal, what is available to them, their social standing, their backgrounds. Food also serves as metaphor, most famously (and relevant to GO) the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, original sin. In the same tradition but with a very different meaning is the Eucharist, bread and wine standing in for the human flesh of Christ being consumed “for the forgiveness of sin.” Those are the big two in stories based in traditionally Christian traditions. Evil food = fruit, especially apples, and good food = bread, wine, human flesh.

Ironic that fruit has to rot before it’s morally pure.

Food is often also used to stand in for the things we can’t say with words. It often represents sex. Even in emojis, think about eggplants and peaches. Food is used to communicate sexual desire all the time. This is true in Good Omens too - Aziraphale’s tempting Crowley to oysters prepared by Petronius, famed Ancient Roman smut writer, suggests we should be looking for those meanings. Oysters were considered an aphrodisiac (substance that supposedly increases sexual desire and behaviour) a term which comes from Aphrodite, goddess of love, lust, pleasure, and procreation, who rose from the sea in a shell much like an oyster.

Take, Eat

Food is gross matter, and Aziraphale is strange for consuming it. “But you're an angel,” says Gabriel to Aziraphale in S1E1. Aziraphale doesn't need to eat. He chooses to. Food is something he enjoys (although he can't admit that to Gabriel in S1E1 - food is a forbidden pleasure). If Gabriel codes food as bad, as original sin, what does that say about Aziraphale? Aziraphale's enjoyment of “gross matter” is representative of his being tempted by a demon, and in the Job minisode we see that this is somewhat true. Crowley, the Serpent of Eden, did introduce Aziraphale to food. Unlike Eve and the forbidden fruit, Crowley did not do this as an agent of Hell. Crowley, when he suggested food to Aziraphale, was being friendly. This was also the scene where Crowley defied both Heaven and Hell and we see how little Gabriel understands of humans… and partnered activities like sex.

Food is also a partnered activity. When Aziraphale wants food, he also wants companionship. He was perfectly capable of escaping from the French prison himself, but he wanted Crowley to rescue him so they could go on their date and get crepes together. Food and companionship are linked.

Remember that food is gross matter. Is it the only gross matter serving this purpose? I don't think so.

Uriel describes the matchbox as a “material object” and they, Michael, and Muriel are surprised by its presence in Heaven. Material means having matter and like the “gross matter” of food was seen as unbefitting an angel, material objects do not belong in Heaven. They, especially Michael who is behind the desk, in a clear position of Heavenly power, are intimidated by it.

Of course, the matchbox is also gross matter in that a demon gave it to the angel they were interested in. Like Crowley offered Aziraphale an ox rib (which he ate in a very salacious manner - blowjob meat, anyone?) Beelzebub gave Gabriel the matchbox.

This is my Body

“This is my body, given for you, do this in remembrance of me.” Jesus at the Last Supper, quoted at the Eucharist

Beelzebub is Lord of the Flies. Their gift to Gabriel is a fly, an aspect of themselves, and they put it in a matchbox. We have the image here of Beelzebub inserting themselves into something which ends up in Heaven, and also of Beelzebub offering Gabriel a mostly empty box. A body and a body cavity. Their body and their body cavity, offered to Gabriel as gross matter, as a gift. This is my body, given for you.

Do this in remembrance of me. The fly contains Gabriel's memories (Gabriel entering the representation of Beelzebub's body) and when the fly (Beelzebub) enters Gabriel - when he takes their given body - he remembers.

The other box we see is the box in The Arrival, and in that box…

Whether or not you think Gabriel actually has an Effort of any kind in this scene, it's a dick in a box joke. Dicks go in boxes. Boxes are for sex.

("I am in the fly" wrote Gabriel)

Boxes (which are gross matter) are scary to Heaven and Hell! Michael is afraid to touch the matchbox, Dagon tries to physically protect Shax, Furfur, and Beelzebub from the bigger box in the finale. Shax and Furfur are also moving back, but not Beelzebub, which tracks. Beelzebub doesn't need to be afraid of their own relationship with Gabriel.

