antoniawald

[antoniawald]

Aziraphale and his relationship with Heaven

(Take 12936926)

Because yep, I'm again tired of seeing how "Aziraphale slowly learns in GO how Heaven is bad but by the end he's still not out of their clutches and that's why F15 happened and he went back."

TLDR: The enemy in Good Omens is not Aziraphale's stupidity. Please stop demeaning him. He is Crowley's equal, not some fair maiden who needs to learn how her family is awful and escape them with her beloved. The enemy in Good Omens is the system, the world, Aziraphale and Crowley exist in. The system that apparently pretty arbitrarily divided the Host into angels who stayed and demons who fell. They all suffer in their own ways, and Aziraphale and Crowley in a unique way, as they live among humans and learn of love and to love. There is no 'outside' of the system. They have nowhere to escape, nowhere to hide.

Aziraphale does not think Heaven is good or truth or light (he was lying in F15! Quite obviously so.) The whole point of GO is a story about how Aziraphale does not think Heaven is right (or good) but has to pretend to, or he will get punished and possibly Crowley will too (if they and their 'fraternising' gets discovered).

The whole 1862 'break-up' for example happens because Aziraphale is more scared of Crowley being dead than Crowley not talking to him. Every single thing Aziraphale does is to protect Crowley (or someone Aziraphale cares about). Every time.

Crowley is a demon, because he fell. Not because he's bad. Not because he's decided to fall or because Hell is somehow closer to his truth. There was no decision to fall because Hell did not exist yet, nor did 'falling'. We don't know why he fought on the side of Lucifer. Did he agree with him or did he really just have questions of his own and joined them hoping things will improve. We don't know. But the end result is the same. Hell is even worse than Heaven. And of course Crowley knows Heaven and Hell both suck. But Aziraphale knows that too. How could he not?

Crowley has to do bad things when Hell asks, whether he likes it or not. Fortunately, he's lucky and does not have to do bad things of his own (beyond causing mild havoc via glued coins and interrupted mobile networks and an oddly shaped motorway) because we humans are perfectly capable of doing truly terrible things ourselves that he can take credit for. As Shax observes in S2. It's that easy. Maybe she's onto him (and his reputation) there.

Aziraphale is often tasked to oversee awful things happening in the name of 'justice' but we can also assume, perhaps from the deleted clip of him saving a baby, that he uses his miracles for good things whenever he can.

Now, my arguments that he does not follow Heaven's idea of good and sees them for who they are (and as far as we know, always did; even before Angel!Crowley noticed - as he is the one to warn him about Heaven's shortcomings) are as follows:

Aziraphale warns Crowley against Heaven in Before the Beginning:

He is clearly aware and worried that Heaven will not look kindly on Angel!Crowley's musings on how things could be improved. How does he know this? Has he tried? Has he seen someone else try? Why does he immediately trust this angel and tries to warn him? Who did he see doing questionable things then?

_______

Aziraphale gives away his weapon: Why? Well, I think we can take his word for it. He wanted the first humans to be safe from the predators beyond the wall. Also, giving humans fire is a pretty significant step in all human origin myths, so why not have Aziraphale be a part of one too. How come Aziraphale is compassionate and empathetic and why does he care? Are they all like that but they try to hide it? Ignore the feelings?

He lies to God about it though.

And tells the demon:

He clearly recognised Crowley on the wall and decided that demon or not demon, Crowley's still the same person he used to know. And he was right. _______

He shelters him too:

He is distressed over being asked to witness cruelty like the Flood and Crucifixion, while he can't do anything about it:

Looks at his hands

He's almost crying ffs.

_______

He's ready to sacrifice being an angel and all the good he can do in the future to save three kids (and their parents):

Because Heaven just wouldn't get (didn't care) how this was a terrible thing to do.

________

"I do not sully the temple of my celestial body with gross matter." "Obviously not. Nice suit."

Is peak SASS.

_______

He deserts Heaven almost as soon as he gets there, after he ended up discorporated, protecting Shadwell from walking into the portal:

He stops Armageddon on a technicality:

He dances (despite the fact that 'angels don't dance':

He protects the person who tried to kill him a few years prior (instead of returning him to Heaven so whatever terrible thing was going to happen to him, was going to happen to him):

He starts a celestial war protecting humans and his and Crowley's home:

He returns back to his abusers because of what Crowley taught him; that he is not a broken nobody who has no say in things. Because he discovered that the Plan, whether it exists or not, can be changed by the things he does. Because Crowley trusts him and because he wants Crowley safe from them.

For once and for all:

Aziraphale's arc in the story isn't to trust Heaven less, it's to trust himself more.

[antoniawald]

[antoniawald]

The Metatron will have no idea what hit him.

