Tip of the Hat

Good Omens fanfic writer.

[liquidlyrium]

No nuance poll for Slorch!!!

3 Slorch Moon image credit: 4CatsAndCounting

Did you like (Aziraphale as) Lord Slorch the Vile Master of the Secret Torments?

yes

no

labubuphale only

Remaining time: 2 days 1 hour

[tipofthehat665]

#babygirl #michael sheen when I catch you

[mistysblueboxstuff]

"i have everything I've ever wanted"

[call-me-cosmic]

Me: WHY did Azi choose to look like a demon clown lmao?

Me five minutes later: WHY IS HE ACTUALLY INTIMIDATING???

[tipofthehat665]

I see Slorch, I reblog

[actual-changeling]

like aziraphale, michael tried to fix heaven in their own way. the book of life allowed them to see every possible timeline, every choice that could have been made, what did and didn't happen. no one (including celestials) is meant to know all of that at once.

it very much reminds me of rose tyler looking into the heart of the tardis and becoming the bad wolf, with the doctor having to sacrifice himself to save her. while she had that knowledge, that power, she made jack immortal, she manipulated the very fabric of reality even though she shouldn't have.

michael did something similar, changing small things at first, and the book compensated. erasing the metatron didn't do much, and murdering sandalphon didn't either. even getting rid of uriel didn't destabilize the universe. my point is, there was no external reason for michael to start burning everything down.

what they saw, every single possible lifetime of the universe, led them to the conclusion that they cannot fix heaven. they cannot fix anything.

everything they might have tried did not change the story because it was already written.

before, the celestials did not know that. they were meant to blindly follow orders, to trust in god's Great Plan without questions, which includes the demons. armageddon, the antichrist, the second coming—every apocalypse was built on expectations, but they never knew for sure.

god is the only one who knows what game they're playing and what the rules are, and it's not chess, there are no pawns. azirphale comparing it to solitaire is really what it comes down to. there is one person playing, one person who can win, one who controls every single card and even shuffled the deck. the cards themselves do not have the power to change the game. once the game is done, everything will be destroyed because it has fulfilled its purpose.

season 1 and 2 showed us that many celestials are uncertain of what's meant to happen, they follow orders, and crowley and aziraphale tried their best to save the world within the limitations outlined by god and the prophecies.

problem is, they knew even then that there's a non-zero chance they were supposed to prevent armageddon. god's plan is ineffable, after all. who's to say that their roles aren't written into the book? how can they actually tell if they have free will or are just doing what god created them to do?

the starmaker is told that after six thousand years, the universe will be destroyed. not just earth, every single star and planet and nebula and galaxy. creation as a whole will be undone, the curtain drops, that's it.

no one knows what that will look like, but they all know it will happen, so they have to trust that god has a plan for them. otherwise they'd go fucking nuts, which brings us all the way back to michael.

the illusion of free will and agency disappears when working with the book of life. is anyone free to do as they please when every possible action has been predicted in advance? how is michael supposed to have faith in god when confronted with the reality of their situation?

even satan is not free, he's a villain of her own making, he rebels the way he's supposed to. they all fall not because of their actions or because they're "evil" or bad or demonic but because that is how the story goes. in the end, aziraphale understands that, he understands that crowley was never evil, they were never opposites. there was no sensible purpose to anything.

so michael does the only thing they CAN do, the most free choice there is: they burn it all down. maybe that was meant to happen, maybe it wasn't. maybe it was their first true act of free will, and they used it to get rid of the literal and metaphorical book.

so what exactly are crowley and aziraphale meant to do?

put everything back the way it was? then what? angels and demons still want to go to war, humans are still being tortured in hell, the universe is still being manipulated behind the scenes; by god or by them, it comes down to the same result.

the last thing crowley wants is to become like her. he fights for his agency, he questions her even as she is about to destroy them. why does she get to make this choice? why is everything always up to her?

there's no real answer to that question, so god gives him an offer instead: you get one choice, one act of free will, do with it what you like.

so he does. he doesn't need the book of life to understand the reality of their situation, he's known for thousands of years. michael burned it all down, but he wants something to come out of this. there needs to be a reason for all of this, a consequence, something that actually matters.

burn it all down, yes, and then plant a new seed. water it, let it grow, but don't you dare touch it. its purpose is to exist and nothing else, a universe with genuine free will.

i understand how the ending can seem depressing, but personally i do not find it nihilistic or see it as an act of defeat. everything they did mattered, they're the fabric of the new universe, their love the big bang.

sometimes, you cannot fix the system. sometimes you have to tear the house down and rebuild it from its ashes. there's sadness and grief, but it still happened, it mattered.

the love will always be there even when you can't see it.

