#I've just seen a lot of posts giving Aziraphale such a hard time

[rraaarr]

I think Aziraphale should at least get a little credit that the Only Line Crowley couldn't, and most ppl seem to agree(including me) Shouldn't have crossed to be with Aziraphale is the Same Line Aziraphale was Constantly risking by socializing/making heart eyes at/associating with Crowley for 6000 years

And I want to be clear, it seems pretty obvious that Crowley most likely suffered very real and terrible consequences from hell bc of his relationship with Aziraphale. We see a very concrete example with the Wee Morag and Elspeth situation (though we don't actually see what happens, but I feel that it's implied that it's very awful). And Crowley Should and often Does get credit for this. So, this isn't a "who risked more" post, because the Whole Point is that they both risked basically everything to just...hang out together. This is more about What Exactly Aziraphale Was risking in light of the S2 breakup scene, and that thing is Identity.

Because the S2 breakup scene, and really the audience's reaction to it, shows us that Aziraphale is out of pocket for offering Crowley to become an Angel because (whether or not Aziraphale realizes-I say not- but that's another post) it Fundamentally Changes Who Crowley IS. And this heavily suggests that Angel and Demon function as a kind of identity (as opposed to a job, which is, in my opinion, slightly more the book's take). And if we are looking at Demon and Angel as at least Some Kind of form of identity, then I think it is relevant to recognize that Aziraphale was Always risking his identity for the better part of 6000 years. {And It is very important to Also recognize that it is Crowley who spares him this in the Job episode (perhaps in a way Aziraphale Doesn't in the breakup scene. But here is where I would like to point out that Aziraphale was possibly Excited about being together as Angels with Crowley, but he never actually made that decision for her, as Aziraphale never actually made a decision at all. Crowley is possibly upset that Aziraphale didn't know them well enough to understand that Demon is a functionality of their identity and to say No Immediately.....and this is another post,lol)}

The worst that could happen to Aziraphale is Fall, to have his identity stripped from him. (which, arguably, Crowley did have their identity stripped from them when they fell, though Probably not because of Aziraphale-or who knows-,but I feel this really convolutes things, OR clarifies, because, I guess it makes a lot of sense if you view Angel as an identity that Crowley had stripped from him, then it would Make Sense that Aziraphale would Want to Restore that, but then it also means that Aziraphale is losing sight of the 6000 years of identity as Demon, so restoring would perhaps Erase those 6000 years, as opposed to what Aziraphale is possibly thinking, which is that he can give a piece of Crowley's identity Back to them, not really realizing that having that piece of identity Removed is Part of their identity now...and it gets complicated)

I just think that if in the Good Omens show universe, If Heaven and Hell are The Same (as the show frequently points out), and If Angel and Demon are viewed as forms of identity, then I don't think Aziraphale falling is any better than Crowley becoming an Angel. And I just think Aziraphale should get Some credit for risking his very identity this whole time.

[drconstellation]

Aziraphale-Beelzebub Parallels

Aziraphale's Edinburgh Journey: Part 2

I've already written a series on how Crowley and Gabriel act as parallels and foils to each other in S2. Their other halves - their partners - also act as each other's parallels. I mentioned this briefly in the second post in that series, but here we need to expand on this.

We also need to talk about Maggie.

I think most people identify that there is good case for a many parallels between Aziraphale and Maggie as well. But when you consider Aziraphale-Beelzebub-Maggie together in a character triangle, Maggie suddenly starts to make a lot more sense. And I believe there is one more peculiar element thrown in that she is reflecting back to us as well about Aziraphale that has made her particularly hard to understand on top of all that.

But let's look at the Aziraphale-Beelzebub related parallels first.

They hold the highest ranking position

Beezlebub holds the highest ranking position in Hell under Satan, as the Grand Duke. They leave a vacancy at the end of the series, that we are yet to see filled.

For most of S2 the Supreme Archangel is missing - and it is only right at the end that we see Aziraphale step up and accept the offered role.

Two things to mention here:

One might argue that the Metatron is higher in ranking than the Supreme Archangel, but for purposes of this discussion he doesn't seem to have much to do with the day-to-day running of things like the Supreme Archangel would. Gabriel was also the one who appeared on the tarmac at Tadfield Airbase opposite Beelzebub when things weren't going to plan in S1.

Secondly, this is where I would like to start introducing the concept that we are being shown Aziraphale's future story in S2. Such as Aziraphale's future role as Supreme Archangel, however long he holds on to it.

I don't know how difficult it will be to demonstrate this as we go along from here, but I'm going to try and point out places where I think we are being shown glimpses of the future - foreshadowing - and a lot of them come through Maggie. Not all, though, there are exceptions, but we'll discuss them in due course. Such as in the next parallel.

They need words of affirmation

Crowley isn't the most loquacious character but he's not shy of boosting his angel's ego when it's needed. Whether it's encouraging Aziraphale to go big on stage in 1941 or supporting his detective efforts in Edinburgh Crowley is still going to put in a good word or two for Aziraphale's sake.

AZIRAPHALE: [over phone]: I think I've found some clues. And do you remember the statue of Gabriel in the graveyard in Edinburgh? I'm looking at it now. CROWLEY: Mmm, good job. AZIRAPHALE: Oh, do you really think so?

We know Beelzebub needs words of affirmation as well because they ask Demon Josh this:

BEELZEBUB: Do you ever think, wouldn't it just be nice if someone told you what a good job you're doing? DEMON JOSH: In hell? BEELZEBUB: Yeah.

Hang on, just a minute...Demon Josh...?

The demon who appears to be acting as the Personal Assistant/Secretary to the Grand Duke of Hell?

There is an old thread that points out that Greasy Johnson's name is basically another form of Jesus Christ. The TL:DR version is that Joshua aka Oily Josh is another form of Jesus.

So Beelzebub has Demon Jesus as her assistant.

Remember I was trying to tell you we are seeing future echoes of Aziraphale's story in S3 here? Jesus as the right hand of the Supreme Archangel, perhaps?

