Wired

19/student/writer

[whatthewatergaveher]

And when you look back, will you be glad for it all?

New intro post!

🐳 big three fandoms: discworld • skip to loafer • good omens.

🐳 fav author: sir terry pratchett • fav band: florence + the machine • fav book: to kill a mockingbird • fav sitcom: the good place • fav actor: gregory peck.

🐳 intersec feminist • atheist • queer.

🐳 side blog for reblogs @wiredreblogsss ● literature side blog @atticusfinchattic ● ao3 ● wattpad

🐳 matching with @misadontlikeyou

[whatthewatergaveher]

some weird chronically online things which give me a lot of hope:

existence of ao3

ellipsus

stardew valley

green brothers

in a world where money seems to be everything for everyone, there are some nice people who decide that art matters more and people matter more and that gives me a lot of nice hope. sure, the ratio of nice and evil things is skewed. but we can still have nice things. we do. we just need to look

[whatthewatergaveher]

I wonder as I see the moon get overshadowed by the sun whether you still feel the same

I miss you

poetic is even your breath bro wtf

i miss you too angel </3 but also. i am right here.

[whatthewatergaveher]

Some sketching for the soul

[whatthewatergaveher]

Summer break has been WEIRDLY kind and good to my hands, for all strokes I do on paper appear to be making more sense than usual, so here is an art dump of past couple of weeks. Also, my first time trying colors :D

[whatthewatergaveher]

On themes, characters, Sir Pratchett and NG [analysis of GO as an adaptation in the face of a divisive finale]

SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS! DNI IF YOU HAVENT WATCHED THE SHOW.

I will preface this by saying I actually quite liked the finale. It didn't leave me that heartbroken, angry or betrayed as it did to some fans. It kind of even scratched the itch I have for stories sometimes.

Anyway, while I thought it to be a perfect ending at first, I have spent some time thinking things over. [To be exact, one night. But I need to let it out somewhere.]

So here are my problems, opinions and nitpicks with the entirety of Good Omens Show-- and the fact that the problem starts in the garden of eden itself, i.e the season 1.

Core

The GO book is not a romance. It is a witty, funny and charming story about humanity. Aziraphale and Crowley are unlikely best friends, in the face of disagreement with their respective higher ups, with shared love for humanity and humane interests. Their dynamic is easily open to a romantic interpretation but I highly doubt Pratchett intended for them to be this explicitly romantic. That's not very Pratchett-- to focus on romance so much. He sprinkles it sometimes. It happens but it is never the point. You know who does love doing that though.. Gaiman.

The first major change which show does is make GO extremely centered around Aziracrow's romance. It isn't that obvious in s1 but s2 takes extreme measures to show that to be the case. I don't mind that. It gives me another version of characters I absolutely love; but it is indeed a different version.

Same goes for the indvidual characters. I will use two instances to show how Gaiman had entirely shifted the core of some Pratchett characterstics and influences.

During the scene in s1 when Aziraphale has discorporated, Crowley goes to the bar, gets drunk and has just given up.

That isn't very Crowley. Not book Crowley atleast, who is an optimist and believes the universe would take care of things at the end anyway. Book Crowley doesn't get wasted or completely lose hope. Show Crowley does. Because of course it makes for an endearing scene, an angsty moment.

Second instance is that book Aziraphale often says that, "Yes, I don't like what is happening any more than you do. I just can't disobey." vs Show Aziraphale who is a whole lot more "Heaven is The Good Side." Book Aziraphale is still 'your lot vs my lot' but not really THAT much.

Now, I don't hate any of these changes! I love the show. A lot. I do. But its important for the point I want to eventually make that I point this out.

The point being...

S1 was where Pratchett's vision ended, really. The book was the Pratchett's vision and the only reason the book had such a tidy conclusion is because STP is amazing at tidy conclusions (see: the entirety of Discworld). NG? Not so much (See: any of the shows he has run). And from S2, while themes of love for humanity, good vs evil, the inherent goodness of world (very Pratchettisque) carry on; the vision is Gaiman's. Even if they planned s3's script out together (which I doubt. I think NG kinda loves exaggerating his friendship with STP), the execution isn't his.

And that brings me to how I have started looking at this situation. The Good Omens book is an entirely different thing from Show Good Omens.

The show is the story of not humanity, but Ineffable Husbands and becomes more and more so as it keeps going on. It tries to be bigger than that in finale, but due to lack of screentime, fails at fleshing out that aspect. S1 was still about humanity but the themes take a backseat in s2 and s3 to the romance of our two beloved characters.

Which is why I say I like the finale.

Because the finale is a terrible, terrible conclusion to the original story, yes. It negates the entire point of book, of season 1. It kind of just brings down the final decision to a supernatural entity which.. is not very true to the original themes, is it? It kind of just negates it all. Again, Pratchett would not end it this way. No, sir. He wouldn't make the story have such a dark turn- wouldn't imply, 'free will never existed in this story btw'. That's a bit too dark and lacks the hope Pratchett's narratives have. That is the darkness Gaiman has a knack for, though.

But the finale IS a good conclusion to the SHOW'S core and stays true to SHOW version of Crowley and Aziraphale.

The show Crowley loves universe. Stars. Space. Existence. He had love for it like an artist has for their art, and if we had a full season, I think that would have become clearer. But either way, show doesn't forget that. Show Crowley chooses universe over himself at the end of the day (or universe : P).

The show Aziraphale is always trying to do the right thing, often his relationship with Crowley taking a backseat due to that, and in the end- he leaves the right thing to be done by Crowley. He gives the frontseat to him and Crowley. Quite poetic. Me like.

