My Tumblr metas are mostly defending Aziraphale or looking at GO and his actions from his POV. Sometimes some general thoughts.
I tried to pick the ones that I think make most sense but somehow I have so many... you can (I believe) browse them using #kaypost tag if you prefer.
Or have a look through the below list and pick any to read if they strike your fancy.
Aziraphale and his relationship with Heaven
How the husbands DID stop the Armageddon
Aziraphale and Manipulation
"Shut Your Stupid Mouth And Die Already."
"I don't even like you!" "You dooo!"
Aziraphale, misogyny and the female character treatment
Religious Trauma and the GO Universe
Aziraphale, Joy and Tough Times
Why didn't Aziraphale tell Crowley everything…
Help
Newspaper Man
Double-cross
"Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you.”
Aziraphale loves Crowley but…
Miscommunication and Misunderstandings
On How Aziraphale Protects and Loves Crowley
Sword
"You go too fast for me"
Break-Up(s)
Look. I'm glad you've never been in an abusive relationship but…
AFTER
To Protect
Bandstand and Final 15
"We could have been... us"
Crowley Knows Aziraphale
Crowley's Rank
Aziraphale vs Shostakovich
Gentle Dom Aziraphale
My AO3
is short fics that are (often) loosely connected. Most exist in post S3 world where Aziraphale and Crowley are finally free, live in the South Downs and are helping Heaven and Hell transform into something new and helping each other heal.
I try to put them into series:
Post S2
Through the Ages
Dom/sub (A/c) themes
Soft and Fluffy
Human and other AUs
And my ongoing (100 word) drabble series that I write at work lunchbreaks. They are not following onto each other but are generally in the same (post S3) universe.
I also made these edits about:
Aziraphale and surprisingly enough, Aziraphale
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I'm having a deep spiritual connection tonight - through time and space and death - with the people who were so mad when Arthur Conan Doyle killed off Sherlock because he had a grudge against his own character (huh, ain't that something, ain't that familiar)
The fans who were so furious they orchestrated an entire letter campaign, wore black arm bands in mourning, cancelled their subscriptions en masse to the magazine Sherlock was published in it almost destroyed it, until the magazine was like shit that was a stupid fucking thing to do Doyle, why the fuck would you do this, fix this right now.
We've always been like this, huh?
I love you my fanatical ancestors, I will keep the flame, I will continue to be annoying online for the love of my little characters and my little pieces of fiction. In your honor and memory.
I’ve grown up in an age that told me that denying yourself was good. Oh, you want cake? Here, have this chalk-dust square of not-cake - fewer calories, don’t you know! You want to lay on the sofa and read? Don’t you think you ought to clean the entire house first? Then perhaps you’ll deserve ten minutes. Make sure it’s approved book though - no reading purely for pleasure!
And most importantly - you must work hard to maintain yourself and your life in a certain way or no one will love you!
You know, the sort of thing S1 Gabriel said.
And then there’s Aziraphale who loves food and books and peace and his comfy clothes and his music and he is deeply loved by his demon who wants him to love all that. Aziraphale just wants a soft, sweet, delicious life - not a soldier or a leader, to just be him.
And Crowley loved that about him.
I just think that was very important about S1 Aziraphale (and not something that made much of after that) and it felt like I was being given permission to enjoy my life and I would still be able to be loved and to achieve things, even if I’d rather eat cake.
I think S2 and S3 forgot that about Aziraphale but I think that soft hedonism is a hugely important part of his character
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This is so painful to read over and over and over again.
Why do you hate him so much?
TL;DR:
- Aziraphale did not regress
- He succeeds at what he set out to do, try and change Heaven and avoid any disaster they plan to do next.
Not perfectly, of course (!), but he certainly didn't do what they asked and served them faithfully (because he still believes Heaven is good).
Second Coming never happened because he left at the end of S2.
- Crowley is often being given a pass for equally bad writing of him (and therefore behaviour) in S2/S3 if not worse. If Aziraphale is judged by his worst-written moments, Crowley should be too.
- The Final Fifteen is more complicated than "Aziraphale left Crowley." Aziraphale's Heaven choice was rational from his perspective. And the story's too. The only thing the convoluted mess was good for was to manipulate the audience into solely blaming Aziraphale.
- Aziraphale's behaviour and actions always reflected who he is. And he never belonged to Heaven or wanted to be part of them (and definitely didn't want Crowley to be part of them too).
However, Aziraphale understood that Heaven and Hell were real powers that could not simply be wished away.
Aziraphale survives by doing what he has always done: being careful, finding loopholes, hiding what he really thinks, creating plausible deniability, and pushing back against the system only as far as he believes is safe.
What some might read as cowardice, regression, or stupidity is often caution, survival, hope, and an awareness of consequences.