They give gifts

A S1 crossover, Beelzebub gives Gabriel the Tardis-like fly storage container, and Aziraphale gives Crowley the thermos of holy water in 1967 to stop the crazy caper he was planning to steal some. Both acts were done unprompted at the time.

They enjoy music

We've seen Aziraphale with his phonograph in action several times, and in S2E1 we see him in the midst of listening to the Shostakovitch records he got from Maggie when the arrival of Gabriel interrupts him.

We learn Beelzebub also has an ear for a good tune when they mention they like the song they hear in the American bar during the recap scenes of their meetings with Gabriel in S2E6.

They make an offer of "betterment" to Crowley

Beelzebub's offer to Crowley that he could be a Duke of Hell if he finds Gabriel for them, all while he is lounging across the two horned thrones in S2E1, is widely seen as a prominent piece of foreshadowing for S3.

Really, the only question should be is will that be just a plain Duke or will he somehow end up in the Grand Duke of Hell position opposite of Aziraphale?

Aziraphale also made an offer to Crowley - to restore him to angelic status.

At the time, neither offer was accepted with any enthusiasm - especially the latter.

They have a date at Gabriel's statue

I have pointed out elsewhere that this is a triple-parallel with a shot from Before the Beginning, but then I remembered that the parallel with Aziraphale looking jealously at angel!Crowley was written after this date pair with Gabriel's statue.

I intend to talk about the significance of the statue in Part 4: Judgement Day, as it makes a bridge between all three seasons and it needs some thorough and lengthy discussion around it.

They go to the pub

This is another triple-parallel between the two pairs. (I think @kayleefansposts first brought this up but I can't find the post it comes from now, even though it wasn't that long ago.)

First, they both meet in a cafe:

Then they meet in a pub:

And lastly, they meet - well, lets say with alcohol on the table and an option of food?

Their partners make a reference to the absurd creativity of humanity

For some time I wondered why when Crowley came back from the pub with Aziraphale, he plucked the Jane Austen off the shelf and shouted that inane line at humanity: "You people, I will never get the hang of you lot."

Eventually I realized it was a parallel moment to when just before Gabriel miracles the jukebox in the Resurrectionist to play Every Day the first time.

GABRIEL: What's that? BARTENDER: A classic 1960s jukebox. You don't see many of them these days. You just put your money in and tell it what you want to hear. GABRIEL: Oh… You people. Amazing. [hands over money] [miracles] Ha!

Both incidences are inspired by their partners - Aziraphale inspires Crowley to look for Austen's novels and Gabriel miracles the jukebox to play the music that Beelzebub likes.

Their partners accidentally leave them on their own

Crowley was only going to take the human shopkeepers to safety, then return - but he got sidetracked with Muriel all the way up to Heaven. Thinking he would be back soon, Aziraphale didn't plan very far ahead, and that eventually led to a problem - and a long, anxious wait for the demon's return.

On his way out of Heaven, Gabriel was on his way to Hell and Beelzebub - we presume. But as soon as he put himself in the fly, he forgot, and headed to the next most memorable location in his remaining working neurons, which happened to be on Earth. Beelzebub was left wondering where he was - and very alone down there in Hell while their minions were out searching for him. @noneorother shows what happens to the thrones while they wait.

So, about Maggie, then...

Understanding Aziraphale and Beelzebub as a parallel pair helps us to understand Maggie a little better, as Maggie is actually a mix of the two characters, reflecting both of them back at the same time. I think that is why she sometimes seems like an angel and a demon at the same time - because she actually is!

I believe this would also explain the "ugrency" spelling mistake, as well as putting an emphasis on the word urgency itself for us. What is becoming urgent?

For example, Maggie always wears a combination of colours from both characters. Here we can Maggie is wearing Beelzebub's signature colours of orange and light blue, but with a white background as the angelic component.

At the ball, she wears a blue blouse - blue is a colour associated with Heaven - but its a dark, demonic shade of blue.

She tries to give a gift to Nina, that doesn't quite work, but the thought and effort is there. She's very forgiving. And she says she says she'll still be there when Nina is ready to start seeing her again; she's reflecting the future Aziraphale to us.

She doesn't want to leave the scene of danger with Crowley when its offered (sounds familiar, doesn't it? Let's go to Alpha Centauri - No! I Can't!)

She's done with being scared, she's ready to stand up and be brave and fight.

She doesn't want to leave Aziraphale on his own (even though Aziraphale still has faith Crowley will turn up any minute now and have a plan - !!) She comes up with ideas on how to fight back. This is someone who steps forward and takes control. These all look like future echoes and set-ups for parallels in S3 to me.

There's another line that no one ever talks about that I've always thought was a foreshadowing line that Crowley says to Nina:

NINA: He's never hosted a meeting, ever. Why the change of heart? CROWLEY: He's unpredictable. He's discovered his civic obligations.

The parallel to this comes from Maggie, when Crowley goes to tell her its time for the meeting/Ball, she says she never misses a meeting. If that's not part of fulfilling your "civic obligations" I don't know what is.

If there was one aspect of Beelzebub I would perhaps just mention here briefly, but not discussing at length because I want to do it elsewhere again as well, is that they twice show restraint of their power and authority - they don't pull Crowley in for punishment as a traitor, even though they could (they pulled him down to Hell for a chat pretty easily) and they don't bother to rip out Demon Josh's tongue and send him to the dung heaps that day for being talkative and annoying, even though we get the impression it happens on a regular basis. In contrast, Aziraphale and Maggie both step up a bit and take some authority on themselves towards the end.

The lists above are not exhaustive of all the parallels between the three characters, but I hope it helps to get you started in thinking about them in a different way to how you might have been.

Next we try to tie the past<-present->future parallels together as we start getting our hands dirty.

