#Muriel’s journals

[muriel-not-the-dim-one]

@actual-changeling explained, beautifully in my opinion, what happened that afternoon in the bookstore. I did look in the window but only for a moment to thank Mr. Fell for the book Mr. Crowley gave me. At that moment, I realized what “broken heart” really meant.

I decided to write down some things for Mr. Crowley in case he ever came back by. I’m only a 37th scrivener, but I keep very good records.

From the journal of Muriel, 37th Scrivener, Assistant Bookstore Keeper to Mr. AZ Fell: Entry #1

It’s been *7 hours and 15 days*, since Mr. Fell and Mr. Crowley left. I keep finding things to keep myself busy, but I find myself missing them both.

I love the books. The rich smell of them. The sweet bergamot, leather, Earl Grey and Talisker that lingered in the back room especially.

Sometimes I take Mr. Fells soft, grey jacket off the coat rack, where it has lived since he left, wrap it around my body and sit in the sunlight, my body tucked into the chair I have come to love. The first time I did this, it was almost a guilty feeling. Like peeking into someone’s private memories without their permission. But as time went on, it became soothing, calming, loving.

I close my eyes and see flashes of memories. Meeting the snake/demon in the garden. Feeling that first rain, and the overwhelming feeling to protect the demon. To cover him with his wing, when what they really wanted to do was wrap him tightly, hold him close. To take away the pain they felt within.

Sometimes I never even opened the blinds in the shop. (That came as no surprise to anyone who was familiar with the bookshop and it’s strange hours.) The memories flooding through me, transporting me to a time that only a deep love can take you to. As much as I loved reading the books, wearing Aziraphales jacket was like BEING in a book, like living each moment.

Standing with Crawley/ Crowley feeling the rain on their face as the flood was beginning. Sensing the pain inside the demon as he looked at the kids playing. I knew something was wrong with this, but God had to do it, right? I just couldn’t put my finger on why.

Being in Rome, hearing Crowleys voice. Aziraphales heart (even though angels and demons didn’t need them) leaping in excitement, only to feel the overwhelming anger, anxiety, deep shame (?) not because of Crowley or what he had done, but because of the human capacity for evil, far worse than even hell and it’s demons were capable of. Trying to joke with Crowley about still being a demon, only to have it backfire in his face. Telling Crowley he was in Rome to go to a new restaurant. (I really need to try some of the human food. If it was as good as the cuppatea and cocoa I had tasted, I was pretty sure I would like it.) Aziraphale offering to tempt Crowley with oysters and the warmth that surged through their body when Crowley looked at Aziraphale, that half smile radiating like the sun within them.

Standing in a crowd, watching the horror they were inflicting on this beautiful, kind soul. Hearing Crawley/Crowley come up beside him. Turning to look at the demon, her beauty radiating. She cared deeply for the carpenter, and couldn’t understand until Aziraphale told her the message the carpenter was delivering, why they would choose to hurt him. That memory seemed the most painful to me.

Realizing Crowley would face a horrible death if Hell ever found out about Job and what Crowley had done. The pride I felt knowing that Aziraphale, his love of Humanity and Crowley, would be willing to sacrifice his life as well.

On and on the memories went, flashes of joy, love, and a never ending relationship between them.

The Globe and Shakespeare. Why did Aziraphale deny Crowley so much? I couldn’t decide if it was fear or protectiveness.

The way Crowley would do anything for him.

Saving him from the Bastille when he could have saved himself.

Realizing Crowley was always watching out for his Angel. The nazis and possible discorporation, saving Aziraphales beloved books. The touch of his hand as he gave him the sachel. The almost breathlessness I felt at that moment revealing the depth of love that Aziraphale felt for Crowley. The magic show Crowley gave him the confidence to do.

Crowleys note when he asked Aziraphale for insurance. The complete HORROR he felt when he thought Crowley wanted it in case he needed to destroy himself. It seemed to Crowley the way Aziraphale acted, he was appalled at him for asking. Like he thought he wanted him to possibly get into trouble for it. In reality, Aziraphale couldn’t bear the thought of a life without Crowley, the pain and terror showing on his face.

Later hearing about Crowleys “little caper” scared Aziraphale. It made him almost go mad with worry. He knew no one involved but he, understood what even one drop of Holy Water could do to Crowley. As much of a danger, sneaking Holy Water to a demon could be for Aziraphale, he was NOT going to let this happen. He was not going to allow a chance that anything could happen to Crowley.

The sense of relief, the deep love, the rush of feeling, I heard the words almost spoken with an ache, “Aziraphale DOES love me as much as I love him.” The power so strong, so beautifully pure it slammed me in the chest. I had to stand and take the jacket off.

Tears welled up in my eyes, and as I touched the wetness on my cheeks, unbelievably aching for an Angel and a Demon that were kind to me.

*End Journal Entry for the day*

I began sorting through the books, anything to keep myself busy, willing the tears to stop.

