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hyperfixating-rn-brb · 5 months

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The Good Omens Fandom has had a lot of fun recently with the knowledge of Aziraphale and Crowley holding hands on the bus at the end of season 1.

Soo here's everything that went through my head as I learned of it for the first time.

For that entire scene, Aziraphale is really far gone. He's dissociating so hard he can't even realize he's been sitting on a sword. Crowley is probably the only thing keeping him grounded.

They just narrowly stopped Armageddon after a showdown with literally Satan, and still can't let their guard down. For the first time ever, they're completely on their own side. Now they have to orchestrate a body swap to save both of them. They wouldn't just be killed, they'd be completely destroyed. Everything must go exactly according to plan, but how often does that actually happen?

And on top of that, his bookshop, his home, his safe place with the demon he has to pretend not to love is burned and gone.

Crowley is so incredibly gentle and reassuring this entire scene. He's been through so much trauma himself and has spent a lot of his existence shielding the angel from it, hoping to protect some of his innocence and naivete. Crowley is absolutely familiar with every symptom of PTSD and anxiety.

Now he has to see his sweet angel see such a small bit of the horrors of heaven and hell and start to crumble inside. He's going to do his dam best to try and help Aziraphale through it. Speaking softly, ("the bookshop burned down... remember?) slowly and carefully, gradually helping to pull the angel back to reality, reminding him that he's there and will help ground him.

They get on the bus, and sit next to each other. 11 years ago, they sat nearby but separated while Crowley begs Aziraphale to help him prevent the Apocalypse. Now they are sitting together. Both an act of reassurance and unity.

Crowley sits first, Aziraphale could so easily just sit across from him, behind or in front. But he chooses to sit right next to him. And hold his hand. Aziraphale desperately needs to be near to the *former* demon he loves, to hold him, to make sure they won't be separated.

In the book, their famous lines of "none of this would have worked out if you weren't, deep down, just a bit of a good person" and "just enough of a b*stard to be worth liking" came as Satan rose from the earth, as a goodbye in case they were destroyed.

Luckily, that didn't happen and they survived. Armaggedon was stopped. But the angel is still so anxious of losing Crowley. So he chooses to reach out, to anchor himself and reassure himself that Crowley is still there beside him and that they are okay, at least for a few minutes.

And Crowley let him. He knows how badly Aziraphale needs him, he needs the angel just as much. He knows how badly he craved an anchor and support system as he was first abused and traumatized by his Fall, then further by Hell. So he's going to continue being there for Aziraphale, doing everything he can to make his angel feel safe and comfortable.

Over the next few years, Aziraphale would become so much more comfortable reaching out and touching Crowley. Leaning into him, resting a hand on his shoulder or briefly touching his chest. Somehow both reassuring himself that the former demon was still there, and reminding Crowley that he's still there for him at the same time.

Then Crowley becomes more comfortable with the touch, leaning into the angel by himself. No longer flinching at a sudden graze of a hand or reassuring squeeze.

That one moment of the two holding hands on the bus cemented so much of their relationship. "The last few years, not really..." all started on that bus the moment Aziraphale chose to sit down next to Crowley.

edited: at first this said "new knowledge" because I just found out about this all the other day, and wrote this up at 3 AM, and didn't really fact check when this knowledge became well known. I've only really been a GO fan since maybe 2021, and only really started being active in the fandom during the last few months, so a lot of info that is fairly well known is still generally new to me. soo yeah this was edited :)

source for anyone asking for it!

#good omens spoilers #crowley #aziracrow #ineffable husbands #aziraphale #good omens #go2 #bus scene #they like holding hands #neil gaiman #david tennant #michael sheen

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noneorother · 6 months

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Aziraphale *IS* a real magician

Just not the way he implies. Of course. 🙃 Have you ever wondered what this is? The portal that he calls the Metatron on in S1, and discorporates the demons in S2? Yeah me too. I decided to find out for both of us. Turns out it's a modified Solomon's magic circle! (there are some angelic symbols in there)

Which is, depending on who you ask, magic passed down to humans (King Solomon) from angels in biblical times. The grimoire that houses this particular version is from 1572, and is one of the oldest surviving ones in book form. So Aziraphale, in the historical sense of the word, is a Magician who performs spells. Want to see something interesting though? Aziraphale's been hiding an ace up his sleeve.

If you look at the traditional magic circle, you'll see that the one I put up there is actually a small part in the center of this big one. Which also includes that weird triangle up there, which is called a Magic Triangle (of course) or a Triangle of Art (lol Aziraphale). It's used to summon demons and angels, and make them do things. Like tell the truth when they would rather lie. So do we think that Aziraphale has one of those too? Only one way to find out. Time to find a schematic of the bookshop and put it all together....

The magic triangle seems to be contained pretty perfectly beneath the big persian rug that aziraphale has place under his desk that extends all the way to the bookcase and sofa. With the central mandala of the rug pattern placed on top of the circle space in the triangle.

Wouldn't it be weird if this came in really handy in the show?

Like when an enemy with supposed memory loss shows up and he's trying to question him to make sure Gabriel is telling the truth? Yeah that would be a really good magic trick.

#good omens meta #good omens season two #art director talks good omens #go season 2 #good omens 2 #go meta #good omens season 2 #jimbriel #aziraphale #fell the marvelous

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actual-changeling · 5 months

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It was actually rather hard to decide how to begin this meta post because there are essentially going to be two main parts: why Crowley does not actually avoid/run from his problems and why "going off" is not a bad thing regardless.

Then I wrote the first part and realised this is now 2.5k words long, so uhhhh I will grant part 2 its own post.

With that, welcome back to Alex's today-not-unhinged meta corner!

I am going to approach this topic from a psychological angle, which a lot of people have already done, but without explicitly mentioning it or going into depth. All my information comes from personal experience, research, my therapist, and my psychiatrist, just so you know I am not making shit up. I actually dug up some resources my therapist gave me a while ago.

Generally, there are four different fear/survival responses: fight, flight, freeze, and fawn. Most people have probably heard about fight and flight, since those two are usually the only ones that are mentioned/taught, so I will stick to explaining the other two.

"Fawning" refers to actively being submissive and subdued, both physically and emotionally. The goal is to appear non-threatening and to calm whoever is causing the fear response in the first place. It shows up as being overly agreeable, not having thoughts/opinions of your own and ignoring them if you do, your body language changing (e.g., making yourself smaller, taking up less space), and generally attempting to 'keep the peace' or reinstate it.

"Freezing" is pretty much exactly what it says on the tin—you freeze. It means slipping into a dissociative state, which disconnects you from your body, your emotions/mind, and/or the outside world. Usually, people stop being able to talk well or at all, they do not move, and if they do, it is on autopilot; you do not fight or flee, you simply exist until what is causing the fear response is over.

While dissociating, your brain is unable to form full memories—and depending on how heavily you are dissociating, it does not form any memories at all.

Freezing as a response happens when fight, flight, and fawn aren't possible anymore, e.g., a child who has no internal mechanisms to deal with large amounts of fear because it's a child, so the only way to escape the pain and aggressor is by fleeing into your mind and shutting down.

Why am I telling you all this? Because most people tend to have one or two survival responses that dominate/they usually fall back on, and the same goes for Aziraphale and Crowley.

When faced with an outside problem and a lot of stress, Aziraphale's first instinct is to fawn, to placate the person, to diffuse the situation, to make sure everyone is agreeing, or, at the very least, submitting to authority figures or aggressors. It is what heaven teaches them—stick to the rules, don't ask questions, do what you are told. If fawning involves lying, he will do so, here the need for safety is stronger than his desire to be truthful and stick to his morals.

Unfortunately, the fact that this is his primary fear response is also the reason behind his extreme cognitive dissonance. How can you stick to the rules when you do not know what the rules ARE? So he is stuck trying to figure out what is "good" and what is "bad" so he can be a good angel and avoid doing anything that might be seen as bad or disobedient.

His secondary response to stress or fear is to fight—once it's clear that fawning won't work, he can and will switch over to being more direct and aggressive/less submissive. We see that happening when he gets discorporated in season 1 and needs to get back to earth, at the airbase, or when the bookshop gets attacked.

If I were to ask you what you think Crowley's primary fear response is, how would you respond?

Well, if you said "flight"—you're wrong, and I will explain why.

Flight is his secondary fear response, it is what he falls back on in absolute emergencies when everything is doomed and there's nothing he can do anymore.

Before that, though, he fights.

Even as an angel, he was already questioning the system, he was ready to go and tell God she was doing a terrible job, that her ideas were bad, that he wants to keep his stars and the universe— six thousand years are nothing! If you actively oppose existing rules and defy people's authority over you, fighting is the only option you have unless you plan on giving up or the response becomes too much to deal with.

Fear itself happens when you or someone/something you love is being threatened (whether that threat is real or simply perceived as such doesn't matter), plus there are a large number of more irrational fears.

