#i'm very proud of crowley's right show

[lyxchen]

Cuties :3

[fellthemarvelous]

Aziraphale hate makes my brain hurt.

Like let's be really fuckin' for real here.

Neurodivergent fans have repeatedly said that Aziraphale is autistic coded. I agree with them. I have never been diagnosed but I wonder about myself. If only I could get a doctor to take me seriously enough to test me for it, but alas, I'm a 43-year-old woman living in the good ole US of A.

Those with religious trauma have repeatedly said that they identify with him as well. I'm one of those people. I endured 12 years of Catholic schools and just as much time being taught a very black and white view of things that I've had to spend more than 20 goddamn fucking years working to unlearn.

I find that my views as a survivor of religious abuse are often dismissed because people keep wanting to say "Aziraphale doesn't have religious trauma." Yes, thank you, I get that, but unless you've been indoctrinated and brainwashed into a very black and white view of the world, you probably don't understand the kind of feelings Aziraphale's onscreen experiences evoke in so many of us. Heaven might not be real, but the feelings of "God is always watching" still stick with me today even though I no longer believe in God. I have entirely denounced Christianity because of my own personal experience, and I refuse to allow people to try and guilt me or shame me for trauma that I didn't ask for. I wasn't given a choice.

As a child I was told that God was real and always watching everything you do (just like Santa Claus) and can hear everything you say and knows everything you are thinking. Do you know what I learned to do in order to cope with this overwhelming and anxiety-inducing information as a small child? I learned to censor my thoughts. I never spoke up, and I have always felt like I was putting on a show for people because I had to be who I was told to be or I would get into trouble.

Aziraphale said "poverty is a virtue" during The Resurrectionists, and as someone who grew up in the Bible belt and went to private schools, I was taught this very same shit by the Catholic church. He learned in that very same episode that "poverty is a virtue" is actually a tool of oppression to keep the poor poor and the wealthy wealthy. I know we all watched the episode. He went into that episode believing what he said, but by the end of it he knew it was actually utter bullshit. Aziraphale is not ignorant. He's highly intelligent, and he has never been too proud to admit when he has been wrong. He accepts that the information he learned before is not matching up with reality.

And it's so obvious some of you have zero experience with that type of indoctrination because of how very little empathy you show Aziraphale for his "mistake" of "choosing Heaven over Crowley" and "making Crowley sad" so clearly Aziraphale must somehow be "abusive" and "manipulative" and "selfish" and "self-centered" because he didn't choose to run away with Crowley at the end of season two.

First of all.

FIRST OF ALL...

Aziraphale has a mind of his own.

Aziraphale is always going to try and do what is right.

Aziraphale is an angel. He's a being of love. And the reason he's so "bad" at being an angel is because he actually wants to protect humanity. He has always loved humanity. He repeatedly has to contend with what is "right" versus what is "good" and "wrong" versus "evil". Yeah, he has flaws. He's an angel, not a goddamn fucking saint. He has lived on Earth for more than 6,000 years. He has seen everything. He loves doing human things.

He's obsessed with magic. It makes him so happy. He's not very good at it...well not when he's trying to put on a show for Crowley.

He chose to learn French the hard way, so even though he knows every single language in the world, he chooses to be mediocre at French. Something that annoys and amuses Crowley at the same time.

He loves to dance even though angels aren't supposed to dance, and dancing with Crowley was what he wanted the most.

He owns a bookshop and refuses to sell any of his books because they are books he's had for as long as there have been books. He will chase customers away from his collection, and Crowley understands how much they mean to Aziraphale because he refuses to sell any when Aziraphale leaves him in charge.

He and Crowley have been speaking to each other in coded language for more than 6,000 years. They have to be very careful about what they say because Heaven and Hell are always watching.

Heaven has photographs of Crowley and Aziraphale sitting or standing together throughout history. Hell had one photo of Crowley and Aziraphale actually working together and it was Aziraphale's quick thinking and how good he actually is at sleight of hand tricks that managed to get that photo out of Furfur's hands so he wouldn't be able to turn Crowley over to the Dark Council.

Aziraphale saved Crowley from being taken to Hell again. He wasn't able to save Crowley from Hell in Edinburgh, but he sure as heck managed to save Crowley from Hell during WWII. He took Crowley to his bookshop and showed Crowley that he stole the picture from Furfur. He saved Crowley.

You get that, right?

Aziraphale SAVED Crowley.

People always talk about how it's "always Crowley saving Aziraphale" because apparently heroic acts are only heroic when they are grand gestures. The sleight of hand wasn't heroic at all, am I right? It wasn't sparkly and showy. It wasn't interesting enough, therefore not heroic. At least that's all I'm hearing when people start with their "blah Aziraphale deserves to suffer because I have no imagination or ability to understand the media in front of me blah", and all these reasons he deserves to suffer is because Crowley almost got hurt.

Aziraphale did that without flinching and I watch that part closely every single time. He's not scared for himself. He's scared for Crowley, and he managed to hold onto that photograph. He did not fail Crowley. He protected Crowley.

And so here's another thing that we like to point out. The way that Aziraphale, an angel who is effeminate and male presenting, an angel who is soft and full of love, an angel who is kind and forgiving because he has empathy and compassion, is somehow painted as abusive and manipulative. He's not violent, but he could easily fuck up your world. He doesn't use his powers. We have no idea how powerful he is because we only ever see him do small acts. He's used to hiding. It's the only way he has ever been able to protect Crowley.

And I'm not saying that Aziraphale has actually saved Crowley before means that Crowley hasn't also saved Aziraphale. Like, you get that those are not mutually exclusive and their relationship is not transactional, right? They have spent their entire existence protecting each other but never actually getting to be together because Heaven and Hell are always watching.

Yeah, Crowley fell. We all know this. We are aware of this. He was the serpent of Eden. He gave humanity the knowledge of free will.

But what we don't talk about is what Aziraphale gave humanity.

What did he give them?

We all know what it is!

Let's say it together!

He gave Adam and Eve his flaming sword because it was dangerous outside the garden and Eve was pregnant and she was already having a really bad day. He showed them compassion and gave them his extremely powerful angelic weapon so they would stand a chance on the outside of the garden. He gave humanity the gift of compassion. It's just unfortunate that his flaming sword became a weapon of War.

And then what did he do after that?

Ooooh, yeah, that's right.

God asked him about it and he straight up lied to her and pretended he had no idea where he'd managed to misplace it. She didn't say anything after that. He told Crowley the truth though. He told Crowley the truth even though Crowley fell.

Yeah, we know Aziraphale has done some really fucking questionable things. He and Crowley both suck at passing for human in front of observant people like Nina. They're not human. They are still learning, but they managed to experience human history together despite being on opposite sides and their experiences with humanity are what has shaped them into the compassionate and loving duo they are now. One of them is not better from the other.

This, my friends, is what we call meeting in the middle. It's why shades of gray is so important. Aziraphale constantly breaks the rules. Crowley refused to play by Heaven's rules. It's the reason he fell. He doesn't play by Hell's rules either. These two dorks figured out how to cancel each others' miracles out throughout human history in order to have more time learning about humanity and each other because working all day every day sucks when there are so many new things to learn and experience with the people you love.

We know Crowley and Aziraphale both love each other. Neither of them are good at hiding the hearts stars in their eyes.

But here's what's really fucking annoying about the Aziraphale hate.

Aziraphale was already crying when Crowley grabbed him and kissed him. Aziraphale is trying so very hard to do the right thing. He loves Crowley. He does. But he also has a duty to humanity, and he has taken that job very seriously since the creation of Adam and Eve. He sent them out into the world with a flaming sword so they would have a chance at surviving beyond the walls of the garden.

And he knows that Something Terrible is going to happen and he spent all of second season trying to figure out what that Something Terrible was while trying to have some sort of more honest and open relationship with Crowley, but again, they aren't human, they are a demon and an angel approaching life from opposite sides who met in the middle and fell in love with humanity together.

He wants more than anything to tell Crowley how he feels about him, but he wants to do something grand for Crowley because Crowley has always been grand and dramatic and sexy and a little bit scary.

Crowley is impulsive and has a temper and sometimes says the wrong thing but he has always trusted Aziraphale because Aziraphale gave him a chance even after he fell. Aziraphale chose to shelter him instead of smiting him while they stood on top of that wall. He knew he was supposed to kill Crowley, but oops, he gave his sword away to the humans so he didn't really have anything to kill him with and Crowley is the one who created nebulas. The Pillars of Creation is Crowley's work and Aziraphale was there to witness that, but he watched Crowley more than he watched the nebula. He witnessed the pure joy on Crowley's face when he said "let there be light" as a nebula full of colors exploded before their eyes. He was fascinated by Crowley.

