#i mean i think crowley sort of already realizes this

[fagziraphale]

itd be cool if the reason for crowley's fall was literally that he tried to overthrow god. like he went all in on the rebellion. he downplays it later like he just asked questions he just hung around the wrong people he just got swept up in it etc bc he cant remember the details a lot and that makes it easier for him to maintain that he didn't even do anything. but like i want the truth to be that he DID do something. and this is not to say he would have deserved it, or that trying to overthrow god is wrong or anything. it would just unambiguously be like yeah, there was a rebellion, he was part of it, he chose to reject god first. and then he AND aziraphale have to come to realize that that still doesn't make what was done to him and the other demons justified

[violenteconomics]

Twst but the first-year gang become actual licensed professionals cause Crowley will donate to the Vacation Fund if they do?

anything 4 u, baby.

actual licensed professionals in what, though, is the question? 🤔

maybe the nurse quits because of their extremely low wages, so crowley convinces the first-years to go to freaking medical school to get licenses to practice medicine (because he is NOT going to be sued if things go poorly), and all of them start working in the infirmary part-time for 100 thaumarks a day.

sebek is already the son of a dentist, and he's surprisingly really intense about it (IT'S MY FATHER'S LEGACY, AND I WILL CARRY IT WITH HONOR) so you have him filling in cavities and stabbing people and saying that the knife going through their arm wouldn't have hurt if they had just flossed, obviously. given all his swords training, he's also in charge of applying ointment to cuts and making casts for broken bones. he's also great

being a pomefiore student, and combined with his newly-secured medical license, epel can mix up an extremely potent healing potion. being an apple farmer from harveston, he can also expertly mix epels into the concoction so that it tastes a little less like dirt. students start going to epel instead of crewel for their health potions because his don't make them feel like throwing up, lol. he also gains a reputation for cursing out people who keep showing up with the same injuries every damn day. ("WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU GOT BUCKED IN THE FACT BY A HORSE AGAIN, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU--")

ace is very good at noticing little details in people (always thinking about his fairy gala vignette fr), and can almost diagnose someone the moment they step through the infirmary door. the rumors of his genius ability spreads through the school like wildfire, and next thing you know, he's putting actual sage's island hospitals out of business because now people are going to him instead of actual adult doctors, and ace just. doesn't notice?? like he genuinely thinks full-grown adults coming to him for his expert opinion is just a part of his job description as a high school nurse.

while deuce has a license, he's still not very good at being a medical professional. first day on the job, he knocks over all of epel's potions, catches the infirmary on fire, and gives their anemic patient the flu... somehow. luckily, as we all know, deuce has the charisma of a million gods, so he's in charge of calming people down in the waiting room that he also helped to decorate. the harsh blue on yellow walls are a little much, but eh. deuce is cute, so he makes up for it. some people come in for check-ups just to talk to him, because the rizz never ends.

ortho is like. all the hospital machines in one tiny robot body. he is your x-ray, your weight scale, your height scale, and your radio if your laid in bed and bored... if you don't mind listening to hetalia character songs, lol. he'll switch to something different if you want, but you can't actually tell him what to play, because he's not being paid to play music for you so he doesn't feel the need to heed your request. you are literally at his mercy when it comes to music, so you better get used to listening to oshi no ko's opening theme on loop while you're laid up in bed for the next five hours.

jack does the actual physical stuff -- checking reflexes, writing up prescriptions, using ortho to take x-rays, that sort of thing. people are a little intimidated by him, especially the kids, but all it takes is letting them pet him between the ears for them to calm down. importantly, he is literally the only one of the freshmen to realize that they're doing a lot more work than they probably should be for seven people in a school full of people who'd rather relocate their dislocated limbs themselves than admit they need help. not that he says anything about it because, well, they need the vacation money.

yuu is their ever-exhausted secretary. they're in charge of scheduling appointments, receiving calls, managing their budget, and growing herbs in the botanical gardens, because ingredients for healing potions don't grow on trees... they grow in bushes. they're so overworked, it barely ever occurs to them that maybe some of the people scheduling for appointments really shouldn't be there??? like this girl is literally 6, why is she coming to us about her aching tummy-wummy.

the first-years's medical practice becomes famous around sage's island, and they're over here trying to figure out where they're going to go once they've raised all their vacation money, lol.

[ineffable-suffering]

Aziraphale, I love you. But you lied. And here's why.

Okay. I’m not gonna beat around the bush for too long. It’s time now for me to also throw my try at a personal Good Omens Season 2 Magnum Opus into the mix of already existing magnum op..i? Opusses? (Smited? Smote?)

If I’m honest, it isn’t fully my own magnum opus, as I read this meta not too long ago that made me go: „Oh! My God! That’s it!“ And I’m pretty sure a lot of other people have clocked this too by now. Of course I’m not saying it’s the objective truth but after having mulled it over for many endless nights and days, wading through the onslaught of coffee theories, body swap theories, The Metatron re-writing the Book of Life theories and many, many more, this is the one I think is most plausible and, if you look closely, most obvious.

And it goes as such: Aziraphale lied.

To all of us. All of them. And most of all, to Crowley. He lied to him. Well, he sort of did and also sort of didn’t. He certainly didn’t tell the truth. At least not all of it. I hear you ask: “OP, what the fuck are you talking about”. I answer you: Let’s start from the top and under the cut.

(Small note: this meta ended up being way too large for Tumblr, which is why I will redirect you to an external doc at the end of the post, where I have written it all down nicely and accurately. It's about 35 digital A4-pages long, just in case you want to save it for later.)

(Word count: 12.831 | Approximate reading time: 50 minutes)

Let’s start with a short recap of what happens before the Metatron crashes the bookshop party and everything goes to shit. The proper visuals for this are in my Tumblr post but I am absolutely convinced that right up until when the Metatron comes to take Aziraphale away and talk to him, the angel is fully ready to get into Crowley’s Bentley-chariot and finally ride off into the sunset (or Alpha Centauri-set or whatever). You can see it in his face and body language. You can see when the penny drops for him that a) Crowley loves him b) he loves Crowley and c) they can finally start their happily ever after. Aziraphale realizes this all throughout said Brielzebub reveal in the bookshop. And he’s such a lost cause once he does. 

I mean, look at that. Look at it. This (very shitty recording, sorry, I'm not tech-savvy enough to avoid the Amazon Prime screen recording blocker) is the very second Aziraphale realizes hat Crowley loves him. When he hears him suggest Alpha bloody Centauri as a getaway for Gabriel and Beelzebub, as Crowley has done to Aziraphale for so, so many times now. He finally understands what Crowley was trying to tell him with that all those times.

Aziraphale realizes this all throughout the Brielzebub reveal in the bookshop. And he’s such a lost cause once he does.

Right when Crowley suggest Alpha Centauri as a nice getaway spot to the two, Aziraphale looks at him and he gets it. That Crowley has loved him, has been loving him for millennia. Truthfully, they've both known that for a long while now. But there's a difference between knowing, wanting, craving and actually being able to finally have something. And that's exactly what we see on Aziraphale's face here. This is it. This is where it all starts working out for Crowley and him. This is were they can start their eternity together.

So from that second on, Aziraphale only has eyes for Crowley. He keeps physically pawing at Crowley with complete heart eyes, as if to say „Look, look, that’s gonna be us too! Finally!" He’s actually so smitten that he doesn’t even hear what Crowley is saying when he asks Shax if he can have back his apartment now because he’s sick of living in his car. (Also, what way to drop that bomb right in this moment Crowley, lmao). 

Once the Metatron comes in, the first thing Aziraphale says is that they don’t need to talk because „he’s made his position quite clear“. He doesn’t even want to talk to the Metatron, because in his mind, he’s already made the choice. Actually, he made the choice way before the bookshop showdown. For starters, I’m convinced that the Jane Austen Ball actually never was for Maggie and Nina but for Crowley and him (you can read more about that here). And apart from that, for this whole season we have seen Aziraphale trying to advance his relationship with Crowley romantically and domestically and move them to the literal next base (our car!). And after everything he just witnessed with Brielzebub, the final nail in the coffin of ethereal-infernal romance being possible, his choice is absolutely crystal clear: It’s Crowley. It’s always been Crowley and it always will be Crowley. And now it can be Crowley. They can be an us.