Crowley's creations were threatened -> He goes against the rules, he wants to fight for them.

On the walls of Eden, he questions God and talks to an angel, his hereditary enemy, once again defying the rules, questioning them.

Job and his children were threatened -> He goes against orders to try and save them.

There is good reason to believe he went against God by saving some of the children from the flood.

He showed Jesus the kingdoms of the world—do we really think that was based on orders? No, it was once again Crowley not playing by the rules.

Wessex? He proposes the Arrangement, which is one gigantic "fuck you" in his fight against celestial rules. Everything after that goes back to Crowley knowing that their jobs suck and that they can cheat, fight the system by working together. In 1827, it gets him pulled to hell and punished, and yet he does not stop; he keeps fighting.

Crowley is the one who immediately tries to stop the apocalypse. Aziraphale needs to be talked into it, needs to be convinced with selfish reasons and personal pleasure.

The reason why both heaven and hell absolutely loathe him is not because he is a runner; it's because he constantly and consistently defies them. He fights.

In season two, he immediately tries to deal with the Gabriel problem while Aziraphale is standing behind him and saying "I don't know" to all of his questions. Taking him somewhere so they can figure shit out in peace is not 'running'—it's smart. Sure, it's far from ideal, but we see what keeping him in the bookshop brought them, don't we? The hiding miracle is what tipped heaven and hell off in the first place.

Aziraphale goes to Edinburgh based on a hunch, but once again—did that help? Did his journalist roleplay trip actually provide vital information that solved a single puzzle piece of that mess? No. Finding out that Gabriel was at that pub with some mystery person was a nice fact to know, but that's it.

During the ball, Crowley is scared, vigilant, prowling around the shop, checking windows, telling Aziraphale to "stop this charade" so they can figure out what to do. Aziraphale, in that moment, was already convinced that sticking to the rules would save them—a heavenly embassy on a technicality, surely the group of fallen angels who got booted due to not following heaven's rules will respect that.

Crowley goes to heaven, which is once again him actively looking for a solution, while Aziraphale also falls back on fighting because fawning is not going to do shit.

There are three times during which Crowley suggests fleeing—which is his secondary fear response—but those are exceptions. Let's have a look at them.

The first one is at the bandstand, the evening before the Apocalypse, and since Aziraphale is lying to him, the situation seems hopeless to him. Yet he is still having his 'agents' look for him, is still fighting.

Do you know why he even suggests running? He is about to leave when Aziraphale calls him back with "there isn't anywhere to go," and now allow me to insert the following passage from the scriptbook.

Crowley looks back. He looks at Aziraphale. Above them, a beautiful starry sky. And Crowley softens.

"Big universe. Even if this all ends up in a puddle of burning goo, we could go off together."

The sentence in the show is slightly different, but they have one thing in common: If.

IF the world ends, we can still leave and be together. IF.

Crowley is NOT saying "let's leave", he is presenting Aziraphale with a contingency plan in case stopping the Apocalypse does not work. He is NOT running, he isn't even SUGGESTING to run.

It's a "if the world ends, we can be together. We don't need to be with hell or heaven; we can be in the stars," because remember what the end of the world would mean? Eternal torture for Crowley while Aziraphale bores himself to death in heaven.

The next time he suggests it again—when he stops Aziraphale on the street—several things have happened.

First, he did not leave. If he truly wanted to flee, he would have by now, but he didn't. He sits in a cinema waiting for the end: "Out of time. Out of hope," as Neil puts it. Then Hastur and Ligur show up on screen and tell him, 'You're dead meat, Crowley. You're bloody history. […] We're coming to collect you'.

We all know that means "eternal torture in hell," but if you're not convinced for some reason, have another snippet from the script book that did not make it into the show.

Dagon is speaking from the Bentley's radio while he drives towards the bookshop, saying that something has gone wrong and they're sure he has a 'perfectly reasonable explanation' for it. Once he gets out of the car, however, Dagon still keeps going and says the following:.

"Your explanation, and the circumstances that will accompany it, will provide a source of entertainment for all the damned of hell, Crowley. Because no matter what agonies the damned are suffering, Crowley, you will have it worse."

Crowley already knows that. He has been punished by them before, heard, seen, lived torture, there is no doubt as to what will happen should they catch him. So he does what any person with a single fucking brain cell would do—he tries to get his loved one and FLEE.

Flight is the best response in this situation, and if you need me to explain why, then honestly, I cannot help you anymore. I won't go into detail about Aziraphale's response, but, tl;dr, it was shitty and incredibly hurtful, go figure.

Now, let's get to situation number 3, which is his speech during the final fifteen. We do not have an official script for that, but someone did make transcriptions for all episodes; you can find them here. Additionally, I will copy some of what I already said in a different meta post.

Crowley, stuck in his trauma-induced hypervigilance and paranoia, suggests putting as much distance between them and the problem as possible. I think it is interesting that in ep1 he wants to get Gabriel away from them, while at the end of the season, he is ready to get them away from the problem.

So far, I have never seen anyone mention that change! And it’s important! The entire season, it is hammered into our heads how much they love being on earth. It is THEIR bookshop and THEIR car and THEIR life.

Crowley wants to protect that home, and Gabriel is a threat to it, a threat to both of them, their life, the bookshop—everything. He does not want to leave, he wants his peace and angel in one place.

Yet by allowing Gabriel to stay, Aziraphale destroyed the sense of comfort and safety Crowley had slowly developed over the last few decades. Heaven nipping down every now and then to check in with Aziraphale is very different from him sheltering the Supreme Archangel who is running from ‘something terrible’ without even asking if he’s alright with that.

Aziraphale calls it their bookshop, but he fundamentally still sees it as his space to govern and Crowley as a guest; he even calls it a 'heavenly embassy'.

After another horrible week and having his previously safe space violated by several different times and beings, Crowley is back to where he was before—without a home. That fragile existence broke apart, so he is standing in the heap of shards and telling Aziraphale 'I don’t feel safe here anymore, let’s leave’.

He lost his safe space, but he still has his safe person, his best and only friend, the person he loves. I doubt he cares where exactly they go as long as they’re together and it’s safe.

Returning to heaven—it is the one place Crowley cannot follow him to. It’s literally the worst option, he can’t go back, he won’t go back. So he invokes the bookshop again, if you don’t want to stay for me, stay for the bookshop, your books, your corner of existence that I thought we had carved out for ourselves.

There is a common error that people make regarding the timeline, which is assuming that during this conversation they are already aware of the impending apocalypse—but they aren't. Aziraphale himself has no clue, and while Crowley saw the conversation and trial, he does NOT know when it will happen. For all he knows, it could be tomorrow, could be in a thousand years, and, even if he had been given a date, I doubt they laid out all the details and how to stop it.

Considering that his original plan was "get drunk at the Ritz and then have us time," I don't think he knew literally anything about how or when to stop it. So no, Crowley does NOT suggest running away from earth and leaving it to die.

All he wants is some bloody peace and quiet where no demons, angels, or power-hungry floating heads can interrupt them. A space that is safe and theirs. There are also zero mentions of where he wants them to go; he is not talking about the stars or the universe. He wants to get away from where they currently are because heaven and hell show up uninvited whenever they please.

If your boss and ex-boss constantly kicked down your front door and stated their wish to torture you, would you stay there or would you move? Yeah.

This post got very long, but it was long overdue.

I am tired of seeing people call Crowley a callous coward who always runs away from his problems when he is the literal opposite. You take three sentences said under exceptional circumstances and apply them to Crowley as a whole, when it is nothing but his last ditch effort to keep himself and Aziraphale safe.

One last thing: If you come onto my post and start aggressively arguing about this, I will block you. Genuine discussions and questions are always welcome, being a dick is not, and I also simply cannot handle some of the rhetoric people in this fandom perpetuate because it's very triggering.

Make your own post, don't do it on mine.

#alex talks good omens #good omens #ineffable husbands #good omens meta #crowley #aziraphale #good omens season 2 #go2 #aziracrow #crowley x aziraphale #ineffable divorce #the final fifteen #crowley meta #aziraphale meta #crowley deserves better treatment from this fandom #and people that actually remember canon and don't take some fanfic version of him they have created during the hiatus #so many straight up factually incorrect takes #i dont know if i will make it until season 3 guys

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ineffable-endearments · 4 months

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I was rethinking the bookshop meta I wrote a while ago and realized I was not thinking big enough.

The bookshop has always been Aziraphale's version of Crowley's plants (his trauma reenactment), but also, absolutely everything Aziraphale does in Season 2 is a re-creation of Heaven's role. Crowley's behavior also encompasses everything, not just his plants.