But Aziraphale is going back to Heaven even though he has made it perfectly clear he absolutely has no desire to go back to Heaven. He told the Metatron this during their conversation. He spoke these words out loud. They exist.

But then The Metatron said this....

The Metatron. The very same angel who told Aziraphale in season one "to speak to me is to speak to the Almighty." He's the boss. He's the big guy. He's used to existing as a giant head and he had to give himself a body so he wouldn't stand out on Earth. And he knows that Aziraphale and Crowley have been working together since the beginning. He knows they worked together to prevent Armageddon in season one, and now he's made it clear he knows they were working together long before that. And let's face it, Aziraphale really wants to know what this Something Terrible is that Gabriel is running from so he can try to prevent it from happening.

It makes sense that he would want to take Crowley to Heaven with him because he would be able to keep Hell from getting their hands on him again. Aziraphale hates it in Heaven. He doesn't want to go, but Something Terrible is happening and Metatron isn't taking no for an answer, and maybe Heaven won't be so bad if Crowley is there with him. At least they can fix Heaven together.

But Crowley can't go back. We all get that. We don't blame him for saying no. It doesn't change anything.

Something Terrible is about to happen and Aziraphale has to figure out what it is. He wants to change Heaven.

He is fully aware that Heaven sucks. He still has faith in God. His faith isn't in Heaven. He deserted his platoon in season one and threw himself back to Earth so he could figure out how to make sure the war between Heaven and Hell doesn't happen.

But see, here's the thing. Heaven is at the top. Heaven has all the resources. Heaven is responsible for the creation of Hell. Heaven is empty and Hell is overpopulated. Aziraphale knows this. Crowley knows this. It's obvious every time we see either place. Both sides are desperate to go to war and will not hesitate to destroy humanity in the process. This is the opposite of what Crowley and Aziraphale want for humanity. If anyone can change Heaven, it's Aziraphale. He's the only one up there who gives a shit about humanity as far as we know. No one else is going to speak on humanity's behalf.

Some of us are so busy getting mad at Aziraphale for going back to Heaven and giving Crowley a Big Sad. Newsflash: Crowley is not the main character of Good Omens. Aziraphale and Crowley are equals, yet we wanna hold Aziraphale to higher standards because he's an angel, and when he makes mistakes it's proof that he's the bad guy.

Holy mother of all things that trigger my religious trauma, let me tell you. I spent my entire life hating myself every time I made mistakes. I've had to teach myself that just because I mess up sometimes doesn't mean I'm bad. It means I'm human. I still struggle with it. I probably always will. So when you say that Aziraphale deserves to be punished for breaking Crowley's heart, you not only ignore that Aziraphale's heart is also broken, you're saying he deserves to be punished for doing what he thinks is right.

Wanting to change Heaven for the better is not a bad thing.

And some of y'all wanna see him suffer for going back into the lion's den that is Heaven, knowing that he is already an outcast, that they have already tried to kill him once, knowing that he is a deserter, that he has been lying to Heaven about a lot of things, and you still think he's blinded by Heaven? You think he's just so naive and that's the only reason he's going back. He doesn't show his emotions the same way Crowley does so it means he doesn't care as much. He's expected to consider Crowley's feelings over his own when making choices. Like holy shit if all of that hasn't defined my experience as a woman with religious trauma in this fucking society. He's expected to be subservient to Crowley and if he doesn't do what Crowley wants then he's being unreasonable and illogical.

What the actual fuck, y'all.

Like seriously.

I'm sick of this bullshit. I had to step away from this fandom because of how toxic some people in this fandom are. It's not chasing me away, but the fact that I chose to hang out in a a more toxic fandom that is already notorious for being really toxic over a fandom that claims to be more open-minded and welcoming should probably tell you something.

It gave me a lot of perspective, and yeah, I'm still gonna speak up against the bullshit Aziraphale hate.

People are entitled to their opinions, but the Aziraphale hate isn't an opinion. It's just ableist, misogynistic garbage. At this point we all know y'all say these extreme things about Aziraphale because y'all get more joy out of the harm and alienation it is causing others.

Keep being loudly wrong, but if you think I'm not entitled to challenge shitty-ass, harmful, hateful discourse, bite my ass.

I'm not the one who lost the plot in this fandom.

[noneorother]

The grand unified theory of Good Omens S2 hangs on - you guessed it - a double meaning (and art). *Part 4*

Part 1 l Part 2 l Part 3 l Part 4 l Part 5 l The End?

This is major spoilers for season 3 territory. You have been warned. I'm also going to split this into parts because wow, I have so many ✨Clues✨! Friends, we have arrived at the prestige! Metatron come at me bro, catch these hands. Oh wait you can't, you always have your hands in your pockets...

People smarter than me have talked all about Aziraphale's magician outfits on this show, so I won't steal their thunder. Suffice it to say, The Metatron is wearing a weirdly dark coat and tie over his whole outfit. Which gives him a very only a white floating head look, but also keeps in the theme of ✨I am a magician✨. He's here to perform a trick!

I also won't talk a lot about him in the coffee shop because that's been done already. If we have learned anything from part 3, analyzing the coffee to death is what we are supposed to be doing, because He is distracting everyone with a benign object that we can inspect. So while he's waving this coffee around in the shop going "SEE I KNOW HOW EARTH WORKS" he's also doing something fascinating: Checking to see who recognizes him.

Weirdly, even though Aziraphael saw him in season one, and the angels all work with him, no one does right away. EXCEPT for Saraquiel and Crowley, who just saw his face not in person, but in a video tape of sorts up in heaven at Gabriel's trial by farce. And then something funny happens. Saraquiel is scared shitless and pretends to have 'forgotten' like Michael, but Crowley admits loud and proud that he does. Then Uriel gives THE BIGGEST SIDEYE I have ever seen on screen to Michael, as in "You don't recognize our boss? I am very afraid for what that means."

As far as I can understand, this is the reason the Metatron is here : "Are we in the version of events where I lose?" And the answer The Metatron gets after the question is : We are in the version of events where I have severely fucked with Michael, sort of fucked with the other angels, I have fucked with Aziraphale, and Crowley has seen me already in heaven. Now we're missing a lot of information as to WHY this specific answer is good for The Metatron, and how much Saraquiel knows, but it seems like he interprets this as an "I haven't lost yet, and I can still do my trick".

So now here we are, at the most important part of the episode, in my (and Aziraphale's) opinion. THE double meaning.

This line is insane. On the surface we have meaning 1) The Metatron is scolding over-zealous angels for meddling in this affair, and over reaching with their power, especially threatening to use the book of life on people. He's the good guy! But under the surface we have meaning 2) I HAVE THE BOOK OF LIFE and I have been using it on everybody in this room. If I don't get my way this time around, I will edit you guys again, and you will have done the right thing. And with that admission, Aziraphale severely twigs and becomes very afraid. From then on his voice shakes and he babbles, and he has trouble looking the Metatron in the eye. I'm willing to bet that this is the moment Aziraphale realizes what The Metatron just admitted: I am creating a version of reality as we speak where I change you and Crowley (and everyone else) so that you lose to me. A terrified Aziraphael goes off with The Metatron to have a chin wag. Now here's the trick.

We've already established that Maggie and Nina are here as stage assistants to The Metatron, so they need time to work on Crowley alone. If they talk to A/C together, like they would have without The Metatron's appearing in the scene before, better communication might have happened between them. He made Aziraphale disappear from the scene!

This does NOT look like the face of someone getting good news. We never heard what the details were besides inviting Crowley to the job promotion, so who knows what he threatened him with, but

This looks like the face of someone caught in a trap. So we are now seeing the prestige! We don't need that coffee anymore, that cup is GONE BABY. Aziraphale has been removed from the Nina/Maggie confession like a dove, and placed in The Metatron's dark coat pocket. Now he just needs to make our angel reappear in the scene the assistants have prepared for him and let him fail, thus completing the trick (uhg I hate it. So cruel).

I'm going to turn the final 15 into it's own post because this is already very long. Let's skip it for now, but we know our lovebirds get separated by heaven, and Aziraphale leaves. The Metatron breathes a huge sigh of relief in the elevator as he thinks his trick has worked, and he has won.

So it's finished now, and there's seemingly no way out. Aziraphale now knows what The Metatron meant when he communicated "I am creating a version of reality as we speak where I change you and Crowley and everything else so that you lose to me."

BUT! ARE YOU READY FOR THIS SHIT? BECAUSE IT HIT ME LIKE LIQUID JET FUEL. And I think it hits Aziraphale right here, (when he makes the creepy face after being hit with a beam of light i.e. realization)

That means that in the original version of events before all the edits, Crowley & Aziraphale won.