[marttapav]

is the arcana fandom still a thing lmaoo

[ineffectualbookseller]

This picture is either currently being used as a bookmark in one of the books that NEVER leaves Aziraphale's desk, or is carefully clipped into the Bentley's sun visor. Neil needs to tell me which in season 3

[stumblingoverchaos]

For Ineffable May 2. "Inspector Constable". Collage, stickers, acrylic paint.

"'ello, 'ello, 'ello!"

[catyflorstar]

"The lovely part of forever is you can start it whenever you want to. It’s always waiting for you to remember it, waiting for you to be brave enough to seize it." - Chapter 12

Drinking Buddies and Diaries by dove_dove (AO3)

@heyimdove

[idylliumfield]

been watching much ado about nothing with catherine tate and david tennant (yes it was bc i needed a break from good omens it was melting my brain) but cmon this part is so crowley and muriel

here’s the link, scene timestamp around 45:27 (this show yall omg)

video description under the cut:

good omens storyboard to audio from much ado about nothing (2011). lineart is simple, dark purple on gray background, with only crowley’s hair, eyes, and glasses colored. he is sitting on the ground leaning on an unseen wall, facing the viewer holding a can with a straw. he wears an oversized shirt and boxers. he faces the viewer, sighs, then drawls, “Boy…” the camera pans out to show his whole body, as muriel drops from the top of frame. they are drawn cartoonishly while crowley is traced over david tennant’s benedick. they wear their constable outfit and have cartoony wings. they shed feathers and create a dust cloud as they land heavily, salute crowley and yell “signior!” the last syllable is written large. crowley flinches from the noise. we return to the closeup on crowley. he tries to find words, and eventually says “In my chamber window lies a book.” he gestures vaguely and repeatedly for muriel to fetch the book. he says “bring it. hither to me.” closeup profile on muriel, who says “i’m here already, sir?”. closeup on crowley, who slowly puts his sunglasses on his head, looks up at them, and says in a high strained voice, “i know that.” the phrase is written in cursive. muriel looks concerned. crowley says “i would have thee hence, and here again.” “hence” and “again” are in cursive. muriel says concernedly, “a book?” crowley emphasizes, “a book.” “book” is in calligraphy. muriel looks very concerned. zoom out to view them both, where crowley shoos muriel away, and they swoop into the sky again. crowley sighs and leans back, brings the can up and misses the straw before finding it.

[kaesaaurelia]

better to ask for permission than to expect forgiveness

For @whumptober day 3, using the prompts "journal" and "solitary confinement," and the lyric prompt, "Like crying out in empty rooms; with no-one there except the moon."

Muriel didn't exactly think what they wanted to do was entirely, one hundred percent, completely within what they were supposed to be doing, and this caused them considerable distress. Which was nonsense, really, because they could have just stopped thinking about it and stopped wanting it, and then not had that distress! It was very silly! They were aware, of course, that they were being very silly. And they should stop, because they were not a silly person.

But, because they kept wanting it, they had gone to the trouble of making an appointment with the Supreme Archangel to ask for permission, because everybody knew it was better to ask for permission than to expect forgiveness, especially when permission usually only required filling out ten to fifteen forms and forgiveness was much more paperwork heavy, at least as far as they were aware. They had never had to seek forgiveness. But! Permission! Significantly better overall. Potentially even attainable.

And so they had gone and made the appointment and waited out the time, and when they got to see Aziraphale he looked… smaller than they expected, and so tired, which was funny, because of course he didn't need sleep, and he ought to be happy, being in Heaven and all. (Even Crowley talked about how happy he must be in Heaven a lot, although Muriel was beginning to wonder if he meant a different kind of happiness that was maybe, actually… not that?) "Ah. So nice to see a friendly face," said the Supreme Archangel, looking up from whatever he was doing at his very messy desk. And he did actually seem happy to see them, although… not happy generally. Which was nice, and also very not-nice, and Muriel didn't know what to do about that, so she ignored it, because it was good enough that he was happy and it was nice. "How have you been? Are things going well with the shop? How is… er...." He trailed off.

Muriel told him all about how they'd been opening the shop at random times and not allowed anybody to buy anything, and they talked about the books they'd enjoyed and the ones they had found very confusing, but Aziraphale seemed to have been expecting more and they suddenly felt very conscious of how much time they'd spent talking about nothing at all. He was probably annoyed. So they got to the actual point of their appointment, which was permission.

"I was wondering, er, if I could have a look at my old records?" They had the password, because Crowley'd used it to access Gabriel's files, and it wasn't their fault that they remembered everything they'd ever seen and heard with absolute precision, so it really was just a matter of asking permission.

"Oh. Yes. If you'd like," said Aziraphale. He looked faintly disappointed.

"Thank you! I'll let you get on with your Supreme Archangel work now," they said.

"Right. Yes. Do stop in any time, though," said Aziraphale. "And, if you have any news about…"

"About what?"

"Nothing, never mind," said Aziraphale. He looked around nervously. "Probably shouldn't… anyway. Lovely to see you."

Muriel nodded happily at him and went to the archives to find what they were looking for. They were glad (and again, faintly guilty) that nobody was about, and nobody could see them taking their folder. It wasn't as though they were an important angel; Heaven wouldn't be needing these records. And they'd bring them right back. They were just curious.

Once they got back to the bookshop, they opened their file. It was in reverse chronological order, and it was pretty sparse, so they flipped past the first few records and got to the first thing that was new to them. Because, well. They did remember everything they'd ever seen and heard with absolute precision. And yet, their memories started several thousand years after the creation of the Earth. It was, as the humans might put it, a bit of a puzzle. And Muriel liked puzzles.

Anyway, the first thing that was new to them was a record of memory correction. Which wasn't too surprising, although it made them feel bad, for some reason, and slightly hollow, and they didn't like that very much, so they skipped it.

The second thing was something called an Incident Report. Muriel had never seen the form for this; they had never been involved in an Incident before, and it sounded quite exciting. But reading it was like reading a piece of human fiction; the angel described was -- to borrow a phrase from the thrilling tale of a human trying to obtain the mystical elixir that would make all his woes better -- almost, but not entirely, unlike Muriel. This angel had shouted at a superior. This angel had threatened to bite somebody. Muriel had never even bitten food.

They skipped past that, and leafed past a few other pages, anxious to find something familiar, something that felt like them. They stopped, finding a form in their own handwriting.

They were requesting reassignment from Heaven back to Earth. Which had apparently been their prior assignment. Muriel did not understand, and their confusion increased as they read on.

Reason for request: I am beginning to think this scrivener assignment is not as entirely necessary as had been previously represented, as not a single person has had need of my services for over a century. I'm aware of some of my performance problems in the past on Earth, and I know I can do better. Also, and I apologize for being selfish, I cannot continue on in an empty white void for an indefinite period of time. If I cannot be reassigned to Earth at this time I would like to request that I be permitted some sort of conversation with… someone? Sometimes? Really, just somebody telling me to have a nice decade would be an improvement. Or a brief chat about the weather.

Here the phrase "lack of" was inserted with a carat above "the weather." Muriel nodded; they took pride in their dedication to precision and accuracy, at least where it did not interfere with the will of Heaven. Sometimes the will of Heaven was a bit hazy, unlike the weather in Heaven, which was always nonexistent.

They continued reading, though it was a bit more difficult, as their handwriting suffered a noticeable decline, even before they ran out of lines on the form:

Look, I'm so sorry I know I keep requesting this, but I just can't keep going on as I have. I'm going to go mad. Just let me talk to someone. They don't even have to be a real person! And I promise I'll only talk about nice things. I just know something needs to change for me, or I won't be an asset to Heaven at all, I'll be broken. I know that's not a thing that's supposed to happen but I think, as the events of the past few millennia can attest to, things that aren't supposed to happen happen all the time and it would be stupid of us to keep pretending they don't. I'm not stupid and I'm not going to pretend I am for the benefit of some middle managers who don't understand the conditions we're working in on Earth.

Muriel frowned at the form. This seemed utterly unlike them. And yet, there it was, in their own handwriting. Somebody had stamped DENIED over the form in gold, and as they leafed through the file they found at least a dozen more forms, almost identical but for not-Muriel's pleas for Something To Do, with the same DENIED stamp glimmering on each.

They felt like they had been punched in the stomach. Not that that had ever happened to them. Or that they knew how that felt. But it felt like… that. Muriel didn't know if they could put it into words describing experiences they had actually definitely had and remembered.

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

The Arcana HCs: MC gets temporary amnesia

~ Requested by @selfcarecollective and an anon! For headcanon purposes, MC slipped on a cobblestone and hit their head. The amnesia only lasts a week at most and MC remains basically functional until their memories return as their injury heals ~

Julian

The only reason he's staying as calm as he is is because he has years of practice slipping into "doctor mode" for his patients

When he's with you, he's wholly focused on caring for you. His voice stays steady and grounding, he's quick to notice any confusion and explain, he cracks jokes to lift your spirits

And when he's not with you - well - he doesn't know what to do

You don't remember him. You don't know who he is beyond who he appears to be to you now, the extraordinary circumstances of your romance have been wiped from your mind, and -

And how does he know? How does he know that you'll choose him again? How does he know that any affection you show him isn't out of your new dependence on him as your caretaker?

How does he know that you can still love him for who he truly is, when you don't know him well enough to rebuke his self-doubt?

Every lone moment is the agony of grieving someone who's still alive, spiraling until you have need of him again and he has a purpose, a clear-cut path that gives him some way to serve you

Lowkey surprised when you recover that you still love him

Asra

At least this time you're not dead!

Truthfully though, it's twice as hard because it's happened before, and twice as hopeful because they've seen you recover

The grief he feels every time you look at him with empty eyes runs a well-worn track, so familiar that it makes his heart wonder if this is supposed to be his default state and happiness was borrowed

They also have years of practice setting their own feelings aside to care for you, and care for you they will. You won't experience a single moment of need with them staying nearby

He's so, so careful not to push or rush you. Even though he knows this time around that you're committed to a relationship with him, he still wants you to have all the emotional space you need

Terrified of telling you what's happened despite knowing the circumstances are different. They do it anyways when you ask, and seeing you not crumple into agony from their words is so healing

Keeps all the pain of it hidden out of sight and ignored until you recover your memories. After twenty four hours of cautious relief, he breaks down in shuddering sobs as the years start to process

Nadia

She's ... she's unsure of herself, and she hates feeling unsure

No matter what, she wants to treat you with love and respect and dignity, but suddenly your boundaries have been reset and the person she loves as her partner doesn't see her the same way

It's easier for her to focus on getting you back to normal than it is to sit in the dissonance of your current condition

Makes sure you are completely cared for while she summons physician after physician after physician to provide you with round-the-clock care and her with as many cures as possible

She feels genuinely remorseful for how emotionally distant she is from you when she knows you're going through a moment of vulnerable need - but what she provides wouldn't be right

To try to make up for it, she writes you letters every day like a journal, to be given to you when you regain your memories and can take the role of her consort once again

Which she does give to you within a couple hours of your recovery

So, so, so very proud of you for making it through yet another trial - and more than ready for several days off to make up for lost time

Muriel

Usually the type of person to sleep off his sadness, he just wants space to himself to handle his grief where it can't affect you

At the same time, he has a level of loyalty to you that the Patrons themselves couldn't cross. He's not going to leave you alone for this. Nobody deserves to suffer in isolation

That said, trying to be there for you when you don't know who he is is a source of constant anxiety. How does he know this isn't his blessing-turned-curse making a poorly timed comeback?

How does he know that he won't scare you? How does he know that you'll be able to see past his intimidating frame and permanent scowl? How does he know he won't make it worse?

Ends up relegating himself to being something along the lines of your bodyguard. He won't pressure you to interact with him at all, he'll just be nearby to make sure you're okay and not alone

And that's how the days pass, slowly recovering in the peace and beauty of the woods, with your guardian in the background

He doesn't begin to process how scared and hurt and alone he felt until you're yourself again, and able to help him find words

Portia

She knows, logically, that it's not her fault, but in her heart of hearts she feels like this must be personal somehow

Is she that easy to forget? That easy to brush aside? The vulnerability she showed you, the countless ways she's propped you up, the beautiful relationship you've built - gone, that easily?

She'd never leave you to go through this alone and she's fully committed to seeing this through. Your days are filled with sunlight and tea and scones and cat snuggles and garden naps

But Portia just can't find it within herself to embody joy. She's a shadow, fixing you with tired smiles over eyes pooling with sorrow, the usual bubbly rants cut down to gentle, quiet observations

And somehow ... somehow, you still seem to care about her

Somehow she's still the first person you look at. Somehow you still listen to her fewer, quieter words like they're worth hearing. Somehow you see her "boring" face and still want to stick around

Even with you losing your proof of her worthiness, it's still her

Goes from depressed to all the feelings at once when you regain your memories. You'll be kissed, tackled, scolded, and hugged

Lucio

He's so close to hating himself for thinking this, but ... maybe ... what if ... this is a good thing?

He's glad he met you. He's, ultimately, grateful for the chance you gave him and the love and labor you put into giving him a second chance and helping him make the most of it

He's proud of the work he's done and the ways he's changed

And, in contrast, he carries plenty of shame for who he used to be

It could be so easy. When you look at him, you just see the golden haired journeyman who was holding you when you woke up and who's been there for you every moment since

You don't see the plague, or the painful source of his golden arm, or the demonic deals, or city state run to ruins, or the battles ...

You just see him. Now. As the person he wants to be

And yet he finds more and more that he misses being known

He misses your pride when he makes a hard but right choice, when he chooses honesty over luxury and accountability over escape

And when you come back to who you really are and see him for who he fully is, he gets the full brunt of it all over again

[books-and-omens]

Oh. Oh WAIT. 

The Crow Road. You know, that book where the protagonist is searching for an answer to a conspicuous thing that happened. An answer that finally comes together through notes and omissions and bits of narrative and off-hand remarks.

And we were thinking that the book might be a clue for Muriel, or something to do with Aziraphale’s journals, or setup for the third season, or…

But the thing is. The thing is. 

What we are doing right now. What we are all doing right now.

We are the protagonist of The Crow Road.

The Crow Road was given to us.

[mashup-writing]

Gifts & Thoughts (M6); The Arcana

-------------------------------------------------------

Summary: The Main 6 and the gifts they send the Main Character. [Upright Endings]

Requested? ❌

Genre: Fluff

Warnings: None

"Is it obvious that all of this is right?"

-Elijah Woods, 24/7 365.

----------------------٩(◕‿◕｡)۶-----------------------

Nadia Satrinava:

Elegance, is the word for the gifts she spoils you with.

Everything she gifts you always has a connection to a certain time you have spent together.

A memorable date? A memorable day? A memorable moment? It doesn't matter;

Even the jewels that always color coordinate with your outfit palette has some sort of underlying memory connected to them.

Prepare to get showered with the finest, most intricately detailed accessories that Nadia associates with your shared memories.

Small mechanical inventions for your familiar. Like the little toys she made for Chandra.

Just as much as she pampers you, Nadia spares no expense in both monetary value and thought value to the things she creates for your familiar.

Your familiar is never going to feel bored within the Palace grounds, what with both Chandra and Nadia's little inventions to keep them company when you aren't there.

Light silk clothes in your preferred color palette, while the Vesuvian weather makes velvet and other similar fabrics impractical-

Nadia is well versed with the versatility of silk with the heat.

The silks she gifts you are to be imported from Praka, she will settle for gifting you no other silks but the finest kind in all the world.

The embroidery on these clothing items are always customized:

A pattern of a colorful forest: When you hunted down Lucio's ghost together.

A pattern of a wheat field: For that time you screamed your grievances to the heavens.

A pattern of waves, a small island with a singular angled tree: For the time you swam with her in the High Priestess' domain.

Asra Alnazar:

Scrapbooks is the vibe that comes to mind whenever the gift is from Asra.

For his presents are a mix of both learning, and simple sentimentalities.

There are still times where he goes on his own adventures and whenever he does, he never fails to bring back a tricket (Or five) which had reminded him of you in some way.

A leatherbound journal, with a burnt in pattern. For note taking when you're working on spell adjustments.

A small gemstone imbued with a protection spell, or a spell for luck, or healing- That has been fashioned into a necklace.

Herbs that he dries himself.

Self-made tea blends that he has subjected himself to tasting before handing you the perfected blends.

Matching knitted sweaters for you and your familiar, imbued with temperature regulation spells.

Spell tomes he bought, read, and then annotated with possible helpful tips, or everyday commentary to make your learning easier and more fun.

Julian Devorak:

Tomfoolery. That's it. That's his type of gifts.

A pun book, that he had somehow managed to talk Malak into gently dropping on you.

A sealed bottle with a preserved leach inside, reminiscent of the time you both thought to bathe in a suspiciously muddled pond.

He buys small journals, and writes down his adventure stories within them before handing them over to you.

Sometimes he'd send you a "Doctor's Prescription" that contain sweet gestures such as ten hugs a day, four kisses per hour, a "Nap" with him that lasts at least 12 hours-

Julian is an actor, a performer, an artist, a man of the arts. He always comes up with a new way to make a gift unique from the rest despite them being almost the same in form.

You now have a slowly growing folder of all the Doctor's Prescriptions you have been prescribed.

Thankfully, you only have a single bottle of leech and there is no indication that there will ever be another one.

Muriel the Outsider:

Handmade. Everything he gifts you is made with love, adoration, and quiet devotion driving his hands.

Sculptures both realistic and abstract, with the wood carefully polished to bring out the unique patterns.

Spice blends foraged and dried by himself from when he goes foraging in the forest every month.

Very seldomly, he gifts you flowers that he dried himself. Whenever he finds some that he likes the colors of.

He doesn't gift you dried flowers often, he appreciates nature and it's bounty but finds it hard to see any flowers as beautiful enough to be given to you.

Home cooked meals that Muriel tries his best to perfectly season and cook to your preferences.

Whenever trading caravans pass by Vesuvia, Muriel heads into the city and does his best to peruse each and every cart. Looking for something that might "Speak" to him as something that suffices as a gift for you in his eyes.

If there is no specific thing that meets his standard, then he'll look for materials in the carts instead so that he can make you something.

Portia Devorak:

Literature; Portia learned to read and write quite late in life, those two skills have become an integral part of who she is and what she sees as art and worthy of praise.

She writes you verses, poems, short stories- and she scatters them in the nooks and crannies of your shared home for you to find unexpectedly.

The paper is always subconsciously imbued with her magic. Whenever you touch the paper, you end up getting a glimpse into what she was feeling for you when she wrote the piece.

She gifts you books of stories she always comes back to, and books about the history, customs, and culture of the places you and her are sent as Emissaries to.

She makes sure to read through these books herself first, inserting slips of paper with her own viewpoints on a particular scene, or poems inspired by the scene (and the fact that she imagined both of you in it).

She also makes sure to always get you a box of the most delicious looking and smelling treat in the bakeries you visit on your Emmisary trips.

Lucio / Montag Morgasson:

The World. (No, Lucio does not get you the world turtle- As cute as they may be.)

He is no longer the Count, he has renounced that stature in favor of being a mercenary once more.

On your excursions, Lucio takes the time to sit down and take in the sights with you. Talking about everything and little nothings all at once.

Sometimes he sneaks in a purchase when you're both in the marketplace stocking up on supplies, stuffing it into his pack when your back is turned.