And Crowley understands that.
Recently there are many posts that say - yeah S3 sucked, look at what they did to Aziraphale. And yes by the way, I'd be happy to agree, some stuff they made him say was literally ridiculous. The writing was absolutely 100% atrocious.
But then the same posts (and others) go on and on about how S2 and S3 Aziraphale is this awful character who lost all he's learned (aw poor Crowley who can do no wrong, trying so hard to impart his wisdom only to have such a mule for a student, right?).
So pick one. Either the writing is bad or you think the character is an asshole. Don't mix them up.
S3 Crowley in my opinion is written as an absolute cockwomble. He does not seem to love Aziraphale or understand him, is acting like a moron who lost all his intellectual capacity, is cruel and unreasonable and plays the victim in the most nauseating way. (Why was he given depression and had a personality replacement?)
And yet I don't go on writing these long metas about how Crowley is fucking twat and how he broke all his promises ("I won't leave you on your own"), how all his words are just performative bullshit ("if something happens to Aziraphale..."). He acts like a wanker because that's how he was unfortunately written and I do give huge kudos to David for trying to rescue him where he could.
And yes, I too could argue that it all started in S2 when he begun with - what's the point of everything. And not seeing how hard Aziraphale tried to keep them afloat in uncertainty of their situation, not knowing what was going to happen next. How he went on with the frankly ridiculous 'confession' where he says nothing and does not notice how freaked out Aziraphale is, how much his angel is panicking.
How Crowley regresses back to wanting to run away when he knows Heaven wants to go ahead with Second Coming, having just seen hours before that the Universe and Time will cease to exist.
Where would they run to? For how long? How long would it take to efficient Supreme Archangel Michael to destroy it all after Gabriel's very short sighted 'nah'?
It's not hard to see Aziraphale. See how hard he tries to keep their safety, how hard he tries to keep their little world protected as much as he can.
No, Aziraphale could not have done more, be more open or get closer to Crowley. And Crowley, (the real Crowley not the fanon Crowley who is baffled by Aziraphale and is perpetually waiting for Aziraphale to 'learn' and 'understand' that all he needs is to choose "them") knows that this all they have. That trying anything more can easily result in disaster (like it almost happened with Furfur).
Their relationship is so perfect and interesting to watch because they are different and they want the same thing. Each other. Yes, Crowley is angry because the system is shit and he keeps pushing (with the Arrangement, with stopping Armageddon) to see how far they can take their side.
And Aziraphale is the break who says - you go too fast, who questions how safe would it be to try, who sets boundaries, who finds loopholes, technicalities, plausible deniability (everything from eating sushi because he lives among humans to 'I don't even like you!" in case they are found out, heard, intercepted, questioned. Trees have ears after all.)
Just because they survived 6000 years does not mean they were always going to. That's not how it all works. Just because I still have money for rent for next month doesn't mean I could have given up working 10 years ago.
So no. Just because Aziraphale does something you don't like or he doesn't throw himself at Crowley at every opportunity saying - Darling, let's elope together! Does not mean he is stupid.
He leaves for Heaven in S2 because he knows staying would bring nothing. Because punishment for hiding Gabriel will still hang over him because he knows there's something big behind Gabriel's own punishment. Because he knows 'the big one' is still to come. And if he has even a sliver of a chance to make a difference, he takes it. Because that's who he is.
And Aziraphale asked Crowley to help him. Yes, it would have to be as 'an angel' (and I don't think Crowley was objecting to that, he was objecting to the whole silly idea of trying to change Heaven which is like saying Aziraphale wanted to move the mountain a bit to the left with his foot) but it was the only option Aziraphale saw on how to be together.
You can disagree with that and think that Crowley was right and few days or weeks together on Earth or Alpha Centauri was the better choice but that does not mean that Aziraphale is stupid or is regressing.
He has a point. That trying is worth it.
What's more, AZIRAPHALE SUCCEEDS. He delays Second Coming for years. It does not happen in the end. Humans are not judged about their eternal fate. Crowley and other demons are not thrown into a burning lake for eternity to suffer.
I think the ending of S3 sucked but whatever you feel, the Second Coming would have been worse.
Because it all WAS bigger than them.
In F15, however much of the fandom pushed the Aziraphale left Crowley button over and over, I still see it as Crowley leaving Aziraphale more. Aziraphale asked for help in something he was going to do and which he did.
Crowley wanted to run when there was no time or place for them to run to. He was the one who walked away from Aziraphale two times and who kissed him like that too. The only kiss we have for them.
BUT rather than leaving each other, I think they were torn apart from each other by circumstances more. And by who they are and how they react to disastrous things. The decisions were in character for them both but the story around it was painted and the audience manipulated to blame and hate Aziraphale and it succeeded so well I'd give standing ovation to the monstrosity if I wasn't so disgusted.