------

If you've gotten this far, thanks so much for reading. I'd love to hear what you thought, or even reblog it with your ✨Clues✨! Want to read more about the timey wimey business that we're gonna see in season 3, and why all this changes the final 15? Well I have *part 5* coming in just a bit. Parts 5 and The End are here! Part 1 l Part 2 l Part 3 l Part 4 l Part 5 l The End?

[mimisempai]

The end of denial

Summary

 After so many years of denial, not having to hide who they are from each other and telling the world is the most wonderful feeling.

Notes

For the @flashfictionfridayofficial - Hour of denial

On Ao3

Rating G -  458 words

"Are you a bookseller, too?"

Crowley replied immediately, shaking his head, "Not even at gunpoint."

Aziraphale interrupted, "This is, um... Crowley. He and I..."

He looked at the demon in front of him, wondering how to introduce him, how to say he was important to him without saying what this was about.

He continued, "...go back a long time."

He was pleased to see Crowley's proud expression, but as always, he felt a tinge of sadness at having to deny what the demon really meant to him.

"Sir, you come in here every week, and every week Aziraphale tells you again that these books are not for sale."

Aziraphale, coming from the back of the bookshop, couldn't suppress a small, amused smile as he heard Crowley rebuff an insistent customer who came back every week trying to buy a book. 

Apparently, this particular customer had reached the end of his patience, for he replied with obvious annoyance, "Who are you, anyway? I want to see Mr. Fell."

Aziraphale approached and calmly said, "I'm here."

The client turned sharply toward him, then, pointing at Crowley, said, "Your assistant is being very rude and I..."

Aziraphale shook his head and replied in a cold voice, "I'll stop you right there, Crowley isn't my assistant, he's..."

He paused and saw Crowley looking at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue, then he hooked his arm under the demon's and continued in a much softer voice, "...my partner."

Aziraphale had deliberately said it so that there would be no doubt as to the nature of the partnership.

Seeing the client dumbfounded by what he'd just said, the angel added, "And I have nothing more to say to you than what he's just told you."

Then he changed his mind and continued, pointing to the door, "Just one more thing, if you would do us the pleasure of leaving and never coming back. Good day to you, sir." 

Ignoring the angry departing customer who showed his displeasure by slamming the door, Aziraphale turned his full attention to Crowley and, seeing his happy expression, knew he'd been right.

Crowley said softly, "Your partner?"

Aziraphale raised his hand and placed it on the demon's cheek as he replied gently, "Absolutely."

The time for denial was over. 

They could be themselves now and show what they meant to each other, and Aziraphale intended to make the most of it.

With a light touch of his hand, he drew the demon's face to his and kissed him tenderly, in broad daylight, in the middle of the bookshop, where everyone could see them from outside.

They had nothing to hide anymore, and damn hell and heaven, they were no longer afraid to show their love to the world.

_________

Still not beta'd

Still not my native language

Still hoping you'll enjoy this story  🥰

Still thanking you for bearing with me 😝

Ineffable Growing Love series : (After season 2) 

Part 1 Story 1-99

Part 2 Story 100-?

Ineffable Husbands masterlist : here (Before season 2)

[halemerry]

I read your meta on the manipulation the Metatron used on Aziraphale, and it was such a great essay laying out every detail. When I watched the end of the episode it was early morning for me and I was super tired and I missed a lot of those details. What did manage to come through in my sleepy mind, was that I was very confused about Why This Happened? As in, I understand now that Az was manipulated, I definitely agree with that analysis, but I don't understand yet if this decision was foreshadowed anywhere in the first 5 and a half episodes. I haven't rewatched the season yet (too busy reading meta lol) but I was wondering if you had any thoughts on that?

I just feel like, other than Aziraphale saying in the first episode that it's nice sometimes to tell someone about something good you've done, now that he's not reporting to heaven, Az doesn't actually seem to care all that much in the present day about his old allegiance. I wonder if maybe that's part of the point? He didn't want Heaven anymore and so he wasn't thinking about it? After all, the show begins with Aziraphale enjoying his new life. As the interviews said, he's living his best life. Good music, good food, and the love of his life.

Because if that's genuinely the case, then perhaps the point of the season is that the soft gentle romance of the first five episodes is Who They Are, and it's just that Aziraphale was rushed and manipulated into something he genuinely did not want even a little bit.

Or maybe he always thought he could fix it, because of the Before The Beginning where Crowley said, "If I was in charge, I'd want people to ask questions." Maybe that planted a seed in Azi's mind. Maybe Azi does want to run Heaven, only in a way that Crowley could be proud of it again. Fix it FOR Crowley. Even though Crowley doesn't want that (and Azi maybe doesn't understand that yet).

I came into your askbox intending to ask a simple question about your thoughts, but I have instead written an essay and asked for one in return. Consider it a quick temptation lol

Temptation accomplished hehe - though a little later than I'd have liked. No though genuinely I love this sort of thing a lot and really appreciate all of it. Anyone please feel free to do this at any time!

But uh so. Since that first meta I've done a lot of stuff breaking down that last scene here and also breaking down Aziraphale and the minisodes from this season here. Both of these operate ascribing to the idea that Aziraphale has been threatened into pseudo compliance on top of the active manipulation the Metatron was doing to him. I'll admit this is the theory I currently favor. But, while that's something I find more thematically interesting and also in more narrative alignment, I do still think there's narrative weight to this on its own.

And I think in the case you've got it dead on with the idea of fixing Heaven FOR Crowley.

Most significantly I think this is viable in the way Aziraphale views Crowley. Like. We know he thinks Crowley is Good and that he has thought this for a very very long time. Arguably his instincts have been telling him this since even before he could consciously put it into words given that even as early as Eden he was being honest with Crowley - a thing he even then did not feel he could do with God Herself. Despite being Fallen, Crowley is safe. Crowley is right. Crowley is Good.

Despite is important here. Because it is notably not and. The lesson being taught here is not that Hell can be Good. In fact Crowley himself actively encourages this idea. I'm not taking you to Hell because you wouldn't like it. My lot don't send rude notes. I need a weapon that could destroy me to keep me safe from Hell. I'm a demon: I lie. A demon could get in a lot of trouble for doing the right thing. I'm a demon, demons aren't nice- You're an angel you can't be tempted. You're an angel - you can't do the wrong thing. All of these things in culmination with the way Crowley talks about his Fall to Aziraphale - I didn't really Fall just sauntered vaguely downward - sets Crowley up as unique in the way he transcends what he is.

Meanwhile Aziraphale has been learning the hard, slow way that the people running Heaven do not necessarily have good intentions and more critically that they are not in alignment with what God actually wants. The problem is the management. The angel who would become Crowley said as much himself.

He has every reason to believe they fix it together too. He now knows that together they can perform archangel tier miracles while they're both actively trying to hold back. He knows that even when they're making mistakes and fumbling through the apocalypse they can help defy the world ending. He knows that they are perhaps the only two beings alive that even remotely understand God's will.

So here's Aziraphale given the opportunity to put himself in charge along with theoretically the single most Good being he's ever met. Of course that's appealing. You could give the person you love the power to create again - something we are explicitly shown at the beginning of this season to bring the angel that would become Crowley more joy and delight than we have literally ever seen Crowley have on screen - and the power to create a world together that actually deserves to have that person? You could undo something that you've slowly been coming to terms with believing should have never been done to him in the first place? You could be Adam, rewriting the end of the world and making it so the Bookshop never burned. All you need to do is change the color of the paint job.

Because he'd never change Crowley. He loves Crowley. Crowley is Good already it's not about making him better. The bit with the Bentley is the scene this season that encapsulates this sort of worldview most. Aziraphale changes the color of the car (which is being presented to us as literally physically linked to Crowley) but not the model. He changes how it looks just like Crowley changes into angel wear without a second thought. Neither change the core of what they are, just the aesthetics. And Crowley is always trying on new aesthetics without letting them change who he is. From Az's perspective why would this be any different?

He doesn't realize that sometimes even if you make it so a Bookshop never burnt that doesn't mean the memory of it doing so ever leaves. You still line the shop with fire extinguishers. You still swap to battery operated candles. The memory lingers as they always seem to do.

Crowley can't ever go back. Won't ever go back. Because the trauma of the Fall draws a clearer line for him both in his own identity and in his worldview than it ever could for Aziraphale who came to his own much more slowly. And because of that it's easy to see a reading of Aziraphale that can't see the specific way what he's saying eats at all Crowley's insecurities because all he can see is what they're capable of together and how that aligns with the greater good. It's all part of God's plan, just like they've always been.

[weirdly-specific-but-ok]

read more of the good omens book. forget Nord and Surfshark, get me AntichristVPN.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH GOOD OMENS MASCOT HERE I read the chapter thursday!

The book now has a strange yellowing on the top of the pages. I do not know where it came from. The infamous Good Omens book wreckage has begun.

Anathema finally meets Adam (he stops by to comfort her because she's crying, aw Adam you sweetheart) but she gets brainwashed instantly and can't be suspicious about him.

NordVPN has nothing on the AntichristVPN.

No but really people can't even think about him beyond a superficial level (their thoughts slide off yes like water and ducks). CAN YOU DO THAT FOR ME, NORD? I THINK THE FUCK NOT. SIGN ME UP FOR ANTICHRISTVPN.

Sign up now for a five day free trial. After that the world's ending so you'll have to either pay the fuck up or opt the fuck out.

Crowley did not make an appearance in this chapter, so I will simply say the line that lives rent-free and squats in my head: "Right," mumbled Crowley, suddenly feeling very alone.

HNGK.

(that was a beautiful lovechild of the tumblr hnng and the ngk)

Adam is so ethereal omg. Though I suppose one would say he's occult. Which he would assume, as per the book, meant he's going to be an optometrist.

I seem to remember something about Lucifer being the most beautiful of angels before he fell. Wonder if Crowley had a little crush.

NO WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT CROWLEY SORRY. RIGHT YES. OCCULT. Anathema teaches Adam about occult things, such as global warming, no more Americans in Long Island, and recycled paper.

Brian fancies himself an expert on witches. As is the case with most self-proclaimed experts, that means he says a good deal of inaccurate things with a great deal of confidence in their accuracy.

I'm rather proud of that last point. It sounds very good omens writing-style. Like if you bought Good Omens from Wish.

Wensleydale did slightly more correct reading, but Adam decided the Spanish Inquisition cannot be chanting only in Latin.

Adam also decided that his contribution to the Spanish decor would be onions. Because onions could be Spanish. Spain does have onions.

Does Spain have onions? It does now. If you live in Spain and have onions, you should know that you only think you've always had onions, but really you started having onions when Adam decided you did.

None of the previous point is in the book. It is my Creative Interpretation.

Pepper is Head Torturer, her sister is adorable, and she beat up the boys the first time they met.

SHERBET LEMONNNNNN

OH THE LINE ABOUT ADAM'S AURA I LOVE IT SO MUCH YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND I LOVE IT. IT'S SO. IT'S SO.

I DON'T REMEMBER IF IT WAS IN THE SHOW BUT I LOVE IT OK. IT PROBABLY WAS AND I FORGOT.

ANATHEMA CAN'T SEE ADAM'S AURA AND:

It may, or may not, have helped Anathema get a clear view of things if she'd been allowed to spot the very obvious reason why she couldn't see Adam's aura. It was for the same reason that people in Trafalgar Square can't see England.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

For the non-English people who didn't get it, well... Trafalgar Square is in London.

Why do I know that? Easy. Monopoly. Heh.

FUCK YEAH LESSGOOOO APOCALYPSE UNDERWAYYYYYYYYY.

[ineffablydelighted]

[How exploring the Ineffable Husbands' dynamic in Good Omens can help us figure out what the show/book is all about, Part 1/?]

Also called: This human has, apparently, too much time on her hands and will be trying to Effable the Ineffable for [...] hours.

Ah, Hello! 👋

I'm ineffably delighted to meet you all! 😇

Let's cut to the chase and bear with me as we try together to analyze further the subject of the day:

Aziraphale is in love with Crowley and I am pretty sure he is aware of that fact BUT 

[yes, there is a "but", do not erase me from the Book of Life just yet, let me explain first, homie 🥺] 

I do not believe he can comprehend WHY he is just yet, and what that would mean for him in terms of... well... EVERYTHING he ever stood for.

It will also be the perfect roots to answer the biggest question yet :

What is Good Omens all about, exactly?

[Yeah, it's a tough one. When I say "bear with me", I really insist on the fact that it will be LONG. I will try my best to make it fun to read and to allow some "natural breaks" but know that I would appreciate your unshared attention if you're willing to give it to me. 😇]

Although, would you have the chance to ask him about it (probably looking at a cup of tea as we would all do in Earthy fashion), Aziraphale would have somewhat of an answer to give you, probably in the range of:

"Because, deep down, Crowley is the nicest being I've ever known."

Is it false? No, Crowley IS nice. Swaggeringly nice, occasionally unhinged, but still. Nice.

And that is somewhat the core of the... "problem" for our soon-to-be Supreme Archangel [Yep, the pain is still fresh, thanks for asking, you're welcome for reminding you 😭👍] because, as much as Crowley learned nuances due to past experiences (Falling being, most likely, the most traumatic one,) Aziraphale remains bound to think in absolutes. And everything relates to THIS perfect meme right there:

[Whoever you are, person/entity who has done that, you have forever my utmost gratitude and respect]

I'm far from bringing anything new to the table here, but to Aziraphale, Crowley should NOT have fallen in the first place. Because of how nice he is. Crowley IS an angel, to him. In fact, I'll go even further by stating that, to Aziraphale,

Crowley is more of an Angel than ANY Angel in the "Main Office."

Let's present our other contestants, shall we?

When he ruled, Gabriel was an absolute a** and had an ego the size of, idk, at least A DOZEN GALAXIES. He made Aziraphale feel like... well... poop most of the time they interacted.

That is why, in S2 when Gabriel/Jim tells him "I love you", Aziraphale, even being and considering himself a "creature of love", happens to be utterly unable to either reciprocate or take the compliment. At this moment, later enhanced when he reminds himself of the Job case, he realizes he is able to feel, if not hatred, NOT love NOR admiration for somebody he should somewhat consider a role model.

That is very important for Aziraphale's present and future character development, especially considering Gabriel/Jim's own fate, so please keep that in mind.

Michael? Oh God, Same if not worse: too condescending and ambitious in the wrong way to inspire anything nice to anybody.

Sandalphon just does what they are told but can totally throw a punch if necessary.

Uriel is mostly cold, occasionally cruel, and can also be physically threatening.

[I love the actress, though. Gloria Obianyo deserves a Ph.D. in Resting Bitch Facing for her performance in Good Omens alone and I'm here for it.]

S2 Saraqael seems to be more layered but has also been hurtful to Aziraphale (especially when she ironized that he couldn't possibly be the 25-Lazarii-magnitude-miracle caster).

Overall, S1 Aziraphale refers to the "Main Office" Angels as "BAD ANGELS!" after their hostile encounter. We could see from his face he would have wanted to use harsher words but couldn't get past his forgiving, decent nature.

Before we talk any furfur-ther [Am I proud of this so-called pun? A-BSOLUTELEH 😎🤭], let's add a really important stone/layer to our favorite Angel's thinking: to him, it is simple maths:

GOOD = RIGHT, BAD = WRONG

And let's save it for later, shall we?

[Killgrave dear is just here to remind you you can take a break anytime to drink a glass of Talisker if you'd like, or, more so, if HE'd like. Also because that character is THE best David Tennant role on television - 10th Doctor being the worthy third, I let you guess which character is our second now - and I might have wanted to use this gif just to be able to say that, who knows? *whispers* Mysssteryyyy...]

Anyway.

To a being like Aziraphale, who mostly thinks in dichotomy, being an Angel requires one main requirement: being GOOD.

[Buy a farrrrrm and be good! Not just "pretendy" good but. properly. GOOD! - NO, I couldn't find the gif and YES, I'm mad about it, but since I'm also unable to make one myself, I'll just shut it.]

That is why he refers to the Main Office Archangels as simply being BAD.

At that moment, they had been mean to him, threatening, and, by doing so, they became somewhat active in Hell's Armageddon project. Making them "bad" angels, but, more so:

Bad at BEING Angels.

Aziraphale, on the other hand, is, at heart, the penultimate goody-two-shoes: he does feel bad about himself whenever he does something bad/wrong such as lying (it has started to change, and I'll nuance that statement another time, but you get the grip).

He is constantly scared he might fall whenever he somewhat defies God's will or the idea he built in his head of what an Angel should be(have).

But have you paid attention to how his "Angelmates" NEVER seem to CARE about their own displays of, let's say "unconventional characteristics" for what should be the highest "Representatives of the sole concept of Good"?

Have you ever seen Gabriel or Michael being self-conscious about their narcissism and condescending tendencies? Uriel about their coldness? Saraqael about their sarcastic nature? Any of them about their use of violence? Of course not! They seem to be perfectly fine with it!

They own their characteristics, good AND bad.

Aziraphale does not.

Aziraphale is... soft. Even if he, at times, expresses regrets to be just that, he also applies it to his Angelic nature.

You know who else is soft?

Crowley.

Crowley is soft because he cannot kill children and takes it upon himself to LITERALLY DEFY BOTH GOD AND SATAN'S WILL TO SAVE SAID CHILDREN, including two annoying ones [especially the one who DARED to hit on Aziraphale but that is a topic for another day]

[MASSIVE Bildad the Shuhite fangirl here, consider yourselves warned.]

