Happy Birthday Good Omens

[elisi]

Happy Birthday to the Good Omens universe. ^_^

I bring you a fic: Factory Settings

100k, post-S2. Basically an attempt at S3. Huge in scope and ambition. It is very long, but the chapters are very short. It's like catnip and you'll just keep reading. <3

Comments

[maia]

I suppose part of the reason I want to see it is that after S2 I'm longing for more moral complexity? I prefer interpretations where it's not just Heaven and Hell that are equally wrong, but Aziraphale and Crowley who are equally complicit?

One of my issues with S2 is that it seemed to push things in the direction of Crowley as blameless victim - but that's boring. Aziraphale wants to love Crowley and enjoy the world while preserving his belief in Heaven's (and his own) moral superiority; he avoids responsibility (“I'm the nice one, you can't expect me to do the dirty work”) and lies to himself - that's clear. But the story is more interesting if Crowley's “I only ever asked questions” is akin to Aziraphale’s “I am a great deal holier-than-thou”: at once technically correct and a self-serving lie.

I think we need to see the Fall because both their characters turn on it, and neither Aziraphale nor Crowley are reliable narrators of their own motivations, and we need to see the truth of them laid bare.

[astrogirl]

Hmm. I'm a huge fan of moral complexity, but I don't know that that's the place I'd most want to see moral complexity for Crowley come from... I'm more interested in the ways he's morally complex now than the ways he might have been morally complex then. Although I'm sure there were some -- it's always seemed to me that "I only ever asked questions" is at least a significant simplification even if the heart of it is true -- and I have no doubt that some really interesting things could be done with that. Probably even things that, if I saw them, I'd absolutely love them, and if I'm looking back at this comment after next season and shaking my head that I ever thought maybe that wasn't something I wanted, that would be a great outcome! But I'm not sure I feel it's necessary. (Well, maybe. My feelings on this are kind of vague, and I'm more sort of thinking out loud about it than articulating any kind of firm opinion on the matter.)

I think I see Crowley not as morally superior to Aziraphale, but as someone who was forced, a very long time ago, to learn a lesson that Aziraphale is still struggling with.

[maia]

I think I see Crowley not as morally superior to Aziraphale, but as someone who was forced, a very long time ago, to learn a lesson that Aziraphale is still struggling with.

Oh, I completely agree!

That's why I find the idea that Crowley's fall might mirror Aziraphale's, um - "ascent"? - or whatever you call stepping into that elevator with the Metatron - to be interesting: Crowley learned then what Aziraphale - we hope - will learn in S3. (I'm not married to the idea! I just find it intriguing.)

But the more I think about it: I'm not sure it's Crowley's fall that I think we need to see so much as THE fall - or rather, what led up to it - how 10 millions angels became demons. (10 million angels, 10 million demons, equal numbers on both sides...why?) So much turns on it. We need to see it.

(I do like the idea that the end of S3 might be the transformation of the Good Omens universe into our universe: a universe with no Heaven, no Hell, and no Plan...a universe ruled by the laws of physics, not the laws of God.)

[astrogirl]

(I'm not married to the idea! I just find it intriguing.)

I can't disagree, it is intriguing!

And I'm now thinking maybe whether we need to see the Fall or night might depend a great deal on exactly what S3 does and how it's doing it. I've been thinking that it's not something we've needed to see so far -- knowing that it happened has felt like enough for me, anyway -- but it may well be that it's something we need to see for S3 to work. I'll be very, very interested to see how that goes.

(I do like the idea that the end of S3 might be the transformation of the Good Omens universe into our universe: a universe with no Heaven, no Hell, and no Plan...a universe ruled by the laws of physics, not the laws of God.)

I've seen that idea floated a few times, and I think I really like it, too. (*cheerfully breaks into a chorus of "Imagine"* :))

[maia]

And I'm now thinking maybe whether we need to see the Fall or night might depend a great deal on exactly what S3 does and how it's doing it. I've been thinking that it's not something we've needed to see so far -- knowing that it happened has felt like enough for me, anyway -- but it may well be that it's something we need to see for S3 to work. I'll be very, very interested to see how that goes.

Likewise!


*cheerfully breaks into a chorus of "Imagine"*

Of course...a universe ruled by the laws of physics doesn't seem conducive to all the people living life in peace, either...


I'm now re-thinking the idea that Crowley's fall might mirror Aziraphale's "ascent"...I came across a post I wrote a few years back:


Crowley experiences God as a terrifying absence; he’s afraid of being abandoned and ignored by God: “There aren’t any right people. There’s just God, moving in mysterious ways and not talking to any of us.”

Aziraphale experiences God as a terrifying presence; he’s afraid of being scrutinized and judged by God (flaming sword).

Of course, Crowley’s fear of abandonment and Aziraphale’s fear of scrutiny have a tremendous impact on their relationship; we all project our experiences with our parents onto each other. Crowley is afraid that Aziraphale will abandon him as he feels abandoned by God; Aziraphale is afraid that Crowley will scrutinize him as he feels scrutinized by God.

That's overly simplistic, of course, but...well, I'm not sure what I'm saying, exactly, just pondering.

[astrogirl]

Of course...a universe ruled by the laws of physics doesn't seem conducive to all the people living life in peace, either...

It is demonstrably true that humans are not only capable of making things up and then fighting about them, but that it seems to be one of our favorite activities. :/ Still beats having supernatural forces trying to wipe you out entirely, though.

That's overly simplistic, of course, but...well, I'm not sure what I'm saying, exactly, just pondering.

These are very good, interesting ponderings. :)