#aziraphale is a fighter

[ineffable-suffering]

The meaning of "I forgive you"

Alright, hello again, I involuntarily dipped for a bit because real life outside of this lovely Tumblr Good Omens bubble got a little bit stressful, but! I'm back for a quick little post to say that I'm currently reading the script book for Season 1 and seeing this line again, spelled out on paper, just shone some more light on the whole „I forgive you“-scene of Season 2 for me again.

Because really, this first time Az says it to Crowley in front of the bookshop tells us exactly what the second time during the Final Fifteen means.

Aziraphale is not forgiving Crowley for kissing him. Or for using this moment to confess and make things explicit between them.

No, Aziraphale is forgiving Crowley for not trusting and believing (in) him.

Let's shove the Final Fifteen to the side for a second and look at this scene from Season 1 under the cut.

The situation at hand: The World is ending, with utmost certainty. In addition, Crowley is absolutely f*cked and Hell is out to get him. He tries to apologise for their Bandstand fallout and explain the other two things to Az (poorly, but he tries). Because to Crowley, Armageddon is a done deal already. Wherever the actual Antichrist is, he's gonna come into his power and the World will be wiped out for Heaven and Hell to wage their war on. Also, Hastur is coming to kick his demon ass. Time to dip!

And yet, Aziraphale doesn't want to come with him. He is adamant that he will be able to reach the Almighty, talk to Her and turn this around. Because if Aziraphale, Guardian of the Eastern Gate, thinks there's even the slightest, tiniest morsel of a chance that he can turn things around the right way, he will do it. Even if it sounds ridiculous. Even if it's a lost cause to everyone else. Even if all the other angels gang up on him and (literally) beat him up.

Even if Crowley calls him stupid.

Aziraphale decides not to be offended by this.

Because this is what he does. This is what a Guardian does. He stays and protects to ward off the intrusion, until the very last second.

Now listen, I'm the last person to blame Crowley for intrinsically wanting to choose Flight over Fight in this very situation, because Lord knows (literally) what happened to him back when he chose Fight and lost.

But at the same time we have to keep in mind that despite his last name, Aziraphale never Fell. He never made the horrible experience of being chucked away by the one who made you to love Her because you chose to question her ways. And yes, in so many ways this choice of his, to still believe that he can change something by questioning and suggesting (both here and in S2), is utterly maddening and hurtful to Crowley. Because it's a mirror of what Crowley himself did and a reminder of just how big the price he had to pay was. Aziraphale seemingly not realizing or understanding this stings. It does.

And yet.

Yet Aziraphale's choice to not take no for an answer, to not let a punch to the gut derail him from his plan, to not let even the most definitive thing such as Armageddon keep him from fighting back, is the one thing that ends up saving the World.

Because even when it all seems impossible and completely hopeless and bloody Satan himself is erupting from the pits of Hell, ...

... Aziraphale picks up his sword and fights back.

And he wins.

Not without help, of course. But might I remind you of what got Crowley to cooperate and not simply surrender like he'd almost done that second?

You might not see it at first, but tucked in between all the posh hedonism, hidden away underneath that tightly buttoned waistcoat of his, Aziraphale is a fighter. And a good one at that. I mean, for Someone's sake, he got discorporated, beamed himself down back to Earth, found Crowley somehow, possessed a psychic prostitute (love you, Madame Tracy), rode a scooter all the way to Taddfield and fought off Lucifer with sheer willpower (and a bit of emotional coercion).

Aziraphale can fight. Smart and hard. And not only that: He can win, too. And he knows it. Because he believes, truly, firmly and wholly, that he can make things right. It's the only thing he will settle for. This, ladies and gents, this is how he ends up saving the World, together with Crowley, Adam and the rest.

Because he didn't accept no as an answer. He didn't look at the impossible and accept it as such. Even when Crowley thought him to be an idiot for trying and even after his initial attempt at talking to God had failed, Aziraphale still found a way to stop The Big Bad Thing from happening.

Which is exactly what his plan is when he ends up being forced to come back to Heaven by the Metatron. (If you still believe this was a voluntary choice, read here). And which is exactly why he is so hurt and still ends up forgiving Crowley for the fact that Crowley doesn't end up coming with him. Doesn't end up understanding, trusting and believing (in) him, just like all the way back at the end of the World in Season 1.

Aziraphale decides not to be offended by this.

[tampire]

#Same Energy

[viceandmature]

Queens of plotting behind their Bosses' backs in elevators while their Cuntresses waits for them

[zionworkzs]

Alright, lets talk about Aziraphale protecting Gabriel. More specifically why and what it tells us about our favorite angel.

First off, I like musing about why Gabriel came to Aziraphale in the first place. He says he was looking for Beelzebub and "got lost." I think, and I'm sure someone has mentioned this before, but I think Gabriel on some level knew Aziraphale's infatuation with Crowley and thought, if anyone will understand my predicament (read: being in love with a demon), it's Aziraphale.

And that's really sweet, but for me, the interesting thing is WHY Aziraphale helps him, and why he seems so willing to help so soon, with virtually no information.

Why?

Is it some of that Heavenly loyalty? Maybe. I kind of doubt it since Gabriel tried to kill what he thought was Aziraphale at their last encounter. And Aziraphale knows this, even if Crowley never told him directly what went on in Heaven.

So why? He loves the mystery? Sure, later in the season he enters his Detective Era(tm) for all of one episode, but his initial thought isn't to solve what happened, it's to protect Gabriel.

Does he feel bad for Gabriel? Probably, a little. But again, Gabriel is technically an enemy at this point. And would Aziraphale really risk the life that he built for himself (and Crowley) for this amnesiac archangel because he felt bad for him? Honestly, probably, yeah. But there's more to it than that.