Heaven and Hell as institutions very much are opposed to those connections and to the representations of them.

#thoughts #kinda #good omens meta #ish #boxfly #ineffable bureaucracy #aziracrow #lit

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owl68 · 9 months

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The Symbolism of the Coffee

The coffee undeniably carries a lot of significance. Here are some of my symbolism speculations!

Death. When the Metatron asks Nina whether people ever ask for death, it captivates the viewers attentions and automatically makes us associate the coffee with death. Makes it a whole lot darker when you remember that that coffee is designated for Aziraphale

Aziraphale’s character. Predictable (Metatron said in regards to humans and coffee “How predictable,”) smooth/soft/gentle (the coffee is with cream), complying (when Azi takes the cup the Metatron asks “Will you drink it?” To which Azi does)

Eden’s apple/the forbidden fruit. Crowley has warned Aziraphale not to go back, just as Adam/Eve were warned not to eat the apple, yet both did the opposite. The moment that Aziraphale accepts the coffee is the moment that the Metatron establishes himself as the “tempter” and Aziraphale as the nearly foolish (but more so naive) one who believes in change.

That everything is off. Metatron, the embodiment of heaven, is doing the sinister tempting and continuously wants to destroy earth, destroy humanity. Not very saintly, huh?

“Wouldn’t it be funny if we both got it wrong?” We all remember the opening scene when Crowley said that, and now it’s becoming just more prominent. Crowley, the demon, is a pillar of life on earth. He tempted Adam and Eve, which kickstarted all of humanity. He saved Hen. He prevented apocalypse. He’s trying to save Aziraphale. Whereas Heaven is just being plain bad

I’ll probably edit this and add more on later c:

#I blanked half way through writing this so the quality isn’t very consistent #good omens #crowley #aziraphale #good omens season two #good omens thoughts #good omens theory #good omens coffee theory #coffee theory #metatron #garden of eden #adam and eve

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friendlyneighbourhoodanon · 6 months

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ramblings on crowley and the apple tree

I find it peculiar that Crowley, despite being both the angel who asked too many questions and the serpent that led humanity to the forbidden fruit, is the one who keeps plants whilst Aziraphale, the angel who, by rights, should oppose the very act of humans disobeying God by eating the forbidden fruit, is the one who surrounds himself with books and knowledge and learning.

For as much as we all agree that Aziraphale is moreso the one who likes his routine, gets stuck in his ways, and unerringly falls back on old habits (cough cough, giving Heaven the benefit of the doubt, cough cough), he’s also the one who actively seeks out masters of their crafts and the books they write in order to learn all about new things. Crowley embraces new technology, sure, but he himself admits that he doesn’t like to read, nor does he particularly care about books in general (unless, of course, he wants to make Aziraphale happy, just look at 1941).

Sure, Crowley asks his questions still, but he’s almost averse to the vessels by which he might derive the answers, even though books, which are a culmination of the breadth of human creativity and knowledge, are the literal fruit of his labour (ha) from all those millennia ago. Instead, he keeps plants. He gardens. This feels like it's backwards. If anyone should love books, it's Crowley, right?

But that’s just it, right? Aziraphale may not be ready to let go of Heaven yet, he may not be asking the right questions yet, but he's shown us time and again that he's at least willing to learn, to hear the answer.

When God spoke to Job, Aziraphale made a disappointed remark about how he was probably not receiving many answers, and Crowley replied, "No, but just to be able to ask the question." I think Crowley wants to ask. I don't think Crowley wants to know. I think he's associated the mythical "answer" to his questions with his trauma related to Falling.

Also, side note, we rarely see Crowley eat. We see him tempt people into eating for sure (namely, Eve and Aziraphale), and both times thematically relate to imparting some sort of knowledge unto the temptee. But he rarely eats anything himself. Which...what? If anyone should love apples, it's Crowley, right?