Double-cross

"For one Prince of Heaven to be cast into outer darkness makes a good story. For it to happen twice, makes it look like there is some kind of institutional problem."

Which is why Metatron didn't let Gabriel fall (conveniently into Hell and into Beez's arms).

Gabriel is now gone anyway and the Second Coming will catch up with him, wherever he went off to. But now Metatron had a new problem. To have a dumb little Principality fool Heaven once, was clearly a blunder (what was it with the questioning of the War beforehand anyway, where did that angel pick it up from...), having it happen twice though, Metatron will have to take some measures. Letting him fall would solve nothing... Erasing his memory - well, that might seem excessive and he could come in useful.

"He's not my friend!"

"Out of the question!"

"If you put it that way, Heaven couldn’t actually object to me thwarting you . . ."

"I don't even like you!"

So Metatron skimmed through Aziraphale's files, as he said - and divined that the demon Crowley completely corrupted that Earth-stationed angel (perhaps they have let him stay there, in the forsaken place too long) and the angel apparently even thinks they 'worked' together, when the demon was just using him...

After all, Aziraphale's overall job performance was ... adequate perhaps. The demon definitely did much better. AND under the angel's nose the whole time. Caused most catastrophes that brought many souls to Hell. So Metatron now knew he will easily have Aziraphale, who seems quickly enough swayed with a few pleasantries or couple of simple manipulation tricks. He decided he simply must keep him close this time and away from the Demonic influence by offering him a 'job' that just came free. He'd never let Michael take the position in any case. They are far too cunning. So two birds and all that.

Metatron is then bringing the rebellious Aziraphale in, Aziraphale who was so humble (or simple maybe) that he didn't even claim the 'promotion' offer immediately. For the next step then - Metatron knew Crowley won't come along no matter what but he hoped Aziraphale will jump on that option - wanting to adorably 'redeem' his friend, so he used that. Which is exactly what happened, causing the relationship between them to be severed. Easy-Peasy.

_______________

Heaven never understood or saw Aziraphale (and they are not the only ones).

So I had this thought, and I am not even claiming that this is a valid and possible HC/GO resolution; seems a bit simple maybe. But... the fact is, that Heaven doesn't know Aziraphale - and Crowley always seemed like the one who had everything in control, what with inventing the Spanish Inquisition and starting the World Wars.... (Shax seemed to think Aziraphale is Crowley's pet - HAHAHA).

Clearly then, Crowley mislead the angel from the path he was supposed to follow, and although he tried to protest (as per the quotes above), the temptation was too great and he slipped. Hence the Armageddon debacle. He got too attached.

No matter though, a quick job offer and he will be easily lead back and to do exactly what Heaven needs.

_______________

We all seem to think Metatron is smart, but we know what people are like when they have a lot of power and too many yes-men around them.

So maybe Metatron thinks he got it all figured out, bringing in that poor lost sheep, but little does he know....

Actually on second thought this doesn't even clash that much with my usual thoughts on GO/F15. I always wondered if we are overestimating Metatron. Maybe he sees Aziraphale like many see him. "Pathetic excuse of an angel."

[antoniawald]

Michael’s Micro-expressions

a little freestyle poem, prompted by the word “minutiae”

Miraculous, the minimalistic minutiae of your metaphorous mime -

Magically mimicking misery, empathy, moxie, merriment… more…

Muddling my mind!

[antoniawald]

Good Omens & the Existential Art of Not Giving Up (or, When It's All Exhausting)

So many of us love Good Omens, especially Crowley and Aziraphale, with an intensity that our friends and loved ones may not understand. We analyze their choices, their relationship, their future. We cry over them. We speculate, create and enjoy fanfics about them, and await the conclusion of their story with all of our hopes and fears on the line.

For me, one of the biggest reasons I'm so attached to their story is because of the way they constantly fight to figure out how to exist as they are, in a universe that forces them be something they're not. They make mistakes, they get overwhelmed, and sometimes they totally screw it up. But they always come back.

They never give up.

Our world is -- tough -- to say the least. Many of us are struggling to figure out how to exist as we are. So many pressures and expectations, so much conflict and... Well, you already know exactly what I mean! Existential Exhaustion is real, and all too present.

Good Omens provides something much more important than an escape from those harsh realities. I believe it provides HOPE.

I lost hope for a little while. I've been away from Tumblr and my AO3 writing for months because of it. Good Omens was helping me keep my head above water in a chaotic, exhausting world. When the future of GO itself got chaotic, I lost something (for awhile) that helped me make sense of the world's chaos.