I've seen it suggested that centering Aziraphale and Crowley's trauma histories is reducing their characters to behaving like just reactive victims instead of survivors with agency. Or worse, it's "excusing bad behavior." I don't agree with either of these, because I feel that part of Good Omens is about how large, powerful systems affect individuals, and so the context of every character's decisions matters a lot to the overall themes of the story. Everyone starts out working within a system they believe to reflect reality and then has to learn how to break free of it. You cannot really illustrate that without having the characters start out being genuinely trapped with different ways of coping with their reality.

This is an attempt at a pretty big-picture meta. Although it isn't a plot prediction, it's how I think some of the series' themes are going to progress. It starts out perhaps a little grim, but in the long run, it's how Aziraphale's character growth and relationship with Crowley can simultaneously be massive for them as individuals, a crucial part of the overarching narrative message of the series, and symbolic of a change in all of Heaven and Hell, all while allowing the themes to continue to prioritize human free will.

In short, it's about Aziraphale's problems, but it's also meant to be an Aziraphale love post.

All of the below exists in tandem with Good Omens as a comedy of errors. Just because there are heavy ideas does not mean they will not also be funny. Look back on how much of Season 2 seemed silly until we started to pick it apart! One of the amazing things about Good Omens is how it manages to do both silly and serious at once! (I feel like that's maybe a little Terry Pratchett DNA showing through. "Laughter can get through the keyhole while seriousness is still hammering on the door," as Terry himself said.)

Aziraphale has really embraced his connection to Crowley in Season 2, and he has also become considerably more assertive toward Heaven and Hell. These are both major growth points compared to the beginning of Season 1.

However, again, we have the concept of growing pains...Aziraphale is starting to re-create Heaven's role in his relationship with Crowley and humanity. It's really obvious with the Gabriel argument and the I Was Wrong Dance, but I think we see it all over the place: he seems to feel any serious dissent is a betrayal. He also seems to assume there's a dominance hierarchy and he, of course, is on top. Now that he's decided to take control of his own future, then surely that does mean he's the one in control, right?

With all that said, he still seems to have trouble being direct about the feelings that make him most vulnerable. He manipulates people and engineers situations in which he can try to get his emotional needs met rather than saying things outright (case in point: the Ball).

Like I pointed out in the bookshop meta: subconsciously, he's playing the role of God, modified with what God would be if She were everything he wants Her to be. He's generous, almost infinitely sweet, always does what's best for people...or, at least, what he believes is best for people. During the Ball, Aziraphale influences the people around him to be comfortable and happy even when they're not supposed to be, and he limits their ability to talk about things he thinks are too rude or improper for happy, formal occasions.

Doesn't this pattern sort of make sense for an angel who's just discovering free will? Like, at the end of Season 1, he made an enormous choice to stand against Heaven and realized he could survive it. Now he's gone a bit overboard with exerting his own will. Unfortunately, while he's learned to question upper management, he's still operating on a fundamental framework of the universe where there have to be two sides and there has to be a hierarchy. Also, since Aziraphale is on the Good side, he of course has to gear his desires into what's Good rather than just what he wants, so he sometimes thinks he's doing things for others when really he's doing things for himself. (For example, matchmaking Maggie and Nina started out as something he wanted to use to lie to Heaven, but by the time he was commenting "Maggie and Nina are counting on me," he seemed sincere, like he had genuinely convinced himself this was for them and not for himself.)

Aziraphale knows Heaven interferes in human affairs, ostensibly on God's behalf. He thinks She should be intervening in ways that are beneficial. What I believe the narrative wants him to learn is that God and Heaven shouldn't be manipulating people at all, not even for Good, and in fact there is no real meaningful hierarchy.

Anyway, a top-down, totally unquestioned hierarchy is the primary social relationship Aziraphale has known, and it's certainly been the dominant one for most of his existence: you're either the boss or the underling, and if someone seriously questions you, they don't have faith in you - they don't respect you.

No, his relationship with Crowley has not always been like that, but they've been creating their relationship from whole cloth, so how would he know it shouldn't become that way, now that it's "real" and out in the open?

No, human relationships aren't like that, but Aziraphale clearly does not see himself or Crowley as human. As the relationship approached something that seemed like it must be "legitimate," Aziraphale would naturally look for a framework to fit it to. And again, the only one he has is the shape of "intimacy," or what passes for it, in Heaven. What has "trust" always meant in all his "legitimate" relationships? It has always meant unquestioning obedience, of course. What have the warm fuzzies felt like in Heaven? Well, praise from the angels above him is nice, so that must be it, right?

Aziraphale even describes being in love as "what humans do," separating out that relationship style. Someday, I think he'll realize he favors the shape of love on Earth, something that's more inherently equal, more give-and-take. Look at how he idealizes it from afar at the Ball. But I think that, like Crowley before Nina pointed it out, Aziraphale maybe hasn't 100% grokked that it can and in fact should work that way for him and Crowley, too. Just like people can desperately want to dance without knowing how to dance, or can desperately want to speak a language without knowing the language, Aziraphale does not instinctively know how to have the kind of relationship where he can be truly vulnerable and handle Crowley's vulnerability as well.

Aziraphale is downright obsessed with French, known as the "language of love." He's trying to learn it the Earthly way. He's not very good at it, but he wants to be.

This pattern is still present during the Final Fifteen even if we assume Aziraphale is asking Crowley to become an angel again out of fear (and I find it very hard to believe that fear doesn't factor in at all). He's still building his interactions off of that Heaven-like framework: he asks Crowley to trust him blindly, he tries to assume a leadership role with a plan Crowley never agreed to and couldn't follow anyway, and he tries very hard not to leave room for an ounce of doubt. He also suggests making Crowley his second-in-command and obviously does not register that this could possibly be offensive. Again, I think this is because for Aziraphale, there has always been a hierarchy in Heaven, it's started to transfer to his relationship with Crowley, and breaking out of that assumption about relationships is going to take more processing than a single argument can do.

As I mentioned in another post, I don't believe Aziraphale had a real choice about whether he accepted the Supreme Archangel position. I think he could sense that he was not getting out of it and chose to look on the bright side, to see it as an opportunity. And instead of looking realistically at how that would feel to Crowley, he tried to sweep Crowley up to Heaven with him using toxic positivity, appeals to morality, and appeals to their relationship itself. Again, mimicking what Heaven has done to him.

To me, "they're not talking" is a big clue that Aziraphale's approach with Crowley is going to be the mistake the narrative really wants him to face. "Not talking" has, thus far, been presented as the central conflict of Season 3! After losing the structure and feedback Heaven gave him, Aziraphale started creating Heaven-like patterns in his relationship with Crowley, and breaking out of those patterns is what he needs to do. Discovering first-hand that Heaven's entire modus operandi is bad no matter who's in charge is how he can do it.

Look, either you're sympathetic to Aziraphale's control issues or you're not. Personally, I am. He's trying so, so hard to be good. I think trying to figure yourself out (which Aziraphale is clearly doing) is hard enough, and when you start balancing what you want for yourself, what you think are your responsibilities, and what other people are actively asking of you, you're bound to fall into the patterns that have been enforced for your whole life or for millions of years, whichever came first.

It is very easy to assume that people should Just Be Better, but it's not actually that simple to be a thinking, feeling person. My anxiety tends to move in a very inward direction and Aziraphale's moves outward. But I'd imagine the desperation and exhaustion are the same.

Unlike Nina, Aziraphale became a rebound mess. I don't think it occurred to either him or to Crowley that there could be any soul-searching, anything but carrying on with the new normal after their stalemate with Heaven and Hell.

Now, instead of getting rejected by Heaven and surviving it, Aziraphale needs to be the one to reject Heaven. It needs to be a choice. And that choice is going to come from realizing that Heaven isn't just poorly managed but also represents a bad framework for all relationships.

How could this happen? Good question. We're obviously not supposed to know yet, although I think picking at existing themes within the narrative could possibly give us hints.

It's possible Aziraphale's character development trajectory will be akin to Adam Young's in Season 1. Please see this stellar post by eidetictelekinetic for more thoughts about it, but basically, in Season 1, Adam saw that the world was not what he wanted it to be and decided his vision was better; as he ascended to power, he took complete control over all his friends and then soon realized that's not what he wants because there's no point in trying to have relationships with people who can't choose you. It's that realization that leads Adam to conclude he doesn't want to take over the world and to reject the role he's expected to play as the Antichrist. Maybe Aziraphale's trip to Heaven is an attempt at a control move during which he'll realize he's defeating his own point.

Aziraphale clearly wants to be chosen. From the very beginning, he's wanted to be special and cared for - just like Crowley has.

Incidentally, I think Aziraphale and Crowley are going to represent pieces of the bigger picture here, and this - first imitating and then rejecting Heaven's relationship style - can both symbolize Heaven's transformation and directly start it (probably in an amusing, somewhat indirect way, like when he handed off the flaming sword to Adam).

