#heaven and being an archangel really did destroy him

[actual-changeling]

The Metatron's outfit obviously has meta reasons/the costume department and Neil decided on it for a reason, but I think that there are also in-canon ones we should talk about more.

Now, the thing most people notice immediately is the colour—angels were whites, beige, light colours that match the job and heaven's sterile whiteness. His, on the other hand, is black, a colour usually associated with hell and demons.

As a small meta reason side note: I do not think that they chose the colour to signal that he is a demon and broke them up because he has Big Evil Plans because that goes against everything Good Omens is about. The Metatron is at the top of heaven's hierarchy and only subservient to God (assuming She is actually still involved), he can have bad intentions and universe-destroying plans as an angel, the whole point is that the angel/demon dichotomy is an ideological fantasy.

Why did the Metatron himself choose that outfit though? One would assume that he would have the most pristine white clothes possible, but every single time we have seen him so far, he has been a floating head without a body.

So before he came to earth, he actively made a decision to dress the way he did. We also know that he did his research on Aziraphale and Crowley, hence his knowing that Aziraphale consumes human food and getting that coffee. The entire situation was the Metatron creating the most beneficial set-up for his plan—to convince Aziraphale to come back to heaven with him.

He knows Aziraphale likes food, but what else does he like?

Crowley.

The person we see wearing exclusively black and dark colours.

Give Aziraphale a coffee, make his subconscious associate the Metatron with Crowley based on his clothes, sweet-talk him and lie to get him attached, and then offer him everything he could have ever wanted—heaven, the ability to change heaven, and Crowley and him being angels together.

Just like his off-hand mention about consuming food, the black suit is also meant to make him seem 'other', someone who—just like Aziraphale—doesn't really fit in with all the other angels. Aziraphale sees all of that, and the conclusion he comes to is the following:

The Metatron, the Guy In Charge is like me! He understands me, and we're both different, but he still wants me to be the Supreme Archangel. It IS possible to break some rules and still be a Good Angel, I was worried for nothing, everything is fine, and he will even revise the mistake of Crowley's fall.

Consequently, Aziraphale accepted the offer and didn't even think further than his own moral qualms finally being resolved, which is exactly what the Metatron wanted.

I think he vastly underestimated their relationship though—Aziraphale almost changes his mind—but overall it was a complete, clean success for him.

For my part, I am incredibly curious if he will keep the black suit in season three, turn back into a head, or change into white/lighter clothes. Now that he has Aziraphale where he wants him, he can dial down the persuasion and manipulation techniques.

[yannisrandomstuff]

Hey girly ! I was wondering If you could do me a favor and use that awesome skill of yours🫵, and please make me and make yan alt Cesar and Gabriel with Angel s/o who is incredibly oblivious. You don’t have to do this , you can add anything that makes you comfortable. Please take care of yourself and have a nice day or night.

-🫵👰‍♀️🎚️

Yandere Alternate Gabriel with An Angel s/o

I didn't include Alt Cesar since I don't write for him. Once again this blog is for Gabriel

Tw: possessiveness, control , toxic love, Alt Gabe being a jerk

It all started when you are created by God, you are one of the most divine being that he created. An Angel with 4 pairs of wings that shine under the moon. An angel with pure innocence, gentle and beauty.

Eventually you started to learn more about the God's creations, then you met him.

He is beautiful, he has 6 wings that the sunlight shine so bright. You learned that his name is Lucifer, the Morningstar.

In his eyes you are beautiful. He felt warm when he's with you, hearts beating faster whenever he's around with you but he keeps calm.

You are the most beautiful being after himself he ever saw.

Everytime that the two of you were together, you always seem to look at him with those mesmerizing eyes. Whenever you praised him with compliments instead of just saying thank you like he would do to any ordinary angels he returns the compliments to you with a heart warming smile.

And that moment he promised to himself. He will raised above God's power and have a throne for himself to rule the world, he also had an idea that he wanted you to be his Significant Other

Unfortunately his plans failed. And he thrown in the depths of the earth many angels saw his fall like lighting and he was never to be seen again. Or so they thought.

One day you were preparing the instruments for the choir for the angels to use when they sing. You can't help but remember Lucifer. He is one of the Singing Angels, it felt really different now that he was gone.

You bump into the Messenger of God Gabriel he asked you if you were alright, you assured him that you are fine. The two of you chat a bit he tells you some of his missions and jobs . The two of you are having a great time chatting it made you happy knowing that the angels did not hate you for your friends rebellion against God.

At that moment you felt something strange something not right at all you figure it out immediately Gabriel's Voice is much lower than usual you just brushed it off.

Strange things been happening lately, angels that you were close with have gone missing, you feel like you were being watched all the time. And your things have been disappearing. Gabriel seem to be much more clingy to you

Everynight you have a dream about someone telling you that he will comeback for you

And later on, Someone Overthrew God out of his position.

Every now and then you will always wake up with bite marks everywhere, mostly around your neck and inner thighs. Some of them have blood stains in them.

And also a bit wet down there.

Another familiar scent will always be in your body

After Gabriel successfully destroyed heaven, you and the other angels manage to survive including the other archangels. You weren't sure if Gabriel The Archangel have survived. (He didn't he's trapped lolol) you haven't seen him in centuries. And now you have been caught by him

he will lock you up in a fancy bird cage 5 times your size but and will always visit you

That bird cage is like a mini room, it had a bed, and furnitures and things that you love doing (like painting, creating songs, writing poems, and other angelic stuff)

This yandere will always in control, always controlling your every moves

He gets upset whenever you disobey him.

But he always make it up to you whenever he hurt you

He tends to be extra sweet and clingy around you when you obey him

He gets so happy when you talk to him and eat the food he makes for you.

He hopes that one day you will submit to him

He visualizes a family with you

And everyday will be the same

So you can't really survive this because he loved you so much that you cannot escape

Bro I'm back

[sinner-sunflower]

P.2 HH Lucifer-centric AU 3/?

STORY 1, PART 1, PART 2, PART 4, PART 5, PART 6, PART 7, PART 8, PART 9, PART 10, PART 11, PART 12, PART 13, PART 14

Oh my god?? Is that Michael from the Bible??

Again, please read Story 1 first before reading this. This is a sequel and you'll need the context of the first story to understand some aspects here!

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

Lucifer thought about a lot of things in the past few months.

Like how Charlie has the heart of an angel but fierceness of a demon, or how Alastor can't turn off his bastardness but still convey concern for someone, how Vaggie thinks no one can tell she beats herself up for missing Heaven, how Angel endured how-many-the-fuck years in that moth man's clutches, how Husk gives longing gazes towards Angel when he thinks the other is not looking (Angel definitely knows, he just likes to tease), how Cherri always taps Sir Pentious' portrait whenever she walks by it, how Nifty is... well Nifty.

Something he doesn't really think about is setting foot in Heaven again.

....

With anyone knowing, that is.

He came out the portal into a familiar room. There's a desk with a mountain of paperwork on one side and an unfinished cup of still steaming coffee on the other. Even with the mess, the multiple picture frames that were always there were not removed- like unmovable pillars.

Lucifer can't see what's on them but he doesn't need to see to know; after all... this isn't his first time here.

Michael: Samael.

He swivels around to face the owner of the voice.

Lucifer: It's Lucifer. How many times do I have to tell you that, Michael.

Michael: At least once more, brother.

Lucifer: Cut the shit.

The King of Hell angrily stomps towards his brother, hands grabbing the other's collar and pinning him against the wall.

Lucifer: How fucking dare you?! Y̵̬̮̾͊̍̈́̆o̴̧̺̞͎͒̌̿̀ͅṷ̵͇̒͆̉̒ ̶̢̢̖͕̳̋ç̶̼̝̮̌̽͛́͊ͅo̸͉̘͛̏̀̑̂u̴̜̝̦̒l̴͈̾d̵̗̾'̴̤̘̬̩̓v̸̟͈̠̯͕́̅̕̕ê̶̡̨̗͖̖̂ ̷̡̖̫͇̗̂͛̑̇͋k̶̘̪̲͓̜̋́͐͆́i̶͕̽̇́͊͜l̶̯͖̿l̸̛͉̝͊̈́̏̀ȅ̴̞͘d̸̡̫̬͈̝̈́̊ ̴̛͍͕͘͝m̵̻̂͂͐y̵̠̠̑͋ ̵̣̭̭̰͉͗̽̑̚d̴͚̠̈́̈́ȃ̴͙̪̂͐̉ų̶̛͐̋̃g̶̮̭̟͓̺̔̆h̵̪͕̞̟͈̋̊̌̒t̷̨̍͑ͅe̴͖͎̒̐̚͝r̷̡̎́!̷̡͔͚̜͆͋̔̄̈́

His demon form is coming out and he's trying so hard to suppress his disguise while being so utterly pissed off.

Michael's face remains unchanged from his usual calm and oh boy it just makes Lucifer want to kill his brother more

Michael: Relax, Lucifer. I knew you would have blocked it. Sorry for the pentagram though. Besides, I just needed to get your attention and call you here.

Lucifer: What?? A note can't do anymore??

His brother scoffed at his face. Scoffed! The nerve! Why he oughtta-

Michael: The council has become restless after the events of the last extermination. Sera has been dealt with, by the way. You're welcome. Nonetheless, they've tighten up security so that means I can't reach you the usual way.

