#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]

Aziracrow + Vice and Mature social links

[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]

[yokai-girlie]

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]

Crowley and Aziraphale and Vice and Mature returns one more time in Good Omens Season 3 and King of Fighters XV

[viceandmature]

Showing off their CDs

[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.

[schattenhonig]

Yep, that's me🫣

That is so me lol

[halemerry]

On Aziraphale, Protection, and the Greater Good

Alright folks. I’ve already written quite a bit about the ways the Metatron was trying to manipulate Aziraphale here, but I wanted to give credit where credit is due and talk a little bit about how I don’t think that necessarily means it worked nearly as well as the Metatron thinks it does.

Because Aziraphale? Is not stupid. It’s one of his defining traits that though he might occasionally be slow, he has always been intelligent. He has also always been a fighter. And a bit stubborn. And though the fact he is allowed to be all that and still stay soft is one of my favorite things about him, that does not mean he is soft and soft alone.

With or without Crowley, Aziraphale has nearly always been a character who, above all else, does what’s right. This is part of what Crowley loves about him and it’s part about what we as the audience love about him too. He shelters a demon on the wall he is meant to be guarding. He gives away a sword to humans and lies to God about it directly to Her face. He struggles immensely with being asked to do anything he cannot reconcile with his morals and, even if he might fight against his impulses as to what’s right for a little bit, when push comes to shove he almost always falls on the right side of that scale. It’s important especially that this is also true of him even without Crowley in the equation.

Now, Crowley makes it much easier for him to be this person. He encourages and enables Aziraphale to be himself. He complicates and challenges Aziraphale’s worldview but in a healthy way that helps him grow and develop it, but never forces Az to be someone he isn’t. He also, most importantly, gives Aziraphale someone he understands. He is a connection. And a connection that allows Aziraphale to take his time and to make the excuses he needs to, at least for a little while. Because he understands that while Aziraphale is slow to change, he is not as resistant to it as he often reads to be - especially when he thinks that change can benefit the greater good.

Because Aziraphale fundamentally loves Earth and the people on it. And he knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that Crowley does too. Not taking an opportunity he has to help someone has never sat well with him - even if that person is a naked Gabriel showing up on his doorstep. He does not run away with Crowley in season 1 because it would have been wrong to run away when he felt he could help and the same principle applies here too with the decision he comes to about the Metatron’s offer.

While I definitely think the Metatron was using lovebombing and other manipulation techniques on Aziraphale I highly suspect he is underestimating his new Supreme Archangel. And I highly suspect that what is happening here is not Aziraphale folding back into this own cult as much as much a few other things that could be happening.

I may poke around at a few more of these later but for now I want to focus on Aziraphale lied theory laid out here by @las-lus. This whole season has focused quite a bit on Aziraphale lying/using sleight of hand for Crowley's sake. It makes sense he would do this too to protect him from the Metatron and critically I don’t think it’s an accident that the only shot we get of his conversation with the Metatron are flashbacks from Aziraphale's narrative point of view. Reading this actually changed the whole trajectory of this meta so please take a look at it if you've got the chance! I really love this theory a lot and would've slapped this all on a reblog if it wasn't so big. (Though I'll be the first to admit I'm biased to anything that lets Aziraphale do some rescuing.)

At it's core this makes this action a protective one. He is a guardian given a flaming sword by God. He was built to protect. And we see him in this role throughout the series even if it's not always in the way we expect or in the way he was necessarily built for.

I want to start before the beginning. This scene is an important one for a lot of reasons, but for the context of this the important bit is that Aziraphale is already anxious. He’s a bit starstruck and a little baffled by the strange angel he’s stumbled into chatting with, but his primary focus in the meat of this scene is actually concern for this stranger's welfare. The instant the topic turns critical he immediately starts glancing around anxiously. This scene ends with him saying, "I'd hate to see you getting into any trouble." and giving us one of the most worried expressions I've ever seen on his face.

Then again at Eden, the first time we meet Aziraphale, we are shown him acting twice in a row for the sake of keeping others safe. We see him offer Crowley shelter from the storm and also give away his God given weapon to protect Adam and Eve. A lot of people tie Crowley to Eden for obvious reason but I think people often forget that, yes, without Crowley humans don't leave Eden but without Aziraphale they do not survive it.

We then see him in conflict over the Flood. As far as we know he doesn't act here but he quite clearly thinks it is wrong. He's high strung and tense and his attempts to rebuke Crowley's frustration feels more like him trying to convince himself.