If I'm right - which I may very well not be - I think this would all be so, SO cool. Like, "An angel who is subconsciously trying to be a better God" is a concept with so much potential for both tender kindness and incredible darkness. Add to that the comedy-of-errors aspect of "...but even deeper down, he'd much rather just be super gay on Earth" and you have, in my opinion, a perfect character.

I think this could work for Crowley as well. It's obvious that in the Good Omens universe, at least so far, Hell is all about detesting humans and punishing them; Satan seems to genuinely hate humans (unlike in some of NG's other works). Our perspective on this could change, but it potentially puts Crowley in a complementary position to Aziraphale, as a demon who is trying to be "better" than Satan. But this isn't about being "morally better." It's about things having a point. Crowley's exploits usually have a point: they test people. And you can pass his tests! He sincerely likes making trouble, but Crowley doesn't live to punish.

But, once again, the above paragraph would describe a transient phase for this infinitely charming character. Because, again, I think the point will be that in the end, Crowley's deeper-down desire, moreso than testing Creation, is watching it grow with a glass of wine in hand.

#go3 speculation

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aziraphales-library · 17 days

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Heyy, do you have any recommendations of fanfics named after Hozier's (our lord and savior) songs? Especially more recent ones since both season 2 and his new album were released relatively close.

Thank you very much, your work is amazing!!!

There are... so many. We're previously recommended some fics inspired by Hozier here. Here are some series two Hozier fics...

no grave can hold my body down (i'll crawl home to you) by AK_Qhyrstol (T)

Keep driving, keep driving… He’d been holding his breath for hours, trying not to let the lump in his throat and the burn in his eyes win. His lips were pursed and tight, desperately holding back the sobs screaming in his lungs. Where could he even go? There wasn’t anywhere for him to go. -- Or: After Aziraphale leaves Earth for Heaven, Crowley gets in the Bentley and drives, and drives, and drives...

The Choiceless Hope in Grief (That Drove Him Underground) by aac0577 (NR)

Post-Breakup, Muriel and Crowley talk. Aziraphale and Crowley do too.

It's More the Being Unknown by sam_rvb (G)

The last few months have been a bit of a blur for Crowley, who has been trying to figure out what to do with himself since Aziraphale left him for Heaven. He's taken up residence in the bookshop alongside Muriel, who finds a new room to explore and asks Crowley if it's okay for them to read the newly discovered books within.

from eden by tlsonetwothree (G)

In the wake of Aziraphale’s destruction of Crowley’s heart, there is a certain solace he finds in the Earth they once shared. The demon takes a road trip to a cottage in the South Downs, where he tries to pick up the pieces of his heart and soul, both of which left when his world did.

The fear in its eyes, Gone out in an instant. Your tear caught the light, The Earth from a distance. by bl0rb0 (T)

Aziraphale has never seen Crowley cry. He’s been there in the rare moments the man-shaped being has done so, but Crowley always turns away or flees somewhere unknown. Aziraphale doesn't know that a piece of the Starmaker resides in Crowley, in the form of his tears. Crowley’s tears are filled with Holy Water and every time he cries, his tears make themselves known on his cheeks as a form of scars and burns. When Aziraphale leaves to heaven, Crowley hides in his beloved Bently to cry his sorrows away. He hoped it would be a short cry, one that goes just as quickly as it came and then he can return to his sarcastic and bitter self. But years go by and Crowley’s cheeks and hands have scarred over and he refuses to come out of hiding until a lighthearted and once naive angel pulls him out.

Don't Fall Away From Me by dream_animal (NR)

“Ok…” Crowley ran a hand through his hair. “Ok, ok, so - we need a plan. And to do that, we need information, yeah?” “Right,” nodded Muriel, enthusiastically. “Right,” said Crowley. “I suspect it will be a bit more difficult for me to just waltz through Heaven this time, so you’re going to need to—” he cut off with a gasp, like he’d been punched in the gut, and inhaled sharply. “What—" Muriel felt it a moment later, unbidden tears spilling from their eyes. A great despair. A wave of agony and anguish. A cosmic imbalance, ripping across the ethereal plane. Angels and demons alike shuddered under the weight of unbearable grief. The universe wept. It was a feeling that had not been felt for millennia. Crowley dropped to his knees. Muriel turned to him, horrified. “It- it’s…” An angel had Fallen. In which Crowley deals with life post-Aziraphale, and Aziraphale deals with the consequences of his decisions. Can they pick up the pieces in time to save the world, again?

Heaven isn't built to house a love like you and I by ItsScottiesStark (T)

They did it. They stopped Armageddon. They survived. This was it, the first time they were actually free to finally figure out what their side entailed. Aziraphale is a being of love. Always has been. And now, all the love he has for Crowley is free to flow from the edge of his fingertips to the demon's, in a gesture that could only mean one thing; I'm with you. I'm here. As much as his hands itch to reach out for the love of his existence, his words seem to fail him, time and time again. He knows Crowley deserves more than gentle hand holding and forehead kisses in the dark. He aches to scream his love from the top of his lungs, for the whole world to hear. And the demon knows it. And he waits. Because he'll wait forever for Aziraphale. Because he knows they are meant to be one. We take a peak into Aziraphale and Crowley's "peaceful, fragile existence" they slowly carve out for themselves after Armage-not. We get to see Aziraphale slowly but surely reach out for the demon time and time again, bringing them closer than ever. Until Jim happens. And it all goes to shit.

- Mod D

#good omens #good omens s2 #ineffable husbands #inspired by hozier #mod d

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weirdmorefics · 8 months

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Angels May Escape The Flames But Witches Never Do- Crowley X reader

A/N- Aziraphale X Crowley X Reader if you squint. This is kind of the same reader/witch as one of my other Crowley one-shot but they both can be read by themselves. If you want to read more with the witch reader click here or my masterlist

Pronouns- She/Her

Hurt/Comfort

TW- Fire, Emetophobia, Concussion

Word Count- 1,232

Summary- The reader gets stuck in the bookshop when Sergeant Shadwell sets fire to it.

I was in the back of the bookshop organizing the shelves because the shop was a mess, which is understandable since we are literally entering armageddon.

I heard Aziraphale shout uncharacteristically loud "You stupid Man!"

I peeked around the shelf to see what the problem was when I saw a blue light followed by Aziraphale screaming the F-bomb if the situation wasn't so dire I think I would have found myself dying of laughter.

I see Aziraphale vanish into the light and the man looks as shocked as I do. He shouts, "Hello" then turns for the door. I ran after him "What have you done!"

"I just saved you from a nasty witch," he smiles proudly.

I scowl deeply at him, "Aziraphale was no witch! I think you also may need to check your prejudice. We are no longer living in the era of witch trials, burnings, and hangings."

He gasps, "I should have known witches always travel in covens. You are one of them!"

I should have known to not mess with a so-called witch-hunter considering many of my ancestor's pasts but I was filled with rage over what happened to Aziraphale. So I venomously spit out " What if I am a witch? What are you going to do about it!" I expected some witty comeback or some exorcism but he shocked me when he ran full force into me knocking me to the ground.

I hit my head so hard off the wood flooring my ears were ringing and I felt the air knocked out of my lungs. There was a crash behind me and he seemed to smile at the result. "Now you will go out in true witch fashion." He shouted while slamming the door behind him.

The loud slam of the door left my head ringing even louder. I tried to sit up but the ringing in my head became so loud I lurched to the side and vomited. I reluctantly had to lay back down because it seemed moving was not an option. It started to feel very hot and I wasn't sure if it was the fact that I just vomited my guts out or the concussion I so obviously had received. I moved my eyes to the side to see the unfortunate cause of the heat. It was a fire growing rapidly I would do anything to save the books, to save Aziraphale's legacy but I was becoming increasingly tired and my eyes fluttered closed.

I keep going in and out of consciousness as the fire gets hotter and hotter. My last concussion definitely did not take this long to wake up from but that one was not during a rapidly growing fire. There was no way I was getting out of this it was getting progressively harder to breathe and I could not use any spells in this state not that any of my ingredients were going to survive this mess. Maybe all witches were meant to die like this burning in the great flames of their ancestors.

I hear the doors fly open with a bang which scares me for a moment because that is how the witch hunter left. Then I hear Crowley's voice Crowleys beautiful voice, "Do I look like I run a bookshop?"

He shouts Aziraphale's name and mine repeatedly. I want to shout that I am here but I can't manage to get a word out. He starts rambling about where the Heaven/Hell are you two for God's sake or whoever's sake.

I try so hard to get anything out but all I can manage are weak coughs and wheezes. Maybe it really is too late for me...

Water shoots through the glass window shattering it and landing Crowley on the floor and for once the fates have smiled upon me. He lies face to face with me.

He smiles brightly at me and cups my face his glasses are knocked off and I am glad that I can see his beautiful yellow eyes one more time.

"My sorceress I... I thought you were gone," He whispers and holds my face like I might slip away if he loses his grasp.