[tipofthehat665]

As someone who could be defined as an atheist because I do not believe in heaven/hell or some God pulling strings, I still believe in souls. The idea that a soul can exist without the (I believe) man-made concepts that drive Christianity is what makes me love and believe in Asa and Anthony as a version of Crowley and Aziraphale.

[angelcuppa]

at the end of the day good omens is a satirical commentary on religion. it is an atheist show, like that's always been the point. it ends by saying that a christian world with a good side and a bad side, where there is an eternal paradise for the nice people and eternal punishment for the bad ones, doesn't make sense. actually, it ends by saying that world should never exist, because it is inherently corrupt! not even the people running it all understand their apparent roles or why they are fighting. that's why aziraphale and crowley act in subversive ways, an angel who sins and is selfish and a demon who is endlessly good. that's why gabriel throws up his hands and basically says fuck this. that's why michael loses their mind trying to carry out the end of everything.

good omens, instead, dreams of a secular world in which there are no sides, and human choices actually make a difference. we aren't in some rigged game of ineffable chess. we are the creators of our own destiny. we are the ones who get to choose how we live. aziraphale and crowley don't make their own universe. they simply ask for a world that isn't simply god's amusing experiment.

and god, in the original universe, is not good. I cannot help but feel horrified by her when I think of the fact that she said aziraphale and crowley's love made her smile, and then immediately, without emotion, was about to end them for good. this is a commentary on the irony of christianity. the show says, if there is a god, we are all simply pawns in her game. it is a sort of religious horror that lingers, to me, because the end of everything does not bother her in the slightest.

and the show would have always ended like this. it was forshadowed with job, who was abandoned and tortured for god's bet. and every other bible story - noah's ark, jesus being crucified - just adds to this view of a god who has no mercy, who is apathetic in every decision, who would let aziraphale and crowley create their own universe on a whim.

the real grace, the real miracle, the real magic and the real divinity - that's love. messy, human love. and that's why, in a godless universe, aziraphale and crowley still exist. their love surpasses any holiness or great plan. and if the show had ended in any other way, if things had been put neatly back in their place, that message would not have worked.

because at the end of the day, this ending is meta. it is political. it is a cautionary tale of what happens if you live with black-and-white morality. the ending isn't a case of, well, if the world is broken, we can just make another one! instead, the audience are being spoken to directly. they're being told, across three seasons we've shown you what the world would look under your puritan religion. we've shown you why it would not work and the deep suffering and confusion it would bring to everyone, from angels and demons to humanity. and now, we're putting the world back to what it should be, what it is, a secular, godless universe where we are born and we die and we get to choose. the beauty is in humanity and the infinity of our universe.

[tipofthehat665]

The nervous Aziraphale hands 🥹

[lemon-tart-221]

The pen is mightier than the sword

They are writing their own destiny

Creating their own Book of Life

Continuing the story when the book ends

[tipofthehat665]

@goatmeal-craisin ‼️

[noneorother]

I wrote an essay about the ending of Good Omens, and you can read it now.

You can't bite the apple twice.

How I learned to love the finale of Good Omens for what it is (and maybe you can, too).

It got so long I had to find another home for it, but if you're feeling sad, confused, lonely or even ambiguous after the finale, maybe reading some hopeful analysis will ease the way. I haven't written an essay in 12 years but this is what this show has done to me so here we are.

[scxrbusx]

"we didn't get a new wing scene" but we did. their chairs are their wings. they're a set, hence only one pair of wings instead of two. and the chairs forming a heart is just the icing on the cake. they're each other's heart and all the other will ever need.

[tipofthehat665]

The garden lights 👀

[nieded]

I'm going to put my thoughts regarding the S3 Good Omens finale behind a cut. This is just me turning over my thoughts.

However, I believe in not yucking someone else's yum, so if you didn't enjoy the finale and have strong feelings about it, this probably isn't the post for you.

I was late to watching it because of work commitments, but I sat down on discord with some friends, some who had seen it, some who had not. I had not gotten spoiled, but I had seen mixed reviews.

I knew the following things: that Terry always said it would end in the South Downs, that MSheen said that the ending would be controversial, and that fandom was deeply divided on the end of season 2. I also knew that the pacing was likely to be horrible since we went from six episodes to 90 minutes, but on that front I was actually impressed.

I am someone who loves imperfect stories with imperfect endings. I think messy stories are so very human, and despite our main characters being immortal, I have never forgotten that Good Omens is about humanity.

You see, in the book, Crowley and Aziraphale were bystanders. The story itself was about humanity. Their love was less for each other and more for all the funny little inventions humans created over time. In fact, I remember diehard fans being upset that Season 1 of Good Omens focused so much more on Crowley and Aziraphale than the actual ongoings of Armageddon like in the source material.