He never knows where or when he's going to give it to you on your adventures, but he knows that he'll know when the time is right.

Lucio picks flowers from the paths you're walking to place it either in your hair, or he pins it to your shirt.

If you get sad when it inevitably wilts away, Lucio reassures you that it's nothing to be sad about because the memory of your happiness from receiving the flower will metaphorically be keeping it alive.

If you find a way to preserve it with magic, he'll buy a sturdy box (He also asks you to enchant it with a few spells for extra safety) in which to keep all the flowers taken from your journey.

Once the box is full, it finds a place on the mantle of your shared home.

----------------------٩(◕‿◕｡)۶-----------------------

[amuseoffyre]

Just had GO s2 on in the background while I was doing some craft and some percolating thoughts came out of the first Maggie and Nina exchange.

Nina: See anything you fancy? Maggie: Oh. Yes. Coffee. Nina: The usual, then? Don't tell me, it's in here. You're a skinny latte. Maggie: You remembered :) Nina: A lot of people in this head, and a lot of coffees, but I only remember the regulars.

Now bear with me on this mental ramble as I try and put these thoughts in order. I'll divide it into three points:

Mind-altering and memory muddles

There's a running motif through the whole season about memory and the loss thereof:

Gabriel removing his memory ("all the bits that make you you")

Crowley forgetting who Furfur was repeatedly

Aziraphale and Crowley's miracle basically casting confusion over the bookshop and muddling everyone's minds

the threat of erasure of memory and demotion (and am still sure Muriel is a previous demotee on account of the 37th level thing. 3s and 12s! Those are the recurring numbers in the book! 37 doesn't make sense! 36, yes! 37, no!)

putting memories somewhere else (Gabriel's fly but also Aziraphale's journals)

Coffee

As with the memory element, coffee is a running theme through the whole show as well.

Crowley chugging espressos like there's no tomorrow

Give Me Coffee or Give Me Death - "does anyone ever choose death?" asks the Metatron, when the answer is obvious

Coffee's symbolism in the final 15. Let me yell about the symbolism of Coffee = Crowley and all things mortal and living and human and earthly. OR DEATH. ("I have ingested things, you know")

The flavours in the Metatron's coffee order also having allegorical symbolism - almond branches in various parts of The Book are a reminder that God is Watching.

The human avatars of the angelic and divine

Initially when I started watching S2, I assumed the parallels between Maggie and Nina were obvious: Maggie, the sunshine one, is the Aziraphale, while Nina, the grumpy one, is the Crowley. But I was wrong.

Nina is the human avatar of Aziraphale.

Maggie: how can you think about that after all this? Nina: People need coffee, I sell coffee, it's my coffee shop.

Nina defines herself by the place she works, it is who she is and she does it because people need it (coffee), much like Aziraphale defines himself by the place he worked (Heaven), it's who he is (an angel) and he does it because people need it (goodness).

Likewise, when they go and tell Crowley off for the way he's interfered in their lives, Nina says she's just getting out of a messy relationship and isn't ready for something new yet (again, Aziraphale and Heaven vibes because that fully impacts every decision Aziraphale makes through S2) and if Maggie is around when she's ready, then maybe, they can try. ("If she's there" "I will be :) ")

And then we have Maggie, the Crowley avatar. Useless at saying what she wants to say, tries to express herself and her emotions with gestures and gifts, offers her company and time when Nina needs it, happy to help her despite the way Nina is wary of the kindness being shown.

By the end of the season, Nina is caught behind the bar of her coffee shop, working and serving ungrateful people, while Maggie is alone in her empty shop, asleep on her counter, paralleling Aziraphale going back to work in a place where he will run himself off his feet to do the right thing, while Crowley is left with an empty shop.

But now to spin back to the original quote from 2x01, it feels like all of these motifs are tying together and foreshadowing something, very possibly an Aziraphale who has lost his memory/had his memories stripped away.

Let me rewrite the lines with only a tiny couple of changes:

Aziraphale: See anything you fancy? Crowley: Oh. Ngk. Company? Aziraphale: The usual, then? Don't tell me, it's in here. You're the demon Crowley. Crowley: You remembered :) Aziraphale: A lot of angels in this head, and a lot of demons, but I only remember the regulars.

If I'm right, he remembers Crowley, but only the surface level like Nina remembers Maggie. Nothing about who they were to each other, nothing about what has happened. But have no fear, Muriel has the bookshop and the thousands and thousands of years of Aziraphale's memories bound up in text form.

Especially prescient since Muriel is given a book by the Metatron Crowley which is a novel where a man pieces together a story from documents that have been left behind. Schroedinger's journals will be making a return in S3, I have no doubt.

[muriel-not-the-dim-one]

@secretdiaryofcrowley

@aziraphalesdiaries

I thought perhaps you should know what I know.

If you don’t want me wearing your sweater/jacket Mr. Fell, I understand.