Crowley is soft because he cannot even kill GOATS.

Defying both God's and Satan's will to save kids? Yeah, eventually, okay.

Defying God's and Satan's will to save goats? Man, that's so effingly. more. powerful.

[Oh, look! A bird flying, normal thingy, nothing to see here, buh-bye!]

Crowley is soft because he proposes/"tempts" Aziraphale to "eat a spot of lunch", especially whenever his Angel experiences stress.

We have barely seen him eat, which might indicate he does not have such a strong taste for it personally. He only goes to the Ritz to enjoy Aziraphale's company and to watch him happily eat scrumptious, comforting foods.

[Okay, also because it morphed into a proper kink at some point but that is NOT today's subject, so stop trying to make me deviate from it! 😣]

Oh, and, before you bring that up, no, the alcohol motive is not relevant since he can, in all probability have a glass of Talisker in ANY sort of pub/restaurant in London.

[As a proper peated whisky lover who happens to be French, let me tell you this is NOT the case in my country and I'm super duper jealous of you, lads.]

Crowley is soft because he takes care of both Gabriel and Aziraphale's bookshop, even if it is clear he loathes the first and expressingly said he would not be a bookseller "even at gunpoint."

And, by "taking care of", know that I MEAN IT: he kept an eye on Jim, didn't wake him up when he heard him snore, answered any question he had, no matter how seemingly stupid they were [Even if Crowley, of all beings, cannot be anything but a raging "There is no stupid question, only stupid answers" representative] and offered him hot cocoa. As for the Booksho-P[uhhhhh *exhales in asthma*], he attempted to repair Jim's messy ordering twice and meticulously rearranged the place after ✨the Ball✨

[What do you mean, "he also Killgraved him into jumping out of the window?" HE ALSO STOPPED HIM FROM DOING SO, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. #NotBiasedInTheSlghtestIndividual]

Crowley is soft because he shares his Bentley with Aziraphale. Which is a VERY. BIG. DEAL. considering it was, at the time, HIS LAST ONE AND ONLY PRIZED POSSESSION.

[Should I mention that the Bentley FALLS IN LOVE with Aziraphale or is debating on whether or not that falls into the Oedipian complex territory off-topic? Yes, I'll see myself out.]

Crowley is soft because he rescues Aziraphale on countless occasions, even though, 99% of the time, that is pretty much unnecessary.

For real, guys: if Aziraphale had been discorporated in the course of his 6000+ years on Earth at any other given moment BUT on the eve of THE WAR with a capital "W", nobody in Heaven would have flinched.

[I do have a theory, though: maybe being re-incorporated takes quite a long time, which would have meant too many years apart from each other, hence the growing Damsel in Distress kink in Aziraphale, idk THAT IS NOT TODAY's SUBJECT, OKAY?!]

Also, Crowley is soft because "doing that makes him so happy".

Do you know who is supposedly "so happy" to save living things, aka GOD'S CREATIONS? Angels.

Crowley is soft because he rescues Aziraphale even when it is ACTUALLY ENDANGERING for both of them

He risked: his life, his pretty comfortable position "he carved out for himself", both his Earthy and Infernal homes sort of speak, AND EVEN HIS CAR to save his Angel's bottom/help him out in the direst situations (like stopping time to stop SATAN HIMSELF.)

[Also his past/present/future existence altogether, but the Bentley is more important, as I'm sure we'll all agree.]

[That is a Class A Protective/Helpful Husband, right there.]

Crowley is soft because he encourages Aziraphale to follow his passion for ✨prestidigitation✨

Even though he is pretty... amateurish at it. Not only does he encourage him, but he also HELPS him when he accepts to be his dashing assistant on stage.

[Yes, he does tell S1 Aziraphale to stop doing magic because he "has no idea how demeaning that is" but I'm pretty sure it was BECAUSE of S2 1941's events. Also, #WeStan1941Crowley here.]

Crowley is soft because he works pretty hard to make two humans he barely knows fall in love.

Yes, he also does it to cover his and Aziraphale's 25-Lazarii-magnitude-miracle lie BUT don't tell me his amazed expression when he thought he was about to witness Nina and Maggie actually falling for each other was not the purest, sincerest of all.

Finally, even if I could come up with more examples,

Crowley is soft because he saved Aziraphale's books JUST because he KNEW and CARED that Aziraphale CARED about said books.

That also, in Michael Sheen's very own opinion [as stated by Neil Gaiman in S1 GO DVD commentary], shared by many fans, and myself very much included, marks the moment

Aziraphale falls in love with Crowley.

[I DARE you to tell me THIS is NOT THE LOOK OF LOVE PERSONIFIED, go on, fight meh.]

So. WHY did it happen at that moment in particular? Well, because, first of all:

As a proper Jane Austen fan, Aziraphale is a slow burner.

Also, to him, an actual Angel, love is everywhere, so differentiating one love from another might be more difficult for somebody who can feel it whether or not it is even their own.

BUT [have you started getting used to my "but"s yet or should I harass you some more?] Let's go back in time to see how every previous encounter (that we know of) led to that pinnacle, shall we?

[Oh and, YES, this sort of essay will be long, and NO, I had no idea how much it would be when I started writing it, and still haven't, tbh 🤷‍♀️]

During part 2, we will also dive a little bit deeper into what Good Omens is all about.

[Yeah... I figured we would all need a break at this point.]

More on that later, then!

Hope I kept your interest at a reasonable peak. See you soon, Angels ❤

Need help to find the rest of this analysis? I've got you covered! Follow me, Angel 😇

Previous - Beginning (you're here) - Next

[eisforeidolon]

Question: What episode are you guys most proud of, that you just made and you really knew this is something special?

Jared: What episode are we most proud of that we made - of Supernatural?

Question: Of any show.

Jared: I'll go with Supernatural because we've got some Supernatural family members up here. What episode - I guess I'll start - sorry, I hear a little "Eeeeeeeeeeee" Was E.T. just up here? Why are we hearing "Eeeeeeeee" - just kidding, kidding. I think for me, this may seem obvious, the episode I'm most proud of and the most difficult episode to shoot was the series finale. It was rough. It was really rough. And it was a weird - I think when the COVID strike happened, we got - Jensen and I got sent home from Canada on Friday March 13th, Friday the 13th, appropriately, of 2020 because they thought they were going to shut the borders down. So they were like, get across the border, go see your family, we don't know what's going on, you know, there's a worldwide pandemic. And so we had the scripts by then, we had the last two scripts of the series and we got home and didn't go back to Vancouver until August 1st-ish? So I had four months - and a half - to sit there and read through the dialogue, I couldn't read through the scene, the barn scene especially, without crying. And so I'd like go - yeah, we have a little treadmill at our house - and so I had nothing else to do, I'd be like hey Genevieve can you take the kids for a second, I'm gonna go and just get a little run in and read through the episodes. And she's like, yeah, do it. So I'd go and I'd come back and my face would be all puffy and red, and she'd be like, oh shit, are you okay? Like, thinking I got bad news about a friend with COVID or something, and I'd be like yeah, just read the finale, it's cool, it's cool. Yeah, so that was very difficult. But I was very proud of that and it was very heartbreaking as well. Guys and gals?

[Julian Richings talks about being proud he was able to hit his mark in the big boat of a car Death drove in his intro, Sam Smith talks about all the little missing pieces character moments of Mary in Absence, and Alaina Huffman reminisces about getting "to kick the shit out of Crowley" and how great Mark Sheppard is.]

Mitch Pileggi: I'm gonna keep it with Supernatural, because I've been so fortunate to have such a long career and I can't remember most of it, so I couldn't remember moments from it. Probably the hugest, one of the hugest moments of my life was the day that I met Jared Padalecki. And, I mean, I've got the job, so I don't need to say that. Yeah, he ain't gonna fire me. So it was huge, I met an individual that has been so giving and so - to my family, to me and to my family and everybody around us on the show that we're doing now. I have to say that the show that we're doing now is my favorite show that I've ever done in the forty plus years of my career. Without a question, without a doubt, if you haven't seen it, start watching, please. But I think as far as Supernatural, I didn't understand most of what that character was doing and I'm still trying to figure it out. So, I mean even Bob Singer was like, what the hell is going on with those Campbells? So. But I have to say, the scene that I had with Jensen where he turns into the Yellow Eyed Demon was a blast. I had so much fun. I got to get up and sniff on Jensen real good and it was fun, I really enjoyed doing it. And just - like for both of them, when I met both of them, I think I took Jensen aside about four days working on the show and I said I just want to say that you two guys have got your heads screwed on right. Keep it that way, because this business can really twist you up and it hasn't done it to this day, so.

[i-am-the-hero-alfred-jones]

Why Do You Care So Much About Our Flag Means Death?