The whole of Season 2 is such a massive learning curve for Aziraphale’s character, with him remembering all those important pivotal points of his past,  and this very moment is the peak, with him not only understanding that Crowley loves him (because he certainly knew for quite some centuries now) but accepting that love, letting himself have that love, being allowed to want that love and taking that love and starting their new and final chapter with it. Nevertheless, the plot clock ticks for them. The Metatron saunters into the bookshop, evil and stinky as Metatrons do, and urges Aziraphale to come with him with his whole Take The Coffee schtick, which I will get into later. And Aziraphale, immediately sensing there’s Something Up, does. Can’t really turn down someone as high-ranking as the the voice of God, after all. Even if you were currently already planning how you were going to elope with a certain red-haired serpent of Eden. 

he next time we see Aziraphale on screen, it’s so painfully evident on his face that he is neither happy nor excited. Not even the slightest bit. We’d know if he was, thanks to Mr. Michael master-of-microexpressions Sheen. None of the usual “Aziraphale is happy”-signs are there. No blinding eye-smile, no giddy wriggling, not giggles and gasps. No, when the Metatron tells Aziraphale to „go tell your friend the good news“, his expression looks like this:

I’m gonna go out on an entire limb here and say: That does not look like someone who’s absolutely tickety-boo hyped to tell his demon soulmate that he just got the juiciest promotion and that they can both be angels and live happily ever after in ethereal eternity now.

This, folks, looks like someone who knows exactly that the news he has to break right now, are going to be tickety-shit awful and very upsetting to said demon soulmate. And already, from that very short snippet of conversation, we can tell that Aziraphale isn’t really given a choice by the Metatron. Because while the Metatron does tell him that he doesn’t have to „answer right away“, he immediately follows it up by: „Go ahead and tell your friend the good news!“ Very distinct and definitive choice of words here. It’s “good news” because it’s already been decided. Because it’s already a done deal. There is no “yes, no, maybe”. This is the only choice he’s giving to Aziraphale. Because it’s ‘Coffee or death’. 

And he already gave him the coffee. 

***

Tumblr won't let me continue this over a certain character limit and I am not even remotely done yet – so, I feel like this is a good moment to redirect you to the continuation of this insane meta before we're in too deep. You can do so right here!

I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions about this once you've fought your way through it. Hope you have a good time with it!

[positively-mine]

You’re a girl?!

how the twst boys find out you’re a girl & their reactions

tags: afab, accidental touches

a/n: very much self indulgent BUT I COUNDNT STOP THINKING 🤔 what if because it was a boys school that they didn’t have skirts and basically Crowley just made you wear the uniform & you didn't tell anyone. Like epel and lilia’s case, they just thought you were a feminine guy (p.s I just started and I haven’t read any spoilers, except for some info from reddit so I’m very sorry if this has already been covered/ revealed) very gacha coded but PLSSSSS bear this brain rot with me

Some spoilers: until book 3

Series: ❤️ 🧡 🩵 💛 💜 💙 💚

Ace

This can go two ways. Firstly, is that he was chasing deuce or Grimm around and you happen to be walking around the corner. And BAM. You’re both on the ground with him on top of you, caging you into his arms. With both his hands conveniently placed on two lumps on your chest. It takes him a good 3 seconds of staring and squeezing before he realises what they are. What you are. Immediately feels embarrassed and starts screaming and scarmbling to get up.

Orrr he has gotten so used to coming into ramshackle house as he pleases and barges into your room without knocking. You’re both guys, so what’s the problem? Big mistake. Because you’re changing and literally only in your under garments. He’s all red and hot faced before he’s running out of your room and the house into the walkway to calm himself down.

The next time he faces you, he’s apologising while avoiding eye contact. He knows you’ve been through thick and thin together but it really did feel as though his whole world view was shattered when he found out. When he’s hanging out with you, he’s much more careful of where he places his hand and tries to look out for you. Definitely tried to act more manly as well, like when there's an overblot about to happen he either pushes you behind him or blocks you with his body..

Deuce

The way i see this going down is that he’s got his gangster mode on from whatever trouble he’s gotten himself into (or for convenience sake; the broken eggs in book 1). And he’s trying to push you away to stop you from stopping HIM from picking a fight. And something soft hits his forearm. He turns to look at you chest before he quickly realises. He’s screaming like a banshee while moving as far away as he can from you. The initial quarrel was forgotten and now his head is spinning. Thoughts like “what would my mother think if she knew what i did??”, “HES A GIRL?! I MEAN SHE” and so on. The walk back to the kitchen is so quiet that you could basically hear Grimm’s grumbling all the way from Heartsbyul kitchen. Once you arrived back at the kitchen, the guys are wondering why its so quiet between you two but pay no mind to it.

He gets awkward around you every once in a while when realises how close the two of you are but still tries to make up for it. Also becomes more diligent in trying to withhold his gangster personality. He doesn’t want to show anymore of his nasty side to you when he can show you how well he can treat you. Lest he wants to lose you to some other guys…

Trey

This one's tough. I don't know if he has sisters so let's just say that he has. He's one of the first few to realize that you're a girl, being the ever observant person that he is. He sees the pattern when you start getting a little bit more emotional than you are. Snapping at Adeuce and Grimm when you're usually much more patient, getting upset at small things or when he catches you tearing up when you talk about returning to your own world. Yeah he definitely knows.

So it's no surprise when you start to receive more baked treats from him and he's piling up all sorts of nutritious food onto your plate when you sit together. The others are wondering why he's doing that when you're capable of doing it yourself. It's only after several months of this treatment that you realize he knows that you're a girl. And when you confront him about it, "I can't help but want to take care of you when I see you".

Riddle

I like to think that you’re having tea together. He’s invited you to another one of their dorm’s many reason to have tea. Grimm and Ace are fighting for the last cookie and accidentally knock into you as you pick up your teacup. Splashing the liquid all over your dress shirt. Riddle is of course, furious. Rule #363, never spill your tea. Especially on a Tuesday. He’s screaming at them both when his eyes move to check if you’re okay. And that’s when he sees some blue peeking out at the wet area of your shirt. It takes him a quick second to march over to you and drape his blazer over you. “You should go back and change. Make sure to take a warm bath unless you want to catch a cold.” You nod at him confusedly. He watches as you make your way down the steps. He turns to the rest of the members with pink tinted cheeks. “Unfortunately this tea party will have to be cancelled,” and he quickly turns back to walk to his dorm before anyone can say anything.

The next time you see him, his cheeks are tinted pink and he’s trying very hard to not make eye contact with you. Overall, most of your relationship stays the same except that he’s inviting you over for tea more often. But this time its just the two of you. And his excuse? It changes every time. Sometimes its because he says he wants to talk about Adeuce and Grimm’s behaviour, and sometimes it’s because he wants your thoughts on which tea set is better.

Cater

For his case, it's not that he found out, rather he overheard it from a rowdy pair of first years and a cat. He was walking to his next class and about to turn around the corner when he overheard their not so very hushed conversation. His eyes widen very similarly to the saucers that they use for tea. He's kind of upset that he didn't find out himself, but learned it through someone else. Oh well. It's a win-win situation for him anyways.

So when he starts being much more clingier to you and offering to walk you to your classes do you start to get suspicious. He’s always coming over to sit together at your table and visiting you at Ramshackle more. Lounging on the beaten up sofa while you do whatever work you have to. Keeping you company for as long as he can. Or at least until Riddle calls him back or you kick him out. Whichever comes first.

Now imagine there’s a celebration of some sort and he’s excitedly running up the steps to Ramshackle to formally invite you as his date. “I’ve got a surprise for you,” he smiles cheekily. And from behind him he pulls out a beautiful dress. “Will you be my date?” No misunderstanding his gestures now.

reblogs appreciated!

[lenaellsi]

I'm wondering how much of the fandom reaction of "Aziraphale doesn't ACTUALLY want Crowley to be an angel, he just wants to keep him safe/happy!" is because we spent four years between seasons assuming that Aziraphale had already accepted that Heaven and Hell aren't all that different, and that demons and angels aren't inherently good or bad. And it's difficult to let go of that idea in the same way that it's difficult to let go of the idea that they talked their shit out That Night At Crowley's Flat and have been happy ever since. But to actually understand Aziraphale's choice without hiding it behind coffee or lies or secret plans or body swaps or magic tricks or purely romantic intentions, we have to to understand that Aziraphale is still working under an incorrect framework of the world as divided into Cosmic Good and Cosmic Evil.

Because the thing is. Aziraphale does not like that Crowley is a demon. He just doesn't. We can talk about his reasons, but I really don't think that it's a disputable fact at this point. Aziraphale CONSTANTLY talks down to Crowley about the differences between them, and disparages demons in general and Crowley in particular over and over again. I mean, he's obviously just spewing the party line at this point, but he even describes the ultimate triumph of Heaven over Hell as "rather lovely." To Crowley. Where does he think Crowley fits, in that scenario? Is he thinking about it? (He is, surely, given how distressed he is over the danger Crowley is in due to the Arrangement?)