And just a note on 'you were the best of us' (you can also check this post here I agree with)- because I am TIRED of people taking that one thing out and making at all about how Aziraphale just wanted Crowley to be an angel, he didn't understand anything, didn't learn anything in 6000 years on how it was pointless to choose sides.
Look. Aziraphale met angel Crowley just that once. And that angel basically ignored him. Why the everlasting whatever would he be dreaming of wanting that guy instead of the demon he spent 6000 years getting to know and adore. WHY. Give me a reason.
Why would Aziraphale dream of them being angels together when he always hated Heaven and all the angels were constantly awful to him and we never see him admire a single one of them or want anything to do with them if he doesn't have to.
And as for - but Heaven is the light and truth. Please. He was lying through his teeth. He looks on the verge of nervous breakdown. Yes, now we won't ever know if he was lying because he was scared Metatron will listen (a perfectly reasonable fear of the second highest being in the universe) or because he wanted to alert Crowley to the fact that he was lying and scared and didn't really want to leave.
If Aziraphale thought Heaven was good he wouldn't have spent years trying to stop Second Coming, he would have returned the missing Archangel who ended up on his doorstep, he wouldn't have deserted the war, he wouldn't have decided to kill Adam, he wouldn't have hang around with a demon and risk his existence for him. Or anyone. He would have been a good little angel like all of them.
You are probably thinking I am exaggerating or taking this too personally.
Yeah, I am. Aziraphale is my comfort character. I adore him. I think his understated strength, his delight in things, his hope and this incredible resolve he has to just keep going and find a way and hold himself up and keep trying even when he knows how bad everything is, how hopeless. He does not give in and I don't want to either you know?
Yes, I could just say, everything is shit and pointless, give in to cynicism and despair. But isn't there enough of this in the world?
Isn't that what the worst people in the world feed on? Build all their lies on? All their hate? Look everything is hopeless and going downhill they say, everything is meaningless and when people nod and feel hopeless, they say - and it's all THEIR fault! Look at them! The immigrants, the refugees, the gays, those there with different skin colour and religion and culture. They are to blame. Let's destroy them.
And yeah, I can kind of get where S3 tried to inject 'optimism' into the story, get rid of God and afterlife that was always ultimately unfair so like Adam says people would care about the life here and now.
But in my opinion (and I am happy for you if it is different for you) they failed because their world was just the same as ours and the angels and demons in the fantasy story I love deserved their redemption too and Aziraphale deserved to be free and safe and live the rest of however long he would wish (maybe until Earth lasts?) instead of being killed for dramatic purposes.
Anyway, lunchbreak over.
Thanks if you read it. I truly appreciate it. Even if you disagree.
(I’m adding anti-GO3 tags for my reactions to this post. I’m apparently still not quite done ranting.)
Aziraphale is my comfort character too. I loved him in the book (though I pictured him a lot less charismatic than Michael Sheen, whose portrayal made me fall in love).
I believe the assassination of his character actually begins in S1, where he is made subtly subordinate to Crowley (who can stop time! Who can create a pocket universe outside of time!). The first time I watched I was slightly taken aback by “Come up with something! Or I’ll never talk to you again!” Book Aziraphale was more poised than Crowley at the showdown, and I loved him at that moment.
It just goes on from there, with Crowley being a star-maker and Aziraphale (what was his job before the beginning? Errand angel? Janitor? Who knows! Who cares, apparently!*) looking adoringly on; Crowley becomes more and more the mentor who explains everything to Aziraphale (who is sluggish to learn, judging from 1827) and even introduces him to the pleasure of food. But Crowley suffers too—book-Crowley wasn’t dependent on Aziraphale’s presence to try to avert Armageddon; show-Crowley doesn’t have book-Crowley’s optimism no matter how many times people invoke it. He wouldn’t have been musing in the pointlessness of everything to Shax; he wouldn’t have ended up helpless in an alley. Show-Crowley has nothing, really, except Aziraphale.
I am in no way discounting depression, here—I suffer from it myself—but Crowley’s decline in S3 seems alien to me. If he had a sliver of book-Crowley’s chutzpah he wouldn’t be passed out in an alley. And you’re telling me Crowley lost the Bentley to protect the bookshop? That doesn’t ring true to me.
I admit I chuckled at the closed miracle account, but how convenient that Crowley has lost his powers now, years after he openly challenged Hell’s authority? Too convenient. Just bad writing. I could have forgiven a few isolated incidents of whimsical convenience in a funny story, but the way it fetched up on the shores of tragedy sours the silly parts.
Unpopular opinion: people are very down on the way Aziraphale speaks to Crowley at their turbid reunion in S3; but, speaking as a person who has been in a very similar situation, I might have reacted to an ex I found in the gutter rather similarly. It’s shocking. It’s upsetting. You have t had time to adjust; you want to shock them out of it, get them on your page.
