Aziraphale: [rushing by his side, holding his hand carefully] Oh dear... was it a nightmare again?
Crowley: Mh... Yes.
Aziraphale: The one with God and the end of the universe?
Crowley: It was terrible, angel, no one had free will because it was all part of her plan, Michael had gone mental and erased the universe and we had to sacrifice everything! Even the Bentley!
Aziraphale: Oh sweetheart, we made a deal with God years ago, she's not gonna try to set up world's end again and she promised to make sure that heaven and hell won't mess with humans anymore. We're safe, remember?
Crowley: Mh.. yeah, thank you, angel
Aziraphale: Now come on, Nina and Maggie invited us over for lunch and I have to get back to the bookshop before Jesus starts giving away books out of generosity
I keep seeing people claim that this ending was the only one possible, that the whole narration up from s1 (or even the book) was building up to this finale, that a hard reset of the universe was the endgame all along.
I don't see how. Good Omens's original charm was being a parody of all religions (and a bunch of deterministic movies like The Omen). The problem of free will was discussed often with a light-hearted, parodic approach. I'm reminded of when Ligur said "I made a priest look at pretty girls in the sun today: he could have become a saint, now he's going to hell." Isn't this literally a parody of how simplistic religious moral beliefs are? The whole point of GO was not just to mock them, but to reflect on how humans are more complex than that, in a universe where, even if Hell and Heaven are literal and operative, humans still managed to successfully exercise their free will AND avoid Armageddon, even if it was advertised as inevitable by Heaven/Hell. The point was to prove both wrong. Az and Crow were there just to say that “who's to say it wasn't God's plan all along, maybe there were some small-font clauses hidden somewhere in the Plan?”
It was beautiful, hilarious, humanist, comforting, open-ended. God was never this evil final boss, overarching puppeteer: the point was that she almost didn’t seem to exist at all and it was just a bunch of humans doing things while claiming a bigger entity wanted them to do that.
My takeaway from the book and first season has always been: Azira and Crowley thought they could impact humanity with their work, then quickly realized they didn't need to do much work AND that both their bosses would never understand that, so they just relaxed and enjoyed the ride lol.
What I liked the most about the GO's message was: humans are both bad and good, beautifully human anyway, even in a world with Heaven/Hell, which doesn't impact their lives that much. Dumb Corporate thinks they're pulling the strings of the world, when in fact the strings have always been so loose they could as well be nonexistent: still, humanity is doing just fine.
The point of avoiding Armageddon was to protect that world, created with free will and humanity being its beautiful, "human incarnate" self. That Specific Humanity was worth saving, just like Job wanted His Specific Kids back.
The best thing was that humanity saved itself! No need for celestial beings basically Jesusing themselves for the world, except what they're saving is the abstract concept of a “free humanity”. Where did s1’s love for That Humanity go? They only save the ideal of it with their sacrifice: was that really the only option? It’s a fictional world, so every writing choice reveals a specific intention and message.
That's why the ending of s3 feels really disconnected to me: suddenly we're in a world where God is extremely involved, humans can never have actual free will, they're all "puppets in her own book", all the messages of caring for others and trying to improve the existing world instead of throwing the whole thing in the trash (The Them at Adam during his power trip), trying to find your footing in life despite your past and your nature (Crowley being a failed demon, Aziraphale struggling with his wavering faith, etc.), all blown out the window! I don't want to say it feels like a retcon, but it definitely feels like they flattened a lot of the previous messages and themes just to achieve the tearjerker ending. It doesn't feel earned, it doesn't feel organic, it doesn't feel particularly satisfactory as a way of tying up all the loose ends. It's nothing short of an "it was all a dream" ending.
TLTR: on where the 3 seasons differed to me:
S1 was hope and humanity in all its beautiful, messy glory, making Az and Crow basically useless, giving them a relative freedom from their jobs. Humanity is the main protagonist, it saves itself, who's to say that wasn't the Plan all along? Sure, there’s the "this wasn't the big one, the next one will be Us against all of Them" line, but it doesn't have to be literal: a well-written sequel could have kept the original themes while exploring other interesting moral conundrums in a clever way, instead of going the cheap route of "it's all bleak, let's press reset."