I think the most compelling thing about Crowley is that it really seems like he’s the one who’s never left the garden. It's a dichotomy, and a dangerously unhealthy one, at that. For all intents and purposes, Crowley's still sitting at the base of an apple tree, staring at an apple he refuses to eat, all whilst begging to understand why.

#good omens #crowley #aziraphale #aziracrow

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prince-kallisto · 2 months

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Crowley's obsession with the apple tree... This is a very vague thought and it's probably just a reference to Snow White, but do you think it's also some sort of biblical reference like they do with Book 7? Like Malleus indirectly quoting the bible with him saying there will be no more death and sorrow because he'll make a world where those don't exist? What if the apple tree thingy is the forbidden fruit. 🤔

Yes!! 👀💖💖🐦‍⬛ I think it is indeed very purposeful for…something! I know @moonlightequin1 has been having thoughts about the forbidden fruit and Eden theory too 🤔 I feel like Snow White film itself also had a strong allusion to this biblical story of Eve and the apple as well.

With Crowley, I have been noticing is that he has this repeated theme of “nurturing.” His fledglings/eggs being the students, and now him directly comparing to apple trees that he nurtures and they suddenly grow before he knows it. In your part 1 summary of his vignette, he compares the students to the buds of an apple tree, right? Then if we think about his “proud, beautiful flower of evil,” the flower is something that has blossomed 🤔

I don’t know if I’m making sense lol, but there’s this interesting and repeated theme of growth, with eggs, to flower buds/fledglings, to now these apples and flowers…all different stages of life that he is looking after.

And back to the Snow White mention, even the apple itself takes on a beautiful, red appearance, despite being corrupted underneath. I feel like there could be A LOT of forbidden fruit and biblical symbolism potential here !👀🐦‍⬛ Ahhh I feel like my thoughts about all this are so disorganized, but I definitely feel like there’s something purposeful in this, and it’s hinting at something at his future role! 😭💖💖💖💖💖

#kallistopost #ask kallisto #dire crowley #twisted wonderland #twst dire crowley #twst spoilers #twst jp spoilers

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spnfanficpond · 1 year

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April 2023 Angel Fish Awards

(Angel Fish design by @slytherkins!!)

WELCOME TO THIS MONTH’S ANGEL FISH AWARDS!

Every month all of you fantastic writers work your asses off to post some truly incredible stories. Our Angel Fish Awards are the way for all of us, as a community of writers and readers, to lift each other up and give praise to those who have captured our attention and deserve a few kind words.

The monthly Angel Fish Awards are peer-nominated, meaning ANYONE (you don’t have to be a member) CAN NOMINATE ANY POND MEMBER’S FIC. Everyone in this community deserves to be showered with love and feedback, and we hope that this fun, thoughtful award will do just that. (Click here to learn more about how to nominate a fic for an award!)

Be sure to read through this whole post as people who were nominated more than once only had one tag activated for Tumblr tagging purposes!

WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, HERE ARE THIS MONTH’S ANGEL FISH AWARDS!

Nominated by @katbratsupernaturalwhore

Natural Woman by @dean-winchester-is-a-warrior

Floofy, sexy, fun, and hot!

~*~*~

Nominated by @glygriffe

What Goes Around Don't Come Around (or Maybe It Does) by @rauko-creates

I always appreciate Rauko's way with words and it was probably the best way to introduce myself to Drowley fanfic. "Crowley deserved to be loved" is the summary and I agree.

Plain sigh by @luci-in-trenchcoats

This fic has a lot of fun twists and turns and fluff, even dealing with a serious matter like kidnapping. I had a lot of fun reading this!

Apple of My Eye (series) by@bamby0304

This series has been nominated before (and not that long ago) but I just discovered it and I love the way the Reader and her daughter are interwoven in the arcs of two very different seasons of the show.

Pure by @deanwinchesterswitch

This short piece feels real and raw, primeval, which fits the Purgatory setting beautifully.