Crowley refused Aziraphale help when he begged, and now Aziraphale is supposed to fall to his knees to cuddle him and soothe his tortured brow? Immediately upon seeing him in ruin? Some might, sure—I don’t think I would. It wouldn’t mean I didn’t care. It would mean I was slow to react emotionally, a trait I share with Aziraphale.
But neither of them are in character anyway, so it’s a moot point. Does it seem rational that Aziraphale wouldn’t check up on Crowley for years if he was free to come and go? Not to me.
Apparently, despite all the care taken to show us the Nazis lip-reading through the bookshop window; that Metatron was watching closely; that both Crowley and Aziraphale were glancing at that window; that Nina and Maggie showed up at a convenient moment to distract Crowley from monitoring the conversation Aziraphale is having with the Met, to have a trite and pointless talk about the relationship of two supernatural beings whom they barely know, leaving a coffee shop unattended at a peak hour—I’m sorry about this inane sentence, but it’s how the F15 looks now—apparently none of it meant anything.
The problem isn’t Aziraphale (or Crowley, though Crowley gets called out a lot less for the times he treats Aziraphale badly), it’s shit writing.
I can understand people liking the ending for various reasons—but I can’t understand people liking or even forgiving the terrible writing, the pointless plot-ends, and the lionization of a character who should never be put on the spot by to choose the fate of the universe.
—-
* My HC is that Aziraphale was a “Garden Deziner,” that his stint as Brother Frances and the design of the bookshop are callbacks to this. This also means that Crowley’s passion for plants is because of his memory of Aziraphale in Eden, as so many of Aziraphale’s color choices are paeans to Crowley.
Ahh, you put a finger on something that I never articulated to myself but that always always bugged me.
How show Crowley seems way too dependent on Aziraphale. I know people picked up on it, I see it sometimes when people say he adores him (and kind of hates himself for it). But...why? Why this dynamic in particular?
It's not a very healthy one.
Crowley refused Aziraphale help when he begged, and now Aziraphale is supposed to fall to his knees to cuddle him and soothe his tortured brow? Immediately upon seeing him in ruin? Some might, sure—I don’t think I would. It wouldn’t mean I didn’t care. It would mean I was slow to react emotionally, a trait I share with Aziraphale.
Very much same. I wouldn't say I'm cold at all but I would definitely give space first and think about how to react and approach again later. Esp someone who didn't seem to want to see me at all.
It might seem odd but it's how I know I would react. Crowley wasn't being actively harmed or in danger. That would be a different thing altogether.
Honestly, if F15 means anything now it's that it was a waste of time. And a lot of pointless grief. Because 95% of fans believed, based on it, that Aziraphale was being tricked and manipulated and was not getting any job and definitely not a possibility to change anything. He was just stupid enough to fall for it so they can be separated.
But Aziraphale actually achieved things in Heaven.
This is so painful to read over and over and over again.
Why do you hate him so much?
TL;DR:
- Aziraphale did not regress
- He succeeds at what he set out to do, try and change Heaven and avoid any disaster they plan to do next.
Not perfectly, of course (!), but he certainly didn't do what they asked and served them faithfully (because he still believes Heaven is good).
Second Coming never happened because he left at the end of S2.
- Crowley is often being given a pass for equally bad writing of him (and therefore behaviour) in S2/S3 if not worse. If Aziraphale is judged by his worst-written moments, Crowley should be too.
- The Final Fifteen is more complicated than "Aziraphale left Crowley." Aziraphale's Heaven choice was rational from his perspective. And the story's too. The only thing the convoluted mess was good for was to manipulate the audience into solely blaming Aziraphale.
- Aziraphale's behaviour and actions always reflected who he is. And he never belonged to Heaven or wanted to be part of them (and definitely didn't want Crowley to be part of them too).
However, Aziraphale understood that Heaven and Hell were real powers that could not simply be wished away.
Aziraphale survives by doing what he has always done: being careful, finding loopholes, hiding what he really thinks, creating plausible deniability, and pushing back against the system only as far as he believes is safe.
What some might read as cowardice, regression, or stupidity is often caution, survival, hope, and an awareness of consequences.
And Crowley understands that.
Recently there are many posts that say - yeah S3 sucked, look at what they did to Aziraphale. And yes by the way, I'd be happy to agree, some stuff they made him say was literally ridiculous. The writing was absolutely 100% atrocious.
But then the same posts (and others) go on and on about how S2 and S3 Aziraphale is this awful character who lost all he's learned (aw poor Crowley who can do no wrong, trying so hard to impart his wisdom only to have such a mule for a student, right?).
So pick one. Either the writing is bad or you think the character is an asshole. Don't mix them up.