Even when faced with danger. Danger for himself, Crowley, and all their human guests, he still protects Gabriel.

WHY?

Because fundamentally, he believes that everyone can be redeemed. And not even in a Heaven-can-save-your-soul kind of way either. In a distinctly human way. He's seen 6,000 years of human history. He's seen humans be unbelievably cruel and also heart-warmingly kind. He's seen his own demon (supposedly unlovable, cruel, evil) be kinder than all of Heaven's angels combined. But the interesting thing about that is that Crowley is kind in the way humans are kind. And Aziraphale believes in human kind.

He sees the good in people, even if it's buried so far down they may not even recognize it. And there's something inside him that longs to bring that goodness out in others.

And I think this hits on a main facet of his personality which is Hope. Because if people can change, and people can be good, there is hope.

Makes me think of this post:

[orbeavariegata]

[crashoutnarumi]

when i say “the white haired man with ethereal eyes and his dark haired soulmate with whom he broke up with in front of a restaurant in the second season of their show”

do you think of Aziraphale and Crowley or Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto?

[blurred-honey]

I know that I must write the fanfic I want to see in the world, but it’s so hard

[apollo-the-beloved]

Can Crowley fight

[some-siren]

My brain had a thought that I deem both mildly cursed, quite idiotic and hellishly interesting. Hellishly meaning I find it brilliant but also I hate it with all my soul and guts but I need to say it out loud or it’s gonna consume me

Alright, there goes nothing

Good Omens with steven universe AU

[tampire]

Aziracrow + Vice and Mature social links

[viceandmature]

Showing off their CDs

[schattenhonig]

Yep, that's me🫣

That is so me lol

[hikarry]

Remember the post I wrote about Aziraphale being a fighter?

Do you wanna know who isn't one?

Crowley

And no, I'm not saying he is a lover or some bullshit like that. Aziraphale is a fighter AND a lover. No, Crowley is a strategist.

He fights with his brain. He is really good at thinking on his feet. In a physical fight, he gets over the violence by talking his way out of it and using his creativity to come up with a quick exit. He thinks up plans quickly and efficiently (raising the antichrist, surviving Ligur and Hastur, getting Hastur stuck in the phone, figuring out how to cross the M25 aflame, the Arrangement, saving Aziraphale in 1941, the plan to rob the church in the 60s, fooling an horde of angels into believing Job's kids are new kids, do you want me to continue?).

And he has the added bonus of having a silver tongue, so his words are always clearly his main weapon to bring his plans into fruition. And, so far, we've only seen him fail once: convincing Aziraphale to stay

[love-me-love-my-weirdness]

Something really interesting about the final fifteen is how perfectly it portrays Aziraphale and Crowley’s trauma responses.

At first, you might think that Aziraphale had the fawn response and Crowley had the fight response but the final fifteen shows something very different.

Aziraphale has the fight response and Crowley has the flight response.

In every situation, when it gets tough, Crowley’s instinct is to run. His instinct is to gather what he cares about and leave to keep himself and Aziraphale safe. Their safety is always the priority. He would sacrifice everything for his loved ones.

Aziraphale, on the other hand, is a fighter. He was named a Guardian and he lives up to his title. His instinct is always to stand his ground and fight for his beliefs. He protects his loved ones like an animal would protect their young. He stands up and chases the danger away.

That’s what makes their communication so utterly shit. They want to protect each other so badly but they have such different ways of going about it. Aziraphale sees Crowley’s trauma response as giving up and Crowley sees Aziraphale’s trauma response as blind hope.

Their trauma responses make so much sense for what they’ve been through individually but they can’t understand the other’s approach.

Crowley is seeing how bad things can get and going “I’m not sticking around for it to get worse” and Aziraphale is seeing it and going “I’m not standing by and letting it get worse”.

There are flaws in both of their thinking and you can’t look at the final fifteen at a surface level because there are so many layers and complicating factors to both of their actions.

That’s what makes Neil Gaiman such a good writer and Aziraphale and Crowley such good 3D characters.

[zionworkzs]

Don't mind me, going off on a tangent about Aziraphale's character.

I can't help but be continually drawn to his choice to go back to Heaven. I think it hits once again on the fundamental difference between Crowley and Aziraphale. For all the joking at his expense, I don't believe Aziraphale is naive. I don't think he sees the world as black and white anymore. He's grown and changed (thanks party to Crowley's influence, but also just by nature of being around humans for 6000 years). And it reminds me of this speech from the fantastic move Everything Everywhere All At Once:

"You think I'm weak don't you? All of those years ago when we first fell in love, your father would say I was too sweet for my own good. Maybe he was right. You tell me it's a cruel world, and we're all running around in circles. I know that. I've been on this earth just as many days as you. When I choose to see the good side of things, I'm not being naive. It is strategic and necessary. It's how I've learned to survive through everything. I know you see yourself as a fighter. Well, I see myself as one too. This is how I fight."

I see so much of Aziraphale in Waymond. His kindness is not weakness, it isn't naiveté or ignorance. It is strategic and necessary. This is how he fights. With optimism.

And Crowley is an optimist too, we are told as much:

So I don't think he's mad Aziraphale left. His angel, the strategically optimistic fighter who gave away God's gift because he saw people in need, wants to help.

It's his way of fighting.

[a-love-like-yours]

That’s why he goes back to heaven in the first place.

He’s returns because he thinks, above what Crowley means to him and what Aziraphael wants,

Heaven needs to change. Can be changed.

And he has to help, to fight for it.

Because that’s who he is.

He’s a fighter down to the last feather.

And I love him for it.

fr tho i understand why crowley wants them to run away together and run from all of it but he just seems to have forgotten that aziraphale does not cower, he doesn't back down, and he. does. not. run.

and honestly, crowley knows it: