![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
Happy Birthday Good Omens
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
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
no subject
It took up a lot of time that I probably should have been doing much more "productive" things with, but I regret absolutely nothing. Fantastic story, and the most utterly immersive fic-reading experience I've had in a long time.
Same. I've not really touched any post-S2 fic, and what I've read has been... I hesitate to say 'unsubstantial', but has tended to be shorter and deal with one issue only.
I'm even more impressed with it, because it does a couple of things I normally hate. I mean, I could do a whole rant about why I think Crowley-was-Raphael is both illogical and unappealing
Join the club! ^_^ Although I think it really REALLY helps to have an actual pre-Fall Crowley to work with. Not that the characterisation in this wasn't astonishing and incredible, but was building on something we *knew*, not the author's head canon. (I am partial to Aziraphale becoming Raphael though. That could work.)
I damned near came out of that thing thinking, "Well, S3 might be an anticlimax now." :)
See I'm... on the fence. It was very very clever, but there was enough plot for three whole seasons. And (imho) it came at the expense of the characters. Not Raphael (of course), but we never saw Crowley deal with Raphael, and also the heart of the story, ship wise, was Chapter 43 (I have re-read that many many times). But a story which hinges on a relationship shouldn't have the biggest emotional moment 2/3 of the way through.
I realise this is judging the fic by... show standards, but it's the reason I only like it a lot, rather than love it. But. Best Raphael ever, hands down. <3
no subject
Yeah, and I find they tend to deal with it in a fairly limited number of ways, too. I'll be honest, I'm kind of missing the post-S1 fic landscape right now. Even the insubstantial fic tended to be insubstantial in ways that were a lot more varied and fun.
Join the club! ^_^ Although I think it really REALLY helps to have an actual pre-Fall Crowley to work with. Not that the characterisation in this wasn't astonishing and incredible, but was building on something we *knew*, not the author's head canon.
Yeah, agreed. Speaking as someone who's written at least a tiny bit of angel!Crowley fic and probably wouldn't have even dreamed of attempting it before S2.
And (imho) it came at the expense of the characters. Not Raphael (of course), but we never saw Crowley deal with Raphael, and also the heart of the story, ship wise, was Chapter 43 (I have re-read that many many times).
Ooh, now, I think I may have almost an exactly opposite take on that, especially when it comes to the finding it wanting a little because you're judging it by show standards thing. Wherever it locates the emotional climax, overall I'd actually say that the characterization and shippiness stuff feels more like the way the show does things than the way fic usually does it, and I find that really refreshing.
Fic usually really, really foregrounds the emotional stuff and just... wallows in it, often to the point of melodrama. It can do that really well and satisfyingly, but I tend to personally be of the "less is more" school when it comes to the fic I really love. (There's a reason why "big feelings getting expressed in small or quiet ways" is in my likes list for every exchange letter I've ever posted, and why I always keep it at the very end of the list in hopes that it'll stick in people's memories better. :)) So I sort of adore the not-very-ficcy-feeling subtlety of this one.
And in the show itself, flashbacks aside (which I realize is a very big aside), the emotional and shippy beats do, I think, tend to be a bit more subtle and more scattered, more interrupted by plot stuff ("sorry to break up an intimate moment!"), and more sparing with the actual Big Dramatic Moments than fic usually is. To me this did feel kind of like that. And, importantly, the emotional and character stuff is still there in the story, it's just very, well, "big feelings getting expressed in small or quiet ways." There are so very many little lines, even just little half-sentences from Aziraphale that make it so clear to me what he's feeling (and how incredibly complex his feelings are) without the author belaboring it or Raphael, as the viewpoint character, quite understanding it. It's like, somehow they've managed to capture the equivalent of how much Michael Sheen's subtle acting choices bring to the show and add huge emotional overtones to lines that might not seem all that significant out of context.
All of which is an approach that took a moment for me to get used to and maybe even needed a conscious recognition that that's what the fic was doing for me to fully appreciate, but once I did, it made me happy.
