#muse: aziraphale

[vocesincaput-arc]

@inquisitivelydamned

Metatron had led Aziraphale out of the bookshop and they were heading over to the cafe with the angel a few steps behind the archangel, when suddenly Aziraphale was grabbed from behind. They were pulled around a corner before Metatron could know he was gone.

Aziraphale was missing.

Everything afterwards was a blur. Things became darker, smellier... if he had been able to think about it, Aziraphale would have realised he was now in Hell before it was too late.

Time went by, by what amount they had no idea, and there was no sign of him on Earth.

But down in Hell, sprawled across a large, aged and torn looking chair was a very different Aziraphale.

Gone were the white blonde curls. In their place, longer, jet black curls fell around their face. Framing slimmer features that were accentuated now by a a smattering of stubble styled into a beard. The long trenchcoat, waistcoats and suit were gone also. Replaced by a dirtied and greying white v-neck tshirt along with leather trousers and calf length leather coat.

A delirious and slightly off putting chuckle came from Aziraphales lips as he bounced a foot whilst his leg hung over one of the arms of the chair.

"I should have gotten down here sooner... what a delicious place this is..."

[pinkravat-art]

messy gomen

[maaikeatthefullmoon]

I’m sorry but, to me, this

does not look like an angel with no plan and no ulterior motive.

And, I think Crowley knows that. And Aziraphale knows he knows. Because they’ve known each other for aeons. Because Crowley knows his different tones of voice. Because they trust each other.

This is the face of a determined angel. And this is the face of a demon who’s still there with him.

He’s not happy about it, but he’s still there.

If he’d given up on them (on Us), he would’ve left. It’s what he’s always done before: Crowley’s been the one to turn & leave. He wouldn’t have watched Aziraphale leave if he didn’t still believe in him, in their history & their trust. He stayed.

[theravenmuse]

Circled is:

1. Azi’s Bookshop

2. The Dirty Donkey, where Crowley went to plan his holy water heist in 1967

“I work in Soho. I hear things. Especially when they’re being planned in the pub that’s just ONE SHOP AWAY FROM WHERE I LIVE, CROWLEY!”

Azi probably saw the Bentley parked on the street through his shop window. 🤣

[searchingforakeythatdoesntexist]

Please, listen to this.

Rose-tinted view

And satellites that compromise the truth

But I wanted more

With the cuts and the bruises

Touch my face

A hopeless embrace

I need to believe

But I still want more

With the cuts and the bruises

Don't close the door

On what you adore

Have faith!

It drives me away

But it turns me on

Like a stranger's love

It rockets through the universe

It fuels the lies and feeds the curse

Believe !

We could be glorious.

They are bound. For better and for worse.

To Hell, to Heaven.

To each other.

@goodomensafterdark

For pure smut, I am still warming up. But it's coming. :-p

[Previous] [Next Day] [First Day]

Don't forget to 💕/ reblog ;-)

Buy me a coffee? ♥ https://ko-fi.com/elenthya ♥

[fearandhatred]

to rome: a play by fearandhatred

(5k words, 1/1 chapters)

While trying to tempt Caligula, Crowley makes a discovery that renders all his efforts for naught. But then it turns out that Aziraphale is here too, so maybe his trip to Rome isn't wasted after all.

***highly recommended to read on a phone because of the Multiplicity Of Line Breaks that just look very weird on a laptop unless your font size is huge

-----

i've always loved the idea of crowley falling in love with aziraphale in rome. in some ways it really is my roman empire so i figured i might as well make it happen! featuring many shenanigans and an annoying emperor :)

any and all support is greatly appreciated <3

anyway it all started with a dream:

so this is for @eybefioro @captainblou @crowleys-bentley-and-plants who challenged me to write a fic with no angst and also, coincidentally, for that one commenter who asked me on the same day if i would consider writing something happy for once. against all odds and with much difficulty, i have done it. love u guys sm <333

[nadsdraws]

Something I don't seen talked about nearly enough is Gabriel going straight to Aziraphale's bookshop because apparently that's where he thinks he will be the safest ?

So we know from later episodes that Gabriel's memory was supposed to be wiped out but he couldn't been located and that he himself removed his memories, put them into the fly and escaped from Heaven.

We also know he was in love with Beelzebub so presumably knowing/suspecting about Aziraphale and Crowley's relationship it makes sense to at least in part be trusting that they, of all the angels and demons, those two would understand.

