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Good Omens is autistic—here’s why!

First off, there’s the angelic/demonic nature of the protagonists

They’re trying to blend in with humanity, but have to pick things up as they go along

Because of this, the way they interact with and view people is different from the expected norm

Which also means they're often confused by human customs and find it difficult to read social cues (think Aziraphale asking Maggie if she actually thinks she isn’t crying later on in this scene)

Crowley has to hide his eyes, a part of his identity, from everyone except Aziraphale and the other demons for fear of seeming different/threatening/not human (masking in the most literal sense of the word)

Muriel is concerned with acting and speaking “correctly” to be seen as human

Even though both main characters don’t fit in with humanity because of their angelic/demonic nature, they also don’t fit in with their respective sides, who view them both as strange and don’t understand them. The only place they find acceptance/belonging is with each other. If that isn’t a neurodivergent (and very queer) storyline, I don’t know what is.

Next up, there’s Aziraphale as a whole

The way he stims

Loves routine, dislikes change

Gets uncomfortable when he has to break rules/disrupt order

Taking things literally— “You can’t drive my Bentley.” “I can— I have a license!” (also, this scene is another example of his insistence on order and rules— he insisted on getting a license before they were even legally required)

Paces back and forth talking to himself, planning out what he’s going to say before a conversation (scripting)

The way he suppresses stimming around Heaven by clasping hands behind back, feels uncomfortable and overstimulated there

Bookshop is super cluttered, he has an organizational system that is comprehensible to basically exclusively him

Clumsy, often sucks at motor coordination

Easily startled

He loves alone time, especially when he’s in his own space— he does everything he can to keep customers away from his bookshop

Attaches a lot of sentimental value to inanimate objects (“I’ve kept this in tip-top condition for over 180 years!”)

Incredibly passionate about his interests, especially magic and books

Black and white thinking and rigid morality— He loves and trusts Crowley more than the other angels, but still has tendency to categorize Heaven, Hell, angels and demons as exclusively good or bad (“of course you didn’t go back to Hell— you’re the bad guys!”)

Crowley’s definitely got something neurodivergent going on too (leaning towards ADHD, but potentially AuDHD)

The way he sits in chairs

Hell, (…or Heaven, whatever…) even just the “ducks!” moment alone is enough to show that that his mind jumps around a lot to unexpected loose threads rather than focusing on the subject at hand

Impulsivity

Creative and has a vivid inner world. As pointed out by God Herself, he has what the other demons don’t— an imagination

Craves novelty, frequently changes appearance

Stimming starmaker

This one is from the book, but it’s too good not to point out: the way he idolizes characters like Bond and copies his behaviors off of what he thinks a cool human would do. He has a new computer because it’s “the sort of thing Crowley felt that the sort of human he tried to be would have” (pg 239)

His understanding of how humans fall in love is based on a Richard Curtis film he’s seen

His insistence on asking questions when things don’t make sense to him, knowing why things are the way they are rather than blindly accepting them

And of course, there’s the themes of the story

Black and white thinking vs shades of grey

Breaking away from a world that doesn’t accept you to find love, belonging, and safety

And, as demonstrated time and time again by our two protagonists: intelligence isn’t synonymous with interpersonal skills (…or common sense.)

Thanks for reading all of that! This isn’t the kind of post I normally make, but I have so many thoughts about this that have been on my mind for almost two years now, so I decided to share them.

While there are of course a lot of plot-related reasons for why they behave the way that they do and many of the traits I brushed on could be explained by other factors, I still find it interesting to explore it through a neurodivergent lens. I also think the existence of angels with physical disabilities (like Saraqueal) adds credibility to the idea that other types of disabilities or neurodivergence is at the very least possible for angels and demons in this universe.

Feel free to point out anything I forgot to include (which I have no doubt is a lot) and let me know your own thoughts in the comments or tags— I’d love to hear them!

vivi-theakuneko

THE FALSE NARRATIVE THE AUDIENCE WERE LED TO BELIEVE ABOUT AZIRAPHALE

I never said this out loud after Season 2 because, at the time, I felt like it was just me taking book canon to the extreme (and also the fact that I agreed about the cuteness of it all) but after GO3, I put everything into perspective and realises I was not being irrational about this. So here goes:

1. The Flashbacks:

Apparently, since Season 2, there has been a tendency from the writers to take away little things that made Aziraphale special and give it to Crowley.