S2 was a wrestling match between different, opposite outlooks on life: do we stay and try making the world better, or do we run away and choose each other? Is there any reason left to hope, or is the world bleak? Can we reform an unjust system, or is it rigged from the start? A more intimiste approach, a slice-of-life approach, if you will.
S3 doesn't even try to do anything except say from the start: everything is ending, there's no point in this life, all is lost, humanity is doomed, free will never existed, I'm tired boss let's just restart the universe because as long as God exists we'll never be free (in a show from a book that was basically saying the opposite and also, a friggin' PARODY of religion, it was never supposed to get that serious*).
*Small footnote under the cut:
s3 feels, all in all, like a fix-it fic from someone who took the first book way too seriously, injected a sense of extra existential dread into a world order that was just meant to be a parody, and basically run with this idea so much that they took the liberty to kill the whole franchise and restart it to their own liking.
It reminds me of Toy Story 4 and why many people hated it: first 3 movies were fun but also bitter sweet because toys were often abandoned by their children, so it was all about finding happiness where you could, seizing the moment, and making bonds with your friends, while surviving in a world where the laws were tried and true. It didn’t try to shy away from difficult themes and difficult choices. It had guts and took risks. It didn’t try to mollycoddle their audience.
Then the 4th movie came out and suddenly all the previous messages were thrown out of the window: toys should just run away from their kids and find their own happiness, let’s dismantle the system! Except it didn’t feel like an empowering message, it felt like breaking all the previously established, bittersweet but beautiful messages, trampling over them, just to get this cheap, individualistic message out.
What is with sequels and their need to completely negate all the previous messages? This constant need for a hard reset, which never feels satisfactory anyway, because it rarely feels earned?
For these portraits (I already finished Corona and Ianthe) I'm picture them at the beginning of the first book. They were meant to be the type of portraits you find in the big halls of a noble house but since that kind of thing doesn't really suit Harrow or the Ninth House at all...this one is more allegorical.
I prefer it when people come up with their own interpretation of my work but just in case some of you are curious here's what I was thinking when I painted this:
Harrow is the very young (and malnourished) heir of a dying house, hence the traditional headpiece and veil being torn apart by moths. Behind her, the withered nuns that populate Drearburh watch expectantly, putting all the weight of keeping the house alive on her. She is their miracle after all, the one who is supposed to save them.
Part of the background is covered by embalming bandages. They're just there, for now, but they're slowly covering everything up. They're running out of time.
However, the fabric of the veil she's holding vaguely resembles the shape of two wings. A small, subtle message of hope.
Guys, Gaza is still living through a disaster that no one is talking about anymore.
People are still dying.
Hunger is still there.
Medicine is still almost impossible to find.
We are trying to survive day by day in conditions that are not meant for any human being. Everything is scarce. Everything is expensive. Even the simplest needs have become a daily struggle.
My father is very sick and urgently needs treatment, but in these conditions, getting the care he needs feels almost impossible.
And while all of this continues, we are still here… trying, holding on, and asking for help.
We urgently need your humanity and support.
Please donate, Please share.
📍📍📍 Fundraiser vetted (#167 by el-shab-hussein & nabulsi), But we created a new GoFundMe page because GoFundMe suspended the beneficiary’s account on the platform, which put us in a very difficult situation.
(ty 4 da notes on my previous posts! is that what u call it help am an unc on tumblr brah 💔💔u guys go crazy for these lesbian necromancers,..! and i too!)
Before you donate, please take a moment to read our story we really need u. 💔😔
This link is where you can help support our family, and reading our journey will show you exactly how your contribution can make a real difference.👇🙏
Campaign Update
Hello, my name is Anas, and I am from Gaza and this is Our Story from Gaza: Before and After 💔
Before the war, my family and I lived in the Shuja'iyya neighborhood of Gaza City. Our life was simple but full of meaning. I lived with my parents, my brother, and my sister in a home filled with love and laughter.