I've been out to my family for about 8 months now. (My very religious, not very happy about it family. I'm not in danger of getting kicked out, and no one's treating me any different, but they've made it clear they're not thrilled with the announcement and/or don't really believe me).

Maybe it's the way I came out, maybe it's the upbringing, but overall, I kinda of don't care if people know my sexuality?

It's not a big deal for me. Unless I'm trying to hit on you, you don't need to know that I'm queer. Sure, it's a part of me, but it's a pretty small part.

But it's my sexuality, and I get to choose how big that queer part is. Tiny and quiet suits me just fine, thank you very much.

But quiet isn't really an option anymore.

Almost all media tells you, you have to be loud in order to be proud.

There are no quiet queers.

You're either the gayest gay to ever gay radiating gay energy [RuPaul, Crowley and Aziraphale, Stede Bonnet, Calico Jack].

Or you're straight.

There are no quiet queers.

There's no characters that just. . . are. They don't plaster their rooms in their pride flag, they don't parade around announcing it to everyone, but they're still queer.

And then they gave us Izzy Hands.

OFMD gave us a show where a badass, disabled, never flirts with anyone, doesn't radiate any sort of gay energy is queer!

Undeniably queer!

Canonically confesses his love to another man queer!!!!

And I LOVE THAT!!! Fuck that makes me feel so seen.

Not only that! But a quiet queer and a loud proud queer fell in love WITH THE SAME MAN!!!

They exist on the same ship! There's no judgement for Izzy to be loud, there's no pressure for him to change, they're happy with Izzy being quiet because that's how Izzy wants to be.

And that's not an attitude that gets reflected in the real world very much.

There are many times where I feel like I'm not gay enough. I don't want a pride flag. I don't want to announce it to everyone. I like being quiet. Being quietly queer makes me happy.

So to see someone else- even if he's fictional get to be that. And be celebrated for it.

It makes me want to cry with joy.

OFMD is being threatened right now, and it's not often I talk about how much a fandom really means to me.

But this show has helped me on my journey more than anything else, and I wanted to talk about it.

And to personally thank the writers, directors, and Con O'Neill for making me feel seen and safe.

Bless you <3

[Feel free to repost this to other social media, I don't have any]

[winderlylandchime]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged by @lostcol and @madsworld15 thank you friends!

How many works do you have on ao3? 49

What's your total ao3 word count? 505,173

What fandoms do you write for? Currently Queer As Folk. In the past I've also written for CMBYN and CMBYN RPF.

Top five fics by kudos:

tied to a night they never met (CMBYN RPF)

I crossed all the lines and I broke all the rules (CMBYN RPF)

Flo's Shows (CMBYN RPF)

you're like a tattoo (something I can't undo) (QAF)

'cause all I'll ever by is your dirty computer (CMBYN RPF)

Do you respond to comments? I do. Especially because I write for a smaller fandom, most of the commenters are my friends.

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Ya girl wrote MCD so that's pretty angsty: love is so short (forgetting is so long) (QAF)

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Most of my recent fics have happy endings (usually at a party, call it my signature move). I'll link carried me with you (QAF) because people said the ending made them cry (in a happy way). And it's not at a party!

Do you get hate on fics? Not hate but some people were unhappy with I crossed all the lines (linked above) because I left the couple non-monogamous and I got negative comments in the bookmark of my series Exposure (QAF) because it is similar to a friend's series (never mind me mentioning her by name in my author's notes and having her blessing and encouragement to write the series) and because it has an open ending (not with regards to the couple but with regards mental health stuff... which is realistic)

Do you write smut? Yes. I enjoy reading it so I figure I should write what I enjoy. One of the drawbacks of writing in a small fandom where so many of my readers are friends is that I do sometimes hold back on the smutty filth I would write because I can literally picture my readers' faces and that's a bit uncomfortable.

Craziest crossover: I'm writing a QAF / RPDR crossover fic right now ("writing" in the very loosest definition of the word).

Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I'm aware of.

Have you ever had a fic translated? No, but I would love that. What an honor.

Have you ever co-written a fic before? Er. Yes. I wrote [redacted] with [redacted] but then [redacted] happened and yada yada yada my name isn't on that fic anymore. I'm not anti-co-writing. But, I would need to know my co-writer much better in advance if I were to agree to it again in the future.

All time favorite ship? Brian/Justin aka Britin from QAF. I also LOVE reading Aziraphale/Crowley from GO but haven't really written for them (one drabble and one ficlet).

What's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will? I've Loved Her in Secret, I've Loved Her Out Loud WILL GET FINISHED (manifesting) soooo not that. And there's a CMBYN RPF fic that is unfinished and will remain that way and I'm okay with that (ie I don't want to finish it)

What are your writing strengths? FEELINGS. My bread and butter.

What are your writing weaknesses? I think I'm getting better at dialogue, I used to really struggle with it. So I'm going to say... plot? That's such a weird thing to say, but I am shit at doing complex plots.

Thoughts on dialogue in another language? If it makes sense, do it! Or even words in another language - I know I often slip Italian and Yiddish into conversation here and there if the other language captures a certain je ne sais quoi that english doesn't. (see what I did there?)

First fandom you wrote in? Ya girl was writing Lois/Clark | Superman fic (het fic? by this queer? more likely than you think!) for Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman in the 90s on yahoo listservs.

Favorite fic you've written? I'm very proud of you're like a tattoo (linked above). I'm also proud of beautiful like the darkness between the fireflies some post-canon, modern setting, exes-to-lovers, soft QAF goodness. And I'm also ridiculously happy with Chasing Dragons which is a fanfic of a fanfic but I think stands alone. I feel like I captured the way one of my all-time favorite fic writers writes my all-time favorite characters and I made her ridiculously happy with it and yeah.

I'm no pressure tagging: @sheisraging @bartbarthelme and anyone else who wants to!

[ineffablecastielsstuff]

Crowley watching through windows

Okay, guys, I am not finished with this thought but I need to share... I watched Good Omens season 2 again for the umph-teenth time yesterday and it occurred to me that we have three shots of Crowley watching things happening through windows.

One is obviously the time when he makes it rain and watches Nina and Maggie underneath the awning.

Second is when Aziraphale sends him off to fetch Nina and Maggie for the ball.

Third is after Crowley saved Nina and Maggie from nearly being turned into pillars of salt and comes back to the bookshop, just to stop outside the window and watch Aziraphale ring the bell to get everyone to "speak one at a time".

I'm not sure how the first scene fits in with this but... I know people have said before that season 2 is very much focused on Aziraphale, up to the point that whole minisodes are told from Aziraphale's point of view only. But this really made it clear to me how much Aziraphale (unintentionally?!) shuts him out in a way.

Aziraphale is very much taking the lead (despite the fact that he knows how much Crowley likes rescuing him and says he lets him...) and even tells Crowley to "wait an see".

Looking at Crowley during these scenes, he is entirely enraptured during the first scene (watching Nina and Maggie), but rather disappointed (maybe embarrassed?) when his plan doesn't work out. Did he loose confidence after that? Is that why he is happy watching Aziraphale "from afar" instead of taking a more active part? I mean, even when Aziraphale goes off to ask people to join the Whickber Street Traders Thingy Magic he just asks if he can "watch" and stays in the background throughout - messing about a bit here and there, but basically really just observing.

During the second scene, I think, he is thinking about Nina's words and reflecting on his feelings for Aziraphale, probably thinking something along the lines of "oh yeah, that's my angel. Damn it, she was right, I love him!"

During the third scene he just seems very proud of his angel, I think. He enjoys watching him taking charge and standing up to those bookshop-invaders.

I think there's a lot happening on the inside for Crowley during season 2. He's observing his surroundings and himself, collecting information (even when he goes to heaven, he "just" watches what has happened with Gabriel...) and processing. We don't really see that because Aziraphale is the narrator in most parts.

Aziraphale, on the other hand, would benefit from some introspection and stopping, but he's too busy trying to solve problems that aren't his to meddle with (Nina and Maggie) in order to show his love for Crowley (which would be so much easier if he just talked...).

It's just... it breaks my heart every time I see Crowley on the other side of a window, glancing in, getting an idea, probably wanting to be part of it but not quite there, and not being able to communicate, to bond and to connect because of that (literal!) invisible barrier between them that puts them on - hang on - different sides!

The fact that these window-gazing moments happen during major moments (Aziraphale going through with his ball, and Aziraphale dealing with angels and demons in his bookshop) just represents that they aren't on their own side (yet?! Please, let it be a "yet"!) when it comes to the big decisions and plans.

Now I'm gonna go, walk the dog and cry a bit. Because you all probably thought of all this ages ago but I only figured it out now. I will never look at Crowley gazing through a window the same again...

[hikarry]

Would you rather meet David or Michael?