Being Human by @thoughtslikeaminefield

Dean needing a break between cases and Castiel allowing him to take that break, to just... be human for once is heartwarming.

Part-time soulmate by @princessmisery666

Dean will never allow his relationship with the [unnamed female character] to be a 'normal' picket-fence one, even if he wants it so much. So... a lot of angst, just the way I like it!

~*~*~

Nominated by @thoughtslikeaminefield

The Hero, The Myth, The Legend by @dean-winchester-is-a-warrior

I have so many feelings about this fic. Some of my favorite Dean traits are lovingly explored here: empathy, compassion, protective nature, enthusiastic embrace of healthy casual sex between consenting adults, open discussion of trauma. The Reader is a bold and well-developed character herself, and the descriptions of each of their behaviors and feelings are so vivid and engaging. This is a fic I will read and re-read in the coming years.

Buttons by @wingedcatninja

The build-up and anticipation is delightful and so sexy in this short little ficlet!

~*~*~

Nominated by @mariekoukie6661

Forbidden Fruit (series) by @crashdevlin

It's a really interesting dynamic, it's a great first chapter and I love the relationship between them!

~*~*~

Nominated by @mrswhozeewhatsis

Pure by @deanwinchesterswitch

This made me feel TOO MANY THINGS TOO FAST and it hurt so now y'all gotta read it, too and feel my pain!!

~*~*~

Nominated by @princessmisery666

He Is The Storm by @deanwinchesterswitch

So much emotion in so few words. Brilliant and so proud of Kym for writing a drabble!

Tattered (series) by @stusbunker

I don't usually read AU's but this one has drew me in and now I'm here for it!! The emotions are palpable and I can't see where it all leads.

Book of Revelations (And A Side of Coffee) by @cockslutpadalecki

Dean playing matchmaker and the fluffiness is too much. I love it so much!

THANK YOU ALL FOR THE AWESOME WORK AND GREAT FEEDBACK!

These are not actual awards, as in, there is no competition! This system is set up so everyone has a chance to share the love and promote a fic/author in the Pond that has grabbed your attention. The more people that participate, the better this will be :D

THANK YOU ALL AGAIN, KEEP UP THE AMAZING WORK, AND AS ALWAYS, HAPPY WRITING!

#angel fish awards #angel fish awards masterlist #spnfanficpond #fan fiction #fanfiction #fan fic #fanfic #spn fan fiction #spn fanfiction #spn fan fic #spn fanfic #supernatural fan fiction #supernatural fan fic #supernatural fanfiction #supernatural fanfic #fic rec #spn fic rec #supernatural fic rec

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embracing-the-ineffable · 6 months

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I have a couple fun little theories inspired by your doc, specifically the Metatron is in control concept.

Assuming Metatron seems to be set up as a story-telling antagonist, and he clearly likes “romantic” twists (it wouldn’t be romantic to cast an angel down to hell twice), but he also isn’t that great of a writer, so his use of tropes are showing through pretty on the nose—

- Metatron was so insistent on keeping Muriel in the bookshop not just because Aziraphale needed to know it would be protected, but because she might be god and her memory was wiped. Metatron sees himself as a storyteller, and after listening to God’s “scripts” and finding “flaws”, he decides to take control - and what’s more romantic than taking her identity and putting her in a bookshop, where she can only read stories in the world that he is creating, after all of the years he listened to hers? It’s a bit on the nose, but Metatron also isn’t that great of a storyteller.

- Crowley and Aziraphale’s relationship clearly mirrors the story of Eden and forbidden fruit, choosing your own path, etc. It could absolutely be nothing, but Crowley’s hair is definitely much redder in the second season. From an almost natural ginger to dyed bright red. Could this be Metatron’s influence, as a way of influencing Aziraphale subconsciously that their relationship is like the forbidden fruit in Eden? But it’s also a very blatant, maybe even a little cliche storytelling reference, which if Metatron is in control, he seems to fall into often.