Crowley, to be fair, often says similar things about himself, and hates when Aziraphale calls him things like 'nice.' But as I've mentioned in another post, I think 2.03 makes it all but canon that a lot of that is self-preservation. Hell can't know that he's running around saving children and rescuing people from suicide and poverty, or he'll get dragged down there for decades. Crowley doesn't really think of himself as evil--he's visibly upset during their argument when Aziraphale hits him with "you're the bad guys!" because he thinks Aziraphale knows him better than that.

But instead, Aziraphale makes knee-jerk assumptions about Crowley and his intentions over and over again, including that he's behind the Reign of Terror in Paris and, about two minutes before realizing he's in love with him, that he's working with Nazis. Crowley seems annoyed and hurt both times, and denies it. There's no demonic posturing from him then.

Which makes the Job ep really interesting, right? Because Crowley actively lies and says that he is doing the properly demonic thing, but Aziraphale doesn't buy it. And why doesn't he buy it?

"I know the angel you were."

To Aziraphale, Crowley's kindness stems from the traces of that angel he knew. He thinks Crowley does good in spite of his nature, and not because of who he is as a person, life experiences as a demon very much included. This is because to Aziraphale, Heaven is Good, and all goodness must stem from it.

I've seen people get accused, when making this point, of attacking Aziraphale, or saying that he doesn't love Crowley, which is a ridiculous takeaway from S2. I've never seen a person more obviously in love, or a person more obviously trying to do good in the world. But so much of Aziraphale is tied up in his ability to believe multiple contradictory things at once. (See: the 80 years between "maybe there is something to be said for shades of gray" and "Heaven is the side of truth, of light, of good.") That doesn't make him stupid or ill-intentioned (in fact, he wouldn't need to do the kind of mental gymnastics we see from him if he wasn't clever enough to see through at least some of the bullshit) but it does mean that he's fully capable of loving Crowley while at the same time believing that demons are 'the bad guys.' Solution? Make Crowley an angel. Fix him, fix the bad apples in Heaven, be happy together, eliminate human suffering. Vavoom. Sorted.

Idk man. I'm constantly seeing takes that just...completely discount that Aziraphale really, genuinely, has misunderstood Crowley and the way the world works in his choice to return to Heaven. We can't blame it all on miscommunication. The most honest conversation in the world wouldn't fix this. Aziraphale has to go up there, without Crowley, and learn for the last time that Heaven is not Good, and will never be Good, because there is no Good. Good doesn't come from Heaven, or God, or even Crowley (and I see y'all, putting Crowley on a pedestal, saying Aziraphale wants to remake Heaven in his image--stop it.) Good comes from making the choice, in a very complicated world, to help as best you can, and it comes from love. And that's what Aziraphale will learn in season 3.

[wordsinhaled]

the thing about crowley’s confession is… he must have thought about it in the bit of time he had before doing it. i mean... he went and sat outside marguerite’s with his wine, and thought. he thought very hard about how there was a threat—a sleeper—a ticking time bomb in aziraphale’s bookshop that could explode at any moment, take away all their hard-won peace, their safety, their comfort.

but most importantly, a threat to aziraphale. gabriel had tried once to destroy aziraphale already, and only hadn’t because they'd swapped bodies. and crowley's clearly terrified that this time, what they're doing feels reckless, feels like playing with something far too important at stake. it's like... already knowing someone is so important to you—and then having the possibility that it could really be something dangled in front of you—and then knowing there's an existential threat to that potential? awful. horrifying. no wonder he can't find the words.

we know crowley is a romantic. we know how much joy it brings him to see other people fall in love. and... honestly... i'm not sure it’s that nina needed to spell the nature of his feelings out for him, exactly. crowley's known where he stands towards aziraphale for a long time if we're to judge him by his acts (which are always acts of service, care, and attention, which always speak louder than his words). so i don't think it was that, as much as just—the experience of being perceived by someone else, sort of jostling something for him.

because crowley's watched the romance films, hasn't he, he knows the exact tropes he's working with, but the idea that they could apply to him—to him and aziraphale? i don't think he considered that until it was offered to him as an option. and once it was, there was crowley's mind far exceeding the speed limit trying to wrap itself around all of this.

and so he must have looked at it, and all signs, all signs, were pointing to aziraphale being receptive.

crowley probably thought about all the times aziraphale had touched him in the last day alone. all the little glances and looks aziraphale had been giving him, which crowley surely hadn’t missed because he’s always staring right back. he probably thought about how aziraphale thinks the bentley is their car and the bookshop is their shop, about how aziraphale told him that he thought they’d carved a peaceful existence out for themselves. and after the ball, he probably thought about how aziraphale asked him to dance, at this event that was meant to get other people to fall in love, but aziraphale had wanted to dance with him.

so crowley most likely looked at all of this and thought he’s finally ready. he’s finally caught up. when i ask this time, he’s going to say yes. and he watched aziraphale so warily, too, after the realization, because there's a way that it feels, to be holding on to a truth so direly important and so terribly exciting and so very requited, as far as crowley can tell. it's like, am i holding myself differently now? can he tell? has he always been able to tell? am i about to muck it up? i'm about to muck it up. i muck everything up, but not this. not this. he's the center of my universe so it's worth it. and it's alright, even if i muck it up, because he's going to say yes. dear god: i'd only ask if it was important.

and so he queued up their song in the bentley and he talked to muriel like they’re a them, like they’re going to be a couple, a couple who needs us time. he gave himself the luxury of imagining it, of planning it all out in his mind—how everyone was going to finally leave off pulling them toward some greater purpose and just let the two of them be together, and aziraphale was going to at last let crowley be to him what he’s always wanted to be—what he’s been being already, evidently, to the point where strangers on the street ask how long they’ve been together.

and then in the end, to be rejected like that. to be rejected even while the love is pouring off aziraphale in anguished waves—and if he loves me too, then why won't he say yes? to be rejected and to know this isn't how it's supposed to go, even though it's the way it's always gone. crowley always asks and aziraphale always says no. somehow, this time was supposed to be different. he'd dared to hope properly. and how had he misjudged it so terribly this time? how much of it had been wishful thinking? and he had to have felt aziraphale's hands grasping at his shoulders, had to have felt the start of a kiss returned, and thought that maybe there was a spark of hope yet.

but there wasn't.

because nothing lasts forever. apparently.

[mirtola87]

I feel like the first "I forgive you" and the second "I forgive you" are different "I-forgive-yous" (or maybe not)

What else "I forgive you" may mean (one year later) — Good Omens Season 1 and 2 parallel

Ok, I know I'm 1 year late to the party and I don't know if this has already been pointed out, but it came across my mind like a lightning this morning, and now I just can't stop thinking about it. We know there are lots of parallel scenes through GO Season 1 and 2, and that we have two "I forgive you" moments. The first "I forgive you" makes utterly sense: Crowley just offended Aziraphale, and he replies with "I forgive you" (despite the demon had said just a few scenes before "Unforgivable is what I am").

The "I forgive you" in S2 left us all stuck in despair, trying to figure out why Aziraphale would have to say that just after their 6000-year-long awaited kiss.

First of all, I want to make clear that I believe this answer is totally in-character: I forgive you for kissing me while leaving me on my own when I most needed you, I forgive you for not believing that we can make a difference together, I forgive you because you are not unforgivable and I'm not giving up on you, I forgive you because forgiveness is love, it's a gift—"forgive" literally translates the Latin verb "perdonare" (per=for + donare=give) and also means "to give without conditions"... and the list goes on and on. I recommend this @sendarya's analysis which I found really accurate and on point, check it out if you haven't already: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOvv0GkMBA8&t=34s

Nevertheless, there may be a second layer of meaning. Let's go back to S1 for a moment. Aziraphale finds the Antichrist, but he chooses not to tell Crowley during the bandstand scene: he wants to sort it out on his own. Later, when Crowley comes to the bookshop to apologize, he just tells him that he wants to talk to God to thwart Apocalypse, which triggers Crowley's "You're so clever! How can someone as clever as you be so stupid?". So let's recap what happens: 1) Aziraphale knows something he isn't telling Crowley and has a plan; 2) Crowley offers Aziraphale to go off together, but Aziraphale refuses because he wants to save Earth; 3) Crowley offends Aziraphale: "How can someone as clever as you be so stupid?"; 4) Aziraphale says "I forgive you"; 5) Crowley leaves (let alone calling Aziraphale again 5 minutes later).