Sounds like a hard question, but it isn't

I love Michael. He looks so soft and he is so gentle and nice. I'm sure everyone that has met him had a grand old time!

Yet

My foundations would literally collapse if I ever met David. And no, I'm not exaggerating. Last time I met someone I admired, I started crying and couldn't say a single word. My best friend had to pull me to the side and nurse me back to normality.

And it's not because I find him very attractive - it's surely part of it, but not the point

It's mainly because he gives me mad daddy issues. All his support of queer folk breaks me every time. Some stuff he says just...I wish I had heard it sooner. I wish someone had been kind like that to me when I was younger and felt a lot of personal and religious guilt. Having someone tell me that's actually alright to be me and that they would have my back, probably would or wouldn't have changed some stuff in my life

And it's not only the words. It's his roles.

Both Michael and David are straight men who take on a lot of queer roles and, as an actor myself and someone that's involved with the acting scene, that's not something people usually like to do. I mean, if you're gay you don't have much choice cause most roles are straight and you will have to kiss and pretend to fuck a few men on stage, but the other way around? It's not as usual as they might make you believe

And that's so important to me

I know I simp over Crowley a lot - because he's hot as heck, who could blame me - but that's not the only reason I love him. He was the first genderfluid character I ever met. The first actually well written queer person whose sole personality trait isn't being queer. He has depth and multiple layers, which a lot of queer characters in media still don't have.

He came into my life when I was questioning a lot of things about myself. I wasn't sure about my gender. Even though it felt right, how could I be sure? I've never met a genderfluid person before. What if I'm something else entirely? And, for some reason, I was obcessed over the fact I didn't feel proud enough. Sure I had my flag and didn't hide it under my bed, but I felt like I was not enough for the community in general. Most people show so much, talk so much. And I felt like I was too chill about it? I don't know if I'm making sense. Anyway, Crowley showed me its actually OKAY to be chill about it. I didn't have to turn my sexuality and my gender into my sole personality traits.

Besides, him and I just have a lot in common. It's kinda bizarre

So, yeah

Even if I would cry compulsively and not be able to say a word, I would rather meet David

And he's so silly. Could I really take him seriously? Sometimes I wonder

[coal15]

I know I'm being super extra about promoting this Good Omens fic, but I'M JUST SO FUCKING PROUD OF IT! I mean, I don't dislike any of my published fic otherwise I wouldn't have published it--but it's like I have a more sentimental attachment to this one. It reminds me of back in the day when I was writing Protected (queliot/the magicians fix-it fic). I have so many feelings about that one. Anyhow, here's yet another sample from All Roads Lead Back because apparently I've turned into that obnoxious mama who needs to show everyone A MILLION PICTURES of their new baby. I apologize. But also, no I don't.

*************************************

Crowley had spent the entire drive back to London swearing to himself (and the Bentley) that he would just find a decent flat, settle in, and get on with the unavoidable task of getting over Aziraphale. But now here he is. Stood on a street corner glaring at the signage above the bookshop door, resenting every letter as if they also betrayed him. Vicious vowels and conniving consonants.

“Come onnnnnn you git,” he mutters to himself. “Just get back in the car and drive away.”

After a few moments’ waffling he does take his own advice, but no matter which street he turns down they all land him back at the bookshop. Like that whole magic-y business with the Buddy Holly records. 

Is this seriously happening?

Over and over again he tries. On the final effort he drives a full hundred miles out of London before making any full turns. Finally, he attempts a sharp left.

“And HERE WE ARE AGAIN!” He screams, furious as the Bentley emerges onto the street outside the bookshop. “WHY WON’T YOU LET ME LEAVE?!?” He parallel parks and sits motionless, grumbling various complaints and obscenities under his breath. A well and truly pissed off Demon. 

Is it the Bentley not letting me leave or is it the shop pulling me back? He wonders. And either way, WHY? It takes a full forty three minutes for him to calm down and accept the situation, but as soon as he does something strange happens. A feeling of optimism creeps in on tiptoe. He tries to swat it away, but it’s a stubborn bugger. Gets all the way under his skin and clings tight.  

“Six thousand years. Hell of a long time.” he muses. “And he and I always . . . we’ve always . . .”

While Crowley sits blathering away to an entirely disinterested vehicle, Muriel is sat in the shop just finishing a book about a boy who never wants to grow up. He only wants to remain happy and innocent forever. They find it a charming tale. Now, no one would claim Muriel to be among sharpest of tools in Heaven’s shed, but they are the nicest. A darling little thing with good intention, but very little grasp on the ins and outs of, well . . . anything. 

“Were you meant to return?” They yelp, startled when Crowley comes bursting through the door easy as you please. “I thought I was meant to mind the shop alone, was I supposed to have a room prepared in case you came back?” 

“No and no.” Crowley grunts, shuffling and struggling to see around the large potted plant he’s carrying. He hefts it up on the nearest available counter space, then spins on his heel to face Muriel. “Been driving all over this stupid little island for weeks, intended to use the time to get my head right, but d’y’know what I did instead? Went round visiting all the spots where Aziraphalel and I spent time together and making myself incredibly sad. But then-” he exits the shop to fetch another plant from the car and upon return continues the narration exactly where he left off. “-I realised that in six thousand years no matter how bad our falling out-and we’ve had our share-neither of us has ever abandoned the other for terribly long, even when we absolutely intended to. Which means,” he plunks himself down in a chair and swings his feet up on the nearby desk with a confident grin, “this whole quasi-divorce situation isn’t nearly as bad as it seems, is it? A waiting game, that’s all it is. Plain and simple. Aziraphale may be an idealist but he’s not stupid. At some point he will have to admit Heaven was never intended to function the way he wants to believe it was, all holy and righteous.”

“It-it wasn’t?”

“Nope.” Crowley shakes his head. “Anyhow, next step is he tries to deny it, then fails, then gets upset, then comes to his senses and comes back to me-to earth.” He quickly tacks on in a vain effort to disguise how badly he longs for the Angel’s return. “And he’ll come dashing right back here to this bookshop straight away.”

“Will he?” Muriel finds Crowley's certainty fascinating. 

“Of course. And I fully intend to be here to make him do the ‘I Was Wrong’ dance the instant he does. Actually, I think I might make him do it over and over again for several days.” He gazes into the middle distance, visualising the absurd scene. “Yes. Decision made. He gives me several days of the dance on a loop or else I’ll ignore him completely.”

“I suppose that is one way to go about getting an apology. But, um, is there a particular reason you think Aziraphale will return to this bookshop? ” They cast their eyes around the room. “With all the lovely places on earth, what makes you so sure he wants to be here?

A cheeky grin slides onto the Demon’s lips. “I have . . . faith.” 

Muriel’s eyebrows furrow. “Faith?”  

“Yes, faith.” Crowley hops out of the chair and goes in search of a nice bottle of wine with which to toast his evolving outlook on things. “Blind faith for the first time ever, because in the long run he and I are incapable of letting eachother down. Always have been. Ha! Yes, here we are!” He exclaims upon finding a bottle of Old Vine Mourvedre stashed on a shelf beneath a dusty countertop. “You ever had wine, Muriel? Care to join me for a glass?” 

Muriel squirms and shifts on their feet, the very image of timidity. “Oh, well I, I suppose so,” they giggle, stepping forward to accept a glass. “I like trying new things.” 

“Good on you!” Crowley cheers. “Anyhow, even if it takes a century or five, or twelve, my ridiculous Angel-and he’s being especially ridiculous right now-will come back. And as for how I know it’s here he’ll return to? Simple. Emotional attachment. He likes ease, cosiness, and familiar things. Loves every book in this place, loves me whether he wants to admit it or not, and not only does this place have all the books, it’s the last place he and I were together.” 

“Ah.” Muriel nods. “I see.” 

Crowley grins and draws a deep, soothing breath. “All I have to do is be patient, stay put, and wait for the inevitable.” He takes a generous swig of wine straight from the bottle before pouring himself a proper glass. “I might need to keep a gentle buzz going in the meantime so all the waiting around doesn’t annoy me too much.” He downs the glass and pours another. “But it is a price I am willing to pay.” This second glass he holds aloft to clink against Muriel’s. “You, you clink it Muriel, it’s called toast. Clink the glass. Clink-here, like this.” He gently taps his glass against the befuddled Angel’s.

“Oh yes, I see,” they smile, then smash their glass against Crowley’s, shattering both to bits.

“We’ll work on it.” Crowley assures, carefully brushing wine and shards of glass off his hands. This is going to be like training a puppy, isn’t it? Never particularly wanted a puppy, but here we are.  

[blazenfire223]

[ID in undercut]

ANOTHER YEAR, ANOTHER ANNIVERSARY REDRAWWW! And it's just gotten gayer each year!!