My voice is very hoarse and hardly understandable, "Your eyes," I struggle to breathe, "I wish I got to see them more." I wheeze once more.

Crowley had always told you how much he disdains his eyes but at that moment he kissed your head, "You will sweetheart! you will!"

He goes to pick me up and I swat at him and he looks truly hurt, "Forget me," I gasp. "you don't have time!" tears spill from my eyes "Take the book it is all that matters. Save the earth," I think I have used all my air at this point I cough and I can't stop. Wet ashes coat my hand as they are expelled from my lungs.

Crowley looks utterly enraged at this statement. "If you think earth means anything without you and Angel you are sorely mistaken," he seethes.

I have no energy left to fight I close my eyes as I feel myself lugged over his shoulder. His shouts make the ringing ever so louder as he shouts for a medic. I want to tease him as I always do when he has that worried face but this time he has a right to be worried.

I am laid down so gently on a stretcher that I know it is Crowley because he has always been afraid I'll break since I am not an immortal being like them. I hear Medics shout things like grade two concussion, rib contusions, and severe smoke inhalation. Even though my head is still extremely foggy and my throat burns like hell I lift my oxygen mask off to speak.

Crowley forcibly places it back on, "Shh, darling don't speak. Save your energy."

I roll my eyes and ignore him and breathe deeply sounding like a sixty-year-old smoker, "Crowley, Azi is still alive. He was put in this blue-white ray. Save the earth for Aziraphale and me so we have a place to come back to... to be together again."

Crowley smiles brightly, "He's alive!"

"The book everything is in the book, please tell me you have the book." I wheeze.

"Sir, please tell her she needs to keep the oxygen mask on!" The medic yells annoyingly loud.

Crowley forces the mask back on me, "You really think I was going to forget the book you would risk your life over sweetheart." He does a wink and a smirk that instantly makes my heart monitor embarrassingly spike.

The medic looks at me concerned and asks if I am having palpitations which makes me blush harder. Crowley smiles at this and I am sure he is cataloging this memory in his brain to bring up constantly.

Crowley kisses the top of your head, "I am off to save our angle and our home."

Crowley takes his shades off and looks at the medic who scrambles backward knocking over medical supplies. "If you do not make sure she comes out of this in top-notch health there will be hell to pay!" He sticks out his forked tongue and I am scared the medic may die of fear before he can even fix me up.

He gives me one last kiss on the forehead "Until we meet again darling."

#crowley good omens #good omens fanfiction #good omens fic #good omens fandom #good omens crowley #good omens imagine #good omens drabble #crowley x reader #aziraphale x reader #crowley imagine #aziraphale imagine #crowley x aziraphale #aziraphale

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inevitably-ineffable-husbands · 9 months

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Crowley's Bentley = Crowley's Heart?

Putting on them clown damned shoes again, y'all. Had a thought last night while typing out today's additions to my GO S2 Meta...

Is Crowley's Bentley supposed to be a metaphor for his heart?

THINK ABOUT IT:

In Season 1:

The Bentley survives the fire because Crowley believes with all his heart that he and the car will make it to save Aziraphale.

Crowley drives fast because his love for Azzie makes his heart race.

Speaking of driving too fast, when Aziraphale say's "you drive too fast for me Crowley", subtextually he means "your heart moves too fast for me, I'm not ready for you".

In Season 2:

Crowley's houseplants (the only things he supposedly loves) are in his Bentley (home is where the heart is??). He didn't have the heart to throw them away, so... he put them in his heart where they will be loved.

Crowley sends Aziraphale away from the bookshop to protect him from the threat of Heaven, and the safest place he knows is (his heart) The Bentley, which will take care of Azzie. He literally locks Azzie away in his heart to keep Azzie safe and sheltered away from everyone.

Crowley can feel everything happening in and around the Bentley. He knows when his heart slowed down because he wasn't worried about Aziraphale anymore; his heart desires to please Aziraphale and make him happy by driving slow, playing music Aziraphale loves, offering him sweets, and being painted yellow like Crowley's eyes. Crowley only threatens because he's worried Aziraphale will find out that he loves him if the Bentley keeps up with being adoring to Aziraphale. GUYS I THINK WE'RE GOING TO GET A DOTING-HUSBAND-CROWLEY is what I'm getting at, here.

That said, the Bentley ADORES Aziraphale, trying to follow him and keep him safe. And immediately does what Aziraphale asks, just like Crowley usually does.

At the end of S2E6, the Bentley plays the music Crowley is thinking about immediately after their spat and his failed confession, then shuts it off angrily because he’s heart broken... so he “breaks the (love) song” by shutting it off and out of his heart.

BASICALLY what I'm saying is that in the 90 or so years he's owned the Bentley is when he truly realized he was IN LOVE with Aziraphale and poured all that love into the Bentley instead to compensate.

Shax even says to Aziraphale in S2E4:

"Sometime, in the last 80 or 90 years, I remember hearing that you and Crowley were an item."

Very specific numbers, mentioned TO the love interest inside of the damned Heart itself, isn't it? And we know Shax can read into people's hearts (she does it numerous times in the season, specifically with the Crowley mirror, Maggie, in S2E5 and again to Aziraphale in S2E6, revealing more about Crowley and Azzie).

I reckon there's a LOT more, but like... DAMN this feels like Phones and Hearts all over again. I'm not sure if this makes the Bookshop Azzie's heart (right now I'm thinking MAYBE??), but that's something else to explore after another rewatch. That would mean, if the Bookshop was Azzie's heart, that he realized a LOT longer ago than Crowley he loved him. Hmm.

Let me know what y'all think! <3

#good omens #good omens s2 #good omens season 2 #spoilers #crowley's bentley #crowley's heart #go metaphors #go meta #my meta #good omens meta #my thoughts #putting on my clown makeup as we speak #i might be getting deeper guys #my endless rewatching to support the show #is turning into obsession about subtext again #damnit #subtext in go

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vavoomed-for-crowley · 26 days

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Make It Right - Chapter 4: Firework Of Emotions is finally out now!

This Chapter picks up on Aziraphale's and Crowley's conversation on Christmas Evening, shows us a teasing angel and the depth of Crowley's kiss in the final 15 of S2.

Enjoy reading it and feel free to leave any kind of feedback.

Mucho Gracias ❤️

Story Summary:

Not in 6.000 years Aziraphale would've thought his first kiss with Crowley would be like this. Means, if Aziraphale really ever believed in actually kissing the demon at all. But pressing their lips together forcefully, nothing left to say and going back to heaven has all not been on the list of how Aziraphale imagined it would be.

Now, he might be back on Earth and things with Crowley are sorted out. They can finally live their peaceful existence.

But there's one thing that Aziraphale still has to do: He wants to kiss Crowley the right way. He'll make it right, every time.

And as usual, a little Sneak Peek at the chapter:

"Are you trying to tempt me?" Aziraphale asks with a low voice but still tries to act shocked.

The demon lets his hands move from Aziraphale's sides to his back, hands hidden under the long coat, one hand gently stroking every part it touches. "Does it work?"

Heaven, does it work!, Aziraphale thinks. But he knows that if he gives in to temptation now, they'll never leave the bookshop. Which would mean they do not only miss Maggie's party but they'd also disappoint her. Just the imagination of her saddened face when they don't show up is enough for the angel to feel guilty. He cups the demon's face with the right hand, thumb gently stroking his cheek before he leans in to give the demon a loving kiss. "You can be very tempting, my dear love. But we made a promise and I see it as my duty to keep it." He doesn't even wait for a reaction, which is no more than a groan from Crowley, but grabs the demon's hand to pull him outside.

"Way to ruin the moment..." the latter mumbles in disappointment. At least he tried it all to stay at home.

In Crowley's opinion, nothing about New Year's Eve makes sense. Well, except the part of celebrating. He can understand the melancholy when humans look back over the past year and think about all the experiences and events, knowing full well that not all of them, and depending on the person even very few, were really good. The concept of looking forward to the new year is not entirely illogical, including the false hope of change and good things waiting to happen. It is almost foolish for humans to hope that the universe would care about each individual's fate instead of taking their happiness into their own hands. But people's comfort has always been their greatest weakness. All they could achieve if they would just work hard enough and actually believe in themselves. But the part he doesn't get is that if the new year is so eagerly awaited, what's the reason to get drunk? Even if that's exactly Crowley's plan for tonight as well. Just that he feels like he needs it to cope with the party in general. He doesn't get why everyone dresses up as fancy as they usually never do, why woman wear high shoes that feel uncomfortable just two hours later and the worst part is all the traditions. Hell, he hopes that Maggie's party has none of it. Not knowing if he'd survive just one round of lead-pouring or sharing New Year's resolutions.