Now we get to Job. This minisode is so fascinating to me for a lot of reasons because through most of it, against pattern, we have Aziraphale as the driving force throughout it. First we get Aziraphale checking in with Heaven to make sure there wasn't some official solution to this. (We also get a line in there that I think says a lot about Aziraphale's priorities when he specifically draws attention to his concerns for Sitis being old enough birth that many times would be hard and risky.) Once Heaven fails him here Aziraphale is the one to reach out to Crowley and Aziraphale is the one to press for them to work together. He takes a gamble, hoping that his instinct that Crowley does not want to hurt kids is accurate, and gets up in Crowley's face to challenge him when Crowley refuses to prove him right. It is not Crowley taking the lead here, bringing Aziraphale in but rather Aziraphale trusting his owns instincts are right.

Aziraphale is also crucially the one constructing the charade Crowley plays in front of the angels as Bildad the cobbler/midwife. Aziraphale immediately and without hesitation provides Crowley with the pieces he needs to make the lie convincing enough. He tells him that what they need is an expert on human births and Crowley rolls with it and then clarifies very quickly that Gabriel witnessed Eve's birth, signaling to Crowley that mimicking that would be the play.

He is trying to tip the scales to get the outcome he wants - to keep this family safe - before he ever utters a lie. And then he does. He lies directly, giving his word as an angel. This is an act that eats him alive inside. He literally thinks he has fallen for this and has perfectly resigned himself as being damned to Hell for it and does it anyway. Because he knows it was right. Because he thinks a family of five he has no real connection to are worth falling to protect.

By the time we hit the Globe in 1601 Aziraphale's primary objection to their Arrangement has evolved from concern about what Head Office will think into concern specifically for Crowley's safety.

Then in 1827, even if it's in a misguided way, his concern starts out on Elspeth and her soul. He tries to protect her and very quickly changes his tune as soon as he's given proper evidence that what she was doing was net good. Again he is the one driving most of this narrative and the duo's actions forward as Crowley drifts along trying to get him to see that some actions aren't fully good or bad but can exist in a moral gray space. We also get him verbalizing his own moral code here explicitly when he wants to heal Morag.

He continues to have concern for Crowley on the forefront of his mind - asking very quickly after his good deed for Elspeth if he's safe or if hell noticed and then a few years later denies Crowley holy water out of concern that it could destroy him.

In 1941 we first get him operating under cover trying to unsuccessfully lie his way into dispatching some Nazi. We then get him offering himself as a magician for Crowley's sake and using sleight of hand to keep evidence of their relationship from making its way to Hell.

In particular I want to draw attention here to the fact the episode we revisit this moment in has two very similar moments toward the beginning and end of it. This episode opens with what the episode is named for - Shax hitching a ride with Aziraphale. He's relatively amicable with her until she at one point implies harm to Crowley wondering out loud why he would risk destruction for Az. Then toward the end when Furfur enters the dressing room, Aziraphale is pleasant and kind until the moment it becomes clear Crowley is being threatened. In both cases his expression turns more neutral and his body language becomes more focused and serious. He is ready to protect at all costs and is done being polite to these people who threaten his demon.

From there we go to 1976. Here as he hears about Crowley's holy water heist, he makes a choice. Even though he does not want Crowley having this weapon at all and tells Crowley as much that that position hasn't changed he realizes how dangerous trying to steal it could be. So he decides to make it as safe as he can in the circumstance, putting aside his own wants and feelings for the sake of minimizing even potential harms.

Even good old 'you go too fast for me' is a form of protection here. Even if it hurts and even if it's not want they want they need at least one of them to pump the breaks to make sure they are not discovered.

Then the world nearly ends. I won't examine what happens there too closely but I think we can all agree Aziraphale was willing to do quite a lot to insure the world and Crowley were safe once Crowley gets him on board with raising Warlock. Though I do want to note I don't think it's an accident that a lot of what Aziraphale says to Crowley at the end of six has echos of the bandstand - the last event Aziraphale has to reference that he knew would make Crowley go away.

A lot of the core of the current season is built around all sorts of protective Aziraphale actions. The flashbacks all gesture at it in some capacity, and anther notable one is him sacrificing books both as weaponry and to make the ball happen. He has committed to securing their safety before a single demon even shows up looking for Gabriel. We also get him willingly risking war to defend the people in his shop. Episode six in particular shows us a lot of Aziraphale in this mode, which he's pretty much locked into from the moment the demons arrive, Whether it's protecting Gabriel, Nina and Maggie, or at one point putting his body between the demons and a whole crowd of people including Crowley.

This season is a season that emphasizes that Aziraphale is a liar. It is one that draws attention to him pulling tricks and on him learning to do that for the greater good. It it about him learning that sometimes the choices we make are often more morally gray than we would like. And most importantly it is about Aziraphale believing this world and the people in it are worth protecting.

And who does he want to keep safe more than anyone? Who did he fight to share his life with? It makes sense to me that he would do this for Crowley. It's perfectly in character and gives Aziraphale the due credit I think a lot of theories lack. Because, to me, Aziraphale isn't the one that walks away from Omelas, Aziraphale is the child who would willfully sacrifice himself to keep the people he loves safe.