Lucifer: So you tried to destroy my Kingdom?! I swear to Father, Michael if you do that again, I will-

Michael: Yes yes I'll send an owl or something next time. But this is urgent and I do not have the time to guess if you'll come or not if I did send one.

The threads pulses with their every intake of air, almost as if it's breathing with them.

Lucifer let go of his brother in realization of what the Archangel just said.

Lucifer: Wait. You said tighten security? For what?

Michael dusts himself off and purses his lips.

Michael: Follow me.

They navigate through baren hallways without talking. Lucifer wants to ask more but from the look Michael is sporting, it doesn't seem like it's something he wants to discuss in a place where someone might hear it.

The more they walk, the more familiar the pathway becomes. Are they heading where he thinks they're going?

Michael halts in front of a door that Lucifer is sure holds-

Lucifer: The Fates?

His brother nods as he opens the door, locking it behind him once entered.

The Sin of Pride had never been inside this room before, he only knows it by the stories his siblings and Father tells him. How one day, once his duty on Eden is finished, he is to assume the responsibilty of safeguarding The Fates.

And then the Fall happened and-

Now he's here. As the King of Hell. Heaven's supposed greatest enemy in the same room with the most delicate aspect of life.

The Threads of Life.

He stares at the golden thread spread throughout the entire room and it's so breathtaking that he almost can't breathe in it's presence.

Michael: Something is brewing here in Heaven. People are restless, fighting. Souls are going missing. Angels are leaving their duties. Just like how-

Lucifer: The Rebellion started… What? You think there's another one coming?

Michael: The council seems to think so but the others and I don't see it that way.

Lucifer: But-

He cuts himself off because Michael is looking at him with those eyes. Eyes that always seem to know too much.

Lucifer: You know what's happening, don't you?

Michael: Heaven is on the verge of a civil war.

Lucifer's breath hitches. A civil war?? Michael not calling it a rebellion means whoever is opposing is not after freedom.

They're after power. Heaven's power.

Lucifer: I'm sorry but I'm not part of Heaven. Not anymore. What does this have to do with me? What's so important that you need to blast a whole through Hell's skies and get me involved in a Heavenly dispute?

Michael reaches out to grab a thread oh so delicately. A thread that, unlike the others, is cut short.

Lucifer: Mika?

Michael: Heaven's foundation is collapsing. With a war like this, it is only a matter of time until the very essence of Heaven dies.

Michael takes lets Lucifer hold the thread with him and the King of Hell could feel a sense of home in it- almost like he's looking at a mirror with no reflection.

Michael: And I think you're going to die with it.

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

God, is it also hot in where you're from? I'm literally melting.

[applepiewinchesters]

Long Way Down (Crowley x Gender Neutral Angel!Reader)

A/N: This wasn't requested but I just wrote it up while waiting for any requests! Hope you like it! 

Word Count: 1,625

Pining. The present tense of pine, meaning suffering from a mental and physical decline, most often due to the silly feelings the heart makes one feel. Pining however, means you miss or long for something. A lost pet, a family member long gone, or, in Crowley’s case, someone he's spent the better part of 6,000 years with.

The word put a bad taste in Crowley’s mouth, pining. He didn’t pine for you. He…admired you. Was fond of you. If Aziraphale had a word in the matter he’d like to say Crowley loved you. And he did, but he’d never admit it.

Not when you nearly discorporated trying to save the Library of Alexandria with Aziraphale. Not when he saw you for the first time in nearly two centuries. And most certainly not when he thought the world was ending and had begged yourself and Aziraphale to go with him to Alpha Centauri. He thought of saying it, maybe it would get you to go with him, to be safe, but he couldn’t.

You were the embodiment of love and light. Something Crowley hadn’t been since before he met you. You were kind, you were…bright to say the least. While Crowley was a rather confident being, he lost it all when it came to you.

It wasn’t until you were kidnapped along with himself, as Aziraphale of course, that those words were finally spoken. Well, almost.

You hadn’t been swapped with anyone, as neither demon nor angel believed you were in any real danger. It wasn’t your fault Gabriel had some weird hard on for torturing Aziraphale, and Hell never really took an interest in your activities, at least that’s what you believed.

You were taken to Heaven, strapped to a chair beside Aziraphale (Crowley), the angel Gabriel stood before you both, a smirk on his face. Sandalphon and Uriel close behind him.

“Azirphale. Y/N. So glad you could join us,” Gabriel spoke, stepping towards you both. “So, with one act of treason, you averted the war.”

“Well, I think the greater good…,” Aziraphale (Crowley) began, but he was cut off by Gabriel.

“Don’t talk to me about the greater good, sunshine. I’m the Archangel fucking Gabriel. The greater good was we were finally going to settle things with the opposition once and for all,” Gabriel spat.

You saw Crowley clench his jaw, his fists clenching as well. You wanted to reach out and take his hand but being tied up prevented that pretty well.

“Is our associate on the way?” Gabriel asked, turning to Sandalphon and Uriel.

“Here,” came another voice as a demon you’d never seen stepped off the escalator and into the room. His hair was styled to look like two horns atop his head and he dressed like he could be in some rock band.

Your eyes widened, a demon in heaven? You were sitting beside one right now but a demon just out in the open like that? In Heaven? You two were royally fucked.

Crowley could sense it too as he looked over at you, tugging at your restraints a bit. He met your gaze and gave you a quick, reassuring nod, at least one he felt was reassuring.

“Alright, get to it,” Gabriel said, stepping back.

The demon nodded and in seconds, released a tornado, quite literally, of hell fire. The heat coming from it felt like no other heat you’d felt before. It made your skin sting just being near it.

You looked to Crowley again, who was already looking at you with fear in his eyes. He and Aziraphale predicted something like this, that’s why they switched bodies, but you, you were vulnerable. You could actually die. Not just be discorporated. Destroyed. Gone. In seconds.

Gabriel walked towards you, holding out his hands and making your restraints disappear. He grabbed your arm, roughly yanking you up and away from Crowley, who began struggling in his chair.

“Wait, wait, they didn’t do anything wrong! You don’t have to hurt them!” Crowley shouted.

Gabriel let out a harsh laugh, “Oh Aziraphale, they aren’t going to burn, they’re going to fall, and it’s a long way down, or so I’m told.”

You felt your heart drop at his words and began struggling harder against his grip as a large hole opened up in floor, as Gabriel forced you towards it.

“No, no, no! Please! They don’t deserve this!” Crowley shouted again, struggling harder against the restraints. His Aziraphale façade was slipping away, he was angry, scared, you could see it.

You caught a glimpse of the bottom of the pit, flames burned brightly at the bottom, waiting to burn away your light. To turn your wings darker than the sky. You felt like throwing up as you were forced to your knees, facing Crowley and your fellow angels.

“We need to make an example of our traitors, don’t you think?” Gabriel asked, looking to the other angels. They both nodded, smiling in a way that would make milk curdle.

“Anything you’d like to say?” Gabriel all but mocked. You looked up, a few tears dripping down your cheeks, and turned your attention to Crowley.

“I love you, I always have,” you told him. Crowley’s, well, Aziraphale’s face, softened. Tears stung at the corner of his eyes.

“Please, don’t make me say it. I can’t say the words, not like this,” Crowley choked out.

“You don’t have to, I know,” you spoke softly, giving Crowley one last smile.

“Enough of this shit,” Gabriel said suddenly, and with a swift kick to your chest, you were falling.

The last thing you heard was a pained scream. Crowley.

As everything became hotter and hotter, you closed your eyes. It seemed like forever until you hit something solid, finally crashing down, and everything turned black.

*

Your body ached like no other, your head pounded when you finally came round. You were lying on something soft though. Maybe you’d landed somewhere grassy. Perhaps some sand.

When an angel falls, they aren’t sent straight to hell. They’re usually sent to some place in the middle of nowhere. No help. No nothing around for miles, its sort of a punishment in itself. And one is usually too weak at the time to miracle, or tempt themselves, anywhere.

But the voices you heard were not something you expected.

“They’re awake!”. The first voice was loud, abrupt.

The second was softer. “Yes, my dear I can see that, but hush, this is no doubt going to be hard for them.”

Your eyes finally opened, and you found yourself in a rather familiar setting, Aziraphale’s bookshop. You were lying on a couch, a blanket draped over you.

You scanned your surroundings before settling your gaze on two familiar, rather relieved, faces. Crowley and Aziraphale. You hoped for your sake they had switched back as right now you don’t know if you could handle the confusion.

Seeming to sense your worry, Aziraphale spoke up, “How are you feeling, my dear?”.

That was definitely him.

“Like shit,” you rasped. Your throat felt raw, like you’d inhaled smoke. Which you had technically. Hell fire would do that to you.

Everything came rushing back to you and you sat up rather quickly, making your muscles scream from the sudden movement and your head spin.

“Hey, hey, slow it down,” Crowley told you gently, a hand reaching out just in case. When you caught his eye, the last words you’d spoken to him flooded your mind.

I love you. I always have.

Aziraphale seemed to sense the sudden shift and stood from the chair he’d been sitting in.

“I’ll make some cocoa, I believe you two have something to discuss,” the angel spoke, quickly hurrying from the room.

You looked down at your hands and gasped. The tips of your fingers were black, almost like you’d dipped them in tar. You could only imagine how the rest of you looked now that you’d fallen.

“How bad is it?” you asked Crowley, not looking up from your hands.

It was silent until you finally looked up, meeting his gaze. Crowley only studied you for a moment, before his lips twitched up into a smile.

“Rather suits you,” he spoke, taking off his sunglasses, almost as if to see you better. “Especially the hair.”

You reached up, grabbing a strand of hair and bringing it around so you could see it better. Your hair was still the same but now with streaks of red throughout, almost brighter than Crowley’s.

You managed to laugh lightly, “Giving you a run for your money it seems.”

Crowley smiled fondly at you before looking down, clearing his throat.

“I should have told you,” he spoke, “we might have not seen each other again.”

“Like I said, I already knew,” you replied, smiling a bit.

“How long?” Crowley asked you.

“Since Alexandria, the look on your face when I made it out, I could tell” you told him.

Crowley scowled, “I wasn’t hiding it at all, was I?”.

You smiled and shook your head, “Not at all.”

It was silent between the two of you for a moment before you spoke again “You could always tell me now, that is, if you still feel the same after I’ve…fallen.”

“I’ll love you no matter your affiliation darling,” Crowley told you, making you smile again and roll your eyes.

“Come here you idiot,” you spoke, reaching out to him.

“Now that’s rude…,” Crowley began before you grabbed the front of his jacket and pulled him down to you, cutting him off with a kiss.

When you pulled away, he smiled, wider than you’d ever seen before.

“I love you,” he finally told you, after all this time.

“I love you too Crowley.”

A/N: Thank you so so much for reading it really does mean a lot!! Please let me know what you think! 😊💕

[phantomram-b00]

So I saw this meme and it perfectly capsulate how I feel with what I gotta talk about because my love language is talking about my special interest and this brainrot is still strong even if we’re in 2024.

So I know I haven’t done a meta-analysis in a hot minute. I think the last I did was the Coffee theory. And imma be for real, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to keep going (more on that later) but then I saw this and I said “oh yeah, this is for me to talk about”. As it about Aziraphale. More specifically about people claiming he’s a villain or wrong. Which is hilariously wrong in so many ways.

Mostly because, name one thing about that that automatically made him a villain? Especially with after everything he have done. But also do people not remember the fact that he did deny it at first. After what happen technically five years ago, he want zero parts with Heaven. The last thing he ever wants to do is go back to his former side that tried to kill him just because he saved earth, God’s creation. The only reason he wanted to join was 1) Metatron said he can appoint Crowley. 2) Aziraphale believe if he an archangel he can fix the broken system if it means sacrificing his own happiness. And this is just me personally, 3) Metatron threaten him and even after as he walk with Aziraphale gave him no choice at all. Then again he never really did but I’ll get to that later. None of those reason scream villainous, did he choice heaven? Yeah, but that shouldn’t automatically deem him as a villain. If that was the case, he could’ve been considered “villain” in season 1 when he tried to back out from trying to save the world; but even if he was considered that back in season 1, that still doesn’t doesn’t make sense.

The reason he tried to back out at first is because he was stressed and was scared. Imagine being in his shoes, your whole life you were taught and molded to obey without questioning the righteousness of God/Archangels with a chance that if you do to either fall or get destroyed. So you’re made to believe you are on the “good side” and expected to do “the right thing” in their eyes because it “what God wanted” so you do the right thing so you can get approval and not get ridiculed or worse punished. That’s how Aziraphale was raised to believe, regardless that he heavily disagrees with armageddon as much as Crowley does he scared to revert the apocalypse not to mention stressed given how many days they have left on this earth. But one thing also about Aziraphale is that he’s trying to hold onto hope that maybe he can try stopping it by talking with God, and when that doesn’t work he did try to reach out to Crowley before being inconveniently discorporated and even so he still try to go back to earth to revert it. Was there thing Azirapahle could’ve done better? Ofc, I don’t think he should’ve said “I don’t even like you” to Crowley or said “I forgive you” the first time and many others but that still doesn’t make him a villain. He’s just a flawed grey character, even in the blitz episode in season 2, they talk about how they’re a shade of grey.

As for if he’s wrong for the choices? Ahhhh see this is where it’s tricky because many people have commented their beliefs. So it truly up to your opinion regardless. But since I’m making this post, I’ll say, no. He’s not wrong. Going back to what I said, he wants to make Heaven a better place. You can’t blame him for wanting to fix something. Crowley is absolutely right that Heaven and Hell for that matter is toxic but Aziraphale wanting to make it better isn’t inherently wrong. It just Aziraphale gonna have to see that Heaven is beyond repair and it isn’t his responsibility to fix the system that been damaged but to Aziraphale he wants to. He wants to make it better even if it means leaving everything he loves and care about. Even if it hurts to leave Crowley, his bookshop, or everything but if he wants to fix it, I don’t think you can blame him.

And I said this in past post but I think regarding him wanting to appoint Crowley, I think he just want Crowley along his side because he want him to fix it with him. But Aziraphale I’ll admit should’ve considered how Crowley already feels about heaven. He was casted out and wants no part with Heaven at all. So even if there a chance to fix it in his eyes, Heaven is damaged. Far too damage to repair but also that the source of his trauma. So why should he come back? So I’ll give it that, and I think deep down Aziraphale knew this outcome might’ve played out but I think Aziraphale thought if he suggested maybe fixing it might spark something. How Azirpahale is thinking is that, just because something is damaged doesn’t mean it unfixable and there’s hope for salvaging it. However, Crowley’s thinking is that there no fixing that’s dead in the water. In this case neither are wrong.

And look I’ll say this, Crowley’s plan to running away, even though it sounds good. I mean, if Beelzebub and Gabriel can do it (which they deserve their flowers like say what you will about this couple I love it.) why couldn’t they? But the thing is that even back in Episode 1 of season 2, Aziraphale told Crowley when he was an angel that everything was going to be shut down. Which would also include Alpha Centauri or any other dimensions he wants to runaway with Aziraphale. Granted it not guarantee that maybe Alpha Centauri or any other galaxy aren’t save maybe they will and I’m reading it wrong. However if Earth is to be destroyed because of this Great War that going to happen, who to say the other galaxies would be safe too? It too risky to just run away I mean granted it not safe to stay neither if the world might end but running away won’t solve anything.

And now with the season coming happening, I think even though yes, Aziraphale did chose Heaven over Crowley which yes that fucking hurts. I’m not going to deny that. It hurts on both sides with Crowley being rejected and losing the one thing that made sense in the world and Aziraphale having to give up everything and realizing he made a mistake. It a tear jerking mess. But at the same time, with season 3 coming and confirmed, now he has to save the world and Crowley on his end without talking to Crowley. Which is gonna hurt like hell (or heaven who knows they’re both toxic atp) but Aziraphale will do anything to save and protect Crowley and Earth. And I’m pretty sure he would do anything to get Crowley back or the bookshop back

Now just a disclaimer, as much as I relate to this character and he’s my favorite and my comfort character, I’m not going to say Aziraphale perfect. He’s a bastard worth knowing for a reason right? But all I’m just saying is that villainizing him is throwing away all his characteristic and progress he making or made out the window just this one decision, we can’t villainized him for this one instant especially as it really out of character for him to ever be a villain to begin with. I’m not saying you have to like him but again don’t villainize him for this one choice where there more nuance into it.

But that’s really my two since, I just don’t see why people would think Aziraphale’s a villain or wrong imo. Might be controversial but hey, it was fun to talk about it. If you guys have any opinions are this, that cool let me know, if you agree or disagree hey valid but plz be respectful and don’t call Aziraphale the villain. Honestly how do you feel about people calling aziraphale a villain or wrong for what he did?

Now onto what I was talking about before (you don’t have to read if you don’t have to, this is just me explaining it. If you wanna read, that’s cool too. ^v^)

So, before anything, uh I’m not leaving tumblr or good omens fandom. No, I love the fandom and tumblr enough to leave. Good omens fandom have been very lovely and I met people on here so I like to shoutout to that but also Good omens is my comfort and I don’t wanna leave that.

But what I’m getting that is that, without getting too personal, I’ve been having posting anxiety. What I mean is that I’ve been having low confidence over what to post and if this post will be good enough. And it doesn’t help that I haven’t been feeling the best for the past couple of months or so. I thought 2024 would be different and I mean I have faith that it is, just things haven’t been easy I’ll just say. And haven’t been feeling or doing the best. No I’m not going on a hiatus, i hope not, i just need to think things over.

However, I think I have some thoughts, like I do wanna post more art but I do also wanna continue talking about stuff. Maybe both too? I mean there many drawing idea I have so much idea off, I just need to not have this anxiety weighting over me. Or not overthink things.

If you have read this far, thanks for listening ghost pal! I guess TLDR: I’m not going anywhere; I just want to improve and post stuff I like. Again good omens is my favorite show and I love it to bits and I have so much to say and/or draw. Just ahh, gotta work on it. But thanks for listening and hope you enjoy this ghostly rambles on their favorite character. And stay tune for another post I’ll do. And uh, boo!