But these characters, Crowley and Aziraphale, are beautiful and brave and flawed and So Ineffably HUMAN... They show us what it is to fight and fall and fail and rise to fight again. They remind us that we can mess up and still be lovable, worthy of love. And, when they get it right, they show us what acceptance and fidelity can be.

Stories are usually about how people (and angels and demons!) respond to challenges. We only get to be privy to the story of Our Ineffables when their lives are about to get turned upside down. AntiChrist about to enter the world? Season 1. Their precious, peaceful, fragile existance together about to be threatened by a mysterious Something Terrible from Heaven? Season 2.

I love to imagine what Aziraphale and Crowley's lives together were like in that short time they had together in between. (It's why we love the flashbacks, right? An extra peek at their relationship!) That time was far too short, but they came a long way since that gentle night at the bus stop, and protecting each other's very existence from Hellfire and Holy Water the very next day. "To the World", they said. "To Us," it meant, and how much they love it and strive to protect it.

Like us, Our Ineffables are flawed fellows. They get overwhelmed. Aziraphale gets too anxious, and starts spouting off things he doesn't really mean. Crowley loses his temper, and likewise starts spouting off things he doesn't really mean...

They fight with each other.

They fight for each other.

And life stays hard. They get overwhelmed. Anxiety happens. Anger happens. Bad decisions happen. Existential Exhaustion. Doesn't put any of us at our best, yeh?

But they keep trying to figure it all out and make it right. For the world and for each other...

Maybe I believe in Our Ineffables so much because I need something to believe in that gives me Hope, something that helps me keep fighting. Because I do believe in them, both of them. They mess up, but they don't give up.

Maybe that's not such a weird thing for any of us to believe in.

[antoniawald]

Unforgivable, that's what I am.

[antoniawald]

Hungry for Good Omens 3 crumbs of information? Let’s see what I’ve found and speculate a bit about cast members, filming locations, and… trees! As always, please tag accordingly, share only with the fans consenting to know potential spoilers, and get yourself something to drink since it’s going to be a longer read.

News flash: both Ned Dennehy (well-known to Good Omens fans as Hastur) and Sean Pertwee (recently revealed to star in the Finale as Brian Cameron) admitted to have been working on location in Tenerife during the film’s production time slot (January and early February, respectively). In Dennehy’s case, even providing a rather intimately close look at his character.

The location alone isn’t particularly surprising, as the Canary Islands and Tenerife in particular are currently experiencing an influx of international productions, including several TV shows by global streamers, making use of the favourable weather and prices. But Dennehy’s post, additionally liked by a Good Omens crew member, seems somewhat suggestive.

In the Instagram story above, Sean Pertwee called 14 January 2025 his last day on the shoot in Tenerife and subsequently traveled to London and Edinburgh, from where he shared another video three weeks later.

Now, technically the Tenerife film set could be a part of Pertwee’s NCIS: Tony & Ziva job he started last autumn. However, that would imply that he plays a greater role in the upcoming production than the currently available promotional materials imply, and the location stamp in the bottom right corner, Drago Milenario, is too deliciously Good Omens coded to overlook it.

It isn’t even a place, really, but a living organism. A plant. A tree.

Meet Drago Milenario, also know as El Drago, a natural monument and symbol of Tenerife. The oldest and largest living specimen of the endemic Dracaena draco (dragon tree), it is said to be a thousand years old and stand at 18 metres high with a 20-metre perimeter. “Great big bugger,” as Aziraphale would say.

There has been much debate over the age of the tree, and some even say that it may be over 5000 years old; more recent estimates seem more conservative and suggest that El Drago is no more than 800 to 1000 years old. It is difficult to say unambiguously, because the traditional method of counting rings is not applicable in this case — dracaena has no rings.

Its home, the Millennial Dragon Tree Park, or Parque del Drago, in Icod de los Vinos, is a sacred place and a burial zone of Tenerife’s original inhabitants, the Guanches. Members of the Guanche people venerated El Drago as a divine tree; a symbol of wisdom and fertility, believed to have magical powers, granting longevity and warding off evil spirits. Its blood-red oil or sap is called dragon's blood and historically used to treat wounds and embalm corpses. According to local legends, that’s because slain dragons don’t actually die, but rather turn into dragon trees like this one.

The dragon part of the story sounds objectively cool, but if we overlook it for a second, we might notice why the connection to Good Omens is so strong here. When asked about trees in the show’s context, one’s first point of reference is quite naturally the Garden of Eden scene and the shot above featuring the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. The thing is, it wasn’t the only one.