I personally did not like the angel Crowley scene (Before the Beginning). I will always stick to the canon of the book/Season 1. That being Aziraphale never met Crowley as an angel before.

The reason being: It shows Aziraphale treats everyone the same, regardless of affiliation. He firsr met a demon on the wall of Eden. Instead of immediately smiting or chasing him away like other angels would, he talked to Crawly. You could see some concerns in him, but since Crawly hadn't done anything bad, Aziraphale didn't harm him. He has no concrete clue that this demon was trustworthy, but he extended a wing to sheild Crawly from the rain.

Now, put the angel Crowley scene (and the War in Heaven from Go3, and "you were the best angel") into the mix, and what do you get? Oh, so Aziraphale wasn't just being kind to some demon he just met. He had been having a crush on angel Crowley all this time and recognised him in Eden. So... I guess he wasn't being brave and kind, then? Talked to Crawly cause that was his crush? Cool...

Oh, angel Crowley shielded him from space matter? So him shielding Crawly was just returning a favor? Alright...

Oh, Crowley also gave the sword back to Aziraphale in that scene at the Eternal Flame. Guess Crowley did that first too, then.

Do you see the pattern here? Aziraphale's actions turned out to have been done by Crowley already.

2. "You taught me to be brave" (not accurate quote. I don't want to rewatch.)

Aziraphale had always been brave. He gave the flaming sword away. He lied to God. He lied to Gabriel. In the book, Crowley was about to run away but he told Crowley to stay and face Satan because he didn't want to leave the humans in danger.

In Season 2, he helped Gabriel despite Crowley telling him it was dangerous. He bravely performed a deadly magic act. He also defended the bookshop....

Aziraphale never needed Crowley to teach him how to be brave. He was already courageous on his own.

But it was Crowley who showed him that, I guess. Apparently, Anthony Just-run-off-to-Alpha-Centauri-with-me Crowley was the brave one all along.

3. Problem Solving/Intelligence

Aziraphale had never been stupid or passive when it came to dealing with problems.

Season 1: Figured out where the Antichrist was, found a way to return to Earth after discoloration, almost shot a kid to stop Armageddon, the first to suggest the Metatron/Gabriel that the Great Plan wasn't the Ineffable Plan.

Season 2: Figured out Crowley's tricks with the goats, went on a mystery solving mission, tricked demons into the summoning circle...

What did we have in Go3?

After the crossword scene, the rest of the Finale Aziraphale was mostly passively waiting for Crowley to come up with the solution for something. Book of life? Crowley explained it. Michael threw the BoL in the fire? Let Crowley, the miracleless demon, say "take my hand" and transport them to the bookshop. Everything is gone? Let Crowley, the I-don't-read demon, figure out any book can be the BoL.

Oh, and the most important decision in their life? Let Crowley decide because he's the only real boy in the universe. Don't even discuss or argue his decision. Cause Crowley knows best.

Aziraphale became like a yes-man. Just following Crowley's leads instead of them teaming up and helping each other figure out a solution.

4. Pursuing Crowley

I have seen people saying that they love Asa/Anthony because Asa asked Anthony out first because Crowley/Anthony deserved to be pursued for once.

First of all,

I did not read their relationship like this from Season 1 and 2. It was never just Crowley chasing Aziraphale. The angel himself just did his pursuing differently from Crowley.

Crowley's love language in the show was gift giving and being a dashing hero. It was more blatant and easier to see. That's why many people only saw it from his side and thought Aziraphale never chased after Crowley.

Aziraphale's way of showing love was more subtle. He let Crowley into his comfort zone. He allowed Crowley to play his hero acts. He dressed like he wanted Crowley to mess him up in the French Revolution, btw. (The equivalent of a lady dropping her handkerchief). He gave Crowley the holy water at the risk of Crowley doing something stupid with it.

He showed Crowley he trusted him with his life during the magic act. He let Crowley lean onto him in Edinburgh despite how that could look if Upstairs saw it. He was suggesting a further relationship the whole S2 (the ball, "our car", "our bookshop"...)