[muzzleroars]

How did it feel for Gabriel to fall? His decent into a deep depression over everything that has happened. His slow transformation with all the new growing pains, the loss of his ability to summon light constructs and flight... for him to go through so much pain and yet choosing to let V1 inherit his light. Does he feel ANY regret at all in his choice there?

definitely, gabriel has many complex and varied emotions that surround his fall from what has changed, what he has given up, and what his life looks like now. being fallen is, by design whether purposeful or not, a very miserable state. angels are so wholly defined by their work, by their relation to god, that to be severed from him will naturally make one feel incomplete and comes with predetermined guilt and regret. gabriel has come to understand that the system he worked so hard for was broken - the council, despite believing in the word of god as much as he did, was tyrannical, yet he now wonders if the fault lay in its root or its stars, not those that carried it out necessarily. the council had not really strayed from god, they carried on his will as they interpreted it, and so gabriel sees, logically, morally as he now defines it, that god had been. wrong. he had done harm and so had not been infallible as they believed. yet this was gabriel's world, it's what he believed and what he cleaved to, and beyond that it was the foundation of the entire system the universe operated on. and he had preeminence in it. he was an archangel, beloved in heaven and the one who announced the coming of christ. yes, there are many flaws in retrospect, in the life he had to lead in heaven and what he had to do, but gabriel existed in eternal light and paradise, he carried out some of the highest of god's will. and that's hard to part from, no matter what he's come to realize.

so there are many times gabriel is angry, hateful, despondent and regretful of his choices and what they've come to. gabriel, at least for quite some time, continues to actually be religious, he continues to pray and to practice as he always has but not simply out of routine. he still needs god, still speaks to him and asks him why, asks for comfort, asks still if this was the right thing for him to do. he reads scripture when he can, though it becomes increasingly difficult as he turns into a fully fallen angel - the words begin to blur in his vision, they begin to burn in his throat, they eventually make him so nauseous he can't bear to see them. and it causes a deep, aching rage in him. his comfort is in service and that is stripped of him, it's just hell in a new body and a new life that he can't navigate when he's never even considered an identity apart from heaven. he doesn't know who gabriel is. he doesn't know what he wants. he can't fix anything, so many now dead even in hell and he without anything to offer even if he could. he can't turn back time, he can't right what was done wrong, and he lives now with some constant pain, a deep set cold that could freeze him into place. his halo has crumbled, his wings have withered away so that he can never fly again. it's devastation, it's loss. a loss of everything. part of him, knowing it's not true at all times, prays this is a nightmare he might wake from. his love for v1 is true, his convictions and morals remain, yet this could never be taken graciously.

it's why he descends into a full demonic identity for a time, why, once his transformation is complete, he refuses to adhere to rules or any code of ethics. he is angry to his core, with himself, with v1, with the council and with god. with the whole world. some of it too is in rebellion for how he had to live, but so much of it is to release his pain lest the pressure destroy him from the inside. there must be something salvageable, some identity for him in this, and so he becomes the stereotype of a demon, bloody, crass, ruthless. he does begin to work through it during this phase (surprisingly) but it's not a quick process, and gabriel carries his regret for a long, long time. so much of him is happy in finding who he really is, adores v1 and the life he builds with it in the depths of fraud, yet his soul seems forever rent, at least in part, for what it cost. he begins more to wish not that he had made some other choice or even had stayed ignorant, but wishes instead it had all been different, from the very start. it stays in him like a rot he can't work out, knowing he did right, knowing he has gotten a chance to live as himself, but forever burdened with losing paradise. there is some envy reconnecting with his brothers, particularly irritable at times with michael who should be sharing his place in hell yet remains prince of heaven. and he KNOWS it's ridiculous to feel any jealousy for mike's position, but in the back of his mind....he starts to wonder....if there's any truth in michael's words. did god save him in some way from falling? was gabriel not enough? (ironic really, considering mike is jealous of gabriel for parallel reasoning)

truly, i don't think there is a fully satisfying ending for gabriel's emotions here - he does arrive in a place where he is glad he did what he did, he accepts the burden he took on and believes it was necessary. not only that, but he's glad he was able to open his eyes to what he had done, glad he could love and carve a path no matter how terrible it may seem, and get the chance to do what he can in recompense though it is little. but discontentment remains in some small part of him and he wonders if that's just a part of god's awful design, for a fallen angel to never be happy. but, he supposes, he likewise would never have been happy knowing what he does now and doing nothing about it. he ate the fruit, though not by his own choice, and there is nothing to be done for it. by the time he gives his light over to v1, he has made the most of his peace, though there is something bittersweet in the donation. v1 revives with many of the powers he lost and there is an ache seeing it, but ultimately it's small considering what he's come from and worked through. the light feels like home still when he holds v1, it welcomes him back and it's good to know how in some way it's still his. in fact, i think it heals some little part of him to know the council or even god himself could not truly take his essence from it, and it had been waiting to see him again even after all this time.

[lineffability]

"Angel!" Crowley tries to keep his voice low but barely manages amidst his distress. It is only the image - burned into his mind like the image of Jesus onto toast, according to some people - of Gabriel, wrapped in a blanket, sitting in the next room and smiling-- smiling! Smiling his clueless, stupid, stupid smile that Crowley wants to wipe off his face so badly. Only the alternative, Gabriel not smiling, Gabriel remembering, would be so much worse.

Crowley does not know what to do. He is clueless but angry, and his anger drives him on. Gabriel is dangerous. He is a danger to Aziraphale, and he cannot stay. If only he could get through the angel's thick skull - had experience not been a better teacher, he might have had hope. Nonetheless, he needs to try.

"This is the supreme archangel of all heaven, your former boss, who tried very hard to cast you into hellfire and destroy you - he is not our friend!" he pleads.

Aziraphale has listened intently to his words, but his reply comes immediately and without apprehension. "I don't really think he has any friends."

"Exactly." Yes! Exactly! He does not have any friends because he is not friendly. That's exactly it. They can agree on that, surely.

Aziraphale lifts a finger in agreement, nodding in comprehension. "Yes, exactly."

...or so he thought. Wait-- His brows close in on each other like two long-separated lovers who also happen to be beavers. "...what does your exactly mean? Exa- I feel like your exactly and my exactly are different exactlies."

"Well, he doesn't have any friends, so he needs us!" Aziraphale's hand sweeps between them as if to make his point all the clearer: us, you and me, us together -- but Crowley's disbelief over what the angel just said makes him miss the little word that drowns between them, uncomprehended. He snaps.

"What I need is for him to be nowhere near me, and the precious-" He draws a breath, the word hurts, "peaceful, fragile existence I have carved out for myself here."

But that's not really what he means. Well, it's true, he does not want Gabriel to be near him. But he especially does not want Gabriel to be near him. Near Aziraphale.

He remembers. It was him, his eyes, who watched Gabriel's inconvenienced, annoyed, careless expression as he sent off whom he believed to be Aziraphale, into hellfire, into destruction, into total annihilation. Into nothing. Shut your stupid mouth and die already. Crowley could never forgive him for that.

He knows that, and he also knows that Azirapahle would. Wouldn't he? This was precisely why they were in this conondrum in the first place, because Aziraphale... was good. And forgiving. He saw Gabriel in need and he was prepared to help him, just like that. He forgave everyone like one of those stupid anime heroes he'd been watching, like, like, a goddamned angel. Which is why he, Crowley, couldn't!

It's dirty work, being a demon loving an angel.

Which is why the next words sting, right in the space where non-demons have a heart. Which he doesn't, he doesn't. Does not. Why does it sting?

"I thought we carved it out for ourselves."

Shit.

"So did I!"

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

the new trailer has been living in my mind rentfree like Crowley in Azi's bookshop and the possibility of some good angst is making me LIVE and RISE and i decided to WRITE the trailer (bc currently my mind is too broken to function and come up with actual theories, no thoughts head full of ineffability)

[wrengrif]

It is time for my favorite game...

Good Omens, What If.

Now yesterday, I read an amazing post by @ishomieokay, who postulated a very convincing theory that Aziraphale was going to end up being the Big Bad, because Supreme Archangel power was going to corrupt him.

Naturally this made me sad -- until I really started to think about it.

What If - Aziraphale did become power-mad?

What if he did become 'You Bullied Me And Now I'm Your Boss, Bitch' Supreme Archangel. Like it would be so FUCKING BAMF. Utterly horrifying, but utterly BAMF. He walks through the elevator, one of the archangels says something snide (my money is on Sandalphon, asshole), and Aziraphale just Supreme Archangel kicks him through the Heavenly Moon Door and makes him Fall. And while the other archangels are standing there, gaping, he straightens his collar and says, "I think you'll all find I have very little use for abusive language. Do keep that in mind. Where is my office?"

After that it's like as it's Lucifer 2 - The Principality Strikes Back. Aziraphale censuring angels left and right. Uriel doesn't get kicked - Uriel gets beaten for what they said about Crowley and then thrown out for a million mile dive. He makes Michael re-do the entire Second Coming. He's punching and kicking a hole in the archangel system that should be filled by someone who is willing to pull on the brakes. But no one does! Everyone is Too Fucking Scared.

The Metatron realizes that he hasn't trapped Aziraphale up there with them, they are all trapped here by A z i r a p h a l e. Aziraphale who is going to burn everything down because none of it is worthy (Aziraphale isn't worthy) of God's Love and they are just going to tear Heaven and Hell down to the nubs in the floor, and maybe Earth too because you know what, none of it is worthy of God (Crowley). Finally, Saraquel has had enough. She slaps the Down Button to Earth. Rolls herself into whatever dive bar that Crowley is in, and tells him point blank that if he doesn't help stop Aziraphale, it's going to be worse than Armageddon. Everything is going to be destroyed down to atoms, even wine.

Crowley gets to do two things that he's probably always wanted to do. One, he gets to be James Bond. Breaking into the Heaven (the Bond villain lair), knocking out some angel guards, maybe even punching Metatron in the face for getting them all into this situation in the first place. Second, he gets to kick open the doors to the Supreme Archangel's office, stare Aziraphale down from where he's seated behind his invisible glass desk (I imagine him petting a white duck. Why? I don't know.), looking forbidding and dressed in a silver white that matches his hair and his beard. Stereo-typical God, y'know.

And they stare at each other, for a long moment, glowering with all the hurt, and pain, and still - still - love that they have both known for six thousand years. Finally, Aziraphale speaks, his purple eyes flickering, "So what exactly are you supposed to be?" Crowley smiles That Sharp Smile, that one that Aziraphale adores. The one he actually fears. Crowley reaches behind his coat, and says, "Me? Crowley. Anthony J. Crowley. And I'm now the world's greatest magician, because I'm about to make you disappear." Aziraphale tenses in his throne, filled with that same sense of dread and can it be, hope? that Crowley is here to end him. Crowley doesn't look away as he growls, "Hocus Pocus, Supreme Arsehole." He pulls in front of him .... a bird cage. With a nightingale in it. Who immediately begins to sing. Crowley takes off his glasses, looks Aziraphale dead in the eye, and speaks in a rough voice. "I forgive you."

And just like that ... the Supreme Archangel crumbles down into dust, leaving behind a weeping Aziraphale.

End scene.

... I'd probably add some explosions in there. Just for fun. Oooooh and when Crowley is kicking ass through Heaven the song that plays is 'Don't Stop Me Now'.

[sageappa]

Ok, so, hear me out, HEAR ME OUT. I promise this is good speculation for GO3.

Good Omens was renewed for a third and final season. (I have been screaming and crying out of joy since 15:05 of my time zone, the exact time when Good Omens Prime's X account posted the news. But that's not the point.)

Mr. Gaiman, about this renewal, said:

"Season One was all about averting Armageddon, dangerous prophecies, and the End of the World. Season Two was sweet and gentle, although it may have ended less joyfully than a certain Angel and Demon might have hoped. Now in Season Three, we will deal once more with the end of the world. The plans for Armageddon are going wrong. Only Crowley and Aziraphale working together can hope to put it right. And they aren't talking."

So if I read it correctly, and if my English as a non-native isn't failing me, it seems that this time Aziraphale and Crowley actually intend to make Armageddon happen.

The plans are going wrong. Together, they can hope to put it right.

So what on Earth could have made them change so drastically their idea? What changed? Did Metatron do something to Aziraphale? Did Crowley get so depressed without his Angel that he'd rather have the world get destroyed? Naaah. Nah, I don't think so. They're both too attached to Earth and earthly beings to change their minds so quickly.

No, my guess is Armageddon changed.

It should have been how the Bible says: the coming of the Antichrist, the Four Horsemen riding, the enormous battle, etc. But it wasn't. And the Antichrist (or former Antichrist, since he refused Satan's paternity) won't collaborate to make the world end. What to do then, if both Heaven and Hell wanted it so bad?

Well. If Hell didn't make it, Heaven could get their try. (And Crowley knew this. Crowley knew that they'd come to some similar solution. That's why "he understands it a lot better than Aziraphale does.")

At the very end of Season Two, we hear this conversation between Metatron and a very unhappy Angel:

METATRON: Well, I can't think of a better angel to wrap things up, and to set into motion the next step in the great plan.

AZIRAPHALE: Um, yes, you mentioned that. Can I know what it is?

METATRON: Well, it's something we need an angel of your talents to direct. An angel who is familiar with how they do things on Earth.

AZIRAPHALE: Ah.

METATRON: We call it the Second Coming.

So Heaven is going to make their move. And it will be with a Second Coming - another Christ, another son (or daughter?) of God. With Armageddon in their minds.

It's the Anti-Antichrist.

Aziraphale is now the Supreme Archangel and, as Gabriel did with the very first Annunciation, he will have to give the happy news to the mother of this baby. In a contemporary world. Where no one would believe that easily the "it's God's son!" story. Yeah, good luck Aziraphale, no wonder Heaven needed someone who spent six thousand years on Earth to do this job. (And if they're planning Armageddon, who cares if Aziraphale still is Supreme Archangel, there would be just heavenly sounds and no problems at all after Heaven wins the war. Right? Just let the dude with a lot of knowledge about human do the job and then whatever.)

But. Do you really think that Aziraphale would just do it and make Armageddon happen exactly as intended by Heaven? Do you really think that, after what happened, after the Armageddon't, after him having to say no to his beloved Demon and losing him - and even though all of this happened he was still ready to throw himself in Heaven, in that lions' pit made of angels that always bullied him! -, after the courage he showed and the hope to make a change and do good -- do you really think he would just say "yes" to this? (I know, I lost my English here, I'm sorry, I'm just super-hyped.)

Oh, no, come on. He's still enough of a bastard worth knowing.

He is the Supreme Archangel, and even if everyone would just want him to be a nice puppet and do what the others say to him, he won't throw away his shot, I can assure you that. (How fun would it be though to have a scene where Michael and Uriel are kind of arguing between themselves about who should "suggest" Aziraphale what to do? And then Saraquel having to intervene?) No, no, Aziraphale learned from Crowley that sometimes he has to make his voice a little louder and be more incisive, as shown when in the last episode of Season Two he takes the lead in the library - while Heaven and Hell discuss what to do with Gabriel and Beelzebub. And he will do that again. He will make everything he can. He sacrificed his own happiness with Crowley for that. He cannot fail... and he has to do it alone. It's scary. He'll be anxious, but he'll do it. For the world. For good. For Crowley too. And for sushi.

So Aziraphale will try to make Armageddon something different. It's not "the" Armageddon, it's "his" Armageddon. Or theirs. He would have loved it, to be theirs - his and Crowleys'.

Our beloved angel is spot on in finding all those little quibbles that allow him to not go openly against the rules but also not follow them strictly. Maybe he'd find something also for the Armageddon. Maybe he'd find an Armageddon that would involve only Heaven and Hell, leaving the world and humans be. Maybe the Armageddon will become a way to reinvent Heaven and Hell. Make them fight, have their war on some galaxy far away from Earth, "destroy themselves" (I'll get to this later) and then a new Heaven and a new Hell would rise from their ashes. You know, how they became toxic, and everything else Crowley always repeats? Maybe it is not possible to change them without them having their war. They won't stop until they'll have had it, so maybe the only way is to give them war.

Or at least, to make them believe it.

What if Aziraphale and Crowley would actually need to collaborate in order to trick Heaven and Hell into thinking they had/are having their war? What if this plan cannot be done just by an angel? What if this is their only chance to stop this madness, once and for all, even though it's not easy for neither of them to get in contact again so soon after what happened?

[fellthemarvelous]

Aziraphale's moment in Hell was just as traumatizing as Crowley's moment in Heaven

Can we talk about this moment at the end of S1E6? After they have switched back to their real faces?

Crowley revealed to Jimbriel, quite clearly, that he was furious about what Gabriel had said to Aziraphale (actually Crowley) before trying to burn him in hellfire.

Behind closed doors, and out of the view of everyone else, the ugly side of Heaven was fully revealed, and it wasn't Aziraphale who was there to witness it.

It was the fallen angel wearing the face of his one and only friend seeing the truth he had always known about Heaven.

They are not the good guys.

Hell, unlike Heaven, actually had a trial. Granted, it was a formality. They already had plans to execute Crowley for his part in preventing Armageddon as well, but they enjoyed the show of being able to point out all of his crimes and allowing a host of other demons to witness it. Hell has no reason to conduct such business behind closed doors.

Aziraphale enjoyed messing with Hell. He really played it up and did a great job at making everyone believe that Crowley was unbothered by all of this.

He cheekily inquired about rubber ducks and asked Michael to miracle him a towel.

And he got a kick out of telling Crowley that part.

Which brings us back to the gif at the top.

Aziraphale telling a funny story about his experience and making Crowley laugh about it too.

For some reason, I've noticed that people seem to think this is proof that Crowley's experience in Heaven was more painful and traumatizing than Aziraphale's experience in Hell. Aziraphale laughing about it, telling jokes, making light of a moment in which he was most likely scared to death.

He wasn't just wearing Crowley's face. He had to put on a show and thoroughly convince everyone that he really was Crowley and not Aziraphale in a disguise. He had an audience watching his every move in preparation for his holy water bath.

Remember, Aziraphale had been so scared to give Crowley the holy water he asked for because Aziraphale knew very well what it did to demons. He got to witness Hastur drop a cute little demon in the holy water to ensure it was the real thing, and he knew Crowley had used the holy water gifted to him by Aziraphale to destroy Ligur in order to defend his home.

And while he knew the holy water would do nothing to him because he was an angel wearing the face of a demon, Hell sought to destroy Crowley in the worst way possible for a demon to go. If they had not figured out what Agnes' prophecy meant and they had not decided to switch faces, Crowley would have been destroyed completely by Heaven's deadliest weapon against demons.

And Hell was wanting to make the punishment fit the crime because it was the holy water Aziraphale had given to Crowley that had been used to destroy Ligur.

Aziraphale is actually playful and it makes sense he would use humor to deflect from the very real anxiety and fear he must have been feeling, hoping no one would notice that something was off about Crowley. He had a multitude of demons watching him from all angles. And they were all eager to see him disintegrate in the bathtub. Everyone wanted to witness his Crowley die painfully, and that probably broke his heart in the same way that Gabriel's hateful comment upset and angered Crowley.

My whole point here is that I wish people would look at the things not being said by Aziraphale. He was able to laugh about a rubber duck and making Michael give him a towel when he was ready to get out of the bathtub, but if anyone could identify Aziraphale, it would be Michael. Michael has always been suspicious of Aziraphale. (And don't forget he referred to the Archangel Michael as "dude".)

He put on the performance of a lifetime when he pretended to be Crowley, but don't let his ability to laugh about specific moments in an otherwise hellish nightmare make you believe, for even one second, that he wasn't just as traumatized as by what he heard and witnessed in Hell just as Crowley was in Heaven.

Hell thinks Crowley is immune to holy water, but if they ever find out what really went down, Aziraphale would lose Crowley for real. He has spent all that time trying to protect Crowley from the horrible things he knows Hell will do to his friend.

He's just as protective of Crowley as Crowley is of him.

[p4nishers]

can we talk about how protective crowley was this season? "your former boss, who tried very hard to cast you into hellfire and DESTROY you. he's NOT our friend". getting SO angry that he actually shot LIGHTING FROM HIS BODY at the thought that aziraphale would be in danger bc of gabriel. being suddenly interested in what beelzebub had to say when they mentioned whoever hid gabriel would be in danger. willing to be erased from the book of life for helping aziraphale cause they weren't just about to leave him on his own. "no no no aziraphale what have you done". after learning that az is in danger, immediately going to apologize and help him and even doing a miracle to hide jim despite the trouble she could be in with hell. IMMEDIATELY jumping on the idea of making nina fall for maggie to protect aziraphale and keep his lie safe. "if any harm comes to aziraphale because of this i will–". "i do remember, oh very clearly, the look on your face, archangel gabriel, when you told my only friend to shut his stupid mouth and DIE. and i did. not. care. for. it." "i'm coming back, i won't leave you here on your own". actually going to HEAVEN for aziraphale. like, she really did go all out, cards on the table, heart on the sleeve this season, huh?

[goodgomens]

I get that the ending of GO2 hurts worse than sticking your unmentionables in a blender, but those of you saying it doesn't make sense or is OOC, or god forbid, PROPOSING AZIRAPHALE WAS MIND CONTROLLED, do not seem to understand how good characterization works.

Firstly, if Aziraphale was drugged/mind controlled into accepting the offer in the finale, that makes everything he said and did afterwards meaningless. Neil Gaiman is a very successful writer. I really believe he would not, under any sane circumstances, undo such a pivotal moment for a character with "LOL JK he was drugged 😂," because good writers don't write in a fundamental character flaw only to nuke it later with a twist that destroys all of their previous characterization. Aziraphale's crippling dependence on/devotion to heaven as a "force for good" has been there (practically screaming at the audience) since S1, and WAS NEVER RESOLVED, despite him being barred from heaven throughout S2. The only thing that he realized in S1 was that GABRIEL and the ARCHANGELS were flawed, and that they were orchestrating Armageddon without divine input. The S2 finale very clearly shows that Aziraphale did not pin that on the system of heaven and hell itself, as Crowley has.

I am going to attempt to explain why I believe that.

This season had a lot less emphasis on "Crowley's got a good side, Aziraphale's a bit of a bastard," than S1. In fact, there was almost none of that going on here, at least not explicitly. Instead, it focused on showing that Crowley and Aziraphale 1) both fundamentally didn't align with their head offices' MOs pre-armageddon and 2) that this was because they were both too good/kind to assimilate fully. Go watch the arc with Job again. Crowley can't bring himself to kill goats, let alone kids, and neither can Aziraphale, despite the fact that he knows it's good in theory because God and heaven want it. And yet, he doesn't go along with killing Job's kids because he knows it's wrong, and goes so far as to lie to his superiors (again) and, in his mind, damn himself for the sake of those kids. In the end though, Crowley helps him come to the conclusion that he is "an angel who goes along with heaven as far as he can," just as Crowley is "a demon who goes along with hell as far as he can," which apparently lets Aziraphale cope with the dissonance between his morals and heaven's orders.

So, if they have functionally the same mindset on paper, why don't they agree on what to do in the finale?

I think a lot of it is because they're both good, but that goodness is received very differently in their different roles and circumstances. Crowley is a demon who is crafty and mischievous, but ultimately, harm in the name of mischief is all that he's ever willing and able to do. He can't stoop to killing livestock, much less people. In S1 his goodness is set up to support his and Aziraphale's unique and ironic dynamic, with the plausible excuse that humans can do evil more creatively than he can, so he doesn't have to be genuinely evil. However, this season shows us another, much more relevant aspect of this goodness: it's just who he is. He was good in heaven, absorbed in making the universe beautiful and ensuring it would grow and develop nicely as it aged, and aside from questioning heaven's plans, he seemed like a model angel. Even when he is explicitly ordered to kill by hell, he doesn't kill people. In contrast, we see Hastur literally eat like 20 telemarketers for no other reason than because he felt like it in S1.

The reason Crowley sees through heaven is because he has been fully rejected by it, and he thus has experience not fitting in as both an angel and a demon. He was thrown out of heaven, the supposed embodiment of goodness as an organization, for asking to preserve the beauty and life of the universe: not just for asking questions, but for asking to do something objectively GOOD. Once he's kicked out of the "good" place for trying to do good and prevent needless destruction, then it's easy for him to realize that heaven is not actually a force for good, it just says it is. He falls for asking questions as an angel, and refusing to go along with doing true evil, which he continues to do in hell. After he spends a lot of time in hell, which is transparently evil, he finds out that they frequently AGREE with heaven on issues like Armageddon and torturing Job, and sees firsthand that the system itself, and the idea of heaven and hell, is rigged and contrived. If heaven and hell were opposites and were each truly good and evil, then they could never agree with each other on anything by design, yet they both want to end the world more than seemingly anything else. He has seen angels act just as violently and vindictively as demons (at levels of malice he, a demon, has never and would never sink to himself) so he also knows that, of course, the whole "angels good, demons bad" thing is bullshit, especially because he himself is GOOD, as Aziraphale and other characters reminded him all the time in S2.

However, Aziraphale attributes the systemic issues in heaven to individual angels, rather than the structure of heaven and hell themselves, because he still believes in the system and is privileged within it compared to Crowley. He sees evils endorsed by heaven as exceptions to the rule rather than signs of a core, systemic problem with heaven itself, and he sees the evils and contradictions of hell as the natural order of things because hell is supposed to be bad. He sees Crowley as an exception to the rule of "demons bad" and sees the archangels as exceptions to the rule of "angels good," rather than realizing that these rules aren't really true to begin with. Unlike Crowley, he has never been explicitly victimized or punished by heaven as an institution, only really bullied and belittled by other angels. He attributes the problems in heaven to said angels being in power, rather than heaven itself, both because he is too afraid to question heaven and potentially face the same consequences as Crowley has, and because he doesn't have the same perspective or insight Crowley does as a demon. Aziraphale probably believes that he has remained an angel by doing good and being good like he assumes heaven wants, rather than recognizing the real reason: he hasn't tried to undermine or question the system of heaven itself, and constantly makes excuses for it. The finale of S1 seemingly assured him that the archangels, who he no longer trusted/believed in at that point, had taken armageddon into their own hands. This made it safe for him to conclude armageddon wasn't a problem with heaven as an institution, it was a problem with the archangels. He thinks heaven isn't fundamentally corrupt, and that it was just a few bad apples responsible for trying to end the world, especially because he didn't have any administrative power then. Heaven does presumably reward good humans in the afterlife, and his job assignments mostly consist of doing good on Earth in general, at least on paper, so in his mind, of course heaven is good. I also think Aziraphale believes that his own goodness isn't just innate to who he is, but is a result/requirement of him being an angel. His perception of himself aligns with his perception of heaven in large part, so he isn't motivated to question either of those things.

However, heaven clearly exists not to spread goodness, but to pursue its own interests, primarily the end of the world and ultimate power after their ideal victory over hell. Both heaven and hell want to start the apocalypse in hopes of gaining a monopoly over the universe after finally beating the other. Notice that the Mettatron talks about his big plans for the second coming with Aziraphale right after he accepts the job, rather than plans for spreading goodness as Aziraphale had assumed would be his job: now that he's in a position of power, heaven has dropped its mask because he is complicit as an authority figure, and they could easily unseat him if he becomes a problem, just like they did to Gabriel. Heaven's goodness is a facade, a means to an end, and ultimately, a PR strategy that serves to brainwash the angels/employees who aren't responsible for calling the shots so that they don't question the power structure. Under this paradigm, if angels question heaven, and heaven is the ultimate good, it must mean that the angel's question comes from some flaw in them rather than a legitimate problem with heaven, which is why none of the angels seem willing to do it.

Aziraphale was lured into believing he was being asked back into the system to finally do the kind of good he wanted to by what he thought was a legitimate sign of kindness within heaven, an apparently purely altruistic gift (the cup of coffee) from the Metatron. He viewed it as a sign that there was still good in heaven after all. Significantly, Aziraphale, unlike Crowley, did not see the videos in Heaven and does not have the full context for Gabriel's amnesia, and is missing some of that crucial evidence of heaven's goal to hasten the apocalypse. The reason there was such an emphasis on the coffee is not that it was drugged or miracled to force him to accept, but because it was a very overt manipulation tactic that builds on the core themes of the show. It was the Metatron pretending to do something out of goodness, just as heaven has done for all this time, even though its actual goal is to destroy the world. The coffee was a deliberate bait and switch by the Metatron, and it is a very potent symbol: a false promise of altruism made to lure good people into working for an evil/corrupt system. I think that Aziraphale, in the credits, is (aside from reeling from his fallout with Crowley) trying his best to rationalize his decision to try to change heaven from the inside, and chalking the Metatron's behavior up as one more bad apple/angel.

We'll see if he finally realizes that the system itself is unfixable in S3.

TLDR: the characterization that led to the finale has been there the whole time. It might be surprising or upsetting, but it is very much not out of character or unprecedented.

[quillyfied]

GO2 spoilers, keep going to avoid bc this is spoiler town now. Got so hugely long I crashed my tumblr app. Yikes.

So I get why Neil best thought they would have been better released as individual episodes now, because the last 15 minutes really do overwhelm the rest of the season. Cliffhangers often do. Next time I watch, I think I want to savor it more. Because:

- PRE FALL CROWLEY CRANKING UP A NEBULA LIKE HIS CAR. AZIRAPHALE HAVING A GIANT CRUSH. PRE FALL AZIRAPHALE HAD FEELINGS FIRST BABES HOW ARE YOU DOING

- they continue to be The Most Married. They have a freaking “I was wrong” dance. The bitchiness of their bickering. The ways they just know each other.

- CROWLEY’S CHEEKY SCOTTISH ACCENT IN THE RESURRECTIONIST ADVENTURE. IM SO EXCITED IT EXISTS IN CANON.

- Baldad the Shuhite, best midwife slash cobbler in the land, lover of shoemaking and obstetrics XDDDD

- Crowley’s absolutely badass venomous “I long to destroy the blameless children of Job” thing…right before the goats give him away.

- Maggie!! So precious!! And Aziraphale! Brushing off a good deed as selfish openly!

- Nina! Deserves a better partner!!!! And to move on from whatever made her believe she deserved to have someone treat her like that!!

- MIRANDA RICHARDSON AS SHAX. WE HAVE BEEN BLESSED. WE ARE FILLED.

- so uh INEFFABLE BUREAUCRACY GIRLIES HOW WE FEELING???? Bc I’m feeling great, woke up with Buddy Holly in my head. I cannot believe the gift we were given and how pitch perfect it was for how the fans have written it for the past four years.

- Shelley Conn’s Beelzebub though!! What a stunning performance! What a costume change! What an absolute wealth of rotting teeth and great eyeliner! More flies indeed!!!

- the fly constantly buzzing around Jim was a huge clue but I hardly dared hope for it to be true tbh

- Aziraphale being morally grey all over this season, eh? And super touchy. Like. The dance scene was uncomfortable bc of the overwhelming of their free will to fit Aziraphale’s fantasy, which was another big piece of foreshadowing right there, but the amount of times Aziraphale touches Crowley this season. Unreal.

- “I thought you said it wasn’t lonely.” “I’m a demon. I lied.” KILL ME

- Aziraphale’s first reaction to food though. There’s that darling hedonist we love and enjoy.

- OF COURSE THATS HOW GABRIEL THINKS BIRTH WORKS OH MY HECK—

- hang on, did Crowley figure it out since the Flood, then? Good for him!

- NEIL. NEIL THERE ARE ZOMBIE NAZIS LOOSE IN THE WORLD NEIL. NEIL WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM NEIL. NEEEEEEIL.

- CROWLEY’S HANDS SHAKING DURING THE BULLET TRICK. THEM PULLING IT OFF WITHOUT MIRACLES. THE SLEIGHT OF HAND.

- AZIRAPHALE AND CROWLEY TOGETHER DOING ARCHANGEL LEVEL MIRACLES BC IT WORKS A LITTLE TOO WELL

- frankly, the whole miracle detection thing in heaven in the first place. Miracle detection truth girlies, how you feeling?

- Maggie being so brave against a bunch of demons and stumbling right into bravado and accidentally inviting them into the shop. Nina backing her up. The two of them holding off quite a lot of demons with just fire extinguishers and encyclopedias. And an active portal.

- THE HALO THING

- MURIEL BLESS THEIR SWEET COTTON SOCKS THEY DID SO MUCH AND DESERVE SO MUCH MORE CREDIT AND PRAISE FROM ALL CORNERS

- do you think Crowley drunkenly revealing to Jim that the attempted executions at the end of last season were due to them switching places is going to have consequences in the future? Bc I’m nervous about that.

- also hey Crowley being super protective and particularly vengeful towards Gabriel truthers HOW U DOING???

- listen there’s so much to talk about and discuss and dig into but I really want to take a moment to weep over how Crowley kissed Aziraphale goodbye. So desperately. So sadly. And how venomous Aziraphale’s follow up “I forgive you” lands like a slap at the end of this tumultuous argument. Never could have predicted it to go like that. I’m still reeling.

[ivory--raven]

Femslash omens day 15, haunting. Michael (and Dagon) at Crowley's trial.

Destruction is destruction. For angels and demons. Discorporation is one thing, being temporarily bodiless is fixable, but destruction is permanent. Ligur has been destroyed.

Michael finds out through official channels, for once. She has a string of texts from Dagon, all saying this is important, once everything has settled down there’s something you need to know, I’m okay, which is ominous but she barely has the chance to glance at the messages, let alone think about them or talk to Dagon, because Armageddon has been cancelled. There are ten thousand angels Gabriel just told to stand down, and someone has to do something with them while they wait to complain. For once she doesn’t envy him his job. He’s been in talks with The Metatron about it, being chastised - how could he have let this happen? - and it seems like every angel has a personal complaint to bring up with him.

It’s while Gabriel is having a five minute reprieve, hiding from the constant criticism, that the official Hell line goes active. He picks up the phone.

“Archangel Gabriel,” he says. “Yes… I see. We can send someone.”

“Not them complaining as well,” she says, because annoying as he may be she doesn’t hate him, but he shakes his head.

“They need to carry out an execution.”

“A proper one?”

He nods. “They need holy water for the demon Crowley.”

“Because of his role in..?”

“The charge is destroying another demon. Duke Ligur.”

No. “Duke Ligur has been…”

“Destroyed, yes,” says Gabriel. “Hell needs Holy Water to destroy his destroyer. Just, isn’t it?”

Ligur. Destroyed.

Ligur. He’d been a friend, she thinks, something of a friend to her. Destroyed.

“An eye for an eye,” she says, and then before she can think better of it, “I’ll go.”

“You’ll go into Hell? You don’t have to do this, Michael, it’s nasty down there.”

“You’ve never been!” she retorts.

He squares his jaw. “Neither have you.” And she hasn’t, officially, so she has to give him that.

“I ought to, keep an eye on that Holy Water. We can’t send just anyone.” She’s making this up. She has to be the one to take revenge.

“You’re right,” says Gabriel. “You’ll go.”

She will avenge Ligur’s destruction. Ligur, Ligur didn’t deserve to be destroyed like this. Ligur was a friend. He had a life, a husband. How could he have been destroyed like this, to stop the Armageddon they were supposed to have?

A demon destroyed is a demon no longer existing, but at least no longer existing means they once did. Ligur did exist, once. If she avenges him, if she keeps him in mind, that will be a better fate than being forgotten. A better fate than being erased. Ligur will have existed. He will have mattered.

He haunts her when she takes the pitcher and fills it with the holiest Holy Water Heaven has. She knows this is the murder weapon, she knows it is inherent to her nature to create, to live with it. He should be haunting her. The universe has a void now, whispering Ligur was here, Ligur was here. 

He haunts her as she steps into the lift, presses the dingy Hell button, goes down, down, down. He haunts her through the long corridors he once showed her through. She remembers him as kind. As knowing, surely he knew, and keeping her secret. Keeping Dagon safe.

Dagon - Dagon doesn’t know. That's what she forgot to do. Tell her she was coming down here, and with this deadly weapon.

She sees her when she enters the room they have set up for the trial, at Beelzebub’s right hand, in her element. She looks unsettled, her world off kilter slightly and she can’t fix it. There’s something like shock in her eyes when she sees Michael, and as soon as it appears it’s gone, replaced with apprehension.

Is Dagon really afraid of her? Micheal hopes she’s not. She would never hurt her.

Even if it was necessary in battle? She wonders, but she knows the answer. She wouldn’t, and that’s been true a long time.

Her eyes are fixed on Dagon. I wouldn’t hurt you, she wants to reassure her, I love you. She can’t. All she can do is watch her.

“The Archangel Michael,” says Crowley. “That’s… unlikely.”

“Cooperation with our old enemies,” says Dagon, smirking with teeth, eyes sliding past Crowley to Michael.

“Well, wankwings, you brought the stuff?” asks Hastur.

“I did,” says Michael. “I’ll be back to collect it.” She holds it out to him. Ligur was his husband, he should be the one exacting revenge with his own hands.

He shifts back. “No, I think perhaps you should do the honours,” he stammers. “It’s… I’ve seen what that stuff can do.”

Of course. Of course he doesn’t want to touch the very substance that killed Ligur. 

She pours the Holy Water into the bathtub they have set up - it’s so out of place, but what else could they use? She looks at Dagon again, sitting on her chair at Beelzebub’s right hand, and hopes she knows she’d never hurt her. The water keeps on pouring.

Dagon looks away, smirk twisting into something guiltier. She hasn’t done anything wrong, Michael reminds herself - it’s not as though Dagon prevented Armageddon.

The water stops.

“That’s Holy Water,” says Crowley.

“The Holiest, yes,” confirms Michael.

“It’s not that we don’t trust you, Michael, but of course we don’t trust you,” says Beelzebub, leaning to the side on their throne, “Hastur, test it,” and Hastur (Ligur’s husband, he deserves this trial more than anyone) tosses a small round demon in the water where he dissolves, his protests dying alongside him. Destroyed. Gone forever. That’s what happened to Ligur - what Crowley did to Ligur. The water is murky. Destruction is better than being erased, destruction leaves a trace. Michael cleans it up. Once she has, she retreats into the hallway - no reason to take up space, to distract from the spectacle of his destruction.

The traitor Crowley maneuvers himself into the tub so that his feet stay dry. It’s odd, the slinky way he moves his body, like his bones aren’t all there. He was the Serpent, she supposes. There’s something else odd about him - he’s almost familiar, almost angelic.

She comes back a few minutes later, expecting scummy water, announcing “I came to bring back the-”

She has to cut herself off. Dagon looks unnerved and afraid, Hastur is angry, and Beelzebub is on their feet in front of the bathtub.

The bathtub in which the demon Crowley lies, completely unharmed.

“Michael! Dude! Do us a quick miracle, will you, I need a bath towel.” And he stretches out a glistening hand.

Stunned, she does, summoning a white towel and passing it to him. What can she do? He should be gone. Dissolved. Destroyed. Nothing more than damp muck left behind. 

“I think it would be better for everyone if I were to be left alone in the future. Don’t you?” he says, as if a traitor like him is in any position to make demands - and he is, because if Holy Water can’t kill him nothing can. He is the most powerful being in the room and he knows it. Beelzebub nods their agreement, and then so do Hastur and Dagon. He looks at her, and Michael nods too. “Right.”

The trip back up to Heaven is as quick as the trip down, but it seems to drag on, the Holy Water heavy in her grasp. They have a demon who is immune. Is he even a demon anymore? The world can’t be the same as it was before. A world where demons cannot be punished for using Heaven’s own weapon. The memory of Ligur hangs over her, haunts her. He is unavenged. Destroyed by an undestroyable demon.

Destruction is no longer simple.

[ineffable-endearments]

Early Season 1 events involved Crowley and Aziraphale having a sudden burden dropped on them in the form of the Antichrist and they worked together in an effort to manipulate the Antichrist into choosing not to destroy Earth. Upon realizing they messed up, Aziraphale lied to Heaven and took a long drive together with Crowley to figure out where the Antichrist really was, during which Crowley hit Anathema, a human, in his car. This led to Aziraphale stumbling on the Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch. Aziraphale chose to figure out the Antichrist's location alone. Then, he couldn't decide who to turn to for help: Crowley or Heaven? That lead to the bandstand, where they argued and broke up over whether to stay on Earth (with Aziraphale hinting that he wants to appeal to Heaven to save Earth) or flee together.

Season 2 events involved Crowley and Aziraphale having a sudden burden dropped on them in the form of Gabriel/Jim and they work together in an effort to hide him. Upon realizing they messed up, Aziraphale lied to Heaven and took a long drive alone to try to figure out what was going on with Gabriel. During Aziraphale's drive, Crowley supervised Gabriel and tried to get Nina and Maggie, two humans, together to support Aziraphale's lie. This didn't work, which led to to Aziraphale setting up the cotillion ball. Aziraphale and Crowley were both, separately, unable to figure out exactly what was going on with Gabriel. All night at the cotillion ball, Crowley and Aziraphale intended to cooperate, but often worked at cross purposes because they weren't on the same page. Afterwards, the Metatron told Aziraphale he wanted him to be the new Supreme Archangel, after which Crowley and Aziraphale broke up over whether they should accept the position in Heaven or go off together on Earth.

Season 2 parallels the first half of Season 1, culminating in almost the exact same argument Crowley and Aziraphale had at the bandstand. There are very marked differences and some of the events are more complicated, but the same themes repeat. The differences come from the changes in Crowley and Aziraphale's relationship to each other and to Earth.

All in all, I'm going to keep an eye on Season 3 and see if it parallels events in Season 1, episodes 4, 5, and 6. It seems like possibly Seasons 2 and 3 may be a revisiting of themes from Season 1, giving our immortal beings a chance to make the same discoveries and gain the same sense of free will that Adam Young did.

[muzzleroars]

so if v1 never attacked the prime sanctums... how would F! Gabriel approach Minos and Sisyphus? Would he feel any regret for his actions and try to make up for them? Possibly more folks for this newfound family????

(see this!)

i think gabriel would CONSTANTLY have the sanctums in the back of his mind, stuck on what he should do about them because he sees no good outcome and yet to leave them as they are would the pinnacle of cruel cowardice. his words cannot restore their lives, their people's lives, nor do anything for all the machines have killed with his failure to stop them, but to not say anything, to let them remain imprisoned, is far worse. he wants to find the best apology he can offer before releasing them, yet it's complicated by the fact that he could be killed if they're unwilling to listen...and he wouldn't blame them for it. but his hand is forced either way really - with v1's curious nature, he's on a time limit knowing it will discover them sooner or later (and he believes v1 is also in great danger of dying that way)

all that is rendered moot though as sisyphus destroys his own prison and of course follows up with the same for minos, which is a worst case scenario for gabriel who is genuinely still far too accustomed to things happening on his timetable lol and minos is quite literally hellbent on finding gabriel, no longer the fair philosopher king that had been executed so long ago - his torture inside the flesh prison has twisted him nearly beyond recognition, yet sisyphus sees no other recourse for them. his grudges had never been so personal and gabriel was a cog in the machine to him, yet all that is left of him wants nothing more than to struggle until he is killed again. they are both ghosts, caught in the emotions of their deaths, and that is the trade-off of being a prime soul - no longer fully realized, they are just what they were when they died and so contain only echoes of who they once were. minos, defined by his grief and his betrayal, sisyphus by meaningless war he knows will end in tragedy. and so all that is left for them is to survey the ruins of their fallen kingdoms and confront gabriel - the latter far more important to minos, but sisyphus accepts it despite gabriel no longer being an agent of heaven. it's still pretty worth it to take out at least one archangel regardless of his current status

so when they meet each other once more, gabriel's not only caught off-guard but he's also woefully ill-prepared for a minos that is just as unwilling to listen as he once was. after the initial shock, gabriel's heart breaks to see what he did to a man he had only ever known to be gentle and wise, his spirit now consumed by a violence so antithetical to his true nature. he did this, he knows. this is what he has sown, not just in minos but in so many before him too, yet now gabriel is unwilling to fight to the death...at least, not to minos's. he will not plead forgiveness, but he will confess his wrongs, he will denounce god's will in all of this, he will condemn his weakness for betraying minos. see him now, a demon of treachery fully revealed as minos always knew him to be - because gabriel acted against his own morals, he acted against a friend he cared for...against all the people in hell he loved. he was weak, he was spineless, and they all paid for his conscious betrayal. he can change nothing now, yet he can....leave what is left. there are still husks, still human souls trapped here in a hell worse than they have ever felt. and they need someone. they still need a king.

and i think this is the only thing that could stop minos. to know there are still "living" husks, and for gabriel to make a treaty with him. that he and v1 will leave any husks left, slaying both demons and machines that threaten them, so they may go to minos to live under his care. orphans. it's uh. not the easiest sell to v1, yet its protests must also contend with the fact that it and gabriel were struggling terribly in their fight against minos and sisyphus. but importantly too, v1 recognizes on some level this is deeply painful for gabriel, that this is someone he wants to do anything he can to reach and if no comfort is found, something in him is never going to heal. so. while i don't see minos as being particularly on good terms with gabriel, i do like the idea that they come to an agreement that sees gabe protecting the remaining husks so they can find safety with minos. it will never be as lust once was, but they could have a little community fully under the protection of a prime soul who can (and WILL) easily crush the stray angel/demon/machine that tries to interfere. a haven for those left. this puts his spirit to rest so to speak, and he accepts gabriel's terms as providing the humans left with happiness is his primary concern beneath his revenge. this is far more important, and it revives something in minos that he thought he lost in all the years trapped in the flesh prison.

sisyphus, however, doesn't hold the same values, yet his fight is not necessarily with gabriel at this point since he's now fallen. he wishes to, at the very least, rid the angelic presence in hell, and i absolutely love his biggest target being michael when he shows back up. of course sisyphus is fighting until his death to collapse what he can of heaven's structure, but michael is the archangel that binds hell as well as the one now most concerned with returning god's order in hell, so if sisyphus can kill one guy at the top, it's him. this proves far more complicated for gabriel, because sisyphus is honestly right in his stance yet gabe is personally connected to the very people he wants dead - both his virtues and the other archangels as his family. i haven't fully worked out how i want this to end, but i do know this is one of the biggest nightmares for gabriel being so stuck in the middle, especially as he is meant to help protect the people minos is now watching over...and michael would see them all bound back to their "proper" places.