S3 Crowley in my opinion is written as an absolute cockwomble. He does not seem to love Aziraphale or understand him, is acting like a moron who lost all his intellectual capacity, is cruel and unreasonable and plays the victim in the most nauseating way. (Why was he given depression and had a personality replacement?)
And yet I don't go on writing these long metas about how Crowley is fucking twat and how he broke all his promises ("I won't leave you on your own"), how all his words are just performative bullshit ("if something happens to Aziraphale..."). He acts like a wanker because that's how he was unfortunately written and I do give huge kudos to David for trying to rescue him where he could.
And yes, I too could argue that it all started in S2 when he begun with - what's the point of everything. And not seeing how hard Aziraphale tried to keep them afloat in uncertainty of their situation, not knowing what was going to happen next. How he went on with the frankly ridiculous 'confession' where he says nothing and does not notice how freaked out Aziraphale is, how much his angel is panicking.
How Crowley regresses back to wanting to run away when he knows Heaven wants to go ahead with Second Coming, having just seen hours before that the Universe and Time will cease to exist.
Where would they run to? For how long? How long would it take to efficient Supreme Archangel Michael to destroy it all after Gabriel's very short sighted 'nah'?
It's not hard to see Aziraphale. See how hard he tries to keep their safety, how hard he tries to keep their little world protected as much as he can.
No, Aziraphale could not have done more, be more open or get closer to Crowley. And Crowley, (the real Crowley not the fanon Crowley who is baffled by Aziraphale and is perpetually waiting for Aziraphale to 'learn' and 'understand' that all he needs is to choose "them") knows that this all they have. That trying anything more can easily result in disaster (like it almost happened with Furfur).
Their relationship is so perfect and interesting to watch because they are different and they want the same thing. Each other. Yes, Crowley is angry because the system is shit and he keeps pushing (with the Arrangement, with stopping Armageddon) to see how far they can take their side.
And Aziraphale is the break who says - you go too fast, who questions how safe would it be to try, who sets boundaries, who finds loopholes, technicalities, plausible deniability (everything from eating sushi because he lives among humans to 'I don't even like you!" in case they are found out, heard, intercepted, questioned. Trees have ears after all.)
Just because they survived 6000 years does not mean they were always going to. That's not how it all works. Just because I still have money for rent for next month doesn't mean I could have given up working 10 years ago.
So no. Just because Aziraphale does something you don't like or he doesn't throw himself at Crowley at every opportunity saying - Darling, let's elope together! Does not mean he is stupid.
He leaves for Heaven in S2 because he knows staying would bring nothing. Because punishment for hiding Gabriel will still hang over him because he knows there's something big behind Gabriel's own punishment. Because he knows 'the big one' is still to come. And if he has even a sliver of a chance to make a difference, he takes it. Because that's who he is.
And Aziraphale asked Crowley to help him. Yes, it would have to be as 'an angel' (and I don't think Crowley was objecting to that, he was objecting to the whole silly idea of trying to change Heaven which is like saying Aziraphale wanted to move the mountain a bit to the left with his foot) but it was the only option Aziraphale saw on how to be together.
You can disagree with that and think that Crowley was right and few days or weeks together on Earth or Alpha Centauri was the better choice but that does not mean that Aziraphale is stupid or is regressing.
He has a point. That trying is worth it.
What's more, AZIRAPHALE SUCCEEDS. He delays Second Coming for years. It does not happen in the end. Humans are not judged about their eternal fate. Crowley and other demons are not thrown into a burning lake for eternity to suffer.
I think the ending of S3 sucked but whatever you feel, the Second Coming would have been worse.
Because it all WAS bigger than them.
In F15, however much of the fandom pushed the Aziraphale left Crowley button over and over, I still see it as Crowley leaving Aziraphale more. Aziraphale asked for help in something he was going to do and which he did.
Crowley wanted to run when there was no time or place for them to run to. He was the one who walked away from Aziraphale two times and who kissed him like that too. The only kiss we have for them.
BUT rather than leaving each other, I think they were torn apart from each other by circumstances more. And by who they are and how they react to disastrous things. The decisions were in character for them both but the story around it was painted and the audience manipulated to blame and hate Aziraphale and it succeeded so well I'd give standing ovation to the monstrosity if I wasn't so disgusted.
And just a note on 'you were the best of us' (you can also check this post here I agree with)- because I am TIRED of people taking that one thing out and making at all about how Aziraphale just wanted Crowley to be an angel, he didn't understand anything, didn't learn anything in 6000 years on how it was pointless to choose sides.
Look. Aziraphale met angel Crowley just that once. And that angel basically ignored him. Why the everlasting whatever would he be dreaming of wanting that guy instead of the demon he spent 6000 years getting to know and adore. WHY. Give me a reason.