Later, after discorporating and failing in his attempt to reach God, Aziraphale realizes that the only way to thwart Apocalypse is "our side", so he appears to a drunk and devastated Crowley to reveal him that the Antichrist is in Tadfield, and they arrange to meet there. We may assume that, after the Armageddon't, they talked of what happened, and Aziraphale may have told Crowley that he already knew where the boy was during the bandstand meeting; anyway, Crowley saw Aziraphale acting mysteriously and keeping his secrets: he said he wanted to talk with God to sort things out, but nothing more. Crowley knew that there was something his angel wasn't telling him, and that he had a plan. Now let's see what happens in S2: 1) Aziraphale knows something he isn't telling Crowley (he doesn't reveal Metatron's threats) and (hopefully) has a plan; 2) Crowley offers Aziraphale to go off together, but Aziraphale refuses because he wants to "make a difference"; 3) Crowley hurts Aziraphale: "No Nightingales. You idiot. We could have been us" (+ bonus, devastating kiss); 4) Aziraphale says "I forgive you"; 5) Crowley leaves the bookshop... but he just waits across the street, until Aziraphale takes the lift with the Metatron.

Ok, nice parallel so far. But what am I trying to say with that? I think that perhaps—just as "Trust me"—"I forgive you" may have come to acquire a second, coded meaning: "There's something I'm not telling you, but I have a plan". One more, desperate attempt of our angel to tell something to his demon without anyone else noticing, as he knows that the Metatron is watching. Crowley waiting by the Bentley is a way to show his angel he's not giving up on him, but maybe also to let him know he got his message.

So, do what you want with this, now I can go on with my day despite the brainrot (maybe).

[fuckyeahgoodomens]

Maggie and Nina interview with Cheryl Eddy for Gizmodo au, 10 July 2023

Good Omens fans know what it means to pine for a couple to be together. Season two adds more shipping to the mix with Nina (Nina Sosanya) and Maggie (Maggie Service), shopkeeper neighbors of bookselling angel Aziraphale (Michael Sheen). If their names and faces are familiar, that’s because you’ve seen them together before: as Satanic nuns in Good Omens season one.

This time around, of course, they are completely different characters who just happened to be named after the actors who play them. They were “beyond thrilled” to return to Good Omens, Service told io9 at a recent press day.

Sosanya agreed. “There was a sort of shock when we first heard that the second series was happening, a bigger one when we realized that we would be in it,” she said. “Then there was the adjustment that you have to make when you’re not going to be playing the previous characters. And then, just delight when you find out you’re going to be playing something new and named after our own selves, which is unprecedented, really.”

Without getting into plot spoilers, we can say that Good Omens season two acknowledges the queer subtext that fans read into Aziraphale and Crowley (David Tennant) in season one, and brings it out into the open with these new characters. Maggie, who runs a record shop, has a huge crush on Nina, who runs a coffee shop and is unfortunately already partnered up. They’re lesbians, but Good Omens doesn’t make a big deal out of that fact; that’s just who these characters happen to be.

“Season one [really] connected with people,” Service said. “The Good Omens universe, it’s a place where you can just be—you know, you’re welcome, whoever you are, however, whatever. If something makes you feel ‘other,’ you’re not. You’re fine. You’re welcome. That reaction from the fans has painted into what they wanted to write in season two, to just absolutely make that message more than 100% clear and tell some more stories. It’s not a big deal [that they’re gay] it’s just who they are.”

Added Sosanya, “I think that’s what Neil does with a lot of his writing and with a lot of the graphic novels as well. Those characters, they’re not explained particularly, they just are. It doesn’t have to be justified in any way.”

Maggie and Nina are unique in Good Omens season two because they’re both mortals—even if they don’t realize at first that they’re surrounded by characters who are actually angels and demons. “They didn’t really know particularly that there are ‘sides’ to be taken, so they’re sort of working their own moral compass,” Sosanya said. “Following instincts, and trying to do the best they can and look after the people who look like they might need help,” Service added.

Said Sosanya, “And then, [once they do realize what’s going on], it’s not actually clear which side they would be on. They’re well-rounded characters—they could go either way. They’re just sort of experiencing it in the moment and seeing what occurs because nothing is as it seems.”

Both actors agreed they’d love to return for a hypothetical Good Omens season three, either as Nina and Maggie again or as another set of new characters—“any chance to spend any time in the Good Omens universe will be a great day in the office,” Service said. And they both think the themes of Good Omens are important ones.

“In both seasons, the question of what makes a good person, what makes a bad person is prevalent. I think much more in season two, [also] something about authenticity. But lots of parties seem to be searching for something and it might be within themselves,” Service teased.

Added Sosanya, “I also think that perhaps as a theme about learning to trust another individual. You can’t operate as an island. No angel is an island, and no demon is an island.”

[jantostolemyheart]

Fic #4

Title: Let Beauty Come Out Of Ashes

Fandom: Supernatural

Characters: Castiel, Dean, Sam, Bobby

Pairings: Castiel/Dean

Status: Complete

Sam heard raised voices coming from Dean's room. He went to check, but when he tried the door, it was locked.

He heard Dean's voice saying "Cas, I already told you, I'm not gay! So stop trying to kiss me!"

And Castiel's reply- "And I told you, you don't have to be gay to kiss someone or be with someone of the same sex!"

Sam sighed. Evidently Cas was trying to help Dean get through his internalized homophobia and it wasn't going so well.

"Just shut up and kiss already!" he shouted through the closed door, before shutting himself in his own room.

Dean rolled his eyes. But whatever he was about to retort was cut off as the angel kissed him. It was a brief and gentle kiss, but it left Dean flustered and confused.

He pushed Castiel away from him. "What the hell, man?"

Cas frowned. "I'm trying to prove to you what I said! Sexuality isn't black and white, straight or gay. Crowley, and Sam, are both pansexual. That means they like whoever they like, regardless of gender. I'm gay. Meg might be a lesbian. You're probably bisexual."

Dean stared at Cas, processing his words.

Dean snorted. "I'm not bisexual," he protested. "I'm straight! And you, cannot kiss someone, even just to prove a point, without consent!"

He opened the door and stalked angrily out of his room.

Cas followed, keeping pace. "I'm sorry, Dean. Look, could we try this again? Sit down, hear each other out, and go from there?"

"You've made your point, as have I. Now leave me alone, Castiel."

Cas inwardly flinched at Dean's use of his full name. "Fine, if that's what you want." He turned and disappeared, giving the hunter his space.

The days passed, turning into weeks, then months, with no sign of Cas.

Dean hadn't prayed to him since before the day Cas kissed him. Sam tried, but he was ignored, as usual.

Sam and Dean were on a hunt with Bobby, and it was going badly.

"I think you need to call your angel friend, Dean," Bobby said.

Dean grimaced. "Do I have to?"

"Well our other option is probably death. And I'd prefer not dying. So yes, you have to."

Dean frowned, but dialed the number. "You're talking to him," he told Bobby, before putting it on speaker.

Cas sighed when he saw who was calling. "What do you want?" He was not expecting to hear Bobby requesting his help.

"Fine, but as soon as it's resolved, I'm leaving." He hung up and materialized where they were, helping them sort out their problem.

Before Sam could talk to him, or get him to talk to Dean, he was gone.

Dean stared at where the angel was, a wistful expression on his face.

"...Dean. Dean!" Dean turned, to see Bobby calling to him. "Boys, we have to clean what we can, let's get to it.

After, we're going to get dinner and you're going to tell me what is going on between you and Castiel.

Your reluctance to call him could've put us in danger, and if this continues, it will again." Bobby wasn't angry, not yet.

But his tone was stern and left no room for argument.

After they ate dinner, Bobby ordered them some pie, then pointed his fork at Dean. "Talk," he commanded.

Dean sighed, and explained what happened.

"And this was 2.5 months ago?? Sheesh, you'd have thought something worse happened from the way you were acting."

Dean looked at him in surprise.

"Castiel shouldn't have kissed you. However I also understand his point of view.

You need to pull your head out of your ass, stop being an idjit, and realize that you do, in fact, love that angel.

And no, I don't mean platonically. We all can somehow see it, except you. Even he can, and we all know how bad he is picking up cues."

Dean just stared in shock at Bobby, a forkful of pie halfway to his mouth.

"So here's what's going to happen," Bobby continued. "When you get home, you're going to call Cas, and talk this through with him.

Sam will tell me if you have or haven't. And I'll know if you try and pull a fast one. Understood?"

Dean blinked, then nodded. "Yes, sir."

That evening, Dean called Castiel for the second time.