Aziraphale literally hinted to Crowley that he would choose "Us" in their final moments. But guess what he got in return? He had to bite his tongue, put up a smile, and agreed to Crowley’s decision.

He was willing to frickin' DIE just because Crowley asked him to! No question asked.

The point is: Just because he was being subtle about it didn't mean he never tried to return Crowley's love. The two of them danced together, not just Crowley doing all the courtship ballet.

Second of all,

No shade to Asanthony's cuteness. Why can't it be Aziraphale himself who gets to do that after everything in the old world turned out okay?

Why can't we have Aziraphale initiating a second kiss? Or suggesting moving together into a cottage he bought years ago? That he had been waiting for this moment to tell Crowley?

Why can't Aziraphale have that after 6000 years? Why must the only way for him to be able to do this be his death? Erasing all the 6000 years trauma and himself was the only way??? He can't live with the trauma and still end up being the one to do what Asa did?

5. Aziraphale's EQ:

Another thing I noticed was that many fans and the show itself treated Crowley like a good boy. He did no wrong. He was nice and kind and-

NO!

In the Book, Crowley deliberately tried to harm animals. He loves causing minor miseries. He just cannot handle seeing actual torture. He loves doing his demonic job. He would not be a good angel!

Why did I mention this? Well, apparently, to make Crowley a good boy, the writers subtracted Aziraphale's empathy level to below 0. Suddenly we have:

Aziraphale being oblivious to Joshua's disorientation and sadness when he just got resurrected. Not even an offer of food or drink? Remember how he treated Gabriel/Jim?

Aziraphale not defending Muriel when people called them dim.

Aziraphale not contacting Crowley even once. Sure maybe he couldn't. But the Finale never showed it. So all we have is: Azi really wanted to be an Archangel and stayed up there for 4 years, leaving Crowley in depression. Poor snake. Azi is so cruel.

Aziraphale not staying to help Crowley up in the alley (like what the opening credit showed us. Do you feel scammed yet?)

Aziraphale not explaining himself the whole movie, not even a proper apology. Then demanded forgiveness in the bookshop at the end. Tried to do that stupid dance with a smile???

Speaking of smiling... Aziraphale wasn't crying or feeling distraught by the erasure of the whole universe right in front of him. Remember the angel who cried over a deformed baby in Edinburgh?

Aziraphale insisting Crowley was the best angel over and over again despite knowing Crowley hated Heaven and hated the idea of becoming an angel again.

And the things from Go3 also ruined otherwise cute interaction in S1 and 2.

The "our car" thing now reads like Aziraphale being demanding, controlling over Crowley's things.

Same with Azi making Crowley to the dangerous magic act with him. Ignoring that Crowley didn't want to do it.

The way Crowley had to do an apology dance to him despite not being wrong about the danger of keeping Gabriel now feels kinda like a red flag. But that's Crowley's own decision so this is just honorable mention.

There are probably more that I forgot...

Anyway, point is, Aziraphale was villainized by the writers so that Crowley would end up being the only real boy, the only one who cared. Note: what God and Satan said to berate Aziraphale is exactly how the writers and some people in the fandom sees him. I guess Aziraphale never cared for anyone or anything then? What a selfish angel, am I right?

------

And don't get me started on how Crowley and everyone treated him the whole Finale, the way Crowley was completely silent about the indirect love confession in the talk with God, because then we would be here all day.

Wow this has been long. If you made it here, thanks for reading. I needed to get all of this out for my sanity. There was no script so I am sorry if things aren't organized well.

-Vivi-

obligateweirdo

Yes yes yes, thank you SO much.

I agree with this, though I will posit that the “demineralization” of Aziraphale actually begins in S1–we aren’t shown the complicated reasoning and calculation he has to do to understand Agnes’s predictions, for one thing; and I remember the feeling of cognitive dissonance when Aziraphale says “come up with something!” to Crowley. That’s not a reasonable request, actually, and I missed his beautiful moment of calm strength from the end of the book. Then Crowley stood time and creates a pocket universe and—

What made Crowley so different than the other demons anyway (let alone being the Bestest Angel Evar)? In the book he might have been middle management, but he wasn’t a heavyweight, and neither was Aziraphale. No powerful archangels need apply.