Why would Aziraphale dream of them being angels together when he always hated Heaven and all the angels were constantly awful to him and we never see him admire a single one of them or want anything to do with them if he doesn't have to.
And as for - but Heaven is the light and truth. Please. He was lying through his teeth. He looks on the verge of nervous breakdown. Yes, now we won't ever know if he was lying because he was scared Metatron will listen (a perfectly reasonable fear of the second highest being in the universe) or because he wanted to alert Crowley to the fact that he was lying and scared and didn't really want to leave.
If Aziraphale thought Heaven was good he wouldn't have spent years trying to stop Second Coming, he would have returned the missing Archangel who ended up on his doorstep, he wouldn't have deserted the war, he wouldn't have decided to kill Adam, he wouldn't have hang around with a demon and risk his existence for him. Or anyone. He would have been a good little angel like all of them.
You are probably thinking I am exaggerating or taking this too personally.
Yeah, I am. Aziraphale is my comfort character. I adore him. I think his understated strength, his delight in things, his hope and this incredible resolve he has to just keep going and find a way and hold himself up and keep trying even when he knows how bad everything is, how hopeless. He does not give in and I don't want to either you know?
Yes, I could just say, everything is shit and pointless, give in to cynicism and despair. But isn't there enough of this in the world?
Isn't that what the worst people in the world feed on? Build all their lies on? All their hate? Look everything is hopeless and going downhill they say, everything is meaningless and when people nod and feel hopeless, they say - and it's all THEIR fault! Look at them! The immigrants, the refugees, the gays, those there with different skin colour and religion and culture. They are to blame. Let's destroy them.
And yeah, I can kind of get where S3 tried to inject 'optimism' into the story, get rid of God and afterlife that was always ultimately unfair so like Adam says people would care about the life here and now.
But in my opinion (and I am happy for you if it is different for you) they failed because their world was just the same as ours and the angels and demons in the fantasy story I love deserved their redemption too and Aziraphale deserved to be free and safe and live the rest of however long he would wish (maybe until Earth lasts?) instead of being killed for dramatic purposes.
Anyway, lunchbreak over.
Thanks if you read it. I truly appreciate it. Even if you disagree.
People used to argue that the Book of Life cannot be real because you can't erase someone - what about all their actions and how they affected the world?
But reality apparently just adjusted.
Couldn't reality have adjusted if the old world was brought back?
What's the point of starting another world that's exactly the same?
All they needed was a request for no Heaven or Hell to dictate when the end is coming or what comes after death. Reality adjusts to assume for the universe always having been 13.8 billions of years old.
Angels and demons are suddenly free and go off to do whatever. The only thing forbidden is humans. They are not a game anymore. Humans who look into the sky and wonder: Where is Everybody?
But in one of the small villages in England's South Downs, a couple looks up into the sky most nights and exchanges a kiss and a sigh before they head to bed. Safe and free and happy in the knowledge that their actions changed nothing. And everything.
Just because the writing is shit, doesn't mean everyone is now free to hate on Aziraphale and collectively decide that Aziraphale always wanted to change Crowley or only cared about him as an angel and similar bullshit.
Aziraphale didn't even know angel Crowley. He met him ONCE. And when he met him again it was the war, Crowley joined the losing side and he DID NOT SMITE him. And Crowley knew he wouldn't.
Aziraphale spent 6000 years not smiting Crowley and not trying to harm him and not undermining his work and not reporting his lies to his head office.
He spent the time making sure Crowley doesn't get into trouble. From Flood onwards he had his eye on who might be listening. Even if it broke his heart he put breaks on when Crowley was going too fast. However much he wanted a picnic and all the dinners wanted by them.
Even when it DID break his heart he left for Heaven after S2 because they were still not safe and never could be with Heaven and Hell as they were. He saved Crowley from a terrifying eternity (and all the other demons) by delaying Second Coming.
And at the end when he gets insulted by GOD, he tries to (even with shitty writing) turn it into a compliment for Crowley, who he has always seen as different from them all. The one he always loved.
AND ALL I SEE IS AWFUL TAKES ON HOW HE SHOULD HAVE WORDED IT BETTER.
Don't we have enough negativity in the fandom?
Fix the dialogue yourself. Get them away from God. Give them time. Take them upstairs.
Stop laying blame on the character Crowley loves (well maybe not S3 Crowley - but you see what I mean??).
The Good Omens ending is like being immersed a exhilarating story as a young kid about wild adventures and fantastic creatures and new places and then having it end with - and then parents came home and yelled at them and they went to bed.
Because the moral of the story is that tomorrow is a school day and magic doesn't exist and we need to wake up.
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"Pass me a book." Crowley says, eyes not leaving Satan.