"What?" the angel snapped, irritated to see Dean's name on his phone again, and because Chuck got pissy with him again.

"Cas?" came Dean's voice. "Is everything okay?"

"You ignore me for two and half months, you don't get to pretend to care now. What do you want?"

Dean frowned at his angry tone. "Could we talk, please? About us?"

"What more is there to say? You more than made your point. Now leave me be," he glowered, even though Dean couldn't see. Cas hung up, even more irritated.

Dean's frown deepened, and a tear trailed down his cheek. Cas was being harsh, but he probably deserved it, didn't he?

He went and told Sam what happened, more tears sliding down his cheeks. From Dean's pained expression, Sam realized he was telling the truth.

He got up from the couch and hugged his brother tightly. "I'm sorry, Dean. You did not deserve to be spoken to like that.

I'll call Bobby in the morning, and we'll work this out, alright?"

He hugged Dean again. "For now, let's get some sleep."

Dean nodded and dried his tears. "Thanks Sammy."

"Any time, Dean."

He watched Dean retreat to his room before following suit.

Dean lay awake, mind churning despite how exhausted he was from the day's events. Eventually, he drifted off to sleep.

From a dark corner, Cas watched over him, soothing him whenever he had a nightmare.

By the time Dean woke up the next morning, Castiel was gone. His mind of that night was hazy.

He remembered having nightmares that faded quickly, but he didn't know who stopped them. Though he was pretty sure it wasn't Sam.

And it couldn't have been Cas, because they were currently on unfriendly terms.

He brought it up to Sam over breakfast, but the younger Winchester was equally as uncertain. Another thing to tell Bobby about, he supposed.

In the meantime, he turned his attention to his rapidly sogging bowl of cereal.

Sam called Bobby and told him what happened.

"Right. Give me the number for Castiel. I'll call him and give him a talking to.

At this point he's being unnecessarily mean. I'll talk to him and figure out what the heck is going on."

Sam gave him the phone number and hung up, before dragging Dean to the couch to watch TV while they had some relative peace and quiet.

Dean was just stirring his cereal and staring at nothing, and Sam decided to keep an eye on him in case he decided to be stupid.

All Bobby told Cas on the phone was to meet him in his living room. He then sat the angel down for a talk.

Cas explained everything from his side, and talked with the older hunter. Bobby took everything into consideration before reaching a decision.

"C'mon, we're going to the Winchesters. You and Dean are going to talk. I don't care how long it takes."

Cas nodded, and followed Bobby to his car. He fidgeted, nervous about how things would go.

Sam and Bobby sat in the living room, while Cas and Dean talked in Dean's room.

The two talked a while, about things not only about the attraction between them. Cas also apologized for kissing Dean.

When they talked about that, Dean still insisted he didn't feel that way.

Castiel sighed in frustration, but kept his face neutral. "Then I think it's best I stayed away for a while.

We both need time apart from each other, clearly, or things will go south between us."

Dean nodded, but was still unsure.

With that, Cas disappeared. As soon as he was gone, he let his tears fall freely. He cursed at himself, for falling so hard for Dean.

After Cas left, Dean sat heavily on his bed, wondering why he suddenly felt so empty, like something was missing now.

Dean slid to the floor, talking, praying to Cas immediately. "Cas, come back- Please- I think we made a big mistake.

Come back, please-" He was begging, crying, for the angel to come back.

Cas heard, but he didn't answer.

"Castiel! Please..." Dean begged him.

At that, Cas paused. If Dean was calling him Castiel-

He decided to go back. "Dean?" he said, voice gentle. "Dean, what's wrong? What do you mean by a mistake?"

Dean didn't answer, he just jumped up and wrapped his arms around Cas, burying his face in the angel's shoulder.

His sobs faded, tears absorbing into Castiel's coat.

Cas just held him, rubbing his shoulder gently. He risked pressing a couple of kisses to Dean's hair.

"I'm here, Dean. I'll stay, if that's what you want."

Dean nodded. "Please stay-" He didn't let go of Cas, staying like that for a while, the angel comforting him.

Cas wrapped his wings around them both, to comfort Dean.

"I'll stay."

[actual-changeling]

Hi! In case you're in the mood for more Aziraphale questions -- if you think he still considers Heaven the true moral authority, how do you explain him sheltering Jim from Heaven? I thought the whole point of that was to show that trusting his own moral compass can still lead to disagreeing with Crowley. Because, well, it's his own moral compass, and not Crowley's.

Hopefully I can express my thoughts correctly on this because it basically comes down to Gabriel/Jim being Aziraphale's experiment—his chance to prove to himself (and Crowley by extension) that heaven & angels are fundamentally good and that any cruelties are a few bad apples.

Gabriel shows up and Aziraphale talks to him, realizing that he has lost his memory but that he IS Gabriel; he loses his patience incredibly quickly and then calls Crowley to do the dirty work for him. By then, he has already decided what he wants to do, which is keep Gabriel in his bookshop for an unlimited amount of time while figures out how to deal with him as they go.

See, both Aziraphale and we as the audience know that Gabriel as the Supreme Archangel was a dick, he was rude, arrogant, on a constant power-trip, and the horrible boss of practically everyone.

Meanwhile Gabriel without his memories is entirely without experiences to shape him, and while he isn't a child, he has that childlike innocence and inherent trust the world eventually rips out of you.

This essentially ""proves"" Aziraphale's theory (to him, at least). If you take away the Bad Person traits, you end up with a fundamentally Good Angel, which means heaven is also fundamentally good. This is why he insists on calling Gabriel Jim, why he corrects Crowley whenever he calls him Gabriel, why he trusts Gabriel over Crowley, why he chooses taking care of Gabriel over Crowley's physical and mental safety & well-being.

If THE Archangel fucking Gabriel is deep down a Good Angel, then everyone must be, and it's simply a few bad angels that make everyone seem bad, too. For Aziraphale, those are AMAZING news, and when the Metatron eventually tells him he can turn Crowley back into an angel, it's the grande finale to the entire experience.

Taking Gabriel in is not about some sort of moral compass, it's not done out of compassion or sympathy, it's not done because Aziraphale cares about him.

Aziraphale takes him in to win an argument, plain and simple. If Gabriel had shown up without a deleted memory, Aziraphale would have probably been a lot less inclined to take him in.

In the final fifteen, Aziraphale talks once again about heaven being good and hell & demons being evil, and the whole Gabriel thing just cemented that bullshit in his mind.

Heaven is fundamentally good

-> a lot of cruelties happen in heaven's name

-> it's caused by a few bad angels

-> erase the memory of one of the bad angels and he is back to Good Angel factory settings

-> all angels are fundamentally good and so is heaven

-> demons are bad and evil and being an angel is superior

-> accepting the Metatron's offer is good and means I can turn Crowley back into someone I can love without moral qualms

-> all my problems are now magically solved, yay

Aziraphale does not HAVE a moral compass, he copies heaven's and then adjusts it according to what he thinks God wants (blasphemy and hypocrisy much but okay) because thinking for himself would mean being uncomfortable—and he rather shatters Crowley into pieces than accept that he's wrong. Sure, he loves him, but he loves heaven and himself more than he loves Crowley, and the decisions he makes show that.

[imsickofpasswords]

GOS2 analysis: A New Hope (or… Guys, I think I cracked the ending !!!😳🤯)

SPOILER ALERT!!!SPOILER ALERT!!!SPOILER ALERT!!!SPOILER ALERT!!!SPOILER ALERT!!! (Even for those who watched both seasons several times!!!)

Hi! You are about to read a mixture between a theory and a revelation. Both could be figments of my mind making things up by dint of overthinking and overwatching (...is there such a thing as overwatching GO?) Anyway, I must warn you that if you DO see what I think I saw, the agony you endured for months (maybe you got used to it, maybe you befriended it, maybe you don’t want it to go), the excruciating pain that led you here, will come to an end NOW. For me, Good Omens is a work-of-art and NOTHING will take the passion/obsession away, trauma or no trauma. If you're like me, then read on! 

Before I dive into the thick of the matter, allow me to stress a couple of things. I know you know, but this is still very important. Please, bear with me…

Aziraphale and Crowley KNOW each other. 

They share a 6000 year-old friendship. Surely you experienced that, at least once in your life, with a long-time friend or partner: you finish each other’s sentences, you glance at each other and burst out laughing when nobody else understands why, you speak the same coded language that doesn’t even require words. That’s how close Aziraphale and Crowley are. Aziraphale can predict Crowley's every reaction. He knows how to manipulate him with just a pout or a frown. Crowley knows what makes Aziraphale tick. He knows what the angel holds dearest. He can figure out Aziraphale's state of mind just by listening to the TONE of his voice. He knows how Aziraphale SMELLS! 