Every morning, my father and mother would wake up early to go to work, while my sister prepared for school. We had our normal daily routines, shared meals together, celebrated birthdays, and dreamed of the future.
It wasn’t a rich life, but it was ours. We had our house, a small piece of farmland, good neighbors, and beautiful land around us that gave us a sense of peace and belonging. My mother, father, and sister were always part of this daily rhythm, making our life feel ordinary yet full of warmth and stability.
Every Thursday, our whole family would gather at my grandmother’s house laughter, stories, and meals together. That special time brought us closer and filled our hearts with joy. Now, all of that is gone.
Our home between before and after 🥺💔
The Day Everything Changed
During the first week of the war, the bombing forced us to leave our home. We thought it would be temporary, but then came the news that broke us: our home was completely destroyed. Flattened to the ground. Everything we worked for and saved, every memory, gone in a moment.Since then, we have been displaced multiple times from Shuja'iyya to Rimal, then Al-Zawada, and finally Rafah. Each time we carried less with us. We’ve slept on floors, in schools, and even tents. Nights are freezing, days are unbearably hot. There is no clean water, no electricity, no toilets. We wait hours just for bread. We lost not only our home but also our jobs, our stability, and our sense of safety. Right now, our only dream is to survive tomorrow.
Why I Am Asking for Your Help
I am starting this campaign to support my family because the war destroyed everything we had our home, our land, our routines, and our sense of safety. Your help will allow us to rebuild our lives step by step.
and we are raising $20,000 to help my family survive and rebuild after the war. This amount will allow us to:
1-Rebuilding our home and farmland: Our house was completely destroyed, along with our small piece of farmland. These were not just buildings or land they were the heart of our daily life, where we felt safe and connected to our surroundings. We need help to repair and rebuild a stable home and restore the land that provided us with peace and sustenance.
2-Restoring our daily life and happiness: Before the war, we had routines and small joys working in the fields, sharing meals, celebrating birthdays, and seeing our neighbors regularly. Every Thursday, our family gathered at my grandmother’s house. Those ordinary days brought us happiness and a sense of belonging. We want to bring back some of that normal life.
3-Support for work and livelihoods: The war took away our jobs and sources of income. My parents, who used to work hard to provide for the family, can no longer earn a living safely. Donations will help us cover essential expenses and start rebuilding work opportunities so we can support ourselves again.
4-Food, clean water, and urgent health needs: Life now is a struggle for basic necessities. Your donation helps us access proper food, clean water, and medicine for urgent health needs.
Your support, no matter the amount, is not just money it’s hope, dignity, and a chance for a family who lost everything to start over. Every contribution helps us recover a little of the life we loved and the memories that made it special.
As of today, April 15, 2025, the latest satellite images of our home show that it has been completely destroyed
From My Heart ❤️
To everyone who supported us before, and to anyone reading this now thank you 🙏. I know the world is full of struggles, and I don’t take your kindness for granted.
Please, if you can, donate again through this new link or share it with others. Every bit of help means so much to me and my family. 💔🙏
Campaign Update
Even $20 will make a big difference and save us!
IMPORTANT: This campaign is real and verified. You can see all updates and amounts raised directly on the link.
If you came from the tags , I want to reassure you, don’t worry, because @gaza-evacuation-funds helps me to make the post reach the largest number of people
!!!
Some of you may already know me from my previous fundraiser on GoFundMe. I want to explain honestly what happened: I closed that campaign myself because receiving the money there was very difficult. Their strict policies only allowed transfers in one currency (USD), which made it hard for many people who wanted to support us in other currencies. Some donations could not even reach us, and part of the money had to be returned to the donors.
That’s why I decided to move my campaign here to chuffed.org. This platform is much better for our situation because it allows people to donate in different currencies (USD, EUR, and more). This way, support can truly reach us without these problems.
Thanks to your support, we have collected $22,236! 🙌
We have returned $2,300, and the remaining funds from our previous campaign are approximately $20,000.
With your help, we are now focusing on achieving our next goals:
titsay
germansingergirl
kianamaiart
ellievsbear
origamiaround
discoholicmusic
pixelskylines
tangentwithtanner
blakekathryn