I’m sorry they aren’t in order, but I remembered to number them like Mr. Fell taught me. 🤍✨🪽

[dbacklot99]

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About The Crow Road, But Couldn't Get Through it To Find Out

Co-written by dbacklot and cheeseplants

WARNING: SPOILERS EVERYWHERE!!

Overall Premise: Books are clearly important to Good Omens and Neil & team have left us Clues. In S2E2, the xray trivia highlights a list of books they would like the audience to read. But even more specifically, there are names of certain books on the back of the chairs in the theater in the opening credits. Those books are: The Tale of Two Cities, Pride & Prejudice, and The Crow Road - twice!

What might this mean? One theory is that the chairs represent the seasons. The body swap in S1 is similar to how Carton, in Tale of Two Cities, takes his doppleganger's place in jail, sacrificing his life so Darnay could go free and be with his family. Pride & Prejudice is clearly referenced in S2, with Crowley's proposal as a sort of mirror to Darcy's first proposal. (There's probably a whole lot more to unpack there - and if you like Austen, here are some thoughts about Aziraphale's favorite book, Persuasion, and how it may relate to the characters.)

BACK to The Crow Road. The title is shown on two chairs in the opening sequence, suggesting that it is related to both S2 and S3. Furthermore, we see the book multiple times in the show and it's the book Muriel reads at the end. As an aside, Neil Gaiman and Iain Banks were very good friends. Iain Banks died over a decade ago, so it is also likely a bit of a tribute to his friend.

So let's dig in and see why perhaps Neil keeps holding this book up and shouting Clue!

Side note: The book is long and most of the action happens in the final third, which can make it a hard read for folks. There's also a lot of characters and it can be tricky to remember how they are all related. There is a family tree BUT it has spoilers.

The Name: The Crow Road is a phrase used by the grandmother to indicate someone has died, ie - he's gone the crow road.

The Plot: This is the story of Prentice growing up with his immediate and extended family in Scotland. His Uncle Rory disappears in his early childhood. Some family members choose to believe Rory is still alive. After a hook-up with his Uncle Rory's former girlfriend as a young adult, Prentice starts gathering journals and writings from his missing Uncle Rory, who was (for a few years) a successful writer and traveler. Prentice eventually learns that 1) another Uncle, Fergus, had murdered his own wife and covered it up as a car accident and 2) Rory had figured this out and confronted him. Fergus then murdered Rory, hid all the evidence, and hired an acquaintance (who also traveled) to send matchboxes from bars across the world to Prentice's father, Kenneth. Kenneth, believed - as Fergus intended - that these were messages from Rory, indicating he was still alive. 

Stylistically, Prentice's childhood memories and fragments from Rory's journals are interspersed throughout the book, much like the minisodes are in S2. It can take the reader a while to figure out who is telling the story or where this information is coming from. It is also unclear how reliable Rory is as narrator - perhaps this also plays into S2.

What it Might Mean: 

Fergus could represent the Metatron. He is very powerful, rich, and conservative; he lives in a castle (Heaven?) and wants authority. Fergus also murders two relatives and hides those murders; the murder of his wife may have been inspired by jealousy over her sleeping with another man, an event which may or may not have happened.

Fergus also sets up fake messages!! The matchbooks are red herrings to make it look like Rory is still alive. As the Metatron relays messages from God, I can't get over the possibilities here. We have seen God speaking directly as recently as Job, but are the other messages real?

I can't help but wonder if the matchbooks and their use as messages inspired Neil to use the matchbook in S2. The matchbook in S2, incidentally, connects to all three minisodes - the quote from Job, 41:19 (reversed 1941), and the matchbox is from the Resurrectionists pub. So the matchbook contains not only Gabriel’s memories but refers to Azi’s as well?

Much of the book is about this missing uncle. Is a character (or their memory) missing in S3? I have theories, but its too soon to tell.

There's also an interesting theme of Prentice collecting his Uncle Rory's writings and records, including sending some corrupted computer discs to an expert in America to try to restore them. Given the emphasis on records ("It contains information in a tuneful way") and journals in S2, not to mention this trivia nugget ​​ - my brain is itching that there's a connection there.

Faith & Beliefs: The book talks about Faith a lot. Prentice believes in God and his father Kenneth doesn’t. And Kenneth doesn’t just reject religion, he wants his children to reject religion too. Prentice on the other hand desperately wants something to believe in - especially after a friend's death in an accident. This leads to a huge fall out - they end up not talking over it.

"'I mean, what's the big argument? Can't you just agree to disagree?' 'No; we disagree about that,' I shook my head. 'Seriously; it doesnt' work that way; neither of us can leave it alone. There's almost nothing either of us can say that can't be taken the wrong way, with a bit of imagination. It's like being married.'" (Ch 7)

Kennth seemingly taunts God - he climbs a church during a lightning storm and is struck dead. His uncle Hamish (one of Kenneth’s brothers) also represents the extreme version of Faith and ends up running a sort of cult, at least until Kenneth’s death.