They also know WHO the other one is, I mean deep down, what they want and what they’re capable of… 

Aziraphale and Crowley TRUST each other. 

‘I could always rely on you, you could always rely on me.’ 

And

'You could have walked away'

'You said trust me'

'And you did.'

So on… you know all those lines by heart and I'm sure you could come up with oodles of examples. 

Walls have ears(floors too).

Someone wrote somewhere (was that on Youtube?) that the 25 lazari miracle could have been performed by the Metratron, since the magic circle was once used to contact him and was probably never turned off properly afterwards. That's an interesting theory. 

Personally, I don't believe the Metatron was involved in the miracle. I already elaborated about this in my first theory https://www.tumblr.com/imsickofpasswords/732879204359847936/a-theory-of-the-ineffable-plan-by and sort of got confirmation when Uriel asked what the miracle was and Aziraphale answered 'love, it was love!' 

I nonetheless realized that the Metratron could indeed be using this channel to spy on Aziraphale. If so, since when? I don’t think it could be from the first time Aziraphale drew the circle, because Adam reset reality after that. Adam would have closed the portal, wouldn't he? Idk. My bet is the snooping began after the miracle, and the magnitude of the miracle is what scared the Metratron into trying to separate Aziraphale and Crowley.  

Such considerations had me wonder if what feels like altered memories isn't actually the Metratron prying into Aziraphale's mind (indigovigilance from Tumblr pointed out that ALL the flashbacks seem to emanate from Aziraphale). Or maybe the Metatron has been reading… Aziraphale’s diary. (Btw, does anyone know what happened to that diary?) The Metratron does brag about looking back over Aziraphale's "exploits" (translation: infringements). Plural. So, not just stopping Armageddon? What else? Saving Job's children? Helping out Elspeth? 

What's more, the Metatron compliments Muriel, the "dim one", on reading books. 'What a splendid thing to do!' and then he glares at the bookshop. 

Aziraphale is not always Aziraphale

I don’t know about you, but I shriveled in horror when Aziraphale promised to give away a book. Had I just slipped into another dimension?

One perfectly acceptable explanation is that love is more important to Aziraphale than books. Fine. Why then does he only offer to LEND a book after Crowley pointed out how IMPOSSIBLE it is for the angel to even THINK of selling a book? In the novel, people who insist on buying books from Aziraphale’s shop go missing FOREVER…

It feels like the usurper realized they made a mistake and tried not to make it twice. Also, what's with the French? Aziraphale spoke French when he was in prison, and he certainly wasn't struggling like that. Last but not least, he does move his hands a lot, but not in the same fashion as he usually does. This was NOT Aziraphale (I think).

We saw how supernatural beings can change their appearance without swapping bodies. Shax changed her face whilst hitchhiking when she HAD NO REASON TO (Aziraphale had never met her before). 

I believe the Metatron is the one who turned into Aziraphale. But just for a moment ( I burnt my eyes checking Michael Sheen's every facial expression and gesture and tone of voice throughout the entire season and I couldn't spot anything amiss outside that moment, let me know if I'm wrong). Just a short period of time, then. Why? To see if Crowley would fall for it. I don't know if our beloved demon did. 

The obvious objection to this theory is: surely the real Aziraphale would realize that some of his guests had already been invited by… HIMSELF? Well, Nina kept Crowley for a moment. We don't know that the Metatron didn't go around erasing people's memory of him. 

Ok, okay, admittedly,  it is far-fetched, probably complete bullshit. But I needed to mention this because it's also a part of how I interpret the ending. Nope! I'm not saying the Metatron is the one who got kissed by Crowley!!! That would be… OMG, 🤮

The bullet trick…

Aziraphale is a magician. And his magic seems to always work when he needs it most, providing he uses this formula:"banana, fish, gorilla, shoelace with a dash of nutmeg” the magic words that Mark Gatiss as a zombie reads from the angel's lips. 

And there it comes, the showstopper. Actually the "REHEARSAL of the showstopper", as I call it, and you’ll find out why very soon. Please, pause here and go fetch the scene, you’ll need to watch CAREFULLY. See how scared Crowley is when Aziraphale hands over the gun? Crowley is maybe wondering why the miracles aren't working and if he is not about to actually kill his only friend. Then, Crowley mutters something. No idea what, but something like, I can't do it. And Aziraphale, reading his lips, replies in the same fashion, lipspeaking. Whatever the angel says then, Crowley understands it, and it's enough for him to overcome his fear. 

The ACTUAL showstopper.

I think you got it by now: what I thought when I saw that, and what I wanted to do next. I didn't rush to the last episode although I was dying to. I didn't want to miss anything and I couldn't believe what I expected would actually happen. But it DID. 

The Metatron knows that people are predictable and that nobody ever chooses death over coffee. We don't see his entire conversation with Aziraphale but even if the Metatron doesn't flat out threaten to erase Crowley's name from the Book Of Life, Aziraphale is very aware that this is an option as Michael already said she was given permission to do so. Check Aziraphale's face the minute the Metatron mentions Crowley. Aziraphale hears the threat loud and clear. His face goes grim. He knows he doesn't have a choice but to play along if he's going to save Crowley. 

"Go tell your friend the good news!" 

Aziraphale smiles, but he is distraught and terrified. The ineffable husbands KNOW each other, remember? There’s no way Aziraphale thinks Crowley will follow him to heaven. Besides, Aziraphale is INTELLIGENT. He knows The Metadick (whoever invented that name, I love you) doesn’t want Crowley back. So all the pleading, come with me, to the light, we'll be doing good, yada yada… is FAKE. All Aziraphale wants when he enters the bookshop is to let Crowley know about the situation without raising suspicions from the Metatron who is watching from outside. That's why the angel keeps glancing at the window whilst using his "something is wrong voice". Now, dear reader, fellow victim who cried your eyes out for months, if you still have eyes, LOOK AGAIN. 

When Aziraphale starts to talk about the offer, Crowley frowns, not in disbelief or in anger but in intense focus on… Aziraphale's lips. Can you see them? The SILENT words at the end of the sentences? Tell me you see them too. Please. You do, right? Or do I need to seek help? 

Everything after that, every line, is a smoke screen meant for the Metatron (and poor us…) The Metatron is to believe that two lovers got into a fight and got torn apart. Even angels and demons are predictable! 

The kiss, of course, is a mean to conceal the moment when Crowley extracts himself from the timeline, taking Aziraphale with him so they can discuss away from prying eyes and ears. Hence the missing fifteen minutes on the clock. 🙂

I think Crowley's confession was genuine. But it was also there to make the fight more convincing. And no one here will say it wasn't convincing… My guess is there must have been another confession, maybe another kiss? A real, tender, passionate, romantic, heart-wrenching kiss that left Aziraphale pressing hard on his lips, aching for more. “Do it again.” But the Metatron would notice… so… "I…forgive you", you foul fiend who thought you could tempt me with such a lowly, dirty and pathetic trick (translation, I love you… and I don't want to leave you, go before I burst into tears, I don't have sunglasses…)

So. They didn't fight!!!!  They are still a team, a group of two, a couple, and more than ever!! 

Not done yet. There is one last thing that you saw. When the Metatron reveals his plans about the Second Coming, Aziraphale pauses before entering the elevator. And it may last less than a split second, but I can swear that his lips moved again as he was staring at Crowley. Someone crossed the street right after, but Aziraphale kept looking at Crowley although the camera was too far for us to see the lips. However, there was enough time to convey a lot of information. 

Now, did they swap? Aziraphale doesn't gesture much after the kiss. Crowley drives under the speed limit and for the first time while Crowley is driving, Queen isn't playing. But. Aziraphale is walking away from his friend-now-lover, not knowing if he actually saved him, or… knowing that he did NOT save him. Crowley is crushed, and probably worried sick about Aziraphale walking alone into an obvious trap. The demon can remember only too vividly how Heaven wanted to end Aziraphale. 

The Bentley is sad too, and not just because her master is. She (Yes, she!) grew feelings for Aziraphale, who allowed her to wear fancy yellow and took her to an exciting trip and managed to have her play something new… She likes him so much that she tries to follow him, like a puppy, remember? I think she's the one who played the Nightingale song, to comfort Crowley and herself. As Sendaraya predicted in one of her YouTube videos, we may find out later that this was the Ineffable Husbands' song, ever since 1941, when their relationship started to drift towards romance. 