According to the Bible, the very reason why Aziraphale was even stationed in Eden (possibly with a few other armed angels) was to protect the Garden from the newly exiled humans. More specifically, his “apple duty” meant that he was supposed to guard a very particular and yet unseen tree:

“The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. And the Lord God said, ‘The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of lifeand eat, and live forever.’ So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the Tree of Life.” (Genesis 3:21-24)

In the apocryphal Apocalypse of Moses, the tree of life is also called the Tree of Mercy. Adam, the first human, famously sent his son Seth and wife Eve back to the gates of the Garden to beg God and His angels for some oil of the Tree of Life to save him from his deathbed by granting either full immortality or longer lifespan. They were obviously denied, but in another part of the Bible — the Book of Revelation, on which most of the official Good Omens plot is based, Jesus announces the details of His Second Coming, including who and when will get the right to enjoy this forbidden fruit:

“Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to reward each one as his work deserves. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life, and may enter the city by the gates. (Revelation 22:12-14)

The Catholic Church in particular believes that the Tree of Life mentioned above is the Eucharist and often combines the image of the Tree with the Cross of Christ, both literally and figuratively (see above: The Tree of Life printed by John Hagerty, 1791) granting the immortal life to His Chosen Ones:

And he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illuminate them; and they will reign forever and ever. (Revelation 1-5)

In his Roll Play BAFTA interview published on 10 February 2025, while talking about his work for the Good Omens Finale, David Tennant himself has specifically referred to the possibility of Aziraphale and Crowley spending eternity together. But where? Well.

The visual symbolism of an apple tree seems so important for the Good Omens 3 plot that it’s even represented on the exclusive mug design shared on 30 April by one of everyone’s favourite production crew spouses, Carla Scott Fullerton (fullercoaching on Instagram):

For those who missed the original discussion, the reverse side of the complimentary mug gifted to Good Omens 3 crew members and depicted above contains a photo of slate number 100, scene 59 of the production with a quote “We’ve come to a decision…”. A typical feature film of this length consists of around 60 scenes, so it’s definitely the ending or one of the scenes directly preceding it.

Which means that the story ends, as it began, in a garden. And with a very specific apple tree, adorned with initials AZ and CR in two little hearts as hinted by the drawing in the background.

There’s a specific crew member though — one of the firsts to be confirmed for the upcoming production, actually — that has shared a Good Omens themed work with an apple tree a whole year earlier.

Here you can see Michael Ralph’s (i.e., Good Omens production designer’s) concept art depicting Neil Gaiman’s version of heaven on earth – “Heaven is a Library” – at LA music venue, The Wiltern, for The Art of Elysium’s Heaven 2024 charity gala. It’s got Va Va Voom yellow walls, red carpet, spiral stairs, a centrally located oculus, and lots of plants with an apple tree with a swing in the middle. In case this image wasn’t suggestive enough, it’s worth to focus on the twin display tables with Cupid statues on top, direct copies of the one from A. Z. Fell and Co. bookshop in Soho.

It’s not even subtle — and wasn’t meant to be, considering how Event Eleven, the creative agency behind the gala, typically organises high budget premiere events and promotional campaigns for Amazon Prime TV shows, and to this day it’s the closest we’ve got to a Good Omens 3 public celebration.

While this one was for charity and officially not affiliated with the studio, it took place only three weeks after the official announcement of Good Omens 3 and involved not only this curious simulacrum of Aziraphale’s bookshop as a setting, but also Jon Hamm on stage as the guest of honour, referencing the co-leads of the TV series and reciting an excerpt from the 1990 novel in an approximation of their characters’ voices, and the Ukrainian artist Katya Zvereva was commissioned to make an installation for the gala called literally “Tree of Life” (above).

If you remember my bookshop meta, you will probably find the official explanation of the event’s theme particularly interesting:

“Heaven is two things that are, perhaps, the same thing. Heaven is both a library, the place where we go for knowledge, wisdom, advice and for stories, and heaven is also a refuge, somewhere that we can go, whoever we are, for safety and protection. Heaven contains librarians and refugees, shelters the helpless, and gives them — us — somewhere quiet to sit and read or listen.”

Not incidentally, the only iteration of the Tree of Life in the actual show so far has been built into the layout of Aziraphale’s bookshop (left). Its Kabbalah depiction (right) is a representation of the entirety of creation, composed of ten spheres — referred to as the Sephiroth/Sefirot as a whole — each denoting a universal quality, such as wisdom or beauty. To quote The Golden Dawn: The Original Account of the Teachings, Rites, and Ceremonies of the Hermetic Order by Israel Regardie:

This altar diagram shows the Ten Sephiroth with all the connecting Paths numbered and lettered, and the Serpent winding over each Path. Around each Sephirah are written the Names of the Deity, Archangel and Angelic Host attributed to it. The Twenty Two Paths are bound together by the Serpent of Wisdom. It unites the Paths but does not touch any of the Sephiroth, which are linked by the Flaming Sword. The Flaming Sword is formed by the natural order of the Tree of Life. It resembles a flash of Lightning. Together the Sephiroth and the Twenty Two Paths form the 32 Paths of the Sepher Yetzirah or Book of Formation. The Two pillars on either side of the Altar represent:

1. Active: The White Pillar on the South Side. Male. Adam. Pillar of Light and Fire. Right Kerub. Metatron.

2. Passive: The Black Pillar on the North Side. Female. Eve. Pillar of Cloud. Left Kerub. Sandalphon.

[antoniawald]

Getting a satisfying closure to Good Omens without Neil Gaiman but with Terrys Estate in charge is the best outcome.

