No longer Untitled, but still not clever

The newest one popped into my head as I was waking up, this morning.

The running theme of GO has always been to embrace who you are (Aziraphale's embracing of his love of creature comforts, and of a certain demon... Crowley's constant assertions that he's a demon who has no use for Hell, but still embraces minor acts of mischief... Adam's determination to stay in Tadfield, even when offered the entire world to rule... Maggie's love of a record shop that's essentially failing... And I could go on, but you get the point). But in the end, in that pub scene, what GO ended up saying, was "you can only get a happy ending if you become someone you're not." NONE of those people were actually the selves they'd been the whole series. Not one of them. Instead of finding happiness and peace as themselves, they had to become completely new people, to be happy??

I think that's why so many of us were so instantly bothered by it. The GO fandom has always been largely made up of queer and/or misfit people. Those society has deemed mostly "outside" the norm, at various points. GO told us we were accepted and lovable just as we are. It gave us the safety to explore who we actually were, through the lense of characters who were, themselves, unusual or outsiders. And then, in the end, it ripped away everything that provided safety and community for us, and said "you can only be happy if you conform to the status quo."

Excuse the fuck out of me?? Not just no, but HELL, no.

I've gone. Not one for goodbyes, I thought it best to slip out quietly. Love to you all, Giles.

Crowley and Aziraphale are doggedly, determinedly materialistic. that's not a bad thing! and it's not just a part they're playing, like Gabriel in his off-the-rack suits. they're able to understand each other--to love each other--because they love the world: selfishly, joyously, materially.

glory, victory, all that jazz? they're abstracts. but love is a thing made of atoms.

Some people commit crimes as a method of self harm.

Some teenagers commit crimes in order to destroy their parents' fantasy of them, such as an expectation that they be successful because of how "smart" they are which they can never live up to, or the belief that abusing them "works".

Some homeless people commit crimes in order to go to jail, have a roof over their head, and have food provided to them.

If they were warned that committing the crime would cause them to be punished for the rest of their life, that isn't very likely to stop them.

"Ngk, Aziraphale I don't think this is the right ti-"

Aziraphale touches Crowley's cheek and reaches for an apple.

"Let me tempt you," he offers the fruit to the former demon.

Muriel faces Sandalphon. Crowley has a verbal standoff with Saraqael. It ends with a simple choice: Try to save Aziraphale or try save humanity? And really, Crowley’s answer was always gonna be-

Out of Time

"Oh, no you don't!" Crowley shouted from across the pyre, catching her by the shoulders. "Angel, grab the book!"

Singeing his fingers, Aziraphale pulled the Book out of the flames, patting the embers till it burned no more. But still, the darkness swirled around them, threatening to consume them as well.

"Let me go!" Michael cried, thrashing against Crowley's grip.

"I know what it means to be unforgivable," Crowley hissed, "and you don't get off that easy. Quick, while you still can— what's the first thing you remember?"

Read more here.

@goodomensafterdark