Show Crowley *looked* like he just wanted Aziraphale and himself to sod off and spend rest of eternity in some corner, at the cost of 'universe'. Show Aziraphale *looked* like he just wanted to fix it all, even at the cost of their 'us'. The finale takes good care to drive it home that that had never been the case. Crowley has always cared all too much about the universe, so much so that he was wiling to sacrifice the 'us'. Show AZ has always cared all too much about Crowley, that by the end, it had become about the 'best angel' and the 'artist' and his wish, than what AZ wanted.

And then, at the end, they both get to be human. They find each other in a different universe anyway. How romantic.

So. Nice little ending to your character centric love story you have got there! But jesus.. did you just delete the entire old universe...?

Yep.

The themes take a backseat.

Humanity takes a backseat.

The final decision comes down to a supernatural entity.

The finale is entirely fucking Gaiman. It's not Pratchett's story. The reason book ever had a perfect conclusion is solely Pratchett. Originally what was Gaiman's idea only became what it is due to Pratchett's influence. The book implies it all being a test run and blah blah but goddamit that's not where STP would have gone with it even if he showed it to be so! he wouldn't say 'oh the humanity never had fuckin free will lol'. THAT'S ABSURD. I AM SORRY JUST, ITS NOT GOOD OMENS! ITS NOT COMEDY! ITS NOT HOPEFUL! ITS ALL TOO DARK, PLOT TWISTY AND 'HUMANS NEVER HAD POWER' TO BE GOOD OMENS! IT FORGETS TO ESSENCE AND SIMPLICITY WHICH WAS THE CORE OF STORY.

It forgets about the hope Pratchett brings to his narratives. I am sorry if I mention him too much but once you start thinking about the respective writers, how they write, their track record- it all becomes way too obvious that this ending was never something Pratchett co-wrote, as Gaiman loved to imply. (But he is a fuckin liar and much worse, so are we even surprised?)

And when you take his influence away, this is what you get. An adaptation which forgot the identity of the book. Which forgot the comedy and became entirely all too dark. An ending which negates all events and the point season 1 was trying too make, by taking the 'hey what if it really is all just a solitaire game lol' too literally.

And that is why, for my sanity, I seperate the two as different narratives, stories and versions. I seperate the romance show gives me from the themes s1/book had. I let the two endings exist side by side. S3 is the conclusion to a romance (it tries to be a conclusion to themes but fails). S1 is the conclusion to the themes.

Good day.

[whatthewatergaveher]

i wish apparent career landscape wasn't divided into humanities vs stem. i wish we didn't tell kids this about stem or that about humanities. i wish we weren't made to feel like you gotta pick one and stick to life. and i wish we didnt consider one more important, smart or creative than other.

as someone who is extremely creatively inclined, writes, draws, makes spreads for fun- and is learning coding, loves mathematics deeply, and want to be a prof in it; there is so much similarity. and so much disparity in how people view them vs what they are.

maths and coding require creativity too, who said they don't? art has so much science and maths behind it, who said its less logical?

where would our interfaces be without the design of them, have you ever looked at the creative thought process behind them? or have you ever looked at the technical aspects of artistry?

both categorisations and their respective researches often land and aim at the same question, "what are we? what are we doing here? and where are we meant to go?" just their tools are extremely different. but really, one won't survive without the other.

good scientists did some crazy thing about science, discovered stuff, all that. great scientists did that but were really just philosophers at the end of the day who understood how humanity connected with science. like dude please look up your fav scientist and im sure that guy has a whole wiki section about politics, philosophy or sm shit. and whole load of dabbling in those.

yeah i am js having a career crisis.

[whatthewatergaveher]

after a week of hectic examinations, all a person needs is to write some touch averse kanej trying.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/84120011

[whatthewatergaveher]

'drink deep' is so elke schneider omg

[whatthewatergaveher]

dadi ma promotion

stop. it will be your turn someday

[whatthewatergaveher]

*creeps into your room and walks up to you* i'll tell you a secret *tiptoes and whispers* you have a very pretty smile and you're one of the nicest human beings ever

Says the prettiest and nicest human being...

[whatthewatergaveher]

can bro ask bro to co sibling me 😍🎀

...bro must express explicit will for that to happen

[whatthewatergaveher]

bros literally a walking talking angel omg

Says the walking talking angel omg

[whatthewatergaveher]

im so tired and so jealous

priv

Have a hug. Or whatever youd like.

Jealous of?

[whatthewatergaveher]

Item: The Tragedy Mask Rarity: ✷ Epic

What video game ending hit you hardest?

Feed your dashboard by answering my question, blogger.

LIFE IS STRANGE!!!!!!

Or TLOU

[whatthewatergaveher]

there's this witch and her old habit of sending me stuff that i'd want to draw every other day is just. ugh. i want to tackle her rn. and bite her hair. she's so lucky she's one of my favourites.

Theres this child and her habit of getting ideas. Ugh. I would hug her <3 shes so lucky shes one of the closest to me.

[whatthewatergaveher]

[LIFE IS STRANGE ORIGINAL GAME SPOILERS]

the two LIS endings are basically just:

'you are worth it. i went back in time again and again and again. i shifted realities, i broke rules of nature i wasnt meant to, all just to save YOU. messed with time-space itself. created rift in fabric of dimensions themselves. and here we are. the world might face consequences for it but atleast i have you. and i am not undoing that. it has always been about you. i choose it to be.'

vs

'it hurts to admit that but we both know you are meant to die and i cannot really undo that. no one can. i think past is past and we can only let nature take its natural course. the world cannot keep suffering the consequences of my desire to keep you and i understand that. it hurts to accept but i have to let go.'