Terry Pratchett doesn't deserve to have his legacy tainted by this POS. Reclaiming Good Omens as his work will not only piss off Neil Gaiman but hopefully as well limit the damage to Terrys reputation.

If the Good Omens TV Finale comes out and people are even moderately satisfied with it, Gaiman can't tap into Good Omens again without making it incredibly weird. If he tries to write something about it, for example, people will just be going "Huh? Didn't that series end years ago? People can't do anything original anymore." It's not that he couldn't make the attempt to sneak back into fan spaces by writing more after the finale, but it would be harder for him to get positive attention and more likely to backfire.

Even the most fanservicey stuff he could come up with wouldn't be appealing if the finale is satisfying and we've got this incredible world of fanworks to play with afterwards. That renders further fanservice unnecessary.

Also, people love talking about dedicated Good Omens fans as if they are too vulnerable or fragile or naive or cowardly or or or to make their own decisions, but frankly, even if you read that as true, what those fans need is closure - again, making them less likely to fall for tricks he tries to play in the future.

If the series didn't get a reasonably satisfying end, Gaiman would be able to sweep in 3 or 5 or 10 years from now and pique interest by telling people he's going to finally write the end to the cliffhanger. And people would pay attention. Some people would still be desperate for a resolution; other people would just be extremely curious. And they'd become his audience again. You KNOW they would. Even if you bombard people with the message that they shouldn't for all the most morally compelling reasons in the universe, they absolutely would. It would give him a way in.

Finally, I don't think Gaiman's feelings should matter either way here, but having his pet project survive and thrive without him would bother him much more than getting to watch it become a horrible tragedy that he caused. Which he would, let's face it, enjoy.

"You're just saying this because you still care about Good Omens!" Yeah. But I'm also right.

[antoniawald]

people keep saying like "oh it would be sad if azicrow becomes human in the finally :( " or "oh it'd be sad if crowley rejects aziraphale" or " oh it'd be sad if they wipe aziraphale's memories and he forgets crowley"

And I can't fucking relate because looking at the story we've got so far I SEE ABSOLUTELY NO EVIDENCE THAT ANY OF THIS COULD HAPPEN EVEN THEORETICALLY.

oh they'd become humans -- thematically they are already humans. At the end of the season one crowley says that hell and heaven would start a war against humans and now both crowley and aziraphale are not demon and not angel but something grey, something in the middle, something that actually can decide their action and their future (which ahem ahem is how humans described by the aziraphale) there's absolutely no need to make them human's thematically because they're already are. The only reason I can think of for making them humans is to get a bittersweet emotion from the audience, BUT IT'S FOCKEN CHEAP and I really can not see Neil Gaiman going for this. The man is mad genius of tragedy and bittersweetness and he is because this tragedy always has a reason/theme.

oh crowley would reject aziraphale -- BABE HAVE YOU WATHCED THE SHOW??????? CROWLEY BREAKS UP WITH AZIRAPHALE EACH FIVE MINUTES FR FR AND THE NEXT SCENE IS HER STANDING ON HER KNEES WET SAD AND MISERABLE BEGGING AZIRAPHALE TO COME BACK. REALLY. For fuck's sake Crowley is the sensible little kitten that lingers to the stranger's pants leg hoping they will get at least a little bit of sympathy. He's optimistic at it's core. But also he's so FUCKING lonely.

DID YOU ALL COLLECTIVELY FORGOT THIS SCENE??? "I'm a demon I lied" -- AND THIS IS THE CONFESSION OF HER FEELING THE WORST, FEELING ABANDONED AND LONELY AND MISERABLE.

She literally drove Bentley slower TO GIVE AZIRAPHALE A CHANCE TO CATCH HER. Good god.