The other posts in this series can be found here:

Part 1: Detective Aziraphale Part 3: Stocktaking in the Basement Part 4: Judgement Day Part 5: I Know Where I'm Going

[exvangelical-christian-nerd]

TW Religion

Look I understand why religious people take offense to Good Omens, the Hellaverse, and that type of media (I've made posts on this before, about how the church kinda made their own bed, and I stand by that). I'm religious. I'm a practicing Christian. There are things in the shows that bother me a bit at times. There are parts of the fandom that I think go too far, but that happens in every single fandom. I think many of us who've been in any fandom for a bit can think of an example where someone just took something way to far. I mean there are multiple stories out there, to the point you sometimes see jokes about it, where someone went from fan to felon pretty dang quick. Or cases where a group of fans got more than a bit culty. The difference with the Hellaverse specifically, is, I believe, that if you take it to far you can start messing with very real demons, who are not the same as the ones in the show, and I don't want to touch that.

Now all that said, the fact that I am religious is a key contributor in why I love this kinda of media, and why I gravitate to it. I like things that bother me, at least things that bother me theologically. I really like things that make me question my faith, or components of it. Also, if I haven't made this crystal clear, the church has caused me a great deal of pain, and continues to do so. I have a lot of religious trauma to work through, and it can be really hard, because I often feel really alone. Most people with religious trauma leave the religion in question. I'm still here. I have to grapple, almost daily, with separating my hurt from my faith, and separating what I was taught from what I actually believe. I'm exvangelical, but I'm still a church going, bible believing Christian, and y'all that's a special kind of hell. It hurts, a lot. Sometimes to the point where it makes me physically ill. People I love and respect, continue to say things knowingly or unknowingly that cut like a knife. And How many times can you get stabbed? How long? How long must I hurt?

These shows help me process. They help me look at things from another perspective and go "do I believe that? And if I do, why?" Also sometimes they call me out, and that's never fun... but it can be important. But one of the big ones is that it gives me a chance to process my hurt with the symbolism of my childhood. It's healing.

I latched onto Emily, because I see myself in her. I see someone who believed, and had the rug pulled out from under them. I see someone, who still believes, but feels betrayed. Someone who now has to confront and question, because "if this was a lie what else is?" And "I trusted this person and this is what they did?" And possibly worst of all, "I helped enable this. I allowed this to happen. I might not have known, but I still helped. What have I done?" I know those feelings. I live them every single day.

I understand Aziraphale's choice to go running back to heaven (whether I like that choice or not, and I don't). It looked like they would accept him as he was, even accept those he loves. He sees an opportunity to change things for the better, in this system he knows, and cares about even. It's not going to go well. We know it's not, and I think even Aziraphale knows that, but that need to believe it can change, that you change it, yeah I get it. I really do.

I understand Sera's desperation to protect. I remember feeling St. Peter's aversion. The desperate bargaining we've seen from the cherubs trying to convince themselves what they're doing is right, or at least not wrong, I've done it. I see myself in Vaggie, trying to mend the damage she did. I was an armored gay. I know I too caused harm. Lucifer's abandonment issues and desire to just leave it all behind him or try to. It's all to real. And Crowley's disillusionment with everything? His belief that he is "on his own side", because where else could he possibly go? Yeah I get that too.

And I could go on

And on

And on

[ineffableigh]

Timeline of Suspicious Events Brain Dump - PART 3

You know the drill at this point. Off we goooo! [Part 1][Part 2]

"Maggie and Nina are depending on me!" Azi's really drunk his own Kool-aid at this point, or he's putting on a complicated show to pretend this is a serious endeavor. Giving away a valuable book just to trick Heaven? Something's really not adding up.

Another weird noise for the logs: A bassy 'whoosh/boom' noise right after Mutt says he has anniversary dinner with his beloved spouse and the camera pans to Crowley. Not sure it means anything, but it did stand out to me lol.

Something that stands out to me a lot as well, assuming it was done deliberately (I don't know the actor) - Mutt seems to be having an awfully hard time handling the cards he's currently sorting. Like, after he says 'no' at first, I cannot figure out what he's trying to do with his right hand.

Also of note: The mysterious Bird Box is nowhere to be seen in the shop, even though MANY of the set items are identical to the 1941 scene. Where that bird at??

"Under no circumstances can I there be for tonight." ... what? This has to be on purpose, right? I'm digging, I know, but that's what we do here lol.

Big sad empty warehouse for the Demon Legions. Why on earth (or in Hell) is Hell so short staffed? Where them demons at?

DANGER...osity!

"I can only be there 'til 7" so that's a half hour window for the meeting, at least for Justine. Fair, she can only handle so much of Azi's painful French lol.

The metal barrier just outside the cafe is... awfully snake-y isn't it?

"Looking where the furniture isn't..." is definitely going to be VERY important. Crowley absolutely knows something about losing AND regaining memories and it's been telegraphed all season.

Michael has eye earrings! This feels like a huge tie-in with Maggie's all seeing eye necklace.

Skimming through the rest since I've gone through it multiple times through other posts, but quick takeaways include...

Ms Cheng looking at the Pub before she goes in. Suspicious given we know that's the Hellevator, but have no reason to believe she'd be looking for someone else coming from that direction as the cafe AND record store are the other way.

Mr Brown has to be suspicious because we HEAR him getting mulched by demons when he's taken, but he survives? WEIRD.

Maggie's main character moment as I mentioned in my 'Thoughts about Maggie' post.

Azi seems very genuine when explaining the Coffee Shop Love Plot to Nina, so maybe he really did believe he was helping. I don't get why they steamrolled past her already having a partner, both the lads knew it. It's weird for that much.

Maggie blankly standing by the open window in range of trash is weird, especially since she like Activates and Becomes Brave right after.

I do wonder... how does Shax know Maggie couldn't pay the rent? That seems awfully specific. Like REALLY specific.

Throne, Dominion or Higher Crowley - what a way to drop that info! That moment hits so hard lol.

"Institutional Problem" I wonder if we'll learn more about The Fall next season. What was it that actually triggered it (in this universe)?