Last but not least, the main reason why I don't think they swapped. I firmly believe the Metatron is planning to wear Aziraphale's face again. Metasick has unresolved issues with Crowley who, annoyingly, still retains some of his memories. Memories that may have become indelible because of Aziraphale's presence. But of course, to impersonate Aziraphale, Crowley's soft spot and only weakness, the Metatron needs to keep Aziraphale out of the picture…

To be continued… (Season 3!!! And for the record, great pustulent mangled bollocks to the ones who delayed it, and I'm NOT talking about the writers and actors…🤬)

Thanks for reading^^

[ghostinthegallery]

Can you overanalyze Zahndrekh and Obyron. They are my two favorite named necron characters.

Ah yes, the mad nemesor and his loyal bodyguard. The ineffable husbands of wh40k. The bond so deep you can't talk about one without the other.

First, credit to Nate Crowley for Severed the story that really drove the amazingness of this relationship home for me. Man knows how to put a space robot (and me) through the emotional ringer.

Okay, so...how about that time Obyron was about 2-5 minutes away from actually murdering Zahndrekh?

Put a pin in that, we need some background first.

Obyron and Zahndrekh are amazing because on paper I feel like the relationship between them should not work. Obyron is suffering so deeply as he watches the people around him, who he fought with and cared about, fade away. And this is a pain Zahndrekh fundamentally cannot share because Zahndrekh doesn't realize it's happening thanks to his intense denial about biotransference (sort of, put a pin in that too). Add in some command protocols and power imbalance and this should be a tragic combo but it isn't. It's possibly the most wholesome relationship in the 40k universe between two of its best characters, and I credit that to some fantastic writing.

First off, it helps that Zahndrekh is a genuinely good person (or close as 40k can get anyway). He's honorable, he has a sense of humor, he respects his enemies, and doesn't kill when he doesn't have to. He's clever, cultured, and a brilliant tactician. He's also way too trusting because he assumes everyone is as honorable as he is. That should have gotten him killed ages ago but it doesn't because of Obyron. Obyron protects him from threats immediate and more subtle. He's not just a meat shield, Obyron is shrewd and he outplays Zahndrekh's enemies politically as well as physically. And yes, it is Obyron's duty to do this. He's a vargard, he's programmed to protect his lord (because biotransference constantly finds all new ways to suck) but there's more to it than that.

Taking the pin out, let's talk about that attempted murder.

So in Severed, Obyron believes that Zahndrekh's mind has finally snapped. If someone doesn't take over their armies, their mission will fail and a lot of their people will die. Obyron's comrades (what's left of them) have already died. The only way to salvage the situation is to kill Zahndrekh and take over. And after a disastrous battle (plus some emotional manipulation from Zahndrekh's shitty ex) Obyron decides to do it. He is literally about to go kill his lord, he is just taking a quick moment to prepare himself which...yeah fair.

Except Obyron sees Zahndrekh and chooses not to kill him. Luckily for all, it turns out Zahndrekh is no more insane than normal and the merry adventure continues.

Emphasis: Obyron chooses not to kill him. And I think that is a hugely important for their relationship because it shows that Obyron isn't with Zahndrekh because of programming or doctrines, he is there because he wants to protect him. Zahndrekh drives him up the wall sometimes, but when the chips are down, Obyron chooses him. He would literally jump into the abyss for him. Obyron loves him.

Zahndrekh knows full well if Obyron wanted to betray him, he would be dead. Obyron could become an overlord, and the only reason he hasn't is the loyalty and love they have for each other.

"What can love but a being with a soul?" might be one of the most incredible lines in a 40k book (or maybe just a book). Because aside from being unbelievably sweet, itshows that Zahndrekh does see the pain Obyron is in. And he finds a way to comfort him that fits within his...creative worldview. How much of the necrons' situation Zahndrekh does understand is a liiiiiiiitle ambiguous, but he definitely has his coping mechanism for everything: just enjoying life and focusing on the good, and he wants to share that optimism with Obyron. He realizes that Obyron fears what being a soulless machine means, but how can he truly be a soulless machine when he can choose love over ambition?

If there is one thing the necrons demonstrate, it is that immortality sucks. They all need some purpose to keep from going insane, and for Obyron and Zahndrekh that purpose is each other. Zahndrekh lives in his own reality, protected physically and emotionally by Obyron. And Obyron finds purpose in protecting the person who shields him from his own despair.

And I cannot get enough of it.

[icyolive]

So I've been thinking about the argument between Crowley and Aziraphale, and how exactly they end up talking past each other so badly in that last scene. I don't think it's poor wording, bad self esteem, or uncharitable assumptions; they know each other too well for that.

I think it boils down to... they both went into that conversation with very different intentions.

There's this pretense.

There's a pretense they've been dancing around since the garden: Heaven is good and right; Hell is Heaven's opponent and therefore evil; Crowley is therefore evil, and therefore Aziraphale's enemy. On some level Aziraphale knows Crowley isn't evil. Over and over, we (they!) see that they share values—it's the foundation of their entire relationship. I mean, the look Crowley gives him when Aziraphale says he's given his sword away (and fibbed to God!)

He's delighted. I mean, can you imagine anyone else from Heaven doing that? Aziraphale is so kind, and cares so much about humanity, even if he doesn't admit it.

And like the snake he is, Crowley has been very gently tempting Aziraphale away from his obedient ignorance since the garden. They spent all of series two—when they weren't dancing around the idea of caring for each other—in dialogue about morality.

They had very different intentions.

Aziraphale goes into the conversation expecting to uphold the status quo—the same old pretense that they're enemies, Crowley is evil, and morality is as simple as Heaven and Hell. Except now Crowley can come back to the good side—doesn't that solve everything?

He's coming from a place of love, but he's not coming from a place of vulnerability or honesty. Or even respect. It's as easy an answer as simply giving Job new children.

Crowley goes into the conversation ready to do away with the whole pretense. He's ready to be honest and vulnerable on a personal level. He acknowledges that they're "a team, a group of the two of us," and that they've "spent [their] existence pretending that we aren't." He's not even saying I want us to be together—he's saying we already are. Not just on the same side in a cosmic war, but a team of two.

Basically, Crowley has thrown out their normal, safe, comfortable argument. It's a huge emotional risk. He's all in.

And Aziraphale doesn't know what to with that.

A shit ton of bad gifs below the cut.

Look at how confused and almost hunted he looks while Crowley is trying to confess.

Aziraphale has no idea that they're no longer on the same page. Or maybe he can tell, but doesn't know how to respond. He looks open and a little confused, smiling like he normally does when Crowley looks at him.

He doesn't seem to notice Crowley's put his glasses back on; did he even notice Crowley had been taking them off around him in the first place? (It's lovely the way he gazes at him, despite—because of?—the eyes and the glasses, but he's clearly missing the subtext.)

Crowley just looks... tired.

Not their usual argument.

And I don't think it's until that last few lines, and the kiss, that Aziraphale realizes this has gone way beyond their usual arguments. He's completely blindsided.

This is before that point, immediately after the "you don't know what I'm offering" exchange. He looks disappointed, indignant, mad, and a little bitter. But it's an amiable sort of mad?

This is after "no nightingales." He goes stock still.

This is where he realizes they're not just talking about good and evil in the abstract; they're talking about them.

And then after the kiss, we get this insane series of emotions.

(Why I think Crowley went with a kiss.)

First, he's overwhelmed. Then, anger. It's the rationally irrational anger of someone who is experiencing a lot of cognitive dissonance, the discomfort of trying to hold two conflicting ideas at once.

And he lashes out with "I forgive you." I, a good angel from Heaven, forgive you, an evil demon from Hell. It reestablishes the hierarchy of good versus evil. It puts him back on strong familiar footing. It's also a desperate plea to go back to normal. I forgive you—don't go.

And after Crowley leaves, Michael Sheen gives us this brilliant, amazing performance. Heartbroken, and then trying to hold onto his anger. Then finally processing the kiss—vulnerable, shocked. And back to anger.

Personally, I think he got past that anger very quickly; he's not the type to hold onto anger. This is the face of someone having a Lot of Thoughts.

Anyway, enjoy ten thousand shitty gifs of Aziraphale. I'm actually really into Crowley??

[nicolegmattos]

My Christian best friend reacts to Good Omens (part 10): Post discussion

Sadly, this will be last part for now until season 3 releases. Then we’ll probably watch together and I’ll bring you our reactions with us both watching it for the first time.

Link to part 9 if you haven’t seen it yet.

Them: My God, I kin Crowley. I’m dead inside.