I’ve been heartened to know that a lot of other fans were patiently waiting for Aziraphale’s big reveal in S3 (which never came), but it’s mostly disappointing that all the put-downs of S2 were actually doubled-down in S3.

A lot of the charm of the character was in how he was played by Michael Sheen: he put all the love and warmth and heart into his performance that was lacking in the script, and I feel like he really got Aziraphale, for which I’ll always be grateful.

bloomsbury

my divorced parents who are in love

whateveryeah

They just dropped this and expect me to be normal until June?!

moonlight768-deactivated2025091

Some things I’d like to remind this fandom concerning Daemon and Daemyra:

It’s often the same old “Daemon didn’t have interactions with his children or with Rhaenyra” or “We don’t know how they felt about each other”

But remember this: GRRM wrote an entire novella, The Rogue Prince, which was published in 2014, embedded in F&B, centred around Daemon. Precisely because he wants us to understand the character, his arc and his role in the narrative. Writing a short novella is more practical because F&B is excessively plagued by the narrators’ editorialising and the conflicting, biased sources

We see that Daemon is constantly at the centre of attention. Whether he’s seen in a positive light or not, everyone knows where he is, what he’s doing and what he’s saying, and YET, he remains mysterious at the core. In short: all eyes are on him, for better or worse

So when he finally marries Laena in 115, a woman he actually wanted, and becomes a father for the first time in 116, you notice that he starts being more composed, you could even say that he matured

And then he marries Rhaenyra in 120 and poof: nothing. The man practically vanishes from the text

And that’s the point!

The novella fleshes out how Daemon’s one true love, desire and goal is to have a true family. As much as he loved his brother, let’s not forget that Viserys is responsible for Mysaria’s tragic miscarriage, a child Daemon made it clear that he wanted. Baelon and Alyssa were long dead, Otto hated him and did everything to create distensions between the two brothers, and he was married to a woman he didn’t love at all… Daemon had no true place in the world. No real role and we know how much he craves serving a purpose. Serving his FAMILY. That’s how The Rogue Prince starts: he’s marginalised and deep down, he’s lonely

Daemon was a man who attracted everyone’s attention, always present in conversations, always reviled or loved. He was seen in whorehouses and rat pits. Everyone knew him without understanding him

Yet suddenly he disappears, marries his third and final wife, and has two children that were technically useless in terms of politics and very low in the line of succession. He even almost had a third child seven years after Viserys was born. He was 48, Rhaenyra 32. They already had seven children between them. And Visenya was clearly very much awaited. He loved being a father and a husband, explains why he was apparently still enthusiastically active even at his age, if you know what I mean…

When Daemon built his family, he let go of his old roguish ways because he finally found purpose: with his children and his wife. As Rhaenys said “Dragons thrive best on Dragonstone”. It’s obvious this was GRRM’s way of pointing out that Daemon and his family actually thrived, not just the dragons. They literally multiplied. Syrax kept laying eggs. I mean it’s RIGHT HERE lol. Really don’t get why everyone misses that (or chooses to miss that…)

The fact that we know so little about their life on Dragonstone is actually very telling. Because the small details we do have say everything. That’s why I just cannot understand those who claim book Daemyra had “less depth” than Daemon and Laena for example, or show! Daemyra itself. They spent ten years together, what more are you asking for? They were safe on Dragonstone, away from the Greens who bullied Rhaenyra and her children at any occasion. This was a life of freedom and fulfilment. They were the closest to their Targaryen heritage and the power of their own blood. We barely hear from them because they were too focused on their little lives. Meanwhile we hear how miserable things are at King’s Landing

I’ll also point out how their children loved each other. The twins were inseparable. The Velaryon boys admired and loved each other. Jace was the one who made sure his younger half brothers were safe during the war. Baela was fiercely protective of Aegon when he became king. Rhaena called him her “beloved brother”. Aegon and Viserys were basically one soul in two bodies. Jace was considered a worthy heir, his little brother Viserys was literally compared to Jaehaerys I, Aegon worshipped his half brothers…

Mind you these kids had at least four different parents, probably five if you count Harwin 😭 That’s precisely because not only did Daemon and Rhaenyra raise good children, they raised them with love