Yes, of course there'll be conflict and there'll be fights and misunderstanding yada yada yada BUT DEAR GOD the second aziraphale is hurt (even emotionally) crowley is here ready to fight god, satan and whoever there is, and then accept his angel back in a span of a second

AND IT ALSO MAKES ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE THEMATICALLY TO GET THEM FALL APART. They're each other's yang!!! bitch!! they're the human's nature dichotomy THEY LITERRALLY CAN NOT BE APART. WRITE THEM APART AND THE WHOLE MESSSAGE OF GOOD OMENS FALLS APART

oh they'll wipe aziraphale's memories -- let's start with that they couldn't even wipe off Gabriel's memories (he and beelzebup did, putting it into the fly, Metatron did not do it)

and now, aziraphale first -- knowing what to expect from heaven, second -- specifically going there to fix it and stop second coming HE WILL BE SO CAUTIOUS that I really can't see how the wiping can even occur

"oh the angels would catch him and torture and.." no. I mean I think they're capable but like. They're an extremely ass licking office workers, who prides their reputation and stupid brute force is not their style. Yes they kidnaped aziraphale(crowley) once but even that kidnaping was so sanitized and almost non violent that I hardly can imagine them getting into actions. I think that they wouldn't even chase aziraohale across the heaven because running is heaven is prohibited, so. Unless Aziraphale himself would want to wipe his memories.. I absolutely can't see it happening.

but y'know what is the only thought that does make me sad?

That there's a possibility that Crowley would accept Aziraphale back no questions asked

This is the real shit

Because Crowley already did that in the past. It's in his fucking character. Because he's optimistic, because he's lonely, because he already lost his friend once. Because he has it all, he can go back to hell become a respected demon, take back his cool brutalist flat, he's self-sufficient, he can be all by himself if he really wants but he can never shut this hole of lonliness in himself no matter what he does

In Crowley's eyes Aziraphale makes him complete. It's the lost part of her soul she was looking for so long.

And I so fucking afraid that she will give up her dignity, she'll repress her feelings and needs once again, she'll do the first step ONCE AGAIN, only to shut this ugly feeling deep inside that makes her want to disappear.

AND IT MAKES SENCE because then Aziraphale can see how desperate Crowley and how wrong he was to just pretend that everything is fine between them, and Crowley can be confronted about this really unhealthy behavior and so on and so on

and just the thought that it makes sense and that it's in character MAKES ME SO AFRAID and so sad...

[antoniawald]

Never forget Aziraphale's reaction when he finally understood how dangerous the evidence Furfur had was and that they were going to take Crowley away from him forever

[antoniawald]

Never forget Aziraphale's reaction when he finally understood how dangerous the evidence Furfur had was and that they were going to take Crowley away from him forever

[antoniawald]

Never forget Aziraphale's reaction when he finally understood how dangerous the evidence Furfur had was and that they were going to take Crowley away from him forever

[antoniawald]

Great analysis, just one thing to add:

They BOTH were more than ready. They BOTH realised throughout S2 that they not only wanted more, they could have more. They just were following different tropes of romantic love - Aziraphale was all for Jane Austen, Crowley for modern romantic movies.

And they have both known for a long time they were everything for each other but putting the label "love" on it was far too dangerous for most of the time. Talking openly was far too dangerous. So they never learned how to do it and this was why tehy were stuck during S2.

Crowley's "oh" moment wasn't him realizing that he's in love

Okay so we've all talked about the scene where Nina asks Crowley if Aziraphale is his "bit on the side" or whatever and Crowley has that visable fanfiction "oh" moment on his face afterwards. And I know a lot of people think it must have been Crowley realizing that he was in love with Aziraphale, but that's never sat right with me. Crowley is emotionally repressed and oblivious, sure, but he's been down bad for that angel since the beginning. I just can't believe he didn't know it the whole time. That can't have been what he was reacting to. Hell, just the nervous swallow he does at the beginning of that conversation implies that he knows exactly what Nina is about to ask him, meaning he at least already has that idea in his head.

I think what he was reacting to was Nina's last comment, "other people's love lives always seem so much more straightforward than our own" (I'm quoting from memory but I got the gist of it).

Crowley has been in love for a long time by this point. He's also, for that entire time, understood that nothing can be done about it. Up until Armageddon failed, there was no universe where Crowley and Aziraphale could safely be together, and Crowley cares too much about Aziraphale to truly risk his safety (although he does have his selfish moments--that need to know that Aziraphale cares for him too, that he's not completely alone in this partnership). Nothing could change, so there was no point in doing anything about it.

In the few years post Armageddon, though, it seems like QUITE a bit has changed for the two of them. Remember, these are two immortal beings...a few years is milliseconds to them. But in those milliseconds, it seems like Crowley has become a regular establishment in the bookshop, glasses off and all. Aziraphale felt comfortable enough with him to ask to borrow the Bentley, Crowley's prized possession and his literal home. They've gotten COMFY in a very short amount of time, objectively, and I'm sure it felt like big change to Crowley, who knows better than to ask for things he doesn't think he can have.