Could more of Crowley dealing with Raphael and explicitly resolving his own complicated feelings about the person he used to be maybe have been more satisfying? Quite possibly, but for me there are a set of implications in the ending that I think make it work for me quite well as it is. (Note: SPOILERS FOR THE ENDING OF THE FIC!) Namely, that Crowley should now actually remember the whole experience. He'll remember now what Aziraphale said about falling in love with him as a demon, and he'll remember that the angel he was chose to go back, even chose to have his memories of it all locked away, to ensure that he will become the person Crowley now is. Because he thought that Crowley, the demon, was in fact exactly who he wanted to become. That's huge, and I don't feel like I needed the author to hand-hold me through the psychological implications of that in order for me to appreciate it.
In conclusion: pardon me while I go draw sparkly hearts around this fic, apparently. ;)
no subject
Me too! What happened?? (I guess that now it's substantially harder to write straight fluff, now the writers have to Deal With All The Issues. And it's complicated.)
Yeah, agreed. Speaking as someone who's written at least a tiny bit of angel!Crowley fic and probably wouldn't have even dreamed of attempting it before S2.
Obviously we had angel!Crowley in The Fic, and I'm v pleased that (unlike a lot of other things) that part wasn't jossed.
So I sort of adore the not-very-ficcy-feeling subtlety of this one.
Interesting. I shall be lazy and just quote what Promethia said, since she voiced my thoughts perfectly:
" I think my major problem is that this is not A Fic, as in fanfiction is a genre of writing whose purpose is emotional revelation, merely a work of fiction that builds off somebody else's work. It is quite good at being what it is. But I rather felt the frankly pretty flawless Raphael characterization was wasted on a fic that wasn't, at the end of the day, about Crowley and didn't give Crowley any real growth of resolution around his past self."
And in the show itself, flashbacks aside (which I realize is a very big aside), the emotional and shippy beats do, I think, tend to be a bit more subtle and more scattered, more interrupted by plot stuff ("sorry to break up an intimate moment!"), and more sparing with the actual Big Dramatic Moments than fic usually is. To me this did feel kind of like that.
No disagreement, but there was so much plot. Like, if the fic was filmed it'd be 10 episodes long. Which isn't a criticism as such, but imho if the author had edited it a bit, it would have improved the overall flow.
And, importantly, the emotional and character stuff is still there in the story, it's just very, well, "big feelings getting expressed in small or quiet ways." There are so very many little lines, even just little half-sentences from Aziraphale that make it so clear to me what he's feeling (and how incredibly complex his feelings are) without the author belaboring it or Raphael, as the viewpoint character, quite understanding it. It's like, somehow they've managed to capture the equivalent of how much Michael Sheen's subtle acting choices bring to the show and add huge emotional overtones to lines that might not seem all that significant out of context.
Not disagreeing, but I wanted more Aziraphale POV. He has lost Crowley. He might never get him back. And the whole fic through he's stoic and bottling things up and going through all KINDS of hugely tasking endeavours and I wanted... hm... (Italics mine)
"He hasn't met me yet. I sent him a message, but it went wrong. It arrived too early. This is the Doctor in the days before he knew me. And he looks at me, he looks right through me and it shouldn't kill me, but it does."
Seeing it secondhand through Raphael isn't enough. I wanted insight into Aziraphale, the walking wounded. (And nothing to do with the duel.)
Because he thought that Crowley, the demon, was in fact exactly who he wanted to become. That's huge, and I don't feel like I needed the author to hand-hold me through the psychological implications of that in order for me to appreciate it.
Not hand-holding. But just... something. We had a lovely journey through the ages, but... nothing. (see Promethia's point above.) However I am v happy that it worked for you, since that is much preferable to it not *quite* working, and being annoyed.
In conclusion: pardon me while I go draw sparkly hearts around this fic, apparently. ;)
Pink sparkly hearts are always welcome! I love it when people love things, and I hate being negative. It was just... really close, but not quite there. Which was more disappointing than if it'd just been mediocre.
no subject
It's not even entirely that it's harder to write straight fluff, I think, although that's a big part of it (and I never thought I'd say this, but, man, I am missing all that fluff right now). It's that you have to deal with this very specific set of both emotional and plot issues, or else you have to figure out a way to write around it, which is awkward, or ignore it, which feels weird to do. I know it's really daunting me! I've written some little post-S2 snippets, but mostly I feel like my ficcy hands are sort of tied until I see how the current situation comes out and I know what I actually have to work with when I'm imagining what comes next.