It could have been conscious or unconscious decision on his part (perhaps he was trying to get to Beelzebub but ended up on Earth instead) but the point still stands. His current vessel (Jim) took him to the bookshop.

It was a gamble because it was Gabriel who threatened Aziraphale ("shut your fucking mouth and die already") and always brushed off his ideas as unimportant and thought of him as incompetent.

And yet this is where he goes to, trusting that Aziraphale will turn the box around, that he will not only figure out how to help him, but also choose to not harm him when he is at his most vulnerable.

Tl;dr Gabriel trusts Aziraphale to protect him

[fluffbyday-smutbynight]

When in Rome...

Lately I've been rotating the Rome scene in my mind like a rotisserie chicken. It's a very short one -exactly 1 minute of screen time- and yet it feels pivotal in showing the evolution of Aziraphale's and Crowley's relationship. It also includes some interesting references, and it just feels... different from the other flashbacks.

I've been thinking about it so much that I had to go back and rewatch the flashbacks leading up to it. Take my hand (take my whole life too) as I take you on a journey...

3004 B.C. - Mesopotamia

Aziraphale is the one breaking the news to Crowley: God, displeased with the humans, is going to wipe them out with a flood of catastrophical proportions. But fret not! He immediately downplays it: it's probably just the locals. And Noah's family and the animals on the ark are going to be fine. And then God will give them a "rain-bow"! Whatever that is, it's the promise it won't happen ever again.

That... doesn't sit too well with Crowley. "Not the kids! You can't kill kids!" he points out (does he mean human kids or goat kids? Probably both), and he scoffs at the rain-bow thing.

But quick comes Aziraphale's rebuttal:

You can't judge the Almighty, Crowley!

... perhaps too quick, like a line he's been fed and he internalized. Like he's subconsciously trying to justify God's actions to himself, more than to Crowley.

As it starts to rain, the crowd around them stands unaware of their own imminent fate.

2500 B.C. - The Land of Uz

Aziraphale learns, very much to his disbelief, that despite Job being a good man, his fate has been determined by a bet between God and Satan.

Here, he gets both to see Job's despair first-hand, and to exercise his own free will.

He teams up with the "enemy"; he lies to Gabriel; he gets a taste of self-agency and a taste of the oxrib (aka worldly pleasures). He gets to do the right thing and save the kids (human and goats alike), learning in the process that his and Crowley's conditions are not too dissimilar: they both feel lonely.

By the end of it, Aziraphale is sure he will get punished by God.

And then... nothing happens.

33 A.D. - Golgotha

Aziraphale and Crowley witness the crucifixion of Jesus.

"Your lot put him on there." "I'm not consulted on policy decisions, Crowley."

Unlike with Job, Aziraphale has no say and no power to stop what's happening. Despite that (and in contrast to the flood scene) he empathizes with Jesus: asking if Crowley knew him; recoiling as he watches him being nailed to the cross; acknowledging that all it took was him saying "be kind to each other".

Notice how the events shown in the flashbacks get progressively close and personal.

From the undefined crowd at the flood, to Job and his family, to this "very bright young man": yes, God has honoured the promise to not wipe humanity out ever again; that doesn't make the smiting/destruction/suffering any less painful and unjust.

There doesn't seem to be any logic, nor compassion, to God's decisions. There doesn't seem to be any immediate consequence, too, to going against them (if you're clever enough about it). I think that -as much as Aziraphale wants to keep believing in God's ineffable plan- he must feel, in some capacity, that it's all rather... pointless.

I think that here, in front of the grueling, graphic death of a single man, Aziraphale's moral journey reaches its (first?) breaking point.

In fact, where do we find him next?

"8 years later" (41 A.D.) - Rome

Aziraphale and Crowley meet again very shortly after - relatively speaking, at least (even the scene's title card highlights that: just "8 years later".)

This time around, there's no grand event happening: it's seemingly by chance, they run into each other in a tavern. Well, Crowley is there for "a quick temptation", which is not out of order considering the setting: Caligula's Rome, *the* time and place for decadence and dissolution. And Aziraphale?

He's just... there.

Well, in a scrapped scene from the script book he said he was there to "influence a boy named Nero, get him interested in music". But that didn't make it on screen - though maybe it's still relevant, as you'll see in a moment.