"Which book?" Aziraphale is trying to think, why does it feel so hard?
"Well, it doesn't matter, they're all blank. Whichever one you give me is the right one."
Does Crowley have to be so short with him? Aziraphale wonders. What is happening to them? He reaches for a book. 'Bleak House' -oh. Fog. Love. Paperwork. Endless disputes. New home, like the old but... He hands it over to Crowley who writes in it.
"But - but that isn't The Book of Life." Something sparkles in Aziraphale's mind. If only he could get a moment to himself. Concentrate.
"It is if we say it is." Aziraphale hears Crowley say.
"What are you two idiots doing now?"
"I want answers." Crowley insists.
"Oh--no, no, you can't do that." Satan looks alarmed Aziraphale notices. But why? Oh.
"Oh, yes, we can." Crowley snarls at Satan. "Do you want to write it?" he asks.
"Give me the pen." Aziraphale sits down at his beloved desk, looks at the page in front of him. Absolutely not he thinks.
Satan' Aziraphale writes in the New Abridged Book of Life, disappeared like a nightmare upon waking, the only thing left after him was a vague feeling of dread and a bad memory.
"What are you doing angel? Did you just disappear Satan??" Crowley turns to Aziraphale sat at his desk, wide-eyed, Satan vanishing from in front of his eyes.
"Well, I'm sorry Crowley, I did try to be nice to him first!" Aziraphale snaps and feels his temper rise. He takes a deep breath. No. He will control this. He really needs some time to himself. "I don't know what you were expecting, reasonable answers? From him?"
"No, that's not- what are you writing now?"
With the universe destroyed, Aziraphale keeps going, hand shaking just slightly, God also ceased to exist, having nothing to control anymore, the two beings that never could be controlled out of Their grasp.
"Aziraphale!"
"Do you have any other ideas darling? Any better ideas?" Aziraphale asks, pouting. “We might not be getting any answers, but we are also not getting tricked by Them!" Aziraphale hisses.
"Um,” Crowley seems to concede, “What about - the books?" he gestures around them.
“You know, as much as I’d like to bring the universe back right this minute, I’d rather have a cup of tea first if you don’t mind and a moment to myself.”
“There’s nowhere I can lea-“
“Don’t be silly Crowley. You don’t count." Aziraphale sighs, looking and feeling so, so tired. "I mean," he gestures, "You don’t disturb my peace. Usually. I like having you around," he raises his voices as he tries to explain, "Haven’t I proved that over the millennia?”
“Well yes, but sometimes you’d still insinuate you have work to do-“
“Introverts have limits even for loved ones Crowley." Aziraphale sighs. "I haven’t had moment to myself in years. Let me get that cup of tea and then we can discuss what to do with the universe. After. Okay dear?”
This is fix-it four I think, you can find three here, two here and one on AO3.
"Crowley, you know when I just said, 'Two of you, Deity and the Adversary, facing off.'" Aziraphale whispers under the tree in his bookshop.
"Yea?" Comes Crowley's choked answer.
"Well, do you remember the Arrangement?"
'Of course I do," Crowley whisper-hisses back in a - why are you bringing this up now - tone. "Heaven, Hell, pointless work, cancelling each other," he pauses.
"Oh wait."
"Yes, exactly." Aziraphale answers.
"Here, take my hand."
We are not like them, Aziraphale thinks as he remembers all the lovely moments they shared across millennia, their games, their arguments over who's going to travel this time, about goodness, about their work, their unfortunate sides. About what is possible and what is not.
If he's right and Aziraphale thinks rather might be, the sides will cancel each other out and he will make it into the future. With Crowley. He squeezes his demon's hand. Always his demon.
"But how is the universe back?" Crowley asks when they finally separate from a very, very long hug and he peers out of the bookshop's window into a street that's just waking up into the morning light.
"Um, wait what was the theory... Aziraphale muses out loud, "there was an infinite amount of matter and antimatter and they cancelled each other out, but the amounts were not quite the same and from the rest came the universe?"
"That makes no sense angel?"
"It doesn't? Well. It worked." Aziraphale smiles.
"And Heaven and Hell?"
"Oh I think they will be glad to take a holiday, don't you? And with no one to give orders..."
"Do you think some will want to move here?"
"Like Muriel? Possibly yes, but we will cross that bridge when..."
Aziraphale is swept into another bone crushing hug.
"... the universe is big enough for all of us."
"Angel." Crowley holds on to Aziraphale for dear life again. "I'm sorry I left you fight them on your own."
"I couldn't let you suffer for eternity Crowley. I just couldn't."
There is no way anyone can look at this expression, and say that this is the face of someone who wanted to give up his life for the „real universe”.
Like, I just can’t stop thinking about the fact Aziraphale got coerced by God into commiting suicide.