Me: *trying to console them* I know damn well how this feels. But remember what God said. “The story starts as it will finish. In a garden.” And they’ll probably end up sharing a cottage.

Them: I DON’T WANNA KNOW ABOUT A GARDEN. I WANT MY COUPLE.

Me: But there can be a garden in the cottage lol. I mean… Crowley loves plants. And Aziraphale pretended to be a gardener once. Also, I’m pretty sure Neil will give us a happy ending in season three.

Them: THANK YOU, NEIL.

Me: HE’S AN ANGEL. And a Demon. We hate you with love, Neil.

Them: Hahaha. Man… I’ll need therapy.

Me: We’ll need. We’ll send the bills to Neil lol. It’s his fault.

Them: Yesss.

Me: *crying* Oh, Crowley’s eyes full of tears before he puts on the sunglasses.

Them: MY GOD, YES, I NOTICED IT.

Me: What’s worse is that he had the best of intentions but not only Aziraphale is a bit dumb lol but also Crowley is not that good in communicating how he feels. Imagine the trauma. The only time he tried to do that it didn’t work.

Them: They both wanted to be together. But Azi still has a lot of that thing of respecting the Divine a little too much. And that ends up getting lost with Crowley.

Me: He has an extremely toxic relationship with Heaven. I can’t get over how his gaze was so sad when he realized he had lost Crowley the moment he leaned down his head to put on his sunglasses.

Them: DON’T SAY IT.

Me: BUT I ALREADY SAID IT.

Them: He’s dependent (of Heaven).

Me: Yeah. And like, he feels he needs it. When he cut off connections with Heaven he started reporting his good deeds to Crowley. He basically doesn’t know how to live without being an Angel working to Heaven.

Them: I think that’s a bit normal. Crowley is the kind of person that after a relationship is “Ok. Dead end”. But Azi has a sort of dependency.

Me: Yes. When both cut off connections it seemed like everything would be alright and that Aziraphale had finally understood how Heaven was. But the moment that was offered to him the opportunity to change Heaven from inside, all of that was lost.

Them: I even thought he would leave it there because he was doing some things out of line. BUT NO. Like, I get it that he wants to change it, but that would take millions of years. And maybe it would never happen.

Me: Unfortunately he believes a lot on everyone’s goodness and the greater good. He actually believes that the system is broken. But the thing is that the system is working exactly how it should and he doesn’t realize it.

Them: Exactly. It was like Crowley said. Both Heaven and Hell are toxic. It’s not for nothing that Gabriel and Beelzebub ran off.

Me: Yessss. And Aziraphale saw they could live without them. But on the other hand they couldn’t live on Earth and would always be hiding or running away. And not just that. He isn’t selfish to the point of grabbing the opportunity of being happy with Crowley in another place if he knows Earth and the people are in danger. Because Hell and Heaven still want the end of the world. He wants to do good. He wants to solve things. Even if it costs his own happiness. Because he said he didn’t want to go back to Heaven.

Them: YESSSS. Like, I understand both sides.

Me: Me too.

Them: But I’m sad.

Me: Sorry.

[archangelween]

Do big miracles preemptively affect reality, including the past?

I think the big miracle each season is following the phrase "Out of sight, out of mind, out of time". Each big miracle in each season seems to affect reality before it happens though.

Take a look at the similarities between seasons. Each bullet point in each season describes the same running thread, ie, the first describes the big joint miracle, the second the running references to that miracle, etc.

S1: Out of time

Crowley and Az take Adam out of time.

Constant references to being late and out of time.

Adam leaves hell, changes reality, removes the time of s1.

Adam doesn't want to rule.

Time ran in the correct order but they were always late, "out of time".

Did taking Adam out of time, and Adam removing time, affect everything in the present AND past to be late, ie "out of time"?

S2: Out of mind

Crowley and Az take Gabriel out of memory, aka mind. He is hidden so they don't know they're looking at him.

Constant references to not remembering things.

Gabriel leaves heaven; his presence snarls time, or does it snarl the memory of it?

Gabriel doesn't want to rule.

Time is messed up and an instance of being early.

Did hiding Gabriel from memory affect everyone's memory, present and past? Is that why flashbacks have elements of the future, like 1941 having Aziraphale's present waistcoat and desk layout? In s1 we were shown that the show we're watching is indeed a show, something recorded by god, like on god's cctv. If time is affected preemptively, then the recording would also be affected. The order we see things would be affected, even if we see things "as they are happening", like on "live cctv".

If the big miracle can reach backward to affect things before it, then does that mean the joint hiding-Jim-miracle should have happened at the end of the show, in e6, instead of e1? Just like the time stop was in e6 of s1?

Predictions for S3

S3: Out of sight

Crowley and Az take Jesus out of ... sight? So nobody remembers he ever existed? Or so that nobody can see him, he's invisible?

References to being unable to see things. We've already gotten some of that with Crowley squinting at stuff and "mass hallucinations" in s1.

Jesus "leaves" earth, finally fixes time.

Jesus doesn't want to rule.

Vision is messed up? Mass hallucinations? Too bright or too dark? Time runs backwards.

Time has been messed up every season, so I think in this last season Jesus will finally put it to rights. It was forward in the first, snarled in the second, so it'll be backward in the last. I am not real sure how the "out of sight" will manifest, or how not-right vision will be realized.

Bonus: face swapping

If big miracle energy causes effects to leech backward through time, does that mean that the face swapping miracle reached backward ALSO? And made Crowley and Aziraphale more similar each other in personality? Or did it mean they shared "essences", and that made them like each other?

If that's true, then they are a chicken and egg problem: did they like each other first chronologically and then swap faces, or did they swap faces first, during some iteration of god's game of life, and then come to like each other on a different go-round? We have evidence that there have been different timelines, different attempts at the same events, which means we've been through these events many times without people knowing they've done it before. A sort of time loop theory. So did Crowley and Aziraphale not like each other in the first go round, swap faces in later iterations, and that caused them to like each other in later iterations? Or vice versa? Or even, did they come to like each other, and swapping faces only intensified that, and that intensity was kept in later iterations?

[fru1typunch]

So like whether or not it's intentional, I love that Crowley is a trans allegory in Good Omens, since I'm trans myself. Crowley is Anthony J. Crowley, not Crawley, and certainly not whoever angel he wasn't ever meant to be. To insist he still is or would want to be that angel is insulting to his chosen and real identity (side eye to Aziraphale...).

So that got me thinking...

Two (queer) humans got Crowley to understand he is in love and if he is going to do anything about it, it needs to be the right approach. The human approach to love; proper communication (still working that out, I suppose.)

In season three, what if there is a parallel for Aziraphale? A human gets Aziraphale to understand choice and identity the same way Nina and Maggie got Crowley to (sort of) understand proper real love. And what if that human is a trans human. Aziraphale realizes Crowley's identity is real and chosen and is Crowley, not anyone or anything else. (And no, Aziraphale wouldn't realize one's chosen expression and real identity is REAL by at first getting it wrong like SO many shitty shows have done before with trans storylines. Aziraphale respects people's identities, even if gender is beyond him. Honestly, no one, human or otherwise, should get the hypothetical trans character's identity wrong or misgender them, Good Omens isn't about that and it'd tarnish the story imo.)

I think that queer humans showing Crowley and Aziraphale how to be "human" is kind of nice. The two of them are a queer allegory afterall, by human standards. Crowley specifically is a trans allegory, by human standards. This hypothetical human helping Aziraphale understand things wouldn't and honestly shouldn't be "just trans and that's their whole character" like a lot of shows with shitty flat attempts at "representation" do. Just like how the human couple that gets Crowley to understand love happens to be lesbians, the human that gets Aziraphale to understand choice and identity just happens to be trans. It'd be powerful and meaningful if done right, and would add a real depth to the story that I already love to see, same as how Nina and Maggie being a queer couple did.

Not trying to say how a story should be written, by any means. But Lord, would I adore seeing something like this on screen. I'd especially love them to be a trans masc character, maybe it's just cuz I'm trans masc myself, but I don't know of a lot of trans masc representation. I really don't know of many stories with trans characters whose trans identity is integral to the story progression without the story being just focused on queerness. If I think anything could do it right though, Good Omens could.

Anywhoozles. Crowley's fall and reclamation of his own autonomy in choosing his own form of existence is a trans allegory and a damn good one regardless of whether or not it was intentional. Aziraphale needs to understand Crowley's existence is just Crowley, and nothing else.

(Side note; maybe something like this would be more meaningful and realistic to getting Aziraphale to understand humanity, the way he needs to to reach the end of the story with Crowley, than some of the other ways folks have proposed...?)