Thing is, he's been there for a while. Unlike Crowley with his odd-looking attire, Aziraphale blends in with the locals and with their customs: wearing a rather pretty tunic; toasting with a "salutaria"; playing a Roman board game by himself. Drinking wine and planning to check out "a new restaurant".

...if he's even talking about an actual restaurant, that is. It's all in this post (check out the comment section too) - but to sum it up: the first thing Aziraphale does is inviting Crowley out (actually, tempting him!) to try "Petronius' new restaurant". Petronius, the notorious "master of elegance" at Nero's court. And by "master of elegance", we mean he was in charge of everything concerning luxury, aka making the court's parties as lavish as possible. Petronius, who was described as a hedonist and an excess seeker. Aziraphale has heard "he does remarkable things to oysters". If that doesn't sound like tongue-in-cheek for some pleasure other than just food, I don't know what does.

In short, it looks like Aziraphale is on vacation, and a rather enjoyable one.

I think he's had about four thousand years to let everything sink in: where Heaven and Hell stand, God's plans and what they mean to humanity (and I'm not even considering what we didn't see: the first war, or Sodom and Gomorrah, or any other horror he might have witnessed).

I think that after Jesus' crucifixion, he was like: fuck it, where can I take a break from all this? Where's *the* place I can most indulge in... being as much human as I can get to be?

And of course he ended up right there. And as the saying goes... when in Rome, do as the Romans do.

I think Aziraphale is having his hot girl summer, and not even God knows what he's been up to.

[vocesincaput-arc]

@ordinariums (crowley) liked for Post Season 2 starter [x]

starter under cut to avoid spoilers.

Aziraphale had been doing his best to fit into his new role as Supreme Archangel but whatever he did, he had this nagging feeling in the back of his head that something else was going on. That something wasn't right. Oh, he already knew that the other Archangels didn't particularly like him, but there was something more than that. Aziraphale wanted to do good & make Heaven better, especially if the plan was to go forward. But he just didn't feel completely right. Like there was something else making him stay there.

Then there was the fact that he couldn't stop thinking of Crowley. The demon had kissed him. Him.... Everytime he thought about it, Aziraphale entered an almost daze. Losing track of things around him. There had even been times when he had been discussing things in a 'meeting' with the other Archangels and his mind had drifted to Crowley and how things had been left.

Despite being eager to make a difference in Heaven, Aziraphale was already beginning to miss his life on Earth. The food, the hot cocoa, his bookshop, his demon.... oh. When had he started to think of Crowley as his demon? He swallowed and became focused on that, oblivious to what was being said. Aziraphale was broken out of it only when Metatron handed him a coffee and he gave a smile as he took it. Coffee hadn't really been his 'thing' on Earth but Metatron had been bringing them to him since he had come back to Heaven and, well, he hadn't wanted to be impolite. He was actually starting to rather like them as well.

The meeting continued as he sipped his coffee, suddenly perking up at the mention of someone checking in on Muriel in the bookshop. His bookshop. Oh, his bookshop.

"I could check in on them." Aziraphale said quickly, trying not to have his eagerness at the idea creep onto his features too much. He would love to see his bookshop again, he had been missing it so. And, well, there was the possibility of seeing a certain demon again. "I mean, I did reside there before, it would less conspicuous for me to visit. Act as if I were checking in on it and all that."

The other Archangels rolled their eyes but eventually agreed that it was the best idea. And so Aziraphale headed down to Earth, making his way to his wonderful bookshop with an excited look on his face. He waved to Maggie and Nina when he saw them though frowned when he saw the unamused and possibly annoyed look upon their features. What was that for? Aziraphale shook his head and went to enter.

[vampirodelascajas]

Im not blonde enough to be aziraphale, and wearing sunglasses indoors doesn't make me Crowley. My good omens intentions often go ignored.

[ineffablenlghtingales]

So I was thinking. Please, friends, correct me if I'm not remembering correctly (bc haha it happens sometimes, like the hangover bit in my last recap)...but nobody...as in nobody, not Aziraphale, not anyone, told Crowley or insinuated that he should drink the laudanum and therefore prevent Elspeth's unaliving herself, and resulting in (him helping her, encouraging her to the exact opposite of what he's meant to as a demon) what we presume is punishment since he's dragged down to Hell afterward.

Okay, that happened in Edinburgh, in 1827.

Now let's go back to the French Revolution, (1789 - 1799) which, needless to say, was before that.