Obviously we had angel!Crowley in The Fic, and I'm v pleased that (unlike a lot of other things) that part wasn't jossed.
Yes, you dared what I wouldn't have, and I'm glad to know it worked out for you, canoon and all! :)
I think my major problem is that this is not A Fic, as in fanfiction is a genre of writing whose purpose is emotional revelation
LOL, I think the fact that it doesn't feel so much like A Fic in terms of how it handles the emotional stuff is exactly what I looooooooove about it! Because I don't think the emotional revelation is absent, exactly, but it's not prototypically ficcy emotional revelation, and I find that such a breath of fresh air.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not against diving into a character's brain and (metaphorically) rolling around naked in their emotions. I've written enough of that, myself. But, man, give me a choice between a story where characters are spewing big dramatic, absolutely unambiguous emotions all over the place and one that quietly punches you in the feels from between the lines, and I'll take the latter every time, yes, please, gimme gimme gimme! I love that shit. I love it like pie. It captures so much of what I enjoy about my experience of watching the canon itself, it keeps me actively engaged as a reader extracting emotion from the text rather than just having it handed to me on a plate, and for most of the characters I love, it feels more in-character to me, too. And this one absolutely did that for me. Just because I wasn't out-and-out told what Aziraphale was feeling didn't mean I didn't feel it and understand it. I so, so did, even if I had to reach out for his emotions a little instead of having all of them coming to me, and it was painful and wonderful. And, yes, Crowley's POV could maybe have been brought out more, but I'd rather the changes in him be left to me to understand and feel on my own than that they be shoehorned in somewhere they didn't really fit, or spelled out in a This Is The Moral of the Story sort of way.
I am genuinely feeling kind of "awww, that's really too bad" about the fact that you guys found the story lacking in the thing that would have made it completely satisfying for you, but, man, for me, it pared away all the stuff that would have made it less satisfying and left all the stuff I actually wanted and needed! With some extra bonus stuff thrown in for good measure, too, because I don't actually need (or even always enjoy) plot in my fic, but if you're going to do it, yes, please, do it like that!
Honestly, for me, this sort of thing feels like a hearty but perfectly seasoned meal in a massive buffet of stuff that's just overly drenched with salt, or sugar, or spice. I mean, I like salt, sugar, and spice, but boy is it nice to find something that actually proportions them to my taste.
So, selfishly, I am very glad it is what it is, even if the ideal audience for it is precisely me. (Well, that thing with the dialog tags aside. :))
no subject
It's not even entirely that it's harder to write straight fluff, I think, although that's a big part of it (and I never thought I'd say this, but, man, I am missing all that fluff right now).
Yeah, fluff is nice. I guess there's the (2nd) Therapy Fic...
It's that you have to deal with this very specific set of both emotional and plot issues, or else you have to figure out a way to write around it, which is awkward, or ignore it, which feels weird to do.
Yeah, the writers basically have to figure out how to write some kind of S3, because the issues can't be handwaved away. And - as a perceptive person pointed out on Tumblr - there is no way S2 could have a happy ending, given the Metatron's proposal. Aziraphale going to Heaven on his own/Crowley coming with him/Aziraphale NOT going - all have heartbreak in there.
LOL, I think the fact that it doesn't feel so much like A Fic in terms of how it handles the emotional stuff is exactly what I looooooooove about it! Because I don't think the emotional revelation is absent, exactly, but it's not prototypically ficcy emotional revelation, and I find that such a breath of fresh air.
All your thoughts were v interesting and I am so happy that it worked for you.
But I still think the ending was a cop-out from a Crowley POV.
That said, it was written and posted SO QUICKLY, that I'm not surprised that they cut corners. Just the speed is a huge achievement.
Well, that thing with the dialog tags aside. :)
Didn't mind that, for me it was the random typos. ;)
no subject
No worries! You're getting a quick reply, though, because you happened to catch me at an idle time. :)
I guess there's the (2nd) Therapy Fic...