It's been officially 2 years since I've made art and posted art for this fandom! My 2 year anniversary of officially watching the show was January 3rd but I posted my first art here on this day, January 14th, for the past 2 years and so I wanted to keep that tradition alive while I still have it, SO! I'm very excited and so happy and proud of myself and this fandom. Truly one of the coolest I've been in! I made friends that I've kept between this year and last year! A thing, for me, that happens very rarely because I suck ASS at communicating and talking to them unprompted! This fandom is just so cool! You all are so amazing and talented! I'm STOKED for season 2 and I'm so excited to just growl at it the entire time with the rest of you clowns. Thank you all so much for 2 fantastic years. Love you all *mwah* 💜💜💜💜

Here are the redraw and Og :>

[ID: A digital illustration of Aziraphale and Crowley. Aziraphale has his left hand placed on Crowley's cheek as he leans in to give him a small kiss on the cheek. His right hand is wrapped around Crowley's waist. Crowley is blushing and smiling, his left hand wrapped around Aziraphale's waist and his right hand tucked into his pocket. Hearts float around them along with a halo that shines bright above Aziraphale's head and a demon tail and horns that float around Crowley. His tail forms the shape of a heart. The words "Aziraphale and Crowley" are above their heads. 1/4

[ID: Same as previous but Crowley's sunglasses are off so you can see his mushy expression even more 2/4

[ID: A digital illustration of Aziraphale and Crowley. It's the 2022 redraw. Aziraphale and Crowley stand side by side holding hands, Crowley is wearing his sunglasses and you can see one eye through the lense. He is looking at Aziraphale who is also looking at him with one eye open. Crowley wearing a grumpy look, one eyebrow raised, while Aziraphale has a soft smile that seems almost smug. He also has one eyebrow raised. Halo and demon horns and tail float above around them respectively and over them are the words 'Aziraphale and Crowley ' in gold and red. Hearts also float around them. 3/4]

[ID: A digital illustration of Aziraphale and Crowley. It's the original 2021 version. Aziraphale and Crowley stand side by side. Crowley is wearing his sunglasses and you can see one eye through the lense. He is looking at Aziraphale who is also looking at him with one eye open. Crowley wearing a grumpy look, one eyebrow raised, while Aziraphale has a smile that is most definitely smug. Aziraphale has his hands behind his back while Crowley has one by his side and the other in his pocket. He also has one eyebrow raised. Halo and demon horns and tail float above around them respectively and over them are the words 'Aziraphale and Crowley ' in gold and red. In the background it's a paved road and a tree. The wind blows softly in the air. /End ID 4/4]

[belit0]

Hello! :) If you don't mind, can you make a Indra x reader, where Indra comes across a kingdom and the reader is the daughter of a emperor but she has a sister who might be in charge of the kingdom after their father. And I feel like Indra and the reader could relate since Indra wanted to take over the clan instead of his brother.

So I saw the Indra and Madara one called 'Castle' based off the song castle

So can u make this based off a song called 'Empire' by Beth Crowley. I think u should listen to it, it's really nice!

"I can hear the whispers in my sleep the voices telling me this should be mine."

"You, You claim you trust me. You think I don't see the doubt behind your eyes."

"I'm gonna build me an

empire.

And it's lonely at the top."

"but madness and greatness, can both share a face and nobody will ever convince me to stop"

"It's my destiny, I was born to play this game, so fear me or love me, it's all the same."

~~~~~

"Try, to find a chain that I won't break,

A price I wouldn't pay for what I want." (This literally explains both her and Indra😭)

"So you can call me calculating, you can say I've lost my mind, you can throw me to the wolves I'll be alright."

"Just

One

Word I'll let the world

Burn."

And so on. Anyways let's say that the reader has a ablitiy of changing the environment around her when she sings, like plants that are dead, grow and become healthy or something as se sings. I don't know but thinks for reading this request and have a nice day/night!! :)

very good, very good. WOW

I had never heard the song before, and it immediately sounded like Indra was singing it. The lyrics are literally him!

Anyway, my imagination took me elsewhere, and the writing ended up a little different. I can never write Indra being good, or at least I have a hard time, and I wanted to continue this request as if it were part of the one you mentioned above - "Castle"

I hope you like it, even if it's something different from what you asked for.🙌🏻💫💕

The lady sits tall and proud at the Otsutsuki Palace's head table, holding her head high beyond the dread she feels at the presence of a man like him. His whole countenance is intimidating, and though they are separated by the length of the table, she can feel his gaze as if they were face to face.

He took his time to show up, allowing (Y/N) to be attended to by his right-hand man, Madara. He was extremely courteous, following orders not to hurt or kill her until it wasn't necessary.

She is well aware she's stepping into the lion's den by coming to negotiate with someone like Indra, but there are no options. Should she fail, what belongs to (Y/N) will be taken from her. She hopes Indra can empathize, and decide to help her.

The Otsutsuki wore her down psychologically even before taking a seat across the table, separated by twenty-four seats in length. His red eyes speak stories of death and destruction, and the neatness with which he wears his hair tied in a ponytail testifies to the importance he treats himself with.

Madara stands behind him, staring at (Y/N) and waiting for her to make a stupid move, attempt to attack Lord Indra, be annihilated on the spot.

Indra allowed her to start the conversation, wanting to hear her motives and needs, looking for something worthy of his attention enough for him to even consider helping her, "I can hear the whispers in my sleep, the voices telling me that should be mine..."

The man smirks mockingly, scrutinizing her up and down and making her feel naked despite the distance between them. There is a goblet of wine in his hand, which he moves in circles to swirl the liquid within. He takes a deep sip before addressing her, "You claim you trust me... yet you think I don't see the doubt behind your eyes."

She trembles at his words, and doesn't quite understand how he can notice every hint of fear and insecurity without having ever spoken to him before. They never saw each other, yet he can read (Y/N) like a book. Indra is a man to be feared, with experience under his belt, and she loses faith with every minute that passes. "You and I, Lord Indra, we are both the same and-"

"No, don't get confused, woman. I'm gonna build me an empire. It's lonely at the top, but madness and greatness can both share a face. Nobody will ever convince me to stop. In your case, I see you spineless, undetermined, and scared. You don't even deserve to face a fight for that throne."

(Y/N) can feel the anger burning inside her, being patronized by a man who doesn't even know her. The Otsutsuki has his reputation, a villain to be feared, the greatest antagonist in existence still fighting to regain what belongs to him, but he is despising everything she has to offer.

If she were to succeed in reclaiming the throne with his help, then she could hand over all her kingdom’s armed forces, and help him with his fight against Ashura.

"No... you're not even listening to me! We face the same situation, we both want the same thing, that should be enough for you to understand what I propose-"

"(Y/N)... try to find a chain that I won't break, a price I wouldn't pay for what I want. The difference between you and me is that I would give up my life to get what I long for. You can call me calculating, you can say I've lost my mind, you can throw me to the wolves and attempt turning against me for refusing to aid you. I'll be all right."

With that said, the Otsutsuki rises from the table, abandoning his drink and whispering something to his right-hand as he leaves the room.

"It's my destiny! I was born to play this game, Indra! So, fear me or love me, It's all the same! I can do it without your help, thereafter my wrath will rain down upon you!" The woman exclaims angrily, pounding her fists on the table and losing all the grace and beauty she came with.

"Fear you? To believe you can succeed without me? No... I will show you what your destiny is."

Indra ends up retreating from the room, as Madara approaches with a determined stride towards her. (Y/N) feels a sense of immediate danger at the man's countenance, and if she might dare to guess what the Otsutsuki indicated as he retreated, it was time to run.

Before she can make any move, Indra's right-hand grabs her by the hair, subduing her to the ground and exposing her neck with a sharp twist of his wrist.

"It's not personal, just orders." The last words she hears before the cold metal of a sword slides across her skin.

[annoyingmusicphilosopher]

Season 1

Season 2

I'm waiting 3th season very much. VERY INTERESTING what will be in it, what adventures and difficultes await our couple in the future. Very exciting ! I liked those little references to the first season, it's very cool that they didn't forget about him, that is, there is some kind of connection. I really like this, such small references.I also really liked that they continue to show some moments from the life of Crowley and Aziraphale in other eras, I adore with all my heart. And in general this season turned out to be cool, delightful, incendiary, rich. Thanks a lot to everyone who worked on it! i love you everyone !♥️♥️♥️

I'm very proud of Crowley! He is stylish, confident in himself and in Aziraphale, ambitious, loyal friend, in short, simply the best! Crowley was right. I was outraged by the expression on Aziraphale's face after the kiss, how could that be?! I'm just... no words, some emotions! The same, about the end of the season and there is nothing to say, I'm all in suspense what will happen next!!!

I hope you enjoy this second season of "Good omens" too 😁