Needless to say that the demon doesn't get why on earth his angel wants to attend Maggie's party so desperately when just the thought of talking to strangers is a reason the latter never steps a foot in a pub, except the one time which has proven his point why not to do so more than just enough. But the angel hasn't left him a choice really, even if it's only because Crowley can't say no to him. At least heaven blesses him with the adorable sight of Aziraphale dressed in winter clothes, with the choice of blue and beige wool suiting his skin tone and the beanie making his cheeks look even more adorable and soft. It's a perfect mixture of modern old and something newer and in Crowley's opinion, (so the only opinion that really matters), Aziraphale looks more than just handsome, making it to the top of the list of the angel's best outfits. Not that Crowley would ever dare to admit how much he really likes it. It would only mean he'd need to wear his knitted set more often as well and he'd rather have a very long conversation with Gabriel than to do so.

Read the full story here

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thedemonastrophel · 3 months

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Aaa quick one shot that doesen't fit into a story but I wanted to post it somewhere other than ao3

-----

“Well Mr. Crowley, it’s time to make a decision, one will be destroyed. Your beloved humans, or your beloved.”

Crowley glared at the hooded figures, practically snarling at them, bearing his pointed teeth.

They knew nothing of what he had with Aziraphale.

They knew nothing of what it was like to be human.

They knew… nothing.

“What are you talking about. ‘Course I choose Aziraphale!”

“Tut tut, not so quickly sir demon. We will give you five minutes to discuss.”

They vanished, and Crowley sat there dumbfounded.

“Wha- what the heaven just happened?!”

Aziraphale looked at him sadly.

“I think.. You and I have some things to discuss.”

He stared at his Angel momentarily, Aziraphale looked at him, and sighed.

“Do you remember the first day you came into my bookshop? The first day when you put your glasses down, and you spotted a book on my desk.”

“Aziraphale-”

“No. No, let me finish.

It wasn’t the first time you had gone to my bookshop, but it was the first day. The first day of the rest of our lives, after armageddon. Do you remember Crowley?”

“I- Aziraphale this is hardly the time for this.” He spat, trying to conceal the bite in his voice.

He was so frustrated but he couldn’t deal with this. Not right now.

“You asked what the book said; you couldn’t read it.”

Aziraphale looked at him, expecting a response.

“This isn’t relevant! Aziraphale now is not the time for this.”

“And… you asked me if I knew what it meant, what it said. I told you I didn’t, that was a lie.

As angelic beings- and don’t try to deny it because you are even if you have fallen -we can understand every language in creation. But not this one.

Did you ever stop? And think? And wonder, why that was?”

Crowley was on the verge of tears now. Aziraphale was surely being stupid. They were moments away from either the destruction of the Angel, or the destruction of the world. This was not the time to be speaking about things like this. Reminiscing.

Aziraphale eyed him.

“When I told you I couldn’t read it, that wasn’t true. I can read it. And I believe it has something to do with the fact that the book was intended for me.

It’s akin to the likes of Agnes Nutter, but far older. Made by something significantly more powerful.

It was written in a language that no one should understand. Not you, not I, nor angel nor demon from Heaven or Hell. No one should be able to comprehend or read that language. Save, for the highest authority.

God Herself wrote that book, at least that’s what I believe. But I could read it. I think that book was intended for me, Crowley.

Why it was I’m not sure, your heart is more pure than mine at this point. There’s no denying it.”

Crowley had given up trying to interrupt him as it clearly would have no impact, opting to let him speak. He was at least a little curious where this was going.

“In that book, on the very last page there was a date, that date was today. Do you want to know what was written underneath the date?”

Crowley shook his head slowly.

“I-”

“It said; ‘On this day, Angel, will be the day that you shalt die.’

I am not meant to survive this. I.. will not make it out of here alive. I can’t- It-”

He stopped, shaking.

Crowley knew what he was going to say, but he continued anyways.

“It’s not me or the world, Crowley. It’s saving the world, or saving no one.

I’m going to die either way, it doesn't matter what you choose.” His voice was cracking.

“Please. Save the Humans. Try- try to move on if you can I- I know it will be difficult.

I believe in you, I love you- I'm sorry.”

Crowley’s breath was shaking, barely able to keep it together himself. He just stared at him, tears, at this point were spilling onto his cheeks. Unable to form words, he instead just leaned forward. Gently, cupping Aziraphale’s cheek in his hand, and he kissed him.

It wasn’t like the first time, it wasn’t like any of the times after.

It was sad.

It had thousands of ‘goodbyes’ and ‘I love yous’ burned into its very existence. It had thousands of years of words behind it, all unspoken.

The loudest message, the loudest of all, the one that screamed, desperate to be heard, was the longing, the regret.

They knew they would never see each other again. They knew this was it.

This was the end.

The robed figures reappeared, they looked at him.

“Well demon, what is your answer?”

Crowley stared at them, he stood up straight wiping his eyes, his glasses long discarded at this point. He squared his shoulders and stared at them.

Into the shadowy depths of their hoods. He shuddered, took a breath, and spoke.

Slowly, ever so slowly, letting every word hang heavily in the air.

“I choose-” He swallowed. “I choose neither. I’m not going to sacrifice Aziraphale. But I am going to save the earth. So, out of the options you have given me, neither.

Aziraphale started to panic behind him.

“Crowley you can’t-”

He stopped, whipping around and whispered in a dry voice;

“Aziraphale trust me this one time, I swear to anyone who may be listening. If there was any time for you to trust me now is it, just let me do this.” He turned back around.

The hooded figures regarded him curiously.

“You know the stakes, surely. If you do not choose either, everything will be destroyed. You know this of course, so why. Why are you being foolish Crowley?”

A sharp cold shot through him. He reached his hand out to Aziraphale, holding him, lifting him to his feet.

He held his hand tightly.

“Because” He hissed. “I. Am still. A supreme Archangel. Whether or not I have access to my abilities, I was one once, I still am. You are not above me.

I can save both.”

He turned, Aziraphale’s wings bursting out to join them in this plane of existence, and Crowley’s doing the same.

The white against the black, the dark against the light. The light, the dimming light- his wings were darkening- why were they darkening?! Aziraphale didn’t know.

But Crowley did.

Crowley turned and he kissed him again.

This time it was not longing and regret, it was determination. He knew what he was doing, this was not a kiss of love, this was a kiss of magic.

A miracle in its own rights, not a demonic one, not an angelic one, simply a miracle. Bigger than any he had performed, but he stood there. And he kissed him.

Aziraphale’s wings began to darken. The feathers gradually turned black, black like soot, black like the inky darkness of the night.

And it spread.

It spread from the tops of his wings, down. Down, melting like an inkwell, a pen, a pen that was leaking, dripping, dying.

It spread across his wings, his feathers, his white pristine feathers. He was falling.

He hadn’t done anything necessarily, no, this was intentional. This was Crowley’s doing.

But why?

The hooded figures looked at each other, then they looked at him, questions brimming.

“What exactly do you think that is going to do?”

Crowley stopped. Aziraphale’s wings were dark, as dark as his. He stared at them defiantly, his amber-gold eyes practically glowing. He stared at them.

“I don’t need your help. I’ll save this world on my own, and Aziraphale with it. I will save every single bloody human on this planet- on this damned damned world. I don’t need your help.”

The beings looked at each other from behind their shadows of secrets. They seemed to be considering his words.

“Very well, do as you wish. You do not have much time, but if you think you can save them. Be our guest.”

With that they vanished.

Aziraphale and Crowley were back in the bookshop, both too stunned to speak as they collapsed onto the floor and tried to process what had just happened.

#good omens #aziraphale #crowley #fanfic #fanfiction #good omens fanfiction #writers on tumblr #writing #i love them so much #one shot #He does the thing cause #It says angel #Maybe he can prevent Azi from being an angel #And save him

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tinybearfeet · 9 months

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Aziraphale didn’t want to go to heaven, not even to “make it a better place if I’m in charge”, not until he was told he could restore Crowley.

Because restoring Crowley to angelic status seems to him, is to him a perfect solution for the problems they seem to have, together: their opposing sides, status of natural enemies, their shared loneliness of being outsiders in their worlds. They can be friends, anything, if Crowley is an angel. He won’t have to push down his goodness in fear of hell (although honestly I think Crowley’s aversion to being “good” is much more than that), and angels won’t have to be cruel, since Aziraphale would be there, making decisions, with Crowley by his side to help him figure out what is truly better and kinder (like he does throughout the season).

To Crowley however being restored to an angel is missing the point entirely. It’s like being given forgiveness when you are owed an apology. If they give you “forgiveness” you are just brought back in until they decide you should be cast away again, when you become too inconvenient, when you demand to be heard, to be treated right. Of course he doesn’t want to go back to heaven — the whole system is his personal hell, more than actual hell ever was.

Just as when Crowley feels betrayed when Aziraphale offers him to go back, so does Azi when Crowley asks him to run off, to continue as things are. To Aziraphale (as of right now) there can be no peaceful happiness for them while they remain as they are. They will always be an angel and a demon, pretending, hiding, struggling to survive one disaster after the other. They can change all that, he feels, he offers Crowley peace, safety, and Crowley refuses it to (seemingly) keep things as they are.