But Nina's comment. "Other people's love lives always seem so much more straightforward than our own". A direct parallel to exactly how Crowley has been thinking about her and Maggie this whole time--two people who just need a push (romantic awning, anyone?) and everything else would fall into place. Easy. Uncomplicated.

Crowley's "oh" moment isn't that he's in love with Aziraphale. It's that maybe being in love with Aziraphale doesn't have to be complicated.

Other people's love lives DO seem more straightforward than Crowley's own. But if Nina feels that way about him, as sure as he is about her and Maggie...could it be that easy? Could he have that with his angel? I don't think at this point that Crowley has any doubt about whether or not Aziraphale feels something for him (whatever that something may be in Crowley's mind), but after all...Aziraphale asked him to slow down. So he's been taking it slow. Hanging around more. Leaning into his space. Soaking up every second of Az's smiles like a dying man, content with whatever he's given.

But Nina. She thinks they're together already. No doubt in her mind. She thinks it's so straightforward, that of COURSE they're together, two people who look at each other with that much love in their eyes must be, right? And I think that "oh" is Crowley's realization that maybe it IS straightforward. After all, they're them, right? No more Heaven, no more Hell, no actual reason they couldn't just...be together. In that moment, Crowley isn't realizing that he's in love with Aziraphale. He's known he's in love for a very long time. No, that moment was him realizing that, maybe, he can stop pretending not to be, that maybe all they have to do is stop pretending they aren't everything to each other. Does he need to slow down if there's no danger to avoid?

When Nina and Maggie confront him at the end, encourage him to confess...objectively, I don't think Crowley as a character would agree to anything nearly that vulnerable without a LOT more convincing. But he does agree. And you could argue that it's because of Gabe and Beez, sure, but when has Crowley ever used other angels and demons as reasoning behind his choices? No, consistently, Crowley has followed humans every time. Gabe and Beez are nothing but conveniently timed examples. I think that even without G and B running off together, Nina and Maggie could've convinced him after nothing but this "oh" conversation with Nina.

When Crowley is choking out his confession in the final 15 of episode 6, so desperate to make Aziraphale understand...he says "we're a pair, a group, a group of the two of us, and we've spent our existence pretending that we aren't". That's the point he's trying to get across. They can stop pretending, they can stop pretending, please, god, stay here Aziraphale and don't make him keep pretending.

Please, Aziraphale, he's saying. Don't go back. I only just realized that it doesn't have to be complicated. He realized that, maybe, finally, he was allowed.

Oh, he thought, out there on the sidewalk with Nina, there's nothing left but me stopping me from being happy.

Oh, he thought, while Nina and Maggie urged him to communicate, the couple that so perfectly mirrored his own wants, I could tell him how I feel.

Oh, he thought, as Aziraphale looked at him with excited eyes and explained that he wanted them both to go back to Heaven, that Crowley could become an angel again, that they could go right back to working for the very thing that had been keeping them apart for thousands of years. Oh, oh god. I thought it was over. I thought we were free. I thought that, finally, maybe, it could be easy. Maybe we can stop pretending.

And he kissed him. Because fuck, just like with Nina and Maggie, he thought it could finally be easy, but then communicating didn't work and nothing was easy and all he had left was one fabulous kiss and vavoom and he was desperate and off script and so, so scared and then he was alone in the Bentley, driving away from the bookshop, completely alone.

Maybe Crowley should've kept pretending. It would've hurt less.

[antoniawald]

I as well really want to see how they solve the matter of heaven and hell once and for all. Their love story is so interwoven with the whole wrecked system that they can't just resolve their problems and break free without changing or dismantling it. And I really wish and hope for the most pratchettian way to do that - with wit, courage and humanity.

I'm most looking forward to the resolution of the second coming /hell & heaven vs the humans. I've read loads of fan fic that resolve the issues between Crowley and Aziraphale but few that find a successful end to the conflict (few is not none for anyone wondering). I understand terry's views on gods (they are self centred, silly and a little bit power mad) and I think the auditors (from discworld) are very like angels. There are also specific angels (Thief of time), although they don't seem to have the same role as envisaged in Good Omens. Thinking about the end of Small gods, there may be hints there of an accord. Thief of time looks at the auditors' destructive and anti-life role. Last Hero and Interesting Times both look at how the various gods entertain themselves. Discworld is a multi god environment so there isn't the heaven / hell dichotomy. This means there is not anything directly applicable when it's put in a Judaeo-Christian context. Anyway, I'm happy we get something but I want a lot more than 90min of south downs fluff.

[antoniawald]

OMG HE LITERALLY HAS CHOSEN CROWLEY OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!

He risks his entire existence every time he interacts with Crowley!