I love that the archangels clearly interact with each other SO LITTLE that no one even knows if Gabriel actually has his own bloody desk lol. Talk about isolation.

Huh. I wonder why Shax didn't get discorporated by the Exploding Halo...

You know who else is wearing a damn turtleneck? SARAQUAEL. OOH. COVERT AGENT? HMMMM

No one looked at the damn box, I still can't believe it. Everyone was so busy Being In A Story that they didn't think of it lol.

Analysis of the last chunk of the episode has been done to death, so I'll finish by underlining that it's SO awfully convenient that Maggie INSISTED that she and Nina talk to "them" while Aziraphale was waylaid by the Metatron.

In fact, it's Very Fortunate that the Metatron made a point of going and sitting at JUSTINE'S CAFE out of sight of the bookshop AND Nina's Cafe. Otherwise Nina might have been like hey you, get in on this chat! Like he knew that was the plan...

Plus the fact that they do that even though Justine's cafe is clearly CLOSED. I doubt she'd be chill with that so I guess she's not around.

Anyway that's enough so here's the TLDR:

The Metatron pretty much just LETS Gabriel escape, knowing that the Archangels will go down and muddle about trying to investigate.

We still don't know why Michael thought they had the right to strike people from the Book of Life. The Metatron seems to think that's out of the question, so where did that idea come from in the first place? It was a major driver of the early plot this season.

It seems convenient that Maggie cried about Nina RIGHT before the Angels arrived to inspect the Jimbriel miracle, and then RIGHT AFTER THAT, Mr Brown (of Brown's World of Carpets) shows up to set up the venue. That alone, all happening in the span of maybe 15 minutes, is a LOT.

It really feels like much of the plot was specifically orchestrated to keep Aziraphale and Crowley apart and NOT TALKING to each other. They keep hiding shit from each other to protect each other, but just hamstring themselves.

[myarmadaisgrowing]

Queen songs I'd put in Good Omens 2 if I was in charge (aka Queen songs that would be a great edit on YouTube)

Not including the very well-known and well-loved 'Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy' since I think everyone hopes to see that one—to my knowledge I don't think anyone has discussed the possibility of these ones.

The Great Pretender

A very Aziraphale song. I'd pair it with a scene where Aziraphale misses Crowley after rejecting him again - maybe post-1940's? Queen wasn't around then obviously but it would fit 🤷‍♀️ I just hope there isn't a breakup post-Apocolypse, I feel like we're passed that stage now. Maybe would have fitted better at some point in Season 1.

Too Much Love Will Kill You

Muriel or Gabriel (if he ever gets his memories back), possibly Aziraphale at a stretch. I'm picturing it with a lot of Heaven-or-Earth angst, struggling with a major change in worldview etc etc, maybe a stereotypical walk through busy streets in the rain.

Seven Seas of Rhye

EXCELLENT entrance music, maybe for Crowley or a big bad who wants to take over the world etc etc—Michael or Beelzebub, perhaps. I wouldn't go further than about a minute in, but the lyrics fit too well for me to leave it out.

Play The Game

Some kind of sweet moment between the Ineffable Husbands. I could see a scene where Muriel/Gabriel/Maggie/Nina are watching them and realise how much they mean to each other and in the case of Maggie or Nina, it maybe gives them the courage to stop holding back and stops playing hard-to-get. This would be a very very cute choice.

The Invisible Man

A big change from the previous one, but I could definitely picture Crowley getting up to mischief to this one and going unnoticed by everyone around him. I don't know if people are allowed to edit songs for TV, but if it's allowed I'd probably take out Freddie saying everyone's names since it wouldn't really make sense in a TV program. Maybe some clever cutting could fix that—cutting back and forth from Aziraphale doing something remarkably different with a classical music background would be hilarious.

The Show Must Go On

Definitely a 'moment where everyone gives up hope' kind of song, maybe over a montage, before someone figures something out or finds something that will fix their problems and give hope again.

I Want To Break Free

Definitely a much more popular song than most of the ones on this list, so it's very possible that this one has been discussed before, but I personally haven't seen it if it has. I think this one and 'Too Much Love Will Kill You' could be used interchangably to an extent.

Driven By You (technically just Brian May, but I say it counts)

An end credits/epilogue song if I've ever heard one. I'm still holding out hope that we'll see the South Downs cottage, so this would be a nice song to have with a moving-in scene or a settled-in-and-content scene. It would be lovely at any stage where the Ineffable Husbands are secure in their love for each other and just spending time being happy together and comfortable with 'their side'.

[dainesanddaffodils]

More Good Omens posting from me, still someone who has only consumed this season via spoiler posts, tumblr gifsets and youtube compilation videos -

anyway, I'm not letting my lack of actually watching s2 get in the way of today's post: "things I see people say they want in s3 that make me scratch my head"

namely, wanting Aziraphale and Crowely to fight. not necessarily in a physical, real war between heaven and hell (or humanity), but rather as like, bitter divorcees taking shots at each other. and i just... don't see that after how they left each other

(well, maybe for Crowley's side, but not at all from Aziraphale's)

I don't want things to be sunshine and rainbows and immediate reconciliation, mind you. I'm certainly not of the opinion that Aziraphale wasn't in his right mind when he made his choice in the last episode, or even that he or Crowley were being threatened (though the latter is more believable imo).

From what I've seen and read, my currently vibe is that Aziraphale did believe that he was making the best choice for heaven and for humanity (until the moment the words "second coming" are uttered - but I'll get back to that). And I think the tone of the two times he does waver sets the tone for what I think the next season is going to be - which is a lot of independent character growth before an emotional reunion.

Because Aziraphale's wavering comes after Crowley leaves. After Crowley says, don't bother forgiving me. which I think he hears as, don't bother trying to fix this. I'm done.

So when first he tries to think of sudden reasons to stay he inevitably doesn't try to push too hard and finally says he's ready to go. He doesn't want to do this without Crowley but he doesn't think Crowley is right, right then, so what would he be staying for? It hurts but he needs to show Crowley that he's serious about this.

And then when the second coming is brought up and he realizes (in my opinion) that he fucked up, Aziraphale looks at Crowley from across a crowded street with this clear conflict, and he still follows. Because his other option is asking Crowley for help.

And the thing is, I think if he had asked Crowley for help, in spite of everything, Crowley would have helped.

And Aziraphale knows this.

And I think Aziraphale knows two other things:

1) the danger that would put Crowley in, danger Crowley has always put himself into to help Aziraphale.

2) after the kiss, after the don't bother, Aziraphale is reevaluating point 1 and realizing how much he has taken Crowley's help for granted.

I think that Aziraphale looks at Crowley and wants so much to say, i was wrong, please fight heaven with me again, help me save this world and these people, but he how can he, after everything? How can he ask Crowley for anything anymore - even things he knows for a fact Crowley would give him - after what he's done?

He doesn't feel he deserves that anymore. He doesn't feel he deserves Crowley anymore.

(see the look on Aziraphale's face when he thinks he's fallen and the look on his face after Crowely kisses him and leaves. It's the same face of 'I have lost the thing most important to me; it is my fault and I cannot expect forgiveness.' He is resigned to this heartbreak.)

So I think next season we're going to see a lot of angst that comes after their tragic breakup, but also a lot of Aziraphale standing up to heaven on his own because he feels he has to. I think when he and Crowley do finally have a proper reunion, they'll still argue (especially if Crowley, in true Crowley fashion, has misread Aziraphale's silence as further confirmation of unrequited feelings), but I don't think it will really carry any real anger, you know, especially from Aziraphale's end.

[creativepup]

Going to go ahead and get all my Good Omens S2 thoughts out as a long-time book fan (moreso meta than plot details) - under the cut because this will be long (tldr at the end)

First of all, I genuinely liked the season, for all that I wasn't expecting to. I thought it was all well put-together: the themes were consistent and well-defined, the storylines all intertwined and foiled each other, it was generally consistent with what was previously established, and there were no plot twists that came out of nowhere (no not even the ending - more on this in a moment). There were some parts that I didn't fully jive with, but no more than were in the first season.

(I do think some of Gaiman's personal promotional choices were... somewhat disingenuous, and part of why there's been so much upset. But I think giving the product an evaluation for what it is is more important than what the creator said in some online responses.)

To start: the TV versions of Aziraphale and Crowley are not the same as the book, and they never had been. Even in season one there were already some big characterization divergences - I've already reblogged some other good posts that go into more detail, but I would argue that this even starts with Crowley's red hair (I almost completely avoided watching the initial release because I thought it looked so clownish). If some of these differences continue to be amplified by continuing the TV story then I think that's only natural. I also think they were never going to be the same as the book anyways. How could they be, between the change in format and the absence of one of the book's key creators? At best they are just homages to their original counterparts, and they shouldn't be viewed as more than that. While I am really happy that the new season seems to have encouraged more people to start discussing the differences and compare the two media more thoroughly, I don't think the show should be expected to conform to the book, especially as it starts entering new territory. (And the new season did make some corrections, to keep things from veering too wildly off-track.)

I enjoyed a lot of the bits of world-building we got through the side characters. Jim was surprisingly entertaining as were all the little threads tied to his memory loss. I really enjoyed Shax as our average ladder-climbing demon trying to get noticed amidst the horde (really Shax in general was great, I'm sad I haven't seen more love for her), along with Furfur trying to get a promotion (he doesn't really want to move up to Temptations, but that's what you're supposed to do if you want to advance, right? Really reminds me a lot of how management positions are treated irl), as well as the insight into how Hell is not immune to falling short of its own propaganda. (The zombie implications were fascinating too.) Meanwhile Heaven has its own employee struggles, except there it's sibling squabbles and struggling to get into the 'in' crowd. It was also nice to see a bit more of the neighborhood outside of Aziraphale's bookshop. I wasn't fond of either Nina or Maggie at first, but they did grow on me at least as their roles in the plot became more clear.

Regarding the Ending - it's basically a mirror of what we already saw happen in season one, and it's what the lack of communication all season was building to. And if the question is why would these characters make the same mistakes - why wouldn't they? With all that happened during the Apocalypse countdown, character development wasn't a big focus, and they're two entities on an immortal timescale. Especially with Aziraphale, never changes outfits, took 80 years to change his mind about holy water. The time gap between the two seasons is relatively minuscule in comparison. Other shows like WWDITS also show immortals having a hard time changing long-held behavior patterns; I don't see why Good Omens should be held to a different standard.

I've seen a lot of theories trying to dive into secret meanings or What Really Happened, but none of them really land. The show doesn't do twists like that - even with the body swap in season one the audience was left temporarily in dark to give those scenes more effect, but never left completely out of the loop. (The one theory that was interesting was Metatron formerly being human - that would explain the behavior we see from him in the finale.) The key information we are conspicuously missing, that I think is where the focus should be, is Aziraphale's conversation just before the confrontation - this will probably shed a lot more light (ha) on why he took the job offer (which I agree is pretty strange).

What I actually didn't like about the season - I thought the makeup felt really flat compared to season one, especially for the side angels and demons. I don't know if it was an executive decision to take a subtler approach, but the angels barely looked angelic (I couldn't even see Uriel's gold dust half the time) and most of the demons were similar (Shax doesn't even look demonic at all). I think the only one I was happy with was Dagon, and even their makeup looked more costume-variety than the first season. Beelzebub also fell flat for me for most of the season, though I don't know whether that's from the acting or the makeup issue. They just really lacked the presence and intimidation that made them originally stand out. I also wasn't a fan of the increased focus on Crowley's former life as an angel (and setting their first meeting further back, I don't like recontextualizing the wall scene), although given the number of fan theories that hit the nail on the head I can't say it came out of nowhere. I really feel that the life someone's had for 6000 years defines them more than the life they had for ~7 days, and it's insulting to only focus on who they were before.

I don't have anything good to wrap this up on, so TL;DR: Thought Season Two was the same quality as Season One, if not the story wrap-up we were told to expect.

[prettycottagequeer]

Alright, this post blew my mind so I've spent the past 3 hours researching and I think this could be something?

The idea of 2 bullet catches reminded me of the derringer that Aziraphale has hidden in a book in the bookshop. So my first question was, can derringers shoot balls?

tw: guns, bullets, final fifteen footage, metatron

I know nothing about guns, so I looked up derringer bullets and this is what most of them look like

But, after researching some more they can be shaped like this

(just try and tell me those first ones aren't Aziraphale and Crowley coded)

Interesting.

So I did some more research and:

Derringers can shoot balls. the smallest size I found was 4.3 mm, which looks about the same size as the bullet in Aziraphale's mouth. There's no way to be sure, but at least we know they can get that small.

Derringers have two barrels, so they can only hold/shoot 2 bullets but they're fired separately. This seems like it might be important for season 3

There's something called a "snake eyes" derringer. Instead of having the two barrels sit vertically, they're horizontal. I don't know how relevant that is, but it's interesting. And felt like maybe a Clue.

Next, I watched the scene like 15 times, several of those at x0.25 speed. You can Very clearly see the bullet if you're looking

This also drastically changed the way I see their expressions. I know a lot of people have done breakdowns of the final 15, but here's what I think based on the bullet.

(I’ll use the .25 speed video because its the easiest to see. I also couldn’t record with sound, sorry about that)

0:01 They break apart

0:03 - 0:08 Aziraphale looks like he’s moving his tongue to keep the bullet under it

0:10 - 0:20 to me, Crowley’s expression here reads very “please understand what I just did” here

0:20 - 0:35 Aziraphale looks very confused, like he’s processing, and also moving his tongue around like maybe there’s something in his mouth

0:36 - 0:40 Looks like he’s having a Realization (that there's a bullet in his mouth. remembering 1941?)

0:40 He shows the bullet 

0:43 - 0:49 His expression changes drastically. He gives Crowley the tiniest second of an “i trust you” expression. It looks like his face softens a bit, and we get a hint of that Michael Sheen sparkle

0:49 Aziraphale says I forgive you, and he raises his eyebrows A Lot. he looks very similar to the way he does when he’s lying. The “I forgive you” could be fake/code so that no one catches on to their plan. 

Here is Aziraphale lying about the half miracle, and about who Crowley is in the job episode.

0:54 Aziraphale looks very desperate, another “please understand” look

1:05 We switch to Crowley. If you look closely (I had to watch it twice, looking at each separately) you’ll see his left eyebrow raise slightly, and his mouth changes. These are very small changes, and without eyes it’s hard to read him. However, I think here he returns the “i trust you, let’s do this” expression but even more subtle.��(best seen in the 0.5 version, around 0:32 seconds)

(^ x0.5 Speed Version)

The more I look at it, the more I think their expressions were purposefully loaded with double meanings. We (or at least I) were all so caught up in the despair of the final 15 that another way to read it didn't even seem like a possibility

We also see Aziraphale touch his mouth after the kiss (oh Michael Acting Choices Sheen), and here he could be removing the bullet.

To me it doesn’t look like this though, I think he really is reacting to the kiss and maybe feeling the bullet through his lips. I think he removes the bullet when the Metatron comes in to the bookshop and Aziraphale turns around.

Here you can see his hand goes up to his mouth, and then comes down and his hands are in fists. Holding a tiny bullet? 

Do I have any idea as to why there's a bullet? nope. but it's definitely there

I think this is everything I've found so far! Hopefully this is understandable, I really think we found a big thing! I would love to hear other people’s ideas on this too

tagging @weirdly-specific-but-ok to get some maggot perspectives on this

Michael babygirl, I apologize now for the close-up screenshots of your mouth I am going to put on the internet. Call Neil if you have issues with it, it's his fault.

Honey, why are you chewing on a ball bearing? I was going to be lenient and say it's a glint off of some saliva but nah she's suckin on a damn pie weight. I didn't see her take a bite of any dippin dots, did you? Who let her near my stash of Buckyballs that I was hiding from the Consumer Product Safety Commission? Just because you are bbgurl doesn't mean you get to eat bbpellets.

[nihilnovisubsole]

Hey man, do you have any advice for describing body movement? I remember your Crowley and Agent 47 (using them as examples that stand out) both had very expressive and true-to-character body language, and I've honestly been killing myself for the past 2 weeks trying to figure out your style, but I either focus on the wrong body parts or choose wrong words - what do you consider to be focal points in mannerisms.. or maybe words/phrases to think about when describing a character's body language?

sorry to hijack your question, anon, but a quick order of business: i’ve noticed something about how i’ve been receiving asks lately. i only tend to get them directly after i post/reblog stuff, like people aren’t sure whether i’m around or don’t want to bother me [which some of them have said outright]. don’t worry about it! trust me, i lurk on tumblr all day. i’ll see it. i’m grateful for the distraction. just because i don’t hate writing doesn’t mean i don’t love to procrastinate.

anyway, body language. i think, without having seen your writing, you’re probably being too hard on yourself. if you’re for-real-for-real using my writing as a style reference, i’m very flattered. if you message me off anon, i’d be happy to chat about it. let’s also not rule out that my style might just be nonsense and you’re struggling to figure it out because it’s, well, nonsense. let’s not forget we’re human here.

but in general, it’s an inexact science - like many things with writing, you kind of just have to feel it out. i don’t follow any body language rules that i don’t make myself follow with the rest of my narration, too. “stay in active voice,” “stay in third-person objective as much as you can,” and “use a verb only once per scene unless you’re really struggling.”

if finding focal points on a character’s body helps you, let’s look at it that way. which body part is changing? what were they holding still, but are now moving? which part of their face is communicating their expression the most? i notice that people emote a lot in their eyebrows, which may be where eyes get their reputation for being “windows to the soul.” some people talk with their hands or interact a lot with the furniture around them. some people are more self-contained.

more importantly, what do you notice? what do you like to think about? your sense of human observation is what will make your writing yours. do you find yourself paying attention to people’s hands a lot? or maybe their posture? you’re not doing it wrong if you’re not doing it exactly like me.

if you want some more detailed thoughts, i’ve included one of my usual tl;drs below the cut. these are less a direct answer to your question and more ideas i have about writing body language in general.