That’s what his “nothing lasts forever is about”. He offers a reprieve and Crowley refuses it. While to Crowley he is throwing away “them” to drag him back to the broken system he knows from experience will only chew them up and destroy everything, in the end.

“I don’t think you understand what I’m offering you,” is the line that hits me the hardest, somehow. Because Crowley indeed doesn’t. He is right about understanding better than Aziraphale could about what it would truly be like. But he doesn’t understand the intent, the offer: be with me, without hiding, without fear, working for the betterment of everything as you used to, as we’ve been doing in secret last 6000 years.

“No nightingales”, oh how Aziraphale face changes at that. Because for them, finally, here, Crowley made subtext text. Yes, they are, were in love. Yes, they had their perfect pocket of a starry night, falling in love. But now the sun is up, and the nightingale isn’t there, maybe even wasn’t here ever. It was just a perfect dream, given up now. For Aziraphale — given up as he offered Crowley to make it a daylight reality, a partnership not on the spy benches, or in an old timeless bookshop, or in the private conversations. A reality where Crowley doesn’t have to hide his eyes all the time.

For Crowley — the dream is given up, because once again Aziraphale is choosing heaven over him. He doesn’t know he’s doing it for him.

So of course the kiss doesn’t save them. They both feel rejected, feel like the one is trying to drag another into a tortured existence. I still struggle to decipher the “I forgive you”. An obvious nod to s1, and to general Christian forgiveness. Does he forgive the fall, the rejection, no nightingales? The fight? As many people said, it’s generally Aziraphale’s “holier than thou” attitude, and there is a bit of it here, some spite as he collects himself. “I know what’s better for us and I forgive you for not realizing it. I forgive you for leaving me alone (in our shared loneliness) to make a better world for us.” Maybe it’s that.

I honestly don’t think one honest conversation could fix things right now for them. They need to change. Crowley needs to grow over his cynicism, to figure out a way to exist in the world so unfair he refuses to acknowledge he is constantly changing it for the better. He needs to stand his ground in a sustainable way.

While Aziraphale needs to realize the current system won’t cut it. It’s cruel and uncaring, it’s following the supposed word and whim of a god who’s left the building. He honestly believes it just needs right people on top, but well, it had Gabriel who cared just for a little bit, and threw him away instantly. Heaven won’t cut it, and this is gonna burn him badly next season. But he’s still not there.

Anyway, I love good conflict, god bless this tragic clown mess, thanks for the gorgeous drama. Nice gays, sorry about depression.

#good omens #good omens s2 #good omens season 2 #ineffable husbands #good omens meta #yes there is a supernatural reference in this meta #of course there is #we are struggling and thriving at the same time

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ineffableigh · 7 months

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Timeline of Suspicious Events Brain Dump - PART 3

You know the drill at this point. Off we goooo! [Part 1][Part 2]

"Maggie and Nina are depending on me!" Azi's really drunk his own Kool-aid at this point, or he's putting on a complicated show to pretend this is a serious endeavor. Giving away a valuable book just to trick Heaven? Something's really not adding up.

Another weird noise for the logs: A bassy 'whoosh/boom' noise right after Mutt says he has anniversary dinner with his beloved spouse and the camera pans to Crowley. Not sure it means anything, but it did stand out to me lol.

Something that stands out to me a lot as well, assuming it was done deliberately (I don't know the actor) - Mutt seems to be having an awfully hard time handling the cards he's currently sorting. Like, after he says 'no' at first, I cannot figure out what he's trying to do with his right hand.

Also of note: The mysterious Bird Box is nowhere to be seen in the shop, even though MANY of the set items are identical to the 1941 scene. Where that bird at??

"Under no circumstances can I there be for tonight." ... what? This has to be on purpose, right? I'm digging, I know, but that's what we do here lol.

Big sad empty warehouse for the Demon Legions. Why on earth (or in Hell) is Hell so short staffed? Where them demons at?

DANGER...osity!

"I can only be there 'til 7" so that's a half hour window for the meeting, at least for Justine. Fair, she can only handle so much of Azi's painful French lol.

The metal barrier just outside the cafe is... awfully snake-y isn't it?

"Looking where the furniture isn't..." is definitely going to be VERY important. Crowley absolutely knows something about losing AND regaining memories and it's been telegraphed all season.

Michael has eye earrings! This feels like a huge tie-in with Maggie's all seeing eye necklace.

Skimming through the rest since I've gone through it multiple times through other posts, but quick takeaways include...

Ms Cheng looking at the Pub before she goes in. Suspicious given we know that's the Hellevator, but have no reason to believe she'd be looking for someone else coming from that direction as the cafe AND record store are the other way.

Mr Brown has to be suspicious because we HEAR him getting mulched by demons when he's taken, but he survives? WEIRD.

Maggie's main character moment as I mentioned in my 'Thoughts about Maggie' post.

Azi seems very genuine when explaining the Coffee Shop Love Plot to Nina, so maybe he really did believe he was helping. I don't get why they steamrolled past her already having a partner, both the lads knew it. It's weird for that much.

Maggie blankly standing by the open window in range of trash is weird, especially since she like Activates and Becomes Brave right after.

I do wonder... how does Shax know Maggie couldn't pay the rent? That seems awfully specific. Like REALLY specific.

Throne, Dominion or Higher Crowley - what a way to drop that info! That moment hits so hard lol.

"Institutional Problem" I wonder if we'll learn more about The Fall next season. What was it that actually triggered it (in this universe)?

I love that the archangels clearly interact with each other SO LITTLE that no one even knows if Gabriel actually has his own bloody desk lol. Talk about isolation.

Huh. I wonder why Shax didn't get discorporated by the Exploding Halo...

You know who else is wearing a damn turtleneck? SARAQUAEL. OOH. COVERT AGENT? HMMMM

No one looked at the damn box, I still can't believe it. Everyone was so busy Being In A Story that they didn't think of it lol.

Analysis of the last chunk of the episode has been done to death, so I'll finish by underlining that it's SO awfully convenient that Maggie INSISTED that she and Nina talk to "them" while Aziraphale was waylaid by the Metatron.

In fact, it's Very Fortunate that the Metatron made a point of going and sitting at JUSTINE'S CAFE out of sight of the bookshop AND Nina's Cafe. Otherwise Nina might have been like hey you, get in on this chat! Like he knew that was the plan...

Plus the fact that they do that even though Justine's cafe is clearly CLOSED. I doubt she'd be chill with that so I guess she's not around.

Anyway that's enough so here's the TLDR:

The Metatron pretty much just LETS Gabriel escape, knowing that the Archangels will go down and muddle about trying to investigate.

We still don't know why Michael thought they had the right to strike people from the Book of Life. The Metatron seems to think that's out of the question, so where did that idea come from in the first place? It was a major driver of the early plot this season.

It seems convenient that Maggie cried about Nina RIGHT before the Angels arrived to inspect the Jimbriel miracle, and then RIGHT AFTER THAT, Mr Brown (of Brown's World of Carpets) shows up to set up the venue. That alone, all happening in the span of maybe 15 minutes, is a LOT.

It really feels like much of the plot was specifically orchestrated to keep Aziraphale and Crowley apart and NOT TALKING to each other. They keep hiding shit from each other to protect each other, but just hamstring themselves.

#good omens #good omens 2 #good omens meta #ineffable husbands

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ourcwnside · 5 months

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Crowley - open starter - for Aziraphale

What a week. Actually, that was probably the understatement of the century and then some. Several frantic days spent trying to avert the apocalypse, including a few too-many brushes with destruction for Crowley's taste. Somehow they had survived...not just himself and Aziraphale, but everyone, everything on Earth. The pair of celestials had celebrated with (what else?) an extravagant dinner at the Ritz, and then Crowley had driven Aziraphale back to the newly-restored bookshop. It was the first time Aziraphale had returned to it since it had burned down, and Crowley wasted absolutely no time settling in to watch the angel flit about, lovingly running his fingers over every tome, checking to ensure everything was, indeed, in its place, beaming like the sun all the while.

That blessed smile....Crowley could hardly bear to think about how close he had come to losing it forever.

Three times. Three times in the last few days, Crowley had nearly lost Aziraphale. First, when he had been discorporated; Crowley could live another six thousand years and remember with perfect clarity the feeling when he realized he couldn't feel the angel's presence anywhere on Earth. The second time was in Tadfield, at the airbase, with the ground rumbling beneath their feet. Crowley didn't like feeling indebted to anyone, but he really did owe Adam for saving their skin. Had he not used his power over reality, Satan would have destroyed them all then and there, Crowley was certain of it. And thirdly was when Heaven itself attempted to destroy the angel for daring to defy them.

Three times he'd almost lost his best friend. His only friend. His angel. The one he....