And that’s how The Rogue Prince ends: he finally found his place in the world: with a family he built for himself. He was heir to nothing. Laena was heir to nothing too, so they had nothing to give to their girls but love, yet he was canonically a girl dad. Rhaenyra, while heir to the Iron Throne, already had three sons. The twins were betrothed to those boys. Baela and Rhaena transformed Daemon: Aegon and Viserys cemented that transformation. Visenya would have been the apogee, the crowning point of that life…had Rhaenyra not been usurped

That is when, and only then, Daemon started to waver in his stability. The only reason he returned to his fatal flaws was because he was grieving, not because his marriage was unfulfilling or shallow

That’s why the progressive estrangement between Rhaenyra and Daemon after the Fall of King’s Landing is so heartbreaking in hindsight:

They had everything they ever wanted: Rhaenyra and her sons were finally safe from the Greens and their suffocating influence, she finally had a husband of her choice, Daemon found the stability he needed to raise his daughters, Rhaenyra ruled Dragonstone on her own right, the kids were, as we well know, good and brave and loyal kids. Everyone valued one another. But everything was taken from them. And while Rhaenyra and Daemon died five months apart, and their deaths interestingly mirror each other, they still couldn’t quite reach one another. It’s the tragedy of these parallels: it wasn’t natural for them to be separated, it wasn’t RIGHT. They weren’t made for that

And yet I find that the reunion between Viserys and Aegon actually represents how Daemyra never truly died, and how their love persisted over time, it passed on to the people they loved the most: their children. Aegon and Viserys ruled together. They trusted each other blindly. They were the brothers Daemon and Viserys I never managed to be because of the external pressure. Aegon and Viserys were sons of the realm’s delight and the Rogue Prince, they grew up seeing their parents love each other. That gave them a fierce sense of loyalty. The same is true for Baela and Rhaena: let’s not forget that it was Baela’s husband, Alyn, who brought Viserys back. She and Rhaena introduced Aegon to Daenaera so that he wouldn’t be used for the benefits of some greedy Lord. They watched closely over their little brother

And the way Baela’s characterisation is so intertwined with Daemon’s own shows just how much of an influence their parents had. The children idolised their parents. Baela was basically her father reborn, she was the best of everything he was. It provides us a more positive light on Daemon’s person, one that is depicted in a very subtle way. Probably why most people here are so blind to it, or don’t accept it

I’d say Daemon died because he loved his family too much, and couldn’t bear to watch it crumble:

He fulfilled his duty by killing Vhagar, but he abandoned another when he died without returning to his family, precisely because his accumulating grief, whether from physical or spiritual loss, had extinguished the joy within him. Yes I’m paraphrasing the book here

But even his duty to kill Vhagar was motivated by the love he had for his family. He didn’t go back to Rhaenyra because he thought he had lost her, because he had no idea of her situation: he didn’t know about Tumbleton, thought Aegon II was no threat, Sunfyre was out of the picture, Addam was still defending King’s Landing, Rhaenyra still had the Velaryon fleet, Baela was still safe on Dragonstone…

He didn’t “save” Rhaenyra because he had NO IDEA of what was going on. He didn’t think she needed to be saved. He thought she would be safe once Aemond was dead. He DID NOT KNOW. He could have never imagined what she would suffer in her last days

Again this is the tragic aspect of Daemyra: the miscommunication in a world where their strength was based on their deeply personal relationship, and their marriage of love and partnership. Once it fell down, they died within months of each other: I think this choice in the timing was deliberate on GRRM’s part to show that those two should never be separated, and when they were, they died without having ever said goodbye

That’s why GRRM wrote The Rogue Prince. That’s what Daemon is. Just think what you will with what you have…

EDIT*** see the discussion in the comments section for some clarifications about The Rogue Prince

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7.10 | 9.03

dearemma

notyoujamie

Doctor Who Advent Calendar —Day 1

thekingofspin

ajokeformur-ray

My thoughts on Joker: Folie à Deux

Now that I'm done sobbing and it's been a few hours since I left the cinema with my roommate, I've put the first Joker on for comfort while I write this.

Spoilers below the cut for anyone who hasn't seen it.