1. acting helps

if you’re writing a character that somebody has portrayed onscreen, you’ll have a big advantage when you try to write how they move. skilled actors are able to give their characters a distinct physical presence, and it’s all just sitting there for you to study and work from.

this is the big reason i like modeling my characters on famous people. i mean, well, mainly i just love movies and daydreaming about what filmed versions of my stories would be like. but when you have that base, you can look up videos of them and analyze everything from their physical habits to the cadence of their voice. how do they sit? what kind of roles have they performed well in? certain people just fit into a time period or aesthetic like a glove. i was completely lost with marcus until i made the connection between him and henry rollins, and then it all fell into place. that stiff, over-disciplined posture and tamped-down nervous energy were perfect for a career military man with a lot of inner turmoil.

in crowley’s case, david tennant is a very physical actor. anyone who writes good omens fic has a treasure trove of lanky, rubbery body language to work with. [aziraphale, my favorite, is kind of the underdog here. i love michael sheen’s performance, but aziraphale’s whole thing is restraint, so i guess crowley ends up being the one who jumps off the page.] on the opposite end, agent 47 is extraordinarily still, with bursts of extraordinary brutality done with extraordinary precision. where crowley is swooshy, 47 is about no wasted movements. his body is wired to be a predator even when he’s off the job. i know it’s weird to compare a video game character to a live actor, but i assume 47 was mocapped, so just… bear with me.

once i have that frame of reference - or i don’t, and i have to come up with my own - i start to act out the character myself. i’ve talked about this before: i feel more comfortable writing a character when i can “embody” them, imitating their body language as i read their dialogue. i must look pretty eccentric when i do it, but it works.

P.S: of course you don’t have to limit yourself to trained actors. you can just as easily reach into your personal life. a lot of authors get incredible results from going back to their mother, or a friend, or some tragic first love.

2. simple, but specific verbs

i’ve heard that a lot of creative writing teachers find their students are timid about the strength of verbs. they’ll bend over backwards to “soften the blow” with gerunds or other unnecessary clutter because they’re not confident that they’ve chosen the right one. “he was sitting on the stump and starting to carefully carve a bar of soap when she came over and he pressed a kiss to her hand.” that kind of thing. my preference is, own it. choose a good verb and leave it naked. let it speak for itself. be declarative. be more forceful in your personality. fight. WIN!

for the record, i’m not averse to using a thesaurus. i think they get a bad rap because of writers who shoehorn in SAT words to make themselves sound more intelligent. did your character walk across the room, or did they pace? did they stroll? did they stride? did they lope? did they run, or dash, or scamper, or bolt? they all feel different, don’t they?

counterpoint: some people add flourishes to their body language so that you’ll really linger on the feature in question. the first thing that comes to mind is romance, where they want you to think long and hard about, i don’t know, the hidden strength in the love interest’s folded hands. this is… i feel… a matter of artistic discretion. it’s not my thing - i prefer to describe more neutrally - but many people love it. it’s something my producers at voltage lovingly bap me on the head about, because lovestruck games are all about zesty High Romance™ and i always wish i could play it down with my plain, unromantic prose. i used to rail away about it in other people’s work. now? whatever. i’m not here to judge you. writing is hard.

3. on the other hand, don’t be afraid to get colorful

if, in the process of writing, you discover some quirky figurative twist that nails dead-on what you’re envisioning, i say go for it. especially if you’re not trying to be wholly detached as a narrator. if i tell you a character “scooted across the bed like a seal,” it gives you a pretty clear mental image, doesn’t it?

if you have a distinctive voice - and i’m sure you do - i think these are the times where you, the writer, as a character are really going to come out. the reason we keep coming back to, say, mark twain is because nobody “prose talks” quite like he did. whether you like it or dislike it, it’s unique.

full disclosure: this is a potent spice, so you may want to use it in moderation. the most fanciful comparisons may work better in comedy, when you have a little more room to be out-there. my mother defines humor as “associating two unlike things in a way that highlights the absurdity of how similar they actually are.” it may not be a coincidence that a curious case of miracles and death and orchids are less serious stories, so i felt comfortable being sillier with my figurative language, and that may have made crowley and 47 seem more expressive. YMMV!

[alysmarylin]

The war is over, my love is not

The second part of a fic about Crowley and Aziraphale during World War II, the first part is here (sorry, don't know how to insert proper links):

In this fic Aziraphale and Crowley meet for the first time since 1941 among ruins of Berlin. I'm a Russian myself and I entertained a thought that Crowley made friends with Soviet soldiers.

Aziraphale could smell the scent of Death in the air. He'd been on Earth since the very beginning of time, and he'd seen just as many deaths as anyone could. But it was different there, in ruins of Berlin, where bodies piled up among rocks and metal and ragged cloth. He knew, reasonably, that if the world was about to end, he'd be notified. It wasn't a horseman on a paled mare whose name was Death, not yet - it was nothing but works of Man. And yet, if felt like the end of the world. He was an angel, but even he started to fear that God wasn't there anymore.

Aziraphale came there by the end of April, out of his own will, wishing to help as many souls reach Heaven as he could. He filled those dying of despair and dread with hope and forgiveness, he eased the pain of children he couldn't save, he gave heartbroken mothers' souls respite, he healed festered wounds of those whose flesh was torn apart and rotting.

He wished he could've ended it all, long before it came to that, but one angel couldn't stop the madness of a Mankind, and God... God was silent.