This is a sad, needlesly cruel and tragic end to someone who lived in fear of a corrupted system his whole life. And to tell him at the end ,that there was no way you would’ve let him have the love of the only person that ever truly mattered, and that you always saw him as less is so incredably bleak, and depressing.
And at the end of everything, Crowley said he only wanted one thing, which was a real universe. One thing. Not even "I want a real universe... and I want you." In their final moments, Crowley did not defend Aziraphale against God, he did not fight for the world they fought for forever, and he broke Aziraphale's heart.
And Aziraphale? He, as always, put on a mask to hide his pain. Crowley chose death and Aziraphale smiled for him to comfort him in their final moments.
AND THEN THEY DIED.
What the fuck? Fuck that movie. Fuck everything about it. I'm going to throw up again just thinking about it.
So I've seen arguments that those who dislike Asanthony but like (or even write) human AUs are hypocrites.
Human AUs on AO3 are however transformative* works.
Not replacement. That's where the fun lies.
We project the tenderness, banter, emotional dynamics, symbolism onto alternate versions. To explore - ourselves, our experiences, our needs, our fantasies, our feelings, our imagination and so on.
Nobody mistakes them for the actual characters in the original narrative.
And yes, I've written a human AU meet cute. Or Two. But i'd never say they ARE Aziraphale and Crowley. I'd never want these to replace them. They were always meant to exist alongside the originals as TRANSFORMATIVE works.
* In United States copyright law, transformative use or transformation is a type of fair use that builds on a copyrighted work in a different manner or for a different purpose from the original, and thus does not infringe its holder's copyright.Â
Have you read A Room of One's Own by Virginia Wolf? It's the novel/essay AO3's name is derived from. About how she (and AFAB people in general) need space to write - and we have that space. And I am so grateful.
I don't want a human AU in canon.
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We were told the ending of S2 had to happen like that but it DIDN'T.
TL;DR: It was done like that to lay blame for their separation on Aziraphale, making him look like a fool and an asshole for not wanting to be an 'us' but 'choosing' Heaven. When no 'us' was possible anyway.
If S3 was gonna prove Crowley right in that nothing can change and Heaven and Hell are toxic and beyond repair - than what was all this weird, let's be us monologue about? It was never possible. Heaven and Hell would never leave them in peace.
Lets be us where? Crowley knew Second Coming was planned. Which would mean the end of Universe and Time and which would end up with him and all demons stripped of power and spending eternity in a burning lake or something.
While Aziraphale'd have to watch The Sound of Music and think about birds flying to a mountain far far away for eternity.
Aziraphale could have been shown to make a conscious decision to go because he believed there was still a chance for a change. There didn't need to be all these menacing convoluted vibes from Metatron.
Crowley could still have refused because he believed the system couldn't be changed.
The disagreement would remain exactly the same.
We'd still be arguing about whether change is possible.
And who made the right choice.
Which many of us did - but most of the discourse was not about that. It was about whether Aziraphale still believes in Heaven's "message". He didn't. We saw he was trying to stop Second Coming against ALL OF THEM. (Where was 'all of us against all of them' btw??)
We might have been spared three years of posts treating Aziraphale as gullible, manipulated, backsliding, choosing Heaven over Crowley, betraying Crowley, begging to be taken back; requirements for him to be hurt, to be taught a lesson, being proven wrong and so on and on.
The tragedy could have been two beings making different decisions under impossible circumstances. (With me backing the wrong one apparently because change is impossible and everything had to be destroyed.)
Instead, a huge amount of fandom discussion became about whether Aziraphale was an idiot.
If the ending was always going to validate that Heaven and Hell were beyond saving anyway, why was all that necessary??
TW:
I'll never forgive that fucking asshole for that.
And the whole fucking finale.
I just re-read good omens and i just love how clear the book makes it that crowley isnt cool. Hes literally just dressing up as what he thinks a cool human is!!!
He is anxious and erratic and has no control over what is going on and he is always running away. When driving up to the site of armageddon the one thing he actually wants to do is get pissed and wait for it all to happen.
When he knows that he fucked up and Hastur and Ligur are coming to get him, he is pacing through his flat, watching TV, starts putting his casette collection into alphabetical order before realising it is in order already and he is soso scared.
Most of his evil deeds come back to bite him in the ass. He even thinks that letting hastur, who is trapped on a tape, turn into the best of queen is too evil. And then hastur escapes and eats an entire telemarketing-office.
And then there is Aziraphale being an absolute brick headed bitch. Oh yea we should just kill the 11 year old that is the antichrist but i cant do it because im the good guy so i will just get the insane old witchfinder dude to do it with his huge gun. Aziraphale is always ready to face problems once he actually sees them.
Aziraphale's Defence Attorney @dalliancekay - Tumblr Blog | Tumlook