What it Might Mean: The thread they pull through a lot is about meaning, and whether you can have meaning in life without God. Prentice gains Faith because his friend died senselessly; he wonders how can you have a world be so cruel. There must be a reason for it (this is sort of Az coded), and he turns to God to create the meaning for him. 

BUT Kenneth’s argument is that you don’t need Faith for the world to have meaning (or at least that is my reading). It is wonderful because it is inherently meaningless (this is very existentialist, but I do think that’s the point). That Faith doesn’t do that, and just means you are looking outwards without looking at what is right in front of you. Which again, could be a Crowley way of looking at it, or at least where he is headed. Life is good as life, and doesn’t need God to make it so. 

Hamish represents someone putting so much meaning into Faith that they lose all sense of Joy, he becomes distant.  (One of my favorite scenes is Hamish doing a jigsaw puzzle with the pieces upside down - and cutting the pieces with scissors if they don’t fit right!)

The Romantic Relationships: Prentice is infatuated with a cousin (second cousin?), Verity. She is described as beautiful, in white/light colors, pure, lives with Uncle Fergus in the castle. There are legends around her birth -  she was conceived under a tree during a storm. She is unattainable and eventually ends up with Prentice's older brother.

Ash, on the other hand, is almost literally the girl next door and Prentice’s long-term best friend. Her family is poorer and maybe has some domestic violence issues. She's always there for Prentice - literally a shoulder to cry on, sharing a bottle of whiskey, helping him sober up after said whiskey. There's obvious romantic tension from Ash’s side but she never pushes him and instead guides him along. And the book ends with a romantic resolution that feels very much like the final fifteen - except with a happier ending.

“- and I still didn’t feel I could tell her how I felt about her because she was going away now, and how could I suddenly say I love you when I’d never said it to anybody in my life before? How could I say it now especially, the night before she was due to leave? It would look like I was trying to make her stay, or just get her into bed. It would probably wreck this one precious evening that we did have, and upset her, confuse her, even hurt her, and I didn’t want to do any of that.” (Ch 13)

They finally kiss and spend the night together, both confessing their love. Ash has to leave the next morning to pursue a career opportunity in New York; Prentice is sad that she goes but re-dedicating himself to his studies and working towards a relationship together. 

What it Might Mean: To me, Verity is very Heaven-coded and Ash is very Hell-coded. A big part of Prentice's arc (Prentice may represent Azi here) is getting over his blind infatuation with Verity and realizing the value and love he has with Ash. However, they also need to be apart and grow a bit before they can be together.

Other thoughts? Connections? Would love to hear your theories!!

@cheeseplants

[stumblingoverchaos]

From my Good Omens art journal. "'Ello, 'ello, 'ello". Collage, acrylic paint, gel plate printing, stickers.

[nightgoodomens]

Muriel: Are this Aziraphale’s journals? Where should I put them?

Crowley: Don’t touch them *snatches them away*

Goes upstairs to put them away, curiosity wins over and he takes a peak:

“… Crowley looked particularly handsome today…”

Crowley: Muriel I will be busy for a while! 🍷

[marixrose]

Could I get a Hc for the arcana boys+Asra where Mc and their Li are just relaxing. When Mc notices their Li looking over at them Mc strikes the most adorable pose they can.

Of course! I haven’t written for the Arcana in a bit, but I hope this is up to your standards! 🫶🏼

The Arcana when MC strikes an adorable pose when caught looking at them

Asra— You both are stargazing after a long day. Asra has been very busy with their shop lately, not that they’re complaining—business is good. You’re gazing at the stars as Asra slowly turns their gaze to you. You are unaware of this at first, but soon feel the stare. You take a quick glance in their direction and smile. You turn towards them and prop your head up on your hand and gaze at them adoringly with a soft smile. Asra’s heart melts at the sight and he blushes slightly. Soon enough he is mimicking your pose, the stars forgotten. You both spent the time admiring each other.

Julian— He was busy reading a book while you both sat on the couch. You were writing in your journal completely focused and zoned out. Julian had been gazing at you for a couple of minutes now, but you were too distracted by your own thoughts. Soon enough you snap out of your focus and caught him staring at you in the corner of your eye. You turn towards him will a big smile and blow him a kiss. He blushed and turns away love struck. He fell in love with you all over again.

Muriel— You both are relaxing by the fire in his cabin after a long day. It was one of those days where you managed to bring him to the market with you, and he agreed. You were memorized by the sparks being produced by the fire that you were unaware that he was looking at you. You caught on soon enough and smiled. You kiss his cheek and lean your head on his shoulder lovingly. He felt warm inside, he felt loved.

Lucio— He decided to relax in the kitchen eating a delicious dessert. You both were relaxing and enjoying the meal. You were enjoying it a little too much not to notice him gazing at you. You had a mouthful of the dessert when you turn towards him with the biggest smile you could muster. He started laughing and once you swallowed your food, you laughed with him. He kissed your forehead and muttered cute things as you continued to enjoy the snack.