That is not to say that I didn't love Crowley and Aziraphale in the show. I would not have dedicated years of writing about my blorbos if I didn't. I just think the decision they make at the end is entirely on brand for them and really brings it back to what the story is about -- humanity and free will. I honestly could not think of a more Pratchett ending.

I want to talk about Aziraphale first and the things I both loved and hated: Aziraphale never apologizing. Aziraphale in general. God, his behavior pissed me off but was so entirely on brand. "I'm willing to overlook that," and "I need you to forgive me." Never acknowledging the hurt Crowley felt head on. Aziraphale has always been constipated about his feelings, and the way he approached it all was hamfisted and exactly as I would expect. I think we would have seen more groveling and even a proper conversation if we were given 6 episodes, but none of this felt out of character for him. And then he did show his love for Crowley when it mattered most by letting Crowley choose.

I loved God telling him he was messy, that he was lazy and gluttonous and prideful, and I loved that Aziraphale said it was true, but it did not negate that he wanted what was best for humanity. And I don't think God ever meant this in a scolding way. They were more amused than anything, I think, but it highlights Aziraphale as an imperfect being with good intentions. If an angel can be these things and also still be good, doesn't that bode well for the rest of us?

I also love that Aziraphale does not get his wish in the end. How many times have we seen Crowley give in to Aziraphale? Removing the stain from his jacket, the West End magic show, saving his books, helping Aziraphale stop the Second Coming even though he was heartbroken. Aziraphale bullies and cajoles Crowley into a lot of things, but when Crowley says he wants to free humanity and actually grant people free will, Aziraphale doesn't argue at all. He let Crowley lead when it mattered.

I also love that what Aziraphale wants is not the selfless thing. Aziraphale is inherently a selfish being. He wants Crowley. But he's willing to overlook that (sorry, will not let that one go).

And Crowley wants him back, but he also wants something so much bigger.

Hooo, where do I begin with Crowley? Crowley has always been a rebel and a loner, neither part of Hell or Heaven. We see him questioning God when he finds out about the plans to destroy humanity all the way back at the beginning of the unvierse. We see him fighting for Satan's side after the last battle, still in Heaven, still with his regular eyes, still not fallen. Even then, he was against the angels but not with the demons.

We see him enacting out God and Satan's bet with Job while manipulating the situation (the goats, the children). I think he would have done all those things regardless of if Aziraphale showed up. Had Aziraphale said no to raising Adam and stopping Armageddon the first time, I still think Crowley would have gone off and tried it anyway alone. The book describes him as an eternal optimist. Aziraphale provided him company and made his life less lonely, but Crowley has always marched to his own beat.

It is entirely believable to me then that when Aziraphale says, "There's only one thing I want (you)," Crowley says he wants to dismantle the system. He's an anarchist, and I am all for it. Crowley is the most fair of all the characters in Good Omens. He has the strongest moral code that never waivers throughout the series. He loves Aziraphale so much, but he's seen the end of the universe and realizes it will never be enough until humans are given a fair go of it. I would have been massively disappointed if Crowley had not put humanity first.

And then there's Asa and Anthony. I do believe there could have been an ending that allowed humanity and Crowley and Aziraphale to exist. That said, I still loved what we were given. I could not fucking stop grinning the entire time I watched the ending. Then I read some discourse and thought maybe I would change my mind on a second watch, but by the time I got to the ending once more, I was mush all over again.

Was it cheesy? Yeah. Was a bookshop AU a bit fanservicey? Absolutely. Did I still love it? 100% despite those things. It was wonderful to see Crowley without all the baggage. It was wonderful seeing them dressed like Book!Omens sitting under Terry Pratchett's portrait. It was wonderful hearing Asa talk about his mother without the trauma and fear.

And then removing Good Omens from it entirely, it was just nice to see a meet-cute between two mdidle-aged men in an absolutely normal way. They were just two people having a flirt in the middle of the road without any fear or shame. I watched it and felt relief. It was so healing for me.

I love stories about people growing old together, living a mundane life. I've imagined it in my head. Maybe Asa was socially awkward, had a few boyfriends but nothing ever lasted. He had just settled into the idea of being a bachelor for the rest of his life. And Anthony, who was charming and a bit suave (even with his terrible hair), was perhaps divorced. Maybe he had a couple of grown kids. Maybe he and his partner split because he was a workaholic dedicated to his career as a tenured professor, but now he was coming to the end of his career and realized there could be more out there.

In the South Downs, they felt so worn-in, like a favorite t-shirt, comfortable. The sassiness, the honesty, the peace. It didn't feel at all like a cop-out to me. It felt like the thing Crowley, the demon, wanted for humanity from the very beginning.