I bounced off that one pretty quickly, I'm afraid. The first one did a bunch of things I found really interesting and good, and a bunch of things that really just didn't work well for me. The 2nd one looked to be more of the same and then some, and I found I just didn't have the patience to sit through all the stuff I find unconvincing or sloggy to get to the good stuff again.
Aziraphale going to Heaven on his own/Crowley coming with him/Aziraphale NOT going - all have heartbreak in there.
Absolutely! And it seems hard to avoid that, no matter what you do. At one point after S2, I was considering writing a Metatron-free version of the ending, just because I'm really curious what that scene would look like if Crowley actually got to say his piece free of interruption or heartache. But one of the reasons I ended up not doing it is because it might look like a fix-it, but it would still leave certain now-obvious things about Aziraphale and his feelings about Heaven unaddressed and unresolved in a way that seems like it'd fester. The only truthful-feeling way I could think of ending it was with a nagging feeling in the back of Crowley's mind that there's another shoe still waiting to drop sometime, and that lacked appeal, somehow.
But I still think the ending was a cop-out from a Crowley POV.
Fair enough. I think there's a certain element of personal taste there, as well as a question of how much we as readers can be satisfied bringing stuff into a particular story when it's not explicit on the page. Which is something that I find varies a lot for me just from one story to another, really.
Didn't mind that, for me it was the random typos. ;)
I found myself able to forgive those without too much difficulty, although in a lesser fic (or, for that matter, a shorter one) they probably would have bothered me a lot more.
no subject
Excellent! Ditto. :)
I bounced off that one pretty quickly, I'm afraid. [...] I found I just didn't have the patience to sit through all the stuff I find unconvincing or sloggy to get to the good stuff again.
I can confirm that it's been v v slow, but it looks like it's now taking off (Chapter 12?). Also not fluff. *g*
But one of the reasons I ended up not doing it is because it might look like a fix-it, but it would still leave certain now-obvious things about Aziraphale and his feelings about Heaven unaddressed and unresolved in a way that seems like it'd fester. The only truthful-feeling way I could think of ending it was with a nagging feeling in the back of Crowley's mind that there's another shoe still waiting to drop sometime, and that lacked appeal, somehow.
I hear ya. Proton, Owls & I have the beginning of a draft for a [crack] fic, but alas getting 3 people together to write is not working very well. But if we do it, it'll be fab.
Fair enough. I think there's a certain element of personal taste there, as well as a question of how much we as readers can be satisfied bringing stuff into a particular story when it's not explicit on the page. Which is something that I find varies a lot for me just from one story to another, really.
Oh totally. But Raphael is SO well done, Crowley seems almost an afterthought. I mean, obviously he isn't, but... how does Crowley feel about Raphael? Do they integrate? Can Crowley trade on Raphael's self-confidence and self-assurance? He lost a huge chunk of himself [according to this fic] and getting that back should *matter*. From a personal perspective, The Fic very much turned around Thirteen's mindwipe and Crowley getting those memories back and how pivotal that was to his character development/making peace with his Fall/understanding that
the EmperorGod was 'naked'. And here just... crickets. Why go to all that truly amazing effort without doing anything with it? (I'll stop now. *g*)I found myself able to forgive those without too much difficulty, although in a lesser fic (or, for that matter, a shorter one) they probably would have bothered me a lot more.
I didn't mind them much (they clearly were just typos, the author could WRITE), but again it highlighted the speed.
no subject
I would be rather surprised if it was. :)
I hear ya. Proton, Owls & I have the beginning of a draft for a [crack] fic, but alas getting 3 people together to write is not working very well. But if we do it, it'll be fab.
Ooh, well, I look forward to it, then, if and when!
And here just... crickets. Why go to all that truly amazing effort without doing anything with it? (I'll stop now. *g*)
LOL. Well, I do totally understand the annoyance there, I think, even if I don't share it. You know, maybe what that fic really needs is a sequel...
no subject
Same!! Am preoccupied at the moment...
LOL. Well, I do totally understand the annoyance there, I think, even if I don't share it. You know, maybe what that fic really needs is a sequel...
Or just an addendum. But hey ho, nothing can please everyone, so I am glad that you loved it. :)