Just some fun ideas! Not taking them super seriously :)

These are fun theories! If the Metatron is directing the narrative, I'm certain he doesn't have nearly the imagination Crowley does. And I enjoyed your connection between the red apple in Eden and Crowley's sometimes wildly vibrant hair in s2. That's a mystery I'm looking forward to learning more about in s3...

#ineffable mystery #good omens clues #good omens analysis #good omens theory #good omens meta #good omens #good omens season 2 #crowley #aziraphale #good omens metatron

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aziraphales-library · 2 years

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Hi can you recommend books that happen after when Crowley rescued Aziraphale from the Nazis?

Hello. You can check out our #post church scene tag for more fics like this. Here are a few more to add to the collection...

Your Lightning Lit Up the World by Suvroc (G)

After the Blitz, the 'lift home' missing scene - Aziraphale's introduction to and first ride in the Bentley go about as well as could be expected, and he’s left shaken (by that, and other revelations) to his very core.

At the bookshop, he finds out Crowley’s foxtrot over consecrated ground has not left him unscathed. Even with unresolved issues, can they possibly find a safe way forward after years apart? Of course they can, as long as they address absolutely nothing directly.

Underneath the dirt, dust and debris, something delicate and divine by Nenchen (T)

It's 1941.

After Crowley saving him and his books, Aziraphale just can't deny it anymore.

(Aka. They snog the ever loving shit out of each other. Then it get's a tad sad. Then not sad anymore!)

Panopticon by jenna221b (T)

“There appeared to be two miracles at work in the exact same place. At the exact same time. I’m sure you know such an amount of power for one… angel would be—”

“Miraculous?” Aziraphale interrupts. Irritation goads him into boldness. Do they honestly believe he is such a fool? Such a coward? There is no force, whether on Earth or in Heaven, that could possibly get him to implicate Crowley.

Michael’s expression hardens into steel. “Lying isn’t worth the trouble, Aziraphale.”

And, while it is an incredibly muted sound, Aziraphale chances a scoff. He knows he is being too blasé, too daring, but he can’t help it; he is buoyed by the memory of a rakish demon doing the impossible, acting like the greatest act of love was the most natural, easiest thing in the world. He thinks of that night, how Crowley had fallen asleep without even finishing his glass of brandy, soles still pink and raw. He thinks: oh, my dear, you are worth all the trouble in the world.

Aziraphale smiles at Michael sweetly. Unflinching. “Ah, not to worry,” he says. “I’m afraid angels cannot lie.”

The Waves by Marbled Wings (G)

Aziraphale is busy trying to make a war-torn London a little easier for people to bear but however hard he tries, he cannot escape the truth that haunts him wherever he goes; that he is in love with Crowley.

All First Editions by cyankelpie (G)

The only thing Aziraphale can say for certain is that the books should not have survived. He's going to need to sit down for a while and sort out all the rest. Unfortunately, he isn't very good at processing emotions, especially ones he's been in denial about for who knows how long. It's a messy process.

Hope in Times Like These by inconvenientlydiscorporated (T)

Aziraphale was, technically, on apple tree duty.

The only problem with that, was the wily serpent in the garden.

For the better part of six-thousand years, Aziraphale had worked to keep himself away from the forbidden fruit. More than that, he had convinced himself that obtaining the fruit was an impossibility. He was an angel, Crowley was a demon. An angel shouldn't love a demon, and a demon could not love an angel.

But the books -- he couldn't explain the books.

After eighty years apart, after finally convincing himself that he had been right all along -- convincing himself he had overcome the temptation -- the serpent brought knowledge back to him from a dead man's grasp. It had been eighty years, surely they couldn't just fall back into place, just like that? But then...

"There's a show in town," Aziraphale said suddenly. "Tonight. I was going to go, after all the business with the books. You should go with me."

- Mod D

#good omens #ineffable husbands #post church scene #mod d

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