Also, I have this theory that even Crowley and Aziraphale's universe was not the first. I think God has been watching their favorite soap opera on repeat, changing the variables. Crowley and Aziraphale are God's favorites, and Satan realized that too in the end. Does that mean God stacked this deck too despite promising they wouldn't? It's very possible, but we will never know, and I enjoy that ambiguity.

And regardless of how you feel about it, I may be reductive when I say it's just a story, but it's just a story. This has been the most amazing fandom. I've made such good friends for life, found a place for myself that I haven't found in the real world, been able express myself in ways that I never thought I would, and have played in a sandbox with infinite possibilities. I have read and will read a 100 stories more that are better written than Good Omens, that steer these two in unfathomable directions.

As a human, I hope I am living in that second universe with Asa and Anthony. I hope I have the free will to make my own decisions, write and create what I want, and have the privilege of being part of one of the best fandoms ever. And we'll all live happily ever after.

[nieded]

Was just yelling at the SO again about Crowley wanting to dismantle the system (positive), and he said, 'Is it because you also want to dismantle the system?'

Oh.

[racketghost]

thematically i think it was pretty fucking spot on. i think this is how it was meant to end.

however, it is also very apparent to me (and for the purposes of this tumblr post this is an OPINION and i am not calling anyone anything for not agreeing) that that ending was God giving them what they wanted: a universe without heaven or hell. a universe where they can find each other again and again in every lifetime (time after time plays softly in the background). a universe where they can be authors and booksellers and ace and allo and have agency and free will every single time and no matter what they keep choosing each other over and over again.

i also do not think that god would ever disappear completely from all universes. how could she undo herself? i think that they exist as they are as angels and demons in other timelines and in other universes where they also keep choosing each other. i think that they probably just reset back to something near the end of season one. where they are apart from head offices but living on earth.

but in the one ending we see, in this little godless snow globe that they chose for themselves, they are just two halves of a whole reconnecting over and over again even without a divine hand intervening and i think that’s fucking gorgeous.

[fruitomens]

[captainblou]

One day, maybe in the final days of their human life, Asa and Anthony feel complied to pick up that snowglobe thing that has been on their mantelpiece for the last twenty years, gathering dust.

He doesn't know why, but today, Asa feels like turning it upside down, and watch the snow fall on that red bookshop front.

And then, just like that, just with a blink of his eyes, eons of memories come back. He turns to his husband.

"Oh," he says. "Crowley..."

"Hello, angel."

[tipofthehat665]

Oh god, this has me screaming

[rosamayarts]

i think season 2 was so shippy that a lot of people forgot about what the heart of the story is; humanity is beautiful and deserves the chance to make their own world. that's why anathema burned the second book of prophecies at the end of the book/season 1. an ending where a&c rewrite the book of life would have gone against this message. that would just mean it was them pulling the strings instead of God. an ending where they just stop the apocalypse again would have been too similar to the ending of season 1, and as long as heaven, hell, angels, demons, and God exist, there was always going to be another war. An ending where A&C get rid of all of that except for themselves would have felt too easy. In stories, there have to be consequences to make the narrative a compelling one. It would also have ruined their respective character arcs; we had to end with Aziraphale choosing Crowley and Crowley choosing humanity, otherwise the characters would be in the same place that they started. Look. I understand the 'why can't things just be easy for queer characters' thing. I do. But I don't think that this should be at the expense of good storytelling. That is what fanfiction is for. Besides, A&C still get their happy ending. All they ever wanted was to just be able to be human together,without all of the heaven/hell stuff getting in their way. I like to think that in this new universe, their souls have been meeting and falling in love all through time. And they are still the same characters. Crowley loves the stars, and teases Aziraphale over his old-fashioned way of speaking, and is more grounded in reality. Aziraphale is a bookseller (he never wanted to be a bookshop owner, the only reason he ever was was because he needed somewhere to keep his collection, and a way to justify having a collection to heaven AKA blending in with the humans.) He has low self esteem, loves cocoa, and is a little bit whimsical and optimistic (wishing on the shooting star.) Their souls transcend reality and creation, and they are such soulmates that even getting rid of God wasn't enough to keep them apart. I think that's beautiful, and incredibly Terry Pratchett.

[books-and-omens]

We're doing a treasure hunt, yes? Lots of wine, sure. A yellow feather duster, we have seen that before. Is that a bird? Is that our nightingale? A globe with the bookshop and perhaps the Bentley... Anything else?

[tipofthehat665]

It's their history, right there! 🥹

[tipofthehat665]

The beauty for me is that those celestial beings chose US. They fell in love with humanity and gave us an existence where we are free to fall in love in musty bookshops and to cuddle under blankets under the stars. All of this without the meddling of heaven and hell.