Aziraphale is ready to thank Crowley for helping him out, but the demon sharply warns him not to. To paraphrase, "Don't. If Hell finds out, I've been helping an angel, I'll be in trouble. My lot doesn't send rude notes." What am I trying to say here?

Crowley knew full well the trouble he could get in to if he was caught helping an angel. It's exactly why he doesn't want unwelcome ears to hear Azi thanking him for a good thing he isn't even supposed to be doing. Whether he knew all the details or had experienced it himself earlier than 1827, we don't know (hah at least I don't know, I haven't read the book just yet and this is all I know), but one thing I'm 99.999% sure of is that he's probably the only demon in Hell in this show who has done anything remotely good. I mean, I don't think Eric, Hastur or Ligur were wandering around doing stuff like that. So any memory or past experience Crowley has of the misfortune that might befall him because no good deed goes unpunished....I think would come from personal experience.

Now, that being said, it seems that in 1827, Crowley, of his own volition and without anyone else suggesting he do it, did what he did and ended up saving the girl. Also, telling her to be 'not pretend-y good but properly good'. So we assume, he gets punished for that.

I was just thinking about this and it seemed an interesting connection. And yet another reason why despite the fact that I love both Aziraphale and Crowley (because you cannot separate the ineffable husbands) I love Crowley just a little bit more.

[theravenmuse]

Both Aziraphale and Crowley exude both “baby girl” and “that bitch” energy in completely different ways.

[searchingforakeythatdoesntexist]

DAY 14 - «On Thin Ice» Good Omens AU - Triptych Tribute for @blairamok  

Part 2/3: "Fallen Serpent" Crowley

Please, listen to this

Race

Life's a race

And I am gonna win

Yes, I am gonna win

And I'll light the fuse

And I'll never lose

And I choose to survive

Whatever it takes

You won't pull ahead

I'll keep up the pace

And I'll reveal my strength

To the whole human race

Yes, I am prepared

To stay alive

I won't forgive, the vengeance is mine

And I won't give in

Because I choose to thrive

Yeah, I'm gonna win!

Race

It's a race

And I'm gonna win!

Tomorrow, they will be together for the Grand Finale... See you there! ;-)

[Previous] [Next Day] [First Day]

Don't forget to 💕/ reblog ;-)

↓Come on, check the behind-the-scenes!↓

Personal challenge: a simple sketch each day

Goal: forcing me to keep things simple - inking, shading, just a few sashes of colour

Improvement pursued: to get the movement, the emotion, finding how to add depth, learning how to leave things barely finished

Max time allowed: 2 hours, as usual for my Daily Challenges.

Tribute Time, so I threw the timer away, lol :-p. As for my Fallen Angel Aziraphale (link), I spent more or less 3 hours on the lineart, plus 1h30 on the colouring/shading.

Crowley, as my « Fallen Serpent ».

“On Thin Ice”'s author Blairamok describes the Cantilevers figure as « one of the biggest fuck yous to physics », and so one of Crowley’s signature moves. As I was searching drawing references about this amazing figure, I found a lot of ways to perform it, all beautiful and impressive. I finally chose this particular one (I am sorry I don’t know the original performer’s name on the picture I used, but to me he seemed so powerful, yet relaxed and happy on the picture, so I couldn’t resist). Though I had to slightly re-adapt the figure to Crowley who is taller, thinner and maybe even more flexible (ssssnaky, duh).

I had so much fun re-thinking his clothes for my sketch. I used the scrumptious💕 black and red « Serpent » clothing that Blairamok created, and I added my own « signature move » : wings – or, well, feathers. As Crowley is THE Fallen Angel here, the feathers are slightly burnt, some of them almost torn apart. They cover his shoulder blades, then spread out as a unique short and damaged wing at the back of his right shoulder, go down on his right flank, then cross his back as they slightly go embracing his left hip. The Red Serpent Pattern is quite the same as Blair’s clothing, but it still continues on his leg and circles his right ankle like a leg shackle.

I am particularly proud of Crowley’s eye and expression. Remember? I dearly wanted Crowley sharing a glance with Aziraphale while he was doing his Cantilevers, and Aziraphale was supposed to glance back to him. I had to give up on this idea later – because the figure I chose for Aziraphale definitely couldn’t allow such a shared glance. (but wait for the third part of this triptyque, it will be posted tomorrow!)