"Animals don't kill each other with clever machines, angel, only humans do that" - he heard Crowley's words inside his head. Oh, to think he believed the guilliotine was the worst they could do... Crowley always turned out to be right. Aziraphale would get angry at him, but in the end, he'd always be right. Last time he saw Crowley, in 1941, they both thought they've already seen butchery and unmatched atrocities. That was before Auschwitz. He wondered, what Crowley would've said about Auschwitz. He wondered where Crowley was.

"Maybe I should've told him".

He often wondered if it was his love for Crowley that kept him going for past 4 years. He'd seen a lot of things that made it hard to still love humanity, or trust God with his ineffable plan. But his will to see Crowley once again - to take him for a long walk or to a dinner out, or just to look at him from afar, made it all worth surviving. Even what he'd seen in Poland. One could never forget those kinds of things...

His eyes filled with tears, despite his best efforts. If only tears of angel could heal the humanity, or just one single human soul.

He walked further from the ruins towards the street, when he hears a sudden noise that broke the silence. Aziraphale stopped.

That was a tank driving down the street, men speaking and laughing in some foreign language. Russians? Might be. It was a time for their victory, after all. It was their time to celebrate and laugh, before they come back to their ravished homes to cry once again.

Suddenly, the tank stopped and one man took off and walked down the street. Other men waved him goodbye as they moved forward.

The man seemed healthy enough to walk, and as far as Aziraphale could see, there was no blood on his face or his clothes. He was dressed in grey or dusty black, and his clothes seemed ragged and dirty, but so was everything else - there was nothing but dirt and blood and ashes around them. The man was walking towards him. His face was covered in dirt as well. And then, as sun came out from the clouds and lighted the entire street, the man's hair shone with flaming red tounges of fire underneath all the filth that covered it.

"A redhead", Aziraphale thought. "It's well past time I stopped shivering at every readheaded man I see". But he couldn't help it. He couldn't take that picture out of his head. And then he heard man's voice.

- You really don't change, angel. All that wreckage around and you're all in white.

He didn't want to believe his ears or eyes. He had already been mistaken for a couple of times before, and that bitter realisation had always been way more painful than no hope at all.

But it was unmistakenly Crowley, thinner than ever, in ragged clothes, white teeth shining like angel's wing, as he was grinning mischovously. His red hair was a huge mess, he was covered in dust, but he still managed to wear dark glasses in all this poorest state of affaies.

- Show me your eyes. - Aziraphale mumbled. - I want to know I'm not hallucinating.

- They shouldn't be surprised to see snaky-eyed lad after what they've done themselves, angel. - Crowley took his glasses off, but then put them back within a moment. - But I still prefer my privacy.

- Oh, Crowley! - Aziraphale grabbed him in his arms, unable to hold tears anymore. - I'm so glad to see you. I've seen such horror, I've.... I've been here since April, and I was in Poland before that, and I almost lost my faith...

- Come on, don't be like that. - Crowley gently pushed him away. - I can't blame you for your tears, though. There were things that could make Satan himself tremble. But it's not demonic work, of that I can assure you.

- I know. Works of Man. Our Lord's most beloved creation. - Aziraphale was well past the point when he blamed Hell for human atrocities.

- Well, I guess it's almost over now. - Crowley gently put his arm on angel's shoulder. - I was planning to go home soon enough.

- Home?

- London, not Hell. You wanna go with me?

Aziraphale felt bad for feeling so much joy amidst such destruction, and yet he couldn't help but smile.

- I do. I haven't been there in a while. The place I lived in was destroyed. My bookshop, though - I hope it's alright.

- I'll have to find myself a new place. Maybe you could give me some advice, I haven't been to England since I left in 1941. I left my Bentley in Paris, in some reliable hands. Well, I hope they're reliable. I have to believe car's fine, or else I won't forgive myself.

- I bet there's not a scratch on it. - Aziraphale smiled. He told himself he'd use all his powers if something happened to Crowley's car. - We can drive home together, if you wish.

- I don't think it's safe, angel. We'd better meet in London. At least there IS London to meet in. - Crowley smiled.

They walked past ruins, as sun was setting down.

- Those soldiers, - Aziraphale asked - That dropped you off... You spoke their language? You speak Russian?

- Why act all surprised? - Crowley sounded a bit offended. - I speak a number of languages, I've been there for a while, you know. Not that I'm fluent or anything, but I made it clear I'm not a German, for a start.

- Have you been there? On Eastern front? - One thing Aziraphale knew of Eastern front, is that young boys came back all white-haired from there, if they were lucky, or unlucky enough to survive it.

- For a while. I've been to a number of places. Not that I want to recall it now, when all this is over.

They reached the crossroads, and Crowley stopped.

- You're here to help people find their final peace, aren't you? - Crowley asked.

- I am. And you? I wonder if Hell still has any work to do, given the...

- I'll just make sure right people will make it to Hell. - Crowley smirked. - That's about all I can do now.

- I hope I'll be back in London by September. If my bookshop is still there, I'll be waiting for you to come. If not...

- I'll find you anyway, mr. Fell. Such a neat surname you made yourself - Fell. But you didn't fall, it's me who fell, no? - Crowley asked teasingly.

- I was never as good as you at making up names, Anthony J. - Aziraphale replied - If you're so good at searching for people, then I'll see you soon.

- Bye, angel. See you.

Crowley turned around and started walking down the street, his tall figure looking completely black in setting sun. Before Aziraphale could make himself start walking away, Crowley suddenly turned around and shouted:

- I told you we'd win!

, before disappearing completely.

He was right, Aziraphale thought. The nightmare of war was almost over. He was daydreaming of them, meeting once again in London, when he saw a tank driving down the street in his direction.

"It way be foolish of me, but..."

He took a bunch of flowers from inside his jacket - a miracle too minor to be noted - and threw it to the soldiers sitting on the tank. He didn't understand what they said - unlike Crowley, he didn't know a word in Russian - but they smiled at him, and Aziraphale laughed himself, for the first time in 6 years.