6000 years wasn't "too fast" for him for having a romantic relationship - it was "too fast" for him to accept that the idea of running off together even though it would mean they'd both inevitably be destroyed.

💔

That's why the music is so sad in that scene. Not because Aziraphale doesn't love Crowley as much as Crowley loves him, or whatever. That wouldn't be that tragic. That's just a stupid rom-com. That's not what Good Omens is.

What is tragic, on an epic scale, is two people being madly in love and unable to be together because they would be killed if they tried.

By the way- "forcing him to deal with his relationship with heaven head on" - what the f*ck????!!!!!! That is literally all he has ever gotten to do. All he ever does is "deal with" the horrible fact that heaven is constantly breathing down his neck and he is one wrong move away from destruction. The only thing that needs to change in that "relationship" is for THEM to stop ab*sing HIM. Period. End of story. The responsibility is ALWAYS, ENTIRELY, on the ab*ser's side. No exceptions.

Oh, and I hope to Frances the "Crowley already made his choice" isn't referring to the fall. Because

a. We have no proof that Crowley *chose* to fall, and I am so, so sick of people putting words in his mouth about it (speculation is fine, but acting like we *know* is not cool!),

and, much more importantly,

b. Aziraphale does NOT have to "choose" to renounce his ab*sers. No victim owes that to anyone, EVER.

They deserve for their ab*sers to choose to leave them alone. Period.

[antoniawald]

Beautifully said.

Good Omens is a Transformative Work

It has been since the very beginning.

NG (fuck NG) thought of a book plot where a demon finds himself in The Omen movie. But he screws up the baby switch. And the Antichrist grew up as a character in a Richmal Crompton novel. He didn't know what to do with it next. TP offered to buy the story. He changed the demon into a demon and an angel defying their bosses on the earth they both loved. He added his smart whimsy and gave the story a moral core far beyond a silly spoof. When the story was written, queer kids saw themselves in the angel and demon based on the subtext. Because they lived in subtext. Gender fluid and trans readers created stories about an angel and demon for whom gender was a choice depending on how or whether they decided to make an effort. The strangeness of fitting into a planet dominated by beings the angel and demon differed from spoke to neurodivergent readers.

Religious readers found healing after years of struggling to make sense of doctrine divorced from morality. Ace and aro readers saw the deep and meaningful relationship different from romance between a pair together over 6000 years. And tons of horny people from all walks of life poured their hearts into smut that made the most of beings whose bodies allowed for a range of sexual practice that would never be realistic for humans.

People who felt rejected or unloved because they were "too much" or "too little", took solace from an angel who didn't mind the gruffness of the demon who couldn't bear to be cruel. And the demon who liked the angel being a little bit of a bastard. If an angel and demon could care for and accept each other for themselves, perhaps it could happen for them too? This is why the Good Omens fandom is so special. Transformation has been baked into his story from the very beginning. Biblical fan fiction, a collaborative story by two authors, a tv show/movie brought to life by a team of actors, designers, writers... And now also entire worlds of fan fiction and art. Good Omens continues to transform itself and the people who love it. And it will always be ours as we continue to transform it for generations to come.

[antoniawald]

I am truly a nobody in the vast fandom that is GO. I stand on the periphery reblogging things with thirsty tags and reading fics. However, I love this book and show with my whole heart.

I am standing here holding both ends of the dialectic: I am sad, devastated that we won’t get our 6 episodes and all the lovely bits that will need to be cut. I am sad we won’t have more than 90 minutes of David and Michael acting out the characters that they and we love so dearly. I am exhausted that another fandom has been hurt by the bad actions of one man. And my heart aches for the victim survivors.

And, too, I am relieved and grateful that those who could fought bts for us to even get those 90 minutes. I am grateful we get to see Terry’s dream ending and David and Michael together on our screens again. I am aware (though realize I don’t know the full details) of how close we came to getting nothing at all. 90 minutes is a short movie but I remember so much can happen in a movie and all the world building has been done.

Outside and beyond this dialectic, I want to express gratitude to the fandom. The bits that I see from where I stand on the edges is a delight. I see people giving others permission to mourn and permission to celebrate and the nuance to recognize both can be true at the same time. I see posts encouraging others to have faith that those bts love this story as much as we do (if not more) and as a result we are not facing total cancellation by Amazon.

I see fans stepping in to provide comfort and reassurance where before we may have turned to the one man who nearly wrecked this all for all of us. Many looked up to him as a type of parent figure, especially queer people who may not have had a supportive parent in their own lives. And I see the fandom as a whole stepping into the void that was left. He didn’t make GO and the fandom the magical place it is, the fans have done that.

And for that, I am endlessly grateful.