Well. Maybe that was why he felt the need to speak up. The wine was probably playing a part in driving his actions as well, but only insofar as it was ebbing some of his nerves.

"Angel..." he broke the comfortable silence that had been hanging between them for the past fifteen minutes or so, and then decided to start again. Properly.

"Aziraphale. Can I---I need to tell you something."

#✦ x — ⊰open starters⊱#✦ verse vii — ⊰ just the two of us ⊱#✦ flash bastard — ⊰crowley⊱

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phantomram-b00 · 8 months

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Okay I gotta cut back on my spoilers since a family member I know is watching season 2 is so to keep my hyperfixation and brainrotting still functioning, I wanna share some headcanon:

(Warning that some might contain spoilers for season 1 or at least vague ones at that so spoiler warning ahead)

- Maggie reads coffee shop au or coffee shop romance books way before meeting Nina (who just so happen to own a coffee shop)

- Nina the type to tease in both banter or in a romantic manner.

- Crowley while don’t completely believe in astrology still loves to read about them and just to tease Aziraphale say “that is very much *insert Aziraphale’s zodiac sign* behavior Angel”.

- The Them and Anathema (plus Newton) still hang out and to this day talk about the almost apocalypse and wondering how Crowley and Aziraphale are doing

-Maggie and Aziraphale occasionally hang out and talk about either music or life. (Bonus if Aziraphale talk to Maggie about Crowley as Maggie search up “how to tell your friend they’re gay?”)

-Crowley stargazes either by himself or bring Aziraphale with him, and whenever Azirapahle talk about the stars being pretty, Crowley look at Aziraphale agreeing and/or whenever Crowley talk about the stars and funfact about them aziraphale look at him and listen with a smile.

- Nina hums while making coffee

- Nina secretly been wanted to get a gramophone or a Jukebox to play either at home or at her shop

- Heaven and Hell are still frazzled thag Aziraphael and Crowley still survived after their “executions” and even still talk about it to this day.

-Crowley replays what Gabriel told Aziraphale during the bodyswap episode in his mind (and given what I understand most likely never told Aziraphale what Gabriel said)

-Aziraphale bought a rubber duck for jokes and it either inside his bathroom or on his nightstand.

-Nina would sometimes check out the bookshop

-Adam still uses his powers but try not to do something big to alert either his parents or heaven or hell in case of another Armageddon.

-Anathema and Newton are engaged but had to wait as the pandemic happen.

-Aziraphale secretly miss whenever Crowley have long hair.

-Crowley secretly miss his long hair but doesn’t want to deal with the tangles (relatable)

-The them still go on adventures and still spend time with Adam even with school going on.

-the them for sure own discord and would video call each other to keep each touch, update and also have their laughs. (Bonus is that they matching pfp)

-Aziraphale sings at the comfort of his own home or while cleaning.

-Aziraphale/Crowley use any pronouns, they don’t mind being called he/him, she/her, they/them or whatnot.

-Crowley once made flower crown for Aziraphale and he (Aziraphale) love it that he does it occasionally.

Most likely have more but that all I can think off 🤭 hehehehe

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actual-changeling · 3 months

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https://www.tumblr.com/vi-the-bee/741335990242836480/yall-be-so-mad-at-aziraphale-for-rarely?source=share

I don't know what to make of this. When did Crowley ever run away? Like running away with Zira was the plan B if the Apocalypse couldn't be averted. And he didn't try to stop it on his own after the burning bookshop cause he literally thought he'd lost the love of his life

Right? Right???

Yeah, sorry, but OP is so fucking wrong it hurts.

Like I don't even know where to start, literally every sentence is factually incorrect. Crowley is not a runner, I've written about it at length.

And Aziraphale neither starts nor finishes things unless they're for his benefit because he's self-centred and has no interest in what other people want.

Some people just lack media literacy and end up writing illogical & shitty posts, I recommend blocking them and letting them drown in their own bad takes.

#alex answers asks #good omens #good omens season 2 #ineffable husbands #crowley #aziraphale

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heartinajarofpickles · 7 months

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Dinner Is Not Over

Part 2

And I can say the same to you

The elevator was incredibly slow, although it might just be his jitters, Aziraphale haven’t really used heavens elevator, it seemed like a very long and boring way up, maybe it was a sign of the type of life waiting for him, maybe it was a warning, a bit of extra time so that he could reconsider his decision in a small dull and monotonous white space, with the voice of god by his side, now that he thought about it even Crowley had used the elevator more than him, it was too bright, too modern, too harsh, too boring, too BAD, maybe he was just nervous, Why was he nervous? Was he excited? He couldn’t even tell, so how could we know?

Aziraphale definitely thought that his first day was going to be different, he wasn’t exactly expecting a welcome party (although he would’ve loved one), maybe he was expecting congratulations or an apology for trying to kill him, that would be nice too, but as soon as he arrived all he received was a cold shoulder from his fellow angels, after all he wasn’t the most loved one there, for the winged ones he was nothing but a careless low angel that have betrayed them by fucking up the apocalypse, losing an incredibly powerful weapon crafted by god herself, and worse than all have been so close to a demon that he could survive the fire. Somehow he was still an angel, even worse he was now an archangel, THE ARCHANGEL, there were some people in line for that position, and soon they will let Aziraphale know not only that he was not welcome there but also that they wouldn’t make his job easy.

Aziraphale felt uneasy, it was not only the backhanded comments that everyone seem to be doing all the time, not only those hollow, brightly white and lonely long hallways, no something was missing, Crowley was missing, Aziraphale was into an incredibly big mess, and his demon wasn’t going to save him now

Tedious meetings filled most of his time, that and the incredibly long paperwork that came afterwards, there was no time to rest, as angels didn’t really need to, there was no food and nothing recreational which made Aziraphale’s problems worse, job job job and only job, he knew that he was going to have a lot more of responsibilities but at this point it was ridiculous the amount of times he had gone to trials for the stupidest things.

As he was walking out of another dumb meeting he remembered something.

— “Hey Uriel!”

— “Yes archangel” the angel replied in a monotone voice, they were talking more because they had to rather that because they wanted to

— “How did you find about me and-“ Aziraphale made a pause long enough for Uriel to know what he was referring to

— “We just went over the records until we found evidence, there is everything since before the creation updating with every second, it’s more of a live transmission that you can rewind such a sophisticated and useful resource actually........”

Uriel kept talking about the advanced technology in heaven, and made a comment or two about how Aziraphale wouldn’t know how to use it, but Aziraphale had already listened to all he needed to hear and commanded the angel to leave, which they did while protesting.

Aziraphale waited for a while, it finally seemed like a slow day, so he decided to mess a bit with his new shiny toy, of course he went straight to see live feed of library, it was (as expected) looking exactly the same, the sun was already settling on earth the warm tones filling the image aching the angel, another thing of earth that he missed, here he couldn’t see sunsets, he couldn’t really see anything besides those white miraculous lights that never went off, there was people inside of the bookshop, and even worse those people came out with books, pain was the first thing that Aziraphale felt and then, regret

“Nothing last forever”

His words came flashing at him stabbing him 1000 times, he knew that the library was going to stop existing, but he didn’t expect for its destruction to start this soon, was it soon?, all of those books were part of his existence on earth, the things he had done to get them were proof that he have been there, that he had been human, that he have felt, that he had lived, that he had done something with his existence ,DONE SOMETHING, that was another thing that made him feel bad, he couldn’t exactly know how much time he had expended in heaven as everything look the same all the time, and he was scared of asking, scared of getting in their wrong side, scared of the consequences that might bring, scared about them thinking that he didn’t want to be there, a part of him really really wanted to leave, but he will never show it, he hadn’t been there so long, have he? Long or short, on his stay he hadn’t made that much of a change, in fact he hadn’t changed anything, all he did was sit, try to pay attention (which turned out to be an incredibly difficult task) and give his vote, but the vote had to be the same as everyone else’s if he didn’t want to end up worse than Gabriel, they gave up on him, but another little mistake from heaven wouldn't have such a nice ending, to make a change he’ll have to fight back, but first he needed to earn their trust, after all you have to lose a few battles to win the war.

A thought pop into his mind, he couldn’t stand to see his books being sold, that make him mad, really mad, and when he was in such a mood he spiral, so his mind naturally drifted to his favorite thing to look at: CROWLEY, with a natural hurry Aziraphale started look for his flat, chest pondering as he searched for the address, and before him (because apparently heaven doesn’t have any care about people’s privacy and one can observe peoples flats 24/7) was the demon in such a horrifying state that the angel quickly turn off the image, but the damage was already done, and even though Aziraphale shut his eyes as hard as he could the image was engraved on his memory, there it was, the being that he loved the most on the floor curled up resting, with his hands all bloody and the department filled to the brim with empty liquor bottles.

Aziraphale had fucked up, and he had fucked up badly.

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