So, my Crowley still has this ethereal, strangely happy, almost enthralled expression. It kind of represents my own interpretation of the Cantilevers figure : it’s a proof of complete trust, in yourself, in your skills, in your art and your environment. And I like to imagine that if Crowley is able to have such confidence in himself, then maybe he can and will trust his partner Aziraphale with quite the same strength.

Thanks for reading! See you tomorrow for the third part - our Ineffable Partners will be toghether, finally! (aaaand they will be not talking but whatever the acting will speak for them)

[Previous] [Next Day] [First Day]

Don't forget to 💕/ reblog ;-)

[maraudersarecanon]

In season 3, I think we’re going to need at least one episode of Aziraphale and Crowley just talking through whatever was going on in the Final Fifteen because there is A LOT to unpack there and those two desperately just need to TALK TO EACH OTHER

[nadsdraws]

Three times Crowley comes back to apologise to Aziraphale after a quarrel and one time he doesn't.

[canarybell]

The main thing that I like about "Aziraphale was threatened" theory - it actually doesn't require any additional pieces of "something was said/done off screen" aside from what Aziraphale's face looked like after "might be considered irregular" line. All that you need for it is looking at Aziraphale's and Metatron's shown expressions and words from another angle.

Aka:

seeing Metatron's words (especially his words about "exploits", "de facto partnership" and "you working again might be considered irregular in the future") as a not-so-covert threat (and applying the "irregular" quote not just to "Aziraphale agrees to become Supreme Archangel" scenario, but also to "Aziraphale refuses" scenario - as it what was happening at the moment. Aziraphale initially refused, and it was Metatron's response to it).

Seeing Aziraphale's face during "the chinwag" as tensed, nervous and a bit scared; noticing how he swallows as Metatron talks about "enormous projects" (and their last conversation included him talking about nuclear war as something nice); and seeing him becoming even more tensed after Metatron mentioned Crowley.

Remember that Aziraphale already had a talk with Metatron in S1 and knows what he's like (and that even before his fallout with Heaven Az still thought Metatron is a spokeperson at best, not the actual Voice of God), and that it was Metatron's words in S1 that made Aziraphale finally go against Heaven's official will.

To take the fact that Aziraphale looks out the window before beginning his conversation with Crowley (right at the coffee shop where we know Metatron is sitting), and then glances out the window every now and then, as the angel knowing they are being watched, and possibly overheard.

Taking Aziraphale shaking his head while talking about "incredibly good news" as him trying to show that news aren't actually good, and perceiving his "joy" as insincere.

Perceiving Aziraphale's choice as "Refusing - and be vulnerable to Metatron 'irregular' threat anywhere in the universe (thus putting Crowley in unbelievable danger), or seemingly agree - and then try to work together and find a way out"; him trying to show it to Crowley in a way that wouldn't alarm Metatron, and failing, with the only option remaining for him to go to Heaven - as at least it would prevent the "considered irregular" threat.

And it doesn't actually remove their conflict. Aziraphale still choose the wrong words - and that's strongly tied to the centuries of him saying similar words with some level of sincerity. Crowley in this case didn't see anything that angel tried to say between the lines - and this can be both because of fearing Aziraphale was actually able to think so, and because of subconsciously perceiving angel as more helpless and naive than he actually is. They both were lying to each other and concealed the important information throughout the second season, because they both thought they Knew Better than the other - which made their sincere communication pretty much impossible. Not to talk about "talking in code" communication, as it is actually a step above of sincere communication. Both Aziraphale and Crowley are hurt in the result - and for a good reason.

And "religious trauma" stuff? You can also just perceive it from a different angle. Specifically - asking, whether Aziraphale actually showed sings of it remaining in the present of S2, outside of flashbacks (which happened even before S1, in which he dumped Heaven) and the final conversation (that isn't considered entirely sincere in this theory and is seriously influenced by Metatron watching it)? Or this is something he already had an arc of overcoming in S1 (again, with the very same Metatron being a catalyst for him to dump Heaven)? With Aziraphale in S2:

not wanting to go back in Heaven and initially saying to Metatron "My position is quite clear";

yelling at archangels;

hiding Jim from archangels;

saying Gabriel (as a representative of Heaven) used to be awful;

having a sarcastic remark about Heaven not really "being in charge" in a casual conversation...

Yet he never actually talked it through with Crowley (as they never talk to each other about important stuff) - so Crowley could only guess whether angel's mind actually changed.

See? No additional information needed, no agency removed, no conflict denying. Only a different angle - and you can see an entirely different picture.